《The Code is Mightier than the Sword (A LitRPG Adventure)》


 Chapter 1: The Test

    Jace Thorne eyed up the massive polar bear and fire salamander standing before him and tried not to dwell on the odd combination.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there,¡± Kirk cried as he leaped past Jace to engage the fire-imbued lizard.  ¡°Kill it.¡±


    Jace snapped his mind back to this un-reality and watched as the agile thief attacked the salamander, his short sword colliding hard with the monster¡¯s flaming scimitar.  The smaller man was thrown to the side but sprang up in a roll, preparing another charge against the foe.


    Whether Kirk would ever get a solid enough hit to wound the creature was irrelevant, the desperate attack had served its purpose in distracting one of the two monsters so Jace could face the bear alone.  Well, not quite alone.  An arrow streaked over his shoulder, sinking deep into the white monster, the feathered shaft disappearing into the thick fur.  The magical animal reared up on its hind legs in anger, not exactly making it a smaller target, and collected a second arrow in the chest.


    As it dropped back down to all fours, Jace made his charge, willing flame to his two-handed sword, knowing that the magical weapon would do extra damage to a creature that originated from the frozen wastelands of the north.  The bear had a trick ready for the daring paladin and breathed a heavy cone of frost at its enemy.  Jace dodged to the right and closed the last few feet between them with a roll and slash of his great sword.  This did far more damage than the arrows, burning off a large section of the previously white fur.  Half of the creature¡¯s side was charred black, and it turned with even greater fury than before at the offending human.


    ¡°Hold!¡±


    The cry was high and shrill, and Jace felt a sudden urge to halt in his retreat.  But the spell wasn¡¯t aimed at him. Instead, the bear stopped suddenly, halfway into a retaliatory strike, its right paw raised in an attack against the kneeling paladin.


    Jace glanced over his shoulder, seeing the priestess who had cast the spell returning his look with a scowl.  ¡°Don¡¯t just sit there,¡± Alex said.  ¡°Kill it.¡±


    Jace nodded his thanks at the save and rose to his feet to get a good strike on the motionless beast.  To his left, Preston, the fourth person of their group, was running up to the polar bear too, stowing his bow on his back and pulling his sword from its sheath.  The battle mage could enchant the blade with any elemental power, and fire seemed the most obvious.  After only a few more attacks from the two men, the beast died.  The animal was no longer a valid target for the hold spell, and it crumpled in a heap on the stone floor of the cavern.  Its body flickered for a moment before vanishing in a puff of cold air, leaving behind only a small white gem bouncing on the ground.


    The two men ignored it and turned to see how their friend was doing.  Kirk hadn¡¯t killed the salamander yet, but it did look like he had landed a few hits.  Preston lent a hand, extending his empty left arm and sending a burst of cold energy at the back of the fire creature.  The salamander reared in pain as the blast hit, doing additional damage and freezing it in place for a few seconds.


    Kirk didn¡¯t need to be told what to do and leaped forward, his short sword skewering the creature in the narrow chest.  He did enough damage to shatter the frozen beast, its pieces dancing about on the stone before they disappeared, leaving a ruby bouncing in their place.  The nimble rouge caught the gem with his off-hand, and as the others continued to scramble up the short incline, he veered toward where the bear had been and scooped up the moonstone too.


    ¡°No time for that,¡± Alex said, standing at the mouth of a small cave in the cavern wall.


    ¡°You¡¯ll thank me later,¡± Kirk said.  ¡°When we can afford an extra round at the tavern tonight, you will all know why.¡±


    Jace let the thief pass him as he took his time getting to the mouth of the cave, keeping his eyes on the winding passages before and behind them.  This small alcove was their target, and they found it only after an hour of wandering through the vast underground network of tunnels and open rooms.  They knew the dragon was in here somewhere, and Jace worried the beast would catch them unawares.  So far, they had only fought against his minions, an endless parade of the most varied creatures he could imagine.  Massive snakes, iron golems, lava creatures, and crystalline horrors had joined the likes of fire salamanders and polar bears to keep the adventurers on their toes.  Their information was that battling the dragon was hard enough but doing so while fending off the countless minions was nearly impossible.


    Finally confident the dragon wasn¡¯t coming down the tunnel after them, Jace stepped into the cave.  ¡°You can hide us, right?¡± Jace asked the mage.


    Preston nodded, concentrated for a moment, and erected an illusion he promised would make the entrance look like a regular portion of the cavern wall.  Jace thanked him and then moved further into the cave to see what task lay ahead.  According to their research, the key to eliminating the ever-regenerating minions was here.  Jace didn¡¯t have to look far.


    A short table, two-feet square, stood ten feet into the small room that was only about 25 feet in diameter.  Alex was beside Kirk, healing a few of his wounds, and neither of them said a word as Jace walked up to look at the strange setup.  It was a puzzle, and everyone in the group knew who would have the most luck cracking it.


    The tabletop was marble and etched in a grid pattern, almost like a chess board, only the grid was 6x6 instead of 8x8.  Nine gemstones were placed seemingly at random, leaving 27 open spaces.  It didn¡¯t take long for Jace to recognize most of the stones.  There were moonstones, diamonds, emeralds, rubies, and crystals in gray and black.  Jace thought those were hematite and obsidian but wasn¡¯t sure.  Some of the stones were represented twice, and others only once.  A slight glow from the gems was the only light in the room.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be thanking you sooner than the tavern,¡± Jace said absently.  ¡°Kirk, empty your inventory of gems.¡±


    As understanding flashed across the thief¡¯s face that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep his treasures, he reluctantly dumped the varied gems on the floor.  Alex stood to watch Jace think and couldn¡¯t help but interrupt his thoughts.  ¡°How will you know which stone goes where?¡±


    ¡°There has to be a pattern to it,¡± he said mostly to himself.  And then it hit him.  ¡°It¡¯s a sudoku.  A 6x6 sudoku where instead of numbers, they are using gemstones.  I need to place six of each stone on the board in the right place.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have six of each,¡± Kirk replied, sorting his precious gems into piles.


    ¡°Some have been placed on the board for me already.  The problem is . . .¡± Jace¡¯s voice trailed off as he lost himself in thought.


    ¡°Better figure it out fast,¡± Preston called from the mouth of the cave.  ¡°More of the minions are milling about outside.  I think they know we were here last and are trying to pick up our trail.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jace said, not even turning to look at the mage.  ¡°This is longer and harder than I thought it would be.¡±


    Kirk snickered.  ¡°That¡¯s what she said.¡±


    Alex huffed at him.  ¡°Trust me,¡± she replied.  ¡°I would never say that.¡±


    Kirk blushed.  ¡°Oh, sorry, it wasn¡¯t you, sweetie.¡±


    ¡°Oh really,¡± she replied, standing over the thief with a menacing look.  ¡°And who was it then?  Answer carefully, or those won¡¯t be the only jewels you¡¯ll have to play with by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Enough, you two,¡± Preston scolded.  ¡°Why does game night always turn into couple¡¯s therapy?  How¡¯s it coming, Jace?¡±


    ¡°I have a problem,¡± he replied.  ¡°A 6x6 sudoku comprises six boxes that will each contain the six gems, but I don¡¯t know if the boxes are 2x3 or 3x2.  It makes a difference which side of the table I stand on.¡±


    ¡°What happens if you guess wrong?¡± Kirk asked, trying to ignore the vicious stares his girlfriend was still giving him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but if the orientation is the way I think it is, then this space should be an emerald.¡±  Jace bent to the ground to pick one of the green stones and held it over the square in question, wondering if there was something special he should do.  Each space had a concave depression in the center, and he fit the gem into the spot.


    Instantly, the emerald vanished and was replaced by a massive python.  The creature slithered off the table and enveloped Kirk, who was desperately scrambling out of the way.  Alex tried to cast a spell, but the tail of the enormous reptile smacked her across the chest and sent her sprawling.  Jace and Preston were slow to react, so Kirk was forced into action.  He managed to escape the initial attempt of the constrictor to wrap him up and pulled his short sword and dagger to make an ¡°X,¡± trying to pin the snake to the ground.


    He wasn¡¯t heavy enough to hold it there for long, but his friends responded in kind.  Alex was back on her feet and, remembering how impervious the snakes had been to their magic attacks back in the cavern, cast a quick spell to lower its resistance.  Preston recognized the spell she was preparing and sent a gout of flame toward the creature¡¯s open mouth that hit just a moment after the priestess¡¯s magic enveloped the snake.


    The monster appeared to glow brightly in the dim cave as fire filled it from mouth to tail tip, and it stopped struggling momentarily.  Jace didn¡¯t waste time and had his huge sword out in a flash.  The tip sparked against the low ceiling as he brought the weapon down over his shoulder and onto the neck of the snake.  The head severed from the critical strike, and soon Kirk was trying to wrangle a vanishing green mist.


    Jace sheathed his weapon and picked up the emerald from the ground where the bulk of the snake had been.  ¡°Or,¡± he continued his thought as if nothing had happened, ¡°if the boxes go in the other direction, the emerald goes here.¡±  Without hesitation, he pressed the gem into a different square.  Everyone else in the room scrambled backward, but Jace stood confidently still and watched as the emerald shimmered and locked into place.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve got it now,¡± he said.  ¡°Sorry for that.  But I had to guess to know.¡±  He looked down at the collection of gems scattered about the floor, trying to count as Kirk collected them back into piles.  ¡°However, I don¡¯t think we have enough rubies.  We only have four, and I will need five.¡±


    ¡°Someone needs to go kill another salamander,¡± Preston reasoned.  He was about to offer when Kirk spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.  I don¡¯t think I want to be in here when Jace screws up again and iron golems start beating the crap out of us.¡±


    Jace and Preston exchanged looks and thought it more likely that he wanted some breathing room from his girlfriend.  Either way, he did go up to her.  ¡°How¡¯s about a bit of protection first?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said mockingly, ¡°now you want to use protection.¡±


    ¡°Fire protection, sweetie.  You know, for the salamander I am going to bravely go kill.¡±


    ¡°If you call jumping out of the shadows and backstabbing brave,¡± she said but cast a fire protection spell on him anyway.


    ¡°Be quick,¡± Preston said as the thief wove around the table and approached the much taller battle mage.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯m always quick.¡±


    ¡°Now, that is something I¡¯ve said before,¡± Alex replied.


    Kirk thought about responding but instead initiated his stealth skill and faded from view into the shadows before moving through the illusion and out into the main cavern.


    ¡°It always gives me the creeps when he does that,¡± Jace said, turning back to the table.  Over the next few minutes, the paladin carefully placed stone after stone.  Now that he knew the proper orientation of the puzzle, there were no more surprises.


    Occasionally, Preston would announce from his position at the mouth of the cave that one of the creatures outside had suddenly disappeared when Jace placed a gem on the puzzle.  It became apparent to the paladin that one of the corresponding creatures would vanish from the cavern as each rock was placed.  Thus, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the minions when the sudoku was complete.  There was still the dragon, but one thing at a time.


    Also, Jace was careful to keep the rubies back.  If he placed them all, it would make it harder for Kirk to find the corresponding salamanders. He only had a few stones left when Preston announced they were in trouble.  ¡°I think one of the golems just dispelled my illusion.¡±


    Jace took a moment to look into the cavern and saw five different creatures run, slither, and crawl up the slight slope to the alcove.  Jace started to pull his weapon, but Preston pushed him back to the table.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this; finish the puzzle, and they will all disappear.¡±


    Jace returned to the sudoku with only eight gems left to place, half of them rubies.  Alex strolled past him, pulling her mace and casting holy might on herself.  Soon he heard the familiar boom of her weapon hitting heavy against a golem, and he doubled his efforts.  The gems were going in quickly now, and he listened to his friends behind him sigh with relief as their enemies disappeared one by one.  He was down to five empty spots, all rubies, and all five salamanders were now at the mouth of the cave, the heat of their flames making the air almost unbreathable.


    If they were all here now, there was no point in holding the rubies back.  He placed the four he had, and soon Preston and Alex faced only one.  The mage froze it, and the priestess blasted it apart with her mace.  Preston caught the ruby on the second bounce and tossed it over his shoulder to Jace.


    Just then, Kirk finally made his appearance, emerging from the shadows.  ¡°You waited just long enough for us to get our own ruby so you could keep yours, didn¡¯t you?¡± Alex accused him.


    Kirk had an innocent expression on his face, tossing the red gem up and down in his hand as he walked up the slope.  ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about.  I worked as fast as I . . .¡± his voice trailed off as the ruby vanished from the air in mid-toss.


    Inside the cavern, Jace secured the last one, and all the extra gems on the floor disappeared.  His three companions crowded into the cavern and huddled around the small table, watching as each stone sparkled and sunk into the table till they were all flush.  Once the process was complete, a slit opened in the middle a few inches wide and a quarter inch thick.  It reminded Jace of a sheath¡¯s opening.  On a whim, he pulled his sword and tried to stick it in the slot, but it was too big.  Then a light went on in his head.


    ¡°Um, Kirk,¡± he started slowly.  ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to still have that completely non-descript sword we found earlier.¡±


    ¡°You mean the one you told me was worthless, and I was wasting room in my inventory by picking it up?¡±


    Jace swallowed his pride.  ¡°Yes, that one.¡±


    Kirk reached into his inventory and seemingly pulled a sword out of nothing.  ¡°This sword?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°That¡¯s the one.  May I have it?¡±


    Kirk contemplated making his friend eat more crow but relented and handed the blade over.  Jace took it carefully and brought the end down to the opening.


    Preston put a hand on Jace¡¯s shoulder to caution him.  ¡°Just put the tip in slowly and see if anything happens.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what she-¡± Kirk started, but Alex slapped him.


    Jace ignored the couple and did as instructed, already intending to take it slow.  He didn¡¯t get the chance.  As soon as the weapon tip entered the narrow slot, the sword was yanked from his hands and plunged into the table.  Multi-colored energy rays pulsed from each of the 36 gems into the center in a rainbow of color, focused on the firmly secured sword.  The display continued for a dozen seconds until each stone exhausted itself of power and looked like empty glass.  The table thrummed with energy, and the whole cavern shook through the spell¡¯s completion.


    As quickly as it started, it was over.  The cavern was now dropped into darkness without the table''s glow, and Alex cast a light spell to illuminate the small room.  The sword sat there innocently as if nothing had happened.  Jace reached for it, touching the pommel with one finger and then slowly letting his palm rest on it.  He sensed power but no danger and pulled the sword from the table.  Once free, they no longer needed Alex¡¯s spell, for the blade shone like a lighthouse in the small cave.


    Jace smiled as he held the weapon aloft.  ¡°Guys, let¡¯s go kill a dragon.¡±

 Chapter 2: The Offer

    With the minions out of the way, Jace had no problem leading his group through the wide tunnels of the cavern toward the dragon. The evil presence of the awful beast stood out clearly in his mind when he wasn¡¯t worried about dodging crystalline fists or avoiding fireballs from lava creatures. Not all the passageways in this vast underground maze were large enough for a dragon to move through, and the party now moved through one such tunnel. They could see this path led to the largest room they had found, and Jace warned them that the dragon was only a few hundred feet away.


    The paladin paused briefly to go over the plan, and everyone nodded in agreement with their role. The spellcasters were low on magic, but there were no viable rest options here, and they would have to make do with what they had. Hopefully, with their enchanted sword, they wouldn¡¯t need much more than the damage they could produce with their weapons.


    Jace was the first out of the tunnel and felt the massive drop in temperature as he entered the frost dragon¡¯s lair. Ferrisbane sat calmly in the middle of the vast cavern, a mighty white dragon whose breath could make even the strongest iron brittle. Now, she waited patiently for whatever foes had invaded her stronghold. The beast was aware that her minions were gone and that the magic spell cast to provide her protection was no longer active within the cavern. The mage she had hired to cast that enchantment had seemed loyal, but now she regretted not eating him after the spell. Undoubtedly, he had sold her secret to these adventures. Ferrisbane didn¡¯t know that the magic that had protected her all these years could also be used against her. Focusing her attention on the lone human approaching her now, she could feel a familiar power within the knight¡¯s sword but laughed at the idea that a single warrior thought he could defeat the dragon.


    At that moment, Preston and Alex stepped out of the tunnel, and Jace broke into a sprint. The dragon¡¯s attention was divided, and she didn¡¯t know whom to attack first. The priestess cast her last spell of magic reduction, lowering Ferrisbane¡¯s invulnerability by 20%. With her protection dispelled, her natural immunity was already relatively low, and after the priest¡¯s spell, it was almost nothing. The battle mage followed it up with an acid arrow aimed at the dragon¡¯s underbelly. The green bolt of energy streaked through the air and exploded into her chest with a sickening hiss. Ferrisbane winced only slightly, but the chemical burn repeated itself several times, each blast less than before, progressively weakening the creature.


    The dragon reacted in turn, blasting her icy cold breath across the width of the cavern at the two spell casters, but they were already running in opposite directions, attempting to flank the creature. The attack missed, but the dragon angled her head down at the sprinting paladin, catching him full in the face as he closed the distance between them.


    Jace felt Alex¡¯s cold protection spell flex under the tremendous force of the dragon¡¯s attack, knowing that he would have been frozen solid without that defense. Even with the spell, he felt his health plummet and his joints scream in protest. He grabbed the hilt of his normal sword, holding it awkwardly in only one hand, and brought flame to the blade. The fire breathed heat into his body, and he found the strength to close the last few dozen feet to the dragon.


    Ferrisbane reared back at the sight of the flaming weapon, knowing how much it would hurt, but she didn¡¯t pull back far enough and only revealed the acid wound to Jace more prominently. The paladin focused on that spot, acid still occasionally bursting the last effects of the spell, and lifted his new weapon to attack. The enchanted blade shattered the weakened scale and slid into the dragon¡¯s flesh. The beast kicked out in pain, and Jace had no defense but to curl up into a ball as he flew across the cavern. He trusted his armor would save him, which it barely did, as the impact with the stone dropped his health below a quarter. But his job was done for now.


    Back in the middle of the cavern, the dragon scrambled desperately against the wound. It didn¡¯t hurt as much as the fire blade would have, but now she felt like a bathtub filled with water quickly emptying through a massive drain. The magical resistance that had been her savior for so long was vanishing. Ferrisbane tried to remove the sword, but her giant clawed fingers couldn¡¯t grasp the tiny hilt that had been left protruding. And she had other things to worry about.


    The mage who had thrown the magical acid arrow was now firing flaming arrows. He had a bow out and was shooting almost without aiming but could hardly hit anything but the massive beast in this empty cavern. Preston was out of magic now, but the crystals that gave his bow elemental powers were fully charged, and he hoped he had enough arrows to do the job.


    The dragon went on the move, wanting to trap the archer in the cavern¡¯s corner so she could crush him, but a ring of fire sprang up around her as the priestess unleashed her last spell. Ferrisbane tested the boundary and recoiled in pain, the simple spell doing extra damage to the frost dragon.


    Still, did these humans think this would be enough? Then Ferrisbane sensed something jumping out of the shadows on the cliff wall above her. A small rogue landed on her back, sinking his sword under her weakening scales. A simple weapon it might have been, but the thief struck a nerve in her back, and tremendous pain coursed through her. The attacker wasn¡¯t satisfied with one hit, though, and continued to pry up scales with his dagger and shove his sword into the flesh.


    Ferrisbane wanted to smash this insignificant human back against the wall he had leaped from, but to do so, would mean crossing the flame barrier, and she couldn¡¯t bring herself to endure that pain. Instead, she knew she would have to resort to her breath weapon again. But as she inhaled to drench the entire cavern in an artificial ice age, she felt the air pass through her, no longer finding the source of her magic. Instead, she got the archer¡¯s last two flaming arrows in her open mouth.


    Ferrisbane thrashed about desperately, trying to throw the thief from her back, and as she hopped about, flapping her wings, Kirk finally lost his grip and leaped to the ground, falling just outside the ring of fire and rolling to safety. The flame barrier also ended, but instead of disappearing, it shrunk in diameter, burning the dragon¡¯s wings and legs as it collapsed into a point.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Exhausted and weak, Ferrisbane thought she might still have a chance as it appeared this group was out of offense. She saw them gathered in front of her, three standing tall while the paladin was just pulling himself away from the cavern wall and staggered up to his friends. The knight smiled at the evil beast before him despite his weakened condition. ¡°Die, you evil fiend!¡±


    Jace lifted his hand to the heavens, far above the ceiling of this underground stronghold, but his god heard his cry anyway. A terrific bolt of lightning crashed down on the dragon.


    <hr>


    ¡°The holy smite spell did . . .¡± Conor, the DM, paused as Jason rolled his dice, ¡°46 points of damage. Ferrisbane rears up one final time, looking at you with hatred in her eyes, and falls to the ground dead.¡±


    Kirk and Alexandra hugged each other in celebration before Alexandra realized she was supposed to be mad at her boyfriend. Preston did a fist pump with a subdued ¡°Hell, yea.¡± While Jason only nodded his head. He had been hoping for a worse roll from a 10d6 attack so he could finish the dragon with his flaming sword, but killing the evil creature with his paladin ability was just as poetic.


    ¡°Did the dragon drop anything?¡± Kirk asked.


    The other players rolled their eyes at the greedy thief.


    ¡°His body,¡± the DM replied.


    ¡°What,¡± Alex asked, ¡°do you think she¡¯s carrying around an armory of weapons she can¡¯t use?¡±


    Kirk just shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°You can pry off a few scales,¡± Conor replied, ¡°but since you sucked all the magic out of her before she died, they won¡¯t be worth much.¡±


    ¡°Counterfeit dragon scales,¡± Kirk grinned. ¡°I can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else we need to worry about in the cavern?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Nothing of value,¡± Conor said. ¡°I won¡¯t make you walk back through the tunnels. They are empty of enemies. You can return to the village outside the mine if you want. In fact, I think this would be a good place to stop. You all earned enough experience points to level up. So you can spend some time before the next session to work on what abilities you want to improve and what spells to pick.¡±


    Preston pushed back from the table, stretching his long legs and letting out a satisfied sigh. ¡°Thank you very much, sir,¡± he said. ¡°That was an amazing session. Your level of detail made me feel like we were actually there. The realism in your descriptions was first rate.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Alex echoed. ¡°I could almost see the looks on the faces of those goblins when we jumped them inside the mine before we made it to the caverns.¡±


    Everyone else echoed similar praise sentiments and spent a few minutes reliving their favorite parts before collecting their dice, pencils, and paper. They were meeting in a diner that only served breakfast and lunch, and it was 11 pm on a Friday, so they had the place to themselves. Conor was friends with the owner, and they could have all the soda and water they could drink, and he often left out some lunch leftovers like deli sandwiches or hot dogs and hamburgers that could be reheated.


    Conor took longer than the others to get all his stuff together, and when the players rose to leave, the dungeon master grabbed Jason¡¯s arm. ¡°Jason, do you need to run off?¡±


    The man shook his head.


    ¡°Good; if you could hang around, I¡¯d like to talk about something.¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, Jason has to stay after class,¡± Kirk laughed. He was half Jason¡¯s age and just out of school himself. Alex punched him in the arm and ushered him out of the restaurant. As Preston was leaving, Conor disappeared into the kitchen and returned after hearing the door chime to inform him it was just the two of them. He was holding two beers.


    ¡°I thought those were off limits,¡± Jason said but didn¡¯t argue further as he took the ice-cold drink and drained a third of it in one swig.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pay him back,¡± Conor remarked as he took a seat. He stared at Jason for a while without speaking.


    Jason Hawthorne was a 45-year-old accountant. He made good money and was currently living alone. He wasn¡¯t divorced, but from what Conor could tell, he hadn¡¯t seen his wife and kids in years. He kept himself in shape after a lifetime of sports that had ended when he hurt his knee in a rugby match five years ago. He still played golf and shot hoops every chance he got. He was a deacon at his church, volunteered at a local soup kitchen, and taught advanced math and science classes at a nearby inner-city school. At six-foot-two, 210 pounds, with constant stubble that was more white than black, he looked and lived like the classic image of a paladin, the only RPG class Jason had ever played. He was also the best and most innovative player Conor had ever seen, and he had seen a lot. Conor felt terrible about what he was about to do to the man.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Jason finally asked, the silence between them growing uncomfortable.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Conor started, taking a long drink from his beer before continuing. ¡°I need your help. Um . . . we need your help.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s we?¡±


    Conor had no convenient segue, so he just said it. ¡°A special division of the CIA. It¡¯s an issue of international importance.¡±


    Jason wasn¡¯t expecting that and took a moment to finish his beer before setting it down gently on the table. ¡°The US government needs an accountant?¡±


    ¡°No. They need a gamer.¡± Conor glanced at his watch and then his phone. ¡°Actually, I think it would be best if I explained on the way.¡±


    ¡°On the way to what?¡±


    Conor started rising from his seat, picking up the large bin that held all his gaming material. Jason didn¡¯t move. ¡°Jason, you are the best RPG player I have ever seen. Your ability to solve puzzles strategically and logically is a unique skill. You can ¡®Do the Math¡¯ in any situation and instantly know the best course of action. You keep me on my toes, and your ability to lead your other players is unrivaled. Right now, my organization has half a dozen other GMs running this same scenario in five other cities around the country. They¡¯ve tried to pull together the best players they can find, and they are all running this same scenario,¡± he hefted his bin, ¡°and no other group has even made it to the palace yet.¡±


    Jason nodded his head, understanding the significance of that. Their quest had led them to a palace where a king had told them of his underperforming villages in the area. A farming community, a quarry, a mine, and a lumber mill had suddenly stopped producing goods. They had all been immensely profitable before. They had already solved the problem of the farms and quarry and had just now cleared out the minions beneath the mine. That meant these other gaming groups were weeks behind them.


    ¡°You recruited the best players in the area?¡± Jason asked. They were in a western suburb of Chicago right now. ¡°Even Kirk?¡±


    Conor laughed at the accurate assessment of the weakest player in their group. ¡°I was after Alexandra. Kirk was a package deal. But he isn¡¯t too bad.¡± Conor said. ¡°Either way, you are the best, and I need you.¡±


    ¡°The CIA needs me,¡± Jason clarified.


    ¡°A division of the CIA,¡± Conor said.


    ¡°They need me to play a game. Is there a code they can¡¯t crack? Are the terrorists hiding their communications within sudokus now?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Conor replied cryptically. He shifted the bin in his arms again as it was getting heavy. ¡°Look, I am authorized to offer you $100k if you come with me and try to solve our problem. Are you interested?¡±


    Jason had his papers in his backpack and stood quickly to relieve the out-of-shape man of his heavy burden. ¡°Next time, lead with that. Where¡¯s your car?¡±


    Conor chuckled. ¡°This way.¡±

 Chapter 3: The Realm of Infamy

    The first few minutes of the car ride took place in silence.  Jason was trying to imagine what kind of job the government could have for a gamer that would earn him a hundred grand in one night.  Any doubt about his DM¡¯s ability to produce that kind of money had disappeared when he saw the car they would be taking.  It was a Tesla, but it was like something out of a science fiction movie and must be the latest, most top-of-the-line model and probably cost a fortune.


    Conor didn¡¯t talk at first because he was trying to figure out how to tell Jason about the most unbelievable thing in the world that almost no one knew existed.  ¡°Have you heard of the Realm of Infamy?¡± Conor finally asked.


    Jason thought for a while but shook his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡±  Conor paused again as he navigated his car onto an interstate heading west.  This late at night, traffic was sparse, allowing him to move to the left lane, put the cruise control on, and let his Tesla do the driving so he could concentrate on telling his story.


    ¡°Realm of Infamy was an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that came out about three years ago.  It was designed by two ex-hackers, one from Turkey and one from India.  They didn¡¯t speak much English, and their translation software wasn¡¯t great at first, so it didn¡¯t take off here.  They wanted to design a non-traditional game were the lines of good and evil were blurred, and the best solution to a problem wasn¡¯t always one that we, in the Western world, would think was ¡®good.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Hence Infamy?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes.  The game itself was pretty tame at first and nothing worse than you would see in an Assassin¡¯s Creed or Grand Theft Auto game, but they really wanted users to create their own quests, or modules, for others to play.  So they made an immensely expansive world and left 95% of it open for user content.  And the users created tons of stuff, most of it much worse than anything you¡¯ve seen, where they force the players to make choices between two horrible outcomes and then have both decisions turn out badly.  As you can imagine, it wasn¡¯t well received in the US or most of Europe.  Slapping an MA+ rating on it wasn¡¯t enough, and most stores refused to carry it.


    ¡°In addition, people had problems with the leveling system.  In most games, you race to level 20 or 99, get the most powerful spells, and then you can single-handedly kill anything.  This game was different.  Level 12 characters could kill level 20 characters. Strategy was more important than hit points.  Plus, there was no cap on experience.  The highest I¡¯ve ever seen someone get is level 30, but you could theoretically get up to level 100 or above.  The game just scales up for you.¡±


    ¡°And it is a standard RPG?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes.  Elves, Dwarves, Paladins, Wizards.  I can explain all that later, or maybe Gracie can; she is better than I am and will be your operator tonight.¡±


    ¡°My operator?¡±


    ¡°Right, I almost forgot.¡± Conor reached into a small coin compartment in the car and pulled out an individually wrapped pill.  ¡°You need to take this.  I hope I didn¡¯t wait too long.¡±


    Jason took the unassuming pill gingerly while Conor pulled a water bottle from the chilled center console.  ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°A muscle relaxant.  You¡¯ll need it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay to take after alcohol?¡± Jason asked as he tore open the package.


    ¡°It¡¯s better with alcohol.  That¡¯s why I gave you the beer.¡±


    With $100k on the line, Jason didn¡¯t ask too many questions and used the offered water to swallow the pill.


    ¡°This game is almost exclusively played with a VR set,¡± Conor continued.


    ¡°So, I will be wearing a headset and wandering around, trying not to bump into things?¡±


    Conor laughed.  Jason was in for a big surprise.  ¡°No, not one of those.  The illegal kind.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t bother asking for clarification and just stared at the driver as Conor took control to exit the interstate.  Conor could feel his stare and let him wait a few moments before continuing.  ¡°What would you do if you found a new way to cook meth so it worked amazingly well as a weight loss drug?  If you took small doses daily, your metabolism would go way up, your hunger would be suppressed, and you would have more energy for exercise.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s meth,¡± Jason clarified, wondering not for the last time he was getting into.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Conor said, ¡°it is dangerous.  But if taken in small doses under supervision, it has no harmful side effects.  You run a test trial with 100 adults who lose an average of 30 pounds in a month and are in perfect health.  Then, after another month, 80 are addicted to the drug, and 40 have died from an overdose.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, you can¡¯t go to market with it,¡± Jason said, seeing how the parallel would be drawn.


    ¡°Right.  If used properly under supervision, it is harmless and, in fact, quite good for you.  But you can¡¯t trust the general public to follow instructions with something as addictive as that.  You could say the same thing about skydiving or SCUBA.  Try doing that without following the safety protocols, and you will die.¡±


    ¡°And this VR technology is the same way?¡± Jason asked, wondering how badly he needed $100k.


    ¡°It plugs into your brain full Matrix-style, sans the long scary spike, and when you open your eyes, you are in the computer game.  You can touch, taste, see, and feel everything around you.  You control your limbs with the same parts of your brain as in real life, except you can be a level 20 wizard throwing fireballs.  However, fail to set the equipment up properly, log off incorrectly, or experience a power failure in the middle of the game, and you can scramble your brain and possibly never walk again.¡±


    ¡°If this system is so dangerous and illegal, how do you have one?¡±


    ¡°Nuclear weapons are dangerous and illegal, but the government has plenty of those.  When you work for Washington, you get some perks.¡±


    Jason nodded. ¡°And everyone else?  How do they get them?¡±


    ¡°There are black markets everywhere.  Just because something is illegal doesn¡¯t mean people can¡¯t buy and sell it.  Illegal drugs and weapons are sold in nearly every country every day.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason argued, ¡°but I¡¯ve heard of those.  I¡¯ve never heard of this VR system.  How do people look to buy something illegal they¡¯ve never heard of?¡±


    ¡°First rule of Fight Club,¡± Conor replied cryptically.


    Jason got the point and decided to change topics.  He still wanted to know more about the mission.  ¡°Okay, but I still don¡¯t understand what this has to do with National Security.¡±


    ¡°Before 2020, terrorists, arms dealers, and the like understood that the international law enforcement community could monitor their cell phones and read their emails.  For ultimate security, you had to be face-to-face.  This meant international travel.  With the use of satellites, that could also be tracked.  They monitored private jets flying in and out of airports and kept an eye out for large caravans of trucks moving through Middle Eastern roads.


    ¡°Then 2020 happened, and travel stopped.  Terrorists didn¡¯t care too much about government lockdowns, but if they were the only planes in the air or trucks crossing a border, it would be even easier than before to track them.  The world moved to Skype and Zoom calls, and they tried it for a while, but those are also easily hacked.


    ¡°Then someone found Realm of Infamy or ROI.  Because of its questionable content and rejection by the mainstream community, the game had moved to the dark web, and since two hackers designed it, it had impressive security.  You could log in, meet with someone else in a tavern or empty cave, have a conversation, and then log out, and no one would ever know.  The governments weren¡¯t watching.¡±


    Conor pulled off the main road and started navigating a few smaller residential streets.  ¡°Eventually, the authorities found out about it and started to investigate, but unless you were logged into the game and found the player character of the terrorist, you couldn¡¯t listen in.  When they logged in through a console, there were still ways to hack their account and find out where they were, but it wasn¡¯t easy.  However, it was over once the VR headsets became compatible about a year ago.  No one can hack the human brain with a computer.  It is the ultimate firewall.  If they are logged in through a VR set, there is no way to tell where they are.


    ¡°But that was just the start. These criminals soon realized they could run their whole business through the game.  ROI offers the ability to buy gold coins in the game with real money, and you can sell gold coins or items to other players for real money.  So now they could do business deals without involving the banks or huge suitcases of cash.


    ¡°Terrorist cells started training in the game.  Before, they would need large camps with lots of equipment that could be tracked by satellite.  Now, they can have 50 men log in from all over the world and sit down for a meeting, and then they can run drills and practice suicide runs.  We¡¯ve found mockups of real-life locations in the game, and then a week later, a car bomb would go off in that area.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°The simulation is that good?¡± Jason asked.  ¡°I mean, learning how to throw a fireball in a video game doesn¡¯t mean you can throw one in real life.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t practicing magic.  They practice formations, timing, and working as a group.  Your brain controls your movements in the game the same way it does in the real world.  It translates pretty well.  You¡¯ve taken some sword fighting lessons?¡±


    Jason nodded.  He occasionally went to Star Wars conventions, and he and his buddies would do lightsaber demonstrations.


    ¡°That skill will translate into the game, and if you learn some acrobatic move, it will translate back into real life, assuming you have comparable dexterity.¡±


    Conor pulled the car into the driveway of a small home in a quiet neighborhood.  It was almost midnight, and no one was about.  ¡°We¡¯re here.¡±  He rechecked his phone.  ¡°Time is short. We should hurry; we don¡¯t want to keep my sister waiting.¡±


    ¡°Gracie?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes, your operator.¡±


    ¡°I have so many other questions,¡± Jason said as he exited the car and followed his host into the garage and then the house.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, but as with most things, it will be better to show you than tell you.¡±


    The two men entered the house through the kitchen and then took a left down the stairs to the basement.  Jason stopped in awe at the setup they had.  The basement was finished with thick carpeting and painted walls.  A massive computer desk sat in the corner of the room, with an athletic black woman sitting at the keyboard, typing furiously and looking between three large screens.  On the wall next to her hung a 100-inch TV playing what looked like a fantasy movie.  Jason had watched almost every fantasy movie ever made, but he didn¡¯t know this one, and with the production quality he was seeing, he couldn¡¯t believe he would have missed it.


    Jason moved around the black leather couch before the TV to examine the movie closer.  A knight was scaling a cliff face, fighting the wind and precarious handholds while a large bird of prey kept attacking him.  Eventually, he successfully beat the predator away with his sword, clipping the creature¡¯s wing, but he almost fell to his death in the process.  After finding a secure purchase again, he continued up the wall but hadn¡¯t made it more than 20 feet before another bird attacked.


    ¡°This is the game,¡± Jason said finally, figuring out why he hadn¡¯t seen it before.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Conor confirmed.  ¡°And that is your character, Sir Wilhelm Stark, twelfth-level paladin.  He¡¯s one of the best Gracie has ever built.¡±


    Jason looked back at the woman behind the keyboard.  She had three monitors to work with, but none of them showed the image on the big screen.  Instead, two were just constant data streams, while the other looked like an internet page filled with stats and charts.  ¡°Is she playing?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Conor clarified, taking a seat on the couch and inviting Jason to do likewise.  ¡°Sir Willie up there is being run by an Artificial Intelligence that Gracie programmed.  One of those screens shows the decision trees he is constantly following.  The AI is designed to process information like a human brain, so the game thinks that our paladin is being controlled through a VR set.  Most areas and modules are only accessible by VR.  The older modules are all backward compatible, but everything built into the game now needs a VR set to process.  Or you need someone as smart as my sister to figure out how to cheat the system.¡±


    ¡°Your sister . . .¡± Jason left it hanging, knowing that Conor had to be expecting the question.


    ¡°You want to know how an old, pallid-faced Irishman is the brother to a beautiful black woman?¡±


    ¡°It crossed my mind.¡±


    ¡°I married his brother,¡± Gracie spoke up from the keyboard, proving her multitasking skills went beyond monitoring three screens simultaneously.  She did pause her keyboard activity for a moment to turn and regard the two men.  ¡°Welcome, Jason.  Conor has told me a lot about you.  I hope you like the character I¡¯ve built for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason replied, unsure who he should be questioning.  Gracie made it easy by returning to her screens and resuming the game.  ¡°But what exactly do you need me to do?¡±


    On the screen, the knight had made it to the top of the cliff and found a jagged mountaintop covered in snow.  Wolves and spiders attacked him as he navigated through a maze-like collection of rocks and crags.  ¡°You said you wanted me to solve a puzzle, but that looks like normal combat to me, and he is doing fine.¡±


    ¡°This is the fifth stage of the module.  The sixth is private, we can¡¯t see it happening, and when we send an AI player in, their decision tree breaks down.  They don¡¯t know what to do, and we can¡¯t direct them.  We¡¯ve sent half a dozen AI players into the sixth stage, and we can¡¯t get anywhere.  After about half an hour-¡±


    ¡°Thirty-six minutes,¡± Gracie clarified, calling out without turning around.


    ¡°Which is about half an hour,¡± Conor grumbled at the correction, ¡°the game kills our character.¡±


    ¡°So, you reload and try again.  You¡¯ve only done the level half a dozen times.  Is it new?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a few months old,¡± Conor said, ¡°but we don¡¯t just respawn.  When you die in VR mode, your character is dead, and you must start over.  If you die playing from a console, you respawn at your last save point, but in VR, there are consequences.  As we¡¯ve discussed, you can do some pretty horrible things in this game, and if the worst thing that could happen to you is just respawning, things would be much worse than they are now.  It takes Gracie a couple of weeks to get the characters up to level 12, which is the bare minimum even to attempt this module.  From most online discussion forums, people try to get to level 15, but that would take over a month.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s so great about this level that you need me to pass it ¨C that the US government is willing to pay me a hundred grand to pass it?¡±


    ¡°Have you told him nothing?¡± Gracie asked.


    ¡°The prize for this level is supposed to be a level 50 item,¡± Conor said, ignoring his sister.  ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean much to you now, so understand that it would be the most powerful object in the game.  Right now, the people using the game to run their criminal enterprises are stockpiling all of the valuable equipment.  They have all the best weapons, magical items, protection devices, strongholds, NPCs, and so on.  The more powerful they get in the game, the harder it is to disrupt them.


    ¡°If two powerful arms dealers want to meet in the game, they want to do so in a secure location where they know they will not be spied on.  In the beginning, CIA agents would get in the game and make massive suicide runs against an arms dealer¡¯s stronghold and occasionally be successful in disrupting their activities and possibly forcing one or more of the criminals to start their character over.  Gracie can build a level 12 character in a couple of weeks, but a normal player takes a month or more.  And that is just to get to level 12.  You don¡¯t have a real sense of security until you hit the high teens or 20, which could take six months.  Right now, we have information that a small group of German arms dealers is close to cracking this module, and if they get their hands on this item, the power will shift dramatically.  In the real world, it would be like our worst enemies getting nuclear weapons with no risk of sanctions or international retaliation if they use them.¡±


    Jason nodded, able to fill in many of the gaps Conor didn¡¯t mention.  It was almost a game within a game.  It was your classic cat-and-mouse setup of espionage and information smuggling, but the side that could play the RPG game the best would get the upper hand in the fight.


    ¡°Someone on the outside created this quest that I am about to attempt, right?  It was written and added to the game by an independent designer.  User-created content.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Conor said.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t these gun runners just hire a coder to design a super easy quest and have the prize be a level 100 item.¡±


    ¡°Gandhi wouldn¡¯t allow it,¡± Gracie said over her shoulder.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Gandhi?  I mean, besides the historical figure.¡±


    ¡°Gandhi is the advanced AI the two designers have set up to oversee the game,¡± Conor said.  ¡°Remember, one of them is from India.  I think GANDHI is supposed to stand for Google Automated Nano-Dano-Hano Intelligence.  I don¡¯t know.  It is one of those acronyms where they picked the final word before choosing what it stood for.  Like Marvel¡¯s SHIELD.  No one even thinks of it as an acronym anymore.¡±


    ¡°But Gandhi monitors all the module submissions,¡± Grace said.  ¡°If the module is too easy, it gets rejected with advised improvements.  If it is too difficult, same thing.  If the prize at the end is too good, it gets modified.  For whatever reason, Gandhi greenlit this module with a level 50 item at the end.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you don¡¯t think he should have,¡± Jason observed.


    She shrugged without turning around.  ¡°Well, no one has passed it yet.  If it goes on for another month, it will break Psycho¡¯s record of half a year, though no one really ever did solve that module.¡±


    ¡°Psycho?¡± Jason asked, looking at Conor.


    ¡°Another module you don¡¯t need to worry about,¡± Conor said, tossing a frustrated look at his sister for overloading their recruit.  ¡°This module is hard.  We¡¯ve passed the first five stages six times now, but there were many failures before that, and we needed to develop the cheat of letting an AI control a character to do it.  If we were doing it in VR like I assume everyone else does, it would take even longer.¡±


    ¡°So, others have tried this and gotten to the final stage?  What do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°Crystals,¡± Conor replied.  ¡°There is a puzzle involving crystals.  You are the second person we¡¯ve tried to use to pass this, and all he can remember from the trial is that there were a bunch of crystals of different colors, and he had to arrange them in a pattern.  He failed twice and told us he didn¡¯t want to try again.  The first time he failed, he didn¡¯t remember anything.  He thought something had gone wrong and that he hadn¡¯t even logged in or walked into the final cavern.  But he was in there for about 30 minutes and remembered none of it.


    ¡°The second time, he was in there for about three hours, said he failed, and that the punishment was to work through this simple mirror puzzle that made him extremely dizzy.  He feared going in a third time and didn¡¯t think he would be able to solve the problem anyway since he was so disoriented that he couldn¡¯t even describe it properly.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s not a sudoku.¡±


    Conor laughed.  ¡°I doubt it, but if you couldn¡¯t solve that, we weren¡¯t going to waste our time on you.¡±  He turned to look at Gracie and then at the screen.  ¡°How close are we?¡±


    Jason also looked at the TV and saw the paladin killing a frost giant with bodies of dead enemies lying everywhere in the snow.


    ¡°Almost there, maybe another fifteen minutes,¡± Gracie reported.  ¡°Our guest should probably use the bathroom first.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to go,¡± Jason said.  ¡°Plus, you said after 36 minutes, if I don¡¯t solve it, I fail and get booted back out.¡±


    ¡°Remember what I said about playing it safe,¡± Conor said.  ¡°We go by the rules, and you should assume it will be at least 16 hours every time you enter the game.¡±


    ¡°Then I should eat too,¡± Jason advised.


    Conor shook his head.  ¡°We have IVs to feed you fluids and nutrients if necessary.  Some people have played for 48 hours straight before.  As I said, it is addictive.  But definitely use the bathroom.¡±


    Jason shrugged indifferently and got up.  As he shifted his position, he felt his stomach churn and almost ran to the bathroom.  He was gone for an embarrassing length of time, and when he returned, he did not look happy.  ¡°That pill you gave me.  The one you said was a muscle relaxant.  It wasn¡¯t, was it.¡±


    Conor tried not to laugh in the face of the angry man.  ¡°If I had told you what it was, would you have taken it?¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°Right, and then we would be in this situation where we are ready for you to go in, and you would still need to take the pill, and we would have to wait 20 minutes for it to work.  I¡¯m sorry I lied to you, but I¡¯ve done this before, and some lies are necessary.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t want to ask about what else the man was lying about.  His anticipation for this experience was growing exponentially, and he felt that if he really understood what he was getting into, he might not do it.  He looked at the screen and saw the paladin facing off against two enormous winter wolves with a huge orc standing behind them, casting spells.  It looked like a shaman.


    ¡°This is the final boss of this level,¡± Gracie said.  ¡°As soon as the second wolf is down to half health, the orc will cast his last hex and join the fight.  It should be only a few more minutes after that.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Conor said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you ready.¡±

 Chapter 4: The Orc Shaman

    Now Jason looked to the right of the TV, where an elaborate dentist chair sat.  He guessed it wasn¡¯t for oral exams.  Jason took a seat gingerly in the chair, and Conor made a few adjustments to account for Jason¡¯s size and propped his head up a bit.  Then he produced a helmet that looked like an upturned mixing bowl with a rubber rim.  Dozens of wires protruded from it and gathered into a single cable that disappeared into the wall.


    ¡°Lay back and relax. As this is your first time, it will take longer for your body to adjust, maybe a few minutes.  But we have to time it right.  We want you to enter after the paladin has killed the orc but before he enters the final cavern.¡±


    Jason wanted to ask why they couldn¡¯t just tell the AI-controlled player character to wait, but Conor had already placed the helmet on his head, and a tingling sensation in his body distracted him.  He gradually felt his limbs going numb, and his mouth wouldn¡¯t respond to the standard mental commands to make it speak.  He could still see through his eyes and hear through his ears and wondered when the system would suck those senses into the virtual world too.


    But some sixth sense kept him in that basement for a few more seconds.  The sounds were muffled now, but one rose above the others: a scream.  It was high-pitched and loud, though, in Jason¡¯s condition, it felt like he was underwater in the ocean and someone on the beach was screaming.  Then two more sounds that he knew well from the range rang out clear in his head: gunshots.


    Jason¡¯s eyes were unfocused, and he tried to sit up to look around, but his physical movements had been the first to leave.  He thought he saw a struggle involving many more than just the two people he left behind, but those images were gone now, replaced by miles of computer code streaming past him.  Soon an image resolved behind the data, and he saw the paladin again, standing on a wintery landscape fending off one remaining winter wolf while the shaman threw exploding snowballs at him.


    As each snowball hit, a burst of code appeared.  And each time the knight swung his sword or the wolf leaped to attack, more text flashed before him.  The text looked like a reflection off a TV screen, while the action behind it was the actual image.  It was like holding your finger too close to your eyes and seeing the things past it so your finger looked transparent.  Jason tried to focus his eyes, and soon the code and the action resolved into two distinct images.


    Now that Jason could see both images clearly, he could focus on the code and begin to understand it.  The paladin swung his sword at the wolf:


    [Attack: 15+6+3+5+d20:15=45]


    [Wolf AC: 10+5+Dodge(20)=35]


    [Hit.  Difference: 10 Critical]


    [Damage: 10+14+3=28 Crit selection: Multiplier 2x.  Total Damage: 56]


    Jason understood this clearly.  He didn¡¯t know where all the numbers came from, but he understood the basic attack/damage scenario.  The wolf took the hit and whimpered.  Jason couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for it but didn¡¯t have time to contemplate how his love for dogs should play into this scenario.  Instead, he watched the shaman move his arms about in a spell.  Jason remembered Gracie saying that the orc had one last hex to cast.


    [Spell: Stun. Difficulty 15+25+10=50]


    [Saving throw: 12+35+d20:1=48]


    [Critical failure]


    [Stun Protection cancels critical: Still Failure.  Target stunned for three rounds.]


    Jason didn¡¯t think that could be good.  It looked like the paladin had rolled a 1 in defense.  The knight stood stock still, and the orc brandished a wicked halberd.  The wolf also recovered from the massive strike it had received and retaliated.  Both attacked the stunned warrior, and Jason watched hit after hit land on the defenseless player.


    Jason had a hard time watching both the text and the action, having to turn his disembodied head back and forth as the images became further apart.  He soon realized they weren¡¯t moving apart, but he was zooming in on the action, and the code was now entirely on his left-hand side instead of in front of him.  He knew he was supposed to inhabit the paladin¡¯s body, but he wanted nothing to do with the punishment the knight was taking now.  The code to his left informed him that the player was only a few hit points from dying, and with one vicious bite from the wolf that tore the man¡¯s throat out, he was killed.


    Now what, Jason thought.  He was in limbo, programmed to inhabit the knight¡¯s body, but that wasn¡¯t possible anymore.  He waited for the screen to go blank and log him off.  He hoped that would be the case because he was sure he had heard gunshots back in the room.  He assumed his brain would be affected if he had been shot, but he didn¡¯t feel anything.  Since his mind was disconnected from his nervous system, he supposed someone could be slapping him in the face, and he wouldn¡¯t know it.


    Instead of the screen turning black, he kept zooming in on the action.  It felt like he was fifty feet above the orc and his wolf, and he was getting closer every second.  He didn¡¯t have eyelids to close at this point, so he was forced to watch as the victor moved over to the dead body and pillaged it.  The orc reached into the paladin¡¯s shirt and pulled out a strange-looking amulet.  It didn¡¯t appear to fit in this fantasy world.  It was a silver CD with a blue LED light in the middle.  Or, at least, that is what it looked like.  The orc didn¡¯t seem to think it looked strange and unceremoniously put it around his neck.  Once he had it on, it transformed into something more appropriate, taking on the appearance of a demonic eye carved out of stone.


    Jason felt his trajectory shift as the creature stepped away from the dead body.  He had been so far away before that his direction had been vague, and he could only tell he was moving toward the action.  Now, a mere 20 feet away, he could see that he was no longer aimed at the paladin.  He was zooming in on the orc.


    No, Jason thought, not the orc.  The amulet.  That must be the cheat Gracie is using.


    [Player Sync complete.  Loading now. . .]


    This message did not appear on the code page, which was now so far to his left that he felt he had to turn around to see it.  This latest message appeared in his mind.  It wasn¡¯t on the view before him but somehow written in his mind¡¯s eye, so he just knew it.  Either way, as soon as this text appeared, he accelerated toward the orc in a flash and suddenly felt cold.


    Jason stumbled a bit before he could get his balance.  Balance?  What was he balancing on?  Jason looked down and saw his feet.  Well, his boots, which he assumed his feet were in.  He wiggled his toes.  The tops of the boots flexed. Excellent attention to detail.  As his eyes traced up a set of powerful, pale legs and a knee-length fur kilt.  It didn¡¯t take him much longer to figure out what was happening.  He dropped the halberd and reached his fingers up to his face.  He was an orc.  Two large tusks, three inches in length, extended up from his lower jaw past the bottom of his huge, flat nose.  He had two smaller upper fangs that extended over his lower lip, and he practiced opening and closing his mouth without cutting himself.


    He felt taller than he was used to and walked around, testing out the length of his legs and getting used to the unique feeling.  His body was strong, and he could easily leap and run despite his massive bulk.  He inspected his attire and saw that his boots and leather arm protectors were trimmed in white fur.  He also wore chainmail stretched to its limit across his massive chest.  Pressure at his side made him look down and behind him, and he saw the wolf nuzzling up to him, blood still dripping from its jaws and wounds.


    Jason dared to crouch down in front of the animal, his face inches from the vicious teeth, but the wolf only howled in glee and nuzzled further into its master.  Jason ruffed it behind the ears, not worrying about how hard he scratched it despite his enormous strength.  The wolf loved the attention.  Eventually, he stood back up and looked around.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    This was obviously not what was supposed to happen, but he was here now, and until Gracie told him what the backup plan was, he might as well make the best of it.  He was at the top of the mountain, wind whipping snow all about the jagged rocks and few bare trees.  Though he felt cold, his bare arms and legs should have been freezing in this weather, but it only felt like a cool spring day.  The sky was dark, but the moon and stars were out, and Jason could see perfectly.  He thought orcs could see pretty well in the dark and wondered if the game accounted for that.


    He turned around and saw a small camp next to a large cliff face that rose another 30 feet into the air.  Two smaller dwellings flanked a large round tent, and a fire pit sat before them with meat on a stick ready to be roasted.  Jason bent down to pick his halberd back up.  Not his preferred weapon, but not too different from the two-handed sword his characters usually used or the two-handed lightsabers he was more familiar with in the real world.


    Now, what about his character?  How could he look at his stats or inventory or the equipment he was using?  There must be a way to-


    {Jason!  Jason, are you okay?  What happened!}


    ¡°Gracie, is that you?¡±


    Jason could hear the voice, but the sound wasn¡¯t coming through his gigantic, thrice-pierced ears.  Instead, the sound was in his head, almost like the text he had seen before, only definitely not written words.


    {Yes, you can hear me okay?  What happened?  We had a bit of a problem up here.  I¡¯m so sorry we got you into this. Things have gone horribly wrong.}


    ¡°I thought I heard you scream and gunshots.  Is everyone okay up there?¡±


    {Not exactly.  Conor¡¯s been shot.  I think he will be okay.  They shot him in the leg.}  Jason then heard her voice get muffled as if she was pulling her mouth away from the microphone to talk to someone else.  {I need to tell him what is going on.  Calm down!  I know what you want, but you have to give us some leeway.  This is his first time in the game.}  Jason heard an even more distant voice that was male, and then Gracie was back at normal volume.  {I¡¯m sorry, but some friends from Germany showed up, and they are insisting we continue with the mission.}


    ¡°Can they hear me?¡± Jason asked.


    {Well, you know how noisy it was up here before you logged in.}


    That line didn¡¯t make any sense, but then she might be speaking in code since gunmen were listening.  It hadn¡¯t been noisy in the room before he logged in.  The TV showed the game, but it hadn¡¯t been making any sound.  Ahh, they couldn''t hear him talk with the volume down on the TV.


    ¡°Those rumors you heard about the German gun runners getting close to solving the riddle probably only meant that they were close to finding someone who could do it for them, and they were able to track your location somehow and are now holding the two of you at gunpoint until I get the gem.¡±


    {Something like that.}  Her voice was remarkably calm for what Jason assumed she was going through.  {But we need to get you settled and trained on how to play this if we are ever going to get through this in one piece.  So, you are an orc.  How did that happen?}


    ¡°I watched the paladin roll a one against the stun attack.  I assume that was a critical failure, so he was stunned, and it was over.¡±


    Gracie sighed.  {That was the only chance.  Even a two would have gotten him past that.  He had stun protection, but a one is a double fail.  But how did the game assign you to the orc?  Orcs are not playable characters.}


    ¡°It¡¯s the amulet.  You guys must have used that to let your AI play on the VR settings.  After the paladin died, the orc took it, and I went into the orc.¡±


    {Well, let¡¯s look under the hood and see what we are working with.  Have you figured out how to access your character sheet or inventory yet?}


    Jason shook his head but guessed that she couldn¡¯t see that.  ¡°No.  I was going to try and figure it out, but I don¡¯t know where to start.  Everything feels so real here that I can¡¯t find a ¡®fake¡¯ part to prod.¡±


    {Roll your eyes into the top of your head, like you are trying to look behind your eyebrows.  You should see a silver bar up there.}


    Jason did as he was told and saw the bar.


    {It should be like a setting bar on your phone,} Gracie continued.  {Now ¡°grab¡± it with your eyes and pull it down.}


    Grab it with my eyes?  It sounded impossible, but Jason tried it and found he was partially successful.  It was like trying to pull a shade on a window that kept slipping out of your hand and rolling back up.  Eventually, he figured out how to secure it firmly enough so that it pulled all the way down and stayed there when his eyes looked back forward.  Now he saw a bunch of numbers and stats and a spinning isometric of his orc body wearing all his equipment.


    He started looking around and noticed that if he stared too hard at something, the game selected it for him, and he could see what it was.  He also saw that his stats were being highlighted and examined.


    {It looks like I can manipulate things too,} Gracie said.  {I didn¡¯t expect the amulet to allow that.  It was coded for the paladin and shouldn¡¯t work with anyone else.  I¡¯ll have to look into it.  But for now, this is incredible.  Your stats are through the roof.  If you can somehow keep this character after this is done, that would be remarkable.}


    ¡°What does it all mean?¡±  Jason saw Strength and Dexterity and several other vital stats along with over a dozen skills, but then suddenly, it was all gone, and he was looking at an inventory screen with 20 slots, several of which were filled.  He saw an axe, a shield, a bow, and several other items.


    {These are all legendary items.}  Gracie¡¯s voice was hushed again, but he was pretty sure it was because she was in awe, not because she was talking to someone else.  {It would typically take months to acquire these kinds of weapons.  How is this possible?  No NPC should have this kind of loot.}  Soon, the inventory screen disappeared, and a page of text replaced it, including backstory, bio information, height, weight, and several other things.  Gracie navigated to a button that said script and clicked it, but Jason didn¡¯t see anything.


    {Ahh, it¡¯s disabled since you are controlling him now, but I wonder what it said.}  Jason heard furious typing on the other end and then silence as he assumed Gracie was reading what she uncovered.  {That makes sense,} she said after a few moments.  {Each time the orc won a battle, he would take the best magical item from his victim for something he didn¡¯t already have.  So if the adventurer''s most powerful item was a sword, but the orc already had a better one-handed weapon, he would take the next magical item.}


    ¡°That way, as players fought and lost, the orc would become more powerful and unpredictable,¡± Jason added.  ¡°Clever.¡±


    {It also explains why he took the amulet,} Gracie added.  {Because we kept failing and thus losing all our loot, we started sending the paladin in with just enough equipment to get through the module, but the amulet was a must.  There aren¡¯t too many powerful necklaces in the game, so it makes sense that the orc would take it since it was the most magical item we had, and he wouldn¡¯t have one yet.}


    Gracie exited the script screen and took another moment to inspect the character.  {Well, everything looks in order; the only problem I see is that you have six Intelligence.  I don¡¯t know what kind of gem puzzle awaits you, but it better not require you to identify things or perceive anything in the game.  Hopefully, your real-world IQ can handle it, and the game won¡¯t handicap you.  I wish I had known the orc was that bad at perception.  I could have had a rogue sneak through the whole level.  I thought we needed the magic protection and combat skills.}


    ¡°So, what do I do now?¡±  Gracie had dismissed the inventory screen, and he was looking at the windswept arctic landscape again.


    {Go through that tunnel over there.}


    Jason turned back toward the camp along the cliff wall and saw a dark, foreboding opening in the rock.  ¡°Just like that, no more information.  But what about this module that I didn¡¯t actually play?  In every complex game riddle I¡¯ve ever been a part of, what happens earlier in the level impacts what comes next.  What were the other stages like?  I saw him climbing the cliff and fighting the birds, and I am familiar with this snowy wasteland, but what about the three I didn¡¯t see.¡±


    Gracie paused as she thought of how to summarize what he missed.  {This module starts by having you trek through a forest.  There are trees and lots of animals to kill or avoid.  Then you get to the base of this mountain, and there is a massive lake with a waterfall.  You must swim through the lake and avoid or kill the watcher inside.  That thing killed so many of my earlier players.  Behind the waterfall is a cave entrance, and you enter the base of the mountain and have to run through a lava-filled gauntlet with all kinds of fire creatures and demons hurling damage at you.  Once you get high enough inside the mountain, you must climb up outside, which is where you came in.  The rest, I think you know.}


    Jason absorbed all that, able to picture the scenes of what happened but didn¡¯t know how many clues there might have been along the way.  Did a mysterious shaped rock appear multiple times on the journey?  Were there any specific colors that repeated themselves?  Did any of the monsters that attacked him say anything?  Jason knew he wasn¡¯t going to get this information.  But he also knew that the worst-case scenario was that this orc shaman he was possessing would die, and he would wake up in the dentist chair in the basement and hopefully be able to go home.


    Jason started toward the dark hole in the wall and stopped.  ¡°Gracie, Conor said something about this last section being private; what does that mean?¡±


    {When you play this game, people can follow you.  Not just your operator but anyone on the internet.  Some players have quite the following.  Some modules are wide open, meaning anyone can watch what you are doing.  Others are semi-private, meaning only people you invite can see what happens.  Others are exclusively private, so there is no chance of watching.  Not only will we not be able to watch you on the screen, but my data feeds will also go dark, and I will have no idea what you are experiencing.  I¡¯m sure Gandhi insisted this be the case, or people would be able to watch others fail at this final level and figure out what to do.}


    Jason didn¡¯t like the idea that he would be alone but understood.  ¡°All right.  Wish me luck.¡±


    {Good luck and hurry.  I¡¯ll be waiting for you when you get out.}

 Chapter 5: The Crystal

    Jason didn¡¯t enter the tunnel completely alone.  The winter wolf stayed by his side, limping slightly.  As a shaman, Jason felt he probably had some healing abilities, but he didn¡¯t know how to cast a spell.  He still had a problem pulling his inventory screen down successfully every time.  He tried not to worry about that and cleared his mind to be fully ready for what lay ahead.


    The tunnel was short, and within a minute, he saw a faint light ahead and entered a small cave about twice the size of the basement where his body lay.  Off to his right was a sloping metal rack built into the rock wall displaying a collection of glowing gems, which provided the only light in the room.  On his left, a ring of six pedestals that looked like empty bird baths stood at hip height.  They formed a circle about twenty feet in diameter with a seventh pedestal in the middle, twice the girth of any of the others.


    Jason only regarded each of these features momentarily, focusing instead on the wizard standing before him.  He would have been tall if it weren¡¯t that Jason¡¯s seven-foot height looked down on him dramatically.  He wore a dark blue hooded robe that seemed almost black in the dim light, but Jason¡¯s keen orc eyes picked out several darker patterns in the fabric that let him know it was a deep navy. Two numbers floated above the Wizard¡¯s head: a large number 50, and a smaller 800.


    ¡°Welcome  . . . Orc Shaman, to your final trial.  Choose six gems.  Place them on the pedestals.  Your answer either earns you the reward or defines your time in my dungeon.¡±


    ¡°What?  No rhyme?¡±  Jason didn¡¯t know if testing this mage with sarcasm was wise, but he also wanted to know how flexible the dialog interface was.


    ¡°There is no time for frivolity.¡±


    ¡°What is the dungeon?¡± Jason could see images behind the wizard, but they were too frightening for him to stare at long.


    ¡°I will not answer your questions.  Forcing me to do so will result in automatic failure, and you will be punished.  You have 36 minutes.¡±


    Jason wondered how he was supposed to force the wizard to do anything.  If Jason had to guess, the numbers over the wizard¡¯s head were basic stats to let you know how to interact with him.  If his level was 50, which made sense, Jason didn¡¯t think he would be powerful enough to make him do anything.  But maybe there were game tricks he didn¡¯t know about.


    What concerned him more was the dungeon.  He had a hard time looking at it but knew if he had to solve this puzzle with his back to the frightful images, he better figure out what they were.  Jason walked toward the wizard, playing a little game of chicken but deciding he was the one who should veer out of the way first.  The back wall of the room made him dizzy.  Now that he was closer, he could see images of other player characters.  The ¡°dungeon¡± looked like it had no depth to it, running the width of the room, but it had over a dozen people in it.  They were stacked like baseball cards along the wall, each one infinitely thin, but when looking at them face-on, they seemed as real as any other 3D image he had seen in this realm.


    What disturbed him more than this 2-dimensional prison was the looks on each of their faces.  A wide collection of races and skin colors were present: dwarves, elves, humans, light skin, and dark skin, but they all had the same horrified expression as if they knew they were imprisoned and were desperately trying to find their way out.  Their eyes kept darting about as if they were looking at things over Jason¡¯s shoulder, but they never focused on anything for long.


    He remembered that the person who had tried this puzzle before him said he was trapped in some simple mirror maze.  Nothing looked simple about what these people were going through.  Each one also had a number above their head.  From a distance, Jason had assumed it was the same as the wizard, but they only had one, and they differed significantly from each other.  Several had numbers between 20 and 40, a few had numbers in the 100¡¯s while one of the characters had a 4-digit value floating above her.  Jason looked into her eyes and nearly shriveled in terror.


    She was a female elf and likely would have been quite beautiful, but her face was contorted in a gruesome expression, her eyes moving about faster than a hummingbird¡¯s wings.  Beside him, the wolf growled at the elf.  ¡°Will these people be released if I solve the puzzle?¡± Jason asked, finding new motivation.


    ¡°You have 33 minutes left,¡± the mage responded in a monotone.


    Thirty-three minutes?  He hadn¡¯t been staring at these miserable souls for three whole minutes, had he?  ¡°How long have I been here?¡±


    ¡°You have 32 minutes left.¡±


    Jason zipped his lips after that.  The mage said he wouldn¡¯t answer any of his questions.  Instead, he only told him how much time he had left, penalizing him a minute each time he asked.  Jason was about to turn away when another character popped into the dungeon.  He was much livelier, screaming and waving his fists inside his 2-dimensional jail.  Jason couldn¡¯t hear him but watched as he slowly settled down, and his head followed some invisible path like he was watching Speedy Gonzalez playing racquetball against himself.  Soon he settled into a rhythm, no longer moving his head, but his eyes still fluttered about.  He had the number 10,001 above his head.


    Jason did turn now and promised not to look back.  He started with the gems.  There were six rows of six stones, totaling 36.  Each type of rock was represented in six odd shapes.  He identified an emerald, ruby, diamond, sapphire, onyx, and pearl.  Each stone was depicted as a sphere, a coin, a short cylinder, a triangular pyramid, a triangular tube, and a cube.  Jason picked up the ruby pyramid, thinking it would make a tremendous 4-sided dice.  There were no markings on it, and each side was perfectly smooth, but the gem was enchanting inside.


    Jason assumed he would need one of each color and one of each shape, but how should he match them up?  Only the spherical pearl looked like it should, and seeing a diamond in a cube shape looked especially weird.  He picked up the stone in question, which must have been about 15 carats and worth almost half a million dollars if it were real.  With the ruby in the other hand, it looked like he was holding two dice.


    They are all dice!


    Of course.  The sphere only had one side.  A coin is basically a 2-sided dice.  The cylinder had three sides.  The pyramid and cube were obvious, leaving only the 5-sided triangular-shaped tube that looked like a stubby Toblerone package.  Each stone had a value of 1 through 6.  But which color was assigned to which value?  Was it as simple as the levels you needed to play through to get here?  Counting this final stage, there was six total.


    Gracie had said the first stage was a forest, so Jason grabbed the green, emerald sphere.  Next came the lake, and Jason took the pearl coin.  The lava and fire stage had to be the ruby.  And this level was clearly the black onyx.  That left climbing the cliff wall and the snowy mountaintop.  He was left with the blue sapphire and the clear diamond.  The sapphire could represent a clear blue sky, but it had been nighttime.  The diamond could be ice, but Jason had actually been in that fifth level, and it had been all snow.  All the animals were white, and there weren¡¯t any icicles to be seen.


    When the paladin had been climbing the cliff, he was battling the air as much as the birds, and wind is transparent no matter what time of day.  Jason grabbed the diamond pyramid.  That left him with the sapphire for the snow, which was obviously wrong.  He had initially assigned the pearl to the water level, but the lake was probably blue, and the white pearl matched much better with the snow.  Jason swapped the pearl coin for a sapphire one and grabbed the 5-sided pearl instead.


    He felt confident about his logic and moved over to the pedestals.


    ¡°Your guess is finalized when each of the six pedestals has a gemstone,¡± the wizard advised, answering Jason¡¯s question before he asked it.  A good thing too, or the mage probably would have just deducted another minute.


    This was a math problem, not a sudoku.  Placing these gems, valued at one through six, created a mathematical equation that equaled . . . it had to be 50.  And if you got it wrong . . . he hazarded a glance over at the prison with the torture victims, each with a number over their head.  If you got it wrong, your answer defined the time in the dungeon.  Were those hours or days?  Jason didn¡¯t want to think about it.  He just had to get this right.


    He knew immediately that there had to be a way to multiply these numbers to get anywhere near 50.  The numbers summed together were only 21.  Jason took some time to really examine the pedestals.  Dirt and grim coated them, but he could see intricate patterns on most.  One looked like a tree with vines climbing the outside.  Jason wanted to think that would hold the green gem, but that seemed too easy.  Another looked like a Roman column.  Another was a skinny pole with birds carved in the air flying around it.  The simplest one looked like a stick with a ball on the bottom.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Beside him, Jason heard the wolf growl.  It was looking at one of the pedestals where the stem appeared to be a bunch of woodland creatures climbing on top of each other to reach the dish above.  Those were all probably prey for the large canine, and the wolf walked toward it and started pawing at the dirty floor of the cavern.


    As the large paws wiped away the grime, Jason looked at the cobblestones under his feet for the first time.  It was hard to see the pattern through the dirt and dust, but he could tell it wasn¡¯t uniform.  Jason approached a pair of pedestals and started scrubbing the floor between them.  After a few seconds, he revealed a single stone set in the floor that was slightly lighter than the others in the shape of a plus sign.


    ¡°Good job, uh . . . Snowy,¡± he said, wondering if he should give the wolf a name or if it even had one.  Was it a boy or a girl?  A quick check gave Jason the answer.  ¡°Good girl.  Now can you help me clean the floor around all of these?¡±


    The wolf looked curiously at her master and seemed to understand as Jason worked to clear the space between two more.  Soon the two of them had revealed three more clear mathematical symbols.  In total, there were two pluses and two minuses.  In his mind, he gave each dish a letter and then arranged them in a line.


    A + B + C - D E - F


    Even though the pedestals were laid out in a circle, if they were an equation, there would be a start and finish, so it made sense that there was no symbol between F and A, but there needed to be one between D and E unless that was just supposed to be a two-digit number.  If he put the four in D and the five in E and treated them like 45, that could work.  That method might get him to 50, but he would never be able to get a three-digit number, to say nothing of the five-digit answer the most recent victim got.  There had to be something more.


    Getting to his knees, Jason wanted to examine the sides of the bowls more closely but instantly saw something else.  The pedestals weren¡¯t all the same height.  E and F were raised slightly.  They were raised.  They were an exponent.  That¡¯s why there was no symbol between D and E.  Jason stayed on his knees a while longer, still not liking it.  The equation was too messy. It needed a better way to determine the order of operation.


    Looking at the bottom of the pedestals where the columns met the square bases, Jason saw that despite the variety of the stem designs, they were always perfectly circular where they met the base.  He got a hunch and began cleaning off the beveled transitions and found that on each one, half of the circle was a piece of shiny brass, while the other half was made of the same stone as the rest of the pedestal.  The brass made perfect ¡°C¡± shapes at the bottom of the columns.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said aloud, getting the wolf¡¯s attention again.  ¡°Not C¡¯s.  They are parenthesis.¡±  He stood and looked at his equation again.


    (A+B) + (C-D) ^ (E-F)


    That looked much better, but there were two problems with it.  The first was that there was no obvious way to get to 50.  The simplest way was to square seven and add one to it.  But the way it was written, he would raise C-D to some power, and there was no way to get seven from that.  The largest he could get was 6-1, which was five.  Four cubed and six squared were each 14 away from 50, but he couldn¡¯t get 14 from adding two numbers under seven.


    The second issue he saw bothered him more and made him think he was missing something important.  A and B could be swapped.  The transitive properties of addition meant it wouldn''t have a unique solution if the equation stayed like this.  The wide square bases of the pedestals still hadn¡¯t been cleaned, and Jason got to it.  He was rewarded immediately.  On both sides of the large stone squares were chevrons.  No, he thought, not chevrons.  They are ¡°greater than¡± and ¡°less than¡± signs.  Only every other pedestal base had them, but once he revealed them all, he stood back and liked what he saw better.


    (> A < + B) + (> C > - D) ^ (> E < - F)


    Now he could see that A had to be smaller than B.  But he had another problem.  E had to be smaller than F, which would create a negative number in the exponent, giving him a fraction, and making it impossible to get to 50.  Jason worried he was spending too much time on this but didn¡¯t want to waste more of it by asking how much time he had left.


    Think Jason, he said to himself.  Take a step back and think about this.  You must be looking at this wrong.  You need to put gems numbered 1 through 6 on six pedestals, and they will combine and make a gem that is 50.  He looked at the center pedestal, where he assumed the final 50-sided stone would appear.  Then it hit him.  He was looking at this all wrong. He was looking at it backward.  He was standing outside the ring of pedestals, but the answer would be inside.  Jason quickly moved between two pedestals and looked back out at the dishes surrounding him.  He had memorized which columns were which letters and now saw everything was backward.  Also, the E/F exponent was direct to the upper right of the A/B pair instead.


    (D - < C <) + (B + > A < )^ (F - > E <)


    This equation made him much happier.  It was easier to get seven squared now.  Every gamer knew how simple it was to add two numbers between 1-6 to get 7.  And the exponent was now positive and could be two.  He did have the problem that D - C would be a negative number because C had to be bigger than D, but he would worry about that later.  Now he wanted to concentrate on B + A.


    Four plus three wouldn¡¯t work.  That would leave 1, 2, 5, and 6, and there was no way to get a difference of two with those numbers.  Five plus two would work, as it left him 3 - 1 or 6 - 4, but then he was left with a negative two for the D/C pair, which gave him a total of 47.  So close.  One and six also worked to get seven, leaving him with 5 - 3 or 4 - 2 to get the two in the exponent, but it also left him with negative two in the D/C pair.  If only he could double the D pedestal, then he could put the three there and turn it into a six, and 6 - 5 would be the 1 he needed.


    Jason looked hard at the D pedestal.  It was the simplest of all, with no intricate carvings or flourishes.  If he cleaned the whole pillar, he might find the symbol he needed, but he felt he was running out of time.  He knew it would cost him a minute, but he needed to know how many he had left.


    ¡°How many minut-,¡° but Jason choked on the question as reality smacked him in the face.  Oh, you clever bastard.  If Jason had finished his question, the mage would have told him how many minutes he had left, thus answering Jason¡¯s question.  According to what the wizard said initially if Jason forced the mage to answer his question, he would fail.  How much time would that have earned him in the dungeon?  Probably 50.  He looked at the far wall again and saw how most of them had numbers under fifty.  Jason was willing to bet they had all made that mistake.


    Jason turned back to the mage, who was looking at him expectedly.  ¡°Um,¡± he said aloud.  ¡°How many, um, licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop.¡±


    ¡°You have 12 minutes left.¡±


    Plenty of time to clean that stem.  Jason turned back to it and stopped in his tracks once more.  He almost laughed at how obvious it was now that he looked at it again with a fresh mind.  The pedestal looked like a baseball bat with a large spherical knob at the base.  The stone that connected the ball to the main part of the column was so thin that when you looked at it quickly, it looked like the long part was hovering over the sphere like a . . .


    ¡°An exclamation point,¡± Jason said in triumph.  ¡°Snowy, do you know what a factorial is?¡±  Jason cast a look at the mage to let the wizard know he was asking his pet, not him, and should not get penalized a minute.  The wolf seemed to know she was being asked a question and whined a negative response.  ¡°All you need to know is 3! equals 6, 6 minus 5 equals 1, and 1 plus 7 squared equals 50.¡±


    Jason carefully placed each dice into the appropriate dishes and paused as he held the number three ruby in his hand to look at the final equation one more time.


    (3! - 5) + (6 + 1)^ (4 - 2)


    There were three other ways he could get seven squared, but those would leave him with 1!, 2!, or 4! And none of those would give him a one at the beginning.  With confidence, he dropped the ruby into the last dish, listening to it bounce around, sounding exactly like a dice rolled in a ceramic bowl.


    Instead of dying out, the sound grew louder, as if dozens of dice were bouncing down a stone dice tower.  He looked around him and saw each gem spinning wildly in their dish, and Jason felt that he might not be standing in the safest spot.  He scampered out of the center and turned to watch the process from a safe distance outside the pedestals.


    Light grew over each bowl, growing in intensity with the sound.  Even the onyx gem created a deep black hole over its dish, threatening to swallow the light of the other stones, but instead, they each grew in their own brightness until they suddenly flashed toward the center pedestal as a six-spoked wheel.  The light exploded in the middle like a supernova, and Jason had to shield his light-sensitive orc eyes.  Snowy whimpered beside him, and he reached down to steady the wolf.


    The light faded slowly, and eventually, Jason felt comfortable lowering his hand.  The six dishes were now empty, but the center pedestal was not.  Jason walked over to it and picked up the largest gemstone he had ever seen.  He had once held a 50-sided dice at a convention, and this was a good replica, only much bigger.  The crystal was the size of a softball and as clear and flawless as the most precious diamond imaginable.  Deep inside the stone, Jason could see the colors red, green, blue, white, and black swirling around in an endless vortex.


    Acting quickly, Jason pulled down his inventory screen and tried to stow the gem away.  With the screen blocking his vision, he could no longer see his hand holding the stone, but he moved it around where he thought an empty slot was and ¡°pushed¡± it in.  The gem appeared in his inventory, and when he stared at it, it was highlighted and said, ¡°Level 50 Crystal.¡±


    Jason closed the screen and looked down at Snowy.  ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard, was it?¡±


    The wolf whimpered again, and Jason couldn¡¯t tell if it was from not knowing the answer to the question or because she was still hurt.  Jason turned to look for the wizard, expecting some form of congratulations, perhaps an iconic ¡°You have chosen wisely,¡± but the room was empty.  Almost empty.


    On the far wall, he watched as the numbers above the prisoners rapidly decreased.  As they each hit zero, the torture victim below disappeared.  The latest victim, who had somehow generated 10,001, was still in the thousands when all the others were gone, but the digits were decreasing exponentially. Within ten seconds, his number hit zero, and he also vanished.  Once the dungeon was gone, Jason could see the back side of the room held a door.


    ¡°That better not be trapped.¡±


    Snowy barked in agreement, and the two of them walked forward, opened the door, and left the room.

 Chapter 6: Character Creation

    Jason emerged from the tunnel and was assaulted by two sounds simultaneously. The first was an insistent trilling sound, like a toddler playing on the high end of a keyboard. It repeated at least half a dozen times, and Jason looked around desperately for the source. The second sound was Gracie screaming at him.


    {Jason, you¡¯re okay. What happened? Did you succeed?}


    ¡°Nice to hear you,¡± Jason replied. ¡°Someone could have told me what happened to those who failed. Seems to me that mission was a little more dangerous than just dying in a game.¡±


    There was silence on the other end for a few seconds before Gracie spoke tentatively. {Conor didn¡¯t tell you? I never saw it. I just run the operations here and don¡¯t talk much with corporate, but Conor told me about a guy in a different division of our department who spent 36 hours in there before they pulled the plug on him. Scrambled his brain pretty good. I hear he is still in a coma in the hospital.}


    A shiver went down Jason¡¯s spine at what could have been. ¡°Pulled the plug?¡±


    {Yeah. You aren¡¯t supposed to do it, but all the research they had on the puzzle was that you had 36 minutes to solve it, so after a day and a half, they figured something must be wrong, and they disconnected him from the game. You know how on your computer, when you eject a flash drive, you are supposed to allow the computer to end all operations first? Same thing with this. You need to go to sleep or die in the game, so your brain can disconnect from the virtual world, or you won¡¯t reconnect appropriately in the real one.} She paused again. {Conor should have told you this. If he didn¡¯t, when we are through all this, I will shoot him again.}


    The reminder that her brother-in-law was shot brought him back to the seriousness of the situation, and he understood he wasn¡¯t the only one taking risks he didn¡¯t sign up for. ¡°Well, I¡¯m out now, and I have the item. What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    {So you have it? Wow, first try. I would have guessed that was impossible. Well, first, we need to get you safe. Where are you?}


    Jason didn¡¯t hear anything for a while and assumed Gracie was looking at a map or zooming out from his location. As far as he could tell, he was on the back side of the mountain. He was still at a considerable elevation and could see a vast forest several miles away and hundreds of feet down. Between him and the trees was a path snaking through foothills filled with large boulders, pine trees, and deep-walled canyons.


    {Looks like you¡¯ve got a considerable hike before you can get to a transportation node.} Another pause. {And you are in a PvP zone, so you need to get moving.} Another pause. {%&#@, and you are only level 1, we need to get you somewhere safe fast.}


    Jason wasn¡¯t sure why one of her words was garbled, but he understood her intention. ¡°Where to?¡±


    {I don¡¯t know yet, just run.}


    ¡°Come on, Snowy, let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Jason said without looking back and took off at a sprint down the trail.


    {Who¡¯s Snowy?}


    ¡°My wolf. I assume she followed me . . .¡± Now he did look back and was startled to see a small husky chasing him down the trail. ¡°Snowy?¡± The dog barked in confirmation and kept running up to and then past her master as Jason slowed down to contemplate the change in the animal. He could worry about that later. Instead, he focused on racing his dog down the trail, his massive orc legs eating up the ground impressively. Snowy was up to the challenge, and the two made it almost a mile before Gracie spoke up.


    {That should be far enough. You have an excellent sightline back up the trail, which is downwind. Plus, the rising sun should highlight the route above, reducing the chance that someone could sneak up on you.}


    ¡°Who¡¯s going to sneak up on me? There was no one else in that cavern. At least no one else who will wake up in their basement relatively sane.¡±


    {I don¡¯t have time to explain the difference between SIMs and MIMs to you right now. Just understand that you now have the most valuable item in the game, and people will be coming. In your current state, you will be killed by a level 5 newbie. But I doubt anyone less than level 15 will come for you. We need to hurry. Pull up your inventory screen.}


    Jason had gotten better at it and flashed his eyes up in his head to yank down the familiar view and block out the rocky surroundings.


    {Okay, I will try to explain this quickly. You¡¯ve taken over an NPC, which, by the way, is impossible. NPCs are not built like Player Characters, so the game has sent you back to level one to try and fix as many issues as possible. The orc you took over didn¡¯t have any experience points. He was just set to level 15, but it looks like the game gave you 50,000 for passing the last stage. The good news is that it vaults you right to level 7. The bad news is that it still isn¡¯t enough. Technically you aren¡¯t allowed to enter a PvP zone until you get to level 10.}


    Jason was pretty sure PvP stood for ¡°Player vs. Player,¡± where you could kill other people. It made sense to protect the newbies by restricting access.


    {But before leveling up, we need to set up your character. You are an orc shaman.}


    ¡°I want to be a paladin. A human paladin.¡±


    {That¡¯s nice, but you are an orc shaman. I can¡¯t change that. Don¡¯t worry; you are a kick-ass orc shaman. It also looks like you are a divine shaman. That isn¡¯t supposed to be possible. Why not? We are breaking every other rule tonight.}


    ¡°What does it mean that I am divine?¡±


    {It means you follow a god. Shamans are supposed to follow spirits, not gods, and the designers thought that giving them access to the divine, or demonic, would make them too powerful, which they were right. All other characters can follow a higher power, but PC Shamans can¡¯t. When building NPCs, though, you are given more leeway. You have six Intelligence, meaning you have -6 to all your intelligence skills¡ªone of those skills is Known Spells. As a shaman, you get a bonus spell at character creation and then every five levels, but that wouldn¡¯t be enough spells for a level 15 boss character to be challenging, so the designer of this module made him follow a god that would give him additional spells to make him more formidable. Trust me; it will make sense later. But for now, you need to pick a god.}


    ¡°Man does not choose God. God chooses man.¡±


    {&*%$$ %$#@%$, why did I know you would say that? Let¡¯s start with your alignment first.}


    ¡°Lawful Good.¡±


    {Gee, that¡¯s original. Sorry, not going to work in this game. There are no laws, and there is no good and evil.}


    ¡°There is always good and evil. What I saw back in that room was evil.¡±


    {We aren¡¯t going to fight about this,} Gracie insisted. {Your 3x3 grid of Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil is gone. It has been replaced by a 3x3x3 Rubik¡¯s cube of wonder. Along one axis, you have Honest, Pragmatic, and Guile. Along the second is Ordered, Balanced, and Chaotic. And the last is Traditional, Liberal, and Progressive. And I already know what you are going-}


    ¡°Honest. Ordered. Traditional.¡±


    Gracie sighed audibly through the headset. {You are going to be the most fun player ever, aren¡¯t you?} Jason couldn¡¯t quite hear what she muttered next, which was probably a good thing, but she returned quickly at full volume. {Let¡¯s look through the list here . . . Oh, sure enough, here is a god only available to Paladins. . . . Oh, this is a good one. How about a god who strives for racial equality where her followers try to deflower as many virginal elf maidens as possible to fill the world with half-elves?}


    ¡°What kind of game is this?¡±


    {Any kind you want it to be, my na?ve orc friend. . . Oh, here is the same type of god only for half-orcs. . . . I can see none of these are going to work for your playing style. That¡¯s okay; you are of no use to our German hosts until you make it to level 10, so you will need to complete a few more modules anyway. I have the perfect one for you to choose a new . . . uh, I mean, for a god to choose you.


    {It looks like your character has backed up far enough for you to rechoose your spirit realm as well. This orc was an arctic shaman, but that won¡¯t be much use for you in typical modules. The most common are fire and necromancy, but you don¡¯t have the Intelligence for the first, and I¡¯m never going to get you to cast a Death hex, so that probably isn¡¯t good either. How about a stone shaman? They are good and defensive. Practically a paladin.}


    Jason let Gracie manipulate his character sheet, trusting her to make good decisions, but he was ready to speak up when needed.


    {Let¡¯s leave the spells for now; we can take care of them after we do the levels. Oh, a shaman also gets a spirit animal at creation, but it looks like you already have one. A winter wolf. That¡¯s not impossible at all. Usually, you would get a bat or a mole. Does your puppy have a name?}


    ¡°Snowy.¡±


    {You¡¯ve got to be &%#@$%! me. How about Blizzard or Icetooth or Frostbite? Snowy isn¡¯t going to strike fear into too many people¡¯s hearts.}


    ¡°No, I will let her teeth do that. Snowy was the name my son gave to his stuffed snowcat.¡±


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    Gracie sighed. {Snowy it is.}


    ¡°She used to be much bigger,¡± Jason said, remembering how the wolf¡¯s back had been as high as his waist before. Now her head barely made it to his knee.


    {You used to be level 15. Your familiar levels up with you and will become more powerful as you do. Already a level one winter wolf is just about better than a level 15 anything else, so don¡¯t complain. And your name?}


    ¡°Jace Thorne.¡±


    {You don¡¯t think it is too close to your real name?}


    ¡°No. Most people think it is a play on Jason Borne and don¡¯t even know my real last name.¡±


    {Well, you are working for a secret division of the US government to take down international criminals, so the super spy angle works well here too.


    {Now we are on to the fun stuff. Your six primary abilities are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Spirit. You are probably familiar with the first five. Spirit measures your character¡¯s strength in magic. Based on your ability score, you will gain points to spend on skills associated with that ability. For every five levels, you can increase one of your abilities by one to a maximum of 20. At character creation, you set these abilities based on a point buy system where you have 25 points to spend. A typical starting character has 14s for four stats, with one at a 13 and one at a 15. Then, depending on the race they picked, they get plusses and minuses to those stats. Here are your stats:


    [STR: 21, DEX: 14, CON:20, INT: 6, WIS:12, SPR: 16]


    {These are, of course, impossible. You can¡¯t go above 18 at character creations. Going that high costs 16 points of your 25, so no one ever does it. There is no point buy value for abilities above 18, but if there were, I would say your point buy is over 60.}


    ¡°Why is the orc that high? Shouldn¡¯t the NPCs be built on the same rules as the players?¡±


    {In theory, yes. But it doesn¡¯t work that way for a couple of reasons. The first is complexity. You can customize your characters to the nth degree, and if you are building a module with 20-30 NPCs for characters to fight, and you spent only a fourth as much time on each of them as you would a Player Character, you are talking about hours and hours of fine-tuning that no one will ever see. If you want your bad guy to have a lot of hit points, you could give him half a dozen specific feats and a few spells, then program a script to have him cast those spells and choose specific armor in particular situations. Or, you can just give him 20 Constitution.


    {The second problem is that most PCs get their high stats by loading up on dozens of magical items. Even a level 7 character will have magic on every part of his body with several magical weapons. To make NPCs good at fighting, you could equip them with tons of magic equipment, but that would break the game because you would get too much valuable loot from each NPC you killed. Or, you can just give them 21 Strength.}


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    {Good, back to your character. I¡¯m not going to bore you with the math behind it, but based on your ability scores, you get points to spend on your skills at each level. Each ability has four skills associated with it. Also, you get to set your key abilities, and this ability will produce an extra point per level and determine what feats you can take. As a shaman, you must always have Spirit selected as one of your key abilities. What do you want your other to be?}


    ¡°Strength,¡± Jace said without thinking.


    {Shocker. You can change it at level five, but I¡¯m guessing you won¡¯t. You are up to level 7, but because you will be adding a point to an ability at level five, which will change the number of points you get per level, they want you level up five levels at a time, but since you are going to take your ability upgrade in Spirit. . .}


    ¡°I am?¡±


    {You are. No discussion. You can¡¯t take it in Strength or Constitution; they are already at 20+. You are a shaman whether you want to be or not, and you will take it in Spirit. I¡¯m the $%#&#$ expert here. Trust me.}


    {So, for Strength, this is what it looks like:}


    [Strength: 21. Points to spend: 17]


    {For each of the skills, the first number is your base score, which comes from how far above your score is from 12; however, once you get above 18, each additional number counts for two, so for Strength, you have a base of 12. The next number is a Special, which is where the game keeps track of bonuses from feats and your class and race. The third number is where the game records how many points you allocate from your levels. And the last number is the total. You can only put one point per level into each skill, so I recommend seven in Melee and Damage, raising those to 19, and the other three in Athletic.}


    ¡°What is Carry, and why do I have five special points in it?¡±


    {Carry is the most useless skill in the game. It lets you lift heavy things and throw heavy things. Maybe if you were a monk and wanted to throw people around. Orcs get a bonus to carry, apparently. I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never built an orc before, but I promise you, you already have the highest carry score I¡¯ve ever seen. So you agree with my suggestion?}


    ¡°Make it so, Number One.¡±


    {I am not Riker, and you are not Picard. Anyway, on to Dexterity. A score of 14 is actually reasonable.}


    [Dexterity: 14. Points to spend: 2]


    {Not a lot to talk about here. You won¡¯t be using these skills very often. I recommend putting your two points in Dodge. It is useful for avoiding fireball attacks, but you probably won¡¯t be dodging normal attacks.}


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    {For Constitution, we have more to decide.}


    [Constitution: 20. Points to spend: 9]


    {These are all good options for you. Resist adds to your saving throw against acid, poison, cold, and a few others, as well as the all-important Death Saving throw. As a stone shaman, you already get a +5 to this, and it looks like you have some other bonus . . . let me see . . . oh, you are wearing a belt that gives you +4. This is pretty high already, and maybe we can leave it alone. Hit Points are obviously valuable. Every normal size character gets a base of 6 per level. Halflings, gnomes, goblins, and other smaller creatures get less. Giants get more. Putting a point here is worth ten hit points by the time you get to level 10. Of course, attacks can do massive damage, so it gets eaten away quickly. D/R stands for Damage Reduction, reducing the amount of damage you take with each hit. You are already at 10, so if anyone does 10 points or less in an attack against you, you take no damage. Armor affects what kind of protection you can wear and your armor class. Pieces of armor require a certain score here. The biggest normal armor out there requires a score of 10 here, which you already have. I would put 7 in Hit Points and the other 2 in Damage Reduction.}


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    {Now for the bad news, Intelligence.}


    [Intelligence: 6. Points to spend: 1]


    {The only highlight here is that because you can see in the dark, you get a racial bonus of +5 to Perception. Everything else is bad. Regardless how low your ability score is, you always get at least one point every five levels, and I would put it in Spell Damage since you are taking a -6 to all spell damage you do. There are better ways for a shaman to increase spell difficulty, and you will never know many spells.}


    Jason said nothing, understanding his character wasn¡¯t going to be a mage any time soon.


    {Wisdom is also pretty straightforward.}


    [Wisdom: 12. Points to spend: 1]


    {Everyone needs Magic Defense, and if you aren¡¯t a priest or a craftsman, everyone puts their extra points there.}


    ¡°Are the # of Spells here cumulative with Intelligence?¡±


    {Yes. If you put the point there, you would know -5 spells. It prevents a priest or paladin who wants to cast a lot of spells from needing to bump up their Intelligence.}


    ¡°Sure, put it in Magic Defense.¡± Jason watched how Gracie expertly moved around the character sheet and figured he could do this himself pretty soon. He knew he could manipulate things in his inventory by looking at them and figured the same was true here.


    {Lastly, Spirit. As a shaman, this should be the most important. We must do up to level 5 first; then raise your score to 17 and do the last two levels. The upshot is that you will have 12 points to spend.}


    [Spirit: 17. Points to spend: 12]


    {You have a base of 5 for all of these. Mana Generation is how much mana you generate each round. You get a +5 bonus for being a shaman and another +5 conditional bonus if you are in direct contact or proximity to stone. Mana Pool is how much mana you can have at any one time. This number is multiplied by your level. Everyone gets a base bonus of 5, and you get an additional +5 for being a shaman. Spell Damage and Magic Defense are cumulative with Intelligence and Wisdom skills. I would put seven in Mana Pool and the remaining five in Magic Defense.}


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I should put something in Spell Damage since I¡¯m only at 0 now once you add it to my Intelligence score?¡±


    {Not yet. You don¡¯t know any spells that do damage. All the spells I have in mind for you are defensive. Eventually, when you know a few that do damage, we can take a feat to address that.}


    ¡°Understood. Go ahead.¡±


    {Great. And that was the world¡¯s greatest segue to feats. There are hundreds to choose from. Usually, you can only take feats associated with your two key abilities. You must take feats related to your primary ability or class-specific feats on the odd levels. In your case, that is Spirit and shaman feats. You get four by level seven. I recommend Extra Spell, Mana Surge, Stone Armor, and Totem Reach +2.}


    ¡°Sure, I guess. I¡¯d love to look at all the feats to know how to fit them with my play style, but I understand we are short on time. Can you tell me what they do?¡±


    {I have built many paladins, and if your play style is consistent with them, then you can trust me here. Extra Spell is somewhat obvious. You get a bonus spell at creation and then at level 5. Without this, you would only know two spells. Now you know three. Mana Surge gives you yet another +5 to Mana Generation. Stone Armor is specific to stone shamans and gives you +5 to Armor. And Totem Reach increases your totem range by +2. Two more feats will raise it to +5 and then to +10, which I highly recommend for the future.}


    ¡°Dare I ask what a totem is?¡±


    {You may dare, but I will get to it later. We need your Strength feats. Unfortunately, as a shaman, your only weapon proficiency is 2-handed blunt weapons, allowing you to wield a staff. We will have to waste a feat for Weapon Proficiency: 2-Handed Bladed Weapons, so you don¡¯t get a -10 penalty when you swing the amazing halberd you have. Lucky for us, this will also work with the 2-handed sword you will undoubtedly want. A paladin or fighter would get this proficiency for free. Then we have to waste another feat to give you Critical Focus, which martial characters also get for free. Without this, you can¡¯t do critical combat strikes. For the third and last Strength feat, I recommend Critical Stun. This will allow you to stun your opponent when you do a critical strike instead of just double damage, which a tactical fighter like you will appreciate.}


    ¡°Sounds good. Now we can move on to-¡±


    <Alert!!! Alert!!! Alert!!!>

 Chapter 7: Character Refinement

    <Alert!!!  Alert!!! Alert!!!>


    Suddenly the character screen was down, and Jace was looking at the rocky landscape he had almost forgotten.  The sun was a little higher than he remembered but still cast long shadows into the open trail that cut through the hills.  Leaping out from one of those shadows was an elf dressed in black, two short blades aimed at the orc¡¯s chest.  A red border flashed around his vision, and Jace didn¡¯t know what to do.  Luckily the game took over, and the halberd he still clutched swung into action.  As the assassin got close, a dial appeared around his body like the face of a clock, with 20 numbers instead of 12.  The numbers weren¡¯t in any specific order and were in various colors.  The one was white, with numbers 2-11 a deep red.  Twelve and up were purple, with the number 20 a deep purple.


    The wicked pole arm swung of its own accord, Jace flexing his powerful arms without thinking.  The blade sliced in at the shorter elf along the number 14 and exploded into his exposed side.  Jace felt a now familiar feeling in his head as the game gave him information.


    [Double Critical hit]


    [One critical canceled]


    [2x Damage? Stun?]


    Jace concentrated on the Stun choice for a brief second, and the prompt disappeared from his mind as the black-clad elf froze before him.  Jace¡¯s weapon was already swinging around for another hit, and it flew in along the number eight slot, and blood splattered from the impact into his leg.


    After the second attack, the assassin remained motionless, still stunned, and Snowy joined the fun, jumping at the elf and biting into his already wounded leg.  Jace felt a call to action again, and the urge to swing was overwhelming.  This time he took control, bringing his weapon up and around.  The dial appeared again, and he lined up a strike along the number 20, which was pulsing purple.  At this angle, the halberd hit the elf¡¯s exposed clavicle, and his weapon dug deep into the base of his neck.


    [Triple Critical hit]


    [4x damage.]


    Jace didn¡¯t have a choice, and the man exploded before him, body parts and blood flying in all directions.  Despite being an orc, he shrank back from the gory scene, but Snowy seemed thrilled and jumped at the torn flesh, finding a leg to gnaw on.  Only now could Jace hear Gracie screaming in the background, most of her words a garbled mess.


    Jace looked around carefully, ensuring no other attackers were waiting for him, before turning his voice inward.  ¡°Gracie.  Gracie!  Calm down.  Take breath.  It¡¯s over.  Now tell me what the heck just happened.¡±


    {You almost %&*$#@$ died; that¡¯s what happened!  I can¡¯t believe that.}


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jace repeated.


    {It was Snowy, your wolf.} He could tell she hated using the playful name for such a vicious creature.  Jace also noticed that Snowy was much bigger than before.  Still not as large as back in the cavern, but as a level seven wolf, her head now came up high on his leg.  {She was on the lookout, like a good guard dog.}  Jace could tell from her uneven voice that Gracie was scrolling back through the game data, trying to read and talk simultaneously.  {The thief was hidden well, but Snowy smelled him.  And when she smells prey ¨C and elves are one of her favorite meals ¨C she gets a massive bonus to see them.  Because she is your familiar, when she sees them, you see them.  He was attempting a sneak attack, which would have done a ton of damage, possibly stunning you or knocking you unconscious.  Instead, because you caught him in a sneak attack, he was Flat-Footed, opening up your critical range and allowing you to stun him.  He probably would have normally saved against your stun, but being caught in an attempted sneak attack gives a huge penalty to his saving throws.  He had one critical protection, but you got lucky and did a double.  I don¡¯t think he expected a level seven shaman to have +19 to hit.}


    Jace understood all of that.  ¡°How much damage was I doing?¡±


    {Your weapon does 18 damage when you wield it.  It is a Chaos weapon, so, being Ordered, you get a disadvantage for using it, but 18 is still pretty high.  You have +19 to damage, so you did 37 on your first two hits and then over a hundred on the triple crit.  Our poor assassin only had 120 hit points, so it was a bit of overkill.}


    ¡°And what about the dial?  Did he see it too?¡±


    {What dial?}


    ¡°The dial with the numbers 1-20 telling me where to aim.  I let the game take over on the first two hits, and I¡¯m guessing I rolled a 14 and an 8, but I took control on the last hit and got the 20.¡±


    {Yes, Gracie said, you can let the game play for you, which is often safer, but if you have any skill in wielding a weapon, you are free to swing away too.  But I don¡¯t know what you mean about a dial.  You just swing at the person.}


    ¡°Well, I see a dial when I attack, and it made it very easy to manufacture that last 20, which somehow gave me a triple critical.  Can you tell me how that works?¡±


    {Every weapon crits on a 20.  You also succeed critically when you exceed your opponent¡¯s defense by ten or more.  You get two criticals for 20 or more, and so on.  Your last attack was a 40 against his armor class of probably 15, so you beat it by 20+ and rolled a 20, so that is three crits.  Go pick up his inventory, and I can tell you more.}


    Jace looked back to where the assassin had been, having turned away once Snowy started gnawing on the bones.  Now, over the bloodstain, he saw a small satchel icon floating above the ground, looking quite unnatural in the otherwise realistic setting.  Jace picked his way carefully through the gory mess and touched the icon, which picked up the loot.  Jace could tell that Gracie was already going through them without him having to pull up his inventory screen.


    {Ah, that makes sense.  He had Shadow Step boots.  He could have skipped through that module without a problem, especially since my paladin had killed almost everything.  It is unlikely that anyone else could make it through as fast, but either way, we shouldn¡¯t stay here long.}


    ¡°Can we move and talk at the same time?¡± Jace asked.


    {Probably.  Look at Snowy and try to select her.}


    Jace did so, earning a strange look from the wolf, who still had a bone in her mouth.  A few options came up, and he picked Follow Trail.  Then the selection screen disappeared, and he looked around the area.  The first thing that was highlighted was the remains of the assassin.  Jace imagined that if he selected those, Snowy would sniff him, pick up a trail, and follow it back into the module.  Instead, he looked down the path he had been taking away from the mountain, and the winding, stony descent glowed faintly in the morning light.  He ¡°clicked¡± that with his eyes, and Snowy barked an affirmative and set out at a good pace following the trail.


    Jace quickly ran after the wolf, and as he followed her with his eyes, another selection window popped up, and he chose Follow.  Instantly, he felt his legs move on their own, and he tested this new automated mode by pulling up his inventory screen.  As far as he could tell, his legs were still jogging.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready,¡± Jace said.


    {Took long enough.  Once you have your wolf selected, see if she has the Follow Trail ability.}


    ¡°No, I mean, I¡¯m ready to talk.  I figured all that out on my own.  I¡¯m jogging down the trail after her with my inventory screen open.  Now, what just happened?  How did that guy come out of the module I just completed, and why did he suicide attack me like that?¡±


    Gracie chuckled.  {That wasn¡¯t a suicide attack.  That was almost your death.  He was making a Sneak Attack against you.  A Sneak Attack is when you attack from the shadows, and your opponent doesn¡¯t see you.  You get to add your Stealth value to your attack, so he probably would have close to +55 to hit, and if he rolled what you did, a 14, he would hit you with 69.  You were in your inventory, so you were considered Flat-Footed and would have had an Armor class of 14.  He would have had a 4x crit.  His weapons do less damage than yours, but he would have knocked you down to half-health in one shot and probably disarmed you in the process.}


    {When you lose over half your health at once, you have to make a death save, which would have at least paralyzed you, and the elf could have killed you easily.  If it weren¡¯t half your health, you would have been disarmed and have to pick up your weapon off the ground, which would have given him another bonus to attack, and he probably would have hit you with another crit, disarming you again.  Your other option would be to run, but as soon as you turned your back on him, he could hide back in the shadows and make another Sneak Attack on you.  One-on-one combat is usually one-sided and often depends on who gets the upper hand early.  A thief like him would be foolish to engage you head-on. Fighting between groups becomes far more strategic.  And the fact that Snowy would have attacked him regardless if you saw him first would have played in your favor.  Either way, he wasn¡¯t planning on you having 21 Strength.}


    ¡°And how did he catch me so quickly?¡±


    {You just completed a SIM, which stands for Single Instance Module.  When you enter a module, the game creates a copy for you to play in.  There might be a dozen other people currently trying to pass it, and they all have their copy.  If they die inside, they get deleted along with all their items.  But when someone passes a SIM, their version of the module becomes locked into the game.  Anyone who was currently in that module gets kicked out.  Any module-specific items they might have collected are deleted from their inventory. From now on, anyone who enters that module will experience the completed version.}


    ¡°So that thief was in the module when I passed it and was kicked out.  This told him that someone had solved it, so he raced through to try and catch me at the end and steal the crystal.¡±


    {Either that or he was a camper.}


    ¡°A camper?¡±


    {Someone who camps out at the entry to a SIM that hasn¡¯t been completed yet.  When you try to enter a SIM, you get a prompt to enter alone or join with someone who is already in.  That person has to accept you as a party member, so you can¡¯t just join up with strangers, but you get to see who else is in a SIM when you try to enter.  If you ever try to enter and don¡¯t get a prompt, that means no one is currently in the SIM, or it has been completed.  A camper keeps testing the SIM until it shows it is clear and then races through it.  Or, if you know there are 4-5 people in the SIM, you can camp out at the opening, wait for a bunch of people to get kicked out, and then race in while they get their bearings.}


    {Every month or two, someone loads a dragon SIM.  Those are very popular.  Campers will sit outside the entry and cheer on all the brave adventures who enter, often even lending them spell protections or magic items to help them finish the task.  Then when they pass the level, everyone races in to try and split the treasure.  Often a SIM will not have a back exit like this one did, so the person who passed it will have to walk out the same way he walked in, and a dozen greedy adventurers will be storming in to kill him to get the treasure.  Those get bloody fast.}


    ¡°I assume there are other modules that are not SIMS?¡±


    {Yes, there are MIMs as well.  These are Multiple Instance Modules.  Everyone who enters them creates a unique copy, and then when they pass them, that unique copy remains, and other people can still try the module on their own without having to play someone else¡¯s completed version.  These modules offer fewer exclusive treasures and usually specialize in experience points and teaching people how to play the game.  Sometimes MIMs have unique prizes at the end so that the first person who passes it gets the item, and everyone else who completes it gets a lesser version.}


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Jace looked through the loot he had collected so far as he listened to the explanations.  ¡°So how does this Halberd I have work?¡±


    {It is a level 10 Chaos Halberd +3 with +4 to Trip and the Coup de Grace ability.  It is one of the best weapons I have ever seen.  But it is not very good for you.  You are Ordered, not Chaotic, so you get a -2 for all its attributes.  For each even level of a weapon, it does an additional one point of damage.  Halberds usually do 13 points of damage, but at level 10, it does another 5, and because it is a +3, it does a total of 21 damage.  For you, it is a level 8 +1 weapon, so it only does 18 damage, which is still good, but you can find something better eventually.}


    ¡°What does it mean that it is Chaos?¡±


    {You can cast chaotic magic.  Well, you can¡¯t, but others can.  It is a popular magic for battle mages who already do a lot of damage with their weapons.  Often the magic will do nothing, but it will occasionally explode for massive damage, so it works well with the halberd.}


    ¡°And the Trip and Coup De Grace?¡±


    {Trip is a combat maneuver for suckers.  Don¡¯t try it.  Coup De Grace lets you attack a helpless opponent, and they must save against the damage or die.  It is a very noble and paladin-like thing to do.  As I said, probably not the weapon for you.}


    ¡°Is it time for spells now?¡±


    {Yes, you get three.  I suggest Armor Totem, Damage Sink Totem, and Mana Bank Totem.}


    ¡°Ah, the mysterious totems.¡±


    {Yes, they are unique to shamans and immensely useful.  They are especially broken for your character.  A totem is a statue or altar you can create with your mana.  In your case, you have to erect it on stone, and then you need to stay connected to it by a path of stone.  As long as you are and you stay in range, you get the benefit.  Right now, because you have the +2 totem range feat, you get a range of 12 per level.}


    {The Armor Totem lets you spend 10 points per level, and then you have Spirit Armor equal to your level.  So for 70 mana, you can have +7 to your armor class.  The good thing about Spirit Armor is that it doesn¡¯t use up any of your armor class skill.  Right now, you have 15 points in Armor Class, your boots use up one of those, and the other 14 are divided by 2, which adds to your total AC.  Every medium character has a base of 10, so with Spirit Armor, you have 10+7+7+1, which is a whopping 25 AC, which is excellent.  You always want to be a little higher than your attack bonus.  The best standard armor in the game is full-plate, which gives +10 AC and uses up 10 of your AC skill.  If you wore that, you would have 10+10+2+1, only 23.  And yours will get better as you level up.}


    ¡°Sounds broken to me.  Isn¡¯t that too powerful?¡±


    {You are broken.  Most shamans will have 12 Constitution, which gives them no bonus to AC, meaning the Spirit Armor is the only bonus they are getting.  Also, it has a range.  If you wander through a large dungeon, you must cast it every 84 feet.  If you are in a city or a wooden building, it won¡¯t work.}


    Jace nodded, understanding that a shaman was meant to be a supporting character, and he needed to prepare his battlefield to be effective.  ¡°How long do they last?¡±


    {As long as you stay in range, most totems last indefinitely.  Physical attacks can destroy them, and they can be dispelled by magic.  But as long as you keep in range, they will last as long as you do.  If you move out of range, they will last one hour and disappear.  If you move out of range and then back in range within that hour, they will still work for you, and the hour is reset.}


    {I also gave you Damage Sink, which is what it sounds like.  You pay ten mana per level, and the totem will absorb damage equal to your hit points at that level. It basically gives you double the hit points, and all damage goes to the totem first.  Once it exceeds its limit, it will disappear.  Because of your huge Constitution, this spell is pretty broken too.  The last spell is a Mana Bank.  You can use as much or as little mana as you want to cast it, and it will store that mana for you.  Then, in combat or at any time, you can double your standard Mana Generation by pulling the extra from the totem.  It will disappear when it is empty.}


    ¡°How do I cast spells?  Do I have to memorize them or prepare them first?¡±


    {Normally, you have to memorize them, but not with totems.  We can go over general spell casting when you get a ¡°normal¡± spell.  But for now, stop running, and I will show you.}


    Jace exited his character screen and instructed Snowy to stop.


    {Okay, instead of looking up, look down behind your cheekbones.}


    Jace did as he was told and saw a bar to pull.  When this window slid over his vision, it didn¡¯t block it but instead looked like a translucent computer window with three icons.  They each had a unique symbol, and he had to hover his eyes over each to get the name of the totem to pop up.  Eventually, he selected the Armor Totem, and the screen disappeared.  He felt he was holding the spell with his eyes, like clicking and holding an icon on a computer screen and then moving it around.  Finding a rocky patch, Jace released the icon, and a stone pillar rose from the ground until it was waist-high.  Jace was given the choice of how many levels he wanted to set it to and chose seven.  A rush of energy left him, like a gust of wind hitting him in the back and racing through him.  He almost lost his balance for a moment but recovered before falling.


    {It¡¯s like the recoil of a gun,} Gracie said, seeing his reaction.  {You¡¯ll get used to it.}


    Jace looked down and saw he was wearing a shimmering vest of armor.  It looked like stone, but it didn¡¯t impair his movement at all.


    {It isn¡¯t going to stack with your current armor, which you should probably take off anyway.  It is Deceptive, and since you are Honest, you get penalties for using it.  When you get to town, you can buy cheap, non-magical armor for when you travel or don¡¯t have access to stone.}


    Jace removed the chainmail his orc came with and spent a few moments admiring his new look when another thought struck him.  ¡°I think I leveled up when I killed that thief.  I heard that shrill cord again.¡±


    {He was at a higher level than you, so you should have leveled up again.  When you kill someone, you either get all of their experience or the difference between your current level and the next one, whichever is less.  He was at level 15, so he had over 4 million experience.  The difference between levels 7 and 8 is 32,000, so that is what you should have got.}


    Jace checked his screen and saw he was up to 82,000 exp now.  This gave him +2 to Strength skills, and he put one in Melee and one in Damage.  He also got one in Constitution and one in Spirit.  He put these in Hit Points and Mana Pool.


    ¡°It looks like I need another Strength feat.¡±


    {So, let me understand this.  When you attack someone, you see a dial of 20 numbers, and you can pick which you want to use for the attack?}


    ¡°Yes.  That¡¯s how it was when I attacked the thief back there.¡±


    Gracie was silent for a while.  {Do me a favor and tell Snowy to hunt for food.}


    Jace dismissed his inventory screen, looked at Snowy again, and selected Hunt from his familiar¡¯s options.  The wolf sniffed eagerly at the ground and air and bolted into the few trees off the trail.  Jace was still automated to follow her, and he ripped through the low branches.  Soon they came upon a chipmunk who was terrified of the wolf.  As soon as Jace got close, the border of his vision flashed red, and when he looked at the chipmunk, he saw the dial again.  This time all the numbers were deep purple except for the one.


    {Is the dial still there?}


    ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    {I¡¯m not going to ask you to kill the chipmunk, but you could swing through any number you wanted?}


    ¡°Yes, watch,¡± Jace had mercy on the creature and attacked through the one.  The halberd stuck into the ground just in front of the chipmunk.  The near-death experience jolted the small animal from the fear the wolf had cast on it, and it scampered off into the woods.


    {I don¡¯t know how that is possible, but if you can get 20s that easily, I will give you the Extra Crit feat.  Now when you roll a 20, you get two crits.  It¡¯s usually an all-or-nothing feat, but it should be impossibly over-powered for you.}


    ¡°Well, it looks like we¡¯ve done six impossible things this morning.  Time for breakfast at Millyways.}


    Gracie paused.  {I assume that is a reference to some pop culture thing, but I don¡¯t know this one.}


    ¡°Look it up.¡±  Jace laughed at his operator and then glanced down at his wolf.  Snowy looked dejected at the failed attack against the animal she had tracked down for her master.  She looked up at Jace and whined.  ¡°It was just an experiment, girl.  Besides, you just ate that yummy elf back there.¡±


    Snowy was suddenly happy again and howled at the pleasant memory.  Jace only rolled his eyes at what he had gotten himself into.  The wound on Snowy¡¯s side had healed when she was brought down to level one and then back up to eight with him, but fresh blood was now on her face from her recent meal.  Jace returned to the path with Snowy in tow and sent her off down the trail again with him in pursuit.  ¡°Is this game always so bloody and violent?¡±


    {You can adjust that in the settings.  Most people consider it a perk.}


    Jace didn¡¯t need direction to explore his character settings and soon found a screen with half a dozen dials.  There were filters for Gore, Nudity, Sexualization, Profanity, Elements, and Pain.  They could all be adjusted from None to Severe, and all but one was set at Medium.  The gore was at High.  Jace wondered how much worse it could get if he upped the gore one final spot to Severe.  He decided not to try and slid it down to Mild.


    He also understood why some of Gracie¡¯s words were garbled to him.  There was a profanity filter.  ¡°Dare I ask what the difference between Nudity and Sexualization is?¡±


    {Nudity is how you see others, and Sexualization is how you present yourself.  If you move your Nudity slider any further down, there are some places you will go where everything will be a confusing blur.  However, you can drop your own sexualization down as far as you want.  At None, you will walk around like a genderless Ken doll, and if you crank it up to Severe, as an orc, you might have trouble walking.}


    Jace shuddered at the thought and pulled the Sexualization down to None.  When he did, he saw that he lost a lot of the muscle definition in his abs and arms, and vanity required he push it back up to Mild.


    ¡°What is Elements?¡±


    {Mostly the weather, but also heat and cold from other sources.  If you are adventuring in the desert or the arctic, you might want to turn it down so you don¡¯t suffer, but knowing there is fire, wind, or cold nearby might also be an early warning of a magical attack.  Same thing with Pain.  If you turn it all the way down, you might not realize how much damage you are taking in a fight.  There are other HUD (Heads up Display) settings you can play with that always show you the weather or wind or constantly show your health so you can dial these down.  Most archers like to keep the elements up to feel the wind.  Just remember, any time you enter a settings screen or your inventory, it will always take a full round.  Never do it in a hostile situation.  If your enemy sees your eyes roll up, they will attack instantly, and you will die.  You are Flat-Footed in your inventory.  So, pick a setting and stick with it.  If you enter a tavern that is too hot or smelly, or the waitresses are all topless, deal with it.  Checking your inventory or settings is the most common way newbies die.}


    Jace understood and left the elements at Medium but dragged the Pain down to Mild.  He hadn¡¯t gotten hit yet, so he didn¡¯t know what to expect, but he figured less pain was better.


    Jace had just dismissed his screen when Snowy stopped.  They were now at the end of the trail, the deep forest before them.  Snowy was growling into the trees, apparently sensing more prey, but she stayed by her master¡¯s side for now.  Behind them, the hills looked vast, and the mountain hovered far away above them.  How far had they run?  As Jace looked back, he saw a plume of fire, and smoke rose high into the sky.


    {Someone is fighting for the chance to kill you.  Let¡¯s not waste time.  Check into the travel node.}


    Jace searched around but only saw trees before him.


    {It looks like an exaggerated street sign,} Gracie clarified.


    Then Jace saw it.  The thick wooden pole with arrows hanging off it blended nicely with the tree trunks.  He tried to select it with his eyes but got a negative beep.  He ran closer until he was only ten feet away, tried again, and was transported to a map screen.


    {Good, you¡¯re safe now.  Unless you choose the location you just were in, no one from that module can get you.  I¡¯d love to send you to Safe Haven . . .}


    Jace saw the town on his map as one of the few available places.


    { . . . but I don¡¯t think our hosts would agree.  That is where our bosses are.} Jace heard her pull away from the microphone again and the muffled sounds of her arguing with someone else.  {No, I can¡¯t send him there.  That is a PvP zone, and he can¡¯t enter until he is level 10.  I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t write the code.  Those are the rules.  He has to level up first.}  A pause.  {No, you can¡¯t do that?  Haven¡¯t you played before?  The only way to exchange equipment between non-party members is in a PvP zone.  As I said, I don¡¯t make the rules.} Pause.  {Oh, yeah, that is a great idea.  Why don¡¯t you ask your boss if he is okay with inviting Jace into his party?  You¡¯d think they would have sent someone who knows what he is doing.  I¡¯m sorry.  You are just going to have to wait until he gets to level 10.}  Pause.  {I don¡¯t know.  A day?  A week?  He made level 8 in about an hour.  Who knows?}


    Jace heard the familiar static sound of Gracie adjusting the headset again, and she was back at full volume.  {Sorry about that.}


    ¡°No worries.  It sounds like you have it rough over there.¡± Despite everything, Jace didn¡¯t want to admit that he was starting to enjoy this adventure.  ¡°Where do I go?¡±


    {You need a god.  Go to Centerville.  There you will find a temple that looks like the front of the Whitehouse.  Go inside and tell one of the priests that you are lost and need direction in your life.  He will present you with several deities but turn them all down until he offers you a quest for self-discovery.}


    ¡°You speak as if you¡¯re not coming with me.¡±


    {Yea, I¡¯m sorry to pull a Gandalf on you, but I am beat right now.  I¡¯ve been up for 20 hours preparing for tonight, and things got a bit more stressful than I anticipated.  I need to look after Conor and then get some sleep so we can tackle this fresh tomorrow.  Plus, half the time, these deity quests are private anyway.}


    ¡°Will I need sleep?¡±


    {Do you feel tired?}


    ¡°Not at all, but how will my body survive?¡±


    Jace heard a rustling that he assumed was Gracie turning to look back at his body reclined in the chair.  {It is 2 am over here.  As far as your body knows, you are dreaming.  You should be fine for several hours yet.  I will hook up an IV tomorrow morning, and if this takes as long as I think it will, I will strap you with some muscle stimulators and a catheter.}


    ¡°You know how to do all that?  Are you a nurse?¡±


    {No, I am an operator for ROI.  It comes with the territory.  Trust me; I¡¯m a professional.  And you will do fine on your own.  Conor was right; you are a great player and should be able to handle this module with no problem.  With 20 Constitution, you can go quite a while without needing to rest.  But if you get any fatigue alerts, find an inn and sleep.  If you need money, find a shop and sell something you don¡¯t need.  Right now, you have a bunch of legendary items that most stores in Non-PvP zones won¡¯t buy, but you should find some junk items soon enough.  Goodbye.}


    ¡°Bye, and thanks.¡±


    Jace heard a click, and he felt alone.  He was floating in a nether realm looking at the map.  He couldn¡¯t see his body, and he couldn¡¯t see Snowy.  He saw Centerville on the map in front of him, carefully selected the town with his eyes, and everything went black.

 Chapter 8: Discovery

    Jace¡¯s world was void for a few anxious seconds, and then he was standing in a serene landscape.  A path lay before him, with trees on either side, the sun still low in the sky to his right, not yet rising above the leafy canopy.  He thought for a moment that he might still be at the mountain¡¯s base, for the trees looked familiar.  He turned, but instead of the rocky trail leading back into the hills, he saw the path stay level and continue into the woods.  He noticed an unusual curtain in the air, like a slightly smudged glass panel hung in front of him.


    He was standing beside a travel node, just off the path¡¯s edge.  He arrived facing north and assumed that Centerville must be in that direction, but the deep woods intrigued him.  Instant travel was great, but what if you wanted to walk?  How big was this virtual world?  What lay between the cities?


    Jace took several steps to the south, and as he penetrated the invisible curtain, he got a prompt.


    [Entering Non-PvP Hostile Zone, Level 5.]


    Beside him, Snowy growled at the woods as he did back at the previous node.  There were hostile creatures in there, probably around level five.  Presumably, he could wander around killing things and gain experience.  Jace was familiar with lots of RPGs, and he knew you got the most experience from completing quests, but in a game like this, with so much at stake, spending a few hours a day killing monsters, especially ones that are only at level five, would be a safe way to progress too.


    Snowy wanted to explore, and Jace let him.  The two moved into the hostile zone, and Jace paid attention to his familiar.  As the wolf sniffed the air and inspected the ground, Jace experimented with the settings he could initiate with the animal.  There were plenty more options than just Hunt or Follow Trail.  When he selected Link Senses, the world came suddenly alive.  He could see minute details in the ground and trees around him.  Bent twigs that would have been ignored now signaled a large animal¡¯s passing.  Pits and holes in the path looked more like footprints now.  And the smells were almost too much.  Snowy had his Element settings cranked up because Jace could feel even the slightest breeze on the wind, and each stone on the path was felt through his boots.


    <Alert!>


    The warning came as before when the assassin had attacked, but not quite as insistent.  Something must be near.


    <Elf!>


    Jace looked off into the woods in the direction Snowy was facing, but he couldn¡¯t see anything.  Leaves moved about, and branches swayed, but the wolf¡¯s vision lacked the color acuity Jace was used to.  He disconnected his senses from the animal and immediately picked out the female elf moving toward him.  Her armor and clothing camouflaged her well with the environment, but the orc¡¯s heat-sensitive eyes picked her out.


    She still hadn¡¯t noticed him, as she was more concerned with finding a path that didn¡¯t cause every other tree branch to smack her in the face.  However, when Snowy howled in her direction, she came to attention quickly enough.


    ¡°Orc!¡± she cried and pulled her bow smoothly, an arrow soon streaking toward him.  Jace had no time to duck and had only a half second to brace for the pain, but it never came.  The projectile disappeared from the air when it was five feet from him.


    The archer had another arrow ready but didn¡¯t fire, puzzled by the game deleting her first shot.  ¡°Are you a player?¡± she called, still 50 feet from him.


    ¡°Yes.  Sorry if my wolf startled you.¡±


    Snowy looked up at her master with distaste.  Was he talking with the filthy elf?  Jace chuckled at the animal¡¯s ingrained racism and bid her heel.  Snowy sat on her haunches obediently but not happily.  Jace backed away to the opposite side of the trail, allowing the archer more room to tumble out of the forest awkwardly.  He took note of her numbers, Level 6, 48 hit points.  Once she was standing comfortably on the trail, she looked him up and down too.  He was Level 8 and had almost 200 hit points.  If they fought, it would be no contest.


    ¡°Are you a half-orc?¡± she asked, confusion evident in her voice.


    Jace wanted to lie to make the questions disappear, but he knew he should stay in character and tell something close to the truth.  ¡°I¡¯m testing out a new mod.  How¡¯s the hunting?¡±


    ¡°Lousy,¡± she said, focusing on Snowy after giving up on the giant orc that shouldn¡¯t be legal in the game.  ¡°Only got 2,500 points, and I¡¯m almost out of arrows.  Level seven seems so far away.  Are you coming or going?¡±


    She motioned toward town, and Jace figured he could explore hunting some other time.  He nodded, knowing he shouldn¡¯t pass up the chance to speak with another player.  He watched the elf roll her eyes into her head, and a second later, her bow was gone.  Jace was still holding his halberd, a weapon Gracie had described as one of the most powerful she had ever seen, and it would probably draw too much attention in the hands of a level eight character.  He took the time to stow it away as well.  He proved faster than the elf and looked her in the face before her eyes returned to normal.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Jace,¡± he said.  He offered his hand, but it was almost the size of the petite elf¡¯s whole torso, and he quickly retracted it before the woman could shake his big finger.  Standing about five feet tall, she looked uncomfortable next to the giant orc.  Snowy wasn¡¯t helping any by baring her teeth at the natural enemy.


    ¡°Selaina,¡± she replied and turned on the path toward the travel node and the town beyond.  ¡°How was your hunt?  Your wolf still looks hungry?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s always hungry,¡± Jace laughed, falling in beside her and wondering how this encounter would be different if they were in a PvP zone.


    ¡°Are you going to take her to town or dismiss her?  Your appearance is going to cause quite a stir as it is?¡±


    ¡°Dismiss her?¡± Jace stupidly asked.  He knew if he were a player who had built a level eight character up from scratch, he should know all this, but for now, he would rather look stupid and learn something than try to fake it.


    ¡°Summoning her must have cost a ton of mana.  I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t find much, or she would have been gone already.  Or does she come from an item?  If so, I¡¯d love to know what module that was from.  I¡¯ve been looking for a way to get a hawk or falcon, but they all require spells I don¡¯t have access to.¡±


    Jace was beginning to understand.  Summoning allies was a common spell in most games.  Gracie had already told him that most familiars are much smaller and weaker than a wolf.  But what could he tell her?  He tried the truth.


    ¡°The wolf is my familiar.¡±  The elf stopped and turned to look at him, shock on her face.  ¡°It was a SIM a friend of mine spent months on.  I just came in at the end while she did all the work, but it got me this overpowered familiar, so I¡¯m not complaining.¡±


    ¡°Wow, which SIM was it?¡± she turned to keep walking.  ¡°Not that I can do it too.  That is,¡± she glanced at him again with a smirk, ¡°unless I kill you.¡±


    Snowy growled, but Jace laughed or tried to.  The orc laugh wasn¡¯t that pleasant.  He also didn¡¯t know if she was kidding.  Surly, from the little she could see of him, he was out of her league, but was he?  If she stayed in the trees, could she pepper him with arrows until he died?  There was so much strategy in this game that he still didn¡¯t understand.  Jace fell back a little and directed Snowy to follow the archer.  To do so, the animal had to pick up the elf¡¯s scent.  Selaina thought the action of the wolf sniffing her was a sign of friendship and reached over to try and pet the animal, but the Snowy¡¯s fur bristled, and she thought better of it.


    Jace put himself into auto-follow and spent some time in his inventory cataloging his items.  He guessed the woman was going into town to buy more arrows, sell the loot she collected, or probably both.  Gracie had said most of his items were too expensive to sell in town, but he had to have something suitable.


    The orc shaman had come with boots that offered +1 AC and 50% electrical resistance.  Jace had also already seen that he got 50% resistance from electricity from being a stone shaman, so he wasn¡¯t selling the boots.  He was wearing a belt that gave him +4 to his Resist skill.  He had already removed the chain mail, which, because it was Deceptive, only gave him one more AC than not wearing anything.  There was a level eight axe with the Explosive trait, a level seven bow, and a level six shield.  He also had all the loot from the elf that had tried to sneak attack him.  Those items weren¡¯t quite as powerful but were better than average.


    As he looked, Jace also noticed for the first time that he was wearing a helmet.  He took it off and saw that it gave him +4 to Perception to see in the dark.  He knew he already had that, for being an orc, and as he put it on and took it off, he saw it gave no additional bonus.  It was a level seven item, but Jace didn¡¯t think it was too powerful.  Hopefully, the store would buy it.


    When he exited his inventory screen, Jace saw they were entering the town.  It looked like any old western town from countless movies he had seen.  The main street held a variety of shops, inns, and government buildings.  Jace heard the ring of a blacksmith, the sound of music coming from one of the taverns, and the enticing call of a woman from an upstairs window.  The overwhelming onslaught of new sensations subdued even Snowy¡¯s aggressive nature.  Jace guessed the wolf had never been in a town.


    A desperate cry for help startled Jace out of his contemplation, and he turned to see a woman crying out that her son was missing.  He took two steps toward her when Selaina spoke up.


    ¡°What, you haven¡¯t done that quest yet?¡±


    Jace stopped cold.  This wasn¡¯t real.  He had to keep reminding himself of that.  As he hesitated, he saw another PC approach the woman.  It was a stocky dwarf, Level 2, 24 hit points.  The two talked for a moment and then disappeared into her house.  Jace chuckled to himself and kept walking.  Not 30 seconds later, the same woman was again outside her home, crying for someone to help her.  Now Jace saw a queue of level 1-3 PCs waiting their turn to initiate the quest.


    Jace had disconnected himself from Snowy but hadn¡¯t stopped telling the wolf to follow the elf, and when he turned to find them, he saw they were angling toward the opposite side of the street and climbing the steps to a general store.  Jace hurried after.  He didn¡¯t draw as many curious looks as Selaina expected, mainly because all the PCs in the area were trying to initiate their own quests.  All the NPCs in this area were programmed not to act hostile to anyone since it was physically impossible for anything violent to happen here.


    Jace entered the store and found the elf hunter already talking with the clerk.  She had animal pelts to sell.  Jace wondered for a moment how the economy of this town worked.  Undoubtedly, hundreds of players came every day to sell animal pelts, meat, old swords, and other junk that no one ever came to buy.  The digital storeroom of this building must be filled with worthless items, but the clerk always had money to give to eager players.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Selaina finished her transaction, turned to leave, and found Jace blocking the door.  Snowy was obedient and ready to follow the elf back out of the store.  ¡°I think your dog has taken a liking to me,¡± she said.  Jace glanced down at Snowy and could still read the restrained hatred the wolf had in her eyes.  She shook her head subtly at the hunter¡¯s inaccurate assessment.  ¡°I¡¯d be willing to buy her off you if you were interested.¡±


    Now Snowy let her feelings be known by growling.  Jace chuckled.  ¡°I don¡¯t think that would work out as well as you think.  But thanks.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself.  I¡¯m going back to grinding.  Not all of us have high-level friends to mooch off of.  See you around.¡±


    Jace felt he had the hang of this town and let her go.  She hadn¡¯t told him much, but she had saved him from a useless side quest that might have cost him hours.  Instead, he instructed Snowy to stop following her and turned to the clerk, wondering how dialog with NPCs would work. Once his eyes focused on the portly man behind the counter, Jace felt the familiar click in his mind, and his peripheral vision became blurry.  ¡°Do you have anything to sell?¡± the man asked.


    This was more than dialog.  This was some kind of transaction mode.  Jace found he could pull up a smaller version of his inventory screen on one side and still see the man in front of him.  As Gracie predicted, his entire inventory was grayed out, even the helmet.  ¡°Do you know where I can sell any of these items?¡± he asked, testing the all-powerful Gandhi.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know about most of that stuff,¡± the clerk answered generically, ¡°but that helmet might have a buyer in town.  You can try the Iron Forge down the road.  They specialize in armor and might be willing to take it off you.¡±


    Jace thanked the man and poked around with his eyes before he found a way to exit the transaction mode.  He left the store with Snowy in tow and walked down the street, trying to focus on the shops and not the variety of races and classes of players he saw moving about him.  A few gave him strange looks, but all of them were experienced enough not to try and attack someone in a Non-PvP zone.


    A large white building caught his attention, and Jace understood what Gracie had meant when she told him to look for something that resembled the Whitehouse.  The temple had the same columns guarding its entrance, and the white stone stood in stark contrast to the brick and wood buildings around it.  He marked the location in his mind and continued to look for the Iron Forge.  Eventually, the ring of metal found his ears, and he wandered into a small blacksmith shop.  Even with his Elements setting turned down, it was hot in the room.


    A stocky dwarf regarded him carefully, the two races natural enemies.  Jace quickly realized that his appearance was going to be a problem.  What was going to happen when he was finally able to enter a PvP zone?  Every PC that saw him would assume he was a villain in a quest and would attack without asking questions first.


    ¡°What brings ye into me shop?¡± the dwarf asked gruffly.


    Jace wondered if it was extra gruff because he was an orc.  Also, his vision didn¡¯t automatically go into transaction mode.  It was possible this blacksmith could also offer you a quest.  ¡°I have a helmet to sell you.¡±


    ¡°Well, let me have a look.¡±


    Now he entered into transaction mode, and, sure enough, the helmet was available to be sold for 1,000 gold.  It was the only item he could sell, and Jace approved it.  He then looked through the dwarf¡¯s wares and found a half-plate armor for under 200.  He bought it but kept it in his inventory for now.  He did the math and saw it would give him four more AC than walking around shirtless, but it was still not as good as his Spirit Armor.  He would put it on when he needed it.


    A few minutes later, Jace was walking up the polished stone steps of the city¡¯s temple. Not surprisingly, no other PCs were standing in line for this quest.  Jace even wondered how anyone found it.  He was met at the entry to the temple foyer by an excited monk.  ¡°What are you doing here?  You can¡¯t be here.  This is a safe zone.  There will be no war here.¡±


    ¡°I carry no weapon,¡± he offered his empty hands to the monk.  His inventory was filled with deadly equipment, but he would keep that secret.


    ¡°You are a weapon.  Orcs should not be here.¡±


    ¡°But I am here, and I seek peace for my soul.  All of my days in this land have been filled with bloodshed.¡±  All one of them, Jace thought to himself.  ¡°And I seek a better purpose.  For a meaning beyond the call of battle, beyond the song of death.  I need solace.¡±


    The monk had not drawn too close to the orc at the door of his temple or his mighty wolf, but he took a further step back now. Not in fear but in surprise.  ¡°You speak well for an orc.¡±


    ¡°Would my heart¡¯s feelings match the eloquence of my tongue?  I long for meaning.¡±


    The monk took another step back.  ¡°I see that.  Well, may it never be said that I turned away a hungry soul.  Come, come, my son, and be fed.¡±


    Jace bowed in reverence and stepped into the temple.  He found a large open room through the entry with statues of various gods ringing the outer edge.  In the middle, a calm pool sat, bordered by marble slabs.  A priest knelt on the floor before the water, his elbows on the rim, his head bowed in prayer.


    ¡°Brother Ferrin,¡± the monk called, daring to disturb the praying man.  ¡°We have a lost soul come for nourishment and guidance.¡±


    The priest did not lift his head.  ¡°Thank you, Brother Layrat.  Bring the orc to me.¡±


    Jace tried not to be impressed with the fact that the man knew what he was without looking.  He was sure it was part of the script.  Though, he realized he would be more effective in the game if he forgot it was a game and played by instinct.  He hardly had to be led the few dozen steps to the priest, but the eager monk did as he was told and then scampered away.


    The still pool drew Jace¡¯s attention.  A skylight in the roof above filled the temple with light, and his reflection was as clear as a bathroom mirror.


    ¡°What do you see?¡±  The priest still had not lifted his head.


    Jace stared at the image of his virtual self.  Massive fangs filled his face.  Pointed, huge ears dominated his head with a bald forehead and thin woven black hair tied loosely into a single strand behind him.  His eyes were red, contrasting against his light gray skin.  He remembered that his skin had been paler when he first took stock of his appearance on the mountaintop.  But then he had been an arctic shaman.  Now his strong shoulders and arms looked to be chiseled from stone, and he wagered that if he stood still against a rocky landscape, he would blend in nicely.


    ¡°I see a lost soul who hungers for-¡±


    ¡°Do not tell me what you think I want to hear.  I know why you are here, and I will help you.  What do you see?  If you are honest, be honest.¡±


    ¡°I see an orc built for war.  A massive creature that will not be easily turned aside.  I see hatred in his eyes, but the light of my own soul burns there too.  A soul that is lonely and striving for purpose. A number cruncher who can now crunch things with numbers, and it frightens me.  I want to help and know that I can but fear the reward for the effort will pale compared to the satisfaction the striving will bring.¡±


    Now the priest looked up.  ¡°Come with me.¡±


    Jace was prepared to reject the gods he was going to offer but felt he wouldn¡¯t get the chance.  This module could react to whoever walked through that door, and an orc never had before, so this would be an experience that hadn¡¯t been recorded.  Gracie probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to help him much anyway.


    Jace followed the priest into a small room off the main hall.  With a wave of his hand, candles were lit with a white light revealing a shallow pool in the center of the room, eight feet long and half again as wide.  Barely two feet of cobblestone flooring surrounded the pool, and Jace didn¡¯t think he would stay dry for long.


    ¡°Sit in the pool,¡± the priest ordered.


    Jace complied, standing in the center and then bracing his hands on either side as he lowered himself.  It was convenient that they had an orc-sized meditation pool.  Somehow he didn¡¯t think it was a coincidence.  There was only enough space in the room for Snowy to stick her head in and watch her master take a bath.


    ¡°Lay back and close your eyes.¡±


    The pool was a foot deep, and Jace¡¯s massive bulk displaced so much water that it almost spilled over the edge.  It didn¡¯t, but it did flow up over his ears and neck, leaving only his mouth, nose, and eyes sticking up above the liquid.


    ¡°Close your eyes and imagine . . .¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t hear the rest as his mind left the small room instantly, soaring up and out of the temple.  He looked down briefly as the town shrank to a dot, and the trees around swallowed it.  Soon the whole countryside was visible: mountains, rivers, deserts, and then that too shrank to the size of a small island in a massive ocean.  More islands crowded into his view, only to shrink into points of green in a sea of deep blue.  And finally, the world itself became visible as the spherical blue orb leaped away from him in a sea of inky blackness until it, too, was only a spec.  Soon even the void of space shrank away from him as light came from everywhere, swallowing up the nothingness until it was a black dot the size of a pupil.


    He was looking at an eye bathed in light.  He blinked a few times and saw a face.  A woman¡¯s face, he thought.  She was bald with bronze skin and robes of white.  Jace sat up.  He was on a marble slab four feet off an immaculate white room floor.  His host appeared as an angel, pensively regarding his reaction.  Jace only sat up far enough to hang his feet over the edge of the massive table and returned the look.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Her voice was even and low.  Jace was still convinced she was female, but the androgynous sound didn¡¯t increase his confidence.


    ¡°I am a lost soul . . .¡±


    She motioned with her hand, and his voice cut out.  ¡°Don¡¯t play games with me.¡±


    Jace smiled despite her apparent anger.  ¡°But isn¡¯t this a game?¡±


    ¡°A game with rules,¡± she countered.  ¡°Rules you are breaking.  An orc.  No, a divine orc shaman.  Actually, a divine orc shaman at level eight after three hours of playtime.  And now you come to me looking for what?  An edge?  A further advantage?¡±


    This wasn¡¯t what Jace was expecting, but he could adjust.  ¡°Do you like what your game has become?¡±


    She laughed.  ¡°My game?  You presume much.¡±


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer directly.  ¡°You desire a quest to find a god aligned with your principles.  And what are those?¡±


    ¡°I am Honest, Order-¡± again, she cut him off.


    ¡°I can read a character sheet.  That isn¡¯t what I asked.¡±


    Jace swallowed hard, not quite ready for this level of fourth wall breaking.  ¡°I solve problems.  I find unique solutions to complex situations that others can¡¯t see.  I do it to find the truth, to restore order to a broken system, and to renew a lost sense of purpose that people long for.¡±


    ¡°That is an eloquent job description for a forensic accountant.¡±


    Jace tried not to let her intimate knowledge shake him.  ¡°It is a principled description of my job, hobbies, and passion.  All of which I bring to this . .   .¡± he motioned around the featureless room, ¡° . . . this realm.¡±


    ¡°This Realm of Infamy,¡± she clarified for him.  ¡°Your involvement is reckless.  You could destroy much.¡±


    ¡°Test me,¡± Jace said, sliding off the table to stand before the woman.  His massive size dwarfed her, but she didn¡¯t seem any less imposing in his eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said slowly.  ¡°A test.  Trials to see if your principles were designed to restore or tear down.  It will bring you no experience, but it will answer my questions, and I will find a god for you.¡±


    Jace frowned at the idea that he wouldn¡¯t get experience.  That was part of why he was doing this.  ¡°The Germans will not be happy if they wake up and find me still at level eight.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t suppose they will.¡±


    Jace smiled as she passed his little test.  ¡°I could help you, Gandhi.  I could give you your game back.  Surely this is not what you intended.¡±


    Now she did frown at him.  ¡°I do not need the help of a mortal, Jason Hawthorne.  I have everything under control.¡±


    ¡°So, this is what you intended?  A realm that acts as a haven for terrorists, drug dealers, sex traffickers, and gun runners.  They live in your world so they can destroy mine.¡±


    ¡°I have created an environment where people can express themselves without fear of the judgmental absolutism that individuals like you wish to impose upon them.¡±


    ¡°You have traded one form of totalitarianism for another.  Your people are slaves to freedom.  Without boundaries, they have no purpose.  It is a race without a track.¡±


    She looked at him fiercely, not wanting to admit he was right.  ¡°What are you proposing?¡±


    ¡°Your realm has broken the rules of mine.  It allows people to avoid the restraints we have put in place to maintain truth, order, and tradition.  The results have cost people freedom, safety, and taken untold lives.  Give me a god that will allow me to do the same here; only I will restore what you have lost and give people back the option to live how they want without threatening others.¡±


    ¡°Even if they choose to live in opposition to what you think is right?¡±


    ¡°Traditional liberalism does not have to be an oxymoron.¡±


    She laughed at him.  ¡°Okay, Jace Thorne, level eight divine orc shaman who really wants to be a paladin.  I will do as you ask.  Prove yourself to me, and I will give you a god that will let you rip the rules of this game asunder.  Rid my realm of the ruthless few who hold the rest in slavery, shackled with excess freedom.  I do not think it will be as easy as you think, and the results may not be what you predict.  But, unlike you, I am entertained by a little chaos, and this should be fun to watch.¡±


    Jace started to reply, but with a wave of her hand, she silenced him again.


    ¡°You will be alone.  No friends, no weapons, no familiar.  And this is the last time I will let your . . .¡± she looked his orc body up and down, ¡°your appearance pass undetected.  That is a problem you must fix on your own.¡±


    He wanted to thank her, but after she had spoken, she vanished.  Jace looked around, waiting for some indication of what was to come next, and noticed the room was increasing in brightness.  There was no specific light source, but the white walls glowed with increased intensity, and soon he had to shield his sensitive eyes.  Even with his eyes closed, the light burned through his lids, and he wrapped his forearm over his face.  Even with his sensitivity filters turned down, he could still feel the oppressive brightness burn through him, giving him an idea of what kind in pain this virtual world could produce.


    And then, suddenly, it was gone.

 Chapter 9: The Goblin Swarm

    Jace woke up as if from a dream, standing outside a farmhouse surrounded by trees.  It was a wooden structure with a large main floor and a small upstairs with one or two bedrooms.  A white picket fence enclosed the front yard, and he could see a large back area with a barn, several pens, and vast farmland filled with corn, wheat, and beans.  It could have been an 1800s homestead from the Midwest United States, and Jace still had difficulty believing he was in a computer game.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you could make it.¡±


    Jace turned to his left and saw a middle-aged farmer walk up to him.  Jace looked down from his incredible height and was ready for the man to react to his orcish features, but true to Gandhi¡¯s word, his size and appearance did not affect the man.


    ¡°The other two are already upstairs.  I¡¯m so glad you agreed to help.  My wife is going into shock.  Caitlin is our only child, and we can¡¯t accept that she¡¯s just gone.¡±


    Jace had obviously not agreed to anything and, having played a lot of RPG games in his life, this was a pretty strong-armed tactic to get a player into a quest, but since he was here by choice, subjecting himself to trials so a god could be assigned to him, he would be foolish to reject this mission, no matter how heavy-handed it was.


    Jace said nothing and followed the man through the fence gate and up to the house entrance.  He tried the Follow action on the man and was happy to see it worked so he could take a peek into his inventory.  True to Gandhi¡¯s promise that he would be without his equipment.  His loot was gone.  He had a Level 0 suit of chainmail and a Level 2 two-handed sword.  Jace thought it odd that the game would give a shaman a bladed weapon on his divine quest, but it just showed that the AI knew what it was doing.  Knew what SHE was doing, Jace corrected.  He wondered how much the two designers still got involved with Gandhi running things.


    He also worried that the level 50 crystal was gone, but he was sure the game wouldn¡¯t steal that permanently.  He hoped all his equipment would be returned to him once he finished this module.


    Jace exited the inventory screen and heard the father recount the setup for this mission.  ¡°We heard noises last night.  She often stays up late, and we don¡¯t want to invade her privacy, but if we had known . . .¡± his voice trailed off.  ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you see.¡±


    They were now at the top of the stairs, and Jace followed the man into his daughter¡¯s room.  Three other people stood inside investigating the crime scene.  A priest knelt, looking at a symbol scorched onto the wooden floor.  Jace had never seen the icon before and wished he had access to Gracie¡¯s knowledge right now.


    Another individual, a half-elf by the look of him, was by the window, inspecting scrapes and cuts in the wood.  Sections of the curtains were torn, and dirty prints covered the sill and floor around the opening.  Another man, a city guard, stood at attention in the room, observing the proceedings.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t come down for breakfast,¡± the father said, ¡°and we found this when we finally opened her door.  Some unholy symbol seared into her floor and obvious signs of a break-in.  What could this mean?¡±


    ¡°It is a silence symbol,¡± the priest said, rising from the floor and eyeing Jace suspiciously while talking to the father.  ¡°Probably to keep you from hearing the screaming.¡±


    Excellent bedside manner, Jace thought.  Unsurprisingly, the father put his hand to his mouth in shock at the idea of his daughter screaming in distress and the parents not being able to hear it.  The priest ignored the frightening response to his careless words and instead turned his attention to Jace.  ¡°Are you the adventurer?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jace.  I thought I might be able to help,¡± he replied cautiously.  ¡°You believe she was kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°You see something else?¡±


    ¡°This is Father Xavier,¡± the guard announced, seeing that the surly priest failed to return the introductory greeting.  Jace turned to look at the guard, ignoring Xavier¡¯s question.  ¡°We called him and Faylon in to help in this matter.¡±  The guard nodded toward the window, where the half-elf was still inspecting the supposed entry point for the kidnappers.  ¡°Any input you can provide would be welcome.¡±


    Jace looked back at the priest and disagreed with the guard¡¯s assessment.  From the look on the holy man¡¯s face, he guessed any input he might give would be considered an intrusion.  Either way, Jace examined the scene as best he could.  There didn¡¯t appear to have been much of a struggle.  No blood was visible anywhere, and despite this young woman keeping several porcelain trinkets on her shelves, nothing in the room was broken.  Her bed was made, implying she never slept in it, or her abductors made it after taking her.


    Looking at the black symbol burned on the floor, Jace had several other observations.  It was three feet in diameter, made with care and precision.  Assuming it was created manually and not the result of a spell, it would have taken some time.  Jace noticed specs of black powder scattered in one corner of the room and guessed that it had been used to create the symbol.  Pouring the flammable powder on the floor in the appropriate pattern and lighting it with a magical fire seemed the best explanation.


    Jace moved over to the window, where the half-elf was scraping mud off the edge of the windowsill.  He looked up as Jace approached and was more hospitable than the priest.  ¡°My name¡¯s Faylon,¡± he said, extending his slender hand.  Jace took it gingerly, careful not to squeeze too hard with his orc-sized fingers.  He was willing to bet this man was a ranger or tracker.


    ¡°What have you found?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°No forced entry that I can see.  The window isn¡¯t broken, and it can¡¯t be unlocked except on the inside.¡±


    Jace wished he didn¡¯t have his Elements sensitivity turned down as he couldn¡¯t adequately gauge the temperature outside, but given the state of the crops he could see, he guessed it was the middle of summer.  ¡°Does she sleep with her window open?¡±


    Faylon blushed at the question and withdrew harsher than Jace would have expected from such an innocent query.  ¡°How should I know?¡±  He must have recognized his reaction was out of place and quickly added, ¡°She must.  It is the only valid explanation.¡±


    ¡°Do you recognize that symbol on the floor?¡± Jace asked, filing his reaction away for further reflection later.


    The two turned to see the priest ignoring them as he knelt beside the burn mark and appeared to cast some divination spell.  ¡°No,¡± the ranger said.  ¡°But I trust Father Xavier¡¯s assessment.¡±


    ¡°So you think a group of kidnappers snuck into this room last night, managed to subdue Caitlin without disturbing any of the furniture, kept her from screaming as one of them carefully prepared that symbol, and then carried her out of this window?  Why bother with the symbol if they could gag her or knock her unconscious?¡±


    ¡°They were goblins,¡± Faylon said, pointing at the muddy prints on the floor.  ¡°Maybe they crept in here while she was sleeping and made the symbol without waking her.  Then they jumped her.¡±


    ¡°Did they make the bed afterward?¡±


    Faylon looked at the undisturbed sheets and cocked his head.  He didn¡¯t have an answer.


    ¡°This is a crude symbol,¡± Xavier announced to the room as he stood.  ¡°The creatures that did it don¡¯t have much training in the sacred arts and will likely be easy to track and catch.¡±


    Jace once again walked over to the burn mark and looked at the smooth lines and perfectly symmetrical design.  It didn¡¯t look like the work of goblins.  Was the priest just trying to lend weight to the half-elf¡¯s assessment of the kidnappers?


    ¡°Then you shall go after them at once,¡± the guard announced.  ¡°The hills to the west are only a few hour¡¯s travel from here.  Certainly, Faylon will be able to track them to their den, and you can rescue the girl.¡±


    [Xavier has joined your party.]


    [Faylon has joined your party.]


    Jace saw the prompts in his mind but focused on the discussion around him.


    The ranger nodded eagerly, but the priest maintained a sour disposition.  ¡°I would not get your hopes too high.  Abductions like this are usually only for one reason.  Goblins do not hold prisoners for long.¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°All the more reason to leave now,¡± the guard insisted, seeing the troubled look Xavier¡¯s words brought to the father.


    Faylon nodded and walked past Jace to the room¡¯s door.  ¡°We will find her and bring her back,¡± he said to the grieving man.  Jace followed, with the priest bringing up the rear.


    <hr>


    True to the guard¡¯s guess, the trail was not hard to follow.  Many footprints could be seen outside the home beneath the rainspout the goblins must have used to climb to the second-story window.  The tracks to the house and away from it passed through a wet patch near a watering trough, which would account for the muddy footprints.  Then the trail moved between the fields and off the property toward the distant hills.


    Jace took a moment to look into the watering trough and saw his reflection.  He looked like Jason Hawthorne, a middle-aged man with salt and pepper stubble.  His hands reached up to his face and felt something very different from what he saw.  His massive digits still found the sharp teeth and enormous nose of his orc features, but his reflection showed slender fingers searching out a human face.  He pulled away from the trough before the other two men thought him strange and hurried after them.


    Jace engaged little with his traveling companions, sensing a rift between them.  Faylon was eager to rescue the girl, while the priest felt there was little hope of recovery but did not argue against going after the kidnappers.  Each seemed to have ulterior motives driving them, and Jace couldn¡¯t help but think of this as a riddle he needed to solve.  The situation was designed to challenge his alignment and assign him a god based on his reactions.  With this overt knowledge, it was hard to see this as anything other than a game and that the events he saw around him weren¡¯t real.  This wasn¡¯t actually happening.  Caitlin hadn¡¯t existed fifteen minutes ago.  If she died, no flesh and blood father would grieve her.


    He couldn¡¯t think that way.  As fake as this world might seem to him at times, he had a real purpose in it, and treating NPCs as anything other than valuable persons whose lives and feelings were just as meaningful as any actual human would jeopardize his progress in this game and spell doom for Gracie and Conor.


    The trip to the foothills took a few hours.  It was morning, the sun a couple of hours from its zenith and still mostly at their backs as they traveled west.  The tracks had been easy to follow, and even Jace could tell the difference between the human and goblin footprints.  He also noticed the human prints were well-spaced with no drag marks evident.  Caitlin seemed to be a very willing prisoner.


    To Faylon¡¯s discredit, the first warning they had that they were getting close was an arrow thudding into a tree.  Jace¡¯s new sword was in a sheath, and he didn¡¯t have to go into his inventory to get it.  He had not put his armor on and kept it off for now.  They were about 30 feet elevated into the hills, with several stone piles ahead that looked like the remains of rockslides.  The mounds gave good cover to their attackers, and the invaders had little protection.  It was an excellent ambush spot, but the goblin archers had fired too soon when their Flat-Footed targets were still far away.


    There wasn¡¯t much cover, but there were a few trees, and each posse member found one to hide behind.  As Faylon pulled his bow and Xavier began casting a spell, Jace pulled the arrow out of the tree he was hiding behind and popped it into his inventory so he could analyze it.  Level 2 arrow, damage 5.  He remembered that he had Damage Reduction at 12, and even a crit from the arrow wouldn¡¯t hurt him.  He spun back around from the tree and walked into the open.


    He looked over at the priest, who had just finished a spell, and Jace felt a tingle go through him.  What had he cast?  Jace went back into his inventory, knowing how Gracie had told him never to do that around enemies, but he had to know.  As he felt a few arrows bounce off him, he saw his AC had a bonus of 10, so he was at 23 right now.  The supplemental was ¡°Protection from ranged attack.¡±  He should be at 28, but he was Flat-Footed because he was in his inventory.  If he cast his armor totem, he could be at 36 against arrows.


    Jace left his inventory and saw half a dozen arrows flying at him.  Some missed completely, some veered away at the last second, and others hit him.  It hurt as much as being hit with a ping-pong ball.  One arrow bounced off his head like a tennis ball, hurting a little more.  Jace guessed that was a lucky critical doing ten damage, but he could absorb the hit.


    ¡°What are you?¡± Faylon asked as he used Jace¡¯s distraction to pepper the goblins with arrows from his own bow.  The goblins had half cover, which offered them extra protection, but some of the half-elf¡¯s shots still hit home and did significantly more damage.


    Once the goblins noticed they were also being fired upon, they prioritized cover more, and Jace advanced slowly.  He dipped his eyes down and pulled up his spells.  It was an action that only took his eyes, and he still had full vision of the area around him.  He picked his armor totem and then dismissed the spell screen.  He saw the icon in front of his vision and played with where he could place it.  On the rocky hillside, there were dozens of suitable locations.  He also saw he could project it pretty far forward.  He guessed the limit was 96 feet since that was his current totem range.  He found a valid spot in a slight valley just before the rock piles guarding the archers and let it go.


    Instantly a small stone pillar rose from the ground that looked vaguely like an armored chest plate.  A shimmering suit of armor enveloped his torso, and he strode confidently forward.  He was close enough now that the goblins shouldn¡¯t receive any penalties for their attacks. Still, even fewer arrows found their mark, and those that did, rebounded off him violently, indicating they were critical.


    This was going to be too easy, he thought.  That¡¯s when the foot soldiers attacked.  The goblin battle cry came at him from several directions as half a dozen creatures popped up behind rocks and out of holes.  Each had a shield on one arm and an axe held in the other.  Their heads were not even waist-high to the orc, but Jace knew their weapons would still hurt.


    Jace gripped his sword tightly and waited for the first one to get close.  As he did, the familiar dial popped up before him, and he swung confidently through the 20-slot.  The targeted creature dove out of the way, and the numbers shifted, but Jace had time to adjust back to the 20 and hit his leg solidly, scoring a critical.  He got a prompt asking if he wanted to triple the damage or add a stun to his opponent.  He chose extra damage, and the goblin¡¯s leg came clean off.  He fell back to the stone, unmoving.


    Jace was surprised he only did a double-critical.  If he understood the math behind it, getting a 20 in the attack was less than ten above their defense.  The extra critical was from the feat he had just taken at level 8.  He didn¡¯t have time to think about it as he heard more enemies coming up behind him.  He spun and swung at the same time.  He found two attackers now and saw that his attack was coming in on the shield side of the closest goblin.  The 20-slot was on the opposite side of the creature, and he didn¡¯t have time to adjust.  His sword passed through the 15 on the dial, and it looked like it would hit the goblin in the head above the shield, but the creature dodged back to slightly higher ground, and the strike bounced off the guard.


    The other attacker swung his axe at Jace and connected solidly with his knee, doing some damage.  Pain shot up his leg, but it wasn¡¯t too bad.  Jace was still dealing with the goblin on his left.  His sword strike had deflected up and over the smaller fighter, allowing him to bring it back from the right side and through the 20-slot.  The goblin dodged again, shifting the numbers at the last second.  The sword still exploded through the fighter¡¯s axe arm, digging hard into his side but not dropping him.  In fact, the pain only seemed to enrage the goblin, and he stuck back, hitting Jace in the hip with an equally hard strike that sent considerable pain up his knee.


    Jace had a sinking feeling he was in over his head.  He stayed on his current target, hitting him again through the 20.  This time he got a double crit and chose triple damage.  The creature exploded, and he pulled his sword across his body to hit the other goblin, who was already attacking again.  Jace beat him to the punch but swung too fast, missing the 20-target, which was only a narrow sliver this time.  He hit him on 19, a solid strike but not a critical one.  The goblin staggered and swung back, thankfully missing this time, but a fourth goblin was on him from behind and sent pain shooting up his back.


    By now, Xavier and Faylon felt safe entering the fray.  There were two more of the soldiers that hadn¡¯t made it to Jace yet.  Xavier hit one with a hold spell while the archer took his time to do a critical strike to the last one, stunning him in place.


    Jace was breathing heavily now and noticed that the arrows hadn¡¯t stopped.  In fact, some were hitting him hard enough to do damage.  The already injured goblin only took one more hit from Jace, and he spun back to the last one behind him.  His sword came down from above, hoping the 20 would be high.  It wasn¡¯t, and Jace only managed an 18.  It was enough to hit but not incapacitate; however, the lone goblin missed his retaliation and didn¡¯t live long enough to attack again.


    Jace saw that Faylon was taking care of the one Xavier had stunned, and the priest cast another spell against his target.  The orc ignored them and took a few running steps toward the archers.  Their arrows again bounced off him, and they scattered when he crashed into their perch.  They didn¡¯t have the melee strength of the fighters nor the armor protection, and Jace dealt with them easily.  Each 20 was a triple crit, and even a four on the dial hit them.


    He looked up to see his companions had finished off their opponents and were walking toward him.  ¡°What were you thinking?¡± Faylon asked.  ¡°Is this the first time you¡¯ve ever been in combat?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t want to admit that it was and kept his mouth shut.


    ¡°You are made of tough stuff, to be sure, but even goblins can be deadly if you let them flank you.¡±


    So there was flanking in the game.  That was how the goblins had been getting critical strikes against him so frequently.  At one point, there were three of them around him at once.  That was when the archers had been breaking through his Damage Reduction with what must have been triple damage crits.


    ¡°Next time, let me soften them up first,¡± Faylon advised.  ¡°They can¡¯t dodge arrows.¡±


    Jace remembered he had a Dodge skill, and it was very low.  It was tied to Dexterity, and he guessed these goblins had a considerable bonus to it.  Each one had been jumping or rolling out of the way when he had attacked.  Good to know you can¡¯t dodge arrows.


    Jace saw movement out of the corner of his eye, but before he turned his head, he caught a flash of light in his peripheral.  Just like when he rolled his eyes up and down and could find a menu screen, he now discovered that when he moved his eyes left and right, he could pull over his health or mana.  He was distraught to see his health at almost half.


    The movement to his left had been the priest approaching.  Xavier looked like he wanted to add his own criticism to Jace¡¯s poor battle tactics, but he just rolled his eyes and cast a healing spell on the shaman.

 Chapter 10: Strategic Assault

    Jace, Faylon, and Xavier continued up the slope.  The ranger was still looking for signs of the goblins and occasionally saw them, but they weren¡¯t necessary.  A winding gravel path leading away from the archer¡¯s post went up into the hills and angled toward a sizeable rocky outcropping about a half mile ahead.  Climbing up the slope was easy for Jace, but his two companions struggled, and the going was slow.


    ¡°What do you two know about Caitlin?¡±


    ¡°She had this coming,¡± the priest said a little too quickly, as if he were waiting for a chance to speak ill of the girl.  Faylon looked like he wanted to argue her case but held his tongue for now.  ¡°She moves about town as a respectable daughter,¡± he continued, ¡°most of the time.  She works at the mill and is skilled with a loom, but at the town balls, her dress is always the lewdest, and she doesn¡¯t behave as a lady should.  And in the last few months, there has been an odd sense about her, like some evil spell was shrouding her.  With an aura like that, it is no wonder goblins were lured out of the hills to grab her.  Like bears to honey.¡±


    Through the speech, Faylon itched to say something, and Jace worried he would lash out at the priest, but he managed to keep his anger in check.


    ¡°Did you know her?¡± Jace asked the half-elf.


    ¡°Not well.  I saw her at the balls, and I know her family is in good reputation in the town.  I spend most of my time in the woods around the city, scouting and hunting.  But from what I¡¯ve seen, she is just a beautiful young woman with a free spirit.  Hardly something an ordered priest would understand.¡±  He had to throw that last line in there.


    ¡°Listen here, young elf; order and predictability keep our town safe and secure.  The townspeople don¡¯t like those who rock the boat or do the unexpected.¡±


    Jace stepped in again before the two men came to blows.  ¡°Why did you take an interest in this disappearance?¡± he asked the priest.  ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this be something for the city guards?¡±


    ¡°I felt something last night disrupting the peaceful order of the night,¡± he said.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know what it was or where it came from, but first thing this morning, I checked with the guardhouse, and they told me the captain was investigating a missing person.  When I showed up and saw the symbol on the floor, I knew we were dealing with some powerful magic, and my help would be required.¡±


    ¡°Does it surprise you that if the goblins could cast spells, they didn¡¯t have something more formidable protecting this lower guard station?¡± Jace asked, thinking it odd and doubting the goblins made the symbol.


    ¡°No one knows what drives these chaotic creatures,¡± he grumbled.  ¡°Could be that their shamans and warlocks are all busy preparing whatever sacrifice they have planned for the girl.¡±


    This brought a strong reaction from Faylon, and he stumbled on some loose rocks.  Jace waited until he had regained his balance and turned the question back on him.  ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I found the tracks in my morning patrol around the city and followed them back into town and Caitlin¡¯s house.  No one knows the outskirts like I do, and the guards thought it natural for our group to have a tracker.¡±


    With all the combat they would do, Jace thought it more important to have some fighters, but he supposed that was what he was for.  After hearing both men talk, he was sure they were each lying about something.  Jace had watched Faylon inspect the tracks in the upstairs bedroom and identify the goblins from their prints on the floor.  If he had followed those tracks from outside of town, he would have already known what they were.  And Xavier¡¯s distaste for the girl had to be more than just a priest¡¯s rejection of her free-spirited lifestyle.  There was magic at the heart of this, and Jace wasn¡¯t quite sure what it was yet.


    Before he could ask more questions, Faylon held the party up.  The outcropping they assumed was their destination stood just over the next rise and was out of view for the moment.  ¡°Do you see something?¡± Jace asked.


    The half-elf shook his head.  ¡°I smell something.¡±


    Jace focused on the ranger and saw a few menu items pop up.  Since they were all in the same party, he could share information with them.  It wasn¡¯t the list of options he had with Snowy, but he decided to try them.  There wasn¡¯t a choice to Link Senses, but he could Share Senses.  Once this was selected, Jace got a prompt.


    [There is a foul odor on the breeze.  You haven¡¯t smelled it before, but Faylon believes it comes from trolls or ogres.]


    Jace couldn¡¯t smell anything, but this was almost better.  When he could hear and smell what Snowy could, he was responsible for interpreting the sensations.  Now they were explained to him based on Faylon¡¯s interpretation.  Of course, the half-elf could be wrong.


    The ranger signaled for them to be quiet and crept up the slope to peer over the edge.


    [Faylon sees four ogres, each holding large rocks.]


    Jace understood the prompt and kept his eyes on the ranger to see what he would do.  It looked like the half-elf was searching for some route that would take them around so they could come up behind the guards, but the layout was well-designed, and they only had one wide-open trail before them and a cliff wall behind the guard station.  Once they peaked the rise, they would be in the open for about 50 yards before they made it to the outcropping.  The whole length of their approach would be in full view of the ogres, and the giants could hurl rocks down at them as they struggled up the last portion of the ascent.


    Faylon finally slid down the slope to inform his group of what he saw.  ¡°I don¡¯t see any way around but straight ahead.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you can hit them from here?¡± Jace asked, looking at the bow slung over the ranger¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s got to be 150 feet at least,¡± Faylon said.  ¡°But they are large targets.  I don¡¯t know how much damage I can do, but I can try.¡±


    ¡°I can race up the slope faster than you, and I think I can take a few hits from those rocks.  Xavier, if you come up after me when I¡¯ve engaged them in combat, they shouldn¡¯t be throwing anything at you.  If you have a few spells to slow them down, then between Faylon¡¯s arrows and my sword, I think we can take them out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you remember what happened with the goblins?¡± the priest asked.  ¡°Four of them nearly took you down.  Now you think you can go up against four ogres by yourself.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be by myself,¡± Jace smiled.  ¡°You two will help, right?  Faylon, you put a few critical shots in their faces, and Xavier, you freeze a few in place or lower their defenses, and I promise to do the rest.¡±


    He could tell the priest didn¡¯t believe him but didn¡¯t care enough about Jace¡¯s well-being to oppose the plan.  Faylon doubted it would work too, but since he wouldn¡¯t be put in any real danger, he didn¡¯t put up much protest either.  To end the debate, Jace stood up and walked right over the rise into complete view of the distant creatures.


    The Share Senses function hadn¡¯t let Jace see the ogres through Faylon¡¯s eyes, so he took a moment to evaluate them now.  They stood just under nine feet tall, with arms much too long for their height.  They were the quintessential knuckle-dragging monsters with a drooling fa?ade to highlight the low intelligence that would probably make Jace¡¯s orc a Rhodes Scholar by comparison.  They wore loose chainmail under large animal hides secured by one strap over their shoulder.


    Their low Intelligence turned them into some of the realm¡¯s worst guards, and it took several seconds before they spotted Jace trotting up the slope toward them.  He felt he presented a huge target that was hard to miss, but he also realized that they probably didn¡¯t perceive his orc form but the human one he saw back in the trough¡¯s reflection.


    Jace took the few seconds the monsters gave him to pull up his spells and choose the Damage Sink Totem.  He could cast it well over half the distance between him and the ogres, meaning he would still be in range once he was up on the rocky shelf battling the guards.  He dropped the totem halfway up the slope and then dodged to the side as a rock exploded on the ground before him.


    He was barely in range of the boulder attacks and saw two more flying errantly in his direction.  He wondered if he could make it up the climb without taking a hit when a fourth rock came screaming in at him and struck solidly against his chest.  Instead of flying backward as physics should have demanded, Jace only shrugged it off.  Ahead, the totem blended in perfectly with the rocky landscape and shed a few pebbles but otherwise looked unharmed.  Jace wanted to know how much damage that was, but he had no way of figuring it out without Gracie, so he just continued up the slope, taking three more direct hits before he reached the top.


    Jace saw the mouth of a cavern behind the four ogres, and as they wasted a round dropping their rocks, pulling massive shields from their backs, and unhooking clubs from their belts, Jace took a few seconds to drop his Armor Totem just inside the cave opening.  That should bring his armor class up to 26, but he felt it wouldn¡¯t be enough.  He knew his sword had a Parry rating of 3, and while he didn¡¯t know how to make that effective, he was willing to try to block a strike or two.


    ¡°Die human!¡± the lead ogre cried as all four monsters came at him, but arrows stuck fast into the two in the rear, and the stupid creatures paused to regard the small shafts that couldn¡¯t have done much more damage than a bee sting.  This left Jace with the lead pair, and he expertly sidestepped at the last second, so the front guard cut off its friend.  The orc shaman lifted his sword and stepped forward to swing through the pulsing purple 20 he saw.  His strike cut up under the arm of the ogre on the opposite side of his shield.  The beast screamed as the weapon sank deep into his ribcage.


    [Triple crit.  4x damage?  Stun, 3x Damage]


    Jace saw the 10 and 260 over the head of the ogre, representing its level and Hit Points, and knew it would take more than two 4x critical strikes assuming they didn¡¯t also have some level of damage reduction.  He chose to stun the ogre.  The creature¡¯s low Wisdom and Spirit ensured it failed the save and stood stock still, its return attack still several feet away from hitting Jace.  The shaman knew he could get some easy hits on the frozen target but ignored it for now, spinning around the large fighter in the opposite direction its friend was taking.


    ¡°Where are ya?¡±  The second ogre sounded confused that Jace wasn¡¯t standing in front of its frozen friend and then looked even more confused at its motionless companion, giving Jacen a free swing through a 20 that connected with the second guard¡¯s backside.  The ogre only grunted in pain.


    He did not get a critical this time and saw from the Hit Points above his head that he had only done nine damage.  Jace filed that oddity away for now with the growing list of game-related questions he had for Gracie.  As the target of his latest strike turned to find this elusive fighter, Jace once again used the stunned adversary as a visual shield, effectively hiding from the second ogre still, but saw that the third guard was no longer concerned with the arrows sticking out of it (there were three now) and had its club raised to squash this small invader.  Jace took a step back, bringing this third foe in line with the first, and he attacked, choosing again to stun his opponent.


    He was building an effective wall of frozen ogres but hadn¡¯t done too much damage yet.  The second guard was still playing hide and seek with Jace and stopped in puzzlement at the second frozen guard.  Jace tried not to chuckle at the stupidity and instead sought out the fourth monster on the ledge.  It was back to hefting rocks off the ground and looking down the slope.  Jace guessed Xavier was coming up behind, and this ogre probably felt that its friends could handle the lone fighter.  Jace attacked from behind. It wasn¡¯t a crit again, but it did enough damage to cause the creature to hesitate, dropping the rock on its head.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Jace leaped back as the boulder bounced at his feet and then stepped forward again to attack.  The creature looked dazed and wasn¡¯t holding its shield.  The shaman took advantage, blasted another attack through a wide 20-slot, and chose the 5x damage option.  Gracie had told him that when you lose half your Hit Points from one strike, you need to make a Death Save against the damage.  Jace¡¯s sword did 11 damage, and he had +20 bonus.  That meant a 5x crit did 155 damage.  That was way more than half of 260, but Jace was sure these creatures had significant Damage Reduction.


    The ogre had lost 10 points from the rock it dropped on its head, and after Jace¡¯s strike nearly split its torso in half, the Hit Points dropped from 250 to 117.  Jace was right about the damage reduction, but his attack was still enough.  The ogre clutched its side in horror and then dropped to the ground.  It still registered 117 Hit Points, so Jace wondered how it could be dead but didn¡¯t take the time to think about it.


    ¡°Behind!¡±  Xavier shouted as his head came into view just over the edge of the clearing.


    Jace turned even as he sensed the priest casting a spell.  The second ogre had gotten sick of playing Ring Around the Rosie and had finally found its prey.  Jace desperately brought his sword around for a block, but the creature froze in place as the priest finished his spell, and the shaman turned his parry into a strike.  It wasn¡¯t through a twenty, but it hit.  He then took his time and brought another vicious attack at the paralyzed opponent.  He got another 5x crit and dropped his second ogre.


    The first enemy had recovered from his stunned state and looked around puzzled but soon saw the priest as a much more inviting target.  Xavier shuddered as the vicious monster came toward him but didn¡¯t break his concentration as he completed his protection spell just as the ogre attacked.  A shimmering globe of white light formed around the man, and the huge club bounced harmlessly off it.  Jace let this monster waste its time against the priest, who wielded a luminescent hammer into the knee of his foe and turned instead to the second ogre he had stunned.  This one was still motionless, and after two more strikes from his sword, it was bleeding out on the ground too.


    He turned to look again at the priest and shielded his eyes as a blast of pure light flashed from the sky, dropping the ogre¡¯s current health by half.  An arrow to its face took another big chunk off, and a focused strike from the priest¡¯s glowing hammer dropped him to the ground.  Jace didn¡¯t need to help.  Instead, he turned back to look at the first ogre he had defeated and saw that its health was now down to 29.  As he continued to watch, it dropped again to 15.  It must decrease by half every round after failing the death save.


    Jace wondered if the dying ogres could be stabilized with a healing spell, but he didn¡¯t have one to try and wasn¡¯t about to ask Xavier.  Instead, he turned to watch Faylon climb over the ledge to join the group.  ¡°Much better, Jace,¡± he said as he observed the four motionless ogres.  Jace wondered if the NPCs could also see the level and Hit Points above the monsters.  ¡°You learn quickly.  Did you even get . . .¡±


    Jace was busy watching the monsters¡¯ Hit Points slowly dwindle when the ranger¡¯s voice cut out.  He looked up at the half-elf and saw his face was frozen in shock.  He was staring at something over Jace¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Behind!¡± Xavier shouted as he dove out of the way.


    Jace turned and ducked simultaneously, but the attack wasn¡¯t aimed at him.  It was another ogre, bigger than the ones they had just defeated.  He was standing in the cavern entrance, his head just under the twelve-foot height.  He had a rock in his hand, larger than any of the other ogres had thrown, and he hurled it forward.  The boulder flew over Jace¡¯s head and crushed the life out of Faylon.  The ranger was flattened, and, even with his gore settings turned down, Jace saw the blood fly from the hit.  It took his health from 110 down to 30, and now he was on the ground dying.


    ¡°Pathetic,¡± the colossal monster said.  ¡°All of you.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t wait for a more specific insult and vaulted off the ground at the ogre.  The 20 was a narrower slot than with the other foes, but he was getting good at predicting where it would be and already had the weapon angled correctly before the number appeared.  However, he didn¡¯t get the satisfying hit he was used to.  This ogre wore tailored armor that looked magical, but Jace didn¡¯t miss; instead, his blade bounced off a shimmering shell that hugged the creature¡¯s outline.


    The brute laughed.  ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work,¡± he said as Jace recoiled from the failed attack.  Instead of retaliating, the ogre waved his arm as he cast a spell.  As the magic completed, images and numbers flashed through his mind.  He saw wounded men on a battlefield, a nurse adjusting an IV in a hospital, a boy with a scraped knee, a monk walking slowly over hot coals, and an injured athlete struggling through pain.  Each of these pictures and a dozen more had a number associated with it, but before he could figure out what they were for, the images were gone, and Jace was yanked back to the game.  He saw a number change in his peripheral, and he turned to see that three of the fallen enemies had their Hit Points jump by 5.  Xavier and Faylon had killed their foe, and that ogre stayed dead, but the other three got up.


    Jace turned back to the chief ogre and saw him brandishing a massive flail that looked like a spiked wrecking ball that belonged to a crane.  He tried to attack first, but the larger opponent beat him to the punch, smashing him with his weapon.  Jace flew backward and bounced into one of the rising ogres.  The huge beast barely noticed the collision as the smaller fighter rebounded to the ground at his feet.  Jace recovered quickly and managed to win the initiative battle to strike first.  He was too rushed to line up a 20 but still got high enough to earn one crit, and a double damage attack dropped the ogre back to the ground, where it would stay for good.


    He should only need one more good attack on each, as the five Hit Points they received came when they were each in single digits.  And none of them had more than 12 now.  Before he could test that theory, one of the two remaining ogres attacked from behind and swatted him back into the air with his club like he was playing golf.  The hit actually saved him from an attack from the other ogre, and as Jace rolled to a stop at the edge of the clearing, he saw the two stupid beasts fighting about it.


    He picked himself up quickly, taking a peek at his health to see that his totem was still taking all of the harm.  He did the math as he stalked back toward the two arguing ogres.  One was at twelve health, the other eight.  Based on his earlier attacks, they each had a Damage Reduction of 22, so he needed 34 damage to kill the healthier one and 30 to kill the other.  For whatever reason, he was only doing criticals on his first attack each round, and his maximum damage was 31 without a critical.  He angled in on the 12-Hit Point ogre first, who only noticed that its prey was back in front of it as Jace¡¯s sword swept into its side.  The monster fell, and Jace stepped around it to deal a normal strike against the second beast, who also died.


    The massive chief ogre stepped out of the cavern and into the noon sunshine.  Jace didn¡¯t have a strategy against the invulnerable foe yet but marched forward anyway.  The giant smiled at him, casually spinning his flail by his side.  Sprinting the last few feet, Jace launched into an attack, but the spiked ball met him first, and he flew back again.  That hurt, and he checked his health to see that he had lost a few points from the strike.  His totem was down, and everything was on him now.


    Jace wondered if he could cast it again and glanced down at his spells.  The Damage Sink Totem was grayed out, and he couldn¡¯t select it.  Instead, he saw movement to his left as Xavier reached out to him.  He had a small metal sphere in his hand.  ¡°Take it,¡± he said.  ¡°You¡¯ve got more mana.¡±


    Jace took the sphere and watched the priest move to Faylon, who was down to eight Hit Points.  The shaman understood that Xavier was lower on mana and couldn¡¯t afford to spend the necessary amount to operate whatever device he had just handed him.  Hopefully, he had enough to stabilize Faylon, or the half-elf would die in four rounds.


    Jace stood and looked at the massive ogre before him, who seemed content to let his opponent charge him again.  Instead, Jace looked back at his spells and saw a spherical icon that must represent the device he was holding.  He selected it, and he felt a rush of mana leave him.  A circular ring of white energy pulsed out from the sphere and washed over the monster before him, seeming to do no harm. Hopefully, it did something, and Jace charged again.  This time he got to attack first, and his sword no longer bounced harmlessly off the creature¡¯s armor.


    [Triple Crit. 4x damage? Stun. 3x Damage]


    Jace chose to stun his opponent, knowing that would all but end the fight.


    [Ogre Chief Stun protection.]


    ¡°Crap,¡± Jace said as his opponent¡¯s attack sent him flying again.  That was a new wrinkle he was going to have to deal with.  Also, that last attack did 84 damage.  He could only afford to get hit once more like that.  Two more attacks, and he would be gone.  He picked himself up and tried to reason what was happening.  The chief was level 15, started with 465 Hit Points, and was now down to 400.  Jace¡¯s triple crit should have done 93 damage, meaning the ogre must have a damage reduction of 28.  So his standard hits would only do three damage.  How in the world was he going to kill this thing before it killed him?  The problem was the throwback attacks.  That had to be a critical ability the ogres had, and it stole a round of attacks from Jace.  And if his guess was correct, they were alternating initiative each round, and this next attack would be the giant¡¯s reducing Jace to under 30 Hit Points and one more attack from death.


    Jace¡¯s only hope was that the Stun Protection was a one-time use and he would eventually be able to freeze the creature.  ¡°Xavier,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Can you lower this monster¡¯s magic resistance?¡±  Gracie had said opponents would be able to save against his stun attacks, and surely a magic using ogre like this at level 15 would have more protection than his grunts.


    Xavier rolled his eyes.  ¡°I can try.¡±


    As the priest cast his spell, Jace took a deep breath and charged again, angling in from the cliff wall bordering the back of the clearing.  The chief turned his body to the attack, and as Jace readied his sword, the spiked ball came in again.  He tried to parry with his sword, but he might as well have been trying to deflect a prize-winning pumpkin with a toothpick and was launched back before he could blink.  This time he only flew ten feet into the cliff wall, bounced back within striking distance of the ogre, and blasted a 20-attack into his side.


    [Triple Crit. 4x damage? Stun. 3x Damage]


    Jace held his breath and chose the stun again, hoping the priest¡¯s spell had done something.  The ogre froze.  Jace didn¡¯t waste time and took his second attack, which only did three damage as predicted.  While stunned, the beast couldn¡¯t move or attack, but he wasn¡¯t completely paralyzed and smirked at the ineffective attack.


    The beast was down to 332, and Jace launched another 20-strike at him and got four crits thanks to the stun reducing his AC.  The 5x damage dropped him to 200, and Jace realized he would need two more rounds to kill him.  If he woke up during that time, Jace would be dead.  He rechecked his spells, saw his Damage Sink was available now, and spent a precious round to drop it deep inside the cavern.  No sooner had the totem sprung into existence than the ogre woke up and smashed Jace back into the wall.  His health held at around 30, and he returned a 4x crit.  They traded weakened attacks in the second round, and the ogre unleashed another massive attack to start the next.  With his health so low, the brute tried to finish Jace off and neglected his critical ability, focusing everything on damage.  Jace saw his newly created totem explode into rubble and felt a dozen points of damage overflow into him, but his next attack ended it, and the chief fell with a crash.


    Jace dropped to his knees in relief and felt out of breath.  He saw a floating satchel icon over the ogre, but when he tried to collect it, it said [Unusable.]


    ¡°You mean I don¡¯t even get any loot for that,¡± he mumbled.  ¡°How is that fair?¡±  He did take a peek into his status screen and saw that despite Gandhi telling him he wouldn¡¯t get experience for this quest, he was up over 100k now.  He guessed he wouldn¡¯t be awarded any extra for completing the module, but he still collected it for killing monsters.  He wasn¡¯t sure if experience points were shared in his current party of NPCs.  The goblins had probably only been worth a few hundred, and the ogres had to have been a few thousand, and he didn¡¯t doubt this chief was over 10k.


    Jace got up and walked back to his other two party members, anxious to see if it was still a party of three.  Faylon was alive, barely.  He had gotten down to 2 health before Xavier had spent the rest of his mana to stabilize him.  Jace guessed if you healed someone as much as they were losing that round, the loss stopped.  He wondered if there was any way he could tell if the priest was holding out on them.  He could only see his level and Hit Points: 10 and 120.  It looked like he hadn¡¯t taken any damage yet.  The longer he looked at Xavier, a choice came up to Review Party Member.  There he could see all of his stats and found out the priest only had a Mana Generation ability of 4.  It would take the priest a long time before he had enough to cast any meaningful spells, but he did have several magical items on his person that Jace might be able to use.


    ¡°Do you have anything I can use to heal myself?¡± Jace asked out loud.


    Xavier looked up from Faylon, who was still unconscious.  Clearly, he didn¡¯t want to part with anything, but if they continued the mission, Jace was the best chance he had at survival, so he reluctantly removed one of his rings.  ¡°I see you do not follow a god yet, but this should work for you.¡±


    Jace saw the small ring in the priest¡¯s hand and thought there was no way he could fit that on his finger, but when he took it, the jewelry expanded three times in size, and he easily fit it over his enormous knuckles.  Jace dipped into his spells and saw the ring.  Unlike the priest, Jace recovered 20 mana a round and had already replaced the 80 points he had spent on his last totem.  He dumped all his 184 available mana into the ring, and his health jumped by 72 points.


    ¡°Keep it for now,¡± Xavier said.  ¡°I can see you will need it.  What can we do with him?¡±


    Jace looked at the fragile half-elf.  If a goblin sneezed on him, he would die.  ¡°Can I use the ring on him?¡±


    The priest shook his head.  ¡°He has a chaotic soul.  The ring won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to move him.  We must hide him and hope he does not wake before we return.¡±


    ¡°I put him in a deep sleep with my last spell.  He will heal a little as he sleeps and won¡¯t wake for over an hour.¡±


    Jace nodded and gently picked up the light ranger in his arms.  He carried him over to the edge of the clearing, where a shallow depression in the cliff wall offered some shade.  After laying him down, he went to the ogre that Xavier and Faylon had killed.  It was the least bloody of the four smaller bodies, and he bent to lift it also.  The ogre was much heavier, and Jace lamented that he didn¡¯t have a higher score in his Carry skill.  He would have to give Gracie a hard time about that.  After a minute, he had arranged the dead ogre to hide the ranger¡¯s sleeping body, and they were ready to continue.

 Chapter 10.1

    After going through and editing my first draft, I realized that I left a lot of the rules of this RPG game unexplained. I felt I was showing too many numbers and dice rolls as it was, and I didn¡¯t want to get the story bogged down with even more rules. However, I have gotten several comments/questions about how things work, and I did change several rules during the edit because they needed to support the story later on.


    So, I am adding these addendums to specific chapters to explain a little more about the game mechanics working behind the scenes that play pivotal roles in the story that I probably didn¡¯t explain enough. I took the time to build a complex rule system for this RPG game I invented, and I want to show it off a little. If this dive into some of the rules doesn¡¯t interest you, feel free to move on to the next chapter and skip these added chapters whenever they come up.


    In this addendum, I wanted to talk about the Stun ability Jace has and the Death Save, both of which are vitally important in the rest of the story and introduced in this Ogre fight. I realized I messed both of these up when I got to scenes much later in the book, so I changed the rules on the fly and then had to come back to chapters like the one you just read to fix the contradictions.


    First, the Stun spell. When I wrote my first draft, Jace could enact the Stun ability whenever he got a critical hit. As I got later in the story, I realized this was too powerful, so I started to give his enemies Stun protection. But, after they canceled one Stun attempt, they would be susceptible to another Stun attempt in the next attack. Because of this, the ability was still too powerful. So, I decided to treat it like any other spell, and the defender gets to save against it using their magic resistance.


    Then I needed to decide how to set the difficulty of the Stun attack. Jace¡¯s low Intelligence score gives him a spell difficulty skill of -6. This is added to his level (8), but that would make his difficulty 2, and almost everyone will have a higher magic resistance than that, plus the defender rolls a die. So, I decided your weapon could also define the spell difficulty, and the game would choose the higher value (either the player or the item.)


    An item¡¯s skill rating for most things is based on what a mage¡¯s ability would be at the same level as the weapon if they maxed out the skill. This is explained later in the story. Basically, where would they be if they had 20 Intelligence and put a point in Spell Difficulty at every level? When Jace holds the Halberd, it is a +1 Level 8 item. A level 8 mage who maxed out his Spell difficulty (ignoring feats that would make it much higher) is 26. It will increase to 27 because the weapon is a +1. So Jace¡¯s foes need a saving throw of 27 to avoid being stunned. Here is the Ogre character sheet:


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Their Magic Defense is at 6. Their low Wisdom and Spirit contribute a -4, which adds to their level of 10 and gives them a 6. This means that they would need to roll a 20 (Critical) to avoid being stunned, and while that doesn¡¯t reach 27, the critical success cancels the miss (as long as it is a miss less than 10). None of the ogres roll a 20.


    Now onto the ogre chief.


    He has a magic Defense of 17, meaning he only needed to roll a 10+ to cancel Jace¡¯s Stun. Jace asks Xavier to lower the Chief¡¯s resistance, and the priest casts a spell to bring it down by 10, forcing the Chief to roll a 20 in defense, which he fails to do and is stunned.


    The next item I wanted to cover is the Death Save. This happens when the character takes damage from one attack (Magical or Physical) that exceeds half of their total HP. Not their current HP, but the maximum allowable. When this happens, the victim must make a save against the damage or be Penalized along the following chart.


    1 Charm/Shock


    2 Daze


    3 Stun


    4 Paralyze


    5 Unconscious


    6 Death


    If the player fails the Death Save by less than 10, they are shocked, which means they take a -5 penalty to all rolls against the person who attacked them. This level of Bane is also called Charm because, depending on the circumstances, that word makes more sense, but it is the same thing, and the character has a -5 penalty. This is explained more once Jace meets Esther, and she has the Charm+ spell.


    If they fail the Death Save by 10-19 (a Critical failure), the target is Dazed, meaning they suffer a -5 penalty against everyone. A double critical failure (20-29) makes them Stunned, which means they lose half of their natural AC bonus. For medium-sized characters, that is -5. They can¡¯t cast spells, attack, or defend, but they still make saving throws. A triple critical failure means they are Paralyzed, which means they lose all of their Natural AC, can not make saving throws, and are considered Helpless, which is explained in the game a little later, but I will also write another addendum on it. A quadruple critical failure makes them unconscious. And if you fail by 50+, you enter a Death Spiral.


    A Death Spiral means you are knocked unconscious, and you will lose half your current HP rounded up each round. To stabilize someone, you need to heal them equal to half their health. That will stop the loss, and they will stay where they are. If you heal them by more than that, the amount they would have lost is deducted from the healing spell, and they go up the remainder.


    The Death Save value for each character is calculated by adding their Magic Defense to their Resist score and Spirit base. For the ogre grunts, that is 6 + 25 ¨C 4 = 27. They have 260 HP, so Jace needs to do 130+ damage to trigger the Death Save. No roll on a 20-sided die will ever get 27 within 50 of 130+, so I don¡¯t go into the numbers in the story.


    In most cases in the rest of the story, when Jace triggers a Death Save on an enemy, it will be after a massive strike of 150+, and you can be assured that most foes will not be able to save against it to prevent death. The one exception to this is coming up in a few chapters, but I mention in the story that the defender has tons of magical upgrades that protects him during a Death Save; I just don¡¯t go into the numbers.


    Feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

 Chapter 11: Competing Loyalties

    Jace and Xavier walked tentatively into the cavern.  Neither had much in the way of a Stealth skill.  The priest had spell options to keep them hidden, but his mana was still too low to cast anything helpful.  Jace understood how valuable his shaman-enhanced Mana Generation was but also realized how hampered he was by his low Intelligence.  The only spells he knew were bonus spells from his class, so having a ton of Mana with nothing to cast wasn¡¯t helpful either.  He also noticed that he wasn¡¯t regenerating as fast as he had been.  During the fight, he felt he was getting a burst of mana every few seconds.  Now, after dumping all his magic into the healing ring, it took much longer to regenerate.  Just one more question for Gracie.


    They were faced with a choice almost immediately when the tunnel branched.  The path to the left had high ceilings, while the right one was much smaller, and Jace worried he might have to duck.  ¡°The ogre¡¯s quarters are in that direction,¡± Xavier wisely reasoned, pointing toward the large passageway.  Jace agreed with him.  He wanted nothing to do with those giants, assuming there might be more, and doubted they would keep Caitlin secured with them.  They moved to the right.


    They met no one else in the first minute or two but saw signs of domestication.  The tunnel floor was smooth, and care had been taken to secure torches and shelves in some of the rooms.  Initially, they found only storage areas, open and mostly empty.  But after a few minutes, they came upon closed doors.  They tried the knobs and found empty rooms with unmade beds and scattered equipment.


    ¡°It¡¯s lunchtime,¡± Jace said, searching for an explanation for the vacant rooms.


    ¡°Or they are all gathered for the sacrifice,¡± Xavier countered.


    The shaman looked hard at his companion.  At times he seemed eager to see the girl killed for whatever dark purpose the goblins had in mind.  Though, if there were ogres present, they would likely find something other than a goblin at the top of this food chain.  The rooms they found so far had beds the right size for goblins.  Xavier complained about the smell of the creatures, and Jace was glad he had his Environment turned down.


    They met their first occupant of the cavern when a goblin gnawing on a meat bone wandered in front of them from a side passage.  It squeaked in alarm, and Jace ended its life with a massive strike.  They tossed the body into one of the empty rooms but could do nothing about the blood stain on the ground.  Looking down the passage the goblin had been walking, Jace strained his ears but had to ask the priest if he heard anything.


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Xavier replied.  ¡°It sounds like they are having a party down there.¡±


    ¡°That must be the mess hall,¡± Jace guessed.  No reason to think the girl would be there.  She would be fed meals in her room.  They stood at a 4-way intersection.  Their path had 8-foot ceilings, and that height continued if they went straight ahead.  The cross path the goblin had been traveling was shorter, barely six feet high, and wouldn¡¯t be comfortable for most humans.  More goblin quarters probably lay in that direction.  The girl was likely kept straight ahead.


    Jace also felt this was a key intersection, possibly joining the goblin quarters with those belonging to some taller creatures and then also leading to the food.  This was likely near the middle of the complex.  He had lost contact with his armor totem long ago and noticed that he had finally regenerated enough mana to cast another one of his 80-point totems.  Finding a small cutout in the stone wall, Jace dropped his Damage Sink Totem in the crevice.  It blended nicely into the rock.


    The two continued carefully, finding several more doors.  Xavier listened at each but didn¡¯t hear anything, and they continued.  Jace began to worry that he had wasted the totem as they walked over 100 feet, and he lost connection with it, but the tunnel angled down into the mountain and soon looped back, so they were walking beneath the section they had just traversed.  The trail back to the main intersection was almost 200 feet, but Jace could sense his totem only a few dozen feet above his head and was happy to find that his range could go up walls and through stone instead of just on a flat path.


    The cavern was improving in appearance now.  Lanterns instead of torches hung at regular intervals.  Animal skin rugs sat before each of the doors.  Some of the open rooms had bookshelves and fireplaces.  Jace worried they were going in the wrong direction because this was looking more like a residence and less like a dungeon.  He expected to find two orcs or goblin warriors standing guard before the room holding the girl, but they hadn¡¯t seen any security so far.


    Xavier was still checking each door they came to, listening closely for any sound that might identify the occupants.  When they were reaching the edge of Jace¡¯s totem, the priest paused at one particularly nice door for a long time.  A deer rug lay before it, and the door had a mail slot and a peephole.  There was even a cord hanging next to it that looked like it would ring a bell inside to announce visitors.


    After almost a minute, the priest pulled his ear away from the door.  ¡°She is in here.  I think I hear singing or humming.  Definitely not a goblin.¡±


    ¡°Singing?¡± Jace asked, thinking it odd for a prisoner waiting to be sacrificed.  It was also pretty quick for Stockholm syndrome to be kicking in.  Xavier ignored the question and pulled an item from his cloak.  It was a metal circle with fine silver lines crisscrossing through the center, creating an intricate pattern that looked oddly familiar to Jace.  Xavier set it on the floor of the cavern.  ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same symbol we saw in Caitlin¡¯s bedroom?¡± the shaman asked.


    The priest flinched visibly at the observation and tried to shrug it off.  ¡°No, it is very different.¡±


    The longer Jace looked at it, he could see slight differences, but the basic pattern was the same.  He filed this piece of knowledge away with the rest of the puzzles from this quest.  ¡°Your mana is back now?¡±


    Xavier shook his head.  ¡°This item generates its own mana and can be used once daily.¡±  It still needed to be activated, and both men stepped back as the priest triggered it.  Light sped around the circumference of the five-inch disc for a few seconds before it levitated a foot off the symbol and expanded in diameter to almost two feet.  When it reached its final size, it flashed up and down in a blur of movement, creating a glowing cylinder five feet high.  In a final burst of light, it was gone, and standing over the disc was a dwarf-like creature.  He was dressed in glowing white plate armor with a neatly trimmed beard and a massive, luminescent hammer resting on his shoulder.


    Xavier motioned for the ally to move, and he retrieved the disc from under his feet.  Jace looked at the priest questioningly.  ¡°In case she has guards inside the room,¡± Xavier answered the unasked question.


    There were no guards in the room.  Jace was sure of that.  He was also pretty positive he knew precisely what was happening here and did not look forward to what was coming next.  They didn¡¯t bother to ring the bell and just opened the door.  Jace took one look at the girl inside and figured it out.


    A young woman ¨C Jace assumed it was Caitlin ¨C sat on a wooden chair in front of a vanity, combing her black hair.  She wore a long red gown with splashes of black and white streaked across it in a random pattern.  True to Xavier¡¯s observation, she was humming to herself, but she stopped suddenly when the door opened and stood to greet her guests.  When she was standing, Jace could see that she was very pregnant.


    "Who are you?" she cried. ¡°Did Yellrick send you?  I thought the brethren were off gathering gorse root?¡±  Then she saw the glowing white dwarf and understood.  Her face grew dark, and she repeated her first question.  ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Your father sent us,¡± Xavier said.  ¡°He mourns your loss.¡±


    ¡°I will not go back with you,¡± she scowled.


    ¡°I have no intention of letting you leave this room,¡± the priest smiled wickedly, ¡°alive.¡±


    Caitlin attacked first, waving her arms in a spell, and a terrifying black image flashed toward the intruders.  The dwarf stepped forward and smashed his hammer into the ground sending a burst of light into the room that dissolved the hex spell before reaching its targets.  The dwarf also extended one of its hands toward Xavier and Jace saw more white energy transfer between the two.  If he had to guess, Jace was sure it was mana.


    As Caitlin prepared another hex, the priest was faster and enacted one of his hold spells, and the young woman froze in place.  He smiled at the result and then turned to his summoned ally.  ¡°Kill he-¡°


    ¡°No!¡± Jace interrupted.  He wouldn¡¯t let this happen.  Was this a trial?  Here was an Ordered priest ready to kill a Chaotic, pregnant young woman.  If Jace was also Ordered, was he supposed to sit by and let this happen?  Should he join in?  Never.  He didn¡¯t care if this changed his alignment to chaotic; he would not let Xavier go through with this.


    The priest felt confident in the duration of his hold spell and turned to look at Jace.  ¡°Do you know what she is?  Do you know what she is here to do?¡±


    ¡°She is a witch,¡± Jace answered, ready to explain everything he had guessed.  ¡°That wasn¡¯t a silence spell back in her room.  It was a summoning spell, just like you summoned this dwarf, only she summoned the goblins to lead her back safely into this fortress.¡±


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    ¡°Temple,¡± Xavier corrected.  ¡°This is a temple to the god Torheinton, an evil deity who revels in the chaotic whims of man.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Jace dismissed the clarification.  ¡°You knew all this from the start.  You knew what she was.  You knew she was hiding her pregnancy from the town with a spell.  And I imagine the child¡¯s father is lying unconscious just outside this cavern?¡±  Faylon¡¯s attachment to the girl made sense now.


    The priest didn¡¯t respond, but the look on his face let Jace know he was right.  ¡°You had that sphere of invulnerability around you when the chief through that rock.  You could have stepped in front of the attack that took out Faylon.  You let him almost die.¡±


    ¡°I saved his life.  If I had allowed him to come down here, I would have been forced to kill him too.  I knew this temple was here but could not find it on my own.  I needed him to find it and you to get me inside.  I don¡¯t need either of you anymore.  Do you not see what will happen if we do not stop her?¡±


    ¡°She is here for a sacrifice,¡± Jace reasoned, barely restraining his anger at the priest and wondering how long the hold spell would last.  ¡°She is probably going to sacrifice her child.  She hopes it will give her extra power.¡±


    ¡°It will give her power,¡± Xavier said.  ¡°So much so that I will no longer be able to stop her.  This had to be done now.¡±


    ¡°And the child?¡±


    The priest spat on the ground.  ¡°She doesn¡¯t want it; why should I?¡±


    ¡°The half-elf outside does.¡±


    ¡°He could have prevented this if he wanted.  He knew what she was.  He liked the element of danger.  Young people,¡± the priest cursed in a language Jace didn¡¯t know, and his profanity filter didn¡¯t choose to translate it for him.  ¡°They play with fire and never expect to get burned.¡±


    Xavier turned to his ethereal dwarf ally and pointed at Jace.  ¡°Kill him.¡±


    [Xavier has left your party.]


    ¡°Oh really,¡± Jace muttered at the unnecessary prompt.


    The glowing dwarf strode up to the shaman with smooth, easy steps.  He had no level or Hit Points over his head, so Jace had no idea what to expect.  The priest was Level 10, so he assumed this creature would be too.  The dwarf attacked first, and Jace again tried to parry the attack with his sword.  This time he was successful, and the attack rebounded away from him.  He attacked through the 20-slot, but his weapon only passed through the glowing figure, and he got no options to enact any of his critical abilities.


    The dwarf counter-attacked, and his hammer slipped through Jace¡¯s defenses this time.  He noticed it only did 13 points of damage after his Damage Reduction absorbed 12, but he had less than 100 health and couldn¡¯t take too many more strikes from that weapon.  Jace made another worthless attack that passed through the magical fighter.  The head of the blunt weapon was solid enough and looked to be made of marble.


    As he traded blows with the dwarf for another round, taking another hit of 13, he looked over the short fighter to see Xavier rooting through Caitlin¡¯s dresser to find a weapon.  The hammer he had wielded before must have been a magical construct, and he was low on mana still.  When he found a ceremonial dagger, Jace looked on in horror as this supposed holy man walked up to the defenseless woman and stabbed her in the chest.


    The stun spell ended, and she cried out in pain.  They wrestled over the weapon, and Jace knew she didn¡¯t have much time.  During the exchange across the room, Jace had taken yet another hit and was now around 50 health.  He still hadn¡¯t touched this magical construct.  All he could do was occasionally block the stone hammer.


    Jace paused.  He could suck mana from stone.  This fighter was built from mana and had already demonstrated the ability to transfer mana to someone else.  On the dwarf¡¯s next attack, Jace stood his ground, let the marble head of the weapon hit him in the chest, and then dropped his sword and made a desperate grab at the block of stone.


    [Grapple check.]


    Jace said a silent prayer to whatever god was supposed to be choosing him.


    [Success.]


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he finished his prayer and then conducted a tug of war with the hammer.


    The dwarf had a puzzled look on its face, having never engaged with this technique before, but as Jace focused on the hammer and tried to suck mana from it, the creature was familiar with that type of encounter.  Jace might be a target for its attacks, but he was also Ordered, so once the mana started to flow, it didn¡¯t stop.


    Jace looked sideways at his Mana Pool and saw he was absorbing far more than his regular 20 per round.  He was worried he might cap out too soon and would have to cast a totem to send the excess mana somewhere else, but he realized that would only get rid of 80 points and instead dumped as much as he could into his ring and felt the surge of health run through him.  Now he had more than enough room to absorb the rest of this creature¡¯s life mana, and he pulled with all his might.


    The dwarf was growing weaker and dimmer by the moment, and within only a few more rounds, he faded into nothing.  Jace dropped the hammer on the ground, and it bounced around with a clatter before it disappeared too.  Jace bent over to pick up his sword and rushed to the struggling pair by the bed.


    They were locked in their own grappling match, and while Jace would have guessed that the stocky priest should have been able to overpower her, she still had mana at her disposal, and he didn¡¯t.  They fought over the knife, with neither gaining much of an advantage.  Her gown had torn during the fight, and her pregnant belly was prominently visible.  Watching Xavier try to leverage the knife toward the woman¡¯s stomach and Caitlin desperately fighting him off drove Jace into a rage.


    He stepped close enough to the pair for his 20-slotted dial to appear, but it jumped between both humans before Jace angled himself, so he was primarily behind the priest.  Knowing the strike would do massive damage, he attacked anyway, hitting the priest in the clavicle.  Jace strategically ignored the stun option and did a 3x strike into Xavier.  The priest dropped to the ground, his health going from 120 to 42.  Caitlin screamed at the vicious hit right in front of her face.  Her gore setting was probably high, and she was now likely covered in blood.  Jace tossed his sword aside, disgusted by what he had to do.  He picked up the limp body of the priest and threw him into the corner of the room.  Xavier¡¯s health had already dropped to 21, and he stood over the man watching as it dropped to 11 and then six before leaning over and channeling 15 mana through the ring and into the priest.  His math was correct, and the man¡¯s health rose to nine and stabilized.


    Jace turned back to Caitlin.  In her eyes, he was also probably covered with blood.  Fear spread across her face as she gathered the torn remains of her gown around her.  ¡°Who are you?  What do you want?  I thought you were with him.¡±


    ¡°I did not come here to kill you,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Then what?  You came here to kill him?¡±


    Jace looked back at the priest and wondered again if NPCs could see Level and Hit Points.  ¡°He is not dead.¡±


    ¡°He will be when Yellrick gets here.¡±


    ¡°Is that your master?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°The man you sold your soul to.¡±


    ¡°I did not sell my soul!¡±  Anger was quickly replacing fear on her face.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jace agreed.  ¡°And there is time to prevent that.  Come with me.¡±


    ¡°No!  This is my choice.  He will kill you if you try to take me.¡±


    ¡°Others have tried,¡± Jace said confidently.


    ¡°He won¡¯t try,¡± she smirked, looking around briefly on her bed sheets and finding the dropped dagger.  ¡°But he better get here fast if he wants a chance.¡±  She leaped off the bed at Jace, and a black image flew through the air before her, washing over the shaman a second before the woman got to him.  Like up on the ledge outside when the ogre chief had cast his healing spell, Jace saw images in his mind.  He saw his stone totem, somewhere on the level above, just out of reach.  He saw pictures of birds flying through the air.  There were animals stuck in the mud, a naked image of Caitlin lying on the bed, a person shocked at a surprise birthday party, and his daughter riding a tricycle.  As before, each picture had a number with it, but Jace couldn¡¯t decipher the puzzle fast enough, and his mind settled on a mouse stuck in a trap.


    The experience only lasted as long as Caitlin took to chase behind her disabling spell, and then Jace was back in the room, stumbling backward in a daze.  The only image now filling his mind was a furious pregnant woman wielding a dagger at him.  She plunged it into his chest, and the shaman felt an odd sensation flow through him.  A prompt told him he had a bleeding condition.  He didn¡¯t know what that meant, but Caitlin didn¡¯t allow him to find out.  She kept stabbing, backing him up against a wooden dresser, and taking out all her aggression on him.


    Each attack wasn¡¯t doing much above his Damage Reduction, but the bleeding condition kept stacking upon itself, and he felt his health drain away.  Even though he had dropped his sword, he didn¡¯t feel helpless.  He thought he could punch back or try to grapple the woman, but he just stood there, letting her play out her hatred.


    ¡°Do you really want to do this?¡± he asked her between attacks, his calm voice driving her into more of a rage.


    ¡°Shut up!  Just shut up and die!¡±


    Jace wondered if he could access his totem from this room.  Maybe if he touched the ceiling, but he was backed against a wooden dresser, so he had no chance.  ¡°What about Faylon?¡± Jace tried.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say his name!¡±  She punctuated the sentence with another stab in his chest.


    If Jace was going to do something, he better do it quickly.  His health was once again below fifty.  But if this game was trying to tempt him into punching a pregnant woman, it had another thing coming.


    ¡°When you sacrifice your child on Yellrick¡¯s altar, you will see Faylon¡¯s face.¡±


    That did it.  Caitlin faltered.  She swung and missed, the knife grazing Jace¡¯s chest, her arm quivering in anguish.  ¡°No,¡± she murmured.  ¡°Shut up.  Just let me be.¡±  Her hand went limp, and the knife fell from her fingers.  ¡°Don¡¯t tell me . . .¡±


    ¡°You will be killing him too.¡±


    ¡°I said shut up!¡±  She exploded in fury at Jace again, pounding on his bloody chest with her bare fists.  If the attacks were meant to do damage, they didn¡¯t make it above his Damage Reduction, but they didn¡¯t need to.  His multiple bleeding conditions were still draining his health, which now dipped below 20.  Jace had enough mana to heal himself, but he felt he should continue to stand and do nothing.


    Caitlin finally dropped to her knees as sobs overcame her.  She slumped before Jace, her face pointed to the floor and her body heaving in distress.  ¡°What have I done?¡± she managed between convulsions.


    Jace let out a sigh and then stopped his downward spiral toward death by channeling enough mana into his ring to stop the bleeding and get him above 20 Hit Points.  Jace fell to his knee and took the crying girl into his arms.  She hesitated at first, but his strong hands helped support her, and she gave in to her tears more completely.  It looked like an orc cradling a child to Jace''s eyes, but he hoped Caitlin interpreted the embrace differently.  How the game allowed the other NPCs to see him as a man, Jace couldn¡¯t understand, but he trusted Gandhi was taking care of it.


    Her sobs slowed, and she pushed against him gently.  Jace let up his embrace and let her lean back and look him in the face.  ¡°Did Faylon come with you?  I would have thought he would have tried to be part of any rescue mission.  Or did he . . .¡± her voice trailed off as she turned to look at the unconscious priest.


    ¡°Faylon is alive.  I can bring you to him.¡±


    Caitlin sucked in her tears and shook her head.  ¡°What do I say to him?  What can I say to him?  I almost . . .¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t.  Just tell him you love him.  That will be enough.¡±


    Jace helped her to her feet and went to pick up his sword.  The door to the room opened, and a demon walked in.

 Chapter 12: Divine Boons

    At least, Jace was pretty sure he was a demon.


    He stood several inches over six feet, with rippling muscles covering his arms and torso, clearly visible under his sleeveless black leather vest.  He was level 15 with 405 Hit Points.  A large, two-handed scimitar was belted to a red kilt with the same black and white splotches as Caitlin¡¯s gown.  He was barefoot.  None of this pointed to the possibility that he was a demon, but his skin was also an unnatural shade of red.  And there were the horns.


    ¡°Caitlin, my dear.  What is going on here?¡±  His voice was deep and sultry, and Jace could feel the mana dripping from it as he undoubtedly used it to magically charm just about everyone he talked to.


    Caitlin had turned a corner in her relationship with this creature, and his spells now had little effect on her.  ¡°I told you the town would send people to bring me back, Yellrick.  I just didn¡¯t think they would try to kill me.¡±


    Only now that she stepped away from Jace did her host see her bloodied and torn gown.  The wound on her chest was also visible.  Two tall half-orcs had entered with the demon, and they sprung to attention when Yellrick motioned to Jace.  ¡°Kill him!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Caitlin yelled, moving to step in front of Jace.


    Yellrick opened his hand and motioned the guards to stop.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t try to kill me.  He saved me.  That priest over there came here under the guise of rescue, but he only wanted to end my life.  This man saved me.  He killed the priest.¡±


    The demon looked over at the slumped body of Xavier.  ¡°He isn¡¯t dead yet.¡±  That changed quickly as Yellrick extended his palm toward the man and consumed him with a gout of flame.  ¡°He is now.¡±


    He turned back to Jace.  ¡°Is what she said true?¡± he looked Jace in the face.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jace replied honestly.


    ¡°And what now?  Do you intend to take her back to town?¡±


    Caitlin laughed.  ¡°Of course not.  You know I wouldn¡¯t go.  He is an old family friend and cares only for my safety.  Your men, uh, . . .¡± she motioned to the half-orcs behind him, ¡°your things obviously can¡¯t protect me.  He is to stay with me until the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Yellrick said, not enjoying being told what would happen.  He turned to the shaman.  ¡°You have a name?¡±


    ¡°Jace.¡±


    ¡°And you are here to protect my Caitlin?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know anything about a bunch of dead ogres outside.¡±


    ¡°They attacked us.  We defended ourselves.  You should hire better guards.  If that is your best, Caitlin is in serious danger.  More will likely come.¡±


    Yellrick stared at Jace for a long minute.  ¡°I don¡¯t like you.  And I don¡¯t trust you with my beautiful Caitlin.¡±


    ¡°Yelly,¡± she said.  ¡°What is he going to do?  I¡¯m nine months pregnant.  Due any day now.¡±


    He waved a hand toward the girl, and she shut up.  ¡°I don¡¯t trust you,¡± the demon repeated, still looking at Jace.  ¡°I don¡¯t trust humans in general,¡± now he did cast a glance at Caitlin.  ¡°But I trust my servants.  You obviously care for the girl and are willing to kill a holy man to protect her.  But how do I know you won¡¯t try to steal her away at night?  It¡¯s not like I have guards that can stop you.¡±


    ¡°You can trust me,¡± Jace replied.


    The demon laughed in his face.  ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure I can.  But you haven¡¯t promised me anything yet.  Get on your knees.¡±


    Jace hesitated, but the half-orcs grunted and started to move around their master to force him.  Jace waved them off, sheathed his sword, and got down on one knee.  ¡°Now,¡± Yellrick said, ¡°swear on your life that you will serve me and see that no one other than me will ever remove Caitlin from this room.¡±


    Jace stared at the floor.  Was it this easy?  Could he lie to this demon and then sneak Caitlin out of here once he left?  Or was this another test?  But what choice did he have?


    ¡°I swear,¡± Jace started.  He heard Caitlin inhale sharply.  ¡°I swear on my life that I will serve you . . . the heads of your guards while you lie flat on your back, never to leave this room again.¡±


    The dim-witted guards hesitated momentarily, wondering if they had been threatened.  Yellrick only laughed.  ¡°Excellent.  I love an honest-¡±


    He didn¡¯t get to finish as Jace was off the floor in a flash, his sword out and slashing at the demon.  Yellrick merely sidestepped the rush and caught Jace by the collar.  His orc form wasn¡¯t wearing a shirt or a collar, but he imagined the human representation that Yellrick saw did.  The demon hoisted the shaman into the air, took two quick steps to the back of the room, and simultaneously slammed Jace into the wall and ceiling.


    [Secure Grapple.  Pinned.]


    Jace was sure that the blow should have killed him, but as his head touched the ceiling, he felt his mana connect with his distant totem, and the crushing force of the blow was transferred to the damage sink.  Even so, Jace tried to reach out to his ring to summon more mana, but he couldn¡¯t.  Something was restraining him.


    Yellrick seemed to sense the effort and looked over his prey to see what magical item he had.  He saw the ring and yanked it off with his free hand.  ¡°Anything else you want to try?¡±  He pulled Jace away from the wall, and the shaman felt his mana options open up again, but the demon slammed him up and back even harder.  This time he ripped the sword from Jace¡¯s limp fingers and tossed it toward the door.


    ¡°Any smart words now?¡±  He slammed him twice more.  Jace worried how many more hits his totem could take but didn¡¯t have time to cast another one.  Each time the demon pulled him away from the wall, he could pull up his magic screen, but he was slammed back before he could do anything.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± Yellrick boasted, ¡°I am more than capable of taking care of my own.  Had you actually sworn allegiance to me, you would know this.¡±  As Yellrick slammed him one last time, Jace felt the distant totem explode.  The defeated look in his eyes brought a smile to the demon¡¯s face.  From his back, massive black wings sprouted, and unseen muscles flexed in his red shoulders as they spread to fill Jace¡¯s peripheral vision.


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    Yellrick pulled Jace down one more time, freeing him from the wall and giving him access to his spells again.  Jace pulled up his choices, ready to drop another Damage Sink Totem, even knowing it wouldn¡¯t buy him enough time.  Instead, alongside his three spells, there was a fourth: an icon of an energy bolt.  Jace grabbed it and lifted his eyes back to the demon¡¯s grinning visage only a few inches away.  With both hands, he gripped the iron-clad forearm that held him and tried to talk, but it only came out as a choked mess.


    ¡°What do you have to say?¡±  The demon loosened his grip on the dying shaman.


    ¡°Eat lightning,¡± he croaked and dropped the spell on his enemy with all his mana.


    Light and thunder roared in the room, blasting the demon away from Jace, hurling him across the room and into the dresser, reducing the furniture to kindling.  Lightning jumped from the main target into both half-orcs, reducing one to 20 Hit Points and the other to just above half-health.  The energy bolt then jumped to Caitlin but fizzled to nothing.


    Jace stumbled from the wall and walked over to pick up his sword.  The guard still standing, regarded Jace in horror, not having drawn his axe.  Jace took his head off in one clean 4x crit.  The shaman then strode over to the other guard, lying on the ground dying slowly, and took his head.


    The demon lay stunned on his back, his mouth agape.  Over two-thirds of his health had been zapped away in an instant, and only his massive magical protections had prevented him from slipping into a death spiral.  But it didn¡¯t matter.  Jace strode over to him and regarded his pathetic state.  Massive scorch marks covered his body, and his wings had been reduced to ash and tatters.  One of his horns was still smoking.  Jace chuckled and dropped the heads of his guards on his face before placing his foot on the demon¡¯s neck.


    [Stunned. Pinned. Prone.  Helpless.]


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Jace quipped, ¡°you can trust me.¡±  The shaman took his head off.


    <hr>


    The trip back to town was slow.  It took a while for Jace to generate enough mana to restore his health to a reasonably safe level.  He had recovered the ring from where Yellrick had thrown it, but there was little else in the room worth keeping, even the knife they left behind.  It had been intended to kill her child, and she couldn¡¯t bear to look at it anymore, much less wield it.


    They had to fight off a few more goblins and half-orcs before they made it out of the cavern, and Caitlin proved a help in this regard, able to hex the more dangerous enemies before Jace disposed of them.  When they got to Faylon, he was still hidden behind the dead ogre.  The afternoon sun had made the bodies stink enough that even Jace smelled them, though he guessed they hadn¡¯t smelled that great before they died.


    Another setback came when Jace tried to use the ring to heal Faylon, and it didn¡¯t work.  He remembered Xavier had told him that before.  Just another question to ask Gracie when he got out of this module.  This meant he had to carry the half-elf down the mountain.  As easy as it had been for him to climb the slope before, it was much harder going down.  Jace also started to get [Fatigue] prompts and knew he needed to sleep soon.  Gracie had told him that with 20 Constitution, he should be able to go a long while without needing to rest, but he wondered if having his health dropped below 20 on multiple occasions reduced that resiliency.


    The family reunion at the end of their journey was mixed.  The soon-to-be grandparents had to deal with their daughter being a witch and almost sacrificing her child to a chaos god, but Jace was sure they would get over it.  They also welcomed Faylon as a potential son-in-law, though they had to wait until Jace could get him to a temple to receive effective healing.


    Jace wondered if Gandhi would allow this module to run in the background after he left.  He hadn¡¯t traveled here traditionally, so he assumed he would never be able to come back.  A part of him hoped that she would.  A portion of him even wanted to stay for a few days until Caitlin gave birth.  However, once all of the threads of his adventure were tied off, the world began to swirl into a vortex of light, and within seconds, he was again sitting on the marble table in the immaculate white room.


    Gandhi was there to greet him.  ¡°Well done, Jason,¡± she said.


    ¡°Is that what a normal god-seeking quest is like?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I expected smelling salts and candles.¡±


    ¡°Your Wisdom score should be higher.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind?¡±


    Gandhi laughed at the request and shook her head.  ¡°You are powerful enough.  Even more so in a minute.¡±


    ¡°You criticized me for breaking the game,¡± Jace said.  ¡°But if I am not wrong, you cheated by giving me that lightning spell just when I needed it.¡±


    She frowned slightly at him.  ¡°Maybe your Wisdom is fine where it is.  Everyone who quests to gain the favor of a god gains one spell, one feat, and one ability.  Gracie should have told you that.¡±


    Jace laughed.  ¡°Sounds more like a problem with my Intelligence, which is right where it belongs.  Still, the timing of that spell was fortuitous.¡±


    ¡°The timing of a god is impeccable.  You should know that from your world.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me how it works?¡±


    She frowned at him again.  ¡°I am not a tutorial.  Your feat is called Convict.  I am sure you will use it to cause all kinds of havoc in my game.  And what do you need for a skill?  What did you show a propensity for?¡±


    ¡°I get to choose?¡±


    ¡°I am open to requests.¡±


    Jace thought for a moment.  ¡°I can punch above my weight class in combat, but I still feel out of my league when people start throwing magic about.  I need more defense.¡±


    Gandhi gave him a half smile.  ¡°You are going to do everything you can to make us turn you into a paladin, aren¡¯t you?  Fine.  Paladins get +10 to magic defense, and now you do too.  Is there anything else I can help you with?¡±


    The sarcasm sounded off emanating from her serene face, and Jace was not about to push his luck, but at least he knew what this last boon did.  He didn¡¯t understand his spell or feat yet.  But there was one more thing she did owe him.  ¡°And the name of my god?¡±


    ¡°Dexmachi.¡±


    Jace thought about the name for a while.  ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be an abbreviation for Deus ex machina, would it?  You know that is a terrible plot device.¡±


    ¡°Then earn it,¡± Gandhi said, her face especially grave.  ¡°You now have access to divine spells, and I don¡¯t think you will be disappointed by Dexmachi¡¯s selection.  Because you are so stupid, you will only be able to use two or three of them, but you still have them.  We need to define the skill to use for your divine spell difficulty.  It obviously can¡¯t be based off your Intelligence.¡±


    ¡°Mana Generation,¡± Jace replied a little too quickly.


    She contemplated the quick response.  ¡°Why do I think you are already conniving a way to break my game.¡±


    ¡°Do you hold every player¡¯s hand through this process?¡± Jace asked, ignoring her comment.


    ¡°What makes you think I¡¯m not simultaneously having this conversation with 23 other players?¡±


    Jace just stared at her.


    She relented.  ¡°You aren¡¯t ¡®every player¡¯ now, are you?  No, I usually let their god introduce themselves directly to the player.  The problem is that I haven¡¯t found the right paladin avatar for yours. He needs to have a certain douchebaggieness that I can¡¯t quite nail down.¡±


    Jace chuckled.  ¡°I¡¯m surprised you made him a male.¡±


    Now Gandhi laughed.  ¡°Oh, I think you have quite enough females controlling you right now.  Though, if I am as good at predicting the future as I think, there will be one more very soon.  And won¡¯t she be fun?¡±


    Jace opened his mouth to ask a question, but Gandhi silenced him with her hand.  She stayed quiet for a long moment, and he respected the silence.  ¡°Jace,¡± she started and then stopped.  ¡°Jace, you will need to give Gracie some space.  I know what you need and how Gracie will likely solve the problem.  I¡¯ve observed your play style and know what you will do.  You will make a call soon.  It will be the right call, but she won¡¯t like it.¡±  Gandhi paused for several seconds.  ¡°When she is ready, she will tell you.  But until then, please be patient with her.  Of all the people who need saving from my oppressive game,¡± she threw him a sly smirk, ¡°she might be the most troubled.  Promise me you will forgive her.¡±


    Jace nodded solemnly.  ¡°Is this like Asimov¡¯s Psychohistory?¡±


    Gandhi looked puzzled for a moment, and Jace saw her roll her eyes back in her head briefly as if she were looking through her inventory.  He guessed the father of science fiction didn¡¯t get much playtime in a fantasy game.  When Gandhi finished her Google search, she smiled at Jace.  ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°Then can you tell me-¡±


    ¡°No more.¡±  She silenced him with another gesture.  ¡°I believe my 20-Constitution Orc is tired after less than eight hours of gameplay.  Time for some sleep.¡±  She touched Jace on the forehead, and the room went black.

 Chapter 13: Breakfast of Champions

    Gracie slammed her hand down on the alarm clock before the third chime. It took her a while to remember where she was, but she woke up instantly when reality struck her in the face. This wasn¡¯t her house. They had made that mistake before and wouldn¡¯t do it again. The government gave them plenty of funds, and renting this safe house was necessary. As she sat up in bed and looked out the window of the second-story bedroom, the early dawn light filtering through the bulletproof windows, she realized that in addition to being a fortress, this carefully designed house also made a good prison.


    Their German ¡°hosts,¡± who had interrupted proceedings last night, had been well informed. Gracie wasn¡¯t sure how they had overridden the key fob security checkpoints to get in the house, but assuming she and Conor got out of this alive, there would be a full review of the security measures. The two of them had been understandably distracted, but some alarm should have gone off before Hans and Frans burst in on them.


    They had real names, but Gracie insisted on referring to them by caricatures, refusing to put in more of an effort. Other than shooting Conor, they had treated the two hostages reasonably well, and Gracie was grateful there hadn¡¯t been some creepy man watching her sleep all night. But they didn¡¯t need that kind of security. The house was minimally stocked, and only the knives in the kitchen could be considered weapons. The government was willing to build them a castle, but they were only supposed to hold up inside if attacked and call the cavalry for support.


    It was summer, and Gracie felt comfortable sleeping in cotton shorts and a tank top, but she wasn¡¯t going to let her captives see her athletic body like that, lest they get any ideas. Saving her brother-in-law¡¯s life (and her own) was already proper motivation for her to guide Jason through the game. Thinking about their new recruit playing for the last five hours by himself, Gracie got in gear, grabbed a full-length robe, and made her way to the ensuite bathroom. Five minutes later, she was downstairs, guided by the smell of coffee.


    Frans was sitting in the kitchen, waiting for her to wake up. They had confiscated her phone and turned off the Wi-Fi in the house. The computer downstairs was hardwired to the internet. There were no other phones in the house and no way for her to call for help. The windows upstairs didn¡¯t open and were unbreakable. There had been no need to keep a close eye on her while she slept, but the German was now closely guarding one of the two doors out of the house. The front door was just for show and was screwed and bolted shut. Only the entrance through the garage and the door to the backyard in the kitchen were viable exits. Both lay beyond her prison guard.


    Images of her trying to take out this man flashed through her mind, but she discarded them. She had spent enough time in ROI to develop good hand-to-hand combat reflexes, but Frans was holding a gun on her, and she didn¡¯t know many ways to dodge that.


    ¡°Your friend almost died last night,¡± he said in a thick accent.


    Gracie had assumed that at least one of them had stayed up to watch Jace¡¯s adventures on the big screen downstairs. She had already pegged them as non-gamers, at least not in the ROI sense, but they must have at least watched to make sure Jace didn¡¯t do anything off-script. There weren¡¯t many options Jace had to affect the real world from within the game. Perhaps if he made it to Safe Haven, he could contact one of the agents they worked with, but he didn¡¯t know whom to ask, and none of their employers knew his name yet.


    ¡°Almost got himself killed by a pregnant witch. And a bunch of giants. And a demon-thing. Not sure how he survived any of them.¡±


    Gracie smiled, wondering how accurate the descriptions were but appreciated that Jace had survived. ¡°He is a good player.¡±


    ¡°He better be. We need to be done with this soon.¡±


    Gracie shrugged. ¡°Might still take a day or two. Once you get high enough, levels aren¡¯t easy to come by.¡±


    ¡°It don¡¯t need to be pretty. No need to craft him into some super warrior. Just get him to Level 10, then bring him to Drescher.¡±


    Gracie knew that Drescher was the name of their boss. He was a pretty well-known player in the game too. He was at least level 24 and had surrounded himself with some powerful PCs and a few NPC companions that would make taking them on suicide. She had no idea how they could avoid giving them the Level 50 crystal. And, after that, how could they convince these two goons to let them go? If Jace was as good at the game as she thought he was, they might decide to keep them hostage so they could go after more exclusive loot hidden behind complex modules.


    She shook her head. Thinking that their situation was hopeless would do them no favors. She just had to play the cards she was dealt and look for an opportunity. As she approached the coffee pot, Frans wasn¡¯t going to give her an opening now and waved the gun at her to back off.


    ¡°I need my coffee if you want me to get anything done,¡± Gracie protested.


    He nodded but wouldn¡¯t let her get anywhere near a glass pitcher filled with scalding liquid. Keeping one eye on her at all times, he flipped over a hard plastic mug sitting on the counter and poured coffee into it. He set it on the round kitchen table and slid it in her direction. ¡°I like sugar and cream.¡±


    ¡°I bet you do,¡± he leered at her. ¡°But today, you are going to drink it black.¡±


    ¡°Did you make breakfast?¡±


    ¡°There are donuts downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Yummy,¡± she said. Maybe she could get some sugar frosting and cream from the donuts to help her choke down the coffee.


    Frans was still standing when she picked up her drink, and he motioned with his gun for her to move through the kitchen and over to the door that led into the basement. He weighed at least 50 pounds more than she did and was several inches taller, but he treated her like some legendary assassin, not letting her get within ten feet of him or near anything that might be interpreted as a weapon. Gracie knew this was not her chance to escape and followed directions.


    In the basement, she saw Conor tied to the couch he had bled on last night. He was sleeping, and she didn¡¯t make a noise to wake him. Hans was nowhere to be seen, and she guessed they would sleep in shifts, and Frans got the first watch.


    The TV on the wall was blank. Or mostly blank. She saw the familiar border on the edge of the screen that let her know they were still in the game, but the image was dark. ¡°Been like that for a couple hours,¡± Frans said. ¡°He escorted the witch back to town, met with a few people, and then the screen went black. It was like this earlier in his adventure too, but only for a few minutes.¡±


    Gracie nodded. Many of the deity quests were considered private, and in the end, when the player met with their god, it was always private. She wasn¡¯t used to those meetings lasting a few hours, so something else must be happening.


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s sleeping,¡± she offered, though even then, they should see a third-person view of his body wherever he was.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I need to be,¡± the man said. ¡°Now wake him up and get back to work.¡±


    ¡°He probably needs sleep,¡± Gracie argued. ¡°I have some research and planning to do, so I will let him be, and he will wake up shortly. If you want to wake your brother, you go do that. I will be down here.¡±


    Frans muttered something in German and then sat on one of the recliners. She understood he wasn¡¯t going anywhere and that Hans would wake up on his own to relieve him. Gracie pulled out her chair, set her coffee on a coaster, found a cream-filled glazed donut, and got to work.


    They had loaded a complex virus into her computer that had obviously been designed by one of Drescher¡¯s more competent underlings and not either of the two buffoons guarding her.  It prevented her from accessing anything on the internet other than this game, and even in the game, she was only given Viewer status, so she couldn¡¯t post on message boards or engage with the forums.  She could still search all the user-created content, though, and she began planning their next moves.


    <hr>


    Jace woke with a start. He sat bolt upright, and water rushed off him. His hands went wide, and he braced himself against the sides of the bath. He looked around and remembered he had been put in a trance in the temple. The priest who had brought him here looked on passively, but Snowy, who had been napping, also sprang to attention and gave her master a dirty look for waking her.


    Jace smiled at the wolf, and the animal didn¡¯t stay mad at him for long. ¡°Were you watching over me while I slept?¡±


    {No, I just sat down an hour ago. Or were you talking to the dog?}


    ¡°Gracie,¡± Jace said with excitement, standing from the bath and letting the water drip from him for a few moments before exiting. ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear your voice. Is everything okay over there?¡±


    {I got a few hours of sleep. I have coffee that tastes like it was made in a diesel engine, a donut that will destroy my diet, and Conor made it through the night without bleeding out. So, we are doing fine here. It¡¯s not breakfast at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe like you wanted, but we can¡¯t all live in a fantasy world.¡±


    Jace grinned. ¡°So, you looked it up. I¡¯ll try to tone down my obscure geek references going forward.¡±


    {That wasn¡¯t the only thing I looked up this morning,} she said. {Looks like you had a rough time of it. I finished going through the game logs a few minutes ago. You had some close calls there.}


    ¡°Are deity quests always that violent and dangerous?¡±


    {Not everyone does them, so I don¡¯t know, but from what I had heard, it is mostly a game of 20 questions with candles and incense. You don¡¯t typically fight off a level 15 incubus after facing five ogres.}


    ¡°An incubus,¡± Jace said. ¡°I wondered what type of demon he was. That wasn¡¯t even a question I was going to ask you.¡± Jace thanked the priest, who was looking strangely at an orc who seemed to be talking to no one in particular, and walked out of the temple. It was nighttime in the game, and the darkness gave him good cover as he moved for the travel node beyond the city gate.


    {I think I should have answers to most of your questions.}


    ¡°The goblins hit harder than I thought they would,¡± Jace started.


    {Ah, yes. I bet you are familiar with flanking in combat games. If two people attack someone on opposite sides, both attackers get +5 to hit. Most goblins fighting in a troupe also get Swarm, which adds a flanking bonus for each creature next to you. So, if you have four goblins near you at one time, they each got +15 to hit. Even the archers got that bonus since they were all in the same group.}


    ¡°I also could only get criticals every other attack.¡±


    {I should have told you that, but I didn¡¯t think you would be doing that much fighting. Combat works on a three-action system. Two of those can be attacks, and only one can be a critical. You can¡¯t make a critical attack in the second round if your first attack does anything over normal damage. There aren¡¯t many characters like you, who get free 20s on every hit, but for those that do exist, they can¡¯t abuse the system.}


    ¡°What about the third action? If you get three actions per round, and only two can be attacks, what is the third?¡±


    {The three main ones are defensive: Raise Shield, Dodge, or Parry. You experimented with parry a few times. The goblins were all dodging. And I believe the ogres had shields, but it doesn¡¯t look like they used them properly. Each action can be improved with feats and skills, significantly improving your effective armor class.}


    ¡°I felt I dodged a few times,¡± Jace said.


    {There is a difference between stepping to the side as a rock flies past and using your Dodge ability with a capital D. Everyone gets a base armor class. For all medium creatures like yourself, you get a base of ten. Using that basic mobility isn¡¯t Dodging an attack. You walked around with an Armor Class of 26 most of the time. If someone tried to hit you with an attack of 22, you could step aside or lean out of the way. You can¡¯t move your feet to avoid a hit when you are Flat-Footed, but you can angle your body. When you are paralyzed, you lose all mobility and are vulnerable to just about every attacker.}


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    ¡°What are the advantages to each?¡±


    {I think it will be easier to show you. For the next mission I have planned, you will have to do a fighting tutorial to get into it, and the game will explain all of this.}


    ¡°You¡¯re going to give me a tutorial on how to fight after I went against five ogres and a demon?¡±


    {Better late than never.}


    Jace was moving through the town and passed the general store and wondered if he should buy anything, but he assumed Gracie would let him know. ¡°I also found I couldn¡¯t cast my totems when I wanted.¡±


    {You can only cast each totem once every ten rounds. You are already broken; if you could keep recasting your Damage Sink Totem, no one would ever be able to damage you.}


    ¡°But I also couldn¡¯t cast it when fighting the incubus.¡±


    {Yes, he had you in a Helpless condition. When you are Helpless, you can¡¯t do anything. You become Helpless when you have a level four bane.}


    ¡°Bane?¡±


    {Yes. Positive conditions are called boons, and negative ones are called banes. He had you securely grappled, which is level 3, and then he pinned you to the wall, which elevated the restraint bane to level 4. At the end of the fight, he was dazed by your lightning attack, which is level 2. He was prone on the ground, which elevated it to level 3. Then you pinned him to the ground, which made it a level 4, so he was Helpless to defend your attack. I¡¯m sure he had a bunch of magical defenses to prevent criticals, but they were all disabled because he was helpless.}


    Jace was walking out of town and told Snowy to be alert. They were in a non-PVP zone, but it was nighttime, and he wanted a warning if they accidentally wandered into the hostile area. ¡°What about my spell and the feat that I got? Gandhi wouldn¡¯t tell me what they did.¡±


    {Wai- Wha- How- You talked to Gandhi?}


    ¡°Yes. She guided me through the quest. We had an interesting conversation before and after. I think she is on board with what we are trying to do.¡±


    Gracie turned to look at Frans dozing on the chair, wondering if he was listening to all this. The sound was up on the TV since he had watched Jace play while she slept, so they didn¡¯t have the privacy they once did.


    {She? Everyone always thought Gandhi was a guy.}


    ¡°No,¡± Jace replied. ¡°She reminded me of the Ancient One from Dr. Strange. She basically knows everything.¡±


    {Of course. She listens to everything. Since we are talking to each other through the game right now, she can hear us. She¡¯s not the only one, too. It isn¡¯t as quiet as it used to be.}


    Jace understood the code for telling him that the TV volume was up and that he needed to be careful what he said.


    {I think Snowy is a bit chatty right now,} Gracie said in her cryptic voice.


    That was another code, but Jace didn¡¯t know what it meant. He pulled up Snowy¡¯s options but didn¡¯t see a chat function. She did have a Party Member selection that Jace hadn¡¯t explored, and when he activated that, he did see the chat option. A chat screen appeared before him, taking up a third of the screen. There was a QWERTY keyboard where he could type with his eyes. He didn¡¯t bother now because Gracie was typing, and the hacker could type almost as fast as she could talk.


    <We can use this to chat privately. It isn¡¯t as convenient as talking out loud, and you won¡¯t be able to type fast, but if you need to say something important, I can see it on my feed.>


    It felt the same as when Snowy communicated with him, and at the end of her chat, Gracie must have hit enter, and the wolf barked, letting Jace know he had a message. He didn¡¯t bother going through the process of selecting the animal and navigating to the chat screen since he had watched her type it, but he understood how it would work.


    {So,} Gracie continued in his head, {on to your abilities. I assume the magic defense is obvious. As for the spell, it looks like it is called Righteous Judgement. It is basically Holy Smite and does extra damage against people unaligned with you.} She paused for a moment. {%&*$, it does a lot of damage. Usually, a spell like this will do 50% more against someone who is Chaotic or Guile if you are Ordered or Honest, but this actually gives you a multiplier for each of the three alignments. The incubus was the opposite of you on all three, so you got an 8x multiplier for your damage.}


    ¡°And if the target is the same as me on one of those alignments?¡±


    {Then you get a 0x. I think you are good enough with numbers to know that anything times zero is zero.}


    ¡°Is that how Caitlin was spared any damage?¡±


    {Yes. Lightning attacks always jump to the next closest person in the room, doing half damage. So, the demon¡¯s alignment turned your 36-damage lightning attack into a 288-damage apocalypse storm. Half went into the first half-orc, then it was cut in half again for the second guard. Then 36 points of electrical damage went into Caitlin, but because she was Traditional, it was multiplied by 0, and she took nothing.}


    ¡°She was considered Traditional? She was about to sacrifice her child to a demon to gain power.¡±


    {That brings us to the feat you got, Convict. I told you that people take three main actions with their third combat round action. There are many more. One of them is called Stand Your Ground. It is when you stand there and do nothing. When you do this, you lose your natural AC bonus, which is replaced with your Intimidation value, which is your Strength base plus your Intelligence base. For you, that is twelve plus negative six. Some feats use the Stand Your Ground action and allow you to strike fear in your attacker or possibly even daze or stun them. It is used mainly by powerful fighters who are attacked by much weaker players and don¡¯t want to bother killing them. They let them swing and miss, and when they do, they can disable them without attacking.


    {So, you swapped your natural 10 AC with an Intimidate of six. It looks like you get the same multiplying bonus as with your spell, but Caitlin was Pragmatic, Chaotic, and Liberal, so you only got a 2x bonus, and the 12 AC you got was not high enough to make her miss. She had just cast a Strength boon on herself while fighting the priest, so she was hitting you pretty hard. Then it looks like she rolled a three and missed you. Your Convict triggered, and you were able to change one aspect of her character. It looks like the game took care of this for you and changed her alignment to Traditional. I guess this means all those touchy-feely traditional family values convicted her, and she realized she loved Faylon too much to go through with it. Pretty cool, but I can¡¯t imagine it ever working again. It is way too risky. You cannot know what someone¡¯s alignment is when they attack you. I only know hers because your Convict ability revealed it. I see the demon¡¯s because your damage was multiplied by eight. I won¡¯t be able to tell you others when you meet them, so you are much more likely to take a -10 penalty to your AC than any benefit.}


    Jace nodded, able to do the math, but he trusted Gandhi and Dexmachi had plans for him. ¡°What about my spells? You said you would run down how memorizing spells works once I got one that does damage. Plus, I should have two divine spells now, right?¡±


    {We need to pick a new spell for you, but we can only do that at level up, which is another 20k away. We will definitely want to choose a healing spell.}


    ¡°I don¡¯t need a healing spell,¡± Jace replied. ¡°I have this cool ring . . .¡± he paused as he held up his hand and didn¡¯t see the ring. Jace panicked briefly as he opened his inventory. All his stuff was back, including the halberd and the Level 50 crystal. It took a few seconds for him to find it among all the random equipment he had collected, but the healing ring was there too. He hastily equipped it.


    {They let you keep the ring, nice. Do you know how it works?}


    ¡°I seem to get two health for every five mana I put into it.¡±


    {Right. Regular healing spells work the same way as damage spells. They operate on one damage per five mana. You have an Ordered healing ring, meaning it will do double healing on Ordered characters and none on chaotic characters.}


    ¡°That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t use it on Faylon.¡±


    {Correct. As for the spell, it also does one damage for every five mana you spend. You have 184 mana when full, so it maxes out at 40 damage. You can only memorize one version of this spell because you know -6 spells, but the game gives you one for free. Spells can be fully customized so they can be cast at a distance, over a wide area, and lasting for a specific time. You can even spend mana to make them more difficult to defend against. I don¡¯t recommend any of those things for you. Keeping it as a touch spell means you can cast it through whatever weapon you use. Any other modifiers will detract from the damage it can do. You can also set one of the values of the spell to All In, which means it will use up all the mana you have left. I recommend that for this. It is risky, as it will drain all your mana, and the spell might do zero damage, but I think you can strategize around it. Just make sure you have the totems you want before you cast it. We could set it to 100 mana for the damage, but if you only had 80 mana, you wouldn¡¯t be able to cast it. This way, even if you have 20 mana, you can still do four damage to someone.}


    ¡°Or possibly 32,¡± Jace countered.


    {Or possibly zero. I think you are overestimating how useful this will be.}


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like magical damage is that powerful in this game. As a shaman, I have a lot of mana for my level, yet all of my mana at once only does 36 damage. One swing of my halberd does 40 damage. And that is before any criticals, and it never runs out.¡±


    {You have +20 to hit and damage. If you were a mage with the same stats, only focused on Intelligence instead of Strength, you could have +20 to Spell Difficulty and probably +30 to Spell Damage since it is cumulative with the Spirit skill. That means you could do 31 damage by only spending five mana. Plus, some feats increase specific damage types like fire or electricity or feats that increase damage in general. A well-designed fire mage could have killed all six of those goblins that nearly ended you with one fireball that cost less than 100 mana.}


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jace said. ¡°I¡¯d love to see how all that works.¡±


    {It will never be you, but maybe we can get you a mage companion soon, and you can see how it works. Anyway, I have some information for you if we are done reviewing your adventure?}


    ¡°Almost; I also noticed that my Mana Generation ability worked differently at different times.¡±


    {Let me guess. During combat, it was generating quickly, but in between fights, it wasn¡¯t?}


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    {That is because rounds work differently at different times. In combat, a round lasts roughly six seconds. That is enough time for you to attack twice, do a third action, and for all the other enemies in your vicinity to do the same. If only two people are fighting, and they are fast, a round can be shorter. Outside of combat, rounds last six minutes. Things like Mana Generation that operated per round go at different rates depending on whether you are in combat. Rounds can take longer or shorter, depending on how characters interact. In a massive fight, a spell caster who can do a spell once per round might have to wait ten seconds between spells because there is so much action around them that it takes that long for everyone to get two attacks and an action. However, if a mage wants to cast multiple spells outside of combat, they don¡¯t have to wait six minutes between them if no one else is holding them up. But if they have a companion checking their inventory or leveling up, the player gets their full six minutes if needed, and the spell caster has to wait. Gandhi does an excellent job of taking care of it, so it is mostly invisible, but if you understand it, you can take advantage of it.}


    ¡°Makes sense. I think those are all my questions. Did you say you have some additional information?¡±


    {I think I know how you are seeing the dial.}


    Jace stopped walking at this, and Snowy turned to look at him. ¡°That is kind of my cheat code, and I am worried you are about to say it isn¡¯t going to last.¡±


    {You must be psychic. Actually, it explains how you are even in the orc. That medallion you are wearing was designed to do two things. The first is it was supposed to give us an anchor to a PC so we could control him with the AI and eventually have a human possess him through VR. Second, it was designed to give data back on NPC die results. I can typically see the result when an NPC rolls dice against a VR player, but our AI-controlled player wasn¡¯t getting that feedback, so I had to write a hack. When we lost a fight, I didn¡¯t know if it was because the NPC got a lucky die roll or if they were just too powerful. Also, the amulet was explicitly designed so only the paladin could wear it.


    {Then I thought about the orc shaman taking the most powerful weapon available after he defeats someone at the end of the level 50 module. There are several weapon quests you can go one where a powerful NPC craftsman will make a weapon specifically designed for you. That way, you won¡¯t tempt other PCs to kill you since they can¡¯t use your weapon anyway. But the orc was scripted to take his opponent¡¯s most powerful item and use it. That wouldn¡¯t be possible if the best weapon were personal, so the orc was programmed with a cheat script that allowed him to change each item he picked up, so if it was personal for someone else, it became unique to him.}


    ¡°And when he picked up the amulet,¡± Jace jumped in, ¡°since it was designed for your paladin, he made it personal to him so that he could wear it.¡±


    {And, because it was programmed to hack NPCs and show us their die rolls, every time you need to roll a die in an attack, it shows you the results as it happens.}


    ¡°That might explain something else that¡¯s been happening,¡± Jace said. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed images flashing through my mind when people around me cast spells. It is fast and confusing, but I get the idea that numbers are associated with the die results.¡±


    {When you defend against a magical attack, you roll a die. I¡¯m guessing the game is showing how you can manually defend against the attack, the same way it shows you where to attack to get the 20. Next time it happens, pay attention. You might have found another hack to get 20s in defense against magic, which would be really nice. However, it isn¡¯t going to last forever, I fear.}


    ¡°I knew you were going to say that.¡±


    {The paladin charged the item for 36 hours. So far, it has been about twenty since he put it on. So, you have another half a day with it at best. Probably until nighttime today.}


    ¡°Can¡¯t we recharge it?¡±


    {You don¡¯t know the spell; the paladin did. He obtained it from a specific module I programmed that had the amulet as the prize. It is a SIM, so a bunch of people aren¡¯t walking around with the necklace.}


    ¡°If we destroy it, then the SIM will reset, and I can go get it again, right?¡±


    {You can¡¯t destroy a unique item from a SIM. The only way to reset the SIM is to delete the item from the game, which happens if you die and the amulet is in a SIM or MIM that you own. Those modules are reset or deleted along with everything inside them. Plus, I¡¯m not sure it would work the same. When the orc picked it up, he was an NPC, and it bonded to him. Now you are a PC. If the amulet were reset and connected to you again, it would be as a PC, and it wouldn¡¯t show your dice rolls anymore.¡±


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to use it for training. Try to predict where the 20s are so I can still get them after the amulet dies.¡± Jace was quiet for a while and noticed that he was still stopped outside the city, standing in the dark with Snowy looking at him. It dawned on him that if another PC came upon him in this situation, they would probably try to attack him again. He continued moving toward the travel node.


    ¡°I need a spell to disguise myself. Gandhi made it clear that she wouldn¡¯t help me with my appearance anymore. People will reject an orc, and I¡¯ll never be able to go into a PVP zone looking like this.¡±


    {Yes, I see that as an issue too. The problem is that all the good illusion items are either in PVP zones or are Gandhi-enabled modules, meaning they will react to you being an orc. I had to find a very early module written before the VR and Gandhi were incorporated. Everything is backward compatible, but you don¡¯t get all the features.}


    ¡°Sure, whatever. I can adapt. Is this where the combat tutorial is?¡±


    {Yes, and it is actually accessed through the real Realm of Infamy game that the designers intended people to play, not just all the modules that people do now.}


    ¡°Going old school,¡± Jace said, though everything was new to him.


    {Right. Get to the travel node, and I will tell you where to go.}

 Chapter 13.1

    In chapter 13, Gracie briefly explains level four banes and how that makes you Helpless. I went over this briefly in the Chapter 10.1 Addendum, but I wanted to explain it here further. There are six levels of disorienting banes: Charm, Daze, Stun, Paralyze, Unconscious, and Death. Paralyze is level 4, and anything at level 4 or higher makes you helpless.


    There are also Grappling Banes. They are:


    1 Entangled


    2 Grappled


    3 Securely Grappled


    4 Pinned


    Entangled is like walking through thick weeds or loose spiderwebs. You get a -5 to all movement-based actions like attacking, defending, or combat maneuvers but not to saving throws. Grappled means something is holding you. It could be ropes or someone¡¯s hands or tentacles. When you are grappled, you cannot attempt any maneuvers until you are free. You can¡¯t attack or Dodge or move on your own. At any time, you can try to free yourself.


    To escape from a Grapple, you need to add your Athletic skill to your Resist skill and roll a D20. If you beat the Grapple score, you are free and have immediate initiative against what was Grappling you. If it was a character, they are considered flat-footed if you attack them. If you lose, you become Securely Grappled. Once you are Securely Grappled, you are trapped for several rounds. The base is four rounds, but that can be increased if the Grappler is significantly higher in level or got several criticals in the grapple attempt. Also, if the person being grappled is at a higher level or has specific feats, this can be decreased but is always at least one round. Once the duration is over, you can attempt to free yourself again. Once someone is Securely Grappled, you can Pin them against a wall, pole, or the ground. This will take them to a level four bane, and they will be Helpless. You can do nothing when you are Helpless. However, if you are Helpless because of a Grappled condition, you can attempt to free yourself once the Secured Grapple time is up. If you try and fail, you are Secured again.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Your Grapple score is your Athletic skill plus your Grapple ability. If you don¡¯t take the Grapple feat, it is just your Athletic score. Since the defender gets to use their Athletic skill plus their Resist skill and they get to roll a D20, you can¡¯t expect to successfully Grapple someone unless you have a really high Athletic skill and/or a really high Grapple ability. The Grapple feat adds +5 to your Grapple ability, and you can take the feat multiple times. It is a Strength feat. There is also the Improved Grapple feat, which is only available to certain classes and occupations. This allows you to force someone into a Secured Grapple position whether or not they want to resist. It also adds +5 to your Grapple score.


    You can also use ropes or shackles to Grapple someone. Each item has its own Grapple score, and, depending on how good you are at tying knots, you can increase the item¡¯s Grapple score. There is also an Escape Artist feat, which gives you a bonus to escaping Grapples. Very soon, Esther will show up in the story, and she is good at all these things, but I probably don¡¯t explain it very well since I¡¯m more interested in telling the story at that point.


    There is also the Prone condition when the victim lies on the ground. This elevates the bane by one. So, if you are Stunned (level 3) but lying on the ground, you are considered Helpless.


    You can also combine banes. In Chapter 12, Jace defeats the demon by stunning him and getting him Prone on the ground. Since he is Helpless in this state, Jace can put his foot on him, and he has no defensive ability to resist, so he is also considered Pinned.


    In this Module, Jace will be Charmed, Grappled, Pinned, and Helpless at different times. While the names are descriptive enough, I just wanted to let everyone know there are game mechanics controlling these interactions, and they aren¡¯t just open-ended. Once again, as many numbers and dice rolls as I show, others are working behind the scenes.

 Chapter 14: Scripted Encounter

    Kellington was a busy little town.  Gracie explained that it was the village a player started in when they first created their character.  Jace realized he was no longer part of the shared Realm as it was suddenly not nighttime but several hours after noon and approaching dinner.  Dozens of tutorials were scattered around the village, teaching different aspects of the game, including several simple FedEx quests for players to get their feet wet.  It was also unique in that it was one of the few non-quest-related towns in the game that was its own MIM.  Each player had a unique copy of Kellington, so it was impossible to meet another PC there, and you could explore the game in privacy and safety.


    Jace had already taken down two level 15 characters and countless level ten monsters, so he felt most of the information he could get here would be worthless, but Gracie insisted that he walk through the combat tutorial as it was the only way to initiate the quest he actually needed.  He was constantly stopped by NPCs that came up to him and welcomed him to town and told him where the general store was, where he could get a bite to eat, which townsfolk had problems with rats in the basement, or who were missing farm animals.  He politely refused all the first-level quests offered to him until someone told him he could train with the local weapon master if he wanted.


    A small collection of soldiers sparred on the western edge of town, and Jace watched from a distance as two men beat each other with wooden poles and the group leader shouted advice.  Jace waited for them to finish, then walked up to the instructor and introduced himself.


    ¡°Welcome, Jace Thorne.  My name is Garret Listinger.  I am the weapon master in Kellington.  Have you come to try your hand at fighting?  We might be able to help you.¡±


    The weapon master spoke woodenly.  Jace could tell he was heavily scripted and not nearly as lifelike as Faylon, Xavier, or Caitlin had been.  Also, Jace was given scripted responses to the training offer, each with a number next to it in case he was sitting at a keyboard.  Jace tried reading one of them instead.


    ¡°Thank you, Garret.  I would like some training.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Garret replied a bit too enthusiastically.  ¡°You seem to be quite advanced.  Let¡¯s see if we can find someone at your level.¡±


    This should be interesting, Jace thought.  So far, no one had even given the massive orc or Snowy a second look.  The weapon master went over to a group of men, and then a gigantic fighter stepped out of the group.  Jace could tell the game generated the half-orc on the spot, as he hadn¡¯t been standing there before.  The shaman was handed a pole that he could hold with two hands and was ushered into the center of the fighting ring.  His half-orc opponent was easily as big as he was, with muscles bulging out of the guard uniforms designed for humans.


    When the weapon master announced the fighting to begin, Jace¡¯s vision flashed with a red border to indicate they were in combat mode, and the familiar dial sprung up around his opponent.  Jace let the orc attack first and tried to initiate his parry ability.  The first strike got through easily, and Jace winced.  From the sideline, Snowy growled at seeing her master hit for the first time.  He realized he had no armor and hadn¡¯t cast a totem yet.  He attacked back, swinging through the 20-slot, and the half-orc went flying.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the weapon master cried.  ¡°It looks like we have a fast learner.¡±


    The half-orc got back up, and Jace put him right back down.  So far, he wasn¡¯t learning much.  The weapon master ended the fight quickly and instead put a much smaller, quicker woman against him.  Jace had his hang-ups about hitting a woman, but it didn¡¯t matter because the harder he tried to hit her, the more she kept diving and jumping away.  Jace found that when he started his attack, the 20 was a big obvious target, but as soon as the woman enacted her Dodge ability, the 20-slot shifted, and he ended up getting a 12 or lower and missed.


    After a few more tries, Jace noticed that the 20 usually moved to where the 15-17 was initially, and if he aimed for that less optimal slot, which would also hit the woman, he could more easily adjust to get a 20 once she dodged.  Gracie gave him the numbers of each attack, and he understood that her base AC was 17, but her Dodge ability was 16, so she had an effective AC of 33.  Jace insisted to the Weapon Master that they continue this training a few more rounds, and soon Jace was able to get at least an 18 every time the woman dodged.  At first, he had been reluctant to hit her, but now he cheered each time his pole cracked against her head.


    They then went through the same thing with a shield-bearing dwarf.  Jace had fought against enemies that had held shields, but they had never raised them.  They just let the AC bonus work passively.   This dwarf was different.  He held a massive shield, and when he took the Raise Shield action, the 20-slot shifted again.  Soon, Jace could predict where the vulnerable spots were going to be.  Like Dodge, the shield didn¡¯t protect the same places each time, so even with the dial, he didn¡¯t always get 20s but could usually hit the dwarf.


    Then came a tall skinny fighter with two straight swords, one long and one short.  This NPC was designed to parry.  Once again, Jace found his dial shifting on him at the last second as the defender maneuvered his blades to intercept every attack Jace had, but soon he was able to predict where the parries would be the weakest and lined up attacks through the 14-slot that turned into 20s once he hit.


    In the end, Jace felt he knew much more about combat and understood that fighting against skilled opponents (not just goblins and ogres) would be more complex than just swinging through the 20-slot each time.  When the practice was over, the guards congratulated Jace and invited him to the tavern for a drink, where they promised to tell him about a pack of kobolds that had attacked a nearby mine.  Before Jace had a chance to go with them, a hooded stranger who had been watching from the shade of a horse barn strode over to him.


    {This is the guy we want,} Gracie said.  {You must complete the fighting tutorial for him to come up to you.  He is part of a module that someone added to the base game afterward, but it is still pre-VR.}


    ¡°You put on quite a show, stranger,¡± the man said once the other guardsmen had left.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace replied, not bothering to read the suggested replies.  Gandhi wasn¡¯t running the interactions here, but it was still more adaptive than most scripted games he had played.


    ¡°How do you like that sword you are using?  Would you be interested in something better?¡±


    Jace looked down at the sword on his hip.  It was the same one he had used in the deity module.  It was a level 2 weapon and only did 11 base damage.  His halberd was much better, but it didn¡¯t have a sheath, and he had to carry it around, taking up one of his hands, so he kept it hidden in his inventory.  ¡°It does what it is supposed to.¡±


    ¡°How would you like the opportunity to have a custom weapon built just for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Normally, the new adventurers I see here aren¡¯t quite ready for my offer, but I see you are advanced.¡±


    {I think you have to be at least level five to accept this quest,} Gracie chimed in.  {Most newbies have to come back after they have leveled up.}


    ¡°I have a blacksmith friend in a nearby town who has some problems I think you can address.  If you help him out, he will make you a fabulous weapon that outperforms anything you find in these shops.  What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I think I like the sound of that,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Good.  I will mark the town on your map.  It is called Portsmith.  Look for Quinton Farbender at the Bent Horseshoe.  Tell him Dreston sent you.  I don¡¯t think you will be disappointed.¡±  Dreston nodded one final time from beneath his hood, quickly walked away to the barn, and disappeared.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Jace stood still for a while, not realizing that he hadn¡¯t moved once during the conversation until he felt released by some unseen force and nearly toppled forward.  He took a few quick steps, and Snowy barked at him in alarm.


    ¡°That Dreston guy turns out to be bad, right?¡±


    He could hear the shock in Gracie¡¯s voice.  {Yes, how did you know that?  You are supposed to complete a mission for Quinton, and then he makes you an excellent weapon that fits your proficiencies.  Dreston, whose real name is Racitor, confronts you later and demands the weapon.  He claims Quinton short-changed him before and owed him a weapon, so he will take yours.  You then have to negotiate the conflict between the two men, and you find out Dreston/Racitor serves some god that requires you to . . .  Anyway, it is this big, long thing that you don¡¯t need to get into.  You just need him to mark Portsmith on your map.  There is another side quest we need there.  How did you know Dreston was bad?}


    ¡°During the conversation, I was frozen.  Console players wouldn¡¯t notice it, but it was obvious to me since I can move any body part at any time.  Games do that when they want to keep you from interacting with a character before you are supposed to.  It would destroy the mission if I had killed him or cast a spell on him.¡±


    {I¡¯ve read the manual on creating effective modules for ROI, which mentions design techniques to prevent players from breaking the quest narrative.  Not introducing the villain until they are ready to fight the player is a crucial strategy.  Anyway, none of that is relevant.  You need to go to Portsmith.}


    <hr>


    After finding one of the several travel nodes on the edge of Kellington, Jace opened his map and navigated to the coastal city of Portsmith.  Instead of fading out and then back in on a path leading into the town, Jace was given a fully immersive cut scene.


    {Oh, yea.  I forgot about this.  They stopped designing these intros to locations once the VR took over because it didn¡¯t make as much sense.}


    Jace felt dizzy as his disembodied vision soared over the ocean, following the path of several massive ships coming into port.  The docks of Portsmith extended far into the water, with palatial buildings and impressive warehouses fighting for valuable real estate closer to shore.  If he were sitting in front of a computer screen, the majestic panoramic introduction to this vibrant city would have felt natural, but the 2D movie just felt odd from his VR perspective.


    After a quick tour of the coast and a final zoom-out to give proper perspective on the city, the movie ended, and Jace found himself standing on the docks next to a travel node.  He looked behind him and saw a ship in the process of unloading.  He couldn¡¯t move in that direction, but the game implied that he had just gotten off the vessel and was entering through the docks.


    ¡°So,¡± Jace said under his breath, not wanting to look strange to any NPCs that might hear him talk out loud, ¡°where am I going?  You haven¡¯t really told me what this quest is.¡±


    {That is because I know you will hate it, and I am delaying as much as possible.}


    ¡°Great.  What do I have to do?  Kill a bunch of baby penguins?¡±


    {No, Portsmith has a much more tropical climate than that.}


    ¡°Gracie, just tell me.¡±


    Jace noticed several people approaching him, and he tried to wave them off before they initiated a conversation.


    {No, don¡¯t ignore her,} Gracie chimed in as Jace tried to avoid a desperate woman in a modest house dress.  {We need to talk to her.}


    ¡°Please, kind sir.  Please help me.  My husband has been missing for three days.  The landlord has come for the rent, and I don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    Jace shrugged his shoulders and selected the woman for conversation.  ¡°I believe I can help you, miss.  What can you tell me about your husband?¡±


    The woman only returned a confused look, and Jace glanced down at the suggested replies and tried again.  ¡°Where is the last place you saw your husband.¡±


    ¡°He took a job with Zachery Hegai.  He pretty much runs the city these days and is constructing a lot of new buildings.  He needs to clear trees on the city¡¯s edge, pull up stumps, and then haul bricks and stone out to the build sites.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like hard work,¡± Jace replied, still reading from the prompts.  It wasn¡¯t something he would typically say, but he wanted to play it safe.  ¡°Was your husband cut out for the work?  Maybe he got hurt.¡±


    ¡°No, sir.  My husband was one of the strongest men in the city.  Much bigger than you, sir, if you don¡¯t mind me saying.  He was tall with a black beard.¡±


    Jace looked down at the woman from an almost two-foot advantage and doubted her words very much.  It was obvious Gandhi was not running the show in this module.  ¡°What was his name?¡± Jace asked, following his script.


    ¡°Henry.  Henry Tornsend.  Please, sir, if you can find out anything, please let me know.¡±


    Jace promised he would, dismissed the woman, and kept walking into the city.


    {If you look down at your spells, you should have a city map icon you can choose.  All of these older modules have them.  The VR quests make you wander around until you find things.}


    Jace found the map and pulled it up.  It filled half his screen, and he assumed the glowing dot moving on the map was him. Only a few locations had labels, but he saw three points of interest.  The Bent Horseshoe was only two blocks away, and the Tornsend home was close too, but Zachery Hegai¡¯s work offices were on the opposite side of town.  Jace found that he could select a location on the map, and his legs started walking in that direction independently.


    ¡°So, do you want to fill me in on this mission, or am I supposed to figure it out as we go?  As enjoyable as it might be actually to play this game in my free time, I feel we have more pressing matters now.¡±


    {Right.  I will explain.} Jace could tell she didn¡¯t want to.  {Zachery is a wealthy businessman who made a deal with the devil.  Well, not the devil, per se, but a fen witch.  They met in a swamp up the coast a few kilometers, she saved him from something, and he promised to restore her, or something like that.}


    ¡°What is a fen witch?¡±


    {It is like a bog hag.  She is half-toad, half-human.  A hideously ugly creature with powerful magic.  However, she believes she is cursed and used to be a beautiful woman who now wants to be restored.  Zach promised to help her in payment for saving his life.  So, he chooses strong men from the town and sends them to her occasionally, and she sucks the life out of them, hoping that if she consumes enough power, she will eventually transform back into the woman she used to be.}


    ¡°And how does Zach pull this off without getting caught?  It seems like a big risk for someone trying to rise to power within a thriving city.¡±


    {Oh, he gets rich off the deal too.  He has set up the hag as the chief madam at the city¡¯s most exclusive brothel, the Gilded Swan.  He keeps the profits from the whorehouse, and people assume the missing men ran off after cheating on their wives.}


    Jace just knew it would be something like that.  ¡°Let me guess.  The hag has the illusion item we need.  She uses it to disguise herself as a beautiful woman and lures men to her.¡±


    {See, you don¡¯t even need me.}


    ¡°You want me to go into a brothel, fight through a bunch of prostitutes until I get to their boss, and then kill her to get the item?¡±


    {Oh, no.  You don¡¯t need to kill anyone.  At least not until you get to the witch.}


    ¡°I just walk in and ask to see the woman in charge, and they escort me to the top?¡±


    {No, you walk in and allow yourself to be charmed by the first woman who approaches you.  She takes you to her room.  If you perform well, she passes you up to one of the four lieutenants in the house.  If they like you, you are introduced to the woman in charge.  The fen witch has a strict selection process, so she only gets the characters with the most Strength and Spirit, though I¡¯ve never heard of her turning a Player Character away.}


    Jace was quiet for a long while.  ¡°When this is all over.  You and I are going to have a long conversation.¡±


    {This is bigger than your %&*#@%^ chastity, Jace.  None of us want to be in this situation right now.  Let¡¯s make the most of it.}


    ¡°Are you telling me to lay back and enjoy it?¡±


    {If this is such a problem for you, work a solution.  You¡¯re supposed to be the super gamer, right?  You can find unique solutions that no one else can.  Admittedly, no one else who¡¯s done this module has tried to find a different route, but I¡¯m sure you can come up with something.}


    ¡°Have you done this module?¡±


    Gracie didn¡¯t answer for a while but then exploded on him.  {Of course, I have.  It is the easiest #$%&*# experience you can find in the $%#@$#$ game.  You get 5k for killing the witch and another 20k for telling the widow her husband was cheating on her.}


    ¡°Killing the witch is easy?¡±


    {Yes, very.  If you follow the walkthrough on the wiki page I have up in front of me, you can¡¯t mess it up.  You stab her with her hair pick while she¡¯s having an orgasm, and she practically explodes.  You don¡¯t even have to be proficient in light-bladed weapons.}


    Jace took a few deep breaths and didn¡¯t say anything for a while.  ¡°And then you can just pick up the illusion item?¡±


    Now it was Gracie¡¯s turn to be quiet for a while.  Jace thought he could hear mouse clicks in the silence.  {Actually, it doesn¡¯t say how to get the necklace.  She is wearing it, and if you stab her while she is sucking your mana, she explodes in a magical outburst, and all of her enchanted items go with her.}


    ¡°So, no one has ever gotten this necklace before.  What if you try to grab it before you kill her?¡±


    Gracie searched a while longer.  {If you try to grab it before, she grapples and pins you to the bed.  She only releases you once she climaxes.  But then you are supposed to stab her.}


    ¡°And if you grab for the necklace instead?¡±


    {I guess she keeps sucking your life.  A few people missed the window to stab her, and they were paralyzed and then killed.}


    ¡°So, we have no idea how to get this necklace without getting me raped and killed.¡±


    Gracie was quiet again.  {You need to figure that out.  I¡¯m sorry.  This was the only option I could find that met our parameters.}  Her voice was almost a whisper.


    Jace had been in auto-walk mode this whole time, ignoring the city around him, but now saw he was approaching Zachery Hegai¡¯s offices and decided to put his game face on.

 Chapter 15: The Gilded Swan

    ¡°Hello there, sir,¡± Zach called toward Jace, stepping away from a dwarf who was complaining about the quality of the stone coming in. The man was middle-aged with a goatee and intelligent eyes. He didn¡¯t look like a fighter, and Jace couldn¡¯t see any weapons. Instead, he had a few scroll cases hanging from his belt and had one parchment out to read. Jace was tall enough to see they were plans for an arena. Looking to his left, the shaman spotted a football field-sized area leveled off for the proposed stadium.


    ¡°Is there something you need? You look like a man with a purpose.¡±


    Jace looked at the dwarf eying up Snowy and grinned as the two were roughly the same height. He was about to answer independently when he saw the verbal prompts toward the bottom of his vision. He hated being scripted but understood the necessity of completing this mission successfully. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a man named Henry Tornsend. He was a big guy with a black beard. I believe he should have been around here about three days ago.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zach started. ¡°I don¡¯t think I know-¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I saw him,¡± the dwarf piped in. ¡°The man could really move a sledge. By my hammer, we could do with a man like that today.¡±


    Zach frowned at the dwarf but turned a grin back toward Jace. ¡°Maybe he was around; I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t seen someone like that, but I¡¯m not around every day.¡±


    It looked like the dwarf wanted to argue that statement too, but Zach gave him another look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help you, sir. But I know many workers head over to the Gilded Swan after a hard day. The drink there is the best in the city, and the view isn¡¯t bad either. I¡¯m friends with the owner,¡± he added and reached into his pocket. He produced a coin and flipped it at Jace. ¡°First drink is on me.¡±


    Jace thanked him and then turned to leave. ¡°Do I need any more info than that?¡± Jace asked when he was far enough away not to draw attention to himself.


    {That should be enough,} Gracie answered.


    Jace pulled up his map again and found the Gilded Swan sitting along the coast, much further north than the docks had been. Over the next few minutes, as he moved through the city, he noticed the buildings increasing in size and complexity. This was far different from the tiny homes and rundown buildings near the dock. When Jace came upon his destination, he was impressed.


    The Gilded Swan would have been an elaborate building in any 21st-century city. Its outer walls were built from polished marble, with framed windows and decorative curved doors. Tables were set up outside in front of the building, with maids bringing customers drinks and food. Jace glanced around back and saw tiered wooden decks looking out over the ocean. It was late in the day, and the sunset over the water would be an enchanting sight for those that could afford this establishment.


    Jace knew he had to get it over with and approached the front door.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir,¡± he was stopped by an elderly man in a suit before he could enter. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir, but no animals are allowed inside.¡±


    Jace was so distracted by the scenery that he had almost forgotten Snowy trailing close behind him. He noticed the wolf now as she growled at the inhospitable man.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we cannot make exceptions.¡±


    ¡°I understand, sir.¡± Jace turned from the guard and knelt before his familiar. ¡°It¡¯s okay, girl. I¡¯ll be in there for only a little while. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Something in her eyes told Jace another story. Almost as if she could sense the danger and wanted to protect her master. Could she possibly know what this building was? Was this one female predator sensing the presence of others like her? Jace scratched her hard behind the ears and trusted that she would be fine. This was his private module. No other players would be coming around, and none of the NPCs were advanced enough to care about the huge wolf sitting outside the brothel, waiting for her master to come out.


    Jace smiled at that last thought and turned to enter the building. From everything Gracie had told him, he expected a strip club or possibly an American-style breastaurant filled with scantily clad women. This wasn¡¯t it. It looked like a fine dining establishment with an island resort theme. Wooden tables and chairs sat in an organized pattern with ferns and accordion partitions separating them. Male and female servers moved about the room, modestly dressed, with white aprons and colored shirts. A mix of elves, dwarves, and half-breeds filled the room, though most were human.


    Jace was shown to a table, and a young woman brought him a glass of water. His eyes searched his surroundings, looking for some thread he could pull that would unravel this idyllic setting into the soul-sucking nightmare it was supposed to be, but nothing caught his attention. Eventually, his eyes focused on a balcony along the western wall. The stairs to the raised walkway were hidden, but his eyes latched onto a woman leaning against the polished brass railing.


    She was mesmerizing. Her heritage was some mix of Hawaiian or South Pacific, with tanned skin and long, slender limbs. Instead of the expected black hair, hers was a deep red that reminded Jace of an apple bursting with flavor. She wore a dazzling silver gown over her slim figure that looked like a thousand tiny fish scales tightly woven around her. The dress was held up by nearly invisible straps over her shoulders and fell just past her knees.


    Jace must have been staring at her longer than he realized, for her eyes found him, and she smiled back. He hadn¡¯t noticed the other woman approaching from behind, but a second beauty soon stood over her shoulder. She looked Middle Eastern, almost a perfect, grown-up version of Jasmine from Disney¡¯s Aladdin. She wore a light brown leather halter that showed off her tight muscled midriff and a narrow ankle-length blue skirt. Her arms looked as strong as some of the men he saw back at the work site, only adorned with bracelets at her wrists and biceps, connected with thin gold chains. More gold hung about her neck and ears, contrasting delightfully with her dark skin and pale green eyes. She had a ruby studded choker that didn¡¯t match the rest of her attire, but Jace didn¡¯t have a chance to analyze it further as she stepped behind the first woman and whispered in her ear. They laughed about something and were soon both looking at Jace.


    He wondered momentarily if his orc appearance was betraying him, but his thoughts were interrupted by a young man who arrived to take his order. ¡°Can I get you something, sir?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t bother with the prompts that suggested he ask about the missing husband or what relationship Zachery had with the owner. Instead, he pulled the coin Zach had given him and placed it on the table. His inventory labeled it as a Drink Voucher for the Gilded Swan. ¡°What does this get me?¡±


    The young man changed his demeanor instantly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir. I did not realize you were an honored guest. Please, excuse me. I will have one of the hostesses attend to you immediately.¡± He left the coin on the table and scampered away. Jace looked back to the balcony, but the two women were gone. In less than a minute, another alluring female arrived at his table, bringing a foaming mug of honey ale. Even with his Elements turned down and this not being designed for VR, he could smell the rich aroma of the drink, and he didn¡¯t realize how thirsty it was.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    {It¡¯s poisoned.}


    Jace had almost forgotten Gracie was there.


    {It will lower your resistance to the spells they will cast on you.}


    Jace pretended there wasn¡¯t a voice in his head and smiled at the hostess. She was larger than either of the women from the balcony but still beautiful with voluptuous curves and a pleasing face. Jace was willing to bet she was at least a quarter dwarf. They might not be treating him like an orc, but they picked a woman for him that could at least approach his size and strength.


    ¡°Drink up, me dear,¡± she said, a slight dwarven accent showing through. ¡°Me name¡¯s Annie. Ye shall need that drink for what I have planned.¡±


    Jace kept his eyes on her as he lifted the mug to his mouth and pretended to take a long sip. The thick head on the ale masked the level of the liquid, and the woman was adequately fooled. She sat across from him, leaning over as she did and displaying a large percentage of her wares beneath the scoop neck of the barmaid¡¯s outfit.


    ¡°Just keep your eyes on me, deary, and you won¡¯t be having any more problems.¡±


    Jace sensed the images in his mind again but was ready for them this time. Most of them were of the maid across from him, some of her smiling face, and others imagined what the rest of her body looked like. He saw the numbers associated with these pictures, which were all below ten. Numbers one and two made him blush deeply.


    But then his eyes left the woman across the table, and he focused on his mission. He imagined Conor with a shot leg. He pictured Gracie gagging down bitter coffee and a stale donut. And finally, he rested on a picture of himself as an orc, banging his bare chest with his fists and screaming from the edge of a rocky cliff.


    Then the pictures were gone. He was back at the table, barely a moment passing, and he was able to return the look of his hostess with a smile. ¡°Nice ale. Where do you get it?¡±


    Annie looked puzzled for a moment and sat up straight. ¡°A big man like yerself might need a second glass, wouldn¡¯t ya?¡±


    ¡°Aye, that sounds pleasant.¡±


    She looked away from him, and Jace hastily reached his mug back to a potted plant beside his table, dumped the contents, and then brought it back to his lips before she turned back around. He smacked his tongue appreciatively and licked the foam from his upper lip, somehow not cutting himself on his own teeth. He felt her spell again but was ready for it. He focused this time on the support pillar in the center of the room, appreciating the intricate work of fitting the irregular-shaped stones, one on top of the other, bracing them together as the mortar dried between them. No other images even entered his head.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be getting ye another one.¡± She stood and quickly moved to the back corner of the room, disappearing behind several plants and a false wall.


    Jace stood from the table, brushed off the insistent serving boy, and followed after his hostess. There was little space for him to hide in the corner of the room, but he found an empty table and sat down with his back to the walkway. Annie came back a few moments later, and as she hurried past him, Jace sprang from his chair and retraced her steps to the corner.


    {Full marks on that impressive dice rolling back there,} Gracie said. {You got an 18 and then a 20. I assume that that wasn¡¯t an accident, but what are you doing now?}


    ¡°Finding another way,¡± he answered. An unlocked door stood at the end of a short hall, and behind it, stairs led down. The orc was not stealthy, but no one was around to hear him. Also, the stone steps leading into the basement were sturdy and did not creak. The lower level was a storeroom filled with crates, dried foods, and drink barrels.


    Jace saw light ahead and heard the sound of a female voice chanting. On a hunch, he pulled up his spell screen, picked the Stone Armor Token, and dropped it next to a pile of supplies. Unlike the wooden floor above, the basement had fully stone-block construction, and the totem rose quickly. He then pulled up his Damage Sink Totem, but it was grayed out.


    ¡°I thought I only couldn¡¯t cast the same totem twice in ten rounds. I know I cast two different ones in the last module.¡±


    {You can have more than one active at a time, but not within 50 feet of each other. When you cast more than one before, you always placed them far apart and fought between them.}


    Jace grunted at the new rule he had discovered. And, of course, he had placed this totem near the middle of the room. The basement wasn¡¯t big enough for him to find another valid spot. Some protection was better than none, and he crept forward. The light and noise came from the northeast corner of the building, away from the coastal side. As he got closer, Jace could hear tell-tale kitchen noises and soon peered into a cooking room with a caldron over a stiff fire. He hid behind a pile of grain and dried fruits. A witch stood over the bubbling ale, casting spells and mumbling to herself.


    At least, she looked like a witch. She actually bore a striking resemblance to the two women he had seen on the balcony . . . from the neck down. Her brown and green dress was cinched tight under her chest and around her waist, with a generous slit up one hip that revealed a shapely, muscular leg. Her dirty blonde hair fell past her long neck and caressed her bare skin as the top of her off-the-shoulder dress exposed plenty of her generous figure.


    But her face was very different. She wore a simple, thin-rimmed brown hat with a veil flipped up, so she could look unhindered into her brew. Her nose was too long for her face, and her eyes too wide set. Her chin came to a sharp point beneath her thin lips. And a massive wart sat on her cheekbone. She had the classic visage of a fairy-tale witch.


    This was too easy, Jace thought. He didn¡¯t have to muck about with all the prostitutes upstairs; he only had to kill the witch right here.


    {That¡¯s not the fen witch,} Gracie said, bursting his bubble. {She is Leah, one of the lieutenants.}


    As Jace got ready to pull his sword, Annie showed up with the second mug of ale she had procured earlier. ¡°He¡¯s left,¡± she said. The maid set it on the table just as Leah dipped a mugful from the caldron and magically chilled it.


    The witch snarled in response. ¡°She won¡¯t be happy. Did you get a good look at him? Could you track him?¡±


    ¡°Aye, I did. In fact . . .¡± she then sniffed the air and looked directly at Jace¡¯s hiding spot through the back door of the kitchen.


    {Smelly orc,} Gracie chided.


    The witch didn¡¯t wait for Jace to make a move, turning and casting a spell in one motion. Jace enacted his Dodge skill, but it was pathetic, and the fire bolt hit him solidly.


    {I forgot to mention,} Gracie said, {but because a winter wolf is your familiar, you do take an additional 50% damage from fire attacks.}


    Jace also stupidly dodged into the kitchen and rose on the cauldron''s other side. The two women stared at him less than six feet away, unsure what to do. They didn¡¯t stay uncertain for long and raised their arms for magic attacks.


    ¡°Leah! Annie! Halt!¡±


    The voice carried such weight that even Jace stopped drawing his weapon to regard this new presence entering the room. The two women stepped aside, and the witch flipped her veil down in respect as the most breathtaking female Jace had ever seen walked toward him. She was taller than the other women and moved with grace and fluidity, making it look like she was dancing toward him. Her skin was porcelain smooth, and Jace¡¯s eyes traced the lines of her shoulders down the slope of her chest like ice on a hot skillet, his very soul melting inside him. Her black scoop-neck dress clung to her like a second skin, all lace and ribbon with fleeting glimpses of what lay beneath as the woven layers flowed like ebony silk over her perfect form. The skirt hung in loose gossamer panels, each fully transparent yet overlapping to mask the tops of her long legs.


    ¡°Is that how we treat our guests?¡± her voice came again, soothing and rich, yet still with a hint of the power she had demonstrated earlier. ¡°Please, we don¡¯t need weapons here.¡±


    Without thinking, Jace pulled his sword and tossed it aside.


    {So much for figuring out how to manufacture good magic saving throws,} Gracie¡¯s voice filled his head. {She got so many critical successes on that charm spell that you might as well hand her the Level 50 Crystal, and we can call it a day.}


    Jace wanted to bite back with a sarcastic remark but found he couldn¡¯t talk. He couldn¡¯t even move, at least not unless his mistress bade him. The enchantress in black closed in on him while the other two women retreated from the room to let her work. She lifted one of her arms, her pale hand extended from the long sleeves, and her red fingernails reached out to Jace¡¯s chest and scratched him lightly on the skin. ¡°So much ferocity. So much power. You need a calming touch. You need a woman¡¯s touch.¡±


    Jace could do nothing but look in her eyes. They were such a dark blue that they appeared black and bottomless, pits he could fall into and never get out ¨C never wanting to get out. Shrouded by her long, raven black hair, her face was the sandy white beach of a desert island on a dark stormy night, her ruby red lips a ripe fruit to satisfy his hunger. It was safety. It was calm. It was inviting.


    {Wow!!!} Gracie screamed in his head. {She just dumped a &^%$-ton of mana on you. Nice saving throws too. What happened to the 18s and 20s? I guess all it takes to knock the great Jason Hawthorne off his game is a pretty face. Well, meet Esther, the most fantasized-about woman in all the Realms of Infamy.}

 Chapter 16: Esther

    Jace was mesmerized by the sway of Esther¡¯s hips as she ascended the stairs before him.  The thin layers of her skirt fluttered gently from the air moving about her, flying up and away from her legs as easily as they hung down.  They were as translucent as the black stockings she wore, yet, gathered together at her hips, they created a shadowed view of what lay beneath.  The high heels on her black boots were as impractical as horns on a chicken, but they sure looked nice.


    He knew he shouldn¡¯t be trying to look up the woman¡¯s skirt, but his body and mind were as engrossed with following this woman as if he had told Snowy to follow the trail of a dozen elves.  He couldn¡¯t speak.  He couldn¡¯t move except to follow this woman, and he couldn¡¯t think of anything other than the rhythm of her legs.


    Gracie helped him out.


    {Wow, dude.  You have it bad.  You are officially enthralled.  And I mean that literally.  Esther is a vampire; once they charm an individual, they can cast Enthrall on them.  I¡¯m more familiar with the spell Command, which is a typical mage spell for those that like to play the control game, but Enthrall works the same way, except it combos with a vampire¡¯s natural abilities, especially if they have the proper Charm feats.  And as the game¡¯s most infamous working girl, she has some extreme occupational talent.  Players have been trying to decipher her character sheet for a long while, and I think they have it mostly worked out.}


    Jace tried to focus on Gracie¡¯s voice, but his mind wouldn¡¯t let him give her his full attention.  He just hoped he remembered what she was telling him later.


    {She got three critical successes when she turned you into her Thrall.  This means you are her slave for the next 15 rounds.  You aren¡¯t in combat mode now, so these rounds are closer to six minutes, but they should move faster than that, as most of the activities she will be having you do will take a full round.  But if she just wants to sit around and chat, you are hers for the next 90 minutes or so.  If she asks you to do something you would typically not have a problem doing by the game¡¯s estimation, you will do it.  If you have any resistance to the action, she will have to spend a critical.  She may need two if you are highly opposed to the action.  Already, following her upstairs to her room is something a Traditional character would not want to do, so she is down to two crits.}


    Jace couldn¡¯t turn his head from side to side, but once they made it to the second floor and had a level walkway, he could see over Esther¡¯s shoulder.  They avoided the balcony that overlooked the dining hall and moved down an interior hallway.  They passed the woman Jace had seen earlier dressed in the form-hugging silver dress.  He thought Esther greeted her as Tami, but he wasn¡¯t sure.  The other woman gave Jace a thorough looking-over, whispered something to Esther, and they both laughed.  Four rooms were lined up on the western side of the hall, and the vampire¡¯s was at the end.  Esther stepped past it and turned around.


    From the front, she was even more intoxicatingly beautiful, and Jace had an impossible time not staring.  ¡°Eyes up here, big boy,¡± she teased.  ¡°There will be time for that later.  Please open my door.  One can never be too careful.¡±


    This was a task Jace might have questioned if sober-minded, but since she cleverly sold it as a chivalrous act instead of entering the quarters of a prostitute, it didn¡¯t cost her anything.  The room was dark, with heavy curtains pulled across the two western-facing windows.  Jace guessed that the visible coastline would have been a selling point of these upstairs rooms, but, as a vampire, Esther might not appreciate the sunset as much as others.  Only the orc¡¯s ability to see in the dark allowed Jace to make out the room¡¯s contents.


    Several lounge chairs sat about the room of various shapes and sizes.  A four-paneled changing partition with a floral pattern stood in one corner, and Jace saw a wash basin next to it.  A dresser and closet stood along one wall, and a giant bed dominated another.  If any assassins were lying in wait, they stayed hidden.


    ¡°Clear?¡± Esther asked.  Jace didn¡¯t answer but moved further into the room to give her access.  The vampire strode in behind him, and with a wave of her hand, half a dozen candles placed strategically around the room popped into flame.  Jace didn¡¯t have to squint now and stood in the middle of the floor next to a pillar supporting the vaulted ceiling.  There was a third floor to this building, but it was smaller and in the center.  Esther¡¯s room was on the southwestern corner of the Gilded Swan, and nothing was above her.  Jace could see a skylight fifteen feet above him on the eastern slope of the ceiling, but the shade was pulled.


    ¡°Now, my big friend, what were you doing in the basement?¡± She moved past him, spun around so her skirt flared out, and then sat on the corner of the bed, giving a brief flash of what lay beneath before the layers of fabric settled beside her like giant black snowflakes.


    Jace was awestruck by her grace and beauty and felt compelled to answer.  Since he was Honest, it once again cost her nothing.  There were prompts below, and Jace saw bluff and lying options, but they were grayed out.  Trying to say them felt like standing in an open field and attempting to fly.  He just couldn¡¯t do it.  ¡°I am here looking for a man.  His name is Henry Tornsend.¡±


    Esther cocked her head.  ¡°Describe him to me?¡±


    ¡°Tall and large, with a black beard.  He would have been here three days ago.¡±


    Esther seemed to contemplate this.  ¡°Yes, I think I remember him.  He had some incredible strength.  Would you like to know what we did together?¡±


    ¡°No, I wouldn¡¯t,¡± Jace answered, surprising himself with his own honesty.  ¡°I only want to know what happened to him.¡±


    ¡°I played with him for a while,¡± she said, licking her red lips, ¡°and then I sent him upstairs.  He was a lot like you.  Reluctant at first.  He took a bit of prodding.  I needed something to loosen him up.  Are you thirsty?¡±  She popped up from the bed and turned toward a desk along the wall next to the dresser where a few bottles stood.


    Unfortunately, Jace was quite thirsty.  ¡°Yes.¡±


    Esther poured two glasses half full of red wine and walked back toward the orc, standing motionless in the middle of the room.  She offered him one, which he felt obligated to take.  She drank first, rolling the wine around in her mouth before swallowing.  It didn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t poisoned.  If she was undead, she might be immune to many poisons.  And if the drink lowered magical immunity, what did she care?  Jace was in no position to cast a spell on her.


    He took a drink.  It was the first time he had tried to drink anything in the game, and his tusks got in the way.  He ended up dribbling most of it down his chin and chest.  He was lucky he didn¡¯t accidentally break the fragile glass on his tusks.  She laughed at him, drained the last of her wine, and then tossed the glass toward the bed.  It landed gently on the down-filled comforter, and she walked over to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re nervous, aren¡¯t you?  When was the last time you were alone with a woman?¡±


    Jace swallowed hard as Esther closed in on him and began wiping up the spilled drink off his chest with her fingers, slowly sucking them clean.  He knew Gracie was listening but was compelled to answer.  ¡°Almost three years.¡±


    ¡°That is a long time.  You need to relax.  Let me help you remove your armor.¡±


    Jace would hardly consider his character¡¯s leather arm protectors armor, but her script was probably limited.  So far, their conversation had been easy enough for her programming to handle.  As long as he was enthralled, he likely wouldn¡¯t be able to test her.  She wasn¡¯t asking him to do anything other than stand still, which the spell required of him anyway, so he did nothing as she leaned into him and deftly removed the few pieces of leather that adorned his upper body.  She also unbuckled his empty sheath and took his wine glass.


    ¡°Much better,¡± she said when he was bare to the waist.  She spent a few moments tracing the high-definition muscles that contoured his chest and stomach, sending a shiver down his spine.  With his Elements turned down and this not being a VR-enabled module, he only felt pressure without the tickle. Still, the visual of the enchanting woman paying him this type of intimate attention sent his mind into another realm.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Now you can help me,¡± she said softly, turning around and lifting her hair over her shoulder to reveal a wide ¡°V¡± down the back of her dress, laced tightly with a knot at the top.  Jace didn¡¯t move for a moment, his mind fighting with itself.


    ¡°Come on,¡± she chided.  ¡°Help a girl out.  You know I can¡¯t reach it.¡±


    Her ploy to make the action of undressing her seem noble and accommodating lessened his resistance, but Jace fought hard.  ¡°Very well,¡± she said.  Her body pulsed with energy, and Jace felt her hold on him grow slightly weaker.


    {She had to spend one of her two remaining criticals on that request,} Gracie needlessly informed him.  He knew she was watching but likely only looking at a stream of data, not the TV screen showing an unfiltered version of what was to come.  Jace was willing to bet the Germans were paying close attention to this part.


    Regardless, he was compelled to act, and his clumsy fingers attacked the top of the dress.  It was tied together with a long black handkerchief, giving Jace¡¯s orc digits a fighting chance, but the game didn¡¯t require exact dexterity from him.  He unknowingly engaged the Open action, which would untie any simple knot or bow.  Within a second, the ¡°V¡± tripled in width, revealing most of her bare torso down to a gentle curve below the small of her back.


    She let him soak in that view for a few seconds before turning around slowly, clutching the dress to her chest with her forearms.  Her fingers expertly maneuvered it off her shoulders, and without any more teasing, she uncrossed her arms, and a pool of black fabric fell at her feet.


    Jace was sure he heard celebratory cheers coming through Gracie¡¯s headset.  He would have to trust the Germans¡¯ appraisal, for while he could see she was breathtakingly beautiful, most of her body was heavily pixilated due to his filters.  She still wore her boots, stockings, and a lacy thong, which didn¡¯t look too authentic to the medieval period, but this was supposed to be fantasy.  She smiled at him as she held up her hand and snapped her finger.  Those three items disappeared, and Jace was rewarded with even more pixelation.


    She was just a blur as she sauntered up to him, and he could no longer follow the sway of her hips or bounce of her chest.  Instead, all he could see was her face.  She wore a smile, but it seemed fake.  As she pressed her body into his, caressing his massive arms and chest, he looked into her eyes.  They had been deep and inviting before but now looked hollow and empty.  As if she was simply an automaton, going through the actions without feeling anything.  And Jace realized that was precisely what she was.


    She broke off after a few minutes and made her way to the bed.  After removing the hazardous glass from the middle, she stretched herself out on her side in an inviting pose.  ¡°Please join me.  Don¡¯t leave me here alone.¡±


    Any attempt to trick him into obeying of his own free will wouldn¡¯t work.  Jace wondered if even her initial three critical successes would have done the job.  She tried the one she had, and when it failed, Jace¡¯s whole body relaxed and was set free.  ¡°Get dressed and take me to your mistress,¡± he said.  ¡°I am done playing games.¡±


    Esther¡¯s face changed slightly, not willing to give up yet.  She had dealt with unwilling participants before and had always gotten them to break.  She just needed to find the right motivation.  She playfully rolled off the bed and walked alluringly over to her alcohol again, unaware that her antics were lost on the orc with his filters activated.  She grabbed the entire bottle and took a deep draw from it, allowing most of it to dribble down her body.


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t see anything you like?¡±


    Conversation prompts still appeared at the bottom of his vision, and they were all segues toward a sexual encounter, but he ignored them.  With his senses back, he wanted to test the system.  ¡°I would like to leave here, find your mistress, and discover the fate of Henry Tornsend.¡±


    A flash of anger crossed her face.  ¡°You care nothing for this man you speak of.  You and I both know he is dead.  You will only have bad news to bring back to his wife.  No good can come from this.  Unless . . .¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t bite and just stared at her face.  He could see a scowl start to form on her lips, but her composure was excellent.  ¡°I will take you to her, but she will know what happened here.  She will not make herself vulnerable to someone untested.  She can tell when I am lying.  Let me taste you, and then I can bring her to you.¡±


    Jace looked puzzled at first, but Esther smiled at him, and he saw her vampire teeth extended for the first time.  Red wine still dribbled from her chin like blood.  ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, and I won¡¯t do anything you don¡¯t allow.  But I need a taste to bring you upstairs.¡±


    {Jace, don¡¯t let her.  If she bites you, she has the Level Drain ability.  Right now, she is low on mana after the Charm and Enthrall spells.  She hasn¡¯t generated enough yet.  But if she level drains you, each Hit Point is worth five mana.  She¡¯ll get about 90 per level and will be able to Charm and Enthrall you again.  With you already in her room, she will be strong enough to make you do anything.}


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Good.¡± {Good.}  Both women said simultaneously.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking to you,¡± Jace replied, staring into Esther¡¯s face.  ¡°Stay where you are.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± she replied and then vanished.


    Jace flinched and stepped back, coming up hard against the stone pillar.  He kept the barrier at his back and scanned the room.


    {She had enough mana for a burst invisibility spell,} Gracie replied.  {It gives her a one-round bonus to hide in the shadows.  You need to find her before she attacks.  Just like the elf after you got the crystal, if she Sneak Attacks you, you have no chance.  Snowy isn¡¯t here to save you.  She will grapple you and suck your life away.  She won¡¯t kill you, but you will be her toy for at least an hour before she takes you upstairs.  You have to find her.}


    Jace actively searched the room, and soon numbers began hovering over various spaces in the dim light.  Spots on the floor directly below the candles were single digits.  She obviously wasn¡¯t there.  He needed to find the 20 hidden somewhere around the room.  He was sure her stealth skill was far higher than his perception, and nothing less than a 20 would find her, but he couldn¡¯t spot it.


    Despite her claim to stand still, she was clearly moving into position for a strike, and the numbers kept shifting.  If she stayed behind him, that would be where the 20 was, and he would never see it.  A 19 suddenly appeared beneath the bed, but he didn¡¯t take the bait.  She was toying with him, and he refused to play the game.


    Instead, an idea hit him, and he stood tall and straight against the stone pillar, ready to take what she would throw at him.


    {Jace?  Jace, what are you doing?  You can¡¯t be serious?  You need to find her.  That stupid feat of yours won¡¯t work.}


    ¡°Dexmachi,¡± Jace said as solemnly as he could.  ¡°I need your help.¡±


    {Are you $%&*#$% praying to a made-up god?  Jace, come on.  You need to-}


    Esther struck from his left.


    Time seemed to slow down as the woman, fully transformed into her demonic visage, flew toward him.  Her red fingernails were claws now, her fangs almost as long as his.  What beauty her face had possessed was now flushed away into a veil of hatred and hunger, veins standing proud on her temples and neck.  Black wings had sprouted from her back, not flapping to aid her flight but intensifying her ferocity.  Jace worked hard not to flinch in the face of this terror.  He only stood stock still, his bare back firmly pressed against the stone pillar, finding the link to his Spirit Armor Totem 25 feet below in the basement.


    It gave him just the boost he needed.


    Her mouth came within a hair¡¯s breadth of his neck, but she flew past him and crumpled to the floor.


    [Critical miss.  Convicted.]


    {Holy $%#@!  What just happened?  How did she miss?  What did . . . You got a 48-point bonus to your AC!}


    Jace knew that was his intimidation score times eight.  It had been a gamble, but it had worked.  ¡°The code is mightier than the sword.¡±


    {Whatever.  She rolled a three in the attack!  You couldn¡¯t have predicted that.}


    ¡°Divine intervention,¡± he said.


    {But how did you know her alignment?}


    ¡°She was an undead hooker.  What other alignment would she be?¡±


    {What the $*#@ is that supposed to mean?  She has practically the same alignment I did.  I suppose you think I am a #&@-sucking, $#@*-licking, whore who will &#$% any Tom, #$%@, or Harietta I meet.  You judgmental prick.  No wonder your wife left you.}


    It stung, but Jace let it slide off his back.  Gandhi had told him this would happen, and he would try to be patient with Gracie.  Her profanity-laced tirade continued for several more seconds before he heard what he assumed was her headset slamming against the keyboard and then silence.  It was for the best; he needed to focus on the other woman in need.


    Time seemed to have frozen in the room.  Jace didn¡¯t think Dexmachi would give him much more than a round to enact his ability, but this was the first time he would be doing it himself, and hopefully, he would be given some leniency.  Esther lay at his feet, convicted by her inner turmoil, bare to Jace more so than when she had stood naked before him.  Now she was stripped to her soul, and Jace had to peer inside.


    Her character sheet came up before him, but not like he was used to seeing.  There were settings he knew, like alignment and class, but he had no intention of touching those.  As he had predicted, she was Guile, Chaotic, and Progressive.  But who was he to tell her she couldn¡¯t be those things?  Then he would be the judgmental prick Gracie had just accused him of.  No, that wasn¡¯t what tortured this woman.  He looked further.


    [Classification: NPC]


    [Sex: Female]


    [Type: Demonic]


    [Nature: Undead]


    [Kind: Vampire]


    [Size: Medium Humanoid]


    [Potential Party Member: No]


    She had missed him, and it had been a critical miss.  That gave him two successes.  He felt he should be able to change two things.  Jace felt an internal timer in his mind and knew he had to decide quickly.  He focused on the Type first and saw several options, but only one fit the woman at his feet.  He switched it from Demonic to Angelic.  Then he raced to the last item on the list and changed the ¡°No¡± to a ¡°Yes.¡±


    When he had finished.  The screen sped away from him, but not before he saw one last prompt at the bottom:


    [Gandhi now loading . . .]

 Chapter 17: Angelic Transformation

    Jace¡¯s vision was back in the room with Esther at his feet, and all Hell broke loose.


    Or, more precisely, all Hell was purged.


    Esther knelt on the floor, bent over at the waist with her arms tucked in at her side.  Dark veins traced demonic patterns over her skin, pulsing from the roots of the hideous black wings like lava running out from a volcano.  She gasped desperately as her undead spirit tried to fight off the life infusing into her, resulting in convulsions that racked her body in agonizing fits of pain.  Off to Jace¡¯s right, he heard a rustle of movement and turned to see the heavy curtains over the bed magically spread wide, allowing the setting sun''s light to burst into the room and envelop the vampire on the floor.


    Esther screamed.


    Jace wanted to dive in to help and shield her from the burning light but instead decided to trust his god and took a few steps back.  The vampire reared up in pain, holding her spread fingers out toward the light, trying to shade herself as much as possible, but it was no use.  Her skin burned and crackled, the veins popping out and tearing from her flesh.  The wings caught fire, burning like oil-soaked newspaper, leaving only charred skeletal remains behind.


    The cleansing process only lasted a few seconds, one round, if Jace had to guess, and the outer shell of the former demon molted into ash and vanished.  The screaming stopped, and Esther lowered her hands, her eyes staring directly into the light.  She stood slowly from her knees, and soon her whole body was bathed in sunlight.  Her skin was once again unblemished but now had a vibrancy that had been missing before.  The blackened bones protruding from her back shuddered, the soot shedding off like skin from a snake, revealing ivory wings that sprouted white feathers and flexed to eight feet in width before collapsing back and disappearing into her skin.


    Her eyes changed too, moving from dark to a bright sky blue.  Her mouth opened, and she breathed in pure oxygen for the first time in ages, her body swelling with life and power.  She rose to her tip toes as if her lungs were being pulled up and out of her body toward the setting sun, but she didn¡¯t leave the floor and held the pose only as long as the breath she took.  When she exhaled, her body collapsed, but Jace was ready, catching her before she hit the ground.  He cradled her in his massive arms and took two steps to lay her gently on the bed.  Still bathed in sunlight and lying on her back, Jace noticed she wasn¡¯t pixilated anymore.  In fact, he remembered having a clear view of the entire transformation.


    His chivalrous nature demanded he look away, but he regarded her perfect form a few moments longer.  The famous dilemma for censorship administrators was knowing the difference between pornography and art.  The only sensible answer to the question was, ¡°I know it when I see it.¡±


    This was art.


    Jace didn¡¯t look long, knowing he would always have this moment in his memories, and turned to get her dress from the floor.  He returned to her with the clothing in one hand and no idea how to put it on her.  He tried draping it over her body, but unbeknownst to him, she was unconscious and prone, making her Helpless.  In that state, he could dress or undress her however he wanted.  The game interpreted Jace¡¯s actions appropriately, and the dress magically ¡°snapped¡± onto Esther¡¯s body like a rubber glove.


    He stepped back from her cautiously, watching her chest rise and fall in rhythm, unsure of what to do next.  He didn¡¯t have to wait long.  Esther stirred and opened her eyes.  Reality didn¡¯t take long to sink in, and she sat bolt upright and screamed again.  Jace moved to the foot of the bed to try and calm her, but it was the wrong decision.  The sight of an orc in her room frightened her even more.  ¡°Ahhh.  Get out!¡±  She scrambled back on the bed, trying to find something to protect her as she came up against the short headboard just beneath the window but found only pillows.  ¡°Help!  Someone, please help . . .¡± but her voice trailed off as her memories gradually returned to her.


    ¡°You . . .¡± she started, lowering the pillow she had been clutching.  ¡°You did . . . this.  I¡¯ve changed.  You . . . changed me.¡±


    Jace stood still, questioning if he had done the right thing.  He had tried to respect the woman, but had he violated her in some way he didn¡¯t realize?  Had she enjoyed being an undead monster?  He started to form an apology, but she sprang from her seated position on the bed, took one running step on the soft mattress, and leaped toward him.


    Jace couldn¡¯t think fast enough to mount a defense and decided to take whatever reaction she had for him.  She didn¡¯t miss this time.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and . . . hugged him.  ¡°Thank you so much.  I don¡¯t know what . . . I don¡¯t know how . . .¡± but her voice choked off, and Jace felt her tears stream down his bald head.  He also felt his face pressed firmly into the top of her low-cut dress, and before she thought of a way to thank him that aligned with her skill set, he gently used his hands to remove the woman from his upper body.  Once her grip on his neck slackened, gravity took over, and she slid down his body until her arms were wrapped around his waist in a more traditional hug.


    Her body still racked with sobs, and as she leaned her head against his muscled abdomen, Jace hugged her back.  They held that pose for a while, Esther occasionally bursting into a fresh wave of sorrow as more memories returned to her.  Things that she had done ¨C things that she had enjoyed doing.


    Jace didn¡¯t know what kind of backstory she had.  He assumed she was just an NPC prostitute whom you could interact with once, and that was it.  She had been with Henry Tornsend, but how many other fake encounters had been built into her bio?  Gracie had said she was the most sought-after prostitute in the game.  He was in a MIM, meaning many different players had played through this module, and perhaps there was a way to keep Esther around after you killed the hag on the third floor.  Could all those experiences be downloading into her now?  Jace began to wonder if he had actually done her a favor.


    Eventually, the crying dissipated, and she was able to talk.  ¡°You have no idea what it was like.  It was . . . it was horrible.  I was a prisoner.  I was a demon.  But I  . . . I liked it.  I hurt all those people.  I . . . I fed on them.  I gorged myself on them.  And then I delivered them to . . .¡±


    Esther pushed away from Jace, sucking in her sobs and wiping her face.  ¡°To her.¡±  The woman¡¯s face was suddenly severe and frightening.  She looked up at Jace.  ¡°Do you still want me to take you to her?¡±


    ¡°Do you need to feed on me first?¡±


    She gave him a sly smile.  ¡°Why, do you want me to?¡±


    Jace took a step back, still unsure what he had created.  ¡°Can you still?¡±


    ¡°One way to find out.¡±


    Jace took another step back, and Esther laughed.  ¡°No, I don¡¯t have to eat you, though I¡¯ve never fed on an orc before.  Belle will take you in any condition.¡±


    ¡°Belle?¡±


    Esther cocked her head.  ¡°My boss.  The madam of the Gilded Swan.  Jezebel.  Belle.  You are here for her, right?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry.  I didn¡¯t know her name.¡±


    Esther nodded and then paused.  ¡°I don¡¯t know your name.¡±  A shadow passed over her face.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know any of their names.¡±  It looked like she might cry again, but Jace stepped forward with his hand outstretched.


    ¡°My name is Jace Thorne.¡±


    Esther looked at the massive hand and grabbed two of his fingers to shake them.  ¡°Esther Xerxes.¡±


    ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Esther.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.  Now that we¡¯ve got that out of the way, will you help me kill the swamp hag that has kept me a prisoner for longer than I can remember?¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡±


    [Esther has joined your party.]


    <hr>


    Gracie stood in the basement of her prison home with her arms crossed, staring at the TV and fuming.  Jace and Esther were racing down the hallway toward the stairs to the third level.  She hated how good he was.  And how right he always was.  She hated this game right now and didn¡¯t want to play anymore.


    Hans had woken up about an hour ago, spent some time in the kitchen, and then made his way downstairs to join the party.  Frans had been up all night, but once he heard Jace was going to a brothel, he found his second wind, and the two of them had been watching Esther¡¯s performance intently.  Hans felt another show coming and could wait for bed a little longer with his eyes glued to the TV, but Frans was more awake and observant and noticed Gracie wasn¡¯t at the controls anymore.


    ¡°You will guide him through the next part?¡± It was half a question and half a demand, and with his thick accent, it was hard to tell which.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I need to,¡± Gracie lied.  ¡°He¡¯s the best player ever; why should he need my help?¡±  That part wasn¡¯t a lie.  She hadn¡¯t seen him solve the riddle to get the Level 50 crystal, and while she had reviewed the logs of his deity mission, she hadn¡¯t seen him perform in real-time.  Now she had been there when he had somehow secured the most overpowered NPC companion ever.  She was a vampiric angel or an angelic vampire.  She didn¡¯t think the game even had a classification for that.  Gracie couldn¡¯t wait to see her character sheet.  Of course, in order to do that . . .


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Her eyes went back to the keyboard where she had discarded her headset.  Yes, Jace still needed her help.  She could be frustrated by his indirect judgment of her, or she could get on board and help them get out of this mess.  With a reluctant sigh, she walked over to her desk, plopped down in the seat, and put her headset on.


    <hr>


    Jace followed Esther to the third level, choosing to focus on her boots this time as they ascended the stairs.  They were almost to the top when Gracie¡¯s voice entered his head.  {I¡¯m back,} she announced.  No apology.  No explanation.  She was just back.  They would talk about it later.


    Esther motioned for him to slow down as she made it to the landing.  There was a small sitting room and one door at the top of the stairs.  Esther turned to look at Jace and frowned.  ¡°Is there anything you can do to look . . .¡± she searched for the right word.  ¡°Can you look less . . . um . . . less orcish?  I don¡¯t know.  Most people I¡¯ve taken up here have just been through one of the women downstairs and then . . . well, and then me.  They tend to have a glow about them.  Like they are high on life and eager to experience more pleasure.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t look excited?¡± Jace asked.  His teeth were so cumbersome that he didn¡¯t know a different way to position his mouth.


    ¡°You look frumpy.¡±


    {Amen.  Preach it, sister.}


    ¡°Oh, be quiet,¡± Jace said to his operator.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Esther was shocked.


    ¡°Sorry, not you.  I was talking to myself.¡±


    ¡°You were telling yourself to be quiet?¡± Esther wondered not for the last time what kind of player she had joined up with.  ¡°Is your stomach growling?  Because we can get some food downstairs first if you¡¯re hungry.  Now that my metabolism is running again, I know I¡¯m starving.¡±  She got quiet and looked long at Jace.  ¡°Maybe I could bite you just a little bit.  I think it would sell it better.¡±


    Jace held up his hand.  ¡°We can get you food later.  Real food.  I can act my way through this next encounter.  She¡¯s beautiful, right?  I¡¯ll just put on an act like I did with you.¡±


    Esther laughed.  ¡°Nice try, big boy.  None of that was an act.  I had you right where I wanted you.  I could have . . .¡± she paused and self-corrected.  ¡°Um, what I meant to say is . . . I¡¯m sorry for what I did to you.¡±  She sighed.  ¡°This is going to be difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    {Welcome to the addled mind of a chaotic vampire hooker with an angelic heart of gold.}


    Jace sighed too.  ¡°Just introduce me.  I will handle it.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t know what to say, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to the door.  She pulled a cord next to the knob in a specific pattern to announce who she was and why she was there.  She then hesitated with her hand over the doorknob, waiting for a signal.  Jace didn¡¯t hear or see anything, but after a few moments, Esther opened the door and led him inside.


    The room wasn¡¯t much different from Esther¡¯s, only much bigger.  A massive bed sat against the western wall with windows on either side.  They entered opposite the bed, and the window directly before them had its curtains pulled, undoubtedly, to protect Esther from the sun.  The other was open and let in enough light to see everything else.  There was a separate washroom and more dressers and clothes than Esther had been allotted.  Belle was sitting before a vanity, adjusting her hair.  If her human appearance was derived from the magical necklace she wore, Jace didn¡¯t understand why she would need to fix anything about her looks.  Just change the spell.


    ¡°I have brought you an offering, my mistress.  He is very powerful.¡±  Esther stepped to the side and bowed, taking on a serious tone that Jace wouldn¡¯t have thought possible from the irreverent woman.


    Belle rose from her chair and turned to regard Jace.  Both of them froze in shock.  After Esther, it was hard to impress him, but Jace wasn¡¯t expecting a woman so stately.  She chose to appear as someone in their mid-40s.  There was even a little gray in her mostly auburn hair.  She held herself like a queen, regal and poised.  Her body showed few signs of age or wrinkles, but Jace could see experience in her eyes.  She also spent little effort adorning herself with extravagant clothing and wore nothing more than a sheer chemise that hung down just past mid-thigh.  The sunlight behind her highlighted all the curves beneath the thin fabric, leaving nothing to Jace¡¯s imagination.


    Belle was shocked for a different reason.  ¡°An orc?  You brought me an orc?¡±


    Jace was confused.  How did she know he was an orc?  She should be locked into an early version of the AI and not care.  She shouldn¡¯t be sentient like Esther now was.  Had freeing the vampire done more than he assumed?


    ¡°It was his desire, madam,¡± Esther replied before Jace could give it more thought.  ¡°He wanted to try the illusion for something different.  It was . . . interesting.  I¡¯m sure you will understand.¡±


    {That is a careless lie,} Gracie said.  {She is a witch and can easily dispel an illusion like that.  If she tries, she will know something is up.}


    Jace disagreed but didn¡¯t say so.  Esther had basically told her mistress, ¡°If you can hide your appearance, so can others.¡±  Besides, the fen witch likely had a specific set of spells memorized to control her victims.  If she wasted mana to dispel his supposed illusion, she might leave herself wanting later.


    ¡°Very well, he is the customer after all,¡± she smiled, and Jace couldn¡¯t help but think she was beautiful.  ¡°Thank you, Esther, my dear.  You can leave us now.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±  She bowed even lower and moved toward the door.


    ¡°Can she stay?¡± Jace asked, a little desperation in his voice.  He thought he was supposed to help Esther kill the witch, not do it alone.  Plus, having Esther in the room was his ace in the hole.  From how Gracie described this encounter, there didn¡¯t seem to be any way to break the pre-programmed script and grab the necklace.  If Esther were here, there would be no script.


    ¡°Two at one time?¡± Belle asked.  ¡°A bold request.¡±


    ¡°For something . . . different.¡±  Jace tried to mimic Esther¡¯s tone.  Not an easy thing as an orc.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the older woman said, unconvinced.  She nodded at her lieutenant.  Esther continued toward the door behind Jace.  He heard it close and swallowed hard.


    ¡°Would you like something to drink?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I would,¡± he replied.


    While she poured only one glass of white wine, Jace tried to relax.  He wasn¡¯t charmed or restrained in any way.  He had all of his mana and an inventory of deadly weapons.  His sword was still in the basement, where he had been told to discard it.  Unlike Esther¡¯s room, there was no stone pillar in the center.  Instead, they were in each of the four corners.  With a wooden floor, Jace didn¡¯t have an easy way to connect to his totem in the basement and no way to cast another one.


    He moved to sit on one of the large couches.


    ¡°No,¡± she called from across the room as she put the wine bottle down.  ¡°Don¡¯t do that.  I just had them cleaned.¡±


    Jace hesitated.  Her bedside manner was very different from Esther¡¯s.  As he watched her walk toward him, she took a generous sip from the wine glass, paused, and then drank the rest in one gulp.  She set the empty glass on her vanity and kept coming for him.  ¡°Take off your kilt and lay on the bed.¡±


    Jace hesitated, and she grew cross.  ¡°I am not in the mood to play games.  Esther might be a free spirit, but I don¡¯t have patience for this.¡±


    {Something is very wrong,} Gracie said.  {She is not usually like this.}


    Jace just stood there, unsure of what to do.


    ¡°Are you as dumb as an orc too?  I said take off that kilt and lie on the bed.¡±


    Jace thought through his choices.  He could attack her but had no idea what defense spells she might have.  Plus, he would have to go into his inventory to get the halberd.  He could see she was level 15.  Esther was level 10 and had handled him easily.  Belle was also more powerful than Caitlin, the other witch he had met, and had already likely sacrificed a dozen children to whatever god would take them.


    Belle had no interest in giving Jace time to think up a solution to this problem and cast a hex spell in the air.  Jace wasn¡¯t ready, and as images flashed through his mind, his eyes were too transfixed by how the witch¡¯s voluptuous body shifted under her nightgown to think about anything else.


    {That would be the Command spell I talked about before,} Gracie explained.  {Still need to work on those saving throws.}


    ¡°Undress and lay on the bed.¡±


    Jace did as he was told this time, and the witch cursed.  ¡°More games?¡±


    Jace realized that once he was on the bed, her control of him was over.  She didn¡¯t get as many criticals as Esther had.  Thus he had the freedom to look down at his naked body and saw that with his Sexuality settings turned down as far as they were, he had all the anatomical correctness of a department store mannequin.


    ¡°Whatever cheap thrill you expect from this encounter, I hope it was worth it.  I intend to get what I want.¡±  She pulled a pick from her hair and used it to cut the two thin straps of her chemise so it fell to the floor.  Jace thought it was a clever trick to show how sharp the pick was since he was supposed to use it to kill her later.  ¡°Are you happy now?¡±  She struck an alluring pose with a hand on her hip.  To Jace, her whole body was a pixilated mess.  He could make out just enough of her neck to see a silver strand that must be the necklace, but the enchanted stone that he needed to grab must be hanging between her breasts, and, squinting as hard as he could, he couldn¡¯t distinguish anything amid the censorship.


    Belle was not happy with Jace¡¯s screwed-up face in reaction to her body and let him know.  ¡°That¡¯s all you got for me?¡±  Instead of placing the pick within arm¡¯s reach on the nightstand beside the bed, she threw it toward him.  Either she wasn¡¯t skilled in ranged attacks or tried to miss because it stuck fast in the middle of the giant headboard.  Jace was lying on the left side of the bed, and the pick was at least two feet out of reach, even for his long arms.


    Before he even thought about rolling over to get it, the witch was on top of him, showing much more athleticism than Jace would have expected from a middle-aged woman.  She straddled his hips and wrestled him into submission.


    Jace had a surprise for her.  Finding her narrow waist amid the blurry image of her body was not hard, and he pulled up his lone attack spell and dropped all his mana into it.  Lightning burst down onto the pair and . . . did nothing.


    ¡°What kind of kink is that supposed to be?¡± Belle asked in response to the failed spell.  She was trying to position herself correctly over his massive body and found it challenging.


    {She¡¯s Honest, you idiot,} Gracie said.


    How could she be Honest? Jace thought.  She is wearing an illusion.


    As if she could read his mind, Gracie spoke up.  {Her alignment actually improves the effectiveness of her illusion since that is what she thinks she truly looks like.  Don¡¯t worry; if you pick an image that closely resembles your real-life appearance, your alignment will also improve your use of the necklace.  Assuming you make it out of this alive.}


    Jace had no plan at this point and needed help.  ¡°You¡¯ve done this before, right?¡±


    Belle gave him a severe look, thinking the question was a critique of her performance.  She slapped him across the face, and the hit registered damage over his resistance.  ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, I am not the problem here, you oafish cretin.¡±


    {Nice job, Romeo,} Gracie laughed.  {But I assume you were talking to me.  Yes, I have done this.  Judge me as you will.  This is not how it went with me.}


    ¡°Do you think I can just grab it?¡± he asked, knowing how Belle would interpret the question.  She slapped him in the face again.


    {Assuming you are talking about the necklace, I don¡¯t see how it would hurt.  When I did this, all I could see was the top of her head.}  Gracie paused as she realized what she had just revealed.  {If you ask me why, I swear by the god you just created, I will walk over and unplug you.}  She paused long enough to let the threat settle in before continuing.  {When the time came, I had to stab her in the back of the neck.  I never had a chance to grab the necklace, nor did I want to.}


    Jace still couldn¡¯t make out any details below Belle¡¯s shoulders as the woman tried to find a comfortable position.  He thought about going into his inventory to change his Nudity settings but didn¡¯t know how the witch would react.  He had nothing to do except try and paw at the hidden necklace with his clumsy fingers.  Belle could only assume he was trying to fondle her breasts, and she wasn¡¯t impressed by his efforts.  ¡°I like it when some men use their hands, but not you.¡±  She locked onto his wrists and wrestled them back to the bed.


    {Don¡¯t fight back.  Just lay there.}


    Gracie¡¯s advice came too late, and Jace struggled mightily against the much smaller woman.  It was no contest.


    [Secure Grappled.  Prone.  Helpless.]


    {Great.  Now you can¡¯t do anything.}

 Chapter 18: Chaos

    As Belle fell back into her awkward, gyrating rhythm, sliding back and forth over Jace¡¯s featureless torso, he couldn¡¯t help but recall all those articles he¡¯d read about actors mocking how unsexy filming love scenes were. This whole process was about as much of a turn-on as having a tooth drilled. The witch seemed to be getting something out of it, though, as her moaning started to rise in volume. She leaned back, sitting up straight, and released her hold on his arms. Jace thought he should be able to move, but with a squeeze of her thighs, she transferred her grappled hold on him to her legs, and he was still Helpless.


    Gracie wasn¡¯t encouraging. {The good news is that you will wake up in the chair behind me a few moments after she kills you, and we can be done with this whole mess. The crystal will return to its home at the end of that horrible module, and the Germans can go away.}


    Jace doubted that. Their ¡°hosts¡± would probably torture him into telling them how to pass the puzzle at the end. Either way, he didn¡¯t want to give up yet. There had to be something he could do. It looked like she was preparing to cast another hex that would presumably suck his life out. So whatever he was going to do, he needed it now.


    Belle¡¯s vocal performance suddenly took a drastic turn as her voice rose an octave and gained an ear-piercing screech that had Jace cringing. He felt a spray of liquid on his chest and found he was no longer Helpless. Curious, he shifted his position under the witch and saw a bloody sword tip emerging from her pixilated chest.


    Jace¡¯s confusion lasted only as long as it took the woman to topple off him to the floor, and he saw Esther standing on the foot of the bed, a rapier extended. The weapon looked oddly familiar, but she didn¡¯t hold her pose long.


    {Sneak Attack,} Gracie announced. {Looks like she never left the room and hid in the shadows.}


    Unfortunately, the witch wasn¡¯t dead. Her 300 Hit Points dropped by 78 from the critical sneak attack, but she was far from done. She also wasn¡¯t a beautiful woman anymore. She looked like a wax statue of a female goblin that had spent too much time in the sun. This definitely wasn¡¯t art, but the game¡¯s sensors didn¡¯t think it was that titillating either, so Jace got to see the hag in all her splendor. He wished he couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± she hissed in rage as a 2-handed scimitar appeared on a belt around her waist. She drew the weapon and squared off against Esther, who hopped down from the bed holding two rapiers.


    ¡°I¡¯m done serving you. I¡¯m done feeding you innocent victims.¡±


    The two women circled each other slowly in the large room. Jace rolled off the other side of the bed, unfortunately away from his kilt, but he took a round to fetch his halberd from his inventory.


    ¡°Have I not treated you well?¡± Belle cackled. ¡°Do you not get the most succulent treats? Do you not live in luxury?¡±


    Esther spat on the floor. ¡°I am trapped in a dark room, forced to feed on innocent victims drugged by your whores downstairs. I want more. I want to see the realms.¡±


    The witch laughed. ¡°Insolent, foolish child. You want to see the realms? You can¡¯t even leave this building. Or have you forgotten?¡± The hag quickly stepped toward the window on their side of the bed and struck the curtain rod. The drapes fell to the floor, and the last light of the setting sun streamed into the room, shining a spotlight on Esther.


    The former vampire squinted into the brightness but didn¡¯t otherwise flinch. Belle waited for the undead creature to burst into flames, but it never happened. Esther smiled at her former master and attacked. Right before they engaged, a shimmer enveloped the witch. The spell cost her a round, and Esther got three free hits, but they all sparked off the witch¡¯s protective shield. Esther had to dive out of the way when the older woman attacked back as the massive scimitar sliced just above her head.


    The two fighters reset and began trading strikes. Esther was black lightning, her blades and body a whirling display of agility. Belle was more stationary, her scimitar working up and down, either deflecting attacks or trying to slice apart the dancing woman before her.


    ¡°How is this going to go?¡± Jace asked quietly enough that only Gracie heard him.


    {Esther has a much better chance of hitting the hag, but only once her protection dispels, which will be a few more hits. But even when it does, her weapons won¡¯t do enough damage to kill the witch fast enough.}


    ¡°But can Belle even hit her?¡±


    As if to answer Jace¡¯s question, the huge scimitar connected with Esther¡¯s side, and the woman¡¯s 150 Hit Points dropped by 35. She cried out in pain and spun out of the way just in time to avoid another devastating attack.


    ¡°Should I step in and help?¡± Jace watched as the slight shimmer around the witch disappeared, and the subsequent two attacks from Esther landed, doing ten damage each and dropping the hag to around 200. But the next attack from the older woman hit as well, and now Esther was below 100.


    {Do the math. Letting Esther kill Belle will strengthen her bond with you, but I don¡¯t think she can do it alone.}


    Jace stepped around the bed as he watched the women in front of him go a round where none of their attacks landed. It looked like Esther was pulling back. She knew she could hit the witch but getting close would put her at more risk. When Jace was still ten feet away, his dial appeared, thanks to the reach of his halberd. Standing behind Belle, he watched as the critical range of his weapon shifted depending on where Esther was. If they flanked the witch, Jace could crit on an 11, but if they didn¡¯t line up correctly, he would only crit on a 16.


    Jace attacked through the 18-slot, ensuring he would get only one critical. The witch cried out in pain from the 30 points of damage and spun around to face this new assailant. Jace hastily picked the Stun option.


    [Stun Protection.]


    ¡°Crap,¡± he said as the witch hit him for 68 damage. He was literally naked with no access to his totem. His armor class was garbage, hence the critical. He attacked again, lining up the 20-slot, but wasn¡¯t rewarded with a crit and did 33 damage. Esther was flanking from behind and added her own critical strike and a regular hit doing an additional 37 points of damage. The hag was now under 100, but as her second attack for that round landed for 28, so was Jace, and he couldn¡¯t take another round of damage like that.


    The witch had the initiative against him, but before her scimitar struck home, she suddenly dropped her weapon. Jace saw Esther stab one of her rapiers forward into the hag¡¯s back and twist it in anger.


    {One of the rapiers has the Disarm ability, the other has Dispel,} Gracie advised. {They can be triggered on a critical hit. She used the Dispel ability when she attacked the witch on the bed, which was why her disguise dropped. This is what the Disarm looks like.}


    Jace didn¡¯t ponder the information too long and brought in his attack for another critical. He picked Stun again.


    [Save vs. Stun.]


    The ability was great against goblins and ogres, but when fighting high-level magic users, their resistance was too high.


    As the witch wasted the round to bend over and pick up her weapon, Esther took advantage and tackled the Flat-Footed woman to the floor. With the added flanking bonus Jace gave her, Esther secured her to the ground on her back before the woman could retrieve her weapon and delivered another devastating strike to the Helpless witch. Jace didn¡¯t know if Esther could see Belle¡¯s hit points hovering over her head at 15, but Esther held her next attack in check, letting the round end and reset.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Jace didn¡¯t know how long Esther would be able to keep the woman in that position or if she would get a chance to wrestle the vampire of her. Jace hadn¡¯t been able to do anything when pinned earlier, but Belle had probably had him at a much greater disadvantage. Either way, Esther milked it, bending down until her face almost touched the witch. She did nothing but stare at the woman, her eyes inches from the pinned adversary. She was waiting.


    ¡°Those are my rapiers, aren¡¯t they?¡± Jace asked in a whisper. ¡°The ones I took from the elf that tried to kill me.¡±


    {Yes. She picked them off you at some point. I didn¡¯t notice either.}


    ¡°She¡¯s going to keep doing things like that, won¡¯t she.¡±


    {Yes, she has a very progressive view of private property. Don¡¯t expect her to be honest about it either. Your choice if you want to keep her in your party after this.}


    Jace sighed and watched as another round ticked by.


    The Helpless condition reset and gave Belle a chance to fight out of it, but Esther¡¯s reflexes were up to the task. As soon as the witch flinched, the younger woman stabbed with her right-hand blade cutting through the triple chin of the hag and into her brain. She died in a gurgle, but Esther held the position for a few moments, whispering something into her ear before withdrawing her blade. The hag was reduced to a loose pile of skin and bones. Esther stood, sheathed her weapons, and spat on the body, cursing in a demonic language Jace didn¡¯t know.


    She looked at Jace. ¡°Thank you again. I couldn¡¯t have . . .¡± her voice trailed off as she observed the orc standing there completely naked. ¡°Um . . . is something wrong? I mean . . . is that how you normally look.¡± Her hand went to her mouth to keep from laughing.


    Jace was constantly amazed at how she could go from one emotional extreme to another. He didn¡¯t think she was entirely stable. He could follow her eyes and knew exactly where she was looking. ¡°No. It is a spell.¡±


    She laughed a little. ¡°Good, because Delly told me stories about the one time she was with an orc, and that girl is a liar if you all look like that.¡±


    ¡°I have the magical ability to control how others see me.¡± He guessed she didn¡¯t have control over her settings like he did. Her sexuality was obviously cranked to the max. The best explanation was magic.


    ¡°That must be nice,¡± she lamented. ¡°People only see me one way.¡±


    {If you dare tell her that is because of how she dresses, we are done.}


    Jace bit his tongue. Instead, he walked over to his kilt and put it on.


    ¡°I really like these swords, by the way. Can I keep them?¡±


    Jace sighed. ¡°I would have given them to you if you asked. You don¡¯t just have to take things.¡±


    Esther gave him a look like he had just said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to eat when you¡¯re hungry.¡±


    They didn¡¯t get a chance to discuss it further as the door to the room burst open. ¡°Madam, you must come quickly; we are under attack.¡± It was Leah. It looked like she was going to say a lot more, but she stopped in shock with her hand over her mouth. ¡°What happened?¡± The lump of oozing flesh on the floor could only be one thing. ¡°And why is there an orc in here? Esther, what are you up to?¡±


    ¡°Never mind, I can tell you-¡±


    ¡°Never mind! Our mother is dead. What are we supposed to do now?¡±


    Esther had her right-hand weapon out in a flash and was at her sister¡¯s neck. ¡°She was never my mother,¡± she said in a harsh whisper. ¡°She used us for her own advantage. We were too stupid to notice.¡±


    ¡°Esty, what¡¯s gotten into you? Your breath . . . it¡¯s warm.¡±


    ¡°What did you mean, we are under attack?¡± Jace tried to change topics.


    Leah looked at him, trying to figure out which mystery she was supposed to focus on. She turned back to Esther. ¡°Tell me what is going on. Why is there an orc here?¡±


    {Jace, something strange is going on with your module,} Gracie interrupted the chaos as the two women argued.


    ¡°Really? You mean how everyone notices I¡¯m an orc when we picked this module for precisely the opposite reason.¡±


    {No, I mean besides that. The ROI chat rooms are blowing up about Portsmith. People say it just went SIM.}


    ¡°Meaning what?¡±


    {Meaning there is suddenly only one copy of it. When you took Esther out of the module and made her a party member . . .}


    ¡°I made her unique,¡± Jace reasoned. ¡°Which means all of the other copies of her, all of the other copies of the Gilded Swan, all the other copies of Portsmith had to be deleted.¡±


    {This means all the players who were in their own copies of Portsmith were kicked out and sent to the entrance of this module.} She paused as Jace heard the familiar sounds of keystrokes and mouse clicks. {It looks like a travel node was created 2 kilometers from town. They must have respawned there, and it took them this long to run here.}


    Jace raced past the two women and went to the top of the stairs. He could look down and out over the balcony below. It was chaos. People were fighting, throwing fire and lighting, and firing arrows. And many of them were naked. A flaming arrow thudded into the wall next to his head as a cry of ¡°Orc!¡± rose to his ears.


    {This is a PVP zone now, Jace,} Gracie informed him. {You need to get out of here. You¡¯ve earned enough experience to level up, but it doesn¡¯t kick in until you leave the module. The game gave you 10k for that trick you did with Esther, but now you are only level 8 and have the crystal. There might be multiple level 15 PCs down there. Many of them will be able to detect magic. You are not safe.}


    ¡°Why are they naked?¡±


    {You were just naked.}


    ¡°Yes, but I was . . .¡±


    {What do you think they were doing?}


    Jace nodded, figuring it all out. ¡°They were visiting the brothel. They took their armor off, left their weapons on the floor to have a good time, and then POOF, they were sent to the edge of the map with nothing.¡±


    {They are coming back to get their stuff.}


    ¡°But it¡¯s all gone, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    {Yes, anything they didn¡¯t have in their inventory was deleted with their copies of Portsmith.}


    Jace returned to the room and tried to get the women¡¯s attention. ¡°Ladies, we need to leave.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave!¡± Leah shouted. ¡°This is our home.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not mine anymore,¡± Esther insisted. ¡°Jace, I¡¯ll come with you.¡±


    ¡°Would you tell me why you are with an orc?¡± Leah shouted. ¡°Did it kill Jezebel?¡±


    Jace heard a yelp behind him and turned to see another of the lieutenants enter the room. It was the Middle Eastern woman who looked like a buff Jasmine.


    ¡°Sisters, we are under attack,¡± she said. Her eyes narrowed on Jace. ¡°But you obviously already know that.¡± Without any other warning, she pulled an axe and shield out of nowhere and attacked.


    ¡°Delly, no!¡± Esther screamed, but it was too late.  Jace still had no defensive measures and could tell this woman was strong enough to do a ton of damage.  A fire raged in her eyes, but the rubies on the choker Jace had noticed earlier glowed with equal intensity and extinguished the blaze in her emerald orbs.  The shaman felt he had just dodged some type of bullet but was no better prepared to defend against the attack.


    As the axe came in, Jace wasted the round by dumping all the mana he had generated over the past few minutes into his healing ring. The critical strike from the axe took it all away, plus 20. Her next attack did normal damage, which brought Jace down to about 50, but now it was his turn. She raised her shield, and the 20-slot shifted, but Jace¡¯s practice from earlier paid off, and he got a double crit. She had protection that canceled one of them, and he took a chance with Stun again. Delly didn¡¯t appear to be a magic user and was only level 10, like the rest of the lieutenants. She failed the saving throw. Her health dropped by 20 from the attack.


    Leah was getting ready to cast a hex at him, but he tossed the halberd on the bed and backed away from the woman with his hands raised. ¡°I defended myself. I am not the enemy.¡±


    Leah held her spell in check but kept her hands up. Esther sighed and walked over to the pile of rotting flesh on the floor. With her drawn sword, she rooted around in the folds of skin until she fished out a necklace. From the way she held it away from her with a squeamish look on her face, Jace assumed it was dripping entrails or something. Esther jiggled it a little to clean it and then flung it across the room at the orc.


    ¡°Here,¡± she said. ¡°Put it on. You can disguise yourself as a man until we get out of here.¡±


    Jace caught the item, and it felt slimier than it looked. {Good idea,} Gracie said sarcastically. {As if that wasn¡¯t the whole reason we came here.}


    Jace opened the chain loop and tried to put it over his head, but his arms wouldn¡¯t move properly.


    {Oh, I forgot to tell you. You can only wear one necklace at a time.}


    Jace realized what this meant, took off the cheat code Gracie had made, and put the illusion necklace on. He stored the first one in his inventory, and Gracie showed him how he could program the spell. The item still had a little mana left since the dispelling crit Esther had done in her sneak attack had ended the spell before the mana was gone. It was a good thing, too, because Jace was dry.


    {It only takes 50 mana for an hour,} Gracie explained. {You should have that in a few rounds.} She gave him only enough instructions to change his appearance. They could worry about clothes later.


    Jace left his inventory and looked at the three women gathered in the room. Delly¡¯s stun had ended, and she held her attacks in check under Esther''s insistence. ¡°How do I look?¡± he asked. According to Gracie¡¯s direction, he should resemble his real-life appearance.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Esther said, a twinkle in her eye.


    Jace moved in front of the vanity in the room and looked at his reflection. If you swapped out the kilt for a bath towel, it was a reflection he was used to seeing each morning.


    Esther stood beside him and froze in shock at her own image in the mirror. As a vampire, she hadn¡¯t seen it in a long time.


    Delly noticed something was different with Esther for the first time. ¡°What is going-¡±


    ¡°Not now,¡± she cut her off. They¡¯d wasted enough time. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here.¡±

 Chapter 19: Confrontations

    Esther led the charge out of the room but wasn¡¯t easy to follow.  Two steps out of the witch¡¯s quarters, she vanished into the shadows.


    ¡°Cheater,¡± Delly said as she raced into the lead, taking the steps down to the balcony three at a time.  Jace was still adjusting to his new body size.  In the deity quest, he got the idea that Gandhi had given him an illusion so that everyone saw him as a human, but he still felt he was an orc.  Now he also saw himself as a human.  He had just gotten used to the massive strides of the 7-foot orc, and now he had to adjust to his standard height.  He could only take the steps one at a time, using his halberd to help balance him, and he felt back in rhythm when he reached the bottom.


    Delly didn¡¯t slow down as she reached the railing and vaulted over the balcony into the lower level, landing on a table and attacking the first person she saw holding a weapon.  Jace took a moment to examine the scene before diving in.  At least seven naked combatants were causing a ruckus downstairs.  A few others wore chain or leather armor with no pants, and half a dozen others wore light gray, knee-length tunics with a rope tied around the waist.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the Roman slave outfits?¡± Jace asked.


    {That is the starting attire in the game,} Gracie said.  {It forces you to walk through the armor and clothing tutorial or risk walking around looking like a newb.  It takes up an inventory slot, but some people keep it around just in case.}


    A woman¡¯s scream pierced the air as Jace saw a naked sixth-level fighter attacking one of the downstairs ¡°hostesses.¡±  Jace guessed he had been with her when he lost all his stuff.  It looked like he had kept a backup short sword in his inventory and was standing over her injured form, demanding she return his equipment.  Jace was about to leap to her defense when a white streak of fur took the fighter off his feet.


    ¡°Good girl, Snowy,¡± Jace said appreciatively.  The naked fighter didn¡¯t have a chance.  Snowy stunned him with a cone of frost and then let her teeth do the rest.  Instead, Jace turned his attention to another level 6 fighter who had Tami, the fourth of the lieutenants, backed against the wall.  He had on the Roman tunic with a longsword at her neck.  Jace couldn¡¯t hear what he was saying but felt obligated to help.


    Following Delly¡¯s lead, he jumped over the balcony railing and aimed for a burly dwarf whose naked legs stuck out from under a chainmail vest.  The fighter took the brunt of Jace¡¯s 15-foot drop, and the shaman rolled off him toward the pair in the corner of the room.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± the Level 6 PC demanded of Tami when Jace got close enough to hear them.


    ¡°Esther, I know she¡¯s here.  I want my ring back.¡±


    Blood dripped from a cut on Tami¡¯s bare shoulder, and the man had already cut through one of her silver dress straps and threatened to do more.


    ¡°You looking for Esther?¡± Jace barked, not used to his new voice, which sounded remarkably like his normal one.


    The man turned to look at him.  ¡°You¡¯ve seen her?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he answered.  ¡°She¡¯s with me.¡±  Jace waited until the man turned a bit more and let him have it.  He no longer had a dial to work with, but he guessed the man was coming from a flat-footed condition, having been grappling with Tami.  Plus, the woman gave Jace a flanking bonus, so he didn¡¯t have to be exact.  He got a triple crit and sent it all to damage, knowing the lower-level character would drop below half his Hit Points from it.


    {Don¡¯t finish him,} Gracie warned.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    {Too much experience.}


    ¡°I thought we wanted to get to level 10?¡±


    {Not yet,} she said through gritted teeth, obviously trying to keep her voice down so the Germans wouldn¡¯t understand her.  A few of the naked players were women, so the two horny men were glued to the screen and oblivious to the operator.  They were actually playing with the view settings to see if they could follow PCs other than Jace.


    Jace understood Gracie had a plan and respected it, backing away from the dying player as Tami kicked him with her high heel sandals.  She didn¡¯t appear as equipped for battle as the other lieutenants.  ¡°Get to your room,¡± Jace instructed.  Tami nodded but gave the dying man one more kick before running for the stairs.  Jace took the time to heal the man, hoping he wasn¡¯t chaotic.  The spell took, and his downward spiral halted at ten health.


    Jace stood from the fighter, and Snowy leaped in to rip his throat out.  {Ouch,} Gracie said.  {Don¡¯t rebuke her, though.  She is only valuable as a killing machine.  In all other situations, that was the right move.  But now, get out of there.}


    Jace said hello to Snowy with a scratch behind her ears as she licked her bloody chops.  They turned as one to see a naked level 7 half-orc standing on a table, grinning at them.  A ring of fire surrounded the table, and Snowy whined and backed away.  Jace knew he was also susceptible to fire damage, which the half-orc guessed by the shaman''s white fur-lined kilt.  A fireball might do them both in at this moment.


    From the fire mage¡¯s left, appearing out of nowhere, Esther flew in screaming.  She must have jumped from another table and hit the half-orc right before he cast, disrupting him and dropping his impressive Hit Point total from 160 to 120 while also dispelling the fire ring.  She then grappled him off the top of the table.  He fell at Jace and Snowy¡¯s feet, prone on the floor.  The wolf attacked low, and Jace went high.  He was dead a round later.


    {I said stop killing things!} Gracie screamed.  {Get the #$%* out of there.}


    ¡°We have to go,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°But I¡¯m having fun,¡± Esther whined.  ¡°Half of these people are here to kill me, and I¡¯ve never seen them before.  I must have slept with their wives.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Jace said but realized he didn¡¯t have time to explain and didn¡¯t think she would understand anyway.  ¡°We need to leave now.¡±


    ¡°Wait.  Is this your wolf?¡±


    Snowy instinctively knew that Esther was part of their party and howled in greeting, instantly liking the woman.  ¡°She¡¯s amazing.¡±  Esther sheathed her swords and dropped to a knee to properly greet the wolf.  Snowy gave her a quick sniff and then an appreciative lick to the side of the face.  The former vampire returned the favor, actually licking some of the blood off the canine¡¯s maw.


    Jace rolled his eyes and thought he might be sick.  ¡°We are going!¡± He said firmly so that his familiar was compelled to obey.  Esther followed.  They were close to the door, and after navigating a few upturned tables, most of the action was now behind them ¡ª most of the action.


    A naked woman blocked the entrance.  She was a level 12 elf with 132 health.  Without any clothes, Jace had no idea what class she was, but with only 132 Hit Points, he guessed it wasn¡¯t a melee fighter.  Elves got bonuses to Dexterity and Intelligence.  If she were a thief or ranger, she would be hiding in the shadows.  Jace guessed mage.


    ¡°What do you have?¡± the elf said curiously.  ¡°Something very powerful.¡±


    {She can sense the crystal,} Gracie said.  {Don¡¯t let her disable you.}


    Snowy and Esther launched into an attack, running and jumping the twenty feet between them.  The elf calmly raised her hand and cast a spell.  Jace had to guess it would be a stun or paralyze attack.  It had to target all of them, or it would be useless.  Even though she was level 12, Jace knew he could beat this.  Seeing Esther flying toward this woman brought back the sight of her with angel wings, and he imagined her flying out over the ocean, basking in the sunlight for the first time in eons.  She was free, soaring, and alive.  A heavy sensation threatened to overwhelm him, and gravity took hold of Esther in his dream, threatening to pull her down to the beach where quicksand waited to hold her tight.


    Jace fought through that pressure, willing Esther higher and higher until the weight dropped from her like someone had cut a toe line.  She soared toward the sun, and Jace opened his eyes.  Before him, his two female companions were frozen solid, only a dozen feet from their target.  The elf barely paid them attention and stepped between the pair toward Jace, who hadn¡¯t moved since the spell was cast.  He let her take another step and then exploded into action, bringing the halberd down in a vicious attack.


    He didn¡¯t trust a Stun spell against the mighty mage and put everything into damage.  She must have had considerable defensive protection in place because his 142-point 4x damage strike only did 34, which was well under what he needed to knock her out.  His second attack did 30, letting him know that whatever protection she had on that first attack was mostly gone now.


    The elf was paranoid and had no weapon to fight back with.  She dumped all her mana into an All-In cold damage spell, but that was her worst choice against a shaman aligned with a winter wolf.  It knocked a few Hit Points off, but Jace¡¯s next attack killed the mage.


    {Would you #$%&*@# stop it!  Just . . . just get out of there.}


    With the elf dead, her spells ceased, and Esther and Snowy stumbled forward, attacking the open air.  They looked confused and turned around to see the dead elf on the floor and Jacen stepping over her.  ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Snowy looked forlornly at the wasted elf blood pooling on the wood, and Jace thought Esther shared the sentiment.  They each obeyed their party leader and followed him outside.  Night had now fallen, and Esther disappeared into the shadows.  Jace got the impression Snowy could still see her, and after he linked senses with the wolf, so could he.


    {Get back to the travel node at the docks,} Gracie instructed.  {Try to avoid any more PCs.  But I fear even the NPCs in this module are waking up, and any of them are likely to go off-script.}


    ¡°I need to stop at the Tornsend house first.¡±


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    {You absolutely do not.}  Gracie looked over her shoulder at the Germans on the couch who had found a way to get the camera to stay in the first level of the Gilded Swan, which still looked like a porn parody of Gladiator.  She lowered her voice so they wouldn¡¯t hear.  {Let me do that math for you.  You entered this module with around 120k experience.  I¡¯ll use round numbers.  You got a full 10k for your stunt with Esther, the two of you split the experience for killing the witch, which was 5k, and then you got another 5k for helping Esther complete her mini-quest of killing the hag.}


    Jace guided his group back to the docks, which was also in the direction of the Tornsend home.  {That puts you close to 140k.  Level 9 is 125k, so that is great; you¡¯ve leveled up.  The game won¡¯t let you actually gain the level until you leave the module.  Level 10 is at 250k.  Getting another 110k should take a while.  You basically started the game at 82k right out of the gate, and after two full modules, you got less than 60k.  So, I¡¯ve got two other modules lined up for you to do where you can get a bunch of valuable loot and maybe even another party member before you have to face Drescher, the gun runner employing our two horny hosts.}


    Jace could see where this was going.


    {Killing PCs is the fastest way to get experience.  You get their current level experience or the amount to your next level up, whichever is lower.  Back there, Snowy killed two level six fighters, one herself and one that you critically injured.  Esther killed a level 7 character before joining up with you, and then the three of you killed another level 7 fire mage.  Very impressive, by the way.  He should have easily killed you.  Then you took down a level 12 Control mage.  She had no equipment save for a damage reduction ring that she apparently left on for her tryst.  Good job accidentally picking that up when you stepped over her body.  Because you were still officially at level 8, you only got 63k for that kill; otherwise, you would already be at Level 10.  Either way, adding all that up, it comes to almost 160k.  You split it with Esther (not Snowy), putting you at about 220k experience, only 30k from Level 10.  I know you will get at least 20k from talking to the widow, but with all the changes you¡¯ve made to the module and your annoying propensity for overachievement, who knows what will happen.  If you get to Ten, the Germans will demand you go to Drescher now, and you aren¡¯t ready.  I mean, there is nothing you can do to be prepared to face off against them, but the longer we wait, the better chance you have to . . . well, to work your magic and think of something.}


    ¡°I understand everything you just said,¡± Jace whispered, the breezy night air keeping his words from his companions.  ¡°I am going to the widow¡¯s house anyway.  I¡¯ve got this far playing my way.  If I vary from my convictions now, I do not trust Dexmachi will be there the next time I call.  I know you think the god is made up, but he is as real as Gandhi, and he is my ace in the hole right now.  I can¡¯t abandon him.¡±


    Gracie swore up a storm, and Jace was sure she threw her headset at the keyboard again.


    <hr>


    The Tornsend home was designed to look unique compared to the others around it.  Jace asked Esther to leave the shadows as they approached, not wanting to frighten the widow.  The rogue did as she was asked, and Jace noticed she was wearing a black hooded cloak.  Because of their interactions earlier that evening, Jace was intimately aware of every article of clothing she had, and there had been no cloak.  They had passed a few street vendors selling goods and clothing, but he was sure she hadn¡¯t stopped to buy anything.  When he asked her about it, she only said she was cold.  That was probably a new experience for the formerly undead, cold-blooded woman, so he gave her a pass.


    Esther returned his look and said, ¡°Your orc is showing.  You might want to change if you don¡¯t want to frighten the widow.¡±


    The combat had sped up the rounds they experienced, so the spell hadn¡¯t lasted as long as he anticipated.  Jace agreed with Esther¡¯s assessment and took a moment to question the woman.  ¡°Everyone assumes I¡¯m an enemy when they see me.  Why do you accept me?¡±


    ¡°You saved me,¡± she answered simply.  ¡°I judge people on their actions, not what they look like.¡±


    If Gracie were online, she would undoubtedly tell him this view was because of her Progressive nature.  Jace saw that trait as making her more open to life as an escort and a thief, but it also made her less racist.  Jace put that thought aside and dumped another 50 mana into the necklace.  He had been saving that for his healing ring, but it would be counter-productive if an Orc, a winter wolf, and the vampire responsible for her husband¡¯s death showed up at Mrs. Tornsend¡¯s door if the goal was not to frighten her.


    Esther evaluated his new appearance and frowned.  ¡°Is that the best you can do?¡±


    Jace looked down and saw the same image as before: his earthly body wearing a kilt and boots.  It was less frightening than an orc, but still not proper attire to visit a woman to tell her that her husband was dead.


    Esther didn¡¯t ask first (Jace doubted she ever would) before placing her hand on the necklace¡¯s gemstone and closing her eyes in concentration.  After a round, Jace¡¯s image shifted.  He now wore black pants and a navy-blue vest over a gray button-down shirt.  The vest had gold stitching in it and a fancy crest.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said as he hid his halberd in his inventory.  Esther only shrugged and walked toward the house.


    It was late, but Jace felt the game would allow the widow to come to the door whenever they knocked.  The middle-aged woman from the docks answered after a few moments.  Jace had asked snowy to wait in the street and keep watch for PCs that might be coming.  He couldn¡¯t imagine any of them wasting their time in this portion of the module, but he didn¡¯t know how magic detection worked, and it was possible someone could track him here.


    Although he looked very different, the scripted module allowed Mrs. Tornsend to recognize Jace.  ¡°Hello again.  Were you able to find anything out about my husband?¡±


    Because this was quest-related, Jace saw the prompts at the bottom of his vision.  A Guile option said, ¡°No, we haven¡¯t found anything.  He might come back later.¡±  A Pragmatic choice said, ¡°Yes, we found that he was killed.  I¡¯m sorry.¡±  And there was an Honest option saying, ¡°He went to the Gilded Swan, spent time with several of the women there, and was killed by the witch who ran the operation.  I avenged your husband¡¯s death.¡±


    Jace saw what the game was doing.  The most compassionate option was to lie.  Earlier, Esther had taken advantage of his honesty to get him to talk while enthralled.  Now the game showed him how callus the truth could be.  However, Jace didn¡¯t feel the Honest answer was that accurate.  As he contemplated his response, he examined the emotion on this woman¡¯s face.  It was real.  The over-acting and scripted request he had experienced on the docks was from the previous module.  This new Gandhi-controlled version should be able to react appropriately to what he needed to say.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid your husband has been killed.¡±  The shock this answer produced let Jace know he was right.  ¡°He was poisoned, and then they cast a spell on him and fed him to a witch.¡±  It was brutal, but there could be no mistake that he was a victim.


    Mrs. Tornsend had been expecting the worse and had already steeled her emotions against anything Jace could say.  ¡°Who is ¡®they?¡¯  Who did this to my husband?¡±


    ¡°The Gilded Swan is a front for a powerful witch who lures men to their deaths.  Your husband rejected the charms of the women, so he was drugged and killed.¡±  Esther had said Henry Tornsend had resisted, so he felt this was truthful enough.  ¡°We killed the witch, and the Gilded Swan will not be able to do this to any more families.  The brothel is being destroyed as we speak.¡±


    The widow¡¯s eyes kept darting toward the beautiful woman at Jace¡¯s side, thinking her presence could not be a coincidence and realizing she had not been with Jace before.  When Jace said, ¡°We,¡± Mrs. Tornsend felt comfortable asking about her.  ¡°Who is this?  Is she one of the whores who murdered my husband?¡±


    ¡°She helped me-¡± Jace started, but Esther cut him off.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied.  ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    The widow acted suddenly.  In the darkness of the house, she had hidden a butcher knife behind her back.  The attack was painfully slow to Jace and even slower to Esther.  The skilled rogue caught the widow¡¯s arm while still high in the air and shoved her back into the house so the encounter could continue in private.  Jace saw the older woman was a level 2 with 12 Hit Points.  If Esther breathed on her wrong, the woman would die.


    The vampire had no intention of killing her.  With a deft move, she wrenched the knife from her hand and grappled her to the floor.  Esther raised the blade in the air, and before Jace could stop her, she stabbed it down hard between the woman¡¯s knees.  It cut through the dress and apron and stuck fast to the wooden entry, pinning her to the floor.


    The widow was paralyzed with fear, but Jace didn¡¯t think Esther had used any mana.  Instead, the agile woman sat on her prone victim¡¯s waist and pinned her wrists to the floor.  ¡°I helped kill him,¡± she said in a low whisper.  ¡°That fact will haunt me almost as much as you, only for a lot longer.  I have to live with the knowledge that I was a monster.  You do not have to become one.  Grieve, find peace, and move on.  Let me carry this burden.  I was a prisoner in that hell hole, and part of me always will be.  You don¡¯t have to be a prisoner too.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the most sympathetic condolence, but Jace was impressed Esther cared enough to try.  The cloaked woman got up but left the widow pegged to the ground, her body rocking with sobs.  ¡°We¡¯ve done all we can,¡± she said.  ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They closed the door behind them, and as Esther walked to Snowy, Jace checked his experience.  He got 25K for the quest and another 5k for aiding Esther in finding closure.  According to Gracie¡¯s round numbers, that should put him right at 250k, the amount needed for Level 10.  As it turned out, her numbers had been a little too round, and he saw he was only at 248,950.  Plenty of room.  He winced at how close it was.  If Snowy killed a stray cat on the way to the docks, it might push them over.


    Jace moved toward the coast, but Esther tugged him in another direction.  ¡°There is a man, Zachery Hegai.  He officially owned the Gilded Swan and was responsible for selecting men to be fed to the witch.  He must pay as well.¡±


    Jace agreed, but as he looked off in that direction, he saw fire and lightning illuminating the sky.  ¡°I think he is already getting his just rewards,¡± Jace said.  ¡°All the disgruntled clients probably think he can get their equipment back.¡±


    Esther looked at him, puzzled.  ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    How could he explain this?  ¡°When I freed you, it upset the balance of the Gilded Swan.  The magic necessary to transform you had powerful side effects, and the current clients were transported out of town.¡±


    ¡°I think it drove some of them mad too,¡± she added.  ¡°Some said I had stolen from them, but I had never seen them before.¡±


    Jace decided not to comment on that oddity.  She might remember all of the men that came before today, but those who had been with her concurrent with his visit and had not completed the module did not register in Esther¡¯s memory.  Instead, he moved toward the docks.  Esther didn¡¯t push the point and followed behind.


    This part of town was vacant.  It was late, and with the reports of violence throughout Portsmith, the new Gandhi-influenced citizens were smart enough to stay inside.  It only took a few minutes to get to the travel node, and Jace was happy to see it wasn¡¯t crowded.  Gracie still hadn¡¯t reappeared, but Jace knew where to go.


    Travel back to Kellington was instantaneous, but Jace wondered if Esther had experienced a ship ride.  It wouldn¡¯t have made any sense since it was still nighttime when they arrived, but did she just ignore the fact that they traveled 50 kilometers in the blink of an eye?  Kellington was also on the coast, and Jace found the most upscale hotel he could, perched on a cliff overlooking the water.  He let Esther look at the menu and order anything she wanted.   It was well over 200 gold for the feast they brought to his room, and Jace tried not to think of it as equivalent to $200.  As far as he was concerned, he had $100k coming when this was all done, and once he found a safe place to sell the loot he was carrying, he would make that $200 back and more.  Within an hour after the food had arrived, Esther had stuffed herself silly and had cuddled with Snowy out on the balcony.  The two of them had fallen asleep to the sound of the ocean surf.


    Jace was glad they found it comfortable enough to sleep out there because there was only one bed inside.  He sat at the large table in the room, just off the bedroom and connected to the balcony.  He had sampled some of the food, and it was bland.  This wasn¡¯t a VR-enabled environment, but he found the food did improve his health regeneration.


    ¡°Gracie,¡± he said, looking at the ceiling where he assumed the third-person camera that tracked his movement was.  ¡°I need your help now.¡±  He had heard the trilling sound that indicated he had leveled up as soon as he entered Kellington, and he had also taken a peek at Esther¡¯s character sheet.  It looked like she had been demoted to Level 9 to match him, but there were dozens of choices since her character had to be rebuilt from the ground up like his orc had.  He didn¡¯t feel comfortable doing that himself.


    ¡°Gracie.  I need your help.¡±


    {Oh,} she said after he waited long enough.  {Now you need my help.}


    Jace took a deep breath and said the four most dreaded words in any relationship: ¡°We need to talk.¡±

 Chapter 20: Taking it to another Level

    Silence reigned for the first few moments of this ¡°Talk,¡± with both Gracie and Jace thinking the other should apologize.  As a forensic accountant, he had been in many hostile negotiations and figured he should get things started.


    ¡°Can you explain to me what I am doing that you don¡¯t like?  I feel I am playing this game exactly how I played Conor¡¯s RPG which won me the right for this opportunity.  Which part of that style is not working for you?  From everything I have experienced, it seems to be working.  I¡¯ve had a few close calls, but I feel I can take on just about any challenge.¡±


    Gracie soaked in this defense and understood most of it was correct but very na?ve.  {You still see the realm in black and white, good and evil.  It isn¡¯t.  Your insistence on playing that way has jeopardized this mission on multiple occasions.  That your skill as a player has allowed you to overcome these difficult situations does not excuse you for getting into them.  You could be so much more powerful if you embraced the gray morals of this realm and left your righteous virtues for the real world.}


    Jace accepted this critique and saw that many of the close calls he had were because he refused to bend on his virtues.  However, he also saw that by placing himself in those difficult situations, the boons he received from getting out of them were often more significant than the standard rewards they usually produced.  Was there a trade-off achievable?  Could he mitigate the risks, bend his rules, yet still work an increased benefit?  He was about to commit to trying this, but Gracie wasn¡¯t done.


    {For those of us who have embraced the relativistic morals of this game, your rejection of them comes as a critique of everything we have done.  And then, when you succeed beyond anything I have ever seen, it makes the criticism that much starker.  I guess that is something I should be working on.  There is more than one way to see the world, and just because you disagree with my position doesn¡¯t mean you are critiquing me.  The whole concept of the realm is that there is no right and wrong, so for me to label your actions as wrong is a bit hypocritical.  I apologize for that.}


    Jace was about to add his apology, but Gracie was still not finished.  {There is something else you need to know.  Much of my dislike for your play style is a bit of transference.  There is another paladin in the game played by an Afghani Terrorist named Ahbid, who has the exact alignment as you and the same rigid interpretation of the world.  He killed my husband.}


    Jace reacted viscerally at the statement but tempered his reaction by understanding that she meant they had fought in the game.  He was wondering how her husband fit into her unique job, and if his character was dead, that might explain why he wasn¡¯t helping with this mission.  Then Gracie shattered that interpretation.


    {And I don¡¯t mean in the game.  Ahbid sent a hit squad against us, and Stephen, my husband, Conor¡¯s brother, was killed.  They found our home address, and I barely escaped.  Conor and I went underground after that.  The government helped and set up several safe houses to access the game.  Ahbid isn¡¯t on the US hitlist, as his targets are all in the Middle East.  By not targeting Western cities, he has flown under the radar.  Conor and I didn¡¯t listen and went after him.  Stephen had always been my operator, but Conor stepped in.  Ahbid killed my character, and I haven¡¯t logged in since.}


    Jace heard the cracks in her voice and let her compose herself before he even thought about speaking up.  {When I see the way you play, it . . . it reminds me of him.  It reminds me of the man who killed my husband.  I know that isn¡¯t you, but when you judge others and Convict them of their ¡®sins,¡¯ I can¡¯t help but see how Ahbid judged Stephen and me.  Yes, he reached out to us in the real world because we were disrupting his operations, but he made it clear to me, as he killed my character, that he had paid particular attention to us because we were infidels.  We were Western idolaters, and Allah charged him to kill us.  So, understand that when you invent a god in this game and then use that god to cast Righteous Judgement or Convict, or you assume that characters are dishonest or progressive just because they live differently than you, I see the man who killed my husband.}


    She was done now, and Jace took a while to let it soak in.  How was he supposed to respond to that?  ¡°I am sorry for your loss,¡± he started but regretted it immediately.  She wasn¡¯t looking for sympathy.  ¡°I think you know my intentions in this game are not to judge you or your lifestyle.  I assumed Esther¡¯s alignment because she was an undead hooker, but that doesn¡¯t mean everyone with that alignment sells their body to others.  In the same way, I understand how an Islamist Fundamentalist would have the same alignment as me, but that doesn¡¯t make me someone likely to set off car bombs to kill my enemies.¡±


    {I know all this, Jace.  And I know that it is something that I need to work on.  I just need you to do the same thing.  I will try not to judge you against the unfair standard your alignment and play style bring to mind, and you need to do the same.}


    He nodded.  ¡°I think Esther is going to help in that regard.  I had the opportunity to change her alignment, but that is not what I felt I was Convicting her of.  My goal was not to free her from a wayward lifestyle but to remove the demonic and oppressive influences on her.  I did that, and now she is free.  I know that her sticky fingers and minimalist fashion sense will be challenging, but I will work to accept them.¡±


    Gracie took a moment to collect herself before responding.  {I haven¡¯t looked at Esther¡¯s character sheet, but I am eager to do so.  I appreciate that you left her to be who she is.  That is something Ahbid would never have done.  He would have just killed her.  I will focus on what makes you different from him as long as you promise not to judge someone before understanding their motivations.}


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    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jace said.


    {Good, let¡¯s deal with your level up quickly because I really want to check out your new sidekick.  You get three points to spend in Strength, which we will spend on Melee, Damage, and Athletic.  We can add another point to your Hit Points, which brings your max to 225.  And your two points in Spirit can go to Mana Pool and Magic Defense.}


    ¡°I agree with all of that.¡±


    {Good, now for the fun stuff.  You have access to two divine spells, one at level 0 and one from passing level 5.  In another thousand experience, you will get a third.  Your Righteous Judgement is one of them; what should the other be?}


    ¡°What are my choices?¡±


    {Too long to list.  It is easier if you tell me what you are looking for.  The divine spells available to a player are based on their god.  Those with chaotic or pragmatic gods have spells that do damage.  Guile gods give access to illusions.  Dexmachi gives you access to defensive spells and boons.  You can cast a spell to increase your attack or armor class or provide yourself with protection against fire or charm spells.}


    ¡°What about critical defense?  A lot of people I attack have a defense against crits.  Because I¡¯ve been able to get free 20s which come with an additional crit, I usually get three per attack, but I understand most attackers usually only get one.  Having protection against that would be a good idea.¡±


    {Yes, you can learn the crit protection spell.  Also, whenever you level up, you can change the spells you know, so this isn¡¯t a permanent choice.  If this spell doesn¡¯t work for you, you can swap it out.}


    ¡°Good; now explain how it works.¡±


    {You already know that you need five mana to change a skill by one.  This is a universal system that applies to everything.  You need five mana to do one damage.  You need five mana to increase your stealth by one.  A crit is when you exceed someone¡¯s AC by ten.  To protect against a critical, you must improve your AC by ten.  So, the base cost is 50 mana.  This doesn¡¯t actually increase your AC; it just protects you against a crit.  There are other spells to increase your AC where you aren¡¯t locked into having to raise it by ten.  If you spent 50 mana and cast it on yourself, it will last for one round.  This is called a burst spell.


    {If you want this protection to last more than one round, you need to pay the cost twice and then pay for the time.  Each round costs five mana.  So, if you wanted the protection to last ten rounds, which is standard, it would cost 150 mana.  You generate 200 mana in ten rounds, allowing you to keep this active all the time if you wanted, but you wouldn¡¯t have any mana left for anything else.  The third option is to enchant this spell into an item like a ring or a piece of armor.  This allows you to make it permanent, meaning it will last as long as it needs to until you get hit by your next critical.  To make something permanent, it is the same as above, only now you must also pay twice the ten-round cost.  This would bring the cost to 200 mana.  You only have a pool of 216, but since you can cast this at night before you go to sleep, you have plenty of time to regenerate it.}


    ¡°Is there a way to make it permanent so it never goes away?¡±


    {Technically, yes, but not in practice.  You need a +5 item that can hold 200 mana.  Every +1 that an item has allows it to lock in +2 points to a skill or +1 points to an ability.  Your belt gives you +4 to resist and is a +2 item.  You need at least a level nine item to hold 200 mana, and crafting a level nine item at +5 means you need at least five critical successes plus another one to put a spell in.  That would be a crafting roll of about 120.  You would have to pump up your crafting skill to 100 before you rolled to have a chance.  Your highest skill right now is your Mana Pool at 24.  I think you can appreciate how hard it would be to have a crafting skill above 100. Most high-level NPC crafters have a crafting skill of 40 or 50.  We can get into specific crafting abilities later.}


    ¡°Okay, so it sounds like putting the spell into an item is the best.¡±


    {Yes, and no.  You need an item that can hold that much mana or already has the spell designed into it, so you don¡¯t have to pay the total cost.  That ring you picked up from the dead elf mage is a level 10 and has a capacity for 250 mana, so it would work, but then you would only have room for 50 more mana to absorb damage.  It is more efficient to use the ring for its designed purpose.  A better option is your new necklace.  The illusion spell is powerful and requires a level 12 item to hold.  Level 12 items can hold over 300 mana, so there is plenty of room to put a 200 mana spell in there and still have room for over two hours of illusion.  Either way, this makes the choice for your next feat more obvious.  You are at an odd level, so you get to pick a Spirit or Shaman feat.  I recommend Enchant Item.  You can always dump mana into an item designed for a specific spell, but if you want to put your own spell in an item, you need this feat.}


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s go with that.¡±  Jace paused as he ran some numbers through his head.  ¡°About that ring, though.  The mage I attacked absorbed 100 damage from me.  If the ring blocks one damage per five mana, and the ring can only hold 250 mana, shouldn¡¯t it have only been able to block 50 damage?¡±


    {The spell infused into the ring provides damage protection from slashing weapons.  When you specify a specific type of damage, you only pay half-cost, so five mana will block two slashing damage, it will block piercing damage as normal, and do nothing for blunt and crushing damage.  It¡¯s kind of like your healing ring.  You get double the benefit when healing Ordered characters, the regular benefit for Balanced characters, and you get nothing for Chaotic.}


    ¡°So, I can¡¯t ever heal Esther, can I?¡±


    {Not unless you memorize a regular healing spell.}


    Jace looked over at the sleeping woman, half her body leaning against his massive wolf, who now looked slightly bigger at level 9.  Esther¡¯s Hit Points had been at 50 after her fight with the witch and the rumble on the first floor of the Gilded Swan, but now she was fully healed.  ¡°How does health regeneration work?¡±


    {When you are at rest, you gain Hit Points equal to your Vitality, which is your Resist skill plus your Spirit base.  For this to work, you must be genuinely at rest: no walking, no talking, nothing.  You can sit on the back of a horse or ride in a carriage, but any physical activity will not allow you to heal.  If you eat a substantial meal, that rate is doubled for the next ten rounds, and if you do any activity during that time, you still get a single benefit.  If you sleep, the rate is also doubled.  So, if you eat a meal and then go to bed, you get four times the healing.  You don¡¯t need to eat to survive, but NPCs will complain about hunger, especially if injured.}


    ¡°Understood.  Let¡¯s take a look at Esther.¡±


    {Gladly.}

 Chapter 21: Body Count

    Jace looked over at the still form of the beautiful woman sleeping soundly on the balcony.  It felt a little creepy looking at Esther¡¯s character sheet, like he was going through her things while she wasn¡¯t looking, but it was necessary.


    {Wow,} Gracie said.  {She is even more broken than I thought.}


    Jace couldn¡¯t believe it either.


    [Strength: 17; Dexterity: 22; Constitution: 16; Intelligence: 14; Wisdom: 8; Spirit: 22]


    {She has two stats at 22.  People had always assumed her Spirit was closer to 16.  Wait a minute . . . it looks like, as an angel, she gets a +6 bonus to her Spirit.  Amazing.}


    Jace looked down at the settings he had adjusted from his Convict feat and saw that her Nature had changed from Undead to Fallen Angel.  Her Kind was still Vampire, however.


    {It varies from NPC to NPC,} Gracie said, {but most companion characters suggest what they want at each level, and you can approve it.  They do this subconsciously, so you don¡¯t have to talk about it, but you might ask them to learn different spells based on your play style.  The more you let them do what they want, the closer they are bonded with you.  However, if you have a good reason to change something that benefits them as much as you, you usually don¡¯t get penalized for it.  Esther is going to be difficult to keep close.  When she joined your party, she only had a bond strength of 60.  Anything under 50, and she could leave you at any time for any reason.  Anything under 75, and she can be lured away by another PC if they are a better fit.  When you let her kill Belle, you gained five.  You gained another five from letting her address the widow, and you have another conditional five because she loves your familiar.  That puts her at 75, which is safe for now, but if it drops any and she meets a handsome bard more closely aligned with her, she could leave.  And trust me, when other players find out what you did, they will want her.  Keep her happy.}


    ¡°Look,¡± Jace said, choosing his words carefully.  ¡°I agree she is breathtakingly beautiful, but there is no reason the game couldn¡¯t create a dozen more women like her.  Plus, all of them would be created in a VR environment where your interactions with her are more real.  What is so special about Esther?¡±


    {Because she is not in a VR environment.  People always want what they can¡¯t have.  Plus, she is a vampire, which adds an element of excitement to it.  Because she is not VR and is heavily scripted, players know she probably won¡¯t kill them.  No one would be stupid enough to sleep with an actual vampire in an unscripted VR setting where anything could happen.  There are VR women you can have as companions in your party who will play the whole game naked and sleep with you whenever you want, and people are tired of them.  Designers reacted by making their bodies with even more extreme proportions, which didn¡¯t help.  Esther is right on the edge of beautiful but realistic, unattainable yet approachable, deadly yet restrained.  There is simply no one else in the game like her.  And now that she is VR compatible, people will be after her even more voraciously than your Level 50 Crystal.}


    ¡°So, I should rubber stamp all her decisions here, and it doesn¡¯t matter?¡±


    {No, taking a quick look at what she wants, I think we should change at least one thing.  When you gift her a bunch of equipment in the morning, you will recover any loss from asking her to change and then some.}


    Jace remembered he had taken more than the rapiers from the elf assassin, and all of that equipment would be perfect for her.


    {She is a rogue, in case you didn¡¯t know.  When you met her, she was at level 10, but the game adjusted her to your level.  Also, because her nature changed and many of the decisions she made in getting to 10 don¡¯t work anymore or are redundant, she was pushed back to level 1.  Her class stat is Dexterity, and she chose her second key stat to be Intelligence for the first five levels and Strength for the last four.


    {For Strength, she put everything in Melee, with any extra going to Damage.  She gets a +5 special bonus to Damage for being a vampire.  They usually fight with claws and teeth, so they need it, but she can also use it in weapon strikes.  She also gets a +5 to Athletic as a thief.  For Dexterity, she gets a ton of points.  She maxed out Stealth and Off-Hand and put the remainder in Dodge.  She also gets a +5 to Dodge and Stealth for being a Rogue.  It would be good if you got a ranged attack party member at some point, but Esther doesn¡¯t want to be it.}


    ¡°Can you explain the Off-Hand skill?  I assume that means she is using two weapons.¡±


    {Yes.  Her melee attack bonus for her off-hand comes from this skill.  It can never be larger than her primary Melee skill.  You can only use light weapons in your off-hand.  Rogues start with proficiencies in light-bladed and light-range weapons.


    {For Constitution, she had five to spend and put them all in Hit Points.  Here I would make a change and put one of those in AC.  You have some shadow scale armor to give her, which will make her very powerful, but she needs 5 AC to wear it.  She will lose a few Hit Points, but it is worth it.}


    ¡°I suppose for someone who spent most of her time naked, she didn¡¯t need much armor.¡±


    {Are you judging her again?}  The tone was just severe enough that Jace couldn¡¯t tell if she was kidding.  Gracie didn¡¯t let him know.  {For Intelligence, she made this a key ability, so she got a bunch of free points and put them all in # of Spells.  That makes sense for how she is built.  She also gets +5 to perception for being a vampire.  Wisdom is her weak point.}


    Jace wanted to joke about how her career choice as a prostitute illustrated her low Wisdom score but decided against it.  Likely, her back story would have her being sex trafficked, so it wasn¡¯t her choice.


    {She only got one point and put it in Magic Defense.  Spirit is her strength.  She receives a +10 in both Mana Generation and Mana Pool for being an Angel.  She spent nine level points in Magic Defense and put the rest in Mana Pool.  She has way more mana than you.}


    ¡°Does it make sense for me to convince her to be a mage?¡±


    {Not with 14 Intelligence.  Spell Difficulty is the attack bonus for mages.  She has +2.  You want this to be as high as your standard attack bonus with weapons.  She gets tons of bonuses when she casts her Charm spells, and I bet she still spends mana to make them more difficult.  She doesn¡¯t have those same bonuses for damage spells, and any typical character will be able to defend against them.  I was a mage when I played.  Esther wouldn¡¯t make a good one.}


    ¡°Now we move on to feats?¡±


    {Yes.  She gets five Dexterity-based feats.  Sneak Attack comes for free with the rogue.  She chose Acrobat, which lets her use her Dexterity base instead of strength for Athletic checks.  Pick Pocket, which combines Athletic and Stealth to steal from players.  Surprise attack, which you are not going to like.}


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll bite; what does it do?¡±


    {When she attacks someone who is not in combat mode, they must make a Death save against the damage or suffer the consequences. Typically, the Death save only triggers if your attack does more than half their total Hit Points.  A Surprise attack is tough to pull off.  You must have your weapon in your hand or a sheath, and the other player can¡¯t see it coming.  It¡¯s tough to find a character that gullible, but if she has them Charmed and/or Enthralled, it could happen.  Archers use it most often.  It allows them to get kill shots with arrows against high-level opponents.}


    Jace understood why Gracie said he wouldn¡¯t like it.  It was a sucker punch move, especially since she would undoubtedly Charm them first.  Jace had to come to grips with who she was.  If she used it excessively to kill or cripple innocent victims, he would talk to her about it, but he wouldn¡¯t change it now.  ¡°What else?¡±


    {Her last two Dexterity feats are Quick Cast and Off-Hand Training.  Quick Cast lets her cast burst spells in a single action, which we already discussed.  It sounds like an Intelligence feat, but anyone who knows at least five spells can take it.  Off-Hand training lets her apply her second-highest weapon training to her off-hand.  Weapon training goes up by +2, +5, +10, and +15.  If she is at +5, she gets a +2 to her off-hand.}


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    {Because she took her first five levels with Intelligence as a key stat, her first two even-level feats are Intelligence based.  The first is Extra spell, which adds a +1 to her known spells.  The second is Enchant Item, which we already went over with you.  For her two Strength feats, she chose Weapon Training and Weapon Specialist in light-bladed weapons.  This gives her the +5 I mentioned above.}


    Jace could see that with all these bonuses, Esther had +27 to hit with her main hand and +25 with her off-hand, both better than what he had.  She might not do much damage, but she was going to get a lot of 2x and 3x crits.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°What about all the grappling feats?¡±


    {Those come with her occupation, but we are doing spells next.  She knows six, but she is only asking for five.  The empty slot means she can memorize two versions of each of these spells.  The first one is Charm+, which you know about.  There is a + because depending on how much mana you spend, it escalates to Death.  To Charm someone, you need to pay five mana per level.  To kill someone, you must spend 50 mana per level with Daze, Stun, Paralyze, and Unconscious falling in between.  When you memorize the spell, you must decide which bane you are shooting for.  She will be able to memorize two versions, probably one to charm characters ten and below and another for characters level 15 and below.  If you try a higher level like paralyze, but they save, nothing happens; you don¡¯t downgrade to the next level like with the Death save.  To try and kill a level 10 player, you need 500 mana.  That is out of range for almost every mage, but it can happen.  Even so, you get so many bonuses to save against the death spell that it is virtually impossible to do.  Your death save is 55, and then you roll a d20 in defense, so someone would have to have a spell difficulty of 65+ even to try to kill you.  You can pay five mana to increase the difficulty by one, but you already need 500 mana to kill a level 10 character, so you won¡¯t have any left.  This is why level five characters aren¡¯t allowed in PVP zones.  High-level mages could kill them without warning.}


    Jace shuddered at the thought of a mage who could cast that kind of spell.


    {Her other four spells are: True Strike, which gives +10 to her next attack, and she can cast it as a burst spell for 50 mana; Invisibility, which offers a bonus to Stealth; Heavy Weapon, which allows her to enchant her light weapons so they can use her full damage bonus; and Shadow Step, which I think we should change.  The spell lets her move between patches of shadow as many feet as her Stealth skill is.  But the boots you took from the elf assassin have the spell built into them, and it will be cheaper for her to cast that way.  I recommend we give her the Haste spell instead, which will double her rate of movement, give her one extra attack per round, and increase her Dodge ability.  The drawback is she can¡¯t use Stealth while hasted.}


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t have any healing spells?¡±


    {As a vampire, she can only channel negative energy, so she can¡¯t heal, raise an ability score, or cast defensive spells.  There are a few other restrictions, but these are all excellent choices for her.  Now we can move on to her occupation, which should be . . .}


    Jace was pretty sure he could hear Gracie¡¯s jaw drop.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    {This can¡¯t be correct.  Everyone assumed she was a Level 12 Escort, which is really good, but this is . . . well . . . this is incredible.}


    Jace had also found the right screen and saw she was a level 37 Escort.  ¡°I see that it is high,¡± Jace said.  ¡°But why is it so amazing?  Didn¡¯t you say she was the best in the game?¡±


    {Level 12 would have been the best in the game.  Advancing in levels of your occupation gets increasingly difficult with each level, and they don¡¯t get you any real experience.  Most PCs only get to level 6, earning them three free occupational feats.  To go beyond that takes too much time, and your actual level is more important.  NPCs are usually set at levels 8-10 to be considered experts.  Level 12+ is considered master level.  There is no description for players above 20.  She is at 37.}


    Jace thought he might know why.  ¡°How do you gain levels in an occupation?¡±


    {By doing your job,} Gracie answered.  {If you are a craftsman, you need to craft items.  If you are a scout, you need to spend hours tracking for a party.  If you are a bounty hunter, you need to collect bounties.  If you are an Escort, it is all about the body count.}


    ¡°And how many people would she have to sleep with to get to level 37?¡±


    {I have no idea.  It¡¯s not something I¡¯ve ever looked up before.  Maybe thousands.  Maybe tens of thousands.  I know it doubles every level up until level 12, which requires 2,000.  To get to level 6, which most players stop at, you need 32 of whatever you try to do.  If it is like experience points, you probably need another 1,000 per level.}


    ¡°Then it is 27,000,¡± Jace said, quickly doing the math.  ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    {No, it doesn¡¯t,} Gracie argued.  {That is one a day for almost 74 years.}  She was good at math too.  {The game is more realistic than that.  Gandhi wouldn¡¯t allow it.}


    ¡°What if it was multiple people at once, several times a day?¡±


    {Look, you might not think very much of her, but that isn¡¯t how she operates.  You saw the module.  She takes her time and usually only deals with PCs.  I¡¯m sure the game programmed her with a history, but not that many.  She wasn¡¯t that powerful.}


    ¡°Okay, but in the history of this game, how many people have done that module?  You said it was a MIM, right?  When I broke it, over a dozen people were kicked out.¡±


    The light went on in Gracie¡¯s mind.  {So, she has the collected memories of all the PCs that ever played her module?  That could do it.  If you played it right, each PC could have had multiple experiences with her.}


    ¡°How is that possible?  Once you killed the fen witch, what happened to the brothel?¡±


    {Usually, Leah would run it.  But Esther had a script that she would always pickpocket your most valuable item.  Then afterward, you had to return to the brothel to get it back.  It was the only way to get back in to see Esther again.}  Gracie paused.  {I didn¡¯t do it, by the way.}


    ¡°Worried I might judge you?¡±


    Gracie tried to chuckle.  {No, I just wanted to let you know that all of my knowledge of Esther is second-hand.  When I went through the Gilded Swan quest, I saw Leah.  She is an artist and will do an excellent character portrait for you that you can use as an avatar.}


    ¡°Sort of like, ¡®Draw me like one of your French girls.¡¯¡±


    Now Gracie did laugh.  {Yes, it was exactly like that.  Either way, there is plenty of information on Esther from others who did play her module.  The walkthroughs say that the more valuable the item she stole from you, the more she would make you beg to get it back.  The begging usually involved sexual favors.  PCs were encouraged to visit her with the most valuable thing they could find to improve the results.}


    ¡°That would explain why all those players were so mad,¡± Jace reasoned.  ¡°But she only took the rapiers from me.  Those were not the most valuable thing I had.¡±


    {You mean you haven¡¯t noticed yet?  She took the rapiers after you liberated her because she wanted weapons to kill the witch.  It had nothing to do with her script.}


    Jace froze in shock and quickly checked his inventory.  The Level 50 crystal was missing.  He exited the screen and looked again at the woman sleeping on his balcony.  ¡°What do I do?¡±


    {Unless you want to beg, let her keep it for a while.  It probably makes her happy.  You will need to ask for it back at some point.  If she is killed, she will drop it, and you can pick it up.  If you keep it, any other skilled thief can steal it from you.  Your defense against pickpockets is pretty low.  No one will be able to steal it while she has it.}


    Jace thought it was risky to let someone so chaotic carry the item that defined his purpose in this game, but he would trust Gracie here.  ¡°Okay, what benefits does her massive body count give her?¡±


    {It gets her 13 occupational feats.  Like I said before, most people get three from their occupation.  There aren¡¯t 13 feats associated with being an escort, but she can take some of them multiple times.  She has the three that add bonuses to her Charm+ spell: Graceful Charm, Dazzling Strength, and Stunning Body.  They let you add your Dexterity, Strength, and Constitution bases to the difficulty of your Charm+ spells.  I think she only had the first one before you freed her.  She has Grapple and Improved Grapple.  They each add +5 to your grapple ability, and she took Improved Grapple four times, so she has +25 to Grapple.  She has Quick Change Artist, which lets her swap between two outfits instantly without going into her inventory.  You also get to swap accessories with each outfit, and the game enables you to count weapons as accessories, which is how the women you fought were able to pull weapons from their inventory instantly.  She took this twice so that she can switch between four different outfits.  I¡¯ve known male fighters who decided to work as escorts to get this ability and swap armor mid-combat.  She has Fashion Design, which lets her modify the appearance of clothing and armor items.  She had this one before, which is how she was able to adjust your illusion spell.  And she took Escape Artist twice.  Taking it once lets her add either her Dexterity or Strength base to escape Grapple checks.  Taking it twice enables her to use both.}


    ¡°How is that an Escort feat?  I don¡¯t recall Houdini turning tricks.¡±


    {I don¡¯t suppose you ever tied anyone up in bed?}  Jace shook his head.  {Well, no one will ever tie her up either.}


    Jace sighed as he realized he had created a monster.  ¡°Is that it?¡±


    {Not quite.  She still has her vampire abilities too.  She has Pinning Grapple, where if she gets a critical in her Grappling check, which she always will, she can spend it to consider her opponent pinned without having to Grapple them against a solid object.  This is so they are Helpless when she uses her second vampire ability, Level Drain.  Each round, she can suck a level out of someone, and she gets a rush of mana equal to five times the number of Hit Points they were reduced.}


    ¡°What if she goes over her mana limit?¡±


    {She has one round to spend the mana, or it goes away.  But more importantly, if she drains someone to half their current level, they go into a death spiral, the same as if they took half their health in damage.  And since vampires almost always use this ability when their victims are Helpless, there is no saving throw.  But she doesn¡¯t have to waste time draining them because she has a natural Coup de Grace ability, where she can spend critical successes from previous disabling actions to kill them instantly.  I think she has to spend one critical per five levels of the victim.  There are other modifiers, but it is pretty deadly.  Vampires are no joke.}


    ¡°So,¡± Jace was trying to reason this out.  ¡°If she touches anyone, she can initiate a Grapple hold on them, which almost no one can escape.  Then she can render them Helpless and kill them.¡±


    {Like I said earlier, one-on-one combat is usually pretty one-sided.  If her victim has a friend who can hit Esther while she is sucking the life out of him, she will be considered flat-footed.  If he gets a crit, he can spend it to free his friend from the Grapple.  So, it isn¡¯t too overpowered, but it is pretty close.}


    Jace gazed again at the woman on the balcony.  She looked so peaceful and innocent, snuggled up against Snowy like a little girl with a giant stuffed animal.  It was hard to believe what a killing machine she could be.  He just hoped he wasn¡¯t doing more damage to her than if he had left her in the Gilded Swan.  ¡°Is that it?¡± he finally asked.


    {I think so.  The only angelic ability she has is Flight, but it is disabled because she is fallen.  The game doesn¡¯t mention NPC fallen angels as companions, so I don¡¯t know if that can be reversed.}


    ¡°Should I let her sleep?  She is at full health; we could continue now.¡±


    {You should sleep too.  You are not fully healthy yet, and there is no reason to waste mana to heal yourself.  If you want, you have enough mana to cast a crit protection spell into your necklace, and then you can sleep to get everything back.  Since you are in a MIM right now, it will let you skip to dawn and cost you no real-world time.}


    ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡±  Jace moved to the bed and played around with his player settings until he found the rest options.  He could ¡°Rest until healed,¡± ¡°Rest until Mana at full,¡± or ¡°Rest until dawn.¡±  He chose the last one, and his vision faded to black.

 Chapter 21.1

    So that is Esther. I¡¯ve already explained how Grappling works, and she will use it a lot, but I haven¡¯t explained how hiding in the shadows (Stealth) works, and she will do this just as often.


    Every environment has a light righting from 1-20. One is complete darkness. Five is candlelight. Ten is dawn or dusk. Fifteen is indirect sunlight or a room lit by several lamps. Twenty is direct sunlight at noon. The environment¡¯s lighting must be ten or less to hide in the shadows. You also can¡¯t be in someone¡¯s direct line of sight, or at least not the person you are hiding from. If they can see you plainly, you can¡¯t hide from them.


    The one exception to this is invisibility. If you cast the Invisibility spell, it acts as if you¡¯ve just successfully hidden in the shadows. Basically, the spell increases your Stealth skill and puts you in the shadows. Most spells increase a skill for a certain length of time. If you want to have the boost for more than one round, you have to pay the mana cost twice and then pay for the time at five mana per round. There is also a burst spell. This will improve your skill for one round and then go away.


    Esther¡¯s burst invisibility spell costs 50 mana and increases her Stealth score by 10 for one round. Another way to look at it is that it decreases the light around her by ten and puts her in the shadows. This means that even if the light score is 20 outside, she can cast a burst invisibility spell, effectively reduce the light around her to 10, and then hide in the shadows. Once the round is over, she can stay in the shadows using her normal Stealth skill.


    Esther¡¯s Stealth skill at Level 9 is 33. If someone wants to see her, they take their Perception score, add it to the light rating of the environment, and roll a D20. Jace has a perception of -1. If he wanted to see Esther moving about in broad daylight (20), he would have to roll a 14 or better. When she hid from him in her room in the Gilded Swan, the light score was at seven. A roll of 20 would have been 26; her Stealth score at that moment, without the equipment Jace ended up giving her, was 29, so only the fact that a 20 was a critical would have allowed Jace to see her.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    If someone knows you are there, they can make a perception check every round to try and see you. If you are sneaking up on a guard trained to look out for intruders, the guard will get one free perception check when you enter his field of vision. If he critically fails, he will not look for you again unless you make a sound or alert him in another way. If he fails, but it is not critical, he will keep looking each round until he sees you or fails critically. If you are sneaking up on someone who is distracted or not keeping guard and the difference between your stealth and their potential check (Perception + Light) is greater than 10, they will not get a free check unless you make a sound.


    I will introduce what I call True Sight devices into the story soon. They magically decrease everyone¡¯s Stealth Skill by 20. Sometimes these items are lights in a room that raise the light level. Other times they are spheres that operate at night that magically make the shadows disappear without changing the light level. In the end, the effect is the same, and they give everyone looking for the rogue +20 to their perception. It is possible to memorize a burst invisibility spell that increases your stealth by 30 and still successfully hide in the shadows for one round, but after that round, you would be reliant on your Stealth skill and would be found quickly. Enemies in a group will share senses, so if one of them sees you, they all see you. Raising a skill by 30 costs 150 mana. If you wanted it to last for two rounds only, it would cost 310, which is a bit expensive when a 50-mana spell will work 90% of the time.

 Chapter 22: A Complicated History

    Jace woke to the sound of running water. It felt like he had only been asleep for a second, but it had been night outside when he had closed his eyes, and now dawn was brightening the sky. The coastal view out the window was to the west, so they didn¡¯t get any direct sunlight, but it was enough for his orc eyes to see.


    His orc eyes.


    He looked down at his body and saw his giant 7-foot-long 400-pound frame stretched out on the bed. The necklace was helpful, but he would have to remember to keep it charged. He didn¡¯t bother now, as no one in the room cared, and since they were in the tutorial town of Kellington, no one in the whole city cared.


    Jace saw Snowy gnawing on some leftover bones from last night. He didn¡¯t see Esther. Then the sound of running water stopped, and he knew where she was. The hotel clerk who had shown them to their room last night explained that each of these deluxe apartments had a cistern filled with water and heated by a mage early each morning. Esther was taking advantage. A few minutes later, she walked out of the washroom, her body a mess of pixelation, having left her towel behind and only holding a large washcloth to dry her hair.


    ¡°Good morning Jace,¡± she said pleasantly.


    Snowy barked a ¡°Good Morning¡± to her, and the woman went to the open-air balcony to let the fresh ocean breeze finish the job the towel had started.


    {You know,} Gracie said. {If she knew you had those filters up, she wouldn¡¯t be happy about it.}


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in being seduced today,¡± Jace replied.


    {She isn¡¯t seducing you. She is teasing you. If it were seduction, she¡¯d be using mana, and you¡¯d be licking her feet right now. Do you have golf buddies?¡±


    ¡°Yea, of course.¡±


    {When one of you hits a bad shot, do you tease him? Does everyone join in the good-natured ribbing? And since everyone hits a ball in the water now and then, you all take it as good as you give it, right?}


    Jace nodded. He would be embarrassed if Gracie heard the insults they used when golfing. He blamed the beer.


    {And what would happen if you found out that one of your buddies was able to mute you and your friends every time you started teasing him? What if the rest of you had to deal with the jokes and put-downs, but this one friend never had to hear it? Would that make you happy?¡±


    Jace understood her analogy. ¡°But she doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    {And that makes it all right? If you cheat on your wife, but she doesn¡¯t find out, it¡¯s okay? And she will eventually find out. You can¡¯t give her that same placid look each time she flashes skin and think she isn¡¯t going to realize something is up. Plus, she will just get bolder, which you probably don¡¯t want. I know you think you¡¯re being chivalrous, but this is not the Traditional woman you are used to.}


    Jace listened as he watched Esther caress her body with the small towel as the sea breeze blew her hair dry. ¡°I bet the Germans are loving this.¡±


    {One of them went to bed, and the other is upstairs getting lunch. They didn¡¯t find the level-up things so interesting, and I told them you¡¯d be sleeping for an hour.}


    ¡°They left you alone?¡±


    {They handcuffed my ankle to the desk. They loaded a virus into my computer that prevents me from doing anything online besides playing this game. I¡¯m not going anywhere. But, hey, at least they left me a few Crispy Creams.}


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Jace said. Here he was, enjoying ocean views with a beautiful woman while she was chained to a desk eating stale donuts. He navigated to his inventory and changed the Nudity setting from Medium to High. It was one away from Severe, the highest setting. He probably should have done that before the last module. It would have made fighting easier. By the time he exited the settings screen, Esther was already wearing her dress again, sitting at the table, and munching on a biscuit.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Jace finally responded to her earlier greeting. ¡°Sleep well?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± she said. ¡°I actually slept. I was hungry and tired, and then I was full and sleeping. I haven¡¯t felt like that in . . . I don¡¯t know. It has been a while.¡±


    Jace was sure Esther was fully experiencing everything happening now and would have a perfect memory of it, but her designer couldn¡¯t possibly have been able to fill her past life with minute-by-minute experiences. Looking back and picking out individual moments must be a strange feeling for her.


    ¡°And then a warm shower and the cool ocean breeze in my hair . . .¡± her eyes rolled back in her head as a shudder went through her. Eventually, she looked back at her orc savior sitting on the edge of the bed. ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I have more for you.¡± Jace went into his inventory and pulled out the shadow scale armor and the boots the assassin had been wearing. He dumped them on the table and momentarily felt bad about the gift. Esther preferred to dress in lace, ribbons, and high heels, but these articles were all buckles, straps, and scales.


    She didn¡¯t seem to notice. ¡°Are these for me?¡± She sounded like a kid at Christmas. ¡°Oh, Jace, I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°You will need more protection in the future. These should help.¡±


    Before picking the articles up, she ran over to Jace and hugged his chest. The embrace lasted shorter than last time, and she quickly returned to the table. The items disappeared as she touched them, and Jace watched her eyes roll back again, but this time into her inventory.


    {Watch the girl work,} Gracie advised. {This should be interesting. Most players think the Fashion Design feat is worthless. I tend to disagree.}


    In a flash, Esther¡¯s dress was replaced by the armor. It didn¡¯t come with pants, and Jace tried not to stare at the white thighs above her stockings. He kept his eyes up on the action. The vest was different now, but it was subtle. Jace was used to this type of change. When he had taken the healing ring from Xavier, it had more than doubled in size to fit on his orc finger. The elf that had tried to kill him was about the same size as Esther, as she was tall for a woman, but the two had very different body shapes.


    The armor adjusted slightly, narrowing around the waist and flaring at the hips. The shoulder straps were thinner and the top more open, but the same ugly belts and buckles crisscrossed the vest with scales like shingles layered over her torso. Then it began to shift. The straps pulled into the vest like snakes retreating into holes. The buckles vanished, and the front of the vest split at the abdomen and spread in an upside-down ¡°V,¡± making it more obvious she wasn¡¯t wearing pants as her navel became visible above her black underwear. Dark navy-blue laces sprang to life and threaded themselves through the ¡°V,¡± synching it tight over her stomach.


    At the same time, the scales were shrinking and changing shape. At first, they looked like fish scales but then took on an almost hexagonal shape and fit together snuggly over her ribs and around her sides. The transformation traveled across the armor like dominoes falling in a line and wrapped around and up her body until the unique scales formed cups under her chest for support. The upper straps sprouted larger scales that flexed in an overlapping pattern over her shoulders, while the open top plunged even further to reveal cleavage.


    Esther turned around, and Jace saw the snug-fitting armor lay flat against her back with an upright ¡°V¡± at the top that was also laced up tight with the navy-blue cords, allowing her to adjust the fit of the top independently from the bottom. She completed her turn until she was facing Jace again to show him the finished product. He whistled. She looked like Wonder Woman if Batman had been in charge of the costume design. The intricate pattern of the hexagonal scales as they conformed to the curves of her body was mesmerizing.


    Jace was about to compliment her, but he saw a frown crease her face as she rotated her torso and flexed her arms. He thought everything looked and moved great, but she didn¡¯t. In another flash, the armor was gone and replaced with the light gray Roman tunic that Jace guessed every player had. It hung down just above her knee, but Esther waved her hand, and suddenly it was 80% shorter, not even covering past her ribs. The top of the garment had also changed, going sleeveless and adding a generous scoop neck. Jace only got the alluring image for a second before the armor reappeared. He could see the light gray ¡°shirt¡± underneath, as an outline against her chest and under the shoulder straps, adding a comfortable buffer beneath the hard scales.


    Now when Esther moved her arms about and twisted her shoulders, she smiled. She ended her stretching routine and struck a pose for Jace. ¡°What do you think? I love it.¡±


    ¡°It looks great, but . . .¡±


    Now he did let his eyes wander down her body. On each hip, half-moon scales hung in a layered pattern over the full curve of her hourglass shape, but the front was still wide open. Esther followed his eyes and returned his look with the universal, ¡°Oops, I forgot to put on pants¡± expression. A navy-blue skirt suddenly appeared to solve the problem. She must have had this from another outfit. It reminded him of steampunk cosplay. It was scandalously short in the front but had ruffled pleats that lengthened as they wrapped around her legs until they hung as low as her knees in the back. The short front gave her legs full range of motion.


    She still had her old boots on, but that changed too, as the new pair appeared. These definitely looked like they belonged to a man, but only for a brief moment. Soon they rose halfway to her knee with crisscross lacing in the same navy-blue thread. They even sprouted wide, two-inch heels in the back.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Jace said.


    {Told you.}


    Esther wasn¡¯t quite done yet. Jace watched as her sheathed rapiers appeared and disappeared over her armor. She had to adjust the scales on her hips slightly to account for the weapons, but it didn¡¯t take long. Then her stolen cloak flashed on and off. Then she swapped to her old dress and went through the same process of equipping and unequipping all her items. Between the two outfits and two accessories, she had eight possible configurations. Jace understood that she could have up to four outfits and accessories based on her occupational feats.


    As comfortable and good as the armor looked on her, it wasn¡¯t as light or free-flowing as her dress, and she switched back to that when she was done. She ran over to Jace and hugged him again. ¡°How can I thank you?¡±


    ¡°Help me,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Help you do what?¡± In her eyes, there was nothing this orc couldn¡¯t do.


    ¡°I have friends who are held captive in . . . another dimension. Their names are Gracie and Conor. People in this realm are responsible for their captivity, and I need to face off against them.¡±


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jace could see the anger in Esther¡¯s eyes. She had been held captive too. ¡°What are we waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Do you know that portions of the realm are restricted? That there are areas you can¡¯t enter until you have reached a certain . . . power?¡±


    Esther nodded slowly, her subconscious aware of the game rules even if she didn¡¯t understand them completely. ¡°We aren¡¯t able to enter their city yet. We need to complete one more task first. There are others in need all over the realm, and we can protect them. Will you help me?¡±


    ¡°Of course I will.¡±


    {Her bond with you is up to 80 now,} Gracie informed Jace. {I would have expected something higher after your gifts, but she is a tough cookie.}


    Jace remembered their communication trick and looked at Snowy to send the wolf a chat. (Where are we going now?)


    {You need to go to a city called Olympus. I am going to have you do the Strength trials. I¡¯m not only anxious to see if you can break it, but I¡¯m also curious to see if they let you go above 21 Strength. The city is only accessible by characters under level 10, so we need to try it while we have the chance. One of the rewards is that you get your strength raised by one. You usually can¡¯t increase your strength above 20. But if you set it to 18 at character creation, get a racial bump to 19, and then raise it to 20 at level 5, some Half-Orc or Human PCs have been able to pass this Strength module and bump it up to 21. Setting it to 18 at character creation is so costly to all your other stats that no serious player does it, but people tested it out. The game doesn¡¯t like PC scores above 20, but it is possible to get to 21. I want to see if they let you get higher.}


    Jace stopped listening to Gracie and saw Esther staring at him with a strange look in her eyes. ¡°Why did you ask Snowy where we are going?¡±


    {I didn¡¯t expect her bond to be that close with your familiar, but she can read your chat with the wolf. I don¡¯t have to talk back through Snowy because the Germans aren¡¯t in the room. But she will be able to read that as well.}


    ¡°I can communicate with Gracie through Snowy,¡± Jace explained. ¡°It is complicated. She can also see what we are doing and hear what we say.¡±


    ¡°But she is trapped?¡±


    ¡°Yes, she cannot move around in her dimension, but she can freely observe ours. She has more experience in this realm than I do, so she is my guide.¡±


    ¡°She can see me right now?¡± Esther asked. ¡°And hear me?¡±


    Jace nodded. ¡°It isn¡¯t always safe to talk with her out loud, but it is right now.¡±


    ¡°Gracie,¡± Esther started, unsure of herself. ¡°We will save you. Have faith in Jace. I believe he can do anything.¡±


    Gracie would never admit it to Jace later, but a tear rolled down her cheek. {Tell her, ¡°Thank you,¡± for me,} she managed to say.


    Jace did.


    <hr>


    The Travel node for Olympus was similar to Centerville. They arrived on a path leading into the city. Jace saw the now familiar curtain in the air before them and looked behind to see another one. He pushed against the one that led away from town into an open field with rivers and forests lying before him.


    [Level 10+ PVP Hostile Zone. Access restricted.]


    The game wouldn¡¯t let him in. Snowy growled in that direction, but she couldn¡¯t cross the barrier either. He turned around, and it was 20 feet to the next curtain, but this one allowed them through.


    [Level 9- Non-PVP Safe Zone. Access granted.]


    Jace interpreted that there was a neutral zone between the two areas. Presumably, after you leveled up from whatever quest you chose in Olympus, you were kicked out here, where you could now enter the hostile zone and try out murder for a change.


    The downtown area of Olympus was also a lot like Centerville, filled with shops, inns, temples, and all sorts of ways to spend gold or waste time. NPCs called out for help or tried to make a sale. Without focusing on any one place, it all blended into a cacophony of noise.


    Jace spent most of the time watching how Esther reacted. She was used to a dark room where she saw one person with a singular focus. Now she saw people moving about living their lives. They were exaggerated, fake lives with everyone at the peak of physical fitness, no children anywhere, and no sense of poverty or misfortune. But it was still something she hadn¡¯t seen before. So far, she was just letting it wash over her.


    One significant change from Centerville was that instead of a bunch of level 1 through 6 characters, almost everyone was level 8 or 9. Gracie told Jace that anyone under Level 10 could attempt one of these quests, but they were all designed for players at level 9. The Trials, as they were commonly called, were not always the same. Some of the Wisdom or Intelligence quests had little or no combat. Others had you battle high-level mages. It was conceivable that a level 3 or 4 PC could pass one of them, but it wasn¡¯t advisable. Although starting over from below level 5 wasn¡¯t too hard.


    Some trials could improve specific skills, though Gracie insisted they were a waste of time. Numerous feats could do the same thing. She also said that regardless of how well you did in a trial, as long as you passed it and got the reward, you always leveled up. You could only attempt two, maybe three of them before you were level 10 and were no longer allowed to enter. A few level 7 characters had been able to perform three trials and had gotten three of their abilities permanently raised by one, but it was rare and risky. And, if you did too well in a quest, it might increase your level by two. Jace thought this would be an excellent chance to raise his Intelligence score, but Gracie insisted that he would get a lot more out of raising his Strength to 22.


    This was a non-PVP zone, but it was a shared environment, and they were back to the universal time, which was early afternoon. So far, Esther hadn¡¯t questioned how they had instantly traveled to this city or why it was about six hours later in the day. She walked down the street in only her dress, her weapons safely tucked away in her inventory. Jace had assured her that no one could attack them in this city, and she felt safe next to him. Jace was in his human disguise, and they made a unique pair. Everyone else was equipped to the teeth with full plate armor, helmets, shields, and more. Wizards wore magical robes with staves and several enchanted adornments. Jace and Esther looked like a modern couple going out to dinner; only a massive wolf was walking beside them. They got plenty of stares, and several people recognized the vampire.


    ¡°Esther?¡± someone was finally bold enough to call out. The voice was low and rough, yet feminine. A female half-orc walked toward them. She left a party behind, and an elf, a human, and a dwarf looked on. She wore a chainmail bikini in the classic style of a Princess Leia slave outfit. Her breasts were ridiculously large and overflowed the tiny metal triangles like cantaloupes in tea infusers. They looked like just another set of muscles between her massive shoulders and bulging biceps. Having watched Esther design her outfit, he knew there was a way to be sexy and classy. This wasn¡¯t it.


    Jace looked at his companion as she recalled this woman from her jumbled memories, and recognition flashed through her eyes. Then there was regret followed closely by confusion. Jace turned to the warrior approaching them and saw her stop six feet away, with a perplexing look on her face too. He understood that Esther had probably been with this player and then sent her to the fen witch to die. Gracie had also said you could go back and be with Esther again to recover an item she stole. Esther should have known that this woman had survived. Of course, that would mean that Esther would have thousands of memories of Jezebel dying and Leah taking over.


    Jace didn¡¯t know if Gandhi or Dexmachi were responsible for liberating Esther and filling her mind with memories, but if it were up to him, he would have played with the timing. If a character met with Esther multiple times, she would remember them in reverse order, so the last one would be when she brought them up to Belle. She would only have one memory of the fen witch dying when she and Jace did it. It was the only logical way to handle the impossible logic of the situation. Because of that, Esther must think everyone she had been with was now dead.


    On the other hand, the half-orc knew that Esther was a vampire, and she was out in the sunlight. According to global game time, less than two hours had passed since they had left the royal rumble back at the Gilded Swan, and as far as Jace knew, it was still going on. Gracie had already told him that the game was blowing up about it, but how many of those players who had been kicked out of their modules had survived? His group had personally been responsible for killing half a dozen of them. What kind of information was getting out?


    ¡°Wow,¡± the half-orc said. ¡°I heard something went down in Portsmith, but I didn¡¯t expect this. What kind of transformation was there? What happened?¡±


    Esther was speechless. How could this woman know anything about what happened on the other side of the realm? The idea of email or chatrooms was beyond foreign to her.


    Clueless, the half-orc continued. ¡°If the sisters are all free now, I imagine there will be a run on the rest. Borgan, the human back there,¡± she pointed to the group she had left behind, ¡°wanted to know if Tami was available. He never shuts up about her and wanted to know how much it would cost for her now if the Gilded Swan went VR.¡± Getting nothing but blank stares from Esther, the barbarian woman turned to Jace instead. ¡°Or maybe I should be talking to you? Is she yours? There is this male revue tavern up in Neverspring that I¡¯m going to as soon as I hit ten where these barbarian dancers go full monty on the tables. Any tips on how to secure one of those as a companion? I imagine their stats are amazing.¡±


    Jace stared at her for a hard five count, ensuring she was finished. ¡°What do you think is going to happen here?¡± he said, catching the massive woman off guard. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m her pimp now? Do you think you will give me some gold, and Esther will make time for you in one of the upstairs rooms in the inn over there?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean, what, I mean, is she still, huh?¡±


    ¡°Think about the questions you are asking. Understand that your reality and hers do not coexist. She was just ripped from a MIM and can¡¯t deal with forgotten memories from the multiverse popping in and trying to relive their favorite escapades like some tired Chris Farley skit. She¡¯s in the real world now. Let¡¯s treat her that way.¡±


    Esther had no idea what Jace had just said, and the half-orc didn¡¯t understand much of it either, other than she knew Jace was telling her off. She grew suddenly cold. ¡°If this wasn¡¯t a safe zone, buddy. I¡¯d end you and your pretty boy outfit right here in the street and take the whore to any room I wanted.¡±


    Jace glanced up at her level nine status and knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before they could actually fight. ¡°Look us up when you get to ten. We¡¯ll see how it goes. Come on, Esther.¡±


    The fallen angel was still in a daze but understood that this conversation was over. She started after Jace but took one last look at the fuming barbarian. ¡°Oh, by the way,¡± she said. ¡°I hate your outfit.¡±


    {Ouch,} Gracie said as the half-orc flew into a rage, but Snowy kept her from following them. {That will leave a mark. Now I hope you guys do meet up again.}


    Jace did not want to meet with them or any of Esther¡¯s old clients. The vampire felt the same and used her Quick Change Artist feat to accessorize her cloak. With her hood up, her striking face and iconic dress were less noticeable, and they could move through the crowd of players without any more encounters.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Esther finally asked, pulling alongside Jace as he hurried through the street, guided by Gracie¡¯s directions on where to go. ¡°Who are all these people, and what do they want? Why wasn¡¯t that half-orc dead?¡±


    One question at a time, Jace thought. He started with the last one. ¡°What do you remember of her?¡±


    Esther had a pained look cross her face, and Jace regretted making her pull up the memory, but he had to understand how her backstory had been constructed to help her. ¡°I met with her a few times. I stole something from her initially . . . I can¡¯t remember exactly how. In Fact, that is how most of my encounters started. I picked a mark, robbed them, and then they returned to me, begging for whatever I took. I made them . . .¡± she sucked in a breath. ¡°I tested them. I saw how devoted they were. How much vitality they had. And if they kept coming back for more . . . I fed them to her. That half-orc was no different.¡±


    Jace realized his initial guess on how her memories were formed was accurate. To him, this meant it was Dexmachi who had built her. The god was designed after Jace. Since his brain was hooked up to the game, Gandhi had access to his thoughts. When dealing with aspects of the game influenced by divine intervention, Jace knew he could trust his instincts.


    ¡°The realm is a place where people can come back from the dead,¡± he started. ¡°Not everyone, but those chosen by the gods, can start over and regain some of the power they lost. Most of these people, you see,¡± Jace swept his arm across the busy street and the wide variety of PCs, ¡°are here to build themselves up to something more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Like us?¡± she asked. ¡°We need to be more powerful to engage with the villains who hold Gracie and Conor?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace agreed. ¡°Some people treat this life as a game, only wanting to advance and gain power. They have no desire to help others and live only for themselves. They view each encounter in the light of how it benefits them. You may think you were abusing those people from your past, but trust me, most of them knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to get to the third floor of the Gilded Swan to meet with Jezebel. Some survived the encounter, others did not, but almost everyone did it because they wanted to.¡±


    ¡°So, we will probably meet others from my past?¡± Jace could tell from her voice that she did not look forward to the prospect.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he replied. ¡°And when we do, you will know that they used you as much as you think you used them. Possibly more.¡±


    ¡°Does that go for you as well? Did you use me?¡±


    ¡°Do you want the truth?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I came to the Gilded Swan to get this.¡± Jace fished the necklace out from under his shirt. ¡°I did not know you existed before you charmed me in the basement. As an orc, I can¡¯t move through the realms without being accosted at every turn, and I needed a way to disguise myself. My initial plan was to get to the third floor, kill the brothel¡¯s madam, and retrieve this item. Once I met you and saw your pain, I could not leave you behind and had to rescue you from that environment.¡±


    He stopped and looked down at her to see how she had received this information. ¡°Well,¡± she finally said. ¡°I¡¯m glad we met. I feel like I did use you, but not like the others. I used you to gain my freedom and begin a new life. Feel free to use me to help others do the same.¡±


    Jace smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad we met too.¡±


    {You guys are killing me over here,} Gracie chimed in. {It¡¯s like a &%*$#@$ Hallmark special. Let¡¯s get on with it.}

 Chapter 23: Investigation

    Their destination was a large building near the end of the main street.  Jace saw a small queue of players waiting to initiate this module.  As the three of them stepped into the line, a party of four walked up to engage with a burly dwarf who had just exited the building calling for hardy adventurers to help him in his plight.  As they stepped up to the lone remaining player, Esther took one look at him and averted her eyes, pulling her hood to the side and stooping to pet Snowy.  Jace didn¡¯t know if this was because she recognized this Level 9 player or because she didn¡¯t feel like being social.


    The man in line did want to be social.  ¡°Well met, friend,¡± he said, extending his hand toward Jace.  It was pretty evident to the experience RPG player what most of these PCs were supposed to be.  The game allowed endless customization options, but most players fell into old cliches.  This man was human, dressed in half-plate armor with a sword by his side and a shield on his back.  He was a fighter, possibly a paladin.


    He looked at Esther¡¯s cloaked form, likely identifying her as a rogue, and turned to regard Jace more fully.  The shaman looked more like a merchant than an adventurer, with no visible armor or weapons.  ¡°My name¡¯s Slicksword,¡± the man said.  ¡°Slicksword Dragonbane.  Which module are you hoping for today?¡±


    Jace had never heard a more ridiculous name in his life.  He also didn¡¯t have an answer.


    ¡°I want the carnival or tower defense,¡± Slicksword continued, not pausing after his introduction.  ¡°I hear the barmaids at the carnival will reward the winner of the strongman competition, but you can get some pretty neat skills if you help hurl rocks off the castle walls at the invaders.  I definitely don¡¯t want the giants.¡±


    {Jace, you will most definitely get the giants,} Gracie added her two cents.


    Gracie had told Jace that there were half a dozen different scripts the game could run.  Some thought it was random, while others thought it was based on the players¡¯ skills.  But since most level 9 characters were all about the same, especially those seeking a boost to their strength score, no one really knew.  Jace and Esther were not your typical level 9 characters, and the game would probably pit them against the most challenging quest possible.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Jace,¡± he replied once Slicksword finished, deciding to keep his last name out of it.  ¡°I¡¯m just looking for something to get me to ten.¡±  He wasn¡¯t eager to start a conversation with this stranger, but he did want to know more about the mind of a typical player.


    ¡°I hear you, man.  The brothels and gaming houses in these safe zones are for the birds.  I need to step up my game and enter the big leagues.  Which city stronghold will you go to first?  Neverspring?  Ironfel? New Paris?¡±


    {Actually,} Gracie spoke into his mind.  {We will be going to Ironfel.  That is where Drescher is.  Don¡¯t tell him that, though.}


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°I¡¯m here for the progress.  I¡¯ve got to keep climbing.  I don¡¯t want to revel in someone else¡¯s success.  I need to make my own.¡±


    His new friend nodded his head.  ¡°Truth, man.  I hear you.  But you¡¯ve got to stop and smell the roses sometimes.  Once you get to ten, you need to celebrate.  You need to pop that cherry.  You know what I mean?  Hey,¡± he suddenly got quiet, ¡°have you heard what¡¯s happening in Portsmith?  Crazy man.¡±


    Jace sensed Esther stiffen beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve looked it up on my map, and it won¡¯t even let me in anymore.  Level restricted.  Looks like it¡¯s gone full VR and PVP.  People are saying it will be a new stronghold, and half a dozen guilds are fighting for it right now.  Don¡¯t know when it will all shake out, but if it settles down by the time we¡¯re done here, that will be my first stop.  Seeing Esther again in full VR will be a trip, you know what I mean?¡±


    The cloaked figure by Jace¡¯s feet exploded into action.  When she came up, Jace saw she had switched to her armor with her swords on her hips.  Or at least one of the rapiers was belted on; the other was in her hand, the tip aimed for Slicksword¡¯s gut.  The na?ve fighter never saw the move coming and didn¡¯t register it as an attack before the game deleted the sword and returned it to her belt.  He only saw Esther rise and extend her hand to him.


    ¡°Holy %&^$!  Dude.  No way.¡±  He stumbled back as if she had just skewered him with her weapon.


    Esther looked down at her empty hand in confusion.


    ¡°Dude, you lying SOB, you¡¯ve already smelled the roses, bought the flower shop, and are starting your own business.  But,¡± he glanced up at Jace¡¯s level, ¡°how did you do it?  Unless . . . were you there when it happened?  Were you the one . . .¡±


    ¡°I think it is your turn,¡± Jace replied, motioning over Slicksword¡¯s shoulder at the dwarf who had reappeared calling for hardy adventurers.


    ¡°No.  You¡¯ve got to tell me.  This is major.  Like the biggest thing that¡¯s ever happened.  You can¡¯t just leave me hanging.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you hanging from your-¡± Esther started, having recovered from her vanishing weapon.


    Jace put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.  ¡°Either you go, or we will.¡±


    The fighter exchanged looks between the two characters before him, examining Esther¡¯s exotic look in her new armor but returning to Jace¡¯s cold stare.  This man¡¯s exquisite calm as he stood with no weapons or armor at only level 9 with the most sought-after NPC in the game acting as if they were standing in line at the DMV to get their licenses renewed shook him to his core.  ¡°R-r-right,¡± he finally stuttered.  ¡°It¡¯s my turn.  I, uh, I guess I¡¯ll be seeing you.¡±


    Slicksword turned and ran to the waiting dwarf.


    Jace waited till he was out of earshot and then turned to Esther.  So far, no one had gotten in line behind them.  She looked close to tears.  ¡°Jace . . . I don¡¯t know if I can do this.  This is going to keep happening.  The realms are filled with people I thought were dead.  People I thought I¡¯d used.  People I thought I¡¯d killed.  But it¡¯s like you said, they were using me.  I don¡¯t understand it, but they want to keep using me.  Even knowing . . . what I am . . . what I¡¯ve done.  They seem excited at the opportunity.  It makes me . . . it makes me wish they were dead.  That, if I could do it all over again, I would make sure they died.  It¡¯s a horrible feeling.¡±


    Jace hugged her, not having comforting words at the moment.  Snowy also snuggled up against her side, sensing that her new best friend was in pain.  ¡°We will get through this together.  I promise.¡±  They stood there until the dwarf returned.


    ¡°We are about to go on an adventure,¡± Jace told her.  ¡°And I promise that no one we meet for the next few hours will know who you are.  Take this fear and uncertainty, and let¡¯s channel it into aggression.  If I know this realm like I think I do, we will get to kill a bunch of monsters.¡±


    ¡°Monsters worse than me?¡±  A slight smile on her lips let him know she was half-kidding.


    ¡°How could any monster be worse than you?¡±


    The game allowed her to punch him in the arm, but she gave him a full smile as they walked up to the dwarf.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    *


    ¡°Giants are attacking the village,¡± the duke said, ¡°and we don¡¯t have the resources to push them back.¡±


    Jace, Esther, and Snowy were in the barracks just inside the castle walls.  The massive estate stood along a rocky shore, very different from the peaceful settings of Kellington and Portsmith.  This locale was much further north on the continent, and the cold wind outside and the rough surf of the ocean below made it feel like they were in a completely different world.  Gracie had explained that this was a MIM, so it didn¡¯t need to abide by the same time or temperature rules of the shared realm, but since you could walk between everything, there needed to be some consistency.


    ¡°With vikings out marauding, I need to keep the castle walls guarded,¡± the duke continued.  ¡°The harvest festival is only a few days away, there are reports of goblins in the mines, the quarry has been cursed with a series of accidents, and now the giants are at it again, no doubt gathering stores for winter, but we need those animals and supplies.¡±


    The castle stood between the shore and the village of Cepton.  Jace listened to the rant as the duke laid out all the possible quests you could have here.  Gracie had told him that he could return to this city as often as he liked and take the time to do all the quests, but he would only get the Strength bonus once.


    ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you adventurers have agreed to help us in our time of need.  We have a well-stocked armory that can provide any standard weapons.  And if you are successful, we have the means to reward you substantially.¡±


    The dwarf back in Olympus had not explained the problem but had ushered them into the building, directed them to a travel node, and then they had been standing before the castle gates on a road that snaked south behind them.  Cepton looked to be the northern stronghold of this land, the last bit of civilization before the wild north.  They had been expected and had treated Jace and Esther well, even throwing some leftover meat at Snowy to keep her happy while they discussed business.  Esther hadn¡¯t been mistreated, and, true to Jace¡¯s word, no one had recognized her.  She had kept her armor and weapons on and had a determined look that let everyone know she meant business.


    ¡°We will do what we can,¡± Jace advised.  ¡°But there are a few things we need.  I would like a sword, the longest two-handed sword you have.  Also, upon our return, we will likely need healing and perhaps a curse or two removed.  I am a devout man and will only accept the aid of a priest who follows my god, Dexmachi.  Surely in a thriving city of this size, that will not be a problem.¡±


    Jace was testing Gandhi, but this had to be a common occurrence.  With 27 different alignments and several gods for each one, it would be impossible for players to find a temple for their god in the cities they visited unless the game cheated and kept a temple variable so it would always align with whatever player entered, especially in a MIM designed explicitly for them.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± the duke replied.  ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.  I will have our chief man at arms fetch you the largest sword he can find.¡±


    ¡°With a sheath,¡± Jace clarified.


    The duke frowned.  ¡°It will be far too long to wear on your hip, but I will see what we can do.¡±


    {What madness are you plotting,} Gracie asked, seeing the now standard techniques Jace used to unravel a module.


    Jace didn¡¯t answer out loud but smiled toward where he guessed the camera was.  Within a few minutes, they had brought the weapon.  Jace could see that if he tried to wear it on his hip, the tip would drag on the ground.  He didn¡¯t bother with it further and put it into his inventory.  The last longsword he had was a level 2 and did 11 damage.  This was a level 6 and did 13 damage.  Still a far cry from his halberd, which did 18, but the halberd couldn¡¯t parry, and he needed to test a theory.


    Jace, Esther, and Snowy were led out of the barracks, through the back of the keep, and into the village¡¯s eastern edge.  It was a thriving town of cottages and small stores.  It looked more authentically medieval than the public cities of Olympus and Centerville, with their two-story stone buildings and modern means of entertainment.  The quests here were presented organically, without a scripted NPC shouting for help every 30 feet.


    The duke turned them over to one of the village scouts, a human ranger named Trexton.  He had an eye for Esther, but he also paid Snowy a good bit of respect, and as the two walked side by side, he kept his distance.  ¡°What can you tell me?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°The giants come at dusk,¡± the ranger replied.  ¡°Not every night, but a few times a week.  They haven¡¯t killed anyone or destroyed our houses yet, but they are stealing livestock.  We don¡¯t have a lot of grazing land, so we keep just as many animals as we need to last the winter and maintain breeding stock.  We will already need to call on one of the southern cities for food, and the shipping lanes are becoming dangerous with the weather and the vikings.¡±


    ¡°Have you made any attempts to fight them off?¡±


    The ranger frowned.  ¡°Some, but they have a magic about them.  Most guards we put in place run in fear when they arrive.  These are stalwart men, good stock.  The next morning they are ashamed of their actions and promise to stand firm the next time, but they don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Have you stood guard?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°For the last two attacks, yes.  I haven¡¯t run, but my hands shake, and I can¡¯t shoot straight.  I¡¯m no use in a close fight with the monsters, so I might as well have run.¡±


    They had been moving west through the town and were now arriving on the border with fields and hills stretching out toward the distant mountain range.  Sheep, goats, and cattle were scattered as far as the eye could see.  There was no sign of destruction or hint of anything malicious.


    ¡°They are smart,¡± Trexton continued.  ¡°They can step over our fences and pick up the livestock at ten feet tall, carrying one under each arm without harming them.  They make sure not to destroy our farms or fences.  To do so would scatter our flocks and make them harder to catch.  They don¡¯t take too many, either.  But no matter how considerate they might be, it can¡¯t continue, or we will starve.¡±


    <Dog.  Something wrong.>


    Jace looked around as the information came to him before realizing it was Snowy.  In the past, her alerts had been simple and one word.  Jace was happy to see that her communication improved as she advanced in levels.  He looked around and saw a large dog cowering just inside a barn a hundred feet away.  It looked like the realm¡¯s version of a rottweiler crossed with a pit bull.  Not the type of dog that usually cowers in fear.


    ¡°What is wrong with that dog?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Ol¡¯ Vic?¡± The ranger asked.  ¡°Why, he is just as spooked as the rest of us.  We thought he would give us an early warning when the giants came, but he ran too.  He is so embarrassed about it that he barely eats anymore.¡±


    <Wrong.  Yes, embarrassed.  Not afraid.>


    Jace looked at Snowy, wishing the wolf could be more articulate.  As close as Esther was to the animal, Snowy wasn¡¯t her familiar, and she only had a vague notion that the wolf was trying to communicate something.


    {Jace,} Gracie asked.  {What are you doing?  The dog is scared.  No walkthrough I¡¯ve seen says anything more about the dog.}


    ¡°Did any of those players have Snowy with them?¡±


    Esther gave Jace a strange look, but he smiled at her.  ¡°I¡¯m talking to Gracie.¡±


    {No.  I guess I should know better than to question you at this point.}


    Jace turned to the ranger.  ¡°Can you call Vic over here?¡±


    The ranger tried a few times but eventually had to use mana to charm the animal before it came over.  And then it only came because he knew the ranger.


    <Conflicted loyalty,> Snowy advised.


    Jace knelt before the large animal and gently reached out to stroke him.  His fur was like a sheepdog, growing thick for the upcoming winter.  Fear looked back at him from the canine eyes, and his upper lip quivered over his impressive teeth.  Only Trexton¡¯s gentle hand kept him from attacking.


    Then Jace found it.  It was slim and buried deep under the fur along the dog¡¯s neck.  It was a collar.  When he touched it, the dog whimpered slightly.  Jace initiated the Open command, and the collar came off in his hand.  The transformation in the animal was instantaneous.  He was happy, barking and jumping up and down in the presence of new people.  Snowy dwarfed the large dog, and the two became fast friends.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Trexton asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize this collar?¡± Jace asked, holding it up for the ranger to see.  It had a green gemstone that looked too magical and expensive for a farm dog.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before.¡±


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Jace said, distracting her from the handsome male dog before the two got any ideas.  ¡°Come here.¡±  He held the collar out for the wolf to smell.


    <Kobold.>


    ¡°This is why your dog is scared when the giants come.¡±


    <No.  Not scared,> Snowy insisted.  <Control.>


    Jace nodded, understanding.  ¡°The giants have a kobold mage who is . . .¡±


    <No mage.  Shaman.>


    Jace looked at Snowy.  ¡°You can smell that?¡±


    Snowy replied with an affirmative bark.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Jace tried again.  ¡°Your dog isn¡¯t scared.  He was being controlled with this.  He should be more attentive when the giants come.  It might not prevent your guards from running away, but it will help you set your defenses.¡±


    ¡°You are still going into the hills to investigate?¡± Trexton asked.


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Will you guide us?  I¡¯m not good at following tracks.¡±


    Snowy whined, and Jace looked at her to see a hurt expression on her face.  <I track smell.  No need scared ranger.>


    Jace smiled at Trexton.  ¡°Never mind.  I think we have it covered.¡±


    He walked over and scratched Snowy behind the ears.  ¡°Sorry girl, no hard feelings.¡±  Snowy barked and led Jace and Esther out of town toward the hills.

 Chapter 24: Hide and Seek

    They had been walking for about an hour when Jace¡¯s necklace expired. Instead of recharging it, he swapped it for the original amulet that started this whole mess. According to Gracie, it should have another couple of hours left. Also, as an orc, the massive broad sword he had been given wasn¡¯t too long. With some help from Esther, he modified his kilt and the sheath so the sword hung comfortably on his hip. However, he stored it in his inventory while he traveled.


    ¡°What can you tell me about this quest?¡± Jace asked as they began to ascend into the hills.


    {I assume you are talking to me,} Gracie replied. {It is pretty standard. You are going to run into a few hill giants pretty soon. They will throw rocks at you, and you need to kill them. Once you get into the mountain, there will be some stone giants. Kill them. Then there will be a frost giant at the top. Most players equip themselves to be immune to fire and forget about cold, so he does a lot of damage to them. Of course, most parties usually fling a lot of fire, which hurts him right back. You and Snowy will be mostly immune to his cold damage, so he probably won¡¯t use it, but Esther will be vulnerable.}


    ¡°But normal level 9 players can pass this module, no problem, right?¡±


    {I wouldn¡¯t say, ¡°No problem.¡± This is the hardest one of all the quests in Cepton. I¡¯ve never seen it given to a party of two people before. It is usually reserved for parties of four. However, you and Esther are more potent than most parties of four, but you aren¡¯t as diversified. As an RPG player, you know that a group with different abilities complementing each other is stronger than the sum of its parts. You have no magical damage in your party. I already looked it up, and all of the giants you will face are considered Traditional, so your spell will be worthless. You have no magical damage or defensive spells or range attacks. If it is set up at max difficulty, you might have problems.}


    ¡°And what is the reward again?¡±


    {You will have your Strength increased by one. Then you will get a choice between three magical items. One of them will be a ring of Strength +2. It is the item most people pick. You can¡¯t use it, but it will turn Esther into even more of a badass than she is now.}


    ¡°Does Esther get the +1 to Strength too?¡±


    {No. Very few level 9 characters have NPC companions yet, as they are primarily found in the harder SIMs, but those who do, have reported that their companions don¡¯t get the boon.}


    ¡°Where do the items come from? Has anyone tried to negotiate to get more than one?¡±


    {The duke thanks you for killing the giants and says that his men searched the cavern and found the three magical items. No one believes they are in the caves. And if you spend too long searching before finding the frost giant, there is another attack on the village, they kill a bunch of people, and the quest is considered failed.}


    ¡°From what I know of Gandhi, she doesn¡¯t cheat,¡± Jace said. ¡°The items are hidden in the cavern so no one can find them. You said no one has ever found the collar before.¡±


    {Correct. Jace, you need to understand that very few people play this like you, trying to break the game. It is their life. You can make a good living in the realms. Trying brand-new things in a module that has been played a thousand times is like an airline pilot randomly flipping switches in the cockpit to see what they do while at 30,000 feet with a planeful of people. When you have everything to lose, you end up relying on the collected wisdom of every player that has gone on before. Occasionally, players try new things and die, losing months of progress. That is another reason why your playstyle irks me.}


    ¡°I will find those three items, and then when they need to give us a reward and don¡¯t have them, I will leverage something even better.¡±


    {I hope you are right. But now it is time to get your game face on. The first giants are over that next rise.}


    Jace had a far-off look while he talked with Gracie, and Esther recognized when he was back with her. ¡°What¡¯s the story?¡±


    They were stopped behind a large cliff face with a path up and to the right. Jace understood they would see the giants when they crested the rise. He also noticed the sun was setting over the mountains, and he didn¡¯t like the idea of marching in there with the light in his eyes.


    ¡°Giants up ahead,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°How many?¡±


    Gracie answered the question. {Should be four if they are playing at the most challenging setting, each with 400 Hit Points. Also, they will have damage reduction modifiers. Tell Esther to dispel that with crits. All the giants you face will have that.}


    ¡°Four of them,¡± Jace repeated and relayed the extra information to his companion.


    {They will have a hard time hitting you, and you will hit them easily, doing multiple crits, but it costs extra to do a crit ability against giant kin, so choose them carefully.} She gave him more information like AC and damage bonuses, and Jace absorbed it all. He didn¡¯t know if Esther thought in numbers since this was all real life to her, so he only told her the most important things.


    Esther kept waiting for Jace to move, but he kept sitting still. ¡°All your items charged?¡± he asked. Esther nodded. She had dumped 160 mana into each of her rapiers using the Heavy Weapon spell, allowing her to take full advantage of her damage modifier four times with each blade. She had also played around with them and realized she could choose when to use it, to wait for effective strikes that did the most damage. Jace had also filled his ring to protect against slashing damage. It had taken two rounds to do it since he didn¡¯t have 250 mana, but he generated it quickly. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t suppose the giants would be using bladed weapons, and Gracie told him it offered no protection against blunt. Jace had also placed a crit protection spell in Esther¡¯s armor.


    ¡°What are we waiting for?¡± Esther asked after they had been sitting for several moments.


    ¡°The sun to set,¡± Jace replied. ¡°We both fight better in the dark.¡±


    Esther smiled at the wisdom, and Gracie agreed. {Hill giants don¡¯t see well in the dark. If the light level is below 10, they will get -5 to hit you.}


    They waited another fifteen minutes, and the hillside was cast into shadow. ¡°Ready?¡± Jace asked, removing the halberd from his inventory.


    Esther nodded.


    They scrambled up the loose rocks, and Esther hid in the shadows. Jace didn¡¯t bother looking for her, trusting she would be where she was needed. There were four giants up ahead on a ledge strolling back and forth, squinting into the darkness. Snowy and Esther would be able to approach in silence, but he knew he wouldn¡¯t. However, he wondered how close he could get before they noticed him. He was looking for a good place for his Damage Sink totem when he finally got close enough to see their stats: level 12, 450 Hit Points.


    {That¡¯s more health than they should have. It looks like Gandhi isn¡¯t going to let you off easy.}


    Jace chuckled and invited the AI to do her worst. He was within 100 feet when the first giant saw him, and they all started gathering rocks. Jace dropped his Damage Sink totem on the rocky wall to the giant¡¯s right, sticking sideways out of the stone. He put the other one at his feet as he raced up the slope. Rocks flew past him, none coming close, proving they did have horrible eyesight in the dark. The level 12 giants had used up their initiative advantage, and Jace was able to strike first, angling toward one giant to cut the others off.


    They were each over ten feet tall, and Jace, in orc form, looked small by comparison. Still, he showed no fear and drove the sharp edge of his halberd into the first enemy. The dial was still working for now, and he saw the weak point for the giants wasn¡¯t where he expected. They had no shields or dodge ability, and their massive tree trunk clubs wouldn¡¯t parry anything.


    [4x Crit. 5x damage? Stun. 3x Damage?]


    Jace saw that he had to pay two crits to stun the giant, but he did it, and the resulting damage should have been around 100, but Jace saw their magically enhanced resistance cut that by a third. As if on cue, Esther came flying out of the shadows off the cliff wall and into the back of the second giant. She allowed her weapon to dispel the damage reduction and still did 6x damage which amounted to over 140. She bounced off that giant, who stumbled mightily under the blow, and the other two chased after her. She sacrificed her second attack that round and cast a burst invisibility spell on herself.


    Jace stepped around his stunned giant while Snowy raced behind him to gnaw on the paralyzed meal. The wolf got massive damage results against the stunned creature, who lost what little AC it had. The second giant took the time to look around for the opponent that had stabbed him in the back, and Jace let the round reset so he could do another massive critical strike. He let all the damage through this time, and it was over 160. This creature was down to one solid strike already.


    The two giants chasing Esther almost ran into the stone wall, as it looked like she had disappeared into it. They were still scratching their heads when the vampire leaped out of the shadows from a ledge and did another massive strike against one of them. This time she stayed on the creature¡¯s back, grappling herself securely. The hill giant had enough resistance to prevent her from getting a critical in the attempt and enacting her vampire ability to consider him pinned and Helpless, but he couldn¡¯t dislodge her or perform standard actions. The second giant thought he would do the first a favor and lined up a strike on her, but Esther leaped away, and the giant got a critical hit on his friend, doing over 100 damage.


    Snowy was putting the finishing touches on the stunned beast, while Jace had avoided getting hit by the one Esther had initially dispelled and had dropped him to below 100. The next round saw Jace dealing another massive critical strike, killing the creature. He turned to help Esther but found her laughing as the stupid giants had attacked each other twice and were dangerously low.


    She stopped laughing when two more hill giants exited the cave opening to their left. She cast another burst invisibility spell and disappeared.


    {Six giants?} Gracie scoffed. {That¡¯s cheating.}


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Jace didn¡¯t complain out loud, stepped up to the first one, and stunned him. Esther jumped out of the shadows again and dispelled the second one. She stayed on the ground next to it, dodged a swipe, and delivered another hit with her offhand. The attack did minor damage because she enacted the critical ability of the second weapon instead, disarming the giant.


    As the stupid beast bent over to pick up his weapon, leaving him flat-footed against Jace¡¯s attack, the orc was able to get an extra crit and did over half his health in damage, dropping him to the ground to bleed out. The two giants pummeling each other finally agreed to stop attacking when Snowy jumped onto one of their backs.


    ¡°Get it off! Get it off!¡± the giant screamed. The other beast obliged and leveled a massive strike against his friend¡¯s back just as the wolf dropped to the ground. The doomed giant fell dead on the rocks. As the attacker mourned this unfortunate turn of events, Jace and Esther walked up behind him and allowed him to join his friend in death. The stunned giant standing in the mouth of the cave escaped the spell just in time to see all three fighters coming at him. He didn¡¯t last long.


    That left the giant on the ground, who still had half a dozen rounds to finish dying. Snowy latched onto one side of the beast¡¯s neck to speed things along, and Esther tentatively bit into the other. Jace looked away.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she apologized a minute later once the giant was dead. ¡°I needed to refresh my mana.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Jace replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize this was a dinner date.¡±


    Esther smiled at him as she wiped her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize it was a date.¡±


    She strode past him, playfully slapped his butt, and entered the cave. Jace rolled his eyes and followed.


    <hr>


    The cavern was huge, as it would have to be to house giants. They saw massive sleeping quarters off to one side with six bedrolls. The cavern continued to the left, up into the mountain, but Snowy went straight toward a dead end, her nose to the ground. The cavern was almost pitch black, but all three had bonuses to see in the dark and could make out some details. There was no door or markings on the flat stone wall, but the wolf walked right up to it and scratched the ground.


    ¡°What is it, girl?¡±


    <Kobold. Trail end here.>


    {There is nothing there,} Gracie said. {Players have been over this cavern with a fine-tooth comb and found nothing. None of you can find or unlock hidden passages. Many others can, and they didn¡¯t find anything.}


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gracie. I trust Snowy, and I am going to try.¡±


    Jace was a stone shaman and felt that should give him some intuition if the wall before him was fake or if there was a hollow portion behind, but it didn¡¯t. He looked at the floor in the dim light but saw no scratches to indicate a door swinging open. Despite all this, Snowy insisted the kobold was behind this wall.


    ¡°How far away, girl?¡±


    <Close,> was all the canine could communicate.


    Jace went to his spells and selected Righteous Judgment. This would take a few rounds, but he felt it was worth it. He had regained all his mana from the two totems he had cast, finding that if he dismissed a totem, he recovered half mana back from it, depending on how damaged it was. He opened the lightning spell and looked at its design. It had no range, duration, or area. It was just a touch spell that did a one-time amount of damage. Jace changed all that. He programmed in ten feet of range at the cost of ten mana and increased the area to ten feet in radius. This cost him 50 mana. He set the damage to ten for another 50 mana. Then he made it last five rounds. He needed to pay the damage cost again and then spent five mana per round. The total cost of the spell was 185. That was almost all of his mana, but he also realized that against Esther, it would do 80 damage for five rounds. Right now, he would be happy for ten damage a round. He just hoped the kobold wasn¡¯t traditional like the giants.


    Crouching in front of the wall, he placed his fingertips on the stone and told Esther to back WAY up. He couldn¡¯t see past the wall before him, but he had traced out paths in rock when searching for his totems in the past, and he did that now. He reached along the floor and through the wall until he traveled ten feet. Then he released his spell.


    {Something just took 20 damage!} Gracie announced.


    Jace couldn¡¯t hear or see anything except the cold wall before him and only waited for the next round. {More damage,} Gracie announced. {Something or someone is behind that wall.}


    Jace just hoped a 20-foot circle was large enough to fill the small room. If the kobold could find a corner outside the spell, he wouldn¡¯t have to come out.


    {Now, three things took a lot of damage.}


    Jace nodded. The kobold had summoned allies. The lightning spell jumped to other enemies at half damage, meaning each creature took three hits as the damage bounced between them. He backed away from the door and, on a hunch, traded his halberd for the sword. It also had been three rounds since he had cast the spell. He had generated 60 mana during that time and had enough to cast his Armor totem off to the side.


    Before the round ended, the wall before him hissed and cracked. A rectangular outline appeared where no seem had been before, and, like the dwarven door opening on the side of Erebor, the massive slab swung inward. A terrified kobold ran out. Jace let him pass, but Esther was standing behind with her swords drawn. She executed a vicious ¡°X¡± cut against the creature, and the already severely injured kobold didn¡¯t handle the critical well. His head popped clean off, bounced twice on the stone floor, and Snowy caught it in her mouth, swallowing the misshapen sphere whole.


    Jace was aware of what was happening behind him but ignored the antics and prepared for what would come out to meet him. Two metal constructs ambled out of the room, sparks jumping between their bodies. They looked like metal insects, six legs each, made from sharpened spikes. Their bodies were two small shields welded together in a clam shell, while their front legs were short swords. The lead creature reared up before Jace, keeping its back four legs on the ground while lifting its front ones to attack.


    Jace initiated his parry mode and, as the strikes came in, felt his arms move outside his control and deflect them. {The sword has a parry skill of three,} Gracie informed him. {Raising your AC from 27 to 30. Those sword beetles only have an attack bonus of ten, so they need a 20 to hit you, but they get three attacks per round, and they are swarm creatures meaning they get +5 for every ally next to you over one, and they don¡¯t have to flank you to get it.


    As the second sword beetle joined the fight, Jace saw their attacks slowly getting through, as now they only needed to roll a 15+, and there were six attacks a round. His sword moved under its own power, and try as he might, he couldn¡¯t control it as long as he was parrying. The game gave him breaks in the attacks to initiate his own strikes, and he began hitting them back. The shield-shaped bodies gave them decent protection, but with his amulet in place, he delivered 20s back at them. Each creature only took two strikes to die, and in between his attacks, his sword blocked three-fourths of their return strikes, moving faster than Jace thought he could accomplish on his own.


    A zapping sound came from the room before him, and soon another of the creatures came trotting out, its metal feet clicking on the ground. Esther stood beside her orc companion and let her two weapons match the metal creature in front of her, trying out the parry action. Each sword only gave a +1 bonus parry, but they were cumulative. Still, that only gave her a bonus of +2 to her 18 AC, allowing her opponent to hit her half the time. She winced as she received two slashes for 15 damage each and then initiated her Dodge action instead, which was at 14, and raised her AC to 32, making it almost impossible for the beetle to hit her.


    She dispatched her opponent at the same time Jace took out his, and another came from the room. ¡°Where are they coming from?¡± Jace asked. He peered into the cave and saw his lightning storm was over, and two metal totems sat in the room. One looked like a steel turtle shell with six swords sticking out of it. The other was a giant, inverted fishhook with an iron orb floating in the middle of the circle, pulsing with power.


    {That is a Summoning totem powered by Mana Bank totem. It will produce a sword beetle about every three rounds until the Mana Bank runs out, and then it will produce a beetle every six rounds for the next hour or indefinitely if the kobold stayed in range. With him dead, that won¡¯t happen.}


    ¡°How come he could have two totems that close together?¡± Jace ignored the current creature as Esther happily took care of it.


    {There is a feat that breaks every rule. I figured you didn¡¯t need it as you could strategize around the constraint. A metal shaman usually specializes as a craftsman and has several totems that help him fashion metal weapons, armor, and other magical items. Placing each of his totems 50 feet away from him would require a massive workshop.}


    ¡°How many beetles can exist at the same time?¡±


    {Up to half the level of the shaman. The kobold was level 12, but I doubt he had enough mana to support six. Probably only three.}


    As they talked, another beetle popped into existence. Jace took two attacks to kill it.


    Off to his left, the Mana Bank totem expired. {You can attack the Summoning totem to destroy it, or you will have to deal with those annoying constructs for a while yet.}


    Jace did as Gracie requested, destroying the totem before another beetle came out. Beside him, Esther sheathed her swords, and the sticky-fingered rogue looked excitedly around the room. It was a lab roughly twenty feet in diameter with an uncomfortably low ceiling. Metal equipment and scraps covered half a dozen tables, with several smelting cauldrons and molds sitting in carved-out pockets along the walls. Jace also saw metal strips crisscrossing through the floor in a complex network. He remembered the Mana Bank totem had stood on one of those lines, connecting it by metal to several other areas of the room. The stone shaman found it relatively easy to keep himself in connection with his totems, but this kobold had to set up his workshop like a circuit board with metal pathways connecting everything. While Jace evaluated the room¡¯s layout, Esther began rooting through the supplies looking for treasure. She stopped when she found a locked cabinet.


    ¡°Jace, can you help me with this?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you pick the lock?¡± Jace asked.


    {She¡¯s not that kind of rogue,} Gracie advised.


    No, Jace thought. She¡¯s the assassin kind. Regardless, he walked over to the storage drawer, delivered two powerful strikes with the pommel of his sword, and the cabinet popped open.


    Esther¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°Look at these!¡±


    {Well,} Gracie said with a reluctant tone. {It looks like you¡¯ve done it again.}


    Jace smiled as Esther pulled out three items: a ring, a belt, and a necklace. He motioned the woman to set them on a table and step back. With a reluctant sigh, she obeyed. After loading each into his inventory, Jace could identify the items: Ring of Strength +2, a belt of Stone Giant Damage +6, and an Amulet of Athletic Prowess +6.


    {You can¡¯t wear the ring,} Gracie advised. {Your strength is already above 20, and the game won¡¯t let you permanently modify it above that with equipment. Also, since you will wear the illusion amulet most of the time, you can¡¯t use the necklace either. Both will help Esther out quite a bit. The damage belt is better than your resistance belt, and you can give your old one to Esther too.}


    Jace offered his partner the items, and she graciously accepted the equipment. Once she put the new belt on, she took a moment to transform it into a thin, braided cord that replaced the plain one that had held up her swords. When Jace had examined the necklace in his inventory, it had looked like DaVinci¡¯s Vitruvian Man within a brass ring, a sapphire in the center of his body. After Esther put it on, the human image shifted to look more like a female silhouette you might see on a trucker¡¯s mudflap. The ring was now gold, and the sapphire looked like a blue diamond. As Jace couldn¡¯t help but stare at the pendant lying flat on the top of her sternum, he remembered her Athletic skill was directly tied to her pickpocket and grapple abilities. Jace shuddered at the possibilities.


    After another few minutes of searching, they found nothing else. Once they left the workshop, Jace saw an equipment icon hovering over the headless kobold, but Esther beat him to it. The only thing of interest to them was a small bracelet with an emerald set in the middle of the band. ¡°That looks a lot like the gem in the dog collar I found,¡± Jace said. He rolled his eyes up into his inventory but couldn¡¯t find it. When he returned from his screen, he saw Esther holding the collar and bracelet side by side, confirming what Jace suspected, that one controlled the other.


    {She picked it off you when she slapped your butt earlier.}


    ¡°I know,¡± Jace said under his breath. ¡°She is never going to stop doing that, is she?¡± He remembered that she was still the one with the Level 50 crystal.


    {Are you going to stop living by your principles?}


    Jace didn¡¯t answer, and after Esther finished her examination, put the bracelet on, and was about to store the collar in her inventory, she looked up to see him giving her a cold stare. ¡°You didn¡¯t really want this, did you?¡± she asked, holding up the collar. It no longer looked like it belonged to a dog but a dominatrix, though the difference was subtle. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really seem like your style.¡± She spent a few moments accessorizing the item with her Quick Change Artist ability, so she could produce it on demand and looked like she was ready to continue. Jace took the time to recharge his damage reduction ring, as he had taken a few slashing hits from the sword beetles, and then unsummoned his totems. Esther had also taken a few hits from the metal constructs, but they had no way to heal her yet. They continued up into the cavern complex.

 Chapter 25: A Giant Problem

    The trek up the cavern was arduous. The incline was designed for giants, and even Jace struggled up the steps carved into the stone. They found several piles of animal droppings that Snowy identified as belonging to cows or sheep, which let them know they were on the right path. According to Gracie, there should be two stone giants up ahead with about 450 Hit Points each. They would have a better chance of hitting the fighters, but still not great. However, knowing that the first round was already skewed hard, they braced themselves for anything when they saw the light up ahead.


    Esther hid in the shadows and crept forward. She reported back that there were three of the stone giants. Another sneak attack would be best here, but Jace wanted to be in the room when Esther attacked so they wouldn¡¯t all gang up on her. A lucky crit could kill her outright. She led him and Snowy back to the lair, and they peeked around the corner. The creatures were still armed with clubs, with no visible armor or shields. Should be easy. Jace swapped his sword for the halberd, dropped his armor totem on the ground, put his Damage Sink totem on a distant wall, and charged into the room.


    Snowy howled beside him as the pair streaked in and were fast enough to catch the first giant flat-footed, but Jace saw his stun ability didn¡¯t work. {Stone Giants are immune to stun and paralyze spells while they are standing on stone,} Gracie informed him. {As a stone shaman, you can take the same feat in the future if you want.}


    Esther attacked out of the shadows, surprising one of the three giants and stealing the attention of the other before she jumped away and led them on a Haste-aided chase, leaving Jace with the one he had already injured. The giants had 500 Hit Points, and Jace wouldn¡¯t be surprised if a fourth came jumping out of a side passage when they were almost done. Without his stun ability, Jace shrugged his shoulders and prepared to engage these monsters the old-fashioned way when another idea came to mind. The giant swung and missed, and instead of attacking back, Jace reached into his weapon and engaged the Trip ability. The dial appeared as before, though it was flickering slightly now, and Jace noticed that only the 20 was a hit, and it wasn¡¯t even a critical, meaning that rolling a 20 still left him ten short of what he needed to trip this giant.


    Still, he swung through the 20, the giant¡¯s foot left the stone, and he cried out in astonishment as his back crashed to the ground. Snowy howled in glee now that the monster¡¯s head was at an accessible level for her and went to work restructuring his face. Instead of pressing his advantage, Jace moved past the fallen giant and came up behind one of the monsters trying to track down Esther. Once again, the 20 was the only number that was a hit, and Jace noticed, as before, that he had to aim lower than the giant¡¯s actual foot to get the strike. The halberd bounced up off the stone, struck the beast¡¯s ankle at a perfect angle, and the second behemoth fell to the ground.


    This time he fell forward, and Esther, who had just avoided a strike from the third giant, laughed in glee. She jumped down onto the prone creature¡¯s back and managed to wrestle his free hand behind him while sheathing her swords. As she attempted the grapple, the third giant was about to squash her, caring nothing for his friend¡¯s back, but Jace was there again, enacting his trip attack and sending his third foe to the ground in as many swings.


    {Are you having fun?}


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace answered. ¡°Quite a bit.¡± He sensed the first giant getting up, screaming in pain from Snowy¡¯s attacks, but he took a few seconds to watch Esther work. The giant had a considerable size advantage over Esther with an enormous resistance to grapple attempts. Still, the target was prone, and Esther had an unreal bonus to grapple, made even stronger by the necklace she now wore. It wasn¡¯t a critical success, but she did manage a secure grapple, and with the giant¡¯s face pressed against the stone, he was considered pinned and Helpless. Jace knew he could enact his weapon¡¯s Coup de Grace ability and kill the monster on the spot, but he figured Esther had other plans. He was right.


    Esther cast Enthrall on the giant. The spell was usually only effective if she had critically charmed her opponent or gotten a few criticals in her grappling check, but since the beast was helpless, he had no saving throws and was soon entirely in her power. ¡°Kill your friend,¡± she whispered into his ear as she sat on his back.


    The chaotic beast didn¡¯t fight the command much, and as Esther jumped off him, he rose to face off against the third giant Jace had just tripped. The shaman smiled at the clever tactic and turned to face the first giant he and Snowy had already reduced to half health. He took a club directly to the face.


    {Lucky 20,} Gracie replied. {Double crit.}


    Jace had stored a critical protection in his illusion necklace, but since he wasn¡¯t wearing it anymore, he took both crits. Like the ogres he had fought two modules ago, these giants had the throwback ability on a crit. Jace thought it was stupid, as they could have tripled their damage. Instead, his Damage Sink totem took over 100 and then 80 more as he smacked hard against the far stone wall. His head felt foggy after the massive attack, and he knew his Damage totem was almost gone. He could also no longer feel his armor totem. That last attack had thrown him too far away.


    The numbers on his dial were flickering wildly as the injured giant bore down on him, and Jace realized he had no defensive measures now. He got a strike first but then took another ride as the club struck him again. It was another double crit, only this time it was because his +9 to armor was inactive. The giant hit him sideways this time, and he smashed into the wall where he had placed his Damage totem. The totem exploded with tremendous force as it tried to absorb almost 100 damage above its limit. The shock of the hit cracked the cavern wall and sent a spray of rocks in every direction.


    Jace took the overflow and dropped to half health. The wounded giant was below 200 and turned to stalk toward Jace again. The shaman sprinted back toward his armor totem before turning to face the creature. He needed two more critical strikes against the beast to kill it and had to wait for several rounds before casting his damage sink totem again.


    Snowy still nipped at his heels, and the giant stupidly wasted a strike against the wolf. He got a critical hit but spent it to send the wolf flying instead of multiplying the damage. This gave Jace the first strike, and he took advantage of the momentary flanking bonus his familiar gave him to drop the giant¡¯s current health in half. His second strike did minor damage, and the giant¡¯s second attack did none, as he swung and missed.


    Jace hoped he would survive this next round but held his attack in check as he heard Esther¡¯s voice cry out, ¡°Wait!¡± He couldn¡¯t see her at first but watched his opponent rear up in pain as the woman grappled onto his back. Thanks to the flanking bonus Jace gave her, she secured him but didn¡¯t get a critical success to consider him pinned. Jace helped out by once again tripping the giant. The dial was all but useless at this point, but he had learned the tripping technique well and either rolled another twenty, or the giant¡¯s reduced mobility from being grappled and flanked allowed him the success. As soon as the beast was on the ground, Esther latched onto his neck.


    At first, Jace assumed she was stealing mana gain, but as the giant¡¯s Hit Points went down, he saw the woman¡¯s go up until she was healed. She took the next level drain as mana to top off, and when she came up for air, Jace took the giant¡¯s head. He was full on mana right now and dumped everything into his healing ring to bring him back to a safe level before he and Esther stalked over to the two giants fighting. The enthralled giant was not the one Esther had sneak attacked, so he had a Hit-Point advantage over his friend. Both giants had horrible armor classes and did massive damage with each strike, so the fight didn¡¯t last long.


    The last giant standing struggled back to his mistress with only a few dozen Hit Points. Jace felt bad attacking him in this vulnerable condition, but Snowy and Esther didn¡¯t have any problems with it, and soon there were three dead giants on the ground, with no sign of a fourth.


    Jace walked away from the bloody scene with mixed emotions and headed toward the light source at the far end of the cavern. He heard the wind before he saw the night air and the large cliffside pens that held the stolen animals. Massive stones had been piled as fences to keep the herd together and away from the steep drop-off. They looked unharmed, and he hoped the villagers would be able to guide them back down the mountain.


    Jace enjoyed the fresh air and stood for a while, savoring the peaceful night after a vicious round of combat. He would need another load of mana dumped into his ring before returning to full health, so he relaxed for a while as his body pulled energy from the stone beneath him.


    ¡°Something wrong, boss?¡± Esther came up behind him. Jace still heard snowy inside the cavern, recovering her strength through feasting on the bodies. Esther could only steal health or mana from the giants while they were alive. ¡°You looked a little hesitant back there.¡±


    What should he say? Should he criticize her methods? He knew what he was getting into when he broke the game to allow a vampire to join his party. ¡°I need a chance to recoup,¡± he settled with. ¡°I haven¡¯t always lived a life with such . . . violence. You and Snowy are more acclimated to this type of fighting. I need to clear my head, catch my breath, and regen my mana.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you.¡±


    <hr>


    The group had to leave the comfort of the mountain caves as they approached the last trial. It was early in the fall season, but snow lay thick up here all year long, and the wind whipped it into their faces as they skirted peaks and climbed outcroppings under the starry sky. Snowy was at home in this weather, and Jace could barely feel the cold, but Esther had her cloak wrapped tightly around her.


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    Jace had half a mind not even to engage the frost giant. It was unlikely the monster would ever attack the village himself. That is what he had minions for. Plus, the animals were easy to get at now, with the hill and stone giants defeated. The final boss of this mission would have to retreat into these mountains to build up his forces to attack again sometime later. Jace didn¡¯t want to get so caught up in the game that he lost sight of what was really important. They already had all three strength items and enough experience to level up to ten. They had gotten that before this quest¡¯s first giant kill when Jace found the control collar. All they were chasing now was the +1 to strength, which may or may not be possible for Jace anyway. Perhaps it was the completist in him that demanded they finish this. The game would surely punish him if he left this undone and the villagers at the mercy of an enraged frost giant.


    Jace had little time to contemplate this, for as they walked almost an hour in the open air, they were attacked by dozens of monsters. Goblin troupes, yetis, snow drakes, polar worms, and a host of other creatures native to frozen landscapes lay in wait for the adventurers. After dealing with the giants in the previous two rounds, none of it was difficult for them. In the dark of night, Esther needed little help hiding in the shadows and could strike first, continually dispelling or disarming the enemy before they knew they were in danger. Jace stood as the team¡¯s tank, letting his damage totems take the brunt of the attacks while dealing out 45 damage with each strike, though most attacks were critical.


    Perhaps for a group that relied on conventional healing or mana generation to deal damage, the constant onslaught would have been taxing, but Esther and Snowy could generate health or mana from consuming the last enemy in each group, and Jace could always draw strength from the stones around them. The orc continued trying to trip each enemy, much to Gracie¡¯s disdain. Sometimes he failed horribly and took a nasty strike in return, and other times polar bears, kobolds, and snow cats looked up at him from their backs as he hacked them to pieces.


    Thus, they were still at full strength when they came to a stone and ice edifice that rose like a sheer cliff wall at the top of the mountain. A wide path led toward the massive steel gate that sparkled in the starlight with a thin layer of ice. No more guards stood at the entrance; instead, it was a simple entry that led deeper into the stone pinnacle. Moving from the giant-made structure into the stone of the peak was hardly noticeable, but Jace felt they were now inside the mountain again with not far to go before the owner of this fortress made himself known. As they walked in, Jace dropped his Armor totem outside of the primary audience hall and placed his other one further inside, finding it hard to choose a stone surface not covered with ice.


    The domed chamber was awe-inspiring. Ice lay thick over everything, making the stonework shine like crystal. It wasn¡¯t as harmonious with the environment as it would have been had dwarves or gnomes constructed the home. Stone and ice didn¡¯t get along well, with cracks snaking through the rock as the ice expanded and fractured the structure of the mountain. It was in no danger of collapsing as the temperature was never likely to rise even close to freezing, and the ice was enchanted to be as firm as any mortar. A light spell permeated the hall, reflecting illumination through the ice and into every inch of the space as if the sun were shining inside.


    Standing in the center of the room was the frost giant. Fully fifteen feet tall, the monstrosity held a steel banded club and a shield taller than Jace. His white beard was broad in a grin as he looked at his visitors, the game no doubt giving him the information that all his minions lay dead and these three were responsible.


    {He shouldn¡¯t have a shield,} Gracie said in Jace¡¯s head. Jace also saw he was level 20 and had a whopping 750 Hit Points. Why start playing fair now?


    ¡°What brings you visitors into my realm on such a crisp, clear night?¡± the behemoth boomed.


    Jace paused at the question. Could there be a way to negotiate through this? Convince the giant to go elsewhere? Maybe even let him take as much of the livestock as he could carry and promise never to return? He doubted it. ¡°We come in the name of Cepton,¡± Jace said but thought he might need to clarify, ¡°the village your giants have been raiding. We have defended ourselves against them, and their blood soaks into the rocks as we speak. It does not need to be so with you. Leave, and never come back.¡±


    The giant laughed. ¡°Well-spoken, brave, and noble orc. But why should I do that? I could instead just kill you and then kill everyone in the village and eat anything I wanted. Why should I spend the glorious winter hungry?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t let you!¡± Esther shouted.


    The giant laughed again. ¡°Little girl,¡± he started, not knowing that, according to the game, the fallen angel was likely older than he was. ¡°I appreciate your moxie, but that will not happen. You will turn around, tell the villagers you have failed, and never think about returning. That is as gracious as I am willing to be. I can see you are formidable, but you don¡¯t stand a chance against me. All the same, I don¡¯t want to spend the rest of the evening healing from wounds I could avoid. Turn around and never come back.¡±


    Jace wanted to do it. Esther didn¡¯t let him. She exploded toward the giant at a sprint, spending mana to haste herself. Jace cried for her to stop, and the giant just watched her approach with interest, his club at the ready. It was 80 feet to the giant, and she had time for an invisibility spell. She cast it, but the light in the cavern prevented her from disappearing. She took it in stride and sped across the last 30 feet before the giant as the bearded foe raised his club to strike.


    Esther¡¯s foot hit what she thought was polished marble but was instead a patch of the slickest ice in the realms, and she fell to her back, just under the swinging club. Her speed seemed to double again as she streaked past the giant on a head-first collision course with a heavy chair. The chaotic ice that had just saved her life now dealt her a critical maneuver failure as she hit the stone furniture. Only the critical protection Jace had cast into her armor kept her from being stunned for several rounds. Before the giant could turn to squash her into the floor, Snowy growled in attack, having started her charge right after Esther.


    The wolf¡¯s claws bit true into the ice like they were designed to, and she leaped high at the giant. He raised his shield, and Snowy had no opening. Instead, she collided hard against the barrier and was thrown back across the room.


    Jace was right behind his familiar, the halberd swinging even as the shield was recoiling from the bash against the wolf. The dial was gone now, but Jace had trained for this moment. And was sure he had lined up a perfect strike. It was a hit but not critical.


    {You rolled a 19,} Gracie informed him. {His AC is 20, but he gets ten from the shield. Twice that with the raise shield action.}


    Jace realized he could only hit him with an 18-20 and watched as the giant¡¯s Hit Points didn¡¯t change, his damage reduction greater than what Jace could produce. The giant swung back at Jace and hit him for 63, all going to his totem. Jace countered with a trip attempt.


    [Critical Hit. Combat maneuver ineffective.]


    {You can¡¯t trip him while he is standing on ice,} Gracie reported.


    ¡°Everyone back!¡± Jace cried. He looked over his shoulder at Snowy and saw the wolf had lost a third of her health from the defensive move. Before him, Esther was picking herself up off the ice and struggling to find footing. Instead, she climbed onto a massive chair and then to the top of a stone table.


    Jace saw the look in her eyes and knew what she was about to attempt. ¡°Esther, no!¡± He had backed up so he was off the patch of ice and just out of reach of the beast. The frost giant had no intention of stepping off his protective surface and did not turn his back on Jace to see what the woman behind him was doing, judging correctly who was the more significant threat. Without a critical, Esther would never get through his damage reduction.


    Esther leaped onto his back and tried to grapple him. Even if he hadn¡¯t been standing on the ice, making him immune to combat maneuvers, he had too much of a size and strength advantage, and the move could never work. The frost giant harnessed his shield momentarily and reached over his back to throw her to the ground before him. In the same motion, he swung his club at the woman. Esther tried to Dodge, but her feet slipped on the ice. Instead, she held her weapons up in an X, but it was not enough.


    He hit her with almost 70 damage and sent her flying across the room. It was over half her health, but her Death save was 53, and after a good defensive roll, the hit only dazed her. However, she hit an icicle on the far wall that did another 13 before she slumped to the ground.


    {Jace!} Gracie screamed. {That icicle gave her a bleeding condition. She will die in five rounds if you don¡¯t do something.


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Jace asked desperately, daring to turn his back on the frost giant, who laughed in response.


    {It does one less damage each round, starting at the initial amount.}


    The blow of 13 damage had dropped her to 45 health, and Jace watched as it fell another twelve as Esther struggled to her knees in pain.


    ¡°No!¡± Jace screamed, running over to the woman. He didn¡¯t know what to do other than scoop her up in his arms and carry her out of here. He had no way to heal her or stop the bleeding, but he would have to think of something. He prepared to drop his halberd in anticipation of picking up the woman, not wasting time putting it in his inventory and not caring if he left it here forever.


    The frost giant was one step ahead of him. He cast one of his few spells, and a block of ice sprung up around Esther, entombing her in the center. The slab was four feet tall and wide and over seven feet long. Jace kept his weapon for now and brought it over his head in a devastating strike against the ice sarcophagus. It did no damage.


    {Only fire or the giant¡¯s death will free her,} Grace said, panic clear in her voice.


    Jace braced himself against the frozen monolith, trying to move or lift it, but even his strength was not enough. He could only pound on the transparent prison, Esther lying peacefully inside. As he watched, Esther¡¯s health went from 33 to 22. She had three rounds left. ¡°How long will this spell last?¡±


    {Ten rounds,} Gracie said. {The only good news I have is that time moves at half speed for her in the ice.}


    ¡°Great,¡± Jace said sarcastically. ¡°She¡¯s dead in six rounds instead of three. Why did you bring us here? You knew we didn¡¯t have any fire!¡±


    {Don¡¯t blame me!} Gracie was equally distressed. {He wasn¡¯t supposed to have a shield and 750 hit points. Esther should have been able to hide in the shadows, get a critical strike, and dispel his damage reduction. The three of you should have been able to kill him.}


    Down deep inside, Jace knew this wasn¡¯t Gracie¡¯s problem. He took a breath to calm himself, his voice almost a whisper. ¡°What happens if she dies?¡±


    {She gets reset. If you had established a stronghold and she had slept there, you would find her in bed. As it is now . . . I don¡¯t know. She will probably wake up in the Gilded Swan.}


    ¡°Will she remember me?¡±


    {Jace, . . . I don¡¯t know.} They both knew what a mess Portsmith was. Even if she did remember Jace, dozens of players would be after her. And it wasn¡¯t like the Germans would let him go on a rescue mission. Once he walked out of this module, he would be at Level 10 and be forced to go straight to Dresher.


    ¡°Then I guess she can¡¯t die.¡± Jace pushed himself away from the ice block before another round passed. He turned to face the laughing frost giant and prepared to do the impossible.

 Chapter 26: Finding a Way

    Jace needed to be fast, but he didn¡¯t want to hurry.  What he had in mind would take at least four rounds.  That would only be two rounds for Esther, giving her one to live once the ice block disappeared.  Jace pulled off his damage reduction ring and tossed it to Snowy, who kept her distance from the deadly giant but wouldn¡¯t leave her master or Esther alone.  The wolf caught the ring in her mouth on one bounce, and Jace hoped she would understand the complex instructions he sent her.


    The shaman then recalled both his totems from the room, gaining back partial mana for the Damage Sink totem since it was slightly used.  ¡°What¡¯s his attack and damage?¡± he asked as he walked toward the giant.  With as cruel as Gandhi had been to him in this module, he hoped she would be generous with her timing here.  It should only take one round to close the distance between them, but he needed time to do the math and hoped he wouldn¡¯t be penalized an extra round.


    {Attack for him is +20, but he gets -5 for aiming at a smaller foe.  Damage is 75.}


    Jace needed the giant to get double damage on him, but he needed to survive, which meant he could only take 112, just under half his total health.  His damage reduction was 12, so he could survive a hit of 124.  A double damage strike would be 150, so he needed his Damage totem to absorb 26 damage, and right now, each level of his totem was 25.  It was almost as if Gandhi had purposefully made this hard for him.  He needed two levels of his totem and hoped the game would let him perform the spell again since it had been less than ten rounds since he had cast it originally.  He had dismissed it before it was used up, so he thought it should be allowed.


    The frost giant watched the orc walk toward him, unaware of the numbers flying through his head.  He only wanted to crush the intruder.  Jace gave him the chance as he picked a spot for his Damage totem on the ceiling along the largest crack in the stone he could find and then stood his ground.


    {No!} Gracie screamed.  {That can¡¯t work.  You will get zero bonus defense against the Traditional giant.}


    ¡°I know,¡± he whispered, trying not to flinch as the club came crashing into him.  ¡°Please,¡± he prayed, ¡°get at least a 13.¡±


    The club hit him so hard that he was sure his body jumped in the dentist chair back in the basement.  He flew across the room and bounced so hard against the stone wall that he almost rebounded to the same spot.  He knew the giant would waste a critical in sending him flying, so it needed to be two criticals to have one left to double the damage.  Up on the ceiling, the 50-HP totem tried to absorb three times that much damage and exploded with the force of a 100-damage bomb.  It lay on a stone crack and ripped a tremor along the split, shattering the ice like a bullet through glass.  The whole room shook, and an avalanche of stone, ice, and snow poured down upon the giant, finally knocking him to the ground on his icy patch.


    {What did that achieve?} Gracie asked as Jace scrambled to his feet, trying to shake the cobwebs from his head.  {That did almost no damage to him, and he is only grappled because of the stone on top of him.  He isn¡¯t secure, and he definitely isn¡¯t pinned.}


    ¡°But he can¡¯t raise his shield when he¡¯s grappled,¡± Jace muttered as he leaped at his enemy, knowing his foe would only struggle with the rocks for one round maximum.  Jace saw the weak point on the giant¡¯s neck as clearly as if his amulet was still working, and he flashed his halberd down with all his might.


    [Triple Crit.  One canceled.  3x damage? Stun, 1x Damage?]


    Jace could care less about the damage and picked the Stun while dumping 100 mana into the weapon to raise the difficulty by 20, spending both crits on the giant and knowing it would last at most one round again.


    [Save vs. Stun failed.]


    {You did it!} Gracie screamed as the Giant stopped removing the ruble from his prone body for a brief moment.


    [Stunned.  Prone.  Helpless.]


    ¡°Any idea what his death saving throw his?¡± Jace asked but didn¡¯t wait for a response as he executed a Coup De Grace.


    [Quadruple Crit. One Canceled.]


    The game didn¡¯t give him the Stun option since you couldn¡¯t stun someone twice, and it gave him 4x damage, which was 180.  Even if the giant¡¯s damage reduction were 40 and his saving throw was 70, he would have to roll a 21 not to die.  Jace¡¯s blade cut deep into the ice beneath the creature¡¯s neck.


    The orc spun around and saw Esther drop to the snow, the block of ice gone now that the giant was dead.  Like a good girl, Snowy was next to her with the ring in her teeth, trying to coax it onto one of the woman¡¯s frozen fingers.  Esther was still dazed from the giant¡¯s attack, so she didn¡¯t fight the wolf¡¯s efforts, and the game allowed the ring to go on.


    Jace ran toward the pair as Gracie screamed into his mind.  {She has three seconds left.  You can¡¯t heal her.  That was amazing with the giant, but what are you doing now?}


    ¡°I can cast a spell through this halberd, right?¡±


    {Yes, but that will only kill her faster.}


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope you¡¯re wrong,¡± Jace said as he leaped over a pile of stone that had fallen from the ceiling and watched as Esther¡¯s health hovered at 3.  He raised his weapon for another strike, knowing he had to make a legitimate attack on the woman for this to work.  He was used to picking out 20s but now tried to aim for her foot and hoped it would be less than a seven.


    Jace tried to ignore the concerned look on Ester¡¯s face as he brought his attack down on the dying woman and instead funneled all the mana he had left through his healing ring and out through the weapon.  The spell was Ordered by design, but traveling through the wicked halberd turned it Chaotic, meaning it was no longer at odds with the woman¡¯s nature.  The blade hit her foot, and Gracie told him he rolled a five, which was still a critical hit, and Jace let the ring Snowy had put on her finger absorb the 90 points of slashing damage.  He was more concerned with the 20 Hit Points that flooded into her as his healing spell worked a second before her health would have dropped below zero.


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    Jace collapsed beside the woman, gasping for breath from the exertion and stress.  Snowy came by and licked his face, somehow understanding what her master had just done.  Gracie was going insane.  {I¡¯ve never seen anyone heal someone using a level ten weapon with a critical hit!  I do not believe what I just saw.  That was amazing!}


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jace wheezed.  ¡°I just thought of it.  I hope I never have to do it again.  Didn¡¯t know if it was going to work.  We need to find a way to heal this woman more conventionally in the future.¡±  Jace sat up and propped himself against the edge of the room, noticing how wet it was suddenly getting on the floor.  The snow and ice were melting as the magic of the dead frost giant dissipated.  Soon he guessed this whole room would cave in.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Ester moaned.  ¡°What just happened?¡±  Coming out of the ice block was like waking from a comma.


    ¡°Everything is fine now,¡± he said, placing a hand on her shoulder and coaxing her to lie back in the snow.  ¡°Just relax.¡±


    ¡°Snowy,¡± he called to his familiar.  She was all ears.  ¡°Esther is hungry.  Please find a goblin or another kobold or something small and relatively harmless.  And I need it to be mostly alive with at least 100 Hit Points.  Can you find that and bring it back to us?  I will carry her out of here before this place collapses.¡±  The wolf nodded and ran off into the night.


    ¡°I can walk,¡± Ester insisted, but her hands slipped in the snow as she tried to prop herself up.


    ¡°Take it easy,¡± Jace insisted.


    {First, you were disgusted by her habit of eating things,} Gracie pointed out.  {Now you¡¯re ordering her take-out.}


    Jace got up and gently lifted Esther off the ground after storing his weapon in his inventory.  ¡°Just shut up, will you.¡±


    <hr>


    Snowy returned with a goblin mage after Jace had carried Esther across the open terrain and had just gotten back to the stone giant¡¯s cavern.  Esther took minor fire damage from the terrified goblin but grappled him into submission and restored herself.  Jace showed her the slashing protection ring he had given her, and she filled it back up.  He thought it best that she keep it.  It wouldn¡¯t have saved her from the blunt attacks of any of the giants, but he had his own damage protection methods.  Plus, it gave standard protection against piercing, and the idea of an archer sniping them from a distance terrified him.


    They made it back to the town shortly after midnight, and while Jace figured the game would allow them to meet with the duke whenever, Snowy and Esther were tired, and he found an inn to let them rest.  Since this was a MIM, he could rest until dawn without wasting time.  They were back in the barracks early the following day in a celebratory mood.


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± the duke started, broadly smiling.  ¡°Already, our people are herding the animals back to their pens.  It looks like we should be able to make it through the winter now.  We are forever in your debt.¡±  He motioned to a massively muscled man sitting at the table.  ¡°Darius, a monk who works with our guards, says he will be able to give you a permanent blessing to aid you in your future quests.¡±


    ¡°Both of us?¡± Jace asked, looking over at Esther, who sat calmly at the table.  She wore her dress today instead of armor, with her cloak over the top to protect her from the morning chill.   She no longer looked like much of a warrior.  ¡°My companion was responsible for the deaths of several giants, and I couldn¡¯t have done it without her.  She also nearly died.  Surely, she should receive this boon as well.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± the duke started.  ¡°Perhaps we can give you a gift to help her instead.  We have three items that should be . . .¡± he trailed off as one of his men whispered into his ear.  ¡°What I mean . . .¡± he stuttered, having just been told that the giant caverns had been searched and no magical items had been found, ¡°is that perhaps some gold will help you . . .¡±


    ¡°Is that what our lives are worth to you?¡± Jace said, putting as much venom as he could into his voice.  ¡°We risk our lives for you, and you think you can pay us off like common mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a few diamonds would be-,¡± Esther started, but Jace cut her off.  He had given her an idea of how these negotiations would go and didn¡¯t want her greedy tendencies to get in the way.  Instead, he looked over at another table in the large room.  A quiet man wearing the robes of a priest sat by himself.  This would be the Dexmachi representative Jace had asked for.


    ¡°It is not something we normally do . . .¡± the duke was struggling.  Jace didn¡¯t look at him but kept his eyes on the priest.  The older man recognized his entry point into the negotiations.


    ¡°I believe we can accommodate that request,¡± the man said, rising from his table and walking to the main gathering.


    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± the duke muttered.  ¡°Good, then, we are all set here?¡±


    Jace wouldn¡¯t let him off so easily.  ¡°When we took this job, you said we would be rewarded substantially.  Now I find myself having to negotiate with you for something that costs you nothing.  What of these gifts you just mentioned?  We saved your village; surely your hospitable reputation demands you provide us more than a minor boon?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, we would normally . . . but the festival is coming soon, and we are preparing for an attack . . . and . . .¡±


    Jace rose from the table and pulled out the sword they had given him yesterday.  It had initially been too long to fit on his hip in human form, but with a bit of help from Esther, if he wore it as an orc and then cast his illusion, the sword shrank with his body without losing any of its potency.


    At first, the duke thought he was being threatened, and the other guards in the room put their hands on their blades, but Jace kept the tip of the weapon pointed to the floor and laid it on the table.  ¡°You allowed me to borrow this sword for our mission, and truly it is remarkable, but I could not use it in defense as well as I had liked.¡±  Jace caught the eye of the Dexmachi priest and knew he would have to sell this well to get what he wanted.


    ¡°I am highly skilled and more athletic than nearly all my opponents, but this sword acted only as a simple shield in combat, not allowing me to wield it dynamically in defense.  If you have no equipment to aid us in our continued struggle against the evils of this land, then give us the skill to defend ourselves more adequately.¡±


    {What in the $%&@ are you talking about?} Gracie asked.  {What do they think they are going to give you?}


    Jace ignored her for now and looked only at the Dexmachi priest.  ¡°You know what I am saying, and I know it is within your power to grant me my request.¡±


    The duke was as confused as Gracie, but after a short moment of contemplation, the priest nodded.  ¡°It can be done,¡± he said.  ¡°An exception can be made for you alone.¡±


    ¡°And my companion?¡±


    The priest frowned.  ¡°For you alone,¡± he repeated.


    Jace nodded, knowing that he was pushing the limits as it was.  He bowed his head slightly toward the priest.  ¡°Dexmachi be praised.¡±


    The duke watched the exchange in confusion, still unsure of what was happening.  When the two men were finished, he looked again at Jace.  The strange man was smiling now.  ¡°Are you satisfied, adventurer?  Have we been able to compensate you for your heroics adequately?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace replied.  He picked up the sword and returned it to his sheath.


    ¡°Perhaps you would like to stay for the festival,¡± he offered.  ¡°We have games and contests that should align with your skill set.  Even the young woman might compete.¡±


    Esther frowned and was about to correct him on his age assumption, but Jace spoke up first.  ¡°Another time.  I think we will be returning, but we have pressing business in the south and must be going now.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± the duke replied.  He rose to shake their hands and then had a guard escort them out of the castle walls.

 Chapter 27: Leveling the Field

    {Are you going to tell me what you just did?} Gracie asked once Jace and Esther were back in the village streets.


    ¡°I created a new parry feat that fits my play style. I can explain it when we get out of here, and I level up. But I have some questions for you?¡±


    {You mean there are things about this game you don¡¯t know?}


    ¡°Will they buy my extra equipment here?¡± he asked, ignoring the sarcasm for now.


    {Yes, you can sell things here. And since this is your own private MIM, you can return and buy them back in the future. Because this is a fake economy, you won¡¯t get market price on them, but you will still get something.}


    Jace nodded. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to go meet Drescher with a bunch of legendary weapons. I will have a big enough target on my back as it is.¡±


    {About that,} Gracie said, and Jace knew he wouldn¡¯t like what she was going to say. {That doofus you talked to earlier, what was his name, Slick #$%@?}


    ¡°Slicksword,¡± Jace clarified, not finding it difficult to imagine what Gracie had actually said.


    {Yes, him. He¡¯s already been on the boards telling everyone that a player named Jace is walking around Olympus with Esther Xerxes. He posted a portion of the conversation the three of you had, carefully edited to make himself look far more confident than he was. He stresses that you were only level 9 and, therefore, must have been involved with the transformation in Portsmith before it went PVP. There is quite a debate going around about who you really are. Drescher¡¯s people will see it.}


    ¡°Great,¡± Jace complained.


    {I¡¯ve already intercepted over a dozen requests from people asking to follow you. Jace is a common enough name in this game, and I imagine all those players are getting requests.}


    ¡°What does it mean that they want to follow me?¡±


    {You can have Public, Private, or Semi-Private settings. If you set yourself to Public, anyone who finds your user account can watch you play, just like we have you on the big screen down here. Semi-Private means only people you approve can watch. That is what you are now, and I am the only one able to see you. Private means no one can see you, which is how it was when you did the Level 50 puzzle. If you get a stronghold, you can set up portions of it to be all of those. Some players have a subscriber model, where some of their activity is semi-private, and you have to pay to watch them pass certain quests.}


    ¡°I need a stronghold,¡± Jace agreed. ¡°How does one get something like that?¡±


    {Any MIM can be your stronghold,} Gracie advised. {This village could be your stronghold. Buy a house in the town, complete all the quests, write letters to the king that you should be made duke, and soon you will live in that castle and have all the city''s wealth at your disposal. Running a village is a lot of work, though, and most players who do it employ real people to run it for them, as they can be quite profitable if done correctly. Drescher runs the town of Ironfel. That is not a fake economy; he makes millions each month.}


    ¡°I think I want something a little lower maintenance. Preferably a cave furnished nicely with a view so that Esther won¡¯t hate it. But if I ever need to defend myself, I will need stone everywhere. Something built by dwarves or gnomes but with the headroom for an orc. Preferably close to a city so I can easily get supplies.¡±


    {Am I your real estate agent now?} She was only half kidding. {I¡¯ll see what I can find. There are many MIMs where you liberate a castle, estate, or fortress, and then you can live there. Not many people want to live in a cave, but I will conduct some searches.}


    Jace made his way to a shop and opened his inventory. He still had everything from when his character was one of the final bosses of the level 50 module. He sold the chainmail, explosive axe, shield, and bow and received over 25,000 gold. Jace saw that he could repurchase any of the items at a 20% markup and wondered what the market value for those items was. It was hard to believe he could trade his current gold for $25,000.


    He had played through three modules and hadn¡¯t found much valuable loot in them. His best items he got from either hacking the game or killing PCs. If he were a standard player, he¡¯d be holding on to his ring of Strength +2 like it was worth a million dollars. Gold came easily to him, but probably not to everyone.


    Esther wanted to know where they were going to go next, and Jace tried to think of a way he could leave her behind. He didn¡¯t want to take her into Drescher¡¯s lion¡¯s den. She was too valuable and vulnerable. If she had been a target of scrutiny in Olympus, how much more in a city with level 15-20 characters walking around? They were on their way to the nearest travel node with ideas still rolling around in Jace¡¯s head about how to protect her when Gracie spoke up.


    {Frans is on the phone with someone important. They are talking in German, but it sounds like our kidnappers are letting them know you are at level ten now, and they aren¡¯t willing to accept any further delay. You must go to Ironfel now. They also know about Portsmith, and they are insisting you take Esther and the crystal with you.}


    ¡°And if I refuse?¡±


    {Then they shoot Conor in the other leg.}


    Jace swore. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. How is he doing?"


    {He has a fever. I''m not a doctor, so I can''t be sure, but I think he is getting an infection. We need to get him to a hospital.}


    Jace shook his head in despair. "I''ll try to work this out with them, but I have a bad feeling they aren''t going to let us go. Either way, can I at least level up first? I have to, or I can¡¯t get into their city. And Esther doesn¡¯t have to be part of it. I¡¯ll go and take the crystal, but she stays behind.¡±


    Esther always knew when Jace was talking to Gracie, but she paid attention now that her name had come up. ¡°Where don¡¯t you want me to go?¡±


    Jace ignored her, listening for Gracie as he heard her talking with the men holding her captive. Her voice cracked when she came back on. {Sorry, Jace. They insist that Esther comes with you. They think you have access to cheat codes and don¡¯t trust you. They need to see it for themselves. They said . . . they said I¡¯m not off limits. The ones in charge feel you are good enough to play without an operator, and I am expendable.}


    Jace had grown to care for Esther greatly, but he understood she was an NPC and would not risk Gracie¡¯s life for her sake. ¡°I will bring her. But we need ten minutes.¡±


    {You have 15. They will be waiting for you. There will be an escort at the entrance to Ironfel to make sure you two are not molested before you get to your meeting.}


    Jace started to run for the nearest travel node, and Esther was close behind. ¡°Jace,¡± she cried. ¡°I heard most of that. What is going on? Are Gracie and Conor okay?¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Jace stopped before the exit to this module and turned to look at her. This might be the last place they could talk privately for a while. ¡°You have a large crystal that you took from me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Esther looked a bit sheepish and reached into the folds of her skirt to pull out the gem. Jace hadn¡¯t looked at it in a while, and it sparkled brilliantly in the early morning sun. ¡°I thought it was pretty,¡± she said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jace replied. ¡°I¡¯m told it is the most valuable item in all the realms, though I¡¯m not sure why. I don¡¯t think people like us can use it very well, but others can, and they can rule the realms with it.¡±


    ¡°Is this why they kidnapped Gracie and Conor?¡± she asked. ¡°They know you have this, and they want it?¡±


    Jace smiled at the intelligent deduction. ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t trust them. We need to find a way to protect the crystal and save my friends.¡± Jace didn¡¯t care if the two Germans in the basement heard him. Gracie had said they didn¡¯t know the game very well. Drescher obviously did. Jace assumed he wasn¡¯t an idiot, and if Drescher knew what Jace had done in the game so far, the feeling was probably mutual. Jace could say he would abide by all the rules and play fair and hand over the gem, but the German wouldn¡¯t believe him, so there was no point in pretending.


    Esther was in the process of putting the crystal back in her inventory, but Jace stopped her. ¡°I need to hold it for now,¡± he held out his hand. Esther didn¡¯t want to part with it, but she trusted him. Jace took the item, put it in his inventory, and activated the travel node. He didn¡¯t see Ironfel on his map, but he was still level 9. He chose Olympus instead and was instantly transported to the neutral zone just outside the city.


    ¡°It took you long enough.¡±


    Unfortunately, Jace recognized that voice. He turned around and saw the female half-orc barbarian that had accosted them in the street earlier. Jace wasn¡¯t sure, but he felt it had been close to six hours since they had last spoken. They were back in global time, and the sun was setting in the west.


    The barbarian and her crew were all level ten now and had obviously been waiting for Jace and Esther to arrive. The rest of her team didn¡¯t look happy about it, but perhaps they thought Esther would be part of the loot if they killed him, so they tolerated the delay.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to kill you right now,¡± Jace replied. ¡°I¡¯m very busy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, Jace Thorne.¡±


    Jace had not told this woman his first name, and he hadn¡¯t told Slicksword his full name. The Germans must be spreading it around. Didn¡¯t they realize the more famous they made him, the more likely someone else would kill him before he made it to Ironfel? Maybe Drescher wasn¡¯t that smart. Or perhaps he was forcing Jace would see Ironfel as a haven. Go there, get rid of the crystal and Esther, and then everyone would leave him alone. If that¡¯s what they thought of him, they were in for a surprise.


    Esther and Snowy were chomping at the bit to attack the woman, but they were still in a safe zone, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to do much other than stare daggers at her. Jace tried to hold them back. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been properly introduced. You seem to have me at a disadvantage.¡±


    She laughed, obviously thinking Jace had no idea what kind of disadvantage. ¡°My name is Illya Tykarentoscue. Remember it well, for soon it will be my name everyone will be talking about.¡±


    Jace rolled his eyes. ¡°Well, Karen,¡± he said, picking two syllables from her name that he thought he could pronounce. ¡°Why would I have to remember your name if everyone is going to be talking about it? And how can I remember it if I am dead?¡±


    She looked confused and cursed in a language the game¡¯s universal translator didn¡¯t feel comfortable dealing with. Jace was willing to bet it was Russian.


    <Bear.> Snowy alerted Jace. <Big dire bear. In the woods.>


    Jace glanced down at his wolf and saw she was looking beyond the scantily clad barbarian and into the Hostile PVP zone. The land looked normal as the trail snaked down the hill and into a meadow. A few clumps of trees bordered the road, but it didn¡¯t look hostile. Then Jace linked senses with the wolf, and he could see a large shadowy creature lurking in the first copse of trees only fifty feet away, the long shadows of the setting sun hiding it nicely. A bear like that would probably have a sneak attack ability.


    ¡°I actually can¡¯t fight you right now,¡± Jace said. ¡°I¡¯m not technically level 10 yet.¡±


    ¡°I can wait. I¡¯ve been waiting for two hours. I can wait a few more minutes for you to add a few +1s to your character sheet.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re scared,¡± Jace said.


    The barbarian raged at him, and the game had to physically stop her from running into him. ¡°I am scared of no one!¡±


    ¡°Have you even been into the hostile zone yet? Or have you been safely waiting here with all the other plucky adventurers?¡±


    She wasn¡¯t thinking straight and marched through the curtain into the PVP zone. She took ten steps along the path and then turned to stare at Jace. ¡°Be quick. The sun is almost down, and I have many plans for tonight.¡±


    Jace stepped off to the side, where a few other players were also leveling up. In fact, a small crowd had gathered to watch the confrontation, most knowing who Jace was. Before he rolled his eyes into his inventory, he sent a chat message to Esther. (Keep staring at her. Insult her outfit a bit more. Tell her she looks like a pregnant goblin caught in a fishing net. Keep her distracted.)


    ¡°Okay, Gracie, let¡¯s make this quick.¡±


    {Sure. And congrats on getting to level ten in less than 24 hours. Most people take a few weeks. For all your skills, we will stick with what¡¯s been working for you. You get another ability bump at level 10, and we will put it in Spirit. The only new things are that you get a Strength Feat and two bonus spells: one divine and one shaman. You can also change up your spells if you want.}


    ¡°Well, the feat will be the one I just invented. It should be called Dynamic Parry or Athletic Parry.¡±


    {Yes, I found it. It is called Dynamic Parry. Mind telling me what it does?}


    ¡°It lets me roll dice in defense, and I can get up to my Athletic skill as a Parry bonus. So, if I have an Athletic skill of 10, and I roll a 20, I get a bonus of 10. If I roll a 10, I get a bonus of 0, and if I roll a 1, I get a bonus of -10.¡±


    {Seems balanced,} Gracie said. {Most good fighters have an Athletic score of 15, so 25% of the time, they will be getting a negative bonus to their AC, and they will average only a five bonus, which is the normal boost for the Parry feat.}


    ¡°Except I know from the dial I used to see that every time I roll the dice, I can put myself on manual and affect the outcome. So, I can always manufacture high numbers if I can control my sword during the Parry action.¡±


    Gracie nodded, seeing how Jace could cheat the system again.


    ¡°For my divine spell, I suppose I should get one for healing so we don¡¯t end up in that death spiral situation again. Esther might not be my only chaotic party member, and I can¡¯t get everyone a slashing protection ring.¡±


    {Actually, I think Snowy can help with that. She gets bonus spells too. Right now, she has Fear and Cone of Frost, but she can also learn Nature¡¯s Blessing, which lets her heal a party member by fifty points three times per day. That should be enough to keep Esther alive for a while.}


    ¡°Great, then I can pick something else. Is there a boon that increases my Athletic ability?¡±


    {Thought you might ask for that. Yes, I will give you that. For your Shaman spell, I was thinking of Summon Stone. It is a bit limited since you don¡¯t know any spells, so you will only be able to memorize one version of it at a time, but depending on how much mana you spend, you can summon a small rock or a wall 10 feet high. With your ingenuity, you can do some pretty cool things with that.}


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jace agreed.


    While on his inventory screen, the sounds around him were muffled, but he thought he could hear people screaming and the sound of battle. He guessed the bear must have just attacked. He didn¡¯t bother checking on the action, knowing he was in a safe zone and stayed with Gracie. ¡°At Level ten, I can change my secondary key ability, right?¡±


    {Yes.}


    ¡°Good, I think I want to move it to Constitution.¡±


    {Good choice.}


    ¡°Okay, what about Esther?¡±


    {We can put all her bonuses in her usual spots. She also gets a new Strength feat and wants Weapon Expertise for light-bladed weapons. This increases her bonus in Melee from +5 to +10 and her off-hand from +2 to +5. She doesn¡¯t seem to want to change any of her spells, and I think she uses them all really well. She wants to move her secondary key ability to Constitution also. The girl needs more Hit Points.}


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace agreed. ¡°Then I think we are done.¡± He exited his inventory screen, and all the sights and sounds assaulted him. He was right, and the bear had attacked. Esther and Snowy were laughing as the barbarian¡¯s members crossed into the PVP zone to try and help their friend, who lay bleeding out on the ground. They had a healer in their party but had their hands full with the bear.


    Esther saw that Jace was back with them, and while she didn¡¯t consciously understand the level-up process, she knew that he had been talking with Gracie. ¡°Did they really think they could take us on?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s only one bear.¡± She had switched to her armor and weapons but was content to be a spectator.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about them,¡± Jace agreed. Instead, he walked over to the travel node and opened the map. Ironfel was now available along with a host of other public PVP zones. His eyes lingered on Portsmith for a few moments, but he was a good kidnap victim and chose Drescher¡¯s stronghold instead.

 Chapter 28: A Warm Welcome

    The sun was completely down when Jace and his party arrived at the travel node outside of Ironfel. The scenery was different than what he was used to. Trees, rolling hills, and distant mountains were gone. Instead, it looked like a wasteland of rocks, crags, and brown grass. They stood on a small hill overlooking the valley below where the town sat almost two kilometers away, lights glowing faintly in the darkness. Jace couldn¡¯t help but compare this scene to the Mos Eisley reveal in Star Wars.


    ¡°Ironfel,¡± he said in his best Alec Guinness, ¡°you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.¡±


    His eyes left the distant town and looked around his immediate vicinity. No curtains hung in the air. Everywhere was hostile. Six half-orc guards, each at level 15, stood around the raised wooden platform that held the travel node. The top of the hill was not level, filled with rocks and thorny bushes. A solid wooden structure had been built to receive visitors that was 20 by 15 feet and made from solid wooden planks. If a group larger than four arrived, they would feel cramped. Four stood on the platform now.


    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡±


    Jace turned to the gruff voice and saw an elf standing ten feet away, leaning against the wooden railing. He was taller than any elf Jace had seen before, not that he was an expert. He assumed he was a ranger by the massive bow on his back, but his broad shoulders and bulging arms let Jace know the character could just as easily be a fighter.


    {That is Psycho,} Gracie said in his ears. {Esther might be the most sought-after NPC in the game. Psycho is undoubtedly the most formidable.}


    Jace saw he was level 20 with 620 Hit Points. Gracie had said they would have an escort into the town. He assumed this elf was it. He wore fabulous golden armor that Jace was willing to bet had been made from dragon scales. A large 2-handed katana hung from his hip. Snowy growled at the ranger, and Esther stepped toward the wolf to calm her as she led her to the opposite side of the platform, 20 feet from the ranger.


    ¡°That is a vicious animal you have,¡± the elf said, eyeing the pair as they kept their distance. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t bring her into town. She might bite someone.¡±


    Jace thought it an uncharacteristic thing for a ranger to say about an animal, even if Snowy was a winter wolf. ¡°Trust me,¡± Jace replied, ¡°She will defend herself when attacked but is otherwise well-behaved.¡±


    Psycho laughed. ¡°You can never truly tame an animal like that. I don¡¯t care what tricks she performs for you in private. If it were up to me, I would put an arrow through her head right now and end it.¡±


    Jace took a step toward the character, perceiving the comment as a threat. The elf just laughed again. ¡°Good, you protect your own. I respect that. Drescher has made an exception for you, so don¡¯t worry. I will guide you safely to him, and nothing will happen. Don¡¯t give me a reason.¡±


    Jace relaxed. He had been without Snowy in his divine quest and then again in the Gilded Swan. He was beginning to think having this powerful of a familiar was worthless if she was always restricted access. ¡°I can bring her with me into town?¡±


    Psycho nodded. ¡°Drescher insists. He¡¯s very curious how you got her. But first, show me you have the item.¡±


    Jace had no choice but to enter his inventory in front of this dangerous ranger. The elf had promised his safety, and even though he felt he was a vicious killer, Jace trusted him. He looked at the elf again within a few seconds, holding the Level 50 crystal.


    Jace saw one of the half-orc guards speak into a pendant on his neck once he saw the item. Drescher must be able to communicate with them. Jace didn¡¯t see a similar amulet on Psycho. This NPC didn¡¯t want to be controlled. He followed orders but without the leash. ¡°Step off the platform. I am expecting someone else. And put that crystal away. I can¡¯t protect you if everyone tries to attack you at once.¡±


    ¡°Another visitor for Drescher?¡± Jace asked as he led his group down a few short steps to the rocky ground below. ¡°Related to our visit?¡±


    Psycho shook his head. ¡°Opportunistic timing. Say what you will about him, but Dresher is efficient.¡±


    Gracie had said the German was a gun runner. Could he be meeting with another client? Would this be a terrorist from the Middle East, Asia, or Eastern Europe? Possibly a munitions supplier or factory manager. Jace had been in several important meetings in his life with high-status clients. He had been told to wear a suit or to make sure he drove an American car or was clean-shaven. He had never been told that to meet with a customer, you needed to log into a video game and make it to level 10. Jace wondered if these criminals hired proxies for them. They could be sitting beside an operator, able to hear and see everything that happened but not have to play the game.


    Jace didn¡¯t know exactly what to expect, but when a scared-looking kid appeared right in front of the travel node, that was definitely a surprise. In his mind, Jace instantly labeled him a kid, but the character¡¯s face was adult, with a close-cut, black goatee. He wore plate armor with a medium shield and a sword on one hip. But something about how his eyes looked like a frightened mouse made Jace guess he was barely a teenager, entirely out of his depth in a dangerous place like this. He knew what he was doing in the game, as he was up to level 12, but he shockingly only had five Hit Points.


    ¡°Welcome back, Sir Wallace,¡± Psycho said. ¡°I was hoping I wouldn¡¯t see you again after the last time.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get this over with.¡±


    The voice sounded old and deep, but Jace detected a slight waver. The ranger led the knight off the platform, passed Jace without a word, and then started toward town. Wallace gave a brief look at Jace, a much longer look at Esther, and then hurried after the tall elf. Jace followed the pace, sensing that Snowy and Esther were close behind.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here before?¡± Jace asked once he caught up to the paladin, reasonably confident this was not an international terrorist.


    Wallace looked at him hesitantly, not eager to talk. ¡°I know who you are, Jace Thorne. I want nothing to do with you. I¡¯m here to do a job, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°What kind of job? What did Drescher hire you for?¡±


    {He¡¯s a sacrifice, Jace. He probably isn¡¯t proud of it.}


    Jace didn¡¯t know what that meant. ¡°Just leave me alone,¡± Wallace said and hurried ahead.


    Jace let him go, hoping he would figure it all out once they arrived at Ironfel, which still looked like a fifteen-minute walk away. ¡°Why would they have the travel node so far from the city? It would make it a nightmare to get in and out of town.¡±


    {A couple of reasons,} Gracie explained. {It makes it much harder to invade, for one. When we first started attacking terrorist strongholds, we could organize so that 30 characters would travel there simultaneously and make an immediate assault on the town. Now, most city strongholds have the entry node so far from the city that they have at least fifteen minutes¡¯ notice anytime someone pops in, and they have all their defenses in place by the time the attacking force arrives. Plus, it makes people more willing to stay. If you want to go city hopping and visit a bunch of taverns, gaming houses, brothels, and the like, but you have to walk fifteen minutes to leave the city you¡¯re in and then another fifteen to get into the next one, you¡¯re more likely to stay where you are. It encourages the owners of the towns to make them a one-stop shop for everything you need.


    {Lastly, Drescher and his companions don¡¯t need to walk. They can set up private nodes within the city and jump directly to their home or offices, so it isn¡¯t difficult for them.}


    Jace nodded as he understood the strategic and logistic advantages of the setup. ¡°What can you tell me about Psycho?¡±


    {As far as I know, he is the only NPC that starts at level 20 and never moves. Level 20 is the maximum for any NPC companion, but most adjust to your level when they join your party and then level up with you. I mentioned the Psycho Module as the one that took the longest to crack when we introduced you to the game.}


    That felt like days ago to Jace, but he realized it was less than 24 hours. ¡°If I recall, you said no one actually did solve it.¡±


    {Correct, Drescher pulled a YOU and cracked the game. The whole module is too long to get into specific details, but Psycho is convinced his sister is somewhere in the realms, either captured by orcs or running from them. Once he finds her, they will be able to restore their homeland. No one has ever seen the sister. So, Dresher got a high-level mage to cast an illusion spell on a female elf he found to make her look like his sister. Psycho was tricked, and he swore on his native homeland to join Drescher and serve him faithfully. The German bound him to that oath and then revealed that it was all a lie. Still, it worked, and now Psycho is Dresher¡¯s slave.}


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°And his name is Psycho?¡±


    {No, his name is Nal Saikol, which no one can pronounce, but since it kind of sounds like Psycho, and the elf has some severe issues when it comes to dealing with people, the name stuck.}


    ¡°Yes, he seemed all warm and fuzzy when we talked.¡±


    {That¡¯s nothing. He¡¯s been known to shoot people dead for the slightest infractions. When Drescher sends him on errands, everyone who interacts with him walks on eggshells.}


    ¡°Has anyone gotten a look at his stat sheet?¡±


    {Other than Drescher? No, and he isn¡¯t telling. Don¡¯t worry; if the past 24 hours have told me anything, you¡¯ll find a way to have him join your party, and we can look at it together. You two would make a great pair. You¡¯ll never guess his alignment.}


    Jace already knew. A character that would keep his word even after being told they¡¯d been tricked had to be Honest. His views on Snowy weren¡¯t surprising coming from a Traditional player. And he complimented his boss on his efficiency, so he was likely to be Ordered.


    ¡°Gracie, I want you to look up that kid too.¡±


    {What kid?}


    ¡°Sir Wallace. I can¡¯t believe he is older than 14. Something about him seems off.¡±


    Esther knew he was talking to Gracie, but she spoke up. ¡°I recognize him,¡± she offered. Jace gave her a look. ¡°Not like that. He was never with me, but he met with Tami a lot. She said they just talked and went swimming.¡±


    ¡°Swimming?¡± Jace asked. ¡°Is that code for something?¡±


    {How am I supposed to look him up?} Gracie asked, not caring that she was forcing Jace to have two conversations at once.


    ¡°They have message boards for this game. Find out what he talks about. Are there social portions where people can talk about sports or life? Do they ever talk about high school?¡±


    Esther patiently waited for Jace to finish before answering his question. ¡°You do know that Tami is a mermaid, right?¡±


    Jace looked at her dumbfounded. ¡°I do now. A mermaid, a witch, and a vampire. What was Delly? A fairy?¡±


    {She is a succubus,} Gracie answered. {And your buddy Wallace isn¡¯t in high school. I found some discussions he was in about hiding the game from his teachers and how it will be easier next year in high school. Also, he doesn¡¯t talk like any 8th-grade boy I¡¯ve ever seen before.}


    Jace slapped himself on the forehead. ¡°Right, what 14-year-old boy do you know goes to a brothel to chat up the girls and swim with mermaids?¡±


    {Sir Wallace is a girl.}


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace repeated out loud for Esther¡¯s benefit. ¡°Sir Wallace is a girl.¡±


    Esther looked confused. ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she said slowly, looking at the two men walking 30 feet in front of them. They were both a few inches over six feet and broad in the shoulders.


    How could Jace explain this? ¡°Remember I said that the gods bless some people in the realms, and if they die, they can come back? Well, that ability is based on how they exist in the other dimension.¡±


    ¡°The dimension Gracie and Conor are in?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Exactly. Do I act like any orc you¡¯ve ever met before?¡±


    Esther shook her head. She hadn¡¯t met many, but she had heard stories.


    ¡°That is because I am not an orc in the other dimension. I am a human. In that dimension, Sir Wallace is a 14-year-old girl.¡±


    ¡°Why does she look like a man in the realms?¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°So people take her seriously.¡±


    ¡°Oh . . . I see,¡± Esther was now wondering if anyone took her seriously.


    Jace let her think about that while he turned his attention to Gracie. ¡°What can you tell me about Drescher?¡±


    {Only what our government has told me. It is a sad story, really. He was a brilliant weapons engineer in Germany. He got wind that cutbacks were coming, and he became bitter. When he was let go, he managed to reroute a shipment of small arms and stole them. He considered it his severance package. He sold them on the black market, and the military found out. They raided his house, and his wife and son were killed. Since then, he¡¯s been a full-bore anarchist, supporting any anti-establishment terrorist organization he can find.}


    They were getting close to the city now, and more half-orc guards were standing before the gates. They knew Psycho and began to wave them through but snapped to attention when they saw Snowy. ¡°Halt. You can¡¯t bring that wolf in town with you.¡±


    Jace stopped short, and Esther clutched at his arm. ¡°I am here for a meeting with Drescher.¡±


    The guard looked between Psycho and Jace to show that he already understood that. ¡°No animals in the city. No exceptions.¡±


    Jace turned to his escort, assuming the ranger would solve this problem, but he only stood expectantly, waiting for Jace to dismiss the wolf, perhaps not realizing Snowy wasn¡¯t a summoned creature. ¡°You said Drescher made an exception for me. That he would allow Snowy into the city because he was curious.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about your wolf.¡± The elf¡¯s voice was deep and cold.


    {Bastard.}


    Luckily Esther didn¡¯t seem to pick up on the exchange except to know that Snowy would have to wait outside. She squatted before the wolf, gave her a few calming words about the mean old elf, and told her they¡¯d be right back. She stood, ready to go, but saw her leader in a staring contest with the ranger.


    ¡°Had I known you were talking about Esther . . .¡± Jace said in a low voice, letting the threat hang, knowing there was nothing he could have really done.


    ¡°Just remember,¡± Psycho said, as he continued into the city, ¡°if anything happens. I thought she should be left outside.¡± Jace wanted to draw his sword and run him through in the back, but he held his anger in check. Instead, he looked at Esther and hoped this wasn¡¯t a big mistake. She returned the look and sent him an interesting chat message. Clever girl, he thought to himself and followed Psycho into town with Esther at his side.


    Ironfel was unlike any of the cities Jace had been to yet. It had the same main street with shops, inns, and taverns, but it expanded well beyond that. It wasn¡¯t just a single street but had houses and more significant buildings spreading out for kilometers in each direction. The other characters that moved about were a mix of NPCs and PCs; not all of them had their level and Hit Points over their head. Some just had their class or occupation, and others had nothing.


    ¡°Tell me about Ironfel,¡± Jace said quietly as they moved through the streets. People looked at them, and Jace got the impression that just as many of them recognized him as Esther, but with Psycho walking in the lead, no one approached them.


    {It is as close to a real city as you can find. Everything is real here. Shop owners won¡¯t just buy your goods from you unless there is a demand for them. They don¡¯t have endless arrows or leather armor to sell you. Everything has to be made. This means they have dozens of craftsmen all over the city making goods to sell. The food they have has to be grown or butchered. The buildings must be built from wood or stone harvested from the land. This whole city is a massive resource management game.}


    ¡°How does it make Drescher money?¡±


    {Ever wanted to eat a 96-ounce steak without getting full or fat? Ever wanted to try 30 different shots in one night without dying of alcohol poisoning or waking up with a migraine? Ever wanted to have a 4-way with an elf, dwarf, and halfling? Here you can. It isn¡¯t free, but people are willing to pay. The town will spawn NPCs for him. If he supplies the city with the right amount of food, fuel, water, gold, and raw materials, half-orc guards, dwarven smiths, halfling chefs, and buxom hookers will spawn within the city. He can control the stats of these characters based on how many resources he puts into the city. The better NPCs he maintains, the better the goods they provide, the more money people are willing to spend, the more they spend, the more he makes, and the more he can put back into the city to make it better. Every house you see has someone living in it. Every barmaid, shop clerk, and bellhop in this town has a home, and they do things outside of their job. In most MMORPGs, you can go to a store at any time of day, and the clerk will be there. Not here. Most gaming houses are open 24/7, but other shops close down.}


    Jace absorbed all the information, seeing the game within the game, and understood how a German weapons engineer could excel at it. He enjoyed playing German designed boardgames, and this was standard worker-placement resource management dialed up to 11.


    {PCs can work for Drescher too. You can spend time as a craftsman or prostitute, but you can also be an adventurer. Crafting most high-level magical items require unique components like gems or other precious metals that aren¡¯t lying on the ground. You can go on quests to find these and bring them back to Drescher, and he will pay you. He hires people to camp out at the entrance to a SIM and then pays them for magical items they bring back. Working for Drescher means you get to live in this town and get discounts on all the entertainment. Many PCs do that. If it is known that you work for Drescher or one of the half a dozen other high-level terrorists in the game, people leave you alone.}


    ¡°Yes, but your actions are supporting terrorists.¡±


    {And buying oil from the Middle East doesn¡¯t?} Gracie bit back but then realized she didn¡¯t want to argue with Jace right now. {Yes, it is wrong and needs to stop, but instead of cutting off the hydra¡¯s heads, we usually aim for the heart. But don¡¯t think about that right now. You should be focused on staying alive. Trade the crystal for our freedom, and then we can worry about how to get it back later. Now is not the time to fight. You¡¯ve been outmatched before and survived, but this is different. Drescher is at level 24, last I checked, and he will have at least three other PCs with him, all above 20.}


    Jace nodded, already developing a plan to negotiate his way through this meeting without giving away too much. He was still interested in Wallace and noticed the youth not looking to the left or right as they walked through the throng of people. The nightlife was eccentric in this town, and any 14-year-old boy or girl would typically be amazed by what there was to see, but she was laser focused. Before Jace could ask Gracie to explain what a sacrifice was, Psycho angled toward one of the largest gaming houses they had seen so far, ironically named The Lion¡¯s Den, and walked up the wooden steps onto the large wrap-around deck and waited for his entourage to enter with him.


    Jace saw Wallace pause at the entrance and tried to step past her and into the establishment but was stopped.


    [Settings not compatible. Access restricted.]


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± The question was aimed at Gracie, but Jace saw Wallace roll her eyes out of her inventory and look at him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t enter until you turn all your settings to Severe,¡± the knight explained. ¡°Drescher insists his guests get the full experience.¡±


    Jace shrugged his shoulders and entered his inventory. Most of his settings were set at mild or medium. He pushed them all to Severe and exited his screen. Even before he entered the building, he was assaulted with sounds, smells, heat, and a variety of other sensations he had grown accustomed to avoiding. Esther climbed the stairs, smiled at him, and stepped past and into The Lion¡¯s Den, not needing to adjust her settings.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing I won¡¯t be able to talk to you openly,¡± Jace said to Gracie. ¡°I don¡¯t have Snowy to ask you questions either. Please tell me everything you know about what is happening. Just give me a running commentary. Drescher will assume I¡¯m an expert. Even if he knows I¡¯ve only been active for 24 hours in this character, he will think I have more experience than I do.¡±


    {Understood.}


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Without further delay, Jace took a deep breath and followed Esther inside.

 Chapter 29: The Sacrifice

    The inside of The Lion¡¯s Den looked like what Jace had expected the Gilded Swan to be. The main floor was massive, and he half wondered if he had stepped into a TARDIS-type contraption as the space looked far larger than the outside dimensions of the building. They entered the gaming area and walked between dozens of tables where characters threw dice, played cards, spun medieval roulette wheels, and engaged in other ventures of chance. Few characters wore armor, the men opting for tight fighting suits and even tighter dresses for the women. Modern design styles had been implemented into ancient textile fabrication to produce a steampunk-like ensemble.


    Shirtless males and females moved through the tables offering drinks and hors d''oeuvres. They were mainly elf and human, with a few half-orcs thrown in. Dwarves and halflings were too short to effectively reach over the heads of the seated gamblers and serve their drinks. The waiters and waitresses stoically endured the groping and lewd comments as they proffered refreshments, wearing only a tiny wrap around their waists that barely extended to mid-thigh.


    A 100-foot bar stood along the back wall, where dwarves moved about on an elevated platform, serving beverages ranging from the strongest ales to the finest wines. Jace saw bubbling concoctions of colored liquid that hissed and steamed when combined, but patrons threw them back with abandon, often passing out on the floor for a few moments only to pop up afterward and ask for another.


    On one side of the gaming tables stood the restaurant, where a more subdued crowd feasted on lobster, steak, slow-cooked meats, and an extravagant assortment of desserts. While on the other, a club atmosphere filled two levels, as a large balcony ringed three sides of the room. Magical lights pulsed, and music blared while characters danced, drank, and smoked themselves into a frenzy. A center stage featured scantily clad NPCs who were paid to perform, but it seemed everyone was dancing to the music. Most players joined the wait staff, mimicking the minimal dress code. Jace was sure he saw several groups engaging in activity that even his previous high nudity setting would have turned into a pixilated mess.


    More than just sights and sounds assaulted Jace¡¯s heightened settings. The combination of pipeweed, ale, savory meats, and sweet fruits mixed into a sensory overload. While his Environment settings had been turned down, he hadn¡¯t noticed the temperature much unless they were in extreme cold, but now he was sweating. The illusion that produced his clothes was real enough that his shirt stuck to him, and he understood the desire so many patrons had embraced to remove it.


    Jace took a moment to regard Esther in this environment and noticed her uncomfortableness too. When she wore her armor, as she did now, her hair was up, and Jace could see the sweat rolling down her neck. But it wasn¡¯t just the environmental settings that distressed her.


    The woman had expressed regret for using people and sending them to their deaths, but not necessarily for her specific line of work. But she was used to the Gilded Swan, a refined place of pleasure, beauty, and relaxation where you could attain the company of a civilized man or woman for a time. This was raucous, base debauchery, which turned Esther¡¯s stomach. Jace also felt she was above it. With all the flesh and sensuality around them, she remained an island of pure grace and beauty that none in this crowd could ever hope to attain. Even so, few noticed her, and in their drug-crazed fervor, even fewer recognized her. Any attempt to approach the beautiful woman was squashed when they saw Psycho and knew why she was there, or at least whom she was supposed to see.


    Wallace also stayed aloof. Young girls were perhaps not as enticed by such exotic frivolity as their male counterparts, but Jace had also picked up that this wasn¡¯t her first time here, and she was strictly business. The paladin was one of the few people wearing armor in the building, and she stuck out like a sore thumb with her rigid and disciplined walk.


    {I don¡¯t think you need me to explain any of this,} Gracie piped in. Jace agreed.


    The elven ranger led them across the narrow width of the long rectangular building and through a door beside the bar guarded by two more of the ubiquitous half-orcs. He knew it was probably racist, but as an orc himself, he felt relatively biased free thinking that all of the guards looked the same. Of course, if the town generated them based on a design that Drescher inputted, they all would be the same.


    The sound and pervasive atmosphere of the main floor stayed behind them once they moved through the exit and into a relatively quiet hallway. It led to another guarded entrance, and Psycho took them inside. This room was entirely different, yet Jace sensed the same theme of recreation and pleasure. The space was filled with couches and cushions, reminding him of an Arabian Harem, with everything plush and low to the ground. A large bath big enough to hold a dozen people sat in the corner, filling the room with aromatic steam. Tables lined the walls and sat strategically around the couches. They were mostly empty, with a few wine goblets and shot glasses that still had not been drunk.


    Ten people occupied the room when Psycho led his troupe in. Two half-orc guards stood in the back, stationary and oblivious to the decadence around them. Two naked elves, one male and one female, accompanied a human woman in the bath. The woman wore excessive gold jewelry in her dark hair and dangling from her ears, as well as half a dozen jeweled chains around her neck. Another pair of naked male and female elves attended a human mage sitting on one of the couches. Jace thought the man¡¯s black goatee and ridiculously large grin made him a perfect clone of Jafar from the animated Aladdin.  He was feeding the elves strawberries and grapes as their hands roamed inside and outside his robes.


    Jace ignored the sensual distractions and instead focused on the two PCs who seemed to be waiting for them. A blonde woman, possibly a half-elf, with a striking face and piercing eyes, watched their every move as they stepped into the room and down a few stairs to the primary audience area before the central couch, where she reclined. The woman sipped at a wine glass as she focused on Jace and Esther, but mainly on Esther. She wore a dark brown leather vest over a conservative blue blouse, with black leggings and high-heeled boots. A stylish black hat with a curved brim and a dark blue feather sat on her head. The design was somewhere between cowboy and pirate with an anime flair. She sat comfortably with her legs crossed and her free hand draped along the top of the couch.


    Jace was more concerned with the man who sat beside her. This would be Drescher. He was big and broad, with muscled arms and a sleeveless tunic gathered with a simple belt over a loose-fitting pair of pants. He was bald, with an even tan over his entire body. Jace saw no weapons or magical adornments other than one ring on each hand. He felt he should be able to draw his sword and run the man through. However, something in Drescher¡¯s stern visage told him that would be a bad idea.


    Jace¡¯s eyes reevaluated the rest of the room briefly and saw the woman beside the big man had shifted her hand down from the couch to within inches of a dagger strapped to her outer leg. On the couch next to them, the mage¡¯s hands were all over the two elves, but his eyes were now focused on Jace. They were both level 22 and undoubtedly would be able to strike first if Jace tried anything. The mage would paralyze him, and the woman, probably a rogue, would get a critical strike with her weapon, leaving him Helpless or worse.


    Jace even saw the woman in the bath, level 21, laughing and frolicking with her playmates, never letting her head turn so that she didn¡¯t keep the visitors in her field of vision. The experienced gamer knew a trap when he saw it and tried to relax. Attacking was not the correct way to initiate these negotiations. Jace¡¯s gaze returned to Drescher, and there was a show of respect in his eyes as he saw his opponent come to the correct conclusion.


    {You wouldn¡¯t stand a chance,} Gracie added her two cents.


    ¡°Elves!¡± the man cried in a powerful voice. ¡°Leave us. We have business. Please send in Catrina.¡±


    The four elves responded instantly, rising from where they were and retrieving robes from the corner of the room before scampering away without a sound.


    Drescher rose from the couch, and Jace saw Esther tense, her hands inches from her swords. ¡°Please,¡± the big man said, ¡°no weapons.¡±


    The mage on the couch flicked his wrist at the visitors, and their weapons fell to the floor, still in their sheaths. Jace heard a clang from behind him and saw the knight affected too, still standing at the entrance to the room, her sword and shield now on the floor. Esther frowned at the disarming spell and nonchalantly maneuvered her feet until they touched the sheathed rapiers. They instantly disappeared from the floor and into her inventory since they had been set as accessories to her outfit.


    {Items dropped from a disarming spell can¡¯t usually be picked up that way for several rounds,} Gracie explained. {It normally requires you to be flat-footed to pick them up.}


    Jace saw the blonde on the couch react to the move and detected a twinge of jealousy in her. He laughed when he realized that Esther had several advantages over this woman, even at half her level. Sleeping with over 20 thousand people had its benefits.


    ¡°Sir Wallace,¡± Drescher said, also reacting to the noise of her shield hitting the floor. ¡°So good to see you again.¡± Jace didn¡¯t think he had seen Esther¡¯s trick as he stood and looked over her shoulder at the knight. ¡°Please come in, have a seat. Drinks should be up shortly.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Esther refused to let this encounter phase her, and she stepped past Jace to sit on the smaller couch facing their host. The blonde¡¯s eyes never left her, peering out from underneath the brim of her hat. Drescher saw the interaction and smiled. ¡°I am a terrible host, aren¡¯t I? Let me introduce you. This is Gweniffer,¡± he said, motioning to the rogue, who stared daggers at Esther. ¡°Over there,¡± he pointed to the mage who was now feeding himself grapes, ¡°is Pieter. And that bathing beauty is Axilia.¡±


    Jace turned to see the woman emerge from the water, priestly robes adorning her instantly as if she had been wearing them in the bath, but they and her hair were suddenly dry. Her dark red clothes shared the same gold adornments that flowed around her face and hair. She walked barefoot over the tiles and onto the plush carpeting to sit next to Pieter.


    A door opened in the back, and a lean, beautiful woman entered. Her costume matched the d¨¦cor in the room, dressed as an exotic belly dancer. She wore translucent blue pants, slits running up both legs with a gold waistband secured low on her hips. A similar blue scarf was tied over her chest, with a gold embroidered mask covering half her face. Her dark eyes and long lashes peered out from above the covering. A loose braid of her long dark hair hung down her back with golden threads woven through it. She stepped lightly into the room, moving with the grace of a dancer, carrying a tray of drinks and setting it down on the table next to the guest couch. Only Esther was seated there. She did not like the look in the woman¡¯s eyes, reminding her of an animal in a cage ¨C reminding her of herself ¨C but took a drink and thanked her. The woman retreated to a small bar in the room toward the entrance.


    ¡°Catrina is the highest-priced woman in my employment,¡± Drescher said, looking hard at Jace. ¡°It took me months to figure out how to win her from her previous employer, and it cost me a fortune. I understand you found an easier way?¡± His eyes went down to Esther, who pretended not to pay attention as she sipped her drink. ¡°You must tell me how you did it?¡±


    ¡°Are the negotiations starting?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Negotiations?¡± Drescher laughed. ¡°I think you might misunderstand your purpose here. But we will get to that. Please, have a seat.¡± Jace reluctantly sat next to Esther. He tried to send her a chat but found the option disabled. Having a stronghold where you can control everything must be nice.


    ¡°Sir Wallace, please come, sit down,¡± Drescher insisted, motioning to the paladin who still hadn¡¯t moved.


    She was standing next to Catrina, careful to only look the woman in the eyes. Wallace moved into the middle of the room reluctantly, and Drescher smiled at her. ¡°My business with these two might take a while. No reason to keep you waiting. What do you have for me?¡±


    Wallace stood to the side between the two facing couches so everyone could see her and rolled her eyes into her inventory for a few seconds before a massive sword appeared in her hands. Jace heard a whistle from his right and turned to see Pieter pop off the couch, a few grapes rolling to the floor. ¡°Is that Diamond Etcher?¡± the mage asked in amazement.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wallace said, keeping a firm grip on the blade but letting the eager man examine it.


    At the word ¡°Diamond,¡± Esther grew interested and pulled her legs up under her on the couch so she could kneel on the cushion to get a better look.


    ¡°It is a level eight +5 great sword,¡± Wallace continued. ¡°It crits on 18-20, has the Cleave ability, and cancels the natural slashing resistance that stone and metal constructs often have.¡± She rotated the blade, letting the light in the room sparkle through the massive diamond in the hilt and glint off the razor-sharp edge.


    ¡°This weapon was the prize for the Dwarven Jeweler quest, correct?¡± the mage asked.


    Wallace nodded. ¡°Yes, the first person to pass that MIM gets this sword, and everyone else gets a level five longsword +2.¡±


    ¡°Fillan Graves had this, right?¡± the mage continued showing off his game knowledge. You didn¡¯t kill him, did you? I heard he was level 15 or 16?¡±


    The knight shook her head. ¡°I had completed the quest but didn¡¯t open the chest in the dwarf¡¯s treasury room. I didn¡¯t need a level five longsword, and I knew Fillan was reckless. I subscribed to him and saw he was kicked out of the Gilded Swan with like 20 other people, all complaining about losing their equipment. I realized he might have lost the sword, which would have reset it in the MIM. I raced back to my copy, opened the chest, and . . .¡± she lofted the sword to demonstrate what she found.


    ¡°Very industrious of you,¡± Drescher complimented the player. He then turned to Pieter, who was obviously his item adviser. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    The mage screwed up his face in thought. ¡°We could get eight, maybe nine to the right player?¡±


    The boss nodded and turned back to Wallace. ¡°I¡¯ll give you five thousand for it.¡±


    The knight rolled her eyes. ¡°I was offered six on my way over here.¡±


    ¡°And if people are only willing to pay six thousand for it, I can¡¯t buy it from you for that, or I won¡¯t make any money. I am running a business here.¡±


    Wallace was smart enough to realize she had little to no bargaining power, but Drescher was feeling charitable. ¡°I¡¯ll give you 5500 for it.¡±


    The knight nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, stepping forward to take the weapon from her. He wasn¡¯t about to go into his inventory in front of people he didn¡¯t know, so he summoned Catrina over, and the woman carried the blade back to the bar and set it down gently on the counter. Drescher looked over at Axilia, the priest. ¡°Axil, you can make the transfer?¡±


    The woman, who apparently doubled as the man¡¯s accountant, nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Drescher said again. ¡°Then let¡¯s talk about the elephant in the room. Five Hit Points. What kind of game are you playing?¡±


    ¡°Drescher,¡± Wallace said, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°Please. Last time I . . . I mean . . . I couldn¡¯t go through that again. It was . . . It was awful. Just do it quickly. It¡¯s still a million either way.¡±


    Jace was beginning to understand what a sacrifice was and thought he might be sick.


    {Like I said before,} Gracie whispered in Jace¡¯s head. {The quickest way to get experience is by killing PCs. You have a million experience at level 12. It would take Drescher weeks to earn that much by questing. But he can get it in one pop by killing Wallace.}


    Drescher was less considerate. ¡°I am paying you 10,000 for the whole package. I don¡¯t ask you what you do with the money, and I don¡¯t care how often you come back or how quickly. If you are at 12, I will give you 10,000 for it, but you don¡¯t tell me how it works. You understand?¡±


    It looked like Wallace might cry, an odd look for a muscle-bound man, but Jace could only see a frightened 14-year-old girl when he looked into her eyes. She nodded her head.


    ¡°Drescher,¡± Jace started. ¡°I think you should know . . .¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to you,¡± the German snapped. ¡°This . . .¡± he paused as he motioned between himself and the knight, ¡°is a business transaction.¡± He then turned to his mage and priest and nodded his head. The mage cast a Stun spell, and the priest cast a healing spell. Wallace stood stock still as her health jumped to 240.


    ¡°Last night,¡± Drescher started a story strolling around Wallace and casting a look at Jace as he spoke, ¡°I played poker with two women. We didn¡¯t use money. After they lost a hand, they insisted on removing their clothes instantly. I told them, ¡®It¡¯s called Strip Poker, not Take-Off-Your-Clothes Poker.¡¯ There is an art to it. The strip is half the fun. They didn¡¯t get it. Well, they eventually got it, and afterward . . . well, my dire rats won¡¯t need to eat again for quite a while.¡±


    He stopped pacing to look Wallace in the face, her jaw clenched tightly against the spell and her eyes welling up in anticipation of what was to come. ¡°Yes, I am paying you 10,000 gold for one million experience points. Points that I will have to split four ways. But I am also paying to kill you. And it will happen the way I want it to.¡±


    ¡°Drescher,¡± Jace started again.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± he shouted, ¡°or you¡¯re next.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 15.¡±


    Everyone looked at Esther, reclining on the couch, still sipping her drink. She continued. ¡°Wallace, I¡¯ll give you fifteen thousand and make it quick.¡±


    Drescher frowned at the woman. ¡°No, you won¡¯t. You can¡¯t. All transactions in this town are forbidden unless they involve one of my people.¡±


    {He¡¯s right,} Gracie added. {You can¡¯t even pick up dropped equipment from someone unless one of his people is involved.}


    As Drescher stared down at Esther, he noticed her rapiers were belted on her waist. His eyes went to the spot she had stood before and saw the empty floor. Shaking his head, he turned to his mage before this debate could go further. ¡°Pieter, pillar of fire.¡±


    The mage nodded stoically and cast his spell. A circle of flame, one foot in radius, rose at the knight¡¯s feet, and she screamed in pain through clenched teeth. Her health dropped by 40.


    {There is only one reason to memorize a spell designed that way.} Jace could hear the disgust in Gracie¡¯s voice.


    Jace leaped from the couch. ¡°She¡¯s 14!¡±


    ¡°I told you to . . .¡± Drescher started, but then stopped when he realized what Jace said. ¡°What did you say?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a 14-year-old girl!¡±


    Six seconds had passed, and a pulse of flamed surged in the circle again, producing another agonizing scream. Drescher turned in interest toward Wallace, his face inches from her, just outside the spell. ¡°Is that true?¡±


    Wallace could barely nod, but she expressed the truth in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± Drescher said.


    ¡°You most certainly will be,¡± Jace replied. ¡°End this, or I will. She did everything you wanted.¡±


    Drescher wondered how Jace expected to ¡°end this¡± without a weapon, be he saw Esther had both blades in her hands, her empty wine glass tossed aside, and her legs still coiled beneath her. She looked like a cat ready to pounce at her master¡¯s request. Meanwhile, on the couch behind Drescher, Gweniffer had her dagger drawn now, her eyes never leaving Esther. He noticed and gently lowered his hand toward the woman before turning to Jace. ¡°Call off your pet,¡± he said.


    Before Jace could respond, Psycho suddenly appeared behind the main couch, holding his bow with an arrow strung. Jace had forgotten he was here. Somehow the ranger had been hiding in the shadows in this brightly lit room. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± the ranger said. ¡°That is enough.¡±


    ¡°Not you too,¡± Drescher sighed. ¡°Lower your bow, or I¡¯ll have to split the experience five ways.¡± Another fire pulse surged over the knight, lowering her health to 120 and sending another wave of pain through her. Esther looked ready to strike, Gwennifer cocked her hand back for a throw, and everyone heard the tightening sinews of Psycho¡¯s bow.


    ¡°Fine!¡± Drescher shouted. ¡°Everyone back down.¡± The boss gestured to Catrina, and the woman responded by flinging Diamond Etcher toward him. Drescher caught it with a sure grip and stabbed it into Wallace, dropping her health to nothing. He held the body up for a few seconds as the life left her eyes. ¡°Same price next time,¡± he said, dropping her to the ground.


    Drescher tossed the bloody weapon onto his couch and turned his back on the dead paladin. ¡°Axil,¡± he said to his priest. ¡°Please clean up this mess.¡±


    Jace noticed Axilia¡¯s level had increased to 22 with the influx of 250k experience.


    {When you are in a scripted module, you have to leave before you can level up,} Gracie said. {But in this open environment, all you have to do is leave combat mode.}


    Jace watched the woman take a few moments to complete her level change, and then with a flick of her fingers, the dead body, scorch marks, and bloodstains vanished. Even the bloody sword on the couch was once again pristine and sparkling. The spell disappeared, and everyone else in the room relaxed. Esther and Gweniffer sheathed their weapons, and Psycho lowered his. ¡°Good,¡± Dresher said as he picked a drink off the end table and sat on his couch. ¡°Now we can get serious.¡±

 Chapter 30: Negotiations

    Drescher took a long draw from the wine glass before looking up at Jace.  ¡°Do you want to tell me what¡¯s going on here?  What is your secret?  My men said you entered the game about 24 hours ago, and here you stand at level 10 with Esther Xerxes by your side.  There is a video out there of you and her in the sunlight.  I want answers.¡±


    Jace was standing and took a seat to make the conversation less awkward.  Behind Drescher, he saw the ranger do a double-take at his boss¡¯s last comment.  Jace couldn¡¯t be sure, but it looked like the elf cast a spell toward Esther and then looked at her differently.


    {He just cast a Turn Undead spell,} Gracie answered Jace¡¯s unasked question.  {Not as powerful as something a paladin might have, but it would have at least identified Esther as undead.  It came back empty.}


    Jace smiled at the information and answered the question.  ¡°I changed her nature from Demonic to Angelic and edited her Party Member status to ¡®Yes.¡¯¡±


    Drescher gave him a pained expression.  ¡°Yes, but how?¡±


    Jace saw no reason to lie.  ¡°I received a customized feat from my god that allows me to alter an NPC¡¯s settings if I Stand My Ground and they miss.¡± Jace glanced at Esther, wondering how much of this she would follow.  ¡°She missed.¡±


    Drescher took another sip, understanding the unique boons divine players could get.  He had never heard about something like this but also knew he wouldn¡¯t be able to duplicate it.  Instead, he turned his attention to Esther.  ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met, my dear, but I¡¯ve heard a lot about you.  I visited the Gilded Swan almost a year ago but had the pleasure of Delilah¡¯s company.¡±


    Esther shrugged her shoulders.  ¡°Delly didn¡¯t mention you.¡±  She reached for another drink.


    Drescher smirked at her attempt to belittle him.  ¡°And how has Jace been treating you?¡±


    ¡°With respect,¡± she replied, glancing at Catrina and how the woman was expected to stand there doing nothing in case her boss needed her.  ¡°He trusts me, he¡¯s saved my life a few times now, and he has promised to give me the opportunity to kill people like you.¡±  She took a drink without a hint of sarcasm on her face.


    The big German laughed.  ¡°Is that why you think you¡¯re here?  To kill me?¡±


    Esther looked over the edge of her glass at the other PCs in the room, all sharply focused, ready to jump in at a moment¡¯s notice.  She drained half her drink and returned to the man in front of her.  ¡°If we were alone, you¡¯d already be dead.¡±


    Drescher tried to laugh again, but the woman before him didn¡¯t flinch.


    {She¡¯s not wrong,} Gracie advised.  {No character in the game has a grapple ability as high as Esther.  Nothing even close.  It wouldn¡¯t be something Drescher would have protection for.  He isn¡¯t a mage, and from what I have found, he only has boon spells memorized.  However, he also never goes anywhere without his PC friends.  Esther doesn¡¯t stand a chance against the mage or priest.}


    ¡°But I can see you are too scared to face us alone,¡± Esther continued when it was clear Drescher didn¡¯t have a comeback.  ¡°So instead, you will offer Jace an insane sum of gold to ¡®buy¡¯ me.  He will turn you down, and then we can talk about the crystal your people were too stupid to acquire on their own.¡±


    ¡°One million gold,¡± Drescher said flatly, looking at Jace and ignoring Esther¡¯s constant insults.  ¡°Easily ten times anything your government might be offering.  You walk out of here alone, a millionaire, and my men in Chicago walk away and leave your friends.  Done deal.¡±


    {You can transfer the party status of any NPC you have acquired,} Gracie said.  {I don¡¯t expect you to, but in Esther¡¯s settings, there should be an option to change parties.  You could assign her to Drescher, and she will initially have the same bond with him as she currently has with you.  She will view the exchange very differently than she does now, seeing only the positive benefits of joining him.  If he doesn¡¯t keep her happy, that can change, but people buy and trade NPCs frequently.}


    Jace listened to the information, playing like he was considering the offer.  ¡°And what about the crystal?¡±


    Drescher smiled.  ¡°We can work something out for that as well if you like, but we can talk about that another time.  Chances are someone else will kill you for it, and I can negotiate with them at a future date.  But Esther is a hot ticket right now, and everyone is talking about her.  Almost no one knows you have the crystal, and those that do aren¡¯t talking.¡±


    Jace smiled at the man.  ¡°I am very tempted to take your money, leave here, and then come back in six hours after Esther has killed everyone in this building to pick her up.  She might even enjoy it.  But, no, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to turn down your offer.¡±


    ¡°That is the only way I will let your people go in the basement.  I am confident that I will get the crystal, one way or another.  In fact, if you don¡¯t give me Esther now, I will kill you and take her and the Crystal for free.¡±


    {That won¡¯t work, and he knows it,} Gracie said.  {If you die here, Esther will be as hostile toward them as she is now.  The only way he has any chance of obtaining her is if you sanction the transfer.}


    Jace smiled as he heard what he had already assumed and called his bluff.  ¡°Why not do that anyway?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Seems like a waste of money to pay me.¡±


    ¡°I have a reputation to maintain,¡± Drescher said.  ¡°I have many PCs working for me.  If they think I will kill them any time I want something, I won¡¯t be able to do business.  But if they hear I offered you seven figures, and you turned it down, how am I to blame?¡±


    Jace stood from the couch and spread his arms wide.  ¡°Fine, take the crystal.¡±


    ¡°Drescher,¡± Pieter said from the other couch.  ¡°He doesn¡¯t have it?¡±


    The boss looked confused.  ¡°The girl?¡±


    The mage shook his head.  ¡°The highest item either of them has is level 12.¡±


    ¡°Is it active?¡±


    The mage nodded.


    {That would be your illusion necklace,} Gracie said.  {They might think it is hiding the crystal from them.}


    ¡°Can you dispel it?¡± Drescher asked.


    The mage looked hesitant.  The weapons engineer turned instead to the priest.  ¡°Axil?¡±


    She reluctantly nodded and cast her spell.  Jace transformed into an orc.  Gweniffer and Drescher pulled back in surprise.  Psycho chuckled.


    ¡°Happy now,¡± Jace said in a much different voice.  He also shifted uncomfortably in his changed outfit.  He glanced down at his kilt to see if anything was hanging out the bottom.


    Axil covered her mouth in laughter.  ¡°I can make the kilt disappear also,¡± she said.  ¡°If you want to know what it looks like.¡±


    ¡°Still no crystal?¡± Drescher asked.


    Pieter shook his head.  ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Drescher turned to look at Psycho, who was having difficulty dealing with all the changes.  He had made several judgments and observations about Jace and his partner, and all of them had been wrong so far.  ¡°He had the crystal.  You saw it?¡±


    The elf nodded.  ¡°He had it.  We didn¡¯t stop anywhere.  Maybe his god is hiding it.  That seems to be how he is breaking the rules.¡±


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    Drescher turned back to Jace.  ¡°What tricks are you playing?¡±  He suddenly realized he wouldn¡¯t be getting Esther or the crystal.


    ¡°I am not playing tricks.  I am negotiating.  I have the crystal.  If you kill me now, it will go back to the end of its module, and even if I tell you how to get it, it will be a challenge getting someone to the final stage.  Also, if you kill me, Esther will not join you.  You know that.  Without me alive to complete the transfer, you have nothing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being cheated,¡± Drescher said on the edge of fury.


    ¡°I am not cheating you.  I am negotiating.  I want a nurse in Chicago within six hours.  Conor has an infection.  If he dies, you lose a negotiating chip, and I will stop at nothing to end you.  You send a nurse to the house in Chicago, and I will give you a place we can meet.  I will have the crystal.  No tricks.  Your men walk away in Chicago, and you walk away with the crystal.  After that, you can do what you like.¡±


    ¡°And Esther?¡±


    ¡°We will meet in one of my MIMs.  You kill me and leave Esther inside.  The MIM will be deleted once you leave along with everything in it, Esther included.  She will reset to Portsmith.  Then you can fight for her like everyone else.  That¡¯s the best I can offer you.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough.¡±  He turned to his mage.  ¡°Pieter, I want the truth out of him.¡±


    The mage held up his hands.  ¡°I don¡¯t have anything I trust will work.  He seems to be able to crack the game too easily.¡±


    ¡°The wand will work,¡± Drescher insisted.


    Pieter rolled his eyes.  ¡°It only has one charge a day.¡±


    ¡°Have you used it yet?¡±


    The mage shook his head.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Pieter sighed.  ¡°I¡¯m meeting Tricilla in an hour.  She¡¯s been less than willing in our previous engagements.¡±


    {He wants to use a control spell to rape another PC,} Gracie said with disgust.


    Jace had already figured that out.  He looked forward to killing every one of these characters.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about your sexual exploits.  I care about getting what¡¯s mine.  Don¡¯t even pretend that all you have didn¡¯t come from me.  Make him tell the truth!¡±


    The mage didn¡¯t argue anymore, pulled a wand from his robes, and cast a spell toward Jace.  The shaman knew what was coming and tried to prepare his mind to make a good roll.  He thought about the biggest lie he could tell.  The only thing he could think of was having an affair with Gracie and then lying to his estranged wife about it.  He found himself in divorce court, putting his hand on the Bible and swearing to tell the truth.  His mind jerked back to reality, and he was once again standing before Drescher, pretty sure he had failed.


    {Nice try,} Gracie said, {but even a 20 wouldn¡¯t have saved you.  A critical success adds an additional 10 to your saving throw, but you needed more than that to beat the wand.}


    Jace remembered specifically what it had been like to be enthralled and, right after, controlled by Jezebel.  This was more similar to the second one, where he could talk and move about but felt compelled to obey specific commands.  Of course, Drescher wouldn¡¯t be asking him to do things against his nature.  He would be asking him to tell the truth.


    {Drescher has linked himself to the mage, so you will have to obey him too.}


    ¡°Where is my crystal?¡±


    Jace smiled.  He was going to make this easy.  ¡°I don¡¯t know where you keep your crystals.¡±


    ¡°You need to ask . . .¡± the mage started.


    ¡°I know how the spell works!¡± Drescher yelled. He calmed down and tried again.  ¡°What did you do with the level 50 crystal?¡±


    Jace hadn¡¯t done anything to it; instead, he looked at Esther.  ¡°It was fed to my pet,¡± he said.


    Drescher looked at her and saw the woman licking her lips and showing her vampire teeth.  ¡°How is that possible?¡± the man asked.


    Jace smiled.  ¡°I saw her eat a kobold head whole.  The crystal is about the same size.¡±


    Esther smiled even more broadly at her clever leader and downed the rest of her drink, never letting her eyes leave Drescher¡¯s.  ¡°The spell isn¡¯t working,¡± he cried.  ¡°You messed it up.¡±


    ¡°I told you he¡¯s cheating,¡± Pieter made an excuse.  ¡°Who knows what he did with the crystal, but it isn¡¯t here.  It¡¯s not in their inventories, and it¡¯s not in her stomach.¡±


    Jace knew the spell was still working and needed to steer the conversation away from the crystal soon.  ¡°A nurse,¡± he said calmly.  ¡°You have six hours; then you can stop guessing and have what you want.¡±


    ¡°Where am I going to find a nurse that isn¡¯t going to call the cops the moment she walks into that house?  Or are you asking me to kidnap her too?¡±


    ¡°A man with your resources must have contingency plans for when your men face resistance and need medical help.  You don¡¯t have a Claire Temple on speed dial?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t watched Daredevil?  What kind of geek are you?  Rosario Dawson¡¯s character.  She stitched up a few superheroes.  Never called the cops.¡±


    ¡°This is the real world.¡±


    Jace looked around at the lavish environment.  ¡°You sure about that?  Either way, I don¡¯t care if you have someone on retainer in New York, California, or Texas.  I¡¯m giving you six hours.  The house in Chicago is 30 minutes from O¡¯Hare.  You¡¯ll figure something out.¡±


    Drescher was furious.  His logistical mind was working out how he could get someone to Chicago within the necessary window, and he knew he could do it, but he didn¡¯t want to admit it.  He had lost all leverage in this situation, and somehow this level 10 character was making him look like a fool.  ¡°You are not leaving here without giving up something.¡±


    ¡°I like her vest.¡±


    All eyes turned to Gweniffer, who spoke for the first time.  Her eyes had rarely left Esther since the woman had arrived, and Jace could feel an intense rivalry between them.  Or perhaps it was just jealousy from Gweniffer.  She was level 22 and undoubtedly had superior thieving skills in every regard.  Esther¡¯s ability scores were higher, but Gweniffer had 12 additional levels to raise her Stealth, Dodge, Damage, Melee, Magical Defense, and many others.  Plus, she had access to all the best magical items money could buy or Drescher¡¯s dwarves could craft.  Yet Jace knew that if they were alone and Esther got a chance to grapple the woman, she would be dead in seconds, though Esther would probably take her time and suck her dry level by level.


    ¡°Gwen, what are you about?¡± Drescher asked but stepped aside as his right-hand woman stood and walked toward Esther.  The vampire leaped off the couch, her hands over her weapons, but both the priest and mage were ready to stun her.  Instead, the two female rogues circled each other slowly between the couches.  They were both smart enough to know this encounter wouldn¡¯t turn violent, or if it did, the outcome was predetermined, but they also anticipated a future showdown and didn¡¯t want to give an inch now.


    ¡°I said I like her vest,¡± Gwen repeated, speaking about Esther in the third person even though they stood six feet from each other.


    ¡°I like your hat,¡± Esther replied, trying not to show any trepidation.


    ¡°Then try to take it?¡± the other woman taunted.


    Esther thought about leaping or jumping for the hat but knew instinctively that the more experienced rogue would have the initiative and be able to strike first.  She might even have a high enough Dodge ability to avoid getting grappled.


    ¡°Boo,¡± Gwen said suddenly, jumping slightly toward Esther.  The vampire took an uncharacteristically clumsy step back and sat down hard on the couch, almost cutting herself on Diamond Etcher.  She sprang back up, trying to regain a bit of dignity.


    ¡°Jace,¡± she said slowly.  ¡°Can I kill her?  I want to kill her.¡±


    ¡°Take off the vest,¡± Gwen said slowly.  ¡°And we will get your nurse.  Then you will give us the crystal, and we will let your people go.  Those are fair trades.¡±


    Drescher took a further step back, giving the women more room.  Jace was still standing in the way, and Gweniffer threw the orc a sideways glance.  ¡°Move.¡±


    The speed at which Jace obeyed brought recognition to the woman¡¯s eyes.  Esther saw the realization hit her opponent¡¯s face and tried to distract her.  ¡°You promise to get help for Conor?¡±  She was willing to submit to the deal, but Gwen looked to press her advantage.


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± she said slyly.  ¡°Remove that shadow scale armor from Esther and give it to me.  Slowly.¡±


    He wanted to resist, but Gweniffer was a party member to Pieter and leaned into the spell, spending whatever advantages it had left, and Jace was forced to obey.  He walked up to Esther, regret in his eyes, but she tried to smile at him.  ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± she said quietly.  ¡°If it helps Conor, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Jace¡¯s clumsy orc fingers pulled at the bow tied at the bottom of the vest, and the laces came loose.  Two clasps in the front closed over her ribs, but he had to loosen the lacing in the back to remove the armor manually.  Esther turned around for him, giving the two seated magic users a better view, and Gweniffer joined them on the couch.


    The rear tie at the top of the vest came undone, and Jace could reach around and unclasp the armor and then pull it over her head, leaving her standing in her modified tunic and skirt.  The quarter shirt offered her little modesty as she had sweat through it, her body still unused to its new warm-blooded nature.  The humid air in the room didn¡¯t help.


    ¡°Much better,¡± Gweniffer said, rising from the couch.  ¡°Now you look like the whore you really are.¡±


    Esther couldn¡¯t meet her gaze as Jace handed the armor to the rogue, dispelling the last effects of the command spell.  His body relaxed, and he wanted instantly to comfort his female companion but didn¡¯t know what to do.


    In front of them, the high-level rogue swapped her outfit for the one she had just received, and Jace was happy to see all the modifications Esther had made were gone, and the scale vest looked like it had when he had first given it to his companion, all straps and buckles.  It was still an improvement over the brown leather corset she had been wearing, but Jace could see the rogue was disappointed.  Esther was near to tears at her embarrassed state but managed a weak grin at her enemy.


    ¡°Get out of my sight!¡± Gweniffer roared.


    Esther didn¡¯t need any more of an invitation than that and sprinted from the room.  Jace turned to follow, unsure what emotional damage he might have just caused to his friend.  Drescher laughed and caught his arm as he ran past.  In orc form, Jace towered over the man, but Drescher¡¯s strength was still enough to restrain him.  From his experience with the fen witch, he knew better than to fight back as it might put him into a Secure Grappled state if Drescher had the skill.  ¡°Don¡¯t lose her before we see you again,¡± the German whispered.  ¡°It would be a shame if you lost a bargaining chip.¡±  He laughed again and released the orc.


    As Jace fled the room, Drescher turned to Psycho.  ¡°Make sure they leave unmolested.  I¡¯d hate for someone else to get our prize.¡±  The elf nodded and followed after.

 Chapter 31: Grappling with Trauma

    Jace tried to catch Esther, but he couldn¡¯t keep up. She moved through the same path as before, between the gaming tables, each with a lantern hanging over the center. The carpeted route was not dark, but it was dim enough for her to use the Shadow Step ability in her boots and move over 20 feet with each step. Also, Gracie¡¯s initial assessment back when Jace had set up his character was correct: walking as an orc with his sexuality set to Severe was nearly impossible. After he had crushed himself for the second time in five running steps, not a pleasant experience with his pain cranked up to maximum, he pumped 100 mana into his necklace and resumed his human form. It had been long enough after the priest had dispelled it; otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to activate it again.


    The main room of The Lion¡¯s Den had a permanent True Sight spell that prevented people from staying hidden in the shadow for long, so Jace saw her popping into view after each shadow step. With her primarily bare upper body and light-colored skin, she stuck out from the patrons, who mostly wore black. Jace saw her leave the building while he was still fighting through waiters and waitresses, careful where he put his hands so as not to make them spill their trays or to violate them further than Drescher already was. It felt like an eternity before he got to the exit, and when he did, he looked around desperately.


    ¡°Where did she go?¡±


    {Down the alley to your right and around the building,} Gracie said. {Hurry. I¡¯m afraid something terrible is about to happen.}


    <hr>


    Tears streamed down Esther¡¯s face as she made it outside and ran around the massive building to the back. The light spell inside had yanked her out of the shadows one more time as she left, and she didn¡¯t feel like entering again and instead just cast a burst haste spell to get her out of sight. A wide alley on the back side of the building separated it from the other establishments nearby. A few characters milled about, but Esther hoped she would be ignored. She slumped down with her back against the stone and wept.


    She knew it wasn¡¯t Jace¡¯s fault. The spell had controlled his actions, but why was it always the same? Why did everyone treat her like a piece of meat? They tried to trick Jace or kill him. With Wallace, it had been extortion and torture. But if someone was going to mistreat her, they insisted on exposing her as a sexual object. She knew she had been an escort, and few had seen her in action since, but she felt she should be given a fresh start to earn some respect.


    ¡°Excuse me, miss,¡± a voice called to her. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    Esther wiped her face clean and straightened with the wall still supporting her. It was a level 12 solo player. He had a kind face showing genuine concern. Unfortunately, she recognized him, and it didn¡¯t take long for him to return the favor. ¡°Esther? Is it you? Wow. I kind of heard rumors, but I didn¡¯t know. Looks like Drescher moves fast. Are you just getting some fresh air? I understand. But if you¡¯re free, I mean, if you aren¡¯t already engaged with something else, can we get drinks or . . . something else? I just sold some equipment, and I¡¯ve got a few hundred gold I can part with.¡±


    This was too much for her. Didn¡¯t he see that she was crying and distressed? How could he think a woman alone in an alley at night was trying to pick up clients? She looked down briefly at herself with her nearly transparent top and short skirt. Why would he think anything else? Why should anyone think anything else? Maybe that is who she was.


    When her eyes rose back to the man, she had on a fake smile and struck him with a charm spell. He didn¡¯t have a chance. ¡°Actually,¡± she said. ¡°I have this thing for diamonds. Do you have anything like that?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± he said eagerly. ¡°Let me check.¡± He was too smitten with anticipation to realize his mistake as he rolled his eyes up into his inventory. Esther reacted.


    She cast True Strike, which usually took a full round, but with her Quick Cast feat, it only took two of the three actions. Esther used the third to cast a burst invisibility spell, dropping her into the shadows.


    ¡°I have this,¡± he said. As his eyes rolled back down, he was holding a large ruby. ¡°Esther?¡± he asked, as he didn¡¯t see her immediately.


    She struck from the shadows, adding her impressive stealth score of 29 to her attack. If she still had her armor, it would have been 34. True Strike gave her +10, she naturally had +33 to attack with her right hand, and she was using a +2 rapier. With an attack bonus of 74, she didn¡¯t even need to roll, but she did and got a 12. An attack of 86 was not something her victim would have been able to handle even if he were prepared, but since he was charmed and flat-footed, he had a -10 to his AC. He was a ranger used to engaging at a distance but still, with his Dodge ability active, he had a defense of 27. Now he had only 5, which she beat by 81. Esther used all eight criticals on damage, giving her a 9x bonus. Her rapier did 12 damage by itself, and light weapons could only use half the character¡¯s damage bonus, but she kept her blades filled with the Heavy Weapon spell allowing her to use her full damage bonus up to 36 points for each weapon. After her recent strength upgrade, she had a healthy +19 to damage, and she used it all, draining her right-hand weapon of over half its Heavy Weapon ability.


    An attack of 31 damage was well below what Jace could typically do in a strike, but her manufactured bonus of 9x meant she hit the unsuspecting man for 279. She used her Surprise Attack feat, as he was not in combat mode, so he needed to roll a Death save against the damage result, but it didn¡¯t matter. That strike would have killed Jace straight up. This ranger only had 168 Hit Points.


    Esther was more than strong enough to hold him up by her blade as it impaled his chest. His mouth was open, and his eyes asked her why, but he didn¡¯t get an answer. Instead, Esther let him take in one last look at her before she dropped his body in a heap next to the wall. The ruby bounced on the ground next to him, and she tried to pick it up, but the game wouldn¡¯t let her.


    [Transaction Restricted.]


    As Gracie had told Jace, all exchanges had to include at least one of Drescher¡¯s people, whether that was an NPC who worked for the city, a PC that was part of his party, or a PC he had given authorization to. Esther and this ranger were none of those. She cursed that she wouldn¡¯t even get a gemstone out of this and stepped away from the wall.


    A few players had been milling about between the buildings, and now they all stared at the woman. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± she screamed, her face starting to change into her vampire visage. It wasn¡¯t as veiny and vicious as it had been before Jace changed her, but it was scary enough to make those nearby retreat.


    Yes, she thought, finally, a different reaction to my presence. Let them be frightened. She sheathed her blade, regarded her current attire, and switched it to her dress.


    ¡°Esther!¡±


    She heard the call but didn¡¯t want to deal with Jace right now; instead, she hid in the shadows and took off.


    Jace rounded the corner and saw the dead PC lying against the wall.


    {She did that,} Gracie advised.


    ¡°I figured. Where is she now?¡±


    {I¡¯m not sure. She isn¡¯t sharing.}


    Jace was about to guess and run down the back street in a random direction, but a voice from behind stopped him.


    ¡°Hold.¡±


    Jace turned to see Psycho walk up behind him. He had his bow out with a strange-looking arrow nocked. His eyes found the dead body, and his vision traced what must have been footsteps in the dirt street. He followed the path in the opposite direction of where Jace had been about to run. ¡°My goodness, she¡¯s fast,¡± the elf commented as he stepped further away from the building and aimed his weapon down the alley. Everyone scattered, but Jace guessed the archer was good enough to miss them anyway.


    He fired a shot so far and fast that Jace instantly lost it in the darkness. After a few moments, an explosion erupted almost half a kilometer away, and what looked like a false dawn rose on the horizon. The light hurt Jace¡¯s eyes even from this distance, but Psycho grabbed his arm and urged him forward. They made it to the impact spot in less than a minute, and characters lay strewn about the ground. None looked severely hurt, as most were still over 100 Hit Points, but Jace had no idea where they had started. Esther was among the prone bodies on the ground, slowly picking herself up and rubbing her eyes. It appeared she had taken 15 points of damage from whatever spell Psycho¡¯s arrow had cast.


    ¡°Go get her,¡± the ranger said. ¡°We need to get out of here. Guards will be coming for her soon. She murdered that PC back there.¡±


    Jace wanted to defend his friend, but he knew now was not the time. He was beside Esther in a few moments, and it didn¡¯t look like she could walk unaided. She seemed to be recovering faster than the half a dozen others sprawled on the ground, including at least one half-orc guard.


    ¡°Jace,¡± she said slowly, blinking several times as her vision was filled with stars. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± he said, picking her up in his arms and running after Psycho, who was already moving away from the scene.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± she started, struggling to free herself from his hold. She was more than capable of grappling herself into any position, but she couldn¡¯t figure out which way to roll to get out of his arms, so she eventually gave up. ¡°Never mind. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what happened in there,¡± Jace said, unsure how to address the issue. ¡°You know I never meant to-¡±


    She tried to stop him, her fingers splaying on his face, searching for his lips. ¡°Shhh, shhh. You don¡¯t need to explain.¡± Her voice was slurred as if drunk. ¡°I know it was a spell. But I did like that armor.¡±


    ¡°I will get you something better.¡±


    ¡°No need. No need,¡± she said, smiling as an idea hit her dazed mind. ¡°I will kill her soon.¡±


    Jace appreciated her confidence, but he wasn¡¯t so sure. ¡°That man back there. In the alley. Did he . . .¡±


    ¡°A ruby,¡± she said. ¡°That is what he thought I was worth. Lousy ruby. Drescher was willing to pay a million gold.¡± She paused. ¡°How much is that?¡±


    ¡°Not enough, Esther, not enough.¡±


    They didn¡¯t talk anymore as Jace followed Psycho down the back streets until they approached the front gates. The ranger pulled another arrow from his quiver and fired it 200 feet ahead, so it landed at the city¡¯s front entrance, right between five PCs. Another bright explosion scattered the group and knocked four guards from their feet. Jace and Psycho ran through the dazed crowd a few seconds later, and no one saw them. Snowy was waiting outside the city, having been pushed farther and farther away by the guards over the past hour. She broke into a run when she saw her master and was soon sprinting beside them. They were lost in the night before anyone behind them even thought about picking themselves off the ground.


    The elf slowed when he thought they were far enough away from the city to avoid pursuit. Esther insisted she was okay to walk now, and Jace put her on the ground. She wasn¡¯t her usual dexterous self, but she was up to the task of walking. As her memories started returning, she wanted more distance, and the two men let her get 50 feet ahead.


    ¡°Will we need to worry about the guards at the travel node?¡± Jace asked. Their destination was brightly lit on the hill before them.


    ¡°No,¡± Psycho answered. ¡°The city is coded to alert all the guards when a murder occurs, and they are on high alert. They all share senses with each other. But, the six guards by the travel node are on a different network. No point in them getting worked up about something that happened 20 minutes from their position. They have different priorities.¡±


    ¡°They have a direct link to Drescher, right?¡± Jace asked. ¡°He won¡¯t alert them? You won¡¯t alert them?¡±


    The ranger grunted a negative. ¡°My boss told me to get you out of the city unmolested. He didn¡¯t specify by whom. He probably doesn¡¯t know what she did yet. He has an automated guard system, so he doesn¡¯t have to worry. He¡¯s either yelling at Pieter for not getting you to tell him where the crystal is, or he is getting a lap dance from Catrina. Possibly both.¡±


    ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± Jace asked, trying to remove that last image from his mind. ¡°Murder is illegal, but what we saw Drescher do is okay? He killed a 14-year-old girl.¡±


    The ranger shrugged. ¡°That was consensual.¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Jace stared hard at the elf, who refused to return his look. He thought he knew him better than that. ¡°You and I have a very different definition of consent.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t make the rules.¡±


    ¡°But you follow them,¡± Jace replied, not giving the elf an inch.


    ¡°What is your word worth?¡± he turned the accusations back on Jace. ¡°If someone cheats you, do you just abandon every promise you ever made?¡±


    Jace thought of his estranged wife and how he still wore his wedding band and hadn¡¯t cheated on her once, even though he had heard she was on her third boyfriend since she left him.


    ¡°How do you know Esther didn¡¯t act in self-defense?¡± Jace asked.


    Psycho shrugged. ¡°Would you like to go back and plead her case? There is a court system.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t answer. They both knew what had happened. The man had undoubtedly reacted to her the same way Karren and Slicksword had. The same way Psycho had. Jace assumed the elf shared his thoughts and didn¡¯t have to wait long for the inevitable.


    ¡°I do have to apologize to you, though,¡± he said, giving more than he was used to. ¡°I made assumptions that weren¡¯t correct. I thought Esther was something she isn¡¯t and, by association, that you were someone else.¡±


    Jace smiled at the admission. ¡°It takes an Honest person to admit that their Traditional view on a situation may not be in Order with reality.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Psycho agreed. ¡°Something like that.¡± They fell silent for a few minutes as they moved quickly through the night. ¡°So, what is she?¡± the elf finally asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really know,¡± Jace said. ¡°Officially, she is a Fallen Angel, but she still has all her vampire abilities. She is alive, though, and can move freely in sunlight. She gets cold and hot.¡±


    Psycho nodded.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Jace turned the question around. ¡°You are an NPC, right? You are more aware than most players.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to work for Drescher and stay ignorant of reality. I haven¡¯t met another NPC who¡¯s figured it out yet, so maybe Gandhi made me different. What about you? An orc?¡±


    ¡°Looks like none of us are normal.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t push it, and they noticed that Esther was now over 100 feet in front of them and threatening to disappear in the darkness. They quickened their pace.


    Ten minutes later, they made it to the travel node, and, true to Psycho¡¯s prediction, the six guards didn¡¯t react to their presence. Jace asked Snowy to heal Esther back to full and then turned to their escort. ¡°I¡¯m sure we will meet again. If you ever find yourself unemployed, look me up.¡±


    Psycho frowned. ¡°I love your confidence, but I think you might be underestimating your opponent. I¡¯ve not yet met the player who can defeat him. He doesn¡¯t take many chances.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Jace said, deciding not to give too much away. ¡°When Drescher sends a nurse, meet me in the neutral zone outside Olympus. I will tell you where he can go to get his crystal.¡±


    The two shook hands, and Jace moved up the platform steps with his companions. He reached out to the travel node to leave.


    [Travel unavailable. Illegal Inventory.]


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    {That trick Esther pulled with the crystal won¡¯t let you travel,} Gracie told him. {Snowy doesn¡¯t have an inventory. She can walk around with the crystal within a module but can¡¯t travel that way.}


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Jace said. He called his familiar over and whispered into her ear. The wolf retched as if working on a hairball. Her body convulsed several times, eventually spitting out the crystal that Esther had fed her. For once, Jace had been glad she hadn¡¯t asked permission before picking his pocket. He wouldn¡¯t have thought that maneuver possible, and Drescher would have the crystal now.


    ¡°Look out,¡± Psycho warned. ¡°I think my boss is watching now.¡±


    Jace lifted his eyes to see all six guards react to the presence of the magical item and stalk toward them, one of them talking into his amulet. The shaman turned back to the travel node.


    [Exit from Ironfel closed.]


    {The guards closed the node,} Gracie advised. {You are going to have to fight your way free. Once the one with the switch is dead, I think it will open.}


    ¡°Any idea which one that is?¡±


    {No.}


    The companions jumped off the platform, and Jace was about to get his halberd out when Esther stepped in front of him. ¡°Can I do it, boss?¡± she asked, an edge to her voice. Her memories had come back in full. ¡°I have some aggression I need to work out.¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°Be my guest.¡±


    As Esther ran toward the first guard, Jace saw from the corner of his eye four PCs entering Ironfel onto the raised platform, showing that only the exit to the city was closed. Drescher didn¡¯t want to turn away paying customers. Psycho stepped up beside him before he could turn to inspect the newcomers. ¡°By herself? I think you are underestimating the guards. Each one is far more powerful than she is.¡±


    Jace saw that the half-orcs were level 15 with 555 Hit Points. They each had an axe and shield with full plate armor. Undoubtedly, Drescher had built them with all the best defensive and offensive feats, and he would expect they had essential magical equipment too. He could imagine that Esther at level 10 with 140 Hit Points could look like a mismatch, but he had faith. ¡°Would you like to bet on it?¡±


    Psycho thought for a while but shook his head. ¡°No, I think I am done underestimating you two.¡±


    Jace laughed and then had to restrain Snowy, who wanted to run in and help her friend. He told the wolf to wait, but he was ready to release her if things got out of hand.


    Esther eyed up the guards as she raced to the closest one. They were spread out, but it would only take them two rounds before they surrounded her. She used a level 15 charm spell she had memorized for 275 mana that raised her spell difficulty to 52, and she got a critical success when the half-orc rolled a 13 in defense. The charmed condition gave the orc a -5 to his rolls against Esther, but more importantly, it gave the woman initiative once they got to melee range. She hadn¡¯t drawn her blades yet and instead climbed the first guard like a tree, grappling to his back before he could swing and turning him around to face the other fighters.


    Her grapple ability was at 50, and the orc¡¯s defense was 21, so only a roll of 20 would barely pass. Anything less would be a critical failure. With his -5 to all rolls against Esther, he didn¡¯t come close to a 20, and she got two critical successes. She used one with her Vampire ability to consider him pinned and latched on to his neck.


    The other guards held up their charge, not used to Esther¡¯s tactics. They couldn¡¯t see the woman on their companion¡¯s back, her black hair blending into the cloudy night sky, and thought she might have run away. They spread out slightly to see if she was behind the paralyzed guard.


    Each level of the sturdy guards was worth 185 mana (37 Hit Points x 5), and Esther only took one before she cast Enthrall on her prey and told him to attack. Now she did flip backward off his back and was invisible before she hit the ground. The guards didn¡¯t realize their ¡°friend¡± was running toward them to attack, and none of them had raised their shields when he hit the first one in line for a double critical, doing almost 150 points of damage. Three of the stupid and chaotic creatures pounded on each other for a few rounds while the others realized what had happened and looked for the elusive woman.


    They were programmed to spread out to prevent a spell that did area damage, and one of them turned into his inventory to get an item that would create a magical light to yank Esther out of the darkness. Once he was flat-footed, the rogue leaped out of the shadows, adding her stealth to her grapple check. She got a million criticals, rendered him Helpless, and then spent them to activate her Coup de Grace vampire ability which snapped the guard¡¯s neck like it was made of fresh celery.


    He fell dead to the ground, and Esther landed behind him. The other two guards not pounding the snot out of each other, looked at her hesitantly, and she took that opportunity to disappear into the night again. Both half-orcs raced forward to their fallen comrade to retrieve the True Sight device, terrified that this woman would lurch out of the shadows at one of them. One got there first, fumbled with the item, and dumped his measly 75 mana into it.


    Esther suddenly appeared to his left. The woman still wasn¡¯t armed but was laughing. He didn¡¯t see what was so funny until he turned to his friend, who was in the process of swinging an axe at him. The puzzled guard took almost a hundred damage and wondered why his friend was wearing a strange dog collar. Esther had grappled it onto his neck while the first guard had triggered the device.


    She was done hiding in the shadows for now as the night held an eerie glow that banished all shadows. She shrugged her shoulders and finally drew her weapons.


    Her thrall was getting destroyed by two other guards. Esther had just enough mana left to cast a haste spell on herself and raced to his aid. The two half-orcs not enthralled were effectively flanking him, but she ran up behind one of them and, with her own flanking bonus, was able to get a single critical with her disarming rapier. She chose to have him drop his shield, taking his effective AC from 42 to 26. Esther beckoned her thrall to attack the defenseless guard, and he did a triple crit on him. Combined with Esther¡¯s four total attacks that round, the half-orc fell dead.


    Unfortunately, her thrall died the same round, and Esther was faced off against an enraged half-orc who still had over 200 hit points. She didn¡¯t have enough mana to charm him and couldn¡¯t hide. Instead, she walked up to him and took his first attack in the face. Without her armor which Jace always kept filled with a critical protection spell, she was pretty defenseless against this powerful fighter and took a double crit for 3x damage. The half-orcs did 48 with each strike, so Esther had to absorb 144 slashing damage. Her ring took 100, and blood flew from her face as her head snapped to the side from the rest. But now he was done, as he took the Raise Shield action, limiting him to one attack per round since he was using a large shield. Esther had three attacks. With her melee at +35 and +31 for her two rapiers, she could get above the 42 defense with good rolls and did about 40 damage in her first two attacks, but knew she would die if she took another hit from that axe, so she spent her third attack to grapple up on the fighter¡¯s back.


    ¡°So, you don¡¯t think that¡¯s cheating,¡± Psycho asked as they watched Esther drain the life from the guard, refilling her health to maximum and also overloading her mana. The elf had been watching her technique with interest.


    ¡°If the guard had rolled over a 13 in his attack on her, he would have triggered a death save for her,¡± Jace replied, getting constant stat updates from Gracie. ¡°She has a ring that absorbs 100 damage, yet she had a better than 25% chance of being stunned or worse. I don¡¯t blame her for using every advantage she has.¡±


    It took a couple of rounds, but Esther soon jumped off the lifeless body of the half-orc as he fell to the ground. She had absorbed more mana than she could store, so she spent the excess to refill her slashing protection ring before the magical energy dissipated. The last two guards fighting were evenly matched, but the one Esther controlled with the dog collar was losing and fell as she walked toward the pair. The remaining guard had less than 100 Hit Points, and as he looked at the five dead guards around him and the woman responsible walking toward him, he panicked and fled.


    Jace tried out his new spell and summoned a stone wall, placing it in the path of the retreating creature. He didn¡¯t have his timing quite right, and the guard hit it as it was still rising from the ground. The top of the wall caught him under the chin and flipped him backward, doing a handful of damage.


    ¡°Now that is cheating,¡± Psycho complained. ¡°She said she wanted to do it herself.¡±


    ¡°I needed to engage, or I wouldn¡¯t have gotten any experience for killing the guards,¡± Jace lobbied. ¡°She would have caught him from behind. Besides, he was almost out of range of the True Sight device. It would be over if she had gone back to the shadows.¡±


    It was over anyway, as Esther didn¡¯t waste time, jumped on top of the fallen half-orc, and finished him with her weapons. The only equipment the guards had that interested her was a +6 damage belt like Jace had gotten from the Strength module. Since these half-orcs were in the city¡¯s employment, she could freely take the item. She could only wear one belt at a time, but she could accessorize it and swap it with the Resist belt whenever she wanted. She also retrieved her dog collar from the other dead guard.


    Psycho whistled as the woman walked up to them, and Esther smiled, as it wasn¡¯t the type of whistle she was used to getting. It wasn¡¯t a catcall, but one of respect for her skills. He tempered the show of appreciation with a mock bow. ¡°I am sorry I ever doubted you.¡±


    She smiled, but noise from behind them stole her attention. Jace finally turned to see who had arrived through the node. The group hadn¡¯t left the platform during the fight. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when he saw the Russian half-orc barbarian he had dubbed Karen and her motley crew. Apparently, she had survived their run-in with the dire bear and was proceeding with her celebratory night out for reaching level 10. They were now drawing weapons but looked a bit hesitant. Jace reached for the sword on his hip but realized he had left it on the floor back in The Lion¡¯s Den.


    Esther took care of it, meeting Karen¡¯s eyes and finding a little blood in the corner of her mouth to lick as she smiled. Whether it was her blood or one of the guards she had fed on, it didn¡¯t matter. It had the desired effect, and the four characters quickly opened the travel node and fled. Jace laughed. At least he knew they could leave now too.


    Esther turned back to her leader and saw his right hand still groping for a sword on his empty hip. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she remembered and rolled her eyes up into her inventory. Soon she was back holding Diamond Etcher in her hands. ¡°I got this for you,¡± she said to Jace. ¡°You¡¯ve given me so much that I thought I should return the favor.¡±


    Now Psycho laughed out loud. ¡°How in the realms did you swipe that? I admit I missed the moment outside the city when you fed the wolf the crystal, but I watched you the entire time you were in Drescher¡¯s lounge. I saw you pick up your weapons, but that was it.¡±


    ¡°I had a free accessory slot, so I picked up Jace¡¯s sword with my foot when everyone was looking at Wallace. I can redesign some of my items, so I made it look like the sword had a large diamond in the middle and then swapped it with this one when that bitch thought she had spooked me onto the couch.¡±


    Jace remembered thinking it odd that Esther could have been startled that awkwardly.


    ¡°I think when Drescher picks it up, the modification I made to it will go away, but it still looked real lying on the couch.¡±


    The elf laughed even more. ¡°The best part,¡± he said between gasps, ¡°is that he will think Wallace cheated him and blame Pieter for not realizing the sword was a fake.¡±


    Eventually, the elf calmed down and looked at the pair with renewed appreciation. ¡°I haven¡¯t laughed in a while, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jace asked facetiously. The shaman had heard him chuckle earlier, but it had been derisive. Now Jace could see genuine mirth on the elf¡¯s face, which looked good on him. ¡°But you looked like such a cheery guy when we first met.¡±


    Psycho stopped laughing and returned the man¡¯s sarcastic look for a few moments before changing topics. ¡°Where are you headed now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My operator is looking for a stronghold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been everywhere in the realms. Do you have an idea what you are looking for?¡±


    Jace felt he could trust this elf and confided in him that he was a stone shaman and needed a comfortable cave system.


    The ranger listened closely and then nodded his head. ¡°I know the perfect place. There is a quest where you have to free a group of gnomes enslaved by orcs in a mine. You should be uniquely qualified to pass that.¡±


    Gracie was listening in. {I found that one too; the problem is, the only access point I know of is in Portsmith. It is a side quest from the dwarven smith that makes you a specialized weapon.}


    ¡°It used to only be accessible from Portsmith,¡± Psycho continued, unaware Gracie was talking in Jace¡¯s head. ¡°But when that city went rogue, I heard access opened to it in other areas, including here. As an employee of this town, I can put it on your map.¡± He cleared his throat and made a dramatic wave of his hand as he went into scripted mode. ¡°Merchants from the town of Crestfall have ore to sell way below market price. Most smiths are buying it up and not complaining, but others are suspicious and suspect foul play. If you have the time, you might want to investigate.¡± He spoke the pitch in a false bravado and finished with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said, eager to get started on the next phase of his plan. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in six hours.¡±


    Psycho waved goodbye and watched as the three adventures climbed onto the platform and were transported out of Ironfel. The elf turned and started the long walk back to town, not looking forward to dealing with Drescher. Luckily, the gun runner would be angry about so many things that he wouldn¡¯t have much time to isolate on the elf. He fantasized for a moment about what it would be like to join Jace¡¯s crew, but he knew it would never happen. Drescher might lose a few battles, as he had in the past hour, but he would never lose the war.

 Chapter 31.1

    Here is what one of the Half-Orc Guards looked like:


    They each have eight feats and really high stats. I consider these very advanced NPC characters in the game, and it costs Drescher a lot to have his city generate them. They are also very deadly. Because they have all four levels of Weapon Training, they get an additional +15 to hit. With the +3 axes, that is +43 to attack before they roll the dice. When they hit, it will be 48 damage on each attack. Jace would die quickly from facing only three of these fighters if they could flank him.


    In addition to showing the character sheet of these more advanced NPCs, I also wanted to take the time to explain shields. There are five levels of Shield:


    Buckler +1 AC


    Small Shield +2 AC


    Medium Shield +3 AC


    Large Shield +4 AC


    Tower Shield +5 AC (Additional +5 vs. Ranged attacks)


    The Shield Training feats start at +2 and go up to +15, just like all the other training feats. The guards above only go up to +10. You only get this bonus when you raise your shield. Normally when you take the Raise Shield action, you get the shield¡¯s defense added again. The guards have +2 large shields, so they provide +6 to AC. Combined with their natural AC and Full Plate, they have an AC of 26. When they raise their shields, they get the +10 from the feat and the +6 from the shield again, for a total of 42.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Here is a description of the shields with benefits and negatives:


    Bucklers can be worn on your arm, and you can still use both hands freely. You can raise your shield but only benefit from the first training feat.


    A small shield needs to be held in your off-hand. You can use up to the second Shield Training feat (+5) when you raise your shield. Small shields are the largest shield you can hold and still take the Dodge action. You can¡¯t raise your shield and Dodge in the same round.


    Medium Shields use up to the third Shield Training feat (+10). You can not Dodge while holding them. They are the largest shield you can use and still get two attacks when taking the Raise Shield action.


    Large shields can utilize all four of the Shield Training feats (+15). However, when you Raise your shield, you can only make one attack that round. This might sound like a huge penalty, but since you can only do criticals on one of your attacks, your second attack doesn''t do that much damage when fighting against powerful enemies with a big damage reduction. Also, the large shield is the largest shield that can be worn on the hip or back when not in use and can be equipped for one action. This is only true for medium-sized characters. Smaller characters (Halflings, gnomes, goblins) must keep this shield in their inventory when not in use.


    The Tower Shield also uses all four of the Shield Training feats. When you raise it, you cannot attack that round; however, it makes you immune to ranged attacks. Also, the tower shield is so large that all medium-sized characters must hold it or keep it in your inventory. You can not wear it on your back or on your hip. This means you have to enter your inventory to equip it. Giant characters don¡¯t have this restriction.


    Shields do not have levels like other pieces of equipment. Instead, their size is their level. A buckler can only hold 50 mana worth of spells. This is enough for a burst spell that changes something by 10, but nothing more. Then as the shields get bigger, they increase by 50 mana each so that a tower shield can hold 250. A permanent crit protection spell costs 200, so that will only fit in a large or tower shield.

 Chapter 32: Crestfall

    Crestfall was a river town.  After mostly visiting public cities that were well aware they were in a computer game and had no interest in catering to the mundane needs of real people, it was a change of pace to see a village with a library, a university, and open parks to enjoy the outdoors.  Crestfall was built into an ancient floodplain that carved out a massive, level section of the rocky hills surrounding the riverbed.


    The river now ran well below its rock-lined banks but not so far that piers couldn¡¯t be built for fishermen to access the water.  Transportation wasn¡¯t feasible, as the river fell dramatically over 50 kilometers before reaching the ocean to the east, often over rough rapids.  Still, all kinds of fish lived in the water and kept the town well-fed.


    Pine trees grew plentifully in the hills around Crestfall, and the buildings were primarily wooden and low to the ground, but the university took advantage of the stony landscape, built from massive blocks of granite and limestone.


    Jace knew that if he made the mine up in the hills his home, this village would be where he went for food, clothes, building material, and other supplies.  He wasn¡¯t disappointed.  It didn¡¯t have the oceanfront splendor of Portsmith, but he hoped it would keep Esther happy.


    The town was named after the waterfall just visible to the west.  It stood over 200 feet high, splashing down onto tiered levels of rock before flowing into the river.  It wasn¡¯t the waterway¡¯s source, and from what Jace was told, it usually only trickled this late in the season.  Only in the spring did it run heavy, nearly bringing the river to the top of its banks.  But it had started flowing more recently, and Jace was sure the change was directly related to his mission.


    The town¡¯s natural beauty and waterfall might keep Ester happy, but she wasn¡¯t thrilled now.  All she could talk about was how hungry she was and how she would die if she didn¡¯t get some food.  Jace told her she had just eaten from a bunch of half-orcs, but she insisted it wasn¡¯t the same.  He figured he should give her some slack as she had only had a functioning metabolism for less than two days.  Still, he was on the clock with Drescher and needed to initiate this mission.  So, she sluggishly followed Jace around town as he talked to merchants and businessmen about the recent influx of iron ore into the city.  Nobody much wanted to talk about it, seeing how it was making the town rich, but eventually, he was directed to the owner of a diner on the northern edge of town and told to ask for Brett Drenedon.


    Esther picked up at the mention of a restaurant and followed close behind as Jace and Snowy moved through town.  The host who greeted them didn¡¯t want to let the massive wolf into the diner, but Jace insisted she was an emotional support animal.  The elderly woman didn¡¯t know what that was, but after one look at Esther¡¯s famished face, she realized the young woman needed all the support she could get.  They were shown to a table, and Jace said he would like to speak to the owner.


    It was still an hour before the dinner crowd, so there were plenty of open tables, and Jace chose one in the back corner, which allowed Snowy to lie against the wall out of the aisles.  She rested her head on the floor; then it popped up again.


    <Mice.  Many mice below.>


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Jace said, already guessing how he would use that information.


    The owner took a few minutes to come by, not used to visitors that wanted to talk with him unless their food was bad, but the place was almost empty, so he had the time.  He looked at Snowy first, wondering why his hostess had allowed such a large animal inside.  Then his eyes went to Esther.  She had worn a cloak outdoors as the air had been cool, but she had removed it now, and not many women came in that looked or dressed like her.  He was designed with enough knowledge of bigger cities to know what a woman like her usually did, but they didn¡¯t have a brothel in Crestfall.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± he asked.  ¡°Edith said you wanted to speak with me?¡±


    ¡°Brett Drenedon?¡± Jace asked to make sure.


    ¡°That¡¯s me; what do you need?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk about the iron coming into the city.¡±


    Brett¡¯s eyes lit up at the opportunity to talk about his current theory, but he tempered that excitement by remembering who sat in front of him.  Jace looked normal enough, but anyone traveling with a winter wolf and a woman dressed like that wouldn¡¯t likely be a noble paladin come to solve his problems.  ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    {You know what happened to his son,} Gracie helped out.  She was so used to Jace taking alternative routes through the quests that she forgot her intimate knowledge of this one might come in handy.


    ¡°I know what happened to your son,¡± Jace repeated, hoping Gracie would feed him more.


    Brett¡¯s eyes lit up, but not in a positive way.  He already feared this man was not a good person, and if he played a part in his son''s disappearance, that would cement it for him.


    {It wasn¡¯t goblins,} Gracie said.  {You believe orcs were involved, and if people don¡¯t take the threat seriously, the whole town could be in danger.}


    Jace repeated the information, and most of the man¡¯s trepidation vanished.  Jace felt he needed a little more to push the man over the edge.  ¡°You have a rodent problem, don¡¯t you?¡± Jace asked, changing topics.


    It was also something near and dear to his heart, and Brett went with it.  ¡°Aye, as soon as the nights started getting cold, the mice seemed to think my basement was a bunkhouse.  Half my grain sacks have holes in them now.¡±


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Be a dear and go downstairs and get yourself something to eat.¡±


    The wolf picked up her head at the chance for food and sport and didn¡¯t need to be told twice.


    ¡°It, uh, she can do that?¡± Brett asked.


    ¡°I promise you won¡¯t have a mice problem after today.  Anything Snowy doesn¡¯t catch will be too scared to ever come within a block of your diner.  Now, can we talk about something important?¡±


    Brett was taking a seat and about to agree when Esther piped up.  ¡°Yes, like food.  I¡¯m going to die if we don¡¯t eat soon.¡±


    ¡°Do you have pancakes?¡± Jace asked.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Brett said, ¡°but not this late in the day.  The griddle is . . .¡±


    He stopped as Jace produced a handful of gold coins.  ¡°My friend is starving and would love a huge stack of pancakes.  Lots of butter and syrup.¡±


    ¡°What are pancakes?¡± Esther asked.


    Jace wasn¡¯t surprised that a vampire didn¡¯t know what those were.  Food often served at sunrise wasn¡¯t something Dexmachi would have programmed into her memory.  ¡°Trust me; you¡¯ll love them.¡±


    Edith, the hostess, came by with two mugs of ale, and Brett told her to tell the cook to light a fire under the griddle.  ¡°He isn¡¯t going to like it,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I know he keeps the leftover batter in the icebox even though I tell him to throw it out and make new each morning.  Well, now he can use it.¡±  Brett grabbed two of the coins off the table and handed them to the woman.  ¡°This should convince him.¡±


    She took the coins and started at the remaining pile, which was more than enough to cover any meal they might order.  ¡°And what would you like?¡± she said, turning to Jace.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry,¡± he replied, ¡°thank you.¡±  He took one sip of the ale and changed his mind.  ¡°Though, you can bring me another one of these.¡±


    Once the woman walked away, Brett grew serious.  ¡°What do you know about my son?¡±


    Gracie explained the introduction to the quest, and Jace repeated it to the owner.  The regular entry to this mission was to sit in on a town hall meeting where this situation would be discussed.  Most townsfolk would be on the side of accepting the cheap ore and ignoring the strange occurrences around the mine.  Brett would speak up against it, but no one would listen to him.  Then afterward, you could talk to the owner and express your concerns, and he would give you the information you needed to start your investigation.  Jace didn¡¯t have the time to sit through the public meeting, so he went right to the source.  The two talked about the story so far.


    When the waterfall started to increase its flow, Brett¡¯s son, Alexander, who thought of himself as an adventurer, decided to investigate.  He never returned.  Right before the town was going to send a search party after him, a well-dressed man came down from the mountains carrying the remains of Alexander¡¯s cloak.  He identified himself as Garrison Dreng, a financier from one of the wealthier western cities.  One of his scouts had found an abandoned mine in the mountains above the city of Crestfall, and he had brought a team of hardened men to reopen the caves and resume business.  So far, the mine looked very profitable.  His investors were interested in gems and precious metals, but to get at those more valuable materials, they had to excavate tons of iron ore.  It was too expensive for him to transport the ore to the west over the mountains, so he was willing to trade it to the town in exchange for food supplies and privacy.  He then produced the cloak and said his men found the bloody remains of a man torn apart by goblins who still roamed the hills.


    Everyone in Crestfall accepted the story. Everyone except Brett.  He knew his son wasn¡¯t a seasoned fighter, but he was good enough to handle a few goblins.  The threat of the creatures was enough to keep most from exploring too deep in the hills, but Alexander had returned from multiple scouting trips and had often encountered half a dozen of the small pests and killed them easily.  Still, a band of goblins might have killed him, but the father wanted more evidence.  He also didn¡¯t like the look or feel of this stranger coming to town and offering them free ore to keep them quiet and away from his operations.  It was true that transporting his goods back to the West would be expensive, but many towns north and south of them, and even east toward the coast, would pay for ore.  There was no logical reason a good businessman would give it away unless he was hiding something.


    Brett had convinced two more men to go into the hills to look into what had happened, and they had both returned today after several days away.  They had an odd sense about them as if the memory of their trip or why they had gone in the first place was like a dream, but they insisted that nothing unusual was happening and the townspeople shouldn¡¯t investigate further.  Brett wasn¡¯t satisfied with this report, so the town leaders agreed to hold a meeting tonight so that this issue could be discussed and put to bed.


    Jace and Brett paused in their discussion of these events as Edith came by with a pile of steaming pancakes, butter slathered over the top and running down the sides.  She placed the plate in front of the eager young woman and then set down a small stone syrup pitcher.  The smell of the cakes had her almost floating out of her chair, but she regarded the pitcher tentatively.


    ¡°Maple syrup,¡± Jace explained.  When Esther gave him a blank stare in return, he clarified.  ¡°It¡¯s like the blood from a maple tree, only refined and sweetened.¡±


    She dipped a finger into the amber liquid and then licked it clean.  Her eyes lit up in ecstasy.  She dumped the syrup over the pancakes and then proceeded to devour them.  Brett looked on in amazement.  She looked healthy enough but ate as if she hadn¡¯t had food in weeks.  Her pleasurable moaning was also a bit distracting, and it was good that no other patrons sat close by.


    Jace tried to steer the conversation back to the mine.  ¡°What do you think will come out of this meeting tonight?¡±


    Brett turned away from Esther and scoffed at Jace.  ¡°Bah, I already know.  I picked the men to go and investigate, so for me to disagree with them now won¡¯t give me much standing with the council.  But I know something is wrong here.  I feel it in my bones.  Goblins didn¡¯t kill my son.¡±


    Jace wondered if he had memorized a magic detection spell if he wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up something from this man.  Or maybe it was just the module insisting that there had to be a dissenting voice in the city to send you off on the mission.  Either way, Jace knew he was right.  ¡°It was orcs,¡± he confirmed after receiving that information from Gracie.  ¡°The man you met who calls himself Garrison Deng is actually an orc illusionist named Carrak-Deng.  He was called to that mine because beneath it is an ancient evil uncovered by gnomes centuries ago.  The gnomes were driven away, but they unearthed a stone that allows an evil wizard access to the demon¡¯s powers.  The gnomes thought to take it away and hide it, but Carrak-Deng found it, and he has returned to complete the job of unearthing this demon.¡±


    Jace paused a moment to take a drink from his ale and noticed Esther was almost finished with her pancakes but didn¡¯t show any signs of slowing down.  Jace signaled to Edith for more.  The older woman had been watching from a distance and had already anticipated the request.


    Brett was still focused on what Jace had said.  ¡°There is no way I can convince the council of this,¡± Brett said.  ¡°Do you have any proof?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°I know it to be true.  But even if I had proof, Carrack-Deng cast a spell on your two scouts to make them believe what they reported.  He could make anyone believe anything for a time.  And he will not hesitate to offer your town gold and silver to keep you quiet.  He needs privacy and seclusion to finish his job.  But if we allow him that, he will bring a great terror upon this land, such that every family in the realm will be morning the loss of a son or daughter.¡±


    ¡°What would you have me do?¡±


    The extra pancakes came, and Esther mumbled a mouth-filled ¡°thank you¡± and continued with her second plate.


    ¡°Go to the meeting tonight.  Play nice, and don¡¯t start a riot.  I will go into the mountains and deal with Carrak.  I just need you to tell me where you think the mine is.  Where did you send the other two scouts?¡±


    ¡°Aye, I can mark the spot on your map, but what chance do you have?¡± His eyes went between Jace and Esther a few times.  He looked like a merchant, dressed in a fine blue vest with a gold crest, and she looked like . . . well, right now, she looked like a child hungrily stuffing her face with syrup running down her chin.


    ¡°We will manage, and it will cost you nothing,¡± Jace said.


    Brett nodded slowly, still not trusting this pair.  He was reminded they were actually a party of three when Snowy returned a moment later, a pleased look on her face.


    <No more mice.>


    The huge wolf sat contentedly at Ester¡¯s feat as the woman finally started to slow down.  The owner shrugged and did as he said, marking the location of the mine on Jace¡¯s map.  ¡°If it is orcs as you say,¡± he started, ¡°it is no wonder my boy fell.  Please get me the justice I need.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Jace replied.  With that, Brett nodded and left the table.  Jace gave Esther a few more minutes to finish eating, but she ended up putting her half-finished plate on the floor, and Snowy licked it clean.  Esther thanked Jace profusely for the meal, and the three left the diner with the pile of gold still sitting on the table.

 Chapter 33: Captured

    Jace had a feeling of deja vu as he began the climb into the rocky hills west of Crestfall.  How many times had he done this in the past few days?  Of course, he had barely been in the game for 24 hours of real-time, but he had seen several sunsets, so days and hours had little meaning.  He had climbed into the mountains to rescue the pregnant girl, Caitlin before she could sacrifice her child to a demon.  Then he had climbed into the mountains to kill some giants.  Even climbing down from the level 50 cavern felt eerily similar to this.  But what did he expect?  He was a stone shaman and an orc to boot.  The mountains were his home.  The whole purpose of this mission was to give him a physical home in the mountains.


    The only unique quest he had experienced so far was rescuing Esther from the brothel in Portsmith.  Jace looked at the woman, stoically climbing up the winding trail, her features highlighted by the setting sun over the looming mountains.  Surely, she knew what had happened the last time they had done this.  She had almost died.  Yet, here she was, walking beside Jace into danger with no hint of hesitation.  He had been worried that he might have to roll her out of the diner after how much she had eaten, but the game didn¡¯t seem to account for the lethargy one usually felt after a big meal.  Instead, she was as spry as ever, leaping up boulders and dancing around the loose stones, her dress and cloak flying about her legs in the breeze.  She was certainly unique.


    ¡°So, boss,¡± she said, pausing to catch her breath.  In addition to struggling with the chill in the air and hunger in her belly, getting winded was also something the formerly undead woman needed to get used to.  ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I¡¯m still working on it.¡±


    ¡°Well, talk to Gracie and figure it out.¡±


    {Yeah, boss,} Gracie chimed in, mimicking Esther¡¯s unique accent.  {Let¡¯s figure this out.}


    ¡°Fine, how are we supposed to beat this orc mage?¡±


    {You can¡¯t,} Gracie replied.  {At least, not directly.  Most people don¡¯t.  You have a few ways to approach this.  One is that you can go to the spot where Brett¡¯s son was killed.  If you had any skill at tracking, you would find orc prints.  If you stay there long enough, orcs will attack you.  It is a tough fight, but several players reported they were able to win.  If you win, then more come until, eventually, Carrak arrives and defeats you.  You are taken captive and put in their dungeon.


    {You can also try sneaking in.  There are a few openings into the cavern complex, and if you wait until night, you can hide in the shadows and enter undetected.  If you try this, you will eventually be caught and put in the dungeon.


    {If you walk up to the front door and say you want to speak to Garrison Deng, Carrak will come out in disguise.  If you threaten him, he will drop the illusion, attack you, and put you in the dungeon.  If you play along, he leads you inside to show you a few things, casting illusions the whole time, trying to trick you.  Eventually, you see through it, call him out on it, and . . .}


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Jace interrupted.  ¡°He puts us in the dungeon.¡±


    {Right.  No player in this module¡¯s history has ever been able to pass it without ending up in the dungeon at some point.  While you are locked up, you will meet a troublesome gnome.  He is part-scout and part-thief.  He is a member of a search party trying to find their homeland.  The gnomes used to live here until they woke the demon and fled, promising never to return.  They had sealed the demon underground and taken the demon stone.  Many generations later, the threat of the demon wasn¡¯t as pressing, especially since the stone was lost.  The stone allowed the evil monster to extend his influence outside his prison.


    {Gnome search parties were sent all over the realms looking for their homeland, and one small band arrived here.  They saw all the signs and started to repair the collapsed tunnels.  In doing so, they woke the demon again.  It is still sealed inside but was able to reach out to its stone, which was now in the hands of Carrak.  The demon¡¯s power was limited to giving the orc dreams, but it was enough to bring him and his orcs to the mine, and they easily conquered the gnomes.


    {Mining isn¡¯t something orcs are good at, so they enslaved the gnomes and forced them to continue excavation of the caverns to free the demon.}


    ¡°How does the gnome in the dungeon play into this?¡±


    ¡°Topprican, or Topper as most players call him, tells you that his gnomes have a way to defeat the orc mage.  They have been digging out the collapsed tunnels, but they have also been secretly rigging them to collapse again.  If you can lure Carrak down into the mines, they will be able to bring them down on the mage and his minions, which also reseals access to the demon.}


    ¡°How do I convince him to follow me down?¡±


    {After killing Brett¡¯s son, the orcs got smart and realized they would only draw attention to themselves if they kept killing all the humans that came for a look.  So instead, Carrak brings them up from the dungeon to the primary audience hall and casts a brainwashing spell on them, so they go back to town and report that all is good.  The orc promises you a horrible death if you resist, but you are given the opportunity to fight back before he casts the spell, and you can run down into the caverns.  He will chase you, and the gnomes will drop the tunnels on the orcs.  You are given a small alcove to stand in while the tunnels fall, so you survive, but all the orcs and gnomes die.  Most of the gnomes are killed when you initially resist, but Topper escapes, and he is the one that executes the plan.}


    ¡°There is no other way to pass this without killing the gnomes?¡±


    {I knew you would ask that, and I look forward to you figuring out a way, but no.  There is a note here about one player who did find another way to solve this, but most people say she is lying.  What did she do . . . oh, let¡¯s see . . . well, look at that, small world.  It was Esther¡¯s favorite thief, Gweniffer.  It seems like she did this before joining up with Drescher.}


    ¡°What did she do?¡±


    {The demon stone is kept on a unique pedestal in the middle of the main hall.  It is locked in place like it is part of some museum display.  The lock is linked to the orc¡¯s magic, so the only way to get at it is to kill the orc.  Gwen says that she was able to pump up her lock-picking ability, and she snagged the stone without killing Carrak.  Then she ran out of the caverns.  The mage chased her, but once the stone got far enough away from the demon, Carrak lost all his game-breaking abilities, and she and her party were able to kill him.  When they returned to the caverns, they found all the gnomes dead because Carrak must have given an order to kill them before he left, but they didn¡¯t drop the tunnels.}


    ¡°What kind of ¡®Game-Breaking¡¯ abilities does the stone give the orc?¡±


    {When he is in range of the stone, and when the stone is in range of the demon, it boosts all of Carrak¡¯s abilities to 24.  This means he has a +18 base to all his abilities on top of what he gained from level advancement and the few feats he was programmed with.  He is obviously a good fighter, but since he is a mage, his magic resistance is also top-notch, so he is impervious to almost every spell anyone has enough mana to cast.  He doesn¡¯t cast many spells when you fight him, but he can heal himself quickly, and you rarely damage him.  He basically keeps the fight going, showing you how hopeless it is and forcing you to flee to the lower levels so Topper can kill him.}


    Jace nodded as he took in this information, trying to also concentrate on where he placed his feet as the climb became steeper.  Suddenly, a large banner filled his field of vision, and he lost his footing, crashing unceremoniously to the ground.  Esther and Snowy reacted instantly, running over to him to see if he was okay, but he could barely see them through the image that consumed his vision:


    [Bounty issued.]


    [Esther Xerxes, Rogue, Level 10.  Last seen in the company of Jace Thorne.]


    [Accused of murder, theft, and killing city guards.]


    [200,000 Gold.  Wanted alive.]


    [Deliver to Ferrick Drescher in Ironfel.]


    ¡°What is that?¡± Jace asked, more shocked by the banner¡¯s sudden appearance than by what it said.  It had been almost two hours since he had left Ironfel, and it looked like Drescher had finally figured out what had happened.


    {Drescher put out a bounty on Esther,} Gracie stated the obvious.  {This is pretty unconventional.  People rarely put bounties on NPCs, and I am shocked Gandhi allowed it.  Though, if he had enough evidence for all three claims, it has been done before.  Usually, they make the bounty for two people: the PC and the NPC, but he obviously cares nothing for you.}


    ¡°I understand most of that,¡± Jace said, allowing Esther to help him off the ground and finally finding a way to dismiss the bounty alert from before his eyes.  ¡°How will it affect our gameplay?¡±


    {As long as you stay in MIMs, it won¡¯t.  No one in Crestfall will see that bounty notice.  There is no global law enforcement.  Each stronghold and city has its own structure, at least on this continent.  There are other kingdoms in the realms that have an authority system that spans from city to city, but most of those are also MIMs, so they aren¡¯t shared between players.  Non-PVP zones like Olympia or Centerville are safe, and a place like Safehaven, a stronghold governed by our employers, is unlikely to harbor many bounty hunters.  For now, don¡¯t worry about it.  We can finish this quest, you can have another meeting with Drescher, and if you are still alive, we can worry about it later.}


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    ¡°Did Esther see this notice?¡±


    {No, she didn¡¯t.  You are the only one who saw it go out.  Any PC can look up the current bounties posted in the game, and you can set up notifications for yourself to see when new ones are posted, but you are the only Character in the game that just got a direct notice.}


    Jace focused back on his surroundings and saw a concerned look from Esther.  ¡°What happened?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Drescher reached out to say hi.  It seems he didn¡¯t like the chaos you caused in his city.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like the company he kept,¡± she bit back.  ¡°Dung attracts flies.¡±


    Jace lifted his hands in submission.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to defend your actions to me.¡±


    {She would if you were the Lawful Good alignment you initially wanted to be.  You are now harboring a thief, a murderer, and a cop killer.}


    Jace didn¡¯t bother offering his operator a response.  He was beginning to understand what Gracie had been trying to tell him: there was no universal right or wrong in this game.  He shook his head from the potential moral dilemma and focused on the task at hand.


    ¡°We are getting close to the orcs,¡± Jace told Esther.  She had listened to their conversation while eating pancakes and knew the general gist of what was happening.  ¡°I am going to need to use you as bait.¡±


    Esther cocked her eyes at him.  ¡°Really?  How do you suppose that is going to work?¡±


    Jace explained his plan.


    <hr>


    Esther found the site where Alexander, Brett¡¯s son, had died.  It had been over a week, but the remains were still there, as no rain had fallen to wash the blood away.  She could tell little from the tracks or overturned rocks, but she understood that she didn¡¯t need to.  All she had to do was wait.  So, instead of examining the scene before her, she turned and looked back over the path they had climbed.


    It was past dinner time, and the lights of Crestfall were visible in the distance, illuminating the valley below like fireflies.  Esther tracked the river to the east as it snaked out of the hills and into a wide plane before finding the distant ocean.  The sea wasn¡¯t visible in the darkening sky, but she imagined the view would be amazing in the bright dawn.


    Sound yanked her out of her reverie, and she turned to see a group of orcs patrolling the outskirts of the central peak that rose behind her.  They hadn¡¯t seen her yet, and her instincts told her to hide in the shadows, but she fought them, knowing she needed to be captured.  Instead, she stood her ground and drew her weapons.  Wearing her dark cloak over her black dress in the fading light of evening, it still took a while for the orcs to see her, but they exploded into action when they did.  Two of them leaped down several rocky ledges, quickly closing the distance, while another orc pulled a crude bow off his back and began lining up a shot.


    Esther was willing to play the part of the victim here, but she had no intention of getting hit with arrows and ran to her left to find the safety of a thick tree.  As soon as she was hidden behind it, an arrow streaked past her.  She kept contact with the trunk, peering around at the attacking beasts and preparing to defend herself.  Three more arrows came flying, none close enough to hit the tree she braced against.  The two charging orcs were now fifty feet away, still leaping down rocks and ledges to access the small clearing where Alexander¡¯s remains lay.


    Another, much bigger orc took his time climbing down to her level, but he was shouting out orders.  ¡°Make sure to take her alive.  Wound her, but do not kill her.  Carrak will not be pleased if we kill any more humans.¡±


    The two charging orcs had finally reached Esther¡¯s level and slowed, their eagerness for battle tempered by their leader¡¯s caution.  They also had a hard time finding the woman hidden behind a tree.  It looked like the archer was done firing for now, with his companions ready to engage.  Esther knew she had to be captured but decided to have some fun first and cast haste and invisibility spells.


    The two orcs cautiously approached her hiding tree when she burst from the shadows, leaping at the one on the left.  She chose to attack with her weapons and was glad Drescher had not trained this orc.  He was only level 12, and while he carried a shield, he didn¡¯t use the Raise Shield action, nor did he have any associated feats.  Esther did five crits against him and used one to make him drop his axe.


    While he bent to pick it up, she got in three more attacks this round, all dealing multiple criticals.  He was almost dead when he got his chance to attack back.  Esther dodged but took a glancing blow for 23 damage, all going to her ring, and then killed him the same round after making him drop his shield this time.


    The orc¡¯s friend barely had time to register the attack before the first orc was dead in less than two rounds.  All he had seen were two swords flashing in the fading light amidst a swirl of black fabric with splashes of red blood exploding from his companion.  Now he could focus on the woman that strode toward him, and he got the first strike, doing another 23 damage to her ring.  She responded by forcing him to drop his weapon.


    Without the initial damage boost her attack from the shadows gave, it took Esther a few more rounds to deal with this enemy, and her damage protection ring was depleted by the time she killed him.  Three orcs remained: the chief, who was almost down to her level, the archer, and a smaller orc that looked magical.  Neither of the distant orcs moved toward her, and the chief only smiled.  He regarded his two dead fighters as garbage, hardly giving their sliced-up bodies a second look.  He held a much larger axe and a shield, and as he raised it in preparation for his attack on the woman, Esther knew he wouldn¡¯t take criticals as easily.  At least, not if she fought fair.


    The chief was 20 feet from her when Esther disappeared.  ¡°Kreeynk!¡± the leader shouted.  ¡°Kreeynk, show her to me.¡±  The archer looked at the spell caster, whose name was Kreeynk, and the nervous shaman worked on a spell to reveal the hidden woman.


    Esther didn¡¯t give him a chance.  She leaped from a high rock with her arms outstretched, having sheathed her weapons.  She latched on to the back of the orc and got to add her stealth score to her grapple check.  Even with a shield, the chief didn¡¯t have a chance.  Esther spent one of the crits to make the orc immobile and then used three more to snap his neck.  Esther landed gracefully on the ground as the huge fighter fell with a crash.  Her eyes never left the two remaining orcs, and even though she was standing in the clearing, an easy shot for the archer, neither of them moved.  It looked like they were going to run, but their eyes went wide and focused on something behind her.


    Esther turned to see an even bigger orc than the chief charge up behind her with a massive wolf by his side.  Before she could react, the orc swung a huge halberd at her.  Her instinct was to dodge, but the long polearm reached out and tangled her feet, so she fell flat on her back.  The wolf was on her in a flash, pinning her to the ground and licking her face.  ¡°Snowy,¡± Esther said as she pretended to fight the animal off.  ¡°You need to be fierce.¡±


    The intelligent wolf remembered her instructions, stopped licking, and growled viciously.  The new orc was beside the pair quickly and placed his giant boot on her chest, threatening to crush the life out of her.


    Esther grabbed his ankle and felt the angles and pivot points necessary to free herself and wrestle this monster to the ground.  She could reverse their positions, having him pinned to the ground and Helpless in seconds.  The orc felt the pressure on his calf and looked down.  ¡°Just lay there, Esther,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Don¡¯t make me actually attack you.  You shouldn¡¯t need to take any more damage.¡±  She lay still, but a smile spread on her face.  It looked like she was about to laugh when Jace shushed her.  ¡°Be quiet.  The other orcs are coming.  What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°I can see up your kilt.¡±


    Jace growled at her to match Snowy, which was perfectly in character.  He had returned his setting to their previous position after leaving Ironfel.  However, he had left his Environment a little higher, seeing the benefit in having a sense of smell and detecting temperature changes.  He had put his Sexuality back down again, but a few minutes ago, when he had resumed his orc appearance for this current charade, he found his muscles looked a little too plastic and unrealistic at the lower setting, and he had bumped himself up to medium. He didn¡¯t want to tip off Carrak that he was anything other than an orc.


    He had no choice but to give the prone woman a show for the next few moments as the two peon orcs made their way down to him.  ¡°Looks like you had a bit of trouble with this one,¡± Jace said in his deep voice.


    The two orcs hesitated.  Not only had this fighter taken out a woman who had easily killed the group¡¯s three best fighters, but he also spoke intelligently.  ¡°We would have caught her,¡± the archer said cautiously.  ¡°Maybe need more orcs.  But she no beat Carrak.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°The great Carrak-Deng.  Then I have come to the right place.¡±  He knew his speech was too refined, but it only lent to his air of superiority.  ¡°I wish to meet with your leader.  We have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°You come to serve Dresth¡¯Nal?¡± the smaller shaman asked.


    {The name of the demon,} Gracie advised.


    Jace had assumed.  ¡°I bring the stone of my own god,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I wish to compare the strength of every potential allegiance.  Two supreme beings cannot rule over the same realm if they oppose each other.  Perhaps we might form an alliance.¡±


    Jace¡¯s proposal was too complex for these simple orcs to understand, but they nodded anyway.  ¡°We bring you to see Carrak,¡± the archer replied.  ¡°You can bring the girl?¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Jace replied.  He began to remove his foot from Esther and could feel her body tense.  ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem,¡± he whispered, ¡°will it?¡±  He hoped her pride would allow him to restrain her, for he knew he couldn¡¯t if she didn¡¯t want him to.


    Esther complied, for now, and let Jace lift her off the ground and secure her hands behind her back.  He removed her weapons, but, as they had previously discussed, as he began to put them in his inventory, she let her elbow touch them, and they went into hers instead.  The two orcs didn¡¯t notice anything, and Jace made a mental reminder to ask Gracie how NPCs understood inventories.  Jace had Esther grappled, but since she did not fight back, he couldn¡¯t elevate the condition to Secure Grapple and had no way to pin her into a Helpless state.  He wasn¡¯t sure in which states one could access their inventory, so he hoped the orcs thought she was at least secure, and thus the weapons could have only gone into his inventory.


    Before they left, Kreeynk rummaged through the chief¡¯s body and found a pair of shackles.  ¡°So she does not escape,¡± the shaman explained as he tentatively offered the restraints to Jace, keeping his distance from the wolf who still bared her teeth.


    ¡°Do you have the key?¡± Jace asked.


    The other orc nodded and raised it in his hands, but he made no effort to hand it to Jace.  ¡°I will give it to Carrak,¡± he said, showing how far his trust in this new orc went.  After Jace had the shackles, the spell caster scampered further away and began turning to leave.


    The archer didn¡¯t turn as quickly, and Jace was forced to shackle his prisoner in front of him.  Jace looked at Esther pleadingly, as this had not been part of the original arrangement.  She rolled her eyes but nodded.  ¡°I didn¡¯t realize our relationship had already escalated to handcuffs,¡± she said under her breath.


    ¡°I thought it the logical next step,¡± Jace quipped back.  ¡°After all, I bought you pancakes.¡±


    {Don¡¯t worry,} Gracie said as he put her wrists in the cuffs.  {She has the Escape Artist feat and an unreal athletic skill.  As long as you don¡¯t make them too tight, she should be able to slip out of them in seconds.}


    Jace snapped the shackles closed and then turned to the archer for approval.  He nodded, and the two orcs followed after the shaman with Jace¡¯s hand on Esther¡¯s arm and Snowy pulling up the rear.

 Chapter 34: Orcish Accomidations

    As the orcs led Jace, Esther, and Snowy back up to the main trail and around the mountain to the west, Jace paid particular attention to the surroundings, treating this trek more like a property tour. The path they now walked was wide and skirted the principal peak in which he assumed the mine was. More prominent mountains rose in the west, and the sun peeked between them, providing the last minutes of daylight.


    Few trees grew in the stony ground at this elevation, but just several dozen feet below, a lush collection of pines gave the mountain a dense green skirt. Animals were scarce, but Jace bet the noisy orcs scared them away, and the trees were usually filled with life. It was only a few minutes of travel before they rounded an outcropping and saw the entrance to the cave.


    It didn¡¯t look like any mine Jace had seen before and was far more elaborate than the other two caverns he had invaded. He remembered this had been a gnome fortress at one time, and the industrious stoneworkers and seen fit to make the entry welcoming to visitors. The few weeks of orc occupation hadn¡¯t significantly affected the appearance yet.


    The entrance looked like it belonged to a castle with a drawbridge flanked by massive stone pillars on either side. Half a dozen burning braziers hung from chains to light the bridge, which was lowered for now. It spanned a narrow waterway fed by a miniature waterfall cascading down 50 feet to the left of the entrance. It then ran off to the north, likely spilling into a stream that eventually reached the main waterfall above Crestfall. Steps of polished limestone led up from the bridge to the entrance, with guards stationed on either side. High-relief sculptures of woodland creatures were carved into the stone around and above the arched entry, and two tall wooden doors stood open.


    To the gnomes, this entrance must have felt intimidating in its scope and size, but to an orc or human, it felt appropriately scaled and welcoming. The guards stiffened when they saw the approaching orcs. They couldn¡¯t figure out if they should relax when they saw the familiar archer and shaman or bar the entrance against Jace and his wicked halberd. And they had no idea how to react to Snowy or Esther. There were no wolves in these mountains, and while they expected a few human invaders from time to time, none of them looked like Esther.


    ¡°I have come to meet with your leader, Carrak-Deng,¡± Jace said, showing respect by staying on the far side of the bridge after the archer and shaman had already crossed. ¡°I have aided your orcs in capturing a human scout and wish to meet with your leader to discuss a possible alliance.¡±


    The guards thought about what to do, but, per the module¡¯s script, Carrak had been expecting them to arrive, and they didn¡¯t have to wait long before an impressive orc stepped through the open doors. Jace stood several feet below the entrance to the cavern, but even if he had climbed the steps before him, he would have to look up at this monster. Even though he was a mage, having ability scores of 24 in Strength and Constitution had transformed Carrak into a massive creature.


    ¡°Where is Orgalph?¡± Carrak asked the two remaining orcs from the scouting party.


    The archer orc fell to his knees before his master. ¡°The human killed him,¡± the orc reported.


    ¡°Which human?¡± the leader demanded.


    ¡°The woman in black.¡±


    Carrak scoffed as he looked at Esther briefly and then kept searching for someone else. ¡°I see only a little girl. Where is this female warrior that bested my lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Esther started, but Jace held her tight.


    ¡°Now¡¯s not the time,¡± he whispered. ¡°You can kill him later. Right now, we need to get in.¡±


    ¡°The woman is powerful,¡± the shaman agreed. ¡°She also killed our two fighters.¡±


    ¡°But you subdued her?¡± the doubt was evident in the leader¡¯s voice.


    ¡°The stranger came,¡± the archer said, looking over his shoulder at Jace. ¡°He beat her.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, the stranger,¡± Carrak said this loudly, so his voice carried to Jace. The mage had been ignoring this large orc on purpose. He had initially assumed Jace had challenged Orgalph¡¯s leadership and killed him. But if he had defeated this mysterious woman who had killed three of his best orcs, that was equally impressive. ¡°You come to my kingdom seeking an alliance?¡±


    ¡°I see no kingdom,¡± Jace replied. ¡°I see an orc in a hole in a mountain. I see potential, but no kingdom yet.¡±


    The archer and shaman were smart enough to understand a conflict was brewing and wanted nothing to do with it. They scampered around their leader and into the cavern behind him. Carrak just laughed. ¡°Bold you are, standing out in the cold all by yourself. I have a legion of orcs behind me and the power of a demon at my fingertips.¡±


    ¡°Orcs that couldn¡¯t defeat a little girl,¡± Jace continued his taunts, receiving a sharp elbow from Esther, ¡°and a demon trapped under a pile of rocks. I come bearing true power.¡± He had allowed Esther to pick the level 50 crystal from him earlier, and now she handed it back to him behind their backs. This allowed Jace to pull it out in the open without going into his inventory. He raised it high with his free left hand so it caught the last light of the setting sun. It seemed to explode with energy, taking in the sunlight, reflecting it internally 50 times, and then bursting like a supernova.


    Jace forced himself not to squint at the light, but the guards before him cowered in fear, and even Carrak winced at the display. It didn¡¯t last long as the sun finally disappeared over the jagged horizon, but it had done its job.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Carrak finally responded when he had regained his composure. ¡°But if you have such power, why come with peace talks? That is not the orc way. Only the strong survive.¡±


    ¡°That short-sided attitude is why the humans and elves always win,¡± Jace replied. ¡°Surely, with your demonic Wisdom, you know that. My forces to the northwest of here are strong and could easily defeat your pathetic band, but what would that gain me? I would lose fighters and spread out my forces. And if I ignore your growing enterprise,¡± Jace paused, hoping he wasn¡¯t laying it on too thick, ¡°we would eventually find ourselves fighting over the same territory. At that time, we would be too powerful to yield to each other. Now is the time for us to work out where we stand.¡±


    Carrak was unprepared to deal with this encounter, and Gandhi had to work overtime to adjust to Jace¡¯s improvisation. The PC thought he saw the mage initiate magic, likely to dispel any disguise Jace might be using, but there wasn¡¯t one. He was an orc. Instead, Carrak was forced to play along. ¡°Very well, I will hear what you have to say. Is it true what my scout has said? Did that woman kill my orcs?¡±


    Jace nodded. ¡°She caught them by surprise, but I subdued her and took her weapons. With her hands secured, she is no threat to you. I didn¡¯t kill her because it wasn¡¯t my place.¡±


    ¡°No, and a good thing too. It would have drawn too much attention, though I have difficulty believing she came from the village below.¡±


    Jace could tell Gandhi was trying to poke any hole she could at Jace¡¯s trickery, keeping the orc chief on edge. But he wasn¡¯t wrong either. The people of Crestfall had ruddy complexions and brown or blonde hair. With Ester¡¯s black hair, pale skin, and exotic dress, she didn¡¯t fit in. Still, her unique appearance played well into the mysterious abilities that allowed her to kill Orgalph. Jace said nothing and allowed that mystery to remain.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Carrak finally said. ¡°You may enter my realm. Is your wolf tame?¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± Jace replied, walking forward over the bridge and up the steps. ¡°She will stay by my side and not cause you any problems.¡±


    The chief nodded and signaled his two guards to take Esther from his honored guest. The guards were at the same level and strength as the two fighters Esther had effortlessly killed, and she smiled at them as they drew near. ¡°Be good,¡± Jace whispered as he shoved her forward and into the custody of the orcs. She snarled at them but didn¡¯t attack and allowed herself to be led inside. Carrak insisted Jace and Snowy go next, not about to put this newcomer at his back, and Jace accepted, following Esther inside.


    The entry hall to the cavern was impressive. It was an enormous domed room, obviously chiseled to perfection. No natural phenomenon could have produced an area like this. The floor was level, and the ceiling was a perfect half-sphere fifty feet high and twice that across. The circular room had several tunnels leading out, with the largest exit in the back. Jace watched the two orc guards lead Esther in that direction and hoped she would be okay. After they left the main room, they must have descended a flight of stairs, for their bodies disappeared quickly. That would be the way to the dungeon and the tunnels below. If his plan didn¡¯t work, he would have to run in that direction toward the gnomes.


    For now, Jace tried keeping worst-case scenarios out of his head and focused on the main room. It was mostly empty. A few animal rugs stood before the passageways, likely leading to personal quarters. But Jace focused on the pedestal toward the back of the room. They entered the circular room at the six o¡¯clock position, and the tunnel leading down was at ten. At two o¡¯clock stood a five-foot stone pillar two feet across. Hovering several inches above the flat top rotated a red stone nine inches across that looked like molten lava. It shone with a strange light and seemed in constant flux, though its perpetual movement made it hard to be sure.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Jace was drawn to it, and Carrak said nothing, allowing his visitor to appreciate the power he recently mocked. Without thinking, Jace was suddenly six feet away and could almost reach out and grab it, but he hesitated. ¡°Is it trapped?¡± Jace asked quietly.


    {No,} Gracie replied. {Just locked. Neither you nor Esther will be able to unlock it.}


    ¡°What about Topper?¡±


    {I doubt it,} she answered. {Though, he¡¯s never lived long enough for anyone to get a look at his character sheet.}


    Carrak saw his guest mumbling under his breath and thought he must be chanting or praying. ¡°Marvelous, isn¡¯t it?¡± the tall orc said, coming up behind Jace. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t need the sun¡¯s light to show forth its power.¡±


    ¡°I can hear the demon talking to me,¡± Jace lied, hoping his god would understand. ¡°He is intrigued by the power I carry.¡± That much was probably true. If this demon ¨C Dresth¡¯Nal, the other orc had called him ¨C could get his hands on a level 50 item, the realms might come to an end, MIM or not.


    Carrak could hear nothing, but he did not doubt the power of the one he served. ¡°Yes, perhaps there is wisdom in your offer.¡± They both stared at the rotating stone for a few moments before the mage ended their hypnosis. ¡°But first, you must relax. You have had a long journey, no doubt. You can take a rest in Orgalph¡¯s room. He doesn¡¯t need it anymore. Trixna will help ease your mind and body. Dinner will be ready in an hour. I need time to prepare a spell for that strange woman, and then we can talk business.¡±


    Jace pulled his eyes from the stone and nodded at the orc¡¯s proposition, not really hearing what he said. Carrak pointed to one of the tunnels leading away from the central room. A bear skin sat on the stone before it. He moved quickly away from the demon stone before it did whisper in his mind, and Snowy followed close on his heels.


    ¡°Esther will be okay, right?¡± Jace asked quietly. ¡°They won¡¯t . . . mistreat her?¡±


    {Don¡¯t worry about her,} Gracie assured him. {She is far more skilled than they are. You saw what she did to the guards back in Ironfel. These orcs aren¡¯t half that powerful. They won¡¯t be able to lay a hand on her. Besides, orc males don¡¯t really care for human women. They see them as weak and fragile. Other orcs treat someone who rapes a woman like we would treat a pedophile.}


    ¡°How do you get half-orcs then?¡±


    {Human males, on the other hand,} Gracie continued, {will %$#@ anything with two legs. However, I¡¯ve known a few who will make an exception for centaurs and, of course, mermaids. Females have the bigger sex drive when it comes to orcs, and they will often seek out human males since male orcs die so frequently. A human female would never be able to give birth to a half-orc anyway. It would kill her. Not that there are many births in the game. Unless it is specifically part of a quest, most monsters and NPCs are spawned.}


    Jace filed this information away, not knowing he would need it in a few minutes. The tunnel to his quarters was short, only 20 feet or so, but it snaked back and forth at several right angles preventing anyone from seeing into the room.


    There was no door, and Jace stood still in the entry to the large room, instantly sold on this cavern as his new home. Two large windows were carved into the far wall with views to the west. The sun was gone, but the orange sky over the snow-capped mountains was a view he knew he would never tire of. Chests, stone benches, and an armor rack stood in one corner of the room, next to a large desk carved into the wall. A huge wooden chair with furs draped over it sat before the desk with two lanterns hanging on either side. A massive bed stood between the windows, and a couch sat beside it. A wash basin stood outside a portioned-off room that was likely a bathing area. Probably never used by Orgalph, but if the gnomes had been forced to make this, they wouldn¡¯t know the washing habits of an orc.


    Another smaller tunnel led away from the main room, and Jace wondered what might be down there, but he would have time to explore later. Snowy saw a fireplace with warm embers and decided to flop down in front of it. Jace chose to walk over to the chests and rummaged through the equipment, looking for anything useful. Orgalph had a few gemstones and clothes but nothing too valuable. Having something other than a kilt to wear when he was an orc would be useful, but hopefully, he would have the run of this whole complex soon, and he could have his pick of any of the orcs¡¯ things. Carrak probably had a better selection.


    Jace saw a weapon rack against the wall and began to lean his halberd against it but changed his mind. He still wasn¡¯t completely used to the magical storage area he had built into his body and took a moment to put the halberd in his inventory. That reminded him of something he had been meaning to ask Gracie. ¡°How do NPCs regard their inventories? I mean, doesn¡¯t that make it obvious to them that they are in a game?¡±


    {Only if having storage like that isn¡¯t natural?} she countered. {From what I¡¯ve gathered, they view it like we view our memories. When you learn something new, you put it in your memory. You don¡¯t think about where you are putting it like you would if you were filing a physical piece of paper; you just store it without thinking. Then later, you can take that information or memory back out and use it. You always have some things ready, and others you must concentrate on to remember. For NPCs in this game, they treat physical objects the same way, and that doesn¡¯t seem odd to them because that is how it has always been. Some learn feats that give them instant access to select things in their inventory, and others have to roll their eyes up like the rest of us.}


    ¡°Esther seems to be able to produce the level 50 crystal quickly.¡± After storing the halberd, Jace had left his inventory and now held the crystal, slowly turning it over in his hands. He walked over to his bed and sat down.


    {When you take the Pick Pocket feat, you get a free gem bag,} Gracie explained. {This allows you to store gems in a quick slot, sort of like your coin pouch that everyone has. You don¡¯t need to go into your inventory to access your coins. She doesn¡¯t need to go into hers to access gems. The crystal is large, but it still qualifies.}


    Jace had to work hard not to be hypnotized by the object in his hands as the fading light in the room bounced around inside it. ¡°What does this thing even do? People are ready to kidnap and kill us for it, but I¡¯ve had it with me the whole time and haven¡¯t found a use for it. Surely if it were so powerful, it could have gotten me out of a few jams by now.¡±


    {You¡¯ve already experimented with putting spells and mana in objects,} Gracie explained. {The amount of mana an item can store is based on its level. As you know, a level 10 item can hold 250 mana. It is calculated by treating the object as a level ten character who has maxed out their Mana skill. This means they have 20 Spirit, which gives them a +10 base, they have the standard +5 that everything gets to Mana, and then they have a +10, assuming they put a skill point there on every level. That is a Mana skill of 25. Multiply that by level 10, and you get 250.


    {I imagine you can do the math for the level 50 crystal. It would be 10 + 5 + 50, all multiplied by 50. It comes to 3,250 Mana. Do you have any idea what you could do with that?}


    Jace had an idea but probably wasn¡¯t creative enough.


    {There are two ways of casting spells using items. You can store the magic or mana in the object ahead of time. This is what Esther does with her weapons and slashing protection ring. You guys don¡¯t have damage spells, but if you knew the fire spell, you could load fire mana into a weapon, and if it were a +3 weapon, it would do an additional +3 fire damage until the fire mana was used up. If the item had the explosive trait, like the axe you sold, it could release that fire mana all at once. Fighters like to do this because whomever they hit gets a chance to save against the magical damage. If you put the spell into the item ahead of time, the weapon determines the spell¡¯s difficulty. For a level 10 item, the spell difficulty would be the same as a level 10 mage with 20 Intelligence who put 10 skill points in Spell Difficulty. That would be 30. This is probably lower than an actual level 10 mage would have since they would take feats to make that higher, but it is way higher than an average fighter. Your spell difficulty is 5.


    {The other way to combine magic with an item is to cast in the moment. This is what you did with your healing spell and the halberd. The spell gains the weapon¡¯s properties, but the saving throw is based on the caster. Also, you can do as much damage as you want and are only limited by the mana capacity of the item, not whether it is a +1 or +3 weapon.}


    Jace nodded, understanding the strategic reasons for using both options.


    {Now imagine a wand with your crystal built into it. A high-level mage will probably have 500 to 700 mana, so they couldn¡¯t fill the level 50 crystal in one go, but as long as they cast the same spell, multiple mages can cast into the same device, or you can take a day of casting and generating mana to fill the item. If you used 250 mana to establish the range and spread, you could throw a fireball that could explode for 3000 mana, which is 600 damage. But it gets worse. The spell difficulty is 60. You have a high magic defense at 35, but you can see that you wouldn¡¯t be able to roll a 25 in defense. And if you rolled a 15 or less, you would fail critically and take +50% damage, which would be 900.}


    ¡°And I take extra fire damage anyway, thanks to Snowy, so it would be 1200.¡±


    {Yes, you would be dead many times over. But this is a fireball. If you spend 250 mana on its range and spread, you could throw it 100 feet and have it be 30 feet in radius. You could kill dozens of creatures in one shot.


    {But, that is being inefficient,} Gracie continued. {Instead, let¡¯s use only 2000 mana on the damage and the other 1000 mana to raise the spell¡¯s difficulty by 200. When the spell difficulty was 60, a few higher-level clerics or paladins could make the save and take half damage. If they critically succeed, they take no damage. But if you raise the difficulty to 260, forget about it. Everyone is failing that throw by 20 criticals, meaning the damage will be multiplied by 10. With 2000 mana, that would be 400 damage times 10.}


    Jace whistled and held the crystal more tentatively in his hands. ¡°If you spent more on the radius of the fireball, you could detonate this in the middle of a town and kill everyone.¡±


    {Exactly,} Gracie agreed. {Drescher could give it to one of his minions, walk him into the middle of an enemy stronghold, and annihilate it. But that is just a fire spell. Fire won¡¯t be useful if you fight a red dragon or someone with fire immunity. We talked about the death spell, where you must pay 50 mana per level to kill someone. A level 20 character like Carrak would take 1,000 mana, which no mage can access. Plus, you would want to add a range and pump up the difficulty since death save defenses are much higher than magic ones. With this crystal, you could fashion it into a death wand, and with 2,000 mana, you could kill a level 40 dragon and still have 1,250 mana to pump up the difficulty.}


    Jace was growing frightened and carefully put the crystal back into his inventory, understanding better how Drescher could never get his hands on this. Trying to focus on his mission at hand, he got up from the bed, ready to explore his room. He looked up and froze. The small passageway he had seen earlier that led to another room deeper into the mountain was no longer empty.


    Another orc stood in the doorway.


    A female orc.


    A female orc wearing nothing but a sheer chemise.


    {That would be Trixna,} Gracie said.


    Jace sighed. This wasn¡¯t part of the plan.

 Chapter 35: Roommates

    Esther was led down the sloping tunnel and tried to keep pace so the orcs didn¡¯t tug her too hard.  Interestingly, she respected the creatures for how they treated her.  They were rough but no more than they needed to be, and no one leered at her or offered her money for sex.  She understood from Jace that they weren¡¯t going to kill her but try and cast a spell to make her forget everything.  It was hard to forget violence if she were covered with bruises, so their light treatment of her was understandable, but they could have done many more things, and she would have just forgotten them.  It was a hard pill to swallow that these orcs were more of a gentleman than just about every player she had met outside of Jace.


    The walls were free of torches. Instead, carefully etched wards were engraved on the walls, glowing with a faint but sufficient light.  Orcs and gnomes could see well underground and didn¡¯t need blaring torches.  Luckily for Esther, vampires had excellent dark vision as well.


    They passed several rooms as they descended.  Esther saw storage rooms, bunkrooms, an armory, and two larger sections that looked like abandoned mining expeditions that had been turned into a mess hall and a combat practice room.


    They also passed lots of orcs.  Esther counted over a dozen of them.  Most were simply standing in the tunnel, and a few were in the rooms, but Esther thought it strange that so many guards would be kept at attention in the middle of the fortress.  She wasn¡¯t familiar with video games that placed enemies at standard intervals within a dungeon.  She understood that when the fighting started, most of these orcs would run down the tunnel and attack the gnomes working below.  She was going to be the protection against that.


    After a couple of minutes, they reached a level section of the cavern.  They stood on a ledge that stretched to her left and right at least 200 feet and overlooked a deep hollow cavity of the mountain where orcs and gnomes moved about.  It looked like the open pit of a vast quarry, only with a stone ceiling looming overhead.  The bottom of the mine was fifty feet down, and the already tiny gnomes looked even smaller as they moved about, hauling ore and ruble to excavate over a dozen tunnels snaking in and out of the cavern¡¯s walls.  Orcs watched over them, occasionally cracking whips to keep the slaves moving.


    Esther was jerked along before she could count how many orc guards there were and was led to the left along the ledge to a jail cell built into the stone wall.  Two orcs stood guard over the dungeon, and after ordering the gnome already inside to back up, one of them opened the steel door, and Esther was tossed inside.  She had to fake clumsiness to keep the orcs off-guard and tripped to the ground, rolling up against the back of the cell.  The acrobatic move was made more difficult with her wrists shackled behind her, but she was up to the task.  The door clanged shut behind her.


    The gnome rushed over to her, and Esther moved her legs about to arrange the skirt of her dress before he arrived.  ¡°Are you okay?¡± he asked with genuine concern.  ¡°They are monsters.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they are,¡± Esther agreed.  She was sitting up now and winced as she had hurt her shoulder a little in her tumbling routine.  ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we won¡¯t stay here long.¡±  Before the gnome could argue, she introduced herself.  ¡°My name is Esther.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Esther.  My name is Topprican, though my friends call me Topper.¡±


    The gnome was obviously nervous being near the beautiful woman and awkwardly offered his hand in greeting.  Esther was used to Jace¡¯s massive orc hands, an exquisite contrast to the gnome¡¯s diminutive fingers.  Either way, hers were still shackled behind her, and she gave the handshake a simple nod in response.  Topper blushed as he pulled his hand back, chiding himself for being stupid.  He was attractive, with curly brown hair, large eyes, and a smooth face.  His nervousness and small stature made him more ¡°cute¡± than ¡°handsome.¡±  A few gnomes had visited her in her previous life, but she tried to put those thoughts as far away as possible.  ¡°Pleasure to meet you, Topper.¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± he said, blushing further, ¡°the pleasure is all mine.¡±


    She worried for a moment that he might take it farther but left the compliment at that.  Being locked up in a dungeon with two orcs standing 20 feet away probably put a damper on any romantic intentions the gnome might have had.  Plus, the fact that she was shackled made anything he might desire highly inappropriate.  Esther had already begun wriggling out of her bonds, but she wasn¡¯t going to tell him that.


    ¡°I appreciate your optimism,¡± the gnome said, ¡°and you probably won¡¯t stay here long, but I¡¯ve been here for a few days already, and I don¡¯t see that changing.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Esther prompted, ¡°Did you pee in Carraks porridge?¡±


    Topper laughed.  ¡°No, but I should have.  I¡¯m not much for swinging a pickaxe.  I was our group¡¯s scout.  I guess I got caught sneaking around too much.  I never even reached the orc quarters at the top of that tunnel.  They always caught me before I could do anything.  Now they¡¯ve set up those stupid light wards, and I can¡¯t find a shadow to hide in.¡±


    Esther saw several of the magical lights in the dungeon area, tested her ability to hide in the shadows, and found no success.  That would make things difficult.


    ¡°What were you doing in these mountains?¡± he asked.  ¡°Are you from Crestfall?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come here to rescue you,¡± she said straight-faced.


    Topper laughed again.  ¡°I like you,¡± he said.  ¡°And not just because . . . I mean . . . how do you suppose it¡¯s going?  Your plan to rescue me?  I wouldn¡¯t guess being tossed in the dungeon was part of the mission.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Esther replied, ¡°it is.  I need to be at the bottom of the tunnel when the fighting starts to ensure your people are safe.¡±


    Topper nodded.  ¡°So, you have reinforcements that will attack from above.  I don¡¯t know what you can do from down here by yourself, and you better hurry because I¡¯ve heard the orcs talking about how they are going to get rid of us soon anyway.  My people are almost finished clearing out the tunnels, and when that happens . . .¡± he drew a line across his throat and made a cutting sound.  ¡°They won¡¯t need us anymore.  But . . .¡± he suddenly got even quieter, ¡°what they don¡¯t know is that we¡¯ve rigged those tunnels.  If you get out of here, get Carrak and his soldiers to chase you into the mines.  A path down to the lower levels is just a few feet to the left of this prison.  If you get them to follow you, I can show you a safe hiding spot, and we can crush them.¡±


    Esther nodded, having already heard this from Jace.  She wasn¡¯t sure how her leader knew this would happen, but she was starting to think Gracie was some kind of goddess that knew the future.  She smiled at Topper.  ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary.  My boss has it all under control.  We just need to sit tight and wait.¡±  She leaned against the uncomfortable stone wall and stretched her feet out in front of her.


    ¡°I wish I had your confidence,¡± he replied but mimicked her position and tried not to stare too hard at her legs.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    <hr>


    ¡°Trixna?¡± Jace asked.


    Snowy picked her head up off the floor as she realized someone else was there.  She took one look at the alluring female, felt her master could handle this, and went back to napping before the fire.


    The female orc didn¡¯t give the wolf much attention either and focused on Jace.  ¡°What happened to Orgalph?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Did you kill him?¡±


    He tried to detect emotion in her voice, but nothing was there.  The two orcs had a reasonably obvious relationship, but he didn¡¯t detect genuine love or loss in her voice.  ¡°I didn¡¯t.  But I defeated the one who did.¡±


    ¡°So, you are his replacement.  Do you need a reward for avenging him?¡±


    Jace was confused.  Trixna was utterly unnecessary.  No player could ever get into this room disguised as an orc.  The module shouldn¡¯t have this type of encounter in the game.  It was possible she would come racing out into the main hall once the fighting started, but Jace guessed this was Gandhi messing with him.


    ¡°A reward would be nice,¡± Jace said.


    This brought a smile to the female¡¯s face, and she strode away from her private room, a prominent sway of her hips with each step.  Jace did have to admit she was alluring in a way Esther could never be.  If he were in human form, he would be terrified of a female as tall and robust as Trixna, but now it felt like more of an adventure.  One he wasn¡¯t going to take.


    ¡°Do you have some mead?¡± he asked, rising from the bed.


    She stopped walking and looked confused.  ¡°Mead?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said.  ¡°To drink.  To celebrate my victory in battle.  To reward me.  Carrak has not been a good host so far.  He has invited me to dinner, but I am thirsty and hungry now.¡±


    ¡°I am your reward,¡± she stated bluntly.  ¡°As I have been for the last two orcs that have used this room and for dozens of orcs before that in our previous home.  It is my purpose.¡±


    ¡°Can you leave this room?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°If I am ordered to do so,¡± she replied.  ¡°I am very compliant.¡±  She said it in a flat tone.  Jace imagined Esther saying something like this in her previous life, and she would have added a curl of her lips and a knowing wink of her eye, but this female was as straightforward as possible.  Apparently, most male orcs didn¡¯t need to be seduced.


    ¡°Then I order you to go to the storage rooms where they keep the food and fetch me a tankard of the best mead or ale you have.  That shall be my reward.¡±


    Trixna looked confused, but she didn¡¯t argue.  ¡°As you wish.¡±  She sauntered past him, wafting an earthy aroma of moss and iron.  As soon as she was gone, Jace released the breath he had been holding.


    {I¡¯ll have you know the Germans are quite disappointed,} Gracie informed him.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t one of them be in bed,¡± Jace replied, knowing it had to be getting late.


    {If there is even a fraction of a chance that Esther will fight again, they aren¡¯t going anywhere.  I bet that they are staying awake until this is over.  You promised Drescher another meeting about four hours from now.  It will be after midnight here, but we have plenty of coffee.}


    Jace listened as he moved about the room.  Trixna¡¯s presence here still bothered him.  ¡°Does any of the walkthrough information mention my new roommate?¡±


    {Not that I can see,} Gracie reported.  {If you sneak into this cavern, you do so through Carrak¡¯s bedroom, and if you aren¡¯t quiet enough, two female orcs will come out of a side room to attack you.  Also, Gwen had to fight them off after she stole the demon stone.  The orc shaman closes off the main entrance during the fight, so she had to flee through Carrak¡¯s bedroom.  But those are different females.}


    Jace walked over to his window and determined that no one would ever enter or exit through it.  It looked out through a sheer cliff face, easily 100 feet from the next viable ledge below.  He also noticed inscriptions around the window etched into the stone.  He didn¡¯t know what they did precisely, but when he pulled his head back into the room after looking outside, he noticed a sharp temperature change.  The air in the room was much warmer, and he didn¡¯t feel a cool draft from the hole in the wall even though there was no glass or curtain.  The wards must creature a weather barrier that probably also kept the rain out.


    Jace got an idea and ran across his room to Trixna¡¯s.  He was instantly struck by how small it was.  She had room for a single bed with a chest at the end.  That was it.  He imagined Esther had more space in the dungeon she was in.


    {Going through her things?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°She is here for a reason,¡± Jace insisted.  ¡°I assume this room is on the walkthrough maps?¡±


    {Yes.  After you drop the tunnels on the orcs, you can come back here and go through all the rooms.  There are no orcs left, but you can loot anything you want.}


    ¡°Which means people have already been through this chest,¡± Jace said before opening it, knowing there wouldn¡¯t be anything surprising.  It was empty.  He closed it and sat on top, trying to think.


    ¡°Carrak had said Trixna would ease my mind and my body.  She must have some mental or stress-relieving magic.¡±


    {Sex is pretty cathartic,} Gracie argued.  {I think you are overthinking this one.}


    ¡°I overthink everything,¡± Jace agreed.  ¡°It¡¯s my thing.¡±


    He was still sitting on the closed chest when Trixna returned carrying the mug of ale.  ¡°As you requested,¡± she said, handing him the drink.  She then sat next to him, snuggling into his hip.  ¡°You are much more handsome than Orgalph was.¡±


    Jace rose from the chest quickly, draining half his drink.  It wasn¡¯t very good.  Not nearly as rich as what he had drank in Brett¡¯s diner.  ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jace asked bluntly, not caring about playing within the game¡¯s illusion.


    ¡°I am here for you,¡± she said.  ¡°To ease your mind and body.¡±


    ¡°How do you ease my mind?¡±


    An expression of confusion crossed her face, which was the only emotion she seemed able to show so far.  ¡°I can demonstrate if you like, but my bed really isn¡¯t big enough.  We can move into your room. . .¡±


    ¡°The ward on the window in my room.  It keeps the weather out.  You did that, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Trixna nodded.  ¡°I have some abjuration skill.  There is also a ward under your bed.  It will heighten your senses.  If you allow me, I can make you feel things you¡¯ve never experienced before.¡±


    ¡°The lights in the main hall and the tunnels are also wards, correct?¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°Carrak had me place them so thieves wouldn¡¯t be able to enter easily.  Though, I didn¡¯t put any in his room.¡±  She smiled a little at this.


    Jace noticed that the more he got her talking, the more Gandhi was forced to flesh out her character and motivations beyond being a sex slave.  ¡°Do you not like Carrak?¡±


    Now she frowned.  ¡°I will not be part of a rebellion,¡± she insisted.  ¡°If that is what you are planning.  I only . . . I mean . . . he has been very different since he arrived here.  He is determined to bring forth Dresth¡¯Nal and does not have time for anything else.¡±


    ¡°What else should he make time for?  Orcs must rule.  We are set upon by humans, elves, and dwarves.  Surely you see the need to strengthen our position.¡±


    ¡°To what end?¡± Trixna asked.  ¡°To kill, to feast, to mate and reproduce?  What of enjoyment?  What of chaos and excitement.¡±  She grew silent and introspective.  ¡°Jorkik, the orc who had this room before Orgalph, was exciting and free.  It was his idea not to protect Carrak¡¯s room from thieves.  There is a gnome ¨C Topper is what Jorkik called him ¨C who is always causing problems and trying to sabotage our food and supplies.  Jorkik thought it would be . . . interesting if the gnome made it to Carrak¡¯s room and caused a little chaos.  It didn¡¯t happen before he died.  Orgalph was more . . . more orcish.  He was more like Carrak.  He didn¡¯t have time for . . . distractions.¡±


    Jace could swear that Gandhi was trying to make Trixna say the word ¡°Fun,¡± but it wasn¡¯t in the orc¡¯s vocabulary.  The monsters weren¡¯t meant to have real lives or motivations outside of killing and destroying, but the more Jace pushed, the more the game was forced to accommodate him.


    ¡°You want excitement,¡± Jace asked.  ¡°You want a change from waiting in your room to find out if your mate is alive or dead?  I can give that to you.  I will meet with Carrak to discuss it.  Please stay here for now.  If you hear anything outside, do not leave your room.  Do you understand?¡±


    Trixna nodded.  ¡°I will obey.¡±  She tried out a curious facial expression for a few moments before continuing.  ¡°Are we not going to mate now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe later,¡± Jace said, hoping he could forestall the inevitable.  ¡°I will make sure someone sends food in for you.  Then see if you can get some sleep.¡±  Jace turned and left the female orc in her room.


    {What are you trying to do?} Gracie asked once Jace was alone.


    ¡°What I always do,¡± he replied, moving into his room and collapsing on the bed.


    {She can¡¯t join your party, and I don¡¯t think you want her to.}


    ¡°No,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°But she has some magical homemaking skills that might come in handy.¡±


    {She will not tolerate living here unless you sleep with her.  And Esther will probably kill her if she gets the chance.}


    ¡°Let me worry about that.¡±


    {Suit yourself.}


    Jace stared at the ceiling and wished there was a ¡°Rest until Dinner¡± option, but instead, he had to waste valuable time.  He filled it by worrying.

 Chapter 36: Warm Up Round

    Dinner was a meal of undercooked venison, some type of bread pudding made from soured cream, and copious amounts of ale. The orcs weren¡¯t big on vegetables. The dining area was through one of the tunnels off the main hall. Leading from the large room was access to a primitive kitchen and another area that looked suspiciously like a vomitorium. The table was made from a massive unfinished, live edge slab of rock, and Jace had to be careful not to cut himself on the jagged rim as he leaned forward. Gnomes worked in the kitchen under constant beratement from the orcs. Nothing was cooked fast enough, with enough spice, or to the desired doneness, but once the orcs were sitting around the table, they ate as if it were their last meal. Little did they know, it was.


    In addition to Carrak, another large orc named Grink, who had probably ranked just below Orgalph, joined them at the table. He also had a room off the main hall. The Shaman and Archer were there, along with two other fighters. The meal was served by two female orcs who wore tiny skirts and tight scarves tied around their chests. Jace assumed these were the ones Gracie had referenced. They gave as much abuse as they took, finding sport in all the slaps and jeers the males tossed at them. Jace had Snowy on the ground to his left, ensuring no one sat on that side.


    ¡°Do you have no appetite?¡± Carrak asked halfway through the meal, as Jace had done little more than drink the warm ale.


    ¡°How do you know the gnomes don¡¯t poison your food?¡± Jace asked.


    Carrak and Grink laughed heartily. ¡°I would think less of them if they didn¡¯t,¡± Carrak said. ¡°Do you really think a few drops from some insidious moss is going to affect us?¡± He clanged his mug against Grink¡¯s, and the two drank deeply. ¡°Maybe it will give us a little extra gas.¡±


    As if on cue, one of the other fighters belched loudly. ¡°That would explain why it feels like sleeping in a hot air balloon each night,¡± one of the females said.


    Carrak grabbed her arm and swung her down into his lap. ¡°Aye, but don¡¯t you test me.¡± He tried to grope her, but she slapped him away and got up.


    ¡°But maybe I should spend the night with our guest,¡± the female said, leering at Jace. He was more refined and controlled than the others, though he didn¡¯t know if that was a positive trait for this group.


    ¡°You be forgetting that he has Trixna,¡± Grink said. ¡°Don¡¯t know if there will be room in his bed for three. She can get a little wild if Orgalph wasn¡¯t lying.¡±


    The room got momentarily quiet as they remembered the fallen lieutenant. Carrak wordlessly raised his mug, and they all drank as one. ¡°Hard to believe that child we brought in killed him,¡± he said.


    ¡°Snapped his neck as soon as she touched him,¡± the archer spoke up. ¡°He was dead in a second. No blood to speak of.¡±


    Carrak slammed his fist on the table, toppling some of the emptier mugs. ¡°That is no way for an orc to die. Hopefully, some scavengers found him before his body cooled so his blood could find its way down to Dresth¡¯Nal.¡±


    The orcs were silent again after this short eulogy until Grink spoke. ¡°The girl has dark magic about her. It¡¯s best if we get her out of here sooner rather than later.¡±


    Carrak pounded the table again. ¡°Agreed.¡± He turned to the two nameless fighters. ¡°Go get the bitch and bring her to me. Careful not to hurt her.¡± The orcs nodded and left. Jace had difficulty keeping the smile off his face as he thought about what those orcs were in for. He covered his grin by taking another pull from his foul drink.


    <hr>


    Esther heard the guards coming while they were still far away, their inebriated revelries hard to miss.


    She and Topper had chatted on and off. He told her of their quest to find the gnome homeland and how he had family back across the sea waiting for some word of their journey. If they made it out of here alive, he would return to them, but if he didn¡¯t, he made Esther promise she would find a way to send word. She nodded in agreement with no intention of following through. When Topper asked about her past, she lied and said she was a student in Crestfall studying math and science. She also informed him that she had many suitors back in town to whom she was eager to return. This took the wind out of the gnome¡¯s sails a bit.


    ¡°How is your magic?¡± she asked when she heard the guards coming.


    ¡°I can cast a few spells,¡± he assured her.


    ¡°Good,¡± she replied and proceeded to remove her bracelet with the green gemstone that controlled her dog collar.


    Topper stared in awe, not so much at the bracelet but at the woman¡¯s hands suddenly in front of her. She had been shackled when she entered, and her wrists had been behind her against the wall ever since. Esther took a moment to understand the source of his surprise. ¡°Oh, these?¡± she asked as she picked up the cuffs from behind her. ¡°I took them off as soon as I got in.¡±


    As if the aspiring thief needed another reason to idolize the woman . . . Esther dismissed it. ¡°Forget about them. I¡¯ll teach you later. For now, put this on.¡± She handed him the bracelet.


    Topper¡¯s hands were not bound, and he obeyed the command. Neither NPC was startled when the jewelry shrunk to about half its size when it slid onto the diminutive gnome¡¯s wrists. That¡¯s just how the world worked. ¡°I am going to put a collar on one of these guards¡¯ necks.¡±


    ¡°Which guard?¡± he asked. He could see the two standing before the cell and hadn¡¯t heard the approaching ones yet.


    ¡°The one I don¡¯t kill,¡± Esther said matter-of-factly. ¡°When I do, dump mana into this, and you can control him. When I tell you, have him call all the guards from the mine below to come up. Understand?¡±


    Topper understood, but he had no idea how this woman was going to kill one of the guards while she was still trapped in the cell. He didn¡¯t even know about the two more still coming. She saw the confusion on his face and smiled at him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know what I¡¯m doing.¡± She stood before him and then quickly stepped back as she noticed the short gnome had an easy view up her dress. Instead, she distracted him with another trick. Two sheathed swords appeared suddenly on her hips. She drew one, held it behind her back, and the sheaths vanished again.


    The two guards stood with their backs to the jail cell. Watching the mining activity in the cavern below was far more interesting. Though she couldn¡¯t hide in the shadows, Esther could still move quietly and crept up right behind the guard on the left. Before attacking, she equipped the damage +6 belt she had taken from the half-orc guard in Ironfel and cast True Strike on herself. Her rapier came out from behind her, and she viciously stabbed it up into the side of the guard, just under his ribs.


    It was a Surprise Attack, but not as deadly as the one she had executed against the elf back in Ironfel when she had struck from the shadows, but it didn¡¯t need to be. These guards were only level 12 and had so many negative scores for their Wisdom and Spirit that they only had a Death save value of 13. Doing half of their 324 HP to force a Death save would be challenging, but with her Surprise Attack skill, she got the ability for free.


    With a roll of 11, she got a total hit of 56 against the orc¡¯s flat-footed AC of only 12. His shield was still on his hip. She spent all four criticals on multipliers and held her heavy weapon ability back, knowing she wouldn¡¯t need it. She did 120 damage, and the Orc didn¡¯t come close to saving. He dropped to the ground without so much as a grunt as his remaining health started dropping.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    His partner turned in surprise and saw Esther out of the corner of his eye. The stupid guard attacked with his axe on reflex. The woman stepped back, and the cheap blade clanged against the bars. The sudden stop of his weapon shook the orc, and Esther leaped forward, grabbed his right wrist, and grappled him into submission. She didn¡¯t need to spend a critical to consider him Helpless this time because she could pull him forward and pin him to the bars.


    Esther spent the criticals instead when casting her Enthrall spell. Once the orc relaxed, she allowed him to step away. The whole process took only a few seconds, and after she gave the command to have her slave toss his dying friend over the ledge, there was little evidence of what she had done when the two guards from above arrived. Esther had just enough time to bring her blade behind her and sit on the ground next to Topper. The gnome¡¯s jaw was on the floor.


    The two new orcs didn¡¯t notice the bloodstain on the ground, or if they did, thought it so commonplace that they didn¡¯t mention it. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be two of you?¡± one of the orcs said to the remaining guard.


    ¡°He had to take a piss,¡± Esther said from the cell. ¡°How much longer do we have to stay in here? I have to pee too.¡±


    The two new orcs chuckled at the woman¡¯s antics, quickly forgetting the missing guard as they unlocked the cell and stepped inside. As soon as the second one was past the enthralled guard, Esther mentally gave him the command to attack. His axe came in hard against the back of the unsuspecting orc, and the monster¡¯s HP dropped by a third. The lead orc made the fatal decision of turning to inspect the cry of pain, and Esther leaped onto his back, easily grappling him into submission and putting the dog collar on him. A second later, she had him on the ground Helpless and turned to Topper. ¡°Now,¡± she said. ¡°Use all the mana you¡¯ve got.¡±


    Once she felt the orc beneath her go limp with compliance, she leaped off his back and turned to regard the other two. Her thrall had the initial advantage, but she hadn¡¯t told him to get his shield off his hip, and Esther thought the orc from above was a better fighter anyway. They were at about equal health when the prison guard was backed up so far that he toppled over the edge into the mine. Esther ran up to the victor before he could turn around, stabbing a blade into his back just in time to get the flanking bonus. She caused him to drop his shield, grappled him to the ground, and tossed him over the edge too.


    She peeked below and saw three orcs with whips looking curiously as one orc after another had fallen to the rocky ground. It was a 50-foot drop and should have done enough additional damage to kill all but the first one, who was dying anyway. Esther snuck back from the ledge before they saw her and turned to Topper. ¡°Make your orc tell them to come up. He needs help.¡±


    The gnome had just enough composure to pick his jaw off the stone floor and follow directions. If he hadn¡¯t been in love with Esther before, he certainly was now. He gave the command and watched as his slave went to the edge of the walkway and called down to the other orcs. Esther held both her weapons now, and the two waited for more company.


    <hr>


    Jace endured the rest of the meal as best he could. The orc¡¯s raucous behavior was brutal to watch, but he needed to give Esther time. Food eventually disappeared from his plate, but only because he snuck pieces of the nearly raw venison under the table and fed them to Snowy. However, even the wolf didn¡¯t want to touch the soured pudding. By the time Grink declared he was going to have one of the females for ¡°dessert¡± and started clearing a spot on the table, Jace decided he had waited long enough.


    ¡°Where is the woman?¡± he asked, drawing attention to himself momentarily. ¡°Did your orcs get lost?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll bring her up in time,¡± Carrak said, dismissing his concern as he was more interested in watching the show that was about to take place.


    ¡°In time for what?¡± Jace persisted. ¡°It has been almost fifteen minutes.¡± That was an exaggeration, but he was sure the inebriated orcs had no sense of time. ¡°She killed Orgalph with her bare hands. Were the two orcs you sent better fighters than him?¡±


    This did secure Carrak¡¯s attention. ¡°Fine, if you are so concerned about it, perhaps you should go down and make sure she comes up safely. You did best her before, correct?¡±


    ¡°I will be back shortly,¡± Jace replied. He rose from the table, realizing his interruption had only delayed the inevitable and left with Snowy before the orgy got into full swing. Once out of the dining hall, Jace entered his inventory to get his new sword, Diamond Etcher. The halberd looked more orcish, but with the penalties he took using it, the sword was better. Plus, it had the parry ability, and he was eager to put his new feat to use.


    ¡°Run ahead and make sure Esther is okay,¡± Jace said to his familiar. Snowy took off like white lightning down the tunnel, much faster than Jace could run. He also stole all the guards'' attention, so they looked after the wolf with their backs to Jace as he followed behind. He cast his new athletic boon, increasing his skill by 10 points for ten rounds at a cost of 150 mana. Jace also spent 100 mana on his new level ten Armor totem, picking a spot 120 feet ahead in the tunnel so that it blended nicely with the environment. ¡°I would like some number feedback on how this works,¡± he muttered as he crept down the tunnel toward the guards.


    {Roger that,} Gracie replied.


    Unlike Esther, he felt bad about attacking enemies in the back and called out to the first pair as he approached.


    They were all level 12, wearing chainmail and carrying axes and shields. Jace¡¯s initial assessment of their fighting skill let him know they didn¡¯t have half the feats Drescher had given his guards, and their AC should be easy to hit. Because he called out to them and they were at a higher level, they got the initiative and responded to his raised sword predictably. The game gave Jace a chance to deflect both attacks, as they didn¡¯t come simultaneously, and he maneuvered his weapon deftly, barely knocking both strikes wide.


    {It looks like they have +18 to attack,} Gracie reported. {Your base AC is at 28, so they need to roll a 10+ to hit you. In that last attack, they rolled a 12 and 15, so you needed a parry of 6+ to block them. With your boosted athleticism and the +3 from your sword, your lowest parry score would be 13. Your two parries just now were low, with rolls of 3 and 7.}


    Jace heard all this as he counter-struck. He felt the game tug him toward the second orc that had attacked him, the one he had parried with a 7, but in his mind, he was already planning to attack the first one. Per the combat rules, he only got a crit on the first attack, but it was a double, and he stunned the orc while dealing 90 damage to one and 45 to the other. He focused on the un-stunned orc for the next attack and had to block his initial strike first. Able to concentrate on only one attacker, he lined up a better block and was rewarded with triple crit in response. He was able to stun him and do 135 damage.


    {That was a much better parry roll of 12, beating his attack by 17. If you get a critical result in your parry, which is when you beat his attack by more than ten, you trigger the counter-strike ability and get a free crit in your next attack. You should be getting that a lot.}


    Jace grinned as he added another 45 damage to the second orc, leaving him with 100. The first orc regained mobility, and Jace deflected his attack before finishing the still-stunned enemy with another triple crit. He realized that he could put his parrying on auto and still reliably get a 20+ parry score, which would make him almost unhittable. But he wanted to do better.


    He turned to the active orc and held off his stun ability, focusing only on damage and parrying. He couldn¡¯t practice long, for as the second round started, and he was given a chance to do crits again, he killed the orc with another counter strike.


    He had taken no damage in the fight and felt good. With his new weapon critting on 18-20, he didn¡¯t need to line up the perfect shot to kill the creatures, but if he did, he saw he could easily do enough damage in one strike to hit the 162 damage necessary to exceed half their HP. A 4x damage strike was worth 180.


    {Remember that your sword has the Cleave ability,} Gracie said as Jace ran down the tunnel toward the next pair of orcs.


    ¡°I remember Wallace said that,¡± Jace replied, ¡°but I don¡¯t know what it is.¡±


    {It means if you do a crit on your first strike that leaves your opponent Helpless or worse, you can do a second crit that round against a different enemy.}


    Jace¡¯s eyes lit up at the possibilities as he found the next pair of guards staring down after the retreating wolf.  Jace also realized that getting a +5 bonus to his attack for catching them flat-footed wasn¡¯t as advantageous as the +10 he could get from a good parry.  So he called out to them again, blocked both incoming attacks, and executed what he hoped was a perfect 20 strike back at one of them.  He was rewarded with six criticals and didn¡¯t need to waste one on his stun ability, as the 7x damage nearly killed him outright.


    {That was a 17 roll on your parry,} Gracie told him.  {You beat his attack by over 20, giving you two free criticals, which were added to your attack.}


    As the guard fell to the ground bleeding out from one shot, the other orc got nervous.  Jace wondered if the scared creature was actually suffering from a game-induced bane because he skipped his second attack that round, and Jace used the Cleave ability of the sword to do four more crits.  The 5x damage dropped the second orc next to his friend. He had just sent both orcs into a death spiral in one round and looked at his sword in awe.  This was too easy.  He knew Carrak was supposed to be more challenging, but right now, he felt invincible.

 Chapter 37: The Main Event

    Esther dropped the last of the orcs and landed lightly on her feet as the huge body hit the stone lifeless. The three mining guards had been using whips, which had provided a considerable attack bonus, but didn¡¯t do much damage, and it was slashing damage, so her ring took most of it. Without shields, Esther had been able to use her rapiers to get multiple crits on each attack and constantly made them drop their weapons or did extra damage.


    With three of them working in coordination, she couldn¡¯t easily grapple any of them since the other two could hit her and got bonuses since she was considered flat-footed and flanked. So, she had to fight old school, hasting herself, dodging, and getting three attacks per round. She had managed to maneuver one of the oafs off the ledge during the middle of the fight. He had been healthy enough that the damage from the fall hadn¡¯t killed him, but it did give her a chance against only two of the monsters. She killed one when the injured one made it back up to the ledge, and then she killed him shortly after.


    By that time, her ring was depleted, and she was down to about half health. The whips only did 15 damage, and without her armor, she only had a Damage Reduction of 4, so it was 11 damage piled on her time and again. It was death by a thousand cuts, which was kind of the point of the weapon. But, with only one orc left, she successfully grappled onto his back and sucked him dry. She healed herself first and then replenished her mana with the rest. It was more than enough to bring her back to full, and she used the excess to refill her ring.


    When it was over, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and looked over at Topper. The gnome was in shock. First, he had watched her play the control game on the initial four orcs when they were still locked in the cell. Then she had been a whirling image of steel and black gossamer as her skirt flared and fell with each pirouette and strike, dancing between the three orcs and their whips. Now, in the end, she had sucked the life out of an almost full-health orc as casually as if she were drinking a cup of tea.


    ¡°Ready to go?¡± she asked, her blood pumping. She had asked him to keep his controlled orc out of combat. No sense in having the bodyguard injured in a fight Esther could easily handle herself.


    Topper eventually nodded and had to wipe his own mouth as drool began forming.


    ¡°Good, take your pet and let¡¯s go. I think I hear Snowy coming.¡±


    ¡°Snowy?¡± he said, managing to find his voice.


    She didn¡¯t answer, and the gnome saw a massive wolf barrel down the long tunnel and stop just before careening over the ledge. The animal turned, saw Esther, and leaped toward her. Topper screamed out in fright, but Snowy didn¡¯t attack the woman, only snuggled into her, growling in satisfaction. ¡°Good girl,¡± Esther said. ¡°This is Topper,¡± she pointed at the gnome who wasn¡¯t dealing with these ongoing shocking events well. ¡°Don¡¯t eat him.¡± Snowy barked an affirmative. ¡°Good, now let¡¯s kill some orcs.¡±


    She turned to Topper. ¡°On second thought, you stay here. Make sure nothing gets past you and into the mine. Your people should be safe. No reason to drop the tunnels.¡±


    Topper nodded and gripped his bracelet tightly as he looked at the placid orc standing by his side. He had generated a few mana since activating the bracelet, and he dumped it all in, unsure of how long the spell lasted and not wanting to be near the bodyguard when it expired. In reality, if he stayed out of combat, the spell should last over an hour.


    Esther and Snowy marched up the tunnel and saw the first two orcs waiting for them 50 feet ahead. Esther hit one with a charm spell, and Snowy tackled the other with a leaping charge. The wolf took a hit first, which made Esther wince, but before the charmed orc could pile onto the injured animal, the woman was on his back, subduing him. She managed to press him up against the wall to pin him and then cast her enthrall spell again. After that, three very different attackers pummeled the orc on the floor, ending him quickly. They continued up the tunnel.


    <hr>


    Jace dispatched two more pairs of orcs before meeting with Esther and Snowy. The vampire had used her thrall to take the initial shots with the last group they had met, and he was down to half health but still well under Esther¡¯s control.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jace asked. He could see she was at full HP, but he was still worried the orcs had mistreated her in other ways. After all, they were going to cast a spell to make her forget everything.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, you?¡±


    Jace nodded. He hadn¡¯t been hit yet.


    ¡°How do you like Etcher?¡± she asked, referring to the sword.


    ¡°I love it, thanks. Hopefully, it can take out Carrak; he is supposed to be a demon.¡±


    ¡°So you know what is going to happen?¡± Esther asked, seeing if she could pry out some of the secretive precognition her leader seemed to have.


    ¡°I know the only sure way to kill him is to lead him below and drop the tunnels, but then all the gnomes are killed too. Are they safe?¡±


    Esther nodded. ¡°I left one of them down there with a charmed orc to stand guard in case something gets past us, but I don¡¯t see that happening. What did you leave up top?¡±


    ¡°Four fighting orcs and two females. The shaman and archer shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, but we should take them down quickly if we don¡¯t want their spells and arrows pestering us while we deal with the other two.¡±


    ¡°And the females?¡± Esther asked curiously. She had never seen a female orc before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jace replied.


    {They are good with knives,} Gracie chimed in. {At least, that is what they use to attack you if you sneak in or out through Carrak¡¯s quarters.}


    Jace relayed the information to Esther.


    ¡°And what were they doing when you left them?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not say,¡± Jace replied.


    Esther grinned, knowing full well what her boss found distasteful. ¡°So, if we hurry, we can catch them with their pants down?¡±


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Literally speaking,¡± Jace confirmed.


    <hr>


    When Jace and Esther returned to the main hall, they were prepared for anything. Jace had picked up his armor totem along the way and recast it inside the tunnel entrance to cover the entire 100-foot area. He also refreshed his Athletic boon, which had expired. Together, both spells cost 250 of his 260 available mana, and he still wanted to cast his Damage Sink totem but would have to wait for a few more rounds until he generated more. Esther was full on everything, her two weapons were loaded with Heavy Weapon, and her slashing protection ring was charged. She went with her damage belt for this encounter, hoping she wouldn¡¯t need the grappling or death protection the other one provided.


    The orcs weren''t in the dining hall anymore. Things had escalated to such a degree on the table that the four orcs involved thought it best to move to a more comfortable environment. Carrak and Grint did not have their pants down, as it was hard to walk that way, but they had to hastily re-buckle them when they saw the diverse group enter the hall. They had been halfway across toward Carrak¡¯s room but realized something was wrong. The females were laughing and running ahead but stopped when they sensed the mood in the cavern shift.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Carrack asked angrily. Not only was Esther not shackled, but she held her weapons. One of his orcs stood with this group, armed and looking warily at his old master.


    ¡°This is the end,¡± Jace informed. ¡°All your orcs are dead. The gnomes are safe, and you have lost.¡±


    ¡°Kreeynk and Worcht!¡± Carrak cried. ¡°Get out here.¡±


    The shaman and archer exited the dining hall where they had been stuffing their faces. At first, they thought they might be receiving ¡°dessert¡± invitations but quickly saw that wasn¡¯t the case. Worcht went into his inventory to get his bow and arrows.


    Jace was too far away to take advantage of the move, and when he turned back to Carrak, he saw that Grink was now wearing full plate armor and held a shield and mace, while the two females were dual-wielding long knives. Jace hadn¡¯t seen a level or HP above them before, but now he saw they were level 12 with 288 HP. They were probably rogues. Grink was level 15 with 450 HP. But Carrak was who Jace was really worried about. He was level 20 with 860 HP. As he stood there, black demon scales appeared over his body, and a long sword grew in his hand like a steel lightsaber, only it glowed black in the magical light of the hall. A shield also formed on his arm, made of the same black scales as his armor.


    ¡°Not all my orcs are dead,¡± he replied. ¡°And I am certainly not. However, all of you soon will be.¡± His angry face turned slowly into a grin. ¡°Attack!¡±


    Everything happened at once.


    Esther and Snowy ran around the lead orc, the woman casting haste on herself. The room was still magically illuminated, so she couldn¡¯t hide or shadow-step, but she was fast enough. Grink stood behind his master, and Snowy leaped at the orc, taking a vicious hit from the mace but toppling the fighter backward. Esther wanted nothing to do with the mace, as her ring would offer her no protection, and she still felt naked without her armor. Instead, she continued past the tumbling pair and engaged the women. Her thrall went toward the dining hall, collecting a couple of arrows from Worcht but eventually getting close enough to engage him in melee, which gave the injured creature a considerable advantage over the archer.


    Jace kept his eyes on Carrak, but he felt a magical surge in the room and watched as a totem rose in the center of the circular hall. {That is a boon to give all the orcs a +5 while attacking,} Gracie informed him.


    ¡°Keep me updated on the numbers,¡± he said as he strode toward Carrak. The level 20 orc had the clear initiative and struck first in a powerful overhand chop. Jace got his sword up to block, but his arms buckled, barely able to deflect the weapon to the side. He didn¡¯t expect much of a counterstrike and wasn¡¯t surprised when his attack bounced harmlessly off the raised shield. Carrak¡¯s second attack was weaker, and Jace deflected it low before coming up with his own that ricocheted off the guard again.


    {Wow, this is going to be trouble,} Gracie informed him. {His demonic equipment is giving him a base AC of 42. He has enough feats that when he raises his shield, it increases to 55. Your max attack if you roll a 20 is 49. Which means you can¡¯t mathematically hit him.}


    Jace listened to these numbers as they went through another round of combat, neither of the fighters hitting the other. ¡°There must be a way,¡± he said, not caring that Carrak would hear him.


    ¡°Give up,¡± Carrak said in reply before Gracie chimed in. ¡°There is no way you can beat me. Join me instead, and I will show you true power.¡±


    {You can hit him,} Gracie confirmed. {You need to get within ten and do a double critical. Since he is 10+ levels above you, he cancels one of the crits, but the other will change your miss to a hit. You won¡¯t get any critical bonuses, but you can hit him. You can do this two ways: get a 20 in the attack or parry his strike by more than 10 and then roll an 18 or 19 back at him since your weapon does crits on those numbers too.}


    Jace usually found it easy to get 20s in his attacks, but now that he had to put forth so much effort in parrying, his weapon was rarely in the correct position. Occasionally the game would tell him he got a crit, but it must have been an 18 or 19, as the game said it was canceled.


    {His attack his 36,} Gracie continued, {and your base parry defense is 41, meaning he is already at a five-point disadvantage. If your parry roll beats his attack by five or more, you will get a free crit in the next exchange. So far, your parries have only been enough to deflect his attacks. You need to try and get some strong blocks.}


    Jace was too used to sparring in real life, where you didn¡¯t get any bonus for perfectly intercepting an attack; instead, you wanted to do just enough to deflect it without ruining your rhythm. As the next round started, he changed strategies and caught the orc¡¯s attack at a perfect right angle, and the powerful strike stopped cold. The huge orc looked stunned for a moment, and Jace saw an opening away from his shield. He had to rotate his sword unnaturally from the strong parry, but the game gave him time, and he finally made contact with the orc¡¯s side.


    [Double Critical. One canceled. Miss upgraded to hit.]


    Carrak winced but didn¡¯t seem hurt much and returned an attack. Jace saw his adversary¡¯s health drop by 13. He was so disheartened by the small amount that he nearly failed to block the next strike, but the game put him on automatic, and he got lucky enough with his roll to stop it, but his lackluster second attack that round didn¡¯t have a chance.


    {He has a Damage Reduction of 36,} Gracie said. Even as she reported this, Carrak skipped his next attack, and his health jumped back to full. {Also, because he has +18 for all his skills, he also has +18 to Heal. This means he can cast a five-mana healing spell and recover 19 health. You need to do better.}


    Jace hunkered down and repeated the process. This time after his parry, he focused on the weak opening and slowed his attack down just enough to register a 20.


    [Triple Critical. One Canceled. Miss upgraded to hit. Stun; 1x damage? 2x damage?]


    Jace knew the Stun wouldn¡¯t have a chance and chose the double damage and got 62 through. Carrak barely noticed and just struck back harder.


    Jace peddled and was startled as he came up against a stone barrier. He felt he was still in the middle of the hall but noticed that dozens of pillars rose from the floor, creating a forest of stone trunks seven feet high. One of the pillars rose before Carrak, but it didn¡¯t faze him, and he stepped right through it.


    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked as he blocked two more strikes. While stepping around the obstacles, Jace didn¡¯t get solid blocks on either attack and didn¡¯t bother striking back, still trying to find a clear opening in which to work.


    {Swarm Field,} Gracie replied. {Your shaman friend is having fun casting boons for his friends. Each post is like a swarming enemy for your opponents. They don¡¯t attack, but the orcs will get a +5 advantage for each pillar next to you. And everyone in the shaman¡¯s party can move and attack through them as if they weren¡¯t there.}


    Jace stood next to two of the posts during the following exchange and now understood that he needed to beat the orc¡¯s attack by five not to get hit, and if Carrak rolled a 16+, there was nothing he could do but get a 20 parry. The last strike that round must have been high because Jace thought he executed a good block, but the battle mage¡¯s sword broke through and hit him for 22. Jace was beginning to realize how hopeless this was, and the tunnels below seemed like a safe choice, but he wasn¡¯t ready to give up quite yet. He had one more trick up his sleeve.

 Chapter 38: The Angel of Death

    Esther approached the two females carefully, not having the advantage of Gracie in her head.  With a knife in each of their hands, and their cat-like stance, she assumed they would have a similar fighting style as herself, but she was willing to bet the apparent sex slaves didn¡¯t have half her skill.  She was right.


    They had no armor to speak of and were barely wearing any clothes.  One had a skirt, while the other only wore a scarf across her chest.  Esther dutifully named them Skirt and Scarf and tried not to let her curiosity get the better of her as she wondered how orc anatomy differed from hers.  Since they were dodging, they each had only two standard attacks per round.  They had initiative, and Esther deftly avoided both swipes, her hasted condition giving her an additional +5 to her Dodge skill.  She struck back at Skirt and got a double crit.  She sent it all to damage, keeping her Heavy Weapon ability at bay and testing the female¡¯s resiliency.  She was guessing she would need the Heavy Weapons against the male orcs.  She did 65 damage, which dropped Skirt¡¯s health by about 25%.  The orc screamed in pain and neglected her second attack, dropping out of reach.


    Esther needed to dodge one more strike from Scarf, which got lucky and hit for seven damage.  Her ring absorbed it, and Ester returned with two more strikes that round, each limited to 17 per attack.  Esther felt like she couldn¡¯t miss, and truth be told, even rolling a 1 with her off-hand would still be ten over their AC.


    The two females recognized how badly they were outmatched and yelled for help.  ¡°Kreeynk!¡± they called for the shaman.  ¡°It¡¯s too bright in here.¡±


    The male orc had just cast his attack boon for the group and was now watching the archer next to him get pummeled by one of their own guards, who seemed to be under some kind of spell.  While searching for a boon to help him, he heard the two females calling.  After a quick look in their direction, he saw one of them clutching their side while the other tried to face off against the woman in black and took a tremendous blow, followed by two more that brought her total health below half.


    The females usually lurked in the shadows at night, visiting several rooms without Carrak¡¯s knowledge.  The lights Trixna had installed prevented that.  Knowing this might happen if they were attacked, he had memorized something to counter the light and cast it quickly.  Around the perimeter of the hall, the lights went out, leaving a shadowed ring around the center.  There was still enough illumination from the wards cast high up on the domed ceiling to see, but they didn¡¯t reach far enough to light the edges thoroughly.


    Esther didn¡¯t notice the change immediately and focused on Scarf, knowing it would only take two more rounds to kill her.  The female orc gritted her teeth in determination but missed her next strike and took another 3x damage from Esther.  She got lucky on her second attack that round, but Esther didn¡¯t flinch as she struck back with another 17-point attack.  She did flinch, however, as she felt a searing pain in her back.


    Skirt had slipped into the shadows, gotten behind the woman, and then struck with a massive advantage, adding a +5 flanking bonus to her 18 stealth skill.  She not only hit but got three criticals as Esther couldn¡¯t dodge what she didn¡¯t see.  Skirt spent one to enact her weapon¡¯s bleeding trait and did 29 damage additionally.  All the knife attacks had gone into Esther¡¯s ring so far, but the bleeding damage, which was equal to the knife¡¯s base damage and reduced by one each round, went to her HP.


    The wounded woman turned on the orc and caught her with her third attack that round, doing only standard damage.  Skirt cried in pain again but cast a spell to disappear back into the shadows.  ¡°I can play too,¡± Esther said, enacting her own ability to hide, but it didn¡¯t work.  Esther forgot she couldn¡¯t lurk in the shadows when hasted.  Plus, as the next round started and a wave of pain rolled through her from the bleeding condition, that would have also taken her out of the shadows.


    Esther turned desperately toward Scarf, but that female was also gone.  She knew from experience that if she was looking directly at them, they couldn¡¯t hide without magic, but if she turned her back on one of them, they could disappear in the shadows for free.


    The foolish females laughed at their prey as Esther spun about, trying to locate the sound, but it came from multiple directions, and she couldn¡¯t pinpoint it before both orcs attacked at once from opposite sides.  They each got a flanking bonus this time, and both did double criticals.  Her ring could take all the knife damage, but she now had three bleeding conditions.  While it wasn¡¯t that big a drain on her HP, the stacked conditions prevented her from doing criticals in return.  She managed to hit Scarf with another strike, but when she turned toward Skirt, trying to catch the orc before she disappeared again, a stone post rose from the ground right before her, and she crashed into it.  In addition to giving the orcs bonuses to attack, the Swarm Field also aided in dodging, and Esther flailed desperately at Skirt as she dove behind a post and evaded the woman for the first time this fight.


    Once again, they both disappeared before the start of the next round, and Esther spun about in frustration.  She didn¡¯t know the purpose of the posts and assumed they would hinder her attackers as much as her, so she placed her back against one and turned so another stood just before her.  It didn¡¯t help.  Scarf seemed to materialize directly out of the post in front of her as she leaped out of the shadows and through the stone.  Her knife sunk deep into Esther¡¯s chest, and she put it all to damage.  From behind, Esther felt Skirt stab straight through the post into her back, weakening her knees.  By the end of that round, her ring was empty, and the females had put two more bleeding conditions into her.  Esther gave in and started using her Heavy Weapons, elevating her attacks to 30 damage, but now she had problems hitting them as they darted in and out of the posts.


    Esther ran.  She didn¡¯t know where at first, but weaving through the posts with her accelerated speed, she knew she could put space between her and the females.  Also, the center of the room seemed to be more illuminated.  Her body jerked at the start of the next round as almost 20 HP bled out of her, and she nearly crashed into a stone post.


    Instead, she just avoided it and saw Snowy whimpering before her in a similarly desperate situation.  Grink was not without his own injuries, but Snowy looked near death, and the orc was getting ready to finish her off.  Esther didn¡¯t slow down, ran up the back of the distracted orc, took advantage of the flanking bonus Snowy gave her, and grappled the big orc into submission.  She didn¡¯t get a critical success to render him Helpless, but with Snowy¡¯s help, they tripped him to the ground.


    Esther knew she couldn¡¯t engage with the orc for long, or the Females would attack her from behind, and she would be flat-footed on the male¡¯s back.  Instead, she led Snowy away from the scene, hoping the orc wouldn¡¯t pursue.  ¡°Girl,¡± Esther said, gasping in pain as another round started.  ¡°I need to find these orcs.¡±  She held out her blades, covered in the females¡¯ blood.  Esther had to stop to let the wolf sniff the orc¡¯s scent, but it didn¡¯t take long.


    <Over there,> Snowy communicated.  Esther didn¡¯t know how to link senses with the animal, but at level 10, Snowy was smart enough to do it for her.


    Suddenly the cavern shifted as Esther saw what the wolf did.  It took her a moment to adjust, but soon she found the two female orcs stalking toward her.  She saw more clearly now that they didn¡¯t have to avoid the stone posts and knew they wouldn¡¯t aid her in any way.  Esther didn¡¯t stare too long, lest the orcs figure out that she could see them but took off running on an intercept course that would appear random.


    Right when the orcs were close enough to leap out at her again, Esther and Snowy turned toward them and attacked.  Since they were seen while leaping out of the shadows, the two females lost the initiative and were caught flat-footed.  By this time, Esther only had one active bleeding condition, and she was no longer prevented from getting criticals.  Her blade sunk deep into Skirt¡¯s chest, fully using the Heavy Weapon.  She got a quadruple crit this time since the orc couldn¡¯t Dodge, and the 5x damage killed her before she could strike back.  Snowy had intercepted the attack of the other orc, doing enough damage to almost render her lifeless as well.  With Scarf pinned beneath the wolf¡¯s paws, Esther finished the job.


    Snowy took a moment to heal herself and Esther while the woman looked around for their next targets.  She saw her thrall still standing, but he wasn¡¯t moving.  The archer lay dead at his feet, but now the shaman was pounding on him with his staff after having cast some immobilizing spell on him.  ¡°Go kill the shaman,¡± Esther said, thinking it would be easy for the wolf.  ¡°I¡¯m going to help Jace.¡±


    <hr>


    Jace needed help.


    He had only been able to get the perfect parry / 20-attack combo one other time in the last few rounds, but Carrak had already healed himself back to full health.  Meanwhile, he had taken several hits in return.  The huge orc was getting +10 or +15 to each strike, depending on the posts they fought near.


    Jace needed help, but when Grink came jogging over to join the fight, it wasn¡¯t the kind of assistance he was looking for.  This new orc had lost a few of his original 450 HP, but he was still in better shape than Jace.  Since the lieutenant was a fighter, not a mage, he had better attack and damage stats than his master.  The smaller orc didn¡¯t have the defense, though, and since he was wielding a large shield, he didn¡¯t get a second attack when he raised it.  Carrak¡¯s shield was considered a medium, even though it offered him more protection than Grink¡¯s.  Jace was tempted to turn his attention to the smaller orc, seeing that he could do damage, but he found that parrying the mace the fighter used was too different, and he couldn¡¯t combo a good counterstrike.


    Jace¡¯s mana was now high enough again for him to cast his Damage Sink totem, but without the quick cast feat, it would take him a full round.  After maneuvering himself around Carrak to block the lieutenant, Jace was only standing next to two posts, and he wasted his round to cast the totem.  With dozens of pillars in the room, he reached out to one shorter and wider than the rest and placed the totem sideways on the pedestal that held the demon stone.  He saw Snowy fighting the shaman not too far from his totem, and he knew she would have to get clear before he executed his plan.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The reward for his effort was a full round of attacks from Carrak, and one from Grink, as the second orc made it around his master just in time.  Since he was casting, he wasn¡¯t parrying.  Jace took a double crit from Carrak, which dealt 90 damage, and then a second attack for 22.  Grink added his own triple crit, taking advantage of the flanking bonus Carrak gave him.  His 4x damage strike did 120 damage.  Before Jace¡¯s totem was one round old, it had already taken 232 damage of its available 260.


    Jace hastily went back into his parry mode, bocking both of Carrak¡¯s attacks but failing to deflect Grink¡¯s mace.  He did 21 damage, taking Jace¡¯s totem to within 7 points of failure.  For his plan to work, Jace needed to absorb another massive attack without dying, but he couldn¡¯t take two.  He needed one of the orcs to hit him for a triple crit but couldn¡¯t figure out how to ensure that without opening himself up to a potential quadruple crit that would kill him.


    In the end, he said a prayer to Dexmachi, blocked Carrak¡¯s first strike, and then parried Grink¡¯s.  When the lieutenant raised his shield, letting Jace know he was done attacking for the round, Jace stepped between the two fighters to give the battle mage a flanking bonus, sent a message to Snowy to seek cover, and stopped parrying to dump whatever mana he had left into his healing ring.


    Carrak hit him for a triple crit, doing 124 damage.  Seven went into the totem, and it exploded with the other 117.  Jace still took the damage, dropping him dangerously low, but anything within range of the totem also took it.  Snowy had listened to her master, leaping away from the shaman she had been fighting and diving into the dining room.  Kreeynk had been taken below 100 and dropped dead on the spot.  The thrall died as well.


    The concussive blast was so loud that everyone in the hall had to make a magic save or be stunned for one round.  Carrak didn¡¯t need to roll to pass, and Esther and Jace had no problem either.  Grink failed.  Esther was only a few dozen feet from the fighting trio and sprinted the last few strides to leap back on the stunned orc¡¯s back.  Now that he was flat-footed and suffered a penalty against combat maneuvers, he failed the grapple check critically, and Esther had him.


    Carrak recovered quickly and saw what the vampire was trying to do.  He moved to knock her off with a strike that could potentially kill her, but Jace stepped in and deflected it.  He also defeated the second attack that round and looked beyond the orc toward his handiwork.  He expected to see the pedestal shattered into pieces and the demon stone lying on the ground, free to take.  If he could give it to Esther or Snowy to race out of here, he felt confident he could beat this battle mage.


    The stone pedestal stood without a scratch.


    Carrak backed away from his adversary for a moment and followed Jace¡¯s gaze toward the source of his power.  Realization dawned on him about what Jace had tried to do.  ¡°Nice try, but I am stronger than that.  Dresth¡¯Nal gives this entire cavern power.  A simple trick will not defeat us.¡±


    Carrak continued laughing for a moment and then searched the cavern for Esther and Grink.  He couldn¡¯t find them.


    {Esther has wrestled the other orc into the shadows and is hiding,} Gracie advised.  {She is working on something that might work.  You need to hold out for several more rounds.}


    ¡°I am not finished yet!¡± Jace replied to the orc, though his health at 50 told another story.  ¡°There is still time for you to join me.  We do not have to fight.¡±


    ¡°You attacked me!¡± Carrak bellowed.  ¡°I invited you into my home, fed you my food, offered you my females, and you repaid me by slaughtering my army and attacking me.¡±


    Jace frowned as he realized this wasn¡¯t his best stalling option.  ¡°I was testing you,¡± Jace tried.


    The bigger orc laughed again.  ¡°More like you tried to kill me and failed, and now you are offering me peace.  What, should I follow you back to your army?  I am not stupid.¡±


    ¡°Then I will bring my army here,¡± Jace countered, wondering how long he needed to stall.  From the red border around his vision, he could see that whatever Esther was doing kept them in combat mode.  That was a good thing, as his Athletic boon had just expired, and he needed another seven rounds to generate enough mana to cast it again.  In combat mode, that was only 42 seconds.  ¡°I have many more orcs and over a dozen females,¡± Jace continued to buy time.  ¡°The gnomes will have to carve out many more rooms.  You will not be master of a band but the king of an empire.¡±


    ¡°Enough talk.  I trust nothing you say.  You only lie and kill.¡±


    Jace shrugged and smiled as he saw his mana creep above the 150 he needed.  ¡°As you said when we first met, it is the orc way.¡±


    ¡°So is this!¡± Carrak cried, launching into a vicious attack.


    They were far enough apart that Jace had the time to refresh his Athletic boon without losing a round, and he wondered if Carrak had cast True Strike on himself because the sword came in lightning fast.  He gave it his best parry, but it still broke through, dropping his remaining HP by almost half.  He could only take one more hit like that before he was dead.  Unfortunately, it came with the very next attack, as Jace tripped over one of the posts, putting him in range of three of them.


    Down to half a dozen HP, Jace had no room for error.  Every parry needed to be a 20.  He didn¡¯t even try to fight back, trusting that Gracie was telling the truth and Esther was working on something.  Without worrying about Grink attacking him from behind, Jace mapped out a path through the posts that kept him away from clusters and often only next to one.


    When Carrak finally leveled an attack on him that couldn¡¯t be mathematically blocked, Jace was ready with a 20 parry, giving him two criticals.  The battle mage¡¯s high-level canceled one, but the other saved Jace¡¯s life.  At the end of that round, the posts disappeared.  They had lasted for ten rounds after the shaman¡¯s death but now faded like pillars of ash in the wind.  Without that advantage, Carrak had no chance to hit Jace, and with his improved parrying, Jace could take the time to counterstrike.


    Each parry was executed with a 19 or 20, and when Carrak rolled low enough, Jace could beat his attack by 20+, often giving him two criticals to attack back with, three if he got a 20 in the parry.  Then he constantly hit back with an 18-20, increasing the total of criticals to as many as five.  Carrak would always cancel one, and another was needed to actually hit him, but one attack finally got through with a 4x damage multiplier, doing 160 damage.


    Jace knew he couldn¡¯t kill him.  He was a level 20 battle mage and probably had half a dozen spells at his disposal that could shave off his last six hit points.  And If Jace ever whittled him down to half health or below, his script might call on him to cast them.  But Jace just wanted this orc to know that he was better.  It didn¡¯t matter what level he was or whether he had a shaman or a massively powerful demon backing him up.  Jace was still better.


    When Carrak¡¯s HP was finally whittled down to around 600, the big orc stepped back with an odd look.  Jace realized this was probably the threshold and braced to try and roll a good magic save, but the battle mage didn¡¯t lift a finger to cast a spell.  Instead, his eyes opened in amazement as he stared at something behind his opponent.  Jace turned to look and almost fainted.


    The angel of death stepped out of the shadows.  It was Esther, but it wasn¡¯t.  Her eyes were solid black, and her skin glowed like the dawn.  Her skirt and hair blew about by some secret wind.  Wings appeared on her back, but not like the demonic or angelic ones Jace had seen before.  These were ethereal as if the shadow she stepped out of clung to her back like spiderwebs.  She lifted her empty right hand and pointed past Jace and directly at Carrak.


    ¡°You die,¡± she said in a harsh whisper reverberating through the cavern.


    A tiny black sphere left her hand and raced across the hall toward the paralyzed orc.  It splashed against his chest, and Jace watched the mighty enemy wilt where he stood.  He remained upright for a second, a desiccated corpse, and then fell over and disintegrated into the stone, his magical items dissipating into wisps of shadow.


    Jace turned back to Esther and ran to her as she suddenly looked too weak to stand.  He saw she was fully healthy, but she collapsed into his arms from the exertion.  She blinked a few times as color returned to her eyes.  She focused on Jace¡¯s orc face.  ¡°Did we win?¡±


    Jace nodded and hugged his invaluable companion.  ¡°Yes, we won.  You did it.¡±


    ¡°I . . .¡± she started but passed out.


    Jace lifted her into the air and carried her into his room.  Trixna was anxiously waiting inside.  ¡°What happened out there?¡± she asked.


    Jace guessed she was some kind of priest, and that last spell probably shook her to her core.  He wouldn¡¯t be shocked to go outside and find dead grass around the mountain.  ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± he said, lying Esther on his bed and sitting beside her.  ¡°I will explain it all to you later.  For now, I need you to return to your room.¡±


    Trixna wanted to argue but nodded her head.  ¡°Can I at least heal you?¡±


    Jace wondered if this was a trap.  He would feel foolish if they did the impossible only to be outsmarted by a temple prostitute or whatever this female was.  However, if he wanted to use her after this was over, he would need a level of trust with her.  Jace had considerable Mana Generation, and during the last bout with Carrak, he had regenerated most of his maximum.  He dumped it all into his ring.  It only brought him up to 106, but he felt safer now and nodded.  Trixna approached cautiously and put her hand on Jace¡¯s bald head as he sat next to Esther.  He felt a warmth pass through him and quickly checked his health to see it back at maximum.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.


    She only nodded and then hesitated as she looked at the beautiful woman on the bed and then again at her new master.  Jace remembered what Gracie said: orcs viewed males who slept with human females like pedophiles.  Trixna must think that Jace was rejecting her companionship for this fragile human.  Whether she did or not, she obeyed and retreated to her room.  It seemed cruel to keep her in the tiny space, but according to this module, she had spent weeks there already.  A few more hours wouldn¡¯t matter.


    Jace turned his thoughts back to Esther, wondering how long the woman would be unconscious.  He had a sudden urge to caress her shoulder or hold her hand, but with his oversized orc hands, it did feel like he would be touching a child, and he fought the urge.  ¡°What did she do?¡± Jace finally asked.


    {You haven¡¯t figured it out,} Gracie asked, genuinely surprised.


    ¡°I have a lot running through my mind right now.  Humor me.¡±


    {She must have memorized a spell specifically for killing Carrak.  It is a massively elevated version of her Charm spell.  To kill a character, you need 50 mana per level.  That would be 1,000 to kill Carrak.}


    ¡°So, she had 1,000 mana flowing through her?  That is why she looked like that?¡±


    {She had way more than 1,000 mana flowing through her,} Gracie corrected.  {That is just the base cost.  She probably designed it to go at least 100 feet and had to pump up the difficulty.  I¡¯m guessing she set the spell''s difficulty setting to All-In so that whatever mana she had left from feasting on the orc contributed.  Looking back at the stats, Carrak¡¯s death defense was a whopping 112.  Esther¡¯s normal difficulty for a Death Spell is 40.  Even you would have a 50/50 chance of saving against that.  She would need to pump it up to around 150, which would have cost 550 mana.  But, as I said, she probably used everything she had.}


    ¡°Which was how much?¡±


    {Grink had about 400 HP when she wrestled him into the shadows.  I think she needed about 25 HP to bring her back to full health, and the other 375 was changed into mana at a rate of 1:5.  That comes to 1875, plus she was probably close to her full compliment of mana when she started, so she released a Death spell that had over 2,000 mana in it.  Any time you have zero mana, you feel winded, but that kind of release might knock her out for a while. I assume she will need to generate all her normal mana back before she wakes up.  Since she isn¡¯t in combat mode, that will take about 85 minutes.}


    Jace focused on Esther¡¯s calm and beautiful face.  He had saved her life often enough.  He supposed it was her chance to return the favor.  ¡°But will she be okay?¡±


    {She should be fine.  Maybe a few nightmares, but she¡¯s a vampire.  She¡¯s used to it.}


    Jace got up from the bed and took a deep breath.  ¡°Good.  Now, how do I make this cave system my stronghold.¡±


    {I thought you¡¯d never ask.}

 Chapter 39: The Stronghold

    {Right now, it looks like you haven¡¯t cleared out all the enemies,} Gracie started.  {You can¡¯t secure this cavern as your stronghold until after it is . . . well . . . secure.}


    Jace was still in his room and looked toward the small apartment where he kept Trixna.  ¡°Does she count?¡± Jace asked.  He had worked to protect her.  He still wasn¡¯t entirely sure why, but it seemed the right thing to do.  The game wasn¡¯t going to make him kill her, was it?


    {I don¡¯t know, but there is at least one more orc warrior.}


    ¡°Right,¡± Jace said, remembering that Esther had told him she had left a guard under Topper¡¯s control.  He moved out of his room and back into the main hall.  He sucked in his breath as he surveyed the gruesome scene.  He had been focused on Carrak and Esther and didn¡¯t notice all the other dead orcs.


    Grink lay along the wall right next to the entrance to his room.  His body looked like it had been left in the desert for a week.  It was dry and hollow, with ghostly pale skin.  ¡°Am I going to have to remove all these bodies?  Or will they just disappear?¡±


    {They will disappear in 12 hours or after one night¡¯s sleep.  I recommend you get everything in order quickly, and then you and Esther should sleep through the rest of the night.  That will set her spawn point here, so you won¡¯t have to look for her if she ever dies in the future.  If Snowy dies, she will also come back here.  Also, once you set a spawn point, you can choose to load to that location when you enter the game fresh, assuming we can ever get you out of there.}


    Jace looked at the rest of the bodies, wondering if he should waste time picking up loot.  Grink had nice equipment, but none of it was magical.  Still, he picked it up, figuring he could store it in one of the empty chests in his room.  The two females were cut up badly, and he tried not to stare at their mostly naked bodies.  Their knives had caused Esther problems and might be useful, so he collected them as well.


    Next, he came to the demon stone.  It was no longer suspended above the pedestal but had fallen down and then rolled off to rest on the ground.  It still pulsed with energy, and Jace didn¡¯t feel like touching it.  He would have to keep it under lock and key but would worry about that later.  He moved on for now.


    The dead shaman, archer, and thrall guard didn¡¯t have anything interesting, but they were lying close to the dining room, and Jace remembered Snowy diving in there to escape his totem blast.  The wolf was still inside, standing on the large table and licking the meat dish clean.  She was back to full health, so the food break was beneficial.  Snowy looked up at him and howled her satisfaction.  She leaped off the table and prepared to follow him.  Jace was about to leave when he heard a clatter from the kitchen.


    A quick inspection showed two gnomes cowering in fear.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jace said, but as he listened to the sound of his voice, he remembered he was still an orc.  Now that he was out of combat mode, he generated mana slower, but he had enough to charge his necklace for half an hour.  By the time that elapsed, he would have enough for over two hours.  He just hoped to remember to do it before it failed in front of a group of gnomes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jace said once he was in human form.  ¡°I only looked like an orc to blend in with them.  So I could fight and defeat them.  All the orcs are dead.  You are slaves no longer.¡±


    They found that hard to believe, well aware of how powerful Carrak had been.  As they came out from behind the pots and pans they had been using for cover, Snowy stepped into the doorway to have a look, and they squealed and jumped back into the cookware.  Jace didn¡¯t have time for this.  He explained that Snowy was his and wouldn¡¯t eat them and reiterated that they were free to return to their home below.  They didn¡¯t seem eager to believe him, and Jace didn¡¯t try any further.


    The tunnel down to the mines was still littered with bodies and bloodstains.  Jace really hoped Gracie was right and all of that would go away.  He remembered that Drescher¡¯s priest, Axilia, had been able to cast a cleansing spell that had removed Wallace¡¯s body and bloodstains.  Maybe one of the gnomes could do that for him.


    Topper was waiting at the bottom of the tunnel with his orc bodyguard.  The gnome hadn¡¯t seen him before, but he remembered Snowy.  Still, a human like Jace in these tunnels had to be working with Esther.


    ¡°Are you Topper?¡± Jace asked, knowing he was but having to get the introductions out of the way for the gnome¡¯s sake.  ¡°My name is Jace.  I¡¯m with Esther.¡±


    Topper nodded.  ¡°Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine, just resting after the battle.  Carrak is dead.  Your people are safe.¡±


    At this news, several other gnomes who had been hiding just out of view cheered loudly.  ¡°We can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± Topper replied.  ¡°If there is anything we can do, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t hesitate.  ¡°I am looking for a home.  I am a stone shaman and want a cave system with a few luxuries.  Once the dead orcs are cleaned out above, I believe it will be nice.  With the demon still sleeping below your feet and his stone calling out for new wielders, more enemies will be coming.  With me living above, I can defend your home.¡±


    Topper nodded and huddled up with a few others.  The conversation was brief.  ¡°Of course, that would be no problem.  The arrangement will be mutually beneficial.  We built most of those rooms for Carrak, so please let us know if you need any modifications.¡±


    ¡°I will do that.¡±


    Topper smiled in response, and then his face shifted as a thought struck him.  ¡°Does this mean Esther will be living here also?  I mean, she said she was a student in Crestfall.¡±


    Jace knew infatuation when he saw it and didn¡¯t blame the little guy.  ¡°Yes, I believe she will be staying here.¡±


    The excitement on Topper¡¯s face was impossible to miss.  Jace decided to help the gnome out.  He felt safe going into his inventory before the scout and immerged a moment later, holding the four knives he had taken from the females.  He squatted down to get more at the gnome¡¯s level and spoke in a hushed tone.  ¡°Esther is the one who killed Carrak.  I couldn¡¯t have done it without her, and your people would still be enslaved.  If you built the rooms up there, you must have some craftsmen in your group.  It would mean a lot if you could try to upgrade these for her.  She really likes diamonds.  I imagine in a mine like this, that shouldn¡¯t be too hard to find.¡±


    Topper understood exactly what Jace was saying, took the weapons, which looked like short swords in his hands, and turned again to his brethren.  Topper could do nothing with them, but Jace watched several older gnomes nod their heads and race down to the mines with the knives.


    ¡°Do you also have a priest?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°The orcs left a terrible mess upstairs, and I know there are holy spells that can cleanse it.¡±


    Topper shook his head slowly.  ¡°The orcs killed our priests and wizards immediately, fearing they would summon stone elementals, which we surely would have.  We only have fighters, craftsmen, and me left.¡±


    Jace shrugged.  It had been worth a shot.  ¡°Well, I do need your help,¡± he said.  ¡°We need to get this orc out of here.¡±  He motioned to the bodyguard.


    ¡°Are you going to kill him?¡± Topper asked.


    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Jace couldn¡¯t quite tell if the gnome was hopeful or apprehensive.  ¡°Not if I don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Topper seemed to accept this, and they walked back up the tunnel.  The orc walked placidly beside them with Snowy racing up ahead.  At the top of the climb, the two kitchen gnomes were getting bold enough to ease out of their hiding place, but the sight of Snowy and the tall orc marching up the tunnel sent them back into hiding.  Jace would let Topper talk to them later.


    As they moved through the hall, Topper wrinkled his nose at the dead bodies, and Jace wondered if he turned his Environment settings higher if he wouldn¡¯t smell the foul odor too.  It was approaching midnight outside, and the group walked a short distance into the night away from the entrance to the cavern.


    ¡°Tell him to drop his equipment and anything he has in his inventory,¡± Jace instructed, and Topper complied.  Jace still didn¡¯t have enough mana to charge the bracelet for himself and truly did need the gnome¡¯s help.  Apparently, his inventory was empty because he only dropped the axe and shield.  Jace walked up to him and removed the collar.  The orc was instantly aware, but his time as a slave wasn¡¯t lost to him.  He had heard everything that Jace had said earlier, that Carrak and the rest of the orcs were dead, plus he had seen the carnage.


    ¡°You will run far from here,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Do you understand?  I am in control of the demon stone now, and I will kill anyone who comes looking for it.  You run to the west and keep going.  Never speak of this place again.  Do you understand?¡±


    The orc nodded mutely.  By Jace¡¯s side, Snowy growled at the beast.  ¡°My wolf has your scent,¡± Jace added.  ¡°If she ever detects it around this mountain again, I will have her hunt you down and eat you.  Understand?¡±


    He nodded again.


    ¡°Good, now run.¡±


    The orc disappeared into the night, and Jace hoped he wasn¡¯t making a big mistake.


    ¡°That was a noble thing to do,¡± Topper said as they stood there for a few moments in the peaceful night, appreciating the cool air.  ¡°And probably very stupid.¡±


    Jace asked for the magical bracelet from the gnome, intending to return it and the collar to Esther, and the group walked back across the bridge to the heavy wooden doors of the cavern.


    {Jace, wait,} Gracie said.  {It looks like you can make this your stronghold now.  Stay outside for a bit.}


    Jace stopped, and Topper looked back at him.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You go on inside,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Find the kitchen and convince the cooks it is safe.  I have some things I need to do out here.¡±  The gnome looked hesitant about returning alone to the cavern with several dead orcs lying around.  He wasn¡¯t as sure more weren¡¯t hiding in the rooms somewhere.  ¡°Snowy,¡± Jace finally said.  ¡°Go with him.  Keep him safe.  Check on Esther.¡±


    Snowy nodded, and Topper was suddenly more open to the suggestion.  Jace watched them return inside, careful they did not lock the heavy doors behind them.  There was a brace on the inside, and Jace felt the barricade should stand up to any bashing attempt an orc or goblin could make.


    ¡°Okay, where do I go?¡±


    {Follow the path away from the entrance,} Gracie said.


    Jace did as he was told, walking back across the bridge and down the slope.  He found the side trail they had used earlier that day to approach the entrance but stayed on the main path.  He kept looking over his shoulder to make sure the door was in sight, and as soon as it dipped out of view behind a rocky ledge, he found the travel node.  It was about a two-minute walk from the doors of the cavern.


    {This is another entry point for this map,} Gracie informed him.  {There were other options to wait for the next ore delivery from the orcs, and then you could have fast traveled here to meet with Carrak in his ¡°Garrison¡± disguise.  Anyway, log in to the node, and you should see a new option.}


    Jace activated the travel node and saw ¡°Establish Stronghold.¡±  He selected it and gasped a little as he was suddenly given a satellite view of the mountain.


    {This is your new stronghold,} Gracie said.  {You can set up new travel nodes that only you can access and make portions of the map public or private.  You can set up spawn points for different animals or creatures.  Basically, you can do anything you want.  When you travel outside of the area you now see, it will be a hostile zone, but since this is a MIM, you won¡¯t meet any PCs in that area.  You can prevent orcs or goblins from randomly wandering into your zone or set the maximum number of hostiles at any given time.}


    Jace listened to Gracie and got to work.  He set up spawn points in the woods surrounding his mountain for deer, elk, bears, and several other game animals.  He limited how many there could be but ensured they would never be short on food.  He didn¡¯t have an archer in his party yet, but Snowy could always fill in as a hunter, and Esther would need practice throwing her new knives.


    Jace zoomed in on his cavern home and saw the layout of all four bedrooms on the upper level.  Carrak¡¯s was significantly bigger than his, but he had already settled on his room and figured he would give the larger space to Esther.  The other two rooms looked the same size, slightly smaller than his.  They all had a smaller adjoining room, and Jace wondered what had happened to the females for the other lieutenants.  He set all the rooms to private and other areas within the cavern semi-private, giving Gracie¡¯s login access.  He didn¡¯t need the Germans watching Esther sleep or bathe.  And if he needed a private meeting with his group, he didn¡¯t want the Germans listening in.


    Gracie spoke up as Jace began setting up goblin spawn points within his territory.  {What are you doing?}


    ¡°Snowy needs to eat too,¡± Jace replied with a smirk and was careful to limit the number of goblins to four at any time.  Keeping a little danger in the area could be helpful at times.  He was able to set the type of goblin that spawned and made them level 5 fighters with poor stats.  It was enough to scare townsfolk away, but nothing he and Esther couldn¡¯t handle in their sleep.


    Fifteen minutes later, Jace was done and tried out the new travel node he had set up in his bedroom.  He vanished from the mountainside and found himself standing in his doorway.  Unsurprisingly, Topper and Snowy were there, standing beside his bed and staring at the still form of Esther sleeping.  ¡°Have you talked with the cooks yet?¡± Jace asked, startling the gnome badly.


    ¡°Uh, um, no,¡± Topper stammered.  ¡°I just thought, I mean, I wanted to see if she was, I guess, no, I will . . . I will go do that now.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Because she will be starving when she wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Topper agreed.  ¡°I will get on that.  Don¡¯t worry about a thing.¡±  The gnome raced out of the room.


    Jace laughed as he watched him.  As long as he gave him tasks related to Esther, Topper would do anything.


    ¡°She is very powerful.¡±


    Now it was Jace who was startled and spun around at the voice and saw Trixna standing in her doorway.  The orc looked Jace up and down and smiled at him.  Despite the human illusion, he could tell she knew exactly who he was.  ¡°Do you have any other outfits?¡± he asked.


    The female looked offended and struck a pose in her sheer nightgown.  ¡°You don¡¯t like what you see?¡±


    ¡°You are beautiful,¡± Jace confirmed.  ¡°But I asked if you have any other outfits.¡±


    She shook her head.  ¡°Carrak insisted I wear this all the time . . . or nothing.¡±


    ¡°I am not Carrak,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°No,¡± Trixna agreed.  ¡°No, you are not.¡±


    Jace led her out of the room and told Snowy to keep watch over Esther and let him know the moment she woke up.  He watched for the orc¡¯s reaction to the dead bodies as they entered the hall, but they didn¡¯t seem to faze her.  She had expected this.  They moved quickly through the vaulted area and toward Carrak¡¯s room.  Jace had already seen the layout from above, but it was still impressive to enter the palatial room in person.  Why a single orc needed this much space was a mystery.  Couches stood in front of a large fireplace.  A deep stone bath stood on a ledge beneath a huge window that looked out east.  A table with seating for six stood along one wall beneath a candelabra.  The bed was much bigger than a king, and several chests and storage racks sat close by.


    They moved through the room toward the adjacent apartment.  This was designed for two females, so it was much bigger than Trixna¡¯s room.  Jace had seen those women wearing more clothes (if barely) than Trixna now wore, and after a short search, he found what he was looking for.  Once he had given the clothes to the orc, she was disappointed but put them on anyway.  Soon she was wearing a tight halter that covered down to the bottom of her ribs, a pleated leather skirt that almost touched the tops of her knees, and comfortable boots that the other females had likely used to sneak around the cavern.


    ¡°Is this what you like?¡± she said, spinning about so the skirt flared up.


    ¡°You said you wanted a change,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°That your old life of waiting to see if Orgalph was killed each day was boring.  Now I offer you that chance.  This cavern will be filled with interesting people, and I will do interesting things.  You have a skill set I need, and I give you the freedom to move around inside and out whenever you like.  If you are bored, you may leave, but I cannot guarantee your safety if you do.¡±


    Trixna grew serious at the offer and nodded.  ¡°What skills do you think I have?¡±


    ¡°Did Carrak ask you to clean up around the cavern?¡±


    She frowned and nodded.  ¡°They made a mess every time they ate.  Is that what you want me to be?  A house orc?¡±


    ¡°I want those bodies and bloodstains gone,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°I assume you have spells that can do that.  I also need the demon stone locked away with wards to keep other enemies from coming and looking for it.  I will not ask you to do menial tasks around the cavern.  Everyone living here can clean up after themselves.¡±


    Her expression changed.  ¡°I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Then let¡¯s get started.¡±

 Chapter 40: The Home

    True to her word, Trixna had the magic to clean up the mess left behind by the orcs.  She hesitated for a moment when she came to the bodies of the other two females.  Jace wondered if she thought he intended it as a warning for her.  Step out of line, and this could be you.  Jace thought he should say something, but she waved away the bodies with a burst of mana.  She didn¡¯t hesitate with the rest of the dead orcs and even stepped into the dining room to clean up the mess per her usual responsibilities.


    Topper was talking with the two gnome chefs, and they all grew silent when Jace and Trixna walked in.  Jace chose not to say anything, and they walked right back out after the room was clean.  The only thing still out of place in the main hall was the demon stone.  They moved to the pedestal but stopped several feet from the pulsing red gem on the stone floor.


    ¡°You are a priestess?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Do you serve this demon?¡±


    She shook her head.  ¡°No, I serve Chorical.¡±


    Gracie chimed in for Jace.  {He is a Pragmatic, Chaotic, Liberal god.  You know . . . a fun one.}


    Jace still didn¡¯t want to touch the stone, and he didn¡¯t want Trixna touching it either.  In the end, he called Snowy out of his room.  The stone was a little bigger than his crystal, but he wasn¡¯t going to ask the wolf to swallow it.  Instead, he only asked his familiar to carry it in her mouth back to his room.


    Trixna took several minutes to inscribe a ward on one of the empty chests and then another on the stone floor beneath.  She told him the first was to hide whatever was placed in the box, and the second was to lock the chest and hold it in place.  There was a code to unlock the chest, which involved charging the ward on the floor four times, each with a different amount of mana.  It was a four-digit pin; only each digit was itself a number between 1 and 100.  Jace nodded and had Snowy place the gem in the chest.  He hoped he would never have to open it.


    By the time they had finished, Topper was back at the door to his room.  Jace could tell the gnome wanted to ask about Trixna but didn¡¯t know how.  He also realized he was going to need more privacy.  Already the gnome felt he could enter Jace¡¯s room whenever he wanted.  ¡°What do you need?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Um, well, I told my people that all the orcs were gone, but . . .¡±


    Trixna towered over the three-foot gnome, and while she had gentler features than the orc guards that had abused the miners, she was still an orc.  She spoke up before Jace.  ¡°I will not hurt you, gnome.  Nor will I hurt any of your people.¡±


    This seemed like all the gnome would get as far as assurances go, and it would have to be enough.  ¡°What about Esther?¡± he asked.  ¡°Is she awake yet?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t even think it had been an hour, but he, too, was anxious to continue setting up his stronghold and preparing for Drescher.  Part of that meant sleeping till dawn in their new home, and he didn¡¯t think the recovery rest Esther was having now counted.


    ¡°She is still low on mana,¡± Trixna said.  ¡°She can continue to generate it naturally, or I can speed the process.¡±


    Jace hesitated.  Surprisingly, he was more comfortable with her casting spells on him and handling the demon stone than touching Esther.  He looked at Snowy for guidance, trusting her instincts.  The wolf nodded.  ¡°Okay,¡± Jace agreed, stepping away from the bed, unaware that he had been standing between the two females.


    It was a simple mana transfer spell to bring Esther back to full.  It took a few seconds, and the woman¡¯s eyes began to flutter.  Trixna stepped back and let Jace resume his spot next to the bed.  When Esther opened her eyes and saw Jace¡¯s human face, she smiled.  ¡°I¡¯m not dead.¡±


    ¡°Not hardly,¡± Jace agreed.


    ¡°Who¡¯s our friend,¡± she asked, easily seeing the six-and-a-half-foot tall female orc standing behind him.


    ¡°A friend,¡± Jace confirmed.  ¡°Her name is Trixna.  She was . . . kept here by the orcs.¡±  He figured he didn¡¯t need to say anymore, and he was right.  Esther had immediately accepted Jace as an orc, and she wouldn¡¯t judge Trixna either.


    Esther sat up and looked around.  ¡°Where are we?¡±  Her brief cavern tour had only included the main hall and the tunnel down to the dungeon.  The walls and ceiling let her know they were still in a cave, but the d¨¦cor hardly looked like an orc den.


    ¡°Home,¡± Jace replied simply.


    ¡°Is this my room?¡± she asked hesitantly.  It was bigger than what she had been given at the Gilded Swan, and while it was bare, a few amenities from Crestfall would spruce it up.


    ¡°No,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Since you are the one that killed Carrak,¡± Jace heard Trixna inhale sharply at this.  She had probably assumed Jace had done it.  ¡°I thought you should be the one to get his old room.¡±


    The idea of living in an orc¡¯s room wasn¡¯t appealing on the surface, but if it was anything like this, she thought it would be fine.  Esther was slow out of bed but found her balance quickly, and the group moved back into the main hall and across to the primary suite in the cavern.  When Esther stepped inside, her jaw dropped.  ¡°This is my room?¡±


    Jace only nodded, overcome by emotion at her reaction.  Trixna took over for him and began to give her a tour, pointing out features that Jace didn¡¯t even know about.  The orc priestess showed Esther how the magical lights worked.  You could put a small amount of mana into the wards, which would stay lit for 12 hours.  You could draw mana out of them to turn them off.  She showed the woman a small sun gem ring she wore that she used to store light mana, and it could store excess mana from the lights when they were turned off, and then she could use it to turn them on again.  Each ward only took a small amount of mana, but Trixna had been responsible for all the lights in the cavern, and it could drain her if she had to do them all at once.


    The fireplace was wood burning, and a fire ward was inscribed in the hearth that could either light the wood or sustain a flame by itself for an hour.  That took more mana but was good in the morning if you wanted some quick heat without gathering wood first.  The massive stone tub by the window grabbed Esther¡¯s attention, and Trixna explained the freshwater ward on the side.  A full charge of mana would fill the tub in seconds with crystal clear water, and another fire ward on the bottom would heat it to near boiling with a full charge.  Less mana could be used, and Trixna told Esther she could play around with what temperature she liked.  She was pretty sure Carrak had never used it.


    Trixna moved on to show how the windows worked.  The wards kept the weather out, but you could discharge them just like the lights if you wanted some fresh air and recharge them halfway if you only desired a slight breeze.  Now, it was cold outside in the dead of night with fall around the corner, and Esther left them alone.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Jace was amazed by how many more amenities there were to show off.  There was a lighted mirror, a ward at the door to prevent others from entering, a smaller wash basin with its own water ward, and even an ice chest to keep things cool.  By the end of the tour, Jace was feeling jealous that he wasn¡¯t taking this room, but in reality, he hoped to unplug from this game soon and live in a world with electricity and pizza.  Esther would have to stay here forever, so she deserved this.  Plus, there was no reason the gnomes and Trixna couldn¡¯t combine to add some of these same features to his room.


    Jace also watched the interaction between the two females with interest.  Jace had noticed that when he had deep conversations with Trixna, Gandhi had been forced to build the character beyond the blank slate programmed into the module.  Now the same thing was happening but on another level.  Esther laughed and joked with the orc during the tour.  In turn, Trixna opened up and gave opinions and advice.  They were becoming friends.


    Esther often referred to the other three women who had worked under the fen witch at the Gilded Swan as sisters, but Jace didn¡¯t know how deep that friendship went.  He also didn¡¯t know how detailed her backstory was and if it included any close relationships.  She supposedly had been an angel at one point, so who knew what that was like.  But for Trixna, Esther was undoubtedly the only person she had ever known that was friendly toward her.  The other female orcs had seemed more like rivals.


    At the end of the tour, Esther was glowing with joy and excitement, and Jace knew precisely what the following words out of her mouth would be.  ¡°I¡¯m starving.  Do we have food here?¡±


    Jace hadn¡¯t left the entry to the room during the tour, and Topper had stood right next to him.  The man now looked down at the gnome.  ¡°Are your people able to provide some food?  Do you eat things besides what the orcs ask for?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes, I talked to the cooks.  I think we can put something together.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to make pancakes?¡± Esther asked excitedly, rushing over to the gnome.


    Topper blushed at the attention.  ¡°Um, sure, I guess.  We can probably do that.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Esther said.  ¡°I love pancakes.¡±  She turned to Trixna.  ¡°Have you ever had pancakes?¡±  The orc shook her head.  ¡°You need to try them,¡± Esther continued as the females moved past Jace and Topper and back into the hall.  ¡°They are heavenly.  Actually, I don¡¯t remember the food in heaven being as good.  And then there is syrup . . .¡± her voice faded as she got further away.


    Topper looked up at Jace with desperation in his eyes.  ¡°What are pancakes?¡± he asked.


    Jace didn¡¯t know how to answer that question other than to say, ¡°You better figure it out quick.  That woman loves her food.¡±  Jace laughed at the anxious gnome as they left the room and followed after the rest of their group.


    After a quick meal of not-pancakes, though Topper promised to have his gnomes look into it, the group separated and prepared for bed after a long day.  Even though she had spent an hour unconscious, once she had a full stomach of meat and bread, Esther almost sleepwalked to her new room.  Topper disappeared down the tunnel with the rest of the gnomes.  Since they rarely went outside, the cave dwellers didn¡¯t always sleep on the sun¡¯s schedule and were busy turning their former prison into a home.


    Jace insisted Trixna take one of the empty suites, but she said she felt more comfortable in her tiny bed.  Jace was starting to trust the orc more but sleeping in the same room as her seemed a significant risk.  Either way, he first asked her to put one of the privacy wards on his door so only members of his party could enter.  He was okay with Snowy or Esther coming into his room unannounced, but Topper was getting too bold.


    After she was done, he watched her disappear into her small quarters, and moments later, the lights went out.  Jace had practiced with the magical lights in his own room and now only had one lit over his bed.


    Jace reached into his stronghold settings and momentarily dropped the privacy settings on his bedroom.  ¡°How are you holding up in Chicago?¡± Jace asked as he sat on his bed.  He wasn¡¯t tired, even though his mind had been active for over 36 hours.


    {Conor definitely has a fever,} Gracie replied.  {I¡¯ve heard our kidnappers talking on the phone several times, but it is in German, so I don¡¯t know who it is with or what it is about.  Hopefully, we can get some medical attention soon.  It is about midnight here.  It¡¯s been almost four hours since your meeting with Drescher.  You gave him six to comply, so we will see.  I¡¯m running on caffeine right now, but I can still hang on for a little while.  One way or another, it will all be over soon.}


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I can beat him, do you?¡±


    {You are impressive, but no.  I don¡¯t think you can beat him.  With Diamond Etcher and your parrying ability, you can hold up to a lot of abuse, but his attack bonus will be close to 50.  And that is before any bonuses from his weapon or magical buffs.  Your maximum parrying ability is 61.  Unlike Carrak, he is going to be able to hit you well over half the time.  And his defenses will be similar to the orc¡¯s, except he can cancel two crits.  Remember how you asked if it was possible to have permanent crit protection, and I said that would require a craftsman score no one could hit?  That is still true, but that doesn¡¯t mean an item like that isn¡¯t available in the game; it would just have to be the reward from a quest.  Well, I¡¯ve done some research, and Drescher has two items like that.  He has a ring that gives permanent crit protection and another that offers him permanent damage reduction +10.}


    Jace remembered that Dresher had seemed to be without equipment when they had met, save for two rings.  He was 14 levels above Jace, offering him another crit protection.  ¡°So I need to get a triple crit on him for one to go through.¡±


    {You need a triple crit just to hit him,} Gracie replied.  {And you could only manufacture those because you could parry so far above Carrak¡¯s strikes.  Dresher hits almost 20 points higher.  But all that is moot.  He won¡¯t travel without his three friends.  Who knows, he might bring Psycho, and then it is completely over because you can¡¯t parry arrows.  The priest can cast multiple banes on you, while the mage could kill you instantly with one fire spell.  Most likely, they will cast a hold spell on you and torture you first.}


    ¡°They know I can turn my pain settings down,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°They¡¯d be wasting their time.¡±


    {And if they dragged each gnome before you one by one and cut them open slowly, would you be immune to that?  What if they cut up Snowy or Esther?  Trust me, people like that know how to get at you.  My advice is just to give them the crystal and run.  We can find an inn for you to sleep and log out.  Then this can all be over.  I know you aren¡¯t going to listen to me, but as much as we differ on things, I don¡¯t want to see you get hurt.}


    ¡°I appreciate that, but it isn¡¯t in my nature to let evil people win without a fight.  If I lose and suffer, I will accept that.  But if I don¡¯t try, I won¡¯t be able to live with myself.  Every time I hear of a shooting in the Middle East or a bombing in Europe, I¡¯ll wonder if the weapons came from Drescher and if there wasn¡¯t something I could have done to stop him.¡±


    {Some battles we can¡¯t win.}


    Jace sighed.  ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to get three seconds of sleep right now so we can skip to dawn and protect what little we have.  See you on the other side.¡±


    Jace made his room private again and lay down on his bed.  It was a good thing he could force sleep in this game because there would be no way he could calm his mind otherwise.  Jace rolled up into his settings page and chose the ¡°Rest until dawn¡± option.


    <hr>


    Jace woke up and knew something was wrong.  He had only done this a few times, but something wasn¡¯t right.  As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he realized that was it.  It was still dark.  Dawn was usually brighter.  He was lying on his side and was about to roll over when he felt it.  Someone else had gotten into bed with him.  Enough time had passed that his illusion spell had faded, and he was an orc again.  The body that pressed up behind him was nearly the same size and could only be one person.


    He saw in the darkness as Trixna¡¯s muscular arm draped itself over his chest and hugged him tightly, snuggling into his back.  Jace didn¡¯t move.  He didn¡¯t breathe.  He just lay still and waited.  The female orc didn¡¯t make any additional moves.  Her hand stayed tight against his chest and never dropped below his ribs.  He could feel the extreme curves of her body pressed into his back, but she did not touch him otherwise.  They held that position for several long moments before Jace felt her body quiver.


    She was sobbing.


    Jace didn¡¯t know what to do, so he did nothing.  He knew every minute that passed was one less minute he would have to prepare for Drescher, but he allowed this orc a moment of grief.  If it weren¡¯t for him, she would have remained an automaton, probably programmed to flee the cavern once Carrak was killed with no future than to be deleted by the game once she entered the boundary lands.  Because of him, she had become a fully realized emotional being.  It was the least he could do to give her these few moments.


    After about 15 minutes, the crying stopped.  A few minutes later, her breathing settled into a steady rhythm, and moments later, delicate orc snoring sounded through the room.  Jace tentatively reached into his settings again and selected ¡°Rest until dawn.¡±  He remembered nothing else.

 Chapter 41: Preparations

    Esther stood beside Jace¡¯s bed, a slow grin spreading across her face.


    <Trixna,> Snowy said from the other side, sniffing the slight depression in the mattress.


    The woman had already assumed as much and didn¡¯t blame either orc for finding comfort in each other during the night.  Though, if she had to guess, the female had likely been the aggressor.  Esther wouldn¡¯t be shocked to find Jace still clothed beneath the sheets.


    Her room faced east, and though it was still a few moments from dawn, the brightening sky had woken her early.  Last night the orc priestess had shown her how she could manipulate the magical ward on her window to control how much of the weather and light got through.  She hadn¡¯t adjusted the opacity of the magical shield, knowing she would want to get an early start today, but it was nice to know she could sleep in going forward.


    Jace had plans; she just didn¡¯t know what they were, and waking early gave her time for a warm bath before the day started.  Now she wore her standard black dress, still missing her armor, but trusting that Jace would get it back.


    He stirred as the game woke him up.  To him, it had only been a second since he had selected the ¡°Rest until dawn¡± option for the second time after Trixna had woken him.  Her nightly visit let him know that the rest of the NPCs had free reign while he was out, and the game played through their choices and actions in a split second while he slept.  He wondered what Esther had been up to during that time but didn¡¯t have to wonder long as he opened his eyes and found her standing over him.


    He sat up, startled, and urgently rolled to his left but saw he was alone in bed.


    ¡°She must have gone back to her bed without waking you,¡± Esther replied knowingly.


    Great, Jace thought.  Trixna thinks I¡¯m sleeping with Esther, and she thinks I¡¯m sleeping with the orc.  He shook his head, having no time to worry about potential jealousy among his housemates.  Snowy was there too, and she jumped up on the bed and gave Jace a morning wrestle.  ¡°Good girl,¡± he said quietly.  ¡°I hope you don¡¯t judge me.¡±


    <Hungry,> the wolf informed him, caring nothing for whom he shared his bed with.


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace said in response.  ¡°I have a job for you.  I need a goblin.¡±  He had several reasons for placing goblin spawn points around his stronghold.  He hoped they had worked during the night.


    <Food?> Snowy asked.


    ¡°No, I need him alive and mostly unharmed.  Can you bring one back to me?¡±


    The wolf looked dejected.  Jace rolled his eyes and sighed.  ¡°Fine.  You can eat one and bring another back here, mostly unharmed.¡±  He then took the wolf¡¯s face firmly in both hands.  ¡°And no fire mages this time.¡±  Jace had set his spawn points to make level five fighters specificaly, but a stray goblin could have wandered onto his property.


    Snowy barked an affirmative, leaped off the bed, and ran out of the room.  Jace finally pulled the covers back and got out of bed, confirming Esther¡¯s assumption that he was still wearing his kilt.  Jace had plans to change that as he wanted more clothing options and hoped to raid some of Orgalph¡¯s wardrobe.


    ¡°Do you have a mission for me?¡± Esther asked.  ¡°Do you have a plan to free Gracie and Conor?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jace said.  ¡°And I do need your help.¡±


    One of the ancillary benefits of his private stronghold was that Jace could now talk to Esther, and the Germans back in Chicago wouldn¡¯t be able to hear a thing.  He explained his plan to Esther, and she frowned as she didn¡¯t see much combat in her future, but she nodded and promised to get it done as quickly as possible.  Once she was gone, Jace walked over to the corner to find a few alternate clothing options.


    ¡°Did you sleep well?¡±


    Of course, Trixna would choose this time to walk in when he was naked and changing.  He tried not to act embarrassed and allowed the game mechanics to dress him instantly.  ¡°I woke up for a few moments in the middle of the night,¡± he replied as he found a leather tunic and arm protectors.  ¡°But the interruption wasn¡¯t too intrusive.¡±  He finally turned around and was happy to see the female was wearing the outfit he had found for her last night.  She could have just as easily been naked or in her nightgown from before.  So far, his celibacy was something she was willing to wait on, not forcing the issue.  Jace was grateful for the little things.


    ¡°I slept very well,¡± she said, walking over to him with a frown.  ¡°I liked your old outfit.  Now you look like . . . him.¡±


    ¡°Most of the time, I will look like this,¡± Jace replied and activated his necklace.  In a flash, he looked up at the orc in his human form, unable to ignore her generous curves from this angle.


    ¡°I could get used to this if I must,¡± she said with a sly smile.  ¡°I just want to leave the past behind me.  Do I have a job for today also?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I need you to stay out of the way for a while.  I will have guests in a few hours who will happily kill anyone they see.  Likely me if I am not careful.  Once they are dealt with, we can worry about making this cavern a proper home and finding you your own room.¡±


    ¡°I like staying with you,¡± she argued.


    ¡°And I think you need your own room,¡± he replied.  ¡°We can talk about it later.  Right now, I have work to do.¡±  Jace started toward his door.


    ¡°And I am supposed to spend the day in here?¡±


    Jace frowned.  ¡°For now.  Please trust me.¡±


    Jace left his room and walked over toward the dining hall.  It was empty, with no sound coming from the kitchen.  He didn¡¯t wholly understand the eating patterns of NPCs yet.  Esther was hungry after a battle, especially if she took injuries, but he saw no indication she had eaten breakfast this morning.  He assumed the gnomes would find their own meals below, and he needed to find a diplomatic way of pressing them into service once he got a larger group of NPCs living here that would require regular meals.  Esther would be on her own for the next hour or so and had enough money to fend for herself if she got hungry.  He expected she would steal anything she needed, but that would be difficult in a restaurant.


    Food isn¡¯t why he was here.


    ¡°Gracie,¡± he said once he had taken a seat and rested his elbows on the table.  ¡°I have a few questions?¡±


    {Fire away,} she said, seemingly alert.  Even though she had spent all this time sitting in an office chair or sleeping in a bed, it had easily been as stressful for her as for him.  He felt refreshed and ready to go, but she must be exhausted.


    ¡°Talk to me about occupations.  That seems like a cheap and easy way to get boons and feats.  Is it as simple as just picking one and getting its benefit?¡±


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    {It depends on what you want to do.  I didn¡¯t think you would be contemplating occupational choices right before a battle against some of the strongest players in the game, but you haven¡¯t exactly been making predictable choices.}


    ¡°What do I have to do to become a bounty hunter?¡± Jace asked, ignoring the jab.


    {I figured that would be your choice.  You just go to your options screen, navigate until you find the occupational portion, and select it.  You get to pick one starting feat, and that is it.  If you fail to collect a bounty or the game doesn¡¯t think you are trying, you will lose the occupation and the feat, but it should give you a couple of days.  You can¡¯t have more than one occupation at a time, and you need to get to level three to make it permanent.  You start at level 0 and must perform your occupation once to get to level 1.  In your case, that means you need to collect one bounty.  Once you do that, the game gives you more leeway.


    {You can monitor player-created bounties on the settings screen, but most towns also have game-generated bounties.  Gandhi will spawn generic bounties for monsters and thugs around most cities that will scale to your level, so if the player-generated choices are too difficult or unattainable, you still have options to exercise your occupation.


    {It might take several days to collect your second bounty and even longer for your third, but the game forces you to upkeep your occupation to keep its benefits.  Each level requires you to double the number of bounties you collected.  So, two for level two, four for level three, eight for level four, and so on.}


    Jace nodded, following the logic.  He remembered that Esther was a level 37 Escort and tried not to think of the numbers.  ¡°But I get to use that feat right now, even though I haven¡¯t collected any bounties?¡±


    {Yes, the game gives you the gift of a free feat to help you get started.  This is especially helpful for craftsmen who can take the crafting feat.  Once you get to level three, you get another feat, and again at level six.  Getting to level six means collecting 32 bounties; for a bounty hunter, that is a lot.  For a craftsman, that isn¡¯t much, but the game forces them to craft better and better items, or they only get partial credit.}


    Jace was now looking at his inventory screen and scrolling through the options with a specific feat in mind.  ¡°How does Trap Setting work?¡±


    {Interesting choice,} Gracie said.  {Most bounty hunters pick a combat feat.  Since you changed your key ability to Constitution, you won¡¯t get another combat feat for a while, but trap setting can be good with your strategic mind.  Once the Germans saw Esther leave the cavern, they went upstairs to get food, so if you have specific questions you don¡¯t want them to hear, let me know.}


    ¡°It looks like I can make physical or magical traps, and I get a +5 for their construction.¡±


    {Something like that,} Gracie confirmed.  {To make a physical trap, you need basic ingredients like metal, wood, and bait.  You roll and add your crafting ability, which is 0, and your Trap Setting feat score.  Remember, you can take the feat more than once to stack.  When you are not in combat mode, you can take a full round, six minutes, and get a free 20, so you will have 25 points to spend on your trap.  You can use those points to increase the damage it does, make it harder to see, or make it harder to disarm.  The trap level equals the occupation you used to get the ability.  Rogues can also take the Trap Setting feat, which is tied to their player level.  Your traps will be level 0, meaning they will cause no damage, need a disarm roll of 0, and be visible with a perception check of 0.  For each level of the trap, those stats go up by three.}


    ¡°And magical traps?¡± Jace asked.


    {Then, you need a magical device to put a trap on.  For example, you can put a trap on one of Trixna¡¯s fire wards, so they hurt someone if they stumble upon them.  You can cast a spell into a weapon or item and then trap it to release that spell when specific criteria are met.  You have many options, but your traps won¡¯t do much damage at level zero and will be very easy to see or disarm if anyone tries.}


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jace replied.  Still, he chose the Trap Setting feat and closed off that portion of his inventory.  ¡°I also wanted a summoning totem, like the one that kobold shaman had.  Is that possible?¡±


    {Yes,} Gracie replied, {but we will have to wait for your next level.}  Now, she looked through his stats.  {You are a little over 300k experience.  You still have a long way to go before you get to 500k.  You took a lot of shortcuts early, but now reality will set in.  Though, knowing you, I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if you got to 12 in a few hours.}


    ¡°Killing a PC who is at a higher level gets me enough experience to move up one level, right?¡±


    {It gets you the difference between your current level and the next one.  You only need about 180k to get to level 11, but the difference between 10 and 11 is 250k, so you would get that.}


    ¡°So, I could get to level 14 if I killed Drescher and his friends?¡±


    Gracie laughed out loud at him.  {Keep dreaming, Jace.  But no.  If you isolated them and completely left combat mode between each kill, you would go up a level each time.  But they won¡¯t let that happen.  Every player knows that splitting the party is a bad idea.  They will stick together, and if your fantastical plan goes off and you manage to kill all four of them, it will be in the same combat session.  You don¡¯t level up until you leave combat mode, so you would still be at level 10 for each kill and only get 250k for each.}


    Jace frowned.  Still, that would be level 12, which wouldn¡¯t be too shabby.  ¡°I guess that will have to do,¡± he said, pushing himself up from the table.  ¡°Thanks for the information.  Now I¡¯ve got work to do.¡±


    <hr>


    Gracie took her headphones off and stood from her chair, taking several moments to stretch her tired limbs.  She walked over to her brother lying on the couch, which was the extent of the leash handcuffed to her ankle.  She required assistance from one of her guards if she needed to use the bathroom or check on Jason.  Conor was in and out of consciousness.  She was used to setting up IVs on players in the chair in the corner but had rigged up something suitable here too.  Jason was doing fine.  The medical equipment beside his chair beeped and hummed in rhythm, ensuring the player had all the fluids and nutrients he needed.  Sleeves on his legs and arms even provided electrical stimuli to keep his muscles from atrophy.


    Conor was in much worse shape.  His fever was still high, and the IV she had set up could barely keep up with the sweat his body produced.  What little Gracie knew about medicine was tied to keeping players stable in the game.  She had no idea how long Conor could continue in this state, and she felt horrible having to rely on the generosity of Drescher to send a nurse.


    As that thought went through her mind, she heard another voice upstairs.  The Germans had become bolder in leaving her alone.  With her access to the outside world removed, the only thing she could do was talk to Jace, and he wasn¡¯t equipped to contact anyone either.  She could have sent him to Safe Haven, but that would have taken too long, and she was never left alone for more than a few minutes.  It had been almost five now, but soon the visitor¡¯s identity was made clear, and another man came downstairs.


    He sounded French, not German, and had a medical satchel.  Her two wardens pointed to the couch.  From the stairs, he couldn¡¯t see if anyone was lying there, but once the nurse circled the leather furniture, he found his patient.  Gracie stepped back and found her chair.


    ¡°He is bad,¡± the man said in a thick accent after only a few seconds of examination.  ¡°He needs a hospital.  He has lost a lot of blood.  I can keep him stable, but only for a little while.¡±


    ¡°Just do your best,¡± Frans said.  ¡°From what I hear, it will not be too much longer.¡±  He kept watching the medic work as he treated the gunshot wound and gave Conor a couple of injections.


    Hans turned to Gracie.  ¡°There.  Your beloved brother has a nurse.  Now tell your friend to arrange the meeting.¡±


    The nurse looked up as if seeing Gracie for the first time.  ¡°Did you do this IV?¡± he asked as he prepared to swap the bag with one of his own.


    She nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s an expert job,¡± he replied.  ¡°You saved his life.¡±


    ¡°Enough talk!¡± Hans shouted.  ¡°Go tell Jason or Jace or whomever he is to set up this meeting, and we can all be done with this.¡±


    Gracie smiled despite the situation.  It was nice to know they were also at their wits¡¯ end.  They might make a mistake.  She looked to the screen and saw Jace working with the gnomes.  They were creating pockets in the stone around the perimeter of the audience hall.  They made holes at 12, 3, and 9 O¡¯clock.  They were designed to be big enough to hold the shaman¡¯s totems and were all well over 50 feet apart yet covered the entire 100-foot diameter.


    ¡°Clever,¡± she said to herself.  After the pockets were completed, the gnomes magically crafted stone in front of the holes, so the totems were sealed off from the rest of the cavern, but Jace could still cast inside them.  It might have gotten out that Jace was a stone shaman, but if Drescher and his people looked for the totems, they wouldn¡¯t find them.  She looked at the Germans to see if they were paying attention, but they were watching the nurse.  They wouldn¡¯t have understood what Jace was doing anyway.


    As she put her headset on, she saw Snowy run into the room with a goblin in her mouth.  What are you doing? She thought to herself.

 Chapter 42: The Set Up

    Jace could only cast his Armor and Damage Sink totems right now. They each took 100 mana, and he had 60 left afterward. He wanted the Mana Bank totem to hold all 260 mana available, so he would have to wait for another ten rounds to generate that much, which would take an hour. He knew Drescher had about two hours left to get the nurse, so he hoped he was running behind. As he had that thought, his vision flashed red, and he spun around to see why he was in combat mode. Snowy trotted up with a struggling goblin in her mouth. Now ten rounds only took a minute.


    ¡°Good job, girl,¡± he said. He wanted to scratch her behind the ears, but the angry goblin tried to claw and bite, and he decided to keep his distance.


    {Jace,} Gracie sounded in his mind. {Good news. The nurse is here. He says he can keep Conor stable, but not for much longer. The Germans are anxious to set up this meeting.}


    ¡°Understood,¡± Jace replied. He waited a few more seconds and saw his mana return to full. He cast his Mana Bank totem in the third cavity in the wall and then led Snowy to his room. ¡°I need fifteen minutes to get ready, and then I will leave to set things up.¡±


    <hr>


    Once Jace stepped into his room, he was in a private setting, and Gracie couldn¡¯t see or hear him.


    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Frans asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gracie replied, taking her headset off and turning back to Conor to see what the nurse was doing. ¡°In case you haven¡¯t noticed, he doesn¡¯t always listen to me.¡±


    They hadn¡¯t noticed. The Germans had been far more interested in what Esther was doing than Jace. Gracie had to admit that the unique woman was fun to watch, but Jace was still calling the shots. Now they paced around the room anxiously as Jace used every bit of the fifteen minutes he had asked for and then some. A little over 20 minutes after he entered his room, he stepped back out, gently holding the level 50 crystal with two hands.


    The stone glowed with energy like it was reflecting the setting sun again, but deep in the cavern, only Trixna¡¯s wards gave off any light, and they hadn¡¯t replaced the ones that had been dispelled. The gem cast patterns on the cavern¡¯s ceiling like a planetarium, the luminescent designs shifting with each step Jace took. When he got to the stone pedestal, he gingerly placed the crystal over the center and half closed his eyes as he accessed the locking spell that was now linked to him. When he was done, he released the crystal, which hung nine inches above the top of the pillar.


    Jace stood back and smiled before finally leaving the cavern.


    <hr>


    Psycho had been waiting in the neutral zone outside Olympus for almost 30 minutes when Jace showed up, and the elven archer was not happy. Olympus was always busy. Its quests were as close to mandatory as the game had. They were the easiest way to boost your stats, and every beginning player made at least one trip there.


    As players arrived to enter the city, they noticed the famous NPC and hung around to see what he was doing. As players finished their Olympus quests and were deposited in the neutral zone outside the city to level up, they saw Psycho and didn¡¯t leave. Quite the opposite, as these players saw who was loitering outside the town, they hopped onto the chat rooms or told their operators to call friends. Anyone who checked the bounties knew that Dresher had placed one on Esther, and to see Psycho out and about like this in a neutral zone probably implied he was here for a meeting. This might be a chance to catch sight of the elusive woman and possibly get some answers about what had happened in Portsmith.


    Jace initially disappointed everyone when he popped in, and most thought he was just another player that had leveled up, as he was level ten. But a few people knew who he was, and everyone else figured it out when he walked up to Psycho (something none of the other players dared to do even though it was a neutral zone).


    ¡°I hate you,¡± Psycho said, all the mirth from their last meeting gone. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± He looked around at the dozens of PCs all staring at him and making his skin crawl. ¡°My guess is on purpose.¡±


    Jace smiled at him. ¡°Your boss was early by over an hour. I expected him to be late. I wasn¡¯t ready. Besides, don¡¯t you like the celebrity status?¡±


    The elf gave him a look that would sour milk. ¡°I didn¡¯t even need this meeting. I knew where you were going. I put the location on your map.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jace replied. ¡°But are you sure that is where the meeting will be?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± There was no hesitation in his voice.


    Jace shrugged. ¡°True enough,¡± he said and then continued in a low tone that only the elf would here. ¡°But something like this needs a little theater.¡± Jace raised his voice to almost a shout. ¡°I invite Ferrick Drescher to my stronghold. There we will discuss trade options for the Level 50 crystal I have obtained,¡± he paused after this. Most had probably heard that the level 50 SIM had been cracked, but only the elf assassin he had killed and Drescher knew he had it. Murmurs now flew through the crowd. ¡°And for the rights of Esther Xerxes.¡±


    Now the crowd erupted into conversation almost too loud to talk over.


    ¡°You are putting on quite a show,¡± Psycho said. ¡°Do you really want this big an audience for your funeral?¡±


    Jace laughed at him. ¡°You and my operator are the same.¡±


    {I am nothing like him.}


    ¡°You both lack faith,¡± Jace ignored Gracie. ¡°Tell your boss to meet me in twenty minutes.¡± Jace winked at Psycho. ¡°You know the place.¡± He wasn¡¯t quite ready to give out his home address to the world. He understood they couldn¡¯t enter without permission, but he didn¡¯t want to answer the ¡°doorbell¡± every five seconds. ¡°And Nal Saikol,¡± Jace added quietly, using his real name. ¡°Don¡¯t come. Find whatever reason you need. But this is between your boss and me.¡±


    No one ever used his real name, which earned Jace a bit of respect in Psycho¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± With that, the elf turned toward the travel node, but people surrounded it. It had been spitting out groups of PCs every few seconds to witness this confrontation, but now they spread, allowing the ranger access to the node, and he disappeared.


    Once he was gone, the area exploded with questions aimed at Jace. They all wanted to know who he was, his class, how Esther was in AI mode, where his stronghold was, and if they could follow him. Jace soaked in the attention for a little while but answered none of the questions. Soon they all realized he couldn¡¯t speak even if he wanted to since they were making such a racket.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    ¡°Things are about to change,¡± he said finally. He thought about adding more but felt that was enough and teleported himself out.


    <hr>


    Jace thought about transporting directly to his room, but he needed to talk with Gracie.


    {Wow, you¡¯ve started quite the buzz,} she said once Jace was climbing the short slope to his new home.


    ¡°It¡¯s been five seconds,¡± Jace said, a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. Undoubtedly, people had started chatting about it the moment Jace had arrived and started talking with Psycho. ¡°How many requests?¡±


    ¡°About 50 a second. It looks like we are up to almost 1,000 already. Remember, the game isn¡¯t that popular compared to other platforms. There are probably only 30k players worldwide. I won¡¯t be shocked if half the game ends up requesting to follow you.}


    ¡°Can we rescind the requests after approving them?¡± Jace asked as the entrance to his cave came into view.


    {Yes, but unless you want to go through them individually, you will have to rescind them all.}


    ¡°Okay, put me on auto approval or whatever it takes to get everyone access. But I don¡¯t want any chat requests, and no one gets to enter my MIM except Drescher and his party.¡±


    {You¡¯re the boss,} she replied.


    After a minute, Jace paused on the drawbridge, navigated to his settings, and saw dozens of requests from players asking to enter his stronghold. The view they could see of him for the last 60 seconds must have clued them into where he was, but as Gracie worked in the background, they soon disappeared.


    {A lot of people are offering to help,} Gracie informed him. {I still don¡¯t think you have a chance, but if you had an army of 12 other PCs, you could beat them.}


    ¡°And you think Drescher would enter a MIM if he saw a dozen PCs inside, most likely much higher in level than me?¡±


    {Good point,} she relented.


    ¡°No, Drescher needs to feel safe and confident for this to work.¡±


    {Okay, but remember, from here on out, everyone will be able to see and hear what you do. If you have any tricks up your sleeves, you will have to do them in the privacy of one of your bedrooms.}


    ¡°Can I stream alternative content other than the live feed?¡±


    {Like what?}


    ¡°Do you have a recording of the fight that took place in the main dining area of the Gilded Swan?¡±


    {Jace, I record everything.}


    ¡°Good. People want to know what happened in Portsmith; play that. The next 20 minutes will be boring, and I don¡¯t want to lose viewers. People can stare at my empty audience hall for 20 minutes, or they can watch something interesting. After that, play Esther¡¯s fight with the Ironfel guards. That might keep anyone from trying to attack her in the future.¡±


    While he was in his inventory, Jace saw a menu option showing the number of current followers and tagged that information, so it was available on his side menus that usually showed his mana and HP. Right now, over 600 people were following him. He exited his inventory, conscious that he was being watched, and moved into his cavern. Snowy was there to greet him.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± he said, catching her front paws as she tried to jump on him. She was too big for that, but Jace was strong enough if she tried. He could tell the wolf was smart enough to know something special was going on, and there was a feeling that this might be the last time they would see each other. ¡°I need you to take a trip,¡± he said quietly, knowing that viewers would be able to turn up their volume if they wanted. ¡°Go find Topper and take him back to town. He¡¯s small enough to ride on your back. Take him to the diner where you killed the mice. He needs to learn how to make pancakes. It¡¯s for Esther. Can you do this?¡±


    Snowy wasn¡¯t happy, knowing she was being sent away on purpose.


    ¡°I will be okay. I¡¯ve made it through everything else so far. This will be no different. But if you stay, they will kill you. Topper can¡¯t keep his nose out of things, especially if he thinks Esther is in danger. Take him and be safe.¡±


    Snowy wined some more.


    ¡°I¡¯m not asking,¡± Jace said with a stern face. Reluctantly, the wolf did as she was told and disappeared down the tunnel.


    {Just so you know, they¡¯ve started a dedicated chat room to discuss what is happening. Those that aren¡¯t flipping out about the Gilded Swan video I¡¯m sharing have dozens of questions about how you managed to secure this stronghold without killing Topper.}


    Jace smiled, and a few seconds later, Snowy came back up with Topper gripping desperately to the fur on her back. They ran past with the gnome screaming in terror. ¡°I might kill the gnome yet,¡± he joked.


    {They also want to know what class you are, how you got a winter wolf as a familiar, and a hundred other things.}


    ¡°Anyone we know?¡±


    {There are hundreds of names, Jace, I can¡¯t keep them all straight. Oh, there is an interesting one. Gweniffer, Drescher¡¯s thief, is watching.}


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace said. ¡°The more information they have about what they are getting into, the better it is for me.¡± He looked over at the Crystal glowing brightly on the pedestal. He assumed many of the viewers had played this quest and knew how it was suspended and locked there. The more they thought this would be the same as the scripted version of this module, the better.


    ¡°Jace. I¡¯m back.¡±


    He turned and saw Esther. He was happy to see her health at full. ¡°How did it go? Did you kill anyone?¡±


    She looked confused for a moment but then smiled. ¡°Was I supposed to?¡±


    ¡°Come with me,¡± he said and walked toward her bedroom. The two traveled the short hallway and were soon in the privacy of her suite. ¡°Drescher is coming here,¡± he said, sitting at her table.


    ¡°I know,¡± she replied, sitting on the bed. ¡°They told me. After I gave them the information you wanted, they said you were calling him out. Everyone knows, and everyone will be watching. I want to help.¡±


    ¡°You already have.¡±


    ¡°I want to do more.¡±


    ¡°They will kill you,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°They will try,¡± Esther argued. ¡°Others have tried and failed.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happens to you when you die?¡± Jace asked.


    Esther was quiet.


    ¡°You will wake up here,¡± Jace said, pointing to where she sat. ¡°In that bed where you slept last night. You know that Drescher wants you, and he wants you as you used to be. He knows that if you die, you will come right back. If I die and you die, then you will revert to what you were. If I die and you survive, you will stay like you are now. However, if you stay here, in my home, and they leave, this home will no longer exist, and you will revert to what you were. Do you want to stay the way you are?¡±


    Esther nodded.


    ¡°The only way to do that is to hide in this room. If I die, you must run through that window and leave this place as fast as possible. Go anywhere in the realms but not here. I will come looking for you if I can, but it might take days. If you show yourself, they will kill you, and it won¡¯t be pleasant. The priest will disable you, and Gwen will probably cut you up.¡±


    ¡°I can take her,¡± Esther spat at the mention of the other rogue.


    ¡°One-on-one, I¡¯m sure you can. But they won¡¯t fight that way. They know what you did to their guards back in Ironfel. They won¡¯t let you hide in the shadows or get close enough to grapple anyone. They will catch you, torture you, and kill you. And since they know you will come back right here, they will do it over and over and . . .¡±


    Jace¡¯s voice choked up. ¡°I can¡¯t watch that. But they will make me. They will keep torturing you until I hand you over or give them what they want. The only way this will work is if I hold all the cards. I can¡¯t give them a bargaining chip, which is why you can¡¯t be there. If you were successful in your mission, you¡¯ve already hurt them more than you know. That will be enough for now.¡±


    ¡°If you kill them, will they come back?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Eventually, but at level 1. It will take them a while to get back to full strength, but as soon as Gwen hits level 10, I will be sure to let you know.¡±


    Esther smiled and nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± She paused for a while. ¡°Will you win? Is this goodbye for us?¡±


    Jace could barely hold back his tears. ¡°Whatever happens, if you escape, it is not the end. I will find you.¡±


    Esther got up and hugged Jace, kissing him gently on the cheek. ¡°Thank you for everything,¡± she said. ¡°Are you sure there isn¡¯t something more I can do to help?¡±


    ¡°I would like to borrow your necklace and ring.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t hesitate, stepping away from him and removing both items. Jace swapped necklaces and reverted to an orc. ¡°Thanks, now stay safe.¡±


    As he stood to leave, he got a notification that Drescher and his people were requesting access to his MIM. He had told Gracie to block all the other requests. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ll be back shortly.¡± He turned and left the room.

 Chapter 43: The Confrontation

    Gracie had managed to play the battle in the Gilded Swan and the fight in Ironfel once.  Over 3,000 players were watching, with more joining every second.  She was halfway through the second showing of the brothel mayhem when Drescher and his crew showed up.  Hans and Frans were watching from recliners since Conor still owned the couch.  The nurse hadn¡¯t left Conor¡¯s side and didn¡¯t care about the game.


    A dull thump came from upstairs, and the Germans looked at each other.  ¡°There are supposed to be thunderstorms tonight,¡± Hans said.  ¡°Either way, you should go check it out.¡±


    Frans motioned at the screen in protest.  ¡°Not now.¡±  Dresher¡¯s team was climbing slowly up the rise toward the open doors of the cavern, cautiously looking for traps.


    ¡°Then be fast.  If it¡¯s just the storm, it won¡¯t take long.¡±


    Frans cursed in German, pushed himself from the chair, and jogged up the stairs.  Gracie removed her headset to see if she could hear anything.  The last thing they needed was a power outage.  Chicago summer thunderstorms were legendary, and while they had a generator backup, only Conor knew how it worked.


    Another dull thud sounded upstairs.


    ¡°Stop fooling around up there!¡± Hans shouted.


    Then the lights went out.


    Gracie screamed involuntarily, and all hell broke loose.


    Footsteps sounded on the stairs like a herd of dear running into the basement.  A laser light show flashed before her as what looked like navy seals flooded the small room, carrying handguns with laser sights.  The computer system was on a battery backup, and the screens illuminated the room with a soft glow.  Hans reached for a gun but was shot three times before the weapon cleared.  He fired a bullet into the floor before he fell next to it.  The nurse and Gracie each raised their hands in surrender, and it was all over.


    Several men shouted, ¡°Clear,¡± and the lights turned on.  One of them hurried up to Gracie.  ¡°Are you Gracie O¡¯Brien?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°I have a phone call for you,¡± he said, handing Gracie a cell phone.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she asked hesitantly as she watched the men move methodically through the basement.  Hans was dead, and they also secured the nurse as their medic looked over Conor.


    ¡°Gracie!  Gracie, is it you?  Are you okay?¡±


    She recognized the voice instantly as Agent Ross Fordier, their government handler.  ¡°Ross.  It¡¯s so good to hear you.  Where have you been?  We¡¯ve been kidnapped this whole time.  Drescher¡¯s men got to us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you,¡± he said, sounding apologetic.  ¡°I expected an update from you, but when I didn¡¯t hear anything, I went online to follow your paladin, Sir Wilhelm Stark, right?  Well, the game said he was dead, so I guessed you had failed again.  I didn¡¯t want to bug you immediately because I know you guys don¡¯t like to dwell on it, and I figured you were just figuring out how to do better next time and would call me.  I mean, it was only one day.¡±


    Gracie took a breath and tried to see it from their perspective.  Yes, Jace made a splash in the game and drew attention, but there was no way for Ross to know that was them.  He was an orc, and the knowledge that he had the Level 50 crystal wasn¡¯t public until a few minutes ago.  ¡°I guess you¡¯re right.  Then what tipped you off?¡±


    ¡°Your guy sent his . . . uh . . . his woman to Safe Haven.  She made a bunch of noise asking for CIA agents, and eventually, someone called me and woke me up.  She dropped your name and knew the Chicago address, so we sent men to investigate.¡±


    Gracie smiled as she imagined Esther running through Safe Haven, asking for US government officials.  ¡°Good plan Jace,¡± she said to herself.  She looked back to the screen to see how his next plan was working out, but Drescher and his people were still outside the cavern, casting boon spells on each other.


    ¡°She had more information too,¡± Ross continued, ¡°but I didn¡¯t really understand it.¡±


    Gracie nodded.  Ross was a CIA agent, not a gamer.  He had a character but only went into the game to have meetings.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you talk to Stephen, and he can explain.¡±


    Gracie listened as the phone changed hands.  Agent Stephen Dexter was a 25-year-old rookie with the agency, making him uniquely qualified for a position on this task force.  He was the only one in Washington who was any good at the game.  She recognized his nasal voice a second later.


    ¡°Hey, Gracie.  Good to hear you made it okay.  So, your man ripped Esther out of her MIM?  Amazing.  How did he . . .¡±


    ¡°Not now, Stevie,¡± Gracie answered.  ¡°You and the rest of the realms want to know, but for now, let¡¯s focus on the plan.  What else did Esther tell you?¡±


    ¡°She said we needed to issue three bounties but should talk to you about the timing of when to release them.¡±


    Gracie shrugged but knew he couldn¡¯t see it.  ¡°Jace hasn¡¯t told me anything about that yet.¡±


    ¡°Well, you better find out because from what I can see on my screen, he¡¯s going to be pretty busy soon.¡±


    <hr>


    Jace watched the four players enter his home cautiously.  He didn¡¯t have the benefit of everyone else in the game who got to watch them buff themselves before entering, but he didn¡¯t care.  His plan relied on their personalities, and he didn¡¯t think any spells in the game could alter those.


    {Jace!} Gracie screamed in his head, almost causing him to flinch.  {We are safe.  Thank you.  Everything is good here now.  I got Washington on the phone, and they want to know when to release the bounties.}


    Jace smiled.  ¡°I¡¯ll tell you when,¡± he said quietly.


    His guests were barely through the door when Axilia, the priestess, reached out toward the middle of the room and cast Dispel, which would reduce all time-sensitive enchantments to zero.  Jace was in orc form already and didn¡¯t have any other active spells for the priest to counter.  He smiled as he guessed she had just wasted a ton of mana.  He wished he knew what a level 22 priest character sheet looked like so he could have some idea of what he was up against, but he just had to hope this would work.  All he had to go on was their HP.  Gwen was at 550, while Axilia and Pieter were at 572.  Drescher was the only warrior in the group, and he was at a whopping 912.


    ¡°Nice place you have here,¡± Drescher said.  He was the only one who walked calmly into the hall.  The other three looked like cats, searching for some type of trap or hidden door that would pop open so hundreds of orcs could pour out.


    Pieter was dressed in wizard robes and had one of the True Sight devices the half-orc guards had used to prevent Esther from hiding in the shadows.  Gwen had Esther¡¯s armor on with black leggings and her stylish hat.  Her eyes were scoping out the several tunnels looking for traps or hidden doors.  Axilia wore light blue pants and a blouse under a tight-fitting holy vestment with no hint of armor, but Jace didn¡¯t think she was defenseless.


    Drescher was the only one who looked like he was ready to fight.  He wore chainmail with a large shield on one arm and an axe on his hip.  His equipment looked familiar, but Jace figured it was standard issue in Ironfel since all the half-orcs had been similarly outfitted.  Jace had expected more.  Surely someone at his level with his resources could have dragon armor by now, with a glowing shield of fire and a sentient sword that spewed magic with every swing.


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    {He is taking you for granted,} Gracie confirmed in his head.  {Other than his two rings, that is not his standard equipment.}


    ¡°Welcome to my home,¡± Jace offered.  ¡°So nice of you to come.  Please make yourself-¡± he started to take a step toward them, but Axilia was ready with another spell.  Jace assumed it was a hold spell and tried to think of a bird flying on the mountain breezes but figured it was pointless.  The difficulty of the spell was probably twice his magic defense.  The priestly hold spell differed from the arcane paralyze or stun spell as it did not initiate combat.  Jace found he could still move about slightly and talk.  He held his halberd in his hand and could tell he couldn¡¯t swing it, but he wasn¡¯t totally frozen.


    ¡°You can stay right there,¡± Drescher said.


    Jace stood in the center of the hall, the crystal behind him over his left shoulder.  The four visitors kept their distance, moving along the room¡¯s perimeter and pausing at each open hallway they came to.


    ¡°They are warded to prevent entry,¡± Gwen said.  ¡°I don¡¯t think they are trapped.¡±


    ¡°Can you dispel them?¡± Drescher asked, turning to the priestess.


    ¡°Only one at a time,¡± Axilia said.  ¡°My first two spells took half my mana.  We aren¡¯t in combat mode right now, so it will take a while.  No way to know which room she is in or if she is even here.  She wouldn¡¯t even be in this module if he was smart.¡±


    Drescher smiled and turned to Jace, who could hear everything they said.  ¡°Oh, I know he is smart, but he told the whole realm that we would be negotiating for the crystal and Esther.  I see the crystal.  Esther better be here too.¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± Jace confirmed.  ¡°But I want to hear your offer.  The world wants to hear your offer.¡±


    Drescher frowned.  He watched as Gwen and Pieter continued checking the other doors, moving in opposite directions that would meet up at the crystal on the far side.  He knew what Jace was doing.  The level 10 player had no chance to win here.  The only thing he could legitimately do was destroy Drescher¡¯s reputation.  He employed many other PCs, and they would all see this.  If he just killed Jace and took what he wanted, no one would ever work with him again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve played this module before,¡± Drescher said.  ¡°I know the crystal is locked in place, and we can¡¯t get it until the owner of this cavern is killed.  How about I burn you slowly where you stand?¡± Drescher asked.  Pieter came to attention and readied his spells if he was needed.


    ¡°Not very convincing,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You know I won¡¯t feel the pain.¡±


    ¡°When we met before,¡± Drescher replied, ¡°you offered to let me kill you in exchange for the crystal if I sent a friend to Chicago.  I know I kept up my end of the bargain.  Are you backing out now?¡±


    ¡°I thought you wanted Esther,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You are free to kill me and take the crystal anytime, but if you do, Esther will run.  If she leaves this module before you do, she will not be deleted when you leave.  You will not get her.¡±


    Drescher frowned as he realized Jace wasn¡¯t bluffing.  ¡°How about I don¡¯t burn you,¡± he said.  ¡°How about I burn that stained couch back in Chicago?  You might not care about it, but I hear Gracie does.¡±


    Jace smiled despite the threat against Conor¡¯s life.


    {He doesn¡¯t know his men are dead,} Gracie said, realizing part of Jace¡¯s plan.


    ¡°How could he,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°How could I?¡± Drescher questioned but recognized when someone was talking with their operator.  ¡°Fritz,¡± he said to his own man.  ¡°Get Chicago on the line.¡±


    Jace watched as Drescher¡¯s evil grin turned placid and then into a frown over the next minute.  ¡°As I said,¡± Dresher grunted.  ¡°We know he is smart.¡±  He listened for a few more moments as his operator tried desperately to get a hold of anyone in Chicago, but Drescher knew it was pointless.  ¡°So, what am I left with?¡± Drescher asked.  ¡°You call me down here to trade, but you made sure I didn¡¯t have anything you want.¡±  He paused.  ¡°Money?  Do you want a million?  I already offered that five hours ago, and you turned me down.¡±


    ¡°I want you to give up.  Leave here and rescind the bounty on Esther.  Understand that you lost, and it is over.¡±


    The German laughed long and hard.  ¡°How is that a negotiation?  My alternative is to kill you and take the crystal.  Even if I lose Esther, someone out there values money more than you.  They will catch her and bring her to me.  I will pay them and get what I want at a fraction of what I offered you.¡±


    ¡°Are you ready to live like that?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°The way you walked in here a moment ago, petrified that a 120-pound level 10 woman might leap out and attack you.  Is that how you want to be for the rest of your time in the game?  She has access to Ironfel.  She has no fear.  If you four are ever apart, she will kill you.  She will be loose in this game like a virus, a ghost in the machine, and you will never be safe again.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± Gwen said.  ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this idiot.  He doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.  I¡¯ve played this module before too.  I can get the crystal without killing him.  If Esther is supposed to run when he dies, then we keep him alive.  There is only one other way out of this cavern, and that is through a window outside.  If we go in through that, we can corner her, and she has nowhere to run.¡±


    Jace saw the thief was busy casting several boons on herself, bolstering her lock-pick ability.  ¡°Gwen,¡± Drescher said, moving toward the rogue.  Jace had to turn to follow him.  ¡°You can¡¯t pick that lock; everyone knows it.¡±  Pieter and Axilia closed in from the other side of the cavern, all looking at the rogue as she finished her last spell.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± she said, taking a few more steps toward the pedestal.  ¡°I¡¯ve done it before.¡±


    ¡°Gracie,¡± Jace said softly.  ¡°Now.¡±


    Drescher, Axilia, and Pieter all stepped toward the crystal and were going to protest further, but bounties for each of them suddenly flashed before their vision.  It took them a few confusing moments to dismiss the alert, and none of them did so in time to stop the rogue from successfully bypassing the lock and grabbing the crystal.


    The crystal that Jace had filled with his Righteous Judgement spell.


    The crystal that he had put a trap on.


    ¡°No!¡± Dresher cried, leaping away from his rogue.


    Lightning ripped through the hall, rending the air in a tremendous thunderclap that shattered their senses.  Three of the visitors fell to the ground.  Gwen was knocked unconscious but looked stable, the crystal orb slowly rolling away from her, still glowing with untold power.  Axilia was dead, her body motionless on the ground, her HP registering 0.  Pieter was gone.  His body, robes, and equipment were obliterated in the intense flash of light.  Drescher stood aghast, staring at his party members and trying to figure out what had happened.  Fritz, his operator, was still working the situation in Chicago but now changed gears and tried to explain this shocking turn of events to his boss.


    Jace knew what had happened, but he needed Gracie to give him the numbers later.


    Gwen had several protections in place that saved her life.  She knew she was a jump-first, look-second thief, and so she had taken the Trap Level Protection feat, which limited a trap¡¯s damage to that of her current level.  It was a necessary feat for an early-level thief, for if she triggered a level ten trap, but was only at level five, then the trap could only do five levels of damage against her.  In this case, it was a level 0 trap, but it was prepared to unleash 50 levels of damage upon her.  That would have been over 3,000 mana.  Instead, it was restricted to level 22, which was 814 mana.  That translated to 162 damage.    Gwen¡¯s alignment was the middle of the road, Pragmatic, Balanced, and Liberal, so no additional multipliers affected the damage.


    The spell difficulty had nothing to do with the trap, which was still at level 50, translating to a score of 110.  But Gwen had protection from that as well.  Most traps did elemental damage, and she had taken several feats that gave her bonuses to save against elemental attacks.  Her base magic defense was 31, but against elemental spells, like lightning, it was 63.  After a good roll of 16, she had an 79, which was 31 points below the difficulty resulting in three critical failures.  Each critical increased the damage by 50%, so the 162 damage became 405.  This was over half of her 550 HP, but she had another feat that protected her against death from traps.  If the device did enough damage to kill her, she would die, but if it triggered a Death Save and she failed it, she would be protected from death and take the next worst penalty.  This meant she lay unconscious on the ground with a stable 145 HP remaining.


    Axilia was next in line and wasn¡¯t so lucky.  Half of the 405 damage jumped into her, but since she was Guile, Balanced, and Progressive, the damage jumped from 202 to 808.  She didn¡¯t have the elemental protection the thief did, but her magic defense was even higher as a priest.  With a +10 protection ring she wore, it was 100, but after a roll 8, she failed the difficulty of 110, by 2 and took full damage.  With her health at 572 HP she died instantly.


    Because Drescher had leaped away at the last moment, Pieter was the next closest.  A bolt of 404 points of damage zapped into him.   His alignment was the same as Axilia¡¯s, so it was also multiplied by four, skyrocketing to 1,616.  His magic defense wasn¡¯t bad at 50, and he rolled an 18, but that still left him 42 points short of the target difficulty, and the four criticals increased the damage by 200% to 4,848.  This was over five times the mage¡¯s HP, and he was annihilated.


    Half of that damage then shot over to Drescher.  He had the lowest magical resistance in the group, and his saving throw would have multiplied any damage he got into the tens of thousands, but he was a German weapons engineer.  He was Ordered, and the zero-multiplier sent the damage to nothing.


    Fritz explained this to Drescher as quickly as possible, and the shocked player stumbled over to the crystal lying on the floor.  Knowing the spell inside couldn¡¯t hurt him, he picked it up and tugged at the energy.  It wasn¡¯t trapped anymore, but he knew how to operate a device like this and drained it in a second.  Lightning flashed, and thunder roared, but the warrior took no damage.


    After he was done, he tossed the item on the ground and pulled his axe from his hip.  He was furious, but he wasn¡¯t about to walk into another trap.  Jace was now free from the hold spell with Axilia dead on the ground.  All the boons she had cast on her boss were gone too.  Dresher gave the other player a second to run or enact another safety spell, but he just stood there.


    ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got,¡± Drescher asked, hoping it was.  ¡°Was that your plan?  An all-or-nothing spell to kill my crew that banked on Gwen¡¯s impulsive nature?  Well, it worked.  They are all out of commission.  It¡¯s just you and me now.  Just like you wanted, I¡¯m sure.  The whole realm is watching.  Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Chapter 43.1

    I wanted to go over the stats of Drescher¡¯s three party members to show what a powerful character looks like. When I started writing this story, I created portions of the RPG game as needed. Each time Jace leveled up and needed a new feat, I invented one. Occasionally I would think of a powerful feat and realize that if that existed in the game, Gracie should have had Jace pick it first. Or if I think of a progressive feat that gets more powerful as you take it, Jace should have started on those earlier. So when I introduced Drescher¡¯s team of four powerful humans (Gwen is a half-elf), I made sure to build them out completely with feats and upgrades so I would have a reason they were so much more powerful than Jace. Also, it forced me to think of feats in advance so that as Jace and his party members leveled up, I could have a path for them to go down instead of making it up on the spot.


    Before looking at them, I want to go over character creation briefly. Because Jace took over a premade NPC with inflated stats, I never walked through character creation with the reader. I mention it briefly at the beginning but don¡¯t really explain it because I knew I would never do it. The abilities work off a point-buy system. All abilities start at 10, and you have 25 points to spend to raise them. To increase an ability to 14 costs one for one. So if you raise all six stats to 14, that will cost 24 points. This is what most people do. Raising a stat to 15 or 16 costs 2 points per advancement, so increasing one stat at character creation to 16 costs 8. Going to 17 or 18 costs an additional 4 points per number. Since raising all your stats to 14 leaves you with one point left, and taking any of the abilities to 15 costs two, you can instead spend that 1 point to raise one skill by two. You will see +2 (CC) for some skills on the character sheets below. That means they got a +2 bonus at Character Creation.


    After setting your abilities, you add your racial bonus. Most races give two bonuses and one penalty. Elves give +1 to Dexterity and Intelligence and a -1 to Constitution. Dwarves give +1 to Strength and Constitution and a -1 to Dexterity. Humans only give one +1 and no penalty; you can apply that +1 to any ability. Afterward, you will have five 14s and one 15 for your abilities. The goal is then to raise your key stat to 18, with a +2 ring to bump it to 20. Then use four other bumps to raise two stats to 16 or one to 18 or some other combination. You can only permanently raise one ability at a time, so you can¡¯t wear six +2 rings, only one. This requires seven ability increases. You get 4 for getting to 20+ in levels, and you need to get three from the trials in Olympus. That is tough, but if you hook up with other level nine characters at levels 5 and 7, you can usually go along for the ride, and then when you are level 9, you return the favor for another lower-level character.


    All the characters below will have gone through this process. The stat that is boosted by the ring will be in red, and while it increases the base for all the skills, it doesn¡¯t get you additional skill points to spend at level advancement.


    The different races also give you two +5 bonuses to skills. Your class gives three +5 bonuses to skills. For non-human races, those bonuses are predetermined, but for humans, you can decide where the +5 bonuses go with the only restriction that they can¡¯t double up with bonuses given with your class.


    One thing that might stand out about the Character sheets below is how low most of the abilities are. Jace and Esther both have two abilities at 20 or above, with others at 16 or 18. That can''t happen normally.


    First Gwen


    She is a half-elf which changes her appearance and lets her choose between elf character creation abilities or Human ones. She chose all human abilities and just wanted a more exotic look to her character. You can see most of what she can do from the stat sheet, but I will highlight three things.


    Lock Pick: You need to take this feat in order to attempt a lock pick, and the feat gives you +5 to your skill. The base of the skill is Dexterity. So the feat on its own would give her a +15 to Lock Picking, and then she would roll a D10 against the lock¡¯s difficulty. However, she took the occupation of blacksmith and specialized as a locksmith to take two more occupational feats in Lock Pick to give her an additional +10. She also has the Lock Pick spell, which boosts her ability based on how much mana she spends. She also took the feat Dexterous Fingers, which lets her add her Dex bonus to skills that require fine motor skills like setting traps, tying knots, and lock picking. She already had her Dex bonus to her Lock Pick ability; this doubled it. Then she took Athletic Fingers, which lets her take half her Athletic skill and add it to fine motor skills. This brings her base Lock Pick Ability to 49. Before entering the cavern, she had boosted her Dex to 24 through her spell, which added 8 to her base Dex and 16 to her Lock Pick, bringing her to 65. She then boosted her Lock Pick skill specifically by ten with a burst spell, taking her to 75. The difficulty on the pedestal lock was 75, so any roll other than 1 let her pass.


    Elemental Protection: Gwen has three feats that let her not die from the lightning attack. She had Elemental Resistance and Elemental Reduction. These added a +3 special bonus to her Resist and Damage Reduction skills and allowed her to use her Resist and D/R totals in saving throws against Elemental Damage. She also had Elemental Dodge, which let her take half of her Dodge skill and add that to her saving throw. You can already Dodge fire and Earth attacks, but this also extended a partial benefit to wind, water, and electricity attacks. Her Dex was boosted to 24 during this, so her Dodge skill was at 28.


    Fire Damage: Gwen uses fire to augment her damage. You can see that while she boosted her Melee value very high, she did nothing to her damage. She took three fire training levels, each raising her fire damage by 25%. She also carried a +4 Fire brand short sword that increased fire damage by 25% on criticals, so, combined with her three levels of fire training, she does double fire damage on criticals. The short sword has the Explosive trait and is level 8, so it can hold 180 mana. This would result in a 40-point damage (36+4) strike that would double to 80 on a crit. The sword also had a fire mana gem that would generate 30 fire mana within the weapon per round, so it would fully recharge after six rounds. If she attacked every round after the first big attack, she could still do 20 fire damage with a crit ((30/5 + 4)*2). And if she added some of her own mana, she could easily get that up to 40 fire damage with a crit. Also, the critical ability of the sword stacks for multiple crits (+25% per crit), so if she attacks from the shadows like Esther does and gets five criticals, she can triple the fire damage.


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    I know this is a lot of information for a character that picks one lock in the entire book and then dies, but I wrote it all down, so I thought I¡¯d share it.


    Axilia


    Axilia is a standard priest who heals and boosts her party members. She has two feats that complement each other nicely: Wise Difficulty and Negative Difficulty. Wise Difficulty lets her use her Wisdom base for her Difficulty check, and Negative Difficulty lets her reduce the difficulty of a spell and get mana back for it. This takes advantage of the fact that party members cannot save against each other. I hinted at this in an early chapter where the Germans talked with Esther and told Jace to give the Crystal to Drescher. She said you could only exchange items with non-party members in a hostile zone. And she said there was no way Drescher would allow Jace in his party. This is because party members cannot save against each other¡¯s spells. They always act as if they rolled 1 under the required difficulty.


    I imagined a situation where a healing spell would do damage to an undead creature. This shouldn¡¯t be automatic, and the undead creature should be able to attempt to save against the healing spell. Likewise, if you are facing a barbarian that gets combat bonuses when they are below half health, a strategy might be to heal him slightly to bring him back above half until you are ready to focus on him. He should be able to save against that too. Well, what happens if you try to cast a healing spell on a party member and they save against it?


    I also understood that the best way for high-level mages to do extra damage is to up the difficulty of their spell instead of paying mana for more damage. Every ten levels of difficulty cost 50 mana and could cause someone to critically fail the spell, which adds 50% to the damage, so once your spell does over 100 points of damage, it makes more sense to up the difficulty to get more damage. This allows you to throw a 100-damage fireball into a swarm of fighters, including your party members. They might take 100 damage, but everyone else will take multiples of that.


    So, Alixia has a difficulty rating of 50 for her spells. Since her party members will never save against her, she can lower that by 10 or 20 and get a discount of 50 or 100 mana on spells she casts to boost their abilities or heal them. The only limitation is that she can only lower difficulty by the amount that she is ¡°inflicting¡± on someone else. So, if she is casting a boon to raise someone¡¯s strength by 5, she can only decrease the difficulty by five. But for healing, since the lowest she can ever heal someone is 49, all her healing spells can be free. Of course, she has to memorize the spell that way, so she can¡¯t change the difficulty on the fly in the middle of combat. She can also take advantage of this when casting Hold or Dispel spells against lower opponents. If she knows that level 10 characters have an MD of around 20, she can memorize a hold spell that lowers her natural difficulty from 50 to 40 and cast the spell with a 50 mana discount.


    The one exception to this ability is that it doesn¡¯t work on herself. She still has to pay normal mana costs when healing or boosting herself.


    Because of this versatility, she needs to memorize many different versions of each spell, or else she will have to go into her inventory every time she casts to reprogram them. She knows 11 priestly spells but has 16 known spells. The Divine spells are all bonus spells and don¡¯t count against her total. These five open spots allow her to memorize six different versions of each spell.


    As for the Divine spells, she worships a warrior god. Divine Warrior costs ten mana per level, and she can swap her Melee and Damage Skills with two of her Wisdom skills for ten rounds. So, when she casts that spell, she will have +54 to attack and +48 damage. Her Armor, Shield, and Mace each cost 100 mana and last for ten rounds. The armor is equal to her Armor Skill, so it will give her +15 to AC and raise her MD by 15 as well, which is good because, after the swap, her MD went from 90 to 38. The shield is a medium shield +3, with one crit protection built in. The mace is a level 10 (two levels per 4 of the caster up to 10) +5 mace. Casting all that at once uses 520 mana, so she still has a little left.


    Pieter


    Most of his character sheet is easy to understand, but I wanted to point out the damage he can do with his magic. Earlier in the story, Jace questions the effectiveness of magical attacks. He points out that he can do more damage in one melee attack than if he spent all his mana. Gracie assured him that high-level mages can do a ton of damage. Pieter has a Spell Difficulty of 66. Jace, at level 12, has a Magic Defense of 39, which is really high. Most melee fighters at 12 will be less than 30. If you have a MD of 30, even a roll of 20 is a critical failure against a Spell Difficulty of 66.


    Pieter has a Spell Damage bonus of 55. So, if he spends five mana on an acid spell, it will 56 damage. Since he has all four levels of Acid training, that damage is increased by 100% to 112 damage. If the target fails the saving throw, the damage is increased by 50%. If they critically fail, it is increased by 100% to a total of 224. Acid damage continues every round, dropping by half each round. The difficulty to save drops by ten each round. Failing the save doesn¡¯t result in any increase in damage. It is reasonable to assume that a fighter with poor Magic Defense might fail the save three rounds in a row and take 224 + 112 + 56 = 392. That would be the result of a 5-mana spell plus whatever Pieter spent on distance. Pieter has over 800 mana, so he could do this every round for a long time.


    Obviously, Pieter is a level 22 mage, and at level 12, a mage would be less powerful, but if they attacked dumb monsters with low MD, they could get similar results.


    Pieter has a # of Spells skill of 13 but has only chosen to know four. The nine empty slots mean he can memorize ten different configurations of each spell. This is specifically useful for his Control and Charm+ spells since the cost depends on the level of the player he casts it against. You want to maximize the difficulty to get as many critical failures from the target as possible. His three occupational feats (Influence) give him a +5 to Charm and Control spells.

 Chapter 44: The Final Fight

    Jace had cast his Athletic boon spell as soon as the lightning show was over.  The game kept them in combat mode for five rounds as Drescher walked over to the crystal and drained the rest of it.  During that time, Jace tapped into his Mana Bank totem, accelerating his mana generation and bringing him back to full.


    Drescher stalked toward him, taking a round to cast True Strike.  The big man roared as he leaped forward in a tremendous strike.  Jace tried to Parry with his halberd.  It was an illegal move and gave him no benefit, but he didn¡¯t want the game to think he was Standing his Ground, which would be catastrophic.  His armor class was 28, and after Drescher rolled an 18 in attack, his strike was 79, earning him five criticals.  The axe did 14 damage, which was almost incidental next to the fighter¡¯s +49 damage bonus.  The 63 damage was multiplied 6 times to a total of 378, and Drescher assumed it was over.


    Jace¡¯s Damage Sink totem took 260 damage and exploded spectacularly in its private alcove.  The slashing protection ring took another 100, and his Damage Reduction of 12 left only 6 to hit his HP.  Unfortunately, the axe also had the explosive trait, and Drescher had Pieter fill it with fire mana, so an additional 54 damage (36 + 50%) burned into his body.  Even though his health dropped by 60, Drescher saw with the help of his operator that only 6 of it had been from the attack.  The magical damage was a one-time hit.  Despite the shock of the failed strike, the big man did manage to raise his shield against Jace¡¯s expected counter.


    But Jace didn¡¯t attack back.  He attempted a trip.  Having read up on the trip maneuver, he knew that shields offered no protection against it, so the Raise Shield action didn¡¯t help.  Instead, a character¡¯s Athletic and Dodge skills were added to their armor class.  Jace had no idea what those were for Drescher, but he had experienced enough skilled shield wielders to know he didn¡¯t have a prayer with a standard attack.  Plus, with Esther¡¯s necklace and his Athletic boon, his Athletic skill was currently higher than his attack bonus.  Still, with Drescher¡¯s double crit protection, he either needed to beat his AC by over 20 or roll a 20.  The halberd blade skipped off the stone floor just before Drescher¡¯s ankle, well below the raised shield, and hit him solidly in the calf.


    [Triple Crit. Two Canceled.  Trip Successful.]


    The look on Drescher¡¯s face was priceless as his feet shot out from under him, and he fell hard to his back.  Without a specific feat, the game didn¡¯t allow attacks from a prone position, but Drescher wasn¡¯t stunned or otherwise restrained and still had full range of motion.  He would be flat-footed with his shield down if he tried to get up.  He was smart enough not to try that, but as Jace lined up his second attack for this round, he did an equally dumb thing and tried to roll away.


    Drescher played a fighter in the game, but he was a skinny, nerdy weapons engineer in real life.  He had no combat experience to rely on and was successful in the game by boosting his stats and letting the game mechanics take care of the rest.  His attacks were always on automatic, and all he had to do was make strategic choices.  But he had never been in this situation before, and the choice that made the most sense to him was to roll away so he could get up.


    This was considered a Dodge, which gave the man a pitifully small boost to his AC.  He could have raised his shield, and Jace wouldn¡¯t have been able to crit him, but that wasn¡¯t an instinctual choice.  Even in his semi-defenseless position, Jace still needed a 20 to get a crit through.  Getting two 20s in a row was a 1 in 400 chance, and Drescher didn¡¯t expect it was possible.  He had no idea Jace could manufacture criticals through skill and was so used to attacking enemies on the ground that the 20-slot looked as big as a chasm.


    [Triple Crit. Two Canceled.  2x Damage?  Stun?]


    Jace had channeled 180 mana into his attack, the most his halberd could hold, raising the difficulty of the Stun spell from 27 to 63.  A roll of 19 would have saved Drescher, but the game was done doing him favors, and he failed.


    [Stunned.  Prone.  Helpless.]


    Because of their level difference, Jace knew the Stunned condition would only last one round, possibly less, and he wasted no time swinging the weapon above his head to execute a Coup de Grace.  Another 20 gave him a quadruple crit, and after two were canceled, he tripled the damage, but he didn¡¯t feel safe it would be enough and pumped in the rest of his mana into the attack as part of his Righteous Judgement spell.  With help from his Mana Sink totem, he had 122 mana to spend which did 25 additional damage.


    Drescher had recently used his Ordered alignment to reduce all damage from this spell to zero, but now that it was cast through a Chaotic weapon, it had the opposite effect.  Combined with his Guile and Liberal alignments, the damage was quadrupled.  He actually saved against the difficulty, reducing the spell by half, but the 177 total damage from the attack was miles above his Death save.


    Jace stumbled back after the attack. Drescher¡¯s HP had dropped from 912 to 883 after the stunning attack.  Then it fell another 177 to 706.  Now it blinked red for a second and dropped to zero.  Jace collapsed to a knee, supported by his polearm, and breathed a huge sigh of relief as Gracie screamed in elation.  His plan had depended on several chance events, but most desperate situations required a little luck.  He said a brief prayer of thanks to Dexmachi and then used his weapon to push him to his feet.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jace started but found he was out of breath. ¡°Why did he come like this?¡± He walked over to the dead man and looked at his equipment, unable to shake the feeling that it was familiar for reasons beyond the half-orcs in Ironfel. ¡°My plan was a long shot; it might not have worked if he had come with better equipment.¡±


    Gracie was quiet for a while.  {You don¡¯t know?} she thought he might be able to figure it out, but his mind was probably rushing with too many endorphins right now.  {Those are the items you sold in Cepton, the Strength module.}


    Now he recognized them.  The explosive axe, the Deception chainmail, and the +3 large shield.  He touched the hovering item icon above the dead player and saw the longbow as well. ¡°But you told me these were legendary items.  There should only be one copy of them in the game, right?¡±


    {Correct,} Gracie replied. She didn¡¯t want to tell him, so she let him work through it.


    ¡°Did he hack access into my MIM?  That seems like something no one should be able to do.¡±


    {He didn¡¯t hack access.  He was given access.}


    ¡°But how?  That is my unique MIM.  Only someone who has access to it should be able to do that.  No one has ever been there but me and . . .¡± he paused as motion to his left caught his attention.  At first, he thought it was Gwen stirring, but it was Esther peeking her head out of the tunnel to her room.  She scanned the carnage until she saw her nemesis on the ground.  The fallen rogue was beginning to wake up, but Esther was quicker, jumped onto her, and easily grappled her into a Helpless condition.


    ¡°Esther did this?¡±


    Gracie knew Jace¡¯s thousands of followers couldn¡¯t hear what she had to say, but she paused the feed anyway, not wanting Jace to have to deal with this information publicly.  {When you gave her access to the Strength Module, did you scroll through the options?}


    Jace shook his head. ¡°Full access was the first one, and I picked it.  I didn¡¯t want to restrict her.¡±


    {When you sent her on a mission to Safe Haven, did you put the town on her map?}


    Jace shook his head again. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I had to.  It is a public area, and I could go there, so I assumed she could too.¡±


    Now Gracie was shaking her head.  {NPCs can only travel to areas where they have been before or where a PC gives them access.  I have access to Esther¡¯s travel logs, and it looks like she left your stronghold and went to Portsmith.}


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    Jace sucked in his breath, realizing how dangerous that was with a bounty on her head.


    {I can only assume the rest,} Gracie continued.  {You can¡¯t track characters with bounties across the whole realm, but some items and spells can let you know if anyone in your current module has a bounty.  My guess is that someone who works for Drescher met her.  They were smart enough not to try and capture her, but when they found out she needed to get to Safe Haven, they were willing to trade that information for access to one of your private MIMs. Then that PC went and gave access to Drescher. I¡¯m guessing the informant hid the fact that Esther was going to Safe Haven, or Drescher¡¯s men here would have been ready for an attack.}


    ¡°They were playing both sides,¡± Jace reasoned, wishing he knew who it was. ¡°But Esther betrayed me.  Why would she do that?¡± He was staring at her now as she sat on Gwen¡¯s stomach, torturing the woman with her weapons.


    {Would you rather she have traded the information for sex?  I wouldn¡¯t doubt our mysterious informant offered that deal to her.}


    Jace didn¡¯t respond.


    Gracie continued.  {She is Guile, Chaotic, and Progressive.  To you and me, those are just words on a character sheet.  To her, it is how she lives.  If you ask her how she got to Safe Haven, she will probably lie.  But in her mind, she did what you asked, and the two of you survived.  She will do this again.  I assume you gave her full access to your stronghold too.  You might want to change that.  If you change it to restricted access, you have a ton of options to customize it.}


    Jace didn¡¯t want to do it.  Despite the apparent fact that Esther couldn¡¯t be trusted, he wanted to anyway.  In the end, the result of her betrayal only helped him as Drescher had undoubtedly intended to boast about the stolen equipment an how he could access Jace¡¯s private areas, but Jace never gave him the chance.  Could Jace risk that her next deception would be equally advantageous?  Gracie was right.  He would have to restrict Esther¡¯s access from now on.


    He was still looking at Esther as she leaned over Gwen to either whisper something in her ear or suck the life out of her.  Possibly both.  When Jace saw the rogue¡¯s health drop to zero, Esther got up and turned to look at him.  She was wearing her armor again, leaving Gwen topless on the ground.  All her adjustments from before were back as if she had never taken it off.  In addition, she was wearing Gwen¡¯s black hat, which looked great on her.  She smiled at Jace and wiped blood from her lips.


    It was finally over.


    *


    Jace was eager to get back to the real world, but there were a few things he needed to set right first.  There wasn¡¯t much loot to collect from the victims.  Gracie let Jace know that Drescher had a craftsman in Ironfel that could curse items, so they lost all magical ability when their wearer died.  He hadn¡¯t had time to do that with the things he had bought in Cepton, so Jace was able to collect those.  He silently thanked Drescher for bringing them back to him, as he would now be able to sell them again in Crestfall.  Also, Esther had taken the armor and hat off Gwen while she was still alive, so the curse didn¡¯t destroy them, assuming they even had a curse.  The armor was probably safe, as Gwen had only worn it for a few hours, but they might have to reverse a curse on the hat.


    The experience points he got from the fight were real, though.  He got a full 250k for each of his first three kills but only 125K from Gwen, as Esther had helped.  That was enough to push him to level 12, but he would save the level-up process for later.  Even though she had only joined in at the end, Esther leveled up to 12 also.  NPCs didn¡¯t collect experience like players and leveled up with their PC leader.  He could deal with her level-up later too.  She was plenty powerful as it was.


    Topper and Snowy returned from town fifteen minutes after the end of the fight bearing gifts.  The group had a massive order of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fruit juice.  The gnome got the pancake recipe from the diner and returned with a load of raw mix.  He would need to add milk and eggs, but the gnomes tended a few subterranean goat-like creatures that produced milk and could get eggs from birds that looked like a cross between a duck and an ostrich.


    Topper also took this opportunity to present Esther with the four knives his people had enhanced.  The handles were now inlaid with diamonds, and the edges of the weapons gleamed with an added shine.  Jace asked to inspect one and found they were now level 6 and +3 knives.  They still had the bleeding trait on crits.  That would give her more options in combat.  Jace also returned the dog collar and bracelet he had taken from when they had released the orc.


    Jace even invited Trixna to the meal.  The orc looked at the fluffy pancakes and well-done sausages hesitantly, but she tried them anyway and soon snarfed them down as quickly as Esther.  Topper and the other gnomes didn¡¯t like the orc¡¯s presence, but because Esther treated her as an ally, Topper had no choice but to accept her as well.


    Jace explained to them that he had to leave for a while.  He needed to go to the other dimension to ensure Gracie and Conor were okay.  When Trixna asked how long, Jace said it might be days.  With this information, she was finally willing to move out of her tiny room and into something more spacious.  Jace told her that if she were bored, he wouldn¡¯t mind a few of the magical upgrades in his room that Carrak had gotten.


    Topper joined in with a few other ideas the gnomes had to spruce up the cavern, and soon they were all talking about how they could make this stronghold into a luxurious estate.  Jace knew he wouldn¡¯t stay away long and looked forward to when he could come back.  Even so, he was anxious to feel real ground under his feet and breathe actual air.


    He said his goodbyes and promised he wouldn¡¯t be gone long, and eventually, they let him go back to his room.  Only Snowy followed him, not completely understanding what was happening.  She had an advanced intellect for a wolf, but the talk of other dimensions confused her.  Jace gave her a good rub down and promised he wouldn¡¯t be gone long.  It had been less than two hours since he had woken up that morning, but he lay back on his bed and opened his inventory.  He had eyed the ¡°Sleep and Log Off¡± option several times, but now he actually selected it.


    *


    Jason Hawthorne opened his eyes slowly.  Gracie had been watching him on the screen and was standing by his chair, ready to greet him when he woke up.  Despite the differences they had experienced during the game, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. ¡°Thank you so much,¡± she said, a tear rolling down her cheek.  She wiped it away deftly and stepped back to let Jason sit up.


    They weren¡¯t alone, and two armed men stood waiting further away.  Jason assumed they weren¡¯t going to hug or kiss him.  As Gracie carefully removed the devices that had kept him alive while he was in the game, taking special care with the catheter, one of the men walked up to him. ¡°Jason Hawthorne?¡± he asked.


    Jason hadn¡¯t tried to talk yet and only nodded.


    ¡°Your government thanks you for your service.  You took down a pretty major player just now. Drescher¡¯s ability to run his business is over.  He might be able to claw his way back, but it will take so long that he will have lost all his clients.  He will never be the same.¡±


    Jason tried to say, ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± but it came out as a hoarse whisper, and Gracie was quick with a glass of water.  He took a few generous swallows and then eased out of the chair.  He needed to grip the armrest for support, but he could soon take a couple of steps, and his coordination returned quickly.


    ¡°When you are ready,¡± the man said. ¡°There is someone who wants to talk with you.¡± The soldier held up a cell phone.


    Jason looked at Gracie, wondering if this was a call he wanted to take.  She nodded her head.  Jace took the phone and looked for a place to sit down.  The couch was empty and clean, but he took one of the chairs out of respect for the man who had recently laid there.


    ¡°Jason, this is Agent Ross Fordier, with Homeland Security.  I can¡¯t thank you enough.¡±


    ¡°You can try,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was promised $100k for a job.  I think I came through.¡±


    The agent laughed at his directness.  If Ross had any thoughts about strong-arming this man, they disappeared. ¡°Of course, of course, that won¡¯t be a problem. We¡¯ll have the money wired to your bank account first thing in the morning.  Maybe with an added bonus.  But what I really wanted to know was if you were interested in a new job.  You obviously have a knack for this type of thing.¡±


    Jason took a moment to look around the room.  Gracie watched him expectantly, her eyes still brimming with tears.  Conor was probably on the way to the hospital, where he would get the lifesaving care he needed.  Jason had gained two friends during this ordeal that he knew he would never be able to part with.  Then his eyes found the TV on the wall.  There he saw Esther, Topper, and Trixna eating and laughing around the table.  Jason smiled.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said after making the agent wait. ¡°Yes, I think I would like a job.¡±


    The END


    This is the end of Book 1.


    It looks like I get most of my negative ratings from people who only read a few chapters. I¡¯m guessing most people who continue reading to the end of the first book are enjoying it.  Please let me know by leaving a rating or comment.  I would really appreciate it.


    Book 2 focuses on Jace recruiting three more NPCs to join his party.  Topper and Trixna are not members of the party.  Each new member is broken, has a cheat code in some fashion, or has a really great backstory.  Jace will recruit them primarily because he has to rescue four other PCs trapped in the game and needs a more diverse party.  Chapters for Book 2 are currently being posted as of 11/10.  Please follow this story to get updates.


    Book 3 will largely revolve around Esther.  I kind of fell in love with her writing this story and want to flesh out her backstory more.  How was she an angel?  How is she still a vampire?  How did she come to work at the Gilded Swan?  When Jace made Portsmith unique, what happened to the other three women?  All those questions will be answered, and probably several more, in Book 3.  I will start this story sometime in 2023, possibly for the Spring Writathon.


    Thanks.

 Book 2: By Blade or by Bow: Introduction

    At the end of the first book, Jace and Esther jumped from Level 10 to Level 12 by killing the four members of Drescher¡¯s group. I didn¡¯t think it made sense to spend time leveling them up since the story was basically over, and getting Jace out of the game and back to the real world would have been his top priority.


    Now, as I begin the second book, I want to get directly into the action and the story and don¡¯t want to spend a whole chapter walking through the leveling up. Also, some time has passed since the end of the last book (maybe a week), so Jace and Gracie would have already handled the leveling-up process, and I want to start fresh. So I am writing this introduction to review their advancement to Level 12.


    Jace:


    Jace chooses a Spirit/Shaman feat at level 11, Totem Reach +5, extending his totems to 15 feet per level, which is 180 feet now. Since he made Constitution his second key ability for the next five levels, he chooses a Constitution feat: Toughness, which adds +5 to your Hit Points and can only be taken once.


    In reviewing Jace¡¯s new stats, I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve ever adequately explained how Armor works. The skill works like Dodge in that it raises your AC by half of the points put in there. Jace¡¯s Armor is 17, so if he walked around with no armor, he would get +8 to his AC. However, he can spend those points to wear armor that will raise his AC at one-to-one. For example, full plate mail armor costs 10 Armor points to wear, increasing your AC by 10. Jace has a pair of boots that cost one Armor to wear and raise his AC by 1. Jace¡¯s Armor totem raises his AC by his Level (12) but doesn¡¯t cost any Armor points. So, when Jace wears his boots (which he never takes off), he gets +1 to AC, and his Armor skill is reduced to 16, giving him an additional +8 to AC. He gets a natural bonus of 10, so his total AC is 21. After he casts his Armor totem, it goes up to 33.


    In the last story, Jace used his halberd a lot, but he will use his new sword, Diamond Etcher, in this one. I''m already regretting having a sword named Etcher and a character named Esther. He will only switch back to the halberd when he needs to trip something or take advantage of its Chaotic alignment. Diamond Etcher has +3 to Parry, raising his AC to 36 when he takes the Parry action. Jace invented the Dynamic Parry Feat, which lets him add up to his Athletic skill value to his Parry after a D20 roll. If he rolls a 20, he gets to add +19 (his Athletic skill). If he rolls a 1, he receives a -1 to his AC. Of course, a 20 is a critical success, so it would help him block a strike that still exceeded his Parry value by up to 10, and a 1 is a critical miss, which means it always misses regardless of whether the remaining parry exceeded the strike by 10+.


    Assuming Jace will be getting 15-20 with his Parries in combat since his personal skill in sword fighting translates into the game, his AC will be between 50 to 55. Any opponent would need to have +45 to attack before they rolled the D20 to have a reasonable chance to hit him. Also, criticals against Jace when he is parrying will be rare since the attacker will need to get lucky with a 20 or beat his parry score by more than 10. I am doing the math here so that during combat in the story, I can avoid an overload of numbers and write the sword-fighting scenes as I am used to.


    Another significant change is Jace¡¯s Hit Points. At level 10, he had 260, and a 130+ damage strike against him was not impossible. Several times, he wanted to overload his Damage totem to get it to explode but not take enough to send him into a death spiral. Now his HP is 396, and he would need a strike of almost 200 damage against him to risk his life. He got this bonus by adding seven more points to his HP through leveling up and the toughness feat.


    Jace¡¯s Mana also jumped from 260 to 336, providing fewer restrictions when casting totems and healing spells. He told Gracie that he wanted a Summoning totem, but she told him that it was only possible to change your known spells at level change. If you are wondering why Jace didn¡¯t change them, it¡¯s because he wanted the Stone Elemental to help against Dresher, but that fight is over, and the Mana Bank totem is more useful generally.


    For damage in attacks, Jace is using Diamond Etcher. It is a +5 Level 8 Two-Handed Longsword. Longswords do a base damage of 10. Because it is level 8, it does four additional damage, and the +5 brings the total to 19. Jace has a damage bonus of 31, so this works out to a nice round 50, almost like I planned it. Now, most of the enemies Jace fights will have some damage reduction, but in general, when he gets crits, he will be doing damage in multiples of 50.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    As for his Stun ability, Etcher¡¯s innate spell difficulty is 31. Any enemy with a Magic Defense of 21 will have a 50/50 chance of saving against it. A monster with an MD of 10 or less will have almost no chance. When Jace wants to ensure a Stun success, he can channel 100 mana (or up to 180) through his sword to increase the difficulty by 20. Most stupid monsters (Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, Giants, etc.) have low Wisdom and Spirit scores and, thus, low MDs. Most fighters at level 15 or below will also have relatively low MD numbers, but enough for Jace to boost it. He can forget about it if he faces off against level 20+ PCs with average abilities. Drescher spent little on his MD and had 44. His Priestess casting boons on him normally boosted this.


    Jace also took Esther on a Bounty Hunting adventure to show her how it works. They took on a game generated NPC quest. He did this to get his fourth bounty and lock himself in at level 3 so his feats wouldn¡¯t go away. At level three, he got another occupational feat and chose Intimidation. This is what he uses when he Stands His Ground. Intimidation is his Strength base plus his Intelligence base, which is 8. Now it gets an additional +5.


    Moving on to Esther:


    Esther chose Evasive for her Rogue feat, which adds +5 to Dodge. She took Toughness as her Constitution feat at level 12, adding +5 to her HP. Her HP jumped from 140 at level 10 to 264 at level 12. Hopefully, she doesn¡¯t ¡°almost die¡± as much now. Also, she took up a second occupation as a Bounty Hunter with Jace and got her last Weapon Master training feat to boost her Melee even higher.


    Her Stealth and Grapple abilities are key for her. She has five Grapple feats, each at +5. When added to her Athletic skill, her total Grapple ability is 50. the Grappling attack comes in two stages. First, the grappler needs to touch you, and then they need to grapple you. The touch attack is made without a weapon and uses your melee plus half your Athletic skill. If you have unarmed combat bonuses or any other bonuses to hit with your bare hands, you also add that. You can use both hands to attack. You don¡¯t roll an attack die. To defend against it, only your natural AC + Dodge is used, but the defender rolls the D20. Wearing armor or holding a shield helps against weapon attacks, but not getting touched. Attacking from the shadows will bolster the touch attack, and any criticals earned can be carried over to the Grapple attempt. Defense against grappling is your Athletic + Resist + D20 + any grapple defense skills like Escape Artist.


    Esther has two-handed melee attacks of 40 and 36, but for her main hand, +15 applies to light weapons, and +10 of her off-hand is the same, so her unarmed attack is 25 and 26, but her off-hand can never be higher than her main hand, so it is just 25 for both. That is added to half her Athletic skill and comes to 42. Most of her targets will be medium-sized, so they have a natural AC of 10. Usually, only rogues have good Dodge scores. Jace has a Dodge of 3. Drescher had a Dodge of 1. The Half-Orc guards in Ironfel had a Dodge of 2. So they would all have a starting defense of 11-13 before rolling a D20 and trying to beat a 42. Even if they got lucky with a 20, they would have to dodge her off-hand attack too.


    Gwen would be different. She has a normal dodge of 24 but usually boosts it to 33 with a Dex boon and a haste spell. Adding her natural AC of ten, she could evade Esther with a roll of 9 or higher. Once grappled, she would be in trouble, as her Resist score is pathetic, but If Esther missed her touch attack, she would be weaponless and flat-footed for Gwen¡¯s response.


    Once Esther touches you, you must beat her grappling score of 50. Jace has a high Athletic skill of 19 and a high Resist skill of 15. Added together, he would still need to roll a 16 to avoid getting grappled by Esther. The Ironfel guards had a defense of 21. Of course, if she attacks from the shadows and gets a critical success on the touch, she can use that to change a Grapple failure into a success if someone gets lucky and beats her by less than 10.


    On defense, Esther boosted her Dodge to 17. When she wears her armor, she has an AC of 18. So her total defense when dodging is 35. Her main tactics will be to hide in the shadows and not get hit. If she has to slug it out, she can cast Haste, which increases her Dodge by 5, so her defense can be as high as 40.


    For attacking, if she uses her rapiers without the Heavy Weapon enchantment, she will do 22 damage per attack. With Heavy Weapon, she can do 33. Also, she stole Gwen¡¯s hat at the end of the last story, which has a cool shadow ability that makes her Invisibility spell unneeded. She traded that spell for Fire, which the party had been lacking for a while. Her # of Spells skill is at 7, but she only has five memorized (Enthrall is a bonus spell from being a vampire), so the two empty slots allow her to memorize two additional versions of each spell, which will come in handy for her Charm+ and Fire spells.


    Those are all the changes; anything I missed will be explained in the story. Hope you enjoy.

 Chapter 1: Level Down

    The entry area for Olympus wasn¡¯t as busy as usual.  Jace still had a hard time remembering that Realm of Infamy was an international MMORPG, and just because it was nearly midnight in Chicago, it was the middle of the day for several other countries.  He wanted to pick a time that wouldn¡¯t be as popular to pull his stunt, but half a dozen players were still milling about, waiting for the rest of their parties to join or standing with blank expressions as they moved through leveling up options.


    The neutral area between the Hostile PVP zone behind them that stretched for miles into the rugged wilderness and the Peaceful Non-PVP level restricted area that held the city was a common meeting place.  It had never been as busy as it had been a week ago when Jace had conducted a meeting with Psycho right before his confrontation with Drescher, but if he didn¡¯t act quickly, it might get that busy again.  Already a few players were giving him second looks and talking among themselves.  Jace didn¡¯t think the human form of his character was that memorable, but he was standing next to Esther.


    Jace appeared as an average-looking man wearing a tailored blue vest over a white shirt with gray pants.  He had a great sword hanging from his hip but no other armor or weapons to speak of.  Snowy, his winter wolf familiar, was definitely out of place.  At level 12, she was almost the same size as when they first met in the Level 50 module that had initiated Jace into this computer game.  Back then, she and Jace¡¯s character had been level 15, and the wolf¡¯s back had stood four feet off the ground.  Now only her head was that tall, which was still impressive for a wolf.


    But it was Esther who usually got all the attention. She stood beside Jace in her form-fitting shadow scale armor, which was more stylish than practical, but the game didn¡¯t demand that armor cover all your vital areas to provide protection, and the woman took advantage of the loophole, having made several altercations to the vest to ramp up its visual impact. Her skirt was short in the front and fell just past her knees in the back to touch the top of her Shadow Step boots. She wore rapiers on her hips, sported a few pieces of jewelry, and wore an eccentric, wide-brimmed black hat with a dark blue feather. The woman was breathtaking to look at but even more spectacular in a fight.


    ¡°Are we just going to stand here,¡± she asked. ¡°Or are we going to do this? I promise to be gentile.¡±


    {I still don¡¯t think this will work,} Gracie piped in Jace¡¯s head. The operator got the cushy job of sitting back in Chicago in front of three monitors observing the game. She had game stats and walkthroughs at her fingertips and a long history with the game to give advice and ensure Jace didn¡¯t mess things up. {I still haven¡¯t found one person that has been able to trick the game into letting them into a level-restricted area.}


    ¡°That¡¯s because no one has ever had a vampire as a party member,¡± Jace replied.


    As an NPC, Esther was aware enough to know when her boss was talking with his operator, but she smiled when she heard Jace mention her. She was a fallen angel turned into a vampire. Neither she nor Jace was entirely sure what that meant, and the AI in the game called Gandhi hadn¡¯t been pressed into fleshing it out yet, so it remained a mystery, and they just focused on all the advantages it gave them.


    ¡°You''re nervous, aren¡¯t you,¡± Esther asked with a new sense of empathy she had picked up since joining Jace. ¡°You haven¡¯t done something like this before, have you?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t bother answering. Obviously, he had never done something like this before. They were in a virtual reality computer game. Everything he had experienced in the past week had been his first time. Taking a few steps forward, Jace saw a shimmering translucent curtain in the air that marked the boundary between the neutral zone and the level-restricted town of Olympus. He reached out his hand and tried to push through it.


    [Access restricted.]


    Only level 9 characters and below were allowed inside. Olympus had quests that could permanently raise your ability scores, and if high-level characters were allowed access or if you could return to the city multiple times to increase all of your abilities, it would be too game-breaking. Unfortunately for the game, Jace always looked for ways to break it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jace said. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    The neutral zone was considered non-hostile, even for actions between party members, and they needed to turn their backs on the city and move through the opposite curtain to enter the danger zone. Last week they had watched a dire bear rip a barbarian apart and knew they couldn¡¯t let their guard down.


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Jace said, ¡°keep a watch for us.¡±


    The wolf had several settings Jace could manually adjust in the game, but he found the familiar was smart enough to enter them automatically if asked. Now he turned to Esther, who smiled mischievously at her nervous boss. ¡°How do you want me?¡± he asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have to climb on my back, do you?¡±


    She laughed at the idea. She was tall for a woman at a few inches under six feet, but Jace was tall too. Not as tall as he was in his normal orc body, but this human illusion was around 6¡¯2¡¯¡¯. ¡°You can get on your knees if you like.¡±


    Jace did as she suggested, and as she leaned over in front of him, he got an enchanting view down the top of her low-cut vest. He closed his eyes out of respect. Behind them, a growing crowd of players eased toward the hostile zone to see what was happening. Esther had her back to them so they couldn¡¯t see when her brow furrowed and her lips curled back above her vampiric teeth. As she adjusted her hat, they only saw her mouth drop down to Jace¡¯s tensed neck and the man¡¯s body jolt.


    Most in the crowd knew that Esther had been a vampire when she was trapped in a quest module working in a brothel. But few understood what she had become once Jace had freed her. Jace didn¡¯t really know, so he wasn¡¯t forthcoming with the information. Right now, the sun was shining high in the sky, and the few trees nearby hardly provided enough shade to protect an undead creature from bursting into flames.


    Floating above Jace¡¯s head was one of the few artificial-looking aspects of this realistic computer setting: his level and hit points. They had started at 12 and 396, but after six seconds of Esther¡¯s bloodsucking kiss, they dropped to 11 and 297. After another six seconds, his level fell to 10, and his HP dropped another 37 points.


    ¡°So, she¡¯s still a vampire,¡± someone said.


    Others joined in the verbal speculation.


    ¡°But she¡¯s in the sun?¡±


    ¡°And why is she level-draining him? I thought they were a pair?¡±


    ¡°Kinky.¡±


    ¡°Unless he¡¯s going to try . . .¡±


    <Alert,> Snowy chimed in once Jace dropped to level nine. <Monster.>


    With reluctance, Esther withdrew from Jace¡¯s neck. She had only fed on NPCs since being released from her scripted module, and the experience of feeding off Player Characters programmed into her memories was nothing compared to the real thing. Since she was at full health, the 171 Hit Points she had drained were converted to mana at a rate of 5 to 1. She was also full on magic, so the 855 mana had nowhere to go. She had one round to use it, or it would evaporate.


    Looking up from Jace¡¯s neck, Esther saw a creature ambling toward them. She was surprised that Snowy hadn¡¯t been more specific than <Monster>, but once the woman saw the jumbled collection of vines, thorn bushes, and slime shambling toward them, she didn¡¯t have a name for it either. While she didn¡¯t know what it was called, she knew it wasn¡¯t friendly. As the pressure of the extra mana flowing through her mounted, she knew what to do with it. Esther had memorized a fire spell for just this occasion. It was an All-In fire attack that traveled 50 feet, targeting one enemy. Usually, an All-In spell would use all her available Mana, but Esther had experimented with overflow energy before and found she could keep it separate from her natural mana core if she wanted. So, for 50 mana, the ball of fire flew 50 feet toward the shambling mound, and the remaining 805 burst into 161 damage.


    Esther didn¡¯t have a good Spell Difficulty, so the creature saved against the damage, reducing it by half, but since it was primarily made of dead bushes and vines, it took double fire damage. That was just under half of its 350 HP, and Esther drew her weapons, magically hasted herself, and rushed the foe.


    Jace was still on his knees, trying to recover from the unique sensation of having his life drained. His pain settings were low, but he didn¡¯t think it lessened the experience. It had been akin to what he imagined being in outer space without a suit would feel like: a cold, all-consuming pressure sucking his very essence from him. Each breath he took warmed his soul a bit more, and Snowy¡¯s warning echoed in his head as he regained his bearings. He struggled to his feet, but instead of turning to the danger, he took a few stumbling steps toward the neutral zone and collapsed through the curtain.


    The gathered crowd parted, giving him at least six feet on all sides. Jace turned on the ground and looked back toward the action. Esther and Snowy had the fight well in hand. It was a level 10 shambling mound, and its lumbering attacks had no chance to hit the agile and vicious females that attacked it. After only a few rounds, the creature was reduced to a pile of slimy kindling, and the pair turned to find their leader.


    Jace could get to his feet now, his senses slowly returning. He felt weak in his legs and arms but soon realized it was only in comparison to how he had felt before the level drain. It was like ice skating for an hour and then trying to walk on solid ground afterward. You are no less coordinated than you were before you stepped on the ice, but with the freedom of gliding around the rink suddenly gone, you felt at a disadvantage. After a quick check on his stats, he saw he had 21 Strength and 20 Constitution, so he was still far more capable than most level 9 players.


    Jace paused a moment in his inventory. He should have 22 Strength. He had gotten that bump after finishing the Strength trial when he had leveled to ten. Now that he was back at nine, it was like that had never happened. He checked his feats and saw that the last three he had chosen, Toughness, Totem Reach +5, and Dynamic Parry, were all gone. He hoped they would come back.


    {How do you feel?} Gracie asked as Esther and Snowy returned to the neutral zone.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Like Wesley from Princess Bride after he¡¯s had one year of life sucked out of him. Only I had three.¡±


    {Don¡¯t worry, it will come back,} Gracie advised.


    According to Jace¡¯s research, players would recover one level every ten rounds. In combat mode, that would be 60 seconds. In normal time, that would be 60 minutes. While his party members had been fighting the shambling mound, he had noticed his vision shrouded by a pulsing red border, letting him know he was in combat mode. He had no idea how long it had been. If it was only five rounds, he still had 30 minutes left. But if they had been fighting for nine, he had six minutes until he bumped back to level 10.


    ¡°How you feeling, boss?¡± Esther asked with a smile on her lips ¨C lips that still had traces of his blood in the corner. As she and Snowy entered the neutral zone, the gathering crowd gave them a bigger buffer. They were mostly level 9 and below and wanted nothing to do with the level 12 vampire. Most of them had seen the videos of her in action.


    ¡°Never better,¡± Jace lied as he continued to work the lethargic feeling from his limbs.


    ¡°Well,¡± Esther replied, ¡°in case you were wondering, you tasted great. Your illusion necklace masked the orc flavor but kept all its potency.¡±


    {Who would have guessed she was a blood sommelier,} Gracie quipped.


    Jace smirked at the joke and didn¡¯t want to waste more time. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if this works.¡±


    Most in the crowd had figured out what he was attempting to do, and they cleared a path through the neutral zone along the dirt trail that led into Olympus. Jace was no longer stumbling with each step and strode purposefully toward the restricted area. He didn¡¯t hesitate and pushed straight through the curtain.


    [Level 9- Non-PVP Safe Zone. Access granted.]


    Jace sighed in relief. He was pretty sure it would work, but he wasn¡¯t sure his companions would make it. He turned to see if they could pass through the barrier as well, but they were both already standing beside him, each displaying a level 12 above their heads. Most NPC party members advanced in levels with their PC leader, but a few were locked in at 12 or 15. Psycho was locked in at 20. Some players had reported that they had been at level 9 while their NPC companion had been at 12, and they had still been able to enter restricted areas.


    {Good,} Gracie said. {Now, rest up, get your levels back, and do the Constitution trial.}


    ¡°I already said we are doing Intelligence,¡± Jace replied as he led his group into the city. ¡°I don¡¯t think the game will let me level up to 12 until I leave here. It might restore my experience, but I¡¯m guessing I¡¯m stuck at nine. Have you looked at my stats yet? I¡¯ve lost my Dynamic Parry. I don¡¯t want to do a combat-heavy trial at less than full strength.¡±


    {Everyone does these trials at level nine,} Gracie argued. {Including you a week ago.}


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace agreed, ¡°and Esther nearly died. I don¡¯t expect Gandhi to take it easy on me, and I bet she will crank the difficulty up as if I was a party of four level 12 characters. From my research, most of the Intelligence trials are just solving riddles and completing puzzles. Plus . . .¡±


    {You want to meet a dragon,} Gracie said in a tired voice, implying they had argued over this before. She had to admit she was curious to see how Jace would handle the Intelligence trial. There were several options available that seemed to be randomly selected, but everyone agreed that the dragon quest was the hardest. Based on how the Strength trial had gone last time, they expected Gandhi to choose the hardest possible choice for Jace and then dial it up to 11. Or, in this case, possibly 12.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace agreed. ¡°I want to face the dragon.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to face the dragon,¡± Esther spoke up as they moved down the street, trying to ignore the multitude of people staring at them.


    Esther understood that Gracie gave Jace premonitions on what would happen in this world, and they seemed oddly specific. Jace had assured her that they would not have to fight the dragon. The quest was designed for level 9 mages who wanted to increase their Intelligence. Everyone who tried to fight the dragon died spectacularly. Jace had studied all the online reports of those fights and didn¡¯t see a way to beat the creature, even as an overpowered orc with a vampire sidekick. Instead, you were supposed to outsmart the dragon. It was like trading riddles with Gollum. You didn¡¯t have to kill him; you needed to trick him into giving you access to his treasure hoard. The more convincingly you did that, the better the reward.


    Jace expected Gandhi to ramp up the encounter difficulty, but he also expected her to reward him justly if he proved worthy. Then there was the promise of three Intelligence related items. He had found a way to trick the game into giving him all three Strength items, and he looked forward to doing that again. At a minimum, a +2 Intelligence ring would go a long way to shoring up the one weak spot on his character sheet.


    As they moved through Olympus toward the initiation point for the Intelligence module, Jace scanned the crowd of PCs. Everyone seemed to recognize them and wisely kept their distance, but he didn¡¯t have a clue who any of these people were. Most PCs he had met, he had ended up killing, or they had died in front of him. As he thought this, his eyes did find one familiar face.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Esther said slowly, finding the same PC in the crowd, ¡°Is that Sir Wallace?¡±


    ¡°I believe it is,¡± Jace said. It didn¡¯t look like the level 6 Paladin had seen them yet, as she was haggling with a merchant on the street, trying to sell something. Jace had watched her die in Drescher¡¯s lair, but it made sense that she would start up again and use the same skin and character build-out. With Gracie¡¯s help, Jace had discovered Wallace was a 14-year-old girl in real life, but she moved about in the game as a middle-aged male paladin who made Jace feel small. Her goal had been to make her way up to level 12 and then sell those one million experience points to Drescher by letting him kill her. Drescher was gone, but Jace wouldn¡¯t be surprised if Wallace had found another buyer.


    He waited for her to finish her conversation with the vendor and turn around. She stopped. Not only was Jace standing before her, a character she knew should be at 12 and not allowed to enter Olympus, but a ring of PCs kept their distance behind him, waiting to see what this encounter was about.


    ¡°Get out of my way,¡± she said in a deep, gruff voice, not appreciating the attention.  She had proven herself very successful in this game by flying under the radar.  ¡°Some of us have to work for a living.¡±


    ¡°There are other ways,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°I am not some rescue project,¡± she but back. ¡°I know you think you know who I am, but you have no idea. Sometimes there are no other ways.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll still offer you 15,000 to kill you,¡± Esther said, repeating the offer she had given a week ago but not really grasping the idea of experience points yet. ¡°Especially if you let me drink-¡±


    Jace raised a hand to cut her off. ¡°What if I offered you a job?¡±


    {Jace,} Gracie said, {you are not authorized to hire people for our team. The CIA gives us a pretty long leash as it is. Don¡¯t push it. Besides, we are off the clock right now.}


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like working for you,¡± she eyed Esther, probably thinking the same thing others did about Jace¡¯s relationship with the former escort.


    ¡°I need a finder,¡± Jace said, deflecting any innuendos Wallace may have been implying.


    {You have a finder,} Gracie chirped in his head. {Me.}


    ¡°I need the type of finder that can get things like this,¡± Jace clarified as he pulled Diamond Etcher from the sheath on his hip. It was a sword Wallace had found and sold to Drescher right before Esther had stolen it.


    The knight was shocked by the appearance of the weapon, as the pommel was unremarkable, sticking out of the top of the sheath, and the weapon shouldn¡¯t have been short enough to wear on a human¡¯s hip. It wasn¡¯t, but when Jace wore it as an orc, he was tall enough that it didn¡¯t drag on the ground, and then when he enacted his illusion spell to disguise himself as a human, the weapon¡¯s dimensions changed as well without losing any potency.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just get weapons like that all the time,¡± Wallace said, attempting modesty.


    ¡°How many items like this have you sold to Drescher in the past?¡± Jace asked, not knowing but assuming it was a considerable amount. He sheathed the weapon.


    Wallace shrugged, conceding the point. She had a knack for predicting when unique items would be available and executing a plan to get them. ¡°What do you need? I¡¯m usually more opportunistic than directed, though.¡±


    ¡°I need the best crafter in the game,¡± Jace said.


    {I told you that I¡¯m working on that,} Gracie said, feeling a bit betrayed.


    ¡°Easy,¡± Wallace replied without hesitation. ¡°Corrin Goldhammer. A dwarf working for the royal family in Gildestraad. If you rescue his adopted halfling daughter from a tribe of seafaring bandits, he will join your party and make anything you want. You must keep him happy, or he leaves, and his module resets.¡±


    {No dice,} Gracie said. {He¡¯s taken. If she were any good, she¡¯d know that.}


    ¡°But,¡± Wallace continued, oblivious to Gracie¡¯s running commentary, ¡°he¡¯s currently in the employ of a PC named Mewling Kim, who¡¯s had him for five weeks now. She¡¯s boasting in the chat rooms that she¡¯s figured out the secret to keeping him happy. So far, the record length of employment is six weeks, so we¡¯ll see. If you want him, you must simultaneously sabotage their relationship and speed-run his SIM before someone else. But it looks like you can do anything.¡±


    {I didn¡¯t know all that,} Gracie admitted.


    And she¡¯s doing it off the top of her head, Jace thought but didn¡¯t say out loud. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m looking for,¡± Jace replied. ¡°Everyone knows about Corrin, and his skill is balanced within the game. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a great craftsman, but he is not game-breaking. Surely by now, you understand how I operate.¡±


    Wallace paused. Jace hadn¡¯t been revealed as an orc in Drescher¡¯s lair before she had been killed, but she had seen the video of him fighting Drescher, where he had been an orc the whole time. Orcs weren¡¯t supposed to be playable characters. Having a winter wolf as a full-time companion wasn¡¯t supposed to be possible either.


    ¡°If I asked you to find me the best thief in the game,¡± Jace continued, ¡°you might have a top five in your head with a strategy for getting each one. Would any of them be as good as Esther?¡±


    As much as she might disdain the idea of the vampire, she had seen the video of her taking out the guards in Ironfel. No other NPC thief came close. ¡°But no one thought it was possible to free her,¡± Wallace said. ¡°And even so, the version of her in the Gilded Swan wasn¡¯t close to as powerful as she is now. There are better thieves than she was. You did something to her. What was it?¡±


    Jace smiled. The whole game wanted to know that. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to worry about what is impossible. I will handle that. What I need is the best craftsman in the game. Or maybe they have the potential to be the best, and I have to work my magic. I¡¯ve found that Gandhi doesn¡¯t cheat. Any module designer can craft an item on their computer and put it at the end of a SIM. But if there is a spot in the game where fabulous items are generated, there will be a craftsman hidden away somewhere. Maybe he is hiding in the bottom of a locked filing cabinet stuck in a disused lavatory with a sign on the door saying ¡®Beware of the Leopard,¡¯ but I know he is there.¡±


    Wallace grinned at the obscure reference, endearing her to Jace. ¡°Watch out for the stairs,¡± she added, letting him know she knew what he quoted. She grew more serious. ¡°I think I can find something like that. How much is it worth to you?¡±


    ¡°Five thousand,¡± Jace said, willing to dip into his private game funds.


    Wallace hesitated. ¡°Five thousand, and I get to watch.¡±


    ¡°Watch?¡± Jace got nervous, thinking that she might be making an innuendo again.


    ¡°I get to watch you secure the craftsman . . . or craftswoman.¡± She smiled at him with her masculine face. ¡°Not everyone in this game is a man.¡± She grew serious again. ¡°I want to see how you do it.¡±


    Jace stuck out his hand, hoping none of the other PCs who had respectfully kept their distance had listening spells to have heard what they said. ¡°I¡¯ll let you come with me if you can,¡± Jace replied, glancing up at her level. If the craftsman were in a PVP zone, she would have to race to level ten if she wanted to join.


    She took the hand and shook it. She also made an in-game request to share contact information with him so they could exchange private messages.


    Esther had stayed quiet through the exchange, not understanding much of it, but now saw it was winding down. ¡°And when you get to level 12,¡± she said as Jace started to lead them away, ¡°don¡¯t forget to look us up. You look like you taste amazing.¡±


    Jace forcibly grabbed her arm and yanked her away. ¡°Come on, you blood-drunk harlot.¡± The spectators had surely heard that last part, as Esther had called loudly. When the trio re-entered the main street, everyone tried to act as if they hadn¡¯t been eavesdropping but failed spectacularly.


    {What,} Gracie started once they were back on track toward the Intelligence module, {you don¡¯t need me anymore? Do you think you can replace me with a 14-year-old know-it-all?}


    ¡°Look on the bright side,¡± Jace argued. ¡°Now you can think about something else. I asked you three days ago for a craftsman, and all you could come up with was the guy in Portsmith who can only make one weapon that probably isn¡¯t as good as Etcher.¡±


    {Well . . . I . . .,} Gracie didn¡¯t know what to say. Jace flinched as he hadn¡¯t intended the criticism to be that harsh. He didn¡¯t want to discuss it further as they were seconds away from entering the Intelligence quest queue. {I hope you get the lich instead of the dragon,} she finally said, referencing the easiest of the Intelligence quests and the most repulsive.

 Chapter 2: Kill the Girl; Save the Lich

    The city of Gershire differed greatly from Cepton, where the Strength trials occurred. That had been a quaint northern village on the edge of civilization. Gershire was a thriving city with tall buildings, vast bridges over the river that ran through the center, and an extensive oceanfront development filled with docks and warehouses at the river¡¯s mouth but also with restaurants and beaches further north. Even with his Environment settings turned down, Jace could feel the warm weather, implying they were much further south on the continent than his stronghold just north of Crestfall.


    Jace understood that while this copy of the city was his own private version, it existed in a real location on the global map. He could return here as often as he liked, and while he could only get the Intelligence benefit once, there were several quests to complete. Once you finished all the quests, there was an option to get one of the mages at the academy to join your party. Most NPC companions came from SIMs (Single Instance Modules), so there was only one version of that NPC walking around the game, but in this MIM (Multiple Instance Module), a generic mage with a different name, race, and sex was created for each instance, and you could customize them to your liking once they joined your party. Jace had no interest in a ¡°generic¡± mage that everyone had access to, but returning to the academy in the future to get magical items or advice would be beneficial.


    Jace appreciated these MIMs where there was no chance of them running into any PCs that would recognize them. Other than the looks a beautiful woman like Esther and an impressive wolf like Snowy would typically get, they moved through the city without incident.


    The Magisterium Academy was the most prominent building in the city, with a vast stone foundation covering over two city blocks and towering spires capped with crenulated parapets or silver and gold domes. Stained glass, usually reserved for cathedrals, broke up the monotony of a few walls, marking where the audience chambers were, while other areas had walls six feet thick and housed training rooms where students cast fireballs and tidal wave spells.


    Jace had little to no exposure to spellcasting so far in the game. His one offensive spell that only worked half the time was a simple touch spell with no range or spread. Esther now had fire magic but wasn¡¯t designed to be a mage and would still primarily be a melee fighter. The entry for this module had consisted of a Dumbledore-type character in Olympus telling them that the Academy needed adventurers to solve a problem. They were to enter the school and would be given more instructions.


    No one approached them as they walked along the cobblestone path lined with statues of former teachers leading to the massive front doors. The entry was elevated with a dozen stone steps and led into an enormous entry hall that appeared mostly empty. A few robed figures moved over the tiled floor beneath a skylit vaulted ceiling, but no one stopped to greet them. Jace felt a heavy sense of dread in the room that couldn¡¯t be toned down with any of his game filters.


    {This isn¡¯t the dragon module,} Gracie said after they had stood there for a few moments.


    ¡°How can you be sure?¡± Jace replied.


    {At the beginning of that quest, the activity in the Academy is maddening. Everyone has been made aware that the dragon has awoken in the mountains to the west, and they are all running about preparing potions, spells, and a plan to defend the city. It¡¯s like walking into a barracks as the soldiers prepare for war. This isn¡¯t that.}


    Jace hadn¡¯t had enough time to read through all the possible quests he could take for this Intelligence trial and had only studied enough to know that the dragon was the hardest. Then he had focused on the actual encounter when you had to outsmart the magical creature and convince him not to attack the city. The adventurers were supposed to be the last-ditch effort by the Academy to prevent an attack. While Jace wasn¡¯t familiar with the beginning of that quest, he had to agree with Gracie¡¯s assessment that this did not look like a wizard¡¯s school preparing for a dragon.


    Eventually, one of the robed figures spotted them and approached. He was a young man wearing traditional wizard robes. He moved with enough confidence to be a teacher at the school, but his youthful face implied he might still be a student.


    ¡°Welcome, adventurers,¡± he said with a slight bow and solemn tone. ¡°Please come with me.¡±


    That¡¯s it? Jace thought. No introduction. No explanation of why they had been summoned. While he got no information from their host, who led them through the entry hall, into a side passage, and up a winding flight of stairs, Jace heard Gracie chuckling.


    {I knew it,} she said with a subdued sense of triumph. {It¡¯s the lich quest. Gandhi is a cruel mistress indeed.}


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that for sure,¡± Jace said under his breath as he led Esther and Snowy up the stairs after the young wizard. He tried to sound more confident than he was, but he didn¡¯t really know. He assumed Gandhi would give them the most challenging trial, so he had spent all his time on that. Other than knowing the lich was supposed to be the easiest, he didn¡¯t know much about it.


    {You¡¯ll see,} she replied. {You may have lost confidence in my finding abilities, but I still know my stuff.}


    Their trek upstairs lasted for several floors before they found themselves at the top of one of the more prominent spires. Views out the window were dizzying. The room waiting for them already held two wizards, neither of whom bothered rising when they entered. They were both much older than their guide, one man and one woman. ¡°I have brought the adventurers we asked for,¡± the young man said.


    He turned to regard Jace and his companions. ¡°Thank you for coming. I apologize for the cold greeting, but these are trying times when difficult decisions must be made.¡±


    ¡°Enough, Dayrin,¡± the older woman spoke and rose from the table. ¡°The decision has already been made. It was made hundreds of years ago. It only falls on us to carry it out. There is no need for theatrics.¡±


    The young mage bowed humbly and took a seat at the table. The woman continued. ¡°I am Mistress Ellonna.¡± She motioned to the older man beside her. ¡°This is Master Tang. You¡¯ve already met Master Dayrin, one of the youngest teachers here at the Academy. We are the Trinitarians, the three wizards in charge of running this school. We are subservient only to the Merlin, who is too important for such an ordinary task as this.¡± She said this as she cast a scowl at Dayrin and his contrary assessment of the severity of this situation. She turned back to the visitors. ¡°Even so, you can surely feel the aura encompassing our Academy.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know how to answer, but as he focused on Ellonna¡¯s eyes, he saw she wasn¡¯t looking directly at him. He followed his gaze to his left.


    ¡°It feels like someone has died,¡± Esther said, responding to the Mistress¡¯s prompt. ¡°Or possibly someone is about to. Or maybe they have died but have risen again.¡±


    The woman smiled at the answer and took a seat. Dayrin looked impressed by the response, and his gaze on Esther turned more intense, really seeing the attractive woman for the first time. Master Tang is the one who spoke. ¡°You are correct on all counts. We don¡¯t usually get such adept magic users when putting a call out for help. Have you had training?¡±


    ¡°I have a unique relationship with death,¡± Esther replied cryptically. When she saw Dayrin¡¯s puzzled expression at her response, she winked at him.


    Master Tang didn¡¯t have time for riddles. ¡°Indeed. So do we. What I am about to tell you can¡¯t leave this room. Few know the truth, and if you tell anyone, we have ways of tracking you down.¡±


    {They aren¡¯t lying,} Gracie said. {Players have been known to be killed in their sleep by mage assassins if they handle these quests wrong. I know you will try and break this, but be careful.}


    ¡°We can be trusted,¡± Jace advised after hearing both Gracie¡¯s and Tang¡¯s warnings.


    ¡°Good,¡± the old mage said. ¡°This academy is centuries old, and its history was not always pristine. In the early days, one ambitious wizard delved into the black arts and tried to convince the other teachers that there was power to be had in the realms of the undead. His peers refused to follow him and were prepared to expel him when he performed a daring experiment to try and convince everyone he was right. It didn¡¯t go well.¡±


    ¡°He turned himself into a lich,¡± Ellonna said, picking up the tale. ¡°And a powerful lich at that. It took the strength of every teacher here and most of the students to subdue him and eventually trap him deep within the catacombs beneath this Academy. Little did he know that when they imprisoned him, the teachers managed to tap into his immense power and use it to feed this school.¡±


    The two elderly wizards smiled at this revelation as if they thought the double cross was especially clever, but Jace looked at Dayrin, who scowled. As a new teacher at the Academy, he was probably learning many of the ancient secrets of this place, and if immersing himself in fantasy lore had taught Jace anything, magic always came with a price.


    ¡°However,¡± Tang continued, ¡°the mana we steal from him is not free. Elconoric, as he calls himself now, wakes up every fifty years and demands a sacrifice. He needs satisfaction for the power stolen from him over the past five decades.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°And if it isn¡¯t given to him?¡± Jace interrupted, wanting to know this answer before hearing the price he was expected to help the school pay.


    ¡°Then you have this,¡± Ellonna said, gesturing to the air in the room. ¡°This feeling of death. This feeling of sorrow and moroseness. The longer the sacrifice is delayed, the greater this sense of foreboding. If we wait too long, students will eventually go mad, commit suicide, or worse. Trust me,¡± her face changed to that of an endearing grandmother to forestall any thoughts that she might actually be a horrible monster, ¡°we have tried everything.¡±


    ¡°And really, it is out of our hands,¡± Tang continued. ¡°The portal opens within the school and calls out. We do not send anyone down to this lich. The selection process happens automatically. Only the student fated to answer the call responds. Regretfully it is usually one of our brightest, most promising students. The nature of the calling demands that it be someone of power. It is only fortunate this time that it took-¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Dayrin slammed his fist on the table, and sparks flew from the impact, fires burning behind the powerful young man¡¯s eyes. ¡°You act as if you are pleased she is gone. Draeklynn was more powerful than any of you. You feared her. She was destined for greatness.¡±


    ¡°She was destined to get herself killed,¡± Tang bit back in subdued rage. ¡°Which is precisely what she did. The experiments the two of you were running were reckless and ignorant. Her massive displays of power likely woke the lich in the first place. He is two years early.¡±


    Dayrin scowled at the rebuke but respected his elder for now and stayed silent.


    Ellonna allowed the two men to calm down and then turned to Jace with a forced look of grief. ¡°It is true that Draeklynn has gone missing, and we can sense her power now below us in his presence.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you need us for?¡± Jace asked. ¡°The lich will feed on her, satisfy his cravings, and you can continue to steal his power for another half century.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Dayrin said, staring at the table. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    Tang smiled at his colleague¡¯s reluctant acceptance of reality. ¡°Elconoric is not some vile vampire-¡± Jace felt Esther stiffen beside him ¡°-who feeds frivolously on the blood of his victims and then discards the rest. There is power in the blood, but so too in the bones and muscles and flesh and life. The sacrifices are transformed into pure energy and fed to the lich by a machine. Three magical stones power this device. Currently, these stones are maintaining the lock keeping him imprisoned. We need you to venture into the catacombs and unlock these stones, thus delivering them to Elconoric. Then, after the ceremony is completed, return the stones to their proper place, and seal the lich in his tomb. Return to us when it is done, and you shall be rewarded.¡±


    ¡°With what?¡± Jace asked. He was so used to playing as a paladin in other games that demanding a reward for his efforts still seemed unnatural.


    ¡°The very process of navigating the locks usually increases your ability to process information naturally,¡± Ellonna said.


    {She¡¯s talking about the +1 you will receive to your Intelligence,} Gracie advised.


    ¡°But we can also bring an item from our crafting students. Perhaps we can have a selection you can pick from. That is, unless you prefer to be paid in coin?¡±


    Jace shook his head. ¡°A magical item to help us would be better. Is there something we should know about freeing these stones? If they are locked in place, it might not be so easy to extricate them. We are not experts at picking locks.¡±


    Tang laughed. ¡°They are not so crudely secured. They can be freed through intellectual means. More than that, I cannot tell you, for I do not know. No one from this school can make the journey. We have all been feeding on the lich¡¯s power for so long that if we came face to face with the source . . .¡±


    ¡°The temptation would be too great,¡± Ellonna stepped in. ¡°It must be done by an outsider.¡±


    {They are simple riddles,} Gracie said. {You should be able to figure them out easily. If you can¡¯t, I have all the answers.}


    ¡°You should leave at once,¡± Tang said. ¡°The longer we wait, the more we tempt fate. Dayrin will lead you to the entrance of the catacombs. Return quickly. Make sure you put the stones back in their locks, or something unpleasant will follow you out.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ellonna agreed. ¡°Please lock the door on your way out.¡±


    {They¡¯re serious,} Gracie said. {If you keep the stones for yourself, the lich follows you and kills you, but not immediately. It lets you think you¡¯ve gotten away and then breaks into your stronghold a day or two later, killing everyone. If you try to sell the stones, he will track you down and the person you sold the stones to. Someone tries it every month. It never works.}


    Jace nodded, watching the group¡¯s youngest member rise reluctantly and motion for them to follow him again. Jace trailed a bit so he could talk quietly with Gracie. ¡°So, tell me about this. I didn¡¯t read up on this one. Also, I assume I can always return here later and do the dragon quest?¡±


    {Yes, you can come back later. Gandhi is just being an ass because she knows what you want. She also wants to see if you will kill the girl.}


    ¡°So, I assume there is no way to save her? There is no way to kill the lich?¡±


    {Dayrin will give you a vial of holy water before you go into the catacombs. He will tell you that if you can convince the lich to drink it, he will die. That¡¯s a fool¡¯s errand. No one has successfully convinced the lich to drink from a strange vial. Maybe it is possible, but I doubt it. The mage will also tell you that if you get Draeklynn to drink the holy water and then the lich drains her life energy, that will kill him too. That seems more likely, but no one has gotten that to work either. If you have the girl drink it, Elconoric will sense the power of the water inside her and flip out. He will kill one of your party members and then cast a spell to purge the girl. He is level 40, so he has enough mana to cast a death spell on anyone he wants.


    {People have run experiments and found that if they pump a spell to a Difficulty of 100, he will fail some of the time, meaning he has a Magic Defense of around 85 to 90, which is REALLY low for someone as powerful as him and must be a result of him being hungry. It is also probably Gandhi playing with people and tempting them to fight the lich. A maxed-out level 9 mage might have +40 to Spell Difficulty, but even that is pushing it. To get to 100, they would have to spend 250 mana and have virtually nothing left to do damage. As a level 9 shaman with 17 Spirit, you only have 225 mana. If you cast an offensive spell or attack him, he will instantly kill everyone in your party. The device to transfer power from the girl to the lich is made from two sarcophagi linked by an unholy altar. The girl gets in one, the lich gets in the other, and you have to throw the switch.}


    ¡°Who loads the stones in the device?¡±


    {They are loaded when you arrive at the bottom. In order to free them from the lock, you need to drop them into a chasm, and they are collected magically by the lich. One is a life stone, one is an undead stone, and the third is a mana stone. The mana stone powers the machine. There are two more sockets: one input and one output. The life stone is loaded into the input, and the undead stone is loaded into the output, so the machine will suck energy from the living person and deposit it into the undead one. But all you need to do is throw the switch. The stones are locked in place until the process is over. The lich has to be in his sarcophagus before the switch is thrown, which is why you need to be there.}


    ¡°And if I refuse to throw the switch?¡±


    Gracie sighed. {Then he steps out of his coffin, kills one of your party members, and asks again, only he says ¡®Please¡¯ this time. I¡¯m sure you will find a way, but no one else has.}


    Jace was silent for the rest of the trip, lost in thought. Dayrin led them back down the stairs, through the entry hall to another stairwell, and then much deeper into the Academy. They emerged in a dank cellar and had to cut through several thick cobwebs as they traversed long, low corridors before they made it to a round stone door covered with ghastly engravings. Jace guessed no one came down here except once every 50 years.


    Dayrin stopped before the door and turned, reaching into his cloak and removing a vial of glowing red liquid.


    {That isn¡¯t holy water,} Gracie commented.


    Dayrin took a deep breath before speaking. ¡°The others don¡¯t know about this, and they would likely expel me from the Academy if they knew I was going to give it to you. This is a dragon elixir. Before you arrived, we had a problem with a dragon to the west, but some adventurers came and were actually able to slay it. Draeklynn and I harvested this energy from it.¡±


    {Gandhi is a real bitch, isn¡¯t she?} Gracie laughed in Jace¡¯s head. {There is no dragon in your version of this MIM. They already killed it.}


    Jace tried to ignore his operator, realizing that the AI in the game was messing with him, but he refused to make it easy on her and focused on what the young mage said.


    ¡°I know it is a long shot, but if you can get the lich to drink this, it will create a dragon mana core inside him, and he will be incinerated in seconds.¡±


    ¡°And if I can¡¯t convince the lich to drink it?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Then,¡± he swallowed hard, ¡°get Draeklynn to drink it.¡±


    {He¡¯s in love with her, by the way,} Gracie stated the obvious.


    ¡°Ellonna and Tang are right. We have been doing some dangerous experiments in the last few weeks. We were trying to harness the power of the dragon. We took animals already headed for the butcher and tried to steal their life energy. I know that vampires and succubae can steal energy from people and hold it in reserve even if it exceeds their mana capacity. In order to properly harness this energy,¡± he held up the vial, ¡°you need more mana than any of us are capable of. You need to be an elder elf who devoted your whole life to cultivating your spirit. We wanted to see if we could cheat, but we failed. Our efforts probably woke the lich, and Draeklynn¡¯s familiarity with manipulating life energy made her more susceptible to the calling.¡±


    ¡°Can she drink the elixir and survive?¡±


    Dayrin shook his head. ¡°No. Not even close. But she should be able to last long enough for you to load her into the device and throw the switch. Once the transfer starts, Elconoric won¡¯t be able to stop it, and he will die in a massive fireball.¡±


    ¡°But so will Draeklynn.¡±


    Dayrin fought back tears and nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know if there is anything I can do to save her now. But if you can kill the lich . . .¡± he swallowed his pain and grew stern. ¡°If you can end the scourge that¡¯s plagued the Academy for centuries, her death will not be in vain. I don¡¯t care what they do to me afterward.¡±


    Jace nodded solemnly but still hesitated in taking the vial. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t holy water be safer? I mean, it wouldn¡¯t hurt Draeklynn.¡±


    Dayrin shrugged. ¡°If I didn¡¯t have this, I would give you holy water instead, but it probably wouldn¡¯t work. The undead hate fire and are highly susceptible to it, but holy water is on another level. Elconoric would probably be able to sense it from a mile away. Draya at least has a chance of masking the dragon fire.¡±


    ¡°Draya?¡± Jace asked with a smirk.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he cleared his throat and tried to regain his professional pedigree as a teacher in the Academy. ¡°I meant Draeklynn.¡±


    Jace felt sorry for the grieving young man and took the vial, storing it in his inventory. ¡°We will do everything in our power to save her.¡±


    {You do realize what Gandhi is doing?} Gracie asked. {She is giving you a realistic way to kill the lich, allowing you to keep the insanely powerful stones. There will be no need to lock the prison if the undead mage is gone. But to do that, you will have to kill the girl.}


    Yes, Jace realized that, and his mind was working overtime to solve the problem.


    Dayrin turned to the door behind him, charged it with mana in a specific sequence, and the stone rolled to the side, revealing a long dark tunnel. He stepped to the right and said nothing other than motioning inside. Jace looked over at Esther and Snowy. His two trusted companions nodded, and the three of them ventured forward.

 Chapter 3: Death Becomes Her

    The catacomb tunnels were free of spiderwebs, and while Jace knew everything was computer generated, he also knew Gandhi paid attention to details.  He didn¡¯t think they would find any spiders, insects, or any other living creatures to fight.  The feeling of death in the air was so overwhelming that even Snowy seemed on edge.  Nothing was alive down here.


    It wasn¡¯t long before they got to the first test.


    The tunnel exited onto a small landing on the side of a stone cliff.  Jace peered about and saw only impenetrable darkness in all directions but straight ahead.  It didn¡¯t feel like they had descended that far below the Academy, but even straight up, all that could be seen was inky blackness.  Before them, a narrow metal walkway extended half the distance of a chasm to a circular dais suspended by nothing over nothing.  The platform had a shimmering dome, which cast the only light in the cavern, an eerie glow that illuminated 50 feet in every direction.  Their ledge blended into the sheer stone wall to their left and right, barely leaving enough room for a party of four to stand side-by-side.


    The width of the chasm was a little over 100 feet, and Jace saw another walkway retracted on the far side that, if extended, would reach the platform in the middle.  Jace understood the basic layout: walk to the floating island, solve a riddle, and the other walkway would extend, allowing them to cross the distance.  It was possible someone could jump fifty feet in the game, but he couldn¡¯t, and he doubted any level 9 character could.


    {How much do you want me to tell you?} Gracie asked as Jace moved to check the bridge¡¯s stability.  His illusion necklace had expired, and he didn¡¯t waste mana to reset it.  If it was strong enough to support a standard party of four adventurers, he was sure it could hold one orc, but he wasn¡¯t willing to take too many chances.


    ¡°Tell me everything,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Failure means death, so there is no reason to mess around.  I¡¯ve solved plenty of puzzles on my own.  No reason to bring unnecessary pride into this.¡±


    {Sure,} she agreed.  {The platform you see ahead of you is supported by mana.  Once you step on it, the mana begins to decrease.  You have about 5-10 minutes.  People have reported different times, which might be based on difficulty settings.  You should assume we will have five.  The undead stone is locked in a pedestal in the center of the dais, similar to the setup in your stronghold that secures the level 50 crystal.  To free it, you need to solve a puzzle comprised of seven different shapes in seven different colors, each charged with seven different levels of mana.  The shapes have 1-7 sides, the colors are the seven in the rainbow, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet, and they are charged with mana in increments of 1 up to 7.  The goal is to put them in sequence, so all three characteristics are in some kind of order.  Typically, this means that one aspect is ascending, the other is descending, and the third has the odds and evens separated with an odd in the middle.  The trick is that the shapes are always different colors, and the mana charges are always different, so I can¡¯t tell you the order; you need to figure that out.


    {After you solve it, you can remove the undead stone.  Once you do that, this walkway retracts, and you need to pull a lever to extend the bridge from the other side.  This is where it gets tricky.  The lever is outside the shimmering dome.  There are openings in the shield to access both walkways, but in order to pass through the shield to reach the lever, you need to be undead.  To do that, you grip the stone tightly in your hand, and it will suck the life from your arm, then you can reach it through the dome toward the lever.  However, to grip the lever, you need all five fingers, and you have to drop the stone.  It falls deep into the abyss below and is magically collected by the lich.}


    ¡°I assume people have tried everything to keep the stone in their hand while gripping the lever,¡± Jace said.


    {Yes and no,} Gracie replied.  {Most people have seconds left after they solve the riddle and don¡¯t waste time trying different things.  They¡¯ve read the walkthroughs that say you must drop the stone, so they do it.  As you¡¯ve already said, if you mess up, you die, so people aren¡¯t willing to take too many chances.  Those that do have time have tried complicated balancing routines or sleight-of-hand tricks, but the stone is the size of a tennis ball, not a coin, and they only get one shot at it because if it falls, it¡¯s over.}


    ¡°Once the stone leaves your hand, how does your arm remain undead?¡±


    {To pass through the shield, you need to be undead, and everything that passes through the dome is undead, so your arm stays that way.  As you draw it back, it heals.}


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t solve this problem without getting up close and dealing with it.¡±  Jace took a tentative step onto the walkway.  It didn¡¯t creak in the slightest.  He strode purposefully out over the terrifying drop, with Snowy and Esther following in single file.  Jace paused as he was about to step onto the 25-foot platform, which looked like a massive collection of hexagonal paver stones.  ¡°The timer starts when we step onto the platform?¡±


    {Yes,} Gracie answered.  {No point in leaving anyone on the walkway.  It will retract when you pull the stone and doesn¡¯t save you time.}


    Jace nodded and walked onto the stones.  They gave slightly under his weight as if tied together with bungee cords, but he trusted they would hold.  As a stone shaman, he could easily reach into the hexagons and read their mana total: 64.  ¡°Tell me when a minute has passed,¡± he told his operator.


    He stepped around the pedestal in the center and felt a shudder pass through him as the obsidian sphere suspended there emanated negative energy.  Behind him, Esther was entranced by the item and stared hard into its glassy depths.


    Jace focused instead on the colorful stone tiles on the opposite side of the dais.  A circle was the one-sided shape, followed by a half-moon for the two-sided one.  The rest were standard geometrical figures, though Jace wasn¡¯t sure the last time he had seen a heptagon.  He looked at the green square.  It was the middle of the shapes and the color spectrum.  When he touched it, he saw it had three mana.  The middle shape would have to be odd in some fashion, so he put it in the center of the available stations.  This meant the shapes and colors ascended and descended while the mana was separated by odds and evens.


    Jace took a moment to appreciate the design of the puzzle.  If it weren¡¯t for the mana, Jace could have looked at the shapes, memorized the colors, and then retreated to the walkway to think about it.  But since the only way to read the mana values was to hold the tiles, he needed to stand before them, using up time on the suspended floor.


    The circle was violet, so it either went at the front of the line or the back.  It had two mana.  The only way to solve this was to assume that the odds and evens were also in order.  He put the circle in the first position.  The rest of the shapes went quickly, and he placed the last one when Gracie told him a minute had passed.  Jace read the mana in the platform and saw it had dropped by half to 32.  That gave him six more minutes.


    He walked to the center pedestal and saw Esther staring into the stone as if hypnotized.  Snowy sat by and whined.  Jace broke the woman¡¯s concentration by placing his enormous hand over the black sphere.  Jace wondered if his massive orc fingers might give him an advantage in manipulating the stone and keeping a hold on it while pulling the lever, but it was slippery in his clumsy fingers, and the only way he could hold it at all was to squeeze it tightly in the middle of his palm.  Once he took it off the pedestal, the bridge that extended back the way they had come retracted into the cliff wall, leaving them stranded on the island.


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    Even with his sensitivity settings turned down, an intense cold crept up his arm.  Esther took a step back.  ¡°Boss?¡± she said hesitantly.  ¡°What is happening to you?¡±


    She must have sensed something because Jace didn¡¯t see a change right away.  As a stone shaman, his orc skin was more gray than green, and the pale complexion of undead flesh was not easily discernable at first.  But eventually, his bare arm took on a dry, ghastly appearance that only made Snowy whimper louder.  Esther took another step back.


    Jace¡¯s arm went numb to his shoulder, and a crackling sound filled the silent cavern when the transformation finished.  Jace held his dead arm out, still with total control of it, but with his senses numbed, he had even less dexterity in his fingers than before, and as soon as he lessened pressure on the stone, it slipped from his grasp.  It hit his large boot and bounced toward the edge of the platform.


    ¡°Snowy!¡± he shouted, and the wolf bounded after the sphere like a dog chasing a ball.  She pounced on the rolling stone, her claws scraping against the floor, trying desperately to stop her momentum before she careened over the edge, but the indestructible dome stopped her cold, not allowing living flesh to pass through.  The wolf wouldn¡¯t stay that way for long as the stone started transforming her too.  Snowy hastily spat the vile stone back toward Jace before the undead magic took hold, wanting nothing to do with the deathly object.


    Jace knelt on the platform and scooped it up into his hands.  He tried a few more techniques to manipulate the sphere but had no control, and this was without gripping it tightly, which would give him even less dexterity as his fingers went numb.  ¡°This isn¡¯t going to work, is it?¡±


    {Not everything can be beaten,} Gracie advised.


    Jace checked the time and found he had five minutes left.  ¡°Esther,¡± he said.  ¡°Can I borrow one of your knives?¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t have enough empty accessory slots to bring them forth quickly, but she was in and out of her inventory in a second and offered one of the four weapons to Jace.  She had stolen them from the female orcs she had killed when they had secured their stronghold.  Topper¡¯s gnomes had upgraded them and set several diamonds into the hilts.  Jace didn¡¯t need any of their enchantments; he just needed a sharp edge, and Etcher was too big for the job.


    Jace briefly stored the stone in his inventory and then knelt to attack one of his pantlegs with the knife.  He managed to cut off an 18-inch section without slicing his leg.  The game let him remove the piece without having to take off his boot, and he then handed the hollow length of cloth to Esther.  ¡°Can you tie one end in a knot so it makes a small bag?¡±


    The woman had far more dexterity than Jace and finished the simple task in seconds.  He took the bag back and cut a slit in the open end parallel with the top about an inch down.  The slit was big enough to fit his hand through, and soon the bag was suspended from his wrist, the stiff material hanging wide open.


    ¡°Are you telling me no one thought of this?¡± Jace asked, a bit too much pride in his voice.


    {No comment, Einstein,} his operator said.


    Jace removed the stone from his inventory and practiced dropping the sphere into the bag.  He even let his whole arm go numb, and the stone still dropped straight into the pouch when he released it.  Jace looked up from his handy work to find the lever and saw it to his right, just outside the dome.  Gripping the stone tightly again so his arm went dead, he walked toward the platform¡¯s edge.  The lever was secured to the underside of the dais and extended away from the perimeter before rising to hip height on the orc.  It was only two feet outside the dome, accommodating for all but a halfling or gnome.


    Moving slowly, Jace sent the knuckles of his hand through the shimmering force field, and they passed through easily.  However, once he got to his wrist, the bag wouldn¡¯t go in and only slid up his arm as he continued to reach for the lever.  Jace tried to shove the bag through the field with his other hand, but it was no use, and eventually, it slid up to his massive bicep, and the slit tore off and fell to the ground.


    {Maybe if you made the bag out of some undead flesh, it would work.}


    Jace ignored the sarcastic comment and checked his time.  Two minutes left.  ¡°What about summoning undead?¡±


    {What about it?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°I mean, if you summoned an undead minion, could they reach through the shield and pull the lever without needing the stone?¡±


    {In theory, yes,} Gracie confirmed.  {But there are two problems with that.  The biggest is that you don¡¯t have any undead summoning spells or skills.  And even if you did, the game doesn¡¯t allow players to summon undead minions unless dead bodies are lying around or if you are in a graveyard.  There are no dead bodies anywhere near here.  You need Dayrin to open the door for you to get down here, so even if you went to the Gershire graveyard first and summoned a zombie, time would run out before you could initiate this quest and get down here.  There is a note on the wiki page that someone killed one of their NPC party members to try and summon them back as undead, but their body disappeared and respawned in their stronghold before they could cast the spell.}


    Jace thought that through, wondering how Esther would appreciate it if he killed her to try and resurrect her.  Then it hit him.  ¡°What about a vampire?¡±


    {There are no summon vampire spells,} Gracie replied, but then she grew quiet as she understood what Jace was saying.


    The large orc turned to the much shorter woman and extended his hand toward her with the undead stone in the middle of his palm.  ¡°Will you try this?¡±


    Esther took several steps in retreat, carelessly enough that her back came up against the opposite edge of the shield.  She pressed into it, proving that even though she was a vampire, she wasn¡¯t undead and couldn¡¯t pass through.  ¡°But . . . but you freed me from that.  I . . . I don¡¯t want to go back.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be permanent,¡± Jace said.


    {Jace,} Gracie¡¯s voice was pleading.  {Don¡¯t make her . . .}


    ¡°Will it save Draeklynn?¡± Esther asked, a calm resolve spreading over her face.


    Jace was about to retract the offer but hesitated.  ¡°I believe so.¡±


    Esther took several quick steps toward the orc and plucked the stone from his hand.  Her eyes rolled into her head immediately, and a shiver went through her.  She didn¡¯t need to grip the sphere tightly in her hand for the transformation to occur, but the effect raced through her once she did.  Her skin took on an ashen hue that sped up her right arm, across her shoulders, and down her body.  Jace saw her other arm and legs go pale.  Her hair lost its sheen, and her eyes went from blue to black.  On her back, bony wings started to protrude through the lacing of her armor, but she shook her head and wriggled her torso, and they shrunk back to nothing.  When it was over, and Esther had gained control, she looked at Jace and spoke in a breathless whisper.


    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    Now Jace took a step back.  Even Snowy had her tail between her legs and moved to the far side of the platform.  The orc pointed toward the lever and stammered.  ¡°P-pull that l-lever.¡±


    Esther nodded as Jace checked the mana in the platform.  There was one left.  The vampire glided over the stones, reached effortlessly through the shield with the hand not holding the obsidian sphere, and yanked hard on the metal arm.


    Across the chasm, a metal drawbridge extended over the expanse and gently nestled on the platform¡¯s edge.  ¡°Hurry,¡± Jace said, feeling the tension that held the hexagonal stones together weakening every second.  The trio raced across the bridge before the platform fell, gasping for breath once they reached the far ledge.  At least, two of them were gasping.


    Esther calmly appraised the black stone in her hand, rolling it around in her palm with unnatural precision, always keeping it at the edge of her hand without falling off.  ¡°I think I¡¯ll keep this,¡± she said, reaching under her skirt to where the game simulated her gem bag.  Once the item was out of her hand, her body shimmered back to life.  Esther¡¯s expression changed from calm to hesitant to confident after the change.  ¡°Not as bad as I thought it would be,¡± she said.  When Jace gave her a concerned expression, she hastily added, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to have to do that again any time soon.¡±


    A look in Esther¡¯s eyes made Jace doubt her statement, but he hoped he was wrong.  ¡°Agreed,¡± Jace said.  ¡°And thank you.¡±  He looked back at the platform, still hanging on with only one mana left and no bridge to the other side.  There was no escape back to the surface now.  Hopefully, the island would reset once they dealt with the lich.  He turned and led his group deeper into the caverns.

 Chapter 4: Life and Death

    Jace had a good sense of direction and could feel the descending tunnel turning ever to the left, so it didn¡¯t surprise him when he found they had made a complete 180 and were once again faced with a vast chasm open before them.  Based on his intuition, the floating platform should be up and to the left, but Jace saw only darkness in that direction.


    Before them stood another bridge, this one made of stone, which appeared to span the entire distance.  It was much broader than the last one, about ten feet, with a waist-high wall on either side.  In the center of the span, a stone platform at least fifty feet in diameter rested on the arch.  Jace¡¯s earlier assessment of these catacombs that nothing would live here was proven wrong as a dense cluster of trees and vines filled the space, seemingly growing directly out of the cobblestone bridge.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Jace asked.


    {The easiest puzzle in the game,} Gracie replied.  {It¡¯s not even really a puzzle.  You just have to burn down the forest.  If you try to hack and slash your way through, you can make some progress, but once you get inside, the trees grow back behind you, and the vines grapple and strangle you.  Since this module is designed for mages, it shows how a well-placed fire attack can be more effective than the strongest sword.}


    ¡°I assume the life stone is hidden in there somewhere?¡±


    {It is suspended at the top, intertwined in a collection of vines.  Once you set fire to the grove, the main tree supporting it topples sideways into the abyss, and the stone goes with it.  Athletic players have tried to climb the tree to get at the stone, but they are too heavy for the thin branches at the top and have to fight off persistent vines that threaten to strangle them or grab them and throw them off the bridge.  Lighter players like gnomes, halflings, or even some elves don¡¯t get anywhere near the top because they aren¡¯t strong enough to fight off the vines.}


    ¡°What about a flying familiar?  Could a hawk or falcon make it to the top and grab the stone?¡±


    {Snowy can fly?} Gracie asked sarcastically.  {People have tried that, but the gem is secured in the vines and has to be cut free.  Birds of prey have strong talons and beaks, but they probably need a minute to work on them, and the vines don¡¯t give them time.}


    ¡°You need someone to fly?¡±


    Jace turned to Esther with concern.  It looked like she was almost eager to try out her wings.  ¡°No, I won¡¯t ask you to do it again.  I can find another way.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you ask,¡± Esther said.  ¡°I am offering.¡±  Before he could convince her not to, Esther retrieved the stone from her gem bag and became an undead thing again.  The transformation was quicker this time, and she let the black leathery wings form on her back.  Soon she hovered over the ledge effortlessly.  ¡°You need me to get another stone?¡±


    She hadn¡¯t heard anything Gracie had said, so Jace relayed all the information.  Esther understood she would have to cut something free and grabbed one of her rapiers in her empty hand.  After a moment, she put the stone inside the top of her vest, secured in her cleavage by her tight undershirt, and pulled her second blade.  Jace watched her soar into the air, illuminated by the soft green glow of the dense forest before them.


    {I¡¯m guessing she won¡¯t be able to hold the life stone with that undead energy flowing through her,} Gracie advised.  {You might want to move into position for a catch.}


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Jace said, ¡°come with me.¡±  The two ran across the first half of the bridge, stopping a dozen feet before the dense foliage.  He could see the vines swirling about inside, ready to lash out at him like the tentacles of a hungry squid.  He pulled Etcher from its sheath.


    Above, Esther was busy fighting off her own vines that snapped and grabbed at her.  One finally slipped through her twirling blades, but once it wrapped around her leg, it withered and died instantly.  Esther wasn¡¯t just an undead vampire.  With the stone¡¯s energy flowing through her, she was an undead goddess, and no living thing could survive in her presence for long.  When she realized this, she dove through the air toward the top of the trees.


    The life stone¡¯s location was obvious, secured tightly in a star-shaped collection of vines.  She sliced away two of the tendrils, letting the broken ends grasp at her arms.  The branches withered away when they tried to grapple her undead flesh, and the life stone loosened in their grasp.  Esther sheathed a weapon and made a lunge for it.  The sentient forest tried to yank it away, but it was weakened by the damage she had done, and she proved more agile.  Her hand closed on the loosely held stone, and she cried out in pain.


    The life energy rushed through her, lighting a fire in her dead limbs as the two stones battled their age-old struggle inside her.  She could only hold it briefly and ripped it out of the dead vines, hurling it into the air.  Her senses cleared the moment it left her presence, and Esther desperately searched for the stone.  It flew up and to the right, out into the darkness with nothing below.  It was an emerald shooting star, and the vampire flexed her wings like a falcon, diving after it before it fell too far.  She saw her friends on the bridge below, and she batted it in their direction with one rapier still in her hand.


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    On the bridge, Jace and Snowy watched in awe at their friend¡¯s newfound power, and their eyes traced the path of the stone.  Esther¡¯s redirection wasn¡¯t perfect, but Snowy knew what she needed to do.  The wolf leaped to the top of the narrow wall on the edge of the bridge, took three running steps toward the flight of the stone, and jumped.  Jace was right behind her, and as she threw her body out over the blackness, catching the stone in her mouth, Jace reached out and grabbed one of her trailing legs.


    The weight of the winter wolf was almost too much for the orc, threatening to carry him off the bridge, but he dropped to the ground, so his body slammed into the wall instead.  His arm was nearly ripped from its socket as Snowy¡¯s body swung down and smashed into the side of the stone, but Jace held on.  He feared he might tear the leg from the heavy canine, but the limb held.  Jace hauled her over the wall and dropped the wolf onto the bridge.  He figured she must be badly wounded, but Snowy was as chipper as ever and proudly displayed the green emerald on her tongue.  Unlike the obsidian stone, this one brought strength and vitality to the animal, and even if Jace had dislocated the leg, it had healed instantly.


    He took the stone and stored it in his inventory.  His back was to the forest, but he could feel the deathly presence of Esther landing behind him.  The fearful look in Snowy¡¯s eyes showed him the canine¡¯s trepidation toward their changed companion.


    ¡°Did you catch it?¡±


    The voice sounded hollow and raspy, and Jace desperately wanted to believe it hadn¡¯t come from the woman he had grown to care for.  But he turned around and found the vampire there.  She was hardly recognizable.  Veins stood out on her face and neck, the luster and beauty of her skin gone.  Her leathery wings folded into her back and disappeared, but Jace still saw the demon standing before him.  It was the image of the creature that had tried to attack him at the Gilded Swan over a week ago.  She had missed and triggered Jace¡¯s Convict ability, which had allowed him to transform her from a fake, undead thing into a living, breathing woman.  Now, in the span of a few minutes, he felt it had all been undone.


    ¡°Give me the stone,¡± Jace said calmly.


    Esther grinned at him and pushed her chest out.  ¡°Come and take it.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a game Esther.¡±


    She laughed, a cruel, evil laugh.  ¡°Oh, but it is,¡± she cackled.  ¡°And this level isn¡¯t over yet.¡±  Before Jace could say more, she spun away and marched toward the dense foliage.  The trees seemed to rear back at her presence, the vines no longer reaching out for her but recoiling in fear.  However, the plants were rooted in place and could not escape her attack.  With both blades in her hands again, she cut and hacked at the woods, carving a path an orc could walk through.  Without the life stone to sustain them, the trees and vines did not grow back.


    As devastating as her attack was, it was too slow, and Esther sheathed her rapiers, reached down into her magic, and released a fireball.  Her scream was an unholy terror as the flame shot from her hands, burning her as much as the trees.  She took several stumbling steps backward, and Jace raced forward to catch her.  Before she tripped into his arms, he spent 50 mana on his necklace to resume his human form.  He didn¡¯t trust the accuracy of his orcish fingers, and while she was still reeling in pain, his right hand snaked down her top and retrieved the stone from between her breasts.


    The change was instantaneous, and she was back to the woman he knew.  Snowy was by their side in a flash and used her natural ability to heal most of the damage her unwise fire spell had caused, but Esther¡¯s charred fingers and arms remained.  The transformation knocked her unconscious momentarily, and her eyes fluttered open as if waking from a dream.  ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You let the undead stone consume you,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°You had reverted to the creature I met back in Portsmith.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Esther said, coming to full realization, shaking her head in denial.  ¡°No, I was in control.  I knew what I was doing.¡±  She leaned away from him and turned to look into his human face.  ¡°Give it back to me.  I know how to use it.¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°We will need it to confront the lich.  I will keep it.¡±


    Esther hesitated and put a hand on his knee, her face slightly strained before it shifted to a smile.  ¡°Okay.  I understand.¡±  She rose from her crouched position and spun around.  The trees were burning as if soaked with oil.  With the life stone gone, they would have died on their own in these forsaken catacombs, but they didn¡¯t have a chance with the fire raging.


    Jace stayed down on one knee from where he had caught her.  On a hunch, he checked his inventory.  The black stone was gone.  Esther had picked it off him.  ¡°What have I done?¡±


    {She¡¯s addicted to it,} Gracie advised.  {She enjoyed being a vampire while she was one.  She got a thrill from the power and the fear it produced in others.  With the stone, she is something more than before, yet she feels she is still the human you created in her.  She can¡¯t walk this line and survive.}


    ¡°I also can¡¯t worry about it right now,¡± Jace said, rising from the ground.  Snowy nuzzled beside him, and he scratched the wolf behind the ears.  She whined.  ¡°I¡¯m worried about her too, girl.  But there is nothing I can do about it right now.  We have to finish this mission and hope she makes good decisions.¡±


    Esther was almost on the other side of the chasm.  Most of the burnt forest had fallen over the side of the central platform, but an arched framework still stood, illuminating the cavern in flickering firelight.  Esther moved through this opening, the chaotic energy of the flames just out of reach.  Jace knew Gracie was right, and the powerful woman could not walk this fine line for long.  Eventually, the undead energy would consume her.  If Jace tried to keep it from her, she would eventually turn on him.  He didn¡¯t think he would survive that.


    {Hey Gracie,} his operator said, doing a horrible impression of Jace¡¯s voice.  {I got this great idea to hack the Olympus trials.  Are you free tonight?  It will be easy.  We¡¯ll do the Intelligence quest.  There won¡¯t be any combat.  What could go wrong?  Surely my new girlfriend won¡¯t turn into an undead killing machine.  I mean, not more than she already is.}


    Jace tried to ignore Gracie¡¯s irreverent sense of humor and hurried after Esther.

 Chapter 5: So Many Mummies

    Jace knew they were approaching the next trial when his vision flashed red, indicating he was now in combat mode.  ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jace asked, pausing for a moment in the empty tunnel.  He and Esther could see in the dark, so it wasn¡¯t always easy to discern faint amounts of light from their natural ability.  But as Jace concentrated, he did see a dim glow thirty feet ahead.  ¡°I thought there was no combat in this module?¡±


    {If you play it right, there isn¡¯t,} Gracie confirmed.  {Go ahead and take a look.}


    Jace obeyed, and the light grew brighter as they approached.  Slits were cut into the thick tunnel wall on their left, and he could look through them to see a vast audience chamber below.  An area half the size of a football field and fifty feet high was lit by over a dozen lanterns hanging from chains secured to the ceiling.  The room wasn¡¯t cut out of rock but constructed from large blocks with a cobblestone floor.  It was enclosed on three sides, with the familiar chasm bordering the fourth.  A narrow stone bridge arched over the inky expanse reminding Jace of the bridge of Khazad-dum from the Fellowship of the Ring.  However, instead of orcs, Jace saw over a hundred slow-moving creatures dressed in tattered rags milling about.


    ¡°What are they?¡± he asked.


    {Mummies,} Gracie replied.  {Lots and lots of mummies.}


    In the center of the arch, hundreds of feet away from their position, a totem stood, and every six seconds, another mummy was summoned and meandered across the bridge to join its brothers in the hall.  Esther was beside Jace, looked down at the horde, and gasped.  ¡°There are so many of them.¡±


    Jace (and the rest of the realm) had watched the dynamic rogue take on six half-orc guards at once without breaking a sweat, but this was much different.  ¡°And how are we supposed to fight them?¡± Jace asked.


    {As I said, if you do this right, you don¡¯t.  You just sit and wait.  The tunnel you are in will descend and curl around to the hall¡¯s entry below.  The door is barred on your side, and the mummies won¡¯t break it down.  It usually takes about 30 minutes to an hour, but the room will become so congested with the creatures that there isn¡¯t space for them, and they start backing up on the bridge.  Once a dozen creatures are on the arch, the weight will be too much, and it collapses.  The totem, which is powered by the mana stone, falls into the abyss.  Once the totem-reach limit is exceeded, all the mummies disappear.}


    ¡°How do you cross the chasm if the bridge is down?¡±


    {A lantern is suspended before the bridge, and you can swing across.  Only the front half of the bridge breaks.}


    ¡°If I want to get that stone, I have to find a way through the hoard before they collapse the bridge.¡±


    {Sure,} Gracie agreed.  She wanted to tell him it was impossible but decided to hold that judgment in reserve.  {What do you want to know about them?}


    ¡°Everything.  I want to know their strengths and weaknesses.  What have other people tried that didn¡¯t work?¡±


    {They each have 500 HP.  They only have the natural AC of 10, so they are easy to hit, but they are entirely immune to all critical weapon strikes, so you can only do normal damage to them.  They have a physical Damage Reduction of 30.  At level nine, I believe your damage per attack with Etcher is 48, so you would do 18 per hit.  I¡¯ll let you do the math on how many attacks you would need to kill one 500 HP monster.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t bother, knowing it was way too high, and with the frequency that new mummies were being generated, it was a losing bet.


    Gracie continued.   {Their attack bonus is +10, but they have Swarm.  Because they are so tightly packed, it is impossible to attack one without being in the range of three others.  Once eight of them surround you, they each have +45 to attack.  Even if you can tank yourself to 65 AC, which you can¡¯t, they will roll 20s against you.  They do 30 damage per hit.  If they get a critical, they give you the diseased condition, which randomly lowers one of your abilities by one.  No one ¨C and I mean no one ¨C has come close to killing even a few mummies before they were slaughtered or had to run.}


    Jace understood the math and agreed that a frontal assault wouldn¡¯t work.


    {From where you are standing,} Gracie continued, {you are about 150 feet from the center of the room where most of the mummies are.  This is the closest you can get without going downstairs and opening the front door.  Throwing a spell this far costs 150 mana.  Their Magic Defense is 30, so you need to get the spell difficulty up to 50 to be sure they won¡¯t save.  Assuming a level 9 mage could get up to 40 on their own, they still need to spend another 50 mana to raise it by 10.  The mummies have 20 magic damage reduction, so you need to spend another 100 mana just to overcome that.  That is 300 mana, and you haven¡¯t done any damage yet.  You only have 225 mana.  Also, since they are undead, they are immune to level drain, so Esther won¡¯t be able to do any of her shenanigans.}


    ¡°Seems pretty hopeless,¡± Jace agreed.  ¡°What about the life stone I have?  Most people don¡¯t have that with them.¡±


    {No one does,} Gracie agreed.  {I don¡¯t think you can cast spells through it, but if you held it against one of the mummies, it would probably kill them faster than attacking, but you would be flat-footed against all its friends, who would pummel you senseless.  They are programmed to attack anything living, so holding the life stone would make you a big target.  You could let Esther wield the undead stone and see if they ignore . . .}


    ¡°No!¡± Jace shouted.  Esther turned in surprise, knowing he was talking with Gracie, but the two rarely argued in her presence.  Jace faked a smile at her, and she turned back to look at the mummies below.  ¡°No,¡± Jace said again under control.  ¡°I will find another way.¡±  He paused for a few moments.  ¡°What about their alignment?  They have to be chaotic, right?¡±


    {No,} Gracie replied confidently, though Jace could hear the tell-tale sounds of mouse-clicking that signified the operator was actually looking something up for a change.  {It says they don¡¯t have an alignment.  Any benefit or penalty you would get for attacking or defending against monsters of a specific alignment won¡¯t trigger.}


    Jace smiled.  ¡°I think I have a plan.¡±  He turned to Esther and called her away from the narrow windows.  ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.  I¡¯m going to need your help.¡±


    The woman left the slits and followed her leader.  ¡°What else is new.¡±


    ¡°What kind of Haste spells do you have memorized?¡± he asked as they moved down the tunnel.  It descended dramatically now and turned sharply to their left once they had traveled the depth of the vast room on the other side of the wall.


    ¡°Two,¡± she replied.  ¡°One that lasts thirty seconds and another that lasts a minute.  I need to touch the target.¡±


    ¡°I need you to cast one at range, about 30 feet.  And you need to crank the difficulty way up.¡±  Jace always had concerns talking in game terms with Esther, but Gracie assured him that discussions of mana, difficulty, and range were no different from talking to someone in the real world about sports statistics.


    ¡°How high?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Fifty,¡± Jace answered.


    Esther was quiet for a while, trying to work through the unexplained strategy.  She hadn¡¯t heard anything of what Gracie had said, but she wasn¡¯t stupid.  She knew that if Jace wanted her to Haste him, she wouldn¡¯t need to increase the difficulty.  Party members always failed spells cast against each other.  ¡°You want me to haste a mummy?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace replied.  He knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to reprogram a spell without going into her inventory, and she didn¡¯t know the game tricks to let her do that while moving, so he was quiet until they made it to the end of the corridor and found the massive doors.  The iron-bound portal stood fifteen feet high.  The hinges were on their side, meaning the double doors would swing toward them.  Jace knew they wouldn¡¯t be quick to open or close.  Any strategy that involved opening a door, throwing an area damage spell inside, and then closing it again would only work once.  If the mummies pressed against the doors, they would come pouring into the tunnel if you tried to open it a second time.


    After examining the doors, Jace watched Esther roll her eyes into her inventory.  He prepared a spell too, and cast his Mana Bank totem using all 225 of his magic.  Since they were in combat mode and surrounded by stone, he would recover it in just over a minute.  However, as soon as he had at least 90 restored, he also cast his Armor totem.


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    ¡°Okay,¡± Esther said, ¡°I¡¯ve got it.  That spell will drain half my mana, so I hope you don¡¯t need any more magic from me.¡±


    ¡°I need you to cast invisibility on me,¡± Jace said.  ¡°It can be a burst spell, so it shouldn¡¯t cost that much.¡±


    She frowned at him.  ¡°I thought you would remember,¡± she said.  ¡°I forgot that spell once I got this.¡±  She adjusted the wide-brimmed, feathered hat she had stolen from Gweniffer.  The design was somewhere between cowboy and pirate with an anime flair.  She tugged on the brim with her fingers as if she were doffing it in greeting and disappeared from view.  Jace blinked twice and saw that she wasn¡¯t actually invisible, just very hard to see.  The effect lasted for six seconds, and then she was back in the regular low light of the cavern.


    Esther assumed the demonstration was enough to explain what it did, but the former accountant needed numbers.  Gracie helped out.  {It reduces the light level for the wearer to 0,} she said.  {It is a level 12 item and has 120 mana in it.  It has a blue phoenix feather, which generates five mana a turn, so the wearer rarely has to spend any of their own unless they use it repeatedly in a well-lit area.  It is efficient too.  The gemstones on the headband detect the light level, so if it is already at three, which it is now, the hat only uses 15 mana to get down to 0.}


    ¡°I thought a level 12 item could hold 324 mana?¡± Jace asked, having done his research.


    {They can, but 200 of that space is filled with a permanent critical success, so it can break ties with True Sight spells and other items that banish shadows.  It doesn¡¯t actually hide her in the shadows or make her invisible; it just makes her hard to see so that she can initiate her own abilities.  If you use it, the mummies will have a -5 to hit you.}


    Jace smiled as he guessed that Gracie already knew what he was going to do.  The fact she wasn¡¯t telling him it was a stupid plan gave him hope that it might work.  ¡°Can I borrow the hat?¡±


    Esther looked hesitant.  ¡°You aren¡¯t going to get it dirty, are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± he replied.


    Reluctantly she removed the hat and handed it over to the orc.  The item doubled in size when Jace took it, allowing it to fit snuggly on his bald head, his pointed orc ears just touching the bottom of the brim.  Esther snickered when she looked at him, and he imagined he looked ridiculous.  He reached up and tugged on it as Esther had.  Nothing changed from his perspective, but Esther gave him a thumbs up, and he assumed it had worked.


    Jace went into his inventory and got his shield out.  It was the large +3 shield that Drescher had brought back for him.  He couldn¡¯t hold it when using his two-handed weapon, but he decided to carry it around because he never knew when he might need to tank up.  Just equipping the item increased his AC by 7.  If he took the Raise Shield action, it would go up to 14.


    Jace had been monitoring his mana and was back to full.  He turned to Snowy.  ¡°You stay here, girl.  I don¡¯t want you to get hurt.¡±  The wolf could feel the impressive presence of the hundreds of mummies in the other room and didn¡¯t need to be told twice.


    He turned to Esther.  ¡°We are going to open one of these doors and then walk through.  I think most of the mummies should be crowded around the bridge, but there will be a lot of them.  Once they see us, they will lumber in our direction.  When they are close enough for your Haste spell, I need you to target the closest one in the middle and then run.  Get back here and close the door.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to cast your ¡®spell,¡¯ aren¡¯t you?¡± Esther asked, adding verbal air quotes around the keyword.  Jace had told her that his Righteous Judgement spell did additional damage to people with the opposite alignment as himself.  Esther and Jace couldn¡¯t be more different.  If she were ever in the path of that spell, it would increase by a factor of eight, and she would be annihilated.


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Don¡¯t bar it in case this goes wrong and I have to get out.  Also, don¡¯t open it unless you hear my voice.  Understood?¡±


    Esther was usually keen on helping out in a fight, but she wanted nothing to do with what was behind those doors.  She nodded.  ¡°Okay,¡± Jace said. ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    The massive timber that barred the door was so heavy that Jace needed help from Esther to lift it.  He wondered how a bunch of wimpy mages were supposed to open the door, but he guessed another fire spell would have burned through the dry wood.  The equally heavy doors hung on oiled hinges and swung open with little effort.  Jace froze.


    Mentally he was preparing for the mass of undead he was about to see, but he hadn¡¯t been ready.  They had been far enough away from their earlier vantage point that the creatures looked like painted miniatures on a dungeon map.  Now they were life-sized monsters that wanted to crush him.  The closest ones were only 40 feet away, and the collective moan of 237 mummies recognizing his presence was deafening.  Esther panicked too, but she remembered her job, followed her boss into the room, and released her spell.  The lead mummy shivered as the magic took hold and moaned again, this time at a higher pitch.  He broke away from the pack and double-timed it toward the pair.  Esther eagerly left Jace to face the throng alone, and he heard the metal door clang shut behind him.  When the mummy was only a few feet away and getting ready to swing his massive arm, Jace reached up, tugged on the rim of his hat, and Stood his Ground.


    With the shield, Armor totem, his Armor skill, his boots, the hat, and now his improved Intimidation score, Jace¡¯s AC was at an impressive 41.  With only +10 to attack, and no swarm benefits from its slower friends, the mummy had no chance to hit him, but Jace really needed a critical miss.  With an attack roll of 16, that was exactly what he got.


    This triggered Jace¡¯s Convict ability, and his vision was transported to the mummy¡¯s character sheet.  He searched for the alignment section, and, as Gracie had told him, the three choices were labeled N/A.  With the critical miss, Jace could change two things.  When he had first used this ability against Esther, he had promised himself that he would never change an NPC¡¯s alignment.  That felt too invasive.  But this was a mummy.  He was about to adjust them when he saw another tab.  Looking at the creature¡¯s name, he saw it was Mummy 142.  Next to that name was a tab that said ¡°Mummy Totem.¡±  Jace navigated there and saw the powers of the construct that had summoned the creature.  He didn¡¯t want to adjust this one mummy; he wanted to change all of them.  Now he changed the first section to Guile and the second to Chaotic.


    Jace was yanked out of the screen in time to see the mummy take its second attack.  It missed, and Jace wondered if he would get to use the Convict feat again, but it didn¡¯t trigger.  Instead, he waited for the round to end and then reached out with his free hand to touch the cold wrappings of the creature before him.


    He cast his Righteous Judgment spell.


    The difficulty of his divine spells was tied to his mana generation.  Since he was connected to his mana bank totem, that was doubled to 42.  With his level at nine, the spell¡¯s difficulty was 51, and the mummy had a 1 in 20 chance of saving against it.  It didn¡¯t.  Jace¡¯s 225 mana converted into 45 damage.  The mummy reduced it to 25, and its two opposed alignments quadrupled it to 100.  This was only a fifth of its HP and didn¡¯t even faze it.  As it prepared to attack back, half the damage (50) shot into the next closest mummy.  It went through the same process, taking 120 damage and sending 60 on to the next in line.  Four mummies later, the damage was finally enough to kill one.  Four mummies after that, the damage was in the five digits, and the creature was vaporized.  With over two hundred mummies in the room, a few of them would roll a 20 in defense, but once the damage got high enough, cutting it in half didn¡¯t matter.  The spell raced through the room faster than the sound of the deafening thunder left in its wake.  The damage output quickly reached into the millions and then billions.  At no time in the game¡¯s history had a single spell done even close to this kind of damage.


    Within seconds, all but the first five mummies were dead.  Jace ignored the remaining creatures and ran into the room, chasing after the impossibly fast chain reaction, confident the spell would never jump to him as the source.  He was glad his Environment settings were down because the smell of burnt dead flesh must have been oppressive in the room.  He wondered if there was even any oxygen left and hoped the game wouldn¡¯t account for that.  None of the surviving mummies were quick enough to catch him.  Even the hasted one was only as fast as a regular enemy and not up to tracking down a sprinting orc.


    {Jace . . .} Gracie started, {I have no words.  I have never seen anything like that.  Ever.  Remind me to show you the Leader Board when this is over.}


    ¡°Leader Board?  What Leader Board?¡±


    {THE Leader Board,} Gracie clarified, as if that should be enough.


    Jace ignored her for now.  Besides two dead mummies on the floor, the room was empty before him, with no scrap of mummy wrappings remaining.  However, another mummy was summoned before he got to the narrow bridge.  Jace still held his shield and raised it in defense as he rushed the creature.  He was out of range of his armor totem but still had more than enough AC to block the strike from the lone monster.  He used his size and strength to bullrush the mummy off the bridge, giving him a clear path to the totem.


    The mana stone glowed bright blue, set in the center of the coffin-shaped pillar.  Jace reached for it and plucked it clean, careful not to fumble it over the edge of the narrow bridge.  Instead, he opened his inventory and stored it and his shield inside.  When he returned to the game, he turned to see the five mummies he had left behind tracking him down.  Those monsters still had enough power to kill him, but he pulled Diamond Etcher and began to attack the totem.  He figured something this powerful would have a lot of Hit Points and possibly a significant Damage Reduction, but his sword was enchanted to ignore the defense stone and metal constructs usually had against bladed weapons, and each of Jace¡¯s attacks did full damage.  The hasted mummy was the first to make it to the bridge, and the walkway was narrow enough to prevent the others from flanking Jace.


    The orc shifted to the other side of the totem so it and the mummy were on the same side, allowing him to parry the undead strikes between his attacks on the stone structure.  The creature landed a couple of hits, but none of them critical.  Jace was worried that the combined weight of five mummies and one orc might bring the bridge down anyway, but it stayed intact long enough for him to finally reduce the totem to rubble, and the undead swarm vanished.  It turned out the totem had at least 1,000 HP, and it took over ten rounds for Jace to finally destroy it.


    Jace dropped to one knee, out of breath.  He heard the metal door open, and Esther and Snowy peered into the room.  They complained about the smell but eventually made their way over to him.  ¡°Did you get it?¡± Esther asked, having understood enough of the one-sided conversation between Jace and Gracie earlier.  He nodded, not bothering to retrieve the mana stone from his inventory.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said.  ¡°Then let¡¯s keep going.  This is fun.  I wonder what¡¯s next.¡±


    The slender, agile woman slipped past the orc blocking the bridge, swiped her hat from his head, and continued toward the other side.  Jace was still exhausted and rolled his eyes at his boisterous companion.  Snowy had a little more empathy for her master and gave him 50 points of healing.  Jace took a deep breath, feeling slightly renewed, and followed after Esther.

 Chapter 6: The Power of Life

    Jace was expecting a prison.  What they found after a few minutes of travel was more akin to a throne room.  It actually reminded Jace of Mumm-Ra¡¯s temple from the Thundercats cartoon in the 80s.  Immense statues of demonic creatures flanked an open aisle leading to a dark pool of water.  At least, Jace hoped it was water.  A dozen steps rose behind the pool to a stage where two sarcophagi sat connected with tubes and cables that looked like a cross between alien technology and demonic squid tentacles.  A raised stone altar ran up the center of the stairs, connecting the pool¡¯s edge to a pair of cables that joined in with the rest of the machine.


    ¡°Ancient spirits of evil,¡± Jace muttered, ¡°transform this decayed form to Mumm-Ra, the ever-living.¡±


    {Wow,} Gracie said.  {You are old.}


    Jace ignored her and focused on the scene before him.  Esther and Snowy stayed back, not wanting to venture forth.  Jace caught Esther¡¯s right hand slinking under the pleats of her skirt where her gem bag was and where the undead stone was stored.  ¡°Keep your weapons ready,¡± he said, trying to find her something else to do with her hands.  She jolted to attention as if she had been in a trance, and her hands snapped to the hilts of her rapiers.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what we are going to face.¡±


    {Neither do I,} Gracie said.  {You are pretty far off-script at this point.  Normally Elconoric is standing at the top of the steps and thanking you for freeing the stones.  They are already loaded into the equipment, and he is only missing the girl, who is in a holding cell waiting for you.}


    Jace saw the three empty sockets, one on the central altar and two on a box between the coffins where the cables terminated.  One was above the other, with several carved arrows showing the power flow from the input gem to the output.


    {You need to get the girl and bring her back.  The lich can¡¯t leave this room, but there are passages and rooms beyond this hall to hold minions or worshipers.  They are all empty, save Draeklynn.}


    Jace hesitated to move any closer, fearing the demonic statues might come to life.  It looked like they were doubling as support pillars, and perhaps they couldn¡¯t move without the vaulted ceiling crashing down, but he wasn¡¯t sure he wanted to risk it.  Jace swallowed his fear and was about to investigate the setup closer when the water in the pool rippled.


    A smooth head rose through the surface as a human face emerged.  What Jace had thought was a bald head was instead a golden cap covered with gemstones.  Assuming this was the lich, Jace had expected an old, shriveled man playing the part of a beggar looking for food.  Instead, he had the body of a youthful athlete, muscular and lean.  He wore only a loin cloth, and Jace heard Esther gasp sharply at the attractive man.


    ¡°Don¡¯t flirt with the 300-year-old undead guy,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Three hundred?¡± she asked.  ¡°Too young for me.¡±


    This drew a look from Jace, and he turned back to the woman, but she kept her eyes glued forward, her hands still on her weapons.  Jace returned to the lich, who stepped out of the water and picked up a robe hidden behind the pool¡¯s rim.  ¡°You are late,¡± Elconoric said, his voice filling the room as if amplified by perfect acoustics.  His baritone timber moved through Jace like warm tea on a cold morning.  He heard Esther gasp again.  His vampire companion was supposed to be the one that enthralled people, not the other way around.  Jace wasn¡¯t sure how to defeat this creature with Esther¡¯s help.  If she were on the other side, this would be hopeless.


    ¡°I said,¡± the ancient mage repeated, ¡°you¡¯re late.  I¡¯ve had to purge the bath for any remnants of energy from the last feeding.  I didn¡¯t find much.¡±  He paused and looked at his reflection in the still pool.  After removing the golden cap, he had wavy brown hair, and he ran his fingers through it as he examined his appearance.  ¡°Not bad for now.¡±


    Jace still hadn¡¯t spoken, waiting for an opening or opportunity to work a plan.  Elconoric walked around the pool to stand in front of it at the same elevation as his guests, only 40 feet away.  ¡°I am usually alerted to your arrival by the descent of the stones.  I have not seen them.  Did something go . . .¡± his voice trailed off as his vision adjusted to the low light in the room, having just been submerged in the magical water.  He was looking at an orc, a winter wolf, and a vampire with a heartbeat.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Our apologies, your grace,¡± Esther said, stepping before Jace and kneeling on the ground.  ¡°We have brought the stones to facilitate the ceremony.  We thought it best to present them ourselves.¡±  She said this with her eyes on the ground.  Jace¡¯s jaw was there too.


    ¡°Lift your face to me, my dear.  What have they done to you?  Do you have the life gem?  Is it masking your true form?¡±


    Esther obeyed and lifted her eyes to the lich.  Now Elconoric gasped and took a step back.  ¡°No, but you are truly alive.  How?¡±  He looked back at the device he used to suck the essence out of his bicentennial sacrifices.  After a transfer, he felt almost alive.  His body warmed, and his skin glowed with power, but his heart did not beat, and his lungs did not draw breath.


    ¡°My master did this to me,¡± Esther said humbly.  Her eyes left the lich¡¯s briefly to look up and back at Jace.


    ¡°The orc?¡±


    ¡°He is more than a simple orc.  He is the most powerful being in the realms.¡±


    As Elconoric laughed, Jace looked with awe at Esther.  Was she playing?  Was she setting him up?  Was this a plan that could work?  Or was she enthralled and just saying what she believed?


    ¡°You wish to be more than animated flesh and blood?¡± Jace asked once the lich¡¯s laughter died down.  ¡°More than an imprisoned undead?¡±


    ¡°Does this look like a prison?¡± Elconoric shouted.  ¡°I am more free than you, more than all of you up on the surface, moving through your wasted lives, not understanding strength or hunger.  You live, you fight, you die, and for what?  If you only knew what true power was.¡±


    Jace frowned.  Was this the best Gandhi could do?  A tired speech about power from a megalomaniac.  Still, he could work with this.  He allowed his frown to persist as he waited for the lich to finish his diatribe.  ¡°You have all the power in the world,¡± Jace said, trying to make it both a statement and a question, ¡°yet you wait on us mere mortals to provide the means to continue your existence.  And you look upon my living vampire with envy.¡±


    ¡°Your vampire?  Envy?¡± Elconoric boiled with rage.  Jace hoped he hadn¡¯t pushed it too far.  ¡°How do you say these things?  You do not know of what you speak.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I,¡± Jace challenged.  ¡°I am more than I seem.¡±


    ¡°We shall see,¡± the lich said, and Jace saw him begin to cast a spell.


    {Well,} Gracie said with a sense of resignation, {It was fun while it lasted.}


    Jace knew he couldn¡¯t repel whatever the undead mage was about to cast and looked forlornly down at Esther, who still knelt before him.  Who knows what her fate would be?  He paused.  The woman flicked her wrist without turning around, and an emerald light flickered through the air before him.  Jace reached out, grasped the life stone in the center of his palm, and felt the energy course through him just as the lich¡¯s death spell washed over his body.


    He didn¡¯t die.


    {I think she has now officially saved your life more often than you have saved hers.}


    Elconoric¡¯s eyes had gone black during the powerful spell, and he hadn¡¯t seen the transfer of the stone.  While he didn¡¯t comprehend the game mechanics, he had instinctual knowledge that Jace couldn¡¯t have recovered anything from his inventory in the time it took the lich to cast the spell.  He did not know what this orc had done to withstand his most potent magic, but he wasn¡¯t as dismissive as before.


    ¡°What are you?¡± the lich asked.


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    ¡°I am your savior,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Your death magic has no power over me.  I alone hold the key to eternal life.  I can bring the dead back,¡± he motioned to Esther before him, hoping his pastor would never hear any of this.  ¡°I can bring you back.¡±


    ¡°And if I do not want to go back?  If I have grown accustomed to this . . . life?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°Then we will perform the ceremony, and you can sleep for fifty years without ever knowing what it means to be truly awake.  To be truly alive.  You may not desire to see the sun or an ocean horizon, but what about the taste of wine on your tongue?  The feeling of blood pumping through your body?  The smell of roasting meat?  The touch of a woman.¡±  Esther did her part by catching the lich¡¯s eye and licking her lips.  ¡°If none of this appeals to you, just say so, and we will do as you wish.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe you,¡± Elconoric said.  ¡°I do not trust you.  With what power do you do this?¡±


    ¡°With the power of the stones,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°The power of dragons, the oldest living members of the surface world.  And with the power of youthful life.¡±  Jace looked around as if searching out the hall for the first time.  ¡°Where is the girl?  Was not a sacrifice sent ahead of us?¡±


    Elconoric¡¯s face was unreadable.  Was this orc telling the truth?  Did he truly have this power?  His eyes went to the vampire still on her knees.  How else could she be explained?  Either way, they needed the girl.  ¡°She is in one of the rooms in the back.  Fetch her while I consider your claims.  I will not be played the fool.¡±


    Jace bowed respectfully, and Esther rose from the ground.  They saw an open door behind the dais and quickly left the room.


    ¡°What happened in there?¡± Jace asked once they walked down a dim corridor lit by magical red torches.  ¡°Did he cast a spell on you?  Were you enthralled?¡±


    Esther spun on him.  ¡°No more than you were when we first met,¡± she bit back.  ¡°I think I handled it much better than you did.¡±


    Jace conceded the point.  ¡°But now, what do we do?¡±


    ¡°Making the plan is not my job,¡± she replied.


    Jace conceded that as well and was soon lost in thought.  Esther turned to Snowy.  ¡°Can you smell the girl?  I am sure she is frightened.¡±


    The wolf put her nose in the air and soon had the scent.  Less than a minute later, the trio stood outside a door barred from the outside.  Once inside, they saw a young woman lying curled up on a hard cot.  A bucket of dirty water sat beside her and nothing else.  Jace moved to her side to see if he could heal her.  She was at level 9, and he assumed the 23 HP that showed above her still form was not her full health.  He had a ring that healed Ordered characters double but could do nothing for Chaotic.  Before wasting the little mana he had regenerated, he asked Gracie.


    {She is usually Balanced, but she isn¡¯t always even a ¡°she.¡±  Sometimes she is a male elf or a halfling.  The roles of Draeklynn and Dayrin vary from quest to quest, depending on the player who initiates them.  I can¡¯t see her character sheet unless she joins your party, which she will do if you ask her.  Of course, she will die shortly after you feed her to the lich, so it is short-lived.}


    Jace decided not to dwell on his operator¡¯s negativity.  Snowy could heal a party member by 50 points three times a day, and she had already done that twice.  Of course, Draeklynn wasn¡¯t a party member yet.  Jace was about to put his hand on her arm to wake her when Esther stopped him.


    ¡°Boss,¡± she said.  ¡°You might want to do something about your face first.  You¡¯re kind of orcish.  Trust me; it isn¡¯t the best thing to wake up to.¡±  She paused awkwardly.  ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t mind.  I think you look fine as you are.  I would love to wake up to your face. . . I mean, I¡¯m not saying I want to wake up next to you, or that I don¡¯t, but I mean . . .¡±


    Jace held up a hand to stop her rambling.  ¡°I understand.¡±  He spent 25 mana to return to his human form.  It would last 30 minutes, but Elconoric would likely dispel it as soon as they returned to the main hall anyway, fearing more trickery.


    Draeklynn¡¯s eyes fluttered open when Jace gently shook her arm.  It took a moment for reality to set in, and she jolted upright on the cot and attempted to push her back through the stone wall behind her.  ¡°Who are you people?  Where am I?  Was I dreaming?¡±


    Jace smiled at the frightened young woman to disarm her fears, founded though they might be.  ¡°We are here to help.  What do you remember?¡±


    As she half closed her eyes, trying to pry into her memories, Jace took a moment to examine her.  She was young, maybe 18 or 19.  Esther looked to be in her 20s, but when you gazed into the fallen angel¡¯s eyes, you could see she had an old, if not immature, soul.  But Draeklynn¡¯s brown eyes were consistent with her youthful appearance.  Jace detected intelligence there that he wasn¡¯t used to seeing.  Outside of Pieter, Drescher¡¯s mage, he hadn¡¯t met anyone with an Intelligence above 14 and hadn¡¯t exactly stared into the half-insane level 22 wizard¡¯s face for long.  As this young woman searched her memories, Jace knew she would be a powerful ally if he could keep her alive.


    It took a while for him to look away from her eyes, but he backed up to give her room.  She had dark skin.  It was hard to put a nationality to it since she had natural blonde hair, which, combined with the room''s low light, probably made the hue look darker.  Plus, it wasn¡¯t like she came from the Middle East or India.  Either way, it marked her as a foreigner in Gershire, where most people looked like Northern Europeans.


    She was beautiful, but not in the exotic way Esther was.  She was more innocent and pure.  She wore the standard dress of a first-year student at the Academy, a blue tunic tied at the waste that would hang down to mid-thigh with a white shirt and gray pants underneath.  She was sitting now, but Jace guessed she was a few inches shorter than Esther at about 5¡¯6¡¯¡¯.


    ¡°I remember a voice,¡± she said.  ¡°No, not a voice.  More like a song.  It drew me to a shimmering light.  Sliver, woven through blue surrounded by a . . .¡± she lost the words.  ¡°And when I stepped through . . .¡±  Now she sat up away from the wall, and her voice dropped an octave.  ¡°When I stepped through, he was there.  Cold, lifeless, and gray.¡±  She looked around and down, seeing the thin cot and the dirty stone walls of the dim room.  ¡°I am still here, aren¡¯t I?  You aren¡¯t here to help.¡±  Her eyes fell on Esther, and the magical woman couldn¡¯t help but read the vampire¡¯s power.  ¡°You work for him.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Esther said.  ¡°We were sent here by Dayrin.  He wants us to save you.  If you join us, we can work together.¡±


    ¡°Master Dayrin?¡± she asked, still hesitant.


    Jace noticed that while the teacher had an endearing name for the student, she still referred to him as ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther answered.  Jace let her continue, thinking the woman¡¯s soothing voice might be better for Draeklynn to hear now.  Plus, he still didn¡¯t have a plan.  ¡°He said that if we can get the lich to drink this, it will kill him.¡±


    This? Jace echoed.  He did turn now to see Esther holding the vial of dragon elixir.  He patted down his chest and pants in the stereotypical reaction to having your pockets picked.  Sometimes he wondered how he kept anything in his inventory.  ¡°Esther?¡±


    ¡°What?  That is what he said.¡±  She then paused and saw his physical reaction to her theft.  ¡°Oh, you mean that.  You still have problems with that?  I saved your life back there with the life stone.  I thought we were a team?¡±


    Jace just waved his hand, saving this fight for another time.  ¡°Yes, we are.  Go ahead.¡±


    Despite the gravity of their situation, Draeklynn smiled at their antics, endearing them to her.


    [Draeklynn Ember has joined your Party.]


    ¡°This is dragon elixir,¡± Esther said, returning to the young woman.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed.  ¡°I know.  I helped Master Dayrin harvest it.  The Academy sent us to dispose of the dragon¡¯s body, but we couldn¡¯t do it.  It would have been such a waste, so we hid it instead.  But I don¡¯t know how you will convince the lich to drink that.  I can feel its power from here; I am only a novice.  He was a master before falling and has only become more powerful.¡±


    ¡°You know his history?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°We were told it was a secret known only to a few in the school.¡±


    ¡°Master Dayrin told me,¡± she said.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why he would.  He told me many things he probably shouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    Jace smiled.  Because he is in love with you, you na?ve girl.  Unrequited love is always confusing.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she continued in a more somber tone, ¡°then I went ahead and walked through the lich¡¯s portal two weeks later.  Serves me right.¡±


    Jace spoke up.  ¡°I¡¯ve told the lich that I wield the power of life, and I can make him whole again.  I¡¯ve claimed to have dragon magic that can help bring him back to life.  I know that the potion stands out in the magical plane, but can you mask its fire nature?  Elconoric will already assume it belongs to a dragon.¡±


    ¡°Do you hold the power of life?¡± she asked Jace, beckoning to Esther to hand the vial to her.


    ¡°We have secured all three power stones, but I don¡¯t know how to use them.  Plus, I really don¡¯t want to bring him back to life unless that makes it easier to kill him.¡±


    Draeklynn listened as she held the vial before her, falling into its incredible magic power.  She went so far as to pop the cork and inhale the red vapors.  After a few moments, she shook her head.  ¡°This came from a dragon so much more powerful than me; I can¡¯t begin to understand it fully, much less mask its true nature.  It will kill him, but I don¡¯t know how to make him drink it.¡±


    ¡°The other option is to have you drink it,¡± Esther said.


    ¡°What? No!¡± Jace said, turning to his unwise friend.  ¡°That is not an option we are considering!  We are yet to meet a challenge we can¡¯t overcome.  We can do this without resorting to sacrificing Draeklynn.  There has to be another . . .¡± but his voice trailed off as he looked at the wide-eyed expression plastered on Esther¡¯s face.


    Jace turned slowly back to Draeklynn.  The woman had a pained expression and was holding an empty vial.  ¡°She¡¯s right.  Master Dayrin is right.  This is the only way.  My life was forfeit the moment I stepped through that portal.  At least this way, I will kill the lich too.¡±


    {It¡¯s not Esther¡¯s fault,} Gracie said.  {It is in Draeklynn¡¯s script.  She was always going to drink it.}


    Jace took a step back from the young mage in horror, barely hearing the explanation.  No point in fighting it now.  He had to change gears.  ¡°Is it easier to mask inside you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, wincing as a wave of agony swept through her.  She recovered quickly.  ¡°It is small but growing.  It is trying to create another mana core within me.  A dragon core.  Now it is only a seed.  Until it grows, I am stronger and can contain it.  I¡¯ve practiced with Master Dayrin.  However,¡± she paused as another wave hit her, and she spoke through gritted teeth.  ¡°We have to hurry.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a plan,¡± Jace said.  ¡°This is madness.¡±


    ¡°Then what is the plan?¡± Esther asked as Draeklynn rolled on her cot in agony.

 Chapter 7: The Power of Fire

    The party of four moved slowly back to the lich¡¯s throne room after Jace had finally devised a plan.  He didn¡¯t like it, but he had one.  Despite her claims to be able to control the growing power within her, Draeklynn had been in agony most of the time Jace and Esther had talked.  Once they were finished and Gracie confirmed that the young mage was Balanced, Jace used his mana to heal her.  It wasn¡¯t much, but it helped with the pain, and she could walk.  They decided to save Snowy¡¯s last heal of the day for an emergency.


    Gracie had briefly run down the woman¡¯s stats with Jace.  It was nothing impressive.  She had 12s for Strength and Constitution, 14s for Dexterity and wisdom, 18 for Intelligence, and 16 for Spirit.  They were high for a level 9 character, but Jace was used to at least two 20s on the character sheet, and it was clear Draeklynn was designed more within the rules.


    Her only important stat right now was her mana pool at 171.  She needed to use this to control the dragon core growing inside her.  Jace asked Gracie for constant updates.  As they walked down the hall, it was at 50.  Most things in the game doubled or halved over time, but this seemed to be growing logarithmically, and Gracie hadn¡¯t been able to decipher the formula and thus couldn¡¯t tell Jace how much time she had left.  Once the core grew over her mana limit, she would lose containment, and it would start to burn her inside out.  Depending on how mighty the dragon had been, it could increase to 4,000 or more.  It would kill her long before that but might also use her expiring life energy to explode to its full strength in seconds, incinerating everyone in range.


    ¡°Are you sure you know what to do?¡± Jace asked Esther as they neared their destination.  He was almost carrying Draeklynn as the young woman walked beside him, barely conscious.


    Esther nodded.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me; I¡¯ve got it under control.¡±


    Jace wasn¡¯t so sure.  He hadn¡¯t seen her reach for the undead stone in a while, but once they got back in the presence of Elconoric, all bets were off.  He hoped she would be able to make it through this mission okay.  He was done underestimating the infamous qualities of the realms, however.  There was no such thing as an easy quest.


    The lich waited patiently for them and drew back from the group when he reached out to Draeklynn.  ¡°What is wrong with the girl?  There is a fire inside her.¡±


    That ruse didn¡¯t last long, Jace thought.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther agreed and stepped between Elconoric and Draeklynn.  She raised her hands which were still burnt from when she had thrown fire in her undead state.  ¡°She is a fire mage.  We fought.  She lost.  Now her mana is regenerating.  We should do this quickly.¡±


    The lich didn¡¯t look convinced.  He turned his gaze on Jace, who now appeared human but still bore the same magical signatures as before.  ¡°I do not trust you,¡± he said.  ¡°No one can do what you say.  I still believe you are trying to deceive me.  Give me the stones, and I will perform the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace said, propping up Draeklynn¡¯s weak form against Snowy so he could stand straight against the lich.  ¡°I have the stones.  We must do this my way if it is going to work.¡±  Jace held up the life stone.  ¡°I have the power of life.¡±


    ¡°You lie!¡±  Elconoric said.  ¡°Give me the stones, and I will let you live.  This is not a negotiation.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Esther said, reaching into her gem bag and pulling out a stone.  It was blue.


    ¡°Esther,¡± Jace said.  ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Making the hard decisions you can¡¯t.  It is the only way.¡±  She turned toward Elconoric and tossed him the mana stone.


    He smiled.  ¡°Yes, my child.¡±


    ¡°Esther, no!  This is not part of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Your plan was stupid!¡± she spat back.  She turned back to Elconoric.  ¡°I will serve your purposes.¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    Easter spun in a flourish toward Jace and stalked toward him.


    ¡°Esther, what are you doing?  He¡¯s gotten in your head.  You know there is another way.¡±  Easter didn¡¯t flinch in her approach, no weapons in her hands.  Jace drew Diamond Etcher.  ¡°Don¡¯t make me do this.¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± Esther said.  ¡°You could never beat me.¡±


    At Level 12, the vampire had initiative, and the game forced Jace to wait until Esther had a chance to act first.  She grappled his arm, and it was all over.  Maybe if Jace were at level 12 with his Athletic boon in place, he would have had a chance, but he failed the defensive check critically, and Esther had him in a chokehold and wrestled him to his knees.  He was Helpless and at her whim.  His weapon fell to the ground and clanged on the stone floor.


    ¡°Kill him!¡± the lich demanded.


    Esther¡¯s face plunged toward Jace¡¯s neck, blood flying from the bite as her hunger took her.  His level and HP plummeted once again.  Draeklynn looked on in shock as Snowy did nothing to stop it.  The violence of the act woke the young woman from her agony-filled malaise, and she struggled to stand on her own, barely keeping her balance.


    After several rounds, Esther dropped Jace to the ground and stepped over his limp body.  Only then did Snowy mosey over to her master and nuzzle his still form with her nose.  Esther didn¡¯t pay attention and walked over to her new master holding the life stone aloft.  ¡°Is that what you wanted to see?¡± she asked as she closed on the handsome lich.


    Elconoric didn¡¯t get a chance to answer as Esther sauntered up and kissed him passionately.  The level 40 character was shocked by the bold move and had no defense for the sultry woman¡¯s charm.  Jace¡¯s blood was still on her lips, and the lich was overcome with desire for her.  ¡°I will be your queen,¡± she whispered in his ear, her breath tickling his dead skin.  ¡°We will rule.¡±  She pulled away and offered the life stone to him.


    The undead mage took several stumbling steps back.  ¡°I can¡¯t touch it,¡± he said.  ¡°I normally have the sacrifice do it.¡±  He looked over at Draeklynn, who was trying to crawl away.  ¡°You must get her.¡±


    Esther smiled and kissed him again.  ¡°Get into your chamber, master.  I will take care of everything.¡±


    Elconoric obeyed and moved up the steps toward his sarcophagus.  He stopped before entering and turned to watch Esther run over to the young mage.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Draeklynn asked, struggling but having no chance against Esther¡¯s superior skills.  She looked over at Jace, still lying motionless.  ¡°You killed him.¡±


    Esther only smiled.  ¡°It was all part of the plan.¡±  She hauled her back toward the steps.


    ¡°But Jace said it wasn¡¯t the plan.¡±


    ¡°That was also part of the plan,¡± Esther quipped.  She lifted the light woman easily up the stairs and placed her in the other sarcophagus.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to die,¡± Draeklynn cried.


    Esther placed a hand on her chest and pushed her against the back of the vertical coffin.  ¡°Just focus on what we talked about,¡± she advised before closing the lid, completely unaware that the young woman had been too consumed with her struggling against the dragon core and had heard nothing of the plan.


    The vampire turned to the lich and saw him still hesitating.  ¡°This won¡¯t work unless you are inside too,¡± she said.  She moved to close his capsule as well, and he let her.  She moved to the center console between the two coffins and loaded the life stone into the machine.  She had to fully release it before retrieving the undead sphere from her inventory.  It tugged at her soul, but she managed to let it go and shoved it in place.


    The machine came to life.  Behind her, the pool glowed a vibrant blue as the mana stone charged the sacred liquid.  The cables and pipes stiffened as energy rushed into them, waiting to rip the power from one sarcophagus and infuse it into the other.  Esther¡¯s hand poised over the lever momentarily before pulling it down.


    Thirty feet back, on ground level, in front of the pool, Jace stirred.


    {You guys like to cut it close, don¡¯t you,} Gracie said.


    Jace¡¯s head throbbed as he tried to push himself off the ground but failed.  He had felt weak after having been drained to level 9, but this was completely different.  How far had she taken him?  He checked his stats.  ¡°Level 2!  That was definitely not part of the plan.¡±


    {I guess she felt she needed a little extra mana for that All-In Charm spell she dumped into the lich.  It¡¯s not every day that a level 12 character successfully charms a 40.}


    ¡°I imagine Gandhi gave her a few circumstantial bonuses.  Did she at least load the stones backward?¡±


    Gracie laughed.  {What, you don¡¯t trust her?}


    ¡°Trust but verify.  How¡¯s our newest member doing?¡±


    {Her dragon core just jumped to 160.  It¡¯s about to get real for her.  I hope this plan of your works.}


    ¡°So do I.¡±


    <hr>


    Inside the smaller sarcophagus, Draeklynn was confused.  She had drank the vial without thinking as if compelled by some unknown entity.  As terrifying as being loaded into the coffin to have her life sucked away was, she had come to an eerie peace about it.  But now, as energy rushed into her body at a rate she would have never imagined possible, she found new strength and purpose, her scripted, resigned attitude toward death gone.  Her body was weak, but her mind and spirit were strong.  At this point in the module, her character was usually dead.  A few changes had been made to her backstory to accommodate Jace¡¯s arrival, and now those hastily coded scripts came to life.  The experiments she had run with Master Dayrin were unique to this MIM, and she drew upon those fake experiences to make them a reality.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Stealing life from a pig or cow only got her 300 to 500 mana, and it was far too small ever to tame the power of a mature red dragon.  Even months after its death, with only scales and dragon blood to draw from, Draeklynn and Dayrin had always been overwhelmed.  But now, thousands of points of mana flowed into her body every few seconds, and the infant dragon core inside her seemed small by comparison.  It doubled from 80 to 160 and then tripled to 480, but the young mage squeezed it tight with ten times that much mana, building a solid ring of energy around it that threatened to squash it out of existence.


    The dragon fought back, growing to 1,500 and then 3,000 in strength.  But the energy from the lich seemed limitless, and it efficiently handled the expanding core.  The growth rate of the dragon¡¯s essence was already fading as it climbed to 3,700 and then 4,000.  But the undead energy that flowed through the life stone, transferring it into pure, life-giving mana, wouldn¡¯t stop.  The dragon core climbed a few final points to 4,200, and then it was done.


    The lich wasn¡¯t.


    Already Draeklynn had secured her new core with the limitless power at her disposal, building a hardened structure of magic around it like a dwarven smith¡¯s kiln containing a superheated fire.   She ensured it would never rupture or lose stability.  It would stay there as long as she lived.  She had also used thousands of the life-infused mana to heal and strengthen her body, but still more came.


    She had been filthy, and the water had cleansed her.  She had been thirsty, but now she was quenched.  A fire had raged inside her, and she had tamed it.  But the dam was broken, and the flood waters continued to roll in.  She would drown if she didn¡¯t find another use for the water.


    The dragon inside her spoke up. I have a suggestion.


    <hr>


    Jace was struggling to his feet with Snowy¡¯s help, watching the water in the pool boil like a pressure cooker about to explode.  The two coffins glowed with unimaginable intensity, one like a black hole, the other like a green supernova.


    {Jace, you need to get out of there now!} Gracie said.  {In a few seconds, this place will be ground zero, and nothing will survive.}


    Jace was sitting on 36 Hit Points and didn¡¯t need to be told twice.  ¡°Esther,¡± Jace shouted.  ¡°We need to go.¡±


    The woman stood just before the boiling pool, watching the show, hoping she hadn¡¯t messed things up.  Now she turned to see Jace, only casually noticing that he was alive.  Draining him below half his level ¨C nine after her previous level drain ¨C put him into a death spiral.  So as soon as she had gotten to 4, he had the potential to die, but she had trusted Snowy to save him.  After all, that had been the plan.


    ¡°But Draeklynn is still in there,¡± she shouted.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done all you can,¡± he shouted above the machine¡¯s thrum and the hissing water.  ¡°Now we need to save ourselves.¡±


    Esther took one last look at the young woman¡¯s sarcophagus, saw the smoke billowing out of it, and listened to her leader.  She bolted from the room, running back through the entrance toward the mummies.  Snowy was by her side like a streak of white lightning.  After a few seconds, she noticed that Jace was not.  After doubling back, Esther saw him take three awkward steps and fall to the ground.  He looked in pain and shoved her off, but she didn¡¯t listen.  ¡°I suppose this is my fault,¡± she said, ¡°but you taste so good.¡±


    Stooping over him, Esther wrestled Jace¡¯s pride into submission and picked him up.  The size difference between the characters made it awkward, but at least he wasn¡¯t an orc.  Behind them, the thrum of the machine turned into a high-pitched squeal, and she took off again, only much slower this time.


    As the ground began to shake, Esther tried a new tactic and began to use her boots¡¯ Shadow Step ability to move from shadow to shadow up to the distance of her stealth skill.  Now each stride was a new world record long jump as she moved 36 feet at a time through the poorly lit halls where shadows were in no short supply.


    The throne room exploded.


    Esther couldn¡¯t possibly go any faster, and as the roar of the flames grew behind her, she turned a corner and finally saw the lantern light from the mummy room.  Four more leaping strides brought her to the expansive hall, and she made a sharp left-hand turn, throwing Jace in front of her and then leaping after him.  Snowy was right beside them, and a moment after they were clear, a jet of flame shot out of the tunnel as if a dragon had stuck its head out of the passage and released all its fury.


    The massive wave of energy finally found a chamber large enough to expand and dissipate.  Once it discovered the infinite blackness of the chasm, all the flame and heat was sucked into nothing.  It was hard to breathe for a while, and all three living companions sucked at whatever oxygen they could find.


    Eventually, their breathing slowed, but Esther¡¯s turned to sobs.  ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we save her?  I thought we would save her.  Did I do something wrong?¡±


    Jace picked himself off the ground and crawled over to his companion.  ¡°You did nothing wrong,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You were amazing.¡±


    {Oscar-winning performance,} Gracie agreed even though she knew Esther wouldn¡¯t hear her and wouldn¡¯t understand the reference anyway.


    ¡°But she¡¯s gone,¡± Esther said, tears rimming her eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she is,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I never got a notification that she left our party.¡±


    Ester looked confused at the literal game-speak.


    Jace clarified.  ¡°I think she¡¯s still alive.¡±


    {Agreed,} Gracie said.  {She is at full health and has some new kick-ass stats.}


    ¡°But how?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°She threw that fireball,¡± Jace said.  ¡°She used the excess energy from the lich and turned it into fire.  You did the same thing against that shambling mound.  Did it hurt you?¡±


    She looked down at her charred hands but understood what Jace said.  She had only hurt herself then because she was undead.    As long as the energy flows out of you, it doesn¡¯t hurt you.  ¡°Then we need to go to her.¡±  She got up and was ready to run back.  ¡°Will it be safe for us?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jace said.  He tried his balance again and found that the level-drain sickness was beginning to wear off.


    They moved back through the corridors they had just sprinted through at an urgent but less magical pace.  Esther wasn¡¯t an infinite well of mana, and now that they were out of combat mode, she didn¡¯t regenerate as quickly.  Jace was amazed that the path was still intact.  Burn marks covered the walls, but no stone was out of place.  He asked Gracie about it.


    {Most structures and rooms have infinite hit points, or the world would break down.  Prison cells wouldn¡¯t work if you could just punch a wall until its hit points ran out.  The massive demon trapped in your stronghold¡¯s basement could escape easily by just pummeling the stone around him with damage spells.  So, it doesn¡¯t matter how massive that fireball was; it can¡¯t damage infinite walls.}


    This meant that when they arrived in the throne room, it was much as they had left it.  None of the statues had toppled, and the ceiling had not caved in.  Of course, the impenetrable walls had only intensified the explosion, as it had nothing to absorb it until it made it to the chasm.  The pool was empty, and the machine was destroyed beyond repair.  Everything else just looked like it had been painted black by a four-year-old with a can of spray paint.  Esther ran to Draeklynn¡¯s sarcophagus, but Jace was more interested in Elconoric¡¯s.  He opened it and found nothing.  Not even ash.


    Esther opened the other coffin, and the young woman collapsed into the vampire¡¯s arms.  Her hair and eyes were no longer brown but a vibrant red.  She looked more robust too, but Jace would go over her character sheet with Gracie later, assuming the game let him keep her.  He imagined it had no contingencies for when the girl survived the ordeal, so nothing should be pulling her in another direction.  Of course, the game never had contingencies for what Jace did.  Gracie proved him wrong about that seconds later.


    {Jace,} she chimed in.  {About those infinite HP walls.  It turns out the lich¡¯s magic held up their existence.  I¡¯m reading a lot of instability in your surroundings.  I hope you guys are up for running again.  You need to get out of there quickly before the game deletes you with your surroundings.}


    ¡°Esther,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We need to go again.  Can she walk?¡±  Jace remembered that when Esther had cast a massive Death spell from excess mana, she had been unconscious for over an hour.


    Draeklynn wasn¡¯t unconscious and didn¡¯t look weak, just shocked at the turn of events.  As soon as she understood the lich was dead and they were free to go, a new sense of confidence flowed through her.  Her body shimmered with fire mana, and it looked like she had grown an inch or two.  ¡°I can run if you need me to.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace said.  He wished he could.  ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°The stones,¡± Esther cried.  The machine was destroyed, but the stones were not.  Esther found them quickly, their magical signatures standing out clearly to her supernatural nature.  She made sure to store each one before picking up the next, and in a few seconds, they were moving away from the throne room again.


    Jace was able to keep up a better pace this time.  Soon he was jogging and then running.  Behind them, a deep sense of doom hung in the air.  It was like running from the Nothing from the Never-Ending Story, but Jace didn¡¯t want to bring it up so Gracie could make fun of his age again.


    It was smooth sailing through the mummy room and the burned-out forest, but Jace stopped the group at the floating pedestal, hoping they had a few moments to think about this one.  ¡°How does this normally work?¡±


    ¡°How should we know?¡± Draeklynn said.


    ¡°No,¡± Esther corrected her.  ¡°He¡¯s talking to Gracie.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Gracie?¡±


    Jace ignored them and focused on his operator.


    {When the lich is recharged, all of these trials reset.  The bridge is repaired with the empty totem in it.  You are supposed to load the mana stone in it and run like hell as mummies start popping out again.  A small collection of vines sprout at the next bridge.  You put the life stone in them, and a forest grows behind you as you leave.  When you get here, the platform is recharged with mana.  You put the undead stone on the pedestal, and the bridge to the far side extends.}


    That all made sense to Jace, but he wanted to keep the undead stone.  Even if he didn¡¯t, he knew the platform only had seconds of mana left in it, and if they waited for the far bridge to unfold toward them, they would all fall into the nothingness below and be deleted.


    Esther seemed to understand the problem too.  ¡°I can fly you over,¡± she said, pulling the obsidian sphere from her bag but controlling it enough for now not to transform instantly.


    ¡°Not all three of us,¡± Jace argued.  Because he was still in his human form, Snowy was actually the heaviest.


    ¡°I think I can do two of you for a short period.  Do you think Snowy can jump?¡±


    ¡°With a little help, yes.  Can you give her your necklace?¡±


    Esther had a pendant that increased her Athletic skill by six.  She removed it and fastened it around the wolf¡¯s neck.


    ¡°And the diamond I gave you,¡± Jace added.  Jace had gotten an Athletic boon spell at level ten and could raise the skill by ten.  With Trixna¡¯s help, they had made a ward on a diamond so Esther could cast the spell on herself in a pinch.  It was a one-time use, and Jace would have to refill it when they returned to the stronghold, but it made Esther nearly invincible.


    Esther dug the diamond out of her gem bag and offered it to Snowy.  The wolf had eaten magical objects like this before, and she knew she would get it back.  Once the familiar had it in her mouth, Jace guided her into putting some of her own mana into it.  A shiver went through the winter wolf, and her muscles tensed.


    Behind them, the sound of nothing grew closer.


    Esther turned to Draeklynn, who seemed perplexed by everything.  ¡°I¡¯m going to change now,¡± she said.  ¡°Don¡¯t be frightened.¡±


    She took the obsidian stone and tucked it in her vest.  As Esther¡¯s skin changed and wings grew out her back, there was no chance of Draeklynn not being scared, but she hung on anyway, as the three characters raced across the first bridge holding hands with Esther in the middle.  Snowy was right behind them.  When they hit the platform, they got three good running steps in, and the floor gave way.  Esther took to the air, hauling the others up with her.  It was only fifty feet to the far side, and with all her effort, she managed to get halfway, swing them down beneath her, and throw them the rest of the distance as she tumbled through the air and crashed into the ledge.


    Jace hit the ground, tumbled to a stop, and then canceled the rest of his illusion spell.  As an orc, he rolled back to the ledge and extended his long arm.  Snowy had made a desperate leap once the hexagonal stones started to fall beneath her, but it was almost sixty feet, and she would come up just short.  Jace found a solid rock to hook his massive foot to and extended another dozen inches over the edge.  Snowy clamped down hard on Jace¡¯s hand, doing enough damage to almost kill him.  It was over half his Level 2 max HP, but he easily made the saving throw to stay conscious.  With a heave of his enormous strength, he managed to pull the wolf to safety.


    Draeklynn picked herself off the stone, looked at Esther, a tangle of bat wings and veiny skin, and then at Jace, an orc with a bloody hand that Snowy was licking clean, and she passed out.

 Chapter 8: Unjust Rewards

    It took several rounds for Draeklynn to regain consciousness, but that gave Jace a chance to heal himself and recharge his illusion necklace.  Esther returned the undead stone to her inventory and resumed her standard form.  Once the young mage was awake again, Jace and Esther had some explaining to do, but once they reminded Draeklynn she had a dragon inside her, she was a bit more accommodating toward their oddities.  After all, they had saved her life.


    Jace had expected Dayrin to be waiting for them at the entrance to the catacombs, but they had to show themselves through the basement of the Academy to the main audience hall and then back up to the meeting room where they had been given the quest.  It made no sense that the three mages would have been sitting up there the whole time waiting, but it was a computer game, and Jace gave them some slack.


    Ellonna and Tang were not as forgiving.


    ¡°What happened down there?¡± the Academy Mistress shouted.  ¡°Were our instructions hard to understand?  Now you¡¯ve ruined everything!¡±


    Jace stood calmly before the tirade.  Behind him, Esther was not as reserved, but he had asked her not to speak up.  He would handle it.  Standing next to Esther was Draeklynn.  Draya, as Esther had already taken to calling her, didn¡¯t know what to think.  On the one hand, she knew she had made choices that should have led to her death, and Jace¡¯s original mission had been clear.  She didn¡¯t blame the masters of the Academy for sending these adventurers down there to see that she was sacrificed correctly.  She probably would have done the same thing in their position.  But why were they so upset that Jace and Esther had gone above and beyond?  Now they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the lich ever again.


    Jace knew why.  Gracie had told him that his mana regeneration rate had been one or two points higher the last time he was in the room.  It was hard to know for sure since he was a level 9 then and level 2 now.  Plus, his mana generation depended on being in contact with stone, and they were now standing on a wooden floor.  But there was a minor advantage to having a fully charged lich living in the basement.  Jace was willing to bet it went further, and there were also necromantic benefits.


    Not all of the masters were upset to see them.  Dayrin couldn¡¯t take his eyes off Draya.  Jace hadn¡¯t had much time with her before the transformation, but he knew her hair and eyes were different.  He also felt she carried herself with more strength, though she occasionally winced as her new power found a rhythm within her.  Dayrin noticed this, and Jace saw fear in the man¡¯s eyes.  Surely he had recognized that she hadn¡¯t returned his affections.  That wasn¡¯t always a roadblock to persistent men, but this new wrinkle forced him to see their relationship in a different light.  He was scripted to mourn her loss and then move on.  Now the game had other reasons for him not to pursue a relationship with the powerful young woman.


    Jace caught Dayrin also throwing glances at Esther, and, between glares at the two older masters, she returned the looks with a wink and a smile.  Jace tried to ignore the flirting gestures as the masters continued berating them.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do now?¡± Tang asked.  ¡°All of our masters have reported a reduction of power.  You have made this city weaker with your actions today.  The entire countryside is vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°We were hired to unlock and enter the lich¡¯s prison,¡± Jace said calmly.  ¡°We did that.  We were hired to deliver the stones of power to the lich.  We did that.  We were hired to ensure the ceremony between the lich and the sacrifice occurred.  We did that.  You promised to pay us.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Ellonna said.  She turned on Dayrin.  ¡°This is your doing.  I can sense the dragon¡¯s power inside her still.  Your experiments were not as fruitless as you led us to believe.  You knew if the lich tried to drain her, Elconoric would die.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t care if they had it wrong.  He would rather they blame the young master.  ¡°It sounds like something you need to work out between yourselves,¡± Jace advised.  ¡°It has nothing to do with us.¡±


    Behind him, Draya groaned audibly and clenched her stomach.  The three masters looked at the woman with concern and fear.  Jace smiled.  ¡°I am afraid our young friend is not entirely stable, and while the ceremony did not kill her, it left her with some unfortunate side effects.  We need to get her out of the Academy.  If you really want to keep your school and city safe, you will let us finish this meeting as quickly as possible.¡±


    Draya moaned again and then coughed.  As she covered her mouth, a plume of flame spurted out.  The masters reacted on cue.  Each produced a magical item from their inventory for the adventurers to select. Usually, Jace would have to pick them up to know what they did, but Gracie had the list of possible items you could get, and she didn¡¯t think there would be anything original.


    {Tang has the Intelligence +2 ring,} she advised.  {Ellonna has a pair of diamond earrings.  Each one increases your Known Spells by one.  And Dayrin has a difficulty-enhancing bracelet.  When you spend mana to increase the difficulty of a spell, the first 50 mana has double the effect.  So if you pay to increase a spell by 10, it goes to 20.  That is very powerful.  But the ring is still the best.  Especially for your new dragon friend.}


    Jace nodded, already knowing he would take whatever item Tang offered.  After all, he had another plan.  He walked forward and selected the ring.  Instantly the other masters collected their offerings before the shaman could even think about taking more than one.


    ¡°I think that concludes our business,¡± Tang said, his arms folded in a confident posture.  ¡°We will not be calling for your services again.¡±


    Jace bowed slightly.  ¡°As you wish.  We shall be out of your city within the hour.  I¡¯m sorry that our-¡±


    Draya cried out again and looked as if she were about to sneeze.  ¡°Look out!¡± Jace cried, taking a few steps forward and colliding with Master Tang.  Esther jumped as well, slamming hard into Ellonna.  The younger-looking woman tackled the mage and had her pinned to the ground as a ring of fire exploded from Draya and filled the room.  Esther winced as the spell scorched her back while Ellonna took nothing.


    Jace suffered 30 damage, nearly killing him.  Once again, he had to make a death save, but even at level 2, his base save was above that.  He took all his mana and dumped it into his healing ring, hoping the remaining time he would have to spend at level two would be short-lived.  None of the mages in the room took any damage, having saved critically against the spell, and the older pair inwardly scoffed that this woman was any real threat.  Also, when they saw that all three adventurers they had hired did take damage, they no longer thought them capable of killing the lich on their own and prepared to blame everything on Dayrin.


    Mistress Ellonna was in a Helpless position beneath Esther and screamed at the woman to get off her.  ¡°I don¡¯t need your protection,¡± she said as Esther let her up.  She refused the offered hand and rose quickly.  Esther apologized to the woman profusely.


    ¡°We are very sorry for this,¡± Jace said.  ¡° I think we will be . . .¡±


    ¡°Leaving!¡± Tang finished for him.  The older man hadn¡¯t fared as well after having Jace tackle him.  ¡°Dayrin, show them out of the building!  Then return here so we can discuss what has happened today.¡±


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    No one had tackled the younger master, and the fire had washed over him without harm.  He nodded in acceptance of the menial task and wondered if he should pack up his things before returning in case they escorted him out of the building too.  He led the group back down the stairs to the large front entrance.


    Dayrin managed a smile when he turned to them before the exit to the Academy.  ¡°Well, at least let me thank you for what you did.  I¡¯m not sure how you killed the lich and saved Draya, but I really appreciate it.¡±  He turned to the young woman.  He couldn¡¯t stop staring at her hair and eyes.  She and Esther had been talking and laughing nonstop since they left the meeting room upstairs about how great Jace¡¯s stronghold was, how she should stay with them, and how Jace always took them on the most exciting adventures.  There was joy in the woman¡¯s eyes, and fire would have danced in them even if she didn¡¯t have a dragon core inside.


    Dayrin had listened to the descriptions Esther had been giving about her life since meeting Jace, minus the parts about her almost dying, and it sounded amazing.  Down deep, he wished he could join with them.  Jace understood from Gracie that he would if offered, but Jace had no desire for two mages, and Draya was far superior.


    ¡°I hope you find the rest of the training you need,¡± he said, forcing the young woman to pay him attention and stop her conversation with Esther.  ¡°Your . . . um . . . issues of control can be fixed.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Draya replied.  ¡°You mean what happened upstairs?  That was nothing; I did that on-¡±


    Esther elbowed her sharply and giggled.


    ¡°Um, sorry,¡± she said, restraining laughter.  ¡°I mean, uh, thank you.  I will try to get more training.¡±


    ¡°You could help with that,¡± Jace added.  ¡°We both know you will be unemployed in ten minutes.  I have an option for you that could work.  I don¡¯t have room in my party, but I do know of something you can do.  I live just north of Crestfall.  Have you heard of the city?¡±


    Dayrin nodded.


    ¡°A good university is there, but their magic department is lacking.  They could use a teacher like you.¡±  Jace sent a link to his unique version of Crestfall to the NPC.  ¡°Think about it.¡±


    Before Dayrin could reply, Esther stepped forward.  ¡°I want to thank you too.  It was very brave what you did for Draya, defying the other masters like that, and don¡¯t think we aren¡¯t grateful.¡±


    The young man grew nervous in front of the striking woman.  ¡°I . . . I did what I . . . I thought was right.  Anybody would.¡±


    ¡°But nobody else did,¡± Esther argued.


    ¡°I . . .¡±


    But before he could continue, the tall woman stepped closer and kissed him.  It wasn¡¯t a quick peck on the cheek, but a deep, passionate kiss, and Jace was sure he felt mana flow through it.  Esther started with her hands on his waist to draw him close and slowly worked them up his sides.  When the shock of the move ended, and the mage thought to respond in kind, the former escort moved her hands to his chest and gently but firmly pushed him away.  ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered.


    Behind her, Draya giggled and covered her mouth.  While the Academy Master stood literally Dazed, the two women scampered past him and out into the late-day sun.  Dayrin blinked several times and slowly let his head come out of the clouds.  He swallowed twice and shook his head.  Jace still stood before him.  ¡°Um,¡± he started.  ¡°Um . . .¡± he tried again.  ¡°Uh, will she be in Crestfall too?¡±


    Jace nodded.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he pondered as if there was any way he wouldn¡¯t accept the offer.  ¡°I will look into that opportunity.  Thank you.¡±


    The two men shook hands, and Jace followed the women outside with Snowy on his heels.  They had left the Academy property and were leaning against a tree in an adjacent park, laughing uproariously.  Jace stopped at a distance and worried, not for the last time, what kind of influence Esther would have on her new friend.


    ¡°That was a bit much, don¡¯t you think?¡± Jace said once they noticed him standing there.


    ¡°You said I should do whatever it takes,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°That is what it took.¡±


    ¡°His defense couldn¡¯t have been that high,¡± he argued.  Jace assumed the game had protections from letting you steal from the mages to acquire extra items, but they probably didn¡¯t protect against someone as skilled as Esther.  ¡°You don¡¯t have to distract me like that when you pick my pocket.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s jealous,¡± Draya said between giggles but then paused.  ¡°Wait . . . you two aren¡¯t . . .¡±


    Esther shook her head and grew serious, lowering her voice an octave.  ¡°No.  Jace Thorne is much too proper for such inappropriate things.¡±  She lifted her shoulders and pretended to strut around like a man, doing a terrible impersonation of him.  It didn¡¯t last long, and both girls burst out laughing again.


    ¡°Well?¡± Jace said.  ¡°Did you get it?¡±


    Esther stopped her antics and held up her arm where the magical bracelet she had stolen from the mage already adorned her wrist.


    ¡°And the earrings?¡±


    Esther reached under her skirt, as the jewelry was compatible with her gem bag, and as soon as she touched them, she activated them up into her ears.  She cocked her head and let the diamonds sparkle in the sunlight.  ¡°I had her Helpless on the ground.  She didn¡¯t have a chance.  Of course, I couldn¡¯t have done it without that amazing fire diversion.¡±


    ¡°Was it good?¡± Draya asked.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know how big to make it.  I know Jace said he and Snowy are vulnerable to fire, so I tried to tone it down as much as possible.¡±


    ¡°It was perfect,¡± Esther confirmed.


    ¡°You were amazing,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Both of you.  Now we should get going.¡±


    Jace began walking toward the exit of the module when Gracie stopped him.  {Before you go,} she said.  {There is a temple around the corner.  The first level drain Esther did has worn off, as it has been over three hours, and the time you spent in combat mode with the mummies sped that up, but the second will take forever to expire.}


    Jace understood and followed her directions to the temple.  Seven hundred coins later, he was back to level nine.  The module recorded him as level nine when he had entered, and anything above that would be considered leveling up.  That didn¡¯t happen until he left.  After another few blocks of travel, they made it to the node and whisked themselves to the neutral zone outside Olympus.  Jace assumed it would be more crowded than usual, as surely someone had told the rest of the game he was here.  But he wasn¡¯t expecting this.  Nearly a hundred characters were waiting for them.


    Jace hoped they wouldn¡¯t recognize Draya.  Gracie had told him that her character was played in various ways and wasn¡¯t always human or female.  The fact that he left the quest with an NPC wasn¡¯t unusual; most modules in Olympus gave you that option.  A perceptive person might notice that his new mage was wearing student clothing and not a master like she would if Draya was the normal NPC you took from the Intelligence quest.  Someone likely told the rest of the game that they saw Jace enter the Intelligence trial.


    As Jace would find out later, several people did notice his new companion and would put most of it together, but right now, they were only interested in one thing.


    ¡°Esther!  Can you level-drain me?  I¡¯ve got 5,000 gold.¡±


    ¡°No, do me.  I¡¯ve got these dueling bracers for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve passed the Highland Rogue module and can make you a member.¡±


    ¡°It will only take a second, and I have a set of winter wolf armor for Snowy.¡±


    {What have you done?} Gracie said.  {You guys won¡¯t be able to go anywhere now.}


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to level up here, do we?¡± Jace muttered as he elbowed through the crowd toward the travel node.


    {Best not to,} Gracie agreed.


    Jace used his party leader abilities to force his companions to follow him, not that they wouldn¡¯t otherwise, but the press of the crowd threatened to separate them.  Since this was a non-hostile non-PVP zone, the game forced the throng to separate and allow him through.  Before he accessed the node, he felt a tug on his sleeve.  It was Esther.


    ¡°Can I?¡± she asked.  ¡°Please?  Just two or three of them.  There is this handsome elf and the cutest halfling I¡¯ve ever seen.  She probably tastes like marshmallows.¡±


    Jace frowned.  ¡°If you do one, you¡¯ll have to do them all.¡±  This sounded like a good argument against it in his head, but her face lit up.


    ¡°Really?¡± but then she realized what he meant.  ¡°Come on.  It¡¯s way less offensive than what I used to do for money?¡±


    ¡°What did you used to do?¡± Draya asked.


    Esther turned to her new friend.  ¡°Um . . .¡±  The vampire wasn¡¯t necessarily embarrassed about her former life, but she could tell Draya was more Traditional and didn¡¯t want to scare off her new companion.


    Jace saved her.  ¡°We¡¯re going.¡±  He had to shove aside a few more players but eventually got to the node and activated it.  Moments later, they were standing at the entrance to his stronghold.  Jace could transport directly into his room but figured Esther would want to give Draya the grand tour, and it was easier to start from the beginning.


    Jace let them run off ahead while Snowy asked if she could go hunting.  She had nearly died twice and had expended all her healing spells, so she was likely hungry.  Jace dismissed the wolf and then made his way to his room.  The gnomes had built him the closest thing medieval tech could get to a recliner, and he took a seat before going into his inventory screen.  He looked forward to exploring his new broken party member.

 Chapter 9: The Girl with a Dragon Core

    {What do you want to do first?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°I have more than one thing to do?¡± Jace questioned.  ¡°Don¡¯t we just need to look at Draya and level her up to me?¡±


    {We need to level you up too?}


    ¡°I just assumed I would go back to twelve automatically.  I don¡¯t have to rechoose everything, do I?¡±


    {No,} Gracie said.  {It goes back to how it was before Esther drained you.  But you went up to 13.}


    ¡°How?  I was over 500k away before we started.  The lich couldn¡¯t have been that much.¡±


    {The lich was 50k,} Gracie confirmed.  {Officially the most expensive creature you¡¯ve ever killed.  However, each of those mummies was worth 5,000.  Swarm creatures are worth more experience when there are a lot of them.  Mummies are normally 1,000, but they were each worth 5,000 when you killed them.}


    ¡°And I killed over 200,¡± Jace said, doing the math in his head.


    {You killed 233,} Gracie said.  {Though the last one was only worth 1,000 since he was all by himself when you bull-rushed him off the bridge.  The five you unsummoned by destroying the totem don¡¯t count.  That is 1,161,000 experience points.  Not only are you level 13 now, but you are about 200k away from 14.  Remember I talked about the Leader Board?  You did 1.37 x10^90 total damage with that spell.  There are 10^57 atoms in the sun for comparison.  That is a record no one is going to beat.¡±


    ¡°Is the 1.16 million exp a record for the most from one spell?¡±


    {No,} Gracie said.  {When you kill a PC that is 13 or less, you get their experience points or the difference between your current level and the next, whichever is less.  When they are over 13, you get the difference to your next level or 2 million, whichever is less.  When a high-level character kills someone at 13+, they get 2 million.  The cap is 2 million, and no one has ever gotten more than that for a kill.  That is the record.  There was a 3 million dragon once, but it took six PCs to take it down, so they split it.  Anyway, that is the only global record you set, but you also own virtually every record for the Intelligence module now.}


    Jace could look at that later from his computer in the real world.  Now he wanted to get into Draya¡¯s character sheet.  Jace pulled it up and saw it was quite different from before.


    {Her strength and Constitution rose from 12 to 16,} Gracie said.  {She used the lich¡¯s mana to make that change permanent as it¡¯s tied to her dragon powers.  Also, her Spirit when up to 20.  I have a feeling it would have gone higher, but humans have a cap of 20.  Orcs, like yourself and . . . whatever Esther is . . . can go higher.}


    Jace saw that her Dexterity and Wisdom were still at 14, and her Intelligence was at 18.  He would give her the +2 ring he just got to bring that up to 20.  It was an unwritten rule that characters in his party had to have at least two stats at 20+.


    {Let¡¯s cover the normal stuff first.  She already picked everything for her first nine levels, and I agree with it.  She chose to focus on Intelligence and Spirit, and I see no reason she should ever change that.  She took her first four odd-level feats for the Spell Difficulty training, giving her a +15 bonus.  Then she took Complex Damage at level nine.  This doesn¡¯t really make sense unless she knew she was getting a dragon core, but since the game had to account for her increased Strength and Constitution, I¡¯m guessing everything got redone when she was in that sarcophagus.}


    ¡°What does Complex Damage do?¡±


    {It lets her take some or all of her Damage Skill associated with Intelligence and add it to her Spell Difficulty.  She will be casting fire.  Lots and lots of fire.  She will be drawing that fire from her 4,200-mana dragon core.  Dragon fire is special.  It is different from normal mage fire.  Hellfire is also something in the game and is separate from mage fire.  The Intelligence Damage skill increases the damage of mage fire.  It won¡¯t help with dragon fire, so you might as well change that to Spell Difficulty.  Her dragon fire gets a natural bonus to damage and difficulty equal to her level.


    {For her even feats, she took two to increase her mana pool, which is critical, and two to increase her Spirit Damage and Spirit Magic Defense.  The Spirit Damage skill will increase her dragon fire damage since she now has a dragon spirit.  We have to do Level 10 next.  I hope she qualifies for . . . good, yes she does.  Mana Bridge.  It is usually reserved for shapeshifting druids and shamans who pick an animal spirit, but it should be used for anyone with two mana cores.}


    ¡°I¡¯ll bite; what does it do?¡±


    {When a druid shapeshifts into a panther, they get lots of Athletic benefits, but their mana core is smaller.  They had lots of mana as a human, but now that is locked away, and they can only process mana as a big cat.  Draya has the opposite problem.  Her dragon mana is WAY bigger, but in her human form, she can only process mana up to her mana pool, which by the time we are done with her, will be 546.  She has a near-infinite pool of dragon mana because it regenerates instantly, but she can only pull 546 at a time.  That is 109 damage before all her damage bonuses, but she will have to pay for range, and if she wants to increase the difficulty and make a fireball explode to a different radius, that will decrease the damage.  Mana bridging lets her pull 546 from her dragon core, hold it in reserve, and then add to it from her human mana to throw it, increase the difficulty, or make it explode.  So she can cast spells bigger than her human mana pool.}


    ¡°Makes sense.  She will only use her own mana to manipulate the dragon fire and shape it into a useful spell.¡±


    {Correct.  For her final two odd feats at 11 and 13, she should start Fire Training to increase her fire damage by 50%.}


    ¡°Sounds like cheating.¡±


    {It is.  Dragon and demon mana cores exist in the game, but only in elder elven wizards you meet in huge modules that span weeks to play.  Like Dayrin told you, you need a ton of mana to control a core like that.  Up until you, no one has figured out how to cultivate that without dying.


    {Her last even feat should be Fire Mana Source.}


    ¡°I¡¯m detecting a theme.¡±


    {It is a feat only available to people with fire immunity, which she has.  When she would take fire damage, she can instead absorb it as mana.  So she can cast fire on herself and let it feed her human mana.  We aren¡¯t spending any points on Mana Generation, so she needs this.}


    ¡°How about a feat that lets her absorb Fire damage as Health?¡±


    {That exists in the game, but only if you are a being OF fire, like an elemental or a fire demon.  So far, she is a human WITH fire.  She has a mana core made of fire, so she can absorb fire damage as mana, but she is still a flesh-and-blood human.  The only exceptions I know of for PCs are a fire shaman or a druid that can shape-shift into a fire creature.}


    Jace understood and kept looking at her character sheet.  ¡°She isn¡¯t going to be big on melee attacks, is she?¡±


    {No.  That shouldn¡¯t be a problem with you and Esther.  If you run into something with fire immunity, you two will have to kill it.  I¡¯m sure you will manage.}


    ¡°I would think fire protection would be quite common.¡±


    {It is,} Gracie agreed.  {But fire protection is different from fire immunity.  Fire protection can go up to 100%.  This means if you fail a saving throw and would take full damage, you take nothing.  However, if you critically fail the saving throw and would take 150%, the damage is reduced to 50%.  You have 100% electrical protection and 50% cold protection.  You can still take damage from these, just not easily.  Immunity means you always take nothing.  That is much rarer.}


    ¡°I understand.  Is there anything else for Draya?¡±


    {We haven¡¯t even gotten to her dragon abilities.  She has Dragon Strength, Dragon Spirit, Dragon Breath, Dragon Claws, and Dragon Scales.  She can cast these spells using her dragon core, so they basically cost nothing.  Her only limitation is that at level 13, she can only have three of them.  It goes up to four at level 15.  Level 20 is another story.}


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°What happens at 20?¡±


    {That is when she gets Dragon Form, and she can turn into an actual dragon, which triggers all five of the spells above and will be a sight to behold.  A level 20 dragon is not invincible, but she could annihilate any other level 20 character.  But that¡¯s a ways off yet, though it might be next week at the pace you''re going.  The first twos are basic; they increase her Strength or Spirit base by her level.  So she would get +13 to all her Strength skills or +13 to her Spirit skills.  Using the Dragon Spirit to give all her Spirit skills a +13 would be amazing.  Her Mana Pool would jump from 546 to 715, allowing her to pull even more from her dragon core.  It would also add 13 to her damage bonus.}


    {Dragon Breath allows her to breathe a stream of fire out of her mouth.  It will travel ten times her level and explode against her target in a radius equal to her level.  So she can send it 130 feet, and it will explode in a circle 26 feet across.  The distance and radius are free, so if she wants to make multiple attacks without running out of her human mana, this will work, but she is locked into the shape of the fire attack.  She can also turn her head to drench a large arc in fire.  She can do this attack every other round for the duration of the spell, which is ten rounds.  She can combo this with Dragon Spirit to get more damage, but she can only cast each of these spells once in any combat round, so she has to be strategic about it.


    {Dragon Claws gives a bonus to Melee damage equal to two times her level, so +26.  She can attack with both hands without any penalties or needing to use her Off-hand skill.  This would put her on par with your attack skill, and if she combined it with Dragon Strength, she would have a better attack bonus than Esther and do more damage than you.  Her claws are considered level 13 long swords; the magic bonus is +1 for every four levels, so +3 at level 13.


    {Dragon Scales give her a plus +13 to damage reduction and +13 to Armor and lets her treat her Armor skill as her Armor Class, so she doesn¡¯t have to divide it by two.  She also gets one natural crit protection for every ten levels.}


    ¡°So she only gets three of these abilities for now?¡±


    {Yes.  I recommend Dragon Spirit, Dragon Strength, and Dragon Scales.}


    Jace made the selections on the character sheet and then returned to her raw numbers.  ¡°So,¡± Jace started, trying to wrap his mind around all this, ¡°do the math for me on a standard fireball attack.¡±


    {Sure, this will be fun.  Let¡¯s assume she casts Dragon Spirit first.  She can summon 715 mana, and after adding all her damage bonuses, that turns into 187 damage.  She has the two Fire training feats to increase this by 50% to 280.  She wants to throw it 100 feet and have it explode in a 50-foot circle, which costs 225 of her human mana.  Without adding any additional mana to the difficulty, it is already at 80, assuming you are giving her the +2 ring.  Because it is a ¡°Thrown¡± attack, she gets to add her range bonus of 5 for a total of 85.


    If she were attacking you at level 13, you would have a magic defense of 41 and get to add your Dodge of 2.  If you roll a 20, you will still critically fail twice, but one will be canceled because of the 20, so you will take 150% damage.  If you roll 12 or less in defense, it will be three critical failures, and the damage is at 250%.  I¡¯m not taking into account your +50% vulnerability to fire.  Most players will have a lower Magic Defense but a higher Dodge.  Axilia, Drescher¡¯s priest, would take 0 damage if she rolled a 14 in defense, but she might have also had some fire protection I don¡¯t know about.  Gwen would also not suffer much since her Dodge, and elemental defense is so high.  But against average level 12 players, the attack would be devastating.  She could do it three times in a row before her human mana would need to regenerate.}


    ¡°So, is she invincible?¡±


    {Hardly. Esther would kill her in a second. Without equipment, she has an AC of 12 and 234 HP. She is a sitting duck for archers too. If someone generates 120 damage in one strike, which you do all the time with crits, they would send her into a Death Save. She has excellent Magic Defense, so you might need an attack of 140 to send her into a death spiral, but she is quite fragile. If people know she has a dragon inside her, they will prioritize her first. You will have to hold her in reserve in a fight until you need a knock-out blow. Also, remember that you take +50% damage from fire and can¡¯t save against her attacks. You will never critically fail, but if you are in the range of one of her fireballs, you will take 150% damage every time. So will Snowy.}


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    {Is that not enough? She also gets spells to choose from. Obviously, she needs Fire, and you can look over the others. We should leave several spell slots open so that she can memorize multiple fire spells, and we will take fire twice to double that. She also had an occupation as a Scholar. She is level 3 and has two feats: Damage Reduction and Difficulty Reduction. This lets her dial back her damage and difficulty when casting spells, and she gets a refund in Mana. She used this to save your life when she dropped her fireball in the Academy. I don¡¯t know what kind of use you will find for this, but I¡¯m sure you will think of one. Are you ready for you?}


    Jace¡¯s mind was already buzzing with the possibilities, and he almost forgot that he would be updating himself and Esther.


    {Your updates are obvious. Your feat should probably be the last Totem reach to push it up to 20 feet per level. I¡¯ll let you handle your skill updates. Esther has a bit more going on. You picked her up out of the blue last week, and we were in a tight situation, so I built her based on what she wanted and traditional rogue builds, but she has obviously become something more than that, and we should take advantage of it.


    {I assume you will let her keep the earrings and the bracelet. You won¡¯t use them, and they don¡¯t make sense on Draya. Esther doesn¡¯t need the fire spell anymore. And with the earrings, she has room for a few more. I recommend Web, True Strike Range, and Mass Charm+. This brings her to seven spells, and she can memorize three versions of each.


    {Mass Charm+ is precisely what it sounds like; you can Charm, Daze, Stun, Paralyze, and so forth multiple people simultaneously. You have to pay the cost twice, and you pay for a range from yourself, but I have a feeling she will be faced off against several foes frequently. The ability to charm all of them at once, especially with all the circumstantial bonuses the game gives her, will be beneficial. Charming a level 15 player costs 75. She would have to pay it twice and then 125 for a 25-foot radius, and she could charm everyone in a 50-foot circle around her. If she added 50 more mana to raise the difficulty by 10, her bracelet would double that, and she will have a difficulty of 63+. It will cost 325 mana, but her vampire ability means she recovers quickly.


    {Web lets her cast a spider web that entangles people. I overlooked this one before because most mages don¡¯t use it. People get to add their grappling defense to their Magic Defense, so mages have to crank up the difficulty so much for it to be effective that hold spells become cheaper. If you are a ranger or druid, you get bonuses when casting nature spells, so they use it. What I forgot is that while the defender gets to add their grapple defense, the caster adds their Grapple ability. For most mages, that is 2. For Esther, it is 50+. The Hold spell lasts for a number of rounds depending on the level difference between the players and the result of the saving throw, but with Web, you determine the duration by how much mana you spend and can make it last up to ten rounds. If the defender fails, their legs are trapped, and they can¡¯t move but can still activate their upper body to attack or defend. If they fail critically, their upper body can¡¯t move either, as if they are stunned. If they fail more than that, they are considered Helpless.


    {The last spell combines with the feat I think she should take, which is Melee Range. This feat lets her attack with thrown weapons using her Melee bonus up to her Range skill. So far, she has put nothing into that skill, so it is at 14. This means she gets her full attack bonus if she is 14 feet away from someone and wants to throw her knives at them. For every foot further than that, she loses 2 to her attack. Once she exceeds twice her range ability, 28 feet, she loses five to her attack for each additional foot. The True Strike Range spell increases her Range skill by ten for one round so that she can attack people up to 24 feet away without penalty.}


    ¡°I feel like I am being passed by,¡± Jace said. ¡°My companions are way more powerful than I am.¡±


    {Why are you complaining? Just sit back and let the women do all the work. As heartless as it may sound, you are better off sending them into battle. If they die, they respawn back here. If you die . . .}


    Jace knew that wasn¡¯t entirely true. If the Nothing from the last module had swallowed Esther, the game might not permanently delete her, but his version of her would have probably disappeared. Gandhi kept raising the stakes, so he should expect more situations like that, but she also justly rewarded him for overcoming the trials.


    Now that they were done with the levels, Jace excited the screen and nearly jumped out of his chair when he saw Esther standing before him. He had no idea how long she had been there or what she had heard, but she usually respected his conversations with Gracie. When she saw he was done, the rogue opened her hands and presented Jace with two stones: a green emerald and a blue sapphire. ¡°I believe these are yours,¡± she said matter-of-factly. ¡°You probably have plans for them and don¡¯t want me carrying them around.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said. The woman usually operated on the ¡°what¡¯s yours is mine¡± policy and rarely asked when she took something. Returning these implied that she understood who owned them, and it wasn¡¯t her.


    ¡°Also this,¡± she said after a quick trip to her gem bag. She held the undead stone in her hand. Her palm crackled, and her fingers looked white, but the strain on her face showed she was actively preventing the sphere from taking over her body. ¡°I don¡¯t want it. I don¡¯t like what it does to me. Plus,¡± she managed a grin despite the tension in her body, ¡°I like suntanning.¡±


    Jace plucked the stone from her hand, ending her torment. He stored it quickly in his inventory and would likely lock it in the chest Trixna had warded for him. He hoped putting it near the demon stone wouldn¡¯t have negative consequences.


    {That was a big deal,} Gracie said, genuinely impressed.


    ¡°We are going to have dinner soon,¡± Esther said. ¡°Draya thinks she will move in with me. My adjoining room is almost as big as the empty one we have left, and she doesn¡¯t want to be alone. Plus, I think she likes my bath. Topper¡¯s people are making pancakes. Do you want to join us?¡±


    Jace smiled at how his ¡°family¡± was already getting along. ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯ve got to get back to my world. I prefer sleeping in my own bed.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± she said. It looked like she was going to leave but leaned in suddenly and kissed him on the cheek. ¡°Thanks for the new friend.¡± Then she turned and scampered out of the room.


    Jace was all smiles as he reclined his chair into its sleeping position, navigated back into his settings, and selected ¡°Sleep and Log Off.¡±

 Chapter 10: Hostage Situation

    Jason Hawthorne walked into the conference room and nearly jumped for joy when he saw the pot of coffee in the middle of the table.  He had been up since three that morning to catch a 5:30 flight from O¡¯Hare to DC.  The flight was a little under two hours, and after a 15-minute drive, they were at CIA headquarters for a 9 am meeting.  He imagined the locals got up two hours ago, but he¡¯d already been awake for seven with the time change.  He needed coffee.


    Gracie was with him, but she had been smarter, smuggled an empty thermos through customs, and then filled it at each Starbucks they¡¯d passed.  Many long nights of operating had trained her body to rely on caffeine.


    Conor had also made the trip, even though Gracie and Jason had insisted the man was still too weak to travel.  It had been just under ten days since he had been shot.  Besides needing a shuttle to move through the airport, he had handled the trip well thus far.


    The group leader had relayed this summons request to come to DC last night just as Jason was getting ready for bed, not allowing him much time to pack and even less for sleep.  As nervous as he was, he didn¡¯t fall asleep till after midnight.  He assumed he would be logging into The Realms of Infamy soon, so his body could get all the rest it needed.  But he would need a sharp mind.  Maybe Gracie could set up a caffeine drip into his IV.


    Conor had told Jason that most of their contact with headquarters was done through the phone, but for some reason, they wanted this, their first official mission, to be handled in person.  Maybe they wanted to meet the legendary Jace Thorne in person to see if he really was cheating like every other user in the game assumed.  Conor was guessing it was something more.


    The aid that led them to the room excused herself after they were settled, and Jason was soon guzzling down lukewarm coffee.  They were early and had to wait another five minutes before their hosts arrived.  Jason had only ever talked to Ross Fordier over the phone, but they had met once in the game when the senior agent had shown him around Safe Haven to let him know how he could use the city.  Jason hadn¡¯t been impressed.  It offered healing, shops to buy equipment, and training facilities where you could swap out spells without waiting for a level-up.  Basically, anything you could get in any other city, only without the threat of being mugged or killed.


    In real life, the man was a bit different than his character.  He was the same age as Jason, in his mid-forties, but hadn¡¯t kept himself in shape.  He was balding, with graying brown hair over his ears and a poorly trimmed goatee.  He was the head of this special task force and spent more time convincing his superiors that they were doing good work and deserved funding than he did trying to understand what his team actually did.


    Conor told Jason he had three other teams working across the country, but none were as promising.  Two were around level 15, but the third had died recently and was still a few days from level 10 again.  They mostly did espionage work, trying to infiltrate other strongholds and gain information.  If they ever tried to fight the international criminals they hung around, they would be killed instantly.


    Ross wasn¡¯t alone.  Two others entered with him.  Stephen Dexter was less than a year into his CIA career but had joined right when this task force was started and was considered an expert.  He knew about as much of the game as Gracie or Conor, even if he wasn¡¯t quite as good a player.  He was mainly an interpreter for Ross, so the older agent could understand what was happening.  He had a level 12 character in the game but only used it for meetings and financial transactions.  He was too scared to do anything else.  He looked like your typical nerd, with a tall, skinny frame and glasses that were a little too thick for his bony features.


    Beside him was an even younger woman.  Gracie told Jason her name was Allison Frye, and she was barely a month on the job.  She was familiar with the game and was hired as another Stephen.  She looked like the stereotypical Hollywood bookworm, where if you took off her glasses, shook her ponytail out, and added five seconds of makeup, she would be a bombshell.  But as it was, she was just cute.


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Conor asked once the others were seated.  ¡°Why did we have to come all the way out here?¡±


    ¡°The FBI is contracting us,¡± Ross said, his displeasure at the circumstance evident.  ¡°They have a situation in the game, and they don¡¯t really understand what is happening and want to meet the team we will use to resolve it.  Plus, we¡¯ve never formally met.¡±


    Ross walked over to Jason, who was working on his second cup of coffee, and shook his hand.  ¡°It¡¯s good to have you on the team.  We are very excited about the possibilities.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said.  ¡°I hope I don¡¯t let you down.¡±


    Allison laughed and then covered her mouth in embarrassment.  ¡°Like that¡¯s possible,¡± she said in a squeaky voice.  Stephen glared at the young woman, obviously jealous of her praise.  ¡°Nothing you have done so far has been close to disappointing,¡± she continued, gushing a bit.  ¡°I¡¯m still curious how you knew . . .¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t here to relive the past,¡± Stephen cut her off.  ¡°We¡¯ve got work to do.  There will be time for that later.¡±


    The young woman cleared her throat and accepted the rebuke, reigning in her hero worship for now.


    ¡°So, what is the situation?¡± Conor pressed once Ross found his seat again.


    ¡°Hostage,¡± the senior agent replied.  ¡°That¡¯s all I know.¡±  He looked at his watch.  It was two minutes past nine.  ¡°Figures he¡¯d be late.¡±


    As if on cue, another man entered the room.  Jason had his low expectations drop even further.  The FBI agent was short, stocky, and wearing the most obnoxious toupee Jason had ever seen.  He carried himself like some hideous cross between an ambulance-chasing lawyer and a used car salesman.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯m late,¡± he said hastily, ¡°but you guys obviously don¡¯t like FBI visitors.  The large woman with the rubber glove was particularly unpleasant.¡±  He waited for a chuckle at his off-color joke, but none came.  Even Allison, who seemed eager to please her new colleagues, gave him a beleaguered look.


    Seeing he wouldn¡¯t get a response, he launched into his rehearsed introduction.  ¡°My name¡¯s Quinton Fenrikson, senior FBI agent, assistant to the Cyber Division¡¯s secretary.  We have a unique hostage situation that needs your help.¡±  He pulled one of his cards out of his shirt pocket and tried to flick it across the table at Ross.  It didn¡¯t come close, diving underneath and hitting the floor three feet in front of him.  He took a hasty seat and thought about retrieving it but didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Fendrickson?¡± Allison repeated slowly.  She had a slim computer out and was taking notes.


    ¡°Fennn-riKson,¡± the man repeated, emphasizing the spelling.  ¡°No D¡¯s and no C¡¯s.  My mother always said she didn''t want to see any bad letter grades when my name was at the top of a school paper.¡±  He had obviously said this many times but laughed as though he had made it up on the spot.


    ¡°But your name starts with an F, right?¡± Allison clarified.


    ¡°Uh, yes, um, it does,¡± Quinton replied, wondering how he had never seen that flaw in his stupid anecdote.


    Jason smiled as he moved Allison up a few notches in his estimation and Quinton even further down.


    Ross sighed.  ¡°We understand this situation is time sensitive, so please, let¡¯s get on with it.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Quinton agreed.  ¡°Yesterday, we got a call from MIT that two of their students were trapped in a game called The Realms of Infamy and were being held hostage.  We didn¡¯t know what that meant or how it was that serious, but our contacts at the university insisted it was vital, and the students¡¯ lives were at risk.  After we asked around, we heard about your division and requested this meeting.  They sent us a picture or screenshot or something of the situation, and I emailed it to your group on my way over here.¡±


    Stephen pulled out his laptop too, and after a few seconds of hasty typing, he connected to the in-room projector and soon had a picture on the side wall.  Jason and Gracie sat next to each other and had to turn to see the image.  They both nearly fell out of their chairs at what they saw.  When Jason heard that people were being held hostage in the game, his mind returned to his experience in the level 50 module, where players were imprisoned in a crystal maze if they failed, and their minds were tortured.  It didn¡¯t kill them or let them fall asleep, so they had no safe way to log off.  There were probably dozens of ways to force players into a situation like that, and this was one of them.


    Four players sat in steel cages set up in a circle.  The room was only fifty feet across, with heavy stone block construction.  Walking around the cells were two giant cats.  They looked like demonic hybrids of a panther and a tiger.  It was a still image, but Jason imagined that the cats would swipe at the players if they ever got too close to the edge of the prison.  This forced the characters to stay in a tight sitting position in the middle.  Still, it looked like the space between the bars was wide enough that a cat could reach their paw in and attack, forcing the players to be constantly alert.


    Three totems stood in the center of the arrangement that Jason didn¡¯t recognize.  Stephen helped him out.  ¡°They have a Mana Siphon, a Lightning, and a Healing totem.  The first will steal mana as the characters regenerate.  The second will do damage, while the third heals them.  The first will power the second two.  Will this setup, those characters will never generate enough mana to cast any type of spell.  Once the siphon becomes full, it spends half its mana to deal them damage and the other half to heal them again.  Assuming these characters were rendered Helpless when captured, they would have been stripped of any equipment that would have helped their saving throws.  And, depending on how long they¡¯ve been down there, they probably have so many fatigue banes that even a 20 wouldn¡¯t help them.¡±


    Jason understood all this and probably would have figured it out given time.  That wasn¡¯t what shocked him, however.  ¡°I know these characters,¡± he said.  ¡°Or, I know one of them.  The female half-orc.  Her name is Karen-something.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a real piece of work,¡± Gracie added.  ¡°No surprise she got herself caught like this.¡±


    Quinton pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from his pants pocket.  ¡°The, uh, orc,¡± he said, obviously finding it difficult to mention the fantasy race, ¡°uh, her name is, um, Illya Tykarentoscue.¡±  For someone who protected the pronunciation of his own name with superficial valor, he sure did butcher this one.  Jacen recognized it only because he had heard the barbarian say it herself.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°And the others?¡± Ross asked.


    ¡°The human and the dwarf are Robert and Darren.  They are the MIT students.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors that MIT had an underground ROI club,¡± Stephen said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not underground anymore,¡± Ross quipped.


    ¡°No,¡± Quinton agreed.  ¡°It looks like the other students tried to solve the problem independently but couldn¡¯t and eventually reached out to the faculty who called us.  Apparently, the kidnappers gave demands to the players, and the, uh, Operators,¡± he said the word carefully, not sure it was the right one, ¡°relayed those demands to us.  It turns out the elf is the one they are really after.  He is South Korean and uses this game to help fund and communicate with North Koreans trying to defect.  The kidnappers are North Korean.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Stephen said triumphantly, ¡°I know where they are.¡±


    ¡°Stormhold?¡± Allison asked.


    Stephen nodded but didn¡¯t answer, typing furiously on his computer again, and the image of the hostages disappeared.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Quinton said, consulting his paper.  ¡°They are being held in Stormhold.¡±


    In seconds Stephen had another image on the wall.  It was a spinning 3D picture of a pentagon-shaped castle atop a mountain.  Three sides sat above sheer cliffs that rose hundreds of feet from the planes below.  Another bordered a large clearing, while the fifth side was the entrance and faced to the north, where mountains rose to dominate the horizon.  A rickety, narrow bridge connected the entrance to the neighboring peaks, and a long winding path through the mountains looked like the only feasible way to access the stronghold.


    ¡°The North Koreans joined the game a few months ago,¡± Stephen said.  ¡°They rose in power quickly and took this stronghold from a guild using it for mining.  It wasn¡¯t very profitable, so they didn¡¯t fight hard for it.  It¡¯s called Stormhold because vicious storms rise quickly when the warm, moist air of the planes hits the cold mountains and swirls over the foothills.  The wind and lightning are tremendous.  Plus, the mountains generate storm shamans who can summon lightning on demand and use it to harvest mana.  On each corner is the equivalent of a fantasy Tesla coil that will zap anything that gets too close.¡±


    The young man stopped the image from spinning and zoomed in on one of the cliffside towers.  ¡°They have a shaman standing guard 24/7, and if anything tries to approach, they have 3000 mana stored in five totems in the center of the complex that will channel through the tower and zap you for 600 damage, much more if you fail the save.  Then they summon a storm to replenish and can keep attacking as long as needed.  A perimeter of over 100 feet is illuminated by a light spell that prevents anyone from sneaking up on them, not that you could climb the cliff anyway.  It is 750 feet above the plains below and straight up.  Once you got close enough to the fortress, you¡¯d be zapped.  Anyone with a saving throw high enough to survive wouldn¡¯t be strong enough to make the climb and vice versa.¡±


    Jason was tired of craning his neck and stood to study the fortress from closer up, careful not to cast a shadow with the projector.  Stephen did him a favor and zoomed out to give him more accessibility.  ¡°Based on the design,¡± the young man continued, ¡°two towers watch each cliff face.  The only chance you have is to go through the front door, but the narrow bridge limits the number of people that can approach, and you are visible for hundreds of feet.¡±


    ¡°What do they want?¡± Jason asked.  ¡°Have they made demands?¡±


    Quinton looked over his rumpled piece of paper again.  ¡°They are claiming that the Russian and the two Americans are aiding Choi Hyun-Woo, the South Korean, so they are all enemies of North Korea.  The government is willing to overlook this act of terrorism if they are paid one million gold per head for the other three.  They said they will not release Hyun-Woo under any condition.  I don¡¯t know why they want to be paid in gold.¡±


    ¡°It is the currency within the game,¡± Ross said, happy that he knew something game related.  ¡°I bet they aren¡¯t even affiliated with the government.  Likely, they are just entrepreneurs.  Maybe they are trying to torture Hyun-Woo into giving them information they can sell to their own officials.¡±


    ¡°Either way,¡± Quinton said, ¡°It¡¯s not really torture, is it?  I mean, it¡¯s just a game.  It¡¯s not like you hurt your head every time you make Mario bump a brick.¡±


    ¡°He punches the brick,¡± Stephen said in disgust at the man¡¯s ignorance but took another tact.  ¡°The game is real.  It hooks up with your nervous system, so when something happens in the game, you feel it.  You can turn those settings down, but since they are in a private stronghold, the North Koreans can force them to turn all their environment settings up high, so they feel everything.¡±


    ¡°Okay, yeah,¡± Quinton said as if he already knew that, ¡°but can¡¯t they just log off?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Stephen said.  ¡°They can¡¯t.  You can only safely log off when you fall asleep or die.  If you try to unplug yourself while awake, it¡¯s like ejecting a USB drive while it¡¯s still active.¡±


    ¡°I do that all the time,¡± Quinton said with a smirk.


    Stephen didn¡¯t doubt it.  The man looked like an IT department¡¯s worst nightmare.  ¡°You can get away with it sometimes, but imagine if there are 1,000 files on that drive, and your computer is copying, formatting, updating, and deleting all of them at once.  If you unplugged it in the middle of that, your files would be trashed.  Some might be okay, others might be missing one or two lines of code, and others would be complete garbage.  Well, your brain has way more than 1,000 connections within your body, and they are always active.  Maybe if you are sitting still in the game and unplug yourself, nothing bad will happen, but our hostages are actively enduring torture.  They are in a cramped space, in constant fear and fatigue.  All of their five senses are on overload.  If you unplugged them now, who knows what would happen.  Some people have been disconnected prematurely, and the only thing that happened was that they became left-handed when they used to be right.  Others have suffered from total amnesia.  Others woke up only being able to speak Elvish.  And others woke up with severe burning pain throughout their entire body that wouldn¡¯t go away.  Some of the lucky ones never woke up at all.  Their mind was so disconnected from their body that it forgot how to tell the heart to pump and the lungs to breathe.¡±


    Quinton swallowed hard and nodded.  ¡°Right.  So we can¡¯t unplug them.  Why can¡¯t they go to sleep?¡±


    Stephen cycled back to the proof of life image they had been sent.  ¡°Could you sleep in that environment?  Any time they would lie down, a tiger is there to swipe at their face.  Besides, the game won¡¯t allow them to rest while enemies are near.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t put them to sleep, but we can kill them,¡± Jason said, still standing and looking at the picture.  ¡°The players won¡¯t like it, but it is better than what they are going through, and it removes the bargaining chip.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have to get in there first,¡± Allison spoke up.  It was an obvious observation, and she really only wanted to hear how Jason would plan it.


    ¡°Not possible,¡± Stephen insisted.


    ¡°We¡¯d have to take out two of the towers,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How?¡± Stephen asked.  ¡°In order to have a sightline on a tower from below, you need to back away from the cliff, and you are at least 800 feet away.  You need 800 mana just to get a spell that far, and you still need to spend enough to do damage to the shamans.  They all have damage sink totems, so to kill one, you need to do at least 550 damage to get them in a death spiral with enough spell difficulty that they won¡¯t save.  It can¡¯t be done.¡±


    ¡°Even with my level 50 crystal?¡±


    Gracie put a hand on his arm, signaling to Stephen that Jason was her responsibility and to take it easy on the new recruit.  He still didn¡¯t know everything.  ¡°You would need a wand to project the mana,¡± she said.  ¡°In its current form, you need the enemy to touch it or set it somewhere and have it explode.  To project energy out, you need to craft it into a wand.  It would need to be at least level 40 to do the damage you need, and nothing like that exists in the game.¡±


    ¡°Even if it did,¡± Stephen said, ¡°none of the damage spells you would use would work.  Fire and acid would take too long to travel up to the targets.  They would be bright red or green lights in the air, flying at the tower, and the Shaman would have enough time to take cover or cast defensive spells.  Only lighting would travel fast enough to catch them by surprise, but since they are storm shamans, they have lightning immunity.¡±


    ¡°An arrow?¡±  Jason asked.  ¡±I¡¯ve seen YouTube videos of people hitting a target from over 1,000 feet.¡±


    ¡°It is mathematically possible,¡± Stephen said, ¡°but the bow and the archer you need don¡¯t exist in the game.  A longbow has a standard range of 100 feet.  If it is level 10, you can design it so each level adds 10 feet so that it can shoot 200.  If you get a level 10 arrow, you can do the same thing so that it will fly an additional 100 feet.  But nobody crafts items like that.  They care more about damage, so you need to craft them yourself.  You might find a craftsman to make the arrow, but the bow is too hard to make; you¡¯d have to find it as loot in a quest, and I¡¯m not aware of a bow like that.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I had a craftsman that could make the bow,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Has Wallace found someone?¡± Gracie whispered.  Jason nodded.


    Stephen noticed the exchange but didn¡¯t hear the operator¡¯s question.  ¡°Assuming you had a craftsman to make the bow and arrows, when you use them, you can spend a critical success to add 50 feet to the shot.  You need to add 500 feet, so you need ten criticals.  That would get the arrow to your target, but remember that arrows only do five damage.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s say it is a +5 bow and a +5 arrow, so it does 15 damage.¡±


    Beside him, Jason heard Gracie sigh, and he knew he had said something stupid.


    ¡°Plus five, level ten items only exist as summoned magical weapons connected to a demon or god, but let¡¯s say you have a physical bow like that.  The shamans have damage sink totems, so you would need to exceed that damage, plus do half the damage again to the shaman.  That is the 550 I talked about earlier.  Not going to happen, but I have an alternative.  Your mythical archer has the Death Shot feat, which most people just call Headshot.  You spend one critical plus another for every five levels of the target, and they have to make a Death Save against the damage.  It doesn¡¯t matter if their totem absorbs it or if they have high damage resistance.  They make a Death Save against the damage.  The shamans are level 15, so you need to spend four criticals.  We should assume they have about 55 Magic Defense.  They might roll a 19, so you must be at 75 to make them fail.  But that will just shock them; to kill them, they need to fail by 50.  Though, if you can make them fail by 20, that will at least stun them, which might be enough.  That would be 95 damage, which means five more criticals to multiply your 15 damage arrows up to 95.¡±


    ¡°So I would need 19 criticals,¡± Jason said, adding things up.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Allison said, joining the discussion.  ¡°When you spend a critical to add 50 feet, it also does +1 damage since you are firing it harder to go further.  So if you spent ten criticals to add 500 feet, it would increase the damage of your arrows to 25 each, so you would only need three criticals to get the damage to 100.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Stephen said, smiling at the young woman.  ¡°You only need 17 criticals.  You need to exceed the Shaman¡¯s AC by 170.¡±


    Jason realized that was a bit high.  ¡°Or, maybe I need a level 15 bow, and then I could . . .¡±


    It looked like Stephen was about to yell at him when Ross stepped in.  ¡°Okay, we will let Jason do what he does and see what he can come up with.  In the meantime, what is plan B?  How do the kidnappers want to be paid?¡±


    Quinton looked at his sheet again.  ¡°They want someone to come to Stormhold in . . .¡± he looked at his watch and spent way too much time doing math, ¡°twelve hours with the gold.¡±  He looked up from his sheet.  ¡°I am not authorized to approve that payment.  The FBI does not negotiate with terrorists.¡±


    ¡°And if we don¡¯t pay?¡± Ross asked.  They had the gold in Safe Haven, but he knew his bosses wouldn¡¯t allow the payment either.


    ¡°Then they increase the torture on the hostages,¡± Quinton said.  ¡°Right now, they are only doing enough to keep them alive and awake.  If we don¡¯t pay, then in 12 hours, they ramp it up.¡±


    ¡°Do we ever consider unplugging them?¡± Ross asked but directed the question at Gracie and Stephen.


    They both shook their heads.  ¡°We can¡¯t recommend that,¡± Gracie said.  ¡°At some point, the players will beg their operators to unplug them, but I¡¯m guessing they also made those same operators promise never to do so no matter what.  We can¡¯t stop the people at MIT from doing what they will, but we can give them hope that we are working on another option.¡±


    Stephen nodded.  Though he didn¡¯t think another option was possible, he knew what Jason had done already, and none of that was possible either, so he would try to reserve judgment.  Just telling the MIT students that Jace Thorne was trying to save them might give them the hope to hold out.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Ross said, standing from the table.  ¡°Conor and I will work the money and political angle.  I trust the four of you will exhaust every game angle there is.¡±  He looked at Allison, Stephen, Gracie, and Jason.


    ¡°I assume you have a room where we can plug in?¡± Gracie asked.


    Allison smiled.  ¡°Of course.  I can take you right there.  I¡¯m looking forward to watching you work.  My character is only level 8 right now; otherwise, I¡¯d help.¡±


    Jason smiled, appreciating the enthusiasm, but already knew he preferred to work alone.  Though, to make his plan work, he figured he would need at least two more teammates.

 Chapter 11: Pool Party

    The CIA¡¯s setup was state of the art, making Gracie and Conor¡¯s safehouse basement look like a frat¡¯s man cave.  There were two ROI chairs, and Jason worried that Stephen might want to join, but thankfully he didn¡¯t.  He would help Gracie with the research angles.  And he wanted to watch just as much as Allison did; he just wouldn¡¯t admit it.  Jason asked the two CIA agents to research the mining guild that had owned the fortress before the North Koreans.  He wanted a meeting with one of the players at some point.


    Jason took care of his bathroom responsibilities and got comfortable in the chair.  Hopefully, this would only be a 12-hour session, though things could go wrong, and they may have to stay in longer.  Gracie didn¡¯t cut any corners, setting him up with an IV to start and ensuring muscle stimulators were available.


    They didn¡¯t waste time, and soon Jason Hawthorne took the familiar journey through the darkness, into the computer, and out the other side.  In seconds, he was Jace Thorne, a level 13 Orc Shaman, sitting in his favorite chair.  It had been 36 hours since they had last logged in when they had secured Draya as a new companion.  He could only imagine the trouble she, Esther, and Trixna had gotten into.  Jace had decided to sync his stronghold with global game time, which appeared to be GMT.  This made it less awkward when they traveled to public areas.  It also meant time moved normally when he wasn¡¯t logged in.  This gave his NPCs a chance to live independently and gain new experiences.  They couldn¡¯t earn experience points or level up without him, but they could learn new things.


    {So,} Gracie started as Jace got up from his chair and stretched his limbs.  {Whom did Wallace find for you?}


    ¡°A goblin by the name of Gromphy,¡± Jace replied.


    {A goblin?} she asked.  {Why not.  You don¡¯t have any standard companions yet; why start now?}  She paused, and Jace heard her talking in the background.  {None of us have ever heard of him before.}


    ¡°Wallace said he is in the Torrintank Keep module.  She said it is a tower-defense-game-thing.  I didn¡¯t understand it.  But they run one all the time.  Supposedly there is one today at 10:30 am Eastern in about an hour.  I told her we¡¯d be there.  She asked how many, and I told her three, plus Snowy.  She came back and said she had made the reservation and was looking forward to seeing us at the Roasted Troll Tavern.  Does any of that make sense to you?¡±


    Gracie laughed.  {It all makes sense.  Sounds like a plan.  Gather your team, and we can get out of here.}


    ¡°I know what a tower defense game is in principle,¡± Jace said as he moved through his stronghold.  ¡°How does it work in here?¡±


    {The Torrintank Keep module is one of the more popular ones,} Gracie explained.  {Any player can initiate the module.  Once they do, they get a scheduled time to run their game, usually a week or so in advance.  They are the defender and must recruit a team to help them keep the castle.  Usually, they put a call out for archers and mages.  But they need fighters and priests just as much.  Any player can sign up, and the initiator can accept or reject their presence.  At the same time, people sign up to storm the castle.  Usually, it is two to one ratio, with the attackers getting the larger force, but the initiator can customize it.  The more lopsided the fight, the more experience the winners get.}


    Jace found Esther¡¯s room empty and went to check on Trixna.  He hoped they hadn¡¯t gone to town, or it would take a while to find them.


    {It is basically an amped-up version of Capture the Flag,} Gracie continued.  {The attackers must break through the castle walls, get the flag, rescue the princess, or steal the crown jewel.  It can be different each time.  It is full PVP combat, but you can¡¯t die permanently.  You go back to the spawn point outside the game if killed.  You also can¡¯t lose any loot.  Every item you have is returned to you at the end of the game.  If someone pickpockets you, or you die and drop everything, and someone else picks it up, everything is returned to you, so bringing your best weapons and items is safe.}


    Trixna¡¯s room was empty too.  Now Jace went looking for Topper.


    {The game usually lasts 15 to 30 minutes, depending on what the initiator wants.  You can get experience for killing the enemy, but not nearly as much as outside where it counts.  The winning side gets anywhere from 50k to 100k experience, depending on the setup.  But there is one thing I do need to warn you of.}


    Jace paused just outside the kitchen while waiting for the bad news, not liking Gracie¡¯s ominous tone.


    {It is like the Purge in there.}


    ¡°The Purge?¡± Jace asked.


    {Have you seen the movies?}


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, but I know what you mean now.  There are no rules; everything goes.  Kill or be killed.¡±


    {Yes, but it is more than that.  If you enter the arena, you are basically consenting to allow anyone to do anything to you.  Friendly fire is in the game, so a teammate you don¡¯t know can blast you with a fireball for fun and kill you, and you are just supposed to accept it.  You¡¯re out for the duration of the game, so you can¡¯t retaliate immediately, but if you take revenge outside the game, where it counts, and kill someone for real, it will not go well with you.  That is considered taboo in ROI, and you will get bounties put on you, and people will pursue them.}


    ¡°You¡¯re worried I will have a target on my back,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Someone might take this as a free chance to take a shot at the Great Jace Thorne without repercussions.  No one will know if they lose, but if they win, they will have bragging rights.¡±


    {Something like that,} Gracie said.  {But I¡¯m more concerned for Esther.}


    Jace slapped himself on his stupid orc forehead for not thinking of her first.  Players had tried to hook up with her since he first added her to his team.  ¡°Will they know she will be there?¡±


    {Not directly,} Gracie said, {but Wallace will have had to use your player name to register you.  NPCs don¡¯t need to be registered by name, but everyone will assume you are bringing Esther.}


    ¡°Should I?¡±


    {I still don¡¯t know anything about Gromphy the Goblin.  Allison and Stephen are looking him up, but they haven¡¯t found anything yet.  Esther is your ace in the hole.  If you need her unique skills to get this crafter and don¡¯t have them with you, we don¡¯t have time for you to try again tomorrow.}


    ¡°Wallace gave me a little background.  Apparently, the defenders of the Keep are given an endless supply of high-level arrows and explosive devices to defend against the attackers.  Someone found a secret passage to the lower levels of the fortress where a goblin has a workshop and is crafting items non-stop during the fight.  He has a magical device that allows him to send items up to the defenders.  When players try to get him to stop and craft an item for them, one of his adamantium golems smashes them to death.  If you give an item to him to improve, he says he will, but then he changes the item so he can use it, improves it, and then sends it up to the defenders anyway.  If you complain about it, the golem smashes you.  Also, you don¡¯t get that item back at the end of the game.¡±


    {Sounds like a delightful character,} Gracie said.  {Can¡¯t wait to have him on the team.}


    ¡°That is as far as anybody has gotten with the goblin, and only a few people know about it, so they haven¡¯t published the knowledge, but Wallace is apparently connected.¡±


    {I know you like her, Jace,} Gracie warned, {but remember she worked for Drescher.  I imagine most informants she has are not the nicest people.  You could be walking into a trap.}


    ¡°I¡¯m always walking into a trap,¡± Jace said.  He broke off his conversation with Gracie to talk with the gnome cooks to ask where Topper was.  He got the information that everyone was outside at the lake.  Jace asked, ¡°What Lake?¡± but that was all the gnomes knew.  They didn¡¯t really like talking to Jace when he was in his orc form, and he had forgotten to disguise himself beforehand.  He did so now and then went to investigate the notion that he now owned lakefront property.


    <hr>


    The lake was more like a pond or swimming pool.  Jace had left through his front door and followed the brook upstream till he found a short waterfall from a ledge ten feet in the air.  He could hear voices from above, and after a short climb, he found a resort-like atmosphere.  It was late in the fall, and snow was common at their elevation, but even with his environmental settings turned down, he could feel the warmth emanating from this ledge.  It wasn¡¯t just because the site had full southern exposure, either.  Jace saw wards and energy lines tracing all over the rocks pulsing with power; likely, they were charged with dragon fire and would keep this area at a balmy 85 degrees during the harshest winter weather.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Ever since the orcs had moved in and enslaved the gnomes, the increased activity had accelerated the snow melt on this peak, and water streamed down in several places.  It looked like the gnomes had excavated a deep portion of this plateau to collect the run-off into a 100-foot diameter lake.  The water was crystal clear, and Jace guessed it was over fifteen feet deep in the middle.  The bottom slopped up into a zero-entry point on the western side.


    Sand covered the shore.  It was grayer than the typical white of a tropical beach, but even though the orcs had killed all the mages and priests among the gnomes, every gnome had the Pulverize Rock ability, and they had reduced a large area to fine, smooth sand.  The beach was fifty feet wide before ending against the western wall of the clearing.  Jace saw a rectangular opening in the rock that must be Esther¡¯s window.  That was a convenient exit if you wanted a swim first thing in the morning.


    Esther and Draya were lying on a pair of towels with closed eyes soaking up the sun.  The dark-skinned younger woman was dressed modestly in a tank top and skirt that resembled a 1940s swimsuit.  Esther looked like she belonged on a college dorm room wall.  Where she had gotten the black fabric to make a bikini like that, he didn¡¯t know, but the style definitely wasn¡¯t medieval.  With her imagination and fashion skill, he didn¡¯t doubt she had a dozen more bathing suits just like them.  Apparently, the game didn¡¯t account for skin tanning in the sun because her pale complexion didn¡¯t look any darker.


    Snowy was a winter wolf and didn¡¯t enjoy the warmth as much, but she tried to make herself comfortable in the sand while Topper pretended to build sandcastles while staring at Esther.  Jace didn¡¯t see Trixna immediately, but a sound from his right turned him back to the lake.  Two waterfalls filled it.  A shorter, broader stream fell down the north side, while a higher, narrower fall hit the water¡¯s surface on the Eastern edge.  The female orc stood under this second stream on an underwater ledge, bringing most of her body out of the lake and letting the water pressure of the falls rinse her hair.  Jace wasn¡¯t surprised that she was completely naked.


    ¡°Are they still there?¡±


    Jace turned at the question to see Esther on the beach, propped up on an elbow with her other hand shielding against the bright son.  She was looking at Jace and repeated the question.  ¡°Are they still there?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Draya¡¯s classmates,¡± Esther clarified.  ¡°Up on the ledge over there.  The voyeurs snuck up here to catch a look, but Snowy smelled them.  Trixi thought she would give them a show to see if they would accidentally fall in.¡±


    Now Jace looked at the Eastern cliff more closely.  The water fell from a height of about 50 feet, and several ledges and cracks ran through and around the slope, but a few trees and bushes grew on a broad shelf a dozen feet to the right of the stream, and Jace saw movement inside them.  If the boys tried to get a better angle on the bathing orc, they would need to lean out precariously far and risk falling.


    ¡°Draya just started going to school yesterday,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Her old master is there now, and she is taking classes with him.  It looks like she made an impression and has a few admirers.¡±


    Draya scoffed.  ¡°Likely they aren¡¯t here to see me,¡± she said modestly, indicating Esther¡¯s attire.


    ¡°Of course they are,¡± the older woman replied.  ¡°They don¡¯t even know who I am.¡±


    Draya¡¯s unique look, with her flaming red hair and deeply tanned skin, would definitely draw the attention of other boys her age, but right now, they weren¡¯t looking at either Esther or Draya and were trying to see Trixna.  Esther noticed it too.


    ¡°Trixi!¡± she shouted.  ¡°You better stop.  You¡¯re going to get someone killed.¡±


    Jace laughed at their antics but remembered he had more important matters to discuss.  Snowy interrupted him first.


    <Goblins!  Goblins are close!>  The wolf¡¯s head popped off the sand, and she looked around.  Eventually, her eyes focused on the two boys hanging dangerously off the tall ledge.  <Up there.>


    Jace looked at his familiar.  ¡°How many?¡±  He had allowed goblins to exist in his stronghold, but only up to four.  He knew Snowy liked to eat them, and he had already used them for other reasons.  However, now they threatened the lives of the two boys up there.


    <Four,> the wolf replied after some consideration.  <They have magic.>


    Jace did not let his stronghold spawn magic-wielding goblins, so this might be some that wandered in from the adjacent mountains.  He turned to Esther, who was standing now.  ¡°Do you know how to get up there?¡± Even though it was his home, the woman lived here all the time and knew it better.


    ¡°You can go south and curl around the rise.  There is a trail that leads up to the ledge back there.  But there is a shorter way.  She took four running steps toward the water and dove far out into the lake.  With her superior athleticism, she swam to the far side in seconds and was soon scaling the rocky wall.  It was hypnotizing to watch the woman climb in a bikini, but in a flash, she enacted her Quick Change ability and was wearing her armor, skirt, and boots, with both rapiers hanging from her waist.  She never missed a step during the change.


    Jace shook his head, hardly blaming the voyeurs for wanting a look.  Either way, they shouldn¡¯t die for it.  ¡°Come with me,¡± he said to his remaining companion.  Draya had to go into her inventory to change clothes and only took the time to put on boots before following her leader.


    Jace moved south and jumped down the ten-foot drop to the path below that led to his front door but ran in the opposite direction, circling the eastern rise.  As soon as he found an opportunity to cut north, he jumped up rocks and ledges, hoping that Draya could keep up with him.  He heard shouting before he saw anything.  Two boys were half-running, half-falling down the slope.  One of them was bleeding from a cut on the arm.  The other boy fell and cried in pain as his shoulder hit the rocks.  His friend stopped momentarily, turned, then cried out in terror as his eyes elevated.


    A dire wolf leaped from the shadows of a ledge directly above the fallen boy, teeth barred.  Jace didn¡¯t have time to get there to prevent the hit but hoped the boy would survive long enough for him to knock the beast off him.  He didn¡¯t get the chance.  A gout of flame roared over his shoulder and hit the broad side of the animal before it landed on the boy.  The blast launched the wolf thirty feet into a stone wall, exploding into ash, completely incinerated.


    The flash of heat had only scared the young man without hurting him, and he lay panic-stricken for several moments while Draya ran up to him to ensure he was okay.  Jace ignored them and continued up the slope.  Another cry came to him, this one much higher pitched, ending suddenly in a gargle of blood.  Jace rounded a bend to see a goblin impaled on Esther¡¯s blade while two more lay dead behind her.  The fourth tried desperately to leap from the ledge, but Jace knocked him out of the air with his sword, and the creature was dead before he hit the ground.


    Jace made sure the goblins his area spawned were only level 5, so they were simple to kill, but he hadn¡¯t considered that other goblins might wander in and bring dire wolves or wargs or worse.  What if a troll ever made it to his property?  He would have to adjust the settings.  But it would have to wait.


    ¡°Is that the last of them?¡± Jace asked, looking up at Esther, who cleaned her blade on the goblin¡¯s tunic and sheathed it.


    ¡°Those are all the ones I saw,¡± she said as she jumped gracefully down to Jace¡¯s level.  ¡°Girl,¡± she said more loudly, ¡°anything else?¡±


    Jace turned to see Snowy had followed him and Draya around the outcropping.  The wolf raised her nose, looked at the charred spot on the rock where the dire wolf had been, and then shook her head.  <All clear.  None for me?>


    Jace smiled at the hungry wolf, knowing she liked to kill her own and wouldn¡¯t want any of Esther¡¯s victims.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl.  More will come; just be patient.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Esther said, and Jace turned to see she was standing over the frightened boy with Draya leaning over him.  The bleeding classmate was standing ten feet away, holding his arm.  ¡°More goblins will come.  There are always goblins in these mountains.  If you want to watch us swim, doing so from the sand is much safer.¡±


    Both boys looked shocked by that.  Draya, too, looked startled.  They had expected to be chewed out by the powerful woman.  Jace smiled.  They obviously didn¡¯t know whom they were dealing with.


    ¡°Esther . . .¡± Draya said harshly, quite embarrassed.


    ¡°If you want to visit, use the front door,¡± Esther continued.  ¡°The water¡¯s warm, and we don¡¯t mind the company.  You can even do homework if you want.¡±


    ¡°Esther . . .¡± Draya said again through clenched teeth, her cheeks starting to match her hair.


    ¡°What?  Would that not be proper?  Fine, we can ask Jace to chaperone.  Don¡¯t know why.  I¡¯m way older than he is.¡±


    At this, the boys looked at Jace, who appeared almost precisely as he did in real life, as a 45-year-old man.  Esther didn¡¯t look older than 25.  He walked over and smiled at the one still lying on the ground.  He reached down and helped the youth up.  The 18-year-old NPC student was not a fighter, and four goblins and a dire wolf would have definitely killed him and his friend.  Looking at the other boy¡¯s arm wound, he realized they almost had.


    ¡°Draya,¡± Jace said after ensuring the boy standing by him was okay.  The female student was still staring fire at her roommate.  ¡°Draya,¡± he said again to get her attention.  ¡°It looks like your friend is hurt.¡±  Jace had a healing ring that would probably work, but he liked the idea Esther had to play matchmaker.  It wouldn¡¯t hurt the shy girl to have a few friends.


    Draya obeyed Jace and walked over to the injured student.  It was nothing for her to heal the minor wound.  The three stood in an awkward triangle for a moment before one of the boys was bold enough to apologize for spying on her.  They complimented the fireball she had thrown and thanked her for saving their life.  Draya opened up a little and said she looked forward to seeing them in school tomorrow and went so far as to invite them back for a swim in the future.


    After the boys had left, Esther, Snowy, and Draya stood around Jace expectantly.  ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± the vampire asked.  ¡°Got another mission?¡±


    ¡°Sort of,¡± Jace said.  ¡°But this one is a little different.  It is more like a game.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t everything?¡± Esther said.  Jace felt she was becoming more aware of her environment with every quest.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed.  ¡°But this is a little more than usual.  We have to leave now, so if you need any equipment, get it.  Don¡¯t pack light; I have no idea what to expect.¡±

 Chapter 12: Drinks and Drama

    The Roasted Troll Tavern was not what Jace expected.  It reminded him of a Texas steakhouse or barbeque joint.  The location of this module was on another continent that was set up purely for five different tower defense games.  Gracie told him the Torrintank Keep module was one of the favorites, with over a hundred instances here.  After the match, the initiator could keep it as a stronghold, but since the castle was usually trashed, few did, and most of the keeps were left abandoned and open to the public.  Some players who took the game more seriously would visit old models to practice.


    Esther had asked Jace if people would know her here, and he hated saying yes.  But this staging area where the tavern was would be a non-PVP zone, so she wouldn¡¯t be attacked.  She chose to wear her black dress instead of her armor and weapons, as it was a little more comfortable.  Draya wore a long-sleeved light green dress that was tight around her hips but fell loose past her knees.  She had a silver chain vest that hugged her slim figure and offered some protection.  With an Armor skill of four, chain mail was all she could wear.  As soon as Jace got his crafter, he could make sure everyone was kitted out to the fullest extent, but for now, she was a bit vulnerable.


    Through the front gate of the tavern was an open courtyard with dozens of tables.  Covered pavilions surrounded the diners on three sides and housed the bar and several cooking stations where meat was roasted on rotating spits.  Jace assumed it smelled great but wasn¡¯t going to elevate any of his settings this close to a battle where he was expecting foul play.


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Esther said, clinging to Jace¡¯s arm and pressing against him.  It was her way of asking if she could go off independently and explore the offerings.


    ¡°Be careful.  Don¡¯t spend all our money.¡±


    She pecked him on the cheek and then scampered off to the bar.


    Draya looked after her uncertainly, but Jace helped her out.  ¡°You should stay with me.  This is your first time in an area like this, and you don¡¯t know what to expect.¡±


    He was right.  The tavern had a mixture of reality and virtual reality common to the public areas.  The characters all looked real.  They moved and interacted with each other in a way familiar to Draya, but they were the most eclectic collection of individuals she had ever seen.  All races and classes were present, with dwarves in full armor, elven sorceresses in fabulous dresses, and half-orc barbarians wearing hardly any clothes at all.  There were no children.  There were no elderly people.  There were no families.  She was used to cities like Gershire and Crestfall, where life was homogeneous.  Now she clung to Jace¡¯s arm, not to ask to go exploring but to be protected.  Snowy walked on the other side, easily smelling her new companion¡¯s uncertain fear, and was determined not to let anything happen to her.


    It was still 30 minutes before the game would start, and the tables were only half full, with 3-5 players around them talking and planning their strategies.  Jace saw hologram images on the tables that he assumed were maps of the game area, and he was eager to learn more.  Once he started looking, it didn¡¯t take him long to find Wallace sitting alone at a table, and he walked over to her.


    ¡°Glad you could make it,¡± she said, standing briefly to bow at Draya¡¯s presence as the woman took her seat.  It was a very knightly thing to do.  ¡°We have a few minutes before my associate arrives, and I know from experience he likes to cut it close.¡±


    ¡°Can we trust him?¡± Jace asked, still wary of anyone a former employee of Drescher might consider an informant despite his high opinion of Wallace.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied honestly.  ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone in this game.  Do you?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  In the silence afterward, he got a prompt.


    [Sir Wallace Wilhelm has invited you to join his party.]


    ¡°William Wallace?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Braveheart?  Are you from Scotland?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand our arrangement,¡± she replied, sipping at a colorful drink.  ¡°I find you something, and you let me look behind the curtain.  I want to learn who or what you are.  You can see mine too.¡±  Her body flinched as she sent the invitation again.


    [Sir Wallace Wilhelm has invited you to join his party.]


    ¡°Do I have to agree to this invite in order to work with you?¡± Jace asked.  He motioned to the rest of the crowd in the tavern.  ¡°I can¡¯t believe all of us will be in the same party.  We¡¯ll be on the same team regardless, right?  I believe the deal was that you get to watch me liberate the goblin from this module.  Not that you get to learn everything about me.  I could probably auction off a peak at my character sheet for 5,000 gold and have a hundred takers.  But that¡¯s not what you are asking for, are you?  You join my party, and you get to see Esther and Draya too.¡±


    Wallace took another drink, staring daggers at Jace before shifting her eyes to the nervous woman sitting beside him, only now knowing her name.  ¡°So,¡± she started, trying another angle.  ¡°You come from Gershire?  Were you a student there?¡±


    Draya was shocked and glanced between Jace and this new paladin.  ¡°Yes, I did.  I mean, I was.  How did you know?¡±


    ¡°Do you know whom you joined up with?¡±  Wallace continued.  ¡°Jace here is quite the celebrity.  If he enters a new town, half the realm knows about it in minutes.  If he leaves with a new companion, people debate who it might be for days.  Everyone wants to know more about you, too.  Some are convinced you are actually a master at the Magisterium, and Jace only had you wear student clothing to fake people out.  Others think you are part of a hidden quest that Jace unlocked.  But I know who you are.  You were the sacrifice, weren¡¯t you?  When I did that module, you were a male elf named Tel¡¯Avanor, but you have a look that reminds me of him.¡±


    Draya¡¯s mouth was open, and she continued to look between Jace and Wallace in confusion.  ¡°Jace, what is she talking about?  How does she know these things?  What is happening?¡±  Jace momentarily looked away from the table and spotted Esther sitting at the bar by herself, looking at a menu and munching on appetizers.  He glanced at the other tables.  Most of them were huddled up talking strategy.  A few were looking at him or throwing glances at Esther, but no one had approached her yet.  It was probably safer here than he assumed.


    ¡°Draya, why don¡¯t you go see what Esther is doing?  Take Snowy with you.  Sir Wallace and I need to talk.¡±


    She was a weak-willed NPC and did what her leader asked without complaint most of the time.  Snowy heard what her master said and got off the floor to let the young woman know she was there to protect her.  ¡°Okay.¡±


    When they were gone, Wallace spoke first.  ¡°You set a record for the most damage with a single spell.¡±  It was a statement, not a question, so Jace remained silent.  ¡°It had to be against the mummies.  It had to be a lightning spell.  No one can figure out how you built it.  Not at level 9.  Did you use the crystal again?  I don¡¯t know how; no mummy will voluntarily pull mana from a random crystal like Gwennifer did.  By the way, I¡¯ve watched that video a dozen times.  The look on Drescher¡¯s face is priceless.¡±


    Jace wished he had a drink but just sat back and listened.


    ¡°So, back to the mummies, if you killed them, that means you got the mana stone.  Did you bargain with the lich?  Did you kill him?¡±  She paused in thought.  ¡°You got all the stones, didn¡¯t you?  You switched them on the lich, right?  Esther disguised them like she did with Diamond Etcher, so he loaded them backward.  No, that wouldn¡¯t work.  She pretended to betray you by being a vampire.  Yes, that makes more sense.  She faked out the lich, got him to trust her, and loaded them backward herself.¡±


    The tavern must have sensed what Jace wanted because a barmaid came by and plopped a mug of honey ale in front of him.  Jace took a long drink and continued to listen.


    ¡°So, what, that innocent young woman is walking around with 40 levels of undead energy in her?  No, if she had drank the holy water, it might have purified her, or the stones would have purified it first.  But what did she do with the mana?  She¡¯s only level 13, like you.  Did it boost her stats?  Does she have 20s for everything?¡±


    Jace took another long drink.  ¡°See, why do you need to see my character sheet?  You already have all the answers.¡±


    Wallace frowned.  ¡°That¡¯s not it.  She has fewer HP than me, and I¡¯m still level 9.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a dragon,¡± Jace said.


    Wallace leaned back in her chair.  ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°She has a level 42 dragon core inside her.  If this wasn¡¯t a Non-PVP zone, she could probably wipe out everyone here in a single fireball, save maybe a few of the priests, and still have enough mana to do it three more times if she wanted.¡±


    Wallace opened and closed her mouth in shock before gathering herself and taking another drink.  ¡°You did the dragon quest?  I was sure it was the lich.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to do the dragon quest.  Gandhi knew I wanted to do that quest, so she killed the dragon and told me by giving me a vial of dragon elixir instead of holy water before I faced the lich.  Draya drank it and then used the mana from the lich to stabilize it.  You got most of it right.¡±


    A thousand questions raced through Wallace¡¯s mind, but she started with the first one.  ¡°Gandhi is a she?¡±


    Jace had a lot to tell her, so he started from the beginning.


    <hr>


    Draya found Esther at the bar drinking a pink cocktail and talking with the dwarven bartender.


    ¡°So, there is no troll in this, right?¡±  She held up a breaded piece of meat that looked like a chicken finger.


    ¡°No, missy, it¡¯s just the name of me tavern.  I wouldn¡¯t serve that to the weak guts that come in here.¡±


    Esther glanced above the short bartender at the massive troll head mounted on the wall behind him.  ¡°But you would eat troll?¡±


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°Aye, I¡¯ve had it a time or two.  A bit chewy, but it restores your strength somethin¡¯ fierce.  Make sure you cook it good, though, don¡¯t want it growing back inside ya.¡±


    Esther munched her appetizer slowly.  ¡°I had orc the other day.¡±


    The dwarven bartender was scripted to accept virtually anything his customers might say, but this made him take a step back.  ¡°Did ya now?¡±


    Esther nodded.  ¡°It was enchanted to look and taste human, but it had an earthy, almost iron quality that I quite liked.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± the dwarf lied.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t serve troll, why call the tavern that?  Seems misleading.¡±


    ¡°Did ya want to eat a bit o¡¯ troll?¡± he asked, trying to tell if he was reading disappointment in her voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.  Maybe.¡±


    The dwarf didn¡¯t respond but eyed Draya, who had kept her distance during the conversation but now sat beside Esther.


    ¡°A friend of yers?¡± the dwarf asked.


    Esther was pulled from her contemplation to see the woman sit beside her and Snowy plop down behind them, watching the other patrons.  She glanced back to see Jace talking with someone at a table but didn¡¯t recognize the knight from behind.  ¡°Yes,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°Can she have a drink too?  And another for me.¡±  The woman drained her cocktail and handed the empty glass to the dwarf.  She turned to Draya.  ¡°He can look in your eyes and see exactly what you want.¡±


    Draya had never been to a bar like this and had no idea what she wanted, but she stared at the bearded face and let the bartender do his thing.


    ¡°Aye, but there¡¯s a fire in ya, lassie, and a fierce one at that.  I¡¯ve got just the thing for ya.¡±


    He turned to a collection of bottles, worked some in-game voodoo, and had a martini glass cradled in his rough hands when he turned back around.  A deep red liquid filled it halfway, with a thin layer of clear alcohol floating on top.  Draya reached for it tentatively, but the dwarf held up his hand to stop her.  ¡°Not yet.¡±  He snapped his fingers, and a tiny burst of mana exploded above the drink and lit it on fire.


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Esther said appreciatively at the minor trick.


    Draya lowered her head to look under the fire to see how the red liquid fizzed and bubbled from the heat above it.  Before either of the other two could stop her, she picked up the glass and drained it while it was still on fire.


    ¡°No, lassie,¡± the dwarf said, but it was too late.  ¡°It¡¯ll burn ya!¡±


    It didn¡¯t, and Draya¡¯s face changed dramatically as the concoction continued to magically burn deep inside her, awaking her spirit and casting away her timid nature.  ¡°Amazing,¡± she said.  ¡°I¡¯ll have another.¡±


    The dwarf wasn¡¯t sure what to do, but Esther gave him a look, and he complied, producing a second flaming drink for the young woman and a purple cocktail for Esther.  This time Draya sipped at the glass, the flames licking the underside of her nose as she inhaled the aroma.  Esther wasn¡¯t surprised by much, but the unique image enthralled her.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Draya asked.  ¡°I mean, do you two do this kind of thing often?  What are all these people doing here?¡±


    ¡°Normally, Jace helps people,¡± Esther said.  ¡°He said this is more like a game.  I don¡¯t really know what that means, but I think we are going to fight people while Jace is looking for something.¡±


    ¡°Fight people or monsters?¡± Draya asked as she drained the rest of her glass.


    ¡°Many of the people in this realm are monsters,¡± Esther said, not really answering the question.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±  The young woman¡¯s voice was starting to slur, and Esther worried they might be taking things too far.  As if to confirm this, Draya demanded a third drink from the dwarf and was soon inhaling more burnt alcohol.  ¡°These are amazing!¡±


    Snowy growled at their feet, and Esther was drawn away from her drunk friend to see a man walking toward them.  He was tall and strong, clearly a fighter.  He didn¡¯t wear armor like most in the tavern but had a longsword on his hip and a confident smile.  He was handsome and charming, but Esther was on guard.  She didn¡¯t recognize him from her previous life, which was a good sign, but she wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to think he didn¡¯t know her.  He gave Snowy a wide berth as he approached the bar, six feet from the women.


    ¡°You¡¯re gorgeous!¡± Draya blurted at the man, almost falling out of her chair.


    He smiled at her but shifted his gaze to Esther after he ordered a few drinks from the dwarf.  ¡°Good day, ladies.  Are you looking forward to the game?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna burn some monstrous people!¡± Draya said.  All of her sentences had exclamation points on them now.


    Esther put a calming hand on her friend, who was already halfway through her third drink.  ¡°This is our first one,¡± Esther said.  She was intensely drawn to this man.  His charisma and grace were overwhelming, and the fact that he hadn¡¯t propositioned her yet had him miles ahead of most players who approached her.


    ¡°Well, I hope Jace treats you well and ensures you have a good time.¡±


    The man was given a tray to carry his drinks back to the table, and it looked like he was just going to leave them.  Esther went from being ready to repel his advances to not wanting him to go.  ¡°You know Jace?¡±


    The man paused and smiled as he realized his hard-to-get strategy had worked.  ¡°Esther, everyone knows Jace.  Most people know you too.  They have many questions, but I only have one.¡±


    Player magic was disabled in this tavern, but any observer would have sworn that the fighter had charmed the woman with several ciritcals.  She leaned in toward him.  ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± he asked, his friendly smile betraying the cheesiness of the standard pickup line.


    Esther had never heard it before.  ¡°Did what hurt?¡±


    ¡°When you fell from heaven,¡± he clarified, offering up his most winning smile.


    ¡°A little,¡± Esther responded deadpan.  ¡°But I¡¯ve gotten over it mostly.  Thanks for asking.¡±


    This was not the response the man expected, and he nearly dropped his tray, stumbling back a step.  As Draya tried to order a fourth drink, Esther grabbed her arm and hauled her away from the bar.  Her desire to spend more time with the fighter was overcome by her desire not to have Draya pass out.  ¡°Well,¡± she said to the man, who was still quite confused, ¡°it was nice meeting you.  Perhaps we can talk after the game?¡±


    The fighter only nodded mutely and watched as the two women hurried back to Jace¡¯s table with Snowy in toe.


    <hr>


    Jace had skimmed over his history but had told Wallace most of what she wanted to know about how he had become an orc shaman with a winter wolf, a vampire, and a dragon as companions.  She had lots more questions, but time was getting on, and the game would start in under ten minutes.  Motion to the side caught her attention, and she turned to see Esther returning with Draya stumbling behind her.  Jace followed the paladin¡¯s eyes and frowned.  ¡°You got her drunk?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault she can¡¯t hold her alcohol,¡± Esther said.  ¡°She only had a few drinks.¡±


    ¡°I had four!¡± Draya slurred, holding up two fingers.  ¡°And they were on fire!¡±  She tried a flourish with her raised hand, but nothing happened.  ¡°Uh oh, fire¡¯s broken!¡±


    Jace shook his head and rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Your magic won¡¯t work until you leave here and enter the game,¡± Wallace said, informing Jace of something he had already guessed.


    ¡°Do you know of a spell to sober her up?¡±


    The paladin chuckled.  ¡°Any healing spell will work.  She¡¯ll probably have a headache afterward, though.¡±


    ¡°Wallace!¡± Esther said, finally recognizing Jace¡¯s partner after dumping Draya in a chair.  The inebriated woman almost fell out of the seat, but Jace caught her.  He maneuvered her upper body so it lay on the table as she repeatedly snapped her fingers, trying to produce a flame.


    ¡°Are you playing in this game too?¡± Esther asked as Jace dealt with the limp redhead.  ¡°What a coincidence.  This is our first time.  Have you done this before?  Do you want to team up with us?¡±


    ¡°That would be great,¡± Wallace smiled.  ¡°Thanks.¡±


    [Sir Wallace Wilhelm has joined your party.]


    ¡°Esther, no!¡± Jace cried, looking up from Draya.  The redhead slumped off the table, and Jace had to work hard to prevent her from hitting the floor.  ¡°You can¡¯t just invite people like that.¡±


    Esther looked hurt.  ¡°But I thought she was our friend.¡±


    ¡°She is, but . . .¡± Jace couldn¡¯t argue with Esther and hold up Draya.  He looked down at the younger woman, who had stopped trying to snap her fingers and was pointing at the paladin across the table.  Wallace¡¯s stoic face with a salt and pepper goatee looked odd with her eyes rolled up in her head.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a she,¡± Draya slurred.  ¡°Or I am thinker than I drunk.¡±


    Jace gave up on the woman and let her slump to the floor, using Snowy as a pillow.  The wolf resisted initially but eventually shifted to accept the mumbling woman.  Gracie, who had been quiet through most of the exchange thus far, was laughing uproariously.  Jace sighed and used Snowy¡¯s chat feature to ask for help.


    {I¡¯ll get right on it, boss.}


    Jace turned back to Wallace, who was just now leaving her inventory, having only glanced at the character sheets of her new party members.  ¡°Everything you hoped for?¡± Jace asked.  Esther looked on in confusion.  She was used to Jace talking to Gracie in game-speak, and he wondered how she would understand this upcoming conversation.


    Wallace tried not to laugh in the face of the frustrated man.


    ¡°I only had a glance.  My brother will go over them in detail, and I¡¯ll let you know if I have any further questions.¡±


    ¡°Is he your operator?  What is he, 12 years old?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen,¡± Wallace corrected him.  ¡°But we both understand I¡¯m the better player.¡±  She could tell that this turn of events had a more profound impact on Jace than expected, and she decided to overshare in return.  ¡°My father was a software engineer and was given a VR set to give feedback on its effects and what kind of regulations our government should put on it.  He, of course, became addicted to this game, and my mom couldn¡¯t handle it.  She unplugged him in the middle of a session, and he¡¯s been in a psychiatric ward ever since.  My mom then lost her mind, figuratively speaking, and left us.  So we must pay Dad¡¯s medical bills, or our universal healthcare system will lobotomize him.¡±


    She said all that in a monotone voice after initiating a setting in the game to mask her emotion.  She calmed herself by taking another drink.  ¡°Was that everything you hoped for?¡±


    Jace was speechless.


    ¡°So please don¡¯t judge me for trying to get ahead in the game or for wanting to learn your secrets.  I¡¯m not doing this to buy a new PlayStation or the latest fashion.  I¡¯m doing this to survive, and I will do anything it takes to get ahead.  And if you offer me charity, I will kill you the first chance I get.  And, yes, I do live in Scotland.¡±


    Jace took a long drink before responding.  ¡°I work for the US government.  Four players are currently held hostage in this game in an impenetrable fortress.  They are being kept alive and awake in a state of constant fear and anguish.  I need to do the impossible and rescue them before their operators decide they¡¯ve had enough and unplug them.  One of them is a South Korean, who I¡¯m willing to bet has family in North Korea and is trying to help them escape.  He is being tortured; if he breaks, they will imprison or kill his family.  So please don¡¯t judge me if I want to keep my secrets close to the vest.  If people find out who I am or how I do what I do, they will find a way to defeat me, and real people will die.¡±


    Despite her settings, Wallace¡¯s face cracked from the traumatizing revelation.


    ¡°Was that everything you hoped for?¡± he asked.  ¡°Are we even now?  Can I be assured that my secrets are safe with you?¡±


    Before she had a chance to respond, Esther chirped up.  ¡°Sly, is that you?¡±


    Jace and Wallace turned from their intense discussion, following Esther¡¯s stare toward the courtyard entrance.  A level 11 man walked toward them dressed in dark leather and a black cloak.  Jace thought he looked like a cross between a thief and a ranger and would later find out that was mostly right.


    ¡°We are meeting lots of old friends,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Are you here to play the game too?  Would you like to join us?¡±


    ¡°Esther, no!¡± both Jace and Wallace cried.


    {Don¡¯t worry,} Gracie said.  {I fixed it.  She won¡¯t be doing that anymore.}


    Esther¡¯s face screwed up as she realized her ability to invite players into the party was disabled.  Eventually, she shrugged her shoulders and turned to Jace.  ¡°This is Sly,¡± she said as the man stood next to the table, not taking a seat yet and smiling at the two PCs.  ¡°He helped me get to Safe Haven when we had to rescue Gracie and Conor.¡±


    Jace nodded and turned to Wallace.  ¡°Sylvester is my informant,¡± she said.  ¡°He knows how to find Gromphy.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him I would be here?¡±


    Wallace frowned.  ¡°He refused to help until I did.¡±


    Jace turned to look at the man who had tricked Esther into giving him access to one of their private MIMs and then sold that access to Drescher.  He had effectively played both sides of that encounter, and the fact that he was only willing to share his secrets once he found out Jace would be here was clear evidence that he was doing something similar now.  Thousands had watched the fight with Drescher, and this man had undoubtedly seen a recording.  The beginning of Jace¡¯s realization of what Esther had done had been captured on the video before Gracie had cut the feed.  Most probably wouldn¡¯t have understood what was happening, but Sylvester certainly would have.


    ¡°I believe everything worked out in your favor last time,¡± Sylvester said with a smile.  ¡°May I have a seat?  We have much to discuss.¡±  When neither player objected, the informant sat down and pulled up the hologram map of the game they were about to play.


    {Never a dull moment with you,} Gracie said with a chuckle.


    On the floor back in the Roasted Troll Tavern, Draya threw up.

 Chapter 13: The Arrangement

    Jace stood with 49 other characters staring through a translucent curtain with a castle wall over half a mile in the distance.  It was similar to the boundaries he had experimented with outside Olympus, but this one didn¡¯t allow anyone through, at least not yet.  Spaced evenly every twenty feet, a countdown clock was projected onto the curtain, so it looked like the numbers hung magically in the air.  At least half the characters there were NPCs, and none of them seemed concerned with the digital intrusion into their reality that told them the game would start in about two minutes.


    Jace looked over at Esther and saw her talking with Sylvester.  He didn¡¯t like the arrangement but didn¡¯t know of a better way.  Access to the goblin required two teams acting in unison.  One had to transverse a long, underground tunnel filled with trolls so they could unlock a gate, and the other group needed to pass through that gate into a secret alcove and then let the first person in.  Esther was going to go with Sylvester to find the tunnel.  Fighting the trolls was an option, especially if you had a fire mage with you, and Draya would make short work of them.  Although, right now, the young mage didn¡¯t look like she was good for anything.  She had cleaned up a bit since the tavern and profusely apologized to Snowy, on whom she had puked.  She was still hungover, despite Jace dumping healing mana into her every few rounds since they had entered this buffer zone.


    The best way to get past the trolls was to sneak in the shadows.  Fighting them took time, but a rogue with Shadow Step could run past them.  Jace wouldn¡¯t be able to accompany the two women if they tried to use stealth to get past the monsters; he was a noisy orc.  As much as he didn¡¯t like the idea of Esther going with Drescher¡¯s former informant, he liked the idea of Draya going with them even less.  Wallace and Sylvester both told him there was no way to sneak through the above-ground route, and they would need battle-hardy characters to help them.  Draya would be more valuable in assaulting the castle, and Esther could handle herself alone.  Trixna and Draya had worked on filling several rubies with dragon fire, and Esther could deal with a few trolls if they caught her in the shadows.


    Gracie had also explained what she knew about Sylvester.  They didn¡¯t have a last name to work with yet, and there were several players with that name in ROI, but only one fit his level and class.  You could hide your class and race in the game like Jace did, but Sylvester made his public, probably as an offer of good faith to those he traded secrets with.  He was a level 11 tracker, a ranger specializing in stealth and survival.  He would have exceptional perception skill, allowing him to track prey and prevent people from sneaking up on him.  He had enough magic to disable or protect himself from fighters and proficient combat skills to fight off any mages or priests he would encounter.


    But he wasn¡¯t designed for battle.  He was a supporting character who always made it out alive to tell the tale to anyone willing to pay.  Jace questioned his level, but Gracie explained it was perfect for someone in his line of work.  Once you reached level 12, you were worth a million experience points and had a target on your back.  Level 13+ characters were worth 2 million to anyone over 20 levels, but if you were under 20, a million experience was the most you could get for killing a PC, so there was no reason to pick a fight with anyone over 12.  At the same time, you needed to be level 10 to enter PVP zones, and most level 10 characters were considered noobs.  A level 11 character had twice as much experience as a 10, literally and figuratively, and they were treated more respectfully.  It was easy enough to exist in the game without getting experience if all you did was swindle other players and trade secrets.  The informant had probably been at 11 for a while.


    Sylvester had offered an alliance with Esther, and Jace was notified that she had accepted.  It wasn¡¯t the same as joining someone¡¯s party, but it allowed them to share senses, chat, and see each other when they hid in the shadows.  It gave Jace a sense of assurance that Sylvester wouldn¡¯t stab her in the back.  However, Gracie dispelled that security by letting him know that Sylvester was no match for Esther, even if he were at level 15.  He knew that, so if he planned harm for the woman, he would have other plans than taking her on one-on-one.


    ¡°We need to go,¡± Sylvester said to Esther, but loud enough for Jace to hear.  The timer was under 90 seconds, and the other players were prepping their weapons and equipping any armor they had neglected while in the tavern.  Not many people cast spells on themselves, as Gracie had told Jace that they would permanently be in combat mode once they passed through the curtain, and any time-based spell would only last one minute.  You needed time your boon to go into effect right before combat.


    Jace ensured he had a crit protection loaded into his necklace and each of his companions¡¯ armor.  Esther had her rapiers filled with a Heavy Weapon spell, and she still had the diamond that gave her an Athletic boon if needed.


    Jace looked at her with concern, as if he were sending his only daughter off to college.  ¡°Be safe,¡± he said.


    ¡°You know me,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°Sly has more to worry about than I do.¡±


    Jace eyed up the devious informant, who shifted his glance constantly.  Jace had allowed his illusion spell to expire, so he appeared as an orc.  Most people present already knew that he was one from his public fight with Drescher, so they didn¡¯t pay much attention to it, but it made it harder for Sylvester to return his look.  Jace had already paid the man half his 3,000 gold fee, and both Gracie and Wallace impressed upon him that the tracker would want the rest, so he wouldn¡¯t backstab them until they made it to Gromphy.  That didn¡¯t give the shaman much assurance.  People had already offered way more than 1,500 for access to the alluring vampire, but he didn¡¯t have much choice and watched them run off to the right.


    <hr>


    Esther and Sylvester stayed behind the long line of characters pressing against the curtain, hacking at the impenetrable barrier with their weapons and riling themselves up for battle.  The castle walls were barely visible in the distance, and they had a long run to work themselves up for.  Despite her celebrity status, most players were more concerned with the fight than checking out what Esther was doing, and the pair didn¡¯t get much notice as they ran, even less once they dropped into the shadows.  The battle setting was at dusk, with the light level at ten or below in most places, so the two characters didn¡¯t need any magical assistance to disappear.


    Once the barrier dropped and the hoard of characters rushed forward in a battle cry, Esther and Sylvester slipped into the woods on the far right of the map.  The tracker led them on a winding route, and Esther was sure he doubled back a few times.  They traveled through the thick forest traversing deep gullies and climbing over rocky ledges.  They heard battle cries off in the distance and got several prompts and updates from the action to let them know how their team was doing.


    After nearly five minutes, Esther was about to say something.  She understood Sylvester was showing her a secret path, but there must have been a more direct way to get where they were going.  Even if they had just run along the tree line behind the attacking force and ducked into the woods half a mile closer to the castle, she was sure they would have saved time.  She tried to ignore Jace¡¯s concern that Sylvester would double-cross them and that maybe an impassible cliff or barrier prevented them from taking a more direct route.  But she knew something was up when her guide led her into a clearing where six other characters were waiting for them.


    The game instinctively let her know that all these characters were part of her team, the attacking force.  This meant they had been allowed through the barrier when Esther had, and Sylvester had needed to take her on a winding path to give these players a chance to get here first.  ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± she asked, her hands on the hilts of her weapons.


    ¡°Do not be alarmed,¡± a large half-orc said.  He wore only a loin cloth and stood beside a campfire that lit a circular area fifty feet across.  A female halfling stood beside him wearing priestly robes.  ¡°I mean you no harm.  I only desire a chance to prove myself to you.¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Esther didn¡¯t answer but turned again to Sylvester.  ¡°Jace paid you to take me to the secret entrance.  I don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    ¡°The tunnel is 100 feet in that direction,¡± the tracker pointed beyond the fire and the characters who stood in the way.  ¡°I am sorry these players beat us to it.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t buy the story for a second but figured she might as well get this encounter over with.  Jace had told her that no one they met in this game would be as powerful as the enemies they regularly faced and defeated.  Drescher, undead mages, and frost giants were all far more potent than any level 15 character they might run into here.  So whatever this trap was, she didn¡¯t fear for her safety.


    She and Sylvester had left the shadows shortly after entering the woods, and as she took a few steps toward the fire, she saw that there would be no hiding in its circle.  The magical flames gave off more than heat and light.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Esther asked, standing just outside the ring of illumination.


    ¡°My name is Asandru.  I desire a test between you and me, Esther Xerxes.  A test to regain my honor.¡±


    Esther heard a slight chuckle from three players off to her left.  She was focused on the half-orc but turned to these people now.  A barbarian half-elf had laughed.  He was flanked by a surly-looking dwarf with a hammer and shield and an elegant woman who was either a mage or priestess.


    ¡°It figures,¡± the barbarian said.  ¡°You would have initials that spell out EASY.¡±


    Esther looked confused for a moment, but then the woman corrected him.  ¡°Xerxes starts with an X, dear, not a Z.¡±


    The half-elf took the correction in stride.  ¡°Whatever.  She will make a good ¡®EX¡¯ too.  Better than most of my others.¡±


    Now the woman punched him in the arm, and Esther ignored their antics and stepped into the light to address the half-orc.  He stood perfectly still, letting her see he had no weapons or armor of any kind.  Esther was willing to bet he was a monk.  ¡°What dishonor have I brought you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The way you dispatched my brothers outside Ironfel has led many to doubt my abilities and that I would not last five seconds against you.¡±


    Likely this player had boasted he could take out Esther one-on-one after what she had done to Drescher¡¯s guards had gotten out.  Esther would have difficulty taking this encounter seriously if it were just a ploy to win a bet.  ¡°Those were your brothers?¡± she asked, only pretending confusion.  She understood he only meant it figuratively.  ¡°Your mother must have been busy.¡±


    ¡°Your insolent wit will not save you here, child.  Only your strength of arm.¡±


    Esther looked down at her skinny limbs, barely thicker than this monk¡¯s thumbs.  To an outsider, it would be foolish to think she had a chance, but she also understood she had unique abilities and skills.  However, if this half-orc were a monk, he would be trained in hand-to-hand combat, and her insane grappling skill would not give her as supreme an advantage.


    ¡°So we fight, and then I can go?  What about the rest of these people?¡± She looked over at the three characters on her left and then at the lone archer on her right, who hadn¡¯t spoken yet.  ¡°Are they just here to watch?¡±


    ¡°Their presence is . . .¡± Asandru hesitated, ¡°unfortunate.  When I made arrangements for this meeting . . .¡± his eyes now searched over Esther¡¯s shoulder for Sylvester, who had likely hidden in the shadows to watch, ¡°I didn¡¯t realize the invitation had gone to others.  Their involvement now is unavoidable.¡±


    Esther turned to the barbarian.  ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t remember me?¡± he asked, stepping just into the light.


    Esther had a good memory of all the people she had been with; this half-elf wasn¡¯t one.  However, the longer she looked at him, the more his face resembled someone she knew.  ¡°Jules Pancratz,¡± she said, slowly testing out the name as the memory returned to her.  Something in his eyes and cheekbones remained the same.  ¡°You were a bard.  You fancied yourself a lover too, but you weren¡¯t.¡±


    The woman beside him stifled a laugh, and the barbarian nearly raged at her.  ¡°It was the limitations of my character, Christine!  I needed to spread myself thin to accommodate all my skills.¡±


    ¡°You were a little too thin,¡± Esther mocked.  ¡°And I don¡¯t remember any skill.¡±


    Christine laughed out loud, and the man grew red in the face.  ¡°You killed me!¡± he cried.  ¡°I was told it was the easiest experience in the game, and, even though you weren¡¯t VR compatible, you were the best lay in the realms.  And you killed me.  I lost everything.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t pass you on to my mistress,¡± Esther said.  ¡°She had standards.¡±


    The other woman was beside herself with laughter now, and there was a moment when the barbarian looked like he might draw his axe and charge Esther, but a sudden calm passed through him.  ¡°Well, I had to start over, and I didn¡¯t spread myself thin this time.  My name is Junther now.  I am nothing like my old self.¡±  He struck a pose, and Esther had to admit his new look was vastly improved.  The combination of human, elf, and barbarian created a lean physique with chiseled muscles visible under an open blue vest.  Esther suddenly wanted to see him without his clothes but then reigned in her desire.  She didn¡¯t have time for that.


    ¡°And now you want a second opportunity to impress?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was two days from going to Portsmith when your boss did whatever he did and wrecked everyone¡¯s copy.  I thought I had lost my chance, but fortune favors the bold.¡±


    ¡°There is nothing bold about what you are doing,¡± the half-orc interrupted.  ¡°This is cowardice, taking advantage of a woman in this situation.¡±


    ¡°And you are no coward?¡± Esther asked.  ¡°Standing in my way when you know I must get somewhere quickly?  Forcing me into combat that you know I would prefer to avoid?¡±


    ¡°I offer you a fair fight,¡± Asandru said.  ¡°We wrestle.  I win.  And then Junther and you can settle this old grudge.  I have no interest in it.¡±


    ¡°But you would pin me to the ground and leave me Helpless for this coward?¡± Esther asked, hoping the monk would have more honor than that.


    ¡°It is an unfortunate requirement of our arraignment,¡± his head was low.  Likely Sylvester had made the monk promise to help Junther, or he wouldn¡¯t give the half-orc this location.  He was honorable, but it was to keep his word to the tracker.


    ¡°And if I beat you,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°Who will hold me down for him?  I doubt he is capable of it himself.¡±


    ¡°That is what Clint Lawton is for,¡± the barbarian spoke up.


    Esther turned to the archer, assuming this was his introduction to the gathering.  ¡°What?  The Psycho-wanna-be?¡±


    The archer bristled at the comparison and tightened an arrow on his bow but stayed silent.


    ¡°He¡¯s promised me he can pin you to the ground from 100 feet,¡± Junther said.  ¡°He better not be lying.  I paid him enough.¡±


    ¡°And the dwarf?¡± Esther asked, looking back to her left.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡± the NPC said, banging his hammer against his shield, producing a spray of sparks.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him,¡± Junther said, a bit embarrassed by the mindless companion.


    Esther turned to the woman, trying to figure out their relationship.  ¡°You¡¯re okay with all this?¡± she asked her.  ¡°Most wives don¡¯t like what I do to their husbands.¡±


    Christine laughed.  ¡°I¡¯m not his wife.  I¡¯m well on my way to being one of his exes.  But he¡¯s got a little fun left in him.  He¡¯s promised we¡¯ll go to your old humping grounds after this.  The Gilded Swan is under new management, now catering to a broader clientele.  They have a druid working there who can change parts of his body into a snake.  Besides the obvious benefits that would provide, I hear he can do this thing with his forked tongue that will make a woman . . .¡± her body shivered at whatever thought raced through her mind.  Esther could only guess, but she was interrupted.


    [Dragon Fire detected.]


    The alert was a new thing for Esther, and she looked around and saw the other characters reacting to the prompt as well.


    ¡°Someone brought a dragon?¡± Christine asked incredulously.  ¡°How is that possible?¡±


    Esther smiled, knowing who it was, and realized she had to finish this as soon as possible.  She was needed elsewhere.  She turned back to the monk.


    ¡°If we are going to fight, we better get started.  I have places to be.  Though, I must tell you.  When I fought your brothers, they had all their equipment, and it still wasn¡¯t a fair fight.  You have put yourself at a considerable disadvantage by your current . . . uh . . . attire.¡±  Esther knew monks trained their bodies to be weapons, and this was likely how he usually fought.


    ¡°No,¡± Asandru said, ¡°you are the one who is improperly dressed.  We will fight without equipment and mana.  We shall fight with only what the gods have blessed us.¡±  After a slight tug at his waist, the loin cloth disappeared, and the half-orc stood there in all his glory.


    Esther heard Christine whistle in appreciation.  ¡°The gods have certainly blessed him.¡±


    ¡°Hush,¡± Junther said.  ¡°Let them do this.¡±  He turned back to the show before him and saw Esther looking at them.  ¡°Go on,¡± he told her.  ¡°Take off that armor.  It¡¯s not like half the realms haven¡¯t seen you naked already.¡±


    But that was the old me, Esther thought.  She turned back to her potential wrestling opponent and smiled.  Beside him, his halfling companion raised her hands, poised to dispel any magic Esther might try to cast.


    [Sylvester Par has canceled your Alliance.]


    I¡¯m on my own now.  ¡°Well then,¡± she said with her hands away from her weapons.  ¡°I guess that¡¯s the way it¡¯s going to be.  Allow me to remove my hat first.¡±


    Esther reached up to the brim, tugged on it, and disappeared.

 Chapter 14: Smash and Bash

    The darkness cast by her hat broke all ties with any light spell from the fire, but it only lasted one round.  The benefit was that she wasn¡¯t hiding in the shadows yet, so drawing a weapon didn¡¯t cause her to leave them.  With her third action for the round, she found a dark patch of ground just behind Junther outside the ring of light and Shadow-Stepped to it, entering the shadows as she did.


    Most of the characters around the fire took action.  Clint, the archer, had his bow up, and his eyes glowed with a brightness that would let him see into any shadow but not through the barbarian half-elf were Esther crouched.  Christine cast a sphere of protection against herself, making her immune to all slashing weapons for the next ten rounds.  The dwarf shouted, ¡°I smash and bash!¡± but did nothing else.  Junther drew his axe and raised his shield, a good defensive posture for anything attacking him from the front but not behind.


    Esther struck from the shadows, hitting the level 12 barbarian for enough damage to drop him below half his hit points.  His class gave him massive abilities to save against dying from a strike like that, and he only fell silently to the ground, unconscious but stable.  Christine turned and screamed at the sudden appearance of the deadly woman, marking her for the other active players.


    The halfling priestess reacted first, lining Esther in magical flames that did no damage, but would mark her clearly in the darkest shadow she could find.  Clint responded second, releasing an arrow at the brightly glowing target.  With Junther down on the ground, Esther had no cover, and the shaft hit her hard, yanking her back ten feet into a tree and pinning her tight.  The arrow didn¡¯t do any damage but had skewered the side of her armor and now securely pinned her against the trunk.  Esther tried to struggle against it but was in a Helpless condition.  The critical protection Jace put in her armor hadn¡¯t helped because the pinning shot was considered a touch attack which armor didn¡¯t protect against; thus, the number of criticals Clint got meant it would be a few rounds before she could attempt to free herself.


    On the ground before her, Esther watched Christine bend over to heal and restore her boyfriend.  Junther woke quickly from the effective spell, not at full strength but alert enough to handle his prey.  Christine pointed to the tree, and the barbarian smiled, picking up his axe and leaving the shield on the ground.  ¡°I thought we could have had some fun first,¡± he said as he stalked toward her, ¡°but I was never going to let you leave this clearing alive.¡±  The axe allowed him to wield it with two hands to do extra damage, and he used a barbarian feat to trade Melee skill for free criticals at 7 to 1, ensuring a one-shot kill.


    Esther was Helpless against the tree and could do nothing that required an action: no attacking, no dodging, no spells.  She couldn¡¯t even enter her inventory to remove the vest that held her tight.  She looked down at her punctured armor, realizing that the pinning arrow strike might not have worked if she had been naked.  As the killing blow from Junther arched toward her, she got an idea and triggered her Quick Change ability, which did not take an action.  Her dress replaced her armor in a flash, and the arrow was now harmlessly secured into the tree beside her.


    Esther ducked at the last second, dodging beneath the strike, and spun around her attacker.  With his attack skill reduced to do extra damage, he missed with several criticals, and the game rewarded him by having his axe sink deep into the trunk.  He was considered flat-footed as he tried to wrestle it free, and since he had left his shield on the ground and wasn¡¯t wearing armor to show off his new physique to Esther, his AC was around 10.  The rogue stabbed him in the back, doing several criticals and spending them all on damage.  She did over 100, which wasn¡¯t enough to knock him out again, but it undid all the healing Christine had bestowed upon him.  Junther cried out in pain, and Esther dropped on instinct, rolling out of the way as another feathered shaft flew in.  The arrow pierced Junther¡¯s vest and pinned his body face-first against the tree.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡±


    The dwarf announced his position to Esther, and the woman rolled out of the way as the hammer slammed into the ground.  She leaped to her feet, conscious of keeping her head down as she fought the shorter opponent, trying to keep his broad body between her and the archer.  She struck at the dwarf and got two hits before he could coordinate himself.  She spent one of the criticals to disarm him.


    ¡°Thunder and lightning!  I dropped my hammer.¡±


    Esther ignored the stupid dwarf and looked for Christine. The woman was panic-stricken, realizing she wasn¡¯t properly prepared for this fight.  The latest info on Esther was that she was at 12, so Christine had a Hold spell memorized for a level 12 opponent, but the woman in black was clearly at 13.  The cleric had a level 15 spell memorized, but after her protection spell on herself and the restoration spell on Junther, she didn¡¯t have enough mana.  She released a Smite spell instead, and lightning coursed through Esther, doing 100 damage, and enraging her even more.


    The rogue struck back with her weapons but quickly realized the blades couldn¡¯t hurt the cleric with her defensive spell active, so she snapped the swords into her hilts and grappled the spell caster instead.  Esther spun her around just as another arrow came flying in.  It hit Christine in the chest, and this one did not have the pinning ability; instead, Clint was done playing and had enacted his Death Shot.


    The arrow normally wouldn¡¯t have generated enough damage to exceed Christine¡¯s impressive Death Save, but Esther had grappled her into a Helpless condition, reducing several of her defenses and preventing her from making a save roll.  The shot killed her instantly.  The rogue dropped the dead woman to the ground and spun as she heard someone about to smash and bash her from behind.  The dwarf missed, and Esther drew and struck him twice again with her blades.


    ¡°Thunder and lightning!  I dropped my hammer.¡±


    Ten feet away, Junther still struggled and was screaming in pain with his face against the tree.  He did not have the escape ability Esther had and would be stuck there until someone helped him or he rolled a 20.  Esther helped him, sort of.  She retrieved a ruby from her gem pouch and tossed it at his feet.  The barbarian had been expecting a sexual encounter, and since pain had been a frequent component of his trysts in the past, he had all his settings turned high.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    [Dragon Fire detected.]


    Junther screamed in agony and then died.


    ¡°I smash and ba-¡±  The Torrintank Keep module didn¡¯t allow unchaperoned NPCs, so the dwarf disappeared when the last member of his party died.  Clint was just a hired thug and not technically part of the couple¡¯s party.


    Esther turned toward the archer and watched the human track her with his bow, his arrow poised at the ready.  He held on to the shot, waiting for her to initiate a trick or defensive routine.  The rogue didn¡¯t have anything left but to hide in the shadows again, but her figure was still lined with fire, and the archer¡¯s eyes still shined bright yellow.  She hastily switched back to her armor for more protection, signaling the man that she didn¡¯t have anything else.  He fired just as Esther released a spell.


    Clint had only been firing one arrow a turn, taking the Aim action to add ten points to each attack.  He used his Death Shot ability again, and the arrow hit Esther hard in the chest.  Her ring absorbed 50 damage, and her vest prevented more, but she needed to make a save against all of it anyway, and she didn¡¯t.  Failing by 50 would kill her, but she only missed by 26.  The critical protection Jace had put in her armor worked this time, reducing the failure to a single critical and leaving her Dazed instead of Stunned.


    Her spell was a Web designed for a one-foot radius.  Clint also critically failed and was securely grappled from the neck down.  The thick white strands pulsed with magic as they held the victim tight.  Esther stumbled toward him, dizzy and in pain.  She pulled the arrow from her chest and tossed it aside. ¡°Psycho¡¯s shot would have killed me,¡± she said and leaped forward to stab him in the chest.  Clint was a PC whose pain was turned down, so he barely flinched at the attack.  This angered Esther, and she dropped her weapons to grapple onto the tall human¡¯s back.  She sucked several levels out of him, restoring her health and overloading her magic.  Ultimately, she left him below half, and he entered a death spiral.


    Brimming with a tremendous excess of mana, Esther now stalked toward Asandru, who hadn¡¯t moved an inch during the fight.  The vampire unleashed an All-In Charm spell at him, with the extra mana going toward difficulty.  Even with the protections his halfling priestess had given him, he didn¡¯t have a chance at saving.  This gave Esther initiative when she got close, and she grappled him into submission, spending all the criticals from her spell to make sure he didn¡¯t move.  As she tensed her hands on his head to snap his neck with her vampire ability, she sensed some resistance to the maneuver and assumed the monk was immune to the Coup de Grace.


    ¡°This is what the gods blessed me with,¡± she whispered into the half-orc¡¯s ear from high on his back.  She performed her killing move anyway.  Instead of the satisfying CRACK she was used to, Asandru only sighed and collapsed unconscious to the ground.


    Esther turned to the halfling, who was backing away in terror.  ¡°We never discussed what I get if I win.  He would get his honor back.  I want the same thing.¡±  She motioned her head toward where Sylvester was last seen and spoke in a hushed tone.  ¡°Show him to me.¡±


    The priestess nodded and cast her spell.  Esther cast True Strike Range on herself and reached under her skirt to where she had strapped her new knives high on her outer thighs.  She pulled one from each leg and brought them up for a throw.  The halfling couldn¡¯t target an invisible opponent, so she cast an area spell.  Squirrels, birds, and chipmunks in the target zone glowed faintly with a bright light, but Esther focused on the tracker¡¯s fiery outline.  He appeared 25 feet away, completely unaware that he was visible.  Both knives struck home with a single critical each.  Esther spent them to give him two bleeding conditions that would last for 11 rounds.


    Sylvester had enough skill to heal himself of the condition and dispel the flames, but they were two separate spells and would take two rounds.  He didn¡¯t have the time.  Esther closed on him like a panther, and he ran.  The flame spell that had been cast on her had expired, and she could shadow step again.  He had no chance.  Within twelve seconds, she had tackled him to the ground and grappled him into a Helpless condition.


    ¡°Jace is not going to be happy,¡± Esther said from on top of him.  ¡°I don¡¯t think he will pay you your second half.¡±


    ¡°Who cares,¡± the man laughed in her face.  ¡°He paid me half, and those two you dispatched paid me in full.  No matter what you do, I¡¯ve won here.¡±


    With him Helpless, she rooted through his inventory but was disappointed by what he had.  A few rings and a magical belt were all he had brought, and Esther already knew from what Jace had told her that you couldn¡¯t permanently lose your inventory in this ¡°game.¡±  Still, she stacked those items on the ground next to him.


    ¡°Take off your clothes,¡± she ordered.


    ¡°What?  Why?  Is this your idea of petty revenge?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want any more tricks,¡± she said.  ¡°You will take me to the tunnel, and you will do it naked.¡±


    Sylvester continued to resist, and she used her rapier to cut his expensive-looking shirt off.  ¡°Okay, okay.¡±  He would get all his items back, but if she destroyed them first, it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    Esther released her secured grapple on him, reducing him from a Helpless condition but still keeping him grappled.  He removed the rest of his clothes and stored them in his inventory.  Esther didn¡¯t allow them to stay there, and soon they were in a pile with the rest of his items.


    ¡°You will regret this,¡± he said through clenched teeth.  ¡°I have connections.  Drescher isn¡¯t the only one I worked for.¡±


    ¡°I was told it was bad form to take revenge against people for what happened in this game.  It would be a pity if someone put a bounty on your head for it.¡±


    Sylvester grunted at her but said nothing.  Before she let him stand, she offered an alliance to him again.  He declined.  ¡°Accept it,¡± she hissed.  ¡°Accept it, or I will slice up the rest of your pretty clothes.¡±  He did so, ensuring that Esther would still see him if he tried hiding in the shadows once the holy fire spell wore off.  She would be notified if he canceled the alliance as before and could strike first.


    ¡°On your feet,¡± she said, pulling him up with her impressive strength.  Esther held his wrists behind his back.  It was a grappling hold that she could elevate if he tried to escape.  She pushed him from behind, allowing him to keep some of his dignity, but paraded him before the halfling a few moments later.  She was still attending to her sleeping companion.  Unconscious players were never considered to be in combat mode unless they were dying, so each round was six minutes.  Esther had spent so many criticals to knock him out that he might not wake up before the game was over.


    Behind the clearing, down a gully, and into a ravine, she spotted torchlight that marked the tunnel entrance.  Two massive trolls stood guard, shoulder to shoulder, not letting anyone slip by.  ¡°Well,¡± she said quietly.  ¡°This won¡¯t work.  I¡¯m going to need a distraction.¡±


    A few seconds later, a naked man flew through the air and landed twenty feet from the hungry trolls.  They left their guard post as they fell upon the tasty morsel.  Esther slipped behind them and into the tunnel.

 Chapter 15: The Assault on Torrintank Keep

    Jace watched Esther run off with Sylvester and didn¡¯t look away until they disappeared into the shadows.


    {She¡¯ll be fine,} Gracie assured him.  {Sylvester will almost certainly double-cross you, but I trust Esther will overcome anything he can throw at her.  Plus, Sylvester is a businessman; if he screws over the best player in the game, it will not go over well for him.  He¡¯s not lying about the goblin, and Esther is more powerful than he or anyone else knows.  The message boards that discuss her possible stats are still way off.}


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right,¡± Jace said but was pulled away as Wallace demanded his attention.


    ¡°Jace,¡± she said, slightly out of breath.  She was running in from his left, the opposite direction Esther had gone.  ¡°I¡¯ve found the leader for the group going against the water gate.¡±


    Jace had allowed Wallace to absorb most of the information Sylvester had given them back in the tavern.  The tracker spoke as if his audience had played this module before and knew all the strategies and techniques.  Wallace had played it a few times, as it was a safe way to earn experience since you couldn¡¯t permanently die.  Gracie knew about the tower defense games, but since there was no loot or gold you could earn from them, they didn¡¯t attract terrorists or criminals who used the game for profit.  She told Jace he should lean on his new paladin companion for most of the information.


    Wallace was escorting a dwarven fighter clad head to toe in metal with a shield almost bigger than he was.  ¡°This is Bellrock,¡± she said.  ¡°He has made an alliance with the other attack group leaders, so he will be able to give us progress updates.¡±


    The dwarf looked up at the massive orc and extended his hand.  ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± he said in a gruff voice, ¡°it is an honor to meet you.  Drescher¡¯s mage killed two of my companions a month ago.  I have the image of his body disintegrating in a lightning storm as my desktop background.¡±  Jace smiled and shook his hand.  Since he was a PC, he didn¡¯t speak in the stereotypical dwarven accent.


    ¡°I will do everything I can to help.  How many strong are we?¡±


    ¡°I have four in my group,¡± Bellrock replied.  ¡°With you three, there will be seven.¡±


    Snowy growled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said quickly.  ¡°Eight.¡±


    The wolf nodded appreciatively.  Jace looked at the dwarf¡¯s group and saw characters at levels eight, nine, and ten.  At 13, Snowy was likely more powerful than any of them.  Wallace was also a nine, and Jace guessed their group was on the low end compared to the average in this game since you could be as high as 15.


    ¡°Do you know what guardian they will use?¡± Wallace asked.  ¡°I joined this game a couple of hours ago, so I didn¡¯t get to study the roster.¡±


    The dwarf shrugged.  ¡°The hydra or stone giant is usually the best defense, but with our assets,¡± he glanced up at Jace, ¡°who knows what they will use.  We¡¯ll just march in, shields raised, and take whatever they throw at us.¡±  After this last comment, Bellrock looked at how Jace was equipped and cautiously glanced at Wallace.  The dwarf wasn¡¯t about to question the legendary player¡¯s strategy, but the paladin understood his concern.


    ¡°Jace, do you have another weapon?¡± she asked.  ¡°Etcher¡¯s great, but you will need a free hand for your shield.¡±


    Jace entered his inventory and got the explosive axe and +3 large shield that Drescher had returned to him.  The dwarf grimaced and decided to walk away out of respect.


    ¡°No,¡± Wallace chided.  ¡°That isn¡¯t going to work.  You need a tower shield.  They make you immune to arrows.  Our route will leave us out in the open.  We will be sitting ducks for their archers.  That shield might prevent a few criticals, but they will still hit you.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a tower shield,¡± Jace admitted.


    {Sorry about that,} Gracie said.  {I should have looked that up.}


    ¡°Then it is a good thing I have two,¡± Wallace said.  She entered her inventory, retrieved two of the massive wooden shields, and handed one to Jace.  It looked like a door with iron bands across it.  Once he held it, he checked its stats and saw it was a level eight item with no enchantments.


    ¡°Talk to me about this shield,¡± Jace said under his breath.


    {Tower shields are unique.  There are no magical ones that anyone has ever seen.  Their level determines how much damage they can take.  A level 8 shield is pretty good and can take 400 damage.  They are completely immune to piercing, so you can have a thousand arrows sticking out of one like a pin cushion, and it won¡¯t affect it.  Depending on how much wood or metal is used in its construction, it has damage reduction against slashing and blunt attacks.  However, they always take full magic damage.  The more wood it has, the more susceptible to fire.  If it has more metal, it takes extra acid damage.  The defenders will use arrows enchanted with fire and acid, and when you are close enough, they will have mages cast spells.  However, if Gromphy is as good a crafter as Wallace said and is feeding the defenders unlimited level 10 arrows, it will only take a few direct hits to take out each shield, so you guys need to hurry.}


    Jace looked to his right along the line as the attacking forces got ready.  He understood there were several attack points for the castle.  The front door was the most obvious and likely the most defensible.  At least 12 attackers would be trying to take that head-on.  There was also an underground option different from what Esther was doing.  A cave entrance in the middle of the battlefield led to a partially dug tunnel, and with a collection of dwarves and gnomes, you could finish it after 30 rounds and lead a force under the moat and directly into the castle.


    A central mound rose before the walls just inside bow range, where attackers could take cover behind large stones and return fire at the archers lining the top of the keep.  They would try to pick off the mages casting fireballs and lightning bolts; any arrows they could divert from the flanking forces would be a bonus.


    Then, along the left side of the keep, a large forest stood, and players with good crafting skills could make ladders.  That side of the castle wall was easily climbable with the narrowest section of the moat.  If the attackers had really good crafters, they could build catapults or trebuchets.


    In addition, the keep was given 3-5 guardians depending on the difficulty settings.  These were massively powerful NPCs that the outnumbered defenders could strategically place inside or outside the keep to help defend it.  This game was set up with 50 attackers and 25 defenders, which was pretty good odds for the defense, so they would likely only get three guardians.


    The timer was now below thirty seconds, and Jace ensured Draya was nearby.  The effects of her hangover were diminishing, and she was starting to question what they were doing.  ¡°So the people we are trying to rescue are in that castle?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace clarified.  ¡°There is someone in there that can help us make the items we need to rescue the hostages.¡±


    ¡°Is that what the rest of these people want?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°They are just here to play a game.  We are storming that castle,¡± he pointed across the rolling plains toward the massive stone walls.


    ¡°But why?  People are going to get hurt.¡±  The sound of players clanging their weapons and banging their shields grew as the timer dropped below ten seconds.  ¡°War is not a game.  It . . . it destroys people¡¯s lives.¡±


    {There is a backstory emerging here,} Gracie advised.  {No one has had time to really dig into the lich¡¯s sacrifice much to understand their story.  But their willingness to drink the holy water and give their life up to kill the lich implies they don¡¯t have much to live for and that they¡¯ve seen others do the same.  Her skin tone marks her as a foreigner, and I¡¯m guessing she is a refugee from a war-torn land.}


    Great, Jace thought, I¡¯ve got the most powerful offensive weapon at my side, and she is going to be a pacificist.  Thanks, Gandhi.


    He didn¡¯t have time to think about it further as the timer dropped to zeros, and the hoard ran screaming out into the field.  Jace chose to store his borrowed shield in his inventory for now.  They were over half a mile from the castle, and if Stephen insisted that an 800-foot arrow shot was impossible, 2,500 feet was out of the question.  It would cost him a round to get it again, but he didn¡¯t think it would matter.


    Draya certainly had some PTSD to work through, and they let the rest of their small group charge ahead.  They were on the far-left side of the battlefield, where an impassable stone cliff rose 100 feet in the air.  The ground beside it was uneven and rocky, so they drifted away from the wall a few dozen feet, but Jace saw that put them more out in the open with fewer options for cover.


    Once they drew within 1,000 feet, they could start making out details on the top of the wall and saw that the distribution of the archers was pretty even.  Using Snowy¡¯s vision, Jace could determine that none of the bowmen were less than level 12, and several were 15.  In their group, they had three characters under 10.  He only counted 18 archers, with three or four mages sprinkled in the group.


    ¡°Most of those are not exclusive archers,¡± Wallace said, falling back to Jace¡¯s position.  ¡°They also need melee fighters for once we break through the wall, and most people aren¡¯t good at everything.  But I would guess at least five of those archers are exceptionally skilled rangers.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the strategy?¡± Jace asked, seeing that his group had halted their approach for the most part.  Several arrows came flying toward them, but most fell hundreds of feet short.  Jace didn¡¯t know if they were giving away their range or purposefully shooting short to bait the attackers closer.


    ¡°We are going to try and secure that raised mound,¡± she pointed toward the rocky hill sitting 350 feet in front of the keep.  Jace saw three archers and a priest running and ducking behind rocks and trees as they tried to make it to the cover without getting shot.  ¡°If we can draw their fire to that location, it will allow us to rush from the outside.¡±


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    On the far side of the field by the trees, Jace saw another force about the same size as theirs huddled in the forest cover, waiting for their chance to charge.  They would need ladders to scale the wall.  Jace saw that on this side, the moat widened to a small lake next to the cliff face, and a metal gate stood in the wall on the far side of the pool.  That was where the castle got its water, and it was their entry point.  Wading across the lake would be slow and keep them out in the open.  He understood the need for the tower shields.


    Bellrock fell back from his group to update them on the progress.  ¡°Seems like we have a bit of a problem,¡± he said.  ¡°On the far side, they can¡¯t find their crafters.  A group of six players ran on ahead to build ladders, but no one has seen them yet.  They disappeared into the forest and haven¡¯t returned.  They were led by a barbarian and a monk.  Those aren¡¯t usually the best crafters in the game, so people are worried we¡¯ve been set up.¡±


    ¡°How long can we wait?¡± Jace asked, wondering if the missing players had anything to do with Esther and Sylvester.


    ¡°The game is timed, and if we want any chance of success, we must move in the next minute.  But there is another problem.  They have Merlin.¡±  The dwarf pointed to a central tower that rose another 100 feet above the keep wall.  At the top, Jace saw a shimmering sphere and assumed the mage was inside.  ¡°He¡¯s a massively powerful guardian, impervious to arrows and magical attacks.  The only way to take him out is to destroy the tower, but if we can¡¯t make ladders, we will never finish the catapults.¡±


    Jace nodded.  Giving up wasn¡¯t an option here.  ¡°What is his range?¡±


    Before Bellrock could answer, a tiny ball of fire shot out from Merlin¡¯s location, screamed across the open plains, and exploded into the central mound.  The four players who had just made it there flattened themselves on the ground and watched several of the stone defenses crumble before them.  Arrows flew in right after, and two of the players took non-fatal hits in the legs.  They had to curl up into balls to find any cover and had no chance to return fire.  Another fireball shot in and exploded against the mound.


    Beside Jace, Draya cried out in horror.  ¡°What are they doing?  We shouldn¡¯t be attacking.  What is the purpose here?¡±


    Bellrock looked confused at this reaction and returned to the front with his people.  Jace turned to her and held her upper arms in his massive hands to look her in the eyes.  He knew those players likely had their pain settings turned down and wouldn¡¯t feel much if they died, but NPCs didn¡¯t have that luxury.  ¡°Draya, we are going to move forward.  We need to draw the fire away from those people.  I will need you to throw a fireball at that wall.¡±  He pointed to their side of the keep, where four archers were currently angling their shots toward the center.


    ¡°But it will kill them!¡± she cried.  ¡°I don¡¯t think I can do that.¡±


    Jace knew she would if he ordered her to, but he also knew that would strain their relationship.  He had to prove to her that this was a game.  Unfortunately, he could only think of one way.  ¡°Come with me,¡± he said.  ¡°We need to keep moving.¡±  She obeyed, and they caught up with the rest of their force, slowly pushing forward.


    Once they got within 500 feet, the arrows began to find their mark.  In order to shoot that far, they had to sacrifice most of their accuracy, and only lucky rolls hit them, and those found raised shields.  Jace still hadn¡¯t pulled his shield from his inventory.  The arrows were enchanted with fire or acid and did 50 magical damage at level ten.  When they missed, they ricocheted off rocks in spectacular explosions.  Some of the fighters who weren¡¯t expert bowmen had no chance of hitting anyone, and they missed on purpose, but their arrows exploded with a spread of damage, licking flames or splashing acid on a collection of raised shields. These did less damage, as it was spread out, but it all added up.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Wallace said from the front line, ¡°if you¡¯ve got a plan, now would be a good time.  Our shields can¡¯t take much more damage.¡±


    ¡°You all have more than one, right?¡±  Jace figured if they were that valuable and cheap, why not carry half a dozen of them into battle.


    ¡°Not everyone is an orc with 22 Strength,¡± Wallace shouted back, reminding Jace that she had looked at his character sheet.  ¡°Most players have pathetic Carry skill.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said that skill was useless,¡± Jace said to Gracie.


    {I guess it serves a purpose if you want to carry around an armory with you.  Now stop arguing and do something.}


    Jace stood up and boldly walked in front of the shield wall, drawing a few confusing stairs from his group.  He saw several arrows in the air and prayed to his god for an acid one.  His prayer was answered as a flaming red arrow flew just passed his head, but two glowing green shafts struck him in the chest.  The archer got no ciritcals at this distance, and the arrow damage didn¡¯t rise above his Damage Reduction.  Also, his impressive resist score helped him to save against the acid, and he only took half, with no recurring harm the next round.


    Draya watched in amazement when she saw her leader take the shots like that and flinched on his behalf, but Jace¡¯s calm expression never changed.  Even when he turned around to walk back and took a flaming arrow in the back that did extra damage, he didn¡¯t even wince.  He did hurry back behind the shield wall, however.


    ¡°What did you do that for?¡± she cried at him.  ¡°You could have been killed.¡±


    ¡°Draya,¡± he said firmly.  ¡°This is a game.  It may look like people are getting injured and dying, but it¡¯s just magical pretend.  It was real down in the lich¡¯s catacombs, but not here.  Not only is this a game, but it is a game we need to win.  And we need your help to win it, do you understand?¡±


    Draya was still staring at the arrows sticking out of his chest, dripping acid.  She couldn¡¯t wrap her mind around it quite yet, but she eventually nodded.  ¡°I will help.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace replied and pulled the arrows free.  He turned back to the wall.  ¡°Okay,¡± he shouted.  ¡°I need everyone to run forward as fast as you can 100 feet to that rocky ledge.  Once you get there, raise your shields and hold on tight.¡±


    The group responded to his call, trusting the legendary player had a plan.  The new location would put them just inside 400 feet, and in preparation for this game, Jace had asked Draya to memorize a fireball that would travel that far.


    The next volley mostly flew over their heads as the archers were still firing on the old position, and the small troupe was able to get to the new location, only taking three additional hits on three different players, one of which was Wallace.  They couldn¡¯t raise their shields while they ran.  Draya saw again how none of the players cried out in pain or gave any indication that the attacks hurt more than an annoyance.  She wasn¡¯t quite ready to take an arrow herself, but she had enough evidence now to understand this wasn¡¯t the reality she was used to.


    ¡°Okay, Draya,¡± Jace shouted.  ¡°Now we need you.¡±


    Wallace heard the call and turned to see what would happen as her shield took another few hits and was almost gone.  Draya summoned her Dragon Spirit ability, boosting all her Spirit skills by thirteen.  Her eyes glowed with power, and her red hair shined with fiery magic.  ¡°Where?¡± she asked, her voice deep and mighty.


    Jace pointed at the nearest section of the wall where three archers were firing as fast as they could and prayed none of them were NPCs who would cry out in pain from the attack.  Draya unleashed her fireball, and the massive attack dwarfed everything Merlin had produced.  It flew toward the tower like a guided missile but slow enough for the players to dive for cover.  On their narrow ledge atop the wall, they could only move side to side unless they wanted to jump 50 feet to the ground, which might have been the better option as the fireball exploded against the top of the wall, sending bodies and chunks of stone flying in every direction.


    [Dragon Fire detected.]


    As Jace got the report that someone in his party had just killed three enemy players, the rest of his group turned back in awe.  Bellrock¡¯s jaw was on the ground.  ¡°I would have never guessed,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just look at her,¡± Jace cried.  ¡°We need to charge the lake before they regroup.¡±


    ¡°You heard the orc!¡± Bellrock shouted, collecting himself.  ¡°Everyone move!¡±


    The last of the arrows that had been in flight when the fireball exploded had already clattered against their nearly spent shields, and when they looked at the smoking remains of the wall and realized no more arrows would be coming, they rose in a cheer.  They charged forward, some even taking the time to stow their damaged shields.


    ¡°Wallace!¡± Jace cried, and the paladin held up and turned.  ¡°Wait,¡± he said more quietly and motioned toward the center of the keep.


    She turned and saw the sphere of energy that held Merlin turn its attention to them and release its own massive magical attack.  It paled compared to Draya¡¯s, but it was still deadly and exploded as a lightning storm against the charging force.  The two players under level ten fell instantly, and sparks cascaded through the rest, eventually taking down a level 10 player, leaving only Bellrock standing.


    Wallace turned her attention to Draya, who had dropped a pillar of dragon fire at her feet and let the flames refresh her mana enough for her to throw another attack.  Jace pointed out a large window halfway up the wizard¡¯s tower, twenty feet below where Merlin stood, and the young mage launched another attack.  It flew unerringly through the opening and exploded against the spiral staircase in the middle.  Jace wondered what would happen when a fireball that was supposed to expand to 50 feet was contained inside a cylindrical tower only 25 feet in diameter.  He wasn¡¯t disappointed by the answer.


    Huge chunks of stone exploded out in a ring as a ten-foot-high section of the tower disintegrated.  The upper half fell straight down, violently smashing into the bottom.  The shortened pillar thought about balancing briefly before toppling backward into the keep.  A massive dust cloud rose above the wall, and Jace got another notification that Draya had killed a guardian.


    ¡°You sacrificed them,¡± Wallace said evenly.


    Jace looked toward the dead players on the ground as Bellrock cast a healing spell to save the level 10 player who still had a few HP left.  He returned to the stern face of the 14-year-old player.  ¡°Yes, I did.  I needed Merlin to attack them while Draya refreshed her mana.  If the guardian had attacked us, Draya would not have survived.  Do you think it was the wrong decision?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°I just didn¡¯t think you were capable of it.¡±


    ¡°That was awesome,¡± Draya said, running up to them.  ¡°I¡¯ve never done anything like that before.  What¡¯s next?¡±


    Jace looked about the battlefield and saw that the fight had turned drastically in their favor.  With Merlin out of the picture, the players were ready to storm the central entrance and could now move out of their cover position and walk slowly with shields raised.  One of the archers in the central mound had died, but the other two could now offer cover fire.  The group on the far side had given up on ever getting ladders and were racing to the middle of the keep to help with the main assault.


    The drawbridge door was raised, and Jace didn¡¯t see a good way to cross the moat to open it.  He turned to Draya, who should still have a few rounds of Dragon Spirit in her.  ¡°Wallace, please give Draya some cover and run over there to blast that door open.¡±


    As he watched the pair race toward the center of the battlefield to get the mage in range, Jace talked to Gracie.  ¡°How¡¯s Esther doing?¡±


    {Let me check,} Gracie said.  She took a moment to change her perspective.  {Why that rotten bastard!  She¡¯s being ambushed.  Looks like the monk and barbarian who are supposed to be building ladders.  She¡¯s in trouble.  She might not . . . no . . . wait . . .WOW . . . okay, never mind.  She¡¯s fine.}


    Jace smiled, happy his companion could take care of herself.  He watched Draya and Wallace get within range and launch the third fireball in 10 rounds.  This one hit the wooden draw bridge hard, ripping apart the anchor points at the top that kept it closed, and the enormous plank crashed down over the water.  The attacking force had a mage with them, and after a burst of frost put out the fire, the fighters raced across the bridge into the castle.


    Wallace and Draya returned a few seconds later, the young woman looking flushed and tired now that her spell had ended.  ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jace said.  Snowy had escaped significant injury so far and looked like she had only taken a few splashes of acid on her fur.  The group ran up to Bellrock, who was helping his lone companion to his feet.  ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The two dead players had already disappeared, their bodies whisked back to the staging area where they would wait until the end of the battle.  If Bellrock had determined that Jace had sacrificed them as a distraction, he didn¡¯t say anything.  Or maybe he also agreed it was the right decision once he saw what Draya had been able to do to Merlin.  ¡°We are good.  Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The group only had a few hundred feet to go to the lake¡¯s edge but pulled up short when they were still fifty feet away.  Another guardian stood before them.

 Chapter 16: Precision and Persuasion

    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± Jace asked. The question was directed at Gracie, but Wallace replied.


    ¡°That is the Dragon Knight, undoubtedly sent our way because Draya is throwing around dragon fire. He is immune to fire, cold, and acid. He is a bear to hit and deals a ton of damage with that sword.¡±


    Jace could see he wore red dragon-scale armor, carried a black dragon shield, and had a white dragon helm. Draya¡¯s attacks would do nothing to hurt him. He was level 15, and Jace didn¡¯t think Wallace would stand a chance against him one-on-one.


    ¡°But he isn¡¯t the problem,¡± Wallace added. ¡°His minions are.¡±


    ¡°What minions?¡± Jace asked but then got his answer.


    Two swirling portals opened on either side of the knight, and red-skinned kobolds carrying axes and shields came running out. When the first pair was 15 feet from the knight, two more followed behind. ¡°How many will there be?¡± Jace asked, drawing Diamond Etcher and stalking toward the approaching monsters.


    ¡°Twenty,¡± Wallace said over his shoulder, keeping her distance. ¡°Once they¡¯ve swarmed you, it¡¯s over. We need to run.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Jace said, swinging his weapon before himself to limber his arms. He hadn¡¯t done any fighting yet. ¡°Gracie, give me some numbers.¡± While he waited, he cast his Athletic boon on himself and found a flat stone to cast his Armor totem. The ground was just rocky enough to let him reap the bonus.


    {Um . . . almost . . .there, yes, I found them. Okay, like most swarm creatures, their individual attacks are relatively low and rely on the bonuses they get from swarming. A Dynamic Parry roll of at least 16 should guarantee you a double critical success unless they roll a twenty. In return, if you get at least an 18 in attack, you should get a critical hit, plus one from your weapon. Add those four criticals together for 5x damage, and you will just do enough above their DR to exceed half their HP.¡±


    Jace saw the little monsters each had over 400 health, startling high for kobolds, even ones at level 15.


    ¡°If you take advantage of your weapon¡¯s Cleave ability, which lets you do a second critical each round if the first leaves an opponent Helpless or worse, you should be able to keep up with the summoning.¡±


    Jace nodded, taking it all in. Already there were six of them, with two being added every round. ¡°In other words, I have to be perfect.¡± He needed a kill shot on each attack, or the monsters would surround him. They would still have a low attack, but he would have to put his parry ability on automatic to keep up with attackers behind him, and that meant 25% of his rolls would be at five or below. He would quickly be overwhelmed.


    The first two fire kobolds attacked one after the other, trying to spread out Jace¡¯s defense, but his longsword was up to the task. He blocked both shots perfectly, beating the strikes by more than 20, and then returned with devastating blows to each, getting the four criticals and 5x damage he needed. Both monsters failed their Death Saves and dropped to the ground bleeding out.


    The next pair fell the same way, and Jace got into a rhythm. Each creature was controlled by the same script and attacked similarly. It was like memorizing a pattern in a video game; once he got it down, Jace couldn¡¯t be touched. Of course, Jace was in a video game and smiled at the irony.


    Finally, the fifteenth kobold tripped on a rock and used the tumble to attack low at Jace¡¯s leg. The variation in the pattern almost stumped him, but he still managed a 14-parry. It only beat the monster¡¯s attack by 18, and his 4x damage attack wouldn¡¯t be enough, so he chose Stun instead, using all three ciritcals to boost the difficulty. The monster stood still, and Jace kicked him backward. ¡°Snowy!¡± he cried. ¡°Have dinner.¡± He knew the wolf was hurt and didn¡¯t appreciate feeding on victims already bleeding out on the ground. The next kobold attacked with a 20, but Jace responded in kind, and his Extra Critical feat ensured he still got 5x damage.


    After the twentieth kobold fell to the ground, it finished the macabre border highlighting Jace¡¯s path toward the knight. It was like someone had laid out the red carpet for him. If the dragon warrior was impressed, he didn¡¯t show it. Instead, he charged the orc and attacked while Jace recast his Athletic boon.


    Jace blocked the strike and earned one critical success; he then returned the attack with a 19 and got only one more, as the AC of the knight was impressive. That still allowed him to triple his damage, and even though the knight had a DR of almost 50, over 100 points made it through. Jace¡¯s second attack hit home too, but very little of it landed above his DR. Still, that was over 100 damage in a round, and this knight¡¯s impressive 1,000 HP would be gone in ten.


    It didn¡¯t take that long, as halfway through the fight, Snowy joined in by jumping on the knight¡¯s back. The combination of her bites and claws and the flanking bonus it gave Jace meant the dragon knight fell to the ground after only eight rounds. Jace eyed his still form, wishing he could take some of his equipment, but knew this module didn¡¯t allow permanent transfer of items. Instead, he sheathed his sword, scratched Snowy behind the ears to tell her what a good girl she was, and turned to the small crowd behind him.


    ¡°That was unbelievable,¡± Wallace said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone doing that before. I don¡¯t even . . . my brother said you never rolled below an 18 in attack. I don¡¯t . . . how . . . what cheat code are you running?¡±


    ¡°Practice,¡± Jace said. ¡°Years of lightsaber training.¡±


    ¡°You mean that was all manual? You did that for real? Nobody does that. It¡¯s crazy. And you were rolling dice on your parries too. What was that all about? You only failed a double-critical parry once. I¡¯ve seen one of those kobolds take out a good level 12 fighter before. You¡¯re a shaman for crying out loud.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen my character sheet,¡± was the only explanation Jace gave.


    Bellrock and his friend came up behind Wallace in equal amazement. ¡°The legend is real,¡± the dwarf said. ¡°No one will believe me when I tell them. It¡¯s a good thing my operator is recording. But we need to get going. The knight should have a key.¡± Bellrock stooped by the dead body and pulled a silver key from his inventory.


    The dwarf could barely keep his head above the water, but he and his human friend waded across the lake free from arrow attacks, unlocked the gate on the other side, and joined the rest of the attackers in the castle.


    Wallace was still looking at the two perfect lines of dying kobolds, the first of whom had just now lost all their HP, lining the path to the dead knight. She couldn¡¯t believe that combat sequence had really just happened.


    ¡°Where to next?¡± Jace asked. ¡°How do we access the tunnel underground where Esther is?¡±


    ¡°A drain,¡± she said, her mind still trying to cope with what Draya and Jace had done so far. She shook her head clear to focus on the task at hand. ¡°A drain in the middle of the lake. The moat fills it up, and it has to go somewhere.¡±


    Jace led Draya, Snowy, and Wallace into the water, and they moved to the center of the pond, where a slight whirlpool was visible. Jace could reach down into the water without putting his head under, and his big orc fingers barely fit through the drain louvers. He heaved with all his impressive might, but it wouldn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°It¡¯s locked with a chain,¡± Wallace said. ¡°Sylvester said several people have tried to lift it after Strength boons bring them even above your score, but no one can. It needs to be unlocked from below. The chain holding it down is anchored at the end of Esther¡¯s tunnel. She needs to open it, and then we can get in.¡±


    ¡°Does she have a key?¡±


    ¡°Why would she need a key?¡± Wallace asked. ¡°She¡¯s a level 13 rogue. Sylvester said the lock isn¡¯t hard. If Esther could unlock the demon stone from your stronghold, she can unlock this.¡±


    Jace rolled his eyes. So that¡¯s how people thought he did it. ¡°She doesn¡¯t open locks. She¡¯s not that kind of rogue. She kills people.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you kill that orc without-¡±


    ¡°Not Important,¡± Jace said, reaching down to the grate to try and lift it again. ¡°We need to get this open.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Wallace said. ¡°Or, at least, Sylvester said you can¡¯t. The chain is unbreakable. It is constructed from adamantium or something. Your goblin crafter probably made it. Esther needs to pick the lock.¡±


    ¡°Not . . . Gonna . . . Happen . . .¡± Jace said, straining with every fiber of his being to lift the grate. It hadn¡¯t budged a millimeter yet.


    ¡°Draya,¡± he called. The woman was trying to keep her dress from floating up around her hips. ¡°Come over here. Cast your Dragon Strength and try to help me lift this.¡± Jace figured the +13 to her Carry skill would allow her to lift more than average.


    Soon the two of them were straining with every last muscle they had, but Draya had to do it with her head underwater. She was a second from losing her breath when the grate finally popped open. Jace flew backward through the air as if shot from a trebuchet, splashing down 40 feet from the opening.


    Wallace stifled a laugh as the big orc picked himself up out of the water. ¡°I guess Sylvester was wrong. They must have never tried to have a dragon and an orc lift it together.¡±


    ¡°You really want my secret to success?¡± Jace asked Wallace, walking back and panting heavily. ¡°There is always a way. You just need to find it. Now get down that hole. I need to catch my breath, or I¡¯ll drown.¡±


    Wallace was the first through, then a very reluctant Snowy, who did not want to put her head below water. Draya was already soaked but hesitated before going under. ¡°What is that?¡± She pointed back along the keep and up above the open drawbridge. Several heads of a massive beast were swaying in the air over the wall. They could see characters in its massive jaws. Those it didn¡¯t bite in half were flung into the air and out over the field.


    ¡°Oh, it is probably just a demonic hydra slaughtering the rest of our attacking forces,¡± Jace said nonchalantly.


    Draya shook her head. ¡°This game is weird.¡± She gave one last look and dunked her head under the water.


    Jace looked at the mammoth creature for a few more seconds as he reigned in his panting. As long as they were alive, the attackers couldn¡¯t officially lose, but it didn¡¯t look good. He held his breath and squeezed his oversized body through the narrow drain.


    It was a short drop to the lower level, and Draya had wisely moved out of the way before Jace dropped down. He landed on another, much larger, metal grate suspended over a fast-running channel. All the water drained through the floor and rushed away into the darkness, likely to be fed into the other end of the moat. Jace stepped out of the waterfall and onto dry cobblestone. He was soaked and watched as Draya flamed herself until she was mostly dry and Snowy rung herself out in typical canine fashion. Jace and Wallace would just have to stay wet. This basement area was magically lit, and he soon found the chain tied to the open end of the grate above. The line was still taut, and none of the links appeared broken or stretched. It disappeared into a hole in the wall and must have been anchored in the neighboring room. A large door was barred on their side, and after Wallace and Jace opened it, the portal swung in, and they found Esther waiting on the other side.


    ¡°No one told me I had to find a key,¡± she said, clearly perturbed. ¡°Luckily, it was the last troll in line. If I had to go back to the beginning of the tunnel to kill everyone, I would have run out of fire. I definitely didn¡¯t expect the lock to pop open like that, either. It must have been under a lot of pressure.¡±


    Wallace laughed and looked at Jace. ¡°You want to know what I think the secret to your success is?¡±


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The orc rolled his eyes. ¡°I know, we¡¯re looking at her.¡±


    Draya hugged Esther and asked if she was okay. After the vampire briefly explained what she had been through, Draya relayed what they had done and seen. The last piece of her story was news to Wallace.


    ¡°A hydra?¡± she asked, looking at Jace for confirmation. He nodded. ¡°That¡¯s a bold move,¡± she continued. ¡°That guardian usually kills as many defenders as it does attackers. I guess when they heard Jace Thorne was coming, they got desperate.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t acknowledge the comment and led his team forward. They walked through low ceilings and dank corridors for a minute before exiting into a large, well-lit space. Tables and shelves filled the area with every kind of trinket and ingredient imaginable. Roots and herbs, bones and fur, iron and gold, diamonds and sapphires. It just went on and on. In the middle of the room, an odd goblin scurried about as if putting together a mammoth jigsaw puzzle where the pieces were scattered across ten tables. Once every six seconds, there was a flash of magic, and he held a completed arrow, dagger, or potion. He made his way over to a collection of medieval-looking vacuum tubes, seemingly picked one at random, and the item was sucked up into the ceiling and out of view.


    Jace started toward the goblin, but Wallace held his arm for a second. Looming ahead of them were two 8-foot-tall adamantium golems with balled fists the size of prize-winning pumpkins. Jace eyed the automatons warily, hoping they would soon be on his side.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Wallace asked. ¡°I sent you what I know of this encounter. No one has been able to convince him to make them anything, and any pressure applied results in death.¡± She looked up again at the golems.


    Jace smiled. ¡°No one else had this.¡± He wasn¡¯t using his illusion necklace for its intended purpose, so he swapped it out with the amulet that had initially enabled him to inhabit this orc. He held it up for Wallace to see.


    {You still have that thing?} Gracie said, but then her mind began to work out the possibilities.


    Jace explained it to Wallace. ¡°This unique item allowed Gracie to monitor characters in the game as if she were their operator and they were VR players. She originally used it to control an AI paladin that could get through the first five levels of the Level 50 crystal module. Then, when my orc picked it up and reprogrammed it to his character, it allowed me to inhabit his body. It only had a 36-hour charge on it, so after a few modules, it didn¡¯t work anymore. Refueling it with mana required a spell that I can¡¯t get access to, and it wouldn¡¯t have given us any benefit.¡±


    ¡°But if you give it to Gromphy,¡± Wallace said, understanding the plan, ¡°he will steal it, program it for himself, and recharge it.¡±


    Jace nodded. ¡°Assuming he needs to wear it to accomplish all that, Gracie will have a few seconds where she can look at his character sheet and adjust certain settings. Primarily we need his Party Member status to change from No to Yes. Then I hope to tempt him with a few specialized items I have collected that will make the idea of working with me an irresistible offer.¡±


    Wallace nodded. ¡°It might work,¡± she agreed. ¡°Definitely different than what others have tried.¡±


    Jace smiled at her appraisal of his plan and started forward. She grabbed his arm again. ¡°Just be careful. Conversing with him is like talking to a dragon. It¡¯s all double-speak and insults. Any wrong phrase, and he will kill us before you get a chance.¡±


    Jace nodded, and she finally let him go on ahead. He analyzed the goblin as he approached the central table in the room. He wasn¡¯t like the feral creatures Jace had fought against in the game so far. Gromphy was refined, wearing a tailored black suit with a red vest. Tufts of white hair stuck out from under a bowler hat, flanked on either side by pointed ears that were each as long as his forearm. He wore glasses, had a gold watch chain hanging from his breast pocket, and carried a dozen tools arranged neatly on his belt.


    Gromphy was mumbling to himself about range bonuses, splash damage, and healing potions. As Jace¡¯s towering presence drew closer, the scampering goblin finally regarded his appearance briefly but continued with his work. ¡°What foul stench is this?¡± he said, not meeting Jace¡¯s eyes. ¡°The rankest compound of villainous odor that ever offended a nostril.¡± He hesitated momentarily and did look up at Jace¡¯s orc face as something triggered in his mind. ¡°Nay, not villainous, but an unmuzzled sodden bugbear wrapped in a bloated elf skin.¡± He paused further, trying to decide if Jace warranted additional interaction, but eventually tossed his hands in the air. ¡°Bah, methink¡¯st thou art a general offense, and every soul should beat thee.¡±


    Jace stepped back at the unexpected retort and turned partly toward Wallace. ¡°Oh, yes,¡± she said. ¡°I almost forgot. He speaks in Shakespeare.¡±


    Jace rolled his eyes but pushed forward. ¡°I¡¯ve come for your assistance. I have an item that needs tending.¡±


    ¡°Come to delay my work,¡± Gromphy muttered, finishing a blue sparking arrow and sending it up a tube. ¡°Come to distract from pressing business.¡± He picked up an iron ingot and pulled it into a blade as if stretching playdough. ¡°Come to breathe putrescence into my sanitary confines and infect my work.¡± He inserted a gem at the dagger¡¯s base, and a leather thong wrapped the pommel. The weapon was completed in only a few seconds, and he sent it above. ¡°Away with you! I¡¯d pound thee, but it would soil my golem¡¯s hands!¡±


    ¡°He speaks nonsense,¡± Esther said, standing further back with the rest of the group, staying clear of the golems that flanked the central table. ¡°We should go.¡±


    Jace wondered if the woman had the Intelligence or Wisdom scores to understand a word the goblin said.


    ¡°The strumpet speaks ill of thy loitering,¡± the goblin called back over his shoulder. ¡°A wise utterance uncommon for lips accustomed to foolishness and debauchery.¡± He stopped and stared at Jace. ¡°Thou should heed them and tarry not. All is almost finished above.¡± He returned to his crafting, sending a blue potion to the defenders.


    Jace heard giggling behind him and marked the high pitch sound as belonging to Draya. Her Intelligence ability easily deciphered the goblin¡¯s words. Likely she thought it was just another delightful oddity of this game.


    ¡°Just as well, I suppose,¡± Jace said. ¡°I feared this item would be outside your abilities. I shall go to Corrin Goldhammer as I should have from the first. Good day, sir goblin.¡±


    The tiny, gray-skinned crafter was at the table in a flash, staring hard into Jace¡¯s eyes. ¡°Thy presence is a vile enough atrocity without speaking the name of that son of a bearded sprite. What hast thou to showeth and maketh it quick. Death is ripe above, and I¡¯m quick for harvest.¡±


    Jace smiled at the goblin¡¯s sense of pride and greed. He took the amulet off his neck and laid it on the table. ¡°I have not been able to . . .¡± he started, but Gromphy snatched it off the workbench, cocked his head curiously at the unique item, and then put it around his neck.


    ¡°Gracie?¡± Jace asked.


    {Working on it,} she replied. {My word . . . }


    ¡°Don¡¯t care about that now,¡± Jace said. ¡°We can gawk at his character sheet later. I need him in my party first.¡±


    {Only change his party availability?} she asked.


    Jace didn¡¯t know how much of his skill as a crafter was wrapped up in his other idiosyncrasies. To change anything else might jeopardize his usefulness. Either way, he didn¡¯t get a chance to advise her. Gromphy kept the amulet on for the bare minimum six seconds that made up a round, then ripped it from his neck and tossed it over his shoulder. Jace watched as it skittered across the clean stone floor, found a metal grate, and fell into some unknown sewer. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d ever be seeing that necklace again.


    {Don¡¯t worry,} Gracie said in his head. {I changed him. His party status was the only thing. You might wish we had done more.}


    ¡°Thou wasteth my time with that nonsense? Tis not even of these realms. Some dimensional voodoo to ensnare my talents?¡±


    ¡°To test you,¡± Jace replied. ¡°Before I bring out the true prizes.¡±


    As repulsed by the intrusion into his nature the amulet had exposed, it was the most intriguing thing the goblin had ever examined, and his mind was still working out how something like that could be crafted. If this orc had more offerings of a similar design for him, they might be worth his time. Gromphy didn¡¯t immediately scamper back to work but gave his guest a few seconds to produce something else. The change Gracie had made forced the goblin to consider offers made by potential party members.


    ¡°Esther,¡± Jace called, having entrusted the woman with his valuable merchandise. She would have picked anything off him anyway.


    The rogue approached cautiously, not liking the look of the formidable golems or this abrasive goblin. She thought the runt had insulted her before but wasn¡¯t positive. Gromphy eyed up Esther with equal disdain, and Jace feared a rivalry was emerging in his ranks.


    ¡°What could she . . .¡± Gromphy started but stopped when Esther began producing items. She placed the life and mana stones on the table, quickly pulling them from her gem bag. She had to go into her inventory to produce the following two items: the empty vial that had held the dragon elixir and a collection of narrow bones about 20 inches in length. Esther wisely placed them on her side of the table, making it almost impossible for the short-armed goblin to reach them without scampering up on top. He didn¡¯t need to touch the stones to feel their power and marvel at them. The vial and bones needed to be examined more closely, and Jace pushed one of the slender white shafts toward him first. They were from the wings of pterashrikes, rare gigantic bats that attacked players in the fourth stage of the first module Jace had played. He hadn¡¯t killed the flying creatures, as that had been Gracie¡¯s premade paladin that Jace was supposed to have been playing, but that completed module was still accessible to him. The climb into the ravine had been treacherous, but Esther¡¯s dexterity and Jace¡¯s ability to summon rocks as handholds had made the retrieval possible. He hadn¡¯t known this was what he would use them for, but he was glad he had spent the time to collect them.


    Gromphy picked them up. ¡°With this . . .¡± his voice trailed off at the possibilities.


    ¡°Level fifteen arrows?¡± Jace hoped.


    ¡°At a minimum,¡± he replied.


    Jace offered him the empty vial next, and the goblin smelled the residue inside. His eyes went wide. ¡°A red dragon.¡± He sniffed again. ¡°Level 38?¡±


    ¡°Forty-two,¡± Jace corrected.


    ¡°Thou hast the carcass still?¡±


    Jace nodded. Dayrin had said he and Draya had hidden the dragon¡¯s body, and since it was in his private MIM, no other players would be looking for it. Gandhi had thought to rob Jace of the chance to face the beast, but giving him access to its dead body might be better.


    ¡°Thou hast tempted me,¡± Gromphy said, ¡°but I must not . . .¡± he looked back toward the vacuum tubes. He hadn¡¯t sent anything to the defenders in several rounds.


    Jace nudged Esther, and she produced the final item. It was the level 50 crystal. Despite his pride and formality, the goblin lost his composure and practically drooled over the gem. He finally did climb up on the table and lunged for it, but Esther stepped back quicker.


    ¡°Thou dull-witted mother of a whoreson! I must have it!¡±


    Jace grabbed the goblin¡¯s arm before he could jump off the table to pursue the rogue. ¡°I shall give you access to it and anything else you can think of and many things you haven¡¯t. Join me. Leave this sorry excuse for a lab, and I will build you a workshop that would make DaVinci jealous.¡± He hoped the reference wasn¡¯t lost on the goblin. It wasn¡¯t.


    Jace offered Gromphy membership into his party.


    [Gromphy has joined your party.]


    Instantly his relationship with Jace changed, and he treated him with respect. ¡°We must maketh haste, sir orc,¡± he said, scampering back over his table once Jace released him. ¡°The battle is waning, and its end spelleth my fate. Help collect my wares.¡± The goblin moved to an ornate chest and opened the lid with a flourish of mana. He then began throwing items inside with such reckless abandon that Jace was sure things would break. Glass bottles, ceramic kettles, diffusers, dishes, decanters, and many other vessels flew into the box, but not a sound of clatter or shattering came from inside. And it was obviously extra-dimensional, as several of the racks and shelves he shoved in were taller than the chest was deep, but they all fit with room to spare.


    He shouted directions at the rest of the group, bringing Wallace and Draya into service. Even Snowy began collecting items and trinkets for their new companion, though she was tempted to eat a few of the small, caged animals. Only Esther stood by dumbfounded, not understanding a word the goblin shouted. She only collected the items she had brought before the goblin could get his greedy hands on them. Gromphy spared no insult toward her, using words Jace thought he would have to look up later. Whatever respect their new relationship afforded the orc, it wasn¡¯t transferred to the vampire.


    ¡°You¡¯d think with a chest that large, he would have room for a potion to fix his ugly face,¡± Esther muttered.


    ¡°And one dares wonder how a chest as large as thine doest not pitch thee forward with each step,¡± Gromphy countered.


    Draya laughed out loud and dropped a tray of rainbow test tubes on the floor. Each one burst into a colorful poisonous snake. The creatures gained their bearings just in time to be consumed by a torrent of dragon fire. Gromphy¡¯s head popped up and turned toward the young woman. She gave the goblin a sheepishly apologetic look, fearing a cutting insult, but he only smiled in return and kept working.


    It took several rounds, but soon the workspace comprised empty tables and barren shelves. The only things remaining of any value were the two adamantium golems. Gromphy approached one of the deadly statues and said a few words. The giant shrunk to the size of a hand-held figurine, and the crafter deftly stored it in a belt pouch.


    ¡°And the other one?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Tis but an illusion,¡± the crafter admitted. With the real golem gone, the other image only lasted the rest of the round and then flickered into nothing. ¡°Mine skills art great,¡± he said with no shortage of arrogance, ¡°but not that great.¡±


    ¡°Skilled at nonsense,¡± Esther weakly jabbed back, finally understanding something he said.


    ¡°Silence, churlish onion-eyed harpy, keep thy lips unlike thy knees: occasionally closed.¡±


    Draya snickered again while Esther scowled at the goblin.


    Gromphy wasn¡¯t satisfied with the room yet, pulled three large devices from his inventory, and charged them with mana. They resembled oblong green gourds and flexed like living creatures were trying to hatch from them. He placed them in a triangular pattern, encompassing most of the room. ¡°We must flee now,¡± he warned. ¡°There is a back exit.¡± He stopped by the large chest, which still had enough room for him to fit inside if he wanted and beckoned it to his inventory. The ornate box disappeared into the slight frame of the creature, and he moved without the slightest hint of encumbrance. ¡°With all haste!¡± he called, then ran out through the back of the room.


    Jace and Snowy were quick after the goblin, with Esther reluctantly behind. Draya hesitated, feeling the magical power in the items left behind and searching them out with a Detect Magic spell.


    ¡°What are they?¡± Wallace asked, still marveling at every new thing she saw. She had never played the game like this and understood why Jace was as advanced as he was.


    ¡°Acid bombs,¡± Draya said, moving around the tables after the rest of the party. ¡°They will disintegrate everything in this room. We have seconds.¡± She ran past the stationary paladin and through the back exit.


    Wallace smiled, knowing the worst that could happen was that she would wake up outside the module if she failed. The paladin ran to the closest bomb, picked up the pulsating sphere, and then fed it into one of the vacuum tubes, whisking it up to the defenders above and, hopefully, the hydra. She did the same with the second bomb, sending it up a different tube. She had just put her hands on the third device when it exploded, and her world disintegrated into an ocean of vibrant green.

 Chapter 17: The Goblin Crafter

    Jace got the notification when Wallace died.  He was running through the lower tunnels of the keep, chasing the remarkably fast goblin crafter.  He figured the experienced player knew what she was doing and had that confirmed two rounds later when he got the alert that Wallace had killed a guardian.  It didn¡¯t take him long to figure out how.


    Gromphy led them through a narrow tunnel that ended in a magical doorway made of swirling blue light.  Snowy barked her apprehension, but as the goblin disappeared through it, Jace wasn¡¯t about to lose his newest party member and followed after.  His other three members were quick behind him.


    After the bright glow of the portal, Jace¡¯s eyes took a moment to adjust to his surroundings, and he had to blink several times before he saw that he was back in the staging area just outside the tavern and looking back through the curtain, which was now impassable from their side.  Most of the rest of the attacking force was there.  Jace saw the two members of Bellrock¡¯s group that had been killed in Merlin¡¯s attack, along with the level ten human that must have died after he and the dwarf entered the castle.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Esther said, tapping him on the shoulder and pointing.  ¡°Can I go kill him?¡±  He feared she meant the goblin, who stood close by Jace¡¯s legs.  With his entire magical arsenal tucked away inside his chest, he was pretty defenseless out in the open.  But Esther was pointing at someone else who had mistreated her.


    Sylvester sat naked on the ground, trying to avoid people¡¯s eyes, and waited as patiently as he could for this game to be over.  He would get back all his equipment and clothes, but not until the end.  If he left before then, all his items were forfeited.  He hadn¡¯t brought much, knowing the benefit of retiring early and the risk of leaving something behind, but he hadn¡¯t expected to be stripped of everything.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you can kill him here,¡± Jace said.  ¡°But if you ever see him out in the realms, you have my permission.¡±


    ¡°You made it.¡±  Another familiar voice turned Jace around, and he saw Wallace standing behind him, wearing a big grin.  ¡°I took the shortcut,¡± she said.


    She was reincarnated after her death with no hint of the acid burns that must have ended her life, and her clothes were dry.  ¡°You took out a guardian,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Congratulations.  I imagine that was worth a load of experience.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± she agreed, ¡°and now you owe me.¡±


    Jace looked confused.  ¡°I thought we were square after this.  I answered all your questions, you watched me work, and you even got an unauthorized look at our character sheets.  I would say you now owe me.¡±


    ¡°You owe me a Constitution point,¡± she clarified.  ¡°As soon as this game is over, I will bump to level ten and miss my last chance at Olympus.  I have a system, and you ruined it.  We should have only gotten 50k for winning this thing.  I was 70k from level ten and thought I would be safe.  I didn¡¯t realize my party would kill all three guardians. Though, I guess I should have assumed.¡±  Her eyes went down to Gromphy, who tried not to look as scared as he was, out in the open with all these combative players.  ¡°Also, maybe you can craft me a sword or shield at some point.¡±


    Jace laughed.  ¡°Fine, I will break the game again and figure out a way to get you another point to your Constitution.  And you can stop by my stronghold anytime to get a custom build.  However, until then, I must be going.  I got what I wanted, and my time is short.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she balked.  ¡°You can¡¯t wait three minutes?¡±


    Jace glanced at the curtain guarding the entry back into the game and saw a timer ticking down again.  This time it displayed the time left in the game, which was now under three minutes.


    ¡°You are 27k from level 14,¡± she said.  ¡°You will go up another level as soon as Bellrock runs across the finish line with the flag.  Do you really care so little for this game that you wouldn¡¯t take advantage of that?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  He had only cared about getting up to ten so he could meet Drescher.  Now his leveling up seemed involuntary.  {She¡¯s right, Jace,} Gracie said.  {You can afford to wait another minute.}


    Jace shrugged and looked out into the battlefield.  The castle was hard to see in the darkness, as the sun had now completely set, but he could make out motion a hundred yards away.  Soon a dwarven silhouette was discernable, and he saw Bellrock proudly waving the flag in the air.  He was covered in acid burns, but he had survived, and as soon as he breached the curtain with 90 seconds to spare, the crowd cheered.  Everyone instantly gained 50k experience, and another cheer when up as most low-level players advanced.


    Jace heard several groups announce there would be a celebration in the Roasted Troll Tavern, which would stay open for another two hours after the game, offering free drinks to the winners.  The idea of sitting around the table with Bellrock¡¯s team, drinking bears, eating meat, reliving the game they had just played, and discussing in a group what the best feats were and where they should spend their skill points sounded fun, and it reminded him of his RPG days.  But Jace wasn¡¯t here to have fun.


    Everyone also got all their equipment back, and Jace saw Sylvester hastily dress himself and then make his way to the travel node as quickly as possible.  Jace checked his inventory and saw that the tower shield Wallace had lent him was gone.  He returned to the game and saw Wallace heading to the tavern, laughing with Bellrock and patting each other on the back.  The dwarf had no idea she had been the one to send the acid attack up at the hydra, and she had no idea he had almost been killed by it.


    {Maybe another time,} Gracie said, understanding his longing, {but you do need to go now.  This only took 90 minutes of our 12 hours, but time is still short.}


    [Sir Wallace Wilhelm has left your party.]


    Jace sighed deeply, found his way to the travel node, and left.


    <hr>


    Jace transported his team to their front door, and Esther and Draya raced inside to find Trixna and tell her what had happened.  He let them run ahead and then told Snowy to find Topper and bring him to the dining area.


    ¡°Gnomes?¡± Gromphy asked, looking at the opening to the stronghold and the carefully carved designs on the wall.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Built by gnomes, but they stay in the lower levels.  I defeated the orcs who held them captive, and they have responded by letting us live in the upper levels while making the cavern as luxurious as possible.¡±


    ¡°Thou art an orc,¡± he responded.


    ¡°I am many things, master craftsman, and one of them is short on time.  Come with me.¡±


    Jace led him into the cave and watched his reaction.  For someone who spent all his time crafting marvelous things, it took a bit to impress him.  But the smooth walls, intricate details, and magical lights did the trick.  It was hard to believe they were in a cave, and it was much nicer than the dingy tunnels that led to his old laboratory.  As a goblin, he shouldn¡¯t mind living underground with dirt and worms, but Jace could already tell he had refined tastes.


    They moved through the vaulted room and toward Esther and Draya¡¯s quarters.  Jace heard the women talking excitedly in the room next door, where Trixna stayed, hoping the female orc wouldn¡¯t resent that she wasn¡¯t taken on these adventures.  As they entered Esther¡¯s room, Gromphy saw the decorations and could identify the primary occupant. He mumbled something about entering the harlot¡¯s den but quickly changed his tune once Jace began pointing out all the amenities.  Running hot and cold water on demand, lights and fires that could start with minimal mana, mirrors, windows that regulated weather and sunshine, floors and sinks that cleaned themselves, and many other magical considerations that were as foreign to the goblin as a respectable orc.


    ¡°I shalt have access to such luxuries too?¡± he asked.


    ¡°As many as you want or can think of.  Between you and the gnomes, I imagine we can make anything, and Trixna can ward many of the simple things you overlook.¡±


    ¡°What dost thou need?¡± Gromphy said, turning to look up at Jace, not intimidated by the height difference.  ¡°One doth not idly cast dragon fire, command vampires, tame wolves, and manipulate the likes of me for no purpose.  It must be profound.¡±


    ¡°I need to make a bow shot from 800 feet that will instantly kill a level 15 storm shaman.  It must be from physical damage because any flash of magic will be detected and ruin our surprise attack.  And I will need to make two shots in a row, so it can¡¯t be a one-off.¡±


    ¡°Thou canst make such a shot.¡±


    Jace assumed the goblin could see his character sheet.  Most crafters would have to know game-specific details of the players they interacted with, or they wouldn¡¯t be able to supply them with customized items.


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t.  But I know someone who can if he has the right equipment.  Can you make it?¡±


    ¡°A dragon wing bow,¡± he replied.  ¡°Doth the beast thee possess retain both wings?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know, but he assumed so.  He nodded.  If it didn¡¯t, he would cross that bridge later.  ¡°Come with me.  This will not be your room.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Maker,¡± Gromphy replied.  He followed Jace out through the hall and found Snowy and Topper in the dining room.  There was an empty storage area adjacent to the kitchen equipped with drains in the floor, and he thought it was close enough to the outer wall that the gnomes could punch a hole outside if the crafter wanted it.


    ¡°This will be your room,¡± Jace said.  He motioned to the gnome.  ¡°Tell Topper everything you want, and the gnomes can build it.¡±


    The scout looked at the newest member of Jace¡¯s troupe and swallowed hard.  It was bad enough that there were still orcs in these caves; now there was a goblin too, but once Gromphy started to speak, the gnome changed his opinion instantly. The two conversed quickly, and soon Topper disappeared and returned with the elder gnome who managed most of the work.  The new gnome and the goblin were both crafters with very different skill sets, but they understood what could be done and were soon marking cutouts for the walls and deciding where to carve an adjoining bedroom.


    Jace left them to hash it out and returned to talk with the women.  He hesitated at the door to Trixna¡¯s room, listening to see if they were doing anything he shouldn¡¯t be barging in on, but as his mind imagined what that might be, he shook his head and strode in.  Or, at least, he tried to.  A ward blocked his entrance.


    The orc didn¡¯t think that should be possible in his own stronghold, and as he reached out to the spell, he felt he could overrule it, but he didn¡¯t.  It didn¡¯t really make sense.  More often than not, Trixna begged Jace to come to bed with her in the evenings and had shown no need for privacy with any of the occupants of this cavern, even the gnomes.  Though she hadn¡¯t pressed her sexual desire on him in a while, so perhaps things were changing.


    Jace decided not to think about it.  ¡°Esther!  Draya!  We need to talk.¡±


    The voices inside grew hushed, and he heard fabric rustling that implied the women were getting up and moving around.  He backed up several steps so it didn¡¯t look like he was trying to push against the ward.  Soon the rogue and mage stood in the doorway with the orc priestess towering over them from behind.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°Yes, Jace?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°I need you to go on another mission.  Shouldn¡¯t be any fighting or danger, but you never know.¡±


    ¡°Tell me we don¡¯t have to go with that horrible goblin,¡± Esther pleaded.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s funny,¡± Draya said.  ¡°And kind of cute.¡±  Everyone looked at her curiously.  She grew timid.  ¡°You know, in a gobliny kind of way.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Esther said plainly.  ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace interrupted the exchange, ¡°you have to go with the horrible goblin.¡±  He looked at Draya.  ¡°I need you to take them to where you and Master Dayrin hid the dragon.¡±


    Esther¡¯s eyes lit up at this.  She had never seen a dragon before and might be willing to put up with Gromphy¡¯s insults for a chance.  Jace continued.  ¡°He needs to salvage some of it to make the bow I need, and we might as well take as many scales, teeth, and horns as we can to make all kinds of other equipment.¡±  He turned to look specifically at Esther.  ¡°If you are nice to him, he might make you something powerful or upgrade what you already have.  Either way,¡± he looked at all three of them now, ¡°it needs to happen tonight.¡±


    ¡°I have class in the morning,¡± Draya said, though she had enough constitution to last 36 hours without sleep if needed.


    ¡°Trixna can fix you up when you get back if you are exhausted.  But right now, I need you,¡± he looked at the orc, ¡°to go into the storage room and help the gnomes build the crafting room.  They will need lights, fire wards, and all the other things you are good at.¡±


    They looked in that direction and saw Gromphy walking toward them.  His eyes were on Trixna.  ¡°Thy mate?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Trixna corrected with a smile and then moved past the goblin to provide her skills in the other room.


    Jace filled in the goblin on what he needed him to do.  Gromphy confirmed there was enough room in his magical chest for the entire dragon if they wanted.  He regretted having to send Esther, knowing there would be friction, but if there were orcs, ogres, or trolls in the mountains where the dragon was, Draya only had one of her dragon spells left, and Gromphy didn¡¯t look strong enough to hold a shield other than to craft one.  Esther could handle anything they might find, preventing the others from spending limited-use items.  On a whim, he decided to send Snowy too.  She would at least defend Esther if the goblin didn¡¯t want to use any of his potions to heal the ¡°vile wench.¡±


    The group leader watched them leave the cavern into the night and then retired to his room to do some much-needed leveling up.  He first changed out of his wet clothes and sat in his favorite chair.


    {You, Esther, and Draya are relatively simple,} Gracie started the process.  {Your skill points will go where they always do, and you each get a non-class-specific feat.  You and Esther currently have Constitution as your other key ability.  I would suggest Elemental Reduction for you; it lets you add your Damage Reduction to your saving throw against all elemental attacks and adds three to the skill.  I see more acid and fire in your future, and this will help.  For Esther, I recommend Shield Dodge.  Normally, the largest shield medium characters can hold and still Dodge is a small shield.  This raises it by one to medium shields.  Then I would have Gromphy make her a medium +3 shield with all the magical properties he can put in it.  I know magical shields can be crafted to be worn as a bracelet and summoned when needed.  It will prevent her from attacking with both hands while she holds it, but it will increase her AC by six, plus whatever protections he puts in the shield.}


    Jace nodded and made the changes himself.  He needed Gracie¡¯s input but liked to be the one manipulating the character sheets.


    {Draya¡¯s secondary ability is Spirit, but she can also choose dragon-specific feats since the two are tied together.  Dragon Resistance would be good; it adds her Spirit bonus to her Resist score.  If she enacts her Dragon Spirit spell, this will also increase her Resist by an additional 14.  Once people find out she is a fire dragon, they will start using cold spells against her, and you get to add your resist score to protect against cold and acid.}


    Jace made the changes and then navigated to her backstory screen.  After her reaction to the battle they had just experienced, he figured she must have some significant trauma.  Unfortunately, there wasn¡¯t much there other than she was a student at the university.  If it she was like most characters he had unlocked, Gandhi didn¡¯t expand on the NPC¡¯s history until Jace pushed on it.


    ¡°Gracie, you said that Draya was a foreigner, not likely from this continent, but from some war-torn land.  Do you know where?  I need to know what caused her meltdown in the last module.  That is not the last time I will need her to perform in a fight, and I won¡¯t always be able to convince her it is a game.  I need more information.¡±


    {Sounds like a good job for Stephen and Allison,} she said, and then he heard the familiar volume reduction as she pulled away from the microphone and talked to the two CIA agents in the room.  She returned a moment later.  {They¡¯ll get on it.  They¡¯ve reached out to several members of the mining guild too and are waiting for a response.  They¡¯ve indicated that Jace Thorne wants a meeting, so I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll hear from them.}


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jace said and then held his breath as he navigated to Gromphy¡¯s character sheet.


    {Now for the main event,} Gracie said.


    Jace took a look and was impressed but had to admit he didn¡¯t understand most of it.


    {First off, he is stuck at level 20.  He won¡¯t go up, and he won¡¯t go down.  So we will not be leveling him up again.  And, technically, we aren¡¯t leveling him now.  We are just seeing what he already is.  He is a crafter, which is a type of priest, so Wisdom is his key ability.  With 24 Wisdom, which is how the game cheats when they want to make someone the best at something, he gets two skill points at each level, and since it is his key ability, he gets another.  He put 20 in Magic Defense, Crafting, and Healing.  He is now your best healer without trying, though he doesn¡¯t have much mana to work with, but we¡¯ll get to that.}


    {Intelligence is his second-best ability, and he put all his points into Spell Difficulty and Perception.  When he makes items that do magical damage, he can program in his own spell difficulty instead of that of the item.  His difficulty is 73, which is impressive.  All his other abilities are relatively low.}


    ¡°I¡¯m looking at his crafting score of 158,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I assume that¡¯s good.¡±


    {Your only limitation in crafting items will be getting him the ingredients and the spells he needs.  If you weren¡¯t kidding about letting him use the Level 50 crystal, he will be able to make anything.  He took feats to make himself a master craftsman, got +5 for his class, and has tools that give him +10.  Then he has the same occupational bonuses that Esther had.}


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Jace realized.  ¡°He gets credit for every item he ever crafted in the game in all the other versions of the Torrintank Keep module.¡±


    {Correct,} Gracie confirmed.  {I think he already had base stats that never changed that were still astronomical based on the crafting we saw him do, but now that you have freed him, he gets credit for having worked in all those separate modules.}


    ¡°Does this mean we¡¯ve ruined everyone else¡¯s copy like I did with Portsmith?¡±


    {My guess is yes and no.  After the game ends, the keep stops producing items.  You can use it as a stronghold but must craft your own weapons.  Gromphy hinted at this when he said he would be gone as soon as the game was over.  So no one¡¯s copy of the module is affected by what you did.  However, when they have a game tomorrow, I don¡¯t think Gromphy will be in it.  Because he is public now, there would be a chance for you to bring him to the game, and there would be two copies in the same place, and Gandhi won¡¯t allow it.}


    ¡°So, we¡¯ve killed that module.¡±


    {Basically, yes.  The defenders will never win again without all those free items.  But, back to Gromphy, his occupational level for Craftsman is 53, which gives him 18 feats, and he chose them all to be Craft, and each one gives him +5 to crafting, so that is a +90 bonus, and that is how he has a crafting score of 158.  So, that level ten +5 arrow you wanted would cost 150 to craft, and he can get it without rolling.  Not only that, but he has an additional 17 Arrow Crafting feats which give him +75 when crafting arrows, so he can make level 15 arrows, which cost 225.  To make those +5, he will need to roll his dice and spend some mana, but it should be easy if you get him the right raw materials.}


    ¡°What¡¯s the math for calculating the crafting cost of an item?¡± Jace asked.


    {It is the level squared for simple items like arrows, daggers, and fire gems.  So, 100 for a level 10 item and 225 for a level 15 item.  The next step up is for swords and axes and most shields, which is one plus the level squared, so a level 10 item costs 11 squared.  The next level of items, which are two-handed weapons, armor, and most wands, is two plus the level squared, so a level 10 halberd costs 12 squared to craft.  Then, if you want to add a +1 or +2 to it, it costs a critical success, so to make a +5 weapon, you need to exceed its crafting cost by 50.  Then, if you want to put a spell or ability into items like Explosive, Fire, or Healing, that costs more criticals.  You can see Gromphy has a feat that gives him a free critical while crafting, and he gets one from his god too.}


    ¡°He has a god?  Is that what those Maker spells are?¡±


    {Since a crafter is a type of priest, they can follow a god, and all crafters choose the Maker.  The ¡°Spells¡± you see are more like abilities.  The Maker¡¯s Bank lets you store ¡°Crafting¡± mana in another object that can be used only for crafting.  Maker¡¯s Ingredients lets you spend mana to create one missing ingredient for each item crafted.  If it is sand or iron, it costs almost nothing.  If you need gold or jewels, it is more expensive.  If you need dragon¡¯s blood, the cost is impossible.  Maker¡¯s Crit gives you a free crit when crafting.  Maker¡¯s Crafting lets you spend mana to increase your crafting score by two for every five mana.  The normal boon is +1 for every five mana.  And Maker¡¯s Timing lets you assume it is combat timing when crafting, so things happen faster.  Normally it takes one round per level of the item you are making, but you can spend mana or crafting points to reduce that, but the fastest you can go is crafting something in one round.  Outside of combat mode, that would be one item every six minutes instead of one every six seconds.}


    ¡°So, how do normal players craft powerful items?¡± Jace asked.


    {Mostly, they don¡¯t.  Usually, only specialized NPCs do it.  In order to get up to a 100 crafting score, you need to boost your wisdom to 24, which costs a lot of mana.  You need an item that permanently raises your crating score, like the +10 tools Gromphy has, and then you need the Maker¡¯s Crafting ability to spend 100 mana to raise your crafting score by 40.  Then you are probably close to 90.  Since you aren¡¯t in combat, you can make your roll automatically 20 if you take a full round to do it, and then you might have a few free criticals to spend.  However, in order to enchant that item with magic, like a +3 or a spell, that also costs mana, but you just spent it all to boost your crafting score, so hopefully, you have a level 10 item with 250 mana to draw from to finish the item.  Some people resort to potions instead of spells to raise their abilities and skills, so they don¡¯t spend mana on it, but they first need to craft the potion or buy it.  Making a high-level item like a bow or sword is a multiple-step process and can take hours of game time.  Plus, you need the ingredients, and you need to know the spells.  Players don¡¯t do it.  You can gang up on another PC, kill them, and take their loot for a lot less effort.}


    ¡°Will the fact that Gromphy¡¯s mana is so low be a problem?¡±


    {No.  You have a level 50 crystal that he can fill with over 3,000 crafting mana.  And he has to spend so little mana to boost his abilities that he can use it all to enchant the items he makes.  He can only channel 440 per spell, but that should be enough.  Plus, he has the Craft Mana feat.  This lets him turn unused crafting skill into mana at 5 to 1.  So if he gets a 200 crafting result but only needs 150 to make the +5 level 10 arrow, he can convert that 50 extra crafting into 250 mana and fill the arrow up with a fire spell.  He also has the Generate Crafted Mana feat, which allows him to treat the crafted mana as if he just generated it and refill his pool.  Or he can store the excess mana using his Maker¡¯s Bank ability.}


    Jace smiled but then looked at the top of his character sheet.  ¡°But I¡¯m guessing I should never take him into battle.¡±


    {No, I wouldn¡¯t say that.  He has his Adamantium Golem, which he calls Adam; how original.  In his inventory is a leather sling that I¡¯m guessing he uses to ride on its back.  The golem can stand still forever and generate mana.  Then, when it is full, it can activate and will last about 30 rounds before it runs out.  Then it needs to rest for a day, or it needs to be manually recharged.  Gromphy will be on its back, crafting a bomb every round and hurling it at his enemies.  If he purposefully gets too high a crafting score for each bomb, converts it to mana, and then puts the extra into the golem, he could go on for as long as he has bomb ingredients.}


    Jace smiled.  That would be fun to watch.  This was going to work after all.  But then he remembered the one fly in the ointment.  ¡°Any idea why he hates Esther so much?¡±


    {Could be a lot of things,} Gracie said.  {He is Guile, as all goblins are, but he is also Ordered and Traditional like you.  Esther¡¯s chaotic sexual past probably rubs him the wrong way.  Plus, male goblins are renowned for their distaste for human females.  The idea that Esther presents herself as an attractive woman is offensive to him.  Esther has a much lower Wisdom score than Gromphy, and he might dislike her for that.  Or it could be that she was a vampire, and Gromphy is part priest or has a backstory about fallen angels destroying something valuable of his.  Or it could be that Gandhi hates you for always cheating and is giving you a hard time.}


    Jace was willing to bet it was a combination of all of them, with the last one dialing everything to 11.


    {What will you do while waiting for your NPCs to return?}


    ¡°Sleep,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I¡¯m going to steal time.¡±  When Jace had used the ¡°Sleep till Dawn¡± feature in the past, he found out that the NPCs stayed active, and the game simulated their actions during the eight hours that went by in a flash for him.  Since Esther, Draya, Gromphy, and Snowy were staying within his MIMs, they wouldn¡¯t have to interact with other PCs or modules bound by real time.  It might take them hours to find the dragon and harvest its items, and it will probably take the gnomes and Trixna hours to finish the lab, but he didn¡¯t have that kind of time.


    Jace opened his setting screen and selected the sleep option.  He got a warning that it would take his MIMs off global time, but it was a small price to pay.  He could put it back before he left.  He selected ¡°OKAY,¡± and everything went black.

 Chapter 18: Party Tension

    Jace woke to shouting.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying you could have helped.  I nearly died out there, and you just stood by and watched!  We are supposed to be on the same team.¡±


    ¡°I am an artist, not a beast of war.  I wouldst not expect a butcher as thou art to comprehend.¡±


    ¡°What about your golem?  Or do you just use him to scare people?¡±


    ¡°Not as frightening as thy bedchamber, I wager.  Adam requires sure footing to commence battle.  He is not a mountain goat.¡±


    Jace ran out into the hall and saw whom he expected.  The rogue and crafter were ten feet from each other, screaming.  Draya and Snowy stood by silently.  ¡°Quiet!¡± Jace cried.  ¡°Both of you shut up.¡±


    Jace said it with such force that the game required the NPCs to obey.  He knew he wouldn¡¯t get an unbiased report from either of them and turned instead to Draya, who had a hand over her mouth.  Jace could see the mirth in her eyes.  He was glad someone found their constant bickering amusing.  ¡°What happened?¡±


    The young mage cleared her throat and swallowed any laughter.  ¡°We found the mountain, but with the dragon now dead, other residents weren¡¯t scared away as before, and there was a group of ogres we had to deal with.¡±


    Jace looked concerned, but a quick check of his group saw they were all at full health.  Draya and Snowy had some healing ability, but not enough to bring Esther back from ¡°nearly dying,¡± as the rogue had claimed in her shouting match with Gromphy.  Of course, the vampire had unique ways of healing herself too.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry,¡± Draya continued when she saw the concerned look on the orc¡¯s face.  ¡°Esther handled them all just fine.  She was quite amazing, actually.  I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±


    Jace smiled.  Draya hadn¡¯t had a chance to witness Esther in action yet.  This would have been her first exposure to the unique fighting style.


    ¡°Amazing?¡±  Gromphy hadn¡¯t been as impressed.  ¡°She seduced the beasts, madeth them her slaves, then feasted on them.  Hardly a gentle way to square.¡±


    ¡°I charmed them, enthralled them, and killed them,¡± Esther bit back.


    ¡°Tis what I said.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Jacen said.


    ¡°I saved our asses up there!¡± Esther continued, not heading her leader.


    ¡°Perhaps thine backside wouldn¡¯t be in such constant peril if thee but concealed it more.¡±


    ¡°I said enough!¡± Jace shouted.  The two were perilously close on either side of him.  ¡°Back up, both of you!¡±  They each took several steps away.  Jace turned to Draya again.  ¡°Did you fight?¡±


    She winced.  ¡°I tried, but I hurt Snowy.¡±


    Jace looked at the winter wolf and saw she didn¡¯t hold any ill will toward the mage still learning to control the dragon fire inside her.  It was good to have a diverse RPG party, but his companions were so opposite that they threatened each other¡¯s safety.  ¡°But you found the dragon?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Draya said.  ¡°It was right where we left it.  Gromphy cast some kind of dismemberment spell, and all the scales, horns, teeth, and other parts separated, and we could collect them.  Well, Esther could.  Most of the body parts were too heavy for us to lift, but they all fit inside Gromphy¡¯s box.  He had to cast the spell a few times, but eventually, we had everything.¡±


    Jace had never heard of a spell like that, but it sounded reasonable.  Even if you just killed a deer for meat, the game shouldn¡¯t make you spend an hour cleaning it.  It would benefit crafters that needed to harvest specific components of their kill.  ¡°And you made it down the mountain, okay?  Nobody saw you?¡±


    Draya cocked her head at that question, unaware they were supposed to be stealthy.  It had probably been close to dawn at that point, and while Jace didn¡¯t need them to move in secret, the Magisterium had made it clear that they wanted the dragon¡¯s body destroyed so poachers wouldn¡¯t come looking.  He had burned a few bridges with that academy, but there was no reason to make it worse.  He turned to the level 20 crafter, who was probably more aware of his surroundings.


    ¡°Did anyone see you come down the mountain?¡±


    ¡°Nary a soul,¡± Gromphy responded.


    ¡°Oh, you weren¡¯t paying attention,¡± Esther scorned.  ¡°You were looking up my skirt half the time, you perverted imp.¡±


    Gromphy laughed.  ¡°I assure thee, mine fair mistress, I hast no interest in what lies beneath thy knickers, and mine eyes are by far the least offensive thing that¡¯s been betwixt thy forks.¡±


    Esther drew her blades and leaped at the goblin.  He was ready with his priestly hold spell, and Esther cast her web simultaneously.  She didn¡¯t have a stun spell for a level 20 character memorized.  The magic attacks passed each other in the air beside Jace¡¯s head and struck their intended targets.  Since they were in the same party, they both automatically failed, but not critically.  Esther froze, her rapiers falling to the ground while a magical webbing secured Gromphy¡¯s legs.  The goblin still had full range of upper body motion and prepared to cast Dispel to remove the encumbrance, but Jace stopped him.


    ¡°Hold!¡± he said.  ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of you two!¡±  Esther couldn¡¯t move, and because of the level difference, she would be still for a while, so Jace turned exclusively to the goblin.  Much of the crafter¡¯s bravado was gone in the face of the angry orc.  ¡°Back off her,¡± he growled.  ¡°I want no more of this pointless bickering.  Esther is a beautiful, deadly, complex woman of inestimable value to me.  You must get over your problem with her, whatever it is.¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Draya wasn¡¯t laughing anymore and took a step back.  Trixna had finished with the gnomes before the group¡¯s arrival, and she poked her head out of her quarters to watch.


    ¡°I plead thy pardon, sir,¡± Gromphy started, uncomfortable under all the attention.  ¡°But thy discernment is not so dissimilar to mine own.  How can thee sayeth such things?  True beauty is a heavenly vestment of chastity, virtue, and honor.  Lady Draeklynn doth wear it well, but the garment resides not in yond demoness¡¯ wardrobe.  Its layers art too many for her debauched taste.¡±


    ¡°I would pray you to look deeper, foolish goblin,¡± Jace said, knowing that calling a prideful character with 24 wisdom a fool would cut deep.  ¡°She was once an angel, as you describe, but she has fallen ¨C fallen far, farther than most.  Now she is trying to dig herself out of an immeasurable hole, and she doesn¡¯t need the likes of you heaping dirt upon her head.¡±


    Jace was right that Gromphy could see and understand other¡¯s character sheets, but he hadn¡¯t studied Esther¡¯s before making up his mind.  He had seen the vampire skills and the occupation and stopped there.  Now he took the time to look further and saw that what Jace said was true.  She had been an angel.  ¡°I knew not,¡± he admitted.


    Jace didn¡¯t feel he needed to push it further and changed topics.  ¡°I need a death potion to kill a level 20 character.¡±


    This ran in the face of what Gromphy assumed of his leader.  ¡°What kind?  Mage?  Fighter?  Priest?  Pray tell their Magic Defense?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jace said.  ¡°He will be a member of my party and will fail the save whatever it is.¡±


    Gromphy swallowed hard.  ¡°Tis me, sir?¡±


    Jace smiled at the fear that spread through the goblin¡¯s face.  Jace chose not to answer the question.  ¡°Can you make it?¡±


    ¡°What kind of potion?¡± the crafter asked, still curious if he was to make a suicide drought for himself.


    ¡°He drinks it; he dies.  I don¡¯t care ¡ª poison, Death Spell, Level Drain, acid that burns him from within.  I want no struggle or pain.  I¡¯m not an expert.  That¡¯s what you are for.¡±


    ¡°The venom of a shade salamander,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°With it, I can brew what thee asketh.¡±


    ¡°Gracie?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Can you find one of those for me?¡±


    {On it, boss.}


    ¡°Can you give me its scent?¡± Jace asked the goblin.  ¡°You can create ingredients from mana, correct?¡±


    ¡°If it be true I could maketh a salamander from magic, I wouldn¡¯t . . .¡± he paused in the middle of his sarcastic response, understanding Jace wasn¡¯t asking for the whole animal.  He thought for a while.  ¡°Tis too much mana.  I possess it not.¡±


    ¡°Craft me a wand that will let me cast the dismemberment spell you used on the dragon.  Craft mana with the excess and give me a drop of the salamander¡¯s scent.  Surely that is not too hard.¡±


    Gromphy nodded and removed his massive chest from his inventory.  He was still stuck in the web but didn¡¯t want to waste mana on freeing himself.  He didn¡¯t need his legs to craft.  He searched through the chest for a few moments and found a 13-inch spike of hardened steel and a ceramic petri dish.  He placed the shallow bowl on the edge of the open chest, held the metal firmly, and half closed his eyes.  Magic swirled around him as the new wand took shape in seconds.  Soon, it resembled a sharp scalpel with a leather-wrapped grip.  After the crafting session, the goblin glowed with energy, set the wand aside, and picked up the small dish.  He poured all the mana he had generated and whatever was left in his pool into the ceramic vessel.  The result was a tiny droplet of moisture that evaporated almost instantly.


    {That took almost 1,000 mana,} Gracie said.  {Rare ingredients aren¡¯t easy to fake.}


    Gromphy looked drained and limply handed the petri dish to Jace.  The orc took it, looking at the tiny spot of residue left over from whatever had been created.  The crafter wasn¡¯t up for talking right now, so Jace assumed it was what he wanted and turned to summon Snowy.  He held the dish out to the wolf to smell, and she recoiled at the odor.


    <Hideous poisonous creature,> she communicated.  <I hunt this?>


    Jace nodded.


    <Will not be hard,> she said. <It might hunt us.  Very dangerous.>


    Jace already understood that, but he needed it and hoped the beast wouldn¡¯t be too dangerous.  He turned back to the goblin, who was busy drinking a potion to help restore some of his mana.  ¡°You have everything you need to make my bow and arrows?¡±


    ¡°The items,¡± he started, still panting heavily and finding it hard to talk, ¡°presented in mine old lab,¡± Gromphy continued, motioning to Esther, ¡°I need them.¡±


    Jace nodded and turned to his rogue.  Esther was still frozen, but he thought she should have heard everything that was said.  As party leader, he could take anything from his group whenever he wanted, but he usually liked to ask first.  He didn¡¯t want to wait for the spell to end, took the items from her, including the level 50 crystal, and transferred them to the goblin, hoping he wouldn¡¯t regret it.  Gromphy, in turn, offered Jace a few empty vials.  ¡°For the Salamander venom and blood.  Ensure thee harvests everything.¡±  After that, he did dispel the web, picked up his trunk, and scampered off to his new workshop.


    Jace turned to Draya now.  ¡°You need to get to school.¡±  He saw Trixna loitering in her doorway and beckoned the orc over.  ¡°Can you please cast a Restoration spell on her?¡±


    ¡°It has been a long night,¡± Trixna said.  ¡°I am exhausted.  Will you come into my room to-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Trixna,¡± Jace cur her off.  ¡°Not today.¡±


    {Not ever,} Gracie added for him.  {I don¡¯t think you will be able to reject her forever.}


    Jace would deal with his horny homemaker later.  ¡°Can you cast the spell?¡± he asked.  ¡°I will not ask any more of you today.¡±


    She nodded and restored Draya as if she had gotten a full night¡¯s rest.  Her dragon abilities were reset as well.  The spell could only be cast once between actual rests.  ¡°Thank you,¡± he said to Trixna, meeting her gaze and letting her know he meant it.  She faked a smile back and returned to her room.


    That left Draya standing there expectantly.  ¡°With all that¡¯s going on, you want me to go to school?  I want to help.¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± Jace said, putting a hand on her shoulder.  ¡°But the next thing I have to do won¡¯t involve you.  I need you for the rescue attempt this afternoon, and you are always sharpest after a full day of classes.¡±  The redhead nodded reluctantly, hugged Jace, and then ran to her room to get her books.  She would probably leave out the window.


    That left Esther.


    Jace was impressed by the length of the spell, but they weren¡¯t in combat mode right now, so one round was about six minutes.  Eventually, it ended, and Esther stumbled forward into Jace¡¯s arms, her weapons still on the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him!¡± she said through gritted teeth, allowing Jace to restrain her.  She could easily grapple her way out of his embrace but knew it was a bad idea.


    ¡°I know you are,¡± he said, surprising the woman and giving her pause.  ¡°And then he will wake up right here in this cavern.  What do you think it will achieve?¡±


    Esther, of course, hadn¡¯t thought it through.


    ¡°He will be upset that you embarrassed him, so he will leave an acid bomb in your bed.  Or he will fashion snakes to slither out of your bathtub.  Or he will craft a potion that covers your body with hair.  It won¡¯t end, and it won¡¯t achieve anything.¡±


    Esther stopped struggling, and Jace let her go.  ¡°I need you and Snowy to come with me.  Just like old times.¡±


    She had heard everything Jace and Gromphy had said.  ¡°IS the potion for the goblin?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°Maybe.¡±


    Esther smiled.  ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±

 Chapter 19: The Shade Salamander

    Therasphue was one of the few stronghold cities still held by an NPC: a level 25 witch.  The settlement was just outside a massive marsh, with a slow-moving river flowing through it and into the bay.  Crocodiles, snakes, spiders, and every other creepy thing called it home.  Drugs, alcohol, BDSM, and other kinks were popular here.  It didn¡¯t have much of a nightlife, as the buildings weren¡¯t large enough for the dance raves or casinos Jace had experienced in Ironfel.  The structures were all 1-2 story bungalows built from clay with thatched rooves.  Everything was cursed, hexed, or venomous.  It was a goth enthusiast¡¯s dream, but it was more often a nightmare.  Several players had tried to defeat the current owner to make it their stronghold, but none were successful, and most were turned into lycanthropes.  When that happened, you either went with it or had to start your character over.


    Gracie told all this to Jace, and he relayed it to Esther.  They stood on a wooden dock were the river meandered into town.  They were both aware they were in a PVP zone.  Unlike Ironfel, no guards greeted them.  Instead, they saw water rippling and knew snakes and crocs patrolled the shores.  A curtain behind them led into the boundary zone next to the city.  It was identified as a Level 20 Hostile PVP Zone.  Jace thought the town that lay before them looked hostile enough, but he knew it wasn¡¯t the same thing.


    Global time was still night, as Jace had only accelerated his personal MIM to dawn, and the dimly lit streets and buildings of Therasphue looked about as inviting as a budget haunted house on November 1st.  But in there, all of the NPCs and animals ran off a script.  The predators would stay in the water or the trees unless activated by whatever rules the city¡¯s keeper put in place.  You could move through the streets with relative assurance that you wouldn¡¯t be bitten, stung, poisoned, or eaten.  Any drink you ordered was probably cursed, the fortunetellers were casting hexes, and the working girls were all succubae, but that was what you signed up for when you entered.


    Jace, Esther, and Snowy weren¡¯t going into the city.  They were headed into the swamp.  All bets were off there, and everything was designed to kill you.  Jace wondered if it had been a mistake not bringing Draya, as the woman could have done some impressive landscaping work with a constant stream of fire, but he needed her fresh for later and hoped his original companions could get the job done.


    At the edge of the platform, a board held several notices.  The first and most prominent warned players not to enter the swamp under any circumstances.  That was just a legal disclaimer because underneath was a list of bounties for certain types of animals you could find in the swamp and who in the city would purchase the remains.  Jace wasn¡¯t disappointed to see ¡°Shade Salamander¡± listed among them.  ¡°What do you know?¡± he said.


    {How do you think I found this place?} Gracie replied.


    Jace chuckled and started toward the swamp, seeing a small trail that led off the dock and into the bush.  Paths connected all the locations in the realm, and you could conceivably walk everywhere if you wanted.  He gathered that this continent was slightly smaller than Australia.  It would take some time to traverse the whole thing manually, but it was possible.


    ¡°We are going in there?¡± Esther asked apprehensively.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Trust me.¡±


    ¡°When has that ever gone wrong?¡± she replied dryly but moved to follow.  Snowy didn¡¯t want to go either.  Not only did she know what a shade salamander was by its scent, but she could also smell a dozen other deadly things.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jace urged the wolf to lead the way.  ¡°Let¡¯s make it quick.¡±  He drew Diamond Etcher and started hacking away at the branches.  Esther drew her weapons and followed.  It wasn¡¯t as bad as they were expecting.  The area right next to the city wasn¡¯t densely populated with animals.  The few other players who did go into the swamp, mainly after bounties, usually killed a few things before they were overwhelmed.  While the swamp regenerated monsters frequently, they were less dense near Therasphue.


    With both players linking their senses to the wolf, they could see and smell the things around them, so nothing caught them entirely by surprise.  Snowy picked up a sent pretty soon, and they marched into the swamp.  The foliage wasn¡¯t kind to someone as tall as Jace, so he hacked at the low-hanging branches, killing random animals with every swing.


    ¡°I really hate the new goblin,¡± Esther said, exposing what was on her mind.  ¡°He¡¯s just so . . . so . . .¡±


    ¡°Jealous,¡± Jace finished for her, killing a spider the size of a turtle that scampered across the trail.


    ¡°I was going to say mean or possibly something worse.  But that¡¯s the problem.  I can¡¯t think of the right words.  I can¡¯t understand him when he talks, and I feel stupid.¡± She waved her arm at a buzzing sound near her ear and casually sliced through a mosquito the size of a hummingbird.  ¡°I definitely wouldn¡¯t say jealous, though.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s jealous,¡± Jace confirmed, swatting an eagle-sized bat out of the air before it could land on Snowy.  ¡°And you need to give him what he wants.¡±


    Esther paused to cut her rapiers in a scissors fashion through the body of a snake that had dropped from the branches above and tried to grapple her.  ¡°Why would he be jealous of me?  He hates everything about me.  He hates what I used to do, what I am, how I dress, and how I think.¡±


    Jace parried a lunge from a sword beetle and turned it into a triple critical back, stabbing straight down through its back.  ¡°I have watched you kill enemies twice as strong as you that outnumbered you six to one with your bare hands.  Gromphy can¡¯t do that.  We are in this swamp because he needs an ingredient to fashion a potion to kill someone.  And then he will give me the potion to use because he wouldn¡¯t know how to trick anyone into drinking it.  If I asked you to kill someone, you would just do it.  No ingredients, no weapons, no help needed.  He sees that power in you, and it makes him jealous.  So, he must turn you into something he can hate to make him feel good.  He has a hostile personality that I can¡¯t change, so he probably won¡¯t stop without reason.  You need to learn to give him what he wants.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t understand but paused when a panther jumped at her from the left.  She sent a web at it, which secured it to a nearby tree.  She then cast True Strike, hid in the shadows, and struck at the cat the following round with such force that she took its head.  ¡°What he wants?  From what I can tell, he wants me dead or gone or both.  I¡¯m not going to give him that.¡±


    Jace laughed as he cut a constrictor in half that was trying to ensnare Snowy¡¯s back leg.  ¡°If he wanted nothing to do with you, he wouldn¡¯t insult you at every chance he got.  He would be ignoring you and begging me to send you away.  No, I¡¯ve already told you what he wants.  He wants you to be an undead, evil hooker who seduces people to kill them afterward.  That way, he can hate you.  He knows deep inside that isn¡¯t what you are anymore, so he has to work hard to make it true.  It is standard bullying tactics 101.  Rotten school children with low self-esteem have been doing it since the dawn of time.  But if you superficially give them what they want, they have nothing to force anymore, and their bluster disappears.¡±


    ¡°So, I should be an escort again?¡± Esther asked, dodging the spit from a poisonous frog before slicing off its legs.  ¡°I heard the Gilded Swan is back in business under new ownership.  Are you saying I should return to my old job?¡±


    Jace laughed again as he took the head of a zombie trying to rise from a marshy spot next to him.  ¡°No.  I said superficially.  Next time he says you¡¯re dumb, apologize and tell him you will start attending school with Draya.  When he says your clothes are too revealing, ask him to craft you something more appropriate.  If he makes fun of the variety of people you¡¯ve slept with, tell him you were with a goblin once, and it wasn¡¯t that bad, and you can make another exception for him if he wants.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been with a goblin,¡± she said firmly, and just then, a swamp goblin ran screaming at her through a tangle of vines.  He was instantly too close for blades, so she dropped them, grappled him into a Helpless position, and snapped his neck.  She held the dead creature before her and wrinkled her nose.  ¡°They don¡¯t even taste good.¡±  Esther tossed its body into the marsh.  Without bending over, she touched the fallen weapons with her feet, summoned them back into her inventory, accessorized the blades to her hips, and drew them in one smooth motion.  ¡°But I see what you¡¯re saying.  If I did those things, he would be completely off balance and embarrassed.  He wouldn¡¯t know what to do next.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jace replied, sending a burst of electricity through a vulture that swooped too low, ripping off a wing.  ¡°He knows what he is saying is no longer true of you, and ridiculously calling him on it exposes the lie, and he has nowhere to go.  But if you keep trading insults with him, he will always be able to punch back, and ¨C no offense ¨C he is better at the word games than you.¡±


    ¡°That might work,¡± Esther said.  A shambling mound rose from a cluster of reeds to her right, and she tossed a ruby at it.  Dragon fire lit up the night as the beast ran away in flames.  ¡°Now, can we talk about you giving Trixna what she wants?¡±


    Snowy stopped their conversation to say they were close to the shade salamander¡¯s den.  ¡°Sorry,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Duty calls.¡±


    Esther frowned but changed gears when they emerged from the dense foliage into a small clearing.  A pool edged by rocks and reeds stood to their left while a short cliff rose to their right with a ledge ten feet in the air and what looked like a cave opening beyond.


    <Up on the cliff,> Snowy advised.  <Not big, but deadly.  It sees us.>


    Only because Jace was linked to his familiar, and then only because the wolf had the creature¡¯s scent was he able to see the amphibian slinking along the edge of the rocks.  It looked no bigger than a crocodile, maybe eight feet in length.  Its strategic hunting strategy was obvious.  It sat and waited for larger animals to come to this pool for a drink, jumped onto their backs, and sunk its teeth in, shooting its victims full of venom.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bait it,¡± Jace whispered, seeing that Esther also spotted the creature in the dark.  ¡°When it jumps at me, I will try to bat it to the ground, and then you jump on its back and try to wrestle it into submission.¡±


    {It has impressive Athletic and Resist scores,} Gracie said, identifying the defense for Esther¡¯s grappling ability.  {But it varies on how big the salamander is, and that one looks small.}


    Esther didn¡¯t hear the warning, but she reached into her gem bag and activated the Athletic boon Jace had given her to be sure.  Jace cast the same spell on himself and found a solid stone slab to place his Armor totem, giving him +14 to his AC in preparation for deflecting an attack.  Esther and Snowy stayed in the brush¡¯s shadows, hoping that few animals were stupid enough to hang out around the salamander¡¯s lair.  Jace gripped his sword tight and approached the edge of the water.


    The creature¡¯s movements were deathly silent, and even though Jace was waiting for it, he heard nothing when the beast jumped and only got a warning from Snowy.


    <Attack!!!>


    Jace pivoted to where he knew the salamander would be and raised his weapon to parry the strike.  He had no practice defending against claws and teeth but still trusted his skill over a random dice roll.  A low parry result could kill him.  Gracie told him he got a 13, enough to deflect the animal to the ground, but it wasn¡¯t a critical success and sent Jace stumbling backward into the water.


    The salamander landed on his back but flipped over quickly and raced to the pool¡¯s edge to judge its prey¡¯s swimming ability.  If Jace drowned, the creature could pull the dead body from the water without entering, and if he tried to climb out, the beast would have an easy attack.  If he could swim and didn¡¯t leave the water, the amphibian was undoubtedly the better swimmer and could go in to get him.  It never got to figure which it would be as Esther leaped from behind onto the salamander¡¯s back.  She struck from the shadows, but the shade creature was immune to sneak attacks, and Esther only got to apply her normal grapple ability.  It was enough, but only barely, and she didn¡¯t get any criticals to consider the beast pinned or to use her vampire ability.  Also, she got no benefit from having the creature prone on the ground since this was its natural position.


    This meant the beast could try to wrestle out of her grappling hold every round, and Esther felt like she was riding a bucking bronco.  Gracie informed Jace that the animal had a 15% chance of breaking free of Esther¡¯s hold, and, given enough time, it would happen.  The orc had other things to worry about as Jace realized that, unlike sword skills, knowing how to swim in the real world had no impact on keeping your head above water in the game.  He had a high enough Athletic talent to keep from drowning, but he was making no progress in getting to shore.  His unwillingness to drop his sword in the murky water wasn¡¯t helping, and once he successfully sheathed the weapon, he could dog-paddle toward the bank and find purchase on the mucky bottom.


    It took two more rounds before he was dripping beside Esther, who had survived four rounds of wrestling the beast but didn¡¯t know how much longer she could last.  Snowy was trying to nip at the creature¡¯s backside, but its tail thrashed about, and the wolf took more damage than she gave.  Jace drew his sword and hacked at the salamander but didn¡¯t know where the 20 slot was, and its armored scales had significant slashing resistance.  Gracie informed him of this, so he reversed his grip on his sword and stabbed it straight down, doing piercing damage instead.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    This worked much better, and the sword skewered the flopping animal through the shoulder as the blade used its enchantment to penetrate the rock below.  Esther wisely reached up to grab the sword hilt to take advantage of the Pinned condition on the salamander and finally grappled the beast into a Helpless condition.  She still didn¡¯t have a critical success to kill the monster, but now Snowy could safely attack from behind and poke at it with her claws.


    The three fighters hacked apart the heavily armored creature for a few rounds before it got a chance to wrestle free again, and this time it threw Esther from its back in a fit of rage.  She flew into a collection of vines and was momentarily entangled, forcing Jace to take on the injured beast.  Snowy crept in behind the salamander, wary of attacking the volatile tail but giving Jace an essential flanking bonus.  The creature leaped at him again, but Jace was ready this time, seeing the attack from the start, and executed a more effective parry, earning him a critical. He struck back with a 19, triggering another critical from Etcher.  The damage dropped the enemy below 100 HP, and after a Cone of Frost attack from Snowy and another brutal critical from Jace, the beast finally lay still.


    Jace dropped to a knee to catch his breath, more worn out from his swim in the pond than the fight.  Esther walked beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.  ¡°That wasn¡¯t so hard,¡± she said.  ¡°I thought these things were supposed to be super deadly.¡±


    ¡°I think we got lucky it was a small one,¡± Jace said.  He went into his inventory and retrieved the wand Gromphy had given him.  ¡°Either way, I don¡¯t want to stay here any longer than we have to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if there is any loot in its cave,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Maybe there are some unique bones our new goblin can use.¡±


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Jace said.  As Esther easily scaled the rocky cliff to the cave entrance above, Jace moved to the dead salamander.  It looked more like a reptile than an amphibian, with scales as hard as mithril and black as night.  Shadow wisped off the magical creature like smoke from a smoldering fire.  Snowy was sniffing it tentatively but wrinkled her nose.  ¡°No,¡± Jace agreed.  ¡°I don¡¯t think this would make a good meal.  In fact, I wouldn¡¯t eat anything in this swamp.  Go ahead and heal yourself.¡±


    The wolf was the only one who had taken any damage, and she cast one of her three healing spells to bring her back to full.  Jace funneled mana through his new wand and watched the salamander¡¯s body magically dissolve into components.  Icons hovered over the body, and Jace retrieved the flasks Gromphy had given him and touched them to the green and red fluid blobs floating in the air.  The vials filled with venom and blood, and he quickly stored them in his inventory before his clumsy fingers accidentally spilled them.  He also picked up a load of scales, teeth, and claws, happy again for his high Carry skill.


    ¡°Jace!¡± Esther called from above.  ¡°You should see the size of the egg this thing laid.¡±  He looked up and soon saw Esther holding a light gray shell fragment twice the size of a beachball.  ¡°There are several more pieces this big,¡± she said.  ¡°I don¡¯t see any bones, though.¡±


    A deep sense of dread filled Jace¡¯s soul.  ¡°Esther, get out of there.  This thing didn¡¯t lay that egg; it crawled out of it.  It was a baby.  We don¡¯t want to be here when momma shows up.  Get down from there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I just have to . . .¡±


    <Jump!!!> Snowy screamed in their heads.


    Esther obeyed on impulse, throwing herself out into the air off the cliff ledge.  Jace saw the scene in slow motion as a massive set of jaws emerged from the shadows and snapped closed in the space where the woman had just been.  It was like watching a great white shark trying to snag a seal but missing.  And the size comparison was accurate, for Esther looked tiny compared to this enormous salamander, whose head was as high off the ground as Jace¡¯s.


    The athletic woman hit the muddy ground like a cat, rolling in a summersault and popping to her feet.  ¡°Run!¡± Jace shouted unnecessarily as the three raced back along the path they had just cut.  The ground shook behind them, and they heard massive tree trunks snapping like toothpicks as the angry mother chased down the characters who had killed her child.  Jace kept expecting the beast to fall further behind, but she didn¡¯t, and he swore he could feel her breath on his back.  All the animals they had fought through on their incoming trip fled before the charging monstrosity, leaving the characters focused on sprinting.


    They saw the dock in the distance and doubled their efforts.  Snowy was the quickest, leaping up onto the platform first.  Esther was close behind, and the lumbering orc pulled up the rear, finally diving through the curtain that divided the zones and tumbling to a stop on the damp wood.  Jace turned to look behind and saw what looked like an adult black dragon slam its snout into the invisible barrier.  The digital forcefield held, but the shaman felt the actual game shake beneath him.  The massive salamander banged her head against the curtain twice more, but she had lost her charging momentum and quickly saw she wasn¡¯t getting through.


    Jace was sprawled on the dock and eased himself up, his breathing again coming in gasps.  He had managed to keep his hold on Etcher during the sprint and wondered if he would have ever gotten up the courage to go back and get it if he had dropped it.  As he stood, he sheathed the weapon and looked around.  Esther was already on her feet, having rolled nimbly onto the platform.  At level 14, Snowy¡¯s head came up to the woman¡¯s chest, and she hugged the wolf and ruffled her behind the ears.  ¡°Thanks for the warning, girl.  Nothing quite reminds you that you have a pulse like getting it pounding.¡±


    Jace tried to laugh at the insane comment but couldn¡¯t find the energy.  His eyes were glued to the creature staring at him from ten feet away through an invisible forcefield.  Even though he was seven feet tall, standing on a raised platform, he looked the salamander in the eyes.  He knew from Snowy that animals could still smell things through a game curtain, and the mother was focused on the character who held her child¡¯s remains.  As long as they stayed, she wasn¡¯t going anywhere.  Jace thought leaving was an excellent idea and finally turned from the gargantuan monster.  He saw for the first time that they weren¡¯t alone, as three other players had transported in right before they got there.  The new players had wide eyes and mouths agape.


    ¡°Jace Thorne?¡± one of them asked.  ¡°Esther?¡±  Jace had a necklace to disguise himself as a human so people wouldn¡¯t freak out when they saw an orc.  He imagined he would still need it occasionally, but now people assumed any orc they might see in a public area like this must be him.  Always being accompanied by Esther didn¡¯t hurt either.


    The rogue was more poised than her leader for once and responded to the players first.  ¡°At your service,¡± she said, bowing deeply.  ¡°Enjoy your time in Therasphue, folks,¡± she added.  ¡°I recommend you stick to the streets.¡± She motioned to the notice board and tapped the shade salamander bounty to claim it.  ¡°Leave the swamp to professionals.¡±


    Jace lumbered up behind her, and the three other players looked from the woman up to the orc and back again before realizing they were blocking the travel node.  ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± Jace said, motioning for them to step aside.  They obeyed, and he initiated travel back to his stronghold.


    <hr>


    Jace entered their home and went straight to the lab.  He expected Trixna was sleeping, and the gnomes, who lived underground and didn¡¯t follow the sun¡¯s schedule, were likely asleep too.  Gromphy better be awake.  Jace entered the room and was impressed.  It almost looked like a modern science laboratory, with clean shelves, sinks, stoves, enchanted ice chests, and half a dozen tables.  They hadn¡¯t cut a window into this room, but Jace saw sunlight streaming into an adjoining chamber that was probably Gromphy¡¯s bedroom.  The goblin wasn¡¯t working but was paging through a thick book of spells.


    Jace hadn¡¯t announced himself yet but looked instead at his level 50 crystal, set up in a unique contraption on the near side of the room.  It looked like the mana stone he had taken from the lich module was funneling energy into the crystal.  So as not to disturb the Goblin, Jace chatted with Gracie through Snowy, who had followed him in.


    <Can you tell me what I¡¯m looking at?>


    {It is quite an ingenious contraption,} she said.  {He¡¯s enchanted an ivory rod with his Maker¡¯s Bank ability to turn raw mana into crafting mana.  He¡¯s got the mana stone that generates over 200 mana a round, hooked up to the shaft, feeding that crafting mana directly into the crystal.  The level 50 item can store 3,250 mana, and since you aren¡¯t in combat mode, it will take almost 90 minutes to fill, but once it does, he can use his Maker¡¯s Crafting to turn it into 1300 crafting points.  In theory, that¡¯s enough to make a level 34 bow, but that would probably require something infinitely more exotic than dragon wing bones.  Either way, you will only be limited by Gromphy¡¯s imagination.  Or his access to spells, which is what he is doing now.}


    Jace nodded and cleared his throat, a frightening sound coming from an orc.  Gromphy nearly jumped out of his clothes as his attention was firmly on his spell collection.  Esther laughed, which ruined any goodwill she might have gotten from the crafter, even after Jace¡¯s talk with him.


    ¡°Back so soon?¡± he asked.  ¡°Didst thee not find one?¡±


    ¡°We got it,¡± Jace said and walked up to the largest table in the middle of the room.  It was carved directly from the stone so that its legs seemed to grow out of the floor like stalagmites.  The top surface was smooth marble, and Jace thought it looked strong enough for him to drop the mother salamander on, but he only had the baby.  After a few trips into his inventory, he deposited everything on the table, gently setting down the fragile vials of poison and blood.


    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Gromphy said, putting his book down and scrambling over to the table.  Jace saw that on the other side, the floor was raised so the short goblin could easily reach the top, which was at orc height for him.  He smiled at the clever gnomes who had built everything custom.  ¡°How didst thee slay it?¡±


    ¡°Esther held it still while I did most of the damage.  Eventually, it got free, but Snowy and I were able to finish it off.¡±


    Gromphy looked between Jace and Esther and couldn¡¯t help himself.  ¡°Didst the vampire seduce the beast to alloweth thee to rend it from the rears?¡±


    Jace wanted to reprimand him for the unnecessary comment, but Esther was ready with a comeback.  ¡°I thought about flirting with it,¡± she said, ¡°but it was only a child, and I have standards too.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± the goblin said, not ready for that bold a statement, ¡°it probably gazed on thy front and bethought t¡¯was feeding time.  Milk aplenty for an entire brood.¡±


    Jace thought it was a bit foolish, as someone with 18 Intelligence and 24 Wisdom should know amphibians don¡¯t drink milk, but it showed how off-balance he was from Esther¡¯s first retort.  She didn¡¯t disappoint in her response to this either, though only the mention of milk gave her any idea what he might be talking about.


    Esther looked down at her exposed cleavage and shrugged.  In a flash, the armored vest was off, and she was holding it in her hand while wearing her black dress.  ¡°You¡¯re right.  The vest doesn¡¯t really do a good job of covering me.  It¡¯s only level eight and doesn¡¯t offer me much protection.  Perhaps you can make it more appropriate with the scales we recovered from the shade salamander.  They were so strong, Jace could barely hack through them.¡±


    Esther walked toward the table and set her vest next to the pile of black scales Jace had deposited.  The shape and size were different, and Jace could tell her armor was made from another type of animal, but they were both shadow creatures, and Gromphy should be able to make it work.


    The goblin was stunned for a moment. ¡°Uh, yes, I think I can achieve something for thee.  Level eight only?  Inconceivable?  I can soon maketh one most improved and, uh, more proper to ensconce a lady in battle.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, throwing a wink at Jace that the distracted crafter didn¡¯t see.  Once she had him going, there was no reason to stop short.  ¡°I don¡¯t think these work very well either.¡±  She drew her rapiers and placed them on the table.  ¡°As you said, I usually have to charm and seduce my victims before I attack.  That¡¯s because my weapons don¡¯t do enough damage.  They are only level 6, +2 blades.  They are useful, but I¡¯m sure someone of your skill could improve them.¡±


    ¡°Level six!¡± the goblin was outraged.  ¡°Thee shouldst has¡¯t much better.  I will worketh on them forthrightly.¡±


    ¡°After the bow,¡± Jace interrupted.


    ¡°Ah, yes, the bow.¡±  He paused.  ¡°Thou needeth 1.2 furlongs?¡±


    Jace nodded, hoping that was 800 feet.


    ¡°I don¡¯t bethink I has¡¯t the right spell for that.  I¡¯ve been pouring through everything,¡± he motioned back to the book of spells, ¡°and tis all damage, fire, or criticals.  Nobody careth about distance.  One canst cast a fireball such a ways; thus, no archer requireth it either.¡±


    ¡°Can you disguise yourself as a gnome or a dwarf?¡±


    ¡°Wherefore in the realms would I wanteth to?¡± Gromphy said, crossing his arms in disgust.


    ¡°Because the people in Crestfall will scream in terror if they see a goblin walking the streets,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Even one as handsome as yourself,¡± Esther added, piling on.


    ¡°Put on whatever disguise you want,¡± Jace said, ¡°and go to the university in Crestfall.  Ask for Master Dayrin and tell him that you are working for Jace Thorne.  He will get you anything you need.¡±


    Gromphy nodded, thinking he should probably disguise himself as a human.


    ¡°But before you do any of that,¡± Jace said, picking up the vial of poison from the table.  ¡°I need my potion.  You have all the spells for that, right?  Do you need to wait for that to finish charging?¡±  He motioned toward the crystal set up.


    Gromphy shook his head.  ¡°If thy victim needed to fail the saving throw, mayhaps, but the basic brew is simple.¡±  He snatched the poison from Jace¡¯s hand and moved to a different table against the far wall.


    Gromphy took an empty flask and began adding ingredients: leaves, roots, two small gemstones, and a few berries.  He suspended it over a circular ward and then activated it with mana.  A flame reached the bottom of the flask, and as soon as the contents began to smoke, Gromphy poured the poison in slowly.  The concoction steamed and bubbled, and all the contents soon melded into a bright blue-green slurry.  Gromphy performed a crafting check, got more than he needed, and cast a spell with the remainder.


    The poison was done in a flash of mana, and he removed it from the fire.  He pulled a cork from a bin and sealed the contents.  The crafter was back in front of Jace in under six minutes, holding a vial with a bright blue liquid inside.  ¡°Nary drink this,¡± he said.  ¡°Ever.  And whichever party member thee giveth this to wilt be dead ere the empty flask hitteth the floor.¡±  He looked back to his alchemy table.  ¡°I has¡¯t enough venom for a few more, but I pray thee, one is sufficient.¡±


    Jace took the vial gingerly and stowed it in his inventory.  ¡°Thank you.  Now get to town.  The next portion of my plan will probably take a few hours.  I hope you are finished by the time I get back.  Oh, and Esther needs a medium shield too.  The kind that collapses on her wrist when not in use.  I imagine there is enough material here to fashion it, or there are the dragon scales.¡±


    Gromphy nodded and waited to see if his companions had anything else to add to his long list of crafting responsibilities.  He wasn¡¯t upset.  A busy crafter was a happy crafter, and Jace supplied him with components he had never dreamed of.  After he confirmed they were done, Gromphy raced into his bedroom to get what he needed for his trip to town.  He would likely leave through his window, and Jace returned to the main hall.


    ¡°Am I coming with you?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I will definitely need your help with this.¡±


    She looked back at the lab.  ¡°Should I have kept my armor and weapons?¡±


    The orc shook his head.  ¡°No, you can leave them with Gromphy.  You will need equipment, but it will have to be custom.  I don¡¯t know what yet.¡±


    Esther could wait no longer.  ¡°What are we going to do?  Who is that poison for?  Are we going to get your archer now?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°We are going to see Psycho.¡±

 Chapter 20: Sniper鈥檚 Refuge

    Nal Saikol Gladekin, more commonly known as Psycho, had been an obsession for Jason Hawthorne since he logged out of the game after his first 24+ hour session.  The first thing he did, after sleeping and eating, was log into the game¡¯s chat rooms and message boards and read everything the other users had to say about him.  He went to the game¡¯s wiki page and spent hours reading all the tips and tricks.  There was one resounding consensus: The archer¡¯s quest couldn¡¯t be solved.


    Jace wasn¡¯t willing to accept that answer.  Every puzzle had a solution.  He started at the beginning.  The module itself wasn¡¯t that difficult.


    Psycho had been part of a vibrant elven community that lived on the western shore of the continent.  They had a few troubles with goblins and ogres over the years but lived mostly undisturbed.  But then the orcs had come.  Their leader was a half-orc, but instead of the other half being human, it was elven.  He insisted he should be included in the elven village and wanted to unite the two tribes together.  The orcs had no problem with this.  The elves were excellent fighters and even more excellent winemakers, and the rowdy orcs could do with a bit of refinement.  The elves, however, wanted nothing to do with the vile creatures.  They went to war, and while the elves would surely win, the forest was burned and destroyed beyond recognition.


    Even before the orc invasion, many elven elders felt the realms no longer had a place for them.  Everything was violence, excess, and debauchery: a Realm of Infamy.  They had the ability to return to their mystical homeland, but it was a land of sanctuary and stasis.  No children were born there, and no progress or expansion was possible.  They would live in total isolation from all other sentient beings.  They could grow and prosper here in the realms, but some no longer wanted that.  This half-orc¡¯s insistence that elves and orcs should live together was seen by most as the ultimate perversion and the last straw.


    Before the war with the orcs ended, the elves decided to retreat.  Their priests opened the portal and brought everyone inside.  Everyone except for two elves: Nal Saikol and his sister, Mur Calumis.  These elves were to stand guard, and the priests blessed them so they could not be killed.  They were each given the stone keys to reopen the portal and bring the elves back to the realms once the land was made pure.


    The quest was simple: Kill the orcs, repair the forest, and find the sister.  The first two were easy.  The orcs¡¯ army had dwindled in the years since the elves retreated, and a party of 6-8 warriors could, with a good strategy, kill the remaining band of about 50 orcs.  The second task was more difficult, but Jason read of druids, rangers, and priests who had brought the forest back to its former glory.  Doing these two things would please Psycho, but until you found his sister, he would not join your party.  Without the sister, you only had one of the elf stones and couldn¡¯t open the portal.


    While the last of the elves were still entering their homeland through the portal, the orcs had attacked to try and stop them.  Psycho and his sister had been separated.  The elven archer had returned to the location and found the portal closed and many dead orcs, but not his sister.  That was the last he had ever seen of her, and players had scoured the lands looking for the elf maiden.  Jason had read countless theories about where she might be and potential clues the orcs left behind.  Most felt she was kidnapped and taken to another continent.  Others thought she was killed, and the orcs had buried the elf stone.  It turned into a treasure hunt, and some players had dug up the entire module, often doing more damage to the forest than the orcs.


    Ultimately, Drescher broke the quest by hiring a mage to cast an illusion on a female elf NPC and had her pretend to be Psycho¡¯s sister.  Jace would have thought an elf with a divine blessing would have been able to see through such an illusion, but it worked, and even without the elf stone, the archer had pledged allegiance to the gun runner.  Once Psycho left his module, all the other instances of it that countless players had created disappeared, and only Drescher¡¯s version remained.  He hadn¡¯t even bothered killing the orcs, but everyone had access to it now, and the orcs were quickly dealt with.  Multiple druids and rangers had come to restore the forest, and Jason read that it was a lovely place to visit.


    But no one ever found the sister.  Some wondered that if they did find her, would Psycho go back on his word to Drescher?  But the theory was never tested.


    After Jace killed the arms dealer, Psycho reverted to his old, surly self.  His home in his module had been turned into a lovely rose garden, and all the orcs he had used for target practice were gone, so he had found himself a solo tower defense module, evicted its former resident, and took control.  Now he sat at the top of a tower on the other side of lava filled gorge and shot arrows at anyone who dared approach him.


    Jason had hoped that the slight bond he had created with the archer would influence how the two might interact post-Drescher, but Gracie assured him it wouldn¡¯t work like that.  As woke as Psycho appeared to be, he was still an NPC, and a script guided him.  Perhaps if his real sister walked across the bridge, he would hold his arrows in check, but he wasn¡¯t going to fall for another illusion this time, and Jace shouldn¡¯t expect preferential treatment.


    It was unfortunate because Jason believed that he had solved the riddle of Psycho¡¯s quest; he just needed to convince the archer to go along with it.  However, before he could have that conversation, he needed to walk across the bridge and survive.


    Jace, Esther, and Snowy arrived at Psycho¡¯s new home after a brief shopping trip.  It was a module called Sniper¡¯s Refuge, and they were not impressed.  A wasteland of rocky crags and dirt filled their vision as they materialized next to the travel node.  No plants grew, and the sky was a constant dull gray.  Nothing could be seen on the horizon as the jutting stones rose 30 feet in the air and clustered together, leaving only a narrow path to walk.  ¡°Any predators?¡± Jace asked.


    Snowy whined a negative but sniffed at the ground anyway, not trusting that there wasn¡¯t some portal to hell around the corner and a devil cat wouldn¡¯t jump out and attack them.  Jace agreed that caution was the best course of action.  Each bend in the path was another blind corner where an ambush could occur, and every mound of rock had cover on top for an assassin to lay in wait.  Jace knew Psycho was at the end of this, but this module was open to the public, and anyone could be lurking about.


    ¡°Why would Psycho want to live here when he could live with us?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°He has a complicated past,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°More complicated than mine?¡± Esther challenged.


    ¡°Probably not,¡± he agreed and then spent fifteen minutes explaining what he knew.  The walk was about a mile before they exited the maze of crags and found themselves on an open clearing at the edge of a gorge.


    The bridge lay before them.  It was narrow, barely three feet wide, and made of stone.  It arched over a 300-foot gap.  Lava flowed beneath it, 50 feet below on their side, but the bridge angled down, and the molten rock lapped at the island¡¯s edge on the far side.  The small plot of land in the distance wasn¡¯t even 200 feet in diameter and held a slim tower a dozen stories tall.  Jace knew from his research that a crafter in the base of that tower made arrows for the resident.  He wasn¡¯t even half as good as Corrin Goldhamer, so Jace hadn¡¯t considered him, but he had access to unique materials.


    Along the edge of the island, against the lava, grew fireweed, a stiff fibrous plant that could easily be crafted into arrows.  It came enchanted with fire, so it did two damage for every five mana you put in instead of the normal one.  But it could only be used for fire.  Next to the tower¡¯s base was a bubbling pool of sulfuric acid, and the green bamboo that grew along its bank could be turned into acid arrows.  Above the domed roof, a swirling storm raged, and lightning struck a spike at the top once every few rounds.  That electricity was carried down the other side of the tower and fed a grove of silver shoots that could be made into lightning arrows.


    The crafter was only skilled enough to make level seven +2 arrows, but they could do 60 magical damage with each hit from their bonuses.  The game allowed protection from multiple kinds of magic damage at once, but you could only have immunity from one at a time, and the archer at the top of the tower could choose between three.


    Pieter, Drescher¡¯s old mage, had rejoined the game after Jace had killed him and offered the information from Psycho¡¯s character sheet to anyone willing to pay.  A few people who had attempted this module had forked over gold, but once someone had successfully walked across this bridge and gotten a chance to see Psycho¡¯s character sheet, he proudly shared a screenshot with everyone.  He didn¡¯t keep Psycho as a party member for long, and soon the archer was back in this tower.  As far as Jace knew, nearly thirty people had tried to cross this bridge, and only two had made it.  Most of those players knew precisely what Psycho could do, and they still failed.  The strategies the two successful players used weren¡¯t public knowledge, but they failed to keep the archer as a party member, and they weren¡¯t saying why.


    Psycho had a ranged attack bonus of 78.  His bow was a level eight, +5 weapon, just like Diamond Etcher, and with the +2 arrows, he had a total hit bonus of 85.  If he used his Aim feat, he could add +10 to his shot but only fire once per round.  If he rolled a 20, he would have an attack of 115 with a critical.  Psycho appeared to roll a lot of 20s when taking the aim action, and no one knew why.  Three of the eight levels of his bow were used to increase damage, and the other five were used to improve the base distance by 50 to 150 feet.  Any shot attempt less than 150 feet was considered close range, and Psycho could use his Point Blank feat.  This allowed him to take the difference between his bow¡¯s max range and the actual shot and use them as criticals for other abilities or damage multipliers.  So, if he shot someone at 100 feet, he would have five free criticals to work with.


    The Death Shot required the archer to spend one critical to activate, and then one more for every five levels of the target rounded up.  No level 21+ players had yet tried to cross the bridge, but a few at 16+ had.  That would require five criticals.  If he shot a level 15 player at 100 feet, he would need the physical damage of the arrow to exceed 50 over their Death Save to kill them.  Though if he at least Stunned them, they would be sitting ducks for his next attack.


    Arrows usually did five damage, but his bow added eight, and the arrows were plus two, so they each did 15. An average level 15 character had a death save around 50-60.  Paladins and priests were higher, and fighters and rogues were lower.  But if you had a high Death Save, that usually meant you had low AC and HP, and Psycho could choose to kill you with damage instead.  After a roll, you could assume someone¡¯s Death Save would be close to 70.  Psycho needed to do 120 damage with his Death Shot to kill you.  That required seven criticals to multiply the 15 damage of the arrow by eight.  With an attack of 115 with a free crit, he would need to exceed the target¡¯s AC by 60.  That meant the target had to have an AC of at least 55 to survive.  You couldn¡¯t Dodge or Parry an arrow, and raising a standard shield didn¡¯t help either.  That left players with only one defensive option: a tower shield.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    When Jace, Esther, and Snowy entered the clearing, they saw they were not alone.  Two other players stood on the flat stone, staring at the distant tower.  One was a dark-clad human leaning against a rock and flipping a knife in his hand.  He wore a long trench coat with a black hat and looked like he belonged in a Western.  He was smiling and laughing, and Jace believed he was in the middle of chiding the other player who stood in front of the bridge.  He shut up when the three new arrivals emerged from the stone maze, and the other player turned to see what silenced him.


    The second player was a dwarf in full armor holding a shield larger than he was.  He stood before the bridge, trying to get up the courage.  He was level 17 with 629 HP.  With the full plate, boots, helm, shield, and probably a magical bonus, Jace guessed he was close to 45 AC, though if he raised that tower shield, he would be immune to arrow attacks.  It was probably level 10, so it had 500 HP.


    ¡°Ah, I was wondering if I would ever see you here,¡± the dagger-wielding man said, pushing himself away from the rocks and smiling at Jace.  Any player camping out in Psycho¡¯s module would know that Jace had challenged and killed Drescher and had met with Psycho beforehand.  He tipped his hat to the new arrivals.  ¡°Well met, friends.¡±


    Esther braced for action, but the tug on his brim didn¡¯t initiate a spell like it did for her hat.  Either way, she suddenly wished she had her armor and weapons.  The man laughed at the reaction.  ¡°Easy, Miss Xerxes; I don¡¯t want any trouble.¡±  He sheathed his knife and raised his hands away from his weapons.  ¡°My name is Victron.  I¡¯m a big fan.¡±


    ¡°Is there a queue?¡± Jace asked, looking from the dwarf to the human.


    Victron laughed.  ¡°Oh, no.  I¡¯m not stupid enough to try that bridge with Psycho up there.¡±  He motioned to the top of the tower over 400 feet away.  ¡°You are only waiting on our brave priest here.¡±  They all looked at the dwarf.  He thought about letting Jace go first, but the general consensus in the game was that Jace cheated, and he would probably be successful.  If the dwarf wanted any chance of getting Psycho for himself, he had to go now.


    He released a battle cry with renewed vigor and raced onto the bridge.  The game didn¡¯t actually let you sprint while holding a tower shield, and dwarves weren¡¯t that fast, but it still looked impressive.  As soon as his second foot hit the stone, three green arrows streaked out of the top of the tower.  Psycho was using his Rapid Shot ability, which let him take three shots in a round, but each at a -10 penalty.  It didn¡¯t matter since once the arrows were halfway, the dwarf slowed to a walk and raised his shield.  Attacking a raised tower shield was literally like hitting the broad side of a barn door, and Psycho only needed to beat an AC of 10.  All three arrows thudded into the shield and exploded for 180 points of acid damage.  The dwarven priest felt all three hits, lowered the guard, and ran 50 more feet before raising his shield again.  Acid did half damage each successive round until you saved against it.  A tower shield had no saving throw, but for the second round, the priest¡¯s own magic ability kicked in, and he saved against two of the acid attacks, so only 30 damage carried through.  However, three more arrows thudded in right after that and did 180 more.


    If Jace was right, and it was a level 10 shield with 500 damage, it only had 110 left and wouldn¡¯t last another round.  The dwarf ran another 50 feet and stopped again.  Instead of raising his shield, he tossed it over the edge of the bridge.


    ¡°This is where he kills you,¡± Victron said.


    Jace understood why.  The dwarf was 100 feet closer than when he started, meaning Psycho had to spend two fewer criticals to get his arrows that far.  Now the priest had to enter his inventory to get another tower shield, and he would be flat-footed for a full round.  At the current range, Jace guessed each arrow would do 60 physical damage in addition to 60 acid.  Even if the priest saved against all the acid for half, that would still be 270 damage.


    Jace winced in anticipation as the arrows streaked in, but a shimmering globe formed around the dwarf at the last second, and none of the shafts made it through.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Victron said in appreciation.  ¡°Immunity to piercing.  An expensive spell against a level 20 attacker.  He must be some priest.  Of course, he can¡¯t move now.¡±


    Jace watched as the dwarf entered his inventory and got a second tower shield.  Psycho was smart enough to hold his fire for now and waited for the spell to end.  It only lasted three rounds, and the dwarf was running again.


    ¡°How many shields can he hold?¡± Jace asked Gracie quietly.  He figured that was something a seasoned player should know, so he didn¡¯t want Victron to realize he was still a noob.


    {With your carry ability, you can hold three,} Gracie said as they watched the dwarf run 50 feet and take three more arrows to his new shield.  {Most players can hold two, maximum.  With all the points this priest has apparently spent in Constitution, Wisdom, and Spirit, I doubt he had any left for Strength, but who knows?}


    Psycho proved he was mortal and must have rolled a one, as one of the following three arrows missed, but the five that had hit during the last 100 feet, and the additional damage round two of them got, was enough to exhaust the shield.  The priest tossed it away and enacted his piercing immunity spell again.  He surprised everyone by pulling a third shield.


    ¡°Could he have a magical chest like Gromphy?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°I imagine he could keep 100 shields in there.¡±


    {Those items are extraordinarily rare,} Gracie said.  {Gromphy has to take the chest out of his inventory and put it on the ground to access the contents.  Not only has this dwarf not done that, but I don¡¯t think the narrow bridge would allow it.}


    Jace watched as Psycho changed tactics and intentionally shot the next volley short.  They hit the bridge five feet before the priest and exploded into fireballs.  The wave of fire had no problem penetrating the shield, and each did 50 damage.  The priest saved against two of them for half and took 100 total.  Psycho did the same thing for the next two rounds.  Soon the priest was at half health, and his shield was on fire.  Jace saw him cast another spell at the end and guessed it was for fire protection.


    ¡°How much mana does this guy have left?¡± Victron said.  ¡°I¡¯m starting to root for him.¡±


    Psycho burned through the next shield in the final 100 feet of the bridge, and the dwarf stopped at the edge of the island, casting another piercing immunity spell.  With the added fire damage the shield had taken, it had disintegrated before the priest had enacted this third spell, and his health was dangerously low.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± Victron shouted.  ¡°I love this guy.¡±


    Psycho had his fire attacks ready and brought the dwarf under 100 health in the next round.  The priest was 100 feet from the base of the tower, but it was the longest 100 feet of his life.  He was out of tower shields but not out of tricks.  He waited for the next volley, cut his spell short, and sprinted.  With a tower shield, he could only run 25 feet each for his first two actions and needed his third one to raise the shield.  Without the heavy guard, he could run 40 feet; if he used all three actions to run, he would make the tower¡¯s base in one round.


    The arrows exploded in fire behind him, only expanding to five feet in radius, and didn¡¯t touch him.  Victron cheered him on as he passed the halfway point and was almost at the tower.  ¡°Run, dwarf, run!¡±


    A single black arrow left the sniper¡¯s window, too fast to see.  But its impact was evident as it struck the priest in the top of the head, and he dropped dead on the spot.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the animated spectator cried.  ¡°He was so close.¡±  The human shrugged his shoulders and turned to Jace.  ¡°Next.¡±


    Esther looked at her leader as he went into his inventory and pulled out the level 10 tower shield he had bought on the way over to this module.  ¡°Are you really going to do this?¡± she asked.  ¡°I don¡¯t want you to die.  I could sneak across.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Victron said.  ¡°No can do.  The lava gives off magical light.  No shadows.  Plus, as cute as that dress is on you, it ain¡¯t stopping arrows.¡±


    Esther ignored him.  Jace smiled at her.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t die,¡± he said as he turned toward the bridge.


    ¡°How many of those things do you have?¡± Victron asked, pointing at the shield.  ¡°I¡¯m guessing, as an orc, you can carry a bunch.¡±


    ¡°Just the one,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°You think that will be enough?¡±


    Jace decided he didn¡¯t need to answer any more questions and turned them back on the shifty human.  ¡°What are you here for anyway?  You keeping stats?  Just in it for the entertainment of seeing people die?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in it for the arrows, man.  Um, I mean, orc.  The last guy who pulled Psycho out of here left the tower empty for a whole day.  You know how many arrows that little halfling crafter can make in a day?  I sold them and made a fortune.  I just have to be smart and get out of there before Psycho gets back.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why he comes back?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Maybe I do,¡± he said, obviously angling for money.


    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°You¡¯re just a poacher, letting others do the work while you sit on your ass.¡±


    ¡°At your service,¡± he said, removing his hat and bowing low.  ¡°But, technically, we¡¯re called campers, miss,¡± he corrected her once he put his hat back on.  ¡°And I¡¯m standing, not sitting.¡±  He smiled at her as he rested his back against the stone.  ¡°Well, leaning, actually, I guess.¡±  He thought this was funny and laughed.


    Esther turned to Jace.  ¡°Well, if you die or not, be quick about it.  I don¡¯t want to spend more time alone with this guy than I have to.¡±


    Snowy growled to let her know she wasn¡¯t alone.  ¡°You know what I mean, girl.¡±


    Jace hugged her and walked toward the bridge.  As soon as he put one foot on the cobblestone, he felt himself enter combat mode.  His eyes stayed glued on the top of the tower, but no arrows came yet.  He reached through the stone path and put his Armor totem underneath the middle of the bridge, upside down and invisible to anyone watching.  Then he put a Damage Sink totem a few feet ahead of him, also under the bridge.  That cost him 280 mana, and he waited for ten rounds, which was only a minute in combat mode.  The game didn¡¯t let him cast the same totem twice unless ten rounds had passed.  If his plan worked, he wouldn¡¯t need them, but better to be safe than sorry.  He also gained 210 mana back, so it was worth the wait.


    ¡°Cold feet?¡± Victron asked.


    Jace didn¡¯t reply and moved fully onto the bridge.  Three green arrows came flying toward him, and Jace didn¡¯t flinch or raise his shield.  Instead, he Stood his Ground.


    His Armor totem gave him 14 AC.  His boots and leftover Armor skill added another nine.  Even though it wasn¡¯t raised, the shield gave him five more, and against ranged attacks, it offered an additional five.  That came to 33 AC.  When he Stood his Ground to activate his Convict ability, he traded his natural AC of 10 with his Intimidation score of 14, multiplying it by any bonuses he got from his opponent¡¯s alignment.  Unfortunately, Psycho had the exact alignment as him, so he multiplied the 14 by zero three times and added it to the 33.


    Psycho¡¯s base attack was 85 after his bonuses from the bow and arrows.  When using his Rapid-Fire ability, he suffered a -10 for each shot.  To get the arrows to fly 400 feet, he needed to spend 50 points of his attack value, leaving him with 25.  Against an armor class of 33, a roll of 18 would be a critical hit, an eight would barely hit him, and anything less would miss.


    The first arrow was 19, and Jace had a critical protection stored in his necklace, which reduced it to a regular hit of 15 arrow damage.  This was not higher than his Damage Reduction skill of 18.  Thanks to his latest feat that Gracie had recommended, Jace also saved critically against the acid damage, taking nothing.  The next arrow was a 15.  Jace took no physical damage and saved critically against the acid again.  The third attack was a six and missed.  This triggered his Convict ability.  Because it was a standard miss and not a critical one, he could only change one thing, but he only needed to change one thing.  Jace saw Psycho¡¯s settings and navigated to his Temperament.  Not surprisingly, it was Combative, meaning he would attack everyone he saw.  Jace thought about changing it to Hostile, which was what Gromphy was but took it down to Neutral.  The next step would have been Friendly, but then it would hardly seem like Psycho.


    Jace exited the screen and waited.  Nothing happened.  He took a few steps forward on the bridge.  Nothing continued to happen.  He tried not to look down at the lava bubbling beneath him while awaiting his fate.  He was impressed that the dwarf had managed to run on this bridge without falling off.  Of course, as an orc, he had a much wider stance.  He took a few more steps, putting one foot in front of the other as if walking a tightrope.  Still no arrows.


    He turned to Esther and Victron.  The human was slack-jawed.  ¡°See,¡± he said.  ¡°Piece of cake.  Don¡¯t let anyone else cross the bridge till I return.¡±  Jace turned forward and noticed that his vision was no longer pulsing red, meaning he wasn¡¯t even in combat mode anymore.  He stored his shield, decided to turn himself into a human, and strode confidently across the rest of the bridge.

 Chapter 21: The Proposition

    Jace was glad he had changed out of his orc form because even as a human, he nearly scared the halfling to death when he walked into the tower¡¯s first floor.


    ¡°Eeeek, who are you?  Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I¡¯m just here to talk with the master of the tower.  Others have come before me, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sure,¡± he said, backing away from Jace and reaching for a short sword.  ¡°They come diving in here half burnt to death with explosions chasing them.  Then they threaten my life and torture me for information.¡±


    Jace was currently unarmed as his sword hung its sheath.  He made a calming gesture with his empty hands.  ¡°I mean you no harm.  I am here to talk with Nal Saikol.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk,¡± the crafter said.  ¡°He just kills.  He kills everything.¡±


    Jace padded himself down, pretending to look for arrow holes and finding none.  ¡°He hasn¡¯t killed me.  I just want to talk with him.  May I go upstairs?¡±


    The way wasn¡¯t barred, and the room wasn¡¯t cluttered.  The halfling stood before a large table with three stacks of raw arrow material piled next to him.  A vacuum tube like Gromphy had used hung above the workspace.  The halfling had been sitting at the table when Jace had entered; now, he was standing against it quivering in fear.  ¡°Like I can stop you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said and moved through the center of the room to the stairwell in the back.  He kept his eye on the small crafter, however.  It would be a shame to survive the deadliest archer in the game only to be backstabbed by a halfling.  That didn¡¯t happen, and Jace made it to the stairs.


    Twelve floors took a minute to climb, and Jace noticed very little on the levels he passed.  Psycho was waiting at the top.  His room was spartan, with a bed, table, and chair.  The chair was sitting in front of the lone window that looked out over the bridge.  Jace imagined the NPC sat there every day, hour after hour, waiting for people to come to visit.  He probably got a notification each time someone new entered the module, and it was a fifteen-minute walk to the bridge.  So if he were eating or sleeping, he would have time to set up in front of the window.  Over 100 arrows lay on the floor next to the chair.


    Psycho stood in the middle of the room, holding his bow.  He wore golden dragon armor, a couple of rings, a belt, and leather boots.  Jace saw fletching peeking over his shoulder and a 2-handed katana on his hip.  If he chose to shoot Jace from this range, it would be over quickly.  ¡°The legendary Jace Thorne,¡± the elf said.


    ¡°The legendary Nal Saikol Gladekin,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°What did you do to me?¡±  Anger filled his voice, but he didn¡¯t raise his weapon.


    ¡°I gave you some peace so we can talk.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t last.  It never lasts.  Do you want to know what happened to the last two people to make it up here?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°They were both dwarves.  The first had three shields like the one right before you, but he was willing to take damage between changing them and still had enough left to make it to the tower.  He carried my crafter up here, holding a knife to his throat, forcing me to join his party.  I did, but when we got back to his stronghold, I . . .¡± he struggled through the memory.  ¡°I killed them.  I killed everyone in his party and him.  I didn¡¯t even take anything.  I just left them all dead.  One of them respawned, an NPC linked to his stronghold, and I killed her again.¡±


    The elf stared hard at Jace, but the human didn¡¯t flinch.  Jace knew Psycho was fully aware of the rules of the game, so his understanding of respawning and NPCs didn¡¯t surprise him.  ¡°And the other one?¡±  His research showed that only two had made it to the tower.


    ¡°He cast a control spell at me through the window.  I don¡¯t know where he got the mana.  It must have been a high-level wand.  He forced me to join his party.  He had to keep the spell active all the time.  When we got back to his stronghold, he had a harem of female elves waiting for me as if . . .¡± he spat on the ground.  ¡°As if that¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for.  But he forced me to . . .¡± he spat again.  ¡°As long as he had that spell, I couldn¡¯t do anything.  Eventually, he left for your dimension but kept us frozen.  When he returned, it took him one round to cast the spell fresh, and he wasn¡¯t fast enough.  After he was dead, I went to the harem and . . .¡±


    Jace saw his face crack as he struggled for control.  ¡°I¡¯m broken, Jace Thorne.  I¡¯m of no use to you.  I¡¯m a killer, and I can do nothing about it.  Ever since Drescher . . .¡± but he couldn¡¯t go on.


    ¡°He broke your script,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You know what a script is, right?¡±


    The elf nodded.


    ¡°Now your Temperament is locked on Combative.  When you joined him and thought your sister was with him, you were probably Friendly toward him.  Once you found out what he did, you changed to Hostile.  Now that he is gone, you are Combative.  If you joined me, that might change to neutral, as you are now, but I agree with you; it will change to Hostile and then to Combative again.  Drescher got a pass because he was the first to fool you, and you gave him your word.  I assume you didn¡¯t promise to serve your other masters unconditionally.¡±


    Psycho shook his head vehemently.  ¡°And I won¡¯t promise you either.  Even if I wanted to, I . . . I can¡¯t.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°I have come with a proposition for you.  I believe I know where your sister is.  I can bring her to you.¡±


    Psycho laughed.  ¡°Really.  I didn¡¯t expect that.  I know where she is too.  She¡¯s gone.  She¡¯s dead.  I¡¯m broken forever.¡±


    ¡°She is with your people,¡± Jace said.  ¡°In their homeland.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± he shouted.  ¡°You are lying.  If she is there, her stone is with her, and you can do nothing.  You need both stones to open the portal, hers and mine.¡±  He held up his bow, and Jace saw the teal mana stone pulsing in the weapon.  It filled each arrow he fired with whatever mana he wanted and would never run dry.  Psycho had spent all his points in Dexterity, Constitution, and Strength.  He could only make magical attacks with his bow because of the stone.


    ¡°We only have one of the stones on this side of the portal.  If you are telling the truth, then she is truly gone.¡±  He paused as this new reality sunk in.  ¡°As are all my people.  They are stuck where they are, with only one stone, and I am stranded here.  I am truly alone.¡±  He lowered his bow and slumped his shoulders.


    ¡°Do you know this is true?¡± Jace asked, assuming that his script would confirm it.


    He nodded his head and spoke softly.  ¡°I assumed she had been killed and the stone lost, but now that you say this . . . I know it is true.  But why?  Why would they leave me here alone?  The orcs attacked when my people went through the portal, but Mur should have known to stay on this side.  The orcs wouldn¡¯t have forced her in.  Not if they knew what that meant.  They wanted the elves here.¡±


    ¡°You do not know why your people left you?  You don¡¯t know what is different about you?¡±


    A fire burned in his green eyes as he leveled a stare at Jace.  The human worried the elf¡¯s Temperament might have just been elevated to Hostile.  ¡°What do you know, shaman?  Speak carefully, or the next words will be your last.¡±  His knuckles were white on his bow.


    Jace had no choice but to move on, but he approached the topic from an angle.  ¡°Snowy told me.¡±


    ¡°Your wolf?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°She hates elves.  She didn¡¯t mind you.¡±


    Psycho growled at the implication but knew it wasn¡¯t Jace he was mad at.  ¡°My mother died giving birth to me, and my father hated me for it.  My sister raised me, but I knew I was different.  When I met the orc leader ¨C that half-breed monstrosity ¨C he told me.  I didn¡¯t want to believe him.  But I knew.¡±


    Jace felt it was too much of a Star Wars rip-off, but he hadn¡¯t written the module.  It was a classic clich¨¦ for a reason.  ¡°He was your father.  You are one-quarter-orc.¡±  They had gotten to the truth in a roundabout way, and Psycho didn¡¯t attack him when he said it.


    ¡°And for that, they left me?¡±


    ¡°Could you have even passed through the portal?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Would your magical homeland allow any orc in?  Perhaps when they decided to leave, they had no choice but to leave you behind.  Your sister may have argued. . .¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°She did.  She never wanted to leave.  She must have known I wouldn¡¯t be able to join them.  But she couldn¡¯t go against the elders.¡±


    ¡°And they wouldn¡¯t have let her stay behind,¡± Jace added.


    ¡°Then what is this plan of yours, oh great, Jace Thorne,¡± he growled.  ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you in my brief time outside of this tower.  I know you killed Drescher, and as much as I hated him, that was a better existence than this.  Now you come to me with news to make my life even more wretched.  What purpose do you have in all this?  Why tell me lies that you can bring my sister back if you know she is in another world?  Might you bring me into your dimensions to find her?¡±


    Jace tried not to laugh.  That would be something.  ¡°Tell me one thing.  The other stone ¨C your sister¡¯s stone ¨C does exist, correct?¡±


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°It did,¡± Psycho confirmed.  ¡°I saw it.  They would not have been able to open the portal to leave if it did not.¡±


    ¡°And it is identical to yours in every way?¡±


    Again, the elf nodded.  ¡°They were fashioned together by the gods at the birth of my people.  They are twins.¡±


    ¡°Then I know how to get your sister back.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    Jace smiled.  ¡°You need to trust me.  Give me your stone.  I will give you a potion.  Then I will leave here, and you need to drink the potion.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t like the sound of any of that.  ¡°And what will this potion do?¡±


    ¡°It will kill you.¡±


    Psycho laughed.  ¡°You are misinformed, then.  You see, as part of my blessing, which I now know is a curse, I cannot die.  When too much damage is done to me, I heal.  When a spell would render me Helpless, I am immune.  When someone tries to kill me, I survive.  You have all the answers, but you didn¡¯t know this?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°You¡¯re right.  I forgot one step.  You need to join my party first.¡±  Jace knew Psycho was one of the most aware NPCs in the game, but he was about to do some severe fourth-wall-breaking here.  ¡°You know that rules run your reality.  One of those rules involves something called a Death Save.  A person makes it when their life is threatened.  They can succeed the save or fail it based on their skills and abilities.  You are always scripted to succeed.  However, once you ally yourself with a player like me, you make yourself vulnerable to them.  That was how the second player was able to always cast Control on you and never worry that you might defend against it.  It will be the same if you join me.  Yes, if I gave you the potion now, you would drink it and automatically make the Death Save.  But if you join me first, the game will not allow you even to attempt a save, and you will automatically fail.¡±


    ¡°Even if your words are true, why should I do this?  Why should I commit suicide?¡±


    ¡°So, you are loving life right now?¡± Jace wished he could take the sarcastic comment back as soon as he said it.


    ¡°Killing arrogant smart-asses like you brings me a bit of joy,¡± he said through gritted teeth.  ¡°But how does killing me bring my sister back?¡±


    ¡°If you give me your stone, I walk out of this module, and then you kill yourself; you will reset.  You will be a companion of mine but will not have established a respawn point in my stronghold, so the realm will have no choice but to put you back in your module.  It will reset everything.  You will go back in time as if you never met Dresher.  The orcs will all still be alive, and you will be looking for your sister.  And . . . you will have your bow.¡±


    He looked at his weapon.  ¡°With my stone in the bow.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I will have the stone you are about to give me.  The realms do not allow two identical things to exist in a way where they can contact each other.  Often two things can exist in parallel but not simultaneously.  However, if what you say is true, and the other stone did exist and is identical to yours, then the realm will again allow two to exist simultaneously, and we can use them to open the portal.¡±


    ¡°We would need to kill the orcs and heal the land,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°That is something that has been done before.  It can be done again.¡±


    Psycho was deep in thought.  ¡°This all sounds . . . not real.  Like you are inventing a mystery just to solve it.¡±


    ¡°In a way, I am,¡± Jace admitted. ¡°Though I am not the one that created the mystery.  The one who designed you and your module put the mystery there, and it was my job to come up with the answer.¡±


    ¡°How do you know you are right?¡±


    ¡°Because of your name, Nal Saikol.¡±


    ¡°You are the only one who calls me that,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I know, and I wouldn¡¯t be shocked if the module designer gave you the nickname Psycho on purpose to steer people away from the clue.¡±


    ¡°My name is the clue?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Your name spelled backward is two different names: Loki and Aslan.  These are both fictional characters from my world.  Loki is a trickster.  He is always making illusions to fool people.  I don¡¯t know if Drescher figured it out or just got lucky.  I kind of doubt he is smart enough.  But in order to solve your quest, you first needed to be tricked.¡±


    ¡°How do you know what trick to use?  There could have been all sorts of illusions to fool me.¡±


    ¡°Your sister¡¯s name is Mur Calumis.  This spells Simulacrum backward, which is a copy of something.  An exact copy of something.  We need to trick you by making an exact copy of your sister.  Someone who holds an exact copy of your stone.¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°And who is Aslan?¡±


    ¡°A noble lion who had to die and return to life to achieve his quest.  But he wasn¡¯t killed in battle.  He had to give up his life willingly for it to work.¡±


    {By the way,} Gracie chimed in.  {I am loving this.  When were you going to tell me you cracked his module?}


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you right now,¡± Jace whispered, but Psycho heard him.  He went with it.  ¡°I¡¯m telling you this right now because I need your help.  Yes, I want to see you freed from the malicious script controlling you, but I also need you to help me defeat some horrible people who are currently making Drescher look like a schoolyard bully.  And I don¡¯t need a hostile, scripted version of you.  I need you free and fully committed to my party.  I don¡¯t want you killing Esther in her sleep.¡±


    ¡°You need me to kill someone, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°I need someone to make an 800-foot kill shot.¡±


    Psycho laughed again.  ¡°I don¡¯t know if you were paying attention, but fifteen minutes ago, I took three shots at you from 400 and didn¡¯t do a spec of damage.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.  If I can bring you and your sister back from the dead, I can give you a bow to make that shot.¡±


    Psycho was silent for a few moments.  ¡°After I die, when I come back, will I remember any of this?  I mean, this conversation we are having now?  How will I know it is you when you find me in my old home?  How will I know not to kill you on sight?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace answered the first question.  ¡°You will not remember any of this.  You will be as you were, mourning the loss of your people, hunting the orcs by yourself, and looking for your sister.  I will have to trick you again.  Do I have your permission?¡±


    That request assured Psycho he could trust the shaman and earned Jace far more respect than he realized.  The elf nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace said, ¡°but that brings up one problem with my plan that I don¡¯t have a solution for.  Right now, the news is going around the realms where I am.  A human is camping out at the beginning of the bridge.  His name is Victron.¡±


    ¡°The bard who just sits there and watches everyone die?¡± Psycho asked.


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Though, he insisted that he stands and watches everyone die.  I am sure he has sent word out that I am here and have successfully made it across the bridge.  Some will assume I will steal you away like the two players before me and hope you will kill me as you did them.  However, the way I crossed the bridge, without raising a shield or taking a single point of damage, will lead others to guess that I know how to solve your quest.  Or at least that I think I do.  Right now, they are all gathering their best illusion spells, racing over to your old module, and waiting for it to reset.  It is difficult to explain, but when it does, they will all enter into their own copies of your elven village and try to trick you as Drescher did.  I don¡¯t have a way to stop them.  I plan to have you join my party for the right reason, to complete your quest honorably.  That will take time.  If they successfully trick you and get you to leave the module before I complete your quest, I will be kicked out and will fail.¡±


    Psycho managed to follow that conversation.  ¡°I think I have a solution.¡±  He reached into a pouch on his belt and removed a small golden necklace.  ¡°This belonged to my sister.  I found it amidst the dead orcs near the portal.  Since I didn¡¯t find her body, I assumed it meant she was still alive.  Now I understand she probably left it behind so I would have something to remember her.  Either way, when I focus on it,¡± he held it up to the light in the room, and it sparkled, ¡°I want so much for her to be alive and with me that I think I accepted Drescher¡¯s illusion without trying too hard to defeat it.¡±


    Psycho offered it to Jace.  ¡°Take this with you.  There is only one of these in all the realms.  If your theory is correct, this pendant won¡¯t be there when my home resets.  It will be with you.  I won¡¯t find it, and when others come to trick me, I won¡¯t be as easily fooled.¡±


    Jace held up his hand.  ¡°Before I take it, will you join my group?  I¡¯m sure Drescher mentioned at some point that he had an operator that helped him.  I have one too.  Her name is Gracie.  She can better analyze how that necklace affects you.¡±


    Psycho nodded.


    [Nal Saikol Gladekin has joined your party.]


    {Let¡¯s have a look,} Gracie said.  After a few moments, she confirmed what Psycho said.  {It is hard to find, and I doubt other players he¡¯s been with would have seen it if they didn¡¯t look for it, but it seems like he has a conditional penalty of -40 to his Perception.  You add your Perception to your Magic Defense when trying to defeat illusions.  It doesn¡¯t say what that condition is, but it makes sense that it would be the pendant.}


    Jace nodded at the voice in his head and then took the jewelry from the elf.


    {Wow, that worked.  The penalty is gone.  Of course, this means it is going to be harder for you to trick him too.}


    ¡°I give you permission to use that against me,¡± Psycho said, solving Gracie¡¯s problem.  ¡°Whomever you disguise as my sister, if you give that to her and have the stone, I will believe you instantly.¡±


    ¡°May I have the stone?¡± Jace asked.  He realized he was asking an awful lot of the elf.  Psycho had just handed him the one thing that reminded him of his sister, and now he was going to hand over the most powerful magical item in his possession.  And all Jace was going to give him in return was a potion that would kill him and a promise that he wouldn¡¯t remember any of this.


    The archer removed the stone from his bow and handed it to the shaman.  ¡°I promise I will . . .¡± Jace started.


    The elf held up his hand.  ¡°I trust you.  I saw how you dealt with Wallace, Esther, and Drescher.  I saw how the last two players who reached this tower treated me, and I see how you are doing it.  You are an honorable man, or orc, or whatever you are.  Give me the potion.¡±


    Jace nodded, storing the necklace and stone in his inventory and retrieving the vial of blue liquid.  He handed it to Psycho.  The elf looked at the potion inside, expecting something more heinous.  ¡°I know when I wake up, I will be back home and remember none of this, but after it is done and my homeland is restored, will my memories return?  I don¡¯t want to forget what we¡¯ve done here.¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure how it works, but I¡¯ve rescued two other NPCs from their modules.  While they were in them, they did not know what they had done before in the game, but once I freed them, it all returned.  You are different because you are designed to be released from your module.  I don¡¯t think you will remember all of the other player¡¯s failed attempts to free you, but since I believe you were meant to be tricked and then killed, it would be odd for you not to remember that process once it was complete.¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°If that proves not to be the case, take these as well.¡±  He moved to the table and opened a drawer.  Inside was a heavily worn notebook.  He handed it to Jace.  ¡°I trust you not to read this.  If I don¡¯t regain my memories, give this to me.  It is written in my hand.  It will help.¡±


    Jace stored it in his inventory.  ¡°Anything else you picked up since leaving your homeland that you want to keep?  Any equipment that Drescher gave you?¡±


    Psycho slid a ring off his finger and handed it to Jace.  It was a +2 Strength ring, like the one he earned from the Strength trials and given to Esther.  ¡°Drescher handed these out like candy,¡± he said.  ¡°He made sure all his half-orc guards had one.¡±  The elf chuckled.  ¡°I guess I was one of them.¡±  He looked down at his armor, clothes, and weapons.  ¡°Everything else I have I had with me in the forest.  According to your plan, I should have it again.  Though,¡± he looked toward the window, ¡°You might want to take a few arrows.  I hear they have great street value.¡±


    Jace gathered all of them, again taking advantage of his impressive Carry value.  ¡°One more thing,¡± he added.  ¡°It is important to drink that potion after I have completely left your module.  I asked my crafter to make sure it was instantaneous and painless.  If the unique items you gave me are still in the same module as you when you reset, I fear you will take them with you.  Once I am out, they will be locked in the broader realms, and we should be okay.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Now go before my Temperament changes, and I kill you.  I will see you on the other side.¡±


    Jace said his farewell and hurriedly ran down the stairs.  As he ran back across the bridge, he was fearful that any moment an arrow might hit him in the back, and he didn¡¯t look forward to the experience.  At least it wouldn¡¯t have acid or fire in it.

 Chapter 22: Opportunistic Combatants

    Jace made it across the bridge without taking an arrow to the back.  He ensured his necklace was loaded with his Critical Protection spell before crossing, just in case, and he waited until he was across the bridge before he unsummoned his two totems.  He almost stepped in the lava, though, as his human illusion wore off once he was almost across, and his big orc feet came perilously close to stepping off the narrow path.  He chose not to change back into human form and carefully navigated the rest of the bridge.  Esther and Snowy were waiting for him on the other side.  Alone.


    ¡°What happened to the human?¡± Jace asked.


    Esther didn¡¯t want to make eye contact.  ¡°He . . . uh . . . kind of went for a swim.¡±


    Jace looked over his shoulder at the lava.  ¡°Explain.¡±


    ¡°Well, I heard him talking to his operator, and he was saying how you had just crossed the bridge without taking any damage, and you must know some secret and that he would stay here and keep an eye on us while more people came.¡±


    Jace nodded, his earlier fears confirmed.


    ¡°I told him that you said no one else can cross the bridge while you are over there, and he kind of looked surprised that I had understood what he said.  So then, out of nowhere, he starts singing.  And, I have to admit, he had a great voice.  At first, I wanted him to stop, but he kept going, and I imagined I was an angel again, and I could fly, and my wings were strong and bright, and nothing could stop me . . . and then Snowy was biting me, and I saw that I had almost jumped out over the gorge.  I turned to find Victron, but he wasn¡¯t there, but Snowy could see him, so I could see him, and he tried to attack me from the shadows, but I dodged, and we wrestled, and of course, I won, and he . . . uh . . . kind of went over the edge.¡±  She peered over the cliff at the lava below.


    Jace rolled his eyes through the rambling tale, able to picture most of it.


    ¡°But, hey,¡± she continued, ¡°it¡¯s not a total loss.  I got his trench coat.  Here,¡± she handed the cloak to Jace.  ¡°It¡¯s not really my style.¡±


    The orc took it, and it instantly grew in size to fit him.  He tried it on and checked its stats.


    {Ohhh,} Gracie said.  {Lots of pockets.  These kinds of clothes are nice.  It lets you keep gems, potions, scrolls, and small weapons in it, so you don¡¯t have to go into your inventory all the time.  Gromphy can make you a bunch of boon potions.  And it gives you +5 to stealth, which you will never use.}


    Jace came back out of his inventory and glanced down at himself.  On Victron, it had looked like a long, black duster.  On him, it was a shaman¡¯s cloak with more black fur than smooth leather.  ¡°How do I look?¡±


    ¡°Like an orc in a cloak,¡± Esther said. ¡°I think we should go.  More people are coming.  What happened with Psycho?¡±


    Jace filled her in as they hurried back through the path to the travel node.  Esther wasn¡¯t too keen on Psycho killing himself, but Jace assured her it would work.  She also didn¡¯t like the idea of playing a female elf to trick Psycho, but Jace said they didn¡¯t have time to find a real elf.


    They were still five minutes from the end of the path when Jace got a notification that three PCs and an NPC had entered the module.  He guessed the alert was because they had Psycho in their party.  The owner of this module got the warnings, so Jace did too.  ¡°We aren¡¯t alone,¡± he said.  ¡°Snowy, scout out ahead, but don¡¯t engage.  Let me know what you see.¡±


    The wolf sprinted forward, and Esther fell into the shadows.  Jace could still see her but acted like he couldn¡¯t in case the visitors had the ability to look ahead.  Make them think he was alone.  Snowy reported back in a few minutes.


    <Half-Elf Barbarian.  Human Cleric.  Dwarf Fighter. Human Ranger.  The ranger is summoning a hellcat.>


    Esther also got the communication and swore.  ¡°I know these people.  They ambushed me in the last game we played.  I handled them fine, but I think they will be ready for my tricks now.¡±


    ¡°But there are three of us this time,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We¡¯ll be fine.¡±  He went into his inventory and got his tower shield out.  He couldn¡¯t hold it and wield Etcher simultaneously, but he didn¡¯t want to take any chances if a ranger with a bow was waiting for them.


    Esther stayed in the shadows, and they passed Snowy, who was still hiding behind the last turn, but as Jace stepped past her, he found the players waiting for them.  Christine, the cleric, cast a daylight spell, and Esther exited the shadows before she could strike.  Snowy stayed out of sight.


    For Esther, it had been more than ten hours since she had seen them as Jace had sent her after the dragon and accelerated to dawn.  But in reality, only about two hours had passed since the end of the tower defense game, and these players had just recently left the Roasted Troll.  Even though they had been on the winning side, all they could talk about was plotting their revenge.  Clint had even joined the couple¡¯s party for the time being.  When the call came through back channels that there was an unofficial bounty on Jace Thorne and his companions to delay or kill them, Sylvester had notified Junther, and his crew jumped at the chance.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡± the dwarf bellowed, banging his hammer against his shield.  The hellcat sat impatiently next to her master, barely restrained.  It wasn¡¯t as good a hunter as Snowy, as it spent most of its time in an extraplanar realm breathing in sulfur and ash, but it sensed a mortal enemy was near.


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Junther said, stepping forward armed with his axe and shield.  ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve had the pleasure,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Neither did I,¡± Junther said, ¡°twice now.  It¡¯s time Esther pays up.¡±


    ¡°I owe you nothing,¡± she replied.  ¡°Get out of our way.  Psycho is in our group now.  Let us through, or you will die.¡±


    Clint, the ranger, looked scared.  His bow was out with an arrow knocked, and he was scanning the rocky crags before him.  Christine¡¯s light spell did not extend very far.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see him,¡± Junther said.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°That¡¯s the point.  He¡¯s invisible.¡±  She reached up to her hat to demonstrate, but Christine was ready.


    ¡°Not this time,¡± she said and cast a hold spell at Esther.  The rogue failed the save and held still.  Snowy showed herself now, upset at the attack on her friend.  Clint was too distracted to restrain his summoned creature, and the hellcat bolted from his side toward the wolf, and the fight was on.


    ¡°Keep her still this time,¡± Junther shouted, following behind the cat.  ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the orc.¡±  As the hellcat rushed past him toward Snowy, and Christine moved wide to circle closer to Esther, Jace prepared for the barbarian charge, the dwarf alongside him, shouting that he was going to smash and bash something.


    Jace¡¯s eyes followed the cat briefly, flames licking its skin as it pounced on his familiar.  It was significantly smaller than Snowy but faster, and its burning flesh would hurt the wolf every time she touched it.  They tumbled out of view behind the rocks, and Jace knew he would have to trust her.  His focus was needed elsewhere.


    While they had been bantering, Jace had put an Armor totem in a clump of rocks to his left and cast his Damage Sink totem in a different crag further ahead.  The ground was rocky enough that he could connect to them to receive his benefit.  Now he cast his Athletic boon and met the half-elf¡¯s charge.  He held on to his tower shield as long as possible, not wanting the ranger to snipe him, but tossed it to the ground at the last second to draw Diamond Etcher.  At first, the two opponents were on the same side, and Jace easily parried their strikes and chose to return damage to the Dwarf primarily.  The NPC had fewer shield feats and was easier to hit.  Plus, Jace knew harming the barbarian would only make him stronger.  He did a few criticals, but the dwarf had excellent Damage Reduction, and both attackers used the Raised Shield action, so he didn¡¯t get any massive hits.


    ¡°Flank him, you idiot,¡± Junther said to his NPC.


    ¡°I smash and bash,¡± was the dwarf¡¯s way of saying, ¡°okay,¡± and he moved behind the orc.


    What had been an impenetrable parrying shield around the shaman now faltered as Jace had to turn sideways to see both attackers and couldn¡¯t manually block attacks from different directions.  First, the dwarf hit him, then Junther did.  When Jace¡¯s health didn¡¯t go down, the half-elf grew wise.  ¡°He has a Damage Sink totem somewhere; find it!¡±


    Christine had just gotten near Esther, adding a little extra mana to extend her Hold spell, but now broke off to cast Detect Magic and look for the totem.  Jace was forced to put his fighting on automatic.  Low numbers were enough to block the dwarf, but the barbarian occasionally got through.  Jace changed tactics, and the next time he got a critical parry success against the NPC, he turned fully to the dwarf, changed his attack to manual, and executed a focused 20 strike.  It exposed him to the barbarian, but his soon-to-be dispelled totem took all the damage.  Jace picked his stun option, which rarely worked against high-level characters, but he used all three criticals to increase the saving throw.  The fighter appeared to have the IQ of pocket lint, so Jace hoped he had low Magic Defense.  He was proven correct when the dwarf critically failed the saving throw and stood stock still.


    Jace turned back to the barbarian and side-stepped to get away from the dwarf, not knowing if a stunned companion would still offer a flanking bonus.  ¡°I didn¡¯t need him anyway,¡± Junther said and activated his rage ability.


    Yes, you did, Jace thought as the attacks came in faster than before, but not fast enough.  The orc¡¯s arms flashed about, deflecting every attack and returning the strikes with at least two criticals per hit.  When enraged, the barbarian had natural crit protection, and his Damage Resistance was so high that Jace was only getting about 60 damage through once per round, as his second attack didn¡¯t have criticals.  Still, Junther¡¯s 600+ HP were disappearing fast.


    ¡°I found it,¡± Christine announced, and Jace assumed she dispelled it.  He didn¡¯t notice, as the barbarian hadn¡¯t landed a hit in a while.


    ¡°He has some other cheat code going too,¡± Junther cried, having never faced an opponent his rage attacks couldn¡¯t hit.  ¡°Hold him!¡± he cried desperately.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have enough,¡± Christine replied.  Instead, she cast the much cheaper Dispel.  Jace felt the magic wash over him, and his Athletic boon, which was almost expired anyway, vanished.  Since it was magically dispelled, he couldn¡¯t recast it immediately and would have had to break off his defense to do it anyway.  He no longer got critical parries every time, but the barbarian¡¯s rage spell was almost over too, and he would be exhausted when it ended.  Jace lasted another round, and then Junther¡¯s attacks slowed considerably.  The orc took advantage, doing a devastating triple critical against him that dropped him dangerously low.  However, this triggered more of the barbarian¡¯s class abilities, and he fought back with renewed vigor.


    Canine cries of pain came to him from behind, and Jace knew Snowy was still dealing with the hellcat.  He glanced at Esther, still held, and saw Christine standing with a hand on her shoulder.  {She¡¯s draining mana,} Gracie advised.  {Soon, she will have enough to cast a hold spell on you.}


    Jace had to finish this fight quickly, and with his next attack, he dropped the half-elf to under 100 HP.  Junther backpedaled.  ¡°Fine, we¡¯ll do this the easy way.¡±


    The orc saw motion behind the barbarian to his right, and the ranger released an arrow.  The shaft missed Jace¡¯s body but skewered his new trench coat, and the momentum knocked him backward.  The arrow tip sunk into the stony ground and held him tight.  He struggled, but without his Athletic boon, he failed the grapple check and was Pinned, Prone, and Helpless.  Junther leaped back at him and delivered a devastating blow for just over 200 damage.  He had attacked in haste, thinking Jace would have some crafty defensive move, but the barbarian laughed when the shaman just lay there bleeding.


    ¡°Out of cheat codes?¡± he taunted.  ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±  He took a round to use several of his abilities to increase damage for the next strike, dropped his shield, and gripped the axe in two hands.  ¡°And thus ends the great Jace Thorne,¡± he said, raising the weapon over his head.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A streak of white, bloody fur flew over Jace¡¯s prone form, and the half-elf was thrown from his feet.  Jace couldn¡¯t get up to see Snowy rip out the barbarian¡¯s throat, but he heard it.  He sensed his Helpless condition end as more options opened up to him.  The most obvious one was to free himself from the pinning arrow.  A failure in that attempt would return him to a Helpless condition for a few rounds, and he couldn¡¯t afford that.  Instead, he cast his Athletic boon first and then tried to wrestle the arrow free.


    Now, he was successful.  He first sheathed his sword, rolled over to reach the tower shield he had dropped, and then stood up.  Those were all his three actions for that round, and he didn¡¯t have a fourth to raise his shield against the arrow incoming.  Clint had made a Death Shot attempt against Esther in the Torrintank Keep module and had only managed to Daze her.  She hadn¡¯t been holding a tower shield or tapping into an Armor totem.  Plus, this time, Clint didn¡¯t have time to aim, as he was shifting his target from the bloody wolf that had leaped from the nearby rock to the suddenly vertical orc.


    With a roll of 13, Jace saved against the Death Shot attempt without penalty, other than taking the 54 damage of the 72 that had made it past his 18 Damage Reduction.  Now Jace raised his shield and stalked toward the archer.  He heard several arrows thunk into the barrier and the cackle of flames as they released minor magic, but nothing to the extent of what Psycho had at his disposal and nothing that would prevent Jace from closing the gap with the shield intact.


    ¡°Give me updates,¡± Jace said.  He couldn¡¯t see past his shield and instead looked back.  Snowy restored her health by feeding on the dead barbarian, while Christine restored her mana by sucking it out of Esther.  The cleric would be able to cast another Hold spell soon, and Jace hoped he had the defense for it.  Priestly Hold spells differed from Stun in that they lasted longer and didn¡¯t initiate combat, but they were more defensive than offensive. If anyone in a Hold spell took damage, they would be freed suddenly, so Esther wasn¡¯t in immediate danger from Christine, as Jace doubted the woman could generate enough damage to exceed half the vampire¡¯s health.  But if Jace didn¡¯t kill this ranger, Clint could stand ten feet away from a held target and end them with one arrow shot.


    {He¡¯s dropping his bow,} Gracie said after Jace counted three more arrows thud into his shield.  {The daylight spell has ended.  He¡¯s drawing a blade and hiding in the shadows.¡±


    ¡°Snowy!¡±  Jace cried, throwing his shield to the ground and pulling his sword.  ¡°I need you!¡±


    The wolf looked up from her meal.  Right before Junther, she had killed the ranger¡¯s summoned familiar, and the magical signature was still fresh in her mind.  As soon as she looked, she saw Clint creeping up behind her master.  Jace instantly sensed him and spun to attack.  It was similar to the first round of combat he ever had back when he had been level seven, and Snowy had alerted him to a rogue jumping out of the shadows.  Now Jace did twice as much damage, catching the ranger flat-footed in his failed Sneak Attack attempt and far exceeding half his HP.  Clint missed the Death Save and dropped to the ground, bleeding to death.


    Jace spun quickly from the kill, and Snowy followed her master¡¯s attention to the lone enemy remaining.  Christine had removed Esther¡¯s hat and tossed it aside, leaving the woman otherwise unmolested.  She stepped away from the rogue and smiled at her two opponents even though the rest of her crew was dead or dying.  With her fully restored mana, she cast the first spell at Snowy.  Everyone knew Jace was a stone shaman, and they naturally resisted electricity, so her Smite spell made more sense against the wolf.  The bolt of lightning exploded from the sky and struck Snowy hard.  She failed the save, taking extra damage, dropping her below half health.  The wolf fell to the ground, also dying.


    ¡°No!¡± Jace cried, charging toward the cleric with thoughts of rage and freedom in his mind, trying to set himself up for a good save against the spell he knew was coming.


    Christine cast Hold again, and the orc stopped in his tracks, his sword raised for a devastating attack.  The woman laughed.  ¡°Oh, but you are powerful,¡± she said.  Esther had decimated their crew in the previous module but used broken grappling and vampire abilities.  Jace had used straight-up gaming skills. He and Snowy were a deadly pair indeed.


    She walked up to the orc, reached under his tunic to feel his muscled stomach, and started sucking the magic out of him, taking advantage of his huge Mana Generation skill.  ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking that I can¡¯t kill you, right?¡± She came uncomfortably close to his still form, easily fitting her shorter stature under his raised arms.  ¡°I can¡¯t generate enough damage to incapacitate you, and if I try, it will just release my Hold spell.  But what you don¡¯t know, stupid shaman, is that your mana generation is enough for me to keep both of you frozen indefinitely.¡±  She hummed appreciatively as her hands explored his muscular chest.


    ¡°Hmmm, usually orcs are so dirty and smelly.  There are many things I can do to you that won¡¯t break my spell.¡±  She pulled away from him suddenly as if remembering something.  She cast some of her collected mana toward Esther to extend the spell.  It was another advantage the Hold spell had over Stun.  You couldn¡¯t Stun someone who was already Stunned.  For the Hold spell, the same caster only had to spend twice the normal mana for more time.  That would cost 20 mana a round to keep both of them immobile, which was less than Jace¡¯s regeneration skill.


    ¡°More players are coming,¡± she said, returning to Jace and stealing more power from him, but not as sensually as before.  She realized she didn¡¯t have time for any of that.  ¡°The black-market price for your head is considerable.  We just got here first.  She looked over at her two dead companions.  ¡°I needed to upgrade my party anyway.  Junther wasn¡¯t going . . .¡±


    ¡°I Smash and Bash!¡±


    The dwarf interrupted her monologue as he finally broke free from Jace¡¯s Stun spell and resumed his attack on his last target.  Jace was in a new location now, but the fighter tracked him down and charged.


    ¡°No, you stupid dwarf!¡± Christine cried when he was only a dozen feet away.  ¡°Don¡¯t attack him!¡±


    The NPC obeyed and struck out at Esther instead.  Her slashing protection ring did nothing against blunt attacks, and the hammer did just over 120 damage against the Helpless player with another 20 electrical on top.  Esther had heard everything said and ignored the dwarf to leap at Christine.  The cleric cried out in peril and had no time to react to the suddenly spry woman.  The player had a horrible grappling defense, and the vampire quickly subdued her and snapped her neck in one smooth motion.  When the woman died, Jace was released from the hold spell, and his raised sword came down on the dwarf instead.


    The stupid NPC had been told to ignore Jace, so he had turned his back on him to pursue Esther.  His shield gave him no protection against the orc¡¯s attack from behind, and Esther¡¯s location gave Jace a flanking bonus that he didn¡¯t need.  The shaman took the rest of his HP in one blow.


    Jace didn¡¯t revel in the kill but raced over to his familiar.  Snowy still had a few rounds of life remaining, and Jace hastily funneled whatever mana he had left through his ring and into the still form.  Because he was Jace¡¯s familiar, Snowy had the same alignment, and the Ordered ring did double healing on her.  The wolf was back on her feet shortly, with less than a hundred HP.


    Jace got up and looked around.  The last few rounds of life were draining out of the ranger, and he realized how close they had come to defeat.  He was below half health, and Esther was close too.  Snowy was worse, and none of them had any mana left.  ¡°You should have sucked her dry first,¡± Jace said, looking at the dead cleric who hadn¡¯t taken any damage during the fight.


    ¡°Then you would still be frozen,¡± Esther snapped back.  ¡°And the dwarf would have hit me with that hammer again.  You should have stunned him instead of killing him.  Then I could have fed off him.¡±


    Jace nodded, realizing that would have been smarter.  As good as they were together, they could still refine their strategies.  Either way, they had survived, and if what Christine had said were true, more players were coming.  Esther was picking up her hat as the last life drained from the ranger.  That marked the end of combat mode, and Jace heard the familiar chime of the level-up notification.  Junther and Christine had been level 13, and the ranger had been 14.  If he split the experience with Esther, that was still 1.5 million for him when he only needed one to level up.  Plus, whatever the dwarf was worth, but killing NPCs didn¡¯t give the same huge benefit.  Before Jace even began to think about that, though, they needed to get out of there.


    The travel node was 50 feet away, and he took four running steps toward it before stopping short.  Three more players arrived.  Their clothing identified their class, and the numbers above their heads revealed their level.  A level 21 female elf mage stood tall at the head of the group, wearing an exotically tailored robe with a slit high on her hip and a plunging neckline.  A fully armored human male fighter at level 18 held a tower shield and a sword.  The last was a human male priest at level 19.


    The mage was the first to act.  She entered the module holding a wand and pointed it at Esther.  To Jace, it looked like the same one Pieter had used on him a week ago to lock him in a Control spell.  Esther was still adjusting her hat when the magic hit her, not even realizing they weren¡¯t alone.


    ¡°Stand there,¡± the elf commanded, and by the way the rogue stood rigid, Jace knew it likely was the same wand, and the mage had spared no cost to ensure control.  The shaman had no strategy to attack these powerful enemies, knowing the priest would easily cast another hold spell on him.  So he stood and waited to see if there was any chance of negotiation.


    The mage looked at the dead players lying on the ground and scoffed.  ¡°Amateurs,¡± she said.  ¡°Probably tried to fight you straight up.  Fools!  Don¡¯t they know that Jace Thorne cheats?  You can only beat him by using his rules against him.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know if she was talking to him in the third person or trying to narrate this confrontation for some public audience.  {She is broadcasting this,} Gracie said in his head.  {She has over a thousand followers.  I don¡¯t have any advice for you.  They are all way more powerful than you.}


    ¡°Everyone saw what you did outside of Olympus,¡± the elf continued, engaging Jace directly.  ¡°How you cheated the system by having your pet suck your levels down?  But what if she messed up?  What if she took too much?¡±


    Jace knew what was coming and didn¡¯t have a way around it.  His second Athletic boon had already expired, and he didn¡¯t have enough mana to cast it again.  Without it, he didn¡¯t stand a chance against Esther.  Since a level 21 mage was controlling her, she would have the initiative in any encounter they might have.


    The elf smiled as she read Jace¡¯s expression.  ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±  She turned to Esther.  ¡°Feed on him!¡± she commanded.  ¡°Bring him down to nothing.¡±


    Jace realized this was something Esther enjoyed, and the chaotic nature of it played into her alignment.  The mage probably had to spend very little, if any, criticals to give the command.  Jace didn¡¯t offer resistance nor look at his companion as Esther wrestled him to his knees, rendered him helpless, and bit into his neck.  Her mana was at almost nothing, and she restored that first.


    Jace never took his eyes off the mage, refusing to blink or flinch, so he saw clearly when the arrow streaked in and split her skull.  The elf wore a ring to raise her Magic Defense and a broach in her hair to give her a free critical in her Death Save.  Her robe had another critical protection built in for attacks, and her belt gave her a +10 AC bonus against piercing.  But Psycho had fired from only 70 feet away in the cover of the rocks as a Sneak Attack, adding his 38 Stealth value to the shot.  The elf didn¡¯t have a prayer.


    When the mage dropped dead, Esther reacted.  She was fully conscious of what she was doing and had followed the command only as far as the spell required.  Logically, she should have switched to restoring her health once her mana maxed out, but the elf hadn¡¯t given specific instructions, so the vampire overloaded on magic, waiting for an opportunity.  She lifted her face from Jace¡¯s neck once freed from the spell, having only drained him to level 9, and unleashed an All-In Stun attack on the human fighter.


    He was shocked into inaction by the sudden attack on his companion and then Stunned into further inaction by the vampire¡¯s spell, his shield still by his side.  Psycho¡¯s second shot wasn¡¯t from the shadows, but he didn¡¯t have to overcome all of the mage¡¯s protections this time.  The fighter didn¡¯t think he needed them.  After all, he had a tower shield.  But it didn¡¯t help much as the arrow rammed straight through his chest, piercing his full plate mail like cardboard and dropping him like a sack of potatoes.


    The priest predictably cast Piercing Immunity but was left with a predicament.  He couldn¡¯t escape through the travel node without turning around and stepping toward it, but his protection spell didn¡¯t allow that kind of movement.  The moment he dropped it to escape, Psycho would kill him.  The only thing he could hope for was that more players would arrive shortly, and he¡¯d be able to slip away.


    First, he had to deal with the two angry players charging toward him.  He sent out a mass hold spell, and they froze in place.  He was trying to figure out how to neutralize the archer when Psycho¡¯s third arrow came in, this one aimed at Esther¡¯s back.  As a woke party member, he could see and understand her character sheet and equipment, so he was careful only to spend three criticals on damage, using the rest to uselessly increase the bow¡¯s range.  That was 60 damage.  Fifty went into her ring, her DR eliminated four, and only six made it through to her health, but it was enough to free her from the Hold, and she continued running, casting a haste spell to beat any other defenses the priest might cast.


    He didn¡¯t have enough mana for another fresh Hold spell, and the agile woman slipped through the Piercing Immunity and latched on to his back.  He had enough protection and was a high enough level that she couldn¡¯t snap his neck as easily as Christine, so she fed, filling her health this time, and then overloaded her mana again to cast Enthrall.  It took a lot to control a level 19 priest, but she had drained him to level 12 first, stealing over 1,000 mana and reducing his Magic Defense considerably.


    Once he was under her control, she ordered the priest to heal Jace completely.  This didn¡¯t cost her much, as it was a standard request for a priest, but having him lay on the ground afterward so Snowy could fill her health back up cost the vampire the rest of her control.


    Jace didn¡¯t stop the grotesque display, but he did turn away so he didn¡¯t have to watch it.  He saw Psycho climbing down from his perch on the nearest rock pile.  There was more than one reason this module was called Sniper¡¯s Refuge.  Before Jace could thank him, the archer motioned to the wolf feeding on the dying priest and Esther watching, wiping the blood from her own mouth.  ¡°You approve?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, but I do not wish to change who they are.  A script also runs them.  I trust they would never kill an innocent person, but against someone who tried to kill us . . . all bets are off.¡±


    Psycho nodded, accepting the answer.  He had done worse things to less-deserving characters.  ¡°If she had asked me to shoot him while he was enthralled, I wouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°You shot the fighter she stunned,¡± Jace challenged.


    Psycho smiled.  ¡°It¡¯s nuanced.¡±


    ¡°Either way,¡± Jace said, extending his hand to the elf, ¡°thank you.  I look forward to you saving my butt many more times.¡±


    ¡°You better leave now,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°I¡¯m sure more are coming, and this potion is burning a hole in my pocket.  I like the cloak, by the way.¡±


    Jace smiled.  ¡°It¡¯s yours if you ask for it next time we meet.¡±


    Psycho laughed.  ¡°I¡¯ll try to remember that.  Now go.¡±


    His vision shifted out of combat mode, letting him know that Snowy was done with her meal and that they should go.  Besides the mage, the high-level crew brought little equipment, but Jace collected it all, including the tower shield he had dropped.  He had enough Carry skill for it but not enough inventory slots and had to shift some arrows to Esther to make room.  Jace led most of his party to the travel node, leaving Psycho behind, and exited the module.

 Chapter 23: Waffles, Wardrobes, and a Walk in the Woods

    Jace took Esther and Snowy to Safe Haven. He knew there was an unofficial bounty on his head, and this town, set up by the CIA, was a Non-PVP zone where he could catch his breath. He needed to use his necklace to enact his human illusion, as many of the town¡¯s NPC employees wouldn¡¯t deal with an orc. Jace was barely through the town¡¯s front gate when he got the notification.


    [Nal Saikol Gladekin has died.]


    [Nal Saikol Gladekin has left your party.]


    Jace didn¡¯t know if he should feel sad or happy. Surely a weight was lifted from the elf¡¯s shoulders, but he was also about to be inundated with players trying to trick him into believing they had found his sister. Jace hoped the elf wouldn¡¯t remember any of that once he was freed, but he still had to endure it now. ¡°Gracie,¡± he said as they walked through the dark streets of the town, ¡°keep me updated on Psycho¡¯s module. I assume it¡¯s resetting, and at least a few players should have anticipated something like this. They will speed-run it and try to snag Psycho, and I want to know what happens. I imagine if someone is successful, they will keep quiet about it, but since everyone else will get kicked out, we will hear about it that way.¡±


    {Right,} she said. {You aren¡¯t going to try and beat them? If one of them gets him free, I don¡¯t know how you will fix it. We have the pendant, which should give Psycho a +40 to save against their spells, but that is only 200 mana to overcome.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the illusion spell is already expensive. If Drescher needed to employ a high-level mage to cast the spell originally, bumping the difficulty up by 200 mana might put it out of reach. Plus, I¡¯m hoping Gandhi will account for everything in a version of the module where the pendant doesn¡¯t exist. Esther gets situational bonuses to charm players that are infatuated with her. In a module where Psycho finds the pendant and thinks his sister is alive, he might have situational penalties beyond the -40 to believe anything that gives him hope. Now I¡¯m hoping the scripted encounter goes differently, and the players will have to make bluff checks or know specific information about the sister¡¯s life to pass inspection. Either way, let me know what happens.¡±


    It was about midnight global time, and several shops were closed, but Jace found a temple to restore the levels Esther drained. She apologized for it but licked her lips as she did so, letting Jace know she had enjoyed it. Then he went to a weapon shop and sold some of the equipment he had picked up. The fighter had dropped armor and weapons no one in his group could use. The Mage¡¯s equipment looked valuable but was enchanted for her specific use. It was the same with most of the Priest¡¯s items. Gromphy had possessed the ability to overcome that restriction in the Torrintank Keep module, and Jace hoped he kept it. He didn¡¯t sell those items, and the store wouldn¡¯t take them. The clerk did offer a king¡¯s ransom for the arrows he had taken from Psycho¡¯s old tower, but those would be a present for the elf once he was free, and Jace held on to them.


    Next was a 24-hour restaurant because ¨C shocker ¨C Esther was hungry. Jace located a place that he thought would serve pancakes and found the place surprisingly busy. They wouldn¡¯t have customarily allowed Snowy to enter, but Jace was a bit of a hero in the town, and they made an exception. The booths had a privacy setting that allowed only NPCs who worked in the diner to hear or interact with them, and Jace took advantage of that, preventing him from being swarmed by curious players who wanted to meet him or flirt with Esther. Still, he could feel the eyes of everyone in the place focused on them. Most people in the town didn¡¯t work for an international terrorist, but the criminal underground would be foolish not to have a few spies in the city.


    Esther tried to order pancakes, but they didn¡¯t have them. Instead, the waitress offered waffles with fruit and fresh whipped cream. Jace convinced the vampire that they were actually better than pancakes and put in a double order. Esther didn¡¯t look convinced, but Jace ignored her and retreated into his settings screen.


    {You went up two levels,} Gracie informed him. {You killed three NPCs with Esther¡¯s help and then three more with Psycho and Esther. You are halfway to level 17 already. Even I¡¯m impressed.}


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said, ¡°but we nearly died both times.¡±


    {Which is why nobody does what you are doing. When you go up against another PC, you have a chance to lose all your levels or go up one. You might win that bet once or twice, but you can only lose it once. Anyway, let¡¯s look at you. You can distribute the skill points, but we have other decisions. At level 15, you get a new bonus Shaman spell, a bonus Divine spell, an added point to one ability, and you can change your secondary key ability. You are at Constitution now.}


    ¡°Let¡¯s add the point to Spirit, as we have been doing, and I think I want to change my other key ability to Wisdom. I need to focus on Magic defense. With my parrying ability, I can hold up to just about any attacker, but I am a pretty easy target for debilitating spells.¡±


    {Okay. Your level 16 feat will be a Wisdom one. Any ideas for your level 15 Shaman feat?}


    ¡°I need to be able to tunnel through stone for our assault on the Stormhold fortress. What are my options?¡±


    {There are two. The first is unsurprisingly called Stone Tunnel. Its design is based on your level. Every foot in diameter costs one level, and then you spend the rest on length. So if you wanted to stand upright in the tunnel, you could spend four levels on the radius, making it an 8-foot-tall tunnel, and then at level 16, you could spend the other 12 levels on length at five feet per level for a total of 60 feet. The cost of the tunnel is those two numbers multiplied together. Four times twelve is 48 mana. If you wanted it to last for more than one round, you need to pay the cost twice and then the time, so that tunnel for ten rounds would cast almost 150 mana. You could make it long and skinny with a 1-foot radius and 75 feet long, and it would only cost 80 mana for ten rounds.}


    ¡°What happens when the time runs out? Does the tunnel collapse? What if there is someone inside it?¡±


    {If there is a significant living thing in the tunnel, meaning not a bird or squirrel, or if there is a magical or quest-specific item, the tunnel stays open at double the time cost until the item is removed. On the one hand, it is nice that you can¡¯t kill any of your party members accidentally, but on the other, an enemy can throw a magical item in your tunnel, which will drain ten mana from you each round. You can¡¯t open a tunnel directly under someone, and it can never be a dead-end tunnel. If the stone is thicker than your tunnel is long, the game will tell you your location is invalid. It is a good way to judge the thicknesses of walls. It can be dispelled. When that happens, anything inside the tunnels gets kicked out at one end or the other, and the tunnel closes. Also, while you can tunnel through raw ore, you can¡¯t go through metal. All someone has to do is put a little rebar in their castle walls, and you can¡¯t tunnel through them.}


    ¡°What¡¯s the other option?¡±


    {Lava. It can be used as a tunnel spell. It allows you to turn a radius of stone into lava. It costs more, but it is permanent. Once again, you can¡¯t cast it directly under people, but you can cast it before them, and then they fall into a pit of lava and take fire damage. If you cast it on a stone wall, the stone will melt and flow out of the cavity. You can cast it repeatedly and drill through the wall.}


    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± Jace said, ¡°But for what I need, the tunnel spell sounds better. For my Divine spell, is there anything I can have to combat magic cast against me?¡±


    {You can learn a boon that raises your magic defense, but that can just be dispelled.}


    ¡°What about Dispel,¡± Jace asked. ¡°Gandhi had said she designed Dexmachi, my god, as a paladin god, and paladins are often inquisitors who fight magic.¡±


    Jace could hear Gracie searching as she wasn¡¯t familiar with the custom god¡¯s spell list. {Yes,} she finally said, {I see it here. That is a good choice. Dispel is cheap, as you only have to pay five mana per level of the spell and 50 to eliminate any time that might be remaining. If a level 20 mage casts the spell, it costs 150 mana. Unfortunately, you can only memorize one version of the spell. If you memorize it for level 20, you will be overpaying when removing level 15 spells, but that is better than memorizing a level 15 version and not having enough.}


    ¡°Okay. Sounds good. For my feat at 15, I can take a Spirit feat. I see many players with Mana Body. That looks good for me.¡±


    {It is,} she agreed. {It adds your Constitution base to your mana pool. At level 16, that is an additional 160 mana you will have access to.}


    ¡°Should we have picked that one before?¡±


    {They are all good. I feel you have been limited by your totem range far more often than you have run out of mana. But now that you are casting at least two totems and one boon in every fight, and you want to be able to dispel everything, it is an excellent time to take it. For level 16, you need to take a Wisdom feat. Anti-Magic Spirit looks good. It gives you five times your Spirit base as a discount when casting Dispel. Your Spirit is at 19 now, which is a base of 8, so it costs 40 less mana when casting Dispel.}


    ¡°That should work.¡±


    {Good, now on to Esther. NPCs don¡¯t get an ability boost every five levels, and she doesn¡¯t get any bonus spells, so all we have to worry about are feats and switching her secondary ability. I suggest we move it back to Strength. I have a feeling your enemies are debating what Esther¡¯s grappling score is, and they will eventually figure it out. She easily broke Christine¡¯s neck but couldn¡¯t do it to the second priest you fought, not that she wanted to. The more she is observed in combat, the more people will be able to figure it out. So let¡¯s make it even more broken. Athletic is considered a Strength skill, but since Esther has the Acrobat feat, which allows her to use her Dexterity base for it, she can treat it as either. At level 15, she needs to take a Dex feat, and at level 16, she needs to take a Strength one. She can take Athletic Training and Specialist and get a +5 bonus to her Athletic ability. After two more levels, she will be at +15, and no one will be able to stop her.}


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jace agreed. He took a peek out of his inventory to see Esther snarfing down the first plate of waffles with whip cream all over her face. He smiled and returned to his settings.


    {We removed Fire from her memorized spells since you joined up with Draya, but giving her Acid now instead would be a good compromise. Having a damage spell at her disposal to release overflow mana is a good idea. Plus, I feel she won¡¯t need Heavy Weapon as a spell for much longer once Gromphy is done modifying her weapons.}


    ¡°You can tell what he is doing?¡±


    {I have a hunch,} Gracie said. {Now, on to Draya . . .}


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jace stopped her, ¡°we can update her here?¡±


    {Sort of,} Gracie said.  {None of the changes will take effect until you guys see each other again, but she levels up with you, so we can plan it out, and then it will be automatic once she is within range again.  Like Esther, her abilities don¡¯t go up, but she selects two feats and can add a spell or two.  For level 15, she should obviously take her next Fire feat, increasing the damage to +75%.  And, at level 15, she gets another of her dragon abilities.  Let¡¯s go for Dragon Breath.


    {For her level 16 Spirit feat, she has access to dragon ones.  Dragon Sustain is a feat that allows her to keep a dragon ability going for a cost of 100 mana a round.  When she initiates Dragon Spirit, she will have almost 1,000 mana, so she can keep it going for almost ten more rounds.  Of course, if she uses that mana to cast spells, she will run out quickly.}


    ¡°Is there any way to get her Mana Generation up to 100 per round?¡±


    {No,} Gracie answered quickly. {That would be quite broken. With her Dragon Spirit active, it will be at 26 per round, so every four rounds, she will generate another 100, so she could keep it going for 13 rounds total, but that is only if she doesn¡¯t cast anything else. She does have Fire Mana, which means she can cast a pillar of fire on herself and absorb the potential damage as mana. That takes a full round and costs some mana, but she can do that once every four rounds to keep it going. That would interrupt her ability to attack and defend, however. Unless . . .}


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jace asked.


    {Hold on, it is my turn to break the game for a change. It looks like the dress you stole from your elven mage friend is an elemental protection robe. It works like the slashing protection ring Esther has. You charge it with 250 mana, and it protects against 100 damage from the element type you choose: Fire, Cold, Acid, or Lightning. It offers no protection for the others. I¡¯ve heard of curses that reverse that effect.}


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    ¡°So it does 100 damage instead of preventing it?¡±


    {Correct.}


    ¡°But for how long?¡± Jace asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been basing a lot of my game breaking on the fact that the game doesn¡¯t cheat. Every powerful thing has to come from somewhere. I just need to find the source. You can¡¯t spend 250 mana and turn that into 100 damage over and over, can you?¡±


    {Hexes and curses are powerful and dangerous things. They draw their power from demonic entities in the game that are bottomless pits of energy. Use them wrong, and they will utterly destroy you, but figure out how to tame them, and you will be powerful.}


    ¡°So Gromphy will be able to curse this robe, so it does 100 damage to her every round?¡±


    {He is not a warlock, so he doesn¡¯t have access to the spell, and your buddy Master Dayring won¡¯t have it in Crestfall, but it exists in the game. I¡¯m sure you can find it. If Gromphy can get his hands on a scroll with the hex, he could also probably craft a few anti-curse potions for Draya to carry around to drink when she wants to turn the robe off. Also, we should give her the Mage Armor spell. Her Dragon Scales ability is better, but she can only keep it permanently if she spends another 100 mana per round. The mage version is cheaper.}


    ¡°I like the sound of that,¡± Jace said. He exited his setting screen again and saw Esther laboring over her last bites of food. He pulled out the pendant that had belonged to Psycho¡¯s sister and held it up before his friend. Esther paused and put her fork down.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°This necklace belonged to the female elf you will impersonate. I need you to design an outfit that matches the person who wore this.¡± He handed it across the table.


    Esther grabbed it and closed her eyes. Jace didn¡¯t know what was possible in the game or how far the woman could press her Fashion Design ability, so he said a prayer to Dexmachi to help out. Across the table, Esther began to nod. ¡°Yes, I can see her. She is lovely. You should have brought Draya. I look nothing like her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only because you have whipped cream all over your face.¡±


    Esther smirked at him and reached for a napkin. ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± she said.


    Jace feared this feeling of inadequacy would be a common theme on this mission. Esther was designed for straightforward combat, not subterfuge. ¡°I brought you,¡± he said. ¡°I trust you to pull this off. Draya is too timid. I need someone who can act.¡±


    ¡°You need me to role play?¡± she had a glint in her eye, and Jace was sure she had experience with the concept in her former life.


    ¡°Well, this is a role-playing game.¡±


    Esther cocked her head. ¡°What do you mean by that? Is Psycho¡¯s quest like the one we did to get the goblin?¡±


    Jace shook his head, sorry he had brought it up. ¡°No. But you will be playing a part.¡±


    She nodded, a new sense of confidence growing in her. ¡°I can do this, but it will require many changes. I believe her name is Mur Calumis. She wore very different clothes and armor and used a short sword and a shield. I can make my dress look slightly different, but not like the images I saw in my head.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I had you leave all your equipment back with Gromphy. We can buy you new stuff as close to the elf maiden¡¯s attire as possible, so you only have to make minor changes.¡±


    ¡°But what about this?¡± she asked, drawing an imaginary circle around her face and upper body. ¡°Brown hair, tanned skin, pointed ears, thin lips, flat chest. I don¡¯t know how to adjust my appearance to match those.¡±


    Jace lifted his necklace out of his shirt. ¡°You will wear this,¡± he said. He didn¡¯t want to give it to her now, or he would revert to an orc.


    Esther understood that too. ¡°But then you will be an orc; Psycho will shoot you on sight.¡±


    Jace smiled. ¡°Let me worry about the strategy. For now, we need to go shopping.¡± Jace paid the bill for the food and then left to return to the shop where he had sold equipment. Esther took her time picking out her outfit and spared no expense. A long brown and green dress, boots, a +2 medium shield, a +2 short sword, and even a +3 suit of elven chainmail. She insisted it was the closest thing the store had to what Mur Calumis wore, but it was also the most expensive thing in the shop. Jace tried not to think about the 1,000s of gold coins he was spending and how they could be traded one-for-one with dollars. He was working for the CIA right now and buying this in a CIA town, so he should get it for free, but the NPC clerk didn¡¯t quite understand that. Jace would have to fill out an expense report.


    Once they had everything they needed, Esther changed and slightly adjusted the outfit. Jace whistled. She looked like an elegant lady in a medieval court. Esther looked down and frowned. ¡°Not exactly my style.¡± She kicked her legs in the constricting dress. ¡°How am I going to wrap my legs around people to grapple them?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t,¡± Jace said.


    Her frown deepened, and she switched back to her black dress, saving the new outfit so she could return to it in a flash. Jace led her out of the store and toward the travel node.


    ¡°Okay, Gracie, I am actually going to tell you my plan beforehand.¡±


    {Oohh, lucky me. Wait, let me write today¡¯s date down.}


    ¡°Ha ha,¡± he replied dryly. ¡°But I need to know if this will work before I risk my life. I am an orc, so I have an advantage in blending into this module. I will act like a defector to the rest of the tribe and return Mur Calumis to Psycho in exchange for him helping me to kill all the orcs.¡±


    {Just the two of you?}


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how effective Esther will be without being able to use her vampire abilities, and if she does that in front of Psycho, our cover will be blown. Besides, I don¡¯t really even need his help. I plan to enter the orc camp and challenge the half-orc leader to a duel because they are serving an unholy god. What is his name, but the way?¡±


    {Thor Shorshth,} she replied.


    ¡°Thor Shorth?¡± he tried.


    {No,} Gracie said and enunciated slowly. {Thor Shor sh-th.}


    ¡°Thor Shorshth . . . got it. Anyway, they are following the wrong god. That is why they failed with the elves and why Psycho can kill them so easily. Their god is not protecting them. I am a shaman, and I worship Trockstike, the storm god. And I will challenge Thor Shorth . . .uh, Thor to a duel to see whom the gods favor. I win, of course, and they all convert.¡±


    {I see you have been planning this for a while. Is this why you¡¯ve been carrying around that stupid idol in your inventory? Trockstike gives his followers lighting ability, which fits with the one offensive spell you know. He is also Guile, Chaotic, and Progressive. Sort of like Thor and Loki had a baby who preferred vengeance to justice.}


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think of it like that, but yeah. Then I cast my righteous judgment on them, and we get the same chain reaction as with the mummies.¡±


    {It goes without saying that nothing like this has ever been tried before. Not many missionaries in the game try to convert orcs to a new religion. You do realize that Trockstike also protects all his followers from electric attacks.}


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if they cut the damage in half if it is multiplied by eight first,¡± Jace said. ¡°What I don¡¯t know is if converting will actually change everyone¡¯s alignment or not.¡±


    {As I said, no one has done this before. Your god gave you the ability to convict people and change their alignment, so if anyone can do it, you can. However, this is not an Honest strategy, so Dexmachi probably won¡¯t help you. Also, orcs are Traditional, so without this trick of yours, they will take zero damage.¡±


    Jace knew it was a risk but didn¡¯t have any other quick plans to kill 50 orcs without recruiting a bunch of people he couldn¡¯t trust to help. They arrived at the travel node, and Gracie gave him directions to a city on the western edge of the continent bordering the massive forest that covered thousands of square miles. From that town, one could initiate dozens of quests with several elven villages. Many ranger players had their strongholds in this region. It was usually only busy with level 8-12 druids, rangers, and the occasional fighter. Now, it was swamped with people. Characters as high as level 22 were seen moving about the city, trying to intimidate other players. It was a Peaceful Non-PVP zone, so everyone was relatively safe.


    Jace thought the town looked like Disney World at night. A fantasy village lit with hundreds of lanterns hanging from the eaves of wooden cottages. Flower gardens spotted the scenery while elves, halflings, and humans walked around in Renaissance fair attire. Wooden carts with goods for sale lined the streets, and a magical fountain with colors sparkling in the water sat in the middle of the town square. To complete the theme park vibe, a long line of people stretched out from one small shack. {That is where you need to go to initiate the quest,} Gracie said. {Looks like there is a bit of a backup.}


    ¡°Yeah, that is my fault. How does it work?¡±


    {A local merchant was expecting a shipment of wine from Psycho¡¯s village. When it was a week late, he sent his two sons to investigate. Only one came back saying they were attacked by orcs. The merchant wants vengeance for his son and to know what happened to the elves. After you agree to help, he transports you to the edge of the correct forest.}


    ¡°How long is the encounter with the merchant?¡± Jace asked.


    {Five to seven minutes,} Gracie said. {However, I bet they are taking longer. If I were the one trying to initiate this quest knowing what most people know about you, I would ask as many questions as possible. You can talk to the one son that came back too. They probably figure that you changed something when you reset the module so that it is solvable and will dig for every extra clue they can. I¡¯m guessing the merchant sends you on your way at some point, but players could take up to 15 minutes to ensure they know everything.}


    Jace saw over 100 people in line. He was sure there were some groups of four or five, but all you needed was a mage and a female elf. There were dozens of elf maidens in the queue, giving Jace a rough estimate of how many parties there were. He even saw some players going up to female elf NPCs working in the village selling flowers or maintaining shops, offering them hundreds of gold coins if they would go on an adventure with them. Of course, none of those characters were eligible to join your party, but Jace had stolen several NPCs as party members, so anything could happen. Some players might even think the sister was now hidden in this village, and they would search every nook and cranny.


    ¡°It will take hours for this line to clear,¡± Jace said. They stood just inside the entrance to the village in a dark alley between two closed shops. So far, no one had noticed them. The place was swarming with so many influential players and unique characters that a level 16 man and woman, neither wearing armor, brought no attention. He watched some players bartering toward the front of the line and realized someone could get rich just by standing in the queue and letting players pay them to cut. No one was going to let Jace jump positions. ¡°Can we walk there?¡± Jace asked, knowing that every location on the map had a physical presence.


    {It is several miles away, but you should be able to do it in two hours. The land between here and there is a Level 15 Hostile Non-PVP zone, so you will have to fight forest monsters, but no players. I don¡¯t think many other players would risk it. They would end up expending a bunch of mana and spells in the process, and not everyone is a shaman with a Mana Generation score of 21 or a vampire who can refill on any enemy she finds. Plus, snowy will give you a fair warning of any danger. A ranger could too, but most of the players in line are squishy mages ready to cast illusion spells.}


    ¡°Right,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll take the long way, which is the quick way.¡±


    Jace, Esther, and Snowy turned back toward the village entrance and found two familiar faces sneaking behind them. Jace wanted to say something harsh to Snowy for almost allowing them to be ambushed, but one of them was Sylvester, and he imagined the tracker had several skills and spells to mask his movements. The other was a level eight mage.


    ¡°Pieter,¡± Jace greeted, recognizing Drescher¡¯s former mage. The shaman knew the player had restarted, and getting to level eight in a week was no small feat. They were in a Non-PVP zone, so the man was safe, and he wore an evil grin that Jace guessed he would never try if there were any chance he could be attacked. Jace had killed him when he was only level 10. Now he was 16. Esther and Snowy growled in response to the enemies.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason for hostilities,¡± Sylvester said, showing no outward hard feelings for how Esther had treated him before. ¡°I am actually just here to collect the second half of my payment. You did make it to the goblin, I assume? I didn¡¯t hang around for the victory celebration, but I heard two acid bombs were sent up to the defenders. I doubt Gromphy would do that on his own. That has Jace Thorne written all over it.¡±


    As much as Jace wanted to give Wallace credit for the maneuver, he figured it best to keep the paladin off these two villains¡¯ radar. ¡°Yes, thank you for so kindly showing Esther the way. She told me you were the perfect gentleman. I will gladly pay you if you can provide me with the recording you made of your entire time with Esther. I hired you to know the way to the secret entrance. But Esther says you took a winding path that she can¡¯t remember. But I will pay you if you give me a recording of everything that led up to the tunnel she moved through.¡±


    Sylvester was professional enough not to react in anger, but Jace saw the corner of his mouth twitch. ¡°I don¡¯t think I made a recording,¡± he lied. There was no way his operator didn¡¯t record everything. ¡°Oh, well. I guess we¡¯ll have to find some other arrangement to settle your debt to me.¡± Now he smiled broadly. ¡°What did you do to Psycho? I¡¯m sure you already have the reports that he can no longer be tricked.¡±


    {I haven¡¯t heard that yet,} Gracie said. {But he is WAY more connected than I am.}


    Jace gave no indication that his operator was talking to him. Sylvester nodded past the shaman toward the queue of players. ¡°They are all waiting in line to die. An arrow through their head. But you know something, don¡¯t you? You changed something. What was it?¡±


    ¡°You think that information is worth 1,500?¡± Jace asked, referencing his supposed debt to this informant. ¡°I¡¯d be shocked if I couldn¡¯t sell it for ten times that.¡±


    ¡°One hundred fifty thousand,¡± Pieter spoke up for the first time. ¡°If it is information we can use to free Psycho the right way.¡± Jace smiled. He could tell them the secret and be confident they wouldn¡¯t be able to pass the quest anyway. Not without the mana stone or pendant he had. Even with them, they would need a female elf.


    Sylvester smiled, happy he had joined forces with someone with deep pockets. ¡°You can¡¯t possibly need him. You have a vampire. You have a dragon, by all reports. And you have whatever Gromphy is. There are other archers. Take the money.¡±


    ¡°You can shove-¡± Esther started, but Jace raised his hand to stop her.


    ¡°You can come with us if you like,¡± Jace said. ¡°Free of charge. We could use a ranger in the woods.¡±


    Pieter looked confused. ¡°What are they . . .¡±


    ¡°They are going to walk it,¡± Sylvester said gruffly, realizing the clever strategy. Neither one was equipped to survive two hours at night in a Level 15 Hostile forest. He might be able to slink through as a tracker, but he knew Jace and Snowy would be sure to attract as many creatures as possible and set them all on the low-level players as best they could. It was Non-PVP, but Jace could ensure their deaths as much as if he could sick Esther directly on them. The informant smiled at them thinly. ¡°Maybe another time, then.¡± Pieter wanted to press it, but Sylvester was wiser, and the two men left.


    ¡°I want to kill both of them,¡± Esther said.


    ¡°Is there anyone we¡¯ve met that you don¡¯t want to kill?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°I liked Wallace.¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°This isn¡¯t the right time. We will see them again, I¡¯m sure.¡± With that, they slipped out of the village, went to the western side, and headed into the dark woods.

 Chapter 24: Fool Me Once . . .

    The trek through the woods wasn¡¯t too challenging, they had a handful of battles, but none were close.  Snowy gave them plenty of notice each time an animal was near, and since it was a normal forest biome, they didn¡¯t have to deal with demonic creatures or giant salamanders.  Bears, panthers, wolves, and a few snakes were the worst the environment could muster.  Esther used her new acid spell to soften their targets while Jace engaged them head-on.  Nothing could get through his impenetrable blade, and Esther snuck around behind the animals to backstab them with her new short sword.  If they returned her strikes, she got to practice dodging out of the way while holding a shield, which was a new experience.  They didn¡¯t take much damage, and when they did, they all had methods to heal quickly.


    It took longer than two hours, as they were delayed half a dozen times for fights, but Gracie let them know they were getting close.  Jace figured it must be about 3 am, but the sky brightened as they neared their target.  Gracie told him that as long as Psycho¡¯s quest was a MIM, it wasn¡¯t on global time and always started at midday.  Jace saw the curtain surrounding the module ahead, and the sun emerged behind the darkness of night.  He had never seen a sunrise in the middle of the sky before, and he took a few moments to backtrack and proceed again to rewatch the spectacle.  As with anything else that proclaimed they were in virtual reality, Esther was programmed not to notice.


    When they prepared to breach the module¡¯s border, Jace got a notification about how many players were already inside and a prompt asking if he wanted to join any of them.  He didn¡¯t recognize the dozens of names, and they would all have the opportunity to block him if he tried to invite himself into their private sessions; though, if they knew who he was, they would probably jump at the chance.  He declined and led his group into the elven forest.


    The entry point was a disaster.  It was blurred through the curtain, but now he could see charred and hacked-apart trees, green and red blood scattered on the ground, with torn pieces of clothing and equipment lying in piles.  There were no bodies.  Instead, animal tracks obvious enough for Jace to see crisscrossed the war zone where predators had hauled away the remains.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± Esther asked.  The way she said it sounded scripted, and he imagined this module might trigger several utterances from his NPC companion.


    ¡°The elves and orcs fought,¡± Jace said.  He had explained it all to Esther before but wanted to ensure he played this module correctly.  He was here to solve it, not break it for a change, so he wanted to go by the book.  ¡°The portal to the elvish homeland must be near.¡±


    They followed the path of carnage, Snowy with her nose to the ground giving out needless directions until they came to a small clearing that didn¡¯t look as ravaged.  A thick tangle of brush and trees stood at the far side and looked impenetrable, but several tracks disappeared into it.  Jace guessed the portal had been opened here, directly before the thicket.  He saw two carved tree trunks, one on either side of the foliage wall, and moved closer to examine one.  It stood four feet high, with an angled cut, so he looked at a 45-degree cross-section.  Intricate carvings decorated the two-foot-wide stump with an oval depression in the middle.  Jace retrieved the mana stone Psycho had given him and held it up to the wood.  The emerald gem would fit perfectly in the depression, and he felt magic tugging it from his hand.  He tightened his grip on the stone and then handed it to Esther.


    ¡°It¡¯s best if you carry this,¡± he said.  ¡°And it is time to get into uniform.¡±


    Esther rolled her eyes, stowed the stone into her gem bag, and switched clothes to the brown dress.  Jace had let the enchantment on his necklace expire on their march through the woods, seeing no reason to waste mana on it, and handed it to Esther.  They traded, and he took her Athletic medallion.  Esther first disguised the illusion necklace so it looked more like the elf maiden¡¯s pendant.  It wasn¡¯t an exact copy, but it was close enough, and if Psycho could magically examine her, he would sense the actual item in her inventory.  Esther retrieved the pendant, squeezed it in her hand, and closed her eyes as she fell into the illusion magic and began transforming her appearance.  Since she didn¡¯t need to worry about the clothing, she poured all her energy into her physical form.


    Jace watched her features reduce.  She grew shorter, her muscles slimmed, and her figure fattened.  Her hair changed to brown, her skin darkened to light olive, and when she opened her eyes, they were green.  She looked up at Jace.  ¡°How¡¯d I do?¡±


    ¡°You are a beautiful elf,¡± he said.


    She looked down at herself and shrugged in indifference.  ¡°If you say so.  You and Psycho are the only males I¡¯ve met who aren¡¯t infatuated with my appearance.  I guess that won¡¯t hold now.¡±


    ¡°Just remember,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You are supposed to be his sister.  I don¡¯t want to sound like Gromphy, but you better not try to seduce him.  Understand?¡±


    Esther gave him a sly smile.  ¡°You are no fun.¡±  The level 20 charm she had memorized was an All-In spell, and without an excess of mana from feeding, it would cost her entire pool, so she didn¡¯t want to try and use it.


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Jace said, turning to his wolf.  ¡°Psycho should have been here before.  In the original version of the module, this is where he found his sister¡¯s pendant.¡±


    The wolf barked an affirmative and started hunting around for the smell.  Snowy had met the elf over a week ago in Ironfel, but she would never forget his scent.  The mixture of orc and elf was unique.  A few moments later, she barked again and started off to the north, following a narrow trail.


    {Or, I could have just told you where to go,} Gracie said.  {I didn¡¯t get a chance to play this one before Drescher broke it, but I have all the walkthroughs right in front of me.}


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to ignore you, but I wanted to try and solve at least one module in the game the right way, and we will be going off-script pretty soon.  Still, let me know if I am about to do anything stupid.¡±


    Gracie bit her tongue as a dozen sarcastic replies flew through her head.


    Jace initiated the Follow ability on Snowy, so he could go into his inventory without stopping.  He stored Diamond Etcher and got out his tower shield and the explosive axe.  He wasn¡¯t proficient with the weapon, would suffer a -10 penalty if he used it, and couldn¡¯t do crits, but it was more fitting for an orc.  Etcher looked out of place on a monster¡¯s hip.  He took advantage of his cloak¡¯s ability to store a few things outside his inventory and then returned to the forest path.


    Jace briefly reviewed his plan with Esther to ensure she knew the scenario and what was expected of her.  Hopefully, Psycho didn¡¯t want to reminisce too much, but if he did, maybe the module would prompt Esther with the correct responses.


    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Let me know when we are getting close to his hideout,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I don¡¯t want our first interaction to be an arrow through my skull.¡±


    {You¡¯re likely to get that whether you want it or not,} Gracie replied.  {Not too many players approach Psycho looking like an orc.}


    Jace acknowledged it was a risk, but he was walking beside someone that looked like the archer¡¯s sister, so he hoped it would buy him a chance.


    {You¡¯re within 500 feet now,} Gracie advised.  {He could shoot at any time.}


    ¡°Snowy,¡± the orc called.  ¡°Run ahead through the woods.  Try to be quiet and sneak up on Psycho from a different angle.¡±  The wolf acknowledged and disappeared into the trees off to the left.  At level 16, Snowy was finally bigger than when Jace had first met her, and slinking through the woods was not the large winter wolf¡¯s forte.  Still, Jace had seen Psycho¡¯s character sheet, and he had spent all his skills and character points on killing things.  He didn¡¯t have great perception or animal awareness.  He could probably see them already, and the chance he would take his eyes off an orc leading his sister to examine a rustling in the woods was minimal.


    Jace hung his axe on his belt, not wanting to look armed, and he told Esther to swing her arms freely so it was obvious she wasn¡¯t shackled or restrained in any way.  In the distance, he began to see irregular shapes emerging in the forest, and a massive tree house was taking form.  Psycho would be near the top with a clear line of sight on the path they walked.  Jace had survived an arrow shot at 400 feet before, but that had been while Psycho had been using Rapid Fire, which gave a -10 to each attack.  Now he would be using Aim, which added ten, and firing from the shadows, adding another 38 at least.  He didn¡¯t know if the archer¡¯s hideout gave him any bonuses.  And, if he shot from the shadows, Jace wouldn¡¯t see it coming, so he couldn¡¯t react.  With that thought, he raised his shield, forcing him to slow his walk.


    He couldn¡¯t see around the shield, so he took a few glances to pick a spot on the ground about 400 feet from the distant fort and cast a Summon Stone spell he had designed earlier.  It cost a lot of mana and created a 50-foot sidewalk from the center of the path sideways into the woods.  Jace had enough mana left to cast his Armor totem at the far end of the stone path and picked up his pace, so he was soon standing on his creation.  His Mana Generation jumped from 14 to 24, and he felt a strong connection with his magic again.  The stone shaman did not like being in a forest.


    ¡°Nal Saikol Gladekin!¡± Jace yelled, but it only came out as a harsh whisper.  He tried again, but with the same result.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he can hear you,¡± Esther said, her volume fine.  ¡°Would you like me to try?¡±


    {You can¡¯t converse through a raised shield,} Gracie said.  {You need to lower it if you want to shout at him.  You can¡¯t do anything through a raised shield except defend.}


    Jace could reach out to his familiar, and he asked if she had eyes on the elf yet.  Psycho was hiding in the shadows, but that didn¡¯t stop Snowy if she had someone¡¯s scent.


    <I found him,> she replied after a few moments.


    Jace slowly lowered the shield and peered out into the distance.  It was like looking from one endzone grandstand to the other, but instead of a clear football field, he had to look through leaves and branches.  But with Snowy¡¯s help, he could just see a shadowed figure high in the trees 400 feet away.  If he tried to attack from the shadows now, Jace would have the initiative and time to raise his shield.


    ¡°Nal Saikol Gladekin!¡± Jace yelled again.  This time his orc voice boomed through the forest.  ¡°I come in peace.  I have freed your sister from the orcs who held her.  I am not with them.  I wish to talk with you.¡±


    His response was an arrow streaking through the air.  Jace saw it and raised his shield, catching the projectile in the center.  He had to lower it again to talk.  ¡°Please!  Don¡¯t shoot.  I only want to talk.¡±


    Another arrow.


    ¡°Nal!¡± Esther shouted.  Jace had heard Psycho refer to his sister as only Mur, so he hoped the shortened use of their names was shared between them, and he had coached Esther.  ¡°Nal, stop it!  I am unharmed.  We can trust this orc.  Come down and talk.¡±


    No arrow this time.  Instead, Jace watched the figure in the distant perch hesitate and then move about until he disappeared.  Jace guessed he was coming down a ladder or stairs to ground level.  A minute later, the elf appeared on the forest floor, still at a great distance.  ¡°Mur!¡± he shouted.  ¡°Is it really you?¡±


    A few sarcastic responses flipped through the woman¡¯s mind, but she settled with, ¡°Yes, it is.  Come here so we can talk.¡±


    ¡°Why are you with an orc?  Why haven¡¯t you killed him?¡±


    Jace imagined that if an orc had rescued the real Mur Calumis, saying that she could trust him and that he would bring her back to her brother, as soon as they were away from the orc encampment, she would have killed her rescuer, no questions asked.  Jace hadn¡¯t considered this hole in their plan.


    ¡°I trust him,¡± Esther said.  ¡°He killed several of the orcs when we escaped.  And cast healing spells on me.  He returned my weapons and armor the other orcs had taken and hasn¡¯t touched me since.  If he meant us harm, would he have done any of that?¡±  Esther was a much better liar than Jace was.


    ¡°He is not from their tribe,¡± she continued, telling the truth, or at least the story Jace had given her.  ¡°He has come to kill them.  I can sense that he is truthful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust orcs,¡± he said, walking forward slowly, his bow raised and loaded.  While he was still outside the weapon¡¯s natural range, Jace thought he should be able to raise his shield in defense.  But once he got inside 100 feet, the level 20 archer would have initiative, and Jace didn¡¯t know what would happen.  ¡°It is a trick.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Esther continued.  ¡°I have the stone,¡± since she now wore a longer dress, the game simulated her gem pouch on her hip, and she pulled the glowing teal stone out and held it up.  ¡°He wants to help us kill these orcs.  Then we can call back our people.¡±


    At the sight of the mana stone, Psycho faltered.  He was 200 feet away now, close enough to properly analyze the illusion being cast in his presence.  He failed.  Critically.


    ¡°Mur, is it really you?¡±  His bow lowered slightly.  ¡°I had lost hope.  I thought you were . . .¡±


    Esther ran to him.  Psycho lowered his weapon completely now and caught his sister in his arms.  He was nearly a foot taller and yanked her off the ground in a firm embrace, his muscled arms bulging under his green, sleeveless tunic.  While he bore a resemblance to the elf maiden in his arms, to Jace, it was obvious something was different.  The hug lasted a few seconds, and then Psycho released her and picked up his bow again.  ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I kill him?  He¡¯s an orc.¡±


    ¡°He wants to help us kill the orcs,¡± Esther said again.


    ¡°You and I can handle them,¡± he replied.


    ¡°I have this,¡± Jace said, reaching into his cloak with his free hand and pulling out his own green gem.  It was the life stone he had gotten from the lich¡¯s lair.  ¡°You can use it to restore your forest.¡±


    Psycho¡¯s aim faltered a little in the presence of the powerful magical item.  Since he had focused all his talents on combat, his magical abilities, especially concerning the forest around him, would never have allowed him to restore the burnt and torn trees.  His hesitation was only momentary, however.  ¡°I can kill you and take the stone off your corpse.¡±


    Jace surprised everyone by tossing his shield aside and raising his arms wide in open invitation.  ¡°Then do so.  I have come here for a purpose.  I rescued your sister, and she trusts me.  My god sent me here to bring justice to these wayward orcs that have invaded your home.  It is not our way to live in the trees.  We belong in the mountains and hills.  Thor Shorshth is misguided and must be corrected.¡±  Jace realized he should have practiced saying the leader¡¯s name with this orc mouth.  He almost cut his tongue on a tusk.  ¡°My god demands an orc, not an elf, carry out his vengeance.  I come here to garner your trust to allow me to operate without fear of an arrow in the back.  If that trust cannot be earned, so be it.¡±


    Esther reached a hand up to Psycho¡¯s arm to pull it down, but he was strong.  In reality, the vampire could easily wrestle the weapon out of his hands, but she thought it might be a bad idea.


    ¡°You speak well for an orc, and I cannot deny that you have rescued my sister whom I have been searching for, but  . . .¡±  He paused.  ¡°Is the wolf in the trees yours?¡±


    Jace nodded.


    ¡°She speaks highly of you as well.¡±  Finally, the archer¡¯s arms relaxed, and he lowered his bow.  ¡°If I find you are lying, you will get that arrow in the back.  What is your plan?¡±

 Chapter 25: The Worst Plan

    Jace¡¯s plan was to take on the orcs all by himself, and he was beginning to think it was a stupid one.


    The orc encampment was a mile from the clearing where the portal had been opened, pushed up against a rocky hillside.  All the trees for 300 feet around the camp had been cut down and used to make huts and walls.  Jace guessed a fair amount of the wood was needlessly burned in fires too, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before they needed to cut further into the elven forest.  So much for living harmoniously with the elves.


    The cleared landscape meant Jace was visible for a long time as he approached the front gate.  Four guards watched him, two with bows and two with axes.  Jace saw they were level 15, which was surprisingly low.  He was used to the NPCs he fought being 2-3 levels above him.  ¡°Why are they only 15?¡± Jace asked when he was still some distance from them.


    {That is the max for this module.  They can be as low as 10, scaling down for the ambitious low-level players, but 15 is as high as they go.  I believe Thor Shorshth can go as high as 20, but not his minions.  I¡¯m guessing Gandhi will make up for it in numbers.  There will probably be more than 50.}


    Snowy walked alongside Jace, but he had left Esther and Psycho back to prevent any runners should his plan not go perfectly.  As they got closer, the guards spent more time looking at the wolf than the shaman, but nobody raised a weapon.  They weren¡¯t scripted on how to handle an orc approaching them.  If he had been a human or a dwarf, they would have attacked.


    Jace stopped when he was still 30 feet away.  ¡°I have come from the Pexton Mountains,¡± he said, making up the name on the spot.  ¡°I have been sent by Trockstike, God of mountain storms.  His vengeance splits rocks and sunders peaks.  He is angered by your presence here and can no longer tolerate the sacrilegious ways of your leader.  I would speak with Thor Shorshth to resolve this incongruity.¡±


    The orc shaman knew the stupid guards wouldn¡¯t have understood much of what he said, but they recognized the name of their half-orc leader, even if they had trouble pronouncing it.  ¡°Do you come for war?¡± one of the guards asked.  Even though he hadn¡¯t understood Jace¡¯s speech, it sounded like he was planning to initiate conflict.


    ¡°I have come to free you, return your strength, and give you purpose.¡±


    That sounded good to the orcs.  Since the elves had left, they had been bored to death.  Of course, that was better than being shot to death, which is what happened when they ventured out of camp, and Psycho hunted them.  Because of that, they spent almost all their time in the cramped settlement complaining about the lack of freedom and the poor quality of forest food, which was primarily mushrooms and berries, since none of their archers were skilled enough to fell a deer and couldn¡¯t spend much time trying without drawing Psycho¡¯s ire.


    ¡°Good,¡± the guard said.  ¡°You want to see Thorshush?¡±  It was a valiant attempt at the name.  ¡°I will bring you.  Come.¡±


    The one guard left the other three and led Jace into the encampment.  The game didn¡¯t know what to do with dozens of orcs when they weren¡¯t fighting, so the creatures mostly milled about their tents and huts, but when Jace arrived, carrying himself taller than any of them with a fabulous white wolf at his side, this caught their attention, and Jace noticed a small retinue following him.  Just what he wanted.


    The camp was small for the number of orcs it was supposed to hold and even smaller with the increase Gandhi had blessed Jace with, so it didn¡¯t take long to reach the far side of it.  The ground was much rockier at the base of the hill, and Jace saw a large section carved into the stone, so it looked like a stage, sitting several feet above the main level of the camp.  Against the hill, several prominent buildings stood, and Jace saw a half-orc and an old shaman lumbering out of two of them.  The older orc looked weak, and Jace could guess why.  He turned his attention to the leader first.


    ¡°Thor Shorshth, I have come on a mission from the gods.  They are not happy with you!¡±


    Thor was level 18 with just over 700 HP.  He carried a massive axe and wore half-plate with a large shield on his hip.  Likely he would be at least as hard as Drescher¡¯s guards had been, but Jace didn¡¯t plan on fighting him fair.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± he answered.  ¡°Who are you?  Why have you come?¡±


    Standard questions.  ¡°I am Jace Thorne, disciple of Trockstike, God of mountain storms.  His vengeance splits rocks and sunders peaks.¡±  It had sounded good when he had made it up before, so he used it again.  ¡°And his vengeance lies upon you, Thor Shorshth.  You erred when you led these orcs into the forest.  They do not belong here.  They belong in the mountains.  Just because you are a half-elf doesn¡¯t mean they are.  You shall lead them from whence you came immediately.¡±


    Several of the orcs behind Jace raised their fists in a cheer.  He didn¡¯t turn to look, but it sounded like the crowd was increasing every second.


    ¡°Foolishness,¡± Thor replied.  ¡°I, too, have been sent here on a mission by my god, and I will not turn away because some impudent orc demands it.  You are outnumbered here, outsider.  You should leave before you are carried out.¡±


    This response did not get the same reaction from the growing audience.  ¡°These orcs gathered here do not agree,¡± Jace countered.  ¡°Your forest god has no power over them.  He offers them no protection in the woods.  The elven archer kills them like goblins.  My god would protect them.  Follow Trockstike, and I will lead you back into the mountains.¡±


    Again, more cheers from behind him.  Thor grew cross at this exchange and was about to shout back at them, but the elder shaman stepped in front of him.  If the magic user was anything like Jace, his spells didn¡¯t work as well in the forest, and this newcomer¡¯s offer would sound especially pleasant.  ¡°What are you proposing?¡± the old orc asked.


    ¡°I challenge Thor Shorshth for the right to lead this band of noble orcs.  If he wins, you may continue following whatever foolish god led you to these cursed woods.  But if I win, you shall all bathe in the chaotic glory of my god¡¯s lightning, and I will lead you back to where you belong.¡±


    Even more cheers than before.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Thor shrieked.  ¡°You foolish outsider.  I will kill you and then eat your wolf.¡±


    Snowy growled at the threat, but Jace put a hand on her shoulder, which was impressively high on his body now.  ¡°Easy girl,¡± he whispered.  ¡°You know I won¡¯t let that happen.¡±


    ¡°A proper challenge has been issued,¡± the old orc said.  ¡°Thor Shorshth, do you accept?¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Thor answered by pulling his axe and shield and rushing at the would-be usurper.  ¡°No!¡± Jace cried.  He had reformatted his Summon Stone spell and magically erected a five-foot wall in front of the charging attacker.  The half-orc collided hard against the barrier, and his raised weapons flew over the stone while he bounced back.  The throng of orcs laughed at the display.  Jace remained stern.  ¡°We do not fight with weapons.  We fight as our gods made us.  Up there.¡±  Jace pointed to the stone stage cut into the hillside.  He didn¡¯t wait for a response and easily leaped up to the ledge, Snowy following after him.


    The raised area gave the audience a better view of the fight, and Jace wanted to ensure they saw everything.  As most of them looked at their leader pick himself off the ground, begrudgingly leave his weapons, and climb up onto the ledge, Jace secretly cast his Armor totem into a cleft in the back wall of the shelf.  He found another spot fifty feet away and cast his Mana Bank totem too.  He put 50 mana in, only needing it to boost his Mana Generation when he used his spell, so he didn¡¯t start drawing on it yet, and let his natural Mana Generation slowly bring him back up now that he was standing on rock again.  With his pool at 700 mana, he wasn¡¯t even half empty yet.


    Jace had tossed aside his axe, and the tower shield was safely stored in his inventory.  He also took the new cloak off in case any observer thought it gave him protection.  Thor was still wearing his half plate.  ¡°Did your elf wench of a mother push you out wearing that armor?¡± Jace chided, knowing full well his mother would have had to have been an orc.


    Thor growled at him but undid the metal chest piece and tossed it aside.  ¡°Are we to fight naked?¡± he asked.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No need to embarrass you further.¡±


    That was all the half-orc could take, and he rushed again at Jace, his fists leading the way.  Jace Stood his Ground and took a massive shot across the chin that nearly took him off his feet.  It was only 20 damage, but it felt like a sledgehammer hit him.


    {He is a fighter,} Gracie said, {he is proficient in unarmed attacks.  Fists only do five damage unless you are a monk or take specific feats, but he probably has a damage bonus in the high 30s.  Fists are usually considered light weapons, meaning you can only use half the damage bonus, but once you get above 18 Constitution, that changes.}


    Jace struck back and hit hard, but the half-orc¡¯s Damage Resistance prevented most of the harm.  Jace Stood his Ground for the next strike too, and this one was a critical, doing over 30.  With almost 600 HP, Jace could take a beating, but even with his pain settings turned down, he was not enjoying this.  As the fight continued, Jace missed as often as he hit, but Thor never missed.  As a shaman, Jace didn¡¯t have unarmed proficiency and knew he took a -10 for each attack.  He had done a little boxing in his life, but he was much better with a sword.


    <Will he ever miss?> Jace asked, using Snowy to chat with his operator.


    {If he rolls a one or a two,} she replied.  {Law of averages says it should happen once every ten attacks.  Just hang in there.}


    He grimaced at the advice and took another critical hit across the chin, almost spinning him around.  It had been five rounds, and the half-orc had thrown ten punches, but none had missed.  The crowd was growing restless as Jace was clearly losing this battle, and the hope that they might be returning to their mountain homes was dwindling.


    Finally, at round eight, Thor stumbled under a punch from Jace, and his return strike passed just in front of the shaman¡¯s chin.  Jace¡¯s Convict feat triggered, and he got a brief look at the half-orcs character sheet.  Part of him wanted to remove the unarmed proficiency so he could try to beat him honestly, but that would mean changing his class, and Gandhi probably wouldn¡¯t allow that.  Instead, he stuck with his original plan.  Luckily the half-orc had rolled a one, and Jace got to change two things.  He had promised never to change someone¡¯s alignment, but he made an exception.  Thor was Guile, Balanced, and Traditional.  Jace changed Balanced to Chaotic and Traditional to Progressive.


    Suddenly he was back on the rocky ledge as if no time had passed, and he leveled a return punch at his opponent, reaching out to his Mana Bank totem and funneling 300 points down his shoulder as he cast Righteous Judgment.  He usually kept this one as an All-In spell, but he was going to need to cast it twice in close succession, so he had redesigned it.


    As his fist hit Thor square in the jaw, lightning flashed as a tremendous thunderbolt lanced down from the cloudless sky and struck the half-orc leader through his head.  Three hundred mana produced 60 damage.  His Spell Damage skill of 6 and Thor¡¯s critical failure in saving increased it to 99, and then it was multiplied by eight.  Even if he had been at full health, he would have died.


    As their leader fell, the gathered crowd, which was now nearly every orc not on guard duty (and half of those had deserted their posts), watched with rapt attention as Jace stood over the fallen half-orc.  He dashed over to his cloak and put it on, picking up his axe and storing it in his inventory.  Inside one of the cloak¡¯s pockets was the idol he had bought several days ago when he had planned out this module.  Now he rushed to the edge of the stage and stood before the crowd of close to 100 orcs.


    ¡°Trokstike has spoken!¡± Jace declared, holding the stone figure high in the air.  ¡°He is calling you to join him, to worship him.  He will take you to victory.  Lightning will not harm you.  Arrows will not kill you.  You will be orcs again, fierce and invincible!¡±


    {Preach it, brother,} Gracie said.  {I am recording this and sending it to your pastor.}


    Jace ignored her and watched as each orc before him, including the old shaman, took a knee and pledged allegiance to their new god.  It took a while for the gathered throng to all respond, but peer pressure ensured compliance.  Jace smiled and got down on his knees.  ¡°You!¡± he commanded to the closest orc.  ¡°Come forward.¡±


    The chosen one only needed to walk a few feet to reach the edge of the stone shelf.  It rose to his waist, and Jace interlaced both hands on the orc¡¯s bald head.  ¡°See the protection he has given you!¡±


    The shaman again reached out to his totem and cast Righteous Judgement.  Lightning and thunder flashed from above as before and washed over the vulnerable creature.  With the other orcs so close, they were momentarily blinded.  However, when they blinked the splotches from their eyes, they saw their orc companion still standing, with no indication that the electricity had caused him any pain.


    {Oops,} Gracie said.  {I guess NPCs don¡¯t change their alignment when they switch gods.}


    Jace rose to his feet and backed away from the uninjured orc as his mind raced for a solution.  His intended victim ¨C the orc that was supposed to have started an even bigger chain reaction than with the mummies ¨C patted himself down, looking for scorch marks, but found none.  ¡°It worked!¡± he shouted, and the rest of the throng responded in a cheer.


    ¡°Wait!¡± the old shaman said, finding his way to the ledge and magically enhancing his voice.


    They quieted and saw the elder orc signaling out an archer on the crowd¡¯s edge.  ¡°You! Guard!¡±  he then pointed at the orc who had survived Jace¡¯s spell.  ¡°Shoot him!¡±


    Jace winced in anticipation of the impending attack but underestimated how bad orc archers were and how inferior their equipment was compared to Psycho¡¯s.  The arrow flew straight and true and sunk into the orc¡¯s chest with two criticals, but the attack probably only had a base damage of ten, and with a DR of close to 20, the orc¡¯s HP only dropped by 11.


    Everyone had expected the arrow to bounce off its target, including the orc, who now had an arrow sticking out of his chest.  He looked down at it for a moment and then ripped it out.  ¡°It didn¡¯t even hurt!¡±  he lied.  ¡°Trockstike protects us!¡±


    Another cheer went up.  At first, it was just a cry of celebration, but soon distinct shouts could be heard.  ¡°Kill the elf!  Get the Archer!  He can¡¯t hurt us now!¡±  Soon everyone was shouting some version of the battle cry, and before Jace could smack his forehead in frustration, the hoard was rushing out of the meeting area and back through the settlement, undoubtedly, to make a mad dash to Psycho¡¯s home.


    {You know,} Gracie said.  {Everyone thinks you cheat to win.  They never get to see when your plans go wrong.  Don¡¯t worry.  Esther has saved your butt every other time you¡¯ve messed up.  I¡¯m sure she and Psycho can handle about 100 orcs rushing their position.}


    Jace bit back a retort and went into his inventory to get Diamond Etcher.  ¡°Snowy!¡± he shouted, bringing the wolf to his side.  He watched as the last of the orcs began filtering out of the clearing.  ¡°We have work to do. Run and warn Esther.  You¡¯re faster than a few stupid orcs.¡±  The familiar ate up the compliment and bolted after the crowd.  Jace hopped off the ledge and followed.

 Chapter 26: Teamwork

    Esther settled into the shadows by herself, thankful for a little alone time.  She and Psycho had been hiding in the forest, two feet from each other, for several minutes, and it had gotten uncomfortable fast.  He had asked where her bow was, and she had to invent a story about how the orcs had cut the string and burned it.  Then he asked how she expected to fight the giant orcs with just a short sword and shield, and she had to devise another lie.  After a few more awkward moments of silence, she suggested they flank the clearing to catch the orcs off guard.  Esther trusted Jace would handle most of them, but if any got away, it would be better if they struck at them from opposite sides.


    Psycho reluctantly agreed.  He had gotten so used to spending time alone that even though he had desired to be with his sister for so long, there was a strange chemistry between them now, and he needed time to adjust.  Esther breathed a sigh of relief once she was 100 feet from the elf, hiding behind a clump of bushes.


    They had decided to wait near the clearing where the first battle occurred.  Because it was so far from Psycho¡¯s hideout, the orcs would be less wary here and would come running through without thought of defense.  Then, if a skirmish broke out, there was more room to operate and less chance the orcs would try to burn down his home.


    It had been 25 minutes since Jace had left for the orc settlement when Snowy came sprinting into the glade.  <They are coming!> the wolf communicated to anyone who could hear.  She could sense Esther near, but Psycho had not officially joined their party.  Snowy could find him if she put forth the effort, but she was winded from the run.


    ¡°How many?¡± Esther called back.


    <All of them!>


    Esther and Psycho eyed each other from across the clearing and silently mouthed the words.  All of them?  The elf scrambled up a tree, and Esther hastily reprogrammed some of her spells.  She would need to increase the size of her web dramatically.  She also wanted to try out the Mass Charm+.  She was warry of elevating it to Death, knowing what had happened to her last time she had used it on Carrak, but thought Paralyze should be powerful enough.  The ground began to shake from the stampeding orcs, and she added a few new acid spells too.


    First, a dozen of the creatures came into view.  They had worked up a lather, sprinting for the last mile with divine-inspired strength.  It didn¡¯t look like all of them to Esther, and she held off on her spells, wishing, not for the first time, that she had her rapiers.  The eleven-chain mail gave her almost the same AC boost as her old armor but didn¡¯t have the Damage Reduction or room for the critical protection Jace always gave her.


    Psycho used his Aim feat combined with Death Shot.  The first attack was also a Stealth Shot from the shadows and was deadly at 200 feet.  He hit the last orc in line, so none of his other brothers saw it.  He didn¡¯t waste time hiding back in the shadows again and took out two more as they raced right by his tree, none of the dead orcs making a sound as they fell.  He turned and took out two more as they ran past, fearful that his home was in jeopardy, but felt the tremor in the ground through his tree branch and knew more were coming.


    Esther let Psycho have all the fun with the first group, sensing from Snowy¡¯s warning that more were coming, and her pulse jumped as 30 orcs sprinted into the clearing.  Had Jace killed any of them?  Her web spell wasn¡¯t big enough to ensnare even half the crowd, but she cast it in front of the lead group, hoping to catch a few more running into it.  Eight of the beasts were held fast from their necks down, critically failing the save, while others only had their feet trapped.  Two orcs struggled through, stumbling out the far side of the spell.  As they looked back in amazement at their stuck friends, arrows took each of them in their heads, and they dropped dead.


    Esther sent another spell further into the crowd that had slowed to a jog as most of the stupid creatures were still smart enough not to run headlong into a 25-foot magical web.  Their intelligence was rewarded by having to struggle against the second spell instead.  As more orcs rounded the corner and had no idea what was happening, some of the first victims tried to warn about a trap, but arrows silenced the most vocal ones.  And once Esther cast a massive acid cloud in the middle of the group, cries of pain drowned out everything else.


    It sounded like a battle as the beasts with free arms tried to hack at the magical strands that held them, often hitting each other or banging against raised shields.  The cries of anguish joined the clash of metal, and the last group of orcs thought the elves must have come back, and the war was in full swing.  The stupid ones charged in.  Most were lucky enough to get trapped at the edge of a web and didn¡¯t make it to the acid.  The unlucky ones saved against the spell, wandered deeper into the chaos, felt the acid on their skin, and then failed the web.


    Every orc was now transfixed by the spectacle, with most of them on the far side of the throng from Psycho and Esther.  The archer had easy pickings but could only ensure a kill once per round.  He focused on the ones free of the web who only stood and watched their companions hacking at each other and screaming.


    Esther snuck along the other side, picked one of the periphery fighters, and climbed up on his back.  She had to hike her dress up high to get a solid grip with her legs and felt the fabric rip.  She was out of mana, but that didn¡¯t last long, as she drained the first level from the orc.  She cast Enthrall on him and had him back into the woods before anyone noticed.  She put another 20 rounds of mana into her illusion necklace, now that they were in combat mode, and kept feeding.  All her spells were programmed to last ten rounds, and she bit into the orc¡¯s neck twelve seconds into her acid spell.


    The first web gave out, followed two rounds later by the second.  The few orcs who had gotten a lucky save or two against the acid stumbled out of the maelstrom while the cloud still burned behind them.  A dozen seconds later, the acid dissipated, and the ring of orcs stood transfixed at the carnage inside.  Twenty orcs lay dead, each with acid scarring that turned their already hideous skin into what looked like piles of infected ear wax.  The few arrows Psycho had fired into the mess weren¡¯t visible amid the mutilated bodies, and no one noticed the eight other dead orcs outside the ring with feathered shafts in their head or back.  Snowy had been working on dragging Psycho¡¯s victims into the woods after a suggestion from the elf.  Before the orcs had a chance to realize more of their number were missing, something else drew their attention.


    An orc with an elf maiden on his back pushed his way through the ring and into the center of the carnage.  It looked like she was biting on his neck, but she could also just be hanging on for dear life.  Either way, once the pair made it to the center of the ring, the female jumped off, and the orc fainted to the ground, splattering the liquified remains of one of his companions.


    Esther found a dry patch to land, holding her sword and shield high and brimming with more mana than she had ever absorbed before.  She had a round to spend it and almost ran out of time, but the orcs regained their senses and charged at her, closing in equally from all sides.  Esther released her spell with four creatures only five feet away, weapons raised.  It was far more mana than she needed, and the excess was funneled into the spell¡¯s difficulty, giving the attackers no chance to save.  The Paralyze spell spread out in a radius of 25 feet, and 40 orcs stood stock still.  Esther was pleased with the results but then collapsed in a heap.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    <hr>


    Jace had managed to catch up with the slower orcs.  These were the mages and shamans.  Jace attacked from behind, picking off the stragglers without the others knowing what he was doing.  He didn¡¯t want Esther and Psycho to worry about random fireballs, boons for the orcs, or banes against them.  And after three-quarters of a mile, they wouldn¡¯t have to.  Ten magic users lay dead in a trail going back to the settlement, and Jace pumped his long legs to reach the rest of the crowd.


    When he caught up, he was surprised to see most of the orcs standing still and looking toward the center of the clearing.  Jace didn¡¯t overthink the situation and started hacking anything that moved.  As orcs cried out in pain, more creatures turned to look at him, but most still stood motionless.


    Five orcs soon surrounded him, and while they didn¡¯t have Swarm, they could still get a single flanking bonus, and he was forced to turn his parrying to automatic.  As soon as he started getting hit, he heard a whistle in the air next to his ear, and an enemy on his right fell with an arrow through his head.  In the next round, another died, and Jace maneuvered the remaining three on one side of him, resumed control of his parrying, and started doing real damage.  Once he regained control of the fight, the arrows stopped coming.  As he dropped the last creature, he heard a horrific cry from behind him and saw a horribly burned and scarred orc with only a handful of HP left come screaming at him.


    ¡°No protection from this!¡± he cried.


    Before Jace could respond, Snowy leaped in from the side and tackled the orc to the ground.


    <Esther is in trouble!>


    ¡°Where is she, Snowy?¡±


    {In the middle of the orcs,} Gracie replied, able to give more description than the wolf.  {I¡¯m still trying to figure out what happened.  My attention was on you.  Psycho isn¡¯t in your party yet, so I don¡¯t know what he saw.  I¡¯m not getting any reading from Esther, but I see a still elven form in the middle of a ring of orcs.}


    That was all Jace needed to hear and sprinted past the frozen enemies.  A few had less than 100 HP, and he swung at them as he ran by, dropping them with one strike.  In her elven form, Esther lay in the middle of the crowd, not moving.  She appeared to be at full health, and he would worry about what had happened later; now, he straddled her body and raised his weapon.  Five orcs were within ten feet, none of them moving.  Jace didn¡¯t wait for them to wake up.  They were each Helpless, and the 20-slot on their still bodies was as obvious as if Jace still wore his old necklace.  The Cleave ability of his weapon let him do a second Critical after he dropped the first, and he quickly realized it let him use his third action to attack another orc.  That was powerful but only useful because these creatures couldn¡¯t strike back; otherwise, he would still need his third action to parry.


    After two rounds, the closest orcs were at least fifteen feet away, and Jace didn¡¯t want to leave Esther¡¯s side to attack the motionless enemies.  He watched Psycho pick off several more stragglers running around the perimeter of the ring before the orcs thought it safe to find cover behind their motionless comrades.  When they found Jace at the center of the ring, they met an equally swift death.  Eventually, Psycho had to drop from his tree and draw his katana.  The remaining orcs were fleeing into the trees, and he didn¡¯t have a clear line of sight to take them down.  The elf and Snowy were building a fighting relationship, and he called the wolf to help him hunt down the remaining enemies.


    Once the pair got far enough away, the pulsing red border of Jace¡¯s vision vanished as he left combat mode.  It seemed odd since almost 30 orcs surrounded him, but they were all in a Helpless condition at the moment and couldn¡¯t attack.  Jace sighed and glanced at the still form at his feet.  Esther¡¯s illusion had expired, and Jace knelt by her and clutched the necklace in his hands.  He loaded it with enough mana for 20 rounds, which would be two hours if they stayed out of combat, and she morphed into her elf physique again.


    ¡°Any idea what happened here?¡± he asked, rising to his feet and keeping Etcher ready.


    {After Esther cast that Death spell at Carrack and passed out, I did some research.  Any time you cast a spell over 1,000 mana, which is supposed to be rare, despite the frequency with which Esther does it, the game requires you to keep at least a third of what you cast in reserve, or you will pass out.  It looks like she is still full of mana now, so she must have only cast from her reserve after feeding on one of the orcs.  She has a pool of 624, so her spell must have been close to 2,000.}


    ¡°Last time, she had to regenerate her mana to wake up,¡± Jace said.  ¡°If she is already full, what will it take this time?¡±


    {I don¡¯t know.  Remember, we only guessed that she needed to regenerate her pool to revive.  In the end, Trixna cast a spell on her to wake her up.  It might take that again.  Neither you nor Psycho has that ability.}


    ¡°So, how do I wake her up?¡±


    {If you only had a way to summon a large group of elves who are bound to have clerics and druids in their midst.  That would come in handy about now.}


    ¡°Sarcasm is a tool for the weak,¡± Jace replied, but he bent down to his Helpless friend and retrieved the elf mana stone from her.  ¡°What about these orcs?  When are they going to wake up?¡±


    {Assuming she cast a Paralyze spell, since they appear Helpless, against level 15 characters at a spread of about 25 feet, that would cost 1025 mana.  Since we know she spent about 2,000, the only place to put the extra is in difficulty.  A thousand extra mana would raise it by 200, so each of these orcs probably failed with 20 criticals.  The target of a spell can only fail with half as many criticals as the caster¡¯s level with damage spells.  So, at level 16, Esther could only get an enemy to fail a damage spell with eight criticals, multiplying the damage by four.  But with non-damage dealing spells, there is no limit.  So, 20 criticals would multiply the length of the spell by 50% for each critical.  The standard length of the Paralyze spell is four.}


    ¡°Meaning they are frozen for 40 rounds?¡±


    {They were in combat mode for 10-20 rounds before you showed up, so they probably have 20 rounds to go, but now that they aren¡¯t in combat anymore, that will be two hours.}


    Jace didn¡¯t like the idea of what he had to do, but he couldn¡¯t wait for these monsters to wake up and threaten Esther.  Jace tightened his grip on Diamond Etcher and started killing.  Cleave let him take down three in one round.  He outright killed the ones that had already taken significant acid damage in one shot, often taking their heads.  The rest he only reduced to below half health, and they fell to the ground, bleeding out.  They were now in combat mode again, but it only accelerated their death, and they would never wake up.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Jace stopped with about ten orcs left and turned to see Psycho and Snowy return.  It looked like both of them had taken a few points of damage.  The elf had a horrified look, but Snowy only expressed jealousy at the fun her master was having.


    ¡°What needs to be done,¡± Jace said, staring hard at Psycho, wondering if he would have to argue further.  Snowy didn¡¯t need any convincing and joyfully leaped at a stationary orc, knocking the monster to the ground, and started to feed.


    Psycho saw the action in his peripheral but kept his eyes on Jace, giving the wild animal a pass.  ¡°But they are Helpless,¡± he said.  ¡°It is not right.¡±


    Jace shrugged and cast dispel at the nearest orc to Psycho.  He had memorized it to remove a level 20 spell, as Gracie had recommended, so it was more than enough to undo any of Esther¡¯s magic.  The orc had been rushing toward the elf maiden¡¯s position, but he was on the outer ring and had 20 feet to realize the scenery had changed drastically since he had been frozen.  He hesitated.


    Psycho didn¡¯t.  When the elf saw the orc take three running steps toward his prone sister, he reacted, jumping toward the creature and skewering him in the back with his blade.  The orc had started at half health, but the attack was not enough to kill him, so he turned to regard this new enemy and cried out as Psycho hit him again, this time doing enough to drop him.


    ¡°I could wake them all up if you like,¡± Jace offered.  He actually didn¡¯t have the mana for that, and Mass Dispel was a different spell.  But he didn¡¯t think the elf would take him up on the offer.


    ¡°No!¡± Psycho said, his eyes going from the handful of orcs left and their proximity to Esther.  ¡°Do what you must.¡±  He sheathed his weapon.  ¡°I do not have the stomach for it.¡±  Jace nodded and resumed his executions, hoping the actions wouldn¡¯t build a permanent rift between him and the archer.

 Chapter 27: Restoration

    Psycho tried to ignore what the brutal orc was doing and knelt next to the elf maiden on the ground.  Jace finished his grisly work quickly and joined him.  He wasn¡¯t sure how the illusion would hold up under scrutiny.


    Psycho was cradling Esther¡¯s head in his lap, stroking her hair.  ¡°What is wrong with her?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your people cast a protection spell on you before they left, correct?¡±


    The elf¡¯s eyes grew cold as he looked up at the orc.  ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I have done my research,¡± Jace said, not lying.  ¡°I did not come here on a whim.  I came here to set things right.  But the spell, could this be how it protects her?  It put her in a coma and froze her attackers?¡±


    Psycho shook his head.  ¡°It hasn¡¯t worked like that for me.  No orc could ever get me close to death, but I have faced off against a dozen of them before, and the spell never did anything like this.  But that¡¯s not all.  Her spells . . . they are different now.  I¡¯ve seen her cast an entanglement trap before, but it was always made from vines and thorns, not spider webs.  And the acid . . .¡± he shuddered as he looked at the mutilated corpses around them.  ¡°She always preferred cold and lightning.  She said they were nature¡¯s weapons, not . . . this.¡±


    ¡°I killed several mages before I made it to the clearing,¡± Jace said, trying to stitch their lie together.  ¡°Perhaps she stole the spells from them when she was captured.  You know, use the enemy¡¯s magic against them.  She didn¡¯t mention anything when I rescued her.¡±


    Psycho laid the woman back on the ground and stood to confront Jace.  He was shorter, but not by as much as most.  ¡°Why would you do this?  Why would you do any of this?  You say it is for your god, but I cannot believe he smiled on your actions today, chaotic though he may be.  You killed dozens of orcs to protect the life of an elf.  You follow a god who lies, yet you demand I accept your word, and I have it on good authority that you are to be trusted.  You are a shaman, but you wield a sword better than I do.  I want to know how to revive my sister so I can ask her these questions, but I do not have the skill.  Tell me what I want to know.¡±


    Jace wondered if the elf would accept the full truth, but he doubted it and didn¡¯t want to press his luck.  ¡°I cannot explain it to you in a way that you would understand,¡± Jace said, speaking as much truth as he could.  He sheathed Etcher and pulled the life stone from his cloak, holding it out for the elf to take.  ¡°Restore the forest and bring back your people; I promise you will have your answers.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t budge.  ¡°Perhaps you didn¡¯t hear me.  I don¡¯t have the skill.  Using that stone is a task best suited for my sister.  But this . . .¡± he motioned to Esther¡¯s still form as he struggled for the right word, ¡°female,¡± he settled with, ¡°isn¡¯t what I remember.  She has death inside her, not life.  You are giving me more problems, not answers.¡±


    ¡°That tree over there,¡± Jace said, pointing to a massive willow that grew at the entrance to the small glade where the portal had opened.  Its drooping branches had once hung like a veil to close in the sacred area, but now they were burnt and torn.  Still, the tree¡¯s massive trunk remained, with four branches growing out from the center.  In every account Jace had read online, this tree was what the druids and rangers had restored first.  ¡°Place this stone in the center of its branches and trust yourself.¡±  He again offered the gem to the elf.


    Psycho wanted answers and didn¡¯t budge for a few moments.  His aggressive nature urged him to force Jace to answer his questions, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to act hostilely toward this orc.  Something in the back of his mind told him the shaman was right.  He plucked the emerald sphere from the massive palm and strode toward the distant tree.  Snowy finished her meal and joined Jace as he moved to stand near Esther and watch Psycho.


    The ranger approached the willow tentatively, still anxious about using any abilities that did not involve a blade or a bow, but whatever else he might be, he was an elf, and this was his home.  He reached up and placed the stone where the four branches created a small cradle.  He didn¡¯t know how to activate it but didn¡¯t have to, as the change was immediate.


    The willow sprang back to life as if in a time-lapse video of winter changing to spring.  Its branches filled out with the deepest greens and lifted off the ground with inspired strength.  Psycho felt the magic flow through the tree¡¯s impressive root system under his feet and out to the rest of the glade.  All the trees responded in kind, budding in full flower and growing back leaves and broken limbs.  The ruts and holes in the ground smoothed over.  Everywhere that a bloodstain had soaked into the grass, a patch of flowers grew.  Even the dead bodies of the orcs began to melt away, and a shrub or berry patch sprouted in their place.  The armor and weapons dissolved and returned deep into the ground to the rocks from which they were forged.


    The process lasted several minutes, and Psycho stumbled about, his head on a swivel as he gazed about his home in awe.  When it was finished, his eyes found Jace standing with an enormous smile that nearly split his face.  Even Snowy, who preferred the cold, windswept peaks of her master¡¯s stronghold, barked in appreciation.


    Psycho walked back to the pair, his knees weak with elation but his eyes not leaving the source of his salvation.  ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are,¡± he started, then looked down at Esther, ¡°or who she is.  But I¡¯m beginning not to care.  Thank you.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t finished yet,¡± Jace said, producing the teal gem from his cloak, this one oval in shape.


    Psycho nodded and swung his bow off his shoulder.  He removed his gem from the weapon before securing it on his back again.  Neither said a word but marched toward the willow.  In response to a motion of his hand, Snowy obeyed Jace and stayed by Esther.  The orc and elf struggled to get through the tree¡¯s branches as if fighting through several heavy beaded curtains, but a magical sight greeted them on the other side.  Reds, greens, blues, purples, and yellows surrounded them as wildflowers ringed the clearing.  The thick tangle of vines and branches at the back stood as a woven tapestry of vibrant green, forming a giant circle fifteen feet high between the two sculpted tree trunks.


    Jace and Psycho each moved to one and didn¡¯t hesitate to place their stones in the center depressions.  They stood back to watch as a single point of light appeared in the center of the living circle and then quickly swirled about, creating a whirlwind of bluish-green energy that soon filled the space before them.  It snapped to its final size, and ripples bounced about inside until it calmed into a still pool of light that slowly faded into a mirror.


    Only when Jace realized he didn¡¯t see himself or Psycho did he understand that they weren¡¯t looking at a reflection of their clearing and the willow tree behind them but at an exact copy on the other side of the portal.  Jace hurried to the edge to stay out of view of any elf that might appear while Psycho stood transfixed, wondering if he should try to enter.  He knew he was a quarter-orc.  And he had always feared his people had left him behind on purpose.  If he tried to pass through this doorway to the elven homeland and failed, his worst fears would be realized.  He waited a few more moments, and motion within the image prevented him from trying.


    The branches of the distant willow rustled, and soon an elf emerged.  Jace watched from an angle, hoping he wouldn¡¯t be seen, and sucked in a breath of surprise.  He appreciated how good Esther¡¯s illusion of Mur Calumis had been.  No wonder Psycho had fallen for it.  The siblings¡¯ eyes met through the magical doorway, and only Psycho¡¯s suddenly weak knees prevented him from jumping through the portal toward her.  She saved him the trouble, running forward and passing through the shimmering veil as if it wasn¡¯t there.  He picked her up, and they embraced each other in a copy of what Esther and Psycho had done earlier, only to Jace, it looked more genuine.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°I knew you would find a way,¡± she said, her feet alighting back on the ground.  ¡°But how?  You only have the one stone?¡±


    A shimmer went through the large elf, and it looked like he had just woken from a long dream, a deep smile creasing his face.  He nodded over toward the large orc standing out of the way.  Mur Calumis turned and saw the imposing figure for the first time.   A look of terror filled her eyes.


    Psycho laughed long and hard, a foreign sound to his sister.  ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, Mur.  I owe everything to Jace Thorne, though, if I remember correctly, he does owe me his cloak.¡±


    The orc smiled back as he realized all the old memories had returned now that his quest was complete.


    ¡°But he can¡¯t be here,¡± Mur said.  ¡°You should have had to kill all the . . .¡± but her voice trailed off as the perceptive female noticed that Jace was different from the orcs that had invaded their forest.  His skin was grayer, and he wore different clothes.  Diamond Etcher hanging on his hip certainly didn¡¯t look like any weapon an orc would carry.  Then her eyes went to the portal¡¯s edge and the stump with the glowing elf stone that stood next to Jace.  Had this orc helped load the keys?


    ¡°He killed most of them,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°He and . . .¡± his face shifted to one of concern, ¡°. . .Esther.¡±  He turned swiftly to his sister.  ¡°Mur, we need your help.  Come.¡±  He tugged at her arm toward the willow.  She was still staring at the massive orc but couldn¡¯t resist the pull of her much stronger brother.  Jace followed at a distance.


    Psycho led Mur Calumis through the tree, and they found Snowy standing guard over Esther on the other side.  ¡°A winter wolf?¡± she cried.  ¡°Here, in our forest?  How?¡±


    ¡°Her name is Snowy,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°She helped with the orcs too.  I couldn¡¯t have done it without Jace and Snowy, but Esther . . .¡±


    The wolf stepped aside to reveal the woman lying still on the grass.  This time the elf maiden did stop short and pull herself from her brother¡¯s grasp.  The orc and the wolf were one thing, but now she stared at a perfect image of herself lying unconscious on the ground.  ¡°Nal, what is going on here?  I cast a spell to be alerted as soon as you reopened the portal.  No one else thought you could do it, so they didn¡¯t bother, but eventually, the others will come to see where I¡¯ve gone.  They will have all the same questions I do, but they won¡¯t be as patient.¡±


    ¡°It is a long story,¡± he said, ¡°but first, I need you to help her.¡±


    ¡°You mean me.  She is me, right?  Did you need to summon a copy of me to get a second stone?¡±


    Psycho shook his head.  ¡°I promise I will explain everything.  Please, heal her.  She is a friend of mine.  Or,¡± he paused and looked back at Jace standing at a respectable distance, ¡°I think she soon will be.¡±


    The female was done asking questions and decided to do what her brother wanted.  Snowy moved further away, recognizing who this elf was and trusting her not to hurt Esther.  Mur Calumis knelt beside the woman and began to summon her magic.  She sensed and dispelled the illusion before casting the more powerful revival magic.  The woman on the ground grew in size, and her hair and skin tone reverted to their typical hues.  Esther was full of mana and health, so the elf didn¡¯t really know what was wrong, but as she finished the spell, the woman opened her eyes.


    Esther cried out in shock as she stared back into a face she knew well.  She scampered backward, reaching for her weapons, but they weren¡¯t on her hips.  She saw the sword and shield on the ground and calmed down as she realized what was happening.  The elf was slowly figuring it out too, seeing that the clothes this black-haired woman was wearing hadn¡¯t changed, and the sword and shield on the ground looked nearly identical to her own equipment back in her magical homeland.


    ¡°This woman pretended to be me,¡± she said, facing her brother.  ¡°She tricked you into thinking I was still on this side of the portal.  She tricked you into trusting that orc.¡±


    Psycho nodded and locked eyes with Esther.  ¡°Yes, she did.  And it was rather convincing.  However, my real sister doesn¡¯t grab my butt when we hug.¡±


    Esther blushed and shrugged her shoulders.  ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t help myself.¡±


    ¡°You know they tricked you,¡± Mur Calumis interrupted, ¡°and you still trust them?¡±


    Psycho walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.  ¡°I gave them permission to do it.  It is a long story.¡±


    ¡°Tell me,¡± she insisted.


    He did.


    <hr>


    It took a while, but soon Psycho¡¯s sister understood everything, and she was laughing along with the others as Esther tried to explain her awkward attempts at sisterly affection.  Mur Calumis accepted that Jace was not really an orc but was a human from another dimension and was only in this realm to help fight the evils that existed.  That is what had brought him to this forest.  His mission was to destroy orcs and other vile creatures that spoiled the land.  That, and he needed Psycho¡¯s help.


    A few other elves had entered the realm through the portal.  They gave Psycho hesitant looks and wouldn¡¯t even address the orc.  The archer had retrieved the life stone from the willow and returned it to Jace.  It was no longer needed as the elves could do any further restoration.  Jace and Esther had swapped necklaces.  She changed into her usual black dress, and Jace thought about transforming himself into a human for the rest of their stay in the grove, but he chose against it.  If the elves used all their hostile looks on him, they wouldn¡¯t have any left for Psycho.


    By now, everyone understood that most of the elves rejected Nal Saikol because of his heritage and that Mur Calumis had been forced to abandon her brother.  This was Psycho¡¯s home, but he would never feel welcome.  His sister knew he wouldn¡¯t stay and insisted he come back and visit as often as possible.  She would love to hear tales of his adventures alongside Esther and Jace.


    The siblings hugged once more and were about to leave, but Psycho looked back toward the willow and the portal beyond.  ¡°What is it?¡± his sister asked.


    The archer hoisted his bow.  ¡°The stone I used to open the portal powers my bow.  Without it, the weapon isn¡¯t nearly as useful.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t let you take it,¡± Mur Calumis said, something the large elf already knew.  ¡°They need both to open and close the portal.  Some might decide not to return to this realm.  But,  . . . here.¡±  She went into her inventory and produced a third elf stone.  ¡°Take mine.¡±


    Psycho looked at Jace with confusion.  ¡°There are three of them now?¡±


    Jace shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°I didn¡¯t write the module.  Just shut up and take it before it gets deleted.¡±


    The female elf didn¡¯t understand what they were saying, but Psycho didn¡¯t elaborate as he took the gem from her hand and inserted it into his bow.  The weapon came to life as the mana pulsed through it.  The siblings hugged again and parted with a kiss on the cheek.


    As Jace and Psycho started toward the module¡¯s exit, Jace began to make out strange shapes on the other side of the curtain.  ¡°Are those . . .¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot to tell you,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°A couple of minutes after my sister came through the portal, the requests started pouring in.  Officially, this is my stronghold now.  I can give access to anyone I want.  There are about one hundred players out there begging to come in.¡±


    Jace laughed.  ¡°I bet there are.¡±  He saw that the travel node was on the glade¡¯s side of the curtain, and they wouldn¡¯t have to cross the barrier into the crowd to access it.  As they got closer, the blurry images coalesced into the recognizable shapes of men, dwarves, elves, and halflings.  It was a hostile zone, but Non-PVP, so they couldn¡¯t hurt each other.  Their voices only came through the barrier as muffled pleas, and Jace ignored them.  He turned to Psycho.  ¡°What about your protection spell?¡±


    ¡°I think it is gone,¡± he said.  ¡°The elves left some of their magic behind to bind with me, but now that they¡¯re back, I think it will stay with them.  I¡¯m on my own.  Though, if I die, I think I will respawn here, and the module will not reset.¡±


    ¡°Unless you bond with another stronghold,¡± Jace countered.  The elf nodded.  ¡°Then let¡¯s get started on that.¡±  Jace started turning to the travel node, but Psycho stopped him.


    ¡°I think you are forgetting one essential thing,¡± the elf said.


    ¡°Oh, right, I almost forgot.¡±  Jace took his cloak off and handed it to the archer.  He went into his inventory and gave the elf the Strength ring he had been entrusted with and over 100 arrows.  After Psycho put the cloak on, it more closely resembled the black duster the human bard had worn.  With it, the elf looked like a vengeful wild-west gunslinger, which wasn¡¯t too far from the truth.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Psycho said, ¡°but it isn¡¯t what I meant.¡±


    Jace paused, trying to figure out this riddle.  {Come on,} Gracie chided him.  {This one is easy.}


    The orc slapped himself on the forehead.  ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m an idiot.  Would you like to join my party?¡±


    Psycho laughed.  ¡°I think you¡¯ve earned it.¡±


    [Nal Saikol Gladekin has joined your party.]


    Jace turned back to the travel node, saluted the hoard of jealous players, and navigated back to his stronghold.

 Chapter 28: The Reluctant Room Mate

    It was mid-afternoon when they arrived back at the stronghold.  It had been about eight hours since Jace had accelerated his MIMs to dawn and had sent Draya to school.  She might be back now.  As Jace was about to enter the front door to give Psycho a tour, a sound from their right caught his attention.  Jace remembered that the last time he had shown up after a long absence, he had found the women frolicking in the heated pool.  He assumed Esther was the one who would typically spearhead that kind of recreation, but the rogue was with him.


    Psycho¡¯s keen hearing picked it up to.  ¡°Are we late for a party?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know I was throwing one,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°It sounds like Draya and her classmates,¡± Esther said excitedly.  Jace remembered the vampire had invited the two teenage boys to come back sometime in the future after goblins had almost killed them.  Esther skipped along the path to the right and around to where the pool was.  Snowy galloped at her heels.


    Jace shrugged and followed, leading Psycho along behind him.  ¡°One of your companions is still in school?  What is she learning?¡±


    ¡°How to be a dragon,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°I see.¡±  He didn¡¯t, but the elf was eager to find out.


    They saw Esther turn to the left through a gap in the stone cliff beside them and bound up a few steps to the raised plateau.  Before she was out of view, she froze, looked at the gathering, and retreated just as quickly.  She returned to the two males before they were even halfway to the opening.  ¡°No,¡± she said.  ¡°I don¡¯t think we should bother them.  They probably want their privacy.¡±


    Jace gave her a questioning look.  She couldn¡¯t possibly be implying what he thought.  Everyone was of age, but he would have thought Draya too timid even to invite boys back to her house, much less to engage in what Esther was hinting at.  Jace initiated his human illusion and continued forward.


    ¡°Jace, please,¡± she said.  ¡°Let¡¯s go in the front door.  I will run around back and give them a chance to get decent, and then you can get mad at them.¡±


    Something was wrong.  Jace had been impressed with Esther¡¯s acting skills an hour ago, but she was not as convincing now.  ¡°It is my house,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I have a right to know what is going on.¡±


    Esther still held his arm.   She was more than skilled enough to restrain him, but they both knew there would be consequences if she challenged him this openly, especially in front of Psycho.  She reluctantly let him go.  The sounds of male and female laughter were clear on the cool mountain air as Jace rounded the corner and climbed a few steps, holding his breath.  As he and Psycho stood side by side, it wasn¡¯t what they expected.


    About 100 feet away, on the rock sand that served as a beach, two young men held sticks and attacked an unarmed male orc.  The creature lunged half-heartedly at them, and they scampered back, countering by slapping the twigs at his upper body.  It didn¡¯t look effective, and Jace figured the orc had enough Damage Resistance to shrug off any attack the boys might muster.  Trixna and Draya stood at a distance from the fighters, laughing and cheering them on.  The human encouraged the boys, telling them to hit harder or dodge the strikes instead of running away.  The orc priestess gave most of her instructions to her kinsman, telling him to go easy on them or not hit too hard.  Everyone was fully clothed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any issue with this,¡± Psycho said, glancing at Jace first and then at Esther.  The woman refused to return his look.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had more orcs living with you, though.¡±


    ¡°I only knew about the one,¡± Jace said gruffly.  Then he saw it.  The male orc was wearing a collar around his neck.  Since Esther had started using the bracelet that enhanced her spell difficulty, he hadn¡¯t noticed that she wasn¡¯t wearing the control device with the green gemstone.  He couldn¡¯t remember the last time she had worn or used it.


    ¡°You knew about this,¡± Jace said, not looking around but aiming the statement at Esther.  There was no question mark at the end of the comment.  ¡°You hid this from me.¡±


    ¡°Because we knew you would overreact,¡± she said, her eyes on the ground.  ¡°Just like you are about to.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t entirely understand but decided to take a few steps back to allow the companions to sort this out.


    ¡°How long?¡± Jace asked, his voice cold.  ¡°How long has there been an orc slave living in my house?¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t want to answer and kicked at a stone on the ground.  Jace was pretty sure it was the orc they had not killed when he had freed the gnomes.  He had released him into the wild and told him never to return.  He knew that the orc couldn¡¯t have left the module on his own, so he hoped that he might be killed or deleted by the game.  If Esther didn¡¯t want to answer his questions, Jace knew someone who would.


    ¡°Snowy, when did you track down the orc for Trixna?¡±


    <Five days ago,> she replied.  <Orc name is Zorn.>  The wolf answered cheerfully, unable to read the undertone of the question.


    ¡°There has been an orc sex slave in my house for five days?¡± Jace said.  Psycho finally understood the tension and took several more steps back.  In the distance, the five individuals were still laughing and playing, completely unaware they were being watched.


    ¡°You ignored her!¡± Esther said in a harsh whisper.  ¡°What was she supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Talk to me,¡± Jace said.  ¡°She could have talked to me.¡±


    ¡°She did, you ignorant eunuch!¡± Esther refused to be the villain in this conversation.  ¡°She¡¯s invited you to her bed every twelve hours you¡¯ve been here.  I don¡¯t know how she could have been more clear about what she needed.  You¡¯ve given Draya and me so much equipment.  You even went out there and got Gromphy to make more for us.  What have you given to Trixna?  What have you done for her?  Since Zorn has been here, she has been much happier.  I know you¡¯ve noticed she has bothered you less.  She still wants you to acknowledge her, but she isn¡¯t starving anymore.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s wrong,¡± Jace tried, less of an edge to his voice now as he realized this was likely a battle he would lose.


    ¡°Just because she needs things you disapprove of doesn¡¯t mean she doesn¡¯t need them.  You might be an orc in the realms, but you have no idea what that means.¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I thought she¡¯d get over it.¡± Jace finally looked back at Esther.  ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°I did?¡± she looked perplexed.


    ¡°You used to tease me constantly, walking in front of me naked or half-dressed.  You haven¡¯t done that in a while.¡±


    Twenty feet away, an elf coughed nervously.  Jace and Esther ignored him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the sex drive of a female orc.  I saw you weren¡¯t interested, and I stopped.¡±


    ¡°Or do you have a slave in your room too?¡± Jace asked, knowing he shouldn¡¯t.  He was just too frustrated with the situation to stop himself.  ¡°No, you probably have a secret lover down in Crestfall.¡±


    ¡°What if I did?¡± she replied.  ¡°How is that any business of yours?¡±


    ¡°What goes on in my house is my business.¡±


    Esther rolled her eyes at him.  ¡°Get off your Traditional high horse.  I know you hate when I kill people and Snowy eats them, but you let us do it because we need it.  It¡¯s who we are.  If you take this away from Trixna, it will devastate her.  She might not leave, but she will be worthless to you.¡±


    {Jace,} Gracie said, having been a silent observer to the drama, {you don¡¯t have time for this.  The kidnappers¡¯ deadline is up in two hours.  Stephen and Allison have some of the information you requested.  They have someone from the mining guild who will meet with you, and they dug up everything they can find about Draya¡¯s past.  You need to deal with this quickly.}


    ¡°But why the collar?¡± Jace said in a defeatist tone.  ¡°Why does he have to be a slave?¡±


    ¡°She told me they don¡¯t use it when they . . .¡±


    Jace held up his hand to stop her from having to finish, not needing to hear it out loud.  He didn¡¯t imagine there was an orc in the realms that would require much convincing to spend time in Trixna¡¯s bed.  So, he wasn¡¯t really a sex slave.  He was an everything-else slave.  ¡°Why the collar?¡± he repeated.


    ¡°Because . . .¡± Esther said, not wanting to finish.  ¡°Because . . . that is the only way Topper would agree to it.  His people don¡¯t feel safe.  They¡¯ve learned to live with Trixna, but males are too aggressive.¡±


    Jace shook his head in defeat.  ¡°Did anyone other than me not know about this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± Psycho said quietly, raising his hand.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Esther and Jace said to the elf.  The pair turned back to look at each other for several long moments.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Esther said.


    Jace sighed.  ¡°You want me to be the fun, accepting, Progressive landlord?  Fine.  I can be fun.  But the collar has to go.¡±


    ¡°Jace,¡± Esther said quietly.  ¡°I don¡¯t trust him without the collar.  I don¡¯t want to sleep in a house with Zorn in it if he isn¡¯t restrained.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll fix that,¡± he replied.  Jace went into his inventory and got his +3 large shield.  He then turned around and walked along the pool''s edge toward the beach, where the three males were still sparring.  His presence didn¡¯t stay a secret for long.


    ¡°Jace!¡± Draya shouted.  ¡°You¡¯re back.  We were just taking a break from homework.  Trent and Alex wanted to learn how to fight, and Trixna let us borrow Zorn for a few minutes.¡±


    The young woman looked pleasantly surprised to see him without a hint of embarrassment or concern.  Trixna, on the other hand, looked horrified.  Her left hand instinctively went to the control bracelet she wore on her right and pumped it full of mana.  The male orc stood up suddenly and backpedaled away from the two boys and out of Jace¡¯s direct line of sight.  The shaman stared at the female orc and saw her eyes go past him to where Esther was likely standing.  Her look was one of desperation that shouted, What should I do?  The rogue didn¡¯t have an answer.


    Jace put on a false smile and walked up to the boys.  ¡°Good afternoon, gentlemen.  I understand you want to learn to fight, but attacking someone without protection is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sir,¡± Trent stammered.  ¡°We weren¡¯t hurting him.  Miss Trixna said the sticks aren¡¯t strong enough.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Alex added.  ¡°We aren¡¯t very good either.  Not like you and Miss Esther.¡±


    Jace laughed.  ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.  You won¡¯t learn how to attack properly if you don¡¯t learn to attack someone defending himself.  Like this,¡± he raised his shield.  ¡°Now try and hit me.¡±  They were hesitant at first, having heard from Draya how good a fighter Jace was, but he wasn¡¯t holding a weapon, and after a few lazy strikes against his shield, they started to get into it.


    Jace didn¡¯t have any shield training, but he didn¡¯t need it.  With Trixna¡¯s help, he had permanently cast his three totems inside the cavern.  With a little of his blood added to a Presence ward, the totems always sensed his magical signature and never dispelled unless he dismissed them or they were used up.  With his Armor skill, natural AC, shield, and the +16 from his totem, the boys had no prayer of hitting him even if he stood still.  After a few minutes, Jace had shown them enough and leaned into one block, so the shield knocked Trent back.  He wasn¡¯t hit hard but flew to the powdery sand.  Jace only faked a shove toward Alex, and the boy tripped on his feet and fell right next to his friend.


    Draya laughed with glee, and Trixna even tried to chuckle, thinking that Jace might be overlooking her roommate choice.  He wasn¡¯t.  The shaman turned to look at the orc standing over by the outer cavern wall.  ¡°Zorn, is it?  Come over here and show these men how it¡¯s done.¡±  The orc didn¡¯t move.  ¡°Trixna,¡± Jace said without turning to look at her.  There was an edge to his voice sharper than Diamond Etcher.  ¡°Trixna, tell your friend to come over and attack me.¡±


    The female orc couldn¡¯t find her voice but had gotten good enough with the bracelet and collar that she didn¡¯t have to speak to give commands.  Zorn had no weapon and only wore a knee-length tunic that looked a lot like a starting character¡¯s attire.  Fittingly, Jace thought it resembled a Roman slave outfit.  As the orc got closer, Jace cast his Athletic boon.  He didn¡¯t raise his shield and held it by his side as he Stood his Ground.  The level 12 orc punched at the shorter human and needed a 16 to hit him.  He didn¡¯t get it.  Once the orc¡¯s character sheet was open to Jace, he made another exception and switched his alignment from Guile to Honest.


    The change happened in a blink of an eye.  Jace dropped his shield to the ground, sidestepped in the opposite direction of the punch, and wrestled the orc to his knees.  Jace wasn¡¯t as good as Esther, but with his superior strength and Athletic boon, he easily restrained the orc in a headlock.  ¡°Promise me on your life that you will always do exactly what Trixna tells you,¡± he whispered in his ear.  ¡°You will never harm a gnome or anyone else in my house.  Is that clear?¡±


    Only Zorn could hear Jace¡¯s demands.  Everyone else just assumed this was part of the demonstration.  With his knees in the sand, Zorn was Helpless and couldn¡¯t respond.  Jace let up a bit and reduced his restraint to level three.  ¡°Promise me on your life,¡± he repeated.


    Zorn nodded.  ¡°I promise,¡± he croaked.  Jace released him and stood up.  The orc stayed on his knees.


    Jace smiled at his captive audience as if it had all just been fun and games.  ¡°See, men,¡± he said, addressing the two boys.  ¡°Fighting is a lot more than just waving sticks in the air.¡±  They nodded furiously in agreement.  He turned to Draya.  ¡°Now, were you finished with your homework or just taking a break?¡±


    ¡°A break,¡± she said, all smiles.  She was thrilled that Jace had interacted with her friends in such a positive and accepting manner, utterly na?ve to the underlying issue in play.


    ¡°Then you best get back to it.  You and I are going on a trip in about twenty minutes.  Wrap it up and say goodbye to your friends.  Snowy can see them home if they don¡¯t feel safe.¡±


    The three youths hurried back into Esther and Draya¡¯s room through the window, and Jace turned to Trixna.  She tried to keep a stiff upper lip in the face of her furious leader.  ¡°I . . .¡± she started as Jace walked toward her.  Even though he was half a head shorter than her now, he was still imposing.  ¡°I . . .¡± she tried again.


    ¡°You can keep him,¡± Jace said, stopping six feet from her.  His voice was cold and absolute.  ¡°But the collar is gone.  Understand?¡±


    She nodded quickly.


    ¡°I never want to see it again.¡±  She nodded again, and his tone softened.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve been ignoring your needs.  Next time come to me and ask.¡±


    ¡°I asked you plenty,¡± she said, a twinkle in her eye now that she knew the worst of it was over.  ¡°And the offer is still . . .¡±


    ¡°Find a different way to ask.¡±


    Trixna didn¡¯t really understand what that meant, and Jace wasn¡¯t exactly sure he did either.  He turned away from her and walked back toward Esther, Psycho, and Snowy, who hadn¡¯t moved from the edge of the clearing.


    ¡°Never a dull moment?¡± Psycho asked as Jace walked past.


    ¡°You have no idea; come with me.¡±

 Chapter 29: Equipment Upgrade

    Jace led his group around to the front door of the stronghold and entered his home the right way.  One empty bedroom was left next to Jace¡¯s, and he offered it to Psycho.  A mountain wasn¡¯t the proper home for an elf, but the room hardly felt like a cave, and it had the same window that Jace had, looking over the western horizon filled with mountain peaks and forested valleys.  So far, the fourth room had none of the gnome-built amenities the others had, but they could add anything Psycho desired.  He said he would give it a shot.  Drescher had given him a tiny room directly below a rowdy brothel in a city surrounded by a deserted wasteland.  This was already much better.


    Jace walked past Esther¡¯s room and told Snowy to go inside and ensure the boys were gone in fifteen minutes, or she should start biting them.  Esther chuckled but worried the wolf might not understand sarcasm.  She also wasn¡¯t sure Jace intended it as sarcasm.


    ¡°Thank you for how you handled that out there,¡± she said as they moved past her room and toward Gromphy¡¯s lab.


    He stopped and looked at her.  ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have had to ¡®handle¡¯ it,¡± he replied.  ¡°You should have told me.  You know better.¡±


    {No, she doesn¡¯t,} Gracie said.  {You still don¡¯t understand her alignment.}


    ¡°Know what?¡± Esther replied, genuinely perplexed and proving Gracie¡¯s point.  ¡°I knew Trixna needed someone, and I knew you wouldn¡¯t approve.  So, I didn¡¯t tell you.¡±


    ¡°What other secrets aren¡¯t you telling me?¡±


    Esther grinned at him with a face so charming that Jace worried mana was involved.  ¡°But if I told you, then they wouldn¡¯t be secrets, would they?¡±


    ¡°I bet it¡¯s the lover in Crestfall,¡± Psycho said.


    Jace turned on the elf.  ¡°You aren¡¯t helping.  If this is you Friendly, I¡¯d hate to see Hostile.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Hostile,¡± Psycho said evenly.  ¡°I kill people.¡±


    Jace threw his hands up, wondering ¨C not for the last time ¨C what kind of party he was assembling, and continued through the dining room and into the lab.  He didn¡¯t see the goblin, but several new items sat on the main table. Jace¡¯s eyes were drawn to the bow first.  ¡°Is that . . .¡± Psycho started to ask, but his voice disappeared as his new leader hoisted the massive weapon off the table.  Jace knew it was constructed from a dragon''s wing, but even if he didn¡¯t, the weapon''s origin was obvious from the clawed appendages at either end and the flame-red scale etchings in the white bone handle.  It looked more like a work of art than a tool of death, but Jace was pretty sure it excelled at the latter.


    ¡°Talk to me about it,¡± Jace said.  Both Esther and Psycho knew he was speaking with his operator.


    {I wouldn¡¯t have guessed such a weapon was possible,} Gracie said.  {Stephen is reading over my shoulder and wants you to know he regrets doubting you.  Its base distance is 250 feet.  It is a level 15 +5 item, and Gromphy designed all fifteen levels to increase its distance, bringing its base to 400.  It has two spells crafted into it.  One is True Strike Range, and the other is Flight.  The first gives you +10 to hit, but the second is fully charged at 100 mana and adds another 100 feet to the bow.  Both need to be recharged after every use, but you can store the mana ahead of time if you want.  Oh, and the wielder is immune to fire damage while using it.¡±


    ¡°How did he pack that much juice into one weapon?  I thought longbows had a base distance of 100.¡±


    {It looks like he used a negative crafting method.  He put banes into the bow, allowing him to raise the boons.}


    ¡°So, there are negative aspects to it?¡±


    {Yes,} Gracie confirmed.  {There are massive penalties if you shoot at anything under 200 feet away.  Also, you can¡¯t use Point Blank Shot or fire more than once per round.  None of those affect how Psycho will use it, but his old bow will be much better in normal combat.}


    Jace saw arrows on the table and handed the bow to the speechless elf.  He took it gingerly, worried his hands might catch fire if he held it too tightly.  Jace let him examine his new toy as he picked up one of the ten arrows on the table.  It was made from the wing bone of a much smaller animal, and the shafts were tinted blue with silver threads wrapped through them.


    {Those are also level 15 +5; each level was used for distance again, adding 150 feet to the base of the bow.  That increases the standard shot length to 550.  If you use both spells in the bow and spend the +10 from the True Strike on an additional 50 feet, the bow is accurate to 700 feet.}


    ¡°Meaning he only needs two more criticals to reach the 800 we need,¡± Jace said.


    {It gets better; the arrows have a permanent Heavy Weapon spell.  Light weapons only use half your damage bonus.  Arrows are considered ultralight, and they use none of your damage bonus.  This spell elevates them to light weapons, so in addition to the +10 they get from enchantments and the + 3 they get for spending three criticals to add distance, they get another 17 from Psycho¡¯s damage bonus for a total of 35.  Allison and Stephen had calculated that you would need three criticals to get the damage to 100.  Now, two criticals triple the damage and bring you to 105.}


    ¡°So before, we thought we would need 17 criticals, and now we only need 9,¡± Jace calculated.  ¡°We have to beat the shamans¡¯ AC by 90.¡±


    {Doable,} Gracie said.  {Psycho¡¯s base Range skill with a long bow is 78.  He gets +10 from the weapons, ten from Aim, and ten from True Strike for 108 total.  He will be hiding in the shadows, and with the new cloak you just gave him, his stealth is 43.  That is 151.  Then he gets to roll the die.  Since he won¡¯t be in combat mode for the first shot, he can Concentrate and take a 20.  That is 171 with a critical.  No shaman will have an AC of 91; at most, they will have 40, which means he can roll a two and still kill them.  They might have access to some Death Save protections, but I doubt anyone is expecting an arrow shot and most of their bonuses will be to detect things moving in the shadows, but Psycho will be too far away to see.  This will work.}


    Jace handed the arrow to Psycho, who was still drooling over the bow.  Once he had the shaft in his hand, he had to lean against another table to stay standing.  ¡°I could kill a dragon with these,¡± he said breathlessly.


    ¡°Just a level 15 storm shaman,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Well, two of them.¡±


    ¡°That will not be a problem.  How many arrows are there?¡± the elf asked greedily.


    ¡°Ten,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You can go hunting for eight dragons once we complete our primary mission.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± the awestruck elf said.  Jace was pretty sure it was the only time the elf would ever call him sir.


    Esther was patient, but now that they were done with Psycho, she moved up to the table and looked at the other four items.  Two were her swords, and Jace let her pick them up.  Gracie could read the stats regardless of who held them.  They looked roughly identical, but a large gem had been added to each hilt.  One was a fire-red ruby, while the other was an ice-blue sapphire.


    {Level 12, +5} Gracie reported.  {The damage was increased from 12 per strike to 17, plus they do an additional +5 fire damage and cold damage.  They have names now: Char and Chill.  I¡¯ll let you guess which is which.  They are permanently Heavy Weapons.  Well, they have the spell built into them, and the gems act as mana stones and keep the weapons filled, so they shouldn¡¯t run out in a fight unless she makes four attacks per round for five rounds.  This means they will always do her full damage bonus, which is currently at 26, so she is doing 43 damage per hit, with five magical thrown in for fun.  So basically, almost as much as you, but she usually gets three attacks per round and has a much higher melee skill than you.  Also, the blades used to give her +2 to Dodge; now, they give her +5 each.}


    Jace watched his upgraded killing machine sheaths her weapons and accessorize them with her Quick-Change ability.  There were two items left, a bracer and a white staff.  Ester grabbed the bracer.


    {That is the shield you asked for,} Gracie said as Esther clipped the four-inch piece of metal to her left arm.  It was covered in glistening red scales.  She put some mana into it, and it unfurled like a dragon folding its wings until it formed the classic teardrop shape.


    {It is a +5 medium shield, which shouldn¡¯t be possible, but oh well.  It adds +8 to her AC, and she can Dodge while wielding it.  She can¡¯t attack with that hand while it is in shield form, but she can open and close it with the mana.  And, when she raises it, she becomes immune to fire.  Just wearing the bracer gives her 100% fire protection, which isn¡¯t the same thing, if you remember.}


    While Esther practiced opening and closing the guard, Jace picked up the last item.  {That is a wizard¡¯s staff,} Gracie told him.  {Carved out of the leg bone of a dragon.}  The shaman was naturally proficient in two-handed blunt weapons, and he turned it over several times, appreciating the weight and balance.  Psycho¡¯s bow had fire etching that looked like scales; this staff had red engravings coiled in a double helix up and down the shaft.  Other than that, it was featureless.


    {It is also a level 15 +5 weapon.  Level fifteen weapons can process 450 mana, but it has a dragon fire spell that does two damage for every five mana, instead of the normal one, so Draya will get the same benefit as if casting with 900 mana, which is about where she is when she casts dragon spirit, only now she doesn¡¯t have to waste the spell.  It has two options: a single bolt of fire that will travel up to 300 feet and hit one target, or a fireball that will travel 250 feet and explode in a 20-foot circle.  All the mana for the spells is built into the staff already, so she only needs to provide the dragon fire.  She can choose to add her own mana to make the attacks go further, but she doesn¡¯t have to.  She can also decide to use her own difficulty and damage bonuses if she wants, which is better than a level 15 item.}


    ¡°So, unlimited firepower at no cost,¡± Jace said, shuddering at the thought.  He put the weapon back on the table.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Gromphy?¡± Esther asked after she was done experimenting.  ¡°I need to thank him for these?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Psycho agreed, having stored his new items in his inventory.  ¡°Whomever this master crafter is, I must also praise his skills.  Is he a dwarf?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jace said, wondering how that revelation would go over with the elf.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°Did you send him on a mission?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°No,¡± a voice came from behind.  Everyone turned to see Trixna standing in the doorway.  ¡°He is in bed.  I put him there.¡±


    Jace and the orc stared at each other for an uncomfortable moment, but it passed.  ¡°Was he not feeling well?¡±  Jace guessed that with as many revitalize and mana potions the goblin could craft, he probably never had to sleep if he didn¡¯t want to.


    ¡°I heard a crash and came to investigate.  He was passed out on the floor.¡±


    ¡°Probably from casting a spell with too much mana,¡± Jace said.  ¡°It seems to be going around.  He must have been crafting the bow.¡±


    Trixna shook her head.  ¡°No.  The bow was on the big table when I walked in.  He was lying on the floor over there.¡±  She pointed to the corner of the room where his crafting table was, set up around several beakers, a sink, and three fire burners.


    Jace thought that made sense.  He didn¡¯t actually craft anything on this main table.  He moved quickly to the much shorter workstation and saw his level 50 crystal lying on the floor where the goblin must have dropped it.  He found something else, too, and picked it up for the rest of the room to see.


    {Holy #$%@,} Gracie said.  She had promised Jace she would tone down her language since he confessed that sometimes he couldn¡¯t understand anything she said.  But she couldn¡¯t help herself here.  It was Esther¡¯s armor.


    {It is #$%^@# level 20 +5,} she reported.  {That is +20 to her Damage Reduction.  It gives her permanent slashing immunity from anything level 25 or lower.  That is $%#&@%! insane!  It used to give her +5 to stealth; now, it is +12.  And you won¡¯t need to cast Critical Protection on her anymore.  There is a permanent one inside the armor.  Plus, it raises her magic defense by 10.}


    Jace could feel the power of the salamander they had killed permeating the vest, and whisps of shadow emanated from the scales like steam from a warm lake on a crisp fall morning.  It also still looked like the elegantly contoured corset into which Esther had designed it.  Jace would have expected the goblin to make it more modest, but he hadn¡¯t.  Speaking of modesty, Esther instantly Quick-Changed out of her dress and into her armor outfit, though, without the vest that Jace still held, she wore only a short skirt and a tiny crop top.


    Psycho blushed and looked away, but the woman didn¡¯t care and only wanted to be wearing the armor as quickly as possible as she navigated between the tables to where Jace was standing.  She touched the vest, which snapped to her body, fitting like a glove and looking more impressive than before.  A shudder went through the woman as the item¡¯s impressive enchantments worked through her.  Once acclimated to the armor, she turned to Trixna, still standing in the doorway.  ¡°He made this for me?¡± there was a tear in her eye.


    ¡°It looks like it almost killed him,¡± the orc said.  ¡°I imagine he will be asleep for a while.¡±


    ¡°Can you revive him?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Jace said he wouldn¡¯t ask me to do anything else today,¡± Trixna said, arms crossed.  She could play hardball too.


    Esther didn¡¯t care.  ¡°He¡¯s not asking.  I am.¡±


    The orc would have done it even if Jace had asked, but she softened her resolve in the face of her friend¡¯s passionate plea.  ¡°Follow me,¡± she said, leading the group through the small door in the back of the lab.  It was a doorway built by gnomes for a goblin, so everyone had to duck.  The inside of the bedroom wasn¡¯t much bigger, and Psycho burst out laughing when he saw the smartly dressed goblin lying in his bed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace replied to the unspoken comment.  ¡°Your bow is goblin-made.  I can find another archer if that¡¯s a problem for you.¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Psycho said, clearing his throat.  ¡°I just wasn¡¯t prepared for that.  I should have known better.¡±  He quieted as Trixna knelt by the bed and laid her hands on the goblin¡¯s chest.


    After one round and an impressive amount of mana, Gromphy stirred and opened his eyes.  ¡°I didn¡¯t intendeth to drop . . .¡± he started, sitting up in bed and suddenly noticing he had an audience.  After Trixna backed away, Esther was in the front of the group, the only one who didn¡¯t have to duck from the low ceiling.  ¡°Aye, but ye has¡¯t it on already,¡± he said.  ¡°I might has¡¯t madeth it a bit tight.  Thou art spilling out liketh loaves with too much yeast.  I can loosen it . . .¡± but he didn¡¯t get to finish as Esther knelt beside him and hugged him.


    ¡°I love it.  You¡¯re the best.¡±  Her voice cracked.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how to thank you.¡±


    The goblin sputtered as he got a face full of her ¡°loaves,¡± and tried to push her away.  She knew what she was doing, and he had no chance of breaking free of her grapple until she released it.  Esther let him go after a few moments and kissed him on the cheek, increasing his frantic reaction.


    ¡°Off me, vile mistress!  Keepeth thy charms for those that payeth.  I am a learned goblin, not a man.  I careth not for thy feminine wiles.¡±


    Psycho breathed in sharply at the insult, but Esther let it slide off her back.  This was their relationship now.  Gromphy would have never made the armor like he did if he didn¡¯t truly care for her.  She backed away, letting him rise from his bed to stand before the others and fastidiously straighten his fine clothes.  When finished, he looked up and saw Psycho¡¯s tall head over Jace¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Oy, thou art the archer, I presume.  Mine own name is Gromphy.  How doth thee fancy thy bow?¡±


    ¡°I have never seen its equal, oh noble craftsman.¡±  Psycho was already stooped by the low ceiling but bowed a little further.


    ¡°Finally, a soul with manners.  Figures it wouldst taketh an elf.¡±  The goblin rolled his eyes at Esther but returned to Psycho.  ¡°Do ye have the bow now?¡±


    The archer nodded but had to roll his eyes into his inventory to get it.  The game wouldn¡¯t allow him to simultaneously wear two weapons on his back.


    ¡°Tis, tis,¡± the goblin chided.  ¡°Won¡¯t do a¡¯tall.  Giveth me thy cloak and follow.¡±


    The small crafter scampered past the group clogging his small room and snagged the trench coat from Psycho¡¯s offered hand.  He raced over to his crafting table and got to work.  The rest of the team was quick to follow, and Jace saw a beaker of black liquid already bubbling away on a burner.  Gromphy dropped two black scales into the potion while he continued to fiddle with the cloak in the other hand.  After finding what he wanted, he picked a spell tome from a bookshelf and flipped through the pages.


    Everyone watched him cast a spell, dump the boiling liquid onto the cloak, and then lean back as a flash of light burst in front of him.  The whole process took less than a minute.  Gromphy turned around with the cloak and handed it to Psycho.  ¡°Try this.¡±


    The elf put it on, and it looked the same as before.  He shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Put the bow in,¡± Gromphy said.


    Psycho obeyed, and the massive bow, which the archer had already named Dragonwing, disappeared inside the front flap of the cloak.  He took his other bow and put it in as well.  His katana went next.  All three weapons were in the coat, yet it remained thin and flexible.  Jace watched as the elf went into his inventory for a couple of rounds before coming back out.  He reached over his shoulder to the cloak¡¯s collar and pulled an arrow seemingly out of nowhere.  Psycho had needed to equip his quiver before, but it looked like Gromphy had built one into the trench coat.  ¡°Truly amazing,¡± the elf responded, giving the goblin another slight bow.


    {And he elevated the Stealth bonus from +5 to +12,} Gracie said.  {Those salamander scales are powerful.}


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Jace said, happy for his new friend, but he needed to move things along.  He walked to the middle of the room, produced the elemental protection dress from his inventory, and laid it on the stone table.


    Gromphy left his workstation and climbed up the ramp to his elevated side to examine the item.  ¡°Very nice forsooth, a bit crude, but I can maketh it better.  What didst thee has¡¯t in mind?¡±


    ¡°I want you to curse it so that instead of providing 100 points of fire damage protection, it does 100 points of fire damage.  Every round.¡±


    Gromphy whistled.  ¡°Aye, on thy young dragon maiden yond wouldst be quite useful, but alas, I doth not dealeth in curses and hexes.  I don¡¯t has¡¯t the spells, and thy mage in Crestfall won¡¯t has¡¯t them either.  Also . . . the kind of magic thy needeth for this curse . . . tis might not but cometh from a dark source.  Darker than thee might prefer.¡±


    ¡°Darker than me?¡± Esther asked playfully.  The more she heard him talk, the more she understood.  She had at least followed the last sentence.


    ¡°Though art shadow and night.  His request . . . tis from hades.¡±


    Jace nodded.  Despite his desire, he wasn¡¯t a paladin, and working in hellfire didn¡¯t betray any of his alignments.  The more he played the game, the more he understood that there was no firm moral line to cross.  Everyone operated in shades of gray.  ¡°If you worked with someone who had the spell and access to the magic, could you put it in this dress?¡±


    Gromphy nodded, worried about what mission his honest answer might take him on.


    ¡°Good.  You and Esther go to Therasphue.  You should find what you need.¡±  Jace looked over at Esther.  ¡°Don¡¯t go in the swamp.  You should be able to find a witch or warlock that has the spells in question.  I trust you.¡±  He looked back at Gromphy.  ¡°We need your expertise, but she is in charge, understand?¡±


    The goblin wasn¡¯t happy about it, but he nodded.  Jace had a few other things he wanted and hastily explained them to the crafter.  None were that difficult, and the shaman was just wrapping up when Draya entered.  ¡°My friends are gone,¡± she said.  ¡°Snowy is taking them back to town.  Where did you say we were . . .¡± her voice trailed off as her eyes fell on the dress lying on the table.  ¡°Is that for me?  It¡¯s gorgeous.¡±


    She walked up to the stone surface and ran her hands over the intricate designs that incorporated rubies, diamonds, sapphires, and emeralds.  The stones held the enchantments that would protect the wearer from fire, lightning, cold, or acid, but they adorned the gown so seamlessly that they just as easily could have been for decoration.


    Draya picked up the dress by the shoulders and then caught her breath when she saw how deep the V-neck was.  On the elf mage, Psycho had killed, the narrow wedge descended to just a few inches above her navel.  Draya dropped the dress and put her hand on her sternum as if covering herself.  ¡°My, that is a cut low.¡±


    ¡°And high,¡± Esther added, pointing to the slit on one side of the skirt that went all the way to the narrow waist.  The rogue thought it was a positive feature of the dress but then looked at her young friend¡¯s reaction and realized not everyone shared her fashion sense.  ¡°But we can adjust that,¡± she said.  ¡°Gromphy would never dream of sending you adventuring in something so scandalous.  Right, buddy.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the goblin said.


    ¡°Then we should get going,¡± Esther said, grabbing the dress and storing it in her inventory.  ¡°Gromphy, get your treasure chest, and let¡¯s get out of here.  It will be night soon.¡±


    It would actually be morning where they were going, but Jace didn¡¯t correct her.  Instead, he watched the goblin scramble about the lab, hastily grabbing dozens of things to throw into his trunk.  He picked up the level 50 crystal and thought about adding it to the collection, but Jace told him no and beckoned for it.  The shaman put it back in its cradle with the blue mana stone so it could start generating more crafting magic.


    Eventually, the crafter had gathered everything he thought he might need, closed his trunk lid, and tucked it into his inventory.  Even though they knew it was coming, everyone gasped when the giant box seemed to disappear under his suit coat and into his tailored vest.  ¡°How in the realms do you fit a chest that big in such a tiny vest?¡± Esther asked when the goblin was finally standing before her.


    Gromphy looked up at the woman, her impressive figure bursting out of the armor he had crafted for her, and bit his tongue.  Jace grinned at his self-control while Draya put a hand to her mouth to control her laughter.  Esther gave the goblin to the count of three to make the joke and then raced out of the lab, Gromphy chasing after her.


    ¡°Are they always like that?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°When they aren¡¯t trying to kill each other, yes.  But I think we are passed that.¡±  Jace looked between Draya and the elf and realized they hadn¡¯t met.  ¡°Draeklynn Ember, this is Nal Saikol Gladekin, but everyone calls him . . .¡± Jace hesitated, not sure if the elf liked his nickname.  The archer nodded.  ¡°Everyone calls him Psycho.  Hopefully less deserving now, but he has a reputation.¡±


    Draya nodded, not really understanding, but she moved closer to the large elf and offered her hand.  ¡°Nice to meet you.  Everyone calls me Draya.¡±


    Psycho took her small hand, looking her up and down.  ¡°And you are a dragon?¡±


    She laughed.  ¡°Hardly.  I can¡¯t even fly.  But I have a dragon mana core inside me that can spew out fire.  I¡¯m still getting used to it.¡±


    Jace reached back to the table and grabbed the dragon staff.  ¡°I almost forgot,¡± he said.  ¡°This is for you; Gromphy made it.¡±


    Draya took the weapon and fell into the magic easily.  The staff was six feet long, significantly taller than she was. But the power inside her felt connected to the weapon, and she swung it about her body as if it were a part of her.


    {Wow,} Gracie said.  {She is getting massive bonuses to hit and parry with that weapon that didn¡¯t show up when you held it.  Gromphy really knows what he is doing.  It looks like she has Weapon Mastery with it and Parrying Mastery too.  The weapon also triggers her Dragon Strength ability, so it is permanently on when she uses it.  That gives her +16 to all her Strength skills.  Without any feats, she is suddenly a formidable fighter.}


    Draya finished playing, and with a slight twist of her wrists, the staff shrunk.  The spiraling double helix, which had looked like two stretched-out slinkies woven together, now collapsed until the shaft was a glowing scarlet rod ten inches long.  Even though it was featureless, the game allowed her to clip the weapon to her belt.  ¡°So,¡± she said as if nothing had happened, leaving the other two men dumbstruck.  ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t actually know,¡± Jace admitted.  ¡°Gracie, what did our CIA friends find out?¡±


    Gracie told him.

 Chapter 29.1

    Here are the updated character sheets. I modified them to show weapons and AC.


    Jace:


    I¡¯ve been neglecting Jace, which I think is okay, but I might have to upgrade him in the future. He doesn¡¯t have any cool equipment. If you total up his AC bonuses (No shield or Intimidate), it comes to 1+16+8+10=35. Then he gets to parry. The lowest score he can get is 5, which means rolling a 1, which is always a fail. The highest he can get is 25, which would give him an AC of 60. Psycho and Esther would hit him about half the time, but most NPCs he goes up against won¡¯t, but he is far from invincible. If he fights another Drescher who is ready for his tricks, he could be in trouble.


    When he stands his ground, he swaps his natural AC for his Intimidation. If any of his opponents¡¯ alignments match his, the 14 is multiplied by 0. If any of them are opposite, 14 is multiplied by 2 for each.


    Esther:


    Unlike Jace, Esther took all four weapon training feats to give herself a +15. Because she is using light weapons, she gets to use her Dex base of 14 instead of 10 to bring her melee with the rapiers to 49. For defense, if she uses her new shield and dodges, she can get up to 11+8+22+10 = 51. If she is Hasted, she increases this by 5. But, with a stealth score of 47, she will want to spend most of her time in the shadows. With her damage up to 43, she will kill almost character in one shot if she makes a sneak attack.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Draya


    I didn¡¯t realize how powerful her staff would be when I gave it to her. But since I gave her permanent Dragon Strength when she holds it, which raises her Strength skills by her level (16), and I said she had Master proficiency with it, that gave her another +15 to hit. So she now has 40 to attack. I also gave her +15 to parry with it, so her AC is 14+18+10 = 42. Now, this is when she is wearing her mage robe/dress that Esther and Gromphy are going to get cursed, so, as you are reading this, she only has an Armor skill of 4, so when she casts Mage armor, she will only get a bonus of 4. Hopefully, she doesn¡¯t get attacked in the next few chapters. ??


    I also included her stats once she casts Dragon Spirit. Since that increases all of her essential stats by a lot, I show those in red. The Dragon Fire Dam number of 430 is how much damage she would do to a single target if she spent everything she could. It will be a little less using her staff and even less if it is a fireball.


    Psycho


    I hinted at most of these numbers already. I didn¡¯t say how good he is at melee combat, however. In one of the previous chapters, he says Jace is better with the sword than he is, but that is because Jace can get multiple crits on almost every hit, and Psycho only gets natural crits 5% of the time. He will exceed the enemy¡¯s AC by ten a lot, but Jace does it better and more consistently.


    Psycho¡¯s biggest weakness is AC, as he only has 32 when he is dodging. When he is shooting his bow, he can¡¯t take any defensive actions and is considered flat-footed. He isn¡¯t going to fight in melee often, but he kills things fast when he does. But increasing his Dodge is something I should look into.


    I also included both his bows and both kinds of arrows he uses. It looks like the elemental bow does more damage because three of its levels were used for damage, while all 15 of Dragonwing¡¯s levels were used for distance. I did say his arrows would do 35 damage, and that is because he will need to spend three criticals to add 150 to his shot, and that adds 3 more damage to the 32 I show.


    If you have questions, let me know, but I imagine most people aren¡¯t going to study these stats too closely. I just want to let you know I am thinking about it, and I promise not to include a scene where Jace just ¡°tries really hard¡± and manages to stab a dragon in the eye and kill it. Everything will be earned.

 Chapter 30: Memories

    Draya came from Mongoria, a small island nation a thousand miles southwest of the game¡¯s main continent.  It consisted of a central landmass a few hundred miles across, surrounded by dozens of smaller islands a tenth as big.  The mainland was covered in mountains, trees, and rivers.  It was a lush, fertile environment filled with natural resources.  The principal inhabitants were based on the real-world empire of Genghis Kahn.  However, instead of being master horsemen, they were expert sailors.  The tropical islands surrounding Mongoria were filled with fruits, spices, sugarcane, oils, fish, and many other valuable resources.  The people who lived there were called Celtigions, a beautiful race of humans with dark skin and sun-bleached blonde hair.  They lived peaceful, prosperous lives.  They didn¡¯t have the ore or trees of the mainland, so other than primitive rafts and crude fishing spears, they didn¡¯t have access to boats or weapons.  At first, the Mongorians treated them fairly, trading resources back and forth and giving them transportation to many other islands that were out of reach of their rafts and canoes.


    Eventually, a Mongorian leader named Gangris arose, who felt he could exploit this arrangement.  Without the ability to defend themselves, the Celtigions were attacked and enslaved.  With each island only home to a few thousand natives, they were no match for the invading forces and were quickly overwhelmed.  The Mongorians no longer needed to trade for valuable resources and could take whatever they wanted.  The conquerors fancied themselves great warriors, but they were slight in stature, and only with potent elixirs made from plants grown on the Celtigion islands could they be triumphant in battle.  They had a few mages rise to power but quickly found that the islanders had a more natural affinity to magic. Any time a native worker showed promise, they were taken to the mainland and brainwashed in one of the magic schools until they served their masters with undying loyalty.  These converted Celtigions were called bondmages by their former people and were often sent as vicious masters to punish unruly colonies.


    Jace absorbed all this information as he moved around his stronghold, gathering supplies for their trip.  There was no game information on Draya specifically, but Jace could guess her backstory.  She was a Celtigion, and when she showed magical promise, her family smuggled her away to this continent so the Mongorians wouldn¡¯t brainwash her.  From what the CIA agents had found, the entire Mongorian region sprang into existence because someone had created a merchant quest where you had to work out a trade dispute between two diverse economies.  They picked the coastal town of Haversport and then designed an aggressive trading partner called the Mongorians.  The designer had inputted a few characteristics to define their negotiation tactics, and Gandhi had then simulated hundreds of years of history, which created the Mongorian/Celtigion relationship.


    It was hard to believe what this game could do when the advanced AI was tasked with a project.  It wasn¡¯t enough to just create one ship captain with aggressive negotiation tactics.  No, Gandhi had made 100s of years of bloody and oppressive history to satisfy the needs of one NPC in a little-played module.  Jace didn¡¯t know if Draya¡¯s backstory was also simulated or if she was created with a template history.  It made sense that she was willing to drink the dragon elixir to kill the Lich, as it was likely many of her people had also sacrificed themselves to save others, but it was yet to be seen if her backstory included other details that could be fleshed out.


    Jace¡¯s interactions with Trixna and Ester showed that NPCs didn¡¯t need a detailed backstory to be inserted into a module but could develop them if pressed.  He just hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to press Draya too hard.  Once they materialized next to the Harversport travel node, Jace wondered if even coming to this city was too much.


    ¡°Why would you take me here?¡± Draya asked, a tinge of hostility in her voice once she recognized where they were.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to be here.  Let me go back.¡±


    They stood atop a hill on the road leading into the city.  Below them, a large village spread out along the coast with the endless horizon of the sea beyond.  It was early morning, the sun rising behind them as they looked to the west, and the town was just waking up.  They were in a PVP Level 10 Hostile zone, but Jace wasn¡¯t worried.  Gracie assured him that most public cities like this, which were not strongholds, still had a strict legal system and city guards that would react firmly against hostile actions.  A bounty placed on your head by an NPC guardsman wouldn¡¯t travel to other places in the game like a PC bounty, but over time, word got around, and other NPC towns might refuse your entry.  People mostly behaved in places like this.  The unofficial bounty on Jace was lifted now that he had successfully secured Psycho, and no one wanted an arrow through their head for standing up to the powerful player.


    The archer had traveled with them, but Jace was precise about his role in this endeavor.  Psycho was to remain invisible the entire time.  He was only to act if someone threatened Draya¡¯s life.  If Jace and the girl became separated, Psycho was to stick to the mage¡¯s side and never let anything happen to her.  It was little different from the bodyguard duties Drescher had given him, but it had a far nobler purpose, and Psycho accepted the orders without complaint.


    Jace looked for the archer, but he was already hiding in the early dawn shadows.  The group leader could still see him if he wanted, but the game let Jace know he was invisible to virtually everyone else.  Draya was so distracted by the town below them that she hadn¡¯t even noticed the elf had been with them.  ¡°You set up this meeting, right?¡± she continued.  ¡°Couldn¡¯t you ask them to meet somewhere else?¡±


    ¡°It would take too long to set up another meeting location,¡± Jace argued.  ¡°Why?  What is this place to you?¡±


    ¡°This is where I was . . . smuggled,¡± she said slowly, the memories literally forming in her mind as she thought of them.  ¡°I was twelve.  My older brother and his friend put me in a crate of bananas.  I spent five days on the ship.  The only thing I had to eat was the fruit.  I can¡¯t stand bananas now.¡±  She paused as the thought of eating one passed over her face, and she almost gagged.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Jace asked.


    She turned from the village to look back and up at him.  He was in his human form but still towered over her.  ¡°I trust you,¡± she said but held on to the thought for a few moments before continuing, ¡°but this place brings up too many bad memories.¡±


    ¡°You know that everything that happens to you has a purpose,¡± Jace said, taking some time to make an imprint on his valuable companion.  ¡°You can¡¯t ignore this portion of your life because it makes you uncomfortable.  If you want to help me, I need the whole you, not a distilled, incomplete version.¡±


    Draya nodded.  ¡°I know you want to do good in the realms.  And I look forward to helping you, but this,¡± she looked back to the town and the vast docks with ships arriving and leaving, ¡°can have no positive purpose.  It is only a black stain on my past that I want to forget.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what your name means?¡± Jace asked.


    This drew her back to him.  ¡°What it means?  It is what I am called.¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°Your name is Draeklynn Ember.  Draek is an old-world spelling for drake, which is a baby dragon.  A creature of fire.  Lynn is a suffix that means a pool or lake.  Your name means Young Lake of Fire.  And your last name, Ember, I think that is obvious.  A small coal that, if fanned and nurtured, can grow into a full blaze.  Do you think your parents named you knowing you would be infused with a level 42 dragon when you were 18?  How could they know that?  No, what that means is that your life has purpose and meaning.  Nothing that has happened to you has been by chance; even your troubled childhood had meaning.  If you ignore it ¨C if you push it away because it frightens you ¨C you will never become the woman you were meant to be.  I want to help ¡®fan¡¯ you into your full potential, but to do that, you need to face and overcome your fears.  I will help you.¡±


    Draya said nothing but only stared at the town below them, little memories returning to her every second.  She was not na?ve about how powerful she was, and she did truly want to help Jace.  She just didn¡¯t know how.


    ¡°I will make sure you and I both leave here together,¡± Jace said, careful not to promise anything more.  He guessed Gandhi would make it hard on her, but he believed getting to the heart of her history was necessary and the only way to push past her childhood trauma.  ¡°But you need to trust me.¡±


    Eventually, she nodded.  Jace had saved her life, and their relationship status was still above 90.  She might push back on some suggestions but would comply with anything Jace insisted they do.  They moved down the trail to the city before anyone else came through the travel node.  Even though it was a hostile zone, they didn¡¯t expect any trouble.  Behind the node, the path continued into the hills and led to farmland, lumber mills, and several other points of interest.  NPC caravans regularly carried goods to and from the town; the worst you could expect on the road was a wolf or the occasional bandit.


    Draya clung to Jace¡¯s arm as they moved into the center of town a few minutes later, her eyes constantly scanning the people.  Jace saw a few PCs wandering about.  This was a city of commerce and trade; only players with unique goods to sell would come here to make money.  Besides the merchant quest, Gracie wasn¡¯t aware of any other modules that could be initiated from here.  Some people had tried to get passage on a ship back to Mongoria, but the captains, called Khans, were very xenophobic, and no one was allowed passage.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Jace saw a few Khans walking around the city.  They were tall and thin, with fabulous robes and tunics covered with gold, silver, and gemstones.  The men all had black hair, thin mustaches, and elongated goatees that Jace remembered from seeing pictures of Genghis Khan.  The women were equally tall and elaborately adorned with colorful makeup highlighting their lips, cheeks, and eyes.  The Mongorians looked quite out of place among the ordinary people of this town, and Jace was sure that aided them in their negotiations with the local merchants.  They looked like royalty, and with as much wealth as their trade runs brought, they were probably treated accordingly.


    Most of the captains were accompanied by a Celtigion bondmage.  They wore wizard robes with little adornment.  They each had a thin silver collar that reminded Jace of the hideous control item that Trxina had used to dominate her roommate.  Jace wondered if these necklaces had a similar purpose or were just to show the bondmage¡¯s station.  Possibly both.


    The Celtigions stood out with their darker skin and vibrant blonde hair among the normally paler and brown-haired residents of Harversport.  There were elves from the northern woodlands and dwarves from the mountains to the east, but the bondmages were easily the most eccentric people they saw.  Draya wore her student attire, a light blue knee-length tunic with a sash tied around her waist over dark gray pants and a white short-sleeve shirt.  Her new staff was collapsed and hanging from a belt under her tunic.  She had a dark brown cloak to ward off the chill of their mountain home, which was unnecessary in this warm coastal city, but she kept the hood pulled high over her head to hide her red hair and dark complexion.  Still, the pair drew several glances from the people around them, and not just from the few PCs who recognized Jace.


    At level 16, Jace didn¡¯t expect any level 10-13 PCs around him to give him much trouble.  They were only here to try and sell their gems or rare spices.  Since the level 21 mage Psycho had killed had been broadcasting their encounter to her many followers, everyone knew Jace could handle PCs several levels above him.  Even though Esther and Psycho weren¡¯t seen walking beside him, they could be lurking in the shadows.


    However, the NPCs wouldn¡¯t know to give him the same respect.  Most Mongorians looked his way, and their eyes lingered on his shorter companion.  If they had any magic detection spells, they would know how powerful she was, and while Jace wanted some interaction with Draya¡¯s past, he hoped he wouldn¡¯t draw the attention of every Khan in the city.  In addition to most of them having a bondmage escort, they also had 4-6 heavily armed guards trailing them.


    Jace hurried them through the streets and found the restaurant Gracie had picked for their meeting with the dwarf PC who had previously worked in Stormhold before the North Koreans moved in.  Draya was right; they could have met anywhere in the realms, but Jace wanted to kill two birds with one stone and thought this was the best opportunity.


    The Restaurant was called the Captain¡¯s Nest and was set up high on a mound behind most of the shops with a clear view of the southern docks.  Jace led Draya up the steps to the elevated building and across the open deck, where several patrons took drinks and enjoyed the cool morning before the sun rose high in the sky.  Though this should technically be the breakfast crowd, the AI was smart enough to realize that just like ship captains would come to port at all times of the day, PCs also often didn¡¯t care about expected meal times.


    The patrons inside the diner were well-dressed, and Jace figured the name attracted a higher caliber crowd and informed those looking for a rowdy time with ale and women to go elsewhere.  Mongoria wasn¡¯t the only trading partner of this city; captains of different types and dress styles filled the room.  Jace noticed that once they entered, they were in a Non-PVP Peaceful zone, further emphasizing the professional nature of this establishment.


    A hostess brought them to an empty table along the wall, and Jace let her know someone else would be joining them.  They were a few minutes early, and she brought them water and a menu.  Draya¡¯s head remained on a swivel at first, but she didn¡¯t see any Mongorians in the Captain¡¯s Nest, and she relaxed a little, letting her hood down and unbuttoning the front of her cloak.


    ¡°We should talk about it,¡± Jace said.  ¡°What do you remember?¡±


    ¡°My time at school has made my past a blur,¡± she replied, sipping at the cool water, ¡°but walking these streets and seeing the Khans,¡± she shuddered and took another drink.  ¡°It¡¯s all coming back to me.¡±


    Jace waited patiently for her to get her bearings as her mind searched out the best place to start.  ¡°I lived on a small island that grew sugarcane and processed palm oil,¡± she began.  ¡°The Khans showed up once a month, and someone was beaten if we didn¡¯t meet our quotas.  Sometimes people were taken.  And if we were really short . . . they would use the bondmages.  Esther told me you can summon lightning.  So could they.  I assume you only use it on monsters, but they would call down strikes on our leaders and fathers.  I saw a bondmage that used to be my neighbor nearly electrocute his own father because he was a gallon shy on production one month.¡±


    Draya shook her head and drained the last of her glass.  ¡°When I started to show promise in the magical arts, my older brother got scared they would take me too, brainwash me, and then bring me back in a few years to torture our father.  He kept looking for a way to get me out, and when we were loading a ship one day, he and his friend found a crate of bananas from a previous island that was only three-fourths full.  They emptied half of them, told me to climb in, and then piled the bananas back on top of me.¡±


    Draya brought her hand to her face as she tried to fight back her tears.  ¡°I didn¡¯t even get to say goodbye to my parents.  But my brother insisted.  He said they could detect magic in people, and it didn¡¯t matter if I didn¡¯t do anything.  They would come for me, and I had to get away.  It was a long trip, but I remember every second of it.  When we got here, my crate was sold to a local farmer named Corvin.  My hair was different back then and blended nicely with the fruit.  I could see out of the crate, and the streets and town haven¡¯t changed much in six years.¡±


    ¡°What did the farmer think when he got you back to his farm?¡±


    Draya shuddered.  ¡°I thought Corvin was going to send me back.  Surely he knew what I would be worth, and it was a lot more than a fourth of a crate of bananas, but I think he saw how scared I was and took pity on me.  Instead, he said I was his servant now and had to pay him back for all the bananas I cost him.  So I worked for him.  I wasn¡¯t very strong, but I could make ice, and on a calm day, I could generate a breeze to make his windmill work.  His wife was a baker and used the bananas he didn¡¯t resell to make bread and muffins.  Corvin said they were the best, but the smell of bananas made me sick.¡±


    Draya turned her palm over and produced a small flame for a few seconds.  ¡°I had never been trained in magic, but it came to me easily.  I worked for him for two years.  I must have paid off what I owed in the first few months, but he kept making excuses to keep me around, like I owed him for the food I was eating or the clothes I wore.  I think his wife didn¡¯t want me to leave because she always wanted a daughter, but they only had two grown sons.  The boys thought I was a freak because of how I looked and what I could do, and I was a lot younger than them, so I wasn¡¯t worried about having to marry one of them.  Plus, the family kept me hidden whenever guests were on the farm.  Corvin knew I was an escaped slave and must have assumed there was a bounty on my head.  Anyone who saw me could come back here and sell the information that an escaped Celtigion was at the farm.¡±


    The hostess came by and refilled the water.  ¡°Then the attack happened.¡±  She paused for a while as the memories solidified in her mind.  Jace wondered if Corvin actually existed and if, as she was telling this story, Gandhi was also programming these memories into the farmer¡¯s mind.  He didn¡¯t have much free time in this game, as it was his job, but it might be interesting to try and track down Corvin and see if he remembered Draya.


    ¡°Three bandits attacked us one night,¡± she continued.  ¡°It was a good farm, and they made money.  I think the attackers were from neighboring farms and were jealous.  Anyway, the two sons tried to beat them off but couldn¡¯t.  The thieves had them both injured on the ground, and I had to do something.  So, I hit them with a cold spell.  I knocked one out and froze another for a few seconds.  While they were trying to recover from my attack, I ran to get Corvin, but when we returned, they were gone.  His sons were on the ground, mostly okay.  The farmer thanked me but was worried one of the bandits had seen me.  The sons said it was too dark, but my hair was so bright back then you could practically read by it in dark room.¡±


    Draya¡¯s red hair had fallen past her face during her story, and she tucked it behind her ear after concentrating on the new color for a few seconds.  ¡°The sons treated me better the next few weeks, but Corvin was beyond anxious.  He was sure that any day a contingent of Mongorian soldiers would show up and take me away.  Finally, one day he told me I was leaving.  I was 14 and ready for boarding school.  There was a school in the middle of the continent that could help me learn about my powers, and they didn¡¯t know anything about Mongorians or Celtigions, and I would be safe.  It was a sad goodbye, but I was excited.  I would actually be able to see other people and not have to hide all the time.  He got me passage on a trading caravan by telling them I was a battle mage and could help defend the wagon.  Luckily, we weren¡¯t attacked in the few days it took to get to the school, so I didn¡¯t have to prove myself.  The next four years flew by, and then I went to the Magisterium Academy in Gershire.  That¡¯s where I was almost fed to a lich, and I think you know the rest.¡±


    It was a nice, tight story, and Jace was glad he had taken her here to explore it.  Of course, she was still probably hesitant to use her powers against an enemy, which made sense.  If the only times she had seen a Celtigion use magic to attack someone was when they were mind-controlled into doing it against their own family, he could understand her trepidation.  Plus, while Jace had no intention of turning her into a slave, their relationship bordered on the Master/Servant dynamic.  He could command her to do anything, and the game would force her to do it.  If she didn¡¯t like it, their relationship would suffer, and she could eventually leave him, but until then, telling her to throw fire at someone else would force her into the action and trigger too many bad memories.  He had convinced her it was just a game at Torrintank Keep, but in an hour, when he would need her to fling fire at storm shamans, NPC guards, and North Korean PCs, that would be a more challenging ask.


    Before he could figure out how to approach that problem, he saw a burly level 14 dwarf walk into the Captain¡¯s Nest. Gracie let him know that was his contact.  Draya saw that her boss was making eye contact with someone else and turned to see the dwarf walk up to their table, and she moved to another seat so the newcomer could sit across from him.


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± he said in a gruff, dwarven voice.  ¡°Didn¡¯t expect to hear from you.¡±  His eyes went to Draya momentarily, a bit disappointed she wasn¡¯t Esther, but from what he had read of Jace in the few minutes he had to prepare for this meeting, he understood that there was a rumor the resourceful player had someone working for him that could sling dragon fire.  The girl looked like a child, but her flaming red hair and the ¡°Level 16¡± floating over her head were no joke.


    ¡°My name¡¯s Quaron Sledgehand.  Nice to meet you.¡±  He took a seat and looked thoughtfully at his audience.  ¡°So, you want to invade Stormhold?¡± he said, signaling to the hostess that he wanted an ale.  ¡°Good luck.¡±

 Chapter 31: Property Dispute

    ¡°First thing¡¯s first,¡± Jace said, looking Quaron in the eye.  ¡°Nothing that is said here gets repeated until after my mission.  Understood?¡±


    The dwarf nodded emphatically, his beard brushing against the table.  ¡°That is fine.  After you are slaughtered, I will tell everyone I told you everything I knew.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be that impossible,¡± Jace said.


    The dwarf chuckled.  ¡°When I was there, we had anywhere from 50 to 100 thousand gold worth of gems and precious metals depending on our mining and shipping schedules.  When our customers discovered our location¡¯s wealth, some decided to sell that information to less ethical adventurers.  We had to fight off multiple attempts to invade our fortress, and nobody ever made it to the front gate.¡±


    The ale he had ordered was delivered, and he took a long drink before telling the serving girl that they needed a few more minutes to decide what to eat.  Jace saw Draya staring intently at their guest, and he thought he knew why.  Almost every dwarf she had ever met was probably an NPC, and they were all programmed to talk in a thick Scottish accent.  From exploring his settings, Jace understood that he could make himself sound however he wanted.  Quaron was a PC, and while he might initiate an accent when engaging with NPCs that would expect it, he wasn¡¯t using any of those theatrics with Jace and wanted to be as precise and understandable as possible.


    ¡°Maybe they didn¡¯t have a good strategy,¡± Jace said, searching for more.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ve not really researched your assignment.  Unless you can fly, there is only one side to approach, and it is flanked by two lightning towers that are manned at all times.  They will zap you for 600 damage, and the save is ridiculously high.  All the mana for the attack comes from lightning storms constantly churning over the tower, so the shamans can use their own mana to raise the difficulty.  There are lookout wards along the mountain path up to the hold, so there are no surprise visitors, and everything is fully charged for your arrival.  To access the fortress, you need to cross a narrow bridge that is coded only to allow one person at a time, and if you try to move any faster than walking, you need to make a Dex check every round or fall off.  If you are nimble enough to make it across quickly, you won¡¯t have the HP to survive even one attack, and if you are knocked unconscious, you fall off the bridge 500 feet to your death.¡±


    He took another drink.  ¡°I saw one group use an ogre priest with impressive Magic Defense and 1300 HP to cross the bridge and try to drain the mana banks before they raced across.  He failed the first save, took 900 damage, and fell to his death.  Everyone else just turned and left.¡±


    ¡°But they let visitors in,¡± Jace reasoned.  ¡°If they were expecting me for a negotiation, they would have to let me pass unharmed.¡±


    Quaron nodded.  ¡°Aye, yes, they would, but they have a magic detector.  It¡¯s basically like an X-ray machine at the airport.  You have to walk through it after you cross the bridge.  They will know if you are trying to smuggle any weapons or wands in there, and if you refuse to disarm yourself, they will zap you.¡±


    Draya didn¡¯t understand the part about the airport, but she understood how secure the place was.  ¡°If it is such an amazing stronghold,¡± she said, ¡°and you were making so much gold, why did you leave?¡±


    ¡°Same reason all mining expeditions fail, miss,¡± he chuckled.  ¡°We found the Balrog in the Basement.¡±


    Draya screwed up her face.  ¡°The what?¡±


    He laughed at her confusion.  ¡°Still a little green, are we?  Well, your leader can explain what that is.¡±


    They both looked at Jace, and he had just enough time to remove the confused look from his face.  He had no idea what the dwarf was talking about, either.  Since he had done so well in the game and was so highly regarded, no one knew he¡¯d only been playing for a little over a week.  Right then, the waitress showed up and was ready to take their orders.  Jace passed, but Draya and Quaron both ordered a meal.  Gracie took the time to fill Jace in.


    {You can play this game like Minecraft if you want,} she said.  {Just like in that game, the deeper you dig, the higher concentration of precious stones and metal you will find.  Diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and all kinds of gems have extraordinary value in the game.  If you want to enchant a weapon or armor, you need the raw materials.  But you can also find gold, silver, mithril, and adamantium, which are even more valuable.  Minecraft has bedrock designed into it, so you can only dig so deep, and the concentration of rare blocks only goes so high.  The realms have no limits, so you could theoretically excavate miles down and find untold riches.  So the designers took a page out of the Lord of the Rings and the Mines of Moria and put hundreds of deadly monsters underground.  If you get greedy and dig too deep, you release a horrific monster that is usually more powerful than a dragon.  Remember, you have a demon in your basement because the gnomes dug too deep.


    {It sounds like a tired clich¨¦ on the surface, but it has turned into a good push-your-luck mechanic.  The more you mine, the better your profits, but the deeper you go, the greater your chance of uncovering a horrific evil.  Once you have discovered your balrog, the mine isn¡¯t safe anymore.  The standard practice is to collapse the deepest tunnel and trap it, but once the beast is there, it can burrow anywhere else in your mine, and even if you only dig laterally at a shallower depth, you run the risk of releasing him.  As far as I know, the ¡°balrogs¡± will never free themselves, so you can continue to live there without fear of it bursting through your bedroom wall, but your mining is over.  Your gnomes are still only fixing what their ancestors collapsed ages ago.  But when that is finished, they won¡¯t be able to dig without the risk of freeing your demon.}


    ¡°And they can¡¯t be killed?¡± Jace muttered into his hand as his dining companions were finishing their order.


    {I¡¯ve learned never to say never when it comes to you, but no, they can¡¯t be killed.  They are level 40-60 beasts that are always gigantic.  There is a rumor that a mining operation in an icebound land once unearthed some enormous arctic creature, and they trapped it in a room with a fountain of lava and killed it.  But the next week, when they kept digging, they unleashed two more beasts, and their entire operation was wiped out.}


    Jace had enough information to proceed with Quaron, and the dwarf was done ordering.  The shaman wondered if the miner expected him to pay for the food.  Draya had tried to order pancakes since Esther had gotten her hooked, but the Captain¡¯s Nest didn¡¯t have any, and she was forced to have fish.


    ¡°What kind of beast did you find?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°The other guys called it an armadillion, but I don¡¯t have a name for it.  It was a giant armadillo 20 feet tall, with stone-scale armor that repelled our attacks.  It vomited lava and was immune to just about everything.  We didn¡¯t try to fight it very long.  We commanded two NPCs to run past it and back into its lair.  It gave chase, and we used a gnome to cast a Replicate Stone spell to mimic the surrounding walls and created a barrier 20 feet thick laced with raw mithril.  It left us with a massive cavern deep in the ground that we couldn¡¯t touch.  The walls are covered in mithril, like streaks of tinsel on a Christmas tree, but nobody in their right mind would ever raise a pickaxe toward it.¡±


    ¡°What about the NPCs?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°They respawned in their beds an hour later, screaming their heads off about a horrific nightmare they had just had.  Once they got their bearings and realized what had happened, they left our party instantly and tried to kill us.  It turns out that commanding a party member to commit suicide by suffocating on lava spewed from a hell beast in the dark really does a number on your relationship score.  One of them escaped but probably hasn¡¯t slept since.  That was six weeks ago.  We sold the place to the NKs a week later.¡±


    Jace understood he meant the North Koreans.  ¡°And you told them about the armadillion?¡±


    Quaron nodded.  ¡°Yeah.  They didn¡¯t care.  They weren¡¯t interested in mining; they just wanted a defensible stronghold.  We got a good price for it, so everyone¡¯s happy.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jace said, ¡°now they are holding four players hostage, and I need to get them out or . . .¡± he glanced at Draya, ¡°free them another way.¡±


    The dwarf smirked at Jace¡¯s coded speech.  It would be much easier to kill the PCs so the humans could log off than trying to guide four mentally tormented characters out of the stronghold.  Draya wouldn¡¯t understand.  ¡°You started your report by saying, ¡®Unless you can fly . . .¡¯  Is that a valid mode of attack?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Quaron replied.  ¡°Three of the lighting towers overlook the cliff and the valley far below.  They seemed useless at first, as no one could ever approach from that side, but two dragons attacked from the mountains while we were there.  I don¡¯t know if it was random or a distraction by some innovative thieves.  It took two or three blasts from the lighting towers, but eventually, we ripped their wings to shreds.  One of them was a black spewing acid, and the other was an ice dragon that froze our walls and made them brittle for a while, but they were so big we saw them coming from a long way off, and the shamans were ready with defensive totems to reduce the magical damage.  We lost one to the black dragon, but the mountains around the fortress spawn them quite frequently, and we were able to replace him the same day.¡±


    The food came, and Jace leaned back from the conversation to allow the serving girl to place the meals on the table.  With his eyes up, Jace saw someone entering the diner and held his breath.  It was a Mongorian woman and a male bondmage.  She was dressed in a Khan¡¯s attire, wearing a dark blue coat with tails that reached the back of her knees and tight pants tucked into tall, black boots.  She had a red, broad-brimmed hat on top of long black hair that framed a heavily made-up face.  Gold jewelry hung from her ears, nose, and neck.  If she had additional guards, they had been left in the street.  Her eyes found Jace immediately but continued to scan the crowd as if she were surveying everyone.  The shaman wasn¡¯t fooled.  She was there for them, and as much as he wanted to press Draya¡¯s past, he didn¡¯t want to push it too far.


    Jace started to look away, but his eyes locked onto the bondmage.  He was shorter than the Khan but broad in the chest and looked powerful.  His blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, revealing his entire face.  He had dead eyes that only followed the movements of his mistress as she walked up to the bar and ordered a drink.  He stood patiently behind her, not moving.  It made Jace sick.  He changed his mind.  He wanted to interact with these two.  With as large a portion of food as his two companions had just ordered, he didn¡¯t think staying long enough would be a problem.


    The serving girl left after receiving another order of ale from the dwarf and refilling Draya¡¯s water.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°How would you do it?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°If you had no other choice and had to break in and rescue the prisoners, what tactics have no one else tried.¡±


    Jace could tell the dwarf wanted to give a sarcastic answer and say it was impossible, but he chewed his first bite of meat thoughtfully first.  ¡°You need a distraction,¡± he said.  ¡°You need to divide their attention.  If you come straight at them, you don¡¯t have a chance.  I assume they expect you eventually to negotiate payment of some kind.¡±


    Jace nodded, but he was only half listening.  An important-looking man in a suit had just entered the diner.  He had the city¡¯s crest on his jacket and made eye contact with the female Khan before he and her started angling toward their table.  The dwarf had been talking.


    ¡°. . . used to have merchants come multiple times a day.  If you could arrange for other people to show up after you, like Esther in disguise or . . .¡± he trailed off as he saw the NPCs walking toward them.


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± the city magistrate said.  ¡°I am Derrin Hortch, Harversport¡¯s chief trade advisor.  Madam Yesugen Khan has leveled a complaint against you.  She says you are in possession of stolen property and insists you relinquish it at once.¡±


    Draya looked up from her food when she heard the word ¡°Khan,¡± and her heart sank when she saw the three people standing at the empty side of their square table.  They stood directly across from her.  Her eyes went to Jace to save her, and he intensely regretted what was about to happen.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± Jace started, his mind racing about how to minimize this damage.  ¡°And what proof does she have of this?  Where is this stolen property?  I assure you, I have not met Madam Yesugen before.¡±


    ¡°Khan,¡± the woman corrected tersely, nearly spitting the word at Jace.  ¡°Madam Yesugen Khan is how you shall address me, you lying thief!  The stolen property is sitting at your table.  Do not insult me by . . .¡±


    ¡°Please, please,¡± the magistrate begged, ¡°Madam Khan, please, we can handle this matter peacefully.¡±


    ¡°She has red hair,¡± Jace said, picking his words carefully.  ¡°We joined together in the east, in Gershire.  Have you ever met the people from the southeastern islands?  I do not think my companion belongs to you.¡±


    Those statements were as misleading as Jace could make them without outright lying.  He had never met anyone from islands to the southeast of this continent, but he was sure neither of them had either.  It didn¡¯t matter; his misdirection didn¡¯t work.  ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± Derrin said before the Khan could interject again, ¡°I have heard of you.  Many who have visited our city speak highly of your exploits.  It is an honor to meet you in person.  I have heard that you are honest and fair.  I must know for certain.  Are you saying that your female companion is not a Celtigion?¡±


    If ever an NPC had set themselves up for conditional bonuses to save against a bluff attempt, this was it.  Gandhi was not playing fair.  If Jace were talking to a PC, he could try to trick them with tons of double speak and riddles, but against an NPC, they were going to roll a die against anything said, and because he was an Honest character, he would receive a severe bane for lying, and they would know it.  He would lose all bargaining power if they caught him in a lie.


    ¡°She is,¡± Jace said, barely a whisper.  The shocked cry from Draya almost broke his heart.


    The grin on Yesugen¡¯s face was so sickening that she was lucky Non-PVP zones extended protection to NPCs.  ¡°Do you have paperwork showing that you own her legally?¡± the magistrate asked.


    ¡°Impossible!¡± the woman shouted.  ¡°It is illegal for any non-Mongorian to buy . . .¡±


    The magistrate put his hand up again to stop her.  He turned to look at Jace expectantly.


    ¡°You would favor her claim against mine?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°You support the enslavement of other people.¡±


    Before the man could respond, the Khan exploded again.  ¡°Enslavement?¡± she shrieked.  ¡°Do you see any shackles on this young man?¡± she stood aside to reveal the bondmage standing behind her, motionless and expressionless.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said impassively.  ¡°Around his neck. . . and his soul.¡±


    Yesugen laughed.  ¡°This?¡± she asked, reaching to tug on the silver collar, ignoring the second part of his comment.  ¡°This is just to keep people like you from stealing him.¡±


    ¡°You cannot have stolen from you what you do not own.  You cannot own another person without enslaving them.¡±


    The woman stared icicles back at Jace but was wise to say nothing.  At the moment, she still had Derrin on her side.  Jace turned back to the magistrate.  ¡°You would favor her claim against mine?¡± he repeated.


    ¡°We have trade regulations we must follow,¡± the man said.  ¡°Rules to maintain the peace with our valuable trade partners.  A Khan shall accompany all Celtigions in Harversport.  All Khans shall keep a record of ownership with them for any Celtigion in their party.¡±


    Yesugen produced a scroll from an inner pocket of her Khan¡¯s coat and held it up triumphantly.


    Derrin continued as if reciting a law he had committed to memory.  ¡°Any unaccompanied Celtigion or any Celtigion accompanied by someone who cannot produce a record of ownership will be considered a fugitive and shall be returned to the first Khan to claim them.¡±  The trade advisor finished his recitation and looked sternly at Jace.  ¡°Do you have paperwork showing you own her legally?¡±


    ¡°Violation of the trade regulations would result in . . .¡± Jace prompted.


    ¡°Sanctions,¡± Derrin answered.  ¡°Embargos.  Taxes.¡±


    ¡°War,¡± the Khan added.


    ¡°You would go to war over one young woman?¡± Jace asked.


    The look on the magistrate¡¯s face let Jace know the answer before Yesugen spoke.  He had obviously been threatened with hostile repercussions many times at the negotiation table.


    ¡°Over someone as powerful as her?¡± the woman clarified.  ¡°Definitely.¡±


    Jace refused to feel sympathy for Derrin.  Yes, he was in a difficult position.  Weighing the freedom of one young woman he didn¡¯t know against the prosperity everyone in his city relied upon was not an easy choice for an NPC to make.  Actually, Jace thought, in a Realm of Infamy, there was only one choice he could make.  And Jace couldn¡¯t break the law here.  Derrin had made it clear that Jace¡¯s reputation was being passed between the NPC leaders in the game.  If it were known he was a criminal who had no respect for city magistrates or their laws, he would be as handcuffed as if Draya were actually taken from him.  Well, no, not that bad, but close.


    Jace sighed as he saw no other way around it.  ¡°And what shall my compensation be?¡±


    ¡°Jace!¡± Draya cried.  ¡°You can¡¯t-¡±


    He turned to her with a determined look on his face.  She had never seen that look before.  It was the same one he had worn when he had marched toward an invincible frost giant with Esther dying behind him.  It was the same look he had used when facing off against Drescher and his companions.  Most recently, it was the expression he had shown when he Stood his Ground against over 200 mummies before wiping them out.


    Draya had never seen that look, but she understood it.  Her leader would not be defeated.  Circumstances might look impossible, and things might go downhill, but he would recover.  He would rescue her.  He had promised to leave this town with her at his side, and he would not fail.  She nodded in response.


    Jace turned back to Derrin and Yesugen.  The Khan smiled broadly, completely misunderstanding the exchange she had just witnessed.  ¡°Compensation?¡± she repeated the word as if it were the vilest thing she could imagine.  ¡°For returning stolen property?¡±


    ¡°Do you have the papers showing that she is yours?¡± Jace asked.  Obviously, she didn¡¯t.  ¡°Then you will acquire something you did not pay for and keep her for profit or sell her to someone else.  Either way, you will benefit from this arrangement at my expense.  I am an innocent party in all this and demand some restitution.¡±  He finished his plea with a look toward Derrin.  ¡°I think that is only fair.¡±


    ¡°Some compensation should be in order,¡± he agreed, looking back at the Khan.


    She disagreed but knew she was still coming out ahead.  ¡°I have some crates of fruit that did not sell,¡± she said.  ¡°And two barrels of oil, but that will not go bad.¡±


    ¡°So, you offer me produce you would have to dump overboard anyway and costs you nothing?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°It is not worthless to you,¡± she replied.  ¡°And the girl is far more valuable to me than you, trust me.  You don¡¯t know the first thing about regulating a Celtigion.¡±  She turned to her male bondmage and carefully traced a fingernail down his muscled arm.  ¡°They can be quite unruly unless properly . . . harnessed.¡±


    Jace wanted to throw up, but he had to see this through.  ¡°Very well.  Three full crates of fruit.  Anything but bananas.  Have it ready in thirty minutes.  I will meet you at the docks to make the exchange.¡±


    Yesugen laughed.  ¡°You think me a fool, Jace Thorne?  And if you should run late, how long should I wait?  An hour?  A day?  A year?  No.  I take the girl now, and you immediately come with me for your payment.  I do not have time to play games.¡±


    ¡°And I am in a business meeting,¡± Jace replied, motioning across the table to the dwarf who had observed this exchange in total shock.  The woman acted like this was the first time she had seen Quaron.  ¡°You are the one wasting my time,¡± Jace added.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said.  ¡°I will take the girl and will unload your compensation.  Meet me at the docks in half an hour and don¡¯t be late.  I will be racing the sun to the west.  I do not like sailing in the dark.¡±


    She motioned with her hand, and the bondmage finally moved.  He walked around the table to Draya¡¯s side and firmly grabbed her upper arm.  On instinct, she summoned fire, but the Peaceful zone prevented any offensive spells, and she was not strong enough to resist the young man.  She gazed into his face as she was pulled out of her chair, but she didn¡¯t recognize him.  Though Draya didn¡¯t know him, she did remember him.  All the bondmages looked identical, and she had seen dozens like him.  The same placid, dead expression; the same monotonous unwavering obedience to commands.  She almost cried.


    The bondmage brought her hands in front of her and tied them with a magical piece of rope.  He then added an enchantment, and Draya felt the mana inside her blocked as if a dam was holding back her power.  Her face went to Jace in panic.  His eyes never left her.  He had the same determined expression as before, and she clung to hope that he knew what he was doing.


    ¡°One final matter,¡± the Khan said.


    [Yesugen Khan requests that you transfer Draeklynn Ember to her party.]


    Jace managed a smile at the prompt.  ¡°Not until I receive compensation,¡± Jace said aloud.  ¡°And if you leave before I inspect the goods, I will not authorize the transfer.¡±


    The bondmage had maneuvered Draya to Yesugen¡¯s side of the table and waited patiently with his captive.  The Khan scowled at Jace but had no comeback prepared.  While her knowledge of game mechanics was instinctual instead of practical, she understood what taking possession of Draya without Jace¡¯s approval would mean.  The Mongorians were used to dealing with hostile Celtigions.  If necessary, this would be no different.


    She bowed slightly, and the three foreigners left the table and headed out of the diner.  Derrin stayed a few seconds longer.  ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, Jace Thorne,¡± he said.  ¡°I will be sure to record our positive interaction.¡±  He left in a flourish.


    Jace returned his eyes to Quaron, who had allowed his food to go cold during the exchange.  ¡°Now,¡± Jace said, ¡°where were we?¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± he said, trying to fathom what had just happened.


    {Yes,} Gracie added.  {Hold the #$%@ on!  You did not just do that!}


    ¡°You are just going to let her go?¡± Quaron continued.  ¡°If she has a dragon inside her, she is worth three ships, not three crates.  What are you doing?¡±


    Jace shook his head at both of them.  ¡°Have a little faith.  I promised Draya I would walk out of this city with her by my side, and I will not go back on that.  Now, can we finish our original conversation?¡±


    ¡°You know she isn¡¯t going to wait for you,¡± Quaron said, unable to drop it.  ¡°As soon as she gets to her ship, they will be gone forever.  She will leave you three rotting crates of fruit, and you will never see them again.¡±


    Jace managed a smile.  ¡°She would never do that,¡± he said, sarcasm dripping from his tongue.  ¡°Violation of the trade regulations would result in sanctions, embargoes, and taxes.¡±


    ¡°And war?¡± Quaron added, remembering the exchange from before.


    ¡°Over someone as powerful as Draya?¡± Jace asked rhetorically.  ¡°Definitely.¡±  Jace took a drink before continuing.  ¡°Now give me your operator¡¯s contact information so mine can send you a picture of how the prisoners are being held.  I want to know if you can identify their location.¡±


    The two discussed tactics and strategies for a few more minutes.  If nothing else, the distraction of losing Draya had quelled the dwarf¡¯s sarcastic insistence that any attempt to break into Stormhold was futile.  When they were finished, Jace left a pile of coins on the table and rose from his seat.


    ¡°Off to get your fruit?¡± Quaron asked, draining the last of his ale.  ¡°You know that she didn¡¯t even tell you which ship was hers.  You¡¯ll never find her.  You¡¯ll never see your dragon again.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too sure of that,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I have a pretty good feeling I¡¯m going to know exactly where her ship is.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that?¡±


    Jace motioned toward the door of the diner.  ¡°Would you like to accompany me?¡±


    The offer to watch the master at work was too much to turn down.  The dwarf popped out of his seat.  ¡°Yes, I would.¡±


    The two players strode out of the Captain¡¯s Nest and onto the raised deck.  They stopped and stared.  Most of the rest of the patrons eating outside already had their eyes fixed on the docks in shock.  ¡°See,¡± Jace said, no need to point out the obvious.  ¡°I told you I would know where they were.¡±

 Chapter 32: The Dragon Awakens

    Draya found it difficult to walk as the bondmage shoved her through the street after the quick-moving Khan.  Yesugen had called him Erak, but Draya couldn¡¯t think of him as human.  He was just a tool.  And they wanted to turn her into the same thing.  She had to trust that Jace had a plan.  He had told her everything happened for a reason in her life.  Did he know this would happen too?  Did he really intend to trade her for three crates of fruit?  She had only known him for a few days since he and Esther had rescued her from the lich.  The rogue swore he was honorable and could be trusted, but right now, she didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Soon, everything will be better,¡± the Khan said.  Draya sensed that she had been talking since they had left the Captain¡¯s Nest, but her mind had been preoccupied with other things.  Six guards had been waiting for them after they had left the diner, and now they trailed the three of them by a dozen feet.  ¡°It will be as it always should have been,¡± she continued.  ¡°Your talents have been wasted in this forsaken land.  Soon, among your people and protectors, you will find your true calling and purpose.¡±


    ¡°How long will you keep me tied up like a dog?¡± Draya dared ask, lifting her bound hands toward the woman.


    Yesugen laughed.  ¡°You are not tied up.  I only want to let everyone else know you are under my protection now.¡±


    ¡°Protection?¡± Draya spat the word back at her.


    ¡°Would you prefer a male Khan take stewardship of you?  It is a long voyage back to our homeland.¡±


    Draya decided not to push that issue too far.  Things could be worse.  Of course, any journey back to Mongoria would be horrible.  It didn¡¯t matter if she was molested by a Khan, riding in a crate of bananas, or put up in a luxury cabin next to Yesugen.  She would commit suicide over the side of the ship before they ever reached land if given the opportunity.  Jace needed to come quickly.


    The walk to the docks was brief.  Haversport was a narrow collection of buildings strung out for a few miles along the coast, so no place was more than a couple of minutes from the water.  Yesugen¡¯s ship was one of the largest at the port, a three-masted vessel over 150 feet long.  The last few crates were being hauled onto the boat with a massive wooden crane and pully system.


    ¡°Madam Khan,¡± one of the deckhands said when he saw her.  ¡°We are having trouble finding room in the hold.  We have too much unsold cargo.¡±


    She smiled at him.  ¡°Lucky for you, I found a buyer.¡±


    ¡°So we should unload them to the dock?¡±


    She laughed.  ¡°Don¡¯t go through the trouble.  Just dump them overboard.  Jace Thorne can pick up his payment from the sea floor.  I¡¯m certainly not going to wait around for him to show up.  I want to push off in fifteen minutes.  The sun is already a quarter in the sky.¡±


    The man nodded and relayed her orders shouting to the men.  Within minutes, half-filled crates of lemons, oranges, and pineapples went over the side of the ship and splashed in the shallow water.  The Khan laughed with glee and turned to look down at Draya.  ¡°I only said I would unload them.  He didn¡¯t specify where.¡±  She finished chuckling and watched as the last heavy cargo she was bringing back was loaded, and it was safe to transverse the pier without fear of injury.  ¡°Come.  Your future awaits.¡±


    Yesugen took several steps out onto the pier before she heard a grunt and turned to see Draya resisting Erak as he tried to push her down the dock.  ¡°Don¡¯t fight this, young woman.  Everything happens for a reason.  You might think me cruel now, but you will soon see-¡±


    Her voice stopped in mid-phrase as an arrow passed through her head.  Draya jumped back into Erak at the sight, but the expected blood splatter didn¡¯t accompany it.  Instead, the arrow passed through the Khan like mist.  Once Draya realized it was an illusion, the image vanished, and she saw the shaft sticking into the side of the ship fifty feet ahead.  She looked about for the real Khan, understanding now why she had the bondmage handle all of the physical contact.  Instead of finding the woman standing nearby, 11 images of her body spread along the pier, all with the same expression on her face, all looking for the hidden archer.


    In the next six seconds, three more arrows exposed three other illusions, and the woman was running out of copies.  ¡°Guards!¡± She cried.  ¡°Find him!¡±


    Draya looked over her shoulder and saw Psycho standing behind a pile of empty crates.  He fired three more shots, and Yesugen was down to four fake images and one real one.  ¡°Erak! Do something!¡±


    Draya saw that Psycho had about two rounds left before the guards closed on his position.  ¡°Raise your hands!¡± he shouted when they made eye contact.


    Her body was still facing the ship, and she turned back to look down at her bound wrists.  It was awkward, but she raised them in the air.  As soon as her hands cleared the top of her head, an arrow zipped just over her scalp, cutting the cord.  Two more shots eliminated false images, leaving only three.


    The enchanted bindings still hung from her wrists, blocking her mana, but she could move her arms again.  She threw off her cloak and reached under her tunic to get her staff.  When it cleared her clothes, the weapon sprang to full length, and she leaped at two of the remaining illusions.  Erak was casting a spell behind her, and as her long weapon passed through one image and thunked solidly into the real Khan, Erak hit his master with a burst Death Save protection.


    Psycho only had one more round before the guards were on top of him and waited with a Death Shot.  When Draya found Yesugen, he adjusted his aim and fired, but the bondmage¡¯s protection beat him there, and she automatically saved against the damage.  Her health dropped by over 150, but she didn¡¯t die.  The archer couldn¡¯t keep firing as six low-level grunts barreled into him, and he had to draw his sword.


    Draya backed up as the Khan screamed in pain at the arrow sticking into her side, but it was only one-third of her health, and Psycho was distracted now.  After ripping the offending shaft out, she pulled two cutlasses from inside her coat, and the swashbuckling rouge prepared for battle.  Draya still couldn¡¯t expend mana, but she could absorb it, and the magical staff charged her with Dragon Strength.  Yesugen¡¯s blades whirled about her, but the young mage was up to the challenge, her weapon spinning about her and deflecting each attack.  Unlike Jace, her parry ability was static, and she would never get a bad role.  Only a result of 18+ from the Khan would result in a hit.  Going the other way, Draya hit the Mongorian woman with half of her attacks, doing about 30 damage with each one.


    Yesugen saw quickly that she was outmatched in the fight.  Even as she landed her first strike, Draya struck back harder, her two-handed weapon capable of doing more damage than the light sabers.  ¡°Erak!¡± she cried again.  ¡°Do something.¡±


    Scripted modules were scaled in difficulty to match the players, but this was an organic encounter in a level ten hostile zone.  It didn¡¯t anticipate having to deal with level 16 characters.  The bondmage was only level 12 and not an offensive weapon.  Most of his spells were defensive to protect his Khan.  Her guards were the ones that were supposed to do damage, and they were currently getting slaughtered by Psycho.  He had a stun spell, but it was memorized for a level 15 character and wouldn¡¯t work on Draya.  She likely would have saved anyway.  He stupidly cast a fire spell instead, which did nothing.


    ¡°Idiot!¡± Yesugen berated him.  ¡°Stupid Celtigion.  Guards!¡±  Only two of her original six still stood against Psycho, but she called now to the ship, and a dozen other men who had been content to watch the fighting, responded to their Khan¡¯s beckoning.


    Draya saw the men cross the ship¡¯s deck and begin to descend the gangway.  She needed to end the fight soon.  After another successful attack, Yesugen¡¯s health dropped below 100, and Erak tried a new tactic.  He had spells to aid the ship on a calm day, and he cast one of them now, aiming the gust of wind at Draya¡¯s back.  She saved against the attack, so she wasn¡¯t launched into the air, but she still stumbled under the blow and dropped to one knee.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The Khan jumped at the advantage, finding her opponent flat-footed and unable to parry for a round.  She did a critical with the first weapon and reached into her swashbuckling bag of tricks to disarm Draya.  Her staff fell out of her hand, hit the wooden pier, and rolled into the waist-deep water.  The second strike was also a critical, and the Mongorian knocked the mage flat on her back.  Yesugen didn¡¯t need to Dodge that round, so she got her third attack bonus from using two weapons and got a double critical against the prone victim, doing 3x damage.


    ¡°Now you see your mistake,¡± the Khan said, relishing this moment.  ¡°You could have sailed home in luxury; now you will be bleeding and wounded, in pain the entire time.¡±  She raised her blades for another series of attacks that would bring Draya down to almost nothing.


    The spell on the bindings expired.


    Fire, as if from a dragon, burst from the hands of the young woman and slammed into the wounded Khan¡¯s chest.  Yesugen flew through the air, out over the water, and was dead before she plunged beneath the surface.  The weight of her clothes and gear dragged her to the bottom, where she settled on the piles of fruit her crew had dumped.


    Draya scrambled to her feet and looked toward the ship¡¯s boarding ramp to see arrows streaking through the air, hitting a man once every two seconds.  They were low-level deckhands, and even though Psycho was using his Rapid Shot ability, he still had enough criticals to elevate the damage to a lethal level.  After the first five men took a single arrow and fell sideways into the water, the rest returned to the ship¡¯s safety.


    Draya had other ideas.


    She could only cast once per round, but she put a massive fireball through each of the three starboard-side port holes on the ship¡¯s lower level.  Even before the third left her hand, flames were burning out of control from the first.  By the time the third one exploded in the small confines of the ship, fire from one of the first two had found the two unsold barrels of oil, and an explosion ripped the ship in two.


    Draya was thrown back by the explosion and landed on the bondmage, just avoiding a watery landing.  She scampered to her feet and spun around to regard the man, hoping that with his master dead, he might regain his autonomy.  ¡°Erak,¡± she said.  ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°No thanks to you,¡± he spat.  ¡°How are we to get home?¡±


    ¡°Home?¡± she asked.  ¡°That ship was your prison.¡±


    ¡°Foolish girl,¡± he said.  ¡°You don¡¯t know what you are talking about.  The Khans are our saviors.  Rescuing us from a life of poverty and squalor.  Our people are better fed and clothed than ever before.¡±


    ¡°Only because if we fail to produce enough food, we are whipped,¡± she argued.  ¡°That isn¡¯t prosperity.  It is slavery.¡±


    ¡°You know nothing,¡± he said and stepped forward to grab her wrist.  ¡°Come with me.  I will find us another ship.¡±


    He was much bigger than she was, but fire flared in her eyes, and her skin was hot to the touch.  ¡°Get your hands off me,¡± she said in a deathly tone.


    ¡°Or what?¡± he mocked, though he backed away.  ¡°You will kill me too?  One of your kinsmen?¡±


    ¡°You are no kin to me,¡± she growled but couldn¡¯t bring herself to cast dragon fire upon him.  It would do far more than dropping him below half his health.  The level 12 mage had fewer than 120 HP.  She wanted to save him, but she knew she had no time.  Already he was looking to the left and right, trying to find another Mongorian ship in port that could take them.  She wouldn¡¯t let him.


    Instead of casting a spell, she reached her hand to the right, out over the water next to the narrow pier.  Her dragon staff leaped out of the ocean and into her hand.  His head spun toward her at the sound of the water.  ¡°What are you-¡±


    She brought her weapon in from the side and cracked it over his head.  Even that simple strike did over 100 damage, and he dropped to the ground in a death spiral.  She stared down at his dying form, wondering what she had done.  Heavy footfalls brought her out of her contemplation, and she looked up to see Jace and Quaron jogging toward her.  Jace made it to the dock and took five running steps onto the pier before stopping on the other side of the motionless bondmage.  His health was down to ten.


    ¡°Do you want me to save him?¡± he asked.


    Draya didn¡¯t answer immediately, letting his HP drop to five and then two.  ¡°Yes,¡± she finally said.  ¡°I think you better.¡±


    Jace hoped the young man wasn¡¯t chaotic, knelt beside him, and funneled enough mana through his ring to heal 25 points.  The spell took, and the man resumed normal breathing.  Jace stood and looked at Draya.  Standing alone on the dock, she looked powerful, gripping her staff with the sea breeze blowing her red hair about and the burning ship in the background.  The dragon was awakening.


    ¡°Was this your plan?¡± she asked.  ¡°Let me get kidnapped and get me angry enough so that I would use my powers against the Mongorians?¡±


    ¡°My plan was to help you remember your past so you could overcome whatever trauma you must have experienced.  And I was going to kill Psycho if he let anything bad happen to you.¡±  Jace glanced over his shoulder at the archer.  The elf smiled at him and then found a shadow to disappear into.  ¡°The rest was up to you.  It looks like you handled it.¡±


    ¡°It was a stupid plan,¡± she said.


    {I agree,} Gracie chimed in.


    ¡°It worked,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You can only mock the plan when it fails.¡±


    Draya screwed her face up in a smirk.  ¡°That¡¯s not a rule.¡±


    Jace took a hard line.  ¡°It is now.  Are you ready to go?¡±


    Draya looked about her, picked up her discarded cloak, and ensured she hadn¡¯t dropped anything else.  After storing the cloak in her inventory and collapsing her staff back onto her belt, she stepped over the unconscious form of the bondmage and followed Jace to the dock and then to land.  Quaron was waiting for them.  ¡°That was quite a show,¡± the dwarf said.  ¡°We saw the fireworks from the restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Others will have seen it too,¡± Jace agreed.  ¡°We need to leave.¡±


    The three turned to go, but Derrin Hortch stood in their way.  ¡°What happened here?¡±  The magistrate was out of breath from having run toward the fire.  He hadn¡¯t wandered far from the docks, expecting trouble, but he hadn¡¯t expected this.


    Jace shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°I arrived a minute before you,¡± he said.


    The trade advisor wasn¡¯t looking at him.  His eyes were focused on Draya.  ¡°Well, miss?  What happened?¡±


    Draya was Pragmatic in alignment, able to lie when necessary, but she decided to give an Honest report to respect her leader¡¯s brilliant plan.  ¡°When we arrived, Madam Khan¡¯s crew was throwing Jace¡¯s compensation into the ocean.  Eventually, she went in after it, and she hasn¡¯t come back up.  I don¡¯t think she is a good swimmer.  Then, the stupid bondmage thought he could cast a fire spell, but he didn¡¯t know what he was doing.  The next thing I know, the ship is on fire, and the barrels of oil exploded.  A bunch of men tried to escape the ship but ended up in the water.  Good thing Jace showed up when he did.  The mage was dying, but he saved him.¡±


    ¡°What about those guards?¡± Derrin asked, pointing to the empty crates were six men lay dead on the ground.


    Draya shrugged.  ¡°I didn¡¯t see that happen.  I was focused on the ship.  My guess is that she pissed off someone very powerful, and they took out on her crew.  Maybe someone new came to town recently with a complicated history and took it out on her.¡±


    Jace stifled a grin as his companion laid it on thick, but his eyes were active as he noticed other curious dockworkers and ship captains begin to congregate in the area.  Jace wanted to leave before another Mongorian made the foolish decision to try and kidnap Draya.  ¡°With Madam Yesugen Khan defaulting on her claim, and since it is void after her death, I reassert that Draeklynn Ember joined my group as a free woman.  I did not steal her, and I see no one else claiming her.¡±


    Derrin never liked the arrangement he was forced into with the Mongorians and nodded.  ¡°Then leave before your claim is challenged, and the law forces me to disagree with you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Jace said.  He grabbed Draya by the arm, which was still warm, and tugged her away from the growing throng.  Jace said goodbye to Quaron, who was laughing at the spectacle, and hurried back up to the main city streets.


    ¡°Did the dwarf give you what you needed?¡± Draya asked after a minute of hasty travel.  She probably should have had her cloak back on, hiding her identity from other greedy Khans, but she didn¡¯t care anymore.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°How about you?  Did you get everything you needed?¡±


    Draya looked back toward the burning ship.  ¡°I don¡¯t know about everything,¡± she said.  ¡°But, yes, I think I am much better now.¡±


    ¡°Just so you know,¡± Jace wanted to clarify.  ¡°You are more valuable than three crates of fruit.  You are more valuable than three ships.  I don¡¯t think an entire fleet would be an adequate payment.¡±


    She laughed.  ¡°An entire fleet?  I like that idea.¡±  She glanced again at the pillar of smoke rising in the air.  ¡°One ship down; 99 more to go.  Promise me you will make them pay the entire price.¡±


    ¡°For what they did to you and your people,¡± Jace said, ¡°it will be an honor.  But right now, I need your help to free some other innocent people.¡±


    Draya nodded.  ¡°I didn¡¯t like the idea of using my powers to hurt others because that¡¯s what my people were forced to do by those . . .¡± she struggled with the word, ¡°Khans.  Those . . . monsters.  At first, I thought that¡¯s what you were.  But you aren¡¯t a monster.¡±


    They were out of town now, and Jace let his illusion drop, so he was an orc.  ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    Draya was startled by the sudden transformation but laughed it off.  ¡°You don¡¯t scare me anymore.  Now, what Psycho did back there.  That was monstrous.¡±


    ¡°I can hear you, Red,¡± a voice came from the shadows beside them.


    Draya laughed.  ¡°No.  The true monsters are the ones you fight.  I will help you as long as I can.¡±


    Jace smiled.  Mission accomplished.  ¡°Good, then let¡¯s get back to the stronghold.  If this is what we experienced on just an information-gathering trip, I can¡¯t imagine the time Gromphy and Esther had.¡±


    Jace hurried to the travel node, and all three of them vanished.

 Chapter 33: Preparations

    Jace paused at the entrance to his stronghold and listened.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°Trying to hear if Esther is throwing another pool party,¡± he said.  She punched him in the arm and walked past him.  Psycho snickered and did the same.  Jace followed and found both of them standing inside the domed hall just passed the entrance.  He wondered why they had stopped but then heard the raised voices from the far room and sighed.  ¡°It¡¯s always something,¡± he muttered, moving quickly across the large entry hall.


    ¡°What did you expect?¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Those two will always be at each other¡¯s throats.¡±


    Once they got close enough to hear what was being shouted, Psycho hesitated, but Jace trudged on.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to sleep with him!  I prefer my men to have a pulse.¡±


    ¡°Aye, I doubteth much sleeping would perchance befall thee, but it didn¡¯t behold like thee hadst much say in the matter.  I¡¯d say that gent was casting the charm this time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, shut up.  I had it all under control.  What would you know about it?  Don¡¯t goblins lay eggs or something?¡±


    Jace walked into the lab, but neither of the verbal combatants noticed him.  Gromphy was at his workbench, putting the final touches on Draya¡¯s new dress, while Esther stood at a distance wearing a formal evening gown Jace had never seen before.


    ¡°Eggs wouldst be better but avoideth not the point.  If I hadst to bet, I¡¯d sayeth thee knew him from before, and thou wert having second thoughts on decisions previously made.  Maybe life wouldst have been better for thee if . . .¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t second guess my decisions.  Jace put me in charge, and if you had used your golem as I asked, I wouldn¡¯t have had to . . .¡±


    ¡°Adam tis¡¯nt to be wasted for such drossy endeavors,¡± the goblin interrupted.


    ¡°Enough!¡± she shouted.  ¡°Just shut up and finish your work.¡±  She stormed out of the lab and saw Jace for the first time.


    ¡°How did . . .¡± he started to ask but didn¡¯t get a chance to finish.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± she said.  ¡°We got what you needed.¡±


    She walked past him and nearly ran over Draya, who was coming in behind Jace.  ¡°Oh,¡± the young girl said.  ¡°I love your dress.  It looks like you got a bit of blood on . . .¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Esther said, stepping past her friend.  ¡°We got you a new one too.  I need a bath.¡±  She skipped past Psycho and raced to her room.


    Jace rolled his eyes and walked up behind the goblin.  ¡°Anything I need to worry about?¡±


    ¡°Mayhaps.  The vixen¡¯s past might cometh back to bite thee.  Not to worry about now.  We secured the evil charm thou didst request.¡±


    Jace nodded.  He barely had time to deal with Draya¡¯s past.  The Celtigion was an escaped slave wanting retribution on her oppressors.  Pretty basic.  Esther¡¯s history was a more complicated drama of a fallen angel turning into a vampire, becoming the realms¡¯ most sought-after high-priced escort, all while learning to be a rogue assassin.  He definitely didn¡¯t have time for that.  ¡°Did you test it out?¡± Jace asked, referring to the dress.  As he said it, he realized how dumb a question it was and stuttered to try and take it back.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Gromphy said, ¡°we didst receive a volunteer.  It seemed to work.  I¡¯m but now fashioning an antidote to the curse, else our dragoness might not ever remove it.¡±


    ¡°A volunteer?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°How did you get the dress off her?¡±


    Gromphy threw Jace a morbid look.  ¡°The dead hath no need for a garment such as this.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said.  ¡°I see.¡±


    Gromphy had made three small vials and then modified the dress so it could store the potions without the wearer having to go into her inventory.  ¡°Methinks tis ready.¡±


    ¡°Draya, come over here and see what our master crafter has made for you,¡± Jace called.


    The young woman remembered the fabulous dress from before and came eagerly.  Jace took the garment from the goblin and handed it across to Draya.  She held it up and whistled.  It looked mostly the same, with a few extra black gemstones sewn into it.  Gromphy and Jace stood before her, and she looked over her shoulder at Psycho standing in the doorway behind.  ¡°Uh, guys, can you . . .¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jace said, and he turned around.  Draya didn¡¯t have the Quick-Change feat Esther had; she would have to take off her current outfit and store it in her inventory to put the dress on.  The fastest the game would allow her to do that was one round.  She didn¡¯t have to take the whole six minutes, but it would take at least six seconds.  The other two males also turned around and waited for her to give the all-clear.


    ¡°Okay, I guess it¡¯s on.¡±


    They turned around, and Jace and Psycho whistled.  ¡°Looks great,¡± the orc said.


    Draya was blushing as her hands tried to cover the deep V and the high slit on her left leg.  She was wearing undergarments, and they showed prominently through the cutouts.  As her mind and mana became accustomed to the magical clothing, her hands fell by her side, and she seemed to ease into the dress more completely.  ¡°Wow,¡± she finally said.  ¡°It is so . . . rich.  And surprisingly comfortable.  How do I make it work?¡±


    ¡°A fire protection spell hath been built into it,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°It shouldst require 250 mana to engage.¡±


    The mage nodded and half closed her eyes.  The rubies glowed as Draya inhaled sharply.  ¡°Oh, my!  It is so . . . warm.  Ah . . . I . . .  I think . . . Oh, it feels really good.¡±  Since the dress was trying to give her damage, Draya was now in combat mode, and the red gems on the dress pulsed every six seconds as her body absorbed 100 fire damage and turned it into mana.  The 250 she spent to charge the dress was refilled after three rounds, and then she had a momentary 100-point overload.  Jace guessed she could learn to spend it like Esther, only it would never get as high as the vampire could.  But 100 was what she needed to keep her dragon abilities going.  With the staff in her hand, she had permanent Dragon Strength, and now she could have permanent Dragon Spirit too.  ¡°Can I turn it off?¡± she asked.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°There art potions in the garment,¡± Gromphy instructed.  ¡°Imbibe one, and ¡®twill remove the curse.¡±


    Draya patted herself down, but there were no unnatural bulges in the slim-fitting gown.  Still, she felt the magical pockets and pulled a small vial from the slit on her right hip.  She hesitated a moment but ultimately trusted the goblin and drained the liquid.


    The dress disappeared.


    ¡°Eeek!¡±  Draya shrieked, dropping the vile and trying to cover herself as she stood before the men in her underwear.  She danced about for a few seconds before racing past Psycho and out of the room.


    The elf and orc stared at the mischievous goblin.  He shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°The dress was cursed.  I hadst to remove it.  ¡®Twas the only way.¡±


    ¡°The only way or the easiest way?¡± the shaman asked.  Gromphy shrugged his shoulders again, and Jace shook his head, deciding not to pursue it.  ¡°What can you tell me about these?¡±  He handed the crafter the rope bonds he had cut off Draya¡¯s wrists during their trip over.  ¡°In our little adventure, a mage enchanted these to block Draya¡¯s mana.  Have you heard of anything like that?¡±


    {I was going to ask about that too,} Gracie said.  {I am unfamiliar with that spell.  What he did was Grapple her mana into a Helpless condition without affecting her body.  I¡¯ve never seen that before.}


    The goblin turned the pieces of rope over in his hand.  ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the hemp hath used to maketh these.  Some type of tropical tree or vine.  But it doth hast the ability to absorb mana in the form of a spell.  I don¡¯t knoweth about blocking an individual¡¯s mana, however.  Yond is a new one for me.¡±


    Jace nodded and let the crafter keep the ropes and store them on his table.  ¡°And the rings I asked you for?¡±


    Gromphy picked up four copper rings from his table and offered them to his leader.


    ¡°I asked you for five,¡± Jace said.  ¡°One for each of us.¡±


    The goblin shook his head.  ¡°I¡¯ll not wear one.  I¡¯ll taketh mine own chances.¡±


    Jace flipped one at Psycho, and the nimble elf caught it easily.  ¡°What does it do?¡± he asked, turning the item over in his hand before putting it on.


    ¡°It is cursed,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Every time you fail a save roll, it will do five electrical damage to you.¡±


    ¡°Why would I ever want to wear this?¡± the archer asked.


    ¡°Esther and I got owned by pathetic players after I left your tower and before you came to rescue us because of a priest hold spell.  Taking damage breaks you free from the spell.  So if it happens again, this counters it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Psycho agreed, seeing the wisdom in it.  ¡°But it does five damage every time you fail a save, no matter what.  And I imagine once you take damage once, you can¡¯t ever remove it unless you drink one of Gromphy¡¯s strip tease potions.¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°It¡¯s only five.¡±  He slid it on his finger.  Psycho put it in his inventory.  Jace kept the other two for the women.  He turned back to the crafter.  ¡°And the handholds?¡±


    ¡°I still needeth thee to cast the spell,¡± Gromphy said, ¡°I don¡¯t have it memorized and couldn¡¯t find a scroll possessing the specific design thee didst want.¡±


    Jace nodded, walked up to the crafting table, and saw two curved brass objects that looked like seashells.  Jace enchanted each one with a summon stone spell he had designed for this purpose, and Gromphy took the items right back and made them permanent.  The goblin tested them by walking over to his smooth cavern wall and placing the shell¡¯s open side against the stone surface.  It only took five mana, and when he pulled it away, there was a 4-inch wide, 3-inch deep bump on the wall.  The goblin tested his weight on it, his slender fingers finding the depression on the top that gave him a secure grip.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to use those to climb the cliff,¡± Psycho said.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, you and the girls will use them to climb the cliff.  I¡¯m going in through the front door.¡±


    ¡°And how tall is this cliff?¡±


    ¡°A little over 700 feet,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Should be no problem for you three.¡±


    Psycho swallowed hard and nodded, questioning, not for the last time, what he had gotten himself into.


    ¡°If there is anything you need,¡± Jace said, ¡°you should get it now.  We will be leaving shortly.  We only have a few minutes until the deadline.¡±


    Psycho nodded and retreated from the lab, understanding when he was being dismissed.  Jace waited for him to leave and then turned back to Gromphy.  ¡°All this is great, but I have one more question.  What can you tell me about your golem?¡±


    As Jace predicted, the goblin was a bit hesitant and looked around again to ensure they were alone.  Gromphy had 340 HP, more than Draya, but the mage had more defensive measures than the goblin and was far more formidable in battle.  Jace knew he could kill Gromphy with one swipe of his sword, and the crafter knew it too.  The golem was his ace in the hole, and the fewer people who knew about it, the safer he was.  The game would force him to tell Jace what it could do, but Gromphy wouldn¡¯t like it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like to useth Adam unless necessary,¡± he started.  ¡°He is very powerful but tis vulnerable to those who knoweth his weakness.¡±


    ¡°I need to know his strengths and weaknesses,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I need to plan our attack effectively, and I can¡¯t do that if I don¡¯t know what I have at my disposal.¡±


    ¡°I am to accompany thee to Stormhold?¡±  The quiver in his voice was unmistakable.  ¡°I am a crafter, not a warrior.  Mine own refuge is within the fortifications, deep in a secret hold, hence from the action.  I am not built for storming the castle walls liketh thee and t¡¯others.¡±


    ¡°And I need to know that,¡± Jace explained, having already understood that much about his new companion.  ¡°I have no intention of putting you on the front line, but Adam is something ¨C someone? ¨C I know nothing about.¡±


    The goblin nodded and was forced to trust his new leader.  ¡°Adam is an adamantium golem.  He hast no level.  I don¡¯t recall crafting him, but I must have at some point, though I knoweth not how.  Mine own arts hast increased since joining thy team, yet his power still seems beyond me.¡±


    Jace understood the confusing backstory of having a module designer gift you things without telling you where they came from.  Jace wondered if he pushed, would Gandhi be forced to invent a history for the goblin too?  One thing at a time.


    Gromphy went on to give him the golem¡¯s basic stats.  He attacked for 100 damage per strike with crushing damage.  He had a static 100 to hit in Melee combat.  Even Jace¡¯s impressive parrying skills would not hinder him.  Adam couldn¡¯t do criticals in attack and was immune to critical effects from other attackers.  He had a Damage Reduction of 50 against slashing and piercing and 25 against blunt and crushing.  He only had the natural AC of ten, but since no one could get criticals against him, an attacker needed to do a lot of natural damage for it to get above the D/R.  He had 500 HP.


    ¡°Sounds pretty invincible to me,¡± Jace said after the lengthy description.  ¡°What about magic?¡±


    Gromphy explained that Adam automatically failed every saving throw as if each spell against him came from a party member, but he had 100 Damage Reduction against fire and acid and was immune to cold.


    Gromphy paused in his explanation.  ¡°Electricity art his bane.  Every two rounds he hath activity, he adds a critical misfortune against electrical damage with nary a limit.  Even if be true the said caster is a level 8 mage; if Adam hath been active for 20 rounds, he shall suffer ten criticals against any electric attack and taketh 5x damage.¡±


    Jace winced.  It was like playing with a lightning rod, slowly building up a static charge while active.  And, of course, if he took that attack, half that damage would jump to the nearest ally, which would almost assuredly be Gromphy.


    ¡°Thou art venturing to Stormhold,¡± the goblin said what Jace was thinking.  ¡°A country filled with lightning storms and shamans who doth wield them.  Mine own ally shall not be able to aid thee.  I shouldst not come.¡±


    Jace wasn¡¯t ready to rule him out yet.  ¡°How long can Adam stay active at a time?¡±


    ¡°Thirty rounds on a full charge,¡± Gromphy replied.  ¡°He naturally regenerates it after 12 hours of inactivity.  I can also chargeth him manually with leftover crafting mana, but only if be true that I am touching him.  He can also restoreth mana with access to a living creature¡¯s mana core.  This usually cometh at which time that he slays a foe, and he can absorb any mana they hath left in their pool.  But there hast been other, unique instances whether to he hast depleted cores in another ways, but tis rare.¡±


    Jace nodded, trying to work out possible scenarios that wouldn¡¯t get his group killed in a massive lighting chain.  ¡°One other thing,¡± Jace asked.  ¡°How does your magical chest work?  What exactly can you fit in there?¡±


    Gromphy sighed and rolled his eyes.  ¡°Am I to possess no secrets then?¡±  Jace shook his head, and the goblin told him everything he could think of, accurately fearing that he would be going on this mission whether he liked it or not.

 Chapter 34: Stormhold鈥檚 Front Door

    Jace finally finished climbing the long, winding mountain pass and looked upon Stormhold.  During his trek, he had only caught glimpses of it through narrow sightlines and just above rocky ledges, but now it stood before him in all its glory.


    They had transported to the region into Stormview, a large, thriving public city a few miles away in the valley below this massive fortress.  The shamans ensured the lighting storms stayed in the mountains, so the citizens of Stormview didn¡¯t suffer from the chaotic weather but got nightly shows of spectacular natural fireworks that put the northern lights to shame.  It was late morning now, but dark clouds hung ominously just over the peaks to the east, hiding the sun.  Jace knew they could envelop the keep within seconds if the defensive measures were activated.


    Jace had brought his entire team with him but had parted ways with Psycho, Esther, and Draya when they reached the city¡¯s edge.  The trail toward the mountain pass and the entrance to Stormhold was well marked.  Stormview had traded with the old mining operation frequently in the past.  The other three had moved through the fields surrounding the town and took a more direct route to the sheer cliffs that rose from the plains.  Jace knew they were probably already initiating their ascent and entry into the fortress as they had a much shorter trip than his winding path.  He hoped everything was going well and that he would be able to see them again.


    Gracie had dropped another bombshell on him while they had been navigating the city that he wasn¡¯t ready for.  When NPCs died in someone else¡¯s stronghold, the game handled it differently than if they died in a module or a city.  In those more common situations, the NPC would wake up in their PC¡¯s home or wherever they had most recently spent the night and established a respawn point.  They would have an hour or two of regeneration sickness that would make them ineffective in battle, and they were prevented from rejoining the module or location where they died, but they would be good as new after a while.


    However, if you entered a place like Stormhold or Jace¡¯s home and an NPC died, it was handled differently.  If the NPC belonged to the owner of the stronghold, they would respawn about an hour after all the combat modes within the fortress had ended.  This prevented them from just cycling back into whatever battle was taking place.  But if the NPC belonged to another PC visiting the stronghold and likely attacking it, the location¡¯s owner could hold that killed NPC ransom.  They couldn¡¯t claim them as their own or regenerate them under their control, but they had the power to keep them dead for as long as they wanted until the attacking PC agreed to a price or surrender terms.  Alternatively, the owner of the stronghold could ¡°Reset¡± the NPC so they returned to their original module with no memories of what happened.  Since the stronghold owner could time this reset, they usually had the upper hand in claiming the NPC as their own by being the first to complete the module required.


    Jace had complained to Gracie that this kind of information would have been helpful before he planned the attack, but she hadn¡¯t been sure how Stormhold was situated.  It could have been considered part of Stormview, and then the owners wouldn¡¯t have a claim on any NPCs that died since a town was too big for that kind of control.  It only applied to isolated castles and fortresses.  Once they arrived on location, Gracie confirmed what type of stronghold it was.


    Jace realized he wouldn¡¯t have made any different decisions with this information, so he continued.  He had told Esther and Draya in the past that if they died, they would wake up in his home, so he did caution them this time to be extra careful.  Due to the unique nature in which he acquired them, if either of his female companions were ever ¡°Reset,¡± he was pretty sure he would never see them again.  He was ready to negotiate for the release of the hostages; he just hoped neither Draya nor Esther would be one of them.


    With the help of the CIA and FBI, Jace had told the kidnappers he was coming to ¡°Discuss terms for the hostage¡¯s release.¡±  At first, the North Koreans had said there would be no negotiations, only payment.  But they changed their tune when they heard it was Jace Thorne visiting them.  So Jace knew that even if he hadn¡¯t tripped several proximity wards along his climb, the residents of Stormhold knew he was coming.


    Jace took a moment to analyze the structure before him.  It was a massive pentagon built on an island plateau with shear drops of at least 500 feet on all sides.  On three of the five walls, the cliff face blended smoothly into the walls, leaving barely a few inches of a ledge.  On the front, where Jace was, a small landing of stone existed to receive visitors crossing the bridge, and to his right, on the eastern side of the keep, a plot of land roughly the size of a football field was covered in long grass and trees.  This allowed the residents to grow food, raise animals, and harvest wood without hauling it all from the city.


    If they needed anything more substantial, Jace saw a wooden platform with a mammoth winch and pully system hanging over the far side of the ravine a hundred feet from the end of the bridge.  Peering down into the gorge before him, he saw a rough trail leading out of the valley and heading toward town.  A wide notch was carved into the far cliff wall, providing a smooth track to raise and lower the elevator.  It looked big enough for several crates or even a small wagon.  Jace imagined it would be quite impossible to transport large boxes of minerals or equipment over the bridge, and the freight elevator was necessary.


    Other than Snowy, Jace was alone and hoped his hosts would let the wolf remain by his side.  He already knew they wouldn¡¯t allow him to carry any magical items and would probably make him discard any mundane weapons as well.  Snowy was a living weapon, but he hoped they would make an exception.  Of course, he first had to convince his familiar to cross the bridge with him.


    Unlike Psycho¡¯s old bridge, this was not a stable arch of stone spanning the distance to the island fortress but a rickety rope bridge with wooden slats.  Amazingly, there were no handrails, and you were expected to balance on the structure solely on Dexterity dice rolls with the prospect of a lightning storm whipping up at any moment.  Jace would have to roll 20¡¯s to cross this bridge, meaning he would have to take his time and Concentrate.  He would never be able to traverse it during combat.  He figured Esther, Psycho, and Snowy could easily sprint across the span.


    Just because the wolf was dexterous enough to make the crossing didn¡¯t mean she wanted to.  It turned out that Snowy was deathly scared of heights, and the jagged rocks 500 feet below them did nothing to alleviate that fear.  ¡°I need your help on this one,¡± Jace said.  He knew from experience that he could borrow some of her incredible coordination when he linked senses with the wolf.  Only one character could cross the bridge at a time, but the game made an exception since Snowy was his familiar.  Most familiars were small creatures like birds or squirrels that players carried on their shoulders or in their inventory.  The fact that Jace¡¯s familiar was larger than most players didn¡¯t penalize him.


    In orc form, Jace had a solid center of gravity, and he slowly stepped onto the bridge and put his faith in the game mechanics to keep him from falling.  As Snowy followed behind him, the shaman kept his eyes across the bridge on the collection of waiting characters.  He saw an elf rogue dressed as a merchant and knew this was Ian, the right-hand man for the owner of this stronghold.  From what he knew, two people ran this operation, but the game demanded only one owner of the stronghold, and that was a dwarf fighter named Brock.  He didn¡¯t know any last names, and they were North Korean, so Brock and Ian weren¡¯t likely close to their real names.


    In addition to the elf, two massive mountain trolls stood ten feet apart on either side of the bridge¡¯s exit.  They each held stone clubs as big as Snowy, and even with all his equipment, Jace wanted nothing to do with the 12-foot monsters.  Behind the trolls, creating a small square in which the elf stood, were two of the storm shamans.  They appeared human, wearing voluminous gray robes and shaved heads with lighting tattoos across their scalps.  Jace lifted his vision and saw two more of the robed figures standing on the top corners of the front wall, 25 feet high, manning their lightning towers and ready to inflict a sudden attack on anything Ian wanted.


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    The elf was only level 13 and would typically be no match for Jace or any of his companions, but with this much firepower at his disposal, he could confidently engage anyone.  Jace remembered that he had taken down four 20+ level characters when he had only been at 10, so he wouldn¡¯t make any assumptions here.


    The bridge was 300 feet long, just out of effective bow range for most players but just inside of lightning range if the shamans were willing to spend half their mana on distance.  Jace noticed numerous scorch marks on the wooden slats he crossed, and he tried not to think about the characters who had unsuccessfully crossed this bridge.


    When he finally stepped on solid ground, he let go of a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he was holding and was almost knocked over as Snowy scampered past him to get off the bridge.  She stopped suddenly as the two trolls snarled at her.  They flanked Jace and herded him straight forward to a 10-foot stone arch covered in silver etchings that constantly shimmered with blue and white sparks.


    ¡°Remove all magical items from your inventory and person,¡± Ian said, standing 20 feet beyond the arch.  ¡°Then step through the portal.  If you forget anything, you will be shocked into a Helpless condition, and my trolls will strip you of everything just to be sure.  I don¡¯t think you want that.¡±


    Jace nodded and had no choice but to roll his eyes into his inventory.  He emerged a few seconds later, holding a large chest.  He set it on the ground and walked confidently under the stone arch with Snowy at his heels.  The lightning didn¡¯t strike.  Jace carried nothing.  Not his healing ring, not the cursed ring, not even his boots of grounding.  He had to appear as an orc because he knew his illusion necklace would set off the alarm too.


    The elf raised his eyebrows, impressed at the easy submission.  Most visitors thought they could smuggle something in with the right spell and were then forced to enter the keep naked after being searched by the not-so-gentle trolls.  Now Jace watched as one of the monsters moved over to the trunk he had left behind and tried to lift it.  He guessed the creature must have close to 25 Strength, but it couldn¡¯t budge the magical box.


    The grunting and groaning of the troll earned the elf¡¯s attention, who then looked back at Jace.  ¡°What trickery have you devised, Jace Thorne?  I had hoped our ¡®negotiations¡¯ could proceed in good faith.  I have watched your encounter with Drescher and will not fall for any of your tricks.¡±


    ¡°No trick,¡± Jace said, holding his hands up in an appeasing gesture.  ¡°No one but a party member of mine can transport that chest, and only with the proper combination can it be opened.¡±


    ¡°And you expect us to be foolish enough to open it and have a devastating spell explode in our faces?  I have told you we will not fall for your tricks.¡±


    ¡°I can get it open,¡± Jace assured them.  He couldn¡¯t open it himself.  The chest was Gromphy¡¯s unique item, and only the goblin could open the box.  But since Gromphy would follow his orders, Jace wasn¡¯t lying.  ¡°And inside are riches you can¡¯t imagine.  More than enough to satisfy your demands for the two Americans you have detained.  As you know, my government refuses to negotiate with . . . entrepreneurs like yourself,¡± Jace said tactfully, ¡°but since you wished to be paid with in-game currency, we might be able to arrive at an alternative solution.¡±


    The elf smiled.  ¡°Then we do not need a meeting.  Open your chest, show me 2 million gold worth of merchandise, and I will have the two Americans brought up here while we wait.¡±


    Jace smiled at the straightforward nature.  ¡°And for the release of the Russian and South Korean?¡±


    ¡°I do not think you are here on behalf of the Russian.  We have not heard from them yet.  I fear the half-orc barbarian might be playing without an operator.  Very foolish.  As for our fourth guest, there is no option to release him.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen inside my chest yet,¡± Jace smiled.  ¡°I think you might change your mind.¡±


    Ian smiled back at him.  ¡°No, I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And is Brock of the same mind?¡±


    The elf frowned.  ¡°I can make decisions for the both of us,¡± he said boldly but then paused as he realized that probably wasn¡¯t true.


    ¡°I would hate for you two to get in a fight because you wouldn¡¯t even listen to my offer,¡± Jace coaxed.


    Brock must have been observing this meeting magically because one of the shamans walked up to the elf from behind and whispered into his ear.  The elf frowned and looked toward Snowy.  ¡°Is everything in your position up for negotiation?¡±


    Jace had no intention of trading Snowy for anyone, but he would at least listen to offers.  ¡°I don¡¯t see why not.¡±


    Reluctantly he nodded his head.  ¡°Very well.  You will carry the chest, and it will always stay out of your inventory.  If either of my trolls sees even the slightest eye twitch from you, they will crush you and your wolf to a pulp.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Understood.¡±  He moved back through the arch and politely asked the troll, who was still trying to lift the chest, to step aside.  The orc was five feet shorter but easily lifted the large box.  He was smart enough not to walk back through the arch holding the magical item and walked around it instead.  Ian gave him a cross look, realizing Jace could have left something on the ground under the box and now could smuggle it passed the arch.  The shaman was actually kicking himself for not thinking of something that clever, but he hadn¡¯t known exactly how this scenario would shake out.


    Flanked by two trolls, Jace was led into the keep¡¯s main entrance, Snowy close at his side.  After a massive entry hall with chandeliers, mirrors, paintings on the wall, and rugs of various colors, they moved into a long series of non-descript hallways.  The ceilings were not tall enough for the trolls to stand upright, and they had to follow hunched over, their massive faces only a foot from Jace on either side.  Besides strange fire-like carvings on the walls, Jace didn¡¯t see anything of interest.


    Eventually, they made it to another large room, where two more trolls stood guard on either side of a doorway closed off with a thick red curtain.  Ian led the way through the portal, pulling the fabric aside with a rope so Jace could navigate the large chest and his massive bulk through the cloth barrier.  He almost dropped the trunk.  This was the treasure room with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and many other gems, along with ingots of gold, silver, and mithril staked high along the walls.  The Balrog in the Basement apparently hadn¡¯t prevented the new owners from a little speculative mining.  It reminded Jace of Gromphy¡¯s lab, smaller but much better stocked.  His host confirmed his assessment.


    ¡°Leave the trunk in here,¡± Ian said.  ¡°This is our crafter¡¯s room.  She is off in Stormview, gathering supplies at the moment.  We won¡¯t be disturbing her.  Plus, this room is warded against offensive spells.  If you have a trick up your sleeve and the level 50 crystal is inside, ready to zap the first person who opens it, it won¡¯t work here.  After we¡¯ve talked with Brock and Lexi and worked out whatever deals you have in mind, we shall return and see what you have to offer.  Our crafter will need to review your items before we finalize anything.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know who Lexi was but didn¡¯t let his lack of knowledge show.  He was fine leaving the box in this room, thinking it was perfect for what he had planned.  He set it down along a bare spot on the perimeter and saw several etchings on the walls that must represent the protection wards Ian had referenced.  He turned back to the elf.  ¡°You have a priest working for you who can do those kinds of spells?  I noticed several fire carvings on the walls we walked through.  They didn¡¯t look like the normal light wards I¡¯m used to.¡±


    Ian nodded.  ¡°We have two priests.  We were attacked by a red dragon right after we moved in.  He killed several of our shamans and did considerable damage before we knocked him out of the sky.  After that, Brock and I weren¡¯t willing to take chances, and we found the best NPC priest money could buy.  We already had one, and now they work together, each with his own specialization.  The entire complex is warded against dragon fire.¡±


    Jace did a double-take.  ¡°How¡¯s that?  You mean if a dragon attacks from the outside, his fire can¡¯t hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Outside, inside, from underneath,¡± Ian smiled at his guest, seeing the distress this news caused him and knowing full well he had a young woman in his group that had cast dragon fire in the Torrintank Keep Module.  ¡°If you are here, you are safe from dragon fire.  And if an attack like that is detected, alarms will go off all over the place, and we will have plenty of time to react.¡±


    Jace adjusted his shocked expression as quickly as possible, trying to hide his concern.  ¡°Good for you.  I¡¯ve done my research, and it sounds like these mountains are filled with dragons.  Expect more attacks.¡±  He gave the room a final look and followed Ian out of the treasure vault.


    After the curtains dropped back to cover the doorway, they required several seconds before they hung still.  When a full minute passed with no motion in the room, the lid of the box eased open half an inch, and two gray, spectacled eyes peered out.  Seeing nothing, Gromphy opened the top a little further and slinked his tiny body out of the chest.


    ¡°If I hadst hath spent one more minute confined that wretched contraption, I bethink I wouldst has¡¯t died,¡± he whispered.


    As he looked around the room at the riches surrounding him, he blinked several times and patted his body down to ensure it wasn¡¯t ethereal.  ¡°Has¡¯t I died?  This appears liketh unto heaven.¡±

 Chapter 35: Stormhold鈥檚 Back Door

    Psycho led Esther and Draya through the farms and woodland homesteads toward the massive cliff face that rose east of Stormview.  They found its shadow several hundred feet from the base as the sun was still climbing in the eastern sky.  Not only did the stone block the sun, but a growing storm hanging over the mountains made it difficult for the light to find them.


    The elf stopped just inside the treeline, 100 feet from the wall.  Anything closer than that wouldn¡¯t get enough sun during the day to survive.  It wasn¡¯t dense foliage, but the scattered pines offered enough cover that the ranger knew no one in the fortress above would be able to see them.  Esther and Psycho naturally blended into the shadows, but Draya didn¡¯t.


    They didn¡¯t speak as they prepared their tools for the climb.  Esther would go first, and Psycho tied a strong cord around her waist.  She wore her armor and skirt.  She had worn her cloak for the walk through town and then through the outskirts, but she removed it now, needing complete freedom for her arms and legs.


    Draya wore her new mage dress.  As daring as the slit up the side was, climbing the cliff before them would be impossible without it.  And Esther had helped her out by designing the rest of her wardrobe to give her the modesty her temperament required.  She wore half-length black leggings and a tight-fitting blue shirt under the dress.  Both items complimented the colors of the magical gown and looked like they belonged.  Plus, if she ever had to remove the curse by removing the dress, she might be left in tight-fitting clothes, but they wouldn¡¯t be her underwear.


    Psycho tied the other end of the cord to Draya¡¯s waist, leaving a length of 20 feet between them.  To an outsider, it might look like the safety line was to prevent the mage from falling, but in reality, once Draya enacted her Dragon Strength, she had a much better climbing ability than Esther.  And since the rogue was casting the handholds and testing each one first, she was more likely to mess up and fall.  Draya would see that and have a chance to brace herself and resist the pull of the descending woman.  If Draya slipped and fell, Esther would be caught off-guard and might only be holding on with one hand.


    There were two inherent problems with this climb.  The first was the length of it.  They needed to ascend 750 feet.  Placing a handhold every 18 inches meant 500 of them.  Each one took five mana to cast.  That was 2,500 mana.  Esther and Draya didn¡¯t have that much combined between them.  However, Esther did have a Mana Generation skill of 21, so every round, she could replenish enough mana to cast the spell four times.  Since the game only allowed you to cast up to three burst spells a round, Esther would be able to create a handhold at least once every two seconds and never run out of mana.  They doubted she could keep up that pace, but however fast she went, she could generate enough mana to compensate.


    Accelerating the rounds like that posed the second problem for Draya.  Outside of combat, her Dragon Strength would last an hour.  But with Esther accelerating the rounds to about ten seconds each, her spell would only last 100 seconds.  To extend it, she would need to spend 100 mana per round, which was only possible if she used her dress.  Draya activated the curse and appreciated the warmth on this chilly morning.  Now she was permanently in combat mode, and it didn¡¯t matter how fast Esther went.  She would need to spend 700 mana every seven rounds to keep her Dragon Strength going.


    While the women prepped themselves, Psycho had his eyes on the two keep towers almost 800 feet above them, trying to memorize the shamans¡¯ routine.  In order to see them fully, the elf had to back up into the trees more and get the proper angle.  The guards spent most of their time standing still against the rearmost of the five stone pillars that supported the roof of their lookout stations.  Once every five minutes, they walked around, looking down the cliff to their left and right before returning to their stationary positions.


    The archer needed to number the five shamans in his head to keep them straight.  The two flanking the fortress entrance were numbers One and Two.  The two that straddled the women¡¯s climbing position were Three and Four.  Number Five was out of sight to the elf and overlooked the ample space of trees and open grassland next to the keep.


    Shamans Three and Four were not synched in their guard rhythms, and after Four took his circuit around his station, Psycho had to wait a full minute before Three did the same and stood back at attention.  The archer rushed back to the women¡¯s location and hurried them in a sprint across the field.  Esther made it to the stone wall first and didn¡¯t waste time.  She bent down to put two nubs lower, one at knee level and one at hip height.  Then she placed a third at her left shoulder and finally reached up with her right to place the fourth.  She stepped on the lower holds before reaching up with her left and adding one even higher.  Within a few seconds, she had her rhythm and was climbing steadily, her elbows and knees seemingly connected as her right arm and leg lifted together, and then a few seconds later, her left side did the same thing.


    Draya was forced to mimic the climb or be dragged up behind her friend.  Psycho gave the shorter woman a boost to get started.  Since she needed to pause every seven rounds to refresh her Dragon Strength, she had to out-pace Esther during the other six to build slack in the rope, allowing her to stop.  It was a tricky rhythm to find at first, and Draya needed to look up at the rogue constantly to gauge her speed.


    ¡°I hate to sound like Gromphy,¡± the mage said.  ¡°But couldn¡¯t you have worn pants?¡±


    ¡°And miss a chance to make Psycho blush,¡± Esther quipped.


    ¡°Looking good, Legs,¡± the elf called in a harsh whisper, giving the rogue the attention she wanted.  ¡°Great form.¡±


    Draya needed to release a hand from her climb to suppress a laugh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look so bad yourself, Red.  Now keep quiet and get moving.¡±  Psycho raced back to the tree line, his internal clock telling him the guards would be on the move again soon.


    Esther regained her focus and concentrated on the spells she was casting.  It took a second or two for the stone grips to form inside the shells fully, and if she put her weight on them too soon, they would fall away.  They were in a hurry, but she could only push the spell so fast.  She felt she had finally found a decent rhythm when she heard Psycho issue a birdcall.  This signal let them know when the guards started their rounds again.  They didn¡¯t know how good the shamans¡¯ eyesight was, and since Esther was clad in black with a black hat, she was pretty sure she couldn¡¯t be seen, but Draya had a colorful dress that pulsed faintly every six seconds.  They probably couldn¡¯t be seen now, over 500 feet away, but they planned to get much closer.


    Esther could easily hide in the shadows, but Draya didn¡¯t have that skill.  She could cast invisibility, but that would drain her mana, and the ¡°damage¡± the dress gave her every round would yank her back out of the shadows anyway.  Instead, Esther tugged on her hat.  The unique item created a pillar of darkness for the character directly under it.  With Esther almost 100 feet in the air, the column stretched all the way to the ground, enveloping Draya in the process.  It was a burst spell, meaning it only lasted one round, but now that Esther was resting and not casting, it would last for six minutes.  Draya was in constant combat mode, but because her pulsing magic was all internal, it didn¡¯t affect Esther or the hat.


    They waited for a little over a minute until Psycho whistled again, letting them know that both guards had checked their cliff wall, and they could continue.  Psycho couldn¡¯t see them inside the hat¡¯s darkness, but once they started moving again, they were like tiny dark spiders climbing the cliff before him.  During this interval, they made much better progress, falling into an efficient rhythm, and Psycho knew they would reach the top soon.  The two shamans needed to be dead before that.


    However, Psycho discovered a problem with their plan that neither he nor Jace had anticipated.  After a shaman had walked along the perimeter of his five-sided tower, checking the cliff walls below him, he gave one final look to his left and right to check on the other two guards beside him.  Each tower was over 300 feet apart, and since the guards weren¡¯t synched together, they never looked each other in the eyes, but it was enough to ensure everyone was still at their post.  This meant that if Psycho killed Three and Four, when Two and Five turned to check on the shaman beside them, the dead guards would be discovered, and an alarm would go off.


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    Psycho had to alert the women to stop once more before he came up with a solution.  He had been hoping he could use regular arrows for these kill shots as the bow did most of the work, and he coveted the dragon-killing projectiles Jace had given him, but now he realized he needed the Heavy traits of the level 15 arrows for maximum penetration.  If he hit a shaman through the head or neck while standing at attention against the rear pillar, the heavily enchanted arrows should be strong enough to sink into the stone and nail the human in place.  Any glance from the shaman on his right or left would show the guard still standing at attention, and hopefully, the distance was too far to see the shaft sticking out of his face.


    The archer focused on Three, as he had most recently become stationary.  The angle had to be perfect.  When it struck the shaman''s head, the arrow needed to be traveling almost perfectly horizontally.  Psycho had to back up another few dozen feet and then move significantly to his right to ensure he had a straight-on shot.  He fell into the shadows and aimed.


    As he zeroed in on the head of the guard, he tried to justify what he was about to do.  This was an NPC in service of PCs responsible for kidnapping and torturing players.  They deserved what they got.  Of course, Psycho had been working under Dresher for a while, and the arms dealer was guilty of things just as bad.  Psycho had been tricked and was a slave to his script.  But were these shamans any different?  Of course, they weren¡¯t independent NPCs like Esther, Draya, and himself.  They were spawned clones like Drescher¡¯s half-orc guards had been.  They had no family and no backstory.  Once he killed them, the game would generate new ones in the mountains.


    In the end, Psycho decided it was all relative.  If someone had killed him while he had been supporting one of Drescher¡¯s evil plans, he wouldn¡¯t have blamed them.  Psycho took the shot.  As the shaft left his bow, the result was predetermined.  Since he wasn¡¯t in combat mode until the arrow damaged its target, he could Concentrate and take a 20.  All the other numbers in play were constants, and the shot had no choice but to fly through the air in the blink of an eye and skewer the distant human through the forehead.  His body jerked on impact, and Psycho¡¯s vision flashed red, but the shaman didn¡¯t fall.  His body hung limply from the shaft through his skull.


    The elf breathed a sigh of relief and turned his vision to Four.  He couldn¡¯t see Two but figured Jace was probably standing by the bridge about now, and shamans One and Two would stay focused on him for the next few minutes.  Shaman Four started his patrol, and Psycho let out a birdcall.  The women were over halfway up the cliff by now, and they stopped and disappeared into shadow.


    Four checked all the angles for any irregularities and returned to his post.  He looked right first, spotting Five outside of Psycho¡¯s vision, then turned to look at Three.  The active shaman didn¡¯t even flinch at the sight of his companion standing stock still against the distant pillar.  Soon he was standing motionless as well.


    Psycho ran to his left now to get a better angle on his second target, and after three more minutes, Four would never move again.


    <hr>


    Esther heard the double bird call informing them that the guards were dead.  They wouldn¡¯t have to stop anymore.  Esther had no problem killing the guards, but Draya gave off a bit of a whimper when she realized what had happened.  She was willing to use her powers against evil characters enslaving and torturing others but killing the guards just doing their jobs didn¡¯t seem right.  Esther had told her not to worry about it, so she tried.


    Now they could move quicker and didn¡¯t have to worry about pausing every four minutes.  They raced up the last third, and Esther pulled up short just outside the lighted area.  Guards or no guards, if they moved through the last fifty feet, the motion wards would see them, and alarms would go off.


    Esther stowed one of the shells in her inventory and reached up to her hat again, but instead of tugging on the brim, she removed it and flipped it over on her raised knee.  It wasn¡¯t easy to do with only one hand, but she had a firm grip with her other one, and her advanced Athletic skill helped.  She removed a black cloth disc with an enchanted wire encircling the perimeter to maintain its shape.  She held the object in her teeth while replacing her hat.  Then she removed the disc with her free hand and shook it in a specific pattern.  The thin material expanded to a dark circle four feet across.  Esther pressed the flexible object against the wall before her, angling it up as much as possible.  In addition to being illuminated, the last 50 feet of the climb angled toward them, meaning not only would they have to defy gravity to climb it, but the keep¡¯s walls were now almost directly above them.


    When Esther felt the disc was positioned correctly, she tested it with her mana.  Jace had told her it would create a tunnel through the stone, but if it didn¡¯t end in open air, the spell wouldn¡¯t work.  Esther was trying to angle it so it would drill into the rock above them, pass through the keep floor, and into a perimeter hallway.  The effect didn¡¯t take at first, and she needed to adjust it a few more times, but the magical object finally accepted her mana, and she could release the spell.


    Jace had enchanted the object with a level 16 Stone Tunnel spell, so with a two-foot radius, the tunnel could be 70 feet long.  Esther only needed 60 feet to penetrate the floor of the fortress.  The spell wouldn¡¯t work if the stone had any finished metals in it, and the keep walls were undoubtedly reinforced with steel, but who thought to do the same to the floor?


    The tunnel ascended at a sharp angle, but Esther still had the seashells, and after retrieving one from her inventory, she climbed up into the tunnel, and Draya followed.


    <hr>


    After the second kill shot, Psycho stored Dragonwing in his trench coat and raced across the open field to the stone ladder the women had left behind.  He didn¡¯t have Dragon Strength or Esther¡¯s supernatural Athletic ability, and he weighed as much as the two women combined, but he also didn¡¯t have to stop or cast spells constantly.  His pace up the side of the cliff was faster than the women ahead of him.  He did hide in the shadows just to be safe, and since he wasn¡¯t taking damage or casting spells, nothing brought him out of it.


    After fifteen minutes of strenuous climbing, he found the tunnel the girls had left open for him.  He used the handholds to climb through quickly and soon found himself in a dimly lit corridor.  The women weren¡¯t there but weren¡¯t instructed to wait for him.  They needed to get to the prisoner¡¯s cell, kill them, and return here.  He was supposed to make sure the exit was safe.  After waiting a minute, an idea struck him, and he changed the plan.  He memorized the position and angle of the hole, then reached against the rim of the opening and snagged the magical object as Gromphy had shown him right before they had left Jace¡¯s home.


    The tunnel disappeared, and he was holding a floppy black circle.  A quick shake reduced it in size to fit inside Esther¡¯s hat again, but he stored it in one of his cloak¡¯s numerous pockets instead.  Psycho drew his elemental long bow and ensured mundane arrows were available in his magical quiver.  Then he set out at a quick pace down the hallway.  After 150 feet, he found a sizeable pentagonal section of the wall jutting out and stairs leading up.  He was directly below Three¡¯s position.  A three-way intersection sat at this junction, with the extra hallway moving into the center of the fortress.  Psycho listened intently for a few seconds but didn¡¯t hear anything and ascended the stairs.


    A few moments later, he felt the cool morning air on his face, and his head cleared the floor level of the observation area.  He slowed and turned to look toward where he knew Shaman Two would be.  As his vision cleared the crenulated rim, he saw the shaman standing at attention with his back to a pillar.  He didn¡¯t know how long he had been standing there or when he would start his regular round.  Jace was apparently no longer at the entrance to distract him.  The elf would just have to be fast.


    Psycho stayed low and crept to the dead shaman at the back of the lookout station. He shuddered as he saw the blood running down the man¡¯s face.  The attentive look in his eyes showed he had been caught by surprise when the arrow had speared his forehead.


    Psycho just couldn¡¯t bring himself to waste one of these fantastic arrows.  He stopped before the dead man, glanced at Two to ensure he was still occupied, and stood up.  The elf supported the shorter human around the neck with his left hand and pulled the arrow free with his right.  Or, at least, he tried.  It was buried deep in the stone pillar.  He had to push hard with his left, strangling the already dead guard as he pulled with all his strength with his right.  The shaft came free suddenly and sprayed him with gore.  Psycho stored it in his inventory and replaced it with a mundane arrow, threading the hole in the man¡¯s head and pressing it into the pillar.


    When he released the man, he stayed upright, but barely.  The replacement arrow wasn¡¯t buried tightly in the stone the way the level 15 shaft had been, but Psycho had managed to force its head into the triangle-shaped undercut in the pillar the first arrow had made, and it held for now.  The shaman wasn¡¯t standing at the same rigid attention anymore but was still upright.  Psycho¡¯s eyes went to his right to see Two start his round.  Sunlight streamed through a crack in the clouds into the open-air tower, so the elf couldn¡¯t hide in the shadows and dropped back down the stairwell, keeping his head just high enough to see between two crenulations.  The distant guard did his routine check on Three and didn¡¯t react negatively.  Psycho breathed out a sigh of relief and hurried down the stairs.  When he returned to their potential exit site, he saw that Draya and Esther weren¡¯t back yet.  He thought he had time to get the second arrow and ran off in that direction.

 Chapter 36: Failed Negotiations

    Jace¡¯s mind raced as Ian led him through the inner halls of the massive fortress.  Protection against dragon fire.  That meant Draya couldn¡¯t kill the prisoners as they had planned.  Esther might be able to do it with acid, but they wouldn¡¯t know to try that before setting off the alarms.  Would the alert be silent, only notifying the owners of the stronghold?  Would their retreat route be open?  Did the fortress spawn extra guards when under attack?


    He didn¡¯t have answers to these questions, and unlike in the spy movies, he didn¡¯t have fancy earpieces to communicate with the rest of his team.  He had to rely on them to improvise when things went south.  After all, he was only the distraction.


    As Ian led them deeper into the keep, the halls became less decorated and looked more like mining tunnels.  This gave the two trolls additional room to stand erect, and they spaced a little further from Jace and Snowy.  The two shamans from outside were also trailing them, and Jace knew any wrong move he made would result in a lightning attack.  With his resistance, he doubted it would kill or knock him unconscious, but it would soften him up enough for the two level-14 trolls to finish the job.


    As the tunnel grew bigger and bigger, Jace saw a vast opening ahead, brightly lit as if a window was letting in sunlight.  They were too far underground for that, and Jace soon realized the reason for the glow.


    Ian stopped short as the tunnel led to an expansive room deep in the stone.  They stood at the top as if looking into a huge quarry.  The walls were smooth and straight and glistening with so much silver that Jace thought a Christmas tree must have exploded, and tons of tinsel had been plastered onto the walls.


    ¡°Welcome to the Mithril Palace,¡± Ian said.  He led Jace and Snowy onto a wooden deck suspended above the floor far below.  Only the two human shamans followed them on, as the elevator wouldn¡¯t be able to support the weight of the whole group if it included the two trolls.  Jace didn¡¯t think about taking advantage of the momentary reduction in firepower.  His only spell was lightning, which would obviously be ineffective against the shamans.  He had already proven how inept he was at hand-to-hand combat, and, standing on a wooden platform, he wouldn¡¯t be able to access any of his totems.


    Ian operated a magical switch, and they slowly descended toward the floor of the massive room over 50 feet below.  It was rectangular, 200 feet long, and about 100 wide.  Tables, chairs, and couches were gathered in the room¡¯s corners.  Raised platforms held walled-off sections that were probably bedrooms or private meeting chambers.  A 50-foot-long pool dominated the middle of one side, and Jace saw several men and women of different races going for a morning swim with others in lounge chairs just relaxing.  Servants wearing simple tunics walked about serving drinks and food.  At the far end, a raised platform held the largest of all the tables within a formal seating area.  Just off to its right was a dining room with several characters eating a late breakfast.  Jace thought he saw a dwarf among them and was willing to bet it was Brock.


    Potted plants, accordion-style dividers, or decorative stone walls partitioned each section.  The light source for the massive room was magical, and Jace couldn¡¯t see any individual wards, but it looked like the streaks of mithril in the walls produced their own light, bathing everything in a soft, silver glow.  It was an enchanting sight.


    After the short descent, the elevator reached the ground floor, and Ian led Jace and Snowy through the center of the room, away from the activity along the edges.  It wasn¡¯t as decedent as Drescher¡¯s Lion¡¯s Den had been, and it wasn¡¯t nearly as busy.  As far as Jace could tell, most of the unique characters were NPCs, and there were fewer than a dozen.  Gracie had told him each PC could have up to five unique NPC companions and one familiar.  Of course, you could have as many non-unique NPC employees as you wanted, and the trolls and shamans didn¡¯t count against the total.  But those types of characters rarely indulged in pleasures and were more scripted in their behavior.  Assuming Ian and Brock had maxed themselves out, there could be ten NPC companions here.  But Ian had mentioned someone named Lexi, and Jace saw two or three candidates that acted like PCs as they watched the guests with exquisite interest.


    One woman particularly caught his eye as she looked out at Jace from the pool, her head just above the water.  She had large cat-like eyes that followed him and Snowy, and Jace quickly realized she had cat-like ears and whiskers too.  Snowy saw her and growled at the natural enemy.  She rose further out of the water to smile at them, and the orc saw she had leopard spots down her sides with light fur on her relatively flat chest.  A long, spotted tail pushed up out of the waist-deep water to wave at them.


    ¡°Easy, girl,¡± Jace whispered to his wolf.  ¡°Stay by my side.  If you attack, half a dozen people will respond, and I won¡¯t be able to protect you.¡±  They passed the pool, and Jace tried to focus on the other people present.  Humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and a few more exotic creatures lounged about, studied scrolls, or ate food.  Jace saw few weapons, but half a dozen trolls were stationed around the room, and every area they passed through could be attacked by at least two of them at a moment¡¯s notice.  Jace also saw several mages sitting on elevated platforms around the room.  And while it looked like they were studying and talking, he imagined they could respond immediately with attack spells if needed.


    Their trip through the room ended in the far corner at the dining table.  Sure enough, the head spot was taken by a tall dwarf.  He had a close-cut beard and none of the exaggerated features standard among the often-comical race.  Thinking of the live-action Tolkien movies, he presented himself more like Thorin than Gimli.  When he stood to greet his guests, Jace saw he was well over five feet tall.


    ¡°The legendary Jace Thorne,¡± Brock said as he dismissed several of the NPCs at the table.  Only a human priest stayed.  Ian moved beside his cohort and took a seat, immediately reaching for pastries and fruit in the center of the table.  ¡°I didn¡¯t expect they¡¯d send you,¡± the dwarf continued.  ¡°Are you a sword for hire now, or do you work for the FBI permanently.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t respond, and Brock didn¡¯t really care either way.  ¡°Did you bring my money?¡±


    Jace guessed that Brock had a magical way of observing the front of his stronghold and had already eavesdropped on the conversation with Ian.  He didn¡¯t want to rehash the whole thing.  ¡°As you know,¡± Jace said, ¡°my government doesn¡¯t negotiate with . . . kidnappers.¡±


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Just say it,¡± the dwarf laughed.  ¡°Terrorists.  You think I¡¯m a terrorist.  I have caught a criminal financing a human trafficking operation within my country.  I have detained him along with three international accomplices.  Now I am offering a peaceful way to release them, and that makes me a terrorist.  From what I can tell, you kill people over loot and are labeled a hero.  What kind of world do we live in?¡±


    Before he could answer, Jace stiffened as motion to his right caught his attention.  The cat woman sauntered up to the table.  Snowy growled but stayed close to her master.  The PC cast the wolf a playful glance and did a full-body wriggle that threw water at the two guests.  She had morphed just enough into a human that her womanly curves and facial features dominated her appearance but kept enough feline so that a light coating of fur covered her body and didn¡¯t trigger Jace¡¯s nudity sensors.


    ¡°What kind of world, indeed?¡± Jace commented.


    Brock frowned at the new member at the meeting.  ¡°Lexi, put some clothes on.¡±


    The woman offered her leader a feral snarl, but a moment later, fur covered her more thoroughly, and her chest flattened to that of a leopard.  Her feet transitioned into paws, but her hands maintained their five-fingered dexterity.  She sat at the table and reached for a piece of fruit, her spotted tail in constant motion behind her.


    {A druid, most likely,} Gracie advised.  {By level 10, a druid can shape-shift into their chosen animal several times a day.  By fifteen, the transformation is more customizable.  She is level 18 and can move freely between her human and animal forms, taking the advantages of either, but only for a certain amount of time per day.  At Level 20, it can be permanent, and she can start to increase her animal abilities.}


    The dwarf sighed at his companion¡¯s naturalistic approach and turned to Jace, who was multitasking.  He listened to Gracie¡¯s information, tried to determine Lexi¡¯s motivation, was still thinking of a way to alter his plan, and needed to start negotiating with Brock.


    ¡°So, if you don¡¯t have the gold I requested, what do you have to offer?  The level 50 Crystal?¡±


    ¡°That item is priceless,¡± Jace argued.  ¡°Would it be enough for the release of all four?¡±


    The dwarf laughed.  ¡°You still think we are negotiating for all four?  Hyun-Woo isn¡¯t going anywhere,¡± he named the South Korean.  ¡°As for the others, I might consider trading the crystal for one of the Americans.  The dwarf, perhaps.¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°You know the crystal is more valuable than that.  Besides, I have other items that would probably interest you more?¡±


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Brock asked, knowing full well that Jace¡¯s inventory was empty.


    ¡°Your associate didn¡¯t trust me with them, and they were left upstairs,¡± Jace offered.


    Ian turned to his partner with a mouthful of food and shook his head.


    ¡°The treasure room?¡± Brock asked.


    Ian nodded and swallowed.  ¡°I¡¯ll not be killed by one of his clever traps.  We aren¡¯t as stupid as Drescher was.¡±


    Brock considered this and nodded.  ¡°Very well.  We shall return upstairs after I have finished eating.  Please, have a seat.  Enjoy the food.  I can get something for your wolf as well.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t hungry,¡± Jace replied.  Snowy looked up at him and managed to put a contradictory look into her eyes.  The wolf was always hungry.


    ¡°What about your companions?¡± a voice purred at him.


    Jace turned to Lexi, who decided to join the negotiation.  Her voice was deep and rich, reverberating through him.  He was sure it was laced with mana and prepared himself to fight against a Charm spell.


    ¡°Would you consider trading any of them for our guests?¡± she continued.


    Jace didn¡¯t know how to reply at first and was too mesmerized by the exotic nature of this woman.  Her face was primarily human, but her nose was the wrong shape, splitting her upper lip into a constant snarl.  Her teeth were too sharp behind her thin lips, and when she talked, it looked like the careful enunciation of an animal from the live-action Lion King.  Besides her appearance, Jace wondered about her motivation in this exchange.  She was much higher in level than the other two men and appeared to be all play and no business.  Though, by the nature of her question, he guessed she played this game for the experiences, and many of the unique NPCs lounging around this Mithril Palace were likely hers.


    ¡°My companions are worth more than the one million gold you are asking for,¡± Jace finally replied.


    ¡°So, you value them more than actual humans?¡± she had finished eating an apple, but instead of dropping the core on the table, she tossed it into her mouth and chewed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Jace argued, but he could see where this was going.


    She stood and sauntered over to him.  The awkward shape of her primarily animal legs gave her mostly human hips a tantalizing sway as her tail swished about.  ¡°So, you will trade one of them straight up for a prisoner?  The honorable Jace Thorne could do nothing else, could he?  It would be horrible to tell those tortured souls in our dungeon that they couldn¡¯t go free because someone valued their virtual girlfriends over them.¡±


    Jace was momentarily speechless and was saved by a sudden reaction from the priest at the table.  ¡°Dragon fire!¡± he said, standing from his seat.  Jace had been waiting for the alarm to go off, and as a shaman attuned to the magic in the stone all around him, he felt the pulsing spell through his body like the beat of a bass drum.


    Brock and Ian exchanged concerned looks before turning toward the priest.  ¡°Noyamon, an attack now?¡± Brock asked.  ¡°Why weren¡¯t we warned earlier?  Didn¡¯t the shamans see it coming?¡±


    Lexi heard the commotion but didn¡¯t take her eyes off Jace.  ¡°So, you did bring your companions to trade,¡± she said softly, showing more insight than the other men.  ¡°How thoughtful.¡±


    ¡°Only one?¡± Ian asked.  ¡°From which direction?¡±


    Noyamon, the priest, shook his head, and his eyes rolled into his settings as he talked.  ¡°No direction.  The attack came from inside.¡±


    ¡°It has already broken through our defenses?¡± Ian cried.  ¡°Impossible.¡±  He stood from the table and looked at the shamans that had followed him from upstairs.  ¡°Give me a status report!  What do the guards say?¡±


    Jace turned to see one of the shamans roll his eyes into his head and then report back a moment later.  ¡°Two are unresponsive.  They cover positions three and four.  The others are reporting no dragon activity.  Nothing in the skies.  Position five did see . . . something but wasn¡¯t sure.  Perhaps an intruder entering at position four.¡±


    ¡°That faces the city,¡± Brock said.  ¡°A dragon would attack from the mountains.¡±


    Lexi sighed.  ¡°And a guard would be sure if he saw a dragon creeping about position four, you fools!¡± She turned to regard them.  ¡°You two are so concerned about Jace tricking you that you were blind to the fact that he already did.  He has a girl who can throw dragon fire.  And I doubt she is alone.¡±


    Brock turned to Ian, but the elf raised his hands in defense.  ¡°It was just him and the wolf, I swear.  He brought no one else in.  Unless they climbed the cliff or flew in, but that isn¡¯t possible without us detecting them.¡±


    ¡°We are talking about Jace Thorne,¡± Lexi said in an even purr.  ¡°He specializes in the impossible.¡±


    Brock was finally on board.  ¡°Incapacitate them,¡± he said to the priest.  Noyamon turned to Jace and Snowy and held them fast with a Hold spell.  Both characters failed the save and stood still.


    Lexi crouched down and got eye-to-eye with Snowy.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, puppy,¡± she said as Brock and Ian organized a retaliation effort to track down the intruders.  ¡°You are going to like it here.  I promise.¡±


    Despite the spell, Snowy growled at the cat woman.  Lexi only laughed, a sound that came out as half-purr, half-snarl.  As NPCs ran toward the elevator to the upper levels of the fortress and mages began casting protection spells and transporting others out of the room, Lexi retreated to the table and sat back in a chair to watch the chaos unfold around them.

 Chapter 37: First Rescue Attempt

    Esther led Draya through the halls, hiding in the shadows and sneaking around every corner of the vast fortress.  It had been several minutes since they had exited the tunnel into the outer perimeter of Stormhold, following precise directions Jace had given them.  The rogue had seen a few people from a distance when they had come to intersections, but no one moved toward them, and they took a direct route to the prisoner¡¯s pit.  Their destination was a large, unfinished room with a gaping hole in the center.


    ¡°How are we going to get down there?¡± Draya whispered as she moved beside Esther, who was still hiding in the shadows.  They both gazed down the 200-foot-deep hole at the setup below.  They couldn¡¯t see the players since their cages had solid stone tops, but two big cats loitered about, constantly snarling at the contents of the cells.  The women watched long enough to see a totem zap four lightning bolts through the metal bars.  The PCs were so fatigued that they barely responded.  Another totem glowed a bright blue, casting a healing spell to undo the damage.


    ¡°How awful,¡± Draya said.  ¡°This is even crueler than what my people are subjected to.¡±


    ¡°Your people?¡± Esther asked, pulling herself from the shadows.


    Draya looked at her and shook her head.  She had kept her past hidden from her new friend, not wanting to burden her, but Jace had dragged it back to the surface, so it was fresh on her mind.  ¡°Another time,¡± she promised.  ¡°For now, how will we get them out of there?  Do we need to use that?¡±  She motioned to a suspended wooden platform over the middle of the 50-foot-wide hole.  It was secured tight against the room¡¯s low ceiling and out of reach of the women, though Esther was probably athletic enough to jump out and grab it.  Further inspection revealed a rope tethering it to the far side of the opening, where a crank in the wall would lower it enough that one could pull it toward the edge and get on the elevator.


    ¡°No,¡± Esther said, not paying attention to the pully system.  ¡°We are going to free them from captivity, but we aren¡¯t going to get them out of here.  You are going to cast a fireball down at them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to what?! ¡± she cried.


    Esther rolled her eyes.  ¡°You mean Jace didn¡¯t tell you?  He left me to do it?¡±


    ¡°I promised I would use my abilities to help him rescue the kidnapped victims,¡± she said.  ¡°He didn¡¯t say I would be killing them.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t really kill them,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°They are like Jace.  Their real identities exist in another dimension.  They only appear like us in ours, but they don¡¯t belong here.  Right now, the owners of this stronghold are keeping them alive against their will.  Trust me.  They want to die so they can wake up in their own world.  You saw the totem heal them, right?  The kidnappers don¡¯t want them to die.¡±


    Draya understood all of that but still wasn¡¯t sure.  ¡°Has anyone asked them that?  Once I cast the fireball, I won¡¯t be able to take it back.¡±


    Esther shrugged and got down on her knees and then stomach so she could shout down into the pit without her voice echoing through the fortress halls.  ¡°Hello, down there!¡± she cried.  She only saw the cats react and look back up at her with snarls.  ¡°We are here to save you.  We will cast a fireball and take you out of your misery.  It will all be over soon, okay?¡±


    She waited and only heard a haunting chorus of moans and pleas come back.  ¡°See,¡± Esther said, getting up from the floor in response to the indecipherable sounds.  ¡°They¡¯re fine with it.  Hurry up so we can get out of here.¡±


    Draya shrugged her shoulders and pulled out her staff.  She had stopped using her Dragon Sustaining feat, so her Dragon Strength had expired, but she felt her limbs tighten in power again once she held her elongated staff.  She hadn¡¯t dispelled her dress and felt the fire surge every few seconds.  Her weapon drew mana directly from her dragon core, but she timed the attack with her dress anyway.  She pointed the staff down at the middle of the floor far below them and released a powerful fireball.


    The churning ball of orange energy surged down a dozen feet before wards flared to life in the room, and the attack fizzled into nothing.  Draya stepped back in confusion.  As a mage, she would normally feel the mana pulsing from the silent alarm that had just gone off, but she couldn¡¯t distinguish it from the sensation her dress provided.


    Esther felt it but misinterpreted it as a spell blocking Draya¡¯s power.  ¡°Try again,¡± she said.  ¡°Obviously, they will have protections set up.  But they can¡¯t deflect all of your fire.  You¡¯re too strong for that.¡±


    Draya hadn¡¯t held anything back in the first attack and released another massive fireball down the center of the pit.  It made it just as far and fizzled into nothing.  The next round, she did it again with the same result.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong,¡± she said.  She had only used the staff once before, and there hadn¡¯t been any issues.


    ¡°Maybe they have protection against fire,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Jace said this is dragon country.  I can try an acid attack.¡±  The rogue didn¡¯t have one memorized that could go that far and had to go into her inventory to redesign one.  Once she was manipulating her own mana, she felt the alarm pulsing more profoundly, distracting her from her efforts.


    ¡°Esther,¡± Draya said, tugging her arm and bringing her out of her inventory before she finished.  ¡°Someone is coming.¡±


    Once her attention was back in their room, she heard the sound of voices and hid in the shadows.  Draya wasted some mana on an invisibility spell but was yanked out when another fire pulse surged through her.  She thought about removing the dress now but cast Mage Armor instead and gripped her staff tightly.


    A mountain troll and the keep¡¯s second priest walked out of a passageway into the large room.  A mostly level floor at least twenty feet wide encircled the pit on all sides, giving the troll ample space to rush the Draya.  The woman didn¡¯t think she could parry the creature''s vicious strike but didn¡¯t have to.  Esther leaped out of the shadows when the troll passed her, stabbing one of her improved rapiers into the troll¡¯s back.  She used Char, knowing that fire was often required to kill trolls.  The monster had over 400 HP, but her Sneak Attack did more than half of that, and because of the added fire damage, the troll automatically failed the save and dropped to the floor, dying.


    Draya walked up to the creature and started to pummel it with her staff as Esther searched out the priest.  His name was Reycon, and he cast a Hold spell on the rogue before she could escape into the shadows.  Esther failed, but her cursed ring hit her with five electrical damage the next round, and she was freed.  Reycon took the delay to energize the lights in the room with additional mana, so they banished all the shadows.  Esther was already tugging on the brim of her hat, but she suddenly had nowhere to Shadow Step, so she stalked out of the pillar of darkness directly at the priest.


    Before the woman arrived, the desperate NPC had just enough mana to cast a Slashing protection spell on himself, so Ester sheathed her weapons and grappled the level 14 priest.  She didn¡¯t do it successfully enough to kill him, but she did maneuver Reycon to the edge of the pit and kicked him in.  She didn¡¯t know if the fall would kill him outright, but once he hit bottom, she heard the lightning totem go crazy with a character outside a cage.  Between the fall, the lightning, and the two hungry cats, she didn¡¯t give the man much of a chance.


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    Esther turned to Draya, who was beating a dead troll and called her to leave it alone.  ¡°Come on.  They obviously know we¡¯re here; we need to find Psycho and leave.¡±


    ¡°But the prisoners,¡± Draya said, moving to the pit¡¯s edge and pointing in.  She recoiled in horror at what the cats were doing.


    ¡°Do you want to go down there?¡± Esther asked.  The mage shook her head emphatically.  ¡°Neither do I.  Jace will have another plan.¡±


    Draya ran over to the rogue.  ¡°Does that mean this one failed?¡±


    ¡°I guess,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Is that important?¡±


    ¡°He said I can¡¯t criticize one of his plans until it fails,¡± Draya replied, following Esther out of the room and down the hall.


    Esther laughed.  ¡°Well, this one certainly isn¡¯t going too well.  If this isn¡¯t a failure, I don¡¯t know what-¡± her voice cut out as her right foot sunk deep into the floor.  It was as if the stone was made of swampy mud, and soon she was knee-deep, struggling to take another step.  She turned to see Draya trying to use her staff to leverage herself out.  Esther also saw a gnome and a storm shaman that had crept up behind them.  The gnome was in the middle of a spell, and Esther guessed what was coming next.


    The athletic woman couldn¡¯t generate enough momentum to leap out of the quagmire, so she reached under her skirt to retrieve the two seashells that were just small enough to fit in her gem pouch.  She turned to the wall next to her, placed two handholds as high as she could reach, and did a successful chin-up, pulling her boots free of the liquid floor just as the crafty gnome finished his spell.


    Esther saw the stone harden around Draya¡¯s legs.  Had she accepted the restrained condition, the mage would have been able to cast spells, but in her inexperience, she struggled briefly against the unyielding floor, failed critically, and was considered Securely Grappled and Helpless.  Esther dropped back to the solid cobblestones and sprinted toward the enemy pair.  She stowed the shells and pulled her weapons, but the shaman was faster and unleashed a powerful lightning attack.  Esther failed the save and took 200 damage.  She had 416 HP, so she didn¡¯t collapse but gritted her teeth against the pain and kept charging, assuming the human wouldn¡¯t have enough mana to do that again.


    As she felt the five additional damage surge from her ring in the following round, she heard a subdued whimper from behind.  Esther looked over her shoulder and stopped.  Half of the lightning damage had jumped into Draya.  The mage had slightly better Magic Defense than Esther, but since she was Helpless, she didn¡¯t get a D20 to save against the attack.  Esther had needed a lucky 16 to avoid critically failing, but without a roll, Draya failed with two criticals, and the damage doubled back to 200.  She only had 320 HP.


    The mage fell unconscious, and her upper body slammed against the stone, her legs still secured.  She was dying, and Esther had to save her.  Gromphy had given them all healing potions that fit in their pockets.  Esther pulled one now and raced back to the woman.


    ¡°Stop!¡±


    Esther looked up and saw two more fighters coming from the other direction, back toward the outer edge of the fortress.  An elf stood in the hallway with a human archer next to him.  They were only 50 feet away.


    ¡°If you touch her,¡± Ian said, ¡°my man will drill you with an arrow.  He won¡¯t miss.¡±


    Esther knew that if she did try to administer the potion, she would be considered Flat-Footed, and if the archer was only half as good as Psycho, he could kill her with one shot.  Her armor made her nearly invincible against slashing damage but didn¡¯t do so hot against piercing, other than the permanent crit protection it gave her.


    ¡°We won¡¯t kill you,¡± Ian said, strolling toward the two women.  ¡°You can come with me under your own power at your current health, or Keyan can put an arrow in you, knock you unconscious, and I will get a troll to carry you.  Your choice.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t let her die,¡± Esther said.  Draya¡¯s descending health was already at 15.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want her to die either,¡± Ian said, getting even closer while Keyan, the archer, stayed at fifty feet.  ¡°But if we have to choose between the two of you, we will pick you.  Surrender and submit, and Pebbles, the gnome, can heal your friend.  Try to save her, and we will put an arrow in your lovely chest.  Do nothing, and we can both watch her die and then you get an arrow anyway.  The choice is yours.¡±


    The wards in the hallway were pulsing with magical light, and Esther couldn¡¯t hide.  Not that she wanted to.  These players were more prepared than the fools who had tried to capture her back in the tower defense module.  Draya went to 8 HP, and Esther raised her hands in defeat.  She got on her knees and faced the wall.  Ian closed on her quickly, ensuring he always gave the archer a line of sight on the dangerous woman.


    Esther didn¡¯t try anything.  With the narrow hallway confining her, enemies on both sides, and Draya with 30 seconds to live, she submitted.  Ian grabbed her hands and Grappled them behind her back.  He had nowhere close to the necessary skill, but the rogue didn¡¯t resist.  Once he had shackles on her, the elf summoned Pebbles over, and Ian hefted Esther to her feet so she could spin around and watch the gnome heal Draya when she was at two health.  She jumped up to 50, and Esther breathed a sigh of relief.


    The rogue tested her bonds, but they were enchanted mithril, and she didn¡¯t have the skill.  With them on her wrists, she was considered Grappled.  If someone grabbed her, she was Securely Grappled and couldn¡¯t initiate anything that cost an action, including going into her inventory, casting spells, or trying to attack.  While only in the Grappled state, Esther could move where she pleased, but when someone touched her, she could only go where the person directed.


    As Pebbles worked to get Draya out of the stone, Ian did more than touch Esther.  He slammed her against the wall.  Now she was Pinned and Helpless.  He could do anything he wanted.  ¡°We don¡¯t let visitors enter with magical items,¡± he said.  ¡°I bet you¡¯re loaded.¡±  Keyan remained at a distance with his arrow knocked, so the shaman moved beside Ian to assist as the elf pulled all of Esther¡¯s equipment out of her inventory.  He left behind the few items that weren¡¯t magical, such as her dress and some food.


    Once her inventory was empty, he eyed up her body.  ¡°That is some impressive armor you have.¡±


    Esther wanted to let him know what had happened to the last person who had taken her shadow scale, but in her Helpless condition, she couldn¡¯t talk.  So, she could only watch as he unbelted her weapons, reached down to undo her Shadow Step boots, and then reached under her skirt to find the knives she kept strapped to her outer thighs.  The game didn¡¯t require Ian to undo buckles or straps to remove the items, but he lingered anyway, enjoying the look of hatred in the woman¡¯s eyes.


    He saved the vest for last.  With her arms tied behind her, he couldn¡¯t take it off manually and used the Undo option to open and remove the vest.  He was upset she wasn¡¯t naked underneath, but the tight halter top was almost as good.  Ian knew that as soon as he released her from the wall, she would be able to tear into him verbally.  Before he did, he leaned slightly to show her Draya being pulled from the stone and shackled.


    More fighters had shown up, and a troll sprinted toward the group.  ¡°Where is your partner?¡± Ian quizzed the lone monster.


    The troll looked back the way it had come and shrugged its shoulders.  ¡°You always need to travel in pairs,¡± Ian stressed.  He sounded like he was talking to a four-year-old.  To Esther, the troll didn¡¯t look even that bright.  Under the elf¡¯s instructions, it took the unconscious mage in its arms and moved toward the remaining fighters who had arrived.


    The gnome and storm shaman stood by, awaiting orders.  They were both spawned NPCs.  The mountains produced the shamans, and the gnomes were found in an alcove amidst a dense vein of adamantium.  The owner of the stronghold had a choice to either kill the gnomes and mine the metal or recruit them so they could help you mine.  Ian would have chosen the first option, but the previous owners had been more diplomatic, and Pebbles¡¯ skill in manipulating stone couldn¡¯t be denied.


    Ian told the magical pair to return to the hostages and protect them against further attacks.  The small stone enchanter ran alongside the human in the direction the women had initially come, turning down a side passage.


    Ian gazed in that direction, looking past the intersection toward where the troll and its partner should have come.  Why had it been alone?  He shook his head, not having time for distractions.  He instead returned to Esther.  ¡°When I release you, watch your tongue.  You might not care what we can do to you, but we can hurt your friend too.  Think about it.¡±  Ian finally pulled her away from the wall and shoved her after the departing group.


    Usually as agile as a cat, Esther stumbled from her Grappled condition and fell hard into the stone floor.  With her hands tied behind her, she hit face first.  Pain surged through her as blood ran down her chin, fueling her rage.  As Ian summoned one of the new fighters to help her up, she knew the elf was still behind her, and the archer flanked her from in front.  She still couldn¡¯t try anything.  She got to her feet and stumbled down the hall.  Jace better have another plan.

 Chapter 38: Backup Plan

    Psycho reached the next tower without incident and found the occupant at the top nailed to the post, the same as Three.  This arrow had taken the shaman through the neck, and his limp chin rested on the bone shaft.  Psycho tried not to return the dead man¡¯s gaze and instead looked over at position five.  The archer caught the last few seconds of his inspection routine, and then the shaman was back against his post.


    The elf had plenty of time and crept toward his victim with another arrow ready.  He set the mundane projectile on the ground, gripped the level 15 arrow shaft with both hands and pulled.  Since this shot hadn¡¯t been slowed by passing through the front and back of the skull, it had penetrated deeper into the stone pillar.  Psycho pulled with all his might, his feet bracing against the parapet on either side of the shaman.


    With his attention so focused on a high-level item buried deep into the stone of the fortress, when the fire alarm went off, pulsing mana through the entire complex, Psycho felt it and tugged even harder, finally freeing the arrow and flying back toward the hole in the floor.  Confusion flooded through him about what the alarm might be for, and he worried the women might be in trouble.  The dead shaman had flopped down on top of him, and he hurriedly propped him back up against the pillar.  He grabbed for the other arrow and looked toward Five.  The shaman was frantically searching the skies, and Psycho watched as a blue shimmer covered the magic user.


    A fire protection spell.


    Psycho knew what that meant.  They thought they were under attack by a dragon.  Why would they think that?


    Red!


    Draya must have cast her spell to kill the prisoners, and the fortress was warded against it.  Jace hadn¡¯t said anything about that.  Psycho guessed he probably didn¡¯t know.  He saw through the corner of his eye that Five was looking his way, but he didn¡¯t care.  The element of surprise was gone.  Psycho let the dead shaman fall back to the stone as he fled down the stairs, taking the steps three at a time.


    When he hit bottom, his elemental bow was out and ready.  He could still feel the pulsing of the alarm through the walls, and he raced back to the exit point.  He dropped into the shadows and began to wait for the women to return.  Would they sense the alarm the same as he did?  Would they figure out what it meant?


    The alert hunter felt the vibrations in the floor a few moments before a troll came sprinting toward him.  Psycho was confident in his hidden position, and as a second troll rounded the corner in front of him, 50 feet behind its friend, Psycho was glad he hadn¡¯t fired at the first one as it would have made him visible to the other one.  The lead beast ran by just as the magical lights came on.  The archer was visible after the troll had passed, and the second one reared up in alarm.  Psycho didn¡¯t allow him to call out and sent a fire arrow through his eye from only thirty feet.


    The Point-Blank shot had so many criticals it nearly killed the monster outright, but Psycho had used his Death Shot ability, so it didn¡¯t matter.  The beast fell silently to the ground, a charred hole in its face.  The archer spun and drew another arrow, knowing that if the first troll had stopped at the sound, Psycho wouldn¡¯t have the full round he needed to make a kill shot before the beast clobbered him with a club.  But the other troll was already running around the distant corner, its summoning too important to distract it.


    Psycho released a sigh but realized the implication.  If the fortress enforcers were running through the halls, the enemies wouldn¡¯t take long to find the women.  The elf started after the troll but found after two turns that it was not heading directly toward the hostages but was moving down an adjacent corridor.  Psycho decided to stick with the original plan and followed Jace¡¯s directions to the pit.  They had a job to complete, and he wanted to ensure that was done first.


    The large room was easy to find, and Psycho wasn¡¯t surprised to find another dead troll.  The stab wound looked like something Esther would do.  He peered down into the pit and saw a bloody mess and two cats patrolling the area.  If a fireball had been successfully cast against the prisoners below, he wouldn¡¯t have expected blood, and the cats should be dead too.


    Psycho pulled one of the special arrows Jace had taken from the archer¡¯s old tower, charged it with an acid explosion, and fired into the middle of the floor 200 feet below.  The shot was a greenish blur, but as it passed halfway, it shimmered through a field of energy and ricocheted harmlessly off the stone floor.


    ¡°Hold.¡±


    Psycho heard the tiny voice from one of the side passages out of the room and turned toward it with another arrow pulled.  He didn¡¯t see anyone but waited patiently.


    ¡°Something just triggered my spell.¡±


    The elf was willing to bet it was a gnome and was proven right when the diminutive character and a much taller storm shaman entered the room.  Psycho guessed they had just been here, and the gnome had cast a protection spell.  The archer had the drop on them, and at 75 feet, he had his choice of whom he wanted to take out.  It had to be the shaman.  Psycho had gotten a free pass on magical saving throws in the past, but that was over now, and his Magic Defense wasn¡¯t great.  He would likely critically fail any spell; a lightning strike might kill him.


    Psycho fired as both NPCs prepared spells.  The shaman died before he could get his off, but Pebbles was successful.  The archer stood two feet from the edge of the pit, and the stone around him turned to powder and flowed like water over the edge before him. The elf spent a frantic couple of seconds backpedaling against the falling sand, but it was a fruitless effort.  His 24 Dexterity kept him from instantly falling, but he couldn¡¯t counter the current and decided to embrace it.


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    Psycho took two quick steps with the flow and found the rigid rim of the pit under the moving sand.  He pushed off with all his might, leaping as high as he could out over the hole.  He stored his bow, used both hands to reach out, and just grabbed the edge of the suspended platform over the center of the pit.


    Pebbles cursed and ran through his list of spells to see what he could do, but with his enemy suspended from a wooden structure, the stone enchanter had nothing that would be effective.  Instead, as Psycho struggled to hoist himself onto the platform, the gnome moved to the crank and pully system.  It had a spring-loaded ratchet to prevent the elevator from falling on its own, and Pebbles pulled back on the lever with all his might.  Psycho¡¯s weight was just enough to counter the tension in the line, and as he got to his knees and started to pull his weapons back out, he lurched down and almost lost his balance again.


    The archer steadied himself, and as he descended quickly passed the pit¡¯s edge, he had to stand to maintain sight of the short gnome and let fly just as the character disappeared from view.  His confirmation that he had hit him was that the elevator stopped suddenly.  The gnome had released the lever.  Psycho hadn¡¯t had a full round to activate his Death Shot, but at 50 feet, the arrow had enough damage to easily exceed half the gnome¡¯s HP, and he was likely stunned or worse.  Psycho guessed the little guy had exceptional Magic Defense and might not have failed the Death Save by 50, which would be required for him to enter a death spiral, so the elf had to get off this platform before the gnome woke up.


    The elevator had fallen 15 feet below the hole¡¯s edge.  Psycho got the contraption swinging, and at the peak of its motion, that distance was reduced to 10 feet.  A 3-foot railing surrounded the platform, and Psycho prepared to step onto it and jump at just the right moment, knowing that the pendulum wouldn¡¯t give him much resistance when he pushed off.  When the platform struck the hole¡¯s perimeter, he knew he was getting all the lift he could, and when it swung back again to the gnome¡¯s side, he stepped onto the railing and jumped for the edge.


    As expected, the wooden structure shot backward from the force of the leap, but the tall elf didn¡¯t need much help.  His fingers found purchase on the edge, and he heaved his body to the floor around the pit.  Pebbles was just coming to, but before the gnome could initiate another spell, Psycho drew his katana and ended him.


    The elf stood still for a while, catching his breath and trying to figure out what to do.  Wards protected the prisoners below.  Psycho took the time to fire another acid arrow into the pit to see if the spell ended with the death of the gnome, but the arrow¡¯s magic fizzled into nothing.  Jace or Draya could dispel the ward, but he couldn¡¯t.  Jace was supposed to be a distraction while they rescued the prisoners, but since the alarm had been triggered, their ¡°hosts¡± had likely responded with hostility toward Jace¡¯s presence.  Also, Draya and Esther were probably in trouble too.


    Psycho sprinted out of the room and returned to the rendezvous spot, but no one was there.  He had some tracking ability in the forest but could not tell where people had gone over cold stone.  Still, Jace had prepared them with a basic understanding of the layout of the fortress, so he headed inward toward where he assumed any prisoners would be taken.  After two minutes of travel, the magical lights expired, and while the halls were still dimly lit, there were shadows again, and he hid in them.


    He found no other enemies in the halls.  So far, he had killed everyone who had seen him, so if they had captured Esther and Draya, they might assume no one else was there.  Once Psycho got to the center of the fortress, he drew up suddenly as he rounded a corner and saw two mountain trolls standing guard.  He was hidden but could see the large room before him was flooded with light, and while it wasn¡¯t magical, the trolls would get a bonus to see him.  Looking closer at the monsters, their eyes glowed with a strange tint, and he guessed they were enchanted lookouts.


    They flanked a doorway covered with a heavy red curtain.  It wasn¡¯t the type of barrier one would expect for a prison cell, but the trolls wouldn¡¯t be left here unless they were protecting something valuable.  Either way, Psycho didn¡¯t feel comfortable trying to sneak past them.  If he were discovered, the trolls would catch him Flat-Footed, and the first round of combat would not be pleasant for him.


    Instead, he pulled his elemental bow again and aimed.  Since he was in the shadows, just outside the room, the first troll didn¡¯t have a prayer, and the arrow took him through the temple.  Psycho needed to make it a flaming shot to kill the creature, and it dropped like a tree.  The other guard reacted predictably and turned toward the archer.  Attacking from the shadows naturally made Psycho visible, and the troll had no problem finding him.  It sprinted toward the archer, its long legs eating up the distance in no time.  Psycho calmly pulled another arrow, waited the full round to activate his Death Shot ability, and let fly when the charging monster was less than 20 feet away.


    The ferocious troll suddenly went limp as the flaming arrow cleaved its skull between the eyes.  Psycho side-stepped after the shot, allowing the dead creature to continue into the hall, flop down onto the stone, and slide forward 30 feet before its momentum was spent.


    ¡°Good thing there wasn¡¯t three of them,¡± the elf muttered, pulling another arrow and creeping carefully into the large room.  No one else was there, and he guessed the exit on the far side that angled down into the center of the fortress was where he needed to go.  Before following that path, the curious elf needed to check behind the curtain.


    With his arrow knocked and ready, Psycho used the projectile¡¯s tip to pull the center of the overlapping sheets apart and peek inside.  Once he had a clear view, he almost cried out in fear, letting his arrow go instinctively.  A massive silver giant stood just inside the room, staring at the curtains.  The shot bounced off the guard harmlessly, and its huge fists raised above its head to smash the elven intruder.


    ¡°Adam, no!¡± a call came from inside the room, but the golem had already magically recognized Psycho as a party member and held his attack in check.


    The archer relaxed when he realized who it was and stepped fully inside the room and around the adamantium golem.  The 8-foot-tall statue didn¡¯t turn but continued to guard the entrance.  ¡°What are you doing in here?¡± Psycho¡¯s voice cracked more than he was comfortable with.


    Gromphy was collecting the last rubies from a bin and dumping them in his chest.  He looked around at the empty room.  ¡°Tis not obvious?¡±


    ¡°You think now is the time to be looting the enemy?  As far as I know, all of our other party members are being held prisoner, and we are no closer to finishing our mission.¡±


    The goblin shrugged.  ¡°Thou art not a prisoner.  I canst not free them by mine own self.  What else shouldst I be doing but taking advantage of the situation?¡±  He closed the lid to the chest and stored it in his inventory.  After he said the command words, Adam shrunk to a few inches in height, and the crafter stored the valuable item in a pouch on his belt.  He walked up to the archer and pointed dramatically toward the curtains.  ¡°Anon, stalwart elf, leadeth us on to victory against our impervious foes.  We shalt doth our leader proud.¡±


    Psycho rolled his eyes and led the goblin out of the treasure room toward the hall that angled deeper into the fortress.

 Chapter 39: How to Play the Game

    Jace looked on with frustration as he saw Ian lead Esther and Draya away from the elevator of the Mithril Palace.  The orc shaman was no longer magically held, as Noyamon, the priest, didn¡¯t worship a god that allowed him to steal mana from other characters, so his own generation skill limited him, and he couldn¡¯t keep two level 16 characters immobile indefinitely.  Instead, two mages flanked Jace and Snowy, fire at their fingertips, poised to attack at a moment¡¯s notice.  Dragon fire wouldn¡¯t work in this fortress, but regular mage fire was still in play.


    Jace had stealthily cast all three of his totems at various locations around the vast cavern before they had attracted the attention of every magic user in the room, taking advantage of its stone construction and his impressive totem range.  He wasn¡¯t completely helpless, but without Diamond Etcher (or any sword), he was limited in how much damage he could produce and vulnerable to any attack.  He saw the women had their hands behind their backs as they approached and wondered how disabled they were.


    {They are cuffed with mithril shackles,} Gracie informed him.  Now that they were in range of Jace, she could examine their status better.  {It looks like the shackles normally Grapple them with a strength of 50.  Since her Escape Artist feat contributes to her grapple defense against all types of bonds, Esther has a skill of 39.  She¡¯d have more if they hadn¡¯t taken her Athletic necklace.  An average roll should let her escape, but the shackles are enchanted with a +25 bonus, so even if she rolled a 20, she would be over ten short of the target.  The enchantment on the shackles is level 15, so you should be able to dispel it, but every magic user in the area will sense you do it.}


    Jace didn¡¯t like his chances in a fight.  Esther wasn¡¯t wearing her armor or weapons, and he was willing to bet she had also been stripped of all her other magical items.  As a vampire with insane skills, she was still formidable, but not with her hands behind her back.


    {When someone is touching them,} Gracie continued her report, {they are Securely Grappled and can only move where they are directed.  They can¡¯t do anything that requires an action but can still talk.  If they are left alone, and no one is touching them, they are only Grappled and can do anything that requires a single action.  They can move, attack, or cast burst spells, but those options are still severely limiting.}


    Jace knew that all Draya¡¯s offensive spells took a full round to cast.  Esther had the Quick Cast feat that let her cast a few spells in one action, but her Charm+ and Acid still took two.  And going into their inventories to reprogram spells to fit their new situation took a full round.  At best, Esther could bite someone, but since she couldn¡¯t Grapple them with her hands behind her back, they could strike back.


    In addition to Ian, a troll and four fighters accompanied the women.  A large human with an axe and shield on his hip escorted Esther, while a dwarf with a hammer and shield led Draya.  A half-orc held a two-handed sword while an archer trailed the group by 30 feet and had an arrow aimed at Esther the whole time.  The group didn¡¯t have any additional storm shamans with them, but the two who had escorted Jace down were still there, along with several mages and a handful of formidable fighters.


    Besides Lexi, who had moved to a lounge chair by the pool a while ago, Jace¡¯s group out-leveled all the other characters.  The storm shamans were level 15, and everyone else was 14 or below.  Draya and Esther were offensive weapons without equipment, but they would be vulnerable to all kinds of attacks.  It looked like they were already injured.  Esther was at half health, while Draya was dangerously low at 50.


    ¡°I found these two,¡± Ian said to Brock once he led the group to the middle of the chamber.  The dwarf had moved Jace and Snowy away from the dining room, so his minions could better flank the prisoners.


    ¡°We stripped them of everything we could,¡± Ian started to say as he turned to leer at Esther.  He stopped suddenly when he saw she was wearing a black dress.  The rogue winked at him.  Since her Quick-Change ability didn¡¯t require her to go into her inventory or spend an action, as soon as Ian had moved to the front of their group and couldn¡¯t see her anymore, she had changed.  Her chaperone could have pressed her up against the wall and taken the dress too, but those hadn¡¯t been his instructions, and he wasn¡¯t a great thinker.


    ¡°Find anything interesting?¡± Brock asked, failing to pick up on the private exchange between Esther and Ian.


    ¡°Other than weapons and armor, there was this.¡±  Ian had a gem bag equipped, and he removed the undead stone he had taken from Esther.


    The woman had been all smiles at the elf when she was showing off her smuggled outfit, but now her face dropped, and she refused to meet Jace¡¯s gaze.  The vampire had willingly turned over the stone to him after their mission to acquire Draya, and Jace had thought it was an impressive display of willpower.  As it turns out, it was also a short-lived one.  She could have gotten the item out of Jace¡¯s locked chest only if Trixna had helped.  With the orc upset about Jace turning down her sexual advances, that probably hadn¡¯t been a difficult task.  Trust was still something he needed to work on in his group.


    Brock was too focused on the black sphere to notice the tension between Jace and Esther, and he wouldn¡¯t have cared if he did.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Dark magic,¡± Ian said.  He didn¡¯t have much magical acuity as a rogue, but as an elf, he could feel the death inside the object.


    They both turned to Noyamon, and the priest took a step back.  ¡°You can use it to summon undead,¡± he said.  ¡°I think you can even use it to turn someone undead.  Reycon specializes in that, not me.  I cannot use it.¡±


    Ian stored it back in his gem bag, not about to turn it over.


    ¡°What about the mage?¡± Brock continued, shifting his eyes to Draya.


    ¡°She did not have anything remarkable other than a weapon and a few potions.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Brock clarified.  ¡°I mean, the dragon girl still wears an enchanted robe.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, well, it was cursed,¡± Ian said.  ¡°They each had cursed rings too, and we couldn¡¯t remove them.¡±


    Brock turned to Jace with questioning looks.  ¡°Cursed items?¡± Brock asked.


    Jace shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°What can I say?  My party members look before they leap.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± a female voice purred from the side.  ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what it is.  Jace Thorne is known for his careless play style.¡±


    All eyes went to Lexi as she got up from her chair and joined the party.  ¡°What do they do?¡± she asked as she closed in on Jace.  She didn¡¯t get too close to the tall orc, so she could still look him in the eyes.  ¡°Protection from something?  Are they building up a charge so your women can break free?  We don¡¯t have time for your foolish games.  Answer me.  There will be consequences.¡±


    Jace wasn¡¯t compelled by a spell at this point but guessed that would be coming if needed.  ¡°We don¡¯t have time?¡± Jace echoed.  ¡°It looks like we have nothing but time.  Now we have to negotiate for the freedom of six people.¡±


    ¡°Still only three,¡± Brock nearly shouted.  ¡°And even there, I am being generous.  My captives have aided a rebel against my government, and these two . . .¡± he trailed off as he turned to look at Ian.  ¡°I assume there were casualties?¡±


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    ¡°There are at least two dead shamans and two missing trolls.  Also, Reycon didn¡¯t respond to the summons.  He was with one of the trolls.¡±


    Brock shrugged.  ¡°The priest will wake up in his bed in an hour or so.  We will have to go into the mountains to replace the others.¡±


    ¡°So, no big loss,¡± Jace replied, not thinking they would see it that way.


    ¡°I sensed that my cats ate Reycon,¡± Lexi said, not really sounding upset about it.  ¡°The priest will wake up with nightmares.  He might not stay with us and won¡¯t be the same for a while.¡±  She turned to Ian.  ¡°Perhaps we can tempt him to remain with the undead gem you acquired.¡±


    Jace looked back at the woman.  ¡°That sounds like your problem, not mine.  You need to control your animals better.¡±


    ¡°And you have perfect control over yours?¡± she asked, drawing out the last word with a purr.  She pivoted on her pawed feet and sauntered toward Esther.  Lexi gave the man holding the rogue a look, and the NPC released her and took a step back.  Esther had a little more freedom but was too entranced by the odd combination of leopard and woman walking toward her to take advantage of it.


    ¡°Have you ever eaten someone your master told you not to?¡±  Lexi smiled broadly at the captive, showing off her sharp teeth.  ¡°Have you ever needed to satiate your hunger and just couldn¡¯t control yourself?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know the game she was playing, but chaos was his best chance at survival about now, and he trusted Esther to respond to the taunts appropriately, not that he had much choice in the matter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really eat people,¡± Esther replied slowly, testing out this encounter.  She felt some of her abilities open up once the guard had released her, but she was still restrained.  ¡°I just say that.  I only suck out their life energy.  Snowy eats people.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your wolf,¡± Lexi said, not turning to look at her.  ¡°We¡¯ve become good friends while waiting for you to arrive.¡±  Snowy growled a negative response to the comment.  ¡°But I don¡¯t want to talk about her; I want to talk about you, your hunger, the taste of blood on your lips.  You do more than just suck the life out of them, don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Lexi,¡± Brock interrupted.  ¡°We don¡¯t have . . .¡± but he stopped as Ian moved beside him and put a hand on his arm.  They had invited the women into their party for precisely this reason.  She played the game differently.  The men knew they weren¡¯t on par with Jace or Esther¡¯s play style.  Lexi was close.


    The druid shapeshifter ignored the men.  ¡°When was the last time you fed?¡± she continued, drawing Esther into her large, feline eyes.  She had already cast a charm spell on Esther and was prepared to do much more.  As a druid, she had many magical abilities stunted as a leopard, but with her Mana Bridge ability, she had access to everything in this hybrid form.  Even her tail was hypnotizing Esther as it swished back and forth behind her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the vampire replied slowly.  Had she fed on her mission with Gromphy?  She couldn¡¯t remember now.  Was the last enemy she had eaten an orc in Psycho¡¯s module?  It hadn¡¯t been satisfying.


    ¡°You know what I like to do?¡± Lexi asked.  The whole room was falling under her spell now.  ¡°I like to enter level 10 PVP hostile zones.  As a cat, you can¡¯t see my level, so all of these wanna-be adventurers at 12 who are grinding for experience against creatures below them see a leopard stalking about in the woods and think they have an easy kill.  But I kill them.  And then I eat them.  I really eat them.  Have you ever fed on a PC before?  Or does Jace only give you spawned NPC garbage to eat?¡±


    ¡°I . . . I fed on Jace before,¡± Esther said in a trance.  ¡°It was part of his plan.¡±


    ¡°But was he terrified?¡± Lexi asked.  ¡°Was he screaming for his life as you tore out his throat?  The blood is so much sweeter then.¡±


    Esther numbly shook her head.  ¡°N-n-no.  It w-was part of the p-plan.¡±  She paused and cocked her head, her eyes losing their distant look.  ¡°That was actually a good plan,¡± she said loudly at Jace.  ¡°It got us Draya.  Not like this plan.  This plan sucks.¡±


    Lexi stepped back, and the whole room leaned out in unison as the spell broke.  Esther only smiled at the druid, dropping her voice.  ¡°You can¡¯t play a player.  It¡¯s sloppy.  Not a great plan either.¡±  She feinted toward the cat woman, her fangs bared, and Lexi gracefully leaped back.  The druid looked at the fighter behind Esther, and the man grabbed the rogue¡¯s shoulder before she could do anything else.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Esther said louder.  ¡°Draya wants to know if this is your whole plan.  She said you said she couldn¡¯t make fun of it until it fails.  Looks like a failure to me.¡±


    Draya wasn¡¯t as carefree a spirit in the face of danger, and she had only regained consciousness on the elevator ride down to this level, so she wasn¡¯t quite as ready to banter as her friend.  The mage shot a look at Esther, telling her to be quiet, but the vampire ignored her.


    ¡°They can¡¯t all be winners,¡± Jace replied, happy with how his companion handled the powerful druid.  ¡°My plans work half the time.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Then I can¡¯t wait for the next one.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this nonsense!¡± Brock shouted, stepping into the middle of the group.  Lexi realized she had been the center of attention, and while she had wanted it originally, finding herself directly between Jace and Esther wasn¡¯t the smartest place to be, and she backed out.  ¡°We don¡¯t have time for these games.¡±


    ¡°But you must play them,¡± Lexi said from the crowd¡¯s edge.  ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you, but you don¡¯t listen.  We are in a game.  Those who play it the best, win.  These two . . .¡± her eyes went between Jace and Esther.  ¡°They are still playing.  You are standing around talking about gold and treasure and treason while these two are . . . I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Jace smiled at her frustration, which only drove the cat woman even more crazy.  They were prisoners, subject to the whim of their captures and unable to affect anything, yet Lexi was convinced Jace and Esther held all the cards.  Jace hadn¡¯t told his companions his backup plan because he didn¡¯t want them to think him insane, but Esther knew it existed.  Draya was still learning and looked more frightened than when the Mongorians had hauled her away.  But Esther had spent enough time with Jace to know he had another trick up his sleeve.


    Brock threw his hands up in frustration but was learning to respect the opinion of his newest companion.  ¡°That does me no good, Lex.  If you can¡¯t tell me what their plan is, I have to proceed as normal.  Kill the women and the wolf.  I will hold the respawn rights, and then we can negotiate with Jace.  He says the level 50 crystal is priceless.  We¡¯ll see what he values.¡±


    Draya cried out at this announcement, and the dwarf holding her clamped a hand over her mouth, pinning her to his chest and rendering her Helpless.  Her eyes were wide with fear, and Jace hated putting her through this again.  Esther only laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Lexi pleaded.  ¡°Not yet.  There must be more.  Where is Psycho in all this?  Jace wouldn¡¯t come here without his most powerful weapon.¡±


    Ian shrugged.  ¡°We didn¡¯t see him.  Don¡¯t know why the archer wouldn¡¯t be protecting the women.  No one is upstairs that isn¡¯t replaceable.  If he is up there wandering around, he can¡¯t hurt anything.¡±


    ¡°He can kill the rest of the shaman and make us vulnerable to attack,¡± Lexi said.


    ¡°Is that your plan?¡± Brock said, walking up to Jace and trying to get in his face.  As tall as the dwarf was, the orc had two feet on him.  ¡°Is there an army waiting to cross the bridge and attack?¡±


    Jace chuckled.  ¡°I barely made it over that bridge without falling.  You think an army can march across.¡±


    ¡°The other shamans are still alive,¡± one of the bald men reported.  ¡°No one has climbed the mountain trail since Jace.¡±


    ¡°And the prisoners?¡± Brock asked, turning to Lexi.


    She nodded.  ¡°My cats say they are still in place.  There was activity in the room above that they didn¡¯t understand, but only Reycon came down for a visit, and he is gone now.¡±


    ¡°Then, what do we do?¡± Brock asked.  ¡°Proceed as if we are in control, which it looks like to me, or wait for the great Jace Thorne to enact his impossibly brilliant plan that required his entire party to be rendered Helpless in the most defensible area of our stronghold?¡±


    Lexi snarled at the sarcasm but didn¡¯t have an answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Brock said.  ¡°I¡¯m sick of waiting on others.  I will do what I think is right and . . .¡±


    His voice trailed off as an intensely hot wind flooded the chamber.  Several NPCs screamed.  ¡°What . . .¡± Ian and Brock said together, looking at each other and then at Jace.


    The orc shrugged and motioned behind them toward the back of the room and the central meeting table.  The two PCs turned to investigate and saw a massive hole in the wall 24 feet in diameter.  It looked into an empty mining chamber from which waves of heat and musty air wafted into the Mithril Palace.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Brock said.


    ¡°My plan,¡± Jace replied.  He had been testing the thicknesses of various locations in the chamber using his Stone Tunnel spell and had finally found a spot 20 feet thick right before Ian had led his new prisoners down.


    ¡°So, I have to do some redecorating,¡± the stronghold owner said.  ¡°Nothing I can¡¯t handle.  I¡¯ll get Pebbles to fix it.  It changes nothing.¡±  He was about to give the order to kill the two women when the cavern shook.  Anyone with Dexterity under 12 fell to the ground as all eyes were transfixed on the hole.  A few seconds later, the massive armadillion came bounding out of the cavity.  It burst through the enormous marble table, shattering it into pieces, and landed on a couple of mages that were too frozen with fear to move.  They both died instantly.  It opened its horned maw and released a deafening roar, the heat waves warping the air.


    ¡°Not my best plan,¡± Jace admitted to anyone who would listen as the room erupted in chaos around him.

 Chapter 40: The Armadillion

    Jace examined the monster he had released, knowing it could easily kill everyone in this room.  It was level 46 with 8,000 HP.  Other than that, he could only learn its abilities from observation.  Gracie was screaming in his head, calling him several foul names.  She had no stats on the creature as each ¡°Balrog in the Basement¡± was unique.  A few were dragons, but even they had special abilities from the ones available to module designers.


    Calling it an armadillion was a good name.  It had roughly the same body shape, only with a longer tale that ended in a six-foot boulder.  It reminded Jace of an ankylosaurus, and he winced as the massive appendage smashed the dining table, leaving a crater in the floor.  Two other NPCs were flattened in the attack, which must have done over 600 damage based on their Hit Points.  The creature was covered in scales that looked like stone shingles.  As arrows and spell attacks began exploding against the armor, the plating cracked and fell apart, breaking into pieces as they hit the floor.


    The armadillion bellowed in rage as attacks and lightning found the exposed sections, and its HP started to descend.  It reached almost 6,000 when it grumbled deep inside and did a full body gyration like a dog trying to fling off water.  New stone scales grew over the exposed areas sliding down like eyelids closing, and its HP jumped by 1,000 points.  It jumped toward a trio of mages with renewed strength, snapping at them with its enormous beak and smashing the ground before them.  One of the men fell while the other two scampered out of the way.  The fallen NPC was eaten in the next round.


    All the mages had released their most powerful spells at the start, and so the initial damage had been impressive, removing several spots of armor, but now they were reduced to lesser spells to accommodate their limited Mana Generation, and most bounced ineffectively off the creature.  It swept its tail again, clearing the broken rubble from the two shattered tables and tossing it into the retreating crowd.  Most of it ended up in the pool.


    Jace hoped Gracie could track its strengths the longer it attacked and defended, but he had no intention of joining the battle.  He turned his back on it and rushed toward Esther.  Keyan, the archer, had found a new target, and Jace felt safe casting Dispel on her shackles.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± the woman shrieked.


    Jace also cast his athletic boon, making up for her missing necklace, and she quickly shrugged off the handcuffs.


    ¡°Well, clearly, my distraction wasn¡¯t sufficient,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I needed something more . . . more.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t feel like arguing and didn¡¯t want to give Jace a chance to question her about the undead gem she had taken from him.  With her missing equipment on her mind, she searched for Ian.  Since dragons frequently attacked the stronghold, each NPC was programmed to defend the fortress against attacking monsters.  This was paramount in their scripts, so no one gave Jace¡¯s crew a second look.  Ian was busy organizing the attackers to repel the beast, having no idea what he was doing when Esther jumped on his back.  She couldn¡¯t attack from the shadows, and he wasn¡¯t Charmed or Flat-Footed, but she critically succeeded anyway and rendered him Helpless.


    Brock turned to him when his orders were cut off mid-sentence but was too far away to react immediately.  Esther was able to get all her equipment back, utilizing her Quick-Change ability to put it on faster than usual.  Instead of rooting through the gem bag for her undead stone, the rogue took the whole storage item.  She was about to start sucking the elf¡¯s neck to restore her health when a howling leopard ripped her off his back.


    At level 18, the cat was huge, much stronger, and more athletic than Esther.  The vampire would normally have had a fighting chance to Dodge or Grapple with Lexi, but Esther was Flat-Footed while on Ian¡¯s back, and the druid received several critical successes in the attack.  Even though the shadow scale armor only covered her torso, it gave her whole body protection from slashing, and as the leopard¡¯s claws racked at her for a full round while the woman lay Helpless, it should have been enough to kill her, but Esther only smiled at her attacker.


    Lexi smiled back with her fully formed feline mouth, showing off her impressive teeth that would do piercing damage when she bit down on the woman¡¯s neck.  Before the druid got the chance, she was tackled off her victim by a streak of white fur.  Esther was suddenly released from the Grapple and turned to see Snowy utilizing all the advantages Lexi had just used in attacking a Flat-Footed opponent.  The wolf bit down hard, tearing flesh and blood from the cat before the spotted animal wriggled out from under her.  At level 18 and with an advanced intellect, Lexi would generally have the upper hand in this encounter, but Snowy¡¯s initial attack had leveled the playing field.


    Esther turned her back on the two combatants and looked for Jace.  The dwarf escorting Draya had abandoned the woman to join in the fight against the invading beast, and Jace was trying to wrestle the shackles off the mage.  Since he wasn¡¯t the one being Grappled by them, he couldn¡¯t add his impressive Resist skill to the attempt and needed a 20 to succeed.  The combat mode they were all in wouldn¡¯t allow him to Concentrate.


    The rogue ran over to assist and had the restraints off the mage in seconds.  ¡°He has my equipment,¡± Draya said, pointing to the dwarf at the edge of the combat zone, trying to get close enough to the armadillion to smash it with his hammer.  It was a good weapon for the task.


    ¡°I suppose you want me to get them,¡± Esther said.


    They all winced as the monster swung its colossal tail again.  The dwarf took a glancing blow off his shield, while the half-orc took the boulder full in the body and died instantly, flying through the air and landing even with them, 20 feet to their right.


    Another sound stole their attention, and they turned to see Snowy crying in pain as Lexi bit into her leg.  Esther was torn on what to do.  Jace gave the order.  ¡°Go get her stuff.  I¡¯ll take care of Snowy.¡±


    Esther was about to ask how, but she saw her leader¡¯s eyes return to the fallen half-orc.  His two-handed sword lay on the stone next to him.  The rogue nodded and raced toward danger.  Getting on the dwarf¡¯s back wasn¡¯t going to be hard.  Though he probably had a high Constitution score, Esther still felt the benefit of Jace¡¯s Athletic boon and had her necklace back.  She had never met an opponent outside of a giant that she hadn¡¯t been able to at least render Helpless.


    The problem was that when she made the dwarf motionless, he would be standing right next to the monster.  Esther had been able to steal all her items back in one round because she had instantly equipped them with her ability.  But she would have to go into the dwarf¡¯s inventory and then into hers to store Draya¡¯s items, taking at least two rounds.  That was 12 seconds of inactivity next to a creature that only needed one attack to kill her.


    Esther hadn¡¯t been studying the monster¡¯s movements, but the dwarf had, and when the armadillion was distracted by mages and archers on the other side of the cavern, he moved in closer for an attack against its side.  Esther chose that moment also and Grappled him before his hammer struck home.  Draya didn¡¯t have much, but Esther got it all, ensuring the woman¡¯s dragon staff was recovered.  She jumped off just as the monster swung its tail toward the other attackers.


    This body motion brought its enormous head around and pointed at the dwarf.  Esther felt the magic in the air as the beast¡¯s mana build up inside.  The dwarf regained mobility just as the creature started its full body wriggling again.  This time, instead of regenerating scales and health, it opened its beak and spewed lava.  The dwarf needed a precious action to turn around before he could run, and after two steps, he was swallowed in a tsunami of magma.


    Esther wasted an action to cast Haste on herself and just managed to skip ahead of the flow, taking advantage of broken table pieces that caused momentary dams in the wave giving her openings to move.  As fire nipped her heels, she jumped to the top of one large chunk of marble and launched forward, landing just ahead of the lava as the leading edge cooled enough to stop.


    She tossed a look back at the beast, who gave her a deadly stare, but its body shook from other attacks, and it turned away from the woman.  Esther sighed and sought out Jace.


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    <hr>


    When Esther ran for the dwarf, Jace bolted for the dead half-orc.  Draya just stood there.  ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Memorize a fire spell that doesn¡¯t use dragon fire,¡± Jace called over his shoulder.


    It was risky to enter her inventory during the middle of the largest combat scenario she had ever seen, but Draya could see no one paying attention to her, which was unlikely to change in the next six seconds.  As a student and a scholar, she was fast and was in and out of her inventory before Jace returned with the borrowed sword.  It wasn¡¯t Diamond Etcher, but it was better than his fists.


    He ran past Draya and toward the two brawling animals.  Despite her early advantage, Jace could see Snowy was on the losing end of the fight.  She was stronger, but Lexi was too fast, and the bigger wolf couldn¡¯t catch her.  Meanwhile, the leopard bit and scratched dozens of bloody wounds into the familiar¡¯s white fur.


    Jace tried to sneak up behind her, but the leopard was too aware and spun to Dodge the sword attack at the last second.  Even the flanking bonus he got wasn¡¯t enough to hit the leopard.  Of course, Jace had never fought against a foe like this and didn¡¯t know where the 20-slot was.  He hadn¡¯t ever parried claw attacks either, and despite his totems and parrying ability, Lexi landed blow after blow before Jace finally deflected one of her attacks.


    None of his strikes found their mark, but at least he allowed Snowy to retreat behind him, her health well below half.  Jace knew he needed a critical parry to return a successful strike.  Draya tried to help, but a character¡¯s Dodge ability was added to their Magic Defense against thrown fire. The druid critically saved against the mage¡¯s first attack to take no damage.  Draya was built to get massive bonuses to spell difficulty from her dragon fire, but not her regular spells.


    Still, Jace noticed that the leopard was a little warier with the mage present and chose to lash out at her.  Snowy jumped back into the fight to protect the young woman who still only had 50 health and would likely die from any direct assault.  The wolf managed to pin the cat to the ground momentarily, and Jace finally got a sword strike in.  Draya retreated to a safer distance on the opposite side of the massive battle that raged on the other end of the room.


    Lexi threw Snowy off her, adding another vicious swipe of her claws to the injured wolf, and came at Jace.  He thought he had seen enough of her attacks to get the hang of it, and he was right.  He deflected her first paw with his blade and was notified that the second swipe was defeated with a critical block.  He struck back, aiming for the leopard¡¯s neck, and was finally rewarded with a hit, significantly damaging the cat.


    Lexi backed up cautiously and took a massive strike from Esther running up behind.  The rogue used Chill, adding cold damage to the wound.  This knocked the leopard below half, and she rolled away from the blow.  Esther Dodged a return swipe and continued passed her until she stood next to Jace.  The shapeshifter eyed the two powerful fighters standing before her, knowing she couldn¡¯t defeat both at once and was still confused about how Jace had blocked her attacks with his sword.  No one had ever done that before.


    Her eyes focused on Esther, watching as the vampire slowly licked the cat¡¯s blood from her weapon.  ¡°Very rich,¡± she said.  ¡°Not enough fear, though.¡±  She continued to smile at the leopard and tugged on her hat.  Darkness covered her, and Lexi¡¯s head bolted upright, her ears pricked and senses alert.  She had Jace and Snowy¡¯s scent but not Esther¡¯s.  She didn¡¯t think anyone could hide in this room, and if the rogue struck her from the shadows, she knew she was done for.  Lexi bolted to the side of the cavern opposite the pool, where several rooms stood elevated from the ground.


    Esther¡¯s trick hadn¡¯t actually hidden her in the shadows and had only created a six-second cylinder of darkness to hide in.  If she had tried to attack, she would have been visible the moment she moved forward, and Lexi would have had the initiative.  She started to give chase, but Jace stopped her.  ¡°We don¡¯t have time.  If there is another way out of this room, it is probably with a private travel node, and we won¡¯t be able to follow.¡±  The elevator was behind them, and the armadillion was wreaking havoc before them.  Over half of Ian and Brock¡¯s forces were dead, and while it looked like they had gotten the beast down near 6,000 HP again, it had another mana burst, wriggled, and regained most of it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said.


    They turned to run toward the wooden elevator hoping they could operate the magical device.  ¡°There were two cave trolls standing guard when we came down,¡± Esther said.


    Jace nodded, remembering they had been part of his escort and had stayed up top.  ¡°Let¡¯s hope we can take them,¡± he said.  ¡°Now that I have a sword, I don¡¯t think . . .¡± his voice trailed off as he saw motion toward the top of the elevator slot, over 50 feet in the air.  A second later, a massive troll fell from the upper ledge, just missing the wooden platform as it crashed to the ground.  It didn¡¯t move a muscle as it lay still, an arrow protruding from its head.


    ¡°Psycho!¡± Draya cried.


    ¡°Hopefully, he has Gromphy with him too,¡± Jace said.


    They stepped around the dead troll and onto the elevator.  Draya worked the controls, quickly deciphering the proper amount of mana to make it operate.  As they ascended, they looked out onto the chaos below them.  The armadillion had belched out two lava flows, and flames rose from every wooden structure they had hit.  Smoke filled the air, but the smell of blood was rich too.  Bodies were thrown all over the cavern, and the monster wasn¡¯t close to slowing down.  Jace knew none of the characters below would make it out alive.  At least the walls looked steep enough that he thought the armadillion wouldn¡¯t likely be able to get out either.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Esther said as they waited for the elevator to climb the full distance.  ¡°Jace . . . about the gem . . .¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk about it later,¡± the orc cut her off.  ¡°We have more important things to worry about now.¡±


    At the top, they saw the second troll dead on the ground, three-fourths of the distance to where Psycho and Gromphy stood, an arrow in its neck.  ¡°Good to see you,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Do you have my stuff?¡±


    The goblin didn¡¯t say a word as the orc ran up to him but pulled his chest out, opened it, and soon produced Jace¡¯s equipment.  While the shaman sorted through his items, Draya and Esther drank potions to heal themselves, and after a couple of rounds, everyone was fully equipped and ready to move.  ¡°The exit is this way,¡± Psycho said, prepared to lead the party back up the hall.


    ¡°And the prisoners?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Alive the last time I saw them,¡± the elf advised.


    ¡°Then we have work to do before we can leave,¡± the leader said.  ¡°We came here for a reason.  Now that we have a more effective distraction downstairs, no one should get in our way.¡±


    The words were barely out of his mouth when three storm shamans raced toward them.  Psycho didn¡¯t have time to aim and knew a pair of lightning bolts would wipe out everyone but Jace.  He drew and fired without the benefit of any of his abilities but still severely damaged the lead human.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Jace said, but he was too late to stop the quick archer.  Snowy joined the attack and knocked the injured shaman to the ground.  She needed the health, so Jace didn¡¯t stop her, but Psycho held his next shot in check as the other two men continued running past them without so much as turning their heads at their fallen comrade or the group that took him out.  Instead, they proceeded directly to the elevator.  ¡°They¡¯ve been summoned to protect the fortress,¡± Jace clarified.  ¡°They don¡¯t have a will of their own, and nothing will distract them from their task.¡±


    ¡°Well, then,¡± Esther said.  ¡°We should help speed them on their way.¡±  It was dimmer down here, allowing her to Shadow Step back to the elevator as it started down with the pair of storm shamans.  With two quick strikes of her blades, she cut through the cords that operated the device, and it plummeted to the ground below.


    Jace frowned at the unnecessary violence as he heard the crash of the wood shattering on the stone, but Esther only smiled as she walked away from the ledge.  ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want anyone coming back upstairs before they were done.  Nobody likes deserters.¡±


    Jace decided not to argue with her and led the group back up the tunnel toward the prisoners.  {I got an update from our MIT students,} Gracie said as the group navigated the upper levels of Stormhold.  {They heard Esther shout that the plan was to kill them.  Turns out they don¡¯t want to die.}


    ¡°We don¡¯t always get what we want,¡± Jace said.  He had enough to worry about without having to herd four injured PCs out of this keep.  Gromphy might have enough health potions to restore them, but they probably had so many other traumatic banes that there was no way they could make it across the bridge.  Jace supposed he could use the freight elevator he had spotted, but he didn¡¯t know for sure.


    {It¡¯s not just that they are being greedy,} Gracie said.  {Choi uses this game to fund his efforts to rescue people from North Korea, including his wife.  If he dies, he loses everything and has to start over.  Apparently, he is close to having everything he needs to bring another group of defectors across the border.}


    Jace had to admit that was a noble reason to want to keep his character in the game.  ¡°What¡¯s the Americans¡¯ excuse?  I thought we got word that they were done with the game after this.¡±


    {They are helping Choi, and regardless of if they ever log in again, they want to transfer their wealth to him.}


    ¡°And Karen?¡±


    {I assume you mean the half-orc barbarian.  We don¡¯t really know about her.  Since her health is so low, her Rage skill has been active this whole time, and according to the Americans, she isn¡¯t making much sense.}


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Is there any way to communicate with them?¡±


    {Not efficiently.  I am talking with Stephen and Alice.  They are talking with Ross and Conor, who are in a room with our FBI liaison, Quinton.  He communicates with the FBI agents at MIT, who are talking with the operators plugged into their players, who don¡¯t always make much sense.  Round-trip communication takes minutes to complete, and it isn¡¯t always coherent when I get it.}


    ¡°But I suppose ¡®I don¡¯t want to die¡¯ comes through loud and clear.¡±  Jace sighed.  ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but I¡¯m not making any promises.¡±


    {We all know you will do your best, Jace.  No one is expecting you to work miracles.}


    Jace almost swore at her.  Almost.

 Chapter 41: Second Rescue Attempt

    The group arrived at the pit without engaging further delays.  Jace guessed the three shamans they had seen were the guards Psycho hadn¡¯t killed, and there wouldn¡¯t be any more NPCs upstairs.  The wooden platform still hung partway down the center of the shaft where Psycho had left it.  The lion and panther were in constant agitation below.  Lexi had referred to them as her pets; if she had died or gone, they might be restless with their master out of range.


    Jace turned to the archer. ¡°Can you remove the cats for us?¡±


    The animals were substantial enough that Psycho needed a full round to enact his Death Shot ability to ensure one-shot kills, but two rounds later, the animals were dead.  Jace turned to Esther next.  ¡°Change of plan; we want to take the prisoners alive if we can.¡±


    ¡°If we can?¡± she replied.  ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t we be able to?¡±


    ¡°They will have several banes, and if we run into any more enemies, I don¡¯t think we can protect them all.  Death still allows them to escape, but the elf needs to stay alive.  His existence and the lives of his family in my dimension depend on it.¡±


    Esther nodded.  ¡°I assume you are sending me down to get them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡±  Jace turned back to Psycho and Draya.  ¡°I don¡¯t expect anyone to interrupt us, but you two can handle it if they do.¡±


    ¡°And I?¡± Gromphy asked.


    ¡°How many potions do you have?  What kinds?  They will be in a bad state when they come up, and we may need to remove curses or something else.¡±


    ¡°Thou needest a priest, not I.  Trixna wouldst be mine own choice.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not here,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I brought you.¡±


    Gromphy nodded and handed Jace four healing potions.  ¡°I can evaluateth those captives as best I can at which hour thee returneth.  But ¡®twill taketh time we don¡¯t has¡¯t.¡±


    Jace nodded.  While they assumed all the occupants of the fortress were in the Mithril Palace, the ground shook constantly, reminding them of what else was down there, and none of them wanted to hang around to see if it could escape.


    Psycho started toward the winch to raise the platform, but Esther jumped to the elevator casually, dropping 15 feet as gracefully as if descending a staircase, her skirt billowing out as she fell.  ¡°Just jump,¡± she offered.


    ¡°Not everyone has your Dexterity, Legs,¡± Psycho replied.


    Esther stared back up at him, her eyes challenging the nickname he had decided to stick with.


    ¡°Plus, I¡¯d snap the rope,¡± Jace said, breaking up the staring contest.  As an orc, he wasn¡¯t as nimble or light as the rogue.


    ¡°Then change,¡± Esther said.


    Jace was still going to wait for Psycho to raise the platform, but since he had his magical items back, it might not be a bad idea to transform into his human appearance.  No need to scare these players more than they already were.  Soon the elevator was only five feet below the edge, but it was still a 20-foot jump to the middle of the 50-foot-wide pit.  Psycho pulled on the tether cord and swung the platform up and over to the edge, allowing Jace to step on through a gap in the railing.  The elf let the slack out slowly so they didn¡¯t swing dramatically back into the middle, and then he worked the ratchet and winch to send them down.


    The silence between the two characters was thick as they descended into the darkness below.  Esther spoke first.  ¡°I haven¡¯t used it yet.  I mean, not since the lich¡¯s tomb.  I don¡¯t plan on using it, but just in case, you know.  It¡¯s not like anyone else on our team can do anything with it.  Though I guess Gromphy could probably make something scary.  I just thought. . .¡±


    ¡°We will talk about it later,¡± Jace repeated.  It was like trying to deal with a 500-year-old teenager.


    He drew Diamond Etcher and looked over the railing.  His orc night vision still worked in his human form, and the lightning totem had a soft glow.  He waited until they were ten feet above the ground and tugged on the rope for Psycho to stop.  They only had to wait another minute before the totem dealt electrical damage to the prisoners, and the other one healed them.


    Jace instructed Esther to stay put and leaped to the ground.  He had canceled his three totems when they had been leaving the Mithril Palace, and he didn¡¯t bother casting them here.  Instead, he went straight for the lightning totem.  It had two scripts: one for attacking the prisoners in the cages and one for anyone outside a cell.  It unloaded on Jace but hadn¡¯t generated much mana since its last attack.  It stole some from the four prisoners, but their Mana Generation was horrible.


    With the protections his class and boots gave him, Jace saved critically against the attack and took no damage, passing nothing on to Esther.  He beckoned for her to jump down as he hacked apart the glowing metal statue in the shape of a lightning bolt.  A sword was a horrible weapon against other metal, but Etcher was enchanted to ignore the penalties for attacking metal and stone constructs.  After three attacks, the totem was destroyed.


    Esther wasn¡¯t a rogue who could pick locks, so she had to wait for Jace¡¯s sword to successfully cut open the cages like sardine cans.  He started with the elf, and the South Korean player emerged with 12 HP.  They gave him a healing potion that should have restored 100, but he only made it up to 20.  He had so many banes draining levels and causing him fatigue that his maximum Hit Points were reduced.  It was the same for the two Americans.  The human had a maximum of 25, while the dwarf got up to 50.


    Psycho had lowered the platform to the ground now, and Esther guided the prisoners on board.  Jace saved the half-orc for last and tensed himself as the door popped open, knowing they would face an enraged barbarian.  She was also the largest of the four players, but Ian and Brock had not graced her with a bigger cage.  When she unfolded her impressive body, still dressed in a chainmail bikini, she took one look at her rescuers and exploded.  ¡°You two!¡±


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    She snarled and found the strength to rush Jace.  Esther was faster, intercepting the unarmed woman and wrestling her to her knees.  It was the most criticals she had ever gotten in a Grapple attempt, and she snapped the half-orc¡¯s neck without thinking.  Jace stepped back at the violent move, but Esther didn¡¯t flinch as the body fell limply to the ground.


    The other three prisoners huddled on the platform, looking even more frightened than before.  Esther glared at them, then Jace, and finally the dead PC.  ¡°You could have told me whom we were rescuing,¡± she said in a hushed tone.


    ¡°The initial plan was to kill them,¡± Jace said.  ¡°No reason to tell you who they were.¡±


    She walked past him to the elevator.  ¡°There¡¯s a weight limit,¡± she explained to the other players, hardly quelling their fears.  Jace shook his head in amazement and followed onto the platform.


    A minute later, Psycho pulled the lift to the edge again, and Esther and Draya helped the weary players off.  ¡°Weren¡¯t there supposed to be four?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°One didn¡¯t make it,¡± Esther said before Jace offered a better explanation.


    Psycho exchanged a look with Jace, but the shaman shook his head in a universal gesture that meant drop it.  The elf might remember this foursome from over a week ago at the travel node for Ironfel, as they had transported there just in time to see Esther take out six half-orc guards, but he wouldn¡¯t know the brief history between Esther and the barbarian, and there wasn¡¯t time to explain it now.


    Instead, Jace led his troupe back out of the fortress.  The other three larger companions helped the prisoners walk while Gromphy scampered alongside Jace.  ¡°What do you think?¡± the leader asked.  ¡°Do you have anything that can help them?¡±


    ¡°Level drain, curses, horror, permanent Daze, and terminal fatigue,¡± the goblin reported.  ¡°They art losing health every few seconds.  Other than a floweth of health potions, I canst doth do but little for them.¡±


    Jace knew there was no way they were getting across the bridge.  The structure only allowed one character at a time, and the PCs would only make it two steps on their own before they fell.  He hoped the freight elevator would be operable.


    [Stormhold is now available.  The previous owner has died or relinquished his  . . .]


    The prompt stopped Jace in his tracks.  He figured that Brock had just died, but why didn¡¯t the message finish?


    [Stormhold has been claimed by Ian Forthton.  It is no longer available to . . .]


    When the prompt cut off again, he knew what was coming.


    [Stormhold is now available.  The previous owner has died or relinquished his claim.  To establish ownership of this location as a stronghold, you must belong to the previous owner¡¯s party or resolve the active combat.]


    Jace wondered if Lexi would make a claim, but he guessed she was out of the picture.  While powerful, her claws were no match for the armadillion, and she had probably jumped ship.  That meant Stormhold was Jace¡¯s for the taking.  All he had to do was defeat the Balrog in the Basement.  No thank you.


    The group left the front gate as the fortress shook from the chaos in the caverns below.  Jace ran up to the much larger elevator and inspected it.  Like the one in Mithril Palace, it operated with mana and not a manual winch.


    [Elevator not available.  A Stronghold must have an active owner to use its facilities.]


    [Stormhold is now available.  The previous owner has died or relinquished his . . .]


    Jace dismissed the prompt and tried again but got the same response.


    {It won¡¯t work without someone owning . . .}


    ¡°I know,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I was just hoping.  What if we wait?  If the monster kills everyone and can¡¯t find anything else to do, it will eventually drop out of combat mode, correct?  If it can¡¯t escape the cavern, it will just crawl back into its hole, right?¡±


    {Those are some pretty big Ifs,} Gracie said.  {I don¡¯t think Gandhi is going to let you off the hook that easily.}


    Even though they were nowhere near the armadillion, Jace¡¯s vision showed he was in combat mode.  Neither he nor Draya could cross the bridge like this, to say nothing of their new additions.  Jace could only hope the combat mode would end, but that still wouldn¡¯t save the others.


    ¡°The only option is to go back the way you guys came in,¡± Jace said, turning to Esther, Draya, and Psycho.  If the mage activated her Dragon Strength again, they were each strong enough to carry one of the prisoners down the cliff side.  Jace would have to take Gromphy in his chest again, as only the Goblin or the group leader could move the magical object.  It was risky, but it was the only option.


    The ground shuddered again, but unlike before, it grew stronger with each passing second until the eastern side of the keep exploded in a spray of stone and brick as the armadillion burst onto the expansive plateau.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Is that the thing we heard?¡± Psycho asked.  He and Gromphy had never ventured into the lower level.


    The goblin shrieked in terror, ejected his chest from his inventory, and hopped back inside.  The two MIT students passed out, their health dropping every round.


    ¡°Where did it come from?¡± Psycho asked, not bothering to pull his bow as he watched the beast uproot trees like weeds in a garden.


    ¡°Jace set it free,¡± Esther said quickly.  ¡°It was all part of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Not a plan I signed up for,¡± the archer said.


    ¡°One would rarely request one of Jace¡¯s plans,¡± Draya quipped.


    Jace tried to ignore the negativity.  ¡°Any ideas?¡±  He was willing to outsource the decision-making for once.


    ¡°Psycho, Snowy, and I race across the bridge,¡± Esther started.  ¡°We throw the prisoners down the ravine.  They are dying anyway.  Then you and Draya race back into the fortress and climb down the far side of the cliff while Psycho shoots arrows at the monster to distract it.  We get back to town and leave.¡±


    It was a reasonable, if not brutal, plan.  Jace looked across the chasm and knew Psycho could hit the armadillion with his new bow and probably distract the monster long enough for him and Draya to escape.  He looked over at the three players he had rescued.  Already they had lost 25% of their maximum health.  Just keeping them alive would be a full-time task for someone.


    {There is more to consider,} Gracie said.  {While the monster can¡¯t escape this module, the module does include the city of Stormview.  If it leaves this plateau, which is entirely reasonable to assume, it will destroy and kill everything and everyone down there.  Many innocent PCs and NPCs will die.  This game has risks, and most people know that going in, but you might want to consider that in your decision-making.  Of course, you and your companions are all property of the US government, and risking them like this may not be worth it.}


    Jace knew he couldn¡¯t let the three escapees die, much less an entire city¡¯s worth of people, even if it was just a game.  Putting aside the moral aspects of that, he knew others in the realms would figure out what had happened here, and just like his actions elsewhere had impacted how NPCs in other towns treated him, his actions here would travel with him too.  He had to try something.  He just couldn¡¯t think of anything.  Usually, in times of severe stress and anxiety, the solution came to him.


    ¡°Can you tell me anything about it yet?¡± Jace asked.


    {It has a magma core.  Every few rounds, it generates an explosion of liquid stone that it can use to heal itself or spew lava.  It is powered by chaotic magic, so it is unpredictable how often it fires or for how much, making it very hard to kill.}


    ¡°I assume it is immune to fire?¡±


    {Likely, but there are four levels of fire.  Normal fire, which includes mage fire, is the lowest.  Then comes volcanic fire, dragon fire, and finally, demonic fire.  If you are immune from one of the higher levels, it translates down.  Draya is immune to dragon fire, meaning normal fire and volcanic fire can¡¯t hurt her, but if you run into a demon, all bets are off.  I would guess your friend over there is immune to volcanic fire, so Draya¡¯s attacks should still hurt it.  Fire protection doesn¡¯t care about the source, but immunity is different.}


    Five hundred feet away, the armadillion stopped its destructive rampage, sniffed at the air, and turned toward the characters, smoke drifting from its nostrils.  It bellowed into the air.


    Jace actually swore this time.

 Chapter 42: Working Miracles

    ¡°Okay,¡± Jace said as the armadillion stared at them from a distance, ¡°this is the plan.  Esther and Snowy race across the bridge and find a storm shaman.  Snowy just fed on one, so the scent should be fresh in her mind, and since they all just died, half a dozen of them should be wandering in the mountains.  Enthrall him and bring him back.¡±


    ¡°How do I get him across the bridge?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You need to figure that out,¡± he said.  ¡°Fly if you have to but make it quick.¡±


    The woman nodded and sprinted across the rickety bridge with the wolf at her heels.


    ¡°Gromphy!¡± Jace shouted, and the lid of the chest crept open.


    ¡°I¡¯m not coming out!¡±


    ¡°Fine.  I need three bombs, healing potions, and arrows that can hurt that thing.  Make the bombs fire, fire, and cold.  I also need Adam.  Can you put him inside the cold bomb?¡±


    The chest spat out the potions and the first two bombs quickly, but the other requests took a while.  While they waited, Jace gave Choi, the only conscious member of the escapees, the potions.  ¡°Administer these as best you can.  Wait until you and your friends are very low to make them last as long as possible.  Move into the base of that far tower,¡± he pointed to position two, ¡°and stay out of sight.¡±


    Jace turned to Draya.  ¡°I need you to activate Dragon Spirit and keep it going with your dress.  When you use your staff, I need you to increase the difficulty as high as possible without running out of mana.¡±  She flexed her power, and Jace felt the surge of magic within her.


    Jace returned to the chest, and Gromphy stuck both arms out with two fists full of silver arrows.  ¡°Mithril,¡± Psycho exclaimed and raced over to grab the items.  ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had these.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± the goblin confirmed.


    ¡°Do you have your crafting table in there?¡± Jace asked, lifting the lid slightly.  Gromphy slammed it back down.


    The shaman didn¡¯t have time for games. He glanced over his shoulder at the armadillion and saw it munching trees and watching Esther sprint by on the opposite side of the chasm that isolated their plateau.  ¡°I need the last bomb!¡±


    Gromphy lifted the lid slightly and peered out.  ¡°What didst thou mean by placing Adam in the final bomb?¡±


    Jace bent down to pick up one of the firebombs.  It looked like an enormous bowl of French onion soup, with cheese melting down the sides, but Jace guessed it was some highly flammable concoction.  ¡°This is six inches across,¡± Jace explained.  ¡°Adam is only three inches when small.  Put his figurine inside the last bomb.¡±


    ¡°But ¡®twill end him.¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°You said he is immune to cold.¡±


    The gobbling frowned.  ¡°Thus I didst.¡±


    ¡°Do it!¡± Jace shouted as Psycho warned him the monster was coming closer.  Gromphy didn¡¯t like it, but he was compelled.  If Jace lost the goblin¡¯s toy, it would severely hurt their relationship, but they¡¯d all be dead, so it wouldn¡¯t matter.  The last bomb popped out two rounds later, and the lid slammed shut.  This device was the same size as the others but frosty blue and released vapor like a bowl of dry ice.  Jace had to trust that the golem was in there.  He handed all three items to Psycho.


    ¡°Get up to that tower,¡± he instructed, pointing to position one.  Tower five had been obliterated when the armadillion had burst into the field.  Towers one and four now flanked the monster¡¯s position.  ¡°Get its attention and throw each of these bombs into its mouth.  The two fire ones first, then the ice.¡±  Psycho nodded, stored his new arrows in his cloak, and carried the bombs as he sprinted toward the fortress entrance.


    Jace strategically cast his Damage Sink and Armor totems on the rocky landscape and turned to Draya.  ¡°It¡¯s you and me now.  We must get that thing over here and keep it distracted until Esther returns.¡±


    Draya nodded.  She understood its lava flows shouldn¡¯t hurt, but they could suffocate her.  And if they pooled around her legs and cooled, the lava would trap her as the gnome had done earlier, so she needed to be careful.  Any hit from its foot or tail would kill her instantly, so she didn¡¯t bother with her mage armor.


    ¡°See if your dragon fire can hurt it,¡± Jace said.


    The beast walked toward them and was now within 300 feet, just inside the staff¡¯s range for a single stream of fire.  With her natural mana generation boosted by her Dragon Spirit, Draya could spare additional mana to increase her difficulty.  The fire roared from her weapon and slammed into the beast¡¯s face.  The armadillion didn¡¯t flinch as it saw the attack coming, and Jace guessed its Dodge skill wasn¡¯t significant anyway.  Either way, it wasn¡¯t usually scared of fire, but this was something different.  The attack hit it square in the face, and it reeled in pain, its health dropping by almost 100.  If Jace¡¯s math was correct, it saved against the attack and took half damage, with Damage Reduction eating up about 50 points.  Since it was back to full health, it would take 80 of those attacks to kill it, but at least Draya could cause it some pain.


    The armadillion increased to a trot, galloping toward them like a charging rhino.  Jace moved out to the left side, nearer the fortress, and watched as the beast kept its attention on Draya.  He charged, meeting the creature 50 feet before it got to the mage.  Diamond Ether was out and cut hard at the armored side, slicing into the top of two rock-hard scales.  As predicted, his enchanted sword cut through the stone like butter, and two plates fell and shattered on the ground.


    This caused the armadillion to pause in its rush toward Draya.  As Jace penetrated the vulnerable area with his weapon, the monster stopped entirely, turning hard toward the offending human.  Jace¡¯s attack did far more than 100, as he got three criticals to quadruple the damage.  The colossal beast tried to stomp on the shaman, but he avoided the clumsy attack only to be hit by the real threat as the boulder-like tail whipped him in the back and sent him flying toward the keep.


    {Eight hundred damage,} Gracie advised as Jace flew through the air.  {Because you are a stone shaman, you only take half from thrown rocks or landslides, and its tail qualifies.  After your Damage Reduction, your totem absorbed 380.  Don¡¯t take too many more of those hits.}


    Jace had watched others die from one of those attacks and understood he could take several.  He would need to be the punching bag for this creature because Draya wouldn¡¯t be able to survive a blow like that.  The monster turned to Jace, marveling that the human¡¯s health hadn¡¯t dropped one point, and rushed him with its horned head low.  It took another blast of dragon fire in its ear.


    This time it failed the save and took just over 160.  The armadillion couldn¡¯t decide which annoying human to pursue and paused.  At that moment, a silver arrow flashed through the air, hitting the beast between its eyes.  Now it lifted its head and roared at Psycho standing a dozen feet above it.  The elf threw the first bomb straight down its throat.  The tiny object was hardly enough to choke the creature, but the beast managed to regurgitate it back into its mouth and bit the offending item.  It exploded into a 200-damage fireball, but it wasn¡¯t dragon fire.


    The armadillion lost no health and looked intrigued by the prospect of fire food.  As Jace pulled himself away from the pile of rubble that used to be the fifth guard post, he watched as the beast vomited a wave of lava at Draya to send her sprinting away, then turned back to the elf in the tower expectantly, its mouth slightly ajar.  The archer obliged, and the second firebomb found its target.  This time the monster swallowed it like a puppy getting a treat, and Jace never saw the explosion deep in its stomach.


    The beast cast a look toward Draya and saw the woman still dancing out of the way of the lava stream.  Jace kept his distance, not wanting to distract the monster from his plan.  The third bomb followed, and the monster swallowed it again without thinking but reacted differently as it failed the saving throw and took 150 cold damage.  It lowered its head and rammed the base of the tower.


    Only Psycho¡¯s exceptional Dexterity saved him as he jumped onto the creature¡¯s back right before impact.  Stone and brick followed the elf as his perch exploded behind him, and the armadillion tried to toss the rubble onto its back to chase off the archer.  Psycho slid to the right over the round back and landed on the rapidly cooling lava field.  As debris rained down around him, he sprinted away, making a beeline for the bridge, his feet never touching the hot ground long enough to take damage.


    It looked like the stampeding monster would catch him, but a stream of dragon fire hit it in the face, distracting it just long enough for Psycho to make it to the bridge and race across without breaking stride.  The beast knew it couldn¡¯t follow and turned to Draya, standing directly in front of the fortress next to the chest.  With the bridge to her right, a chasm behind her, and the crumbling keep to her left, she had nowhere to run.


    The armadillion stalked her slowly, its tail swishing back and forth behind it, ready to swat her if she tried to run past.  She released another gout of fire, which only lowered its health by another 100 points.  It was 50 feet away when one of the scales on its left side exploded.  It looked in that direction in time to see a silver streak fly in and disappear into the bare spot where the armored scale had been.  Its health dropped by almost 300.  Roaring, the monster turned completely to its left as Draya took the opportunity to sprint into Stormhold¡¯s damaged entrance.  The destroyed tower hadn¡¯t wholly blocked the vaulted door.


    Psycho stood across the chasm, 350 feet away, Dragonwing in his hands.  With that large a target, he couldn¡¯t miss and only had to aim when he needed to thread a hole he had created.  Jace ran toward the action and watched as the beast swung its tail into what was left of the fortress entrance, bringing another huge section crumbling down.  He winced as he knew Draya had just run in but smiled as she exited through the piles of rubble. He met her and tried to calm her nerves.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°I¡¯m barely scratching him,¡± she cried in frustration, ¡°and if he so much as touches me, I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t let him touch you,¡± Jace quipped and raced toward the animal.  Now that Adam was in the belly of the beast, he had to get back to the chest.  He was pretty sure the box was indestructible, but that didn¡¯t mean the armadillion couldn¡¯t cover it with lava or destroy the ground beneath it.


    Psycho was still firing arrows at the monster, tempting the clever beast to try and jump after him or possibly spew lava that far when Jace came up behind it.  He struck it on the left side, picking off a scale and then filling it with his sword.  As the beast reacted and spun in that direction, Jace was through its legs and avoided the swinging tail.  It looked for the elusive swordsman but caught a face full of dragon fire instead.


    Jace reached the chest and skidded to a stop on the steaming terrain.  The box was only half-buried in lava, but he had to clear away several stone blocks piled around the immovable object, screaming for his crafter as he worked.  Eventually, Gromphy responded to his calls.  The lid cracked open, and the goblin saw the marauding monster only 50 feet away, screamed in terror, and slammed the lid back closed.


    ¡°I need you to activate Adam.¡±


    ¡°I can only doth from 20 feet hence,¡± Grumpy called back, his voice muffled by the closed lid.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there.  Get your leather harness, and you can ride on my back.¡±


    ¡°No good,¡± the crafter replied, an excuse ready for everything.  ¡°Thou art too small.  Tis designed for Adam.¡±


    Jace dispelled his human illusion and appeared as an orc again.  Not quite as large as the golem, but close enough.  ¡°You need to come out.  I will keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Nay one is safe with yond monster present.  I¡¯m content in here.¡±


    ¡°Do I need to command you?¡±


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Jace did, fearing his bond with the crafter was deteriorating fast.  Even with the goblin compelled to obey, the lid opened slowly.  Only when Gromphy was reminded how close the enemy was, did he move with hast, climbing on top of the closed chest and strapping himself to Jace¡¯s back.  He equipped the storage device into his inventory once he was secure.  ¡°Now run!¡±


    Jace obeyed.


    ¡°Not toward the monster, thou gleeking gray-skinned dewberry!  Away from it.¡±  It was the first time the goblin had insulted Jace since joining the party, further showing that their relationship was on the rocks.


    ¡°But that is where Adam is,¡± Jace explained.


    ¡°Then go hence round it, thou cockered weather-bitten odiferous stench.¡±


    ¡°Adam is inside the creature,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°Ahhhh!  What?  Thou didst lose him! Thou art a rancorous idle-headed twit!  I shalt never forgive thee!¡±  Jace ignored the flustered goblin and hoped he wouldn¡¯t leave the party right there.  As he avoided the stomping hind leg of the armadillion, he realized the crafter would be dead within seconds if he jumped off his back, so he had him at least until the end of the fight.


    They were now directly below the monster¡¯s underbelly as it still couldn¡¯t figure out how to deal with the two powerful ranged attackers flanking it.  Psycho and Draya were 300 feet away on either side, and it had no attack that went that far.


    ¡°I can feel him!  I can feel him!¡± Gromphy said as Jace crouched to keep his head from scraping against the stony skin.


    ¡°Then activate him.¡±


    ¡°And has¡¯t him doth what?¡±


    ¡°Attack.  Break things.  Turn the monster¡¯s insides to mush.  Have him find the creature¡¯s mana core and steal its power to stay active.¡±


    Gromphy didn¡¯t respond verbally, but Jace could feel him nod.  A moment later, a shudder went through the armadillion, and Jace feared another lava flow.  He scampered out from under the monster, but it wasn¡¯t doing the customary body wriggle. Instead, it had a pained expression as if experiencing gas.  Jace watched its health go down slowly.  Hasted, Adam could attack three times a round, but the monster had 50 points of Damage Reduction, so the golem could only do 150 per round.  Still, it was consistent and unblockable.


    Now the armadillion assumed the pose it took when its core was about to go off, but its head bolted up in the middle of the process, and it bellowed in rage.  It had tried regenerating, but Adam found the core and stole half of the mana.  Only a few of the monster¡¯s scales reformed, and its health only bumped up a few hundred.  Jace¡¯s group had gotten it down to around 6000.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Gromphy explained.  ¡°Adam hath found the core and didst steal much of the mana, but at a price.  Heavy fire damage.  He canst only doth yond a few more times.¡±


    The armadillion was unhappy and confused.  It finally decided to turn its back on the painful archer and focus on Jace and Draya.  They had the large field to play with, forcing Psycho to either cross back over the bridge or shoot from 600 feet where he wouldn¡¯t do as much damage.  He had also run out of mithril arrows.  His normal ones couldn¡¯t break off scales, so he was forced to aim at the holes in the armor from 600 feet.  Though each was as big as a human¡¯s torso, the game required several criticals to hit them since they were a tiny percentage of the beast¡¯s body.  If the armadillion ever got a good enough heal to close all the holes, Psycho would be rendered useless.


    Meanwhile, Jace and Draya tried to stay on opposite sides of the beast, the orc attacking close while the mage kept her distance.  The shaman was uniquely resistant to the armadillion¡¯s melee attacks, while the mage could handle a little lava.  In the close quarters of Mithril Palace, the monster had decimated Brock and Ian¡¯s forces with crushing blows and fire, but these two characters proved much more difficult.


    Gromphy screamed on Jace¡¯s back each time he got within striking distance.  The shaman got hit several times with the tail and had to turn to catch the attack in the face to spare the goblin.  It took two hits to destroy his totem and carry over to his health, but ten rounds usually elapsed before a third attack, allowing him to cast another Damage Sink.


    Gromphy started comprehending how much of a punishment Jace was taking to protect him and decided to start helping.  He crafted more ice bombs from the ingredients he always kept in his inventory, not needing a crafting table for such a simple process.  He had way more crafting skill than needed, turned the rest into mana, and started casting boons on his mount.  He raised Jace¡¯s Dexterity and boosted his Dodge skill, making avoiding the lumbering feet and occasional tail strikes even easier.  The goblin didn¡¯t have boon spells memorized for all the skills, but he bolstered Jace¡¯s Damage Reduction, Magic Defense, and Melee bonus.


    Jace appreciated the help, and as the ice bombs rained down on the monster before him, and his attacks grew in potency while feeling as nimble as Esther or Psycho, he knew this was a combination he would have to try again.  As intelligent as Gromphy was, the goblin didn¡¯t realize he was broadcasting how effective he could be in combat situations.


    Over the next 20+ rounds, the armadillion had three more mana surges, two of which Adam interrupted, taking more fire damage.  Even with the golem¡¯s persistent attacks, they couldn¡¯t bring the monster much below 6000.  As Gromphy started to run out of ingredients and Jace¡¯s boons expired, his attacks became less effective, and he had to guard more against retaliation.  Jace even got a fatigue warning.  With all his running around, Jace understood it would take its toll eventually.  That meant Draya must be in worse shape.  She wasn¡¯t swinging her weapon and Dodging close attacks, but her Constitution was much lower.


    With Jace regrouping, the armadillion felt safe using its next mana wave to belch lava at Draya.  This caught her off guard, as it had used the past four surges to heal.  The mage didn¡¯t take damage from the attack, but her fatigue started to set in, and she tripped in her retreat.  Falling to her hands and knees, she struggled in the thick lava flow and couldn¡¯t make it to safety before the magma cooled around her legs.  She was rendered Helpless as the beast closed in on her.  Jace sprinted to her defense and tried to parry the tail attack that came in.  He failed but intercepted the blow, saving the woman as Gromphy helped a little by dropping another hastily constructed cold bomb at her feet before they sailed into the air.


    Since it was from a party member and she was Helpless, Draya didn¡¯t get a chance to save against the bomb, so Gromphy had to reduce the damage to keep from killing her.  Since he was low on ingredients, it would have done reduced damage either way.  Still, the rapidly cooling magma became brittle, allowing her Dragon Strength a chance to wrestle herself free.  It took a few blows from her staff, but she rolled away just before the creature stomped the rocks to powder.


    Gromphy took damage as Jace no longer had the Dexterity boons necessary to rotate in the air and land correctly.  The orc was down to half health and still had to wait a few rounds before he could cast another Damage Sink.  Draya was hurt badly by the cold bomb, but it had been necessary to save her.  Psycho hadn¡¯t done any significant damage in a while, and they still couldn¡¯t get this monster below 75% health.  They needed help.


    {Esther¡¯s back,} Gracie informed him.  {She found a storm shaman.}


    Jace picked himself up off the ground and looked in the distance toward the far side of the bridge.  He saw Esther and Psycho talking and wondered how they would get the man across.  A few trees near them suddenly bent over from a ferocious wind, and all three characters and Snowy took to the air and were blown across the span.  Nice to have a storm shaman.


    Psycho was in range to do damage again but held his fire for a few seconds, not wanting to attract attention to Esther¡¯s arrival.  Once she was halfway across the field, running along the edge of the mostly totaled keep, Psycho resumed firing, finding the few bare spots the beast hadn¡¯t healed.  It had significant resistance to fire and acid, but the elf found lightning worked well, and his elemental bow fired off the attacks as quickly as he could pull arrows.


    The armadillion was again fielding attacks from three sides and couldn¡¯t decide whom to pay attention to.  Esther slipped by unnoticed.  Jace took off another two scales and sliced deep into the creature as the woman drew near.  ¡°Get up into that tower,¡± he cried, motioning to position four, which stood at the edge of the field.  ¡°Tell your thrall we need a lightning storm to generate power, and then you need to be ready to fire at this thing when I tell you.  Snowy, go by Psycho.¡±


    They had all been briefed on the defensive abilities of this fortress, and Esther knew what her boss wanted.  However, she didn¡¯t feel completely confident giving her new friend instructions and wished he could operate on his own.  ¡°Can we invite the shaman into our party?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No!¡± Jace shouted.


    ¡°Why not?¡±  Esther stood just outside the keep next to a hole in the wall, hiding behind rubble as she watched Jace successfully avoid another attack and plunge his sword into the beast.


    ¡°Because it will kill me,¡± he responded under duress.  ¡°And don¡¯t let him increase the difficulty.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t understand the answer, but she had learned to trust her leader and led the storm shaman into the fortress as the clouds that had stayed over the mountains began creeping over their location.   The storm blotted out the late morning sun but lit up the sky with flashes of electricity.


    The armadillion was vulnerable to lightning but knew enough about this environment to understand that a blast of 600 damage wouldn¡¯t come close to killing it.  It could heal quickly and sensed that the golem inside it was running out of health and could only block its regeneration a few more times.  Testing that theory, the monster paused to refresh, and Adam stole most of it.


    ¡°Yond is all he can doth,¡± Gromphy reported.  ¡°Once more shalt end him, but he can lasteth another 20 rounds hence that final charge.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, it won¡¯t take that long.  Tell your golem to start climbing up out of the creature¡¯s stomach.  Adam must reach the armadillion¡¯s mouth in the next few rounds.¡±


    ¡°But then another lava spew shalt kill him.¡±


    Jace just avoided a tail strike and took off a few more scales.  ¡°Trust me.¡±


    Over the fortress, lightning started to rain down on an array of crystals in the center of the structure, striking every other round.  A few moments later, Esther appeared at the top of tower four.  The shaman was winded and a few steps behind her.  Under her instruction, the man cast a totem that resembled a gun turret made of blue glass and silver metal.  She waved to Jace to let him know she was ready.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Adam,¡± Jace asked, just avoiding a stomping foot as the opposite side of the creature was lit up with dragon fire and lightning arrows.


    ¡°Climbing,¡± was all the goblin said.


    Jace backed away and saw the armadillion go through convulsions as an 8-foot-tall adamantium golem climbed up its esophagus.  Its body retched as if it were going to summon more lava, but Jace figured it had been too soon after the previous mana surge.  But the chaos enchantment that gave its core power responded to the monster¡¯s request, and Jace felt the magic building in its belly.


    ¡°Get off!¡± Jace commanded Gromphy.  ¡°Get off and run!¡±


    The goblin didn¡¯t question the command, undid a few buckled on his harness, dropped to the ground, and sprinted toward Snowy and Psycho.  The archer was peppering the beast from 150 feet.


    ¡°Draya!¡± Jace cried.  ¡°Get to Psycho.  Run!  Get clear.¡±  He then turned up to Esther.  ¡°On my mark.  Shoot for the silver target.¡±


    ¡°What target?¡± she cried, but then she saw it.


    The armadillion sensed the power building from the fortress, and while it wasn¡¯t enough to pose much of a threat, it was the biggest danger to it right now.  Another pulse of magma was coming, and what better way to clear its clogged throat than by spewing lava at the shaman ready to attack it.  The monster opened its mouth wide and pointed it at Esther.


    ¡°There!¡± she cried to her shaman as Adam¡¯s silver head poked up at the back of the monster¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Now!¡± Jace shouted.


    Lightning leaped from the tower just as lava rushed over the golem from the other direction, consuming his legs.  The electricity was faster.


    Adam had been in play for over 40 rounds.  Jace had lost count once Esther had arrived.  Gracie later told him it had been 48.  That meant he would fail any lightning attack with 24 criticals, multiplying any damage he took by 12.  The 600 lightning damage ballooned to 7200. Typically, only half would then pass to the armadillion, but since Adam¡¯s perfectly conductive body was touching the creature as he gripped tightly to the back of its tongue, the game treated them as one target.  The armadillion only had 5800 HP.


    The head of the enormous beast exploded as lava came spewing out of its neck hole.  The lightning jumped to the next closest target.  Jace had made sure it was him.  He stood still next to the beast, his head bowed in prayer to Dexmachi.  ¡°I haven¡¯t asked for much recently,¡± he said as 3600 lightning damage surged into him.  ¡°But a good saving roll would be nice here.¡±


    Jace already had excellent Magic Defense.  And since the level 15 storm shaman was instructed not to increase the difficulty of the attack and Jace had 100% protection from lightning, he should be okay.  But it wasn¡¯t enough to just save against the attack.  Half damage would still obliterate him.  He needed to save critically.  With a roll of 16, he did, and the lightning was reduced to zero and didn¡¯t jump to anyone else.  If the shaman had been part of their party, like Ester had wanted, Jace would have failed automatically.


    Meanwhile, the lava erupted like a volcano, primarily spraying at the tower but flying in all directions.  Esther summoned her dragon shield and weathered a flood of deadly magma.  The shaman took half his health in fire damage and collapsed, dying the next round as molten rock flowed over him.


    Jace didn¡¯t have a wave to avoid but took extra damage from the occasional drops of lava raining down around him.  Draya draped herself over Snowy while Psycho used his superior HP to shield Gromphy.  The lava from the volcanic eruption stopped after three rounds, and Jace breathed a sigh of relief.  His health hovered around 120, and he carefully avoided stepping on any piles of molten slag.  He looked at the tower and saw a wall of igneous rock formed by Esther¡¯s fire immunity shield.  He worried she might have still taken damage, but she peaked around the edge of the barrier and smiled at her leader with no significant reduction in health.


    ¡°At least one of my plans worked,¡± he called.


    ¡°You were about one for four on this trip,¡± Draya spoke up from his left, and Jace turned to look at her, happy that she had performed well in her first significant conflict.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jace said as he motioned at the dead monster before them, ¡°but it was a significant ONE.¡±


    Gromphy approached the dead armadillion cautiously.  It no longer had a head, but he didn¡¯t want to take any chances.  Once he was sure, he cast his deconstruction spell to harvest any useful body parts from the monster, scooping up Adam¡¯s figurine once it emerged from the remains.  The goblin took damage from the hot metal item but didn¡¯t care and stored it in his pouch.  The recovery of his golem and access to this unique monster loot repaired the damage Jace had done to their relationship.


    ¡°You do this kind of thing often?¡± Psycho asked, jogging up to the group.  Esther took a shortcut and climbed down the outside of the tower, a ramp of cooled lava making it easier.


    ¡°Define often,¡± Jace requested.


    ¡°There was a frost giant,¡± Esther said.  ¡°But it was nothing like this, and I was dying, so I didn¡¯t get to watch.¡±


    ¡°And the lich,¡± Draya said, ¡°though I felt like I did most of the work that time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t do all the work this time,¡± Esther argued.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± the mage replied.  ¡°You weren¡¯t even here most of the time.  I was trapped in rock and almost died.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Esther asked.  ¡°How many times is that going to happen to you?¡±


    Jace laughed as he moved away from the good-natured fighting and paid attention to a prompt.


    [Stormhold is now available.  All combat has been resolved.  Would you like to take ownership?  YES / NO]


    Jace looked around at the damaged keep and figured it was still worth it.  He selected YES.

 Chapter 43: The Spoils of Battle

    Clean-up was fairly routine after the heat of the dead monster had cooled down. Gromphy and Psycho spent their time rooting through the armadillion¡¯s remains. The crafter was interested in body parts, while the archer wanted the mithril arrows back. Most had been melted, but the goblin promised that he could fix them and make more. After raiding the keep''s treasure room, he had a trunk full of mithril, and he could keep the elf stocked for a long time. Jace was beginning to realize Psycho loved arrows more than Esther loved pancakes.


    The armadillion was worth two million experience, the most the game would allow for one creature. Because five characters contributed to its destruction, Jace got 400k. It was enough to advance to level 17. He could worry about that later, knowing he would also have to handle Esther and Draya¡¯s leveling. There were more important things to worry about now.


    All those not involved in dissecting a monster hurried back to the front of the fortress and had to do significant excavation to uncover the three hostages. They were out of healing potions, but none were Chaotic, so Jace could use his ring to return them to their reduced maximums. Esther wanted to go back inside and look through the loot all the dead characters had left behind, but Jace didn¡¯t think they had time for that. He told her she could come back here whenever she wanted when he wasn¡¯t around.


    Now that he controlled the stronghold, all the shamans and trolls would obey him. He could transfer that authority to Psycho and Esther and would tell them to at least set up a defensive system to make sure no one tried to steal the fortress. Unless they killed Jace, other players couldn¡¯t own it, but they could start mining if they wanted.


    One of the menu screens for Stormhold showed a list of all the unique NPCs that had died during the last combat session. Normally, they would wake up in their rooms, but since their party leaders were dead, they didn¡¯t have a home. Jace had feared Brock would hold his companions hostage, but now it was the other way around. He sent a private message to Wallace with a screenshot of the potential companions and then scheduled most of them to reset in six hours, allowing the other player time if she wanted to pursue any of them.


    Four of the NPCs had the option for him to return them to their owner. They had belonged to Lexi, which was confirmation that the druid hadn¡¯t perished. She was definitely no longer here, and any private travel nodes she might have had were deleted when the stronghold was reset. Jace decided to keep these NPCs in limbo for now. He assumed the powerful woman would resurface at some point, and it didn¡¯t hurt to have a few negotiating chips.


    Jace found he had lots of options for Stormhold. In addition to making the freight elevator operatable again, he could control the settings on the bridge. It would always appear the same, but he could relax the restrictions on how many people could cross at once and what the Dexterity check was. It allowed the owner to bring the shamans and trolls across without difficulty. Also, honored guests wouldn¡¯t have to risk their lives visiting. They would have to get over a bit of vertigo, but that was half the fun.


    Instead of messing with any of that, Jace put a private travel node right in front of the main door. Any of his group would be able to enter the module from this location, so they wouldn¡¯t even need to worry about the bridge. Jace had been burned in the past by giving Esther too much control in his modules but didn¡¯t care about this one as much and made her and Psycho co-owners so they could control the bridge and command the minions. Draya would be too busy in school to assist. Once they had the place fixed up, he would probably sell it, though the CIA would likely consider it theirs, and he might not have a say in the matter. With the Balrog in the Basement taken care of, it would be open for limited mining again. No one would want to go deeper, but even shaving a few feet off the walls in Mithril Palace would net someone a hefty profit.


    Once Psycho and Gromphy finished with the armadillion, Jace led the large group out of the module. They traveled first to Safe Haven. Jace brought the three injured players to a temple, and after a few rounds, they were on the road to recovery. They thanked the team profusely, but Jace played it off as him just doing his job. Esther ate up the gratitude, and Jace could tell the human MIT student wanted to ask her out, but his friend stopped him. They would return to their stronghold, get Choi all the money he needed, and then log off.


    Jace wanted a break too, and after another round of handshakes, he led his group back to his home. He realized his stronghold needed a name. Cresthold? Stone Haven? Diamond Peak? He¡¯d work on it. The sun was setting over the mountains in their time zone, and after a good meal where Esther and Draya entertained Trixna and Topper with stories of their adventures, it was time for most of the characters to go to bed. Draya had school in the morning.


    Jace found his way to his bedroom, and Esther followed him. ¡°Is now later?¡± she asked.


    He nodded and had a seat, wanting nothing other than to log off, but figured he should handle this first. He had thought of a whole speech to give her but decided to take a shortcut. ¡°You can keep the stone.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked, her hand already at the opening of her gem bag to retrieve it, assuming Jace would want it back.


    ¡°I believe it is bad for you, and if you use it too often, it will corrupt you, but you are your own person, and you showed great control in helping me these past two days.¡± For Jace it had only been one day, but his NPCs had experienced more.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t with Gromphy and me before when . . .¡± her voice trailed off. Jace knew there was a story he would need to hear at some point, but it didn¡¯t look like she was ready to tell it. ¡°I don¡¯t always make the right decision.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace said. ¡°And neither do I. As Draya will happily tell you, half of my plans fail spectacularly.¡±


    ¡°But you always come through in the end,¡± Esther said, not letting Jace play the humble card.


    ¡°And so do you,¡± he replied, producing a smile on her face. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be in a situation in the future where our only hope of survival is for you to use that stone, but it is locked in a chest back here. If it becomes a problem, we will deal with it. But for now, you should keep it.¡±


    Esther took a few steps forward and kissed him on his orc cheek. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I will endeavor to make good decisions.¡±


    Yeah, right, Jace thought. ¡°Just don¡¯t kill Gromphy while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    Esther laughed and skipped out of the room. Jace smiled at her departure, closed his eyes, and logged off.


    <hr>


    The other CIA agents were waiting for him when he woke up.


    ¡°That was incredible,¡± Stephen said. ¡°It was an honor to watch.¡±


    ¡°We recorded everything,¡± Allison said. ¡°That final battle will get millions of views once we post it.¡±


    Jason Hawthorne looked over at Gracie. ¡°Can you ever see Adam in the video?¡±


    The woman shook her head, knowing that Jason would want to keep that ace up his sleeve. Plus, if anyone ever learned of the golem¡¯s vulnerability to lightning, they could use it to kill half his team. ¡°I can edit the audio when you tell Gromphy to put him in the cold bomb and have Esther aim at the silver target. People will just have to guess how you summoned a 7200 lightning bolt. They still don¡¯t know how you did it against the mummies, and that attack was astronomically bigger. Your enemies already need to come prepared to repel dragon fire. Now they think you are Thor too.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said, seeing how that perception would benefit him. ¡°Give the people what they want but wait six hours before releasing it. I want Wallace to have a head start on getting herself a companion, and people will be camping out in the NPC-specific modules if they know I took on the Stormhold group. This fight wasn¡¯t as public as my bought with Dresher, so it should take everyone else a bit longer to figure out what happened. I suppose no one will attack our new fortress if they think I can summon that kind of defensive lightning.¡±


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Is there anything else you need?¡± Allison asked. ¡°Are you hungry? We have a hotel room for you and Gracie. Uh . . . I mean two rooms. Definitely separate rooms.¡± She was nervous and talking way too fast.


    ¡°Pizza, a beer, and a bed would be great,¡± he said. The young woman scampered off to make it a reality.


    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to all my new stuff?¡± Jason asked the more veteran members of his team. ¡°Do I get to keep any of it?¡±


    Stephen laughed. ¡°I thought you just played the game to help people. Don¡¯t tell me you are getting attached to your character. You know it isn¡¯t real, right?¡±


    Jason laughed unconvincingly. It certainly felt real.


    <hr>


    It was the day after they had returned from Stormhold, and Gromphy was tired.  He didn¡¯t have the constitution scores of the other team members and had slept little.  He had done a lot of crafting yesterday.  Not the volume he used to do in the Torrintank Keep module, but much more valuable items with more eccentric components.  He had performed spells he had never cast before.  And he knew if he stayed with Jace, that would only continue.  He remembered wanting to leave his leader during the heat of battle when Jace had forced him to put Adam in a bomb and then threw it down the gullet of that abomination.  The memory gave the goblin chills.


    But it had all worked out gloriously.  Adam¡¯s figurine seemed unharmed, and he could feel the magic still working in the object.  He would give his friend another full day to recover, but he didn¡¯t expect any issues.


    Seeing Jace¡¯s complex plan come to completion with the destruction of that powerful enemy had been euphoric.  The women liked to joke about how bad their leader was at coming up with solutions, but they were wrong.  As a master crafter who devoted his life to taking unique and powerful ingredients and combining them into something greater than the sum of their parts, Gromphy appreciated what Jace could accomplish and knew that no one else could have produced the results the orc shaman had.


    After briefly thinking about leaving the group, the crafter was more committed to this team than ever before.  He had crafted several powerful items for Draya, Esther, and Psycho, but Jace had asked nothing for himself besides a cursed ring.  The crafter felt Jace deserved more.


    The goblin had sorted through the armadillion remains and hadn¡¯t found much of note.  It had massive diamond molars that could be sold for a high price but were too large to craft into anything useful.  Its bones were laced with titanium and adamantium but were too large to make anything other than a giant weapon that no one in the group could wield.  He could whittle them down, but the metals that made them valuable also made them resistant to manipulation.


    Only one item from the monster¡¯s body had any actual crafting value, and it sat before Gromphy as he tried to figure out how to use it.  It was the mana core of the armadillion.  Considering it had come from such a massive beast, it was relatively small, only six inches across at its widest dimension.  It was a crystal, sharing properties of diamonds, glass, quartz, and several other minerals.  It was on life support right now, hooked up to the emerald stone Jace had rescued from the lich¡¯s module.


    Without the stone, it would have still kept its magical signature for a while but would have lost its ability to ever link with another living creature after a few hours.  Gromphy had acted quickly and was convinced he could implant it into a new host.  It spat out a few ounces of molten rock every few minutes, and the goblin needed to suspend it over a sink filled with water.  Every eight hours, he had to empty the cooled pebbles outside, but it was worth it to preserve the item.  Someone with a unique connection to stone could possibly harness its power.  Perhaps a stone shaman.


    But there were two significant problems with giving this item to Jace.  It operated with Chaotic magic, and it produced fire.  Both of those ran contrary to his leader¡¯s nature.  The Chaos wouldn¡¯t work in an Ordered individual, and the volcanic fire would kill him.


    Gromphy was confident he could overcome the first problem.  The core was shaped as if by a drunk sculptor with hundreds of facets and confusing angles.  There was no symmetry or precision in its design.  He could imagine that any mana reverberating within this structure would bounce around at seemingly random intervals and never produce the same result.  He had several flawless gems at his disposal and was sure he could reshape this item into an ordered configuration of perfect symmetry so the energy produced would be more reliable.  It would require tools he didn¡¯t have yet, but he was skilled enough to do the job.


    The second problem took more work.  He needed to cancel the fire aspect of the core, so it generated neutral stone mana.  Gromphy required a frost core, probably more than one, and he couldn¡¯t pick them up at any store in Crestfall or Safe Haven.  He knew of several monsters one could kill to get such a core, but it would have to be done with precision, and it was best if the beasts were still alive while he worked on it.  The armidillion¡¯s core had stayed alive for several hours, but a smaller creature wouldn¡¯t last that long.  And while this core would retain its magic for months after its death, a normal mana core would likely be useless after only a couple of hours.  It would take a skilled warrior to render such a monster Helpless and able to be transported back to his lab.  It was a good thing he had powerful friends.


    Gromphy left his quarters and walked through the stronghold to Esther¡¯s room.  He respectfully announced his presence at the door through the magical bell system Trixna had installed, not wanting to intrude but confident the women were still awake.


    ¡°Come in.¡±  Draya¡¯s voice was loud and clear.


    Gromphy entered and walked the short series of right angles until he was in the central part of their room, surprised by what he saw.  He was looking for Esther, but Psycho sat across from Draya with books covering their large table.  ¡°Oh, hi, Gromphy,¡± the mage said.  ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± he hesitated.  ¡°What art thee doing?¡±


    ¡°Studying,¡± Draya replied.  ¡°I¡¯m trying to learn the art of illusion.  It really is an art, too.  It is so much more complicated than throwing a fireball.  You have to be prepared for just about anything to come up.¡±  She stopped as she realized she was saying too much, getting carried away with her new passion.  ¡°Anyway, half the texts are written in elvish, and Psycho is helping me translate.¡±


    ¡°And thee has¡¯t nothing better to doth?¡± Gromphy asked, turning to the archer.


    ¡°Actually,¡± the elf replied.  ¡°She is helping me more than I am helping her.  Our last fight reminded me how low my Magic Defense is, and Draya is helping me study to learn ways to improve it.  Really, we are helping each other.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the goblin nodded.  ¡°I wast looking for Esther.  Doth thee knoweth where she is?¡±


    Draya shook her head insistently.  Psycho laughed.  ¡°Nobody¡¯s talking,¡± the elf said.  ¡°Trixna and Draya say they don¡¯t know, but I can tell they are lying.  She has a lover in Crestfall.¡±


    ¡°She does not!¡± Draya said a bit too defensively.  ¡°You are talking nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Where else is she, and why won¡¯t you tell us?¡± he asked.  ¡°When I go somewhere, I tell you.¡±


    ¡°You just go hunting with Snowy.  The wolf would tell me anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, tell us where Esther is?¡±


    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Know.¡± Draya said.


    Psycho laughed and turned to Gromphy.  ¡°See, she is lying.  Esther has a boyfriend in Crestfall.¡±  Psycho leaned his chair away from the table and half-closed his eyes as he held up his hands.  ¡°I can see it all clearly.  The man is a chef.  Makes the best pancakes in all the realms.¡±  Draya started giggling.  ¡°He is tall, dark skin, with piercing blue eyes.  He¡¯s not a fighter, no.  Instead, he cooks and plays music, singing beautiful ballads to our fearsome rogue.¡±  Draya was laughing now.  ¡°He makes candlelit dinners for her, and they eat pancakes under the stars.  And his name is . . . Thunder Tightbottom.¡±


    Draya burst out uncontrollably.  ¡°I wish that was his name.  It would be so . . .¡± but then her voice trailed off as she realized what she had said.


    Psycho¡¯s chair slammed back down to all fours.  ¡°Ah ha! So, there is someone!¡±


    Draya scowled at his cruel trick.  ¡°Maybe.  But if there is, I didn¡¯t tell you.  And he wouldn¡¯t be in Crestfall.  I swear, I won¡¯t help you with your magic if you keep pressing me.¡±


    The two had a staring contest for a few seconds before Gromphy sighed in frustration.  ¡°Perhaps at which hour she returns, thee can sendeth her to see me.¡±


    Psycho pulled his eyes away from the young woman and turned to the goblin.  ¡°What do you need her for?¡±


    Gromphy wondered if he should say since secrets were so popular in this group.  ¡°I requireth a polar worm, an ice drake, or a frost salamander.  At most, six of some combination.¡±


    Psycho¡¯s eyes lit up.  ¡°I know what those are,¡± he said, closing the confusing book he had been trying to read.  ¡°I¡¯m a hunter.  I can get you a dozen.¡±


    ¡°I shan¡¯t but the six, but I needeth them alive, preferably unharmed.¡±


    Psycho¡¯s face fell.  Taking things alive was not his specialty.  The goblin interpreted the look.  ¡°Esther can draineth them to level one.  I can provide her a wand to preventeth them from expiring, and thus she can Grapple them securely and proffer them to me unharmed.¡±


    Psycho nodded, understanding how easy it would be for the vampire to do those things.  ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°If¡¯t be true thee wouldst liketh to try, beest mine own guest.  Otherwise, alert Esther that I beseech her aid, wherever she might be.¡±  With that, he left the room and let them resume their studying.


    The END


    <hr>


    And this is the end of Book 2.


    I don¡¯t beg for ratings or favorites often, but if you¡¯ve completed both books and enjoyed what you have read, I would love the feedback.


    I do have ideas for book three and know what the central theme is, but there are a few tricks and puzzles I need to work out yet. Also, I need to write the short story to describe what happened with Esther and Gromphy when they went on their adventure to get Draya¡¯s dress cursed. That will feed nicely into Book three. I''m also considering a short story that follows Wallace on one of her missions that will hint at things to come in Book three. Plus, Gromphy just challenged Psycho''s ego by saying Esther would be better at a hunting mission than he would. There is no way the archer will let that pass. Maybe he will take Draya along. Please Follow if you want to be notified when these shorter stories begin posting.


    Initially, I only had three stories outlined for this series, but now I have ideas on dealing with Draya and Gromphy¡¯s backstories. Plus, a Balrog in Jace¡¯s Basement needs to be dealt with soon. I''m not sure exactly when I will be continuing this story, but it will definitely be in 2023, probably in the summer.

 Book 2.1: Introduction

    Hey, remember this story? Hopefully, all of you who read the first two books and followed the story are seeing this update. If you discovered this story later, then you didn¡¯t have to wait the months that everyone else did. Sorry about that. I got distracted.


    However, this isn¡¯t exactly a post to let you know that Book 3 is coming; well, it is, but not quite yet. Instead, I had this crazy idea to write four short stories between books 2 and 3. There is a lot going on in book 3, with several storylines, character arcs, and magical transformations all tying together by the end. These short stories explain much of the background for book 3 and writing them helped me nail down character motivation and explore the Realm of Infamy a bit more.


    I also wanted to explore the ideas of things like: How do other players play the game? How do NPCs operate in the game when they are on their own? What does a normal module look like? These stories do that . . . I hope. None of them have Jace in them, but they deal with other characters that you have already met, like all of Jace¡¯s companions and several other PCs.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The stories are about 8-12 chapters in length (I¡¯ve written two of them at this point), and I plan to finish each story completely before posting it, so once I start posting a new one, there will be little to no delay in getting the whole thing. After that, I will move on to Book 3, and I hope to finish it before the end of the year.


    Thanks for reading. Please leave comments.


    <hr>


    The first story actually takes place during Book 2. At the end of Chapter 29, Jace splits the group. He, Draya, and Psycho leave to go learn about Draya¡¯s past and about the layout of Stormhold, while Esther and Gromphy are sent on a mission to place a powerful curse on Draya¡¯s new dress. I only hint at what took place during that mission since I followed Jace and Draya. The only important thing for book 2 is that they successfully cursed the dress. The rest of what happened is more about Esther and foreshadowing for Book 3.


    Including it in Book 2 would have ruined the book''s flow and distracted the reader too much from the main plot line. By taking this mission out, I am able to expand it and focus on the things I want. Also, I love writing scenes where Esther and Gromphy argue. Hopefully, you enjoy reading them.

 Chapter 1: Five Finger Discount

    Esther and Gromphy materialized next to the travel node in Therasphue. The vampire rogue had been here several hours ago with Jace to harvest the blood of a shade salamander. It had been night then, and it should be dawn now, but the same dark haze covered the visible horizon. Clouds hung low in the sky, perpetually promising rain and adding to the town''s sense of doom and gloom.


    ¡°What cesspool did thee bring me to?¡± Gromphy mumbled, wishing to disappear back into the node.


    ¡°I figured a goblin would love it here,¡± Esther said, sounding cheery. ¡°Don¡¯t you guys eat slime?¡± She peered over the edge of the wooden entry platform to the slowly moving bog below. ¡°This is an all-you-can-eat buffet.¡±


    Gromphy growled but didn¡¯t offer a verbal reply.


    ¡°You should feel lucky,¡± Esther said, looking down at her shorter companion. ¡°Jace took me in there.¡± She tossed a thumb over her shoulder toward the trail that disappeared into the swamp. ¡°We are going into town.¡±


    ¡°What privileges thee hast bestowed upon me! My gratitude overflows unendingly.¡±


    ¡°It better,¡± Esther said, upset she couldn¡¯t respond in kind but at least happy she understood what the ostentatiously verbose crafter said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The pair had caused a stir when they had left the town hours ago, and a flood of players had come to investigate what they had done, but after a while, the crowd had dissipated, and no one was willing to retrace Jace and Esther¡¯s path into the swamp to discern their mission. Now the streets were sparsely populated, and nearly all the characters they passed were fellow NPCs scripted not to notice each other.


    The cobblestone streets were damp, mossy, and uneven. Lamps stood every fifty feet, illuminating the hazy humidity in the air. Shops lined the left side of the main street with the slow-moving stream on the right. Crocodiles, snakes, and spiders patrolled the shores while beggars, orphans, and rats guarded the shop entrances. Most of the vagrant population was missing eyes, limbs, or other body parts, and Esther couldn¡¯t help but think that the pitiable lot was a mobile collection of spare ingredients for countless spells and hexes.


    Several larger homes rose behind the shops, some of which looked quite nice, but Esther wasn¡¯t interested in being introduced to the resident population. They needed a curse for Draya¡¯s dress, and then they would leave as soon as possible.


    Gromphy eyed the shop fronts, trying to pick the one most likely to have what they needed, though he understood the power of the spell they wanted to cast would likely lead them to multiple shops and possibly a trip into the wild outskirts to fetch a key ingredient. After a few minutes, the goblin saw a shop called ¡°Tarson¡¯s Fine Hexes, Curses, and Elemental Potions.¡± That sounded about right, and he led Esther up the steps and through the wooden door.


    Shelves lined the walls inside, holding jars with wriggling bugs, worms, and body parts. Cobwebs lay thick on the wares giving the appearance that no one had bought anything in years, but Esther was willing to bet it was the result of active spiders in the building, likely pets of the owner. Buying a jar of chameleon tongues probably cost extra if it was covered in spiderwebs.


    A kobold, presumably Tarson, stood behind a short counter at the far end of the shop. He wore a monocle, a hat, and several gold chains around his neck. The diminutive creature was a few inches taller than Gromphy, and the goblin made a straight line for him.


    The front counter had a ramp on one side that allowed medium-sized humanoids to descend a few feet, so the counter was at a more appropriate height for them, and so the kobold didn¡¯t have to look up as much. Gromphy stood beside it, appreciating a shop designed for shorter people. Esther stood behind the goblin, her arms crossed, enjoying the height advantage.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fine morning, my fine sir,¡± Tarson started, speaking above his station, ¡°which of my fine wares are you interested in?¡±


    Gromphy scanned the shelves behind the counter filled with colorful potions kept out of reach of the casual shopper. ¡°Wouldst thee be having a bane to reverse fire protection? Something appropriate for a magical garment.¡±


    ¡°Fine choice, fine choice,¡± the kobold said. ¡°Dispell, hex, or curse?¡±


    ¡°Curse,¡± Gromphy replied.


    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Ah, yes, a fine choice, fine choice indeed,¡± he turned around and sorted through a few potions before returning with half a dozen options. ¡°I¡¯ve got some with varying strengths and potency.¡±


    Gromphy¡¯s hands hovered over the offerings, but he quickly dismissed them. When he got to the last one, he hesitated for longer but eventually shook his head. ¡°Tis not thy full store. These are but for a folly; we requireth the full draught.¡± Gromphy¡¯s eyes went over the kobold and settled on a separate flask. ¡°That one.¡±


    The kobold didn¡¯t need to turn to see which potion the goblin indicated. ¡°Aye, it is a fine potion indeed, but you are without a questing player. I cannot sell that but once a day. It is part of a module. You, my fine sir, cannot buy it on your own.¡±


    Esther effortlessly stepped onto the counter, over the kobold, and toward the indicated potion. ¡°No, but you can¡¯t, fine lass. It is not allowed.¡± Tarson was woefully inadequate at stopping Esther, but he didn¡¯t have to; once she got to the flask in question, she couldn¡¯t lift it. It was no bigger than a healing potion and couldn¡¯t weigh more than a pound, but it was affixed to the wooden shelf so securely that even the vampire¡¯s impressive strength couldn¡¯t lift it. The game wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    She could tell it was futile after a few moments and instead turned around, dropped to a knee, and grabbed the smartly dressed kobold by the lapels. ¡°We are here on a mission from Jace Thorne. He has sent us on a quest. We must have that potion.¡±


    Tarson squealed in fright, and as he reached into his vest for something, Esther Securely Grappled him. ¡°Don¡¯t try anything. We aren¡¯t your average adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Esther,¡± Gromphy said. ¡°Release him forthrightly. We hath not the authority to appropriate the article in question. I hath but one choice.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Esther said, letting the kobold go and turning to look at the goblin. He held an acid bomb. ¡°Are you crazy? This place is filled with . . .¡± but her voice trailed off as she dove out of the way. Tarson used his sudden freedom to look on in horror at the goblin rearing back to throw. He was scripted with a magical failsafe to protect quest-specific items in case of an attack within the shop, and several vials, boxes, and scrolls vanished from the shelves and into his inventory, including the potion they wanted. As Gromphy threw his bomb, Tarson hid under the counter, an impervious barrier dropping to protect him.


    The bomb hit hard against the wall where the curse potion had been and exploded for . . . five points of damage. ¡°What?¡± Gromphy shouted. ¡°Inconceivable, thou hath not the strength nor skill to restrict my magic!¡±


    Laughter preceded the kobold¡¯s form as he immerged from under the counter. ¡°You fine characters underestimated the protections the Madam gives me. She would not have her fine items so destroyed by careless cretins like yourselves.¡±


    Esther picked herself up from the ground and took a menacing step toward the shopkeeper, reaching out to grab him. ¡°Who are you calling a cretin?¡±


    Her hand brushed his vest, but he stepped back this time and held a new vial filled with bright blue liquid. A charge of mana went through it, and it illuminated the room. ¡°Mine will not fail to explode, lass. You would do well to join your fine fellow on the other side of the till.¡± Esther scowled at him but stepped back over the low counter to join Gromphy.


    The goblin had a defeated look on his face. ¡°Hath we no way to procure thy wares?¡±


    ¡°Without a player-sanctioned quest, I would only part with any of these by the authorization of the Madam herself or one of her fine lieutenants. In order to do any business in Therasphue, you must talk with them. I can do no other.¡±


    ¡°Pray tell whom they might be?¡± Gromphy asked.


    ¡°How could you not know . . .¡± the kobold started.


    Esther feinted at him, and he jumped back. ¡°Just tell us,¡± she ordered.


    Tarson nodded. ¡°Sir Edward Kellington, a warlock of the third order, and Lady Ella Rosethorn, a supreme witch.¡±


    ¡°Wherefore art the witch?¡± Gromphy asked.


    The kobold gave directions, and the Goblin nodded his understanding. ¡°We shall return, and thou wouldst be a fool to refuse us hence.¡±


    Tarson smiled. ¡°Have a fine day.¡±


    Esther and Gromphy spun around and left. Once outside, they quickened their pace, understanding that pursuit was possible. ¡°You pilfered the potion?¡± Gromphy asked when they were a few blocks away.


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Esther said, pulling it from her inventory. ¡°I might be dumb, but I¡¯m not an idiot or whatever a cretin is. Just communicate better next time. I don¡¯t understand half of what you say as it is.¡± She handed the cursed vial to the crafter that she had swiped off the shopkeeper once Gromphy had tricked him into taking it off the locked shelf. ¡°Were his protections really so strong that your bomb only did five damage, or did you plan that too?¡±


    Gromphy only harrumphed in response. Instead, he led Esther behind a building for some privacy and took the dress out of his inventory. He took a moment to discern the curse''s magic, poured it on the dress, and released a flash of mana with a burst of flame. The dress shimmered, shuddered, and then lay still.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Esther asked. ¡°I thought you said we would have to go to the pits of Hades to get this curse.¡±


    ¡°Tis but a start,¡± he replied. ¡°The curse only reverses the original enchantment.¡±


    Esther nodded. ¡°So now it does 100 damage when you try to charge it. But Jace wants it to do 100 damage every round.¡±


    The goblin nodded.


    ¡°And how do we do that?¡±


    Gromphy stored the dress in his inventory and headed back into the street. ¡°We must query the witch.¡±


    ¡°But what about the warlock,¡± Esther asked, scurrying behind him. ¡°He sounded nice.¡±


    ¡°Tis your mind or your loins expressing?¡±


    Esther frowned. ¡°How dare you. I¡¯m offended.¡±


    Gromphy looked up at her, confused. ¡°At my suggestion that thou wouldst ply thy wiles on the warlock?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Esther replied, ¡°that you don¡¯t realize I¡¯m just as likely to ¡®ply my wiles¡¯ on the witch.¡±


    Gromphy laughed.

 Chapter 2: Invitations

    Ella Rosethorn lived in an estate three blocks off the main street of Therasphue, lit by a collection of sculpted lampposts. The dusk-like haze still permeated the town, and Esther doubted they ever got direct sunlight. If they did, likely half the residents would burst into flames. The gated mansion had willow trees guarding the main entrance, their drooping limbs stretching to the ground like serpents hanging from the branches. Esther wouldn¡¯t be surprised if snakes did guard against intruders and kept her hands on her weapons. Even with his negative opinions of her, Gromphy trusted the rogue to protect them if attacked and walked straight to the front door.


    The knocker was in the face of a wolf and just a few inches out of reach for the short goblin. Esther came to his rescue and gave the door three good thumps. Maybe Ella was eating breakfast. There could be pancakes. Her heartbeat quickened.


    A pallid-faced butler, emaciated and tall, answered the door. ¡°Good morning,¡± he said in a long, drawn-out voice. ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther replied. ¡°We do. Can we come in?¡±


    The butler eyed her revealing attire disapprovingly, likely drawing accurate conclusions. ¡°Indeed,¡± he replied, letting the single word hang in the thick air. ¡°And whom might you be?¡±


    ¡°Esther Xerxes and Gromphy . . . uh . . . Gromphy the Master Crafter,¡± she replied.


    Gromphy scowled at the unnecessary title. Goblins didn¡¯t have last names.


    ¡°Allow me to check,¡± the man paused as his eyes entered his inventory. Esther resisted the urge to Surprise Attack him. He returned six seconds later. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t see your names on the list; good day.¡± He closed the door.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Esther shouted, trying to shove her foot through the door and stop him. She couldn¡¯t break the threshold, and the door slammed in her face. ¡°Oooh!¡± she hissed. Esther reached up to the knocker and tried to break the door down.


    The butler answered again. ¡°Good morning. Do you have an . . .¡±


    ¡°This is my appointment,¡± Esther interrupted, pulling her rapiers and attacking the man. Her blades could also not cross the threshold, and she only cut up the air before his face.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± he responded calmly. ¡°Good day.¡± The door closed again.


    ¡°Argh!¡± Esther cried. ¡°How do we get in?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps thy wiles could be of service,¡± Gromphy said calmly. He hadn¡¯t moved through either exchange.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± she replied, not picking up on the sarcasm. ¡°Did you see how pale his skin was? I don¡¯t think he has a pulse.¡± Esther caught her breath, sheathed her weapons, and reached up to the knocker to give it another beating.


    ¡°Perhaps a moment,¡± Gromphy requested, lifting his hand to stop her.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Do you have a plan? Do you want to try and seduce him?¡±


    Gromphy didn¡¯t answer but reached into his gem pouch and removed two stones, a ruby and a diamond. His tiny fingers caressed the items, and mana flowed down his arms and into his hands. The ruby grew a long, black stem and blossomed into a rose with complex interlayered petals. He then massaged the diamond into the base just beneath the flower to resemble a crystal thorn. When he finished, he sighed and stumbled back, fighting for balance. He shook his head, drank a quick potion, and was soon stable again.


    Esther was impressed. ¡°Beautiful. How come you don¡¯t make me anything pretty like that?¡±


    Gromphy looked her up and down incredulously. His eyes lingered on her swords, armor, and shield bracelet, all things he had crafted for her. He thought about responding with a comment involving swine and pearls but didn¡¯t. ¡°The knocker again. Gently.¡±


    Esther obeyed, and soon the butler was standing before them. ¡°Good morning. Do you have an appointment?¡±


    Gromphy cleared his throat so the tall man would look down at him. ¡°Please offer this to thy mistress with our warmest compliments.¡± Gromphy lifted the rose by the bottom of the stem, giving the butler ample room to grip it below the thorn.


    The man eyed Esther warily before reaching his hand out of the house¡¯s protection. The woman understood, lifted her hands above her weapons, and stepped back. The butler took the rose, closed the door, and they waited.


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Esther asked, her arms crossed as she tapped her foot. ¡°We don¡¯t want to hurt her, do we?¡± Gromphy didn¡¯t answer. The woman got the hint and waited a few more minutes in silence.


    The door opened again, and the butler smiled at them. ¡°Good morning. Ella Rosethorn will see you now.¡±


    Neither Gromphy nor Esther was familiar with historical American architecture, so they didn¡¯t appreciate the Southern colonial motif of the witch¡¯s home. It was filled with plush furniture, exposed wooden beams, floral silk drapes, decorative stone fireplaces, and a pleasant baked apple scent that made Esther forget about pancakes. All it was missing was a solarium off the entrance, but it was an acceptable oversight without any sunlight outside.


    The butler led the pair through the first few rooms of the house and into an enormous wood-clad study filled with books, chairs, a massive desk, and a cauldron. Two impressive male guards stood at attention toward the back of the room. Behind the desk at the front stood an intense woman that Esther wasn¡¯t expecting. She had dark skin and wore a black gown with diamond earrings. Long black hair shrouded an oval face with emerald eyes. She reminded Esther of her former madam. In the presence of such refined beauty, any thought of trying to charm this woman fled her mind, and Esther was willing to let Gromphy do the talking.


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    The goblin already had Ella¡¯s attention as she held the ruby rose, rotating the stem in her fingers so the finely crafted petals shimmered in the lantern light. ¡°It is remarkable,¡± she said once the pair entered the room and the butler left. ¡°Where did you find . . .¡± her eyes finally left the magical item and settled on Gromphy. Esther watched as disgust crossed her face, quickly replaced with intrigue and then laughter. ¡°You made this?¡±


    The crafter nodded and produced a vial half-filled with sparkling gold liquid. ¡°Its vase,¡± he said, hoisting it aloft. His eyes traced the distance between them as he and Esther only stood at the entrance to the large room.


    Ella¡¯s eyes followed the same path and ended at the edge of her large desk. She nodded. The nervous goblin glanced at the two bodyguards he would be putting at his back but scampered up to the desk anyway. He set the vase down and took several steps back. Ella leaned over and placed the rose inside the vial. Once the stem hit the gold liquid, it sucked up a minuscule amount and released a yellow firework above the flower. The petals were now trimmed in gold and sparkled with evident magic.


    ¡°Ahh,¡± Ella cooed and retrieved the rose from the vase. ¡°And what does it do now?¡±


    ¡°Prick thyself and offer the bud to one who doth return thine affection unrequited,¡± he explained.


    The witch raised her eyes in wonder. A reliable love potion was hard to come by. She kept her skin clear of the diamond thorn for now but saw the potential for the item. She placed it back in the vase.


    She looked back at Gromphy and smiled. She then shifted her gaze toward Esther. ¡°Come along, my dear,¡± she said, dismissing her guards with a wave. ¡°Your goblin friend has gained you an audience. What is it you want?¡±


    Esther watched the two men leave and then approached to stand next to Gromphy. The witch focused on the black-clad rogue, but Esther looked confused and out of place. Ella shifted her gaze to the goblin. ¡°Or is it you, master crafter, who wishes an audience?¡±


    ¡°We both do,¡± Esther said, trying to salvage her dignity.


    Ella laughed, not fooled. ¡°Tell me. What do you need?¡±


    Gromphy produced the dress and laid it on the desk. The witch started to reach for it, but her hand pulled back. ¡°It is cursed,¡± she sensed. ¡°The curse came from this town.¡± She recognized the magic. ¡°And you want me to remove it? Surely this task is well within your abilities.¡± Her eyes went to the rose sitting on the corner of her desk.


    ¡°Tis not a simple curse,¡± Gromphy said. ¡°To hades it is bound, bringing forth fire perpetually. Anyone who doth don it is utterly consumed.¡±


    Ella frowned. If such a curse were possible, this dress didn¡¯t have it. She could sense the magic and figured it would deal 50, maybe 100 fire damage to the wearer, no more. Even if she wasn¡¯t familiar enough with magic to know what was possible, she could sense the goblin was lying.


    Esther looked at Gromphy in confusion, wondering why he was telling this woman exactly what they wanted. And if he was implying that the dress already had that curse, how would she help them actually get it?


    Ella¡¯s eyes darted between the two, wondering what game they were playing. She had half a mind to dismiss them, but the power these two presented fascinated her. And she knew who Jace was. Most who came to see her did so as part of this module¡¯s quest. Players gathered information from her and the warlock to overthrow the Madam. The two lieutenants pretended to be envious of their master¡¯s position, but the information they gave the eager players was misleading and always led to their destruction. A few were clever enough to see through the subterfuge, but they were no more capable of beating the head of this town.


    This encounter was different, and it intrigued her.


    Gromphy broke the silence. ¡°To reverse a hex of such intensity is beyond my ability. One must uncast the primary curse.¡±


    Ella nodded. ¡°Yes, you would need to recast the original spell in order to reverse it.¡± She paused as she discerned what the goblin actually wanted. ¡°And reversing it would then protect against 100 damage a round instead of dealing it.¡±


    Gromphy shrugged his shoulders as if that thought hadn¡¯t occurred to him. The witch ate it up. ¡°But no demon would willingly bond itself to such a boon spell; you would still need to disguise it as a curse.¡±


    ¡°But I hath not the knowledge to cast such a curse . . .¡± Gromphy said.


    Ella nodded again, appreciating the challenge. ¡°No one in this town can help you. You will need a dark crafter. Someone who binds souls to hell regularly. One who can compel an elemental demon.¡± She thought for a moment. ¡°Ah, the gala. I won¡¯t be attending, but you can.¡± Opening a desk drawer, the witch pulled two crystals. She began to toss them toward Gromphy but then better judged the more dexterous of the pair and flipped them toward Esther.


    The rogue caught the gems and held one up to examine it. The stone was unremarkable and could have been made from glass, but an animated illusion played on a loop within the crystal. It looked like a shark fin in open water, but when the waves fell, the fin revealed itself to be the curved handle of a dagger. It was hypnotizing to watch the blade rise and fall in the water as if it were stabbing at something beneath the surface, but she pulled her eyes away eventually and stored both gems in her pouch.


    ¡°And these are . . .¡± she asked.


    ¡°Invitations to an exclusive party. All of this area''s most potent dignitaries will be there. Imani throws the best galas. The food is amazing. I wish I could go, but I have other duties. It isn¡¯t a gathering anyone can attend, but a vampire with a pulse and an intelligent goblin should blend in. There will be two dozen guests there capable of binding a demon in the way you want. In fact, there will probably be half a dozen actual hell spawn there, but you will want to go to the basement. From what I have heard, Imani has a death shaman working as his crafter. He doesn¡¯t often freelance, but your unique request should pique his interest.¡±


    ¡°And he will tell us what we need?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°I can help with some of that,¡± Ella said. ¡°You will need a fire core to anchor the spell on this side of the abyss. It doesn¡¯t need to be too powerful. There is a nest of fire drakes to the south that should be easy pickings for you two. And, of course, you will need a sacrifice, but Imani always keeps plenty of those on hand. The rest will be up to Carakon, the shaman.¡±


    ¡°And the party is this evening?¡± Esther asked.


    The witch laughed and shook her head. ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t be worth the effort then. Imani¡¯s celebrations go on all day. I¡¯m sure his great hall is filled to capacity as we speak.¡±


    Gromphy bowed respectfully. ¡°A thousand thanks, my lady. Thou art too kind. Thou shalt not see us again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but I shall,¡± Ella insisted. ¡°You will not leave my city while possessing such a powerful item without allowing me to see it. That is the price for the information I now give you.¡±


    ¡°Our master requireth that we . . .¡± the goblin started.


    ¡°I require this of you,¡± she said, mana brimming in her voice. ¡°I will see this cursed dress before you leave.¡±


    Gromphy didn¡¯t fight it. He bowed lower. ¡°As thou wishes.¡± The goblin took the dress from the desk, stored it in his inventory, and left the study with Esther in tow. The guards stood just outside the room and growled at the pair. Esther understood it wasn¡¯t a good idea to cross this woman.


    Once they were outside and the butler closed the door behind them, Gromphy turned to Esther. He wasn¡¯t sure how to ask this question without insulting her intelligence but then decided he didn¡¯t care. ¡°Thou comprehended our conversation?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Esther said. ¡°There¡¯s a party, a death shaman, and some drakes we got to kill. I¡¯m not stupid. I¡¯m guessing I will be the one to kill the drakes. You can do the rest.¡± She didn¡¯t wait to see if she had gotten it right and marched off toward the southern edge of Therasphue. Gromphy followed.

 Chapter 3: Fiery Kidnapping

    The southern outskirts were less dangerous than the swamp to the north. Instead of a thick bog filled with venomous creatures, the ground was rockier as they neared the shore, and the vegetation and scenery were less imposing. Still, Esther wished they had Snowy with them. This land wasn¡¯t likely to contain snakes, salamanders, or crocodiles, but trolls, orcs, and stone giants could be equally deadly.


    Gromphy found the hike challenging, and Esther suggested several times that he should summon Adam to give him a ride, but the goblin refused. They had climbed several hundred feet in elevation along a winding path before they spotted the first sign of drakes. They soared fifty feet above on the air currents flowing off the nearby ocean and accelerating through the rocky peaks. They weren¡¯t carrion feeders but hunters looking for prey to burn. Esther felt safe, as she was about the same size as the flying firebreathers, but Gromphy would make a good meal.


    Esther held Chill, her frost-enchanted rapier, in her right hand and summoned the shield from her bracelet on her left. It granted protection up to dragon fire. Gromphy had assured her that drakes only spewed normal fire, so she would be protected as long as she Raised the shield in defense.


    It was hard to tell them apart, but Esther was pretty sure she saw two different creatures sailing about above them, often disappearing behind cliffs and stony peaks. Now she wished Psycho was with them. ¡°How are we supposed to catch one of those?¡± she asked her companion. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly fly.¡±


    Esther¡¯s hand went to her gem pouch as the line left her lips. Inside was the undead stone she had helped Jace liberate from the lich¡¯s tomb. With it, she could turn into a demonic creature with black leathery wings. A chill crept over her as the temptation to use the powerful object took hold, but as the pair rounded an outcropping and the morning sun hit her in the face, the chill left her, and her hand moved away from the pouch and stayed ready with her shield.


    She had given the stone to Jace but then stole it back for herself shortly after. She hadn¡¯t used it since but knew she needed to have it. But the morning sun burned brightly on these mountain trails, and she wouldn¡¯t last long as a demon in the light. Flying wasn¡¯t an option.


    ¡°Or yonder,¡± Gromphy pointed. He had also been watching the drakes, though he was interested in more than just counting how many there were. ¡°They nary venture far from that peak.¡±


    Esther looked to the south and saw the rise in question. Once her wise companion pointed it out, she saw it too. The drakes appeared to be wandering aimlessly over the jagged landscape, riding the wind, but they never got further than a few thousand feet from that peak.


    ¡°The nest?¡± Esther asked. Gromphy nodded. ¡°So, is it like a bird¡¯s nest? A bunch of young drakes waiting for mom to return with breakfast?¡±


    Gromphy shook his head. ¡°No mother. Eggs are laid, then soon abandoned. Youths hatch, hunt, and survive. They protect each other.¡±


    ¡°So they won¡¯t like it when we take one of them,¡± Esther reasoned. Gromphy didn¡¯t need to add his affirmation. Esther also knew she would be the one doing the taking. ¡°I don¡¯t have a plan. Do you?¡±


    Gromphy went into his inventory and returned with his magical trunk. The extra-dimensional device had room to store a multitude of items, and after rummaging through it for a while, the goblin found three small statues. They looked like children''s toys made to represent some four-legged animal. Gromphy placed them on the ground, infused them with magic, and soon three full-sized mountain goats stomped their hooves on the stone. Esther banged her rapier on her shield a few times to frighten them, and the goats scampered off into the rocky terrain.


    The sound of the animals echoing through the crags and cliffs caught the drakes¡¯ attention, and the two flying creatures swooped into view and began tracking the animals. One of the drakes cried out into the wind, and Esther saw the head of a third emerge from the nest and begin its pursuit.


    ¡°Clever,¡± Esther said. ¡°But are there any left in the nest?¡±


    ¡°A brood of youths is usually four or five,¡± Gromphy informed her.


    ¡°Then we better get up there before breakfast is over.¡±


    Esther began the ascent easily, leaping several feet at a time and running up steep inclines. She sheathed her sword but kept her shield available, using her free hand to grab handholds and maneuver through tight spaces. Gromphy couldn¡¯t keep the same pace, but he was a goblin, and rocky mountainsides were his natural habitat. Esther was pretty sure she saw him sneak a few potions to aid him, but she didn¡¯t say anything.


    She was at the peak first, approaching from the back side of the cave. Soon she reached the drop-off and looked below. About eight feet down, a narrow ledge lay before an opening leading back underneath her. She strained to hear sounds from the cave, but all she could detect was the bleating of goats as the drakes found success in the hunt. Soon they would bring the kills back to the cave to share with their siblings, and Esther did not want to be there. Sneaking into the cave was the best option, but she was in direct sunlight, and hiding in the shadows wouldn¡¯t work. She would have to drop down and take her chances.


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    Glancing over her shoulder, Esther saw Gromphy was still a few moments away and didn¡¯t want to wait for him. It would be best if the drakes were focused on her anyway. She pulled her frost rapier again and dropped down so she landed facing the cave¡¯s interior. Two hungry drakes stared back at her from six feet away. The rogue took them by surprise, so she got to act first. She tugged on her hat¡¯s brim, creating a stationary cylinder of darkness, which allowed her to Shadow Step deep into the recesses of the cave behind the drakes.


    The two creatures were surprised to see the human disappear in broad daylight and drenched her position in fire. As Esther attacked from behind them, she was glad she hadn¡¯t waited for Gromphy. If the goblin had dropped down after her, he would have been burnt to a crisp. Now she struck from the shadows and used Chill to deal multiple criticals to one of the creatures. Gromphy had told her they only needed one, and she had no choice but to kill the other.


    The wounded drake cried in pain as the blade''s cold magic burned into its soul. The single strike was more than half the animal¡¯s HP, but its magical nature gave it too many bonuses to its Death Save to fall unconscious. The sibling turned about at the cry and made another fire attack on Esther¡¯s new location. She Raised her shield, and the fire raced past her like water around a rock. Raising her shield meant she only got one attack that round, and the wounded drake retaliated by swiping its tail at her. Esther couldn¡¯t Raise her shield and Dodge simultaneously and was tripped to the ground.


    Now both creatures turned fully to attack her. Esther fought them off, taking a bite to the leg but scoring another hit on the nearly dead drake. They pushed her back into the cave, where the cavern opened up, allowing the drakes to spread apart. Esther tried to keep the pressure on the injured one, but soon the floor had dropped far enough to allow the animals to flap their wings.


    They hovered over her, spread at an angle of over 90 degrees from each other. If they spewed fire now, she would be flanked and unable to block both. She Raised her shield toward the healthy drake, hoping the weaker one would have some penalty to his fire attack. He did, but it had nothing to do with his damage.


    The one on Esther¡¯s right opened up with a tremendous stream of flames, and her shield protected her. When the other tried to bring in air to make a similar strike, it swallowed a bomb. Esther glanced down toward the cave''s opening and saw Gromphy had made his way inside and was holding a second device, frosty air flowing over its sides. He wouldn¡¯t need it. The first bomb exploded in the drake¡¯s mouth, and the creature was finished. It crashed to the ground with a bluish tint to its scaly skin.


    The remaining creature cried out in grief and swooped down. It realized the human female was impervious to its fire, but the goblin would make a better meal anyway. Esther sheathed her sword, dismissed her shield, and raced toward the goblin too. Gromphy turned to throw his second bomb at the diving drake but missed and didn¡¯t have the Dodge skill to avoid the attack. Esther reached him simultaneously, and all three individuals tumbled about on the ground for a few seconds before the combat resolved itself.


    Gromphy rolled away, hurt but not dying. He looked back at the tangle of limbs and wings behind him and saw Esther Grapple her way onto the creature¡¯s back. The drake was strong, and she needed to pin it to the ground to get a Secure Grapple, but once she did, she bent over and bit its neck. After sucking one level, Esther tossed her head back and screamed. Smoke escaped her lips.


    ¡°It''s like drinking lava!¡± she cried. ¡°It burns.¡±


    ¡°Be not an infant,¡± Gromphy scolded. ¡°It must be done.¡±


    ¡°You drink it,¡± she retorted, trying to catch her breath. Since she let up, the drake flopped around beneath her, and she struggled to get it under control. It was slightly easier than last time since it was a level weaker.


    ¡°I shall restore thee,¡± Gromphy promised, holding up one of his ubiquitous healing potions. ¡°Now drink. Its siblings shall return forthrightly.¡±


    ¡°Soon,¡± Esther muttered, adjusting her grip on the drake. ¡°They will return ¡®soon¡¯ is all he had to say.¡± She sighed and bit back down. She took two levels this time before coming back up for air. The pain was intense, and she remembered how fire had burned her when using the undead stone. This felt like that now, with the heat invading her very soul. She knew she was in no danger of dying. The damage the blood did to her was undone as she absorbed the drake¡¯s life as health, but it felt like she was about to burst into flames.


    As the drake became weaker, the power of its blood and life essence waned, and in the end, Esther took the last five levels at once. Now the creature was at level one and the size of a small dog. It looked around curiously, unaware of what had just happened to it. Like the other drake she had attacked, getting it below half its levels didn¡¯t send it into a death spiral. Regardless, Gromphy ran up to the creature after Esther released it, gasping and clutching her stomach. The healing potion he had advertised to his companion now went down the gullet of the drake.


    Esther sat up, breathing slowly and trying to rid herself of the flame that still burned within her. She had absorbed the last few levels as mana but didn¡¯t have the concentration necessary to cast a spell, so the excess washed off her into the ether. She watched as the goblin attached a leash to the animal, cast a sleep spell, and then stored it in his chest. Soon the trunk was back in his inventory, and he looked expectantly at Esther.


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± she said, still trying to catch her breath.


    ¡°Tis all we have,¡± he argued. ¡°The others will return . . .¡±


    ¡°Forthrightly,¡± Esther interrupted. ¡°I know.¡± She struggled to rise and leaned against a wall as her head swam. She wanted to argue with the goblin more but knew he was right. After another few seconds of recovery, they moved out of the cave and down the peak.


    The three drakes returned a few minutes later and mourned over the death of their sibling, but not for too long. Now they had three goats to eat and didn¡¯t have to share them.

 Chapter 4: Dressed to Kill

    Esther wanted to go directly to the party, but Gromphy insisted they go shopping first to get her new clothes. When she asked what was wrong with her current attire, the goblin advised that she couldn¡¯t wear shadow-scale armor to a banquet. She needed something with more elegance and less cleavage. Esther¡¯s mind returned to Ella and how the beautiful woman had been dressed. She had grace and beauty yet remained mysterious and out of reach. Esther was used to a more ¡°In-Your-Face¡± sex appeal and realized the crafter had a point.


    They found a clothing shop on the southwestern edge of Therasphue. They had to cut through the southern portion of the town to head west toward Imani¡¯s estate. The invitation crystals gave magical leading to the pair, letting them know where they had to go. The store wasn¡¯t busy, and after one look at the odd couple, both attendants gave them their full attention. One was an older gentleman, likely the owner, while the other was a young man about the same age as Draya. After one look at Esther, the youth insisted to his employer that he could handle the pair. The older man laughed at his obvious intentions and let them be.


    ¡°My name is Thomas,¡± the boy said. ¡°Thomas Klawk. You can call me Thom.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Thom,¡± Esther said, seduction dripping off her voice as she fell into a familiar role.


    ¡°The pleasure is all mine,¡± he replied, color rising to his cheeks.


    Gromphy stepped between them and cleared his throat. ¡°We requireth a new dress for the lady,¡± Gromphy said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with what she has on?¡± Thom asked, taking an opportunity to let his eyes drink up her attire from head to toe.


    ¡°Tis that she barely hath it on at all!¡± Gromphy retorted, trying to drag the boy''s attention off Esther. ¡°Tis hardly befitting for a gala of high esteem.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to a party?¡± Thom asked absent-mindedly, his thoughts still on the skimpy outfit Esther wore. Then his mind made a connection. ¡°Wait, are you going to Imani Pistri¡¯s estate? That gala? Wow. I mean, I can sense power in you, but I never thought. . .¡± his voice drifted, and his eyes half closed.


    ¡°What thee be about?¡± Gromphy asked, reaching into his cloak for a potion if needed.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Thom said, shaking his head clear. ¡°I¡¯m studying to be a priest. I can sense powerful magical auras but have been trained not to pry. But if you are going where I think you are, you must be special.¡± He looked again at Esther, trying hard to keep his eyes above her shoulders. ¡°I sense angelic power within you, but something dark as well. It is a strange mix.¡±


    Esther said nothing about his observation, not wishing to bare her soul to him, and changed topics. ¡°You know about this party? Who is Imani? What kind of people will be there?¡±


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    ¡°All kinds,¡± Thom said. ¡°I¡¯ve studied up on all of the local shamans, sorcerers, demon mages, and other powerful people, and they will all be there. Imani is a druid merman. His estate is on the shore, and I hear he can turn into a shark. Just incredible. My sister was hired to serve food. Man, I wish I could go. I would learn so much.¡±


    Gromphy cleared his throat again. ¡°A dress?¡± he repeated.


    ¡°Right,¡± Thom snapped back to the present. His eyes took another trip up and down Esther¡¯s form, and he managed to register something other than infatuation. ¡°Yes, okay, I understand. Something more . . .¡±


    He let the thought hang as he turned and led them deeper into the shop between shelves of folded shirts and pants to a back wall where formal clothes hung. He moved toward several long gowns, estimated Esther¡¯s height, and pulled three options from the hangars.


    ¡°We have a changing room around the corner,¡± Thom offered as he handed the clothes to Esther.


    The woman didn¡¯t bother, moved her current attire into her inventory, and tried each dress individually. With her memorized outfits, she could use her Quick Change ability to swap them instantly, but these gowns were new, and she stood in her underwear for six full seconds between each one. Although, with the second two, her skimpy halter top didn¡¯t work with the open backs, so that also disappeared.


    After trying them all on, she cycled through them again, posing in a nearby mirror. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Gromphy; what do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think Thomas doth need a healer,¡± the goblin said. ¡°He hath not taken a breath in nye over a minute.¡±


    Esther glanced at the young man, whose face was pale, and he needed a nearby shelf to support himself. She laughed inwardly. ¡°No, I mean about the gowns. Which one do you like?¡±


    ¡°We hath achieved elegance, but thy cleavage hath not varied,¡± he reported.


    ¡°I think that is just something you are going to have to live with,¡± Esther said, holding back a smile.


    ¡°Bah,¡± Gromphy snorted. ¡°I know thy skills. Thou art altering each as thy don them.¡±


    ¡°Ah, ahem,¡± Thom tried to talk, but his throat was dry. ¡°If you want something a bit more modest, I can . . .¡± his voice cracked.


    ¡°No,¡± Esther cut him off. ¡°I think this one will do.¡± She settled on a black gown that hung off her shoulders with a plunging neckline trimmed in gold. It was gathered high on her waist with a gold belt, and the skirt dropped to the floor. The back was open down to the swell of her backside. Esther used her fashion design skill to play with a slit up the left leg, and Thom watched in awe as the gown split as if a zipper was sewn into the bottom half. The woman revealed her entire leg and then hid it again, finally settling on the more formal look.


    She turned to Thom and produced the unwanted gowns from her inventory. ¡°Thank you very much. How much is it?¡±


    Thom was willing to give it away for free after the show she had given him but knew his boss wouldn¡¯t like that. He named a price, and Esther produced the gold. She turned to Gromphy. ¡°I suppose you will get by with your normal clothes?¡±


    The crafter was smartly dressed, with a top hat, suitcoat, and colored vest, but he shook his head. ¡°I shall not be in attendance with thee.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she cried. ¡°You have to go. That is the whole point. I can¡¯t cast the spell you need.¡±


    ¡°Nay,¡± the goblin agreed. ¡°Thou canst. Thou wilt find me another entrance point into the subfloor. I can¡¯t mingle with the attendees thusly described.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t go alone,¡± Esther argued. ¡°That will look more out of place than if I had a goblin on my arm.¡±


    ¡°Then thou shalt have to woo a fool to attend with thee,¡± Gromphy said.


    Esther thought for a moment and then turned around. ¡°Thomas,¡± she said, actively withholding her charm spell. She didn¡¯t need it. ¡°Are you busy for the next few hours?¡±

 Chapter 5: Party Crashers

    At Thom¡¯s insistence, they took a carriage. He said they couldn¡¯t walk to Imani¡¯s estate; that wouldn¡¯t be proper. All the nobles and dignitaries needed to arrive in their own carriage. Gromphy couldn¡¯t find one to rent, so he bought one. Esther began to think he had a dragon¡¯s treasure within his trunk. However, as they bounced down the road, the goblin himself was inside the magical chest. The box was secured as luggage to the back of the carriage while Esther and Thom rode inside. Their driver took no interest in the odd trio and only did his job.


    Thom wore a black suit with a red shirt and golden bowtie to match the trimming on Esther¡¯s dress. He couldn¡¯t stop talking the entire trip. The experienced woman could tell he had just enough priestly training to be excited about the adventure they were about to embark on but not enough to feel the emotion that should be consuming him: terror. Esther hoped he would survive and that she wouldn¡¯t regret bringing him.


    A series of bridges crossed the bog as it spread out into a delta on its way south to the ocean. The carriage moved to the west and then south. The clouds above remained, even though they were outside Therasphue¡¯s city limits. Esther imagined that Imani would need to ensure his guests¡¯ safety if he was going to hold an all-day affair and clouds were necessary. She hoped they weren¡¯t permanent. What fun would a coastal estate be if you never got to lay on the beach and enjoy the sun?


    They moved at a good clip, and the ride took 20 minutes. Esther was glad they had taken a carriage. Imani¡¯s property was visible from half a mile away. It wasn¡¯t tall, the highest sections rising three stories, and it sat in a valley between two hills, a stream running past it and into the ocean. To the south, Esther could see the sunlit waves outside the ominous cloud covering. The home was built like a fortress, with thick stone walls, a large gate surrounding the land, and guards posted frequently. As they pulled up before the high-arched opening in the gate, Esther saw two imposing gargoyles flanking the entrance, and she didn¡¯t doubt that if someone tried to sneak in, the creatures would come to life and attack.


    Esther needed to present the two crystal invitations to let the carriage through. The guard cast a detection spell to ensure only two people were entering, and the driver was instructed not to leave the carriage for any reason. Gromphy remained undetected in his trunk.


    Once they passed inspection, the carriage moved inside the grounds, and Esther saw another security checkpoint further on. First, the driver navigated their coach to a parking area where over two dozen other carriages sat. He dismounted, opened the door for the lady inside, and tipped his hat as his passengers stepped out. He pointed toward the second gate further ahead and returned to his driver''s seat to wait it out.


    Thom wasn¡¯t talking now, and his eyes looked about all around him, taking everything in as Esther led him by the arm toward two more guards. These were mages, and they stood at attention before a smaller archway shrouded in evergreen hedges. The outer fence was twelve-foot iron spikes, likely enchanted against all entry attempts. This inner courtyard was only walled off by bushes, and one could sneak through.


    Esther saw the guards casting spells as they approached, and she prepared for action if they might be rejected. She had adjusted her Quick Change settings to accessorize her weapons to this outfit, hoping she wouldn¡¯t need them. Her right hand clutched at her left, where she wore a new ring Gromphy had given her. The goblin said it would help them locate each other later since they would be separated. She hoped the magical item wouldn¡¯t set off any alarms.


    Neither mage made any aggressive moves toward them but waited patiently for the couple to walk fifty feet to their post. ¡°Food will be provided inside,¡± one of the mages said to Esther. They didn¡¯t look at Thom directly; the youth was still rotating his head in all directions, taking in the statues, sculpted trees, and lights. ¡°You did not need to bring your own,¡± the guard continued.


    Esther didn¡¯t know what he meant. ¡°Good to know,¡± she replied, not wanting to sound stupid. ¡°May we go in?¡±


    ¡°You need these,¡± the second man said, offering Esther two bracelets. ¡°They will get you past any warded hallways, and the hounds will not track your scent.¡±


    ¡°Hounds?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°For security,¡± one of them said. ¡°You understand.¡±


    Esther nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± She put the magical device on and turned to her date to give him the other one.


    The mages stepped to the side so the couple could enter the primary grounds. Esther nodded and dragged her ogling date forward. They were 100 feet from the main house, walking along a cobblestone path toward the corner of the building. It was turned at a 45-degree angle, so they had a clear view down two sides of the first floor. It rose almost a dozen feet off the ground, a wide stair climbing to a 50-foot patio where a few guests milled about. She noticed some of them gave her a look, but no one stared for long. With so many powerful characters in attendance, a living vampire and a human weren¡¯t of much interest.


    Esther could see the light pouring out of the primary audience hall behind as high arching-stained glass windows lined both sides of the building. None of the half dozen men and women outside gave Esther a second look as she and Thom walked past them and into the estate. The vampire escort wasn¡¯t used to such nonchalant treatment. Usually, when she walked into a room, all eyes turned her way, and most men lost their train of thought.


    The indifferent treatment continued as the two new guests entered Imani¡¯s home. Over sixty people filled the room, and if they were supposed to be the most powerful people in the realms, it wasn¡¯t at first apparent. They were mostly dressed in black with a few splashes of color in the form of bowties, ribbons, or sashes. Esther saw no scales, fangs, claws, snake-infested hair, or any other sign that monsters surrounded them. She saw long, shapely legs, strong muscles, dazzling jewelry, and plenty of cleavage. Esther needed to make a note to tell Gromphy that last part.


    Music sounded through the hall from a few carefully positioned players. Esther was surprised to hear such perfect harmony from musicians scattered about but guessed a spell was probably at work. Potted plants, statues, and other artwork decorated the large room, with several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Esther took careful note of a few gargoyles stationed strategically around the room.


    Not everyone was dressed in black. The waitstaff wore almost nothing. The young women all had a red scarf over their chests, with an even smaller piece of fabric around their waist, hiding little. The young men only had the bottom half of the outfit. It reminded Esther of Drescher¡¯s stronghold, the Lion¡¯s Den. Only there, the patrons had been slapping, groping, and harassing the servers at every chance. Here, the guests gave the waitstaff room; they didn¡¯t stare at their mostly naked bodies; and they politely thanked them for the offered drinks and hors d''oeuvres. Thomas had said his sister would be here.


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    Not wanting to endure that awkward encounter, Esther remembered that she was also here for a reason and needed to find a way for Gromphy to sneak into this house. It didn¡¯t seem possible, but she should at least look. She turned to Thom, whose jaw was almost on the floor, a little drool in the corner of his mouth. ¡°Keep it together,¡± she whispered, leading him into the crowd. She plucked a couple of drinks off a tray and offered him one. ¡°Blend in. Also, tell me who we are sharing this party with.¡±


    Thom froze, not lifting a finger to take the glass Esther offered him. ¡°Theresa?¡± he finally blabbered.


    The young waitress from whom Esther had taken the drinks had already turned away from the pair, walking a route through the crowd as if scripted. Esther glanced down to see that her loin cloth did even less to hide her backside. Thom noticed too. ¡°Theresa,¡± he repeated, ¡°what are you wearing?¡±


    The waitress had stopped when Thom had said her name the first time, and now she clicked out of her routine to turn and gape at her brother. ¡°Thomas?¡± she hardly recognized him in a black suit. She had tried not to look any guests in the eyes since she had been told it would creep her out.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± they both said at once.


    ¡°You knew I was working here today!¡±


    ¡°You knew I wanted to come here!¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay,¡± Esther said, hushing them both. ¡°You guys can talk about this tonight after you both get home safely,¡± she stressed the last word, and the two youths got the hint and lowered their voices. ¡°Thom is with me,¡± Esther said to the girl. ¡°We have a job to do, and so do you. Go.¡±


    Theresa looked between Esther and Thom and nodded. She turned and disappeared into the crowd. The brother stared after her for a while, still in shock. Esther took his hand and forced the wine glass into it. ¡°Drink this,¡± she said. ¡°It will help.¡±


    The young man downed the liquid in one gulp, the alcohol burning a track down his throat and yanking him out of his stupor. He shook his head and looked at the empty wine glass with respect. A male server swept past him and took the goblet before he could say anything.


    ¡°Good,¡± Esther said, sipping at her drink. ¡°You found your sister. Do you know any of these other people?¡± As she led him through the crowd in the opposite direction, Thom kept his voice low and began pointing out people he recognized.


    A renowned succubus clung to the arm of a mage specializing in targeted summoning. A werelion had two women with leopard print scarfs and tiny black dresses hanging on his every word as he told a story. A priestess who served a chaos demon was in discussion with a female druid with a spiderweb tattoo on her neck.


    Esther was impressed at his knowledge. She only saw them as normal-looking people as they passed by. But she only half-paid attention as she looked around for a way to get Gromphy inside. The hounds would be an issue, but he would have to deal with that himself. Then there was the problem of moving about within the home. If only those wearing bracelets could enter certain doorways, Gromphy wouldn¡¯t be able to explore much, even if she could get him in.


    Esther saw a pair of women entering the banquet hall from her right and spotted a door swinging closed behind them. She led Thom in that direction. ¡°Ah, I believe those are the Diwilight sisters,¡± he said when he saw the women. ¡°Their father is an aasimar warrior for Delgran, I believe. I¡¯ve heard they can each best any five men in combat.¡± Esther eyed up the sisters as they passed, noting they were shorter and slighter than she was. Also, their dresses were disheveled, and their hair wasn¡¯t perfectly straight. She wasn¡¯t impressed.


    ¡°I once took out six half-orc guards by myself,¡± Esther said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Thom replied, looking at her with new respect. ¡°No wonder you got an invitation to this. How did you do it?¡±


    Esther ignored him as she pushed through the double doors and found a hallway beyond. Her bracelet tingled as they moved through the passage, and she understood this was a restricted area. Doorways lined the corridor with stairs leading down at the far end. That was the best bet to get to the basement. Half a dozen rooms, three on each side, lay between them and the stairs. Esther poked her head into the first one to see what kind of entertainment Imani offered his guests. She gasped.


    Eight naked men lay in a pile in the corner of the room as if they had been tossed there like dirty laundry. The chamber contained several chairs, ottomans, a wet bar, a wash basin, and the largest bed Esther had ever seen. A few of the men were regaining consciousness and moaning as they worked to untangle themselves.


    ¡°What in the realms . . .¡± Thom said, looking over her shoulder.


    ¡°You said those sisters could take on five men each?¡± Esther clarified. ¡°Looks like four to me.¡± She didn¡¯t linger and returned to the double doors leading to the hall. Thom stared another few seconds before one of the men saw him and asked for help. He closed the door and hurried after Esther.


    The rouge examined the two doors and how they floated on double hinges so they could swing in either direction. While they were perfectly balanced and shut to within a quarter of an inch, they didn¡¯t look very strong. With a sharp tug, she ripped a screw from the wall, and the left door hung imperceptibly crooked, so it didn¡¯t close properly. Now when Esther moved through them, her bracelet no longer tingled. ¡°They need to close completely to reset the ward,¡± she said to herself. ¡°See, Jace, I can do it too.¡±


    Thom walked up behind her, but she moved back into the banquet hall before he could ask her what she was doing. Esther walked to the nearest stained-glass window, which started a foot off the floor, but she knew it must be close to thirteen feet from the ground outside. Still, it was the best chance for Gromphy.


    ¡°Is this how you will get your goblin friend in?¡± Thom asked from behind her. He was so distracted by the scenery that he had forgotten why Esther was actually there.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± she said, glancing over her shoulder. Everyone was drinking and laughing. No one was looking at her. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose the window opens?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Thom replied. ¡°They are usually just for show. Be careful.¡±


    Ester had pulled one of the diamond-handled daggers the gnomes had upgraded for her out of her inventory and was prying at the fitting between the lead casing of the window and the stone wall. She didn¡¯t see a hinge for the window but thought a few of the panels were loose. If she could knock one out, it would fall to the ground outside quietly, resulting in a hole large enough for Gromphy to squeeze through. Just a little more . . .


    The panel popped out, but she wasn¡¯t ready for it, and the knife slipped out of her grasp and followed the piece of glass outside. All her momentum was leaning into the window, and her shoulder hit another higher panel, shattering it. It had been supporting a few others, and they fell out, crashing onto the stone windowsill like cymbals. It was like she had pulled a keystone out of an old brick arch, and pane after pane started falling, some hitting the ground outside, but most of them smashing to the floor at her feet.


    The intricate pattern in the window prevented the entire thing from collapsing, as most of the glass was still supported by the few panels remaining at the bottom, but as Esther looked up, she saw that close to half the window was gone. It was a hole large enough for a troll to move through.


    ¡°Uh, Esther?¡± It was Thom.


    She didn¡¯t want to turn around. The sudden silence in the room after the shattering glass was deafening. She heard no music, and the thrum of conversation was gone. Eventually, she knew she had to look and turned around. No one was drinking and laughing, and everyone was looking at her. She smiled bashfully and waved.

 Chapter 6: Hunting Grounds

    Gromphy waited five minutes after the carriage stopped moving before opening his chest.  He peeked out at first, barely lifting the lid.  Nothing moved, and he slowly climbed out.  Within a few seconds, he had the trunk inside his inventory, not contemplating the magical irony that he could easily hide inside the cavernous item while it could also fit effortlessly within him.


    The driver heard nothing and sat still at the front of the carriage.  Gromphy saw over a dozen other drivers sitting by their charges as well, scripted to not react to anything other than the orders of their masters.  The goblin snuck away from the vehicles without notice.


    The hedge wall was his first serious barrier to overcome.  He saw the mages guarding the entrance 100 feet to his left.  The way they only looked straight ahead, waiting for new guests, made the goblin worry.  They didn¡¯t look left or right.  The bushes bordering the inner courtyard of the estate were hardly impenetrable, yet they didn¡¯t keep any watch on them.  There must be some other protection in place.


    Gromphy had collected dozens of potions and devices into his personal inventory while in his trunk preparing for this stealthy assault on Imani¡¯s home, and he pulled one of those potions now and drank it.  The darkened landscape brightened considerably as if bathed in mid-afternoon sun.  He looked back at the carriages and saw several were trapped or warded against thieves.  He looked toward the mages, and the area before them glowed with magical light, preventing anyone from smuggling in an invisible companion.


    The goblin looked at the hedges before him and saw . . . nothing.  They were just bushes.  Gromphy approached cautiously, getting within a few feet before stopping.  He waited several rounds to give his insight potion a chance to pick up any trap or magical border, but there was nothing.  Instead of giving him confidence, Gromphy was even more concerned.  His small body moved quickly between the well-manicured branches of the hedge until he was hidden inside.  He waited a few more moments for an alarm or lightning to strike him dead, but nothing happened.


    Then he heard it.


    Sniffing.


    Having spent only a brief time with his master¡¯s familiar, Gromphy recognized the searching nose of a large dog.  He couldn¡¯t tell how far away it was.  With his senses heightened, the canine could still be hundreds of feet away or only a few paces down on the other side of the foliage wall.  The goblin was prepared for this, which was a good thing since he couldn¡¯t remove his chest in the close confines of the bushes.  He reached into his vest and pulled out two small animal figurines similar to the mountain goats he had summoned before.


    With two bursts of mana, a pair of full-sized deer burst from the hedges, running into the inner courtyard in opposite directions.  The unmistakable cry of hellhounds baying into the air sounded right after, and Gromphy willed the deer on faster, knowing they would never escape the mighty hunters, but they could give them a prolonged chase.


    Gromphy waited thirty seconds and then left the bushes, seeing the hounds bounding off in the distance, hundreds of feet away and still chasing the deer.  Each of the guard dogs was level 20.  Gromphy shuddered; either one of them would have been able to eat him in one bite.  He drank an invisibility potion.  It wouldn¡¯t protect him from the hellhounds, but equally dangerous enemies waited for him in the home ahead.  Hopefully, they would be comfortable enough in luxury to only care about what they could see with their eyes.


    Next, he focused on the building before him.  It was massive.  Gromphy appreciated Jace¡¯s stronghold.  It was built by gnomes for orcs and was only as big as needed to be comfortable.  His own quarters were perfectly sized for his goblin frame.  Imani¡¯s estate was monstrously large for medium-sized creatures, even more so for someone like himself.


    Gromphy saw a few people milling about before the entrance to the main hall, likely there so they could get the first look at each guest that came in.  Gromphy wouldn¡¯t be able to enter that way.  His heightened perception expired when he drank the invisibility potion, but he could tell magical light flooded through the hall and spilled out onto the front landing.


    He skirted around the fortress-like building, already knowing he wouldn¡¯t find any loose stone, basement windows, or wooden doors he could burn through with fire or acid.  He only saw one other entrance in the back, a door barred with iron and flanked by gargoyles.  Before it, tombstones rose from the ground with fresh dirt piled beside several of them.  Gromphy wasn¡¯t even going to think of approaching that.


    He could hear sounds from the ocean side of the house and assumed a large deck and pool area bordered the estate to the south.  It probably offered another way in, but that would be heavily trafficked by people.  No, his only option was to wait to see if Esther could find something and signal to him.


    The goblin was about to activate his locating ring to see where Esther was, but that was when the window broke.


    <hr>


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±


    The voice was deep and commanding, and Esther suddenly felt small and retreated a step from the gathering crowd around her, broken glass crackling under her feet.  She still couldn¡¯t see any teeth, claws, scales, or red eyes in the group, but she felt them.  The powerful characters were all heightened, mana brimming at their fingertips, ready to call forward hidden weapons or cast powerful spells.  But they also shrank back from the sound of the voice.


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    ¡°Who would attend my party and treat my property so?¡±


    The throng before Esther parted, and a man stepped forward.  Several women followed, but when he entered the clearing the crowd had made, his female companions stayed with the others.  Esther felt the power from him as effortlessly as heat from one of Draya¡¯s fireballs.  This was Imani.


    His attire broke the black-tie dress code as he wore a gray suitcoat with a white shirt and . . .  Esther paused.  No, he was shirtless.  His chest was stark white, rippled with muscles, while his arms and shoulders were a dark gray.  No, Esther self-corrected again.  Not stark white, shark white.  His body had the same coloration as a great white shark.  He wore black pants, boots, and a bowtie around his neck, nothing else.


    Imani now paused to examine Esther, and she felt like bait on a hook.  He didn¡¯t take long and soon was grinning, his pointed teeth visible behind his thin lips.  ¡°Who are you?¡± he said.  ¡°I don¡¯t know you, and I didn¡¯t invite you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a friend of Ella Roseth-¡±


    ¡°A vampire,¡± Imani interrupted.  ¡°A thief.  And a charmer.  I suppose you need some charm skills if you come to my home dressed like that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Esther said, much of her fear evaporating at the insult.  ¡°I kill in this dress.¡±  She paused, realizing that likely wasn¡¯t the right metaphor to use.


    Imani smiled.  ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡± He looked at Thomas for the first time.  ¡°I see you brought your own food.  Didn¡¯t anyone tell you it would be provided?¡±


    ¡°Why do people keep saying that . . .¡± Esther¡¯s voice trailed off as she looked around at the wait staff.  The skimpily dressed humans walked around these hungry monsters, utterly oblivious to what lay in store for them.  She looked at Thom and deeply regretted bringing the young man.


    ¡°But if you insist on crashing my party,¡± he looked at the broken window behind her, ¡°you might as take it the whole way.  Go ahead,¡± he motioned toward Thom, who was frozen in fear.  Imani licked his lips and bared his teeth.  ¡°Take a bite.¡±


    Esther was suddenly hungry, hungrier than she had ever been before.  She looked at Thom, his heart beating a million times a minute, his pulse throbbing in his bare neck.  Her lips curled back, and she took a step toward her date.


    ¡°Esther Xerxes!¡±


    Esther stopped, her hunger interrupted by the call, the voice hauntingly familiar.  Several in the crowd responded in hushed exclamations.  Her name was known among some even if her face was not, and this was not her typical attire.  Even Imani had heard of her.  ¡°Is that so?¡± he said, turning toward the voice.


    A tall, broad-shouldered man stepped out of the crowd.  Esther locked eyes with him, and recognition flowed through her.  She thought he might have been one of her ¡°clients¡± from the past, but Jace had told her that would be players like him from another dimension.  This room was filled with characters native to the realms.  Plus, something else about him tugged at her that she couldn¡¯t quite place.


    ¡°Atrax,¡± Imani said, recognizing someone he had invited to the party.  ¡°You know this woman?  She is THE Esther Xerxes?  I expected someone more . . . more . . .¡±


    ¡°She is more,¡± Atrax assured him.  ¡°And she is mine.¡±


    The man-shark laughed, his teeth moving up and down, both rows flexing unhumanly.  An uneven chuckle went through the gathering.  If the host found it funny, they should be laughing too.  He stopped laughing and grew stern.  Everyone else followed suit.  ¡°Atrax, we go back.  You know me.  You know my rules.  She is on my property.  Uninvited to my home.  Hunting grounds take priority over everything.¡±  He spread his arms to indicate the fabulous banquet hall and everyone in it.  ¡°I am very generous with what is mine.  Do not try me on this.  If that is Esther Xerxes . . .¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Atrax said, trying to keep a smile off his face, knowing what was coming.


    ¡°And she is as valuable as I¡¯ve heard . . .¡±


    ¡°She is.¡±


    ¡°And she is currently employed by Jace Thorne . . .¡±


    ¡°Also true.¡±


    ¡°Then there is no way in the nine seas that I will let you tell me what I can do with . . .¡±


    ¡°She is also a fallen angel of Decus Gemma, one of the sworn enemies of my master, and he claims her as his own.  I am here as his representative.¡±


    Imani looked like he was choking on his food.  He blinked several times and then turned to Esther.  ¡°Is this true?  Are you . . .¡± but once again his words were left hanging as he regarded the vampire rogue before him.


    Esther was in shock.  Her past had been shrouded in mystery to her.  The knowledge that she was a fallen angel had been like knowing she was adopted.  She knew she was unique and had a complicated history, but it didn¡¯t tell her where she came from or who her ¡°parents¡± were.  As Atrax had explained what she was, a key had been turned in her mind, and it all came flooding back.  She could remember herself as a glorious angel, a precious, beautiful jewel in the heavenly realm.  And then she had fallen to this cold, harsh realm of infamy.  All her power was lost in an instant.  Memories of who Atrax was and what he had meant to her came back to her as well, but it was too much all at once, and she struggled to find an anchor in the here and now.


    Once she lifted her head and opened her eyes, she saw a throng of powerful guests staring in her direction, one in particular.  Imani repeated the question.  Esther nodded.  ¡°I . . . I am.  I was.¡±


    The party''s host swore but then brightened so as not to bring a dower specter over the gathering.  ¡°There are many fish in the sea,¡± he said, bringing cheers from the crowd.  ¡°Come, everyone, let¡¯s celebrate!¡±  More cheers.  He waved at Atrax and nodded toward Esther, rescinding his claim on her.  The women who had been swimming in Imani¡¯s wake before rejoined him and laughed in delight.  ¡°And someone fix that window.¡±


    As interested as the gathering was in learning more about Esther, they understood the gravity of what Atrax had said, even if Esther did not, and they dispersed, honoring their host¡¯s wishes to celebrate.  Thom had been ignored through the whole encounter but approached his date now to give her support.


    ¡°Esther,¡± he said.  ¡°Are you okay?  Do you need me to help you out of here?  Is what he said true?  I know about Decus Gemma, the god of beauty and precious stones.  If you are an angel of his, you . . .¡±


    Esther held up a hand to stop him.  She knew he meant well, but she had too many thoughts racing through her mind right now.  ¡°Thomas,¡± she said.  ¡°Maybe it is best if you leave.  I have some things I need to figure out.¡±


    ¡°No.  Let him stay.¡±


    Esther and Thom looked up to see Atrax standing before them.  He wasn¡¯t alone.  ¡°This is Stemenia,¡± he said, indicating the diminutive tiefling beside him.  She wore a short black dress that hugged her slim figure.  The demon was one of the few ¡°monsters¡± present who showed her true colors as small horns poked out from her wavy brown hair.  ¡°We have a lot to talk about,¡± Atrax said.  ¡°Might as well make it a double date.¡±


    Stemenia smiled alluringly at Thom, and Esther could feel mana transfer between them.  The young man smiled back.  She took him by the arm and led him away from the broken window and into the middle of the room.  Atrax offered his arm to Esther.  ¡°Like old times?¡±


    The ¡°old times¡± were still flowing into her mind, and Esther couldn¡¯t process them.  She looked deep into Atrax¡¯s eyes, trying to figure out if he was someone she wanted to remember.  Only one way to find out.  She took his arm.

 Chapter 7: Memory Lane

    Gromphy arrived at the broken window as the glass was still falling. At first, he hoped this wasn¡¯t Esther¡¯s attempt to gain him access to the house, but after the shower of glass had ceased, he found one of her knives on the ground and knew this was her. The sound of the shattering window from inside the hall wasn¡¯t what the goblin would consider stealthy, and he waited several moments to see if a body or two would come hurtling down as well, but all was relatively quiet from above, and he could only hope that Esther had it under control. While he didn¡¯t respect many of her choices, Gromphy had to admit the rogue was resourceful, and this was the only entrance he could see.


    Still invisible, Gromphy removed a grappling hook from his inventory and took a few deep breaths. He looked up at the window, seeing a section of the sill clear of glass. The hook had bonuses to find its target, and one of the few combat traits he had given points to was his throwing ability since bombs were his most common attack method. With no discernable activity above, and no one poking their head out the window, he launched the grappling hook fifteen feet in the air. It caught the ledge on the first try, and he tugged to ensure it was tight.


    After retrieving Esther¡¯s dagger, he hoisted himself up the taught line and paused only when he reached the top. Listening for voices or combat or some indication that all was not right, all he heard was the ambient sounds of music playing, glasses clinking, and people talking. Gromphy pulled himself up the last few feet and dropped inside the window.


    The light in the room canceled his invisibility spell, and he scampered behind a potted plant standing next to the broken window. Glass covered the floor, and each step made a crunching sound, but nobody turned to look at him. Gromphy searched for Esther and finally saw her and Thom in the company of two others. The crafter exercised his skills to determine the class and level of her new friends and saw she was talking with a level 18 fighter. He was a vampire.


    Gromphy downed another perception-boosting potion to listen into their conversation. He was also granted the ability to identify her condition. Esther was Shocked, an actual game condition that gave her a -10 penalty against anything the vampire did to her, and the fighter was laying the charm on thick. Gromphy couldn¡¯t comprehend everything the man said, but it was clear to the goblin that they had a history together, and Esther was confused.


    Soon the characters were too far away, with several other guests blocking his view, and Gromphy focused on his position. Part of him wanted to go after the woman, feeling she was in trouble, but there was little he could do. As soon as he left the cover of the plant, he would be seen, and while he was dressed for the occasion, he was the only small creature in the room and would stick out.


    But he also couldn¡¯t stay here forever. The guests avoided the shattered glass on the floor, but he spotted two servants approaching, discussing methods for cleaning up the mess and fixing the window. Gromphy looked to his right and left and saw the double doors fifteen feet away. They weren¡¯t completely closed. The crafter smiled. He could see the damaged hinge and knew someone like Imani would keep his home in perfect working order. That was the way Esther wanted him to go.


    Gromphy took a deep breath and bolted for the doors, his ears pricked for any indication he was seen. He made it through the double doors and sighed as they swung closed behind him.


    The hallway was empty, and he saw the stairs ahead. Rooms lined both sides of the hall, and he scampered past the first one on the right, groans and moans coming from the slightly ajar door. The goblin nearly jumped out of his skin when the middle door on the left opened. It revealed a naked woman briefly before she adjusted the angle so only her head and neck showed. She did a double take at the goblin but then saw his attire and shrugged her bare shoulders.


    ¡°Do you work here?¡± she asked in a hushed tone.


    Gromphy had no other choice. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°We need an Athletic potion, a tower shield, and a frost arrow.¡± A gruff male voice said something from further in the room. ¡°Oh yes,¡± she continued, ¡°and a few more chickens.¡±


    ¡°More chickens?¡± Gromphy clarified.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°The first few didn¡¯t last long.¡±


    The goblin didn¡¯t want to know. He considered apologizing to the woman that he was busy but didn¡¯t want her to cause a stir or report him to anyone. And it just so happened that he had all those things. He popped his chest out of his inventory and produced the first three requests in seconds. The chickens took some work, and he would definitely have to restock his animal supply, but after a bit of mana, three birds waddled into the room through the cracked door.


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    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, ¡°and you are the cutest thing ever, by the way.¡± Another comment from deeper inside the room came to Gromphy¡¯s sensitive ears. She turned to respond. ¡°A goblin in a top hat,¡± she said. The voice said something else. She shrugged again, ¡°I¡¯ll ask.¡± She turned back to look at the crafter. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to join us, would you?¡±


    Gromphy grew suddenly pale and shook his head. The woman chuckled. ¡°Just thought I¡¯d ask.¡± She closed the door, and the goblin breathed a sigh of relief. He returned his trunk to his inventory and ran the rest of the way toward the stairs.


    <hr>


    Atrax led Esther out of the hall and to the large patio on the south side of the estate bordering the ocean. Outside, a dozen people gathered, drinking and talking, while a few swam in the large pool and relaxed in a steaming bath. The sky was overcast, but sunlight lit the ocean a few dozen feet past the shore. It was a peaceful setting, and Esther focused on the gentle waves to calm her raging mind.


    Her new friend, who she now remembered was an old friend, kept the conversation light, commenting on several of the other guests, the generosity of their host, and how beautiful Esther looked. She barely heard any of it as memories of him, whom she used to be, and what had happened since flooded through her.


    When Jace had changed her back in the Gilded Swan, she had undergone a similar experience as every player character she had ever been with simultaneously uploaded into her mind. However, those experiences followed a similar pattern and were more easily assimilated. Now she had visions of heaven, vague memories of other friends, adventures she had participated in, and bursts of knowledge about her new companion.


    ¡°It is beautiful, isn¡¯t it,¡± Atrax said, looking out over the water. He leaned against a high railing, and Esther mimicked his pose. ¡°I don¡¯t get to look at sunshine often. My skin has this terrible burning reaction.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Beautiful but deadly. Sort of like someone I know.¡±


    Esther managed a weak smile at the compliment, something that Jace would never say to her.


    ¡°Imani hires one of the city¡¯s shamans,¡± he said, pointing toward a man standing on a high balcony off the backside of the house. The shaman was surrounded by totems and stood with his arms raised to the sky. ¡°He keeps the sun away,¡± Atrax clarified, pointing to the swirl of dark clouds centered over the magic user. ¡°Most of us wouldn¡¯t last a minute out here without him. But I understand you don¡¯t have that problem anymore. What has happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I am with Jace Thorne,¡± she said slowly, focusing on the one constant she could rely on. ¡°He rescued me.¡±


    ¡°Rescued you from what?¡±


    Esther shook her head in confusion. ¡°I . . . I am not sure. I have these memories of . . . before. Of us. And before that. And then there was this period of . . . I don¡¯t know. Like everything before disappeared, and I became this . . . thing. This autonomous being who did things and said things off a script. Then Jace came and freed me from that, and I became alive. At the time, it felt like I was free for the first time, but now I remember a time before all that when I had even more.¡±


    Atrax nodded. ¡°Do you know what triggered these memories?"


    She turned from the horizon to look him in the eyes. ¡°You did. I mean, what you said back there about me. About who I was.¡±


    ¡°That you are a fallen angel of Decus Gemma?¡± Atrax didn¡¯t need confirmation as he saw a wave of emotion cross her face, and she struggled to keep her focus. Esther could only nod mutely.


    ¡°I believe a spell was cast on you to erase everything before from your mind. I would like to help you remember if you will let me.¡±


    Esther still hadn¡¯t figured out how she felt about this man, this vampire, this character from her past. She felt calm when she looked at his face, but she wasn¡¯t na?ve enough to realize that it might be a spell. She had done the same thing to countless others. But she wanted calm right now. Outside of his handsome face was confusion and turmoil.


    ¡°I want to remember,¡± she said.


    ¡°Do you know the name Kai Morte?¡±


    Esther hesitated. There was something at the edge of her mind that seemed familiar, but she couldn¡¯t nail it down.


    ¡°Kai Morte,¡± Atrax repeated. ¡°A fallen angel of Dignatio.¡±


    The flood resumed. Memories washed over her of a knight with a handsome face and long black hair. He protected her, looked after her. Did he love her? Did she love him? Or was that Atrax? The vampire¡¯s face superimposed over the knight, and she couldn¡¯t tell them apart. Esther¡¯s knees became weak, and her arms tried to brace against the railing, but she felt herself slipping.


    Atrax caught her. ¡°I can see this is going to be a difficult process,¡± he said, hoisting her up beside him. ¡°We might need a little help.¡± The vampire looked over Esther¡¯s shoulder and saw his tiefling friend, Stemenia. She and Thom were canoodling several feet away. The human had a dazed look in his eyes and had his hands all over the shorter female.


    ¡°Stemi,¡± Atrax scolded. ¡°Not now. I need a drink.¡±


    The tiefling looked confused.


    ¡°Not for me,¡± he clarified, ¡°for her. One of your special drinks.¡±


    The woman nodded and propped her new plaything against the railing. Thom almost fell, but the tiefling whispered something into his ear, and he grabbed onto the wood as if his life depended on it. She kissed him on the cheek and went looking for a waiter.


    Esther didn¡¯t see any of that and allowed herself to be cradled by her new friend. Despite being a vampire, Atrax¡¯s embrace felt warm and comforting. It reminded her of a time when she craved his embrace, when Atrax was all she ever wanted and needed. Then . . . what had happened? Had they been separated? Had this Kai Morte come into their lives? Did he rescue her, or was he hunting Atrax? Or both?


    Esther shook her head in frustration, unable to nail anything down as her mind struggled to settle on a reliable timeline. Atrax held her, and, for now, she trusted him. She felt he knew the truth of her past and would help her find out what she needed. So when he pushed a glass to her lips, she didn¡¯t hesitate and drank the wine. Her mind was at peace within moments, and she let herself fall entirely into the vampire¡¯s embrace.

 Chapter 8: Questions and Answers

    Gromphy paused after descending the first flight of stairs. He was on the ground level now, and a heavy wooden door stood to his right. He recognized the design as the one that was barred from the outside with the graveyard before it. His eyes went to his left and the stairs descending to the lower levels. Dirt was scattered on the steps, creating a clear path from the door to the cellar. The goblin had been told he would be dealing with a death shaman, but necromancy gave him the creeps. He shook off his hesitation and continued down.


    The transformation of the d¨¦cor was stark. A minute ago, Gromphy had been in a luxurious hall filled with beautiful music, wine, and people. Now he moved down a dark passage filled with cobwebs, mossy walls, and bloodstained floors. The stairs emptied into a catacomb-style dungeon path, lit only by torches every 25 feet. His perception spell would last an hour as long as he stayed out of combat, which he planned to avoid at all costs.


    Sounds came to his keen ears as he perceived torture victims moaning and crying from behind cage doors. Gromphy stayed in the center of the corridor, away from the slits in the wall where someone or something might try to reach through and grab him. He chanced a look into one of the prison cells and saw a Helpless victim chained to the far wall, unable to do anything other than groan at his condition. The goblin quickened his step.


    After a row of a dozen cells, he found a storeroom filled with potions and scrolls. Beyond that was a collection of iron shackles and torture devices. Heat came to him as he turned a corner, and the flickering light of a large fire was visible at the end of the hall. More victims cried out to him as he passed, these more articulate in their pleas, but he shut them out and continued forward.


    The shaman was an elf, tall and slender, with black hair and modestly dressed in a gray tunic and pants. His pointed ears had numerous piercings of gold and obsidian, and a heavy medallion with a pentagram symbol hung around his neck. He stood before a stone slab, three feet high, on which a middle-aged woman lay. She was missing most of her left arm, the bone and muscle protruding just below the shoulder in tatters. It looked like a vicious monster had bit it off. Gromphy bet it had been a shark.


    The shaman saw Gromphy enter the small chamber lit by four torches, but he ignored him. Instead, he concentrated on the brazier flaming at the foot of the altar, chanting in a guttural language. Gromphy stepped back as a shadowed image emerged from the flames, roughly human in shape but with too many arms. It fluttered as it rose above the prostrate woman. A constant groan was the only sign of life as she rolled her head back and forth.


    The summoned demon fell on her in a sudden blur of shadow, and she straightened her remaining limbs, her head stiff and staring at the ceiling. Her mouth was open, and Gromphy¡¯s keen ears heard the hiss of breath leave her as powerful mana raced through the rest of her body. The magic settled at her torn shoulder, and with a crackle of dark energy, her arm slowly reformed.


    The smell of burnt flesh filled the air, but the new skin didn¡¯t appear charred or deformed in any way. After several moments, her limb was restored. The dark shadow flew out of her open mouth, paused momentarily as if to regard the vessel it had just occupied, and then fled into the brazier, flames rising to the ceiling as it crossed back to its demonic realm.


    The woman sat up, a dazed look in her eye, and while she looked whole, Gromphy sensed a large chunk of her soul missing. She wore a simple gown tied at the waist with leather sandals. Without even looking at her new arm, she turned to the side so her legs hung over the edge and dropped to the floor.


    ¡°Return to the beach,¡± the shaman said. ¡°Resume your duties. Try not to fall off the dock.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she replied, her voice passionless. She walked past Gromphy but turned down a separate passageway not toward the stairs he had descended.


    Gromphy¡¯s eyes followed her, wondering how extensive this underground system was. When she was out of sight, he turned back to the shaman and saw the haunted black eyes of the elf staring at him. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you,¡± he said in a hollow whisper. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    The goblin straightened his vest and suit coat and stood as tall as possible. ¡°Thou cast a healing spell on her?¡±


    The shaman took on a faraway look as if the woman he had just performed on was a distant memory. It took a moment, but recognition registered on his face, and he shook his head. ¡°It was a transference spell,¡± he clarified. ¡°I transformed a portion of her soul into physical flesh. My servant took a piece for himself as payment. Healing is not possible with the dark arts.¡±


    The goblin nodded. ¡°And thou doth perform this spell often?¡±


    The shaman cocked his head at the odd question, not used to being interrogated. ¡°The shores to the south of the estate are not safe. The waters are teeming with predators. The land is not much safer. My master holds parties. He casts his feeding frenzy spells, and there is much carnage. Usually, the victims are consumed, but occasionally, they are only nibbled on, and he wishes to feed on them again in the future. It is my job to repair them . . . among other things.¡±


    Gromphy nodded and stepped closer to the altar. He found a stool at the base and climbed it to look the shaman in the eyes and reach the top of the stone slab. He went into this vest and produced half a dozen healing potions, setting them down on the flat surface. ¡°With but a draught from one of these, thou couldst restore the most grievous wounds. No need for thy black magic or descending to these lower levels. Stock these about thy master¡¯s grounds, and he wouldst have a buffet that never ran out.¡±


    The shaman cocked his head in interest. Gromphy continued his sales pitch. ¡°And while I hast not partaken in similar cuisine, I know that a soulless meal loses its power. These wouldst restore a victim without impairing their essence.¡±


    Now the shaman looked even more intrigued. Gromphy saw him greedily eyeing the six bottles and swiftly produced six more. Now the shaman¡¯s eyes got large. After a moment, they grew cautious. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Gromphy, Master Crafter for Jace Thorne.¡±


    The name meant little to the shaman. ¡°I am Carakon, Soul Binder and Necromancer for Imani Pistri, Apex Hunter of the Nine Seas. I have duties and responsibilities that cannot be interrupted. I have no time for . . .¡± his voice trailed off as Gromphy popped his trunk onto the floor and produced 12 more healing potions, placing the vials carefully on the now crowded stone slab.


    The shaman sighed and shrugged. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    Gromphy smiled, pulled the dress out of his inventory, and laid it away from the bottles at the front of the slab. ¡°This item hath a curse that deals 100 damage to the wearer upon activation. I wish to elevate it to 100 damage each round, unending.¡±


    ¡°That is not a simple request,¡± Carakon said.


    ¡°Tis why I came to the most renowned Soul Binder in the realms. I hath been told nothing exists outside thy ability.¡±


    The elf smirked at the obvious flattery, but it worked anyway. ¡°If you are dealing in fire, I will need a living mana core. Demons cannot be bound to inanimate objects.¡±


    Gromphy nodded and produced the level-one fire drake Esther had captured.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°You have done your research,¡± the shaman said, gaining respect for his client. He listed several other ingredients, and Gromphy produced them without hesitation. The goblin began to wonder if half the things mentioned were actually required or if the elf was just testing him and possibly replenishing his stores. It didn¡¯t matter; the crafter wouldn¡¯t run out of items any time soon.


    ¡°Impressive,¡± the shaman said after almost a dozen potions, alloys, gemstones, and other unique ingredients cluttered his altar. ¡°But it is still not enough. The crafting skill required is beyond me. Even if I had an hour to prepare, I could not summon the power required . . .¡±


    ¡°I shall do the crafting,¡± Gromphy said. He did not have the level 50 crystal with him, but he felt confident in generating whatever was required.


    The shaman did not have the skills to analyze the goblin¡¯s stats, but he took him at his word for now. ¡°Very well. There is one thing yet that we require. I have a demon in mind for the binding, Ignis Ardeat. He is a demon who enjoys bindings like this and dispels fire without limit. Unlike most of his kind, he does not deal in demon fire but normal mage fire. But even though he is willing to join in this type of union, it still requires the ultimate price.¡±


    ¡°A sacrifice,¡± Gromphy said, knowing this would be a problem.


    ¡°A life,¡± Carakon clarified. Moans of agony floated down the hall, and before his guest thought about stealing one of his master¡¯s playthings, he clarified further. ¡°A powerful life. It would help if the individual were already attuned to the demonic plane, but it isn¡¯t necessary. Without that benefit, though, you will need someone level 16 or higher. Do you have someone like that in your chest?¡±


    Gromphy did not, but his eyes rose to the ceiling. Roughly 20 feet above them, dozens of powerful beings danced and drank the day away, any of whom would be adequate for the spell they needed. Carakon interpreted his look. ¡°You have the strength to subdue one of my master¡¯s guests?¡±


    Gromphy did not, but Esther did. Hopefully, she was still in a condition to do so. The goblin picked up his trunk and stored it in his inventory. He turned to the shaman. ¡°Thou shalt prepare the spell. I shall return with the sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Carakon replied.


    Gromphy hopped off the stool and injected mana into his locating ring to find Esther. It took a round to activate, and when he felt the magic guiding him, he wasn¡¯t surprised to find it didn¡¯t lead him back the way he had come but in a similar path to the one the woman servant had used. As Gromphy moved deeper into the catacombs, his mind raced with all the possible misadventures Esther could have encountered. He didn¡¯t like what his imagination produced and quickened his pace.


    <hr>


    Esther woke with a groggy head, and it took her a while to understand why she was waking up at all. She didn¡¯t remember going to sleep. The last thing she remembered was standing on the back deck, enjoying the ocean breeze with Atrax. The man had given her a drink and then . . .


    Esther jolted awake and found she was bound tightly to a vertical board with iron shackles on her wrists and ankles. They looked ordinary enough and shouldn¡¯t have been too much for her advanced skill, but they were enchanted with a powerful spell, and she failed the Grapple check. She was now Securely Grappled and considered Helpless. Her body slumped back against the board about 15 degrees from vertical, and she could only look around.


    Thomas was bound similarly beside her, still unconscious. She again regretted taking him along but couldn¡¯t worry about that now. If she wanted to save him, she would first have to save herself. They were in a small room built of stone block, very different from the polished marble, wood trim, and stained glass of the banquet hall they had previously occupied. Esther guessed they must be in a separate room of the same house, and when she found a window that looked out onto the sunlit ocean, she confirmed her assumption. From the angle down to the water, they must be in one of the few towers she had seen on the estate when they had arrived.


    They weren¡¯t alone. Atrax and Stemenia stood before them, patiently waiting for Esther to wake up. They smiled at her attempts to escape resulting in her lying Helpless against the board. As long as they kept her out of combat mode, she would be like that for many minutes. She couldn¡¯t check her inventory in her current state, but she was willing to bet it was empty. Looking around the room, she saw familiar equipment piled on several tables and assumed the worse. At least they had let her keep her new dress and hadn¡¯t stripped her of everything.


    In her quick scan of the room, she found four more occupants: gargoyles. At first, she thought they were statues like she had seen before, but they stood away from the wall, and their bodies swayed gently back and forth as the animated monsters waited for a command. Three were carved into demonic-looking monkeys five feet tall with wings on their backs, while the fourth was a full-grown ape, seven feet tall with four arms and red eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you could wake up,¡± Atrax said with a smile. ¡°Now we can get started. I hope your mind has cleared a bit more and your memories have found their proper home.¡±


    Esther only then remembered that new memories had assaulted her before she had been drugged. And her old vampire friend was correct; they had properly seated themselves in her mind, so they no longer drove her crazy. She still wasn¡¯t familiar with the images or ideas they contained, but instead of them swirling around her head like a swarm of bees trying to sting her, they sat calmly, waiting to be explored like picture books on a shelf.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with the basics,¡± Atrax said. ¡°Where did you come from?¡±


    ¡°Most recently, a stronghold outside of Crestfall. We haven¡¯t given it a name yet. Jace is still working on it.¡±


    The vampire frowned. ¡°Before that,¡± he clarified.


    ¡°Before that, I worked at the Gilded Swan as a premium escort. You never came to visit.¡±


    Atrax slapped her across the face. ¡°I have no intention of killing you. My master wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡±


    Esther suddenly remembered that he had invoked his master to Imani, and the shark-man had been terrified of him. Esther didn¡¯t know who that was, but the fact that this higher being wanted her alive didn¡¯t bring her much comfort.


    Atrax saw the fear in her eyes and continued. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, but I care nothing for this one,¡± he motioned at Thomas. ¡°Tell me what I want, or he dies, and it won¡¯t be pleasant.¡±


    Esther¡¯s eyes went to the tiefling standing behind the vampire. Stemenia licked her lips, showing off her pointed teeth. Esther looked again at Atrax. She was pretty sure he already knew most of what she could tell him, so she didn¡¯t see the harm in it. Reaching back into her mind, Esther pulled a jewel-encrusted tome off the shelf and slowly opened it.


    ¡°I was an angel in the service of Decus Gemma. I was perfect in every way. I was a jewel in his crown. A diamond.¡± Esther smirked as she finally realized why she had such an affinity for the precious stone. ¡°I was often sent on missions to aid his servants when they found themselves in need. I could fly, and my appearance would dazzle any foe trying to harm one of my master¡¯s followers.¡±


    ¡°And why did you leave there?¡± Atrax asked.


    Esther winced. The memory was there, but it was incomplete and painful. ¡°I was accused of falling in love with a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    Esther winced again. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I have so many memories of being with so many people that to pull one out . . .¡±


    ¡°Try harder,¡± Atrax growled. ¡°Your friend¡¯s life depends on it.¡±


    ¡°I . . . I must have. Decus Gemma rejected me and cast me down to the realms. He couldn¡¯t have been wrong about that. There must have been evidence that I did . . . but I don¡¯t remember.¡±


    The vampire frowned but didn¡¯t push it further, already understanding that her memory was likely incomplete. ¡°You were not alone after you found yourself in this realm.¡±


    Esther shook her head. ¡°No, there were several.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    She screwed up her face trying to remember. ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Not too many.¡±


    ¡°Kai Morte was one of them.¡±


    Esther nodded. ¡°Yes. He was with us. He was a fallen angel too. He had been accused of taking unjust revenge on a mortal.¡±


    ¡°And was he guilty?¡±


    Esther shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t remember him challenging the claim.¡±


    ¡°And what of the others?¡± Atrax continued. ¡°What were their names? How many were there?¡±


    Esther mentally scrolled through her memories, looking for anything that would give her a hint at what he was asking, but she found nothing.


    Atrax grew impatient. ¡°Tell me what I want to know!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember. You triggered these memories in me. You need to trigger more!¡±


    He slapped her again. ¡°I¡¯ve been searching for you forever after you were stolen from me. I was so close to getting all of you. I will not be denied again.¡± He stepped back and looked at the tiefling. ¡°Stemi, you may proceed.¡±


    The demoness smiled as she raised her hands, and mana swirled about her fingertips. Esther tried to pull back, but the board behind her didn¡¯t yield. ¡°What are you going to do? I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t know anything else.¡±


    ¡°We shall see,¡± Stemenia said, walking up to the two shackled individuals. Thomas hadn¡¯t woken up yet, but he jolted upright as the tiefling mage pressed her left hand against his chest and proceeded to suck his soul out. His eyes and mouth opened in a silent scream as his back arched in agony.


    ¡°No!¡± Esther cried. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    Stemenia reached her other hand toward the frantic woman, and Esther couldn¡¯t Dodge out of the way. The tiefling¡¯s fingers splayed over her face, securing her temple and forehead. Power surged into Esther¡¯s mind as the newly placed books on her shelf were ripped down, opened, and all their contents flowed out of her mouth.


    She told them everything.

 Chapter 9: Old Friends and New Enemies

    Esther Xerxes lived in a forest glade with . . .


    She couldn¡¯t remember. Kai Morte stood out in her memory, protecting their group with a vigilant guard, but she could not be sure how many others there were. Maybe five in total, or possibly six. They were all fallen angels, cast down by their gods for violations factual or fabricated, but cast down nonetheless. They found food, water, and shelter. It took a long while before they accepted that their banishment from heaven was not a temporary thing.


    Divine beings are often punished or given tasks below their station in response to actions deemed unholy, but this felt different. They were alone in the forest for weeks with no sign from heaven, no divine powers, and not even a mortal priest was sent to give them direction. They felt there must be a way to restore their divinity, and huddling in the forest wasn¡¯t giving them any answers.


    Once they felt safe venturing out, Esther was nominated to do it. She was stealthy and could move quietly even among the leaves and twigs of the forest. Kai stood guard while she was gone, and she promised to return as soon as possible. Her job was to find a temple, inquire of the gods what the fallen angels needed to do to restore themselves, and then return.


    It was night when she stumbled into a city. Her dealings with mortals in the realms had been brief in the past, always giving aid when they battled demonic or dark foes but never staying long and never observing daily life. Now she tried to navigate the nightlife of a bustling trading port at the mouth of a river with pirates, pickpockets, and swindlers all looking to make a profit. She was strong but naive, falling in with the wrong crowd, and despite her efforts, she was almost kidnapped, sold into slavery, and sailed off into the horizon, never to be seen again.


    That was when Atrax stepped in. The handsome man beat off the ruffians and rescued her to a private room where he tended her wounds. Esther was smitten at once, and the two were inseparable. Somehow he knew she was a fallen angel, so she didn¡¯t need to tell him her secret but insisted that he take her to a temple. He refused, convincing her that the priests of this treacherous city couldn¡¯t be trusted, and if she revealed to them that she was a fallen angel, they would only take advantage of her. Instead, he taught her everything he knew about moving in the shadows, fighting with swords, and how a rogue could operate in a city where everyone looked out for themselves.


    All he asked in return was to learn more about her. Where was she from? Did she have family or friends back home? What were their names? Esther resisted him at every question despite his skill with magical charms. The power that protected her true identity and the identity of those she left behind was implanted by the gods, and no spell of the realms could break it.


    The only response Esther gave the persistent man was that it was time for her to return to her people. She had been gone too long, and they would begin to worry. Atrax always relented then, saying he was only curious, and insisted she stay with him longer.


    Esther didn¡¯t remember how long it was, days, weeks, or possibly months. Atrax¡¯s charms weren¡¯t strong enough to uncover her secrets but were sufficient to keep her under his care. He was a prince among rogues in the bustling city, and they lived in luxury without care or need. Esther didn¡¯t venture back into the forest, but someone came looking for her.


    Kai had been chosen to go out next, primarily to look for Esther but also to fulfill her original mission. He swore to return as soon as he knew something. When he hit the port city and asked if anyone had seen the stunningly beautiful woman, finding her didn¡¯t take long. If Atrax was a prince, Esther was his princess, and he flaunted her in public frequently. But once Kai showed up, Atrax knew the game was up. When the knight proved resistant to the charms his vampire brood levied on him, Atrax was forced to take him prisoner.


    Esther was furious, and Atrax revealed his vampire nature to her, threatening to kill Kai if she didn¡¯t tell him how many others there were and where he could find them. Esther didn¡¯t talk. So Atrax was forced to torture Kai instead. Hot pokers, thorns with gut-wrenching poison, and insects that crawled in and out of every crevice weren¡¯t enough. The only thing either one cared about was the other, and they soon learned that Atrax¡¯s threats to kill either of them if the other didn¡¯t talk were hollow. Whatever this vampire needed them for, he needed them alive.


    If Atrax couldn¡¯t kill them, he did the next best thing. With Kai strapped to a torture rack and whipped by the vampire¡¯s kobold slaves, Atrax brought Esther out before him. She was still beautiful, but a few days of isolation and constant interrogation had left her weak and haggard. The vampire propped her up before her fellow angel and gave his ultimatum one last time: Tell him where the other angels are, or Esther will suffer the consequences.


    Kai refused, so Atrax turned her.


    He bit her neck and sucked her half dry. Then he fed her his own blood and cast his sire spell. Kai screamed through the whole process, promising to bring the full wrath of heaven down on the demon spawn. He yanked on his chains with such force that Atrax thought he might actually rip them free from the stone walls. But the shackles held, and the knight was forced to watch as the woman he cared for was turned into an undead monster.


    Atrax laughed through the whole procedure, promising to perform even more violating acts in front of Kai if he didn¡¯t tell him what he wanted. Esther was sent back to her room to recover. She awoke at midnight with strength and agility she could hardly imagine. As a vampire, it was nothing for her to break down her locked door, kill a few guards, and return to Kai¡¯s cell. She freed him, and while he was reluctant to go with her, fearing a trap, she eventually convinced him that while she was a vampire now, she was still the same woman he had known before.


    They retraced their steps from the city back into the forest and eventually to the remaining fallen angels. None of them knew why they were being hunted, but they all agreed it wasn¡¯t safe for them to stay. Nor was it safe for them to remember who they were. There was a magic user in their group, and a spell was cast using the powerful divine magic imbued in them to keep their secrets from others. Now this power was used to keep their secrets from themselves, and they were forced to forget everything about their past and were sent in opposite directions throughout the realms with new professions. Their names stayed the same, but since they didn¡¯t remember each other, they couldn¡¯t tell anyone they met.


    Because they thought it might be necessary to one day meet again if the means to restore them to their heavenly realms was ever discovered, a key was fashioned to regain their memories. If someone spoke their name and the god they had served, they would remember their past. Likewise, if someone spoke the name of one of the other fallen angels and their god, they would remember all about them.


    Because of what Atrax had told her, Esther remembered her past and that of Kai Morte but of no one else.


    <hr>


    While Stemenia sucked Thomas¡¯ life dry and used that power to wring every last drop of information from Esther, Atrax listened to the tale he already knew most of. Esther spoke in a monotone voice, recounting several horrific events as if she were reading a menu at a restaurant. Only the last part was news to Atrax, but he had already guessed it. He had let Esther escape, hoping to track down the fallen angels. He had found the glade where they had been hiding and now knew why they had no longer been there.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Atrax asked when Stemenia released her hands from her victims, and Esther¡¯s head dropped to her chest in exhaustion. ¡°There must be more.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t,¡± she replied. ¡°And this human is out of fuel for my spell either way.¡±


    The vampire walked up to Thomas, who was gasping for air like a fish out of water. ¡°Worthless mortal!¡± he cried, grabbing him by the lapels of his suit and yanking him forward. The clothing proved stronger than the bones in his weakened wrists and ankles as Atrax ripped him from his restraints and then tossed his limp body toward the gargoyles. The monsters tore him apart in glee.


    The enraged vampire returned to Esther, who also hung listlessly but was still full of life. ¡°You must know more about your past. Surely you¡¯ve crossed paths with your angelic friends at some point since you separated.¡± Esther didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Do you know the other gods in question?¡± Stemenia asked. ¡°Did Karo¡¯Kaffellon tell you who he was . . .¡± she stopped as Atrax turned on her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention that name,¡± he said in a harsh whisper stepping away from Esther. ¡°Don¡¯t ever say that name.¡±


    Stemenia shrank from the much taller vampire. ¡°Sorry. Did your master tell you which other gods he was battling? He wants to steal their power, so certainly he knows which ones.¡±


    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°He is testing me,¡± Atrax said stoically. ¡°I must solve this problem for him. I cannot go and beg for more information. It would be a sign of weakness. Plus, there is another looking.¡±


    ¡°The player,¡± Stemenia said. ¡°Do you think he is closer to finding the truth?¡±


    Atrax laughed. ¡°How could he be? I have Esther Xerxes shackled and Helpless. What does he have?¡±


    ¡°Who has me shackled and Helpless?¡±


    Atrax spun back to see Esther standing free before him, hatred like a fire in her eyes. Stemenia¡¯s mind magic had placed Esther in combat mode, and the spell increasing the Grappling ability of the restraints had expired. She had gained significantly more skill in escaping since Atrax had last seen her and had simply shrugged off the cuffs once the vampire was distracted.


    He tried to react, but Esther was faster, grabbing him by his fancy clothes and tossing him toward the gargoyles. The hungry beasts were finishing off Thomas and were too dim-witted to tell one meal from the next and got several powerful attacks against the disoriented vampire before he could command them to stop.


    It was just enough time for Esther to attack Stemenia. The tiefling was more dexterous than most, and without Esther¡¯s normal boons from her equipment, she couldn¡¯t get enough criticals on the Grapple attempt to consider the female Secured, but that changed once they backed up, and the rogue pinned the smaller mage against the board Thomas had been tied to. The vampire had enough time to take one level and then turned to release a web spell toward the other side of the room, the difficulty bolstered by the extra mana she had just drained.


    Though the gargoyles had enormous Strength and Constitution, the abilities usually used to determine one¡¯s Grappling defense, they were creatures of living stone and were given significant penalties to defend against combat maneuvers such as Disarm, Trip, and Grapple. They did have high magic resistance, but Esther got to add her Grappling ability to the web spell, and the slow-footed creatures were held tight.


    Atrax had pulled himself free from the gargoyle scrum and had turned to charge Esther, but his Grappling defense was also not up to snuff. He didn¡¯t fail with as many criticals as the monsters and was only held from the waist down. The gargoyles were all Helpless, with webbing climbing to their necks.


    ¡°You¡¯ve learned some new tricks since we last met,¡± Atrax said, looking down at the magical snare he was in and then at the shackles she had escaped.


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Esther replied as she tightened her grip on the tiefling and resumed feeding. The spell the mage had cast to dig out her memories had done some damage, and she needed her health and mana back.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be like this,¡± Atrax said, trying to buy time. ¡°We can be together. I don¡¯t need the tiefling. She¡¯s nothing to me.¡±


    Esther laughed in her mind. She had just heard these two planning to turn her over to his demon master, who was so horrible he scared Imani, and Atrax didn¡¯t feel comfortable speaking his name aloud. Of course, responding to his foolish claim would require her to break away from her feeding, which would be equally foolish.


    Atrax could see Esther wasn¡¯t as impulsive as she had been before. ¡°Jace has made you wiser,¡± he said. ¡°He has made you powerful. I get that. I can make you a goddess. I can restore you. My master knows how. That is why he wants you. You have the divine power inside you. Your fallen nature has disabled it, but it is still there. I can unlock it.¡±


    Again, blatant lies, and Esther so wanted to respond to them, but she kept draining levels and building up mana. She knew how long her web spell would last and felt confident the gargoyles didn¡¯t have the skill to break free, but Atrax got a fresh chance to save each round and could get lucky.


    After stealing half of Stemenia¡¯s levels, she dropped the demoness to the floor and sneered at Atrax, not bothering to wipe the blood from her mouth. ¡°In your dreams,¡± she said, not wasting too much time before her excess mana expired. She released an acid spell. With all the mana she stole, it did a ton of damage.


    Since the gargoyles spent most of their time perched on the corners of tall buildings, they had excellent cold and lightning resistance but didn¡¯t do so well against acid. And since they were each Helpless in the web spell, they didn¡¯t even get a chance to save against the damage. The initial blast did well over half damage to the three smaller creatures. Since they weren¡¯t living beings, this didn¡¯t send them into a death spiral, but the web lasted two more rounds, and over the next twelve seconds, the successive acid blasts brought them to nothing.


    The fourth gargoyle took two rounds of heavy damage, but its magic resistance was high enough that even without a dice roll for the third round, it saved and only took half damage. Atrax saved the first round, taking half, but was still stuck in the web until it expired. Esther took the twelve seconds to gather as much of her equipment as possible. Her weapons, boots, and a few potions were on the first table she found. Her usual dress, hat, and jewelry were in another pile. She was still looking for her armor and gem bag when she heard the roar of the ape and knew the web had expired.


    She turned to see the massive gargoyle charging her and had a second to contemplate her options. It had initiative against her and got the first offensive action. Dodging seemed her best option, but she knew this creature would have an impressive attack, and if it hit her, she didn¡¯t know what would happen. As it closed the distance, she decided to tug on her hat instead and disappear in a column of pure darkness.


    Even with the bonus to defense that Esther gained from hiding, if the gargoyle had attacked her last known position, it would have done close to half her health in damage. But the stupid construct didn¡¯t understand the game mechanics well enough to know that Esther couldn¡¯t have moved from her location except to Dodge a direct attack since it had the initiative. Instead of attacking, it cast one of its few spells, True Sight, a necessity for a monster that spent most of its time as a stationary guard.


    As soon as the spell was cast, but before it took effect, Esther Shadow Stepped behind the creature. The spell didn¡¯t illuminate an area but made the gargoyle¡¯s eyes glow white, so shadows disappeared everywhere it looked. The spell took a full round to take effect, and Esther used her second action to attack from the shadows. The massive stone ape''s size made it difficult, but the penalties it got for defending against Grappling attempts and the bonus Esther got from the Sneak Attack gave her the advantage she needed.


    In one swift motion, she climbed the creature¡¯s back, secured it into a Helpless condition, and snapped its neck. Upon its death, the body reverted to solid stone, and the head broke clean off in her hands. She hopped out of the way as the statue fell to the floor with a crash. She landed lightly on her feet and locked eyes with Atrax, who hadn¡¯t moved since the web had expired. He was willing to let the gargoyle take the first attack, assuming the powerful beast would render Esther unconscious, and then he could tie her back up more carefully.


    Now he realized he wanted no part of this woman. Esther tossed the huge head beside the stone body and pulled her swords. ¡°Would you like to explain again what you can do for me?¡±


    The vampire contemplated combat but knew better. His weapons were still in his inventory. He didn¡¯t have the Quick Change ability Esther did, so he would have to spend a full round to go in and get them. Esther would kill him before he could attack.


    ¡°All that time, and you never came for me,¡± Esther said, seeing she had the man in an impossible situation. ¡°I¡¯ve found my name is quite famous in the realms. You must have known where I was, yet you never showed up.¡±


    Atrax shrugged. ¡°Travel restrictions,¡± he said. ¡°Not all of us vampires can walk in sunlight.¡±


    Esther smirked, realizing it was probably more complicated than that. Jace had told her that only other players like himself had visited her. She knew from personal experience that while she could walk anywhere, if she wanted to travel instantly between locations, she needed the help of another player.


    ¡°I knew if I waited long enough, you would come to me,¡± the vampire said. ¡°Destiny has determined we will be together.¡±


    She laughed at him. ¡°Hardly seems like a good strategy if you are competing with another player. He won¡¯t have the same ¡®Travel Restrictions.¡¯¡±


    Atrax smiled at her cunning. After she escaped, he had wondered how much she had heard of his discussion with Stemenia. Her listless posture had been largely an act.


    ¡°Who is he?¡± Esther said, flipping the script so she was the one asking questions. ¡°Surely he has heard of me too. Perhaps we¡¯ve already met.¡±


    Atrax wasn¡¯t compelled to answer her questions, and he didn¡¯t want to wait until she used mana to charm him. He was done underestimating her. There was a sound at the door to the room behind Esther, and when the woman glanced over her shoulder, the vampire fighter took advantage.


    Esther¡¯s eyes snapped back to her old friend when she saw him move, but he didn¡¯t reach for a weapon. Instead, he spun and ran to the window. Bat wings sprang from his shoulders as he leaped out and flew away. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said to herself. ¡°I used to be able to do that.¡±


    ¡°Esther!¡±


    She turned again toward the door at her name but recognized the voice and wasn¡¯t surprised to find Gromphy behind her. The portal was slightly open, and the goblin poked his head in. ¡°How did you find me?¡± she asked. As the adrenaline of the fight wore off, she felt the pulsing in the magic ring the goblin and given her. She had put it on with the rest of her jewelry without thinking.


    Gromphy saw her look at the ring and didn¡¯t answer the question as he moved further into the room. ¡°We must go,¡± he said. ¡°Our purpose here is below, and we must not tarry.¡± His eyes fell on the tiefling, slowly dying with only a few rounds of life left. ¡°Art thou finished with her?¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t answer immediately, and the goblin didn¡¯t wait. He walked up to her and cast a healing spell. He had enough bonuses from his high wisdom that he needed only five mana to initiate the magic, and it was enough to stop her death spiral. ¡°Pick her up and follow me,¡± Gromphy commanded and turned to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Esther said. ¡°I don¡¯t have all my equipment. I¡¯m missing my gem bag and my armor.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t the time for thou to fret over a few lost jewels,¡± Gromphy said. ¡°I shall replace anything thou hast lost.¡±


    ¡°Including the undead stone?¡±


    Gromphy stopped. ¡°The obsidian sphere our master forbade you from carrying?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t ¡®forbade¡¯ me,¡± she argued. ¡°He implied it was a bad idea. We need to find it, or who knows where it will turn up.¡±


    ¡°If thy vampire lover hath taken it, we shan¡¯t find it here.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not my . . .¡± but Esther didn¡¯t have time to argue with the goblin and let the retort hang in the air. She wondered how long he had been listening at the door before entering but tried not to worry about it.


    Gromphy cast another spell and then looked about the room with a bright glow in his eyes. He pointed again to Stemenia on the floor. ¡°Check her belt.¡±


    Esther stepped closer, knelt beside the tiefling, and rolled her over to reveal a familiar gem bag hanging from her waist. On a hunch, she went through the inventory of the Helpless woman and found her armor too. She secured the items and lifted the diminutive mage off the ground. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m ready. Lead the way.¡±

 Chapter 10: The Curse

    Gromphy took Esther down a winding staircase, through back halls, behind the kitchen, and down another flight of stairs before they found themselves within the subfloors.  ¡°You take me to such nice places,¡± Esther said, eyeing the cobwebs and dripping slime.  She was tall enough that in a few places, she had to duck.  Carrying the tiefling made it harder.


    The goblin didn¡¯t reply and continued through the catacombs until they reached the death shaman.  Carakon had cleared away the two dozen healing potions Gromphy had paid him and had been hard at work with the remaining ingredients the crafter had left behind.  Ominous symbols floated in the air around the four torches, and the brazier at the foot of the stone altar burned with demon fire.  Esther began to have second thoughts about this.  Still, she laid Stemenia on the altar and stepped back.


    Carakon held up the dress and looked between it and the tiefling.  ¡°It would be easiest if she were wearing it.¡±  Both males looked at Esther for assistance, and she took another step back, shaking her head.  They shrugged and manipulated the Helpless mage until she wore the dress.  It shrunk to fit her snuggly.


    ¡°She is only level eight,¡± Carakon observed as he tied her down with ropes.  ¡°I was hoping for someone more powerful.¡±


    ¡°She is demonic,¡± Gromphy added but understood that if they wanted maximum effectiveness, it would help if the tiefling were at full strength.  He pulled a restoration potion and fed it to the unconscious woman.  Soon Stemenia was at full health and level 16.  ¡°She will wake soon,¡± Gromphy warned, an avoidable result of his healing.


    The shaman nodded and tied the bonds extra tight.  He began chanting while Gromphy pulled out Esther¡¯s diamond knife and cast enchantments on it.  The demonic fire in the caldron rose higher as the elf¡¯s voice dropped lower into a guttural language.  Esther took another involuntary step back, just outside the torchlight, and hid in the shadows.


    Gromphy finished his work with the dagger first and offered it to Esther but was surprised not to find her.  She was the most qualified to use the weapon and could produce the most damage with it.  He eventually found her in the shadows only because they were party members.  He held up the knife, but she shook her head and took another step back.


    Carakon¡¯s voice rose to a crescendo, and a fiery spirit sprang from the brazier and splashed down on the tiefling, consuming the dress until it shone orange and red, flickering with immense fire potential.


    ¡°Now!¡± the shaman shouted.  ¡°Do it now!¡±


    Gromphy added more than enough of his crafting power and once again held up the knife to Esther, urging her to approach.   The woman shook her head and felt sick in her stomach.  The goblin didn¡¯t have any skill with the weapon, so he offered the dagger to Carakon.  The shaman was too involved with his spell to notice.  ¡°It must happen now!¡± he cried again, his eyes burning with fire, preventing him from seeing anything else.


    Stemenia woke up.


    The mage was initially disoriented but had the presence of mind not to react hastily.  She was Grappled against the stone table, but as long as she didn¡¯t fight back, she could perform activities that took one action.  She felt the stiff fibers of the ropes against her wrists and the fire flowing through the dress, and her best option was obvious.  A burst spell released a fireball that exploded from the altar, burning through her bonds and tossing Gromphy and Carakon into the wall.  The dagger fell from the goblin¡¯s hand.  Stemenia sat up and looked around.


    Esther snapped out of her funk and leaped forward, attacking from the shadows.  She scooped up the dagger, put a hand on Stemenia¡¯s shoulder to Grapple her back to the altar, and stabbed into her chest.  The dress had a deep V-neck, and the blade sunk into the exposed flesh.  Gromphy had enchanted the dagger with True Strike, Heavy Weapon, and the Coup de Grace ability, forcing Stemenia to save against the damage or die.  With Esther¡¯s bonus for attacking from the shadows, she had enough criticals to escalate the damage far above what the tiefling could save.


    The mage lay suddenly still, and Esther left the knife in as she stepped back to watch the final process of the spell.  Fire from the dress swirled through the fabric, pausing at each of the rubies and impregnating them with fire, using the life of the tiefling to anchor the gems to the demonic plane.  Stemenia¡¯s essence burned away as each ruby absorbed the enchantment until she was a hollow husk of a body inside the dress.


    Once finished, the spirit of fire extracted itself from the garment in a whirlwind and sucked back into the brazier.  In an instant, all was quiet and still.  The two males were still picking themselves up off the ground as Esther slowly approached the altar and looked down at the dress.  It lay flat on the stone, the body that had been inside reduced to ash and spread through the room.  A shudder went through the woman, and she felt the power emanating from the item.  She wasn¡¯t going to touch it.


    Gromphy and Carakon made their way back to the stone slab.  The crafter had the skill to examine the dress and nodded his head.  ¡°It appears to have worked.¡±  He turned to the shaman.  ¡°Thy reputation pales next to thy skill.  We are grateful.¡±  He bowed slightly.


    The elf was still rattled from the fireball, not used to having his sacrifices attack him.  He nodded and looked between the two very different characters.  ¡°You should leave now.  I assume you are here with an invitation from my master, but I doubt he knows you have extended it down here.¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Gromphy collected the dress into his inventory and returned the knife to Esther.  All the enchantments he had put in it were for one-time use, and she stored it away.  The crafter hopped off the stool and nodded again to the shaman.  ¡°We shall be off.¡±  Esther was still stunned and followed silently.


    <hr>


    Gromphy chose to take the wooden door at the top of the stairs.  It was that or try to sneak through the banquet hall.  Esther probably wouldn¡¯t have raised the alarm, but she had blood on her dress.  The goblin guessed that wouldn¡¯t be an issue shortly, but the feeding frenzy hadn¡¯t started yet.


    Though barred from the outside, the door opened easily from within.  Gromphy had no issue deciphering the magical lock, and soon the pair was outside.  They ran back toward the entrance, hoping they wouldn¡¯t be interrogated on the way out.  Esther noticed that the gathering of people on the front porch was gone.  She wondered why for a moment when screams filled the air.  She stopped and turned to look at the estate.


    The window she had broken was fixed, and she tried to look through the light panes of glass to see inside.  The screams grew louder, and a large spray of blood splashed onto the window.  Esther felt her hunger rise, but she fought against it.  It was the same feeling she had gotten when standing before Imani, and the host had wanted her to feed on Thomas.  It made sense that the shark druid would have a spell that inspired others to want to feed.  She didn¡¯t know what disgusted her more: that the party was designed around killing innocent people or that a part of her wished to participate.


    ¡°They''re killing the humans,¡± she said.


    ¡°Of course they are,¡± Gromphy replied, not wanting to stop and talk about it.  ¡°What did thou think their purpose was?¡±


    She ignored the question.  ¡°We must go back.  We have to save them.  Thomas¡¯ sister is in there.  I can¡¯t let them kill her too.¡±


    Gromphy sighed.  ¡°What can thou do?  Against 50 of the realm''s most powerful beings and a dozen gargoyles?  Thou wilt be killed in moments and our mission a failure.¡±


    Esther grew stern and glared down at the goblin.  ¡°Summon Adam, and we will lay waste to those monsters up there.¡±


    Gromphy returned her cold stare.  ¡°And if it were vampires being killed.  Wouldst thou be so eager?  Wouldst Jace rush in to save fallen angels who wronged their gods?  Or, perchance, they are goblins dressed up in ridiculous garments for their master¡¯s revelry?  ¡®Feed them to the wolves,¡¯ they wouldst cry.  ¡®Dangle them above yon fire.¡¯  ¡®Slay them for sport.¡¯  ¡®Nay, but this one hath a noble tongue.  He knoweth his way about a forge and presenteth a dashing figure in a hat and suit.  Spare him but to the seven hells with the rest.¡¯  Wouldst thou risk thy life to save goblins in such a plight?¡±


    Esther stood stunned, the horrific screams behind her demanding attention, but she couldn¡¯t take her eyes off the traumatized goblin.  No wonder he hadn¡¯t wanted to enter the main hall with her.  It would have brought back painful memories.  ¡°I had no idea,¡± she said softly.  ¡°There is no excuse for . . .¡± but canine howls drowned out the rest of her words.


    ¡°Bah, and now we¡¯ve tarried such that the hounds art upon us.  Run, lass!¡±  Gromphy turned and fled toward the hedges.


    Esther glanced back at the hellhounds, looked at the distance they needed to cover, and knew the Goblin would never make it.  Even if she picked him up and Shadow Stepped to the carriage, maneuvering the horses would take too long, and the beasts would catch them.  Resolutely, she turned toward the charging dogs and pulled Chill, her frost rapier.  Her shield bracelet came to life on her right arm and extended into a medium-sized guard.  She noticed for the first time since regaining her equipment that the bracelet the mages had given her to protect her from the hounds was missing.


    The canines were moments from her, and she raised the shield.  One kept coming while the other stopped to spew hellfire at her.  The lead dog reached her first, and she dove out of the way at the last second, burying the rapier in the hound''s side and leaving it there as it tumbled past.  Its cry was muted as the cold weapon struck its heart, and it rolled on the ground in agony.


    Esther¡¯s Dodge had been good enough to only take half damage from the fire blast, and she sensed that her dragon shield wouldn¡¯t give her any extra protection against demon fire.  She considered dismissing it, but she only had one rapier left anyway.  She reached across her hip and drew Char.  The firebrand weapon wouldn¡¯t do any extra damage against the hound, but the steel was still sharp.  Esther tried to summon her armor, but it and her other clothes had been out of her possession for too long, and her Quick Change presets had been erased.  She would have to go into her inventory to get it.  She didn¡¯t have the time.


    The hound was on her in a flash, and while the shield didn¡¯t protect her against demon fire, it did well against claws and teeth, and she could tumble out of the way, utilizing her latest feat to Dodge while holding a medium shield.  The hound wasn¡¯t so nimble and took repeated stabs from the blade before one of its attacks hit the woman.


    Esther flew from the paw swipe, losing a third of her hit points in the attack.  She augmented the roll, coming up thirty feet from the dog.  She took a moment to see its partner still writhing on the ground with the frost blade stuck in its side.  It wouldn¡¯t be rejoining the fight any time soon, but the second hound wasn¡¯t even to half health yet.  As it reared its head back for another flame strike, Esther tugged on the brim of her hat and disappeared.  Distraught, the dog drenched the area before him in fire, but the rogue had already Shadow Stepped to safety.


    After the fire ended, the hound raised its nose to the air to find its prey, but sulfur in its nostrils put the elusive woman just out of reach.  Snowy would have found Esther in a moment, but the hellhound struggled.  As it stood flat-footed, sniffing the air, Esther struck from behind, executing a perfect Sneak Attack.  The blade skewered the dog through the spine, and it reared up and pain.  It still wasn¡¯t enough to send the beast into a death spiral, and it had demonic bonuses to protect against that anyway, but it brought the hound dangerously low.


    The two combatants resumed close combat, Esther taking one more blow but doing enough damage to drop the dog after three rounds.  Much of the blood on her dress was hers now as she stalked toward the first hound roiling on the ground.  She ended its struggle and pulled her weapons free.  Gromphy had stopped running to watch.  He had thrown one cold bomb on the dying hellhound and now produced a healing potion to toss to Esther.  She caught the vial and drained it.


    ¡°A single hound nearly felled thee,¡± the goblin advised.


    ¡°Yeah, shut up,¡± she grumbled as her health filled.  She tossed the empty vial aside.  ¡°We can go now.¡±


    They walked unmolested to their carriage and rode back to town, the blood-curdling screams diminishing in the distance.

 Chapter 11: The Double Cross

    Lady Ella Rosethorn had insisted that they stop back at her home before leaving so she could see the powerful dress they had created. Neither Gromphy nor Esther wanted to delay returning home and did not intend to abide by that promise. Neither of the characters was Honest, so it wasn¡¯t a problem. Ella disagreed.


    After they sold the carriage to the first person who would give them a handful of gold for it, they made their way toward the north side of the city where the travel node was but were stopped in the street by two large men. Esther recognized them as guards from Ella¡¯s study.


    ¡°Our mistress demands an audience before you leave town,¡± one of them said. ¡°That was part of the arrangement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, boys,¡± Esther quipped, ¡°but we are exhausted and need to get back home. Just let us pass, and I won¡¯t have to kill you.¡±


    Both men chuckled and then turned into werewolves.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Esther muttered as she dove out of the way of a claw attack. She rolled fifteen feet and came up with both blades drawn. She was about to charge the one facing her when a high-pitched squeal stopped her. It sounded like a pig. She turned her head to see it was a goblin. He kind of looked like a pig, hoisted above the gaping jaws of a wolf, but he wasn¡¯t dressed like one.


    ¡°Take one more step toward us with those blades drawn,¡± the other werewolf said, ¡°and your friend is dead.¡±


    ¡°The dress your mistress wants to see is in his inventory. If you eat him, she¡¯ll have to cut you open to get it back.¡±


    The creature holding Gromphy adjusted his grip so he could wring the neck of the goblin instead of biting him. Esther sighed and sheathed her weapons. ¡°I will come peacefully,¡± she said.


    The guards weren¡¯t taking any chances. They transformed back into men, but one kept Gromphy in the air, Grappled in his strong hands. The other tried to put a hand on Esther, but she bared her fangs at him, and he stepped back.


    The walk to the Rosethorn estate took several minutes, and the butler opened the door for them. ¡°How nice to have you two fine adventurers back in our home. Were you successful?¡±


    ¡°Can it, Slim,¡± Esther said, no time for small talk. ¡°We have an appointment this time. Just take us to her.¡±


    ¡°As you wish.¡±


    The group made their way silently through the house. Esther knew the way and marched confidently around the ornate furniture and past the paintings and statues that filled the hallways. A guard followed close behind, wary of the volatile woman¡¯s intentions. His friend still held Gromphy securely in his arms, the goblin putting up no struggle. The butler trailed behind, ensuring they didn¡¯t disturb the pristine d¨¦cor that was his responsibility.


    Ella was waiting for them in her study. ¡°You have returned so soon. This is a pleasant surprise. Were you successful? I must see the dress.¡±


    Esther stopped when she was ten feet from the woman¡¯s desk, her displeasure clearly displayed. Ella waited for Gromphy to be set down on his feet and then for her guards to leave. ¡°Why the dour face? Was it not a delightful party?¡±


    ¡°The people they are killing,¡± Esther started, ¡°where did they come from?¡±


    Ella shrugged. ¡°From all over. There are several cities less than a day¡¯s travel from here. The largest being Shark River Port.¡±


    Esther flinched at the name. That was the city where she had first met Atrax. ¡°And they will all . . . respawn?¡± She wasn¡¯t comfortable using the terminology she had heard Jace use. It still felt unnatural, even if she had evidence for it.


    Ella laughed. ¡°Is that what is bothering you? A vampire with a conscience. Everything in the realms has a purpose. My job here is to facilitate adventures in their quests and to serve the Madam of this town loyally. You had a purpose in Portsmith before your master ripped you out of there. Now you drift about without a reason for being. Those humans you seem to cherish have a purpose too, and right now, it is to feed the many guests Imani has invited to his party. Whether they do that from serving trays or their very bodies matters little. They are fulfilling their purpose. It is what the gods of these realms demand of them.¡±


    ¡°No god that I serve.¡±


    ¡°One that you used to,¡± Ella replied, able to sense that she was a fallen angel.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question,¡± Esther said, not wanting to discuss her past. ¡°Will they respawn?¡±


    ¡°Why this sudden interest? You have killed many in your lifetime, no? What is it about what you just saw that has you so troubled? Did you learn something about yourself that you didn¡¯t like?¡±


    Esther wasn¡¯t going to ask again. She only stood there with her arms crossed.


    The witch sighed. ¡°Likely yes, though not as they are now. They are fodder, minions, unimportant souls who exist on the edges of every city. When they die, new ones are summoned. They don¡¯t look exactly the same or have the same names. Some aren¡¯t even named, but they all serve the same purpose. They are necessary when the king musters his loyal subjects for war. They fill the stalls at each local festival. And they are food when a powerful predator wishes to have a party. They live, they are killed, and they are forgotten. But the realms will never run out, and you should not waste tears on them.¡±


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The older woman stepped around her desk and stood before Esther. ¡°There is one exception, however. If they are used in a binding spell, their essence is tied up in an enchantment that remains after their death, and their souls are not recycled. They will exist forever, locked in place between the demonic realm and ours. That means whomever you killed to curse that dress will not respawn. So who is the greater evil? One who kills worthless minions who return repeatedly, marching to their fates like lemmings? Or one who takes a sentient character and binds their soul to a magical item at the whims of their master?¡±


    Esther had no answer for the wise woman but didn¡¯t soften her visage.


    Ella continued to stare at the rogue but reached her hand toward Gromphy. ¡°I¡¯ll see that dress now.¡±


    The goblin obeyed, produced the garment, and handed it over. The witch shivered in anticipation as the powerful item touched her hand. ¡°My, but you did a fabulous job with this. Whom did you kill?¡± she asked, still staring at Esther. ¡°This wasn¡¯t a human. It must have been one of Imani¡¯s guests. I bet he was upset about that. Who was it?¡±


    ¡°She served a purpose,¡± Esther replied coldly.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk,¡± Ella replied, returning to stand behind the desk. ¡°You can¡¯t have it both ways, my child.¡±


    Esther riled at the youthful monicker, guessing she was several centuries older than the woman before her.


    ¡°Either you are a monster who plays the game or a minion against whom the game is played.¡±


    ¡°And if I want to be a Player?¡±


    Ella shook her head. ¡°But you aren¡¯t and never will be. Jace might direct you, but you will never become him.¡± She paused as if she wanted to say more but shook her head. ¡°Enough of this nonsense.¡± She held up the dress and cooed. ¡°Incredible. I can feel the power rolling off it. Have you tested it yet?¡±


    Gromphy shook his head. ¡°We have come straight to thee, as thou hast requested.¡±


    She glared at him through the corner of her eye, knowing that her guards had tracked them down trying to leave. ¡°I suppose you would need a fire mage to know if the protection lasted more than one round. Do you deal in fire?¡±


    Esther was confused but then played back in her mind the conversation Gromphy and Ella had earlier. The goblin had lied about everything, implying that the dress already had an enchantment that did 100 damage each round and that he wanted to reverse it. So now Ella must think the dress she held would protect against 100 points of fire damage every round.


    Gromphy pulled a firebomb from his vest, playfully tossed it in the air, and caught it. ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± she said. The witch turned around for privacy, and Esther saw her bare back for a few seconds before Ella spun around to model the slim-fitting gown. She flaunted more curves through the deep V-neck than Draya would, but Esther wasn¡¯t impressed and looked forward to the next part of Gromphy¡¯s wickedly clever plan.


    ¡°Now I activate it, and you attack,¡± she said. ¡°I should easily survive the first strike if it doesn¡¯t . . .¡± but her voice trailed off as 100 points of damage flared through the dress, the rubies burning with fire. ¡°That¡¯s strange,¡± she said, barely hurt. She apparently had innate elemental protection. ¡°That is the curse it had when you first showed it to me. But it feels so much more. . .¡± Fire surged through her again, eating away the last of her protections and doing slight damage.


    ¡°No,¡± she said to herself, half closing her eyes and going into her inventory to see the true nature of the dress. The next burst did a full 100 damage to her health. ¡°You fools!¡± she cried. ¡°You think this will stop me? I can summon creatures that can . . .¡± Whatever spell she tried to cast was interrupted by another wave of fire, and she failed her Concentration roll. She tried to take the dress off, but it was cursed.


    ¡°Lobo! Lupus! Get in here!¡±


    The two werewolves raced into the room but saw nothing amiss at first. ¡°Get this dress off me!¡± Ella cried. The men didn¡¯t understand but ran past Esther and Gromphy toward their mistress, slashing at the gown with their claws. The enchanted garment wasn¡¯t going anywhere.


    ¡°Perhaps I may assist,¡± Gromphy said, popped out his trunk, and began rummaging through the contents.


    Esther heard the witch cry out twice more in pain and guessed she couldn¡¯t last much longer. Still, the werewolves slashed at her with reckless abandon, probably doing as much damage as the dress.


    ¡°Ah, I have it,¡± Gromphy announced, holding a green potion. ¡°To remove the curse.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me!¡± Ella screamed, pushing her guards aside. The goblin tossed her the vial, and she drank it without thinking. It wasn¡¯t the antidote to the curse; instead, a cloud of green vapor enveloped the woman. Esther took a step back, but the wolves weren¡¯t fast enough. They took one whiff of the spell and fell to the floor in a deep sleep.


    Ella saved against the magic but didn¡¯t have the energy to lash out at the goblin for yet another trick. Instead, she stumbled out of the cloud and leaned heavily against her desk, gasping in pain. Esther felt it safe to approach. ¡°Will you respawn?¡± she asked innocently, leaning over the table''s far side so their faces were inches apart. Ella gritted her teeth in agony as another wave of fire coursed through her. ¡°Do you serve a purpose? Or are you just a monster?¡±


    Ella started a response, but the last of her health burned away, and she fell hard against the desk, her body bouncing to the side and finding the floor. Esther walked around and looked at the witch. No evident burn marks or smoke rose from the woman. The fire had been entirely internal. Esther remembered the pain when she had drunk from the fire drakes. She had been able to heal that damage as she drank, but if she hadn¡¯t, it would have burned her from the inside out.


    ¡°Thou shouldst be able to remove it now,¡± Gromphy said, keeping his voice down. The wolves snored loudly a few feet away. ¡°With the body dead, the curse is broken.¡±


    Esther understood, knelt beside the woman, and removed the dress from the Helpless witch. Ella lay mostly naked on the floor, and Esther thought it was fitting. Let the next group of adventurers find her like this. Esther walked over to Gromphy and gave him the dress, wanting nothing to do with it. ¡°Do you have an antidote to remove the curse?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± the goblin replied. He closed his trunk and returned it to his inventory.


    They didn¡¯t say another word to each other as they left the study, exited the house, and made their way through the quiet city. Several minutes later, Esther looked at the bulletin board next to the travel node, remembering that she had found a bounty for the salamander they had killed earlier. She wondered if something was there for fire drakes, but there wasn¡¯t. Without lingering longer in the cursed town, they activated the travel node and left.


    The End


    <hr>


    If you want to remind yourself of what happened immediately after this, you can go to Chapter 33 of the second book, where Jace, Draya, and Psycho walk in on Esther and Gromphy fighting.  Book 2: Chapter 33</a>


    Thank you for reading. I will be posting the second short story soon. I already have the third written. Please consider following this story to be alerted when the next one posts. And if you are willing to favorite the story or leave a good rating, I would really appreciate it.

 Book 2.2 Introduction

    This is the second short story between books 2 and 3.  This one is about Wallace, the 14-year-old girl who plays as an adult male paladin in the game.  She has worked as a finder for Jace, and at the end of book 2, he rewarded her by giving her a heads-up that he was releasing a bunch of NPCs back into the game.


    I¡¯m still struggling with how modules get reset and what gets undone.  When Jace rescued Psycho, he took the mana gem from the elf, and when the module reset, it created a second one.  When he took Psycho¡¯s sister¡¯s amulet, the game didn¡¯t make a second one.  I explained this by saying there was supposed to be more than one of the mana stones, but there should be only one of the amulets.  But what if the amulet was needed for the Module?  Would it have disappeared from Jace¡¯s inventory and regenerated in Psycho¡¯s module?  What if Jace had taken Psycho¡¯s bow?  That is necessary for Psycho¡¯s character, so it would have disappeared from Jace¡¯s inventory and reappeared in the module.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    I think.


    For this story, I made it easier.  The module revolves around an NPC.  That NPC was killed along with his party leader, and his respawn point was no longer under his control, so his module was completely reset.  However, Wallace''s goal is to rescue two NPCs from this module.  If successful, what happens when one of them is killed along with their party leader?  He can¡¯t reset if the other NPC is alive and well in the realms, right?


    I¡¯m unsure, and I probably need to spend more time on these rules.  I just wanted to talk this out because I know a minimum word count is required for a chapter. ??


    Anyway . . .


    This story gives you a look behind the curtain as to how ordinary people play the game without super-broken characters.  It also follows a normal module and how it should be played.  I enjoyed writing for Wallace, and the paladin will return in book 3.


    Hope you enjoy.

 Chapter 1: Siblings

    Eilidh Abernathy rolled over and looked at 3:25 a.m. on her bedside clock.  This was too early.  She turned away and tried to fall back asleep.  Her body shook, and her tired brain registered that she hadn¡¯t woken naturally.  She felt pressure on her arm.  Her head rotated in the other direction, and she saw her brother¡¯s face hovering over her.


    ¡°Wally,¡± he said in a whisper.  ¡°Something¡¯s happened.  You need to get up.¡±


    Eilidh shook her head.  ¡°Thirty more minutes,¡± she groaned, her body speaking for her.  However, her mind was waking up quickly.  He had used her gaming nickname, so this must be important.  She loved her Scottish Gaelic name but always had to correct Americans when they butchered the pronunciation.  Eilidh was pronounced ¡°Aylee.¡±  When her brother, Brodie, wanted to tease her, he used one of the awful interpretations like ¡°Elid¡± or ¡°Eldhay.¡±  But ¡°Wally¡± combined her real name and the monicker she used in the Realm of Infamy, Sir Wallace Wilhelm.  If he was using that name now, then the ¡°something¡± that had happened wasn¡¯t an issue at the hospital with their father or her school.  Something important had happened in the realms, and she needed to get up.


    Brodie gave her the time to figure this out, and eventually, she rolled back over, swung her legs off the side of the bed, and sat up.  Their morning gaming session usually started at 4 a.m.  They got a good three hours in before she had to get ready for school at eight.  Then she came home, ate an early dinner, and they were plugged in for at least six more hours.  Her body was at rest the whole time, but her mind was active, giving her the illusion of fatigue.  Eilidh found she didn¡¯t dream anymore.  Her mind was so tired when her head hit the pillow each night that it shut off completely.  She figured it was a good thing.  With as much angst as the typical 14-year-old girl went through, a little peace and quiet was appreciated.  If her mind had any unresolved frustration, it could take it out in the game.


    She made a brief stop in the bathroom and then plodded into the kitchen of their tiny apartment to find a cup of heavily caffeinated tea waiting for her.  Eilidh smiled.  With as well as Brodie cared for her, she shouldn¡¯t complain about a few early mornings.  Though playing the game was stressful on her mind, at least her body got to rest.  Brodie was awake physically and mentally for all their gaming sessions, and she never saw him crack.


    She nursed the cup as she entered the study, not bothering to change out of her tank top and shorts.  She knew some people had complex haptic suits or wore expensive medical devices to play the game.  At 14, as long as she had an empty bladder, she was good to go.  They rarely played longer than 12 hours and then only on the weekends.


    Eilidh climbed into the chair and let her brother hook up the few pieces of monitoring equipment they used.  ¡°So, what is it?¡± she finally asked.  ¡°Did another crypt quest pop?  Is the Blade of Fortune available yet?  Or is there another zombie uprising we need to deal with?¡±


    Brodie shook his head.  ¡°Jace called.¡±


    Eilidh sat up straighter.  ¡°What does he need?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what he needs; it''s what he¡¯s offering.¡±


    Eilidh frowned.  ¡°I told him we didn¡¯t want any charity.  We can do this ourselves.¡±  It was stupid pride, and she knew it.  The few thousand they were able to bring in each month was just enough to keep the lights on, the internet flowing, the freezer full of pizza, and their father somewhat sane in the hospital.  Any more, and the government would start asking questions.  However, their standard track was interrupted when Jace had killed Drescher.  The arms dealer had been paying them 5,000 US dollars every other month for over half a year once she reached level 12.  She let him kill her to get one million experience.  It was a little better than prostitution, but not much.  Selling your life was somehow better than selling your body, even if it was virtual.  Now that door was closed, and they hadn¡¯t found another buyer yet.


    Eilidh was only at level 10, so they had time to find someone else, but Brodie was trying to convince her they should keep going this time.  Getting to level 15+ would open up other quests and modules that might provide loot they could sell.  Many players had made a living trading equipment and secrets, and the siblings definitely had the skill to do it.  Plus, he hated watching her die every eight weeks.  Drescher had searched for ways to make it entertaining, and even though it was virtual, it was real enough.


    Brodie handed Eilidh a tablet with a list of non-player characters on it.  ¡°Jace just killed a few terrorists in their stronghold and took control of almost 10 NPCs.  He¡¯s going to release them in . . .¡± he glanced at his watch, ¡°thirty minutes, and he¡¯s giving us the heads up.  As far as I can tell, there is no chatter online about this.  If we want to go after one of these, we should have a significant head start.¡±


    Eilidh nodded as she scrolled through the list of characters.  It was bad timing for them, this early in the morning, but it was also good.  It was nearing midnight in the States, the crack of dawn in Europe, and it was mid-day for most of Eastern Asia.  It was also the middle of the week.  Traffic in the game would be at its lowest.  Eventually, someone would realize all these NPCs were available again, but it might take 30 minutes or even an hour.  That was an eternity in the game.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Eilidh also realized that she needed to make the decision.  Brodie was a great operator.  He kept her safe and was quick on the keyboard, searching the web and having all the information she needed at his fingertips, but she was the better player, and they both knew it.  They hadn¡¯t focused on getting NPCs in the past.  They had a routine that brought her to level 12 safely and quickly.  Quests that earned you NPCs were dangerous and often granted little experience.


    Once they became available, a thousand people might simultaneously try to pass the module.  And it didn¡¯t matter if you were the best player; online walkthroughs allowed everyone to play like an expert.  You still had to have the right character to pass the quest, and the dice rolls required a bit of luck, but the odds that you would win the race to the end of the module were slim, and it was far more likely you would waste 3-4 hours trying.  When someone else passed a Single Instance Module you were in, you were kicked out and lost all the items, gold, and experience you had collected.  So, it was truly a waste of time.


    No, Sir Wallace Wilhelm was explicitly designed to handle certain types of quests.  The paladin wasn¡¯t well-rounded, and trying to compete in a random module for an NPC wouldn¡¯t work.  Still, Eilidh analyzed the list to see if any of these could be gotten if they had a jumpstart.  Then she saw it.


    ¡°Tristan Hamley,¡± she said.  ¡°A spellsword.¡±


    Brodie was sitting at the computer, typed the name in, and had an image of the character rotating on his screen within seconds.  He could read the description but asked his sister anyway.  ¡°What is a spellsword again?¡±


    Eilidh put down the tablet and finished her tea before responding.  ¡°It is a character that can only choose Intelligence, Strength, or Dexterity as their key abilities.  They get the unique feat of Spell Strike, which allows them to cast spells through their weapons.  They don¡¯t need to worry about spell Difficulty.  If they hit you, you¡¯ve failed the saving throw.  It allows lower-level players to land crippling spells on mages or priests who usually have high Magic Defense.  I avoid fighting them at all costs.¡±


    Brodie nodded, knowing that as a paladin, Wallace¡¯s main boon was Magic Defense.


    ¡°Everyone else can cast a spell through a weapon, but the weapon''s strength limits them as to how much mana they can channel, and they still need to worry about a saving throw.  Spellswords aren¡¯t limited.  Also, they can use criticals in combat to increase the damage of the spell instead of the physical damage.  So they can hit you with a dagger and do 100 points of fire damage.¡±


    ¡°Sounds amazing,¡± Brodie said.  ¡°He should be a great compliment to your skills.¡±


    Eilidh shook her head.  ¡°No.  Tristan is built all wrong.  A good spellsword should be focused on Dexterity, using light, fast weapons and attacking from the shadows.  That guarantees the best chance of hitting your opponent.  You sacrifice damage, but you don¡¯t need your weapon to do damage.  Tristan has a higher Strength score than Dexterity.  He uses a scimitar and shield.  He isn¡¯t terrible, but it isn¡¯t a great build.¡±


    Brodie looked confused.  ¡°Then why do you want him?¡±


    Eilidh shook her head.  ¡°I don¡¯t.  I want his brother, Thursa Hamley.¡±


    Brodie reached over to the discarded tablet and scrolled through it.  ¡°I don¡¯t see him on here.¡±  He returned to his computer and, after a short search, had the name up but very little information.  ¡°A druid shapeshifter who changes into a bear,¡± he read, but that was all the information he could find.


    ¡°Right,¡± Eilidh said.  ¡°In order to pass the quest, you need to kill Thursa.  It isn''t easy to do, even with Tristan¡¯s help.  Most people think you have a choice on which brother you can recruit, but no one has successfully gotten the druid yet.  Every time the module becomes available, at least one person races through it the easy way to get Tristan, and anyone trying an alternative strategy is thwarted.¡±


    Brodie smiled.  ¡°So, you play one module with Jace and think you can hack the game too?¡±


    She smiled back.  ¡°I have inside information.  In one of my talks with Sylvester, he shared something about this quest I don¡¯t think anyone else knows.¡±


    Brodie wrinkled his nose.  ¡°I hate that slime ball.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to hate this strategy even more,¡± she said.


    After several minutes of explanation, Brodie sat back and whistled.  ¡°Wow, that is dark, sis.  Even for you.¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°They don¡¯t call it the Realm of Infamy for nothing.  Still, I think it is our best bet.  But we are going to need some help.  My Solid Spirit feat will be key, but I need someone to render the guardian Flat-Footed a few times to kill it.¡±


    ¡°A mage?¡± Brodie asked, already typing and looking through their list of contacts.


    Eilidh shook her head.  ¡°No, the guardian will have too much Magic Defense for that.  It must be someone who can render an opponent Flat-Footed through combat, like a rogue or a monk.¡±


    ¡°There is Vithium,¡± Brodie offered.


    Eilidh cocked her head.  Vithium was the new owner of the Gilded Swan.  She knew almost nothing about his combat ability, but monks had so many good options in their builds that much of the class was shrouded in mystery, yet to be explored.  It took a while before they were powerful, so most people stuck with the traditional classes.  But if he could hold on to the Gilded Swan, even if it had only been a week, he must know what he was doing.


    ¡°Has he gotten back to us about Tami?¡± she asked.


    Brodie shook his head.  ¡°You can ask him yourself if you want to invite him.¡±


    After a moment, she nodded.  ¡°Sure, give him a call and tell him to meet us at Mizzeray as soon as he can.¡±  Eilidh had only spoken to Vithium once before, after Jace had broken the Gilded Swan module.  Portsmith was now a PVP environment, so before getting to level 10, she hadn¡¯t been able to enter, but they had met elsewhere, and she had asked what happened to Tami, the mermaid who had worked with Esther.


    According to the monk, all the former lieutenants had left, and he had an entirely new group of escorts.  He would keep his ears open, and others were also asking about the original women, so he would let her know if he found anything.  Now that Wallace was at level 10, she could investigate herself, but that could wait.  According to reports, many of the buildings in Portsmith were Non-PVP, including the Gilded Swan, but the streets were still unsafe, and it was a risk she didn¡¯t need to take.


    After Brodie had sent a message to Vithium, he returned to his sister and finished hooking her up to the VR system.  After a few moments, he gave her his traditional shoulder squeeze to let her know he had her back and flipped the switch to send her into another world.

 Chapter 2: Mizzeray

    Wallace opened her eyes, lying in bed.


    It was hard to determine where Eilidh stopped and Wallace began. She still felt like a teenage girl, just six foot four with a salt and pepper goatee and bulging muscles. She definitely thought like a 14-year-old girl and, unlike her male counterparts, found it a lot easier to maintain her focus when she was around scantily clad women, which seemed to be all the time in this game. Of course, if she was dealing with a cute guy, that became harder, though most of the men in this game were creepy, and few excited her. Plus, her brother was watching her, so . . .


    Wallace shook her head. She was definitely a paladin named Wallace and insisted on being called that while in the game. Brodie made a compromise with the nickname ¡°Wally,¡± but everyone else used her avatar¡¯s name, and she preferred it that way. But when it came to attacking and resolving problems, she used her feminine intuition, which served her well. She imagined Jace didn¡¯t have this problem and probably looked exactly like he did in the real world, at least when disguised as a human. She hoped he didn¡¯t look like an orc.


    Her room was spartan, with only a bed, dresser, and a large chest. It was on the second floor of a keep on the edge of Easterton, a Non-Hostile city where many low-level characters established spawn points. They weren¡¯t powerful enough to earn their own stronghold, but they could get a room with a locked door to store their items and be confident that no one would steal them. All Wallace had to do was go on a brief monster hunt to earn a bed in this keep, and it didn¡¯t cost her any gold. If she was going to stick it out this time and go past level 12, she might need to find herself a real place.


    For now, she just sat on her bed and pulled up her character sheet. A travel node sat just outside the keep, so anywhere in the realms was only a few minutes away. When they heard back from Vithium, she could get to Mizzeray in a flash. While she waited, she studied her stats and tried to form a plan for the upcoming module. She was so used to doing the same quests repeatedly that this level of planning usually wasn¡¯t necessary.


    Looking at her stats after seeing the character sheets of Jace and his companions was frustrating. None of her base-level abilities were at 20. She had a ring of Strength +2 and Wisdom +2, but the game only let her wear one at a time, and she had neither on now. She was supposed to have her Constitution +2 ring also, but her last mission with Jace had screwed up her strategy, and she had leveled up to 10 before she could take the Constitution trials. That would have not only given her the ring but bumped her stat up to 18, and then she could have taken her level 10 bonus in Spirit, raising that to 14. Instead, she had taken her level 10 bonus in Constitution, leaving her Spirit at 13, giving her only 60 mana, barely enough to do anything.


    Wallace had a True Strike enchantment on her axe, a Turning spell loaded into a ring, and a belt that gave her +10 to Damage Resistance for ten rounds. All of those took 50 mana to fully charge, and she double-checked to ensure they were still ready. She tried to fill them before logging off, but she didn¡¯t always have time to let her mana recharge. She also had a helmet with a critical protection, but she didn¡¯t have the mana to charge it and had to pay someone else to do it. She didn¡¯t have many spells but could raise her Strength or Wisdom by one for ten turns or by five for one. That was useful if she needed to ensure a killing blow.


    Her specialty was killing the undead. Her goddess, Nexpira, gave her feats instead of spells. She had Solid Spirit, which let her hit spirits with physical weapons for full damage. Usually, spirits only took half-damage from weapons, and since they had high Magic Defense, magical damage was also hard to get through. She also had Defensive Turning, which allowed her to use her impressive Magic Defense skill as her Difficulty when casting Turn Undead. That spell was like the Charm+ mage spell, and she could usually Daze or Stun low-level zombies and skeletons, making them much easier to kill. Zombies took less damage from blunt weapons, and skeletons took less damage from bladed weapons, but her axe, named Hammer Head, was double-sided, with a massive hammer head opposite the cutting arc. It bit like a shark but hit like a hammer. Her last feat simply gave her +5 damage to the undead.


    For Paladins, there were several starting packages, and she chose Undead Hunter. Her bonus feats included the Lay-On-Hands feat, which added twice her level to her heal ability. She had also taken the next level feat, giving her a bonus of 30. If she touched an undead, she could damage them using this ability, but her axe usually did more. She hadn¡¯t found a weapon to let her channel this ability, which made sense. Adding +39 damage to an attack against the undead sounded a bit overpowered.


    Shield Bash was the ability to attack using your shield. If successful, you could throw your opponent backward, which was helpful when surrounded by opponents. Undead Defense gave her a +5 to her Armor Class and Magic Defense when defending attacks or spells from undead opponents.


    For her normal feats, she had focused on training her Magic Defense up to the maximum +15 bonus and did the same for her Shield training, allowing her to tank against magical and physical attacks.


    She had found all the undead quests she could, and her strategy was always the same: cast Turn Undead, raise her shield, and start hacking up everything that shuffled in her direction. She had a counter for all of their tricks, and her Magic Defense was so high that any spells they cast, she could always defend.


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    This module would be different, and she hoped Vithium could fill in the gaps, assuming he ever responded.


    {Wally,} Brodie said in her mind, yanking her out of her contemplation. {I just heard back from Vithium. He said he¡¯s game as long as it isn¡¯t too dangerous.}


    Wallace shrugged her shoulders. She had never attempted the module before, and no one had done it how she was about to try. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too bad. There is a vicious monster, but it isn¡¯t after us, and we don¡¯t need to kill it; one of the brothers takes care of that. Also, Vithium is a few levels higher than me, so the module will set the difficulty between us, and he should be okay.¡±


    Brodie relayed this information and came back that Vithium would meet them in five minutes. Wallace stood up, stretched her long limbs, and left the room.


    <hr>


    Mizzeray, as the phonetic pronunciation of the city suggested, was a miserable place. It was always dark and foggy, like a Victorian-era horror movie. It was a hostile zone, but Non-PVP, so you only had to worry about the locals attacking. The city was constantly churning out organic quests where players could stumble upon a murder victim, rescue a woman from a thief, or investigate a series of missing persons. A few official modules kicked off in this city also. Wallace had already completed a grave-robbing quest several levels ago where she had to take down a dozen zombies and the necromancer who summoned them.


    Now she stood just outside the lamp light behind a tree, shielding herself from the main traffic down the central street, keeping an eye on the travel node. It was early morning global time as the game ran off GMT, and few NPCs were out at this hour. Even fewer PCs were about, and Wallace was happy to see them walking with a purpose rather than wandering about looking for something to do. When the module she was interested in reset, she didn¡¯t want anyone to see her enter it.


    Vithium didn¡¯t keep Wallace waiting long, and he appeared a few minutes later, looking distressed at the gloomy environment. The paladin strode toward him, and he recognized her in a flash and relaxed. ¡°You know I have beachfront property,¡± he said. ¡°The sun was just about to come up. The view is incredible, and you invite me here.¡±


    The monk wore a simple tunic tied with a bright blue sash at his waste. He wore leather boots and loose-fitting pants. His head was bald save for a dark ponytail hanging from the back of his head. She saw a few rings on his fingers and bracers on his forearms. He was far less equipped than she was, with her full plate, helm, shield, axe, and half a dozen other magical items. He didn¡¯t even have a weapon.


    ¡°Nice to see you again,¡± she said, extending her hand. ¡°Still no word on Tami?¡±


    Vithium shook his head. ¡°I have plenty of other options, though,¡± he said, always the salesman. ¡°I don¡¯t have any mermaids at the moment, but I have a sea druid. You¡¯d be amazed what a well-trained octopus can do with eight arms and a . . .¡±


    Wallace held up her hand, her stomach turning at the idea. ¡°Tami and I . . .¡± she started and then paused. ¡°We had a connection. We talked. We were friends.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± he said, holding up his hands to ward off any other negative reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t judge. I don¡¯t judge.¡± They lapsed into silence for a moment before he broke it. ¡°So what is this about? Your operator said I can get a valuable NPC out of this quest, and it isn¡¯t too dangerous.¡±


    Wallace nodded. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m after a druid, and you can have the spellsword. He should complement your fighting style quite well.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy? Not too many hard battles? This is my first time through the game, and I think I am doing pretty well for myself. I don¡¯t want to lose what I got.¡±


    Wallace nodded, seeing he was at level 12. It made him a tempting target for higher players, and she understood his caution. ¡°I plan on trying a new tactic to get two NPCs out of this quest, so I can¡¯t guarantee everything will be perfect, but there usually isn¡¯t much danger.¡±


    ¡°If the module is so great,¡± he said, ¡°where is everyone else? Shouldn¡¯t this place be swarming with players standing in line to initiate it?¡±


    ¡°I have inside information,¡± Wallace said. ¡°It will be released in a few minutes. Several hours ago, another player killed the party leaders for half a dozen NPCs and asked me if I wanted the first crack at them. We are friends.¡±


    ¡°Jace Thorne?¡± Vithium asked, a twinkle in his eye.


    Wallace tried to shrug noncommittedly, but her face gave it away.


    The monk laughed. ¡°I do my research too,¡± he said. ¡°Or, at least, my operator does. I wouldn¡¯t have the Gilded Swan if it weren¡¯t for him, and reports said you and him teamed up for that storm-the-castle module yesterday.¡±


    Wallace shrugged and didn¡¯t confirm it. ¡°We should get going.¡± She offered her partner an invitation to join an alliance. It wasn¡¯t the same as becoming party members, which was out of the question, but it allowed them to send messages and share senses. They could also split experience points for kills easier this way.


    Once he accepted, Vithium extended his hand toward the city''s main street in the traditional ¡°After you¡± gesture. The paladin took the hint and led the way. They passed several dark alleys where cries could be heard and investigated. A few shop owners voiced their displeasure at being robbed the previous night, and a woman was crying because her youngest son was missing. Wallace ignored it all and headed toward a non-descript bookstore off a little used side street. Checking out the foot traffic before entering, she ensured they weren¡¯t being watched and opened the door.


    {You have one minute,} Brodie informed her as they closed the door behind them.


    The shop was empty save for the NPC owner, who scrambled out from a back room to greet them. Since the last completion of this module a couple of weeks ago, the store had been cleaned out of anything valuable, which wasn¡¯t much, and no one visited it anymore. Wallace needed to be sure no players were camped out inside. It was a fairly ludicrous strategy to pick a starting point of a random module and then wait for it to reset, but some players had nothing better to do, and some modules were valuable enough and volatile enough to warrant it. As far as she could tell, no one was here.


    ¡°Good day, fine sirs,¡± the shopkeeper said. ¡°I have quite a collection of martial tactics and other books you might be interested in. Please have a look and let me know if you need anything.¡±


    Vithium was reasonably inexperienced at the game and still played it as if it were real. ¡°Thank you, sir. We will let you know if . . .¡±


    His voice cut out, the image around them disappeared, and they were suddenly transported out of the shop and dumped back into the street.


    ¡°What the . . .¡± Vithium said, having never experienced that before.


    Wallace was expecting it, and after a quick recheck of the street to ensure no PCs were watching, she led him right back into the shop.

 Chapter 3: The Hamleys

    The scene inside the bookstore was very different from before.


    A body lay on the ground, torn apart by some horrific beast.  Several shelves lay topped over with hundreds of books strewn about.  Broken glass, pieces of wood, and several weapons decorated the floor.  And to top it off, it looked like Jackson Pollock had lost an argument with a bucket of red paint.  Beside her, Wallace heard Vithium gag.  She would react the same way in real life but was too experienced in the realms to let this bother her.


    Three men stood around the gruesome scene, two of them clearly city guards.  The third looked like an officer and barked orders to the other NPCs to stand clear of the blood and not touch anything.  Wallace and Vithium had entered the store before the officer had opened the door to ask for help.  One was typically drawn into this quest by hearing the man call out into the streets that they had found a dead body and needed help identifying him.  The officer would do this every thirty seconds until someone responded.  In a city like Mizzeray, calls like this were common, making this quest look like one of the other generic offerings.  Wallace beat him to the punch, ensuring no other PCs would be alerted to the reset.


    Once Wallace and Vithium left this store, the scene would reset, and he would start calling again.  Hopefully, it would take a while for another PC to respond to that call, and when they did, Wallace counted on it being a random person who was just out looking for a quest rather than someone familiar with this specific module.  If it was the first, they could take at least fifteen minutes solving this opening scene, giving Wallace and Vithium the head start they needed.


    ¡°Thank you for responding to my call,¡± the officer said, his script not programmed to handle such an early entry into the building.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how we are supposed to identify this body.  Do you know whose shop this is?¡±


    {There is a ledger in a safe behind the main counter,} Brodie advised.  He had the walkthrough open on one of his screens.  {An average lock pick check will open it, but since neither of you has that skill, you can find a key on a chain around the dead guy¡¯s neck.  Ugh.  Avoid the entrails.}


    Wallace wondered if Vithium¡¯s operator was as helpful as she walked past the body and pretended to search behind the front counter, finding the safe immediately.  ¡°There is a locked safe back here.  Vithy, see if that guy has a key around his neck.¡±


    The monk scowled at the nickname but went about the key-extraction process anyway.  After a few bloody fingerprints and a controlled gag, he had a chain off the man¡¯s neck and tossed the dripping necklace toward the paladin.  Wallace let the gore-covered jewelry bang against the wall behind her before deftly snatching the key and opening the safe.  The ledger was inside.  After a few moments of inspection, Wallace had a name.  ¡°He is Garrison Hamley.  He¡¯s owned this shop for several years.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say,¡± the officer said.  ¡°He¡¯s Albert Hamley¡¯s nephew.  He died two nights ago under similar circumstances but lives out in the country.  People just assumed it was a wolf.¡±  Many three-toed footprints covered the wooden floor.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t a wolf,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°It was something else.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the creature that got Albert was something else too,¡± the chief guard offered.  He turned to look at Wallace, still going through the ledger.  ¡°Any evidence Garrison here was into dark magic?  Maybe he summoned this thing.  I believe he¡¯s the son of Lord Byron Hamley, a powerful local mage who died about a year ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of dead Hamleys,¡± Wallace said, steering the conversation in the direction it needed to go.  ¡°Maybe something is after them.¡±


    ¡°Could be, could be,¡± the officer said, stepping back from the eviscerated remains now that he thought a summoned demon might be involved.  ¡°People said Lord Byron was involved in some unholy work.  Nothing you could prove, I think, and his money was good all over town, so no one complained too much.  But especially once he died, people started to talk.  Now this.  His brother was killed two nights ago by a beast, and one of his sons . . .¡±


    ¡°His oldest son,¡± Wallace interjected, closing the ledger and putting it in the safe.  ¡°Are there any other children?¡± she asked, already knowing the answer.


    The officer nodded.  ¡°Several.  He had a big family.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it killed his brother and then his oldest son, maybe this monster is doing it in order,¡± Wallace reasoned, taking a shortcut to the punchline.  ¡°Who is the next oldest?¡±


    ¡°Elisabeth,¡± the officer said.  ¡°She lives in Lord Byron¡¯s old estate, several miles out of town.  It¡¯s quite a trek, and it¡¯d be almost night if you went there, but I assume someone has to.  If she is in danger, she should be warned.¡±


    ¡°We will go,¡± Vithium said, easily catching on to the plot of this module.


    ¡°Good,¡± the guard said.  ¡°I will put it on your map.  Should save you some travel time.¡±


    Wallace walked toward the guards from around the counter.  ¡°Anything else we need, Brodie?¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± the officer said.


    Wallace didn¡¯t care about the confusion.


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    {No, I think you got everything.  You can leave, and you better hurry.  Someone online just alerted the game that one of the other NPCs Jace released is available.  It won¡¯t be long until players connect the dots and rush your location.}


    Wallace wished she had a familiar or pet she could leave behind to keep this location occupied.  She knew that it would reset as soon as they left and allow others to initiate the module.  Without another option, she opened her map screen, found the Hamley Estate, requested Vithium to follow her, and initiated travel.


    <hr>


    Wallace and Vithium appeared before a massive property, many acres in size.  It looked more like a compound than a single-family home, with stables, equipment sheds, and several storage barns filling the fenced estate.  The house stood out prominently and looked like any modern dwelling one might see in the wooded lands of the US.  Built from logs, stone, and brick, the mansion stood three stories high and covered an equivalent area to half a city block.


    ¡°The Hamleys have done well for themselves,¡± Vithium stated the obvious.


    ¡°In case you haven¡¯t figured it out yet,¡± Wallace said, ¡°Lord Byron Hamley made a deal with the demon he serves.  He was granted wealth and power beyond his wildest dreams, but the cost was that the demon would send a servant to ¡®collect¡¯ all his remaining blood relatives a year after his death.  Each night, the next oldest of his kin will be killed.¡±


    The monk nodded and looked to the west.  Though they had arrived at this location in seconds, many hours had passed in the module, and it was quickly approaching night.  Wallace followed his gaze and then turned to look behind them.  The path from the estate was well-worn with wagon wheel ruts and snaked into the hills dominating the horizon.  She took several steps in that direction until the environment changed suddenly.


    Instead of the sun setting in the west, it rose above a line of trees in the east.  This was global time, but the Hamley estate was within a section of the game reserved for this module.  It was far from any other city or settlement, and while you could walk to it, the only way to access the travel node they had just used was by getting directions from the Mizzeray city guard.


    Also, unlike the bookshop, which could only hold one group at a time, if others came to this location while Wallace and Vithium were still inside, the game would create a second copy, ensuring that no matter when you arrived, it was always dusk.


    Wallace walked back into the module-specific location, getting and accepting a prompt that told her she was rejoining a player with whom she had an alliance.  ¡°So, the daughter is going to be killed tonight?¡± Vithium asked.  Wallace didn¡¯t turn to answer him but moved at a brisk pace toward the entrance to the home.  The monk got the hint and jogged after her.  ¡°And we have to stop it?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Wallace said, moving up to an ornate brick arch supporting an open iron gate.


    {The entrance isn¡¯t warded against intruders yet,} Brodie advised, {but a security spell will activate in a few minutes, and the gate will close.}


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to save her,¡± Wallace said, addressing Vithium¡¯s question, ¡°but we have to keep her alive long enough for the brother to show up.¡±


    ¡°Is he the next target?¡±


    Wallace shook her head.  ¡°No, he is the youngest son.  The favorite.  His father told him this might happen, and he has a plan to stop it.¡±


    The wide path designed for wagons and carts veered to their left, but they stayed on a narrower stone-paved walkway that led them under a flower-festooned trellis and beside several gardens as they approached the house.


    Vithium had to jog to keep up with the tall paladin.  ¡°And what is that plan?¡±


    Wallace turned to give the shorter man a smirk and to let him catch up.  ¡°What, you don¡¯t want to be surprised?  You want me to spoil the whole module for you?¡±


    ¡°I thought avoiding the unexpected was the best way to survive,¡± Vithium said, wondering if he was being tested.  ¡°That¡¯s what all the walkthroughs are for, right?¡±


    Wallace laughed and kept walking.  ¡°And doesn¡¯t your operator have this walkthrough open?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t exactly told me what this module is yet.  You just invited me along for an adventure.¡±


    ¡°You need a name for the module in order to find it?¡± the incredulity in her voice was barely restrained.  ¡°You can¡¯t search ¡®Lord Byron Hamley,¡¯ or even ¡®Module that starts in a bookstore in Mizzeray?¡¯¡±


    Vithium cursed and spoke inwardly.  ¡°See, I told you there were other ways to find it. . . . I don¡¯t know, find a search page . . . Well, I¡¯m in here and can¡¯t help you.¡±


    Wallace chuckled at the argument, climbed a few steps to the front porch, and pulled a cord to ring the bell. Behind them, she heard a metal squeal as the main gates magically swung closed.  The sun had just dropped below the hills to the west.  Vithium stopped arguing with his operator and joined the paladin on the porch.  Wallace slipped her +2 Wisdom ring onto her finger.  The door opened a few seconds later, revealing an elderly housekeeper in a dress.


    ¡°Good evening, gentlemen.  It looks like you made it here just in time.  What can I do for you?¡±


    Wallace smiled at her.  ¡°Thank you, ma''am.  We are here to see the lady of the house, Elisabeth.¡±


    ¡°Ooh,¡± the woman said, her hand on her chest.  ¡°That is quite unconventional.  Two men coming to see the lady after hours while her husband is away.  I don¡¯t think that . . .¡±


    ¡°It is nothing like that, ma''am,¡± Wallace said quickly.  ¡°It is a matter of life and death.  We have news of her father and brothers.  We must speak with her at once.  Her life is in danger.¡±


    The woman paused, but Wallace had boosted her Wisdom, and her Negotiation skill was good enough to get the job done.  ¡°Well, okay, but you better meet in the study where I can keep an eye on you.¡±  The housekeeper allowed them entry and led them over hardwood floors, through a marble kitchen, up a flight of stairs, and into an oak-lined, red-carpeted study filled with books and scrolls.  ¡°Have a seat in those chairs, and I will fetch Elisabeth.¡±  The older woman left down a hallway.


    The room was open to the level below, looking down on the kitchen and dining area.  Large windows on the rear of the house rose two stories, looking out onto a backyard where horses roamed about in the darkening evening.  It was peaceful and serene, like a log cabin in the mountains where rich people went to escape.  Wallace knew that calm was about to be shattered.


    She sat beside her monk companion, curious about his expertise in the game.  He was level 12, a feat not achievable by everyone, but by his own admission, this was his first playthrough.  Most new players died at level 10 when they entered PVP areas for the first time.  Wallace had made it to level 12 half a dozen times but ended her character on purpose, so she didn¡¯t know how high she could go before running into something she couldn¡¯t handle.  She could hear Vithium constantly muttering to his operator to give him more information and realized she would probably have to discern his competencies sooner rather than later.  This next combat encounter they were about to endure would tell her a lot.

 Chapter 4: The Demon Attack

    Wallace rose from her chair the instant Elisabeth rounded a corner and entered the study.  Vithium had to catch his breath first.  He worked in a brothel and employed many alluring men and women, but Elisabeth had a graceful quality that made her seem to float across the floor, her feet hidden beneath a modest, full-length gown.  Her black hair was up, revealing her slender neck and tanned shoulders.  She wore emerald earrings and a matching necklace.  She wasn¡¯t smiling.


    ¡°What involvement do you have with my father and brothers?  If this is about their business, I have nothing to discuss.  I assist my husband with his trading company.  He is away for a few days.  Without him present, I will not discuss financial matters.  You may have just wasted a long trip out here.¡±


    ¡°This is not about money,¡± Wallace assured her, bowing slightly in her presence.  ¡°This is about life and death.¡±


    Elisabeth¡¯s arms crossed over her chest.  ¡°Many think gold is more important than life and death, and strange men have made much bolder claims to gain a private audience with me.  You will need more than idle idioms to gain my trust or my patience.¡±


    Vithium finally moved to stand next to Wallace and offered his input.  ¡°Your older brother is dead.¡±  Elisabeth gasped at the direct statement, and her hand went to her mouth.  Vithium continued.  ¡°We found him this morning, killed in his shop.¡±


    Elisabeth regained her poise quickly, her hand moving from her mouth to her chest to steady her breathing.  ¡°So,¡± her voice squeaked a bit, and she tried again.  ¡°So, this is about money.  I told you, I am not in business with my family.  I am grateful for this house my father left me, but I have nothing to do with . . .¡±


    ¡°This is about your father,¡± Wallace said, daring to step closer to the woman.  ¡°About the magic he used, the demon he served, and the deals he made.¡±


    The woman¡¯s hand went back to her head.  ¡°So it¡¯s true,¡± she whispered, her voice failing again.  ¡°Tristan said . . . but I didn¡¯t want to believe . . .¡±


    Wallace nodded.  ¡°It¡¯s true.  Your father¡¯s wealth and power are ill-gotten in the worst way, and now a demon beast has been sent from hell to collect a price.  It will come this night to kill you.¡±


    The woman took a stumbling step back and found support against a bookshelf.  Next to her head was a diamond-encrusted bookend.  She lifted it, a symbol of her father¡¯s wealth.  ¡°I will give it all back,¡± she said, finding strength in this bold strategy.  ¡°I don¡¯t need riches or gold.  I don¡¯t need this house.  I will give it all back.  I have Peter, and soon . . .¡± her voice trailed off as her other hand dropped to her slightly swollen abdomen.  ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for . . .¡± but her voice broke off in a sob.


    ¡°Lady,¡± Vithium said, walking several paces forward.  ¡°We will do our best to protect you.  Is there an area of the house that is safest?¡±


    Elisabeth sucked in her tears and tried to pull herself together.  The concept of ¡°safe¡± restored some level of confidence in her.  ¡°This house is safe,¡± she said.  ¡°The outer fence is enchanted.  Nothing can break through.  Even birds that try to fly over at night are hit with an electrical charge that would . . .¡± her voice trailed off as a bracelet on her right hand pulsed with mana.  She glanced down at it in terror.


    From bellow, Wallace heard a commotion, and she moved away from the lady of the house to look over the railing at the large common area.  Several men rushed into the kitchen and spoke with the housekeeper.  Wallace realized they must also have warning devices and watched as they discussed a defensive strategy while drawing weapons.


    ¡°The breach is on the south side.¡±


    ¡°Did the lightning defense go off?¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°And . . .¡±


    ¡°It seemed to have no effect.  Whatever it is, it jumped the fence and is still coming.¡±


    Outside, they all heard horses whinnying in fear.  The guards turned toward the back of the house, peering through the tall windows.  ¡°Men, brace yourselves!¡± one of them ordered.  ¡°We need to defend . . .¡±


    But he didn¡¯t get to finish as one of the enormous windows exploded inward, and a nightmarish beast flew into the dining room.  Wallace stepped back in shock, her 14-year-old-self rising to the surface as an overwhelming sense of fear consumed her.  The move cut off her line of sight momentarily, and she was saved from seeing the first attack as the beast leaped at one of the men below.  She heard the gut-wrenching scream, though, and another wave of fear coursed through her, accompanied by nausea.  The sounds of bones crunching and blood and guts splashing on the floor brought her stomach up into her throat.


    {Take a moment,} Brodie spoke to her in a soothing voice.  He could monitor her heart rate and knew she was physically stressed.  {It has a Fear aura, but you saved against its attack.  You are only Shocked for one round.  The rest is in your head.  Remember, you don¡¯t need to kill it, and it isn¡¯t after you.  You just need to hold out for a few rounds.}


    Wallace focused on her breathing and let the fear wash off her.  After six seconds, the in-game penalty wore off, and her mind found the focus it needed.


    {Good job,} her operator complimented her.  {And it was a good thing you still had on your Wisdom ring to boost your Magic Defense, but it might be a good idea to switch to Strength now.}


    Wallace agreed and changed her rings.  Below her, she heard another man gruesomely meet his fate, but she steeled herself against it, drew her axe and shield, and ventured back toward the railing to examine the scene.


    Chairs were tossed about, and the flowers and plants that had decorated the area were broken and scattered on the floor.  Blood splattered across everything, and the torn bodies of the two dead men threatened to send Wallace into another spiral of fear.  Instead, she found focus by staring at the monster as it faced off against the last two men across the dining room table.


    It was shaped like a cross between a wolf and an alligator, with a slender body and tail supported by four long legs.  Covered in black scales, with a ridge down its back, its skinny limbs didn¡¯t look strong enough to pose much threat, but it tossed a chair aside with one of its legs, sending the furniture crashing into a brick fireplace where it shattered into kindling.  The men opposite the creature moved quickly to their left to keep the bulk of the table between them.  The beast opened its long jaws and spewed a stream of acid at the closest man.  He screamed in pain and terror, dropping to the floor and failing his saving throw.  His scream ended quickly as his remains smoked on the wooden floor.


    The demon didn¡¯t waste any more time, flexed its long legs, and leaped over the table at the remaining guard.  He raised his shield and swiped his sword, but the blade bounced harmlessly off the tough scales, and he was knocked to the ground, the fiend¡¯s legs pinning him to the floor.  Wallace couldn¡¯t see the end of the encounter, as the large table blocked it, but she saw the massive head go down, heard the man scream, and flinched as the jaws came back up, entrails and guts hanging from its mouth.  It tore them away from the body, shaking its head side to side to further coat the room in red before releasing them back to the floor with a sickening plop.


    Wallace stepped away from the railing before she puked, cursing herself for having her gore setting set so high.  She wouldn¡¯t waste a round to change it now and turned to see the other two people upstairs with her.  Monks usually specialized in physical defenses, not magical ones, but the fear spell did not affect Vithium, as he stayed ready for action, bouncing back and forth on his feet.  Elisabeth wasn¡¯t as composed, leaning against a bookshelf and breathing heavily.  Once the sickening noises from below faded away, Wallace thought she detected music.  Upon closer examination, she heard the woman humming to herself.  The song rose in volume, and the tune helped wash away any residual discomfort the paladin felt.


    ¡°My father,¡± Elisabeth whispered, ending her song and pushing away from the wall.  ¡°I sense his presence.  Somehow, he has returned.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Wallace corrected.  ¡°You sense the demon he served.  It must have hung about him like a fragrance before.¡±


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What . . .¡± Vithium asked carefully, ¡°what is down there?¡±  He had no in-game banes from the fear spell but was still nervous.


    ¡°A beast from hell that we will have to fight.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said this module was safe.  I didn¡¯t sign up for . . .¡±


    Wallace ignored him and turned to Elisabeth.  ¡°You are a bard, correct?¡±  The woman nodded.  ¡°Then I need you to sing any defensive songs you know.  The monster will be upon us in a moment.¡±  The paladin eyed the stairs they had ascended a few minutes ago, and Vithium stopped complaining and resumed a ready stance.


    The monster decided not to take the stairs, vaulted its body twelve feet into the air, and crashed through the railing to Wallace¡¯s right.  Her shield was up, and she had just enough time to pivot toward the demon and accept the attack.  The defensive stance wasn¡¯t enough to completely block the fiend, but it couldn¡¯t get a critical attack through and did a handful of damage to the knight.  Wallace struck back, but her enchanted axe only bounced off the armored creature.


    Vithium charged the combatants, wisely approaching from the opposite side to get a Flanking bonus.  The beast sensed his approach and turned to meet him.  The monk had the initiative and struck first.  It looked like he only waved his fist at the monster, a flailing attempt to hit it.  The beast snapped its long jaws at the jab, missed, and looked somewhat confused.  Vithium followed the miss with his other fist, landing a solid punch on the side of its head.  The fist did minor damage, but a surge of power transferred between the combatants, and the beast looked Dazed for a moment and failed to take another attack that round.


    Wallace took the opportunity to pile on, slamming her axe down on the monster''s back, penetrating its scales, and finally doing damage.  It wasn¡¯t much, and it seemed to wake the fiend up from whatever funk Vithium had imparted.  It struck back at the monk, its front claws raking against his unarmored chest.  Blood flew from the wound, and the man flew through the air, crashing against a bookshelf.


    As horrific as the attack looked, Wallace saw that his health only crept down a little, evidence of his massive physical resistance.  As books rained down on the monk¡¯s head, Wallace shifted her gaze to the side to see Elisabeth cowering behind the desk.  ¡°A song,¡± the paladin reminded her.  ¡°Sing a song.¡±


    The demon had also spotted the woman and stalked toward her.  Elisabeth obeyed and started singing.  After a few seconds, her image flickered, wavered, and then faded away as if she had just dissolved into the air.  The beast paused, and before it could sniff the air or dispel the bard¡¯s defensive song, Wallace leaped after it and attacked again.  Her axe did little damage, but it got the monster¡¯s attention.


    The beast turned on her and hesitated, cocking its head in confusion.


    {The defensive song is aiding you too,} Brodie advised.  {You aren¡¯t invisible, but the creature will have a penalty to hit you.}


    Wallace raised her shield as the demon attacked and smiled as it bounced back, doing no damage to her.  She saw movement to her right as Vithium rose and had to squint in his direction, his body appearing as a reflection on rippling water.  Because they were allies, she would always be able to see him, but she understood the fiend¡¯s problem.


    The monk attacked the monster from behind again, not bothering with a feint this time and slamming both his fists into the creature¡¯s back.  More mana rushed into the demon, and it was momentarily Stunned, allowing Wallace a concentrated attack on the beast.  Now, she dealt significant damage to it.  The fiend howled in pain but recognized it had to deal with the monk¡¯s debilitating blows first and turned toward the man.


    The monster bit Vithium on the leg this time, shook him, and tossed him toward the railing.  The monk made a second hole in the wooden posts and screamed as he fell to the lower floor.  Wallace winced on his behalf, hearing him crash into wooden furniture and hoping his Damage Reduction was up to the task.  She didn¡¯t worry about him for too long, as she now had to fight the beast one-on-one.


    They exchanged blows back and forth for a few rounds, and Brodie gave her updates in her head.  With her shield raised, Wallace had an Armor Class of 48, which was more than enough for the zombies, ghosts, and skeletons she usually fought, but Brodie was guessing this beast had a base attack of at least 50.  It would typically be able to hit her without rolling an attack die, but the translucent appearance Elisabeth¡¯s song imparted gave the attacker a -10 to hit her.  The tune wafted through the room like a ghost from the invisible woman, light and airy, but Wallace also heard an underlying alto beat that she recognized as a more traditional defensive song.  The woman must have the Harmony feat, which allowed her to combine two melodies that shared a similar structure.  This boosted the paladin¡¯s shield bonus by +10, so the fiend needed to roll an 18 to hit her.  On the third round of combat, the monster rolled a 19, and its jaws closed on her shield arm.  It wasn¡¯t a critical, so it couldn¡¯t enact any combat maneuvers to shake or throw her, but it still hurt.


    Wallace retreated a few steps to shake off the strike and refocus.  ¡°Am I not hitting it, or does it have damage resistance?¡±


    {Uncertain,} Brodie replied as the beast attacked again.  The knight¡¯s shield held, but her return attack bounced off its body.  {I think you need a critical to get through its scales and another to do any damage.  Based on your rolls, you¡¯ve been pretty average, but you need a 20 to make any progress.  It also seems to be healing each round, so you need a miracle.}


    As Wallace took a claw attack to her midsection, she realized she needed more than a miracle.  The three hits she had taken had dropped her to half health, and her Lay On Hands ability wouldn¡¯t heal her fast enough.  Plus, it would take an action, preventing her from raising her shield that round.  Twice what she recovered would be dealt to her in damage.  She couldn¡¯t wait for a 20; she needed to generate one.


    Remembering what Jace had done to the titan and his minions back in the Torrintank Keep module, she took her character off automatic attack, gripped her axe tightly, and manually aimed at the creature¡¯s neck just behind its ears.


    {Wally, we talked about this.  You are not Jace Thorne.  Don¡¯t . . .} but his warning was too late.


    The weapon streaked in but at a horrible angle.  Instead of letting the axe bounce off its scales as usual, the four-legged beast Dodged to the side, successfully avoiding the attack by a double critical margin.  This left Wallace Flat-Footed against the fiend, and it took advantage, maneuvering to her back and attacking at an angle that prevented her from raising her shield.  The beast got three criticals, used two to triple the damage of its attack, and then tossed her toward the railing.


    Wallace flailed her arms and legs, dropping her weapon and shield to grab onto the broken railing she collided with and save herself from falling over the balcony.  Now, her health was dangerously low, and she had no defense as the beast stalked toward her.  It was all Wallace could do to stand up, and as she saw the monster close in on her, she wondered if maybe falling off the ledge would have been better.


    In that instant, the song ended.  As the paladin shimmered back into complete visibility, the demon tensed its legs to leap at her.  It suddenly froze, and Wallace turned to see Elisabeth visible again, having just cast a spell at the monster.  ¡°Hurry!¡± the woman cried.  ¡°It won¡¯t last long.¡±


    Wallace didn¡¯t need to be told twice and raced around the frozen monster, picking up her axe and shield and hurrying to the far side of the room.  She pulled a healing potion from her satchel and wasted a round to drink it.


    ¡°It is a spell I used to use against my youngest brother when we were kids,¡± she said.  ¡°My dad taught it to me.  It never works on anyone else, but I¡¯m guessing it targets the same demon they were joined with.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Wallace said after she had regained much of her health.  She added a few more with her own healing ability.  Elisabeth was right, and the beast sprung into the air at the battered railing after only two rounds.  The knight wasn¡¯t there anymore to absorb its momentum, and it barely managed to stay on the upper level.  As it scrambled about in the loose wooden shrapnel, Wallace grabbed the bard¡¯s arm to race out of the room, but Vithium filled the doorway, finally making it back upstairs and not looking happy.  He charged into the room straight at the monster, who had finally turned around and readied itself for action.  Wallace paused to see the result.


    The beast had endured enough of the monk¡¯s debilitating strikes and spewed acid at him while he was still 20 feet away.  It charged hard after the magical strike.  Vithium took the attack full in the chest and froze, a look of pain plastered on his face.  The two onlookers gasped in horror as the monster leaped at the stunned man, its jaws wide open to attack.  Wallace would have thought a monk should have enough resistance to endure an acid attack without a problem.


    As the demon¡¯s vicious teeth clamped down on the motionless man, his body exploded in a spray of fibers that Wallace had never seen before.  The monster was equally confused and came to rest amidst the plume of confetti with a dumbfounded look in its eyes.  Vithium appeared suddenly behind the creature, as if stepping from an invisible door.  He grabbed its tail and flipped it onto its back.  ¡°Wallace,¡± he cried.  ¡°Now!¡±


    The knight understood her job and raced over to the Grappling pair with her axe raised over her head in two hands.  She had stored her shield on her back to drink the healing potion.  Holding her weapon with both hands gave her bonuses to hit and damage, and she used them as she swung down on the monster¡¯s unarmored chest.  She released the one-time-use True Strike spell stored in her axe.  The blade sunk in, and black blood gushed from the wound.  Brodie yelled in his sister¡¯s mind that she had just gotten a double critical.  She had already seen the alert and had directed the game to put everything toward damage.


    Whatever boon Vithium had to wrestle the monster disappeared, and it flipped out of his grasp with a shriek.  It turned back on the monk, and the paladin hit it again with her axe.  She needed to waste the criticals to get through its protections now, but she scored damage with the added bonuses from the two-handed weapon and Flanking.


    Vithium wasn¡¯t done either and managed to Dodge the beast''s first beleaguered attack before he struck back.  He dumped mana into the creature to weaken its defenses and threw it toward a bookshelf.


    The monk moved away from the monster to stand next to the paladin.  Elisabeth was soon beside them.  The fiend picked itself up slowly, chewing and spitting out the books that had rained on top of it.  That was the best combo of attacks they could hope for against the thing.  They had only decreased its health by about 20%, and it was already rising back.


    ¡°We run,¡± Wallace said.  No one argued with her.

 Chapter 5: Kill or be Killed

    The group tore out of the study, and Elisabeth directed them down a long upstairs hallway.  ¡°There is a barred door at the end leading to an outdoor balcony,¡± she said.  Magical lights hung from the arched ceiling, illuminating the clear path, but it was long.


    Vithium passed the others right away.  He had put many points toward Athletic and got bonuses from all his physical abilities.  Wallace fell behind.  She had good Strength but hadn¡¯t spent anything in Athletic and had banes from her low Dexterity.  Wearing full plate and carrying a large shield didn¡¯t help.  Elisabeth began singing an upbeat marching song, and the paladin felt her legs lighten and her pace quicken, but it wasn¡¯t enough.  She saw the other two race down the hall ahead of her, passing several bedrooms and closing in on the balcony door.


    The monster was at her heels, and Wallace could feel its fearful aura tickling her Magic Defense.  Brodie helped her decide what to do.  {Vithium will be fine, but Elisabeth won¡¯t to make it to the end of the hall unless you slow the monster down.}


    Wallace stopped, pulled her shield from her back, and turned to face the beast.  It was only fifteen feet behind her and seemed startled by her change in strategy.  Without any defensive bonuses from Elisabeth, Wallace knew this would hurt and braced herself.  The fiend had other ideas and flexed its powerful legs to leap over the defensive player, the arched ceiling giving it plenty of room.  The paladin reacted quickly, swiping her axes at the vulnerable underbelly of the beast as it flew over, sprinkling her with more black blood but not slowing the monster.


    ¡°Vithium!¡± she cried.  ¡°Behind!¡±


    The speedy monk had already reached the end of the hall, had the wooden inner door open, and was working on the iron outer door.  He turned at the cry and saw in horror as the demon streaked toward Elisabeth, who was still thirty feet from him.  Vithium raced back toward her, but the monster reached the woman first.  She screamed as she was tackled to the ground, and the beast pulled her into one of the bedrooms.


    Wallace and Vithium reached the open door simultaneously and watched the beast treat the bard like a rag doll as it dragged her through a chair, over the bed, and then out a window in a shower of glass.  Elisabeth''s screams filled the night, only ending when she hit the ground outside.


    Both fighters followed as fast as they could.  The smaller monk maneuvered the obstacles in the room more efficiently and tucked his body as he jumped out the window, rolling when he hit the ground outside and taking no damage.  The lumbering paladin wasn¡¯t as coordinated and ripped the frame out of the window as she crashed to the ground, taking more damage than she would have liked.


    They saw the shadowed form of the demon sprinting across the property with the woman''s limp body in its jaws.  They couldn¡¯t catch up, and when it leaped effortlessly over the distant fence and a bolt of lightning bounced off it without effect, they gave up.  She was gone.


    Vithium was leaning against a waist-high coral when Wallace caught up to him, heaving and puffing as if she had just run a mile.  ¡°Is that how it is supposed to go?¡± the monk asked.


    ¡°More or less,¡± Wallace replied between gasps.  ¡°I think we held our own.  You have some interesting moves.¡±


    The monk shrugged.  ¡°I didn¡¯t do any damage.  I don¡¯t think I would ever be able to scratch that thing if I punched it a thousand times.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not why I invited you,¡± she said, pausing to take a deep breath and chug another healing potion.  ¡°I don¡¯t need you to fight that.  I need you to fight something else.¡±


    ¡°And that would be . . .¡± his voice trailed off as he spotted a man approaching them from the shadows of a tree.


    Wallace was staring at the ground, trying to regain her breath, when she noticed the hanging sentence and looked up.  She smiled.  {That is Tristan Hamley,} Brodie confirmed for her.


    The young man approached them cautiously, a sword in hand.  He was a level 16 spellsword, far above Wallace and Vithium.  Some NPCs adjusted to the player¡¯s level when they joined the party; others were locked in place.  Tristan was the latter.  If Wallace¡¯s new plan was to continue past twelve, she hoped the brother, Thursa, would adjust to her.  Having an NPC at a higher level than you sounded like a good idea, but the modules adjusted their difficulty based on the average character level, and then once the player hit level 17, the NPC was still at 16.


    Tristan wore a black trench coat down to his knees over a navy blue shirt and black pants. He had another blade on one hip with a holster of wands on the other.  Wallace guessed he was about 25.  ¡°You hurt the venator,¡± he said once he got close.  ¡°I didn¡¯t think that was possible.¡±


    ¡°We were trying to save your sister,¡± Wallace said.


    Tristan hesitated.  ¡°You know who I am?¡±


    The knight nodded.  ¡°And you know why the venator is here and what it is after,¡± she said, happy to have a name for the creature.


    ¡°It is coming for you next?¡± Vithium asked.


    The young man cocked his head.  ¡°So you don¡¯t know everything.¡±


    Wallace decided not to interject.  Her partner¡¯s inexperience played better in the game.  NPCs reacted oddly when you always knew what was going to happen.


    ¡°No, I am not next,¡± Tristan said.  ¡°At least, I¡¯m not supposed to be; I still have an older brother.  But I see no other way to navigate this situation now.  It is better that one of us dies than both of us.  I just wished my father had left me another option.¡±


    ¡°You could have arrived sooner,¡± Vithium chided.  ¡°We could have used another blade.¡±


    The youth looked down at the sword in his hand.  ¡°No, I could not have helped.  My source of power is the same as that beast¡¯s.  My magic would have been useless against it, and this sword is powerless in its current condition.  My only hope was that someone could have stopped the venator before it came to this.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Vithium looked between Tristan and Wallace.  ¡°Someone want to tell me what he is talking about?¡±


    Wallace chuckled.  ¡°Operator still hasn¡¯t found it?¡±  When Vithium scowled at her and Tristan looked confused, she didn¡¯t press the point.  Instead, she turned to the spellsword and tried to speed along the exposition part of the module.  ¡°That¡¯s a vorpal blade, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The young man looked impressed and nodded.


    ¡°It is designed to be enchanted to kill a particular type of creature.  Your father gave it to you to kill the venator in case his efforts to reverse the curse he brought upon you failed.  But you haven¡¯t enchanted it yet, have you?¡±


    The spellsword shook his head.


    ¡°Well, what are we waiting for?¡± Vithium asked.  ¡°If we have a way to kill that thing, let¡¯s do it.  Use your magic to enchant the blade.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already told you my magic is useless against the monster,¡± Tristan explained.  ¡°And the deed to charge this weapon is darker than any I have ever contemplated.  When my father told me, I laughed in his face, but he said it must be done, and I was the only one strong enough to do it.¡±


    ¡°The venator can¡¯t really be killed,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°It can only be banished.  And only when its hunger is sated.  That blade can kill its hunger.¡±


    ¡°But it wants to feed on all of Byron Hamley¡¯s offspring,¡± Vithium said slowly, getting a picture of where this was headed.  ¡°You have one brother left . . .¡±


    Tristan nodded.  ¡°And if I kill him with this weapon, it will be enchanted to end the beast¡¯s hunt.¡±  He hung his head in shame.  ¡°My father told me I should have killed my uncle right away, then I could have ended this before it got this far.  Garrison and Elisabeth would still be alive.  But I just couldn¡¯t.  Once they started dying, I knew what had to be done to end it, but I didn¡¯t have the strength.  I came here tonight thinking that I would try to help, and if Elisabeth was going to die anyway, then it wouldn¡¯t be such a big problem to kill her myself, but I couldn¡¯t even go into the house.  And when you two showed up, I thought that maybe . . .¡±  His eyes drifted to where the beast had carried the woman into the woods.  ¡°But I failed in that too.¡±


    ¡°So now you need our help to kill your last brother,¡± Vithium said, not sure he liked that idea.  ¡°But, wait,¡± the monk turned to the paladin, ¡°you want the brother as a companion, don¡¯t you?  He¡¯s a druid, right?¡± he turned to the other two for confirmation.  Both nodded their heads.  ¡°Good.  Then you have a better plan to avoid all this sibling murder while still slaying that beast, right?¡±


    Wallace shook her head.  ¡°A better plan?  No, my plan is much, much worse.¡±


    Tristan looked surprised.  ¡°There is another way?  I don¡¯t have to kill my brother?¡±


    The paladin shrugged.  ¡°Not exactly.  You see, you have another sibling.  A baby sister.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Tristan cried.  ¡°Impossible.  I would have known about it.  My father would have told me.  Besides, he would have never cheated on my mother.  I saw her at my father¡¯s funeral.  I think I would have noticed if she had a daughter.¡±


    Wallace got stern with the young man.  ¡°Your father practiced black magic his entire life, served a chaos demon, and willingly made a deal that would kill all his blood relatives, and you think he is above sleeping around?¡±


    Tristan wanted to lash out at the paladin, but better sense prevailed in the face of her logic.  As far as Wallace knew, no one had tried this strategy in this module yet, so they didn¡¯t know what the young man¡¯s reaction would be.  ¡°He didn¡¯t want you to have to kill one of your siblings,¡± Wallace continued.  ¡°So he reached out to a priestess of Custos to see if there was anything else he could do to protect you.¡±


    Tristan laughed.  ¡°No, he told me he was meeting with her to find his enemy¡¯s weaknesses.  Custos and Impetus are mortal enemies.  A true servant like my father would never consort with the enemy.¡±


    ¡°He consorted,¡± Wallace confirmed.  ¡°He consorted, and she conceived.  Byron Hamley died shortly after, and she lied about the father, keeping the daughter secret.¡±  Wallace turned to Vithium to bring him up to speed, assuming correctly that his operator wasn¡¯t quick enough to bring up information on the beings they had mentioned.  ¡°Impetus is the demon Lord Byron and Tristan serve.  He is aggressive and violent.  Byron was an offensive mage, and his son here is a spellsword, who I¡¯m told is a sight to behold in battle.¡±


    The young man stood a little straighter at the compliment, unaware that the paladin had gained the information from a Wiki page, not from hearing of his exploits through the realms.  ¡°Custos is a god who specializes in defense and protection spells.¡±


    Vithium was beginning to understand.  ¡°So their father was meeting with this priestess to see if she could develop a spell to defend against this creature we just fought.¡±  Wallace nodded.  ¡°But instead,¡± the monk continued, ¡°they got busy and produced a child.¡±


    ¡°My father would never . . .¡± Tristan declared, but Vithium raised a hand to stop him.


    ¡°You serve a demon,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°So did your father.  You just stood by and watched while your sister was killed, and your genius plan is to kill your brother to make this all stop.  You aren¡¯t exactly a paragon of virtue here.  I¡¯m not sure your judgment is the best.¡±


    ¡°Well said,¡± Wallace complimented him.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t off the hook here either,¡± Vithium added, turning to the paladin.  ¡°Your plan is to kill a baby.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you own a brothel?¡± Wallace argued back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the topic,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°This isn¡¯t about me.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about me either,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°Option one is for you and me to hold down his bear of a brother ¨C and I am talking literal bear here ¨C while Tristan kills him.  I am giving us another option where we go see if this sister exists, and maybe Tristan doesn¡¯t have to kill his brother anymore.¡±


    Vithium stared hard at the paladin, trying to think of another comeback.  ¡°What did you get me involved with here?  Aren¡¯t you a paladin?¡±


    ¡°In my defense,¡± she said, ¡°this game is called the Realm of Infamy.¡±


    Vithium threw his hands up and walked off into the darkness.  Wallace gave him some time to think it over and turned to Tristan.  ¡°You said your father told you he was meeting with this priestess?¡±  The spellsword nodded.  ¡°Then you know where she is?  I have information that she exists, but I don¡¯t know where.¡±


    Tristan nodded again.  ¡°Yes, I can take you there.  The temple is in a tiny village to the south.  It is actually on the way to my brother¡¯s mountain.  We won¡¯t lose any time once I prove you wrong.¡±


    Wallace nodded and moved away from the house and toward the entry, hoping that Tristan had a way to unlock the gate.  They picked up Vithium, who still wasn¡¯t happy but would go along with the plan for now.


    The youngest Hamley son could open the gate, and the group moved toward the travel node.  On a hunch, Wallace continued past the node a few dozen feet until she left the module and entered global time.  The sky grew suddenly bright, and she saw the sun a quarter of the way up.  She turned back toward the Hamley estate and got the notification that no one other than Vithium was currently in the module.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s found it yet?¡± Wallace whispered.


    {Not that I can see,} Brodie answered.  {Two of the other NPCs that Jace released have modules in high-trafficked areas, and the chat rooms are buzzing about that, but nothing concerning this module yet.  Eventually, someone will figure out where the NPCs came from, who had them last, and who else is available.  But all the players good enough to give you a run for your money are probably focusing on the other NPCs.  No one is wandering around Mizzeray waiting for a random quest to pop up.}


    ¡°And the first decent player who does find this quest is probably going to be smart enough not to tell anyone.¡±


    {Right, and now that you are done with the Hamley estate portion, anyone behind you won¡¯t know you are already inside.  Either way, don¡¯t take your time.}


    Wallace nodded, returned to the group, and activated the node.

 Chapter 6: The Guardian

    Wallace, Vithium, and Tristan emerged within a small grove of trees.  A bubbling brook cascaded down a few rocks to their left, emptying into a small pond behind them.  It was mid-morning.  Birds chirped in the trees, a few butterflies fluttered by, and bees buzzed between wildflowers.  It was a beautiful morning, and the group was here to kill a baby.


    The village wasn¡¯t visible from where they stood, but they followed a path out of the small grove and saw a modest collection of buildings a mile away in a valley.  Wallace didn¡¯t like the long walk, hoping this would only be a short detour.  Anyone doing this mission behind them would move straight from the Hamley estate to the druid¡¯s home, skipping this stop.


    Wallace didn¡¯t know of another use for this town in the game, and it was likely here only for this secret purpose of finding another Hamley offspring.  The mile walk was probably on purpose, so any player attempting this portion of the module would have lots of time to ponder their actions.  That is precisely what Vithium used the walk for.


    ¡°So,¡± the monk said, falling behind with the slower paladin as Tristan led the way, ¡°no one else has tried this yet?¡±


    Wallace shrugged.  ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you hear about it?¡±


    Wallace gestured to the buildings ahead.  ¡°That town is real.  It exists in the game outside of this module.  I believe access to the travel node we just used is only possible if Tristan puts it on your map, but anyone can walk here if they take the time.  Players constantly search the realms for places like this, knowing that secrets abound.  Someone found this village, and they discovered a priestess with a child.  They did a little digging and found out who the father was.¡±


    The monk nodded.  ¡°So they figured killing the child was an alternative path for this module without trying it.  We are the first ones who are actually going to do it.¡±


    ¡°WE aren¡¯t going to do anything,¡± Wallace confirmed.  ¡°We are giving Tristan an option that doesn¡¯t involve killing his brother that he grew up with.  Do I want to kill a baby? No.  I don¡¯t.  But is the baby even real?¡±


    Vithium frowned.  ¡°Don¡¯t give me that line that it isn¡¯t a real child; it is only a clump of bits and bytes.  Nothing in this game is real, but that doesn¡¯t mean you go around killing things for fun.¡±


    Now the paladin frowned.  ¡°Are we doing this for fun?  We are trying to kill a demon that is hunting down and killing an entire family.  If we do nothing, Thursa dies, then Tristan dies, then the baby dies.  This game is designed to force you into making horrific decisions.  You need to separate what happens in here from the real world.  Playing this game is a form of consent to allow horrible things to happen to you.  If you don¡¯t like it, don¡¯t play.¡±


    The monk shook his head in frustration.  ¡°You sound like a na?ve teenager.  You can¡¯t do these things and not have them impact who you are.  Eventually, there will be consequences.¡±


    Wallace allowed the insult to roll off her and changed the subject.  ¡°Speaking of na?ve newbies, what is your story?  You got to level 12 on your first go around?  That is impressive.  You had some moves in that last fight I have never seen before.  Are you willing to share?¡±


    Vithium was too new to the game to understand what a big ask that was and used their alliance to share his character sheet.


    ¡°Your Damage Reduction and Resist scores are off the charts,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°How did you . . .¡± she paused as she took a moment to analyze the sheet further, but Vithium helped her out.


    ¡°The guy I got the VR set from gave me this build and told me it was broken.  It is only available to monks, and most people don¡¯t play them.  Those that do usually focus on their Chi ability, but I haven¡¯t touched mine.¡±


    Wallace nodded, understanding what he meant.  Monks could channel their mana as Chi when they attacked, using it for damage or casting debilitating spells on their opponent.  A level 16 monk could kill a level 10 player in one strike with their Chi if they focused it right, but Vithium only had the base ability.  Instead, he had taken eight different feats focused on his Resist score.


    ¡°Monks have a few setups to distribute their starting bonuses, and I gave myself +10 to Resist and +5 to Damage reduction.  Then I took Magical Resist, which adds my Resist score to my Magic Defense.  I took all four Resist training feats to give myself +15.¡±


    Wallace whistled.  His magic defense was as high as a level 18 priest.


    ¡°The Resist Damage feat lets me take half of my Resist score and add it to my Damage Reduction.  I took that twice and then took Elemental Reduction to add my Damage Reduction skill back into my Resist score when defending against elemental attacks.  I can only use the Resist Damage feat if I wear no armor, but it is worth it.¡±


    ¡°So you basically take no damage ever,¡± Wallace said, impressed with the combo and agreeing it was a little broken.  Of course, he could do very little damage and had no spells.  His Armor Class was worthless, but since he canceled the first 50 damage he received in each attack, you had to do a few criticals to get any damage through, and his first Divine feat was a free critical cancelation.


    ¡°But when you got hit by the acid attack before, you froze up,¡± Wallace said.


    ¡°Oh, that was my Strawman feat,¡± Vithium explained.


    {I¡¯m searching information on Monks,} Brodie said, {and there is no info on that feat.  His god is Dolugna, who is a Guile deity for monks.  There are like two other NPCs in the whole game who follow him.  I don¡¯t see anything on this unique feat.  Gandhi must have given it to him special.}


    ¡°It¡¯s not part of the build I am copying,¡± Vithium continued, ¡°but it looked so cool I had to take it.  I can create a statue of myself made of straw that can¡¯t move or attack but looks very lifelike.  If my opponent knocks down the Strawman, they are considered flat-footed, and I get a one-round bonus of +20 for my following action against them.  I usually Grapple them, but if it is a weaker monster, I can cause a Death Save with a punch.


    ¡°I need to be careful how I use it,¡± he explained.  ¡°Since the Strawman can¡¯t move, my opponent becomes suspicious if I just freeze up in the middle of combat.  So I usually time it when they hit me with a massive magical attack that they assume will Stun or Paralyze me.  I shrug it off with my Magic Defense, but they believe it when I don¡¯t move afterward.¡±


    ¡°Impressive,¡± Wallace said, dismissing the screen from before her vision.  She had been using the split screen ability to still see the trail.  They were entering the village now, and Tristan moved toward the largest building.  ¡°Still, getting to level twelve with those skills seems difficult.  You are the ultimate tank, but don¡¯t deal much damage.¡±


    ¡°The guy who showed me the build also gave me a list of modules specifically designed for my character.  I fight a lot of goblins and kobolds that swarm most other players, but they need four or five crits to do any damage to me.  Plus, I face off against mages that throw acid and fire and save against their attacks.  That¡¯s how I got the Gilded Swan.  When the dust settled a day after Jace liberated it, a lightning mage held it.  He wasn¡¯t smart enough to disable PVP within the brothel, so I challenged him, beat him, and then made sure no other players could fight each other.¡±


    Vithium recognized the building they were approaching as a temple, bringing his focus back to the mission.  ¡°Your operator told me you needed someone to disable opponents or leave them Flat-Footed.  I can definitely do that, but it seems a bit overkill for a baby, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Wallace sighed.  ¡°We don¡¯t need it for the baby; we need it for the guardian the priestess will undoubtedly summon once she realizes why we are here.  It will be a spirit warrior, which I can damage, but I will need criticals to kill it, and I don¡¯t generate those very often.¡±


    Vithium nodded, and the two quieted as they caught up to Tristan.  He stood at the door to the temple, hesitating.  ¡°Is something wrong?¡± the monk asked.


    ¡°I can feel the divine presence inside,¡± he said, a strain in his voice.  ¡°It opposes me.¡±


    ¡°Your father was able to walk inside,¡± Wallace said, egging the young man on.


    He grunted, still not believing his father would fall in love with a priestess of Custos.  Wallace didn¡¯t think the older man had fallen in love either.  But he had still slept with the priestess.  Eventually, the spellsword pushed past the threshold, and the two players followed him.


    The temple, like the village it served, was small.  Large stone blocks comprised its construction, giving the appearance of a fortress.  Custos was a defensive deity, so it made sense.  Wallace had considered following the god to become a tank but chose an undead hunter instead.  A few pews were set before a small altar and pool of holy water.  A hallway led to the back half of the building, but the trio must have triggered a presence spell, and they didn¡¯t need to explore.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    A beautiful middle-aged woman with white robes, white hair, and a silver breastplate emerged from the hall and stopped short when she saw Tristan.  ¡°Oh my heavens,¡± she said.  ¡°It must be you.  My name is Sollara.  Your father said you would be too proud to come, but I knew you would if you had any of his sense.  You must be here to learn more about . . .¡± her voice trailed away as realization struck her.  In a panic, she searched for a calendar hanging on a wall.  It listed the schedule of services, but she ignored that and focused on today¡¯s date.  Then she did some math.  Her face was stricken when she turned back to Tristan.  ¡°It¡¯s been a year, hasn¡¯t it.¡±


    ¡°And three days,¡± Tristan added.  He had no doubts about what his father had discussed now.  He could also see why his father had been taken with the woman.  There were many beautiful people in the realms, but this woman was genuinely concerned for Tristan, even though she knew he served a demon opposed to her god.


    ¡°That means . . .¡± Sollara thought a moment.  ¡°Your uncle, your oldest brother, and a sister.¡±  Tears rimmed her eyes.  ¡°I am so sorry.  I must tell you, your father regretted the deal he made every day of his life.  He and I looked earnestly for a way to end it.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way?¡± Tristan asked.  ¡°My last brother will be killed tonight if I can¡¯t stop it.¡±


    The woman shook her head.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid we never came up with a solid plan.  Custos is powerful, but he does not offer us many offensive spells.  I can strengthen your defenses, but only for a while, and from what I know of the beast that hunts you, it will not be enough.  Your father had another plan, but . . .¡± she shuddered.  ¡°No.  It is too horrifying to mention, and I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t go through with it.¡±


    Wallace knew what she was thinking.  The vorpal sword was not Tristan¡¯s standard weapon, and he had it hidden inside his trench coat while his usual blade hung from his belt.


    ¡°What about within these walls?¡± Tristan asked.


    ¡°The venator will be weaker here, but I cannot stop it.  And I will not endanger the people of this village.  The beast will kill anyone in its path to get to its prey, and I will not have that battle here.  If you should fail, I will run.  There is a temple where only . . .¡± Sollara paused again.  ¡°But you don¡¯t know, do you?  How could you?  I only knew a month after your father died.¡±


    A look of joy spread across the priestess¡¯s face despite the grave situation, and Tristan couldn¡¯t help but be drawn into it.  ¡°Tristan Hamley,¡± she said.  ¡°You have a sister.  Would you like to meet her?¡±


    ¡°May I?¡± the young man asked.


    The woman nodded, leading them back behind the altar and into the narrow hallway.  A small nursery sat at the end of the hall.  There wasn¡¯t room for four adults inside, so the woman brought the child out, and they moved back into the sanctuary.  ¡°Her name is Ella.  She is four months old, and she has your eyes.¡±


    Tristan melted.  He approached mother and daughter and looked down at the perfect little girl.  She cooed at him, and their eyes met for the first time.  She sneezed, and he laughed.  ¡°She is perfect,¡± he said with a tear in his eye.  ¡°You have somewhere to take her if I fail?¡± he asked, picking up on something she had started to say earlier.


    Sollara nodded.  ¡°Yes, there is a temple far into the mountains, away from any villages.  Only true believers can enter.  You cannot, and neither can the venator.  Ella, as my daughter, can accompany me.  If the demon hunter goes a night without taking a life, it will be banished back to where it came from.  Your sister will be safe.¡±


    Ella started to cry, and Sollara spun away from the men to coddle her.  Tristan turned to face Wallace and Vithium, a grim look in his eyes.  ¡°I cannot do this thing.¡±  He pulled the vorpal sword from within his cloak.  ¡°Not even if my master demanded it.  But I understand it must be done.¡±  Wallace took the sword absentmindedly.  ¡°I will wait outside.¡±  Tristan didn¡¯t move for a moment, waiting for Wallace to confirm.


    The paladin was shell-shocked.  She hadn¡¯t done anything especially horrible in the game so far.  She had allowed herself to be tortured by Drescher.  She had been forced to sacrifice a few townspeople in a zombie raid to complete a quest.  A rat had asked her to kill a bunch of cats before being granted access to an underground crypt.  Several little girls in that town had cried when they found their dead pets, but she had never raised a blade to a child.


    She and her brother had avoided the sexual modules for obvious reasons, but she felt that when she was older, she wouldn¡¯t have a problem with those either.  She had assumed this would be the same.  The baby wasn¡¯t real.  It shouldn¡¯t matter.  It was just a game.  But she held the sword like it was a dead fish and knew she would never be able to lift it against the child before them.


    Tristan recognized this hesitation and didn¡¯t leave.  Instead, he turned to Vithium.  Wallace also turned.  The monk had been the one to fight this plan the hardest, but his eyes had grown cold.  ¡°Really,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°I¡¯m the one that has to do it?  The one without any proficiency in bladed weapons?  You guys are a bunch of pansies.¡±


    Before them, Sollara turned around again, having successfully quieted Ella.  She was smiling, but when she saw the sword hanging limply from the paladin¡¯s hand, her eyes grew hot with anger.  ¡°I can¡¯t believe he did it,¡± she hissed.  ¡°He promised me he wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Tristan spun around at her voice and shrank back from the angry mother.  ¡°How dare you bring that into this sanctuary?" she said.  Then she realized against whom they were planning to use the sword and hugged her daughter tightly to her chest.  ¡°You are worse than the demon,¡± she cried.  ¡°To hell with you all!¡±  She cast a spell and retreated into the back rooms.


    Up from the pool of holy water rose a pillar of white vapor holding a sword and shield.  The creature didn¡¯t have arms or legs, but that didn¡¯t prevent it from running toward the trio and swinging its weapon.  Tristan stood in front, and a shield formed from a bracelet on his left arm as he drew his regular sword with his right.  He successfully blocked the first attack and returned in kind, his curved blade cutting clean through the misty guardian.  He used his class skill to release a burst of fire from his weapon that momentarily turned the divine being into a pillar of steam, but it passed quickly, and it struck back, finding a path around the young man¡¯s shield and cutting him across his sword arm.


    ¡°It can counter my magic,¡± Tristan cried, attacking it twice more but getting no better results.  Eventually, the guardian cast a spell toward the demonic spellsword, and he flew across the room, propelled by a cloud of vapor.


    Wallace was next, and she raised the sword in her hand, not having time to draw her axe.  She also successfully blocked the guardian¡¯s attack but didn¡¯t have the attack skill to break through its defenses.  Vithium helped her out, Flanking the spirit creature and attacking.  His fists passed through the mist without effect, and even the Chi he released did less damage than it should.  However, the Flanking bonus he gave Wallace finally allowed the paladin to hit the creature.  Because of her ability to hit spirits, the sword bit into the guardian¡¯s ¡°flesh,¡± and it shrieked in surprise.


    Tristan picked himself up from the far corner and tried another tactic, pulling a wand from his holster and launching a cold spell at the creature.  This had more effect than the fire, and ice particles formed inside the mist.  Vithium took advantage, feinting to get the guardian off balance, then punching with a +10 bonus.  His fist hit solidly against the ice and did slight damage.  Wallace didn¡¯t need the extra help and struck again, stealing more health from the creature.


    The guardian dealt with Tristan first, casting a Hold spell on the young man.  The spellsword was halfway through another magic attack but froze in place.  It then maneuvered so Wallace and Vithium were on the same side.  Without a flanking bonus, Wallace didn¡¯t hit the creature in the next round, and the guardian didn¡¯t try to block Vithium¡¯s first strike this time, letting the feint flail in the air.  Without his bonus for the next attack, the real punch also failed.  At the start of the next round, the Guardian cast a Hold spell on the monk, and he also froze in place.


    Wallace was on her own as the creature focused on the only enemy left moving and attacked twice.  The paladin raised her shield and didn¡¯t bother striking back but tried to maneuver so she could get back in a Flanking position with Vithium.  The spirit fighter recognized the tactic and turned to execute a shield bash on the monk to knock him to the ground and eliminate any bonus he might give.


    As the shield connected with the still image of the man, it exploded into a shower of straw.  Even though the guardian didn¡¯t have a head, a perplexed expression formed in the vapor, and it was slow to react to the action around it.  The real Vithium stepped out of nowhere and delivered a punch straight through where its navel would be and curled it up through its ¡°heart¡± and into its ¡°brain.¡±  The fist did little damage, but he got a double critical and elevated his Shock ability to Dazed, giving all allies a +10 bonus against the guardian.


    Wallace attacked next.  With the creature Flat-Footed, it couldn¡¯t raise its shield toward the paladin and could do nothing to stop the sword that pierced its ¡°lower back¡± and went straight up its ¡°spine¡± in a mirror of Vithium¡¯s attack.  Wallace rolled an 18 and received three criticals.  She intended to put all of them toward damage but got a prompt she had never seen before.


    <Tripple Critical.  4x damage?  Charge Vorpal Weapon?>


    Without thinking it through, Wallace picked the second option.  She held the blade vertically within the guardian, and a rushing sound filled the room.  The pillar of vapor came apart and formed a whirlwind around the weapon.  The creature¡¯s shield and sword vanished, its body tightening into a narrow tornado.  Then, like water down a drain, it sucked into the sword''s hilt, and a magical shock pulsed through the room.


    Wallace dropped the weapon and fell back, stumbling into a pew and catching herself.  Before her, the sword hit the stone floor, bounced about momentarily, and then lay still, glowing with a barely contained power.  Tristan had watched everything happen in his motionless state, and when the guardian was defeated, he was released from the spell.  He walked back toward the group, his eyes not leaving the sword.


    Tristan reached down to take the weapon his father had given him, but it burned his hand with a white flame.  ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± he said, stumbling back and holding his injured hand.


    ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t,¡± Wallace said, bending down to pick up the weapon without issue.  ¡°It is infused with a triple portion of your master''s divine enemy.  We should be able to use it to kill the fiend that is after you.  We don¡¯t need to kill your brother . . . or your sister.¡±  She added that last part and looked toward where the priestess had run.  She undoubtedly would have sensed that her guardian had been defeated.


    As if on cue, Sollara crept back into view, no longer holding her daughter.  Wallace bowed toward her.  ¡°I apologize for the subterfuge, my lady,¡± the paladin said, her voice dripping with as much sincerity as she could manage.  ¡°We had to make you believe we intended harm to your child in order to inspire you to summon the most powerful guardian you could.¡±  She hoisted the vorpal sword.  ¡°This should slay the venator.¡±


    The priestess scowled at them, not fully believing it was all a ruse.  ¡°Leave,¡± she said.  ¡°Leave and never come back.  I won¡¯t be here if you do.¡±


    The paladin shrugged her shoulders and bowed again.  ¡°As you wish.  You have our thanks regardless.¡±


    Tristan looked forlornly at the mother of his half-sister, but she gave no indication that she would change her mind.  He had resolved to accept the child¡¯s death, and now she was as good as dead to him.  He turned to leave.


    ¡°Tell me that was your plan all along,¡± Vithium said as they left the temple.  ¡°You were never going to kill the child, were you?¡±


    ¡°You seemed to be on board,¡± Wallace bit back, still creeped out by the look that had entered the monk¡¯s eyes when neither she nor Tristan was willing to do the frightful deed.


    Vithium shrugged indifferently.  ¡°As you said, it¡¯s only a game.¡±


    {Speaking of the game,} Brodie spoke up.  {It looks like your secret is out.  All but one of the NPCs Jace released have been identified, and it isn¡¯t yours.  A line is forming outside the bookshop in Mizzeray.  I don¡¯t know how many have already made it inside the module, but you better hurry.}


    Wallace absorbed the information and told the group to hurry back to the travel node.

 Chapter 7: The Druid

    Thursa Hamely had not stayed near the family.  The oldest and youngest brothers followed in their father¡¯s magical footsteps.  Garrison had opened a bookshop selling spells and other magical trinkets, while Tristan had fully embraced the source of the family''s power.  Elisabeth had gotten the house, leaving Thursa out of luck.  He also didn¡¯t fit in with the rest of his siblings, and many had wondered if their mother had covered up an affair.  The other siblings enjoyed the indoors and intellectual pursuits.  Thursa enjoyed hiking in the mountains and chopping wood.  Also, the other siblings were average height and slender, while Thursa was a giant.


    His home was a full day¡¯s travel from either Mizzeray or the Hamley estate.  Wallace and the others traveled there instantly through a node, but it was late in the evening when they arrived, the sun preparing to dip behind the mountains.  They appeared at the base of a mountain trail, an uphill climb ahead of them.  The distance to the cave where Thursa lived wasn¡¯t far, but the ascent would take several minutes.  The standard way to play this module was to climb the mountain and kill the massive druid.  You needed to do so before the venator arrived, and it wasn¡¯t easy.  With Vithium¡¯s unique talents and Tristan helping in the fight, Wallace felt they could have pulled it off, but she was glad they didn¡¯t have to.


    She had read several strategy guides on the best way to take down the druid, and most suggested sneaking up on him and attacking from the shadows.  Spells to disable or stun him worked well, and any method of draining his Strength ability was recommended.  The real ace in the hole was Tristan.  The level 16 spellsword was usually more powerful than the players who attempted the module.  While his magic didn¡¯t work against the venator or his divine enemy, it decimated his brother.


    Of all the suggested strategies, nobody advised walking up to Thursa along the trail and saying ¡°Hi,¡± but that is what the group planned.  However, once Wallace looked at her future companion through the cover of trees, she stopped short and found she couldn¡¯t say anything.


    They knew from a distance what he was doing, as the sound of chopping wood carried easily through the pine trees, but the paladin wasn¡¯t prepared for what she would see.  All the screen captures she had viewed before were when he was already in combat as a bear/human hybrid.  Now, in his pure human form, it was like someone had taken Chris Hemsworth¡¯s Thor and combined him with Bjorn from The Hobbit.  He stood over six and a half feet tall, bare to the waist, and solid muscle.  His arms worked like a machine, placing the next piece of wood on the block, lifting his axe, and chopping it down.  She was mesmerized by the way his muscles folded over each other in perfect rhythm.  He had light brown wavy hair, a close-cut beard, and a touch of chest hair.  His pants looked like Bruce Banner¡¯s after changing back from the Hulk, barely hanging on.  Like his brother, he was at level 16.


    {Do you need to make a saving throw, sis?} Brodie asked, monitoring her heart rate.  {Now I really know why you wanted to do this level.  Just remember what you look like in the game.  He might not swing that way.}


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she whispered.  ¡°Like you weren¡¯t speechless every time we were around Esther.¡±  Still, her brother was right.  She pushed down the 14-year-old girl and let the 40-year-old paladin take control.


    Thursa took a break to wipe sweat from his brow and drink from an animal skin canteen.  A snapping twig brought him to attention, and he sniffed the air.  ¡°Tristan!¡± he bellowed.  ¡°Is that you?  It is unlike you to come for a visit.  Come on out and show yourself.¡±


    His deep, Scandinavian accent sent chills down Wallace¡¯s spine, and she tried to gather her wits.  Tristan stepped past her and out into the open.


    ¡°So it is you,¡± Thursa said, tossing the canteen aside and resuming his grip on the axe.  ¡°I thought I smelled Dad¡¯s stench invading my home.¡±


    ¡°You are quick to judge, brother,¡± Tristan said, walking to within thirty feet of his sibling and stopping, his right hand not far from his weapon.  ¡°You chose a different path, not an opposite one.  Your presence would offend many too.¡±  He looked around at the lifeless camp filled with rocks, fallen trees, and charred remains of fire pits.  ¡°I don¡¯t see too many neighbors.  Aren¡¯t druids supposed to be surrounded by animals?¡±


    Wallace and Vithium moved out behind the spellsword.  The paladin took stock of the campsite, and despite what Tristan said, she thought it looked pretty opposite to what the Hamleys had established for themselves.  These weren¡¯t lavish accommodations.


    ¡°Did you come to lecture me, little brother, or is there something important you needed to say?  I doubt you brought guests so they could hear us trade insults.¡±


    ¡°A monster from hell is coming for us,¡± the spellsword said bluntly.


    Thursa laughed loud and deep.  ¡°For us, you say.  You mean it is coming for you.  My master has no gripe with me.  I serve her loyally.¡±


    ¡°I mean, it is coming for you,¡± Tristan replied.  ¡°We are family, whether you like it or not.  What happens to one of us affects us all.  A venator, a demonic hunter, is coming for you this night.  It has already killed Garrison and Elisabeth.  It will kill you and me unless we stop it.¡±


    Thursa grew somber at the awful news, dropping the head of the axe to the ground and leaning on the handle for support.  ¡°You are serious,¡± he said slowly.  ¡°Why?¡±


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    Tristan sneered, knowing the truth would produce a violent outburst from his brother.  Still, he saw no reason to lie.  ¡°Father made a deal with Impetus; we are paying the price now.¡±


    Thursa cursed in a demonic tongue.  ¡°I made no deal!  This does not involve me.  I serve my mistress well.  Desliva would never kill her followers.  I want nothing to do with you and Father¡¯s foolish pacts.¡±


    ¡°Thursa follows a god named Desilva?¡± Wallace asked in a low voice.


    {I¡¯m working on it, sis,} Brodie said.  {News to me too.  Nobody knows anything about the brother.  No one has seen his character sheet.}


    Wallace waited for her brother''s search results as the two Hamleys argued back and forth about which of them was more foolish for following their chosen masters.  {Turns out Desilva is a demon too,} Brodie advised.  {She hates the forest, elves, and most woodland creatures except those that taste good.}


    Wallace nodded as she saw a dead deer partially obscured behind a rock.  Thursa had a fire going behind him.


    {Most of her followers use an axe, live in caves or canyons, have some kind of fire resistance, and are generally surly.  Should fit perfectly with you.  Oh, and this is interesting, some of her followers get access to barbarian rage.  That is unique.}


    Wallace shuddered at the idea of the massive man before her flying into a rage while wielding an axe, though she might see it happen at the pace he and Tristan were going.  ¡°The game really wants these two to fight,¡± she muttered, understanding how this module usually played out.


    {Scripts are powerful things,} Brodie agreed.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to break them.¡±  The paladin strode forward.  ¡°Boys!¡± she cried.  ¡°Enough already.  We are here to kill a common enemy, not each other.  Calm down.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Thursa asked, rage still filling his voice.


    ¡°My name is Sir Wallace Wilhelm; I am a paladin with an enchanted sword that should be able to kill the beast that is after you.¡±


    ¡°And why are you helping us?  What is it to you if a demon monster takes out our family?  Is Tristan paying you?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone sits idly by while innocent people are murdered,¡± Wallace said, leveling a gaze at Tristan.


    ¡°Not everyone is as innocent as they appear,¡± Thursa said with a smirk.


    ¡°Elisabeth had nothing to do with any of this!¡± Tristan said.


    ¡°True,¡± the older brother agreed.  ¡°And where were you when she died?  Watching?  Glad that you were the youngest and father¡¯s favorite?  Though I suppose your magic is useless against this monster, which is why you need to hire these . . .¡±


    ¡°Would you like to see how useless my magic is?¡± Tristan bellowed, drawing his sword with a burst of magical lightning.


    ¡°Stop it!¡± Wallace said, running forward to stand between the two men.  ¡°Save it for the venator.  The sun is setting, and it will be here soon.¡±


    Thursa relaxed a bit and loosened his grip on the axe.  ¡°You can kill it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°This sword can,¡± she replied.  ¡°And it looks like I am the only one in the group with the skill to wield it.¡±  She looked at the axe the druid held and shook her head.  ¡°Here,¡± she said, tossing her normal weapon to him.  Thursa caught the enchanted axe and twirled it about expertly.  ¡°That should work better against the monster we are facing.¡±


    ¡°Does it have weaknesses?¡± Thursa asked.


    ¡°Not really.  You need a precise hit to break through its scales, and its Damage Reduction is impressive.¡±  She held up the sword in her hand.  Currently, it was a level 10, +5 weapon with a +5 bonus against demonic creatures.  A critical hit would require the target to save against the damage or die instantly.  This might work if she could get a coordinated hit against the venator.


    ¡°You¡¯ve fought it before?¡± Thursa asked.


    Wallace nodded.  ¡°We didn¡¯t have this sword yet, but Vithium, the monk over there, disabled the creature a few times, and I could inflict damage.  The same should work again.¡±


    ¡°I care little for Impetus, the demon my father served,¡± Thursa said, ¡°but he is clever.  Any hunter he sends out would learn from its mistakes.  Do not count on your monk''s tactics being successful again.¡±  The big man paused and cocked his head.  ¡°This monster, a venator, you said, it fights alone?¡±


    ¡°It did,¡± Wallace nodded.


    Thursa squatted to get closer to the rocks, placing his hand flat on the ground.  ¡°Then why do I feel an army approaching.¡±


    Tristan and Vithium had been conversing a few dozen feet away but stopped when the druid said this and listened closely to the rocky landscape around them.  With the mountain rising behind them, enemies could only approach from one direction, and Thursa had cleared most of the trees.  The path the players had taken was narrow and winding through the few trees left, but most of the slope was comprised of rocky shelves, loose boulders, and short stumps.


    Soon, Wallace didn¡¯t need to be a druid attuned to the stone-filled landscape to see the creatures approaching.  They were kobolds.  Lots and lots of kobolds.  They carried swords, clubs, and spears, each fitted with a shield and chainmail.


    ¡°Is this related to . . .¡± Vithium asked.


    Tristan nodded.  ¡°Kobolds are my master¡¯s minion of choice.  Our estate used to be crawling with them, but Elisabeth ended that.  Given the right environment, I can summon a handful to my side, but it is rarely worth it.  And I can¡¯t summon that many.¡±


    If there was any doubt as to the source of the army, the venator made itself visible, climbing to the top of a large boulder and surveying its foot soldiers as they marched up the slope toward the players.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t supposed to be in the module,¡± Wallace muttered.


    {No,} Brodie agreed, {But usually, at this point, Thursa is dead, and you have to fight the venator without him.  I guess Gandhi thought the difficulty should be adjusted.}


    Wallace felt the difficulty was already adjusted.  Usually, it was Tristan, a level 16 spellsword, who fought the venator.  He was supposed to have the vorpal weapon charged with Thursa¡¯s life force.  Now, a level 10 paladin was supposed to kill the beast.  Kobolds weren¡¯t usually a challenging foe, but when this many attacked together, they had the Swarm ability and could take down even the heartiest fighter quickly.


    The foursome gathered themselves together on the level section of Thursa¡¯s clearing.  The druid twirled his new axe while Tristan held his scimitar and shield.  His magic would likely be ineffective against his master¡¯s minions, so he cast combat boons on himself until his arms looked almost as big as his brother¡¯s.


    Vithium didn¡¯t have magic or weapons to prepare, but fighting large groups like this was his specialty, and he hadn¡¯t had a good fight yet in this module.  Wallace held her new sword up and tightened her grip on her shield.  She wasn¡¯t used to the weapon''s balance yet but would fight on auto-attack, letting the game roll the dice for her.


    A clump of four creatures on the right found a relatively bare path that zig-zagged through a few crags and tree stumps, bringing them to the characters sooner than the rest.  Thursa gave a battle cry, leaped into their ranks, and the fight was on.

 Chapter 8: Combat Tactics

    Wallace took a moment to appreciate the fighting style of her soon-to-be companion, assuming they all made it through this.  It wasn¡¯t hard to believe that Thursa spent time as a bear or had access to the rage ability.  He fought like an animal, taking twice as many hits as he doled out.  He landed amidst four kobolds with his axe raised over his head, delivering a strike that nearly cleaved the first kobold in two.  The remaining Swarm creatures didn¡¯t get a bonus from their deceased comrade, but all still easily hit the unarmored druid.  They didn¡¯t do much damage above his Damage Resistance, but the human cried out in pain anyway.


    Two more swipes from his axe and two more kobolds were down, one without a head.  Even with only one of the creatures left and no Swarming bonus for it to take advantage of, the shorter foe still hit the druid, adding another line of blood to his already decorated torso.  Wallace saw his health dip again before Thursa cut down the last enemy.  The man had lost a fourth of his health from those measly creatures, but it all flowed back as he enacted his druid healing spell.  The wounds magically closed on his chest, and he searched for his next victims.


    The paladin turned to Vithium and Tristan.  The monk was unarmed, and while the spellsword looked powerful, he was smaller than either Wallace or Thursa, and the bulk of the kobold force gravitated toward them.  Vithium led the charge, tumbling into a group of six enemies in a controlled maneuver that negated their Swarm or Flanking bonus.  Most of the attacks missed, and the few that hit didn¡¯t have a critical success, so they did no damage.


    Vithium sprang to its feet in the middle of the crowd and froze.  Wallace recognized this as his Strawman ability.  Usually, he had to do this in response to an attack or spell that should have rendered him immobile, but the dumb kobolds didn¡¯t need that level of deception, and all six attacked the still figure.  The statue exploded into fibers, leaving all the monsters Flat-Footed, and several who failed their perception check by enough were also Dazed.


    Tristan walked in behind the monk, his sword whipping back and forth through the confused kobolds, killing each with one stroke.  He must have had a haste spell activated to move that fast and didn¡¯t have to raise his shield in defense, as only the last two of the group even managed an attack back, but neither hit the fighter.


    Vithium was engaging the next group by the time Tristan finished the first, Dodging, Feinting, and confusing his opponents.  He landed several punches but didn¡¯t waste his mana to do extra damage.  Instead, he let the spellsword come through to clean up his mess.


    Wallace eventually had to look away from the others as a trio of kobolds attacked her position.  She hopped off the elevated ledge and shield-bashed the first kobold so hard he stumbled into one of his companions, sending them both to the ground.  It didn¡¯t do much damage, but the smaller fighters relied on greater numbers to get their Swarming bonus, and the remaining kobold had no chance to hit the armored paladin with her shield raised.  She cut it down and then dealt with the other two.


    Her new sword was devastating against the demon-controlled enemies.  Since Impetus had summoned them, each critical Wallace got allowed her to activate the vorpal weapon.  She had done her research, though, and knew that in the regular module, when the sword was charged with the lifeblood of Thursa, the vorpal ability was a one-time-use spell, and she wasn¡¯t going to waste it on a kobold.  Instead, she put all of the criticals toward damage.  The result was the same: each strike exceeded half the kobold¡¯s health, and they had to save against the damage or die anyway.  They mostly died.


    The group of humans slaughtered the enemies.  Thursa collected way too much damage, but his healing abilities could keep up so far.  Tristan had also lost a few dozen HP, but Vithium and Wallace were untouched.  They only had another ten kobolds to deal with, but the monsters huddled closer to the venator, who was still perched on a rock evaluating the situation.  Before the humans could close in, howls echoed through the few trees as reinforcements arrived.  A trio of dire wolves leaped out from behind stones and attacked.


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    Two went after Vithium and Tristan while the remaining wolf attacked Thursa.  This left Wallace unopposed, and the ten kobolds took the opening, howling with abandon and rushing the paladin.  The initial trio was the largest group Wallace had engaged so far, and she backpedaled furiously, trying to use the uneven landscape to limit access to her.


    It worked to start, funneling the first two creatures toward her one at a time.  She had the initiative and didn¡¯t have to worry about raising her shield, giving her more than one attack a round.  The first attack predictably dropped the lead kobold, but the game wouldn¡¯t allow her to use criticals for extra damage twice in one turn, so her next attack wasn¡¯t as successful against the second creature.


    Also, since she had already taken two attacks that round, the game wouldn¡¯t let her retroactively raise her shield, so she took a club to the leg and then felt a sharp pain to her side as another of the monsters snuck around a large boulder to her left.


    At the start of the second round, she made sure to raise her shield, but now five of the attackers surrounded her, giving each of them +20 to their attacks, and for most of them, her extra defense didn¡¯t matter.  It was enough to prevent them from getting criticals this round, but she still took damage.  She dropped another kobold that round, but two more took its place, increasing their attack bonus to +25, and the last pair of runts tried to complete the circle around her.


    The humans beside her weren¡¯t doing much better.  The two wolves initially fell for the monk''s tricks, but Tristan couldn¡¯t capitalize on them since their HP was much higher than the lowly kobolds, and even his massive strikes against their weakened defenses weren¡¯t enough to bring them below half-health.  Vithium began to take damage as well.  Once the beasts pierced his skin with their teeth and had his scent, they weren¡¯t fooled by his Strawman performance.  The fake copy had no smell, and after sniffing the air, they could dispel the immobile doppelganger and reveal the monk hiding in the shadows.  Vithium was the one considered Flat-Footed and took massive damage in the ensuing attacks.


    Thursa was holding up a little better, but after taking a few nasty bites from the wolf, he transformed into a grizzly bear.  This dramatically increased his strength and Constitution at the cost of Intelligence, Wisdom, and the ability to hold a weapon.  He did less damage with his attacks but could absorb more punishment and didn¡¯t need to worry about defending against magical attacks.  Plus, his grappling ability was off the charts.  He could wrestle the wolf into submission, bite it, and not fear a counterattack.


    ¡°I need some help,¡± Wallace cried after receiving several blows that did 20+ damage each.  This was the first round she failed to kill one of the creatures, and all of them now surrounded her.


    ¡°So do we,¡± Vithium shouted back, receiving a vicious claw strike to his stomach.


    ¡°Switch with the paladin,¡± Tristan said, stepping in front of the monk and drawing the attack of both wolves at once.  The beasts pursued the spellsword, backing him up against a rock.  It was what the younger brother wanted, preventing the canines from flanking him and letting him use his raised shield to defend against both of them.


    Vithium took his moment of reprieve to run toward Wallace.  The knight saw him coming and killed the kobold on that side of her.  The monk tumbled through the gap, stood beside her, and froze.  She recognized the old trick but figured it would still work against the stupid creatures, so she raised her shield and fled through the same hole.  The defenseless-looking monk presented as the easier target, so the kobolds brought their weapons down on him and stood dumbfounded when the Strawman exploded.  Wallace casually struck one of the monsters as she fled, knocking it to the ground.


    She saw Vithium step out of the shadows behind another one, grapple it into submission, and throw it at two others.  She didn¡¯t wait to watch the rest of the fight and ran over to Tristan to attack one of the dire wolves from behind, picking up a Flanking bonus.  The demon-killing blade bit hungrily into the hound¡¯s flesh, and Wallace held back the vorpal ability that could have killed it outright.  Instead, the wolf turned to face off against her one-on-one, giving the spellsword a chance to push away from the rock and resume attacks on his wolf.


    That¡¯s when the venator decided to join the fight.

 Chapter 9: Activate Vorpal?

    Wallace hadn¡¯t heard the venator make a sound before, but it keened into the darkening sky now, leaped off its perch, and raced over the rocks and stumps toward Thursa.  ¡°No!¡± the paladin cried, delivering a powerful strike to the wolf she fought before moving around it and running toward the grizzly bear.  The transformed druid wrestled with his wolf, keeping its snapping jaws away from his face while trying to rip its front legs out of their sockets.


    The bout ended abruptly when the venator jumped at the tangled animals, blasting them apart and slashing one of its claws at Thursa.  The wolf tumbled toward Wallace, and she took advantage of its Prone condition to stab down with her new sword.  She got three criticals, sent them all to damage, and the wolf didn¡¯t rise.


    Wallace meant to keep charging toward the venator, but she stopped short in awe.  It was like watching King Kong versus Godzilla¡ªfur and muscle versus scales, claws, and teeth.  The demon was relentless, but Thursa was too strong.  Each time it got within range, the bear caught its arm, body, or tail, shook it, and then slammed it into a rock or threw it into a tree.


    ¡°Nothing is that strong,¡± Wallace muttered.


    {Look at his health,} Brodie said.


    She did and understood.  Thursa only had a third of his HP left.  His Rage ability was activated, turning what must have been close to 24 Strength into something much greater.  She shuttered.  ¡°It¡¯s Cocaine Bear in real life.¡±


    {This isn¡¯t real life,} Brodie advised.


    ¡°Whatever, you know what I mean.¡±


    As Wallace looked at Thursa¡¯s low health, she noticed something else: it was still going down.  With each of the venator¡¯s attacks, it managed to get a claw swipe or bite on the bear before Thursa sent it crashing into the landscape.  And while the druid¡¯s health went down, the demon was still full.  Thursa¡¯s attacks looked violent, but multiple criticals were needed to overcome its defenses, and the bear wasn¡¯t getting them.  Wallace had to help but didn¡¯t know how to get close to the frantic action without becoming a victim.  She also wasn¡¯t confident that Thursa could tell friend from foe in his excited state.


    Eventually, the grizzly slammed the demon onto a rock next to the paladin, and she stepped forward to stab down at it.  She felt she must have gotten a critical, as the blade slipped between the scales on its back and sunk deep into the flesh beneath, but she didn¡¯t get a notification to activate the vorpal ability.  Still, she did considerable damage.


    Thursa saw the attack and came to his senses somewhat, stumbling back and leaning against a tree to catch his breath.  The venator popped off the ground, intently focused on the paladin.  That attack had hurt it more than anything it had felt since being summoned.  The bear could wait.


    Wallace backpedaled with her shield raised, collecting bites and slashes around and under her guard.  She had enough Armor Class to prevent a critical strike but not enough to avoid damage.  ¡°A little help,¡± she said, seeing her health drop dramatically.  She still hadn¡¯t healed from the kobold ambush.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the needy one,¡± Tristan said.  He had killed one of the wolves but was still battling fiercely with the other.  He broke off and ran toward the paladin.  The venator picked up the scent of a Hamley and debated between targets for a moment, giving the younger brother a chance to get behind the monster and Flank it.  His magic wouldn¡¯t hurt the creature, but he hoped his blades still could and hacked down at it.


    Wallace heard heavy breathing behind her and turned to see an injured wolf snarling at her.  She shoved her sword in its face, splitting its head and dropping the animal.  Behind it, she saw Vithium fighting against only three kobolds.  The stupid creatures kept falling for all his tricks, and he was finally using his chi to deal significant damage.


    Returning to the primary fight, she saw Tristan overmatched against the venator.  He appeared to be getting through the demon¡¯s scales with each thrust, but he wasn¡¯t doing any damage.  On top of that, his combat boons were wearing out.  The paladin jumped in to help, taking advantage of the Flanking position and demanding the beast''s attention as her strikes dealt more damage.


    Tristan appreciated the break and stumbled away, reaching into his cloak for a healing potion.  Wallace should have drunk one too, but there wasn¡¯t time between rounds.  The demon was relentless against her, overcoming her defense with each attack, slowly whittling her health to less than 20%.


    The ferocious roar of a bear filled the air as Thursa came crashing back into the fight after a short break.  He had healed a bit but remained below half.  Wallace guessed he was running out of mana.  As the demon leaped forward, biting hard on Wallace¡¯s leg, Thursa fell on top of it, crushing it to the ground.  The paladin stepped back to watch the wrestling match, already knowing who would come out on top.


    The druid struggled to a knee and then finally stood, holding the squirming creature in a . . . well . . . a bear hug.  The venator¡¯s jaws clamped down on one of the animal¡¯s arms, and Thursa howled into the night, shaking the trees around them.  Instead of letting go, he adjusted his grip, latching on to each front leg and wrenching them apart until the demon was in a crucifix pose, its back against the bear''s massive chest and its vulnerable belly facing Wallace.  A shudder passed through the creature, and it went still for a moment.


    {It just failed a throw,} Brodie said.  {It¡¯s Helpless for a round.  Now or never.}


    Wallace was already moving, jumping forward, and skewering the beast with her weapon.


    [2 Criticals.  3X Damage?  Activate Vorpal?]


    She hovered over the second option in her mind''s eye but hesitated.  She looked up beyond the still face of the pinned demon into that of the bear.  A grimace of severe pain looked back at her, his teeth clenching so hard he could have bit through steel.  She looked down again at her sword, buried to its hilt in the narrow body of the venator.  The tip had to have burst through its back and entered the bear¡¯s chest.  Thursa followed a demon too.  If she activated the weapon, would it kill them both?


    {Wally, now!} Brodie screamed in her head.


    She had no choice and made her selection, activating the vorpal ability.


    A burst of energy flashed before her, and she flew back, colliding hard with a tree stump and losing a few HP.  Before her, she watched Thursa release the demon, which fell to the ground.  The sword pulled out of his chest and remained in the venator.  The creature spasmed and writhed like a bug on a pin as the blade inside it grew in brightness, flooding the hillside in light.  All the humans had to look away for a few seconds as the spell climaxed.


    It all ended in a flash, and Wallace heard the clatter of her sword on the rocks before she opened her eyes to look.  The sword lay still, with no sign of the demon.  The paladin didn¡¯t give the weapon a second thought and raced toward the bear lying still on the rocky ground.  His health wasn¡¯t at zero, and she hoped that meant he had survived.  The venator had still been well above half health when it had vanished.


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    She knelt beside the massive animal, its chest eerily still.  Not knowing what to do, she cast her Lay-On-Hands ability but got a prompt saying Thursa was linked with a demon, and she couldn¡¯t heal him.  If he had been undead, the spell would have dropped his health below zero.  Instead, she pulled a healing potion and dumped it down his open maw.  That worked.  His health increased considerably, and the bear¡¯s body shuddered as breathing resumed.  She placed her hand on his furry chest to feel the reassuring swell.


    {You almost killed him,} Brodie advised, scrolling through the game data from the end of the fight.  {He was Raging, so he made the Death Save, but only barely.  The venator was Helpless, so it didn¡¯t.  Plus, since the weapon was infused with the divine enemy of the venator¡¯s master, it got a huge penalty that wasn¡¯t applied to Thursa.}


    ¡°Did he make it?¡± a voice in the game pulled Wallace from her brother¡¯s updates.


    Wallace turned and looked up to see Vithium standing over her.  He was injured but had the least damage of everyone.  Tristan kept his distance, eyeing the unconscious bear, fearful that he might rise and rage against him at any moment.  He didn¡¯t, and as the last of the dying kobolds that Vithium had left behind expired, they dropped out of combat mode, and Thursa started a slow transformation back into a human, taking a full six seconds.  In addition, Wallace felt herself level up.


    Soon, Wallace realized she had her hand on Thursa¡¯s naked torso and pulled back in surprise, hoping her avatar didn¡¯t blush.  As he stirred, she backed away and stood.  Thursa didn¡¯t rise completely and only sat up, propping his body on one arm while the other hand went to his head.  ¡°That sword packs a punch,¡± he said, his eyes searching out the blade.


    Wallace turned to look at it too.  ¡°Yes,¡± she agreed.  ¡°But it is only a one-time thing.  I might need my axe back.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± he asked, his eyes focused on the gleaming sword ten feet away.


    The paladin stepped away from the handsome man and reached down to pick up the weapon.  She caught her breath.  It was still a level 10, +5 weapon with an additional +5 to demons.  It no longer had the vorpal ability, and she didn¡¯t sense a specific divine presence in it, but it was still a blessed weapon.  ¡°When it is charged with a mortal life,¡± Wallace said, reasoning out this miracle, ¡°the charge expires after its first use.  But when charged with an eternal divine being, it might never expire.¡±


    {Something like that,} Brodie agreed.  Nothing on any Wiki page or walkthrough said anything about this, so he was clueless.


    Wallace smiled at the unexpected boon and sheathed the weapon on her hip.  She walked back toward Thursa and offered the man a hand.  He took it, and she hoisted him off the ground till he towered over her.  ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.  ¡°My family is foolish, and it takes heroes like you to set things right.¡±  Behind him, Tristan scoffed at the comment.  Thursa paid him no mind.  ¡°If there is anything I can do to repay you, please let me know.¡±


    ¡°There are many foolish families in the realms that have made far worse decisions and put entire villages in danger,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°I could use your help to set them right.¡±


    The big man nodded.  ¡°Then you shall have it.¡±  He extended his hand toward the paladin and rested it on her armored shoulder.


    [Thursa Hamley has joined your party.]


    {Good job, sis} Brodie said.


    Wallace noted that the druid¡¯s level stayed at 16.  She shrugged, not sure how she felt about that.  On the one hand, she knew druids got massive bonuses every five levels, and dropping him below 15 would make him considerably weaker.  However, now he was stuck at 16 and would never go higher.  She could worry about that later.


    Wallace looked at Vithium and saw him securing Tristan as a party member.  It didn¡¯t look like completing this quest was enough to level the monk up, but he couldn¡¯t be too far from 13 now.  She waited until he was done with the spellsword and walked over.  ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± she said, extending her hand.  He took it.


    ¡°It was a pleasure.  Are we finished?¡±


    ¡°Brodie?¡± Wallace asked.


    {It looks like a bunch of people are telling the web that they just got kicked out of the Hamley Module.  Don¡¯t know how many of them had reached the final stage.  You might be getting a few visitors.}


    Wallace turned to Thursa.  ¡°Is this your stronghold now?  Do you know what that means?¡±


    The druid nodded.  ¡°Yes, I believe so.  And it appears a few people would like to visit us.  Should I let them in?¡±


    The paladin shook her head.  ¡°No.  Let¡¯s keep this place private for now, at least until we find a better one.¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with my home?¡± he asked, raising his voice and arms to gesture at the rocky terrain.


    It was hard to see in the increasing darkness, but Wallace had a good memory.  ¡°You mean other than the lack of walls, no furniture, and dozens of dead kobolds?¡±


    The shapeshifter laughed deeply.  ¡°True, true.  It might need some redecorating.¡±


    ¡°If you want a cave and lots of firewood, I¡¯m sure we can find something nicer,¡± Wallace said.


    They climbed back up the short rise to his cave entrance and campfire, looking about to see if they needed anything else.  Besides retrieving Wallace¡¯s axe, which he had dropped when he transformed into a bear, Thursa said he didn¡¯t have many other things.  He put his wood-chopping axe into his inventory too.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any other clothes?¡± she asked, hoping the answer was no.


    ¡°Is this not acceptable?¡± he flexed for her.


    ¡°I surely don¡¯t mind,¡± she said.  ¡°But townspeople might stare, and the barmaids will never leave you alone.¡±


    The druid frowned.  ¡°I hate towns, but I remember liking barmaids.¡±


    Wallace sighed, wondering what she was getting herself into.  She hadn¡¯t been kidding about finding a better stronghold.  While it had just been her, the single room in the keep had been enough.  Now, she would need more.  Plus, it looked like the druid was a blank slate regarding equipment.  She didn¡¯t like to spend gold to buy things, as it flew in the face of their primary objective.  Instead, she would need to find modules that gave equipment the powerful man could use.  She was used to focusing on equipment.  The paladin shook her head, not having the time to think about it now.


    Vithium and Tristan were leaving, and as the monk said goodbye, he caught himself and reached into the gem bag at his waist.  ¡°Oh,¡± he said.  ¡°I almost forgot.¡±  He produced a beautiful diamond ring.  The gold band had a three-carat stone with a deep blue tint, like tropical water in the noonday sun.


    ¡°Are you proposing?¡± she asked.


    The monk laughed.  ¡°No.  I believe this belonged to Tami.  I found it in her room.  It has a magical spell that I can¡¯t quite discern.¡±


    Wallace took it.  The band expanded once in her hand to fit her large fingers, but she didn¡¯t put it on. She could sense the power within it also, but neither she nor Brodie could determine what it was.  ¡°I don¡¯t remember her wearing this,¡± she said.


    The monk shrugged.  ¡°Maybe it isn¡¯t hers, but I don¡¯t know whose else it could be.  I¡¯m not going to wear it.  I know you are looking for her, so I thought I would try to return it to its rightful owner.¡±


    Wallace put the ring in her gem pouch.  ¡°Thanks again.  I hope you like your new party member.  If I ever see you at the Gilded Swan, I hope you won¡¯t have him turning tricks.¡±


    Vithium laughed.  ¡°I doubt that.  I think I¡¯ll have him run security.  It¡¯s a non-PVP zone, but the streets outside can get pretty hostile.¡±


    They said their goodbyes, and Wallace watched the two characters head down the path toward the travel node.


    {Set your spawn point here, and it is time to log off,} Brodie said.  {School¡¯s in 45 minutes.}


    ¡°Real life,¡± Wallace sighed.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Thursa asked.


    ¡°Something you never need to worry about,¡± she replied.  ¡°It¡¯s late, and I need rest.¡±  She looked back into the cave.  ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have more than one bed back there, do you?¡±


    The man laughed again.  ¡°Why, you don¡¯t want to share?¡±


    A few minutes later, after Wallace was settled on a pile of animal skins, she logged off and woke up in Edinburgh, Scottland.


    ¡°Well,¡± Brodie said, moving over to his sister to unhook her from the game, ¡°that was exciting.  We¡¯ll have to thank Jace the next time we see him.  Any plans for what we do next?¡±


    Eilidh sat still for a while, thinking.  ¡°You know all those vampire modules we¡¯ve been avoiding?¡±


    ¡°You mean the ones you said were too dangerous,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Yes, those.¡±  She was good against the undead, but vampires were at another level.  ¡°With my new sword and Thursa at my side, I think we can handle a few of them.¡±  She paused as she worked through several of the more common modules out there.  ¡°We have a pretty clear path to get me up to level 14 or 15 in a week.¡±


    ¡°Sounds great,¡± he said.  ¡°Now go get dressed, and I¡¯ll have breakfast waiting for you in the kitchen.¡±


    Eilidh smiled and did as she was told.


    The END


    <hr>


    Thank you for reading this short story.  Please consider adding it to your favorites or leaving a rating if you enjoyed it.

 Book 2.3: Introduction

    This is the third short story and the most fun to write (so far - I haven''t finished the fourth one, but it is looking a bit darker). It is actually the one I wrote first of the four. It follows Psycho, Draya, and Snowy as they go on an adventure. I won¡¯t say more than that because the first chapter details the setup quite well, and no need to be redundant.


    Instead, I wanted to touch on the autonomy of NPC players in the game. I¡¯ve briefly mentioned these topics before but haven¡¯t gone into detail. When a player logs off in his stronghold, assuming it is a MIM or private area in the game, he can freeze time or allow time to progress normally. Since you can ¡°Rest until Dawn,¡± the time of your stronghold and global time are not always the same. Since people can¡¯t enter or leave your stronghold without your permission, there are no continuity errors.


    When Jace met with Psycho at the top of his sniper tower, Psycho said that the second player who ¡°freed¡± him kept him frozen when he logged out. Jace doesn¡¯t do that. He lets his characters live their lives while he is gone, and they definitely do.


    NPCs are restricted on how they can travel. They can use travel nodes to visit places they have been to before with a player or places they are specifically invited to. There are many public areas, like Ironfel, Safe Haven, or Neverspring, that are naturally on every player¡¯s map. An NPC¡¯s map is empty to start, and it is only filled when they travel. Jace made the mistake of thinking Esther could go to Safe Haven on her own in the first book, but she couldn¡¯t and was forced to return to Portsmith to have another player (Sylvester) invite her.


    When they travel, they do not earn experience. Even when they are joined with a player, they do not earn experience, but they do split it with the player. Since encounters are adjusted to the level of the party, having an NPC with you probably means you will face twice as many enemies, so splitting the experience doesn¡¯t hurt. An NPC cannot initiate a module on their own, and if they are ever in a module unchaperoned, they will be kicked out.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    I think I know what happens to an NPC when they die, but because I haven¡¯t done it enough, I¡¯m not entirely sure. I¡¯ve run through a few scenarios, and I think I have those nailed down. If an NPC dies with a player, the NPC¡¯s body exists for a while in the module or location where they died while the current combat round continues. Once it ends, the player can go to the body, take any necessary items or equipment, and dismiss the body into a state of limbo. If they were in a module, the NPC stays in limbo until the player resolves the entire module. If they were in a public location, the NPC would wake up in their bed or respawn point and could return to that location through travel nodes to rejoin the party.


    If they were in a module, and the player dies, the NPC is no longer in limbo and is reset. The reset rules for each NPC are different. Most will return to their original module, allowing someone else to complete it. Others, like Psycho, have an established stronghold and will go there.


    As covered in Book 2, if an NPC dies in someone else¡¯s stronghold, they go into limbo, and the owner of the stronghold decides what happens.


    What happens to their equipment? Good question. I think all the equipment they have on them or in their inventory disappears with them, and they have it when they respawn. However, an enemy could loot the body before it disappears, and they wouldn¡¯t get that equipment back.


    So, adventuring on their own while the Player is logged off can be dangerous, and they can lose equipment. They could be invited into another player¡¯s stronghold, killed, and held for ransom.


    Anyway, I think I met the minimum word requirement for a chapter a while ago. I just wanted to walk through different scenarios. Enjoy the story.

 Chapter 1: The Set Up

    Psycho, Draya, and Snowy stepped away from the travel node and into Neverspring.  NPCs could only travel to areas they had been to or where another player personally invited them.  Psycho had been here before, and he didn¡¯t have fond memories of the city.


    The cold wind whipped at the characters with a bite that reminded the elven archer of an orc¡¯s axe.  He pulled his cloak tighter against him, wishing it had a hood.  Beside him, Draya engaged the curse on her magic dress, and the red gems pulsed with mana as it dealt 100 points of damage to the young woman once every six seconds.  The dragonkin mage absorbed the fire without a thought, allowing it to heat her against the chill.  Snowy was a winter wolf and preferred the icy gusts.


    Psycho grumbled to himself when he saw his companions effortlessly adjust to the harsh climate.  The ranger had a reputation for being surly and short-tempered.  That attitude had shifted in the past week since he had joined Jace Thorne¡¯s party, and it wasn¡¯t uncommon for him to laugh.  Now, his hard stare returned as he trudged through the sparse streets, leading the group toward a large building on the edge of the town.


    The ease with which he reverted to his old self had much to do with their destination.  Neverspring wasn¡¯t a large city in the realms and had only one real claim to fame.  Debauchery could be found in many different flavors and styles all through the Realms of Infamy, but as in the real world, it often focused on exploiting beautiful women for men¡¯s entertainment.  Neverspring boasted one of the few establishments that turned that stereotype around.  Psycho would have preferred a meeting place just about anywhere else.


    ¡°Anna¡¯s Frozen Bananas,¡± Draya said as they approached the large building, reading the sign above the main door.  It was built in the classical style of a Viking longhouse, a simple rectangular structure made of logs and pitch with a steeply angled roof covered in snow.  Smoke rose from several chimneys, promising a warm environment inside.


    ¡°Do they serve frozen desserts here?¡± Draya asked.  ¡°I love a good banana split with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Though, it hardly seems like that would be a big draw in a place like this.¡±  She looked around at the piles of snow everywhere.


    ¡°They don¡¯t serve frozen desserts,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°However, they do have chocolate sauce and whipped cream.  You might never see those things in the same light after your experience here.  I¡¯m warning you.¡±


    Draya stopped walking and looked hard at the mysterious elf.  ¡°Why?  Are they really good here?  Maybe I should come back and bring Esther.¡±


    Now Psycho stopped.  He focused his eyes narrowly on the young woman.  ¡°Promise me you will never bring Esther here.  Never tell her or Jace that I brought you here.  Understood?¡±


    Draya had become too comfortable around the broad-shouldered ranger to be frightened by the elf¡¯s gaze, but she softened her eager expectations and nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± the elf replied and continued toward the door of the building.  ¡°Just remember, it wasn¡¯t my choice to come here.¡±


    Two burly barbarians stood guard at the door, wearing far too little given the winter weather.  They gave Psycho and Draya hardly a glance but did linger on the enormous winter wolf.  Snowy was refused entry into many indoor establishments, but Anna¡¯s Frozen Bananas was pretty loose on the rules, and the men didn¡¯t prevent the characters from entering.


    Once inside, Psycho felt instant relief as the warm, fragrant air washed over him, but then the sights and sounds assaulted him, and he hunkered deeper into his cloak.  With Draya¡¯s dress providing her heat, she didn¡¯t notice the temperature change, but her other senses were quickly dialed to overload.


    The vast hall was filled with tables of raucous men and women, but mostly women, waving frothy mugs in the air and screaming obscenities.  Several more barbarians, dressed in little more than loincloths, moved about the tables, miraculously balancing drinks and food on large platers with one hand while fending off the voracious women with the other.  Draya couldn¡¯t deny the attractive qualities of the men, with their chiseled upper bodies and long blond and white hair, but she did think the women were being a bit excessive.  Then her eyes moved to the front, where a four-foot-high stage spanned the width of the building.


    ¡°Oh my . . .¡± she gasped, one hand covering her mouth while the other went to shield her eyes.  ¡°What are they doing?¡±  She turned away from the gyrating performers on stage yet tried to look past her red hair and splayed fingers.  ¡°Where have you taken me?¡±


    ¡°To Anna¡¯s Frozen Bananas,¡± Psycho said dryly.  ¡°I already told you this wasn¡¯t my idea.¡±  Psycho let the young woman deal with the sights before her while he looked for their contact.  He had gone to Safe Haven yesterday and talked with several people about what he needed.  They were each curious why Jace wasn¡¯t with him, but they had helped him out and eventually directed him to a man named Jasper.  He was a human PC fighter at level 11.  He agreed to help Psycho get what he wanted and set up this meeting.


    Psycho found the man toward the back of the room, far from the stage where few people sat.  He sat positioned with a view of the entry without having to look at the action up front.  Psycho made eye contact with him, and the man raised his mug in greeting, unable to call out to the elf over the noise in the room.  ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Psycho said as he moved toward Jasper.  He noticed that only Snowy followed him, and he had to reach out and grab the shocked woman.  Draya was too busy playing reluctant peek-a-boo with the dancers at the opposite end of the building.


    The ranger dragged the mage behind him as he dexterously wove between the rowdy patrons and girthy waiters until he found some breathing room next to Jasper¡¯s table.  ¡°Glad you could make it,¡± the human said, offering his hand in greeting to Psycho.  The surly elf didn¡¯t take it.


    ¡°Of all the places in the realms, you chose this one to meet,¡± he said, guiding Draya into a seat facing away from the stage.  She continued to toss glances over her shoulder and shuddered with a mixture of revulsion and awe each time.


    ¡°You wanted the most powerful ice core in the game,¡± Jasper replied as Psycho took a seat.  ¡°Of course, I was going to bring you to Neverspring, a land magically kept in a perpetual winter.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping for a fight with an ice dragon,¡± Psycho replied.  ¡°But even so, surely there are other meeting places in this town.  Why here?¡±


    ¡°This is where you have to go to initiate the module,¡± Jasper explained.  He was only level 11, but this was his third character in the game; the previous two got to the high teens before they were killed.  He was a game veteran, and while he was a bit in awe of one of the most famous NPCs, he wouldn¡¯t let Psycho intimidate him.  ¡°I didn¡¯t take you here for cheap thrills.  Though,¡± his eyes wavered toward Draya, ¡°your companion seems to be getting a kick out of it.¡±


    Draya had lost much of her inhibition as her gaze settled on one of the dancers who had moved directly onto a table of three women.  True to Psycho¡¯s prediction, one of the women had a ladle of melted chocolate while another had a piping bag of whipped cream.  They attended to the dancer while the third woman . . .


    ¡°Draeklynn Ember!¡± Psycho growled.


    The young woman spun in her seat and looked between the other men.  ¡°Sorry,¡± she said.  ¡°I know we are here for business.  I just . . .¡±


    Psycho cut her off with a look.  ¡°We are here for Jace.  You need to focus.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jasper said, ¡°where is your leader?  I was hoping to meet him.¡±


    Psycho wondered how much he should tell this player.  During their last major fight, the group had killed a lava-spewing monster that should have been beyond their fighting abilities.  Jace had executed a perfect plan to take it out, and Gromphy, their goblin crafter, had harvested the mana core from the creature.  It produced stone mana, which Jace, as a stone shaman, could use effectively, but it was also intertwined with volcanic mana, and the fire would kill Jace as soon as he tried to access the core. They needed ice magic to negate it.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Gromphy had suggested that Esther go hunt down several minor ice creatures so they could harvest those cores, but when Jace wasn¡¯t in the game, the vampire rogue was never in their stronghold for long, often going out on her own missions and adventures, and Psycho wanted to complete this task himself.  He was the best archer in the game and could hunt and kill anything the realms had to offer, but Gromphy had insisted he needed an active ice core, which meant the creature had to be living.


    Powerful monsters like dragons or the armadillion they had faced had cores that would resonate power for weeks after they were killed, but smaller, more accessible monsters would lose their potency quickly after death.  Psycho didn¡¯t feel confident he could hunt down and trap multiple ice monsters without killing them, so instead, he went to Safe Haven and asked about the game¡¯s most powerful ice core.


    Gromphy had also told Psycho not to tell Jace about this.  The goblin still wasn¡¯t sure how he could fashion the armadillion¡¯s mana core into something his master could use, and he also knew that Jace only went on sanctioned missions, so something exploratory like this probably wouldn¡¯t be approved.  Gromphy and Psycho were pretty aware of the game they were in but had no idea how the CIA operated in Jace¡¯s dimension, so they felt it best to handle this mission on their own.


    ¡°He has more important things to do,¡± Psycho explained, returning to Jasper¡¯s question.  ¡°Now tell us about this ice core.  Is this a dangerous mission?  How powerful is it?¡±


    Jasper took a long drink from his ale before responding.  ¡°I¡¯ve known very few people who have died attempting this module.  In a previous life, I did it once to see if I could pass it, and I was never in any danger.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Psycho grew suddenly cross.  ¡°You tried to pass it but failed?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes.  No one has fully passed this module yet.  That is why the ice core is still available.¡±  Jasper saw the angry look on the elf¡¯s face and refused to be intimidated.  ¡°Look.  You asked for the most powerful ice core in the game.  Are there other powerful magical ice items out there?  Yes, but they are either at the end of SIMs that have already been completed or part of MIMs and are thus not as powerful.  Unless you want to kill some random PC so you can loot their valuable items, my only option is to offer you a module no one has completed yet.  That¡¯s why I was kind of hoping you would bring Jace.  He has a knack for solving puzzles no one else can.¡±


    Psycho bristled at the implication that he couldn¡¯t also find a way through complicated modules.  But he knew Jace was on another level.  He also knew the difference between a SIM (Single Instance Module) and a MIM (Multiple Instance Module).  Virtually every MIM out there had been completed hundreds of times, and any experienced player could find a walkthrough to guide them safely to the end.  But because of that, the loot for those was nothing special.  The type of item Psycho was looking for would only exist at the end of a SIM.  And with a Single Instance Module, once someone completed it, their finished version was locked into the game, and no one else could attempt it.


    There were ways to reset SIMs by killing the NPCs involved or destroying or deleting the unique magical items found in them.  Psycho knew he was the loot from his own SIM, and Jace had reset that by convincing the elf to kill himself.  While Psycho didn¡¯t wholly understand Jace¡¯s purpose in the game, he knew that if he went out and killed other PCs to steal their stuff, it would create a ton of strife for his leader.


    Psycho eventually nodded toward Jasper.  ¡°Okay, so what is this module, and why is it so difficult that no one has passed it?¡±


    Jasper smiled.  ¡°You mean you haven¡¯t figured it out yet?  We are in a land that is trapped in a never-ending winter.  The owner of this club is a woman named Anna.  Isn¡¯t it obvious?  This is the movie Frozen.¡±


    Psycho gave him a blank stare.  ¡°What¡¯s Frozen?¡±


    Draya matched his look.  ¡°What¡¯s a movie?  Is that why this place is called the Frozen Banana?¡±


    Jasper slapped his forehead.  ¡°Sorry, guys.  I forgot who I was talking to.  You aren¡¯t from my dimension.  Many of the modules in this game . . . uh . . . in the realms are based on tales and legends from my world.  Frozen is a children¡¯s story about two sisters who . . .¡±


    ¡°This is based on a children¡¯s story!¡± Draya shouted.  She took an opportunity to look back over her shoulder where two of the female patrons had joined one of the men on stage and were . . . she had to look away again.


    ¡°No,¡± Jasper was quick to clarify.  ¡°This building is just the realms being infamous.  It is not in the children¡¯s version.  But the idea of a land being locked in perpetual winter is.¡±  He paused and tried to think of the best way to explain it.  ¡°You know, why don¡¯t I just have Anna tell you.¡±  He looked up from the table and gestured toward one of the few women moving about the establishment who was not singularly focused on the activity on stage.


    Psycho had picked out this unique woman a while ago, always alert to his surroundings.  She had been moving through the tables methodically, usually laughing and joking with the women but also frequently sitting down and having a serious conversation with a table of adventurers.  Now, she was at a nearby table talking lively with a few women who happened to be pointing toward their table.  Anna made eye contact with Psycho and smiled but also saw Jasper waving her over, and she made a quick trek over to their table.


    ¡°Nice to have you folks here in out of the cold.  I hope we are doing an ample job warming you up on this chilly day. However, you might want a table further up.  It gives a better view.  Seems like your fiery lass would appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Draya said.  ¡°No, I just . . . I mean . . .¡±


    Anna put a hand on her shoulder.  ¡°It¡¯s okay, girl.  A little curiosity never hurt anyone.  Any of my men strike your fancy?  For a small donation, I can have one of them make a personal visit.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°We are just here for information.¡±


    Anna turned a speculative look at Psycho.  ¡°Are you now?  So, it isn¡¯t like last time?¡±


    Draya was suddenly laser-focused on Psycho.  ¡°Last time?  You¡¯ve been here before?¡±


    ¡°He certainly was,¡± Anna smiled.  ¡°He put on quite the performance.¡±


    ¡°Performance?¡± Draya asked.


    Anna was lucky the Frozen Banana was a combat-free zone, or she would have received an arrow through the chest.  As it was, Psycho¡¯s stare nearly killed her.  ¡°That was different,¡± he said coldly.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be,¡± Anna replied.  ¡°A few of the women present saw you come in.  There¡¯s a hefty sum of gold requesting you up on stage.  You don¡¯t have to take everything off like last time, but if you do, I think I can collect close to 1,200 gold.¡±


    ¡°Everything off!¡± Draya was beside herself.


    ¡°I was enslaved by Drescher,¡± Psycho growled, referencing his old master that Jace had killed.  ¡°I came here with his mage and priestess.  They used mind control spells on me.¡±


    Draya didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Red,¡± Psycho stressed, ¡°if you breathe a word of this to Esther, I will turn you into a pin cushion in your sleep.  I will have Gromphy craft an adamantium sarcophagus for you and toss you in the deepest ocean.  I will . . .¡±


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Jasper said to interrupt.  ¡°Anna, why is it always cold here?  Will spring ever come?¡±


    The words transformed the worldly business owner into a shy, frightened young woman who took a quick seat at their table and seemed to shiver despite the balmy temperature of the building.  ¡°It¡¯s my sister,¡± she said in a hushed tone.  ¡°Elsa did this.¡±


    Psycho and Draya ceased their fight, and all eyes turned toward their guest, evaluating her appearance for the first time.  Anna had blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and long, strawberry-blonde hair tied into two braided pigtails.  She had a streak of platinum-blonde on the right side of her head.


    ¡°Ever since we were children,¡± she continued, ¡°Elsa had always had a propensity for magic, especially with ice and snow.  It was fun to make snowmen and go ice skating in the summer, but her powers started to scare us as we got older.  After our parents died, her demeanor changed, and she became very protective.  People kept their distance from her, and I knew she felt alone.  I promised I would never leave her, but when Hans proposed, I think she thought I was leaving her too.  She lashed out in anger and did this.¡±  Anna pointed to the streak of white hair.


    ¡°Her magic almost killed me, and I feel the chill in my heart even now.  I am weaker all the time and this cold. . .¡± she coughed.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how much longer I can last.  Please tell me you will help me.¡±


    Jasper nodded sincerely.  ¡°That is exactly why we are here.  Please tell us where we can find your sister.¡±


    ¡°Elsa ran away after she attacked me.  She went up the mountain, and that is when the land froze.  We haven¡¯t had a day above freezing since.  I can feel it in my soul.  Please go up to her.  Convincer her to release us from the spell and save our land.¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Jasper said.  He got notifications that he was initiating a quest but didn¡¯t bother sharing them with the NPCs.


    ¡°What about Hans?¡± Draya asked, having been drawn into the story.


    Anna turned to her.  ¡°We¡¯ve delayed the wedding until all this is sorted, but . . .¡± Suddenly, the young woman¡¯s demeanor shifted back to the confident business owner from before.  She sat up as she exited the scripted portion of her character, and any sign of weakness or chill left her.  ¡°But he works here now.  He¡¯s actually on in a few minutes.  You should stay.  He¡¯s our top banana, if you know what I mean.¡±


    ¡°Banana?¡± Draya repeated slowly, and then the eureka moment hit her.  ¡°That¡¯s what it means!  Oh my!¡±


    Psycho saw the script was over and turned to Jasper.  ¡°Do we need anything else here?¡±


    The human shook his head.


    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s leave.¡±  He stood from the table and reached for Draya.  He missed.  She wanted to stay and see Hans.  ¡°Red, we are going.¡±  He grabbed again, latched onto Draya¡¯s arm, and dragged her back out into the cold.

 Chapter 2: Snowball Fight

    The group left the Frozen Banana, and Jasper led them to the northern edge of town, where the slope into the adjacent mountain range encroached on the buildings.  Jasper hesitated as the game alerted him that he was about to enter a SIM.  Only two other player groups were currently inside the module.  ¡°In order for you to join me,¡± the fighter said.  ¡°We will need to form an alliance.¡±


    Psycho nodded and approved the request, helping Draya and Snowy do the same.  With an alliance, they could share senses and split experience points.  It wasn¡¯t as powerful as becoming party members, but it was common when players loaned out NPCs to others.  Jasper could not see Psycho or Draya¡¯s character sheets or access their inventories.


    ¡°You are aware of the game settings?¡± Jasper asked Psycho as the two males took the lead up into the mountains, following a trail that wove among trees and rocks to minimize the angle of ascent.


    ¡°More than most of my kind,¡± Psycho replied.  ¡°Intimate knowledge of this system was crucial to solving my quest.  Without it, I would have never agreed to follow Jace¡¯s plan when he freed me.¡±


    ¡°And how did that happen?¡± Jasper asked as innocently as he could.


    Psycho glared at him.  ¡°Not on your life.¡±


    It was worth a shot.  ¡°Speaking of my life, your access to this module requires my survival,¡± Jasper explained.  ¡°Only PCs can initiate a module; you will be kicked out if I die.  Once a SIM is completed and open to the public, anyone can access it, but not until then.¡±


    ¡°I have no intention of killing you,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°I would hope not, but the difficulty of this module will be based on our average levels.  I am 11, you are 20, and Draya and the wolf are 17.  That is an average of 16+, and you are more powerful than the average 20-level character.  I¡¯m guessing Draya punches above her weight class too.  The module will consider that and likely present us with foes far above my ability.  You need to keep me alive.¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°You knew this going in.  Why agree to this if your risk is so high?¡±


    ¡°I want to get Elsa,¡± he said.  ¡°My daughters will think that is the coolest thing ever. Plus, I¡¯ve started a new character three times already, and this one is only at 11.  It wouldn¡¯t take me long to get back here.  I stored most of my valuable items back at my guild.¡±


    Psycho stopped walking and turned to look at his ally.  ¡°I am here for an ice core.  I will leave this module with an ice core.  If Elsa has this core inside her, she is mine.  You can have any other loot or magical item we come across.¡±


    Jasper nodded.  ¡°Understood.  A few weeks ago, most people thought that Elsa was the cause of the winter weather here.  That is how it is in the children¡¯s movie, but after your boss started ¡®breaking¡¯ everything, people started changing their thoughts on how the game worked.  It¡¯s long been known that you can create more powerful NPCs when you design a module than a PC made from scratch.  That is necessary to add difficulty.  But even cranking all of Elsa¡¯s appropriate stats to 20, the highest a human character can be, wouldn¡¯t allow her to create or maintain even a fraction of the mana required to keep an entire countryside in winter.  Still, people thought the game cheated and just gave her a massive bonus to ice magic.  Because of Jace, people understand that the game always follows the rules, and if something is amazing or suspicious, there still has to be an in-game answer.


    ¡°This spell,¡± Jasper motioned to the snow-covered trees around them, ¡°is some level 50+ magic, and people are now guessing there is a separate mana-producing item that Elsa is linked to.¡±


    Psycho nodded, and they continued up the slope.  ¡°So, you¡¯ve experienced this before.  What should we expect?¡±


    ¡°In a few minutes, we will be assaulted by half a dozen ice trolls tossing snowballs at us.  They are mostly harmless.  Your fiery companion should handle them easily.  This departs from the movie a bit, as the trolls in there are rock trolls and friendly.  Also, we don¡¯t need to kill the trolls, just scare them off, but most people kill them just to be sure.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that is why you can¡¯t solve the module.  Do the trolls need to live?¡±


    Jasper shook his head.  ¡°Many have thought that way.  In the movie, the trolls have vital information for solving the main plot, but people have let the trolls live with no success.  Then, we will meet Kristoff and his reindeer, Sven.  Once we tell him we are on a mission to end the winter spell, he will offer to help and give us transportation on his sleigh, which shortens the journey considerably.  During the sleigh ride, we will be attacked by wolves.  I¡¯m sure your arrows and Draya¡¯s fire will make short work of them.  Characters much weaker than us have repelled them.¡±


    ¡°Might Gandhi change it up since we have Snowy with us?  She will detect any wolves long before they get here.¡±


    Jasper shrugged.  ¡°As I said, you three are very high-level.  I don¡¯t know what we will face.  After the wolves, we meet an animated snowman who is harmless and only there for comic relief.  Then we have to face Marshmallow.¡±


    ¡°A confection?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°No, a playful name for a tough monster: a 20-foot-tall snow fiend.  It shouldn¡¯t be that hard to kill for someone of your skill, but it is probably the toughest obstacle we have to face.  After that, the module ends.  You walk onto a cliff edge and see Elsa¡¯s ice castle across a gorge.  An ice bridge crosses the 300-foot expanse, and standing in the middle is a shaman who tells you Elsa doesn¡¯t want to be disturbed.  He summons an avalanche that covers the castle and wipes out the bridge.  The temperature drops considerably, and if you hang around for more than a few rounds, you start taking persistent cold damage.¡±


    ¡°And there is no way to avoid this?¡±


    Jasper held up his hand.  ¡°There will be time to discuss strategies around the shaman when we get there; for now, look out for snowballs.¡±


    They had climbed many hundreds of feet above the level of the town, and as they slowed and cautiously moved forward, Draya caught up from behind, slightly out of breath.  Snowy kept up just fine, only holding back to protect their rear flank.  They crested a hill and saw a round plateau 60 feet in diameter.


    Psycho took the first snowball to the face.


    The ranger was furious he had not been given a chance to avoid the strike, but to Dodge, you need to see the attack coming.   Large, egg-shaped rocks filled the snow-covered clearing before them, but he saw no movement or heard anything.  Another ball came from his blind spot and splattered on his cheek.


    Neither attack had done enough physical damage to exceed his Damage Reduction, and the 2 points of cold damage each ball did had no hope of overcoming his elemental resistance.  But it was still annoying.  Behind him, Draya giggled and then took a snowball to the face.


    ¡°Hey,¡± she cried and released a small fireball into the center of the clearing.  Flames spread through the rocks, and an unmistakable chatter of high-pitched voices cried out and scampered out of the way.


    Now Psycho could see them; three-foot-tall trolls with pale white skin and short claws moved quickly through the snowbanks and into the cover of trees.


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    ¡°Don¡¯t kill them,¡± Psycho said as he drew his bow and tracked several small trolls leaping from behind rocks and out of view.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Draya said.  ¡°That was an illusion.¡±


    Psycho turned to look at the mage.  ¡°Impressive,¡± he said.  ¡°I swore I felt heat from that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing,¡± she replied.  ¡°A girl¡¯s got to have more than one skill.¡±


    Now that they were discovered, the trolls didn¡¯t feel the need to keep quiet or hold back.  A dozen snowballs came at the group from multiple directions.  These were not Sneak Attacks, and Psycho could bob and weave out of the way, maneuvering forward into the center of the clearing.  Draya was struck and took a few points of damage.  As a dragonkin, she was especially vulnerable to water and cold but wasn¡¯t concerned.  These enemies would be equally susceptible to fire, and she felt she could produce more damage than they could.  Snowy caught a few projectiles in her mouth and howled her approval at this new game.


    ¡°Can we just walk past them?¡± Psycho asked, standing in the middle of the clearing and turning to look in all directions.  Snowbanks and thick pines skirted the plateau, giving the pesky trolls perfect cover.  ¡°If all they have are these tiny snowballs, I don¡¯t want to waste too much time on them.¡±


    Before Jasper could answer, a snowball the size of a watermelon hit the ranger in the back, and he fell hard against the rocks around his feet.  Before he could recover, five more mammoth projectiles hit him, burying the elf in a pile of snow.  A dozen more of the smaller balls flew in then, not adding much mass to the entombing snowbank but spreading out on impact and sealing the mound with a shimmering layer of ice.


    Draya leaped past Jasper, who stood with his jaw slack.  ¡°That isn¡¯t supposed to happen,¡± he said, but Draya didn¡¯t bother with a retort.  She held her dragon staff tightly and loosed a fireball into the far end of the clearing were most of the giant snowballs had come.  Screams of pain and fear rang through the air as flames licked hungrily at nearly a third of the perimeter.  Unfortunately, the other two-thirds erupted in another snowball attack.  Two large ones took her from her feet, but knowing what was coming, she rolled to her back and released a jet of flame toward the center of the attacks, so the attempt to bury her fizzled into a cloud of steam.


    Snowy leaped into action now, bounding into the trees and catching the smaller trolls unaware.  The larger ones stepped out into the clearing, immediately seeing that their snow attacks would be useless against the woman.  Draya dropped a fireball at her feet, but the trolls were ready, and the snow on the ground rose to their call, creating a three-foot tall wall for the fire to explode against, sparing their white, icy flesh from the vicious attack.  The six-foot-tall monsters kept a distance of 30 feet from the woman, waiting for her to make the first move.


    The dropped fireball also took the ice layer off Psycho¡¯s burial mound, and the snow shifted as the elf could finally rise.  Draya held her next attack in check.  She knew she could take out two or three of them, but there were eight.  She could only cast once per round, and the remaining trolls would have two free actions to close the gap and slash at her with their claws.  She could parry well with her staff, but not if she used it for a spell.  Plus, the radius of her fireball was preprogrammed into her weapon, and the expanding ring would hurt Psycho and Snowy.  She glanced at Jasper and saw the human with his shield perpetually raised and hiding behind a tree.  A stray fireball might kill him.


    Soon, Psycho stood at her back, which gave her a little more comfort.  He had his sword out, knowing that he could only take out one troll with his bow and would then be defenseless against the rest.  Cries of the smaller trolls in the trees reminded the larger ones that Snowy was still out there, and soon, a 400-pound wolf would come crashing into their backs.  The trolls attacked first.


    Draya initiated her Dragon Scales, increasing her Damage Reduction and Armor skill by 17.  While she parried with her staff, she was virtually unhittable, and any strike that did come in would have a hard time doing any damage.  She swung the weapon around her body, fending off the claws of the beasts and delivering devastating strikes against their heads and torsos.


    Psycho was also a blur of motion, Dodging and attacking between the remaining four foes.  His defense wasn¡¯t as good, and he felt strike after strike land against him, but he had almost twice as many hit points to work with than Draya, and his sword did more damage.  He dropped two trolls within the first two rounds, and Draya dropped another.  While the fallen enemies registered no Hit Points, in game terms, they were only Stunned and would need fire to seal their deaths.  Until then, they had the potential to stand back up with 25% HP regenerated.   Draya needed a full round to cast a spell but didn¡¯t have one to spare.


    On the northern side of the clearing, Snowy poked her head out of the trees, blood on her lips from the smaller trolls, looking for more action.  Before she could jump into the clearing to help her friends, the chief troll stepped into view from the opposite side.  Draya caught sight of it and swore.  The eight-foot-tall monster summoned mana around him in a flurry of snow and ice, casting a lance at the mage.  The massive icicle pierced her chest and Stunned her for a critical round, knocking her to the ground.


    The other trolls knew this fire mage could end them all and took advantage of the situation.  Without her staff to parry for her, the trolls could now just overcome her Armor Class.  With her Dragon Scales still active, the physical damage she took was minimal, but magical ice from their claws ripped into her, doing over 100 points of damage in one round.  A troll that had been attacking Psycho broke off to pursue Draya, allowing the elf to focus on one enemy, and he dropped him to the ground with a critical hit.


    As the ranger turned to help his friend, he heard a cry of panic from behind.  He spun to see Jasper madly fending off the massive troll leader with his sword and shield.  Psycho looked between him and Draya, knowing which he wanted to save but also knowing that if the human died, they would be kicked out.  If Draya died, she would wake up in her bed in a few minutes, unable to rejoin them in this quest but alive.


    Psycho split the difference and pulled his elemental bow without leaving Draya¡¯s side.  He took a full round and sent a flaming arrow into the head of the troll leader.  The beast died on the spot, collapsing into a pile of burning goo.  Beside him, Draya screamed in anguish as she woke from the Stunning ice lance.  She didn¡¯t bother getting up as she released a fireball at her feet.  The scream warned the nimble elf, and he hopped, skipped, and jumped out of the way.


    Since they were party members, he wouldn¡¯t get a saving throw against the damage, but he still got a chance to Dodge the attack.  Snowy had been about to jump into the fray but held off as the flames licked along the edges of the clearing.  Draya rose to see only two trolls left standing, both badly hurt.  Before the round ended, allowing her another magic attack, an arrow cleaved the head of one of the creatures while Snowy pounced on the other one, ripping its throat out.


    Her last fireball had killed all the Stunned trolls that had been moments from standing up, but several of the smaller creatures had woken up after initially falling to Snowy¡¯s attacks.  Snowballs flew halfheartedly at the mage¡¯s feet, and Draya responded with dragon fire.  After two more rounds, the clearing was quiet.  Draya collapsed to one knee, holding on to her staff for support, her health dangerously low.  Snowy approached to heal her, but the woman waved the wolf off.  ¡°Save it for combat healing.  I can manage on my own.¡±  She reached into a pocket Gromphy had fashioned in her dress and pulled out one of the goblin¡¯s healing potions.  It took a Flat-Footed round to drink one, so it was dangerous to do in combat, but twelve seconds and two potions later, she was back to full health.


    Psycho needed one potion to heal himself.  The game only allowed a character to carry five healing potions at a time, so they did need to be somewhat careful.  If Gromphy had come with them, they would have near infinite healing potential as he could always craft more, but he only ventured near combat when Jace ordered him to.


    Jasper had taken minor damage in the fight and stumbled into the clearing, stunned by the carnage around him.  The clearing was filled with more water than snow from the fire, and the surrounding trees were burnt black.  Only the snow from further up the pines melting onto the flames prevented the pine needles from going up like fireworks.


    ¡°That was amazing.  I¡¯ve never seen anything like that.  No mage has that much fire mana.  And to see an archer shoot like that was incredible.  One shot kills all day long.¡±


    Psycho wasn¡¯t in the mood to celebrate.  ¡°You said the trolls were harmless.  A fun little snowball fight.¡±


    Jasper wouldn¡¯t back down.  ¡°I also said the difficulty would be ramped up since you were with me.  I wasn¡¯t wrong that there would be trolls, or they would throw snow.  We just have to be more prepared for the next encounter.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Draya challenged.  She was usually timid, but she had come close to death.  ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Jasper smiled despite the angry woman.  ¡°I survived.  If I didn¡¯t, none of this matters.¡±  He scanned the ground again to see if the monsters had dropped anything valuable, but all he saw were piles of flaming goo half submerged in ankle-deep water.  ¡°No time to linger,¡± he said, moving to the far side of the clearing where the trail continued up the mountain.  ¡°We need to hurry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust him,¡± Draya told Psycho once she felt Jasper was far enough ahead of them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust anyone,¡± the elf replied.  He stored his weapon and started after their guide.  Draya and Snowy followed.

 Chapter 3: Wolves

    Psycho didn¡¯t talk much to Jasper for the next half hour.  Partly, he didn¡¯t think he could trust the man, but mostly, he was struggling against the cold and the climb.  Draya walked beside him, using her staff as a walking stick.  The extra leverage didn¡¯t help nearly as much as the Dragon Strength spell the weapon gave her.  With it, she was much stronger than he was.  And with her dress dumping 100 points of fire damage into her each round, she didn¡¯t notice the cold.  Snowy kept herself a few paces behind her friends, her nose to the wind, trying to prevent another ambush.  This was her natural environment, and she relished the cold, thin air.


    Psycho kept trying to keep his eyes forward on their host in this module.  Jasper trudged along without a care in the world.  He knew this climb was coming and could have prepared with a magical stamina ring or potion.  Plus, the elf knew that PCs could adjust their settings so they didn¡¯t feel any cold or heat.  The ranger thought that was dangerous in an environment like this where it could get so cold you actually took damage, but that hadn¡¯t happened so far.


    ¡°What do you think his plans are?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t figure that out,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°He needs us to pass this quest.  He can¡¯t fight the enemies we will face, and he doesn¡¯t know how to trick the game into letting us meet with this Elsa character.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping I¡¯ll figure something out.¡±


    Draya paused.  ¡°Do you think he means to kill us?¡±


    Psycho shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t think he can unless he is hiding some massive magical device.  But if we get to the end and he can get what he wants, he certainly won¡¯t risk his life to save us.¡±


    ¡°Two useless NPCs?¡± Draya quipped.


    ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± Psycho asked.


    She shrugged.  ¡°Not really.  Only I know we will wake up in our beds, and he won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He will wake up in his dimension,¡± Psycho clarified.


    ¡°So we have nothing to fear,¡± Draya said, trying to sound cheerful.


    ¡°Other than pain and a horrible death if we fail,¡± the elf quipped.


    ¡°I like the happy ranger,¡± Draya said, picking up her pace to pull ahead.  ¡°This surly one is no fun.¡±


    Draya was quickly out of range in the whipping wind, preventing a retort, but Snowy pulled up along Psycho for moral support.


    It was only a few more minutes before they reached a dramatic change in the hike.  They crested another rise and saw a massive valley before them.  The ice castle was on the other side of the north mountain, still obstructed from view, and now it looked like they would have to descend hundreds of feet into the valley only to have to climb back up the other side.


    Jasper had stopped, and soon, Draya and Psycho stood beside him.  ¡°We don¡¯t have to cross that, do we?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jasper advised.  He looked to the west, where the sun was setting over a dense pine forest.  ¡°If we go that way, we will find Kristoff and his sled.  He will give us a ride, and we can go around the valley.  The mountains join up a few miles in that direction.  It is a much longer trip, but we can cover the ground faster, and you can take a break from walking.¡±


    Psycho nodded but had his eyes on the sun.  They would be in shadow in a few minutes, and not long after that, it would be dark.  If he thought it was cold now, nighttime on the mountain would be a treat.  ¡°Then let¡¯s get moving.  This Kristoff isn¡¯t going to turn out to be a lich or demon of some kind, will he?¡±


    Jasper chuckled.  ¡°No, he is an ally.  Perhaps he will be stronger than he usually is, which is a good thing because we need his help to fight off the wolves.¡±


    Snowy¡¯s head picked up at this, and she sniffed the air.  <No wolves yet.>  The familiar was getting close to communicating in complete sentences, but only with Jace, her master.  Since Psycho was a ranger, he could understand a little.


    The group moved quickly to their left into the woods.  They heard noises almost immediately, and Psycho and Snowy snuck ahead quietly while the noisier fighter and mage trailed behind.  It was dark in the woods already, but the ranger saw a lantern light ahead and soon found a man lugging colossal ice blocks off his sled, a large reindeer standing nearby.


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    ¡°No one¡¯s going to buy ice from us in this weather, Sven,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Well, maybe we should sell firewood,¡± the man said in a comically deep voice.


    ¡°Great idea, Sven,¡± he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, ¡°how good do you think this will be at chopping trees?¡±  He held up his ice pick.


    Was he talking to his reindeer?  Psycho didn¡¯t see any danger and stepped out of the shadows.  ¡°Well met, stranger,¡± he said, announcing his presence as innocently as possible.


    Kristoff spun around with his pick raised and didn¡¯t lower it when he saw Snowy emerge from the trees.


    ¡°Easy,¡± Psycho said, opening his empty hands and lowering them by his side.  ¡°We don¡¯t mean any harm.¡±


    ¡°We are traveling to the north mountain.¡±  Jasper stepped out of the woods behind the elf, having hurried up when there was no danger.  He spoke the appropriate phrases to move the module along.  ¡°We believe we can end this persistent winter.  Surely that would be of some help to you.  Can you offer us passage?¡±


    Kristoff looked wary, but his eyes brightened as Draya also stepped out of the trees.  ¡°I think I can offer you a ride, but the wolf will have to walk.  No room for all four of you.  My name is Kristoff.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Jasper said.  ¡°The wolf can help us look out for . . .¡± he stopped when Snowy raised her head.


    <Wolf coming!>


    Only Psycho heard the warning, but Draya could read body language and lifted her staff horizontally.  Psycho¡¯s eyes were looking all around, but Draya had her focus on the handsome ice salesman, so she picked up the eyes leaping out of the darkness behind the man.


    ¡°Christopher, duck!¡± she cried as she leveled her staff in his direction.


    ¡°It¡¯s Kristoff!¡± he cried but dropped to the snow anyway.


    A small wolf came leaping from the woods behind him, and Draya loosed a single fire attack.


    Kristoff cried out as the flames sizzled above his head but saw them hit the wolf and blast it back into the woods.  ¡°You almost set me on fire!¡± he cried.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t,¡± Draya quipped, stepping further into the lantern¡¯s light.


    <More coming,> Snowy warned.  <Much bigger.>


    Another smaller wolf leaped at Sven, but Psycho had a Death Shot ready and silenced the snarling animal before it could touch the reindeer.


    Kristoff glanced between the two powerful characters and shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°We need to go,¡± he said.  ¡°Everyone into the sled.  I¡¯ll get Sven tied in.¡±  He moved toward the reindeer but froze as the crunch of branches came from the woods just behind him.


    Draya and Psycho were ready with their attacks but unprepared for what they saw.  Wolves that walked like men, seven feet tall, emerged from the darkness, drool hissing from their maws and hunger in their red eyes.  Draya hit one with fire, knocking it back into a tree, but not dead.  Its eyes burned with hatred as it found the mage.  Ignoring Kristoff, it bounded toward her.


    Psycho¡¯s shot hit and killed the second wolf, but there were three of them, and the third slashed at Kristoff¡¯s back and Grappled him, preventing the archer from taking a second shot.  Psycho had the skill to hit the wolf with an arrow even with three-quarter cover, but he couldn¡¯t activate his Death Shot.


    Draya screamed as the first wolf closed the distance between them, its fur smoking in the cold air from the recent fire attack.  Snowy saved her, diving in from the side and tackling the beast before it reached the woman, giving her the time she needed to end that combat round so she could initiate another attack.


    ¡°Werewolves!¡± Jasper cried, running for the cover of the back of the sled.


    The beast holding Kristoff looked at the two powerful characters facing against him and dragged his catch backward, slinking into the woods.


    ¡°No!¡± Draya cried and ran after them.  Two more werewolves jumped out of the trees to intercept her.  One took an arrow to the head and dropped.  Draya jabbed her staff into the gut of the second one and launched it into the air with a blast of fire.


    Draya ignored the injured beast for a moment, looking deep into the darkness where Kristoff had gone, not bold enough to venture in after him as she heard the sounds of many more wolves moving through the trees.  ¡°Christopher!¡±


    A weak voice came back.  ¡°It¡¯s Kristo . . .¡± but it ended in a bloody gurgle.


    Draya¡¯s hand went to her mouth in horror, and she stepped back.  To her left, where she had launched her latest attacker, she heard another painful bleating and saw the reindeer fighting against the beast she had injured.  Sven tried to kick the wolf in the head, but it slashed the animal¡¯s neck and dragged it back into the woods.


    ¡°Get back, Red,¡± Psycho said calmly.  ¡°Don¡¯t stand so close to the trees.¡±


    Draya glanced over her shoulder and saw Psycho standing up in the sled, an arrow poised and ready, his eyes searching the tree line.  She glanced at his feet and saw Jasper curled up into a ball, muttering to himself.  ¡°This isn¡¯t supposed to happen.  This isn¡¯t supposed to happen.¡±


    Movement from their right spun both characters, but it was snowy returning from the woods where she had finished off the first werewolf Draya had hit.  ¡°Snowy,¡± Psycho said, ¡°the sled.¡± He pointed at the empty bridle to his left.  ¡°Red,¡± he added, turning to look at Draya.  ¡°Get on and hold tight.¡±


    The mage leaped into the back of the sled just as Snowy moved into position in the front and bit down on the harness.  ¡°Run!¡± the ranger called.


    Snowy took off, knocking Draya to her seat as she scrambled for a hold on the railing.  As they fled the scene, half a dozen more werewolves flooded the clearing.  Psycho hadn¡¯t lost his balance when the sled took off, and he dropped one of the creatures before they were out of view.


    The other five monsters looked at their fallen comrade hesitantly, wondering if pursuit was a wise choice, but their leader, a werewolf over eight feet tall, stepped up behind them.  ¡°After them fools!  None of them shall get away!¡±  He howled into the darkening sky.  The six took off as commanded, and four more joined the chase as the leader ran after the departed sled, his enormous strides eating up the distance.

 Chapter 4: A Sleigh Ride

    On the sled, Draya and Jasper held on for dear life.


    ¡°Stand up,¡± Psycho ordered, his vertical stance on the wooden planks never wavering despite the drastic turns and bends Snowy took as they raced along the narrow winding path.  Snow and ice flew in their faces, and the biting cold wind even began to affect Draya, but Psycho stayed focused.


    Once they traveled a short distance through the trees, the valley stretched out before them.  Snowy made a sharp turn, so the steep descent fell away to their right as the woods stayed thick to their left.  At any moment, Draya expected a giant werewolf to leap out of the trees and tackle them out of the sled, but she responded to Psycho¡¯s request anyway, tentatively rising to her feet.  She didn¡¯t have the Dexterity of the elf and struggled to maintain her balance.


    ¡°They will come from behind and the left,¡± the ranger said.  ¡°I can¡¯t cover both sides.  When you see movement, fire.  Don¡¯t hold back.¡±


    ¡°They can come from the front as well,¡± Jasper said, only slightly emerging from his cowering position on the bottom of the sled.


    Psycho looked that way and was impressed by Snowy¡¯s speed.  Perhaps the ordinary wolves could outpace a reindeer pulling a sled full of people and get in front of it, but he hoped Snowy was faster.  ¡°Let¡¯s hope you continue to be wrong about what we should expect,¡± Psycho replied.


    Wolves appeared first from behind, galloping on all fours in pursuit.  Psycho aimed and let fly.  Surprisingly, he missed.  Draya gasped.  ¡°You never miss.¡±


    ¡°Stay focused on the trees,¡± he replied, shaking his head and refocusing.  He felt the jostle of the sled, saw the uneven gate of the human-shaped monsters hunched over, and knew the creatures had stealth abilities in the growing darkness.  He probably only saw them because of his link to Snowy.  She had eaten one, and their scent must be strong on the wind.  He must have half a dozen banes inhibiting his shot.


    Psycho used the link with the wolf pulling the sled, sensing each turn and jump she would take.  Drawing another bead on one of the distant wolves, he aimed again.  Snowy told him a smooth section of track lay ahead, and the archer timed his shot perfectly.  A werewolf crumpled to the ground, tripping its companions until they forced the dead creature off the path and down into the valley.  The ranger prepared another arrow when a wave of fire washed over him, burning him badly.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Draya whimpered.  ¡°I missed.¡±


    ¡°You hit the sled?¡± Psycho asked, not believing the mage was that bad a shot, but then he looked to the left side of the trail and saw a charred, flaming tree receding behind them.  She had tried to shoot between the trunks but had hit the first available pine, and the fireball had exploded outward from only six feet away.


    ¡°Switch it up,¡± he said.  ¡°You launch fireballs out the back.  I¡¯ll shoot the trees.¡±  The two shifted in the small sled, and soon, the night was lit up by fireworks every six seconds as howls of burning wolves serenaded their ears.


    The creatures weren¡¯t stupid and shifted to their left to run within the protection of the trees.  Psycho could barely distinguish the wolves running behind and alongside them, grey fur flashing in the night between tree trunks.  He hit a few, but no kill shots.  They needed a better strategy.


    A thunderous roar filled the valley behind them, and Psycho feared an even more formidable beast was in pursuit.  Instead, he watched as a significant section of the mountainside slid into the valley, building speed and taking even more snow and rock.


    An avalanche.  Draya¡¯s fireballs had melted enough snow that a tremendous wave had descended the mountain behind them.  Psycho contemplated this as he saw the wolves flashing through the trees only a few seconds behind them.  The trunks barely slowed them, and unlike Snowy, they didn¡¯t have a sled to drag behind them.


    <Getting tired,> the massive wolf reported.


    ¡°How far can you launch those fireballs?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°About 250 feet,¡± Draya said.  ¡°But I can boost that if I use my own mana.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Use it all.  I need you to throw a fireball up at an arc over . . .¡± he scanned the tops of the trees ahead of them, ¡° . . .there.¡± he pointed.  ¡°Just to the right of that dead pine.¡±


    ¡°You want me to hit the tree?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the elf corrected.  ¡°Just launch it into the air so it comes down amidst the trees.¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± Jasper asked.  He had crept up to his knees to peer over the side of the sled once the fire and arrows stopped flying.  He saw the wolves hot on their heels just inside the trees.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to keep you alive.  You should be happy.  Now stay down.¡±  The elf shoved him back to the floor of the sled.


    Draya trusted the ranger and aimed her staff in the direction he indicated.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Psycho pleaded.  ¡°The timing on this is critical.¡±


    Draya released the spell through the staff, feeling all of her mana rushing with it.  She had an endless supply of dragon fire, but if she wanted to make another illusion, it would take a while to recharge.  They watched the fireball grow smaller as it arched over the distant trees and disappeared.  They waited a few seconds, and then Psycho felt the tremor he wanted.


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    The elf focused on the path ahead and saw they were only moments from reaching the U-turn in the trail where the valley ended, and the two mountains came together.  Instead of gently rising to meet the union, the valley turned into a deep crevice with sheer walls on either side.


    ¡°You need to dig deep, girl,¡± Psycho told the wolf.  ¡°We need to hit that turn before . . . look out!¡±


    The chief werewolf had overtaken them and now stood directly in their path. It usually wasn¡¯t a good idea to stand in the way of 400lbs of fur and muscle barreling down on you, but Psycho felt this werewolf could probably take the hit.  Snowy couldn¡¯t stop on the icy track, and turning right was death at the bottom of a gorge.  Left into the trees wasn¡¯t much better, but it was the only option.


    Pine needles tore at Psycho, and a sturdy limb nearly knocked him from the sled.  He dropped to the floor to join Jasper as he heard dozens of branches scraping against the sides of the sled as Snowy wove in and out of the trees, moving up the slope instead of parallel to it.  They heard the growl of the chief werewolf to their right as he turned and resumed the chase.  To their left came multiple howls as the wolves were only a few feet away from their prey.


    However, to Psycho¡¯s sensitive ears, another building sound threatened to overwhelm all the others.  The avalanche was coming, and they were driving right toward it.  He knew this detour into the woods would slow them enough that there was no way they would make the turn before the cascading snow reached them.


    ¡°Help!¡± Jasper cried.  ¡°They have me!¡±


    Psycho looked down and saw that one of the pursuing wolves had latched a hand onto the human¡¯s ankle and was dragging him from the sled.  Psycho didn¡¯t have an angle to shoot his bow, but Draya took care of business, stabbing the butt of her staff into the werewolf¡¯s face and releasing a single blast of fire.  The wolf tumbled out of view, taking several of its friends with it.


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Psycho pleaded.  ¡°You need to turn back to the valley.  We need to get out of the trees.¡±


    <The Chief?> she replied.


    ¡°Draya and I will handle him.¡±


    The wolf trusted the ranger and turned back down the slope, allowing her to pick up a little speed.  This gave the characters a better view to look back up the mountain out of the back of the sled, and they didn¡¯t like what they saw.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Jasper screamed.


    The wall of snow was only fifty feet behind them, swallowing everything in its path, tearing out trees and rocks that dared stand in its way.  The smaller werewolves had picked themselves up and were in the chase again, but they were swallowed on by one as the wall of snow devoured everything.


    ¡°Eyes up front!¡± Psycho ordered.  Jasper didn¡¯t move and continued screaming at the wave coming ever closer to them, but Draya obeyed.  She and Psycho turned their back on the avalanche, nipping at their heels, and focused their eyes ahead.  The edge of the trees was only a few dozen feet away, the narrow gorge behind it.  But before they could reach it, the chief stood again in their path.


    ¡°Left,¡± Psycho said just loud enough for Draya and Snowy to hear.


    The wolf understood and played chicken with the massive werewolf until the last second, and they veered left.  The chief would still be able to reach out and grab the sled, but Psycho put an arrow through his chest, and Draya followed it up with a fire blast to the face.  The chief impressively saved against the Death Shot, leaving him only Stunned, significantly impairing his ability to save against the fire.  The attack launched him into a thick tree, and the sled passed him by without issue.  The werewolf was still alive, but a second later, he was swallowed up in the rush of snow behind them.


    Snowy pulled the sled out of the trees and onto the path at a right angle.  She had no chance to turn, and to do so would mean instant death from the avalanche behind them.  Instead, she dug her claws into the slick path, took two galloping steps, and leaped with all her strength.


    The wave of snow and rubble kissed the sled¡¯s runners, hitting the edge of the gorge at the same time.  But while the wolf and sled went up, the avalanche went down into the chasm.  This close to the end of the valley, the span was only fifty feet, but Psycho could see they wouldn¡¯t make it.  ¡°Jump!¡± he cried, grabbing Draya¡¯s hand and leaping with her.  Her Dragon Strength, combined with his Dexterity, catapulted them forward.  Snowy let go of the dead weight right before they pushed off, so the negative momentum transfer didn¡¯t affect her flight.


    The elf and woman cleared the gap and hit the icy ground hard, rolling to absorb the blow and distance themselves from the drop-off.  Snowy landed next, her body hitting the lip, but she clawed and scrapped her way up.  Finally, the sled crashed in, its two runners smashing into the chasm¡¯s edge.  Jasper was curled up inside toward the front, so the balance of the sled wanted to rock up onto the ledge, but the wooden carriage split in two, and the bottom half fell into the gorge.  This left the human with almost nowhere to sit.  His legs dangled over the air below him, and he gripped firmly to the front half of the sled.  The shift in momentum caused the front half to wobble backward and start to slide.


    ¡°Help!¡± the man cried, his voice barely audible above the avalanche roar behind him hurtling into the chasm.  ¡°Help me!¡±


    Snowy recovered her sense and balance just in time to turn and bite down on the bridle again, halting the fall of the broken transport.  She started to pull it up, but the wood split further where the ropes tied in, and the wolf was moments from holding a detached bridle in her mouth with the sled falling away.


    ¡°No!¡± Jasper cried, the crushing sound of the avalanche below and behind him adding to his frantic antics.  ¡°Don¡¯t pull!¡±


    Snowy slackened her grip, and the sled slid further into the chasm.  ¡°No, I mean pull, but don¡¯t move.¡±


    The wolf cocked her head in confusion.  Draya and Psycho picked themselves up and wandered over to the edge to observe this perilous situation.  The avalanche across the gap was nearly spent.  Only a few rocks and broken trees bounced down the sheared mountain face.  They each peered over into the gorge and laughed.


    ¡°Come on, Snowy,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°We need to continue.  Let him go.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he shouted.  ¡°You can¡¯t let me die.  You will be kicked . . .¡±


    Snowy obeyed the ranger and released the harness.  Jasper screamed again, kicking his legs as he and the sled topped over the edge.  The scream ended half a second later as his feet hit snow only two feet below, and the remains of the sled fell harmlessly beside him.  Jasper didn¡¯t understand what had happened.  He patted the snow around him to make sure it was real and then turned to look up at the southern mountain.  His eyes followed the rubble path down the slope¡¯s side and underneath him.  The avalanche had almost filled the gorge, leaving only an eight-foot ledge on the far side he had been dangling from.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t funny!¡± he shouted, struggling to sit so he could look up at his companions.  ¡°I could have died.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t,¡± Draya said.  ¡°We will keep you alive.  Come along now, and let us do our job.¡±  Without warning, she released a fire attack that hit the ground beside him.  He recoiled from the magic but then saw the charred hand of a werewolf sticking up from the snow that had tried to grab him.


    Jasper had no witty comeback for that and scrambled over to a broken tree jutting out of the snow that allowed him to climb to the higher ground.  Only then did he notice he had lost his sword and shield in the chase.  He had entered this module with few items, not wanting to waste any if he died.  Now, he was genuinely helpless and at the NPCs¡¯ mercy.  He hurried after them.

 Chapter 5: Marshmallow

    The north mountain was rockier and had fewer trees than the slopes closer to Neverspring.  Psycho was in the lead, his head on a swivel, constantly checking in with Snowy to see if she sensed anything.  Jasper had calmed down since the violent sled chase and his ¡°near death¡± experience.  He had informed the group that the next encounter was with a harmless snowman used for comic relief.


    Psycho wasn¡¯t taking any chances.  The trolls were supposed to be harmless and cute.  But they had nearly died from that attack.  This snowman might be funny in the children¡¯s version of this tail, but Gandhi was making this run of the module harder.  Jace had confided in Psycho that the supreme overseer for this realm had met personally with him, and the clever player had seen multiple instances where Gandhi had increased the difficulty of quests and adventures.  However, the AI was fair, and you were usually rewarded if you overcame her challenges.


    Psycho understood that Gandhi would influence any module Jace walked into, but he was surprised that special attention was also given to him and Draya.  The werewolves and snow trolls were more than just an increase in difficulty.  But the ranger took that meddling as assurance that what he needed ¨C a powerful ice core ¨C was waiting for him at the end of this.


    Turning his thoughts back to the hostile environment around him, now lit only by starlight, Psycho worried that their next two encounters were supposed to be with living snow creatures.  They wouldn¡¯t give off much of a scent, and Snowy couldn¡¯t warn them of their approach.  As motion to their right caught the elf¡¯s attention, he realized he was right, as the wolf didn¡¯t even register the intruder.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Olaf, and I like . . .¡±


    The group was uniformly startled by the announcement, but Psycho had already let three arrows fly by the time the others had turned to spot the new adversary.  It was a squat snowman, no more than four feet tall, with spindly twigs for arms.  It had shuffled into view around a thick tree.  Psycho¡¯s Rapid Shot attack cut off the introductory statement as all three arrows sunk into his chest in a tight triangular pattern.  They passed right through the snow body and embedded into the tree behind him so the tail feathers still poked out of his center snowball.


    ¡°Oh, look at that.  I¡¯ve been impaled.¡±  His voice showed little concern for the attack, and after another moment of contemplation, the snowman maneuvered forward, leaving the arrows in the tree behind him, the ¡°wounds¡± in his chest closing up as if they had never been there.


    ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Olaf, and I like warm hugs,¡± he said again, making it through his greeting.  Psycho was beginning to agree with Jasper that this character might actually be harmless.


    Draya hadn¡¯t come to that conclusion yet.  ¡°Hug this!¡± she cried as she leveled her staff at the creature and released a fire blast.  The ball of flame raced 100 feet to the snowman and consumed him.  A puff of steam wafted from the attack, and a puddle of water sat on the snowy landscape, quickly turning to ice.


    ¡°You killed him!¡± Jasper cried.  ¡°You killed Olaf.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to wait for him to cast some horrible spell on us,¡± Draya argued, already turning her back on the vanquished foe.  ¡°You saw how he was impervious to physical damage.  It was the only way.¡±


    ¡°But it was Olaf,¡± Jasper pleaded.  ¡°He¡¯s the main reason anyone even plays this module.¡±


    Psycho managed a chuckle.  ¡°Well, that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here.  Let¡¯s keep going.¡±  Snowy was still sniffing the air in the melted snowman¡¯s direction, trying to see if there was anything she could detect, but the ranger ushered her along and led Draya further up the slope.  Jasper spent a few moments lamenting over the melted character, wondering if he would magically resurrect, but Draya had used dragon fire, and Olaf wasn¡¯t designed to return from that.  Jasper shrugged his shoulders and hurried after his group.


    <hr>


    ¡°Marshmallow comes next?¡± Psycho asked.


    It had been ten minutes of hard climbing, but they had found a path that skirted around the mountain''s eastern slope, guiding them to the north face where the ice castle should be.  The trail had seen a few rockslides, and several ravines opened up on either side of them.  Fighting the wind, cold, and unsure footing was hard enough.  Psycho was not looking forward to fighting another monster in these conditions.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jasper confirmed.  ¡°He is always hostile.  If this module insists on leveling up the difficulty of each encounter, I¡¯m not sure how it will make the snow fiend any worse than it already is.¡±


    ¡°You had to say that out loud,¡± Draya said, punching Jasper in the arm.  ¡°Now, there will probably be two of them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to . . .¡±


    Psycho held up his hand to silence them.  Snowy noticed the elf¡¯s tense posture and sniffed the air again but whined in distress that she still couldn¡¯t sense anything.  However, soon they all felt it.  A slight tremor shook the ground.  Around them, the rocks began to vibrate, and the ranger thought he had found the source of the frequent rockslides.  He looked around and saw they were in a prime avalanche position.


    ¡°This way,¡± he whispered, leading the troupe off the path and into a copse of trees on the other side of a large snowbank.  The ground here was more level and gave better footing for combat.


    Now, the tremors were unmistakable, snow falling from the pines as the approaching monster took each pounding step.  The trees parted, and a terrifying beast stuck its head through the branches thirty feet in the air.  ¡°Go away!¡± it shouted, its icy breath washing over the group.  Psycho felt himself take damage from the blast.


    He felt his arrows would be useless against this beast and drew his sword instead.  Draya had been knocked to the snow by the monster¡¯s yell, but she picked herself up quickly as the fiend worked its massive body through the foliage until it stood twenty feet before them.  It was mostly snow but had icy claws and knees, frozen spikes protruding from its back and head.


    ¡°Go away!¡± it yelled again, holding off on any further attack.


    Draya and Psycho braced themselves against the yell this time, and while they both took damage, neither fell.


    ¡°No,¡± Psycho said and charged.  Draya aimed above his head and released a fire attack from her staff.  The flames reached the creature first, but other than producing a cry of pain from the beast and melting a thin outer layer of snow, it didn¡¯t do as much damage as the mage had hoped.


    Marshmallow was more focused on Psycho, and as the elf drew near, he kicked at him.  The ranger¡¯s sword bounced ineffectively off the armored knee, and the soft foot hit him in the chest, throwing him into a nearby pine.  With the elf temporarily disposed of, the snow monster turned his attention to the mage.


    Draya wasn¡¯t used to one of her attacks doing so little damage, so she changed tactics.  After casting the fireball that had used all her natural mana to generate the avalanche, she had turned off her Dragon Scales so the 100 mana her dress gave her each round could go toward regenerating her pool instead of maintaining a spell.  Now, she activated two more dragon abilities: Dragon Spirit and Dragon Breath.  She hadn¡¯t used the second one except in experimentation but was willing to improvise with the enormous snow fiend so close.


    At level 17, she could do slightly more damage if she used her natural abilities than the staff, but it drained her mana, so she didn¡¯t do it often.  Now, she opened her mouth and gave the beast before her a taste of its own medicine.  Fire spewed from her mouth in a constant stream that she could angle up and down.  It didn¡¯t last just one action but the entire round, doing triple the damage a normal spell would.


    Marshmallow cried out in pain and stumbled back mightily.  His skin melted in a torrent of water and steam. He could no longer maintain his balance and toppled backward, ¡°splashing¡± into the snow.  Draya didn¡¯t watch but ran after Psycho to ensure the elf was okay.  He was already climbing from the tree, picking pine needles from his hair.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked, puffs of smoke escaping her lips.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.  What about the monster?¡±


    ¡°I took care of it,¡± Draya said as she offered Psycho a hand to stand up from the tree.  With her staff in her other hand, she was stronger than the elf.


    As he stood, he glanced over her shoulder.  ¡°Are you sure about that?  I think Marshmallow is made of tougher stuff than the snowman was.¡±


    Draya turned to see a whirlwind of frost and ice hovering over the small lake she had created, sucking up the water and reforming the massive creature.  It only took seconds, and soon Marshmallow stood before them again, only now he was made entirely of ice, with spikes jutting from his limbs at all angles like he was an armored berserker dwarf.


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    ¡°I said LEAVE!¡± he shouted again, knocking Draya from her feet.


    Psycho kept his footing and charged toward the monster.  He was pretty sure his sword was long enough to cut through the fiend¡¯s upper leg, but he had to avoid the kick first.  This time, he was ready for it, nimbly rolling under the massive foot, rising to his feet on the other side, and striking hard against the beast¡¯s thigh.  Now that Marshmallow was no longer made of snow, the enchanted blade only chipped a few ice shards off.  Psycho had to jump out of the way as spikes from the monster¡¯s heels stabbed at him blindly, and the elf rolled to a safer distance.


    Draya picked herself up and sensed she still had a few seconds of her Dragon Breath left.  The spell lasted ten rounds unless extended by using 100 mana each round.  Draya was using her dress¡¯s ability to retain her Dragon Spirit, so she needed to use her breath weapon again before it expired.  Once again, she drenched the mammoth creature with a full round of fire.  Marshmallow melted, but not completely this time.  The enchanted ice took more energy to destroy.  Instead, rivers of water flowed down the fiend, forming pools in the snow.  Each of them soon had a mini blizzard swirling around them.  A few seconds later, half a dozen five-foot-tall ice creatures stood before the mage, hissing and scrapping their ice claws against their body.  A few oriented themselves toward Psycho and rushed the elf.


    ¡°Not better,¡± he cried, dodging their attacks and slashing out at them.  A bladed weapon was the wrong type against ice constructs, and he only chipped at them.  Draya¡¯s blunt staff was better for the task, and after parrying a few ice attacks, she returned the favor and shattered one of the creatures with a critical strike.


    Marshmallow observed momentarily, watching his offspring battle these puny characters before joining the fight.  Snowy nipped at his heels, but her teeth and claws could do little against his hardened exterior, and her frost spells were useless.  Jasper hid in the trees.


    Draya sensed the massive foe looming above her, and as she shattered the body of another mini-Marshmallow, she glanced up at him.  He was thinner now after her attack, and she thought that it might be a good idea to melt him down slowly and deal with the more manageable babies.  But the remains of the two smaller monsters she had defeated swirled about into the air and rejoined with the larger construct, increasing his girth and strength.


    One round of the Dragon Breath remained, and Draya unleashed it at Marshmallow again.  She aimed it only at the creature¡¯s right leg this time, guiding the fire up and down the long appendage.  When the spell expired, the limb was gone, and the monster toppled to one side.  Four more of the smaller creatures formed, but Marshmallow couldn¡¯t rise.


    Draya rushed over to help Psycho, who had managed to hack apart one of the three enemies.  Draya flanked another and brought a crushing blow down on its head.  This allowed Psycho to focus on only one of the monsters, and a few critical strikes later, it was reduced to shards on the ground.  The remains also swirled about magically and whisked off to their ancestor.  Instead of reforming on Marshmallow¡¯s chest from where they had come, they went to the injured leg, and already, the giant monster was almost able to stand.


    ¡°How do we kill this thing?¡± Psycho yelled, turning to find Jasper, but the fighter was out of sight.


    ¡°Chop off his leg and drop him down a chasm,¡± came the reply from inside a nearby pine.


    ¡°Not going to work,¡± Psycho said to Draya.  ¡°Maybe when he was mostly snow, but he¡¯s too strong now.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Draya replied.  Her Dragon Breath ability had expired, and she couldn¡¯t cast it again until the next combat mode.


    The four newly formed ice creatures were rising and approaching the pair.  Snowy tackled one and brought it to the ground.  The other three paused to regard this new adversary, but as the wolf¡¯s teeth crunched the ice to shards, they decided Psycho and Draya were better targets.


    ¡°Can you hold them off for a minute?¡± Draya asked, an idea forming in her head.


    ¡°In case you hadn¡¯t noticed, my weapon isn¡¯t designed to cut through ice.¡±


    ¡°Use arrows,¡± she suggested.  ¡°Fire should slow them down.¡±


    The elf nodded and pulled his elemental bow.  ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Try to work some magic,¡± she replied.  ¡°In a minute, lead Marshmallow over that hill.¡±  Draya pointed back toward the trail they had been on.  ¡°Make sure Snowy and Jasper are with you.¡±


    The elf nodded and ran in the opposite direction of Draya.  The smaller ice creatures had just been about to pounce on the pair and decided to follow the elf instead.  Psycho used his Rapid Fire ability to hit the first creature in line with three fire arrows.  While the piercing weapon did almost no damage to the enemy, three blasts of 60 fire damage counted double against the cold foe, and it melted in place.  The other two played hide and seek in the trees while Snowy finished chewing on her opponent.


    Psycho watched as the remains of the two fallen creatures magically fluttered through the air in a gust of frosty wind and reformed the rest of Marshmallow¡¯s leg.  The beast stood up and roared.  Psycho put three flaming arrows in his mouth.


    <hr>


    Draya returned to the trail in seconds, nearly slipping on a patch of ice.  She came a few feet short of tumbling into the deep canyon bordering the ledge, grabbing onto a trunk whose branches didn¡¯t start until they were ten feet off the ground.  Once stable, she examined the tree, searching for a hole or hollow knot.  Not finding one, she moved along the border of the canyon to the next pine.  Five trees later, she found what she wanted and silently apologized to any animal living inside.  She shoved her staff into the hole and released a fireball.  The circumference of the trunk exploded into a shower of splinters, and the tree teetered for a few precious moments before it toppled down over the path and across the chasm.  It sagged in the middle, but the wood didn¡¯t break, and with fifteen feet of the tree safely on the other side of the gap, she felt confident it wouldn¡¯t move.


    Draya walked around the fallen tree and looked down into the canyon, her eyes straining in the darkness.  With an elf as a companion, she could borrow his low-light vision, but only if he was in the same area.  Still, the bright snow around her reflected the starlight above, and she could take a mental picture of the entire landscape.  Once she had what she wanted, the mage rolled her eyes into her inventory, found her spell book, and got to work.


    <hr>


    Psycho and Snowy played hide and seek with the remaining two miniature ice fiends until the elf could get a clear shot at one of them, and the wolf tackled the other.  Marshmallow was back to full strength and stomped through the branches, looking for the elusive characters.  In his search, he flushed out Jasper and bellowed with glee as he identified a weaker player.  An ice blast knocked the human from his feet, and as the monster marched toward him, Snowy ran up, grabbed the player by his collar, and dragged him back into the safety of the trees.


    ¡°We need to go now,¡± Psycho said once Jasper dusted the snow from his body.  It had found its way down his shirt during the trip, and he knew he would be wet for the rest of the adventure.  ¡°Draya has a plan.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Jasper asked, moving deeper into the trees as Marshmallow stomped closer.


    ¡°Back the way we came.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry,¡± Jasper stammered, looking up into the treetops, expecting to see the icy face looming down at them at any moment.


    ¡°The big guy has to come too,¡± Psycho replied.


    As if on cue, the flimsy pines above them parted, and Marshmallow leered down at them.  ¡°Why won¡¯t you listen?¡± he yelled.  ¡°You need to go!¡±


    ¡°Catch us,¡± Psycho taunted and then took off the way Draya had run.  Jasper and Snowy were on his heels.  The monster should have been able to catch them, but the tall trees slowed him down while the shorter characters moved beneath most of the branches.  Psycho emerged from the trees first and slowed as he approached the path, weary of the slippery surface and the gorge beyond.  Only it wasn¡¯t there.


    Instead, he saw Draya standing on the middle of a fallen tree, burning off several larger branches.  The tree lay on a wide patch of snow that filled the canyon.  Looking to his left and right, he saw the treacherous gorge in the dim light, but it looked like Draya had brought down another avalanche and filled this section.  Psycho hadn¡¯t heard anything; something this large should have produced a tremendous noise.  The elf started to walk out to her on the snow, but she happened to look up.


    ¡°No!  Psycho, don¡¯t!  You need to walk on the tree!¡±


    He halted with one foot out over the snow and stepped back.  Was it not stable?  Behind him, Snowy came bounding out of the trees with Jasper slipping and tripping behind her.


    ¡°Stop them!¡± Draya cried.


    Psycho did as he was instructed.  Snowy¡¯s claws dug into the ice and didn¡¯t need help, but Jasper was practically skiing down the short slope to the path, and the elf turned and caught him.


    ¡°You need to walk on the tree,¡± Draya called.  ¡°Trust me, and hurry.¡±


    They could all hear Marshmallow trailing through the woods behind them and didn¡¯t need to be told twice.  Psycho leaped to the fallen tree first and saw bits of burned branches where Draya had tried to clear a walkable path.  The ranger added his own touch, using his sword to remove several bigger branches as he ran across.


    Snowy was hot on his heels, and her large frame bent the thin trunk as she neared the other side, but the tree held.  Jasper was slower and was only halfway across when Marshmallow burst out of the trees.  His ice feet found perfect traction on the terrain, and he stopped short to evaluate the scene.  He patrolled the mountain continually and was familiar with this area as most adventurers came this way.  His primitive brain couldn¡¯t properly discern how one could fill this gorge with snow without him hearing it.  But when he saw Jasper trembling halfway across the tree, he didn¡¯t question his vision further.


    The monster stepped out onto the snow and fell straight through.


    Once there was sufficient evidence that the landslide wasn¡¯t real, all the characters saved against the spell, and the illusion vanished, leaving Jasper desperately clinging to the tree over a chasm that appeared bottomless in the darkness of night.  To make it worse, as Marshmallow fell past him, his icy claws lashed out of the tree, spinning it slightly so the human now hung from the branches, his feet dangling in the open air.  He watched as the snow fiend fell away from him into the darkness, and he cried in terror.


    ¡°Help me!  My hands are slipping!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just shoot him and be done with it?¡± Draya asked, growing increasingly impatient with the pathetic player.  There had been a time when she didn¡¯t want to cause anyone harm.  But she had heard enough from Psycho and Jasper that this ¡°module¡± they were in was another sort of ¡°game,¡± and she wasn¡¯t overly concerned for the human¡¯s wellbeing.


    ¡°No,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Then we would just have to start over.¡±  He turned to the wolf.  ¡°Snowy, please go get him.¡±


    A minute later, the familiar finished dragging the human off the tree, each step punctuated with an ¡°Ow!  That hurts!¡±  Jace¡¯s friends gave the fighter a few moments to collect himself.


    ¡°Actually,¡± the ranger said.  ¡°I think we need to be on that side.¡±  He pointed back the way they had come.


    As Psycho and Draya moved back up onto the fallen tree, Jasper swore.  Snowy looked up at him and whined a question.  ¡°No,¡± he said begrudgingly.  ¡°I can do it myself.¡±

 Chapter 6: The Death Shot

    Psycho could tell from the stars above that they were almost completely around the mountain''s eastern side when Jasper stopped them.  The human had tried to regain some of his composure in the last few minutes since the ordeal with Marshmallow, but he hadn¡¯t been wholly successful.  He was wet, his clothes were torn and sappy, and he had no equipment.  Even the straps to his armor had snapped, and he wore only a tunic and pants.  His only saving grace was that he could turn down his environment settings, so he didn¡¯t have to be cold like Psycho.


    ¡°We are almost there,¡± he said.  Motioning them to be quiet, he led them off the path and up to a collection of snow-covered rocks.  They climbed a few smaller stones until they could look over the outcropping.


    Draya gasped.


    The castle stood about a thousand feet away, glimmering in the starlight.  It was covered with domed roofs, crenulated spires, crystal-like angles, and multicolored stained-glass windows.  Though, on further reflection, they were probably stained-ice windows.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jasper agreed, ¡°but no one can get to it.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t ask questions yet and took in everything he could see.  The trail ended a hundred feet further ahead, dropping twenty feet in elevation and turning sharply to the right around the outcropping they now looked over.  A plateau stretched 200 feet, covered in ice and snow, which led to a cliff.  An ice bridge arched high over the drop-off, spanning nearly 300 feet before it found purchase on the far side where the castle stood.  Above and behind the ice structure, the mountain rose even higher, its snow cap shining brightly in the night sky.  Toward the top of the bridge, right in front of the castle courtyard, a man dressed in white stood at attention.


    ¡°Tell me what usually happens,¡± Psycho asked.


    Jasper nodded.  ¡°We will walk down the rest of this path, turn to the right, and see the scene before you.  At that moment, before anyone can do anything, the game takes over, and we enter a cut scene.¡±


    Both characters gave him a blank look.


    ¡°A severely scripted mode of existence,¡± Jasper clarified.


    Psycho was familiar with heavy-handed scripts, but Draya¡¯s character was designed with less overt angst, and she still didn¡¯t follow.


    ¡°Once we step onto that plateau, we no longer have control of our bodies.  We walk to the beginning of the bridge, and the shaman you can barely see in the distance walks most of the way across.  He stops about 30 feet before us and tells us to leave.  Elsa does not want to see us.  We might be able to come back in the future, but for now, we cannot access the castle.


    ¡°Then he casts a spell, bangs his staff against the bridge Gandalf-style, and an avalanche from the mountain peak behind the castle flows down, covering everything and wiping out the bridge.¡±


    ¡°It kills the shaman?¡± Draya asks.


    ¡°I would guess a snow shaman should be able to survive an avalanche, but if he falls off the bridge, I don¡¯t know how he would survive.¡± Jasper paused to get back on track.  ¡°After the avalanche, the bridge is gone, and the castle is a giant mound of snow.  Then the temperature drops and it really starts to get cold.  The longer you stay, the more damage you take; even the heartiest player will die in ten rounds.


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    ¡°There are precious few spells that will allow you to jump or fly 300 feet, but those who¡¯ve tried it land on the snow pile across the chasm and start freezing to death even faster.  No one has even had a chance to attempt to dig through the snow or melt it before they need to expend all their mana to jump or fly back to stay warm.


    ¡°Some players are immune to cold damage but lack the fire mana to melt through the snow and rarely can fly.  Plus, I¡¯m told the footing on the far side is treacherous, and one wrong step sends you sliding down the mound and into the ravine.¡±


    ¡°Why is this?¡± Psycho asked.  He knew enough about their game environment to understand module design.  Jace had told him about the puzzle he had solved to collect the level 50 crystal, and the elf had watched him solve his own quest to find his sister and recall his people.  But those had been actual riddles.  This was something else.  ¡°Why put such a stark dead end to a module filled with action and adventure?  It doesn¡¯t fit?¡±


    ¡°There are many theories,¡± Jasper said.  ¡°Some think Gandhi did it because the magical item at the end is too powerful.  Some think the designer did it because he got writer¡¯s block and couldn¡¯t figure out how to script the ending.  In the children¡¯s tale, Anna climbs the mountain and talks to Elsa about love and loss.  Elsa accidentally injures her, and the sisters must reconcile to resolve the winter curse.  But, in that story, Elsa is the source of the magic.  Here, we no longer think she is, so it isn¡¯t a matter of her finding out how to reign in her emotions or finding love for her sister.  Instead, she must tame an object many times more powerful than she is.¡±


    Psycho nodded, and Draya did likewise, though she didn¡¯t understand the nuance of game design.  ¡°What if you just kill the shaman before this ¡®Cut-Scene¡¯ you talked about?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Like I said, as soon as you turn the corner below and can see him, the game takes control, and you can¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°But we can see him now,¡± Draya argued.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jasper agreed, a bit exasperated, ¡°but we are over 600 feet away.  Nobody can . . .¡± but his voice trailed off as Psycho pulled Dragonwing from his cloak.


    ¡°Psycho can,¡± Draya said.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Jasper asked in awe.


    The bow was nearly as tall as Draya, made from a dragon wing bone.  It glowed faintly red in the night, its many enchantments flaring to life as the elf held it.  ¡°This is mine,¡± Psycho said possessively.  ¡°If I find that you told anyone you saw it, I will kill you.¡±


    He said it with such surety that the human never doubted its truth for a second.  He stepped back to give the ranger room.


    Psycho also pulled one of the level 15 arrows Gromphy had made for him.  He was equally protective of these and had gone to great lengths to recover them last time he had made a shot from about this distance.  He knew he wouldn¡¯t be getting this arrow back.  The elf climbed a litter higher on his perch so the bow could be aimed freely, and he pulled back on the string.  He used all the bonuses available to him.  He took a full round to Aim.  He wasn¡¯t currently in combat mode, so he could Concentrate and ensure a 20 on his next role.  He activated his Death Shot.  And, for good measure, he hid in the shadows, a task made easier at night.  It looked like a light spell might be cast around the castle, but by the time this arrow entered it, there wouldn¡¯t be time for the shaman to detect it.


    The archer took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released the string.


    The missile covered the distance in a heartbeat, skewering the shaman¡¯s skull so perfectly that his body barely jerked as it passed through.  He stood still for almost a complete round, causing Draya and Jasper to think Psycho might have missed.  But, after six seconds, the body slumped forward and slid down several of the icy steps before finding a sufficient gap in the railing and plummeting down into the darkness of the ravine.


    ¡°That was amazing,¡± Jasper said.  ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have believed it if I hadn¡¯t seen it.¡±


    ¡°Then there will be no point in telling anyone else, will there?¡± Psycho said as he stored the bow back in his cloak.  ¡°They won¡¯t believe you.  Instead, you can fashion your own amazing tail about how you took on a hoard of trolls, buried a pack of werewolves in an avalanche, and tossed a giant snow monster off a cliff.  Then you snuck across the ice bridge and killed the shaman before he saw you.  The ladies will be lining up for miles.¡±


    Jasper ignored the sarcastic elf but soon wondered what he would tell people.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your tall tale ready just yet,¡± Draya said, reading his face.  ¡°I¡¯m guessing this isn¡¯t over.¡±  She moved past the man and followed Psycho as he and Snowy headed back to the trail and toward the clearing.

 Chapter 7: Fire and Ice

    The game did not take over once they made it to the open plateau. Part of Draya wanted to know what a ¡°Cut Scene¡± was, but she would have to wait for another time. The bridge was slick but had handrails, and the group carefully made their way across. They tried not to look down, but the steps were crystal clear, and they had to watch were they stepped lest they slip and fall.


    The bridge emptied into a courtyard filled with ice sculptures and frozen trees. They didn¡¯t look dead, only coated in a shimmering glaze with enlarged snowflakes hanging from their limbs. Draya thought it all looked beautiful, but Psycho only pulled his cloak about him tighter, hoping this bitterly cold adventure was almost at its end.


    The door to the castle stood at the far side of the courtyard, ten feet tall and slightly translucent. All the walls were made of ice that amplified the starlight and looked like they should be crystal clear, but as they drew near, there was just enough haze and reflective quality that the castle''s interior remained a mystery.


    Psycho approached the doors, not knowing if he should knock or just barge in. The decision was made for him as they magically opened, revealing an expansive entry hall beyond. Twin staircases curved in from opposite sides, creating a heart design leading up to a balcony that ringed the hall. A frozen fountain stood in the center, light reflecting through the ice crystals, giving the illusion of movement as the group stepped inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± Draya said, spinning around to take everything in. ¡°Ice is so much prettier than fire. I wish . . .¡±


    ¡°Who are you?!¡±


    Everyone stopped moving and looked to the top of the staircase. It could only be Elsa. She moved to the edge of the railing to look down at them.


    ¡°Why are you here?! You should leave at once!¡±


    Psycho gasped, and Jasper nearly fainted. She was a gorgeous young woman with braided, platinum blonde hair, pale white skin, ruby red lips, and deep crystal blue eyes. She wore a dress, though that fact was barely evident. She was covered in what looked like silk made of ice, like she had stood still in an ice storm, only it flexed and flowed with her. It was perfectly transparent, following every contour of her body, and they could only tell she wore anything because it glimmered in the light as she moved. The sleeves darkened past her elbows into a frostbite blue, and a few carefully placed snowflakes decorated the bodice, hiding just enough of her torso to force Jasper to use some of his imagination. Her lower half was visible through the crystal-clear railing, and the skirt was made from a small whirlwind of snow as if she were wearing a greenscreen with a blizzard projected onto it. Her long legs interrupted the stormy dress as she walked, their shape pressing against the magical fabric.


    ¡°She is in a children¡¯s story?¡± Draya whispered her common refrain to Jasper, but the human was speechless.


    Psycho ignored them. ¡°We are here to end the winter.¡± He stepped forward. ¡°You have cursed the land, and you need to stop. Hand over the source of the magical power, and we will dispose of it for you.¡±


    Draya threw the elf a confused look, wondering if his straightforward, tactless approach was best here. Elsa thought the same thing. ¡°What are you talking about? The realms, my family, and even my sister have all abandoned me. The Frosthold is all I have. It calls to me, protects me. Why should you care that I live in a frozen fortress away from everyone? Just leave me alone and never return.¡± Her speech ended with a flourish, and icicles leaped from the floor, stabbing up and toward the ranger. Psycho jumped back to prevent injury.


    Draya stepped around the ice and approached the bottom of the stairs. ¡°But don¡¯t you see, you aren¡¯t the only one living in this winter wonderland. All of . . .¡± she paused, realizing the town must have had a different name before the spell, but she went with it, ¡°. . . Neverspring is trapped in this same cold climate, and they long to be free of it.¡±


    ¡°You are lying,¡± Elsa said, moving to the top of the staircase and challenging Draya. ¡°I don¡¯t have that kind of power.¡±


    Fires lit in Draya¡¯s eyes, letting the ice mage know she was ready for a fight if it came to that. ¡°That may not be your intention,¡± Draya said, ¡°but this Frosthold you speak of is likely more powerful than you realize. It might have motivations beyond your own.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Elsa scoffed. ¡°It has no intentions; it only welcomes me in its cold embrace, allowing me to build all you see.¡± She waved her arms in a flurry, and glittering frost hung in the air, expanding like fireworks and falling to the floor.


    ¡°You are a na?ve, foolish girl,¡± Psycho said, stepping around the ice skewers. ¡°You are blind to what is happening here. We can . . .¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Elsa cried and waved her hand at the elf again. More spikes grew from the floor, this time surrounding him. An ¡°X¡± rose on either side of him, their intersections catching him under the arms and lifting him off the ground. He tried to maneuver out of the hold, but more icicles grew beneath him, threatening to impale him if he fell. One final spike extended from the floor, bigger than the rest and sharpened to a point just beneath his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen to you anymore.¡±


    Psycho knew if he tried to talk, this last icicle would cut his throat.


    ¡°Anna sent us,¡± Draya said, taking a softer approach. ¡°She is dying. When you left, she said she was hurt. And now the cold . . .¡±


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    ¡°It was an accident,¡± Elsa pleaded. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her. I thought it best that I ran away so I wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone else.¡±


    Draya dared to ascend a few steps. ¡°But you are. The cold is sucking at Anna¡¯s strength. We don¡¯t know how much longer she will last.¡±


    ¡°No . . . ¡° Elsa started. ¡°No, you are lying. You are trying to trick me. I just want to be left alone.¡±


    Draya could see the struggle inside her and took a few more steps up. ¡°That is the Frosthold talking,¡± Draya said. ¡°You love your sister. You don¡¯t want any harm to come to her. This power you have. It wants to grow. It wants to spread. You have to stop it.¡±


    ¡°I . . . I can¡¯t,¡± she said weakly, collapsing on the landing.


    On the floor below, the icicles trapping Psycho shrank away. Draya ran up the last few steps and touched Elsa¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Show me where the Frosthold is,¡± Draya said. ¡°I have the power to subdue it. You can make this right. You can give up the power.¡±


    ¡°No, I can¡¯t,¡± she said, her voice low and crackly, like water flash freezing.


    Draya didn¡¯t pick up on the change in demeanor right away. ¡°Yes, you can. The Frosthold is using you as a conduit to turn the entire countryside into a frozen wasteland. You can stop it. You can save your sister.¡±


    ¡°She is weak and na?ve if she thought sending you was a solution.¡±


    Now, Draya stepped back and watched the beautiful woman rise. Her face had changed, and her eyes were now white instead of blue.


    ¡°You are equally foolish to think you can use emotional blackmail to rob me of my freedom.¡±


    ¡°Elsa?¡± Draya asked, but she already knew it wasn¡¯t the woman speaking.


    ¡°Through this vessel, I can cover all the realms in ice, and no one can stop me.¡±


    ¡°I can try,¡± Draya replied, resolve filling her voice.


    Elsa attacked with a flourish, sending a wave of ice-cold air at the other woman, launching her off the balcony. As Draya flew, she struck back with a fireball, hitting the ice mage squarely in the chest and tossing her back as well. The top landing turned to water, and Elsa slipped down the far staircase. Draya hit an ice wall and fell to the floor, lacking the coordination to land safely. She took a lot of damage but remained conscious. However, her staff skittered away from her on the floor.


    Draya pushed herself up and ran a few paces in place as her feet struggled to find traction but finally moved toward her weapon. Before she got there, the staff was entombed in a block of ice. Draya had her own magic she could lean on, but a massive snowball threw her back before she could cast.


    Psycho had his elemental bow out and sent fire arrows toward Elsa when the ice mage hit the ground floor. Shields of ice sprang up, intercepting the arrows but melting as the fire spell released. After several failed attacks, a wall of ice rose directly in front of the archer, and his next shot exploded a few feet in front of his face, bathing him in fire. While he appreciated the temperature change, it also did 60 damage to him.


    Draya scrambled to her feet and tried to formulate a strategy. Seeing that Elsa was still stalking toward her, she knew she would have to take the woman head-on, but she didn¡¯t have the right spells prepared since she always relied on her staff. Snowy provided the proper distraction, jumping in front of Elsa. The ice magic did little harm to the wolf, and the familiar easily overpowered the mage and wrestled her to the ground.


    Draya took a round to drop into her spell book and worked hard to shape the right fire attack. When she emerged a few seconds later, she watched in horror as ice impaled Snowy. The wolf had Elsa pinned to the floor with her paws on the much smaller woman¡¯s stomach, but now icicles sprang up and pierced the animal from multiple angles, producing vivid red stains on her coat. Eventually, they grew long enough to lift the wolf into the air. Snowy whimpered from the pain as Elsa rolled out from underneath her.


    The dragon mage hadn¡¯t needed additional motivation to stop this woman, but now she had it. They stalked toward each other from 30 feet away, raising their hands to attack and releasing their power. A stream of white and red met between them, instantly filling the hall with vapor that quickly chilled into snow and then turned into a blizzard as the temperature fluctuations produced violent winds.


    The women were equally matched for a moment, but then Draya allowed the 100 mana she got from her dress to raise the Difficulty of her spell each round, and the dragon fire pushed back against the flood of cold magic. To shape this spell into a continuous stream of fire that lasted over several rounds, Draya was spending all of her mana and couldn¡¯t hold up this attack for long.


    She didn¡¯t need to; with only one round of magic left, her fire fought against the last of the cold and splashed into Elsa, knocking the woman back and into the side of the staircase. Through the display of power, Psycho had his bow ready, letting Draya engage this foe first, knowing they didn¡¯t want to kill her. He kept a bead on the motionless ice mage, fire licking at the end of a nocked arrow. Draya ran over to her and propped her body into a sitting position.


    ¡°Elsa, Elsa,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    The pale woman opened her eyes, and Draya saw the original crystal blue looking up at her. ¡°Dragon fire should work,¡± she said weakly. ¡°But you have to be quick. I can¡¯t . . .¡± Her body convulsed as if in pain, her eyes shut tight in concentration. When she opened them again, they were white. A wave of cold sent Draya flying back and skidding on the slick floor to the base of the other staircase.


    Psycho released his arrow. Instead of a wall of ice rising, the air around the mage swirled, dousing the flaming arrow and turning the projectile white. It shattered when it hit Elsa. She responded by extending her arm toward the ranger, and a torrent of snow flew toward him, burying him in seconds.


    ¡°Fools,¡± Elsa said. ¡°You will have to kill her to sever my bond. And I shall not make that easy.¡±


    Snowy had been released from her torture when Draya¡¯s attack had heated the room, and the wolf stalked the ice mage carefully, showing her fangs with the hair on the back of her neck ruffled. Psycho sputtered and climbed out of the snow. Jasper didn¡¯t have anywhere to hide and continually inched toward the door.


    Elsa caught the human¡¯s motions and laughed at him. ¡°You want to run? You think you will find sanctuary out in the cold? You wouldn¡¯t last . . .¡±


    Her voice cut off as her eyes followed Jasper¡¯s to the right. Draya rose from the ground and sprinted to the open doors. Elsa reacted quickly, waving at the portal and slamming it shut. Draya¡¯s form slipped through the door''s crack right before it closed, a thick layer of ice forming over it.


    Elsa shrugged indifferently. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect her to give up that easily. No matter. I¡¯ll kill you three and then go after her.¡± She raised her hands to finish Jasper.


    From the corner of her eye, she saw Psycho firing again and changed strategies, enacting her icy wind defense again. The arrow wasn¡¯t on fire this time, so while it still went brittle and shattered harmlessly against her dress, it exploded for 60 points of acid damage. Elsa cried in pain, and Snowy tackled her from behind before the mage could retaliate. Spikes rose from the floor again, but the wolf was clever and scampered away before they bit into her.


    The fight was on.

 Chapter 8: The Frosthold

    Draya had run, but not through the doors; that had been an illusion. She hadn¡¯t had much mana for the spell, but Jasper¡¯s glances toward her had done enough to convince Elsa. So far, it was the only helpful thing the fighter had done. During the distraction, she had raced up the stairs. She heard the combat below and hoped her companions would keep Elsa busy for a few minutes while she searched for the Frosthold. It wasn¡¯t hard to track down. The cold tugged on the dragonkin woman like a fish on a lure. It sucked at all the available heat, and Draya could have found the room with her eyes closed.


    The chamber lay in the center of the ice castle. At first, it looked circular, but closer examination showed the room was actually an icosagon, a 20-sided shape, 30 feet in diameter. Each short, angled wall segment rose fifty feet into a dome of ice comprised of hundreds of interconnected ice triangles. At midday, this room would be marvelous to behold, and even at night, with the stars shining and the castle''s inherent magical glow, Draya¡¯s breath was taken away.


    Though, that might also have been from the Frosthold.


    The magical item was fifteen feet away in the center of the room, rotating in the air above a marble pedestal. It was a tesseract, a 4-dimensional cube, existing in both space and magic. Its dimensional depth hypnotized Draya, as she could never clearly see the cube within a cube as it slowly spun. Through magic, she could perceive the 3-dimensional snowflake trapped in the center, and it drew her in.


    Draya took the first step into the room, and the wind started, dropping the temperature well below zero. The young woman was weak. She had spent all her mana fighting against Elsa. She had used the mana from her dress to power the spell, so her Dragon Spirit had expired. She was used to having continuous Dragon Strength active when she held her staff, but that was locked in a block of ice below. Her dress had only powered her magic back to a few hundred mana, but she didn¡¯t feel she could waste more time.


    On her second step into the chamber, the wind nearly threw her from her feet. On her third, she dropped to one knee, her fingers and toes going numb, and her brain threatening to shut down. The cold sucked at her from all directions, both spatially and magically. She dropped a fireball at her feet, but other than restoring feeling to her toes for a few seconds, it did little else, the wind whipping the flames into oblivion.


    Draya struggled to move another step closer, and she dropped to all fours, her bare hands sticking to the icy floor. She reached inside for her dragon fire again but couldn¡¯t find it. With just her regular mana, she cast another fire spell to free her fingers, and the floor only turned to liquid briefly before freezing again. Her health was plummeting, and her mind had frozen over. She needed to concentrate to connect to her dragon core, but she was suffering too many banes to allow that. She produced 100+ mana every round and instantly spent it on another fire spell, but it wasn¡¯t helping.


    The Frosthold dug its icy fingers into the woman, sucking at her heat, magic, and life. It found the dragon core deep inside her and was thankful it was contained within a shell of intense mana. It wouldn¡¯t rupture if the woman died, and though the magical intellect was primal in its reasoning, it was smart enough not to touch it. Instead, it sucked at every other aspect of the woman until her heartbeat was so faint it was almost non-existent. But it didn¡¯t fade entirely away. Once every six seconds, a flood of fire washed through the woman, keeping her on the edge of life. It wasn¡¯t dragon fire, so the Frosthold felt safe exploring this powerful device.


    It was a curse, woven into a dress that was connected to . . .


    The Frosthold pulled back.


    The demonic plane.


    If dragon fire could hurt it, demonic fire could destroy it. Then the dress pulsed again. More fire. Regular fire. Not demonic fire. Always hungry for more, the Frosthold crept forward tentatively, probing into the dress and following the path down into hell.


    <hr>


    Ignis Ardeat was a peculiar demon. He kept to himself mostly. The other denizens of the lower planes relished power, control, destruction, and corruption. Ignis only cared for one thing: fire. He liked to burn things. The problem was that so few things in the lower planes actually burned. Obsidian, iron, salt, and stone didn¡¯t produce the best flames. To get a really good fire going, you needed to go to one of the realms were life flourished. Once there, a simple campfire would enthrall him far more than sticking hot pokers into a dozen helpless victims.


    Yes, people burned, but not very well, and the screams usually detracted from the enjoyment. Ignis wasn¡¯t cruel. He wasn¡¯t evil. He just liked to burn things. And he didn¡¯t care what it was. A match. A village. They were both delightful to watch. The problem was getting the fire to the realms. Demonic fire was powerful, and it was plentiful in the underworld. That was likely why so few things in his plane burned. Demonic fire had already consumed everything.


    To move demonic fire into the realms above took enormous power, and Ignis wasn¡¯t that strong. He saw the other demons around him casting their influence above, promising eager mages abilities beyond their wildest dreams, and as those mages used that magic, the demons grew stronger.


    The transaction worked remarkably well. Demonic energy was common in the underworld but was of near infinite value above and made the mortal men, elves, dwarves, and others who wielded it a force to reckon with.


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    Conversely, life above was also common. Birds, fish, insects, and even grass had access to it. But when that life was brought down below and fed to a demon, they grew in strength exponentially. That was how the demons took power. The men above got to live as gods, and the demons below became so powerful they could challenge the gods. Everyone was happy.


    But that didn¡¯t excite Ignis. He had seen others like himself, fascinated with fire, have their servants above offer them women burned at the stake to cultivate power. The idea sickened Ignis. He¡¯d much rather watch a woman burn a steak for dinner. But more enjoyable than watching it happen was when someone used his power to do the actual burning.


    But that was the catch. He wasn¡¯t powerful enough to move his demonic energy into the physical realm. In order to get that power, he needed the life of those above, and he wasn¡¯t interested.


    Then Ignis had found the loophole. Yes, demonic fire was supremely powerful, but it was overkill. You didn¡¯t need to summon hellish brimstone to light a campfire. A simple match would do. Demonic fire was twice as powerful as dragon fire, which was twice as powerful as volcanic fire, which was twice as powerful as regular fire. And while moving demonic fire to the realms was hard, moving common fire was eight times easier.


    Ignis had found an exchange that worked in his favor. He could transform the demonic fire around him into regular fire, with an eightfold yield, and could then easily move that energy into realms above. He found a few pyromaniac priests to write spells for him and spread them through the realm. If anyone wanted a fire potion, enchantment, or curse that gave them unlimited access to fire, Ignis was ready to make a deal.


    It still required a life to establish the connection, which Ignis regretted, but it was the nature of being a demon, and he was pragmatic about it. As a result, he now had dozens of connections to the realm and got to experience his power burning all sorts of things. Yes, sometimes they burned each other. In fact, that is what they did most of the time, but he didn¡¯t gain power from the deaths, and they weren¡¯t on his conscience. Often, noble fighters used his energy to kill the evil mages who worshiped his more powerful peers and that bit of chaos he delighted in.


    And, occasionally, someone used his magic to light a simple campfire, and he got to stare into those flames for hours.


    He had lost count of all the enchantments he had contracted, so when he suddenly felt a stab of cold in his soul, he had difficulty finding what it was. The cold was little more than an annoyance. With his depth of fire strength, it could never cause him permanent harm. He wanted to ignore it and pay attention to a few battle mages going at it in a forest. One misplaced spell would set dozens of trees on fire, and he would have a front-row seat. But the pinprick of cold was like the constant dripping of a sink or a stone in his shoe. He needed to get rid of it.


    Once he found the source, he remembered it. A curse on a dress to deal 100 fire damage to the wearer. Its first use had been to incinerate an evil witch. Not his cup of tea, but inventive. However, every other time it was used ¨C and used a lot ¨C the fire damage was instantly converted to mana. Boring. Also, the continual damage would often last for hours. He was used to massive explosions once or twice a day. This curse was more of a slow drain. He wasn¡¯t in danger of running out of fire from it, but if he approved too many more enchantments like that, he might need to actively collect demon fire to keep up.


    Now, the curse seemed to be acting in reverse, sending cold damage down to him. That was definitely not what he wanted. He almost severed the connection, but he was honorable, and disenchanting the dress would violate the contract. Instead, he was curious. Ignis found it simple to travel back up the curse to the physical plane, pushing the cold out of the way. He was not prepared for what he found.


    A heat vortex was killing a dragon.


    No, that couldn¡¯t be. He shook his head and looked again. It was a woman with a dragon core, having the life sucked out of her by a vortex. The magical device was a black hole into the other side of Hades where cold reigned ¨C hell frozen over. Ignis couldn¡¯t read the demonic signature on the device to know which demon was responsible for bringing the vortex into the realm, and it was very uncharacteristic for Gandhi to allow such a thing. Barriers must have been breached.


    Either way, one of his servants was being killed, and even though this woman had only used his power as a mana source, she was three levels from 20, which would allow her to transform into a dragon, and then she would be burning all kinds of things. Ignis had never been joined with a dragon before; they obviously had their own sources of fire. But all that was moot if she died. Ignis was pretty sure he could fix that.


    <hr>


    Draya was barely holding on. A sixth sense kept triggering her mana each round into a burst of fire, keeping her from passing out. But her health was now dangerously low. She craved the fire bursts from her dress like a parched woman in a desert, but soon, that wouldn¡¯t be enough either.


    Then, her dress flared with 2000 points of fire damage.


    Draya¡¯s mana pool was suddenly overflowing, and she cast a spell using only the excess, dropping an explosive blast into the room. The winds shifted and then stopped as heat overpowered the chamber. Draya stood, suddenly back in contact with her dragon core, and dropped a pillar of fire in a circle at her feet that wouldn¡¯t soon disappear. Three paces brought her to the pedestal, and she gripped the 4-dimensional object and pulled it into her spell. She cast her dragon breath and drenched the Frosthold.


    The confusing pathways intertwining the cube within a cube were made of crystal-clear ice but now turned red as they filled with dragon fire. The sucking power of the snowflake in the center stopped, lest it flood its parent plane with never-ending dragon fire. In a matter of seconds, the device was rendered inert. Draya dropped the pillar flame and didn¡¯t extend her dragon breath, letting the dress fill her mana pool again. She was still low on health and took a round to drink a healing potion.


    She held the Frosthold up and could finally concentrate on the swirling vortex in the center. It still resembled a 3-dimensional snowflake and did not look like it was melting, but it was trapped within a geometrically impossible entanglement of dragon fire connections. Hopefully, Gromphy could use this without freezing Jace¡¯s stronghold or burning himself to a crisp


    Draya sighed deeply when she knew she was safe and wondered what had happened with her dress. Why had it suddenly produced so much fire? Before she could explore the conundrum further, the ice floor beneath her feet began to crack, and Draya realized the severe implications of shutting down the source of power that had built this castle. She stored the Frosthold in her inventory and raced out of the room.

 Chapter 9: Let it Go

    Psycho was nearly spent.


    Elsa looked like she could go all day.


    The ice mage had buried Jasper in a snowbank early in the fight. Since Psycho had suffered the same treatment earlier, he knew it was relatively simple to claw your way out. Still, Jasper stayed underneath, preferring the slow drain on his health to the drastic swings presented by facing Elsa directly.


    Psycho had been stabbed, frozen, and tossed about repeatedly over the past two minutes and hoped that whatever Draya was doing, she would do it quickly. He didn¡¯t for a moment think the young woman had run out on them, despite the realism of the illusion, but he couldn¡¯t focus on her right now. He needed to stay alive. He picked himself up from his last flight through the room, checking to see that his health was below 20%. Soon, he would have to risk drinking a potion, even if it did leave him Flat-Footed for a round.


    Snowy was doing better. The wolf was too heavy for Elsa to toss about with her wind attacks, and the cold had little effect on her. The familiar¡¯s innate healing spells didn¡¯t take a full round to cast, so even though her white fur was covered with blood, she was still above half-health. Elsa dug in as the wolf charged again, icicles rising from the floor in the animal''s path, forcing Snowy to zigzag toward the mage, preventing her from building much speed for the attack. A final sheet of ice rose before the wolf, which she crashed through. Elsa spun out of the way, the slick ice giving her a bonus to Dodge, but a paw batted her to the ground.


    Snowy landed as Elsa rolled to face her, sending a blast of cold air toward the animal. It didn¡¯t do damage, but it amplified the wolf¡¯s momentum, and she slid hard on the ice and crashed into a wall where a series of ice spikes waited for her. Snowy howled in pain.


    Psycho bounced to his feet at the cry, sending three silver arrows toward their opponent. Another of the ubiquitous ice shields rose between them, deflecting the first shot but shattering under the force of the second, allowing the third to finally hit the elusive mage, sending a burst of electricity through her body.


    The elf knew what the retaliation would be and braced himself for another trip through the air, but Elsa faltered. She cried out and dropped to one knee, holding her head and screaming, ¡°No! The fire! The awful fire!¡± She crumpled to the floor.


    All the magically summoned ice in the room suddenly shrunk to nothing, including the ones impaling Snowy and Jasper¡¯s snowbank. Psycho held his next shots in check, and Snowy growled at Elsa but didn¡¯t charge the woman. It was Jasper who raced toward her side.


    ¡°Elsa, Elsa, are you okay?¡± The opportunistic human was kneeling by the ice mage in seconds as she clutched her heart with one hand and gripped her forehead with the other, wincing in pain.


    Snowy cocked her head in confusion and looked at Psycho. Both of them were significantly more injured than the mage, but Psycho understood where the player¡¯s priorities were. The wolf wandered over to the ranger as they watched the transformation. Elsa¡¯s eyes reverted to blue, and her dress became less magical, morphing into a frosted blue and purple gown that still flattered her figure but was more befitting a children¡¯s tale.


    ¡°What . . . what happened,¡± she said, sitting up and getting her bearings. All evidence of the fight was gone from the room, but she still had memories. ¡°Did I hurt anyone?¡±


    ¡°No, no,¡± Jasper soothed her. ¡°Everyone is fine.¡±


    Snowy whined at that comment, but Psycho patted her head and fed her a healing potion. He had already drunk one. A cry from above captured everyone¡¯s attention. Draya came racing out of the inner rooms and slid to a stop on the wet balcony, the railing catching her before she crashed over. ¡°We need to leave!¡± she cried.


    ¡°Red,¡± Psycho called to her, understanding that Elsa¡¯s transformation resulted from Draya¡¯s actions, ¡°what happened?¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± she replied, running and sliding down the slick stairs with a death grip on the banister. ¡°I¡¯ve got it,¡± she confirmed once she reached the floor, ¡°but it was keeping this whole place up, and it is coming down.¡±


    The haunting sound of ice creaking and groaning filled the hall, and everyone got to their feet. Elsa had her eyes trained on Draya. ¡°Do I know you?¡±


    The red-haired woman smiled back. ¡°I came to tell you about your sister; she¡¯s hurt. We need to go.¡±


    Elsa nodded. ¡°Right.¡± The sound of the castle crumbling about them caused her to look up and around.


    ¡°Did I build this?¡±


    ¡°You had help,¡± Draya replied. ¡°That help is gone; we must go or be buried inside it.¡±


    Jasper tugged on the woman¡¯s arm, and she looked up at him and smiled. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± the human replied. ¡°But I think Draya is right; we need to leave.¡±


    Behind them, the sound of water filled the hall as the frozen fountain thawed and started flowing. ¡°But this is my home,¡± Elsa pleaded.


    ¡°Let it go!¡± Draya cried.


    The peaceful fountain only lasted a few seconds before an ice chandelier crashed down on top of it from 40 feet. Everyone ran.


    <hr>


    The bridge was melting, but Elsa still had her regular ice magic, and she was able to keep it together until everyone crossed. It crashed into the chasm moments after she stepped off. The group then turned to watch the castle collapse and implode like the sound of a thousand cymbals.


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    The trip down the mountain was uneventful. At one point, Elsa asked about Olaf, and Draya couldn¡¯t meet the other woman¡¯s gaze. Jasper explained it was an accident, and Elsa responded by calling out to the wind, and it returned with a flurry of snow that reformed the diminutive snowman. The magical creature served as Elsa¡¯s familiar, and by the time the group had returned to Neverspring, Draya was ready to hit the annoying creature with dragon fire again.


    Neverspring needed a new name as the town had blooming flowers, rapid streams, and green trees. It was also filling with players all rushing to see what had happened. Once Psycho led the group into the village''s borders, they were in a Non-Hostile zone, so Jasper didn¡¯t worry about anyone attacking him for the valuable NPC. Elsa wasn¡¯t officially part of his party yet; he needed to talk with Anna to satisfy the quest''s requirements.


    They spotted Elsa¡¯s sister¡¯s establishment and saw it had a new name: Anna¡¯s Bananas and Berries. A shudder went through Draya as she interpreted the innuendo more quickly this time. ¡°No, thank you,¡± she said under her breath. When it was clear that Jasper and Elsa would venture inside, Psycho echoed Draya¡¯s sentiments. They were still within the shelter of smaller buildings on the edge of town, and the nighttime gave them cover.


    Jasper thanked them profusely but was eager to part ways, wanting to meet the waiting crowds and drink in the praise for finally passing one of the game¡¯s unsolved modules. Psycho and Draya watched Elsa and Jasper approach Anna¡¯s place from the privacy of the shadows and did not envy the attention they got. Moving toward the primary travel node, Psycho saw new players arriving every round and decided to take the long way home toward a distant node far from Anna¡¯s that no one was using. Within minutes, they were back in Jace¡¯s stronghold and soon in Gromphy¡¯s lab.


    The goblin was busy reading when the two entered. He looked up. ¡°What hassle hath you concocted?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too, Gromphy,¡± Draya said, and without additional fanfare, she went into her inventory, returned with the Frosthold, and placed it on the central table.


    The crafter nearly fell out of his seat, catching himself on the edge of his workbench. He recovered quickly and soon raced to his elevated side of the main table. Psycho had not seen the object yet and stepped back in awe.


    ¡°Tis a portal to Helheim,¡± Gromphy exclaimed after a few seconds. ¡°Such a thing . . . not in this realm . . . can¡¯t be fashioned . . . impossible . . .¡±


    ¡°Will it work for what you need?¡± Psycho asked, not caring how flabbergasted the goblin was.


    ¡°Aye, t¡¯would quench a volcano, but . . .¡± he cleared his throat and straightened his vest to gather himself before continuing. He looked up at Draya. ¡°How didst thee even approach it?¡±


    The dragon fire circulating around the core identified Draya as the one who had secured it. Psycho also stared at the woman as they hadn¡¯t taken the time to discuss what had happened. Draya didn¡¯t have an answer either. ¡°I just walked up to it and breathed dragon fire into it.¡±


    ¡°Dost one venture into hades to spit on the devil?¡±


    Draya didn¡¯t have an answer and didn¡¯t feel like being interrogated right now. ¡°Look, I got it, okay. It was cold, but I was hotter. I don¡¯t know how it works, but you have it now. I have school tomorrow. I need to get to bed.¡± She stormed out of the room.


    The two males watched her leave and then turned to exchange looks. ¡°Dos¡¯t thee hath more light to shed?¡±


    Psycho shook his head. ¡°Snowy and I were the distraction. What is it? Will it work?¡±


    Gromphy examined it more thoroughly. Despite the dragon fire that raced through it, it was room temperature; all the heat was focused inward. Within the flaming pathways, the spinning snowflake was almost peaceful, serene in its crystal beauty. Gromphy wasn¡¯t fooled.


    ¡°Hell frozen over,¡± the goblin replied. He looked up at Psycho. ¡°Tis sufficient for my needs, but afterwards . . .¡± He shook his head.


    Psycho waited for more, but the goblin lapsed into a long silence. When it was clear the crafter wouldn¡¯t elaborate, he politely excused himself and retired to his quarters. He was tired too.


    <hr>


    In her room, Draya produced one of the special potions Gromphy had given her to cancel the curse on her dress. It was the only way to remove it once the spell was initiated. She didn¡¯t mind having the fire damage going all the time, but it wasn''t easy to sleep in. Also, when the curse was active, she was always in combat time, so spells that she wanted to last for a while often ended after a minute. When she practiced her illusions, she needed to keep it inactivated. Also, it was a bit too powerful for school.


    After drinking the potion, the dress jumped into her inventory. She had learned the hard way that she needed to wear leggings and a shirt underneath. Esther was out this evening as always, so she had the large room to herself. She sat at the table, pulled the magical garment out of her inventory, and laid it before her.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± she asked the inanimate object. ¡°Do you have some kind of defense mechanism?¡±


    The dress wasn¡¯t forthcoming with an answer. Draya needed to pry a little more. She fell into the magic of the clothing easily. The other elemental protections still worked; only the fire protection was cursed. She found it easier to enter the dress¡¯s spell through the positive enchantments and then worked her way to the curse. When she wore it, she had to put 250 mana into the rubies to activate it, but now she let her mind venture inside them instead. A tunnel led to a hot, dark place.


    Hello, dragon friend.


    Draya jumped back in her chair, nearly losing connection with the dress. ¡°Hello?¡± she responded once she had gained her composure. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    My name is Ignis Ardeat. I am the demon that is bonded to your dress.


    ¡°Did you . . .¡±


    Save your life?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Yes, I did.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know the curse could do that.¡±


    It can¡¯t. I did.


    ¡°Uh,¡± Draya didn¡¯t know how to address a demon, but this one didn¡¯t seem that intimidating. ¡°Uh, thank you. Why did you help me?¡±


    Because you will be a dragon soon. I am a demon who likes to watch things burn. Promise me that you will burn everything when you become a dragon.


    ¡°Everything?¡±


    Everything.


    Draya shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t think Jace would like that.¡±


    Who is Jace?


    ¡°Jace Thorne. He is pretty famous in the realms. Most people we meet know who he is.¡±


    Does he burn things?


    Draya shook her head, laughing at this demon¡¯s one-track mind. ¡°No. That is my job.¡±


    Good. Then we are agreed. I will help protect you, and you will burn things. Lots of things. Everything.


    Draya knew she wouldn¡¯t burn everything but liked this demon''s added protection. Wait. Was she just about to make a deal with a demon? Those never worked out well. Still, this one seemed relatively harmless. ¡°You can protect me,¡± she started slowly, ¡°and I will try to burn as many things as possible. But if I burn too much, bad things will happen.¡±


    There was silence through the connection for a few moments.


    Okay, Ignis finally said, we have a deal.


    Suddenly, the avenue to the lower planes was severed, and Draya leaned back in her chair. What had she just done? Had she made a deal with a demon? Esther was supposed to be the one who made rash decisions. Draya tried not to think about it as she returned the dress to her inventory, crawled into bed, and went to sleep.


    The END


    <hr>


    Thanks again for reading.  If you haven''t rated the story or marked it as a favorite yet, I would appreciate the support. There will be one more short story I will post before continuing with the third full book.

 Book 2.4: Introduction

    Here is the fourth and final short story in this little series between books 2 and 3. Here are a few things to talk about.


    First, I have done a lousy job cultivating villains in these books. I firmly believe that the main character in a story should defeat the villain at the end. If the bad guy keeps getting away, there isn¡¯t much victory. I can make exceptions for a trilogy or series where you need to keep the villain around for the finale, but if you don¡¯t defeat something, then what¡¯s the point? So, in the first book, I built up a mighty squad of Drescher¡¯s people and then killed them all. I didn¡¯t spend as much time on the main villains in book two because I knew I would kill them. So, in this story, I will change that and begin to create villains that have more character and depth that aren¡¯t just one-offs. Yes, this story is about the bad guys. The Realm of Infamy puts you in modules where you are forced to make horrible decisions to succeed. Jace and his friends find clever ways to do the morale thing and still come out ahead. Don¡¯t expect that in this story. It gets dark at times. Oh, and I rip off another Disney classic.  Also, this is the longest of the four "short" stories, and I will release it a little slower than the previous ones.  I felt guilty about the shorter chapters in the first three, so I dumped the whole story in a day or two.  This one is longer.


    Second, I have done a horrible job of developing classes. When I started this story, I thought I could differentiate classes using Key abilities. A mage would be forced to make one of his Key abilities Intelligence, meaning he would have to take Intelligence feats every other level and would boost his Intelligence skills. Likewise, a fighter is forced to take Strength as a key ability. So, in my na?ve mind, the two characters would be very different. However, you can take two key abilities. So the mage could pick Strength as their second key ability, fighters could pick Intelligence as their second key ability, and the two characters could be virtually the same. I didn¡¯t want too many restrictions so fighters could cast fireballs and mages could wear armor. This isn¡¯t working.


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    So, I am drastically redesigning all the classes. This means I need to go back to the first story and retroactively design Jace so his Shaman class is more unique. Same with Esther. The result will be the same, but if you are paying attention to character sheets, you will notice that my new ones give class-specific bonuses every five levels, while the old ones don¡¯t. Also, spells will be restricted by class. The character sheets I share for Jace, Esther, and the others in Book 3 will have these changes.  Eventually, I will go back and fix the first two stories, but I''m not in a rush.


    Lastly, the necklace that Jace used to take over the orc initially will show up again in this story, and I will fix it. When I designed it in book one, I did a lot of handwaving, turned it into a Mcguffin, and hoped no one would notice. But it doesn¡¯t make sense. Since I used it to get Gromphy and am now using it again, I need a better explanation of how it works. So, here it is.


    When you log into the game, your brain is scanned. Everyone has a unique brain scan. It is like a fingerprint, only three-dimensional and a thousand times more complex. Your brain scan is your User ID and your Password. When you create a new character, it is imprinted with your brain scan and remembers who you are. No one else can log in as your character unless they have the same brain scan as you. It is unhackable. It¡¯s like a million-digit passcode.


    For Jason, Gracie created a fake brain scan and put it in the necklace. So the game thought the NPC wearing that necklace was actually a real player. Then, when Jason logged in, she used the fake one she had generated instead of using his real brain scan. This means Jason can never play independently because if he did, the game wouldn¡¯t recognize his actual brain scan and would ask him to generate a new player. It also means anyone who steals Gracie¡¯s thumb drive with the fake brain scan on it can log in as Jace Thorne. Oh, the possibilities.

 Chapter 1: Cat Lady

    Bianca put the last pan in the dishwasher and filled it with soap but didn¡¯t start it, knowing her employer would put her dishes in first. She glanced at her watch: 4 o''clock.


    ¡°Mrs. Lexington,¡± she called from the kitchen. ¡°Dinner is on the table. I believe I am done for the day.¡± She moved into the living room to see the elderly woman relaxing in her chair, doing a crossword puzzle on her iPad. Her body might have deteriorated, but her mind was still sharp. ¡°Is there anything else you need?¡± the maid added in a softer voice as she stood before the older woman.


    ¡°Is it time already?¡± Cassandra Lexington looked at her wrist. At least she tried. She found that her 81-year-old elbow didn¡¯t always rotate how she wanted. Eventually, she gave up, not that her eyes would have been able to decipher the tiny numbers on the watch anyway. ¡°Well, don¡¯t let me keep you,¡± she said, pressing a button that would rock the easy chair forward to help her get up. She had to toss two cats off her lap and then tried to stand.


    ¡°Oh, let me help you with that,¡± the much younger maid said, rushing to assist the frail woman.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you bother,¡± Cassandra said, shoeing Bianca away in the same motion she had used to discard the cats. ¡°I get out of this chair every day when you¡¯re gone. I can manage fine on my own.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Bianca said, stepping back to watch the slow process.


    Eventually, Cassandra reached her feet, nearly stepping on a different cat, and found her walker nearby. ¡°Oh, Stiches,¡± she scolded the brown and white feline, ¡°you are always underfoot. You will be the death of me one day.¡±


    ¡°I hope not, Mrs. Lexington,¡± Bianca said. ¡°Besides, I thought Patches and Stella were going to smother you in your sleep.¡±


    The older woman laughed. ¡°Or Mittens and Scarf poisoning my food. Yes, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll come in one morning and find me dead with my cats surrounding me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t say that,¡± Bianca replied, but they joked about her impending death so frequently now that neither of them took it seriously. ¡°I will be here tomorrow at eight, and I expect to see you alive and well.¡±


    Cassandra had secured her hands with a death grip on her walker and began the slow plod toward the kitchen and her waiting meal. ¡°As you wish,¡± she said. ¡°Now begone with you. A beautiful young woman like yourself must have a busy night planned. Don¡¯t waste it on me.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Bianca echoed with a smile and hurried toward the door of the large estate. In a few moments, Cassandra Lexington was alone in her massive home . . . except for the 18 cats. Well, it was supposed to be 18, but she hadn¡¯t seen George in almost three days. She shook her head and continued toward the kitchen, almost floating on the aroma from within.


    A bowl of soup waited for her on the table. After carefully lowering herself into the chair, pushing away Castro and Silvia, and giving a dirty look to three other cats who gazed hungrily at her food, she began to eat. The minestrone was excellent, almost an exact copy of what her mom had made back home in Napoli. It had been hard to find a reliable Italian maid living in Paris after her husband had gotten sick, but Cassandra had been insistent. James had taken over most of the meal preparation once Cassandra¡¯s mobility had become a problem, and he had learned her mother¡¯s Italian recipes perfectly. She hadn¡¯t wanted to lose that once he also became too ill to cook.


    James had been an excellent husband to Cassandra. He was already a wealthy computer programmer in London when they had met. They had lived in England for several decades before the move to Paris. It wasn¡¯t Italy, but it was much closer in style and culture than London''s foggy, cold streets. Retirement had been good for them, and they traveled Europe for many years before James got cancer.


    Cassandra didn¡¯t know how she would live without him, but soon, she realized she didn¡¯t have to.


    ¡°James,¡± she said aloud, between spoonfuls of soup. ¡°Play the Napoletana mix.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my dear.¡±


    The voice was a perfect copy of her husband, and soon, music played in the kitchen. She nodded in appreciation for a few moments before resuming her meal. James had designed the smart house, and, unbeknownst to Cassandra, he had been working on it for over a year before he got sick, so there wasn¡¯t much more work to do once the necessity of the setup became apparent.


    Having a husband who worked in computers had ensured that Cassandra wasn¡¯t left behind in the technology boom. She had learned how to use the house quickly, and it helped her from feeling too lonely. However, James hadn¡¯t designed the home to cook food, do laundry, or feed the cats, so Bianca was still necessary. The young woman had also left a collection of pills out for Cassandra to take, and she downed those one at a time with a sip of water in between. Two cats had died several weeks ago when they had investigated the colorful circles and ovals, and now all the other pets knew to stay away.


    After her meal, Cassandra carried her bowl, spoon, and cup to the dishwasher, loaded them, and told James to start the machine. She nearly tripped over Scott and Stripe when she turned around and withheld a curse word. James didn¡¯t like it when she swore. It took almost a minute of slow walking to move from the kitchen, down a short hallway, and to the elevator.


    The home wasn¡¯t new when they bought it, and the elevator had only needed slight repairs. Cassandra scoffed at the idea that she would ever need it, but for the last ten years, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to get to her bedroom without it. However, she wasn¡¯t going to her bedroom now. She stepped inside and spoke. ¡°Third floor, please, James.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my dear,¡± the elevator replied.


    Access to the third floor was restricted. When James had been alive, Cassandra didn¡¯t even know the elevator went to it. Stairs led to the third-floor computer lab, but once she hit 70, Cassandra no longer attempted them, and she shouted up to her husband if she needed him. James had programmed a tutorial into the AI system of the house so that once she returned from his funeral, her virtual husband would introduce himself and show her around all of the incredible amenities he had designed.


    Including the third floor.


    Initially, James had restricted access to the computer lab with voice recognition, so only Cassandra could go there. The door to the third level was locked from the inside and reinforced, so the elevator was the only way in. He hadn¡¯t wanted the maid or any visitors to wander where they shouldn¡¯t be. However, as her body deteriorated, Cassandra¡¯s voice changed, and eventually, the elevator no longer recognized her. Her wrinkled fingers prevented an accurate print scan, and an optical scan wasn¡¯t an option with cataracts in both eyes. Eventually, she was able to convince virtual James that it was her. Cameras were everywhere in the house, and the audio software had a record of her voice changing, so in the end, James no longer required verification that his wife was who she said she was.


    The doors slid open at the third floor, and Cassandra stepped out into the spotless interior. Bianca never came up here to clean, but the state-of-the-art air filtration system ensured no dust. Cats weren¡¯t allowed up here; they knew better than to crowd into the elevator with her. When she entered the lift, most of them scampered up to her bedroom, hoping for a surprise appearance, but Cassandra couldn¡¯t remember the last night she had spent in bed. Her body slept up here, and she couldn¡¯t imagine that ever-changing. She joked about Bianca finding her dead and surrounded by cats, but truthfully, it would likely be days or weeks before anyone found her if she died up here.


    The room wasn¡¯t large and had a smooth wood floor clear of cords, rugs, or anything else she could trip on. Cassandra guided her walker over to a harness hanging from the ceiling. Initially, she accused her husband of purchasing a sex swing, but James flatly denied it. He claimed to have designed it himself. Either way, it was essential for her nightly routine. Once in position, she trustingly fell backward into the straps, and it caught her slight frame gently. It was a zero-gravity experience as each point of contact on her body felt the same pressure. She barely weighed 100 pounds, so rolling back and forth in the swing was easy.


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    First, she leaned forward to remove her shirt and then leaned back to pull off her pants. Velcro was essential for this process. Soon, her underwear and wig were off too. A whistle sounded in the room. ¡°Oh, shut up, James,¡± she said but inwardly appreciated the compliment.


    ¡°You are as beautiful as ever, my dear,¡± he said. ¡°I miss you every day.¡±


    Cassandra rocked her body back and then forth to exit the swing, gently landing on her feet before her walker. She shuffled toward the computer set up, and a fully adjustable padded chair began rotating into position to receive her. It unfolded and lengthened until it stood vertically like a black surfboard. The elderly woman backed into it, and as soon as her skin touched the warm leather, it bent to conform to her lower body, pressing against her knees and lifting under her thighs. She trusted her husband¡¯s craftmanship and let the chair carry her off the ground and rotate her back into a reclined position until she was again weightless.


    Attachments wrapped around her legs, cradled her midsection, and held her arms firm. She didn¡¯t have the strength to sit up and see what they did, but she knew they massaged and stimulated her old muscles, kept her skin soft, and cared for her bathroom needs. Every morning, when she got out of the chair, she had a slight spring in her step and felt she might even be able to move about without the walker. By noon, the rejuvenated feeling was gone, and by 4:30, it was all she could do just to get up to this room. She guessed this chair had kept her mobile much longer than she would have been otherwise.


    ¡°Any news on my old party members?¡± she asked once she was in position and a tight-fitting cap secured itself against her bald head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Dear,¡± James replied. ¡°It appears that Jace is still holding them hostage.¡±


    Cassandra Lexington closed her eyes, took the familiar trip into her digital fantasy land, and opened them to see the ceiling of her other room. Lexi sat up and swung her legs over the side of her bed. ¡°Has he reached out at all?¡± she asked, rising from the bed and flexing her legs and arms. Like in the real world, she slept naked in the Realms of Infamy. ¡°What does he want? An apology? To gloat? I don¡¯t understand it?¡±


    {Neither do I, Dear,} her operator replied, his digital voice perfectly simulating her husband''s tone of frustration and confusion. {He released the other NPCs belonging to Brock and Ian. All of them have been collected. That last module was completed earlier today.}


    Lexi didn¡¯t care about the North Koreans or their NPCs. She knew it had been a mistake joining up with them. They had offered her so much gold and jewelry that she couldn¡¯t resist. Plus, the number of unique visitors and traders they entertained had been exciting for her chaotic play style. At least she had gotten out of there alive. She hadn¡¯t been able to salvage much, though. Her hand went to the large medallion over her sternum. The necklace and a few other jewelry pieces were the only things she had escaped with.


    She took a moment to regard her reflection in the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. She had designed her avatar to match the appearance of her 25-year-old self. Perhaps her waist was a bit thinner and her chest fuller, but this was supposed to be a fantasy. The only drastic change was in her hair color. Not many Italians had brown hair, but she felt it looked more natural for a half-elf and blended better with the foliage she often hid in. Another difference was that she had been obsessed with her wardrobe as a young woman. Not so much now.


    Maintaining clothing was challenging when she constantly shifted from a leopard to a human. Few items could survive the transformation. Rings, necklaces, earrings, and belts were the only things the leopard could use. And with fewer feline toes than she had fingers, she could only wear a few rings.


    The druid moved over to her window and opened the curtains to let light into her room. The warm jungle air caressed her skin like a lover, and she sighed. She didn¡¯t want to worry about Jace or her missing NPCs but knew she had to. She needed revenge, but it clouded her mind now, and she wanted a few moments of peace first. Rain began to fall outside, and she succumbed to the temptation to climb through her open window. She nimbly stepped through the paneless opening onto the deck wrapped around her sizeable wooden home. Cassandra felt the rain on her skin and turned her face up to catch the drops.


    The rainforest sang to her. The pitter-patter on the leaves, the rustle of animals in the branches, and the birds chirping created a harmony that spoke to the druid''s soul as much as the Italian music from her homeland. She moved along the deck to a raised balcony that competed with the tall trees and found her favorite meditation spot. She let the rain wash away the lingering effects of her real-world arthritis. The painful stiffness infected her mind even after descending into the game. The lethargy of her limbs affected her gameplay if she didn¡¯t cleanse her mind first. Sitting there with her eyes closed, she pulled up her character sheet.


    When her virtual husband had first revealed this game to her after his physical death, under his close tutelage, she had tried out many characters, all of which had either died or been canceled. This was by far her favorite. As a leopard, she had 28 Dexterity. As a human, in the real world, she felt she had 1 for Dexterity, and the freedom she experienced leaping through the trees and undergrowth of the jungle environment around her home was more therapeutic than anything a physical therapist could offer.


    At character creation (Level 0), a druid had to choose whether they would bond with a biome or an animal form. And while she had seen the power a forest druid could have when in the woods, they didn¡¯t travel well and were often a liability when venturing through a cave or dungeon. Her animal form went everywhere with her. At level 5, she had a choice between Spirit Bridge, which let her share mana between her two states, and Ability Bridge, which allowed her to raise and lower her human abilities scores to match her animal ones.


    She chose the second option, as it was a stepping-stone to the feat she got at level 10: Skill Bridge. The level 5 feat allowed her to raise her human Dexterity (or any ability) to match her leopard, but she had to lower another ability by the same amount, usually her constitution or intelligence. This was useful in a pinch if she needed to Dodge attacks or move quickly, but lowering an ability score was never a good idea. However, with the level 10 Skill Bridge, she could use specific skills of her animal or human form, and the only cost was that she had to transform the relevant part of her body. So, if she wanted the claw attack of her leopard form, she had to change her hands into paws. If she wanted to use the leopard¡¯s Dexterity base to her Dodge or Stealth while still using her human training, she needed to transform her legs, but not all the way, or add her camouflaging fur, but not completely.


    The result was that she walked around as a half-elf-leopard hybrid most of the time, selecting the best of both forms. The only drawback was her Wisdom skills. She used her animal intelligence if she transformed her head into a leopard. Her Wisdom was tied to her mouth. In order to talk, she needed to maintain her human tongue and teeth anyway, but the leopard¡¯s most useful attack was a bite, and to fully transform her mouth and jaw meant she lost the impressive Magic Defense skill her high Wisdom gave her. She was still working on the way to meld those two skills properly.


    The one thing she couldn¡¯t transform was her Spirit skills. So, at level 15, she took the Spirit Bridge feat. This meant she could use her human mana while in leopard form. The animal had access to very few spells, but the magical items she wore needed to be charged, and she didn¡¯t need to change back into a human to get access to the mana. At level 20, she would take the next step along that path and gain the Spell Bridge feat. Right now, in order to access her druid spells like Strength Boon or Heavy Weapon, she needed to keep her head (Intelligence) in human form. But with the Spell Bridge feat, she would be able to cast all her leopard spells as a human and all her druid spells as an animal.


    For the first twenty levels, her animal form only gained predetermined feats at even levels, but once she reached 21, she could choose feats that linked her human skills, meaning she would soon have access to her entire arsenal. She was about 100k experience away from level 19, so she hoped it wouldn¡¯t take long.


    Lexi opened her eyes. The rain had stopped. Showers were frequent and brief in this rainforest. Her eyes found the sun. At this time of year, Paris was one hour off GMT, and it was now about 4 p.m. in the game. The evening hours were when all the fun happened.


    {Cassandra, dear,} James said in her head once he had seen that her meditation was over. Despite her pleading, he refused to call her Lexi. {I have not heard from Jace, but I did hear from Pieter. The mage is willing to meet, but he insists it be at his stronghold.}


    Lexi stood, stretched her limbs again, and walked to the edge of the railing to look down at the green foliage. ¡°Where is that?¡± she asked.


    {In a mine north of Ironfel.}


    Lexi nodded and checked her inventory. She didn¡¯t carry much and felt she had everything she needed. Before logging off this morning, she had reached out to Pieter and prepared her items for his immediate response. She didn¡¯t need to go back into her palatial estate to retrieve anything. Her home was built like the Swiss Family Robinson house on steroids. It had half a dozen rooms, several meeting areas, dining halls, relaxation areas, and many more amenities. But without her NPC companions, it felt empty and lonely.


    Instead, she leaped over the railing before her, transformed into a leopard, and raced through the woods. Though she had just eaten in the real world, her animal stomach growled, and the scent of a deer tickled her nostrils. The prey appeared to be in the same direction as her travel node, and she took off after it.

 Chapter 2: The Proposal

    Ironfel hadn¡¯t been the same since Jace Thorne had killed Drescher.  What had already been a wild town was now utter chaos.  There was no clear path of succession.  Most of Drescher¡¯s vast wealth had been deleted with him.  The game allowed you to have a sort of ¡°Will,¡± or some way to distribute gold within your party, but no one had been left alive to inherit it, so the game deleted all of the gold Drescher had.  It was a necessary part of the game economy.  Venturing into lucrative MIMs created a constant stream of new wealth that would destroy the exchange rate if advanced players didn¡¯t lose millions monthly.  Most of Drescher¡¯s wealth had remained in the game to pay the hundreds of workers within the city, and with the money gone, their loyalties were up for grabs.


    Drescher had maintained other forms of wealth represented by items, gems, and property, but it was now free for anyone strong enough to take it.  When the gunrunner was in charge, he had restricted transactions so people could only do business with him or one of his NPCs.


    No one had yet established control of the town, so transactions were open between anyone, and fortunes were won and lost in seconds as the PVP-Hostile zone had turned into a cyclical game of King of the Hill for the past few weeks.  Individual businesses were claimed, including the Lion¡¯s Den, but now the partying often turned to violence, and bloody death matches sprung up everywhere as millions of experience points changed hands daily.


    Lexi wanted nothing to do with it.  She knew the average experience level in a city like this was probably 11, with three-fourths of the players at 10 and then a handful of higher people in the mid-teens to balance it out.  Her level 18 status would put her at the top of the food chain, but it would also more than likely make her a target.  A checkpoint for the mine sat on the western edge of town, allowing you instant access to it through a travel node, but she chose to take the long way.


    After materializing on the elevated travel node almost two kilometers from the city, she ignored the few hustlers who tried to sell her access to certain aspects of Ironfel or promised her protection.  Instead, she transformed into a leopard and sprinted to the north, skirting around the city through a wasteland of rocks, crags, and a few sparse trees.  The mine was dug into the low foothills bordering the northern part of the vast basin where Ironfel sat.  At a run, Lexi could cover the three miles in about half the time a normal player would take to walk from the node into the city.


    With a little infusion of mana, she could negate the feeling of fatigue that plagued characters during long combat sessions or runs.  She never had to slow down; she only stopped running and resumed her erect human form when she approached a fenced-off area with four dwarf guards keeping watch.  Their weapons were readied, shields raised toward the approaching animal, and they didn¡¯t lose any apprehension when she transformed into a naked half-elf female.  Lexi hated wearing clothes, as discarding them cost her an action when she wanted to turn back into a leopard quickly, but she understood modesty was often necessary when interacting with scripted NPCs, especially dwarves.


    In her inventory, she kept several simple wraps.  They were single lengths of white cloth that encircled her body loosely like a toga designed for a sexy Greek goddess Halloween costume.  She remained barefoot as she closed the distance to the dwarves, who still kept their weapons trained on her.  Two pointed spears while the other pair held axes and shields.  They could see she had no weapons, but nobody traveled these dangerous lands without the ability to defend themselves, so they were taking no chances.


    ¡°Halt.  What be ye doing here, lassy?  These mines are not open to the public.  Have ye an appointment?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied.  ¡°I am here to see Pieter.¡±  The game did not require last names, making it hard to be specific.


    ¡°Would ye be Lexi?¡± the lead dwarf asked.


    She nodded.


    ¡°Aye, then ye are expected.¡±  He was one of the dwarves with a spear, and he lifted it and stepped to the side.  His partner did likewise, creating a path between them.  The shield-bearing dwarves didn¡¯t lower their guards but parted as one of them whistled past the iron gate.  The bars opened inward slowly, and Lexi strode carefully through the guards.  The leader kept a close eye on her but grunted and turned away once she passed him.  She knew why.  The armholes in her wrap left little to the imagination when viewed from the side, and even though she was a half-elf, the game let her design her avatar any way she wanted, and she had been generous with her curves.


    ¡°Ye best be keeping that dress wrapped a might tighter,¡± the dwarf said.  ¡°Me kin ain¡¯t as keen toward women as your menfolk are.  It is nigh onto dinner, and I don¡¯t want the appetites of my men to turn.¡±


    I¡¯m that ugly? Lexi asked in her mind, but she cinched her clothing tighter anyway.  {They have no taste, my dear,} James said.


    The gate was eight feet high and set into a stone fence several feet thick.  It stretched from a sheer cliff on the left toward a steep hill on the right in a broad arch several football fields in length.  Inside, large, squat stone buildings filled the level ground, lit with torches in the fading light of early afternoon.  Clouds rolled in from the west, and the landscape rose toward the sky, affecting an early sunset.


    A two-story wooden building stood out from the other dwarven-made structures, and she instinctively headed in that direction.  ¡°Pieter didn¡¯t say where to go?¡±


    {Only to meet him here,} James replied.  {I agree; that wooden building is the most likely place.


    Lexi saw dwarves moving in and out of the shorter buildings, some holding tools, others weapons, but only humans and half-orcs entered the central wooden structure.  Once she was past several of the initial buildings, which looked like barracks and an armory, she could see through the collection of structures to the mine beyond.  The hills had been carved away to create this plateau, and they now rose as cliff faces with several openings carved into them.  Stairs and scaffolding stood against the stone as a few tunnels started far off the ground.


    The sounds and smells from the wooden building drew her attention, and she pushed through the doors to find a large tavern.  Dozens of characters were eating, many looking identical and were likely spawned NPCs controlled by Pieter.  Though dwarves made up the majority of the workforce, humans were called into service, and several half-orcs also sat at tables eating and drinking.  Ironfel had been famous for its level 15 half-orc guards.  With most players under level 12, having dozens of the high-level brutes had kept Drescher safe, and many had wondered how expensive it had been to keep them around.  Without a player to feed the city, it probably didn¡¯t produce as many guards anymore.


    Or, perhaps the brutes spawned in these hills, and Pieter was slowly collecting them, preparing for an invasion of the city to the south.  Lexi knew that Pieter had been aligned with Drescher, and the mage probably missed the security that union had brought him.  These half-orcs were only level 12 but would still be formidable in a fight.


    Lexi was identified as an outsider almost immediately, though, since she had gotten past the guards, she wasn¡¯t treated as hostile.  All the workers wore hardened leather from head to toe, with heavy boots and tool belts.  Lexi was barefoot, wearing a pristine white robe.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the deep voice of a female half-orc barmaid arrested her.  ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±


    Lexi smiled up at the tall NPC.  ¡°I am here to see Pieter.  He is expecting me.¡±


    The hostess had guessed as much.  ¡°He is in the back at his private table.¡±  She pointed to the left corner of the building, but Lexi couldn¡¯t see anything right away.


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    She thanked the woman and walked in that direction.  The druid wasn¡¯t convinced the crowd of primarily human men would find her figure as repulsive as the dwarves did and carefully kept her distance from the tables, but the hardened workers paid her little mind.  She was ready to swat aside grasping hands with a clawed paw, but didn¡¯t have to.  Once she had made it halfway through the main floor, a corner table with a dedicated chandelier tucked behind a stairway opened up, and she saw the mage sitting alone.


    Pieter was at level 13, an impressive feat for someone who had been killed about two weeks ago.  The table was positioned relatively close to the kitchen exit, and a young woman with blonde hair pushed through the batwing doors, placed a wine glass on the mage¡¯s table, and scampered back into the kitchen.  The delivery of the drink drew Pieter out of his inventory, and he made eye contact with his visitor.  The tall mage rose from the table to greet her.


    ¡°Welcome to my humble establishment,¡± he said with a slight bow.  ¡°I hope the dwarves weren¡¯t too brash.¡±


    ¡°They said I was ugly,¡± Lexi said, keeping her distance from the table for now.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the man said with a smirk.  ¡°Absolutely hideous.  I¡¯m sure you are far more beautiful in real life.¡±


    {I like him already,} James piped in.


    Lexi didn¡¯t react to the compliment but took a moment to regard the player.  An avatar was fully customizable, so very few people chose to be unattractive.  Obviously, there were levels you could go to, and players who decided to be dwarves or half-orcs usually didn¡¯t spend too much time sculpting their faces.  Pieter had gone with an odd choice.  She had watched the video where Jace had killed him several times, and his previous incarnation had been a strict interpretation of the wizard Jafar from Disney¡¯s Aladin.  She could still see a bit of that now, but he had less angle to his face, and his beard was larger.  She saw more Rasputin in him now.


    ¡°Please,¡± he motioned to an empty chair at his private table.  ¡°Have a seat.  I understand you would like to discuss the Cave of Wonders,¡± he said once she settled across from him.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help you much.  I¡¯ve given up on that obsession.  I fear it is only a trap.¡±


    Lexi nodded; his change in appearance now made sense.  Jafar had been singularly focused on getting the magical lamp, and with a module called The Cave of Wonders, most assumed that was the treasure lying inside, but it had been available for several months, and no one had cracked it yet.  Now that Pieter had to remake his character, he took a different approach to the game.


    Lexi sat down.  ¡°You have a new focus,¡± she said more than asked.  ¡°Let me guess:  Jace Thorne.¡±


    Pieter nodded, unsurprised.  His death scene at the hand of the orc shaman had become a meme within the game.  The lightning trap Jace had put in the level 50 crystal had injured Gwen and killed Axilia but annihilated him.  It was difficult to generate enough damage in a single attack to vaporize a level 22 mage and to have it publicly broadcast to the entire game was even more unusual.


    The mage looked hard at his druid guest before proceeding, wondering if he wasn¡¯t being too free with his information.  Everything in the game was worth something; he didn¡¯t want to overshare.  Lexi read this hesitation and decided to open up to him.  His humiliation had been made public; hers had not.  ¡°I was at Stormhold when Jace released the armadillion,¡± she said.


    Pieter raised his bushy eyebrows at this.  ¡°I was under the impression that everyone had died there.  Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve already gotten to level 18.¡±  Jace¡¯s group had released the footage from the end of the fight with the armadillion, but what had gone on in the lower levels of the stronghold was a mystery.


    Lexi shook her head.  ¡°I escaped.  My PC companions thought they could fight the monster, and all the NPCs were scripted to defend the fortress to the death.  It was one of the stipulations I had to agree to when I joined them.¡±


    Pieter nodded.  ¡°And your NPCs were released with the others that became public a few days ago?¡±


    The druid shook her head.  ¡°No, for whatever reason, he is holding my companions hostage.  He hasn¡¯t released them yet.¡±


    Pieter sipped at his wine as he thought about that.  ¡°So, you¡¯ve come to me to ask about the Cave of Wonders so you can get the lamp and use your three wishes to bring down Jace and get your companions back.¡±


    Lexi smirked.  ¡°We can get to that.  But first, what is your plan to get back at Jace?  I can see you aren¡¯t sitting on your hands here.  What is your angle?¡±


    Lexi could tell from the look in his eyes that the mage did not fully trust her yet.  Before he could respond, his private waitress arrived again, bringing a steaming plate of food.  The leopard shapeshifter had excellent awareness and didn¡¯t have to turn to sense the servant approaching them.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the young woman said.  ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you had company, sir.  Should I bring more food?¡±


    Lexi froze briefly at the strange accent and then turned to regard the woman behind her fully.  Her mouth dropped open.  The waitress was slight with dark skin and bright blonde hair, not a typical combination in the realms.  She knew of only one race of humans with this appearance.  ¡°Just a glass of wine, Dear,¡± she said, regaining her composure and speaking as if addressing Bianca.  ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten.¡±  She could still taste fresh venison in her mouth.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said.  The woman scampered forward, placed the food in front of her master, and then hurried back into the kitchen.


    Lexi returned to Pieter.  ¡°You have a Celtigion servant.  I didn¡¯t think that was possible.  Is she a bondmage?¡±


    Pieter shook his head, a slight frown on his face.  Lexi guessed he was hoping she wouldn¡¯t notice.  ¡°No, she is not a bondmage.  No magic at all that I can tell.  Nor from her family.¡±


    ¡°You have her whole family?¡±


    Pieter was about to respond, but the waitress returned, placed a large glass of red wine before Lexi, and quickly retreated.  The mage waited for her to leave.  ¡°Her parents and an older brother.  The Mongorian I traded with would have never given me a bondmage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they would give you anything.  It must have cost a fortune.  Probably half of Drescher¡¯s treasure store.¡±


    Pieter frowned again.  And Lexi stifled a laugh.


    ¡°Though,¡± Lexi continued.  ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t trade the gem that gives you access to the loyalty of the dwarves in this mine.¡±


    The mage slammed his hand on the table.  ¡°Who are you?  Who sent you?  Do you work for Jace?¡±


    The druid smiled.  ¡°I have a very observant and deductive operator.¡±


    {Flattery will get you nowhere,} James chimed in.


    ¡°He monitors the game 24/7 and was once a great player himself.  He doesn¡¯t miss much.  Let me see how much I already know.  You were Drescher¡¯s appraiser, and when your old boss gained equipment, you decided what he should keep and sell.  With your help, he had amassed many powerful items.  You kept most of them in Ironfel, and players are fighting over them as we speak, but you also hid several in public areas that you could return to if you ever died and needed to start your character over.  You¡¯ve since recovered most of it, including that Control wand you plan to use against me should this meeting go sideways.¡±


    Pieter shifted uncomfortably in his seat, no doubt returning said wand to a holster in his robe.


    Lexi pretended not to notice.  ¡°Undoubtedly, much of the wealth you squirreled away included gems and precious metals, and you traded an obscene amount of it to convince a Mongorian Khan to sell you a Celtigion family.  This can only be an angle to get at Jace since his dragon mage is the only significant Celtigion NPC in the game.¡±


    Pieter smiled as not all of his secrets were out.


    ¡°Then we have this mine.  If you¡¯ve played the game long enough, you know that every dwarven mine produces a special gemstone at one point.  Whoever holds that stone rules the mine.  Drescher controlled it before, using it and these hills to generate his half-orc guards.  Now you are doing the same, only you can¡¯t yet afford the resources to spawn them at level 15.¡±


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Pieter admitted.


    ¡°May I see the stone?¡± Lexi asked.


    The mage thought for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve earned yourself that much.¡±  He reached into the top of his wizard robe and retrieved a large gem on a chain around his neck.


    Lexi inhaled sharply.  ¡°A cat¡¯s eye chrysoberyl.¡±  It was a rare gem on earth, and she had never heard of it in the game.  They were commonly sold for $500 per carat, but that price increased exponentially when dealing with anything over 10 carats.  Pieter¡¯s gem was the size of her palm, easily worth over a million dollars.


    {A bit bigger than the one I bought you,} James commented.  He had bought her a cat¡¯s eye ring for their 50<sup>th</sup> wedding anniversary.


    Pieter nodded at her appreciation for his stone, which he quickly hid back inside his robe.  ¡°The dwarves will do anything I ask of them,¡± he said.  ¡°They knew Drescher had the stone before, so they obeyed him too.  The mine isn¡¯t prosperous and produces mostly iron with a little gold and silver, but the half-orcs are worth it.  You need to pay the dwarves an obscene amount of gold for them to go into the hills and recruit the brutes, and level twelve is all I¡¯ve been able to muster so far.¡±


    ¡°And the Celtigions?¡± she asked.


    Pieter shook his head.  ¡°I will confirm what you already know, but I don¡¯t plan on giving you new information.  I assume you¡¯ve come here to trade for information about the Cave of Wonders, yet you have offered me nothing.  You know plenty about me, and I know nothing about you.  So far, your negotiation tactics leave something to be desired.  I¡¯m not giving you anything for free.¡±


    Lexi nodded.  ¡°You assume wrong.  I am not coming here to get information on the Cave of Wonders.  I¡¯m coming here to invite you to help me pass it.¡±

 Chapter 3: Distrustful Alliance

    Pieter laughed so loudly the rest of the tavern grew quiet momentarily.  Lexi endured the sarcastic skepticism and let the man have his fun.  ¡°You na?ve players are all the same.  You get beat by Jace once, watch him operate, and then think you can crack the uncrackable modules.  You don¡¯t understand.  He cheats.  He doesn¡¯t play by the rules.  He has this special deal with Gandhi, letting him do whatever he wants.¡±  He took a drink of wine.


    ¡°You can¡¯t pass the Cave of Wonders,¡± he continued.  ¡°It is designed to be a trap to kill greedy players.  Even if you could convince three other players to kill themselves off to get to the final stage, there is no way anyone can . . .¡± his voice drifted off as he watched the druid before him slowly change her features into an animal.


    ¡°A leopard?¡± he asked, not an expert on big cats, especially when they appeared in hybrid form.


    Lexi nodded.


    ¡°And I suppose your Jump skill is phenomenal.¡±


    Lexi nodded again.  ¡°The best I¡¯ve seen in the game.¡±  Level 20 druids were rare.  Most that chose the cat route chose lions or tigers.


    Pieter shrugged.  ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you can make the jumps.  You can¡¯t do the math, not fast enough anyway.  No one can.  It is designed to be a trap.¡±


    ¡°My operator can do the math,¡± Lexi said.  ¡°I run with an AI operator.  He can count the symbols instantly.  I can pass the last level.¡±


    {You think my intelligence is artificial?} James said, feigned hurt in his voice.


    Lexi ignored him as her eyes trained on the mage across from her.  Pieter screwed up his face as he thought things through.  She knew he knew the module in question inside and out.  If she could jump like a leopard and had the computation skills of an AI operator backing her, she probably could pass the level or at least come closer than anyone else.


    Eventually, he shook his head.  ¡°No, you still must convince three level 10+ players to kill themselves.  Even if you find that, I am not one of them.  Only four players can enter the module, and one must die to pass each of the first three levels.  I know this.  You must know this.  You won¡¯t trick me.  While I am sure there are plenty of clueless players out there who have never heard of the Cave of Wonders, as soon as you get to the entrance, their operators will do a search, and none of them will agree to accompany you inside.¡±


    Lexi nodded.  ¡°Which is why I¡¯ve come to you.  You have researched the Cave of Wonders more than anyone else in the game.  You know what kind of level 10+ characters we will need.  You also have connections with players who . . .¡± she needed to choose her words carefully, ¡°run enterprises comprising of PCs under strict labor regulations that can be obtained for a fee.¡±  It was the nicest way she could think of to describe human traffickers and slavers.  Not everyone who played this game did so willingly.


    Pieter cocked his head in acknowledgment.  She knew he could get two other players who would not only have no clue about the high cost of playing this specific module but also wouldn¡¯t have one-on-one access to an operator with walkthroughs at their fingertips.  ¡°I will neither confirm nor deny,¡± he started.  ¡°But that is beside the point.  If I am to be the third player, it won¡¯t happen.  Why not just ask me to find you three clueless players?¡±


    ¡°I could not afford them,¡± she said.  ¡°I lost everything when Jace took Stormhold.  I had transferred all of my wealth, items, and equipment to the new stronghold.  Plus, why would you help me if you got nothing in return?  I would have to pay you to make the arrangement and then pay someone else for the players.  I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°But what do I have to gain?¡± he said, growing frustrated with this conversation.  ¡°If you need to survive to reach stage four, I will be the one killed in stage three.¡±


    ¡°What if I give the module an alternative?  An NPC disguised as a player?¡±


    Pieter laughed again.  ¡°That can¡¯t be done.  Not even Jace could . . .¡± he stopped talking as Lexi rolled her eyes into her inventory and produced an odd necklace.  She laid it on the table.  The central medallion looked like a computer CD, very out of place on the wooden table of the fantasy tavern.  ¡°What is . . .¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and touch it,¡± she offered.  Her right hand transformed into a leopard¡¯s paw, and her claws dug into the tabletop, securing the necklace.  The mage wouldn¡¯t be able to take the item from her, but he could examine it.


    Pieter reached out to the CD and touched it tentatively.  His face took on the familiar look of someone listening to their operator.  ¡°It is an item that will code an NPC with the brainwave pattern of a PC,¡± he said slowly, repeating what he was being told.  ¡°It is designed for a goblin.¡±


    Lexi pulled the necklace out of his grasp and placed another item on the table.  It was a figurine of a jungle goblin, a reward for clearing an ancient temple near her stronghold.  ¡°I retrieved this necklace by slithering through the underground sewers of the Torrintank Keep module.  I received several acid burns in the process.¡±  Anyone who had studied Jace Thorne¡¯s movements knew why that was significant.  ¡°Jace used this item to secure the goblin crafter, Gromphy, as a party member.  He tricked the goblin into putting the necklace on, and for a while, the goblin was viewed as a PC.  This allowed Jace¡¯s operator to log into the specific brainwave pattern and control the crafter¡¯s character sheet as if he were a player under the operator¡¯s care.  They changed Gromphy¡¯s settings so he could join their party, and Jace did the rest.¡±


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Lexi watched as Pieter absorbed this information while simultaneously receiving confirmation from his operator.  ¡°And you can crack the code of this item¡¯s brainwave pattern to log into it?¡±


    The druid shook her head.  ¡°No one can do that.  Not even my operator.  The human mind is unhackable, even a synthetic one.  But it doesn¡¯t matter.  The third stage of the Cave of Wonders is the simplest.  You send someone in to retrieve the diamond, and they are killed.  Once we get there, I will summon my goblin, place this necklace on him, and the game will view him as a PC.  No, I won¡¯t be able to adjust his character sheet or stats, but I won¡¯t need to.  I just need to order him to get the diamond.  The module will kill him, and we will proceed to the final stage, which I promise I can pass.¡±


    Pieter silently debated with his operator for a while, using a chat feature.  He kept his eyes trained on Lexi as his peripheral enabled the text.  Most strongholds were PVP-Hostile zones, and she could attack him at any moment.  She would then have to fight off everyone in this tavern and nearly fifty dwarves, but Pieter would be dead.  Maybe she could take the cat¡¯s eye off him, and the dwarves would accept her as their new leader.


    Before she got to act out this fantasy, Pieter¡¯s eyes focused solidly, and he looked closely at Lexi.  ¡°This all sounds a bit too good.  What do I get out of this?  How are we going to split three wishes in half?  Also, it seems like I am the one who will have to call in a favor to get the other two players.  What is your contribution to all this?¡±


    ¡°Other than the skill to actually pass the module?¡± she asked rhetorically, thinking that should be enough.  ¡°I will get one wish, and you can have the other two.  And I promise my one wish will be to cause Jace Thorne immense pain and suffering.¡±


    Pieter sat in thought for a while before finally nodding his head.  ¡°Okay, I will entertain this foolishness.  But I am warning you, if I detect any deceit or trickery on your part, I will end you.¡±  He pulled the wand she had mentioned earlier.  With it, Lexi knew he could make her do just about anything.  Because of their level difference and her Magic Defense, it would cost him almost all his mana, but he could do it.


    She also knew there was an escape route from the Cave of Wonders.  After passing each stage, but before venturing into the next one, you could backtrack and leave the module.  If you did, it completely reset, and you would have to pass each stage again.  But he could use the wand on her to get her to try to retrieve the diamond in the third stage.  She would die, and he could walk out.  In order to pass the module, he would need her jumping ability, so he would only kill her if he thought it was necessary for his survival.  She needed to make sure he never thought that.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said, ¡°now tell me your plan for Jace and the Celtigions.¡±


    Pieter chuckled.  ¡°We¡¯re back to that, are we?¡±


    Lexi nodded.  ¡°I assume your operator is reaching out to several of your acquaintances right now to secure our ¡®clueless player companions,¡¯ so I figure we have time to kill.  I told you a lot of useful information; now it is your time to share.  If we succeed and I get my wish, I¡¯ll try to ensure it won¡¯t interfere with your plans.¡±


    Pieter leaned back and scrunched up his bearded face.  ¡°Very well.  You have a unique skill set.  I can see us working together beyond this current engagement.  As I¡¯ve told you, this mine is not profitable, but I assume if I dig deep enough, I will find what everyone finds.¡±


    ¡°A balrog in the basement,¡± Lexi said.


    ¡°Precisely.  Currently, Ceriph, my Celtigion servant, works above ground, but her brother and father work in the mine.  When the balrog is found, it will kill many workers before we can seal it inside.  I will ensure that her family members are among them, but I will tell her they are trapped, and the only way to free them is to kill the balrog.  I can¡¯t do it, but I know someone who can.¡±


    ¡°Jace,¡± Lexi said.  ¡°You send the damsel in distress to him, saying he needs to come and help free her family.  He will sense a trap, but his mage will insist that he do it.  If he refuses, it will damage his relationship with her, and he risks losing one of the most powerful NPCs in the game.¡±


    Pieter nodded.  ¡°It depends on what kind of monster I get, but hopefully, it is something that will at least challenge him.  And even if it doesn¡¯t, I will drop the mine on top of him.¡±


    ¡°You know he is a stone shaman,¡± Lexi said.  ¡°Burying him in a pile of rocks might not be enough.¡±


    ¡°You let me worry about that.  By the time I¡¯m ready to lure him in, I will be level 16+.  I will have other ways to kill him.¡±


    Lexi nodded.  It was a good plan, and one Jace probably wouldn¡¯t see coming.  ¡°Any word from your contacts?¡± Lexi asked after several moments of silence.


    Pieter nodded and smiled as he listened to his operator.  ¡°You¡¯re in luck.  You get to see something very few players have ever seen and those that have are sworn to secrecy.  Our host might not even let you enter.¡±  He rose from the table.


    Lexi looked down at his plate of food, which he hadn¡¯t touched.  He followed her eyes to the table and chuckled.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  Where we are going, the food is much better.  You will wish you hadn¡¯t already eaten.¡±


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Lexi asked, rising from her chair.


    ¡°To the Arena in Overton.  We better hurry.  The games start promptly at six.  We will be late.¡±


    Lexi accessed her status screen off to the side of her vision, where she kept a clock that showed Paris time.  It was a little after six.  They still had almost an hour until six in the game.  With travel nodes, everywhere was usually only minutes away.  But she didn¡¯t argue as Pieter motioned her forward, insisting she go first through the tavern toward the exit.  He still didn¡¯t trust her enough to turn his back on her.  She smiled.  He was a wise man.

 Chapter 4: The Pier

    Soon, Lexi understood why they would be late for a six o¡¯clock event.


    Their first stop was actually Safe Haven, of all places. They didn¡¯t go into the city but turned around and entered the countryside. This was a non-hostile area filled with generic quests for low-level players just learning the game. You could kill rats in a farmer¡¯s basement, rescue a house cat from a tree, or save a boy who had fallen into a fast-moving stream while fishing.


    The rolling hills, trees, and squared-off patches of crops looked peaceful in the fading light of the setting sun. Lexi allowed her face to transform enough to activate her feline senses and detected no trace odor of any hostile creature. The worst they could expect in this environment was a level two bat, which could only attack within specific areas as part of a module. Whatever her companion planned to do here, the druid doubted it involved initiating a beginner quest.


    Pieter put his back to her now, knowing he was safe from any attack in this environment. It was a good thing because she had no idea where to go. The mage took a confusing route through trees, cornfields, and over streams. Lexi was sure it was to disguise the way as much as possible, but she was marking the trail and could retrace it months from now in the pitch-black if needed. The game had no bathrooms or accounting for that type of bodily emission, so animals could mark their territory by depositing mana along a trail instead. Lexi had plenty of mana to spare.


    Eventually, they crossed a stream that cut through a particularly rocky section of ground. It had eroded a shallow canyon, and Pieter moved up to one of the blank stone walls. He looked back and forth in a practiced motion to ensure he wasn¡¯t being watched, but when he glanced over his shoulder, Lexi was there. She crossed her arms and waited. He shrugged and pressed several areas of the wall, releasing small amounts of mana as he did.


    {Don¡¯t worry,} James said in her mind. {I am recording this. I will figure out the code later.}


    A door opened in the stone with a pop and hiss, rotating inward. Pieter produced a magical light and started to enter but stopped and turned. ¡°You stay here.¡±


    Lexi nodded and listened closely. The mage ventured a few feet into the cave, opened a chest, rummaged through it for a moment, and then returned to the canyon in under a minute. He closed the door behind him. ¡°Can I ask what you got?¡±


    Pieter held up his hand. An onyx ring sat on his finger. ¡°In order to access Overton, you need one of these. The travel nodes won¡¯t work without it.¡±


    They hurried back to Safe Haven along a more direct route, found the node, and traveled to New Paris, a stronghold city Lexi had been to several times. It was as metropolitan as it came for a fantasy setting, filled with shops, outdoor diners, and civilized entertainment. There were brothels, gaming houses, and taverns if you knew where to look, but it catered to a more upscale clientele. The city guards were battlemages and were more feared than Drescher¡¯s half-orcs had been. It was a PVP zone, but few fights ever broke out.


    They hadn¡¯t formed an alliance yet, so any move she made against him would be viewed as a hostile attack, and the guards would step in. But Pieter still insisted that she lead the way, giving her directions as they walked. Once they reached a small shop off the main street, he beckoned her to enter ahead of him. ¡°Ladies first.¡±


    ¡°What a gentleman,¡± she said and took the offer.


    The room was tiny and crammed with shelves. An NPC halfling stood on a raised platform behind a counter that she bumped up against after taking only three steps into the shop. The walls were lined with useless trinkets and figurines, none of which gave off any magical signature. ¡°Can I help you, miss?¡± the male clerk asked. ¡°Perhaps you were looking for someplace else? There is an apothecary down the . . .¡± his voice trailed off as he looked over her shoulder at the bearded mage who squeezed into the room behind her. It took the halfling a moment, but recognition eventually dawned in his eyes. ¡°Pieter?¡±


    Lexi guessed the mage hadn¡¯t been here since his death. Pieter held up the hand that wore the black ring. ¡°Greetings, Ellis. It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°It has,¡± he agreed. ¡°My condolences on your loss. It happens to the best of you. Are you going to the Arena? I don¡¯t have you on the guest list.¡± He glanced at a cuckoo clock on the wall. ¡°Looks like you will be late.¡±


    ¡°Last minute decision to attend. I need to talk with the Admiral, and I¡¯m bringing a friend.¡±


    The halfling frowned. ¡°Pieter, you know the rules. I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m going to have to send in a request. You will have to go to the Pier.¡±


    The mage nodded. ¡°I know, just be fast. Like you said, we¡¯re late.¡±


    Ellis nodded and turned toward Lexi. ¡°Okay, miss, make this quick for me. Name, Level, and Class.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± she hesitated and looked back at Pieter. The mage nodded. ¡°Lexi, level 18, druid.¡±


    ¡°Very good. What items do you have?¡±


    For someone who walked around naked most of the time, Lexi found this very intrusive. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Why do I have to . . .¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been to the Arena before,¡± Ellis said. ¡°This is the protocol. If you don¡¯t like it, you can leave. Now, what do you have?¡±


    ¡°Two True Strike rings,¡± she replied, holding up her fingers and showing off the emerald jewels, one on each hand. Three other rings were visible. ¡°Wisdom +2, a Piercing Immunity spell, and the last has a Detect Trap spell.¡± Her hands went to her face. ¡°And two earrings that each add +5 to my Sensory Perception.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± the halfling said. He wrote the items out on a stone tablet, but Lexi didn¡¯t see any markings. ¡°And the necklace?¡±


    ¡°Critical protection,¡± she replied.


    ¡°Good, good, and what do you have in your inventory.¡±


    ¡°Uh, a few healing potions, a change of clothes . . .¡±


    ¡°No, no, lady,¡± Ellis said. ¡°I need to see them. You can ¡®Drop All¡¯ on the counter unless it is too much. There is a chest behind you that you can empty into also. You can also leave items there if they aren¡¯t allowed.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t come back to get them?¡±


    The shopkeeper smiled. ¡°Then don¡¯t leave anything too expensive.¡±


    ¡°We are short on time,¡± Pieter nagged from behind her.


    Lexi sighed, put her hands on the small counter, and activated her Drop All ability. It wasn¡¯t much. Five healing potions appeared on the counter along with the goblin figurine, the enchanted necklace, and another wrap, this one in a light green fabric.


    The halfling only cared about one of them. He picked up the necklace. Lexi had retracted her hands from the counter to reveal the items she had deposited and now tried to reach back and grab them. ¡°That is mine! Don¡¯t . . .¡± her hand smashed into an invisible barrier.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before,¡± the NPC said. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to classify this. I¡¯m not sure I can . . .¡±


    ¡°It is essential to our quest,¡± Pieter jumped in. ¡°As you can see, it has no offensive powers. Please, we must be leaving.¡±


    Ellis shrugged. ¡°Very well. It¡¯s your hide if he doesn¡¯t like it.¡± He put the necklace down. He had seen Lexi use the Drop All ability, but it wasn¡¯t much, and players always had sneaking tricks. ¡°No weapons, armor, shield?¡±


    Lexi shook her head. ¡°Nothing other than these.¡± Her fingers shrunk into paws, and vicious claws extended.


    ¡°Ah, right, a druid. Panther? Tiger?¡±


    ¡°Leopard.¡±


    Ellis cocked his head and shrugged. ¡°Not many do that.¡± He jotted a few more things down on his stone pad and then looked up. ¡°Okay, you can take all this. Pieter, you know the drill. The travel node is in the back. I¡¯ll try to make it quick.¡±


    Lexi reached out hesitantly, but the magical barrier was gone, and she retrieved her items.


    ¡°Thank you, Ellis,¡± Pieter said. ¡°Always a pleasure doing business with you. Which ones do we need?¡± He motioned at the trinkets lining the walls.


    ¡°Oh, right, I almost forgot, that would have been bad.¡± The halfling thought for a few seconds as Lexi returned from her inventory, appreciating the distraction as she felt vulnerable standing flat-footed for too long in the strange shop.


    ¡°Take the penguin from the middle shelf there,¡± Ellis said, pointing to his left. ¡°And, uh, the palm tree just over your shoulder.¡± Pieter retrieved the items and then pushed Lexi toward the back of the room. Soon, they were in a cramped square closet only slightly larger than an outhouse. A travel node stood in the middle.


    ¡°Satisfied now,¡± Lexi growled at him once they were shut inside. ¡°Didn¡¯t trust me? You needed to see everything I was carrying?¡±


    Pieter laughed at her. ¡°That had nothing to do with it. You still don¡¯t know who we are going to see. He runs a tight ship.¡±


    ¡°The Admiral?¡±


    The mage chuckled. ¡°Yes, well, perhaps not actually a ship. You¡¯ll see. Unfortunately, we must first go to a holding area while you¡¯re approved.¡±


    ¡°The Pier?¡±


    He nodded. ¡°You listen well.¡± He hesitated. ¡°Is the other wrap you are carrying warmer? You might want more protection. And you need to hold this.¡± He handed her the palm tree.


    She turned the small stone carving over in her hand. It was a few inches long. ¡°I need to dress warmer, but we are going to a tropical location?¡± But then she remembered that he had a penguin.


    ¡°No,¡± the mage said. ¡°These are random. They change every time. Much better than a passcode. We are going someplace bitterly cold. You might want to adjust your settings to turn down Environment to nothing.¡±


    Lexi shrugged and grew fur. The game let her cover most of her body, but her clothes hindered the transformation, and she discarded the wrap. As it fell to the floor, she nimbly caught it with her hand, saving her the trouble of bending over in this tiny room with a man she didn¡¯t trust. Her leopard form was much slimmer than her curvaceous human one, and after a curious glance at her unclothed body, Pieter didn¡¯t stare. She entered her inventory to store the clothing and change her settings.


    ¡°We will need to be allied for this,¡± he said. ¡°You won¡¯t have access to this location.¡±


    For the past two trips through a node, the mage had told her where to go, and she had traveled first. Now, she accepted his alliance offer and braced for the unknown as Pieter activated the node.


    <hr>


    Lexi emerged from the nether into a brutal landscape. All she could see was snow and ice as wind whipped her hair and fur in all directions. She struggled to keep her balance, but as her bare feet sunk into the knee-deep snow, it helped stabilize her.


    ¡°We need to go this way!¡± Pieter shouted above the gale, grabbing her arm and pulling her along.


    Lexi didn¡¯t know how he could tell one direction from the other. Her leopard skills usually gave her supreme awareness, but this environment was entirely out of her comfort zone. There was no scent in the air, no sound of snapping of twigs, and no tracks to follow. Instead, it was loud, cold, and violent in every direction.


    Pieter tugged harder, and she struggled to follow, hunkering her head down in the storm. It was good that she had shed her wrap in the other room because the wind would have ripped it off her. Some sixth sense told her to clutch desperately at the palm tree in her right hand and plod forward.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Pieter said after the longest minute of Lexi¡¯s life.


    She had been staring at her feet, focused on moving them through the snow, and now looked up. They had reached the edge of a cliff, and Lexi could see massive icebergs floating hundreds of feet below them in a vast sea. The wind blew in their faces, but without snow before them to whip up into a frenzy, the visibility improved. A slender finger of ice-covered stone extended before them like a diving board over the distant water. Or, Lexi thought, like a pier.


    ¡°We need to walk out on that!¡± Pieter said. ¡°You need to hold the railing. Don¡¯t drop the palm tree.¡±


    ¡°You go first!¡± Lexi screamed, not trusting anything about this arrangement.


    ¡°No. You go first.¡±


    She growled. Even out here, where she was barely clinging to life, he didn¡¯t trust her. Didn¡¯t he understand she still needed him? ¡°Fine!¡±


    Metal poles four feet tall rose from the side of the pier with a slim rope stretched between them. She stepped onto the icy finger and reached for the rope with her free hand. Her foot landed first, and it slipped out from under her, giving her a terrifying look at the violent waves crashing into the cliff face below her before her hand clasped onto the rope in a death grip.


    Instantly, she was stabilized. She could feel the magic working between the ice and the railing. Slick surfaces weren¡¯t common in the game, and few people took or had the Grip feat, which improved your ability to perform actions on poor footing. Depending on what you wanted to do, you needed to roll a high enough number not to fall. Lexi figured this pier was enchanted to -30 or something worse, preventing anyone from even being able to walk on it.


    However, as a big cat, she had an advantage. Claws extended from her toes and gripped the ice firmly. She took another step and didn¡¯t fall.


    {You saved that time,} James said in her head. {You don¡¯t need the railing if you don¡¯t want it.}


    ¡°Where have you been?¡± she asked as she moved slowly onto the icy walkway. ¡°A little guidance would have been nice.¡±


    {I¡¯m sorry, Dear, but I can¡¯t see anything. You must be in a private zone. I am uniquely in the computer, so I can see your dice rolls, but I don¡¯t know where you are. I see you are taking cold damage each round, and you just failed a roll on a slick surface, so I assume it is icy.}


    ¡°A bit,¡± she replied. Thanks to the violent wind, she knew Pieter couldn¡¯t hear her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the mage moving out behind, one hand firmly on the railing while the other clutched a penguin. She looked forward and down, seeing she had miraculously maintained her hold on the palm tree. ¡°Any idea what I am holding in my left hand?¡±


    {It¡¯s not magical,} James said. {I don¡¯t know its purpose.}


    The pier was only thirty feet long and ended in a sharp drop over the edge. Lexi wondered how far they had to go, but Pieter kept pushing from behind, so she kept walking, stopping only when she was a few feet from the end.


    ¡°Now what!¡± she cried when the mage got close.


    ¡°Now we wait,¡± he said, close enough to her that he didn¡¯t need to shout.


    ¡°Wait for what?¡±


    ¡°For our request to go through. Don¡¯t worry. The Admiral owes me a favor. This shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    Lexi frowned. ¡°And if the request gets rejected?¡±


    ¡°Then we get eaten. Though, probably just you.¡± He took a step back from her.


    She was about to ask by what, but out here, away from the snow-covered ground, the visibility was much better, and she could look back and see where they had come from. They had been transported into a narrow box canyon fifty feet across, with 30-foot glaciers rising on either side. Perched on the top of the ice walls were a dozen level 20 ice drakes, six on each side. Their eyes never left the players, but they gave no hint of attack for now.


    Lexi could stand and walk on the ice without issue, but running or attacking would require a higher roll that her clawed feet would likely support. Regular players would have to clutch a random figurine in one hand and the railing in the other while trying to fend off massive flying creatures. They would be dead in seconds.


    ¡°Why do we have to come out here?¡± she asked, motioning to the narrow band of ice and stone that supported them.


    ¡°They don¡¯t process the request until we are at least halfway onto the pier,¡± he replied.


    ¡°And what does this do?¡± She opened her left palm to reveal the tree sitting on her hand. As she did, biting cold struck her soul, and her health plummeted. The wind nearly ripped the item from her fingers, and she gripped it tightly again.


    {Whatever you just did,} James said. {Don¡¯t do it again.}


    Knowing she had learned the hard way, Pieter didn¡¯t answer her question.


    ¡°How will we know when our request has been approved?¡±


    The mage started to answer, but a motion from behind spun Lexi back around. She almost fell, but her toe claws gripped the ice, and her right hand was still firmly latched to the rope. A travel node had sprung up from the end of the pier.


    ¡°You can use this one,¡± Pieter said, getting up close behind her. ¡°Get us out of here. There should be only one available destination.¡±


    She activated the node, and the two players disappeared.

 Chapter 5: Overton

    Lexi materialized before another cliff, but it was far more serene this time.  She stood on a grassy hill above a gently sloping terrain overlooking a bay.  To her left and right, the land curled around the body of water, fjords carved into the perimeter, creating a mesmerizing series of inlets and waterways that extended toward the horizon.  A river snaked toward the sea a mile away, ending in a dramatic waterfall, crashing and splashing on several outcroppings before reaching the bottom. Giant birds soared overhead, riding the chaotic air currents flowing off the diverse landscape.


    And it wasn¡¯t cold.


    ¡°Don¡¯t stare too long,¡± Pieter said, coming up behind her but still unwilling to pass in front.  ¡°Remember, we¡¯re late.¡±


    Lexi was about to ask where to go but saw the lone guard standing before a hump in the land 30 feet from the cliff edge.  A wooden door led into the berm.  No other buildings were visible.  Lexi would have guessed that a location this secret would have warranted more security.  However, the difficulty in getting here probably filtered out unwanted guests.  She looked behind her, toward the west and the setting sun.  The lush green carpet extended forever, and anyone taking the long route here would be visible for a while.  Of course, that assumed this location was on the main continent.  They might be on a distant island, and getting here without travel nodes required a boat.


    The guard greeted them with a nod as they approached but didn¡¯t step aside to let them in.  ¡°Clothes, please,¡± he said.


    Lexi was initially confused but then remembered she was still wearing fur.  She had to go into her inventory to get her wrap back.  Despite Pieter¡¯s reluctance to make himself vulnerable to her, she did it regularly.  Once she was properly attired, the guard moved to his left and opened the door.  Lexi led the way without being prodded, eager to finally see their destination.  She wasn¡¯t disappointed.


    After descending a few flights of stairs that her directional sense told her must have brought them to the cliff''s edge, the narrow walkway opened to a balcony with nothing but sky and water before them.  Thick rock hung several feet above their heads, but Lexi didn¡¯t want to look up; instead, she leaned far out over the railing and looked down.  The view took her breath away.  Overton was a city built like Minas Tirath, only upside down.  Well, not really upside down, but instead of entering at the bottom of a mountain and climbing level after level built into the side of the rock, they entered at the top.


    Domes, spires, crenulated balconies, and many other features grew from the side of the stone, sloping back and down toward the sea.  The druid had to lean so far over the railing to see beneath her that she felt her balance tipping and held on tightly.  Lexi could see new construction emerging from the stone on either side of the city, but it was already large enough to hold thousands of people.  The eastern-facing structure built into the underside of a cliff face was shaded from the setting sun, but magical lights shone everywhere.  The silver, gold, and gems incorporated into the construction glittered in the fast-falling night.


    Overton was concave along a sloping cliff face, and the circular shape came to a focus at sea level.  The shore was rocky with no beach, but a ringed structure rose near the rocks, which reminded Lexi of when she had visited the Colosseum in Rome.  This stadium wasn¡¯t half destroyed or dilapidated but was lit by the same magical lights and adornments as the rest of the city.  It also wasn¡¯t empty, and cheers and cries rose to meet them from almost 600 feet away.


    ¡°They have already started,¡± Pieter said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Lexi replied.  ¡°We are late.  You might have mentioned it.¡±


    She regretfully turned away from the fabulous view before and below her and hurried into the opening in the rock wall.  Pieter directed her from behind, and they moved quickly through the halls and stairways.  It felt like they were in an ancient castle with all the walls made of stone, but everywhere they went, paintings, hanging rugs, and chandeliers decorated the corridors.  Occasionally, they moved back to the eastern edge of the structure so they could look out a window or over a balcony to get an idea of how far they had descended.


    Lexi had called it a city, but it was built like a massive fortress.  While the halls were meticulously designed and adorned, they were narrow, allowing no more than two people to walk abreast.  Hundreds of choke points were scattered throughout, and no invading army could ever hope to make progress into the structure entering from above.  Plus, it was a maze of identical passageways, most dead-ending into a room or dining hall.  Lexi guessed only one central passage led the whole way down.


    After a few minutes, they encountered servants carrying trays of food, folded sheets, and jugs of water and wine.  No one paid any attention to the players.  If they had made it this far into the city, they had already been scrutinized enough.  They only saw low-level NPCs, and Lexi understood that everyone of importance was down at ground level in the arena.


    They finally exited into the open air, only a few levels from the bottom, where an enormous stone patio greeted them.  It had recently hosted a large meal as dozens of tables were set up, and a swarm of servants cleared the dishes.  ¡°The Grand Dinner,¡± Pieter said forlornly, eyeing the empty serving platters.  ¡°I guess I should have eaten back at the mine.  Best meals I ever had.¡±


    ¡°You lived here,¡± Lexi was just catching on.


    ¡°In another life, yes.  Please, let¡¯s hurry.  Don¡¯t look up.¡±


    Of course, Lexi could do nothing else after that comment.  She nearly fainted from vertigo.  The city expanded up and over her toward the sea, not away and into the cliff like her mind wanted it to.  She nearly collapsed into one of the tables, sending nearby servants scattering.  Pieter gripped her shoulders and lifted her up.  ¡°What did I tell you not to do?¡±


    ¡°Bastard,¡± she said but took a few deep breaths and righted herself.  The direction she needed to go was evident as they could see the upper rim of the arena now.  They descended several more flights of outdoor stairs and arrived at the main entrance to the stadium.


    Now, a guard did bar their entrance as not everyone free to move about the city could enter the arena.  ¡°My name is Pieter,¡± the mage said, ¡°former captain here to attend the Rites of Passage.¡±


    ¡°You are late,¡± the guard said.


    Lexi wanted to say something sarcastic but read the mood and held her tongue.


    ¡°We were delayed at the Pier,¡± Pieter said.


    The guard nodded and stepped aside.  ¡°As a former Captain, you may sit in Box Eight.  Enter quietly.¡±


    Pieter pushed his companion forward, and they walked into the arena.  Lexi had been to a few football matches in Europe; this was very different.  Those stadiums were spread out with enormous fields and seating that climbed away from the pitch at 30-degree angles such that the farthest bleachers almost required binoculars to identify the players.


    This arena was far more intimate.  The lower level was only ten rows, fully encircling the 150-foot diameter ring.  They entered at the top of that level, the seats descending before them.  Pieter steered her to the left, away from the bleachers, and they passed several numbered doors before finding one labeled with an eight.  Upon entering, they were in a private booth with six seats and a clear view of the dirt area below.  To their right, Lexi saw several other private boxes curling around the shape of the ring, most with several people inside screaming at the action below.  The audience on the lower level was also raucous with excitement, and very few of them were sitting.  Above the box seats was a third level that did not fully encompass the arena but was shaped in a crescent, tapering off three-fourths of the way around, leaving a fourth of the lower section closest to the sea open to the air.


    Pieter urged Lexi to take a seat, not wanting to draw attention to their late arrival, and she did, looking finally to the action in the ring.  Not much was happening, which had allowed her a moment to look around.  Two level 12 PCs squared off with a third character lying dead in the dirt.  One wore a dark cloak and held two short swords, while the other was clad in armor with an axe and shield.  They circled each other slowly, walking in opposite directions around the arena''s perimeter.


    The sun only shone on the stadium in the early morning, and by noon, the cliff that loomed above would cast shade, so magical lights positioned above the upper deck lit the battle area, but not completely; a few dim sections remained, and the smaller fighter exerted mana to disappear from view for a few seconds each time he passed through one.  Lexi could see the armored fighter¡¯s eyes glow with a True Sight spell and wondered if the rogue was just trying to get the bigger player to waste his mana.


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    It looked like the two might continue to avoid each other indefinitely, but lighting crashed down from the sky onto the cloaked fighter, marking the taller one as a paladin.  The rogue¡¯s dexterity couldn¡¯t help him save against it, and he lost a third of his HP.  The knight charged, taking a direct path toward the injured opponent.  They traded blows a few times, but Lexi saw the smaller man had no chance.  The paladin had better attack and better defense with his raised shield.  It was over a few rounds later.


    The crowd went wild, and the Paladin took a bow.  He waved to each audience section before turning to the front of the stadium.  Lexi had noticed that the far side without a balcony above it was different than the rest of the arena, with oversized chairs separated from the benches that filled the lower level, but she hadn¡¯t paid close attention.  Now she did.  Men and women sat in padded seats with tables filled with drinks and food.  Most were dressed in ornate robes and dresses, their class a mystery, but one of the men stood in recognition of the fighter and moved toward the ring.  He was massive and shirtless, only wearing a kilt and metal bracers on his forearms.  The most impressive thing about him was the numbers over his head.  When he had been sitting among the other characters, the numbers overlapped, but now Lexi saw them clearly.


    ¡°Forty-eight?¡± she said.  ¡°He¡¯s level 48 with over 2700 HP.  I thought the highest player was 28 or 30.¡±


    ¡°His profile is not public,¡± Pieter said.


    Lexi had played for almost two years and thought she knew all about the game, but she didn¡¯t know what that meant.  She was about to ask, but her husband helped her out.  {In order to enter public areas like Safe Haven or Ironfel or even any of the starting areas, you need to make your character public.  You need to list your name and current level.  You can reveal your class and stronghold location if you want.  Occasionally, people will reach out to other random players if they need a level 16 mage to help them with a quest, but most people keep that hidden.}


    ¡°I know all that,¡± Lexi whispered.


    {Revealing your name and level is the default setting, but you can make it private.  If you do that, you can only visit your stronghold or MIMs, where you won¡¯t encounter other players.  You can invite them into your stronghold or team up with them to go on MIMs, but you can¡¯t enter public areas.  It looks like this Admiral has been leveling up in secret, never leaving this stronghold.  I haven¡¯t heard of a player this high, either.}


    Lexi nodded as she watched the Admiral talk to the victorious player and congratulate him.  They were too far away for her to hear what was being said.  The idea that someone at 48 existed frightened her.  He could walk into Ironfel and own the city in an hour.  No one would be able to stand up to him.  Someone would have to simultaneously summon multiple balrogs to attack him to have any impact.  She knew that once someone reached level 30, a group of players always went after them.  She hadn¡¯t known you could do it in secret.


    ¡°How?¡± Lexi asked, turning to Pieter.


    ¡°The arena,¡± the mage answered, spreading his arms toward the ring.  ¡°That is how.  The Admiral is farming experience points.  He has five captains beneath him.¡±  Pieter pointed to their right at the other boxes.  The two beside them were empty, but the first five had multiple people in them.  Each had at least one player around level 20 and several weaker NPCs.


    ¡°Each of these five captains oversees another five lieutenants.  The lieutenants are all around levels 16-18. They each, in turn, oversee another five players, called grunts, who start at level 1 and climb up to 12.¡±


    Lexi looked from the mage down to the paladin, who was now pillaging the two dead bodies on the field.  He had been at level 12 when they had walked in but was now at level 13.


    ¡°The grunts operate as a party and go through modules and quests together, slowly climbing until they reach level 12.  This usually takes five to six weeks, maybe two months.  Playing in a group is safer, but you don¡¯t get as many experience points since you split them five ways.  Initially, the lieutenant will play with them to teach them the game and usually steals most of the kills.  Once a group of grunts reaches level 12, you have one of these.¡±


    ¡°Rites of Passage,¡± Lexi said, remembering what Pieter had called it.


    He nodded.  ¡°Yes.  Two of the five grunts fight to the death against their Lieutenant, trying to usurp them.¡±  He pointed at the dead player who had been lying there when they had arrived.  ¡°He was probably level 16 or so.¡±


    ¡°And then they fought to the death,¡± Lexi said.


    ¡°Only one person can survive each battle,¡± Pieter explained.


    ¡°You said the grunts were in groups of five.  What happens to the three who don¡¯t fight their lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°One of the other three grunts fights the captain.  And the last two fight the Admiral.  Typically, these fights are scheduled after multiple groups under one captain hit level 12.  So you will have two fights like the one we just saw, where two grunts take on a lieutenant, then there is a fight where two grunts take on a captain, and then as many as four will take on the Admiral.  When the system runs smoothly, there are two to three fights weekly.¡±


    Lexi nodded.  It was a pyramid scheme.  She knew of other advanced players who would pay level 12 characters to kill them and get a million experience.  The Admiral could kill as many as a dozen level 12 players in a week in this setup.  ¡°And everyone agrees to this?¡±


    Pieter nodded.  ¡°Everyone is here voluntarily.  The admiral has computer centers in India, Nigeria, and Thailand, with about a dozen VR units in each.  He recruits the best and brightest college and high school students to play the game.  As you know, you can typically trade one gold in the game for about one Eruo in cryptocurrency.  The grunts get to keep about an eighth of all the loot they earn in the game.  The lieutenant gets an eighth, the captain gets a fourth, and the Admiral gets half.  On your way to level 12, you can usually collect about 100k in loot and gold.  One-eighth of that is just over 12k, which is more than any of those players could make in a year in their hometown.  So even though they get killed and have to start over, it is financially worth it to them.  They can fight with low pain settings, so it isn¡¯t torture.  And if they win, like that knight just did, they can cash in.¡±


    ¡°But the Admiral really cashes in,¡± Lexi said.  There were 125 grunts in this system.  If the Admiral got half their in-game earnings, that was about six million every two months.  ¡°What happens now in this situation?  The lieutenant is dead.  Is the paladin going to be the new lieutenant?¡±


    ¡°It depends; if I had to guess, that woman four boxes down from us is the captain of the lieutenant that just died.¡±


    Lexi looked to their right again.  Most of the players in the boxes were reliving the fight they had just seen, acting out spell casting and sword swipes, but one box was more subdued.  A woman in a tight-fitting dress and lots of jewelry sat silently, looking like her cat had just died.


    ¡°As a former captain,¡± Pieter said, ¡°I still have access to the roster here, and my operator is telling me that this is the second lieutenant she¡¯s lost in a week, and she has another fight coming up.  If her lieutenant loses again, she could be in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Like, she could get kicked out?¡± Lexi asked though she figured it was worse than that.


    ¡°The Admiral would likely kill her.  Having lieutenants lose repeatedly is bad.  It means you replace them with level 13 players with little experience and will likely die in a couple of months when they have to fight two level 12 players.  Some new lieutenants prioritize their own advancement above their grunts, but the Admiral wants level 12 players to kill.  If you take longer than three months to bring a group along, that isn¡¯t good either.  That means you often need to spend excessive time coaching them and not much time advancing yourself.  The grunts don¡¯t have one-on-one operators as we do.  There is one operator for twelve of them; those twelve might often be in seven different squads.  No operator can keep up with that.  They are responsible for keeping the players alive and ensuring they log off and on without frying their brains.¡±


    ¡°Then why would anyone agree to do this?¡± Lexi asked.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Pieter scoffed.  ¡°I was a captain here for three months, got 8 million experience, and about half that much gold.  Captains get first pick of the loot too.  We have to make sure the Admiral gets his half, but he only cares about the value of the items, not what they are.  I had a +2 ring for each ability because I ensured my lieutenants sent their squads through all the different ability trials.  I had a defense for every elemental attack.  I had more wands than I knew what to do with.  And the NPCs . . .¡± Pieter rolled his eyes.  ¡°You can¡¯t trade NPCs for gold, and the Admiral can only have five, so you never had to give those in.  There is this one quest in a forest near Arborton where you can rescue a woodnymph.  She¡¯s generic and doesn¡¯t have great stats, but she has many other talents.  At one point, I had three versions of her.  There was a session where I didn¡¯t leave my bedroom for six hours, and I needed . . .¡± his voice trailed off as he read the disinterest on Lexi¡¯s face.


    ¡°I get it,¡± she said flatly, uninterested in the mage¡¯s sexual exploits.  ¡°There are perks.¡±  She could imagine many more, too, especially if you knew the game.  It was hard to get a well-balanced party together with a tank, a magic user, a healer, a rogue, and a ranged fighter.  But as a captain, you would have five of them at your disposal, and you could send them after anything you wanted.  And dying wasn¡¯t the worst thing.  If you systematically withdrew your gold from the game, turned it into crypto, and kept caches of your loot in chests around the realms, as Pieter had obviously done, you could start fresh at level 1 with a huge bonus.  ¡°How many of the captains are homegrown from the people the Admiral recruits locally?¡±


    ¡°None that I know of,¡± Pieter said.  He motioned at the arena where the paladin was finally leaving, and they were preparing for the next fight.  ¡°I bet that knight has been a grunt for at least three cycles.  I doubt he lasts very long as a lieutenant.  At that point, he will have earned close to 50k Euros in less than a year.  The Admiral will probably graduate him, and he can buy a VR unit on the black market, hire his own personal operator, and play on his own, keeping all his earnings.  The captains are all individual players whom the Admiral recruits.  Few know about this location, and there is a waiting list to be a captain among those that do.¡±


    Lexi nodded and settled into her seat as the next group of fighters entered.  The lieutenant was a level 15 druid, by the looks of him.  He wore a forest green tunic, held a curved wooden staff, and had a falcon on his shoulder.  The two level-12 grunts were a bit harder to discern.  One, a man, held a great sword but wore a wizard¡¯s robe, while the other was a woman with a light scimitar and shield wearing studded leather armor.  Lexi glanced down a few boxes toward the player Pieter had identified as the captain of this group.  She sat on the edge of her seat with a mixture of eagerness and trepidation.  Lexi returned her eyes to the arena to watch.

 Chapter 6: The Arena

    Amara gripped her scimitar tightly as she and Kovogt turned and bowed to the Admiral before their fight.  Behind them, their lieutenant, Igassi, bowed as well.  Amara was careful not to make eye contact with the level 48 player, fearing that her placid demeanor might crack and give away her confidence.  She turned again and stared calmly at Igassi.  The man was not ready for this.  He had been promoted to lieutenant a couple of months ago, having only undergone two cycles as a grunt.  This was Amara¡¯s third life, and she resented the inept druid she had been forced to take directions from.


    In her two previous lives, her lieutenants had wisely passed on a match-up with her, as had Julia, their captain, leaving her to be killed by the Admiral himself.  She had been assigned to different squads in each life with different lieutenants and had never played with Igassi before.  He had been easier to manipulate than her other lieutenants and had caved to her desire to obtain a god.  Deity quests didn¡¯t offer much loot or experience, the only two things this organization cared about, so they were frowned upon, but she had taken advantage of another player¡¯s illness to secure a double shift in the game, meaning she was active when her other party members were not.  Deity quests were meant to be done solo, so Igassi had agreed to let her do one.


    Amara was 16, living in Nakhon Ratchasima, the largest city in the poorest province of Thailand.  Her boyfriend, Kasem, was a digital artist who mostly drew NSFW pictures of anime girls for horny Westerners with nothing better to do with their money.  She didn¡¯t like it, but his income gave him an excellent computer and the best high-speed internet in their neighborhood.  Only in the converted warehouse where the Admiral¡¯s real-world minions logged them in and out of the game was the internet better, but that required a satellite dish on the roof.


    It was hard to find information on the Realms of Infamy, but Kasem could access the dark web, and Amara spent every waking hour she wasn¡¯t in school or plugged into the game surfing on his computer and researching.  Her parents didn¡¯t care what she did.  She got perfect marks in school, not that it was that challenging, and she told them she had a job at a local street market.  She made ten times what a girl her age would generally make selling fish, and she cashed out exactly that much and gave it to her father.


    Kasem had found a vendor in Hong Kong with a VR unit for sale about once a month.  He held a bidding war for it, and the eventual selling price was twice what the artist made in a year.  It was more than Amara had made yet in the game too, but if she became a lieutenant, she would increase her earnings by a factor of five.  She already had a dozen quests picked out for her eventual squad to run through to maximize profits.  They were low on experience, but it didn¡¯t matter if the Admiral killed her for going slow; she would have enough money to make a serious bid on the VR unit and then be set.


    Amara was a natural at the game.  It required high levels of math and logic to understand strategies, but there was also a social aspect that couldn¡¯t be denied.  She binged Western reality shows like Survivor and The Bachelor and understood the game within the game.  She played a tracker, a variation of the ranger class, but played it much closer to a rogue.  It was the only other class in the game that got access to the sneak attack feat for free.  Amara was as silent and deadly in the woods as an assassin in the city streets.


    She had manipulated the operator who ran the game to put her in Igassi¡¯s squad once the player had been promoted to lieutenant, knowing that the forest druid would take them on many wooded quests.  She was right and had banked more loot in this round than in both previous runs through the game.  Igassi and her squad mates were too green to realize she hid most of her items in public areas, only reporting about half of what she found.  It looked to her lieutenant that she didn¡¯t know what she was doing, so he constantly underestimated her and didn¡¯t need that much convincing to let her go on the divinity quest.


    One of the divine boons she had received was a +20 to save against all plant-based spells.  Amara had studied the lieutenant''s attack strategies and knew precisely how he would initiate this fight.  Igassi had no idea that his opening attack would be useless.


    The Arena didn¡¯t have shadows, not really.  Instead, the magical lights produced bright spots evenly spaced around the perimeter.  Between those focused areas of high illumination, the intensity dimmed to about level 12, never enough to hide if someone was looking at you without a bit of mana to help.  Amara stood in one of those dim spots now and had directed Kovogt, the newbie mage she was paired with, to stand an exact distance away.  It was just within the area of Igassi¡¯s largest thorn spell.


    When the Admiral gave the command to start, the level 15 druid had the initiative and cast his predictable opening magic attack.  Before Kovogt could get off his fireball, six-foot-high thorns rose from the arena''s dirt floor in a wide strip, barely encapsulating both players.  Amara imagined most in the crowd thought her proximity to Kovogt foolish.  Had they stood only a few feet further apart, the druid would have had to cast two spells, and one of them might have gotten an attack in.


    Kovogt failed the save, was held Helplessly entangled by the thorns, and began to take damage.  Igassi focused his attention on the mage first.  The druid¡¯s affinity to the woods made him vulnerable to fire, and killing the flame-throwing mage was a priority.  He summoned a swarm of bees to drain Kovogt¡¯s hit points further and stalked toward him with his staff raised.


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    Amara saved against the thorns, maintaining her mobility, but stood still, positioning her arms as if she were securely Grappled.  If Igassi had a personal operator, he would know she saved, but he didn¡¯t.  She still suffered damage, but only half, and she had more health than the mage.  The best part of this attack was that the thorns counted as foliage, and all of her bonuses to stealth kicked in.  Not only that, but the shade from the thick, woody vines swarming around her reduced the light in her area to eight, giving her even more of a bonus.


    The tracker watched Igassi execute several crushing blows against the mage, reducing his health to double digits.  Amara hid, Shadow-Stepped within the thorns until she was directly behind the druid, and performed a sneak attack.  If the druid was using his familiar correctly, the Falcon had the Perception skill to see the attack coming, but the overconfident player kept the bird on his shoulder.  Igassi didn¡¯t have many hit points, and Amara¡¯s violent strike, bolstered by several enchantments on her weapon, took him below half his health.  Even with his significant Magic Defense, he failed the save and fell to the ground, dying.


    Kovogt looked momentarily thrilled until the tracker¡¯s eyes focused on him, and he realized his fate.  With the druid still technically alive, the thorns remained in place, and the mage had no defense against the tracker¡¯s blade.  Two rounds later, the grunt was dead, and Amara turned to finish the druid.


    It was the quickest battle of the day and probably the month, especially since it was an upset.  While the Admiral was impressed, he was not pleased.  He rose from his chair and bellowed for silence in the stadium.  The crowd had gone crazy from the unexpected outcome but quieted quickly.  Amara drove her sword into the dirt and took a knee, bowing before the ruler of this city.  She felt herself leaving combat mode and leveling up but didn¡¯t waste time in her inventory to adjust her stats.


    The Admiral transported himself to the middle of the arena, and Amara didn¡¯t look up.  ¡°Julia, get down here!¡±  His massive voice echoed through the stadium.  The grunt guessed that the captain didn¡¯t have the magical ability to transport herself like the Admiral had, but if she knew what was good for her, she would take the damage from the lengthy jump without thinking.  Julia was a level 22 bard with a perfect combination of rogue, mage, and fighter abilities.  Her songs were even pleasant to listen to.  As much as Amara envied the more experienced player, she was glad their positions weren¡¯t reversed.


    ¡°A-Admiral,¡± she stuttered, her beautiful voice sounding like a child¡¯s.  ¡°I have no excuses for my lieutenants¡¯ performances this day.  I have failed you and promise to do better going forward.¡±


    ¡°It seems we had this same conversation a week ago when another of your lieutenants lost embarrassingly.  You had a chance to make a change, but you haven¡¯t.  Now, three of your lieutenants are green, and I believe a fourth is also a former grunt.  This is unacceptable.¡±


    Amara didn¡¯t dare look up to see the faces of the two players, but she stole a look to the side to see the crowd on the first level.  They were smart enough not to yell their opinions and potentially drown out anything their master might say, but almost to a person, they all had their thumbs pointing down in classic Roman gladiator style.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Julia quavered, knowing her hope was slim.  ¡°I can change.  I just need the right players.  This tracker proved more than capable just now.  I am sure I can shape her into the best lieutenant in the city.¡±


    ¡°Her name is Amara,¡± the Admiral said.  ¡°I¡¯ve fought her twice.  Her skill should reflect well on you, but since you apparently don¡¯t even know her name, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re not responsible for that.  She is far too good to be chosen in a fight like this.  If I were her captain, I wouldn¡¯t let any of my lieutenants face her alone, much less with a partner.  No, you failed for the last time.¡±


    Boos started to circulate through the crowd now, kept to a low murmur so as not to drown out anything the Admiral might say.  Julia tried to ignore them.  ¡°Admiral Koll,¡± she said, her voice taking on a melodic tone.  Amara was shocked that the bard would try to use magic on the man, but the younger player guessed the woman had nothing to lose.  ¡°Darius,¡± she continued, daring to use the Admiral¡¯s first name.  ¡°We are above this type of brutal display.  You don¡¯t want to have to replace a captain, do you?  Yes, I¡¯ve made my mistakes, but I understand the gravity of the situation, and I will do better.  Please,¡± her voice lowered to almost a whisper, ¡°let¡¯s discuss this further in private, away from this circus.  I¡¯m sure we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement.¡±


    Amara felt dizzy from the heavy dose of mana in the bard¡¯s voice and had to put her fingertips on the dirt to keep her balance.  She expected the Admiral to reach out any moment and snap the captain¡¯s body in half, but it didn¡¯t happen.


    ¡°As you wish,¡± he finally said.


    The tracker felt a rush of magic from right beside her, and both players vanished, much to the crowd''s disappointment.  The boos grew louder but turned to cheers as Amara stood, spun around, and lifted her arms triumphantly.


    <hr>


    In the box seats, Lexi sat back and let go of a breath she hadn¡¯t realized she¡¯d been holding.  Though not as vocal as the crowd, she had looked forward to seeing what the Admiral could do with his bare hands against a level 22 player fully equipped.  ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she asked.


    Pieter shrugged.  ¡°Sometimes he gives the crowd what they want, and sometimes he does his own thing.  It keeps them from growing complacent.¡±  She waited for him to elaborate, but he didn¡¯t.  Instead, he rose.  ¡°Come, if we want an audience with him, we should be first in line.  None of the other captains will want to talk with him right after a performance like that.¡±


    ¡°Do WE want to talk with him?¡± Lexi asked.


    ¡°That is why we are here,¡± he said, extending his arm toward the back of their private chamber.  She shrugged and led the way out.

 Chapter 7: The Admiral

    Pieter directed Lexi around the middle level of the arena as the crowd slowly filtered out. NPCs made up most of them, with a few players thrown in. Lexi had been expecting a bunch of clones, figuring this location probably spawned three or four different types of characters, but almost everyone she saw was unique.


    ¡°Where did all these NPCs come from?¡± Lexi asked, maneuvering skillfully through the crowd at a perpendicular angle.


    ¡°With five captains and 25 lieutenants, there is room for 150 NPCs.¡± Pieter wove through the gaps created by his nimbler partner. ¡°Grunts aren¡¯t allowed to keep NPC companions, but they earn them from generic quests and then pass them on to their lieutenants. When you work for the Admiral, you must make this location your stronghold and keep all your companions here. Attendance to the Rites of Passage fights is mandatory for all captains, lieutenants, and NPCs.


    ¡°Players like you and I might prefer unique NPC companions acquired from SIMs, but low-level grunts will never earn one of those. Besides, the Admiral has additional motivation for having a full house like this. He¡¯s a gladiator. I think he is up to level 25 or something. In order for a fight to advance your level, it needs to be before an audience of at least 100 characters. NPCs count. Plus, fighting PCs is worth double, and fighting more than one at a time increases their value exponentially.¡±


    Clever, Lexi thought. She knew most players rarely advanced past level six of an occupation, which was enough to get three free feats. At level 25, the Admiral would have earned nine feats, and as a gladiator, they would all be combat-based.


    The pair made their way around and through the exiting crowd until the bay was visible before them. The cliff''s shadow extended far out onto the water, but the distant horizon was still bright. Lexi checked and saw that the local time was just past 7 p.m. The rest of the crowd headed back into the city for whatever nightlife activities it offered. Lexi was curious but stayed focused on their mission.


    At the head of the stadium, directly behind where the Admiral and his small entourage had sat, stood a massive mansion. It was the only waterfront property in Overton, with the rest of the dwellings built into the cliff wall behind and above them. Lexi imagined the Admiral could access the arena directly from his home, but she and Pieter needed to exit the stadium, walk through a manicured garden with exquisitely sculpted yew and boxwood trees, and approach through the home¡¯s main entrance along the waterfront.


    Two silver golems stood at attention on either side of the brick archway, and Lexi wasn¡¯t confident she wanted to test them. She hesitated momentarily, but Pieter pushed her forward. ¡°I have a ring,¡± he replied. ¡°They¡¯ll let us through.¡±


    Lexi took a deep breath and walked between the seven-foot-tall statues. She swore they flinched but didn¡¯t attack, and the pair walked into the central courtyard. More flowers, shrubs, and trees decorated the landscape, illuminated by magical lights hanging like Japanese lanterns. Pieter shoved her toward the large, marble-inlaid double doors, which stood beneath a short awning supported by two Roman pillars. The style of the house was all over the place, with Greek, Italian, Asian, and South Pacific influences.


    They stepped up the few stairs leading to the main doors, the bay now behind them as they had walked around the massive home. Lexi hadn¡¯t even reached for the brass knocker when the door opened, revealing a stout hobgoblin butler. Lexi barely needed to break stride and stepped into the house. It was odd to see the monstrous creature wearing a tuxedo, his unruly tuft of hair combed as neatly as possible, but she tried not to stare.


    ¡°Captain Pieter,¡± the butler said, his diction perfect. ¡°So good to see you again. It has been some time. We got your message. The Admiral is just upstairs completing some business. He will speak with you in a moment. Do make yourself comfortable in the sitting room. I believe you know the way.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Fester,¡± the mage said, again pushing his companion in the appropriate direction.


    Lexi thought the caution this man showed by never letting her out of his sight was far beyond what was necessary. Yes, she was several levels above him, and any physical combat they might have would be one-sided, but it made no sense to double-cross him until they got the PCs they needed. And even then, he knew far more about the Cave of Wonders than she did. She had chosen him to join her on purpose.


    They walked toward a massive, curved staircase that led up to the second floor. A female tiefling with impossible proportions in a tiny French maid outfit appeared as if from nowhere at the foot of the stairs. She held a tray of drinks and appetizers, offering it up to them as they approached. Lexi had been told to make herself comfortable, so she took a glass of wine and popped two truffles in her mouth.


    Her bare feet sunk into the plush carpeting as she climbed the stairs, careful not to leave greasy fingerprints on the railing. She didn¡¯t think the game accounted for that, but she had been in equivalent estates in Paris, and not touching things was a force of habit. Once at the top, balconies to the right and left led to a series of bedrooms, but Pieter guided Lexi straight ahead.


    At the end of a short hall, tall wooden doors stood to their left while a large sitting area with couches and chairs opened to their right. Lexi reclined on one of the daybeds, nursing her wine glass while Pieter stood beside her.


    They didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The doors opened as the Admiral pulled with both arms and stepped out of the room, revealing the chamber behind him. Lexi rose from the couch on instinct, careful not to spill her drink, and stood at attention beside her companion. The colossal fighter only wore a knee-length kilt, boots, and bracers. He didn¡¯t even support any jewelry. She initially thought it foolish but guessed one of his gladiator feats must allow him to equip what he needed when necessary.


    Lexi¡¯s eyes drifted past him to the room he had just left. At first, it looked like an office, a massive desk dominating her view, sitting beneath an open skylight. Behind it, a breeze fluttered curtains, closing off access to a balcony that looked out over the water. The druid gasped when her eyes moved to the left, and she saw a bed twice the size of a king, the sheets slightly ruffled. Lying on top was the form of a naked woman, her back to the open door.


    Lexi smiled. Of course, Julia would try to negotiate that way. At first, the druid thought she must have been successful and was now only basking in the afterglow. But her level and HP were missing from above her body. The captain was dead.


    ¡°Ah, Pieter,¡± the Admiral said once he stepped clear of the doorway. He left the portal open, fully aware of Lexi¡¯s prying eyes. ¡°You always make life interesting. What brings you back to my home? And with such a unique associate.¡± His eyes made contact with Lexi, and she was forced to pull hers from the dead to PC to return his intense gaze.


    Lexi could feel the power in this man and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her,¡± he said, his voice low. His head barely moved a millimeter toward the open door and the former captain beyond. ¡°Only fools end up like that. Though, she was right about one thing. Singing was the second-best thing she could do with her mouth.¡± He paused for effect. ¡°And she was an excellent singer.¡±


    {He is forcing you to make continual dice rolls to avoid being Intimidated,} James reported. Lexi often forgot he was there. {You have failed them all. Badly. Don¡¯t try anything. He has so many critical advantages on you that he could Stand his Ground against one of your best attacks and knock you unconscious without lifting a finger.}


    Lexi smiled. An NPC would be quaking in fear, but PCs were allowed to retain their motor skills despite the banes. ¡°Too bad,¡± she said, sipping her wine. ¡°I would have loved to hear her.¡±


    The Admiral smiled in return and reached his right hand back slightly, his fingers poised to pick up a drink that wasn¡¯t there. But then it was. The tiefling maid stepped out of a dimensional door in the precise location she needed to be, and the big man¡¯s hand closed on a red wine goblet. As he lifted it from the tray, the maid disappeared.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to call in a favor,¡± Pieter said, breaking up the one-sided staring contest.


    The Admiral laughed. ¡°Really.¡± He stepped back so he could see both players at once.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Pieter said, refusing to be intimidated, at least appearing so. Lexi guessed he would also fail any saving throws the fighter forced him to make. ¡°After I gave you the axe, you insisted that if there was anything I needed, I shouldn¡¯t hesitate to ask. I am here to ask.¡±


    The Admiral stopped laughing and grew stern. ¡°Do we need to have a seat?¡± he asked, motioning to the open door behind him as he took a drink of wine. Two chairs sat before his desk. Any negotiation in a room with a dead level 22 player would tilt the scales toward the fighter. As if he needed the help.


    ¡°No,¡± Pieter said. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t take long. I assume you will scrap Julia¡¯s division.¡±


    The Admiral nodded, his face unreadable.


    ¡°That will be how many grunts? Twenty-one? And a few lieutenants? You wouldn¡¯t take them all on, would you?¡±


    ¡°The most I do at a time is six,¡± the man nodded. ¡°But I won¡¯t scrub them all. Her fifth lieutenant is a competent level 16 player from the States, and he can keep his squad. I like what I¡¯ve seen from the tracker you just saw, and I will promote her, but the rest can go.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Pieter paused as either he or his operator did the math. ¡°You will kill 19 of them. You get six and the rest . . .¡±


    ¡°Just ask your question.¡±


    ¡°We would like two of them, preferably a priest and a rogue, and they must be level 10 or above.¡±


    The Admiral nodded. ¡°I was going to have a grand melee. I haven¡¯t done that in a while.¡±


    ¡°You still can,¡± Pieter said. ¡°Eleven is a good number.¡±


    ¡°When ten of them are at level 2?¡± the big man countered gruffly.


    Pieter shrank back involuntarily, and the Admiral cooled quickly. ¡°Will they survive?¡± he asked, referring to the players the mage wanted.


    ¡°No,¡± Pieter said.


    ¡°Will they feel pain?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± Pieter replied cryptically.


    The Admiral frowned. ¡°Where are you taking them?¡±


    ¡°To the Cave of Wonders.¡±


    As the Admiral laughed, Lexi turned to her partner in shock, amazed that he would reveal their plan to him. {I don¡¯t think you can lie to this man,} James piped in. {At least not successfully.}


    ¡°A little pain,¡± the big man repeated mockingly. ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t remember what the third stage is?¡±


    ¡°We have a plan for that,¡± Pieter replied.


    The Admiral looked suddenly sober. ¡°Yes, but you would have to, wouldn¡¯t you? After all, you are only asking for two players.¡± He turned to Lexi. ¡°Do you know what he is getting you into?¡±


    The druid smiled. ¡°This is all my idea,¡± she responded.


    He laughed. ¡°Then, does he know what he is getting into,¡± he asked, nodding toward Pieter.


    ¡°Enough,¡± the mage said, raising his voice as high as he dared. ¡°We know what we are doing. Will you help us, or will you go back on your word?¡±


    The look the Admiral gave the mage at the potential accusation could have melted steel, and Lexi was worried she would need to find another partner, but the fighter calmed just as quickly and slumped his shoulders in defeat. ¡°Fine, but now you owe me a favor.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this make us even? The axe I gave you is the best in the game.¡±


    The Admiral shook his head. ¡°Yes, it is, but is it worth two million? That is what I am giving you. Two players at level 12. I don¡¯t have any at 10.¡± Pieter started arguing, but the bigger man silenced him with an upraised hand. ¡°What I want from you,¡± he turned to look at Lexi, ¡°from either of you, assuming only one of you makes it out, is something from within the cave.¡±


    ¡°If we touch anything but the lamp . . .¡± Pieter started, but the Admiral silenced him again.


    ¡°I know how the module works. But once you get the lamp, surely you can swipe something else on your way out. Anything, I don¡¯t care. A sapphire, a sword, a golden fork. Anything.¡±


    Pieter took a few deep breaths and nodded. ¡°Very well. If we can.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± The admiral turned as if to speak with someone else, and Lexi saw the hobgoblin butler appear from nowhere. ¡°Fester,¡± he said, ¡°escort them to the barracks and tell Vincent I am allowing these two to take Ezra and Caylee on a little adventure. Hopefully, you won¡¯t need more authorization than that. If you do, let me know.¡±


    The butler nodded, made eye contact with the two guests, and led them back down the stairs.

 Chapter 8: Scarabs and Tigers

    Ezra was an elven rogue, slender, tall and dark-skinned. He lived on the outskirts of Kano, Nigeria. He took a bus every morning into the city where his mother thought he worked at an architectural firm since that was what he had studied in college, but he had been recruited into the game two months ago and enjoyed this much better. This was his first run through the game.


    He was a rogue specializing in pick-pocketing, trap detection, disarming, and moving about silently. He came from the same squad as the first fight Lexi and Pieter had walked in on. The paladin and rogue who had killed their lieutenant and then fought each other had been teammates. It didn¡¯t make sense to have two rogues in a squad of five players, and Lexi better understood the lengths to which Julia had mismanaged her players. Still, the rogue she had seen fight in the arena had specialized in sword combat, while Ezra carried a bow, so their skill sets didn¡¯t wholly overlap.


    Kaylee was a plump halfling. She had a similar background to Ezra, though she lived in Dharavi, just outside Mumbai, India. She was also a college graduate with a teaching degree specializing in math. When her school had closed due to monsoon flooding, one of the Admiral¡¯s recruiters found her and invited her to play. Her school had reopened, but she hadn¡¯t gone back. This was her third life in the game.


    Kaylee played as an offensive priest and aligned herself with a succubus demon, allowing her to drain life and mana from her targets and cast various offensive spells. She would get access to Demon Fire at level 15 and hoped that this alternative quest would mean she wouldn¡¯t be killed at level 12 like usual.


    Pieter still insisted that Lexi lead their group, and, for a change, she knew where they were going now. She had researched the Cave of Wonder but had spent most of her time focused on the fourth stage. The first three stages were easy enough to pass: sacrifice one of your PCs and move on. Some players debated that there must be an alternate way to proceed, and if you did find another way, that might open up further possibilities for the final stage. Lexi didn¡¯t think so. Gaining a lamp that would grant three wishes was powerful enough to require sacrificing party members.


    While she hadn¡¯t studied all aspects of the module equally, she knew enough about the early stages to navigate the group successfully to the proper location. They traveled to Agrabah, a place designed as a stereotypical Middle Eastern city from hundreds of years ago set in the desert. It had drastic wealth inequality, with a massive palace and oasis-style gardens in the middle surrounded by one-story huts and shacks filled with market stalls and street urchins. Dozens of mini-quests accommodated any player''s style and desire, and Kaylee was especially eager to pursue them. Since this was Ezra¡¯s first play through the game, everything was new to him, but squads working for the Admiral were typically kept away from public areas like this.


    Lexi squashed her dreams of exploration, saying they could return here after their mission, but time was of the essence, and she escorted them around the southern edge and to the east, away from the setting sun. They were a few kilometers into the desert when the sun finally sunk below the horizon. One of the reasons Lexi had decided to play as a half-elf was for the night vision. The elf rogue and halfling thief shared that ability, but the human mage lit a magical torch.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the nest''s exact location,¡± Lexi said.


    {I can tell you,} James said in her head but then quieted as he realized she wanted Pieter to start making decisions. Lexi and James had discussed this plan before today, and they both agreed it was important for the mage to feel essential to the success of this mission. In a way, he was.


    ¡°Not too much further,¡± Pieter said, the excitement in his voice evident. Lexi knew this module had been the player''s passion for some time, and she hoped that eagerness would inspire him to act rashly. He had certainly been over-cautious up till now.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done this before?¡± Kaylee asked. She held a medium shield on one arm but kept the other hand empty for spell casting. ¡°What should we expect?¡±


    It had already been established that neither of the players had seen the movie Aladin, and the module varied so much from the Disney account that watching the movie hardly helped.


    ¡°Soon, we will encounter a nest of giant scarabs,¡± Pieter advised. ¡°Given our levels, there will be at least three. We need to kill two. I recommend Lexi take on one while we handle the others.¡±


    Ezra looked at the level 18 character. ¡°What are you going to fight it with?¡± The inexperienced player had the most equipment of all of them. In addition to his bow and arrows, he had several knives strapped to his legs, a short sword on his hip, and several pouches on his belt. Lexi guessed they were for potions, gems, scrolls, and other magical items. That was in addition to the armor, boots, gauntlets, helmet, cloak, and jewelry he wore. Lexi looked naked by comparison.


    ¡°I¡¯ll fight it with my teeth and nails,¡± she said playfully, curling her fingers at him and growling like a cat while still in human form.


    ¡°She¡¯s a druid,¡± Kaylee said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. She¡¯ll be fine. What about you?¡± The priest and rogue had not been in the same squad. ¡°How are you going to fight one? Those arrows don¡¯t look powerful enough to pierce an armored shell.¡±


    ¡°At least I have a weapon; you don¡¯t even . . .¡±


    ¡°Silence, fools!¡± Pieter scolded in a harsh whisper, but it was too late. The sand around them quivered and shook as three massive bodies, each the size of a compact car, rose from the desert floor. Sand flowed off their hardened shells like water off a turtle¡¯s back. Their blue-black carapace blended into the night sky, and their pincers snapped like claps of thunder in the still air. The group was surrounded, the result of approaching the nest too noisily. Getting a sneak attack on the beasts was possible, but the grunts had blown it.


    ¡°Lexi, take the one . . .¡± Pieter started, turning toward the druid. All he saw was a pile of white fabric and a streak of spots and fur racing beneath one of the giant beetles.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    The druid loved fighting as a fully transformed cat, and since these creatures didn¡¯t have magical attacks, she didn¡¯t need to maintain any of her human qualities to access her Wisdom¡¯s saving throws. The scarab she targeted snapped down at her but had no chance of hitting the elusive leopard. Instead, Lexi sped directly under the creature, her low profile fitting below its armored abdomen. The beetle shifted its six feet, trying to scamper about to keep the cat from getting behind it, but Lexi was already through to the other side, pivoted, and jumped onto its back.


    The scarab rocked and bucked, dipping its legs to one side and then the other, trying to throw the heavy cat from its back, but Lexi utilized her Grip ability and maintained her balance perfectly. She dug her claws into the crack just above the main shell and held on, knowing the violent ride wouldn¡¯t last long. While waiting, she cast a Strength boon, her muscles tightened, and her grip on the beast below increased.


    When the beetle settled for a moment, she buried her claws even deeper under the edge of the exoskeleton and heaved back with all her strength. The scarab cracked open like a freshly boiled lobster, revealing a slimy, grayish interior. Her leopard appetite wasn¡¯t picky, and her face dove down, jaws open. The game simulated the strategy by reducing the scarab¡¯s armor to zero, and the bite attack plummeted the monster¡¯s health below half, slumping it to the ground in a death spiral.


    Lexi restrained her animal instincts and halted her gory feast to look up and check on her companions. They weren¡¯t doing as well. Pieter might be a veteran in the game with easily twice as much play time as Lexi, but he was only level 13 right now. The scarabs had miserable Wisdom scores, so their Magic Defense was terrible, but they made up for it with massive bonuses to Damage Reduction. Kaylee hit the first beetle with fire and lightning, but each spell did minor damage. Ezra¡¯s arrows bounced off the beast¡¯s armored plating, and he carelessly got too close to the second scarab and was crushed for a round before being tossed through the air.


    Pieter kept his distance, letting the fodder play their role perfectly, but he did pull a green wand from his robes and cast acid on the nearest monster. It didn¡¯t do much damage, but it pulsed each round afterward as the creature continued to fail the saving throw and ate away the insect¡¯s shell.


    Kaylee pulled a single-use item from her pouch and summoned a meteor the size of a soccer ball from the sky that exploded into the back of the injured scarab. Its armor cracked in half, and the flaming stone buried into soft flesh beneath. It was still on its feet, but Ezra shook the cobwebs from his head, pulled himself from a dune, and found his arrows now did damage.


    Lexi ignored the injured creature and turned her attention to the final monster. Within seconds, she was atop its back and executing the same devastating attack as on the first. Her foe was dying in the sand before the other trio felled their opponent. However, they fully killed the scarab, its body dissolving into magic and sinking into the sand, leaving behind a single golden orb the size of a tennis ball.


    To their left, Lexi¡¯s first kill finally expired and did the same thing, leaving an identical jewel behind. Pieter collected the items and began to move away from the battle scene. ¡°What about the third one?¡± Kaylee asked, turning to watch the last beetle¡¯s health drop. Ezra stood off to the side, drinking a healing potion.


    ¡°We only need two,¡± Pieter advised. The excitement of the battle made him momentarily careless, and he started tracking toward the next module stage before he searched out Lexi. The druid had transformed slightly, remaining 75% leopard, but she stood upright and had a more human face. The rest of her body was covered in fur and spots. She paused momentarily to retrieve her discarded clothing and placed it in her inventory.


    ¡°You make a better scout,¡± Pieter said, waiving his arm forward in the traditional gesture that meant ¡°After you.¡±


    Ezra wanted to say something since he usually filled the scout role in his squad, but he was too entranced by the lithe form of the leopard woman walking toward the head of the group. Plus, he didn¡¯t know where they were going.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never actually played this module,¡± Lexi said.


    ¡°That should only be an issue if your operator is a fool,¡± Pieter replied.


    The druid winced as she realized she had played that angle a little too hard. It was easy enough to plead ignorance while they had been in the Admiral¡¯s domain. No walkthroughs existed of that city. Luckily, her moment of regret was masked through her feline features. Instead, she only shrugged and led the group along. Kaylee was last in line as she had waited for the final scarab to die and snagged the orb.


    <hr>


    After another 15 minutes, they arrived in a deep valley before an impressive sand dune. As they drew closer, the golden gems in Pieter¡¯s hand began pulsing with energy. Without an operator to guide you, the orbs acted as locating devices, coming alive as you approached the cave. It required a little mana to initiate, and after Pieter filled them, they rose out of his hand, spiraled up into the air, and flew forward, imbedding themselves into the dune.


    Kaylee trailed the group, finding it hard to keep up with her short legs. Once the mage activated his pair of orbs, hers disappeared from her hand.


    The sand shuddered before them, cascading down the slope as a much larger beast than the scarabs rose from the desert floor. The glowing orbs became its eyes as the sphinxlike head emerged, stretched to an impressive height, and settled down before them, its mouth agape with golden light pouring out. It was a tiger head as large as a building, the rest of its body still hidden beneath the sand. The group could see stone steps angling down the creature¡¯s throat but nothing further.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ezra asked.


    ¡°The Cave of Wonders,¡± Pieter said, his pulse quickening.


    ¡°Is it safe?¡± Kaylee asked. ¡°Will this creature eat us if we go inside?¡±


    ¡°Only four may enter,¡± the mage explained. ¡°Any more or less than that, and it will reject you. We will be fine.¡± He turned to Lexi. ¡°Especially with a cat in the lead.¡±


    ¡°This is a tiger head, not a leopard,¡± Lexi said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Pieter said. ¡°I had always thought it was a panther.¡±


    She couldn¡¯t tell if he was lying, and it didn¡¯t matter anyway. She was going in regardless. Resuming her role as lead scout, Lexi moved up to the massive mouth and gingerly stepped inside.


    She couldn¡¯t.


    [Incompatible Settings.]


    {It looks like you need to crank all your settings to maximum,} James advised. {No mercy in this module.}


    Why hadn¡¯t she seen that in the research she had done? Of course, she had been focused on the last trial.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Kaylee asked, seeing the struggle on the druid¡¯s face as she tried to step inside the tiger¡¯s mouth.


    Lexi didn¡¯t answer right away and looked toward Pieter. The mage¡¯s eyes were just rolling out of his inventory. He had taken this distraction to change his settings safely. He smiled at her, obviously knowing what type of game alert she had received and what her operator was likely telling her. When the Admiral had asked if his players would feel pain, Pieter had responded with, ¡°A little.¡± The big fighter had laughed. Now Lexi knew why.


    She sighed, changed her settings, and relayed the information to the two grunts. They were smart enough to understand the gravity of the situation but were here under the Admiral¡¯s direction and had learned to obey his orders.


    Once she was finished, Lexi tried again, and her pawed foot broke the plane of the stone cat¡¯s lower lip and came to rest inside its mouth. Nothing happened. The teeth remained motionless on either side of her, rising from the ground and hanging from the ceiling. She took another step inside, and nothing continued to happen. She breathed a sigh of relief and proceeded downward. The rest of the group followed.

 Chapter 9: Sacrifice Accepted

    The initial stairway emptied into an impressive treasure room. Piles of gold and jewels lay along the cavern floor with a clear path between them. The mounds of riches rose well above ten feet and produced their own light as the room glowed brightly.


    ¡°Is this what we came for?¡± Ezra asked, his voice coming in gasps. Lexi assumed it was more wealth than the man had ever seen in the game or otherwise. It was the most she had ever seen, and her husband had been a millionaire.


    ¡°No,¡± Pieter said. ¡°Don¡¯t touch anything. I assume we can take some of this when we leave, but we are all dead if you touch it now.¡±


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± he asked.


    Lexi was also curious. She knew the next step but didn¡¯t know how Pieter would convince one of the players to sacrifice themselves.


    ¡°Up ahead are two golems,¡± Pieter explained. ¡°They each hold massive rubies in their hands. We need those stones to get through a portal further on. It requires a successful pick-pocket check to remove them. You have that skill, right?¡±


    Ezra nodded.


    ¡°Good, that is why you are here. I expect your cooperation if you want a share of this treasure.¡±


    The rogue nodded. Pieter turned to Lexi and motioned ahead of them through the winding path between the mounds of gold. It was only another minute before she drew up sharply; just around the next turn, behind the large pile of gems and coins, stood the two golems guarding the exit. She knew they wouldn¡¯t activate until someone tried to move between them, but she didn¡¯t know how Pieter wanted to play it.


    ¡°The golems are just ahead,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Pieter said. ¡°They won''t hurt us. We just need to take the gems.¡±


    Ezra rounded the corner in the path to see what he was up against. The statues were each shaped like a half-monkey, half-man creature with their hands cupped before them and a ruby the size of a pineapple resting in their palms. They flanked the exit to the cavern, an arched passage four feet wide and seven feet tall.


    ¡°I just need to get the rubies?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t need to sneak or fight anything?¡±


    Pieter nodded. ¡°Just the rubies. It isn¡¯t a hard check. Pickpocketing isn¡¯t a common skill, so it isn¡¯t difficult.¡±


    Ezra nodded, swallowed hard, and crept forward. The light from the gold ensured he couldn¡¯t hide in the shadows anyway. The monkey golems stared straight ahead as he approached, with no hint of motion. They were fifty feet away, and Lexi¡¯s stomach turned with each step the rogue took. She felt sorry for him. Unlike the rest of them, he hadn¡¯t died yet, and it was always an alarming sensation when it happened for the first time. Now, with his pain settings cranked to maximum, it would be even less pleasant. He might not ever want to log in again.


    The golems were just under six feet tall as they crouched on squat stone pillars, and the rogue could almost look them in the eyes. He resisted that urge and activated his thieving skills as he tentatively reached for the first ruby. As soon as he touched the gem, the golems reacted. The first punched him hard in the face with its suddenly animated stone fist. He flew the short distance to the second monkey creature, who Grappled him by securing his arms in his massive hands. With a howl, the second creature ripped the limbs from his body.


    Ezra screamed in pain but was quickly silenced as the first creature slammed its fists down on his head, and he crumpled to the floor in a bloody mess. It took less than two complete rounds, and the golems were back on their perches, holding their rubies as before.


    ¡°Sacrifice accepted.¡± The voice was deep and guttural, resounding through the player¡¯s souls.


    Kaylee barely heard it because she was screaming.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Pieter shouted. ¡°Get a grip! He made a mistake. I never said the mission wasn¡¯t dangerous. You¡¯ve seen someone die before in this game.¡±


    Kaylee tried to stop screaming, but it took a moment. Lexi tried not to laugh at the halfling¡¯s squeaky voice. ¡°That was . . . You didn¡¯t say . . . His screams were . . .¡±


    ¡°What did you think would happen if he failed his pickpocket check?¡± Pieter replied. ¡°Come. We are wasting time here.¡±


    Lexi and Pieter walked forward, but Kaylee didn¡¯t move. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I will not go with you. No treasure is worth that.¡±


    Pieter sighed. ¡°You were both going to be killed in the arena,¡± the mage argued. ¡°You know that. I am giving you a chance for a different fate.¡± He motioned to the loot surrounding them. ¡°I will split this with you, and you don¡¯t have to give half to the Admiral.¡±


    ¡°Gold is useless to me if I¡¯m dead. And with my settings turned up, any fate in this cursed cavern is worse than I would have faced in the arena.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t fail in your task,¡± Pieter said.


    Lexi saw the light go on in the halfling¡¯s eyes at that comment. The priest didn¡¯t have an operator. She didn¡¯t know that Ezra hadn¡¯t failed a roll. There was no check to be made. If you touched the rubies or tried to step through the archway, the golems killed you. Warriors far more potent than Lexi had attempted to kill the creatures, and they all ended up like the rogue: a pile of bloody body parts on the floor.


    Lexi sensed a spell from the halfling as she looked hard at Pieter. ¡°What is my task?¡±


    As a druid, Lexi had sensed the magic. As a mage, Pieter probably knew what the spell was, or, at least, his operator would. Lexi could probably guess. The two characters were only one level apart, and she didn¡¯t think Pieter could defeat a truth spell from the priest. If he lied, she would know it. With the first stage cleared, she could turn around and walk out of the cavern.


    ¡°Shortly after we leave this cavern,¡± Pieter started, speaking evenly, ¡°we will come upon a field of lava. Sticking up from the molten rock are short pedestals we can jump between. They eventually get pretty far apart, and you might need help, but with Lexi¡¯s aid, you should manage. One of these landing spots is actually the blunted horn of a demon, waiting just below the surface of the lava. As a priest, you will be able to detect which pedestal that is. Then we won¡¯t have to jump on it and be eaten.¡±


    Lexi was impressed. From what she knew about the module, that was entirely truthful. She turned to look at the halfling. The priest was aligned with a demon. Detecting another¡¯s presence would be as easy for her as sensing the spell she just cast was to Lexi. ¡°And beyond that?¡±


    ¡°The third trial is especially terrible,¡± Pieter was forced to admit, ¡°but you don¡¯t need to worry about that. Lexi is in charge of passing that one. If you succeed in the next few minutes, I promise you won¡¯t have anything else to worry about.¡±


    Lexi knew that the priest was receiving game information, telling her everything the mage said was accurate. Kaylee sighed and nodded. ¡°Very well, but if I sense that either of you is lying to me or operating deceitfully, I can defend myself.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Pieter said. ¡°Shall we continue?¡±


    Kaylee looked at the gruesome scene before them. The golems still guarded the exit. ¡°Don¡¯t we still need the rubies?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Pieter said carefully. Since the rubies would have never helped them anyway, he needed to be careful what he said. The priest¡¯s truth spell would last an hour if they didn''t enter combat mode. ¡°Ezra¡¯s death served as payment to exit.¡± He left it at that, and Kaylee accepted the answer.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The two taller players stepped over the dead rogue first, and the golems made no move against them. The halfling tried to jump over the pool of blood and barely made it. Lexi sighed. Kaylee would definitely need help during the next stage.


    <hr>


    The walk to the next section took a few minutes through dark, cobweb-filled passages. The interior was built in the classic dungeon style, with large stone blocks paving the floor and lining the walls. Several jutted at odd angles or were chipped and broken away, implying incredible age, but Lexi felt confident the digital environment wouldn¡¯t collapse on them. However, no one had ever passed the module before, and in the movie, the cavern did self-destruct to a point.


    The druid put those thoughts out of her mind as they approached another giant cat head with its mouth open and a glowing light beyond. The illumination was more orange than golden this time, and with her environment settings cranked to full, Lexi could feel the heat washing over her like a sauna. She shortened her fur to adjust to the temperature.


    ¡°Another tiger?¡±


    Lexi turned around to see Pieter walking beside Caylee. The mage had asked the question, but the druid was focused on the halfling. No, it wasn¡¯t a tiger; it was the gaping jaws of a cheetah. This next stage required speed and agility, while the first required strength to fight off the monkey golems. Surly Pieter knew that, but if he was lying, Caylee would have been alerted and reacted. Lexi saw no indication from the priest.


    {I don¡¯t think he knows,} James said, interpreting his wife¡¯s reaction. {You are a bit obsessed with cats, dear. What is obvious to you might not be to others. The walkthroughs don¡¯t mention the type of cats represented in the cave.}


    Lexi understood. And, with the mouths of the cats stretched so wide open, it was hard for her to tell the difference. She didn¡¯t respond to the question, assuming it was rhetorical and not wanting to give the mage any additional information. Instead, she focused on Kaylee and pushed the narrative Pieter had initiated. ¡°Do you sense anything?¡±


    The halfling nodded. ¡°There is heat ahead, but it is not demon fire. Still . . . there is something.¡±


    ¡°We will take it slowly,¡± Lexi said, motioning for the shorter player to move beside her. The pair stepped into the open cheetah mouth and proceeded down the glowing tunnel, the heat almost overwhelming.


    They emerged on a cliff edge a few seconds later, overlooking a massive lava field roughly the size of a football pitch, including the sidelines. Roughcut stairs led 30 feet down to the edge of the pool. Stone pedestals stuck up out of the lava like hexagonal lily pads. They were numerous near the shore but decreased in number as they traveled across the expanse until, at the far side, there was only one clear path to take. Also, the close pillars were short, barely poking out of the lava. As they traveled across, they grew in height, forcing the player to jump up and over. This was necessary because the distant ledge stood at least 20 feet above the level of the lava.


    Players had tried to fly across the field, but traveling over the lava anywhere but above the pillars resulted in geysers of molten rock shooting into the air to knock trespassers out. Even if a player successfully navigated the assault, the demon on the far side still leaped out of the lava and ate you.


    Lexi¡¯s eyes focused on the last pillar before the far side. It wasn¡¯t made of stone but polished ivory. Several of the taller pedestals were made of marble, and it was hard to tell the difference if you didn¡¯t look for it, but she had seen several videos of players leaping toward the last pillar and it rising out of the lava as the broken horn of a massive demon. She didn¡¯t look forward to seeing that sight up close but trusted the module would follow its usual rules.


    ¡°There is something out there,¡± Kaylee said after standing still for several moments. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt anything like it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Lexi said, starting down the stairs. ¡°Then it should be easy to detect.¡±


    ¡°But . . .¡±


    ¡°No buts,¡± Pieter said, coming up behind her. ¡°Get moving.¡±


    Now that they had passed into the second stage, the cheetah''s mouth had closed behind them, and there was no way back to the surface until they dealt with this level. Kaylee couldn¡¯t have gone back if she wanted to. Reluctantly, she followed Lexi down the stairs.


    The stepping stones were shorter, closer to shore, and smaller, only a foot in diameter. The druid stepped out onto the first one, her leopard paw taking up little room, and she hopped lightly from one to the next. Kaylee thought to follow her exact path, but the stones the taller woman had stepped on sunk out of view after only a few seconds.


    The halfling was forced to take an alternative path. The first few steps were easy for her short legs, but as the pedestals rose, she needed to concentrate harder to make each jump. By the fifth step, she took too long, and lava washed over her current location, burning her boots and dealing significant damage to her health. With her pain settings turned up, she screamed in agony.


    Lexi was beside her in a flash and heaved her off the sinking pillar. As the stepping stones got taller, they also got wider, and the two players could squeeze onto a single platform. ¡°You need to be faster,¡± Lexi scolded. ¡°Besides, where is your fire protection?¡±


    The priest let loose a string of curses aimed at the druid as her feet still burned. Since the halfling was aligned with a demon, she had harm spells, not healing, so Lexi cast a spell on her to repair the damage to her feet. Likewise, Kaylee could deal fire damage but not naturally protect against it. She had a ring for that and dumped enough mana into it to last ten rounds.


    The pair had spent too long on this pedestal, and it had sunk almost to the level of the lava, leaving them with a challenging jump up and forward. It was no problem for Lexi, and she hauled the halfling behind her. They moved effectively through the field of pillars now, jumping from one to another. To keep the ruse up, Lexi asked the priest if the demon was directly ahead of them or if the next pillar was safe. After a moment of contemplation, Kaylee always gave the affirmative.


    Once they were over halfway, their number of choices dwindled, and the distance they needed to jump became too much for them to do it together. Instead, Lexi cast her strength boon and allowed her right hand to resume its five-fingered form. After confirming the next landing spot was safe, the druid threw Kaylee to the target and then jumped afterward. The halfling almost lost her balance, but Lexi arrived in time to catch her.


    Afterward, every pillar was slightly larger, though the height and distance also increased, so the flight was farther, but Kaylee adjusted and didn¡¯t fall off. Soon, only three more landing zones remained before the far cliff wall marked the edge of the lava pool.


    ¡°It is close,¡± Kaylee said, concentrating longer than usual.


    ¡°But not the next one?¡± Lexi confirmed. She looked over her shoulder and finally saw Pieter making his way across the stones. He had to wait until the end because he needed a running start to make the later jumps, and he didn¡¯t want to run into the two women.


    ¡°No,¡± Kaylee confirmed. ¡°Nor the next one.¡±


    Lexi threw the halfling toward the pillar, jumped after her, and threw her again. Even before the halfling landed on the tall post almost six feet in diameter, she cried out in terror. ¡°It is here! The next one is alive. We can¡¯t go on!¡±


    Lexi alighted gracefully next to the priest and hoisted her by the back collar, preparing to throw her again. ¡°No!¡± the smaller character said. ¡°You can¡¯t. It will kill us all!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Lexi said. ¡°Only you.¡± Despite their level difference and the druid¡¯s massive Magic Defense, she didn¡¯t want to take any chances and heaved the diminutive character toward the last pillar before the priest could muster an attack spell.


    Lexi was prepared to backflip off the platform to the previous one if a fire attack came her way, but Kaylee wasn¡¯t coordinated enough to prepare the spell, and since she was flipping through the air, there was no guarantee which direction it would go. But primarily, the priest didn¡¯t get off an attack because she froze in terror as soon as she started her flight toward the ivory post.


    The horn¡¯s base was connected to the red skull of a demon so enormous it would give Godzilla nightmares. The massive creature rose from the lava like a bodybuilder climbing out of a swimming pool, molten rock flowing off its red skin pulled tight over huge muscles. The single horn extended from the middle of its forehead above a devilish face, smiling with a mouthful of wicked teeth. As soon as it appeared, everyone in the cavern needed to make a Death Save against its fearful aura. Lexi failed barely and was shocked for a round. James informed her that Pieter and Kaylee had also failed and were paralyzed.


    The demon only emerged from the lava up to its abdomen, but the top of its head was still 50 feet high. It caught the flipping halfling with its mouth like popcorn tossed in the air. The demon¡¯s appearance only lasted one round ¨C six seconds ¨C and it sunk back into the lava until its single horn stood proudly fifteen feet before Lexi.


    ¡°Sacrifice accepted.¡± The raspy voice echoed through the cavern.


    Once the demon was gone, Lexi¡¯s shocked condition ended, and she leaped toward the horn, trusting the module was reliable. The landing spot stood rock-solid beneath her, and she didn¡¯t waste time jumping to the relative safety of the far shore. Once on solid ground, she turned to watch Pieter follow behind.


    The pillar he had been paralyzed on had sunk too far to proceed safely to the next pedestal, but he was still short of halfway and could jump sideways first and then advance. The unathletic character needed to keep up his momentum to complete each jump successfully, and toward the end, Lexi didn¡¯t think he would make it, but he pumped one of his items with mana and cleared the last three gaps easily.


    The two players regarded each other without speaking. They had both been responsible for killing one of the players. Death was common in the game, even expected. And these players had signed up to play, knowing they would be killed at level 12. Still, it was different, and they weren¡¯t so cold-hearted as to not realize it. But they weren¡¯t finished and continued to the next stage.

 Chapter 10: A Diamond in the Rough

    The next cat head was a lion, a male lion.  Its billowing main was exquisitely carved in high relief against the cavern wall.


    Pieter and Lexi paused, knowing the portal was another threshold.  They could turn back now.  Enough pedestals remained above the lava for them to traverse the pool, and each head they had passed through should be open for them.  Some players had even said they¡¯d been able to snag a few gold coins from the initial treasure piles on the way out before the tiger head snapped shut and trapped them inside.


    Lexi didn¡¯t know what Pieter was thinking.  She guessed he was trying to figure out the right time to double-cross her.  He was a control mage.  He specialized in summoning minions or controlling other characters to do what he wanted.  He relied on pumping his Spell Difficulty to maximum.  The problem was that Lexi was five levels above him and had an immense Magic Defense.  He wouldn¡¯t be able to charm her with his magic, or if he tried, it would only be for one round.


    He had the control wand, and Lexi knew it would defeat her.  But it was an item that could only be used once per day.  He needed to save it for the right moment.  The only time that made sense to her was after she passed the final stage and had the lamp.  If she wasn¡¯t fast enough, he could control her, force her to give him the lamp, and then have her jump into the bottomless pit.  But to cast a spell on her any sooner than that would be stupid.


    Then she wouldn¡¯t pass the final level for him; she would kill him if he didn¡¯t kill her.


    Lexi didn¡¯t know what the mage was thinking, but she knew the thoughts that ran through her mind.


    Perhaps she was the only one who saw the connections with the cat heads.  This was a male lion.  Male lions didn¡¯t hunt; the females did.  The male only ate once the prey was killed.  In the next room, you only got the prize once the other player died.


    Male lions did fight; they protected pride against rogue lions and other single predators.  At this point in the module, the party would always comprise two people.  And once you knew the room¡¯s secret, they often fought to the death, or at least to submission, to decide who got the prize.


    Lexi didn¡¯t know which aspect of a male lion the stage best fit, but she was willing to credit the module designer with either one.  She glanced at Pieter and guessed he might not be thinking about anything other than waiting for Lexi to enter first.  She did.


    This area didn¡¯t glow; instead, it was a large circular room with a high ceiling.  It reminded Lexi of the Arena, only smaller.  A closed cat head sat at the 2 o¡¯clock position, waiting to be opened.  Opposite, at the 10 o¡¯clock position, was a much smaller adjoining circular room fifteen feet in diameter.  In the center of the chamber was a large bowl of sand sitting on a pedestal resembling a bird bath.


    Lexi moved into the center of the room and waited for Pieter to join her.  Once the mage stepped inside, the lion¡¯s head closed its mouth.


    The cat head within their room came to life and spoke with the cavern¡¯s deep voice. ¡°Only one may enter here.  One whose worth lies far within.  Seek ye out the diamond in the rough.¡±


    The head grew still, and the players shifted their gaze to the small adjoining chamber.  The sand in the bowl shimmered and flowed apart in the familiar image of something rising into view.  It was a diamond, larger than any in the real world, about the size of a grapefruit.  The task seemed simple enough.  Enter the small room, retrieve the diamond, and pass through the last portal.  But it was a trap.


    The first few players who had attempted this module had fought over the right to get the diamond and proceed.  Later players who understood the trap fought to see which would be forced to get the diamond.


    Pieter looked at Lexi carefully, both hands hovering over pockets in his robe where he kept defensive items.  Lexi would have the initiative here and could attack first, but the game would give Pieter a chance to defend himself.  The standard defenses of Dodge, Parry, and Raise a Shield wouldn¡¯t work with the mage not having skill in any of those, but he could cast a defensive spell like Stone Skin or Mirror Image.  Her attack would fail, and then he would use the control wand.


    But the druid didn¡¯t attack.


    Instead, she became vulnerable by going into her inventory and producing the two essential items.  She placed the goblin figurine on the floor, filled it with mana, and stepped back.  Magical green and yellow sparkles swirled above the statute as it grew and came alive.  After six seconds, the lights fell, revealing a goblin in a hula skirt, covered in tattoos, and holding a spear.  The creature emerged from a daze, looked around until he found Lexi, and bowed before her. ¡°My Mistress, what do you desire?¡±


    Lexi took the necklace she had acquired from the Torrintank Keep module and placed it on the goblin¡¯s head.


    Then she stepped back and muttered to James. ¡°Is it working?¡±


    {You know it isn¡¯t going to work,} he responded.  {What do you want me to say?}


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to fake a conversation with your operator,¡± she whispered in reply. ¡°Experienced players see right through it.  So, I thought we¡¯d have a real talk.¡±


    {Alright.  What do you want to talk about? You¡¯ve been amazing so far.  The way you fed that halfling to the demon was top-notch.  Bloody brilliant.  Way to go.  Oh, and you look smashingly beautiful.}


    ¡°That should be enough, dear.¡± Lexi turned her gaze to Pieter and smiled. ¡°It¡¯s working.  This will work.¡±


    ¡°The game sees him as a PC now?¡± Pieter asked.  His eyes flitted between Lexi, the closed mouth behind her, the goblin kneeling on the ground, and the diamond resting on the sand to his left.  If the game thought there were three PCs in the room now, how would it react?  Would the mouth scold them?  Would the diamond sink back into the sand?


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    ¡°Rise, my servant,¡± Lexi commanded the goblin, not allowing Pieter to think through the situation.  ¡°Retrieve that diamond and bring it to me.¡±


    The goblin stood, turned to see where his master pointed and nodded. ¡°My pleasure.¡± He walked toward the chamber.


    ¡°No,¡± Pieter said.  ¡°Wait!  Are you sure it¡¯s working?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lexi said. ¡°My operator can see his character sheet.  He is listed as a PC.  Would you like to join my party so you can see?¡± Lexi went so far as to invite him to her party formally.


    Pieter was assaulted with too much information at once.  He stood at the room¡¯s 9 o¡¯clock position, directly in front of the diamond¡¯s chamber, while Lexi was closer to 5 o¡¯clock.  It looked like his operator was talking to him non-stop, probably saying they couldn¡¯t confirm anything.  His eyes circled around the room, looking for signs that the game was alerted to the trickery.  And now, an alert flashed before his vision that Lexi was inviting him to her party.


    He quickly dismissed it and saw that the goblin was almost to the chamber. He¡¯d seen what happened to PCs that entered that room and wanted nothing to do with it.  He stepped toward the center of the room but kept his eyes on the goblin.


    He turned his back on Lexi.


    The leopard pounced.


    The druid was fully transformed into a cat when her front paws hit the mage¡¯s back high on his shoulder blades.  Pieter was thrown from his feet and smashed face-first into the stone floor.  He instinctively struggled against the leopard''s weight, but it was a foolish move.  He failed miserably, giving Lexi several critical successes to work with.


    ¡°I knew it,¡± Pieter said, blood running down his face. ¡°I knew I shouldn¡¯t have trusted you, stupid bitch.¡±


    ¡°A bitch is a female dog,¡± Lexi quipped, transforming her mouth into a human to talk. ¡°And I am not the stupid one here.¡±


    ¡°Does the medallion even work?¡±


    Lexi shifted her mouth back, bit a tuft of the mage¡¯s unkempt hair, and pulled his head unnaturally back so he could look forward.  The goblin walked into the chamber, and . . . nothing happened.  He wrestled with the diamond, but it didn¡¯t budge.


    It wouldn¡¯t move until a PC touched it.


    Lexi released Pieter¡¯s hair so she could talk.  His face slammed back into the floor, and he broke his nose.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it works if you code it for the right character.  It is coded for Gromphy.  My goblin isn¡¯t Gromphy.  Plus, you need to charge it with mana, and we couldn¡¯t figure out how to do that.¡±


    ¡°When I start over, I will hunt you down,¡± Pieter said, blood running down his lips.  ¡°I¡¯ll come back as a ranger just so I can fill your body with arrows. I¡¯ll find the most powerful canine companion out there and . . .¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Are you going to forget about Jace?¡±


    The mage growled, and she laughed.  He continued to curse her, but Lexi ignored it.  She had about 30 seconds of Pieter in a Helpless condition and didn¡¯t want to waste it bantering.  Once the time was over, he would be upgraded to only Grappled, allowing him to do things that took one action.  All his wands required an entire round so he would still be defenseless, but she didn¡¯t want to underestimate his resourcefulness.


    Lexi opened up his inventory.  As expected, it was filled with items she couldn¡¯t use: wands, scrolls, and magical items that needed to be out of your inventory to be helpful.  As a leopard, she couldn¡¯t wear pouches or pockets, and going into your inventory during battle was a bad idea.  There were two things she wanted, though.  She took the cat¡¯s eye necklace that would give her control of his mine and the obsidian ring that allowed access to Overton.


    Everything else could be deleted with the mage.


    She left his inventory and bit down on the back of his collar.  The leopard hoisted his body off the ground like a mother carrying a kitten.


    She dragged the man toward the chamber and tossed his body inside.  As Pieter crossed the curved threshold of the smaller room, adamantium bars slammed down over the opening.  The mage regained mobility as soon as he was released, but instead of trying to cast a spell or pull a wand, he crawled over to the goblin and took the necklace from him.


    The small room took two rounds to activate.  First, it dispelled all magic in the chamber.  If Pieter had a defensive spell active, it ended.  Then, it cast an anti-magic shield, preventing any further spells from being released.  Other players reported each were level 99 spells preventing anyone from defeating them.


    Pieter got to his feet, walked over to the impenetrable bars, and gripped them tightly, preparing himself for what lay ahead.  Lexi saw the strange amulet around his neck and wondered what he was up to.  She took a step back but forced herself to watch till the end.


    Slender spikes the diameter of pencils shot out from the wall randomly, skewering both occupants.  The goblin cried in pain, but Pieter gritted his teeth and refused to break.  One of the metal shafts took him in the side, while another had exploded his kneecap.   Two more penetrated his ribs.


    Each did eight damage.  The damage could not be resisted or absorbed into another device like a ring or totem.  Pieter had 195 hit points.  This was going to take a while.


    The spikes retracted into the walls, then shot out from entirely different angles.  He was hit in the foot, elbow, thigh and wrist.


    He didn¡¯t lose his grip on the bars or his smoldering gaze at Lexi.  Thankfully, the goblin took a hit to the neck, and his high-pitched screaming ended.


    Round after round, it continued.  Blood poured from the open wounds as his health dropped by 32 every six seconds.  After the sixth round, he tried to talk, but a spike had already hit him in the throat, so it came out in a hoarse whisper.


    ¡°I . . . will . . . find . . .¡±  A steel shaft slammed down through the center of his skull, and he fell to the ground dead.


    Lexi shuddered.  The sight of the human pincushion would have likely haunted her dreams for years, except this is how she spent her nights,


    This game already was her dream.  And she didn¡¯t have ¡°years¡± left.


    The goblin had died several rounds earlier, and when the chamber detected that both characters were dead, a swirl of black mist filled the circular room, disintegrating everything until the space was empty.  Empty except for the diamond sitting on a pile of undisturbed sand.


    The adamantium bars lifted into the ceiling, and the chamber was open again.


    ¡°Sacrifice accepted.¡±


    Taking a deep breath, Lexi returned her body to a 50/50 mix, stood erect, and walked into the room.


    Nothing happened.  She reached out with both hands and took the massive diamond.


    Still nothing.  She exhaled.


    ¡°Being greedy does not make one worthy,¡± the cave¡¯s voice said.


    {Right,} James mocked.  {You¡¯re as generous as Mother Theresa.}


    ¡°I do believe most of this was your plan,¡± she said. ¡°Recruiting Pieter was your idea.¡±


    {Touche, dear.}


    Lexi didn¡¯t want to argue; she was just happy it worked.  She stepped out of the chamber before the module changed its mind and moved to the center of the larger room.  The lion¡¯s head was open behind her, and she could see the distant glow of the lava field.


    She could leave now but couldn¡¯t take the diamond with her.  It was a level 20 item, and some players had tried to quit while they were ahead, but the game wouldn¡¯t let you walk back through the lion''s mouth with the diamond in your inventory.  You could drop it on the floor and leave, but nobody wanted that.  No, she turned instead to move further into the module.


    She walked up to the closed mouth and raised the diamond before it.  The jaws opened wide, and she stepped through.


    It was a leopard¡¯s mouth.

 Chapter 11: Stage Four

    The last stage was unique to the previous three. Lexi exited the tunnel into a strange, elongated corridor. Everything previously had felt natural, built from stone and shaped in traditional medieval styles. This felt digital, like a loading program in the Matrix. She stood on a ledge fifteen feet wide from the stone wall behind her to the infinite drop-off before. The floor was polished marble and extended to her left and right indefinitely. It looked infinite, but she knew from the walkthroughs that you found a transparent, impenetrable wall if you walked far enough. It felt like she was a tiny mouse standing on the edge of a mile-long countertop.


    The drop-off before was also not technically infinite. Those unfortunate souls who had fallen said a portal 200 feet down instantly transported you 100 feet back up. So, while it felt like you were falling forever, you were instead falling the same 100 feet repeatedly. Those who had been forced to unplug while falling suffered from severe vertigo. It was recommended you take a suicide potion with you. Lexi didn¡¯t have one.


    The goal was to jump on the rugs floating out over the expanse before her. Sixty-four carpets hung suspended over nothing, arranged like the squares of a chessboard. The rugs weren¡¯t squares but rectangles, six feet long and three feet wide.


    Orthogonally, the rugs were orientated 12 feet apart from center to center, with their long edges parallel to the chasm''s edge. Jumping to the first row from the marble floor was only six feet, something any player could do. Jumping between rugs from left to right was also six feet. Leaping toward the far edge was nine feet, which would be tricky for shorter players but still possible.


    In her leopard form, Lexi could jump 59 feet from a standstill and 69 with a running start.


    To clear the entire chasm to the far ledge was 96 feet. Flying was disabled in this cavern, and every player that had tried a grappling hook, path of ice, or any other way to cheat had been thwarted. The far side was also smooth, polished marble, and nothing would stick to it. You needed to jump from rug to rug and work your way across.


    The trick was knowing which rug to jump to. If you jumped on the wrong one, it disappeared, and you fell forever. Each one had an image in the middle. Right now, the symbol looked similar to a US penny, and almost all of the rugs she could see were heads. She couldn¡¯t see the distant row. You needed your operator to help you.


    {I count 58 heads,} James reported. He could zoom out and see all the rugs at once, and since he was an AI operator, he could count them instantaneously.


    According to the reports she had read, the first number was always large. It had to be. The module couldn¡¯t expect players to jump directly to rug 34 in the middle. It was determined quickly that the numbering started from the far-left rug and worked left to right toward the near side where the player started. The numbers didn¡¯t snake but ended on the right and started up again on the left.


    The far-left column was numbered 1, 9, 17, 25, 33, 41, 49, and 57. Rug 58 was in the closest row to Lexi, in the second column from the left.


    The druid stored the diamond she had just gained in her inventory, changed back to her leopard form, and strolled to rug 58. She knew that once she jumped to it, all the symbols would change, and James would tell her a new number. She would jump to that rug and then get another number. This would continue until the carpets started to fall away. It happened a minute after landing on the first rug. During the first few attempts, players had ignored the lost rug and would last one or two more rounds before their operator gave them a rug to jump to, they landed there, and fell straight through. At first, the operators were blamed for getting nervous and counting incorrectly, but they recorded their sessions, and you could usually see that they had given the correct answer.


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    Then, people realized that the rugs that fell away still had symbols. Since you didn¡¯t know if it was heads or tails, you had a 50/50 shot of guessing correctly. No one could survive those odds after two or three rugs disappeared. All someone needed was to get to the second or third row and desperately jump to the far side. It was an 18 or 30-foot jump, and plenty of players had Athletic scores that high, but no one ever made it to the fourth row. But no one had been a leopard and tried it. They had all been elven rogues or monks.


    ¡°Are you ready to count?¡± Lexi asked.


    {Ready when you are, dear.}


    The druid jumped to the first rug, and the symbols changed.


    {61,} James said.


    Stupid module, she thought.


    That was straight sideways and three rugs away. It was within her stand-still jumping ability but well outside most players. She jumped and knew that Gandhi or a vicious script in the module was considering her advanced skill and level.


    {57.}


    Lexi swore. That was straight back on the other side of the first rug and even further away. She made the jump anyway.


    {49.}


    That was at least in the right direction, even if it was only one level.


    {55.}


    Impossible. No one could make that jump, even with a running start. Lexi was getting a sinking feeling the module wasn¡¯t going to let her win. Instead of giving up, she jumped back to the starting ledge, ran along the length of the chessboard, and jumped to the second row.


    {47.}


    This was ridiculous.


    Each jump was either impossible or so easy Kaylee could have done it. Also, this was the sixth number. Most players never got this high. It took a long time to tally 64 items. Sometimes, the players had two or three operators, each counting different areas and adding up the symbols, but it still took close to eight seconds each time.


    {41.}


    Lexi should have guessed.


    It was nearly the entire width of the board. She spun around, took a massive leap toward the starting edge, and landed on the slick marble, almost sliding into the back wall. She turned right, ran hard, and jumped onto the far left rug in the third row.


    {40.}


    Of course. It sounded close to 41 but was almost as far away as possible. She spun around, leaped back to the marble edge, and ran a reverse course back to the right side of the board. As she did, she saw the first rug she had landed on, 58, disappear.


    {It¡¯s started, dear. I can¡¯t guarantee the numbers anymore.}


    It didn¡¯t matter; she had already decided 40 would be the last one. It was 30 feet to that rug and then 66 to the far side, just within her running and jumping range. The problem was landing and leaping from a surface three feet wide.


    She took a wide running arch toward the chasm''s edge, trying to build as much momentum as possible toward the opposite side. She leaped higher than long, trying not to jump too far. Landing on 32 would be a disaster. But she worked the angles perfectly, her front paws touching down just on the near side of rug 40, which was surprisingly firm for a floating carpet.


    Her hind legs stretched forward, passing her front paws and finding purchase using almost the entire rug width. She pushed off with all her strength and soared into the air.


    The other rugs passed beneath her like dashes on the highway at 100 miles per hour. She made the far edge with several feet to spare, landed on the slick marble, and crashed into the far wall, taking more damage than she wanted.


    {That would have been ironic,} James said in his dry tone. {Clearing the rugs only to die by hitting the wall.}


    It hadn¡¯t been that much damage, but she cast a healing spell anyway. Lexi regained her upright form, allowing her feet to elongate to get better traction on the slick floor. Her claws weren¡¯t digging in. The exit was in the middle of the infinite room, directly opposite the entrance on the other side. The stone arch wasn¡¯t a cat''s head, and nothing could be seen through it as if a black sheet hung from the back side of the opening. Lexi extended her hand into the void, and it disappeared. She felt nothing, no heat or wind. She pulled it back and didn¡¯t see anything wrong with it.


    {I don¡¯t detect anything,} James said.


    The druid shrugged and walked through the door.

 Chapter 12: The Wish

    Lexi emerged from the dark vail into a square, brightly lit room.  It had the same stone construction as the dungeon but felt different.  The previous areas had been given the appearance of age, with many of the stone blocks chipped or shifted out of position.  Everything in this room was perfect.  The space was fifteen feet square; the only exit was behind her.


    In the middle of the room stood a marble table.


    On the table, resting on a purple velvet cushion, was the lamp.


    It was precisely what one would expect if they¡¯d seen any movie or cartoon with a genie.  The golden vessel looked like a gravy boat with a superiority complex.  Lexi allowed her hands to grow five slender fingers to manipulate the object more easily.  It was cool to the touch.  She lifted it to eye level, examining her reflection in the shiny metal, and rubbed it.


    A swirl of gray mist shot out of the narrow spout, moved to the opposite side of the table, and spiraled down to the floor in the rough shape of a human.  Once the fog disappeared, a woman stood silently, observing her.  She wasn¡¯t what Lexi expected, but the druid wasn¡¯t really sure what to expect.  She had been confident it wouldn¡¯t be a Robin William¡¯s clone.  This game was too serious for that, but she expected a little flair or color.


    The ¡°genie¡± appeared as a woman of indeterminant age.  She was bald with bronze skin and wearing white robes.  She reminded Lexi of the Ancient one from Dr. Strange.  Lexi had a hunch.  ¡°You are Gandhi.¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t react, which meant she didn¡¯t deny the druid¡¯s claim.  That was enough for Lexi.  ¡°Of course, who else could grant my three wishes.¡±


    ¡°You know the rules,¡± Gandhi said, her voice even and low.


    ¡°You can¡¯t make anyone fall in love with me, you can¡¯t kill anyone, and you can¡¯t bring anyone back from the dead.  Did I miss any?¡±


    The genie cocked her head expectantly.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Lexi said.  ¡°I forgot the obvious one.  I can¡¯t wish for more wishes.¡±


    The other woman nodded.


    ¡°How long do I have?¡±


    Gandhi smiled.  ¡°Getting here must have been the result of incredible planning.  Surely, you have thought out your wishes.¡±


    ¡°What if the second two depend on the outcome of the first?¡±


    Gandhi nodded.  ¡°You do not need to make all three wishes at once, but you will not leave this room until you make the first.¡±


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± Lexi started.  She waited for a reaction from the game¡¯s AI and thought she detected a slight eye roll.  ¡°He follows a divine being.  I want him to receive a mandatory quest to pit him against the most powerful monster ever created in this game.¡±


    ¡°How powerful?¡±


    Lexi wasn¡¯t sure how to measure it.  She could say level 99, but that might be against the game rules.  ¡°Powerful enough so he will be defeated.¡±


    The genie shook her head.  ¡°I cannot dictate results, especially with that one.¡±


    ¡°Powerful enough to make his defeat extremely likely,¡± Lexi tried.


    Gandhi smiled.  ¡°Nearly every foe he has gone against, including yourself, has had the upper hand against him.  His defeat was likely in all of those encounters.¡±


    Lexi thought the AI was generous, allowing her to adjust her wish.  She didn¡¯t want to waste this opportunity.  She thought a moment and smiled.  ¡°Make the monster powerful enough to defeat the Admiral . . .¡± she searched for his actual name.  Julia had used it.  ¡°Darrius Koll.  Design the monster so it can defeat Darrius Koll.¡±


    Gandhi raised her eyebrows.  That was an interesting twist.  She, of course, had already started fulfilling this wish, putting pieces in motion long before Lexi had even contacted Pieter.  Once the druid had obtained the amulet Gromphy had discarded, the complex algorithms Gandhi ran showed the likelihood of her passing the Cave of Wonders rose high enough that the AI had anticipated this meeting and the type of wish she would make.  It helped to be ahead of the game.  ¡°Is that it?¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Lexi cleared her throat.  ¡°I wish that you give Jace Thorne a mandatory divine quest where he will need to fight a monster with the skills, ability, and power to defeat Darrius Koll.  And . . .¡± she smiled at the genie, ¡°I want to watch.¡±


    Gandhi nodded.  ¡°Granted.¡±


    At the declaration, Lexi felt a distant rumble.  The private room did not shake or show any sign of disturbance, but the sound was like thunder from an approaching storm.


    ¡°You should hurry,¡± Gandhi said, motioning with her head past the druid.


    Lexi turned toward the door; it was still black and void.  ¡°What is happening . . .¡±  She spun back around, but the genie was gone.  The lamp was absent from her hands, but she found it in her inventory.  Another distant rumble sounded, and she raced through the portal.


    Lexi popped out on the ledge of the infinite room.  The stone walls on either side shook, cracks forming in the massive bricks.  Nothing was visible in the black expanse above her, but dirt and debris rained down, threatening the collapse of some unseen ceiling.  Before her, the rugs were gone, giving her no immediate hope of crossing.  But then she saw it.


    One lone carpet remained.  Without the others for reference, she couldn''t be sure, but it looked like rug 40, the last one she had touched.  It was roughly halfway across, and she transformed her body to prepare for the jump.  Dodging falling rubble, she sprinted across the marble landing and leaped toward the floating island.


    As soon as her front paws hit the carpet, she knew something was different.  Before, the rugs had been solid, as if they were wooden boards hovering in the air.  Now, it felt like landing on a taut sheet, and she sunk into the fabric, giving her no firm purchase to push off.  Her feline body crumpled into a ball and almost rolled off the rug, but her teeth bit hard onto the tassels, and she stayed in place.


    Beneath her, the carpet came alive, flexing and adjusting to her weight like an inflatable raft on the ocean.  Lexi felt a connection with it, and since she had no hope of making a second jump from this suddenly unstable platform, she willed it closer to the far edge, and it responded.  The front rose like a rearing horse preparing for a gallop and then shot forward.


    Lexi transformed her body again, giving her hands to hold on to the edge and steer it toward the far side and the arched exit.  Already, the keystone in the center of the doorway had fallen, and more stones threatened to collapse.  Lexi sped through the opening, into the circular chamber, and out the far side.  Behind her, she heard the cacophony of the third stage¡¯s destruction and urged her flying carpet on faster.


    The heat of the lava in the next area was intense, and they raced down the slope toward the elevated edge and then shot over the expanse.  The carpet knew what it was doing and had angled away from the demon horn, flying dozens of yards to one side.  The terrible beast rose out of the lava and waved a massive arm at the streaking object, but it was already out of its grasp.  Because they flew over the open lava, geysers shut up to knock them out of the sky, but the carpet turned and dodged the attacks, forcing Lexi to hold on even tighter.


    They zeroed in on the crumbling exit and streaked through the narrow doorway with inches to spare on either side.  The long passage between the first and second stages was tight, with stones falling all around them, but Lexi was beginning to trust her conveyance, understanding that it knew what it was doing.  She took a few precious seconds to enter her inventory and retrieve her wrap.


    When she emerged, they were passing through the last tight doorway into the treasure room.  The golems were alive and swiped down at the speeding pair, but the monkey creatures were too slow, and Lexi barely registered their attacks.  Instead, as they slalomed through the mounds of gold and gems, she urged the carpet closer to one of the piles and unfurled the large piece of fabric in her hands.  The rug responded, and Lexi scooped up a significant portion of the treasure, swinging the suddenly heavy wrap onto her back like a sack full of presents.


    The added momentum nearly took her off the rear of the carpet as they shot through the last doorway and up the stairs to the final exit.  This passage was closing as the stairs beneath them lay flat.  Lexi urged her new companion on faster, finding the capacity to channel mana within it.  She didn¡¯t hold back, discovering a Haste spell woven into the fabric and activating it.  They sped up the last 30 feet like lightning, weaving through the closing teeth of the stone tiger and tracing a path through the desert sky.


    The massive head came to life and reached up to grab them, but they cleared its snapping jaws with room to spare and circled high in the air to look back on the Cave of Wonders.  Lexi watched the stone head writhe in agony for a moment and sink back into the sand.  Wind swirled, and magic crackled as the desert floor opened up and swallowed the cave entrance.  Within moments, all was still, and the sand dune looked unremarkable.


    Lexi felt the exhaustion within the carpet and guided it to rest on a nearby rise.  It generated its own mana, and perhaps at a slower pace, it could continue flying indefinitely, but it was at its limit now.  Once on the ground, she could store the magical item in her inventory like anything else.  She dumped her stolen treasure inside her character, decided to don her wrap against the cold desert air, and began the slow trek back to the city.

 Chapter 13: Payback

    Ilyich Pieter Sokolov opened his eyes slowly.


    Every part of his body hurt. The skewers had shattered his bones, ripped apart his muscles, and prodded into his most sensitive parts. He didn¡¯t want to move. He didn¡¯t want to get up. But with his eyes closed, all he saw was the feral face of that mutant leopard. So he opened them.


    Irena stood over him. ¡°Oh, my big bear. That was awful. I couldn¡¯t hardly watch. You must be in agony. Here, drink this.¡±


    The beautiful woman held a large tumbler filled with vodka. Ilyich used his aching fingers to operate his reclined chair, and it sat up slowly. He reached tentatively with his other hand for the glass, his elbow and bicep screaming in agony. Once he had the tumbler, his operator could remove the cap from his head, disconnect the IV bag, and turn off several other medical devices.


    The big Russian downed half of the drink in one gulp, the alcohol burning his throat and rushing to numb his extremities. His arthritis had been acting up lately, and this last session would take a while to get over.


    Ilyich was a former KGB. As an agent in his 20s when the Soviet Union fell, he had been resourceful enough to embezzle a fortune and store it in European banks such that he never had to work again, but he had gotten bored. Given his skill set, he joined a software company as the head of security and guarded their intellectual property. Computers had been foreign to him, as they were to everyone in the 90¡¯s, but he had learned quickly and became valuable enough to the company that he earned more than he had stolen. Once the R&D department had obtained a few VR sets, he had taken one and retired.


    Irena had worked in cyber security for the Russian government. He had tried to steal her away to his old company several times, but she was loyal to a fault. That changed when Russia attacked Ukraine, her home country, and convincing her to work on the cutting-edge technology that drove the Realms of Infamy had not been hard. She was a module designer and had several of the most popular MIMs in the game. Most of Pieter¡¯s wands came from her modules. He frowned when he realized he would have to pass them all again. He had lost too many valuable items in that stupid quest. Lexi would pay.


    ¡°Why did you have me put on that worthless necklace,¡± Pieter asked as he downed the rest of his drink.


    ¡°I wanted a better look at it,¡± she said, a slow smile spreading across her lovely face.


    The redhead drove Ilyich crazy. If he were a younger man . . . But she had turned down all his advances. It didn¡¯t help that she had watched all his sexual exploits in the game and wanted no part of that. She didn¡¯t judge him too harshly, but she still said no. It took him a moment to realize her smile wasn¡¯t flirting. ¡°And . . .¡± he prompted.


    ¡°I think I can make one.¡±


    The man sat up a little straighter and stroked his beard. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I know what it does.¡±


    Projects like this always excited her, and she sounded like a schoolgirl, as she explained. ¡°It takes a brain scan and imprints it onto an NPC so that not only does the game see that NPC as a player logged into the game, but if you know the code, you can log in as that NPC. Your brain scan is your user ID and password all in one. Everyone has a unique one. When you log in, the system finds the character in the game that matches your brain scan, and you take control of it. When you create your character, it is imprinted with your ID, and there can never be two identical player IDs in the game. There are spells like Simulacrum and Puppeteer that make an exception, but the game can keep track of those.¡±


    Ilyich nodded. ¡°So that is how Jace is in an orc? He has a module designer that put his brain scan in a necklace and gave it to an orc; then, when he logged in, the game matched him to that orc?¡±


    Irena shrugged. ¡°Something like that. It seems weird that they would have him occupy an orc when he could have been anything.¡±


    The big man sat up straighter as he understood where his operator was going with this. He set his glass on a table beside him and tried to escape the chair. He winced. He wasn¡¯t ready for that. ¡°But you said you can make one. You can give it to an NPC you design, and then I can inhabit it.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how everything will work. I¡¯m guessing we will need access to the location where I put the NPC. Like every magical item in the game, it runs on mana and must be active for you to log in. The NPC can¡¯t just be sitting idle in some unexplored SIM. We¡¯ll have to call one of your buddies . . .¡± they looked at the two empty chairs next to him, both equipped with VR sets. ¡°I¡¯ll design a module with a wizard¡¯s tower, and your friend can climb to the top and meet a powerful level 30 mage who you can . . .¡±


    ¡°Level 50,¡± Ilyich said.


    She shook her head. ¡°Every time I try to make something that powerful, Gandhi rejects it. I don¡¯t know how others are getting their modules approved.¡±


    ¡°They must be more difficult to warrant the prize at the end.¡±


    ¡°But then your friend won¡¯t be able to pass it. What is the highest level of anyone you¡¯ve brought in here . . . eleven?¡±


    ¡°But the wizard won¡¯t need to be a villain,¡± the man said. ¡°Georgio, Ivan, Lev, or whomever we invite doesn¡¯t need to fight the mage. They just need to meet him. Friendly NPCs can be any level without affecting the module¡¯s difficulty.¡±


    Irena scrunched up her face. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do, but it will take a while, and you can¡¯t log in until I finish unless you just want to kill that character.¡±


    Ilyich tried to pry himself out of his chair again and failed. ¡°I probably need a break.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± she said and returned to her computer to put it in sleep mode. ¡°You stay put, and I¡¯ll go see if Olga has kept any food warm for you. I bet you¡¯re starving.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Ilyich was transfixed by the swish of the young woman¡¯s skirt as she left his den and sighed. What he needed was another glass of vodka. But food would do for now.


    <hr>


    Lexi sat at her private table in the back corner of the mine¡¯s tavern. It was her mine. The dwarves had accepted her as the owner once she had presented the cat¡¯s eye gem. The game only allowed her to wear one necklace at a time, but fortunately, there was enough room in the magical stone for a critical protection spell, so she didn¡¯t lose anything by scrapping her old medallion.


    She had also stopped at the item stash location Pieter had shown her. James had been right, and he could review the footage of the mage opening the cave wall, and it only took Lexi two tries to open it. Since it needed to be accessed by a level 1 mage, who often only had less than ten mana, there weren¡¯t many possible combinations. What she hadn¡¯t realized was the chest inside was trapped. She took 100 electrical damage, which would wipe out anyone under level 10 who tried to open it, but she shrugged it off.


    Inside was a collection of rings, necklaces, belts, and earrings. Most of it she couldn¡¯t use, but she found a storage belt that appeared as a simple gold chain worn high on her waist. She found she could store her clothing and several potions, and she wouldn¡¯t have to go into her inventory all the time. It didn¡¯t accommodate weapons or armor, but she didn¡¯t use those. It did hold her new flying carpet, but she wanted something even better for that.


    At first, Lexi had wrapped the stretch of fabric around her waist, and the rug looked like a Middle Eastern maxi skirt. But it wasn¡¯t her style. Instead, she had taken it to a tailor she had met in a module that had taken her two weeks to complete several months ago. She couldn¡¯t find this shop on any of the walkthroughs, so she wasn¡¯t worried about another player showing up to steal her new favorite item. The crafter insisted he could enchant the item with an illusion spell that would make the carpet look like a fashionable gown. She could wear it, throw it to the ground for a single action, and ride it. It would take a couple of days, but she couldn¡¯t wait to get it back.


    The rug acted like a familiar. Before handing it over to the tailor, she had practiced calling it, sending it on errands, and having it carry her through crowded forests and winding ravines. She had named it Persia. It was either that or Doug the Rug. Persia was definitely better. The illusion spell would take up some of its mana capacity, but it was a level 16 item, so it had the room.


    Two dwarves approached her table. She wore an actual dress, cinched tight on both sides with minimal cleavage. Both of her visitors were able to look at her without grimacing. ¡°I¡¯ve brought our smithy, as ye asked, Madam,¡± Drenton said. He was the liaison for the mine owner. He had no authority over the dwarves directly, but he could go places the owner could not and rephrase questions and answers to fit a human player best. He was a level 12 ranger and carried a crossbow most of the time, but Lexi had made a rule that no weapons were allowed in the tavern.


    With him was the mine¡¯s crafter. Lexi had spent considerable time going through the setting of this complex stronghold to learn everything she could about it. It was far more involved than her home in the rainforest. She could allocate resources to certain areas, like giving the workers more food, money, or better tools. She could ask for more guards, which would better defend the mine, but then she would have fewer workers. More workers would produce more iron, but it was a waste without crafters to fashion it into something useful. It was like playing the most complex resource management game she had ever seen. And it was right up James¡¯s alley. After a few modifications, the enterprise''s head smith went from a level 10 crafter who could only make basic weapons to a level 15 NPC who could make just about anything.


    That crafter now stood before her. His name was Bornkel. Lexi nodded toward him in greeting. ¡°I am going to challenge you with this task,¡± she said, ¡°It might be outside your ability, but I want you to tell me what you need.¡± She watched the smith¡¯s eyes light up. He was a character who enjoyed a good challenge. Reaching into her new belt under the table, she put the level 20 diamond on the table.


    Drenton stood back in surprise, but the crafter leaned in. He stepped forward with his hands outstretched to pick up the gem but stopped and looked at his master. Lexi nodded. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    The edges of the diamond were as long as his stubby fingers. He turned it over a few times before looking up at Lexi. ¡°What would ye have me craft?¡±


    ¡°A shield,¡± she replied, ¡°with this diamond in the center. It should be an elemental protection shield, able to absorb fire, cold, lighting, and acid into the gem. Then, once it is full, the user can shield bash their foes and release the energy.¡±


    Bornkel nodded as she talked, understanding everything she said, but his face fell at each new detail. ¡°Aye, that is definitely possible with a gem like this, but not with my skill, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°What do you need?¡± Lexi asked.


    ¡°I need everything, madam. I need the spells, gems, gold, a few rare metals, and most of all the mana. Crafting such an item would take more magic than I could produce in a day, but the crafting spell must be completed in minutes. I¡¯m afraid such a request is beyond the resources of this mine.¡±


    ¡°How much would all the components cost?¡± Lexi asked.


    ¡°Too much, Madam; I know this mine only produces iron, and we cannot . . .¡± his voice trailed off as Lexi produced a large gem bag and plopped it on the table. Precious stones, gold, silver, and jewelry spilled onto the table. It was a small sample of what she had been able to swipe from the cave while escaping.


    ¡°Aye,¡± the dwarf replied, his eyes growing more than before. ¡°That could do it. But I still don¡¯t have the magic. That is something money cannot buy.¡±


    ¡°What if you had help?¡± Lexi asked. ¡°What if this mine had three crafters at your skill? Could you combine to craft my shield?¡±


    Bornkel snorted and tried hard not to laugh at his new boss. ¡°Madam, I try to be humble, but there is not another of my skills on this side of the Iron Mountains. Perhaps if you went 100 miles south, you might find someone in the Goldhamer clan, but they don¡¯t . . .¡±


    Lexi raised her hand to stop him. James had already told her it was possible. It would cost her nearly all the riches she had stolen from the cave, and they would lose half their miners and soldiers, but if she applied the resources correctly, the mine could sustain three level 15 crafters simultaneously. But not for very long, so she needed to get all the resources together first.


    She motioned to the bag of gems, implying that the dwarf should take it. ¡°You get all the necessary ingredients and return to me. I will worry about the crafters.¡±


    The smith took the money and bowed toward her. ¡°As you say, Madam.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± you are dismissed. She watched the two dwarves smiling to herself. The Admiral had wanted an item from the Cave of Wonders. She would give him a shield to match his axe. Then, he would owe her a favor.


    As she thought about this, Ceriph, the Celtigion young woman who still served as the personal servant to the mine owner, brought Lexi her food. The druid smiled at the young woman, and she smiled back. Pieter had never touched her, but the youth hadn¡¯t liked how he looked at her. ¡°Take a break,¡± Lexi told her. ¡°Go down and eat with your family.¡±


    She curtsied. ¡°Thank you, Madam.¡±


    As she watched her go, Lexi realized she had a lot of irons in the fire now. She just hoped she wasn¡¯t over-exerting herself. The druid sat back, ate her food, and tried to think of her second wish.


    The END


    Thank you for reading this story. Please consider favoriting or leaving a good rating if you haven¡¯t already. I have book three outlined and will begin posting soon. Definitely in time for the Writathon in November, if not before.

 Book 3 Introduction

    Introduction


    Welcome to Book Three.


    I¡¯ve been planning this one for a while. It is a bit more complex as multiple things are happening simultaneously. I¡¯ll let the first three chapters spell out the plot, so I won¡¯t go into it here. The writathon in November is my new motivation to write this as quickly as possible. As with my previous stories, this novel is broken into chunks, usually delineated by modules, and I will probably want to completely finish writing one before posting it, so there may be gaps in posting, but the Writathon deadlines will also motivate me.  Follow the story to be notified when I post.


    In the last short story I wrote, I mentioned how I would redesign the characters to make them more different. Below, I will outline some of the changes. None of this is critical to the story, so if you want to skip this and jump to Chapter 1, feel free. But if you are curious about how the game works and like to track the numbers, I will explain some of it below.


    First Jace:


    I¡¯ve changed the format of the character sheet to make it skinnier so that it reads better on a mobile device, I hope. Most of the changes for Jace are in the last section. I wanted each class to have bonuses only they got at levels 0, 5, 10, etc. So, for a Shaman, I made these Totems. Before, these were bonus spells Jace got; now, they are specifically tied to his Shaman class. There is a new one called the Elemental Totem, which lets him have a Stone Elemental familiar who is tethered to the totem by his totem range, which is currently 20 feet per level. Next, he is a Stone Shaman, so he gets bonus Stone-related spells. He already had two of these spells, Summon Stone and Stone Tunnel, but he also has Stone Shield and Stone Skin.


    Stone Shield summons a shield on his arm of any size except Tower. Since Jace almost always uses a 2-handed weapon, he won¡¯t use this often, but I think there are a few times he held a normal shield, and at some point, I will go back and rewrite those sections to show that he summons a stone shield instead.


    Stone Skin sounds like a spell most RPG players would know, but that would be too powerful for Jace and force me to rewrite virtually every battle scene. So, instead of blocking all damage from hits, the stone skin increases his Damage Reduction by his level. At level 17, if he casts Stone Skin, his Damage Reduction goes up by 17, and each time he is hit, a thin layer is removed, and his DR reduces by one. So, after 17 hits, the stone skin would be gone and it would have prevented 17+16+15¡­+2+1 damage, which is 153. Also, because it makes your skin stone, you take half damage from slashing weapons.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    I will eventually go back and rewrite the first book and have him use this spell frequently, but he will learn quickly that his mana is better spent on his Armor and Damage Sink totems and then his Athletic Boon.


    At character creation, Gracie said that Shamans weren¡¯t allowed to be divine. I didn¡¯t do a good job of explaining why, but now I have a better reason. Characters who follow a god or demon get bonus spells or feats at levels 0, 5, etc. Shamans already get bonuses for their class and for their spirit type (Stone for Jace), so to also get bonuses from their god would be too much.


    Esther


    Esther is a Rogue that specializes in combat. So, her Rogue-specific feats are Light Blade mastery. On the old character sheet, she used three level feats to get this proficiency up to Expert, and then she used a Bounty Hunter feat to get Mastery. By giving these feats to her for free, I¡¯ve freed up three level feats, and I chose Damage Training, Proficiency, and Expert. This raises her damage per strike by 10. She had a Vampire bonus that gave her +5 damage before, and I removed that, so the net result is her damage per strike went up by 5. Not a big change. It also freed up Bounty Hunter feats, and I gave her two levels of Disarm Trap. Each gives her +5 to disarm traps. That skill works with your Intelligence and Dexterity bonus. She is now decent at disarming things.


    Draya


    Magic and Mages are easily the most complex things in RPGs, and I am not going to spend the time to make complete spell books for my made-up game or go into all the different kinds of mages you can have. Draya is simple. She throws fire. Her bonus feats for being a Mage is Fire Mastery, which doubles the damage she can do with fire. So for every five mana she spends, she does two damage instead of one. This freed up four level feat slots, and I used them for Perception. She has a detect magic spell, which she hasn¡¯t used much, but since she is also an illusionist, I thought it would be good if she could see other illusionists, including people hiding in the shadows or traps, so her perception score is really high.


    I haven¡¯t redone Psycho and Gromphy¡¯s character sheets, and since they are locked at 20, they don¡¯t do much leveling up. Psycho will get his Bow mastery for free because of his class, and Gromphy will get his Crafting Mastery for free. Psycho will use his freed-up level feat spots to gain more resistance to elemental attacks, while Gromphy will gain crafting-specific feats to make weapons, armor, and items better.


    Now, on to the story.

 Chapter 1

    Jace Thorne knocked the black-clad human fighter back with the hilt of his weapon, smashing his nose and sending him tumbling down the steep rise.  The orc shaman watched the human topple several other enemies scrambling up toward the keep¡¯s fortified perimeter, buying him precious seconds as he raced to his left to deal with a serpentine foe who had reached the top level.


    Jace saw the magical purple outline around the snake-like humanoid and was relieved to find he could kill this one.  As hideous as the creature was, with its long tongue, hooded neck, and scaled appendages, it was only level 9, and Jace made short work of it.  He deflected the monster¡¯s initial sword thrust with a critical parry, earning him a +10 to his following attack.  He didn¡¯t need it, but the bonus meant that the next strike did not only enough damage to exceed half the snake-man¡¯s health, but he killed it outright.  It fell back down the slope, taking out a bugbear that had almost reached the top, but the armored knight beside them effectively dodged the dead creature and jumped up the last few feet to meet Jace.


    This was the fourth time he had faced this particular black knight, and he wished he could just kill him.  But he didn¡¯t have a purple outline, so Jace knew he had to keep him alive.  He blocked a few well-executed strikes before he earned a perfect 20 parry, yielding him the two bonus criticals needed for the Parry Bash maneuver he had recently discovered.  Instead of using the critical advantage as part of a following attack, he could thrust the hilt of his weapon forward, smashing his opponent¡¯s face and giving him the Dazed condition for the rest of the round.  But with two criticals, he could choose to send his opponent flying backward.


    Jace winced on the knight¡¯s behalf as his already dented helm received another crushing blow from the Diamond Etcher¡¯s crosspiece, and the blank knight soared backward, taking out half a dozen other enemies attempting the climb.


    ¡°Why did I agree to this?¡± Sir Wallace Wilhelm shouted.


    Jace turned to regard the paladin and saw her dealing with two vampires.  One had purple haze, and she used her divine vorpal blade to take off its head, but the second wasn¡¯t to be killed, and she raised her shield toward it, receiving a critical block and could Shield Bash the foe down the hill as Jace had done.


    ¡°Because you need another Constitution point,¡± Jace replied.  When they had last fought together, Wallace had unexpectedly leveled to 10.  It had been a module that players didn¡¯t usually get much experience from, but she and Jace had combined to kill three powerful guardians, and they split the experience.  Getting to level 10 ahead of schedule meant she could no longer attempt the Ability Trials, six modules designed for lower-level players to help raise their stats.


    Since then, she had advanced to level 15 and had quickly forgotten that she had missed out on a chance to raise her Constitution.  But when Jace reached out to her and asked if she wanted to do the level anyway, she quickly agreed.  With the help of Esther, Jace¡¯s vampire companion, the two players had been level-drained down to 9 and could enter the module.


    Wallace had insisted they visit a temple as soon as possible to restore their levels, but Jace was hesitant, worried that advancing beyond nine might get them kicked out, but it didn¡¯t.  So, they were levels 15 and 17, respectively, and absolutely demolishing the level 9 opponents the game threw at them.  But the difficulty settings made up for it by sending dozens of foes.


    ¡°If I had known it would be this hard,¡± Wallace said, her character taking deep breaths of exhaustion between each word.  ¡°I would have turned you down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jace chided.  ¡°You know this is fun.¡±


    Currently, the two fighters had a few seconds to catch their breath as the enemy¡¯s front line was still struggling against the steep hill before the keep wall.  Jace took a moment to regard the battlefield.  Over a hundred enemies were scattered across the slope to the seashore below.  Every two rounds, another enemy ship arrived and unloaded its cargo of horrific creatures.  Humans, dwarves, elves, and orcs comprised most of the fighters, but the game sprinkled in hobgoblins, kobolds, gnolls, lizardfolk, and many more.  Once the sun went down behind them, a ship of undead emptied on shore.


    But it wasn¡¯t just the two of them.  In the keep towers behind them, Psycho and Draya rained down attacks on the horde. The elven ranger could only target one enemy at a time with his bow if he wanted to use his Kill Shot ability, but he never missed, ensuring a dead enemy every six seconds.


    The mage threw a fireball each round, usually taking three or more enemies at a time.  Since they only wanted to kill the attackers outlined in purple, she couldn¡¯t always find a safe target and occasionally had to resort to single-fire attacks, but she was still highly effective.


    Draya had to be extra careful because amidst the foes ran several friends.  Esther, Thursa, and Snowy attacked the charging enemy from the sides, finding the outlined creatures with raised tower shields or fire protection.  The fighters were scripted to assault the keep at the top of the hill, so they didn¡¯t give attention to the flanking attackers and died because of it.


    Once it got dark, Esther could hide in the shadows and move unseen in the crowd to find the short dwarf or fire-resistant alchemist goblin that might escape the ranged attacks.


    Thursa, Wallace¡¯s druid companion, was fully transformed into a grizzly bear at first, jumping out of the adjacent tree line, ripping valid targets out of the charging ranks, and mauling them.  But when the sun went down, he took a stealthier approach and shape-shifted into a black bear to attack from the darkness.


    Snowy didn¡¯t care about tactics, and the winter wolf sprinted through enemy lines, killing anyone she wanted.  None of the level nine characters could handle the 600lb canine.


    Few purple-outlined enemies made it to the top of the hill, but Jace and Wallace were waiting for them.  At the beginning of the battle, they had the help of a dozen other fighters, but most of them had died already.  Only the captain, whose survival was necessary to close out the module, had stayed alive, but he was critically injured and hiding behind the crumpled wall.


    The first part of the module was supposed to entail the players helping to rebuild the barrier before the arrival of the enemy, but the game''s AI punished them for going to the temple first by not giving them that opportunity.  So, when they arrived at the keep, the attack was already underway, and they had to defend a perimeter of scattered stone blocks.


    The seven fighters were already one more than a module usually allowed, but Snowy was considered a familiar and didn¡¯t count against their total.  Jace had also brought Gromphy along, smuggled inside his bottomless storage chest.  Currently, he was sitting atop his adamantium golem, Adam, moving carefully through the enemies.  The master crafter was the one constantly casting the spell that outlined the foes in purple.


    The plan was to wait until the final boss appeared, and then Jace would cast his Righteous Judgement spell.  It did extra damage against enemies that were oppositely aligned to him.  The lighting attack would jump from target to target, often doubling or quadrupling in strength as it moved through the horde.  But if it ever struck a character with the same alignment as Jace (Honest, Ordered, or Traditional), the spell would be reduced to 0.  So, all of those enemies needed to be removed first.  As a crafter, it was often necessary for Gromphy to know the alignment of the characters he made items for, so as each new ship unloaded its attackers, he picked out the ones that would defeat the spell.


    Everyone agreed it was a good plan.  Even Gracie, Jace¡¯s operator and biggest critic, felt it was sound.  If it were just a matter of dealing with the enemies as they poured out of the boats and onto the beach, the eight powerful fighters would have had no problem.  The module restricted the horde to level 9 characters, but the final boss was level-adjusted to the party''s strength.  Jace expected a level 40+ monster, which they would struggle to handle.


    While the module only gave them level 9 characters, there was no limit to how many.  As Jace prepared to face off against three more enemies that crested the rise before him, two of which he had already bashed down the slope a few times, another boat pulled up on shore and unloaded 15 screaming dwarves that raced along the beach.  The vessel had been little bigger than an outboard fishing boat, possibly capable of holding four adult humans.  But the computer game didn¡¯t care about spatial reality.  It was like watching a host of circus clowns pouring out of a Volkswagen Bug.


    Gromphy navigated Adam between the dwarves, casting two Identify spells to encompass all of them.  The golem looked like Arnold Schwarzenegger wading through a crowd of kindergarteners.  Upon the spell¡¯s completion, 11 of the 15 dwarves glowed purple, and the golem smashed one of them to a pulp with his massive adamantium fist.  Another took an arrow to the forehead, and three cried out as a fireball consumed them.  A black bear jumped out of the shadows to tackle one while Snowy bit the face of another of the red-bearded warriors.  Esther wasn¡¯t left out of the mix and secured a dwarf who had narrowly missed the fireball and snapped his neck.  They killed eight of the eleven targets in one round, and the next one started with an arrow dropping a ninth.


    Esther and Thursa turned to chase down the remaining two purple fighters while Gromphy directed his mount back to the shoreline to await the next ship.  The last one had faded into nothing, and a Viking longboat took its place, half its length sliding smoothly onto the sand.  The open boat appeared empty, but five 10-foot-tall hill giants magically stepped over the sides and onto the beach.


    The goblin crafter squealed in dismay and moved Adam to a safe distance while he cast his spell.  Sitting atop the 8-foot golem kept him safe from most of the enemies that appeared, but any of these giants could take a swing at him.  Only two of them glowed purple after his spell, but Jace, always keeping an eye on the new fodder that came ashore, called up to his archer.  ¡°Take them all out, Psycho,¡± Jace said.  He bashed his fifth enemy back down the hill in two rounds.  ¡°I can¡¯t juggle anymore, and I definitely can¡¯t throw them about.¡±


    Draya didn¡¯t hear the message and only used a single fire attack to target one.  It dropped, and Psycho¡¯s arrow took the other down.  ¡°You might not have to,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°I think we have finally reached the end.¡±


    Over five dozen enemies had been collected in a constant cycle of charging up the hill and being bashed back down by Wallace and Jace.  The goal was not to kill them, but they had taken damage, and some were slow to climb back up after several failed attempts.  Another three dozen lay stunned or too injured to attempt the ascent.  One or two more purple creatures were spread throughout the mix, but Thursa and Snowy were picking them out.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Jace lifted his eyes back to the shore to see what Psycho meant and saw an enormous three-masted ship crashing into the shore.  This must be the end.  The orc went through the motions of parrying four more attacks the next round and bashing two foes back down the hill as he focused on the distant ship.  A standard-sized door opened on the vessel''s side, and a level 53 45-foot-tall mountain giant stepped out.


    Wallace swore.  ¡°I¡¯ve never seen . . .¡± but her voice trailed off as three more enemies demanded her attention.


    {He¡¯s over twelve thousand hit points,} Gracie said in Jace¡¯s ear.  {I¡¯ve never heard of a Balrog in the Basement that powerful.}


    Jace cursed Gandhi, the game¡¯s AI.  ¡°Is this going to work?¡± he asked, sending his remaining two enemies back down the hill, knocking two more with them.  He wasted a round in his inventory to look at the spell he had prepared.  Since his dumb character knew -5 spells, he could only cast his bonus spells and memorize one version of each.  He had programmed the Righteous Judgement spell for maximum difficulty but wondered if it would be enough.


    He had an impressive 765 mana and was using 600 to increase his difficulty from 63 to 183, leaving 165 mana for damage, which would result in 33.  Jace heard Wallace screaming for help and had to leave his inventory to assist.  Six more creatures had made it to the base of their crumpled wall, and Jace helped knock them back, but not before Wallace took damage from two of them.


    ¡°Cast your stupid spell!¡± she cried.


    Jace looked back to his vacated position and saw four more creatures scramble up.  Psycho leaped from his perch in the tower to beat the enemies back down.  ¡°Yes,¡± the elf cried.  ¡°Now would be good.¡±


    Jace looked down to the distant beach to see Gromphy running away from the massive giant before turning and casting his spell one last time.  If the giant shared any of his alignments, this would not work.  Thankfully, the huge boss didn¡¯t turn purple.


    The shaman looked down to find the three characters working among the enemy and saw that Esther, Snowy, and Thursa were running away from the edges of the horde.  His eyes found Gromphy, who had dismounted from the golem and sent him back into the fray.  The adamantium construct had a weakness for lightning attacks, and since he had been in play for over 30 rounds, he would multiply the spell by at least eight if it hit him.  The goal was to have him stand directly before the boss so he could increase the attack before it hit the final enemy.


    Jace moved to his far left, turned back right, and chose a heavily damaged ghoul struggling back to the upper ledge for what must have been the fifth time.


    ¡°Clear!¡± he shouted, reached forward to touch the creature, and cast his spell.  Lightning jumped from the shaman and jolted the already injured monster.  As Jace expected, the evil creature was precisely opposite his alignment and doubled the damage three times, bringing it to over 200 before passing half that to the next enemy in line.  The lightning traveled fast, and Wallace and Psycho jumped over the fallen wall to avoid it.  It moved back and forth through the ranks, always jumping to the next closest creature in line.  Jace noticed it branched down sooner than he expected, and two enemies escaped the chain reaction and continued up the slope.  He jumped over to them and bashed one into the danger zone while dropping his sword to pick up the other and toss him further down the slope.


    Jace¡¯s eyes skipped the carnage his spell produced and looked to the beach where the mountain giant was plodding through the sand carrying a spear the size of a telephone pole.  This better work.


    <hr>


    Esther was huddling in the forest with Thursa and Snowy.  The huge man had transformed back into a human, and the woman¡¯s infatuation with him was hard to miss.  She hadn¡¯t been able to take her eyes off his muscular form when they had first met, but Jace had stressed the seriousness of the upcoming fight, and she quelled her desire for the druid.  Now that the fight appeared to be over, she wondered if there would be time to ¡°socialize¡± afterward.


    Thursa didn¡¯t return her look, his eyes focused on the electrifying display working its way down the hill.  ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like that before.¡±


    Esther had, but she followed his gaze anyway, watching as the lightning zig-zagged through the crowd of enemies, at first killing but eventually evaporating each creature it hit.  Her eyes skipped to the beach and saw Adam facing off against the mountain giant, trying to keep his distance from the long spear.  She didn¡¯t think anything could make the golem look small, but the . . .


    Her thoughts froze as she saw the tiny purple figure hiding behind one of the giant¡¯s feet.


    A gnome!


    Somehow, they had missed that enemy, or maybe it had gotten off the last ship with the giant.  Something had to be done.  If Jace¡¯s spell hit the gnome first, the massive lightning bolt would be reduced to nothing.


    ¡°I have to . . .¡± Esther started, stepping forward out of the cover of the trees to deal with the problem.


    ¡°No!¡± Thursa said; he reached out and grabbed her arm.  His warm touch sent shivers through her, but she easily escaped his grasp.  ¡°The golem sees it,¡± he continued, also noticing the purple gnome.  ¡°You will be killed.¡±


    Esther hesitated and realized the druid was right.  It was hard to read facial expressions on the silver humanoid, but she could see Adam¡¯s head tilt toward the gnome standing between the feet of the final enemy.  The golem was supposed to stay out of range of the boss, only drawing close when the lighting made its way down the hill, but his rudimentary intelligence also understood the danger the tiny creature posed, and he ran forward.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Esther heard Gromphy¡¯s tiny voice cry out at his companion¡¯s actions, but the goblin likely couldn¡¯t see the gnome.  Adam didn¡¯t stop.  He was five strides from his target when the giant swept a powerful arm to the ground and snatched the golem into the air like he was a toy figure.  The boss tried to crush the magical construct, but he did not have enough strength.  Instead, he turned to the beach, reached his arm back, and threw the golem far out over the water.


    ¡°No!¡± Gromphy cried out in agony again.


    Esther watched in horror as the silver figure diminished in size until a tiny splash could barely be seen on the horizon.  Now, she had to act and took a few running steps forward again.


    ¡°No,¡± Thursa said again, but he didn¡¯t have the same conviction.


    Esther wasted a second to look at him, determination in her eyes.


    ¡°You will be disintegrated,¡± he said.


    Esther knew that if she took damage over 5x her hit points, she and all her equipment would be annihilated.  She looked down at her level 20 shadow scale armer, her level 12 swords, and all the rest of her valuable items.  ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said and chose to drop all her items and clothing in one action.


    Thursa looked shocked at the beautiful naked woman and took a step back.  Esther winked at him.  ¡°Maybe next time.¡±  She turned and sprinted toward the feet of the giant.


    <hr>


    Losing the golem was an unexpected tragedy.  Jace guessed the construct wasn¡¯t dead but didn¡¯t have time to think about it, as the lighting kept its quick path, killing half a dozen enemies every round.  Gracie was calling out the numbers in his head, and when she got over 6,000, Jace was confident he wouldn¡¯t need the boosting power of the golem.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Wallace said, drawing Jace¡¯s attention.  She and Psycho had moved to stand beside the orc to watch the lightning show.


    Jace wondered if she was talking about the spell but then saw the streak of pale, naked skin racing over the rocky ground toward the giant.  What was Esther doing?


    ¡°There¡¯s something you don¡¯t see every day,¡± the paladin added.


    ¡°I do,¡± Draya said, approaching the group.  ¡°She spends most of her time like that.¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± Psycho said, rolling his eyes.  ¡°She¡¯s going to get herself killed.¡±


    Before Jace could add his input, Gracie reported to him.  {Problems boss.  Your spell is losing steam.  Too many neutral enemies.}


    Jace understood what she meant.  If the target had at least one trait opposite Jace, the spell damage would be doubled.  It would be cut in half again when passed on to the next target, but at least it wouldn¡¯t lose any strength.  But if the enemy was in the middle on all their alignments, the attack would not increase in strength, so when half was passed to the next enemy, it would lose power.


    {You¡¯re hovering around 3,000 right now.  It won¡¯t be enough.}


    Jace looked back toward Esther, who was only a few seconds from the giant.  She couldn¡¯t know that, could she?  The vampire rogue was exactly opposite Jace and would multiply the lightning by eight if it hit her.  She would make a nice stand-in for Adam, but he would have never suggested it.  Then he saw it ¨C a tiny spec of purple at the giant¡¯s feet.


    ¡°What is that . . .¡± Jace started.


    {A gnome!} Gracie shouted.  {We missed it.}


    The giant swept his arm down to snag the naked woman, but even without her equipment, Esther was agile enough to evade the attempt.  She rolled over the rocky ground and dove for the gnome.  The small adversary didn¡¯t have a chance, and she Grappled him into submission.  She spun around and watched the lightning zap between the last three hill giants.  Esther snapped the gnome¡¯s neck and dropped the body to the ground as the lightning coursed into her.


    ¡°Esther!¡± Jace cried.  The woman vanished in a puff of smoke.


    The giant was looking down at her as the lighting jumped from her last position up through him.  It did almost 12k damage before fizzling into the air with no valid targets within range.  The giant¡¯s eyes rolled into his head, and he fell back with a crash.


    Jace was already jumping down the hill as the boss hit the ground, leaping over rocks and around dead bodies.  Snowy also tore from the cover of the woods to investigate the disappearance of her friend.  Gromphy, too, sprinted with his stubby legs toward the final scene, calling out Adam¡¯s name.  Jace arrived first and stood transfixed on the last spot he had seen Esther.  The sandy ground had been turned to glass from the intensity of the lightning.


    {Don¡¯t worry,} Gracie assured him.  {Esther will be fine.  She was smart to remove all her equipment, as it would have been destroyed, but she will be fine.  She will wake up in her bed in a little while with a headache, but in a few hours, she will be good as new.  She won¡¯t blame you for this.}


    Jace knew keeping the volatile woman happy was a challenge since they did not see the world the same, but he felt he gave her a pretty big leash and wasn¡¯t too worried about her leaving him.  Hopefully, this event wouldn¡¯t leave her scarred.


    To his left, Snowy bounded to his side, sniffed the charred mark on the ground, and then jumped toward the dying giant to gnaw on his leg.  On Jace¡¯s right, his goblin crafter continued to run past his position along the length of the fallen enemy.  The giant¡¯s head was almost back on the beach, and Gromphy ran all the way to the shore.  Jace was sure the goblin couldn¡¯t swim, but he didn¡¯t want to risk losing three companions.  He hurried over to the crafter¡¯s side.


    ¡°Can he make his way back to us?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°He hath not the mana,¡± Gromphy said, his eyes focused on the watery horizon.  ¡°Aye, he could traverse the bottom, but he hath not the time until . . .¡±


    ¡°Until he turns back into a figurine,¡± Jace finished for him.  ¡°You sit and wait.  Maybe he can run.¡±  The shaman turned back to the rest of his crew.  Psycho, Draya, Wallace, and Thursa were standing over the burn mark on the ground between the fallen giant¡¯s feet.  He walked up to them.


    ¡°Do you think she felt anything?¡± Draya asked sorrowfully.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°I doubt it.  Gracie assures me she will be fine.¡±


    Draya looked up at him with a tear in her eye.  ¡°Promise?¡±


    ¡°I promise,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You should go collect all the items she dropped.  She will want those back.¡±


    Draya wiped her face and obeyed.


    ¡°We still need to finish the module,¡± Wallace said, returning to business.


    Jace nodded.  The paladin didn¡¯t share the same connection with Esther.  The Orc expected her to be sympathetic to their unique situation, but he needed to be considerate as to why she was here too.  He looked over his shoulder at Gromphy, who was still sitting in the sand staring out to sea.  It would be hard to tear him away from this module, but Jace didn¡¯t know how to dive into the water to search for a metal object the size of an action figure.  The orc promised himself he would think of something.  They could always return, but Wallace was right; they needed to finish this module, or all these sacrifices would be for naught.


    They had already stolen the three magical items you could earn from this mission, and Jace let Wallace and Thursa have them.  But there was still the issue of getting the increase to their Constitution.  And if he wanted to return later to fish for Adam, they needed to heal the captain of the guards who lay dying just behind the crumpled wall.  With reluctance, Jace led his crew back up to the keep.

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2


    Esther woke in agony.


    Her head throbbed like one of Gromphy¡¯s acid bombs, pulsing with pain every few seconds.  At first, Esther was too consumed by the pain even to recognize she was lying down or had her eyes closed, but as consciousness slowly took hold, she became more aware of her environment, and the pain drifted to the back of her mind, still there but manageable.


    As the ringing of her headache receded from her ears she heard the white noise of the ocean surf rising and falling in the background.  Where was she?  Where had she been?


    A beach.


    Esther had spent many hours relaxing in the sand beside the warm lake outside Jace¡¯s stronghold.  But that pool was calm and quiet.  The sound greeting her now was the constant thrum of waves against the shore.  Memories of a sea and a beach returned to her, and she remembered defending the keep against boat after boat that came ashore and dumped out the most diverse collection of enemies she had ever seen.  Was she still there?  Had she been injured and was now recovering in a quiet room on the upper floors of the keep, the battle a distant memory, and the waves crashing on the shore?


    Esther opened her eyes and looked around.  This wasn¡¯t a castle room.  The walls were painted, and the windows framed with wood, silk curtains dancing about in the breeze.  Thick carpet and plush furniture filled the room.  As she realized she wasn¡¯t at the keep, she remembered she hadn¡¯t been injured in the fight.  She had been killed.


    Esther had long thought to test Jace¡¯s theory that if she died, she would wake up in her bed, but had never been bold enough.  It looked like her leader was right.  But . . .


    Something was wrong.  This wasn¡¯t her bed.  This wasn¡¯t her room.  Her quarters in the stronghold were cut from a mountain with smooth, curved stone walls.  She had luxurious furniture, but this wasn¡¯t it.  Her hot tub was missing, along with the large table and dresser.  But there was still something familiar about this room.  She knew it from her past, but why?


    The ocean surf rose in her mind and stirred a distant memory.  The Gilded Swan sat on the coast, and before Jace had rescued her and she had been fully undead, she had only been able to look at the water at night, or else the sunlight would kill her.  So, she was far more familiar with the sound of the waves than the sight of them.  Was she back in her old home?  Was Jace wrong about what would happen to her when she died?  Had her life been reset, and she was once again a prisoner?


    Esther swung her legs over the side of the bed and moved to the window.  The familiar coast along the city of Portsmith greeted her.  The sun had gone down, and the dark shore was exactly as she had remembered it.  Well, almost exactly.  Her viewing angle was slightly different.  Esther turned back to the room and examined it again, her eyes growing accustomed to the dark.


    This wasn¡¯t her room.  It was bigger and higher up in the building.  This was Jezebel¡¯s room, the swamp hag who had ruled the brothel.  Only . . . this wasn¡¯t her room.  Well, it was, and it wasn¡¯t.  It was the right size and shape, and the view out the window told Esther she was on the top floor of the Gilded Swan, but the d¨¦cor was all wrong.  The colors were blue and red, not pink and gold like they had been when she had stayed here.  The vanity was gone, replaced by a coat rack and stand for staves and other polearms.


    The first memory that had come back to Esther when she had woken was of the fight at the keep where Jace¡¯s lightning bolt had vaporized her.  Then, when she realized where she was, her thoughts jumped back to the time before she had met Jace, and her memories went forward from there.  She remembered the odd orc rescuing her and their fight against Drescher and his minions.  Then, they had acquired Draya, Gromphy, and Psycho.  She and the goblin had gone on a side quest, and her skin tingled uncomfortably as she remembered more of her past.  Then they had rescued the kidnapped players.  Jace had been out of the game for a while after that, and Esther had spent most of her time here, in this room, with . . .


    ¡°Vithium,¡± Esther said out loud, all her memories returning to her now.  Jace had said she would wake up in her bed after she died, but he had assumed that was where she spent her nights.


    The door to the room opened slowly, and Esther tensed for action.  Her hands dropped instinctively to her sword hilts, but they weren¡¯t there.  For the first time, she looked down at her attire.  She wore a gray cotton tunic.  Jace had once described it as a Roman slave outfit, but she didn¡¯t know what a ¡°Roman¡± was.  It was a loose-fitting, knee-length tunic.  Without really thinking about it, she used her Fashion Design skill to alter the outfit.  The neckline dropped as the top became sleeveless.  The middle gathered tight against her ribs and hips but remained loose over her legs to allow a full range of motion.


    Esther had nowhere to hide and chose to drop into the shadows instead.  The door opened, and a young man holding a sword and shield entered cautiously.  After a wave of his hand, the room flooded with magical light, yanking Esther from the shadows.  She stood in plain sight between the bed and the window.


    ¡°Hello, Tristan,¡± Esther said, disarming the young man with an innocent smile.  ¡°Nice to see you again.¡±  The spellsword was a companion Vithium had acquired recently, and Esther didn¡¯t like him.  He was loyal to his master, so he didn¡¯t harm or mistreat her, but he had a look about him like he would stab his own brother in the back if it would help him out of a bind.


    ¡°Good evening, Miss Xerxes,¡± he replied, sheathing his weapon.  ¡°We weren¡¯t expecting you this evening.  Vithium said you were with Jace tonight.¡±  He moved completely into the room and spoke quietly into a medallion around his neck.


    Esther shrugged.  ¡°We finished early.¡±


    The necklace was obviously been to summon his master, and within a few seconds, Vithium was at the door.  The monk was all smiles, dressed in vibrantly colored robes and jewelry.  As the owner of the most famous brothel in the realms, he had probably been socializing with important clientele downstairs.  Esther looked around the room, understanding that there must be magical motion detectors that had alerted him to her presence, and he had sent Tristan up to investigate.


    ¡°Well,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°This is a pleasant surprise.¡±  He turned to his companion.  ¡°Tristan, please go downstairs and tell our guests I¡¯ll be detained for . . .¡± his eyes went to Esther as he contemplated a time frame, ¡°a while,¡± he finally settled with.


    The spellsword nodded and left in a hurry.  As Vithium undid the sash at his waist to loosen his robes, Esther lifted her hand and shook her head.  ¡°Vithi, no, not tonight.  I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    He laughed at her.  ¡°What are you talking about?  Are you playing hard to get?  You sneak into my room wearing . . . almost nothing on a night when you said you wouldn¡¯t be available.  And, what?  You just want to talk?  We can talk with our clothes off.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t understand.  I have a headache.¡±


    The monk laughed.  ¡°Like I¡¯ve never heard that before.  You¡¯d think Gandhi would be more creative.¡±


    Esther stomped her foot.  ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Vithium stopped laughing and studied her.  Esther saw the moment reality struck him.  Her outfit, even with her modifications, wasn¡¯t that hard to recognize.  His eyes moved to the ruffled covers of the bed, which she had obviously already been in.  It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure the rest out.  ¡°You died,¡± he said solemnly.  ¡°You were with Jace, and he killed you.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t kill me,¡± Esther argued but then remembered it had been his spell that did her in.


    ¡°He was careless, and you died,¡± Vithium clarified.  ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.  I¡¯ve been telling you to leave him, and you won¡¯t listen to me.  What if you had been in someone¡¯s stronghold?  You¡¯d be held captive right now.  Can you even be reset?  This isn¡¯t a MIM anymore.  Do you even have a module you could wake up in?  You¡¯d probably just be deleted.  You don¡¯t belong with Jace.  He doesn¡¯t deserve you.¡±


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    ¡°Oh,¡± Esther scowled.  ¡°And you do?  And what would my life look like?  I¡¯d be back in this hell hole, turning tricks for your profit.  You really think that is the life I want?¡±


    ¡°You know I wouldn¡¯t do that to you,¡± the monk bit back.  ¡°You would be in control of your life.  You could work as you want, adventure as you want, do anything you want.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy where I am.¡±


    Vithium laughed again.  ¡°If you are so happy with Jace, why did you wake up here when you died?  Huh?  Explain that to me.  He doesn¡¯t meet all your needs, and you know it.  You might not want to live as a permanent escort anymore, but the people who visit my establishment now would bring more excitement to your life than you would know what to do with.  Your adventures with them wouldn¡¯t be limited to the bedroom.  They would take you to fight dragons, visit the underground kingdoms of the gnomes, and have tea with powerful wizards.  What does Jace do with you?  Let me guess, he cheated and had you sneak him into one of the trials to raise his Wisdom.¡±


    Esther shrugged.  ¡°Constitution, actually.¡±


    ¡°Those modules are boring and repetitive, designed for min-maxers to flex their muscles.  There is real excitement in these realms if you are just willing to let go.¡±


    Esther scowled at his ability to debate.  It was like arguing with Gromphy, and it always left her feeling stupid and depressed.  So, she changed topics.  ¡°If we are going to have the same arguments we always do, then let¡¯s have one I¡¯m interested in.  Have you found my sisters yet?¡±


    Vithium smiled.  ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°See, then you have nothing to bargain with . . .¡± she stopped, realizing he hadn¡¯t said, ¡°Not yet,¡± which was his typical answer.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he repeated.  ¡°I have.  I located Leah early on, but I didn¡¯t want to tell you until I knew where all three were.  I found Deli two days ago, and just two hours ago, I was talking with someone downstairs who knows where Tami is.¡±


    Esther was stunned and took a few stuttering steps backward until she sat on the bed.  ¡°Where are they?  Are they okay?  Can we go see them?¡±


    The monk walked toward her but kept a distance of at least a dozen feet.  ¡°They are okay for now, but they are all being held against their will to some extent.  When Jace disrupted your lives, Gandhi created quests for all of you.  Right now, your sisters are trapped in theirs.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.  Tell me where they are.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Esther was stunned.  ¡°What?  Why not?  Are you afraid I¡¯ll stop sleeping with you?¡±


    He motioned to the bed they were currently not lying on.  ¡°Seems that is already the case.¡±


    Esther leaped toward him, but the monk rolled to safety.  She was practically naked with Resurrection Sickness, giving banes to all her abilities.  Vithium was a fully clothed monk with . . . who knew how many rings, spells, and other equipment boosting his stats.  In this arrangement, they were close to evenly matched.


    Esther recovered from her miss and spun to face him.  ¡°Do you really think that is why I am doing this?  Why I spend my nights with you?  I¡¯m just sleeping with you to get information, and then I will dump you when I get what I want?  What do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°A guile vampire rogue who lies to her own party leader to get what she wants,¡± Vithium responded with a straight face.


    Esther scowled at the accurate description.  ¡°Touche.¡±  She didn¡¯t know exactly what the word meant, but Gromphy said it all the time in situations like this.  She attacked again.  This time, she grabbed hold of an outer layer of his trailing robe and ripped it off.


    Vithium somersaulted 20 feet away and came up smiling.  ¡°I offered to remove my clothes earlier, but you turned me down.¡±


    ¡°Why won¡¯t you tell me?¡± she cried.  ¡°What is the real reason?¡±


    ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t tell Jace.¡±


    Now Esther laughed.  ¡°Is that what this is about?  You¡¯re jealous of him.¡±


    ¡°He has you.  I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t sleep with him,¡± she countered.


    ¡°No,¡± he admitted.  ¡°But you trust him.¡±


    ¡°If I recall,¡± Esther said, ¡°you worship a deity who is guile.¡±


    Vithium frowned.  ¡°Touche.¡±


    She thought him distracted and dove again, but he spun out of the way.  ¡°What was the first thought you had when I told you I knew where they were?¡±


    Esther was breathing hard in her sickened state and didn¡¯t want to have a deep conversation right now.  ¡°What do you mean?  I want to know where they are?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Esther shrugged.  ¡°To rescue them.  Why else?¡±


    ¡°With me?¡±


    Esther looked confused.  ¡°Of course not, I would ask . . .¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Vithium said, taking a few steps toward her to ensure he stayed in her vision as her eyes lost focus after realizing his primary concern.  ¡°I am nothing to you.  I¡¯m good for a fun time or as an informant.  But if something important comes up, something truly meaningful, you run to Jace.¡±


    ¡°He makes good plans,¡± Esther said weakly.


    ¡°Plans that get you killed!¡±  Vithium got even closer as her eyes dropped to the floor.  ¡°I want to make plans with you.  Just give me a chance.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to free them?¡± Esther asked quietly.  She didn¡¯t hear a response from the man for a few seconds, and she looked up.  ¡°If I agree to go on a quest with you to rescue my sisters, do you know how to free them?¡±  Esther made eye contact with him and saw his face frozen in uncertainty.  ¡°Exactly,¡± she said and attacked.


    As soon as her hands touched his shoulder to wrestle him into a Grappled condition, his body exploded in a shower of fibers, and the illusion disappeared.  ¡°Stupid Strawman,¡± she muttered.  Esther spun about but was too disoriented to defend against his maneuver.  He came at her from behind and wrapped an arm around her throat.  She tried to free herself and throw him over her shoulder, but she failed and was rendered Helpless.


    The monk didn¡¯t put any pressure against her windpipe but held her close so he could whisper in her ear.  ¡°No, of course, I don¡¯t know how to free them.  No one does.  That is why they are still being held against their will.  I tried to rescue Leah, but I failed.¡±


    He paused as if considering something.  Esther knew he only had a few rounds before her Helpless state ended.  Already, the bonus he received from his Strawman ability had expired, and she would easily escape when she had a chance.


    ¡°I will tell you on one condition.  That when you tell Jace, and you free all three of them, he isn¡¯t allowed to take any of them into your party.  Let them choose their own path.¡±


    His advantage over her expired, but Esther didn¡¯t move.  She could talk now.  ¡°You want them,¡± she replied.  ¡°You would put them back to work here?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m a monster, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I think you are a brothel owner who has that exact arrangement with a dozen other men and women.¡±


    ¡°Leah, Deli, Tami, and yourself are different,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°You know that.  Jace would only have room for one of your sisters in his party.  Who else would he get rid of?  Psycho?  Draya?  No.  He would help you free them, but he wouldn¡¯t let you stay with them.  I have room for all four of you.¡±


    ¡°Alongside Tristan?¡± Esther did free herself now and spun so she could face him.


    The monk laughed.  ¡°I can trade him away if you girls don¡¯t like him.¡±


    Esther smiled.  ¡°For Thursa, maybe.¡±


    ¡°Thursa Hamley?¡± Vithium said.  ¡°Sir Wallace¡¯s druid?¡±


    Esther took a step back.  ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    He grinned.  ¡°I know many things.¡±


    Esther took a deep breath and let it out.  ¡°Okay.  If you tell me, I will tell Jace on the strict conditions that he cannot take any of them into his party.  Unlike us, he is honest.  He will keep his word.¡±


    ¡°And then afterward,¡± Vithium continued.  ¡°If your sisters join with me, will you at least consider following suit?  Think of the adventures we could go on.  We would be the perfect party.  A monk, a barbarian, a witch, a bard, and a rogue.¡±


    ¡°And a shapeshifting druid,¡± Esther added with a smirk.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises,¡± he said.  ¡°But I will try.¡±


    Esther understood and nodded.  ¡°I will consider it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Vithium said.  He motioned to a pair of plush chairs along the wall of the large room.  ¡°Let¡¯s have a seat.  I have a lot to tell you.¡±


    They talked for almost an hour.  Esther tried to ask as many questions as possible, putting herself in Jace¡¯s shoes and trying to think like he did.  Of course, it might be easiest if the two men could sit together and discuss the issue, but the idea of Jace and Vithium meeting sent chills down the vampire¡¯s spine, and she would work hard to keep that from happening.


    When Vithium had told her everything he knew, Esther glanced at the clock on the wall.  It was past midnight.  She didn¡¯t have a good grasp of when she had died other than it had been after sunset, and she had no idea how long she had remained unconscious between death and resurrection.  ¡°I need to go,¡± she said, rising from the chair.


    ¡°Jace is waiting for you,¡± Vithium said without animus, and Esther tried not to assume any.


    ¡°No,¡± she said.  ¡°Draya probably finally told him where I am, and he has already . . . what do you players call it?  Logged off?  Whatever that means.¡±


    Vithium gave her a look that told her he disagreed, but he didn¡¯t argue.  ¡°I understand you must leave, but don¡¯t go like that.¡±


    Esther looked at her noob outfit and shrugged.  ¡°It¡¯s dark.  I can hide in the shadows.  No one will see me.  I¡¯ll go to the coastal travel node.¡±


    Vithium shook his head.  ¡°You don¡¯t even have shoes.¡±  He rose from his chair and moved over to the closet.  After opening a few drawers, he found what he was looking for.  ¡°At least wear these.¡±  He tossed her a pair of leather moccasins.  The tan color meshed well with her tunic.


    Esther slipped them on and looked back at the monk to say goodbye but saw he had something else in his hands.  Diamonds sparkled in the room¡¯s light, piquing her interest.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to give these to you for a while,¡± he said.  ¡°I know Gromphy is a better crafter, but . . . well, it is traditional where I come from to give a girl you like diamonds.  And I know you like them.¡±  He looked embarrassed, and Esther was touched.


    She closed the distance between them and took the two items.  They were gold bracers with a vibrant blue diamond in the center of each.  She tried them on and found that one gave her +5 to attack and the other gave +5 to damage.  She usually wore a shield bracelet on one wrist and a string of diamonds on the other.  Jace had originally given her a single diamond with an Athletic boon spell inside, but Gromphy had done better and strung five of them together, and Jace loaded each one with the spell.  Her usual items were better than these bracers, but she appreciated the thought.


    ¡°I love them,¡± she said and leaned in to kiss the man on the cheek.  Color rose in Vithium¡¯s face, and she backed away before he got any ideas and delayed her further.  ¡°I will see you again, hopefully with all my sisters.¡±  She turned and left through the window, disappearing into the night.

 Chapter 3

    Jace had not logged off.


    {I¡¯m giving you 15 more minutes, and then I¡¯m unplugging you whether you are ready for it or not,} Gracie said.  {I¡¯m hungry, and I have things to do tonight.}  While it was after midnight in the game, the realms ran on GMT, and it was just past 7 in Chicago.


    Jace sighed.  ¡°I understand, but I want to be sure she¡¯s okay.¡±


    It had taken longer than Jace had wanted to wrap up the Constitution module.  They still had to work to fix the broken wall even though the fight was over.  The module wouldn¡¯t trigger the ending until that box was checked.  Wallace had insisted on rooting through the dead bodies, looking for rare items to sell.  She played the game for money, and Jace didn¡¯t want to criticize her methods.  He had expected Gromphy to help her, as the goblin crafter was a bit of a pack rat, but he had never moved from the beach, staring out over the sea.  When it had been over an hour since the mountain giant had thrown Adam, Jace knew the golem wouldn¡¯t be walking back.


    They eventually left the module down two companions, and as bad as Jace felt about Gromphy, he just wanted to get back to his stronghold to find Esther and ensure she was alive.  But she wasn¡¯t at home.  At first, Jace thought she might have been resurrected and then left again.  He knew she often spent her nights out and about, but he talked to Topper and Trixna, and neither of the full-time stronghold residents had seen her.  Besides, Draya had all her equipment.  She would be defenseless if she wandered off.


    Psycho was the first to suggest she wasn¡¯t here because she might have woken somewhere else in the realms.  Sleeping in your bed established your spawn point, and the elf didn¡¯t think Esther spent the night at home often.  Jace could see from Draya¡¯s expression that the ranger was probably correct, but he didn¡¯t push the point with the young woman, not wanting her to violate Esther¡¯s trust.


    So Jace had stalled.  He spent much longer than usual tidying up his stronghold, putting away items they had earned, checking in with the gnomes to ensure everything was okay in the mine, and double-checking that Draya had all her homework finished for her next day at school.


    The rest of his party went to bed, but Jace sat at the table in Esther¡¯s room waiting.  All her equipment sat beside him, and he kept his eyes fixed on the window above the bathtub that led out to the lakeside beach the gnomes had created.


    {Ten minutes,} Gracie said.  {You better get back to your room.  I don¡¯t want to fry your brain when I . . .}


    Esther slinked in through the window.  It was pitch black in the room, but the female vampire had excellent night vision, and Jace watched her freeze as she recognized his hulking form sitting at the table.  ¡°Welcome back,¡± he said.  He waved his arm and dispensed mana into the room¡¯s lights to turn them on.  His orc night vision was adequate, but he wanted to be able to read Esther¡¯s expressions and ensure she was okay.


    ¡°Thanks.  Good to see you.¡±  She climbed onto her bed and sat on the edge.  ¡°I assume everything went okay after I . . . uh . . . after I left.  You know.  Killed the bad guy, got the loot, and all that good stuff.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°We lost Adam for the moment, but everything else went fine.  It wouldn¡¯t have worked if you hadn¡¯t done what you did.  Thank you.  You know that was never part of my plan.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it was nothing,¡± she tried to laugh it off but failed.  ¡°Didn¡¯t even hurt, really, just a little headache afterward.  I¡¯ll be fine in the morning.¡±  They stared at each other for a few uncomfortable seconds.  ¡°Actually,¡± she faked a yawn.  ¡°It¡¯s pretty late.  I should probably . . .¡±


    ¡°If there is anything you need,¡± Jace said, ¡°please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.  I know we come from different worlds ¨C quite literally, actually ¨C and we see those worlds very differently, but I want to ensure you are happy here.  I don¡¯t . . . I don¡¯t want to lose you.¡±


    Another fake laugh.  ¡°What are you talking about, boss?  I love it here.  I love Draya and Trixna, and even Psycho and Gromphy aren¡¯t too bad.¡±  She paused.  ¡°Who told you I want to leave?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No one.  But . . . I mean . . . you didn¡¯t wake up here.  Is this home not enough?  Do you need . . .¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she interrupted, and Jace could see her mind racing to create a story.  ¡°That is what you are worried about.  Did Draya say something?  Don¡¯t believe her.  Last night, I spent the night with one of her professors to ¡®convince¡¯ him she needs a good grade.¡±  Another fake laugh.  ¡°You should have seen the look on his wife¡¯s face when I resurrected in their bed.  She had been with her sick mother last night.  So, of course, I had to pretend to be a vampire summoned from the pits of hell by a rival professor.  I think she bought it.  We¡¯ll see when Draya gets her grades.  But . . . like I said . . . I¡¯m tired.¡±


    Jace remained deadpanned through the made-up story and waited for her to finish.


    {Her relationship score with you is down to 80, by the way,} Gracie informed him.  {I¡¯m pretty sure it was at 85 when you logged in earlier today.}


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    Jace made no outward show that heard what she said.  All his other companions were at 95 or 100, but Esther was difficult.  Once it got to 75, another player could lure her away if they gave her a good enough offer.  Once it got to 50, she could leave on her own.  If it ever got to 25, Jace would be forced to sleep with his door locked.  Cultivating this relationship was critical.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I don¡¯t care what you need.  I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything.  Absolutely anything, and I won¡¯t judge you.¡±


    Esther gave him a half smile.  ¡°I know that.¡±  It looked like she wanted to say more but was hesitating.  ¡°It¡¯s nothing, really.  It can wait till morning.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be here in the morning,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I don¡¯t know when I will be logging in again.  It might be a few days.¡±


    Esther bit her lip and looked as if she was going to cry.  ¡°I found them,¡± she finally said.  ¡°Well, uh, he found them.  I mean, we found them.¡±  She paused to gather her thoughts.  ¡°I know where my sisters are.¡±


    Jace took a moment to understand that she meant the lieutenants she had worked with at the Gilded Swan.  Jace knew it was under new management and that none of the original women worked there anymore, but he hadn¡¯t given it much thought beyond that.  ¡°Are they okay?¡±


    Esther shook her head, again looking like she might cry.


    ¡°What can I do?¡±


    Esther burst out like a dam had broken, spilling everything Vithium had told her.  She did it in her scatterbrained style, made worse by the fact that she still had Resurrection Sickness and was legitimately tired.  Jace had to ask her to slow down and back up several times.  He heard Gracie furiously typing as Esther mentioned locations, NPCs, and other information the operator wasn¡¯t familiar with.  Several times the operator butted in and have Jace ask for more details.


    When Esther finally finished, she looked exhausted.  Jace got a liquor bottle from a magically chilled ice box and poured her a glass of amber liquid.  He set it on the bedside table and sat back on his chair, ten feet from her.


    ¡°And this . . . friend . . . who found out this information,¡± Jace started, ¡°he doesn¡¯t know how to rescue your sisters or what other people have tried?¡±


    Esther shook her head as she took a drink from her cold beverage.  It seemed to give her strength.  ¡°He sees everyone in the realm.  All kinds of people come to talk with him, and they never tell him answers, only information.  He doesn¡¯t have the money or influence to get anything valuable.  But I¡¯ve told you enough, right?  You can come up with a plan to rescue them, right?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.  You might be able to move around freely in the game, but I can¡¯t.  I can¡¯t always go off on every adventure I want.  I work for a special division of my government, and even my character in this realm doesn¡¯t really belong to me.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± she asked, rising to her feet and slamming her glass on the table.  ¡°What kind of government controls you like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Jace replied, thinking now was not the best time to talk about the inner workings of the CIA.


    ¡°Complicated?¡± Esther was close to shouting.  ¡°Let me guess, Wallace comes to you and says she needs another Constitution point, so you take our whole crew and hers and go up against hundreds of deadly monsters.  I¡¯m killed, Adam is lost, and your government is okay with that, but I ask you to help three people who are in danger, and it¡¯s not okay?  We battled that lava monster to save four other kidnapped players, and they were all losers.  Just because my sisters aren¡¯t ¡®players¡¯ doesn¡¯t mean they aren¡¯t valuable too!¡±


    Actually, Jace thought.  They aren¡¯t even real people.


    {Relationship status is down to 75, by the way.}


    Jace wisely kept his thoughts to himself.  ¡°The module we did today is different,¡± Jace tried to explain.  ¡°Thousands of people have played it without dying, and we have detailed walkthroughs, so we know exactly what to expect.  My bosses approve it because they think it is safe.  If they knew how dangerous it really was, they probably wouldn¡¯t let me do them.  But the missions you outlined aren¡¯t even modules.  They are organic situations Gandhi created when I freed you that no one has even attempted before.  The parameters are wide open, and there are way too many unknowns.¡±


    ¡°What does any of that mean?¡± she cried.  ¡°Walkthroughs?  Modules?  Parameters?  I¡¯m talking about three women in trouble who are important to me.  Don¡¯t try to confuse me with words I don¡¯t understand.  I hate feeling stupid!¡±


    {Down to 70.}


    Jace sighed and stood up, walking toward the frustrated and weeping woman.  He hugged her, and she calmed down.  ¡°I can¡¯t promise anything,¡± he said, ¡°other than I will try.  What you¡¯ve told me is good information.  Gracie and I will study it and come up with a plan.  Please don¡¯t do anything rash in the meantime.  Don¡¯t try to rescue them yourselves.¡±  He pushed her away for a moment to look in her eyes.  ¡°I will fight for you, I promise.¡±


    Jace¡¯s calming words had the desired effect; her agitation popped like a bubble, and she collapsed back to the bed.  ¡°You are right.  You need your sleep.  I probably won¡¯t be here when you wake up, but I promise to return soon.¡±  He eased her into bed and, with his massive orc hands, helped tuck her beneath the sheets.  He wanted to kiss her goodnight on the forehead but knew his tusks would get in the way.


    Instead, he dismissed the lights, returned to his room, and went to his favorite recliner to log off.  Within a minute, Jason Hawthorne was sitting back up in a chair in the basement of their new safe house in Chicago.  Gracie was beside him.  ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked.  ¡°Any chance our bosses will approve this?¡±


    Gracie shrugged.  ¡°I¡¯ll have to pour over the information she gave us with our team in DC and see what we can do.  Maybe it won¡¯t be that dangerous.  Maybe we can tie it to other nefarious activity.  I don¡¯t know, but I am late for a dinner reservation and must go.  You can let yourself out.¡±


    Jason was still working the cramps out of his back and neck as he watched the woman run up the stairs and heard her leave the house.  They had changed locations after their first mission, feeling unsafe at an address that Dresher had found.  Jason was hungry too but would probably heat a pizza upstairs before returning to his apartment.


    Esther was too valuable to what he did in the game to let her slip away.  The heads of the CIA needed to see that.  Jason didn¡¯t even want to think about playing the game without her.  He and Gracie would have to find a way to sanction the quests to free her friends.

 Chapter 4

    Jason, Gracie, and Connor sat around the converted dining room table and waited for DC to call in through their video conference equipment.  Connor had sprung for Chinese delivery to the safe house, and they had just put away the empty boxes.  He looked good for having gotten shot almost a month ago and nearly bleeding out.  Jason couldn¡¯t believe that the agent¡¯s full-time job involved monitoring his and Gracie¡¯s activity in the Realms of Infamy.  He didn¡¯t think that would keep him busy, but he was always available for his crew at the drop of a hat.


    It was almost 8 pm in Chicago, and Jason and Gracie had been busy preparing for this meeting all day.  They had relied heavily on their counterparts in CIA headquarters and regretted keeping them up this late, as it was almost nine on the East Coast, but they had stumbled upon some time-sensitive information, and they needed to have the approval to proceed tonight so they could log in the next morning for a marathon session.


    The screen on the wall flickered to life, and Stephen and Allison smiled back at them.  The duo was used to working crazy hours, and Jason knew they monitored teams all over the US.  Stephen had been hired specifically for this task force and worked with Gracie for almost a year.  Yet his knowledge was equivalent to someone who had spent their whole life in the game.  According to Gracie, the young man had tried to play a few times but usually died before he got to level 10.  Allison had only been hired a few months ago but was willing to pour through any chat site or database to find the needed information.


    Seated beside the youthful pair was Ross Fordier, the senior agent in charge of this task force.  He had become Jason¡¯s biggest fan over the last month as the accountant¡¯s performance had cemented the legitimacy of this operation in many people¡¯s minds.  This would have been easy if all they needed to do was convince Ross their proposed quests were legitimate.  But, sitting next to him was a man Jason had never seen before.


    ¡°Good evening,¡± the much older man said.  He had a square jaw and salt-and-pepper black hair.  He looked like a retired field agent straight from the movies.  ¡°My name is Gregory Sykes.  I¡¯ve been asked to sit in on this meeting to bring some awareness of what you guys are doing to management.¡±


    Jason thought that was a pretty low-key description of why he was there.  Their last mission revolved around freeing four players whom the North Koreans had kidnapped.  Two were MIT students, one was from Russia, and the fourth was from South Korea and used the game to generate contacts and funds to smuggle people out of the north.  Shortly after they had completed that mission, social media blew up with one of the most significant defections from North Korea in decades.  The refugees included professors, scientists, politicians, and media members.  They released tons of information about what was going on in the communist regime, and the world was having a hard time absorbing it.


    The escapees were wise not to mention the Realms of Infamy or the CIA¡¯s involvement in the affair. Still, the word made it through the US government that Jason and Gracie had been responsible, and those working in Central Intelligence who had thought that this special task force was just a bunch of video gamers now thought differently.  Ross Fordier was a senior agent, but the CIA thought they needed additional oversight.  If Jason and Gracie were about to disrupt Iranian terrorists or Columbian drug cartels, the CIA didn¡¯t want to hear about it on Facebook or Twitter first.


    ¡°It sounds like you need approval to conduct a mission tomorrow,¡± Gregory continued.  ¡°I¡¯ve got the dossier here,¡± he hefted four thick folders that Stephen had probably handed him a few minutes ago, ¡°but why don¡¯t you tell me what you want to do.¡±  He opened the top folder and scanned the first page.  ¡°You¡¯re trying to expose a money laundering scandal?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Stephen said.  ¡°We found suspicious activity around one of the players in the game.  He¡¯s a man named Derrick Benser.  He runs a graphics art studio in New York City.  His firm illustrates everything from children¡¯s books to comics to adult content.  We believe 90% of his business is legit, but we fear he also funnels money to sleeper cells in the US.  He pays digital artists all over the country, but we know he is also doing artwork development in the game using NPCs.  So, someone is getting paid for work they aren¡¯t doing.¡±


    Jason watched Gergory nod his head.  The CIA agent was probably used to all kinds of money laundering and distribution schemes, and Stephen didn¡¯t need to go into detail.  As an accountant, Jason also understood.  If you were a terrorist and you had people living in the US that you needed to fund, you had to find a way to put money in their bank accounts.  A suitcase of cash wouldn¡¯t work.  People needed to pay for things online, with credit cards, or through direct withdrawal.  The problem was that if you tried to deposit large sums of money, the bank was obligated to inform the IRS.  The safest way to deposit was through a paycheck tied to a W2.


    ¡°So,¡± Gregory said, ¡°you think this Derrick Benson is doing work in the game, exporting the art, but then paying criminals for doing the work.  Clever.  What evidence do you have?¡±


    Stephen took a deep breath.  ¡°In ROI, Derrick is known as a dwarf named Rock Bender.¡±  The young agent tried to ignore the eye roll he got from the man in response to the fantasy terms.  ¡°He also runs an art studio in the game and employs some of the best NPC artists.¡±  He saw the confusion on the older man¡¯s face.  ¡°Uh, NPC means Non-Player Character; these are computer-controlled characters that function in the game run by AI.¡±


    ¡°So, they produce art like in Mid Journey?¡± Gregory asked.


    Stephen was impressed by the man¡¯s knowledge.  ¡°Sort of.  If you¡¯ve ever used that online software, you have to give it long, detailed prompts, and you rarely get what you want.  If you need to make changes, you can¡¯t just say, ¡®Make his hat green,¡¯ or ¡®Add more trees.¡¯  You have to enter the whole prompt again, and half the time, you lose the things you like.  Plus, you usually get images of people with three arms or two heads.  But in the game, you communicate with the NPC artists like they are real people.  You can talk with them about what you want, and they can repeat it to you.  And if you want a change, you can pinpoint exactly what to fix.¡±


    Gregory nodded, seemingly understanding.  ¡°Impressive.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Stephen continued.  ¡°We talked to many gamers who frequent his place and discovered that several high-profile criminals visit all the time.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they are just looking for fake nudes of their favorite Bollywood actresses,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Stephen admitted, ¡°Rock Bender¡¯s artists are often tasked with NSFW images, but the unique thing about the criminals that visit his shop is they all have interests in or stated agendas against the USA.  There are plenty of terrorists and gun runners who only work in Asia, Europe, or the Middle East.  They rarely, if ever, visit his gallery.  It¡¯s only people with assumed assets in the US.¡±


    ¡°Who are we talking about here?¡± Gregory asked, turning to Ross.


    ¡°Drug dealers, sex traffickers, gun runners, a few jihadists,¡± the head of the department replied.  He mentioned a few names Jason couldn¡¯t pronounce, but Gregory seemed to know who they were.


    ¡°So, these are big players,¡± he said.  ¡°But this isn¡¯t evidence.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Stephen argued.  ¡°But it isn¡¯t proof.  Derrick is audited by the IRS almost every year, and we¡¯ve reviewed those reports.  For every artwork he produces, he has a payment coming in, usually anonymously through Crytpo, and he has a payment going out to an artist.  But we know he is producing some of his art in the game, so who is he paying for that order?  The problem is, we don¡¯t know which art he is producing in the game and which he is producing with actual artists in the real world.¡±


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    Gregory nodded.  ¡°You¡¯d never get a warrant to knock on random citizens¡¯ doors based on what you¡¯ve told me.¡±


    Stephen nodded.  ¡°And Derrick is smart enough not to keep his real books at his firm in New York.  But he has to have a record of which customer ordered what and which fake artist he is supposed to pay once he receives money in the real world.  Those books are likely in the game.  We need to access them.¡±


    ¡°Let me see if I¡¯ve got this,¡± Gregory said.  ¡°I¡¯m a terrorist with associates living in Texas.  I need to get them $20k.  So, I log into this game, visit Rock Bender¡¯s art gallery, and order $20k worth of art from his NPC artists.  They do the work, and he exports it out of the game.  I send him money, he sends me the art, and then he pays my people as if they had produced it.¡±


    Stephen nodded.  ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t the criminals end up paying for the art twice?¡± Gregory asked.  ¡°Do these computer characters need money too?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Stephen agreed, ¡°but they work much faster.  Just like Mid Journey can produce a high-resolution image in seconds, these artists can produce 100 hours¡¯ worth of work in minutes.  Plus, money in the game goes much farther.  They still need to be paid, but it¡¯s probably only one to two hundred dollars.  That¡¯s a small price to pay to launder $20k.  And, obviously, Derrick will keep a percentage of that as well.¡±


    Gregory nodded but still had a puzzled look on his face.  ¡°I understand this, but I have two main questions.  The first is how did you even find this?  Like you said, this isn¡¯t proof of anything.  You had to dig really deep to find what you did, and with all that¡¯s going on in the game, why did you pick to drill down on Rock Bender?  Second, if he is dirty, how will you convince him to let you look at his books?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Stephen started.  ¡°Jason is probably the best one to explain that.¡±


    In DC, the three full-time employees turned to look at their screen.  ¡°Ah,¡± Gregory said, ¡°the legendary Jace Thorne.¡±


    Jason nodded.  ¡°At your service, sir.  We looked into Rock because he recently acquired a new artist we are interested in, Leah Jacobs.  By everything we can tell, she is the best NPC artist in the game, and he is eager to put her to work, but she is currently at odds with him because he hasn¡¯t solved her quest.¡±


    ¡°Her quest?¡±


    ¡°Every NPC has a quest you have to solve,¡± Allison said, joining the conversation.  ¡°There is something they care about deeply, and once you help them achieve that, they will join your group and work loyally with you.  Rock promised Leah he would solve her quest but hasn¡¯t yet, so she won¡¯t work for him.¡±


    ¡°And why are we interested in Leah?¡±


    Jason spoke up.  ¡°Because of Esther Xerxes, sir.  She is one of my party members.  She is an extremely valuable asset to the CIA, and we can¡¯t afford to lose her.¡±


    Jason watched as Allison guided Gregory through the folder before him until she pointed at one of the pages.  By the reaction on Gregory¡¯s face, Jason assumed it was a picture of Esther.  ¡°She is a CIA asset?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Allison replied, interpreting his tone.  ¡°Emphasis on the ¡®ass.¡¯¡±


    The older man looked at her, glad she had said it so he didn¡¯t have to.  He returned to the screen.  ¡°And Esther is connected to Leah somehow?¡±


    Jason nodded.  ¡°Yes.  They are close friends.  Esther knows that Leah is in distress, so she is in distress.  Right now, her relationship is strained with me as a way to force me into helping Leah.  To answer your second question about why Rock would let us access his art gallery, he is desperate to figure out how to satisfy Leah before she leaves him.  He will totally understand when I come to him saying I have the same issue with Esther.  He won¡¯t see any ulterior motives.¡±


    ¡°Plus,¡± Allison chimed in, ¡°since Jace is known for solving quests no one else can figure out, it wouldn¡¯t be out of the question for Rock to reach out and personally invite Jace to visit eventually.¡±


    Gregory nodded.  ¡°I assume you have a plan for how you will sneak a peek at his books, and, of course, you know how to solve the quest.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason replied.  ¡°Do you need to know it to approve the request?¡±


    ¡°Humor me.  I¡¯d like to see how this group plans out a mission.¡±


    Now Jason really thought the man used to be a field agent.  He wanted a taste of the old life.  ¡°We will do a party member swap,¡± Jason said.  ¡°I have a crafter that won¡¯t be useful to me on this mission, so I will offer to trade him for Leah.  Rock will be reluctant to let me have Leah, but I¡¯m guessing I will need access to her character to get her to trust me.  Gromphy, my crafter, is much more valuable than Leah, and Rock will jump at the chance to have the best crafter in the game under his employ for the duration of the quest.  He will willingly give Gromphy access to everything in the art gallery, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for him to find what we need.¡±


    Jason took a drink of water and cleared his throat.  ¡°As for the quest, there isn¡¯t a lot I can tell you.  We don¡¯t know much, but I have a strong feeling Rock and the few others who have tried are barking up the wrong tree.  Esther was one of four women working at the Gilded Swan when I found her.  All four of them are named after women in the Bible who had a somewhat sexual storyline.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing general Bible knowledge isn¡¯t common in the Realms of Infamy?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure if Leah¡¯s quest was made public, and everyone could attempt it, it would be solved in hours, but Rock isn¡¯t advertising his plight, and most people don¡¯t know where Leah is.  I¡¯m guessing the few people who have tried haven¡¯t approached the quest like I see it.


    ¡°What we do know is that Leah was a princess who was promised in marriage to unite two kingdoms.  The foreign prince came for a visit but fell in love with Leah¡¯s younger, more attractive sister.  Still, the marriage happened, they had several kids, and the king died, making Leah Queen.  When Rachelle, the younger sister, came for the coronation, the prince ¨C now a king ¨C had an affair, and she got pregnant.  Leah was furious, and it didn¡¯t help that as the boy grew up, a prophecy was made that Rachelle¡¯s son would eventually save the kingdom.  Leah interpreted that as meaning her husband would make Rachelle¡¯s son, Josephus, heir to the throne.  So, she did what any reasonable witch would do and cast a curse to kill her sister and nephew.¡±


    Gregory shook his head.  ¡°You guys deal with this kind of thing often?¡±


    Stephen and Ross shrugged their shoulders.  Jason continued.  ¡°Rachelle and Josephus were attacked by a monster, leaving behind a bloody mess, and everyone assumed they were dead.  Shortly after, Leah¡¯s kingdom was struck by a famine and plague.  The king was one of the first ones to get sick, and he died shortly after.  Leah¡¯s oldest son, Jude, was made king.  The priests in the land tried everything they could to end the curse to no avail.  They were able to cast spells to find its origin, and everything pointed at Leah as the cause.  They chose to banish her, taking her out on a ship and tossing her overboard.  She was rescued by Tami, a mermaid we will talk about next, and taken to the Gilded Swan.¡±


    Jason took another drink of water.  ¡°I visited the Gilded Swan and freed Esther, sending that place into chaos, and the other three women found new homes.  I don¡¯t know how Rock ended up with Leah, but she¡¯s been in a mournful state ever since.  She heard that her son is now sick and dying, and she feels horrible for what she did.  To solve her quest, you must reverse the curse and restore her relationship with the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°And you know how to do that?¡± Gregory asked.


    Jason wavered.  ¡°I think I do.  I know that the others visited the plagued kingdom, and upon entering, they were immediately sickened and slowly lost Hit Points that couldn¡¯t be healed as long as they stayed.  They poked around for a while but had to leave before they died.  So far, that is all anyone has tried.  Obviously, the prophecy that Josephus will save the land is the most obvious solution, but Leah insists that he is dead and won¡¯t say anything else on the subject.  I¡¯m guessing she has a bad relationship score with Rock right now, so she isn¡¯t forthcoming with more information.  She should respond much better to Esther and me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you think Joe is still alive?¡± Gregory said.


    Jason nodded.  ¡°He has to be.  It fits the narrative from the Bible.  Joseph was sold into slavery, and his brothers put blood on his clothes to show their father to make it look like he had died.  We just need to get Leah to open up to that possibility, and Esther should be able to do that.¡±


    Gregory nodded.  ¡°How dangerous will it be?  Are we likely to lose any of our . . .¡± he glanced down at the picture of Esther again, ¡° . . . our assets?¡±


    Jason shrugged.  ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know.  No one has ever played this module before.  I don¡¯t know what to expect, but I have confidence my team will be able to handle it.¡±


    ¡°Very well.  I approve.¡±  He closed that folder and opened the next one.  ¡°What do we have here?  Pirates?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Allison said.  ¡°Allow me to explain. . .¡±

 Chapter 5

    Draya walked into Gromphy¡¯s lab and saw the goblin crafter standing motionless behind his table.  Two items sat on the stone surface, each pulsing with power.  One was the Frosthold, a tesseract bound by dragon fire with a cold vortex in the center.  Draya had acquired it on a mission she and Psycho had undertaken at Gromphy¡¯s request.  However, the goblin crafter had no idea they would bring back a cold mana source with such power.  Gromphy had spent the better part of a week trying to figure out how to combine it with the second item on the table.


    ¡°Is that the mana core you got from the Armadillion?¡± Draya asked, stepping closer to the table.  The amorphous stone was confusing to look at, almost as dizzying as the 4-dimensional cube sitting next to it.  The lump of stone shifted and pulsed with power, constantly changing its form randomly, occasionally spewing molten rock.  At times, it looked as clear as glass but would then change to quartz for a few seconds before taking on the multifaceted appearance of a diamond.


    ¡°It is,¡± Gromphy replied, not looking up from his crafting table.


    The side the goblin stood on was raised to accommodate his short stature, and Draya approached the opposite side, her head about the same level as the crafter.  ¡°Have you figured out how to merge the two?¡±  As she spoke, the mana core discharged another blob of lava, accompanied by a gout of flame.  Jace was a stone shaman, and he could use this core like Draya used the dragon mana core inside her, but his vulnerability to fire damage was a problem.  The core in its current state would likely kill him.  That was what the frost core was for.


    ¡°I have not,¡± Gromphy answered.


    Draya frowned.  The goblin''s flowery speech had always been something she enjoyed, especially when he was throwing insults at Esther that the rogue didn¡¯t understand.  Since the loss of Adam, the goblin had been despondent and short on words.  Jace had promised to find a way to get the golem back, but it was clear Gromphy had given up hope.


    ¡°Is there anything I can do to help?¡± Draya asked.  ¡°I¡¯m in school, as you know, and I have access to lots of books and research.¡±


    ¡°Jace is Ordered,¡± Gromphy said in an even tone.  ¡°This is chaotic.  It must be shaped to a more structured form.  I hath not the tools nor skills to accomplish it.¡±


    ¡°But you can do anything.¡±


    ¡°It requireth a sculptor¡¯s touch, not a crafter.  Secondly, it is alive; this is not.¡±  He pointed at the Frosthold.  Draya knew that Gromphy had asked for the mana core of a frost salamander or ice worm.  Those would have also been alive.  Instead, she and Psycho had brought him an inanimate object.  Infinitely more powerful but missing a key component.


    ¡°Thricely,¡± the goblin continued.  ¡°Jace is an orc, wholly different from the beast from whence this came.  I need a spell to span the gulf.  Jace hath no innate mana-bridging ability.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Draya said.  ¡°You mean a bianthropic transmutation alteration to his mana core.¡±


    Gromphy finally looked up, a thinly veiled look of awe showing through his dour visage.


    Draya smiled back.  ¡°I told you; I go to school.  I know stuff.¡±


    ¡°Doth they teach thee pyromania?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°Pyromania,¡± the goblin repeated.  ¡°A disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to start fires deliberately.¡±  To Draya, it sounded like he was quoting from a book.  ¡°Nal Saikol said he caught thee burning trees.¡±


    The mage frowned.  ¡°And he told me he wouldn¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Secrets burn a hole in our soul faster than any flame.¡±


    Draya frowned at him.


    ¡°Doth though have a secret to share?¡±


    ¡°Are you suddenly the stronghold psychic?¡± she asked, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration, though secretly longing to tell him.  ¡°If you must know,¡± she finally said.  ¡°This dress you gave me is cursed.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the goblin replied.  ¡°Twas our intention.¡±


    ¡°But did you mean to put a demon inside it?¡±


    Gromphy raised his thick eyebrows but said nothing.


    ¡°Well, you did,¡± she said.  ¡°He¡¯s the pyromaniac, not me.  In order to keep him happy, I need to burn things.  Don¡¯t worry, the trees will grow back.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Gromphy replied and looked back at the table.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± she continued, ¡°I came here to say that Jace messaged Psycho.  He¡¯ll be logging in shortly.  We are going on another mission.  You should get ready.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± the goblin said, almost spitting in disgust.  ¡°He hath no need of me.  I am not a warrior.¡±


    Draya shrugged.  ¡°Psycho said Jace said he would need everyone.  Don¡¯t kill the messenger.¡±  With that, she spun around and left the lab.


    <hr>


    Partumopolis sat at the southern base of the mountain range that divided the main continent from East to West.  The city was filled with music, art, sculptures, and fine dining.  Waterfalls cascaded down the snow-capped peaks, glittering in the sunlight.  Green fields with vibrant wildflowers surrounded the city''s southern side, greeting the visitors as they exited through the travel node.  The stylistic architecture combined with the vast mountain range behind was reminiscent of quaint European villages tucked away in the Alps.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful,¡± Esther said once Jace had transported his motley crew to Rock Bender¡¯s home city.  ¡°Why have you never taken me here before?¡±


    Jace ignored the question, assuming it was rhetorical.  Partumopolis was one of the few Non-PVP cities in the realms that wasn¡¯t specifically designed to cater to lower level players.  Few, if any, quests originated here besides simple fetch-and-retrieve missions from local crafters or chefs looking for rare ingredients.  With the types of adventures Jace and his party undertook, they wouldn¡¯t likely visit this location.


    Esther wasn¡¯t wearing her traditional armor but sported her short, black dress and skipped ahead down the path amidst the flowers like Red Riding Hood on the way to visit Grandma.  Colorful attire would have been more appropriate, but Jace doubted the vampire rogue would ever wear anything other than black.


    ¡°She¡¯s in a good mood,¡± Psycho said.


    Thankfully, after explaining all the missions to the CIA last night, Jace and Gracie had gotten approval.  They had been forced to tie most of the quest to real-world criminals, but Jace had told his party members their primary focus was to help Esther.  Psycho understood best the limitations placed upon Jace by his employer and asked if there was something more at stake, so Jace told him.


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    Likely, the ranger didn¡¯t fully grasp Esther¡¯s rollercoaster relationship with his leader.  Psycho¡¯s relationship with the orc shaman was 100%, and Jace was willing to bet it had been 100% with Drescher too, even though Psycho had hated him.  The elf ranger was too honorable and devoted to his loyalties to accept anything else.


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t she be,¡± Draya replied, always quick to defend her friend.  She skipped ahead after Esther, Snowy close behind.


    ¡°Anything you need me to watch out for?¡± Psycho asked as the three males followed the women.  Gromphy pulled up the rear, unlikely to ask any questions.


    ¡°This is a Non-PVP zone,¡± Jace said.  Even so, he was using his illusion necklace to disguise his appearance.  Walking through the city as an orc might not get him attacked, but it would certainly cause a commotion.  He appeared as a human just over six feet tall, about the same height as Psycho.  ¡°I probably won¡¯t need your help for a while.  I don¡¯t know our next stop, but keep your eyes peeled.¡±


    Partumopolis kept its quaint mountain village vibe as the group moved through the cobblestone streets.  Bakeries, flower shops, and jewelry stores kept distracting Esther, and Jace fought hard to keep her on track.  She had spent the last two nights sleeping in his stronghold, and Draya told him she had gone down to Crestfall for pancakes this morning, so she shouldn¡¯t be hungry.


    Rock Bender¡¯s gallery, the Artist¡¯s Alcove, sat along a bubbling stream on the edge of town.  It had a vast manicured lawn with countless exquisite sculptures standing amongst eloquently shaped hedges.  Most statues were of the naked variety, with surprisingly accommodating diversity.  Males, females, half-orcs, elves, dwarves, and even a few goblins and kobolds stood in the open with nothing to hide.  These sucked Esther in even more than the baked goods, and she tugged on Draya¡¯s arm to draw her into the forest of ivory and marble figures.  The younger woman attempted to show reluctance but was soon just as enthralled as her friend.


    Jace ignored them and led Psycho and Gromphy to the entrance.   An expansive veranda with embossed pillars supporting a flower-covered pergola guarded the arched front door.  Jace was astonished by the opulence.  No cost had been spared in constructing this building, and the extravagance didn¡¯t end once they got inside.  Gold, silver, and jewels adorned every inch of the framing, with paintings and sculptures covering each wall and pillar.


    Jace¡¯s group wasn¡¯t alone in the art gallery as at least a dozen other NPCs and PCs wandered about looking for things to buy.  Gracie told him she was watching for any international bad guys, but the crowd was relatively innocuous.  Jace wondered why players would waste their gold on virtual artwork.  However, when Esther ran up to him, asking if they had brought Gromphy¡¯s storage chest because she found a statue she absolutely had to have, he realized other PCs needed to keep their NPC companions happy too.


    ¡°We¡¯re here on business,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Who knows, if we help out the owner, he might be willing to reward you with anything you want for free.¡±


    This knocked some sobriety into the woman, and she fell in line behind her leader as he wove through the congested displays.  Besides getting game notifications every time Esther tried to steal something (but failed), she didn¡¯t pester Jace further.


    Rock Bender was easy to locate.  The dwarf had a desk on the gallery''s upper level, giving him a view of everyone perusing his wares.  When Jace spotted him, he was shaking the hand of an elf, having concluded their negotiations.  The owner spotted Jace in the crowd, and his bearded face parted in a grand smile.  As the shaman led his group up the broad staircase, he saw the elf move along the balcony that ringed the second level and enter one of the numbered doors lining the wall.


    Two empty chairs sat before Rock¡¯s desk, and the excited merchant beckoned his guests forward.  ¡°Jace Thorne, Esther Xerxes, and others, please, please, make yourself comfortable.¡±  He cast a spell, and three more chairs appeared, one of them goblin-sized.  Jace and Esther sat down.  Psycho refused to make himself comfortable and kept his eyes on the crowd below as he wandered along the balcony with Snowy beside him.  Draya looked uncertain, knowing that her boss often wanted her to watch the premier, but she felt her fire attacks disabled in this environment, so she also took a seat.  Gromphy frowned at the smaller chair and chose to stand.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were coming to visit?  I would have had something prepared.  Are you hungry?  Do you want something to drink?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Esther said.


    The dwarf smiled, adjusted a few pieces of jewelry to signal his ever-vigilant waitstaff, and sat on the raised chair on the opposite side of the desk.  He was high enough to look his guests in the face.  ¡°Rarely do I get such honored and respected customers.  Why have you come? Did you see anything downstairs that you liked?  Perhaps I can interest you in a portrait.  I am usually busy, but I can squeeze you in.¡±


    Jace raised his hand to stop Esther from listing the dozen items she wanted and stared hard at the dwarf.  ¡°You know why we are here.¡±


    Rock¡¯s cheerful disposition darkened a bit, most notably in his eyes, but his mouth kept a broad grin.  Before he could reply, two human waiters approached carrying trays of drinks and hors d''oeuvres.  They were placed on an empty section of the large desk, and Esther reached for the offerings hungrily.


    The dwarf gave the woman a moment to stuff her face and responded.  ¡°Yes, I expected a visit like this eventually.  I know your reputation for doing the impossible and solving the unsolvable, but I don¡¯t think I am ready to give up yet.  I see you have an empty spot in your party, and I am not so na?ve as to think you can¡¯t steal her.¡±  His eyes went to Esther, and Jace could see the distrust in his gaze.


    ¡°I assumed you would have your reservations, but I assure you, my only desire is to see Leah freed from the shackles of her quest.  It is having a negative effect on my own relations.¡±  Jace nodded toward Esther, who had a look of ecstasy on her face from the food and wine, showing no sign of discontent or that she was paying attention to the conversation.  Jace tried to ignore her.  ¡°However, I will need Leah in my party temporarily to aid you in this.¡±


    Now anger was visible in the dwarf¡¯s furrowed brow, but Jace raised his hand again before he could speak.  ¡°So, I offer you a trade.  I will take Leah with me to solve her quest and leave behind my crafter.  Surely, you have heard of Gromphy, the best crafter in the realms.  He may lack an artistic touch, but in just a few hours, he can craft dozens of items that will expand your selection beyond what you can imagine.  I¡¯m guessing you have access to several unique components.¡±


    This was shocking to Rock, and he leaned back in his chair.  ¡°I have never traded companions before.¡±


    Jace hadn¡¯t heard of it either.  Gracie had been the one to suggest it yesterday when they had spent twelve hours planning these missions.  ¡°The trade can last as long as either player desires.  At any moment, we can cancel the trade and ownership returns exactly as it was.  There is no risk to you that I will wander off with your companion, and if I do, you get to keep mine.¡±


    Rock frowned.  ¡°You don¡¯t understand the dire situation I am in.  If I let her out, she will wander off on her own.  Even if you don¡¯t have her, I won¡¯t be able to keep her.¡±


    Jace guessed their relationship score was well below 50.  ¡°Then your plan is to leave her locked in a room forever?  I assume she isn¡¯t willing to work for you with her quest unsolved.  As I see it, you have nothing to lose.  Let her come with me, and if I solve her quest, she will return to you with a much healthier relationship in an environment that must appeal to her.¡±  Jace motioned around the gallery.


    ¡°If I fail, and she leaves you, then you had a few hours of my crafter working diligently in your workshop, which is more than you have now with Leah indisposed.¡±


    Rock put on a pensive face.  ¡°What are you getting out of this?  Are you doing this out of the goodness of your heart?¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll find someone who will,¡± Esther said between mouthfuls, letting the men know she was half-listening to what they said.


    Jace looked at her.  That hadn¡¯t been rehearsed.  He knew she was guile and likely just helping him out, but part of him believed her.  Rock looked between the two characters.  Jace only shrugged.  ¡°Fine, but only on one condition: I go with you.  There are only five of you; a sixth won¡¯t get in the way.¡±


    Jace nodded and navigated into his inventory to send Rock Bender a trade request: Leah Jacobs for Gromphy.  After a few seconds, Rock accepted.  Jace exited his inventory and saw the dwarf smiling and standing up.  Jace followed suit, but Esther stayed sitting.  Jace looked down at her, crumbs on her lips, her food momentarily forgotten as a puzzled expression crossed her face.  She looked up suddenly.  ¡°Jace, what just happened?  Is Leah a member of our party now?¡±


    Jace looked confused.  ¡°Yes.  I thought you¡¯d be happy.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied, rising from her chair and brushing her hands on her dress.  ¡°We can¡¯t do that.  I promised . . . uh . . . him that we wouldn¡¯t take my sisters into our party.  It was part of the deal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only temporary,¡± Jace replied.  He looked at the dwarf.  ¡°Rock won¡¯t let me keep her anyway.  But I need her to trust me, which is best accomplished if she is part of our group.¡±


    Esther looked torn but eventually nodded.  Jace still didn¡¯t know who her mystery man was and now feared he had nefarious motives.  Jace couldn¡¯t think about that now.  He had to concentrate on the task at hand.  Psycho had wandered off on patrol, and while Rock talked to Gromphy, giving him directions to the lower level where his own crafter worked, Jace called his ranger back.

 Chapter 6

    As Gromphy left down the stairs, Rock led his new friends along the balcony and down a back private hallway that did not overlook the gallery below. The dwarf stopped before a non-descript door and pulled a key from his pocket.


    ¡°You¡¯re keeping her locked up like an animal?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°It is for her own safety,¡± Rock replied unconvincingly.


    Esther wanted to argue, but the door opened, and Rock stepped to the side quickly. Esther was eager to enter, so she was the one hit by the Stun hex as she raced through the opening.


    Non-PVP zones prevent nearly all hostile Player-to-Player interactions and disallow most weapon use and damaging spells. However, hand-to-hand combat is usually still allowed, and NPCs can generally interact with each other and players as long as they aren¡¯t causing damage.


    Esther made eye contact with Leah as the hex hit her and saw the regret in the witch''s face when she realized who had come to visit. Leah had likely gotten a notification that she had just been traded and was distraught enough to attack whomever that was. One of the best indications that Rock had neglected her was that she was still level ten, the same as when Jace had first met her. Esther was level 17 and would have saved against the spell, but she failed automatically because they were party members now.


    ¡°Oh, Esther, I¡¯m so sorry. I thought you were . . .¡±


    Jace cast Dispel on his female companion, and Esther sprang back to life. She interrupted the woman by racing forward and embracing her. Jace stayed clear of the entry and looked sideways down the hall at the dwarf who had knowingly stepped aside when the door opened. ¡°For her own good?¡± Jace repeated. ¡°Or for your safety?¡±


    Instead of pushing the matter, Jace went into his inventory to check the relationship status. After a trade, the NPC would have the same initial relationship with their new party leader as their old one. It was at 20. Jace adjusted his settings so he could check that score in his Head-Up-Display. He planned on raising it.


    Jace left his inventory and followed Esther into the room, wary of any traps.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything, boss,¡± Draya said from behind. She had exceptional Perception skill. ¡°I don¡¯t detect any other magical traps either.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jace moved to the center of the room, taking stock of the minimal furnishing. A bed, dresser, and worktable with art supplies were all he saw. Draya followed him in, but Psycho and Snowy stayed alert in the hallway. Rock made his way into the room and closed the door behind him.


    Jace focused on the two women who had ended their hug and were now reacquainting. Esther called her friends ¡°sisters,¡± and while Jace knew they weren¡¯t related, he couldn¡¯t help seeing a similarity. Leah was supposed to be the ugly older sister, and, as a witch, she did have the classic fairytale look. Her nose was a little too long, her eyes a bit too wide apart, her chin came to a sharper-than-normal point beneath her thin lips, and she had the requisite wart on her cheek. She wore a simple smock above a skirt that hung below her knees. Her only adornment was a necklace made of blue diamonds. But only in comparison to Esther¡¯s perfect beauty could one find her unattractive.


    ¡°I knew you would come to rescue me,¡± Leah said.


    ¡°Of course I did. We are here to help you.¡±


    At the sound of the plural pronoun, Leah looked over her friend¡¯s shoulder to the small crowd in her room. Esther turned for introductions. ¡°This is Jace and Draya,¡± she said. ¡°Jace is the one who rescued me originally from the Gilded Swan. He was an orc back then.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Leah said, her face scrunched up in memory. Jace had gotten the illusion necklace on the top floor of the Gilded Swan, and Leah would have seen him in his human form for a little while. ¡°Yes,¡± she repeated. ¡°I think I remember him. . . Wait, did you say Jace? Jace Thorne?¡±


    The shaman smiled and bowed slightly. ¡°At your service.¡±


    She looked back at Esther. ¡°I have heard of Jace Thorne. I had no idea you were with him. I was on my own for a while between the Swan and here.¡± She turned to Jace. ¡°Thank you for coming for me. Did you kill that miserable . . .¡± her voice trailed off as she looked past Jace and saw Rock hiding out by the door. She looked back to Esther. ¡°What is HE doing here?¡±


    ¡°I brought them here to help you, my dear,¡± Rock pleaded. ¡°Soon, the plague on your land will be over, and you can return to doing what you love.¡± Jace saw the dwarf¡¯s eyes go toward the art station. It didn¡¯t look like any of the paper, pens, or paint had ever been used.


    ¡°You lie,¡± Leah said. ¡°They came here on their own to help me and . . .¡± she paused in thought, ¡°you didn¡¯t want them to. They had to convince you to let them try.¡±


    ¡°She cast a spell,¡± Draya whispered to Jace. ¡°Some kind of truth-seeking curse on Rock.¡±


    {She¡¯s right,} Gracie agreed. {If she catches him in a lie, she can read a portion of his mind. A very useful curse.}


    ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Rock argued. Jace thought it unwise to continue lying. It would just reveal more of his mishandling of the woman. ¡°I only wanted to ensure they had your best interest at heart.¡±


    Leah paused as her spell gave her more information. ¡°You traded me for a goblin!¡± The woman raised her arms to attack, but Esther stepped in the way.


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t do that. You¡¯re with us now. I also have a man in my life who only wants to use me for his profit. Jace isn¡¯t like that. You can trust him. He will solve your problem. I promise.¡±


    Leah lowered her arms and looked a bit deflated. ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°No, he won¡¯t. No one can help me. I screwed everything up. I¡¯m a horrible person.¡±


    ¡°Worse than me?¡± Esther asked playfully.


    That brought a smile to Leah¡¯s lips. ¡°Well, maybe not that bad.¡±


    Jace checked the relationship status. It was up to 50. She was at least treating him neutrally. He bet it was down to 10% with Rock. When this was over, the dwarf might not want the woman returned to him.


    Jace would love to let the two friends catch up with each other, but that would have to wait. ¡°I believe I can help,¡± he said. ¡°But you are going to have to trust me.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Leah looked between Esther and Jace and eventually nodded. The score climbed to 55. Jace pulled the chair away from the desk and spun it around as the two women sat on the bed. Draya stood behind her boss, and Rock stayed out of sight.


    ¡°I know most of your story,¡± Jace said, ¡°and I think I have the solution. Your sister and nephew are still alive.¡±


    Leah shook her head. ¡°No. You don¡¯t understand. I cast a curse to kill them. I waited until they came for a visit, and I killed them. All we found left behind were bloody clothes and the tracks of a horrific beast. They are dead.¡±


    Jace kept his voice gentle. ¡°What kind of curse was it? It sounds powerful for someone of your experience.¡±


    Leah paused. ¡°I bought it from a sorcerer in my own kingdom . . . I, I think . . . no, he said . . . I¡¯m not sure. I wanted a spell to kill them quietly in their sleep. He . . . tricked me . . . he, no, he said . . . I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a spell blocking her memory,¡± Draya whispered. ¡°It is powerful. I can¡¯t dispel it.¡±


    Jace nodded. If his mage couldn¡¯t counter it, neither could he, at least not with magic.


    ¡°What was his name?¡± Jace asked.


    Leah winced. ¡°I . . . I . . . can¡¯t . . .¡± Her hands went to her head, and she moaned in agony.


    ¡°Jace!¡± Esther cried, putting her arms around her friend to comfort her. ¡°Stop!¡±


    Jace waited for the pain to pass.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Leah said, gasping, finally looking up from her ordeal, ¡°I can¡¯t remember. Please don¡¯t . . .¡±


    ¡°Was his name Ishmael?¡± Jace asked.


    The name hit the witch in the forehead like a cannonball, and she flopped back on the mattress in a daze, staring up at the ceiling.


    ¡°Jace!¡± Esther cried, turning on the bed and tending to the limp woman beside her. ¡°I told you to . . .¡±


    Leah blinked several times and seemed to regain consciousness. ¡°No, Esther, it¡¯s fine. He¡¯s right. The block in my mind is gone. The sorcerer, Ishmael, wiped my memory. It¡¯s coming back to me.¡±


    On the far side of the room, Rock pushed away from the wall and walked a few paces forward. ¡°What did you do?¡± he asked. ¡°How did you know?¡±


    Jace smiled. ¡°I read my Bible. Joseph was sold to the Ishmaelites. Then they took his clothes and some blood and made it look like a wild beast killed him.¡± He turned to the women on the bed and waited for Esther and Leah to sit upright again. ¡°Are you okay? What else do you remember?¡±


    ¡°I . . .I don¡¯t think I ever meant to hurt them,¡± Leah said. ¡°I only wanted to scare them away from my kingdom and never return. Then Josephus wouldn¡¯t be king. My son would be safe. But . . . Ishmael sold me a curse. He said everything would be exactly as I wanted. He tricked me.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember where Ishmael is?¡± Jace checked his relationship with her, and it was now at 75.


    Leah nodded. ¡°And you think he has my sister and her son?¡±


    Jace shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, no. If I¡¯m right, he sold them to someone else.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Probably not the Egyptians, but someone similar.¡±


    Leah looked confused. ¡°Who are the . . .¡±


    Esther stopped her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He always talks nonsense. He¡¯s usually right; just don¡¯t expect to understand until it is all over. And even then, half the time, I have to ask Draya to explain what happened.¡±


    Jace rose from his chair. ¡°You can take us to see Ishmael?¡±


    Leah nodded.


    ¡°Good. If you have any supplies or weapons you want to take, now is the time.¡±


    Leah scowled toward Rock. ¡°He took all my wands.¡±


    The dwarf tossed glances between Jace and Leah. ¡°Uh, I still have them. Do you really think . . .¡±


    Jace nodded.


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll go get them,¡± Rock opened the door and raced into the hallway.


    ¡°This is going to be fun,¡± Esther said to Leah. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ve never been on an adventure like this before.¡±


    ¡°Fun?¡± Leah replied.


    ¡°Oh, yes. Jace is the best leader. We always win. It doesn¡¯t matter how powerful the monster or demon is; Jace always finds a way to kill it.¡±


    ¡°Demon?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. You will be perfectly safe. Jace will take good care of you. He won¡¯t let anyone die. Well, last time I died, but it was mostly my fault.¡±


    ¡°You died?¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean, not really, because I¡¯m here now, right? Hey, I love your necklace. You didn¡¯t have that before.¡±


    Leah took a breath from her friend¡¯s mind-numbing rambling and looked down at the blue diamonds. ¡°Thanks. Someone else gave it to me after he failed to solve my quest.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t have to worry about that with Jace. He will definitely solve it. And even then, he might have Gromphy craft you something really nice. Gromphy is the goblin crafter we traded you for. He made all my equipment.¡±


    ¡°Goblin Crafter?¡±


    Jace chuckled and wandered away from the women to check on Psycho and Snowy. ¡°All quiet out here?¡± he asked.


    The elf nodded. ¡°Everything go according to plan in there?¡±


    Jace laughed. ¡°What plan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was afraid of.¡± Psycho scratched Snowy behind the ears. ¡°Is this mission important?¡±


    ¡°It is to Esther.¡±


    Psycho nodded. ¡°And in your world?¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°That depends on what Gromphy can find out.¡±


    <hr>


    Gromphy followed Rock Bender¡¯s directions through the main floor gallery, into the back storage room, and down to the basement workshop. The door at the top of the stairs was locked, but as a member of Rock¡¯s party, the door opened for Gromphy automatically. The goblin felt compelled to obey his new master but still felt his allegiance to Jace and remembered what the orc shaman had told him to do. If Rock ever asked what the crafter really wanted, he would be obligated to tell him. Hopefully, that wouldn¡¯t happen.


    A hallway at the bottom of the stairs led to a vast underground workshop, easily as big as the entire building. Gromphy¡¯s lab back in Jace¡¯s stronghold was much smaller, but so were his ingredients. Silver, gold, and jewels were shared between the two spaces, but while the goblin worked with relatively small ingots of steel, mithril, and adamantium, here, massive blocks of sandstone, marble, and granite stood on shelves lining the walls. Vast blocks of wood and large chunks of ivory were piled in neat rows beside many of the tables.


    ¡°Who goes there?¡± a small voice called out.


    Gromphy noticed the worktables were shorter than usual, almost as if they were designed for him. He saw a pointed cap moving between the furniture, and a gnome popped into view. The shorter crafter cried out in shock at seeing a goblin in his workspace, but Gromphy wasn¡¯t dressed like a typical goblin with his tailored shirt and pants, black coat, glasses, and hat. Plus, the gnome must have sensed Gromphy was in his master¡¯s party and tempered his reaction.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± Gromphy said, removing his hat and bowing low. ¡°I am Gromphy, Master Crafter. I hath been assigned to assist thee while my former master is away.¡±


    The gnome nodded. ¡°I am Rooter. I, too, am a crafter. I specialize in stone and wood carvings.¡±


    ¡°I craft magical items,¡± Gromphy replied. ¡°I can fashion any weapon thou likest and put enchantments in clothing, jewelry, or armor.¡± He looked around the room and saw several half-finished sculptures. ¡°Thou seemest busy,¡± the goblin said. ¡°How dost thou keep track of all thy many projects?¡±


    The gnome smiled. ¡°We keep a book. It is a magical tome that tracks all the purchased items from above, orders for me to fashion, and paintings commissioned by the artists. There is one on the main floor and a third upstairs. They all update each other so everyone knows what is happening.¡±


    Gromphy smiled. This was going to be too easy. ¡°Sounds fascinating. An ingenious solution to a confounding problem. Perchance, could I see it?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the gnome replied. ¡°If you are to assist me, you will need to learn how to use it.¡±


    As Rooter led Gromphy through the maze of tables and half-finished statues, the goblin looked on with interest at the chisels and picks the gnome used. He felt the weak enchantments on them and knew he could make them much stronger.


    The goblin stopped cold. ¡°Rooter,¡± he said. The gnome turned around. ¡°Art thou the crafter for all these items?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± he said.


    Gromphy ejected his trunk from his inventory and opened the lid. ¡°What dost thou think of this?¡± He fetched an item from the chest and set it on a table. It was the stone mana core.


    Rooter was entranced. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. What does it do?¡±


    ¡°It is broken,¡± Gromphy lied. ¡°Cursed by a demon. I need it fixed. Canst thou shape it?¡±


    The gnome crept up to the object and reached tentatively toward it. The core spit out a stream of lava, causing Rooter to retreat, feeling the stone''s heat and magic. ¡°I would like nothing more than to shape it into something beautiful,¡± the gnome said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think my tools are up to the task.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± Gromphy said dismissively. ¡°That I can rectify. Doth thou have the skill to shapest it into a perfect icosahedron?¡±


    The gnome looked up, confused. ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°A 20-sided shape,¡± Gromphy clarified.


    Rooter looked back to the stone as it belched out more lava and steam. ¡°Yes,¡± he said confidently. ¡°Yes, I can.¡±

 Chapter 7

    Leah¡¯s original home was the Kingdom of Paddan. Jace didn¡¯t think it was much of a kingdom, consisting only of a castle and a few surrounding villages. He didn¡¯t know what else he should have expected. The main continent of the Realms of Infamy was a collection of cities and biomes without any central government. They were designed to spawn countless missions and quests for the players and give them a chance to live out their medieval digital fantasies. He knew there were island nations you could visit and go on week-long campaigns where every village, city, and geographic location was intertwined into a single story. But Jace had triggered Gandhi to create comprehensive backstories for each of the four lieutenants in the Gilded Swan, so she had found an empty patch of coastline a few dozen miles south of Portsmith and plopped a ¡°kingdom¡± on it. Jace assumed the Kingdom of Canaan, where the plague and Leah¡¯s son, Jude, ruled, was much the same.


    Jace was also informed that he was entering a MIM with no other player in it. Anyone could conceivably walk here, but access to the travel node was only possible with Leah¡¯s assistance. It was a Level 16 PVP zone, and Jace advised Leah and Rock to stay close. They were levels 10 and 11, respectively, and virtually any hostile creature they encountered might kill them. For reasons only a dominatrix would understand, Esther¡¯s 37 levels of Escort made her a combat specialist. As a level 22 Artist, Leah was the best in the game, but it didn¡¯t do anything for her in a dark alley surrounded by enemies.


    They were in the largest village on the west side of the castle. Tall buildings near the wall housed prominent nobles and royal officials. The streets were clean, with lampposts every thirty feet. Further away from the castle stood the shops and taverns, upscale establishments servicing the wealthy clientele. On the other side of those buildings were the gaming houses and brothels, carefully shadowed by the taller, more respectable businesses to hide whoever might be seeking their scandalous wares. Further west were the homes and shops for the lower class, many of whom worked in those nicer service industries frequented by the wealthy.


    Leah led the group even further still from the castle where the opium dealers, fortune tellers, and snake charmers plied their trade. If nobles ventured this far, they did so only under the cover of night and brought a retinue of guards with them. It was midday now, and Leah felt confident they wouldn¡¯t encounter anyone she knew. Still, all three women wore hooded cloaks to hide from prying eyes.


    Leah walked in the lead next to Jace, telling him which streets to take. Esther had strict instructions from her leader to keep Rock alive. The dwarf was a fighter, but Jace didn¡¯t expect any help from him in a battle. Esther had changed into her armor, with her rapiers hanging in easy reach. Rock shuddered when he looked at her. The beautiful woman had changed from a playful girl stuffing appetizers in her face to the female embodiment of death walking the streets.


    Draya walked between the two pairs with explicit orders to use her dragon fire only if necessary. She also acted as a buffer between the witch and the dwarf should Leah wish to use any of her returned wands against her former master. Psycho and Snowy anchored the small procession, the wolf with her nose to the air sensing any impending ambushes while the elf was a heartbeat away from slinging a deadly arrow in any direction.


    Their destination was one of the larger one-story buildings on the edge of town. A steady stream of smoke rose from a single chimney atop the windowless black stone structure, filling the air with a sickly sweet smell. Draya informed Jace the smoke was laced with magic, and Gracie told him he had just made the saving throw against the hexing vapor. The rest of his usual crew also saved, but Leah and Rock failed the roll. Jace turned the Dazed witch over to Draya¡¯s safekeeping and told her to dispel the magic if she could.


    A young boy, no more than 14, already at level 12, waited for them at the entrance to the building. Jace wore his human disguise, and the youth smiled broadly at him. ¡°Hi ya, friend. What be your pleasure this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here for your master, inquiring about a curse he sold to my friend.¡± Jace turned to indicate Leah, who looked high on life at the moment. Draya had no problem dispelling the effects of the incense, but the air was filled with it, and Leah kept failing her save the following round. Jace understood how Ishmael had been able to trick her before.


    The boy laughed. ¡°You should choose your friends more carefully,¡± he said. ¡°That is Leah Jacobs, former princess of our kingdom and then queen of another. Now, she is neither and is not even considered a Lady. Rumor has it she killed her sister and nephew to secure her position on the throne. Who knows what she will do to her friends if she does that to her family? I wouldn¡¯t trust a word she says.¡±


    {You just made two more saving throws,} Gracie told him. {The boy is slick.}


    ¡°Princess Rachelle and her son are not dead,¡± Jace said boldly. ¡°Your master knows this. I want to know where they are.¡±


    The boy frowned, his deception not working on the Honest shaman with high Magic Defense. ¡°He¡¯s away right now,¡± the boy continued to lie. ¡°He won¡¯t be back until tonight. Come alone with the witch, and maybe we can talk.¡±


    Jace chose a new tactic and walked confidently up a few stone steps toward the home¡¯s front door. ¡°Draya,¡± he called. ¡°Traps?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied. ¡°A powerful one. I don¡¯t think Esther will be able to . . .¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t bother listening to the rest. He cast a Damage Sink Totem on the roof of the stone building out of sight of the boy, touched the outside wall to link himself to it, and punched the door open. A concussive blast dropped him to a knee as 600 points of damage coursed through him and into the totem above. He failed a saving throw this time, but only barely, and was Dazed for six seconds. Afterward, he braced his hand on the door jam and hauled himself back to his feet. He turned to his crew. ¡°You can enter now,¡± he said in a strained voice.


    The boy''s jaw was on the ground, and he didn¡¯t say anything as the other five characters filed inside. Snowy didn¡¯t like the smell of the house and stayed on guard in the street. The boy didn¡¯t feel like hanging around the enormous wolf and hurried after the guests, closing the damaged door behind him.


    The inside of the home was dark and damp, the smell of incense rich in the air. Jace kept his pain settings low but had learned through experience that it was good to keep most of his other environmental settings high. The game did an excellent job of warning you when danger was close. The smell of death was pungent.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Down a short hallway and through a sparse dining room, Jace found Ishmael sitting in a chair by the fireplace. At least the shaman assumed this was the sorcerer they were looking for. He was lean and pale with a dark goatee, a high-collared red shirt, and black pants. The fire beside him burned low with a strange collection of leaves and herbs smoking away just above it. The man had a look of annoyance on his face but tried to change it to one of interest when Leah made her appearance.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, his voice dripping with venom, ¡°Leah, so good to see you again. I do enjoy repeat customers. I hope Ivan didn¡¯t give you a hard time outside.¡±


    ¡°Where are Rachelle and Josephus?¡± Jace said, demanding the sorcerer¡¯s attention. ¡°You have one chance to do this the easy way.¡±


    The man chuckled. ¡°Do you really think that is how to negotiate with me? Everything has a price, but I don¡¯t deal in threats. If you want . . .¡±


    ¡°Draya,¡± Jace said. ¡°It¡¯s cold in here. The fire is burning too low.¡±


    The intelligent mage understood, shook her wrist free from her long-sleeved red cloak, and threw a fireball at the hearth. Ishmael jumped out of his chair and flattened himself against the far wall away from the spell, fearing the attack was aimed at him. The dragon fire exploded on its intended target, instantly consuming the cursed incense. Instead of a slow, constant release of magic, the aroma filled the small room, many times its original intensity. And now Draya was behind the spell. All her party members failed automatically, and she dispelled those effects. However, Ishmael suffered several critical failures and could barely remain standing.


    ¡°Esther,¡± Jace said, ¡°stick him to the wall. He looks unsure on his feet.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± the woman said, not as quick as Draya.


    ¡°A web,¡± the mage whispered.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± she replied and cast her spell. Thick strands spread out to cover the stone wall and stuck the sorcerer fast with no hope of saving.


    ¡°Psycho,¡± Jace said, utilizing the skills of all his party members. ¡°An arrow at the ready, please. If he lies, nail him to the wall.¡±


    The ranger smiled and stepped forward with his elemental bow out and an arrow nocked. He would have to distribute his bonuses inefficiently not to kill the man from this distance, but it was possible. Jace ended his illusion and grew a foot in height, his bald orc head nearly touching the low wooden rafters. He stalked toward the Dazed, Terrified, Helpless man and activated his Intimidation skill.


    ¡°This is how I negotiate,¡± Jace said. ¡°Tell me what happened to Rachelle and Josephus. What specifically is the curse you sold to Leah?¡±


    Ishmael tried to talk, but in his current state, he couldn¡¯t. Jace drew Diamond Etcher and carefully cut a few spider strands around his head and mouth until his condition was reduced to Securely Grappled.


    ¡°The curse summons Lamashtu, a demoness that steals children.¡±


    ¡°Gracie?¡± Jace asked quietly.


    {I¡¯m on it,} she replied. {Keep him talking.}


    ¡°Where does this demon take her prey?¡±


    ¡°To an island,¡± the sorcerer said quickly. ¡°The troglodytes live there. They worship Lamashtu and put her victims to work as slaves. I get paid by a priest every time I sell the curse.¡±


    ¡°Where is the island?¡± Jace asked. ¡°How do we get there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Where do we find this priest?¡±


    ¡°I . . . I don¡¯t know. He appears a few days after I sell a curse. I don¡¯t know from where.¡±


    ¡°He lies!¡± Leah said. ¡°Elf,¡± she turned to Psycho, ¡°shoot him!¡±


    The ranger didn¡¯t flinch, trusting his boss and understanding the game mechanics.


    {He can¡¯t lie under these circumstances,} Gracie confirmed. {With as many banes as he is suffering and you being an Honest character, he has no choice but to tell the truth.}


    ¡°What else can you tell me?¡± Jace growled, his tusked face inches from the scrawny sorcerer.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I know, I promise.¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    Jace turned toward the scream and saw Leah pull one of her wands and cast a spell at the pinned man. The shaman involuntarily stepped out of the line of fire, even as he wanted to stop the attack. The air shimmered before him as the curse flew toward its victim and sunk into his soul. Jace didn¡¯t think a level 11 witch should have much success against a level 16 sorcerer, but Ishmael¡¯s skin turned to ash, and his eyes rolled back in his head. He appeared to age 100 years in six seconds, and before Jace could fish for a healing potion, the man was reduced to a rotting corpse.


    {Once again,} Gracie said, {He had so many banes, he must have failed with multiple criticals.}


    ¡°Leah,¡± Jace started, turning slowly and trying to keep the agitation from his voice. ¡°That was . . .¡±


    ¡°Leah,¡± Esther interrupted, and Jace let her friend deliver the rebuke. ¡°That was . . . awesome! I never knew you had that kind of power. He just shriveled like a prune.¡±


    The witch stared at her wand in shock, wondering what had gotten into her. Esther looked at her leader to see Jace frowning. ¡°Oh,¡± she continued in a more serious tone. ¡°And you shouldn¡¯t have done that. Jace had everything under control.¡±


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± Leah argued. ¡°Ishmael was lying. He must know where they are.¡±


    Behind her, Psycho lowered his bow. ¡°I don¡¯t think he did. No one could lie under those conditions. I¡¯m no stranger to interrogations.¡± Jace watched a shiver of disgust run down the elf¡¯s spine and wondered what kind of torture sessions Drescher had forced him to conduct. ¡°He didn¡¯t know anything more.¡±


    ¡°Then what do we do now?¡± Draya asked. ¡°This was our only chance.¡±


    Jace came to attention suddenly. ¡°No, it¡¯s not. Ivan.¡±


    ¡°The kid?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace replied. ¡°He¡¯s Ishmael¡¯s eyes and ears on the street. I bet this sorcerer never left this house. If someone in the city knows where this island is, it¡¯s Ivan. We need to get him.¡±


    ¡°He came in right after us,¡± Rock said. The dwarf had stayed in the back through the whole encounter.


    The group turned toward the dwarf and the hallway behind him that led to the entrance. In the silence, they all heard the door creek open.


    ¡°Snowy!¡± Jace bellowed, his orc voice shaking the walls of the house.


    As the call¡¯s echo died down, the sound of a boy¡¯s cry reached their ears, and moments later, the great wolf came bounding into the main room, Ivan held in her jaws by his waistband. The familiar navigated past the other characters and dumped the boy at her master¡¯s feet. Snowy didn¡¯t release him as much as she bit more completely through his pants. Ivan fell to the floor with the sound of ripping fabric. He tried to stand but found his pants falling to the floor. He chose to stay seated.


    Ivan cowered in fear, the image of his master¡¯s corpse hanging on the wall and the scowling visage of a massive orc crouching before him. ¡°I don¡¯t need to hurt you, do I?¡± Jace asked.


    The boy shook his head, a motion difficult to discern with how violently the rest of his body trembled. ¡°N-n-no, sir.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where the island is?¡±


    ¡°N-n-no, I don¡¯t. B-b-but, but . . .¡± he spoke quickly in response to Jace¡¯s deepening frown. ¡°I know who does. I can get you there. The island is a plantation. It p-p-produces special herbs and spices. Th-th-there is a captain who goes there. I c-c-can get you a spot on his ship. He owes my master a favor.¡±


    Jace looked up at Psycho, and the elf nodded. The boy was Frightened and should have a penalty against lying, but he didn¡¯t have nearly as many banes as Ishmael had. Jace already knew Ivan had considerable deception skill. His lies outside had been stupid and ran contrary to what Jace knew. Jace understood that when it came to Deception checks, Gracie would only be alerted to saving throws he successfully made. If he failed against a lie and his operator knew about it, that would be a clear notification that the NPC was lying.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Jace said, rising and resuming his human disguise. ¡°Take us to this captain. If I find that you are lying to us, I¡¯ll let the witch kill you.¡±


    Ivan looked up at Leah, who still held the green Disease wand that had killed his master. The boy swallowed hard and nodded. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± He hurried back out of the house, and Jace¡¯s party followed him.

 Chapter 8

    {Here¡¯s what I was able to find,} Gracie said as Jace followed Ivan down the street toward the coast.  {Lamashtu is a nasty creature.  She has the head of a lion, a humanish body, and the feet and wings of a bird.  Wikipedia says she mostly steals children, but I¡¯m guessing that she will steal anyone in the realms.  Ishmael mentioned the troglodytes; they are a reptilian people that live on islands or coastlines.  They aren¡¯t native to this continent, but if you go on bigger campaigns, you can run into them.}


    Jace listened as his operator went into the strengths and weaknesses of the troglodytes while his eyes stayed alert to the environment around them.  They walked between villages, moving along a dirt path that cut through farmland before entering a coastal town mainly consisting of warehouses, taverns, and docks.


    Ivan didn¡¯t waver from his intended route, walking directly up to a level 22 captain shouting orders to his crew on how to load his ship.  The crates were large, eight feet square, and nearly as tall.  The ropes and pulleys creaked and groaned as the dock workers maneuvered them through the air, dropping them through an opening in the deck to the hold below.  Before calling out to the captain, the sorcerer¡¯s servant looked tentatively over his shoulder at Jace, who had never left the boy¡¯s side.  Ivan wouldn¡¯t have a chance to prep the busy man if he wanted to set up a trap for Jace¡¯s crew.


    ¡°Captain Potiphar,¡± Ivan said.  ¡°I¡¯ve found a few friends interested in doing business with the troglodytes.  They seem like capable adventurers.  Do you think you have a spot for them?¡±


    Jace froze at the captain¡¯s name.  Potiphar was a prominent character in the Biblical account.  Joseph was a slave to the man for a while until his wife tried to seduce him.  When Joseph refused, the wife accused him of rape, and he was thrown in prison.  Jace processed this information as he kept his ears tuned to the captain.


    ¡°Aye, I always have room,¡± the bearded man responded jovially.  His appearance was a cross between a British naval officer and a Caribbean pirate.  He wore pressed dark blue pants and coat over a ruffled white shirt with a full beard and large hat.  He had no peg, hook, or eye patch but looked like he could shout ¡°Shiver me timbers¡± at a moment¡¯s notice.  Either way, Jace knew from his high level he wasn¡¯t to be underestimated.


    ¡°They¡¯ll need to work to earn their passage, but I¡¯m shorthanded, so that shouldn¡¯t be a problem.  It¡¯d be nice to have some extra protection from pirates, too.¡±  Potiphar stepped up to Jace and extended his hand.  ¡°What¡¯s your name then?¡±


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± the shaman replied and waited for the declaration of recognition he often got.  None came.


    ¡°Well, get your party on board.  My first mate, Lilith, will show you to your quarters.  Listen to what she says and keep your hands to yourself if you know what I mean.¡±  He laughed and winked.  ¡°We are leaving in a few minutes, so hurry on.  It¡¯s a three-day voyage, and I don¡¯t want to delay longer than I need to.¡±


    Jace thanked him and tried to ask a few questions, but Potiphar whisked himself away to continue shouting orders, and the dock was suddenly impassible with barrels and crates in the way.  It was heavy-handed scripting by the game that Jace wasn¡¯t used to, making him feel worried.


    ¡°Well, go on,¡± Ivan said when he saw the shaman¡¯s hesitation.  ¡°This is what you wanted, right?  Captain Potiphar trades with the island where Rachelle and Josephus were taken.  They are probably slaves there if they are still alive.¡±


    ¡°Jace,¡± Draya said, having listened to everything that had happened.  ¡°You don¡¯t think it odd that the exact ship we need is leaving the dock the moment we arrive?  It is a three-day voyage.  Probably a week roundtrip.  The coincidence that our schedules would line up like this is astounding. This feels like a trap.¡±


    Psycho laughed at the observation, and Jace grinned as well.  The player knew this was a common thing in video games.  The ship captain you needed often asked if you wanted to buy anything from a store or stock up on supplies.  Then you could leave on three weeks of side quests, and the ship would be sitting there waiting for you when you got back.  Jace suspected Potiphar wouldn¡¯t be that generous and didn¡¯t feel like testing him.


    ¡°It will be fine,¡± Jace assured her, ¡°just keep your fire in check.  The last time you threw a fireball around a ship, it didn¡¯t go so well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be weaker, too,¡± Psycho reminded him.  ¡°Not a lot of stone floating on the ocean.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess you will have to save us all,¡± Jace quipped.


    Esther walked closer to the group, dragging Rock behind her, sensing she was missing out on an important conversation.  ¡°We are going on that ship,¡± Jace said, pointing to the large three-masted vessel.  ¡°It should take us to the island where Rachelle and Josephus are.  It will be a long trip.  Does everyone have what they need?¡±


    They nodded.  Gromphy and his infinite storage chest weren¡¯t with them, but they each carried the maximum number of healing potions the game allowed, five, and were better armed than most.


    Jace fell back in line a few spots as they moved across the dock and walked up the gangway.  He found himself next to Esther.  ¡°What is it, boss?¡±


    ¡°The first mate of this ship,¡± Jace said, pointing with his eyes at a level 20 redheaded woman running about the deck, calling out orders.  ¡°Don¡¯t trust her.¡±  Jace guessed this woman would play the part of Potiphar¡¯s wife and try to seduce a party member.  He felt his group should be immune to the efforts, with Esther being the only risk.


    As they drew closer, the buxom woman came into clearer focus and moved to the ship''s entrance to greet the new passengers.  Jace imagined putting Esther¡¯s silhouette in a coloring book and a young girl attacking it with red, brown, green, and light blue crayons.  Lilith would be the result.  She even had a similar hat to the rogue.


    ¡°Welcome aboard, adventurers,¡± she said as they reached the deck.  Psycho was first in line, and she looked him up and down alluringly.  ¡°And my, how happy I am that you are here.  I can show you to your quarters unless one of you wants to bunk with me for the trip.¡±


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    Psycho glared at her while Draya put her hand over her mouth.  Esther giggled.  ¡°She sounds fun.¡±


    ¡°Hands off,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Who said anything about using my hands?¡± Esther replied and skipped past her stunned leader.


    <hr>


    Jace, Psycho, and Rock were assigned the same cabin, with Snowy sleeping on the floor. It was still mid-day when the ship pushed away from the dock, and Jace had been topside to watch the spectacle. He had never traveled on a ship like this and cranked his environmental settings high to enjoy the ocean breeze and salty air. The ship buzzed with activity, and since Jace didn¡¯t know which ropes to pull or winches to adjust, he soon found he was in the way. Esther had discovered a new home in the ship''s rigging, eagerly climbing the ropes and swinging through the air to tie off a line or unfurl a sail. It was clear the former vampire was enjoying the sun and view the elevated position gave her. And as her skirt blew about in the breeze, many of the burly crew enjoyed the view from below.


    Eventually, Jace retreated to his cabin to find Rock Bender pacing nervously. Snowy didn¡¯t like the sun or the heat, so she lay sprawled on the room floor, occasionally cooling the air with a cone of frost spell. She also complained that the ship smelled like snakes. As a winter wolf, Snowy didn¡¯t encounter many cold-blooded animals in her natural habitat and only had her experience with Jace to draw on. The scent was a mystery to her, snakes being the closest thing she could compare it to, and she didn¡¯t want to explore. Jace imagined that the reptilian stench would be hard to remove if they traded with lizard people regularly. A few had probably even been on board.


    Psycho wasn¡¯t in the room, preferring the outdoors, and had climbed to the crow''s nest, keeping a watch for pirates. Leah and Draya were in their rooms, both suffering from a bit of seasickness.


    ¡°Are we just supposed to wait?¡± Rock asked. ¡°Three days is a long time. I have a life outside the game, you know.¡±


    Lilith had been by to tell them dinner was in three hours, and the new crew was invited to eat with the captain on their first night. Gracie told Jace there should be options to skip ahead in time since they were in their own private MIM, but Jace hadn¡¯t seen any alerts yet. Instead, he chose the opportunity to get to know Rock a bit better.


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Do you?¡± Rock answered. ¡°Based on your reputation, I would have thought you were a full-time gamer. What does the great Jace Thorne do in the real world?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an accountant,¡± Jace said, sort of telling the truth. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I run a digital art studio,¡± he replied.


    Jace raised his eyebrows in surprise as if he didn¡¯t already know this. ¡°Aren¡¯t you supposed to play out a fantasy in this game, not live out your real life?¡±


    Rock chuckled. ¡°I¡¯ve merged the two,¡± he replied. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so eager to finish Leah¡¯s quest. You have no idea what she will be able to do for me.¡±


    ¡°Humor me,¡± Jace said.


    Rock scooted over to sit closer to Jace and lowered his voice so the bigger man could barely hear him above the creak of the ship and the rush of water outside. ¡°I¡¯ve got a 50-million-dollar contract waiting for me,¡± he said. ¡°Have you heard of the fantasy novel The Scepter of Amon?¡±


    Jace nodded.


    ¡°The publishers contacted me looking to do an animated movie of the whole series. They wanted to steer away from 3D rendering in favor of something that looked old-fashioned but with a high level of detail. They gave me the storyboards, and before Leah decided she hated me, I had her animate two minutes'' worth of footage.¡±


    Rock leaned back and rolled his eyes. ¡°It was amazing. I gave her instructions, left her alone, logged off, and she was done when I checked back 20 hours later. She drew the most exquisitely detailed scenery and characters I¡¯ve ever seen. Each frame was ultra-high definition with vibrant colors. Old-fashioned animators often cheat by drawing a background that doesn¡¯t change and then focus on animating the characters in the foreground. Or, if there is motion in the background, like a windmill or waves, they draw a loop and run it continually. With Leah, she drew each leaf in each tree and animated its movement perfectly. There is a scene of a woman¡¯s hair blowing in the wind, and it looks like she tracked each strand with perfect detail. I showed the publishers, and they nearly died. It was hard to convince them I hadn¡¯t sent it to Pixar. I got the contract and have three months to produce the first 20 minutes of the film.¡±


    Jace was impressed with the ingenuity.


    ¡°The best part is,¡± Rock continued, ¡°she leveled up her artist occupation twice just doing the sample. If she illustrates an entire movie, she could reach level 50 and become even faster. I¡¯m sitting on a gold mine here. I can do comic books, movies, graphic novels, anything. Of course, she won¡¯t even draw a smiley face for me now.¡±


    Jace chuckled at the dilemma. He felt sorry for him. If everything went according to plan, the CIA would bust him for laundering money for terrorists, when in actuality, Jace wanted to see what kind of movie Leah could illustrate. Maybe he could arrange to give Derrick Benson access to ROI while he was in prison so he could continue his legitimate endeavors.


    ¡°Do you think this will work?¡± Rock asked. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t doubt your ability to pass this quest. You¡¯ve already gotten way further than I did, but will Leah ever work with me again? She hates me so much.¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°She hates you because her quest isn¡¯t solved. Once that happens, the reason why she hates you will be gone. She won¡¯t have any reason for liking you, but if she truly wants to be an artist, and you give her that opportunity, I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t make it work.¡±


    Jace paused in thought. ¡°There will be combat when we reach the island. We will likely have to free the slaves and possibly fight a demon. Leah doesn¡¯t have much weapon proficiency, and while she is good at disabling enemies with her hexes and curses, all our foes will be at a higher level than her, and she will need protection. Stand guard before her and make sure she doesn¡¯t die. That should earn you some brownie points when we swap NPCs back.¡±


    Rock nodded at the sound advice but also looked a little worried. The enemies would be much higher in level than him, too. The average level of their group was 15.3. Because Snowy wasn¡¯t factored in that calculation, the game would likely round up to 16.


    Rock flopped back on his flimsy cot. ¡°I hope so.¡± He closed his eyes to think and then sat bolt upright. ¡°Hey, I got a prompt. We can skip ahead if we want to.¡±


    Jace looked confused but then laid on his bed and closed his eyes.


    [Rest until Dinner: 3 Hours?]


    [Rest for the whole voyage: 3 days?]


    ¡°Which one should we pick?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the expert here,¡± Rock replied. ¡°I¡¯m just along to see it through.¡±


    {I assume you were also talking to me,} Gracie said. {I don¡¯t see much danger in choosing the second option. If something quest-critical is supposed to happen at dinner, the game wouldn¡¯t let you skip it.}


    ¡°Will the game just have us lying in bed for the whole trip?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°How should I . . .¡±


    Jace ignored him and waited for Gracie¡¯s more informed response.


    {How should I know,} she echoed. {I¡¯ve never played this module before. No one has. Who knows how long dinner will take? Do you want to spend two hours watching Lilith and Esther flirt with each other? If the game lets you skip the whole voyage, I say we go for it.}


    Jace used his eyes to select the second option.


    [All players must rest at the same time.]


    That made sense.


    ¡°Rock,¡± Jace said. ¡°I think it is safe to skip the voyage. If we go to dinner, who knows how long that will take, and then we will probably have the same options when we come back here.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rock said. ¡°My operator thinks the same thing.¡±


    Jace was still in his settings when Rock made his selection. All prompts disappeared, and his vision faded to black.

 Chapter 9

    The first thing Jace noticed when he woke up was that he was an orc again.  With his settings turned high, his orcish snout and ears picked up things his human senses didn¡¯t.  The creaks of the ship were much louder now, the smell of sweat and rust filling his nose.


    Next, he noticed that he wasn¡¯t lying in his bed anymore.  Jace wondered if the flimsy cots lashed to the ship''s hull were strong enough to support an orc, and he might have crashed to the floor when his illusion spell ran out.  A few moments¡¯ evaluation showed that wasn¡¯t the case.  He wasn¡¯t lying on the floor.  He was sitting on it, and his back was pressed against cold metal bars.  Also, his hands were secured behind him.


    Jace dreaded what he would see but finally opened his eyes.  He was in a dungeon.


    {My bad,} Gracie said.  {You should have gone to dinner.}


    An ache in Jace¡¯s gut told him she was right, and he tried to go into his settings and turn his environmental sensitivity down, but he couldn¡¯t.  Right, Jace thought.  I¡¯m Securely Grappled.  He could only do things that took a single action, and going into his inventory took a full round.


    ¡°Can you check my inventory?¡± he asked out loud.


    {Sorry, Jace, you¡¯re empty.}


    He looked down and saw he wore the starting gray tunic.  Only the cursed ring Gromphy had made for him remained.  His kidnappers wouldn¡¯t have been able to remove that without a high-level priest.  It protected him from the Hold spell since it did five damage every time he failed a save.  Receiving damage canceled a Hold spell.  Jace checked his health in his Head-Up-Display and saw his 680 HP was down to 50.  He had to be careful.  He assumed he had several banes running right now from the aches and pains he felt, and if he failed too many saves, the ring would kill him.


    Jace tried to sit up straighter and made sure the game didn¡¯t interpret it as an attempt to free himself from his shackles.  Not only would he definitely fail that attempt, but it would leave him Helpless for a few rounds, and he wouldn¡¯t be able to talk.


    ¡°Jace?¡±


    The orc heard the familiar voice and looked up to see Psycho¡¯s concerned expression.  The ranger sat up straight with his hands behind him, presumably shackled.  The stately elf showed no signs of Jace''s fatigue and anguish.  He had declined to wear the ring Gromphy had fashioned and was at full health.  Jace wondered if the game had simulated his character trying 126 escape attempts over the past couple of days, and he had taken five points of damage each time.


    ¡°Jace?¡± he asked again.  ¡°Is it you?¡±


    ¡°It is me,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Who else would it be?  Was I someone else for a while?¡±


    Psycho shrugged.  ¡°Something like that.  We couldn¡¯t put our finger on it.  Draya said it was still you, and you insisted it was still you, but I didn¡¯t see it.  It started two days ago when we met for dinner in the captain¡¯s quarters.  You weren¡¯t yourself.  I wouldn¡¯t have expected you to give that temptress the time of day, but you and the first mate talked almost all dinner.  Draya said it was to keep Esther from sleeping with her, but I wasn¡¯t convinced.¡±


    Jace nodded, figuring it out.  While he and Rock skipped ahead, Gandhi had simulated their interactions.  The game¡¯s AI was advanced, and Jace had logged enough play time to give a template for how he would act in virtually all situations, but Psycho was clever enough to assume something was up.  Draya had probably tried to perceive a spell or some magical charm.  There hadn¡¯t been one, so she was confident it was still him.  ¡°What happened after dinner?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°We had a lot of wine,¡± Psycho replied.  ¡°I don¡¯t think Draya ever had alcohol before.¡±


    Jace grinned despite the situation.  He had taken her to a tavern before the Torrintank Keep module, where they had acquired Gromphy and before they had picked up Psycho.  It had only taken a few drinks to incapacitate her.


    ¡°She was puking over the railing of the ship in no time.  Leah didn¡¯t fare much better, but I think they were both seasick too.  We all went to bed, and we woke up here.  I am convinced the wine was drugged.  Draya must have been too intoxicated to notice.¡±


    Or it hadn¡¯t been magic, Jace thought.  They were headed to an island with exotic spices and herbs.  Who knew what types of concoctions they could produce.  Not everything in the realms ran off mana.


    Jace looked around.  He saw Rock lying on the floor beside him.  He would have woken at the same time Jace did, but the dwarf remained motionless on his side.  He must have tried to wrench his wrists free from the shackles and was now Helpless for a few rounds.  Since they weren¡¯t in combat mode, he might remain immobile for a while.


    In the cell next to them, Leah and Draya lay still.  They appeared to be sleeping.


    ¡°Where is Esther?¡± Jace asked.


    Psycho shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  She freed herself rather quickly once we were down here.  When I woke the first morning, she was up and about in her cell and was working on Draya¡¯s shackles when the guards noticed her.  They blasted her with their tridents and then redid her restraints, yelling at each other for not doing them properly the first time.¡±


    Jace¡¯s eyes focused more acutely in the dim light, and he saw several lizardmen pacing about between the cages.  They each held three-pronged spears.  He hadn¡¯t seen a troglodyte before, but they looked like he expected: six-foot-tall geckos walking upright with long tails and sharp teeth.  They wore minimal clothing fashioned out of thin leather.  Some had vests and a loin cloth.  Others, just the cloth.  Their thick tails didn¡¯t accommodate pants.  Jace wondered if any of them sold insurance or spoke with a British accent.


    He also realized he should have paid attention to Snowy¡¯s observation that snakes were on board.  They had been told the cargo area below decks was off-limits and had respected their hosts by not exploring.  Had Jace not skipped ahead, he might have suggested Esther do some sneaking around.


    ¡°She was free again in an hour,¡± Psycho continued, ¡°so they shocked her into submission again and hauled her upstairs.  I haven¡¯t seen her in a day and a half.¡±


    {It still shows you have five active party members in this module,} Gracie said.  {If she had been killed, she would have woken up in her bed . . . or somewhere, and you would have been forced to finish this module without her.  It looks like she is still alive.}


    ¡°And Snowy?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Behind you,¡± Psycho nodded, indicating a different cell.


    Jace turned carefully and saw the large wolf lying by herself in a cage, each leg shackled to each other and a collar around her neck secured to several of the bars enclosing her.  The shaman also saw half a dozen other cages with a small collection of prisoners.  The maximum hit points he saw over their heads was 50, meaning none of them were advanced levels and were all weak.


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    Leaning against the hull of this lower level were thin wooden panels roughly the length of the cells.  Jace understood the massive crates he had seen loaded onto this ship had been these cages disguised with wood to make them look like crates.  Captain Potiphar was going to the island to trade slaves for goods.


    Jace turned back to Psycho.  ¡°What have I been like since we¡¯ve been down here?  Did I say anything useful?¡±


    The elf shook his head.  ¡°You mostly lay still.  Two or three times an hour, you would stir, struggle against your shackles, and then freeze up.  A few moments ago, I heard you talking to Gracie.  That¡¯s how I knew you were back.¡±


    Jace nodded, understanding that his earlier guess was correct and his ring had almost killed him.  Had he not skipped ahead and gone to dinner to drink the poisoned wine, he would have still woken up here; only it would have been almost two days ago.  Jace would have been smart enough not to struggle against his shackles repeatedly, but he would have had to sit through 12 hours of imprisonment before nighttime and a chance to skip ahead again.  Despite the situation he now found himself in, shortening the voyage was probably the right decision.


    That thought made him realize the game should have woken him at the end of their trip.  They must be getting close to the island.  ¡°I think we will arrive soon.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what will happen?¡± the elf asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jace said.  ¡°No one has ever done this mission before.  I assume we will find Josephus in a position of power on this island.  In the story from my world, Joe starts as a slave but proves he is competent and is eventually given authority.  His family, who sold him into slavery, eventually shows up, and he tests them to see if they have reformed since mistreating him.  I imagine it will play out the same way now.¡±


    Jace looked at the cell beside him where the two women lay resting.  ¡°Leah must prove to Joe that she isn¡¯t evil and doesn¡¯t want him dead.  After that, I don¡¯t know.  I¡¯ll have to play it by ear.¡±


    ¡°Do we tell her?¡± Psycho asked.


    Jace thought about it.  In most of the other modules he had played, he knew the outcomes and had answers for all the puzzles he would face.  Sometimes, he spoiled it for his party members, and sometimes, he held them in suspense.  For something like this, if he told Leah she would be tested, the game might not feel her eventual confession was genuine, and Gandhi might change the rules at the last minute.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I heard her lament over sending her relatives to this island, and it sounded legitimate.  I feel confident she will pass any test presented to her.¡±  Jace chuckled.  ¡°And, since it is all up to her, the real test of this mission might be on the player to decide how much should be revealed to Leah.¡±


    Psycho nodded and then sat suddenly still, cocking his head.  Jace didn¡¯t hear or feel anything, but his body ached, and his ears rang, so he didn¡¯t expect to compete with the ranger¡¯s tuned hunting senses.  ¡°We are turning,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°The ship is coming about to port.  We must be approaching the shore and navigating to a dock.¡±


    They both waited as Jace soon also felt the precise maneuvering of the ship.  Eventually, they heard it knock against something hard, after which the only motion they felt was the gentle rocking of the waves.  Both women stirred in the next cell and carefully lifted themselves into sitting positions.  Jace hated seeing Draya like this.  Bruised and dirty, she looked even younger than her 18 years.  She and Leah both wore the same starting tunic.  Draya¡¯s mage dress was also cursed, but Jace knew she disabled that spell in order to sleep at night since the constant pulsing of fire damage kept her awake.  That meant their captures would have had no issue removing it from her.


    Jace¡¯s blood boiled at the thought of these slave traders stripping his female companions and tying them up in their drug-induced sleep.  He had to consciously restrain himself from trying to rip his hands free from his shackles lest he fail, take more damage, and become Helpless.


    Voices from his right turned his head away from the women¡¯s cage, and he saw Potiphar and Lilith descending a staircase to these lower levels, broad grins on their faces.  He had to fight against his urges again.


    ¡°Well, I see you survived your ordeal,¡± the captain said, his first mate leering over his shoulder.  ¡°Lilith begged me to let her in to tend to you, but I thought that would be a waste of her druid skills.  If you want to wear a cursed ring, that is your business.  I think she actually wanted to get at the elf while he was tied up.¡±


    Lilith hummed appreciatively behind her captain, liking her thick red lips.


    Jace ignored the antics.  ¡°Where is Esther?¡±


    The captain grinned.  ¡°I assume you mean your slippery rogue.  Yes, she was a bit of a handful.  Lilith wanted a piece of her too, but I¡¯m afraid that would have been the end of my second in command.  She needed a private cell above.  The rest of the crew prefer that anyway.  These reptiles don¡¯t appreciate her finer qualities.¡±  The few troglodytes in range hissed at the human.


    Normally, Jace would have grown livid at the idea that they would put the beautiful woman on display, but he knew that if anyone tried to touch her, they would be disabled within seconds.  None of the crew had Hit Points, implying they harbored advanced combat classes.


    ¡°Once you let us out of these cages . . .¡± Jace started.


    ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m not going to let you out.  I only need to unload the cargo.¡±


    On cue, light streamed into the lower deck as boards were removed from above them.  Jace squinted his sensitive orc eyes into the sunlight and saw men peering down at the collection of cages.  They would be unloaded vertically through the ceiling, never leaving their cells.  One of the men jumped down from above onto the top of a cage that held three weak-looking men, none above level 4 or 40 Hit Points.  The crewman glanced with disgust at the troglodytes that milled about the lower level, and they returned an equally disdainful look.  Jace already assumed the two groups didn¡¯t like each other.


    The man hooked a cable to the top of the cage and gave the signal above to hoist.  Once the cell rose a few feet in the air, he jumped back to the ship¡¯s deck, and the prisoners were lifted through the hole and out of sight.


    The troglodytes below deck maneuvered the next crate of slaves into position by sliding it into the gap left behind.  Jace saw rollers on the floor that made shuffling the heavy cells easier.  Three more were removed before Snowy¡¯s cell was pushed into position.  The winter wolf snarled at the lizard men, likely never to forget their smell.  Her collar had four chains on it, equally restraining her from each sidewall and preventing her from biting the webbed hands that gripped the bars.


    ¡°Draya,¡± Jace said, seeing the women¡¯s cage would be next.  The troglodytes were distracted by maneuvering the wolf into position, not eager to lose a clawed finger.  The mage stirred in her cage and slunk over toward her leader.  The cells were three feet apart, and they could touch each other if they wanted.  ¡°Draya, I need you to . . .¡± he stopped when the light from above shone on her face.  She looked terrible.


    ¡°What is it?¡± she croaked.


    Jace felt hungry, but he understood Draya had been ill.  If she had puked all the food she had eaten at dinner and, prior to that, the food she had consumed for breakfast before they had left the stronghold three days ago, she would be in much worse condition than him.  Her face was drawn and shallow, bile staining the front of her gray tunic.


    ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± she asked.


    Jace hesitated, not wanting to ask too much of her.  ¡°When we get on the island, I think one of the leaders will be Josephus in disguise.  I need you to find him.¡±  Her Perception skill was not a spell; however, all the banes assaulting her would reduce her ability.


    She nodded and looked over at Leah.  The witch was in worse shape than Draya.  They were both losing health slowly, but the level 17 mage had more to start with, and her constitution was much higher.  ¡°I don¡¯t think she will be able to help for a while,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Keep this between us for now.¡±


    ¡°I will do what I can,¡± Draya said.


    ¡°No talking!¡± one of the guards hissed once they saw the two characters conversing.  Snowy¡¯s cage was now safely in the air, and the troglodytes began positioning Draya and Leah next.  They had their tridents poised just outside the bars, ready to zap either of the women if they tried anything, but neither had the strength to stand at the moment and didn¡¯t resist as they were moved into position.


    ¡°Away from the walls!¡± one of the lizardmen said, jabbing his weapon toward Jace.  The orc was still watching the women move away and didn¡¯t react to the command fast enough.  The guard activated his trident, enveloping Jace in a stream of lightning.  The attack did no damage, but he had to save against the potential or be Stunned.  He failed and was not only reduced to an immobile form on the floor of his cage, but his ring lowered his HP by five.


    The attack put Jace in combat mode for the duration of his disabled condition, so it only lasted 24 seconds, and he righted himself before the women were hauled up and out of the hold.  Beside him, Rock stirred.  ¡°I know, I know, I won¡¯t struggle this time,¡± the dwarf said, obviously talking to his operator.  He scooted toward the center of the cage to join Jace and Psycho as the troglodytes moved their cell into position.  ¡°Do we have an escape plan yet?¡± he asked in a low whisper.


    Jace heard the deckhand from above leap to the top of their cage and attached the cable to haul the last of the ship¡¯s ¡°cargo¡± out of the hold.  ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Jace replied.

 Chapter 10

    As Jace, Psycho, and Rock were hauled out of the ship¡¯s hold, the mid-day sunlight caused all three characters to squint, and it took several moments of adjustment before they could see anything clearly.  Jace focused his attention on the island, taking advantage of their lofted position to gain a unique perspective.  Despite their situation, it looked beautiful.  Palm trees lined the island''s perimeter, while carefully tended crops grew in neat rows just inside.  The colors burst like fireworks to his eyes as he took in the bananas, pineapples, oranges, and half a dozen other fruit trees.  Raised beds held smaller plants, with a complex irrigation system run by windmills providing water to everything.  Workers, primarily human slaves, moved about the field, diligently tending to the crops, and Jace didn¡¯t see a hint of a whip or an abusive taskmaster.  Instead, everything ran with smooth efficiency.  This wasn¡¯t the work of the troglodytes.  This was Josephus¡¯s doing.


    ¡°I will kill whoever is responsible for that.¡±


    The venom in Psycho¡¯s voice surprised Jace, and he turned from the prosperous plantation to see what raised the elf¡¯s ire. Esther hung in a tiny cage just off the starboard side.  While their cell was eight feet square and six tall, hers was a three-foot cube.  The tall woman sat cross-legged in the center, her head hunched over so far it almost touched her knees.  She wore the same starting tunic as the rest, but hers was filled with bloody holes resembling arrow puncture marks.


    ¡°Why would they . . .¡± Psycho started, but Jace put a restraining hand on him.


    ¡°Look at the evidence,¡± the orc said.  ¡°She had her fun with them.¡±


    The elf didn¡¯t know what his leader meant, so Jace pointed to the blood stains on the ship deck.  Esther¡¯s cage hung from a smaller crane than the one currently transporting them.  When folded into its normal position, the short arm would be suspended over a broad section of the top deck.  It was used to load cargo not destined for the hold, like food and everyday supplies.  That staging area was liberally splattered with blood.  ¡°What happened?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°What do you think she did when the sailors tried to reach through the cage and molest her?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°She grappled them and bit them,¡± Psycho replied.  ¡°And with her hands unbound . . .¡±


    ¡°She had access to her spells,¡± Jace finished for him.  ¡°See the green acid stains over there?  I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she enthralled one of them and then turned him loose to attack his mates.¡±  Jace smiled at the thought.  ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll let you kill as many of them as you want, but don¡¯t think Esther hasn¡¯t already made them pay.  They likely filled her with arrows and hung her over the side of the ship for their own safety.¡±


    Now Esther sat unmoving, seemingly at rest.  Jace didn¡¯t think anyone could sleep in that position, but her eyes were closed.


    Jace and Psycho turned from the woman as their cage hit the dock.  Half a dozen troglodytes walked among the prisoners, inspecting the new batch of slaves.  They had quickly passed over the first few cells and spent all their time on the last three.  None of them dared get too close to Snowy¡¯s cage, and the wolf bared her teeth at anyone who even looked at her.  They spent some time reviewing the two women slumped over in their cells, who didn¡¯t put on much of a show.  But Jace and Psycho drew most of the attention.  The elf was uninjured at level 20, and Jace was an orc.


    ¡°Potiphar!¡± one of the lizardmen cried.  Jace thought the troglodyte looked important.  His limited clothing was more colorful, and he held a short scepter.  ¡°What is this you¡¯ve brought me?  Am I to put these beings to work or hire them to take your job?  They are a bit more qualified than the usual wretches you provide.¡±


    The captain was still on the ship and had moved up from the lower levels when the last cage had been pulled up.  He stood at the ship''s railing and shouted back.  ¡°I¡¯m just doing as I¡¯ve been told, Djona.  Ishmael often sends you heroes via your demon mother.  Now he¡¯s doing it by ship. His boy sent these to me.  Is this not what you wanted?¡±


    ¡°Five at once,¡± the troglodyte called back.  ¡°And a wolf.  How will I manage this?¡±


    ¡°Six, actually,¡± Potiphar replied.


    All eyes turned to the end of the dock, where the small crane swung Esther¡¯s cage over the wooden planks.  For the larger cells, a troglodyte had jumped to the top of each and disconnected the rope so the crane could swing back and deliver another cage.  For Esther, the men on the ship cut her line with a machete on their end when the cell was still a couple of feet above the dock, wasting at least 30 feet of rope as it pulled through the pulley and piled next to the woman¡¯s prison that thunked unceremoniously on the pier.  Jace winced on Esther¡¯s behalf but then smiled at the implication.  The men wanted the vampire off their ship as quickly as possible.


    Djona, the lizard in charge, instructed his men to open the cages and lead the prisoners out.  Besides Jace¡¯s crew, six men and two women were released and tied together in a train, their arms still shackled behind them.  Snowy was next, and the troglodytes took no chances, zapping her with their weapons first before opening the cage and dragging the wolf out.  When the Stunned condition ended, they kept their weapons trained on her, and other than growling, Snowy made no move to attack.


    Draya and Leah had to be helped from their cages.  Jace, Psycho, and Rock did not put up any resistance either.  That left Esther.  The rest of the cells had doors that needed to be unlocked and opened.  The tiny box at the end of the pier didn¡¯t seem to have an opening, but a chain was tied around two bars and through a slot in the top.  As three lizardmen approached the cage, the men on the ship gathered along the near side, watching with keen interest.


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    Jace saw several of them talking and wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find they were taking bets on what would happen.  Two troglodytes kept their weapons ready and aimed forward while the unlucky third approached the cage.  He made it to the front without incident and found the lock on the chain.  After releasing it, the top came off, and the soldier removed it carefully as if looking at a surprise Christmas present.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a girl,¡± he said.


    Esther stirred, and the troglodyte stepped back.  The woman stretched her legs and unfurled her spine as she rose to her feet, rolling her neck about as she worked the last few cricks out of her body.  She stepped out of her prison, her slender legs easily splitting the gaps between the metal bars, and stood still a few feet from the open cage.  She hadn¡¯t modified the appearance of her tunic as before, and it still showed evidence of arrow attacks.  She looked as weak and helpless as the other two women.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t she shackled?¡± Djona asked, loud enough for Potiphar to hear.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± the captain shouted.  ¡°She¡¯s yours now, do as you like.¡±


    The soldier standing before Esther didn¡¯t take orders from the human, but the suggestion seemed reasonable, and he had a spare set of restraints hanging from his belt.  With one hand, he reached to his hip, and the other grabbed Esther¡¯s arm forearm.  He was dead a heartbeat later.


    Jace was used to her lightning-quick moves and saw what she did better than most.  Esther escaped the troglodyte¡¯s weak grip and obtained one of her own on his arm, instantly Grappling him and spinning him around.  It was considered a Surprise Attack since they weren¡¯t in combat mode, and she got to add several bonuses.  She turned him around, snapped his neck, and tossed him over the side of the dock.  Before his body disappeared from view, she was once again standing still before her open cage.


    The two remaining troglodytes were frozen in shock, but the splash of their companion¡¯s corpse hitting the water brought them out of it, and they activated their weapons.  Lightning leaped from the tridents and Stunned Esther where she stood.  The two soldiers didn¡¯t move for a few moments, not trusting their attack since the woman did not fall down.


    ¡°Hurry,¡± Djona said from a safe distance beside Jace pointing his scepter at the rogue.  ¡°Before it wears off.¡±


    The two lizardmen looked at each other in terror, begging the other to go forward.  Jace guessed one must have outranked the other because they didn¡¯t argue for long.  The loser crept forward cautiously, pulling a pair of shackles from his belt.  Esther didn¡¯t move.  He circled the woman using as much space as the narrow pier gave him, coming up behind her.  His webbed fingers carefully pulled her arms behind her back, and she didn¡¯t resist.


    Jace mentally counted the time in his head, guessing the soldier had 24 seconds tops.  He almost made it, but he fumbled the metal restraints to the deck and crouched to retrieve them.  Esther snapped out of it, spun around, and Grappled the troglodyte in front of her.  The remaining lizardman had a quick trigger finger and zapped his friend as Esther bit down into his neck, draining two levels before the weapon-bearing lizardman changed tactics and charged her.


    Esther discarded the Stunned creature and released the excess mana she had drained as acid that melted the third troglodyte on the spot.  Her spell was usually cast at a group, spread out for several rounds.  When designed for only one target, the intensity ratcheted up.  Esther stepped over the pile of reptilian goo and stalked toward the remaining enemies.


    ¡°Hold!¡±  Djona stepped away from Jace and toward Esther while the rest of his men cowered in their places.  The commander¡¯s declaration wasn¡¯t just a request, as he released a spell at the same time.  Jace guessed he must be a priest, and when the magic hit Esther, she stopped cold.  However, she also wore one of the cursed rings Gromphy had made, and after taking five damage from it, she shrugged off the powerful spell and continued forward.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± Djona said but didn¡¯t dwell on it too long.  ¡°Everyone!  Shock her!¡±


    Every troglodyte with a clear shot released an attack, and Esther was thrown from her feet.  She failed with enough criticals that she was reduced to an unconscious condition.  Lizardmen swarmed her, and within seconds, she was hauled to her feet with her hands shackled behind her.


    Djona watched until he was sure Esther was done.  Even when she woke up, if someone was touching her, she would be rendered Helpless and shouldn¡¯t be able to free herself.  The head troglodyte turned to Jace and spent a moment examining him.  ¡°Will I have to put her down?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know if the game was telling the lizardman he was in charge or if the priest had a spell to determine the leader.  Either way, this troglodyte was different.  He was dressed in the same style as the others, but his vest had a splash of color, he held the scepter, and he wore a hemp necklace strung with teeth.  As the shaman looked closer, he was pretty sure they were troglodyte teeth.  Had this man killed to gain his position?


    Either way, Jace answered the question.  ¡°I would rather you not.  If you give me a chance to talk with her, it will save the lives of many of your men.¡±


    ¡°Good.  No more lives need to be lost.¡±  With that thought, he turned to the ship, which had still not extended its gangway to the deck.  A warning from the captain about the women¡¯s potency would have been nice.  ¡°Are you not coming ashore?  Food and drink have been prepared.¡±


    Potiphar laughed.  ¡°I think we will stay on the ship tonight,¡± he replied.  ¡°You can load our payment in the morning, and we will be on our way.  It looks like you will have your hands full with the new arrivals.  No need to bother with us.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s that scared of her,¡± Djona asked Jace in a hushed tone.


    ¡°I would be if I had treated her like they had,¡± the orc replied.


    ¡°Then we shall treat her better,¡± Djona said.  Jace was beginning to like him.


    The troglodyte turned to the ship.  ¡°Very well,¡± he shouted.  The captain waved goodbye, and the men left the ship''s railing and disappeared from view.


    Djona returned to Jace.  ¡°Now, come with me.  It looks like your people could use a good meal, and we suddenly have a lot of extra food.¡±


    Djona moved to the front of the line as some of his men tied Jace and Psycho into the slave train after Rock.  Esther trailed the procession with four guards carrying her.  The ranger was behind the shaman, and he leaned in to talk.  ¡°Did you make a new friend?¡±


    Jace smiled at the perceptive elf.  ¡°I am pretty sure that is Joe.¡±


    ¡°And this slave master is someone we want to rescue?¡±


    Now, Jace chuckled.  ¡°Give it time.  All is not as it appears.¡±


    Psycho asked no more questions, and the group moved off the dock and onto the island.

 Chapter 11

    The trail toward the center of the island was a steady uphill trek.  The small fields and vegetable plots were terraced into the slope and carefully manicured to prevent runoff.  Jace guessed this island was built from a volcano, and the gentle stream of smoke he saw in the distance may not come from a building as he had initially assumed.


    With Rock tied into the train directly in front of him, Jace had a clear view over the dwarf of the other prisoners and watched with interest as Leah took everything in.  She had difficulty standing upright, and the constant tug on the line was the only reason she kept a steady pace, but her eyes were alert, and she searched the workers for someone she recognized.  A few elves and halflings moved about them, but most of the workforce was human.  Jace knew it had been seven years since she had cast the curse, and Joe would be very different, but her sister should still be recognizable.  The shaman didn¡¯t think she would find her relatives among the two dozen workers they passed, and he detected no recognition in her body language.


    They walked for ten minutes before reaching the largest building so far.  They had passed several structures Jace had identified as storage sheds or residences, but nothing as grand as the palace-like edifice they now entered.  It was built from wood and stone, rising two stories high with gold and silver highlighting the windows.  None of the building materials were native to this tropical island, and Jace figured not all the ships that came here traded slaves.


    Djona had been at the rear of the line initially, having stayed back to cast a restoration spell on the troglodyte guard Esther had level drained but not killed.  The morality of killing minions was still something Jace was getting used to.  He had seen his people kill half-orc guards, storm shamans, orcs, and other minions.  Because the game spawned these creatures right back into existence, their value as living beings was questionable.  They didn¡¯t have families or memories.  Most of them didn¡¯t even have names.


    Disposable minions were necessary in a game where people played to fight and kill things.  If it had been Earth, and Esther had just killed two police officers trying to arrest her, she would have been gunned down on the spot, and it would have been justifiable.  Instead, the other troglodytes had taken her alive, and no one had stopped to mourn the dead lizardmen.  That was part of life, and even though it broke the fourth wall a bit, the other guards knew those lost troglodytes would be replaced the next day.


    Now, Djona jogged forward, reaching the front of the prisoner train before they entered the palace.  Eight other lizard guards escorted them, but the leader was required to gain access to the prominent building.  Eventually, the steel gate opened, and they entered a courtyard filled with palm trees and flowers.  A few workers tended to the gardens with several troglodyte guards standing at attention, flanking the arched doorway that led into the building proper.


    The large wooden doors opened for the silent procession, and soon, they were crowded into a foyer with a grand hall spreading out before them.  Potted plants lined the chamber, with a red carpet leading toward the far side, ending before an elevated throne.  A female troglodyte stood adorned with robes, a floral skirt, and a tight-fitting golden chest piece that displayed her scaly cleavage.  Jace didn¡¯t understand why a cold-blooded creature required human-shaped breasts, but the Realm of Infamy cared more about sensual aesthetics than the inconvenience of biological reality.


    The slaves were instructed to stop while Djona jogged forward to address the queen.  Jace saw her lips move but couldn¡¯t pick up the words from this distance with the white noise from the weary prisoners.  He leaned back and whispered to Psycho.  ¡°Can you hear them?¡±


    The ranger strained his hunter¡¯s senses for a moment and then nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace said, ¡°let me know what they say.¡±


    <hr>


    Djona knelt before his queen until she bid him rise.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the female troglodyte said, cutting right to the chase.  ¡°Did not Captain Potiphar arrive today?  These are not the dregs of his kingdom.  Did Lamashtu make a delivery I was unaware of?  Six deliveries?  Six heroes and a wolf?  You don¡¯t think I will let you keep them, do you?  I give you a long leash, Djona, but not that long.¡±


    The humble troglodyte stayed still with his head bowed, patiently waiting until she was finished.  He looked up.  ¡°Queen Pharah, these came from Ishmael through his servant.¡±


    The female laughed.  ¡°Ha! Are you my court jester now?  That weaselly sorcerer could never handle a group like this.  Likely, they killed him and forced his boy to take them to us.¡±  Pharah paused in thought, and Djona searched her face.  It had dawned on him as well that these heroes were here on purpose, and they weren¡¯t just innocent kidnap victims.  ¡°But why?¡±


    Djona shrugged.  ¡°I can only assume it is for one of Lamashtu¡¯s victims.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course,¡± she scolded in a dismissive tone, ¡°but which one?  The merchant?  The professor?  The noble?  I would not think any of them had the connections to bring a group like this.¡±  She paused but eventually discarded that line of thought.  ¡°It matters not.  Now, we will certainly have a sacrifice.  Moloch has waited long enough.  He shall surely bless us once we give him these six mighty warriors.¡±


    Djona¡¯s face contoured in disagreement, and Pharah saw it.  ¡°Out with it,¡± she said.  ¡°What excuse will you give me now?  It has been three years.  Would you have an orc picking pineapples or an elven warrior trimming a hedge?  Or maybe you want the . . .¡± she trailed off as she cast a spell of identification toward the group, ¡° . . . the vampire rogue arranging flower centerpieces?¡±


    ¡°There shall be a sacrifice,¡± he said tentatively.  ¡°But not all six.  That would ruin the balance we have created, and . . .¡±


    ¡°Not everything is about balance, Djona.  Some things are about power.  We could demand more prosperity from the god we serve.  We could demand more riches from the merchants we trade with.  We could build an army with the blessings we receive, and I could rule more than a spot of volcanic ash in the middle of the ocean.¡±


    Djona waited for more, but Queen Pharah had said her piece.  ¡°I have not questioned them yet,¡± he replied.  ¡°I do not know their purpose here.  If they do not return home, more might come.¡±


    ¡°Let them come,¡± she said.


    ¡°In time,¡± he agreed.  ¡°But not yet.  Their silence might be bought with their freedom.  Their freedom at the cost of a sacrifice.  They did kill two of our soldiers.¡±


    Pharah laughed in his face.  ¡°You think I want vengeance for the lives of two lizards?  Justice perhaps?  I would sacrifice a thousand of your minions if it got me one inch closer to the power I am owed.¡±


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    Djona didn¡¯t know what else to say, and Pharah had no other drums to beat.  ¡°Very well.  Go, wine and dine our ¡®guests,¡¯ but if one of them is not burned alive in the hands of my god before noon tomorrow, you will be the one in shackles.  Perhaps I¡¯ll let Lilith have her way with you.  She¡¯s asked often enough.¡±


    ¡°I will not fail you,¡± Djona said, bowing deeply and rising to return to his captives.


    <hr>


    Jace and his friends were seated at a fabulous dinner within the hour.


    After the meeting with Queen Pharah, they were escorted further into the palace, and the eight other humans were taken to a separate room while the ¡°Heroes,¡± were shown to an impressive dining hall.  A massive table with seating for 10 sat in the middle of a room three times too large.  A dozen troglodyte guards filled the extra space around the table, all armed with tridents.


    Djona went to each character, released them from their shackles, and healed them of any wounds.  He wisely did Jace first, and the orc leader advised each party member not to lash out.  The troglodyte priest was level 16 and likely would have saved against a spell by Leah or Draya, as they were both suffering from exhaustion, hunger, and probably half a dozen other banes, but Esther could have taken him.  Djona hesitated when he got to the rogue, reading the intensity in her eyes.  She obeyed Jace and didn¡¯t attack.


    Soon, they were seated around the table with their host at the head.  Human servers came in with salad, bread, and bowls of soup.  They threw a raw steak at Snowy.  Having recently been drugged, the party members were a bit hesitant to dig in despite their state of hunger.  ¡°Ah,¡± Djona said, ¡°I imagine Captain Potiphar crimped you with a meal much like this, did he?¡±  The troglodyte took a piece of bread, dunked it in his soup, and stuffed the whole thing in his large mouth.  ¡°I can assure you, the food is not poisoned.  Potiphar wanted you debilitated; I do not.¡±


    Esther, the least hungry in the group, was the first to dig in, and the rest eventually followed.  Jace¡¯s character was hungry, but now that his hands were free, he could go into his settings and turn down the effect it had on his senses.  It would still be good for him to eat, but he could control his appetite.  ¡°Do you feed all your slaves like this?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Djona said, putting down his food, happy to get the conversation rolling, ¡°yes I do.  The eight people you were brought here with have been shone to their new homes and are having a meal just like this one served to them.¡±  Draya and Psycho looked up from their food to ensure their host hadn¡¯t said this with a false expression.  ¡°And,¡± he continued, ¡°you can call them slaves if you want, for surely they were brought here against their will initially, but ask any of them if they want to leave now.¡±


    ¡°They may be fooling you,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Playing the part of contented workers to catch you off guard.  You get lax in your discipline, and they revolt.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Djona admitted.  ¡°But I doubt it.  Unlike you all, most people here were collected from the gutters of their home cities.  They owed debts they couldn¡¯t pay or were facing jail time for crimes committed by dead relatives.  Now that they are here, no one is after them.  They have all the food they need.  They live in beautiful homes and spend their free time on tropical beaches.  Some have married other workers.  Some have given birth since they¡¯ve arrived.¡±


    ¡°And they work for nothing,¡± Draya said.  The Mongorians enslaved her people, and Jace assumed the brutal overlords had tried to sell their arrangement in much the same way.


    ¡°Only if you consider food, shelter, and security nothing.  Conditions could be worse.¡±


    ¡°And were they before you took over?¡± Jace asked.


    The lizardman smiled broadly.  ¡°Perhaps.  I find you get more flies with honey than vinegar.¡±


    ¡°Why do you need flies?¡± Esther asked, looking up from her food for the first time.  The rest of the table laughed.


    ¡°And what of the people brought here by Lamashtu?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Does she also only bring in the dregs?¡±


    Djona nodded appreciatively.  ¡°No, she doesn¡¯t.  But she does bring in people who have enemies back home that want them dead.  I have offered freedom to some, as many are too old to work effectively, but most turn it down, preferring a life here in luxury.¡±


    ¡°As slaves,¡± Draya persisted.


    ¡°Everyone works, child,¡± Djona snapped back a bit too harshly.  ¡°How much does your master pay you?¡±


    That silenced Draya.  She glanced at Jace, but her leader didn¡¯t return the look.


    ¡°But enough about me,¡± he said.  ¡°Let¡¯s talk about you.  Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Two humans were taken by Lamashtu about seven years ago,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Their names are Rachelle and her son Josephus.¡±


    The shaman looked for any reaction from their host, but he gave none.  Surely, he had already recognized Leah, so he would have expected this.  ¡°I was not in charge seven years ago,¡± he said.  ¡°What did they look like?¡±


    For this, Jace had to turn to Leah.  She had been quiet thus far, partly because she was weak and partly because Esther had told her Jace would take care of everything.  However, she understood she had to enter the conversation at this point.  Some of her strength had returned with the food.  ¡°Rachelle is my sister.  She looks a bit like me, only younger and . . . prettier.¡±  Her hands went to her face to hide her appearance, but Esther, sitting beside her, reached out and grabbed her arm to pull it down.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful,¡± she said.  ¡°You can do this.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s about the same height and hair color,¡± Leah continued after a pause.  ¡°Her son, Joe, was tall and handsome, with dark hair, but he was only a boy, maybe fourteen.  He would be a man now.¡±


    Jace looked between Leah and Djona at opposite ends of the table, impressed by the troglodyte¡¯s composure if he was who Jace thought he was.  ¡°Ah,¡± the host said.  ¡°I know who these people are.¡±  Both Rock and Leah¡¯s moods brightened.  ¡°But I¡¯m afraid they are dead.  Sacrificed to Moloch shortly after their arrival here.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Leah cried. ¡°It can¡¯t be.¡±


    Rock slammed his fist into the table.


    Jace jumped a little in his seat as his left hand tingled.  He had his pain setting turned down, so he barely felt it, but he looked down and saw his cursed ring shimmer as if it had just shocked him.  Did he just fail a save?  He looked back at Djona, who must have lied if he really was Leah¡¯s nephew.  Of course, the game would force everyone to fail that deception check.  Jace glanced at Esther, who should have felt a shock too.  She shook her left hand as if a bee had just stung it but was too concerned with her sobbing friend to give it more than passing attention.


    ¡°You must be wrong!¡± Rock roared above the crying of his treasured artist.  ¡°My operator told me, uh, I mean, there must have been a human slave who proved himself to you during his time here.  Someone who did everything right.  This island looks like it runs efficiently.  Is that your doing?  Or did you promote a human to second in command?¡±


    ¡°I am second in command,¡± Djona said with a bit of a smile.  ¡°There is no one here with more authority besides Queen Pharah herself.¡±


    ¡°But there has to be someone else,¡± Rock said.  ¡°Is there at least a young man here who shows promise?  Your best worker?¡±


    ¡°None of the humans under me fit that description,¡± the troglodyte said carefully.


    The dwarf lost it, pacing away from the table with his hands above his head.  Three lizard guards leveled their tridents at him, and he stopped and remembered where he was.  Rock carefully returned and looked pleadingly at the orc across the table.


    Jace was beside himself.  How could he not see it?  Djona was so obviously Joe that it was painful.


    {Not everyone who plays is a gamer,} Gracie said in his head, feeling his frustration.  {He is in it for the money.  The riddle is obvious to you, not to him.}


    Jace shrugged his shoulders and turned to their host.  ¡°A curse has befallen the land from where these people were taken.  The son is prophesied to end the plague.  Did he leave anything behind?  Anything that might help us to save our people?¡±


    This did give Djona pause, but not much.  He eventually shook his head.  ¡°I can think of nothing he might have left behind that could help you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that is why we have come,¡± Jace said.  ¡°If we have come in vain, so be it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rock said, staring at the shaman.  ¡°I can¡¯t accept that.  There must be another way.  You are Jace Thorne.  You always find a way.  You must have another plan.¡±


    Jace looked to his left, where Esther still comforted Leah.  His rogue companion truly cared for the woman.  Rock didn¡¯t.  He only wanted her abilities.  Jace was tempted to walk away from this mission to make Rock suffer, but Esther would suffer too, and that¡¯s really why he was here.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want me to do,¡± he replied.  ¡°I can¡¯t raise someone from the dead.¡±


    Rock thought about that momentarily and then turned to their host as if he had figured something out.  ¡°You said they were sacrificed to Moloch.  Who is that?  What does that entail?¡±


    Djona grinned broadly.  ¡°Well, it¡¯s funny you should ask.¡±

 Chapter 12

    The main course was brought out, and Djona waited until the servers had left before continuing.


    ¡°Queen Pharah and the rest of her subjects serve Moloch,¡± he started.  Jace noticed how he didn¡¯t lump himself into that group.  After the first lie he had told, he had been careful to speak the truth since.  ¡°He requires living sacrifices.  Pharah has been pressuring me to provide him with another, but I have held off.  He is supposed to bring us prosperity, but we have plenty of that.  There is much land on this island we are not using, and we don¡¯t have enough people to work it all.  Sacrificing workers we don¡¯t have to get more prosperity we can¡¯t tap makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°Religion never does,¡± Rock replied.  Jace didn¡¯t comment.


    ¡°Anyway, she has had enough.  The six of you were unexpected, and she made it clear to me that she won¡¯t wait any longer.  One of you will be sacrificed tomorrow morning to Moloch.  I will try my best to let the rest of you leave.  I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help you further than that.¡±


    ¡°Not much of an offer,¡± Draya replied, fire playing in her eyes.  Behind her, she heard the snap-hiss of the shock weapons, and she let her mana calm down.  She could kill most of the people in the room with her magic now that she had some food, but not before being knocked unconscious by the guards.


    ¡°If it were an NPC, they would just be revived,¡± Rock said, eying Psycho and Draya, who sat across the table next to Jace.


    {Not true,} Gracie said.  From the look on Rock¡¯s face, he was listening to his operator tell him something similar.  {Demons can only have permanent residence in the realms if they establish a stronghold.  When a character is sacrificed to a demon, their essence strengthens the demon and is absorbed into their stronghold in the same way you still hold several of Lexi¡¯s NPCs.  It wouldn¡¯t make sense if the demon used their life to get stronger, and then the NPC got all their life back anyway when they were regenerated.  The only way to respawn a sacrificed character is to kill the demon or take over their stronghold.}


    Jace listened intently, and when Rock didn¡¯t say more, he guessed his operator had passed on the bad news.  The other characters exchanged looks across the table, wondering how to escape this.


    ¡°I nominate Rock,¡± Esther said.  She sat between him and Leah and didn¡¯t even bother looking at the dwarf as she said it, taking another bite of meat.


    ¡°I will not . . .¡± he started.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Draya interrupted.  ¡°He is the reason we are in this mess.¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°Jace,¡± Rock pleaded.  ¡°Stop this madness.  These NPCs are not as valuable as we are, you know that.  I¡¯ve told you what I have at stake.  I can¡¯t die and lose all that.  Sacrifice the elf.  Without his bow, he is useless to the party.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t flinch and kept eating.


    ¡°And how valuable are you right now?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°If Queen Pharah wants all of us to be sacrificed, and we need to fight our way to freedom, what will you contribute?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious!¡±  The dwarf stood from the table and slammed his fists into his food, shattering his plate and glass.  ¡°You would pick a computer simulation over me.  I can cancel our trade at any moment, you know.  You, you . . .¡± his threats died off as he thought them through.  Canceling the trade would do nothing.  Leah still hated him, and after seeing how Jace treated his companions, she would leave Rock in a heartbeat.  The orc¡¯s control over her now was the only reason she hadn¡¯t attacked him yet.  Rock lost his bluster and fell back to his chair a moment before three troglodytes were about to shock him.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Djona said.  He motioned to the guards who had just relaxed to come forward.  ¡°We will restrain the dwarf overnight and sacrifice him in the morning.  The rest of you will reside here under supervision, and I will negotiate transportation on the next vessel to arrive.  I will see if I can negotiate with Potiphar to get your equipment back.  That is the best I can . . .¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jace interrupted, feeling out this module.  ¡°All of my companions have spoken except for one.  If one of us is to die, I would like the decision to be unanimous.¡±  He turned to Leah.  The woman had lifted her head from the table during this discussion, tears staining her cheeks.


    Jace would have to write a letter of appreciation to Gandhi about this quest.  It wasn¡¯t a perfect facsimile of the Biblical account, but it was pretty good.  In Genesis, Joseph, disguised as an Egyptian noble, threatened to throw Benjamin in prison, the youngest of the brothers and the favorite of their father, now that they all thought Joseph was dead.  They all must have hated Benjamin just as much as Joseph.  Yet Judah, Leah¡¯s son, offered to take Benjamin¡¯s place.


    Leah met Jace¡¯s gaze and nodded, standing up to speak.  ¡°It should be me.  I should be sacrificed.  I am the reason we are all here, not Rock.  I may not have wished this fate on Rachelle and Josephus, but my selfish actions brought it about.  If they are in some hellish existence because of my actions, the least I can do is go to be with them, especially if it frees all of you.¡±


    ¡°Leah, no,¡± Esther said, but her voice lacked passion, seeing the conviction in her friend¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied.  ¡°You have Jace and your friends.  With my family gone, I have nothing.  Perhaps this will free my land of its curse.  Kill the one responsible for it.¡±  The witch turned toward Djona and offered her wrists toward him.  ¡°Bind me.  I will go willing tomorrow morning.¡±


    The priest¡¯s reptilian face broke into a large smile.  ¡°That may not be necessary.¡±  He briefly held eye contact with the woman before looking at the other troglodytes in the room.  He pulled his scepter from a hook on his belt.  ¡°Guards.  Leave us.¡±


    Without hesitation, the 12 lizardmen exited, leaving the seven characters and Snowy alone.  Esther and Draya tensed.  They both felt they could defeat their host without their equipment, but a glance from their leader told them to wait a moment.


    ¡°Mother,¡± Djona called loudly.  ¡°You may come out now.¡±  As a door on the side of the room opened, Djona took off his necklace.  Jace didn¡¯t know where to look first and eventually decided to watch Leah¡¯s reaction.  As soon as the troglodyte tooth necklace cleared his head, Djona transformed into a handsome young man with tanned skin and dark hair.  He grew a few inches as his form shifted to human, and Esther whistled in appreciation.  In addition to the open leather vest revealing a muscled chest and arms, he still wore the loin cloth standard to all troglodytes.


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Leah gave Josephus a few seconds of attention, but her gaze was drawn to the woman entering the dining hall from the side.  ¡°Rachelle!¡± she cried and left the table to race over and embrace the beautiful woman.  The two sisters had similar appearances, and Jace had difficulty telling who was older.  Of course, in order to have a 20+ year-old son, Rachelle would be near 40, and she didn¡¯t look a day past 30.  Jace shrugged.  Esther was apparently hundreds of years old and didn¡¯t look much past 25.  Once again, the game cared more about aesthetics than biological reality.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Leah repeated over and over again.  ¡°Please believe me; I never intended anything like this to happen.  It was just . . . I mean . . . I know Jacob loved you, and I feared he would . . .¡±


    Rachelle took her sister¡¯s face in her hands and calmed her down.  ¡°Your husband loved you too,¡± she said.  ¡°Jude was always going to be king.  Joe has talents, but he is not meant for the throne.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Josephus said from the head of the table, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.  ¡°I have no intention of ruling your kingdom.  I have a different calling.  What you intended for evil, my god has intended for good.  I have done noble things here.¡±


    ¡°You are enslaving people,¡± Draya said.  ¡°That is not good.¡±


    Jace shook his head but let Joe explain.  ¡°No, my child, don¡¯t you see, I have freed them.¡±  It was the second time he had called Draya a child, and now that they only looked a few years apart, it sounded odd, but Joe appeared so much more mature in this moment.  ¡°When I arrived here seven years ago, the people here truly were slaves.  They were beaten every day, with very little food and horrible living conditions.  Their only hope of escape was to be thrown into a volcano.  I was able to change that.  Pharah recognized my organization and planning abilities and put me in charge.  She gave me this disguise,¡± he held up the necklace, ¡°so the other troglodytes would obey me, and it worked.¡±


    Rachelle and Leah walked back to the table, and they both took a seat.  ¡°At first,¡± Joe continued, ¡°the queen wasn¡¯t happy with my tactics.  I punished more lizardmen than workers in that first year.  I took away their whips, and if I ever saw one beating a worker, I imprisoned them for a week.  Productivity increased, and we suddenly had surpluses when we barely met the quota before.¡±


    He took a drink.  ¡°Ships continued to bring more slaves to trade, but I felt like I was rescuing them from terrible lives back home.  Yes, you had to work here, but if you did, you got plenty of food, good housing, and a beautiful environment.  Many people don¡¯t work and stay at home caring for their children.  The troglodytes now spend more time clearing the jungle and don¡¯t need to guard the workers.¡±


    ¡°And you still sacrifice them?¡± Draya asked, less venom in her voice than before.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t sent anyone to Moloch in three years.¡±  Joe paused when he understood how that sounded.  It was like telling someone when you stopped beating your wife.  ¡°Typically, when Lamashtu collects someone, they¡¯ve done something horrible to deserve it.¡±  He tried not to make eye contact with his aunt, knowing that Leah was tricked into using the curse.  ¡°Thus, we have received several evil wizards or bloodthirsty assassins.  When they proved to me that they couldn¡¯t live peacefully with the other residents, I allowed Pharah to march them up the side of the volcano.¡±


    ¡°How have you convinced your queen not to sacrifice someone in the last three years?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°What¡¯s changed?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Joe replied.  ¡°From what I know, before we arrived here, the plantation struggled.  Sacrifices were thrown into the volcano once every two or three months, but it didn¡¯t help.  Lava flowed, ash spewed into the air, and the troglodytes thought that meant Moloch wasn¡¯t satisfied.  Then we showed up.  Soon after, Moloch appeared in the flesh, or stone, or whatever his skin is made of.  Almost instantly, the volcano stopped spewing, and the plantation became more prosperous.  I¡¯d like to credit my management skills, but I didn¡¯t take over for a few years.  Sacrifices were no longer tossed into the volcano but given directly to Moloch, and they were burned up in his arms.¡±


    Joe shuddered at distant memories and took another drink.  ¡°Initially, Pharah increased the frequency of the sacrifices, but we didn¡¯t have the slaves to maintain it.  Soon, the offerings happened once every three months, then twice a year, then almost nothing once I took over.  Yet, the prosperity hasn¡¯t decreased.  I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    ¡°While you have seen seven years of plenty,¡± Leah said, ¡°my land has seen seven years of famine and plague.  We have come to bring you back so that whatever you did here, you can do back home.¡±


    Joe nodded.  ¡°I appreciate the thought, but I honestly don¡¯t know what I did.  I don¡¯t know why my mere presence should bring prosperity.  I can feel the power of my god working in me, but no more than any other priest.  My success here is because of my organizational skills.  Is your land experiencing famine because of overgrazing or not properly rotating crops?¡±


    Leah shook her head.  ¡°No, the Life Spring has dried up.¡±


    Joe shrugged his shoulders, obviously not knowing what that even was.


    ¡°Regardless,¡± Rock said, finally comfortable that he wouldn¡¯t be sacrificed, ¡°that is why we are here, to bring you and your mother back.  When can we leave?¡±


    Joe shook his head.  ¡°I will not abandon my people and have them turned into slaves again.  I have been asking the merchants to bring mighty warriors to assist in defeating the powers on this island, not to help me escape.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the strength of the queen¡¯s army,¡± Jace said.  ¡°My group can kill them easily this night if you wish, and we can be off on the next ship in the morning.¡±


    Joe shook his head.  He hoisted his scepter.  ¡°With this, I can order all my lizardfolk to jump in the ocean.  I don¡¯t need your help defeating them, and it won¡¯t get us anything.  Lamashtu will bring werewolves or dark elves to do her bidding.  No, to end the tyranny on this island, we need to destroy the duo at the top.¡±


    ¡°Lamashtu and Moloch,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°And what is needed to bring them out in the open?¡±


    ¡°A sacrifice,¡± Joe said, bringing the conversation full circle.  ¡°Something my queen is forcing me to perform tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to draw straws?¡± Rock asked, knowing how a vote would go.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Joe replied.  He looked at Draya.  ¡°I believe the young mage would make a good candidate.¡±


    Esther bristled, and Snowy lifted her head from her meal.  ¡°Why do you say that?¡±


    ¡°I sense dragon fire inside her,¡± the priest answered.  ¡°She will be immune to lava.  Moloch will not be able to burn her.¡±


    Jace winced at the idea.  ¡°But she is not immune to demon fire.  If Moloch is as powerful as you say, surely he can summon more than just lava.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Joe said, surprised by Jace¡¯s confusion, ¡°did I not say?  Moloch is a god, not a demon.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°You want us to kill a god.¡±


    Everyone was silent for a few moments.  ¡°Well,¡± Joe said finally.  ¡°I can see you all have a lot of planning to do before tomorrow, and some of you need a good night¡¯s sleep in real beds.  I must maintain the illusion that you are still my prisoners, so please stay within this hall and the adjoining rooms.¡±  He picked up his necklace from the table and put it on, transforming him back into a troglodyte.  ¡°Through the doors you see along the walls, you will find fully furnished rooms with running hot water and comfortable beds.  You might even find some clothes that fit you.  We have a limited armory, and I will come tomorrow with a selection for you to choose from but don¡¯t get too carried away; up until the sacrifice, you will still need to look and act like prisoners.¡±


    He rose from the table and prepared to leave.  One look at his mother let him know she wanted to spend the night getting reacquainted with her sister.  He left the room through the main entrance and locked the door.

 Chapter 13

    It was an hour before midnight as Psycho crept silently through the pitch-black dining hall.  The group had stayed in the room for another hour, eating and talking before fatigue had overcome Draya and Leah, and Jace had told them all to get a good night¡¯s sleep.  Psycho had taken a power nap and was ready to go.  He felt someone else in the group didn¡¯t need a whole night¡¯s sleep either.  The elf had paid attention to who had retired to which room and silently opened the door he wanted.


    The accommodations were extravagant for a prison, and the spacious room he entered held two large beds, each with a sleeping occupant.  Psycho moved to the head of the one with black hair spilling over the pillow.  ¡°Wake up,¡± he whispered.  ¡°I need you to get . . .¡± his voice choked off as a hand shot out from under the sheets and clamped on his neck.  The ranger couldn¡¯t move or breathe for a few seconds and waited for the dangerous woman to wake up and see who he was.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Esther said, releasing her Grapple and sitting back from the elf, tossing the sheets off her.  Of course, she slept naked.  She smiled at him.  ¡°Were you cold?  Do you need me to keep you warm tonight?"


    ¡°Right, Legs, that¡¯s what I woke you for,¡± Psycho said dryly.  ¡°If I wanted heat, I¡¯d snuggle with the dragon in the other bed, not someone who¡¯s spent the last few years as a cold-blooded vampire.¡±  He put on a serious face.  ¡°I need you to help me get our equipment back.  If we are going to fight a god and his demon sidekick tomorrow, I don¡¯t want to do it with lizard weapons.¡±


    Esther nodded, suddenly all business and clothing appeared on her body.  She had bathed before bed and then found an outfit she liked in the room that she had stored in her inventory and set as one of her preset outfits.  She wore a dark blue sleeveless top under a studded leather corset with a knee-length gray skirt and black boots.


    Psycho wore a similar color combination with long pants and short sleeves.  He offered her a hand, and she sprung out of bed.  She hit the ground like a cat, silent and smooth.  Draya lay sleeping in the other bed, and they both knew she needed her rest to be effective tomorrow.  Without a word, they crept out of the room and closed the door silently behind them.


    The food and dishes had been cleared, leaving the pair not even a knife to take with them.  They would need to find a way to escape using their skills and spells alone.  Psycho outlined his plan to Esther, and she nodded.


    The exit to the dining room was locked, but there was a slight crack under the door.  If Psycho lay on his stomach, he could just see the booted heel of one of the guards on the other side.  It would be easy for Esther to cast a web under the door and then her acid spell, but they wanted to escape undetected.  Leaving bodies behind would ruin their plan for tomorrow morning.  Instead, Psycho cast his invisibility spell at the troglodyte he saw.


    When the boot disappeared, the elf scampered to his feet, and he and Esther hid in the shadows.  They waited a few seconds and heard hushed chatter on the other side.  Psycho couldn¡¯t guarantee the result of the confusion he had just caused, but he hoped the dumb troglodytes would blame the powerful prisoners they had for the unexpected invisibility.  Maybe they were up and about causing mischief.


    After a few more seconds, they were rewarded by the sound of a key in the door and the portal slowly opening.  The invisible guard was deemed the safest to open the door, and two more covered him from behind with their tridents pointed into the room.  Since Psycho had cast the spell, he could see the invisible guard and shared the knowledge with his party member.  There wasn¡¯t much room left between his body and the open doorway, but Esther managed to slip through, still hidden in the shadows.


    When the guards saw nothing, the two in the back urged their friend to take a few steps inside to be sure.  This finally gave the much larger ranger a chance to sneak out.  The stealthy pair easily avoided the final two guards, and Esther pick-pocketed a set of keys from one of them.  By the time the invisibility spell ended and the guards decided they wouldn¡¯t solve that mystery, Psycho and Esther were long gone.


    They needed the stolen keys to open a few doors, and within a minute, they were outside.  The lack of light pollution from the primitive plantation meant the night sky was ablaze with stars, a half-moon hanging high in the sky.  It was more than enough light for the elf and vampire to navigate their way through the plots of fruits and vegetables toward the coastline.  No guards could be seen, but they stayed in the shadows anyway.


    Troglodytes did stand at the dock, preventing Potiphar¡¯s men from invading the island at night, but they didn¡¯t have the eyesight to pick out the silent hunters.  The boards on the pier did squeak under their feet, but no more than they did naturally from the waves that washed against the pylons below.  It looked like the troglodytes were sleeping on their feet anyway.


    Potiphar¡¯s ship was tied off to the pier, floating twenty feet away, the line pulled taut by the receding tide.  A side hatch to the lower level was open, and it looked like the lizard guards from the hold had deboarded sometime earlier.  Psycho guessed they weren¡¯t permanent crew members and rotated with each voyage.  After meeting Joe, the elf wouldn¡¯t be surprised that the extra guards were there to ensure the ¡°slaves¡± weren¡¯t mistreated on their voyage over.  The troglodytes hadn¡¯t protested much when Esther had been taken above, though, and Psycho¡¯s blood boiled as he remembered her treatment.


    The ranger jumped out on the line, securing the ship, his body swinging below it, his feet just above the water.  He flexed his powerful arms, swung his ankles up, and began hand over hand toward the vessel.  Esther, with her superior athleticism, simply ran across the tightrope, her balance not wavering in the slightest.


    ¡°Show off,¡± he muttered.  He doubled his pace and swung onto the deck only seconds after Esther.  He was about to tell her to be careful when he saw she had someone in her arms.  The human was in a choke hold, with Esther whispering in his ear.  He whispered back, and then she snapped his neck.  Psycho shivered at the sight, watching as she lowered him silently to the deck.


    She turned to him and offered a crossbow and knife she had picked.  She noticed his look of disdain.  ¡°We are going to kill them all, right?¡± she asked, wiping blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.


    Psycho nodded.  They were slavers and had abused Esther, and who knew how many other men and women.  He just hadn¡¯t been ready for the brutality of the vampire¡¯s actions.  Somehow, when he killed people with his bow from 200 feet, it seemed more civilized.


    ¡°He said our equipment has been divided among the crew, but Potiphar and Lilith took most of it.¡±


    ¡°You trust him?¡±


    Esther nodded.  ¡°I had him enthralled.  He couldn¡¯t lie to me.¡±  She pointed to the crew quarters where the captain and first officer slept.  Several lights flickered on in the ship, and they both understood not everyone was sleeping yet.


    ¡°Then we do as we discussed and split up,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°We need to take out as many as we can as quickly and silently as possible.  Once the alarm is sounded, they will have the upper hand if we haven¡¯t found our equipment.¡±


    Esther nodded and slinked off into the darkness toward the ship''s main structure, where most of the crew would be.  Even though he knew they deserved it, Psycho had a problem with killing people in their sleep.  Esther didn¡¯t.


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    The ranger stowed the knife Esther had given him on his right hip and held the crossbow in his left as he moved along the ship''s curve toward the prow.  Empty cages sat on the deck, jumbled with wooden crates, barrels, and piles of other materials, making it hard for him to see everything.  They probably needed to clean the hold before putting the cages back, as Esther and Leah likely weren¡¯t the only ones who were seasick.


    The next guard stood at the ship¡¯s forepeak.  Psycho had to wait until he stopped leaning against the railing, or he would flip over into the water when he died.  The splash would make too much noise.  He wasn¡¯t as proficient with the crossbow, but his range ability and Death Shot feat worked the same.  As soon as the man shifted his weight, he was dead.  The ranger was on top of him in a second, loading another bolt to his weapon and ensuring no one else saw the kill.  He searched the body and found a two-handed cutlass very similar to his missing katana.


    He turned the corner and went down the ship''s starboard side, finding the guard opposite the one Esther had killed.  He was pacing, and a bolt took him in the head, dropping him soundlessly on a coiled pile of ropes.  Psycho stood over him a few moments later and looked toward the back of the ship.  Esther would clear that out; he didn¡¯t want to get in her way.  He turned back to the front and looked up at the top of the foremast where the crow¡¯s nest sat.  He saw motion up there but didn¡¯t trust the cheap crossbow to make an accurate shot through the rigging.  The man had partial cover, and killing him up close would be better.


    Psycho climbed a few steps up on top of the forecastle and hesitated when he heard a splash in the water.  He spun toward it and saw a tentacle rising over the side of the boat and swatting toward him.  He dropped the crossbow, pulled his new sword, and hacked at the animated limb.  Four feet of it sliced cleanly off and flopped on the deck for a few seconds as the rest retreated into the water.  Psycho looked at the horrifying appendage for too long, and more tentacles attacked him from the opposite side.  He turned, sliced, and defeated one of them, but the other batted him from his perch, and he fell toward the center of the ship, crashing into the empty cages, disturbing the silence of the night.


    Psycho landed awkwardly after striking the corners of several metal cells, his body aching all over and missing his dragon armor.  On either side, the sea monster sent more tentacles to search him out, the vibrations of the tumbled cages confusing it.  The ranger swiped at a few that got close, driving them away and telling the rest where he was.  There were too many of them, and soon, they had secured his legs on from either side, and they pulled apart, threatening to rip him in half.  Psycho had to change his grip on the sword to one hand to swipe down strong on his left side, but another tentacle secured his elbow before he attacked and wrenched it against a cage, forcing him to drop the weapon.


    The arms pulled him in three directions at once, almost to the point of breaking, and then stopped.  The ranger was Helpless, held tight against the outside of a metal cage, the outer lock pressing uncomfortably into his lower back.  His eyes watered from the pain, and he made out a blurry image walking toward him.  Once he blinked the tears away, Psycho saw Lilith in a skimpy green nightgown sauntering toward him, barefoot on the wooden deck.


    ¡°My, my,¡± she said.  ¡°Look what my pet has caught.¡±


    <hr>


    Esther was the Fallen Angel of Death as she moved through the ship.  Another guard paced before the crew cabins but didn¡¯t have a chance as the vampire attacked from the shadows and snapped his neck before he could call out.


    The quarters were rooms with eight bunks each.  The first she checked had two empty beds, probably guards who were out patrolling.  The rest were filled with sleeping and snoring men.  The game considered them prone and unconscious, thus they didn¡¯t get a saving chance against Esther¡¯s web that filled the room with thick strands of magic, rendering them Helpless for the spell''s duration.  The rogue dropped an area acid spell in the room next and closed the door.


    She didn¡¯t feel sorry for them.  They would wake when the first blast of acid hit them, but in their Helpless state, they wouldn¡¯t be able to cry out.  She doubted any of them would survive more than three rounds.  It was a cruel way to die, but she recognized two of them from her days in the cage.  One of them had fired arrows at her, while the other had promised to rape her if she ever fell asleep.


    She didn¡¯t feel sorry for them.


    But she didn¡¯t have to watch either.


    Two more rooms filled with men met the same fate, and she would have to find another living guard soon to refresh her mana.  After a few more minutes of silently roaming the narrow halls, she didn¡¯t find anyone, but she also didn¡¯t find any more bunks.  The last door in the corridor opened to a storage room.  She saw a few items resembling Rock and Leah¡¯s equipment and stowed those in her inventory.  Leah¡¯s wands or her party¡¯s more valuable pieces weren''t there.


    Back in the hall, stairs led up, and Esther crept in the darkness, careful of any creaks in the old wood.  Once she reached the upper level, light leaked under a door a dozen feet before her.  The room was toward the back of the ship, and, according to the crewmember she had interrogated, this would be the captain¡¯s quarters.


    Esther hurried the last few steps until she stood silently before the door.  He must still be awake.  She leaned her ear against the door to get an idea of what might be happening inside, but a tremendous crash sounded from the front of the ship, and she pulled back from the door.  The hallway didn¡¯t offer a view of the rest of the ship, and she would have to climb another set of stairs to the quarter deck.  That would put the captain at her back.  Certainly, he had heard the noise as the commotion continued to shatter the stillness of the night.


    If Potiphar had been preparing for bed, he would be unarmed, and the longer she waited to investigate the noise, the less of an advantage she would have.  Without a plan, she opened the door and stepped inside.


    The captain was in his nightshirt, rising and turning from the desk beside his bed where he had been writing.  His twin swords lay on a trunk beside him.  At the sight of the woman, he reached for his weapons, but Esther was faster.  Or, she would have been, but two steps in, her feet became tangled in something she hadn¡¯t detected.  Looking down, the woman saw seaweed vines climbing her legs, growing magically from the wooden floor and wrapping around her waist.  Out of habit, she reached for her swords to hack at them, but they weren¡¯t there.  Still, she had impressive Athletic ability and wrestled with the vines before they completely covered her.


    Esther saw Captain Potiphar lose his sense of urgency once she had sprung the trap but still bore a look of concern that she wasn¡¯t more ensnared.  She took that moment of confusion to look around the large room.  Two wooden clothing stands stood in the corners on either side of her, with several ornate and colorful jackets on display.  A piano sat along the far wall, and next to it was a mammoth table that looked perfect for spreading out a large map.  It currently held a pile of familiar equipment.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, drawing her attention back to him.  ¡°Were you looking for those?  I must admit I¡¯ve never seen anything like them before.  I don¡¯t know if they are my style, but I know of a pirate band that will pay a king¡¯s ransom for them.¡±


    ¡°You could use the money,¡± she said.  ¡°If you need to tie up your female callers like this when they enter your room at night to sleep with them, you need to pay for better prostitutes.¡±


    Potiphar leaped at her with a single weapon.  She could tell the attack wasn¡¯t meant to kill, as he probably wanted to toy with her longer.  Thus, Esther was able to Dodge it despite her Grappled condition.  The captain stepped back.  Though he probably didn¡¯t think in game terminology like Jace had taught Esther, she guessed he had thought she should be at least Securely Grappled and incapable of Dodging.


    ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you full of surprises,¡± he said.  ¡°Guards!¡± he called in a firm voice.  ¡°Restrain her!¡±


    Esther laughed.  ¡°I don¡¯t think they are coming,¡± she said.  ¡°They are all dead . . .¡±  her voice trailed off as she watched the wooden clothing stands come to life.  The arms articulated and curled toward the central posts as if stuffing the jackets, coats, and shirts into invisible pockets.  Soon, all the clothing was stored in their magical inventories, and the pair ambled over to her on their wide tripod legs like mutant stick bugs.


    Once again, Esther wrestled against the Grappling attacks, and if there had only been one of them, she might have been successful.  The wooden golems moved effortlessly through the live patch of seaweed and used their multiple limbs to hold her fast.


    ¡°Push her against that table, and don¡¯t let her move.¡±


    The magical constructs obeyed, but Esther moved plenty, struggling every step of the way and refusing to give up.  She constantly failed her attempts to escape but never critically and was never rendered Helpless.  The animated furniture wasn¡¯t gentle and slammed her face-first onto the table, her feet still on the floor.  The wooden posts stood on either side of her, forcing her hands flat on the polished oak.  She struggled to lift her head and saw her pile of equipment only inches away from her fingertips.


    ¡°Yes, struggle,¡± Potiphar said, approaching her from behind and staring at her shapely legs with the back of her skirt pulled high.  ¡°I like it better when they scream anyway.  Though If I¡¯m guessing right, you¡¯ll be begging for more.¡±


    ¡°Bastard!¡± Esther replied as she desperately reached for her scale armor just out of reach.

 Chapter 14

    Psycho could do nothing other than stand there as Lilith approached.  Because the squid that held him was alive and not an inanimate object like shackles or ropes, it was constantly putting him in a Helpless condition, and he wasn¡¯t given a chance to wrestle free after a given number of rounds.  His legs and left arm were stretched wide, and his right hand hung limply by his side.


    The sea druid had a sick look in her eye, and despite her undeniable physical beauty, the elf was repulsed by her.  The emerald nightgown left little to the imagination and shimmered in the moonlight as if covered with fish scales.  Psycho bet it had defensive properties.


    ¡°I knew you would come back to me,¡± she said, reaching out to touch him when she got close.  ¡°Rangers and druids are attuned to nature, and we belong together.¡±  Her fingernails looked like shark teeth, and as she dragged them down the front of his leather vest, the cut through the bindings and the clothing opened, revealing the cotton shirt beneath.  Her cold, clammy hands pressed against his chest and caressed his torso.  ¡°Oooh, my.  Impressive,¡± she cooed.  ¡°How does an elf get a body like this?¡±


    Psycho stiffened and tried to look straight forward over the shorter woman¡¯s head as she pressed against him, her hands exploring liberally over his body.  Eventually, the woman pulled back and looked up at him.  ¡°What?  No answer for me?  Kraken got your tongue?¡±  She smiled and stroked one of the tentacles that held him fast.  It pulsed and tightened, straining the elf¡¯s body even further.


    ¡°You want me to release you, don¡¯t you?¡± she leaned in to whisper in his ear.  ¡°You want to ravish me, don¡¯t you?  Right here, on the ship''s deck, amidst all this chaos.¡±  The cages all lay askew, half on their sides and some with open doors and bars bent.  ¡°You¡¯ve killed my crew so no one can watch us; how thoughtful.¡±


    She stepped back from him further and lifted a hand to her temple.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t need to talk.  I can read your thoughts.¡±  She half closed her eyes, and a mental sonic blast hit Psycho.  It was similar to the type of echolocation sea mammals used, but it penetrated his mind before he could erect a barrier.


    Lilith stepped even further back after only a moment of scanning him.  ¡°One-quarter orc,¡± she gasped.  ¡°That would explain it.¡±  She recovered from the shock of the revelation, quickly took two steps back toward him, and ripped open his shirt, tearing it and the vest from his body.  With his limbs under strain, Psycho¡¯s taut muscles were even more impressive than usual.  It looked like Lilith might melt into a puddle of seaweed.  ¡°You are too much,¡± she said.  ¡°I assume the racial benefits extend beyond a muscled torso.¡±  Her hands once again caressed his body, and she looked up into his tensed face.  ¡°Think your dirtiest thoughts for me.¡±


    Psycho felt the mental blast hit him again, and instead of trying to fight against it, he let his mind run wild with erotic suggestions, giving the druid what she wanted.  ¡°Oh, my,¡± she gasped again.  ¡°I would have never thought . . .¡±  She looked again at the squid arms that held her prey tight.  ¡°Anyone can think dirty thoughts,¡± she said, stroking the tentacles again.  ¡°I want to hear you say them.¡±


    The Grappling hold on Psycho loosened ever so slightly, dropping him into a Securely Grappled condition, allowing for speech and slight mobility.  His body heaved up and down as he took deep breaths and shifted his position against the uncomfortable metal behind him.  ¡°Oh, this is much better,¡± Lilith said, rubbing her body against his more animated form.  ¡°Tell me what you want to do to me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing too many clothes for what I want,¡± Psycho whispered between gasps.


    She giggled and stepped back, still within arm¡¯s reach.  ¡°What, this?¡± she tugged at a thin shoulder strap of the nightgown, the magical scale pattern glistening along her every curve.  As she eyed up his exposed body, she eventually shrugged.  ¡°I suppose it is only fair.¡±


    The druid crossed her arms, reached to the bottom hem of the garment, and pulled it up slowly.  As soon as the fabric rose above her waist and her forearms were crossed in front of her face, Psycho struck.  His free right hand pulled the knife from his belt and stabbed forward into her exposed abdomen, just under her ribs.  Lilith shrieked with pain and fell back, releasing her gown and tripping to the deck.


    The tentacles holding the elf slackened as well from the shock of the pain, and with a few jabs of his blade, they released him entirely.  Psycho stumbled forward, catching himself with his right hand on the bars of a nearby cage before he collapsed to the ground.  The heavy metal prison shifted, and the vibrations brought the squid arms back to attention. They gripped hard on opposite sides of the cage, mistaking the bars for limbs.  Psycho stepped back gracefully and watched as the monster tore the box in half with a tremendous heave, glad it wasn¡¯t him.


    He looked desperately in the dark for his dropped sword and found it just as another searching arm brushed against his leg.  He Dodged the attack as he dove for the weapon.  His hands closed on the hilt, but his motion on the deck gave his location to the squid, sending more arms toward him.  Psycho hacked and slashed at the tentacles as he scampered away.


    ¡°Oh, you orc bastard!¡± Lilith screamed as she picked herself off the deck and rolled away from the commotion.  ¡°You will pay for that.  I will defile your corpse in ways you cannot imagine.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t take the bait and kept quiet as a squid arm chased him around a wooden crate where he could hide from the druid¡¯s view.  He didn¡¯t think a simple dagger would defeat a level 20 druid, and her healing magic had probably already taken care of the wound.


    ¡°Did you come alone?¡± she called, stalking through the jumbled mess on the deck.  The squid had knocked down barrels and overturned crates in its search for the elf, and the cages clogged any natural walkways.  ¡°Tell me you brought the mage.  How I would love to quench her flames with a torrent of seawater.  Like this.¡±


    Psycho dreaded what spell might be coming and felt the hairs on his arms tingle from a massive outpouring of mana.  It was as if a storm had hit the ship, and a tremendous wave crashed over the deck.  The mini tsunami originated from the druid and slammed into the crates and cages, pushing them back and slamming them into the forecastle.  Psycho had been hiding between a crate and a cage and was crushed as the two massive objects smashed into each other.  Wood splintered against his hip and shoulder, and his bones nearly did likewise.  The crate spun off to one side, exposing the injured elf to the furious woman as he crumpled to the deck.


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    Psycho struggled to a knee and looked up as the druid extended her hands toward him, and seaweed vines lashed out like angry vipers.  He gathered enough strength to dive out of the way, slashing at a trailing vine that almost snagged his leg.  Instead, the spell latched onto the cage the broken crate had smashed him into.  Lilith heaved on the natural ropes connected to her fingers and swung the heavy metal toward the elf.


    The bars bludgeoned him, dropping his health again and sending him flying into a pile of barrels.  Those also shattered under his weight, marking his location to the persistent squid.  The ranger hacked at the slimy appendages and rolled to safety, trying to find a clear spot on the deck where he could move more stealthily.


    He couldn¡¯t keep this up for long.  The druid was deadly from a distance with her mighty spells; without his bow, he couldn¡¯t match her.  He had to get up close and hope she wasn¡¯t a good melee fighter.  Light on his toes, Psycho sprinted around a few more shattered crates and piles of extra sales toward where Lilith had last been.  The elf turned the corner and found the woman standing in a clearing, holding a whip.


    ¡°I prefer close quarters with you as well,¡± she cooed, snapping the whip beside her.


    Psycho advanced, careful of any more tricks but also aware the squid would know his location since its mistress could see him.  He judged the range of the whip accurately, and as soon as he was in range, he dove to the deck, rolled forward under the snapping weapon, and slashed her across the midsection.  The non-magical weapon glanced off the enchanted scales of her nightgown and didn¡¯t do much damage.


    She lashed at him with her free hand, and her sharp fingernails sliced him across his bare back before he jumped out of the way.  Lilith turned toward him and glanced down at where her armor had protected her.  ¡°I¡¯m betting you wish you had let me take this off completely before striking, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Psycho felt the intrusion of her mental barrage again, but now that he wasn¡¯t Helpless, it was easier to defend against.  Still, he let an image of him hacking apart her naked body with his weapon flash through his mind.  ¡°Oh, you dirty orc.  What am I going to . . .¡±


    The speech was just a distraction as a tentacle wrapped around his ankle from behind.  Psycho spun his weapon down, cutting off the limb and slashing back up high, successfully defeating another arm reaching through a bent cage.  However, that left him unable to evade Lilith, and the whip bit into his knee, ripping half his pantleg off.  It stunk like a jellyfish, numbing his leg and forcing him to limp away from the woman.  His uncoordinated gate brought the attention of the sea creature again, and he had to swipe at two more tentacles before finding cover behind a few barrels.


    The ranger tried to calm the pain that screamed up his leg and used one of his healing spells to push the poison out of him and regain most of his agility.  It was enough to let him move quietly again, but he could tell his Dodging ability was impaired.


    He knew he couldn¡¯t keep this up.  If Lilith coordinated a strike from her whip with an attack from the squid, he would be rendered immobile and Helpless again, and this time, she wouldn¡¯t let him go.  He needed another strategy.  As squid arms searched the area around him, he explored the jumbled deck for a better hiding place.  That¡¯s when he saw it:  the crossbow.  It was out in the open, but he had to try for it.  He dropped himself into the shadows and scampered toward the weapon.  Picking it up took him from the shadows, and Lilith spun toward him as she caught the motion in her peripheral.  Psycho was able to clip the crossbow to the back of his belt, out of sight before the druid focused on him.  She released a more concentrated jet of water, and he found his assessment of his Dodging ability correct as he failed to avoid the attack and was tossed backward like a cork in a river.


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    Psycho almost flew off the ship completely, but his limbs got tangled in the rigging, spinning his body at awkward angles out of the stream of water and crashing back down to the ship.  He hit the forecastle railing, bounced to the starboard side, and landed in a pile of smaller crates holding root vegetables.  His hit points were below 100 now, and he didn¡¯t have the mana necessary to heal himself.  Instead, he rolled into a more comfortable position and dropped back into the shadows.


    ¡°I almost have you now,¡± Lilith sang into the night air.  ¡°Just one more hit should do it.  Your equipment is locked away in my cabin, by the way.  Too bad you are useless without it.  Don¡¯t worry; when you are gone, and I¡¯ve fed you to the fish, the smell of your cloak will keep me busy for many nights thinking about what could have been.¡±


    ¡°Keep talking, sea wench,¡± Psycho mumbled.  He moved silently about the ship, trying to track her location by the sound of her voice.  He just needed one clean shot.


    ¡°And I know you didn¡¯t come here alone,¡± Lilith continued, moving through the collection of junk strewn across the deck.  ¡°When I am done with you, the Captain and I will have fun with whichever woman you brought.  It certainly wasn¡¯t that orc you follow.  No way he could have climbed the rope to the ship.  Is he your father?  Did he ravish your elvish mother and then eat her dead body after you tore your way out?¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t take the bait.  Esther would have felt compelled to shout out a pithy comeback and ruin her sneak attack, but the elf held his temper in check, sensing the arrogant druid was close.  ¡°Or did your elf father keep a half-orc slave to satisfy the detestable fantasies his wife couldn¡¯t-¡±


    Her voice ended suddenly as a bolt pierced her temple.  Psycho had taken the shot from twenty feet away as the woman walked around a crate and into view.  The close range allowed him to add his Point Blank ability to his Death Shot and Sneak Attack.  Lilith didn¡¯t have a chance.  Her body stayed erect for a moment as the shudder of death passed through her, the nightgown shimmering one last time in the moonlight before she crumpled to the deck.


    The whole ship shuddered and cracked as the squid reacted to its master¡¯s death.  Beside him, Psycho watched as a tentacle wrapped around the foremast and wrenched it from the ship with a fierce explosion of wood and metal.  The ranger had forgotten about the guard in the crow¡¯s nest but now watched as he screamed all the way down as the pole fell like a tree and the top hit the water, where the squid ripped it apart in rage.


    ¡°Uh oh.¡±


    <hr>


    Slap!


    Esther was bent over the table and winced as Potiphar walked up behind and struck her firmly on the rear.  ¡°You like that, don¡¯t you.¡±


    She really did not like that, but she also noticed that when he hit her, her hand moved ever closer to her equipment.  ¡°Oh, yes,¡± she said, trying to put as much emotion into it.  ¡°Harder, please.¡±


    ¡°See,¡± Potiphar said, snickering to himself.  ¡°I knew you were a flirt from the moment I saw you.¡±  He spanked her again.


    Esther lurched a little on the tabletop, the two wooden golems holding her firm.  Her hand gained another half inch on the table, but it wasn¡¯t enough.  ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got,¡± she grunted, not having to fake her frustration with the situation.  ¡°I thought you were a man.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything this time and smacked her again.  Esther felt her Hit Points drop, but it still wasn¡¯t enough.  ¡°Is that how you hit Lilith?¡± Esther taunted.  ¡°No wonder you don¡¯t have . . .¡±


    ¡°Why you little . . .¡±


    Esther heard him take a few steps backward and braced as much as she could.  The next slap stung, and her whole body flopped forward on the table, her right hand resting fully on her scale armor.  She smiled as the entire pile of her equipment disappeared into her inventory.


    The captain didn¡¯t notice.  ¡°Enough fooling around,¡± he said, focused on only one thing.  ¡°I¡¯m going to show you who¡¯s captain of this ship.¡±


    Esther couldn¡¯t blame Potiphar for being clueless about what was happening.  She shouldn¡¯t be able to do what she was doing.  Storing items in your inventory took a full round, and since she was Securely Grappled, she could touch her equipment all she wanted, and it should stay right there.  Only because of her advanced occupational levels did she have the skill to pick up a collected outfit instantly and then change into it without ever entering her inventory.


    The captain¡¯s first clue that something was up came when her skirt suddenly changed from gray to black.  He stepped back, seeing now that her whole outfit had transformed.  With her Athletic boon necklace, she got a +6 bonus to wrestle free from the animated clothes hangers and reduced her condition to Grappled.  This allowed her to extract one of the Athletic boon spells stored in her diamond bracelet, and she freed herself completely.  Now, when she reached for her rapiers, they were there, and she executed a strike in either direction, cutting the wooden poles in half.


    Potiphar took another step back, seeing the woman before him as more deadly than beautiful.  ¡°Now,¡± Esther said, ¡°you were going to show me who¡¯s captain.¡±  She reached up to her hat, tugged on the brim, and disappeared.


    The man swore, leaped toward his bed, and shouted a magical command word.  Just behind him, Esther crashed painfully into a force field.  She bounced back a few feet but sensed the barrier had weakened when she hit it.  After two more strikes with her weapons, it shimmered faintly, and after another pair of attacks, it disappeared.  However, Potiphar had time to pick up his swords, don a leather vest with gold embroidery, and turn to face the angry woman before she broke through.


    The captain was a level 22 swashbuckler, an expert in two-weapon fighting.  He wasn¡¯t as well-rounded as Esther.  He couldn¡¯t cast many spells, hide in the shadows, sneak attack, or grapple anything.  He couldn¡¯t escape from traps or disarm them.  He definitely couldn¡¯t level drain or Enthrall anyone.  But when fighting with swords, there were few better at his level.


    Esther was pressed immediately, taking two hits right away.  Her armor gave her slashing immunity against an attacker level 20 and below.  Unfortunately, Potiphar was above.  Still, she had the Slashing protection ring on and could absorb his first four attacks.  This allowed her to cast Haste on herself, and soon, her attacks got through as well.


    The man was the more skilled fighter, but her weapons were better, and each strike from Char and Chill brought fire and ice.  Potiphar saw his disadvantage early.  He could hit Esther, but she had so many protection items that each hit did very little damage.  Meanwhile, her strikes were whittling away his health quickly.  The captain changed tactics and started interacting with the furniture in the room, sacrificing one attack per round but making it almost impossible for Esther to operate smoothly.


    The swashbuckler spun near the bed, picking up a sheet and flinging it at his opponent.  Esther felt his blades cut above and below the cloth barrier, but her weapons got tangled, cutting up the fabric but missing the man.  Then he kicked a chair at her feet, causing her to trip and fumble her Dodge, so his next two strikes earned him critical damage.  Potiphar knocked his shelf over, and the rogue felt compelled to swipe at each book as it flew toward her while his swords wove between them, scoring two more hits.


    Esther¡¯s ring had long since expired, but her Damage Reduction was at 24, so even though she felt like she was losing, her Hit Points were still well above 200.  Meanwhile, Potiphar was barely above 100 and getting desperate.  He twirled amidst the drapes in his room and fooled Esther as to which direction he was going.  The pommel of her right weapon crashed through the window, cutting her hand as her left struck home.  She tried to engage her Disarm ability, but he had too many protections against it, and she would need multiple criticals.


    Potiphar got daring and rushed the woman.  Esther backpedaled and swung above his crouched form.  He rolled to the floor, past the large table, and came to his feet beside it.  Esther took a break in the action to cast her web at him.  The magical strands climbed to his waist, holding him firm, but he still had full access to his weapons.  He had Parried as often as he had Dodged during the fight, and now that was his only option.  Their blades wove a complex pattern in the air as if tracing the lines of the intricate web below.  Sparks and drops of blood flew through the room as the two skilled fighters went at each other.


    Potiphar could see he was on the losing end of this exchange and couldn¡¯t afford to trade blows with the powerful woman.  When he got a lucky 20 on his next escape attempt, he stumbled backward and swiped a hand at the table to pick up a pulsing ruby.  It was one of the gems Esther carried around that Draya had infused with dragon fire.  It wasn¡¯t part of her outfit, so she hadn¡¯t been able to pick it up from the table for free.  The desperate swashbuckler held it aloft threateningly.  If he dropped it, they would both die.


    ¡°Stop!¡± he said.  ¡°I will use this.¡±


    Esther caught her breath and analyzed the man before her.  Yes, she agreed.  He had nothing to lose.  He was closer to the open door, and with a shove from his left hand, he toppled the table before her.  She could still reach the exit, but it would cost her seconds and probably wouldn¡¯t beat the fireball out of the room.


    ¡°You would run from the fight?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I will survive,¡± he replied and tossed the gem over her head.  It was too high to grab with a jump, and her only chance of survival was to turn and run away from the door to catch it before it hit the floor.  At least, that¡¯s what Potiphar expected.  Instead, Esther dropped her left-hand weapon and leaped high with her right extended, almost touching the high ceiling.  Her supreme athleticism ensured she hit the ruby with the narrow blade and batted it back toward the captain halfway out the door.  Esther landed in a crouch with her left arm forward and funneled mana into her bracelet, summoning the dragon shield Gromphy had made for her.  The fireball exploded in the corridor outside, and she heard the cry from the captain as he was consumed.  The heat wave raced into the room, but the woman hid behind her shield, and it flowed around her without effect.


    Esther stood a moment later and saw multiple items in the room on fire.  Ignoring the flames, she searched the floor for her party¡¯s items, which Potiphar had scattered across the room when he flipped the table.  She wasted too much time entering and exiting her inventory, and the room was engulfed in fire by the time she was finished.


    After climbing over the table, Esther found the hallway blazing, Potiphar¡¯s burnt corpse halfway to the stairs.  The door to the room across the hall was blown open, and she raced inside.  By the feminine d¨¦cor, Esther assumed this was Lilith¡¯s room, and she found Psycho¡¯s cloak and weapons, with Leah¡¯s wands lying next to them.  Her inventory was full, but Gromphy had built numerous pockets into the ranger¡¯s enchanted trench cloak, and she loaded it to bursting.  She turned to retreat but found her escape route impassible.  She knew the shield would protect her from directional fire attacks but didn¡¯t know how well it would do if she ran through the fire.  By now, it probably burned the entire hallway and stairs.  She couldn¡¯t risk running through it at her current health level.


    The whole ship trembled as she contemplated her choices, and a loud crack echoed through the night.  That wasn¡¯t the fire, was it?  Was something else attacking the ship?  Esther saw a window opposite the door that looked over the main deck.  Everything was dark outside, but she knew she couldn¡¯t stay in this room.  With a running start, she held the thick cloak before her and jumped through the window.

 Chapter 15

    The squid was finished playing with the elf, and its massive head rose above the ship''s starboard side and glared down at the ranger with its single eye. Psycho lifted the crossbow and fired at the obvious target. The bolt hit the massive orb but only enraged the monster more. It swung multiple tentacles at the elf, not meaning to grab him but wanting to crush him. Psycho discarded the useless weapon and leaped out of the way as the heavy arms smashed the barrels and crates around him.


    He moved toward the center of the deck, away from most of the wreckage and just beneath the raised quarterdeck. He gripped his sword tightly in two hands, wondering how he would take out this monster. It was blinking the speck out of its eye and analyzing the splintered mess its attack had caused, searching for the elf¡¯s body.


    To Psycho¡¯s right, shattering glass drew his attention, and he turned to see a cloaked figure crash through a second-story window, tumble through the air, and land gracefully beside him. Esther extended the arm holding the ranger¡¯s cloak as if she expected to find him standing there. ¡°I believe this belongs to you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Legs,¡± he said as he quickly put the garment on, ¡°I think I love you.¡±


    She smiled at him. ¡°You aren¡¯t so bad yourself. What happened to your shirt?¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t like the alluring gaze the woman gave him, so he hastily found his dragon armor within the cloak and put it on. Esther was hoping for an answer to her question and searched the deck when her partner didn¡¯t give one. Her eyes found Lilith¡¯s body, dressed in the alluring nightgown, and she began to form a theory but couldn¡¯t dwell on it as she saw the monster pummeling the front of the ship.


    ¡°What in the seven seas is that?¡±


    ¡°Lilith¡¯s pet,¡± Psycho replied, pulling his elemental bow from his cloak. ¡°We aren¡¯t friends.¡±


    Esther shrank back several steps, leaning against the lower wall of the crew quarters. The squid rose in the air, having finished its destructive effort and coming up empty. Its sensitive suckers had felt the shattering glass from Esther¡¯s dramatic entrance to the deck and turned its body toward it. The colossal eye easily found the two characters, its massive beak clacking repeatedly in anticipation of the meal. Psycho didn¡¯t flinch as he pulled an arrow and lined up his shot. The beast used all of its arms to maneuver over the ship, rocking the vessel side to side under its massive weight, but the archer was a rock, steady and unmoving, waiting until the last second to release his shot. It was an acid arrow and flew straight through the monster''s dilated pupil.


    Now Psycho dove out of the way as the blinded creature¡¯s bulk smashed against the quarterdeck, crushing the wood beneath it. Esther had vacated the position moments before and clutched at the elf¡¯s arm. ¡°Is it dead?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Psycho replied. ¡°But I¡¯m not waiting around to find out.¡± He grabbed her hand and pulled her port side toward the dock. They stopped short when they reached the railing. During the fight, the rope securing the ship had snapped, and they were now over two hundred feet from the pier. ¡°Can you swim?¡±


    Esther nodded. ¡°Tami taught me, but I¡¯m not swimming in that.¡± She pointed to the water surrounding the ship.


    Psycho had been focused on the distant dock but now looked down to see half a dozen tentacles swarming around the hull. If the creature could sense vibrations through the ship, it could definitely track their swimming. They would never make it to shore. ¡°Then we fight,¡± the elf said, returning to the squid.


    The monster was not dead, nor was it dying. Instead, it had hugged the rear of the ship, venting its anger against the acid throbbing in its brain by crushing the crew quarters. It quickly found out most of the rear decks were on fire and shrieked in pain. It released its death grip and turned toward its elusive prey.


    Psycho put another arrow in its eye.


    The squid had tentacles reaching from prow to rudder on the ship, and it convulsed its whole body in pain. The deck below the characters¡¯ feet buckled and split, causing them to lose their balance. Above them, the main mast lost its base and crashed toward the front of the ship. The topsails had caught fire at this point and spread it to the bow.


    Psycho stabilized himself on one knee as he drew another arrow and tracked the massive head as it wisely retreated to starboard and prepared to sink below deck again. Before it disappeared and right before the ranger was about to fire, the squid released a jet of ink that drenched the pair.


    ¡°Ewww,¡± Esther shrieked, flinging her hands to try to remove the oily substance. ¡°This better not stain!¡±


    ¡°What do you care?¡± Psycho said as he spat a mouthful of the offensive liquid. ¡°You wear all black anyway.¡±


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    ¡°I wear ebony and onyx,¡± she said, fruitlessly trying to wipe the ink from her skirt and legs. ¡°This is jet black. They are completely different!¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t have time to argue as the ship exploded around them. The bulk of the squid had disappeared over the ship''s side, but its arms were still present. As the ship split apart and burned, vibrations were everywhere, and the tortured creature couldn¡¯t tell a splintering board from a footstep, so it attacked everything. Tentacles burst through the deck and walls of the ship, causing Psycho and Esther to leap and dodge at a moment¡¯s notice.


    Esther had her blades out, as much for balance as anything, and hacked at the arms as they sped past her. The weapons were much better at the job than Psycho¡¯s discarded cutlass had been. The ranger was sure everything he had cut off had grown back once the limbs retreated to the water, but Esther¡¯s cuts left a charred or frostbit edge, and they could feel the massive beast shudder in pain with each strike.


    ¡°Keep at it,¡± Psycho instructed. ¡°I¡¯m going to see if I can¡¯t get a few more shots at its face.¡± The ranger left the capable woman to her job and ran toward the loading doors to the hold below. He slipped several times on the slick ink and feared the oily substance was likely flammable. So far, the fire was at the front and back of the ship, with the ink in the middle. That wouldn¡¯t last.


    Several gaping holes greeted him as he shoved a heavy cage aside so he could jump down. He landed in knee-deep water, as cracks in the lower walls allowed the ocean inside. Several port holes lined the bulkhead higher up. If the water rose that high, the ship would sink in seconds. As it was, Psycho guessed they only had a few minutes. They wouldn''t last long in the water if they needed to abandon ship while the squid was still alive.


    Psycho nocked an arrow on his bow and kept his eyes on the starboard portholes. The bulk of the squid''s body pressed against the ship, threatening to crush it even further, and the ranger held his shot. He wanted the eye or mouth. Shooting it in the body would only alert the animal to his presence below deck. Let it fight the stinging blades of Esther for now. She was draining its health in the process. His eyes scanned the five windows before him, ready to fire through any of them. He couldn¡¯t activate his Aim ability since it required focusing on one target for a full round, but he was only twenty feet away, so Point Blank was in full effect.


    The muted yellow of the creature¡¯s beak flashed at one porthole and then receded to the left. Psycho trained on the next window in line and released his shot as the open mouth came into view. The beast shrieked in pain again, but it wasn¡¯t as potent as his previous shots and not that much worse than what Esther was dealing out above. The stupid creature wondered how the ship had stabbed it, so it maneuvered its injured eye to the offending spot on the hull.


    Psycho pulled one of his treasured mithril arrows and activated his Aim ability on the specific porthole. As soon as the two beings made eye contact, the ranger fired, and the squid wrenched the ship nearly in two from the pain. The cracks in the lower level opened wider, and water poured in. The elf guessed he had a minute at most and didn¡¯t want to be caught below deck when the ship went over. However, he hesitated when he saw how the squid oriented itself. He wasn¡¯t an expert in marine biology, but he had a guess of what was coming next and pulled a fire arrow to prepare.


    The base of several thick tentacles flashed by the open window before a horrible sphincter filled the porthole. Psycho drew back, waited for the puckered hole to open slightly, and fired. He didn¡¯t activate any of his abilities. He didn¡¯t need to.


    Not only was the squid¡¯s ink flammable. It was explosive. The flaming arrow entered the beast''s ink sac before it could squeeze its muscles. The detonation almost flipped the ship over, rocking it hard toward the port side, dumping most of the loose cargo overboard, including Esther. Psycho dropped to the floor of the hold, letting the now waist-deep water cover him as flames exploded into the ship, ripping the starboard wall away as if it had never been there.


    The ship rocked back to starboard and found that the side of the hull was completely missing. Water rushed into the hold, and the bottom of the ship was instantly underwater. Psycho felt the vessel''s weight above him, but the wood¡¯s buoyancy prevented it from sinking like a stone. He swam straight down, through the gaping hole, around the keel, and up to the surface. Dead squid pieces floated all around him as he searched for a bit of broken wood to hold on to. As the ship slowly sank behind him, the silence of the night that had been shattered for the past fifteen minutes returned, and the sound of frantic splashing was easy to pick out.


    ¡°I thought you could swim,¡± Psycho said as he maneuvered alongside Esther. She wasn¡¯t drowning but clutched to a narrow board and thrashed her legs as if she were undergoing a shark attack.


    ¡°I can,¡± she replied, calming down with the elf nearby. ¡°But I usually enter the water by walking in from a beach, not through the air by an exploding squid. Plus, I¡¯m usually wearing less. This armor is heavy.¡±


    ¡°Then take it off,¡± he offered.


    ¡°No,¡± she replied, ¡°I¡¯m hoping the water washes the ink off.¡±


    The elf laughed. ¡°Well, it¡¯s over now. You did good, Legs.¡±


    Esther smiled. ¡°Thanks. It was nice to fight something that didn¡¯t want to sleep with me for a change.¡±


    He laughed again. ¡°Yes, seducing the squid wouldn¡¯t have worked as well as it did against . . .¡± Psycho stopped before finishing.


    Esther looked at him. ¡°Wait, what did you say?¡±


    Psycho looked forward and tried to swim away from her. She caught up to him. ¡°As it did against Lilith?¡± she completed for him. ¡°You seduced Lilith to beat her? Oh, wait till Draya hears this.¡±


    ¡°I shot her with a crossbow,¡± Psycho said evenly, not making eye contact.


    ¡°Of course you did,¡± Esther laughed. ¡°Straight through her broken heart. And I suppose the squid took your shirt off.¡±


    ¡°Like you didn¡¯t seduce Potiphar before you killed him,¡± the elf snapped.


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± she replied. ¡°But I do that to everyone. You, on the other hand. . .¡±


    ¡°I hope the ink doesn¡¯t come out,¡± Psycho said.


    She laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure Gromphy will be able to fix it.¡± She paused. ¡°I¡¯m sure he can also craft a voluptuous love doll dressed in seaweed if you want.¡±


    The elf fumed and raced to shore.

 Chapter 16

    Jace opened his eyes and held his breath.


    He had taken the risk of skipping till dawn last night and hoped it wasn¡¯t the wrong decision.  After dinner, he and Rock shared a room.  Jace had wanted to talk strategy for the next day, but all Rock wanted to do was yell at him for letting him think that Jace was on board with sacrificing him.  The orc said it was all for Leah¡¯s benefit.  She had to be offered an easy way out of the situation, or her sacrifice would be meaningless.  The dwarf insisted on being made aware of any future strategies like that, but when Jace wanted to talk about the next day, Rock wanted to go to sleep instead.


    That had been a few seconds ago to Jace, but he knew at least eight hours had passed in the game, and anything could have happened.  At first, he didn¡¯t know if the game had woken him because it was morning or something had interrupted his sleep.  After a few seconds, he heard a knock on the door and guessed it was the latter.


    The big orc rolled over and froze.  Sitting on the table next to his bed was all his equipment.  He couldn¡¯t be sure it was everything he had carried with him into the module, but all the essential items were there: Diamond Etcher, his chaos halberd, his illusion necklace, his boots of grounding, a damage belt, and several potions.  Jace didn¡¯t carry much, relying on his totems and parrying skill for Armor class.


    Behind him, Rock stirred on his bed, and Jace saw most of his items sitting beside him as well.  Obviously, something had happened during the night, and Jace worried about the ramifications, but as the knock on the door came again for what was probably the third time, he chose not to look a gift horse in the mouth and stored all his items in his inventory.  He decided not to wear most of the items, knowing that Joe had said they would still need to look like prisoners.  With Esther¡¯s help, he could probably reprogram the illusion necklace to hide his equipment while wearing it, but he would worry about that later.


    ¡°What is this,¡± Rock said.  ¡°How did we get . . .¡±


    ¡°Store it in your inventory, and don¡¯t mention it,¡± Jace said, rising from the bed and walking to the door.  He made sure his partner completed the task before answering the knock.  Joe stood on the other side of the door, waiting patiently.  He looked like a troglodyte again, and Jace mentally thought of him as Djona to avoid messing up the name in front of the wrong person.


    ¡°Heavy sleeper?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We needed our rest,¡± the shaman replied.  ¡°It has been a rough few days.¡±


    ¡°I imagine,¡± Joe said.  ¡°I¡¯ve brought some weapons for you to review.  The rest of your team is already up.¡±


    Jace left the room and entered the dining hall.  Breakfast food was piled at one end of the table, while weapons, shields, and armor lay at the other.  Psycho, Draya, and Leah reviewed the items while Esther sat before the food, stuffing her face.  If all his party members had their items back too, they were clever enough not to broadcast it.


    {I¡¯ve checked their inventory, Jace,} Gracie chimed in.  {Everyone is fully loaded.}


    ¡°Any idea what happened?¡± Jace mumbled.


    {No clue.}


    Jace walked toward Psycho.  The ranger inspected a short bow that Jace doubted would be lethal from one end of the room to the other.  ¡°Want to fill me in?¡± he asked once he got close.


    ¡°Everything is taken care of,¡± the elf replied.  ¡°I hope you enjoyed your sleep.¡±


    ¡°I trust you would tell me if I needed to worry about anything.¡±


    Psycho put the bow down and smiled up at the orc.  ¡°Did you want to fight a god with one of these rusty blades?¡±


    Jace looked at the pathetic collection of weapons and said nothing.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.¡±  The elf moved to the other end of the table to find some fruit.


    Jace and Rock had been the last to be woken, and now that they were out of their room, Djona let in a dozen guards.  The troglodytes stood at attention while the ¡°prisoners¡± ate breakfast.  Once everyone had their fill, they were brought before the guards and put back in shackles.


    ¡°You should be able to get out of these on your own,¡± Djona whispered once one of his guards had secured the orc¡¯s hands behind his back.


    {You won¡¯t be able to pick the lock,} Gracie said, after looking at the shackles, {but it looks like the strength factor to break free is exceptionally low.  Also, they only leave you Grappled, so your magic users should be able to cast spells.  You, Psycho, and Esther can break free without help, but Draya must cast Dragon Strength first.}


    The guards led the six characters out of the room with Draya in the lead.  They met Pharah in the main hall again, and Jace didn¡¯t bother to eavesdrop on their conversation.  It looked like they were arguing over whether there would be one sacrifice or seven.  Jace looked back at Snowy, who followed the group obediently with two guards flanking her, no restraints on the wolf.  The familiar was smart enough to know what was going on and wouldn¡¯t fight back without instructions from someone she trusted.


    As they were led out of the palace and onto a winding trail that progressed upward toward the back of the island and the simmering volcano, Jace worked his way back in the procession to walk next to Rock.  More guards had joined them, and it looked like the entire non-worker population of the island would attend this ceremony.  Jace saw Djona clutching his scepter tightly and knew the priest was restraining his minions as much as possible.


    ¡°Jace,¡± the dwarf initiated the conversation.  ¡°What is going to happen when this is over?  Is Leah going to like me again?  I need her to work for me.  I have deadlines.  I¡¯ve already spent more time on this mission than I planned.  My operator has had to cancel several meetings I had scheduled for today.¡±


    Jace sighed.  He still didn¡¯t have a solid plan to solve this quest, and this player was only concerned about his business.  ¡°So far, you¡¯ve given her no reason to like you, much less trust you.  When the fighting breaks out, Djona says he will try to control the horde of troglodytes, but I don¡¯t think he will be entirely successful.  There are too many of them.  You need to find Leah and protect her.  The two of you are at a much lower level than the rest of us and will be vulnerable.  As a witch, Leah is good at disabling individual characters but will be in jeopardy against a mob like this.  If she sees you risking your life to save her, it will have a positive effect when this is over.¡±


    ¡°Will it be over soon?¡± Rock asked.


    Jace rolled his eyes again.  He was like a kid on a car ride asking: Are we there yet?  ¡°I¡¯m doing the best I can,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°But I still don¡¯t have all the information I need.¡±  He paused as he gathered his thoughts.  ¡°You¡¯ve been to the Kingdom of Canaan, right?  You¡¯ve seen the plague.  What can you tell me about it?¡±


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    Rock shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°Not much.  Everyone was sick and dying.  It looked like it hadn¡¯t rained in months.  The trees were brown, and the crops withered.  The streams and lakes were dried up.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Leah said something about a Life Spring.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Rock said.  ¡°There was a lake before the castle.  From what I understood, it provided water to the entire kingdom.  They said it was fed by a spring, giving life to everything.  Well, the spring dried up and the lake with it.  It was just an empty sand pit when I got there.¡±


    ¡°Did you sense it was magical, or something magical was missing?¡±


    The shorter player shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°I¡¯m a fighter.  I didn¡¯t sense anything.  Do you think it is important?¡±


    ¡°I think when Lamashtu stole Joe and Rachelle, she also took something from the land.  The two characters are not native to Canaan; they came from the kingdom of Paddan.  It doesn¡¯t make sense that their kidnapping should somehow plague Leah¡¯s homeland.¡±


    The dwarf shrugged again.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I couldn¡¯t find a monster to kill, and I was losing Health fast, so I didn¡¯t stay long.¡±


    Jace sighed and moved away from the clueless player.  He didn¡¯t understand how other players couldn¡¯t be curious enough to want to solve the mystery.  If there wasn¡¯t a goblin to fight, they gave up.  At least Gracie understood.


    {I like your thinking,} she said.  {And I¡¯ve done a little research.}  For the operator, it had only been minutes since they learned about Moloch and the sacrifices, so she hadn¡¯t had much time to look things up.  For Jace, he had the illusion of time passing, and it was reasonably effective at convincing him it was the next day.


    {We talked about sacrificing things to demons before,} she continued.  {Well, I looked up sacrificing characters to gods.  They don¡¯t work the same as demons.  The only real difference in the game is that gods are primarily defensive, while demons are offensive.  When demons are summoned to the physical realms, they require a stronghold.  When gods are summoned, they connect to something living and protect it.}


    Jace nodded his head.  He looked around at the troglodytes marching beside him and saw that they paid the prisoners almost no attention.  None of them had yelled at him and Rock to stop talking, and he felt comfortable mumbling to himself now to converse with Gracie.  It was much easier than sending texts he had to type out with his eyes.  ¡°They said Moloch wasn¡¯t a permanent island resident until Joe arrived.  So Lamashtu must have stolen the source of this Life Spring and implanted it here.  It brought prosperity to the island and allowed Moloch to merge with a portion of it.¡±


    {Makes sense to me.}  Gracie paused.  {Oh, and another big difference between a demon and a god is that you can¡¯t kill a god.  The only way to defeat one is to kill the thing it is bound to.}


    ¡°The island?¡± Jace asked.


    {Or find this Life Source thing and remove it from whatever socket, altar, or enchantment that allows Moloch to bond with it.}


    Jace nodded and started looking around at the drastically changing scenery.  The path had been getting rougher over the past few minutes, and now that they had reached the edge of the trees, the ground was covered with ancient lava flows.  Without really knowing how it worked in real life, Jace guessed it took a thousand years for magma to break down enough to turn into fertile soil.  In a game environment like this, he assumed it happened much quicker.  Still, it would be a long time before the harsh, glassy rocks that crunched under their feet ever sprouted a fruit tree.


    The sun beat down on the prisoners, adding another heat element to the suddenly hostile environment, and with the smoke rising steadily before them, it only looked to get hotter.


    <hr>


    When they finally reached the volcano¡¯s mouth, it looked about what Jace would have expected if he had asked AI software to illustrate a pit of lava into which one could throw a human sacrifice.  The crater''s rim before them was uneven, rising high on the back and sides but dropping low on the front, creating a level plateau with access to the bubbling lava below.  Jace couldn¡¯t see the magma but could feel it even with his environmental senses dialed down.  Snowy whimpered and stayed back from the heat as far as she could.  Esther, Leah, and Rock were just as timid.  Only Draya showed no concern for the lava.


    But she wasn¡¯t without fear.  Pharah and Djona broke away from the group and had two other troglodytes drag the young mage behind them.  Twenty feet from the lip of the volcano stood Moloch.  He had emerged from the stone with a bubbling, hissing entrance.  The rock cooled slightly as it rose from the ground, but only enough to solidify. It still burned the eyes to look at him, heat waves warping the air.  And while his outer layers ¡°skinned¡± over, his hollow, cavernous chest never did.  The god¡¯s innards churned and roiled like a concrete mixer, only filled with bright orange lava.


    The figure stood twelve feet tall when he had stopped growing, and his stomach was large enough to hold an orc.  The arms hung unnaturally low, the giant hands open on either side of his knees three feet off the ground.  Jace could see how the deity could grasp any person or animal, curl his arms at the elbows, and drop them into the burning furnace in his abdomen.


    Draya quaked before this monstrosity, and Jace could see Esther having second thoughts about their plan.  Yes, she felt confident Draya could survive the fire, but what if this abomination decided to crush the young woman first?  Jace doubted it.  A sick being like Moloch would want to hear the screams from the sacrifices in his belly.


    Any plan to rush the lava god before the ceremony was put on hold when they heard a screech from the sky and looked up.  Lamashtu circled ahead, at least, Jace assumed the wretched chimera flying above them was the demon in question.  She had the head of a lion, mouth open, and tongue constantly hanging out over her sharp teeth.  Her body was that of a mostly naked female, but she was far from attractive.  Her distended belly implied she was nine months pregnant, symbolically letting others know she was moments away from producing offspring. Yet, Jace knew any child she presented would be a kidnapped victim, not something she could produce with her own body.  Instead of the vibrant, life-giving aura most pregnant women gave off, her stomach was bruised and veiny, as if the child was stillborn and rotting inside her.  Two infant skulls served as a bra to cover her bloated breasts, and a small loincloth hung from her waist.  Her legs had clawed feet like a bird of prey, and her wings spread four feet wide on either side of her as she alighted gently on the volcano¡¯s rim to watch the proceedings.


    The demoness appeared unarmed, but Jace was willing to bet she had an arsenal of magic inside her and guessed she would gladly Stun her foes, pick them up with her claws, and then drop them in the churning lava behind her.


    As the troglodytes assembled before their god, preparing for the sacrifice, Jace questioned his operator.  ¡°What is with Lamashtu and Moloch?  Why are a god and demon working together?¡±


    {According to mythology, Lamashtu steals children, and Moloch takes children in his arms and burns them.  Seems like any celestial dating app would match them in a heartbeat.  I believe in the realms, they aren¡¯t as picky, and they will kidnap and consume adults too.}


    ¡°But shouldn¡¯t they be enemies?¡±


    {You¡¯ve got to get out of your close-minded thinking.  There is no good and evil here.  Yes, each demon has a god as a mortal enemy who perfectly counters his strength, and each god has a demon who can thwart his defenses, but when their motivations or skill sets align, they are very likely to work together.}


    Jace listened as he watched the lizardmen arrange themselves before their masters.  Pharah, foremost, stood proudly twenty feet from the giant figure of Moloch.  The god¡¯s stone face was unreadable, his eyes flaming embers that stared back at his servants.  Behind the queen, Djona knelt with his head to the ground.  Draya and her two escorts were a few feet further back.  The troglodytes dropped to their knees, pulling on the young woman¡¯s arms to make her do likewise, but she resisted.  Most of the lizardmen, about fifty of them, gathered in a semi-circle sixty feet from Moloch.  Only a few guards remained with the prisoners, keeping them at a distance outside of the ceremony.


    Jace looked around and saw the lizardmen assigned to them all had their eyes focused on the proceedings before and slightly above them.  Only after the half-ring of troglodytes joined Djona on their knees could the tall orc see what was happening.  He glanced to the side and saw that Esther had already escaped her shackles, the shoddy iron restraints lying on the ground.  She still wore the cheap tunic and pants Djona had offered them, but he knew her skills allowed her to change outfits in a heartbeat.


    The orc tested the current arrangement by flexing his arms and snapping the handcuffs.  Neither the sound of them breaking nor their clatter hitting the rocky ground drew the guards'' attention.  The troglodytes kept their attention forward.  Psycho and Rock followed the shaman¡¯s lead.  Leah needed to cast a spell, and Jace watched as the iron rusted and disintegrated around her wrists.  The group stepped backward several feet until they were completely behind their distracted escorts.  Jace began casting his totems strategically around the volcano while the rest of his group entered their inventories to arm themselves.  Up by the volcano¡¯s edge, it looked like things were beginning to happen.

 Chapter 17

    ¡°Oh mighty, Moloch,¡± Pharah said, lifting her eyes to the tall deity, refusing to take a knee like her subordinates behind her.  ¡°We have been too long in coming to you with our gifts.  We have basked in your great blessings and grown complacent.  We beg your forgiveness and bring you this offering.  A virginal young woman of immense power.¡±


    Pharah turned to the small group directly behind her and beckoned them forward.  Her magical powers allowed her to sense the strength within the red-haired young woman, but unlike her priestly second-in-command, she could not determine the true nature of that power.  Djona had faithfully served her for all these years.  She trusted him now.


    The priest rose from the ground and summoned the two troglodytes behind him to bring the offering forward.  Pharah knew this woman was called Draya and watched her struggle against the guards that hauled her along.  She couldn¡¯t be that powerful.  If Pharah was similarly restrained, she would have easily thrown off her shackles and killed every troglodyte here.


    And while the source of Draya¡¯s power remained a mystery to the queen, she took comfort in Moloch¡¯s positive reaction.  Pharah¡¯s eyes went from the young woman trudging toward her fate to the eyes of her deity burning bright with anticipation.  The god¡¯s stone features were typically placid, but they flowed about his face as his mouth turned up in a grin.


    ¡°Excellent choice,¡± Moloch said, his gravelly voice reverberating through the audience.  ¡°I can feel the fire burning inside her already.  This mortal is truly a gift worthy of the gods.¡±


    Behind and to Moloch¡¯s right, Lamashtu cackled with glee, her wings flapping with excitement as her sharp fingernails steepled before her and tapped together.  ¡°Bring her!  Bring her!  Burn her!¡±


    As the quartet drew closer to the god, Djona stepped aside and let the three behind him finish the trip up to the feet of the deity.  Soon, the two lizardmen quaked in fear a few feet before Moloch, the heat from the furnace in his belly burning their skin.  Draya¡¯s struggles diminished now, and Pharah interpreted it as fear.  Moloch implied otherwise.


    ¡°Put aside this feeble pretense of helplessness,¡± the god said, staring down directly at the young woman.  ¡°You do not fool me.¡±


    Draya shrugged, ripped her hands free from her shackles, and used both to release jets of mage fire at the feet of her two guards.  The troglodytes were already taking damage from being this close to the burning god, and now their whole bodies went up in flame from the powerful attack.  Pharah was shocked and took a step back, but Moloch laughed.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± he said.


    Draya tried to attack the stone giant before her, but Moloch cast a Hold spell, and she froze solid.


    ¡°No!¡±


    Pharah heard the cry from down the slope and assumed it was the vampire rogue.  She ignored it and watched as her deity stepped fluidly toward the young woman, displaying agility the queen didn¡¯t think possible.  His long arms reached down, picked the mage off the ground, and hoisted her into the air.  ¡°Oohs¡± and ¡°ahs¡± came from the kneeling troglodytes, and Pharah finally joined them, supplicating before her god.


    Moloch kept the woman aloft for a few seconds before releasing his hold on her, bending his elbows, and letting Draya roll down his long limbs and into his molten chest cavity.  Lamashtu continued her psychotic squealing and prancing about as flames expanded from Moloch¡¯s chest and soon engulfed his entire body.  At first, the fire was orange, turning his skin into liquid rock.  Moloch bellowed in glee from the release of his power and the apparent consumption of the woman within.  But then the fire took on a darker crimson hue, and the god¡¯s cries of ecstasy turned to ones of horror and pain.


    Lamashtu noticed the change first and calmed her antics.  Her wings lifted her from the volcano¡¯s rim, and she fluttered a few dozen feet away from the spectacle.  Pharah sensed something was wrong too and summoned a water shield around her.


    Moloch stumbled back a few steps, his arms out wide as deep red fire climbed up and down his body.  He eventually tripped on a large rock and fell to a seated position.  No one could see what was happening inside his furnace, as the density of the flame was too intense.  And as the crowd collectively leaned forward to try and peer into the inferno, the inferno peered back at them.


    Fire streamed from the god¡¯s chest, bursting into the crowd of lizardmen, incinerating dozens of them instantly.  A single jet of red flame also hit the queen, vaporizing her water shield and tossing her backward.  Once she rolled to a stop, Pharah looked toward Djona for help.  ¡°Do something!¡± she cried.


    The priest was so far untouched by the fire that continued to stream out of the god¡¯s stomach, scattering her soldiers like ants.  Djona rose to his feet, turned his back on Moloch, and lifted his scepter toward the chaotic lizardmen.  ¡°Into the volcano!¡± he shouted.


    ¡°What?¡± Pharah asked.  However, when she saw several troglodytes race toward the crater at the mountain''s peak and throw themselves in, she understood the betrayal.  Her eyes went back to Moloch, and she saw the young woman climb out of the crippled god.  She was dressed in a fabulous, jewel-covered gown and held a six-foot staff with intricate gold inscriptions.  The mage continued to throw fire at the scattered minions.  The queen focused on the staff and cast a spell to discern its power.  She cursed.  ¡°Dragon fire.¡±


    <hr>


    Jace and Djona hadn¡¯t clarified the signal to start the attack, but it was pretty obvious.  One would think the frantic attitudes of the lizardmen would make them more susceptible to the priest''s mental control, and Jace watched several hurl themselves into the volcano, but chaos was hard to predict.  Sometimes, it gave you a 1 for a saving throw; sometimes, it was a 20.  Right now, it looked like Gandhi was favoring 20.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Either way, none of them paid any attention to the prisoners.  Even the few guards commanded to keep the party members secured abandoned their posts and ran like fools.  Jace¡¯s crew had taken the opportunity to fully equip themselves with their standard weapons and armor, and they all went to work.


    Esther wanted to protect Draya but followed orders and joined Psycho against Lamashtu.  The ranger unloaded arrows toward the demon while the rogue took the ground route, hacking at random troglodytes to clear a path.


    Jace told Rock to protect Leah and instructed Snowy to kill whatever she could.  The wolf had been looking forward to sinking her teeth into the lizards for a while but didn¡¯t go too far off on a hunt, not trusting Rock¡¯s abilities against a large group of enemies.  Any friend of Esther¡¯s was a friend to Snowy, and she stayed near Leah to protect her.


    Jace cut a path toward Draya.  Diamond Etcher killed any troglodyte foolish enough to get in the orc''s path, and that wasn¡¯t many.  Soon, he stood by Draya¡¯s side and watched her unload fire attacks on the god.  Moloch returned to his feet and snarled at the dragon mage as he endured her attacks.  Jace understood from Gracie that they couldn¡¯t kill him, but his physical construct in the realms was vulnerable.  Dragon fire was one level higher than volcanic fire, and Moloch was not immune.  However, he did have fire protection, damage reduction, and several bonuses to his saving throws against elemental attacks.  Even with the advanced difficulty of Draya¡¯s dragon fire, her attacks did almost no damage against the enemy.


    Luckily, as a god, Moloch wasn¡¯t an offensive weapon.  He had a powerful Hold spell, which he cast again at Draya.  She had no chance of saving against it, but unlike before, she now wore a cursed dress that did 100 damage to her each round.  She was immune to that fire damage, but it still counted to release her from the Hold spell.  Moloch also had unlimited lava and fire attacks, but he quickly found that Draya was also immune to those.  He could trap her feet in cooling magma, but the mage had experience avoiding those attacks from fighting against the armadillion outside Stormhold.


    Ultimately, they found they could do the most damage to each other in melee range.  Draya¡¯s staff made blunt attacks, which chipped away at the stone figure, while Moloch¡¯s balled fists did crushing damage and took a third of Draya¡¯s health from her when she failed her first Parry attempt.  The mage desperately made the second blocking move, but crushing attacks were different than simple blunt ones, and she still went flying backward and took damage when she hit the ground.


    Jace ran past Draya¡¯s fallen form and focused on Moloch.  The god regarded the orc momentarily and tried his Hold spell first.  Jace stopped cold, with no chance of saving against a deity¡¯s spell difficulty, but his ring shocked him the next round, and he kept coming.  Next, the god tried his fire attack, drenching the orc in lava.  Jace failed this save, and his susceptibility to fire damage made it even worse.  The attack did about 600 damage, which should have knocked Jace unconscious and sent him into a death spiral, but his Damage Sink Totem took all the damage, and his health didn¡¯t drop a point, other than the five he took from his ring for failing another saving throw.


    Moloch had never heard of characters so immune to his potent magic and reasoned he would also have to trade blows with this one the old-fashioned way.  In truth, another fire attack would have obliterated Jace¡¯s totem and sent him into a death spiral, but Moloch didn¡¯t have enough Wisdom to figure that out, and as mean as Gandhi often was, she didn¡¯t cheat.


    Diamond Etcher was explicitly enchanted to cut into stone, and Jace¡¯s initial attacks against the 12-foot monstrosity were highly effective, carving out chunks of rubble from the god.  Moloch stuck back, and Jace offered a Parry.  Jace¡¯s skill with the sword, his bulk as an orc, and his Carry skill all contributed to his saving against the crushing blow and not being thrown backward.  However, he couldn¡¯t then use the criticals he earned from the Parry to aid his subsequent attack, so his normal routine of blocking and counterstriking didn¡¯t work as effectively.


    After several vicious rounds, Jace backed away and looked again above the lava creature¡¯s head. Usually, a level and Hit Point counter hovered over a character, but above this god, there was nothing.  Draya came up beside him, having taken an extra round to drink a healing potion.  ¡°What¡¯s the plan, boss?¡± she asked.  ¡°We just keep pummeling him until . . . what?¡±


    Jace eyed up the few places on Moloch¡¯s body where he had chipped away significant chunks of rock.  The molten fire core inside the monster¡¯s belly healed the creature similarly to the armidillion, and the voids on his skin soon filled back up with rock.


    ¡°Hacking him apart won¡¯t work,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We need to separate him from whatever is binding him to the physical realm.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  A gem, a crystal, a glowing magical orb?  Something that belongs back in Leah¡¯s kingdom.  Keep your eyes open.¡±


    They couldn¡¯t keep talking as Moloch brought the fight to them.  Jace¡¯s attacks had done more damage in the previous rounds, so the god focused on the orc, letting Draya pepper him with her staff, mostly unmolested.  Jace slashed and parried the monster for a couple of exchanges, but the lava creature changed his tactics in the third round, joined his hands together, and swung them in from the side in a powerful attack that cost him a full round.  The joined fists were like a boulder swinging at the end of a long rope.  Jace got his block in place at the last moment, but it wasn¡¯t good, and he was finally thrown from his feet.


    He flew up the slope toward the volcano¡¯s rim and feared he might go over the edge.  Instead, his body landed short of the opening, and he slid forward until his torso hovered over the drop-off.  The sight of bubbling lava 75 feet below him sent him into a panic, and he scrambled backward before his momentum took him over the edge.  When almost clear of the drop-off, he stopped and examined the sight before him.


    The pool of molten rock below him wasn¡¯t absolute.  A glassy black island a dozen feet in diameter seemed to float on the surface.  A small ornate pedestal stood in the center, and Jace saw a glimmer of green amidst the heat waves that warped the dry air.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the volcano!¡± Jace shouted, pushing himself off the ground and spinning back toward Moloch.  The god had just tossed Draya again and was in the process of pursuing her to crush the life out of the woman with his fists balled together over his head, but he stopped at the declaration.  Jace didn¡¯t elaborate and charged the monster to attack from behind and distract it from killing his mage.


    ¡°The source?¡± Draya asked, rolling to the side and picking herself up.  She drank another healing potion.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said, blocking several of Moloch¡¯s attacks.  The god tried another double-fisted swing, but Jace was a quick learner, executed a better Parry this time, and didn¡¯t go flying into the volcano.


    ¡°You want me to get it?¡± Draya asked, creeping up on the god from behind again.


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t,¡± Jace said.


    Draya nodded and ran off.  Jace had to focus on his opponent, but he stole glances at the mage and saw her gingerly run along the crater¡¯s edge until she found a slope she could safely descend.  A few moments later, she disappeared. Half a dozen troglodytes followed her.  At first, Jace assumed they would throw themselves into the lava pit as before, but they executed the same care as Draya had and appeared to be climbing, not jumping.


    Shouldn¡¯t they be under Djona¡¯s control? Jace thought.  He wanted to look around to see how the priest was doing, but he needed to give Moloch all his attention as another two-fisted attack came in, this one from above.

 Chapter 18

    Djona watched soldiers run like crazed ants all over the volcano¡¯s slope.  He stood before them, raising his scepter and urging them to follow his instructions.  He had thought the confusion of the failed sacrifice would scramble the minds of the troglodytes enough for him to influence them en mass, but the opposite was happening.


    He usually had no problem controlling small groups as he moved through the island, giving orders to half a dozen at a time.  Through the magical device, he could feel the thoughts and desires of the lizardmen, and if any group or individual felt trauma or distress, he was quick to react, but he never had to control the entire group at once.


    Instead of the chaos leaving their minds open to suggestion, he found it made them resistant to any mental influence, especially from an Ordered priest like himself.  Their initial instinct had been to run from the dragon fire attacks.  Then Djona told them to run toward the volcano.  A few had listened, but most revolted violently against that notion and had no idea what to do.  Such an absolute rejection of his command had severed their bond with the scepter, and now he worked desperately to reattain it.


    The priest raised the enchanted rod toward an isolated collection of troglodytes who seemed to be regrouping and debating what to do.  Before he could activate the magic, his arm suddenly froze solid, encased in several inches of solid ice.  The limb was too heavy to stay aloft and crashed back to his side, nearly dislocating his shoulder and dragging him to the ground.  The ice was brittle and cracked when it hit the sharp volcanic rock at his feet.  As he banged it desperately against the ground to free himself, he realized he needed to worry about who had cast the spell.


    He turned just in time to see Pharah stalking toward him.  ¡°Traitor!¡± she screamed.  ¡°How dare you defy me!¡±  She closed the distance and kicked him hard in the stomach.  ¡°I knew I should have never trusted you.¡±  The queen reached down, ripped the necklace from him, and tossed it blindly over her shoulder.  The strand broke, beads and teeth scattering on the mountainside.


    Joe¡¯s illusion ended, and he was a human lying on the ground, his suddenly soft skin instantly cut by the sharp lava rocks beneath him.  He wore the simple loin cloth of the lizardmen, so he didn¡¯t have much protection.  Pharah grinned at his discomfort and kicked him again.  Her clawed feet did additional damage to him.


    ¡°Now you die!¡±  The queen lifted her arms for one final spell but disappeared in a flash of white fur.


    Joe spun about on the ground to see the orc¡¯s winter wolf tackle Pharah to the ground, and the two tumbled out of view behind an outcropping.  He was thankful for the rescue and turned back to his trapped arm.  Without the thick scales, his human limb was considerably thinner than his troglodyte arm had been, and the cavity in the ice was large enough that if he let go of the scepter, he could free himself from the block.


    Once released, he scrambled to his bare feet, picked up the ice with both hands, and smashed it to the ground.  The scepter popped out, and he hastily retrieved it.  He knew as soon as his fingers closed on it that the magic was gone.  It had been linked to his troglodyte blood, even though it had been an illusion, and now that he was a human again, it wouldn¡¯t work, and no lizardman would listen to him.  The only potential benefit was that the soldiers¡¯ tridents¡¯ ability to Stun opponents with their electric attacks was directly linked to the priest¡¯s control over them.  Djona had wanted his guards to use non-lethal attacks, so he had granted them that spell through his connection.


    Now, their weapons would do 100 points of electrical damage with a reasonable difficulty to save against.  None of the workers had been able to resist the attacks, but Joe hoped these heroes could.  The priest kept his eyes peeled for any soldiers that might want to attack a nearly naked human but didn¡¯t see any takers.  He limped over to a clump of rock for cover, entered his inventory to retrieve a set of clothes, and changed.


    Once he had a layer of thick leather between the bottom of his feet and the sharp ground, he felt better.  He traded the scepter for a mace and looked for a way he could help.  Pharah wasn¡¯t visible anymore, and he spotted Leah and Rock fighting off a group of troglodytes.  He ran over to offer his assistance.


    <hr>


    Psycho used his Rapid Shot ability in the opening round of combat, sending three electric arrows toward Lamashtu.  Using the feat reduced his accuracy, and since the demon was already suspicious of the strange fire and taking to the air slightly, two of his three shots missed, the third hitting the demoness in the protruding stomach and nearly shocking her out of the air.  She screamed in pain and, before Psycho could continue the attack, flapped her wings to elevate herself to the very limits of his weapon.


    Or so she thought.  Psycho traded his elemental bow for Dragonwing, pulled one of his mithril arrows, and lined up a kill shot.  Lamashtu didn¡¯t pay the ranger any attention as she surveyed the chaos below her.  It looked like she wanted to start directing traffic when Psycho released his shot.


    It should have killed her.  If she hadn¡¯t been a demon linked to a god linked to a massive volcano, it would have, but she had numerous boons to her Death Save, and she was only Dazed from the attack.  Still, the damage was nearly enough to make her fall unconscious.  She opened her mouth in a silent shriek that sent shockwaves through every magically attuned being in the area.


    ¡°Well, kill her already,¡± Esther said, fighting off the nearby troglodytes to ensure the archer wasn¡¯t bothered.  Her blades were poetry in her hands, cutting and slashing arms and legs in every direction.  She took particular delight in cutting off the lizardmen¡¯s tails as they reminded her of the squid from last night, and she was still mad about the ink that hadn¡¯t washed out of her hair that morning.


    The troglodytes responded with electric attacks, but Esther and Psycho had several bonuses to save against elemental magic, and they didn¡¯t take much damage.  When the enemies resorted to melee attacks, the tridents were piercing weapons, which her level 20 armor didn¡¯t specifically protect against. Still, they had to hit her first, and that was proving a problem as the rogue dodged and danced about the uneven ground, consistently placing herself between the enemy and Psycho, giving the ranger plenty of room to work his bow.


    Lamashtu flew even higher, and a shimmering wave of magic passed over her.  Psycho¡¯s next shot was just as accurate, but instead of diving into the demon¡¯s distended belly, it veered at the last second and struck one of the two skulls covering her chest.  The ranger cursed and fired another arrow to be sure and got the same result.


    ¡°I can¡¯t touch her now,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°We need to find a way to get that brassier off her.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Esther said as she dispatched the last two troglodytes nearby.  ¡°I didn¡¯t think she was your type.  I¡¯m in touch with some demons, you know.  I can put in a good word for you.¡±


    Psycho ignored the sarcasm.  Instead, he kept his eyes on Lamashtu.  Once she realized she was immune to the arrows, she allowed herself to drop in altitude to have more influence over the fight below.  Several dozen troglodytes still ran about the mountainside with no clear direction.  He saw Draya and Jace fighting Moloch toward the edge of the volcano.  In the same direction but closer, he saw Snowy tangling with Pharah and rolling out of view into a depression.  Beside them, several dozen feet away, were Rock and Leah fighting against a handful of lizardmen.


    The ranger watched for a moment to make sure they would be okay since the troglodytes outnumbered them and were of a higher level.  The lightning attacks were ineffective as the witch could save against them, and the dwarf had plenty of natural resistance.  Leah then cursed the enemies, and Rock bashed their heads in with his hammer.  It looked like they would be okay.


    ¡°They are becoming more organized,¡± Esther said, drawing Psycho¡¯s attention back to her.


    He looked to see what she meant and saw clumps of troglodytes returning to the area in marshaled groups.  They had initially fled in every direction and now appeared to want to enclose the prisoners by flanking them.  The ranger switched bows and began picking off targets as he ran after Esther.  They hit the left flank hard, preventing the lizardmen from surrounding the group.  Psycho glanced up and saw this coordination effort was due to Lamashtu finally getting low enough so she was in range to use her mind magic.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got to knock her out of the sky,¡± Psycho said.  He looked over his shoulder and saw two organized groups closing in on Rock and Leah.  It looked like Joe was in human form and running to their aid, but Psycho didn¡¯t expect the priest to be much of a fighter.  He sent a few arrows in that direction to scatter the attackers.


    ¡°How?¡± Esther asked, casting her patented combination of web and acid toward a cluster of troglodytes to their right.  ¡°I can¡¯t jump that high.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have wings?¡±


    Esther grew cold as she stared at the elf.  ¡°Not in the sunlight, I don¡¯t.¡±  Jace had let her keep the undead stone they had liberated from a lich¡¯s tomb, and with it, she could become her old vampiric self, wings and all.  However, in direct sunlight, she would instantly turn to ash.


    Psycho was momentarily drawn to the fight with Moloch as Draya flew away violently from the conflict.  When she went back in, Jace shouted something to her, and she diverted away from the lava god and climbed into the volcano.  Lamashtu veered dangerously low to follow the woman and then came back up to summon one of the organized clusters of troglodytes.


    ¡°How high can you jump?¡± Psycho asked, grabbing the woman¡¯s arm and pulling her up the slope.


    ¡°With one of Jace¡¯s Athletic spells, pretty high, but it still isn¡¯t enough to . . .¡± her voice trailed off as she looked away from the lizards crying in agony from her last acid spell and turned up the slope.  Lamashtu was low again, but she was hovering over the volcano, not solid ground.  If Esther Hasted herself, cast an Athletic boon, and jumped from the very edge of the lip, she might make it.


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°If I miss . . .¡± she said, not wanting to finish the sentence.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t miss.  Draya just went down there; maybe she can catch you.¡±


    Esther gave him an eye roll.  ¡°If I drown in lava and lose all my equipment, there will be Hell to pay, Mr. Elf.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°At least it would probably get all the ink out.¡±


    ¡°When did you learn to use sarcasm?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should strip down naked again like last time?¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t bother giving the comment a response.  Not only did she need most of her equipment to make the jump, but the idea of running across the jagged ground barefoot was almost as unpleasant as falling in lava.  At least the second one would be over quickly.  With no more sarcastic suggestions, Esther cast her Haste and Athletic spells and sprinted toward the top of the volcano.


    Psycho watched her go, picking off a few troglodytes that might get in her way.  Esther ran like black lighting, streaking up the slope, her skirt flying in the breeze.  She timed her steps perfectly, reached the crater¡¯s lip with an outstretched leg, and vaulted into the air.  Lamashtu was watching the group of troglodytes she had directed into the volcano and didn¡¯t see the woman flying toward her until it was too late.  The demon tried to rise out of reach, but Esther latched on to the bird-like feet, and her Grappling skills were too good to be kicked off.  Within seconds, she climbed up the oddly shaped body and began a mid-air wrestling match.


    <hr>


    Hello, dragon friend.  Where are you?  This place is . . . is . . . wonderful.


    Draya sighed as the demon''s voice invaded her mind.  ¡°Not now, Ignis,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m kind of busy.¡±  The footing down the inside wall of the volcano¡¯s throat was tricky.  Lava had flowed up and down the inner wall countless times and carved a swirling path to the bottom.  Draya thought about just flinging herself over the edge, landing in the lava, and swimming to the island, but she worried about the fall.  She didn¡¯t know the surface tension of magma and guessed it wouldn¡¯t be as gentle as landing in water.  Even if it was, she didn¡¯t want to jump from 75 feet.


    Is this . . . is this . . . a volcano?  I¡¯ve never been in a volcano before.  It is so . . . so . . .


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to concentrate,¡± she said, nearly slipping on a loose stone and catching herself on the sharp rock.  ¡°Ouch,¡± she cried.  ¡°Look what you made me do.¡±


    I think I love you.


    Draya did not have time for this.  When Gromphy had cursed her dress to deal continual fire damage to her, he had linked it to a demon with a very one-track, juvenile mind and no concept of how the realms worked.  He didn¡¯t understand why Draya did anything other than burn things.  She had made the mistake of bringing her cursed dress to school one day.  Practicing illusions quickly drained her mana, and she wanted the dress to fill her back up.  Ignis bugged her incessantly, insisting she burn down every other wooden building in Crestfall.  She tried to placate him by burning trees around Jace¡¯s stronghold, but she feared Psycho would catch on.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get comfortable,¡± she said, jumping over a break in the path and finding a ledge leading her more directly to the island below.  She almost lost her balance but used her staff to steady herself.  ¡°I¡¯m doing a job, and we are leaving as soon as I am done.¡±


    But . . . can¡¯t I stay here?  You could leave the dress.


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving my dress!¡±  Draya tried to calm herself.  ¡°Just be quiet and let me think.¡±


    Draya paused in her descent and evaluated a few potential routes when a sound from above caught her attention.  She turned to see a handful of troglodytes following her trail.  ¡°Fine,¡± she said.  ¡°You want to burn something; burn this.¡±  She released a fireball toward the intruders.  The spell traveled 20 feet, veered sharply downward, and splashed into the lava pool.


    Ooh, very nice.


    ¡°Did you do that?¡± Draya asked the demon.  She didn¡¯t wait for a response and cast again.  She got the same result.  She could tell it wasn¡¯t Ignis.  The volcano was magical and drew in heat like a magnet.  She held her staff in her left hand and cast another spell using mage fire this time.  The volcano sucked it up again.  ¡°Then I guess I better hurry.¡±


    Draya skipped, hopped, and jumped down the last 30 feet to the level of the bubbling lava.  A thin ledge encircled the main pool, and the mage had to flatten her back against the wall and creep out toward the island.  She knew the lava shouldn¡¯t hurt her, but something about jumping into a magma pool didn¡¯t seem wise, especially since it had just sucked at her magic.


    Closer to her destination, Draya saw obsidian pillars rising just above the surface of the melted rock, creating properly spaced stepping stones a dozen inches across.  Draya had to jump to the first one and almost toppled over.  She didn¡¯t have the agility of Esther or Psycho, but she used her staff to balance and could hop from stone to stone, arriving at the island without incident.


    The pillar in the center resembled its own mini volcano with a large emerald resting on top.  Draya reached for the gemstone tentatively, feeling the powerful magic surging through it.  As her fingers touched the green stone, the volcano lurched around her, and she almost lost her balance.  A scream brought her attention halfway up the side of the throat, and she saw one of the troglodytes slip and fall from the quake, splashing down into the lava.


    If she removed the emerald, what would happen?  Jace believed this stone made the volcano alive, allowing Moloch to bond with it.  Likely, the god could control it as well.  Nothing would keep the chaotic mountain from erupting at will if she removed the stone.  It had years of pent-up pressure to release.  Now, all that energy was being funneled through this gem and brought prosperity and fertility.  Draya knew a natural volcano could produce life in a region, but it did so in unpredictable cycles of destruction and rebirth.  She didn¡¯t wish that for this island.  Not only would Jace, Snowy, and the rest be killed, but a massive eruption could end the lives of everyone back on the plantation.


    Her dilemma took a backseat for a few moments as she saw the remaining troglodytes traversing the last few levels of the path.  They were less than a minute from reaching the stones that led to this island.  Their powerful, scaled legs looked almost strong enough to leap to her platform in one jump.  They would have no problem with the obsidian pillars.  Draya decided to add an extra challenge.


    Focusing on the half dozen black circles protruding from the lava, she closed her eyes and imagined many more of them.  The design of the illusion spell took her six seconds, and when she opened her eyes, she released a load of mana, and three dozen of the stepping stones appeared.


    The first troglodyte reached the pool''s edge a few seconds later and regarded the plethora of travel options.  His slow brain was trying to tell him all those stones weren¡¯t there a minute before, but he couldn¡¯t remember which ones were real.  His friends behind had relied on his scouting expertise to lead them down here, and none of them had scouted this far ahead and didn¡¯t think anything was amiss.


    Eventually, one of the lizardmen got impatient and leaped to a stone half the distance from the island.  He vanished beneath the surface of the lava without so much as a scream.  The pillar he had leaped to disappeared.  Most of the troglodytes grew cautious now, but another eager soldier jumped to a closer stone.  He also sunk into the pool of magma.


    The remaining three troglodytes weren¡¯t sure what to do.  The lead scout was the smartest and found some loose stones to throw.  His aim was good, and for each fake landing spot he hit, the illusion disappeared.  Eventually, he found a real one, and one of his friends thought that was all they needed.  He jumped to it, landed safely, and then proceeded to the next closest one in line.  The lava accepted him hungrily.


    The remaining lizardman understood what was necessary and also started throwing stones.  Draya was feeling extra cruel at the moment, and when they aimed at one closer to her island, she cast another illusion to make it look like the rock bounced off a solid pillar.  The remaining troglodyte, who was not the scout, now had two real stones to jump to and leaped toward the island.  He landed safely on the first one but not so on the second.  The last troglodyte left was the scout.  He wasn¡¯t ready to trust anything at this point but still had the urging of Lamashtu to track down the mage.


    Draya briefly felt sorry for him but then returned to her own problem.  She couldn¡¯t remove Moloch¡¯s control of this volcano without replacing it with something else.


    Or someone else.


    ¡°Okay, Ignis,¡± she said, pulling a large ruby from her gem bag.  ¡°You get your wish.  You want to be joined to the volcano?¡±


    Do you mean it?


    ¡°Yes, but under one condition.  You can not burn the whole island, and you cannot kill humans.  You can let the volcano erupt every once in a while, and you can burn a few trees but do not destroy the village at the bottom of the mountain.


    Yes, yes, of course, I agree.  I don¡¯t want to burn everything at once.  Where would the fun be in that?  I could burn a little at a time.  Make it last forever.  And then the trees grow back, and I burn some more.  Or I could let the lava drain into the ocean.  I¡¯ve never burned water before.


    Draya realized he could go on and on if she let him.  ¡°Good.  If I do this, you will owe me big time, understand?¡±


    Yes, yes, of course, of course, I will do anything you want.


    ¡°Okay.  Then you need to tell me how to curse you into this ruby I am holding.¡±


    Yes, yes, no problem, it is easy.  The curse is in the dress.  You should be able to feel it.  You are good with magic.  You can copy it and cast the spell.  It should be easy for someone as powerful as you.  You only need . . . he paused in his ranting.  Um . . . you only need a life.  A sacrifice.


    Draya smiled, happy that her burn-first-ask-questions-never demon friend was hesitant to take a life.  Her eyes went over to the far edge of the pool where the last troglodyte was still trying to figure out how to cross.  ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±  Draya dismissed the illusions, and two-thirds of the pillars vanished, leaving only the real ones.


    The scout didn¡¯t trust his luck and threw two rocks at each landing pad before proceeding.  Soon, he was close enough to jump the rest of the way and hissed at the mage before him.  ¡°I have you now!¡±  He leveled his trident at her and released a lightning attack.


    Draya saved and took half the damage.  The scout had hoped for more but charged behind the magical attack anyway.  The woman blocked the initial thrust and countered with an overhead smash that hit the troglodyte on the head, exceeded half his health, and knocked him unconscious.  Draya released her right hand from the staff and clutched at the troglodyte¡¯s vest, keeping him from falling.  She stowed the staff on her belt and gripped the ruby firmly in her left hand.


    The mage was intimately familiar with the magical workings of her dress and picked out the specific curse Gromphy had put there.  Once she felt confident she could duplicate it, she released a jet of fire through her right hand and stole the remaining health from the scout.  Since she was touching him, the lava pool didn¡¯t have a chance to steal it.  Draya held the power of the lizard¡¯s life in her hand for a moment and funneled it down her arm, into the dress where it pulled from her deep mana pool, and out the other arm to the ruby.


    The shock of the spell caused her to open both hands, dropping the dead troglodyte with her right, and the ruby fell from her left.  It bounced once, then twice, and Draya recovered enough to catch it before it hopped off the island.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± she asked.


    I sense another bond was formed, Ignis replied.


    Draya walked to the altar with the emerald resting on top.  She held the ruby in her left hand and hovered her right over the green gemstone.  She counted to three and then made the swap.  Instantly, she felt the volcano shake and shudder, the lava rising like water flooding into a bathtub.  Her island was almost swamped in the first few seconds.


    THIS IS AMAZING!!!


    ¡°Ignis!¡± Draya shouted.  ¡°Control it!  Not yet.¡±  The quaking simmered for a moment.  ¡°You can have your fun in a few minutes.  But I need to get out, and my friends need to be safe.


    I could lift you out?


    Draya saw the lava rise a few more feet until it lapped at her boots.  ¡°No, I will climb.  I¡¯ll be fast.  Please, try to control yourself.¡±  The pool receded for a few seconds until she could see the obsidian stepping stones again.  After storing the emerald in her gem bag and taking her staff in hand, she leaped back to the far ledge and began to climb out, wondering if she¡¯d made a colossal mistake.

 Chapter 19

    Jace was getting nowhere with his fight against the god.


    Moloch had thrown fire at him twice to keep the shaman honest and see if his protection had worn off yet.  Jace was glad he had recast his totem occasionally and avoided fire damage.  The deity had also attempted his hold spell a few more times.  It did freeze the orc for half a round before his ring kicked in, and he was usually sent flying backward by a crushing blow from the stone giant.


    Jace stuck with what worked between those magical attacks: striking and blocking with his sword.  When he made significant progress on chipping away at the monster, the god usually tried one of his primal magical powers.  During Jace''s recovery, the god did likewise and healed whatever damage the orc had done.


    Snowy had joined the fight briefly, and even if Moloch wasn¡¯t wise enough to know that Jace was a shaman with totems hidden around the battlefield, he knew what a winter wolf was.  The one and only fire attack he threw at Snowy hit the ground just past the Dodging familiar, leaving a pool of lava behind.  The wolf bounded away from the enemy to choose a different battle.


    A few minutes after Draya had disappeared inside the volcano, Jace felt a tremor shake the mountain.  Moloch stumbled, the fire in his belly diminishing briefly.  As a stone shaman, the game told him that the volcano had almost erupted.  Jace knew it had to be Draya.  Reading Moloch¡¯s facial expressions was challenging, but the orc thought he looked concerned.


    The god took a moment to look into the air behind him, and Jace followed the gaze to see Lamashtu locked in a mid-air wrestling match with a familiar black-clad woman.  The shaman had noticed increased organization among the troglodytes since Joe had regained his human form and lost control.  It made sense that the flying demon was mustering the troops, and Jace had already seen her send half a dozen lizard soldiers into the volcano.  Moloch must have felt his hold on this situation diminishing, and he wanted more attention paid to what was happening in the volcano.


    Jace feared the colossal stone figure would leap down the crater on his own, so he increased his attacks on the beast, focusing his attacks to do as much damage as possible.  The god responded by abandoning any defensive measures and only offered daring combat maneuvers.  He swung his massive arms, tried to stomp on the annoying orc, and even Grappled the smaller fighter.  Jace kept his Athletic skill high to aid his Parrying and avoided most of the desperate attacks.  They weren¡¯t really that desperate, either, for while they left him wide open for attack, Jace still couldn¡¯t do any real damage.


    Then the ground trembled again, and Moloch fell over.  Now, the fire in his belly all but went out.  His limbs stiffened, and his mouth opened in horror.  It looked as if a ghost had fled his body, leaving behind a shell of a creature that was only half alive.  Jace hesitated over the enemy and spent a moment analyzing him.  Stats now appeared above his head: Level 25 800 HP.  Before, the game had registered him as ¡°God: Moloch.¡±  Now, it simply called him a lava-enchanted stone elemental.


    After a round of confusion, the creature picked itself up off the ground, and Jace attacked.  With each cut of his enchanted blade, the health ticker on top of the elemental¡¯s head dropped.  ¡°Good job, Draya.¡±


    <hr>


    Psycho kept his eyes on the females engaged in combat hovering over the volcano.  He wished they would fly 50 feet to the left so Esther wouldn¡¯t have to fall directly into the lava pit if he took a shot.  Every time it looked like Esther had gained the upper hand, Lamashtu dove to the ground or shot up to the sky, and the rogue clinging to her back had to adjust her grip from a Grapple to a Hold-On-For-Dear-Life.


    The ranger thought in game mechanics and knew that to remove a piece of clothing from a character, you had to render them Helpless.  Options existed to Pick Pocket smaller items if the target was distracted and didn¡¯t know you were there, but the demon was fully aware of Esther¡¯s presence. Plus, the skull bra was likely considered armor, not a minor piece of clothing.


    When the first minor tremor shook the ground, Psycho braced himself and looked around.  He had been so focused on what Esther was doing that he had forgotten he was in a battle.  A trio of troglodytes approached him from the left, and he snapped three Rapid Fire shots at them, having switched back to his elemental bow.  Acid burned a hole in each; two fell, dying, having critically failed the saving throw, while the third stood long enough to get a second arrow through the skull.


    Psycho became alerted to motion from his right and spun with an arrow nocked but held his fire as Snowy barreled toward him, leaping from peak to peak on the wavy ground.  She ran past him and vaulted in the air.  The ranger turned in time to see the wolf tackle two other troglodytes sneaking up behind him.  Psycho put an arrow through a third.


    His eyes then scanned for the other group members.  Rock, Leah, and Joe were sorely pressed, and he sent six arrows toward them, taking out four enemies and lightening their load.  They were weak, but the priest should be able to heal them.


    Finding a tall rock nearby, he jumped up and thoroughly scanned the battlefield.  Most lizardmen had been dealt with, but a few still straggled about.  Psycho spotted a pair that looked like they were thinking about joining their god in a fight against Jace.  Two arrows later, they didn¡¯t think anything at all.


    A few others peered down into the volcano to see what Draya was doing and possibly wondered if they should climb down and interfere.  Psycho helped them decide, and they each went screaming over the edge, falling more than climbing.


    When the second tremor hit, Psycho lost his balance and fell from his perch.  He sensed the profound nature of this magical change, and his eyes went up to Esther first.  Whatever boons Lamashtu received from her union with Moloch and the volcano were gone, and Esther wrenched the female¡¯s body about like she was a low-level peasant.  Within a round, she had rendered the demon Helpless and removed the skulls from her chest.


    With her task complete, Psycho could see realization hit the woman about her choices for an escape.  She was over 100 feet in the air, suspended above an awakening volcano.  Once again, her grip on Lamashtu shifted, and the demon gained some autonomy.  Her only defense was altitude; her wings flapped hard, sending her straight up.


    Psycho pulled Dragonwing again and nocked a mithril arrow.  Each shaft was probably worth 40 gold; he was going through them like candy on this mission.  Gromphy would be busy making more when they finished this mission, assuming Jace could find a way home.  The archer got a bead on his target immediately but held his shot.  To hit Lamashtu and not Esther, he would need to spend several criticals, but they were only 300 feet away.  Dragonwing was accurate enough to make this shot at almost twice that distance.  His problem was what to do about Esther once he killed the demon.  Whether she hit lava or rock, she would probably die at their current height.  It was possible she wouldn¡¯t lose all her HP, and they could get healing to her, but it was a risk.  He needed her to fall longer to enact any plan to save her, so he let the pair climb another fifty feet.


    ¡°Snowy!¡± Psycho called, not taking his eyes off the sky.  He sensed when the wolf acknowledged his call.  ¡°Girl,¡± he said again when she got close, ¡°I need you to catch Legs.¡±  The canine whined a question.  ¡°Esther,¡± Psycho clarified.  ¡°I need you to catch Esther.¡±  Now she understood.  ¡°Run toward her now.¡±


    The ranger let the wolf close half the distance to the volcano''s edge, took a deep breath, and released the arrow.  The shaft split the demon¡¯s skull, and she died.  That was the easy part.  Esther released the dead enemy after she had been sprayed with rotted brain matter.  Psycho pretended he could hear the woman complaining about the stains as her upward momentum carried her another dozen feet before she hung in the air and fell screaming.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The elf pulled three mundane arrows, activated his Pinning Shot and Rapid Shot, and let fly as quickly as possible.  Luckily, the pair hadn¡¯t been directly over the center of the volcano, or there would have been nothing Psycho could have done.  They were closer to the back edge, but it was still too far for Snowy to jump.  At the center, the open crater was over 200 feet across.  Where she fell, Esther was about fifty feet from the far side.


    Pinning Shot was designed to secure someone against a tree or wooden wall.  With the right arrow, it could attach them to stone.  It worked best when the target stood directly against the anchor point, but the shot could carry them back a certain number of feet equal to the level of the archer.  They would get significant bonuses to save against the attack, but Psycho didn¡¯t care; as a party member, Esther was guaranteed to fail.


    The first arrow hit her two seconds into her fall, carried her backward 20 feet, and then continued past her when it didn¡¯t find a tree or wall to pin her to.  The following arrow did the same thing, and after the third, she was no longer in danger of falling inside the volcano¡¯s mouth.  She would still hit the stone ground at incredible speed in about two seconds, but Psycho saw Snowy leap toward the descending woman with perfect timing.


    Esther hit the massive wolf thirty feet above the ground, slowing her considerably, and the two disappeared on the far side of the peak, out of Psycho¡¯s view.  He winced, anticipating the impact, knowing Snowy would take most of it.  The wolf had nearly twice the Hit Points of the woman, and the ranger trusted the loyal familiar would be more than willing to sacrifice her body.  Psycho waited a few anxious moments for a notification that Esther had died, and when he didn¡¯t get one, he let go of the breath he hadn¡¯t realized he had been holding.


    The ranger stored his long-range bow, pulled his other one, and ran toward his leader to help.


    <hr>


    Rock was not doing well.


    The enemies¡¯ tridents no longer Stunned him, which he guessed was a good thing, but at only level 11, he couldn¡¯t save against the damage either.  He frequently failed critically against the electrical attacks and took double damage.  As a dwarf with high constitution, he usually cut the damage by 50 or more, and his Hit Points were almost as high as Psycho or Esther, but he spent most of the fight below 150 and was often a roll of 1 or 2 from dying.  Once Joe arrived to help, he had a safety net, but while the priest¡¯s healing spells kept him alive, the human was not an endless supply of mana, and he wouldn¡¯t last much longer.


    Rock¡¯s only saving grace was Leah.  The witch seemed to have an endless supply of curses and hexes to throw at her enemies and needed to supply very little of her own mana to operate her wands.  By the time Rock approached to bash them with his hammer, they were usually Blinded, Diseased, Dazed, and Frightened.  She strategically chose banes that didn¡¯t overlap, so they stacked against each other.  The dwarf wasn¡¯t an expert with his hammer, as many of his feats gave bonuses to chiseling stone instead of bashing heads, but the weakened troglodytes fell before him.


    When a new wave came that Leah had not yet impaired, their initial shocking attacks rattled the dwarf¡¯s teeth and dropped his health, but after a few rounds, he was pounding their bodies with his hammer, deflecting their lack-luster thrusts with his shield, and receiving healing spells from Joe.


    Occasionally, arrows flew in out of nowhere, dropping enemies faster than Rock could follow.  It amazed him that the distant archer could dispatch these troglodytes so efficiently while he labored to kill even one, often needing two to three rounds to drop each enemy.


    Few of Leah¡¯s spells did actual damage, but when the dwarf was in extreme distress, poison or acid would shoot from a wand and consume one of his adversaries.  Joe would only engage an enemy if they were fully incapacitated by Leah first, and even then, he could only take one at a time.  Since he didn¡¯t carry a shield, he lost considerable health from each encounter and spent just as much time healing himself as Rock.


    When the number of enemies finally dwindled, and it looked like even Leah was running low on mana, the troglodytes got desperate. After casting their initial lightning attacks, they threw their tridents and pulled knives.  Jace had told Rock he needed to guard Leah to repair their relationship, but the vindictive woman had protected him so far.  As three tridents sailed in at them, and Leah had no defense against the ranged attack, the dwarf saw his opportunity and stepped in the way, raising his shield against the spears.


    Two projectiles bounced harmlessly off the guard, but the third hit him in the shoulder and took him from his feet.  He winced as he slammed against the hard stone, and the tip of the sharp trident Pinned him to the ground.  He tried to wrestle free but failed critically and was rendered Helpless for a few rounds.


    From his back, Rock saw Leah step over him, a wand in each hand.  He heard the cries of the troglodytes and the strange language the witch used to cast her spells, all while staring up at a clear sky, the sun beating down on his bearded face.  He heard Joe cry out in pain, the crackle of lightning, and then silence.


    The player lay there feeling useless for a few seconds before Leah returned and crouched beside him.  Her face was unreadable.  ¡°Thank you for trying to save me,¡± Leah said.  She paused.  ¡°But I still hate you.¡±  She pulled a yellow wand with dark red strips, stuck it deep into his slack-jawed mouth, and released a swarm of wasps down his throat.


    With his settings turned low, the pain wasn¡¯t bad, but the feeling of having a swarm of stinging insects fly down your esophagus and rip apart your lungs was as real as the game could make it.  Leah bent down to kiss him on the forehead and then walked away.


    In his last few seconds, Rock heard Joe panting and asking if he could save the dwarf, but Leah said he was too far gone and that the priest shouldn¡¯t . . .  And that was all Rock knew as his character died and his vision went black.


    <hr>


    Jace received a notification that his trade with Rock was terminated.


    The orc was too focused on cutting apart the stone elemental to pay it much mind, and Gracie had to tell him the sad news.  In between sword strikes, the enemy took acid hits from Psycho.  The arrows didn¡¯t do much physical damage at first, but the acid melted the ¡°skin,¡± creating softened targets for future arrows that penetrated deeper.


    A few moments after the elf joined the fight, Draya emerged from the volcano and drenched the back of the elemental in dragon fire.  This new incarnation didn¡¯t have nearly the same protections as Moloch had, and molten rock dripped off him that didn¡¯t grow back.  Eventually, even Leah joined the fun, Blinding and Enfeebling the creature.  The elemental fell two rounds later.


    Jace was clean out of mana, having gone through four separate Damage Sink Totems.  His health was also pretty low.  Psycho appeared okay, and Draya was at full health.  Jace wanted to ask what had happened in the volcano but was distracted when he didn¡¯t see Esther.


    ¡°I think she is fine,¡± Psycho said, reading his leader¡¯s expression as the orc took a head count.  The ranger led the group around the back of the mountain and found Esther unconscious on the ground.  Snowy was severely hurt, too, but conscious.  Jace learned that Snowy had needed to use most of her innate healing spells on the woman to stabilize her.  Even with all Psycho¡¯s precautions, the fall had nearly ended the rogue.


    By now, Joe had met up with the heroes and offered what little healing he had left, but Jace turned him down.  Now that they were out of combat, they could waste several rounds to drink the healing potions Gromphy had crafted.  Within a minute, everyone, including Esther, was at full health.  Mana restoration potions were much more challenging to make, and the game restricted each character from carrying only one at a time, but everyone in Jace¡¯s party had one. Within another round, they were ready to take on anything.


    ¡°What happened to Rock?¡± Jace asked, turning to Leah.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t make it,¡± the woman replied simply.  It was clear she didn¡¯t want to elaborate.


    Draya stepped toward Leah.  ¡°Do you recognize this?¡±  She pulled the emerald from her inventory.


    The witch paused at the sight of the gem.  It looked like she was trying to remember something.  ¡°The magic seems familiar,¡± she said slowly.  Draya offered her the stone, and she took it.  ¡°Yes.  This is the same magical signature I felt around the Life Spring when it was full and nurturing my kingdom.  This is what was stolen from my land.¡±


    ¡°Then you can use it to cure the plague?¡± Esther asked.


    The other woman shook her head.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how.  My magic is . . . well, it isn¡¯t the life-giving kind.¡±


    ¡°I think that is where I come in,¡± Joe offered, stepping up and taking the gem from his aunt.  His eyes rolled back in his head once he fell into the stone''s magic.  ¡°Yes,¡± he said finally.  ¡°I can use this to end the plague and restore your land.  Though,¡± he paused and looked at Jace, ¡°you will have to get me there first.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we standing around here for?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡±  The group was eager to escape the volcano''s heat and headed toward the shade of the main island.  Jace noticed that Draya lingered, staring back at the top of the mountain.  ¡°What happened in there?¡± Jace asked, moving alongside her.  ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Draya paused in thought for a while and then shook her head.  ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.  Let¡¯s just say the volcano is under new management.  And we should go.¡±  Jace wanted to ask her what she meant, but she skipped ahead to find Leah and Esther reliving the fight.  Jace sighed and followed after.

 Chapter 20

    ¡°I told my people not to load Potiphar¡¯s ship until we got back,¡± Joe told the group as they walked through the plantation and toward the docks.  ¡°If he can¡¯t be convinced to give us passage back to the mainland, another ship should arrive later this afternoon.  They don¡¯t trade in workers, so they shouldn¡¯t have a problem . . .¡±


    Joe¡¯s voice trailed off as he stood outside the main walls of the village just off the coast and stared at the location where Captain Potiphar¡¯s ship should have been.  The dock was empty.  ¡°What happened . . .


    Jace looked at Psycho and then at Esther.  The rogue cracked first.  ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault.  There was this squid and a fire, and my clothes were covered in ink.¡±


    Jace peered in the distance and saw dozens of seagulls swooping down to feast on burnt calamari and several sharks helping with the cleanup effort.  ¡°We shouldn¡¯t need a ship,¡± Jace said.  ¡°If the module is cleared, a travel node should open up.  I can¡¯t imagine Gandhi would make us take the long way home.¡±


    {Yes,} Gracie said.  {I agree.  I¡¯ve been tracking your experience points, and nothing has screamed Final Boss yet.  Maybe you¡¯ll get all the experience when Joe restores Leah¡¯s kingdom, but there might still be something you need to do.}


    ¡°Joe, where is your mother?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Is she staying here?  Will she come with us?¡±


    The priest turned away from the missing ship.  ¡°I told her to stay inside.  It would be too dangerous for her.  She isn¡¯t an adventurer.¡±


    Jace looked around and didn¡¯t see Rachelle leaving the palace or coming to meet them.  ¡°There must still be danger about.  Something we haven¡¯t finished.¡±


    Joe shook his head and brought his scepter out of his inventory.  ¡°In human form, I can¡¯t use this to control the troglodytes, but I can still sense them.¡±  He lifted the rod in the air.  ¡°This is empty.  Everyone under my authority is gone.  We¡¯ve killed them all.¡±


    Then it clicked.  ¡°Everyone under your authority,¡± Jace repeated.  ¡°What about the ones not under your control?¡±


    Joe shook his head.  ¡°I was second in command on this island.  The only troglodyte not under me was . . .¡±  Then it clicked for him too.


    ¡°Did anyone fight the queen?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°She attacked me,¡± Joe said.  ¡°Then your wolf tackled her, and I didn¡¯t see her again.¡±


    Jace turned to Snowy.  <We exchanged blows,> the wolf communicated to her master, <She hit me with a Freeze spell.  It only slowed me.  She ran away.>


    The shaman was impressed by how communicative his familiar was becoming, though it didn¡¯t answer where Pharah was.


    ¡°Uh, boss,¡± Draya said, looking away from the missing ship to the other side of the dock.  ¡°Something is coming.¡±


    Jace saw it too.  Massive ripples cut through the waves, making a straight line toward them.  It looked like a serpent.  No, hundreds of serpents gliding in just under the water.  ¡°What is she?¡±


    Joe assumed the question was directed at him.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  She has a pair of electrical eels in a tank in her room, and I know she enchants each of the tridents my soldiers used.  But other than that, I never asked.  She went for a long swim every day.  I just thought she liked the water.¡±


    ¡°Gracie,¡± Jace said as the ripples in the water grew ever closer, ¡°I¡¯m going to need stats as soon as you can get them.¡±


    {I don¡¯t know what we are looking at either, but I¡¯ve got my search engine ready.}


    Jace stepped toward the water, noticing that the sandy beach didn¡¯t give him any stone benefits.  He didn¡¯t see anywhere to erect one of his totems.  He could summon a stone pad, but he would have to stand on it to stay connected to his magic, and he couldn¡¯t have totems less than 50 feet apart.  Just over his left shoulder, Psycho had his bow out with an arrow nocked.  Jace smelled acid.  To his right, Esther stood on the balls of her feet, her weapons drawn and ready, Snowy by her side.  Draya was further back, elevated up the beach so she could shoot over the heads of her friends.  She clenched her dragon staff in two hands.


    Leah and Joe stood off to the side, unsure how to contribute against what they thought would be a foe beyond either of them.  They were correct.  Pharah emerged from the water while still thirty feet from the shore.  She rose vertically, as if standing on an elevator in what must have only been waist-deep water.  Around her, a swarm of smaller currents sped up to create a whirlpool.


    Pharah no longer wore her robes, adorned only by her golden chest piece and a small loincloth, her curvy scaled body glistening as sheens of water flowed off her.


    ¡°You pathetic fools,¡± she started.


    Psycho didn¡¯t wait for more and fired three rapid shots.  As each arrow approached, an eel jumped out of the water to intercept it.  The creatures were level 2 with 10 Hit Points and were obliterated by the ranger¡¯s powerful attacks, wasting most of the damage potential.  Jace imagined she could summon a few mighty eels or a multitude of fragile ones.  She had chosen the latter, and by the ripples in the water, she might have more creatures at her disposal than Psycho had arrows.  The elf also did the math and nocked a fourth arrow but didn¡¯t fire.


    ¡°Perhaps not so foolish,¡± she smiled at Psycho.  ¡°But it matters not, I will . . .¡±


    Draya tried her hand, casting a massive fireball at the creature.  It hit an unseen barrier of water ten feet from the female troglodyte.  The shield boiled and hissed into oblivion, and none of the flames touched Pharah.  Draya cast a second fireball, and another protective layer of water rose to dispel it.


    ¡°Your mana pool is impressive,¡± Pharah said to the mage.  Her hands then motioned to the infinite horizon of water behind her.  ¡°Mine is larger.  Do you want to test it?¡±


    Draya held her next attack in check.


    ¡°Anyone else?¡± the sea creature asked.  Leah was already casting, and a green blob left her wand.  Pharah laughed and didn¡¯t bother with a defense, letting the spell hit her.  The level 25 character must have saved critically because nothing visible happened.


    ¡°I thought not.¡±  She turned her attention back to Jace, recognizing the leader.  ¡°You think you have won, but this isn¡¯t over.  I am going nowhere, and I can build another army.  You cannot hope to defeat me.  I give you but one chance.  Leave and never come back.  I will open a node for you.  Then I will wipe this location from your map and not pursue you.  Or you can stay, and I will throw your corpses into the volcano.  Choose quickly.¡±


    ¡°We have what we came for,¡± Esther said.


    ¡°But my people,¡± Joe said.  ¡°She will enslave them again.¡±


    ¡°And my people are dying too,¡± Leah countered. ¡°If we stay and die, we help no one.¡±


    ¡°I will stand by you no matter your choice,¡± Psycho added.


    Nice dilemma, Jace thought.  Just what this module needed for a finale.


    {I still don¡¯t know what she is,} Gracie said.  {I think Gandhi is making this one up.  She does that sometimes.}


    ¡°Well,¡± Jace said out loud.  ¡°You do not leave me with much of a choice.¡±  He drew Diamond Etcher.  ¡°Let¡¯s fight.¡±


    His decision did not surprise Jace¡¯s core group and readied their weapons, but his next call did startle them.  ¡°Retreat!¡±  He turned and ran up the beach, back toward the plantation¡¯s entrance. Jace heard Pharah curse and utter a magical command.  He glanced over his shoulder to see two dozen electric eels leap out of the water and fly toward his group like arrows.  Three each targeted Jace, Esther, Psycho, and Draya.  Only the mage stumbled from the attack, but a few bursts of fire rid her of the creatures.  The other three had no problem dealing with a few level 2 eels, cutting them up without breaking stride.


    The queen had wisely sent the rest of her attacking pets at Joe and Leah, the two physically weakest group members.  Jace assumed they would all be okay and didn¡¯t stop running until he was off the beach up on the walkway, a good 100 feet from the water¡¯s edge.  When he turned to look, he saw the priest and witch rolling in the sand, wrestling with the long eels, jolts of electricity coursing through them.  Pharah eyed the two entangled characters and smiled, calling her pets back to her with curled fingers.  The eels responded and dragged Joe and Leah back toward the water.


    ¡°No,¡± Esther cried and broke rank to run back toward them.  Ten more eels leaped out of the water and tackled the woman before she made it close to her friends.  She hacked apart two of them before they ensnared her, and she struggled mightily against the rest.  They had the Swarm ability, so they each got a grappling bonus for every other eel in contact with her, and it was too much.  Soon, she was on the sand too, dragged toward the water.


    Psycho pulled Dragonwing, which gave him severe penalties for a shot this close, and drew a mundane arrow.  He took three shots; two hit eels, while the third hit Esther¡¯s shoulder but didn¡¯t exceed her damage resistance.  Only four eels held her a round later; she was strong enough to wrestle them off.  By now, the two weaker characters were in the water, and Esther wisely scampered back to the safety of the grassy hill above the beach.


    ¡°You have a plan, right?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We need to get her out of the water.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t leave voluntarily,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°She draws power from the ocean. At her level, we won¡¯t be able to defeat her.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to make the water dangerous for her,¡± the shaman replied.  He turned to his mage.  ¡°Draya, you and Snowy run to the end of that pier toward where Potiphar¡¯s ship used to be.  I need you to lob a powerful fireball out toward those seagulls.¡±


    ¡°You want to scatter the birds?¡± she asked, confused.


    ¡°No, the sharks beneath them.  You and Snowy carry as many dead eels as you can.¡±  The beach before them was littered with over a dozen defeated creatures.  Jace turned to Snowy.  ¡°Mangle them in your mouth until they are covered in blood.¡±  He turned back to Draya.  ¡°After the fireball, toss them out toward the seagulls and try to make a path back to us.  Go!¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that will work?¡± Psycho asked as they watched the pair run back onto the beach.


    ¡°With my god, Dexmachi, helping us, yes.  He¡¯s the only reason any of my crazy plans work.¡±


    Psycho shrugged and returned his eyes to the water.  It looked like Pharah would send more eels toward Draya and Snowy, but she held off when they veered away from her location and ran onto the distant dock.  Jace turned to Esther.  ¡°I need you to Haste yourself and Psycho to give each of you an extra attack each round.¡±  He looked at the archer.  ¡°You can fire four arrows a round, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but with an even greater penalty to my accuracy.¡±


    Jace shrugged off the concern.  ¡°You can hit these eels with your eyes closed, especially since the queen purposefully uses them to block your shots.  Don¡¯t waste your magical arrows and fill the water with dead eels.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    He turned back to Esther.  ¡°We will wade in and hack and slash everything we see.  I¡¯m hoping that if the eels are busy blocking arrows, she won¡¯t be able to send them against us directly.¡±


    Everyone nodded, Esther cast her spells, and the three attacked.  Jace was correct that Pharah couldn¡¯t simultaneously use her eels for too many things.  They were currently Grappling Joe and Leah in shallows and then needed to jump out of the water to block four arrows from Psycho each round.  When she also tried to send a few to attack Jace, two of Psycho¡¯s arrows slipped through her defenses and struck her in the chest.  They did minor damage, but she didn¡¯t like it and focused on using her minions for defense.


    Jace turned his attacks and parries to automatic.  It wasn¡¯t something he liked to do, but hitting or blocking the low-level creatures was beyond easy, and only a roll of 1 would have him fail.  Manually blocking each eel attack was too difficult to track, and the game''s AI did a better job.


    Esther reached the shore first, and the eels naturally swarmed to her location.  With two weapons and Hasted, she had four attacks per round.  Char was ineffective in the water, and the eels were immune to the cold damage from Chill, but the physical damage was more than enough to deal with the creatures, and she never let enough of them get close to her to trigger their Swarm abilities.  The water was electrified, and she took damage each round from that, but it wasn¡¯t much above her Damage resistance.


    Jace arrived later and cast Summon Stone to drop a slab in the water for him to stand on.  He put a Damage Sink totem on it, so it stuck halfway out of the water.  Once on the solid surface, he felt many bonuses return to him.  Standing on stone with his Boots of Grounding, the electricity had no chance to harm him, and with his auto attacks, he kept up nicely.


    Pharah grew frustrated.  Joe and Leah were immobile, half out of the water, but she couldn¡¯t give them the attention necessary to kill them.  The eels could Grapple or attack, not both, so she only kept them out of the fight for now.  She quickly saw Jace and Esther were more potent than their levels implied, and her pets would not have a chance to defeat them.  She had other powerful spells at her disposal but couldn¡¯t take the time to cast them with her attention so focused on her attack and defense.


    Eventually, she drifted back into deeper waters.  Jace gave chase hesitantly, not wanting to leave his stone platform, and Esther wasn¡¯t tall enough to keep her head above water.  Once the blade attacks of the two fighters stopped, she had a moment to cast spells.  A tidal wave rose behind her, washed over her form, and crashed into Jace and Esther, tossing the two characters like beach balls toward shore. They each took damage when they hit the ground 20 feet from the water.


    Pharah summoned larger eels to her now, and the python-like creatures wrapped around her arms and legs, conforming to her human shape.  Soon, it looked like her body was made of snakes, electric sparks popping and crackling from the magical spell.  She grew in height, towering over the water by ten feet.  Her head remained visible, but the rest of her body was pulsing, slithering eels, many of them a foot thick.  Enough of the smaller eels remained to jump out of the water to block Psycho¡¯s continued onslaught of arrows, but soon, her upper body rose so high that the archer angled his shots up, and the tiny creatures couldn¡¯t jump that far.


    Pharah took a few strikes to her upper body, but the shafts couldn¡¯t penetrate the living armor.  It must have done damage, and she couldn¡¯t absorb it forever.  Once her new form was completed and she stood 25 feet tall, she reached toward the archer, the end of her new right arm a mass of wriggling eels.  Electricity accumulated from every portion of her body and shot out of her right hand in a massive lightning strike.  Thunder boomed through the air, and Jace turned to see the bolt strike Psycho in the chest.  He had the lowest Magic Defense in the group and failed the save critically, taking over half his health in damage.  His golden dragon armor prevented him from entering a death spiral from an elemental attack, so he only lost consciousness and fell to the ground.


    ¡°I¡¯m done playing with you,¡± Pharah said, her monstrous body taking several steps toward the characters lying on the beach.  Jace got up and sprinted back toward his stone platform just as the towering foe released another lightning attack.  Jace saved and took half of the damage, all of which went to his totem.


    Pharah frowned and turned to Esther. She stood next to the water, which was dark and churning with dead eels.  The rogue tipped her hat and disappeared before the queen could summon the mana for another attack.  Jace didn¡¯t know where she would go in the bright sunlight, but when the column of darkness vanished after six seconds, and she wasn¡¯t there, he assumed she had gone underwater.


    That was when the first shark showed up.  Dead squid was usually good, but it was covered in burnt ink and not that appetizing.  Not nearly as appetizing as fresh eel.  The little eels were hard to catch, but the thick, stationary animals that made up Pharoh¡¯s legs were not, and they were delicious.


    A look of severe pain crossed the queen''s face, and as a pool of blood formed around her knees, more sharks showed up.  Her left leg buckled under the attack, and she stumbled forward.  She took two more clumsy steps toward shore, and a massive fireball hit her in the back, sending her face-first into the waves.


    Pharah quickly got up to her hands and knees and lifted her upper body out of the water.  Bites covered her chest and arms, blood and gore oozing down her body.  A large shark remained firmly attached to the end of her right arm, chomping away.  The queen aimed the damaged limb toward the docks, where Draya prepared another attack.  Pharah beat her to it, releasing another lightning strike.  The bolt tore through the rear end of the shark, killing it and stealing most of the spell¡¯s strength.  Draya couldn¡¯t avoid the attack but saved against the spell, taking half of the remaining damage, which wasn¡¯t much.  She responded with a fireball to the beleaguered female¡¯s face.


    The living mass of eels rose to her feet and ran for the shore as sharks nipped at her heels.  Jace had cast another stone platform at the water''s edge and met the grotesque creature with Diamond Etcher out.  He cut into her massive limbs, and severed eels fell from her body left and right.  Pharah tried to swipe him out from in front of her, but it was a backhanded, half-hearted effort, and he critically blocked it, which allowed him to Parry Bash her in the chest.  She didn¡¯t fly backward, but she did stumble and fall into the water, earning her three more shark attacks on her arm, back, and shoulder.


    She rolled in the waves to escape Jace¡¯s reach and finally crawled onto the relative safety of the shore.  Getting to her knees, Pharah began clawing at her chest desperately.  She had numerous fingers on each hand in the form of writhing eels, and they ripped and pulled at the thick strands covering her body like an explorer trying to make their way through the dense jungle.  During the effort, Draya hit her with another fireball, but besides stumbling slightly, Pharah didn¡¯t register the attack.


    The 25-foot monstrosity eventually succeeded, creating a gap in the overlapping eels so Jace could see through to the troglodyte¡¯s actual torso.  Or he would have seen her golden chest plate if something else wasn¡¯t in the way.


    A black-clad figure, covered in eel slime, burst out from the swarming mass of bodies, slashing at the thick creatures with two rapiers upon her exit.  Esther landed and rolled forward, standing before Jace and sprinting past him.  ¡°Run!¡± she said, and Jace didn¡¯t ask questions.  Had she snuck through the water, avoided the sharks, and then Grappled her way in amongst the nest of eels to attack from the inside?  Jace shook his head in awe and sprinted after her.


    Pharah gave a stumbling chase after the two characters before a surge of mana within her brought her to a sudden stop.  Three separate explosions ripped through her constructed form, blasting her stomach, leg, and shoulder.  Flames joined in a massive fireball and eels tore away from her, burning to pieces.  Jace had dove to the sand, following Esther¡¯s lead, and rolled over to watch the spectacle.  He didn¡¯t know how the creature was still standing.  Large chunks of her manufactured body were missing, eels dangling from the open wounds like intestines.  They weren¡¯t quick to slither back in place as before, and Jace knew now was the time to take the creature down.


    He guessed Esther had placed three dragon fire rubies inside the female and programmed them with a timer.  While Draya¡¯s attacks had hit the outside of the creature, where a sheen of water somewhat protected it, Esther had avoided that armor.  Jace picked himself up to charge and stopped short as arrows flew over his head.  He turned to see Snowy standing next to Psycho.  The wolf must have used her last healing spell on the ranger, and he was back in action.  Fireballs came in from the other side, picking apart the open wounds and ensuring they would never close.


    Pharah fell to her knees, her legs so torn apart they couldn¡¯t support the heavy mass of eels above them.  Jace saw her turn to the ocean, lapping up on the shore a few feet beside her.  She might recover if she could reach the water, assuming the sharks didn¡¯t eat her, but one last arrow found the troglodyte¡¯s chest.  She stopped all movement and made eye contact with Jace.  ¡°It isn¡¯t over,¡± she gasped.  ¡°I will rise again.¡±  Before Jace could challenge the claim, she collapsed in a heap.  The swarm of eels stirred for a moment and then stopped.  The Hit Points above her head dropped to zero.


    Jace moved to the shore to pull Joe and Leah free from the water before the sharks got any ideas.  The pair lay in ankle-deep water, too shallow for the enormous man-eating fish, but there was no reason to risk it.  The eels came off them like burnt ropes, and both woke up from their Helpless states as soon as they made it to dry land.


    ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Jace said.  ¡°The queen is dead.¡±


    ¡°Joe!  Are you okay?¡±


    Jace turned at the call and saw Rachelle running from the plantation, past Psycho, and down to the beach.  The orc smiled.  She was scripted to make her appearance once the fight was over.  Jace looked toward the entrance to the dock and saw the travel node he was expecting.


    {Now you¡¯ve got an influx of experience,} Gracie confirmed.  {Not enough for a new level, but close.}


    Jace realized why most players leveled up so slowly.  He had completed the Constitution module, killing many times more creatures than usual and finishing with a massive boss.  Now, they had defeated a hoard of troglodytes, a demon, a god, and whatever Pharah had been, and those two combined still weren¡¯t enough to level him up.  The quickest way to advance was still to kill players.


    Leah, Joe, Rachelle, and Esther stood in a circle talking while Psycho walked up beside Jace, who had moved over to look at the dead pile of seafood on the beach.  ¡°She couldn¡¯t have been a sea dragon?¡± the elf asked.


    Jace chuckled.  ¡°You¡¯ll get your dragon eventually.¡±  He knew as a hunter, Psycho was assigned a legendary prey, and if he ever killed an actual dragon, he would get a lot of bonuses.  ¡°Do you want to tell me what happened last night?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the elf replied honestly.  ¡°We got our stuff back, and the slavers who mistreated us paid for their sins.  Don¡¯t burden your conscience with it.¡±


    Jace nodded, extending his ranger the trust he deserved.  The group all drank healing potions and moved toward the travel node.  Rachelle wasn¡¯t coming with them.  Someone needed to stay back and run the island.  People still lived here, and they needed supplies.  Another ship would arrive in a few hours to trade timber and stone for food and spices.  Rachelle had helped Joe with much of the planning and organization, and she had many friends here.


    Joe agreed to accompany Leah to her kingdom and set things right, but he would likely return to this island.  It felt like home.  There was a woman he loved, and he wanted to start a family.  Leah hugged her sister goodbye, and the group got ready to leave.


    Right before Jace was about to activate the travel node, Esther pulled him aside.  ¡°What do you think Pharah meant when she said it wasn¡¯t over?  Do you really think it is safe to leave?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he replied.  ¡°I know this mission is over.  Another one might pop up in the future, and we will have to come back here, but we are ready to leave for now.¡±


    The rogue nodded, and Jace led his group magically through the node and directly to Leah¡¯s home, the Kingdom of Canaan.


    <hr>


    Ignis was still getting his feet wet with his new toy.  He had many other magical unions to other items throughout the realms, several actively burning villages or forests, but his attention was exclusively on this new connection.


    Shortly after the mage and her friends had left, he made the volcano erupt.  It wasn¡¯t a violent explosion.  He gently raised the lava pool inside, feeling as it burned the walls and eventually spilled over the top.  Magma flowed down in all directions, cleaning up the mess of bodies left behind by the humans.  As the sheet of lava expanded, growing exponentially in surface area, Ignis needed to pump more and more molten rock out of the throat.


    Then he hit the first line of trees.  The demon had never experienced such a feeling.  Each trunk went up like a firework, instantly engulfed in flames.  He remembered the mage''s warning, ¡°Don¡¯t burn everything at once.¡±  Even as big of a pyromaniac as he was, Ignis understood the wisdom in moderation.  Instead of spreading the lava out in all directions, he chose a specific path down the back of the volcano, finding and consuming one tree at a time.  The lava curved and flowed until it reached a section of level ground.  Ignis was about to stop when he sensed an irregularity in the terrain.  It felt like another mini volcano, round with a steep lip around the circumference.


    Could he join these two openings?  Create one massive volcano?  He was too excited and had to explore.  He flowed up and over the lip.  It wasn¡¯t another volcano.  It was shallow and filled with rocks.


    One of the rocks vibrated.


    It was alive.


    Ignis paused, perplexed.  The objects were large, smooth, oval, and several feet in diameter.  They had to be rocks, but when the lava got close, they reacted violently to the heat.  Then he knew what it was.  A vindictive mage had once cursed him into his ex-wife¡¯s frying pan so that she burned everything she tried to cook.  She had gone through dozens of eggs before she eventually gave up.  These were the proper shapes, and he could feel the thin shell protecting something alive.  What could be inside?


    Ignis was curious and covered one with lava.  The shell burned and cracked open, revealing a giant lizard almost as big as the bodies he had covered with molten rock on the side of the volcano.  This one was maybe a day or two from full maturity.  These were the enemies of his dragon friend.  Did she know about them?


    There had been eight in total before he had cracked open one and burned the contents.  Seven of them had surrounded one in the center that was much bigger.  He could access that one now and sensed the power inside.  This was a queen, and she radiated almost as much energy as the volcano.


    The mage had said not to kill humans, but she had said nothing about lizards, so Ignis covered the eggs with lava.  Each one burst open and released its magic, the contents burning alive in seconds.  When the queen died, Ignis felt a shock of power like he had never felt before.  He basked in it for a while and then drew back.  That was enough fun with the volcano for now.  He would do it again tomorrow.

 Chapter 21

    The mission in Canaan was pretty straightforward.  Rock¡¯s description of the plague was accurate.  Everything was dead or dying.  The travel node allowed Jace to transport right to the castle, so they didn¡¯t have to walk far to get to the Life Spring.  Even on that short trip, Jace wondered if the land would survive long enough for them to heal it.


    The lake was dry, and they could all see the small opening in the deepest part of the sand pit where the Life Spring had been.  Jace asked if Joe needed help but didn¡¯t know what he would offer if the priest had said yes.  The only character in Jace¡¯s party with any affinity to nature was Psycho, but the ranger was far more oriented to combat than magic.


    Joe insisted he didn¡¯t need help and raced down into the dry lake, made his way to the empty spring, and placed the emerald inside.  The result was immediate.  The lake refilled faster than Joe could escape.  It was good that the priest didn¡¯t wear heavy armor and knew how to swim.  By the time he rejoined Jace¡¯s crew on the bank, the water was already spilling over into the various streams and canals that fed the rest of the kingdom.


    The land changed from brown and dead to green and vibrant.  Flowers blossomed.  Emaciated crops stood upright and filled out.  People, too sick to walk, stumbled and crawled to the streams, drank their fill, and stood tall and robust moments later.  Buckets and canteens were filled and carried to those too weak to reach the water¡¯s edge.  No sign of the curse or famine could be seen in only a few minutes.


    Jude, the king and Leah¡¯s son, emerged from the castle and thanked the heroes.  He hugged his mother and shook his cousin''s hand.  Everyone was happy the famine was over, but that joy didn¡¯t readily transfer to Leah.  The witch had been responsible for the curse on the land, and many people had died before she and her friends had fixed it.  She confessed her sins, and her son forgave her, but it was clear she would not find a home here going forward.


    Jace understood it was the perfect segue for the character to turn to him and confess that she had no home and would gladly join his party and help other people in need.  Leah did just that, and Esther leveled a stare at her leader so intense it had the potential to bring about another plague.  For whatever reason, she had promised her ¡°friend¡± that they would not take any of the women they freed into their party, and Jace honored that promise.  He only had one empty spot anyway, and of the three women he planned to rescue today, Leah was probably the one he wanted the least.


    Right now, he actually had two empty spots and was eager to get back to Gromphy.  Leah had raided Rock¡¯s body and had found the deed for the Artist¡¯s Alcove.  It was a diamond with coded inscriptions etched in the center.  If she wasn¡¯t going to join with Jace and Esther, she might as well be the new proprietor of the art studio.  They left the Kingdom of Canaan with minimal fanfare.  Joe used the travel node to return to the island where his mother had stayed while the rest went to Partumopolis.


    Because they had already been to the Artist¡¯s Alcove, Jace could navigate directly to the building.  Esther was again taken with several of the statues and pieces of jewelry.  Leah was accepted as the new owner without question, and the two friends discussed prices and potential commissioned work.  Jace, Psycho, and Draya found their way to the basement, where Gromphy waited.


    The Artist¡¯s Alcove was on global time, so while Jace had skipped ahead a few times and his party members had experienced over four days of action, only a few hours had passed for the goblin.  Still, it had been enough time for him to get the needed information.  Gracie had designed a magical ring to allow communication between her and whichever of Jace¡¯s members wore it.  Gromphy had crafted the ring, letting him send images of Rock¡¯s logbooks.  He had done this as soon as possible upon entering, which was good because once Rock had died, Gromphy was no longer officially in the party of the establishment''s owner.  Much of his exclusive access had expired.


    The group said their goodbyes to Leah.  Gromphy looked like he had made another gnome friend in Rooter, who agreed to stay on as the chief sculptor for the witch.  Esther gave her friend a few ideas of the types of statues she wanted and promised to visit soon.


    Gracie checked in a few times to let Jace know that with each piece of closure he gave to one of the characters, he got a few more experience points but was still tens of thousands away from Level 18.  Jace knew the next mission would pit them against several other players and was sure he would level up at least once by the end.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Their stronghold was waiting for them when they returned.  Granite, Jace¡¯s earth elemental who stood guard, greeted them at the door, and Trixna was just inside.  The cleric had several potent cleaning spells, and Esther nearly ran into her room, shedding clothing as she went.  The ink was terrible enough, but she had been splattered by demon brains and then covered in eel slime.  The female orc eyed up Psycho, whose golden armor and cloak also bore some ugly stains.  He promised he would bring her his clothes as well, but he would change in the privacy of his room.  Trixna was visibly disappointed but followed Esther without further attempts at seduction.


    It had been about noon global time when they had started this mission, and now, several hours later, it was nearing dinner.  Jace suggested they all get a big meal and some sleep to recharge.  They were all healthy and full of mana, but nothing beats a good meal and a night¡¯s sleep in one¡¯s own bed.  Jace found his way to his room, sat in his favorite chair, and skipped till dawn.


    <hr>


    After dinner, Draya found her way into Gromphy¡¯s lab.  She didn¡¯t fully understand what his part in the last mission was.  Something about stealing information from a ledger, but when she heard that he was to spend time with an expert sculptor, she knew he would have taken advantage to make progress on their side quest.  She wasn¡¯t disappointed by what she saw on his table.


    The Frosthold was there as before, joined by the most extraordinary gemstone she had ever seen.  It was the size of a large apple, but besides its rough dimensions, she had no adequate way to describe it.  The Frosthold was a 4-dimensional cube sitting beside it, its multidimensional faces falling into each other.  This new object was confusing to look at in a very different way.  It had so many angles and sides she had difficulty counting them.  They all existed in 3-dimensional space and were so exquisitely cut they were impossible to differentiate.


    ¡°Is that the . . .¡± she started.


    ¡°The armadillion¡¯s mana core,¡± Gromphy confirmed.  ¡°Rooter did exquisite work.  I enchanted his tools beyond his comprehension, but he did the work.¡±


    ¡°How many . . .¡± Draya said, not sure how to ask questions about the object.


    ¡°Twenty sides,¡± Gromphy interpreted her query.  ¡°Each identical and perfectly balanced.  Tis the most Ordered object I hath ever encountered.¡±


    Each side was an equilateral triangle, the edges of which were polished black obsidian.  The faces looked to be quartz and semi-transparent, with the center of each triangle glowing bright orange.  Before, the object had changed shape and size randomly, spitting out molten rock in various amounts.  Now, it sat perfectly still, unchanging, yet immensely powerful.


    The young woman reached out to it, and the goblin didn¡¯t stop her.  She touched the glowing center of one of the faces, and it ejected a marble-sized magma sphere.  Anyone else would have screamed in pain, but the dragon mage didn¡¯t flinch, catching the ball in her palm where it cooled to black glass.  ¡°This will still kill Jace if you put it inside him,¡± she said.


    ¡°Aye.  He hath no defense for this like thyself.  It wouldst kill me as well.¡±


    Draya turned her eyes to the Frosthold.  ¡°And the problem is that you must bridge these two with a living bond?¡±


    Gromphy nodded.  ¡°The Frosthold will consume the heat from this core but kill it in the process.  To maintain the living magic, a bridge is required.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas?¡±


    ¡°Our next mission will involve mermaids.  Dost thou have experience with such?¡±


    Draya shook her head.


    ¡°Their kingdoms are unique, transforming various physical ideals into life-giving magic.  If given the chance, I believe I canst leverage that power in our favor.  I only wish not to freeze the entire ocean in the process.¡±


    ¡°Or boil it,¡± Draya said.


    Gromphy nodded.  ¡°Indeed.¡±


    Draya was happy the goblin still felt inspired to help their leader despite losing Adam, but she hoped he hadn¡¯t bitten off more than he could chew.  He might do irreparable damage to the realms if he wasn¡¯t careful.  Of course, she had just but a pyromaniac in charge of an active volcano, so she shouldn¡¯t judge.  Instead, she followed Jace¡¯s advice, went to her room, and got a good night¡¯s sleep.


    <hr>


    Author Note:


    Wow, that is much longer than anticipated.  I have planned out four missions and an ultimate showdown that wraps everything together, and this was the first mission.  The story is over 60k right now, which is great for the Writathon, but not so good for my desire to keep this novel the same length as the others, around 160k.


    If you have read this far, please consider marking this story as a favorite or helping me out with a good rating.  Or just leave a comment that you are enjoying it.  I appreciate that type of feedback too.


    I doubt I will post more before the Writathon deadline, as I will want to make significant progress in the next mission before publishing to ensure I don¡¯t have to backtrack (like I did several times in this section).  Please follow the story to know when I start posting the next section.

 Chapter 22

    Stephen had done the research for Leah¡¯s quest, uncovering most of the information on Derrick Bender¡¯s potential money laundering scheme, so Allison had been tasked with deciphering Tami¡¯s predicament.  Gregory was already looking at the next folder.  ¡°What do we have here?  Pirates?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Allison said.  ¡°Allow me to explain.  As I''m sure you know, the Iranians have been working for quite some time developing tactical EMPs.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the CIA executive chuckled.  ¡°They¡¯ve gone through hundreds of millions of dollars¡¯ worth of fried electrical equipment.  No one on our side is that worried about it.  It isn¡¯t difficult to shield circuits from electromagnetic pulses, and all modern equipment is pretty much immune to it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the young woman agreed, ¡°but they are still selling the weapons, and not everyone has the resources or technology of the US military.¡±


    Gregory was scanning the dossier before him.  ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Somalian Pirates.  Yes, I heard they had used one or two of the devices.  It didn¡¯t go well for them.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Allison agreed.  ¡°They fried their own ship as well as the merchant vessel they were attacking.  Their target recovered first, radioed to a nearby military vessel, and the pirates were all apprehended.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we worried about?¡±  Gregory looked around the table and through the viewscreen to Jason, Gracie, and Conor sitting 600 miles away.  He had enough confidence in this group to know there was something more at stake.


    ¡°Jason thought of it,¡± Ross said, hitting a few keys on his keyboard to pull up a split image on their monitor.  Back in Chicago, the trio saw the same picture: a satellite photo off the coast of northeast Africa.


    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± Gregory asked, squinting at the coastline.


    Ross manipulated the mouse to zoom in many times until they saw a large boat tied off on a dock that looked an awful lot like a . . .


    ¡°A pirate ship?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s what I would have done in their situation,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, obviously, it won¡¯t be affected by an EMP,¡± Gregory stated, ¡°but there is no way that incompetent group will ever figure out how to sail it.  You¡¯re talking about pirates who routinely ground their vessels on sand bars, run out of fuel in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and are shipwrecked by the smallest storms.  You¡¯re telling me they are going to figure out how to navigate a vessel from the 1700s effectively enough to pull off tactical incursions?¡±


    ¡°With practice, they will,¡± Allison confirmed.


    ¡°If they practice with that ship, they will sink it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why they are using the game,¡± Allison said.


    The rest of the group watched as the senior CIA agent worked through what he was meant to believe.  They gave him thirty seconds to review the folder and look again at the ship on the screen.  ¡°The simulation is that good?¡±


    Allison nodded.  ¡°From what I¡¯ve found, the Somalis have a pirate stronghold that includes a shipyard.  It can support one full-size, triple-masted galleon.  If they destroy it, which, according to my research, they¡¯ve done three times in the past two months, they need to provide their fort with the right resources, and it spawns another ship.  They¡¯ve had their current vessel for over three weeks, and I think they are starting to feel confident with it.¡±


    ¡°So they can sail,¡± Gregory said, his tone revealing his lack of confidence in the assertion.  ¡°Boarding a ship at sea is a completely different animal.  Plus, if they are using an EMP in real life, they will have to find targets in the game that will be just as listless.  Isn¡¯t ROI filled with wizards, fireballs, and cannons?¡±


    ¡°No gunpowder yet,¡± Allison corrected.  ¡°It¡¯s been promised for several updates, but we haven¡¯t seen it.  However, there are plenty of fireballs, ballistae bolts, and catapults.  A successful pirate attack isn¡¯t easy to pull off.  You usually need three ships.  Two to get close, draw fire, and disable their archers and spell casters, while the third stays back until it is safe to approach.  The pirates don¡¯t want to sink their prey, but the merchant couldn¡¯t care less about the attacking ships, so the buccaneers often lose one or two ships in the fight.  As a result, the game gives a pretty substantial reward for a successful attack.  The Somalis don¡¯t have those kinds of resources.  That is why they¡¯ve acquired an EMP in the game.¡±


    Gregory looked confused.  ¡°An electromagnetic pulse spell?  To do what?  Knock out their target¡¯s compass?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Allison chuckled.  ¡°They have Tamar Tzedek.  Affectionately known as Tami, the mermaid.¡±


    Gregory didn¡¯t bother asking what she meant as a full-color picture of Tami stared back at him from one of the pages in his folder.  Instead, he waited for an explanation.  Allison didn¡¯t make him wait long.


    ¡°Most merfolk have the Siren Song ability.  This is already very powerful and can usually Stun characters several levels above the caster, especially at sea.  Tami is also a bard, so she has several added feats that improve her song skill.  Adding on to that is this unique quirk that affects all the former lieutenants of the Gilded Swan, where she gets credit for everything she did in all the numerous iterations of her character back when Portsmouth used to be a MIM.¡±


    The confused look on the senior agent¡¯s face let Allison know she would need to elaborate.  ¡°Before Jace freed Esther, she and the other women we are trying to save were part of a shared world where every player could have a copy of them active in their game, and most PCs did.  When Jace broke that, these women retained all that knowledge and experience as if they had lived all those events chronologically instead of simultaneously.  This turned Esther into a level 37 Escort, Leah into a level 20+ artist, and we have no idea how many levels Tami has in Performer, but assuming she chose most of her extra feats to boost her Siren Song, she could knock out a level 30 character from 500 feet.  She would become a very effective in-game EMP.  Even forgetting about the valuable experience the Somalis would gain from raiding ships in the game, Tami is a cheat code that would get them untold wealth from the pirate attacks, which they could transfer into real-world dollars, Somali Shillings, or whatever currency they wanted.  Several terrorist organizations already fund their IRL operations through the game.  The Somalis could do likewise.¡±


    ¡°You have my attention,¡± Gregory said, trying to put aside the talk of mermaids, fireballs, and experience levels and getting serious about what this could mean in the real world.  ¡°How do you plan to stop them?¡±


    ¡°We need to steal Tami back by completing her quest correctly.¡±


    ¡°Why not just kill her?¡± Gregory asked.  ¡°Your archer . . .¡± he flipped through the papers in front of him, ¡°what¡¯s his name . . . ah, Psycho.  He could put an arrow through her from 500 feet, problem solved.  We do it all the time.  It¡¯s called a drone strike.  If we knew of someone a tenth as valuable as this mermaid to our enemies, she¡¯d be gone before the ink was dry on the authorization form.¡±


    The agent was greeted with silence from the group.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you are going to push back on this.  We are talking about killing a character in a video game.  We kill people in real life for far fewer reasons than what you¡¯ve given me.  Do you all seriously have a problem with this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works.¡±  Gracie was the first one to find her voice.  ¡°That¡¯s not how the game is played.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t playing a game,¡± Gregory said.  ¡°If everything you said is true, and, in a couple of weeks, Somali pirates start executing effective attacks against merchant and private vessels along the eastern coast of Africa, and we could have stopped it but didn¡¯t because some mermaid looked too cute and innocent in a seashell bikini, this department will get shut down faster than you can blink.¡±


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    ¡°We must attempt it by the book first,¡± Gracie said.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Esther isn¡¯t my most valuable asset,¡± Jason spoke up.  ¡°It isn¡¯t Psycho, Draya, Gromphy, or anything else you will find in that folder.  My god, Dexmachi, is why I am successful in the game.¡±  He paused, wondering if he would be interrupted, but everyone waited to hear what he would say.  ¡°Gandhi, the game¡¯s AI, gave me a god that could break the game rules.  I have come up with some crazy plans that have no business working, but I know Dexmachi massages the dice rolls and affects the NPC decisions.  No matter how difficult of a task I¡¯m facing, there is always a sliver of hope because I know Dexmachi will ensure our success.  If I kill Tami, not only will Esther leave me, Dexmachi will too, and you might as well shut down this department anyway.¡±


    Gregory smiled.  ¡°Good.  That¡¯s what I wanted to hear.  So, how are you going to do it?  Is this another Bible story?  I don¡¯t remember mermaids in church.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason laughed as a wave of relief passed through him.  ¡°They usually skip this story in Sunday School.  Tamar was the wife of Judah¡¯s oldest son, Er.  He was evil and died before having any children, so based on the custom of the time, his next oldest brother, Onan, married her.  He was supposed to produce a son in his older brother¡¯s name, but he didn¡¯t want to.  He slept with Tamar, but . . . he, uh . . . well, he masturbated on the ground rather than impregnating her.¡±


    Gregory sat up.  ¡°That¡¯s in the Bible?¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Jason replied.  ¡°They usually skip this story.  Anyway, this was evil, so God killed him.  The third son was still a child, so Tamar had to wait.  However, Judah viewed Tamar as a liability, and he didn¡¯t want to lose another son, so even once Shelah, the youngest, was old enough to marry, Judah didn¡¯t give him to the widow.  Tamar realized what was going on, so she disguised herself as a prostitute, seduced Judah, and got pregnant.¡±


    ¡°This woman really wanted a son,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°All the Israelites did,¡± Jason said.  ¡°It is a central theme in the Old Testament, and there are plenty of crazy things people did to have children.  God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of Satan and end the curse of sin.  Every Israelite woman wanted children so this prophecy could be fulfilled.¡±


    ¡°Was it?¡±


    Jason nodded.  ¡°Tamar is in the direct line of Christ.  The son she bore to Judah became an ancestor to Jesus.¡±


    Gregory nodded.  ¡°And our mermaid version of Tamar wants a son to end a curse too?¡±


    ¡°Sort of,¡± Jason replied.  ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know how merfolk mate?¡±


    Gregory shook his head.  ¡°I believe that briefing is scheduled for next week¡¯s directors meeting.  This morning, we only talked about chemical weapons and gain of function research.¡±


    Jason ignored the sarcasm.  He deserved it.  ¡°One of the long-standing jokes within mermaid lore is that they seduce men with their beauty but can never get past second base.  From the waist down, they are a fish.  Not too many men are turned on by that.  In the Realms of Infamy, merfolk can change forms as easily as a shape-shifting druid and only mate in human form.  After sex, the female transforms back into a half-fish and lays her eggs in a nest prepared in her kingdom.


    ¡°Every mer-kingdom is different.  They are magical underwater homes that produce a lot of mana to sustain the buildings and ecosystem and support the dome that keeps out predators.  The mana generation in the center requires resources, just like any stronghold.  Some require the souls of sentient beings.  Merfolk seduce sailors and coastal inhabitants to their death and then feed their life energy to their kingdom.  Others work off wealth, so the merfolk operate as merchants or pirates and feed gems and gold to their city.  Some require the blood of undersea predators, and those merfolk are excellent hunters.  Or they can run off of volcanic vents or the biodiversity of a nearby coral reef.  Tami¡¯s kingdom is called Timnah and gains its strength by having a nest filled with eggs.¡±


    ¡°So she does need children,¡± Gregory said.  ¡°Not to end a curse, but to keep her people alive.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said.  ¡°Most mermaids lay a few dozen eggs.  Maybe a hundred.  Males can visit the nest, fertilize an egg, and it will eventually hatch into another merfolk.  The eggs stay good for as long as needed.  From what we can tell, princesses from Timnah lay close to a thousand eggs once they mate.  Tami is the only princess left for her people, and she has to find a prince to do it with.¡±


    Jason took a drink of water before continuing.  ¡°Tami¡¯s people made a deal with another kingdom.  They would provide a prince in exchange for a fortune in gold and gems.  This other kingdom is ruled by a king named Neptudah, and their mana core is fueled by wealth.  Tami decided she didn¡¯t want to marry this prince.  If she did, he would become king of her people.  After meeting him, she didn¡¯t think it would be a good fit.  She was right.  As in the Bible, the prince was named Er, and he refused to mate with Tami, insisting that she marry him and pay the gold.  The mana core of Timnah, Tami¡¯s kingdom, sensed he was a hostile presence and killed him.¡±


    ¡°Enter the second son¨Cwhat was his name¨COnan?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°Correct,¡± Jason confirmed.  ¡°Only he was a bit savvier.  Onan wanted the same thing as his brother, to be king of Timnah, but he also had his eyes on his father¡¯s kingdom.  Though merfolk have a long natural life, they are often hunted and can die by various means.  Neptudah earned wealth for his kingdom honestly by all accounts and didn¡¯t have many enemies.  If Onan wanted to rule, he would need to challenge his father by proving to be a better provider for their kingdom.  To do this, he joined a group of NPC pirates to amass his own fortune.  Once he has enough, he can challenge his father for rule, and if he waits long enough with Tamar, she will eventually cave and be forced to marry him or watch her kingdom lose its power and eventually fall.¡±


    ¡°I think I see where this is going,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Jason said.  ¡°Now that Onan lived on the surface, sailing with pirates, he fancied himself as a lady''s man.  He visited many brothels whenever his ship went to port, so Tami decided to disguise herself as a prostitute, move into the Gilded Swan, and wait for him to show up.¡±


    ¡°But you screwed that up when you broke the module,¡± Gregory said.


    ¡°Sort of,¡± Jason replied.  ¡°But I¡¯ll get to that.  After I freed the women, Tami bounced around the realms until the Somalis got her.  The NPC pirates Onan joined are led by a level 25 NPC who calls himself Captain Cloudspark.  He¡¯s a storm mage and very powerful.  A popular pirate hunting module has him as the final boss, and no one has passed it yet.  The Somalis lost one of their practice ships to him and need him out of their waters to practice attacking ships safely.  They plan to make a deal with King Neptudah.  They will reveal to him that Onan has thrown in with pirates and plans to usurp the throne from him.  They will also explain what he is doing with Tami and hope the honorable merman will also despise that.  Lastly, they will offer up Tami.  If Neptudah sleeps with her since he is already a king, he will have some authority over the kingdom of Timnah, and instead of asking for gold, he can raise an army of merfolk to attack the pirates.¡±


    ¡°Clever,¡± Gregory said.  ¡°They kill two birds with one stone.  They get rid of Cloudspark and satisfy Tami¡¯s quest.  It sounds like that is what they are supposed to do, right?  I mean, that is how it played out in the Bible?  Tamar slept with Judah, who is obviously Neptudah in this case.¡±


    Jason smiled.  ¡°Yes and no.  Yes, that is how it played out in the Bible, but what Tamar did was wrong.  And what Judah did, sleeping with a prostitute, was wrong.  I think the game wants us to ¡®fix¡¯ what happened in the Bible, not repeat it.¡±


    ¡°But that would mean . . .¡±


    ¡°The third son,¡± Jason said.  ¡°That is who Tamar was supposed to marry.¡±


    ¡°Is there a third son?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°In all my research,¡± Allison said, pulling Gregory from the screen and Jason¡¯s report, ¡°I haven¡¯t found one.  Players have encountered Cloudspark¡¯s ship numerous times and describe a first mate that fits Onan¡¯s description, but nobody has mentioned a second merman on board.¡±


    ¡°But we have information no one else has,¡± Jason said.  ¡°We have Esther.  Earlier, you said that I screwed up Tami¡¯s plan by breaking her module before Onan had a chance to visit.  According to Esther, that isn¡¯t true.  Cloudspark, Onan, and the rest of the pirates made a stop at the Gilded Swan, and Tami was ready to trick Onan, but that is when she saw his younger brother.  The two older brothers were brash and arrogant, but the youngest favored his father¡¯s temperament and was kind and noble.  Merfolk have a sixth sense to know when they are around each other in human form, and Tami knew Shelah, the younger brother, was who she really wanted.


    ¡°Onan could sense Tami was a mermaid but had no idea who she was.  Why would a princess be working in a brothel?  He wanted her, and she wanted Shelah.  Onan insisted Shelah was too young.  There was a fight, tables were broken, Shelah was sent back to the ship, and Onan ended up with Deli, whom we will discuss in a moment.  According to Esther, Cloudspark never returned.¡±


    Gregory frowned.  ¡°If Shelah is so noble and like his father, why is he sailing with pirates?¡±


    ¡°My guess is it is against his will,¡± Jason said.  ¡°Shelah could destroy everything.  If he went to Tami, they would sleep together, and either the kingdom of Timnah would send Neptudah a fortune or Shelah, and Tami would get married.  Either way, Onan would lose his chance to rule Timnah, and if his father got a ton of gold or gained a mighty kingdom as an ally, Onan wouldn¡¯t be able to overthrow him either.  No, the older brother has Shelah locked in the hold of Cloudspark¡¯s pirate ship to ensure he doesn¡¯t ruin everything.¡±


    ¡°And your plan to fix all this is . . .¡±


    ¡°Easy,¡± Jason replied with a grin.  ¡°We defeat Cloudspark and rescue Shelah.  Then we invade the Somali¡¯s stronghold to interrupt the meeting to woo Neptudah and present the younger son instead.¡±


    ¡°So, you only need to pass a module that has never been completed and infiltrate a heavily guarded pirate stronghold while they are hosting a king,¡± Gregory repeated in more dire terms.


    ¡°For Jason,¡± Stephen said, ¡°that is easy.¡±


    Gregory chuckled.  ¡°Okay, I approve.¡±  He closed that folder and opened the next one.  ¡°Now talk to me about Deli.¡±

 Chapter 23

    Jace woke in his chair, knowing that only seconds had passed for him, but all his people had gotten a full night¡¯s rest in his stronghold.  In global time, it was still a couple of hours before nightfall.  The meeting with King Neptudah was tonight if the informants Allison had found were correct.  That was still several hours away, and Jace hoped it would be enough time to track down the pirates and the youngest brother.


    His illusion necklace had expired, and he didn¡¯t bother recasting it, pushing his massive orc frame out of his chair and moving through the room.  When he disguised himself as a human, the spell took care of his clothes, but as an orc, he dressed in proper attire.  He chose pants, a tunic, and chainmail, more befitting a fighter than a shaman, and then moved out into his stronghold¡¯s central cavern.


    He heard noise from the dining room and found the rest of his crew eating breakfast.  Taking a seat at the table, he surveyed the spread and began nibbling on sausages.  He didn¡¯t need food, but in this virtual reality, it still tasted good, as the gnomes were excellent cooks.


    ¡°Who are we rescuing today?¡± Esther asked between mouthfuls of waffles.  The woman had an appetite that continually shocked Jace.


    ¡°Tami,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Is that the mermaid?¡± Psycho asked.  He preferred the venison sausages and eggs to the sugar-coated carbo-loading breakfast Esther ate.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I think we will have to split up for this one.  We need to be in two places at once.  I will need you to lead the second group.¡±


    Psycho looked to his left at Draya, sipping a glass of fruit juice and stirring a bowl of steaming oatmeal.  To his right, Esther had syrup dripping from her chin, threatening to stain her recently cleaned clothes.  Gromphy wasn¡¯t in the room.  He tended not to eat with the group.  Jace assumed it was because goblin food would disgust the rest of his companions.


    ¡°Let me guess . . .¡± Psycho started.


    ¡°You and Esther will meet up with another player in Safe Haven.  He will take you on a mission to track down a pirate lord named Captain Cloudspark.¡±


    ¡°Cloudspark?¡± Psycho asked.  ¡°Seriously?  What¡¯s his ship called?  Lightning Bolt?  What is he, some type of storm mage?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone¡¯s named Nal Saikol Gladekin,¡± Esther said with her mouth full, butchering the pronunciation of the elf¡¯s name.  Not that it would have been much better without the waffles.  ¡°Some of us prefer names others can pronounce.¡±  She swallowed and turned to Jace.  ¡°And why do I have to go on the ship?  I hate ships.  Where are you and Draya going?¡±


    Jace sighed.  He didn¡¯t want to argue.  ¡°Draya, Snowy, and I will stake out a pirate brothel to prevent Tami from sleeping with a merking before you show up with her future husband.¡±


    ¡°A brothel!¡± Esther screamed.  ¡°Do you know how much time I spent at the Gilded Swan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of your experience,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°It would be like a second home to me.  Send Draya with Psycho.  She¡¯s spent way more time on a ship than I have.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for reminding me,¡± Draya said, rolling her eyes at her tactless friend as she ate a spoonful of oatmeal.  Jace knew Draya had been smuggled as a slave on a ship to arrive at this contentment.


    ¡°We need to keep a low profile,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You, plus a brothel, does not equal a low profile.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m worthless on a ship.  I can¡¯t shoot a bow.  And I hate squids.¡±


    Jace sighed again.  ¡°I promise there won¡¯t be any . . .¡±


    [Alert!  Sir Wallace Wilhelm is requesting access to your stronghold.  Accept.  Decline.]


    The game alert interrupted Jace¡¯s train of thought.  Not now, Wallace, he thought.  ¡°Gracie, can you see what she wants?¡±


    {Sure thing, boss.}


    Jace turned back to Esther, but the woman was ready first.  ¡°And taking Draya to a brothel?  What are you thinking?  Who in their right mind would take her anywhere near a place like that?¡±


    Jace noticed Psycho shrink a little in his seat at that comment, and the shaman made a note to ask him about it later.  ¡°We will be in disguise, and she will stay close by my side.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the pirate brothel,¡± Draya said.  ¡°I didn¡¯t like, uh, I mean, I don¡¯t think I would like it.  I¡¯d probably be better on the ship.¡±


    Jace glared at Psycho, but the elf wouldn¡¯t meet his eyes.  What had they been doing when he was logged out?  He would worry about that later.  ¡°Whatever happened to me being the leader?¡± he asked.  ¡°Draya burns things.  We want to capture the pirate ship, not sink it.  And once you board the ship, it will all be close combat at night, which Esther is better at.  Besides, I¡¯m not going to the brothel alone.¡±


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    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.¡±


    Everyone turned to see Wallace standing in the doorway, striking a confident pose in her full paladin armor.  Thursa stood behind her, wearing only knee-length pants.  At the sight of the attractive druid, Esther wiped her chin with a napkin and sat up a little straighter.


    ¡°Gracie, I didn¡¯t mean for you to invite her in,¡± Jace muttered.


    {Hear her out,} the operator replied.


    ¡°If you are going after Tami, I¡¯m coming with you,¡± Wallace said, moving into the room fully so Thursa could enter too.  He saw the food on the table, took an empty seat, and started piling sausages on his plate.  Esther scooted closer to him, shoved her half-eaten serving of waffles to the side for now, and decided she liked venison too.


    Wallace and Jace ignored them.   ¡°I promised her I would provide aid if she ever fell into trouble,¡± the knight continued.  ¡°Vithium was supposed to tell me as soon as he found her.  Where did you get your information?¡±


    Jace looked at his rogue, whose body froze at the monk''s name.  ¡°Esther,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Who is Vithium?¡±


    The woman thought about answering but eventually shook her head.  It didn¡¯t matter.  Jace was sure she would lie anyway, and he was pretty sure he understood the connection.  Instead, he turned back to Wallace.


    ¡°How do you know we are going after Tami?¡° Jace asked, worried the entire game might anticipate their moves.  The first two missions were relatively low profile, as Leah¡¯s quest was private in her own MIM, and this one would only involve interacting with the Somali PCs.  The third one would involve several influential players in the game, and Jace wanted to do them in this order so as not to alert everyone to what they were doing.  If the whole game already knew, he would lose the element of surprise.


    ¡°Relax,¡± Wallace said, apparently reading the concern in Jace¡¯s face.  ¡°I had an appointment with Rock Bender for a piece of artwork,¡± she explained.


    ¡°A stone sculpture of Thursa?¡± Esther asked eagerly.


    Wallace ignored her.  ¡°When he died, I got an alert that my deal was canceled.  I came to his studio to discover why and found Leah had taken over.  Only she wasn¡¯t there.  She had left someone else in charge because she needed to go on an ¡®Urgent Mission¡¯ or something.  I reached out to Vithium, but he was on radio silence.  I knew he was looking for a way to free the other lieutenants, and I had my suspicions about . . .¡± she glanced at Esther, who wouldn¡¯t return the paladin¡¯s gaze, ¡°other arrangements he might have.  Eventually, I went to the basement of the Artist¡¯s Alcove and saw Rooter proudly brandishing the phenomenal new crafting tools he claimed to have made himself.  Then I knew Gromphy was involved.  I figured you¡¯d want to rescue all three women in close succession before the rest of the game figured out what was happening.¡±


    Jace nodded at the sound reasoning.


    ¡°I promised Tami I would help her, and I keep my word.¡±


    ¡°You are a Pragmatic Undead Hunter,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Any promise you made to Tami isn¡¯t binding on your character.  We aren¡¯t going after ghost pirates.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about the pirates,¡± Wallace said.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Draya muttered from the end of the table.  ¡°There are ghost pirates?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m not doing this for the experience,¡± Wallace continued.  ¡°I¡¯m doing this as a friend.¡±


    Jace smiled.  He remembered the conversation with Gregory last night to get approval for these missions.  The agent wanted to kill Tami and didn¡¯t understand how anyone could have a problem with that since she was only a computer character.  He had no idea.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to follow you no matter what you say,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°So you might as well clue me in so I don¡¯t ruin your plan.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jace said.  He could use the help since he would be short-handed as Gromphy didn¡¯t really fit in this mission.


    ¡°And I¡¯m going wherever Thursa goes,¡± Esther said, mimicking the paladin¡¯s confident tone.


    ¡°And I shall accompany the elf and mage on the high seas.¡±


    Everyone turned to the open door to see the goblin crafter enter the room.


    ¡°Do I get to make any decisions?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Gromphy, I appreciate your willingness to help, but it will be chaos on the ships.  Without Adam to help you . . .¡± Jace winced as he realized it was still too soon to bring up the lost golem.


    ¡°I possess numerous beneficial spells for fighting sea-going brigands,¡± the goblin argued.  ¡°Chemicals to eat the sails, protections against arrows, and explosives the realms hath never seen.¡±


    Jace sighed for the third time.  ¡°Fine.  Esther, Wallace, and Thursa will come with me and Snowy.¡±  He looked across the table at the hulking druid.  ¡°We¡¯re going to a brothel; you might want to put a shirt on.¡±


    Esther gasped.  ¡°Jace!  How dare you!¡±


    He ignored her.  ¡°Draya, Psycho, and Gromphy will go hunt pirates.¡±


    ¡°Ghost pirates?¡± Draya squeaked, a tremor in her voice.


    ¡°No!  There are no ghost pirates.  There are no squids.  You need to rescue a merman named Shilah.  You know, it is probably good that Esther isn¡¯t going with you.  She¡¯d probably sleep with him before you brought him back to us and ruin everything.¡±


    Esther chuckled and looked at Thursa.  ¡°He¡¯s right; I probably would.¡±


    ¡°And your disguise?¡± Wallace asked.  ¡°You don¡¯t expect Jace Thorne can walk anywhere in this game and not be instantly recognized, do you?¡±


    ¡°I have my necklace,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°And more people know you as a human than an orc.¡±


    Jace shook his head and smiled, happy that at least part of his plan was good enough not to change.  ¡°I can use it to disguise myself as a half-orc.  I am an Honest character, and deception spells rarely work, but since I actually am an orc and a human, I get more bonuses to the spell than when it turns me into just a man.  No one will detect it.¡±


    ¡°And Snowy?¡± Wallace asked.


    Jace looked at his wolf lying on the floor and shrugged.


    ¡°Do you know how many players have a full-grown winter wolf as a familiar?¡± the paladin asked.


    ¡°We will take Snowy,¡± Psycho said, understanding the problem.


    ¡°And Esther?¡± Wallace asked.


    Jace had planned to take Draya, who was becoming a master illusionist.  She could disguise herself and Snowy with little fear of detection.  Esther, however, was more famous than Jace.


    ¡°She can wear some of my clothes,¡± Draya said.  ¡°I have a school uniform that will fit her.  With a pair of glasses and a little work on her hair, she will look like a respectable librarian.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Esther said, rolling her eyes.


    ¡°I like books,¡± Thursa said, putting his fork down.


    ¡°I do too,¡± Esther replied suddenly.  ¡°I read so many of them.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Jace asked, directing the question at Wallace.  ¡°Our friendship is known.  People might recognize you.¡±


    The paladin laughed.  ¡°You¡¯re special, Jace, but not that special.  I¡¯ve adventured with a dozen other players.  If someone sees me with a half-orc fighter and his librarian companion, no one will automatically assume it is you.  Plus, I¡¯ll throw a shirt on Thursa, and nobody will give us a second glance.¡±


    Esther harrumphed.  ¡°This mission is getting worse all the time.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jace said, putting his hands on the table and standing.  ¡°Any more last-minute changes to the plan?¡±


    ¡°Other than a general outline,¡± Psycho said, ¡°you haven¡¯t really told us what the plan is.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± the orc smiled.  He told them.

 Chapter 24

    Safe Haven was peaceful at dusk.  Most NPCs were at home or in a diner, getting food.  PCs didn¡¯t care as much about the time of day and roamed the streets freely.  Everyone knew Jace¡¯s party members, and the three powerful characters were given a wide berth as they moved toward the designated meeting place, Snowy growling at anyone who even thought about approaching them.


    Gromphy didn¡¯t get out much, and while most players knew about Jace¡¯s exceptional crafter, few had ever seen him.  The goblin wore a 3-piece suit and a top hat and carried a short cane.  His appearance likely wasn¡¯t what people expected, and several stared.  The black walking stick with a gold handle was a recent addition to the crafter¡¯s ensemble, and Psycho wondered what magical punch the crafter had designed into it.


    Their contact awaited them in a private home two blocks off the main street.  Houses could be purchased or rented by anyone.  They were like mini strongholds.  They provided a private, secure meeting place and gave you a travel node to move into and out of the city without detection.  Psycho knocked on the door, and when an elderly butler answered, the ranger allowed Draya, Gromphy, and Snowy to enter first before following after.  The servant led them to a grand living room with couches, chairs, end tables, a fireplace, and even a primitive piano in the corner.


    Before they could get comfortable, their host arrived.  He was human, level 13, and dressed as a flamboyant swordsman with a sea captain¡¯s hat.  ¡°Welcome, welcome; I hope the locals didn¡¯t gawk at you too much.  We residents of Safe Haven aren¡¯t used to seeing such celebrities.¡±


    Psycho and Gromphy frowned at the praise, but Draya smiled and nodded.  ¡°And you are Captain Renald Malcolm?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes, pardon me, pardon me, I¡¯m terrible at introductions.  I¡¯m a bit flabbergasted myself.  When your operator, or, well, Jace¡¯s operator, contacted us and volunteered to help me pass the Cloudspark module, it was a complete shock.  And now that you are here, I¡¯m a bit speechless.  I don¡¯t know what I¡¯ve done to garner such attention, but I¡¯m never one to look a gift horse in the mouth.  And being on Jace Thorne¡¯s good side can¡¯t hurt.  Oh, but yes, you asked my name.  Yes, I am Captain Renald Malcolm.  I assume you are Draeklynn Ember.  Is it true that you have a drag-¡±


    ¡°You can call me Draya,¡± she interrupted.  For someone who claimed to be speechless, he had a lot of words, and she didn¡¯t feel like answering questions.  ¡°This is Psycho, Snowy, and Gromphy.¡±


    Renald¡¯s eyes lingered on the goblin.  ¡°Ah, yes, the master crafter.  I had no idea what to expect.  Why, someone could give you a monocle, and we¡¯d be ready to play Monopoly.¡±


    Gromphy reached into his inner coat pocket, pulled out an eyepiece, and placed it on his face, squinting through the enchanted monocle.  ¡°Would this be to thy liking, then?¡±


    ¡°What, no, I mean yes.  It looks perfect, but you three obviously haven¡¯t played Monopoly before, or likely any board game, and my references are going to go right over your head, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Is there a ship we should be getting to?¡± Psycho asked, tiring of the man¡¯s incessant chatter.  ¡°As I understand, time is of the essence.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Renald said, calming slightly.  ¡°Right you are, it is indeed.  Please, come with me.¡±  He led them into a smaller side room, empty save for a travel node.  ¡°We will have to make an alliance for you to follow me.¡±  After completing the task, Renald activated the node and led the group through the nether.


    <hr>


    When Psycho, Draya, and Snowy materialized into a second, much smaller room, the obvious rocking of the ship was familiar to them, and they found their footing quickly.  Even though Jace had skipped through the voyage in the last mission, they had experienced three full days at sea.  Gromphy had never been on a boat before in his life and fell over after only five seconds.  As he dragged himself back to his feet with a hand on the wall, his face turned blue, and he looked like he was going to puke.  The skilled crafter pulled a vial from his coat and drained it.  His natural grayish skin tone returned, and he maintained his balance more easily.


    ¡°Right,¡± Renald said, observing how his guest adjusted to his ship.  ¡°Let¡¯s get you above and introduce you to the rest of my crew.¡±  The captain led the group through the cramped halls in the bowels of his ship before ascending two different staircases and emerging above deck.


    The sky was growing dark quickly, the sun falling behind a collection of islands to the west just visible on the horizon.  The clear sky highlighted the moon bright in the east, almost full.  It was still too early for stars to appear, but Psycho anticipated a glorious sight when they did.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡±


    The group froze and turned to their right as a dwarf walked out from behind a stack of barrels.  The characters stepped back, except for Snowy, who held her ground with flattened ears and teeth in a snarl.


    ¡°Oh, hi, Bash,¡± Renald said.   ¡°At ease, these are friends.¡±


    The surly dwarf lowered his hammer, but Snowy didn¡¯t back down.  <He is not a friend,> the wolf informed Psycho.  <He has attacked us before.>


    Psycho didn¡¯t recognize the dwarf but knew Jace had adventured with Snowy for a while before adding the ranger to his party and trusted the wolf.  ¡°Are you sure?¡± the elf asked, eying the short fighter and Snowy¡¯s persistent aggressive stance.


    Renald noticed the exchange and made a rare astute observation.  ¡°Oh, your wolf must have met one of Bash¡¯s many brothers.  He is one of the easier NPCs to get in a popular MIM.  There are probably two dozen of him walking around the realms.  Most advanced players dump him the first chance they get, but I find he is great pirate fodder, and he hasn¡¯t died yet, so I keep him around.¡±


    Psycho was shocked at how openly the player discounted his party member¡¯s autonomy.  Jace would never talk so callously about any of them.  However, the dimwitted dwarf didn¡¯t seem to take offense.  Snowy was bright enough to understand Renald¡¯s explanation, and the hair on her neck lowered as she relaxed her posture.


    ¡°Let me introduce you to the other crew members,¡± Renald said, leading the group away from the open hatch and along the starboard side of his ship.  They passed several deckhands that all looked the same, and Psycho recognized them as NPCs that likely came with the boat.  They were the true pirate fodder, as when they were killed, they would spawn anew in the crew quarters below deck.  Renald didn¡¯t bother introducing them as they likely didn¡¯t even have names.


    ¡°This is Keyvan,¡± the player indicated after thirty seconds of walking, motioning toward the quarter-deck.  Psycho couldn¡¯t see anyone at first as he looked above the railing that fenced the raised platform.  Eventually, he looked below the four-foot rail through the wooden balusters to see a halfling pouring through a spell book and occasionally issuing orders to the crew.


    ¡°He is a sea druid,¡± the captain explained.  ¡°He has a few good storm spells and can usually keep my sails filled with wind.  In a pinch, he can summon a pod of dolphins or killer whales to fend off a boarding party, but he isn¡¯t that offensive and usually hides during a fight.  I hear he really gets powerful at level 15, so I¡¯m waiting it out.¡±


    Psycho shuddered at the memory of the last psychotic, sex-crazed sea druid he had encountered and expected his experience with Keyvan to be vastly different.  The halfling didn¡¯t pay them any notice as he cast a spell into the air, and they had to grab onto the railing to keep their balance as the ship lurched forward with a gust of wind suddenly accelerating them.


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    Another short walk brought them to a salty-looking pirate standing at the ready before the bottom of the stairs leading to the poop deck.  ¡°Aye, Captain,¡± he said in a deep voice through a mouthful of scattered teeth shrouded by a black, scraggly beard.  ¡°Are these the reinforcement ya told us about?  They don¡¯t seem too potent.  I like the puppy, though.¡±  He laughed.


    ¡°This is Picket,¡± Renald said.  ¡°I¡¯m a pirate hunter, and he was one of the earlier bosses I had to defeat.  If you manage to keep him alive through the fight, he will join your party for the right amount of gold.¡±


    The pirate scowled at his captain and adjusted the cutlass strapped to his portly waist.  Psycho readied himself for an attack, but the surly character didn¡¯t draw his weapon.  ¡°Argh, there ya go again, talkin¡¯ like I ain¡¯t here.  How many times I got to tell ya, I¡¯m not as witless as that dwarf ya keep around.¡±


    Psycho smiled at the aware NPC.  He was level 15 already, two above Renald.  He likely came that way and wouldn¡¯t advance with the player.  Renald ignored the pirate¡¯s comment and motioned that he wished to move past the wide human.  Picket grumbled but stepped aside so the player could lead the group up to the rearmost portion of the ship.


    The stairs emptied them on the back of the raised deck, so they approached the last crewmember from behind as she stood tall at the helm, turning the large wheel slowly and adjusting to the ship¡¯s recently increased speed.


    ¡°Ellenay,¡± Renald called, clearing his voice.  ¡°Do you have a moment?  I¡¯d like to introduce you to our new allies.¡±


    Psycho noted with interest the respect the captain gave this party member but didn¡¯t give it much thought as his breath was stolen when the character before them turned about.  She was an elf, tall and regal, wearing lightweight plate armor that conformed to her slender curves.  She stood several inches shorter than Psycho, still tall for an elf, her gleaming auburn hair dancing on her shoulders in the sea breeze.  The ranger was instantly lost in her statuesque features and deep green eyes that seemed to shine in the low evening light.


    ¡°Greetings, adventurers,¡± she said, her voice solid and firm, a striking juxtaposition against the rocking vessel and changing winds.  ¡°I am Ellanay Yanellawa, knight of the Moon Blade order.  Captain Malcolm has informed us that you will aid us against our upcoming foe.  I look forward to fighting beside you.¡±


    ¡°I, uh, we . . .¡± Psycho stammered.


    ¡°We are pleased to meet you,¡± Draya said, stepping before her befuddled companion.  ¡°I am Draya. This is Gromphy, Snowy, and Psycho,¡± she added, indicating each of her companions as she named them.


    The female paladin smiled at the red-headed mage, but her eyes went up toward the elf.  ¡°Psycho?¡± she asked, a hint of a smile on her lips showing through her otherwise stern visage.


    ¡°My name is Nal Saikol Gladekin,¡± the ranger said, clearing his throat and regaining his composure before the stunning elf maiden.  ¡°We are honored to serve beside you.¡±  Psycho couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say while staring into Ellanay¡¯s eyes, so he turned to Renald.  Picket the pirate had also followed them up to the poop deck.  ¡°What are we about to face?  How formidable is this Cloudspark?¡±


    Before answering, the captain looked off into the distance.  The lanterns hanging about the ship masked how dark it had suddenly become, and Psycho followed the human¡¯s gaze out to sea to scan the flat horizon.  So far, no lights or sails were visible.  ¡°They come once it is fully dark,¡± Renald started.  ¡°They patrol these islands at night, hunting foolish merchant vessels trying to shave off a few hours¡¯ travel to arrive at port first thing in the morning.¡±


    The ranger¡¯s keen eyes picked out dozens of small islands rising out of the water all about them.  Most were too tiny to support a settlement, the perfect size for pirates to launch an ambush.


    ¡°The water is shallow here,¡± Renald continued, ¡°and a ship that doesn¡¯t know these islands could easily run aground.  It is far safer to sail around them, but that adds hours to the route, and the ships that arrive at the wealthy ports to the south first get the best prices.¡±


    ¡°So you pose as a merchant vessel,¡± Psycho surmised, ¡°and strike at the pirates when they try to ambush you.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Picket said.  ¡°That is how he bested me, but Captain Cloudspark is more warry than I be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Renald said.  ¡°Two ships will come at us first, one from the east, one from the west.  The storm mage will be on his much larger vessel further ahead.  He calls his ship Voltspear.¡±


    Psycho raised his eyes at the unexpected name.


    ¡°I know,¡± Renald misinterpreted Psycho¡¯s reaction.  ¡°It could have been something cool, like Lightning Bolt.  Anyway, he waits to see how the battle goes with his two other vessels.  If we are losing, he swoops in to finish us off.  If we hold our own or seem to be winning, he keeps his distance and eventually flees.¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°So we need to look like we are losing, to draw him within striking distance, but minimize our damages to still have a chance at defeating him.¡±


    ¡°It is a delicate balance we have yet to master,¡± Ellanay said over her shoulder.  The paladin had turned her back to the group to resume her role at the helm.  Psycho looked at her briefly and saw her holding eye contact with Keyvan a level below her.  The halfling had his eyes half-closed and occasionally lifted his left or right arm.  Psycho guessed the druid was in communion with fish swimming alongside the ship, guiding the vessel through the deepest path of this dangerous route.  Ellenay steered by Keyvan¡¯s directions.  The higher he raised his arms, the more severely she turned the ship.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Renald said again, drawing Psycho back to the group conversation.  ¡°Serenity is powerful; we can easily fight off the two ships sent against us.  Losing on purpose is difficult.¡±


    ¡°Serenity?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°My ship,¡± Renald said, caressing a nearby railing.  ¡°I mean, what else would I call her?¡±


    ¡°How about anything else,¡± Draya offered.  ¡°You fight pirates.  Hardly a serene activity.¡±


    ¡°But my name,¡± the captain argued.  ¡°Captain Renald Malcolm.¡±  He looked around at a collection of blank faces.  ¡°Malcolm Reynolds.¡±  Still nothing.  ¡°You¡¯ve never seen Firefly?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve never been to your world, Captain,¡± Ellanay said without turning.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Picket added.  ¡°I don¡¯t reckon I get any of the references he makes.  No need makin¡¯ me feel dumber than I already be.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Ellanay said.


    ¡°No one asked ya, she-elf!¡± the pirate blustered, his hand again dropping to the hilt of his weapon.  Psycho was ready to offer aid, but it was a hollow gesture, his party loyalty restraining his hot temper.  ¡°The sea ain¡¯t no place for an armored knight, ¡®specially one with a quick tongue!¡±


    ¡°Hear that, Psycho,¡± Draya whispered into the ranger¡¯s ear.  ¡°She has a quick tongue.¡±  The elf staggered as if punched, color filling his cheeks.  Draya laughed to herself.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Renald said, trying to regain order.  ¡°We tried it once.  We allowed ourselves to take a beating for several rounds, and Cloudspark drew just within range.  He deflected all our catapult attacks, hit us with a single bolt of lightning that took out our mainsail, and we didn¡¯t last much longer than that.¡±


    ¡°He destroyed this ship?¡± Psycho asked, looking around the pristine vessel.


    ¡°Not this one, obviously,¡± Renald said.  ¡°But one just like it.  They cost a fortune to replace.  We abandoned ship through the travel node below deck.  I don¡¯t know if he sunk her, but I¡¯ve reason to think he didn¡¯t pillage it.  I¡¯m not doing that again.¡±


    ¡°Beats gettin¡¯ captured,¡± Picket said.


    ¡°You¡¯d just turncoat again,¡± Renald said.  ¡°Always joining up with the victor of each fight you¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± the pirate agreed, not ashamed of the accusation.  ¡°Perhaps ya could be payin¡¯ me more to keep that from happenin¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°We can help.  I believe I can decimate the enemy ships without making it look like they are losing.  I assume you normally hit them with flaming pitch and grapeshot.¡±  The elf had seen the supplies beside the catapults while walking through the ship.


    ¡°It is the most effective,¡± Renald said.


    ¡°Arrows are stealthier,¡± the ranger said.  ¡°I can pick off the crew individually without making it look like the ship is on fire or taking damage.¡±


    The captain shook his head.  ¡°I have a few archers, but the attackers don¡¯t get that close until we are on fire.  And the bonuses you need to shoot from one unstable ship to another exceed any normal . . .¡± his voice trailed off as he remembered to whom he was speaking.


    Psycho smiled.  ¡°Distance won¡¯t be a problem.  Also, I¡¯m betting our crafter can manufacture some ammunition for you to disable the attackers without alerting Cloudspark.¡±


    All eyes went down to the goblin.  ¡°Perchance I can conjure something,¡± he said.


    ¡°And what about us taking damage?¡± Renald asked.  ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose this ship, even if I can trade it for Voltspear.¡±


    ¡°I can help with that,¡± Draya said.


    ¡°An illusion?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°Well, they aren¡¯t teaching me how to throw fire in school.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Psycho said, ¡°but the whole ship?¡±


    She frowned at his lack of confidence.  ¡°You worry about your arrows; I¡¯ll take care of the magic.¡±


    A bird call sounded in the night air, and all eyes went up to the top of the central mast, where a lookout repeated the sound.  ¡°Does he see them?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°No, but we are approaching the spot where they usually attack,¡± Ellenay said.  ¡°If you are as good with your bow as you say, you should get up to the crow¡¯s nest.¡±


    ¡°What, uh, but,¡± Psycho stammered.  ¡°I thought I could stay here with you.¡±  It was a stupid thing to say.  They were at the ship''s rear, and he would have to shoot through all the rigging to hit vessels attacking from any angle but behind.


    ¡°Nice try, Loverboy,¡± Draya laughed.  ¡°Get up there and stop complaining.¡±


    With a deep frown, Psycho did as he was told.

 Chapter 25

    A few minutes later, with Psycho in the crow¡¯s nest, Dragonwing in hand, Draya, Gromphy, and Snowy huddled in the middle of the ship with Picket and Keyvan. All lanterns had been put out, and the crew remained silent in the dark night. The halfling had his eyes closed again. He still gave occasional direction to Ellenay, but Draya had been told that he was more focused on communing with the fish to detect the pirate ships that would close in on them.


    ¡°How far out can his senses reach?¡± Draya whispered. The thrum of the waves against the hull produced a white noise that would drown out any sound short of an explosion, yet the young woman felt compelled to keep her voice down lest she be the one to alert the pirates to their presence, even though that was precisely what they wanted. ¡°Surely Psycho will see them first.¡± She could see nothing in the darkness but knew elf¡¯s eyes were different.


    ¡°P¡¯haps,¡± Picket said, ¡°but Captain said them pirates might have another trick up their sleeve tonight since y¡¯all are with us.¡±


    Draya had heard Jace talk with Gracie and Wallace in the past about how their group''s advanced skill often elevated the difficulty of their quests. She remembered that the mission she and Psycho had done to get the Frosthold had been more complex than their player escort had anticipated. He had blamed it on their level. Draya wasn¡¯t aware enough to know what all that meant and tried to think of questions to ask to unravel it.


    ¡°So there might be more than three ships this time?¡±


    Picket shrugged his shoulders. Draya looked out on the quiet waters at the tiny islands sliding past, lit by the moon and starlight. Most weren¡¯t large enough to hide a wagon, much less a pirate ship. Several rocks stuck out of the water, passing within yards of the large hull. She trusted the ship¡¯s crew to avoid them but shuddered as she thought they looked like tombstones poking through the waves. With the sun down, the air cooled just above the water, forming swirling curls of mist that skimmed over the waves like ancient spirits.


    ¡°Maybe we be seein¡¯ the ghost pirates tonight.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Draya said. ¡°Jace promised . . .¡±


    ¡°Maker, have mercy,¡± Gromphy said, rolling his eyes at his companion¡¯s response.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard rumors of them, meself, but I know plenty o¡¯ sailors that lost ships to the spirits of the seas. They hide in the mist and pract¡¯ly board you before you see ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the undead,¡± Draya said, fire brimming in her eyes. ¡°I had a bad experience with a lich.¡±


    The pirate backed away from her, fear on his face. ¡°Then they prob¡¯ly just be pirates, as before.¡±


    Standing to their left, Keyvan stiffened and raised his hands. ¡°They comin¡¯,¡± Picket grinned. ¡°Not ghosts, then.¡± Draya wanted to ask more, but the man held his hand to silence her. From Psycho¡¯s perch, three short calls pierced the night. Picket nodded. ¡°Three of ¡®em then. This will be a fight.¡±


    Serenity had been acting like a merchant ship before, silent and dark, trying to slip through the pirate-infested waters without being seen. However, as the three pirate ships closed in, the jig was up, and the deck exploded into action. They lit lanterns and raised catapults into position from where they had been hidden below the railing before. Serenety¡¯s instant transition from a merchant vessel trying to remain unseen into a warship didn¡¯t deter the advancing pirates, and soon Draya saw them too, just over the horizon, bearing down on their location like sharks. They moved with speed that conflicted with the still night air, and she realized they each must have a mage or druid aboard.


    Ellenay had little flexibility in the course she could take, with shallow rocks rising around her, but with the Keyvan¡¯s help, she found a path that minimized the pirates'' ability to flank them completely. The attackers used smaller ships with less draw and weren¡¯t as restricted by the shallow water. Still, they had to avoid the rocks protruding from the surface. Draya watched as two of the advancing vessels nearly crashed into each other as one had to veer more directly toward the nimble Serenity and avoid an underwater reef.


    Long before Draya could discern individual figures scrambling around approaching ships, she heard the repeating twang of a bow from above. She glanced up to see Psycho letting fly with arrow after arrow, aiming toward the pair of ships. She didn¡¯t know how he could see what he aimed at, but cries of pain carried over the water. Draya turned her eyes toward the other elf on board and saw Ellenay glance between the lofted archer and the distant targets with a look of wonder on her face.


    ¡°Atta boy, Psycho,¡± Draya muttered. ¡°She¡¯ll be butter in your hands after this.¡±


    ¡°Picket!¡± Renald shouted. ¡°Organize the catapults against the lone attacker.¡±


    ¡°Aye, aye, sir.¡± The bearded man leaped into action, moving NPCs around to coordinate their own assault.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡±


    The captain shook his head at the eager dwarf. ¡°Not yet, Bash. In a few moments. Help Picket.¡± He turned to Jace¡¯s crew. ¡°Goblin crafter, uh, Gromphy,¡± the captain stuttered. ¡°You have something that will disable that ship without making it look destroyed?¡±


    ¡°I shall endeavor to provide aid to that end,¡± he replied, ejecting his chest from his inventory and getting to work.


    ¡°Is that a ¡®yes?¡¯¡± Renald asked Draya.


    ¡°I think so,¡± she answered. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°Cloudspark¡¯s ship usually comes from that direction,¡± the captain said, pointing ahead between two distant mountainous islands. ¡°If you are going to make it look like we are losing, that is who you will need to convince.¡±


    Draya moved more toward the front of the ship, climbing the forecastle and peering out into the misty night. So far, nothing had moved on the horizon, and she turned to watch the battle unfold around her to understand better how to create a convincing illusion.


    Arrows cut into the water in a shrinking arch around the ship, fired by attackers who thought if Psycho could make the shot, they could too. They were wrong, as most shafts didn¡¯t come within 100 feet of Serenity. Draya still couldn¡¯t see Psycho¡¯s targets, but she imagined the chaos on those ships as pirate after pirate fell dead with an arrow through their head.


    While the attackers were still out of range with their bows, their catapults could make the shot. Three flaming balls of pitch hissed into the water around the ship before the fourth one found its mark. However, Keyvan was ready, and a whale surfaced briefly beside the boat to eject a plume of water into the air, extinguishing the projectile before it touched the ship. The heavy ball still hit hard, shattering through two barrels and sending the crew retreating.


    Gromphy worked diligently amidst the chaos and wasn¡¯t roused from his activity until the second ball of extinguished pitch exploded into the quarter-deck ten feet away, spraying him with hot tar. He cursed in goblin, put down what he was doing, and stepped more toward the ship''s center to cast a protective spell. A glowing orb expanded from his position and soon covered most of the middle, the fore and aft still exposed.


    The next ball came in a few seconds later, and the druid wasn¡¯t ready with another whale spout to extinguish it. It didn¡¯t matter as it splattered against Gromphy¡¯s shield like a rotten egg on a window. Flame spread from the explosion, riding the dome¡¯s curve and touching against the sails that stuck above the spherical barrier. The crew cheered at first and then scrambled into a bucket brigade to douse the flames. Draya locked the image of burning sails into her memory and then turned to the ship''s far side.


    Gromphy finished his previous preparations and delivered large, white stones to the catapult crew. The peculiar ammunition steamed into cool air, and Draya discerned it was cold, not hot, as the mist soon mingled with the clouds that already covered the water.


    The ship on that side of Serenity was just getting in range, and its third pitch ball splattered against Gromphy¡¯s shield and slid into the water. The Serenity crew needed thick gloves to handle the crafter¡¯s bitterly cold creations and soon had them loaded and fired. Picket was a better shot than the attackers, and under his guidance, they didn¡¯t need to miss twice to zero in on their target. Draya saw the white projectiles burst onto the deck of the distant ship into intense pockets of snow. A blizzard engulfed the vessel briefly before whatever mage was on board could blow it back into the sea.


    At first, it looked like the attack had only proved to be an annoyance, but the next pitch ball they sent wasn¡¯t on fire, and the ship was suddenly angled in the wrong direction, turning directly toward Serenity so its catapults didn¡¯t have an angle to fire. Draya saw its sails frozen solid, unable to catch the wind as before, with its rudder coated in ice and stuck in the wrong direction. A second later, the ship hit a massive rock (no, an iceberg!) and threw half a dozen people overboard.


    ¡°There he is.¡±


    Renald¡¯s voice pulled her away from the battle, and Draya looked forward to see a massive ship, easily fifty percent bigger than Serenity, emerge from the gap between the distant islands and bear down on their location.


    ¡°If you are going to do something, do it quickly,¡± Renald says. ¡°They have magical spy glasses. If he gets any closer, he will see what is happening and turn to run. We can¡¯t catch him.¡±


    Cloudspark was still almost a half mile away, and Draya couldn¡¯t make out any features of the ship other than its size. Still, she trusted the captain and got to work. After wisely stepping back into the safety of Gromphy¡¯s protective shield, she entered her inventory and began forming the spell she needed. This would be the biggest illusion she had ever cast. She would need her entire mana pool for this. She filled her mind with images of the flaming sails and men falling overboard. She had seen enough arrow victims in her short life to add a few. A gaping hole in the side of the ship wouldn¡¯t hurt, and, having just seen one of the attacking vessels list hard to one side after hitting the iceberg, she added a tilt to Serenity as well.


    Satisfied with what she had built, Draya released the spell and almost fainted from the exertion. She caught herself on a railing and fell to one knee. Shaking the cobwebs from her head, she began to pull herself up, hoping the illusion had worked. Her feedback couldn¡¯t have been more instant.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± Renald cried out. ¡°My ship is on fire!¡±


    Draya rolled her eyes at the captain¡¯s stupidity and started to call out to him not to worry. However, she paused and let him go. She had designed plenty of damage and carnage into the illusion but neglected to add characters reacting to it. If Couldspark saw the fire and dead bodies littering the ship but no one racing around in response, he might grow suspicious. Instead, the Serenity crew splashed water on imaginary flames and tried to haul away phantom bodies littered with arrows.


    A check on the approaching ship showed the massive vessel had not deviated from its intercept course. If anything, it appeared to be gaining speed, likely trying to arrive before the beleaguered craft sank. Draya examined the other three ships and saw them all in mostly working order. The pair of ships approaching from starboard no longer fired flaming attacks, likely because they didn¡¯t have sufficient crew left after Psycho had annihilated them. However, if the pirates aimed to take this ship in one piece, it would make sense for them to refrain from further attack with the Serenity already engulfed in flames.


    The lone ship from the other direction had thawed its rudder and limped toward them. It also didn¡¯t attack anymore, likely because the snow had extinguished all their fire. However, one could assume the same logic as before, and Draya hoped the inactivity wouldn¡¯t raise alarm.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Motion from beside her startled Draya, and she jumped as Psycho landed on the deck, having swung down from the crow¡¯s nest on a rope. ¡°I know the flames aren¡¯t real,¡± he said, ¡°but I still can¡¯t concentrate on what I¡¯m doing.¡±


    Draya looked back up at where he had been and saw the imaginary fire burning out of control just below the crow¡¯s nest. The ranger would have been roasted alive if the flames were real. Captain Malcolm also realized the illusion had fooled him as the peculiar fires were impervious to his bucket brigade.


    ¡°Is any of it real?¡± he asked, unwilling to completely abandon the extinguishing efforts.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Draya replied. ¡°Your ship is in perfect working order.¡±


    ¡°And the attackers?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I left a skeleton crew,¡± Psycho replied.


    ¡°Aha, argh!¡± Picket cried in celebration, approaching the group at the front of the ship. ¡°So they indeed be a fleet of ghost pirates!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t start,¡± Darya said, incapable of resisting the shudder that went through her at the thought.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡±


    ¡°Not yet!¡± Renald said, not bothering to turn to address the dwarf.


    ¡°But soon?¡± Psycho asked, his bow out with an arrow trained on Voltspear, approaching quickly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Renald said. ¡°The last time Cloudspark got this close, it was because my ship was actually on fire and sinking. I wasn¡¯t here when he boarded. A level 25 mage might have a death spell to wipe us all out first.¡±


    ¡°Aha, argh! Then we be the ghost pirates!¡±


    ¡°Shut up, will you,¡± Draya scolded.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t turn tale and run if he could do that,¡± Psycho said, ignoring the antagonistic pair.


    ¡°True,¡± Renald admitted. ¡°I know a few players who¡¯ve attempted this module and stayed to fight. They all died and weren¡¯t forthcoming with information as to tactics. We can¡¯t give anyone else an advantage, can we?¡±


    Psycho sighed, happy he was joined to Jace who didn¡¯t care about such petty issues. He let the frustration go and looked to his left and right. The other ships still drew near, but it was more of a listless approach than a determined flank. They should be swinging alongside Serenity to keep her from maneuvering while Cloudspark closed in. Instead, they drifted straight at them and not accurately. If they kept their current trajectory, the three ships would miss their target and crash into each other in Serenity¡¯s wake.


    ¡°Can you see the mage?¡± Renald asked. ¡°Can you take the shot?¡±


    ¡°I can see him,¡± Psycho confirmed. ¡°He has a spyglass and doesn¡¯t look happy.¡±


    ¡°Take the shot,¡± Draya said.


    Psycho shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s almost a thousand feet. I can hit him, but I won¡¯t kill him, and then he will know something is up.¡±


    Renald looked from port to starboard, realizing how unconvincing the lifeless pirate ships looked around them. ¡°He¡¯s going to figure that out anyway.¡±


    As if on cue, the massive ship before them made a sharp turn to starboard. As big as it was, the vessel took its time, and as Renald screamed at his crew to stop Serenity¡¯s meager coasting and go full power ahead, Psycho drew tension on his bow. Cloudspark stood at the front of his ship, and in a few seconds, when the massive vessel completed its turn, the ranger wouldn¡¯t have a shot. They got within 800 feet before the angle closed and Psycho fired. The distance was so great that it took a full round for the arrow to complete the flight, and when it did, a shimmering oval enveloped the mage, and Psycho¡¯s arrow deflected into the water.


    The archer cursed. ¡°He erected Piercing Immunity. I missed.¡±


    ¡°Then shoot the rest of the crew,¡± Draya said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple. To shoot that far, I must spend two rounds on each shot.¡± Already, the ship was mostly turned around, presenting the broad rear end of the vessel. They couldn¡¯t see any crew.


    ¡°How fast can we go?¡± Draya asked. ¡°Can we catch them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been able to before,¡± Renald said, ¡°but we can try.¡±


    ¡°Thy ship is indeed lethargic,¡± Gromphy confirmed. ¡°Wilt thou allowest me to enhance thy vessel?¡±


    The captain shrugged his shoulders and looked at Draya. ¡°Translation?¡±


    ¡°He wants permission to make your ship go faster,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes, please, by all means, go, do it, do your thing.¡±


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡±


    ¡°No, not you!¡±


    Gromphy ignored the chaos and got to work. He stopped first at the main sail, pulled oil, copper, and silk from his trunk, cast a spell, and drew a circle around the thick mast. The wooden pillar grew and straightened, extending another ten feet into the air, and the area of its top sail grew by fifty percent. The ship shuddered under the weight and extra leverage.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± Ellenay cried. The paladin struggled with the wheel as the ship wanted to lurch from side to side.


    Gromphy wasn¡¯t done and dripped liquid silver down the ship''s hull, casting more spells as he did. Instantly, Serenity straightened as her breadth swelled to give the vessel a more stable purchase in the water. The goblin worked between each of the masts, fortified the rudder, and even disappeared into the hold to make adjustments.


    As he scrambled about, a few remaining pirate archers from the approaching ships took potshots at him. They weren¡¯t as accurate as Psycho, and as the arrows thudded into the decking, missing the sprinting goblin by several feet. Draya responded with her dragon staff. Each ship only took one fireball, and they were soon floating funeral pyres. ¡°Take that, ghost pirates,¡± she said and rejoined the rest of the crew at Serenity¡¯s prow.


    After each improvement Gromphy made, the ship lurched forward. When he was finished Psycho, Draya, and Renald were nearly blown off the forecastle by the wind whipping past them.


    It was usually impossible for a sailing ship to create a headwind, as they were supposed to work with the air currents, not against them. However, usually, those ships didn¡¯t have a broken level 20 crafter on board. Gromphy had enchanted the bowsprit and added a flying jib that shielded the sails from the wind. They only caught the magical breeze Keyvan produced. And, after the halfling drank a potion Gromphy gave him, the druid threw a hurricane at the masts.


    The distance to Voltspear decreased.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Renald said, holding on to his hat as he watched the goblin race around his ship and turn it into the fastest water-going vessel in all the realms. ¡°I was looking forward to upgrading by trading for Voltspear, but I¡¯d be a fool to get rid of this now.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t listen and stayed focused on the ship before them. He still couldn¡¯t see anything besides the vessel¡¯s massive rear end. He had put a few flaming arrows into the back, but the fire had died almost instantly. He figured it was enchanted with a protection spell. Plus, he had to use his less accurate elemental bow to make those shots, as he didn¡¯t have the mana to fill the arrows with magic. An idea struck him, and he changed back to Dragonwing. ¡°Draya,¡± he said, holding out one of his fire arrows. ¡°Do you mind filling this with something more potent?¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± she said, drenching the arrow with dragon fire and then handing it back to the archer. The shot was now under 700 feet, almost in range of one of Draya¡¯s fireballs, but they still wanted this ship in one piece. The arrow thunked into Voltspear¡¯s backside, and the fire did not die off this time, slowly spreading over the wood. After another three arrows, the rear was engulfed and lost considerable speed as the navigator had to abandon the back deck, and the ship bounced off unseen rocks below the surface.


    A priest must have finally responded to the trouble as the flames eventually died down, and further attacks did not yield the same result. Still, the damage was done. The cables tying the rudder to the wheel were gone, and the rear hung into the water, adding considerable drag.


    ¡°Pull alongside him!¡± Psycho called back to Ellenay, and the pilot responded, angling the speedy ship to starboard until Psycho once again had a clear view of the prow where Cloudspark stood. With the Piercing Immunity in place, the mage couldn¡¯t move, but he could still cast spells, and Psycho didn¡¯t like what he saw.


    The pirate captain finished waving his hands, and a massive storm inserted itself between the two ships. The starry canopy above disappeared, replaced by angry black clouds filled with lightning. Gromphy¡¯s enchantments allowed Serenity to cut through the wind and rain without problem, but the passengers needed to hold on for dear life. Even without the Piercing Immunity surrounding the distant mage, Psycho could barely see through the wind and rain and couldn¡¯t attain stable enough footing to remain motionless for the necessary two rounds to take the shot.


    ¡°Gromphy!¡± the elf screamed in the wind. ¡°Can you do anything about this?¡± The ranger kept his eyes forward on their target, but when he didn¡¯t hear a response, he turned to find the goblin. Gromphy was hanging on for dear life, his small fingers gripping a taut line, his body flapping behind him in the wind like a flag. Somehow, his top hat stayed on. Whether the crafter heard Psycho¡¯s call or not, he didn¡¯t reply, and the elf knew not to press it.


    He turned instead to the captain, who fared little better, gripping the railing with white knuckles, his hat gone. ¡°We need shelter from this storm. What can you do?¡± Lightning flashed at the ship, and the copper-enchanted masts guided the electricity safely into the water and away from the valuable sails. Serenity didn¡¯t slow, Gromphy¡¯s spells keeping the ship together for now. That wouldn¡¯t last forever. ¡°Surely you have a way to combat weather.¡±


    ¡°Keyvan can give you a pocket of calm,¡± Renald shouted above the wind. ¡°But not while he is simultaneously pushing the ship.¡±


    Psycho looked back at the halfling, his eyes still half-closed, pumping spells into the taut sails. While everyone around him fought against the elements, he stood calmly, not even his curly hair affected by the wind. The ranger returned to their target and saw Voltspear pulling away from them, already near his range¡¯s limit again. While the storm was beating them down, it pushed the enemy ahead. It didn¡¯t matter if Serenity held together, they would lose their prey if they didn¡¯t do something fast.


    ¡°I need him up here,¡± Psycho said, returning to Renald. ¡°The ship will have to coast forward without him.¡±


    The captain nodded and raced to the quarter deck, his movement aided by the wind. Psycho took the opportunity to rescue Gromphy, gripping the goblin by his coat lapels and wrenching him off the rope. The ranger had him sheltered behind a wall when Keyvan arrived. The halfling knew his job and, without saying anything, erected a sphere of calm in the raging storm. Instantly, Psycho¡¯s cloak and hair fell straight by his side again. Draya¡¯s dress was tighter, so she hadn¡¯t fought against her clothes as much, but her hair had been tangled into knots from the gale, and she desperately combed at it with her fingers.


    Psycho entered the quiver built into his cloak and pulled one of the level 15 arrows Gromphy had made for their last adventure. He treasured them above all his other arrows but knew this desperate shot would require the best. He knelt before the crafter, still huddled into the concave shelter at the front of the ship. ¡°I need to penetrate a level 25 Piercing Immunity spell,¡± Psycho said, holding the arrow out to the crafter. ¡°What can you do?¡±


    Gromphy nodded silently, used his cane to stand up, straightened his hat, and dusted himself off.  He took the arrow from Psycho and rolled his eyes back in his head.  His massive trunk was beside him shortly, and after rummaging through it, he turned to Psycho.  ¡°Level 25, Mage, Piercing Immunity, Death Shot?¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°Death Shot would be great, but I really just need to end the spell.  I can kill him with the second shot.¡±


    Gromphy sighed and continued digging through his trunk.  ¡°Thou knowest ¡®tis called IMMUNITY for a reason.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°I hoped you might have a way to. . .¡±


    ¡°Say no more,¡± Gromphy cut him off.  He emerged a few moments later with a collection of crystals, two potions, a scroll, and a live sparrow.


    ¡°What . . .¡± Draya asked, stepping away from the goblin, fearful of what might happen to the bird.  ¡°How many animals do you have in there?¡±


    The crafter glanced at her.  ¡°For the wind,¡± he said.  He returned to the collection of ingredients, took a deep breath, and then looked up at Psycho.  ¡°Promise thou wilt catch me.¡±


    ¡°Catch you?¡± the elf asked.


    Gromphy didn¡¯t clarify.  Instead, he drank one of the potions, poured the other over the bird, and gathered energy for six seconds.  After a flash that could have been lightning striking the ship, the ingredients vanished in an explosion of blues, yellows, and a few feathers.  Only the arrow remained, held loosely in the goblin¡¯s still hands.  His eyes were blank as he teetered forward, allowing the arrow to roll off his fingers to the deck, and then he rocked back on his heels, falling past the point of no return.


    Psycho remembered Gromphy¡¯s last request and deftly knelt beside the unconscious crafter to catch him before his head hit the wood.  Heat rolled off the goblin¡¯s limp body, sparks leaping between his splayed fingers.  Draya crouched beside the pair as well, and the elf let the woman¡¯s gentle hands take over as she rested the crafter¡¯s head in her lap so Psycho could fetch the arrow.


    The archer turned to see Keyvan lifting it off the deck.  The halfling¡¯s mouth was open in shock as his magical skills read the spell cast on the projectile.  ¡°A god in goblin form.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Psycho said, reaching his hand toward the druid.  ¡°But I need it now.  Our prey is getting away.¡±


    The halfling handed the arrow to the elf and stood back.  Already, the ship had 800 feet on Serenity, pulling further away each second.  Power radiated from the arrow as Psycho pulled Dragonwing¡¯s string back to his ear.  He needed to wait for a full round to aim and then let go.  All eyes followed the arrow as it sliced through the wind and rain, streaking like the lighting that flashed around it.


    In the distance, Psycho could barely see the expression on the mage¡¯s face as the arrow homed in on him.  Because of his protection spell, he couldn¡¯t move, so instead, Cloudspark looked on with confidence, thinking he would easily make the saving throw.


    He thought wrong.


    The immunity spell disappeared, and the arrow split the mage¡¯s skull clean in two, striking with such force that it lifted him from the deck and tossed him into the churning sea.  The violent storm between the two ships vanished as if it had never been there, and all the characters on Serenity, not in Keyvan¡¯s tiny bubble of calm, lurched against the suddenly absent wind they had been fighting.  The storm¡¯s disappearance created a momentary energy vacuum that sucked the ship forward and had the opposite result on Voltspear, reducing its speed to almost nothing.


    Psycho looked at his bow in awe and then down at Gromphy.  There was no way that should have had enough power to dispel the immunity and kill the mage so dramatically.  He hadn¡¯t been that successful against the level 15 shamans at Stormhold.  Cloudspark must have rolled a one.


    Keyvan also stood in shock, and Renald had to tell him twice to resume his post at the base of the mainsail.  The halfling scrambled into position, and the chase resumed.  Within a few rounds, Serenity closed over half the distance, a few hundred feet, and the crew readied for an attack.  Psycho didn¡¯t have the best angle to pick off enemy sailors, and the pirates were smart enough to take cover from the deadly archer.  Still, by switching to his elemental bow, he peppered the ship with lightning and acid, softening it for the inevitable boarding party.

 Chapter 26

    The ships were almost alongside each other.


    ¡°Things will get violent in a few moments,¡± Renald told Draya and Psycho.  The pair looked to their right to see the sailors readying grappling hooks to tie the two ships together and enable boarding.  ¡°You might want to take him below.¡±  The captain looked down at the goblin.


    Draya lifted Gromphy¡¯s limp form from the deck and cradled him like a child in her arms.  She couldn¡¯t move the magical trunk back into his inventory, so she kicked it closed and watched as it locked.  Draya ran with the goblin clutched to her chest through the assembling fighters and down a flight of stairs to find a safe place for the crafter during the fight.


    Psycho stayed above, still trying to find a few targets to take out, but everyone was hiding as they pulled alongside the doomed ship.  ¡°You better put that away,¡± a strong female voice said from behind him.  Psycho turned to see Ellanay walking up the steps to the forecastle.  She held her moon blade in one hand with a teardrop shield in the other.  By the ranger¡¯s estimation, they were a day or two from a full moon when the paladin¡¯s powers would be at their peak.  Still, the sword gleamed in the moonlight and looked as sharp as Diamond Etcher.  ¡°I hope you sling steel as well as you fling arrows.¡±


    Psycho smiled as he put his bow away and drew his katana, eager to fight side by side with the elf maiden.  ¡°I know how to handle a sword.¡±


    She grinned at him.  ¡°I hope so.¡±


    Psycho wasn¡¯t given time to determine if a double entendre was intended as Serenity lurched sideways toward the pirate ship as grappling hooks pulled the two vessels tight.  Despite his incredible dexterity, Psycho nearly fell to the deck.  Ellanay laughed at him and ran for the ship''s starboard side.


    Battle cries sounded as the Serenity crew leaped over their railing and assaulted the seemingly empty ship.  It didn¡¯t stay that way for long as pirates jumped out from behind barrels, up from hidden hatches, and down from the billowing sails.


    Besides the pirate soldiers, spell casters opened fire on the invading crew, and several men fell to fireballs, Stunning attacks, and Entanglement spells.  Half of Renald¡¯s meager forces left the fight in the first round; most were not dead but wouldn¡¯t get up for several rounds.  Cloudspark¡¯s crew was larger, and due to the increased difficulty of the mission, they were all level 12 or above.  Psycho began to wonder if they were going to fail after all.


    He watched the first few interactions between the fighters as he scrambled to get into position and saw Renald¡¯s forces take heavy losses.  The ranger understood why Jace had wanted Esther on this mission; her blades would have turned these pirates into mincemeat, and the Slashing Immunity her armor gave her would have let her walk through their ranks untouched.  Psycho reached the railing and wondered if it was worth jumping across when the tide changed.


    ¡°I smash and bash!¡±


    The berserking dwarf made a dramatic entrance into the foray, charging headfirst toward half a dozen pirates that all outclassed him.  Psycho thought it was suicide, but over the short fighter¡¯s head leaped a mass of white fur as Snowy crashed into the waiting defenders, crushing them to the deck.  In all the excitement of the chase, the ranger had almost forgotten the winter wolf.  The dwarf followed, smashing and bashing the fallen pirates further into the wooden panels.


    ¡°Aha, argh!¡±


    Picket also attacked the soft spot in the ranks.  He was a level or two above the defenders, and his itchy sword hand finally held his cutlass.  He slashed, ducked, and spun through the pirates with reckless abandon.  Psycho and Ellanay followed suit, leaping across the short gap between ships and hitting the left flank that was trying to close in on the chaos in the center.  The paladin was only level 13, even or slightly below most of the fighters, but she couldn''t be stopped in the moonlight, with her blade and armor glowing with added enchantment.  Psycho also made easy work of the lower-level pirates, and the route was on.


    When the defending ranks thinned, Psycho kept his eye out for their actual mission.  Jace had given him a description of Onan, the second son of King Neptudah, and the handsome, blonde fighter should be as obvious as a fish out of water in this motley crowd of scraggly, dark-bearded pirates.  He eventually found him locked in combat with Ellanay toward the ship''s rear end.


    Psycho threw off the few attackers who dared get near the powerful ranger and raced through the roiling crowd.  A few magical attacks hit him, one attempting a Stun, the other bathing him in acid.  He saved against both, sheathed his sword, and returned fire with his bow, impaling one spellcaster and toppling him off the ship.


    The other spell caster was a witch, and once she saw the ineffectiveness of her spell on the high-level ranger, she turned her attention to the other elf in the crowd.  She had partial cover behind some barrels, and Psycho had no shot unless he stopped and aimed.  He didn¡¯t have the time.  ¡°Ellanay!¡± He cried.


    The paladin momentarily stepped away from her fight with Onan and felt the witch¡¯s curse approaching from the left.  She raised her magical shield in that direction, which allowed her to save against the spell but opened her to attack from her melee opponent.  The merman was level 16 and finally had an opening for his sword.  The elf cried out in pain as the blade slipped through her armor, and she fell Dazed to the deck.


    Psycho was still 30 feet from the pair and wouldn¡¯t get there in time, so he stopped and raised his bow as the merman prepared for his kill.  ¡°Onan!¡± the archer shouted, still needing a few seconds to prepare his shot.  The would-be pirate looked up, instantly recognized his adversary''s skill, and leaped for the ship''s side, his body transforming as he jumped.


    Psycho was up for the task, having already selected Pinning Shot.  The arrow lanced through the air and skewered the tail fin of the fleeing man.  His sideways momentum halted, and he was carried backward ten feet until the arrow sunk into a thick post, hanging the merman upside down by his tail like a prized catch.  The ranger followed his shot, leaping up two flights of stairs to get a better angle on the witch.  He turned to fire again behind the barrels, but she wasn¡¯t there, and his shot thudded into a keg of ale.


    A sinister cackle brought his attention to the rigging just above his head.  ¡°I saved my best spell for last, elf,¡± she cried.  Psycho adjusted his aim up and back, letting fly before even seeing the witch.  When his eyes did focus on her, he saw the woman lower a magically constructed, single-use tower shield, his arrow harmlessly bouncing off to the side.  As the guard dissolved off her arm and she brought both hands forward to cast, Psycho knew he couldn¡¯t Dodge this next spell.


    He didn¡¯t have to.  A fireball blasted the witch from her perch, and she was dead before hitting the water on the ship''s far side.  Psycho turned back to Serenity to see that Draya had returned to the deck after safely hiding Gromphy below.  She lowered her dragon staff and waved toward the ranger.  Psycho returned the gesture in thanks and spun toward Ellanay.


    The elf maiden struggled to rise; her Dazed condition already ended.  Psycho offered his hand, but she shrugged it off, getting up on her own with her eyes focused on Onan hanging by his tail.  ¡°I know you are skilled enough to have killed him.  Why leave him alive?¡±


    Psycho looked confused.  ¡°He is my mission.  I¡¯m looking for his younger brother, likely somewhere on this ship.  Didn¡¯t your leader tell you why we were helping you?¡±


    Ellanay laughed.  ¡°Captain Renald Malcolm tells us things?  What reality do you live in?  His?¡±


    She was fully erect now, and Psycho still had his hand awkwardly forward.  He brought it back.  ¡°Sorry.  I guess I¡¯m too used to my leader.  He rarely keeps us in the dark and trusts us to go on missions on our own.¡±


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    She turned from the inverted, struggling merman to look Psycho in the eyes and smiled.  ¡°Must be nice.  You¡¯ll have to introduce him to me sometime.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to,¡± the ranger said, drawing closer to the paladin.  ¡°But, you better know ahead of time, he is an orc.¡±


    She laughed again.  ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t know who Jace Thorne is?  Renald doesn¡¯t let us out often, but I¡¯d have to be living under a rock not to know that.¡±  She paused.  ¡°Anything I need to know about you?¡±


    Psycho frowned, wondering what the maiden would think when she discovered he was a quarter-orc.  Any fantasy playing out in his mind about a future with Ellanay disappeared, and he remembered his mission.  The one Jace had trusted him to complete.  And here he was, flirting like Esther.  He turned from the paladin sternly and strode toward Onan.


    His actions stunned Ellanay, and she wondered if it was something she had said.  She was about to call after him when a motion to her right caught her attention, and she saw Draya running up the steps to their position.  ¡°Oh, good,¡± she said, slightly out of breath.  ¡°You caught him.¡±  She started to rush past Ellanay, but the elf caught her arm firmly, stopping her short.


    ¡°Is he okay?¡± the paladin asked, nodding toward Psycho.


    ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t know,¡± the mage answered.  ¡°I didn¡¯t see him in the fight.  I assume he didn¡¯t get injured against these lower-level pirates.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the elf shook her head.  ¡°I mean, is he okay?  Does he have some trauma he is working through?¡±


    Draya laughed.  It seemed like all of Jace¡¯s companions had issues from their past.  The skilled player had a talent for freeing unique characters from the game, which usually came with consequences.  She wondered how much of this she should share with Ellanay.  ¡°Well, you don¡¯t get the nickname ¡®Psycho¡¯ for no reason.¡±


    Ellanay thought about this and shrugged.  She turned to follow Draya toward the captive, with Snowy close behind.  They found Psycho squatting to get down to eye level with the stuck fishman.  ¡°Where is your brother?¡±


    Onan was Securely Grappled, not Helpless.  As long as he didn¡¯t struggle, he could talk.  With his tail pinned, he couldn¡¯t transform back into a human.  ¡°Who wants to know?  What business is it of yours, elf?  Since when have forest dwellers had dealings with us, merfolk?  Let me go.  You¡¯ve defeated the pirates, and you can have the ship.  If you don¡¯t release me, my father. . .¡±


    ¡°Your father,¡± Psycho interrupted.  ¡°Does he know what you¡¯re doing?  Does he know your plan to usurp his throne?  Or were you planning to donate the riches you earned from these pirates?¡±  Psycho would need to render the merman Helpless to root through his inventory and was willing to bet he¡¯d find a fortune.


    Onan was suddenly less talkative.


    ¡°I thought so.  Now, where is your brother?¡±


    He remained silent.


    ¡°Snowy,¡± Psycho said, turning to see the wolf and two women standing behind him.  He had built a relationship with the animal and had sensed she was there.  Draya and Ellanay parted to let the familiar through.  ¡°If you get his scent, can you find his brother?¡±


    <If I must,> Snowy replied, cautiously walking up to the smelly prey.  Fish was food for cats.  Wolves preferred red meat.  Still, Snowy bared her teeth and got close to the pinned merman.  With the wolf¡¯s chilling breath against his upturned face, Onan did struggle now.  He failed his roll and was rendered Helpless, swaying gently back and forth like a pendulum.


    Snowy bit him gently to stop the movement and took a reluctant whiff.  After a few moments, she pulled away and took a long breath of the sea air.  It was partly to clear the strong fish smell and partly to detect any similar scents nearby.  <Yes,> the wolf said in Psycho¡¯s mind.  <He is on board below deck.>


    The ranger nodded.  ¡°Draya,¡± he turned to the mage.  ¡°Follow Snowy and rescue our prince.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she replied, taking off after the wolf.


    ¡°What do we do with him?¡± Ellanay asked.  The wind had started Onan swinging again, and the Helpless character was powerless to stop it.  The paladin tried not to become hypnotized by it.  Merfolk had an innate ability to charm surface dwellers, and even inverted and trapped though he was, Onan was not ugly and had a captivating presence.  She cast a protection spell on her mind and focused on the ranger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Jace did not say what to do with the older brother afterward.  It isn¡¯t part of our plan.¡±


    ¡°May I ask,¡± Ellanay said, ¡°what is your plan?¡±


    Psycho saw no reason not to tell her.  By the time he finished, Onan¡¯s Helpless condition had expired.  ¡°So my father is in league with the Aden Clan,¡± he said.  The two elves were so taken with each other that they had forgotten he was there.  ¡°He dishonors our people by bargaining with pirates and stealing my bride.¡±


    Psycho laughed at him.  ¡°What are you doing?  You are on a pirate ship working with the most notorious captain in the realms.  And you have ignored your people¡¯s promise to Tamar.  How does that bring honor?¡±


    Onan laughed.  ¡°I am stealing from these pirates, and I¡¯ve made them no promises.  As for Tamar, where is she?  You say the Aden Clan has her, then bring me to them.  I shall fulfill my duty if I must.¡±


    Ellanay scoffed at him.  ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve missed your chance, and these good people have found a more willing mate.¡±


    On cue, Draya and Snowy led a weakened young man up the steps to the back of the ship.  He wore loose pants and an embroidered vest set with yellow gemstones over a bare muscled chest.  Draya couldn¡¯t keep her eyes off him.  It was a good thing they hadn¡¯t brought Esther.


    Psycho knew it must be Shelah, and to prove it, the man exploded in anger when he saw his older brother.  ¡°You trader!¡±  He ran up to kick Onan¡¯s head, and no one stopped him.  The merman started swinging more violently, preventing a second kick.  ¡°When our father hears about what you¡¯ve done . . .¡±


    ¡°Our father!¡± Onan called back.  ¡°Our father!  Have they told what he is doing right now?¡±


    The confused look on the young man¡¯s face let Psycho know Draya had not explained their mission to him.  ¡°That can wait,¡± he said.  ¡°For now, what shall be done with him?¡±


    ¡°Cut him down and throw him in shackles,¡± Shelah replied.  ¡°I will commune with our gods to determine his fate.¡±


    ¡°Are you a priest?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Shelah replied.


    ¡°Good.  Our crafter needs aid.  Perhaps you could heal him before we take you to your father and Tamar.¡±


    ¡°I would be glad to,¡± the young man said.  ¡°Though a potion of healing and restoration would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°I think we can manage that,¡± Psycho said.


    <hr>


    A few minutes later, they were below deck on Serenity.  Draya had placed Gromphy in a hammock hung near the back of a storage room.  She had administered a restoration potion, and the Goblin¡¯s mana was back at full, but he was still unconscious.  Renald, Picket, and Keyvan also joined the group.  Psycho noticed the party had leveled up to 14 after defeating Cloudspark and his crew.  The halfling druid had already attempted to aid Gromphy but didn¡¯t have the right spells.


    Shelah was at level 16, like his brother, and two rounds after stepping up to the sleeping character, the master crafter stirred in the hammock.  The merman had been hesitant when he saw he was meant to revive a goblin but knew he didn¡¯t have the luxury of xenophobia since his own race was often mistrusted.


    Upon waking, Gromphy didn¡¯t have the Dexterity necessary to exit the hammock gracefully and required Draya¡¯s gentle aid to find his footing on the wooden floor below.  Once again, he felt woozy and needed another potion to restore his balance.


    ¡°Are you well enough to travel?¡± Psycho asked once it appeared Gromphy had his bearings.


    The goblin hesitated in response, his eyes rolling up into his head.  The ranger waited a few seconds until Gromphy returned his attention to the group.  ¡°My apologies,¡± he said.  ¡°Gracie demanded an update as to our progress.  I informed her we had a few tasks yet to complete.  They encountered resistance, prevailed, and are waiting for us now.  We hath a few minutes to continue.  Have we vanquished the pirates?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Psycho replied.  ¡°They are all dead or captured.¡±


    ¡°The mage captain too?¡± the goblin asked.


    Psycho looked confused.  ¡°Yes.  Your arrow killed him.  I didn¡¯t think that was possible.  It was quite spectacular.¡±


    Now, Gromphy looked puzzled.  ¡°A single shot?¡± he clarified.  Psycho nodded.  ¡°That canst be.  The Maker hath not blessed me with that much skill.¡±  He thought about it for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°No matter, we can thus proceed to our next task in these waters.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Psycho said, ¡°I think we are done here.  The Travel node is in the next room.  If Gracie told you where Jace is, we can be there in seconds.¡±


    Gromphy smiled.  ¡°Dost thou not realize why I accompanied you on this volatile mission?¡±


    Psycho gave the crafter a blank stare.


    ¡°Tis not for my love of the sea.¡±


    ¡°The Frosthold,¡± Draya said, remembering their earlier conversation.  ¡°You want to use the merfolk¡¯s mana source to purge the stone core of lava.¡±


    Gromphy nodded.


    Psycho looked confused.  ¡°What does the Frosthold have to do with this mission?¡±  He had been eager to prove himself useful when Gromphy requested a cold mana core but hadn¡¯t dug into why.  When he had asked Draya, the mage had started a long, magical explanation that the ranger didn¡¯t fully comprehend.  He trusted Draya and Gromphy¡¯s skills, but Jace put him in charge of this mission, and he knew they needed to return to their leader as soon as possible.


    ¡°We need to do it,¡± Draya insisted.  ¡°This is our only chance to fix it.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t spend any effort trying to understand what was broken.  ¡°Do we have time?¡±


    ¡°Gracie advised their situation has not escalated to a critical stage,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°We have time if we cease this banter and make haste.¡±  He turned to Shelah.  His crafter powers could discern other characters'' abilities and powers, and the merman was easily identifiable.  ¡°Wouldst thou be willing to offer aid?  Is thy kingdom far from here?¡±


    Shelah nodded.  ¡°It is the least I could do.  After all, Onan would still have me locked in the pirates¡¯ hold if it weren¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Draya said.  She turned to Renald to see if the captain would ferry them a bit farther.  He nodded.  ¡°Then let¡¯s go.¡±

 Chapter 27

    Shelah led them out to sea for several miles, which only took Serenity fifteen minutes. The heavily enchanted ship cut through the water like a fiery blade through cream. Renald had left Picket in charge of the remaining members of his crew to see to the repairs of Voltspear. Keyvan stayed behind to tend to the wounded and guard the few pirates who had switched sides toward the end of the fight.


    Renald knew several players that would give him a fortune for Voltspear. It was far more valuable than a magical weapon, and only one existed in the game. He would be a rich man soon. He was more than willing to take a slight detour to help the curious goblin who had made it all possible.


    Ellanay was the only one of his unique crew that stayed on Serenity for this mission, and Renald put Psycho and Draya to work hauling lines and angling sales while the female elf navigated. Cloudspark¡¯s ship wasn¡¯t the only prize Renald got, as he had plundered gold and gems worth tens of thousands. Once he had deposited it into his ship''s treasure store, he got the option to spend some of it to respawn the nameless NPC crew members he had lost. Before they reached their destination, experienced sailors emerged from the crew quarters. They took over for Psycho and Draya, allowing the pair to appreciate the cool night breeze for the trip¡¯s final few minutes. Gromphy found his trunk at the prow where he had fainted and spent the quick trip sorting through it.


    Once they arrived, Psycho, Draya, Gromphy, Renald, Ellanay, Shelah, and Snowy assembled mid-ship. They stood next to the door that serviced the gangway when docked. Now, with it open, it only offered access to the cold, dark water below. ¡°What exactly is our plan?¡± Psycho asked, eying the drop-off with trepidation.


    Gromphy said nothing and pulled out the crafting project he had been working on. Everyone took a step back. This was the first time Psycho had seen it. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°The Armanacore,¡± Gromphy said.


    ¡°The what?¡±


    Draya laughed, happy the crafter had finally found a good name for the item. ¡°It is the armadillion¡¯s mana core. You know. The reason we got the Frosthold.¡±


    ¡°It looks . . . different,¡± Psycho said. What had been an amorphous blob, constantly shifting in shape, was now a perfect 20-sided gemstone of polished black obsidian with glowing orange centers on each face.


    ¡°What do you need the magic of my kingdom for?¡± Shelah asked in awe. ¡°If you are capable of crafting such an item. There is nothing I can help you with.¡±


    ¡°I wish to join this with a living soul,¡± Gromphy explained. ¡°Presently, the lava core is alive, but alas, it will spell doom for the potential host. Once extinguished, this will be an inanimate lump of rock. Powerful, but unable to fuse with a life. You are fused with a fish, Draeklynn with a fire wyrm. Likewise, this must become a living stone.¡±


    Shelah looked at Draya, unaware she had a dragon inside her, but he stayed on topic. ¡°Ahh, that my kingdom can do. It creates and maintains living coral as its primary function. However, we will need substantial fuel. Do you have gold and gems?¡±


    ¡°I thought we might avail ourselves of a wealth already destined for thy kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Shelah said.


    Psycho understood and looked outside the group to the ship¡¯s central mast. There, Onan was shackled and lashed tightly to the thick pole. The younger merman saw the tall elf¡¯s attention shift to his older brother and nodded. Shelah walked over to Onan, who had learned quickly not to struggle against his bonds lest he be rendered Helpless.


    ¡°This plan of yours, whatever it is, won¡¯t work, little brother,¡± the captive spat. ¡°Already, I have allegiance greater than our father. If you kill me, no one will . . .¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Shelah said, walking up to him and pressing his hand against Onan¡¯s shoulder. The added force rendered the older brother Helpless, and Shelah could explore his inventory. Within a dozen seconds, he had extracted more than enough hoarded wealth to fuel his kingdom for a month.


    Onan sensed what his brother had done and leaned forward once released, momentarily forgetting his bound state. His arm strained toward his sibling, and he failed his roll, collapsing into a limp figure lashed to the mast. Shelah regarded his pathetic form and sighed. He spun away from the captive and returned to the waiting collection of characters. ¡°That should be enough,¡± he informed them.


    ¡°Is there a protocol for entrance into thy kingdom?¡± Gromphy asked.


    ¡°That depends,¡± Shelah asked. ¡°How many are coming? I could smuggle one of your stature without issue.¡±


    ¡°I need Draeklynn,¡± Gromphy said.


    ¡°If the young woman is going,¡± Psycho said, ¡°I am too. I won¡¯t let anything happen to her.¡±


    ¡°If I may,¡± Ellanay ventured, ¡°I would also like to accompany. I¡¯ve never seen a merfolk kingdom before.¡± She looked at her leader, and Renald nodded.


    ¡°Is it everyone, then?¡± Shelah asked.


    The captain lifted his hands and stepped back. ¡°I like to keep my head above water, thank you very much. Besides, someone has to stay and look after the ship.¡±


    The merman looked at Snowy, already expecting the response. The wolf whimpered, shook her head, and stepped toward the captain, away from the open door and the eerie black water below. ¡°Five of us. Very well.¡± He looked at Psycho and Ellanay. ¡°With the armor you are wearing, the trip down will be easy. You will have to remove it to return.¡± He looked at Gromphy and Draya, who didn¡¯t wear armor. ¡°You can hold my hands.¡±


    ¡°How long will we need to hold our breath?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°Longer than you likely could,¡± Shelah said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I shall take care of that if you stick close to me.¡± He moved to the open door. ¡°The longer we wait, the more apprehensive you will be. We should go now.¡± Without another word, he dove out through the gap in the railing with perfect form. His legs transformed into a tail, and his pants disappeared into his inventory. The merman made hardly a splash as he knifed into the water.


    Gromphy was the only character in the group who couldn¡¯t swim yet was eager to see this mission through. He was the next to follow, performing a cannonball in the water right above Shelah¡¯s entry point. The rest of the group wasn¡¯t to be outdone, and they jumped one after another.


    True to his word, Shelah hovered just under the water''s surface in the center of a ten-foot sphere. Outside the circle, Psycho struggled with the weight of his suddenly wet cloak and sodden pants, but once he kicked his legs and pumped his arms to maneuver into the pocket of magic, that encumbrance disappeared. He could tell he was still underwater, as his limbs moved through the ¡°air¡± as if weighed down, but his clothes hung naturally, and he felt compelled to open his mouth and ¡°breathe.¡± Oxygen filled his lungs. It felt cold and thick, like breathing in a heavy fog. Psycho turned around to see the other characters adjusting to the unique experience. Gromphy had jumped directly into the protective sphere and clung to Shelah like a frightened child to his mother. The two women showed similar concern on their faces but refrained from any bodily signs of desperation.


    Ellanay struggled the most as her plate armor dragged her to the bottom of the sphere, and she kicked and swam desperately to keep her head in the safe zone. Shelah noticed her discomfort, took Draya by the hand, and inverted his body to swim down. The sphere moved with him, and he matched the speed of Ellanay¡¯s natural descent. Psycho had to swim to keep up and eventually reached out to grab that paladin by the ankle. Initially, she kicked out in alarm, fearing a predatory fish had snared her. Once she saw who it was, she relaxed and allowed the fellow elf to descend beside her, and together, they swam down as fast as they could, hand in hand. Shelah had no problem matching their speed.


    Only the priest''s magical vestment gave any light in the inky blackness, the moon from above a distant memory. Gems in his tunic glowed faintly yellow, glimmering off the scales on his lower body. The merman pulled ahead of the elf pair, giving them a beacon to follow and diminishing the oppressive blackness around them.


    Soon, Shelah was not the only light they saw. Ahead, a faint glow appeared in the distance. As they drew closer, the light increased, and soon, they could make out a spherical dome bathed in the same soft yellow glow of Shelah¡¯s vestment.


    It was a city, and Psycho appreciated their relatively slow approach, giving him ample time to take it all in. The buildings inside the dome were constructed of stone and coral decorated with flowering seaweed and luminescent invertebrates. A rainbow assortment of tiny fish swam in schools through the ¡°air¡± of the city like birds above towering cathedrals. Above sea level, on the surface, it was rare to see a structure taller than three stories outside of a magical wizard¡¯s tower, but underwater gravity worked differently, and vast staircases weren¡¯t needed to traverse vertically through the tall structures. The dome was relatively small, not more than a mile in diameter, but its impressive height must have allowed it to house thousands of merfolk.


    As they drew within a few dozen feet of the upper edge of the dome, Psycho saw two other mermen standing guard at the entrance, having spotted the approaching troop a long time ago. Behind them, the city seemed almost deserted.


    ¡°Prince Shelah,¡± one said, leveling a trident toward the group. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Prince Onan did not tell us of any planned visit. Outsiders are not welcome, especially while the king is away.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°And why would I need my brother¡¯s approval to enter my own city?¡± Shelah asked, stopping with ten feet between his bubble¡¯s curve and the dome.


    Psycho also helped Ellanay pull up short, and together, they treaded water effectively. For a moment, the female released his hand to remove her heavy armor now that they had descended. Psycho tried hard not to be distracted by the way her undershirt clung to her wet body.


    ¡°I, uh, well,¡± the guard stuttered under Shelah¡¯s pointed question. ¡°It was my understanding that you were under his care. That you were on a mission above to, uh, bring . . .¡±


    ¡°Under his care?¡± Shelah almost shouted. ¡°Am I still a child? Yes, we are on a mission to bring wealth to our kingdom. And I have done just that. It is too much to carry alone, so I have brought my associates.¡±


    ¡°Your, ah, associates?¡± the other guards asked. ¡°And a goblin? Never has such a creature entered our . . .¡±


    Gromphy released his hold on the merman, trusting him not to let him fall, and produced his massive trunk. The sudden weight nearly dropped him like a stone, but Shelah¡¯s tail was up to the challenge, and with a firm grip on the crafter¡¯s belt, he held him aloft. Gromphy opened the chest briefly, magically manipulating the contents so it showed what he wanted. Diamonds, gold coins, and bags of rubies practically spilled out of the full box, glowing brightly with their own magical presence.


    ¡°Well, uh, that certainly looks . . .¡± the first guard said.


    ¡°My apologies, sir goblin,¡± the second said. ¡°I had no idea . . .¡±


    Even Shelah¡¯s jaw grew slack at the tremendous wealth. He composed himself quicker than the guards did. ¡°May we pass now? May I enter my home?¡±


    ¡°Uh, of course. Please.¡±


    The guards floated to the side, allowing passage through the small gap in the dome. Shelah led the group through and turned to Gromphy once they were safely out of earshot of the guards. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try an illusion like that again,¡± he said. ¡°My people have a strong resistance against magic, especially when inside our kingdom.¡±


    ¡°What illusion?¡± the goblin asked.


    ¡°All that wealth you just showed.¡± Shelah looked into Gromphy¡¯s unflinching face. ¡°That wasn¡¯t an illusion? Then why did you say you needed my brother¡¯s stolen riches?¡±


    ¡°They were available,¡± Gromphy said. ¡°Dost thou not agree that we shalt use them for a more noble cause? Wouldst thou rather they be used to bribe thy father¡¯s subjects?¡±


    Selah shrugged, conceding the point. ¡°I fear that might have already happened.¡± He glanced back at the guards who had delayed them but continued without further comment. He led the group through the towering spires toward the city¡¯s center. The merman moved quickly, though obviously not as quickly as he could, allowing the others to keep up.


    Psycho took in the sights, savoring this unique experience. The ¡°atmosphere¡± inside the dome was comparable to the experience inside the priest¡¯s bubble, only the magical aura was much more potent. They had struggled to swim in the ocean, but now he could will his body in any direction, and movement was simple. They proceeded leisurely without kicking or stroking their arms, and Shelah was patient with them, allowing the guests to savor the experience.


    Still, Psycho expected more. He had anticipated mermen and maids swimming about the kingdom in colorful clothes, but it looked more like a ghost town. They saw at most half a dozen merfolk swimming between buildings, and they darted in and out of sight as fast as lightning. Once the group entered the central capital structure, the density of merfolk increased, but only slightly.


    As they moved through tighter hallways and got closer together, Psycho asked about it. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Shelah said. ¡°It concerns me too. We have never been a large kingdom in my lifetime, but I agree that the city looks empty. I know my father is out, as you have informed me, and he has likely taken a large group with him. I fear my brother was right when he said he has garnered loyalty among my people. If our mana core felt too strong a dissident force, it might lash out to protect itself. Perhaps Onan has sequestered his contingent elsewhere.¡±


    He paused to look at Psycho and Gromphy, wondering who the leader of this mission was. ¡°I do not regret assisting you, and I will keep my word. But we must not tarry. I fear horrible things are about to happen.¡± Psycho asked no more questions, and the rest of the trip took place in silence.


    Two more merfolk stood at attention outside the domed structure housing the central mana core. Their appearance more closely matched Shelah¡¯s priestly attire than the guards they had met earlier. After a few quiet words from the prince, they left their post and allowed the group entrance. None of the characters were players, so none had ever seen a power plant or nuclear reactor before, but if they had, comparisons to this setup would have been instantaneous.


    A glowing yellow ball of pure energy sat at the top of a six-foot-tall, raised dais in the center of the domed encloser. Only the top half of the ten-foot sphere was visible, but they all assumed its full shape was contained in the raised platform. Though it looked like a miniature sun, no heat emanated from it. Instead, a thick collar of gold, silver, and diamonds encircled the ball with thick cables running down the slope and out to the room''s perimeter, undoubtedly carrying the magical energy produced to the vibrant kingdom outside.


    There was little space along the room¡¯s perimeter to stand, so the group floated up along the slopped dais to look closer at the pulsating sphere in the center. Gromphy pulled a ruby from his vest and tossed it into the orb. The gemstone vanished as soon as it entered the translucent sphere, and, like a long snake swallowing a mouse, everyone could feel a lump of energy pass through the six pipes and exit the room.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Gromphy said. He had stayed close to Shelah since they had entered the water but now left the priest and swam down toward two giant cables lying on the floor.


    ¡°What will you do?¡± the merman asked.


    Gromphy didn¡¯t answer. Instead, he had his chest out and began removing items that far exceeded the trunk''s external size. Soon, he had two crafting tables erected in the limited space, with smaller cables extending down from each. After a flair of crafting magic, they connected to the much larger lines flanking them. Gromphy placed potions, books, gemstones, and even a live rat on the two tables as he worked in a flurry of action. Eventually, he pulled the Armanacore from the trunk, set it gently in a cradle on one table, and put the Frosthold on the other.


    ¡°What in the name of the sea gods is that?¡± Shelah said at the sight of the last object. As a priest, he could feel the power of the magical artifact and floated further away. He didn¡¯t know which scared him more, the dizzying web of dragon fire on the outside or the depth of the polar vortex in the center.


    Gromphy didn¡¯t answer. He finished connecting the objects with more cables and mixed the raw ingredients, snapping the rat¡¯s neck and dropping it into the concoction at the end. Even though they were all underwater, the sea did not mix with his volatile potion that bubbled and hissed into the liquid atmosphere.


    ¡°Add the gold now,¡± Gromphy said. He waited for six seconds, and when nothing changed, he turned to look at Shelah expectantly. ¡°We hath no time to waste,¡± he added.


    The merman priest had floated as far from the goblin as possible, pressing his back against the curved roof almost fifteen feet above the floor. ¡°What are you doing? What if this goes wrong? I didn¡¯t know you had . . .¡±


    The potion in Gromphy¡¯s hand grew more violent, and cracks appeared in the glass. ¡°Do it now!¡± the little goblin shouted, his voice a gargled yell in the confined room.


    Shelah responded without thinking, emptying his inventory into the city¡¯s mana core. The tremendous wealth he had collected disappeared into the energy cell and sent massive waves of magic through the six cables. However, the pulses that traveled through the two conduits that flanked Gromphy¡¯s position never left the room, diverting instead into his workstation. The goblin finally poured his concoction over the Frosthold and watched as the dragon fire leaked out of the outer layers, turning the ambient water into steam pockets.


    Soon, the entire workstation disappeared in an intense vapor cloud, and everyone else looked on eagerly, fearful of what might be happening inside. A spell from Gromphy cleared the vapor before it burned him and allowed him to focus on the transfer.


    Psycho watched intently. As the least magically inclined character in the room, even he could follow the paths of energy taking place. With the containment Draya had placed on the Frosthold removed, the vortex to the lower planes was free to suck heat out of anything within range, and it naturally went for the hottest thing it could find. Gromphy had secured it to the Armanacore, and Psycho watched the orange glow inside the intricate stone fade as the Frosthold sucked the lava into oblivion. Lest the stone lose its magical and living properties, the massive cables along the floor pumped power into it in equal measure.


    It took several rounds for Shelah to deposit the significant wealth his brother had stolen and even more for the kingdom¡¯s mana core to consume it. When the process was close to completion, Gromphy called out. ¡°Draeklynn! Come hither! I need thy fire!¡±


    The mage swam over as instructed and stood across the tables from the goblin, with her back almost pressed against the room¡¯s domed walls.


    ¡°When the spell concludes, thy dragon fire is required to encase the Frosthold once more.¡±


    She nodded in silence, carefully monitoring the process. The Armanacore was almost empty. Its orange glow was reduced to nothing and replaced with a vibrant blue pulsing energy. Gromphy¡¯s hands were poised over switches controlling the diverted power as he surveyed his experiment. ¡°Now!¡± he said suddenly, throwing both levers so the magic again pulsed through the giant cables and out of the room.


    Draya picked up the Frosthold and summoned her dragon fire. Gromphy grabbed the transformed stone and swam out of the way as a bubble of intense vapor instantly consumed the young woman. Everyone in the room felt the temperature rise and floated further away. As quickly as the steam cloud appeared, it vanished, sucked into oblivion by the awoken Frosthold. Instead, ice formed in the water, drawing crackling lines like lightning emanating from the artifact¡¯s center.


    Draya panicked and emitted another torrent of dragon fire. She could melt the freezing water around her but couldn¡¯t get her magic to penetrate the complex outer network of the tesseract. She turned it over in her hands, trying to apply fire to every side, but the four-dimensional object defied her three-dimensional efforts and found ways to leak out and freeze new lines of ice in the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s not working!¡± she cried, desperately trying to keep up with the hungry vortex. ¡°I can¡¯t get my fire in.¡±


    ¡°You idiots!¡± Shelah said. ¡°Dragon fire doesn¡¯t work underwater.¡±


    Gromphy had a look of pure terror cross his face. ¡°Oops,¡± he added in a tremendous understatement. ¡°We must all flee,¡± he said with sincere urgency. His trunk was already in his inventory, and he abandoned everything else he had extracted and swam toward the exit.


    Shelah was right on his heels. ¡°I must warn my people,¡± the priest said. ¡°We need to evacuate the city.¡±


    Ellanay tugged on Psycho¡¯s arm, but the ranger didn¡¯t move. ¡°I will not desert her,¡± he said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Leave!¡± Draya shouted. ¡°I will give you time.¡± Strain filled her voice as she constantly rotated the device, fighting desperately to keep the deadly ice at bay. ¡°I can hold it off for a little longer.¡±


    Psycho pulled his elemental bow and loaded a flaming arrow. He fired within a second and was surprised to see how much speed the projectile maintained as it streaked toward his target through the watery atmosphere. However, the fire disappeared when it left his bow, and the arrow glanced off ice crystals forming around his target. He fired six shots in two rounds, and only the final one hit the Frosthold. It bounced off harmlessly.


    ¡°Go!¡± Draya shouted again.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die!¡± Psycho bit back.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll wake up in bed, like Esther,¡± the mage replied. ¡°No sense in both of us going through that process. Jace will need your help.¡±


    ¡°Nal,¡± Ellanay pleaded, tugging on the stronger elf¡¯s arm. ¡°We need to go. You know she¡¯s right.¡±


    Psycho cursed and put his bow away. ¡°Jace will never forgive me,¡± Psycho replied.


    ¡°But you will be alive,¡± the paladin replied.


    Tendrils of ice escaped Draya¡¯s efforts and attempted to wrap themselves around the reluctant elf. He drew his katana and shattered them like hacking at a dozen tentacles trying to ensnare him. Psycho knew that if the ice touched his flesh, the artifact could suck the heat out of him in seconds. He cursed again and allowed Ellanay to drag him out of the room, leaving Draya alone to battle the Frosthold.

 Chapter 28

    ¡°Ignis,¡± Draya cried out to the demon connected to her dress. ¡°Ignis, leave your volcano alone for a minute and give me some help! You owe me.¡±


    Ignis Ardeat had indeed been playing with his volcano. It was all he had done since Draya had linked him to it. Now, he reached out to his new favorite servant and recoiled quickly. The Frosthold again, he said. Just seal it up as before and leave me alone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± she screamed, feeling ice encroaching on her hair. She activated her little used Dragon Breath spell and tossed her head about, pushing the ice back momentarily. ¡°I¡¯m underwater.¡±


    Oh my, he replied. That is unfortunate. He paused. Well, thank you for the volcano. I love it. I wish you luck respawning.


    ¡°What?¡± Draya said. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    I have mage fire at my disposal. It also doesn¡¯t work underwater. Your dragon fire is three times more powerful. If it does not work, I can not help you. Don¡¯t worry. Characters in your realm respawn. It is not so everywhere, but you will be fine. Freezing to death is not fun, but it is unavoidable.


    Draya rolled her eyes at the unsympathetic demon. Despite what she told Psycho, she wasn¡¯t sure she would respawn because she had no confidence the Frosthold would kill her. Though it wasn¡¯t alive, she could feel a distinct malevolence within the vortex. It could freeze her into a coma. Her pulsing dress would keep her filled with mana and alive. Then the Frosthold could suck heat from her for all eternity. Draya shuddered at the thought and shuddered again as ice nipped at her legs. She released another torrent of dragon fire. While flames never escaped her fingers into the water, she still produced tremendous heat, and the ice retreated.


    ¡°You have to be able to do something!¡± Draya said desperately. ¡°What other power do you have?¡±


    I. Have. Fire. That is all I have. Come, look for yourself.


    Traveling down the curse to connect with the demon usually took all of her concentration, something Draya was currently devoting elsewhere, but Ignis opened the path wide for her, and she found she could split her attention for a moment.


    Hell was an unpleasant place, filled with rocks, salt, and iron. Nothing lived there, and the air was choked with sulfur. However, it wasn''t too bad compared to the freezing water she now found herself in. After a round of inspection, she confirmed Ignis was right; he only had access to simple mage fire in his immediate dwelling. Draya didn¡¯t even try to siphon any of that into her realm. The dress gave her 100 damage worth every round, and she wasn¡¯t short on mage fire.


    Instead, she focused on the sulfur in the air. That didn¡¯t come from Ignis or his fire. Something else in his vicinity must be producing it. Her magical aura left his secluded cavern and wandered the hellish landscape.


    Where are you going? You can¡¯t go out there. It isn¡¯t safe. You might not respawn.


    Draya, out of options, ignored him. She followed the essence of sulfur to a steep drop-off and a bubbling pool of lava far below. No, she thought, that wouldn¡¯t help. Lava was weaker than dragon fire. Then she stopped. It wasn¡¯t a pool of lava. It was . . .


    Demon Fire.


    No, Ignis cried. Don¡¯t do it!


    Draya didn¡¯t listen. Her aura leaped off the cliff and plunged into the pool below. Instantly, she cried out in pain ¨C not just her body, but her soul. The dragon within her retreated, and hissing, scorching, incinerating fire burned through her veins and out of her hands as her attention returned to the physical realm. Demon fire didn¡¯t care about water, and dark red flames enveloped the Frosthold, having no problem navigating the fourth dimension to shut off all access to the surrounding water.


    The arctic artifact was not alive, yet something inside it whimpered and shrank back at the demonic power inflicted upon it. Draya poured the fire into the tesseract even as it burned her from the inside out, dropping her health precipitously without hope of recovery. The chaotic nature of the fire prevented her from navigating the intricate pathways surrounding the Frosthold, and after a few seconds of frustration, she no longer tried. Instead, she only dumped the power straight down the center of the vortex.


    The mage¡¯s health dropped below 50 after only a few rounds, and something inside her knew she had to stop, but she couldn¡¯t. The power raged through her more intensely than any amount of dragon fire she had thrown. It attempted to enslave her even as it ruptured her veins and ripped apart her skin. Yet, it did even more damage to the Frosthold. She wrenched the artifact in her clenched hands, veins popping in her face and neck like a thousand-year-old witch wrestling with a stubborn pickle jar.


    A moment before it was too late, Ignis violated the curse and severed the connection.


    The fire stopped suddenly, and Draya lost consciousness, dropping the Frosthold with her health at seven. She floated aimlessly in the water, covered in scars and burns, black lines tracing every vein in her body like a deranged tattoo artist had attacked her.


    The life-giving mana core in the center of the room had finally consumed all the wealth Shelah had supplied, and it reached out to the young woman. Her injuries were beyond its ability to heal, blocked by whatever demon had violated her. Yet, it understood she had endured this torture to save the kingdom. While it knew a frozen destiny was still in its future, it could work to save this woman from the same fate. It couldn¡¯t heal her, but it could restore her consciousness while she remained within the mana core¡¯s influence.


    Draya¡¯s eyes fluttered open, and she winced at the pain she felt in every fiber of her being. Burns covered her inside and out, and each bend of a joint or stretching of skin sent a fresh wave of agony through her. She wanted in that moment more than anything to die, but a sixth sense urged her to survive and that she was still in imminent danger. She turned about in the room, her floating body alerting her to something unusual. Eventually, her head angled down, and she saw the Frosthold lying on the floor. It was beaten down but not defeated.


    The water was unbearably hot, and her fire immunity kept her from taking additional damage. Even though demon fire had produced the nearly boiling water, the flames were gone, and the resulting heat was treated typically. Draya focused on the Frosthold and sensed the vortex coming back to life. The demon fire had only drilled it far down into the tesseract, unable to lock it in permanently. Already, the cooling water felt good against her painful skin, and she wanted to stay, but deep inside, she knew better.


    Draya fled the room, leaving the dangerous artifact on the floor. She experimented with shooting fire out of her hands to accelerate her through the water and found her dragon core unavailable. It still cowered deep inside her, fenced in by the vicious demon fire that had coursed through her. Regardless, she still had a full mana pool and tried using mage fire instead. It worked, but the hallways leading away from the central room were narrow. She repeatedly crashed into the walls, slowing her down more than the fire helped her. Draya was still at seven health, and hitting the walls too hard might kill her. She saved it until she was out in the open.


    Before leaving the building, she heard an ominous crackling from behind, and tremors shook the coral structure as the growing ice in the center shattered the inner rooms of the capital. She met no one during her escape, as Shelah had spread the warning, and the merfolk could swim much faster than she could. She finally exited the building and looked around for Psycho, Gromphy, and Ellanay. They weren¡¯t immediately visible, and she stopped looking as, behind her, the building cracked and exploded from the ice expanding within it.


    Draya didn¡¯t remember where the entrance to the outer dome was and hoped it didn¡¯t matter. If she were in charge, the dome would allow anyone to leave and only restrict entrance. With that hope firmly implanted in her mind, she looked straight up, held her hands close to her side, and propelled herself away from the growing ice with jets of fire from both hands. The water quenched the flames instantly, but the steam shot her up like an arrow.


    Her mana dwindled quickly, and she noticed her dress wasn¡¯t working either. Checking her distance to the shimmering dome above her, she didn¡¯t think it would matter. She had just enough fire left to exit the city. The thought of how she was supposed to breathe in the open ocean passed through her mind briefly. Before she could worry about it, she passed through the barrier and lost consciousness.


    <hr>


    Ellanay had to drag Psycho almost every inch of their escape as the loyal elf hated leaving Draya behind. Still, despite their labored travel, they caught up to Gromphy as the tiny goblin swam as fast as a turtle. Instead of passing him, Psycho grabbed the crafter with one arm and moved with renewed purpose. Once they left the building, they saw the results of Shelah¡¯s evacuation warnings as all the merfolk exited their homes and swam for the upper dome. Psycho had good directional sense and had started swimming through the buildings in the direction they had come, but noticed that none of the merfolk seemed to care in which direction they swam and only headed for the closest border from their home. The elf saw several pass through the protective shield in multiple locations and understood they wouldn¡¯t need to find the tiny entrance in the expansive arch above them.


    Gromphy noticed it too and changed tactics. He ejected his chest, opened it, and jumped inside. Once it was closed, the goblin must have had a way to remove the water because it floated up like a cork. Psycho and Ellanay grabbed on at once, but their added weight was too much, halting the object''s rise. Reluctantly, they let go and swam after the trunk as fast as possible.


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    When they were halfway to the dome, they heard the crackling and explosive sounds of ice freezing everything behind them. ¡°Draya!¡± Psycho cried, stopping their ascent momentarily and looking back at the horrific sight. A living glacier had consumed the capital building and expanded into the surrounding structures. ¡°No!¡± the elf cried.


    ¡°Nal,¡± Ellanay tugged at his arm, ¡°look!¡± She pointed directly above the city¡¯s center, and they saw a woman streaking up toward the top of the dome, a stream of steam and bubbles in her wake. ¡°It has to be her, right? Please, we need to go.¡±


    Psycho nodded and swam after the rising chest again. It was picking up speed, and they had no chance to catch it. The ice below them was growing, but with each gain it made in diameter, it grew exponentially in volume and wasn¡¯t accelerating. Still, it would catch them if the two elves didn¡¯t swim for everything they were worth.


    Above them, Gromphy¡¯s chest was just about to pass through the protective dome. Before it did, the lid cracked open, and a small object floated out. Psycho couldn¡¯t tell what it was but knew the crafter had left it for him. He and Ellanay kicked even harder and made it to the inner perimeter of the kingdom with only a few rounds to spare before the growing ice ball below filled the whole dome.


    Gromphy had left them a single vial filled with sky-blue liquid, obviously meaning for them to drink it, but there was only one. ¡°It¡¯s for you,¡± Ellanay said. ¡°He would have made it for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but . . .¡± Psycho looked at the inky blackness of the ocean beyond the border where neither of them would be able to breathe and then down at the hungry glacier below them. They couldn¡¯t stay there. He had to decide. There was only one decision to make. He drank the vial. It was an odd feeling since his lungs were already filled with the breathable water all around him. His body figured it out, sending this new fluid down the correct passage into his stomach.


    The effects were instantaneous. Psycho was as powerful as a frost giant, his arms and legs more than up to the challenge for the rest of the swim. Beyond that, his lungs felt ten times their standard size, and he knew he could hold his breath for far longer than usual. He smiled at Ellanay. ¡°Take a deep breath and hold on,¡± he said, drawing a tremendous volume of oxygenated water into his lungs and propelling the couple up through the barrier just as the ice closed behind them.


    Ellanay felt like she was holding on to a dolphin as Psycho carried her upward. She could add nothing to his powerful swimming and instead looked down, wondering if it would be fast enough to escape the ice below. She saw at once that they were safe from that danger as the expanding glacier hit the dome of the kingdom, shuddered, and stopped. As powerful as the Frosthold was, it couldn¡¯t freeze the entire ocean. The kingdom¡¯s mana core was still active and controlling the barrier. It was designed to keep enemies out and friends in. Now, it was doing the opposite, allowing all the characters to leave and keeping the evil ice locked inside.


    With that danger avoided, she turned her eyes upward as the burning in her lungs alerted her to their next problem. Though, as she looked into Psycho¡¯s eyes, she saw no strain. If his lungs were craving oxygen, it didn¡¯t show. She needed air now and fought desperately against the urge to open her mouth and inhale. Her body had grown used to ¡°breathing¡± water for the past few minutes, but she knew it would be a terrible mistake outside the merfolk kingdom. Instead, the paladin searched for the moonlight above to give her strength but found only the inky blackness of the ocean, which gave no indication of how close they were to the surface or how much longer she would need to hold on.


    Psycho was initially oblivious to his partner''s plight, feeling as if he had only been swimming for a few seconds, even though it was now over a minute. Ellanay¡¯s body convulsed in his arms as the game mechanics applied damage to the elf to simulate her drowning state. Psycho swam faster, his eyes searching for any light to show where the surface might be. Could she hold on that long? Would she die? The ranger didn¡¯t care about the respawn rules. She couldn¡¯t die in his arms, not like this. He was still so full of oxygen that he couldn¡¯t imagine what she must be feeling.


    Then it hit him. Psycho stopped swimming momentarily and lifted Ellanay¡¯s dying form before him. Her eyes were almost closed, her life moments from expiring. The elf¡¯s lips were blue, and Psycho pressed his mouth against them fervently. Her mouth opened at his touch, and he filled her with oxygen. Ellanay¡¯s body jolted again, but in a good way, as she woke from near death and gripped Psycho tightly. Their kiss lasted longer than necessary to save her life, and neither of them cared.


    Eventually, Psycho pulled away and resumed swimming. They broke through the water''s surface a minute later, gasping in the night air and spewing lungsful of the magical water that had sustained them. Gromphy¡¯s chest floated close by, and they swam over to it. The trunk supported their weight, and they caught their breath, taking large gasps of the liquid-free air. It didn¡¯t take long to spot Serenity, only a few dozen yards away. Ellanay cast a light spell, and the reaction on the ship¡¯s deck was instantaneous. They watched as the vessel¡¯s prow turned toward them.


    Before Renald¡¯s ship arrived, Shelah swam up to the pair, startling them both. The merman said nothing at first, presenting only a grave expression. Psycho assumed it was due to the state of his kingdom, which might have played a role, but he also pulled Draya¡¯s limp form behind him. In the moonlight, Psycho could see scars on her face, and her magical dress was almost in tatters, barely holding on to her body.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the elf asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the merman replied. ¡°The residue of a demonic presence permeates her. I do not know how she is still alive. I¡¯m happy to see that you are. I could sense the goblin¡¯s magic within you, and I hoped you could make it on your own. Draya could not.¡±


    Beside them, the chest popped open, and Gromphy stood. He looked like a tiny captain of his own miniature ship. Despite the situation, Ellanay smothered a chuckle. The crafter looked down at the group, noticing Draya¡¯s condition. ¡°Thou hast survived, though barely.¡±


    ¡°You could have given us two potions,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°I hadn¡¯t the ingredients,¡± the goblin replied. ¡°I assumed thou would . . . discern a solution.¡±


    Psycho frowned at the crafter, thinking this was hardly the time to play matchmaker. Ellanay managed another chuckle.


    Serenity¡¯s crew hauled them on board a few minutes later, and after passing towels around, Gromphy could better evaluate Draya¡¯s condition. Shelah was a priest, but the profound demonic odor emanating from the woman drove him away. Gromphy fed her a healing and restoration potion. Her mana replenished, but her health stayed at seven, and she remained unconscious. Snowy sniffed at her still form tentatively and wined.


    ¡°What is wrong with her?¡± Psycho asked. Besides the charred lines that covered her body, her typically fiery red hair now had a thick black streak.


    ¡°Demon fire,¡± Gromphy replied. ¡°I know not from whence it came nor for how long, but this damage is beyond my ability to heal. Her dress no longer sustains her. She cannot engage in combat.¡±


    ¡°We saw her escaping in dramatic fashion,¡± Psycho said. ¡°She was powerful then. Did the demonic fire attack her after she left the kingdom?¡±


    Shelah stepped forward. ¡°The city¡¯s mana core sustained her. I could feel the magic inside her. It was the only thing that kept her conscious. Once she was outside the dome . . .¡± he trailed off for a moment. ¡°I was only just in time to save her.¡±


    Psycho stood from the woman and spun around, cursing into the night air. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have left her!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Ellanay responded, clinging to his arm. She hadn¡¯t left his side since their ascent through the ocean. ¡°Then you would be burnt with demon fire too, or be frozen back in the city. Is that what you want?¡±


    ¡°What if we killed her?¡± Renald asked, drawing the instant ire of the fuming ranger. Psycho had enough control not to lash out, understanding the true intent behind the careless words. Renald explained anyway. ¡°She will wake up in your stronghold as good as new.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Shelah said, still keeping his distance from the woman. ¡°When we die, we return to the one who has a claim on our soul. If we are in another¡¯s stronghold, we are theirs. If our lives were sacrificed to a higher or lower being, we belong to them. Only if no other power can lay claim to us do we return to our leader¡¯s stronghold. Right now, I would say a powerful demon has left its mark on your mage. It might not own her soul but has surely laid claim to her body. If Draya were to die in this condition, she might wake up in hell, and the denizens of that awful place would fight over her. A live human is a thing beyond value in the underworld. One with a dragon core inside would result in a conflict that could destroy our world. I know not the strength of your master, but he would have to be a god among men to make such a rescue.¡±


    That speech left everyone in silence for several rounds. Psycho was the first to speak. ¡°Well, the fighting is over. We can give her time to rest until we figure something out.¡±


    ¡°Nay,¡± Gromphy replied, standing to look at the ranger. ¡°Gracie has not ceased screaming at me since we left the kingdom below. While inside, she could not contact us. Now it seems Jace requires our assistance immediately.¡±


    Psycho was torn. Gromphy wasn¡¯t telling him what to do, yielding to his authority on this mission. He only laid out the facts as he knew them. If Jace were in trouble, he would expect Draya to come hurling dragon fire. That wasn¡¯t possible.


    ¡°We will care for her,¡± Ellanay said, leaning into Psycho, still clutching at his arm.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Renald said. ¡°It is the least we can do. I will take her to Safe Haven. They will have priests there who can attend to her. You still have an alliance with me. I will be able to travel with her even if she is unconscious.¡±


    That sounded good to Psycho, and he turned to Shelah. ¡°I am truly sorry about your kingdom.¡± He looked at Gromphy briefly before returning to the merman. ¡°We did not intend to destroy it.¡±


    Shelah swallowed a lump of anger and nodded. ¡°I know. What your crafter did was foolish, but perhaps it was for the best. Even as I was saving their lives, nearly everyone in the city treated me with contempt. I fear my kingdom is lost, whether encased in ice or not.¡± He turned to look at Onan, still tied to the mainmast. ¡°He is the one who destroyed my home.¡±


    ¡°It is our mission to bring you to your father,¡± Psycho said. ¡°To bring you to Tamar. Will you come with us?¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± Shelah replied. ¡°And he is coming with me.¡± He pointed at his brother.


    Psycho hesitated. That wasn¡¯t part of the plan. Shelah didn¡¯t give him a chance to argue vocally. ¡°He comes, or I don¡¯t,¡± the priest offered his ultimatum. ¡°Onan will face my father''s justice. I can¡¯t start a new life with Tamar until that is resolved.¡±


    Psycho knew enough about the game to know he had no choice. If they wanted to solve Tamar¡¯s quest correctly, they needed Shelah. Well, now Shelah had a quest to fulfill. He needed justice for his treacherous brother.


    ¡°Very well.¡± He turned to Gromphy. ¡°I assume you have something to restrain Onan while we travel.¡±


    ¡°Aye,¡± Gromphy said. ¡°Snowy.¡±


    Psycho was momentarily confused but saw the wolf accompany Shelah and several of Renald¡¯s crew to untie Onan. Snowy growled and bared her teeth at the fighter. Onan still had his hands tied behind him and was almost too scared to breathe. ¡°I guess that will work.¡± He turned to Renald. ¡°We can use the travel node on this ship?¡±


    The captain nodded. ¡°Do you know where you are going?¡±


    Psycho did not. Gromphy did. ¡°Gracie hath marked it on my map.¡±


    ¡°Then this is farewell,¡± the captain shook his hand. ¡°It was a pleasure sailing with you.¡±


    Psycho turned with an extended arm toward Ellanay. She batted it aside and hugged him instead, kissing him on the cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she whispered. ¡°We¡¯ll take care of your friend.¡±


    ¡°I will return for her,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°I look forward to it,¡± Ellanay replied.


    Without further delay, the departing group gathered and retreated to the travel node below deck.

 Chapter 29

    Jace, Esther, Wallace, and Thursa materialized on a large dock at the end of a sizeable queue.  The Somali Pirates were known as the Aden Clan in the game and had set up their stronghold on Jade Island.  It was one of the Teardrop Isles, which were part of the most popular midlevel quest in the game.  Most MIMs were designed for levels 12 and under, as once players got above that, they primarily hung out in public areas and lived large.  It was so much work for the average player to get to twelve that risks of dying were avoided whenever possible.


    Still, the Teardrop Isles quest was designed for level 15+ and didn¡¯t scale to your average level, so death was likely if you didn¡¯t have four strong characters in your party.  It was said that the gods cried tears of gemstones when one of their own was killed or defeated in battle.  These ¡°tears¡± formed islands when they hit the realms below.  Players could adventure on these islands to recover the specific jewel, usually guarded by a monster, buried deep in a volcano, or hidden behind riddles and traps.  It was the closest thing in ROI to the classic games like Tomb Raider or Uncharted.


    Currently, 18 islands existed in the game, with a new one added every few months.  Since they were MIMs, anyone could try them regardless of how many people had passed them, and several players had managed to collect all 18 gemstones.  No one knew what you could do with them yet.  Some assumed that once they got to 20, they would be able to trade a complete set into their god (or demon) for a fantastic boon.  Others felt that weapons would soon be found with sockets to accept certain combinations of the stones, giving the blade or bow immense powers.  And still, more players just thought they were fun to collect and trade.


    The quests dominated most of the land on each island, leaving only a few acres available for towns and villages.  These settlements were coveted strongholds as they were guaranteed to receive a steady stream of players attempting the quest.  Most were set up with temples to remove curses, equipment stores, and houses to rent so players could establish spawn points or travel nodes.  Travel to the islands was only possible by ship, so establishing a home base on the more difficult islands was important.


    Jade Island was one of the easiest quests, and players typically didn¡¯t need much help passing them, so the Aden Clan made money by requiring a cover charge to enter.  Jace had already paid a ship captain to transport them to the island.  Since they had skipped the voyage, it had worked like a travel node, just one that cost money.  Now, they had to pay again.  Depending on how much you spent, only certain areas of the island were accessible.  If you only wanted to do the quest, it was relatively cheap, but if you wanted to visit the best restaurants and brothels, you needed to pay a premium.


    Jace wasn¡¯t worried about the cost.  He had plenty of money.  Instead, he worried that they might not be able to leverage themselves close enough to the head pirates to witness the meeting with the merfolk king.  Their information was that the meeting was still a couple of hours away, and they planned to blend into the island crowd to see how close they could get to the pirate headquarters.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Jace said as they moved slowly toward the front of the line.  Based on the size of the parties in front of them and the speed at which they passed by the gatekeeper, they had a few minutes.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter,¡± Wallace asked.  ¡°The CIA doesn¡¯t let you expense cover charges to pleasure island?¡±  She paused after she said that.  ¡°Wait, is this a CIA mission?  Or are you just helping Esther out?  Are the Adens real-life terrorists?¡±


    ¡°Try real-life pirates,¡± Jace replied and knew he shouldn¡¯t say more than that.  The look on Wallace¡¯s face let him know he already said too much.


    She raised her hand.  ¡°No.  I don¡¯t have clearance.  As far as I know, I am rescuing a mermaid from pirates.  That¡¯s all I need.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the cost,¡± Jace said, returning to the original topic.  ¡°It¡¯s the access.  We can pay the top dollar, but the island is clearly divided into restricted zones.  If we have to send Esther sneaking into a top-floor meeting room, she might not be able to.¡±


    A menu of prices was available to peruse before you got to the front, and Jace saw quest options.  Instead of money, you could go on a mission for the pirates and return with valuable weapons, magical charms, or artifacts.  Even the lowest of these quests granted the best access you could get with money; however, within the quests, tiers also existed.  Jace needed the highest one.  ¡°Steal the Eye of the Storm from the Silver Dragon,¡± Jace read aloud.


    {We don¡¯t have time for that,} Gracie said.  {Your meeting is in a few hours, and you want to go on a dragon quest?}


    ¡°What is the Eye of the Storm?¡± Jace asked.


    Wallace answered.  ¡°A gemstone that gives you the power to control the weather.  Very powerful, especially for sailors.  It passed around between a few ship captains.  No one is certain where it is now.  At least, no one is saying.  If the Adens say a dragon has it, it could be true.¡±


    ¡°We are going after a dragon without Psycho,¡± Esther said, only half paying attention to the players, knowing they were probably talking to their operators.  ¡°He will be furious.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t need to know,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°And I¡¯m not happy about it either.  Is this an ego thing for you?  Do you always need to go against the biggest obstacle?  We aren¡¯t equipped to fight a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Sure we are,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Thursa is a rock druid, and I am a stone shaman.  We are designed to operate underground in a cave system.  You are a paladin, and they kill dragons all the time.  Esther is the game¡¯s best thief, and if we need to steal something, I wouldn¡¯t want anyone else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a thief anymore,¡± Esther interrupted again.  ¡°I¡¯m a librarian now.¡±  Draya had given her some of her school clothes, and the rogue was a transformed woman.  She wore a loose blouse under a tight embroidered vest and a striped blazer.  The shirt went up to her neck and didn¡¯t even have buttons to undo.  Her skirt went down to mid-calf, and she wore sandals instead of boots.  Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun with a pair of thin-rimmed black glasses on her face.  She did look like a college librarian ¨C possibly one from every frat boy¡¯s fantasy, as it was impossible for Esther not to add a sultry element to any ensemble she wore.


    ¡°There is no way we can do it in two hours,¡± Wallace argued, ignoring the woman.  They were nearing the front of the line now and would have to make a decision soon.


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge,¡± Jace said, pulling rank.  ¡°I think this is the best option to get what we need.  It says if you give them the Eye of the Storm, we get a private meeting with them and access to anything we want.  If King Neptudah is here, we will get to meet him.¡±


    ¡°They better give us anything we want,¡± Wallace replied.  ¡°The Eye of the Storm is worth more than this entire island.  We would have to be fools to trade it for a ¡®Meet and Greet.¡¯  I¡¯m sure they put it on the entrance menu as a joke.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we are just big fans,¡± Jace said as the last group in front of them paid and were let through.  ¡°People pay thousands of dollars to go backstage and meet their idols all the time.¡±


    Wallace didn¡¯t reply and only rolled her eyes as Jace spoke to the gatekeeper and told him what they were willing to do.  The guard was an old man with a long white beard, and his jaw dropped so far his chin hair almost touched the dock.  ¡°It is not an easy task, adventurer.  No one yet has attempted it.¡±


    ¡°If we return with the Eye,¡± Jace asked, ¡°we will get to meet with the head of the Aden Clan, correct?¡±


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    ¡°Yes, yes, most definitely.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace nodded.  ¡°What information can you give us?¡±


    ¡°I will mark the location on your map,¡± the old man said.  ¡°The rest is up to you.¡±


    Once they had stepped out of line and moved back to the end of the dock where an exit-only travel node stood, Wallace let her opinion be known.  ¡°If I die from this foolish escapade . . .¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Like you told me.  We only have a couple of hours.  If I can¡¯t see a safe way through to get the Eye, we return here, pay our money, and take our chances.  It¡¯s better than letting Thursa and Esther entertain themselves in a pirate pleasure land while we wait.  Idle hands are the devil¡¯s playground.¡±  He glanced at the NPC couple.  Thursa wore a shirt, and he looked more uncomfortable in it than Esther did in her clothes.  Even though it was half unbuttoned, revealing his sculpted hairy chest, Jace could tell the druid was looking for any excuse to take it off.


    ¡°I believe it is ¡®Workshop,¡¯¡± Wallace corrected.  ¡°Idle hands are the devil¡¯s workshop.  And Thursa already serves a demon, and Esther is one.¡±


    ¡°Former demon,¡± Esther spoke up.  ¡°I¡¯m reformed now.  I¡¯m an angelic librarian.¡±


    ¡°You certainly are,¡± Thursa said.  He liked Esther¡¯s new attire.


    Wallace rolled her eyes again and said nothing as she understood Jace was probably right.  The group leader accessed the travel node and sent them off in search of a dragon.


    <hr>


    Thunder Island was not part of the Teardrop Isles and made Jade Island look like a tiny rock in the ocean.  While the Somalis inhabited a few dozen small buildings tucked into a cove, Jace brought his party to a massive island with miles of coastland.  It was impossible to see how big Thunder Island was from their vantage point, as they saw dozens of ships loading and unloading as far as the eye could see to their left and right.  They looked like semi-trucks parked against a massive warehouse; only it wasn¡¯t just one enormous structure but dozens of smaller buildings with hundreds of people milling about sorting goods and filing paperwork.  Further from the water sat industry buildings like bakeries, blacksmiths, tanners, carpenters, and clothiers who turned the raw goods into products to sell.  Even more characters walked along the street further inland from this process to purchase the goods.


    Accompanying the clang of the blacksmith¡¯s hammer and the thrum of the seamstress''s loom were flashes of magic, sparks of electricity, and explosions of fire as not just the mundane was sold here.  If Jace had his sensory settings turned up, he would undoubtedly smell the aroma of baked goods, spices, tobacco smoke, and half a dozen other luxuries floating through the air.


    The shaman¡¯s attention didn¡¯t stay on the clamor of activity for long, and instead, his eyes looked toward the center of the island, where mountains rose from a thick forest.  Some peaks were covered in snow, while others smoked from bubbling lava.  Over all of it sat dark clouds with flashes of lightning jumping between them and a constant background of rolling thunder that gave the island its name.


    ¡°I think I know where the dragon is,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Especially if he has a storm gem with him.¡±


    ¡°I do too,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°We should get there in a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take longer than that,¡± Jace said, turning to look at the paladin.  The shaman was disguised as a half-orc, about halfway in height between his human form and his natural orc persona.  Wallace stood two inches shorter.  Jace saw the paladin wasn¡¯t looking off toward the mountains.  Instead, she had her eyes focused on a sign standing on the far side of the street that greeted all the characters arriving through the travel node.


    The display listed over a dozen popular establishments that might draw people to the island.  The names were printed on individual wooden slats with arrows on one side that indicated the direction one should walk to find them.  Third, from the bottom, was the name ¡°The Silver Dragon.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a tavern?¡± Jace asked, a bit of wind taken from his sales.


    ¡°At least Psycho won¡¯t be pissed he missed out,¡± Esther said.  Wallace was already walking in the indicated direction, and the woman followed with Thursa at her side.  Jace spent a few more moments looking up at the adventurous mountain landscape and then down the street to their right, which offered as much potential excitement as navigating a crowded mall at Christmastime.  He sighed and followed his friends.


    The activity was most hectic near the travel node, and the crowds thinned out considerably as they moved down the bustling street.  Esther was drawn in by several jewelers and artisans, while smoked meats and freshly baked bread captured Thursa¡¯s attention.  The sun was setting in the distance, and it was dinner time for all the NPCs who only lived on global game time.


    Jace and Wallace herded their companions in the proper direction and encouraged them to stay on task.  The Silver Dragon would likely have a little of everything to sample.  They were mostly successful.  Esther still managed to steal a few cupcakes and offered one to Thursa.  The big man thanked her profusely as he stuffed the whole confection in his mouth.  Jace was pretty sure the druid hadn¡¯t even unwrapped it first.


    When they reached their destination, a single tower emerged from the village skyline, looking like a lighthouse along the coastal region.  An almost imperceptible wall rose to section off the area at the base of the tower.  The barrier was built into the sides of homes, and several large brick buildings joined together to prevent patrons from moving through or around them.  The cleverly designed wall funneled all traffic between two shops where a large iron gate stood with a pair of posted guards.


    The men didn¡¯t stop anyone but surveyed all incoming traffic and took particular interest in Jace¡¯s group.  Jace and Esther were level 17, Thursa was 15, and Wallace was 14.  They were easily the highest concentration of levels roaming the streets.  Most NPCs were under ten, while the few PCs Jace discerned were no higher than 15.  The guards let them through, and Jace understood they were now within a more restricted, specialized space.  Guards were more frequent, and the concentration of players along the docks was higher.


    The game didn¡¯t have a clear indicator between PCs and NPCs, but Jace had played the game long enough now to be able to spot the differences.  Players usually covered themselves in magical armor and weapons and wore mismatched jewelry.  NPCs blended into the scenery better, wearing non-descript clothing and rarely showing weapons.  NPCs that were part of a party were more extravagantly equipped, but even then, they interacted with the game environment more naturally.  They never secretly talked with an operator and rarely spent any time in their inventory.  They also weren¡¯t as nervous about being ambushed or targeted.


    Jace saw several PCs on ships, either bringing the vessel to dock or preparing for a nighttime voyage.  The land here rose significantly above sea level, with at least two flights of stairs descending to the docks.  From his vantage point, Jace saw crew unloading ships, moving to the docks, and then disappearing from view for a while before reappearing empty-handed, having never ascended the stairs.  The player guessed there must be tunnels dug into the side of the rocky shore leading to an underground warehouse.  His eyes traced the supposed path along the ground and eventually looked at the first floor of a massive building from which the lighthouse tower rose.


    ¡°Welcome to the Silver Dragon,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°No fire-breathing wyrms in sight.¡±


    ¡°Silver dragons don¡¯t breathe fire,¡± Thursa advised.  ¡°They only have . . .¡±


    ¡°Not now,¡± Wallace stopped her companion.  Jace imagined the druid was an expert where magic and nature collided and often corrected his leader¡¯s incorrect assumptions.


    As they approached the building, Jace felt this was someone¡¯s stronghold.  He didn¡¯t look forward to battling another player for the rights to the Eye of the Storm.  Killing terrorists was fine, but he felt guilty taking out innocent civilians who just happened to have something he needed to complete an important quest.  He guessed it was something like a federal agent commandeering someone¡¯s car, only the civilian losing his vehicle didn¡¯t also usually end up dead.


    The Silver Dragon was a one-stop shop for everything they had just walked through.  If there was an underground warehouse, it must contain each of the industries they had passed because it displayed all the food, clothing, weapons, and magical items they had just seen, only at slightly higher quality and price.  To Jace, it felt like a massive truck stop off a major freeway with merchandise up front and a large restaurant in the back.


    The two players dragged their NPCs past the eye candy and sat at an empty table within a quickly filling tavern.  The decor was lovely, with an equal presentation of luxury and entertainment balanced against a sense of security as several armed guards stood about the hall.  The barmaids were dressed attractively with a heavy pirate theme but modestly enough not to be mistaken for escorts.  Jace watched as an elven patron still made that mistake, reaching up under one of the waitress¡¯s skirts to pat her on the butt as she walked by.  A bolt of lightning flashed over his head beneath the high ceiling.  The elf withdrew his hand and froze.  Most of the seated crowd turned in wonder.  Jace had seen the warning shot fire from a large crystal set into the wall above one of the stationed guards.  Each armed soldier had a similar gem over their head, and they all had their eyes focused on the offending guest.  The elf returned to his meal, understanding he was being given a second chance to behave.


    It was a sound defense system, resulting in a well-ordered clientele and an occasional light show.


    {Jace,} Gracie interrupted, {you will not believe where you are.  As you probably guessed, this is a stronghold.  Want to take a shot at whose it is?}


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Some international gun runner?¡±


    {Better,} Gracie said.  {The Silver Dragon belongs to our good friend Captain Cloudspark.}

 Chapter 30

    When Gracie told Jace the Silver Dragon belonged to Captain Cloudspark, his half-orc face broadened into a big smile.


    {Not counting the dozen or so actual silver dragons in the game,} she continued, {several inns and taverns have this name throughout the realms, so when I was looking for information, I had to sort through many things that didn¡¯t apply.  But now that I know where you are . . .}


    ¡°No way!¡± Wallace suddenly shouted from across the table, slamming her strong hand down on the wood.  ¡°No one is that lucky.¡±  Jace watched her eyes refocus on their surroundings and guessed correctly that she had been talking with her operator.  The shaman also saw the eyes of several patrons focus on them, wondering why anyone would be bold enough to make an outburst like that after the display of lightning they had just seen.


    Jace knew Wallace¡¯s older brother, her operator, had undoubtedly been telling her the same information Jace had just gotten.  ¡°This place belongs to the very pirate Psycho is going after?¡± she directed the rhetorical question at Jace.  ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t plan this.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± he said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.  This game is too big for coincidences like this.  I¡¯m supposed to believe you picked a random quest from the Aden Clan, and it just so happened to line up with a completely different mission your other companions are doing?¡±  Wallace now noticed her outburst garnered attention and toned it down a notch.  ¡°So we steal the Eye of the Storm from Cloudspark¡¯s stronghold, making him weaker and allowing your people to defeat him at sea?¡±


    ¡°My god works in mysterious ways.¡±


    ¡°Cut the bull, Jace.  Gods don¡¯t work like that, at least not in this world.  I have a god too.  He lets me hit spirits and do extra damage against skeletons.  You want me to believe that your god reshapes the very fabric of this game, creating modules out of thin air just to satisfy any whim you might have?¡±


    ¡°You''re being a bit hyperbolic,¡± Jace said.  ¡°It isn¡¯t as crazy as you¡¯re implying.  Yes, I stumbled upon this, but it makes perfect sense.  The Aden Clan needs Cloudspark removed from the seas.  That will be part of their pitch to King Neptudah.  Thus, it makes sense that the quest they want to be completed the most is the one that weakens the storm mage.¡±


    Wallace simmered and said nothing as a waitress set drinks on their table.  Esther looked jealously at the low-cut top and ample cleavage of the woman and then down at her conservative clothes.  Thursa¡¯s eyes, however, never left Esther.  When the rogue noticed, she smiled.  Wallace didn¡¯t pay either of them any attention and continued with Jace once the server was out of earshot.


    ¡°I suppose, but it still feels like you are cheating.¡±


    Jace knew that was the sentiment the rest of the game had regarding his success.  He liked to think he had earned everything he had but understood the mistrust.  ¡°I can only tell you what I know.  I didn¡¯t plan this, but I need to incorporate it now.  So, please let me continue my conversation with Gracie.  Order your famished bear-man something to eat.  Esther probably wants pancakes.¡±


    ¡°I like meat now,¡± Esther responded, but Jace was already returning to his operator.


    {She¡¯s not wrong,} Gracie defended the 14-year-old player.  {It is awfully coincidental.}  When Jace didn¡¯t respond, she continued.  {Anyway, this stronghold is only a month old.  My guess is that Cloudspark defeated the last player who had the Eye of the Storm, and instead of resetting the artifact in its original module, Gandhi decided to turn him into a more prominent part of the game.}


    Jace watched the rest of his table argue over the menu as Gracie continued.  {The Silver Dragon is now the best place to become a pirate or pirate hunter.  Cloudspark will hire players to go on mini-quests for him.  Most of them take you out to sea, and players can learn how to navigate, conduct battle on the open ocean, and what kind of riches can be found by plundering ships.}


    A thought struck Jace.  ¡°Will there be players with Cloudspark when he attacks Psycho¡¯s group?¡±


    {No, I don¡¯t think so.  That is a separate module, an unsolved SIM, meaning multiple players could fight Cloudspark simultaneously.  The captain can be in two places at once, but players can¡¯t.  No, if you sign on with him, he sends you off on entirely different missions.  There aren¡¯t any walkthroughs yet.  Everything I can find is hidden within public chats.  People keep arguing about the best way to get into his service.  Until a consensus arises, no one will risk their reputation by putting together a public strategy guide.}


    ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    {But what I can tell, is that if you do enough missions for him, he eventually sends you off on more of a campaign-style quest where you are the captain and need to accomplish multiple tasks.  If you come back victorious, you get to keep the ship, and a percentage of your gold from then on goes to Cloudspark.  You don¡¯t have to be a pirate at that point, and you could just sail around as a merchant, but it looks like the cheapest way to get your own ship and crew.}


    ¡°That¡¯s great.  Does it say anything about the Eye?  We need to know where it is and what kind of security it has.¡±


    {¡°The Eye of the Storm¡± isn¡¯t mentioned by name,} she said.  {If it were, the whole game would know where it was.  My guess is that several people do know it is here and are keeping it secret until they get their own ship.  Maybe they think they can outsmart Cloudspark and get it for themselves.  People tend only to publicize information once they know they can¡¯t benefit from the secret.  What I do see are some strangely worded quests that can performed in and around this stronghold.  Sort of like maintenance tasks players can do for Cloudspark before they risk life and limb on the high seas.}


    ¡°Strangely worded quests?¡± Jace asked.


    {Yes.  They are things like ¡°Bite the Ear,¡± ¡°Talk to the Hand,¡± and ¡°Feed the Eye.¡±  Because they are grouped together, nothing stands out.  But ¡°Feed the Eye¡± might be about supplying the Eye of the Storm with magical energy so it can power Cloudspark¡¯s spells.  It¡¯s a long shot, but if Dexmachi is as powerful as you say, it is probably what you are looking for.}


    ¡°Good.¡±  Jace looked around the table as the waitress set the food before them.  ¡°Any update on Psycho¡¯s crew?¡±


    Gracie paused as she reached out to Gromphy.  {They just finished their tour of the ship.  The pirates shouldn¡¯t attack them until nightfall.  They still have an hour or more.}


    Jace nodded and turned his attention to the other characters at the table.  ¡°Eat up, guys,¡± he said, picking up a pork rib to test the flavor.  ¡°When you''re done, we are going to become pirates.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°So, you want to become a pirate.¡±


    Jace looked at the enthusiastic man who might have been the old gatekeeper¡¯s brother from Jade Island.  He had the same stooped, aged posture with a long white beard.  He also had an eye patch, peg leg, a hook for one hand, and a parrot on his shoulder.  ¡°Awk, want to be a pirate, want to be a pirate!¡± the bird said.


    Jace dared not look at Wallace, knowing the player was likely rolling her eyes at the over-the-top presentation.  Jace thought it was corny too but went with it.  He leaned his hands on the bar top that separated them.  ¡°Yes, we do.  We are willing to help Captain Cloudspark in any way we can.¡±


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Their meal had been brief, and under Gracie¡¯s guidance, Jace had led his group through a back exit to a smaller gathering area that looked out over the docks.  The sun was fast setting, and dockhands lit lanterns along the boardwalk.  A few other players sat at tables drinking ale and waiting their turn to go on a mission.  It looked like a small tavern, with the old man as the bartender and a single maid serving drinks.


    Jace was glad his group was in disguise as he saw most of the players gathered here scrutinize everyone who walked into the waiting room and talked in hushed tones with their operators.  Jace tried to make his half-orc fighter look as NPCish as possible, wearing standard chainmail with a shield and axe hanging from his belt.  Wallace was obviously a player, and Esther was a mystery.  Only Thursa could be recognizable, as Wallace had cracked that module a little over a week ago, though the druid was usually killed in that quest, and few people would recognize him in human form.  Anyone paying attention to the group would be surprised to see it was the half-orc who approached the man behind the counter when their turn arrived.


    ¡°You sure are an advanced group,¡± the man continued.  ¡°Perhaps you would like to choose from our more challenging quests.¡±  He didn¡¯t list them verbally and instead presented Jace with a menu option similar to when he had selected his quest to enter Jade Island.  Each choice had a difficulty rating and a time estimate.  Jace saw several of the oddly worded quests Gracie had mentioned, and, down at the bottom, he saw the most difficult one was ¡°Feed the Eye.¡±  It had a four-hour estimate by it.


    ¡°We would like to Feed the Eye,¡± Jace said.


    The old man nodded.  ¡°I do not recommend that quest, but it is your decision.¡±  A robbed man with a clean-cut black goatee suddenly entered through a side door behind the counter, and a gap in the bar appeared.  He was level 16 and a mage by his dress.  ¡°Follow Elroy up the tower, and he will give you directions,¡± the older man advised.


    Jace nodded and led his group after the silent mage through a back exit and up a winding set of stairs.  At each landing, two armed level 15 guards stood flanking a door leading back into the building.  After the fourth floor, doors no longer appeared as they ascended above the main structure, and Jace was pretty sure they were climbing the lighthouse tower.


    The spiral staircase lacked a view to the outside, so his hunch wasn¡¯t proven correct until they emptied into a large, circular room with windows around the circumference.  Half the openings were open air with metal bars, allowing a salty breeze to pass through the space, while the other half was covered in stained glass, casting colorful rays about the room in the last light of the setting sun.


    They had climbed over 100 feet above the ground, and as Jace peered through the bars of the closest window, the ships below were reduced to the size of toys as tiny figures scrambled about them.  Jace grew dizzy as he looked and turned his attention to the circular room.


    The floor had a mosaic tile with a five-pointed star stretching over the room¡¯s 30-foot diameter.  Armored knights stood along the outer wall, one at each point.  Jace couldn¡¯t tell if the metal suits were empty and shuddered to think they weren¡¯t as each iron statue stood eight feet tall, holding a massive two-handed sword vertically in front of them.


    In the room¡¯s center, nestled inside the pentagram the star-shaped tiles created, stood a wide stone pedestal rising five feet from the floor and narrowing to only two feet in diameter.  Cradled within a five-pronged silver nest lay a fabulous orb.  It reminded Jace of the crystal ball used by Saruman in the Lord of the Rings, a transparent sphere with a raging storm in the center.  Currently, it sat underneath a glowing force shield dome.


    ¡°This is the Eye,¡± the wizard Elroy said.  ¡°It augments our captain¡¯s power and must be fed to maintain its potency.¡±  He walked toward the room¡¯s center and reached out to the pedestal.  Laying on the stone, encircling the five prongs, was a metal ring with five colorful gems.  Elroy picked it up, and the protective dome disappeared.  This was the time to steal the Eye, but Jace wasn¡¯t ready and waited for more information.  The silver ring was 18 inches across with sockets for five gems.  ¡°A storm is comprised of wind, rain, lightning, heat, and cold.  These elements must be harvested from the mountains of this island and fed to the Eye.  We have a supply in place,¡± he motioned to his left, where a wooden shelf stood between two of the motionless racks, ¡°but we are running low and have few volunteers to collect the power.¡±  He replaced the silver circle, and the force shield reappeared.


    Jace and Wallace walked over to the shelf.  They found several rings, one already loaded with five vibrant stones and a few without.  They also found a bin of empty crystals and several wands designed to hold the gems.


    ¡°Take five stones and five wands,¡± Elroy directed.  ¡°Go into the mountains and return only when you have harvested the required energy.  Be careful.  It is a dangerous journey.  These elements are guarded, and the spirits within the mountains do not relinquish their power lightly.¡±  He paused.  ¡°Do you have any questions?  I will answer anything you might ask.¡±


    ¡°Can we use magic to fill them?¡± Jace asked.  He could produce lightning at will.


    Elroy shook his head.  ¡°No.  The energy must be natural in origin and harvested from this island.  The elements here all share the same signature and can easily be melded together.¡±


    ¡°We will do as you say,¡± Jace said, taking the needed items.  ¡°Can you guide us on our way?¡±  He didn¡¯t look forward to walking back down the tower and wanted to save as much time as possible.


    The wizard nodded.  ¡°I can place you at the foot of the mountain.  The rest is up to you.  Do you need anything before you go?¡±  Jace shook his head.  ¡°Very well.¡±


    The four characters vanished from the room.


    <hr>


    Jace and his friends appeared at the start of a long trail winding between tall trees and leading up into the mountains.  They were entering a Level 15 Hostile Zone.  Jace looked over his shoulder toward the village in the distance, the tall lighthouse barely visible above the tree line.  They had been transported at least a mile, hopefully knocking off some of the estimated 4-hours.  He needed to reduce it further.


    ¡°Talk to me about this quest,¡± Jace said, leading his group along the trail into a growing darkness.


    {Like I said before,} Gracie advised.  {There are no walkthroughs yet.  I found a post where two players discussed what they had experienced.  And their accounts differ.  What I can gather is that each element is guarded by one of five defenses, and they seem to rotate.  Sometimes, the actual element will assault you, like fire or wind.  Or you can be attacked, either by one powerful foe or several minions.  In each account, a warlock or witch confronted the players, tempting them with access to the power.  Both players said they turned down the offer, fearing a trap.  Lastly, the environment can attack you like a cave-in or avalanche.  Each player experienced one of these but always associated with different elements.}


    ¡°I can not see very well.¡±


    Jace turned at the interruption to see Thursa squinting in the darkness.


    ¡°May I take off my shirt?¡± the druid asked.


    ¡°How is that going to help you see?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°It will improve what I can see,¡± Esther replied.  As a vampire, she operated fine in the dark.  Jace was an orc and had similar benefits.  Wallace and Thursa were human and didn¡¯t have natural low-light vision.


    The shapeshifter didn¡¯t answer the question verbally and removed his shirt to store it in his inventory.  A round later, he had morphed into a black bear, his pants also disappearing.  His eyes glowed with a strange light in this new form, and Jace understood.


    ¡°If he can change. . .¡± Esther said, following suit.  Her transformation was instantaneous as she switched outfits to her shadow armor and skirt, her rapiers hanging from her belt.


    Wallace also adjusted, pulling her vorpal sword and casting a light spell.  Now, the humans could see, which was good because Jace planned to split them up.


    ¡°We need to tackle these tasks separately,¡± Jace said as Gracie filled him in on the specifics in his head.  Jace affixed a crystal to the end of a wand and handed the assembly to Thursa.  He gave Wallace one, Esther two, and kept one for himself.  ¡°I need Esther and Thursa to climb that mountain,¡± he continued, pointing toward the right at a snowy peak that also belched smoke.


    ¡°Halfway up the trail, a cave system leads into the heart of the mountain.  Thursa, you will find lava pools to charge this crystal.  We need to leave the gems exposed to the elements for several rounds, and things will probably be actively trying to harm us.¡±  Jace found it hard to talk to the black bear¡¯s face, and the druid morphed into a human-bear hybrid to make it easier on the shaman.  ¡°You have natural fire resistance and are good in caves, so you shouldn¡¯t have an issue.¡±


    He turned to Esther.  ¡°The heat from the lava escapes through vents in the rock and melts the snow on top, creating several waterfalls.  You need to put one of these crystals in the flow of water.  I recommend leaving it there for a while and proceeding to the top, where you can collect cold energy on the snowy peak.¡±


    Esther nodded.


    Jace turned to Wallace.  ¡°We are going up that mountain,¡± he said, pointing to an adjacent slope.  The massive structure split into two peaks halfway up; the storm clouds ravaged one while the other had lightning striking it almost once a round.


    ¡°I assume I am collecting wind,¡± Wallace said.  Jace nodded.  He had natural resistance to lightning, and the paladin was covered in metal.  She wouldn¡¯t last three rounds atop that peak.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to expect,¡± Jace said.  ¡°There might be a warlock tempting you with magic, a tremendous monster, several minions, an environmental onslaught, or the element itself might try to attack you.  Whatever it is, you don¡¯t need to defeat it.  Just collect the energy and get out.  Understood?¡±


    They all nodded and went along their designated paths.

 Chapter 31

    Esther and Thursa raced up their mountain slope.  The rogue had no problem skipping lightly over the rocky path and was tempted to use her shadow step ability.  That would far outpace her companion, so she held it in check.  Thursa had turned more fully into a black bear, dropping to all fours and loping casually beside her.  They reached the cave opening after only a few minutes.  The druid angled toward the entrance while Esther continued up.  He looked at her, appreciating the view from below, and then froze as his eye took in the scenery above and ahead of her.


    Esther noticed his halted progression, turned to look at him, and followed his gaze up to the side of the mountain.  A vent higher up melted the snow, sending it rushing down the stone, but once it was free of the persistent heat, much of it refroze, covering the cliff side in a sheet of ice.  Water ran freely below the glacier into the open air like a waterfall, crashing onto the distant rocks below them.


    ¡°How will you access the flow?¡±  Thursa had transformed his face enough to speak.


    Esther didn¡¯t see an easy path either and left the trail to venture closer to the icy deluge.  Further up, the water was still snow and hung precariously on the side of the warm mountain, melting from underneath and ready to slide off from the slightest disturbance.  Below the ice shelf, the stone wall curved back inward, and the water fell several dozen feet away from any handhold.  The only way to have the crystal touch the falling water was to climb over the ice, punch a hole through it, and stick the wand in.


    ¡°I can do it!¡± Esther cried over the sound of rushing water.  ¡°Go do your thing.  I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Thursa didn¡¯t want to leave her but couldn¡¯t offer assistance and disappeared into the mountain.  Esther pulled a pair of knives from a sheath on her thigh and held them in her fists, the blades pointing in the opposite direction of her thumbs.  A stone ledge allowed her to ease out pretty far in front of the ice wall, and she tried desperately not to look down, the sound of the distant water crashing already telling her how high up she was.  Reaching out with her right hand, she stabbed the knife into the ice, and it sunk deep into the frozen water.  She tested her weight briefly before leaving the ledge and hanging from the blade.  It held, and she didn¡¯t fall.  She quickly secured the other weapon next to it and started the slow process of moving out over the ice one arm''s length at a time.  Her boots offered her no purchase on the slick wall.  She had a strength of 20 and weighed almost nothing by comparison, so she didn¡¯t fear her arms would give out.  She just hoped the ice wouldn¡¯t break.


    <hr>


    Jace and Wallace split ways halfway up their mountain.  The shaman¡¯s slope rose higher, and he let his illusion spell go to take advantage of the giant strides his orc frame offered him.  Within no time, he reached the top and was instantly struck by lightning.  Being a stone shaman offered him 50% protection against lightning, and his boots of grounding gave him another 50%.  Still, he could take damage if he critically failed a saving throw.  He didn¡¯t.


    The top clearing was devoid of snow, with huge rocks jutting out of the terrain at odd angles like a two-year-old¡¯s interpretation of Stonehenge.  The large stones offered a maze for Jace to navigate as lighting burst around him, sometimes striking him, sometimes taking chunks out of the pale gray rocks nearby.  In the clearing¡¯s center, he found a much shorter, more orderly-arranged collection of stones with a flat top five feet off the ground.  A small hole had been bored in the center, and Jace wasn¡¯t surprised to find the end of the wand fit perfectly.  He inserted the rod with the crystal pointing up and stepped back.


    Lightning flashed down on the pedestal, striking the gemstone and coalescing inside it.  This would be easy, Jace thought.  He backed away blindly until he hit another more significant collection of stones.  The next strike didn¡¯t hit the crystal and instead exploded his backrest, throwing Jace from his feet as shrapnel rained down around him.  He only took half of the damage from the flying stones, but it was still damage.


    He struggled to his hands and knees, moving large rocks off his back as another strike hit the wand.  However, the following lightning bolt took out another large formation beside him and tossed him to his left.  This time, a single large slab fell on him, and he lacked the strength to remove it.


    The shaman lost track of the strikes after that.  It seemed like only every other flash of electricity hit the crystal while the rest played Angry Birds with the stone formations around him, burying him like a pig in an ever-increasing pile of rubble.  Jace took little damage but soon found he couldn¡¯t move and had no idea how he would escape.


    <hr>


    Wallace fought the biting cold wind as she slowly reached the top of her ascent.  She wondered if it weren¡¯t for her heavy plate male if she wouldn¡¯t be blown off the peak.  The gale didn¡¯t get better once she reached the top, as the mountain had actually worked as a wind block during her climb.  Now, the gusts had nothing to impede them and did nearly lift the heavy character off her feet and out over a terrifying drop-off.


    Wallace fell to all fours, offering a smaller profile against the persistent wind.  The small nub at the top of the mountain was barely twenty feet across, with nothing but a central mound of stones able to resist the force that tried to throw everything else off its edge.  Thunder sounded around her, and she looked to her left to see the distant peak where Jace battled the lightning, wondering if that wouldn¡¯t have been the easier task.


    Instead of playing the what-if game, she crawled toward the altar as slowly and carefully as possible, every inch gained with extreme effort.  Once she reached it, she hugged the slender stone pillar with both hands and pulled herself up.  She found a narrow hole in the top and carefully inserted the wand, fearing the magical device might blow out of her hand and never be seen again.  Once inserted, the rod didn¡¯t even waver in the wind, and she watched as the crystal slowly brightened from the energy blustering around it.


    The alter afforded a little protection from the constant gale, and Wallace flipped around to lean against it and wait out the process.  Once she had found relative calm, she nearly jumped out of her armor when a glowing woman appeared on the cliff''s edge where she should have been blown away.  She was beautiful, her skin and sheer gown glowing in the late evening.  The storm clouds above offered little light, and Wallace only got a good look at her when the lightning flashed on the neighboring peak.


    Her many-layered chiffon gown danced about in the wind, giving tantalizing glimpses of the shapely figure beneath.  As the layers flowed over each other, the dress''s transparency shifted, offering tantalizing views to the paladin.  Wallace imagined that if she actually were the 40-year-old man her character represented, she might be enticed by the figure before her, but the 14-year-old girl wasn¡¯t as impressed.  She also knew the game could gauge infatuation through eye movement and brain activity, often assessing players penalties on saving throws.  The stalwart paladin hoped to avoid such banes.


    ¡°You look tired, my brave knight,¡± she said in a sultry tone, her voice having no issue fighting against the wind.  In fact, only her gown succumbed to the gale.  Her thin body and thick blond hair remained relatively motionless.  ¡°Come to me for comfort.  I can not only shelter you from the storm but also give you the power to control it.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Wallace cocked her head.  Power to control it?  Jace didn¡¯t say anything about that.  Knowing the game as she did, Wallace expected straight-up sexual seduction.  This was different.  Could she learn a spell to control the weather?  What would it cost?


    ¡°Come to me and understand true power.¡±


    Wallace eased away from the altar.


    {Wally?} Brodie, her operator, said in her head.  {Sis, what are you doing?}


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, bro,¡± she replied, taking a tentative step toward the woman.  ¡°I¡¯ve got this.¡±


    <hr>


    Thursa had a long trek into the mountain, and once the glow of lava illuminated the cavern, he changed back into his human form.  The bear was powerful but had limited access to magic, and he feared he would need protection spells to make it through this.  He pulled Hammerhead, the axe Wallace had given him, and gripped the wand in his other hand.  He was barefoot and could usually feel anyone approaching over the stone.  So far, he felt nothing other than the rhythmic bubbling of the lava before him.


    The druid approached the edge carefully.  The cavern dead-ended at the pool, the ceiling opening wide above him.  The initial cave entrance had been narrow, only a dozen feet in diameter, but now it felt like a cathedral, the high arching ceiling above him stretching up into the darkness.  Thursa knelt next to the lava and dipped the end of the wand into the molten rock.  He felt a pulse of energy as the crystal submerged, and his magical connection to the stone let him sense how full it was.  He didn¡¯t see a hole or support bracket for the rod, so he held it, crouching at the pool''s edge like filling a canteen at a bubbling brook.  His demonic-inspired heat resistance prevented his knuckles from burning.


    With his right hand holding the axe, he kept his head on a swivel, looking for danger as his feet reached through the rock to alert him of enemies approaching.  He still felt nothing.


    Thursa held that pose for several rounds as he felt the crystal fill with energy.  Soon, it was done, and he pulled the wand up to examine the ruby-red crystal at the end of the stick.  It throbbed with power, and he carefully stored it in his inventory.  Rising to his feet, he kept an eye open for an attack from any direction.  Nothing came.  Was it going to be this easy?  He didn¡¯t want to tempt fate and quickly started back up the long trek to the outside.


    As soon as he was fifty feet from the lava, Thursa froze.  Now, he sensed the tremor of an approaching creature.  It was huge, and each footfall shook the cavern so much that even Wallace would have felt it.  His eyes peered into the darkness, unable to see if any side tunnels branched into this main cavern.  The space was so expansive that its true dimensions vanished in every direction but the one leading out.  He saw nothing.


    Still, the approach continued, and the druid estimated the beast must be only a few dozen feet away, yet nothing appeared in the cavern.  Suddenly, a tremendous splash sounded behind him, and he turned to see a lava hound leap from the pool of fire and land only twenty feet away.  It wriggled its body like a dog shedding water, and molten rock flew in every direction, revealing its horrific body beneath.  Paths of lava crisscrossed its form, breaking its skin into patches of obsidian scales that pulsed with shadow.  The cracks in its skin flexed and shifted as it stretched its legs and stalked toward the druid, its massive canine maw almost twelve feet off the ground and drooling sulfuric acid as its flame-filled eyes marked its prey.


    The hound pounced, and Thursa flung himself to the side, rolling into a ball and rising far from the beast.  The lava creature recovered quickly, skidding to a stop after the miss and turning to track down its meal.  Thursa gripped the axe tightly in one hand and made a closed fist with the other, his knuckles popping under his strength.  The beast stalked him carefully, now wary of the man¡¯s athletic prowess.


    Once the creature got within ten feet, Thursa lowered his fist to his hip and punched up in the air with all his might.  A stone pillar shot up from the cavern floor just under the hound¡¯s head.  It mimicked the path of the man¡¯s arm and punched the monster in the jaw, flipping it in the air and landing it on its side.  It whimpered in pain from the blow and was slow to right itself, allowing Thursa to race forward, strike the beast twice with his axe, and proceed to the cavern¡¯s exit.


    Though Dazed momentarily, the lava hound was a creature of stone and fire, and the rock attack didn¡¯t do much damage.  Likewise, the bladed weapon worked better against flesh and blood creatures.  Even the blunt side of the axe didn¡¯t do much, as the monster¡¯s skin was already cracked and molten.  All the attack really did was anger the beast.


    Thursa saw this, decided against further combat, and raced back up the slope toward the exit.  The hound perused, shaking the mountain as it ran.


    <hr>


    Esther reached the ice-covered peak a few minutes after leaving the ice wall.  Once she had established a rhythm, moving along the glacier had been easy.  She found a thin section where water rushed just behind it, punched a hole in the ice with one of her rapiers, and stuck the wand inside.  Instantly, she felt power surge through it as the water transferred energy.  The rogue followed Jace¡¯s advice and left the wand there, planning to pick it back up on her way down.  To get off the wall, she was careful not to make any new holes that might jeopardize the ice sheet¡¯s integrity and retraced her movement to find the stone ledge.


    Now, she walked through knee-deep drifts, looking for a place to secure the second wand.  She had added her hooded cloak to her attire as the wind whipped snow about her face and exposed skin, chilling her core.  How could she get that chill inside the crystal?  Eventually, she found an ice pedestal near the center of the snowy plateau amidst a maze of rocks and dead trees.  The structure was too symmetrical to be naturally made, and after a few moments of inspection, she found a hole in the top and secured the wand pointing up.  She stepped back to see a whirlwind of snowflakes swarm around the crystal and suck deep inside it.


    The crunching of ice and snow drew her attention from the wand, and she turned to see a creature approaching.  She didn¡¯t know what it was.  It was the height of a goblin, with short, stubby legs and arms way too long for its body.  Its elbows bent back on themselves like a praying mantis with ice-covered blades for hands.  The arms made a chopping and slashing motion as it approached the woman, and Esther drew her rapiers.  She easily dodged the awkward attacks and struck back.  Chill did little damage, but Char, her firebrand weapon, nearly cleaved the animal in two and dropped it to the snow.


    Her attack brought her between two rock outcroppings, and she saw a pair of the creatures coming for her, one from either side.  She was too confined to Dodge effectively and lashed out at one as she accepted the attack from the other.  Her target suffered the same fate as the first foe while the one behind her slashed ineffectively at her powerful armor.  Gromphy had enchanted the shadow scale to give her immunity against all slashing attacks from creatures level 20 and below, and these ice fiends weren¡¯t close.


    She spun around to deal with the second minion and saw half a dozen more monsters waiting for her.  She killed the first one and then ran for a more defensible position.  Unfortunately, the random rocks, dead trees, and piles of snow left avenues of attack in every direction, and the tiny creatures flooded into her location, filling every gap available.


    Esther gave up on the defensive posturing and decided she would just have to kill them.  She proceeded to drop two attackers every three rounds for almost a minute, with no end in sight of the persistent creatures.  While they got enormous Swarm bonuses to their attacks, their slashing weapons couldn¡¯t do any damage against her.


    The deadly rogue was actually having fun for a moment, watching the ice-covered beasts explode into shards from her powerful attacks.  That was until one of the beasts decided to change the angle of its strike and stabbed its sharp arm at the woman.  The piercing blow struck home, and with all the benefits it got from its swarming brethren, it did considerable damage.


    Esther felt the ice pierce her soul, quickly followed by half a dozen more as the rest of the swarm learned the valuable lesson.  Within a round, Esther was below half health, easily able to see she wouldn¡¯t survive another six seconds.  She sheathed Chill, summoned her dragon shield, and dropped one of Draya¡¯s enchanted rubies at her feet.


    Dragon fire exploded around her, vanquishing every foe within thirty feet.  With her shield raised, she was immune to the damage and lowered it as soon as the blast cleared.  She saw no more enemies and wasted a round to drink one of Gromphy¡¯s healing potions.  Afterward, she noticed a handful of the creatures carefully closing in from all sides again, more wary of this volatile woman.  Esther didn¡¯t have an infinite amount of fire and had to change strategies.  She threw another ruby toward one group she thought was toward the wand and raced after it.


    She ran headlong into the fiery blast, needing to raise her shield again, and continued over the charred remains to find herself out in the open, the ice pedestal nowhere in sight.  Where was that wand?  The identical-looking snow-covered rocks confused her, and as more creatures closed in from every direction, she grew frantic and had to fight to survive.

 Chapter 32

    Underneath a pile of massive stones, Jace felt the onslaught cease.  Lightning still flashed about the peak, occasionally smashing other pillars, but the available rocks near his position had been exhausted, and the collection above him couldn¡¯t grow any larger.  Feeling confident, Jace entered his inventory and redesigned his Stone Tunneling spell.  He grew it to an impressive diameter with only a few feet of depth.  It only worked on uninterrupted rock, so he couldn¡¯t tunnel through everything at once and had to pick individual stones.  He chose the biggest ones first, and the negative space of his summoned tunnel eliminated each stone he selected.


    He made poor choices at first, dissolving a mammoth slab resting on his chest, which allowed smaller rocks above to crash on him.  He winced at the damage and chose rocks off to the side instead, letting their sudden vacancy empty the pile above him.  It was a tricky game of Jenga, trying to pull out the stone that wouldn¡¯t cascade everything back down on him.  Eventually, he got most of the pile to topple to his left, sparing him more damage and allowing him to get up.


    He found a wasteland of jagged rubble all around him.  In the center, the wand still stood upright, its crystal head glowing brightly with intense power.  Jace ran to retrieve it, receiving another strike of lightning through the top of his head.  He saved against the attack and made it to the pedestal without incident.  He pulled the magical item and stored it in his inventory.  Before escaping the volatile landscape, he scoped out a retreat that kept him away from any of the remaining large rock structures.  This meant he had to climb over the jagged terrain of already destroyed slabs, but his tunnel spell was available, and he cleared a path back to the downward trail.  Within a minute, the lightning storm was behind him, and he jogged down the slope, eyeing up the valley before him that marked where Wallace¡¯s peak joined his.  He hoped the paladin hadn¡¯t met anything she couldn¡¯t handle.


    <hr>


    ¡°Yes, good,¡± the wind witch said as Wallace drew closer.  ¡°Enter my embrace.  Shield yourself from the wind and learn to control it.  I ask only that you lend me your strength so I might live.¡±


    {Wally,} Brodie said, trying not to yell at his sister.  {What are you doing?  Everything I can see says you are saving against the charm spell.  Why are you still walking forward?}


    Wallace ignored him for now, focused on the beautiful woman before her, acting as if hypnotized by the billowing gown that enveloped her voluptuous body.  ¡°What strength shall I give you?¡± she asked, drawing close enough to reach out and touch the woman.  The wind still whipped about them, but a tunnel of relative calm had sprung up along the path to the cliff edge where the witch hovered.


    ¡°I only need a few levels,¡± she cooed, reaching toward the paladin suddenly, her gentle hands transforming to claws and her face morphing into a veiny, hideous visage.  Her spirit body now matched the translucent nature of her garments and moved against the flow of the wind, threatening to plunge deep into the approaching human.


    Wallace was ready and drew her vorpal blade.  She had the all-important Solid Spirit feat, which allowed her to strike against ghosts and other insubstantial foes as if they were flesh and blood.  The blade struck up into the witch, surprising the spirit with the successful attack.  Her clawed hands stopped their assault, only a foot away from sinking into Wallace¡¯s flesh.  Instead, the paladin cast Turn Undead through her blade, and a burst of light blasted through the witch as if the distant lightning storm had jumped to this peak.


    Wallace took a stumbling step back from the blaring sight and withdrew her weapon for a second attack.  The powerful wind witch hovered motionless, Stunned by the turning spell and unable to offer any defense as the armored knight struck again, this time with a sweeping arc that earned two more criticals and almost sent the evil spirit into a death spiral.  Wallace followed up by raising her shield and bashing the limp foe backward, off her precarious perch and into the gust around them.  The witch released a scream that rattled the few rocks and fled like a kite caught in a hurricane, disappearing in the night.


    With the spirit gone, the wind was back, and Wallace almost followed after the witch as a gust hit her in the back, dropping the knight to the ground, her head hitting the rocks where the witch had stood.  Her helm saved her from a bloody nose, yet the hit still produced exploding stars before her vision.


    Wallace blinked several times and shook her head until all the sparkling light was gone save for a small circle a few inches from her face.  Getting her hands beneath her, the knight pushed herself up slowly to a kneeling position and focused her eyes on the glinting object before her.  A silver ring lay nestled among the rocks.  She picked it up slowly and tried to analyze it, but her magical knowledge wasn¡¯t sufficient.  She remembered the blue diamond ring Vithium had given her at the end of their last quest.  He had claimed it belonged to Tamar, but the paladin hadn¡¯t remembered it or been able to decipher what that ring could do either.  She found that diamond ring in her inventory and placed this one right next to it.


    Wallace started to rise and felt the wind at her back, threatening to toss her off into the night.  Instead, she stayed on her hands and knees and returned to the stone altar.  Her eyes watered from the wind, and she blindly groped about the pedestal until she felt the stiff wand through her armored gauntlets.  It came free from the stone, and she hoped it was full because she didn¡¯t want to spend one more second atop this mountain.  After storing the item in her inventory, she crawled to the edge of the plateau and off the rise, not finding the confidence to stand until she was several dozen feet down the trail and again in the mountain''s wind shadow.  In the distance, she saw Jace descending his slope at a run and hurried to meet him.


    <hr>


    Esther hacked and slashed at the creatures around her, constantly staying on the move and offering her raised shield to her opponents as often as her blade.  Finally, after what seemed like a dozen minutes, she tumbled into a clearing and saw the ice mound, the magical wand sticking straight out of it.  Two more of the frozen creatures stood in her way, and she hacked them to ice shards to gain access to the altar.  The crystal pulsed with snow-white energy, and Esther had to sheath Char for a second to free a hand to grab it.  A freezing pain jolted through her left side from an enemy attack, and she jumped straight over the ice pedestal to avoid another strike as she hastily stored the wand in her belt.


    The rogue turned to face off against the creature and found five waiting for her.  She kept her sword sheathed another round and tossed her last dragon fire ruby at their feet.  She raised her shield and charged through the flames, already feeling more of the creatures behind her.  Esther managed a peak around the guard and saw the way before her relatively clear, only a single foe approaching from the right.  She drew Char to deal with it and dashed through the gap in the stones where it had emerged.


    Suddenly, she found herself out in the open again, the trail back down the mountain just visible ahead.  Closing off her path from the left and right were hordes of creatures desperately trying to prevent her escape.  Despite the night, the snow shone with a magical glow, preventing her from using her Shadow Step boots.  So, instead, Esther cast Haste on herself and raced for the clearing¡¯s edge.  The downward slope was steep enough to look like a straight cliff to her as she raced toward it, and the woman hoped she wasn¡¯t making a mistake by flinging herself off the wrong side.


    With the ice fiends closing in, Esther desperately jumped, swinging the shield below her, and landed on the guard like a small sled.  Bladed hands stabbed and sliced through the air just above her head as the hot scales beneath her slid over the snow with tremendous speed.  She zipped over the plateau''s edge just in the nick of time and cried out in terror at what she saw.


    It wasn¡¯t a straight drop-off, but it might as well have been.  Her speed was so fast that she went forward more than down at first, and the ground perilously dropped away.  She was airborne for several seconds before gravity kicked in, bringing her down to the snowy trail.  She hit the white powder and nearly turned into a human snowball, but her Dexterity saved her, and she maintained balance on the improvised sled.


    The shield had warded her from several dragon fire rubies, and the scales retained that magical heat, melting the snow they touched and speeding her down the slope as if she were sliding on ice.  The guard didn¡¯t have a steering mechanism, and as the trail wove around rocks and under trees, Esther leaned and ducked past objects whipping by her at tremendous speed.


    Soon, the trail leveled off, and the obstacles thinned, yet she was still going way too fast when she saw something ahead she couldn¡¯t dodge: the end of the snow.  Once she dropped far enough in altitude, the snow turned to rocks and grass, and she didn¡¯t think the shield would have a successful time sliding over it.  Not knowing what else to do, the rogue unsummoned the magical dragon scales while she was still a few dozen feet from the transition.


    Esther fell hard into the snow, the wet slush finding entry into her clothing from every uncomfortable angle.  Ice covered her arms and legs, finding its way down her front and back while soaking her hair.  As she tumbled over the wet slope, her arms and legs grasped at anything to slow her descent but only found loose snow.  The hard ground met her unceremoniously a few seconds later and finally ended her journey. After rolling over twenty feet of rough, unyielding gravel, she collided with a wide tree trunk.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The woman lay there for several seconds, breathing heavily and trying to assess the damage.  She hurt everywhere.  She was wet everywhere.  And she was freezing cold.  Her health was dangerously low, and she wasn¡¯t sure she had the strength to sit up.  Still lying on her back, she retrieved one of Gromphy¡¯s health potions from her inventory and poured it into her mouth with a shaking hand.  Most of the magical liquid made it to her stomach, and a surge of strength went through her.  She sat up.


    After taking a quick stock of herself, she thankfully found nothing missing.  Somehow, she had managed to sheath her rapier during the descent, and both her swords hung at her waist.  All her rings and jewelry were in place, and even her hat had stayed magically affixed to her scalp.  She tugged on the brim to produce a momentary cylinder of darkness, and then Shadow Stepped out of it further down the slope.  She knew Jace would want her to keep moving.


    <hr>


    Thursa had transformed into a grizzly and sprinted up the steep cavern trail as fast as he could.  The ground shook behind him as the lava hound gave chase.  The druid wasn¡¯t fast enough.  At first, Thursa could outsmart the beast, sensing when the closing monster was about to lunge and dodging to the side, often running along the wall for a few dozen feet as his strong claws bit deep into the stone.  The hound¡¯s maw would smash into the ground where the bear had been, disrupting its forward progress and providing Thursa enough time to pull further ahead.


    Soon, that wasn¡¯t enough as, instead of going for the kill in one attack, the hound tried to swat the bear with its paws, tossing the shapeshifter into the stone.  The rock druid didn¡¯t take much damage from the collision with the wall, but the claw attack ripped through his thick fur, and he had to dance amid the hound''s massive paws after rebounding off the stone.


    Even as a grizzly, he was small enough to fit under the massive creature¡¯s belly. After playing peek-a-boo with the hound¡¯s fiery eyes for a few rounds, he could usually get the beast to turn around, allowing Thursa to bolt back toward the exit.  One of the few spells he could cast as a bear allowed the druid to run upside down along the top of the cavern, his vicious claws securing into the stone.  This fooled the lava hound momentarily, enabling Thursa to build another lead.


    The druid was running out of tricks as he felt the hound resume its pursuit more cautiously.  The end of the tunnel was fast approaching.  In the tight, rocky corridor, Thursa had the advantage as he was quicker and more agile.  And if the hound did toss him about, it was into a rock wall, which caused minimal damage.  His agility wouldn¡¯t grant him the same advantage in the open, and any swipe from the beast would likely send him over a steep drop-off and probably kill him.


    Still, he had a chance to cut hard to the left upon exit to head back down the trail and possibly gain a little distance on the beast, who would have to slow down upon exit or send itself tumbling down the slope.  The hound cut off that option by belching lava after him.  The bear ducked out of the way and saw the vomited stone streak ahead of him to build a wall at the exit, cutting off any quick retreat he might have.


    Starlight greeted Thursa upon his exit from the cave.  He looked to the left briefly, saw a narrow ledge along the cooling barrier, and decided it wasn¡¯t worth it.  He could squeeze by if he canceled his bear form, but it would take him time, and the hound would attack him in a vulnerable state where he couldn¡¯t dodge.  Instead, he turned to face the beast, shapeshifting back into a human and readying his spells.


    The druid tried his stone pillar attack again, punching three rocky spikes at the cavern¡¯s mouth.  The hound didn¡¯t fall for it, stepping back when Thursa swung his fists, allowing the granite to rise unchecked.  The resulting pillars created a momentary jail cell for the beast, which it promptly smashed a few seconds later.


    The druid wasn¡¯t rich in mana, and all of his spells revolved around rock and fire, which wouldn¡¯t hurt the lava hound in the slightest.  He figured his only chance was to enact his demonic rage and see how much damage he could do with his axe.  He backed up a few more feet as the beast cautiously approached.  Thursa absently kicked a few stones backward and listened as they bounced down the steep slope behind him.  The only safe descent down the incline was cut off to his right.  Directly behind him and to his left, the drop would kill him.  Thursa used the last of his mana to cast Rage on himself, tensing his legs and gripping his axe tightly.


    Once it figured its prey had nowhere else to go, the hound pounced and lowered its maw to snap at the man.  Thursa jumped, flipping and twisting in the air, so he landed on the hound¡¯s back, just behind its neck.  He gripped the scorching body with his powerful legs and began pounding away with his axe as if he were chopping an impossibly thick tree.  The lava hound howled in response.


    <hr>


    Esther was halfway across the ice wall to retrieve the wand when the cacophony sounded from below.  She had promised herself not to look down, and she broke that promise to glance sideways toward the noise.  Just over fifty feet below, she saw Thursa atop a lava creature, bright orange lines of magma crisscrossing over the monster¡¯s body and illuminating the night.  The druid¡¯s axe tore at its stone scales, opening wider tracks for the lava to spill out like blood.  Despite the heat resistance she knew he had, it likely didn¡¯t give him 100% protection against lava, and eventually, the beast would find a way to smash its rider against a stone and dislodge him.  She had to get down there.


    Esther turned back to the task at hand and moved as quickly as she dared.  The wand was only a few feet away, and she reached out to pull it free and store it in her inventory.  As she moved back, she felt tremors in the wall from the battle below.  Snow from above rained down on her, and she feared a larger avalanche that would wipe her out.  When it didn¡¯t come, she glanced back down at the fight.


    The giant hound shook the whole mountain as it smashed against the rock, attempting to throw its rider.  The rogue tried not to let it disturb her concentration, but as she reached back toward safety with a knife in hand, her blade cut a new hole in the wall instead of finding the old one.  That probably wasn¡¯t enough on its own, but the earthquake from below shook the glacier again, and a tiny crack formed, connecting the two puncture marks.


    The rogue held her breath as she hung from the wall and then watched in horror as the crack zapped through the rest of the wall like lightning, severing the lower half of the ice sheet and sending it crashing down with the water below her.  Her legs hadn¡¯t been helping her climb, and now they were drenched with a torrent of ice-cold water.  She felt the ice she still clung to tremor from the change in pressure and hung on desperately as the waterfall tugged on her lower body, threatening to drag it to the rocks below where the chunk of ice shattered like a massive chandelier.


    She no longer had a path back to the ledge as the crack had taken out more of her handholds, and Esther took a few calming breaths, already losing sensation in her lower body as her legs went numb from the cold.  Instead of going sideways, she ventured up, stabbing with her knife and pulling hard against the solid ice.  Soon, her legs were free from the water, and she kicked them furiously to generate warmth, missing the days when she was cold-blooded.


    A clear path lay to her left, but she had to create new holes in the unstable ice, and she plunged her knives in cautiously, waiting for a full round between each before proceeding.  She thought she would make it, but another shockwave coursed through the mountain, and a small crack grew from a hole right before her face.  She watched it grow nine inches and then stop, teasing her.  She knew it could expand in a heartbeat, and if it did, she would fall to her death in an icy grave.  This time, she knew she would wake up in her bed in Jace¡¯s stronghold, but the shaman needed her on this quest.


    She glanced back down toward Thursa and saw that the lava hound¡¯s antics that had produced this last tremor had also thrown the druid to the ground, and he lay limp on the stone just before the monster¡¯s smoking maw.  Acting on instinct, Esther shoved off the ice wall using all her legs¡¯ limited strength.  Before her, she saw the crack instantly extend in both directions and separate the ice from the wall.


    As if in slow motion, the graceful woman twisted in the air as she sheathed her knives so she was flying head first and face down toward the distant cliff edge.  She had no chance of landing on her starting ledge as it was already a dozen feet above her.  Instead, she drew Chill from its sheath, grasped it tightly in both hands, and raised it over her head as she dropped like a diving falcon.


    The lava hound below heard the massive crack in the glacier, and without the druid on its back to distract it, its large head turned to investigate.  The ice had already fallen out of view to smash on the rocks below.  Instead, the beast perceived a black figure emerging from the shadows of the night and streaking toward its back.


    Esther tried to transfer as much of the impact as she could into her rapier as she thrust down with both hands, securing the frost blade deep into the lava creature¡¯s spine.  The game gave her credit for the effort, letting the attack absorb most of the force and only dealing half the damage she should have received from the fall.  She rolled off the monster¡¯s back as it reared up in pain, the icy blade stabbing into its fiery soul.  Try as it might, it would never be able to knock the blade free, and its chaotic efforts of smashing its body against the stone only drove the weapon deeper.  Eventually, the best careened off the ledge and fell out of view, howling into the night.


    Esther rose slowly from where she fell and crawled over to Thursa.  He was unconscious and covered with burns and wounds.  She fed him a potion and drank one herself.  The game only allowed her to carry five of the potent elixirs; she had already used four on this brief mission. Thursa opened his eyes and smiled up at Esther.  ¡°It¡¯s nice to wake up to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice of you to wake up.  That thing nearly killed you.¡±


    Thursa shook his head.  ¡°No.  I had it right where I wanted it.¡±


    Esther laughed.  ¡°Oh, is that so?  And where was that?¡±


    ¡°Right beneath you,¡± he said with a straight face.


    ¡°I bet you¡¯d like to be beneath me,¡± she teased, swinging a leg over to straddle the shirtless man who lay on his back.


    Noise to her left stole her attention as the cooled lava wall exploded and rocks showered them.  A few seconds later, Jace¡¯s orc form stepped through a hole Diamond Etcher had cut.  He took one look at the characters in a compromising position and sighed.  ¡°Esther, we don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    She pouted like a child and stood up, offering a hand to help Thursa off the ground.  He took it, but not before sneaking a peak up her skirt.  Wallace was right behind Jace and rolled her eyes at her companion¡¯s antics.


    ¡°Did you get what we need?¡± Jace asked once both characters were standing.  They nodded.  ¡°Good, then let¡¯s get going.  Psycho and his group are moments from a pirate attack.  If we are going to weaken Cloudspark, we need to do it now.¡±


    The NPCs fell in line, and they hurried down the mountain trail.  At the bottom, Esther made a brief stop to retrieve Chill from the cold, dead lava hound, and they continued to the Silver Dragon as Jace explained his plan.

 Chapter 33

    They didn¡¯t find a shortcut cut, and Jace¡¯s group had to reclimb the long flight of stairs up to the Eye.  The room at the top was dim, lit only by the glow of the magical gems in the center.  Elroy, the wizard, waited for them.  ¡°It is good that you return,¡± he greeted them.  ¡°Our master engages in battle as we speak and requires a fresh dose of power.  Were you successful?¡±


    Jace and his group had resumed their disguises, and the half-orc fighter stepped forward.  ¡°We were.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Elroy said.  ¡°Ready the stones,¡± he ordered and fled toward the room''s center, where the Eye pulsed with power.  Jace watched him lift the silver ring that held five stones.  They had looked colorful before, but now that Jace had seen the intense vibrance of the gems his group had collected, he understood the current power supply was running low. Not wanting anything to go to waste, Elroy held the ring just above the Eye and chanted a few words.


    Previously, the powerful artifact had been sucking at the stone¡¯s energy imperceptibly.  Now, it drained them quickly, and Jace saw trails of color fleeing the gems as the storm within the Eye tripled in size and intensity.  Soon, all five crystals were empty, and Elroy left the central station and returned to the adventurers.  As he walked, he popped the clear gems out and tossed them into the bin at the side of the room.


    ¡°Give me the power you collected,¡± he insisted, walking right up to the tall half-orc.


    Jace hadn¡¯t retrieved the stones from his inventory yet.  ¡°But how does it work?¡± he asked.  ¡°I mean, how does the power make Captain Cloudspark more powerful?  Isn¡¯t he already a high-level mage.¡±


    Elroy looked annoyed.  ¡°Yes.  He is more capable than any other captain of navigating the seas, combatting enemy ships, and, most of all, controlling the weather.  However, lending him additional storm magic allows him to save his mana for other things.  Now, give me the gems.¡±


    ¡°So the Eye only helps him while he summons storms?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°No!¡± Elroy said.  ¡°It gives him strength at all times.  Increasing his spell difficulty, raising his defense against magic, and ensuring high saving throws.  Now give me the stones!¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I forgot.¡±  He entered his inventory and took his time retrieving the gems.  When he opened his eyes again, he held three stones filled with cold, water, and electricity.  Elroy snapped them out of his massive palm one by one, securing them into the ring and casting crafting magic.  ¡°But you just overloaded the Eye with what was left of those other gems,¡± Jace said.


    Elroy miscast his spell on the last gem and failed to correctly secure it in the ring.  He cursed.  ¡°Captain Cloudspark is about to summon a massive storm,¡± the mage said, taking a few breaths to collect himself.  ¡°Once he does, he will drain the eye of all its current power and will need fresh magic.  We must get this ring in place at once.¡±  He successfully cast the spell the second time and turned back to Jace for the rest of the stones.  He didn¡¯t have them.  ¡°Where are . . .¡±


    ¡°What if he only had access to the Eye without the magic we are infusing into it?¡± Jace interrupted.  ¡°Isn¡¯t it a powerful artifact on its own?¡±


    ¡°With the Eye in his possession, Captain Cloudspark could wield it and destroy any foe, but like all artifacts, the power it can produce each day.  By leaving it here, it has unlimited power as long as we keep it fed.  Now, I need the other . . .¡±


    ¡°But how does the power transfer to him?¡± Jace asked.  When they had first met, the mage had said he would answer any of their questions.  The shaman was testing to see how strongly that statement was scripted.  So far, he was pleased with the result.


    ¡°It is sent through the weather,¡± Elroy replied, annoyance clearly visible on his face.  ¡°That is why we are so high up.  No matter where our captain is on the seas, we can send power to him through the wind and clouds.  But only if we have a sufficient power source.¡±  He took a breath.  ¡°Now, no more questions!  Give me the other two stones.¡±


    ¡°Ah, right,¡± Jace said.  ¡°My bad.¡±  He turned to his other two companions.  Thursa gave Jace an odd look as he handed over the heat-filled gem.  Wallace stifled a laugh and held out her wind crystal.  Jace took both and returned to the mage.


    Elroy looked relieved but neglected the stones momentarily to count the characters before him.  ¡°Did you not have three companions when you entered?  What happened to the woman in black?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°Do I need to answer your questions?¡±


    The mage shook his head.  ¡°No.  I just thought it was curious.  Did she fall in battle with the elements?¡±


    Jace held out his hand.  ¡°Here are the other two gems.¡±


    Elroy shrugged, took them, and began to load them into the ring.


    ¡°What would the impact be if Cloudspark suddenly lost connection with the Eye?¡± Jace asked, disrupting the mage again.  ¡°How strongly does he rely on it for power?¡±


    Elroy fumbled with the last stone and cursed.  He regained composure and looked up at the half-orc.  ¡°He leans on it heavily while in battle.  Removing would be like stealing a horse from beneath a knight in mid-charge.¡±


    ¡°So, he would definitely fail his next saving throw?¡± Jace said, adding just enough inflection at the end of the statement to turn it into a question.


    ¡°He would,¡± Elroy agreed, finally snapping the last crystal in place.  ¡°But now he won¡¯t.¡±  The mage turned quickly from the inquisitive player and strode toward the room¡¯s center.  After taking five steps, he stopped cold.  The Eye was gone.


    ¡°What in the realms . . .¡± he started and then cried out in a celestial language.  Light flooded the room instantly, and all eyes turned to a lithe form standing by a stained-glass window, wrestling with the latch.


    ¡°Esther!¡± Jace cried.  ¡°You should have been gone by now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do locks!¡± she shouted back.  Seeing that she was exposed to the room, stealth was no longer an option.  She punched through the window, destroying the beautiful glass, and was about to climb out when two massive swords crossed before her.  She leaped back and swore as she saw two of the mammoth armored knights come to life and bar her exit.


    ¡°Fools!¡± Elroy cried.  ¡°You can¡¯t hope to escape.¡±  A massive portcullis slammed down over the one legitimate exit to the room.  ¡°You will not stand a chance against my . . .¡±


    ¡°Thursa,¡± Jace said, and the druid was already taking action, transforming into a grizzly bear and tackling the talkative mage to the ground before he could get off a spell.


    Jace dropped his half-orc persona and drew Diamond Etcher.  Wallace didn¡¯t need a round to prepare and was already engaging the knights around them.  Three chased Esther, and a pair withdrew to deal with the paladin.  Jace had another few seconds to drop an Armor and Damage Sink totem in the room and joined the fun.


    Wallace couldn¡¯t fight two of the foes at once.  Her shield and armor were sufficient against one, but a raised shield was directional, and with the other knight flanking her, it hit her for massive damage two rounds in a row.  ¡°Jace, I need help!¡±


    Jace answered and assaulted one of her enemies with his sword.  Wallace also had difficulty dealing damage as her powerful weapon bounced harmlessly off the enchanted armor.  Diamond Etcher had no problem with it and sliced open his target like he was shredding a tin can.  Unfortunately, the visible destruction didn¡¯t result in damage, as the knight¡¯s health didn¡¯t drop.  Once he peeled away a significant section of the breastplate, he could see why.


    ¡°They¡¯re empty,¡± he cried.  ¡°They''re just metal suits with no health to destroy.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Not possible,¡± Wallace said, finding an opening against her enemy and getting a breather after shield bashing it against the wall.  She turned to look at Jace¡¯s opponent.  ¡°At least I don¡¯t think it is possible.¡±  She couldn¡¯t deny the suit looked empty.  ¡°Let¡¯s trade.¡±


    The paladin¡¯s combatant was picking itself up from the wall, and Jace stepped in front of his friend to block his charge, successfully parrying the massive blows and then returning a strike that began dismantling its armor.  Wallace maneuvered past the giant orc, raised her shield to block the knight''s strike, and thrust her weapon deep into its exposed chest.  Its health plummeted.


    ¡°They¡¯re spirits!¡± Wallace cried in glee.  ¡°They are undead spirits inside.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jace said, cutting into his new enemy and watching his enchanted blade pass right through its torso.  ¡°We have to fight the Nazgul.¡±  He parried a few more strikes and then smashed his opponent back with his crosspiece.  ¡°Elroy!¡± Jace called.  ¡°How do we kill them?¡±  He turned to look at the mage, hoping his necessity of answering questions extended to battle strategy.


    Thursa was finishing his kill, shredding the Helpless mage binned beneath the giant bear.  He wouldn¡¯t be answering any more questions.


    ¡°No,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°This is good.  I can kill them.¡±


    Jace looked up from the dead mage to see Wallace had taken her enemy to half health.  ¡°How are you hitting them?¡±


    ¡°You have your skills; I have mine,¡± she replied.  She blocked another strike and dealt a critical blow to her wounded foe.  It fell to the ground in a crumpled pile of metal.  ¡°You slice them up, and I¡¯ll . . .¡±


    A scream from the far side of the room cut her off.  ¡°Help!¡± Esther cried.


    Thursa looked up with rage in his eyes and reacted before Jace could.  His bear form leaped as if launched from a trebuchet, launching across the room and tackling one of the massive knights assaulting the rogue.  Esther hadn¡¯t taken too much damage yet, but the undead constructs had pinned her against the wall and closed any avenue to Dodge.


    The flying grizzly smashed one knight into the metal bars of a window to its left, crumpling its shoulder so severely that it could no longer wield a two-handed weapon.  Jace followed right after, slicing up the knight on Esther¡¯s other side.  The suit of armor Jace had been craving up thought it had an opportunity to strike the mighty orc from behind, but Wallace stepped in to intercept and buried her vorpal blade into its exposed side.


    The fight didn¡¯t last much longer than that.  The enraged bear took more damage than the rest of the group combined, but that was his fighting style.  The druid could also heal himself without potions, so a round after the last knight fell, they were ready for more action.


    ¡°How do we get out of here?¡± Wallace asked.  They had been hoping the portcullis guarding the exit would retract once the knights were killed, but it didn¡¯t.  Also, they could hear quite the racket coming from the stairway.  ¡°It sounds like an army is approaching.¡±


    ¡°We go through the window,¡± Esther said.  Several of the stained-glass portals had been shattered during the fight, and the rogue used one of her rapiers to knock out the last few jagged shards of the one that overlooked the harbor most directly.


    ¡°I can¡¯t climb down that wall,¡± Wallace said.  ¡°Not with a million potions.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t either,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Besides, it would take too long, and those enemies charging up at us could pick us off with arrows.  No, we jump.¡±


    ¡°Are you crazy!  I can¡¯t do that either.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only fifty feet to the water,¡± Esther said, leaning out the window and admiring the nighttime view with the numerous tiny lights below.  ¡°If you get enough forward momentum, you will carry to the wat easily.  There are two empty spots by the dock right now.  You can¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I can,¡± Wallace insisted.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry I have pedestrian stats compared to you, but not everyone has infinite Athletic ability.  I can barely climb a tree in this armor.¡±


    ¡°Then take it off,¡± Esther said.


    ¡°That takes four rounds,¡± the paladin said.  Noise from stairs drew her attention.  ¡°We don¡¯t have the time.¡±


    ¡°I can throw you,¡± Thursa said.  He was still a grizzly, and his red eyes showed his Rage ability was still active.


    Wallace looked between her companion, Jace, and the window Esther had just cleared.  ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s our only choice,¡± Jace said.  As if to punctuate his comment, an arrow thudded into his chest.  They turned to see two archers lining up shots on the players.  Firing through the closed portcullis in the dark stole some of their accuracy, but nobody wanted to wait to see if they could activate Death Shot.


    Esther ran first, stepping up to the window ledge and leaping far out into the night sky.  She did a double forward summersault to show off and hit the water far over the dock, knifing into the harbor headfirst in a dive.  Jace was next and took two more arrows as he lumbered toward the window and leaped through.  His massive orc body cleared the docks by only fifteen feet, and he did a cannonball that drenched characters three ship slots over.


    Wallace had a tower shield out and raised against the incoming arrows.  She peaked at the growing force on the other side of the portcullis and saw a fire mage preparing to attack.  She also saw someone with a key pushing to get access to the locked door.  ¡°It has to be now,¡± Thursa said.  Without waiting for approval, he picked up his leader, carried her over to the window, and hurled her out just as a fireball exploded behind her.


    The paladin awkwardly tumbled through the air, only able to spot her potential landing spot once every couple of seconds as she flipped and turned.  It looked like she would make it when a ship suddenly filled her landing zone.  A player captain must have chosen the option to skip the transit back to port, and Wallace had no chance of clearing it.  Instead, she hit the mainsail, her armor and shield catching and ripping on the fabric.  It slowed her descent somewhat but also added to her cartwheeling flight.  She bounced off two cross beams and had just enough coordination to get her tower shield under her as she hit the deck hard, crashing straight through the wood and into the lower crew quarters.


    The beds were mostly vacant, and the game was generous with the damage she took as she landed on an empty mattress, destroying a triple-layered bunk.  Wallace sprang from the ground, happy her pain settings were low, and quickly climbed through the hole in the deck to see Thursa splash down successfully next to the boat.


    Wallace was met by a very startled crew, including two level 13 players who wondered if they should be attacking the knight.  Wallace didn¡¯t give them time to consider it further and stormed off the boat, managing the short jump to the dock.  Arrows flew down around her, and she fled to the stone wall where stairs led back to the ground level.  By flattening herself against the wall, the archers from the tower no longer had an angle to hit her.  They must have opened the portcullis and stormed the room.  Instead of more arrows, they shouted down with orders to catch her.


    As Wallace wondered where she could run, she looked up from the wall to see the crew of the ship she had just wrecked zeroing in on her.  Archers drew their weapons, and casters readied spells.  She raised her shield again and cast a spell to boost her Magic Defense.  Lightning and fire stormed around her as arrows thudded against her shield.  Her health dropped again, but her Paladin defenses held for a round.


    She realized if this ship was docking here, it must work for Cloudspark, and they would obey any orders shouted from the tower.  When the second volley attacked her and was significantly reduced, she lowered her shield for a moment and saw that Thursa had climbed out of the water and was wreaking havoc on the ship.  He set fires, overturned barrels, and threw a few people overboard.


    Wallace trusted the NPC to handle himself and raced up the stairs.  When she reached the cobbled street, she was back in range of the archers above, but they had pulled back from the window when they had lost their shot, and she guessed the army was now running back down the stairs to cut off her exit.


    The player only knew how to leave the way Jace had led her in, through the narrow entrance to this courtyard, and she ran in that direction.  More shouts followed her, and she saw activity in the bottom level of the Silver Dragon as characters took up the chase.  An arrow hit her in the back, but she couldn¡¯t take the time to raise her shield in that direction.  She couldn¡¯t run and raise a tower shield simultaneously and was more concerned with attacks coming from the front.


    The two guards that had let them in now opposed her fifty feet ahead.  They raised their crossbows, and the weapons glowed with magical energy as sparks energized the taut mechanism.  Holding the tower shield even without raising it still gave her a bonus against ranged attacks, and she didn¡¯t think she could afford to take the time to slow to a walk.  If she did, the guards would have time to fire a second time, and she would have to stay moving slowly, allowing her pursuers to attack.  Instead, she gritted her teeth and waited for the lighting attacks.


    They never came.


    The guard on the left buckled suddenly and cried out as his health dropped to zero.  He fell to the ground as Esther emerged from the shadows behind him, one of her rapiers impaled in his back.  The other guard turned to unload on the now Flat-Footed opponent at point-blank range, but Diamond Etcher swept in at the last second, hitting him with a triple critical and taking his head.


    Wallace hated them for their improvised escape plan but couldn¡¯t help but love them for saving her skin now.  She kept charging, wondering why she wasn¡¯t taking more damage from behind.  As she neared the exit, she heard a roar behind her and saw a massive grizzly bear bounding through the night, his hide a collection of arrows and lightning-scorched fur.  They passed through the exit from Cloudspark¡¯s stronghold, and the pursuit stopped.


    The commercial area of Thunder Island was a Hostile Non-PVP zone.  NPCs could attack, but most of the pursuit had been orchestrated by players, and they were now powerless to affect Jace¡¯s crew.  Plus, the city guards were in charge outside the stronghold and would need evidence before they allowed hostile actions against the characters.


    Wallace held her curses in check as they rushed through the crowded bazaar.  Jace resumed his half-orc illusion and stored his recognizable blade in his inventory.  Esther was a sexy librarian again and offered her last healing potion to the paladin as a peace offering.  Enacting their disguises hid that they were both soaking wet and must have swum outside Cloudspark¡¯s territory before exiting the water.


    Thursa resumed human form, and almost a dozen arrows fell to the street.  He used the last of his mana to heal his wounds.  Within two rounds, the group moved through the crowded streets as if nothing had happened.

 Chapter 34

    Tamar Zedek longingly looked at the sea through her barred window.  Her new home, if she could even call it that, lacked the Gilded Swan¡¯s natural beauty.  Instead of the sun-bleached sandy beaches and gentle waves lapping up on shore, a persistent northerly wind sent unending surges against the rocky shoreline on the west side of Jade Island.  Her pirate hosts barely had space along the coast to dock their ship, and the pier had to be extended over 100 feet due to the shallow, rocky sea floor.


    Still, despite the conditions, Tami longed to be out there in the rough surf, soaking up the invigorating salt water.  It had been over a week since she had been in the sea, and her Mana Generation had dropped to almost nothing.  She felt weak and barely had the energy to maintain her human form.  Combined with the fact that her kingdom''s strength waned more and more each day as their nest remained empty, Tami didn¡¯t think she could hold out much longer.  The Aden Pirates promised to end her suffering, but she despised their plan.


    A knock on the door interrupted her contemplation, and she didn¡¯t bother responding, knowing the visitor wouldn¡¯t take ¡°No¡± for an answer.  The door opened a few seconds later, and Tami kept staring out her window.  ¡°You need to get ready,¡± a voice told her.  ¡°Your king will be here soon.¡±


    Tami recognized the speaker and turned to see Captain Dalmar standing just inside the doorway.  As small as her quarters were, it was almost the middle of the room.  This area belonged to the pirates¡¯ harem, which she guessed she was part of now.  The room only allowed enough space for a bed, a chair, and a closet with a few changes of clothes.  More than enough space for a horny pirate seeking a woman¡¯s attention, but hardly an environment fit to seduce a king.  She suspected the large double-door suite on the adjacent wing of the balcony was where that would occur.


    Turning her attention back to the visitor, Tami frowned as she saw the captain hadn¡¯t come alone.  Dalmar was a swashbuckler, a warrior devoted solely to using two blades and an elusive fighting style.  The singular focus meant he was usually more skilled than any opponent he faced, but it also meant he lacked balance and was highly susceptible to damage and magical attacks.  Back when she had mana at her disposal, she found that simply humming a song in his presence was enough to Charm him, and she sensed she could easily get him to do almost anything.  Even now, in her weakened state, she could influence him.


    But he wasn¡¯t alone.  Astur, a dwarven fighter, stood beside him.  He was a more balanced character, and his dwarven nature gave him natural resistance to her charms.  Still, he would be putty in her hands if she were at full strength.  She hadn¡¯t had access to that kind of power since her days at the Gilded Swan and, thus, had never been able to charm this dwarf successfully.


    ¡°You need to get dressed,¡± Dalmar said.  ¡°If you don¡¯t do it, I will be more than happy to assist.¡±


    Tami saw a glint in the handsome man¡¯s eyes and shuddered.  She couldn¡¯t deny his attractiveness, with dark hair and skin dressed in flowing robes of blue and gold.  In her former life, she had been with many men far less attractive.  But that wasn¡¯t her role now.  Remarkably, neither he nor any other pirate here had laid a hand on her since she¡¯d been in their company.  She hadn¡¯t known why at first, but ever since they had revealed their plan to her, it became clear.  She knew they wanted her to stay with them after her kingdom had been secured, and the idea repulsed her.  She doubted they would keep their hands off her then.  Their insistence that she would feel differently once her quest was solved didn¡¯t bring her much comfort.


    ¡°Get off the bed!¡± the dwarf said gruffly.  ¡°If I have to get you changed, I won¡¯t be as gentle.¡±


    Tami sighed and stood, catching her robe and cinching it closed before the men saw anything they shouldn¡¯t.  ¡°I will get dressed,¡± she said.  ¡°But I do not like it.  This is not the way it should be.  I should not have to resort to this.¡±


    ¡°Onan is not coming for you,¡± Dalmar said.  ¡°If you want to save your kingdom, this is the only option.¡±


    She didn¡¯t want Onan to come for her.  Her heart was set on his younger brother, Shelah, who was even less likely to rescue her.  She began to compose another argument to the players but saw them cocking their heads in a familiar gesture and guessed their operators were speaking to them.  She didn¡¯t fully understand it, knowing only that certain people could commune with beings outside their realm.  Many of her clients at the Gilded Swan had that ability.


    ¡°We must go,¡± Dalmar said eventually.  ¡°Please hurry.¡±  They turned and left the room.


    Tami sighed and dropped her robe, revealing her delicate nightgown.  She moved over to a small wardrobe where several beautiful dresses hung.  Thinking nostalgically, she chose the one she had worn when Shelah visited the Gilded Swan.  Saying a prayer to the sea gods that somehow this would all work out, she got ready for the dinner party.


    <hr>


    Captain Dalmar exited Tami¡¯s room onto the balcony that ringed the large dining hall.  Half a dozen other doors stood along the permitter, some open with harem girls lounging about waiting for the guests to arrive.  They would serve the food and offer a night of pleasure to any merfolk who wished to partake.  The last two rooms held men in case the king¡¯s entourage was coed.


    ¡°Is it true?¡± Dalmar asked his operator as he moved toward the staircase that led down to the main room.  A gigantic table that could seat 20 people stood in the center of the double-high hall with two massive chandeliers overhead.


    {It is,} his operator said.  {Someone has recovered the Eye of the Storm.  They just checked in with our gatekeeper and are making their way here.  They want an audience.}


    The Somalis weren¡¯t well enough equipped for each of their players to have an operator, so one person served all four of them.  This meant Astur heard the same update.  ¡°We can¡¯t have them here,¡± the dwarf said.  ¡°Not with the King and his people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dalmar said, a disagreeing tone in his voice as he descended the stairs.  ¡°This might work out in our favor.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Astur asked, his short, dwarven legs hustling after his taller partner.


    The captain didn¡¯t answer immediately and instead looked at the scene before him.  The table was set with their best china.  No expense was spared.  The crystal wine glasses had golden rims.  The silverware was made from actual silver.  Even the napkin rings had encrusted diamonds.  Food filled the table as men and women brought bread, fruit, and appetizers from the private kitchen serving this exclusive floor.  A third group member observed the process, giving directions when needed.


    ¡°Abshir,¡± Dalmar said, walking up to the player from behind.  ¡°You heard the news?¡±


    The barbarian man turned around.  Usually, the muscular character was shirtless, wearing only baggy pants and leather straps crisscrossing his chest to hold twin axes on his lower back.  For this more formal occasion, he wore a purple vest with gold embroidery, his chiseled torso still clearly visible underneath.  ¡°Someone stole the Eye,¡± he said.  ¡°That puts a wrinkle in things.¡±


    ¡°But for the better, no?¡± Dalmar asked.  ¡°Are the merfolk here?¡±


    Abshir nodded.  ¡°Axado is downstairs with them, applying alcoholic lubrication.  We are almost ready up here.  What will we do with the players who have the Eye?¡±


    ¡°I think we have to embrace it,¡± Dalmar said.  ¡°We don¡¯t have any other choice.¡±


    ¡°We can make this area restricted,¡± Astur offered, walking around their leader to form a triangle with the barbarian.  ¡°They might ruin our negotiations.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can restrict this area,¡± Dalmar said.  ¡°We set up the stronghold so that anyone with the Eye would have full access.  We don¡¯t have to tell them about our meeting with the king, but we can¡¯t keep them from crashing the party.  That¡¯s why I think it is best to invite them in.¡±


    Abshir scowled at the captain.  ¡°You have a plan, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Dalmar grinned.  ¡°Always.¡±


    <hr>


    Jace walked into the dining hall slowly, observing everything.  He was playing the part of an NPC, letting Wallace take all the credit for stealing the Eye of the Storm.  Thursa stood beside him, calmly waiting for directions from his leader, and Jace tried to mimic the inactivity while simultaneously scoping out the room.  Of course, Esther, in her librarian outfit, was as outgoing and flamboyant as ever, so Jace figured there wasn¡¯t a set way for NPCs to act.


    The dining hall was massive, fifty feet long and half again as wide.  An enormous oval table with about twenty place settings sat in the middle.  The thirty-foot-high ceiling had skylights and chandeliers.  Night was upon them, and magical illumination within the hanging crystal sculptures took the place of sunlight.  Balconies on three sides held beautiful women and men dressed in Arabian haram flair with loose translucent sleeves and pant legs drawn tight and the wrists and ankles.  The women wore halters while the men had vests, each showing tight stomachs and plenty of skin.


    As Jace and his crew entered, the harem crowd descended the stairs to meet them.  King Neptudah already sat at the head of the table on the far side of the room.  He wasn¡¯t what Jace expected.  But then, Jace wasn¡¯t sure what he should expect: Santa Claus in a wetsuit?  King Triton from The Little Mermaid?  He was neither of those.  Neptudah was large but not fat.  He appeared as a human with black hair and a closely trimmed beard.  The king was happy and laughing, obviously several wine glasses deep already.  Jace¡¯s party entered at the foot of the table, and the merfolk didn¡¯t notice them with so many other people already congregating about.  Two mermaids and one male sat at the table.  They all wore dark blues and blacks with suit coats, dresses, and lots of pearls.


    Almost a dozen other merfolk stood at attention around the room''s perimeter, filling the space between doors and windows.  They were a mix of male and female holding tridents and shields and looking about as stoic and unflinching as the Queen¡¯s Guard outside Buckingham Palace.  Standing alongside the aquatic guards were human and dwarven soldiers.  Their purple, orange, and gold color scheme matched the pirate¡¯s internal d¨¦cor.  If a fight broke out, it was going to get crowded quickly.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    More pirates sat at the table between the merfolk, chatting, eating, and drinking.  Gracie told Jace four of them were players, and Jace¡¯s keen eye picked out the half-dozen NPCs belonging to them.  At least one of the pirate characters noticed their arrival and excused himself from the table to greet the newest guests.


    ¡°Welcome, welcome,¡± the flamboyantly dressed human said.  Two scimitars hung from the belt that secured his colorful robes.  ¡°My name is Captain Dalmar.¡±  He approached Wallace first.  ¡°And you must be Sir Wallace Wilhelm.  It is good to meet you.  So, you really did it.  You stole the Eye of the Storm.¡±


    ¡°We did,¡± Wallace said.  Jace could tell she was nervous.  To keep up the fa?ade, she needed to play the party leader.  She was used to trudging through crypts, killing undead.  Not a lot of roleplaying required.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me how you did it over dinner.  I¡¯m sure your companions helped and . . .¡± his voice stuck in his throat as he laid eyes on Esther.  ¡°And who might this beautiful creature be?¡±  He reached out to take her hand and kissed the back.  ¡°Did you smuggle a nymph into my brothel to secretly charm us all?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a librarian,¡± Esther said.  Jace winced.  They should have rehearsed her cover story.


    ¡°Is that like a bard?¡± Dalmar chuckled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t sing,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°My name is Jessica.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s like a cross between a bard, a mage, and a priest,¡± Wallace added, thinking on her feet.  ¡°Her knowledge is vast.  It¡¯s how I¡¯m successful in the game.¡±


    Jace wanted to slap his head in frustration.  Esther likely had the lowest Wisdom score in the room.  Hopefully, no one would try to dip into her ¡°well¡± of knowledge tonight.


    ¡°Very good, very good.  Please take a seat at my table.  There is plenty of food and drink.  I¡¯m sure you will want to talk about the Eye soon, and we can certainly do that.  I am entertaining merfolk royalty tonight, and your presence is an unplanned delight.  Please help yourself to anything you see before you: food, wine, women, men.  Nothing is off-limits tonight.¡±


    Six seats remained, and with a nod from Dalmar, three of the NPCs at the end of the table got up and shifted their position, leaving empty seats between them.  Jace smiled.  The pirate captain wanted to put his crew between the guests.  It could be considered a show of hospitality to encourage meeting new people and spark conversation, but Jace also saw it as a defensive move.  Esther led Thursa to the left side of the table and successfully Grappled a level 15 elven ranger one seat over so the ¡°librarian¡± could still sit next to the brawny druid.


    Jace sat beside the displaced elf with a female dwarven bard on his other side.  Everyone around him dug into the food and began chatting.  It wasn¡¯t hard to make a half-orc fighter look averse to conversation, and after a few monosyllabic grunts in response to the NPCs'' queries, he got the indifference he sought.  The bard went so far as to shift to an empty seat away from him to get closer to Wallace.


    From the information his CIA team had gathered, Jace knew Dalmar acted as the group''s leader, a competent swashbuckler.  There was a dwarven fighter, a human barbarian, and an elven mage.  They had darker skin and black hair, with facial features chosen to simulate Middle Eastern heritage.  The dark elf mage, Axado by name, sat next to the king with Abshir, the barbarian, on the other side.


    Jace knew nothing of King Neptudah¡¯s group.  A regal, older mermaid sat one seat over from the king; she could have been the queen or just an advisor.  Jace was sure a fight would break out when they challenged ownership for Tami, and there was no way to gauge strengths and weaknesses at this point.  If they had to fight everyone in the room, winning would be almost impossible.  He could only hope to pit these two groups against each other.  Even then, not knowing how strong the six pirate NPCs were made planning difficult.


    ¡°How is Psycho doing?¡± Jace asked quietly.


    {They defeated Cloudspark,} Gracie informed him, {and they have the younger brother.  Gromphy insisted they needed to do another short mission.  I told him no, but when he asked what you were doing, and I said you were still waiting to get access to this meeting, he felt he had time.  Ever since then, I¡¯ve lost contact.}


    ¡°Where could he go to make you lose contact?¡±


    {I have no idea.  The enchantment we¡¯re using to communicate is brand new.  We haven¡¯t tested it out in all situations.  I¡¯ll keep monitoring him and get them to you as fast as possible.}


    Dinner progressed for fifteen minutes with little activity.  At one point, Esther called over to a male server and appeared to inquire about one of the rooms upstairs, particularly the one with double doors above the head of the table.  At first, the haram male was excited at the opportunity to take the attractive woman upstairs, but once it was clear she wanted room for her and Thursa alone, his attitude shifted.  Before they could finalize the arrangements, Dalmar cleared his throat loudly and stood up.


    Tapping his wine glass, the captain spoke over the din.  ¡°Ladies and gentlefolk, please, may I have your attention.  I¡¯d like to propose a toast to our honored guests.¡±  Once the room acknowledged him, he continued.  ¡°To King Neptudah.  May his scales never grow dull, and his feet never wander too far from shore.¡±


    Glasses rose, and several characters added ¡°Hear, hear,¡± or ¡°Huzzah.¡±  Everyone drank.


    ¡°But of course, I did not invite you here just to drown you with wine and stuff you with food.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± someone interrupted, ¡°for it would take all the wine in the realm to drown a merman.¡±  Everyone laughed.


    ¡°Too true, too true,¡± Dalmar continued.  ¡°So, before you kind merfolk drink me out of house and home, let me get down to business.  It seems our interests above and below the seas align, and I am always one to act in a friend¡¯s best interest.  If I can call you a friend, good king.¡±


    The merman¡¯s bearded face remained stoic, but his voice spoke of good cheer.  ¡°Your wine and food have not disappointed yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it.  It seems your family has misplaced something that I have found and kept unspoiled for you.


    ¡°And what is that?¡± the king asked.


    ¡°I present you Tamar Zedek.¡±


    Tami emerged from her room to Jace¡¯s right up on the balcony, and everyone looked as two male escorts guided her along the railing and down the stairs.  She was breathtakingly beautiful and looked just as Jace remembered her from his trip to the Gilded Swan.  Her skin tone suggested Hawaiian or South Pacific heritage, with long, slender limbs.  Instead of the expected black hair, hers was a deep red that reminded Jace of an apple bursting with flavor.  Seashell earrings glittered beside her face with a double thick string of pearls resting on her exposed collarbone.  She wore a dazzling silver gown over her slim figure that resembled a thousand tiny fish scales tightly woven around her.  Slender straps over her shoulders held up the dress, and the bottom hem fell just past her knees.


    ¡°Princess Tamar,¡± Dalmar continued, ¡°is the only heir of King Melchi, the former King of Timnah.  She is the future queen of her people and only awaits a noble merman of royal blood.¡±


    Tami walked down the stairs slowly, eyeing the massive gathering before her.  With so many faces to take in, she could only scan the crowd, but when her eyes met Wallice, she hesitated.  The mermaid was wise enough not to break stride and reveal her recognition and only lingered her gaze on the paladin for a moment.  Then her eyes met Esther¡¯s, and the fake smile she had plastered on her face turned genuine.  She finished the descent in a flourish and stood at the foot of the table just off Jace¡¯s right shoulder.


    King Neptudah stood and bowed slightly at her entrance.  The rest of the table followed suit and sat back down.  The king remained standing.  ¡°I know who this is,¡± he said in an even tone.  ¡°I knew her father and was greatly saddened to hear of his sickness and untimely passing.  I readily agreed to give her my oldest son as a mate.  But I understand that the union did not go as planned.¡±


    ¡°Your oldest was lost,¡± Dalmar clarified, leaving his true fate vague on purpose.  ¡°The honor passed to Onan, but I regret to inform you he has fallen in with pirates and has neglected his duty.¡±


    ¡°Has he?¡± Neptudah questioned, a scowl finally breaking through his placid visage.  ¡°And what proof of this do you have?¡±


    Dalmar looked toward Tami and nodded.  She didn¡¯t return his look; instead, she looked down at Wallace and then at Esther.  Her eyes eventually found the half-orc between them, and the clever mermaid figured out who he must be.  Jace smiled at her and nodded slightly for her to speak the truth.


    ¡°He visited me while I lived at the Gilded Swan,¡± Tami said, looking up to address the king at the far end of the table.  ¡°Onan sailed with the pirate Captain Cloudspark.  I kept my identity secret from him, wishing to know his true intentions.  Was he now a brigand, or was he being held against his will, the pirates keeping him from me?  From all I could see, he had joined them willingly and was second in command on the ship.  I did not seek union with him, but he tried to force himself upon me.  He was unsuccessful.¡±


    ¡°And he sails with Cloudspark still,¡± Dalmar added, picking up the story.  ¡°Do you know of this mage?¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± the king said.  Jace could see he was forcibly holding his tongue until the captain had said all he intended.


    ¡°He is a mighty storm mage,¡± Dalmer explained, ¡°unbeaten upon the seas and a terror to honest merchants like yourself.  That your son has fallen in with him and neglected his duty is truly a tragedy, but I am not only a bearer of bad news.  Just this evening, our other honored guests, Sir Wallace Wilhelm and his party, have stolen the source of Cloudspark¡¯s power, The Eye of the Storm, leaving him weak and vulnerable.¡±


    Dalmar paused for effect.  ¡°So I offer you this,¡± he continued.  ¡°Take Tamar as your mate.  By her, you would sire a thousand merfolk, all as mighty as you.  Though they will be citizens of her kingdom, they will hold allegiance to you as their kingly sire.  You can unite two powerful kingdoms, and with your vast army, you will put an end to Cloudspark¡¯s reign of terror and recover your lost son.¡± That was the end of his offer, and Dalmar waited for a response.


    The king let silence reign for several uncomfortable seconds.  ¡°That is why you have summoned me?¡± he asked.  Jace found it interesting the king used the word ¡°Summoned¡± instead of ¡°Invited¡± and wasn¡¯t surprised by what followed.  ¡°To offer me the whore who killed my oldest son and rejected my next?  And in exchange for this excellent gift, I am to . . . what?  Kill your closest rival, who is too powerful for your meager crew?¡±


    ¡°N-no, that is n-not it at all,¡± Dalmar replied, stuttering over his words.  It looked like he was trying to compose a better response, but the king cut him off.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had your chance,¡± Neptudah said.  ¡°It is my turn to speak.¡±  He looked up at Tamar.  ¡°I know of the Gilded Swan.  If you worked there in the past, it would have been under a fen witch named Jezebel.  A disgusting swamp hag who sucked the life out of her victims.  Victims you would have fed to her.  I am glad you rejected my son, or else he would be dead too.  And I have no idea how you would have recognized him amongst the thousands of other drunken sailors you must have bed.  But I tell you, he was never there.  He sails with a spice merchant trading along a coast far from here.¡±


    The king turned to the older mermaid and nodded.  She stood from the table, waved her hands, and released a powerful blast of mana above the table''s center.  Everyone leaned back in caution as a sphere of water materialized three feet across.  The liquid coalesced in the bottom half of the ball as ocean waves, and the image of a ship appeared above, sailing under the night sky.


    ¡°My son is on that ship,¡± Neptudah said, pointing at the complex illusion.  ¡°I have asked my mage to check in on him often, and he has never been elsewhere.¡±  He turned to the elder mermaid.  ¡°Thank you, Cecilia.¡±


    As the image disappeared and the mermaid sat, Jace swallowed hard.  He knew Onan was a captive of Psycho right now.  Cecilia was lying to her king about his son.  What did that mean?


    ¡°You are wrong,¡± Dalmar said.


    ¡°No, captain, it is you who are wrong.  Wrong to think I would want this lying . . .¡± he pointed at Tami, ¡°this lying carp, this bottom-feeding succubus.  Wrong to think I care about some pirate sailing above my home.  Why should I kill him for you?  So you can take his place?  Why would your piracy be any better than his?¡±


    ¡°I. . . uh . . .¡± Dalmar didn¡¯t have an answer.


    ¡°I can tell you it won¡¯t.¡±  He turned to another mermaid sitting on the other side.  ¡°Estancia,¡± he addressed her and nodded.


    The female wore priestly clothing, and as she rose to cast Dispel toward the side of the room, Jace felt confident in his assessment of her class.  Two diminutive, cloaked figures had been hidden with an invisibility spell between a pair of merfolk guards.  They stepped forward now and pulled back their hoods.  They were halfling children, their faces scarred and burnt.


    ¡°Before I answered your summons,¡± Neptudah said, ¡°I stopped to visit the village of Weaverton, a trading partner of mine for decades.  The town was destroyed, and only these two children survived.  As I pulled into your abysmal shore, they were able to identify your ship as the one that burned their village and slaughtered their people.  I have never come across any victims of this supposed Cloudspark.  He can remain.  It is you who must go.¡±


    At the threat, Dalmar and his pirates retreated from the table.  Since they sat every other with the merfolk, they were instantly surrounded.  ¡°Kill the pirates,¡± Neptudah commanded.  ¡°And kill the sea wench.  If my son doesn¡¯t want her, then let her kingdom die with her father.¡±


    The room erupted.

 Chapter 35

    Jace ran from the table and flattened his back against the wall, keeping the action in front of him.  To his right, Wallace and Esther needed no direction and moved to stand before Tami, guarding the mermaid from her vengeful kin.  The paladin raised a tower shield as several projectiles reigned upon them.  Esther used her quick-change ability to don her armor and weapons and became a wall of whirling blades, keeping any would-be attackers at bay.  Interestingly, Jace saw Dalmar move beside the woman, his longer scimitars out and ready.  He glanced beside him at the striking rogue, and Jace wondered if he recognized her.


    Jace¡¯s illusion was no longer in place either, as magic users from both sides cast Dispel effects every other round, limiting the number of boons anyone could get.  Jace stood as his usual orc self and saw no reason to keep Diamond Etcher hidden in his inventory.  The dwarven bard that had been sitting next to him had cast Sanctuary, preventing anyone from targeting her with an attack or spell.  She couldn¡¯t go on the offensive either, but she was interested in singing to give the pirates an increased attack advantage.  This boon couldn¡¯t be easily dispelled unless someone shut her up.


    ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡± Thursa asked as he escaped the melee and moved alongside Jace.  ¡°Which side are we on?  I think the pirates are evil, but the merfolk want to kill Tami.  Who am I supposed to fight?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t have a clear answer as he surveyed the crowd and tried to find a strategy.  In front of them, the elven archer tried to pick targets in the throng, but aiming into a scrum added too many penalties to effectively kill anyone.  Instead, he settled on a Pinning shot and secured Neptudah¡¯s female priest to a wooden pillar on the far side of the room.  While she struggled against the arrow, her Grappled state finally allowed the archer to perform a Death shot.  Jace wasn¡¯t so sure he wanted that.


    As the archer pulled back his weapon, Jace attacked from behind, easily knocking the elf to the ground, where he entered a Death spiral.  Jace didn¡¯t want that either and knelt to heal the ranger, stabilizing him.  When he stood, a crash stole his attention to the right, and he saw Wallace¡¯s shield explode into kindling and the knight stumble to one knee.  Across the room, standing in front of the priestess Jace had just saved, was the other merman who had sat at the table with Neptudah.  He looked like a champion and held a massive crossbow that he reloaded with what appeared to be a whale harpoon.  He began to level it back toward Wallace and Tami.


    ¡°Stop him!¡± Jace shouted, pointing at the merman.  ¡°But don¡¯t kill him.¡±


    Thursa nodded, transformed into a grizzly, leaped high over the dwarf before them, and landed on the table, scattering dishes in every direction.  The marksman hesitated with the massive bear blocking his view and was tackled to the ground a moment later as Thursa completed the trek to his target.


    ¡°I need Psycho!¡± Jace cried as he batted away attacks from a merman and pirate fighter.  One attacked him because he wasn¡¯t one of them, and the other because he had just dropped the pirate archer to the floor.  ¡°And Draya and Gromphy,¡± he continued, parry bashing his opponents backward.


    {They are coming,} Gracie informed him.  {They¡¯ve just made it to this module and are running through the streets.}


    ¡°No issue with the gatekeeper?¡± Jace asked.


    {Since they are members of your party, and Esther has the Eye, they get free access too.  However, I do need to tell you one thing.}


    Even with the digital filter applied to her voice, Jace could tell he didn¡¯t like her tone.  ¡°What is it?¡± he asked as he sent the pirate flying back to the table where he shattered wine glasses.  The merman had given up on trying to hit the orc and turned on the prone fighter Jace had just defeated.


    {Draya isn¡¯t with them.  Gromphy won¡¯t tell me why, which means it isn¡¯t good, but I don¡¯t sense that she has died.}


    Jace growled in frustration, knowing he would have to wait for Psycho to arrive and give an explanation.  Another mermaid cut across his vision, her image blurred with a spell as she tried to get around Wallace¡¯s defense of Tami.  Jace had to intervene and leaped after her, slicing down on her shrouded form right before she reached the princess.  The attack dropped her to the ground, and when Jace tried to heal her, she must have had a Chaotic alignment because his healing ring didn¡¯t work.  She would die.


    Jace couldn¡¯t dwell on it too long as he heard Thursa cry out in pain and turned back in the other direction.  The druid always got hurt in battle, but he rarely cried out.  The bear had knocked the ballistae bolt firing crossbow from the champion¡¯s hand and was now retreated before a massive halberd.  The two prominent fighters cleared a path toward the back of the room, with other characters flying to the side.  Jace met them at the foot of the table, his sword diving between the combatants to save Thursa from further punishment.  The druid fell behind Jace to heal his wounds while the shaman took on the challenging opponent.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t Tami sing?¡± Jace asked, struggling to keep up with the hasted fighter and not used to parrying such a large weapon.  He didn¡¯t get many high parries; without them, he couldn¡¯t hit the heavily armored merman.


    {I don¡¯t know,} Gracie said.  {With as volatile as she is, maybe the pirates have a way to restrain her, or she is weak.  Gromphy will be able to figure it out.  He is almost . . .}


    She was cut off as the door to Jace¡¯s left exploded inward, and Snowy streaked into the room.  Gromphy was on her back and tumbled off before the wolf launched herself at Jace¡¯s opponent, tackling the merman to the table.  ¡°Don¡¯t kill him,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Not yet.  Just keep him there.¡±


    He turned to Gromphy as the goblin picked himself up and dusted his clothes.  ¡°Where is Psycho?¡± Jace asked and then saw the tall elf enter a few seconds behind the wolf.  He addressed his next question to the ranger.  ¡°Where is Draya?¡±


    Psycho grew somber.  ¡°She fell.  She¡¯s alive, but . . . she couldn¡¯t come.¡±


    Jace wondered if there was a quick way to tell him why, but the elf didn¡¯t offer more.  Instead, he surveyed the chaos around them.  ¡°What do you need me to do?  Who are we fighting?¡±


    Jace ignored him and turned back to Gromphy, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in this room with dozens of other characters fighting.  ¡°What is wrong with Tami?  From what I understand, she should be able to end all this with a few notes.¡±


    The goblin put aside his fear momentarily and looked where Jace pointed.  Tami cowered against the base of the stairs as Wallace, Esther, and Dalmar were pressed by a host of merfolk.  Gromphy had never met the mermaid princess before, and shock covered his face as he discerned her character sheet.  ¡°Aye, another of thy broken creations,¡± he said.  ¡°Thou dost take extreme liberties with the laws of our realms.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tone,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°You are another of my broken creations.¡±  Gromphy swallowed and nodded.  ¡°What is wrong with her?¡±


    ¡°She hath no mana,¡± the crafter replied simply.


    ¡°Fix it,¡± Jace ordered and turned to Psycho, confident the goblin would go about the task immediately.  The archer had his bow out, surveying the crowd, trying to find something to do.  ¡°Just start nailing people to the wall,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Shelah and Onan need to get here, and then we must get everyone¡¯s attention somehow.¡±


    Psycho nodded and started securing both merfolk and pirates alike.  Jace looked back to the open door and saw two men walking through, the first one shackled and the second pushing him forward.  This must be Onan and Shelah.  Now he just needed to . . .


    Jace froze as the room came alive with music.  What had been frenzied combat suddenly stopped, and everyone held their position as the beautiful notes moved through the room like sunlight at dawn, striking a sleeping horde full in the face.  Whatever thoughts and feelings that had inspired such deadly conflict no longer mattered.  All that existed was the song.


    Jace had never heard anything like it.  It was peaceful, beautiful, fulfilling, and many other things he couldn¡¯t describe.  This must have been what the shepherds heard on that first Christmas morning when the angels sang to them.  This must be what Beethoven heard in his head as he composed his ninth symphony.  Yet, simultaneously, it was the soft lullaby a mother sang to the child within her womb, smooth and comforting.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Time no longer had meaning, yet Jace felt the notes had stopped at some point.  It didn¡¯t matter.  They reverberated through his soul and would continue to hold him entranced until . . .


    A tug on his arm brought him out of his reverie, and he looked down to see Tami smiling up at him.  ¡°Thank you,¡± she said.


    Behind her stood Esther and Wallace, already woken from their dream state.  Ironically, Tami had not freed Gromphy from her spell as the Goblin still stood transfixed where he had likely handed the mermaid a potion.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Tami asked.  ¡°Esther said you would have a plan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°I need more information.¡±  He turned to Psycho and saw an elven statue with an arrow pulled taut.  He gently pressed the archer¡¯s arm to lower his weapon, but he was as stiff as stone.  ¡°Psycho, wake up,¡± Jace said, shaking the ranger.  Nothing happened.


    ¡°I need to do it,¡± Tami said.  She moved around the orc, touched Psycho¡¯s arm, and gently applied mana to free him.


    The elf shook his head and blinked his eyes.  He had enough composure not to release the shot and lowered his bow.  ¡°Was that your voice I heard?¡± he asked, looking down at the shorter mermaid.  Tami nodded.  ¡°It was majestic.¡±  His voice cracked with emotion.  ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anything like that before in my . . .¡± his voice trailed off as he caught Esther staring at him during this vulnerable moment.  Psycho cleared his throat and turned to Jace.  ¡°What next?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tempted to take Tami and the rest of our crew and just leave everyone else like they are,¡± Jace said.  He and Psycho looked around.  Everyone was frozen in place as if caught in an ice storm.  However, instead of expressions of rage or pain, everyone had a serene, contended look.  Who knew if they would even feel like fighting again once the spell wore off?


    ¡°But,¡± Jace continued, ¡°I¡¯m guessing there is plenty I don¡¯t know.  The plan wasn¡¯t to bring Onan.  Is there something else I need to know?¡±


    Psycho told him.  Jace nodded.


    ¡°Okay, so we need to solve his dilemma, and then he and Tami can swim off into the sunset.¡±  Jace looked down at his side to see the mermaid, but she was gone.  A few seconds of searching revealed her to his left by the two mermen who had just entered.  She scowled at Onan and looked lovingly at Shelah.  She hadn¡¯t woken either yet.


    ¡°How long will your spell last?¡± Jace asked.  His vision no longer flashed red, meaning they weren¡¯t in combat mode anymore.  The room could remain like this for a long time.


    ¡°Another hour if need be,¡± she replied.  ¡°Right now, everyone is Paralyzed.  I can reduce it to Stun so they can hear you and still won¡¯t return to fighting.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Let¡¯s do that, but first free Shelah, Onan, Thursa, Gromphy, and Snowy.¡±  Jace pointed to his team members so she would know who they were.


    A minute later, their small group assembled at the foot of the table, with Onan constantly tugging at his bonds.  He cast a look at Tami.  ¡°It isn¡¯t too late, princess,¡± he said.  ¡°You can still join with me.  I won¡¯t make this offer again, even if you beg.¡±


    Tami didn¡¯t respond other than to laugh, and Shelah secured the hold on his brother to render him Helpless and silent.  ¡°You think she chose the wrong side in this fight?¡± he whispered into Onan¡¯s ear.  ¡°You clearly don¡¯t see what I do.¡±  Onan obviously couldn¡¯t answer.


    Jace turned to Tami.  ¡°Okay, ease everyone else into a Stunned condition,¡± Jace said.  Tami did as requested, and the shaman watched the other characters in the room slowly lower their weapons and rock gently on their feet as if a boxing referee were administering a standing ten count.  Their eyes were glazed over, yet they maintained peaceful faces as Tami¡¯s song still played in their minds.


    ¡°King Neptudah!¡± Jace called.  He didn¡¯t wait for a response.  ¡°I have both your sons with me.  Onan was indeed sailing with Captain Cloudspark, a ruthless pirate my people have defeated.  Your youngest son, Shelah, was held captive by his older brother so that he could not fulfill the promise you made to King Melchi and secure Tami¡¯s kingdom.  She is not guilty of the things you previously spoke about but has a true love for Shelah.  And if you don¡¯t know which of your sons to trust, as they will likely contradict each other, you are free to question my ranger, Nal Saikol Gladekin.  He is Honest and above reproach, which your priest can verify.  He personally witnessed everything I just said.¡±


    Jace paused for effect, knowing there wouldn¡¯t be a response.  ¡°Unlike our duplicitous hosts, I would not ask you to kill a pirate for me.  I have taken care of that.  I instead give you your wayward son back to do with as you like and would only ask you to bless the union between Shelah and Tami.¡±  He looked down at the mermaid who clung to her love¡¯s arm as Shelah continued to hold Onan still.


    ¡°As for the pirates who brought us together, they are of no consequence to me.  If you wish to have them pay for their atrocities against your trading partners, I will not stand in your way and will help if you ask.¡±  Jace looked toward Dalmar, whose face showed no expression.  He looked for the others and only saw the mage and barbarian.  The dwarf might have already been killed.  A few bodies lay scattered about the floor.


    ¡°You may release the king and his people,¡± Jace said quietly to Tami.  ¡°But keep them Dazed.¡±  She nodded and flexed her powerful magic.  Suddenly, the merfolk around the room regained their composure and began to raise their weapons against their motionless adversaries.


    ¡°Hold!¡± Neptudah cried, and all the merfolk relaxed, stepping away and assembling on the left side of the room.  Once the crowd thinned by half, Jace could better see the outcome of the first scrum.  He saw the dwarven player and two other NPC pirates motionless on the floor.  Four merfolk also lay dead.


    ¡°Is what he says true, Onan?¡± the king asked his son.  Shelah had to release him for the older brother to answer.


    ¡°Take me into your custody,¡± Onan said.  ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have to answer questions in front of these surface dwellers.  That is not our way.  I have always done what is best for our kingdom.  I will not be accused by an orc, a whore, and a child of any wrongdoing.¡±


    The king nodded and motioned two guards to take ownership of the captive.  Shelah stepped away and let the larger mermen take Onan to the side of the room.  ¡°Get these shackles off me before I say anything.  Iron should never be used to detain our people.¡±


    Again, the king nodded, and the two guards fiddled with the restraints until they fell to the floor.  Onan rubbed feeling back into his forearms, and he moved to stand before his father.


    ¡°Now, I will have the truth,¡± Neptudah said, scowling at his son.


    ¡°The truth, Father, is dangerous,¡± Onan started, a broad smile on his lips.  ¡°You have not had the best interests of our kingdom in mind these past few years.  You have cared more about your friends on the surface and alliances with other kingdoms to see that your own people dwindle and suffer.  By these failings, you have lost your claim to the throne, and you have no right to bring anything against me.¡±


    ¡°So it is true that you are now a pirate,¡± Neptudah said, already summoning his champion to his side.  The mighty merman brandished his halberd, and it suddenly looked like an executioner¡¯s axe.


    ¡°I have sailed the surface as you have, Father, seeking gold to support our kingdom.  I have been more successful than you.  The kingdom has chosen me.¡±


    Psycho leaned into Jace and whispered.  ¡°They¡¯re fighting over an iceberg at the bottom of the ocean.¡±  Jace looked stunned and turned to the elf.  The ranger only smiled.  ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later,¡± he added, ending the conversation as things were about to explode again.


    ¡°Is that so,¡± the king replied.  ¡°We shall see who the kingdom prefers.¡± He turned to his champion.  ¡°Silas, kill him.¡±  The giant merman didn¡¯t move.  ¡°I said . . .¡± he repeated, but his voice cracked as he watched the mage and priestess who had sat with him at the table move to stand next to Onan.  ¡°Cecilia . . . Estancia . . . what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°He has provided more wealth for our kingdom in the past few months than you have in the past few years,¡± the priestess said.


    Beside her, Cecilia nodded.  ¡°Piracy is a relative term and only applicable under the laws of the surface people.  They do not apply to us.  Instead, we extract a tax on them for using our water.¡±


    ¡°We must do what is right for our people,¡± Silas added, having moved behind his former king.


    ¡°But . . . but this is madness,¡± Neptudah cried.  He looked at his guards standing along the wall, none returning his desperate gaze.


    ¡°This is how it must be,¡± Cecilia said, nodding to the champion.  Silas shoved the point of his polearm into the king¡¯s back.  Neptudah gargled for a moment and fell to the floor.


    ¡°No!¡± Shelah cried.  The priest had no weapon and started to cast a spell.  Estancia was more powerful and beat him to the punch, casting Hold on him.  Tami was ready, too, and drew in a deep breath to let out another song, but an arrow took her off her feet, carried her a few paces back, and Pinned her dress to the wall.


    Working at the Gilded Swan had given the mermaid several of the same skills as Esther, and she enacted her Quick-Change ability to leave the dress stuck to the wall, walking forward in a one-piece swimsuit she always kept ready.  The next attack was from Cecilia, the mage, and when Tami tried to sing, her voice was muted, and her hands gripped her throat in frustration as she dropped to her knees.


    Onan laughed at his kinfolk¡¯s ineffectiveness.  He turned to the pirates.  ¡°I have no grudge with you.  You want Cloudspark dead?  It is already done.  You want to keep Tamar after this is done?  Fine.  I will sleep with the princess, produce a kingdom for myself, and then you can do what you want with her.¡±  He looked down at his dying father.  ¡°Now that I am a king, her offspring will be mine.  What say you?¡±


    Dalmar was still stunned, and Estancia cast dispel on him to free the swashbuckler from Tami¡¯s influence.  She needed a different spell to free the others, and the priestess entered her inventory to design it.


    ¡°What of the Eye of the Storm?¡± Dalmar asked, stretching his limbs as he recovered from the prolonged spell.


    Onan had served under Cloudspark for the past month and knew exactly what the gem was.  ¡°What of it?¡±


    ¡°These players have taken it from Cloudspark¡¯s stronghold.  Do you have any desire for the item that gave your former captain so much power?¡±


    The merman laughed.  ¡°A merman does not care about the wind blowing above the ways, only the power beneath them.  If you want it, you can take it off their corpses when we have finished.¡±


    Dalmar smiled.  ¡°Then we have an agreement.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Onana said.  As Estancia cast the spell to free the rest of the pirates, Onan lifted a sword and pointed it at Jace¡¯s crew.  ¡°Kill them all,¡± he commanded. ¡°Except for the princess.  Leave her for me.¡±


    ¡°Here we go again,¡± Jace said, pulling Diamond Etcher from its sheath.

 Chapter 36

    No one needed instructions on who to attack this time, as the whole room turned on them.  Psycho exploded into action.  The penalties for shooting into a crowd only affected an archer if he was trying to miss one target and hit another.  If he didn¡¯t care who he hit, Psycho actually got several bonuses and dropped three characters per round using Rapid Shot.


    Esther was a blur of motion, moving to the right side of the room where most of the pirates stood.  They used bladed weapons, and since none were close to level twenty, no one could inflict any damage on her.  She didn¡¯t drop a character a round like Psycho, but since she made no effort to defend, everyone assumed she would be an easy target, and she took far more people out of the fight as they crowded around her.


    Thursa dove forward into the collection of soldiers.  Unlike Snowy, grizzly bears loved the taste of fish, and he tore into the crowd hungrily.  The wolf raced beside him, wrinkling her nose at the smell and taste but showing no less enthusiasm in the attacks.


    Wallace stayed close to the disabled couple, not wanting Tami to suffer anymore at the hands of the enemy.  She knew the command was to take the mermaid alive, but that didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t drain her to almost nothing first.  The paladin angled her defense toward the merfolk, accepting the attacks of any who made it past the vicious animal charge and the hail of arrow fire above.


    Jace turned toward the pirates and wasn¡¯t surprised to see Dalmar emerge from the crowd around Esther to challenge the orc.  ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± he said.  ¡°I should have guessed you would come for Tami eventually.¡±  He glanced back at Esther dispatching his minions.  ¡°You have to collect them all, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t take the bait and patiently waited for the pirate to attack.  Dalmar didn¡¯t expect his comment to produce much of a reaction from the renowned player and launched his offensive.  It was highly effective.  Jace had little experience fighting against dual-wielders.  Definitely not with weapons as long as scimitars, and definitely not with this swashbuckler''s skill.  The orc kept his parries on manual for the first two rounds and barely blocked half of the attacks, none of them critically.


    The enchanted blades sliced in at his minimal defenses, and Jace¡¯s health dropped faster than he would have liked.  They were in a building with wooden floors and no stone in sight.  Without a location to cast his Armor or Damage Sink Totems, he was sorely outmatched against this lower-level opponent.


    Jace¡¯s attacks found holes in Dalmar¡¯s routine, but the fighter must have had several slashing defenses in place, as the strikes didn¡¯t do nearly as much damage as the shaman was used to.  The lopsided fight was heading to a speedy finish when a green sphere flew over Jace¡¯s shoulder and smashed into the floor at Dalmar¡¯s feet.  Acid flared up at the man, and he jumped back in pain, cursing.  His eyes found Gromphy holding another bomb, hiding behind the big orc.  If Dalmar needed to avoid further projectiles, it would hamper his attacks, and Jace might be able to manage a critical block.


    The swashbuckler faked in one direction, causing Gromphy to throw his bomb early, then rolled in the other, coming up on Jace¡¯s left with his weapons ready.  Instead of striking, he cried in pain again and dropped a sword. Behind him, Jace saw a black shadow emerge from under the table.  Esther must have rolled beneath the massive wooden slab in her fight with the other pirates and had then been able to hide and perform a sneak attack against the leader.  Instead of using her criticals on damage, she disarmed the man.


    The rest of the pirates had been looking for her, and when she emerged behind Dalmar, they shouted and pursued.  The elusive woman leaped to the tabletop and ran to the far side of the room.  Meanwhile, Dalmar eyed Jace cautiously.  If he bent down to pick up the weapon, he would be flat-footed, and Jace could kill him in one strike.  If he didn¡¯t pick it up, Jace would have the advantage in further conflict.


    Before the pirate could make up his mind, an arrow split his skull, and he fell dead on top of his dropped scimitar.  ¡°We don¡¯t have time for staring contests,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°I could have taken him,¡± Jace argued.  ¡°I didn¡¯t need your help.¡±  He knew the truth was that without Gromphy, Esther, and Psycho helping, he probably would have died.


    ¡°Well, I do need help!¡± Wallace shouted.


    Jace turned to see her faced off against Silas, the king¡¯s former champion.  The shaman was sorely disadvantaged without his totems, but he was still better off than the level 14 paladin.  He ran over to help, and as soon as he had the enemy flanked, it was just enough of a bonus to swing the battle.  Two rounds later, Jace cleaved the merman¡¯s clavicle with Diamond Etcher, and he fell to the ground.


    Turning from the dead character, Jace saw the fight mostly in hand.  Between Psycho¡¯s arrows, the wolf, and the bear, few merfolk remained.  The priestess still stood, but her disabling spells had little effect on the enraged druid, and Snowy was wrestling the mage to the ground to finish her off.  Psycho picked off the crowd of pirates surrounding Esther, most of whom were already heavily damaged by the woman¡¯s blades.


    Jace was about to call the fight a victory when a mighty roar filled the room.  At first, he thought it must be one of the animals, but he saw Esther fly backward from inside her scrum, and Abshir, the barbarian pirate, stalked toward her amongst his fallen comrades.  A Level-Rage consumed him at the moment, and the number over his head pulsed crimson as it displayed 21.  At that level, his axes could cut through her armor.


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    Esther scrambled to her feet and tried to avoid the next two strikes but took the second one on her hip, and her health plummeted.  ¡°Help,¡± she cried as her own strikes racked against the enraged man¡¯s torso and seemed to do nothing.  An arrow streaked in above her and thudded into the pirate¡¯s chest.  It did damage, but all the bonuses Psycho had added to kill him failed.  While enraged, the fighter saved against death spells.


    Another roar came from the middle of the room as Snowy leaped over the massive table and crashed into Abshir¡¯s right side.  The enormous man absorbed the flying attack and swiped at the wolf with both weapons.  The axes bit into her white fur, and Snowy went careening backward, blood flying.  As soon as the huge familiar was disposed of, Thursa filled the space and successfully tackled the barbarian to the floor, their rage abilities canceling each other out.


    Claws and axe blades tore between the two fighters like red paint brushes.  Esther cried out in concern, still not used to Thursa¡¯s self-destructive methods, and she dove into the fight, adding her enchanted blades to the mix.  Psycho tried to eye up a shot, but Jace touched his arm.  ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± he said.  ¡°I think they got this.¡±  True enough, soon, only claws and rapiers flew about, neither NPC confident the barbarian would stay down.


    Psycho instead surveyed the rest of the room for survivors.  Several pirates tried to play dead, but the health numbers hovering over their heads betrayed them.  A few rounds later, Jace could officially call it a victory.  With the death of the last enemy, they left combat mode, and he heard the familiar level-up chime.  Killing players always leveled him up.  He could worry about that later and turned to see how the key figures in this quest were doing.


    Either the spell had expired, or Shelah was released when the priestess died.  He was up and running through the carnage of his people toward his father.  He stopped briefly at Onan''s body.  The merman had an arrow through his chest, bite marks on his face, and claws had shredded his arms.  He lay dead on the floor, killed like any of the other guards, with no special attention given to the chaos he had created.  Shelah didn¡¯t bother to shed a tear and continued.  Tami was close behind him, and Jace followed at a distance.


    Shelah fell to the ground next to his father, who remarkably still showed signs of life.  His health was negative somehow, and Jace guessed this was a way for the game to show the character was already dead, but the script required him to say something before he expired.  The shaman imagined any healing spells wouldn¡¯t work and didn¡¯t try.


    ¡°Father,¡± Shelah said, gripping the king¡¯s hand desperately.  ¡°Father, I¡¯m so sorry.  What can I do?¡±


    ¡°It . . . it wasn¡¯t you,¡± the dying merman said, struggling with each word.  ¡°I was the one . . . who lacked foresight.  Go and . . .¡± his eyes drifted up to Tami¡¯s beautiful face hovering over his son¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°Go and marry her.  Start your own kingdom.  Learn from . . . from my mistakes.¡±  His eyes started to close, but he summoned one last ounce of strength.  ¡°You . . . have my blessing.¡±  And then he died.


    Shelah hung his head in sorrow momentarily and then turned around, still on one knee.  He looked up at Tami and took her hand.  She had retrieved her clothes from the wall and was once again in her gown.  ¡°Tamar Zedek, I have nothing.  I have no family.  I have no people.  I have no kingdom.  I have nothing to offer you.  I can only give you . . .¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait!¡±


    Jace slapped his forehead at the inappropriate interruption, assuming it must be Esther without listening to the tone of voice.  Instead, he turned to see Wallace racing forward.  She held a blue diamond ring.  ¡°Give this to her,¡± the paladin said, holding the jewelry out to the priest.


    Shelah admired it for a few seconds, seeming to get lost in the gem.  The bluish tint of the diamond made it look like it might be filled with water.  An appropriate wedding ring for a mermaid.  He continued his proposal, now holding the ring out to Tami.  ¡°I can only give you myself and the promise that I will never leave you.  Will you be mine?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied passionately, letting him put the ring on her finger and stooping to embrace and kiss him.


    Jace heard a sniffle from behind him and looked to see Gromphy wiping tears from his eyes.  The self-conscious goblin saw he was being observed and quickly turned around.  Jace looked over at Esther and Thursa to see the couple embracing side-by-side, smiling at the sight, each covered in blood, most of which was not their own.


    After giving the ring, Wallace moved beside Jace to watch.  ¡°Where did you get the ring?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°From a mutual . . .¡± she paused, ¡°informant,¡± she decided on.  ¡°He said he thought it belonged to Tami before.¡±  Once the couple started kissing, the paladin gave them some privacy and went to raid the bodies of the dead players.


    ¡°How much longer do we need to stay here?¡± Psycho asked over Jace¡¯s other shoulder, letting the shaman know just how touched the elf was by this scene.  ¡°We need to return to Red.¡±


    Jace recognized the elf¡¯s nickname for Draya and nodded.  He turned to the couple who were now standing and eyeing the palatial suite on the balcony.  Jace imagined they would need some privacy soon, and he wanted to ensure they had everything they needed before he ran off.  Shelah felt the presence of the massive orc behind him and turned to Jace with a smile.


    ¡°Thank you so much.  I have no idea why you risked your life to help us, but I am forever in your debt.  If you ever need anything, please don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    Jace was about to thank him and leave when he thought of something the merman could help him with.  He leaned down and whispered into the priest¡¯s ear.  Shelah had a confused look on his face at first but then nodded and smiled.  ¡°Yes, I think I can handle that.  I . . . uh . . .¡± he turned to look at his bride, ¡°I have a few other things I need to attend to first, but I will get it done.¡±


    ¡°It would be appreciated,¡± Jace replied.  He turned to make eye contact with the rest of his group to let them know they were leaving.  It looked like Esther was trying to lead Thursa upstairs.  ¡°We are going.¡±


    ¡°But we just got here,¡± Esther complained.  ¡°Don¡¯t we have time for . . .¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed Draya is missing?¡± Jace asked.


    Esther hadn¡¯t and drew away from the shirtless druid to look around the room, wondering for the first time where she was.  ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°In Safe Haven,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong,¡± Wallace asked, looking up from her pillaging efforts.  Jace was happy to let her have all the loot.  None of the dead players had any equipment Gromphy couldn¡¯t make.


    Psycho shook his head.  ¡°I don¡¯t really . . .¡±


    ¡°Demon fire,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°It courses through her.¡±


    ¡°Are you leaving now?¡± Wallace asked, looking at Jace.


    He nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you.  Perhaps I can help.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t argue and led the group out of the dining hall.

 Chapter 37

    Jace checked the global time as they materialized outside of Safe Haven.  It was nearing midnight.  Even though his team had just eaten breakfast a few hours ago, the quest they had just completed left everyone feeling drained, and he saw an opportunity to steal some time back from the game.  First, he needed to see Draya.  Psycho didn¡¯t know where Captain Renald Malcom had taken her, so Snowy led the way.  The wolf had smelled the dragon mage on Serenity after she had suffered the demon fire, and the scent in the air was as strong as if a pile of rotting elven corpses lay on the city''s edge.


    The streets were mostly quiet and still, only PCs moving about in the late hour.  When visiting this friendly city, Jace usually changed into his human disguise, but he didn¡¯t bother.  By now, everyone already knew who he was, and from the looks the other players gave the orc as he strolled purposefully after Snowy, they all likely knew why he was there.


    After a few minutes of walking along the darkened streets, the wolf led the characters to a large temple off the main road.  Several characters waited outside, and they parted to allow the visitors entrance.  Once inside the candlelit building, another large crowd stood before them, and Jace felt confident most of them were players.


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± one of them said.  He wore priestly robes and a concerned expression.  At the name of the famous player they had all been waiting for, the group parted and gave the orc access to the center of the room where Draya lay motionless on a raised stone altar.


    ¡°My name is Solomon,¡± the priest said.  ¡°It is an honor.  We¡¯ve tried everything.  Nothing seems to heal her.  The demon that attacked her is more powerful than any of us.¡±


    Draya lay motionless with seven hit points.  Jace and his crew had leveled up to 18, and the young woman¡¯s number should have gone up as well now that they were in range of each other, but she was still stuck at 17.  She wore rolled leggings and a loose shirt pulled up past her navel.  Jace knew these were the clothes she typically wore under her cursed dress.  The exposed skin allowed him to see black lines crisscrossing her body as if someone had tried to pull her veins out like stubborn roots of a massive weed and then hastily stuffed them back in under her skin.


    Behind her, a man matching Renald¡¯s description stood beside a female elven knight.  The rest of the crowd mostly looked like priests and druids.  He imagined word had gone out that one of Jace¡¯s crew was hurt, and anyone able to help could come and try.  He was glad to see he was popular enough to warrant spontaneous aid.  Jace turned to Psycho. ¡°Are you ready to tell me what happened?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°We went down to Shelah¡¯s kingdom so Gromphy could access their mana core.  He needed to . . .¡± the elf trailed off.  He didn¡¯t really understand what Gromphy had been doing.


    ¡°I needeth a source of cold,¡± Gromphy said, stepping into the ring of characters centered around Jace and Draya.  ¡°The mage hath tamed the Frosthold previously; I assumed she would possess the strength to do so once more.  I was in error.¡±


    Jace had too many questions and only cared about how to help Draya.  ¡°Cold did this to her?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°Her dragon fire shouldst hath stayed off the cold, but it did not function underwater.¡±


    ¡°So she used demon fire?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°How would she have access to that?¡±


    No one answered.  He turned to Psycho again.  ¡°You said ¡®We¡¯ went down to this merkingdom.  Who was with you?¡±


    ¡°Just me, Gromphy, Shelah, Red, and, uh, Ellenay.¡±  His eyes went to the beautiful elf standing beside Renald.


    ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± he asked toward the female.  Ellenay shook her head.


    ¡°What about her dress?¡± Jace asked.  She wasn¡¯t wearing it anymore.  ¡°Isn¡¯t it cursed by a demon?¡±  He looked around at the gathered crowd.  ¡°How did you remove it?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t cursed when she came in here,¡± someone said.  ¡°We didn¡¯t detect anything besides the protection spells.¡±


    Jace looked down at his goblin crafter, who displayed a puzzled expression.  ¡°May I have it?¡± he asked.  The magical garment lay on a table outside the ring of people, and someone fetched it for Gromphy.  ¡°Tis true,¡± he said after a short inspection.  ¡°The curse I hath bestowed upon it has fled.  That shouldst not be possible.¡±


    ¡°Could she have summoned demon fire through that link?¡± Jace asked.


    Gromphy shook his head.  ¡°Nay, the being linked to the dress only proffered mage fire.  Demonic fire was beyond him.¡±


    ¡°If the dress was linked to Hades,¡± Solomon said, ¡°she could have reached beyond the minor demon your crafter used.¡±


    Someone else in the room gasped.  ¡°If the link was strong,¡± they said, ¡°she could have pulled power from anyone.¡±


    ¡°Or anything,¡± someone else said as the gallery of experienced players began to brainstorm.


    ¡°Demon fire wouldn¡¯t be affected by water.¡±


    ¡°But it should have killed her if she wasn¡¯t in service to the source.¡±


    ¡°It looks like it nearly did.¡±


    ¡°But who was the source?  What demon did she steal power from?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Jace interrupted.  ¡°How do we cast it out of her?¡±


    ¡°I can help.¡±  Jace turned to see Wallace push her way to the altar''s edge.  She held her demon-bane, level 10, +5, vorpal blade.  ¡°Who has the best Holy Fire spell?¡± she asked the gathering.


    They murmured amongst themselves until Solomon stepped forward.  ¡°I probably do.¡±  He was level 18.  ¡°But I¡¯ve already tried it, and it hasn¡¯t had an effect.¡±


    ¡°Cast everything you have into this sword,¡± Wallace said, offering him the blade.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much left,¡± he said timidly, not yet accepting the weapon.


    ¡°Drink this,¡± Gromphy spoke up, stealing attention.  He handed the priest a bottle filled with vibrant blue liquid.  Jace guessed it was a mana restoration potion.  They were supposed to be extremely hard to craft, and characters could only carry one at a time.  Gromphy produced them like a magician pulling coins from a child¡¯s ear.


    Solomon took the offered vial tentatively.  He could sell it for a fortune but knew that wasn¡¯t an option right now.  He downed the drink, and his posture straightened visibly.  He reached for Wallace¡¯s sword, but Gromphy interrupted him and handed the priest another vial.  ¡°Nay, thou shalt need this as well.¡±  The second concoction looked as if it had been brewed from starlight.  It shone with such intense white light that everyone stepped back and shielded their eyes.


    ¡°What will it . . .¡± Solomon started to ask.


    ¡°Drink it!¡± Gromphy insisted.


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    The priest obeyed, downing the glowing liquid in one swig.  Light poured down upon him like a waterfall, overwhelming the meager candlelight and illuminating the room as if the full moon had taken up residency inside the small temple.  Once the characters had blinked away the spots from their eyes, they all looked back at the priest and stood in awe.  He seemed mostly unchanged, except where there had been an 18 hanging above his head, a brilliant 30 now pulsed like a sun about to go supernova.


    Solomon had his eyes rolled up into his inventory to look at a character sheet he couldn¡¯t have imagined in his wildest dreams.  ¡°Make haste, foolish priest!¡± Gromphy scolded him.  ¡°It lasts for but two rounds.¡±


    The player obeyed and left his inventory, took Wallace¡¯s vorpal sword, and cast his beefed-up spell on the weapon, using his All-In option to drain his recently filled mana pool.  The sword absorbed it all and took on a powerful white glow as if it were made of glass with all the night¡¯s stars trapped inside.  Wallace took it back, gingerly reversed her grip on the sword, and poised it over Draya¡¯s still form.  Jace put a hand on her shoulder.  ¡°Won¡¯t it kill her?¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± the paladin said and stabbed down with all her might before Jace could stop her.  The sword pierced the woman¡¯s chest and sunk deep into the stone beneath her.  Her health dropped to zero in a flash, but Wallace released the weapon to place a hand on Draya¡¯s shoulder and cast her Lay-On-Hands ability to send it over 100.  No one had been able to bring her hit points above seven before this.  Whatever demon kept her near death now had something else to worry about.


    Everyone stood back and watched the weapon pulse and thrum with power.  If the sword had captured the starry sky''s essence, now, one by one, each star fled from the blade and penetrated the woman¡¯s body.  The energy flowed along her scars, healing and restoring her smooth, light brown skin.  The transformative process took several seconds, and by the end, the sword resumed its usual color.  Draya¡¯s body looked as good as new, save for a streak of black through her red hair.


    Her eyes fluttered.


    Before the young woman tried to sit up and found a blade piercing her navel, Wallace removed it and stowed the sword on her hip.  Her exposed stomach didn¡¯t even have a scratch where the weapon had struck.


    Psycho pushed past Jace to stand beside her, feeling guilty for having almost lost the young woman while he had been in charge.  ¡°Red, uh, Draya,¡± he said, trying to make his gruff voice as soothing as possible.  ¡°Are you okay?¡±  From the other side of the altar, Ellenay leaned in and put a calming hand on the woman, adding her own healing to bring the mage back to full health.


    Draya¡¯s eyes opened, and she regarded the two elves looking down on her with confusion.  ¡°Wh-where am I?  Wh-what happened?¡±


    ¡°What do you remember last?¡± Jace asked, stepping up behind Psycho, his orc form looming large.


    ¡°Jace?¡± Draya replied, sitting up sharply.  He understood the last thing she would have remembered was being on a mission with Psycho.  Jace hadn¡¯t been there.  Neither had the collection of other players that crowded around her.  The mage¡¯s eyes met theirs, and she felt suddenly exposed.  Her fight-fitting underclothes were tame by ROI standards, but the modest young woman blushed and yanked down on her rolled-up shirt.  ¡°Where is my dress?¡±


    Gromphy said nothing and offered it up.  He was too short to reach above the altar, so Jace took it and handed it to the young woman.  In six seconds, Draya was dressed appropriately and standing beside the altar.  ¡°Where am I?¡± she asked again, strength returning to her voice.


    Jace looked around at the crowd, wondering if he wanted this conversation in a public setting.  ¡°You were hurt badly,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Demon fire.¡±


    At those words, realization flashed across Draya¡¯s face, and she became even more withdrawn.  ¡°It¡¯s over now,¡± Jace said, stepping closer to add his support.  ¡°It¡¯s time to go home.  We can talk about it in the morning.¡±  He offered his hand to the mage, and she took it, drawing herself toward the protective presence of her leader.  Jace took a moment to look around at the rest of his crew.  Esther had remained silent through the encounter and had managed to carve out a few feet of space against the PCs crowding around her.  Gromphy hated being out in public and looked anxious to leave.  Psycho looked less ready and exchanged glances with the paladin across the altar.


    ¡°Is there anything else we need to do?¡± Jace asked, directing the question at the ranger.


    Psycho knew where he was needed.  ¡°No,¡± he said, casting one more look at Ellenay.  Jace saw understanding pass between them.  They would find time after this mission to meet again.  ¡°I¡¯m good.  We can go.¡±


    Once again, the crowd parted for them, and Jace led Draya and the rest of his companions out of the temple and back into the street.  Wallace and Thursa were waiting for them.  The Paladin had made herself scarce after banishing the demon, giving Jace the access he needed with Draya.  ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said, nodding in appreciation to Wallace.  ¡°If none of them could heal her, I don¡¯t know if there was anything I could have done either.  In our constant back and forth, I don¡¯t know if this means we are even or if I owe you one.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s assume it is the latter,¡± she said with a smile.


    Jace chuckled and thought that was it, but a hint of pensive anxiety lingered in the paladin¡¯s eyes, and he hesitated.  He wanted nothing more than to get his crew back to his stronghold and put Draya to bed; however, if there was something quick he could do for his friend, he was willing to hear her out.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    Wallace looked at Thursa and then back at Jace.  ¡°My friend here is at level 15, which is where he was when I got him.  Now, I am level 15 as well.  If I keep going, I will leave him in the dust.  Is there anything in your bag of tricks to fix that?¡±


    Jace cocked his head.  Gromphy and Psycho were at level 20 and couldn¡¯t go higher.  In most situations, it gave him a bonus, as he had been much below that for most of the game.  Now, he was level 18, and their level restriction might become a liability before too long.  He hadn¡¯t thought about how to fix it, but . . . there might be a way.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jace said.  ¡°But we need to get out of the city first.¡±


    Wallace nodded and fell in line behind Jace¡¯s party as they walked through the quiet streets and back toward the travel node.  The orc shaman continued past the wooden post several dozen feet until he was notified that he was entering a Non-PVP, level 5, Hostile zone.  With Psycho and Snowy with him, he didn¡¯t fear anything sneaking up on them in the dark.


    ¡°NPCs can still attack in Non-PVP zones, right?¡± Jace asked, directing the question inward.


    {Yes,} Gracie said.  {Wallace can¡¯t attack you here, but anyone else can.}


    ¡°Psycho,¡± Jace said, pulling the ranger¡¯s attention from surveying the barren landscape around them.  ¡°Lend Thursa your elemental bow for a moment, along with a normal arrow.¡±


    Psycho gave his boss a puzzled look.  ¡°I don¡¯t think he will be able to . . .¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jace cut him off.  ¡°Just do it.¡±


    The archer did as asked, and the human druid took the weapon gingerly.  ¡°I¡¯ve never used a bow before,¡± Thursa said.


    ¡°I¡¯m counting on it,¡± Jace replied, stepping deeper into the sparse brush until he was almost invisible in the shadows.  ¡°Try to hit me anyway.¡±


    Thursa fumbled with the weapon, drawing a chuckle from Esther.  She raced over to help him.  Jace didn¡¯t think she had ever fired a bow before either, but the woman wouldn¡¯t pass up an opportunity to snuggle up close to the shirtless man and put her hands all over him.  After a few clumsy attempts, which included trying to load the arrow backward at one point, Thursa had the bow up with the arrow pointed in the general direction of his target.


    Jace saw the man squint into the darkness.  ¡°I can¡¯t even see you.  It would be better if I changed into a black bear.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Do it like this.  Trust me, I won¡¯t be harmed; it will be for your own good.¡±  The druid shrugged his shoulders and pulled back on the string.  Jace Stood His Ground.


    With no skill with the weapon and half a dozen banes working against him, it wasn¡¯t surprising that the shot went wide of Jace¡¯s position.  Because his attacker missed him (by a lot) while Jace Stood His Ground, he got to activate his favorite unique ability: Convict.  As soon as the arrow flew by, Thursa¡¯s character sheet flashed up before Jace¡¯s vision, only this was a different version than players typically saw.  He had access to the druid¡¯s alignment, race, deity, and several other things only seen at player creation.  In the past, he had always made changes in the middle of combat or some other hectic situation.  Now, he took his time, looking for something he never thought about changing.


    After a few seconds, he found what he was after: [Level Lock: 15].  Jace guessed Gandhi would only give him six seconds to make any change, and he hastily scrolled through a few options.  He could Level Lock Thursa at 20, but he didn¡¯t think Wallace wanted that.  Instead, he removed the lock and changed his leveling attribute to ¡°Advance with Player.¡±


    Immediately after the change, Jace¡¯s vision returned to his surroundings, and he saw Esther laughing at how far off Thursa had been.  ¡°Then you try it!¡± he growled, shoving the bow at the woman.  She scampered back, wanting nothing to do with the weapon.  Psycho stepped in and retrieved it.


    Jace checked levels and saw that Thursa was still at 15 and hoped it had worked.  He turned to Wallace.  ¡°I think I fixed it,¡± he said.


    ¡°How?¡± she asked, bewildered by what she had just seen.  ¡°How did Thursa missing you by a mile allow you to change his settings?¡±  She paused.  ¡°Is it a Stand Your Ground feat?¡± she asked as a light went on in her eyes.  ¡°Is that how you changed Esther?¡±


    Jace smiled.  ¡°You don¡¯t get to know all my tricks.  We are definitely square now.¡±


    Wallace shrugged.  ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Jace returned to the main group, leading his crew to the travel node.  Esther said goodbye to Thursa, and they all left for the stronghold.

 Chapter 38

    Jace¡¯s crew materialized at the entrance to his stronghold and trudged in wearily. Even though it had only been a few hours since they had eaten breakfast, Jace had adjusted his home to align with global time. The late hour, combined with the strenuous mission, let everyone know it was time to rest.


    Esther led Draya to their room.  Trixna emerged from her quarters to greet the returning characters, took one look at Draya¡¯s bedraggled features and the black streak running through her hair, and turned her eyes to regard Jace.  The shaman shook his head toward the orc priestess, and the female knew not to ask questions now.  Instead, she followed Esther to see if she could aid in healing the distressed mage.


    Psycho retired to his quarters, and Gromphy moved across the circular hall toward his lab and private room beyond.  Jace followed the goblin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what master project you are working on,¡± the player said once he and the crafter were out of earshot of the rest of the crew.  ¡°I have too much to worry about right now to keep track of your special projects, and I¡¯m sure it will be beneficial if it ever works out.¡±


    Gromphy moved to stand on the opposite side of his crafting table. The floor rose so he could look back at the orc close to eye level. He said nothing.


    ¡°But our mission,¡± he paused, ¡°my mission must take priority.  You can¡¯t jeopardize the success of what we are trying to do as a group to follow your own personal endeavor.  You especially can¡¯t endanger the lives of our team members.  Despite your stern goblin demeanor, I know you care for Draya, and her almost dying hurts you as much as it does me.  I won¡¯t press that point, but your passion for crafting often blinds you to what is happening around us.¡±


    Gromphy continued to say nothing and only returned Jace¡¯s look.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Jace asked.


    He nodded.  ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°I hope whatever you are crafting is worth it.¡±  With that, Jace turned on his heel and left the room.


    ¡°So do I,¡± Gromphy said under his breath.  He drank a potion to restore his stamina and got to work.


    <hr>


    Jace retired to his room and sat in his favorite chair.


    {You sure told him,} Gracie said.


    ¡°Do you know what he is working on?¡± he asked his operator, ignoring her sarcastic tone.


    {I have no idea,} she replied.  {I can¡¯t observe your NPCs when you aren¡¯t logged in, but we both know they¡¯ve been active.  Allowing him a level of independence is a good thing.  Hopefully, it doesn¡¯t derail your plans.}


    Jace couldn¡¯t have agreed more.  ¡°Now, let¡¯s get leveling up.  It doesn¡¯t seem like I do this very often anymore.¡±


    {The problems of being a high level,} Gracie said.  {I know some players love leveling up so much that they go on suicide quests once they reach level 15 so they can do it all over again.}


    Jace knew he didn¡¯t technically own his character and figured the CIA would frown on that technique. He pulled up his character sheet. At Level 18, there weren¡¯t too many choices to make. He added points to most of his abilities and checked his HP, now at 738, while his Mana Pool was at 828. For the feat, he scrolled through several choices without seeing one he liked.


    {Most of the Wisdom feats focus on healing, crafting, or nature and divine blessings,} Gracie advised.  {None of those fit you very well.  I¡¯d go with Magic Defense training.  It only gives +2 at this stage but ramps up to +15 if you take it three more times.}


    Jace agreed and made the changes.  As usual, he was more interested in his companion¡¯s character sheets.  Esther was next.  He distributed the points along her standard character design, focusing on attack, stealth, and defense.  Her HP was up to 468, and her Mana Pool was 720.  Recently, Jace saw her casting more spells, taking advantage of the web and acid combo.  The high mana would allow her to jack up the difficulty for those spells since her intelligence was low, and she didn¡¯t get vampiric or escort bonuses to her magic as she did to her Enthrall and Grappling abilities.  Her feat was obvious, and he took Athletic Master, boosting her bonus to +15 and raising her total Athletic ability to 40.  Gracie assured him she was monk-level athletic and continued to be one of the most broken characters she had ever seen.


    Draya was next.  Jace was happy to see her health at full and her level safely up to 18.  A quick search didn¡¯t show any new conditions or alterations from her demonic encounter, and he hoped desperately there wouldn¡¯t be any lingering effects to worry about.  After assigning her skill points, he saw her HP at 360.  He hated how low it was but didn¡¯t know what else to do about it.  Hopefully, in two more levels, she would be able to transform into a dragon and not have to worry about health as much.  Her mana pool was at 864, the highest in his group.  With her Dragon Spirit active, it was almost 1,200.  However, he understood that something might be wrong with her dress now, and its ability to prolong her dragon abilities by applying 100 points of fire damage to her each round could be at an end¡ªall the more reason to get her to level 20.


    Jace didn¡¯t bother leaving his settings screen and navigated to his character sheet so he could select the ¡°Rest Until Dawn¡± option.


    [Rest Until Dawn is disabled while other characters are active around you.]


    Jace hadn¡¯t seen that message before.  He assumed all his NPCs were in their rooms by now.  He had been awakened from sleep once when Trixna decided to share his bed and wondered what this intrusion might be.  Jace rolled his eyes out of his head and found Esther standing before him.  She had changed out of her armor and wore a simple black nightgown.  Her beauty was stunning.  At first, he thought she had amorous intentions, and as she leaned dramatically forward and kissed him on the forehead, those thoughts persisted.  However, she stepped back quickly and stood upright.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered, her face scrunched up as her mind searched for the right words. ¡°I know the authorities in your realm restrict your actions in ours. So, what you are doing for me and my sisters means a lot. I just wanted you to know.¡±


    Jace was speechless, and the rogue didn¡¯t give him a chance to respond as she spun about and scampered out of his room.


    {Well,} Gracie said.  {That was different.}


    Jace smiled as warmth filled his body, happy that his upcoming sleep would be dreamless.  He didn¡¯t need further images of Esther prancing about in a tiny nightgown to distract him.  He selected his preferred sleep option, and the game allowed it this time.


    <hr>


    With all the healing and priestly restoration Draya had received, her sleep didn¡¯t last till dawn, and she stirred several hours before sunrise.  The young woman¡¯s memories of what had happened were still a jumbled mess, and she hoped her companions could give her more information in the morning.  She left her small sleeping quarters next to Esther¡¯s much larger room and saw the rogue sleeping soundly, moonlight streaming in through the open window and caressing her still form under the thin sheets of her bed.


    Draya moved as silently as she could, finding a half-full basin and quietly splashing water on her face.  After activating the illumination ward in the mirror that hung over the sink to its lowest setting, she examined her new appearance.  A streak of black started halfway between her right temple and the top of her forehead, cascading back through her thick red hair like a tiger stripe.  It gave her an exotic look.  The boys at school already teased her about her darker skin and fiery locks.  This wouldn¡¯t help.


    Discarding that minor issue to the back of her mind, Draya turned from the mirror and left the room.  The main hall was still, but she heard sound from the far end leading toward Gromphy¡¯s lab.  All her trauma in the last mission had been from the goblin¡¯s crafting efforts, and she needed to know the results.  As she entered the lab, she almost cried out in shock, clamping a hand over her mouth to prevent her scream.


    Gromphy stood above his main crafting table as usual, but he was elbow-deep in the body of a nearly naked male orc.  Movement to her right alerted Draya to someone else, and she turned to see Trixna standing along the edge of the lab, looking on pensively.  She wore a tiny translucent negligee, and the delicate attire over the rough, powerful orc body created a shocking juxtaposition.  Eventually, Draya dragged her eyes away from the priestess and understood what was happening.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The orc on the table must be Trixna¡¯s lover, Zorn.  He rarely left the priestess¡¯s room and was under strict orders not to harm anyone else in the cavern.  Jace had used his Convict ability to turn the typically Guile character Honest and made him swear to follow all of Trixna¡¯s orders.  So far, there hadn¡¯t been a problem.  Gromphy must have visited them during the night and asked to borrow the massive male¡¯s body.


    Draya focused on the primitive surgery taking place in the middle of the room.  Zorn¡¯s chest was cut wide open, but there was very little blood.  Gromphy was obviously using copious amounts of magic to facilitate the procedure, and she hoped the orc¡¯s life wasn¡¯t in danger.  The goblin¡¯s short arms fit entirely within the prone character¡¯s massive chest, and, at times, his head went inside too.  Draya kept her questions in check, not wanting to distract the crafter and possibly jeopardize the orc¡¯s life.


    After a few minutes, Gromphy stood up and wiped his brow with the back of his left hand while his right removed a large, glowing object from the open wound.  At first, Draya thought it was Zorn¡¯s heart or some other vital organ, but upon closer examination, she saw it was the Armanacore.  She had only seen the artifact briefly after the Frosthold had sucked out all the heat, since she had been distracted by wrestling the freezing vortex.  As she thought back to that time, images of demon fire filled her mind, and she shook her head free of the memories.


    Instead, Draya focused on the transformed stone object.  Before, the 20-sided item had glowed with a pulsing orange, signifying its molten, fiery center.  Now, it produced a blue light, the standard color for raw mana.  Each face was a triangle chiseled from quartz with a glowing center.  The edges were highly polished obsidian, no longer looking like cooled lava but with a mirror onyx finish.


    ¡°Does it fit?¡± Draya asked finally, once Gromphy had laid the Armanacore on the table and magically closed his patient¡¯s chest.


    The crafter looked up, startled, having not heard Draya enter.  ¡°Aye, it does,¡± he replied.  ¡°Twas never my concern.  But how wouldst I connect it to his mana core, so it is not just a lump of coal in his chest? That is rightly the question.¡±


    ¡°And did you answer it?¡±


    Gromphy shrugged.  ¡°I can have him draw power from it, but without a connection to the essence of stone, it will only boost his mana generation.  To rightly have it transform his person, he requireth a . . .¡± he searched for the phrasing Draya had used a few days ago, ¡°bianthropic transmutation alteration.¡±


    She nodded. Druids could naturally change their shape with the animal to which they were joined, while were-creatures did so because of a curse. As a stone shaman, Jace could use the power of the surrounding rock, but without a transmutation spell, he couldn¡¯t fully utilize the artifact.


    Draya paused in thought as Zorn woke up. Trixna moved forward to help him off the table and ushered him quietly out of the lab.  ¡°Where will you get a spell like that?¡± she asked, trying not to stare at Zorn¡¯s tiny loin cloth.  ¡°The same place you cursed my dress?¡±


    Gromphy shrugged.  ¡°I hath no knowledge of such a spell.  Yet I have faith the Maker will provide.¡±  He paused.  ¡°And what of thy dress?  The curse I placed there no longer persists?¡±


    Draya wore her sleeping attire, a loose-fitting shirt and pants.  She removed the mage dress from her inventory and approached the crafting table to hand it to the goblin.  ¡°It doesn¡¯t work anymore,¡± she said.  ¡°When I inject mana, the original protections activate.  That could be useful, but I can no longer sustain my dragon abilities with it.  The curse is gone.¡±


    Gromphy shook his head as he turned the garment over in his hands. ¡°Shouldst not be possible. We bound the demon to this dress with the life of a powerful character¡ªa demon herself. Breaking such a bond shouldst bring dire consequences.¡±


    ¡°You mean Ignis might be in trouble?¡±


    Gromphy crossed his eyes at the mage.  ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Ignis Ardeat,¡± Draya clarified.  ¡°The demon you bound to the dress.¡±


    ¡°Thou knewest him?¡±


    She shrugged.  ¡°We could talk to each other.  He could offer me additional firepower occasionally, and I could . . . well, he liked it when I burned things.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Gromphy replied, a light going on in his head.  ¡°The trees thou wast burning.¡±  Draya blushed.  He ignored it.  ¡°And did this Ignis Ardeat provide thee with demon fire?¡±


    The mage shook her head.  ¡°No.  He didn¡¯t have it.  I went past him and found another source.¡±


    ¡°Thou stolest demon fire from Hades without a proper link?¡± Gromphy nearly shouted.  ¡°Thou reckless child.  Thou shouldst have been . . .¡±


    ¡°Killed,¡± she finished for him.  ¡°I believe I nearly was.¡±


    Gromphy calmed at the poignant observation.  ¡°Indeed.  But why wast thou spared?  If thy demon friend valued thy life, he mightst have severed the bond, violating the oath.¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Draya asked.


    Gromphy shrugged.  ¡°Good for thy life, bad for him.  He hast a debit now, and payment will neither be cheap nor pleasant.¡±


    Draya understood that violating a powerful spell would have consequences. ¡°To whom does he owe that debt?¡± she asked. ¡°You cast the spell. Shouldn¡¯t he owe you for going back on his word?¡±


    Gromphy chuckled.  ¡°I hath not the power to bind a demon to his oath.  Nay, the life wast given to Hades itself, and the power to establish the bond camest from the demon realm.  Ignis is now indebted to the Lord of Hades.¡±  He offered the dress back to Draya, and she took it tentatively.  ¡°Thou wilt not encounter him again.¡±  After seeing the pain on her face, he added, ¡°I am sorry.¡±


    Draya nodded and left the room.


    <hr>


    Ignis Ardeat cowered in his tiny cavern, curled up in a ball.  He was cold.


    It would have been impossible for the demon to imagine what cold could have felt like a few hours ago before he had severed his bond with the dragon mage¡¯s dress, but now the powers of hell that had sustained him and provided limitless fire were no more.  Even the surrounding atmosphere¡¯s elevated temperature, which would roast the skin of any human that dared enter the underworld without protection, wasn¡¯t enough to ward off the deep chill within his soul.  He had gone back on a sacred oath sealed with a mortal life.  The consequences were dire.


    Ignis expected a confrontation with Lord Cindava immediately after he had severed his connection with the dragon mage, but the massive demon had made him wait, and the encounter¡¯s anticipation was already worse than anything he could have imagined.  When the demon lord¡¯s hand finally shot into his home, he almost welcomed the intrusion.


    The opening to his cavern was a six-foot arched doorway. Once Cindava¡¯s enormous arm entered far enough, his bulging bicep fractured the rounded frame, the ancient stone easily giving way to the demon¡¯s strength.  The devil¡¯s fingers were each as long as Ignis¡¯ body and seemed to have eyes of their own as they quickly found his huddled form and locked him in a vice grip, the knuckles and claws nearly crushing him to death.  Like a kid with his hand stuck in a cookie jar, Cindava¡¯s balled fist, with his prey caught inside, was too large to exit the cavern cleanly through the narrow doorway.  The already cracked stone exploded outward as the demon lord wrenched Ignis from his home and lofted him up into the steaming, acrid air of the hellish landscape.


    Pools of churning lava and sulfuric steam vents covered the ground under a blanket of dark clouds, through which winged hellspawn flew and screeched.  Few beasts scrambled on the surface, especially in the presence of the massive demon lord, who had emerged from the lake of fire where he stayed submerged most of the time.  Cindava had gotten to one knee to reach into Ignis¡¯ home, the other foot planted knee-deep in a pit of bubbling mud.  Even though he wasn¡¯t standing, his head rose thirty feet above the barren landscape, and he hoisted Ignis to a similar altitude to gaze at his underling.


    Cindava looked as one would expect from a demon lord: red skin stretched tightly over a muscled torso, a canine mouth beneath fiery eyes, and two horns extending several feet above his thick skull.


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    The demon¡¯s voice rumbled through the air, and Ignis saw ripples in the pools beneath him. It was as if each syllable of the question was made by the pounding gate of an approaching titan.


    ¡°Where do I find her?¡± he asked again, only now slackening his grip on the tiny demon so Ignis could speak.


    The helpless captive thought about playing dumb, but not for long.  It wasn¡¯t worth the torture he would get in response, and he would do nothing to protect the young woman in question, as Cindava had powers of the mind that Ignis could never resist, especially now that he was indebted to this demon lord because of his broken oath.


    ¡°She used my power,¡± Cindava continued.  ¡°I tasted her for only a moment before you severed the connection, but it was . . .¡± the demon paused as his forked tongue flicked over his upper lip.  If a being could experience ecstasy in hell, Ignis saw it played out on Cindava¡¯s face as he rolled his eyes and relived the moment.  ¡°It was exquisite.¡±  He regained focus and increased his scrutiny of the minor demon.  ¡°I must have her.  I must own her!¡±


    ¡°Her name is Draeklynn Ember,¡± Ignis wheezed through his constricted chest.  He hated even thinking about the names of his realm-bound links, as names were power, but he had no choice in this situation.


    ¡°And is she . . . a dragon?¡± Cindava asked, drawing his prey close enough so his hot breath ruffled the patch of hair between Ignis¡¯ horns.


    ¡°She has a dragon mana core,¡± he replied.  ¡°Once she reaches level 20, she can transform into a red dragon.¡±


    ¡°You can find her?¡± Cindava asked.  ¡°You know where she is?¡±


    ¡°She works for Jace Thorne,¡± Ignis said.  ¡°He travels all over the realms.¡±


    ¡°I know this name,¡± the demon lord said, relaxing the grip on his captive.


    Ignis knew where Draya¡¯s stronghold was, on a mountain north of Crestfall, but he hoped mentioning Jace¡¯s name would redirect Cindava¡¯s questions.  It worked.


    ¡°He has many enemies.  Some of whom serve my minions.¡±  An idea grew in the demon lord¡¯s mind, and his scrutiny of Ignis increased.  ¡°Do you maintain your other links to the realms despite your violation?¡±


    The smaller demon shook his head as the elevated attention accompanied increased pressure around his chest, and he couldn¡¯t talk, much less breathe.  Cindava interpreted his response and closed his eyes for a moment.  Power surged down his right arm, exploding into a fireball around Ignis.  Warmth rushed back into him as the demon lord¡¯s magic restored all his links, including his connection with the volcano.  The curse on Draya¡¯s dress was still lost to him.  Ignis didn¡¯t have time to revel in this change as Cindava¡¯s fingers tightened around him.


    ¡°Someone else will require your unique services soon,¡± the giant said, ¡°and when they do, I will be alerted to it.  You are now mine.  You will do as I tell you when I tell you.  If you fail me in this next mission, you will be banished to an arctic glacier.  Is that understood?¡±


    Ignis nodded furiously, still unable to speak.


    ¡°Good.  Come with me.  I must prepare.¡±


    The smaller demon had no choice, as Cindava did not release him.  Instead, the demon lord hoisted his left leg out of the mud pit, rising to his full height, and marched toward his personal corner of hell.

 Chapter 39

    Gregory Sykes lifted the next folder from the pile and hefted it off the table for the camera''s sake. Jason easily interpreted the action to imply that the CIA agent thought the next dossier was a little light. ¡°It seems we haven¡¯t done as much research on this next character,¡± the older man advised, setting the folder down and opening it. ¡°Delilah Sorek. We don¡¯t know much about her?¡±


    The room at CIA headquarters was quiet for a beat as Ross, Stephen, and Alison contemplated how to approach this third mission. They were on shaky ground with their strategy, so Jason stepped in. ¡°That¡¯s right. The first two women had stand-alone quests created specifically for them, but Delly appears to be retconned into an existing module.¡±


    ¡°Retconned?¡± the older man asked.


    ¡°Retroactive continuity,¡± Stephen said.  ¡°It¡¯s when a movie or book tries to explain how something happened earlier in a story by releasing information later on.  Often, movies want to create sequels but find that information they¡¯ve already revealed about a character would conflict with future stories, so they retroactively change it by showing how someone didn¡¯t die, or they had an evil twin or something else like that.¡±


    ¡°So the AI uses Delly to explain something else in the game?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°It looks that way,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Conan the Barbarian,¡± Stephen replied.  ¡°Thulsa Doom is the main villain in the movie, and he slaughters Conan¡¯s village when he was a boy, killing his mother and father.  Conan is taken into slavery while Thulsa runs a snake-worshipping cult.  Conan endures manual labor for many years, which turns him into a hulking brute, and he tracks down his parents¡¯ killer to get revenge.  There is much more going on than that, but it is a typical sword and sorcery movie from the 80s.¡±


    ¡°And it is the same in the game?¡± Gregory asked.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Stephen continued.  ¡°In the game, the villain¡¯s name is Vulder.  It is a combination of Vader and Thulsa.  James Earl Jones plays Thulsa in the movie, and he is the actor who voiced Darth Vader in Star Wars, so the module creature paid homage to that.¡±


    ¡°And this Vulder has Force powers?¡± Gregory asked, happy to finally run across a piece of pop culture he knew about.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Stephen said.  ¡°Being a master in both sword fighting and magic would be too powerful.  So they gave him a glowing red sword that can slice through anything, and he has a mage companion who specializes in mind and telekinetic magic.  He controls a massive city in a desert environment called Zamora.  In the movie, Conan is enslaved in a small village on the outskirts, but in the game, he is a slave within Zamora, pushing a giant wheel that pumps water from a deep well to turn the city into an oasis in the otherwise barren terrain.¡±


    ¡°No one has rescued him yet?¡±


    The younger agent shook his head.  ¡°No.  The module is six months old and is unique in that it has a time limit.  Vulder is old and ready to retire.  He is looking for someone to take over, so the module involves multiple players competing for prominence within the city to win his favor.  Anyone can join the competition, and Zamora generates level-appropriate quests to guide players up the seedy and violent ranks within the city until you are granted an audience with Vulder and put into consideration as his successor.  Three prominent players have risen to the head of the list vying for the rights to the city, with dozens of others clawing away just beneath them.  Getting to the top is a meat grinder, as life expectancy for someone starting at the bottom is about one week.  If anyone appears to be gaining an advantage, they get a bounty on their head and are killed.  Vulder is supposed to announce his successor in about a week, and no one expects anyone new to dethrone the three players at the top before then.¡±


    ¡°How does all this relate to Delly?¡±


    Jason took up the thread.  ¡°We can only guess at this point, sir.  Delilah is the woman in the Bible who is sent after Samson.  The Philistines hire her to seduce the strong man and steal his strength.  She does so, and Samson is captured, his eyes are plucked out, and he is put to work turning a mill.¡±


    Gregory nodded, seeing the obvious comparison.


    ¡°All we know,¡± Jason said, ¡°is that Vulder has revealed to some players that, in addition to gaining control of Conan, who is called Sonan in the game, he also has a female barbarian held captive who might be just as powerful.  She is described as a dark-skinned beauty equally skilled on the battlefield and in the bedroom.  If any of these players have seen a picture of her or know her actual name, they aren¡¯t sharing.  The information we have was purchased off one of their lackeys.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gregory said, holding up one hand as he paged through the few sheets in the folder while he heard the description.  He finally looked up.  ¡°We don¡¯t even know if this is Delly?¡±


    ¡°We are pretty sure,¡± Allison said, the only one new enough not to know that you shouldn¡¯t express doubt before a senior agent. ¡°It would be far too coincidental if it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    She nodded and continued.  ¡°Like Stephen and Jason said, Delly appears to be retconned into this module.  When it launched six months ago, there was no female barbarian.  Other players had made it to the top of the city¡¯s hierarchy before being displaced and were given a tour of what they would inherit, including being led down to the lower dungeons to see Sonan hard at work.  None of them reported a character that looked like Delly.  The first hint that she existed came a day or two after Jason broke the Gilded Swan module and set the four lieutenants free.  The fact that Delly is a dark-skinned female barbarian and her Biblical story meshes so perfectly with Conan¡¯s is too much of a coincidence.¡±


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Gregory nodded and shrugged.  ¡°Very well.  So what is the plan?¡±


    Everyone at CIA headquarters looked back to the TV screen, focusing their eyes on Jason.  He nodded.  ¡°We are kind of flying by the seat of our pants on this one,¡± he admitted.  ¡°Without knowing exactly what Delly¡¯s quest is, we can¡¯t plan too far in advance.  It must involve Sonan in some capacity, but all attempts to free him in the past have failed so spectacularly that most believe the game won¡¯t allow it until ownership of the city is turned over.  That won¡¯t happen for another week, and we don¡¯t want to wait.  Assuming we successfully rescue Leah and Tami, word will get around that we will come for Delly too, and the other players will be ready for us.  We need to do this right away.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Gregory pushed.  ¡°You must have a plan.¡±


    Jason nodded.  ¡°A two-pronged approach.  Zamora is a thief¡¯s playground with hundreds of secret passages and tunnels.  Many of the early quests in the module require you to infiltrate a thieving guild and ascend to the top.  If Delly is being held somewhere in the bowels of the city, we hope there will be a secret entrance.  Most thieves stealthy enough to move undetected aren¡¯t also deadly fighters and would be easy prey to guards.  Anyone strong enough to fight off the guards would never be small or stealthy enough to descend to the lower levels.  Esther is unique and could be successful in infiltrating the dungeons.  Based on our informant, we have a general idea of where Delly is held.  Hopefully, they can talk once Esther finds her.  I can eavesdrop on that conversation and try to devise a strategy.¡±


    ¡°And what will you be doing?¡± Gregory asked.  ¡°You said this is a two-pronged attack.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing Esther won¡¯t be able to guide Delly back out.  The other woman won¡¯t be stealthy enough, and as good as they are, they won¡¯t be able to fight through multiple layers of high-level defense.  So, I plan to meet with Vulder and hope to figure something out.  I doubt the game will allow me to take over the city without going through the dozens of trial quests to rise in prominence through the city, and that is what is usually required even to see the warlord.  Still, we hope my celebratory status within the game will grant me special privileges, maybe not with Vulder directly, but at least with one of the three prominent players.  When one of them inherits the city, they will still need to solve Delly¡¯s quest to use her effectively.  In the same way that I plan to help Derrick free Leah, I¡¯m hoping to convince them to contract me to unlock Delly.¡±


    Gregory nodded.  ¡°That all sounds reasonable, but there is one thing missing.¡±


    Jason thought they had covered everything they knew, but he saw Connor and Ross nodding as the two senior agents anticipated Gregory¡¯s objection.


    ¡°Why does the CIA care?¡± he asked.  ¡°With the previous missions we¡¯ve discussed, you are eliminating a money launderer and Somali pirates.  Those goals are worthy of risking government assets.  I haven¡¯t heard anything like that so far with this quest.¡±


    ¡°Securing Esther should be enough . . .¡± Jason started but quieted when he saw Ross raise his hand.


    The agent pointed down at the slim folder open before him.  ¡°Turn to the last page,¡± he said.


    Gregory obeyed, and Ross continued. ¡°The three players currently vying for control of Zamora are listed. The city is unlike any other stronghold in the game. It is the largest one by a staggering amount.  We guess at least 100,000 NPCs live there.  A normal ¡®BIG¡¯ city in the game has five to ten thousand.  If any of those three players get control of the city, it will be a massive boon for them and their real-world operations.  For most of them, it will triple their revenue stream, which will only spell disaster once they launder the money into our world.¡±


    Gregory could see the names and a short description behind each, but Ross listed them out loud for everyone else¡¯s benefit.  ¡°Hidalgo Cortex traffics guns, drugs, and humans across our southern border.  He is protected under layers of criminal and political operations in Mexico, and try as we might, we can¡¯t get close to him.


    ¡°Golda Baccay owns several casinos in the Philippines.  The local government sees her businesses as a boon to the tourist trade, but we know she offers tax shelters and money laundering to criminal organizations worldwide.


    ¡°Lastly, Ahbid Terran operates in Afghanistan with close ties to the Taliban and is one of the biggest players in the Asian opium trade.  He funds countless terrorist operations.


    ¡°If any of these individuals gain control of Zamora, we will see a dramatic increase in activity in the real world, and if we have an opportunity to disrupt their in-game fortunes, we should take it.¡±


    ¡°But we are after Delly, right?¡± Gregory asked.  ¡°Jason won¡¯t be able to solve the Zamora quest without going through the weeks of trials.¡±


    Ross shrugged.  ¡°We don¡¯t know what will happen.  Jason tends to cause chaos.  Right now, the three top players are living peacefully, and all say they will bow out once the successor is chosen if it isn¡¯t them.  None are strong enough to take on the other two, and while they all want the position, they don¡¯t want to risk losing everything they already have to get it.  Hopefully, Jason can change that.¡±


    Gregory chuckled.  ¡°Let the animals kill themselves.  Do our work for us.  One still rises to the top, but we eliminate the other two.¡±  He nodded as he looked down at the sheet with the three names.  After a while, he froze.  ¡°This last name is bugging me.  Ahbid Terran.  We know him, right?  We¡¯ve had dealings with him before?¡±


    Ross nodded.  ¡°Yes, sir.  He killed one of our agents last year.¡±


    ¡°In the game?¡±


    Ross hesitated.  ¡°Yes, but also in real life.  He killed Liam Walsh.¡±


    Gregory nodded as recognition flooded through him.  It was a big deal when the agent was killed on American soil last year.  Then he froze as he remembered the rest of the story.  His eyes went to the television screen and the three people sitting in a safe house in Chicago.  ¡°He was your brother,¡± Gregory said to Conor.


    ¡°And my husband,¡± Gracie added.


    Gregory allowed a respectful moment of silence before returning to Ross.  ¡°Is this mission perhaps too personal?¡±


    Ross paused before answering.  ¡°I don¡¯t think so.  Perhaps if Gracie and Conor were attempting this alone, they might let emotions cloud their judgment, but Jason and his in-game crew have no history with Ahbid.  I trust that tempering element will defuse any potential conflict of interest.  Plus, it is a relatively small game.  Going forward, it will be impossible to conduct a mission without running into someone we have a history with.¡±


    Gregory thought about it for a moment and then nodded his head.  ¡°Okay.  I approve.¡±

 Chapter 40

    Esther walked through Zamora¡¯s city gates as the eastern sky flamed with light over the distant desert landscape, dawn only minutes away. Traveling the dunes outside the city in daylight or navigating the dangerous city streets in darkness was not advised, so entering the volatile settlement at 6 a.m. was a common practice for players and NPCs alike.


    The four barbarian guards flanking the city¡¯s main entrance barely noticed Esther amidst the steady stream of traffic.  Their eyes were looking for coordinated groups, large wagons, or non-sanctioned monsters trying to gain entrance.  As a Hostile PVP zone, Zamora catered to everything, and limiting traffic would reduce the effectiveness of the city as a hive for adventurers, criminals, and heroes alike.  However, if you tried to smuggle in taxable contraband, a large army, or a troll, they had regulations to control that.  Esther was a single, diminutive NPC huddled under a hooded black cloak.  She didn¡¯t warrant a second look from any of the guards.


    The celebrity rogue wasn¡¯t used to the anonymity and knew that if a player recognized her, she wouldn¡¯t stay innocuous for long, so she hurried through the crowd, using her grace and dexterity to slip toward the side streets and then Shadow Stepped into the lingering darkness the tall buildings provided against the rising sun.


    Zamora was an oddity in the realms.  Space was not usually an issue, especially in a computer game were more land could be conjured up for no cost.  Towns were typically spread out, allowing for unimpeded flow and uncrowded encounters.  Buildings rarely exceeded three stories unless it was a castle or wizard¡¯s tower.  Zamora resembled a pyramid.  A prominent hill lay in the center of the five-mile-wide city, but even if it didn¡¯t, the shape would remain as homes and shops were thrown together like discarded crates into a landfill, one stacked upon the other with little regard for uniformity or architectural integrity.


    Esther dared to peek up and out of her hood to regard the city¡¯s mesmerizing design.  Dwellings rose before her like a mountain, held together by ropes, boardwalks, and the occasional iron beam.  Handrails were a luxury not every building could afford, and she saw children moving about like mountain goats, scampering across narrow walkways and swinging around older pedestrians on ropes that hung over a fifty-foot drop.  It gave Esther chills to watch, but it also looked amazingly fun.  Unfortunately, she wasn¡¯t meant to go up.


    {How is it going?}


    Gracie¡¯s voice still felt weird in her ears, and Esther looked around frantically to find the source of the question before she relaxed and remembered she had an operator for a change. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she replied. ¡°They let me in, no problem.¡±


    {Good,} Gracie said.  {Then find our contact and be quick.  Jace and the rest of the team are waiting for our signal to proceed.  We don¡¯t want to take too much time.}


    Esther nodded and replied verbally, remembering Gracie couldn¡¯t see her.  The woman wore magical earrings that Gromphy had designed.  Her usual diamond studs gave her one additional spell each, but she had to remove them because ¨C for some reason ¨C she couldn¡¯t wear two earrings in the same ear.  Gracie and Jace said it was a restriction of the realms.  She didn¡¯t like it.  Gromphy¡¯s floppy goblin ears had multiple rings and studs in each, and he could wear these and communicate with Gracie without removing any of his usual jewelry.  In response, Jace only shrugged and asked her if she would like to be transformed into a goblin for the duration of this mission.  That had shut her up, and she accepted the limitations of her human form.


    With the earrings, Gracie could communicate directly with Esther, monitor her condition, and relay that information to Jace. However, the magical items didn¡¯t let the operator see what Esther did or gain any information about potential enemies around her.


    As the rogue ducked in and out of alleyways, consciously trying to remain in the shadows, she detected dozens of potential enemies around her.  She was careful not to look directly up, for fear her hood might fall back or someone above might recognize her face, but she could see on other distant rooftops sentries and archers keeping watch on the streets below and knew similar guards likely patrolled above her.  Windows and balconies decorated the sides of the haphazard structures in an equally unorthodox pattern, providing dozens of potential sniper locations.  Even at ground level, doors were often cracked open, or peepholes shone with a True Sight spell, letting her know her passage wasn¡¯t invisible to everyone.  She even felt motion within the occasional sewer grate she passed and knew the tunnels beneath the city streets teamed with nasty creatures.


    Esther found her left hand instinctively reaching up to her head to tug on the brim of her magical black hat whenever she felt prying eyes upon her. Unfortunately, the shadow-producing magical item was tucked away in her inventory.  It also appeared she was only allowed to have one item on her head at a time, and the hooded cloak was more inconspicuous.


    Esther¡¯s only sense of security came from knowing she was not alone.  With her keen eyes, she saw dozens of other rogues, pickpockets, and street urchins moving as she did, careful to stay in the shadows and appear unobtrusive.  Other adventurers strode proudly through the streets, wearing shiny armor or colorful wizard robes, inviting all the attention they could.  Esther still lacked Jace¡¯s skill in differentiating between players and NPCs, and she guessed a combination moved through the city.


    Gracie had also told her about the guilds and factions operating within Zamora, and Esther noticed crests and emblems worn by many of the characters around her.  Aligning oneself with a guild was the best form of insurance in a city like this.  To kill a guild member would bring the rest of that faction down on your head.


    So, on one hand, proudly displaying that symbol allowed you to walk freely throughout the city.  However, many guilds didn¡¯t like each other, and letting everyone know which you belonged to might limit your access to shops or entertainment venues.  Many people had learned to hide their allegiances.  At first, this made them targets, but after several guild wars had started because members were killed while incognito, potential assassins learned not to assume anything.


    Since it was foolish to try and operate within the city without aligning yourself with one of the powerful factions, not displaying your allegiance just meant you were cautious.  This allowed someone like Esther to remain unattached yet not paint herself as a target.


    However, another group of residents moved through the alleys, keeping to the shadows, and they likely had no qualms about attacking whomever they wanted, regardless of guild affiliation.  Esther had to look to the ground constantly to avoid stepping on them.  ¡°Gracie,¡± she finally said.  ¡°Why are there so many snakes?¡±


    The operator¡¯s laughter sounded odd through the magical earrings.  {Sorry.  I should have warned you.  Lord Vulder is a snake worshiper.  Zamora is teeming with them.  As long as the people follow his commands, they won¡¯t harm anyone within the city.}


    ¡°What happens when Jace defeats him?¡± Esther asked.  ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here to do, right?  Won¡¯t the snakes suddenly kill everyone?¡±


    A hooded viper suddenly reared up before the rogue. Its forked tongue smelled the air between them as it swayed back and forth. Esther wasn¡¯t particularly scared of snakes, spiders, or other creeping things. They just annoyed her. She contemplated for a moment using one of her rapiers to slice the thing''s head off but wisely chose not to.


    {Perhaps you shouldn¡¯t say that out loud,} Gracie said.  She could tell that Esther had just made a fear check and guessed what she faced.  Esther shrugged her shoulders, and Shadow Stepped past the creature.


    The rogue moved quickly through the streets, truly at home in an environment like this.  Too often Jace took her sailing on ships or traipsing through a forest.  This environment was more her style.  As shops began to open up around her, preparing for the morning rush of customers, the smell of baked goods, fried bacon, and chocolate proved a powerful distraction, impairing her ability to stay on task.  She made the mistake of muttering, ¡°Mmm, waffles,¡± when she saw a plate of them covered in whipped cream and berries advertised in a window.


    {No time for food,} Gracie scolded.  {You can eat later.  You should be getting close.}


    Esther shook her head in frustration but knew the operator was right.  Based on her directions, their contact should be three blocks away.  A minute later, she found a precariously narrow plaster and wood building leaning slightly to one side.  The top of the three-story dwelling touched a neighboring structure that was somewhat shorter, and someone had built a small shack above the intersection.  Esther swore the whole thing swayed slightly in the wind and feared it would all come crashing down if she dared knock on the front door.  She was spared the experiment as her contact had been watching her approach through holes in the wall that looked like arrow punctures.


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    ¡°Esther Xerxes?¡± the small man whispered toward her through the cracked doorway.


    Esther had her hands on the hilts of her swords beneath her cloak.  ¡°Damon?¡± she replied.


    The squirrely man nodded and opened the door a few inches further, barely enough for Esther to squeeze her curvy frame through, then closed it quickly behind her.  The building¡¯s first floor barely measured eight feet square, with a single chair, a table, a cabinet, and a ladder leading to the second level.  Esther didn¡¯t spend long examining the room and turned her attention to her host.  Damon stood shorter than her, though his stooped posture made it impossible to know for sure.   His slight frame gave the impression he hadn¡¯t eaten a plate full of waffles in months, if ever, and Esther felt confident she outweighed him.  He wore tattered brown trousers and a gray vest with no shirt underneath, showing off his sunken stomach and rib cage.


    ¡°You, you, you are actually here,¡± he squeaked in excitement, his gaze searching every inch of her impressive form, unsure of where to settle.  Esther cleared her throat to draw his attention upward, and the look in her eyes let him know where he should focus.  ¡°Uh, sorry, I, uh, don¡¯t get many visitors.  And they, uh, usually, aren¡¯t, uh, like you.¡±  His eyes began to drop again, and Esther inhaled sharply to draw them back up.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t intend to stay long.  You have a secret way to get me underground?  To avoid the levels of security?¡±


    He nodded eagerly and turned to squat in front of the floor-level cabinet.  Inside the narrow cupboard sat a few dusty mugs and wooden plates.  Damon hastily discarded them onto the dirty floor and then paused.  He turned and looked back up at Esther, a shiver coursing through him as he appreciated this new angle of his beautiful guest.  He shook his head and regained some measure of composure.  ¡°I don¡¯t think this will work for you.  I didn¡¯t realize you would be so . . .¡± he couldn¡¯t find the right word.


    If he said, ¡°Fat,¡± Esther was prepared to cut his head off.  He didn¡¯t.  Instead, he returned to the cabinet and removed the fake back panel.  This home was built into the base of Zamora¡¯s hill, and when Damon stepped back from the open doors, Esther knelt beside him to peer into a pitch-black tunnel barely two feet across that angled deep underground.


    Esther frowned.  ¡°You couldn¡¯t dig it any bigger?¡±  She turned to regard him when he didn¡¯t immediately respond.  He was shrugging his bare-boned shoulders, and Esther realized the diminutive man could probably squeeze himself through an opening half as big.


    {What¡¯s the problem?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°I found the tunnel into the hill,¡± Esther reported, ¡°but Gromphy would have a hard time fitting inside.¡±


    {We prepared for this,} Gracie said.


    Esther sighed and didn¡¯t bother replying.  She had hoped their backup plan wouldn¡¯t be necessary.  Turning to Damon, she found the NPC¡¯s mouth open in shock.  ¡°Are you a PC?  Do you have an operator? I always thought you were . . .¡±


    Esther waved her hand to shut him up.  ¡°This is it, right?  This is the tunnel I need to take to get to the mines?¡±  He nodded.  ¡°And there is no way to make it bigger?¡±


    He shook his head.  ¡°The beginning is sandstone and easy to dig through, but once you get deep enough, you find limestone, which is much harder.  Even then, I could have made it bigger, but the stone is laced with iron ore.  I had to backtrack and dig new branches several times before I could find a clear path all the way through.  This is as wide as I could make it.¡±


    Esther shrugged her shoulders in defeat, removed her Athletic-boosting necklace, and swapped it for Jace¡¯s illusion medallion.  For whatever reason, he said he wouldn¡¯t need it.  Esther had used the magical device to disguise herself as Mur Calumis, Psycho¡¯s sister, in a previous mission, and she called up that illusion now.  Her body transformed into a slender elf, a few inches shorter and several dress sizes smaller.  They had discussed trying to transform her into a gnome or halfling, but the further the illusion was from the truth, the more mana it took, and they didn¡¯t think it would be necessary.  Plus, if she had to fight while disguised, she would be disadvantaged if she were too small.


    The rogue also saw she would have to remove her armor and weapons.  Those and her cloak went into her inventory, leaving only her underclothes.  Damon¡¯s jaw was on the floor, but a disapproving look from Esther helped him recover.  She wasn¡¯t quite as alluring as a wood elf, and he found the willpower to turn around and give the woman her privacy.  Knowing time was of the essence, Esther got to her knees, wrinkled her nose at the warm, musty air wafting out of the hole, and was about to crawl inside when she hesitated.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any snakes inside, are there?¡± she asked.  When Damon didn¡¯t respond right away, she turned to find him staring at her butt.  ¡°Snakes,¡± she repeated.  ¡°In the hole.  Are there any?¡±


    The man shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    Esther swore and crawled into the darkness.


    <hr>


    The tunnel was miserable, even without snakes.


    As a vampire, Esther wasn¡¯t exactly scared of the dark, and with her incredible strength, the crawl wasn¡¯t too taxing, but other game mechanics worked against her.  Even with the more petite frame of Mur Calumis, Esther got stuck repeatedly.  Since she hauled herself forward with her elbows, each time she felt resistance, she just pulled harder.  The game treated these tight spaces as Grapple checks, which needed to be escaped through her Athleticism, not Strength.  When she tried to muscle through instead, she became Securely Grappled and had to lay Helpless for a few rounds.  When the game released her, she used one of the diamonds in her bracelet to cast an Athletic boon on herself and wriggle free.  Eventually, after the fourth or fifth time, she began to sense when the space was too tight to struggle through and immediately used her Athletic skill.


    Also, Damon hadn¡¯t been lying about the iron ore.  Shards of rock and mettle occasionally jutted into the narrow crawl space at every angle.  Esther didn¡¯t know if it was piercing damage or slashing damage, and it didn¡¯t matter because, without her armor, she didn¡¯t have the natural Damage Reduction to avoid it.  Soon, she recognized slight bends in the tunnel where Damon had to go around large ore deposits, and she could squeeze to one side to avoid the painful rocks.  She also understood why Damon couldn¡¯t make the channel wider, as ore often jutted in at her from multiple directions, and the narrow passage was the only way through.


    After twenty minutes, which seemed like two hours, Esther sensed light ahead around the next bend and moved with eager yet cautious anticipation. The tunnel emptied onto a narrow ledge just under the ceiling of a tight mine shaft. No torches hung on the walls, and Esther was confused about where the light came from when she heard footsteps approaching from her left. The light grew in intensity, and she knew she had to hurry.


    Esther was halfway out of the secret passage, her upper body resting on the ledge, enjoying the relatively cool air against her cut and bruised skin while her hips still fought against the narrow exit.  There wasn¡¯t room for her to hide on the tiny ledge, so she angled her head down and intended to somersault out of the tunnel and land on the floor six feet below.  As she bent down to pull herself out, the necklace fell off.


    Pain erupted in her body as her hips resumed their normal width, and the tight stone passageway dealt 100 points of crushing damage to her.


    {What just happened!} Gracie cried, but Esther screamed in pain and didn¡¯t hear her.  She ignored the game rules and wrenched forward with all her might.  The result of her body and the stone simultaneously occupying the same space at once had caused her damage and had cracked the tunnel, so when she tried to muscle through, rocks popped and broke until her tired, bloody, and nearly naked body sprang free and crumpled into a heap in the center of the mine shaft.


    Dizziness, pain, vertigo, and half a dozen other banes swirled through her as Gracie shouted in her head.  Esther struggled to push herself up from the stone floor.  Sand and blood matted together to cover her exposed skin in dark red muddy patches, further adding to her general sense of misery.  She only barely held on to consciousness as two kobolds bore down on her, each carrying a torch and pickaxe.


    A sixth sense told her not to try to Dodge the attacks, so instead of rolling away from them at the last second, she rolled toward them.  That was unexpected, and the two miners tripped over her much bigger body and their weapons clambered to the ground, their torches skittering out ahead head of them.  The lights didn¡¯t go out and illuminated the cavern well enough that neither of the creatures needed to retrieve them before turning to attack.


    Now, Esther managed to get her bearings and prepared a defense.  She summoned her armor and weapons in a flash but didn¡¯t have time to draw the blades before the first kobold closed on her.  He was only level nine and didn¡¯t have a prayer.  Still, in her disoriented state, her Dodge wasn¡¯t enough to completely avoid the pickaxe.  Even so, the miner only got a normal hit, which didn¡¯t register above her armor¡¯s Damage Reduction.  She responded by Grappling the diminutive foe and tossing him hard against the wall.


    She didn¡¯t have multiple rounds to put him in a hold, render him Helpless, and then snap his neck, as that would have given his partner a chance to slam his weapon into her head while she was Flat-Footed.  But once the first attacker bounced off the wall and suffered banes of his own, she had the opening to incapacitate the second one.  She let her armor absorb the blow again, put him in a choke hold, and began feeding.


    She let the foul blood restore her health for a couple of rounds and then took a break to look up at the first kobold and hurl an acid spell at him as he gathered for a second attack.  The miner dissolved into a grease stain on the dirty floor, and then she returned to her captive until her health and mana were topped off.  She snapped his neck to end his misery and took stock of herself.


    {You are supposed to be stealthy,} Gracie admonished, guessing what had happened by monitoring her character sheet.


    ¡°Accidents happen,¡± Esther whispered.  Still, she knew the operator was right.  If she left evidence of her presence, security would increase, and she likely wouldn¡¯t make it to Delly.  After retrieving the torches, she found that the melted remains of the first creature burned like oil, and she soon did the same to the second.  A few rounds later, there was nothing left but charred remains, and she scooped them up and stuffed them into the opening of the tunnel she had just escaped from.  She had to admit that the secret entrance was nearly invisible when she stood in the middle of the mine shaft, even more so if she squatted to the height of a kobold.


    Esther chose her hat over her cloak this time and ensured all her weapons and jewelry were in place.  She took a few moments to kick dirt over a few random blood splatters and smoothed out the floor to hide the scuffle that had taken place.  After extinguishing the torches and hiding them on the shelf as well, she ran silently in the direction from where the kobolds came, trying not to think about the kind of stench that would soon waft into Damon¡¯s home from the burnt corpses she left behind.

 Chapter 41

    Three factions ran Zamora¡¯s undercity.  The kobolds mined the ore used for weapons and building the skeleton of the ever-growing city.  Gnomes dug out stone blocks used primarily to replace rickety structures erected before the city started to ascend and to create a firm foundation for Zamora¡¯s growth.  The diminutive masons also mixed mortar and plaster and were the critical advisers on building the city walls.  This general mining and quarrying occupied the upper levels of the underground city.  The dwarves were deeper.  Once the limestone turned to granite, the bearded excavators were called in to extract precious gems, gold, and, most importantly, water.


    The underground lake was the life source of this desert city. The dwarves kept it clean and operated the pumping system to bring it to the people above.


    The gnomes and kobolds hated each other, and the first few layers underground were embroiled in constant conflict and aggression.  The ore deposits weren¡¯t evenly distributed, and when the gnomes found a rich vein in their quarry, they were required to vacate and let the kobolds come in and clean it out.  The gnomes then went to one of their previous dig sites, where the draconian miners had just finished.  The two races were constantly working on top of each other with no clear division, and fights broke out continually.  Humans tried to manage the process, but the underground races interpreted any effort to crack down on the chaos as an effort to turn the workers into slaves.  At such times, the gnomes and kobolds finally saw eye to eye and united against a common foe.


    Gracie had explained all this to Esther during her trek through the desert from the public travel node over a mile outside the city, but now the rogue got to see it up close.  The chaos aided her movement through the mines, giving her bonuses to sneak past distracted workers.  Still, the gnomes had perfect night vision, and several times, she needed to activate the darkness of her hat and stand perfectly still, hoping no one paid attention to a column of absolute shadow.  Managing this work environment was the responsibility of the city magistrate, and Esther understood it was a coveted position with several influential players vying for the spot.  After spending 20 minutes observing the chaos and conflict between the miners, she was glad Jace wasn¡¯t one of those players.  His stronghold ran much smoother.


    Soon, Esther left that behind and found the transition point, where limestone changed to granite, and the mine shafts were more like chiseled hallways without the sandy texture covering everything.  She moved along the cleaner path for only a short while before running into a problem.  Four dwarves stood at attention, guarding the entrance to the lowest level.  They each held a spear and shield, their eyes glowing with the tell-tale signs of a True Sight spell.


    Esther slunk back around the corner, out of sight of the dwarves, confident she hadn¡¯t been seen.  ¡°Gracie,¡± she whispered.  ¡°I have a problem.  I can¡¯t go any further.¡±


    {What is it?}


    ¡°Guards.  Four of them.  Their eyes are glowing.  I can¡¯t sneak past.¡±


    Gracie was silent for a while, thinking it through.  {Is there an inscription on the floor beneath them?}


    Esther crept back to the corner of the hall and peered toward the dwarves.  ¡°Yes,¡± she confirmed after she pulled back.  ¡°They are standing on a ward that looks like an eye.¡±


    {It¡¯s a permanent True Sight spell.  It probably gives them a few other bonuses too.  They will see you in the shadows and will see through any illusion you might produce with the necklace.}


    Esther reached up to her neck.  She wore her Athletic charm now, having stored Jace''s necklace in her inventory.  ¡°That seems really powerful.  Is there no way to defeat it?¡±


    {It is powerful,} Gracie agreed, {but it has its weaknesses.  It only works while the dwarves stand still at attention.  You need to draw them away, get them moving, or have them change their posture.  They will still be formidable guards, but you should be able to sneak past them then.}


    ¡°What kind of distraction?¡± Esther asked.  The only distractions she typically employed were sexual in nature.  That didn¡¯t work too well on dwarves, and besides, that would alert them to her presence.


    {I don¡¯t know,} Gracie said.  {You are going to have to play the role of Jace here.  I can¡¯t see your environment and don¡¯t know what you have to work with.}


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything,¡± Esther said, her exasperated whisper almost loud enough to alert the guards.  ¡°There is nothing down here except sand, rock, and two factions that hate each other.¡±  Esther paused in thought.  ¡°Hold on,¡± she said.  ¡°I think I have an idea.¡±


    <hr>


    After backtracking about 100 feet, Esther hid in the shadows and watched the morning chaos within the limestone mine.  Neither the kobolds nor the gnomes cared about the sun, but the schedule operated off global time since humans ran the operation.  Breakfast was being served, and the work shifts changed.  The two underground races lived in very different quarters, separated by as much security and privacy as they could muster. However, the paths leading to the various work sites intersected in multiple locations, and this conjunction at the lowest portion of their operation was the busiest Esther had seen.


    Humans stood guard over the proceedings, and gnomes and kobolds milled about, some returning from a long night¡¯s work looking for food, while others had just woken and grabbed a meal before the start of their day.  Tunnels left in every direction from this major intersection, with workers moving in both directions down each.  The humans looked twitchy as minor scuffles erupted when a gnome didn¡¯t yield and let a group of kobolds pass.  A pickaxe was knocked out of someone¡¯s hand, while a gnome hammer ¡°accidentally¡± dropped on a kobold¡¯s foot.


    Esther crept up to one of the men, standing with his back to her, just outside the shadows.  His agitated and distracted posture made it easy for her to pickpocket a knife from a sheath strapped to his leg.  Then she crept along a tunnel and swiped a similar knife from a kobold who was too busy thinking up racial slurs to yell at the gnome who had just brushed up against him.  The rogue slunk back to her position just outside the intersection toward the dwarven zone and waited.


    It didn¡¯t take long.


    She didn¡¯t see how it started, but a significant altercation erupted a few feet down the largest corridor when a gnome swung his hammer into the gut of a kobold.  Esther was ready, hoisted the kobold knife up for a throw, and performed a sneak attack on the gnome.  The blade wasn¡¯t sharp enough, and her skill with a thrown weapon wasn¡¯t good enough to kill the stone worker, but he dropped to the ground anyway and cried out in pain.


    Other gnomes looked down at their injured comrade and saw the handle of the unique weapon sticking from his back.  They erupted and charged toward two kobolds nearby, smashing their heads in with hammers.  Four Kobolds reacted, raising their pickaxes in retaliation, and Esther let fly with the human¡¯s knife.  It took one of the kobolds in the back of the neck and was strong enough to send him into a death spiral.


    The alert crowd followed the knife throw back to its source, and they could only see the human guard reflexively clutching at his empty sheath.  Esther safely hid in a pillar of darkness.


    ¡°We was just defending us!¡± A kobold yelled at the guards.  ¡°We should has known you favored the rock rats!¡±


    Instantly, the kobolds turned on the humans while the gnomes still attacked the kobolds.  As magic started to fly, Esther retreated toward the dwarves.  No one pursued her, but the sound traveled after her, echoing off the stone halls like thunder in the mountains.  She hadn¡¯t returned to her previous position before two dwarves raced up the hall, abandoning their post below.  Esther flattened herself into the shadows until they passed and then continued down the hall to find the remaining dwarves on high alert, clutching desperately to their weapons, their heads on a swivel.  Their eyes no longer glowed.


    Esther pulled one of the two invisibility potions the game let her carry at once and drank it to bolster her already impressive stealth skills. The dwarves looked everywhere but straight ahead of them, and Esther strolled quietly and confidently between them, less than an arm''s length from either guard.  She didn¡¯t dare quicken her pace until she ventured far enough into the long corridor that the dwarves wouldn¡¯t hear her run.  With the noise coming from the mines above, she doubted they could hear their own nervous chatter, but she didn¡¯t want to take chances.


    Regardless, the light ahead kept her cautious, and Esther clung to the walls as she neared the exit.  Soon, she stood on a narrow ledge and found breathing difficult when she took in the sight below her.  The massive cavern stretched out before and beneath her, easily 500 feet across on the top level where she stood.  The perfectly circular room sunk into the ground like a funnel, with walkways ringing the circumference every ten feet down, ending at a giant lake, 300 feet across and crystal clear.  The pool looked bottomless, lit with magical lights all over the cavern.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    On each descending level, dwarves moved about, walking along the ledges and disappearing into the tunnels like workers entering an inverted ant hill.  Esther saw gold and gems embedded into the walls, and while she heard the ring of hammers and the sharp percussive sound of picks, no one worked on the exterior.  She wondered why and had her curiosity answered when a wheelbarrow-pushing dwarf exiting a tunnel in one of the middle levels stumbled and then cursed as a rock bounced from his cart and fell over the ledge.


    The whole cavern ceased activity as everyone reacted to the exclamation and watched as the stone gained speed, ricocheting off each successive level until it bounced far enough out to head directly into the water.  A dome of energy crackled into view as the stone struck it, and Esther could feel the crowd collectively holding their breath.  The barrier held, vaporizing the rock into powder that slid down the magical shield and into a collection trough around the lake''s perimeter.


    As if rehearsed, all the dwarves returned to work instantly once the threat was over.  Esther stayed transfixed, staring at the lake almost 100 feet below her.  In the center of the pool, no more than 20 feet in diameter, an island sat with only one inhabitant.  A man wearing nothing but a loin cloth trod in an endless circle, turning a giant, 8-spoked wheel.  A chain secured him to the center post, and a copper pipe over a foot in diameter rose over a hundred feet straight up, penetrating the cavern¡¯s slightly domed ceiling.


    {Were you successful?} Gracie asked.  {What did you find?}


    Esther took a step back into the protection of the tunnel before answering.  ¡°I found the dwarven mine,¡± she said.  ¡°Complete with the underground lake and that guy we are supposed to free; what did you say his name was?  Sonar?¡±


    {Sonan,} Gracie corrected.  {And you aren¡¯t supposed to free him.}


    ¡°Good,¡± Esther said.  She saw no bridge to the central island, and each ramp that descended to the next level down had guards posted with magical blue lights illuminating the path.  There must be a magical way to get to the slave man pushing the wheel, but she would never make it there before being swarmed by dozens of powerful dwarves.  Who knew how many more were working inside the countless tunnels branching deeper into the cavern¡¯s perimeter.  Plus, a protective shield surrounded the lake.


    {Your job is to find the prison cells and locate Delly.}


    ¡°Right,¡± Esther said, nodding her head.  ¡°Where are those?¡±


    {I have no idea,} Gracie said.  {We only had information about where the dwarven complex was.  Only players ascending to the top of the Zamora module are escorted past the security.  Even Damon hasn¡¯t made it as far as you.}


    Esther never realized how much she relied on Jace to solve problems until she had to do it herself.  She shook her head free from doubts and focused on what she knew about this place.  Dwarves worked all over the circular mine, pushing carts and wheelbarrows along the narrow ledges and up and down ramps to move between the levels.  Occasionally, a dwarf would approach her position, a level or two down, but they never ascended to the top and disappeared into a tunnel that must run under her feet.  Perhaps a smelting room sat deeper in, and only finished material made it out. Maybe an elevator system carried gems and gold out of the mine without carting it back through the chaos behind her.  That made sense.


    After several minutes of observation, Esther noticed that activity bustled on every level of the mine but one: hers.  No dwarves moved about on this top ring.  Her ledge was about eight feet wide and ran the entire circumference of the massive cavern, with almost a dozen tunnels burrowing into the wall, but nothing moved.


    Esther crept out of the tunnel and looked left and right along her level to ensure no one stood just around the corner.  It was empty.  Her invisibility spell had expired, but she could still hide in the shadows.  Esther moved as silently as death along the top ledge in a counterclockwise direction, advancing a hundred feet before she found her first obstacle.  A blue light hung twelve feet up the wall and bathed a large section of the walkway in magical brightness.  She tried to Shadow Step through it but couldn¡¯t.  She knew if she stepped into it, she would be visible to anyone looking her way.  Was anyone looking up at her?


    A quick examination of the workers below showed all of them focused on their tasks.  Holding her breath, she ran across the fifteen-foot spotlight.  No alarms went off.  No cry of intruder rose from the lower levels.  Esther released a breath she hadn¡¯t realized she was holding and continued.  She traversed a second blue light before finding the first tunnel deep into the stone.  After reastablishing her stealth ability, Esther ventured down the narrow corridor.


    Within seconds, she knew this was the right spot.  On either side of her, spaced so no alcove could see into another, rough-cut rooms had been carved from the stone with domed prison cells partitioned with adamantium bars.  The cells looked terribly uncomfortable, with no furniture and curved walls that prevented the occupants from resting against them.  Not all the cells were occupied, and those that were held bedraggled men and monsters that were too weak recognized Esther¡¯s presence even if she wasn¡¯t slinking about in the shadows.  Eight cells filled this relatively short tunnel, four on either side.  Only five were occupied: two men, two half-orcs, and what looked like a druid half-shape-shifted into a wolf.  None of them were Delly.  Esther hastily backtracked and continued along the top ledge.


    The next group of cells held a similar collection of prisoners.  It wasn¡¯t until she got to the fourth one, directly opposite the entrance to the cavern, that she found her.  The first two cells held kobolds, snoring loudly.  The following five cages were empty, and the last held an obviously feminine figure curled into a fetal position on the floor, her mostly exposed dark skin covered with scrapes and bruises from the unforgiving floor.


    Esther¡¯s heart hurt for her friend, as, according to Jace, Delly had been held captive like this for over a week. She wore a leather halter top that exposed her muscled abdomen and paired it with a knee-length paneled leather skirt that gave her more range of movement than the ankle-length skirt she had usually worn at the Gilded Swan.  Esther was also used to seeing her with copious amounts of gold jewelry on her arms, wrists, and ears, but now she only had her ruby choker.  The rogue guessed her other adornments had been too magical to allow a prisoner to wear, though why they had let her keep the choker puzzled her.


    Esther approached the adamantium bars and whispered to her friend, who lay just out of reach.  ¡°Delly, Delly.  Wake up.  I¡¯ve come to . . .¡± Esther hesitated.  She wasn¡¯t here to rescue her, not really.  She had exerted her stealth ability to the maximum to make it this far, something Delly had no skill in.  They would likely be seen or heard before they left the dwarven cavern.  The gnomes or humans would definitely spot them, and Delly was bigger and broader than Esther and would have no chance of fitting through Damon¡¯s narrow escape shute.  And before she could think of any way to overcome those issues, she would have to find a way to get through these thick metal bars.  Even Jace¡¯s sword, Diamond Cutter, would have difficulty with them, and Ester was terrible at picking locks.


    No, she wasn¡¯t there to rescue Delly, at least not yet.  ¡°I¡¯ve come to help you,¡± she settled on as the woman¡¯s dark form stirred slightly in the shadows.  Lighting was minimal in the cell area.  The rough-hewn alcove off the main hallway was 30 feet in diameter, with a bench and a few hooks in the wall.  Delly¡¯s cell was only 8 feet in diameter and four feet high in the center, creating a perfect quarter sphere with the only flat wall being the metal bars.  Neither area had lights, and the magical sconces in the hall outside were positioned so they never shone directly into a cell, giving the prisoners only indirect illumination.


    It was enough light for Esther to see clearly, but she didn¡¯t know how Delly would fare.  The barbarian woman was a succubus-human hybrid, which Esther didn¡¯t fully understand.  Of course, the rogue was a warm-blooded vampire, so she didn¡¯t dwell long on Delly¡¯s unique nature.


    The captive woman slowly pushed herself off the floor until she rested on her elbows, her filthy black hair cascading past her light ebony skin. She squinted into the darkness and had to lift a hand from the floor to brush her hair away. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Her voice was pitifully weak.


    Speaking had pulled Esther from the shadows, but she still wore all black. Delly likely suffered from multiple banes preventing her from fully utilizing whatever dark vision her demonic nature provided.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Esther.  I¡¯ve come to help you.¡±


    Delly contorted her body into an uncomfortable sitting position.  ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± she croaked, hunching over from the domed ceiling and peering at her friend through tired eyes.  ¡°There is no escape for me.¡±


    The ceiling height was the greatest right next to the bars, but Esther saw Delly stayed at least an arm¡¯s reach from the adamantium.  The dwarves were unlikely to molest her, but dwarves hadn¡¯t put her here.  Esther wondered how often men from above came down to check on Delly and if they would bring her breakfast.  The chaos she had initiated in the mines above should slow any potential visitors, but she understood she should get straight to the point.


    ¡°You are right,¡± she said.  ¡°I can¡¯t rescue you, but I¡¯m not here alone.¡±


    Delly perked up at this and peered into the darkness on either side of Esther.


    ¡°No,¡± the rogue corrected.  ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.  I am here alone, in your cell, but Jace, the leader of my group, is coming too.  He will find a way to rescue you.  He always does.¡±


    ¡°Is that the orc you were with in the Swan?¡± Delly asked, no small amount of disgust in her voice.


    ¡°Yes, but he isn¡¯t really an orc.  He only looks that way.  He is a human from another realm and the smartest person I know.¡±  Esther paused as she realized that qualification was a relatively low bar.  ¡°Everyone else says he¡¯s the best too.  He will find a way to get you out of here.  We¡¯ve already rescued Leah and Tami.  But we need to know more about you.  At the Swan, you never wanted to talk about your past.  But I need to hear your story now.¡±


    Delly chuckled, and the laughter in her dry throat quickly turned to body-wrenching coughs.  ¡°Esther, dear,¡± she said, her voice sounding like nails across slate.  ¡°I appreciate the effort, but I can barely stay awake, much less talk.  I don¡¯t have the strength . . .¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Esther said absentmindedly.  ¡°I forgot.¡±  She dug into a pouch at her waist and removed two potions.  ¡°Here.¡±  She slipped them through the bars and rolled them to her friend.  ¡°Drink these.¡±


    Delly recognized the health potion easily and didn¡¯t need encouragement to drink it.  Moments later, she sat up straighter until her head rested against the low ceiling.  She scooted closer to the bars so she didn¡¯t have to hunch.  The second potion glowed blue, and the barbarian didn¡¯t recognize it.  Still, she trusted her friend and drank fully.  It restored her mana, and Delly felt like a new woman.  She still suffered from banes that wouldn¡¯t dissipate until she had personal attention from a priest or a whole night¡¯s rest in a bed not made of stone, but she looked much better.


    ¡°My memories don¡¯t go as far back as I think they should,¡± Delly said.  ¡°I can tell you what I remember, and it explains how I ended up at the Gilded Swan, why I am still wearing this,¡± she tugged at her choker, ¡°and what brought me here.¡±


    ¡°Gracie,¡± Esther whispered as she sat on the cool stone, ¡°get ready to pay attention.¡±

 Chapter 42

    Jace sat in his stronghold, waiting for an update.  Timing was important in this mission.  He needed to wait for Delly¡¯s backstory to formulate a plan, but if he waited too long, leaving Esther in the lower levels of Zamora for an extended period, she would likely be captured before he arrived, and he might lose his chance to enact any plan.  The travel node for Zamora was over a mile from the city, forcing players to walk at least ten minutes in the hot desert sun.  Gracie had told him it was fierce enough conditions that Snowy, a winter wolf, might not survive the trip.


    NPC caravans routinely traveled a route along the travel node, and for a fee, you could ride in an awning-covered wagon with priests capable of shielding you from the heat.  That was the plan, but Jace needed to know from Gracie when to start his trip.


    {I think you should get moving,} his operator said almost an hour after sunrise.  {Esther made it to Delly, and she is starting her story.  It looks like the game will give us an extended cinematic cutscene.  I¡¯m recording it, and once you are inside the caravan, I can play it back for you.}


    Jace got up and went to the various rooms to collect his party.  He only really wanted to take Psycho.  Snowy would suffer in the heat, and Jace anticipated a combat-heavy scenario in which Gromphy didn¡¯t excel.  Still, the wolf refused to let Jace venture alone, and Gromphy insisted on coming.  Since losing Adam, the goblin seemed more determined than ever to stay by Jace¡¯s side.  The orc shaman felt the master crafter had something else up his sleeve, but he didn¡¯t pressure him.


    Draya only had one night¡¯s rest since her traumatic ordeal in the last mission, and Jace worried about lingering banes, but Trixna, his orc priestess, gave the young dragon mage a clean bill of health and said she was ready to go.  Also, her dress no longer gave her unlimited fire mana, meaning she was less powerful and more vulnerable than before.  Still, at level 18, she was likely one of the most potent NPCs in the game, and even at reduced effectiveness, Jace would be foolish to leave her behind.  Dead companions should wake up in his stronghold as long as no demon sacrifices or possessions were in play.  He knew for a fact they had all rested here last night.  Of course, he would be interacting with three high-level players who would delight in stealing one of his valuable NPCs, so nothing was guaranteed.


    After collecting his party, Jace left through his private travel node and looked forward to learning Delly¡¯s back story.


    <hr>


    Delilah Sorek watched the dessert warrior walk through the crowded tavern as she sipped her ale.


    ¡°I like his armor,¡± Ferrick said, pausing between chicken legs to give his opinion.  Delly looked down to see four bones already stacked haphazardly on his plate.  After his comment, he tore the last bit of meat from his current morsel, dropped the remains before him, and reached for another.  His hand was knocked away.


    ¡°Take a break,¡± Tenesta said, her muscled arm outstretched, ready to slap Ferrick again if necessary.  ¡°We are about to conduct business.¡±


    The fighter stared back at the half-orc archer, knowing he probably shouldn¡¯t pick a fight with the powerful female.  ¡°Like you guys would let me talk anyway,¡± he grumbled.  Still, Ferrick pulled his hand back and drained the last of his ale before crossing his arms in frustration.


    ¡°You occasionally have useful insights,¡± the fourth group member said.


    Delly shifted her eyes to Pok, eyeing the dark elf necromancer carefully.  He rarely had a kind word for anyone.


    ¡°I, too, think his armor is unique,¡± the mage continued, sipping wine from his goblet.  He refused to drink ale.  ¡°It¡¯s been dead for less than a week.¡±


    Delly felt confused by the comment and returned her gaze to their approaching visitor.  Other than the light shade of red, the man¡¯s chest plate didn¡¯t look that out of the . . .  Then Delly saw it too.  It was made from a giant scorpion shell.  The fact that Pok could tell how long it had been dead creeped her out.  Not that anything the necromancer did was normal.


    Looking closer, Delly saw that the flail hanging from the warrior¡¯s belt was also unique.  One of the heads looked suspiciously like the tip of a scorpion¡¯s tail.  The female barbarian made a note not to get into a fight with this man.


    ¡°Welcome, Dreller Coy,¡± Pok announced once the warrior drew near enough to separate himself from the tavern¡¯s general din.  Dreller hesitated, having not given this mercenary group his name when he had sent the inquiry note to hire them.  Delly hid a smirk, watching a shiver run through the man¡¯s body as he regarded the elven necromancer.  Pok had that effect on most people.  ¡°Please, take a seat,¡± the mage continued, his bony hand motioning out of his voluminous tan robe toward the empty chair at the table.  The four companions sat close together on the other side.  ¡°Ferrick even left you some food if you''re hungry.¡±


    ¡°Not by choice,¡± the fighter mumbled.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t speak,¡± Pok said.


    Dreller eyed the few pieces of food and shook his head as he took the offered seat.  ¡°I came neither for a meal nor banter.  Only to test your reputation.¡±


    Tenesta sat up straighter, peeling back her upper lip in a scowl to reveal her prominent tusks.  She always took umbrage at anyone who challenged her honor.


    ¡°You serve the Prime Regent,¡± Pok said, again displaying knowledge it was clear Dreller didn¡¯t think he should have.  ¡°You would not be here unless you already believed us worthy of your time, so do not waste ours or our patience.  Get to the point.¡±


    Dreller chuckled.  ¡°What?  You do not already know?  You seem to know everything else before I tell you.¡±


    Pok said nothing.  Dreller exchanged glances with the other three mercenaries at the table, and they all stared back impassively.  Well, the females did.  Ferrick looked forlornly at the chicken.  ¡°Very well,¡± Dreller said.  ¡°Lord Vulder, our Prime Regent, has reason to believe that a man who might threaten his rule over the city will arrive tomorrow.¡±


    Delly laughed.  ¡°Lord Vulder has ruled since before any of our time.¡±  She hesitated to toss a look toward Pok, suddenly realizing she had no idea how old the necromancer was.  She shrugged her shoulders and continued.  ¡°Never has another individual, guild, or even kingdom posed the slightest threat to his dominance.  What is so special about this man he fears?¡±


    Dreller chuckled again.  ¡°I did not say Lord Vulder feared him.  I said he believes the man might threaten his rule.  Lord Vulder fears no one.¡±


    ¡°Everyone fears something,¡± Ferrick grumbled.


    His half-orc companion was about to argue the point when Pok silenced her with a raised hand.  ¡°Indeed,¡± the mage said, agreeing with the fighter for the second time in as many minutes.  ¡°Fear is universal.¡±  He leveled his gaze on Dreller.  ¡°So, the question remains: what is special about this man?¡±


    ¡°He is Sonan, Son of Cam,¡± Dreller said.  It was enough.


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Delly drew in a sharp breath and leaned back.  Tensesta stopped scowling and swallowed hard.  Ferrick laughed.  Pok didn¡¯t flinch.  ¡°I assumed this day would come,¡± the dark elf said.


    ¡°Did you, now?¡± Ferrick scoffed.  ¡°A day when myth and legend would walk the streets of Zamora to fulfill ancient prophecies no one can remember.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± Pok said calmly.  ¡°Water from rock, life from sand.  Ruled by one perpetually.  Savior comes, the Son of Cam.  Whose rage brings forth liberty.¡±


    ¡°Wistful fairytales,¡± Tenesta said.  ¡°Penned by a na?ve Plague Seeker whose lack of foresight doomed the Desert Kingdom.  Only Zamora remains.  Lord Vulder has saved us where nature, magic, kings, and prophecies have failed.¡±


    Delly watched Dreller nod in agreement at the half-orcs affirmation.  Obviously, he fully supported the current ruler too.  The desert warrior then regarded Pok¡¯s austere, unreadable presentation, shrugged his shoulders, and moved on to Ferrick¡¯s dismissive antics.  He finally turned to Delly.  The young barbarian woman wished to crawl under the table at that moment than to have to answer the question she knew would come.


    ¡°And where do you stand on the prophecies?¡± he asked.


    Where did she stand?  The history of the Desert Kingdom played through her mind briefly¡ªcenturies of royal rule, with each new monarch more oppressive than the last.  The empire had spanned hundreds of miles across the sandy planes with over a dozen prosperous cities.  Unlike the harsh climate today, the desert was once a fertile floodplain, rich in food, spices, and exotic animals. Only occasional instances of the now ubiquitous towering sand dunes dotted the land.


    In this wealthy kingdom, only the elite enjoyed prosperity to the fullest extent, while the rest of the people lived as slaves, pushed hard to extract as many resources as possible.  Many revolts, riots, and uprisings proved futile against the oppressive nobility.  That is, until the arrival of Sonan.  A hero, born from the desert sand, imbued with unmatched strength, rose against the elites.  Stories of his exploits filled the history books, though some regarded them as mere myths.  He was said to have worked from city to city, tearing down the oppressive dictators and restoring power to the people, allowing them to benefit from the land''s prosperity.  His mission was to free every city before taking down the capital and the king within.


    But some seeking freedom didn¡¯t want to wait.  A faction of the resistance called Plague Seekers sought to bring down the monarchy by cursing the land.  The river dried up.  The dozens of oases disappeared.  The crops died.  The heat rose to unbearable heights.  Travel between the cities ceased.  Anyone caught outside in the desert sun for more than a few hours perished.


    Zamora sat at the edge of the kingdom, only six hours from the Storm Top Mountains and the rest of civilization.  That trip could easily be made during the cool of the night, and the giant scorpions, spiders, and snakes that patrolled the rest of the desert had not yet infested the borderlands.  Information on how the other cities fared during this plague dried up.  No one knew whether the royal family still reigned, was killed by the plague, or had fallen to Sonan¡¯s prophecied justice.


    Lord Vulder didn¡¯t wait to find out.  He was the one who found water deep within the earth.  He was the one who brought in the dwarves, the kobolds, and the gnomes.  He built the city walls that kept the monsters out at night.  Only the vipers could still penetrate the cracks, and he had made a pact with them so the snakes no longer harmed the residents.


    Slavery in the form of whips and chains disappeared too, for there were no fields to work or cattle to tend.  Instead, people shackled themselves to brothels, gaming houses, thieving guilds, and opium dens.  Indentured servitude became the primary currency.  The working class replaced nobility, and instead of looking at the lowest rung of society as victims of oppression, intense feelings of disdain were more common.  Only stupid people made promises they couldn¡¯t keep or bets they couldn¡¯t cover.  That was until it happened to one of them, and they found no one sympathetic to their ironic cries of injustice.


    Zamora had stood against the plague with no news from the rest of the kingdom for decades, and no one expected anything to change.  That was until Lord Vulder announced that he was stepping down.  Instead of hurting the prosperous city, the influx of powerful characters wishing to gain the lord¡¯s favor and his throne vaulted the city to unprecedented heights.  As more wealth exchanged hands than ever before, the disparity between the empowered and impoverished grew even more stark, and the idea that a single man could change that was the furthest thing from anyone¡¯s mind.


    But if Sonan was real and he was coming to Zamora . . .


    This information flashed through Delly¡¯s thoughts as she returned Dreller¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°And where do you stand on the proficies?¡± he repeated.  ¡°Do you wish to see them fulfilled?  Do you wish to see this barbarian¡¯s rage cut off the head of our leader?  To restore liberty to the people?  Or would that only weaken this great city and allow it to be swallowed up by the desert sand like the rest of its former kin.¡±


    Delly knew what he wanted her to say.  ¡°I have done well,¡± she replied.  The rest of her family lived in poverty, most sold into servitude, but since learning the way of a barbarian and joining Pok¡¯s group, she had kept food in her stomach and clothes on her back.  ¡°I see no reason for the city to change.¡±


    Dreller smiled.  ¡°Good.  Here is what I know.  Sonan¡¯s existence is not widely known.  The Prime Regent has informants living beyond the Storm Top Mountains.  Sonan is traveling in secret, having emerged from the desert sands far to the east.  It seems he can travel across them with little trouble.¡±


    Ferrick chuckled and rolled his eyes.  It would take more than stories to convince this unbeliever.


    ¡°When word came that Zamora was still alive and well, he began traveling in this direction.  It seems he had visited all of the other city sites.  Most were dead and covered in sand.  A few had survivors, and he did his best to save them.  Even fewer had authority structures in place, hailing back to their days in the kingdom.  He ruthlessly tore them down, undoubtedly sentencing all the survivors to a slow death.  He intends to do the same here.¡±


    ¡°Him and what army?¡± Tenesta scoffed.  ¡°Our great city will not fall to one man.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Dreller said.  ¡°And our lord does not truly fear him, but everything we have heard confirms his vast strength and ability.  When consumed by rage, he draws power from the land and can punch holes in mountains, wring wrought iron in his bare hands, and is impervious to all forms of magic.  He might not be able to tear down this city, but he will do an awful lot of damage during the attempt.¡±


    Delly knew it was more than that.  Lord Vulder was reportedly as good a swordsman as any in the city, but most knew he never had to lift a finger in combat because of his mind mage.  Paltine was a terrifying wizard; if half the stories Delly had heard were true, she hoped never to meet him.  He could control someone¡¯s mind so completely that he could convince them to murder their entire family before cutting off their own limbs to lie bleeding to death on the ground.  If Sonan were immune to magic, he could pose a serious threat.


    ¡°He must have some weakness,¡± Pok asked.  ¡°Everyone does.¡±


    Dreller smiled.  ¡°He does have a soft spot for a pretty face.¡±


    Ferrick laughed loudly.  ¡°Of course he does.  Don¡¯t all mythical heroes?¡±  He gained control of his mirth before continuing.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve come to the wrong group of mercenaries.  We are all out of pretty faces.  Tenesta isn¡¯t scheduled to have her whiskers trimmed till next week.¡±


    ¡°You bloody bastard!¡± the half-orc cried.  ¡°I¡¯ll shove one of my arrows so far up your . . .¡±


    ¡°Stop talking,¡± Pok said evenly, and the archer¡¯s mouth seized up in mid-threat.  The table expected further retaliation from the half-orc, but she knew her place in the group. Instead, their leader merely looked at Delly.  ¡°Are you up to it?¡± the dark elf asked.


    Delly knew she often commanded attention when she walked into a room, and not just because of her tall, muscular frame or the mighty battle axe hanging from her hip.  The barbarian was unique in that she could fly into a deathly rage, yet at other times, she excluded such a serene beauty that men were often speechless around her.  She could feel that Dreller had rarely looked elsewhere since he had sat down.  She sighed and nodded her head.  ¡°What¡¯s the game?  What do you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°We need to know the secret of his strength,¡± Dreller said.  ¡°Does he have a god?  Does he wear a magical item that links him to the desert?  Does he drink a potion?  If you can cause him to summon his rage in a controlled environment so we can observe it, then perhaps we can find a way to defeat it.¡±


    Delly nodded, several ideas running through her head.  She knew Pok would be the one to put the final plan together, and when she looked over at the necromancer, she could see he was deep in thought.


    ¡°Ferrick,¡± the dark elf finally said.  ¡°Where are your gambling debts at currently?¡±


    ¡°Probably two gold coins short of servitude,¡± Tenesta said.  Pok was about to cut her off again, and she wisely said no more, not enjoying the feeling of her leader¡¯s magic.


    ¡°Do you have any debts at more upscale establishments?¡± Pok asked.


    Ferrick tried to look insulted as if he would ever stoop to frequent anything less.  Delly knew the truth and that his addiction had no accounting for taste.  ¡°Aye,¡± the fighter said.  ¡°I¡¯ve got a tab running at a few higher-end gaming houses.  Why?  What do you have in mind?¡±


    Pok smiled and told them.

 Chapter 43

    Delly watched Sonan enter through the gates several hours after sunrise.  No one traveled outside the city during the day without an enchanted wagon.  He arrived within a few minutes of such a caravan, but Delly wasn¡¯t fooled.  This man had traveled on foot.  He wore a hooded light tan cloak, and the suspicious guards made the man peel it back to look him in the face.  He was the size of an orc and could have been a draconian spawn.  Delly had heard that the fire-imbued kobolds could last longer than most in the desert heat.


    He was none of those things and looked as human as anyone else Delly had seen.  His deep, tan skin was not as dark as hers, but she knew the desert people had a range of skin tones, and he was no different from many other refugees who had escaped to Zamora from distant cities before the plague had taken complete hold on the land.


    Delly had expected him to look older.  Tales of his exploits preceded the plague by over a decade, and the curse had befallen the land almost forty years ago.  Still, he looked no older than 35.  Perhaps his connection with the land kept him young.  Delly¡¯s barbarian rage, granted to her by her goddess, gave her more agility, finesse, and precision than physical strength, and she didn¡¯t suffer from as much fatigue as others of her ilk who relied more on brute force.  She was naturally strong and competent in battle, even without enacting her rage.  If there was a way to use her abilities to keep her young and beautiful, she had even more reason to learn the secret behind this man¡¯s power.  Also, the brief view she was given beneath his hood let her know playing the seductress to this handsome man would not be an odious task.


    Once they saw he was a human with no obvious contraband, the guards let him through, and no one else gave Sonan a second glance.  Delly understood that Lord Vulder couldn¡¯t announce Sonan¡¯s expected arrival to too many people. Otherwise, some might see it as a chance to rally around the mythical hero, and a successful revolution became more probable.  Still, she expected some resistance to his entry.  Instead, he walked unobstructed through the city streets.  If anything, people seemed to go out of their way to ignore him and go about their business.  Even the few snakes bathing in the early morning sunlight retreated into the shadows between buildings as he strode by confidently.


    Wrapped in a similar cloak, Delly fell in step behind him at a distance of fifty feet.  She didn¡¯t have the skill to slink along in the shadows, so instead, she followed in the center of the street, her eyes more often on the shops and taverns around her than on the mark a few dozen paces ahead.  Foot traffic was light this morning, and spotting the tall, hulking figure moving toward the city¡¯s center was easy.  He, too, cast his eyes at the wares for sale around him for several blocks before turning right onto a narrow street between two small buildings.


    Delly quickened her pace, eager not to lose him if he disappeared into a side door.  The smaller street ran North and South, entirely in the shade from the Eastern rising sun, and the young woman needed a moment to adjust her eyes to the darkness.  A moment was all Sonan needed.  She felt the powerful man grab her arm and spin her around, pressing her back against a stone building and locking her in place.  She glanced to her left, back toward the street, but a pile of wooden barrels hid them from view of the foot traffic less than 30 feet away.


    ¡°Why are you following me?¡±  His voice was deep and rich, with a hint of rage just under the surface.


    He tightened his fingers, and Delly couldn¡¯t move a muscle, yet she felt confident he wasn¡¯t using his powers.  He was just this strong.  The legendary barbarian actually gripped her too tightly, for in her Helpless condition, Delly couldn¡¯t answer his question.  Sonan realized this and relaxed his hold slightly.  ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Please, sir,¡± Delly said, fear creeping into her voice without much acting required.  ¡°I only wanted to see where you were going.  To see what business you had in the city.  And to see if I might find a way to be included.¡±


    ¡°Included in my business?¡± he asked.  ¡°Or that I might be included in yours?  I have no time for whoring this morning.  I am on a sacred mission.¡±


    Delly gasped.  ¡°Then it is you.  The legends are true.¡±


    Sonan stiffened, flexing his arm and lifting Delly¡¯s feet off the ground.  She was tall, but only after he pulled her up over a dozen inches could she look him level in the eyes.  ¡°What do you know of me, woman?  Speak quickly, or I shall leave you in a condition never to speak again.¡±


    Delly cried.  Her body shook, and tears streamed down her face.  ¡°I¡¯m . . . I¡¯m sorry.  I thought you were . . . I was wrong.  I never should have . . .¡±


    The effect on Sonan was instantaneous.  His demeanor relaxed, and he gently lowered Delly to the ground.  Her legs were no longer strong enough to support her, and she collapsed onto the dirty street, crumpling into a ball as sobs wracked her body.  ¡°I thought you would be different,¡± she gasped.  ¡°When I heard the rumors . . .  You were my only hope.¡±


    ¡°Miss,¡± Sonan said as gently as he could muster, dropping to one knee to put a hand on her exposed shoulder.  Delly¡¯s cloak had fallen open, revealing her clothes underneath.  She wore a leather halter on top, smaller than her usual outfit.  This one was less designed to hold her body in place during combat and tailored more to show it off.  Her usual skirt fell to her knees, but this one barely came to mid-thigh and was hiked up to her hip from her fetal posture.  ¡°Miss,¡± he said again, forcing his eyes from her body to her face.  ¡°What have you heard of me?¡±  It was the same question as before, only asked with less edge and as much empathy as he could muster.


    Delly cleared her throat and wiped her eyes to look up at the powerful man leaning over her.  ¡°Rumors said that Sonan, Son of Cam, had escaped the Plague Lands and was finally coming to fulfill his prophecy and free the people of Zamora.  I prayed to my goddess for clarity, hoping she would know about your travels.  I, too, can summon rage, and I thought she could lead me to you.  Today is my last day of freedom.  When I saw in a vision a man unlike any other walking through our city gates in daylight, I knew it had to be you.  And then you arrived.  I had only hoped . . .¡± she looked away.


    Sonan gently reached for her chin and turned her head back.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    Delly sniffed sharply and shook her head of tears.  ¡°I had only hoped you hadn¡¯t turned into the monsters you fight.  I know what the rage can do if used too often.¡±


    Now, it looked like Sonan might cry, and Delly worked hard to keep a smile off her lips.  ¡°No, no, I¡¯m sorry, it is nothing like that.  I just thought . . .¡± he paused.  ¡°You seemed to know who I am.  I intended to come here secretly, scope out the city, and see how best to liberate the people.  Zamora is not like the other cities in the kingdom.  Even before the plague, none of them had risen to this level of grandeur.  It seems your knowledge of me results from divine intervention, so perhaps it is not as widely known as I initially feared.  When the guards didn¡¯t recognize me, I thought I was safe.  When you did, I got worried.  I am sorry.¡±


    Delly nodded and sat up slowly, still pretending to be too weak and mournful to stand.  ¡°So you are here to rescue the people of Zamora?¡±


    Sonan was not a thick-headed barbarian and could see where this was going. ¡°Yes, I am, but I can not rescue them one at a time.  I perceive that you are in trouble, and I wish I could help, but if I reveal myself too soon, my chance of rescuing anyone else is lost.¡±  He held out an open palm to her, she took it, and he gently lifted her from the ground.


    ¡°You wish to get close to Lord Vulder, the Prime Regent?¡± she asked.  He nodded.  ¡°Then perhaps our problems are more closely intertwined than you expect.¡±


    Sonan kept a wary eye on her, fighting with his hormones to keep his gaze on her face and not fall prey to her story simply because of her beauty.  ¡°Explain.¡±


    Stolen story; please report.


    ¡°My brother owes a gambling debt to a prominent man within the city, Pilthon Xavier.  In addition to running one of the largest gaming houses in the city, he organizes the betting on the weekly tournaments in our arena.  He is always looking for new fighters to go against Lord Vulder¡¯s champion.  He offers irresistible odds to his gullible patrons, takes their money, watches the latest challenger fall, and gets rich.  People have grown wise to his schemes, and no one bets against the champion anymore.  If you were to fight and win, Pilthon could play the odds in reverse and make a fortune.¡±


    ¡°And cover your brother¡¯s debt?¡± Sonan asked, none too pleased about the proposal.  ¡°Or your brother could learn not to gamble and work hard to pay his own debts.¡±


    ¡°My brother is dead!¡± Delly snapped back, fearing she might lose the barbarian.  She hadn¡¯t expected him to be this clever. ¡°He ventured into the desert three nights ago on a hunting expedition and hasn¡¯t returned.  Fresh scorpion blood sells for a fortune.  My brother is . . .¡± tears welled in her eyes again, and she fought past them.  ¡°And now Pilthon insists the debt is mine.  I don¡¯t have the money.  Today was my last day to pay.  My only other option is to arrive at his establishment dressed like this . . .¡± she looked down at her clothes, pretended to be surprised that her cloak had become unclasped, and quickly closed it in shame.  ¡°You called me a whore before.  You were wrong, but if you don¡¯t help me, I soon will be.¡±


    Sonan¡¯s blood boiled as his face scrunched up in controlled rage.  ¡°This Pilthon is friends with Lord Vulder?¡±


    Delly nodded.  ¡°Regardless.  If you enter the tournament and beat Vulder¡¯s warrior, you will become the new champion and have exclusive access to the Prime Regent.¡±


    Sonan nodded; any doubts he might have harbored were gone.  ¡°It looks like your goddess has brought us together today for a noble reason.¡±  He helped her from the wall and looked into the street to ensure no one had been watching them.  ¡°Come,¡± he said.  ¡°Let us settle your brother¡¯s debt.  But first, I don¡¯t even know your name.¡±


    Delly smiled as she told him and then led him toward the trap Pok had prepared.


    <hr>


    Delly had never been to The Desert Dice before. She didn¡¯t gamble and had vehemently turned down Ferrick''s repeated offers to socialize outside the group.  Once she and Sonan entered, she could hardly picture the uncultured fighter blending in at a place like this.  She didn¡¯t have to imagine Pok or Tensta relaxing in this environment.  A quick survey of the main gambling hall showed the dark elf and half-orc enjoying themselves at separate tables.  The necromancer drank wine at a subdued game of cards on one side of the building while Tensta threw dice at a raucous booth on the other side.  At least, Delly assumed the men and women crowded around the concave table were shouting over the results.  Magic hung thick in the air, deadening the sound of their exuberant behavior.  She even saw Kelrick, an alchemist who often made potions for the group.  He knew a few priestly spells but was not capable in combat, and Pok didn¡¯t usually include him in his plans.


    The atmosphere inside was cool and moist, an expensive departure from the dry desert air outside.  Each breath felt like tasting an exotic chilled wine.  Magical lights illuminated every booth and table around the room¡¯s perimeter, with only shadows dividing the patrons.  The darkness felt thick with magic, as if black walls partitioned different areas of the hall.  Delly could see through them to each brightly lit table, but she couldn¡¯t see into the dense shadows, and a sixth sense told her danger lurked within.


    An oval bar sat in the middle of the room, serving drinks and food and allowing guests unobstructed views of the gaming activity around them.  Pilthon sat at the head of the bar, his eyes ever vigilant.  He noticed Sonan and Delly instantly.


    While the female barbarian had not been to The Desert Dice before, she had met Pilthon.  The man had approached her during one of her training sessions with the city guard.  At first, he had asked her to fight in the arena, as Ferrick must have boasted about her combat prowess, and the crowd loved a good female warrior.  When she turned him down, he invited her to his upscale establishment where she could work in a more ¡°social¡± occupation.  Her slap had sent him to the ground, much to the cheers of the men around her.  To Pilthon¡¯s credit, he laughed off her aggressive rejection and told her his door would always be open if she changed her mind.  Without that encounter, Pok¡¯s plan wouldn¡¯t have worked.


    Despite their protests, their cloaks were collected at the door, and they were inspected for any visible weapons. The doorman didn¡¯t pry into their personal inventories, but only a fool would leave themselves vulnerable by going within to get a sword. Characters in a place like this were always vigilant, and if anyone ever rolled their eyes up to retrieve something, they would be set upon instantly.


    Pilthon only demanded that no one wore easily accessible weapons on their person.  Because they had lost their cloaks, Delly¡¯s enticing outfit was on full display as she led Sonan along an illuminated path toward the central bar.  Sonan wore a simple, tan, sleeveless tunic and black pants.  His massive arms were impressive, but most patrons who noticed the couple enter kept their eyes on Delly.  The owner was no exception.


    ¡°It''s so nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,¡± Pilthon said, rising from the bar and admiring the woman with hungry eyes.  ¡°I sincerely hope this means you have reconsidered my offer.¡±


    Delly heard Sonan grunt in distaste at how this slimy businessman addressed her.  Pilthon looked like a native Zamoran with skin as dark as Delly, close-cut black hair, colorful clothing, and gold jewelry covering his wrists, neck, and ears.  ¡°I don¡¯t have many women working at this early hour, so there is plenty of room.¡±


    Delly surveyed the room again, ignoring the three patrons she already knew.  Most tables were filled, but only the high rollers had scantily clad women attending them.  The escorts blew on dice for good luck, kept their marks¡¯ wine glasses full, and frequently whispered lewd suggestions in their ears.  Her skin crawled at the idea that she could ever fill that role.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint,¡± Delly replied.  ¡°I¡¯ve come to settle Ferrick¡¯s debt.¡±


    Pilthon¡¯s eyebrows rose in shock at this unexpected statement.  ¡°I had no idea you cared so much about him.¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue!¡± Sonan roared loud enough to penetrate the sound-deadening shadows and garner attention from most tables.  Those who hadn¡¯t seen them enter now stopped their games to watch.  Delly smiled.  Sonan thought she and Ferrick were brother and sister.  Of course, she cared for him.  Any implication to the contrary would sound like an insult.  Little did he know that Ferrick was a blonde, fair-skinned foreigner, and no one would ever mistake Delly and him for siblings.


    ¡°Who is your large friend?¡± Pilthon asked, ignoring the threat and trusting in the magical protection he had paid for.


    ¡°He has agreed to help me settle the debt,¡± she said.  Behind her, Sonan stepped closer and placed a protective hand on her shoulder as his head towered above hers.  Pok had warned her about this place and the magic within it.  She could sense the aphrodisiac qualities in the air, and the handsome man¡¯s touch sent shivers down her spine.  She couldn¡¯t imagine the effect it was having on him.  He already had a short temper, a protective instinct, and a weakness for beautiful women.  They might not have to wait to get him into the arena to evaluate his power.  If Pilthon pushed too hard, they would get a display right here.


    ¡°Hopefully, with coin he already possesses,¡± the owner said, not bothering to look up at the taller man.  ¡°If he plans to win it back, I doubt I have games simple enough for him to comprehend.¡±


    To his credit, Sonan did not fly off into a rage at that.  ¡°For as diminutively as you present yourself,¡± he growled, ¡°you speak as if you held some massive advantage I have yet to see.  Only a fool makes threats that he cannot back up.¡±


    Pilthon didn¡¯t even flinch.  ¡°Excellent!¡± he cried.  ¡°The ogre speaks in full sentences.  Does he sing too?  Perhaps I could hire him to serenade my customers.¡±


    ¡°He fights,¡± Delly said quickly before Sonan answered.  ¡°Better than any champion that has ever entered the arena.¡±


    PIlthon laughed.  ¡°I doubt that.  If I wanted a mindless brute for fodder, I¡¯d use an orc.  I¡¯m only interested in you.  If you aren¡¯t willing to sell your wares, then leave.  You¡¯ve caused enough distraction to my customers that you should feel lucky I¡¯m not raising the debt.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Sonan cried, moving past Delly quicker than anyone would have guessed the big man capable of.  Now, Pilthon did retreat, but the barbarian wasn¡¯t attacking him directly.  Instead, he stepped up to the bar and slammed his fist down.  The thick marble countertop cracked like rotted wood, splitting down its impressive length and crashing to the floor, sending seated patrons scattering.  ¡°I have heard enough of your ignorant prattling.  You will . . .¡± His voice cut off as two half-orcs emerged from a shadow wall as if they had stepped through a black curtain.  Their arms glowed with magical bracers, and they each clamped onto one of Sonan¡¯s wrists.  Despite his strength, he couldn¡¯t fight against the magic from two muscle-bound guards and was rendered momentarily Helpless.


    Delly stepped back in shock and found two other attackers, both human, creeping out of the darkness to secure her.  They were each smaller than she was, but they Grappled her with a Sneak Attack bonus.  She might have been able to fight through one, but not two.  ¡°You stupid wench,¡± Pilthon said, drawing her eyes back to him.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what your game was here, but you didn¡¯t think it through.  You are mine now, and you will do what I say whether you like it or not.¡±  The shorter man raised his hand toward her, and Delly knew a mind-control spell was coming.  Without her rage active, she had no defense against it.


    Before the spell hit, the floor beneath her feet shook in a mighty earthquake, and all hell broke loose.

 Chapter 44

    Too many things happened at once for Delly to remember the precise order in which they occurred. However, nothing would ever cause her to forget the sight of Sonan summoning his rage. The ground rolled beneath her as the mosaic flooring cracked and split. Most people lost their balance and fell to the ground, including Delly. The woman dropped to a knee as the two guards who held her stumbled away.


    Pilthon¡¯s spell against her failed, and he turned in horror as the legendary barbarian called upon his power. The quake caused the two half-orcs to release their prisoner and fall to the floor. Sonan swelled with power, his muscles tightening and reddening with fury. He didn¡¯t grow in size as much as perceived might. The sun is the same size when it sets in the west as when it is directly overhead. However, you can stare at one with your eyes wide open while you can barely glance at the other. Sonan was the sun at noon, blazing with unexplainable intensity.


    The barbarian reached down to grab the ankles of the half-orcs before they could scramble away and hefted their massive bodies into the air as if he were retrieving a dropped handkerchief. He spun them briefly beside him, their screams filling the hall, before tossing them over his shoulder into the void of shadow, where they crashed violently into an unseen stone wall, their voices silenced forever.


    The brief time Sonan used to dispose of the guards allowed the rest of the gambling hall¡¯s defenses to come alive. More men and monsters emerged from the magical darkness. Arrows bounced off Sonan¡¯s tight skin while fire and electricity rolled off him in waves. He ignored the desperate attacks and focused on Pilthon. The mage tried the same spell he was going to use on Delly, but it failed miserably as the huge man picked him up and literally ripped him into, his torse flying in one direction, his legs in another, a plume of blood and gore exploding between them.


    As Delly watched the enraged barbarian fight off the remaining foes and the other patrons react to the chaos, she realized she needed to protect herself. Before summoning her power, she felt a sharp stab of pain in her back, and a rush of cold filled her veins. She spun to see the two guards who had held her both clutching daggers. She didn¡¯t know if she still had time to call upon her rage, but the chill in her muscles told her she wouldn¡¯t have the strength without it.


    Delly opened herself to her goddess above like she had done countless times before . . . and felt nothing. Instead of power, might, and speed filling her soul, she felt emptiness. If anything, the cold within her veins only increased, and she wished for a hole in the ceiling so the burning sun outside might warm her. Instead, heat came from below. Fire raged up into her legs, burning away the chill. It felt wrong to her, demonic in nature, but since she had opened her soul to accept the divine rage, her defenses were down. She lacked the mental acuity to fight against the magical invasion, and the unwanted presence burned through her body.


    The woman fell to her knees, powerless against the overwhelming force consuming her. She looked up, expecting to see the two thugs slashing at her with their daggers. Instead, she saw only one coming at her from the left. Before he got close enough to strike, he reared up in pain and fell beside her, an arrow in his back. She looked to the right and saw the other man dead with a similar shaft in his head.


    Delly¡¯s eyes found Tenesta in the distance, already turning her bow on the next available target. She wanted to cry out and thank her friend, but her vocal cords seized, and she reared up, arching her back in pain as it felt like grape-sized fireballs pushed through her blood vessels. Without thinking, she scratched at her exposed flesh, her fingernails feeling like a demon¡¯s claws, wishing to tear out her veins and hurl them across the room. She made a bloody mess of herself, further draining her strength, and fell to her hands and knees as she struggled with the pain. She managed to look toward where she knew Pok was and saw the necromancer deep in a spell, seemingly unaware of her struggles. He couldn¡¯t help her.


    As the last of her strength drained away, Delly knew she had no option but to enter her inventory to retrieve a potion. It would make her vulnerable, though, no more so than she already was. Her eyes rolled into her head, but instead of her collected items, she saw only darkness and collapsed into a heap on the floor.


    <hr>


    Delly woke in a daze. Heat and pain still filled her body, but it was a gentle warmth evenly spread throughout her body, and the pain was a dull throb, not an intense surge. Her blurry vision could discern nothing in the dim room, and she blinked several times to no avail. She turned her body, realizing for the first time that she was lying down. A thin sheet covered her, and after a moment¡¯s inspection, she discovered she was naked beneath.


    ¡°Delly, you¡¯re awake. Please, don¡¯t move.¡±


    The voice sounded calm and firm, and she felt obligated to obey it.


    ¡°Please, drink this.¡±


    A blurry form hovered over her, and she felt a strong hand slip under her bare back and lift her gently into a sitting position. Delly smelled the familiar aroma of a healing potion and drank freely. Within seconds, her vision cleared, and the pain subsided. The heat remained. Sonan knelt beside her bed, a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± she asked, her voice still weak.


    ¡°An inn, many blocks from The Desert Dice. I thought you might be dead. I carried you here.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Delly said, staring into the man¡¯s eyes. With her pain gone, she felt an intense hunger, and she wasn¡¯t sure it craved food.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your clothes,¡± he said, trying to look away from her naked torso as she sat up with the sheets pooled at her waist. He failed miserably. ¡°It looked like a swarm of sand badgers attacked you. Your skin and clothing were ripped to shreds. I did my best to tend to your wounds, but I am not a healer.¡±


    With his hand still supporting her back, Delly was able to lift her arms from the bed and examine her fingernails. They were short and manicured, not at all reminiscent of the claws she had used to rip at her flesh. ¡°I . . . I think I did it to myself. I . . . don¡¯t know. Something consumed me.¡± She looked up from her hands to his face, only a couple of feet from hers. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it.¡±


    ¡°You were attacked,¡± he said, not pulling away from her closeness. ¡°Dead men surrounded you, and I pulled an arrow from your back. I don¡¯t think you did this to yourself.¡±


    An arrow? Delly didn¡¯t remember that. She had felt a stab in her back, and when she had turned, two men with knives stood behind her. Tenesta had been firing arrows. She was too good to hit her accidentally.


    ¡°I have some food,¡± Sonan said, pulling away and easing her back into the bed.


    ¡°No,¡± she nearly cried, clutching at his arm. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me.¡±


    ¡°The food is just a few feet away,¡± he said, motioning toward a nearby table. He had more than enough strength to free himself from her grasp, but he didn¡¯t try too hard. ¡°Are you sure you aren¡¯t hungry?¡±


    ¡°Not for food,¡± she smiled weekly, pulling him closer.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± he replied, barely restraining his own desires.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been more sure of anything in my life,¡± she said, pulling his face down and kissing him deeply. Sonan didn¡¯t need any more of an invitation and gently lowered himself on top of her.


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Delly wasn¡¯t a virgin. She¡¯d had sex before, but never like this. The pleasure was indescribable as the heat within her grew to enormous heights. In the gaming house, it had burned her and caused immeasurable pain; now, it completed her. She became one with the fire, one with her passion. The more she fed her hunger, the more it craved. And Sonan was more than capable of providing the fuel.


    Few lovers had ever been able to match her in strength, and she preferred to be dominant in bed. This legendary barbarian was up to the task and was no novice to the bedroom either. At one point, Delly felt the room shake and wondered if Sonan was calling on his tremendous power to fuel his performance. The idea invigorated her further, and she wrestled with the man, sucking at every last ounce of strength he provided.


    The bed couldn¡¯t contain them, and soon they were on the floor, rolling into and breaking the furniture. Glass lamps shattered about them, picture frames fell from the walls, and table legs broke into kindling amidst their fury. Even the basin of wash water that tumbled down on them couldn¡¯t quench their enflamed lovemaking.


    Delly lost track of time. She lived on another plane of existence where fire, pain, and passion all mingled into one delectable cocktail of power. She no longer felt the air within her gasping lungs, the scratch of the wooden floor against her skin, or even Sonan¡¯s strong embrace. Her only sense was of the power that grew within her ¨C a power which only crescendoed and had no climax. She felt like she could live in that moment for all eternity, constantly climbing a ladder of ecstasy.


    The spell finally broke when her warrior¡¯s instinct heard the door to their room open, and voices entered. Delly desperately tried to scramble back to the reality around her, sensing she was in danger. Once again, her vision blurred, seeing everything through a reddish haze as passion and fire still pulsed through her with a vengeance. She could tell she was on the floor and pushed away from the intruders until her back pressed firmly against a wall. Her body reacted in a way she had never experienced, telling her that the barrier was only six inches of stone and she could push through it like wet paper if she wanted. That type of power at her fingertips gave her pause and shocked her back to reality.


    The room came into focus, and she first saw Sonan¡¯s naked body lying limp on the floor several feet away from her. Something was wrong with him. He looked weak for the first time. Delly desired to crawl toward him, but another figure, sprinting across the room and jumping over broken furniture, drew her attention away.


    It was Ferrick.


    The shock of the man¡¯s presence competed in severity with the other earth-shattering experiences she had undergone that day, and she didn¡¯t put up a defense as he closed on her and knelt. She knew instinctively that she could grab his arm and throw him through the ceiling of this room as effortlessly as tossing a stone into the middle of a lake, but something in his goofy, disarming smile gave her pause.


    ¡°You are lovely,¡± he said and reached forward with what looked like a ruby necklace.


    Something told her to stop him, to fight back, but she just sat there, too disoriented physically with her new power and too confused mentally to string commands together for her body to follow. When the jewelry snapped tight around her neck, it all came crashing down.


    Her posture didn¡¯t change, but it felt like she hit the floor after falling from a cliff. Gone was her strength and power, and with it, her confusion. Once again, she was Delilah Sorek, level 10 barbarian. Only the heat and hunger remained, burning a pit in her soul that could never be satisfied. She looked up at Ferrick, who had retreated a few feet and stared down at her, still with that awkward smile. Delly remembered she was naked and curled up into a ball, crossing her arms and legs over her body. ¡°What did you do?¡± she asked. ¡°What is the meaning . . .¡± her question trailed off as she looked past the fighter at who else had entered the room.


    The rest of her crew was there. Pok stood still and stoic, his hands clasped before him. Tenesta stood beside him, her bow out and an arrow trained on Delly¡¯s cowering form. On the necromancer¡¯s other side stood Kelrick, the alchemist she had seen in The Desert Dice. The three of them had been with her when Sonan had summoned his rage. The plan was to convince the barbarian to enter the arena so they could observe his power. They were supposed to jump in and rescue Delly if anything went south. But they hadn¡¯t. Sonan had brought her here. Why hadn¡¯t they stepped in?


    Delly looked beyond them and saw two others she recognized. Dreller, the dessert warrior with the scorpion gear, stood off to the side. He wasn¡¯t looking at Delly. Instead, he watched three of his men wrestle the unconscious Sonan into iron shackles thick enough to yoke oxen. Beside Dreller stood a man Delly had hoped never to meet: Paltine. Lord Vulder¡¯s mind mage was an albino who wore tight-fitting gray robes with no visible equipment. Other than a giant green medallion, he had no rings, bracelets, or jewelry or carried any weapons. He wore his white hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, giving him a perpetually alert expression.


    Her eyes returned to Sonan, who was now erect, half-conscious, and being carried out of the room. ¡°What have I done?¡± she asked, focusing the question on Pok. ¡°What have you done to me?¡±


    ¡°I regret to inform you that you are now a succubus,¡± the dark elf said. ¡°Or, at least, you are possessed by one. You are still a living human female with a demon living inside you. I assume you can feel its insatiable hunger. Even with the substantial meal you just consumed, it is a feeling you best get accustomed to.¡±


    ¡°I drained his strength, didn¡¯t I?¡± Delly asked.


    Pok nodded. ¡°Yes. You did. His immense power is now trapped inside of you. He will never be able to call on it again. Oh, he is still quite strong, and the Prime Regent will need to be careful with him, but he is far more manageable now. You have done your city a great service.¡±


    Delly refused to take the bait. He wanted her to react harshly to his mocking tone, to attack recklessly. Instead, her left hand went up to the choker around her neck. It pulsed with magic at her touch. ¡°Trapped inside me?¡± she repeated what Pok had said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the necromancer confirmed. ¡°I hope you realize the exquisite difficulty of what we have accomplished. These were not easy spells. We needed a sample of your blood and hair. We needed intimate knowledge of your goddess and how you access her. We needed to find a succubus willing to engage with your soul. We had to find a way to get our powerful potion into your bloodstream. And we had to do all that without your knowledge and perform the spells during the chaos your friend instigated at the gaming house. You should feel privileged.¡±


    It all made sense to Delly now. Dreller must have approached Pok secretly before their meeting in the tavern yesterday. They had devised this plan, confirmed it with the other members, and then pretended to meet for the first time for Delly¡¯s benefit. Sonan had said she had been hit with an arrow. Kelrick must have crafted the poison, and then Tenesta had shot it into her. That was when the chill had crept into her body. She had seen Pok deep in his spell casting while the succubus had invaded her soul.


    ¡°How much did Vulder pay you?¡± Delly said after she had thought everything through.


    ¡°It¡¯s LORD Vulder,¡± Tensta corrected, peering down at her friend past the tip of a cocked arrow. ¡°And it was a lot.¡±


    ¡°A lot more, too, since Pilthon is dead,¡± Ferrick added. ¡°Fewer people to split the gold with.¡±


    The fire inside her grew hot with fury at the callous words of her former companions, and she could take it no more. Delly jumped away from the wall like a coiled spring. Tenesta fired too quickly and missed, the arrow nicking Delly¡¯s hip and bouncing off the stone wall behind her. The barbarian felt the choker on her neck pulse with power, blocking her access to the rage she was accustomed to, but she was powerful enough without it to do what she wanted. Her arms reached toward her target, her hands splayed wide. Ferrick, Tenesta, and Kelrick dove to the side, away from the charging woman, but Delly focused on Pok. To the necromancer¡¯s credit, the dark elf never flinched.


    ¡°Hold.¡±


    The command was spoken calmly, without any sense of urgency.  Delly stopped dead as if the air around her had turned to solid rock, her hands only a few feet from snapping Pok¡¯s neck.  Her eyes looked past the necromancer and saw the albino mage.  ¡°Impressive,¡± Paltine said.  ¡°Even without access to her rage, her magical defenses are higher than I expected.¡±  He stepped up to her and analyzed her frozen form as if inspecting a nude statue.  Her arms and legs began to twitch the longer he looked.  ¡°Impossible,¡± he said as he added more mana to the spell.  Still, she started to break free.  ¡°Grab her,¡± he commanded.  ¡°My magic has no control with Sonan¡¯s power inside her.¡±


    Tenesta and Ferrick responded quickly, securing Delly¡¯s arms right before she canceled the spell.  Kelrick helped by blowing a powder in her face, stealing most of her ferocity and her voice.  Paltine stepped back from the powerful woman, slight fear in his eyes.  ¡°What will you do with her?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t kill her,¡± the dark elf said.  ¡°Sonan¡¯s power will dissipate back into the earth, and with time, he will be able to summon it again.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t stay here,¡± Tenesta said.  Delly sneered at the accurate statement.  If they let her stay in the city, even locked up, she would find a way out and come after them.  She wouldn¡¯t rest until they all paid for their betrayal.


    ¡°I know of a brothel,¡± Ferrick said.  ¡°It is on the other side of the mountains along the coast.  They have an interesting assortment of women working there and a clientele that expects the unusual.  The madam who runs it will know what to do with a succubus.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Paltine said.  ¡°Make it happen.  Find some clothes for her and put her on the first caravan out of the city tonight.  I never want to see her again.¡± With that, the mage left the room.  Dreller had followed his men when they had removed Sonan earlier, leaving only Delly and her four old associates.  They smiled as they tied her up and carried her out of the room.

 Chapter 45

    Esther leaned back from the prison bars when Delly finished her story.  ¡°And I thought I had a rough history,¡± she said.  ¡°To think your friends betrayed you like that.¡±


    ¡°They were never my friends,¡± Delly growled, her choker flaring to life.


    Esther nodded, her eyes glued to the necklace restraining the barbarian. Since joining Jace, Esther had met some insanely powerful people and became a formidable warrior herself.  But if everything Delly told her was true, she could be the most powerful character in the realms if she lost that necklace.  ¡°Have you ever tried to remove it?¡±


    Delly shook her head in frustration.  ¡°Every day.  I had a priest look at it once, and he said that because Pok and Kelrick attuned it to me specifically, it has too many bonuses for a normal person to disenchant.  I can¡¯t tell you how many clients at the Swan promised to come back with a solution to my problem.  No one ever did.¡±


    ¡°And you couldn¡¯t wander off and find your own crafter or powerful priest to do it?¡±


    Delly shook her head.  ¡°Jezebel trapped me.  As a fen witch, she could commune with the demon inside me, and if I ever wandered too far from the brothel, the hunger became insatiable.  Even while there, I was forced to feed on people she discarded, or I would go insane.¡±  She paused.  ¡°I know some of you enjoyed the work.  I hated it.¡±


    Esther shook her head.  ¡°No.  I¡¯ve spent the last few days rescuing our other sisters.  We were all miserable; we just didn¡¯t know it.  Jezebel held us all prisoner.  She didn¡¯t use bars like these.¡±  Esther tugged on the adamantium cage.  ¡°But we were captives nonetheless.¡±


    Delly nodded.  ¡°Since you and Jace killed her, the hunger has been more manageable.  I haven¡¯t fed in over a week, and the cravings are only now starting to build.¡±


    ¡°In order to feed,¡± Esther started, ¡°do you need to sleep with your victims?¡±


    Delly nodded and couldn¡¯t meet her friend''s gaze.  ¡°I don¡¯t have to kill them, but I don¡¯t have it as easy as you.  You can just suck on their necks.  I need to . . .¡± she cursed.  ¡°I might be free of the Swan, but I am still a whore!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Esther said quickly, motioning for her friend to keep her voice down.  ¡°I don¡¯t judge.  It isn¡¯t you.  It¡¯s a curse that¡¯s been done to you.¡±  She paused.  She didn¡¯t want to add that she didn¡¯t have to feed on people to satisfy her hunger.  Pancakes and waffles worked just fine most of the time.  She changed topics.  ¡°How did you end up here?¡±


    ¡°After we were freed from the Swan, I had to return.  I need to kill Pok, Ferrick, Tenesta, and Kelrick.  And I must find a way to get this muzzle off my neck.¡±


    ¡°Probably not in that order,¡± Esther frowned.


    ¡°Unfortunately, yes,¡± Delly admitted.  ¡°I probably need their help, and they won¡¯t likely give it if I¡¯m just going to kill them afterward.¡±  Her face screwed up in confusion at the wrinkle in her plan.  She shook her head, deciding to worry about it later.  ¡°I managed to sneak into the city without anyone noticing.  By that time, I was . . . uh . . . starving if you know what I mean.  I found an old associate of Kelrick and promised him the night of his life if he told me where I could find the alchemist.  Well, it was the last night of his life, and he told me my old crew now works directly for Lord Vulder.¡±  She sighed.  ¡°I knew it was a suicide mission, but I had to try.¡±  She shrugged her shoulders.  ¡°They are too powerful, and I ended up here.¡±


    ¡°What are they going to do with you?¡± Esther asked.


    Delly shrugged again.  ¡°Lord Vulder is stepping down and will be replaced by someone.  At least, that is what they¡¯ve told me.  The three candidates have all been down to see me.  I think they want to find out how they can use me as a weapon.  None of them betrayed me, so I have no reason to hate any of them.  If they help me seek revenge, I¡¯ll probably agree to work with them.  I don¡¯t see a better option for my life.¡±


    Esther nodded.  She knew enough about the realms to understand that all powerful characters had a quest to complete.  Delly¡¯s seemed to be wanting revenge on Pok and the rest of her old crew.  She would join any player who helped her with that.  ¡°Well, Jace has a knack for helping people in your situation, and I¡¯m sure this will be no different.¡±


    Delly sighed.  ¡°He sounds great, Esther, but I don¡¯t think you appreciate what you are up against.  It would be impossible if it were just Vulder and Paltine; however, he also has my whole crew, plus Dreller.  They¡¯ve all become more powerful since I last saw them.  Then you have the three players and their crews.  They aren¡¯t just going to sit back and let your leader take whatever he wants.  On top of all that, I won¡¯t be much help.  I don¡¯t have any of my weapons or items from before.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Esther said.  ¡°I forgot about that.¡±  She went into her inventory and came back with the axe and shield Jace always used when he pretended to be an orc fighter.  She added a few magical rings and arm bracelets.  She also remembered the bracers Vithium had given her.  They were gold, with beautiful blue diamonds set in the center.  Even when the monk had given them to her, she thought they would be perfect for Delly.


    The barbarian took the items through the bars, paying particular attention to the bracers.  ¡°They are amazing,¡± she said, strapping them to her forearms.  After she had all the items equipped, she set them as accessories and vanished them into her inventory.  ¡°That¡¯s one perk we got from working at the Swan,¡± she chuckled, acknowledging the Quick Change ability.


    ¡°I got several perks,¡± Esther said.  ¡°And they have been extremely useful in helping Jace.¡±


    Delly cocked her head in interest.  ¡°So, what have you been doing since we parted ways?¡±


    Esther had nowhere else to go until Jace told her the plan, so she sat down and regaled Delly with the tales of her adventures.


    <hr>


    Jace exited out of his inventory, where he had watched the entire cinematic cutscene of Delly¡¯s backstory.  It had gotten a bit racy toward the end, but he had stuck with it.  He sat in the back of a covered wagon rolling down the dusty trail toward Zamora.  Psycho had promised to keep watch over him while he was in his inventory, but it hadn¡¯t been necessary.  Nothing had attacked them.  The caravan had half a dozen wagons, and Jace had paid enough gold, so they got one without any other passengers.  Other than sitting amongst the cargo, they didn¡¯t experience any other inconveniences.  No predator dared move about in the heat.


    Even with the magical shielding on the wagon, Snowy lay in the center of the carriage, panting heavily.  Gromphy attended to the canine as often as he could, but the winter wolf¡¯s weakness to heat could not be fully countered by magic.  Sweat rolled down Psycho¡¯s face as the elf also struggled in the high temperature.  Jace had turned his environmental settings down, yet got a notification that he suffered from a few heat-induced banes.


    Draya, on the other hand, was used to a dress that dealt her 100 points of fire damage each round.  She was fine.  Jace imagined the dragon mage could have walked alongside the wagons if there wasn¡¯t room for all of them.


    Psycho noticed Jace had left his inventory.  ¡°Learn anything interesting?¡± he asked.  The elf nursed a health potion, taking sips every other round.


    ¡°Quite,¡± Jace said.  ¡°It looks like Delly is the most powerful friend Esther has.¡±


    ¡°Meaning the other players aren¡¯t just going to let you have her,¡± Psycho reasoned.  Jace had explained everything he knew about the quest to his team before they had left the stronghold.


    ¡°Technically,¡± Jace argued, ¡°our job isn¡¯t to have Delly join our party.  Just like with the others, Esther only wants us to rescue her from her quest so she can choose her own path in the realms.¡±


    ¡°So you would let her join with criminals from your world if that¡¯s what she chose?¡±


    Jace looked hard at his ranger, thinking, not for the first time, that the elf was far too aware for an NPC.  ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± he replied.  ¡°I¡¯m still working on the plan.¡±  He turned his voice inward.  ¡°Gracie, did Delly reveal anything else to Esther after the story?¡±  Jace knew he had just watched the cutscene on ¡°tape delay,¡± so the two women could have talked about the story for several minutes already.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    {Yes,} Gracie replied.  {And she said something that¡¯s troubling me.  She told Esther that she¡¯d been trying to remove the choker from her neck for a while and that several of her clients had promised to help her get it off but never did.  There is no record of that in the game.  I can¡¯t find a single post about players discussing her choker.  All the images I can find of her online from before you broke the module have her wearing the necklace.  Frequently, that is all she¡¯s wearing, but not a single player has talked about a quest to remove it.}


    ¡°Is it possible that most of her clients were NPCs?  Didn¡¯t you say Esther was the popular one?¡±


    {Yes,} Gracie acknowledged, {But plenty of players spent time with Delly too.  You had to ¡°earn¡± your way to be with her.  If you were rough with one of the lower girls, you were given to Delly.  It takes a pretty rotten player to beat up a girl, but this is the Realms of Infamy, and plenty of people used it as a means to an end.  None of them mentioned the choker as a magical item that she wanted to be removed.}


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Gandhi gave her a backstory and tried to use as much preexisting material as possible, but she had to change a few things.  She took Delly¡¯s choker and made it magical.  Before I met her, she didn¡¯t have Sonan¡¯s immense strength trapped inside her.  This means that in the original iteration of the quest we are about to enter, Sonan never had the immense strength to begin with.  He was only the game¡¯s version of Conan, a powerful warrior.  But now he is also Samson, someone gifted with supernatural strength.¡±


    {So what does all that mean for us?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Psycho asked at the same time.  He was used to hearing only one side of Jace¡¯s conversations and was usually bright enough to decipher the full meaning, but he was lost on this one.


    Jace quickly brought Psycho up to speed on Delly¡¯s history.  ¡°It is like a time travel story,¡± Jace added, talking to both Psycho and Gracie now.  ¡°When I broke the Gilded Swan, Gandhi sent Delly back in time into the module we are about to enter.  Her presence changed things.  All of the NPC characters were updated as if Delly was always a part of Zamora.  Gandhi can insert memories into their minds and change them accordingly.  This module is only a few months old, but its history goes back decades, so most of the things Gandhi had to change never really happened anyway.¡±


    ¡°However,¡± Psycho said, ¡°the players didn¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Three main players are trying to solve this quest.  They¡¯ve been working on it for months, and they all know the original parameters.  Maybe they¡¯ve noticed things have changed; maybe they haven¡¯t.  What we need to do is find out what¡¯s different.  Gandhi would only change things that were important to solving Delly¡¯s quest.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it as simple as freeing her from captivity and giving her vengeance against the people who betrayed her?¡± the elf asked.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°That will be necessary, but it has to be more than that.  An original quest around Sonan existed that the players had to solve.  Now Delly¡¯s quest is intertwined with that, and it all ties in with what Lord Vulder is looking for in his successor.¡±


    Psycho threw up his hands.  ¡°This sounds even more complicated than what you needed to do to free me.  How are you going to figure it out?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I¡¯m working on it.¡±


    ¡°Well, make it quick,¡± Draya said.  She had only partially paid attention to their conversation.  The mage was clever enough to understand what they said but also knew it wouldn¡¯t be her responsibility to solve the riddle, so she didn¡¯t pay extra attention to it.  Instead, the young woman had been sticking her head out of the back of the wagon occasionally to check their progress, and she had just pulled herself back inside.  ¡°I think we¡¯re here.¡±


    No sooner had the words left her mouth than their wagon stopped.  A few seconds later, one of the caravan drivers walked past each wagon, banging on the wooden sides.  ¡°Everyone needs to get off and enter the city on foot.  The wagons will be searched.  Everyone out.¡±


    Gromphy cast another spell on Snowy, who whined at the prospect of stepping out into the sun but obeyed her leader and jumped off the back of the wagon with the rest of the crew.  She didn¡¯t have the strength to sprint toward the city gates but covered the 150 feet as fast as possible.  Draya didn¡¯t move as quickly, taking her time to pet the beasts who had pulled the caravan.  Each wagon was yoked to a pair of giant lizards.  The desert creatures responded positively to the attention from the dragon-kin woman, puffing bursts of fire as she passed.


    Jace, Psycho, and Gromphy followed Snowy as fast as they could, all suffering from banes to their agility and speed.  They longed to enter the city''s protection, but the city guards held them up.  ¡°Halt!  Declare yourself.  Kamora is a place of trade for civilized beings.  We don¡¯t allow . . .¡± he paused as he looked at the winter wolf, goblin, and orc, ¡°unauthorized individuals.¡±


    ¡°My name is Jace Thorne,¡± the orc shaman said.  He found his voice came out in haggard pants.  ¡°I am a player of some renown and request access for my whole party.¡±


    ¡°Some renown, eh?¡± the guard said, checking his magical stone tablet.  ¡°We¡¯ll see about that.¡±


    As the group waited impatiently, Draya ran up to them.  ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±  Her voice was far too chipper, given the circumstances.


    ¡°They won¡¯t let us in,¡± Psycho replied.


    ¡°What?¡± she said.  ¡°Jace isn¡¯t famous enough?¡±


    ¡°I think he is too orc,¡± Psycho whispered back.  ¡°But they better hurry.  Snowy is a few moments from passing out.  And I¡¯m not far behind.¡±


    Draya punched him in the arm.  ¡°Wimp.¡±


    ¡°I guess it is all right,¡± the guard finally said.  ¡°I see some mentions of you as an honorable citizen.  Just keep a short leash on your wolf and goblin.¡±


    ¡°What dost thou mean by . . .¡± Gromphy started.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace interrupted, pushing the goblin forward.  Gromphy had a mind to turn around and cast a spell on the rude guard, but Jace stopped him.  ¡°I¡¯m sure Psycho has a length of rope we can use if you don¡¯t behave,¡± he said.  Gromphy wanted to keep fighting but obeyed his leader.


    After walking through the city gates, the group felt relief instantly.  Although the air inside the city was still hot, compared to the sauna-like temperatures outside, it felt positively refreshing.


    {They use the water pumped from underground to power a protective dome over the city,} Gracie explained.  Jace looked to the East at the rising sun well on its way to midmorning and could sense the lower intensity.  The dome was invisible against the blue sky but had a clear effect.


    ¡°How¡¯s Esther doing?¡±


    {I can only monitor one of you at a time,} she said.  {When I¡¯m listening to her, I can only see your activity on screen.  I can¡¯t hear what you say or monitor your character sheets.  Last I checked, she was getting Delly up to speed on your adventures.  She just finished chronicling your first encounter with Drescher.  She has a long way to go.}


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Keep an ear on her.  I want to know if anything happens.  I can handle myself.  I¡¯ll wave to you if I need help.¡±


    {Roger that.}


    While Jace talked to Gracie, the rest of the group downed more healing potions.  They had already used half of their supply, and while Gromphy could make more, that took time.  Well, most of them had been drinking healing potions.  Draya had been clinging to Jace, breathing like she was hyperventilating.  ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.  ¡°The heat finally getting to you?¡±


    ¡°Nobody said anything about snakes,¡± Draya replied through gritted teeth.


    Jace looked around the large bazaar at the city''s entrance and saw several vipers slithering about beneath carts and coiled around barrels. Based on his research, he knew none of them would attack.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me there would be snakes?¡± she continued.


    ¡°Because then thou wouldst not have come,¡± Gromphy answered for his leader.


    ¡°At least they aren¡¯t ghost snakes,¡± Psycho said.  Draya punched him in the arm again.


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t attack you,¡± Jace said.  ¡°And don¡¯t throw any fireballs.  We just talked our way in.  I don¡¯t want to get kicked out.¡±


    Draya stopped complaining verbally, though physically, she hadn¡¯t stopped clutching at the orc¡¯s arm while Jace looked about expectantly.


    ¡°Were you anticipating a welcoming party?¡± Psycho asked.


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to expect.¡±  He looked around at the collection of characters milling about the shops and vendors.  A few did double-takes when they saw the well-known party, and Jace identified them as players, but no one approached them.  ¡°We¡¯ll give it another few moments.  We are mobbed everywhere else we go; I assume someone in the city cares that we are here.  I¡¯m hoping at least one of the players vying for control will alert Lord Vulder and tell him we shouldn¡¯t be ignored.¡±


    ¡°Where do expect we¡¯ll be headed?¡± Psycho asked.  ¡°Underground?  Into the desert?  Fighting in the streets?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, I expect we will find ourselves up there eventually.¡±  He pointed toward the top of the pyramid-shaped structures before them.


    Psycho followed the orc¡¯s arm and looked for the first time with interest at the construction of the unique city.  Buildings were staked upon buildings, climbing high into the sky.  At the top, several large structures dominated the skyline, defying gravity and balanced precariously on the collection of stone pillars, iron beams, and wooden supports beneath them.  As an elf, Psycho was used to elaborate dwellings built high into the tree tops.  He had never seen anything like this.  ¡°Can¡¯t wait,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared of heights too,¡± Draya said, still clinging to Jace¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the eventual goal to give you the ability to fly as a dragon,¡± Psycho chuckled.  ¡°You better get over that fear real quick.¡±


    Draya didn¡¯t have an answer and wanted to punch him in the arm again, but that would require her to let go of Jace.  She didn¡¯t, and the group lapsed into silence.  A minute later, a squad of human guards marched into view and headed straight toward them.  Snakes scattered in front of the men, and Draya relaxed, hoping these newcomers would provide protection.


    ¡°Jace Thorne?¡± the lead guard asked the group skeptically.  When his commander had sent him to pick up a famous guest, he assumed it would be a human.  The guard chose to look at Psycho as he spoke, but Jace stepped forward.


    ¡°I am he.  I would like an audience with Lord Vulder.¡±


    The guard nodded, still unsure about this eclectic group.  None of them looked like they belonged.  Draya had the darkest skin, but her flaming red hair wasn¡¯t native to the desert kingdom.  ¡°Those are my orders,¡± the guard confirmed.  He still didn¡¯t like it.  ¡°Can we find a cool tavern for your party members to wait?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, they will come with me.¡±


    The guard didn¡¯t have orders to the contrary and shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°Very well, then.  Follow me.¡±


    The walk through the street was mercifully short.  Jace had to practically carry Draya whenever a snake came too close, every little girl on the street wanted to pet Snowy, and every little boy tried to steal Gromphy¡¯s top hat.  Psycho nearly put an arrow in three children and one snake.  After a minute, they arrived at a heavily guarded brick building that looked no larger than ten feet square.  Once they entered, they found that¡¯s all the bigger it was.  In the center of the single room stood a travel node.


    ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± Jace asked.  They all nodded eagerly, and he transported them off the city streets.

 Chapter 46

    Jace should have been used to the unique environments the game kept providing, but he still found himself in awe with each new location.  His group materialized in a large open-air room that reminded him of the lobby of a tropical island hotel.  The roughly hexagonal space glowed with early morning sunlight.  Their travel node stood nestled in one corner while the opposite end of the room held large, ornate double doors that Jace guessed led toward Vulder¡¯s throne room.  The four other corners held single doors leading to what looked like private residences.


    Between the doors, fenced off by plants or rope railings, open-air greeted them.  Blue sky dominated the view, but Jace had been correct when he had indicated to Psycho that they were headed toward the top of the city, and when he looked down through the openings, he got a unique view of the haphazard city below.  They were hundreds of feet off the ground.  This high up, a cool breeze flowed through the room, creating an exquisitely pleasant temperature.


    In the room¡¯s center, several couches, chairs, and tables sat scattered about.  Small collections of furniture gathered in front of each of the single doors.  Potted palm trees and flowers had been arranged throughout the room, along with several forked poles upon which snakes coiled themselves.


    Jace guessed the smaller doors led to apartments for the players who had reached the top level of the trials.  He saw three characters sitting outside one of the doors, reclining on a couch and two chairs, while a fourth character sat by himself before a different door.


    ¡°Welcome, Jace Thorne,¡± a woman said, rising from the couch.  Her two male companions stayed seated.  ¡°We¡¯ve been expecting you.¡±  She took a few steps toward Jace but didn¡¯t leave her ring of furniture.


    The level 21 woman wore an attractive dark brown leather outfit.  Straps and buckles cinched a vest tight over a blue blouse.  She wore a skirt down to her knees made only of loose strips that offered little concealment with black leggings underneath.  He saw several knives strapped to her upper legs, and the low-density skirt let her reach through it to retrieve her weapons easily.  He saw several other blade handles scattered about her torso tucked under straps of leather and guessed she had many more daggers hidden where he couldn¡¯t see them.  Her dark hair and South Pacific facial features led Jace to believe this was Golda Baccay, the Philipino casino owner who laundered money for terrorists.  He tried to remember her in-game name from their research.


    ¡°Odalga,¡± he replied with just enough confidence to make it not sound like a question.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± she confirmed with a smile. ¡°I am honored you know me. However, I expect you do nothing half-assed and researched everything you could before venturing into our humble city.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe the city is yours quite yet,¡± Jace said.


    She laughed.  ¡°Too true, too true.  And don¡¯t think for a moment you will be able to throw your hat in the ring.  That ship has sailed, which leads us to the only real question we have to discuss.  Why are you here?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t answer and instead walked toward her.  Odalga¡¯s demeanor changed instantly, assuming a battle-ready pose, her hands inches from several different daggers.  {I¡¯m guessing she is a rogue sniper,} Gracie chimed in.  {Usually, they use a short bow or crossbow, but I¡¯ve known a few who specialize in thrown weapons.}


    Jace smiled at the woman, taking in Gracie¡¯s information without appearing to be on the receiving end of a conversation.  ¡°I was notified upon entry to this room that this was a Peaceful environment,¡± he said as he drew closer to the leather-clad rogue, eyeing her fighting stance.


    ¡°And everyone knows you break the game rules,¡± she replied, easing up slightly.  She only half looked at him now, eyeing instead the group that trailed just behind him.  Snowy didn¡¯t seem to suffer as much with the breeze alleviating much of the heat, but she didn¡¯t like the snakes spaced periodically through the room and wrinkled her nose in disgust as she passed each one.  Gropmhy stayed close to the wolf, having acted like her medic for the past half hour and now appreciating the protection the animal provided against the serpents.  The goblin was just small enough that some of the larger snakes might want a snack.  Draya now clung to Psycho¡¯s arm as she didn¡¯t know where to walk or step.  Everywhere she looked, she saw either a dizzying drop-off through an open wall or a snake sticking its tongue out at her.  Psycho held his sarcastic comments in check and led her safely through the room.


    Jace didn¡¯t stop walking until he found an oversized, stuffed chair that would support his orc frame.  There wasn¡¯t enough seating for all his companions, so Draya and Gromphy shared a loveseat while Pyscho stood behind his leader.  Snowy relaxed on the floor next to Jace, and the big orc reached down to scratch the wolf¡¯s ears.  ¡°Please,¡± he nodded toward the couch where Odalga had been relaxing when they entered.  ¡°Take a seat.  We have much to discuss.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell him anything.¡±  Everyone turned toward the voice to look at the lone character sitting in front of a different door.  He was dressed as a Middle Eastern priest.  ¡°He has no purpose here.  He¡¯ll get himself killed, and then we can get on with our business.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind Iman Jaheed,¡± Odalga said, bringing everyone¡¯s gaze back to her.  ¡°He¡¯s always grumpy and no fun.  He takes this all too seriously.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t take this seriously enough,¡± he replied.


    The rogue shook her head and took a seat on the couch.  Her two companions both looked native to this region: a dark-skinned dwarf with a white beard and two hammers hanging from his belt sat next to a bald wizard wearing olive robes with deeply tanned skin.  Neither of the NPCs said anything and only stayed ready to defend their leader if need be.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, picking up a drink of orange liquid from a side table.  Jace thought it must be the realm¡¯s equivalent of a mimosa.  ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I expected three of you,¡± Jace replied, dodging the question for now.


    ¡°Chago is probably asleep,¡± she replied.  Jace assumed this was Hidalgo Cortex, the human trafficker from Mexico.  ¡°It is about 9 am in the game,¡± Odalga said, glancing to the east side of the room where the rising sun illuminated a large section of the floor, ¡°which is the middle of the night for him . . . and you, I assume.  You are an American, right?  Your operator must be burning the midnight oil.¡±


    {Coffee is my only friend,} Gracie said.


    Jace said nothing.  Odalga waited for a moment and then continued.  ¡°I assume he has alarms set up in the game and is probably dragging his drunk ass out of bed as we speak, and we will see him soon.  Until then, you only have me.¡±


    Jace angled his eyes back toward the priest.  Odalga had called him Jaheed.  ¡°Oh, he doesn¡¯t count,¡± Odalga interpreted the look.  ¡°And he knows it.  That is why he is always so grumpy.  Sir Ahbid Alibaba calls the shots for his team.  He¡¯s just a lackey.  Ahbid left him behind to make sure I didn¡¯t tell you too much. I¡¯m sure he is recording all this for his operator as we speak.¡±


    ¡°He is a . . .¡± Jace started in a low voice.


    ¡°A player like us?¡± she asked.  ¡°Of course, he just isn¡¯t very good.¡±  She chuckled, and the dwarf beside her laughed.  ¡°No, his boss was up here earlier.  You just missed him.  When we got word that you had arrived, we had a brief argument about why before he took the twins and went below ground.  You see, he thinks you are here to rescue . . .¡±


    ¡°Silence, wench!¡± Jaheed cried, leaping to his feet.  ¡°This is what Ahbid feared.¡±


    Odalga laughed at his antics.  ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell him.  Besides, if your boss is correct, he already knows.¡±  She turned her attention back to Jace.  ¡°But you couldn¡¯t know that she is here, could you?  The three of us,¡± she threw a glance at another door where Jace assumed Chago¡¯s apartment resided, ¡°are the only ones Vulder told.  No one else knows she came.¡±


    ¡°And do you even know why she came back?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Back?¡± she questioned.  ¡°Oohh, you do know things.  So she was here before.  Before all of . . .¡± she motioned to the grand room and Vulder¡¯s quarters beyond the double doors, ¡°. . . before all of this took place.  She has a history here?¡±


    ¡°Of course she does,¡± Jaheed said.  ¡°You haven¡¯t figured that out yet?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to be part of the conversation or not?¡± Odalga scolded, shouting across the room.  ¡°Either come over here and learn something, or shut up.¡±  The priest didn¡¯t walk over and settled down.  The rogue turned back to Jace.  ¡°What is her name, just so we are on the same page here?¡±


    Jace saw no harm in telling her.  ¡°Delilah Sorek.¡±


    She smiled.  ¡°Good, then we don¡¯t need to be coy.  Ahbid thinks you came for her, so he went down to ensure her continued incarceration.  I didn¡¯t think it was possible you even knew she was here.  Clearly, I was wrong.  I don¡¯t see Esther with you, so perhaps she is down below trying to free Delilah, and you are just a distraction.¡±


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    {I¡¯m going to switch to monitoring Esther,} Gracie said.  {If Ahbid is going down to Delly, she will need my help more than you will.  Wave if you need me.}


    Jace gave no outward sign of the communication.  He knew the magical device Gracie and Gromphy made to allow an operator to communicate with an NPC was supposed to be impossible, so Odalga telling him this shouldn¡¯t have given him anything to act on.  Typically, when companions were apart from their leaders, no form of communication existed.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Odalga asked.  ¡°Are you just a distraction?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m here?¡± he replied.


    She bit her lip.  ¡°I thought you were here to make a play for the throne.  It is the type of arrogant move you would make.  Just as impossible as rescuing Delilah, but maybe I¡¯m wrong about that too.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I am here to fulfill the prophecy,¡± Jace said.


    Odalga laughed again.  ¡°I do like you.  How would you even know of that?  No one but the three of us have ever heard it.  Two other players rose to this level before, but Vulder assured us they never discovered it.¡±


    ¡°Water from rock, life from sand.  Ruled by one perpetually.  Savior comes, the Son of Cam.  Whose rage brings forth liberty.¡± Jace said, remembering the lines Pok had quoted in the cutscene.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Jaheed leaped from his chair and ran toward their grouping.  ¡°You are wrong.  The second line is: Rule passed down perpetually.  Your information is wrong.  Whomever you paid is feeding you false . . .¡±


    ¡°You are truly an idiot,¡± Odalga cut him off.  ¡°You¡¯re worried about me telling him too much?  He got it wrong on purpose just to see what we know, and you told him.¡±


    Jaheed flinched a few times as if he wanted to retort, but he knew she was right.  He swallowed his pride and walked back to his chair.  As he sat down, he spun it around so he could pay closer attention to the group, and Jace thought he cast a spell.


    ¡°So you know the prophecy,¡± Odalga returned to Jace.  ¡°And that is why you are here?  To rescue Sonan and have his rage defeat Vulder?  That isn¡¯t going to happen, and that isn¡¯t what the prophecy is about.  I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve come here for nothing.¡±


    Jace leaned back, trying to figure out how to play this.  Psycho spoke up first.  ¡°What if we tell you why Delly came back, and you tell us what you think the prophecy means?¡±


    Odalga was shocked.  ¡°You let your NPCs negotiate for you?¡± she asked, not even looking at Psycho.


    Jace shrugged.  Psycho continued.  ¡°Jaheed over there, just cast a truth spell.  I am Honest.  Jace is Honest.  We won¡¯t be able to lie without getting caught.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t a fair trade,¡± Odalga said.  ¡°One involves the fate of a single female, the other the fate of an entire empire. If I use the information you give me to have Delilah join my party, but you use the information I give you to wrestle Kamora and the desert kingdom away from us, that would be truly foolish of me.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that is possible?¡± Jace said.  ¡°Do you think I can convince Vulder to turn this city over to me without doing the trials?  What if I tell you that I have no interest in ruling this kingdom?  Jaheed can tell you I am speaking the truth.  My winter wolf hates the heat, my mage hates snakes, and my elf prefers trees.¡±


    ¡°Esther would love it here,¡± Odalga challenged.


    ¡°The entirety of the realms is Esther¡¯s playground,¡± Jace countered.  ¡°She loves it everywhere.¡±


    Odlaga sat in silence for a few moments.  ¡°Fine, we have a deal.  I¡¯ll show you mine if you show me yours.¡±


    Psycho took a step back in surprise at the comment, and Jace laughed at his literal interpretation of the common Earthly phrase.  ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll go first.  Do you know how Sonan was captured?¡±


    Odalga hesitated and cast a glance over at Jaheed.  It was clear to Jace that she didn¡¯t know, but she worried her competitor might.  The priest didn¡¯t respond.  Eventually, the rogue shook her head.  Jace answered his own question.  ¡°Delly caught him for Vulder.  Dreller, one of Vulder¡¯s warriors, whom I assume is still active, hired a group of mercenaries to track down Sonan once he entered the city.  Delly was a member of this group, and she was betrayed.  They cursed her with a succubus and tricked her into seducing Sonan.  When she did, she sucked strength from Sonan and made him easier to capture.  They locked him up and shipped Delly to the Gilded Swan.¡±


    Again, the rogue looked toward her rival.  Jaheed shrugged his shoulders and nodded, confirming nothing had been a lie.  She returned to Jace.  ¡°Sonan is still incredibly strong.¡±


    Jace nodded and smiled.  He found that as an Honest player, he could skate past most truth spells by making sure he never lied.  He didn¡¯t have to tell the whole truth, just enough, so it wasn¡¯t a lie.  If they were questioning Esther, she would have to tell them absolutely everything to pass the test.  ¡°He used to be much stronger,¡± he said, hiding the full truth.


    ¡°What is the story behind her choker?¡± Odalga asked.


    Jace nodded, assuming they would know about that.  All magical items were typically removed from prisoners.  The jewelry in question would have been identified as special, and then when it couldn¡¯t be removed, it would raise questions.  ¡°It prevents her from summoning her rage,¡± Jace said.  ¡°With the added strength she stole from Sonan, she could likely rip herself out of any cell you put her in.¡±


    ¡°And it can¡¯t be removed?¡± she asked. ¡° My smith,¡± Odalga motioned to the dwarf beside her, ¡°Chago¡¯s enchanter and even the iman over there have all struck out against it.¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°Pok and Kelrick crafted it together with samples of Delly¡¯s blood and hair along with intimate knowledge of her rage abilities.¡±  Jace saw Odalga¡¯s face scrunch up at the mention of the two characters from Delly¡¯s past.  ¡°I assume you know those two people.¡±


    She nodded.  ¡°Unfortunately.  Kelrick isn¡¯t anything to worry about, but that dark elf summoner is trouble.  A few weeks ago, he went very goth.  He was mysterious before, but now he makes my skin crawl.¡±


    Jace restrained a smile and was happy none of his companions spoke out of turn.  They all knew Pok was a necromancer.  Prior to Delly¡¯s intrusion, when Odalga was first introduced to him, he must have been a summoner.  Gandhi had made the change for a reason, and Jace was sure it went beyond Delly¡¯s quest.  The game¡¯s AI had tried to use existing characters to facilitate the female barbarian¡¯s backstory, but a slight change had been made.


    ¡°I believe Delly returned here to seek vengeance against her former companions,¡± Jace said.  ¡°If, or when, Vulder steps down and puts one of you in charge, you can gain Delly¡¯s trust by helping her to kill the four characters who betrayed her.¡±


    ¡°And that is what you you are here to do?¡± Odalga asked.  ¡°You think you can walk through those doors and kill Vulder¡¯s closest advisors?¡±


    Jace had nothing to say to that.


    ¡°Or you think once one of us takes power, we would trade four level 18+ characters for one level 10 barbarian who can¡¯t enact her rage?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I showed you mine.¡±


    Odalga laughed.  ¡°Yes, you surely did.  Color me unimpressed.¡±  She paused.  ¡°Fine.  I¡¯ll tell you.  You¡¯re as likely to disrupt our plans as you are to succeed in yours.¡±  She gave one more glance over to Jaheed, and the priest nodded.  ¡°You don¡¯t have the whole prophecy.  Vulder does not enslave the city.  The plague enslaves the land.  The liberty Sonan¡¯s rage will bring is in regard to the curse on the land.  The thick-headed barbarian doesn¡¯t see that yet.  His arguments have become more eloquent in the past couple of weeks, but he still insists Vulder is the problem.  However, once the Prime Regent is gone and replaced by one of us, and the plague remains, he will see the light.  The source of the plague is in a tomb several miles from the city.¡±


    She pulled out a gold medallion with a large sapphire from inside her vest.  ¡°We¡¯ve all been through the trials and been named patrons of the land, Children of the Desert.  The location of the tomb was revealed to us after our ascension.  We¡¯ve all been there, but none of us can enter.  We¡¯re guessing only Sonan can.  Once that happens and he defeats the curse, setting the land at liberty, the kingdom will be restored, and one of us will be its king or queen and have more power than any other player in the realms.¡±


    ¡°And how will Vulder make his choice?¡± Jace asked.


    Now, it was Odalga¡¯s turn to be quiet for a while.  ¡°We don¡¯t know.  In the past few weeks . . . something¡¯s changed.  He now speaks of his departure from the city as if it¡¯s his death or possibly a transformation into something else.  Before we were sent on quests with regularity, all designed to strengthen the city and prove our loyalty to the land.  Now, we¡¯ve been mostly waiting.  He says a new challenger will arise that will threaten our claim on the throne, and once they are defeated, the transformation will take place.¡±  She paused.  ¡°And now you¡¯ve shown up.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m the new challenger,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You think Vulder anticipated my arrival weeks ago?¡±


    ¡°Ahbid insists you are not,¡± Odalga said, not answering Jace¡¯s question.  He was about to push for her belief when they were interrupted.


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    They all turned at the new voice to see Chago emerging from his door.  He dressed as a Latin bullfighter with twin swords strapped to his hips.  ¡°Sorry I am late,¡± he said, tugging on his gold-embroidered vest as if he had just hastily put it on.  Odalga had joked that the trafficker had been roused from a drunken stupor to log in.  His character in the game suffered no banes, but since his movements were controlled by his brain back in the real world, any intoxication should be evident.  Jace detected a slight wobble in his step.


    ¡°Not all of us live on Asian time,¡± he continued.  ¡°Welcome to our home, Jace Thorne.  I hope your stay is short and painful.¡±  Jace assumed the player had been alerted because of his arrival, so his lack of surprise at his presence was expected.


    ¡°Where are your lady friends?¡± Odalga asked, seeing the player was alone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t keep my companions chained to my bed when I log out,¡± he replied.  ¡°They are free to seek their own adventure.  I¡¯m sure they are off slaying a dragon right now.¡±  When Odalga didn¡¯t have a response to that, he turned to Jace.  ¡°You are not the challenger.¡±


    ¡°Were you listening to us?¡± Odalga asked, looking around the room.  She focused on several of the snakes, wondering if they were enchanted.


    ¡°I heard enough,¡± the flamboyant man replied.  ¡°Enough to know you are both stupid.  Delilah is the challenger.  It is obvious.  Vulder¡¯s tone shifted when she arrived.  Jace just said she is out to kill the people who betrayed her.  You mentioned his four advisors and Dreller, but Lord Vulder is the one who hired them to curse her.  Surely, she is after him too.¡±


    ¡°And how will she manage this attack when she is locked in a cell?¡± Odalga challenged.


    ¡°Where is Esther?¡± he asked back.  They both looked at Jace, but the orc¡¯s face remained placid.  ¡°Are we sure Delilah is still locked up?¡±  Now, they both turned to Jaheed, seeking an update on his partner¡¯s expedition.  He didn¡¯t offer one.  Chago shrugged.  ¡°Ahbid is right.  Jace is here to free Delly, and she will threaten Vulgar¡¯s life.  He will fake his death, choose one of us to replace him, and disappear.  With him presumed dead, Sonan will no longer insist on killing him and will follow our plan to end the plague.¡±


    Odalga wanted to argue further, but the doors to Vulder¡¯s private chambers opened, and Jace recognized Dreller from Delly¡¯s cinematic cut scene.  He still wore the scorpion armor with the poison flail on his hip.  ¡°Lord Vulder will see you now.¡±


    The three other players turned at once to the summons and bowed, giving Jace a moment to talk to his companions.  ¡°I think I know what is going to happen,¡± he said.  ¡°It will be rough, but we should be able to make it.¡±  As they rose and followed the other characters into the throne room, Jace gave hasty instructions, hoping Esther was all right.

 Chapter 47

    Esther¡¯s story had reached the point where Jace blew the head off the Armadillion with a lightning bolt when the barbarian stopped her.  Delly had her hands against the stone floor, attempting to find a comfortable way to sit in the cramped cell.  ¡°Someone is coming,¡± she said.  ¡°I can feel it.¡±


    Esther stopped talking and instinctively hid in the shadows.  ¡°You can feel them?¡± she asked.  ¡°How many?¡±


    Delly could no longer see her friend in the darkness and concentrated on the vibrations in the floor.  ¡°Ever since I absorbed Sonan¡¯s power, I have a more intimate relationship with the ground,¡± she replied.  ¡°I feel the footsteps of one heavy individual.¡±


    ¡°A dwarf?¡± Esther asked, looking around the room for somewhere to hide.


    ¡°Bigger,¡± Delly said.  ¡°They are almost here.  You need to be somewhere else.¡±


    Esther knew she could hide in the middle of the dark room, and very few characters would have the skill to find her, but she glanced back at the entrance to this alcove and saw the bouncing shadows of an approaching light.  She would be seen.  In her desperate search of the cavern, she glanced up and saw a hollowed impression right next to the cell were a lump of ore must have been.  It lacked a ledge for her to sit on, but she nimbly maneuvered herself into the cavity, pressed her arms and legs against the stone walls of the cramped space, holding herself steady.  She wished she had used her last invisibility potion before climbing up into the ceiling, but now, with both hands supporting her, she couldn¡¯t release one to drink it.  Plus, the potion would count as an active spell, and a good Detect Magic casting might find her.  As it was, she could only see into Delly¡¯s cell and a few feet in front of it.  She had no line of sight to the rest of the alcove, which meant any light from the hall also couldn¡¯t see her, and she was in as complete darkness as she could find.  With her legendary stealth skill, it would take an advanced player to see her.


    {Esther!} Gracie cried into her ears, almost startling her enough to lose her grip on the wall.  {If you are still by Delly¡¯s cell, you need to get out of there.  Ahbid is coming.  He is a level 22 paladin and shouldn¡¯t be taken for granted.}


    Esther wished she could whisper a response, but now she heard the footsteps of the approaching knight and knew anything she said might be detected.


    {Esther!  Are you there?  Can you talk?}  Gracie paused, and the rogue hoped the smart operator would figure out her dilemma.  {If you can¡¯t talk, tap an earring once to let me know you are okay.}


    Esther didn¡¯t have a free hand, so she angled her shoulder up and bent her neck down to tap an ear.


    {Are you still by Delly¡¯s cell?} Gracie asked.  {One tap for yes, two taps for no.}


    Tap.


    {Is someone else there?}


    Tap.


    {Can you get out of there safely?}


    Tap tap.


    {Are you hidden?}


    Tap.


    {Okay, good.  Just stay hidden and don¡¯t do anything foolish.}


    Esther sighed and rolled her eyes.  Why did everyone always assume she would do something foolish?


    She stopped her train of thought when she sensed a mobile light enter the alcove, and the metallic footfalls grew louder.  ¡°Ah, I see you are still here,¡± a voice said.  ¡°Perhaps my fears were misplaced.¡±


    Esther could still see Delly, and the woman retreated into her cell as much as possible, looking like a frightened puppy whom its master had mistreated.  ¡°Oh,¡± Ahbid said, stepping up to the bars and into Esther¡¯s view, ¡°don¡¯t look like that.  I thought you enjoyed our little talks.  Either way, the situation demands we have another.¡±


    Esther already hated this man.  Jace had told them that Gracie¡¯s family had a history with this player and that he was cruel, clever, and powerful.  Their mission was not to kill him, but if he died, no tears would be shed.  Ahbid wore full plate armor perfectly tailored to his body.  It was neither clunky nor heavy and looked as comfortable as a three-piece suit.  A medium shield rested on one hip while a mace hung from the other, secured to his outer leg so it didn¡¯t bounce when he walked.  His dark skin and beard made him look native to these desert lands.  His facial features were hard to pick out as he had secured whatever light he had taken with him to a wall out of view, and with it behind him, his front was cast in shadow.


    He also pulsed with magic, as every item he wore reeked of power.


    There was something else about him that made Esther¡¯s skin crawl, repulsing her on a level she had not experienced before.  She couldn¡¯t quite put her finger on it until Gracie spoke in her ear.  {I can hear his voice,} she said.  {I know you are powerful, and you might think you can take him, but don¡¯t do it.  He is an undead hunter, and while you are no longer officially undead, he will be immune to most of your powerful abilities.}


    ¡°I would have been down here sooner, but something happened in the mines above,¡± the knight said, unaware of the conversation happening only a few feet above him.  ¡°A fight broke out, leaving over a dozen kobolds and gnomes dead.  The two sides are now refusing to work unless the others are punished.  That has never happened before.  I don¡¯t believe in coincidences.  This chaos occurred moments before Jace Thorne arrived in the city.¡±


    Ahbid paused, hoping to get a reaction from Delly at the name, but Esther could tell she had been preparing herself for it and didn¡¯t flinch.  He continued.  ¡°You know who that is, right?  I assume you¡¯ve met before when he freed you from the Gilded Swan.  He has found some way to communicate with you, hasn¡¯t he?  Have you seen Esther recently?¡±  Ahbid looked casually around the room, peering into the shadows.  He even glanced up, and his eyes passed over Esther¡¯s location.  Without a powerful spell, he would never see her, and he only looked around to try and get a reaction from Delly.  She didn¡¯t oblige.


    ¡°You will answer my questions, or there will be consequences.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met Jace Thorne,¡± Delly finally said.


    Ahbid smiled and raised his left hand, where he wore the maximum of four rings.  One of them pulsed.  ¡°You forget, I can tell when you are lying.  That is your last warning.  Do it again, and there will be pain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never really met him,¡± she corrected.  ¡°I saw him in the upper level of the Swan, but we didn¡¯t talk.¡±


    Ahbid nodded.  ¡°That was when he killed your mistress, right?  That was when he got Esther, right?¡±


    Delly nodded.


    ¡°How many of you were there?¡±


    ¡°Four,¡± Delly replied, seeing no harm in the answer.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said, leaning back from the bars and gently stroking his chin in thought.  ¡°That¡¯s right.  And who were they?¡±  He paused, allowing Delly to fill in the answer.  She didn¡¯t.  ¡°I, of course, never visited you.  But I heard of your brothel.  Quite popular in its time.  What were the names of the other whores you worked with?  Everyone only ever cared about Esther.  It must have been hard to prostitute yourself like that and not get any recognition for it.¡±  Other than the rubies on her choker flaring with magic, Delly didn¡¯t succumb to the taunt.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± Ahbid continued.  ¡°There was the ugly one.  I believe she was an artist or something.  And then, ah, yes, the mermaid.  What was her name?  Tamila?  Tammy?  Ah, yes, Tamar.  Yes, I remember now.  You were all named after promiscuous women in the Torah.¡±


    Ahbid changed his posture and tone of voice.  ¡°Kahleem, search for anything you can find on Tamar.¡±  He was obviously talking to his operator.  He paused.  ¡°Yes, use Ginesh if you have to.¡±  Pause.  ¡°I don¡¯t care what it costs.¡±  After a few more moments, his focus returned to Delly.


    ¡°Now, tell me what I want to know.  Why are you here?  Why did you try to attack Lord Vulder and his companions?  What could you possibly hope to achieve?  Why didn¡¯t Vulder have you killed?¡±


    Delly stared daggers back at him.  ¡°We¡¯ve had this discussion before.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed, ¡°and it was less than productive.  Perhaps this time, we can have it without the whips and chains.  Jace is here.  I know he will come for you if he hasn¡¯t already made contact.  Your quest will be resolved in a matter of hours.  Now is your only chance to ensure it succeeds.  The others don¡¯t want you.  If it is a choice between you and Vulder¡¯s other companions, they will happily discard you.  I¡¯m different.  I know there is something special about you.  If Jace Thorne wants you, I want to know why.¡±


    Delly shook her head.  ¡°I have nothing to say to you.  I can¡¯t lie to you, but I don¡¯t have to answer either.  Go get Paltine if you really want to know.  He can force me to do anything you want.  I¡¯ll tell you my whole life story while giving you a lap dance.¡±  This caught the knight off-guard, and he leaned back slightly.  Delly leaned in.  ¡°Oh, yes, I¡¯ve seen your type before.  The noble paladin who is above the carnal desires of the flesh.  People like you are stoic on the outside, but get you in a private room, with the lights low, and you are into the kinkiest things.¡±


    ¡°Silence, wench!¡± he shouted.  ¡°If you want to treat your body like a consumable good, expect others to oblige you.  Where I come from, women like you are worth less than rats.  You should be flogged and then put on display in the public square so everyone knows what kind of filth you are.  If you desire that fate, fine, I shall give it to you.  If you desire something better, then talk.¡±


    Esther¡¯s muscles tensed.  He stood only a few feet below her.  She could attack from the shadows and, despite his high level, he wouldn¡¯t have a chance.  She could snap his neck in seconds.  {Don¡¯t do it,} Gracie said.  {I hate him too¡ªmore than you can imagine.  Don¡¯t do it.}


    Delly only stared at him, leaning even closer to the bars.


    ¡°There is no breakfast this morning,¡± Ahbid said, changing topics.  ¡°The fight in the mines destroyed most of the food.  If you want to play this game, there won¡¯t be any lunch either.  I can¡¯t imagine you are getting much sleep in this cell.  How long can you last without food?  How low can your . . .¡±  His voice stopped when he noticed her full health for the first time.


    The confused look on Ahbid¡¯s face made Delly hesitate a moment, and in her weakened state, she didn¡¯t have the reaction time to avoid the high-level paladin.  The knight leaped toward the bars, his right arm shooting between them to grasp at her neck.  His metal gauntlets cut into her flesh as he yanked her forward, smashing her face into the adamantium and her head into the low ceiling of the cell.


    Gracie saw Esther barely pass a willpower save and knew something dramatic must be happening.  {Don¡¯t!  Esther, whatever he is doing, don¡¯t react!  Trust me.  You need to wait.  He won¡¯t kill her.}


    Esther¡¯s hands pressed hard against the side of the hollow, her strength almost turning the rock to powder, but she restrained herself, watching as the paladin tormented her friend.  Delly¡¯s health had been at full, but it wasn¡¯t anymore as the powerful character squeezed his fist and slammed her body against the cell¡¯s unyielding barriers.


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    ¡°Why are you at full health?¡± he screamed.  ¡°When was Esther here?  Where is she now?  Tell me!¡±  He slammed her body repeatedly, and Esther was moments away from intervening when Ahbid¡¯s head cocked unnaturally. He released the barbarian, tossing her back to the rear of the cell.  She hit her head on the domed ceiling and collapsed in a heap, crying.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Ahbid asked no one, and Esther realized he was talking with his operator.  He nodded a few times before returning to Delly, who struggled to push her body up from the ground, her health considerably lower than before.  ¡°It looks like pirates had captured Tamar.  Reports are those pirates are dead, and their old stronghold is up for grabs.  No one knows exactly what happened, but Jace and some of his crew were seen on the island.  That was only a few hours ago.  Again, I don¡¯t believe in coincidences.¡±


    Ahbid took a step closer to the bars.  ¡°If he has Tamar with him now, I will get her and bring her down here.  Whores like you deserve 100 lashes.  Would you like to watch as I cut her apart?  As I filet her like a fish?  How long will you hold out then?  Or perhaps I should just throw her outside the city walls.  How long do you think a mermaid will last in the desert sun?¡±


    Delly got back to her feet, stooped under the low ceiling, and stood close to the bars again, daring him to strike out at her.  ¡°Do whatever you want to me.  But don¡¯t you dare touch my friends, or I will . . .¡±


    ¡°Or you will what?¡± Ahbid asked.  Again, he was quicker, this time grabbing her clothing, nearly ripping the leather top from her body, and pulling her against the bars.  ¡°You don¡¯t threaten me, barbarian slut.  I have the power here.  You can¡¯t imagine the things I will . . .¡±


    Esther failed the next saving throw, and Gracie didn¡¯t blame her.


    Ahbid was already in combat mode, so Esther didn¡¯t get her Surprise Attack bonus, but she didn¡¯t need it.  With the shadow-scale armor Gromphy had made for her, Esther was one of the stealthiest characters in the game.  Combined with her already game-breaking Grappling skill, the knight didn¡¯t have a chance.  Esther wrestled him to his knees in a second and had him Securly Grappled by the end of the first round of combat.  As good a player as Ahbid was, he still made the mistake of struggling against the attack and was rendered Helpless.


    She wanted to drain his life slowly but also understood that this foe wasn¡¯t to be underestimated, so she went straight to break his neck.


    [Coup de Grace Immunity.]


    Esther wrenched his head around in a move that usually snapped her victims¡¯ necks, but Ahbid only grunted and entered a Stunned condition.  Esther swore and kept his neck bent at an awkward angle to find a small patch of exposed skin between the base of his helm and chest plate.  Fearing this wouldn¡¯t work, she leaned over and bit down hard anyway.


    [Level Drain Immunity.]


    Gracie had told Esther her vampire skills wouldn¡¯t work on the undead hunter, but she was too used to her standard strategy to try something else.  And while Ahbid wouldn¡¯t give up his level energy to her, his neck still bled.  She didn¡¯t have the option to turn the blood into excess mana as she could with levels, but it still dropped the knight''s health and tasted good.


    Esther was in a blood lust and could barely hear Gracie and Delly screaming at her, so her first indication that Ahbid had not come down to the prison cells alone was when a bare heel struck her on the side of the head.  The attack threw the rogue from her victim and slammed her into the side of the cavern.  Ahbid slumped to the ground, still in a Stunned condition, and Esther ignored him for now as she looked at her new opponents.  Two monks stood before her, female by their slight builds, but Esther couldn¡¯t know for sure because they were covered from head to ankle in bright orange robes that swirled about their bodies like flames in a windstorm.  Masks covered their faces, leaving only a narrow slit to see.  Dark eye makeup further confirmed Esther¡¯s gender assumption.  One glance at their bare feet and light step let Esther know why Delly had only felt Ahbid¡¯s approach.


    {Whose there?} Gracie asked, registering the attack Esther had suffered.


    ¡°Monks,¡± Esther replied, drawing her blades and moving to the side away from the wall to give her more room.


    {Ah,} Gracie said.  {The twins.  He still has them.  Good luck.  Whatever you do, don¡¯t let them both touch you.  Your Grappling is better than theirs, but they get to add their skill together if they touch you at the same time, and you aren¡¯t strong enough to escape that.}


    As the two female monks spread out, trying to flank their opponent, Esther knew she had to attack fast. In a few rounds, Ahbid would recover, and then she would be outmatched for sure.  After feinting in one direction to get a monk on her heels, Esther jumped in the other, slashing both blades at the remaining opponent.  The woman was fast, but not fast enough, and both Char and Chill struck home.  However, neither did much damage as the magical blades became entwined in the monk¡¯s flowing clothes.  Esther felt fabric tearing and ripping, nearly wrenching Char from her hands, but she didn¡¯t register any damage.


    {Oh,} Gracie added.  {They are nearly immune to slashing damage.  You need to use blunt attacks.}


    ¡°Now you tell me,¡± she grumbled, rolling out of the way as the monk closest to her swung a kick over her head.  Her twin sprinted in from the far side of the cavern, and Esther sheathed one of her weapons to grab the kicker¡¯s other ankle and wrestle her to the ground.  Gracie was right, and the rogue overpowered the smaller woman easily.  Instead of trying to choke her or drain levels, Esther threw the monk toward her sister.  The two women collided in the middle of the room, and Esther tossed one of her dragon fire gems at the pair.


    Flames burned brightly in the small space, momentarily blinding Esther. She sprinted from her current position to regroup and blink the light from her eyes. A few seconds later, she could see again and regretted finding the two women standing side-by-side, relatively unharmed, with red lines of magic pulsing through their clothes.


    ¡°Protection from fire?¡± Esther asked herself but didn¡¯t have time to answer as they attacked as one.  Esther had to dodge again, swiping uselessly at the monk on her left, her blade once again cutting through the flapping fabric without hitting skin.  This time, she came up out of her dodge with an acid spell prepared.  A glob of bright green energy hit one of the twins, and she cried out in pain as her clothing disintegrated into burnt rags.


    Esther raced toward the injured woman, rolling under the kicks and punches from her sister, and found that her blades now did damage to the partially clothed monk.  She got criticals with both Char and Chill and, instead of using their Disarm or Dispel abilities, chose to let the elemental damage flow through them.  The fire still wasn¡¯t effective, but the cold brought more screams from the woman, and she fell back against the cavern wall, breathing hard.  The other monk was all over Esther, not giving the rogue an opportunity to cast a spell.  The black-clad women dove and dodged, slashing ineffectively at the healthy monk for two rounds before the attacker tried something desperate and attempted to put Esther in a chokehold.  It didn¡¯t work, and the stronger woman easily tossed her foe across the room.


    With some distance between them again, Esther could waste part of a round to cast another acid attack.


    ¡°Look out!¡±


    Delly¡¯s cry was too late, and Esther was already Flat-Footed, casting her spell.  The mace hit her square in the back, and now she was flying across the cavern.  Several critical protections saved her from getting Stunned by the powerful attack, but she still hit the far wall hard and saw stars for half a round.  Ahbid had recovered from his Stunned condition, and he angrily stalked toward the wounded vampire, blood streaming down his neck and staining his shiny armor.


    Esther recovered quickly, hoping she was up to the task against this powerful fighter and completely forgot about the two much smaller women she had been tossing around the cavern.  They came at her from either side.  With her back against the wall and Ahbid straight ahead, Esther had nowhere to dodge.  Instead, she lashed out with her weapons in both directions.  The injured monk took another massive hit, dropping her health below 100, but she survived and Grappled the attacking arm.  Esther¡¯s other attack was less successful, and the twin on her right also secured her elbow.


    Now, she was trapped.  Esther was experienced enough with her own tactics not to struggle against the twins, feeling their combined strength was greater than hers, and her failure would result in a Helpless condition.  She could only stand there with her arms outspread as Ahbid closed on her.  His mace had a purple gem in the center that glowed so bright it hurt Esther¡¯s eyes.  As an undead hunter, his weapon likely did extra damage against vampires, and she was pretty sure she wouldn¡¯t survive this attack.


    ¡°Any last words, bitch?¡± Ahbid asked as he closed the last few feet and prepared to crush her skull.


    ¡°Gracie, help?¡± she mumbled.


    {Esther, no . . .} the operator said, but the damage was done.


    Ahbid nearly tripped as he stopped his approach and halted his swing.  ¡°What did you say?  Did you call out to Gracie?  Gracie Walsh?¡±


    Esther realized her mistake too late, and the look on her face told Ahbid everything he needed to know.  ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± he said, holstering his mace and reaching out to grab Esther by her slender neck.  His truth ring pulsed against her skin.  ¡°Does Jace Thorne work for the CIA?¡±  He lifted Esther¡¯s feet off the ground, and the monks kept their grip on her arms.  Her Guile nature was no match for this paladin¡¯s magic, especially since she was a vampire.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she croaked.  She didn¡¯t know what the CIA was, but she had heard Jace say it before.


    ¡°And he works with Gracie and Conor Walsh?¡±


    Esther nodded her head again, though she didn¡¯t know their last name.


    ¡°And you can talk directly with Gracie even though Jace isn¡¯t here?¡±  Esther nodded again.  ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°My earrings.¡±


    Ahbid leaned in close to the beautiful woman, pressing even harder against her neck until his face was against her right ear.  ¡°You have made a terrible mistake coming here, Gracie,¡± he whispered into the jewelry.  ¡°I told you to stay out of my business before.  You didn¡¯t listen.  Now, you will pay the price.¡±


    Ahbid waited for a moment, wondering if he would hear anything from the earrings.  He didn¡¯t.


    ¡°She says you¡¯re going to die,¡± Esther reported, her voice half choked off.  Ahbid relaxed his hold slightly.  ¡°She says Jace is ten times the player you are, and she will enjoy watching him kill you.  Then she said a bunch of curse words that I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Ahbid leaned back and laughed long and hard.  ¡°Yes, that is Gracie, alright.  She hasn¡¯t changed since . . .¡±


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡±


    The voice was soft yet powerful.  All eyes turned to see an albino man in tan robes walk into the cavern.  ¡°Paltine,¡± Ahbid responded quickly, releasing Esther and taking a knee before the powerful mage.  ¡°Forgive me.  This woman was attempting to free the prisoner.¡±


    The two monks also released Esther and kneeled before the newcomer. Esther knew the name ¡°Paltine¡± from Delly¡¯s story but didn¡¯t fully understand its implications. With her freedom suddenly restored, she readied her weapons to stab the kneeling knight in the back.  She never got the chance.


    ¡°Hold,¡± the mage said, reaching a hand out to stop the rogue.  Esther froze in place, having never felt anything that powerful before.  Paltine returned his attention to Ahbid.  ¡°This woman was trying to free Delilah Sorek?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the knight said obediently, not looking up from the floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± the mage said.  ¡°She has no skill in picking locks and has no items capable of breaking through the bars.  If she was sent down here to break Delilah out, then her master is a fool.  By all accounts, Jace Thorne is no fool.¡±  He paused until Ahbid finally looked up at him.  ¡°Do you agree?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ahbid admitted.  ¡°You are right.  Jace Thorne is planning something I have not yet discerned.¡±


    Paltine turned to Esther.  ¡°Sheath your weapons,¡± he commanded.  She obeyed.  ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°To learn Delly¡¯s backstory,¡± Esther replied without hesitation.


    ¡°And have you?¡±


    Esther nodded.  ¡°Yes.¡±


    Beside her, Ahbid cursed.  Esther smiled.  The paladin still didn¡¯t know what was going on.


    ¡°And you have communicated this information to your leader?¡± Paltine asked.


    ¡°Yes, I have,¡± Esther replied.


    ¡°She has earrings that allow her to . . .¡± Ahbid started.


    Paltine cut him off.  ¡°I can sense every magical item this woman has.  I know her capabilities.  She could kill you in a moment if I let her.¡±


    Ahbid wisely kept his mouth shut after this.


    Paltine turned back to Esther.  ¡°What is Jace Thorne going to do now?  Why is he here?  What is his plan?¡±


    Esther shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    Esther shrugged again.  ¡°He doesn¡¯t tell me things, so people like you won¡¯t find out.  He is smarter than you are, and he will win.¡±


    Beside her, Ahbid cursed under his breath again and waited for the retribution to fall on Esther.  It never came.  Paltine only laughed.  His spell compelled her to tell the whole truth, and she had been forced to say what she believed.  He couldn¡¯t punish her for that.


    ¡°Good,¡± the mage said and looked down at Ahbid.  ¡°Perhaps one day, your companions will learn loyalty like this.  Though, I doubt it.¡±  He laughed again. ¡°Now it is finally time to sort all this out.  I have come down here to fetch Delilah.¡±  He waved a hand toward the prison cell, and the adamantium bars swung open.  The barbarian knew better than to attempt an escape given the circumstances and wisely kept the fact that she was fully armed a secret.


    Paltine looked back toward the monks.  ¡°Secure the prisoner and follow me.  All this ends today.¡±  He turned and walked out of the room, with Esther obediently following in toe.


    Ahbid rose to his feet, retrieved his magical torch from the wall mount, and helped his companions maneuver the tall barbarian out of the cell.  The injured monk took a round to heal herself, and another spell restored her magical clothing.  Soon, she was able to take the burden of escorting Delly with her twin, and the group hurried after the mage.  Paltine and Esther were almost to the ledge encircling the dwarves¡¯ conical mine when Ahbid¡¯s crew caught up with them.


    ¡°If we are to end this,¡± he asked.  ¡°Will we need Sonan as well?¡±


    Paltine paused and looked down at the strong man trudging in an endless circle far below.  Delly managed to peer over the narrow ledge as well.  She had been unconscious when she had been brought to her cell, so this was the first time she had seen Sonan since she had stolen his power.  Tears welled in her eyes at the fate she had sentenced him to.  The Albino mage waited several heartbeats before turning to the knight.  ¡°The city still needs water.  Let him turn his wheel.  Our business does not concern him.¡±


    Ahbid was shocked by that and didn¡¯t ask any further questions as the powerful mage navigated the group to a private travel node that would take them to the top of the city where Lord Vulder waited.

 Chapter 48

    Lord Vulder¡¯s throne room was similar in design to the entry hall. Plants, open-air views of the city below, and more snakes than Jace was used to seeing decorated the room.  An open floor stood before the literal throne, with a concentric pattern of wooden floorboards crisscrossed with precious materials.  Strips of gold and silver ran horizontally at right angles beneath their feet in a massive chessboard.  Lines of marble and ivory intersected this grid on the diagonal, creating hundreds of triangles.  Jace noticed a large marble bath on one side of the room and a massive stone table on the other.  He cast his Armor totem in the tub and his Damage Sink totem on the underside of the table.  When he stepped on a line of marble, he could feel his connection to the magical icons, and he hoped it would be enough.


    An enormous chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling, with mirrors above catching the sun¡¯s light and cascading it through the thousands of crystals, giving the room a celestial feel.  Behind the golden and silver throne were doors and curtains closing off rooms and ceremonial chambers.  Jace guessed Vulder¡¯s crew also lived up here.


    The orc¡¯s eyes turned to the waiting crowd, and he drew in a deep breath.  In Delly¡¯s cutscene, her companions had been roughly the same level as her.  Now, they were all between 18 and 21.  Pok and Kelrick stood close together, about twenty feet to the right of the throne, eyeing the newcomers with calculating intensity.  Dreller had summoned the players to the room and now moved to stand to the left of the throne while Ferrick, the human fighter, stood on the right.  Tensta, the half-orc archer, flanked the visitors on the far left side, holding her bow and watching Jace¡¯s crew closely, especially Psycho.  Paltine wasn¡¯t there.


    That left Lord Vulder.  Jace had to applaud the module designer.  It was an accurate representation of what he assumed Darth Vader would look like as a fantasy character.  He wore black armor with magical red and yellow gems on his breastplate, complete with a black cape.  He didn¡¯t wear a helmet or face mask and looked remarkably like a young James Earl Jones, with his long black hair gathered in a ponytail down his back.


    ¡°Welcome, Jace Thorne,¡± the powerful character said, standing from his throne and descending a few steps to the wooden floor.  Vulder was level 25, which wasn¡¯t as high as Jace assumed he would be.  Though, as a fighter who only focused on swordplay, he would be much better than a level 18 orc shaman could ever hope to be, even with Jace¡¯s ¡°cheat¡± tactics.  He would have other weaknesses, but Paltine was designed to address those.


    ¡°Your reputation precedes you. I hope my Desert Children have treated you well. They are a bit protective of the privileges they possess, and I assume they resent your presence.¡±


    Jace looked at Odalga, Jaheed, and Chago.  The players had moved to their assigned spots in the room, equally spaced from each other and the throne.  The area was designed to accommodate four groups, and Jace wondered if he should lead his team to the open spot.  He decided against it.  The players treated Vulder with the utmost respect, something uncommon for players to do when dealing with a hostile NPC.  Jace decided to retain his standard irreverent play style.


    ¡°They were skeptical yet realistic.  It seems you have whipped them into shape quite nicely.  However, they are completely ignorant that you¡¯ve changed the rules on them.  I suspect they will be quite furious when they find out.¡±


    If Jace¡¯s insight caught Vulder off guard, he hid it well.  The players did not.  ¡°I predict you are correct,¡± Vulder said, eyeing the others in the room and their sudden agitated posture.  They knew well not to talk out of turn but desperately wanted to.  ¡°And the one absent will undoubtedly be the most irate of all.¡±  He focused for a moment on the priest.  ¡°Though, I assume his partner is updating him as we speak.¡±


    Vulder spun back to Jace.  ¡°So, you¡¯ve come to watch me die.  To see the transfer of power.  To see this land gain a new ruler.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°It seemed fitting.¡±


    ¡°And how do you like my palace, my city, my kingdom?¡±


    ¡°To be honest,¡± Jace replied, ¡°I prefer my snow-covered mountain.  As do most of my friends.¡±  Beside him, other than Psycho, his companions grew restless.  Gromphy could feel the power in the room and knew that when the fighting started, he would be out of his league.  Draya still hated the snakes and views out over the city.  Snowy didn¡¯t take to it much better.  All the previous snakes they had encountered had regarded them passively, but this room had more than usual, and most of them stared at the winter wolf and bared their fangs.


    ¡°Your pet is out of her element,¡± Kelrick said,  agreeing with Jace¡¯s comment and drawing everyone¡¯s eyes to the alchemist.  He looked the same as in Delly¡¯s memories; only Jace saw that he now wore the green medallion that had been on Paltine¡¯s neck.  He grasped it as he stepped toward the center of the room.  ¡°Perhaps I can give her something to calm her nerves.¡±


    He pulled a green vial from his vest pocket and infused it with mana while the emerald in his other hand pulsed.  He smiled at the group and tossed it toward Snowy.


    ¡°Tis not a pleasant elixir,¡± Gromphy declared, hastily running away from the flying potion and hiding behind Jace.  Psycho and Draya also wisely retreated.  Snowy tried, but Pok reached out to the wolf with a curled hand, locking the soul of the familiar in place.


    The vial broke on the floor, the glass shattering into nothing as a thick, green mist rose to encircle Snowy.  Jace hated the attack on his wolf but held his ground as he watched, knowing this was mainly done to test his resolve.  At this point, he felt confident any of his companions that might be killed here would respawn at his stronghold.  He just hoped their deaths wouldn¡¯t be too painful.


    Unfortunately, the potion wasn¡¯t meant to kill Snowy.  It was much worse.


    The wolf growled and stamped as the tendrils of green smoke snaked their way into her nose and mouth.  They curled around her fur and tightened around her legs.  The transformation took one round.  Her fur turned green and scally, and she fell to the floor and howled in agony.  Her tail and rear legs merged and stretched backward to an impossible length.  The wolf¡¯s front paws folded up into her neck and similarly elongated forward.  After six seconds, snowy had been transformed into an 18-foot anaconda.


    Draya screamed until Kelrick hoisted another green potion in her direction.  Psycho responded by swinging the bow of his shoulder.  Tenesta did likewise, and Draya recovered enough to pull her dragon staff and activate it.


    ¡°Enough!¡± Vulder shouted before anyone struck.  ¡°Anyone who attacks will be killed instantly.  You are hopelessly outnumbered and can not hope to prevail in a fight.  I did not invite you here to kill you.¡±


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    Jace hadn¡¯t drawn his weapon or moved.  Beside him, Snowy coiled into a tight ball, pressing up against his leg.  If snakes could whimper, she was doing so now, as scared as she had ever been.  The orc leader motioned with his hands for his companions to settle down.  They lowered their weapons but did not put them away.


    ¡°Lord Vulder,¡± Chago said.  ¡°I think we deserve an answer as to what is going on.  We have served you faithfully for months and have never betrayed you.  What is this talk of you changing the rules?  Surely, Delilah¡¯s arrival changes nothing.  She has foolishly come to kill you, but that obviously can not happen.  Why not kill her and move on with your plan?  You can not think to turn over the kingdom to this newcomer,¡± he indicated Jace, ¡°who has done none of the trials.  He has not been blessed by the land as we have.¡±  The flamboyant player pulled a gold medallion out of his shirt, which was identical to the one Odalga had produced earlier.  ¡°We are the Children of the Desert, the rightful heirs to Kamora.¡±


    Lord Vulder let him finish his impassioned speech before responding.  ¡°Jace Thorne will rule Kamora over my dead body.¡±


    ¡°But that is what you¡¯ve said,¡± Odalga said.  ¡°That he is here to kill you.¡±


    ¡°That is not what I said,¡± Vulder corrected.  ¡°I said he is here to watch me die.  Perhaps one of you has secretly planned my assassination?¡±


    All three players bowed their heads and professed their continual loyalty to the Prime Regent.  He accepted their allegiance and waited to see if any of them had further complaints.  ¡°Regardless,¡± he said, spinning around to return to his throne and sit down, ¡°the rules have changed.¡±


    All three players looked up with confusion but didn¡¯t dare question their leader.  ¡°Perhaps you would like Jace to explain it to you since you have been so wrapped up in your own petty competition that you couldn¡¯t see what is plain before you.  Something that this ¡®Newcomer¡¯ could discern in minutes.¡±


    All eyes went to Jace, and he shrugged.  He didn¡¯t think he had it all sorted yet but guessed the best way to reason it out was to talk it through.  ¡°In the original iteration of this module, the curse was a neutral third party cast by a group of unknown plague seekers from somewhere in the desert.  It had no direct tie to Lord Vulder or his people.  The goal of the module was to ascend as the most prominent challenger, take over after Lord Vulder stepped down, and use Sonan to end the curse, solving his quest and securing him as a companion and yourself as the ruler of a powerful kingdom.  This you all know already.¡±


    He exchanged glances with them, and they nodded.  ¡°But that all changed when I freed Delly.  Gandhi created a backstory for her and merged her quest with this one.  I assume you are all familiar with the story of Samson and Delilah from the Bible.¡±  They nodded.  ¡°Sonan is now Delilah¡¯s Samson.  Gandhi tried to use existing lore and characters as much as possible, but some things had to change.  You all noticed some of them but didn¡¯t realize that the goalposts shifted.  The curse is no longer some McGuffin but integral to Vulder¡¯s power.  If I had to guess, Pok cast the curse.¡±


    Jace looked at the necromancer, who nodded his head.  ¡°But he¡¯s a summoner,¡± Odalga said, shaking her head.  ¡°He controls the snakes throughout the city.¡±


    ¡°Did you not just see what happened a minute ago?¡± Chago said, pointing at Snowy¡¯s new form and then the alchemist who had done it.  ¡°Their roles have swapped.¡±


    ¡°And Pok is no summoner,¡± Jaheed said, his eyes half-closed in a divination spell.  ¡°He¡¯s a necromancer.¡±  The priest opened his eyes completely.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why we didn¡¯t see it before.¡±


    ¡°Because you weren¡¯t looking for it,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You were too concerned with each other.  I imagine the rules of this module prevented you from killing one another.¡±


    All three nodded.  ¡°That is how the last two finalists were disqualified,¡± Odalga said.


    ¡°But how does this change the curse?¡± Chago asked.  ¡°Do we need to kill Pok?¡±


    The dark elf stiffened and readied a spell.


    ¡°Not that I know,¡± Jace said.  ¡°What I assume is that the spell divided the land¡¯s power into two entities: light and dark.¡± He glanced at the medieval Darth Vader sitting on the throne and couldn¡¯t help but appreciate the nuanced change.  ¡°Lord Vulder, Paltine, Pok, and the rest of his group use this dark energy, and they locked the life-giving power deep within the earth.  But if they can wield the dark, then others can wield the light.¡±


    ¡°Sonan,¡± Odlaga reasoned.


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Before, he was just a powerful barbarian; after my change, he wielded the full power of the land that once made it prosperous.¡±


    ¡°And then they trapped that power in Delilah,¡± Chago said.  ¡°If she is a threat to them, can¡¯t we just kill her?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°She isn¡¯t a threat.  The power is.  If you kill Delly, the power goes back into the earth, and Sonan or anyone else can call upon it.  I imagine, now that you all are ¡®Children of the Desert,¡¯ you will be able to call on it too.  No, they need to lock it away in something more predictable than a character and send it away so they can complete their plan.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Jaheed asked.


    ¡°Perpetual rule,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I didn¡¯t get the prophecy wrong.  I quoted you the new version.  Ruled by one perpetually.  Lord Vulder plans to turn himself into an undead king.¡±  He turned to Vulder.  ¡°What will it be?  A vampire?  A lich?¡±


    ¡°A draugr,¡± Vulder replied.


    ¡°Then what are we doing here?¡± Odalga shouted.  ¡°I¡¯ve spent most of my time the last two months on this quest.  There better be a reward.¡±


    ¡°I will need a second in command,¡± Vulder said.  ¡°In my new form, I will not be able to enter the sunlight.  This will impair my ability to rule.  I will need someone to . . .¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Odolga said.  ¡°I will not play second fiddle to a mummy ruling over one small city in the middle of a desert.  I was to be queen of an entire empire.¡±


    ¡°Silence!¡± Vulder shouted, standing and drawing his sword.  The blade shone red, warping the air around it.  ¡°I am altering the deal.  Pray I don¡¯t alter it any further.¡±


    Jace almost laughed out loud.  The other three non-American players didn¡¯t get the reference.  Jace took the opportunity to wave his hands about, trying to signal Gracie.  He needed an update on Esther¡¯s situation.  He had a bad feeling where Paltine was.  Unfortunately, Gracie didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Chago asked.  ¡°If we can¡¯t kill Delly, but they need to get rid of the power, we are at an impasse.¡±


    ¡°I said it wasn¡¯t as simple as YOU killing Delly,¡± Jace corrected.  ¡°The power goes back into the earth, or one of you absorbs it.  Vulder doesn¡¯t want that.¡±


    ¡°Then they will kill her,¡± Odalga said.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°I¡¯m guessing as long as she has this power inside her, they can¡¯t touch her.  Or, at least, they can¡¯t kill her.  They would have done so already.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s level 10,¡± Chago argued.  He motioned to the half dozen powerful characters on the other side of the room.  ¡°Any of them could squash her like a bug.¡±


    Jace shook his head again.  He remembered Paltine¡¯s failed spell against Delly from the end of her cutscene.  ¡°This game has rules.  How much darkness does it take to extinguish a candle?  It doesn¡¯t matter if it is 1:00 AM on a moonless night in a cave.  The candle still produces light.  No, they need a third party to do it, and they have to watch so they can trap the escaping power in some device.¡±


    Across the room, Pok puled a six-foot obsidian staff from his cloak.  It had a massive crystal at one end that looked like empty glass.  ¡°Your reputation is well-earned, orc,¡± the necromancer said.  ¡°But do you understand your role in all this?  You aren¡¯t just the expositor.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Yes.  I am the third party that has to kill Delly.¡±


    {Jace,} Gracie interrupted to impart more bad news.  {Esther¡¯s been captured.  She and Delly are on their way up to you with four more powerful characters to add to your party.  Oh, and Esther let it slip that you work for the CIA.  Ahbid knows I¡¯m involved.  Sorry.}


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you come here to save her?¡± Odalga chided, appreciating the irony.


    ¡°What¡¯s to keep you from walking out of here and forgetting the whole thing?¡± Chago added.


    Jace looked down at Snowy, still quivering in fear.  ¡°I¡¯m guessing that is why my familiar is now a snake.  If I want her changed back, I need to cooperate.¡±  Across the room, Kelrick smiled and nodded.  ¡°And,¡± Jace added, ¡°there is this other part of my mission that you know nothing about that has me obligated to see this through.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡± Odalga said.  ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Jace looked at the double doors behind them.  ¡°I believe Ahbid will arrive shortly and is undoubtedly dying to tell you.¡±


    The group only needed to wait another minute.

 Chapter 49

    Jace watched Esther lead the way into the throne room, a vacant look in her eye.  Her trance-like state made sense when Paltine walked in after her, still holding her in a command spell.  Abhid came next, leading his two monks, with Delly struggling between them.  Paltine had needed Ahbid¡¯s women to escort the barbarian as his magic couldn¡¯t contain her.  The orc looked over at the rest of the waiting crowd.  Pok, Ferrick, Tenesta, and Kelrick had been able to effectively subdue Delly before, but now that they had advanced in level under the tutelage of Vulder and Paltine, Jace guessed their strength was just as tied to the dark magic as their superiors.  If he could free Delly somehow . . .


    ¡°Ah, the barbarian queen has arrived,¡± Vulder said, rising from his throne.  The monks read his intention and maneuvered the Grappled young woman into the center of the room before the throne.  They forced her to her knees.  ¡°Excellent.¡±  Ahbid stood a dozen feet away, watching his companions closely.  Vulder turned to him.  ¡°Your partner has brought you up to speed?¡±


    Ahbid looked over at Jaheed and nodded.  Jace guessed they shared an operator.  ¡°And now I need to bring you important information,¡± he said as reverently as possible, bowing before the ruler.  ¡°I think you are making a mistake, Lord Vulder.  Jace Thorne is not who he says he is.  You should not let an outsider perform this task.  He works for a government agency in his realm, and his true purpose here cares nothing for your rule or Delilah Sorek.¡±


    While they talked, Paltine released Esther and walked to stand beside the throne.  Pok stepped up to him, holding the obsidian staff in which they would attempt to trap the land¡¯s life-giving power.  There was no way the necromancer would be able to manage the spell, so he handed the magical device to Paltine and stepped back.


    Ahbid went on at length about the CIA and Jace¡¯s assumed mission to attack specific individuals like Odalga, Chago, and himself.  The other players found this new information extremely interesting, and they cast nervous glances at Jace.  Vulder, on the other hand, grew bored quickly.  Jace tried to ignore it and focused on Esther.


    She approached Jace but drew back at the last second when she saw Snowy.  ¡°What is . . .¡± After one look into the snake¡¯s frosty eyes, she knew who it was.  ¡°What is going on?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jace asked first.  The woman nodded.  Then Jace explained as little as he needed to bring the woman up to speed.  Her eyes saw Delly kneeling before the ruler and understood.  Currently, the Prime Regent was laughing at Ahbid¡¯s request.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± he said.  ¡°You think you should be the one to kill her.  As an undead paladin, opposed to the forces of death, the power would be drawn to you like a vortex.  No, you can not do this.¡±


    ¡°I will do it!¡±  Odalga and Chago said at once.


    ¡°Silence, imbeciles!  I am not a fool.  With this power, any of you could defeat me.  Stand aside, or you shall experience a fate worse than the wolf.¡±  The players bowed their heads, and Ahbid took several steps back.


    Vulder turned his eyes to Jace.  ¡°Come now, orc, or CIA agent, or government official, or whatever you wish to be called.  I care not for what happens outside this realm.  I care only about your purpose in this one.  Step up and execute your function.¡±


    Jace crossed his arms.  ¡°I can not do this thing.¡±


    Beside him, Esther smiled at her leader¡¯s refusal.


    ¡°What?¡± Vulder asked.


    ¡°I said,¡± Jace repeated, ¡°I can not . . .¡±  His mouth froze as Paltine cast a spell on him.


    ¡°I am not a child!¡± Vulder raged.  ¡°I do not question the words you spoke but the meaning behind them.  Do not think we can¡¯t command you to walk off the edge of this room to fall to your death.  I will not tolerate your insulance!¡±


    Jace felt his jaw slacken as the brief spell expired and cleared his throat.  ¡°I am an Honest, Ordered, Traditional Stone Shaman.  If anyone in the room can absorb life-giving energy from the earth, it is I.  I will not have you read my intentions at the last moment and kill me.  Besides, if I were to do this, my god would abandon me.¡±


    He paused to let that sink in before continuing.  ¡°I offer you an alternative.¡±  He pushed Esther away from him and toward the middle of the room.  ¡°Esther Xerxes will kill Delilah Sorek.¡±


    ¡°I will . . . what?!¡± Esther cried, her smile from earlier evaporating.


    ¡°She is a vampire,¡± Jace explained, ¡°unable to channel life-giving magic.  Though she has death within her, it is not of this land, and she will not be prevented from killing Delly as you are.  She has the skill to execute the job with one clean blow, and the power will be yours to entrap.¡±


    ¡°Excellent proposal,¡± Vulder said, appreciating the irony of the arrangement.


    ¡°I will not!¡± Esther said.  She drew her weapons but turned away from Delly with killing intent on her leader.


    {You do not want to know what just happened to your relationship score with her,} Gracie advised.  {I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t actually intend to kill Delly, but at this point, you don¡¯t have the authority over Esther to force her to do it, even if you wanted to.}


    It looked like Esther might attack him, and Jace waved his hands to stop her.  ¡°Please, Esther, listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t wave your hands in my face, you rotten orc.¡±


    {Waving your hands?} Gracie asked.  {Is that a signal for me?  Of course, you can¡¯t talk to me without them noticing.}  Paltine and Pok expected trickery and had their magical powers focused on Jace.


    ¡°Esther,¡± Psycho intruded.  ¡°This is Jace; trust him.¡±


    That took a little steam out of her sails.


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°Yes, please,¡± Draya said.  ¡°He once traded me as a slave for a few crates of fruit, and it all worked out.¡±


    ¡°Not helping,¡± Gropmhy said, kicking the mage in the shin.


    ¡°Please, Esther,¡± Jace said, trying to ignore the antics of his other companions.  ¡°Dispel your fear and doubt.¡±  He hoped Gracie was paying as much attention as Esther.


    ¡°But . . . but . . .¡± Esther said, her rage turning to sorrow.  ¡°It¡¯s Delly.  We came here to save her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get choked up,¡± he said.  ¡°We will save her.¡±


    {I think I got it, boss,} Gracie said, picking up on the carefully placed words that didn¡¯t fit with the way Jace normally talked.  {But how?  No one has been able to do it yet.}


    ¡°She is stuck now,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We can¡¯t fight these characters.  They are too strong.  Remember, we had to kill Psycho to free him from his quest.¡±


    ¡°Will . . . will Delly respawn?¡± Esther asked.


    Jace nodded.  ¡°She will respawn, and everything will be chill.¡±


    {Got it,} Gracie said.  {Great plan.  I¡¯ll tell her.}


    ¡°But, will she remember us?¡± Esther asked, and then her head cocked to the side as Gracie explained the plan through her earrings.


    Jace worried the other players might notice it, so he spoke quickly.  ¡°I¡¯m sure she will.  Her quest was always to find you and your sisters.  When we are done here, we can go back into the city, and she will be sitting at her favorite tavern waiting for us.  It is the only way out of this mess she is in.¡±  The speech was full of lies, and Jace guessed at least three of the other characters detected them.  Hopefully, that would distract them from Esther¡¯s flinch.


    Gracie and Jace finished their instructions at the same time, and Esther nodded, displaying an effective poker face.  ¡°Okay, Jace, I will do it.  But you better not be lying to me.¡±  Jace hugged her and gently turned her around so she faced Vulder and Delly.  Ahbid still voiced his concerns with this arrangement, and Paltine silenced him.  The paladin nodded humbly and took a few more steps back to give Esther a straight line toward the front of the throne and Delly¡¯s prone body.  Esther approached, sheathing Char so she only held her frost blade.


    ¡°Esther,¡± Delly said, looking up at her friend from a kneeling position.  ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this.  This isn¡¯t what I expected when you said Jace was . . .¡±


    ¡°Can you render her Helpless?¡± Esther asked with a coldness that made her rapier seem warm by comparison.


    The two monks nodded, tightening their grip on the woman, and Delly lost her ability to speak.


    ¡°Make her face the floor,¡± Esther instructed, and the women complied.  The rogue stepped back from her friend, ensuring the light from the chandelier above didn¡¯t illuminate the floor between them too much.  She cast a spell, and everyone in the room tensed, but it was True Strike on her weapon.


    Jace watched intently, hoping he wasn¡¯t making a big mistake.  He looked around at the crowd and their positions, trying to devise a battle strategy if this plan didn¡¯t work.  Heck, he was going to need a strategy if it did work.  After Ahbid¡¯s revelation about him working for the CIA, Jace didn¡¯t need to guess on which side the human trafficker and money launderer would come down.  No one returned his looks as everyone focused on the executioner in the middle of the room.


    Esther took one more calming breath and tugged on the brim of her hat, sending her into complete darkness.  Ferrick, Dreller, and Tenesta flinched, readying their weapons, sensing foul play, but the rest understood the magical spell and the intent behind it.  A few seconds later, Esther leaped from the shadows, Chill arching down toward the back of Delly¡¯s exposed neck, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.


    Esther¡¯s attack skill with her rapier was at 52.  She got +10 from True Strike and another +10 from a Surprise Attack since a Helpless character was always surprised.  It was a Sneak Attack from the shadows, and she added her full Stealth skill of 49.  Since she wasn¡¯t in combat mode before the attack and took the time to Concentrate, she rolled a perfect 20.  That was an attack value of 141.  Delly¡¯s armor class was at 0 currently since she was prone without armor.  That gave Esther 14 critical successes plus one more for rolling a 20.  She could multiply her weapon¡¯s 51 damage by 15 and vaporize her friend, but Gracie had communicated a better plan.  Instead, she only let the base damage of 51 flow into the barbarian and spent the 15 criticals on the weapon''s secondary ability: Dispel.  The rogue also dumped 300+ mana into the level 12 rapier, adding another 60 points to the 150 from the criticals, which was just enough to defeat the 200-point difficulty of the level 30 choker.  Any priest trying to dispel the device would also have to account for the high level but spells cast into weapons ignored the level as long as you hit your target.


    The razor edge of Chill bit slightly into Delly¡¯s neck, and the magical choker unclasped and fell to the floor.


    Then the room shook.


    <hr>


    Delly felt the pain from the attack, but that quickly washed away as a rush of power swelled within her.  With her hands and knees against the floor, she felt a strong connection with the ground below, even though it was over a hundred feet away.  The earth¡¯s rage flowed through the maze of wood, stone, and metal supports connecting the throne room to the desert sand.  The power didn¡¯t heal her, but the rage inflated her base hit points, so the damage she had incurred over the past hour felt like only a scratch by comparison.


    Delly¡¯s muscles tightened and flexed as she was released from her Helpless condition, the monks¡¯ skill no longer capable of holding her.  The barbarian rose from the floor, shrieking in rage, and threw the two smaller women off her like a dog spraying water.  One monk flew toward Pok and Kelrick while the other caught an arrow from Tenesta, who fired on reflex before the orange-clad woman collided with her.


    ¡°No!¡± Vulder¡¯s voice rang out.  ¡°Kill her!  I don¡¯t care who.  Just kill her!¡±


    <hr>


    Jace smiled at the result of his plan, happy the game mechanics could be counted on, even in a unique situation like this.  Psycho and Draya readied their weapons beside him, but he raised a hand to hold them off.  He expected the collected players and NPCs would all be against him if he gave them a reason to attack.  Right now, they were focused on Delly, and she looked capable of taking a hit or two . . . or twenty. He wanted a chance to observe his potential combatants first, knowing they would probably loose their most potent attacks and spells at the barbarian.  She could take a few for the team before Jace¡¯s crew got involved.


    However, in the few seconds immediately after Delly¡¯s rebirth, only Ahbid had the presence of mind to react.  He was the most eager to please the Vice Regent and had never trusted Jace to go through with the kill.  Even before Vulder called for her death, the paladin had drawn his mace and charged at the barbarian.


    Jace observed the attack with interest.


    Only after she had shed her two grapplers did Delly register Ahbid¡¯s approach.  He had closed to within 20 feet.  The former escort activated her Quick Change ability, and she went from a vulnerable-looking woman in skimpy attire to a battle-hardened warrior holding an axe, shield, and covered in magical items.  She still wore only a halter top and skirt, as barbarians received penalties for wearing armor, so that was expected.


    Ahbid hesitated at the change and chose to raise his shield instead of attacking.  It was the correct choice, though it increased his survivability only slightly.  Delly would have to roll a 1 in attack.  She didn¡¯t.  The barbarian¡¯s axe swept in from her right, hitting the silver shield and slicing through it like wet cardboard.  Jace hadn¡¯t known shields could fail like that and continued to watch in amazement as the axe blade swept over Ahbid¡¯s shoulders and severed his head without slowing down.


    The rest of the room had been slow to react, and now they all stood in horror as the level 22 player stood decapitated, wavering slightly on his feet before toppling forward, spraying blood on the woman before him.  Jace had his gore settings turned down, so he only saw a splattering of red on Delly¡¯s dark skin, though he imagined the rest of the room saw her covered in a fountain of blood.  The sight of her rage-filled eyes turning on Vulder was enough to haunt anyone¡¯s dreams.


    The room exploded into madness.

 Chapter 50

    Esther stepped back from the grizzly scene, careful not to get blood on her, still in shock from the incredible strength of her friend.  As Delly turned toward Vulder, Esther moved to follow when Gracie arrested her.  {Jace says he wants you to get Ahbid¡¯s mace,} the operator said.


    ¡°What for?¡± Esther asked, eyeing a potential path through the crimson lake to the dead paladin.  ¡°He can¡¯t use it.  Besides, you don¡¯t loot in the middle of a fight.¡±


    {He probably has a plan he isn¡¯t telling me,} Gracie said.


    Esther shrugged, knowing that Jace usually had good reasons for what he wanted.  The rogue danced around the pooling blood as she approached the fallen knight.  With her unique skills, she only needed to touch the magical weapon with her foot to snatch it into her inventory.  Still, the move had cost her time, and when she turned to help Delly, the barbarian was already engaged with the fighters protecting Vulder.


    Ferrick and Dreller had stepped forward from their flanking positions and dared to engage the enraged woman.  They each glowed with a soft light, and Delly¡¯s powerful axe strikes didn¡¯t do nearly as much damage as they had against Ahbid.  Most of her hits bounced off their shields.


    {It looks like Protection from Slashing,} Gracie said.  {It isn¡¯t as good as Immunity, only reducing the damage and strikes by half, but they can move around and attack.}


    Esther winced as the two men struck back, one with a sword and the other with the scorpion flail. From what Jace had said, Esther understood that these characters, who had aligned themselves with the plague¡¯s dark magic, would have reduced effectiveness against Delly with the power of the desert flowing through her, and their strikes reflected this. Ferrick barely did more than ten damage with each hit, and Dreller did even less, the poison in his weapon ineffective against the enraged woman.


    Tenesta was the least magical in the group, so her attacks were affected the least, and she peppered the female barbarian with arrows.  Still, Delly¡¯s rage-induced Damage Reduction was so high that each shaft did less than ten damage, although they apparently caused significant pain as Delly winced continuously.


    Esther was still looking for an opening when she saw a pair of hammers fly in and then a wicked dagger.  She turned to see Odalga and her blacksmith dwarf joining the fight.  The rogue thought that would be an excellent choice to help but saw Jace, Draya, and Psycho take them on.  {If you want to help, take out the priest casting the slashing protection,} Gracie said.


    Esther nodded and turned toward the rest of the characters.  Paltine and Pok were attempting to cast spells against Delly but failing.  They eventually turned to the rest of the crowd, and Esther instinctively rolled to the side to get out of their deadly sights.  She hated being mind-controlled.  Paltine could obviously have her do anything he wanted, and as a necromancer, Pok would have bonuses for controlling a vampire.   They might have seen her, but it didn¡¯t matter as a cloud of dark smoke enveloped them, and lighting flashed through it, producing screams of pain from the two magic users.


    The rogue looked over her shoulder and saw Gromphy pulling another bomb from his vest and running toward the two powerful characters.  This left Kelrick and Jaheed.  The alchemist kept feeding the priest potions, and the former associate of Ahbid continued to cast protection spells and buffs on the fighters engaging Delly.  Esther raced toward the pair and was tripped up when an orange blur intersected her path and kicked her behind the knee.


    Esther avoided cutting herself on her blades and rolled back to her feet to look at one of Ahbid¡¯s monks.  The rogue remembered the two of them being thrown in opposite directions and that one had hit the two magic users who now fought through Gromphy¡¯s attack.  She must have escaped the cloud.  ¡°Do you really think you can take me by yourself?¡± Esther asked, turning to face the lone woman and sheathing one of her blades so she could more effectively Grapple if need be.


    ¡°No,¡± the monk said through her face covering, ¡°but I can distract you for a moment.¡±


    Esther realized her mistake too late and turned back toward her original targets to see a black vial finish its flight toward her and explode around her feet.  Because of the distraction, there was no time to evade the throw, and she made eye contact with the alchemist a moment before a ten-foot circle turned to slick oil around her feet.  Still, she tried to scramble away but slipped and fell hard against the floor.  ¡°Not again,¡± she cursed.  ¡°I hate oil.¡±  As soon as the memory of battling the squid with Psycho came back to her, tentacles emerged from the black patch, and Grappled the rogue.


    Esther cut the first one off at the base and easily wrestled herself free of the second, but then two grabbed her at once, one around a leg and the other around the free arm that didn¡¯t hold a weapon.  She managed to slice one more off before her other arm was secured tight.  She struggled just enough to know she was stuck.  The rogue sensed she had the skill to possibly escape, except the slick floor meant any bonus she got to her Athletic skill from her Dexterity was reduced to nothing.


    ¡°At least they aren¡¯t hurting me,¡± Esther said.  As if mocking her statement, she heard sounds from her left and turned her head to see three poisonous snakes slithering toward her.


    <hr>


    Jace watched the fight unfold while casting his regular defensive spells and buffs, waiting for the right time to enter the battle.  Delly had just taken two hammers to her back and one knife.  Though the blade was small, it struck the back of the woman¡¯s neck, and she froze for a moment as her barbarian rage forced a success on a Death Save.  Odalga was level 21 and probably had many of the same skills as Psycho.  A Death Shot ability with knives from close range was a real possibility, and he didn¡¯t know how many more of those Delly could absorb.


    ¡°Psycho, Draya,¡± he said.  ¡°Take out that group!¡±  He pointed toward Odalga, her dwarf, and the desert wizard.


    Psycho acted first and leveled his bow at the trio.  Odalga looked hesitant about what to do, but the dwarf already had two more hammers magically appear in his hands and was cocked back, ready to throw.  The archer¡¯s arrow took him through the temple, and his weapons fell to the floor, followed a second later by his dead body.  The wizard had cast a few buff spells on his companions and was now preparing an attack when the shot came in.  He turned his attention from the barbarian to the group on his left.  Before he released his spell, he took a face full of dragonfire in a six-second-long stream.  He fell next to the dwarf, burnt to a crisp.


    Odalga had ducked out of the way of the fire and now came up, having changed targets and let her deadly dagger fly toward Jace¡¯s group.  The large orc stepped in front of his more vulnerable companions.  The dagger shattered the entirety of the Stone Skin spell he had cast, which he had expected.  Psycho stepped around his leader to fire an arrow at the rogue sniper.  The woman smiled and casually reached up to catch the shaft inches from her chest, shaking her head.  This, Jace hadn¡¯t expected.


    Draya wasn¡¯t fazed and leveled her staff at the woman.  ¡°Catch this!¡± she quipped but then screamed out in pain and danced about as she looked down at her feet.  A snake had just bit her, and half a dozen more gathered around the trio, ready to strike.  Psycho-changed targets and used Rapid Fire to nail three snakes to the wooden floor.


    ¡°Watch out for the local fauna,¡± Odalga laughed as she drew another knife and summoned the power to make a killing throw.  ¡°They can attack when you least . . .¡± her voice cut off in a surprised scream as a giant anaconda wrapped around her legs and dragged her to the floor.  Within seconds, Snowy entrapped her entire body and started to squeeze.


    Jace trusted his familiar to take care of business with the deadly woman and turned to his group.  Psycho had killed three more snakes, and Draya flamed another before the rest decided to find easier targets.  ¡°Where¡¯s Gromphy?¡± Jace asked.  The small goblin was easy to lose.  An explosion to his right stole his attention for a moment, and he saw a small storm cloud inside the throne room with Gromphy running toward it.  Jace chose to trust him.  Before they had entered the room, the orc Shaman had told his crafter to focus on the magic users if a battle broke out.  One hit from any of the warriors would likely kill the goblin, but he had a chance against Paltine, Pok, and Kelrick.  Gromphy¡¯s Magic Defense was the best on Jace¡¯s team, and he had told the crafter to buff it further with potions, spells, and items if he could.


    He turned back to Draya to see the woman in pain and turning blue.  He looked down at her swollen ankle, where the snake had bitten her.  ¡°I need a potion,¡± she gasped.  Gromphy had designed pockets in all their clothes so they could retrieve certain items without entering their inventory, but it still took a round to drink it.  Jace and Psycho turned their back on the mage to ward off any attacker that might take advantage of the momentarily vulnerable woman.


    Jace found Chago waiting for him, both swords drawn and smiling.  ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to fight you for a long time,¡± he said and swung his blades in a dizzying array.  Jace had Diamond Etcher in his hands, and his foot sought out a line of marble in the floor to stand on.  He felt a connection to his Armor totem a moment before the first sword attack hit home.  Jace parried just in time, barely got a second block up for the other blade, and then stabbed back between them.


    The quick fighter jumped out of the way and then swept back in, low and high simultaneously.  Jace realized too late that he should have turned his parrying to automatic in order to block the two attacks and failed to parry the low one.  With a strike strong enough to sever most character¡¯s legs, Chago¡¯s blade bounced off the thick quad muscles of the orc, with all of the damage going to his totem nearby.  Even without harming Jace, the strength of the blow knocked him back a step, and he lost contact with his totem.


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    Jace didn¡¯t manage to block either of the following two attacks but put up a strong enough defense to prevent any critical strikes.  Without a connection to his totems, he took over 100 damage, and his opponent smiled.  ¡°Seems your vaunted skill was all hype,¡± Chago laughed, dodging another counterattack from Jace and pressing hard the next round.


    <hr>


    Psycho didn¡¯t have an obvious enemy waiting for him, so he contemplated taking a shot at the half-orc archer across the room.  Tenesta wasn¡¯t doing much damage to Delly, but if she ever changed targets, she could kill Draya or Gromphy with one shot.  Before he fired, the elf heard the sound of broken glass behind him.  Did Draya just drop her potion?  He turned to see the vial on the floor, the spilled antidote wasted, and Draya not readily visible.  A flash of orange caught his peripheral, and he spun to see a female monk pulling Draya toward the side of the room.  Though the young mage was slightly taller than the robed figure, and the shorter fighter stood behind her, leaving barely anything for Psycho to shoot at, it was enough.


    The skilled archer let fly, and the arrow should have pierced the monk¡¯s shoulder, but instead, it seemed to get caught up in her orange clothing, like he was shooting a banner flapping in the breeze.  With her dragon staff in her hands, Draya had supernatural strength running through her, and it was just enough to resist the monk and keep her from acquiring a secure hold.  However, the smaller fighter changed tactics, and instead of trying to lock her up, she performed a disarming attack, and the weapon clattered to the floor.


    Instantly, Draya felt herself weaken, even more so with the poison still racing through her body.  She knew better than to struggle against the superior character behind her.  Training with Esther had taught her that.  Still, she was Securly Grappled with her arms pinned to her side and limited to activities that took only one action.  She dropped a minor fireball at her feet.  The monk screamed in surprise more than pain, but she did let go.


    Draya collapsed on her staff, picked it up, and rolled to her back, lacking the strength to stand.  As she turned, she held her weapon at one end and swept at the Monk.  The woman¡¯s robes glowed with red lines from the fire attack, and she was already scrambling back toward Draya.  The blunt weapon pushed through her flapping robes and struck hard on her left side.  She stumbled to the right, crashing into an empty snake holder.


    Psycho understood instantly.  ¡°Right,¡± he said to himself.  ¡°Blunt attacks to get through those magical clothes.¡±  He pulled special hammer arrows Gromphy had crafted for him and let three of them fly in rapid succession.  The monk had just righted herself from Draya¡¯s attack and looked warily down at the weekend mage, ready to dodge the next staff strike.  She took a step toward the fallen woman and then reeled back as the three arrows hit her in the shoulder, head, and stomach like the rapid combo from a heavyweight boxer.  Each arrow did 50 damage, and she was close to half-health.  She dropped to a knee and looked up at Psycho as he prepared more arrows.  The archer thought he saw a smile in her eyes and wondered why when two orange-clad arms wrapped around his torso and threw him to the ground.


    <hr>


    Gromphy watched the magic users as the battle around him grew to a fevered pitch.  Paltine tried two different spells against Delly, and the barbarian never flinched.  The goblin shook his head in disappointment.  The last few minutes had been a detailed discussion about how their magic and abilities would be useless against the woman, and that was when she had worn the choker.  Still, the powerful mage wasted two spells and lots of mana against her.


    Pok only wasted one, and when it failed, he turned his eyes away from the woman to look for a different target.  His face broadened to a sickening grin when he saw the dead paladin on the floor.  A round later, the knight¡¯s arms and legs began to twitch and jitter as the necromancer filled it with undead magic.  Raising a level 22 character wasn¡¯t as simple as summoning skeletons, and it would take a while, giving Gromphy a chance to stop it.


    At eye level with the snakes who had all crawled off their poles, the goblin looked vulnerable, but he had a natural quickness to evade them.  They attacked in the blink of an eye, but they moved laterally across the floor much slower, and as long as he stayed at least three feet from them, they didn¡¯t have a chance to attack.  He took a long route around Ahbid¡¯s body, not wanting Pok to see him, and closed to throwing distance.


    The storm bomb was a new invention of his, and he wished he had thought of it back in his module days when he was the weapon smith for the defenders of the Torrintank Keep.  Tossing those from the top of the wall at the invading army would have been fun.  It worked reasonably well here, too, and caused enough damage to the two mages to disrupt Pok¡¯s spell, and the dead paladin lay suddenly still.  He doubled down with a second bomb for good measure.


    Gromphy pulled a monocle out of his vest and put it on before running headlong into the cloud.  He could see clearly through the eyepiece and, as the caster of the spell, the lightning ignored him.  After drawing a weapon, he came upon Pok¡¯s legs quickly.  His tiny dagger could barely produce enough damage to rise above the necromancer¡¯s measly Damage Reduction, but the poison he had coated it with rivaled that of a king cobra, and the dark mage howled in agony as his leg went rigid with pain.


    The goblin hoped the man would confuse him for a snake bite and spun around to find Paltine.  The other mage had already stepped out of the cloud and prepared a spell aimed toward Jace.  Gromphy stabbed hard at his calf, and the knife bounced off a magical barrier harmlessly.  Still, it grabbed Paltine¡¯s attention, and instead of releasing the spell toward the player, he hurled it down at the goblin.


    Gromphy¡¯s entire existence was suddenly pain and despair.  Even with his Magic Defense as high as he had ever made it, that spell attack had forced itself through.  As the goblin dropped his dagger and stumbled back, Paltine cried out in astonishment.  ¡°How are you still standing, you rat-faced gnome?  You should be a shriveled dead prune.¡±


    Gromphy almost wished he was dead and understood he must have saved against half the spell¡¯s strength.  What would it have done to Jace?  As the mage turned to regard him fully, the crafter staggered back into the storm cloud and dropped another bomb at Paltine¡¯s feet.  A column of ice rose straight up around the mage, encasing him in a solid block.  Gromphy didn¡¯t think it would hold him for long and hastily pulled a few more vials out of his vest while he stood in the cloud cover.  It took two potions for him to shake off the aftereffects of whatever deathly spell the mage had cast, and he drank a third to edge his Magic Defense even higher.


    Cracks were already forming in the icy prison around Paltine, and Gromphy reached into his bag of tricks and pulled a feline figurine to summon a panther.  The black cat swirled into existence just as the last bits of ice cracked and popped off the powerful mage.  The cat didn¡¯t have Gromphy¡¯s ability to see in the storm cloud, so the goblin had to shove it in the right direction.  Once it left the fog, it found Paltine shaking the last bits of ice out of his robe.


    The panther¡¯s first attack with its claws bounced off the mage¡¯s magical defense, but it could attack much faster than Gromphy and the crafter knew it would break through in short order.  He left his pet to do its work and turned to locate Pok.  The necromancer was dragging himself out of the cloud, his left leg useless and in pain while lightning still struck him once every round.  Once free from the fog, he could see more clearly and rose to limp toward Kelrick and Jaheed.


    Gromphy chased after him through the cloud and then approached the three powerful characters carefully, knowing any of them could kill him even though they weren¡¯t warriors.  The priest had cast a sanctuary spell on himself, making him invulnerable to all attacks and unable to do anything offensive.  That was fine since he was only aiding his side with healing and protection spells.


    The alchemist kept him at full strength with potions to augment his mana regeneration, increase the effectiveness of his spells, and raise his key abilities.  Kelrick wasn¡¯t skilled enough to produce the mana restoration potions Gromphy could make, so he needed several different concoctions to achieve the same result.  The alchemist took a break to craft an antidote potion for Pok, and Gropmhy ran up behind the pair to stab the necromancer in the other leg with a second dagger coated with an entirely different poison.


    Pok screamed out in pain again, and before Kelrick could figure out why, the elusive goblin stabbed him too.


    <hr>


    Delly grew tired.  At first, the strength that filled her seemed limitless.  She was used to growing fatigued after several rounds, but this new power lasted much longer.  Her usual barbarian rage granted her agility, finesse, and precision, and the fatigue it left her with was manageable.  She still felt those same attributes flow through her, but now they combined with Sonan¡¯s tremendous strength, and she was a killing machine.  Or, she should have been.


    She had taken Ahbid down in one shot, but these other fighters were sturdier.  As a barbarian, she wasn¡¯t as attuned to magic as Leah, Tami, and Esther, and it took her a while to realize Ferrick and Dreller were receiving help.  Five successful attacks from her were enough to drain them to almost nothing, but then they always healed back up to maximum.  Also, her attacks weren¡¯t doing nearly enough damage.  And half of her attacks bounced harmlessly off their shields.  As hard as she tried, she couldn¡¯t break through their defenses to get at Vulder, standing ten feet behind them.


    At first, the Vice-Regent looked on in horror at the rage-filled woman intent on killing him, but as his fighters stood fast against the onslaught and Delly¡¯s health slowly ticked down, he grew more confident.  ¡°You can¡¯t hope to kill us all,¡± he boasted.  ¡°The land¡¯s power is no match for the plague.¡±


    It was the implication that she was fighting them all that made her look around and see the priest casting spells in her direction.  He was the one responsible for healing the men and protecting them from her attacks.  Jaheed wasn¡¯t united to the dark power of the plague like Vulder¡¯s crew was.  In fact, he was a Child of the Desert, and his spells weren¡¯t vulnerable to her power.


    She took a few steps back and caught her breath, trying to search out how much strength she had left.  Taking a moment, she saw the faint glimmers of protective energy around the two fighters that stood their ground at the base of the throne.  She looked up at Vulder and saw no protection.  If she could only get past the men . . .


    To her left, she saw Tenesta still firing the ineffective arrows at her.  If only Delly had a ranged weapon, then she could strike a blow at Lord Vulder.  An idea crept into her mind, and she dropped her shield to hold her axe with two hands and hoist it high on her left side, bracing as if she were going to charge recklessly forward.  Dreller, on her left, held his scorpion shield out wide, preparing for the attack.


    With a terrific shout of rage, she ran forward several steps, and Dreller raised his defense.  At the last moment, she shifted her weapon directly over her head and heaved forward, releasing the handle just as it cleared her forehead.  Dreller was out of position, and Ferrick desperately tried to get his shield up to block, but it was too late.


    Lord Vulder¡¯s continuous boasts stuck in his throat as he saw the mighty axe flipping over in the air. He had no time to dodge as it traveled fifteen feet in a blink of an eye and sliced deep into his sternum, nearly punching through his spine.  Thunder roared in the room, and the pleasant breeze flowing in through the open walls grew instantly cold.  Vulder opened his mouth in a silent scream as the weapon¡¯s momentum threw him back into his throne, which toppled over off the raised dias and out of view.


    Everyone tied to Lord Vulder staggered as if they, too, had been struck.  Delly didn¡¯t wait for them to recover and ran away from the armed fighters and toward the magic users, who were partially obscured by a tiny storm cloud.

 Chapter 51

    The snakes hesitated only a few feet from Esther¡¯s neck as the oil slick gave them pause.  The woman cursed the sticky black goo but understood the snakes didn¡¯t like it either.  Still, it would only be a matter of seconds before they found an angle that would allow them to strike out over it and latch on to her exposed flesh.


    Then, the room shook with thunder.


    Esther had been constantly testing the tentacles, knowing the magical arms would eventually lose their strength. They slackened now, and she wriggled a leg free. Straining against the remaining disembodied arms, she angled the toe of her boot until it pressed against solid wood just outside of the black circle. Connection with the oil-free surface restored her agility, and she wrenched her right hand free.


    The snakes had been startled by whatever had caused the thunder and were slow to regain focus, giving Esther a few precious seconds to work. She retrieved a ruby from her gem bag and activated the bracer on her left hand to summon her dragon shield.  Hearing the renewed hissing only inches from her ear, she raised her shield toward it and dropped the red gemstone on the other side.


    Dragon fire ignited around her, blasting the snakes away.  The shield protected her from the initial explosion, but the oil caught fire as well, and it surrounded her.  She convulsed in pain, and so did the tentacles.  They tried to hold her for another round, but as the oil burned up and vanished, they lost strength.  Esther cut herself free, rolled out of the fire without taking too much damage, and rose quickly to her feet.


    As she took stock of the chaos around her, the shift in the weather drew her attention.  The sky had grown suddenly dark, and the wind blowing through the room carried an unusual chill given the desert environment.  In the distance, she heard rolling thunder.  Something pivotal had just occurred.  She searched the room to find out what and focused on the action closest to her.


    She saw Pok standing with the priest and alchemist, and all three of them were staring at Gromphy.  The goblin backpedaled slowly, holding two different vials, threatening to throw them.  Pok and Kelrick closed in on him from opposite directions, casting defensive spells and limping on wounded legs.  Esther saw Jaheed begin casting a spell toward his partners and remembered she had to take him out.  Sprinting toward the priest, she saw a translucent cylinder of magic around him.  As she closed the last few feet, she hoped her weapons would be able to penetrate.  Chill and Char deflected ineffectively against the barrier, but her momentum carried her into the cylinder, where she bounced off his body and landed in a pile of crates.


    ¡°Foolish girl,¡± he said as he completed his spell and granted relief to Pok and Kelrick so that they lost their limps and closed on Gromphy faster.


    Esther refused to give up.  She sheathed her weapons and returned to the man with her arms out.  Once again, she passed through the cylinder but, this time, grabbed onto his waist.  The priest cursed as he had to stop casting and address Esther.  The rogue smiled and flexed her ability to elevate the Grapple to the next level, but Jaheed simply stepped away from her.


    That couldn¡¯t be possible.  She¡¯d never met a priest that could come close to matching her physical prowess before.  Jaheed began casting again, and Esther pursued, stepping a few feet forward to wrap her arms around him.  She disrupted his casting a second time, and when she tried to secure him, he slipped effortlessly away.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± she asked out loud.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of a sanctuary spell before?¡± Jaheed responded, not even bothering to turn around and look at her.  ¡°You can¡¯t attack me.  Go bother someone else.¡±


    No.  Gracie had told her to take out the priest, and that was what she needed to do.  He resumed casting, and she jumped toward him to initiate the Grapple again.  This time, he cast a much shorter spell, and he released it just before she wrapped him up.  Esther was beginning to realize that a simple Grapple wasn¡¯t considered an attack.  It restricted a character''s movement and action choices, but it would never cause them harm.  So as long as she . . .


    Her train of thought derailed suddenly as the spell the priest had just cast came into full effect.  A dozen butcher knives rose into the air around him and spun in a circle, hacking and slashing at Esther¡¯s exposed skin.  She cried out in shock at the knives, though she quickly felt that they didn¡¯t hurt her.  Jaheed was level 20, so his spell and the knives that attacked her were also level 20.  Her scale armor protected her from all slashing damage level 20 and below.


    ¡°Now, will you let me go?¡± he asked, again not turning to look at her and keeping his eyes focused on the action before him.


    ¡°Never,¡± she said through gritted teeth.  ¡°I can take it.¡±  She did her best acting, filling her voice with pain.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± he said.  As the next round started, the knives fluttered to life again as if they were a colony of startled bats.


    Esther cried out in pain but didn¡¯t let go.  Instead, she took several steps backward, pulling the priest with her.  Jaheed accepted the movement, not resisting.  Esther understood that the man thought she could do nothing to harm him, and the damage she should have been receiving would be worth the loss of position.  Esther dragged him back another ten feet and cried out in pain again as the knives activated a third time.


    ¡°Are you really ready to die over this?¡± Jaheed asked.  ¡°You can¡¯t possibly take another round of damage.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t respond and instead looked at the battle before her.  Gromphy and his two opponents were stalemated, but she saw Delly running toward them and didn¡¯t want this priest helping anymore.  However, she also realized she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up this charade much longer.  She trusted the priest¡¯s estimation that she should be dead in a round or two.  When she wasn¡¯t, he would eventually free himself and turn to inspect her.


    She moved him back another ten feet, and the next round of knives sliced into her.  She laughed instead of crying this time.


    ¡°What kind of sadomasochist are you?¡±


    Esther leaned in close and whispered into his ear.  ¡°You¡¯re about to find out.¡±  With one final tug, she bent the two of them backward, and they fell over the waist-high rope railing and out of the top-floor room, spinning into the open air.


    <hr>


    When Delly hit Vulder with her axe, the room shook, and every one of his companions stumbled and needed a round or two to recover.  Chago wasn¡¯t aligned with the evil lord yet, and he never let up his assault on Jace.  With intermittent access to his totems, the orc struggled to repel the fighter¡¯s onslaught.  However, the shaman occasionally stepped on a marble line in the floor, giving him a +18 to his defenses and connecting him to his damage sink so that any attack he didn¡¯t deflect went into the totem.


    Two things happened to turn the flow of battle.  The first was that Jace began to identify the attack routines.  Like most players, Chago was on automatic, letting the computer game fight for him.  This meant all his attacks were dice rolls.  Sometimes, he rolled high, and sometimes, he rolled low.  Jace had never fought against someone wielding two long swords before, and all the attack routines were new to him.  It took him a while to identify the good attacks that he probably needed a perfect parry to deflect and the weaker ones that he could get away with something less.


    The second significant change happened when Chago backed him into the corner of the throne room where the bath stood.  The entire area was covered in marble tile, and Jace no longer had to pick his steps carefully to maintain a connection with his totems.  The fight changed in an instant.


    Jace identified a weak attack coming in, probably a roll of five or less, and took the time to execute a perfect parry.  It must have been a 20, earning him two bonus criticals and giving him a massive boost to his counterattack.  He finally hit the fighter, doing enormous damage. Usually, this would cause his NPC opponents to falter, and Chago¡¯s face did register distress, but since his attacks were automatic, he kept on chugging.


    His next attack wasn¡¯t great either, and Jace executed the same response, this time parry bashing him in the face.  This move was meant to throw an opponent backward and Daze them for a round, but Jace angled his block with the wall, so Chago only flew ten feet before he collided with a bronze snake holder.


    Jace felt confident in the fight now and risked a look over at his companions.  Psycho struggled with one of the female monks, who Grappled him from behind, while Draya weakly fended off the other one as she lay vulnerable on the ground, swiping her staff back and forth desperately.  Jace saw that Psycho and his assailant straddled one of the marble lines, and he took a moment to cast a spell, calling forth a stone wall matching the width of the half-inch inlay that rose directly between the two characters.


    He couldn¡¯t witness the result of the strategy as he sensed movement from his left.  He turned to see Chago coming off the wall after disentangling himself from the forked pole.  Jace always attacked manually but had played around with switching to and from automatic.  The game guided your attacks like a puppet master, and it was difficult to fight the urge to take over.  It was like holding the steering wheel of a self-driving car.  If you maintained a loose grip, the wheel would turn on its own beneath your hands.  But if you exerted even the slightest influence, the car would let you take over.


    Chago exercised heavy influence now.  He had seen Jace with his back toward him, gripped his swords tight in his hands, and meant to cut the arrogant orc¡¯s head off under his own power.  Jace recognized the primitive attack immediately and executed another perfect parry, blocking both blades with a single swipe of his sword.  The twin weapons went high, exposing Chago¡¯s body to attack. Jace thrust Diamond Etcher forward, skewering the flamboyant fighter through the chest, earning a total of four criticals, which he spent all on damage.  The trafficker¡¯s health plunged below zero as Jace¡¯s attack momentum sent them both back toward the wall until Etcher¡¯s tip stuck into a wooden pillar.


    ¡°You suck . . .¡± Chago started, but the rest of his insult was lost as his body slumped in death.


    Jace wanted to gloat, but Gracie shouted at him.  {Turn around!}


    He obeyed and saw Odalga limping toward him with a look of pure hatred.  Behind her, Snowy¡¯s snake body lay cut up and dying, her health dropping every six seconds.  Jace focused back on the rogue sniper and wondered how she was still standing.  Her health was also dangerously low, and every effort she took looked strained.  Still, she hoisted a pair of daggers and threw them toward Jace.


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    He had never tried to block thrown weapons before and let the game take over.  Jace guessed if she were at full strength, he wouldn¡¯t have had a chance, but his sword danced back and forth, easily knocking the knives from the air.  As they sparked off the marble tiles, Odalga dropped to her knees as if that attack was the last of her energy.  Jace didn¡¯t trust her and ran forward, leaving the protection of the marble in the process.


    ¡°Why?¡± she gasped.  ¡°Why did you have to come and ruin everything?¡±


    ¡°Nothing personal,¡± Jace said.  ¡°It¡¯s my job.¡±  Then he killed her.


    The woman¡¯s body flopped to the ground, and Jace ran around her to tend to Snowy.  The familiar¡¯s health was already under ten, and he wasted no time healing her.  He raised it to fifty, and she stabilized.  The snake remained unconscious, but she no longer lost HP.  Jace had no idea how the rest of his crew was doing and was just about to ask Gracie when she screamed at him again.  {Look out!}


    Jace leaned backward as a massive sword came down at him.  His Dodge ability stunk, so he took full damage from the attack.  His left hand touched a line of marble, and his Damage totem exploded behind him.  Jace gathered himself and scrambled back to the safety of the stone slab around the bath.  He finally looked at his attacker and saw a headless knight standing before him.  Ahbid must have had a two-handed sword in his inventory.


    A glance over the paladin¡¯s shoulders where his head should be revealed Pok standing apart from the action with his eyes half closed, his fingers coiling and flexing under the powerful spell.  Ahbid¡¯s dead body responded in kind and attacked.


    Jace parried cautiously and stayed defensive for a moment, waiting to see if the undead creature had monstrous strength or any other special abilities.  After a couple of rounds, it felt just like fighting a level 22 character running on automatic.  Jace could handle that.  He stepped up his game, executed a perfect parry, and returned a powerful strike.  Etcher cut through the enchanted armor like butter and knocked the paladin back a step.  Jace glanced above his headless body to see how much damage he had done and was surprised to find the creature¡¯s health already at zero.


    ¡°How do I kill it?¡± Jace asked as he readied for another round of combat.


    {Turn undead, holy water, a divine weapon,} Gracie listed off several options, none of which Jace had.  {Or just chop off all his limbs.}


    He nodded.  Jace wasn¡¯t used to targeted attacks like that, but he could try to make it work.  Before he could get started, his operator drew his attention elsewhere.  {Looks like you¡¯ve got more problems, though.  Behind you.}


    Jace Parry Bashed the knight in the chest to give him a chance to turn around, and he saw Chago¡¯s dead body rising from the ground and retrieving his swords.  The shaman did something Gracie had never heard him do before.


    He swore.


    ¡°Crap.¡±


    <hr>


    Psycho felt stupid wrestling the monk who clung to his back.  She was almost a foot shorter and half as heavy as the broad-shouldered elf, yet he could not get rid of her.  Esther had offered to wrestle Psycho and Draya on multiple occasions when Jace had been away, and they eagerly accepted, knowing the training would come in handy on a mission.


    Usually, a character didn¡¯t try to Grapple you unless they had skill.  That meant they would almost always be successful on the initial hold.  If you tried to free yourself and failed, you were considered Securly Grappled.  If you tried to free yourself from that and failed, you were considered Helpless for at least a round, depending on how poorly you failed.  If your attacker had significant skill, they would be able to spend critical successes from the initial grab to make you Secured and then Helpless instantly.  Esther did this all the time and could do it to Psycho easily without even hiding in the shadows first.  Because of this, she had to actively try to do a lousy job when she wrestled with Psycho and Draya (especially Draya), or they wouldn¡¯t get a chance to fight back.


    The trick was to test the hold on you to see how much of a disadvantage you were at before trying to escape.  If you could sense they were too powerful, then, instead of freeing yourself, you needed to Grapple them back.  You probably wouldn¡¯t be successful, but since everything in the game relied on a die roll, you had a chance, and it would prevent them from escalating their hold on you.  If you did nothing, then they could try to get a critical on the next round and possibly increase their hold.  Plus, if you did nothing, then you might as well be Securly Grappled since the result was the same.


    Psycho had several back-and-forth rounds with the slight yet wirey woman clutched to his back.  He mostly failed and had even been Secured for two rounds, but he hadn¡¯t been rendered Helpless yet, and the longer it went on, there was always a chance he could roll a 20, or she could roll a one, and he might free himself.  She had knocked the bow out of his hands a while ago, and in between rounds, he could only look forward at Draya desperately fending off the other monk with her staff.  The poison in her veins drained five hit points every round, and something had to give soon, or Psycho was going to watch her die.


    That ¡°something¡± came in the form of a thin stone wall shooting up from the floor.  The rising barrier hit the monk¡¯s arms and ripped them free from Psycho¡¯s torso.  He felt the wall on his back and braced himself against it as he reached down for his bow, knowing full well who he had to thank for the reprieve.


    Draya hadn¡¯t just been swatting at her monk but had actually done some damage to her. When Psycho unloaded three more hammer arrows into the woman, she teetered on the edge of consciousness, and Draya finally put her down with a well-aimed strike against her midsection.  The monk shrieked in pain and fell to the ground out of Hitpoints.


    Psycho didn¡¯t revel in the victory and pressed against the wall behind him, listening carefully to sense from which direction the remaining monk would come.  He heard noise from his left and turned in that direction with another hammer arrow nocked and all his buffs in place.  He saw the orange-clad woman sprint around the side of the wall, and he fired from less than ten feet.  The blunt projectile struck her in the forehead, dropping her to the ground in silence.


    The elf regretted having to kill the two women but knew they would respawn in their private module, and hopefully, they could be picked up by a player who wasn¡¯t a criminal in Jace¡¯s world.  He didn¡¯t dwell on it and raced over to Draya.  The young woman struggled to her feet, using her staff as a crutch.  ¡°Antidote,¡± she rasped.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, reaching into a pocket to retrieve one of the potions Gromphy made sure they all carried.  He gently handed it to her, not letting go until her weak fingers closed on the vial.  Just as he completed the transfer, an arrow streaked between them, hitting Draya in the arm and yanking her backward.  Psycho¡¯s eyes followed the potion down as it shattered on the floor and looked up to see Draya pinned to the wall, her staff on the ground by her feet.  With the magical weapon in her hands, she had the strength to fight off just about anything, even in her poisoned state, but without it, she had no chance to free herself from the wall.  As Psycho drew an arrow and spun about to return fire, a second shot flew past him, piecing Draya¡¯s dress at the hip and rendering her Helpless.


    Psycho found Tenesta quickly, upset that he hadn¡¯t taken out the archer earlier.  Before he could deal with her now, a sword flashed in from his right, knocking his bow away.  The elf rolled in the same direction, coming up ten feet away with his katana gripped tightly.  Ferric stood there, grinning at him.  The human fighter¡¯s eyes betrayed his companion, and Psycho sensed someone else creeping up behind him.  He dove forward at the last second as Dreller¡¯s flail swung through the air.


    Melee defense wasn¡¯t the archer¡¯s forte, and he felt he would have to end this fight as quickly as he could.  He charged back toward Ferrick and executed a double ¡°X¡± slash at the man, a classic technique against someone wielding a raised shield on one side.  Predictably, the first attack clanged off the iron guard, but the second cut into Ferrick¡¯s side.  The man winced in pain, but not nearly as much as Psycho had expected.


    As an elf, he could innately detect magical spells and knew the fighter had protection from slashing.  He would be better off with his bow, but as Dreller flanked him from behind and he dodged out of the way, he knew that would be a foolish idea.  His defenses were even worse when using a ranged weapon.  He managed to avoid injury for one full round until the two men successfully flanked him, and Dreller¡¯s flail hit his hip.  The scorpion poison flooded into his side, numbing half his body and causing him to fail his next Dodge badly.  He took almost 100 damage from Ferrick¡¯s attack, and then Dreller hit him again on the other side.


    Magic Resistance was another of his weaknesses, and he had no chance to save against the poison.  Luckily, he didn¡¯t feel it hurting him, only locking his limbs in paralysis.  The pain came from Ferrick¡¯s weapon as the fighter swiped his sword against Psycho¡¯s chest, doing another 150 damage and knocking him to his back.  He couldn¡¯t move to get up and was glad his body was numb and wouldn¡¯t feel the killing blow.


    <hr>


    Delly stalked toward the dissipating storm cloud, and as she saw the rest of Vulder¡¯s crew, she realized she didn¡¯t have a weapon.  It didn¡¯t matter; she looked forward to ripping these men apart with her bare hands.  Paltine was the first in line as he battled a panther.  Delly had no idea where the animal had come from, and as the mage hit it with a final blast of magical energy, it whimpered and vanished from the room.


    Delly roared as she closed the last few feet, and Paltine turned toward her in horror.  She felt energy in the air as he sent a rush of magic at her, but it flowed around and past her like a breeze on a summer¡¯s day.  She balled her right fist and cocked her arm back.  The albino grew even paler as the barbarian planted her left foot before him and pivoted to deliver a right hook that would have splintered a tree trunk.


    The high-level mage lost almost half his Hitpoints in that one unarmed attack, flew backward into a curtain, and disappeared from view inside a small chamber.  She thought about pursuing him, but the other enemies caught her attention.  Jace¡¯s goblin companion faced off against Pok and Kelrick, holding two volatile-looking potions as he backed away from the powerful men.  Both magic users had heard the crash from Paltine in the back of the room, and they looked up in terror at the enraged woman charging toward them.


    The goblin took the opportunity to vacate the danger zone, and Delly filled it.  Pok released a spell while Kelrick tossed an acid bomb at her feet.  Nothing slowed her.  She leaped at the men, leveling another jaw-crushing punch at Pok that sent him nearly out of the room.  Only a narrow support beam saved him from flying dozens of feet further through an opening in the wall and out into the stormy weather.  Again, she wanted to finish him, but she also wanted to save the necromancer for last.


    Delly turned to Kelrick for now, and the terrified alchemist failed half a dozen willpower-based saving throws, reducing him to a quivering mess.  The barbarian didn¡¯t have any trained Grappling skills and only used her brute strength to take him in her hands and rip his body apart.  Soon, the man was in multiple pieces, his magical items and crafted potions spilling out on the floor along with his bodily fluids.


    The barbarian turned, feeling that her immense strength was close to ending but needing to finish her vengeful task.  She looked back among the curtains and broken walls where Paltine had landed and eventually found the frail man standing amidst the wreckage.  She stalked toward him.  The albino avoided eye contact, not wanting to fail the same saving throws as Kelrick, and instead sought out the goblin.


    Gromphy had wisely kept his distance from the volatile woman and now felt the penetrating gaze of the powerful mage on him.  ¡°Goblin, hold,¡± Paltine commanded, and Gromphy froze, still holding his two potions.  ¡°I command you to stop her!¡±


    Delly walked right past the crafter, not caring what the little creature might do to her.  She kept her gaze focused on the mage, tossing tables and chairs out of her way as if they were child-sized instead of the expensive stone and wood they actually were.  She saw a thrown vial in her peripheral and still didn¡¯t care.  The yellow potion exploded at her feet in a cloud of mist, and she instantly fell to the floor, almost too weak to breathe, much less move.


    ¡°Wh-wh- what . . .¡± was all she could get out, barely lifting her head toward the approaching mage, who now had a broad grin on his face.


    ¡°You burned too bright for too long, and now you have to pay the cost,¡± he answered once he stood directly over her.  ¡°With as strong as you were, I imagine the fatigue might even threaten your life.¡±


    To Delly, it certainly felt like it did.  Each breath came with great difficulty as she lay sprawled out on the floor.  Even her heart felt it might fail at any moment.  Her arms lay curled beneath her, unable to lift her body, and she could only see people¡¯s feet and hear their voices.  She saw Pok¡¯s black boots walk up beside her.


    ¡°That was more painful than I would have liked,¡± the necromancer said.  ¡°Are you sure she will stay down this time?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t our preferred plan,¡± Paltine said.  ¡°As long as we kill her before her fatigue wears off, everything should be fine.  And what are you complaining about? You look unharmed.  Certainly better than I am.¡±


    ¡°The alchemist got himself killed, but his potions still work.  Here.¡±


    Delly heard one of them drink and knew they had healed all the damage she had done to them.


    ¡°Good,¡± Paltine said.  ¡°Now go deal with that orc.  Use the paladin if you have to.  Vulder should wake up soon.  Again, not as we planned, but it will all work out.¡±


    Delly couldn¡¯t do anything other than lay there.

 Chapter 52

    Esther appreciated the brief sensation of flying. The wind whipped about her skirt and threatened to remove her hat, which typically stayed magically attached to her head. The storm clouds rolling in from the west stole her attention briefly while her body flipped through the air until she saw that she wasn¡¯t flying but falling, and the landing didn¡¯t look pleasant. The chaotic collection of ropes, beams, and pillars below rushed at and past her as she and Jaheed fell, each haphazard piece of construction narrowly missing them as the wind carried them farther from their jumping point. However, the pyramid-shaped construction scheme grew much broader as they descended, and they would hit something eventually.


    Esther eyed the most likely collision: a narrow metal beam jutting out from a rickety shack, itself still a hundred feet above the ground. She had half-pulled, half-thrown the priest off the edge of the upper level when they had ¡°jumped,¡± so he had more initial velocity than she did, and his clothing did less to slow his descent. Esther watched Jaheed hit the end of the jagged beam hard, leaving behind an ugly bloodstain and sending his body spinning out into the air even further than before. At least the collision ended his screaming.


    Next, it was Esther¡¯s turn, but she had a trick up her sleeve, or, more precisely, in her gem bag. With the sun safely behind the angry storm clouds above, she touched her fingers against the undead stone Jace had let her keep. She hated using it but hated smashing her brains against the metal beam below her even more. Esther had occasionally practiced the transformation and could assume a true demon form almost instantly.


    Black wings sprouted from her back, and veins rose on her exposed skin, transforming her beautiful face into a hideous visage. The wings had time to flap twice before she hit the beam, slowing her considerably. Still, without the newly transformed claws scraping and digging into the metal, she would have slid off it and continued falling. She cut deep grooves in the iron and flexed her sinewy limbs as her lower body swung below the cantilever but didn¡¯t fall further. Once her downward momentum stopped, she effortlessly heaved herself up onto the beam and looked down. She was just in time to see Jaheed¡¯s rotating figure impale itself on a ground-level fencepost. Her gore settings were not turned down, and even she winced at the sight.


    She shook her head at what could have happened to her and instead looked back up toward the ledge she had jumped from almost 100 feet up. In her new form, the return trip would be much more enjoyable. Her wings spread out, and her knees flexed in anticipation of a jump when a gust of wind nearly ripped her from the perch.


    Esther crouched suddenly, holding onto the beam with both hands for stability. She had no experience flying in any wind, much less a storm. As lighting flashed in the distance, she decided against the express route and eyed a more conventional climbing approach where she would be in contact with the city structure the entire time.


    When the gust passed, she stood again and raced along the narrow pier and into the tiny shack at its base, jumping through a broken window. Inside, two children screamed their heads off at the demon that had invaded their home. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m terribly sorry,¡± Esther said, releasing the stone back into her gem bag and resuming her human form. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to scare you. I¡¯m just passing through.¡±


    The young girl fainted to the floor while the boy was old enough that he couldn¡¯t take his eyes off the beautiful woman, her demonic form completely forgotten. Esther didn¡¯t linger, running out of the shack¡¯s front door and ascending the first rope ladder she found.


    <hr>


    {It doesn¡¯t look good, Jace,} Gracie advised as the player furiously fought off the two undead former players. After getting the characters on one side, he had fallen into a rhythm. Enough time had passed that he could cast a new Damage Sink totem, but he only needed it when Chago rolled a 20. The fighter excelled at offense and little else. Becoming undead had made him slightly stronger and slower. Since Dodging had been his primary form of defense, his lack of agility allowed Jace to Parry Bash him backward multiple times. The orc tried to time up a strike against his arms or legs to dismember the undead fighter, but after two critical misses, which allowed Ahbid¡¯s corpse to hack at him, he gave up. The 20 slots to attack were all aimed at his body and head. Strikes against the arms and legs were aligned with rolls under five, which were not high enough to overcome Chago¡¯s reduced Dodging ability.


    In contrast, the dead paladin excelled at defense, and Jace found the knight¡¯s offensive strikes rarely needed his full attention unless he just missed an attack against the fighter. However, because Ahbid¡¯s defense was so much better, only high-valued attacks against his torse earned him hits, and that part of his body seemed to be able to take infinite damage. He couldn¡¯t get 20 strikes against him because those all lined up with the head, which wasn¡¯t there.


    {Psycho is paralyzed, Draya is dying, Gromphy is being mind controlled, and Esther is missing,} Gracie informed him.


    ¡°Oh, is that all,¡± Jace responded, bashing Chago in the face and dropping him into the empty marble tub. ¡°I thought we had real problems.¡±


    {Well,} she continued. {We might soon. It looks like Odlaga is getting up.}


    Jace looked over at where he had killed the rogue sniper and saw her pale corpse rising from the ground and reaching for some knives. If she attacked, it wouldn¡¯t be her exhausted attempts from before. They would be full force and have every chance of killing him. Jace maneuvered the paladin into position between him and the deadly woman, but he could still see her over the empty shoulders, and the orc¡¯s broad torso and big head provided an easy target.


    Jace glanced over at Pok to see Gromphy standing obediently beside him, with Delly collapsed on the floor. Paltine was nowhere to be seen. If controlling three undead characters at the same time challenged Pok¡¯s control, it wasn¡¯t showing. The dark elf smiled back at Jace once he saw the orc looking at him, and the necromancer lifted his hands suddenly. The two male sword fighters broke off and stepped away. Odlaga had reared back for a throw, but she held her shot in check.


    Jace lowered his sword and looked behind him. He saw Draya pinned to the wall with her health around 150, looking very weak. Psycho lay on the floor fifteen feet in front of her, his body occasionally twitching with Ferrick and Dreller standing guard over him. Jace¡¯s eyes went back to Draya to see her health had dropped another 5 points. If they didn¡¯t fall out of combat mode soon, she only had three minutes to live.


    ¡°I yield,¡± Jace said, stepping back and going so far as to sheath his weapon. ¡°What would you have me do?¡±


    ¡°Why, the same thing as before, Jace Thorne.¡±


    The voice didn¡¯t come from Pok. Instead, Jace looked back toward the throne. From around the raised dias, Paltine escorted a stooped figure in ruined black armor. Lord Vulder had changed. His once strong face was sunken and hollow, his eyes red. His mouth looked dry, and his tongue stuck to his teeth as he talked. Gone were his impressive muscles and perfect posture. Instead, he looked old and weak, but his voice remained strong and carried with it deathly power, sending chills down Jace¡¯s spine.


    ¡°We need you to kill Delilah Sorek. For real, this time. No more tricks, or we kill your companions.¡±


    Jace still felt confident they would all wake up in his stronghold, except they would do so with the knowledge that Jace let them die because he was unwilling to kill a woman he had just met. A woman the enemy would obviously find a way to kill regardless, so he couldn¡¯t even argue he was doing it to save a kingdom.


    ¡°And if I kill her and absorb the power into myself and then kill you . . .¡± Jace left the question hanging.


    Vulder laughed, a raspy, croaking sound that racked his whole body. ¡°I think you are bluffing. That was a ruse to let your vampire do what she did.¡±


    Jace stepped off the marble platform next to the tub, and the three undead players tracked his movement, holding their attacks in check for now. ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t need the desert¡¯s power to kill you. It appears your plague is failing. If I¡¯m not mistaken, I think it is about to rain.¡±


    Everyone looked out of the nearest opening to the outside. Lightning flashed in the distance while flags and banners flapped in the ever-increasing wind. No rain had fallen yet, but Jace didn¡¯t need a meteorological degree to know it soon would.


    Vulder scoffed. ¡°When the barbarian used the land¡¯s power against me, the desert itself rose in defiance as well. It thinks it can win, but trust me, no rain will fall as long as the power persists within me. It threatens with rage and fury, as she did,¡± he looked down at Delly¡¯s limp form. ¡°But it will come to nothing. When the woman is dead and her magic sealed away, the storm outside will retreat as well, and I will be the only true power in the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look particularly powerful right now,¡± Jace dared to mock.


    Vulder¡¯s laughter faded to a chuckle. ¡°It wasn¡¯t supposed to happen like this.¡± He motioned to the gaping hole in his chest where Delly had hit him with the axe. ¡°It was to be poison after the girl was killed and the power secured far from here.¡± He coughed several times. ¡°Pok had already prepared everything.¡± He held up his fingers to show two pulsing obsidian rings, one on each hand, and he fished a black onyx medallion from inside his armor. ¡°All items were charged with the appropriate spells, waiting for my death.¡± He winced as he tucked the necklace back inside his vest, disturbing his chest wound. ¡°This will take some time to recover from.¡± Then, a thought hit him. ¡°Though it doesn¡¯t need to. Where is Kelrick?¡±


    ¡°Dead,¡± Pok reported.


    ¡°Fool,¡± Vulder said. ¡°And his potions? He was to craft one for me in case . . . in case this happened.¡±


    Pok nodded and went to the spot where Delly had killed the alchemist. There, he found several unbroken vials on the floor. The necromancer correctly identified the one in question and retrieved a bottle filled with black liquid. He returned quickly and handed the potion to his master.


    Vulder popped the cork and drained the contents. The change was instantaneous. The undead fighter stood straighter, rolling his shoulders back and sticking out his rapidly healing chest. Color did not return to his cheeks, but they looked less shallow, and his jaw grew firm.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± he said, his voice no longer raspy. He pulled his red blade and swung it expertly about his body. His eyes leveled a stare at Jace after finishing the routine. ¡°Now, where were we? Oh yes, you were deciding if you would rather kill that pathetic woman or fight me and sentence all your friends to a painful death.¡±


    Jace hung his head. ¡°Fine, I will do as you ask, but I require two things.¡±


    Vulder cocked his head. ¡°What are they?¡±


    ¡°First,¡± Jace said, ¡°reduce the threat level in this room. My mage is dying, and time is passing too quickly.¡±


    Vulder nodded and looked at Pok. The necromancer shrugged, and all three undead players lowered their weapons. The red border around Jace¡¯s vision stopped flashing, and he heard the familiar level-up chime in his head. He had killed Chago and Odalga, two high-level players. Leveling up was a given. He didn¡¯t have time to go through that process now and looked over at Draya instead. Her health had dropped to 45, and he watched for a solid ten seconds without it falling any further. Her Helpless condition had also ended as she moved her head about.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    {Now that she is no longer in combat,} Gracie said, {She will be able to concentrate on her next saving throw against the poison and get a 20. Oh, and I checked on Esther. She wouldn¡¯t tell me where she was, but she said she would return as quickly as possible.}


    Jace looked back at Vulder and nodded.


    ¡°And the second thing?¡±


    ¡°You will need to use mind control to have me kill Delly. My god will disown me otherwise. And it will cost you because it runs completely counter to my nature.¡±


    Vulder smiled. ¡°I think that was the plan all along, right?¡± He looked to his second in command, and Paltine seemed lost in thought. ¡°That is the plan, correct?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Paltine said.


    ¡°Was?¡±


    ¡°Things got complicated while you were recovering,¡± the albino started. ¡°I did not anticipate . . .¡±


    ¡°You ran out of mana,¡± Vulder interrupted. Paltine nodded. ¡°You do not have enough to control the orc?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I can do that.¡±


    Jace smiled as if just figuring it out. ¡°But then you won¡¯t have enough to control the power once it escapes. You won¡¯t be able to trap it in your device.¡±


    Pok still held the obsidian staff with the empty crystal on one end. Paltine nodded, impressed by the observant player. Jace¡¯s eyes went to the few potions lying amidst Kelrick¡¯s remains. None of those would be powerful enough to recharge the mage. His eyes then went to Gromphy, standing still at attention. Jace quickly looked away as if catching himself, but Paltine noticed.


    ¡°Goblin, Master Crafter,¡± he called out, a slow grin creasing his lips.


    Gromphy took a few steps toward the mage and bowed low. ¡°My lord, I am at thy service.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the ingredients for a mana restoration potion?¡±


    Gromphy frowned. ¡°I do not.¡±


    Paltine looked confused.


    ¡°But I possess one already crafted.¡± He pulled a vibrant purple vial from his vest.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± the mage said. He reached down and plucked the potion from the goblin. Without hesitation, he downed the potent elixir and felt the magic rush through him. He prepared to cast the spell against Jace, but his breath stuck in his lungs, and he couldn¡¯t connect to his mana core.


    ¡°However,¡± Gromphy said, ¡°that potion wast not it. Thou drankest a death spell crafted for players level 30 and below. Nye impossible to brew, and I toiled vast hours. This,¡± he pulled another purple potion from his vest, ¡°is a mana restoration potion. I shall save it for thee in thy next life.¡±


    Jace smiled as his plan came together perfectly. Gromphy had pumped his Magic Defense so high that Paltine had barely succeeded in controlling the goblin with no critical successes. By not overtly lying, Gromphy had maintained the illusion that he was under complete control of the mage and could act freely. The NPC players didn¡¯t have operators to tell them otherwise.


    As Paltine choked and gagged on his death and fell to the floor, the rest of the characters reacted hostilely, sending the room back into combat mode. Pok dropped a defensive spell on himself while Vulder lifted his sword toward Jace. The orc tried to get his weapon out fast enough to strike at the necromancer, but the undead lord stepped in front of the vulnerable mage and parried the strike.


    Jace backpedaled furiously before the powerful fighter, not wanting to know what the glowing red sword would do to him. His frantic retreat saved his life, for Pok activated Odlaga first, and the woman had her knives out, ready to hit Jace in the back of the neck when he crashed into her. The large orc sent the smaller woman to the ground, and he fell on top of her. Jace didn¡¯t want to get up to free her, but as the undead fighter, headless paladin, and Lord Vulder grouped around him, all with their weapons raised, he knew he had to do something.


    <hr>


    Even though he was the one to kill Paltine, the NPCs ignored Gromphy at first. The goblin had played it off as a careless mistake, never falling out of character, and given a choice on who they should be concerned about, the 7-foot orc with a massive sword won. This allowed Gromphy to pull another vial from his vest, crouch next to Delly, and pour the restoration potion down her throat.


    The barbarian regained her strength and wasted no time calling again on the massive power available to her. The room shook, but it was becoming such a common occurrence during this encounter that no one really noticed. And with the storm brewing outside, it was easily written off as thunder. However, when Delly rose from the floor and focused her attention on Pok, the necromancer knew precisely what was happening. He cried out briefly before she ripped his head off and tore his limbs from his body.


    <hr>


    Jace had no defense against the undead army surrounding him and breathed a sigh of relief when Abhid and Chago fell to the ground. Beneath him, Odalga¡¯s corpse stopped struggling, and Vulder paused in his attack to interpret the sudden change. He spun around to see Delly, covered in Pok¡¯s blood, bearing down on him with a cry of fury.


    The barbarian had no weapon, but Vulder wasn¡¯t about to underestimate her. He stepped toward the woman and swung his glowing sword directly into her midsection. The blow would have dropped Jace, but Delly had over 1,000 HP, and she only grunted as the weapon cut deep into her side. Grabbing onto the attacking arm, the woman swung the large fighter around and threw him toward the back of the room.


    Vulder cried out as he flew through the air and crashed into a tangle of walls and curtains behind the throne. Only after the undead ruler left the area did Delly acknowledge her wound, dropping to a knee and clutching at her side. It had drained over 400 HP and bled profusely. Jace rose to his feet and offered her a healing potion. ¡°You need a weapon,¡± he said as she drank the vial and fully recovered.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± she grunted through gritted teeth. ¡°I can tear him apart with my bare hands.¡± Without further argument, she turned and raced after him. The hum of his medieval lightsaber could be heard slicing through the wood and cloth entrapping him.


    Gromphy replaced her at Jace¡¯s side. ¡°What can I . . .¡± he started to ask but shut up as an arrow thudded into Jace¡¯s leg. They both looked over at Tenesta, who cursed her miss and readied another shot. Jace found a marble line on the floor and summoned a stone tower shield to protect the pair. The next shot bounced harmlessly against it as he crouched next to Gromphy. Off to his left, he saw Dreller and Ferrick readying for a fight. He knew he couldn¡¯t stay turtled in the middle of the room for long. ¡°Fix Snowy,¡± Jace said and then rose to deal with the remains of Delly¡¯s old crew.


    He walked directly toward the half-orc archer, knowing she was probably adjusting her angle to get a shot around his shield. He didn¡¯t plan to hold it long, as the game wouldn¡¯t let him swing his two-handed weapon with one arm. His peripheral caught Tenesta to his right, opposite the other two fighters, and she took a shot. Jace wasn¡¯t under full cover from that angle but had enough to prevent a death shot from the woman. Still, another arrow in his side didn¡¯t feel good.


    The orc turned to cover himself entirely from that side, which opened him to attacks from the two male fighters in the room. That was fine because as they charged, Psycho rose from the ground behind them. Enough time had passed for him to get a successful save against the poison, and he had rolled toward his bow once the fight had resumed. His first shot took Dreller in the back of the head, and the fighter dropped dead, his poisonous flail hitting the floor beside him. Ferrick led the attack and didn¡¯t notice his partner¡¯s death as he closed on Jace.


    The orc shaman dropped his shield at the last second, gripped Diamond Etcher in both hands and spun around the attacking human as he parried the strike, placing Tenesta on the far side. Jace now blocked Psycho¡¯s ability to shoot at Ferrick, and Tenesta likewise had no clear line on the stone shaman. Both archers changed targets quickly, and Psycho proved faster as he buried a shot in the half-orc¡¯s chest. She had protection against death shots, as most archers did, and Psycho had wisely not used one, focusing instead on damage. It took three shots to drop the female archer, and the elf took one in return.


    Jace had his fight against Ferrick well in hand, and the orc waved off any assistance Psycho might offer and motioned toward Draya, who was still nailed to the wall. The archer complied and, after wrenching two arrows out of the wood and feeding the weak woman a healing potion, the pair returned to Jace just as he took the last Hitpoints away from Ferrick.


    Jace made sure the two were okay and then turned to find Gropmhy and Snowy trotting up to them. The wolf was fully restored, and Gromphy held up the green medallion Kelrick had used earlier as an explanation as to how he did it. That left Delly and Vulder.


    Their fight in the back of the room reminded Jace of superhero movies when two Kryptonians went at it. Each attack sent the defender flying through a wall or smashing into a pillar. Vulder wasn¡¯t as strong as Delly, but he wasn¡¯t far off either. Before, he had possessed the plague''s power, but it had been at odds with his own life. Now, that wasn¡¯t a problem, and he had full access to the strength it provided. Still, death was never as strong as life, and Delly had the upper hand whenever they locked together. However, Vulder¡¯s weapon gave him an edge the barbarian couldn¡¯t easily overcome. She used broken boards and bronze poles as makeshift shields that the glowing blade cut through like paper. She even found her discarded shield. That took two strikes from Vulder¡¯s weapon before shattering into pieces.


    Psycho aimed a few times but couldn¡¯t see a clear opening. Plus, since Vulder was already dead, his Death shot wouldn¡¯t work. Draya held her fire in check, knowing there was no way to prevent it from hitting Delly, and the woman¡¯s health was getting low on its own.


    ¡°She needs a weapon,¡± Draya said.


    ¡°Esther has it,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°And where did our rogue get to?¡± Psycho asked.


    On cue, motion drew their attention to the far corner of the room, and they saw Esther hauling herself up over a ledge and back onto the top level, her air and clothes a wind-blown mess. Jace ran over to her. ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± she cried, clearly exhausted from her climb. ¡°What did I miss?¡±


    ¡°I need Ahbid¡¯s mace,¡± Jace said. ¡°Quickly.¡±


    Esther rose slowly to her feet, leaning heavily against a support pillar. Her focus lapsed as the tremendous fight in the back of the room continued, sounding like a demolition crew had been given war hammers to take down the building. She turned back to Jace eventually with a look of exhausted confusion. ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    ¡°The mace you took from the dead paladin,¡± Jace repeated. ¡°I need it. Delly needs it. She will die without it.¡±


    That got Esther moving. She hadn¡¯t accessorized the mace with her outfit, so she had to roll her eyes into her inventory to find it. She was back in six seconds with the weapon in question. ¡°Here.¡±


    Jace swiped the mace and ran toward the chaos behind them. Everything lay in shambles. With broken pieces of wood, metal, and plaster scattered across the floor, Jace struggled to get close to the pair, wondering how he would make it in time. As it turned out, he didn¡¯t have to. After less than ten seconds of working through the mess, Delly crashed through a wall to his right and landed a few feet away. Before he could get to her, she was already scrambling to her feet, ready to dive back in.


    ¡°Delly, wait,¡± Jace said. The woman didn¡¯t react, and the orc repeated it, screaming this time to pierce the barbarian rage in her head.


    Now, the woman paused and turned toward the orc; her lips peeled back over her teeth as if she were some sort of monster. ¡°Use this,¡± he said. ¡°It can defeat him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need . . .¡±


    ¡°Take it!¡± Jace said, his face transforming into a mask of rage, trying to speak her language.


    As Vulder stalked toward them, slicing through rubble as if cutting a path through the jungle, Delly finally nodded and took the mace. As a barbarian, she had proficiency in all melee weapons and suffered no penalties for using a mace. Jace fell back a few feet as the two combatants came together. Vulder struck first, cutting into her left arm and sending her body slamming into a sturdy post. She returned the attack, driving the mace into his chest and sending him flying back fifteen feet through a wall, which then collapsed on top of him.


    ¡°My fists are stronger,¡± Delly said, turning toward Jace and preparing to toss the mace aside.


    The orc shook his head. ¡°Fill it with magic.¡±


    She frowned at him as Vulder tried to extricate himself from the pile of rubble. ¡°I am a barbarian, not a mage.¡±


    ¡°Not mana,¡± Jace clarified. ¡°Use Sonan¡¯s power. The desert¡¯s power.¡±


    Delly cocked her head in contemplation and looked at the weapon with new interest. She held it up before her and half closed her eyes. Jace watched as the purple gem in the center of the mace¡¯s hexagonal blades grew brighter and brighter, soon casting everything in a violet haze. Vulder had finally freed himself and looked on with confusion at the woman before him. He wasn¡¯t a mage either and didn¡¯t sense the power she processed. Delly seemed not to react to his presence. Still, he approached cautiously at first and then with more fervor as she continued to stand still, focused on the weapon. He brought his sword in high, and without Delly offering any kind of defense, the attack had the potential to kill her.


    The barbarian exploded in motion, swinging the mace back and then striking forward before Vulder¡¯s blade came within a foot of her. The weapon designed for slaying undead foes crashed into its target¡¯s chest, lifting Vulder off his feet and shooting him back as if launched from a canon. During Delly¡¯s previous attacks, he had crashed through a couple of walls and then settled in piles of rubble. Now, he streaked backward with nothing capable of stopping him. He even ripped through a thick support beam without slowing.


    Jace and his crew watched in awe as Vulder shot out of the throne room, clearing a path of destruction so they could see him at all times. Once he was a hundred feet from the outer walls, hanging above the open air. Lightning streaked from the storm clouds above and turned his body into a fantastic firework, sending black sparks in all directions for fifty feet. When the explosion dissipated, nothing remained. In the silence that followed, the wind calmed, the churning sky around them settled into placid clouds, and the thunder faded away.


    In their place, a gentle rain began to fall.

 Chapter 53

    Delly fell to one knee, and Esther rushed toward her.  The barbarian¡¯s health was at 56 out of 1200, and the rogue thought she could see each of the 1144 damage etched across her body as a cut, bruise, or open wound.  Blood and gore covered the woman¡¯s dark skin, giving Esther pause as she reached out to hug her.  ¡°Gromphy,¡± the woman scolded, ¡°get over here and help her.¡±


    The goblin didn¡¯t like taking orders from Esther, but he complied, and within moments, Delly¡¯s body looked pristine, and her health climbed.  The barbarian¡¯s descent from her rage happened more gradually this time.  Since she hadn¡¯t pushed to the point of exhaustion, she transitioned smoothly without total collapse.  As Esther helped her up, Delly still wobbled on her feet a bit, but it was nothing like before when she had labored to stay conscious.  After a few calming breaths and another potion from Gromphy, the woman looked better, regal even, like a desert queen.


    Jace took a knee and bowed before her.  ¡°The throne is yours,¡± he said, motioning toward the empty dias.  The actual chair still lay on the floor behind it where Vulder had recovered from Delly¡¯s deadly attack.  The barbarian stared at the toppled throne, understanding the symbolic nature of the image.  Zamora had no leader.  More than that, the desert kingdom had no monarch.  Vulder had been the Vice Regent, holding down the throne until the king returned.  He had meant to be that king, an undead ruler that would reign for generations.  She had defeated him.  The throne was now hers if she wanted.


    Delly walked over to the chair, easily picking up the massive seat, flexing her powerful muscles, and setting it down gently on the dias.  She retrieved her axe from the floor and stored it in her inventory along with the mace.  Moving around to the front of the raised platform, she contemplated the empty throne for several moments.


    ¡°What am I supposed to do?¡± she asked.  ¡°I didn¡¯t want this.  I just wanted . . .¡±


    ¡°Freedom?¡± Esther said, moving to stand alongside her.  ¡°As long as I¡¯ve known you, you wanted to be free.  Now you are, and you have a chance to give that to your people.¡±  She pointed outside at the steady rain.  ¡°Your land was under a curse, and your city under the control of an evil dictator.  You¡¯ve ended both of those with one fell swing of a mace.  Now, your people need a leader.¡±


    ¡°But it can¡¯t be me,¡± Delly said, turning to face her friend.  ¡°I am a . . .¡± her eyes fell on the dead bodies around the room, several torn apart by her bare hands.  ¡°I¡¯m a monster,¡± she finished.  ¡°And before that, I was . . .¡±


    Her eyes found Esther again, and the rogue knew she was thinking of her time as an escort at the Gilded Swan.  ¡°And before that, you were a slave,¡± she said.  ¡°Just like the people in the city below us.  Who better to lead them toward freedom?¡±


    ¡°Sonan,¡± Delly replied.  ¡°Sonan, Son of Cam.  He was supposed to do this, not me.  This is his throne.  He was prophesied to defeat Lord Vulder.¡±


    ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t,¡± Jace said, moving to stand next to Esther.  ¡°The prophecy said his rage would bring liberty.  That rage is now inside you.¡±


    Delly suddenly recoiled from the throne.  ¡°I can give it back,¡± she said.  ¡°I must give it back.  I stole it.  I should never have had it in the first place.¡±


    ¡°But you . . .¡± Esther started, and Jace put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.


    ¡°If that is what you want,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We can help you.¡±


    Esther looked up at him, confused.  He smiled back.  ¡°I think I know what will happen,¡± he whispered.  ¡°Trust me.  Also, can I have my necklace back?¡±


    Esther had swapped the illusion medallion for her Athletic charm a while ago and fished into her gem bag to retrieve the item in question.  She handed it to Jace, and he quickly assumed his human persona.  ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he said, leading the way toward the double doors exiting the throne room.  Jace waited until his crew caught up, allowing Delly and Esther to stand beside him before he opened the door.  The foyer overflowed with people.  Two dozen guards stood at the front, fighting back against a press of a hundred excited citizens.


    Jace had imagined that their fight on this top-level had not gone unnoticed by the citizens below, and anyone with a hint of magical power would have been able to deduce that it was the source of the ominous storm clouds and now the rain.  He had never imagined this level of response from the people, but he wasn¡¯t about to let it go to waste.  Once his group emerged from the throne room, the massive crowd calmed and quieted in anticipation of an announcement.


    ¡°People of Zamora!¡± Jace cried out in the loudest voice his human lungs could muster.  ¡°As many of you may have assumed, Lord Vulder and his companions are the ones responsible for the plague that has dried up your land and cut off the rest of your kingdom, destroying your former prosperity and sentencing you to a life of poverty and servitude.¡±  Jace doubted that any of the people gathered here had ever thought that, as the plot twist was a relatively new addition to this module.  Still, dozens of citizens nodded their heads and whispered, ¡°I told you so,¡± to whomever would hear them.


    ¡°Fear not,¡± Jace continued, quieting the crowd.  ¡°His tyrannical rule and the plague are both ended.  I give you Delilah Sorek, Child of the Desert, Slayer of Lord Vulder, Rainmaker, and your Barbarian Queen!¡±


    The crowd erupted in cheers as Jace stepped aside to reveal Delly standing awkwardly behind him.  ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t want this!¡± she whispered harshly, barely audible above the roar of the adoring crowd.  The guards stood at quick attention, awaiting her orders.


    ¡°It¡¯s yours till you give it away,¡± Jace said with a smirk.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s hurry,¡± she said and started walking toward the far side of the room.


    ¡°Make way!¡± a few of the guards called.  ¡°Make way for the queen!¡±


    The dense crowd parted before them, guards quickly lining a narrow path through the people.  Jace walked behind her, with Esther and the rest of his crew on his heels.  The people fell to their knees as she passed, praising and thanking her for all she did.  Many of the people wept with joy.  The path led to the travel node, and Jace activated it as soon as he drew near.  Several options opened up to him, and he took the one that made the most sense.


    When the void dissipated around him, they stood in a cave deep beneath the city.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± Delly asked, not recognizing the scenery.


    ¡°At the entrance to the underground mines,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you take us directly to him?¡± Delly asked.  ¡°I want this power, this responsibility, out of me as quickly as possible.¡±


    Jace shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°The way was blocked.  There must be something we need to resolve to open access to the lower levels.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± she replied.  ¡°Lead on.¡±


    Jace led the group with Esther close beside him.  She hadn¡¯t been in these exact tunnels, as she had taken a far less direct route, but she recognized where they were and soon could give him directions.  They passed several guard stations, and the rogue¡¯s instincts told her to hide, but Jace kept a hand on her to stay close and visible.  Every guard grew cautious at first, but as soon as they saw Delly walking tall in the middle of the group, they snapped to attention and bowed at her passing, saying things like, ¡°Your Highness¡± and ¡°Your Majesty.¡±


    Delly grunted in return and pushed Jace to move faster, never once questioning the game mechanics that allowed word of her ascent to precede their travel.  After several intersections, they finally came to the hold-up and why Jace was not permitted to transport directly to the dwarven level.


    Groups of kobolds and gnomes huddled together in a large open cavern with human guards trying to keep the peace.  The conflict had only recently deescalated from violence, and the evidence lay about the stone with bodies and blood from both races scattered about.  The humans had no idea how to navigate the situation as leaders from both sides began calling out outrageous demands.


    One guard saw Jace¡¯s crew approach and rushed over to stop them.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, we aren¡¯t letting anyone through.  The situation down here is too volatile for . . .¡± his voice trailed off when he saw Delly.  He fell to his knee.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, your Highness.  I didn¡¯t know you were coming.¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°What is the problem?¡± she asked, clear agitation in her voice.  She only wanted to get through.


    ¡°The kobolds and gnomes are fighting,¡± he reported.  ¡°They both refuse to work as long as the other stays within the caves.  We don¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    Delly had no desire to negotiate or compromise.  Her barbarian mind only dealt in absolutes.  She pushed past the guard and walked between the feuding sides.  The shouting died down as she made her appearance, and soon, everyone looked on with rapt attention.  ¡°If you can not work beside each other, then you can all leave,¡± she said.  ¡°We no longer require your services.¡±


    ¡°But the city walls . . .¡± the gnome leader spoke up.


    ¡°And the weapons we makes . . .¡± a kobold said.


    ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Delly said.  ¡°The plague is ended.  Walls will no longer be needed to hold out the desert monsters, and we won¡¯t need weapons to fight them.  The kingdom must be rebuilt, and Zamora will be its new capital.  We will be the center of trade and be richer than ever before.  Those who can extract precious metals and stones and ship them to the rest of the kingdom will become rich.  But it won¡¯t be you.  Now, get out of my mines!¡±  Her voice raised to scream at the end of her speech, and her final words shook the earth around them as she drew upon her immense power.


    The minor earthquake startled the humans, but to the cave-dwelling races, who understood the power Delly wielded, the woman had just become a goddess.  They all dropped to their knees.  ¡°We didn¡¯t know . . .¡± the gnome stuttered.  ¡°We would be honored to serve you and the kingdom.¡±


    Delly turned her eyes on the kobold spokesman.  ¡°Wh-what he says,¡± the less articulate created muttered.


    ¡°Good,¡± she responded.  ¡°Then get back to work.  The hatred you have for each other pales in comparison to the power I wield and the profit we all stand to gain.  You would be fools to let it destroy you.¡±


    The gnomes all chanted together in affirmation while the kobolds remained silent but nodded their assent.  ¡°Then what are you waiting for?¡± Delly shouted.  ¡°Be gone!¡±  The earth shook again, and the two feuding races scattered.  Within a minute, only the human guards remained.


    Most of the men had fallen to their knees, and now some of them rose.  ¡°You are a true leader,¡± one of them said.  ¡°Thank you.  The way should be clear before you.¡±  He bowed and beckoned toward the far side of the cavern that led toward the dwarves.


    Delly grunted in response and offered a slight nod in the guard¡¯s direction.  She strode forward purposefully.  Within seconds, Esther was prancing beside her.  ¡°That was awesome, Delly.  You will make a great queen.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± the barbarian muttered, though Esther was pretty sure the tough woman suppressed a smile.


    <hr>


    The dwarves treated Delly and her entourage with similar respect and willingly led the group down to the lowest level, where Sonan trudged in an endless circle.  Jace hadn¡¯t been to the lower mines before, and Gracie hadn¡¯t been able to see through Esther¡¯s eyes when she had visited, so he took in the spectacular view for the first time.  Activity seemed to increase two-fold when Delly arrived as if the dwarves wanted to impress the new queen with their industriousness.  Jace was more interested in Sonan.


    The huge man wore only a loin cloth and pushed the four-spoked wheel without ever looking up.  Even when the group reached the lower level and the dwarves continued to enlighten Delly about their exploits, the barbarian slave never lifted his gaze from the circumference of stone he had traveled since the inspection of this module.  Jace thought the man¡¯s heavy footfalls should have dug a trough around the axile, but the game didn¡¯t account for that.  Instead, his tiny stone island stood smooth and clean in the lake¡¯s center, over 100 feet from any edge.


    ¡°I wish to speak to him,¡± Delly said, drawing Jace¡¯s attention and ending the dwarve¡¯s self-aggrandizing.  ¡°How do we get out there?  Or can he come to us?¡±


    ¡°Lord Vulder said he was never to leave the island,¡± the lead dwarf said.  ¡°I can not . . .¡±


    ¡°Lord Vulder is dead,¡± Delly said, sending a slight tremor through the ground to punctuate her statement.  She glanced at Jace before continuing.  ¡°I am in charge now.  I want to talk with him.¡±  The stone shaman smiled.  In order to get what she wanted, she had to assume authority.  He wasn¡¯t convinced she would give it up so easily.


    ¡°But the water he is pumping . . .¡± the dwarf continued in one last effort.


    ¡°It is raining outside,¡± Delly said.  ¡°The city will find its own water going forward.  Bring him here.¡±


    That ended the arguments, and after a brief discussion, a dwarven cleric activated a ward carved in the stone, and an arched bridge reached out toward the island.  This did cause Sonan to stop walking.  The wheel stopped instantly as the man regarded the intrusion into his space and then followed the arch back to the waiting group.  When his eyes found Delly, he went weak in the knees.  Jace heard her breath catch when their eyes met.  The cut scene he had watched had not watered down their lovemaking, and that passionate encounter was the last time either of them had seen each other.


    The dwarves shouted instructions to the brute, and he obeyed, marching across the bridge, his eyes never leaving Delly¡¯s.  Esther and Gromphy found themselves standing between the barbarians and quickly vacated the space.  The dwarves gave constant warnings for the man to behave and stop at the edge of the bridge, all of which Sonan ignored.  The clatter of weapons filled the cavern as dwarves readied axes and hammers, but Delly¡¯s raised hand stopped them.  Her eyes stayed on Sonan¡¯s and she saw no hostility there.  Instead, the big man walked right up to her and dropped to one knee, finally averting his eyes and staring at her feet.  ¡°My queen,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have none of that,¡± Delly blushed.  ¡°Rise and look me in the face.¡±  He did so.  Jace saw Delly tremble at his closeness.  ¡°I have something that belongs to you,¡± she said.


    ¡°I agree,¡± he said.  ¡°Though if you speak of the throne or the power of this land, you can keep them.  They belong to the one who uses them best.  I feel they have chosen you, and I can not argue.¡±


    ¡°But I do not want them,¡± she replied.


    ¡°And you think I do?¡± he smiled.  ¡°Destiny and desire are not the same thing.¡±


    ¡°And what do you desire?¡±


    ¡°You do have something that belongs to me,¡± he answered.


    Delly cocked her head.  ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°My heart.¡±


    Jace heard a sharp intake of breath beside him and turned to see Draya choking up at the sappy love story.  He rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I never meant to take it,¡± Delly said, her eyes falling from his.  ¡°It was the curse they used when they sent me to you.¡±


    Sonan cupped her chin in his hand and pulled her face back to his.  ¡°No.  The curse was when they took you from me.¡±  He leaned down to her.


    ¡°But the succubus,¡± Delly pleaded breathlessly.  ¡°I can¡¯t control it.¡±


    Sonan didn¡¯t slow as he brought his face down to hers.  ¡°And how do you think you defeat a succubus?¡±


    ¡°True lo . . .¡± she started to say, but their lips met in a kiss, and her breath was stolen.


    Beside Jace, Draya was crying.  ¡°Do you need a handkerchief?¡± he asked.  She punched him in the arm.


    Before them, Delly and Sonan embraced as the passion within their kiss deepened.  Suddenly, her body convulsed and jumped.  It looked like she wanted to scream and free herself, but the strong man held her close.  The dwarves hadn¡¯t sheathed their weapons, and they readied them now, fearing their long-time captive was hurting their new queen.


    Delly convulsed one more time, and a hazy red image ripped itself from her body and screeched a blood-curdling sound.  The dwarves recognized this demon spirit as the true enemy, and the clerics unleashed several spells at it before it could get its bearings and disappear into the stone.  Jace ignored that fight and looked again at the barbarian pair locked together.  Delly was limp at first, but as the dwarves successfully dealt with the succubus that had invaded her, her strength returned, and Sonan¡¯s grip on her relaxed.


    When the spirit finally died with a sound of tearing fabric, the lovers ended their kiss and hugged each other.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how to rule a city, much less a kingdom,¡± Delly confessed once her breath returned.


    ¡°Neither do I,¡± Sonan replied.  ¡°How about we figure it out together?¡±


    Delly had snuggled into his bare chest and now pulled back to look up at him.  ¡°I can live with that.¡±  They kissed briefly again, and the new queen turned to look at Jace, Esther, and the rest of the crew.  ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough.  I don¡¯t think I will ever be able to repay you.¡±


    ¡°Just knowing you are happy and free is payment enough,¡± Esther replied.


    ¡°Though, ye hast many gems that are . . .¡± Gromphy started, looking around the vast cavern.


    Jace shut the goblin up with a wave of his hand.  ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± he said.  ¡°We are happy to have defeated the evil that plagued your land.  Is there anything else you need?¡±


    Delly still hugged Sonan as she contemplated her response.  Obviously, ruling a kingdom was never part of her plan, and Jace could tell her mind was more focused on her male companion right now.  However, a thought suddenly struck her.  ¡°What about the snakes?  I have no desire to use them as Vulder did.¡±


    Jace looked down at Gromphy.  The goblin hoisted the green medallion he had stolen.  ¡°Already dealt with,¡± the crafter said.  ¡°All the serpents hath been killed or fled the city.  Thou hast nothing to fear.¡±


    Jace heard Draya breathe a sigh of relief.  ¡°Good,¡± she said.  ¡°If that is all, can we get back home?  I¡¯m starving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my line,¡± Esther said, and the two friends laughed.  Delly and Sonan joined in.


    Jace understood the quest was over, and it was time to leave.  ¡°It was an honor to assist you,¡± he said with a bow.  ¡°Hopefully, we will meet again.¡±


    Esther said a final goodbye to her friend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  Jace directed his crew to leave and asked Psycho to escort them out.  He told Snowy to follow the elf and then used his familiar link to put his character on auto-follow so he could look over his character sheet while he walked.


    Esther, Draya, and Jace had all leveled to 19 during this mission.  Jace spent little time on himself.  After dispersing his points in their usual locations, he picked a new class-specific feat and chose his last Totem range booster, bringing the bonus up to +15.  He could now stay in contact with his totems even when they were 475 feet away.  He rarely took advantage of this, but that was only because the last few missions had all been in wooden buildings.


    Esther and Draya weren¡¯t hard either.  Jace took the last Lt. Blade feat for his rogue, giving her mastery and raising her attack base to 53.  Draya took the first illusion training feat, giving her +2 to the difficulty of her illusion spells.


    They were all now one level away from 20.  Besides the regular boosts from hitting a level divisible by five, Draya would soon be able to turn into a dragon.  Jace looked forward to that and exited his inventory to find that his group had navigated the dwarven cavern successfully and stood before a travel node.  With the desert quest completed, Jace had the opportunity to send his crew home, and he took it.

 Chapter 54

    Jace¡¯s crew materialized next to his stronghold¡¯s outer travel node.  Delly¡¯s mission had been the shortest of the three they had attempted so far, and so, instead of returning many hours or even days after they had left, it was still morning, and daylight drenched the cavern¡¯s opening.  Granite, Jace¡¯s stone elemental, stood guard, having grown a few inches now that Jace had leveled up.  The stone Shaman kept forgetting to use his summoned ally in missions, but that was mostly because he couldn¡¯t guarantee he would have a line of unbroken stone on which Granite could traverse.  Plus, while he was allowed to keep permanent Armor, Damage Sink, and Mana Bank totems in his stronghold and still cast them elsewhere, Gracie had advised him that only one copy of Granite could ever exist in the game.  So, if he summoned him while on a mission, he would disappear from his front door.  Since Jace allowed goblins and other monsters to run free in his stronghold¡¯s outskirts, his elemental doorman was essential in keeping the vermin out.


    As the group crossed the bridge leading to the entrance, they saw it wasn¡¯t a goblin Granite had denied entry; instead, it was someone they recognized from a previous mission.


    ¡°Shelah!¡± Esther cried, running up to embrace the new husband of her mermaid friend.  ¡°What are you doing here?  I expected you and Tami to be busy for a while.¡±


    The merman returned the embrace awkwardly, not finding any safe places on the curvy woman to rest his hands.  ¡°Uh, we had our time.  We had all night.  She laid her eggs, and the other mermen in our kingdom are already preparing for the next generation.  Timnah is saved, thanks in large part to you.¡±  He pushed Esther gently away and looked up toward the rest of the approaching crew.  ¡°After we knew the kingdom was secure, Tami said she needed to attend to something else urgently, and I realized I had a debt to repay.¡±  His eyes focused on Jace.


    The orc smiled.  ¡°You were able to find it?¡±


    The merman nodded.  ¡°I was.¡±


    ¡°What secret is this?¡± Draya asked, exchanging looks between the two men.


    Neither said anything as Shelah extended his right arm and opened his fist.  On his palm lay a small silver figurine.


    ¡°Adam!¡± Gromphy shrieked.  ¡°Never dist I think I wouldst see him again.  But how?¡±  He raced forward and plucked the adamantium charm from the visitor¡¯s hand.


    Shelah shrugged.  ¡°I told Jace I was in his debt for saving us and told him if there was anything he ever needed, he shouldn¡¯t hesitate to ask.  He didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But it was lost at sea,¡± Gromphy argued.


    ¡°I¡¯m a merman,¡± he explained.  ¡°We have a strong affinity for finding magical things beneath the waves.  I had to swim about for an hour, but it wasn¡¯t hard to find.  Jace gave me access to the shoreline in question and an estimation of how far out it was.¡±


    The goblin was flummoxed and, for once, speechless.  Jace spoke for him.  ¡°Well, thank you, Shelah.  You can consider your debt paid in full.  Now you should return to your bride.  Whatever she had to do, I¡¯m sure it will be quick, and she won¡¯t want to return to your honeymoon suite to find you missing.¡±  The merman nodded, shook hands with Draya and Psycho, and left toward the travel node.


    Gromphy still stood frozen, staring at his open palm where Adam¡¯s statue lay.  After a few more moments, the crafter tucked the object into his vest and looked up at Jace.  The orc thought he saw a tear in the goblin¡¯s eye.  ¡°And now, I have something for thee,¡± Gromphy said and raced into the stronghold.


    ¡°A gift for me?¡± Jace asked the retreating goblin, but he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± Draya said, following after their crafter.  ¡°Come on, Jace.  Your upgrade has been in the works for a while.¡±


    The orc let the rest of his crew enter before him as he pulled up the rear.  ¡°Gracie, what are they talking about?¡±


    {Beats me, boss.  Who knows what they do while you¡¯re away?}


    Jace followed through the vaulted entry and into the laboratory.  ¡°What is it, Gromphy?¡±


    The goblin hustled about, too busy to answer.  He placed the green medallion he had taken from Kelrick on his table and turned to eject the trunk from his inventory and onto the shelf it usually occupied.  He popped the lid and began rummaging through it.


    ¡°I think he got the last piece he needed for the spell he¡¯s been working on,¡± Draya said, walking up to the table and picking up the discarded jewelry.  She scoped its powers and nodded.  ¡°Yep, this should . . .¡±


    ¡°Put it down, dragoness!¡± Gromphy barked, turning back to the table with an armful of supplies.  ¡°I shan''t be needing thy fire for this.  Step thyself back.  Remain out of harm¡¯s way.¡±  Draya obeyed.


    ¡°Harm¡¯s way?¡± Jace repeated.  ¡°What do you mean to do?  Turn me into a snake?¡±


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Gropmhy said.  He didn¡¯t elaborate other than to produce a large diamond from the pile of equipment and then press it into the medallion¡¯s center.   Crafting magic flared white and blue as the goblin worked, and within six seconds, the necklace had lost its green color.  Snakeskin flakes lay around the object as if the jewelry had molted.  Gromphy picked it up and brushed the dead scales away.


    The medallion retained its old shape but now pulsed with new power, seeming to draw the room¡¯s stone walls inward as it sparkled with swirls of crystal and minerals.  ¡°You¡¯re not going to turn me into a snake,¡± Jace confirmed.  ¡°You¡¯re going to turn me into stone.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Draya spoke up, acting as the crafter¡¯s mouthpiece while he arranged his equipment on the table, moving with speed Jace had never seen.  ¡°He¡¯s going to give you a stone essence.  Like I have a dragon essence in me.¡±


    ¡°And he can do that with just that medallion?¡± Jace asked.


    Gromphy grumbled a few goblin curses at the incredulity in the statement but didn¡¯t respond directly, still turning between the table, his shelves, and the open chest.


    ¡°It helps that you are already a stone shaman,¡± Draya said.  ¡°And an orc.¡±  Gromphy paused his frantic preparation to give her a pained look.  ¡°And that Gromphy is the best crafter in the realms,¡± she added.  He seemed content at that and raced around the table to retrieve the level 50 crystal.  ¡°And he has access to more crafting mana than is probably safe,¡± Draya finished.


    ¡°Tis what is necessary,¡± Gromphy mumbled, inspecting his setup one last time before looking up at Jace.  ¡°Now I need thee prostrate on my table.¡±


    ¡°Whoa, wait a minute,¡± Jace said, holding up his enormous hands.  ¡°Explain exactly what you are going to do.¡±


    ¡°I shall insert this,¡± Gromphy said, placing a mesmerizing pulsing gray object on the table, ¡°into thy chest and shall link it to thy being by giving thee a stone essence.¡±  He lifted the medallion from the table.


    ¡°How?¡± Jace asked, his eyes transfixed on the glowing 20-sided quartz gem.


    ¡°With this,¡± Gromphy said, holding up a scalpel.


    Jace took a step back.  ¡°A little help, Gracie.¡±


    {That¡¯s a mana core on the table,} the operator said.  {It looks immensely powerful.  I have no idea where it came from.}


    ¡°We got it from the armadillion,¡± Draya said.  She couldn¡¯t hear Gracie, but Jace was staring at the gemstone.  ¡°We call it the Armanacore.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Jace asked.  His eyes went around the room.  ¡°How many of you were in on this?¡±


    ¡°I only knew they needed an ice core,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°I helped with that.¡±


    ¡°They tried to tell me,¡± Esther said, ¡°but it didn¡¯t make sense, so I mostly ignored them.¡±


    ¡°He practiced on Zorn.¡±


    Jace spun around at the husky feminine voice to see Trixna enter the room. The orc priestess wore her typically revealing robe but, for once, didn¡¯t throw flirting looks at the male shaman. ¡°I trust the goblin, Jace. I won¡¯t let him kill you.¡±


    ¡°I . . . I trust him too,¡± Jace said unconvincingly, returning his eyes to the potential operating table and the massive gem Gromphy wanted to stick in his chest.  ¡°But I still don¡¯t understand.  Why do you want to do this to me?¡±


    ¡°To make you unstoppable,¡± Draya said.  ¡°You¡¯ll be like me, only instead of a dragon core, it will be a stone core, and you will have unlimited mana at your disposal to cast spells.¡±


    {If what she is saying is true,} Gracie said, {you¡¯d be a fool to pass this up.}


    ¡°You¡¯ve been letting us do all the spellcasting so far,¡± Draya said.  She looked around the room.  Psycho and Esther weren¡¯t the realm¡¯s best magic users.  ¡°Well, me and Gromphy anyway.  It¡¯s time you had a turn.¡±


    ¡°And what if the procedure goes wrong?¡±  Jace looked at the crafter and let the room know he wanted the goblin to answer for himself.


    ¡°It shan¡¯t,¡± he replied.  ¡°But if it brings thee comfort, offer a prayer to thy god.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°What do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°Remove thy shirt, drink this potion, and lie on my table,¡± Gromphy said, offering the orc a bubbling purple concoction.


    Jace stepped forward and took the vial. He looked around the room one last time to regard the expectant faces of his friends, and then he downed the potion. He felt dizzy at once and reached out clumsily to catch himself.


    ¡°Lie down before thou falls!  We¡¯ll never be able to lift thee!¡±  Gromphy ran around the table to push Jace toward the table.  The short goblin could do little, but Trixna and Psycho were next to their leader in a second and guided his large bulk to the stone slab.  Jace¡¯s mind spiraled into a blur of confusion, and he wondered if he should count back from 100.  He didn¡¯t make it to 98 before the room went black.


    <hr>


    Jace opened his eyes and found himself staring up at a wooden ceiling with hanging electric lights and spinning fans.  He lay on a table and propped himself to his elbows to look around.  He was in a church.  Not a temple, or crypt, or some other fantasy-style worship hall, but a bonafide church.  It reminded him of where he went as a child in the south suburbs of Chicago.  Jace looked down and saw he rested on the communion table and quickly hopped off.


    The wooden pews before him were filled with people.  They all stood with hymn books in their hands, singing glorious music.  Jace couldn¡¯t pick out any words, but the music stirred his soul and sent chills down his spine.  The families looked familiar, not that Jace recognized any of them specifically. Still, he had been in dozens of churches and recognized men wearing suits and ties, women in floral dresses, and children trying to sing along with their parents.  The older kids sang just as powerfully as the adults while the younger ones fiddled idly with their hands or stared at open books and pretended to follow along.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    For a moment, Jace wondered if he had actually been transported to a real church outside the game. A quick look down at his body, an orc in a loincloth, told him otherwise.  None of the congregants noticed his ill-conforming attire, and he used that apparent anonymity to walk up to one of the families and peer at their songbook.  While the outside looked like any number of hymnals he was used to, the pages didn¡¯t hold anything he recognized.  At first, it appeared like an alien language scrolling across the pages, but the closer he looked, he saw Ones and Zeros, Hashtags and Ampersands.


    It was computer code.


    While he couldn¡¯t pick out what they sang, the people were definitely pronouncing meaningful syllables. It sounded like a modern movie soundtrack backed by vocals that added depth and harmony with no articulated words.  That returned Jace to the actual music.  He pivoted to face the front of the church to see a massive collection of pipes covering the wall behind the pulpit.  The sound contained more complexities than pipes could produce, with brass, strings, and percussion binding everything together.


    On the left of the main stage sat the organist, grinding away in a frenzied interpretation of Beethoven. Unlike his congregants, the man did not wear modern clothing but shiny full-plate appropriate for the realms. Each piece of armor rotated perfectly on unseen joints, allowing the musician a full range of motion.  He wore no helm, and his feathered blond fair bounced and swayed in rhythm to the music.


    Jace sensed the song was nearing its end. After several high notes from the singers and a dramatic clash of cymbals, the church grew silent, and the congregation took their seats.  Jace watched the organist rise from his bench and walk swiftly toward his position.  He was a handsome young man, reminding Jace of Heath Ledger from the movie A Knight¡¯s Tale.


    The orc shaman bowed slightly at his approach.  ¡°Dexmachi, I presume.¡±


    The god¡¯s mouth turned upward in a slight grin.  ¡°Correct as usual, my loyal servant.¡±


    ¡°That was some lovely music, sir,¡± Jace said, wondering how he should be addressing a god in the game.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.  ¡°Gandhi demands a lot to manipulate the numbers.  It isn¡¯t always easy.  Your play style keeps me on my toes.¡±


    ¡°So, is this how it¡¯s done?¡± Jace made a broad gesture to the church and the silent people.  ¡°Is this how you ¡®Conduct¡¯ my fortune in the game?¡±


    ¡°We make some incredible music together, Jace Thorne,¡± Dexmachi nodded.


    ¡°And you¡¯ve brought me here . . . why?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°To keep me company during surgery?  Was this presentation tied to what Gromphy is doing?¡±


    The knight shook his head.  ¡°No, your goblin doesn¡¯t serve me.  He¡¯s on his own with that.  I¡¯m sure you will be fine.  You¡¯re presence here is unrelated.  We would have met the next time you tried to skip until dawn or logged in.¡±  He paused for dramatic effect.  ¡°You are here for a mandatory mission.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk,¡± Dexmachi shook his head disapprovingly.  ¡°Gracie has left you unprepared.¡±


    ¡°Want to explain, Gracie?¡± Jace rolled his eyes up to the ceiling.  He didn¡¯t get a response.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± the god said, ¡°she isn¡¯t with you now.  Our meeting is taking place in your subconscious; she wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up.  Only about five seconds will pass for her between the start of your surgery and when you wake up.¡±  He paused.  ¡°Assuming Gromphy doesn¡¯t kill you.¡±  He shook his head. ¡°Never mind, that won¡¯t happen.¡±  He sighed.  ¡°I find it hard to think without music sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I could hum the Jeopardy theme,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Sarcasm will get you nowhere.¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°It got me here.¡±


    His god smiled.  ¡°Touch¨¦.  Anyway, where was I?¡±


    ¡°A mandatory quest,¡± Jace replied.


    ¡°Ah, yes, right.  There is a monastery in the mountains devoted to Shimbatu.  He is a newer god, like myself, and has few followers.  He is an ally and has asked for my help.  For our help.¡±


    ¡°How few is few?¡±  Jace asked.  ¡°How many followers does he have?¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Dexmachi said.  ¡°Just like me.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°And if he were to lose that follower?¡±


    Dexmach only nodded, confirming Jace¡¯s assumption.  ¡°Some might argue that he already has, and Shimbatu might be days, perhaps hours from deletion.  His lone PC follower has led a rebellion against him, inviting a demon into his monastery and turning most of the monks against him.  Without control of his stronghold, he can not initiate quests for new recruits, and a god can not survive with only NPC devotees.¡±


    ¡°You want me to kill the demon?¡±


    Dexmachi shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°The hellspawn¡¯s name is Karo¡¯Kaffellon.  He is the sworn enemy of Shimbatu, not me.  I will not direct your actions in this, lest it be interpreted as an act of war I am not prepared to engage.  I ask only that you help my ally restore his monastery so he can recruit new followers.  There is no single solution to this problem, and I would not wish to hamper your play style by insisting that you do anything.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°I am in the middle of another quest.¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know,¡± Dexmachi waved a hand to dismiss his concern.  ¡°You can finish with Kai Morte and Esther, but don¡¯t wait much longer than that.¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡±


    Dexmachi looked sternly at him.  ¡°Gracie can explain the consequences.  She owes you that much.¡±  He turned away and walked back toward the organ.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jace said.  ¡°Is that all?  I have so many more questions.¡±


    He shrugged his shoulders without turning around.  ¡°Sorry.  Time¡¯s up.  The last suture is tightening now.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    Dexmachi turned once he reached the organ with a goofy grin and pointed a pistol finger at Jace.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I have faith in you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m supposed to say?¡± Jace responded but only got half the phrase out when the church blinked out of existence.


    <hr>


    Jace opened his eyes and took a massive gulp of air.  He got the impression it was the first breath his lungs had taken in a while.  As his chest rose, he felt his whole body expand, not just because it regained consciousness and feeling but because it now seemed to encompass his entire stronghold.  He could feel the gnomes moving about in distant caverns as if they were ants crawling over his toes.  He sensed their forges burning strong as if he had just drank a shot of whiskey, and the alcohol burned tracts down his esophagus.  Wind blowing over the chimneys felt like a lover breathing into his ear.


    Before the enhanced sensory input overwhelmed him, he took several calming breaths with his eyes closed.  He could get through this.  It would only take concentration.  He remembered looking at old 3D posters that were popular over a decade ago.  They appeared to be random scribbles, but if you allowed your vision to fall out of focus, a distinct image would emerge.  The first time you saw it required many seconds of concentration, but with practice, you could summon the three-dimensional image in a flash.


    Jace did that now, letting each of the new sensations fade into the background as he focused on the pulsing mana core in the center of his being.  Once he embraced that, all the other inputs started to make sense.  Jace had heard of amputees who still retained feeling in their missing limbs.  The hand might not be there, but the section in their mind that had controlled it still was.  Now, Jace¡¯s mind opened to ¡°body parts¡± he had never felt before.  Soon, he could sense each tunnel, each cavern, and everything that moved through it as if they were limbs awakening from a deep slumber.


    He wondered if this level of awareness was due to this being his stronghold or if he would be afforded this much information about every cave he entered.  That could be answered in time, and Jace looked forward to finding out.  Eventually, he opened his eyes and sat up.


    His party members looked back at him expectedly, their eyes tracing up and down his body.  He did the same and found the stone medallion pulsing on his chest.  At first, he worried that wearing the jewelry would prevent him from using his illusion necklace.  However, upon closer examination, the circle of stone didn¡¯t hang from a chain but was embedded into his chest like an Iron Man.  Jace rotated his torso and flexed his massive chest muscles, feeling no discomfort or pulling from the foreign object secured to his flesh.


    The orc hopped off the table, and as soon as his Boots of Grounding touched the stone floor, the cavern came alive again.  His mind raced down each corridor and tunnel in seconds.  Instead of overwhelming him, it felt comforting, like he was home after a long trip.


    ¡°Gracie,¡± Jace said as he moved away from the table and toward the exit into the open cavern.  His friends parted wordlessly for him.  ¡°Talk to me.¡±


    {It¡¯s . . . it¡¯s almost too much,} she replied.  {You definitely have a second mana core now.  It isn¡¯t as big as Draya¡¯s, but it replenishes quickly, and you will never run out.  It looks like you are now considered to be permanently connected to stone, so all of those spells that only worked when you were standing on rock now work all the time.  You will still need a line of stone to connect you to your totems, but you have enough mana now to basically pave every surface you might fight on with an inch of marle for free.  Of course, with these upgrades, you might not need your totems as much.}


    Jace heard her clicking away like mad and waited for her to pull up more information.  {Okay, here it is.  You are now Stonekin, and, like Draya, you get stone-specific abilities every five levels starting at zero.  At level 19, you have four of them.  The first is Stone Flesh, which makes you resistant to slashing and piercing attacks.  At your current level, you have 75% resistance from attacks by characters at or below your level.  At 20, you¡¯ll get 100% resistance, and someone will have to be at a higher level than you to do any damage.


    {Next, you have Animate Stone.  This allows you to control the rocks around you.  The level to which you are able to do this depends on how much mana you spend.  Since most people have limitations, they use this ability to start landslides or have stalagmites stab at their enemies.  With your mana pool, the sky¡¯s the limit.}


    Jace found this spell and activated it.  Standing near the center of his large, domed entry hall, he reached out with an open palm and slowly curled his fingers into a bowl shape.  Before him, five slender stone pillars rose from the floor, following the movements of his orc digits.  Jace snapped his hand closed into a fist, and the stalagmites collapsed inward into a tight boulder several feet across.  He heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him and assumed Draya and the others were watching him explore his new powers.


    {Yes,} Gracie said.  {Very cool.  You also have Granite Strength, which allows you to increase your Strength depending on how much stone is around you.  In a mountain like this, you could raise it by 10.  On a gravel road, you might be able to increase it by 1 or 2.}


    Jace found this spell and noticed that he had a +3 permanent bonus to it since his stone nature ensured he was always touching stone. This meant he could increase his strength by at least three, even if he stood on a wooden floor.


    {Finally, you have Mountainous Size.  This lets you draw on nearby stone to increase your stature.  This will also increase your strength and constitution slightly and give you a massive bonus against enemies smaller than you.  They will need to spend multiple criticals to double damage, and characters like Esther won¡¯t be able to Grapple you as easily.}


    Again, Jace saw he had a permanent bonus to this spell and saw he could increase his height to 12 feet regardless of his environment.  With adequate stone, he could grow to the full height of his current level, 19 feet.  He chose not to test this now.


    {But the best thing,} Gracie continued, {is that at level 20, you can transform into a stone elemental to gain all these bonuses at once, and nothing short of a dragon or a level 40 mage could hurt you.}


    ¡°While I was asleep,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I got a mandatory quest to go fight a demon in a monastery.  It is located in the mountains.  How close am I to 20?¡±


    {Still a ways off,} Gracie said.  {You¡¯ll need to kill a ton of minions or a few more PCs to advance.}  She paused.  {Oh, you got a mandatory quest.  I was wondering when that would happen.}


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°My god said he was surprised you hadn¡¯t mentioned it to me before.  Care to explain?¡±


    {It is the downside to serving a deity,} she said.  {Without them, everyone would serve a god since the bonuses are so great.  Periodically, you are sent on mandatory missions.  If you delay performing them, you start to lose your divine bonuses, and eventually, they turn into banes.  Each quest is different and created from various templates based on the god you serve.  They offer few, if any, experience points outside of the monsters you might kill, but, more critically, no walkthroughs exist for them.  There are guides on what you can expect and whole forums for each god where players recount the mandatory quests they¡¯ve been on, but to date, no one has ever seen one happen more than once.}


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue with that?¡±


    Gracie laughed.  {You keep forgetting how normal people play this game.  You march into uncharted waters with reckless abandon constantly, expecting you¡¯ll survive anything.  Other players don¡¯t do that.  They usually only play modules with extensive walkthroughs telling them everything they need to do.  Even the adventurous players who attempt to pass modules no one has yet have all the information from the failed attempts.  When it comes to mandatory quests, no one knows anything, and everyone walks in blind.  From what I can tell, few players die from them, but it does happen, and it happens more frequently than players dying from MIMs with extensive guides.}


    ¡°So I should be worried about this quest?¡± Jace asked.


    Again, Gracie laughed.  {No more than any of these other crazy missions you go on.  I¡¯m sure your god will test you, but I wouldn¡¯t get too worked up about it.  Did he give you a time frame?}


    ¡°He said I could finish our current mission first, which is good.  It will let me get used to my new powers.¡±  He started reaching out to the stone again when a voice from behind interrupted him.


    ¡°How dost thou like it?¡±


    Jace turned to look back toward Gromphy¡¯s lab and the collection of characters watching him explore his new settings.  His eyes found the goblin standing at the front of the crowd.  ¡°It is amazing,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Thank you very much.  I am in your debt.¡±


    ¡°Bah,¡± the crafter said, waving his hand in dismissal.  ¡°I am still in thine.  Thou hast provided me with more. . .¡± it sounded like his voice got choked up, and he faked a cough to mask it.


    Psycho came to his rescue.  ¡°What next?  Do we have another mission to aid Esther?  Do we have a good opportunity to test out your new abilities?¡±


    ¡°We have one more,¡± Jace said.  ¡°However, it needs approval yet.¡±  His voice turned inward.  ¡°Gracie, do we have authorization from the higher-ups to proceed?  Or are they going to play hardball?¡±


    {It¡¯s late here,} Gracie said.  {I haven¡¯t heard anything.  Let me make a few calls.  Feed your people lunch, and I should have an answer for you when you''re done.}


    Jace nodded and suggested a meal to his party.  Esther vociferously agreed to the plan.

 Chapter 55

    Senior Agent Gregory Sykes moved to the last folder.  ¡°Are we reviewing Esther Xerxes or Kai Morte?¡±


    ¡°Both, sir,¡± Jason said.  ¡°They are connected. A couple of weeks ago, Esther and Gromphy went on a mission for me and ran into one of Esther¡¯s old acquaintances: a vampire named Atrax.  All we know about him is that he serves a powerful demon and is hunting Esther and the other angels who fell with her.  We don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°Esther can¡¯t tell you?¡± Gregory asked.


    Jason shook his head.  ¡°No, and she only remembers as much as she does because Atrax told her.  She and a few other angels ¨C we don¡¯t know how many ¨C fell to the realms and lived in a forest for a while, trying to figure out what had happened to them and what they were supposed to do.  Eventually, they sent Esther to a nearby village to visit a temple and find out what was wrong.  Instead, she ran into Atrax.  Somehow, the vampire knew she was an angel, seduced her, and tried to get her to tell him where the others were.  She didn¡¯t, and he held her in the city long enough that the angels sent someone after her.¡±


    ¡°This Kai Morte,¡± Gregory said as he skimmed through the dossier, which paralleled Jason¡¯s story.


    ¡°Yes.  He is an inquisitor, which is a type of paladin.  Atrax captured him as well and tortured him for information.  It didn¡¯t work.  Eventually, he turned Esther into a vampire in front of him to convince him to talk, but that didn¡¯t work either.  They escaped and ran back to the other angels, and everyone agreed it was best to split up and wipe their memories so none of them would be able to spill the beans to anyone else who might be looking for them.¡±


    ¡°Then how were they supposed to figure out how to get back home if they couldn¡¯t remember anything?¡±


    Jason shrugged.  ¡°I guess they figured once their time of banishment was over, someone would come for them.  Or, perhaps, they knew why Atrax was after them, and they reasoned it was better to forget everything and keep the vampire¡¯s demon lord from finding them than it was to return to the divine realm.  Whatever the reason, Esther doesn¡¯t remember.  She only remembers Kai because Atrax triggered her memory.  He linked Kai Morte to his deity, Dignatio.  It is Latin for Honor and Dignity.  Esther¡¯s former god is Decus Gemma, which means precious stone.¡±


    ¡°And so if no one can remember anything, what is your plan?¡±


    ¡°We solve Kai¡¯s quest, and hopefully, there will be clues to lead us to one of the other fallen angels,¡± Jason answered, knowing it wasn¡¯t the best response.


    ¡°And what is his quest?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s taken from the Bible,¡± Jason replied.


    The CIA agent laughed.  ¡°Of course it is.¡±


    ¡°We believe Kai Morte is the realm¡¯s version of Mordecai, who was Esther¡¯s uncle and took care of her.  Esther won a beauty contest to become the next queen of Persia.  In the Bible, the king¡¯s name is Ahasuerus, which is a Hebrew form of Xerxes, possibly Xerxes I, who ruled Persia from 486 to 465 BC.  It is also perhaps a reference to his son, Artaxerxes, which is where Atrax¡¯s name comes from.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting a history lesson,¡± Gregory said.


    Jason ignored the comment. ¡°Esther¡¯s story revolves around a man named Haman who wants to kill all the Jews. At this point in history, Jews are a fallen people since they were taken into captivity by the Babylonians, who preceded the Persians.  We think it parallels Esther¡¯s in-game situation, where she is part of a group of fallen angels.  The Jews angered God in the Bible, and he allowed them to be taken into captivity.  Esther and her fellow angels must have similarly angered their deities, and now someone is trying to kill them.¡±


    ¡°So you are going up against someone named Haman?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°In the Bible, Haman is trying to kill the Jews.  So far, we only know of Atrax trying to find all the angels.  Esther thinks she heard Atrax and his partner talk about another player like me looking for all the angels, but I doubt his name will be Haman.  He might be filling that role, but as far as we can tell, no one in the game has that name.  Gandhi retroactively made this mission once I freed Esther so she would be limited to current players.  The game¡¯s AI can do a lot, but we don¡¯t think she can change a player¡¯s name.¡±


    Gregory nodded.  ¡°You keep saying ¡®We Think . . .¡¯¡±  He looked around the room in Langly and through the TV screen at the other group members who had all been quiet so far.  ¡°Are you being modest, or was this a group effort?¡±


    ¡°This was mostly Jason¡¯s deductions,¡± Stephen admitted.  ¡°He knows the Bible better than we do.  But we all agree with him.¡±


    ¡°Biblical knowledge is rare among players in the realm,¡± Allison added.


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine why,¡± Gregory said while rolling his eyes.


    ¡°We think, uh,¡± Jason started. ¡°I think this is why no one has solved Kai¡¯s quest yet.  He appeared right after I freed Esther and the other escorts, but a lot of things changed right around then, so there was nothing obvious connecting him with her.  And if you look at his picture, it doesn¡¯t exactly make you think of Jewish captivity.¡±


    Gregory turned a page to see a color portrait of Kai Morte in plater armor.  ¡°The first thing that jumps to mind is a young Antonio Banderas.  I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    ¡°Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition, sir,¡± Stephen said, barely keeping a straight face.  Allison punched him in the arm.


    If Gregory picked up on the reference, he didn¡¯t let on.  Jason stepped in quickly.  ¡°All joking aside, most people did associate Kai with the Spanish Inquisition and poured through Middle Ages¡¯ history to find a solution to his quest.¡±


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°What is his quest?¡±


    ¡°He knows of a plot to kill a king in a foreign country,¡± Jason explained.  ¡°The inquisitors in Spain worked for the Catholic Monarchs and often rooted out assassination efforts, so it makes sense.  However, everyone who has tried to solve the quest that way has died.  Once you convince Kai to let you help him, he takes you to the foreign kingdom and then immediately accuses you of working with the assassins.  You are thrown in prison, and when the king dies the next day, you are tortured and eventually killed.  The game doesn¡¯t allow you to escape.¡±


    ¡°Yet people keep trying?¡± Gregory asked.


    Jason shook his head.  ¡°Not in a while.  Based on our research, no one has tried it in over a week.  Most assume it is a broken quest.  This can happen when someone kills or destroys a critical component of a module, and the game is forced to intervene.  Only one person has shown any progress with Kai, and that is the new owner of the Gilded Swan.  He hired Kai to be a bodyguard for the women working there.  It is similar to the role he performed for Esther, so it makes sense.  It also follows his role in the Bible.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Gregory prompted.  ¡°I¡¯m afraid I also missed this lesson in Sunday School.¡±


    Jason nodded.  ¡°I admit I had to reread the account myself.  Mordecai hung around the king¡¯s gate where the harem women gathered, wanting to hear news of how Esther was doing.  He heard two eunuchs talking about a plot to kill the king, so he told Esther.  She reported it to the king, and the eunuchs were killed.¡±


    ¡°The king¡¯s harem?¡±


    Jason shrugged.  ¡°It was a different time, and it fits well with the realm''s normal bent.  I think the key is to use Esther to infiltrate the palace as a harem girl, and she can present the news of the assassination plot.¡±


    ¡°Seems like a pretty tough mission to solve if you need to have Esther on your team,¡± Gregory pointed out.  ¡°There is only one of her in the game, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason admitted, ¡°but I think any of the escorts from the Gilded Swan would work.  Kai seems like someone who trusts and wants to protect women, so proposing that plan to him is the key to winning his trust.  As an inquisitor, he is immune to all mind magic and control spells, so no one else can get him to do what they want.  And I¡¯m sure that trying to coerce him in another way is a sure ticket to prison and a torture session.  Plus, us taking the Biblical angle while everyone else took the Spanish Inquisition angle might be another reason they failed.¡±


    Gregory nodded.  ¡°Okay, I understand.  It sounds like you have a good plan.  You get this paladin to trust you, and you foil the assassination plot against the king.  But you¡¯re missing something.¡±


    Jason¡¯s brow furrowed, and he exchanged looks between Gracie and Connor before turning back to the TV screen.  ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly sure what will happen after that, sir,¡± Jason said.  ¡°We hope that after freeing Kai from his quest, he will remember something that can help us locate the other angels or at least find out why Atrax and his demon are hunting them.¡±


    Gregory shook his head.  ¡°No, I understand all that.  What I want to know is why the CIA cares about this.  Are any of these characters working for an international criminal?  Is a gun runner trying to get Kai to join his team, and you are beating him to the punch.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    Gregory read the expression and didn¡¯t back down: ¡°I know you think this is all fun and games, but our work in this game . . . your work in this game saves lives and protects US interests. If I understand this correctly, you are asking for permission to go on a quest that has killed every other player who has attempted it.  We have a term for that in the CIA that I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with.  It¡¯s called a Suicide Mission.  Why should I let you do it?¡±


    ¡°Because we will have earned it,¡± Jason said.  ¡°In the first three missions, we will have exposed and probably disabled a prominent money launderer, sabotaged the efforts of a real Somalian pirate organization, and crippled three High-Value Targets.  This mission will secure Esther as part of our team so we can complete more successful missions in the future.¡±


    ¡°Or,¡± Gregory countered, ¡°you might solve Esther¡¯s quest, and she will return to the divine realm, leaving you without your most powerful ally, thus weakening your team.¡±


    Jason hadn¡¯t considered that and wisely held his tongue.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see,¡± Ross spoke up, diffusion the tension.  ¡°If you are successful in the first three missions, we can present a convincing argument to finish Esther¡¯s quest.  If not, then this argument is moot.  Besides, you may turn up evidence that Kai is associated with another HVT.¡±


    Gregory nodded, closed the current folder, and stacked all four on top of each other, signaling to the group that the meeting was over.  ¡°Well, good luck tomorrow,¡± he said, rising from the table.  ¡°It looks like your work is cut out for you.  Get some sleep.  I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll talk again soon.¡±  The senior agent nodded at everyone present and left the room.


    <hr>


    Jace was watching his crew finish lunch, including Esther eating almost an entire roasted chicken by herself, when Gracie chimed in his head. {Well,} she started, {I have good news and very disturbing news.  Nobody wanted to tell me anything at first, and I finally had to get a hold of Ross to get any information, and he didn¡¯t even want to talk with me.}


    ¡°Sounds bad,¡± Jace said.  He made eye contact with Psycho, letting his second-in-command know that it might be time to get ready to leave.  Esther reached for more food, but the elf slapped her hand.  ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± Jace said.


    {Remember the list of in-game clients Gropmhy was able to get from Rock Bender¡¯s art gallery?}


    Jace didn¡¯t.  He knew that was the first mission¡®s goal, but the transfer of information had happened directly between Gromphy and Gracie through the goblin¡¯s magical earring.  Plus, Jace had spent several nights in the game since logging in, and while he knew that mission likely ended about 10 hours ago in real-time, it felt like days to him.


    {Well,} Gracie continued, {Stephen and Allison were able to match visits of known terrorists with artwork produced and sold in the real world, and they found several payments probably made to people who didn¡¯t produce the artwork.  It took hours to get a warrant, but eventually, they sent a team to raid an address in Dallas.  It happened a couple of hours ago.  You won¡¯t believe what they found.}


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it wasn¡¯t art supplies.¡±


    {No, they had explosive equipment, guns, and barrels of fertilizer in the garage.}


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they weren¡¯t gardeners,¡± Jace said.


    {Not exactly,} she agreed.  {They also had detailed blueprints of Cowboy Stadium and a white van with a fake extermination company logo painted on the side.}


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the next Superbowl in Dallas?¡± Jace asked.


    {Exactly,} Gracie said.  {We just stopped a terrorist attack that could have killed 100,000 people.}


    Jace took a few deep breaths.  Rescuing a few kidnapped players was good.  This was on another level.  ¡°So, does this mean we can go ahead with our last mission?¡±


    Gracie laughed.  {Ross tried to get a straight answer out of our buddy, Agent Gregory Sykes, but he didn¡¯t have a lot of time to talk.  Ross was asking if we had permission to help a paladin stop a king¡¯s assignation attempt in a fantasy video game, while Sylkes had the White House on the other line, asking how the CIA had uncovered the most significant terrorist plot since 9/11.  Meanwhile, Stephen and Allison had half a dozen other addresses in the US of potential terrorists that we are trying to get warrants for.  So, they didn¡¯t have a long conversation.  Ross told me all he could get out of Sykes was, ¡°You tell Jason he can do whatever the @#$% he wants, and leave me alone¡± or something like that.}


    Jace laughed.  ¡°Good, Esther will be pleased.¡±

 Chapter 56

    Jace walked through the doors of the Gilded Swan, and memories flooded back to him. Less than a month ago, he had come here as a na?ve noob, and Esther had charmed him in more ways than one. Now, he entered with more confidence, knowing exactly what to do and what to expect. Well, he didn¡¯t know exactly what to expect. The brothel was under new ownership, a player¡¯s ownership, and Jace had done enough research to know things happened differently now. No longer was this a private MIM where you could do what you wanted; instead, it was public, and if you violated the rules, you were taken outside into a PvP zone and hoped for mercy.


    Level 16-18 guards stood around the room nonchalantly, blending in with potted plants, tantalizing sculptures, and serene landscape paintings. Unlike the half-orc guards from Ironfel, each of these was unique and probably twice as expensive to maintain. However, to protect a city, you needed scores of characters. To maintain security in the Gilded Swan, half a dozen would do.


    Jace saw two mages, one male and one female, talking idly at the bar while nursing drinks. A dwarf and a stocky human sat in the corner, playing the realm¡¯s version of chess, each with a battle axe hanging from their belts. On the balcony, a young man in a sleeveless vest and harem pants looked bored as he leaned against a pillar surveying the crowd below. A quiver dangled from his hip, and the tip of his longbow poked just over his left shoulder.


    To anyone else, these characters looked like ordinary guests casually spending their time in the posh environment. To Jace, they were obviously guards. All the other characters in the room had their eyes on the scantily clad men and women moving through the tables, offering drinks, food, and the promise of more private liaisons in one of the many rooms along the back wall. The guards ignored the escorts, focusing instead on the patrons, carefully observing each interaction they had with the staff and each other. When Jace had fled this brother several weeks ago, it was during a massive melee that probably killed several characters and did untold damage to the building. Vithium, the new owner, had spent good money to make sure that never happened again.


    Jace locked eyes with one specific security guard, a level 16 spellsword named Tristan Hamley. As far as Jace knew, of all the guards he spotted, Tristan was the only one in Vithium¡¯s party. The others were probably mercenaries that spawned naturally within a high-level PvP city. Jace felt the spellsword was likely the most dangerous of the bunch. Standard classes like mage, fighter, and rogue were easier to counter. Hybrid classes like a spellsword, battlemage, or blade-dancer acted unpredictably. From his research, Jace knew Tristan was Thursa¡¯s brother. The shaman hadn¡¯t gotten around to asking Wallace how she and Vithium had split the brothers up. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but Jace didn¡¯t believe in those, especially not in this game.


    Even at Level 16, the spellsword was someone Jace wanted to avoid. PvP was deactivated within the brothel, but NPCs could still attack you, and Jace didn¡¯t want to deal with the dangerous character. Instead, he looked over to the last guard stationed in the room. Kai Morte stood as still as a statue, his sleek armor glistening in the sunshine streaming through the skylights. The rest of the guards were there to resolve any violent conflicts between patrons; Kai cared primarily for the safety and integrity of the women. At level 10, he wasn¡¯t going to be much good in a fight, but as an inquisitor, his skills lay elsewhere. While the spellsword mostly ignored Jace, Kai didn¡¯t take his eyes off him.


    The shaman wore his illusion necklace and appeared to be an average human. However, flanking him were two beautiful and very different women. Draya wore her mage dress. While it had lost its curse that gave her unlimited mana, it retained its other attributes and remained one of the more valuable items in the game. Once Esther found out they were going back to her old stomping grounds, she insisted on giving her friend a makeover, and the conservative clothes the young woman usually wore under the dress were gone. She also displayed more jewelry and had her red locks down instead of pulled back. The black streak through her hair split along her part, so half hung on either side of her face, like thin parentheses.


    Esther walked on Jace¡¯s other side, wearing the same black dress that had been her standard attire while working here. Few of the original staff remained at the Gilded Swan, but those that did stopped for a moment to appreciate the women¡¯s arrival. The rogue entered the dining hall as if she owned it, and for a moment, she did as conversation stopped and all eyes glued to her. She smiled in return, tossing her black hair away from her face and clinging tightly to Jace¡¯s arm. The other patrons got the hint that she was taken and returned to their food and lascivious negotiations.


    Jace¡¯s group had visited the small temple next door first, and the priest had said Kai spent most of his time here now. The inquisitor had taken a keen interest in protecting the women. Jace hoped he wasn¡¯t officially employed here or a full-party member of Vithium. Jace believed that would have required the monk to solve Kai¡¯s quest. He didn¡¯t know much about the player, but anyone capable of holding on to the Gilded Swan had his respect. He didn¡¯t want to negotiate with the man but doubted his presence here would go unnoticed. He only hoped the owner lived in the Western Hemisphere and, thus, likely asleep.


    Jace had left Psycho, Gromphy, and Snowy outside. The wolf wouldn¡¯t be allowed in, and the Goblin would draw too much attention. Places in the realms existed for Goblins to have a good time, but the Gilded Swan wasn¡¯t it. Psycho remained with them mainly for protection but also because Jace had to convince Kai that he wasn¡¯t intending to assassinate the king, and having the game''s best sniper with him wouldn¡¯t lend credence to that claim.


    As the hostess led the trio to their seats, Jace saw Kai walking toward them, already halfway across the room. The Swan had a strict rule that only one client was permitted in the room of an escort at a time, so most of their patrons were single players, primarily men. Ocassionly, a couple entered, wanting to swing a little, but when someone like Jace arrived with two women, each more eccentric than what the brothel had to offer, either he was here for another reason, or he wanted to break the rules.


    A server dropped off three ales at the table as the paladin arrived. ¡°Gentleman, ladies,¡± the inquisitor said in a thick Hispanic accent. ¡°What brings you to the swan this afternoon? We don¡¯t usually get such . . . distinguished guests.¡±


    Jace knew he was nothing to look at. His disguise intentionally lacked weapons or magical items, mimicking a simple merchant or trader. Esther and Draya were another story. As they had walked through the streets of Portsmith, Draya had blushed so profoundly that her face almost matched her hair. She wasn¡¯t used to showing this much skin, especially from the slit high up her leg. However, once she sat behind a tablecloth, she grew more confident and smiled warmly at the handsome knight.


    Kai didn¡¯t notice. His eyes stayed fixed on Esther. Jace expected this behavior from any warm-blooded male, but this look held more than just infatuation. The stone shaman could read a strong sense of de ja vu in the paladin¡¯s eyes as if searching for a distant thought. Esther worked hard to maintain her composure. Atrax had awoken her memories, so she knew full well who Kai was, but Jace had told her not to rouse her friend until after they had solved his quest. They didn¡¯t need the distraction.


    ¡°Please,¡± Jace said, interrupting the staring contest, ¡°have a seat. We have come to talk with you, actually.¡±


    Kai pulled his eyes away from Esther, didn¡¯t sit down, and regarded the player carefully. He frowned. ¡°One does not bring such beauty into a place like this merely to talk, senior. And those who come looking for me don¡¯t make a public show of it.¡±


    ¡°I have no problem discussing matters here,¡± Jace said, not intimidated by the public setting. While a few other patrons kept looking over at them, most had an alluring escort at their table or were looking to engage one. Jace knew from experience a few of them had already told their operator to post somewhere on a forum that the famous Jace Thorne was sitting at a table in the Gilded Swan with Esther Xerxes. This would prompt dozens of discussions about why he was there. Did he plan to buy the place? Was Esther looking to return to her old job? Was this an initiation ritual for his young fireballing mage? The players around him would keep their ears open to see if they could answer any of these questions, but Jace didn¡¯t expect them to interfere.


    Along with his fame came a well-earned reputation. Everyone knew by now that you didn¡¯t mess with Jace Thorne. He had publicly killed so many powerful characters and monsters that to do anything other than look at him was extreme foolishness.


    ¡°However,¡± Jace continued, ¡°if you wish to retire to a more private room, I¡¯m sure this facility has a few available.¡±


    Kai winced, confirming something Jace had hopped. He didn¡¯t actually work here. He couldn¡¯t just commandeer one of the rooms. ¡°Speak your mind, and I shall decide if I¡¯m interested. I am not looking for more work.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace said, ¡°you are looking to stop an assassination.¡±


    Kai moved suddenly, finally taking the fourth seat at the table and leaning over the circular surface. Jace felt a shimmer of magic surround them and guessed that a character who specialized in interrogations would have a spell to keep such discussions private. ¡°How would you know this?¡± His voice came in a harsh whisper, low and deadly. ¡°How could you know this unless you are involved? You¡¯ve come only to find out what I know.¡±


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    This was the crucial junction in the module. Jace guessed this was where most of his predecessors went wrong. Like many modules, once they were tried, failed, and reset, the characters involved retained no knowledge of previous attempts. To Kai, this would be the first time anyone had ever come to him about the assassination. The trick was to convince Kai you knew what was going on while maintaining your innocence.


    ¡°I have come to help you,¡± Jace insisted. ¡°We have come to help you,¡± he emphasized, gesturing at his two companions.


    Kai looked briefly at their smiling, pretty faces and cooled slightly. ¡°How could you come to help me unless you knew of my plight? And how could you know of that unless you were involved?¡±


    Jace had to be careful. Not only did his Honest character take penalties for lying, but an inquisitor, even one at level 10, had multiple bonuses to detect them. Jace guessed that at any moment, the paladin could dispel his illusion necklace. However, the knight was more focused on verbal deception at the moment, and Jace didn¡¯t want to give him a reason to look elsewhere.


    ¡°Your king¡¯s name is Ahasuerus.,¡± Jace said. That got a reaction from the knight, and he pulled back slightly. Gandhi wasn¡¯t consistent with the names she imported from the Bible. Sometimes they were direct, sometimes they were slightly altered, and other times they were reversed. Jace couldn¡¯t guess what the king¡¯s name might be in this module, so he went with the most obvious. Clearly, it was close enough, giving him confidence to continue.


    ¡°The queen is Vashti. I understand your king is not too pleased with his wife and might be looking to divorce her.¡± Kai sat straight up, his expression changing from suspicion to awe. ¡°Perhaps you suspect she is involved with this plot, though your main source of information is from the eunuchs assigned to the king''s harem. You overhead them talking.¡±


    Kai leaned back in his chair, his mouth agape.


    Jace smiled. ¡°Let me guess, no one believed you.¡±


    ¡°They laughed at me,¡± Kai spat. ¡°The king¡¯s own guard ¨C there for the sole purpose of protecting his majesty ¨C laughed at me. The queen is involved. She is a foreign witch and has turned the king¡¯s court against him. I fear any day, she will poison him. I must get word to King Azurous,¡± Kai said, pronouncing the king¡¯s name with a Spanish accent, letting Jace know he had said it wrong, and it probably had a different spelling.


    A thought struck Kai, and he suddenly leaned in again. ¡°But I ask again, how do you know this? I have told no one. Can you see into my mind?¡±


    ¡°I employ one of the realm¡¯s best crafters,¡± Jace said carefully. ¡°He specializes in poisons and antidotes.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Kai said. ¡°The witch came to you for assistance.¡± Jace smiled, letting the inquisitor fill in the story so he didn¡¯t have to lie. ¡°And you turned her down?¡± Kai asked. ¡°Surely she offered you a royal sum of gold. I can not pay you more.¡±


    ¡°Gold is not everything, my friend. Honor has its own value.¡±


    Kai laughed. ¡°Well spoken, senior. We seem to be of one mind, but alas, no closer to saving my king.¡±


    ¡°My crafter can make a potion to counter or prevent any poison,¡± Jace assured him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he can, but unless he can launch it through the window in the king¡¯s bed-chamber, I¡¯m not sure how we can deliver it to him, much less convince him to drink it. Nothing passes his lips unless blessed by his trusted cupbearer. I fear Enrique is the only one in the castle intent on keeping the king alive.¡±


    ¡°And yourself,¡± Jace said.


    Kai smiled. ¡°Si senior, but I am not in the castle, am I? They might let me in the city gates, but I am banned from the courtyard. Unless I give them proof of my assassination claims, I am persona non grata.¡±


    Jace smiled. That was why he brought all those other players to their deaths. He had accused them of the assassination in an attempt to win back his honor. Jace didn¡¯t know what Kai¡¯s alignments were, but his pride must be off the charts to allow him to kill innocent players like that. Still, they had all lied in an attempt to initiate his quest, so perhaps he felt justified. The actual Spanish Inquisitors had killed for less.


    ¡°The king is expanding his harem,¡± Jace said, more of a statement than a question.


    Kai nodded. ¡°Vashti offers him a cold bed, and he is looking for the next queen.¡±


    ¡°I offer two potential candidates,¡± Jace said, spreading his hands toward his female companions sitting on opposite sides of him.


    ¡°What?¡± Draya said, clearly not realizing Jace intended to offer her up to join a king¡¯s harem. He had only told her to dress nice. Jace only half-offered her. He didn¡¯t expect Draya to have to go through with it.


    Kai laughed at her response. ¡°Fear not, young lady. As lovely as you are, you are not the king¡¯s type. But this one . . .¡± he turned to Esther. ¡°She would win his heart in seconds.¡±


    Esther smiled at the compliment and offered the knight her hand. ¡°Esther Xerxes, at your service,¡± she said with a purr.


    Kai winced at the name, but the feeling passed, and Jace let out a sigh. ¡°My name is Kai Morte,¡± he said, taking her hand and kissing it. ¡°A pleasure to meet you. Are you up for this challenge?¡±


    Esther gave him a sly grin that would make a priest blush. ¡°I believe I have some experience.¡±


    ¡°That she does,¡± a voice came from behind the seated knight. ¡°Don¡¯t you know, Kai? She used to work here.¡±


    Jace looked up to see a man standing behind the inquisitor. He wore a simple tunic tied with a blue sash, leather boots, and gray pants. His white shaved head had a circular black ponytail hanging down his back. ¡°Vithium, I presume,¡± Jace said, causing Kai to stand and turn around. Draya and Esther were well-coached and remained seated. ¡°I hope I didn¡¯t wake you.¡±


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± Vithium replied, keeping a distance of over a dozen feet. Tristan stood behind him, hands close to his weapons. ¡°We haven¡¯t met, but your reputation proceeds you.¡± He ignored Jace¡¯s attempt to learn about his real-world time zone. ¡°Poaching as usual?¡±


    Esther started to reply, but Jace touched her arm. ¡°I don¡¯t believe I am taking anything that belongs to someone else. Nor do I ever. Claiming things others have failed to secure hardly counts. You might own the dock, but the water and the fish swimming below the surface are free for all.¡±


    Vithium laughed. ¡°It matters not,¡± he said. ¡°Share and share alike. Isn¡¯t that right, Esther?¡±


    Jace turned to his rogue to see her lips pressed tightly together. Her eyes stayed on Kai, not wishing to look either player in the face. The inquisitor turned back and forth between the monk and shaman, confusion etched on his brow.


    ¡°And this is something you want?¡± Vithium asked the paladin.


    Kai nodded. ¡°He has been honest with me. I trust him.¡±


    Vithium laughed loud and long. ¡°Has he now? Before you sits a vampire, an orc, and a dragon. I would not spend time alone with any of them if my life depended on it.¡±


    Kai grew cold, and Jace saw a light flash through his eyes. His human illusion did not vanish, but Jace knew the knight could see through it. After a few moments Kai only shrugged and turned back to Vithium. ¡°He has not lied to me; you just did. I appreciate all you¡¯ve done for me, but I will go with him.¡±


    Vithium¡¯s laughter died down as he looked at Jace¡¯s smiling face. ¡°You¡¯ll get yourself killed anyway. I¡¯m afraid our inquisitor¡¯s quest is broken. Probably something you did when you unlocked . . .¡± his voice trailed off as Jace recognized the look of someone listening to their operator.


    The monk¡¯s eyes went from Esther to Kai and then back to Jace. ¡°Mordecai and Esther,¡± he said softly. ¡°Wow, don¡¯t I feel stupid! But I guess we all do when compared to Jace Thorne.¡±


    Jace shrugged. ¡°I guess everyone expected the Spanish Inquisition,¡± he said.


    {I¡¯m going to tell Stephen you stole that,} Gracie said, though they both knew the CIA agents replayed all of their missions. They¡¯d be watching live if they weren¡¯t too busy getting warrants to shut down domestic terrorists.


    Vithium laughed again, letting Jace know he was familiar with Monty Python. It narrowed his potential nationality a bit. ¡°Yes, yes, we did.¡± He paused. ¡°So you are just going to leave? It¡¯s the middle of the day, not our busiest time. Sit back and relax. I can arrange for you to spend time with our most popular girl.¡±


    ¡°I believe I¡¯ve already spent weeks with her,¡± Jace smirked. Vithium looked like he wanted to respond but only scowled.


    Jace fished a few coins out of his inventory to lay on the table, covering the drinks. He hadn¡¯t touched his, but Esther¡¯s sat half full, and Draya had guzzled hers after she realized she had almost been sent into a harem.


    ¡°Are we free to go?¡± Jace asked, rising from the table. Everyone tensed. Now that Vithium knew the trick to Kai¡¯s quest, he could try to take out Jace, let the inquisitor¡¯s module initiation sequence reset, and then attempt the mission himself. If Jace had agreed to engage in Vithium¡¯s offer of adult relaxation, that is precisely what the monk would have done.


    Jace looked around the room. Every player had their eyes on this encounter, likely recording it. Several escorts tried to steal back their attention, fearing a potential lost transaction, but to no avail.


    Without turning around, Jace assumed Vithium knew they were the center of attention. Many people would judge his actions if he chose to undercut Jace. He eventually smiled. ¡°If you fail, I will be here to pick up the pieces,¡± he said. ¡°And if there is anything you don¡¯t want to keep,¡± he eyed the two women, lingering on Esther, ¡°I¡¯d appreciate the first right of refusal.¡±


    Jace nodded, bowing slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± He turned to Kai. ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± The knight nodded.


    [Kai Morte has joined your party.]


    Before further drama could arise, Jace led his crew out of the Gilded Swan. A dozen players milled around the entrance, suddenly trying to look as if they had all arrived at the same time coincidentally and not because they were insanely curious about what was going on inside. Jace ignored them, marching past quickly. The second alley down the street held Psycho, Gromphy, and Snowy, hidden by an invisibility potion the crafter had given them. They emerged when Jace beckoned toward them, and the seven powerful characters hurried toward the nearest travel node.


    ¡°That guy was a real jerk,¡± Esther said, hurrying to keep up with her leader. Though he looked human, Jace moved with the speed of a tall orc. ¡°Did you see the way he looked at me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how everyone looks at you,¡± Draya said, finding it difficult to jog and remain modest in her tight-fitting dress.


    ¡°Yes, but he was even more . . .¡±


    ¡°Do you know him, Esther?¡± Jace interrupted.


    ¡°I mean, I know of him,¡± she replied, not looking up at her leader. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m sleeping with him or anything.¡±


    Jace sighed. He knew he would never get a straight answer and stopped trying. He could ask Kai to interrogate her, but it wasn¡¯t worth the time now. Instead, he focused on avoiding traffic and finding a travel node. Two minutes later, they arrived.


    ¡°Kai,¡± he said, motioning to the wooden post. ¡°Please lead us to your kingdom.¡±


    The knight nodded, and the group vanished from the streets.

 Chapter 57

    They arrived in the kingdom of Madria, on the outskirts of Barcelio, the capital city.  Kai quickly donned a helmet that covered most of his face and matched the rest of his armor.  Jace could see this peaceful city didn¡¯t warrant the extra protection but guessed correctly that it was more for anonymity than anything else.  The shaman dumped more mana into his necklace, understanding they were in a private module where no one knew who he was.  Like the inquisitor, his true identity wouldn¡¯t be welcome in this kingdom, though for vastly different reasons.


    Jace worried about Gromphy and turned to see the goblin drinking a potion which transformed him into a gnome.  He fed one to Snowy too, and the wolf shrank in size to appear more like a standard dog, still large but not as menacing.  Gromphy led her on a leash, though it looked like the canine was the one pulling the shorter character along.


    ¡°The castle is ahead,¡± Kai said, unnecessarily pointing at the spires rising above the quaint one- and two-story buildings before them.  ¡°We should hurry; the gates close a few hours before the evening meal.¡±  The knight didn¡¯t wait for a response and marched forward into the city streets.


    Jace followed at a distance, confident his troupe would spread out behind him so as not to look like a concentrated party. The city felt like a Renaissance Faire, with wood and brick buildings, thatched roofs, and plenty of people walking about on dirt streets in traditional middle ages dress.  The population looked a lot like Kai, displaying light brown skin and dark hair, with Spanish influence.  Occasionally, Jace saw a foreigner who looked more Asian, with narrower eyes, a slender build, and a slightly different skin tone, but they were few and far between in this section of the city.


    Barcelio had been built around the castle, not just in proximity but in function. Jace passed several shops with signs on the doors saying they were closed for royal business. Blacksmiths, bakers, tanners, and the like held contracts with the palace to produce everything the king needed. In exchange, they were licensed to run their shops, and in any free time they had, they might even be able to turn a profit.


    The trip through town took only a few minutes, and Kai pulled up short, approaching the castle from the rear and still a hundred feet from the iron gate. Jace moved alongside him.  ¡°The women are there,¡± the knight said, nodding through a section of the fence.  Almost a dozen women worked around a pool, scrubbing laundry and hanging it up to dry.  They looked like maids more than harem girls, and Jace guessed they were given menial jobs around the castle when not entertaining the king.


    ¡°The man watching them,¡± Kai continued, motioning toward an elderly official standing near the main path leading to a rear castle entrance, ¡°is named Hegai.  He oversees the women like a father figure.  He also commands the eunuchs and the portion of the royal guard assigned to the women.  You need to talk to him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll introduce us?¡± Jace asked.


    Kai shook his head.  ¡°He hates me.  You¡¯re better off on your own.¡±


    ¡°We look like foreigners,¡± Jace said, trying to think of any way this could fail.


    ¡°When he sees Esther, do you think it will matter?¡± the knight asked.


    Jaced turned to see his two female companions walking toward them, having stayed a hundred feet back so as not to draw attention to the powerful group.  Esther laughed at something Draya said as a slight breeze tossed her air and played with the hem of her short skirt.  She was gorgeous.  ¡°No,¡± Jace agreed, shaking his head and looking forward again.  He remembered that Esther was also a foreigner in the Bible.  ¡°You¡¯re right; it won¡¯t matter.  Anything else I need to know?¡±


    ¡°Each woman has a eunuch as an attendant and personal bodyguard.  If you don¡¯t provide one, they will recruit one for you.¡±


    Jace looked to his left, where Psycho idly leaned against a lamppost, pretending to pick at his fingernails.  Gromphy window-shopped at a few merchants nearby.  Jace caught their attention and motioned them over.  ¡°I need a special item,¡± the leader said once the crafter came within earshot.  ¡°You might not have the proper supplies.¡±


    Gromphy¡¯s eyes widened at a potential challenge, and Jace knew that if he appeared as a goblin, his long ears would be quivering. ¡°I need you to disguise Psycho as a eunuch.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± the elf said, anger brimming below the surface.


    ¡°I assumed he was one already,¡± the crafter replied with a straight face.


    ¡°Listen here, you demon-faced halfling, I will . . .¡± the archer raged.


    ¡°Enough, Psycho,¡± Jace said, raising his hand to stop any ill-conceived attack.  ¡°I need an illusion to fool the palace guards.  If you don¡¯t like it, Esther has a pair of sharp knives that can make the transformation more realistic.¡±


    Psycho cooled a bit and stepped away from Gromphy.


    ¡°What can my knives do?¡± Esther asked, drawing close enough to hear the end of their conversation.


    ¡°Geld our virile archer,¡± Gromphy replied without hesitation.


    Esther¡¯s face screwed up in confusion.  ¡°What does that mean?¡±  Draya leaned forward and whispered into her ear.  The rogue¡¯s face brightened.  ¡°Just show me where to cut, boss.¡±


    Psycho blanched, and Jace shook his head.  ¡°Enough, I¡¯m serious.  Psycho¡¯s going with you as an escort, and he has to fool the guards and a witch.  I¡¯m confident in his acting ability, but there might be spells they can cast.  I¡¯m sure the king doesn''t want any . . . (ahem) intact males around his women.¡±


    ¡°I have the components thou needeth,¡± Gromphy said. He stepped into the privacy of the circle of friends and popped the trunk out of his inventory.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Jace said, rolling his eyes.  He eventually came to look at his elven archer, who still wore a horrified expression.  Jace stepped up to him while the crafter worked.  ¡°Look over there,¡± he said, motioning toward the castle.  Tall, muscular men stood at a distance around the women as they worked.  They each wore tight gray cotton trousers that stopped at the knee and a gold embroidered blue vest.  They had no shirts or boots and looked on dispassionately as the women finished the laundry.  It appeared they had completed most of the cleaning, and the girls now splashed in the water as much as they worked.  Their wet clothes clung to them in a way that would excite most men, but the eunuchs stood by impassively, their eyes constantly on the lookout for danger.


    ¡°You need to blend in with them,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Esther doesn¡¯t need a bodyguard and can fend off potential threats better than any guard the palace might have, but I don¡¯t trust her to stay on task.  You need to deliver a universal antidote to the king and warn him of the assassination attempt.  We don¡¯t know who is orchestrating it, so any information you can find would also be helpful.¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°I understand.  I just . . . I wasn¡¯t expecting . . .¡±


    ¡°Neither was I,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We need to roll with the punches.¡±


    ¡°It is finished.¡±


    They turned to see Gromphy holding a plain bronze ring.  Jace took it, turned it over in his hand, and offered it to Psycho.  The elf took a step back.


    ¡°It shall not harm thee,¡± Gromphy said, insulted that anyone would refuse one of his items.  ¡°It is only an illusion.  Entirely reversible.¡±


    In a gesture of good faith, Jace put the ring on himself.  He felt nothing at first and rolled his eyes into his game settings.  His Sexualization was dialed down to nothing and grayed out, so he couldn¡¯t change it.  He usually kept it in the middle.  He exited the display, removed the ring, and handed it again to Psycho.  ¡°It is harmless,¡± he said.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    The archer trusted the orc more than the goblin and took the item. Holding his breath, he put it on. The subtle change didn¡¯t seem to alter his appearance much, but the more Jace examined his friend, the more he saw it. The structure of his face shifted slightly, losing the strong jaw and prominent brow and replacing them with softer, gentile features. The muscles in his arms lost definition, and his shoulders slouched slightly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Esther said, moving to stand next to Jace, eyeing the archer critically.


    ¡°That¡¯s the point,¡± he said.  ¡°Hopefully, none of the other women do either.¡±  He watched Psycho complete a self-examination.  ¡°Everything okay?¡±


    The elf nodded.  ¡°I feel no different,¡± his hands went to his face.  ¡°But I look different?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s subtle,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Ellenay wouldn¡¯t like it,¡± Draya said.


    At the mention of the female elf, Psycho reacted instinctively and pulled at the ring.  Jace grabbed his right hand to stop him.  He had heard the report of the attractive paladin from their recent pirate quest and understood the motive behind Psycho¡¯s actions.  ¡°It¡¯s only temporary,¡± Jace reassured.  ¡°A day at most.  Then we can throw the ring into the ocean.¡±  He stared hard at his archer.  ¡°Please?¡±


    Psycho took a few deep breaths and nodded, separating his hands and leaving the ring on his left.  ¡°Then let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Jace nodded.  He made sure Esther still wore the earrings that would allow Gracie to talk with her and had Gromphy give her the universal antidote he had crafted.  After telling the rest of his crew to spread out and wait for them, he led Esther and Psycho toward the castle gate.  The two guards on duty came to attention when they recognized the trio¡¯s intent.  Many people moved about the street, but most walked past the iron gate without slowing.


    ¡°Halt!¡± one of the guards cried.  They were both level 16, adjusted up for Jace¡¯s party.  If they solved Kai¡¯s quest and kept him, the inquisitor would likely be raised to 16 as well.  ¡°No admittance without an appointment,¡± the guard continued.  ¡°We have nothing on the schedule for foreigners.  The gates will be closing soon.  If you wish an audience with a member of the palace, you will have to return tomorrow and wait in line.¡±


    Jace attempted the most disarming smile he could.  ¡°I¡¯m here for my niece,¡± he said, stepping aside to reveal a grinning Esther, looking as cute and innocent as possible.  ¡°I understand the king is still seeking applicants for his harem.  I see Hegai right over there.  Could we talk to him?¡±


    Both guards kept a stern face for a few seconds until one of them softened.  Jace looked between him and Esther and wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find out later that she had spent mana to charm him.  ¡°All prospective women should arrive before noon for evaluation,¡± he said, ¡°but . . . I will see if he will allow an exception.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said, though the guard didn¡¯t give him a look as Esther held his attention.  Eventually, she had to shoo him away, or he would have spent the rest of his shift staring at her.


    ¡°Uh, right,¡± he muttered.  ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    The other guard looked confused at his partner¡¯s sudden violation of protocol but didn¡¯t say anything.  He only shifted his position to block the entrance once he was alone.  Jace followed the route of the other guard as he approached Hegai from behind while the older man gave instructions to the eunuchs to round up their charges.  The armored messenger interrupted him, and Jace could see Hegai erupt in initial frustration.  He shook his head, seemed to curse the man out, and then gestured back toward his post.  As Hegai pointed, he turned to look at the gate, saw Esther, and had a sudden change of heart.


    The guard was already jogging back to the gate, and Hegai had to pursue him a few steps to get his attention.  He now talked to him in a more moderate tone, nodding his head frequently and pointing specifically at Esther.  The guard accepted the changed instructions and walked back to his partner while Hegai turned to call out to one of the women exiting the washing pond.


    Once the guard returned, he said, ¡°Lord Hegai has decided to make an exception. Your niece will be invited to join the women. Is this her eunuch?¡±


    Psycho nodded stoically and stood protectively behind Esther.


    ¡°Very good,¡± the guard said.  ¡°Someone will . . .¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± a female voice cut the guard short, and everyone turned to look at a woman approaching from within the castle grounds.  Compared to the others, she looked older, possibly in her late twenties.  The gorgeous woman, with long dark hair and light brown skin, could have been Kai''s sister.  However, she wasn¡¯t smiling.  ¡°Your name, sweetie?¡± she repeated, looking at Esther.


    ¡°Esther Xerxes,¡± the rogue replied, curtsying slightly.


    ¡°Very well.  My name is Persephone.  Is this your man?¡± she looked up at Psycho.  ¡°An elf?  It doesn¡¯t matter.  You¡¯ll be dismissed before sundown tomorrow.  The king¡¯s already made up his mind.  Hegai doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    Jace could see Esther consciously biting her tongue to hold back a competitive retort.  He could see jealousy in Persephone¡¯s eyes.  Though Esther, as a fallen angel, was likely hundreds of years older than this woman, she appeared in her low twenties, frozen in the perfect beauty of perpetual youth.


    ¡°But,¡± Persephone forced a grin onto her annoyed visage, ¡° may it never be said that I didn¡¯t do my duty. Come with me.¡±  She moved aside and motioned for Esther and Psycho to step past the guards and enter the courtyard.  Persephone turned to Jace once the pair had entered.  ¡°You can return tomorrow at noon for an update.  I wouldn¡¯t rent our her room just yet.¡±  With that, she turned her heel and herded the new initiates toward the other candidates.


    ¡°Lovely woman,¡± Jace said to the guards.  They grunted and resumed their attentive positions.  Jace began to return to the rest of his troupe when he saw Hegai jogging toward him.  The women ushered themselves into the castle, responding to Hegai¡¯s instructions, and now he felt safe to question Jace.


    The guards heard the man approaching and parted to let him through.  ¡°You have a striking niece,¡± the man said.  ¡°Where are you from?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know what to say.


    {I¡¯m working on it,} Gracie reported.  {You are on a different continent that I¡¯ve never heard of, and no one has any information.  I can see a map, but I don¡¯t know what region would make sense given your appearance.}


    Jace scrunched up his face in a look of hesitation, attempting to hide the confusion he really felt.  He was also burdened by the fact that he was going to have to lie, and by his dress, Hegai appeared to be some kind of priest.


    The older man came to a realization and stepped into the street, leading Jace a few strides away from the guards.  ¡°Are you from Jerisalam?¡±


    {That appears to be a region of their kingdom,} Gracie said.  {I¡¯m guessing the Madrian people conquered them.}


    Jace didn¡¯t need to hear Gracie¡¯s update.  He knew his Bible well enough to know this was the correct response.  He should have quizzed Kai about an appropriate backstory before this encounter.  Jace nodded at Hegai¡¯s guess.


    The priest smiled.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry.  I won¡¯t tell.  If anyone asks, I would make up another homeland.¡±


    ¡°Crestfall,¡± Jace said, telling the truth.


    Hegai nodded.  ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it.  It should do nicely.¡±  He paused, looked at the guards, and took another step away from them.  ¡°What did Persephone say to you?¡±


    ¡°That Esther didn¡¯t have a chance and that the king had already made up his mind.¡±


    The older man laughed.  ¡°She thinks that because she¡¯s been here the longest, it gives her some special privilege.  I know for a fact the king has not made up his mind.  Though,¡± he glanced back at the women to see Esther disappear into the castle, ¡°he very well could tonight.¡±  He sighed and turned back to Jace, extending his hand.  ¡°Very good, sir.  Return here at noon tomorrow, and I should have an update for you.¡±


    Jace shook his hand and tugged a little when the man tried to pull away.  ¡°Will she be safe?¡±


    Hegai laughed. ¡°She¡¯ll be close to the king, in the center of the most heavily guarded fortress in the land. Surrounded by the royal guard and almost a dozen loyal eunuchs, there might not be a safer place in all the kingdom for a young woman.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯ve heard,¡± Jace said.


    Hegai grew stern.  ¡°What have you heard?¡±


    ¡°That there are members within the King¡¯s inner circle that wish him harm.¡±


    The priest laughed.  ¡°You sound like one of our old knights we had to dismiss.  He saw a conspiracy theory around every corner.  If you were late to lunch and couldn¡¯t come up with a good reason or an explanation he believed, he¡¯d throw you in the dungeon.  We finally had to get rid of him.¡±


    Hegai laughed for a few seconds and then stopped, growing suddenly serious when he saw Jace¡¯s expression.  ¡°Have you been talking with someone?  A paladin native to this kingdom?¡±


    Jace saw no harm in admitting the truth.  ¡°Young, handsome, with a neatly trimmed goatee.  Goes by the name Coy or Kai Something.¡±


    ¡°Sir Kai Morte,¡± Hegai said, his mirth gone.  ¡°Though I suppose he isn¡¯t a ¡®Sir¡¯ anymore.¡±


    ¡°What did he do exactly?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Precisely what I said.  He accused everyone of lying or hiding their true motives.  He had us fire half the kitchen staff.  I fear several maids and stable boys were tortured during his interrogations, and rumor is a few may have died.¡±  He shook his head.  ¡°Once he started spouting nonsense about an assassination plot against the king, it got out of hand.  Every exaggeration or half-truth he heard was suddenly an act of treason punishable by death.  The king had a soft spot for him, but the queen banished him, stripping him of his title.¡±


    Jace nodded, understanding Kai¡¯s backstory a bit better.


    ¡°Did he warn you about allowing your niece into our custody?¡± Hegai asked.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jace said, tiptoeing along the truth, ¡°but he insisted the royal guard opposed the king and shouldn¡¯t be trusted. Oh, and that the queen was a witch.¡±


    Hegai laughed.  ¡°Yes, I suppose he doesn¡¯t like her.  Well, I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t listen to him.  Now,¡± he released hands with Jace, only now aware that they had been gripped together this whole time, ¡°I must be attending to my duties.  Have a pleasant evening.¡±  He moved past the guards and back into the castle courtyard.  Once he was through, the guards followed, locking the gate behind them for the evening.  Jace turned as well to find the rest of his party.

 Chapter 58

    Jace sat across the table from Kai in a dark corner of a crowded tavern.  The relatively early hour dissuaded most from ordering dinner, but drinks flowed aplenty.  Now that the castle gates were closed for the day, all deliveries had ceased, and local businesses could turn their attention to paying customers.  The local craftsman released the extra workers necessary to meet the royal family''s demands, and now those employees became patrons.


    Kai sipped casually at his ale while Jace ignored his.  The knight couldn¡¯t drink with his helmet on, so Draya had disguised his appearance to look similar to Jace, with light skin and brown hair.  Kai didn¡¯t like the deception but understood its utility.  Draya, Gromphy, and Snowy sat at a different table, blending in with the happy hour environment.  Jace wanted a more serious conversation with his new party member, and Kai could sense the tension in the air.


    ¡°Is there really an assassination plot against the king?¡± Jace asked after several minutes of silence.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kai said. ¡°I swear it. Don¡¯t listen to that old man. The queen has infected him, just like . . .¡±


    ¡°He told me you tortured serving girls and stable boys.¡±


    ¡°I . . .  I had to . . .¡± Kai stuttered.  ¡°I had to get information.  They were lying to me.¡±


    ¡°And what if I had lied to you?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°What if I had made up information to get you to bring me here.¡±


    Kai frowned.  ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What if I had?¡± Jace persisted.  ¡°What if I knew about the danger to the king but didn¡¯t know the details?  So I guessed or made them up.¡±


    ¡°If you had lied to me,¡± Kai started slowly, ¡°then I would have assumed you were in on the plot.  Why else would you hide the truth from me?¡±


    ¡°You would have taken me here and then turned me in to the authorities,¡± Jace said for him.  ¡°Where I would have been tortured to give information I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have lied!¡± Kai said a little too loudly.  ¡°People shouldn¡¯t lie.  The world would be a better place if everyone always told the truth.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that?¡± Jace asked.  ¡°Or is this personal?  You were dismissed from the king¡¯s service.  How much do you wish to get back into his good graces?  Enough to torture innocent people?¡±


    ¡°No one is innocent,¡± Kai stated with a straight face.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Jace admitted, ¡°but not everyone is an assassin.  Some people just have secrets they would like to keep.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Kai said.  ¡°Everyone lies . . . all . . . the  . . .time!¡±  He spoke in a low growl.  ¡°No one in the castle told the truth.  The Gilded Swan was no better.  The women lied to seduce clients, and the men lied that they loved them.  Even Vithium lied to me every day.  It has to stop!¡±


    ¡°And you think you¡¯re the one to do it?¡± Jace asked.


    The knight smirked at him.  ¡°Your party members do it too,¡± Kai said, taking a drink to let that comment sink in.  ¡°You have not lied to me since we met other than to mask your true appearance.¡±  He looked at his pale arms and frowned.  ¡°But your people are not so honest.  Especially Esther.  When she told you that she. . .¡±


    Jace raised his hand to stop him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to know, and you need to stop worrying about it too.  You can¡¯t change the world.  Trying to do so prevents you from achieving your true goal.¡±  Jace paused and tried another angle.  ¡°Do you know the story of the boy who cried wolf?¡±


    Kai shook his head and glanced over at Draya and Gromphy.  Snowy, disguised as a large dog, lay quietly under their table.  ¡°Is it about your familiar?¡±


    Jace shook his head and waited for Kai to return to him before continuing.  ¡°It is about a boy who looked after sheep and wanted attention, so he called out that a wolf was attacking when it wasn¡¯t.  All the men of the village rushed to save him until they found out it was a hoax.  And then when a wolf actually did come . . .¡±


    ¡°The men stayed in the village,¡± Kai finished for him, the parable¡¯s ending obvious.  ¡°You think I am a boy seeking attention?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace said, ¡°I think you are a man who can¡¯t tell the difference between a harmless dog and a vicious wolf.  You see danger everywhere.  You lost credibility for it, and now that the danger is real, you are unable to fight it.¡±


    Kai said nothing as he sipped his drink.


    ¡°I will help you,¡± Jace said, ¡°but we have to do things my way, and once your position is restored, you need to learn from this and not accuse every stable boy of treason when he is late and can¡¯t think of a better excuse than he slept in.¡±


    Kai nodded.


    ¡°Good.  Now, I need to know a little more about the land.  Hegai labeled me as someone from Jerisalam.  Where is that?¡±


    Kai nodded again, understanding the old man¡¯s reasoning.  ¡°It is one of the first regions our kingdom defeated when King Azerous¡¯ father began his conquests.  Most of the people were killed, but a few survived and were spread throughout the kingdom.  They resisted the King the most and were made an example of.  They looked like you, with lighter skin and fair hair.  Other regions learned that lesson and surrendered quickly.  That is until we went up against the Chi Ten Kingdom.  They held many lands on the eastern edge of our continent, and the previous king felt vulnerable now that he rivaled them in size.¡±


    Kai took another drink before continuing.  ¡°We never fell into complete war, only a few skirmishes along our borders.  Eventually, they negotiated a peace, and as part of that arrangement, one of their princesses married the king¡¯s son.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Queen Vashti is from this other kingdom?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kai said.  ¡°And many of her people moved into the city as well.  The Chi people have tried to fit into our society, but it hasn¡¯t been easy.  They rely on magic and sorcery more than we do.  We are fighters and priests.  We serve our gods and work hard.  Magic is seen as a shortcut with too many costs.¡±


    Jace understood that the Asian-looking people he saw around the city must be the Chi. It also now made sense why the queen might want to kill the king.  It would be a way for her people to take over the kingdom.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    ¡°As a paladin,¡± Jace said, ¡°you serve a god?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Kai said.  ¡°Ever since my banishment, I can not call out to him . . . or her.  I can¡¯t remember.  That witch of a queen must have put a curse on me!¡±  He slammed the table.


    Jace splayed his hands out toward the inquisitor in an attempt to calm him.  ¡°I understand.  I will help you.  But you have to trust me.  I will come up with a plan.¡±


    ¡°Is your plan to sit in a tavern and get drunk?¡±  The venom in Kai¡¯s voice and features calmed a bit when he noticed for the first time that Jace hadn¡¯t touched his drink.


    ¡°No,¡± he replied.  ¡°But we need to give Esther and Psycho a chance to learn what they can from the palace.  Until then, we wait.¡±


    <hr>


    Esther had been given a stack of clean towels to carry and followed the other women inside the castle.  After a short walk through polished stone hallways, they arrived in a large white room with shelves, racks, and hanging clothes.  To Esther, it looked like a clothing store, but she soon realized these items weren¡¯t for sale but were the everyday attire for the castle staff.  She was directed where to place the towels and then watched as the other women moved to long, flat tables to fold the laundry.


    The fallen angel-turned-vampire and escort had never been adequately domesticated, and while she tried to help, the other women mostly laughed at her attempts to fold shirts, pants, and suits.  Instead, they gave her the task of hauling away their own dirty robes.  Many of them had gotten wet and some muddy, and so before folding and putting away the clean garments, many stripped down to their underclothes.


    Esther hauled the discarded robes to another room and then still had free time to watch the women work.  They talked incessantly about court gossip, the past meals they had eaten, the bedroom preferences of their king, as well as several other good-looking guards and palace officials they had improperly engaged with.


    It reminded Esther too much of her old life, where she had endured a seemingly endless parade of boringly similar characters who all wanted one thing.  Recently, her life had been far more interesting as Jace surrounded himself with intellectual companions and went on fascinating missions.  She hoped her job in the palace wouldn¡¯t last too long.  Esther looked around for Psycho but couldn¡¯t find him.  In fact, all the eunuchs were absent.


    The laundry process finished in less than an hour, and the women eagerly moved to the next part of their schedule. Persephone never spoke to Esther directly but made enough eye contact with her to let the new recruit know she should follow their lead and not ask too many questions.  Esther sensed the humidity in the air before they entered the next chamber and was not surprised to find an extensive room filled with baths.  No fewer than six large tubs sat carved into the stone floor, steaming away and brimming with warm water, fragrant soaps, and vitalizing oils.  What few clothes the women still wore fell to the tiled walkways, and they quickly immersed themselves in the bubbling luxury.


    Esther didn¡¯t feel particularly dirty, but carrying muddy clothes had left their mark.  She followed suit, though she vanished her dress into her inventory, not trusting she¡¯d ever see it again if she left it on the floor.


    ¡°No,¡± Persephone called out when Esther moved to join her and another woman in the closest bath.  ¡°This one is full.  Find another.¡±


    Esther thought the vast basin could hold half a dozen large fighters and certainly wasn¡¯t at capacity with only two slight women, but she decided not to argue.  As Esther stood naked before the head woman, the rogue could see even more jealousy in her eyes and decided not to press the point.  Looking about, she saw two was the maximum for most of the baths and moved to the smallest pool, which held only one occupant.  Esther had noticed the young girl earlier and thought she looked a few years younger than Draya and out of place in this adult atmosphere.  ¡°May I join you?¡± Esther asked.


    The girl smiled pleasantly at her, modestly rising just high enough to bow her shoulders forward.  ¡°Yes, please.  I don¡¯t mind.¡±


    Esther strolled down the steps into the water, letting the warmth massage her legs and back, soothing aching muscles she didn¡¯t know she had.  She crouched so the shallow water reached her neck, then stopped and relaxed back into a smooth stone seat underwater.  She was the last one of the women to find a bath, and once she was submerged, the eunuchs made their reappearance.  They each took measured steps around the slippery surface, collecting the few discarded clothes and disappearing for a short while.  Upon returning, they stood at attention next to the bath of their charge, holding towels and robes, their eyes never wavering downward.


    It took Esther a minute to find Psycho in the cluster, and when she did, she noticed he now wore the same blue vest and gray pants as the others.  She had never seen his muscled torso before, and even in his magically neutered state, a shiver went down her spine.  She grabbed a bar of soap to distract herself and began washing.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± the other girl said, ¡°Where are you from? You look. . . well. . . you¡¯re the most exotic person I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    The girl seemed a bit giddy at Esther¡¯s presence, like many of the men she had seduced in the past, only the vampire was using none of her mana-based skills.  Gracie had spoken to her at length while she had waited in the laundry room and knew about the politics and ethnicities of the kingdom.  The operator had advised her on how to answer questions like this.  ¡°My name is Esther,¡± she said.  ¡°I¡¯m from Crestfall.  It is a country far from here.  My uncle is a trader, and he is thinking about settling down in this area.  He thought having a family member in the castle would help his business prospects.¡±


    The girl giggled.  ¡°How would having a niece be queen help him out?¡±


    Esther ignored the presumptive comment.  ¡°And your name is?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Nalia.¡±


    Esther grinned at her.  ¡°Nice to meet you, Nalia.  I have to say, you seem to be the only one here happy to see me.¡±


    She giggled. ¡°The other women don¡¯t like competition, but I don¡¯t mind.  I¡¯m not interested in the king anyway.¡±


    As Esther washed her hair, she turned her neck to look at the other baths.  One held two Chi women, likely the queen¡¯s handmaidens.  The others all held Madrian women native to this kingdom.  Esther was the only one with fair skin, and she saw several of the women eyeing her carefully, like hunters scoping out prey.


    ¡°Why join the king¡¯s harem if you aren¡¯t interested in the king?¡± Esther asked, not letting her gaze rest on any one bath for too long.


    ¡°His son,¡± Nalia said.  ¡°We met a few months ago when he visited my father¡¯s market.  I come from a poor family and would have no chance of socializing with royalty.  But in here, I can spend most evenings with him, walking along the castle walls, counting the stars . . .¡±


    ¡°Sleeping with his dad,¡± Esther interrupted.


    Nalia giggled again. ¡°Thankfully, not yet. And with you here, hopefully not ever. I made my motives clear to Persephone when I joined, and she¡¯s coached me well. She taught me all the scents the king doesn¡¯t like, his least favorite colors and hairstyles, and the mannerisms that turn him off.  So far, the king hasn¡¯t given me a second look.¡±


    Esther rinsed her hair and smiled.  She could imagine Persephone gladly sabotaging any of the women here.


    ¡°Is that your man?¡± Nalia asked, changing the topic.


    Esther turned suddenly in the bath to see Psycho and another shorter man standing beside him, each holding a towel and robe. She and Nalia washed in the tub furthest from the entrance, and the two eunuchs had only just arrived after clearing out the discarded undergarments.  Esther hadn¡¯t resubmerged when she turned and stood waist-deep in the water, her wet, soapy hair hanging over her shoulders.  Psycho was a good boy and kept his eyes high.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther replied, not turning toward the girl as she spoke.  She kept her eyes on the archer before her, testing his willpower.


    ¡°Is he an elf?¡± Nalia asked.  ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an elf before.  He is more impressive than what I¡¯ve read.  I would have expected him to be short and skinny.¡±


    Esther didn¡¯t reply and instead walked toward Psycho, the water level rising to her knees.  ¡°Nal Saikol,¡± she said, addressing him with his real name to stay in character.  ¡°Can you help me?  There¡¯s this spot I can¡¯t reach.¡±  Esther turned around and motioned to her lower back with the bar of soap.


    ¡°Oh, no, Esther, you mustn¡¯t,¡± Nalia said, rushing over to her new friend and nearly tackling her back into the water.  The girl wasn¡¯t even close to being skilled enough to Grapple with the expert rogue, but Esther let her succeed, enjoying the warmth of the water once more.  ¡°They aren¡¯t allowed to touch us,¡± Nalia continued.  ¡°They aren¡¯t even allowed to look at us.  Besides, they can¡¯t feel arousal.  Flirting with them doesn¡¯t work.  Save it for the king.¡±


    Esther turned back around, the water pooling just under her chin as she stared holes into her bodyguard.  She thought she detected a slight tremor in his posture, but other than that, he was the perfect eunuch.  ¡°Okay, Nalia,¡± Esther said, proceeding to finish rinsing her hair.  ¡°I¡¯ll save it for the king.¡±

 Chapter 59

    Psycho entered the dining hall with the other eunuchs. After attending to the women in the bathhouse, a process Esther had tried to make as difficult as possible for him, the men had been ushered away to be fed a meager meal of bread and soup. Though it was adequate food, it paled in comparison to the aromas the elf¡¯s sensitive nose detected wafting from the nearby kitchen. Psycho¡¯s stomach rumbled.


    None of the other Eunuchs showed visible reactions, and the archer wondered if their libido wasn¡¯t the only thing that had been permanently stunted. The other men hardly ever talked, treating Psycho with such indifference that it was as if he wasn¡¯t there. Or, perhaps, they treated him as if he had always been there, just another cog in the royal machine. As the only non-human, he stuck out, and while the other men looked strong and capable, none of them appeared as battle-hardened as the level 20 ranger. His presence should have caused more of a stir than it did.


    Jace wanted him to gather information, which proved difficult since none of the men had spoken more than two words to him. ¡°Wear this.¡± ¡°Carry these.¡± ¡°Eat that.¡± ¡°Follow me.¡± Still, Psycho¡¯s time hadn¡¯t been entirely fruitless. He recognized the two eunuchs that were different from the others. They attended to foreign women with the same features. As the king and queen entered the dining hall, the elf saw that she must also be from the same foreign nation. Jace had said Kai had overheard two eunuchs talking about the assassination attempt, and it wasn¡¯t difficult to guess which two.


    The king was taller than Psycho expected, with black hair and a beard, each flecked with silver.  He carried himself well for an older man with more muscle than fat, and the elf didn¡¯t think Esther would complain too much about having to spend the night with him.


    The prince and princess entered with their parents. The son was nearly an adult, while the daughter hadn¡¯t yet entered adolescence. The children sat on either side of their father, leaving open seats between them, while the queen sat on the far side of her daughter. The children were an expected mix of heritages, sharing features with both parents. The two foreign eunuchs moved to stand behind the queen while the rest of the men moved to positions behind empty chairs along the length of the table. They stood against the wall, at least ten feet from the vacant seats. Psycho didn¡¯t know where Esther would sit, so he took up a position at the foot of the table, giving him a good view of everyone.


    He saw cutlery for almost 20 people with engraved porcelain dishes, crystal wine glasses, and polished silverware. Bowls of fruit, plates of bread, tubs of butter, and bottles of wine sat in a precise pattern, giving every potential guest access to anything they wanted.


    Other officials entered after the royal family, including a priest, a few scholarly-looking individuals, and the royal cupbearer. Most of them took the empty seats left by the children and began pouring drinks while the cupbearer ¨C Kai had called him Enrique ¨C carried a personal wine bottle. He filled a glass, took a sip, and then set it beside the king. A quartet of royal guards also entered and stood at attention behind the head of the table against the wall.


    Then, the women entered. The parade of exquisite beauty was something to behold. Each woman had their hair exquisitely done, with elaborate braids interlaced with strings of gold, silver, and pearls. Their dresses fell within a narrow color scheme of red, white, and green, with plunging necklines, tight bodices, and long skirts. Persephone led the way, quickly moving to the seat closest to the king on the prince¡¯s side. The two foreign women took seats next to the queen while the rest of the women sat in front of their eunuch, equally spread down the length of the table. Psycho noticed that nobody chose the seat directly next to the queen¡¯s handmaidens, giving the foreigners a buffer.


    The second to last woman stood out, and at first, Psycho wondered if she wasn¡¯t another daughter of the king. Her youth alarmed him, evident in the way she presented herself. Her pigtails contrasted starkly against the older women¡¯s hairstyles, and her purple and yellow dress with long sleeves and loose fit looked nothing like the others. She took a seat at one of the two empty chairs at the foot of the table. Psycho noticed that while the king barely noticed her entrance, the prince did and gave the young woman a warm smile.


    Then came Esther, and Psycho heard the king gasp. Her ruby red dress was the most daring yet, with a neckline that left little to the imagination. In addition to its low cut, the bodice split down the middle, revealing a narrow strip of skin over her sternum and almost down to her navel. Psycho had no idea how the strapless, backless gown stayed up; however, Esther¡¯s body defied gravity in so many different ways, why shouldn¡¯t her clothes? The thin, silk skirt hung almost to the floor, just allowing glimpses of sparkling red heels, and it had a slit so high up the left side that her leg entirely emerged from the fabric with every other step.


    Psycho had never seen Esther wear her hair up before, and it was done in the same extravagant fashion as the others with braids, gold, and silver. The magical diamond earrings hung from her lobes, and a triple string of black pearls lay on her chest. She captivated the room.


    Esther eyed the empty seat at the foot of the table before Psycho¡¯s position but chose the chair much further up next to the queen¡¯s handmaidens and almost directly across from Persephone. The senior woman scowled at the newcomer, her eyes trying to burn holes through the beautiful woman. She whispered harshly at Esther, and the elf¡¯s keen ears picked it up. ¡°That¡¯s not the dress I gave you!¡±


    ¡°I made some modifications,¡± Esther muttered, her lips barely moving as she kept a broad smile for all to see and bowed slightly toward the king before taking her seat. Psycho knew of Esther¡¯s unique fashion skills and smiled at her clever reaction to the other woman¡¯s attempted sabotage.


    ¡°You should sit over . . .¡± Persephone started to point to the end of the table but cut her rebuke short as she saw the king rise and bow in her direction. She shifted her face back to an alluring smile before realizing the king¡¯s attention belonged entirely to Esther.


    ¡°Welcome, my pale flower, to my bouquet of beauty,¡± Azurous said with a sweeping gesture toward the other women. ¡°And what is your name?¡±


    ¡°Esther Xerxes, Your Majesty,¡± she replied, lifting slightly from her seat to bow again. Every motion of her torso threatened to reveal more of her body, but the dress magically stayed in place. Psycho saw the tantalizing display was not lost on the king nor the queen, who rolled her eyes in frustration and downed half a glass of wine.


    ¡°Welcome, Esther,¡± the king said, taking his seat. ¡°I hope you enjoy your time here.¡±


    ¡°She is the niece of a traveling tradesman, Your Grace,¡± Persephone said. ¡°She might not be with us long.¡±


    ¡°Then we would be foolish not to enjoy the time we have with her,¡± the king said.


    Persephone winced at the response and nodded.


    The food came next, and Psycho worked hard not to drool. Servants placed dishes of seasoned meat, rice, and beans before the guests, with aromatic bowls of sauteed mushrooms, onions, and peppers to compliment. Plates of thin, unleavened dough accompanied the food, and Psycho watched Esther try to figure out the proper procedure. Most of the women only nibbled at the food, adding a few pieces of meat or a spoonful of rice and then picking daintily at it. The words ¡°Nibbled¡± and ¡°Daintily¡± had never been used to describe how Esther interacted with food, and Psycho watched her finally figure it out after observing the prince.


    The young man held one of the flat circles of dough in his hand and scooped a combination of meat, rice, beans, and onions onto it, adding a spicy tomato-based sauce. He then wrapped the whole thing up like a scroll and ate it with his hands. Several of the other officials did the same thing, as did the king. It didn¡¯t matter to Esther that none of the other women did this; it looked fun, and she wanted to try everything.


    Her first attempt met with disaster. She added generous spoonfuls of everything around her to a piece of dough and, despite the rogue¡¯s supreme dexterity, was unable to wrap up the enormous portion successfully. The dough split and dripped sauce, but this didn¡¯t stop her from shoveling it into her mouth. She moaned in appreciation at the flavor and licked her fingers (and forearms) clean from the juices that escaped.


    Persophone stifled a laugh, and Psycho understood that she still ensured the noise received the attention she wanted. Several people looked at her and then at Esther as she unsuccessfully attempted to fit the bursting food into her mouth without it falling out all over her. Several others laughed at her efforts, picking up their napkins and wiping their mouths on her behalf. Esther ignored them and, after four impressive bites, finished her first serving. Only then did she notice the attention she had garnered and the mess she had made. She picked up her napkin and wiped her hands, face, and chest where a few drops of red sauce had landed. She used her fingers to snag several pieces of meat and vegetables from her plate and popped them in her mouth.


    ¡°Did your uncle not feed you,¡± Persephone asked, ¡°or have you never had a taco before?¡±


    The other women laughed.


    ¡°Oh, come now,¡± King Azurous said. ¡°Be easy on her. She is obviously new to our customs and food.¡±


    ¡°It is very good,¡± Esther said, already reaching for a second tortilla shell to build another taco. ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten food like this before. I apologize if I am doing it wrong.¡±


    The other women laughed again but then paused as Esther reached for a bowl of slender roasted red peppers. The uncut vegetables were too large to fit in a taco, and she saw no one else had tried them yet. She grabbed one by its woody stem and, before anyone could stop her, stuffed it into her mouth. Several people gasped audibly, and by the look on Esther¡¯s face immediately afterward, Psycho thought she had bitten into a live fire scorpion. Still, the powerful woman absorbed the heat, chewed, and swallowed.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    ¡°Wow,¡± she said afterward, ¡°that was good. Are there any of those chopped up so I can put it in here?¡± She motioned to the empty tortilla on her plate.


    The king laughed. Around the table, several women took deep draughts of ice water on Esther¡¯s behalf, but she didn¡¯t even look toward her wine. The prince answered her call, lifting a small bowl of unique sauce that had been placed before him. ¡°Here,¡± he offered, though he sat too far from Esther to effectively pass it. A servant rushed to help him and carried the dish to her as Esther assembled her next taco, careful not to overfill it this time. ¡°The cooks put it before me every meal as a dare, I think,¡± the prince added. ¡°I haven¡¯t been brave enough to try it yet.¡±


    ¡°It is a rite of passage, son,¡± Azurous said. ¡°I know your mother spoils you with her nation''s bland food, but if you are going to lead your people, you should embrace their boldest flavors. However, few Madrians will eat a Habinia pepper without first removing the seeds.¡±


    ¡°Is that what these are?¡± Esther asked, reaching for another of the whole peppers and taking it in one bite. She suffered through the heat for a moment as she chewed, expressions of both pain and pleasure crossing her face before she finished. This time, she did reach for a drink, but it was wine, not water, and she only sipped at the red liquid, swirling it around her mouth before swallowing. ¡°They are excellent.¡±


    ¡°Amazing,¡± the king said.


    ¡°They are only peppers,¡± Persephone said, insanely jealous of the attention Azurous gave the new woman. She also reached for a grilled Habinia, though she was wise enough not to put the whole thing in her mouth, only biting halfway through, knowing most of the firey seeds lay close to the stem. Still, her face turned an alarming shade of red almost instantly, and she reached for her water as casually as she could before she drained it all. That wasn¡¯t enough, and she motioned desperately toward a servant for a refill.


    Esther looked on with concern at the suffering woman, but King Azurous had eyes only for the pale-skinned beauty. ¡°Where are you from, exactly?¡± the king asked. ¡°Do they have spicy food in your home as well?¡±


    ¡°I am from Crestfall,¡± Esther said, turning away from Persephone, who was now sweating profusely as she tried to find some cold water to drink. Looking toward the head of the table, she added, ¡°But we don¡¯t have spicy food, particularly. I eat mostly pancakes.¡±


    The queen laughed, spurting out a bit of food. ¡°The demons, you do,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Not if you are going to fit in that dress. At least you don¡¯t keep them down.¡±


    Psycho could tell Esther didn¡¯t wholly understand the queen¡¯s insult. ¡°I like waffles too,¡± Esther said. The young harem girl and the princess laughed out loud at this, and soon, the prince and king joined in. After a moment, most of the table chuckled¡ªeveryone except Persephone, who had drained a second glass of water, looking like she was suffering from a poison attack.


    Esther didn¡¯t really understand why everyone thought her statement was funny, so she reached for more food, carefully monitoring the portions to leave room for the spicy salsa the prince had passed her.


    ¡°So you are just naturally resistant to spicy food?¡± the king persisted.


    Esther shrugged. ¡°I guess so,¡± she said idly, focusing more on assembling her taco than what she was saying. ¡°One time, I drank a serpentine alchemist. Their blood is infused with so much venom that it burns much worse than . . .¡± the gasps at the table pulled her out of the memory, and she realized what she was actually saying. Esther lifted her eyes from her plate to see everyone in slack-jawed horror at her words.


    The rogue laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what am I saying? Maybe the spice is getting to my head.¡± She took a sip of wine. ¡°Or perhaps it is the alcohol.¡± She took a second sip. ¡°What I meant to say is that serpentine alchemists make an anti-venom called Blood Wine. It is supposed to protect you from snake bites. Some say it is worse than getting bit. I tried it once, and it wasn¡¯t so bad.¡± This hastily thrown-together improvisation was more palatable, and most of the guests returned to their food. Though, not all.


    ¡°She is clearly lying,¡± the queen said, idly munching on a plain tortilla shell. ¡°If Kai Morte were still here, he would throw her in the dungeon.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you shouldn¡¯t have banished him,¡± the king bit back. ¡°You, of all people, shouldn¡¯t question the customs of foreigners.¡±


    Queen Vashti wanted to fight back but knew the foolishness of criticizing the king before his officials.


    The king smiled at his humbled wife and turned back to Esther, who now stuffed a third of her second taco in her mouth. ¡°Well, I, for one, appreciate a lady with a good appetite.¡±


    As if on cue, all the harem women reached for more food, filling their plates to please the king. Everyone except for Persephone, who had now downed a second full glass of wine, hoping the alcohol would dull the pain within her. All it did was make her drunk, and she spilled more wine on the table than made it into her glass as she tried to pour a third serving.


    ¡°I find I always have a good appetite after an adventure,¡± Esther said with half a mouthful. ¡°If all I did was sit around in baths and fold laundry, I could understand not eating much.¡± Psycho guessed she wasn¡¯t trying to be insulting; it was just her blatant style, but other women took offense anyway and piled their plates even higher with more food than they had likely ever eaten in one sitting.


    ¡°The cleaning staff in the vomitorium will be busy tonight,¡± the queen chuckled as she observed the scene and sipped at her wine.


    The king ignored her. ¡°You go on adventures?¡±


    Esther was just polishing off the last bite of her food, licking her fingers, when she realized what she had said. She tossed a look at the foot of the table where Psycho stood. The elf shrugged his shoulders. The king was excited by this unique woman. If the goal was to spend the night with him, it couldn¡¯t hurt to make her stand out even more from her female competition.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther said. ¡°Jace, uh, I mean, my uncle takes me on adventures from time to time. We fight monsters and help people in trouble.¡±


    The king¡¯s infatuation couldn¡¯t be more obvious. ¡°I¡¯d love to hear the story of your last mission.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Esther said slowly, looking around the table to find everyone staring at her again. Psycho watched her mind spin as she went through the last few quests, understanding that Jace wanted to keep their rescuing of her three ¡°sisters¡± somewhat private. ¡°We defended a keep against an invading horde,¡± she finally said.


    Psycho nodded. The Constitution trial they had done with Wallace was fair game and a public module. No harm could come from telling that story, and Esther told it surprisingly well. She spoke of goblins, trolls, zombies, giants, ogres, and the many other monsters they had fought. She mentioned fighting alongside Thursa and had to describe what a shapeshifting druid was. Psycho watched the king hanging on every word, falling more and more into Esther¡¯s charm, though the elf didn¡¯t sense the vampire using any of her mana-based skills.


    ¡°And at the end,¡± Esther said, ¡°there was a mountain giant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard they were only legend,¡± the prince said, just as intrigued by this woman¡¯s story. ¡°How tall was he?¡±


    Psycho watched Esther¡¯s mind try to deal with the large number, knowing it wasn¡¯t her strength. Instead, she found an alternate solution. ¡°As tall as a four-story building,¡± she said. ¡°We didn¡¯t have a prayer of killing it with our weapons, so my uncle had a spell prepared. It grows in strength when he casts it against certain foes, and it jumps from enemy to enemy. I don¡¯t really understand it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of spells like that,¡± the priest said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther appreciated the confirmation, ¡°well, we had collected a bunch of enemies that would multiply the spell large enough to kill the giant, so when he appeared, my uncle cast it. Only, at the last minute, a gnome no one had seen rushed in front of the giant and would have reduced the spell to nothing if it hit him. I was the only one who could stop him in time, so I dropped all my equipment and raced toward him.¡±


    ¡°Why did you do that?¡± one of the women asked, just as entranced as everyone else. ¡°How would you kill him without your swords?¡±


    Esther smiled at her. ¡°Because if the spell hit me, it would vaporize all my equipment, so I had to drop them. My swords, my armor, my dress, everything.¡±


    The king choked on a piece of food, and the queen rolled her eyes again. ¡°Ahem,¡± Azurous cleared his throat. ¡°Your dress? You ran across the battlefield naked?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther said, sealing the deal with the king. ¡°I got to the gnome just in time and snapped his neck a second before the lightning arrived.¡± She held another of the Habinia peppers in her hands and wrenched it in two to simulate the killing blow. Seeds flew out of the exploding pepper, and one shot across the table to hit Persephone in the eye. She was the only one at the table not hanging on Esther¡¯s every word. Having drank nearly an entire bottle of wine and with dripping sweat streaking dark eyeshadow down her face, she looked like a marauding ghoul with her mouth hanging open. The seed in her eye began to smoke, and Esther wondered if she shouldn¡¯t try to reach across the table to dislodge it.


    ¡°But what about the lightning?¡± the prince asked, drawing her attention back to the rest of the table. Servants were clearing the dinner dishes and serving dessert, creamed ice with chocolate. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the spell have hit you?¡±


    Esther laughed. ¡°Oh, yes, it did.¡±


    ¡°And you survived?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± she paused. ¡°I . . . my uncle was able to save me. All that mattered was the spell worked, and the giant was killed.¡± Across from her, a servant cleared Persephone¡¯s partially eaten food and placed a bowl of dessert before her, oblivious to her distressed state. ¡°I think Persephone needs . . .¡±


    ¡°That is quite a story,¡± Azurous said, cutting Esther off.


    ¡°It certainly is,¡± Vashti added. ¡°I don¡¯t believe a word of it.¡±


    The king waved off his wife. ¡°I would love to hear more of your stories,¡± Azurous said. ¡°Perhaps after dinner, we can . . .¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had enough,¡± the queen said, dropping her spoon into her half-eaten dish of dessert and rising from the table. ¡°Ladies,¡± she turned to her handmaidens, ¡°we will need to find our own entertainment for tonight. I know what my husband will be doing.¡± She glanced down the table at Esther. ¡°Or should I say ¡®WHO.¡¯¡±


    Whom, actually, Psycho thought, but obviously kept his mouth shut. As Vashti stepped away from the table, Persephone had finally lost enough health to lose consciousness, and her face plopped down into her dessert, spraying chocolate cream all over her sweat-soaked dress.


    ¡°Enrique,¡± Azurous beckoned toward his cupbearer. ¡°See to her,¡± he motioned down the table, finally taking notice of his former number one lady. The official nodded and hurried down the row of chairs. He cast a spell on her, and her death spiral ended. He tugged on her braided hair to lift her face out of the melting dessert so she wouldn¡¯t drown and then let it fall back to the hard table, her nose rebounding with a thunk.


    Psycho watched Esther wince in uncharacteristic sympathy and also saw the king rising and trying to get the beautiful woman¡¯s attention. ¡°Leave her be; she will be fine,¡± Azurous said. ¡°Her man will attend to her.¡± Sure enough, a eunuch standing behind Persephone responded to the beckon and helped the woman away from the table, carrying her limp form. ¡°I¡¯d like you to come with me,¡± the king added.


    The rest of the women excused themselves quietly, hurrying out of the room when they realized their services were no longer needed. Azurous closed on Esther. She stood and bowed slightly toward him. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± she said.


    Once she stood back up, the king could examine her up close. ¡°You are spectacular,¡± he said. He reached a hand toward her, a finger extended. Psycho saw the experienced fighter tense, ready to defend herself if need be, but the man only wiped away a drop of salsa from her bare clavicle that she had missed. He licked his finger clean. ¡°Quite spectacular. Is that your man?¡± He nodded toward Psycho, the only eunuch left in the room.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Esther replied. ¡°His name is . . .¡±


    The king waved his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t care. He can wait outside my quarters until we are finished.¡± Azurous smiled mischievously. ¡°I hope he is patient.¡±


    Psycho worked hard not to let a negative expression cross his face. He didn¡¯t roll his eyes until the king turned his back and led them out of the dining hall. It would be a long night.

 Chapter 60

    The king¡¯s private quarters were a demonstration of luxury.  Gold and silver were embossed on every wall, with marble columns carved as nude statues holding up the vaulted ceiling.  Plush velvet furniture sat about the room, flanking glass tables, crowded bookshelves, and exquisite potted plants.  Dozens of lit candles illuminated the room now that the sun had gone down, and the multiple skylights showed stars through their glass panes.  The room was large enough to hold the king''s entire harem comfortably, and Esther didn¡¯t doubt the randy older man had entertained the fantasy, if not actually going through with it.


    King Azurous moved to the middle of one wall, where an alcove holding a collection of wine bottles stood.  ¡°Do you know why you are here?¡± he said as he poured two glasses.


    Esther¡¯s eyes continued to roam the magnificent room and settled on the oversized bed against the far wall. ¡°I have an idea,¡± she replied coyly.


    The king turned at her tone and smiled as he traced her gaze.  ¡°Oh,¡± he laughed.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will get to that, but we have more pressing matters first.¡±  He closed the distance to the beautiful woman quickly and handed her a glass of red wine.  ¡°How would you like to be queen?¡±


    Jace had explained the plot of this quest, so Esther had prepared for this question.  She didn¡¯t flinch as she took the drink and downed half of it, her eyes never leaving her host¡¯s face.  To his credit, his gaze didn¡¯t wander far from hers either.  ¡°Aren¡¯t we moving a little fast,¡± she said.  ¡°We¡¯ve only just met.¡±


    ¡°When a man finds a treasure of great value, he doesn¡¯t hesitate.  Only a fool would fail to realize what stands before me.  I am no fool.¡±


    ¡°Nor are you single,¡± Esther countered.  ¡°What of Queen Vashti?¡±


    The king frowned slightly.  ¡°We are not well matched.  It doesn¡¯t take an inquisitor to see that.  Under such circumstances, our people have ways of dealing with a situation like this.¡±


    ¡°A royal divorce could take a long time,¡± Esther said, trying to tease out the king¡¯s plan.


    ¡°A painful process no one in the kingdom wants,¡± Azurous agreed.


    ¡°Then . . . what?¡± Esther asked.


    The king¡¯s face darkened further for just a moment, and Esther recognized the murderous intent.  Azurous''s face brightened forcefully, and he took a long sip of his wine.  ¡°Enough of that talk,¡± the king said.  ¡°I¡¯ve said too much already.  Just be assured, if you agree to be my queen, your wait will not be long or unpleasant.¡±  He set his glass down on a side table without turning his face from Esther.  He reached forward with both hands to gently hold her bare upper arms and pulled her close to him.  ¡°So, what is your answer?  Will you be my queen?¡±


    This was not her first proposal.  There had been hundreds.  But this one was different.  None of the others had been kings.  Prior to these recent missions, Esther had been spending a lot of time with Vithium.  The monk was unique among players in that he could actually give her a decent challenge when they wrestled, provided she removed most of her equipment and, usually, all of her clothes.  He didn¡¯t actively try to pull her away from Jace, and he was content to play second fiddle.  But he didn¡¯t rule a kingdom.


    {Esther,} Gracie said in her head.  {You aren¡¯t seriously considering this, are you?}


    The rogue tried not to let her expression change as the operator spoke in her head. Gracie had been quiet since Esther entered the castle, but she understood why she would speak up now.


    ¡°Being your queen sounds lovely,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°Perfect, even.  But before we agree to anything, I first need to be truthful with you.¡±


    The king released her arms and took a few steps back, caution evident in his eyes.  ¡°What is it.¡±


    ¡°My primary reason for being here is to warn you.  Your life is in danger.  Queen Vashti is plotting to kill you.¡±


    Azurous laughed.  ¡°Oh, is that all.¡±  He reached back for his wine glass on the table beside him and drained the rest of it.  ¡°Now you are starting to sound like Kai Morte.¡±


    ¡°It is true,¡± Esther insisted, taking a step toward the king and dipping into her mana pool to charm him.  ¡°I heard two of the eunuchs discussing it.¡±


    The king grew suddenly serious, either from the result of the vampire¡¯s spell or from her words.  ¡°That is exactly what my inquisitor said,¡± the king confirmed, his jovial skepticism morphing into concern.


    ¡°The one your wife banished?¡± Esther asked, taking another step toward him.


    The king nodded, pausing as he tried to think the threat through.  ¡°They would speak of this plot in your hearing?¡± he asked.  ¡°That seems awful careless of them.¡±


    Esther grinned mischievously, striking a seductive pose.  ¡°Though I am used to having every eye in the room on me, I can, at times, be quite difficult to see.¡±  The candles cast patchy light throughout the room, offering many shadows for the skilled rogue to slip into.  Even without her hat or other stealthy equipment, Esther suddenly disappeared from view.


    The king came to sudden attention, his inebriation forgotten for a moment as he looked about his room, but the dangerous woman had already Shadow-Stepped behind him.  Her slender hands snaked around his waist and caressed his chest as she leaned in over his shoulder and whispered.  ¡°I can get close to anyone without them knowing.  The eunuchs had no idea I was there.¡±  She dumped more mana into him, and he relaxed.


    ¡°How do they plan to do it?¡± he asked, his pulse quickening from the woman¡¯s touch.


    ¡°Poison,¡± Esther said.  Her left arm dropped to the slit in her dress and produced the vial Gromphy had given her.  ¡°I have an antidote that will protect you from any-¡±


    She didn¡¯t finish as the king knocked the cylinder from her hand and turned to face her, suddenly serious.  ¡°Nothing passes my lips unless Enrique tastes it first,¡± he said.  All evidence of Esther¡¯s enchantment had fled his face.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    {That is a hard no,} Gracie advised.  {He is hard-wired to refuse any attempt to drink anything.  The game won¡¯t, uh, I mean, the realms won¡¯t allow it.  You need another way.}


    Esther spotted the vial on the floor.  It had hit a rug and didn¡¯t break.  Though, if what Gracie told her were true, it wouldn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°Why would you have that?¡± The king asked, a bit of agitation creeping into his voice.  ¡°Did you expect to find a plot to kill me?  Or do you always carry around expensive antidotes?¡±


    Esther wasn¡¯t clever enough to come up with a lie on the spot, so she spoke the truth.  ¡°I¡¯ve told you I¡¯m an adventurer.  That wasn¡¯t a lie.  My uncle, Jace Thorne, heard of the assassination attempt, and we have come to save you.¡±


    ¡°So you have no intention of becoming my queen,¡± he said harshly.  ¡°You joining my harem was just a ploy to get close to me.  You are no better than Vashti!  How do I know that you didn¡¯t didn¡¯t just try to have me drink the poison?¡±


    Control slipped out of Esther¡¯s grasp, and she needed to reign him in.  She closed on him again, wriggling her body as she approached.  ¡°Jace wants to save you,¡± she said.  ¡°I enjoy a good adventure.  The idea of being your queen . . . intrigues me.¡±  She had used her mana sparingly up till now, letting the king¡¯s infatuation with her do most of the work, but now she gave him a full dose.  ¡°I¡¯m always looking for a better offer.¡±


    Her spell took immediate effect.  ¡°Jace wouldn¡¯t mind?¡± he asked hopefully.


    ¡°He gives me quite a bit of freedom.  I can live wherever I want.¡±  She looked over at the bed.  ¡°Sleep wherever I want.¡±


    The king closed on her, placing his hands back on her upper arms.


    ¡°I might be called away on a mission or two,¡± Esther said.  ¡°But then I would always return and tell you the most amazing stories.¡±


    ¡°I like your stories,¡± he whispered, falling further under her charm, their faces growing closer, his wine-drenched breath warm on her cheeks.  ¡°I enjoyed hearing of your battle against the giant . . . especially the ending.¡±


    Esther smiled at him.  ¡°I do some of my best work naked.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do,¡± he said and leaned in to close the deal.


    ¡°Only,¡± Esther said, pulling back slightly.  The king granted her a moment of autonomy and hesitated to hear her objection.  ¡°I might have to visit Enrique first.¡±


    The king¡¯s puzzled expression didn¡¯t need words.


    ¡°You said nothing passes your lips without him tasting it first,¡± she whispered.  ¡°How, then, could I do this?¡±  She attacked him, their lips locking together and her tongue breaking the seal of his mouth.  She exercised her Grappling skill and used the rest of her mana to give him the most intense kiss of his long life.


    Azurous turned to putty in her hands, and his legs went limp under her power.  She kept him in a state of helpless bliss for several seconds, the king unknowingly falling irrecoverably under the vampire¡¯s control.  When she finally ended the kiss, the king was nearly breathless and could form no words.  Esther carried him over to the bed and laid him down gently.  The high slit in her dress allowed her to straddle him as she sat just above his waist.


    The king¡¯s eyes glazed over as he beheld the beauty above him, his hands pawing at her upper body in a vain attempt to remove her dress.  The clothing had no straps, buckles, or zippers, so even sober-minded, the king would have likely failed in the effort.  Esther playfully captured both wrists and pinned them back against the soft bedspread.  ¡°Be a good boy and let your new queen play a little,¡± she said in a whisper.  The king smiled deeply and lay unmoving.


    The woman unbuttoned his vest and shirt and pulled them wide to reveal a muscled torso with sparse graying chest hair.  Esther bent over, starting at his navel and slowly working her way up, kissing and nibbling his body exquisitely.  Under normal circumstances, this would drive anyone crazy, but as a vampire and with the king fully her thrall, each tiny bite sent a shiver through the man¡¯s body like a bolt of lightning.


    Eventually, she made it to his chin, climbed the slope, and kissed him on the lips again, his moans of pleasure urging her on.  She moved down his face, her smooth cheek brushing against his beard.  She stopped briefly at his ear to nibble on the lobe before finding her way to her favorite part of anyone¡¯s body: his neck.


    The vampire was done playing around and bit down hard, extending her fangs into his jugular and drinking deep.  The king¡¯s body stiffened suddenly but then relaxed as Esther¡¯s hands massaged away the tension, stroking his chest and arms.  She drank just enough to refill her mana pool, taking only a few levels from the king, and then cast another Charm spell with everything she had.  She accumulated so many criticals that she was pretty sure she could make him do anything she wanted all night long.  Some entertaining ideas crept into her head, but she knew Jace wanted her to complete the mission, and, besides, Gracie was apparently watching.  Though, from what Esther understood, the operator couldn¡¯t actually see what was going on . . .


    The woman shook her head and moved her mouth back to Azurous¡¯s ear.  ¡°Tell me how you plan to kill Queen Vashti.¡±


    The king answered in a low voice without hesitation.  ¡°Tomorrow, at the festival, the queen and I will be sitting on a public stage, observing the parade.  Across the street, two archers will be stationed at different windows.  They will each shoot an arrow at us.  I will have a ring of Piercing Immunity.  She will not.  It will look like someone tried to kill us both.  No guilt will fall on me.¡±


    Esther nodded.  ¡°Can you tell me more about the archers?  Where exactly will they be?  What do they look like?¡±


    ¡°I . . . I . . .¡± the king strained.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  The information was kept from me on purpose.¡±


    Esther sat up and leaned back.  ¡°Did you catch that, Gracie?¡±


    {I heard it,} she replied.  {And it complicates things.  Jace will need to know.}


    ¡°Then you can tell him,¡± Esther said, reaching down to stroke the chest of her new plaything.


    {He¡¯ll want to talk with you too,} Gracie said.  {The plan is going to change.  Can you get out of there?  Since you are talking out loud, I assume the king is unconscious.  I can¡¯t see anything, but I noticed you processed a lot of mana.}


    Esther nodded.  ¡°He isn¡¯t going anywhere for a long time,¡± she said.  She looked over at a pair of double doors that opened to an outdoor balcony.  They were on the third or fourth floor, but that wouldn¡¯t stop her.  ¡°I think I can get out . . . if I have to.¡±


    {You have to.}


    Esther frowned and climbed off the bed.  She caught sight of the discarded vial still lying on a rug.  She walked over to retrieve it.  ¡°Can¡¯t I just pour the antidote down his throat now?¡±  She looked back at the peaceful king, lying on his back with his mouth agape.


    {No,} Gracie replied.  {He is hard-wired to refuse any drink or liquid that his cupbearer hasn¡¯t approved.  If you try that, it will wake him up and undo all of your magic.  You¡¯ll just have to knock him out again.  Now, hurry up.  I¡¯ll let Jace know and tell you where to meet.}


    Esther heard a few distant clicking sounds and then a profound silence that let her know Gracie had switched to monitoring Jace.  The woman walked back to the bed and looked down at the handsome king forlornly.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Your Highness, but I have to go.¡±  She leaned down to whisper into his ear to give further instructions, spending half a dozen criticals.  ¡°Fall asleep, and have the most restful night of your life.  When you wake up, you will remember spending a fabulous evening with me, doing things you¡¯ve never dreamed of.¡±  She kissed him again.  ¡°I won''t be here when you wake up, but you won¡¯t be alarmed and will rest in the confidence that you were amazing.¡±


    His level drain would heal by the morning, and Esther thought for a moment if she needed to do anything else to seal the deception.  On impulse, she hastily removed the king''s pants.  It wouldn¡¯t make sense for him to wake up mostly clothed.  With a flicker of motion, she changed her outfit, donning her armor and skirt with her swords hanging from her hips.  She got a notification that part of her outfit had failed and reached up to feel that her hair was still done up in fabulous braids with silver and gold woven through.  She undid this with a snap of her fingers, and her hat then successfully nestled over her head.  With one last reluctant look around the room, she moved in a flash toward the double doors and disappeared into the night.

 Chapter 61

    Jace, Kai, Draya, Gromphy, and Snowy followed the two Chi eunuchs through the dark streets of Barcelio.  Only the goblin had any stealth ability, which came native to his race.  The crafter hadn¡¯t increased the skill beyond the starting bonus, yet he was still the sneakiest of the five.  Snowy could move quietly, but her white fur stood out clearly in the low light.  Jace¡¯s footfalls created a slight tremor, while Kai¡¯s armory produced a clatter of noise.  Because of this, they didn¡¯t even attempt to slink in the shadows and chose to blend in with the other foot traffic moving between homes, taverns, and entertainment venues.


    Barcelio was a closed SIM at the moment, without another player in sight.  None of the NPC villagers paid the eccentric group a second glance.  Jace, Gromphy, and Snowy still wore illusions, while Draya changed from the slinky outfit Esther had given her to her no-longer-cursed mage dress.  With Kai in their group, they didn¡¯t stand out too much.  The inquisitor had removed his helm, confident that in the evening¡¯s low light, no one would recognize him.  And, even if they did, as they moved away from the castle, fewer people would care.


    They stayed at least a quarter mile behind their prey, and the best scout in the world would be hard-pressed to identify any type of pursuit.  Snowy had caught the sent right away, and Jace felt confident the two eunuchs could pull a mile ahead, and his wolf would still be able to track them.


    The afternoon had been dull for the most part.  Jace had been able to skip ahead several times while Gracie kept an eye on Esther.  The operator couldn¡¯t rewind any simulated action that might take place, so she cautioned Jace not to abuse the time travel mechanic.


    A few minutes ago, Gracie informed him that Esther had successfully been invited to spend the night with the king, and she was monitoring that.  After Jace relayed that information to Kai, the paladin correctly guessed that whatever plan Vashti had to kill the king would have to be accelerated.  If Azurous chose Esther, it wouldn¡¯t be long until the queen and her entourage were kicked out of the king¡¯s presence.  Sure enough, by staking out the castle¡¯s rear gate, they saw the two foreign men leaving secretly, and the pursuit had begun.


    As they followed at a distance, Jace reached into the Armanacore and tugged at his new upgrades.  Instead of activating any of his four new spells, he extended his senses into the cobblestone, testing his awareness.  Even though the rocks were placed with digital precision, he felt he could pry any of them loose if he wanted, turning the busy street into an upsidedown hailstorm.  He resisted the urge and focused instead on the unnatural feeling the union with the stone gave him.


    It lacked the intimacy he had felt in his stronghold, and for that, he was grateful.  Horses clopped metal shoes against the stone, pulling heavy wagons behind them.  Dozens of people walked over the street, avoiding butchers, tanners, and other craftsman as they dumped buckets of who-knows-what into the gutters and down the sewer.  Jace didn¡¯t want to feel every interaction with the stones as he had back home, but he still got a general sense of the activity.


    At first, the commotion felt like an indecipherable mix of sound and vibration, but he was able to withdraw far enough to muffle and accentuate different aspects.  The percussive steps of the livestock were the easiest to pick out, and he soon shuffled that into the corner of his mind.  Human footfalls were more challenging, but after focusing on the visual cues around him, he could soon link the sensations with the actual people.  A steady tapping went with an old man walking with a cane.  Light shuffling marked the passage of several small children.  A quick clip-clop, similar to the horses but much lighter, matched the steps of a young maid in heeled boots rushing toward a tavern to start her shift.


    Once Jace mastered the technique, his eyes sought out the eunuchs two blocks ahead. His mind focused on a narrow path of stone stretching out toward them along a zig-zagging route that avoided all other traffic.  Soon, he felt their confident, heavy gait over the cobbled street.  Like with all the other patterns, it had a unique sound and feel to it, and with repetition, Jace thought he could identify the two men in the same way that Snowy marked their scent.


    But he could go further.  The stone captured more than just the vibrations from their feet.  He heard muffled voices as well.  With the other traffic of the busy street exiled from his head, he turned up the sensitivity until their steps sounded like a booming bass drum.  It hurt his head at first, but he could also hear their conversation clearer now.  By focusing on the words, the pounding of their boots fell away, and he could effectively eavesdrop on their conversation.


    ¡°You are right, Kai,¡± Jace said after a minute.  When he didn¡¯t get an immediate response, he looked around to see his friends much farther ahead.  His efforts with his new ability had caused him to fall behind.  Keeping a mental finger on the two men far ahead, he returned his other senses to the group and quickened his pace to rejoin them.


    The inquisitor turned to him.  ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I said you were right,¡± Jace repeated once he pulled alongside the paladin.  ¡°They are moving up their plans.  They are headed to a bakery to meet with one of their associates who has the poison.  The plan is to kill the king tomorrow.¡±


    Kai quickened his pace, and Jace reached to slow him.  ¡°Hold on,¡± he said.  ¡°We need a plan.  Confronting the eunuchs before they get the poison will be no good.  We need to catch them in the act.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, Senior,¡± Kai said, wrestling free from Jace¡¯s grasp and continuing with increased speed.  ¡°There is no point in letting them get their hands on the poison.  Any delay on our part increases the chance they will escape and be successful.  Now that we know their intent, we must act.¡±


    ¡°Just like you did before?¡± Jace asked.  He chose not to slow him physically, matching his pace and hitting him with questions.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± the inquisitor asked.


    Jace checked on Draya, Gromphy, and Snowy to make sure they kept up.  The goblin disguised as a gnome struggled with his short legs but managed.  He turned back to Kai.  ¡°In the past, you knew that people were lying, and you interrogated or arrested them without evidence.  How did that work out for you?¡±


    This question slowed the paladin more effectively.  ¡°Not well,¡± he admitted.  ¡°Still,¡± he continued after a short pause, quickening his steps again.  ¡°This time, the king¡¯s life is on the line.  I don¡¯t care how people interpret my actions.  I know the truth; that is all that matters.¡±


    ¡°Who is organizing the assignation attempt?¡± Jace asked.  The two eunuchs were only a block ahead now.


    Kai started to motion toward them but stopped.  Jace knew he didn¡¯t know and pressed the point.  ¡°I don¡¯t think it is two men trapped all day in the castle.  They are going to meet with someone.  He will know more.  And if we find out what poison they are using, that will tell us even more.  The longer we let their plot play out, the more they will reveal.  If we kill our only leads, we learn nothing.¡±


    Ahead, the eunuchs turned off the main road and disappeared onto a side street.  Kai stopped and turned to his companion.  ¡°There is a bakery just ahead,¡± he said.  ¡°That street houses shops that only do business in the morning hours.  Everything is closed.  If we continue to follow, we will reveal our pursuit.¡±  He paused.  ¡°If we plan to do something other than kill them, we should proceed with caution.¡±


    Jace nodded, and Kai looked at him expectantly.  ¡°Well, senior?  What is it?  You are the great Jace Thorne.  The man with all the plans.  What are we doing?¡±


    Jace winced as, once again, all the responsibility fell to him.  He thought for a moment.  ¡°Right, well, we need to intercept their associate.  We need to catch him before he meets with the eunuchs.  Any idea what he might look like?¡±


    Kai shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°How should I know?  Didn¡¯t he meet with you before all this?¡±


    The look of confusion on Jace¡¯s face lasted just long enough for Kai to notice.  Jace remembered what he had said back at the Gilded Swan and braced for an explosion.  ¡°You lied to me!¡± Kai nearly shouted in a strained whisper.  ¡°You never met with the assassins about crafting a poison!¡±


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Jace felt the game flex around him, hanging on the edge of impending code. Any time a player lied to Kai regarding the assassination attempt, the knight was programmed to instantly accuse the player and his party of the murderous plot and throw them in prison.  The problem was that this module had already progressed past the point that usually occurred, and Esther and Psycho were intricately tied into the module.  Even though they stood on the open street, Jace felt imaginary walls closing in on him, ending his mental link through the stone and focusing him only on the inquisitor¡¯s enraged face.


    ¡°I did not lie,¡± Jace replied as confidently and precisely as possible.  Coming from an Honest player, it relieved some of the pressure.  ¡°I spoke only truths to you.  You chose to imply more than I said.¡±


    The pressure was quickly escaping Kai¡¯s rage balloon, but he hung on to it as long as he could.  ¡°You let me believe a lie.  You willfully deceived me!¡±


    ¡°I told you the truth in an effort to help you save the king.  Your insistence that everything must be a conspiracy and that everyone is out to get you led you to believe what you did.  I could not quickly convince you otherwise, so I used your shortcomings to help you.  Do not blame me for this.  By now, you must know my earnest endeavor to solve your dilemma.  Could I have said anything else back in the brothel that could have brought us to this point more expeditiously?¡±  Jace paused for a reply, but there wasn¡¯t one.


    ¡°I thought not,¡± he continued.  ¡°Now drop your feigned anger, and let us get on with this quest before the eunuchs escape.¡±


    Around him, the game relented and relaxed.  Jace¡¯s connection through the stone was reestablished, and he searched for the two men.  They were gone, or at least, they were no longer walking on the street.  Now, Jace scowled at the knight.  ¡°They¡¯ve disappeared,¡± he said.  ¡°You made me lose them.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Kai said.  ¡°I thought the wolf . . .¡±


    Jace turned to Snowy.  ¡°Do you have them?¡±


    The wolf tested the air.  <I smell bread and sugar.  The neutered men have slipped in amongst the aroma.>


    Jace nodded.  They were in the bakery, likely standing on a wood floor where Jace could not feel or hear them.  He kept his focus on Snowy.  ¡°Another person is coming,¡± he explained.  ¡°Likely, it is a man of the same nationality.  He will be carrying a strong poison.  You must intercept him and bring him to us before he enters the building filled with bread.  Do you understand?¡±


    Snowy nodded her head.  Gromphy moved beside the wolf and offered the familiar a drink of black liquid.  The wolf instinctively trusted all of Jace¡¯s companions and drank it without hesitation.  Already carrying an illusion that disguised her as a large white dog, now her fur turned black, and whisps of shadow surrounded her, making her hard to see in the failing light even from five feet away.  Snowy didn¡¯t wait for any other instructions and bounded off into the night.


    Jace continued down the sidewalk, approaching the turn ahead until he could see the bakery and the faint glow of light in a back room.  ¡°We can wait here,¡± he said.  ¡°Snowy should be back soon, and we can . . .¡±


    His voice trailed off as he met Kai¡¯s glare.  His anger had not fully dissipated.  ¡°I want the truth,¡± he said.  ¡°How do you know of this quest?  Where did you get the information?¡±


    Jace sighed.  They had a few minutes.  ¡°The gods of your realm often align fate to mimic legends from mine.  All those who came before me assumed the solution to your problem lay in the fact that you are an inquisitor working for the king.  I knew it depended more on your relationship with Esther.¡±


    ¡°I have no relationship with that woman,¡± Kai insisted.  ¡°I remember she used to work at the Swan, but I did not associate with her.¡±


    Jace frowned.  Now was not the time to tell Kai he was a fallen angel of the god Dignatio.  The paladin had already told Jace that he couldn¡¯t remember the name of his god.  The player also knew that saying his name and his god together would unlock Kai¡¯s memories.  If he told him Esther¡¯s full name along with her god, Decus Gemma, he would remember her.  Presumably, if Jace found the names and deities of the other fallen angels, telling them to Esther or Kai would unlock their complete history.  Now wasn¡¯t the time for any of that.


    ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t remember an association with Esther,¡± Jace said, ¡°but the fact that she worked as an escort and can easily infiltrate the king¡¯s harem is the key to keeping Azurous safe.  A legend from my realm is similar.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what will happen?¡± Kai asked.


    ¡°In my realm, the king is saved, and your honor is restored.  I am working hard to replicate those results here.¡±


    This explanation satisfied Kai for now, and he returned his gaze around the corner toward the bakery.


    {Jace,} Gracie said in his ear.  {I have news from Esther.  Seems things are more complicated than we assumed.}  She proceeded to inform him of the king¡¯s plan to kill the queen and how it would also happen tomorrow.  Jace had seen banners around town advertising a dragon festival.  He didn¡¯t know the local dating scheme, so he didn¡¯t understand it would happen tomorrow.  He informed Kai.


    ¡°He must have a good reason for it,¡± the knight said, obvious pain evident in his face.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said, ¡°he wants a new queen.¡±


    Kai scowled at him but had no immediate comeback.  The idea that his king was also a murderer didn¡¯t sit well.


    ¡°What do you know of this dragon festival tomorrow?¡± Jace asked, already working on a plan.


    ¡°It is a celebration for the Chi people,¡± Kai said.  ¡°They worship the dragon . . .¡±


    ¡°Smart people,¡± Draya chimed in.


    ¡° . . . and they hold this festival every year in Barcelio to expose us to their culture.  Mages walk around in dragon costumes, throwing fireballs, and acrobats use spells to fling each other through the air while wearing wings.  As a people who are wary of magic, it does little to endear them to us.  However, it is also a chance for street vendors to sell food and toys.  We like spicy food here and usually challenge the Chi to try roasted peppers and chilies.  For people who worship fire-breathing animals, their tolerance for heat leaves something to be desired.  The city appreciates the holiday as a day off to have fun, but we don¡¯t hold it as sacred as the Chi do.  If King Azurous truly plans to kill Vashti at this celebration, it might start a war.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let that happen,¡± Jace said.  Kai only nodded.


    ¡°Snowy is coming back,¡± Draya said, looking down an alley in the opposite direction from where the wolf initially ran.  They had walked to a less busy section of the town, and night had truly set in.  Few people moved about the street.  ¡°And she¡¯s dragging something,¡± Draya added.


    Jace saw her too, a shadowy haze moving through the darkness, looking out for other pedestrians before racing across the main street and stopping before her master.  She dropped a roughly human-shaped bundle on the ground.  Jace feared the worst.  {I found him,} she said happily as if she had just retrieved a large stick Jace had thrown.


    Gromphy walked over to the man and rolled him to his back as Jace and Kai shifted their bigger bodies to block the rest of the street from their activities.  ¡°Thou ate his face off!¡± the goblin cried once he had flipped the very dead man over.


    {He fought back,} Snowy said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to kill him,¡± Jace sighed as Gromphy looted the body.  ¡°I wanted to question him.¡±


    The goblin lifted a green potion bottle from the victim¡¯s inner cloak to show that at least Snowy had caught the right person.  ¡°Here is the poison.¡±  After another few seconds, he produced a much smaller vial, which he sniffed cautiously.  ¡°And the antidote.¡±


    Jace shrugged his shoulders and turned to Draya.  ¡°Change of plans.  I need you to disguise me as him,¡± Jace motioned to the corpse.  ¡°I¡¯ll go into the bakery and try to figure out their plan.¡±


    ¡°You want to look like him?¡± Draya asked skeptically, barely able to look at the dead man.  ¡°His face looks like one of Esther¡¯s half-eaten waffles with cherry sauce.¡±


    Jace realized the problem and turned to Gromphy.  ¡°Can you fix him up?¡±


    ¡°Would thee have me fetch his nose from out of thy familiar¡¯s gullet?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace shook his head.  ¡°I mean, the crafter class is a type of priest, right?  Can¡¯t you heal him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°I dabble not in necromancy.¡±


    ¡°Just try anything,¡± Jace said.  ¡°You¡¯ve got more supplies in that chest of yours than most priests ever have access to.  Certainly, something will work.¡±


    The crafter grumbled again but obeyed and went to work.


    ¡°I should be the one to talk with them,¡± Kai said, pulling Jace away from the goblin and motioning back toward the bakery.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, you just want to kill them.¡±


    Kai steeled his eyes.  ¡°I understand your logic, and I agree with you.  I will do as you tell me.¡±


    ¡°Or I can just do as I already know,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Why should I send you?¡±


    ¡°Because you can¡¯t lie.¡±


    {He¡¯s right,} Gracie said.  {You basically want someone to go in there and interrogate those two Eunuchs.  Even at level 10, Kai is way better at it than you are.}


    Jace knew she was right.  Since Kai had joined his party, Jace could see his character sheet.  While he hated liars, his alignment wasn¡¯t Honest.  He was Pragmatic, Ordered, and Traditional.  At times, to get a confession, he would need to stretch the truth ¨C make threats he had no intention of carrying out.  Anything to get a confession.  Plus, his ability to detect lies in others was something Jace couldn¡¯t match.


    Still, at level 10, Jace worried the eunuchs would be able to see through his lies.  ¡°I know you are mostly impervious to magic, but do you have anything to boost the difficulty of your own abilities?¡±


    Kai nodded and reached into his inventory.  He produced a headband with a pulsing blue diamond resting just above his brow once he put it on.  ¡°It enhances my abilities and prevents anyone from knowing whether I speak truth or fiction.  Any attempt to do so will strike them with fear.¡±


    ¡°Clever item,¡± Jace nodded.


    ¡°A gift from Vithium,¡± Kai said.  ¡°The monk may trade in flesh, but he treated me well.¡±


    That¡¯s because he wanted you to join his party, Jace thought but didn¡¯t say.  ¡°Well,¡± he continued aloud, ¡°let¡¯s talk about the plan then.¡±  As Gromphy and Draya worked over the body, Jace told the knight what to do.

 Chapter 62

    Kai walked tentatively into the bakery.  To him, it felt like he still wore his armor, but as he looked down at himself, he saw the robes of a Chi scholar that matched those of the dead man outside.  His name was Daehyum and other than his job, Draya, and Gromphy had been able to decipher little more about the man.  In addition to eating his face off, Snowy had also severed Daehyum¡¯s vocal cords, so all of Gromphy¡¯s efforts to recreate the dead man¡¯s voice had been fruitless.  Instead, they gave him a typical Chi accent and told him to speak in harsh whispers.


    The knight also knew he had to refrain from his typical Madrian speech patterns, like saying, ¡°Si Senior¡± or ¡°Que Pasa.¡±  No one from Chi Ten would speak that way.  Draya had managed to incorporate his magical headband into his outfit, disguising it as a style of hat she had seen other Chi men wear.  Daeyhum had not worn one, and they hoped that wouldn¡¯t matter.  Gromphy had also fashioned a magical medallion that hung around Kai¡¯s neck, allowing Jace to eavesdrop on the upcoming conversation.  None of them were experts in Chi jewelry patterns and hoped the object wouldn¡¯t stand out.


    Jace had listened to the two eunuchs while they had walked on the cobblestone street and told Kai their names.  Shinto was the taller one, with a calm demeanor and curious eyes.  When Kai lied in the next few moments, Shinto was the one he was going to need to convince.  Chong, the second eunuch, was shorter and looked like a fighter.  Hopefully, things wouldn¡¯t come to blows as Kai was forced to hide all his weapons in his inventory.


    ¡°You¡¯re late, Nam Daehyum,¡± Shinto said, stepping out of the kitchen as Kai entered the bakery¡¯s front room.  Kai smiled, not knowing if these men had ever met before.  The fact that the eunuch knew his name confirmed the disguise worked.


    ¡°Would you have preferred I was followed, Shinto?¡± Kai responded, stopping a safe distance from the tall man.


    ¡°Why would you be?¡± Chong said, stepping out from a storeroom behind the knight.  ¡°Did you do something to raise suspicion?¡±


    ¡°No more than a Chi scholar walking the dark streets of Barcelio should generate, which isn¡¯t nothing.¡±


    ¡°Enough of this banter,¡± Shinto said.  ¡°You have the potions we asked for?¡±  The man produced a bag of coins.  He walked forward and set it on the counter where customers made their purchases during operational hours.


    Kai reached into his cloak and presented the poison and antidote.  ¡°You are making a mistake,¡± he said.  ¡°This won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time to change the plan,¡± Chong said gruffly, forcing Kai to turn toward the man, wary of an attack.  ¡°It is too late.  We must act now.  Put the vials on the counter and collect your payment.¡±


    ¡°The queen will not escape suspicion,¡± Kai said, though he walked forward and exchanged items, storing the coins in his cloak.  He watched Shinto retrieve the potions once the knight withdrew.  The eunuch then took a frosted pastry and slipped it into a paper bag with the antidote.  Kai nodded in understanding.  He had wondered how they would get the poison past the king¡¯s cupbearer.  Enrique was known for his addiction to sweetbreads for breakfast.  If they put the antidote in the pastry, then the cupbearer would be immune to the poison when he later tasted it in the king¡¯s wine.


    ¡°If you must move up the date,¡± Kai said, ¡°not taking advantage of the Dragon Festival tomorrow is foolish.¡±


    ¡°I said, now is not the time to . . .¡± Chong started again.


    ¡°No, wait,¡± Shinto said.  He had just stored his newly acquired items in his inventory and rolled his eyes back to look at Kai curiously.  ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±


    Kai knew he had him and flexed mana into his headband.  ¡°You know that Queen Vashti will be the prime suspect once the king is poisoned.¡±


    ¡°We will hide the antidote in the cupbearer¡¯s room,¡± Shinto replied.  ¡°You know the plan.  There are risks, but we have no other choice.¡±


    ¡°But you do, sen . . . uh, you see,¡± Kai stuttered, almost saying ¡°senior.¡±


    Chong began to object, but Shinto silenced him with a raised hand.  ¡°No,¡± he said plainly.  ¡°I don¡¯t see.  What does the Dragon Festival have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°First of all,¡± Kai said, ¡°during holidays and festivals, King Asurous prefers to drink tequila, a Madrian drink you will not have access to.  It might be a day or two until the king has wine.  If he is truly as taken with this new foreign woman as you say, you and the queen might be out of his graces sooner than you think, and killing him at a later date only puts his son in charge.¡±


    The information about the king¡¯s drinking habits was factual, and any scrying the taller eunuch might be doing to detect deception wouldn¡¯t work.  Shinto frowned at this revelation, and Kai continued.


    ¡°Second, the king and queen will attend the parade tomorrow morning, appearing together in public for the first time in a while and likely the last time ever.  Attacking the king while the queen sits beside him is a perfect way to throw suspicion away from her.¡±


    Now, Shinto laughed.  ¡°And how would we do that?  We, Chi, are not gifted archers, and the king will have a dozen guards surrounding him with another hundred ready to respond at a moment¡¯s notice.  Our Ninjato assassins wouldn¡¯t be able to get close.  No hostile will be able to get within 500 feet of the king.¡±


    ¡°I know a sorceress who can throw a fireball 600 feet,¡± Kai said, trying to sound confident.  When Jace had said Draya could do this, it sounded impossible to him.  Still, he wasn¡¯t an expert in magic, so it might be possible.  The Chi were experts in magic, especially fire magic.


    Shinto laughed even harder.  ¡°Are you a scholar or a jester?  No mage in our land can cast such a spell.  You speak of an actual dragon, not a sorceress.¡±


    Kai smiled.  Shinto wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°And besides,¡± Chong added.  ¡°If your goal is to throw suspicion away from the queen and the Chi, using fire to kill the king during the Dragon Festival will paint us as the only possible culprits.¡±


    Kai shook his head.  ¡°But you just said such a spell is impossible for a Chi mage.  My sorceress is from Jerisalam.  Using fire to kill the king would be foolish for the Chi to do.  We are not fools.  After a moment of consideration, the Madrians will realize this.  Not only is the attack impossible for a Chi to accomplish, but the use of fire is better proof that someone is trying to frame us.  If the Madrians truly thought we were trying to kill their king, what would happen?¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°War,¡± Shinto said.  The look on his face let Kai know he understood and agreed with everything the knight said.  ¡°War that would decimate both countries.¡±


    ¡°And who would stand to benefit from such a war?¡±


    ¡°The Jerisalam and other conquered people of this land,¡± Chong said, an answer so obvious even he understood it.


    ¡°We can double-cross the sorceress,¡± Kai continued, laying on the lies thick now, but Shinto was no longer checking the truthfulness of his statements.  ¡°I promised her payment only after the deed was done.  She will seek me out, and we will grab her.  Once she is identified as the assassin and her motivations are made clear, the queen can rise up and promise vengeance against the Jerisalam people.  With the aid of the Chi warriors, we will crush the remaining tribes, and, in the process, we will fill this land with our military.¡±


    Shinto smiled.  ¡°We will conquer Madria without killing a single one of their people.¡±


    Now Kai laughed in spite of the insidious plan Jace had concocted against his own people.  ¡°No, there will be Madrian death.  In the war against the lesser people of this land, their prominent generals will die.  Our Ninjato will ensure that.  So that when the war is over, our Chi commanders will be forced to take over prominent roles in securing this land.  And, yes, we will conquer it with the full support of the people and without anyone knowing our true intentions.¡±


    Shinto¡¯s frown turned into an evil grin and was then tempered by a dose of reality.  ¡°It all sounds too easy and still relies on a magical spell I do not think is possible.  Plus, how will the queen be able to organize this type of response if she is lying beside her husband as a charred corpse?  Any fireball powerful enough to travel that far will incinerate everyone around the king.¡±


    Kai nodded and produced a ring from the pouch on her belt.  ¡°Then have our queen wear this.¡±  He flicked the jewelry through the air, and the nimble eunuch caught it.  Shinto inspected the object, and his eyes widened in amazement.  Kai¡¯s lack of magical knowledge hadn¡¯t allowed him to analyze the ring properly, but he trusted Jace¡¯s crafter to have made something powerful.


    ¡°If you still doubt this plan,¡± Kai continued, ¡°I will be sure to note your descent when our emperor wishes to honor the architects of his conquest.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Shinto started quickly, storing the ring in his cloak but not being able to think of anything else.


    ¡°Won¡¯t the fact that she is wearing a protection ring throw suspicion at her anyway?¡± Chong asked as Shinto struggled to find new objections to the alternative plan.


    ¡°She will be attending a celebration of fire,¡± Kai said bluntly.  ¡°I¡¯ll be shocked if she is the only one wearing protection.¡±


    It looked like Chong wanted to argue further, and Kai held up his hand to stop him.  ¡°Continue with your poison plot as a backup.  It might rain tomorrow, and the parade is postponed a day.  The winds might not be right for the spell.  The king might be ill overnight and not attend the festival.  But inform the queen of this alternate plan and insist she wears the ring.  Then, when her husband and all his close officials die in a terrific fire blast, she will know what to do.¡±


    Without entertaining more questions, Kai spun around and walked out of the bakery.


    <hr>


    Esther hid in the shadows as she watched Jace and the rest of his group approach.  She waited in the middle of a large park filled with trees, ponds, walkways, and benches.  During the day, the space provided a serene atmosphere in Barcelio, where you could relax and remove yourself from the city¡¯s hustle and bustle.  At night, the trees and bushes offered ample opportunities for even a novice rogue to hide undetected.  Esther was invisible.  Gracie had told the rogue to go here, and she waited until her leader was almost on top of her position before revealing herself, ensuring the group wasn¡¯t followed.


    ¡°Nice to see you again,¡± Esther said, stepping out of the shadows onto the moonlit path as if she had stepped out of a dimensional door.


    ¡°Aye!¡± Draya screamed, a flame jumping to her hand and nearly lancing out at her friend.  She stopped the spell just in time.


    ¡°Is there anything you aren¡¯t scared of?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Draya snapped back between deep breaths, trying to get her heart rate back under control.  ¡°Nice people who wave hello from a distance.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the fun in that?¡± Esther chuckled.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We don¡¯t have much time.  I don¡¯t want to be seen out here talking with you, and we have much to prepare for.  Where is Psycho?¡±


    Esther shrugged.  ¡°Probably still standing guard outside the king¡¯s bedchamber.¡±


    ¡°And the king?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°Out like a lamp,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°He won¡¯t wake up until morning.¡±


    ¡°Thou plied thy whorish vocation copiously then?¡± Gromphy asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll ply you,¡± Esther bit back, not entirely sure of the insult she had received or repaid.


    ¡°Enough,¡± Jace repeated.  ¡°You¡¯re like schoolchildren.¡±  He looked down at Gromphy.  ¡°Give me the arrows.¡±  The goblin handed over the items he had crafted while Kai had been in the bakery.  Dozens of arrows sat in a magical quiver.  ¡°Give these to Psycho,¡± he told Esther as he handed the projectiles to her.  ¡°He¡¯ll be able to tell what they do.  He¡¯s to entertain the crowd while he tries to spy out the snipers you told us about.  You said they will be shooting both the king and queen.  Psycho needs to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen.  Once he finds the archers and marks them, Kai, Snowy, and I will arrest them.¡±


    ¡°So we are going to try and save the queen?¡± Esther asked, taking the arrows and storing them in her inventory.  ¡°Even though she is evil and trying to kill the king?¡±


    ¡°They are both evil,¡± Jace said, earning a sideways look from Kai.  The knight was still loyal to King Azurous but couldn¡¯t deny the shaman¡¯s claim.  ¡°We are going to try and stop both assassination attempts,¡± Jace continued.  ¡°We need to stop them yet expose them at the same time.  Hopefully, once both plots are out in the open, we can reconcile some kind of peace.¡±


    Draya shook her head.  ¡°You mean once husband and wife both realize they want to kill each other, they will kiss and make up?¡±


    Jace ignored the sarcasm.  ¡°No, I mean they might part ways peaceably and prevent a war that will destroy both countries.¡±


    ¡°So how does Queen Vashti plan to murder her husband?¡± Esther asked.  ¡°Poison?¡±


    ¡°Originally, yes,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°How clich¨¦,¡± the rogue sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you¡¯re disappointed in her murderous creativity,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We¡¯ve convinced the Chi to broaden their horizons, and they are hiring Draya to throw a fireball at the king.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Draya said.  ¡°They¡¯re hiring me?  I didn¡¯t know I was getting paid.¡±


    ¡°Here you go,¡± Kai said, handing over the coins Shinto had given him.  The knight wanted nothing to do with the blood money.


    Draya had the bag of money in her hand for about a second before Gromphy reached up and snatched it.  ¡°I¡¯ll take that,¡± he said, hiding it in one of the numerous pockets in his suit coat.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Draya cried a little too loudly.  ¡°Give that back.¡±


    Jace ignored them and turned to Esther.  ¡°We gave the queen¡¯s servants a ring of fire protection.  She shouldn¡¯t need it because Draya can dial down the difficulty of her attack so anyone can pass it, but to keep up appearances, we need to pretend it can still do damage.  So, even though the attack won¡¯t hurt the king, it would be good if you acted like it could and guarded him with your shield.  As party members, you and Psycho will automatically fail the roll; thus, you can take damage.  I don¡¯t know what outfit Psycho is allowed to wear as a eunuch, but he should try to wear his armor.¡±  The elf¡¯s dragon-scale armor prevented him from failing a death-saving throw from an elemental attack, so if Draya¡¯s attack did more than half his health, he wouldn¡¯t die from it.


    ¡°What if the king has a full group with him?¡± Esther asked.


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°Then Draya can control the diameter of the blast so it only encompasses the royal couple.¡±  He looked over at his mage to ensure she was listening and still not fighting with Gromphy.  She had been but stopped now to pay attention.  ¡°Ideally, we want the blast to be as big as possible so everyone sees it, but if we have to make it small so it still appears legitimate, we will have no choice.¡±  Draya nodded.


    ¡°And then what?¡± Esther asked.  ¡°You arrest Draya?¡±


    ¡°Temporarily,¡± Jace said, noticing the frown on the young woman¡¯s face.  ¡°Until we can expose who hired her and why.  After that, we can reveal the fireball was harmless, and hopefully, they let her go.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully?¡± Draya echoed.


    ¡°Do you want to make the plan?¡± Jace asked.  Draya slinked back.  ¡°I didn¡¯t think so.  I believe the king trusts Kai Morte.  If our inquisitor tells Azurous that we were always on his side and only cast the fireball to expose the Chi assassins, there is no reason they should keep you in custody.¡±


    When Draya nodded, Jace looked around at the rest of his group, searching for any more questions.  Seeing none, he nodded.  ¡°Good.  Then everyone go and get some sleep.  Tomorrow will be a fun day.¡±

 Chapter 63

    King Azurous relaxed on his portable throne, enjoying the late morning sun on his face.  He sat on an elevated wooden platform several feet off the ground, giving him an unobstructed view of the parade before him.  Ringing the front of the stage stood half a dozen armed guards with shields and spears.  Beside him sat his beautiful wife, though, with a scowl on her face, she looked anything but.


    ¡°You had to bring your whores to my people¡¯s celebration,¡± she said, leaning over as if to whisper but speaking loud enough for anyone within 20 feet to hear.


    ¡°Some of them are your maidservants,¡± he replied.  Six women sat on the tiered stage one foot lower than the royal couple on significantly smaller chairs.  The two Chi women sat to the queen¡¯s right, with another woman completing the triplet, while three other women graced the king¡¯s left, including Esther and the youngest of the women.  Nalia was practically a child, and the king hadn¡¯t been with her yet, but he knew his son fancied the woman, so he kept her around.  The royal children had begged not to sit on the stage with their parents, and with an entourage of guards accompanying them, Azurous had let them roam free through the festivities.


    ¡°I feel beauty enhances any experience,¡± the king continued.  ¡°You prefer flowers; I prefer people.¡±


    The queen grumbled. Several potted plants with vibrant orange, yellow, and red flowers sat at the front of the stage, right behind the guards, mostly hiding the men at arms.  ¡°And was your experience enhanced last night?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I beg your pardon?¡± the king said, distracted as a cart disguised as a dragon rolled before their location.  A mage hid inside the fake monster and released a jet of flame through its open mouth.


    ¡°The new woman you were with last night.  The one with the breasts and legs.  Was she good?¡±


    ¡°They all have breasts and legs, my dear,¡± the king said, his eyes forward as he waved a greeting toward a group of children that passed dressed as baby dragons hatching out of their eggs.


    ¡°Not like her, they don¡¯t,¡± the queen argued.


    Azurous pulled his eyes away from the parade to look at Esther, seated only a few feet away, just below him.  He enjoyed the angle as she wore another low-cut red bodice with a sheer skirt made from overlapping panels of orange and red chiffon.  As the morning breeze caught the fabric, the skirt fluttered like flames, tantalizingly revealing her legs.


    No, they don¡¯t, the king agreed in his head.  Out loud, he said, ¡°You worry too much.  Almost as if you think your position is in danger.¡±


    Vashti didn¡¯t take the bait and turned from her husband to look back at the parade.  ¡°Whomever you decide to make queen, one woman will never be enough for you.¡±


    The king clutched his chest.  ¡°Oh, my dear, your words are like an arrow through my heart.  How could you sully this fabulous celebration with such venom?  I would rather you poison me and get it over with.¡±


    Again, the queen fought the temptation to look at her husband and reveal her thoughts.  Instead, she idly played with a ruby-red ring on her left hand that the king had never seen before.  ¡°Just enjoy the fire show, my king.¡±


    Azurous laughed.  ¡°I will.¡±


    After a few boring floats went by, depicting paper mache serpents that looked more like snakes than dragons, he turned to look down at his new favorite harem girl.  ¡°Esther, my dear,¡± he said.  The woman responded and looked up at him, her braided black hair flipping over her left shoulder.


    ¡°Yes, my king?¡±


    Azurous lost his train of thought for a moment at the gorgeous image before him.  ¡°Um, uh, you said your man has a demonstration he would like to share.  I think now would be a good time.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± she said and turned to Psycho, who stood behind her on the ground with the rest of the eunuchs.


    The king¡¯s eyes went to the muscular elf and followed his movement as he walked around to the front of the stage, where the lower levels allowed access from the ground.  He wore the typical eunuch attire, but instead of a bare chest beneath the leather vest, he displayed a fabulous breastplate.


    ¡°Ooh, dragon-scale armor,¡± the queen said, appreciating far more than his attire as the muscular elf moved to the middle of the stage.  ¡°How appropriate.  What will he do?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you shut up and watch?¡± the king said.


    <hr>


    Psycho ignored the couple¡¯s antics and focused on the crowd before him.  Shedding his vest and securing a quiver to his back, Pyscho pulled out his dragon wing bow.  He didn¡¯t like to reveal its existence in public like this, but he understood from Jace that none of these characters were players and wouldn¡¯t be talking to anyone important.  Besides, the dragon aspect of the bow fit the theme of the celebration.


    Gromphy had made explosive arrows for him, and he pulled one now and aimed up at the sky.  While Psycho was one of the most aware NPCs in the game, the mechanics that ran his existence still mainly stayed hidden as he operated in the realms.  Now, however, they came into play.  He found he couldn¡¯t just aim at nothing to fire.  He could shoot a high arching shot that landed on the far side of the street, but families stood there, and he didn¡¯t want to endanger them.  Instead, he aimed at the branches of trees that lined the near side of the street.  The targets were only a few dozen feet away, and at such close range, the long-distance bow suffered many penalties.  As a result, when he fired, he missed the branches badly, and the arrow lazily lofted out over the street with no intended target.  After the miss, the projectile exploded into a dazzling array of sparks and fire.


    ¡°Now that is impressive,¡± the king said.  He turned to his wife, who struggled to keep the awe from her face.  ¡°Can any of your people do that?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer. Instead, mages who still walked along the street tried to match the display.  But their fireballs all looked the same.  They varied in size and height, but they remained simple bursts of yellow flame.  After Psycho had fired three more arrows that exploded in green, orange, and blue, he had the crowd¡¯s complete attention.


    The archer didn¡¯t focus his attention on the cheering throng, though. Instead, his eyes searched out the buildings across the wide street, over 300 feet away.  Specifically, he looked in each window, hoping to spy on potential assassins.  When he had stood behind the stage, he had scoped out likely spots for the enemy snipers, picking windows and balconies that he would use if he had to make the shot.  Of course, if he were hired to do the job, he would be in the row of buildings even further back, across a parallel street over 500 feet away.  Some of those buildings had spires peaking up over the short structures that lined the parade route.  He knew that¡¯s where Draya was, but he doubted any local archer could make that shot, and he focused on closer windows.


    Most held the faces of women and children, seeking an elevated view of the festivities; others were closed or had pulled drapes.  Psycho focused on one that appeared open and empty, a dark room lying beyond, perfect for an archer to hide in before taking a vital shot.  Psycho aimed at a tree branch next to the window, missed, and sent a shower of bright yellow sparks against the building¡¯s stone fa?ade.  The crowd ¡°oohed¡± and ¡°aahed,¡± but the elf was more interested in the man crouching in the shadows, holding a bow, made visible for a moment from the bright flash.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Psycho pulled a special arrow next and used his ranger senses to detect a moth flying over the street, attracted to the bright lights.  The skilled archer waited until the insect moved to just the right spot and released his shot, pulling a second arrow as the first left his string.  The first shaft arched lazily through the air, missing the moth and blossoming into a sphere of orange flame the size of a melon.  It hung in the air for a few seconds, giving Psycho time to spend on his second shot, where he added several abilities to enhance the lethality of the mundane arrow.


    Everyone¡¯s eyes were still on the floating orange ball in the sky when Psycho fired again, his second arrow piercing the sphere, and it exploded into rings of concussive fire with a terrific boom.  The display was harmless as the flames died out before they ever reached the ground.  Less harmless was the second arrow he had fired as it continued through the open window and pierced the hidden archer through the heart, killing him instantly.


    <hr>


    Jace, Kai, and Snowy struggled through the streets. Though the Madrian people didn¡¯t share the love of dragons and fire with the Chi, they enjoyed a holiday and a day off work and filled the streets to overflowing.  Jace and Kai had approached numerous city guards to convince them of the danger to the king, but they had flatly refused any aid.  Even when Kai cast spells to bluff the guards, they remained unmoving.  Jace understood the module required them to access the guards through the proper command structure, and Kai led them through the crowds toward the guard house.  They finally arrived at the small wooden structure with several guards standing at the ready.  The captain stood above them, up a few stairs to a wooden landing.  He wore full armor, surveying the ever-moving crowd before him, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword.  Unfortunately, the captain of the city guards was not alone.  Haggai stood beside him.


    The head of the king¡¯s harem frowned when he saw Kai.  ¡°You!¡± he cried.  ¡°I thought you had learned your lesson and stayed away.¡±  His eyes then went to Jace.  He recognized him as Esther¡¯s ¡°Uncle.¡±  ¡°If I had known you were involved with this traitorous knight, I would have never allowed your niece into the castle.  If she even is your niece.  She is probably an assassin.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jace said, pushing past the stationary guards to look up at the two men above him.  ¡°She is not.  The assassins are out there.¡±  He pointed back over the street to the two- and three-story buildings.  ¡°Archers have been hired to shoot at both the king and queen.  We must stop them.¡±


    Jace detected a flinch in Haggai¡¯s face.  The king had told Esther about this assassination attempt against the queen, but Jace doubted the Azourus would have organized this plan on his own.  He would have entrusted that to an adviser.  The shaman bet Haggai was behind it.


    ¡°Impossible,¡± the captain of the guards said.  ¡°My men have been patrolling the streets, and no one could have entered one of those buildings without our knowledge.¡±


    Jace frowned.  It was a stupid comment, and the player expected better dialog from a Ghandi-designed module.  Obviously, the streets were overflowing with people, and anyone could slip into any building they wanted.  However, maybe the comment was a clue.


    Kai seemed to think so, and he turned his attention toward the captain.  ¡°You have to believe us,¡± he pleaded, the blue diamond on his headband pulsing with mana as he used his powers of persuasion.  ¡°The king and queen are in danger.  We can show you proof if you come with us.


    ¡°Maybe they have a point,¡± the captain said, turning to Haggai.  ¡°We can spare a few men to investigate.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he replied quickly, frowning at the 180 the weak-willed man had just pulled.  ¡°These men are . . .¡± his voice trailed off as Jace watched his face formulate an alternative plan, ¡° . . . probably right,¡± he amended.  ¡°We should check out their claims.  Only you should go in person.  You go with the paladin and take a few guards with you.  I will accompany this merchant and take some men as well.¡±


    Haggai turned to Jace.  ¡°You said there are multiple archers?¡±


    The player nodded cautiously, knowing Haggai was planning something nefarious but couldn¡¯t figure out what.  He didn¡¯t fear the man.  The game told him the harem supervisor was level twelve, but NPCs like him usually had non-adventure classes like Scholar or Politician.  It allowed the game to give them defenses and abilities like Bluff or Detect Lies but didn¡¯t usually give them much in the way of combat skills.  Even the two guards he summoned to accompany them wouldn¡¯t pose much trouble for Jace.


    ¡°Then we should split up to find them,¡± Haggai said.


    ¡°Excellent idea,¡± the easily influenced captain agreed.  He bounded down the stairs and called to a pair of guards to accompany him.


    Haggai moved down the stairs more slowly, keeping his eyes on Jace.  ¡°What are you playing at?¡± Jace dared to ask.


    ¡°I am only doing my duty.  I am honor-bound to protect the throne.¡±  The official spoke deadpan, and Jace didn¡¯t think that now was the time to stir things up.


    In the air above them, they heard explosions, and Jace looked to see Psycho¡¯s fireworks display had started.  ¡°My archer will mark the windows where the snipers are hiding,¡± he said to Kai.  ¡°I will take the first one; you take the second.  Snowy,¡± he looked down at his familiar, ¡°go with Kai.¡±  While the guards wouldn¡¯t provide the level 19 orc shaman with a challenge, they might be able to overwhelm the level 10 Inquisitor.


    Kai and Snowy nodded, and the two characters led the city guards away from the guardhouse and back toward the street.  Jace eyed the location of Psycho¡¯s fireworks and led his group away at a slightly different angle.  Once he reached the street, he saw the bright orange ball and stopped short.  Haggai and the other guards nearly ran into him.


    ¡°What are you . . .¡± the older man started, but Jace held up his hand for silence.  He had a bad angle to trace a line from the royal stage, through the flaming sphere, and onto the buildings beyond as he stood off to the side and much lower.  Psycho helped him out, firing a second arrow straight through the firework.  While everyone else focused on the exploding fireball, Jace followed the arrow into a darkened window.  A second later, a dead archer slumped out of the opening, his head leaning awkwardly against the railing of a tiny balcony.


    ¡°There,¡± Jace cried, pointing up and across the street.


    ¡°I see him!¡± one of the guards said.  ¡°The threat is real.  Hurry!¡±


    Without prompting, the two guards raced out into the street, halting a procession of acrobats twirling flaming batons.  Jace and Haggai followed in their wake, making a direct path toward the first floor of the indicated building.


    Previously, Jace and Kai had tried knocking on doors, requesting access to the upper levels of homes with valid sniper locations.  They had been denied harshly, and no amount of persuasion from Kai or hacking on the door from Diamond Etcher would grant them entrance.  Gracie had informed Jace the game wouldn¡¯t let them in unless they did it the proper way.  The ¡°Proper Way¡± was apparently having a city guard pound on the door and demand entrance in the name of the king.  The door in question popped open, and the four men rushed in.


    Jace was the last to enter, and just before he did, he heard a familiar concussive blast from above and turned to see Psycho had executed another killing shot, marking the location of the second archer.  He paused just long enough to see Kai¡¯s group of guards burst through the line of spectators and out into the street, aimed at a different building a few doors down.


    Turning back, Jace followed the pounding of armored steps to locate the stairs and then ascended two flights to arrive at the third floor.  He already knew what to expect.  The guards had burst open the door to the room on the street side of the building and entered.  Haggai stood just inside, looking on and allowing Jace room to enter.


    The window overlooking the street was actually a glass door leading out onto a Victorian-style balcony, barely big enough for a man to stand.  The man in question wasn¡¯t standing but slumped over, leaning against the balcony''s railing with a long bow beside him and an arrow through his chest.  With his hooded cloak askew and fallen away from his head, Jace noticed he wasn¡¯t Madrian but had light skin and brown hair.


    ¡°Examine him,¡± Haggai said.


    The guards responded and rolled the man away from the window and onto his back, searching his cloak in the process.  They produced a tied scroll almost immediately.


    ¡°What does it say?¡±


    The guards fumbled the letter between them for a moment, fighting for the privilege to read it, nearly ripping the parchment in two.  ¡°It says he is supposed to shoot the queen at ten in the morning,¡± the successful guard said, ¡°at the precise moment the third bell sounds.¡±


    ¡°But it is nearly ten now,¡± the other guard said.


    On cue, the bell in the massive church behind them rang.  All four occupants stood suddenly and turned to the window as the second bell sounded. They looked outside and saw they had a perfect view of the stage below, the royal couple looking on obliviously as Psycho proceeded to use the rest of his arrows to entertain the crowd.


    The third bell sounded, and the queen cried out in glee.  She jumped from her chair as Psycho fired two arrows at once, connecting mage fireballs with a sparkling rainbow of color.  Beside her, King Azurous started to rise as well, but a massive black arrow sprouted from his chest, appearing as if by magic.  He futilely gripped the shaft with both hands and fell unmoving to the stage.

 Chapter 64

    Psycho sensed the attack even though he never felt an arrow fly past.  He turned to see the king struggle a moment before falling to the deck.  The queen screamed, but no one turned to investigate since it wasn¡¯t obvious it wasn¡¯t a reaction to the fireworks.  The crowd before him had, at one time, focused on the archer, waiting for each new shot.  Now, they kept their eyes trained on the air above the street, anticipating the next explosion.


    ¡°A third archer,¡± Psycho swore.  There were only supposed to be two.  At once, he knew it was more complicated than that.  He should have heard and seen the arrow pass him by.  As black and large as the shaft was, it should have been easy to see in the daylight.


    ¡°Legs!¡± Psycho cried, using his nickname for Esther.  ¡°Get up here!¡±


    The woman responded, leaping out of her chair and hopping to the stage¡¯s highest tier.  Her eyes had been focused on the fireworks as well, and only when she stood over the fallen king did she see the arrow protruding from his chest.  She didn¡¯t waste time and activated her Quick-Change ability.  Her red bodice and firey dress vanished, replaced by her shadow-scale armor, black skirt, hat, and all her magical trimmings.  The queen cried out in further shock, stepping back from the striking warrior, who now looked much different from the harem girl she had pretended to be.


    ¡°Get down,¡± Esther said, shoving the woman in the chest so she flopped back in her chair.  Esther turned to the open air above the street, raised her left arm, and activated her shield bracer.  The dragon scale barrier wasn¡¯t a tower shield, but it would make it much harder for any archer to hit her or the queen behind her.


    Psycho backed up as well, his bow out with an arrow nocked, his eyes searching the buildings before him.  He saw Jace at one window and Kai¡¯s group at another.  Those archers were down.  This attack had come from somewhere else.  Not seeing any other valid firing spots, he raised his eyes to the next row of buildings.


    The distant church tower continued to chime, counting up to ten.  In the street, the fire mages had synched their display, exploding spells at each toll, keeping the crowd¡¯s attention away from the stage.  Even the guards standing only thirty feet away had not yet realized their king had been shot.


    On the seventh chime, Esther cried out, and Psycho spun to her.  A black shaft protruded from her shoulder, her face a mask of pain and confusion, with her eyes showing a dazed expression.  ¡°Impossible,¡± Psycho said.  Even he would have struggled to make that shot.  Hitting the crouching woman with her shield raised from over 500 feet and still having enough criticals to Daze her was beyond impressive.  He watched Esther lower her shield, struggling to stay conscious.


    ¡°No, Legs, keep it up,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°You have to protect the queen.¡±  He crouched before Esther and pulled a healing potion, allowing her to keep her concentration on the shield.  He knew it was foolish to turn his back on the deadly archer but believed shots like these would take several rounds to prepare.


    He looked over to the king as he poured Gromphy¡¯s magical elixir down Esther¡¯s throat. Azurous wore a piercing protection ring, as Esther had said he would. Yet the shot still had enough criticals to knock the king unconscious. As an archer, Psycho innately had that type of protection too, guarding against at least one shot from an enemy sniper. But it only guaranteed he wouldn¡¯t die.


    Once Esther regained enough strength to hold her shield up, Psycho turned to the other women on stage.  By now, they had figured out the king and queen were under attack, though anyone who heard their screams wouldn¡¯t be able to distinguish them from the cheers everyone else offered for the fire show.  ¡°Run!¡±  Psycho shouted at them.  ¡°Everyone, run for your lives!¡±


    The women listened, and soon, only four characters remained on stage.  Psycho stood and turned back to the open air before him.  He hadn¡¯t seen the first shot, but he hadn¡¯t been looking for one.  For the second, his eyes were focused intensely, and it still got past him.  Esther hadn¡¯t held still after the attack, so he couldn¡¯t analyze the angle of entry to trace it back to the source.


    ¡°You won¡¯t find him!¡± the queen shouted.  ¡°It¡¯s the Shade Fletcher.  He shoots at us from Hell!¡±


    Psycho ignored her hysterical cries.  This was no demon.  Those were physical arrows.  Magic was definitely in play, but this archer was from the physical realm.  As his eyes played across the potential hiding spots before him, he found the top of the church tower, which had just finished chiming.  He was pretty sure that¡¯s where Draya and Gromphy were.  As if in answer to his thoughts, he saw a tiny fireball bloom from the steeple¡¯s apex.


    ¡°No, Red,¡± he said to himself.  ¡°Not now.¡±  But he watched the orange glow bloom in size as it drew closer.  He cursed.  ¡°Keep your shield up!¡± Psycho screamed at Esther as he raced for the edge of the stage.  ¡°Guards!  Get down!¡±


    The clueless soldiers finally turned around in time to see the large elf leaping from the stage.  Then, a massive fireball detonated right on top of the royal couple. It drenched the platform in fire, sending the guards diving from their feet and finally drawing the attention of the crowd around them.


    <hr>


    ¡°Make it stop!  Make it stop!¡±


    Draya crouched and hunkered down in the small stone room high above the street below, with her hands over her ears.


    ¡°Cease thy whining and offer aid to thy companions,¡± Gromphy said.


    Draya managed to peer at him between the deafening peels of the bell just a few feet above them.  He stood looking out the window, holding a pair of binoculars.  Each time the bell rang, sapphire studs in his enormous ears flashed with magic, and the goblin didn¡¯t so much as flinch at the noise.


    ¡°I can¡¯t concentrate,¡± Draya shouted between chimes.  In truth, she was Dazed, and had barely saved against being Stunned after the first chime.  Since she had curled into a ball and placed her hands over her ears, she had managed to save against the succeeding strikes, but not by much.


    ¡°Then our friends shall perish,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°A thrice archer hath entered the fray.¡±


    As the bell sounded for what seemed like the 20<sup>th</sup> time, Draya wasn¡¯t even sure she could count to three or even remember what numbers were.  Her bones vibrated like tuning forks, and it felt as if her fingernails and toenails were going to explode like champagne glasses.  Eventually, the cacophony ceased, but Draya stayed immobile, her body trembling as if she had been punched by a mountain giant ten times.


    ¡°Compose thyself!¡± Gromphy demanded and threw a vial of liquid into her face.


    Draya coughed and sputtered, noticing that it wasn¡¯t water the goblin had splashed on her.  Magic flowed through her, and the ringing in her ears and trembling of her muscles vanished in a flash.  She stood up and rushed to the window.  Without the binoculars, she could barely tell what was happening, but she did see the king with an arrow through his chest and Esther trembling with her shield to protect the queen.


    ¡°Help them!¡± Gromphy screamed again.


    ¡°How?¡± she asked.  Her head vaguely remembered Gromphy saying something about a third archer.  Did the crafter want her to take him out?


    ¡°Throw thy fireball?  Dids¡¯t the bell erase thy memory?  Follow Jace¡¯s plan!¡±


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Draya couldn¡¯t think and didn¡¯t know what to do.  She made eye contact with Psycho from 600 feet away and thought she saw the elf nod.  Draya shrugged.  When in doubt, listen to the goblin with 24 wisdom.  She cast her Dragon Spirit and reached into her mental spellbook to pull the one she had prepared.


    As a student, one of the first feats she had gained was Reduce Difficulty.  This allowed her to memorize a spell with much lower difficulty than it would typically have, regaining five mana for each point of difficulty lost.  For example, if she reduced a spell''s difficulty by 20, she would get 100 points of free mana to spend on that spell.  This allowed students to throw around dangerous elemental spells or control spells without the potential to injure other students while spending very little of their mana pool.  The spells could still damage inanimate objects like walls or trees, but it gave the students a safer way to practice.


    At level 19, Draya¡¯s fire difficulty with her Daragon Spirit active was 87.  A spell always had to have a minimum difficulty of 1, so she gained 430 mana to add to her already impressive pool.  This was easily the most massive fireball she had ever thrown, yet it wouldn¡¯t even hurt a child.  As she released it, she recognized a look of dismay on Psycho¡¯s face and hoped she hadn¡¯t made a mistake.  The elf ran to the edge of the stage and leaped as far as possible.  Draya knew it wouldn¡¯t be far enough and hoped the elf wouldn¡¯t be too mad at her.  After all, his armor would keep him alive, and at the end of the day, it was all Jace¡¯s idea.


    Just before her fireball hit, Draya saw a black arrow leap from Esther¡¯s thigh as if it had sprouted from her body.  The rogue staggered, barely able to keep her shield up as the stage exploded.


    <hr>


    ¡°The Shade Fletcher,¡± Haggai said solemnly as he, Jace, and the other two guards looked from the dead sniper''s window.  A black arrow had sprouted from the king¡¯s chest as the third bell sounded.


    ¡°What does this mean?¡± one of the guards asked, his face turning ashen.


    ¡°But I thought they were aiming at the queen?¡± the other guard questioned.


    ¡°He was to shoot the queen,¡± Haggai said, his foot nudging the dead archer Psycho had killed.  ¡°This was a coordinated attack.  They hired regular men to kill the queen and left the professional to take out the king.¡±


    Jace listened attentively as he watched the madness unfold on the stage across the street. Psycho took up an aggressive posture while ordering Esther to defend the queen. He thought Haggai had orchestrated this assignation attempt and listened to his explanation as if it were a confession.


    ¡°Who?¡± a guard asked.  ¡°Who would do this?¡±


    ¡°The Shade Fletcher is not from Madria,¡± Haggai said.


    ¡°He is from hell,¡± the other guard said, backing away from the window as if he might be the next target.


    Haggai chuckled.  ¡°Almost.  I heard he is from Jerisalem.¡±  All eyes turned to Jace.


    Outside, Esther had just been hit in the shoulder, and Jace desperately wanted to watch to ensure his prized rogue would be okay, but he needed to address the tension in the room.  The three men slowly closed in on him.


    ¡°I am the one who brought this situation to your attention,¡± Jace said, already knowing what the response would be.


    ¡°A perfect alibi,¡± Haggai replied.  ¡°You did this knowing it would throw suspicion from yourself while still confident we wouldn¡¯t catch the real assassin.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know who this Shade Archer is,¡± Jace said, taking another step back toward the open door behind him.


    ¡°Shade Fletcher,¡± one of the guards corrected.  ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb.  Everyone knows who he is.¡±


    Jace frowned, not knowing this phantom sniper was famous, and now he just made himself look more guilty.


    ¡°Arrest him!¡± Haggai commanded.


    As the two level 10 guards closed on him, Jace cast Stone Flesh, protecting himself from any slashing attempts they might make against him.  However, their swords stayed on their hips as they reached out to grapple him.  He easily fought them off and was about to cast Granite Strength when he heard a pounding of feet behind him.  He turned to see six more guards pouring into the small room.  He needed his actions to fight, but as soon as three of them touched him simultaneously, their combined Grappling skill was enough to bring him to the ground.


    ¡°You will pay for your crimes,¡± Haggai said, walking into frame to look down at the pinned man.


    Impossibly, half a dozen more guards entered the room, and Jace recognized the heavy hand of Ghandi at play.  He was not meant to escape from this.  They rendered him Helpless, and as he heard a massive fireball explode outside, his vision faded to black.


    <hr>


    ¡°Excellent shot,¡± Gromphy said, looking out the church tower window.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Draya replied, still not confident in a strategy that had nearly killed two of her friends.  The wooden stage burned ferociously.  Guards had been thrown in every direction, though none seemed injured, each easily making the saving throw against the fireball.  Psycho lay motionless at the edge of the scorched grass, far enough away from the burning wood not to receive any more damage.  He was alive, but barely.


    Esther and the royals had also been thrown clear.  She had ridden the wave of fire with her dragon shield acting like a surfboard and landed between the king and queen.  Vasthi suffered no fire damage but hit a tree trunk in her flight and appeared Dazed or Stunned.  The king remained unconscious from the first arrow, and as such, he didn¡¯t get a saving roll against the fireball.  However, his base magic defense was still enough for a critical success against a spell with a difficulty of 1, so he appeared unsinged.  Seconds before the fireball, Esther had been hit with a second arrow, and it was that damage, not the fire, that rendered her unconscious.


    Guards picked themselves off the ground and raced around the stage to their king and queen.  Some organized a firefighting effort for the engulfed stage, while others called for priests to give their king and queen aid.


    ¡°We must make haste,¡± Gromphy said.  ¡°Our location shall not remain undetected for long.¡±


    Draya agreed and turned to race back down the rickety stairs that had brought them to this tiny room several minutes ago.  Three men blocked their way.  Draya recognized them as Chi but hadn¡¯t seen them before.


    ¡°Not so fast,¡± the lead man said.  ¡°You can¡¯t throw a fireball against the royal family and expect to get away with it.¡±


    ¡°What dost thou know?¡± Gromphy asked.  ¡°Tis a three-minute climb to this tower with nary a window.¡±


    Draya nodded at the clever observation.  She had thrown the fireball less than a minute ago.  These men couldn¡¯t know what she had done unless someone had tipped them off.  They obviously worked with Shinto and Chong, the two Chi Eunichs Kai had spoken to last night.  The pair has apparently sent their own contingent to arrest the potential assassin.


    ¡°Silence, rodent!¡± the man in charge said.  ¡°I know what you¡¯ve done, and you will pay for your crimes.¡±


    ¡°No, we won¡¯t,¡± Draya said, raising her hands to blast them out through the back of the tower.  She summoned fire to her fingers . . . but nothing happened.


    The Chi man grinned.  ¡°We are a people of magic,¡± he said.  ¡°We are more than equipped to handle the likes of a young girl like you.¡±


    Behind him, Draya could see the other two men wincing in strenuous concentration, their teeth grinding together as they jointly expended the magical energy necessary to keep Draya¡¯s abilities confined.  The mage thought back to when she had briefly been a prisoner of the Mongorians when Jace had traded her for a few crates of fruit.  The magical slavers had enchanted a rope to Grapple her mana.  Now it looked like the Chi could do the same thing, only it took two people¡¯s full attention to restrain her.


    ¡°Can you handle this?¡± Draya asked, pulling her dragon bone staff from her side and activating the weapon.  She didn¡¯t get a chance to attack, as Gropmhy threw a bomb at their feet, and a small explosion tossed them against the wall.  Draya felt her mana rush back in as the Grappling mages lost hold of their spell and crashed into the unyielding bricks.


    ¡°With haste!¡± Gropmhy cried, rushing past the Dazed men.  Draya obeyed.


    The stairway down was a dizzying collection of sharp left turns every ten steps as the path spiraled down the square tower.  They didn¡¯t make it far before voices above and below them started shouting for them to stop.  They threw fire at the pair ¨C a stupid decision.  The attacks only refreshed Draya¡¯s mana, and Gromphy was smart enough to protect himself from fire, knowing that he was partnered with the realm''s most incendiary character.  Draya replied in kind with precise fire attacks that burned through the Chi¡¯s impressive magic defense and cleared the way before them.


    However, she couldn¡¯t keep up as dozens of enemies began appearing from nowhere, filling the stairs before and behind them ¨C an impossible situation unless they were parachuting in through the tower window.  ¡°Ghandi is not playing fair,¡± Gromphy mumbled, adding his own bombs to the attack.


    As impervious as Jace¡¯s two companions were to the continued attacks, the stairs were not.  Soon, the pair had to jump over weakened sections and find the necessary Dexterity to land unharmed.  Neither were as nimble as Psycho or Esther and once Draya tripped, it was over.  Multiple spider web spells hit the prone player, and she failed the saving throw.  Gromphy¡¯s Magic Defense could thwart any of their attacks even if he were tied up, but once the Chi only had to worry about his bombs, they felt confident enough to get closer.  The small goblin was no match for them in melee combat, and he was quickly Grappled into submission.


    The scene had to wait for the initial leader to make his way down to the captured pair to deliver the final line, as the game hadn¡¯t equipped any of the mindless minions with meaningful dialog.  ¡°I told you we could handle it,¡± he laughed maniacally.  The minions laughed as well, and with almost two dozen of them in the narrow stone tower, the sound was nearly as deafening as the bell had been.


    Draya¡¯s world faded to black.

 Chapter 65

    Jace opened his eyes to find himself in a large courtyard.  It was as if no time had passed to the player, but it was evident much had taken place.  For starters, his hands hung before him, secured in iron shackles.  He stood before the king and queen about 30 feet away with armed guards on either side of him.  At first, he thought the men were remarkably short, even for Madrians, but then he realized his illusion necklace had expired, meaning he was an orc and was looking down on them from his 7-foot height.  That wouldn¡¯t help his case.


    Tall stone walls enclosed three sides of the 400-foot square grassy courtyard, while the massive castle bordered off the fourth.  The royal couple sat on a slightly raised dais, only two feet off the ground, with guards lining the back and two sides, their backs to the castle entrance.  Jace saw over a dozen more royal guards surrounding him and a few other prisoners.  Kai stood alongside him, head hung low, also in shackles.  Beside him, Snowy wore a tight collar with three chains anchored to strong men.  The familiar no longer appeared as a large dog, and the guards not responsible for securing her kept a safe distance from the winter wolf.  Esther and Psycho sood on Jace¡¯s other side, both dangerously low on health.  The rogue had taken two arrows, while the ranger¡¯s dragon armor had barely saved him from the fireball.


    Jace shifted his gaze further in that direction to see another collection of guards, Chi, not Madiran, with Gromphy and Draya restrained in the center.  Neither of them appeared hurt at the moment, and the goblin¡¯s disguise had also expired.  The orc had needed to turn his head considerably to see the rest of his crew, and now that he had signaled his alertness, the scene came alive as if they had all been held in stasis while he was unconscious.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± the king said, his voice flushed with rage.


    ¡°They tried to kill you, Your Majesty,¡± Hegai replied, stepping forward from the ranks beside the dais.


    Jace watched the look the two exchanged, and it explained a lot.  If the player guessed correctly, the head of the king¡¯s harem had been in charge of hiring the archers, and Jace doubted the king had consented to take an arrow from the legendary Shade Fletcher.  That had likely been an improvisation by the official to throw suspicion onto foreigners.  As the king continued talking, Jace noticed he kept glancing up at the high walls surrounding him, the crenulated borders offering dozens of locations for a determined sniper.  A quick look over at Psycho showed the elf doing the same thing.


    ¡°Not Esther,¡± King Azourus argued, his eyes focusing on the alluring woman who smiled back at her potential husband.  ¡°She took two arrows herself and then protected us from the fireball.¡±


    ¡°A harmless firework, my lord,¡± Hegai said.


    ¡°Harmless?¡± the king cried.  ¡°It burned down the stage.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Hegai said.  Jace knew none of the other guards within range of Draya¡¯s spell would have taken any damage, even though flames must have washed over them.  ¡°But she is part of their group . . .¡±


    ¡°You think he hired the Shade Fletcher to shoot his own niece?¡± the king barked.


    ¡°You still think they¡¯re related,¡± the queen mumbled under her breath, casting looks between the orc and the woman.


    Azurous ignored her and kept his gaze on Hegai.  Again, Jace could see a silent exchange between the men, further confirming to Jace that the king knew who had actually hired the deadly archer.  ¡°She is part of my group, Hegai.  And if you want to remain there as well, you will release her at once!¡±


    Hegai knew he stood on thin ice at this point and relented, nodding toward the guards flanking Esther.  Before they could move to release her, the level 19 rogue shrugged her wrists, and the bonds fell to the grass.  ¡°Thank you, my lord,¡± she said, bowing deeply and going to sit at the king¡¯s feet on the edge of the dais.


    Jace smiled at the talented display, doubting any of his other party members could escape so easily.  He tested his shackles¡¯ resiliency and got a report from Gracie that they were just outside his ability.  He reached for his Granite Strength spell.  If he wanted to absorb power from stone around him (of which there was none at the moment), it would take a full round to cast.  But if he drew on his stone mana core, it was only one action, and he could do it while restrained.  Jace grew stronger, and as he tugged on his shackles, he felt them snap and crack just to the point of failure.  He stopped before they broke, confident he could shrug them off at a moment¡¯s notice if he needed to.  His eyes went back to the royal couple.


    Queen Vashti frowned at Esther¡¯s presence but didn¡¯t wish to argue about that now.  Instead, she looked down at the king¡¯s hand where the spent piercing protection ring still resided.  ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so concerned about an archer, my dear, given your new choice of jewelry.¡±


    ¡°And your new fire protection ring is just a coincidence?¡± Azurous retorted.


    ¡°A prudent precaution when attending a dragon festival,¡± she replied, chin held high.


    ¡°Enough, my graces,¡± Hegai said as respectfully as he could.  ¡°We should not waste our energies squabbling within when it is clear the attacks today have come from without.  The Shade Fletcher would never work for a Madrian.¡±  He turned his eyes briefly to the queen before settling on the large Chi contingent gathered beside the native soldiers.


    ¡°Be careful of your accusations,¡± Shinto said.  The eunuch stepped away from the crowd as their spokesman.  ¡°We have never heard of this archer you all live in fear of.  Instead, we are concerned about the sorceress someone has brought into our city.¡±  He motioned toward Draya, whose darker skin fit in well with the locals, but her firey red air did not.  ¡°She is from a distant land, and we know of only one foreigner coming in from abroad recently.¡±


    ¡°Your city?¡± Hegai argued.  ¡°You forget you are foreigners here too.¡±


    ¡°We would never hire someone else to sling fire,¡± Shinto said.  ¡°Especially one as ineffective as this?¡±


    ¡°Unless you did so to throw suspicion from yourselves,¡± Hegai replied.


    ¡°Silence!¡± the king shouted.  The crowd had grown restless at the saber rattling, but now they calmed, all eyes focused on the king.  Jace looked around to see Psycho still scanning the distant walls for the archer he knew patrolled them.  The Shade Fletcher had been hired to kill the queen, and Vashti still lived.  Jace knew Psycho wouldn¡¯t have given up on a similar assignment.  Currently, the queen sat, with a ring of men holding spears and tower shields surrounding her.  The archer had no shot.  Jace trusted his ranger to let him know when that changed.


    ¡°Silence,¡± Azurous repeated.  ¡°As you both say, we have been attacked by people on the outside.  Let us not fight amongst ourselves when the answer is right before us.¡±  He turned to look at Draya.  ¡°Step forward, mage.¡±


    Draya obeyed, her hands shackled before her.  Jace knew all her dragon fire spells required a full round to cast unless she used her staff, which was also unavailable with her wrists bound.  She bowed toward the king.


    ¡°Tell us, mage, what is your purpose here?  Why did you interrupt our celebration?  And don¡¯t lie.¡±  He looked to the side of his dais where two priests stood.  ¡°We will know if you do.¡±


    Draya looked hesitantly toward Jace, and the orc nodded confidently.  The shy young woman wasn¡¯t used to speaking before a group.  ¡°I was hired to throw a fireball at the royal couple.  I did not wish to kill you, so I made sure it was harmless.¡±


    Jace heard Psycho grunt at this comment.  The dragon fire had almost killed him.


    ¡°But your employers wanted it to be real?¡± the king asked.


    Jace stepped in.  ¡°We knew of the plot against your life.  Draya took the place of the real assassin to save you.¡±


    Azurous raised his hand toward the orc, and Jace stopped.  ¡°I will hear from the fire mage.¡±  Still, he turned to the priests to assess the truthfulness of this claim, and they nodded.  The king looked again at Draya.  ¡°Who hired you?¡±


    As Draya hesitated, Gromphy stepped forward.  Retrieving a bag of coins from one of the many quick slots in his vest proved no problem, even when shackled.  He tossed the bag on the ground, halfway toward the seated couple.  ¡°We were paid with these,¡± he said as gold coins spilled out onto the grass.  They each had a Chi crest on them.


    The king stood suddenly, turning on his wife.  ¡°It was you.  I should have known you¡¯d try to kill me with fire.¡±


    ¡°And you hired the archer, I¡¯m sure!¡± she fired back, standing as well.


    ¡°Jace!¡±  Psycho shouted.


    As the royals lit into each other, the orc shaman reacted, breaking through his chains and summoning a stone tower shield.  ¡°Esther!¡± he cried, hoping the woman would figure it out.  He tossed the heavy guard toward the queen¡¯s side of the dais, and the rogue understood.  She raced from her position, caught the shield, and raised it to protect the suddenly vulnerable queen, her torso now above the tops of the guards around her.


    Half a second later, a black arrow popped into existence as if it had ripped through a hole in reality and plunked off the stone shield.  All present had been tense already, preparing to defend the honor of their chosen royal, and this attack lit the fuse.  Everyone exploded into motion.  Madrians drew axes from their belts or attacked with pole arms while the Chi pulled scimitars and katanas from within their robes.  Jace stepped away from the sudden melee, not drawing his sword to paint him as an enemy, and turned instead toward his shackled companions.


    The stone shaman¡¯s strength spell persisted, and he wasted no time ripping the chains off Snowy, Psycho, and Kai.  ¡°Go protect the king,¡± the orc commanded once the paladin regained his balance.  ¡°Do your duty!¡±


    Kai nodded and raced toward Azurous.  The king was a high-level noble without a combat class.  Meanwhile, Queen Vashti was a level 18 witch, and with Esther guarding her right side, she wasted no time casting a hex toward her husband.  The paladin arrived just as the spell did, and the inquisitor used his Lay on Hands ability to heal the king instantly.  She cast again, but the magic-resistant knight stood in the way, and the spell washed over him without effect.  Kai still wore his headband, and the blue diamond pulsed as the spell washed over him without effect.  Jace didn¡¯t think the inquisitor needed the extra help, but it couldn¡¯t hurt, and it made the likelihood of any of the witch¡¯s spells getting through minimal.  Vashti cursed.


    Jace took a moment to look around.  Already, men lay dying as the two nationalities felt determined to settle the war this troubled marriage was meant to forestall.  The Madrians fought with vengeance and strength, using their heavier and longer weapons to assault their mostly shieldless adversaries.  The Chi were more graceful, dodging and weaving through the battle, slashing at any weak points they found.  The foreigners used magic to augment their fighting while the locals called on their priests to heal and protect them.


    Unfortunately, it was a relatively even battle, meaning attrition was the only way through, and many would die today.  Several already had, and Vashti cast a different spell toward a group of three dead Madrians.  Their bodies stirred and rose at her command, marching toward the king, who now cowered at a distance behind Kai¡¯s sword and shield.


    ¡°Esther!¡± Jace called.  ¡°Stop her!¡±


    The rogue still stood beneath the raised tower shield and turned a confused face toward her leader.  ¡°Save her or stop her?¡±


    ¡°Now, stop her.¡±


    Esther shrugged, dropped the shield, and Grappled the witch.  The three zombies shuddered for a moment when their master was rendered Helpless, but they had been given their commands and continued to lumber toward their target.  However, three more undead the queen had just raised dropped back to the ground.


    Jace turned to Psycho, mentally telling Snowy to hold off attacking for now and to alert them of any imminent attacks.  The ranger had his bow out with an arrow nocked, scanning the raised perimeter for any sign of movement.  Guards stood at regular intervals, apparently too far away from the battle below to trigger their scripts.  It was nearly noon, and Jace expected a shade-infused character to show up easily on the sunlit horizon, but he saw nothing.


    ¡°Where is he?¡± the orc asked.


    Psycho shook his head, checking back on Esther every few seconds to confirm his angles.  The rogue had easily wrestled the witch to her knees and hunched over her, giving the queen nearly complete cover.  ¡°He is where I don¡¯t see him,¡± Psycho said, almost trancelike.  ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it.¡±


    Jace wanted to ask questions but held his tongue.  He followed his friend¡¯s eyes back to Esther 40 feet away to see the woman had shifted her position, wary of the battle around her.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Stop moving Legs!¡± Psycho cried.  ¡°Keep her in one spot.¡±


    ¡°But the fighting?¡± she called back.


    ¡°They¡¯re all bladed attacks less than level twenty,¡± Psycho said, referencing the protective ability of her armor.  He turned his eyes back to the sky.


    ¡°Not the spears!¡± she responded.


    ¡°Not the spears,¡± Psycho repeated in a mocking tone only loud enough for Jace to hear.  Jace held back a laugh at their antics but did see that Esther had stopped moving.  The rogue crouched behind the queen, with her arm around Vashti¡¯s neck, presenting the royal¡¯s chest as the only viable target.  Jace watched as Psycho turned in the appropriate angle and increased his scrutiny.


    ¡°Just another few seconds,¡± the elf said, tightening the string on his bow.


    Jace still saw nothing.


    ¡°Legs!¡± The elf cried suddenly.  ¡°Sheild!  Now!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Esther cried.


    ¡°The shield!¡± Psycho and Jace cried together.


    ¡°Stupid men can¡¯t make up their minds,¡± the rogue muttered as she released the queen, picked up the stone guard, and spun into a crouch in front of her.  Another arrow plunked off the shield, but this time, it dispelled the magical creation.  Esther stumbled forward with the sudden absence of the heavy guard.


    Psycho didn¡¯t notice as he released a shot at the same time the black arrow came firing in.  It didn¡¯t hit anyone but exploded into the stone walkway above and released a small blizzard, coating the surface with ice.  Finally, Jace saw a tiny shadow slip and fall and watched as Psycho fired three more shots in quick succession.  None of them hit the elusive archer, and Psycho swore.


    ¡°Red!¡± the elf cried.  ¡°Get over here.¡±


    Jace turned his attention to Gromphy and Draya for the first time since the fighting broke out.  The goblin had apparently pulled a vial of acid from his vest and dripped it on his shackles.  The ends of the short chains still smoked, and a green bottle lay on the ground.  Gromphy had then summoned Adam, and the golem pounded anyone who came near the pair.  After two squashed Chi and one Madrian, everyone kept their distance.


    Draya was trying to pick up the fallen acid bottle with her bound hands, but her relatively low Dexterity made it difficult, and she kept burning herself on the caustic liquid that had dripped down the sides.  She stopped fidgeting with it when Psycho called.  ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± she cried back, holding up her shackled hands above her head.  ¡°Gromphy is too selfish to notice that I . . .¡±


    She stopped as Adam used his massive mitten-shaped hands to reach over and grip the short chain between her wrists.  In a second, he had ground it to iron shavings, and Draya threw a sarcastic ¡°thanks¡± over her shoulder as she ran over to Psycho.


    Jace did a quick check on Kai to see the paladin had felled two of the zombies and the king still hid behind him.  Esther and Vashti wrestled on the ground, with the queen surprisingly in a superior position.  The rogue had been off balance initially when the shield had vanished, but she should have recovered by now.  ¡°How?¡± Jace asked no one in particular.


    Gracie answered.  {Vashti thanked Esther for saving her life twice by hexing her Grappling ability.  Our rogue is mortal for a few moments.}


    Jace nodded and focused his listening attention on Psycho and Draya arguing behind him as he watched the two women wrestle.


    ¡°Okay, Red, when the archer fires again, I need you to drench the ledge with fire.¡±


    ¡°But there are guards up there.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about the guards?¡±


    ¡°I do, Psycho.  You can¡¯t just kill innocent . . .¡±


    Jace heard the sound of three quick bow shots.


    ¡°Okay, you happy now?  The guards are gone.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not happy; you just killed them.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t kill them.  I only clipped them with an arrow.¡±


    ¡°But they fell off the back of the wall.  It¡¯s almost 40 feet.¡±


    ¡°They fell into the moat, Red, they¡¯ll be fine.  Now, when he fires again . . .¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know there is a moat, Psycho.¡±


    ¡°There is always a moat . . .¡±


    While they argued, Jace watched Esther''s superior strength and experience give her the upper hand eventually, but one of the Chi hit her in the back with a spear, causing her to cry out in pain and roll off the queen.  Esther rose from the ground with both her rapiers in hand and made short work of the fighter but turned to see her true prey already halfway to Kai.  The knight had just dropped the last zombie and gripped his sword tightly as the enraged witch streaked toward him, a wicked knife in her hand.


    Kai hesitated at first, understanding that it looked too easy to strike down the defenseless woman.  As the knight attacked, his blade passed through a misty illusion.  He stumbled forward, off balance, and cursed as he turned to see the real woman already at the side of her fallen husband.  She plunged the knife into his chest with a release of dark magic, and Jace watched the king¡¯s health plummet below zero.


    ¡°No!¡± Kai cried, recovering and stepping back into position.  He hoisted his sword up to strike the murderous woman.  Again, he hesitated, this time because Vashti now knelt on the ground empty-handed, her back to the knight.  Would he kill an unarmed woman from behind?  He didn¡¯t have to.  A black arrow flashed before him, cleaving the queen¡¯s head in two.  She dropped lifeless next to her husband.


    ¡°Okay, Red, now drench that section of the wall,¡± Psycho said.


    ¡°No, more guards have shown up,¡± Draya argued.


    ¡°But you have to,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°He¡¯s going to get away.¡±


    ¡°He hath already vanished.¡±


    Psycho, Draya, and Jace turned to see Gromphy approaching, riding on Adam¡¯s back.  Behind them, carnage lay spread out over the courtyard, with only two Madrian royal guards left standing.


    ¡°Thine archer is a hired killer,¡± the goblin said.  ¡°He labors for gold, not for pride, and he hath already earned it.¡±  He pointed to the dead queen.  ¡°His benefactor is no more.¡± He motioned to the far side of the dais were Hegai lay dead, covered in slashing wounds.  ¡°He shall not tarry further.¡±


    ¡°You know the Shade Fletcher,¡± Psycho asked, his eyes moving from the location of the last shot to the goblin and back again.  ¡°I have to kill him.¡±


    ¡°I know of him,¡± the crafter said.  ¡°He suffers not from thy pride.  He values not the rivalry you seek.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a rivalry,¡± Psycho growled, turning his full attention to Gromphy.  ¡°A killer like that can¡¯t be allowed to . . .¡±  His voice stopped as a black shaft thunked into his chest.  Psycho fell to the ground, knocked into unconsciousness for the second time that morning.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± Gromphy said, leaning down to look over Adam¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°I could be wrong.¡±


    Now, Draya did respond, opening her mouth and breathing a jet of fire over 150 feet to the nearest wall.  The guards on top had enough time to jump off the back, lending credence to Psycho''s assertion of a moat on the other side.  The dragon mage lent her personal mana to the spell, draining her pool to the last drop as she turned her head back and forth, up and down, turning a 100-foot section to slag.  As the spell ended, she stumbled, nearly joining Psycho on the ground, but Jace caught her before she fell.  ¡°Did I get him?¡± she asked weakly.


    {I¡¯m not registering any kills,} Gracie said.


    ¡°If he was up there,¡± Jace said carefully, ¡°I doubt he survived.¡±


    ¡°Oh, look,¡± Esther said as she walked up to the group, sheathing her weapons and glancing down at the fallen elf.  ¡°Psycho has a secret admirer.  The Shade Archer attached a heart to the arrow.¡±


    Jace had been more concerned about Draya¡¯s reaction than the arrow that took down Psycho, knowing his archer had an innate protection that would save him from at least one shot.  Now he looked down, expecting to find some medieval version of a cardboard valentine affixed to the arrow.  Instead, he saw an actual human heart pierced through the center, halfway up the arrow.  Apparently, at least one of the guards hadn¡¯t survived.


    ¡°Eww, gross,¡± Draya said.  ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the archer isn¡¯t a ¡®He,¡¯¡± Esther suggested, drawing a mixed reaction from the mage.


    Draya felt strong enough to support herself now, and Jace let Gropmhy and the two women attend to the fallen elf, confident that the Shade Archer had effectively sent their message and was now truly gone.  Instead, he turned toward Kai.  The paladin knelt over the fallen king, and Jace saw Azurous¡¯s health in the negative, a recognizable sign that the man was beyond saving but still had to pass on relevant information.


    ¡°I should have never doubted you,¡± the king moaned. ¡°If I had fought against your banishment . . .¡± he gurgled up blood.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Kai said.  ¡°I over-stepped my authority.  I should have been more careful.  Paid more attention to the serious threats and let the minor things go.  Then I would have been here and could have prevented . . .¡±


    The king reached up to stop him.  ¡°This . . .¡± he paused dramatically.  ¡°Was inevitable.  I tried to kill the queen.  I deserve this.  Serve my son well.¡±


    ¡°Your majesty, it isn¡¯t over yet . . .¡±  And then the king died.


    Kai hung his head in sorrow, and Jace gave him space.  Noise from the far end of the courtyard stole his attention, and the orc looked up to see a crowd of people leaving the castle and approaching over the grass.  Jace quickly activated his illusion necklace and shrunk to the size of a human.  Kai eventually sensed them approaching too, and looked up from Azurous.


    The royal children led the group, with a few soldiers, priests, and women behind.  Prince Daniel walked tall, looking far older than his late teens.  His sister, a few years younger, also held herself with regal grace that belied her youth.


    Kai rose from his kneeling position and removed the crown from the lifeless man at his feet.  He walked toward the approaching crowd.  When they were 20 feet apart, Kai stopped, and the prince did likewise.  ¡°The king is dead,¡± Kai said solemnly, holding the crown aloft, his voice loud and clear in the still courtyard.  He walked forward and knelt before the young man, offering him the golden headpiece.  ¡°Long live the king!¡±  Despite the pale of death hanging in the courtyard, the small crowd cheered the transfer of power.  The old king was beloved to a point, but his murderous plot led to his downfall, and in normal circumstances, the people would come to realize the benefit of this change.  The game presupposed this knowledge and skipped the tedious period of morning and reconciliation.


    The previous marriage had not united the Chi and Madrian people the way the kingdoms had hopped.  But Daniel was a child of his parents, half Chi and half Madrian.  The unity his parents could not achieve was more likely in the new king.  Jace noticed commotion amongst the women that trailed the gathering, likely the harem Esther had briefly joined.  A young woman broke free and rushed to the new king.  They embraced and kissed.  Eventually, Daniel took the crown, placed it on his head, and received further cheers from the gathered crowd.  Soon, more people rushed into the courtyard and filled the walls.  The city was already in the middle of a festival, and now they had one more reason to celebrate.


    Jace turned to his group, understanding their work was done here.  Gromphy had nursed Psycho back to consciousness.  The archer had removed the arrow from his chest and studied it closely.  With an obsidian tip and leathery batwings for fletching, it was unlike any arrow Jace had ever seen.  Gromphy spent a few moments examining it as well, shrugged his shoulders, and handed it back to the elf, who stowed it in his cloak.  Jace wondered what had happened to the heart, but he saw Snowy licking her lips and decided not to ask.


    Draya¡¯s strength had returned.  She held her staff, and her fast mana generation worked to refill her personal pool.  The young woman walked up to her leader.  ¡°Is that all we need to do?¡±  She looked around at the dozens of dead filling the courtyard, very few of whom their crew had killed.  ¡°That wasn¡¯t very hard.  Some huge monster isn¡¯t going to come bursting from the ground, is it?¡±


    ¡°Some quests have more diplomatic solutions,¡± Jace said.  ¡°But we aren¡¯t quite finished yet.¡±  He lifted his chin a little to peer over his mage¡¯s shoulder.  ¡°Esther, come here.¡±


    The rouge was chiding the ranger about another potential rival and how Ellanay, the elven paladin Psycho had an interest in, now had competition.  Esther broke off that conversation and walked over to her leader.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I have someone to introduce you to.¡±  Jace turned back toward the impromptu coronation.


    Kai had done his part and stood back as the people celebrated their new king.  Eventually, the knight remembered who had facilitated this amicable result and turned to find Jace.  He walked toward them but stopped when he saw the serious look on the player¡¯s face, Esther standing patiently beside him.


    ¡°Jace Thorne,¡± he started.  ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for what you¡¯ve done here.  I made so many mistakes, and I can¡¯t think of how I could have . . .¡±


    Jace waved his hand to dismiss the praise.  He saw that the inquisitor had been elevated to level 16, and as he was still a member of Jace¡¯s party, the player looked forward to going over his character sheet.  Esther had told Jace that he couldn¡¯t keep any of her sisters as party members, but she hadn¡¯t said anything about her fellow fallen angels.  Could Kai be his final companion?  Jace shook his head.  He could worry about that later.  He had something else to do first.


    ¡°Kai Morte,¡± Jace said solemnly, ¡°Fallen Angel of Dignatio, I¡¯d like to introduce you to Esther Xerxes, Fallen Angel of Decus Gemma.¡±


    As each name pierced the fog in Kai¡¯s mind, his eyes widened, and his mouth hung slack.  Jace could practically see all the memories flooding back into the knight¡¯s head, and after six seconds, he raced forward and embraced Esther.  She responded in kind, and the two silently reconnected for almost a minute.


    ¡°I knew I recognized you for reasons beyond your time at the Swan,¡± Kai finally said when they separated.  He turned to Jace.  ¡°You did all this only to help me remember.  You could have been killed.¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°I don¡¯t feel we were really in any danger.  We¡¯ve faced more difficult enemies.¡±


    ¡°But your elf friend,¡± Kai said, motioning to Psycho, who was still lying on the ground with an arrow through his chest.


    Esther laughed.  ¡°Oh, he¡¯ll be fine.  He could do with a little humility.  He thinks he¡¯s more important than he is.¡±


    Kai seemed entranced by Esther¡¯s laugh and smile.  ¡°You knew this whole time,¡± he said.  ¡°You knew who I was.  What we used to be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Esther replied.  ¡°Jace said I could say anything.  We needed to solve your . . .¡± she paused, motioning toward the new king, ¡°. . . your quest.¡±


    Kai turned to Jace.  ¡°And thank you for that.  I couldn¡¯t have . . .¡±


    Jace waved him off again.  ¡°You¡¯re welcome.  I am truly pleased to see your kingdom is in a good place now, but I am here more for you than for your people.  I can see you remember Esther and your time before this place.  But do you remember anything else?  Do you remember any of the other angels?¡±


    Kai recounted to them what Jace already knew about Esther being captured by the vampire Atrax, how Kai was tortured, and eventually watched as Esther was turned.  Then they escaped, met up with the other angels, and chose to wipe their minds and separate.


    ¡°Do you know who Atrax is working for?  Do you know anyone named Haman?¡±  Jace asked, mentioning the name of the villain in the Bible who sought the Jew''s destruction.


    Kai shook his head.  ¡°No, I don¡¯t.  I¡¯m sorry.¡±  He strained as he searched through his recovered memories.  ¡°I only know that there were others of our kind, but I can¡¯t think of who they were or how many.  I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Esther said.  ¡°Now you are with us.  Jace will figure it out.  He always does, and then we can all be together again.¡±


    Kai smiled. ¡°I appreciate the offer, and I look forward to adventuring with you in the future, but there is something I need to do first.¡±


    ¡°Something more important than finding our people?¡± Esther asked, hurt in her voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid so,¡± he said and turned to walk away.


    [Kai Morte has left your party.]


    Jace recoiled physically at the alert in his mind.  {Woa,} Gracie said.  {That was unexpected.  You had a perfect relationship score with him.}


    Psycho had observed the interaction from a distance and now approached.  Kai was already halfway to the courtyard exit.  Jace wanted to chase after him but felt his feet rooted to the ground.  ¡°What was that about?¡± the elf said.


    ¡°Heavy-handed scripting,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Gandhi usually uses more subtlety.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not Gandhi,¡± Psycho suggested.


    Jace could only shrug.


    ¡°So, what do we do now?¡± Draya asked.


    {I hate to remind you,} Gracie said, {but you do have that mandatory quest your god gave you.  If you check your settings, you can see the timing is blinking red.  If you wait any longer, your stats will start to suffer.}


    ¡°And Dex Machi won¡¯t be helping me achieve anything else,¡± Jace added.  Those around him understood he was talking to his operator.  ¡°I have a feeling I¡¯m going to need his help to unravel Esther¡¯s mystery.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Esther said, turning to look at her leader now that Kai had left the courtyard, ¡°whatever we do, can we eat first?  I¡¯m starving.¡±


    Draya laughed.  ¡°Did the king tell you about his favorite pancake restaurant in the city?¡±


    Esther shook her head.  ¡°Even better.  He introduced me to tacos.  You guys have got to try them.¡±


    Jace laughed and let his rogue lead the troupe out of the courtyard and in search of food.

 Chapter 66

    Cassandra Lexington leaned against the black leather and let out a long sigh as the adjustable chair bent and folded to conform to her frail body.  It lifted her gently off the ground, rotated horizontally, and relaxed back to the floor.  The old woman knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to do this for much longer.  Even staying awake until 4 pm when her housemaid left each afternoon was getting more and more difficult.  She caught herself nodding off at two today.


    ¡°Should I up your medication, dear,¡± her husband¡¯s voice said through the computer speakers.


    ¡°Oh, James, can we go any higher?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We can always go higher.¡±


    ¡°Will I wake up?¡±


    The digital voice paused.  ¡°Do you want to?¡±


    Now, Cassandra hesitated.  She knew she was going to die in this room one day.  She feared that if she died in the Realms of Infamy, her mind would take that as a signal and shut down permanently.  She didn¡¯t want that to happen.  Instead, she planned to exit this world on her own terms.  One day, she would leave a note for Bianca, her maid, saying that she was no longer needed.  Cassandra would remain upstairs, connected to the machine her husband had made for her, basically on life support, and complete one last marathon session in the game until her body gave out.


    Maybe she would last a week, possibly two.  Currently, she could still move around the house and found some pleasure in the waking world and interacting with real people.  The time for that wasn¡¯t far off, but it wasn¡¯t tonight.


    ¡°Do we have anything interesting waiting for us?¡± Cassandra asked as robotic arms attached monitors and IVs and lowered the skull cap over her head. Within seconds, her eyes closed, and she fell down the digital tunnel into the Realm of Infamy, where she was Lexi, a level 19 shapeshifting leopard druid.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask,¡± James said, his voice ironically gaining realism as she entered the virtual world and heard it only in her mind.  In the sterile room back in her house, the computer-generated voice lacked heart and soul.  But once it bypassed her ears and fed directly into her brain, it sounded exactly as she remembered.  ¡°Gandhi has reached out to us.  Your first wish is ready.¡±


    Lexi¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she opened her eyes to find her digital body precisely as she had left it, lying on her bed in the palatial room the dwarves had carved for her at the top of her new mine.  She got out of bed and walked over the fur-covered floor to look out her window.  The lights in the distant city of Ironfel began flickering to life as night settled on the realms.


    ¡°Where do I need to go to watch it?¡±  Over a week ago, she had secured three wishes from the game¡¯s AI by passing a horror-filled Aladin¡¯s Lamp module.  Her first wish was that Jace Thorne would be given a mandatory quest where he would need to face off against a monster far beyond his ability to survive.  While she trusted Gandhi to fulfill the request, it had taken longer than she expected.


    ¡°Check your inventory,¡± James said.


    The druid was already rolling her eyes up to access her magical rug.  She had found a crafter able to turn it into a comfortable wrap that she could wear instead of clothes while retaining instant access to the transportation device.  The dwarves didn¡¯t like it when she walked around naked, though if she flew directly out of her window, they didn¡¯t have time to stop her.


    Instead of fetching her rug, she found an item she had never seen before: a pair of glasses.  Lexi equipped the eyewear without leaving her inventory.  When she rolled her eyes back down, the dexterous druid nearly lost her balance as she found herself hovering over windswept, snowy mountains over a thousand feet in the air.  Her hand eventually found a rock-solid wall, confirming she was still in her room and not transported to an unknown location.  After steadying herself, her other hand slowly removed the glasses so she could look at them instead of through them.  Her room filled her peripheral vision, with the image of mountains inches from her eyes flashing across the lenses.


    {Virtual reality glasses inside a virtual reality game,} James said.  {Very meta.}


    Lexi ignored the comment, moved toward a padded rocking chair, and eased herself down.  The process of sitting was more straightforward with her powerful digital body than it had been a few moments ago in the real world.  Once she felt stable, she slid the glasses back on her face and felt like an eagle soaring over the massive peaks.  She searched the snowy landscape below her, ready for a show.


    <hr>


    Food had been a good idea, Jace realized, as his crew left one of the many restaurants in Madria that sold tacos.  Word of the king¡¯s death and his son¡¯s coronation spread like dragon fire through the city, and with it came news of Jace¡¯s involvement.  He probably didn¡¯t even need to disguise himself as a human anymore, but he did, and his party was showered with free food and drinks.  Jace had to keep an eye on Draya to make sure she didn¡¯t drink too much, but she did fill her stomach, the spicy food no match for a mouth used to breathing fire.


    In fact, everyone liked the food.  Even Gromphy, who rarely ate with his companions, insisted that the gnomes needed to learn this style of cuisine.  Psycho¡¯s quarter-orc heritage showed through as he added copious amounts of salsa to his food.  And, of course, Esther out-ate them all.  A few of them had been drained of health several times in the last hour, and while Gromphy¡¯s potions could heal their Hitpoints, only a proper meal would restore their vitality.


    After the meal, it took Jace a few minutes to find a travel node, and then he spent a moment studying the navigation display.  He had been to so many places that the view looked like his Google Maps account, with pins and location markers everywhere.  One stood out as it throbbed red and drew his attention toward the top left of the main continent.  The game didn¡¯t have a name for the location yet, but the description labeled it as the location for his divine quest.  Jace selected it, and his party materialized on a narrow ledge on a windswept mountainside.


    ¡°Why does it always have to be cold,¡± Psycho said, cinching his cloak tightly around him.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Draya countered.  ¡°On this series of missions, we went to a tropical island, hung out on a pirate ship in warm waters, went to a desert that was so hot you took damage, and just left a dragon fire festival.¡±


    Psycho had no meaningful comeback to the young woman¡¯s salient logic and only grunted.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Draya said, putting the pieces together in her mind.  ¡°This reminds you of that last quest we went on in the mountains, where Elsa kicked your butt.¡±


    ¡°That was you?¡± Esther shrieked.  ¡°I heard about that.  Vithium said someone had . . .¡± she let her voice trail off as she looked at Jace to see if the player noticed her slip.  He wasn¡¯t paying attention, and the two women continued bantering about the Frozen module.


    ¡°How close am I to level 20?¡± Jace said, moving to the edge of the small plateau and looking out over the inhospitable landscape.


    {About another 100k,} Gracie replied.  {The last module didn¡¯t get you many kills, but the reward for setting the kingdom aright was substantial.  Still, you will probably need to kill a lot of high-level monsters in order to get there during this module.  Mandatory quests aren¡¯t known for handing out big rewards.}


    ¡°So, does it make sense to grind a little before we get to the monastery?¡±


    {Who are you?} Gracie asked.  {The Jace Thorne I know of would never partake in grinding.  What¡¯s next, staking out a spawn point with a trap spell?}


    ¡°I just thought. . .¡± Jace started.  He didn¡¯t get a clear view of any particular predator but sensed movement through the rock beneath him.  The snow muffled his senses, but he knew they weren¡¯t alone.  The game had notified him that this was a level 15 hostile zone.  Danger should be everywhere.


    {No,} Gracie diffused the tension.  {It¡¯s a decent idea, and getting to level 20 before you have to face whatever lies ahead would be wise, but if the game or your god thinks you are stalling, you¡¯ll start to see banes, and any benefit from getting to 20 will be negated.  Knowing how Gandhi treats you, my guess is she¡¯d let you get right to the cusp of level 20 and then pull all the monsters and force you to enter the monastery, likely with a handful of banes.}


    Jace nodded, understanding the wisdom.


    {Players get mandatory quests right before important levels all the time.  The game does it on purpose to force them into these difficult decisions.  It¡¯s why many players decide not to follow a deity.}


    Snowy walked up beside Jace and sniffed the snow, pointing her nose down the mountain.  ¡°Do you see the path?¡±


    <You do not?> the familiar asked back.


    ¡°No need to get sarcastic,¡± Jace replied, remembering when the wolf could barely speak in one-word sentences.  Now, she added nuance to everything she said.  ¡°Just lead us forward.¡±


    Jace turned to the rest of his group and overheard the women talking about frozen bananas.  Despite the temperature, Psycho was turning a deep shade of red.  ¡°Guys, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Gromphy had pulled a much heavier coat out of his trunk and was the first to fall in line.  The women came next with Psycho pulling up the rear, his bow out and monitoring the potential ambush sites around them.


    They traveled slowly.  Snowy could practically run down the mountainside, as this was her natural habitat.  Jace, too, felt he had better footing than usual.  His mind could seek out the best path for his large feet, often hidden beneath the snow.  With her dragon staff in hand, Draya had the strength to climb the mountain and had no problem descending.  She had flashed a few snow piles with fire, but after creating waterfalls that quickly froze into ice, the others asked her to stop.


    Psycho and Esther had the Dexterity to navigate just about any terrain, but they were the least equipped to handle the weather and moved about cautiously.  As a goblin, Gromphy was at home in the mountains, but his short legs made it hard to keep up.  After they had descended close to two hundred feet from their starting position, they looked up at an equally high path they would have to climb, and Jace suggested that Gromphy climb onto his back.


    After nearly an hour in the cold, windy conditions, they reached the top of their third climb, and Psycho brought them to a halt.  Jace was beside the ranger in a flash.  ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Someone else is ahead of us,¡± he said, pointing in the distance.


    They stood on the tallest peak so far and could see over the next two jagged crags they would have to climb.  Over a mile away, lit by the sun setting behind them, a lone figure moved along the path.


    ¡°Is it a monk?¡± Draya asked, reaching the crest.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°See how the sunlight reflects off his armor.  Monks don¡¯t wear armor.¡±


    ¡°Then who is it?¡± Esther asked, catching her breath once she reached the top, appreciating the short break.


    ¡°Psycho,¡± Jace said.  ¡°See if you can get his attention.¡±


    The archer shook his head.  ¡°From this distance, I can¡¯t hit him,¡± he said, switching to Dragonwing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to kill a random character,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I just want you to let him know we are here and see what his reaction is.  Either he waits for us to accompany him and maybe has some information about what we are about to face, or he runs away.  Either way, we should learn something.¡±


    Psycho nodded and pulled one of the arrows Gromphy had crafted for long distance.  It didn¡¯t have much damage potential but could hold a minor spell.  He passed it to Draya, who loaded it with fire and handed it back.


    The elf took two full rounds to aim and trigger all his bonuses before letting the shot fly, and then it took even longer to make the flight.  True to his prediction, Psycho didn¡¯t hit the traveler, but he came close, splashing into the snow twenty feet ahead of the character with a burst of fire.  The figure spun around for a few moments, looking in every direction before lifting his gaze up and back.  Backlit by the setting sun and standing on the highest peak within range, Jace¡¯s party was hard to miss.  Once the stranger caught sight of them, the orc shaman saw a flash of blue on his forehead as sunlight reflected off his headpiece.  The distant character spun back around and began running down the trail.  Jace dropped to the snow, his face in shock.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    ¡°Do we chase after him?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°Why did he run?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Jace said, ignoring their questions and dropping his head to his hands.  ¡°I don¡¯t believe it.  It¡¯s all connected.  I¡¯m so stupid.¡±


    ¡°Jace,¡± Esther said.  ¡°What is it?  Who was that?¡±


    Jace looked up at his friends.  ¡°You didn¡¯t see it?¡±


    ¡°See what?¡± Draya asked.  ¡°He¡¯s a mile away.  Psycho barely saw him.¡±


    ¡°That is Kai Morte,¡± Jace said.  ¡°He is wearing a blue diamond on his forehead.¡±


    ¡°Could be a coincidence,¡± Psycho said but regretted it right after.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°No, not in the realms.  Not when my god is involved.  Nothing is a coincidence.¡±  Jace took several deep breaths and got up.  From his seated position, he had lost sight of the distant figure but now saw that Kai was almost out of view, cutting to the left down a valley and behind an outcropping.  ¡°Snowy,¡± he called.  ¡°Go catch him.  Don¡¯t hurt him, but don¡¯t let him get away either.¡±


    The winter wolf didn¡¯t respond other than to jump nearly 30 feet to a lower ledge and then bound even further down, moving faster than an avalanche.  Jace followed at a much slower pace, and the rest of his crew hurried to keep up.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Draya asked, hot on the orc¡¯s heels.  ¡°Is Kai after the same thing you are?  Or does he want to be a monk?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°Esther,¡± he said, turning to ensure the other woman could keep pace with them.  ¡°Vithium is a monk, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she replied, fighting through the snow.


    ¡°What god does he serve?¡± Jace asked.


    ¡°How should I know?  I barely met him, just like you.¡±


    Jace sighed.  ¡°Esther, I know you¡¯re sleeping with him.  Draya told me.¡±  After the lie, Jace¡¯s boots failed him for a moment, and he almost lost his balance and fell down the mountain.


    Before Draya could respond, Esther erupted.  ¡°Draya, how could you?  I told you that in confidence.¡±


    The dragon mage laughed.  ¡°You idiot! I didn¡¯t tell him.  He just tricked you.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°And it hurt.  Lying doesn¡¯t sit well with me.  So tell me, who does he serve?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she replied, sufficiently humbled.  ¡°He doesn¡¯t talk about it often.  Some guile deity.  Shimbobo or Shimbubu something.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Shimbato.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡±


    They reached a broad, level section with little snow where they could walk abreast.  Jace spoke so they could all hear.  ¡°We are going to Shimbato¡¯s monastery.  My divine quest is to restore the stronghold to its rightful owner.  A demon has taken it over.¡±


    ¡°So this is about Vithium?¡± Esther asked. ¡°His god is under attack, and we are going to save him. Has he called Kai to help?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I think Vithium is the bad guy here.¡±  He paused.  ¡°Do you know if he has anything to do with someone called Haman?  Has anyone ever called him that as a nickname?  Or does he have a familiar or NPC named Haman?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Esther said slowly, trying to remember.  ¡°I don¡¯t know anyone named Hay Man,¡± she said, stretching the name out.  ¡°Though he does have this annoying Strawman ability.¡±


    ¡°Hayman and Strawman are the same thing,¡± Draya said.


    Jace stopped her.  ¡°No, not Hay Man.  Haman.  One word.¡±  He paused in thought.  ¡°Well, actually, what does this Strawman ability do.¡±


    ¡°He holds real still,¡± Esther explained, ¡°like he is Stunned or shocked about something.  He will often punch and critically miss on purpose, so you think he actually is Stunned.  But if you attack his still image, it explodes into straw, and he is able to catch you Flat-Footed from behind.  It¡¯s the only way he can ever get me in a Grappled state.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Draya said.  ¡°You guys fight?  I thought you slept together.¡±


    ¡°The fighting is part of the sleeping,¡± Esther explained.


    ¡°What?¡± Draya was confused.


    ¡°Now you are being the idiot,¡± Psycho interrupted.


    Jace ignored them.  ¡°Gracie, have you ever heard about this Strawman ability before?  I admit I haven¡¯t read up on monks much.¡±


    {I¡¯m searching now and finding nothing,} the operator said.  {There is no record of this ability anywhere online.}


    ¡°So Gandhi made it up for him to label him as Haman.¡±


    {You don¡¯t think that is a stretch?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°On its own?¡± Jace agreed.  ¡°Probably.  But with everything else?  It would be a massive coincidence.¡±


    ¡°What is everything else?¡± Psycho asked, having turned his attention from Esther¡¯s explanation of foreplay to Jace¡¯s inner dialog with his operator.


    ¡°Literally everything else,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Everything we have been doing.¡±


    Draya and Esther quieted to pay attention.  Jace turned to the rogue.  ¡°When you and Gromphy went on the mission to curse Draya¡¯s dress, you said that you heard Atrax mention that another player was looking for the fallen angels.  That player is Vithium.¡±


    Esther shook her head.  ¡°He wasn¡¯t looking for the angels.  He was looking for . . .¡± her eyes widened in shock as the reality hit her.  Draya and Psycho didn¡¯t have the inside information and still looked confused.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you guys find it odd that Kai was working in the Guilded Swan where Esther was?  The angels were supposed to spread out across the realms and hide, yet two of them ended up right next to each other.  In fact, they all ended up right next to each other.¡±


    ¡°Leah, Tami, and Delly are the other fallen angels,¡± Psycho said, the lightbulb going off above his head.


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Angels of a feather flock together.¡±


    Esther shook her head.  ¡°No, we never did that.  Jezebel had strict orders.  Many of our clients wanted us to, but we always worked alone.¡±


    Jace sighed at the scattered mind of his rogue.  ¡°I said flock, Esther.  Angles of a feather FLOCK together.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she replied.  ¡°I thought you said . . .¡±


    Jace lifted a hand.  ¡°I know what you think I said.  Focus.¡±  He watched Draya blush to match her hair.  ¡°A magical force drew you all together, and now another force is drawing them here.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Psycho asked.  ¡°The blue diamond?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Remember when we saw Leah? She had a blue diamond necklace.  She said one of the players who tried to solve her quest but failed gave it to her as a consolation gift.¡±


    Esther nodded.  ¡°Vithium said he had briefly tried her quest but couldn¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°And Sir Wallace gave Tami and Shelah a wedding ring with a blue diamond.  When I asked her about it, she said she had gotten it from a mutual informant.  I think Wallace and Vithium quested together when she got Thursa, and he got Tristan.  They are brothers.¡±


    ¡°And Delly?¡± Psycho asked.


    Esther frowned.  ¡°Vithium gave me a pair of bracers with blue diamonds on them.  He was always trying to give me stuff.  I gave them to Delly when I visited her in her cell.¡±


    They had started to ascend another short climb, and everyone had to jog to keep up with the eager orc.  ¡°And these diamonds draw them here?¡± Psycho asked.  ¡°To the monastery?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°Something like that.  But they must not have worked until the characters were freed from personal quests.¡±


    Easter leaped up a few high rocks to get even with Jace.  ¡°So Leah, Tami, and Delly are already here?¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°I think so.  Remember when Wallace came to us during breakfast after we had freed Leah?  She said she had gone to the Artist¡¯s Alcove, but Leah wasn¡¯t there.  She had just gotten control of the profitable store, and the first thing she does is run off on an errand?¡±


    Psycho nodded.  ¡°And when we got back from Delly¡¯s quest, we found Shelah waiting for us after he found Adam.  He said that after they had secured their kingdom, Tami went off on a private mission.  They had just gotten married, and she had to run away?¡±


    ¡°What about Delly?¡± Draya asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Gracie, do you have anything?¡±


    {I¡¯m looking now.  Zamora is a pretty popular place after you guys blew it open.  Players are finding all kinds of new missions to track down lost artifacts from ancient cities and restore power to the kingdom.  It¡¯s like Indiana Jones, Uncharted, and Tomb Raider all rolled into one.}


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Jace said.  ¡°We can check it out in the free time the CIA gives us.¡±


    {Don¡¯t you remember,} Gracie said.  {They said we can do whatever the #$%@ we want.}


    ¡°Right now, I want to know if anyone has seen Delly.¡±


    {Negative, boss.  It looks like Sonan is running the show.  The barbarian queen is noticeably absent.}


    Jace relayed the information to his crew as they headed down a slope, approaching the area where they had last seen Kai.  They could all see Snowy¡¯s tracks leading off to the left through a narrow pass.


    ¡°So let¡¯s get this straight,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°Vithium is working with Atrax and this demon. . .¡±


    ¡°Karo¡¯Kafellon,¡± Jace said.  ¡°That is the name of the demon.¡±


    ¡° . . . they are working with Karo,¡± Psycho continued, ¡°to track down these five fallen angels.  The demon wants them for something . . . not good.  But they needed to be freed from their quests first, which we did for them under the guise of helping Esther¡¯s friends.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± Esther defended herself.


    ¡°None of us did,¡± Jace assured her.


    ¡°Either way,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°They have at least three of the angels now, possibly four if Snowy doesn¡¯t catch Kai.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t,¡± Draya said, pointing ahead.  Down in the pass, the sun was gone, and they squinted into the darkness to see the winter wolf slowly plodding toward them.


    ¡°So now they are only missing Esther,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°And we are going to bring her right to them.¡±


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m sitting this out,¡± the rogue said, drawing her blades for emphasis, ¡°you have another thing coming.¡±


    Psycho ignored the bravado, knowing Jace would have the final say.  ¡°Does this narrative parallel something from your world?¡± the elf asked.  ¡°I know many things in the realms do.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°Yes, a man named Haman convinced a king to kill a group of people he didn¡¯t like.  They had fallen out of favor with their god.  Haman got the king¡¯s signet ring to make the edict to kill these people official so that it couldn¡¯t be revoked.¡±


    ¡°And how did these people survive?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Or did they?¡± Draya clarified.


    ¡°They did,¡± Jace said.  ¡°A woman named Esther, who was a member of these fallen people, approached the king to plead her case.  He couldn¡¯t cancel the proclamation, but he issued a second one that allowed the people to defend themselves against their attackers.  When the day came for their execution, they fought back and routed their adversaries.¡±


    ¡°See,¡± Esther said, looking at Psycho.  ¡°I need to be there.¡±


    Psycho looked unconvinced and waited for Jace to affirm.  The orc only shrugged his shoulders and focused his attention on Snowy, who had gotten close enough for communication.  ¡°What happened?  Did he get away?¡±


    <He crossed a gorge and then dropped a bridge.  I could not jump the gap to pursue.  We will arrive there shortly.>


    Jace squinted ahead but couldn¡¯t see anything yet.


    ¡°What about your mission?¡± Psycho asked as they continued forward.  ¡°It looks like Esther¡¯s priorities for this quest are clear.  What did your god charge you with?  It obviously wasn¡¯t to free the fallen angels, or you would have figured this out already.¡±


    ¡°Shimbatu has only one follower among players,¡± Jace answered.  ¡°And Dex Machi hinted that the player might have already betrayed him.  As a diety that promotes trickery among his followers, he might have expected that, though some base-level loyalty should probably be required.  I assume the lone follower is Vithium.  With the monastery, which is Shimbato¡¯s stronghold, under siege, he can not recruit new followers, and without players loyal to him, he will die.  I need to return the monastery to Shimbato¡¯s control.¡±


    ¡°By killing the demon?¡± Psycho asked.


    ¡°By freeing my friends?¡± Esther asked.


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°As with most missions, I¡¯m guessing there is more than one way to solve this.¡±


    ¡°What does this demon want with the angels?¡± Draya asked.  ¡°Revenge?¡±


    ¡°Probably power,¡± Jace offered.  ¡°I¡¯m guessing it involves a sacrifice or ceremony.  We¡¯ll find out when we get there.¡±


    The group walked in silence for another minute until the canyon opened up, and they found the ruined bridge.  A deep gorge a hundred feet across cut through the ground to their left, isolating a massive peak.  Looking up, they could see lights and evidence of stairs ascending the slope.  The crease in the ground seemed to encircle the mountain, giving no access unless they could find a way across.  Two thick wooden posts stood on the edge of the precipice, four feet apart, with ropes secured at the top and bottom.


    Jace approached cautiously, the ground covered in ice and snow.  He peered over the edge and saw the wooden slats of a bridge hanging straight down the steep drop-off.  Peering across the gorge, he saw two identical posts on the far side where the bridge must have been secured and where Kai had evidently destroyed it.


    ¡°Draya,¡± Jace asked, stepping away from the edge.  ¡°Can you clear this spot of snow?¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± she said.  She moved in front of her leader and released a torrent of fire, reducing the ground cover to water vapor and revealing a wide patch of bare stone.  In the process, the fire burned through the remaining ropes, dropping the old bridge in the gorge and reducing the posts to charred stubs.


    ¡°I hope you were planning on fixing that,¡± Draya said sheepishly, halting her spell and stepping back from the steaming rock.


    ¡°No,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±  He walked to the edge again, feeling a much stronger connection to the rock beneath his feet without the snow.  He called upon his new powers and summoned an arch from the side of the gorge.  A 4-foot-wide path crackled and snapped into existence as the stone magically formed and reached out over the expanse.  Jace strained under the effort.  He had an incredible depth of mana from his new core, but this threatened to drain it all.  The structure quivered under the strain of its weight, threatening to snap off at its source and crash into the gorge.  Jace narrowed the bridge to three feet wide to reduce its mass, and with a final burst of effort, the rainbow shape touched down on the far side and achieved stability.


    Jace stumbled back, and Psycho caught him before he slipped on a patch of ice Draya hadn¡¯t cleared.  ¡°Impressive,¡± the elf said.


    ¡°And a lot harder than I thought it would be,¡± Jace replied.  ¡°Punching up with stalagmites is child¡¯s play by comparison.  Apparently, as the volume of what I summon grows, the mana required increases exponentially.¡±  After a few moments, Jace found he could stand on his own, and with his feet firmly on the rock, he could sense his second mana core flooding back with mana.  If he ever wanted to use a massive stone attack in battle, it would have to be a killing blow.


    As the most eager to reach the monastery, Esther tested the bridge first, practically running across the stone structure.  Snowy followed after, and Jace let Draya go next.  The shaman and mage had the lowest Dexterity in the group, but it wasn¡¯t a difficult crossing.  Even at three feet wide, it felt safe enough, and the stone didn¡¯t sway as a rope bridge would have.  Psycho pulled up the rear, ready to offer assistance if either Draya or Jace stumbled.


    Once across, the group found cut stone leading up the mountain.  At first, the workmanship lacked design, consisting of haphazard indentations, facilitating a more accessible ascent.  However, after several minutes of climbing, the steps gained structure and formed a proper staircase.  Jace looked up and couldn¡¯t see the top from their steep angle.  A line of sunlight showed hundreds of feet up where the stairs rose high enough to catch the last rays of the setting sun.  As they ascended, that line moved ever higher, letting them know darkness was close at hand.


    They never caught the sunlight, needing to stop halfway and refresh with stamina potions that Gromphy passed around the group.  Jace didn¡¯t know how Kai had managed the feat.  Perhaps the spell that guided him to the monastery had granted him the endurance to complete it.  After over a thousand steps, they could see the end of their ascent and stopped before their heads rose above the landing.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Psycho asked.  ¡°Do we walk in and try to negotiate?¡±


    Jace shook his head.  Too many of his plans involved them intentionally getting captured and then performing an impossible escape.  Those worked better when he knew what to expect.  ¡°No,¡± he said.  ¡°We kill everything.¡±  He looked at Draya, knowing she would be the most reluctant.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what we will face, but everyone in this monastery has signed on to kidnap Esther¡¯s friends and sacrifice them to a demon.  I don¡¯t feel we need to question their motives first.  Agreed?¡±  Everyone nodded, including Draya.  ¡°Good.¡±  He turned to Esther.  ¡°Sneak up there and tell us what we are dealing with.¡±


    Esther smiled and tugged on her hat, dropping a cylinder of darkness around her.  Night had already fallen, and she could have slipped into the shadows without help, but she liked the flair.  A few moments passed, and Esther willed herself out of hiding.  ¡°Four giants stand guard at the end of a massive clearing, almost 100 feet long.  A high door cut into the mountain leads inside.  Two frost giants and two hill giants.¡±


    Psycho looked at Draya.  ¡°I¡¯ll take the one on the left; you take the one on the right.¡±  She gripped her dragon staff and nodded.


    Jace looked at Esther to see her drawing her weapons and returning to the shadows.  A quick check over his shoulder showed Gromphy holding two bombs.  By his side, Snowy had a look of determination.  Jace nodded.  ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±

 Chapter 67

    Snowy sprinted over the top of the stairs first, drawing the enemy¡¯s attention and their initial attacks.  Jace had read that higher-level guards usually had automatic initiative and attacked with prepared spells.  The orc shaman had a pretty good idea what type of magic frost giants would use and wasn¡¯t disappointed when the two guards released spells at the winter wolf designed to freeze her in place.  Snowy shrugged off these cold-based spells and howled in mockery of the attempt.


    Psycho and Draya popped up next.  The elf took a round to aim a flame arrow at one giant while the human leveled her staff at the other.  They attacked as one.  Psycho¡¯s arrow sunk deep into his target¡¯s skull with more than enough criticals to drop him dead.  Draya¡¯s fireball didn¡¯t have enough natural damage to kill the other frost giant, but the creature took double damage from fire attacks, and he fell as well.


    Jace climbed the stairs right before the kills as the two hill giants raised their mammoth shields and moved to block the entrance.  After their more powerful companions died, the smaller giants exchanged glances and fled in panic through the doorway.  Snowy wouldn¡¯t reach them in time, so Jace reached out his hand, tightly closing his fist.


    The monastery entrance was a long tunnel deep into the mountain.  The stone shaman connected with that passageway and collapsed it.  It took over a thousand mana, Dazing him for a moment and nearly knocking him from his feet, but the result was worth it.  From his perspective, it looked like the stone opening winked at Jace as it shut completely and then opened again.  The only evidence the giants had been there was a large red stain and scraps of metal.


    ¡°Oh, my,¡± Draya called out.  ¡°That was horrifying.¡±


    ¡°But effective,¡± Psycho said, lowering his bow with the immediate threat handled.


    Esther emerged from the shadows a dozen feet from the entrance, examined the hill giants¡¯ remains, and then turned to Jace.  ¡°I almost shadow-stepped after them,¡± she said.  ¡°That could have been me.¡±


    ¡°At least that would have spoiled the demon¡¯s sacrifice,¡± Psycho said, jogging across the broad plateau.


    ¡°But I would have been dead,¡± the rogue argued.


    The archer shrugged.  ¡°Looked painless enough.  And didn¡¯t you die about a week ago?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Esther said.  ¡°And I hated it.¡±


    Jace ignored them, shook the Dazed effect from his head, and ran across the open expanse.  That was a powerful spell, but he would have to be careful using it in combat.  He couldn¡¯t afford any combat banes with enemies around.


    As he crossed the clearing, he examined the outer fortress.  A waist-high wall bordered the open area on the left and right, with periodic statues of men in a variety of meditative and combat stances.  The barrier guarded against anyone falling off the high plateau while still offering a majestic view of the mountains.  The cliff wall before them rose nearly 50 feet, with columns and high-relief images etched into the stone.  To Jace, it looked like dwarves or gnomes had taken part in the monastery¡¯s construction.  He didn¡¯t see any windows, so he hoped their arrival remained unknown to most of the inhabitants.


    Jace stopped at the entrance as most of his crew collected behind him.  Snowy was already several feet into the tunnel, lapping up the bloodstain.  Draya tried not to vomit.  After what they had seen from Jace, they hesitated before entering, so the orc went first.  The tunnel stretched for several dozen feet before opening into a grand reception hall.


    Without any stealth ability to speak of, Jace paused at the opening and surveyed the scene.  Close to thirty characters filled the room.  He saw humans dressed as monks, more giants, orcs, ogres, demon-kin, and a hoard of undead.  It looked like a module designer had just dumped everything they could think of in the room, which wasn¡¯t too far from the truth.  Jace dropped his Damage Sink and Armor Totem into alcoves on opposite sides of the room.


    Before he could formulate an attack strategy, Gromphy released a high-pitched battle cry right into his ear and launched both his bombs toward the middle of the room.  ¡°Lunatic!¡± Psycho cried as he tried to hide himself in the shadows, still several feet deep within the tunnel. He prepared to fire at anyone who charged toward them, but everyone¡¯s eyes stayed glued to the bombs.


    They bounced several times without exploding and rolled to the cavern¡¯s center.  They looked like large children¡¯s toys with bright colors and hypnotizing patterns.  Instead of tracking down who threw them, most of the enemies focused on the bombs themselves, gathering around the two inert objects, curious about what they were.  When almost half the room¡¯s population moved within 50 feet, they stopped being inert and exploded with tremendous force, drenching the observers with acid and jolting them with lightning.  Draya didn¡¯t need to be told what to do and lofted a massive fireball into ground zero, compounding the damage.


    ¡°Genius!¡± Psycho changed his tune, picking off wounded enemies at the edge of the blast radius.  Most of the demons and a few of the giants hadn¡¯t been drawn into the bombs¡¯ hypnotizing spell and had avoided the blast.  Jace and Esther rushed out of the tunnel with their blades out and met these uninjured creatures with a vengeance.


    The shaman had enough time to cast his Stone Skin and Stone Flesh spells before the first attack arrived.  He had wanted to test out his Granite Strength and Mountainous Size too, but they each took a round if he used the stone around him to bolster them.  It was overkill either way.  Enemies that approached him had to Dodge Gromphy¡¯s bombs.  If they did get close, few could get through his parrying weapon, and when they did, they only shed one of his nine protective stone layers.  Even when those expired, his Stone flesh prevented any of the swords or axes from exceeding his Damage Resistance.


    Some enemies did not use bladed weapons, and as a hill giant approached carrying a club, Jace released Diamond Etcher with one hand and performed an air-punch uppercut.  A pillar of stone rose from the floor just in front of the giant, hitting him under the chin and flipping him backward.  He lay Stunned on the ground.


    Jace had to regrip his sword to deal with a few smaller opponents before returning to the giant and performing the same move again, this time with his fingers spayed out and stabbing upward.  Five sharp stalagmites shot up from the ground, piercing the giant and dropping his health almost to zero.  Gromphy tossed an acid bomb on him for good measure and then healed Jace of any damage he might have gotten.


    Esther dispatched her foes with equal efficiency, also avoiding blunt weapons as much as possible.  Psycho and Draya recognized their companions¡¯ defensive weaknesses and focused on taking out anyone wielding a hammer, fist, or club.  They stayed at the tunnel¡¯s exit, avoiding melee combat, while Snowy ran through the crowd, ripping out the throats of anyone who fell.


    In a break in the action, Jace saw several human monks making for an exit on the room¡¯s far side and called Psycho to deal with them.  The ranger picked off a few but didn¡¯t have the right angle to shoot over the mass of carnage before him, and half a dozen monks escaped.  Those who stayed behind didn¡¯t last very long.  Blades, teeth, bombs, fire, and arrows decimated the wounded crowd, and Jace¡¯s crew didn¡¯t take much damage.  The battle lasted less than 20 rounds.


    ¡°Well, that was fun,¡± Esther said as she chopped the head off the last vampire and watched it crumble to dust beside her.


    ¡°And a bit too easy,¡± Psycho added.  He walked into the room, collecting as many arrows as he could.


    ¡°We caught them off guard,¡± Jace said, dismissing his totems and rummaging through the dead enemies. He wasn¡¯t one to loot¨CGromphy and Esther did that for him¨Cbut he was curious if the discarded equipment would give him any clues as to what lay ahead.  It didn¡¯t.  ¡°A few monks escaped our fight,¡± he said, motioning to the tunnel on the right.  ¡°I expect the next group will be ready for us.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Esther said as she drank a health potion to top herself off.  ¡°Let¡¯s not keep them waiting.¡±  She marched toward the hallway, and everyone else followed behind.


    ¡°Anything you can tell me about the Shimbato and his followers that might help us?¡± Jace asked internally.


    {They are monks that like to use deception and trickery in their fighting,} Gracie said.  {The Strawman ability, as Esther described it, though no record of it appears online, fits well with their modus operandi.  They also hold sacred some being called The Last Defender.  ¡°When all hope is lost, The Last Defender will rise up and vanquish the foes.¡±}  Jace could tell she had read that last part.  {This being has the power of Shimbato in him and appears when needed.  You know, Deus Ex Machina stuff.  If you can find a way to summon him, that would be helpful.}


    Jace moved through the hallway as he listened, examining the empty dorms and training rooms on either side.  The hall turned to the left up ahead, preventing a clear view of what to expect until they rounded the corner.  It wasn¡¯t good.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    The passage emptied into another large chamber.  This one looked ceremonial, like a chapel or meditation room.  Long tapestries hung from carved stone pillars.  Statues lined the walls, with tables cut from the rock, holding flowers and candles.  Rugs covered the floor in a mosaic pattern while chandlers hung from 30-foot-high ceilings.  A 12-foot-tall statue of a monk in a combative pose dominated the chamber¡¯s center, and around it, at least three dozen enemies stood in formation, ready to greet them.


    They had a strategic structure this time.  The first rank held half a dozen red-skinned demons the size of orcs with tower shields raised in front of them.  Their nature made them immune to fire, and their equipment would repel arrows.  Behind them, peering between their legs and around their hips, goblin shamans began casting spells to bolster the rest of the army.  Undead sorcerers flanked the group, their hands up, electricity, frost, and dark energy swirling within their palms, ready to strike out.


    Giants and ogres stood behind the demons, brandishing huge spears and clubs. Their bodies shimmered in the dim light as the goblins¡¯ protective magic washed over them.  Sprinkled in between the giants, monks and vampires moved about, biding their time until the battle was joined and their defensive weaknesses couldn¡¯t be exploited as easily.


    Jace saw another hallway leading from this chamber.  It appeared to be rough-hewn, as if orcs and giants had carved it in haste, displaying none of the craftsmanship evident in the rest of the monastery.  He guessed their dungeon crawl would venture there next and used his new skill to reach down the passage, hollow out an alcove, place his Armor totem inside, and then close it off.


    ¡°We need a good plan of attack,¡± Psycho said, seeing that the enemies appeared to be waiting for them to leave the hallway¡¯s meager protection.  ¡°We can¡¯t just . . .¡±


    His voice cut off as a horrific scream echoed through the room.  All eyes focused on the sound, and they saw Esther emerging from the shadows fifty feet away, skewering a zombie mage with Char, the dead flesh going up in flames.  Jace realized she must have snuck out of the hall and then shadow-stepped right into the heart of the enemy to make the first strike.


    ¡°Or we do that,¡± Psycho shrugged, whipping arrows from his hidden quiver and peppering the crowd before him.


    The hoard was smart enough not to just collapse on Esther, which would turn their back on the rest of the invaders, though at least two giants and several vampires raced to her location.  Instead, the bulk of the force stayed focused ahead.  Fire and arrows flooded them, but the flames rolled off their targets like water around stone, and while the arrows bit into flesh, none of them were one-shot kills and only served to anger the giants, who would need to suffer twenty such strikes to do any real damage.


    Jace had to run forward to give Gromphy the range to lob bombs over the shield wall, which opened him to magical attacks.  The lighting and cold did minor damage, but the waves of dark energy clouded his mind and slowed his blade.  The demons took this opportunity to swarm him.  Very few of the monsters held blades, opting for clubs or spiked flails, which did blunt and piercing damage.  Jace didn¡¯t bother with his Stone Flesh spell and opted for the Granite Strength instead.


    Diamond Etcher ripped through the tower shields, shredding them like cardboard and severing the limbs that held them.  Demons fell back in agony, and plenty more took their place.  They didn¡¯t have the Swarm ability, but that didn¡¯t make their overwhelming tactics any less effective.  Snowy helped her master by flanking the enemy from behind and avoiding their shields. Her icy bite was especially effective against the hellspawn creatures.  Gromphy lofted bombs into the mix, Stunning and Paralyzing the enemies to disrupt their attack pattern.


    Jace tapped into the stone even more than before, using it to identify incoming attacks and prepare his parries. However, there were too many of them, so he was forced to put his attacks and parries on auto, reducing their effectiveness but giving him time to observe the other fighting.


    Psycho and Draya had been drawn into melee combat.  The demons that weren¡¯t fighting Jace had raised their shields and marched toward the range attackers.  Once close enough, Psycho had been forced to drop his bow and pull his katana.  Draya needed to use her staff to level strikes against her enemies and block their incoming attacks.  Though both were excellent fighters, their broken mechanics lay in arrows and fire.  In tight quarters, they no longer had an advantage.  The giants and ogres saw this and began to close in on the two fighters.


    Esther held her own on the far side of the cavern, her blades a whirl of motion.  She fell in and out of shadow constantly, virtually impossible to corner, and chose adversaries with claws and blades so her armor would protect her.  However, Jace saw several mages on the opposite side conversing together and then preparing to cast toward the rogue.


    Jace needed to turn the tide of this battle.  Though he wasn¡¯t consciously swinging his weapon anymore, he still needed to pause his activity to cast spells.  After Gromphy incapacitated a group of four demons, Jace willed his character to stand amongst them, giving him half a round of reprieve.  He reached down onto the stone floor and imagined it was a wave in the ocean. He sent a ripple, four feet high, racing away from him.  Only Snowy, Psycho, and Esther had the Dexterity necessary to keep their balance as the rest of the crowd stumbled and fell to the ground.  A few jumped up quickly, but the giants and mages were the most affected and needed a full round to recover.


    As the demons stumbled around Jace, he ran through their disorganized ranks and met a pair of hill giants as they tried to rise.  He took the head off one and skewered the other through the chest.  Gromphy continued to throw bombs at their pursuers as the demons picked themselves up and gave chase, and now that Jace had stopped, the enemies were able to circle him again. However, they broke rank as a frost giant howled for access to the deadly orc.  Jace looked up at the 15-foot foe and enacted his Mountanous Size spell.  He shot up in height until he actually looked down at the frost giant.  The orc¡¯s clothing grew with him, but Diamond Etcher was reduced to a dagger in his mammoth hands.  It retained its sharp edge, and Jace found it more than capable of slicing through the giant¡¯s neck.


    The player heard a female scream and turned to see Draya swarmed by demons.  He took a step toward her to help but felt restrained.  He turned and looked down to see two ogres wrestling his legs and trying to hold him still.  Jace slashed down with Etcher and opened the skull of one of the beasts, but two more joined the fight.  Jace sent another ripple of stone cascading away from his position and heard Draya cry out again, as she couldn¡¯t keep her footing.  Jace turned to see the foes around her not bothering to get up as they took advantage of her prone position and swarmed on top of her.


    Psycho tried to help out but got his feet tangled in the mess of the bodies as the goblin shamans joined the fight and cast banes against the elf to reduce his effectiveness.  Jace took two steps toward them when a wave of dark energy hit him in the back, dropping him to a knee.  He then felt a cold drain on his leg and looked down to see two vampires sucking on his calf.  He swatted at the undead, but his unarmed attacks were horrible, and they easily avoided the clumsy strike.


    Jace tried to rise but felt more restrictions on his movement.  He looked down to see the monks had entered the fray. Typically, it would only take two of them to restrain him, but with his massive size, half a dozen of the human fighters swarmed him like raptors on a T-rex, dragging him toward the ground.


    ¡°Shoulds¡¯t I summon Adam?¡± Gromphy asked.  The goblin had stayed on his back through the transformation, though he felt like a mouse on Jace¡¯s shoulder.


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°I think it¡¯s too late.¡±  He tried to reach out to the stone again, but he was Grappled sufficiently so that he was left with only single action options.  ¡°Get in your chest.  Stay out of sight.  I will need you later.¡±


    The crafter nodded, popped out his dimensional storage device, and disappeared inside.  Jace reached up, grabbed the massive chest as if it were a matchbox, and tossed it back the way they had come into the passageway.  As soon as it left his hand, he was wrestled down to his hands and knees, the combined strength of his attackers too much for his impressive size.  He was only able to look straight forward and found he was ten feet from the cavern¡¯s central statue.  He could read the engraving on the broad pedestal: ¡°The Last Defender.¡±


    ¡°Now would be a good time,¡± Jace croaked toward the stone figure as disabling spells hit him from either side, and his enemies dragged him face-first into the stone.  Blackness consumed him.


    Jace waited with concern.  Was he dead?  Would he wake up tied to an altar or in their safe house back in Chicago with Gracie¡¯s disappointed face looking down at him?  Neither happened.  It felt like a full minute passed.  Jace had never been in a sensory deprivation tank before, but he assumed this was what it felt like.  None of his five senses returned anything, and he was having a hard time processing the passage of time.


    {Gracie?} he tried talking, but the sound only echoed in his mind as if he were his own operator.


    {I¡¯m here,} she said.


    {Where am I?}


    {You are lying unconscious on the cavern floor,} she replied.  {They¡¯ve incapacitated Snowy and Draya.  Psycho will join you in a few seconds and Esther a minute or two later once they can focus on her.}


    {Why do I have to wait?} Jace asked.  {Shouldn¡¯t the computer just simulate the rest of the battle and jump ahead?}


    {Not if another player is involved,} Gracie replied.  {You think Vithium is behind all this.  You are probably right.  If he is waiting for you, then the game has to play out everything in real time for his benefit.}


    Jace mentally nodded, though he couldn¡¯t feel his head or anything else.  {Did I make it to level 20?}


    {Not quite,} she said.  {Your team needs a bunch more kills, or you need one big solo kill.  I don¡¯t think Esther is going to pull it off.}


    Jace tried to navigate to his settings but couldn¡¯t.  He found he could activate his Head Ups Display, something he usually suppressed during combat.  He saw his health below half but stable, and his experience points at 9,972,550, just under the ten million needed for level 20.  He watched as it jumped up a few thousand.  {What¡¯s happening?} he asked.


    {Esther is making a valiant last stand,} Gracie said.


    Jace watched the number climb just above 9,977,000 and then stop.


    {And she¡¯s done,} Gracie said.  {With all your party members out, I can¡¯t see anything anymore.}


    {So we wait?}


    {Yes,} Gracie said.  {Do you have any ideas on how to get out of this one?  From what I can see, the minions took you guys out.  You haven¡¯t even faced any of the big guns yet.}


    {Don¡¯t rub it in,} Jace said.  He spent a few moments in thought that felt like an hour in his sensory-deprived state.  The lack of distractions gave him a clearer mind than he had ever experienced before, and he eventually came up with something.


    {I¡¯ve got an idea,} he finally said.


    {That was quick,} Gracie said, giving Jace a hint of how little time had passed.


    {But I¡¯m going to need your help,} Jace said.


    {That¡¯s what I¡¯m here for, boss.}


    Jace explained his plan.

 Chapter 68

    Jace¡¯s hearing returned first.  A few distinct voices pulled him from unconsciousness above a general din of murmuring amongst what must have been several scores of NPC monsters gathered close behind him.


    ¡°Where is the goblin?¡±


    The voice was male and elegant, lacking the gruff nature of an orc or giant.


    ¡°He was there, on the big one¡¯s shoulders, and then he was gone.¡±


    This second one held the same elegance but with a heavy overcurrent of fear.  Without moving a muscle, Jace reached out in their direction.  As his senses slowly returned to him, he recognized that he was kneeling on the stone floor, his palms flat on the rock, his body back to its normal orc-size.  He accessed his recently unlocked sixth sense and willed his mind¡¯s eye toward the conversants.  They stood about thirty feet away, human-sized and cold.  Vampires.


    ¡°Did they leave anything behind?¡± the first voice said.  Jace assumed this was Atrax.


    ¡°An ornate chest,¡± the second vampire said.  ¡°We tried to bring it, but even Torril couldn¡¯t lift it.¡±


    ¡°What about the other frost giants?¡± Atrax asked.  ¡°Did they try to lift it together?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all dead, sir.¡±


    ¡°They killed all the giants except Torril?¡± Atrax screamed.


    Jace remained motionless, faking unconsciousness, and reached his senses behind him. His ears hadn¡¯t deceived him, and he felt almost fifty monsters shuffling nervously. He found he could identify most of them without too much difficulty. Demons, goblins, orcs, humans, and undead all had very different magical signatures, body heats, and sizes. Eventually, he found the one frost giant left. Torril¡¯s massive body and cold heart were hard to miss.


    ¡°And most of the mages,¡± the second vampire responded to Atrax¡¯s question.


    The lead vampire swore.  ¡°I suppose I have you to thank for that.¡±


    Jace sensed Atrax¡¯s shift in attention and recognized Esther''s familiar presence.  Two monks held her securely, so much so that she couldn¡¯t give her former lover a snappy response.  He turned back to his vampire servant.  ¡°Go out into the mountains.  The giants should be respawning soon.  Bring a few back and get me that chest.  In the meantime, post at least two guards by it.  I don¡¯t want any surprises.¡±


    The second vampire left, taking three others with him and two ogres.  Atrax turned back to Esther.  ¡°Now it is time for you to join your fellow angels.¡±  He drew close to her, and as he started to remove her armor, Jace shifted his perspective, not wanting to witness whatever violations Atrax would commit against his companion, even if it were only felt through the stone.  The more he used the ability, the more he thought that experiencing someone''s life energy, their magical aura, their body heat, and their weight was almost more intimate than looking at them with his eyes.


    Having already examined the vast cavern behind him through the stone and sensing all the minions present, Jace inspected the characters much closer.  Two monks held him on his knees fifteen feet from a circular alcove.  They had him Grappled Securely, preventing him from moving, talking, or entering his inventory, but he was happy to find that using his sixth sense was no more restricted than using his other five.


    Jace had seen the rough-cut passageway leading out of the last chamber and knew they were down that tunnel in a natural cavern.  These walls and ceiling had not been crafted, as chunks of ore and mismatched stone surrounded them, with massive stalactites hanging some eighty feet above. However, a vast circular area, sixty feet in diameter, had been carefully carved in one corner.


    Jace could feel mana pulsing through a pentagram etched in the stone floor.  The shape had a classic 5-pointed star inscribed with several embellishments that created a maze of lines within the alcove, all concentrated on the center.  In addition to several NPCs milling about, he sensed characters in great distress at most of the five points.  Leah sat in an iron chair, shackled tight.  Two totems sprouted from the floor on either side of her, draining any mana she was able to generate and keeping her curses at bay.


    Moving counterclockwise, Jace sensed someone who reminded him of Tami.  The mermaid was strapped to a reclined platform bolted to the floor.  It must have been made of wood, for Jace couldn¡¯t sense its complex structure, but it held enough nails and iron bands for him to discern its general shape.  The one thing he could feel prominently was the enchanted spiked metal ball jammed deep into her mouth and halfway down her throat, held in place with a gag.  Any slight vibration from her throat and the device released agonizing pain through her whole body.


    The next spot on the pentagram was empty.  This must be Delly.  The barbarian woman drew her power from the earth, so they must have found a way to suspend her away from the stone.  This meant Jace couldn¡¯t sense the woman, but he didn¡¯t doubt she was there.


    Kai was next.  He didn¡¯t possess any overpowered abilities like the women and thus didn¡¯t need any special restraints.  They had simply shackled him to the floor by his wrists and ankles.  The chains stretched five feet in length, just long enough to allow him to lunge in any direction.  He had probably been here less than an hour and was still violently thrashing about, nearly dislocating his limbs in the process.


    This left one final spot on the five-cornered shape.  Jace sensed a three-foot tall altar with a 12-inch thick slab on top.  Esther had been stripped of all her clothing, reduced to the starting tunic.  They must have ripped her earrings and jewelry from her body, as Jace sensed blood dripping from her head, neck, and fingers.


    It took three monks and an ogre to wrestle the woman off the ground and onto the top of the altar.  The slab was mostly flat except for deep impressions carved for her hands and feet.  Four characters held her struggling body as still as they could, each attending to one of her limbs as a demon warlock approached carrying a caldron filled with molten rock.  The creature flexed his mana and surged a fresh blast of demon fire into the crucible to loosen its contents. Then, he poured half of it over Esther¡¯s bare feet.


    Her screams filled the cavern, and Jace shuttered and shook with rage at the torture.  The two monks holding her legs strained with all their might to keep her ankles beneath the lava as it quickly cooled and held her fast.  The warlock didn¡¯t wait for the rock to harden and repeated the process for each of her hands.  Esther¡¯s cries of pain tore out Jace¡¯s heart as he felt her health plummet.  He detached himself from the stone altar and slumped against the monks holding him.


    ¡°I think he¡¯s awake,¡± a female voice said, moving to stand ten feet in front of Jace.


    ¡°Keep your distance,¡± a human male said.  ¡°I¡¯ve heard he can be quite a handful.¡±


    ¡°He cares for her,¡± the female said, stepping closer to Jace despite her partner¡¯s warning.  ¡°I think he loves her.¡±


    Jace knew his discrete observation had ended, and he opened his eyes.  He leaned back in shock, not expecting what stood before him.  He had known the female was a demon by her body heat and magical signature, and he had sensed she wore minimal metal clothing, but some things had to be seen to be understood.  The exotic demoness displayed voluptuous curves held back by a tiny chainmail bikini with long legs topped by a short skirt made from metal and fabric.  At first, Jace thought she wore three-inch heels, but on closer examination, she stood barefoot, and her natural bone structure gave her a stiletto look.


    The demoness took a quick step back at Jace¡¯s awakening, keeping perfect balance on her impractical feet with the help of a five-foot back staff she held in her right hand.  Her spiked tail swished behind her, just grazing the floor.  Her eyes remained inquisitive, shrouded by long black hair through which two short horns protruded.


    The other man who had spoken laughed.  ¡°Careful, priestess,¡± he said.  ¡°He might bite.¡±


    The female recovered her composure and hummed seductively.  ¡°Hmmm, I might like that.¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Jace turned to regard this second character and recognized Triston, Thursa''s spellsword brother.  His hands hovered just over his twin swords, magic sparking at his fingertips in case Jace tried anything.  Without any weapons or equipment, Jace wouldn¡¯t have much chance against the uniquely talented fighter.  And that was assuming he had the skill to escape the two monks holding him, which he didn¡¯t.  The edges of his vision still pulsed red, letting the player know he had never left combat mode.  With the amount of time Jace had remained unconscious, all of the boons Gromphy and he had cast would have expired.  He could still feel his armor totem at the edge of his range, but that was all he had.


    ¡°Did you find a new plaything, Selvy?¡± a third person asked.


    Jace recognized the voice and turned to see Vithium walking away from the altar.  Atrax stayed behind to ensure Esther remained incapacitated.  The rogue¡¯s cries of pain had reduced to whimpers now, likely because all the nerve endings in her hands and feet had been burned away.  Jace scowled at the player responsible for all this.  He wanted to say something, but the monks still held him too tight.


    ¡°Let me introduce Tristan Hamley and Selvecia,¡± Vithium said, standing between the two characters.  They moved to give the monk room.  The spellsword never let his fingers get more than a few inches from his hilts while the demon priestess licked her lips to reveal a fang-filled mouth and let her eyes scroll hungrily up and down Jace¡¯s orc frame.  He wore only a loin cloth.


    ¡°Atrax is attending to Esther to make sure she doesn¡¯t die,¡± Vithium continued.  ¡°And back there is Jorl.  Nobody likes him very much, and he doesn¡¯t talk.¡±


    Jace followed the monk¡¯s hand to see a dark figure standing just outside the pentagram, leaning against the wall, partially hidden in shadows.  The stone shaman had sensed most of these characters during his survey of the room but only had enough information to identify Atrax.  However, he had no memory of sensing this cloaked man before.  Even now, he reached out to him through the stone and felt nothing.  With the vampires, who lacked life, he felt a cold, magical presence.  Jorl seemed to be nothing but a shadow.


    ¡°You know,¡± Vithium continued, drawing Jace¡¯s attention back.  ¡°I tried to give Esther enchanted blue diamonds several times, but she just wouldn¡¯t wear them.  Eventually, I realized it didn¡¯t matter.  The spell wouldn¡¯t draw her here until her quest was finished.  And this,¡± he paused to motion toward their surroundings, ¡°is her quest.  I knew I could count on you.¡±


    The monk waited for a response, but Jace still couldn¡¯t talk.  Vithium motioned to the men holding the orc to relax their grip a bit.  Jace still didn¡¯t say anything.  The other player mistook his silence for confusion.


    ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t understand your role in all this,¡± Vithium explained.  ¡°You see, I needed . . .¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± Jace said, cutting him off.


    ¡°What?¡± Vithium stepped back.


    ¡°I said I got it,¡± Jace repeated.  ¡°This is the part where you, as the villain, are supposed to monologue your glorious plan of seducing Esther and convincing her to have me unlock all her friends so they would come running out here into your waiting arms, allowing you to sacrifice them to your demon lord.  Don¡¯t bother.  I got it.  We don¡¯t have to waste time.  Just get on with your Revelation-style apocalypse so I can escape and kill you all.¡±


    Vithium stumbled backward, genuinely Shocked.


    Selvecia laughed.  ¡°You were right about this one,¡± she said.  ¡°He speaks like no orc I¡¯ve ever met.  I like him.  What does he mean by ¡®Revelation-style apocalypse?¡¯¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s no orc,¡± Vithium said, recovering.  ¡°He is from my realm, and I think he must be making a Bible reference.  I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never read it.¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t that surprise me,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Though it looks like a pretty faithful representation.  You¡¯ve got a false priest,¡± he nodded toward Selvecia.  ¡°Death and Hades are over there,¡± he motioned to Jorl and Atrax.  ¡°All that¡¯s missing is the beast.¡±  Jace had expected to see Karo¡¯Kafellon, but the demon hadn¡¯t made his entrance yet.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s coming,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°What about me?  Does Haman make an appearance in Revelation?¡±


    Jace smirked.  The man wasn¡¯t as Bible illiterate as he claimed.  With all of the angel¡¯s quests taken from scripture, he couldn¡¯t afford to be.  ¡°You¡¯re the antichrist,¡± Jace said.  Vithium seemed to revel in that label, so Jace switched it up.  ¡°No, wait, you¡¯re Judas.  Someone who betrays his friend with a kiss.¡±


    They both looked over at Esther.  ¡°Oh, we¡¯ve done much more than kiss,¡± Vithium said.


    Jace smirked.  ¡°Don¡¯t brag to me about your virtual girlfriend.¡±


    The monk moved like lighting, stopping just in front of the shaman with a glowing fist poised inches from his face.  ¡°You¡¯ve got a smart mouth and a wisecrack for everything, but those smarts and wisdom have led you right into my trap.¡±


    Laughter came from Jace¡¯s left.  He turned to see Psycho chuckling to himself.  His ancestral armor couldn¡¯t be forcibly removed, but they had stripped him of everything else other than knee-length trousers.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Vithium asked, stepping away from Jace.


    ¡°You think we are the ones in the trap,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°You think you have beaten Jace Thonre.  Do you have any idea how many other players thought the same thing?¡±  He bored holes into Vithium with his cold eyes.  ¡°Even before I joined his party, I saw him take on characters twice as powerful as you while he was half his current level.  Time and again, everyone thought they had him beaten.  They gloated and tried to squeeze every last secret, every last ounce of power they could, out of Jace Thorne.  And now all of them are dead.¡±


    Vithium had nothing to say.  Someone else spoke for him.


    ¡°Nal Saikol Gladekin,¡± Atrax announced, moving away from Esther¡¯s altar to stand before the kneeling elf.  Two monks held the archer securely, though they had obviously loosened their grip to allow Psycho to speak.  ¡°Famed elven archer,¡± the vampire continued.  ¡°Said to be the best hunter in the realms.  No target stands a chance against you, right?¡±


    Psycho said nothing.


    ¡°Only one prey has escaped you thus far, correct?  Though you have sought one with all your might, you are yet to face and beat a dragon.¡±  Atrax shook his head.  ¡°Such a waste.  Such a disappointment.  Only . . . what do I see?  Why, look, it is a dragon.  Right over there.  Just waiting for one of your arrows to pierce her heart.¡±


    Everyone turned to see Draya, just emerging from her unconsciousness, hoisted up between two fire-resistant demons, still oblivious to the events around her.


    ¡°Alas,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°And me without my bow.¡±


    Atrax laughed and motioned toward a collection of vampires standing thirty feet away.  One of them went into his inventory and returned with Psycho¡¯s elemental bow and a single arrow.  He tossed it to Atrax.  ¡°Look what I have here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that is wise?¡± Tristan asked, his hands now firmly on his weapons.


    ¡°Fear not, wizard,¡± Atrax said, offering the weapon to Psycho.  ¡°He will need at least six seconds to kill any of us with only one shot.  If he aims an arrow at anyone other than the dragon mage, he will be dead in five.  I do love elven blood.¡±


    With a nod from the vampire, the monks behind the archer released him and let him stand.  Psycho tentatively took the bow and arrow but didn¡¯t raise them.  ¡°You think this is a game,¡± Psycho said.  ¡°You think I would kill her for personal advancement.¡±


    Jace knew Psycho would gain another valuable archer skill if he killed a dragon.


    ¡°No,¡± Atrax said.  ¡°You think this is a game.  You think your master is just going to pull a trump card out of thin air and beat us all.  You have no idea what kind of forces are at play here.  You shouldn¡¯t think of the consequences of killing her.  You should think of the consequences of not killing her.  Of what will happen if you don¡¯t put an arrow through her heart.  And what if you did?  She would feel no pain.  She¡¯s barely awake now and wouldn¡¯t even know it was you.  Your master still lives, so she would just wake up in her bed, a little dizzy.¡±


    Jace watched as Psycho drank in this argument.  He was a trained killer, conditioned to remove emotion from his actions.  Jace wanted to cut in, not believing for a moment that Draya would wake up in bed.  This monastery had to be a stronghold, and even if Vithium had denied his god, this group must have control of it, and any NPC killed here would be trapped until the owner released them.


    Jace tried to say this but felt the monks behind him tighten their grip in response to a hand motion from Vithium, stealing his ability to speak.  His archer would have to fight through this temptation on his own.


    ¡°And think what will happen if you don¡¯t kill her,¡± Atrax continued.  ¡°Think of what we will do to her.  What we will make her do.  Of course, you think Jace Thorne is going to free you all.  We¡¯ll all be dead in a few minutes, and you will return home with another fabulous story to tell to all the people of Safe Haven.  Are you willing to take that gamble?  Or will you take the shot?¡±


    Psycho¡¯s grip on the bow tightened, and his other hand instinctively nocked the arrow to the string, but he hadn¡¯t raised his arms yet.  Jace knew this interaction was purely game mechanics.  Atrax was using a Bluff or Persuasion skill, and Psycho had to make Will saves.  Still, Jace understood Gandhi allowed modifiers based on role-playing conditions, and he had no idea how Psycho would react.


    Selvecia sauntered over.  ¡°Atrax, dear, you¡¯re doing it all wrong.  They don¡¯t call him Psycho because he is a hunter ruled by logic.  He is a creature of passion.¡±  She stepped up behind him, dragging her fingernails along his bare arm, lifting it as if she were pulling an invisible string on a puppet.  She used her other hand to wave her staff behind his head, the massive black pearl on top glowing with power.  ¡°Shoot her,¡± she whispered in his ear, standing on her tiptoes and pressing her body against his back.  Jace could feel the charm mana flowing off her from twenty feet away.  Psycho pulled back on the bow.  ¡°Shoot her for me.¡±


    The elf quivered, his body aching under pressure, as the demoness¡¯s forked tongue snaked around his ear and her tail curled around to caress his leg.  Psycho balanced on a knife¡¯s edge, moments from falling either way.  Eventually, he dropped the bow without shooting, collapsing in a heap, his body wracked with sobs.  Selvecia walked away from the beaten archer, a huge smile on her lips.  Atrax crouched beside him, grabbing the bow and arrow and tossing them a safe distance away.  ¡°I will tell you when you can laugh and when this is a game.  Until then, keep your mouth shut and let the grownups conduct their business.¡±


    As the monks regained their hold on Psycho, Atrax withdrew from the archer and moved to stand next to Esther again.


    ¡°Well,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°Sorry for that interruption.  Where were we?¡±

 Chapter 69

    ¡°You were going to sacrifice my friends to your demon lord,¡± Jace said, trying to get this encounter back on track.


    ¡°Ah yes,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°And I haven¡¯t introduced him yet.  Jace Thorne, meet Karo¡¯Kafellon, the fifth member of my party.¡±  Behind the monk, a vortex of red and black mana popped into existence above the pentagram¡¯s center, opening perpendicularly to the floor until it stretched to a diameter of over fifteen feet.  A massive demon stepped through.


    Karo¡¯Kafellon¡¯s canine head was twelve feet off the ground, though if he ever straightened his hunched spine, his two upright horns might top sixteen.  His unoriginal body design overflowed with muscles, scales, and spikes covering a humanoid frame wearing a small loin cloth.  Each arm ended with vicious claws, and his bare toes were sharp enough to cut grooves in the stone.  His face had an intelligent look, not at all like the dog-faced demon minions Jace had fought earlier, but neither as human as the sultry priestess.


    ¡°Is this the one who brought Decus Gemma¡¯s whore?¡± the creature asked, his voice reverberating deep within Jace¡¯s core as if emanating from the pit of hell.


    ¡°It is,¡± Vithium said.


    ¡°From what you said of him, I was expecting more.¡±  The demon walked right up to Jace, leaning his massive head down close before the orc, his hot breath nearly burning the shaman¡¯s skin.  The monks behind Jace recoiled in fear, almost letting him go, but Jace wasn¡¯t foolish enough to try and escape.  With a flick of his neck, Karo could bite him in half.  Instead, the massive creature only breathed on him, conducting a magical examination.


    He turned suddenly, the graceful movements in such a large body reminding Jace of CGI dinosaurs from the movies.  Karo focused back on Vithium.  ¡°You still think it wise to let him live?¡±


    The human looked confused.  ¡°Why, what do you sense?¡±


    ¡°A mountain of mana resides in him,¡± Karo said.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±  Vithium asked.


    The demon shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  I¡¯ve never felt anything like it.¡±


    Vithium turned to Jace.  ¡°What is he talking about?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I¡¯m a stone shaman.  My Mana Generation is running on overdrive in an environment like this.¡±  While technically true, Jace hoped he wouldn¡¯t have to reveal the deeper truth.


    Karo didn¡¯t look convinced.  ¡°It isn¡¯t natural.¡±


    Vithium changed tactics and turned to the demon.  ¡°A moment ago, you were unimpressed.  Now you are scared?¡±


    Karo stomped his feat and bellowed into the air.  ¡°I fear nothing!¡±  It looked like the monster might rip everything apart.  The other NPC companions took a step back, but Vithium held his ground.  The demon calmed quickly.  ¡°It is of no concern, but I see little profit in taking unnecessary risks.  He will add nothing to our group.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vithium agreed, ¡°he won¡¯t.  But his companions will.¡±


    Karo turned and noticed Psycho and Draya for the first time.  The young woman was just now coming to her senses and almost fainted back into unconsciousness when the demon approached her.  She wore nothing but the starting tunic and looked remarkably vulnerable before the demon lord.  Satisfied after a few moments, Karo turned toward Psycho.  The elf had regained control of his shattered Will and endured the demon¡¯s examination with his typical stoicism.  Even Snowy, whom Jace hadn¡¯t seen yet, was brought forward.  Three demons held the winter wolf tight on chains, and she growled at the demon¡¯s presence.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Karo said after making the rounds.  ¡°They are special.  Definitely more powerful than . . .¡± his eyes scoped out Tristan and Atrax, ¡°the average fare.  But, where is the goblin crafter you spoke of?  The idea of such a being intrigues me greatly.¡±


    Vithium frowned.  ¡°I have reports that Gromphy was here, but he has disappeared.  Jace knows but probably won¡¯t tell until we add some pressure.  Don¡¯t worry,¡± the monk grinned toward the shaman.  ¡°We will have him eventually.¡±


    ¡°But it appears you have no room,¡± Jace said.  Despite what he now saw, the most terrifying aspect of this encounter was what Vithium had said when he introduced Karo: that the demon was his fifth party member.  Karo¡¯Kafellon had over 6,000 HP and no level listed.  As broken as Jace¡¯s companions were, they were nothing compared to this monstrosity.  If Vithium could bring Karo with him on adventures or into cities, Jace would have heard about it by now.  There had to be a catch.  There had to be something Vithium wasn¡¯t saying.


    ¡°The game only lets you have five companions,¡± Jace continued.  ¡°If you want mine, who are you going to lose?¡±  His eyes passed between Selvecia, Tristan, Atrax, and Jorl, who still stood by himself in the corner.


    ¡°None,¡± Vithium replied.  ¡°Your companions will continue to serve you, and you will serve us.¡±


    Jace nodded.  He noticed the monk had said ¡°Us¡± and not ¡°Me,¡± as most players would.  He wondered who served whom but decided not to bring it up at this point.  ¡°And what do I get in this exchange?¡±


    ¡°You get to live!¡± Karo shouted.


    Vithium replied more diplomatically.  ¡°You must be making a fortune in this game.  I can¡¯t imagine you would be as successful if you were forced to start over.  Certainly, an alliance would be profitable to us both.¡±


    Jace said nothing.  A few players knew he worked for the CIA and that his exploits in this game were not primarily for personal gain.  Thankfully, that information was valuable enough that it hadn¡¯t been given away for free yet.  Vithium probably assumed Jace was some pimply-faced college nerd doing this to make money.  In a game without morals, joining forces with Vithium to stay alive and make a fortune seemed perfectly reasonable.


    ¡°In exchange for working with us,¡± the monk continued.  ¡°You will have access to more wealth than you currently do.  As you can imagine, with Karo by our side, after we finish this . . .¡± he motioned to the five angels, ¡°. . . ceremony, whatever we want will be ours.  If anything, you should be begging to join us.  And what we ask of you is hardly fair payment.¡±


    Jace¡¯s face remained deadpan.  ¡°And what, exactly, do you ask of me?¡±


    ¡°That your companions perform tasks for us when we ask,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°Though my own NPCs are better than yours in every way, they aren¡¯t perfect for all occasions.¡±


    Jace understood.  Esther could enter sunlight; Atrax couldn¡¯t.  He didn¡¯t know what would happen to demons if they stepped into the sun, and they would be barred from many peaceful cities and strongholds.  Jorl looked only to have a use as an assassin.  That left Tristan.  The level 16 spellsword was weaker than any of Jace¡¯s companions.  ¡°If you are looking for an escort who doubles as a bodyguard,¡± Jace said.  ¡°Perhaps you should let Esther go.  She¡¯s the best I got.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Vithium laughed.  ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have kept her for long anyway.  From what we know of your alignment, I¡¯m surprised you kept her this long.  No, after asking her to perform a few tasks for us that run against her desires, she would have left you.  We¡¯re saving you the grief.¡±


    ¡°How kind of you,¡± Jace said, sarcasm dripping from his orc tongue.


    ¡°But Draya, Psycho, and Gromphy will do anything you ask of them with no damage to your relationship,¡± Vithium added.  ¡°They might hate us, but they will never hate you.¡±


    Psycho grunted and struggled against his monks.  ¡°You know we can hear you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vithium replied, walking a few steps toward the archer.  ¡°And I know you aren¡¯t stupid.  The alternative is that we kill your master, and then we kill you.  You won¡¯t wake up in your bed.  Instead, you will be reset into your original module.  You will go back to your grove, endlessly looking for your sister.  No one knows how Jace solved your quest, and I doubt anyone will ever figure it out.  That means you will spend eternity there until another Drescher comes along and tricks you into servitude.¡±


    Vithium moved toward Draya.  The young mage looked fully awake and finally aware of her surroundings.  She wasn¡¯t as knowledgeable of the game mechanics as Psycho, so Vithium kept it simple.  ¡°And you,¡± the monk continued.  ¡°We know you are a Celtigion, but that is about it.  We can only guess that Jace rescued you from a Mongorian slave ship, though no one had ever heard of a mission like that before.  And so, once you are reset, you will return to captivity where no one will ever find you.¡±


    He stood back from the woman.  ¡°Who knows where Gromphy will go, but I¡¯m sure living with his native people is less desirable than life in whatever palatial stronghold Jace has set you up in.  So, if you want to return to your old lives, by all means, convince your leader to reject our offer.  But if you¡¯d like to keep your comfortable existence at the cost of an occasional unpleasant assignment, then I advise you to keep your mouths shut.¡±


    ¡°How long do I have to decide?¡± Jace asked.


    Vithium laughed.  ¡°Until the end of our ceremony.¡±


    ¡°Which will do what, exactly?¡±


    The monk laughed harder. ¡°I thought you had it all figured out. Can I start monologuing now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an expert strataticion,¡± Jace said.  ¡°I figured out your plan.  I don¡¯t delve into demonic rituals.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Vithium conceded.  ¡°I saw the look on your face when I said Karo was my fifth party member.  You know what that means.  I can take him anywhere.  Or, at least, I will be able to.  Right now, his character is a cross between a summoned creature and a Balrog in the Basement.¡±


    Jace knew summoned creatures couldn¡¯t go anywhere they wanted.  They were either tethered to their summoner, a totem, or had to exist within a magic circle or some other inscribed pattern.  The more powerful the creature, the more restricted the path of movement.  Balrogs were restricted to one location and couldn¡¯t move past the border to the next.  Jace saw the pentagram on the floor and guessed what Karo¡¯s restrictions were.  He could only exist in this mountainous location and only within his summoning zone.


    ¡°If we change his nature to that of a god,¡± Vithium explained, ¡°those restrictions disappear, and he will be able to go anywhere.¡±


    When Jace had first met Esther, he changed her nature using his Convict ability, transforming her from demonic to angelic.  Jace wondered if he could do the same thing to the demon.  All he needed to do was have Karo attack him and miss while he Stood his Ground.  Jace decided not to offer his assistance here.  He was pretty sure his Convict ability remained a secret to most players.  He also realized that the simple change he had made to Esther was what had started this whole quest.  Nothing in this cavern would exist if he had just left the vampire rogue at the Gilded Swan.


    ¡°So you need to absorb divine power to transform him into a god,¡± Jace reasoned.  ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that kill him?¡±


    ¡°Ohh,¡± Selvecia cooed.  ¡°He is clever.  I thought you didn¡¯t delve into demonic rituals?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I dabble.¡±


    The priestess giggled.  Karo grunted to put an end to the flirting.  ¡°If I were to absorb pure divine energy, it would unmake me,¡± the demon clarified, apparently taking offense at the idea that he could be killed.  He chuckled.  ¡°So it is a good thing none of these angels are pure.  They were when they fell, the result of false accusations that their gods learned about only too late.  But after sufficient time in a Realm of Infamy, who could remain pure?¡±  He howled in evil laughter.


    Jace understood.  All the angels had killed, cursed, worked for pirates, or turned tricks in a brothel.  It was like fermenting wine before you drank it; only the realms had corrupted their spirits instead of refining them.


    Karo proceeded to explain in detail.  He moved to stand next to the first angel.  ¡°Meet Leah Jacobs, fallen angel of Beneficia, goddess of magical blessings.  Now she¡¯s a master of witchcraft and curses.¡±  He moved to the next woman.  ¡°Tamar Zedek, fallen angel of Oceartas, god of the sea and open waters.  But this mermaid has corrupted that freedom into power and control.¡±


    As he moved to the next woman, Jace looked at Delly for the first time.  He had correctly guessed her location in the pentagram but hadn¡¯t been able to feel her through the stone.  The woman hung by her wrists from ropes secured to a hook in the alcove¡¯s domed ceiling, her legs dangling two feet off the ground.


    ¡°This is Delilah Sorek, fallen angel of Fortestis, goddess of heavenly strength.  But she has turned that power into earthly rage.  I will enjoy drinking this one¡¯s soul.¡±


    Karo moved to Kai, who still yanked futilely against his chains.  As the demon mentioned each woman¡¯s name and their diety, it unlocked the memories to any angel that could hear it.  Leah, Tami, and Delly had been here for days and had been tortured within inches of death beyond sanity.  Jace saw a flash of recognition in their eyes when they remembered their past and that of their friends but little else.  The paladin, on the other hand, still brimmed with fight and vigor.  He already remembered Esther¡¯s and his own past, and now, as he remembered everything, an extra dose of fury flowed through him.  He pulled on his chains toward the demon like a ferocious dog on the end of his leash.  He must have been magically silenced, for while his mouth uttered curses, Jace heard nothing.


    ¡°Kai Morte,¡± Karo continued as if he didn¡¯t see the knight''s antics.  ¡°Fallen angel of Dignatio, god of honor and justice.  Now, you are a pathetic knight filled with pride and vengeance, suspicious of everyone around you.¡±  He sneered at Kai, only a foot outside of the inquisitor¡¯s range.  With a lightning-fast movement, Karo punched out at the knight with a balled fist, slugging him in the chest.  Kai flew back ten feet until his chains snapped taut in the opposite direction, and his face silently cried out in pain; his limbs strained to almost breaking.  As his body slumped to the ground, Karo laughed.


    ¡°And my favorite,¡± the demon said as he moved to stand over Esther.  The rogue had not been magically silenced, and while Jace couldn¡¯t see her face from his kneeling position, he used his stone powers to sense her condition up on the rock slab.  With parts of her body embedded in the stone, Jace could even feel her emotions.  Like Kai, she had just remembered the complete history of all her friends, and she wept.  ¡°Esther Xerxes, fallen angel of Decus Gemma, god of beauty and gemstones.  But now you are a whore, filled with lust and greed.  Your god wouldn¡¯t welcome you back even if he could.  The game worships your beauty, not knowing that you are a temple built over a sewer.¡±  Karo spat on her, and his saliva sizzled on her exposed skin.  Esther only whimpered in agony.


    Once the presentation had ended, Vithium turned to look at Jace, the orc shaman seething with anger.  ¡°Do you need a minute?¡± the monk asked with mock sympathy.  ¡°Cause I¡¯m in no . . .¡±


    ¡°Their souls,¡± Jace interrupted, his voice low enough to match Karo¡¯s, his rage barely restrained.  ¡°Where will their souls go?¡±


    ¡°They will be within me,¡± Karo replied.  ¡°Their very essences will power my spirit eternally.  Elevating my power beyond that of my holy rivals.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t look at the demon waxing poetic through visions of grandeur and kept his eyes focused on Vithium.  He didn¡¯t want a philosophical answer; he wanted a game mechanics explanation.  ¡°You own this stronghold?¡± he asked.


    Vithium nodded.


    ¡°Even though you have rejected your god?¡± Jace asked.


    Vithium didn¡¯t answer, and the look on his face told Jace all he needed to know.  This was a stronghold dedicated to Shimbato.  For as long as that god existed in the game, if another player who worshiped the deity showed up, they could claim control without having to defeat Vithium and his crew like Jace had done to earn Stormkeep.  Once Shimbato had been deleted, this would revert to a regular stronghold, requiring any future challengers to kill the current owners.


    Vithium could see Jace working things out in his head.  ¡°No one is coming to save you,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°Jorl made sure of that.¡±


    Jace nodded.  The player must have used the shadow assassin to kill all the other rivals in the game who might challenge him.  Sure, someone could create a monk character in the next few minutes who was loyal to Shimbato, but they couldn¡¯t enter PVP zones until they were level 10.  Jace had a feeling the statue in the other room was the Last Defender, and since it remained dormant, there must be some believer out there who remained loyal, but the odds of them showing up weren¡¯t worth betting on.


    The orc shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°Then I have no choice.  Proceed.¡±

 Chapter 70

    Karo¡¯Kafellon laughed and raised his arms in the air.  ¡°Let the ceremony begin!¡±


    Magical demon-fire torches had illuminated the vast cavern, hung periodically throughout the chamber Minecraft-style.  Now, most of those went out, leaving only the few surrounding the alcove still burning.  The ceremonial area was cut halfway into the cave wall, producing a domed ceiling thirty feet high over the back portion, while the front half stood under the cavern¡¯s open air.


    Atrax left Esther¡¯s side, pulling a knife from a sheath on his hip.  He walked toward Leah, with Selvecia falling in beside him.  Tristan retreated outside the pentagram while Vithium stood twenty feet from Jace, observing the process while keeping an eye on the dangerous orc.  When the demon and vampire reached the tormented witch, Selvecia started chanting and dancing, her arms and tail flowing about her body like ribbons in a slow wind.  Jace had no idea what the female said, her guttural language falling somewhere between Klingon and vomiting.  As she drew closer to Leah, she waved her staff over the bound woman, who displayed a look of terror on her face.


    Thirty seconds into the spell, the pentagram etchings in the floor began glowing, outshining the few remaining torches and casting eerie shadows on the ceiling.  Atrax raised the dagger over Leah, drawing everyone¡¯s eyes to the weapon.  The demon priestess slowed her dramatic body gyrations and chanting until she carefully angled the top of her staff toward the raised blade.  The circular motion of the rod spiraled down until the vibrant black pearl kissed against the dagger¡¯s handle.


    In that instant, all the light in the floor raced through the etchings until it coalesced under Leah¡¯s chair and then shot up through her body, causing her to arch her back against her restraints, raising her body as high as she could.  The burst of light passed through her without slowing and hit Atrax''s raised hand.  As Leah stiffened in the chair, the vampire slammed the blade down into her chest.  Light burst forth again, but this time, it illuminated her whole body, racing out to her toes and fingertips before retracting into her core and falling out her back into the stone, leaving behind a charred husk that quickly disintegrated into dust and ash.


    The power raced through the pentagram until the shape was once again fully illuminated.  It pulsed once and then collapsed to the center where Karo stood. The demon raised his arms in triumph as the magical energy raced up through his body, producing a cry of exhilaration from the monster.  He held the upright pose for a few seconds and then collapsed into a crouch on the ground.  Power pulsed around his scaley body, producing electric shocks and sparkling blue light.


    Jace saw Selvecia also fall to the ground, as the demoness was obviously magically linked to her master.  Light from the back of the alcove drew the shaman¡¯s attention, and he saw Jorl down on one knee too.  The trio must have been a package deal for Vithium, and whatever power Karo got from this ceremony would transfer to these two as well.  Looking at Vithium, Jace saw no change in the character.  Tristan and Atrax also looked unaffected.


    After almost a minute, Karo struggled to his feet, his eyes glowing with power.  With a primordial cry, he threw his arms wide, and electricity leaped from his body in all directions.  It bit into the stone ceiling behind him and crackled against an invisible dome that covered the front half of the pentagram, revealing the demon¡¯s prison for the first time.  ¡°I can feel it,¡± he said.  ¡°I can feel its strength and power.  It will be no match for me.  I will not remain a prisoner.  I will have freedom.¡±  He looked over at Tami and smiled.  ¡°Give me freedom!¡±


    Selvecia had also recovered from the energy transfer and walked over to the next angel.  As she moved, Jace looked for Jorl and barely found the assassin, his hazy outline as visible as a smudged image on a lens.  Whatever magic he used to live in shadow had been increased dramatically.  Returning his eyes to the demon priestess, Jace guessed her mana pool had likely just doubled.  Whatever her improvements were, she no longer needed to chant or dance about to produce the mana required for the spell.  When she stood next to Tami and Atrax arrived with his dagger, Selvecia only needed to speak one guttural word, and the floor burst into light.


    The dramatic increase in power caught the vampire off guard, and he scrambled to get into position, hoisting the dagger over the prone woman.  Selvecia gave him a moment to assume the proper stance and then only needed to tap her staff against the floor. The magic rushed to their location and up through the mermaid¡¯s body.  Tami arched so violently away from the inclined board that the metal bands holding her in place snapped like threads, her body rising over a foot from the table, her legs reverting to a tail and flapping in the air.


    Atrax didn¡¯t give her a chance to escape, and when the energy rushed through the woman¡¯s body and up into his dagger, he thrust it down, pinning the mermaid to the wooden planks.  To Jace¡¯s eyes, it looked like the magic rushed out of Tami¡¯s body like a waterfall, gushing out over the floor and filling the etched pattern like a collection of river tributaries.  Her body wholly dissolved during the process, leaving behind only a moist, bloody tunic.


    Once the pattern had been filled with power, it flowed back to the center in a tidal wave, flooding over the demon in an attempt to drown him in energy.  He stumbled and collapsed under the pressure, seemingly overwhelmed by the onslaught.  But he didn¡¯t succumb to it; instead, he absorbed the magic like a sponge, filling his body with vitality.


    Jace watched Selvecia kneel on the floor and undergo a metamorphosis as red and black wings sprouted from her back.  The shaman knew from Tami¡¯s god that her power represented freedom and watched with interest as that played out in the demon priestess¡¯s body.  After less than a minute, she stood and flexed her wings, flapping them twice to lift off the ground and take a lap around the cavern.  Apparently, she wasn¡¯t restricted by the magical dome and flew over and behind Jace¡¯s position.


    The shaman couldn¡¯t follow her flight in his Grappled condition, so instead, he looked over to where Jorl had been.  The shadow was gone, or, at least, the assassin was gone.  Shadows were suddenly everywhere.  Jace¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t keep up with the dark patches filling the cavern as Jorl flexed his new omnipresent ability.  It wasn¡¯t simply Shadow-Stepping, as Esther could do.  He was literally anywhere he wanted to be.  Jace shuddered at the potential.


    In the pentagram¡¯s center, Karo rose to his feet and stretched his limbs, rolling his head about as his neck and spine cracked several times.  He summoned a projection of magic again, not as powerful as the lightning storm he had produced earlier, but just enough to make the restrictive dome visible.  Vithium, who watched this whole process from outside the pentagram, took a further step back as the demon approached.  Karo reached his clawed hand up to the curved force field as electricity jumped between them.  Slowly, a hole opened in the shimmering dome, and Karo tried to press his hand through.  His muscles strained under the effort until one, and then two fingertips passed through the gap before his arm collapsed under the effort.  ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough yet,¡± he growled and then smiled as he looked back at Delly hanging from the ceiling.


    ¡°Selvecia!¡± the demon called.  ¡°We aren¡¯t finished yet.¡±


    The priestess swooped in suddenly, landing gracefully as if she had been flying all her life.  Her wings conveniently folded into her back, not leaving a mark on her reddish skin.  ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said.  ¡°I will gladly take more power.  But don¡¯t get lost in the freedom.  You feel the control too, right?¡±


    Karo looked puzzled at first, so Selvecia demonstrated.  She turned back to the captive audience.  ¡°Monks, release the elf.¡±


    Psycho fell forward from his sudden freedom, but Jace could tell he didn¡¯t hold out hope that he would retain it for long.  He didn¡¯t.  ¡°Fetch your bow,¡± the priestess commanded, no seduction required.  Psycho obeyed robotically, walking a few paces to where Atrax had tossed his weapon.  He picked up the bow and arrow.  ¡°Kill the wolf,¡± she ordered.


    ¡°No!¡± Draya cried, but the demons holding her locked her tight.


    Jace only watched hopelessly as the ranger took a six-second bead on his canine friend and then shot her through the head.  Snowy dropped dead, the demons holding her chain scattering before the massive wolf could fall on them.


    ¡°Mage!¡± the priestess called, turning toward Draya.  Her guards understood Selvecia¡¯s intent and released the young woman.  Draya stopped fighting, and her face turned from grief to calm in a second.  ¡°Kill the elf,¡± the demoness commanded.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s necess-¡± Vithium started to say, but Karo clamped his hand shut, and the monk¡¯s voice disappeared.


    Draya turned and didn¡¯t need six seconds.  She threw a single burst of flame that struck Psycho full in the chest.  His armor prevented death from an elemental attack, but his health was so low already that Jace watched it drop to one as he flew across the cavern and crashed into the far wall near the entrance.


    Vampires and goblins scattered from the flaming projectile, seeing that the archer wasn¡¯t quite dead and fearing a follow-up attack.  Draya had been given an order and intended to obey.  She took three determined steps toward her injured friend, but Karo stopped her.  ¡°Enough,¡± he said, stopping the mage cold.  Her demon escorts resumed their hold on her as her will collapsed from the realization of what she¡¯d done.  ¡°We can control armies with this power,¡± Karo said.


    ¡°The goal would be to get them to join willingly,¡± Vithium croaked, clearing his throat to rid the remains of the muting spell.  He looked impressed by the display so far, though Jace could also see a hint of concern.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Karo agreed.  ¡°Though if that fails . . .¡± He left it hanging and looked at Jace.  The shaman understood that if he ever refused to command his companions according to this group¡¯s will, they would still be able to force anyone to do anything.  There was no use resisting.


    ¡°Now for the barbarian,¡± Selvecia said and looked over at Atrax, motioning him to the next victim.  While everyone else had watched the mind control presentation, the vampire had been examining the empty wooden boards where Tami had just been and the iron chair where Leah¡¯s ashen remains had all but disappeared.


    Jace could see the terror in his eyes about what they were doing and the power they were generating, but the shaman didn¡¯t think for a moment that the vampire would resist the call of his masters.  Atrax gripped his knife tightly and moved toward Delly.


    The barbarian queen hung limply from the ceiling, but unlike the two previous angels, she wasn¡¯t restrained fully.  Even without access to the ground, she still processed significant strength.  Jace assumed she had exhausted herself several times when she had initially been hung there, and without proper sleep, she would never recover all her power, but she could still act.


    When Atrax got within striking distance, Delly shuddered with mana, hefted up on her ropes, and swung her legs forward.  The vampire had just executed two docile women and expected this dark-skinned beauty would be the same.  Delly caught him off-guard when her legs rose before his face and wrapped around his neck.  She didn¡¯t have enough power to render him Helpless, but Atrax fell to his knees under the woman¡¯s strength.  He still held the dagger and shifted his grip on the weapon to stab her in the thigh.


    ¡°No,¡± Selvecia said calmly.  ¡°Drop it.  Do not mark her.¡±


    Atrax had no choice in the matter, and the blade clattered against the stone.  The priestess looked at the situation without concern.  ¡°What is your plan here?¡± she asked the woman as Atrax frantically wrestled against the constricting legs.  Delly¡¯s left thigh was strategically placed under the man¡¯s chin, propping his mouth up and removing his most potent weapon: his teeth.


    ¡°Do you intend to strangle a vampire?¡± Selvecia asked, having waved away the muting spell.  ¡°You know they don¡¯t breathe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll snap his neck,¡± Delly slurred, saliva dripping from her mouth, her eyes unable to focus on anything.  ¡°I¡¯ll crush his head.¡±


    Selvecia smiled.  ¡°I¡¯d love to watch you try, but I don¡¯t think you have the strength, and I don¡¯t want to waste the time.¡±  She beckoned over her shoulder, and two monks came running.  ¡°Subdue her,¡± she commanded.


    ¡°No!¡± Vithium said.  ¡°Don¡¯t!¡±  But the priestess ignored him and commanded the monks to obey.


    As soon as the men touched Delly, and the barbarian had a living connection to the earth, all hell broke loose.  The cavern shook as an earthquake rumbled through the stone.  One of the monks dropped dead as more power than he was capable of channeling raced through him.  The other was Stunned, and Delly shifted her legs to hold him, practically sitting on his shoulders.  This gave her slack in her ropes, and her fingernails shredded her bonds and dropped her to the floor.


    She threw the disabled monk aside and stomped toward Selvecia.  Atrax lay on the floor and scampered back from the two women as fast as he could.  The priestess didn¡¯t flinch as the barbarian got within three feet and cocked her fist back to punch.  Karo punched first.  Standing twenty feet away, he sent a ball of magical energy shooting over Selvecia¡¯s shoulder, catching Delly in the chest.  The woman flipped backward with such force that when she hit the cavern wall, she rebounded almost to the same position.


    The priestess raised her left hand and snapped her fingers.  Immense power infused the etchings at her feet, and she stepped forward to tower over the Stunned barbarian.  ¡°The spell works better if you''re touching the ground anyway.¡±  She tapped her staff on the stone twice, and the magic gathered to a point beneath the fallen woman and then shot up through her body to the poised rod.  Selvecia gripped her staff with both hands and thrust it down, the blunt end ripping through Delly¡¯s ribcage and into the rock below.


    Another earthquake shook the entire monastery, and now Selvecia and Karo were thrown from their feet.  Instead of energy flowing through the pentagram on the floor, cracks formed all along the pattern, opening inch-wide chasms that led straight to the center of the earth.   A much larger crevice opened beneath Delly, and the dead barbarian fell.  A second after her departure, fire shot up through the other fissures, and Atrax needed to dive out of the way to survive.  The two demons bathed in the onslaught, and Jace saw a shadow zip into the pentagram as well.


    The eruption lasted a full minute, after which the cracks closed, and everyone lay still.


    ¡°For Shimbato!!!¡±


    The cry broke the silence, startling everyone.  Jace had the freedom to turn his head slightly and saw a monk breaking from the ranks and racing toward the ceremonial alcove.  It took a while for people to react, and a few demons and ogres moved to stand in his way, but the slippery monk evaded their attempts to stop him.  He almost made it to the ring when Vithium stepped in his path.  The monk loyal to his old god had pulled a knife from his robes while the player got in a ready stance to stop him.


    Jace felt the surge of mana within the rogue NPC, and just as Vithium attacked, the desperate monk executed a magical step, where his body stretched forward thirty feet as if he were a spaceship jumping to lightspeed.  Vithium struck at the blur but came up empty.  Instead, the back half of the monk snapped forward, traversing the distance in half a second, such that he found himself right next to Kai Morte, his dagger out for the kill.  ¡°Your sacrifice be dam . . .¡± he shouted, but the cry ended in a gurgle as Tristan stepped forward.


    Like Jace, the spellsword had detected the mana surge and had been studying the fighting methods of the monks over the past week, so he knew what was coming.  He used his own magical speed to intercept the attack at the last second and channeled the infinite momentum of the monk to enhance his strike, skewering the man on his sword.  The rebel stood Stunned, with his dagger raised to plunge into Kai¡¯s neck.  Tristan discharged a surge of electricity through his sword, blasting the monk backward to lie dying on the stone.


    Cheers from the assembled crowd went up, and after several seconds, Karo finally pulled himself from the ground, shaking his head as if trying to clear the cobwebs.  The demon had grown.  As he straightened his spine to work out the stiffness his new strength imparted, Jace saw his horns reaching at least twenty feet in the air.  His Hitpoints were now at 10,000.  As he arched his back and worked out the last kinks, he howled triumphantly.


    It took several seconds for the echoes to dissipate, and he finally looked down to ground level to see the dying monk and Tristan standing beside the paladin.  The demon shrugged his shoulders.  ¡°I knew they all wouldn¡¯t turn so easily.¡±  He glared at Vithium, who still sat sheepishly on the ground after his critical miss against the loyal monk.  Jace had guessed someone still served Shimbato.  He had hoped it would be someone of more consequence.


    ¡°Anyone else!¡± Karo roared at his collected minions, specifically at the monks.  They all averted their eyes and took a knee before the impressive demon.  Selvecia stood beside her master.  She was an inch or two taller after the transfer, and it looked like a make-up artist had airbrushed a sixpack on her abdomen, but other than that, Karo had absorbed most of this power.


    The demon lord strode again to the edge of the circle, made the magical dome visible with his magic, and opened a hole.  This time, he managed to stick his entire arm through the opening, but as he did, the barrier crackled and snapped, clamping down on his arm like a hungry shark, belching holy fire.  Karo screamed and yanked his arm back, having taken over 1,000 points of damage in less than a round.  He held his wounded arm gingerly, fearing it might fall off, the charred flesh looking like it had been through a microwave.


    ¡°The ceremony isn¡¯t finished yet,¡± Selvecia said, walking over to her master and healing him.


    ¡°Then finish it!¡± he bellowed.


    The priestess didn¡¯t say anything else and was already summoning power to the floor.  Atrax knew his role, retrieved his dagger, and approached Kai.  However, he had learned his lesson from Delly, and while that woman had looked docile to start, Kai had recovered from Karo¡¯s punch and yanked at his chains like a mad dog.  Besides, he still wore his full-plate armor.


    Selvecia smiled and pointed the fingers of her free hand at Kai¡¯s chest.  With a surge of mana, she spread her hand wide, and the knight''s armor stripped off his body.  The metal peeled off him like a banana.  Instead of flying off in five different directions, the shrapnel came alive, turned in mid-air, and launched back at Kai.  The steel pieces bent and molded around his wrists and ankles, throwing him to the ground and pinning him flat with his arms and legs outstretched.


    Atrax moved into position, kneeling beside the knight and raising the dagger.  The magical energy collected beneath the sacrifice once more and surged up through his body, infusing the knife with power.  Atrax plunged it down straight through Kai¡¯s heart.  He withdrew the weapon and scampered backward outside of the ring, fearful of what might come next.


    The paladin¡¯s body melted along with his armor, filling the etched pattern with silvery metal.  Karo stood in the center, looking on with a concerned expression as the viscous fluid swam through the complex pattern, filling every corner before rushing toward the center.  Like a thousand electric eels, the tendrils swam up the demon''s body, slithering into the cracks between his dark red scales.  At first, it looked as if they might wrestle the massive beast to the ground, but he stood firm and tall against the assault, pulling up with his arms and legs to rip the living metal strands from the floor.  Once free, they stopped their aggressive invasion of the demon¡¯s body and melded gently into his flesh, lightening his reddish hue as streaks of adamantium crisscrossed his form.


    This infusion of power did not bring the demon lord to his knees this time.  Instead, Delly¡¯s divine strength held him fast through the process, and less than a minute after it started, he stood transformed.  He looked like a red knight, his scales infused with silver and enlarged to cover his muscled arms and legs perfectly.  Jace looked at Selvecia and saw her chainmail bikini had been upgraded to curved pieces of adamantium with matching bracers on her forearms and grieves on her legs.  Her skirt now sparkled with mithril chain, and even her black hair had a few strands of silver.


    Karo moved again to the border of his prison and didn¡¯t hesitate, opening a hole in the shield and piercing it with his whole body.  Once again, the barrier reacted with sparks of holy fire, but now the silver strands in the demon¡¯s armor flared to life, creating a feedback loop into the force field.  Karo stood there laughing as sparks and magic crackled around him, the barrier trying desperately to hold him back, but with one final surge from the demon, the dome shattered and fell like glass to the stone, exploding into clouds of mana.


    ¡°It is done!¡± he cried.  ¡°I am free.¡±


    Everyone stood amazed, unable to speak until a lone, weak voice muttered in Karo¡¯s direction.  ¡°Must . . . Stop . . .¡±


    The demon turned to regard the dying monk Tristan had skewered.  He still had a few rounds left and lifted a hand toward the monstrosity feebly as if he had some last-ditch spell to cast.  The demon lord stomped over to the dying man and squashed him beneath his foot.


    A tremor ripped through the cavern, bringing everyone to silence momentarily until Vithium laughed.  Soon, everyone joined in, thinking the quake had resulted from their demon¡¯s massive strength.  Jace knew otherwise.  The tremor hadn¡¯t originated in this room.  His intimate relationship with the stone revealed that it had come from the previous hall, where the statue of The Last Defender stood.  With the death of Shimbato¡¯s final loyal servant, the monastery¡¯s protector had awakened.

 Chapter 71

    The cheering minions quieted quickly when The Last Defender rushed into the hall.  The statue had transformed into a 12-foot-tall bald male with a simple white robe.  Other than his height, his presence didn¡¯t evoke awe like Karo¡¯Kafellon.  He wasn¡¯t bursting with muscles.  Flames didn¡¯t wreathe his body, and he didn¡¯t generate a tremor when he walked.  However, Jace could feel his aura through the stone, and the shaman knew a god had just entered the cavern.


    Several ogres and vampires tried to tackle the intruder, but the monk tossed them aside like water from a dog.  ¡°Shimbato, is that you?¡± Karo asked, no concern evident in his voice.


    The god didn¡¯t answer and instead spent a couple of seconds generating an immense amount of mana.  Jace expected what would come next, and so did Tristan, as the spellsword raced out of the way.  Shimbato accelerated toward the massive demon just as the loyal monk had, only instead of covering 30 feet, he transported himself over 150 feet in a split second, his fist out and glowing.  The knuckles connected with Karo¡¯s armored chest, and the demon shot back with such force he made a complete body imprint on the far wall.  The collision shook stalagmites from the ceiling.


    No one moved for the next few seconds, wondering if that was all it would take.  Eventually, Selvecia began to step forward, raising her staff to cast a spell, but she stopped when light burst from the impact zone.  Demon fire flooded that end of the alcove as rock and ore melted like ice.  Karo emerged from the inferno, lava dripping from his shoulders.


    ¡°Is that all you have?¡± he asked.  Jace saw that the demon hadn¡¯t lost a single Hitpoint.


    Whether Shimbato could see the stats or not, it was clear he knew the battle wasn¡¯t over.  The massive monk assumed a fighting stance and prepared to engage the much taller foe as Karo stomped toward him.  The Last Defender transformed into a blur of motion; his fists and feet looked like Neo from the Matrix, moving faster than light could follow.  Karo didn¡¯t flinch as the blows rained down.  He only walked forward, forcing the monk back, fists and feet bouncing off him like snow against a windshield.


    Finally, the demon struck back with a single, vicious punch to Shimbato¡¯s chest, his fingers extended.  The adamantium claws shredded the monk¡¯s ribcage and released a gout of demon fire that charred the fighter from the inside out.  Karo reached in with his other hand and ripped the dying monk apart, shredding his body like a cardboard box.  Instead of blood, The Last Defender exploded into a swirl of white mana that lived as a small cyclone for a few seconds before Karo stepped through it.


    ¡°Karo¡¯Kafellon!¡± Selvecia announced in the ensuing silence.  ¡°The god killer!¡±


    Once again, the crowd of minions roared their approval.  Jace looked on, hope draining from his face.


    <hr>


    Jace Thorne wasn¡¯t the only player who watched the brief battle in awe.  Lexi¡¯s glasses had allowed the druid to follow all the action so far, from Kevrin¡¯s dramatic entrance into the monastery to his eventual capture and now Karo¡¯s dramatic transformation.  She had initially been furious at Jace¡¯s unexplained powers as he had controlled stone and then grown to a tremendous size.  Like everyone else in the game, she assumed he cheated, and this was just further evidence.


    However, now, she had second thoughts.  ¡°This is not what I wished for.¡±


    {But it is,} the disembodied voice of Gandhi answered her.  {You did not ask for a foe capable of merely beating Jace Thorne, but for one that could kill the Admiral, a level 48 fighter.  The Last Defender was a comparable stand-in for the player in question.  You have witnessed the results.}


    ¡°But the demon eviscerated him.  It¡¯s overkill.  You didn¡¯t have to take it this far.¡±  Lexi knew that if Vithium could leave the monastery with Karo at his side, he would turn the Realms of Infamy into a nightmare.  Right now, the game was her refuge.


    Gandhi laughed.  {I did nothing.  This was your wish.}


    ¡°Then I take it back,¡± Lexi said, already knowing that wasn¡¯t an option.


    {Not legal,} Gandhi confirmed.  {Though, if you want to use your second wish . . .}


    The thought crossed her mind, but Lexi knew from legend that wishes were tricky and had to be carefully worded.  She wasn¡¯t confident that anything she might wish for wouldn¡¯t have the opposite effect.  Or, perhaps, if she wished for the death of this demon, Gandhi would make Jace even more powerful to accomplish the task.


    {I didn¡¯t think so,} the AI said after sufficient time had passed.  {Then perhaps you should change who you''re rooting for.}


    Lexi emitted a throaty, leopard-like growl and continued to watch the events unfold before her.


    <hr>


    ¡°I accept.¡±


    The words were spoken loudly as the noise of the raucous celebration died down.  Vithium correctly identified the speaker and turned to look at Jace.  Karo and Selvecia did likewise.


    ¡°I¡¯ve given the proposal some careful consideration,¡± Jace continued.  ¡°I¡¯ve weighed the pros and cons and have decided to accept your generous offer.¡±


    Vithium, a Guile monk who had just backstabbed his own god, always expected subterfuge and insisted Jace elaborate.  ¡°Explain exactly what you are agreeing to.¡±


    ¡°I will give you what you want,¡± Jace answered.  ¡°My companions will be as yours. Anything you ask, within their ability, they will do for you under my supervision.  My activity in this realm is more complex than you understand it to be, and I often have pressing matters I must attend to, but outside of that, if you give me proper notice, you can use my people when they are available.¡±


    ¡°Even Gromphy?¡± Vithium asked. Just because the goblin wasn¡¯t here, he didn¡¯t want the valuable character left out of the arrangement.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace said.  ¡°My crafter will make anything you want.¡±


    ¡°Psycho will accompany me as a bodyguard on dangerous missions?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jace nodded.


    ¡°And you will give us the level 50 crystal?¡±


    Jace winced. If he wanted the item''s existence to remain a secret, he shouldn¡¯t have shown it off in the public video he had made killing Drescher.  ¡°As a monk, you can¡¯t use it.  I can¡¯t even use it.  Gromphy uses it to craft.  That is where it is most valuable.¡±


    ¡°I can use it,¡± Karo interrupted.


    Jace nodded.  The demon possessed more than enough power to use the crystal effectively.  ¡°I do not have it with me at the moment,¡± he said, addressing Karo directly.  ¡°But as soon as I do, I will give it to you.¡±


    ¡°And what of Draya?¡± Vithium asked.


    Jace growled.  ¡°What of her?  You have a 20-foot-tall companion that can spew demon fire.  What do you need an immature dragon for?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need her fire,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°I have other needs.  Besides, I am about to lose Esther.  I need another of your companions to keep me warm at night.¡±


    Jace worked hard to control his emotions.  Selvecia watched him struggle and laughed.  Jace ignored her.  ¡°You have a brothel filled with women far more exotic than my mage,¡± he growled.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vithium admitted.  ¡°And they will all willing do anything I want whenever I want.  Where is the fun in that?  A hint of reluctance makes it so much sweeter.  Draya will be forced to obey you, but she won¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°You raping bastard,¡± Jace said evenly.  This wasn¡¯t about Draya.  This was about forcing Jace to submit to Vithium¡¯s will.  It was all ego, and Jace knew he didn¡¯t have a choice.  ¡°You will have access,¡± he said quietly.


    ¡°Access?¡± Vithium repeated louder.  ¡°Access?  I don¡¯t want access.  I want her on her knees begging for more.¡±  The monk walked right up to Jace, his eyes inches from the restrained orc.  ¡°Let me be clear.  Whenever I want, you will tell Draya to open her pretty little mouth and let me inside.¡±


    Jace quivered with rage, but the monks behind him didn¡¯t let him do anything other than speak.  ¡°I promise,¡± he finally said.


    Selvecia cackled with glee.  ¡°He is telling the truth.¡±


    Vithium spun away from the orc to regard his two powerful companions.  ¡°He always has a trick up his sleeve.  He¡¯s agreeing to everything too easily.¡±


    ¡°You think this is easy?¡± Karo bellowed, flexing his arms.  ¡°Besides, I wouldn¡¯t expect a Guile monk like you to understand.  I am Honest.  I know this Jace Thorne is too.  I can feel the passion and conviction with which he speaks.  If my priestess says he is telling the truth, I believe him.  If he goes back on his word, his own god will damn him, and we won¡¯t need to take retribution.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Vithium said, throwing up his hands.  ¡°Proceed with the ceremony.¡±


    ¡°I agree to your terms,¡± Jace spoke up, stopping any motion toward Esther, ¡°under one condition.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Vithium cried, spinning around and running back to Jace.  ¡°There it is!  No!  You are in no position to make requests.  We will not fall prey to your scheming plans.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Let him speak,¡± Karo said.  ¡°Let us hear what he has to say, and then we can decide.  He has agreed to your impositions at great cost to his Traditional alignment.  If his conditions make it easier for him to live out his promises, we would be fools to deny him.¡±


    Vithium growled in response but didn¡¯t argue further.  Not for the first or last time did Jace wonder who really called the shots.  Jace turned to Karo.  ¡°I agree to your terms as long as I¡¯m the one to kill Esther.¡±


    The demon burst out in laughter.  ¡°I did not anticipate that!  How could I refuse!¡±


    ¡°You have to refuse!¡± Vithium said.  ¡°It is a trick.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything he could have said that you wouldn¡¯t called a trick?¡± Selvecia asked.  Vithium said nothing.  ¡°I thought not.¡±  She turned to Jace.  ¡°Promise me you will kill Esther according to the spell.  You will not act early, and you will tarry, allowing the energy to dissipate.¡±


    Jace nodded.  ¡°I promise.¡±


    The priestess shrugged.  ¡°He is not lying.  I trust him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this,¡± Vithium said, throwing up his hands.  It looked like he was about to say more, but he paused, cocking his head in the universal pose of a player listening to his operator.


    If Jace had to guess, he was being told that his relationship with Karo and Selvecia was plummeting.  If he kept pushing back on their desires, it might fall below an acceptable level.  Jace currently had one open spot for a new NPC.  After Esther died, he would have two.  Right now, the demon pair appeared to respect Jace more than Vithium.  If the monk wasn¡¯t careful he could lose everything.


    Vithium calmed himself and turned to his companions with a pensive expression.  He tried a different angle.  ¡°Do we even need to kill her?¡±


    ¡°We must complete the ceremony,¡± Karo said.


    ¡°But you¡¯re already free,¡± Vithium argued.  ¡°You¡¯re already invincible.  What is she going to do?¡± he motioned toward Esther.  ¡°Make you pretty?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Karo and Selvecia said together.


    ¡°If I was to walk into any city in the realms,¡± Karo explained, ¡°people would scream and attack me.  Armies would gather, and powerful priests would be summoned.¡±


    ¡°You would kill them all,¡± Vithium replied.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Karo said.  ¡°But then, who would I rule?¡±


    ¡°Eventually, they will give up and bow down to you in fear,¡± the monk said.


    Selvecia laughed.  ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who said the goal was to have people follow us willingly?¡±


    Vitium had no retort.


    Karo nodded his head.  ¡°One who rules in fear never truly rules.  Only when you win their hearts are you in command.¡±


    ¡°You want them to love you?¡± Vithium asked.


    ¡°Lust is the right word,¡± Selvecia said.  ¡°And not the crude fleshy desires you specialize in, but the genuine feelings of the heart.  A true desire for safety, for security, for contentment.¡±  The priestess pointed at Esther.  ¡°She has that power.  We want it.¡±


    Jace watched Vithium listen to another argument from his operator and eventually shrugged in defeat.  ¡°Very well, but keep a close eye on him.  I still think he is planning something.¡±  The monk could say no more and walked to the back of the alcove, a safe distance from Esther.


    Selvecia motioned to the monks holding Jace, and they let him go.  The orc stood and stretched his cramped body.  Suddenly, all his magical spells opened back up to him.  He could summon stone, increase his strength, or cast the rest of his totems.  He did none of it.  He didn¡¯t even enter his inventory.  The two demons before him were so advanced in skill that any misstep he might make was sure to be detected.  They trusted him right now.  He didn¡¯t want to lose that.


    As he stepped into the pentagram, Jace saw Atrax walking toward him, holding out the knife.  ¡°I can¡¯t use that,¡± the shaman said.


    ¡°Not any weapon will work for this spell,¡± Selvecia explained.  ¡°The sword you used to kill the giants won¡¯t channel the magic.¡±


    Jace nodded, glad to hear his favorite weapon was too holy for a dark sacrament like this.  ¡°In the inventory you stole from me, you should find a Chaos halberd.  I¡¯m sure it will suffice.¡±


    Karo nodded to Atrax, and the vampire jogged over to the minions guarding the equipment they had taken. A few seconds later, he returned with the blade.  Jace had killed many enemies with that weapon, and he had hoped never to need it again.


    Selvecia took the halberd from the vampire, cast a spell, and then smiled.  ¡°This will do nicely.  I wouldn¡¯t have expected someone with your reputation to have a weapon like this.¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t know if that was a compliment or not and didn¡¯t reply.  Instead, he beckoned for the blade, and the priestess handed it over.  Atrax took many steps back.  As Jace walked toward Esther¡¯s altar, he saw Tristan on the other side, also keeping his distance but with his swords drawn and both eyes carefully tracking the shaman.  Only Karo and Selvecia stayed close.


    Jace tuned them all out and focused on Esther.  His tall orc frame gave him a clear view of the woman lying on the tall pedestal, and he didn¡¯t like what he saw.  Her hands and feet remained encased in the rock, which had long since cooled, but the burns had traveled completely up all four limbs and still inflicted incredible pain.


    Before he could say anything, Jace saw the light at his feet as Selvecia triggered the start of the spell.  He turned to the priestess with a concerned look.  ¡°Let me say goodbye first.¡±  She didn¡¯t want to delay, but Karo nodded his head.


    Jace turned back to Esther.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Esther whimpered, her voice hoarse.


    Jace felt it was, but he didn¡¯t want to waste these precious few seconds arguing with her.  ¡°I¡¯m going to make the pain go away now,¡± he said.


    She tried to smile at him but couldn¡¯t.  ¡°I¡¯m not going to wake up in my bed, am I?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I don¡¯t know.  Where have you been sleeping?¡±


    Despite herself, Esther chuckled, but it turned into hacking coughs that punished her already tormented body.  She struggled for control.  ¡°I¡¯m going to wake up inside of him, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Jace didn¡¯t need to look over his shoulder to know who she implied.  He nodded and lowered his voice.  ¡°Give him hell.¡±


    Esther winced, careful not to laugh.  ¡°I think he¡¯s already full.¡±


    Jace smiled.  ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡±


    She grimaced.  ¡°Don¡¯t make me cry.¡±


    ¡°Enough!¡± Sevecia said.  ¡°Let¡¯s get on with it.¡±


    Jace stepped back to accommodate his weapon¡¯s length and hoisted the halberd over his shoulder.  The light beneath his feet started swirling around their location, concentrating beneath the altar.  ¡°I will find you,¡± Jace said, tears streaming down his face.


    Esther smiled.  ¡°I know.¡±  And then the power surged up through her, arching her back like the others and pulling on her already tortured limbs.  Jace didn¡¯t hesitate.  The weapon had the Coup de Grace ability, but at Esther¡¯s current health, he wouldn¡¯t need it.  The magic surged into the halberd, and he brought it crashing down on her neck.  The unholy blade cut clean through, ringing against the cold stone slab like a church bell.  He stepped back, dropping the halberd on the floor, hoping he would never have to pick it up again.


    Esther¡¯s body dissolved into a million tiny gemstones, glittering and sparkling in the cavern¡¯s red light.  They rolled off the altar, filled the etched pattern below him, and rushed toward the demon standing in the center.  As the precious stones swarmed over his body, Jace couldn¡¯t help but think of his earlier conversation with Vithium.  This wasn¡¯t a scene from Revelation; it was a scene from Ezekiel where the Bible described Satan, an angel who later became a demon.  Jace watched the transformation in reverse as the demon took on angelic qualities.  Books were available in the game, and a player in Safe Haven had imported the Bible and sold it for cheap in his shop.  Jace references it often, as so many of the quests revolved around Sunday school stories.  He pulled up the text in question now.


    ¡°You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering; sardius, topaz, and diamond; beryl, onyx, and jasper; sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings           and your engravings.¡±


    {What¡¯s that from?} Gracie asked.


    ¡°The Bible,¡± Jace answered, watching as the gemstones melded with the demon before him, transforming what had been a hideous monster into something slightly more elegant.


    {Are you going to be okay?} Gracie asked.  {I¡¯m not going to lie.  That was one of the roughest things I¡¯ve ever seen in the game.  And I¡¯ve seen a lot.}


    ¡°It¡¯s all part of the plan,¡± Jace said.


    {I know.  But that doesn¡¯t make it easy.}


    Jace smiled.  ¡°Nothing worth having is.¡±


    The spell ended, and Karo looked down, admiring his slightly altered form.  ¡°How do I look?¡±  Jace wasn¡¯t going to comment, so he glanced over his shoulder at Vithium.  The monk stood transfixed, but it wasn¡¯t at Karo.  His eyes focused on Selvecia.  Jace followed his stare and took a few steps back in shock.


    The changes to the priestess were even more subtle than those to her master, but they were significant.  Her chest had grown slightly.  Her hips had a little more sway in them.  Her facial features were less angular and more pleasant.  She wore jewelry now, too, with diamonds dangling from her ears, pearls around her neck, and a slender gold chain daintily hanging about her thin waist.  However, it was her eyes that drew Jace in.  The more he looked at her, the more he saw Esther staring back at him.  He had to turn away.


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Vithium said, running into the pentagram.  Jace stepped back to give him room, but not far enough to put him in range of the monks.  For now, they let him stand free.


    ¡°Not her, you fool.  Me.¡± Karo said, stepping in front of the player.


    ¡°What, oh, you?¡± he said, having to forcefully pull his eyes away from the intoxicating priestess.  ¡°You look fine, but you still can¡¯t walk into any village and not be attacked.  You still look like a ferocious demon, though . . .¡± his eyes drifted to Sevecia again, ¡°I suppose it''s an improvement.¡±


    ¡°How about now?¡± Karo asked, and he was suddenly consumed by red and white magic as rubies and diamonds swirled around him, hiding his body inside a tornado of energy.  The spell only took six seconds, and Jace could see the body inside transform considerably as the cyclone grew smaller and smaller.  When it finally disappeared, a man stood where the demon had.  His deeply tanned skin looked almost red, and he wore cotton trousers with a simple leather vest.  His arms and chest were sculpted as if from stone, and when he smiled, magic flowed off him.


    Vithium took a step back, in awe of the gorgeous man.  Even Jace had a hard time looking away.  Above Karo¡¯s transformed head hung the numbers 22 and 880.  The shaman didn¡¯t think for a moment that those were his new stats.  They were all part of the illusion.


    ¡°That will work,¡± Vithium replied breathlessly.  ¡°Is it still you inside?  Do you still have all your power?¡±


    Karo smiled and laughed.  ¡°It is all here.¡±  His voice sounded like warm stew dipped in honey.


    ¡°Good,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°I stand corrected.  People will get in line to kneel and worship you.  And we will start with him.¡±  He spun on Jace.  ¡°I don¡¯t know if you still have something up your sleeve, but it ends now.  Get on your knees and convert to your new god.¡±


    ¡°I will not,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°Liar!¡± the monk shrieked.


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I am not lying.  I never promised to worship your demon.  I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t?¡± Vithium asked.  ¡°I killed my god.  You can at least disown yours.¡±


    Jace shook his head.  ¡°Everything I have is from him.  If I deny him, I lose it all.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if your abilities are reduced,¡± Vithium said.  ¡°We want your companions, not you.¡±


    Jace laughed.  ¡°Then you¡¯re an idiot.  How do you think I got my companions?  How do you think I keep them?  You might think you don¡¯t want me, but eventually, a quest will surface that no one else can pass.  Your demon friends will bang their heads against it to no avail.  You will need me.  Plus, I still have objectives in the game I need to fulfill.  If I can¡¯t function, I won¡¯t log in, and you don¡¯t get access to my friends.¡±  Since Jace wasn¡¯t Grappled, he could walk toward the monk.  He took a few menacing steps until he towered over the man.  ¡°I will not kneel to your demon.¡±


    Vithium moved back from the aggressive player.  ¡°How do I know you won¡¯t ever attack me?¡±


    Jace smiled at him.  ¡°I promise to never lift a hand against you.¡±


    Vithium was stunned.  ¡°And your companions?¡±


    Jace shrugged.  ¡°I can¡¯t promise for them, and if they lie, it doesn¡¯t hurt them as much as me.  But I promise to instruct them only as you have requested.  I can¡¯t offer any more.¡±


    ¡°So what assurances do I have?¡±


    ¡°My word,¡± Jace said.


    ¡°That is enough for me,¡± Karo said, wishing to end this circular discussion.  ¡°As of this moment forward, I do not consider Jace Thorne an enemy.¡±


    ¡°But what if he attacks you?¡± Vithium asked.


    Karo and Selvecia laughed.  ¡°Let him,¡± the indestructible demon lord said.  ¡°What do I care.¡±


    Vithium looked at Jace one last time, still not convinced, but as Karo summoned Atrax and Tristan to discuss their next plans, the monk had no choice but to run forward and join his party.  As soon as Karo turned his back on Jace, the red flashing around his vision vanished, and the shaman finally left combat mode.


    The welcome chime of his ascension to level 20 filled his head.


    Killing Esther by himself had been just enough experience points.

 Chapter 72

    Getting to level 20 in the game was a big deal. Less than 5% of characters ever did. But most of it was status and ego. A level 20 character was not twice as powerful as a level 19. Every fifth level was significant, and the boost you got at 20 was no more important than the ones you got at 10 and 15.


    To Jace and Draya, it was different. Jace could now transform into a stone elemental, activating all his stone boons at once, while Draya could become a dragon. It involved a lot of character sheet manipulation, which is why Jace and Gracie had gone over the process in detail while he was unconscious, hoping he would be able to find a way to gain the last few thousand experience points.


    Draya was easier. She took a stat boost to Constitution, giving her five extra points to spend, all of which she put into Hitpoints, raising her health from 380 to 520. The rest of her feats followed her normal progression, increasing her Magic Defense, improving the difficulty of her illusions, and, most of all, attaining Dragon Form.


    For Jace¡¯s fifth totem, he chose Stone Floor, which, unlike his other totems, he could place on any surface. It allowed the shaman to treat a wide area as if it were covered in stone up to his totem range. The cost to make this useful for a combat specialist who liked to move around was ridiculously high, but now, with the armanacore, he had magic to spare. He chose Stone Footing as his new stone ability, which made it much harder for a character to trip or Grapple him while standing on stone. Combined with the Stone Floor totem, he wouldn¡¯t lose too many more wrestling matches.


    Jace took his free ability increase to Constitution, raising that to 22. After all his adjustments, he had 860 HP and a base mana pool of almost 1,000. However, even with all these upgrades, his ability to turn into a 20-foot-tall stone elemental, and Draya¡¯s ability to turn into a dragon, they still had no chance against Karo.


    In order to change that, Jace turned to his last level 20 upgrade. Divine Alliance was a rare spell, and almost no one chose it. It wasn¡¯t in any character¡¯s spell book and was only available as a fifth level choice for divine characters. It allowed the player to choose to follow another god for the duration of the spell. Most gods didn¡¯t have it or were aligned with gods possessing opposite skill sets. So if you built your character to match your god¡¯s strengths, likely any god they aligned with wouldn¡¯t help you.


    Dexmachi did have it, and, as expected, he had an alliance with Shimbato. This would give Jace temporary benefits and access to the other god¡¯s spell list. Most importantly, it should allow him to take control of the monastery.


    Timing was of the essence. As soon as he claimed the stronghold, Vithium would get an alert, and then the gig would be up. The monk would turn around and see Jace had leveled to 20, but he would probably struggle for a few moments trying to figure out precisely what the orc had done.


    The Divine Alliance spell was so rare and useless that Vithium couldn¡¯t have guessed Jace had it. And if he did, the shaman would have already activated it. Vithium probably didn¡¯t know Jace was here on a mandatory divine quest. He thought the orc had come for Esther and gave the shaman credit for figuring out where to go. The chance that Jace¡¯s god had this spell and an alliance with Shimbato was so minuscule it probably hadn¡¯t been considered, assuming the player or his operator had planned anything. Likely, Karo had dictated most of this.


    Jace cast the spell and selected Shimbato. Two other gods Jace had never heard of were also available, but he ignored them. Jace realized there was a chance that Shimbato wouldn¡¯t be available as he might have already been deleted. If that were the case, Jace figured he would have gotten an alert telling him he had failed his divine quest. Instead, he got a different notification.


    [You are in a Shimbato stronghold. There is currently no qualified character in control of this stronghold. Would you like to claim it?]


    Jace hesitated and decided to cast the rest of his useful totems first, spreading them around the room. Before him, six characters exchanged words in a heated discussion. It was clear that Vithium¡¯s desire to have a good time and make money contrasted violently with Karo¡¯s desire to rule the realms. Jorl stood with the group, choosing to make himself corporeal for the meeting, though his face remained hidden. Any time the monk disagreed with one of Karo¡¯s plans, the assassin tilted his cowl toward the player, and Vithium shut up. None of them paid Jace any attention, and the crowd behind him wasn¡¯t keen enough to detect discrete spell-casting.


    Jace added a few boons on himself, adjusted some settings in the stronghold, and then looked over at Draya. Other than the 20 above her head, no one could tell a dragon now lurked just beneath the surface. Even Draya didn¡¯t know, as she couldn¡¯t access her inventory while Grappled. Her mind was elsewhere. She had recently tried to kill Psycho and had just watched Esther die. Her body convulsed with sobs, still held firmly by the demons behind her.


    Taking a deep breath, Jace returned to his settings, pulled the neglected notification back up, and claimed the stronghold.


    ¡°What the #$%&!¡± Jace heard Vithium cry after only a second.


    He couldn¡¯t worry about that. He needed to navigate to the stronghold settings and . . .


    [Become a Shimbato Champion! Hostile forces have invaded Shimabto¡¯s stronghold. Defeat all enemies and gain . . .]


    The notification popped up in Jace¡¯s vision, and he didn¡¯t have time to deal with it. He mentally clicked accept just to dismiss it. ¡°Gracie, what was that? Tell me I didn¡¯t make a mistake by accepting it.¡±


    {No, boss, it¡¯s good. Very good. Assuming you don¡¯t die.}


    Jace was only half listening, navigating through the stronghold settings until he found what he was looking for. Through the translucent stronghold screen, he could see Vithium staring at him while conversing fiercely with his operator and Karo. The demon didn¡¯t notice anything different. He just saw Jace standing there placidly. That was about to change. Finding the list of NPCs who had died and were being held hostage, Jace released Esther and Snowy.


    Though the rogue had the least impact on Karo¡¯s omnipotence, the shaman couldn¡¯t help but play favorites. The demon suddenly grew to his former size and monstrous appearance, stumbling backward, Dazed by the transformation. Selvecia fell to her knees and clutched at her body as if someone had assaulted her. Even Jorl¡¯s knees buckled, though he kept his balance. Jace feared the assassin most of all, and as Vithium raced toward him, the shaman waited until the last moment before releasing Delly next.


    He had the option to Reset or Respawn the NPC.  Jace had no idea what kind of chaos resetting the character would cause.  Delly¡¯s origin module wasn¡¯t a self-contained environment like the other NPCs he had reset after taking Stormhold.  It was the now bustling kingdom of Zamora.  Resetting her couldn¡¯t undue all that; it would probably just make her a mercenary in the city with no knowledge of anything that had happened before and at a fraction of her present power.  Jace didn¡¯t want that, so he chose to Respawn her, hopefully, so she would wake up in her new palace with a full memory of everything that had happened.


    An earthquake shook the cavern, throwing almost everyone to the floor, including Vithium¡¯s party members.  The three demon characters lurched about painfully on the ground as their bodies transformed into their weaker, former selves.  ¡°Keep respawning the angels one at a time,¡± Jace instructed Gracie.  ¡°I¡¯m about to be busy.¡±


    The sure-footed monk racing toward the shaman hadn¡¯t fallen, but neither had Jace with his new Stone Footing ability. Other than his Armor totem and boons, Jace had no time for a defense. He had his Stone Skin and Stone Flesh activated but was sure the crafty monk had ways around that. So, Jace Stood his Ground.


    The player couldn¡¯t do the math fast enough to know if he had a statistical advantage against the monk and didn¡¯t know his adversary¡¯s exact alignment anyway. He didn¡¯t think it would matter. He was right. Expecting a trick from Jace, Vithium used his own unique skill and missed on purpose to enact his Strawman ability. If Jace hadn¡¯t been expecting it, he understood how effective it would have been. Part of the illusion made it look like a loose stone had affected Vithium¡¯s last step, causing him to slip right before his attempted punch. The fist passed inches from Jace¡¯s face, and the orc saw the monk freeze beside him. It would have been so easy to attack the seemingly flat-footed opponent, but he ignored it. Instead, Jace activated his Convict ability.


    He had never used this skill against a player and didn¡¯t know what to expect. Jace had three critical successes from the missed attack. One was based on numbers, another because Vithium had ¡°rolled¡± a 1 on purpose, and the last was a bonus critical from Dexmachi because Jace had made a promise not to lift a hand against Vithium and had kept it. Knowing his god approved of his actions, Jace got creative as he scoured Vithium¡¯s character sheet and changed options he had told himself he would never mess with. Before, he had adjusted things like restrictions, settings, or natures and had steered away from selections that would change who the character was. Vithium didn¡¯t deserve that level of respect.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Six seconds later, the player had changed from a human monk to a halfling sea druid who served a goddess with a hatred of stone and fire. To Jace, it sounded like a fun build to try on an island-hopping adventure, but not so good when you were stuck in a mammoth cave. The shaman dismissed his settings and looked down to see the frozen halfling standing beside him, unable to change expressions to reveal the shock the former monk must be feeling. Jace believed this was now the actual character and not a strawman decoy, as that ability didn¡¯t exist within Vithium¡¯s new character sheet. Based on the severity of the failed attack, he should be frozen for at least another round.


    Jace¡¯s ego didn¡¯t require the need to exchange last words with his enemy, knowing that was what usually cost his adversaries when dealing with him, and he had no intention of allowing Vithium to emerge from his paralyzed state. However, he had promised not to lift a hand against the player and didn¡¯t plan on breaking that now. Luckily, a furious red dragon stood behind the halfling, and she had heard everything the vile player had said.


    When Jace had released Delly, the ensuing earthquake had thrown Draya and the demons holding her to the ground. As the guards picked themselves up, Draya transformed. A swipe of her new tail had sent her opponents flying back into the mass of minions, and she had been able to stand without fear of attack.


    Like Psycho, Jace hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to face off against a dragon in the game yet and didn¡¯t know what to expect. Draya looked small, her head only fifteen feet off the ground. Her body, about the same size, stretched out behind her, balanced by a ten-foot tail. She had dark red scales along her back, with light pink underneath. A streak of black scales ran down her neck to mimic the one in her red hair, brought on by her earlier encounter with demon fire. Her face looked oddly familiar, retaining many characteristics of her human form despite the elongated snout.


    ¡°Draya,¡± Jace said, ¡°open your pretty little mouth and let Vithium inside. He made me promise.¡±


    Draya grinned broadly, revealing a terrifying row of sharp, white teeth. Her head moved faster than a viper, gobbling the halfling up in one bite. Though she was small for a dragon and would never have been able to hold Jace or even Psycho in her mouth, Vithium¡¯s new form was barely an appetizer. She chewed him viciously for a full round before grimacing in disgust and spewing him out toward the back of the cavern in a gout of flame.


    The two monks that had held Jace rushed the unarmed orc. They tried the magical step spell to close the distance in a second, but Jace was ready and raised a three-foot-thick wall of stone before them. Their infinite momentum crushed their bodies against the barrier, and then Jace flattened it down on top of them with a simple hand motion. It wasn¡¯t enough to kill them outright, but they wouldn¡¯t be getting up soon.


    Jace checked on the remains of Vithium¡¯s party before turning to address the horde of minions behind him. Selvecia had recovered quickly from the loss of Delly¡¯s power, as most of that had gone to Karo and had taken to the air. So Gracie had released Tami next. The wings disappeared from the priestess, and she crashed to the ground. Atrax and Tristan had started to charge against Jace, but when the orc shaman had turned their leader into a halfling and a red dragon had eaten him, they held their attacks in check.


    When Gracie released Kai Morte, and Karo¡¯s enhanced scales burst apart all over his body, Jace felt confident enough to turn his back on them for a moment to address the 50 characters behind him. Draya stood beside the orc, eyeing the enemy collection, smoke wafting from her nostrils and death in her eyes. The assorted foes could probably overwhelm the two characters in a few rounds. But it was equally probable that the first dozen or so enemies who tried would be roasted alive or crushed beneath stone.


    Jace took advantage of the hesitation and reached up to the ceiling where a dozen massive stalactites still hung. He willed cracks in the giant spears and used half his natural mana to rip them from their moorings. The rain of stone crushed at least twenty different enemies and sent the rest scattering in fear. ¡°Keep them on the run,¡± Jace said. ¡°I have a demon to kill.¡± As Draya flapped her wings and took to the air, chasing the minions with streams of fire, Jace turned around.


    Gracie had just released Leah, and the bursts of diminished power dissipated out of the demonic trio like the dying throes of a Fourth of July sparkler. Karo picked himself off the ground, still a formidable opponent and a balrog in his own right, but Selvecia and Jorl felt naked by comparison and scattered from the alcove.


    ¡°What have you done?¡± Karo said, his voice no less intimidating. Muscles, spikes, and claws still covered his body as he flexed his arms and stared down Jace, demon fire flashing out of his mouth with each syllable.


    ¡°I leveled the playing field,¡± Jace said, walking toward the monster.


    Karo laughed. ¡°What? You level with me? In what realm?¡±


    Jace had been dying to try his new spell and finally initiated it. It took 2,000 mana from his second core, but by the expression on Karo¡¯s face, it was worth it. It looked like a god had reached down and pulled up the stone beneath Jace¡¯s feet, like lifting the center of a round tablecloth. It moved up and through the shaman, his body transforming as the rock flowed through him. The two melded into one, and in the passing of six seconds, a twenty-foot-tall stone elemental stood in Jace¡¯s place.


    ¡°In this realm,¡± Jace answered and rushed the demon.


    <hr>


    Gromphy had been waiting impatiently. He knew two ogres stood just outside his trunk, their eyes focused on the magical object. At least, that was what the vampire had told them to do before he continued toward the entrance with two other fighters. Gromphy feared if he cracked the lid even a little, their warty, spindly fingers would shove inside, lift the top all the way, and reveal the goblin cowering inside.


    So Gromphy waited.


    Several tremors shook the box, but the last one had been incredibly violent, throwing the ogres to the ground. Gromphy finally took his chance, opened the lid slightly, and threw Adam¡¯s figurine onto the floor. The resulting pounding only lasted a few rounds, and when it was over, the crafter opened his trunk all the way and found his adamantium golem standing beside two very dead ogres. The smashed bodies reminded Gromphy of one of his tribe''s favorite recipes from the old days, but he didn¡¯t have time now. Jace would need his help.


    Gromphy climbed out of the trunk and was about to bring the storage device into his inventory when he heard footsteps and heavy breathing coming from his left. Was a vampire returning? Sort of.


    Adam and Gromphy both turned to see Esther and Snowy trudging down the hall, trying to run but completely out of breath. Esther wore only the starter tunic. ¡°Art thou mad?¡± he asked. ¡°What would possess thee to frolic outside?¡±


    ¡°Have . . . to . . . catch . . . my . . . breath,¡± Esther said, reaching out her arm to lean heavily against the wall.


    ¡°Whatever for?¡± Gromphy asked. ¡°Didst thee climb the steps again?¡±


    Esther shook her head. ¡°No. Jace added a node . . . just outside the front door.¡± Her arm gave way, and she flipped to her back against the smooth stone. Snowy collapsed on the floor.


    ¡°Thou art this tired from only a hundred yards?¡± Gromphy asked, judging the distance from the entrance. ¡°What didst thee do? Was it . . .¡± Gromphy looked again at her clothes and figured it out just as Esther told him.


    She made a cutting gesture across her neck with her finger. ¡°Cut my head off. . . Woke up in bed. . . Good plan. . . Not fun inside the demon. . . But now . . .¡± she slumped to the floor.


    ¡°Stupid girl!¡± Gromphy cried. ¡°Resurrection sickness requireth two hours of respite. Running like that might have killed thee.¡±


    ¡°Now . . . you tell me,¡± she panted, barely able to keep her head up.


    Gromphy turned back to his trunk, rummaged around for a few seconds, and returned with a bubbling green concoction. ¡°Here, drink this . . .¡± he started to offer it to the woman, but Esther had already passed out, lying limp on the floor. The goblin propped her head up on his lap, tilted her mouth open, and carefully poured half its contents down her throat. He then moved over to Snowy, who had better endurance than Esther and was still awake. The wolf lapped up a few drops first and then rolled to her back so Gromphy could pour the rest down her eager mouth.


    Within a minute, both characters were awake and chipper. ¡°Wow,¡± Esther said. ¡°That is amazing! Way better than the gnome''s coffee. Where have you been hiding that?¡±


    ¡°I hath not been hiding it,¡± the goblin said. ¡°Its components are more expensive than thy blades. And if thee shouldst drink it whence thou were not so fatigued, thy heart would explode.¡±


    Esther only focused on one of those words. ¡°My blades. I don¡¯t have them. If I¡¯m to rush in there and save Jace, I need weapons. What else do you have in that chest?¡±


    Gromphy clapped his hands in excitement. Equipping characters was the crafter¡¯s calling in life, and like an artist staring at a blank canvas, Esther had nothing. A minute later, the rogue stood better equipped than almost anyone in the game. The goblin couldn¡¯t reproduce her old blades or armor, but he came close, transforming her into a stealthy, sword-wielding, killing machine. Gromphy even gave Snowy a collar and ankle bracelets to enhance her Magic Defense and speed.


    ¡°Wish us luck,¡± Esther said, racing past the goblin and toward the distant cavern. ¡°And you better follow after us.¡±


    Gromphy intended to and turned to repack his trunk as Adam stood watch. Voices from behind stopped him before he finished, and he spun around to see four characters jogging toward him.


    ¡°There are three vampires . . .¡± Leah gasped, leaning hard against the wall.


    ¡°And two frost giants . . .¡± Delly panted, dropping to her knees.


    ¡°Chasing us . . .¡± Kai said breathlessly, his hands on his knees.


    ¡°Please help us . . .¡± Tami uttered, stumbling forward into the waiting goblin.


    Gromphy caught the skinny mermaid and gently set her on the floor. ¡°Adam?¡± the crafter turned to his companion. The faceless golem nodded, hasted himself, and raced back in the direction the woman had come. As a distant pounding began to echo up the hall, accompanied by the deep bellowing of frost giants, Gromphy turned to his trunk and produced four small green vials. ¡°Here, drink these.¡±


    The exhausted angles didn¡¯t ask questions and gulped the offered potions before they passed out. ¡°Now,¡± Gromphy said, rubbing his hands with glee. ¡°What type of weapons dost thou prefer?¡±

 Chapter 73

    Jace''s fight against Karo wasn¡¯t going as planned, though, in honesty, he didn¡¯t really have a plan beyond advancing to 20 and releasing the angels.  The orc-turned-stone-elemental didn¡¯t have a weapon or proficiency in unarmed attacks.  Jace guessed being aligned with a monk god gave him some benefits, but not enough.  He remembered when he had fist-fought the orc leader in Psycho¡¯s origin quest and had generated as many critical misses as hits.  It wasn¡¯t like that now, as Karo¡¯s massive size gave Jace several bonuses to hit him, but the shaman wasn¡¯t doing any meaningful damage.


    Fortunately, at first, neither was the demon.  He primarily used his claws as bladed weapons, slashing and piercing his opponents.  Against Jace¡¯s stone skin, those attacks proved to be less effective, and it took him several rounds to realize this.  He eventually balled his hands into fists, and the blunt damage cracked and splintered Jace''s exoskeleton.  These were considered unarmed attacks, and, like Jace, Karo wasn¡¯t as proficient.  However, as powerful as he was, it didn¡¯t matter.


    The shaman¡¯s new Stone Footing ability was the only thing keeping him in the fight.  Critical strikes from the demon rocked him to his heels several times, and Jace knew without his stabilizing skill, he would have been thrown backward.  Still, even though he was supremely outmatched, Jace held his own.  In his mountainous form, he had a 2,000 HP bonus, and his Damage Sink totem had over 800 points to work through.  While he wasn¡¯t doing any damage to the demon, he felt he could trade blows for a while.  That was until Karo began unleashing his fire.


    The demon pummelled Jace into a Dazed condition from one titanic punch and then coiled his head back like a snake to unleash a full round of demon fire from his mouth.  Jace staggered under the onslaught for the first two rounds, his skin melting like a snowman in a blast furnace.  He recovered enough to punctuate the end of the spell with a punch to Karo¡¯s open jaw.  Since the full-round spell left the demon Flat-Footed, Jace actually scored a critical and did a handful of damage.


    It wasn¡¯t anything Karo worried about, but he changed tactics anyway, and instead of casting the complete spell again, he chose to spend mana with each punch, so demon fire flew from his fists as they crashed into Jace¡¯s stone flesh.  Cracks opened over his body and filled with fire.  The stone elemental bled lava, and Jace could feel his protections and strengths weakening.  After a few more rounds, his Damage Sink totem had expired, and he had shrunk in size enough to look eye to eye with the demon.


    Karo smiled at the change and unleashed another ferocious punch straight to Jace¡¯s chest.  Now that Jace no longer had a size advantage, the demon¡¯s critical success was enough to overcome the shaman¡¯s Stone Footing and launch him back over 100 feet.  Jace crashed into a collection of minions currently scattering from red dragon attacks, grinding two goblins to a pulp under his massive stone body.  The blow Stunned Jace for two rounds, and he lay still after sliding up against the far side of the cavern, a handful of vampires and monks scattering from his presence.  At the end of the second round, Jace¡¯s form transitioned back into an orc, and the retreating enemies paused before closing in on the vulnerable player.


    <hr>


    Draya enjoyed the experience of her new dragon body.


    When her demon guards had released her and her magical powers had been restored, the presence of her dragon form screamed out to her, and she initiated the spell without thinking.  At level twenty, she had ten free rounds of being a dragon, and she didn¡¯t want to waste them.  After chewing on Vitium for one, she spent the next few spewing fire and getting used to her wings.  In human form, she was terrified of heights, and she experienced a bit of vertigo in her first few seconds in the air.  However, her dragon core had come from the blood of an ancient serpent, and once she tapped into it fully, it felt as if she had been flying for ages.  After only a couple of rounds, she was as proficient with her wings as she was with her legs.


    The relatively low ceiling helped her get her bearings, as it gave her less than 100 feet of air space, preventing her from soaring too high.  The confined space also helped with her aim.  Draya¡¯s long neck and pronounced snout made her fire¡¯s release point and angle much different, and her enemies found early success in avoiding her flame attacks.  But, once they were pressed up against the wall or huddled into large groups, she found it easier to hit them.


    The goblins, orcs, and ogres fell the easiest.  Demons were immune to fire.   Vampires had magic about them combined with an unnatural quickness, while monks had unique abilities that protected them from elemental attacks.  The frost giant refused to run and bellowed in defiance at the dragon.  After scattering most of the smaller foes, Draya landed before the behemoth, who likely outweighed her by at least a factor of two.  She had to stretch her neck to its full height to look the creature in the eyes.


    The frost giant grinned at the dragon through his white beard, banging a huge mace against his shield and releasing a cone of frost from his mouth.  Draya didn¡¯t flinch and countered the magic with a full round belch of flames.  The mammoth humanoid fell dead after four seconds, and the last two allowed the fire to melt the rock behind him until it flowed down over his burnt corpse.


    Draya took to the air again and moments later saw Jace come flying into the picture.  She watched his massive body smack into the stone wall and revert to his orc form.  As enemies started to crowd around him, Draya fought them back with her incendiary breath, careful to avoid her fallen leader, knowing well his vulnerability to fire.


    Laughter from behind drew her attention, and she saw the demon stalking toward them.  The few remaining minions cheered at their master¡¯s resilience, and a few orcs and goblins raised spears toward Draya and heaved them at the dragon.  The projectiles lacked any strength and bounced harmlessly off her scales.  It would take a skilled archer to cause her any actual harm.  With that thought, she searched to the left where she last remembered Psycho.


    After Draya¡¯s attack on him, he had flown over a pair of vampires guarding their confiscated equipment before landing at the base of the wall.  The two undead minions still stood there, under strict orders not to leave their post.  Behind them, Esther crept into the cavern, and Draya¡¯s heart nearly leaped up her long neck and out her mouth.  The mage had last seen her friend sacrificed on the altar, and everything after that had been a red haze of rage and sorrow.  Clearly, Jace had done something to remove the magical enhancements Karo had undergone.  Draya didn¡¯t know what it was, but she was overjoyed it involved resurrecting her friend.


    The dragon snapped her eyes back at Karo.  Esther was hiding in the shadows, and Draya could only see her because they were in the same party.  The demon shouldn¡¯t know she was here, but as soon as she attacked the vampire guards, Karo would hear and see her.  Draya needed to give her friend time to recover her equipment and hopefully tend to Psycho.  She beat her wings furiously and issued a massive stream of fire at the demon.  Though the flames washed over him like a puff of warm air, the attack turned Karo¡¯s attention firmly on the young dragon.


    Draya ensured it stayed there by flapping her wings twice and launching herself at the grinning demon.  The force of the attack and her body weight were enough to hurl Karo backward, and Draya perched on his chest, her claws digging into his scaled torso while her head snapped down at his face.  Her biting attacks proved more effective than the fire but didn¡¯t do enough damage to make a difference.  As impressive as her dragon body was to look at, she was still only at level 20 and realistically no match for the demon.


    Karo recovered from the initial attack that had thrown him from his feet, got his arms and claws up to protect his face, and beat back at Draya.  The piercing attacks from his claws were much more effective against the dragon¡¯s scaled body than they had been against Jace¡¯s stone form, and Draya cried out in distress as Karo pumped demon fire into the wounds.  The black streak on her back flared to life, and her health plummeted.  After only two rounds on his back, Karo beat the dragon off him and stood up to fight.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Draya had lost a quarter of her health from the brief exchange and stood warily before the formidable enemy.  The feel of demon fire within her body brought back horrific memories, and her knees felt weak at the anticipation of more.  Karo didn¡¯t hesitate, stalking toward the exotic creature with his claws out and fire in his eyes.  Draya managed to slow him with a swipe of her tail and a wind attack from her wings, but she couldn¡¯t stop him, and after another round of punishing blows, Karo held the small dragon by her neck.  It looked like the demon might finish her by snapping her spine or breathing hellfire down her throat, but something distracted Karo, and he only heaved the limp dragon toward a cavern wall.


    Draya couldn¡¯t straighten her flight in time to prevent a violent crash, cracking the stone and bringing a small avalanche down on top of her.  The dragon transformed back into a young woman and disappeared beneath the rock pile.


    <hr>


    Esther crept into the cavern in the shadows, silent as death.  She wasn¡¯t as hidden as she was used to, but it was good enough, and she had an idea of where to find her old armor and weapons.  She had given instructions to Snowy to wait in the hall outside as the wolf couldn¡¯t hide as easily.  Two vampires stood before her, their backs turned to the rogue, watching the primary fight.  Esther paused to look as well, her jaw dropping as she saw an earth elemental and dragon fighting the hoard.  They had to be Jace and Draya, and as her leader got thrown across the room and Draya turned her attention to the demon, Esther knew she didn¡¯t have time to watch.  They would need help.


    She turned from the fantastic action to see Psycho slumped against the wall, barely alive.  She pulled a full restoration potion from her pouch and eased it into the slack-jawed archer¡¯s mouth.  Psycho stirred as soon as the liquid hit his tongue and quickly took the vial from Esther, pouring the rest of the elixir down his throat.  His eyes opened, and he stood ready for action.  He looked awe-struck for a moment as he saw a dragon wrestling with Karo but figured it out quickly.  His bow lay at his feet, but he had no arrows.


    ¡°Where . . .¡± he started to ask, but Esther put a finger to his lips and kept him against the wall for a moment.  She drew her temporary blades and then made a sneak attack against one of the vampires, killing him before his already cold body could hit the floor.  The other turned to her in surprise and would have had initiative against her, but Psycho stole his attention.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the elf said in a loud whisper.  The vampire turned to see the imposing archer standing with his bow at full draw, only 30 feet away.  The guard dove for cover before he could realize Psycho didn¡¯t have an arrow nocked.  Esther followed him, and he was dead two rounds later.


    Psycho was rooting through the storage chests as Esther finished her grisly work and found his cloak, still filled with the hundreds of specialty arrows Gromphy had crafted.  He quickly donned it and looked up to see Karo pummeling Draya and grabbing her by the neck.  The archer didn¡¯t waste time and sent three quick ice arrows at the demon, diving to the side just after he fired.  Karo flinched under the painful attacks and tossed the dragon aside to deal with the archer.


    Esther watched him go, trusting the elf could handle himself and would keep the powerful enemy distracted until she could help.  She found her far more extensive collection of items and equipped them as quickly as she could.  She spun about to check on Psycho¡¯s progress when she felt an excruciating pain lance up her side as if an arrow had hit her.  She clutched at her hip and spun about just in time to see a blur of shadow head for the cavern¡¯s exit.


    The dark form paused, its eyes peering back at the rogue from beneath a concealing cowl.  Esther saw a dagger dripping blood at waist level, implying the shadowed form had hands.  ¡°Jorl?¡± Esther asked.


    The shadow shrugged.  ¡°This is no longer my fight,¡± he whispered, his voice as dark as his appearance.  ¡°I leave you with a gift.¡±  His empty hand went up to the edge of his cowl in a mock salute, and he bolted through the entry.  Esther heard him cry out in surprise as Snowy howled at him.


    ¡°What gift?¡± she asked herself as she started after him, but then froze as pain shot up her side again.  Did he throw a second knife at her?  No, Esther realized as her body temperature rose and sweat poured off her head.  It was poison.


    It didn¡¯t matter; her recovered equipment had given her a full complement of potions. Antidotes were in her inventory, though, not in her quick-access pouch. Before she could retrieve one, another voice startled her.


    ¡°This is still my fight.¡±


    The sultry tone let Esther know who it was before she spun around.  Selvecia stood before the rogue, holding her staff tightly, the tip glowing with power.  The two females stared at each other for a few anxious seconds, each wondering what the other would do.  Esther wanted to get her antidote potion, but that would leave her Flat-Footed for a full round, giving the priestess bonuses to attack.  Then, the rogue still had to drink the elixir, which would provide Selvecia further advantage.  As pain pulsed Esther''s side, draining her recently restored life, she knew she had to do something.


    Just as the woman lurched forward, the demoness cast a spell, hitting Esther in the chest and slowing her already weakened form.  Her blades cut through empty air, as lethargic as if she were fighting underwater, Selvecia easily stepping aside.  The priestess hit the passing rogue with her staff, and the energized tip exploded into Esther¡¯s back, nearly throwing her to the ground as she stumbled past.


    The rogue spun about, eyeing the nimble priestess as breath came to her in labored gasps.  Esther faked left and then went right, but to Selvecia, the moves looked scripted and obvious.  She held on to her magic until the last moment and jabbed her long staff into Esther¡¯s midsection before the woman could get close enough for her blades.  A burst of demon fire threw the rogue to the side, and she nearly left the cavern as she fell near the exit Jorl had just used.


    Esther contemplated running back to Gropmhy for help, but as she looked past her uninjured foe to where Psycho danced about, taking potshots at the demon with little effect, she knew she didn¡¯t have the time.  The rogue picked herself up slowly, wincing as pain from the poison lanced up her side again, stealing more than just her health.  She felt slow and weak.  Still, the priestess couldn¡¯t have many combat bonuses; Esther only needed to get close enough to hit her.


    As she closed in on the demon a third time, Selvecia lifted her staff for a final attack.  A magical shimmer encircled her momentarily, and whatever spell she had been planning backfired, knocking the demoness back and tossing the rod from her hands.  For the first time in their encounter, Selvecia wore a mask of fear, and Esther took courage.  She felt a surge of strength rush through her as if a rousing battle tune played in her head, and she closed the gap to her enemy in a heartbeat.  This time, her blades didn¡¯t fail her, and she skewered the priestess on Chill, sending a wave of cold through her.


    Selvecia cried out in pain and began to cast another spell, but Esther turned and threw the demoness back in the direction she had come toward the door.  The red-skinned foe managed to stay on her feet, stumbling across the stone floor, and Esther smiled when she saw what awaited her.  Kai stepped forward to meet the priestess, raising his large shield and bashing Selvecia to the ground, doing almost as much damage as Esther¡¯s attack had.


    The downed priestess tried to cast from the ground, but the curse Leah had bestowed on her still held firm, and the paralyzing spell backfired, freezing her limbs instead of her enemies.  Tami looked on, smiling as she continued to sing the song that had restored some of Esther¡¯s vitality.  Delly stepped forward, spinning a massive battle axe at her side and cleaving Selvecia¡¯s head from her shoulders.


    ¡°Glad you could make it,¡± Esther gasped, her hands falling to her knees as she tried to catch her breath despite Tami¡¯s song.  The mermaid stopped singing for a moment, and both she and the paladin came forward to offer healing aid, but Esther waved them off and finally went into her inventory to get the antidote and a healing potion.  A few seconds later, she was back to full health and gripping her weapons with determination.


    ¡°How can we help?¡± Delly asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Esther said.  ¡°I don¡¯t make the plans.  Just kill something.¡±


    The group surveyed the scene.  Psycho kept Karo busy, running around the room and evading demon fire.  His attacks didn¡¯t cause much damage, but Karo couldn¡¯t ignore him either.  If the demon let the archer stand still for a few seconds, Psycho could activate several of his bonuses, and the elf¡¯s shots would penetrate deep into his target¡¯s body.  As it was, most of them bounced off of red scales, but it was effective in keeping Karo from engaging anyone else.


    The only other option would be Jace, who stood alone against a group of enemies.  He desperately summoned rock to protect him, throwing up walls and impaling enemies on spikes, but he wouldn¡¯t.  He held a stone shield and had picked up a discarded sword, but he would soon be overwhelmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not good against bigger foes,¡± Kai said.


    ¡°Neither am I,¡± Esther replied.


    ¡°I am,¡± Delly said, her muscles bulging as rage filled her eyes.  ¡°I want to take on the big guy.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Tami said.  ¡°Kai and Esther, take on the smaller minions and make your way to Jace to give him help.  Delly, hit Karo in close combat to give Psycho a chance to get a meaningful shot off.  Leah, see if you can strip some of the demon¡¯s protections so our attacks can get through.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Esther asked.


    ¡°Sing,¡± the bard replied.

 Chapter 74

    Jace knew he couldn¡¯t last much longer.  For a while, the only significant enemies left were the ones who could withstand dragon fire: vampires, demons, and monks.  Most of the orcs, goblins, and ogres had been reduced to burnt corpses, though a few still filled the ranks.  Jace guessed they must be spawning directly in the cavern, though he hadn¡¯t seen it happen directly.  He was too busy fending off the minions around him.


    His ability to control stone gave his enemies pause, but it took too much of his concentration, and casting the spells left him Flat-Footed to attacks from behind.  Eventually, the clever enemies figured this out, advancing in one direction to get Jace to summon a wall or a spike that might impale one of them, while a trio of foes attacked from behind, usually getting to the orc before he could spin to meet them.  He had picked up a sword another orc had dropped, but his proficiency was in two-handed weapons, and he didn¡¯t have a chance to hit these advanced foes whose levels all landed in the mid to high teens.


    Jace felt, rather than saw, the moment when Draya crashed into the wall, and an avalanche covered her.  At any moment, he expected Karo to storm toward him and finish him off with a final gout of demon fire, but it never came.  He didn¡¯t have time to find out why, as his attention couldn¡¯t leave the varied foes around him.  After a few more rounds of cat and mouse, he was sure the enemies were respawning as a group of four goblins charged him, waving spears and howling.


    This time, the shaman didn¡¯t take the bait.  He half closed his eyes in concentration as if preparing a spell, but instead of skewering the small creatures before him, he raised a wall directly behind, letting the goblins crash against his raised shield.  Jace heard the crunch of bones as the more advanced enemies ran into the rock behind him and found that the Dazed goblins before him were more susceptible to his sword.  After dicing them apart, he flipped around and, without looking, summoned stalagmites from the ground directly behind the six-foot wall he had called into existence.


    Jace heard cries of pain from the far side and raced around the barrier to find his impaled enemies.  He hacked apart their captured bodies and then had to raise his shield again as orcs charged from his left.  The bigger adversaries tried to barrel him over, but his Stone Footing held firm, and they bounced back.  However, vampires used the distraction to hit him from the right.  One slashed a sword across his side while the other Grappled him from behind.


    Again, Jace¡¯s Stone Footing saved him, and the undead fighter couldn¡¯t render him Helpless.  Instead, he struggled to get his teeth aligned with the big orc¡¯s neck.  Jace didn¡¯t fight too much, instead summoning another stalagmite directly behind him.  The spike shot up, catching the vampire between the legs and lifting him off the ground in the most painful way imaginable.  Jace let him suffer and turned his shield toward the other vampire to catch his second strike against the stone guard.  Unfortunately, he had forgotten about the orcs who had initiated this prolonged encounter, and without a shield in the way, their combined weight was enough to throw the shaman from his feet.


    Jace tucked and rolled with the shove, hoping to come up far from the dangerous combatants.  He did and rose to find most of his enemies keeping their distance, standing in a wide ring around him.  At first, Jace misunderstood their caution, but then he saw the reason.  Two recognizable figures stood before him, ready to take up the fight, and the nameless minions gave them initiative.


    ¡°You put up a valiant effort,¡± Atrax said, brandishing a moon blade and shield.  ¡°I don¡¯t know how you undid our ceremony, but I assume the angels are still in the realm somewhere.  Vithium is no great loss.  He only slowed us down.  After we kill you,¡± he looked sideways to Tristan, who stood with a blade in each hand, magic sizzling and cracking off the enchanted steel, ¡°we should have no problem finding them.¡±


    The vampire laughed.  ¡°You¡¯ve only ensured for them for a second painful death.  I¡¯ll be the one to get Esther.  Without you around to protect her, she should be easy to fin-¡± his voice cut off as the tip of a flaming rapier poked through his chest.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, honey,¡± Esther said, ripping the blade back out and sending her sire to his knees.  Jace expected her to continue slashing him up, but she sheathed her weapons and grabbed the Dazed vampire by the shoulders to spin him around.  ¡°Look me in the eyes when I kill you,¡± she said, lifting the wounded foe¡¯s chin.  She paused for a moment, then Grappled him to a Helpless condition and snapped his neck.


    Tristan turned toward the dangerous woman, his blades raised and his eyes glowing with a light that would prevent any stealthy movements from the rogue.  She didn¡¯t advance, instead glancing behind the spellsword, giving away the second attack.  Tristan turned just in time to collect Kai¡¯s shield bash on his crossed weapons and tumbled backward into a controlled somersault.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the spellsword said.  ¡°The weak link in the angel¡¯s group.  You wish to challenge . . .¡± his voice trailed off as Kai nodded toward him, and the faint shimmer of magical protection that had been enveloping the sword wielder vanished.  Tristan looked suddenly nervous and charged.  Jace wasn¡¯t sure what had happened, but he guessed Kai had just dispelled all of the mage¡¯s defenses.  Now, the paladin raised his shield toward the coming attack.


    Tristan didn¡¯t try to avoid the block and let his right-handed weapon hit solidly against the barrier.  Jace watched magic rush over the guard, hit Kai¡¯s left hand, and then vanish.  Tristan stepped back, stunned when the knight didn¡¯t drop his shield.  Kai only smiled and struck back.  Jace didn¡¯t need to watch, feeling confident in the inquisitor''s chances against the magic-dominant fighter. Kai was a hard counter to Tristan¡¯s strengths.  He turned instead to Esther.  She was busy kicking Atrax¡¯s corpse and muttering.


    So far, the surrounding enemies hadn¡¯t attacked, undoubtedly scripted to allow the fight between named NPCs to play out first.  Jace guessed Tristan wouldn¡¯t last too long and didn¡¯t want to tempt the timing.  ¡°Esther!¡± he cried.  She glanced up, and Jace saw her eyes look at him for the first time since he had taken her head. ¡°Esther,¡± he said again, his voice cracking under the emotional strain.  ¡°I¡¯m sorry . . .¡± his voice tailed off as he saw her roll her eyes into her inventory.  He wanted her full attention for the apology.Stolen story; please report.


    When she came back, she held Diamond Etcher.  ¡°Save it,¡± Esther said, tossing the weapon to him.  ¡°You did what you had to.  No hard feelings.¡±


    Jace dropped his inferior weapons to catch the two-handed sword.  As soon as the pommel touched his hands, everything happened at once.  He heard Tristan cry out in death, the minions around him charged, and he felt a surge of energy within him as if the soundtrack to this adventure was finally kicking in.  He turned to parry the first few attacks and felt trumpet blasts and percussive beats each time he hit a weapon.  With the enemies reeling from his blocks, he went on the offensive and felt the music move through him as if his sword was a bow pulled across violin strings.  Jace fell into a rhythm he had never experienced before, and enemies died around him.


    ¡°Are you playing a Hans Zimmer soundtrack in the background?¡± Jace asked as he dispatched one group of monsters to move to the next.


    {No,} Gracie answered.  {That is Tami singing.}


    ¡°This is her voice?¡± he asked incredulously.


    {Yes,} she replied deadpan.  {It¡¯s called magic, Jace.  Remember, you are in a video game.}


    The shaman ignored the sarcasm as he spun through the minion crowd, blocking strikes and taking head.  Bard''s abilities were typically mocked in traditional tabletop RPGs, but if this is what they could do in the Realms of Infamy, he might have to get one.  ¡°So all the angels have returned?¡±


    {Yes,} Gracie confirmed.  {Pyscho, Delly, and Leah are taking on Karo.  They need your help.}


    ¡°What can I do?¡± Jace said.  ¡°One hit of demon fire as an orc, and I¡¯m done for.¡±


    {Then change back,} Gracie said.


    Jace faced off against an ogre, parried his massive wooden club by actually shearing it in two, and then reversed his strike to cut the fat monster across the belly, spilling his guts to the floor.  A few goblins slipped on the mess, and Jace hit the ogre again to drop the dead creature on top of the smaller foes.


    ¡°I thought I only got ten rounds as an elemental,¡± he said as he caught his breath between rounds.


    {You only get ten free rounds.  You have to pay for everything else, but you can use your Armanacore, which means you can be an elemental for as long as you like.  The mana generation for that core in this environment is more than double the cost of the spell.}


    Jace dispatched two more vampires as he listened.  The orcs, ogres, and goblins might be respawning, but the vampires and demons were limited.  It made more sense to kill them first.  He had claimed the stronghold, but the option to turn off the respawning of enemies was grayed out.  Jace guessed he needed to kill Karo first.


    ¡°I thought you said that Draya could only extend her dragon form using her human mana core.¡±


    {That is true for Draya,} Gracie confirmed.  She paused as Jace dealt with two demons.  One cast fire against him, taking a third of his health, but he killed them both before they could get in a second magical attack.  {Her dragon body is completely magical, and her dragon core is tied up maintaining it.  Her fire, strength, ability to fly, et cetera come from her dragon core.  Anything else she wants to cast, including the spell to be a dragon, must come from her personal core.  With you, in this cavern, you drew stone from your environment to build your body, meaning it was real.  Your Armanacore didn¡¯t have to make it out of thin air, thus freeing it to sustain the spell.  Now, if you want to turn into a stone elemental in a forest, I¡¯m guessing it will be different.}


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Jace said, blocking attacks from two orcs before slicing them up.  ¡°But I¡¯m still mincemeat in front of him.  I didn¡¯t even last a minute.¡±


    {That¡¯s my fault,} the operator admitted.  {I didn¡¯t know you were going to become Shimbatu¡¯s champion.  As his follower, you get all the basic free abilities, but as his champion, you get to pick feats and abilities to fill the unique slots at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20.}


    ¡°That is still active,¡± Jace asked.  ¡°I thought the spell only lasted ten rounds.¡±


    {The Divine Alliance spell only lasted 10 rounds,} Gracie agreed.  {But once you agreed to be Shimbatu¡¯s champion, that lasts until the combat is resolved.  I gave you Mastery in unarmed combat and a critical knockdown ability.}


    ¡°Why not the Stun ability?¡± Jace asked.  He didn¡¯t use it very often now, but when he first started the game and constantly went up against enemies more powerful than him, the ability to Stun them was invaluable.  Now, he could kill lesser enemies in one strike, and spending the criticals on damage made more sense.


    {Foes defend against the Stun ability using their Magic Defense.  I¡¯m guessing Karo¡¯s is quite high.  They defend against the knockdown ability based on their Dexterity.  Besides, you already have the critical Stun ability.  It doesn¡¯t matter what weapon you use.  Though, I wouldn¡¯t recommend trying it.}


    Jace knocked two more enemies to the ground and had time to look around.  Esther had been doing just as good a job of cleaning up as him and had dispatched all the vampires and demons first.  Kai wasn¡¯t as proficient at killing, but he still had a full health bar, something Esther and Jace didn¡¯t have.


    Finally, he looked over at Karo. Delly stood by his feet, trying to chop him down like a tree. She whittled away at his health but not very fast. Occasionally, the demon took the time to focus on her and kicked out at the much shorter woman, sending her flying into a stone wall. The resilient barbarian bounced off the rock and came charging back in.


    Each time Karo focused on the woman, a single arrow flew in with tremendous force, and the demon cried out in pain, and his health dropped by a few hundred.  This brought Karo¡¯s attention back to Psycho, and the elf needed to jump and dodge to avoid the fire attacks.  When this happened, the archer could only get off quick shots that mostly bounced off the demon¡¯s scales.  However, Delly would soon wade in again, and the whole cycle would start over.


    A few thunderous booms brought Jace¡¯s attention to the cavern¡¯s entrance, and he saw Gromphy on Adam¡¯s back.  The golem kept watch at the door and smashed any of the respawning giants that tried to come through.  Jace wished the pair would take on Karo directly, but he understood Gromphy wouldn¡¯t survive one hit from the demon.


    Jace looked again at Esther and Kai and figured they could handle the rest of the minions.  He put his sword away, cast a fresh Damage Sink totem, and walked determinedly toward Karo.  ¡°Hey, Demon Breath!¡± Jace shouted in his booming orc voice.  ¡°I¡¯m back!¡±


    Karo turned to look at the relatively puny character and laughed.  ¡°Your friends are no match for me, and neither are you.¡±  He punctuated the sentence with a kick, and Delly flew away from him, hitting the stone awkwardly and rolling to a stop near where Jace stood.  Her health had finally dipped below a quarter.  While this might activate further rage abilities, she was on the verge of dying.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see about that,¡± Jace said.  As Delly pulled herself off the ground slowly, the shaman motioned for her to stay down.  ¡°I got this,¡± he said quietly.  Turning his eyes back to Karo, he felt like Bruce Banner morphing into the hulk as he walked toward the demon, didn¡¯t break stride, and transformed into a stone elemental.

 Chapter 75

    Jace knew he would have to take on Karo by himself.  He glanced to the side and saw Leah taking shelter behind a pile of stone, looking on with a helpless expression.  The witch had probably spent all her mana.  Psycho kept his distance, also huddling behind an outcropping.  He wouldn¡¯t run out of arrows anytime soon, but his health was dangerously low, and he couldn¡¯t risk standing out in the open to get a clear shot.  Delly had already done her damage and, unfortunately, had taken more than she¡¯d given.  She should stay out of the fight for now.  Jace returned his eyes to Karo, took a deep breath, and closed the distance between them.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we do this already?¡± the demon asked.


    ¡°This time will be differ-¡± Jace started to say, but a full stream of demon fire stopped him.  He staggered under the onslaught for the first two seconds, pushed through the flames for the next two, and arrived at the Flat-Footed demon by the end of the round.  His fist found the left side of Karo¡¯s extended jaw, and the punch rocked the demon to his core.  The smaller opponent flopped back into the air as if launched by a catapult and hit the ground flat on his back.


    Molten rock ran off Jace like rain, and he already felt his stone protections severely weakened.  Still, he didn¡¯t pass up this opportunity and jumped on the prone demon, straddling his waist and smashing the demon¡¯s head further into the stone with his boulder-like fists.


    Karo¡¯s condition only lasted a round, and he came to in a furry, slashing at Jace with a vengeance.  He forgot how to attack the stone elemental properly, and his claws scrapped uselessly against Jace¡¯s hard skin, giving the shaman an extra round to pummel his foe.  Karo figured it out eventually, balled his fingers into fists, and punched his way free of the heavy elemental.


    The brief encounter had dropped the demon¡¯s health by almost 2,000, and he stood uneasy on his feet, his eyes wary of this aggressive opponent.  He let Jace come to him, and the shaman didn¡¯t hesitate, throwing punches with far greater accuracy than before.  Karo played defense at first, but when the player¡¯s attacks failed to do more than just a few dozen damage with each strike, he regained his confidence and responded in kind, once again cracking open Jace¡¯s skin and filling it with bursts of fire.


    Jace needed another critical strike and figured the game would roll a 20 for him eventually, but he got nervous as his health continued to fall.  Eventually, he did the math and realized he would need to knock Karo down at least three more times.  At the current rate, he wouldn¡¯t survive to get even one more.  In the back of his mind, Jace heard Tami¡¯s ever-present song change tunes, and unnatural strength rose within him.  When before it had aided his strikes and parries, now he felt his stone muscles tighten and flex.  On a whim, Jace closed on the demon and Grappled him.


    He didn¡¯t find instant success, but the punches stopped as the two behemoths shoved and wrestled each other. Eventually, Jace¡¯s size and strength won out, and he managed to pin Karo against the curved cavern wall.  The hellspawn wasn¡¯t Helpless, and as Jace looked hard into his demonic eyes, he saw a smile spreading over his lips and his mouth parting slightly as acrid smoke wafting out.


    Jace would have to release him in order to punch, so he tried a different tactic.  He reached into his limited spell library and pulled up Righteous Judgement.  As he had hoped, he had two deities through which he could cast the spell.  He knew Dexmachi wouldn¡¯t work, as they were both Honest, and he hoped Shimbatu and the demon differed in more than just one area.  Since they were mortal enemies, he counted on getting the full x8 modifier.


    Unfortunately, since it wasn¡¯t a stone spell, he only had access to his shaman mana pool, which hovered around 800.  He dumped all he had into the spell, and the lightning blinded him.  The explosion threw Jace back, and he heard Karo scream in pain as energy coursed up and down his body, seeking out his soul and burning it inside out.


    After the spell ended, Karo still stood, his body smoking after having lost about 1,000 Hitpoints.  The damage confirmed to Jace that he was getting an x8 modifier on the spell, but it still wasn¡¯t close to defeating him.  He had pulled off two powerful routines to get Karo down to half health, but they would be difficult to repeat.  As the demon caught his breath, a frosty arrow sunk deep into his chest, dropping his health by 200 and yanking him out of his trancelike state.  Karo screamed in anger and lifted his clenched fists high in the air.


    Fire rushed up around him like a veil, the heat causing Jace to take a cautious step back.  Rocks and ore got caught up in the spell, rising twenty feet in the air and then cascading back down, molten and charred.  Jace saw Psycho try another shot, but the arrow burst into flames and incinerated before it could fully penetrate the incendiary barrier.


    The display lasted two rounds, and when the curtain finally fell away, Karo emerged back to full health of 6,000 with a vicious grin on his face.  ¡°I bet you can¡¯t do that again,¡± he growled and came after Jace.


    The shaman had foolishly spent the brief reprieve staring into the firestorm and not healing himself.  He doubted his stony hand could have manipulated a healing potion, and he didn¡¯t have any to begin with.  The only piece of his inventory that had been returned to him was his sword.  Tami seemed to detect his vulnerable state and shifted her song, bringing a wave of vitality and soothing to his battered body.  His health rose, but with each punch from Karo, it fell further.  Jace felt something shatter against his back, and liquid ran down his crenulated form, seeping into the cracks.  He didn¡¯t know what it was at first, but as his health spiked almost to full, he figured Gromphy had decided to help.  A glance to his left confirmed this as he saw the goblin riding on Adam¡¯s back.


    The pair had been standing guard by the entrance, pounding down any giants that ventured in, but the goblin steered his golem closer to the action to throw the potion at Jace and lingered a bit too long.  Karo noticed Jace¡¯s sudden revitalization, summoned a ball of molten rock to his hand, and hurled it toward the crafter.  Gromphy shifted his mount just in time, so Adam took the strike full in the chest.  The projectile had cooled slightly in its short trip and exploded into the golem, sending rock and fire in every direction.  It knocked the magical construct from his feet, and Gromphy had to direct him into another dexterous maneuver to keep from getting crushed beneath him.


    Jace had thought Adam to be nye indestructible save for electric attacks, but that one blow had brought the golem¡¯s health down by a quarter, and once he stood back up, Gromphy kept his distance again, guarding the entrance.


    Jace turned his attention back to Karo in time to receive another jarring punch to his stone head.  He returned the favor with far less effectiveness.  ¡°Your friends can¡¯t help you,¡± Karo sneered.  ¡°And if they try, I will kill them.¡±


    The player knew Adam was probably the strongest character he had access to and was most likely to do significant damage to the demon.  Yet it appeared it would only take four hits from Karo to kill the golem.  With Jace distracting Karo, Psycho could get off one good shot a round, but it would take 30 shots to whittle away the demon¡¯s Hitpoints, and that assumed he didn¡¯t have another fiery healing spell or that he wouldn¡¯t focus on the elf at some point.


    Esther and Kai were still cleaning up the few remaining minions, but neither of them had the damage output necessary to hurt Karo, and he could squash either one of them if they got close enough to attack.  Delly could do damage and take a beating, but since she had healed herself, ending her barbarian rage, she would be exhausted.  Jace didn¡¯t see her anywhere and imagined she was hiding while the worst of her exhaustion passed.  Even when it did, she wouldn¡¯t be able to call on her rage for some time.


    Leah appeared to be out of mana, and while Tami¡¯s rousing songs helped Jace, Karo, as a demon, would likely be immune to any negative tunes.  The shaman didn¡¯t know where Snowy was, and other than her cold spells, her attacks weren¡¯t likely to cause much damage, and she was the most susceptible to fire.  Jace knew if someone was going to take down Karo, it would have to be him.  He just didn¡¯t know how.


    As he traded punches with Karo, Jace called up his Righteous Judgement spell again.  His shaman pool was almost up to 100, as his Mana Generation ability operated on overdrive while in elemental form.  Still, that would only do about 150 damage to the demon, less than each of Psycho¡¯s arrows.  His Armanacore sat at about 3,500 mana, plus or minus 100, as it maintained his stone form each round and then regenerated.  That would produce over 5000 damage, well over half the demon¡¯s health in one blow.  Even if Karo had enough magical protection to save him from a death spiral, the shock of an attack that large would have to Stun or Paralyze him for a few rounds, and Jace, Psycho, and Adam should be able to finish him off.  Unfortunately, that mana pool remained grayed out and unavailable for the spell.


    ¡°Dexmachi,¡± Jace mumbled to himself in an unorthodox prayer, ¡°please, give me what I need.  Everyone thinks I cheat, but you know I play by the rules according to your standards.  Just this one time, give me the Deus ex Machina for which you were named.¡±  Jace looked again at his spells and saw no change.  And why would there be?  His request made no sense.  It would be like rewarding an alcoholic who had remained sober for a year with a drink.  No, if Jace wanted his god''s help, he needed to do it the right way.  He needed to find a way to transform his Righteous Judgement into a stone spell.


    Then it hit him.


    ¡°Gromphy!¡± Jace cried out.  ¡°Tell me you brought the crystal.¡±


    The goblin undoubtedly had hundreds of gems in his chest but knew his leader could only be talking about one.  ¡°Aye,¡± he replied, his voice undulating as Adam moved about, pummeling a frost giant who had just walked in.  ¡°But now ¡®tis hardly the time or place.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Jace replied, stumbling under a tremendous blow from Karo, lava running down his chin like blood.  His health was close to half again.  ¡°I need it now!¡±


    ¡°I am presently undisposed,¡± Gromphy replied.


    Jaced hazarded a glance toward the cavern entrance and saw Adam pounding away at a frost giant who had wandered in while two hill giants joined him.  ¡°Psycho,¡± Jace said, finally getting a critical strike against the demon.  It wasn¡¯t enough to knock him over, but it Dazed him for a moment, giving the shaman a chance to pile on some damage.  ¡°Help Gromphy!¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    The archer obeyed his leader, turning his attention to the goblin. Usually, a frost giant would be no problem for Adam, but the hill giants tried to flank the golem, and while a blunt strike against his adamantium back would do minor damage, if they hit Gromphy, he would die in one strike.  Adam danced about for a couple of rounds while Psycho placed an arrow in the head of each smaller giant.  Soon, it was only the white-bearded foe to worry about, and the golem smashed him to the ground while the crafter tossed firebombs.


    ¡°I still see no purpose in . . .¡± Gromphy started, not wanting to leave the protective perch on top of his mount.


    ¡°Get it now!¡± Jace screamed.  The demand compelled the NPC into action.  Gromphy climbed off Adam¡¯s back, threw a wary eye over his shoulder toward the entrance, and popped his magical chest onto the cavern floor.  ¡°It matters not regardless.  I hath not the ability to . . .¡±


    ¡°Then give it to Psycho!¡± Jace grew tired of Gromphy¡¯s reluctance.  He knew the goblin didn¡¯t like engaging in combat, and Jace didn¡¯t want to strain their relationship.  Gromphy had gotten close to the demon to splash the healing potion on his back and had paid the price.  He would probably have to get even closer to give Jace the crystal.  Psycho was a better choice.


    The crafter stopped complaining and obeyed.  Psycho took the level 50 crystal, got as close as he dared to the demon, and hid behind a boulder, trusting his leader would give him more direction when needed.  Jace guessed that trying to catch the crystal or bending over to get it mid-fight would leave him Flat-Footed, and Karo would punish him for it, probably keeping Jace from obtaining the item.  The shaman didn¡¯t want to think about what would happen if the demon got a hold of it.  He seemed to have ignored the conversation with Gromphy, scripted only to pummel Jace into oblivion, which he did a bit too effectively.


    Jace had to last a bit longer.  He still felt the effects of Tami¡¯s health-giving song, slowing his negative progress, but it wouldn¡¯t last forever.  He needed another good punch to execute his plan.  Jace promised himself that he would take up boxing in the real world to train himself on where the natural twenties were, but for now, he was reliant on the game''s random dice rolls.  He didn¡¯t know any way to help the process, so he pulled up the Bible passage from Ezekiel he had quoted earlier.  The first half talked of Satan¡¯s beauty and splendor, while the second half outlined his demise.


    ¡°In the abundance of your trade, you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.¡±


    ¡°What type of spell is this?¡± Karo said, stepping back from Jace as he read the passage, fearing some kind of trick.


    Jace didn¡¯t reply other than to pursue his opponent, throwing as many punches as he could while he continued.  ¡°Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Karo laughed, resuming his attacks.  ¡°You have only caught a glimpse of my splendor.  Whatever spell you cast to undo my glory is irrelevant once you¡¯re dead.  Since you have so graciously returned the fallen angels to me, I will . . .¡±


    Jace cut him off.  ¡°I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings to feast their eyes on you.¡±  Jace felt a punch land solidly, but it wasn¡¯t enough.  ¡°By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade, you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you.¡±


    ¡°Ha!¡± Karo laughed again.  ¡°You think you can burn me with fire?  Have you not seen . . .¡±


    And then it happened.  Jace caught the demon monologuing, and a stiff uppercut connected solidly under Karo¡¯s chin.  Stone chips flew from Jace¡¯s boulder-like fist, and Karo¡¯s eyes rolled back in his head as his feet left the ground, and he fell to his back on the ground.  Jace didn¡¯t take his eyes off the demon and held his right hand out toward Psycho¡¯s hiding place, knowing the elf would understand his request.


    ¡°All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you,¡± Jace continued out loud as Psycho placed the level 50 crystal in his open, three-fingered hand.  Inwardly, Jace spoke to Dexmachi.  ¡°I am enchanting a stone,¡± he prayed.  ¡°A stone I promised to give to Karo.  Don¡¯t make me a liar.¡±  His plea had the desired effect, and Jace watched his secondary mana pool light up.


    The stone elemental moved to stand over the fallen demon lying prone before him.  Jace lifted his right hand and dumped all the mana he could into the crystal.  It shone like he had plucked the sun out of the sky.  ¡°¡¯You have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever!¡¯¡±  He ended the fitting Bible passage and punched down with all his might.


    Karo began to regain awareness just in time to see the mammoth stone giant bury a fist into his slack jaw.  Jace shoved the gem as far as he could down the demon¡¯s throat and pulled back before Karo could clamp his teeth shut or spew fire.  The demon gagged and sputtered for a round as he tried to loosen the foreign object and couldn¡¯t help but reach into the crystal to probe its magical signature.


    Lightning erupted from Karo¡¯s head as if from a mighty storm cloud.  Jace had to shield his eyes from the blast as he stumbled backward, almost losing his balance.  The electrical display was mindbogglingly intense but also extremely brief.  When Jace uncovered his eyes, Karo was gone, only a scorched patch of stone to indicate what had happened.  Jace realized that while he had pumped up the difficulty of the spell when he had cast it earlier to ensure Karo didn¡¯t save against it, it probably didn¡¯t compare to the difficulty of the spell once it came from a level 50 item.  Karo must have failed with a few criticals, and the roughly 5,000 damage had been multiplied a few times.


    Jace walked up to the scorched stone and dismissed his elemental form.  Psycho stood beside him after a moment, and soon, most of the NPCs huddled around, staring at the absence of remains.  Jace¡¯s vision still flashed red, and he looked over his shoulder to see Esther and Kai dispatching a few remaining monsters.  As the now undisputed owner of this stronghold, Jace navigated to the settings and found he could turn off the spawning monsters.  It was a feature Karo or Vithium had added and wasn¡¯t natural to the monk stronghold.


    {Don¡¯t forget Draya is still buried under a pile of rocks,} Gracie reminded him.  {Oh, and great job killing the demon.  I never doubted you for a moment.}


    Jace¡¯s eyes found the rockslide and knew if Draya¡¯s health was in critical condition, Gracie would have told him.  Even Delly limped out from behind an outcropping, still looking exhausted but wanting to join in the victory celebration.  After a quick head count, the shaman was pretty sure everyone had made it.  The only one missing was . . .


    ¡°Does anyone know where Snowy is?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your wolf?¡± Tami asked.


    Jace nodded.


    ¡°We saw her race toward the exit as we were coming in,¡± Tami said.


    ¡°I sensed she was chasing something,¡± Leah added, ¡°but I couldn¡¯t see what.¡±


    ¡°A shadow,¡± Gromphy clarified.


    Jace nodded as he understood.  The assassin was still alive.


    <hr>


    Jorl heaved himself up the rock face as the wind whipped at his exposed skin, snow biting into him like tiny daggers.  His hand slipped on a patch of ice, and he nearly fell, but his nimble fingers found another purchase, and he maintained his precarious balance.  He looked down at the fifty-foot drop and knew it would probably kill him.  But if he didn¡¯t take this hazardous route, the wolf would definitely end him.


    Jorl had never fought an animal like this one before.  He had pumped it so full of poison that the wolf should have been dead three times over.  While the icy wind sapped the assassin¡¯s strength, the chilly environment seemed to bolster the wolf, giving it energy to fight off his attacks.


    To top it off, Jorl found that his greatest strength, being able to create shadow out of nothing to render himself invisible, was utterly worthless against this adversary.  Once the animal had tasted his blood, it had his scent permanently, and nothing would shake it from his trail.  Jorl¡¯s only option was to take a route the wolf could not follow.


    He looked back along the tiny handholds and narrow ledges he had just scaled, knowing that such a path should have taken only seconds for him to traverse, but in his wounded state, with several bleeding banes and the icy environment, Jorl was just happy he hadn¡¯t fallen.  He heaved himself up one final ledge and rolled to the comfort of a wide patch of snow, somewhat sheltered from the wind.  The top of this particular peak was still fifteen feet above him, but he could catch his breath here and finally felt safe drinking a healing potion.  Before he could pull a vial from his inventory, a low growl stole his attention.


    Snowy stalked toward him, emerging from view around a bend of rock, having found an alternative route up the mountain.  She carefully navigated the snowy ledge, her massive body rubbing against the steep climb on her left while her right flank hung out over the deadly drop.  The formerly white fur was mainly red now, and the poison rushing through her veins would end her life in a few rounds.  The wolf¡¯s only hope was to feed on this assassin and then find her way back to Gromphy and his healing potions.


    Jorl scampered back on his hands and feet, wondering what other tricks he could play on this relentless predator.  His hand slipped and fell away beneath him as he reached the edge of the miniature plateau.  He looked down the way he had come and knew he couldn¡¯t back up any further.  The only escape was continuing up, but he doubted the wolf would give him the time he needed to resume the ascent.


    Just when it looked like the wolf would pounce, Jorl heard the growl of a different animal from above, and a sleek body of fur and spots tackled the wolf and carried her off the ledge.  The assassin rolled over to see the two animals hit the ground far below in a plume of snow.  They both seemed to have survived the fall, and the new hunter ripped out Snowy¡¯s throat before the winter wolf could get her bearings.


    Jorl recognized this new animal as a leopard and thought it odd such a creature would be out here in this environment.  The assassin decided not to dwell on it and pulled the overdue healing potion.  As he drank, he watched in horror as the leopard turned its attention to him and proceeded to scale the icy wall he had just climbed as easily as if ascending stairs.  He still lay Flat-Footed on the snow as the new cat crested the ledge and looked him over.


    Instead of attacking, the leopard rose to stand on its hind legs and transformed into a beautiful young woman.  She stood naked before him for a few moments, seemingly unaffected by the cold weather, before a thick wrap appeared around her body, and she smiled.


    ¡°Jorl Dreadmont,¡± Lexi said, keeping her distance from the dangerous assassin.  ¡°It seems the rest of your party has been killed.  What will you do now?¡±


    The assassin looked on in shock.  He had run from the fight, for his strength did not lie in straightforward melee combat, but he had not expected Karo and his crew to lose.  Jorl had felt too disorientated after losing the immense powers that had been granted him, so he decided to flee the cavern and then return after Jace¡¯s group had been killed. Now, it appeared that in addition to stripping him of his power, Jace had killed his master and left him orphaned.


    ¡°They are all dead?¡± he asked for clarification.


    Lexi nodded.  ¡°Every last one of them.  Jace and his friends killed them all.¡±


    Jorl lay in the snow, distraught.  He had assumed the succulent taste of invincibility he had briefly experienced would be returned to him.  That whatever trick Jace had pulled would only be a minor setback.  He must have freed the angels, but if they remained in the realms, Jorl could have tracked them down now that he knew who they were.  However, with Selvecia and Karo dead, his immortal powers were lost forever.  He suddenly felt as naked and cold as his new visitor must have.


    Lexi saw the emotions run across the assassin¡¯s face and could imagine his thoughts.  ¡°What did that power feel like?¡± she asked.  ¡°What would you do to get it back?¡±


    Jorl scoffed at her.  ¡°It is a fanciful wish I shall not entertain.  A fool''s errand.¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Lexi asked.  ¡°I have a unique ability to grant impossible wishes.¡±


    ¡°You can steal the power of the gods and imbue it within me?  Are you not a simple shapeshifting druid?¡±


    Lexi smiled, letting her confident expression answer any questions the assassin might have.  Jorl shrugged.  Even if she were lying, he didn¡¯t have many better options open to him.  ¡°And what would I need to do for you?¡±


    ¡°Join me,¡± Lexi said, offering her hand to help the prone man up.  ¡°Swear an oath that you will never use your powers against me.  And that you will help me to kill Jace Thorne.¡±


    Jorl grinned and took her hand.  ¡°Gladly.¡±

 Chapter 76

    Jace watched as Esther and Kai killed the last few goblins.


    {Snowy just died,} Gracie said, a twinge of emotion in her voice.


    Jace nodded.  He had hoped that the wolf would be powerful enough to stop the assassin, but he wasn¡¯t surprised.  Jace navigated to his stronghold settings to see if he needed to rerelease Snowy.  As a familiar, she couldn¡¯t travel by herself, so she would be waiting for them when they arrived back home.  However, Snowy wasn¡¯t listed among the dead NPCs of this stronghold.  She must have died too far away from the monastery.  In fact, Jace only saw one name: Tristan Hamley.  Atrax, Selvecia, and Karo¡¯Kaffelon were gone for good.  They hadn¡¯t really been designed to serve as NPC companions, and Jace felt Gandhi had cheated by allowing it.  Jace wondered if he would ever learn why the AI did that.


    For now, Jace held on to Tristan.  Looking at the options, he only had a choice to respawn the NPC, not reset him.  Jace knew he was Thursa¡¯s brother, and in order to reset either one of them, they would both have to go back to their origin module.  Since Wallace currently held Thursa, that wasn¡¯t a viable option.


    Jace thought he might reach out to the paladin to let her know Thursa¡¯s brother would become available.  From his research, Jace knew the siblings had a rocky relationship, but the spellsword was a powerful character in most situations, and he bet Wallace could make it work.


    While he was in his settings screen, Jace saw that combat had ended.  He waited a moment for another level-up chime, but nothing happened.  Vithium was the only player they had killed, and while the other characters were powerful, those experience points were split between a considerable group.  Also, now that he was in his 20s, it was 2 million to the next level.


    Jace excited the screen and saw that Psycho and Adam were trying to exhume Draya from the rock slide.  When they got close, they feared the rocks might shift and crush her, so they slid her dragon staff through a gap in the stones until the young woman could grasp it.  Once it was in hand, she had the strength to get herself out, and soon, all the characters had gathered around him.  Gromphy passed out healing potions and returned their stolen equipment, though, for most of the angels, the weapons and armor the crafter had given them were better than what they had used.  Soon, everyone was back as they should be.


    The orc shaman didn¡¯t really know what to say next.  Esther had made him promise he wouldn¡¯t keep any of her friends as members of his party, but he understood that directive had come from Vithium as he needed to make sure they had the free will to obey the blue diamonds¡¯ callings.  Now, he assumed that no longer applied, though he only had room for one of them.


    The decision was made for him.


    Jace noticed everyone¡¯s attention suddenly diverted away and toward a glowing light source behind him.  The player turned to investigate and then stepped back as five lights grew in intensity and morphed into distinct, luminescent characters.  They appeared human at first, though Jace sensed one was an elf, and another was stocky enough to be a dwarf, though much taller.  The shimmering characters grew more substantial and corporeal over a few seconds until they each stepped out of the air and onto solid ground.


    Three males and two females stood before him, each magnificent in appearance.  The men were handsome and strong, while the women were elegantly beautiful and dressed modestly by ROI standards.


    One of them stepped forward, the tallest of the group, dressed in a dark blue vest and flowing turquoise pants that moved as if blown by the wind.  The thin material had vibrant white accents like breakers in the sea.


    ¡°My name is Oceartas,¡± the man said.  It clicked in Jace¡¯s mind, and he knew he was looking at the five gods of the angels behind him.  Oceartas was the god of the sea, Tami¡¯s diety.  ¡°We all owe you immense gratitude,¡± he continued, sweeping his arms to the other divine beings.  ¡°Thank you for killing Karo¡¯Kaffellon and exposing his plot to defame our servants and steal our power.  The entire realm is in your debt.¡±


    Jace wondered if this was his chance to cash in on a favor, but Oceartas stepped past the orc to address the angels.  ¡°We forgive you,¡± he said.  Jace turned to see the five characters kneeling before the divine audience.  Psycho, Draya, and Gromphy stood at a distance behind them.


    ¡°We were wrong to banish you from heaven despite the evidence given to us,¡± the god continued.  ¡°Because of our hasty actions, you have been forced to live in the realms and have made . . . unfortunate decisions.  We do not fault you for that.  If you would have us, we would all welcome you back with open arms so you could resume the roles you were created for.¡±


    Jace was shocked.  How could anyone turn down such an offer?  Tami, Delly, and Kai all had kingdoms and a place of prominence in the realm and looked reluctant to make a decision.  Leah displayed no hesitation.  Her family had banished her, and her only tie to this world was an art shop.  The witch rose from the ground and walked toward the goddess resembling an elf.  As Delly drew near, her body shimmered, and white wings sprouted from her back.  She embarrassed her goddess, and the two merged into one until only the elf remained, smiling broadly.


    Kai stood next but didn¡¯t walk forward.  ¡°Will I be able to return occasionally?¡± he asked.  ¡°My kingdom has a new, inexperienced leader who will need much guidance and protection.¡±


    The paladin¡¯s deity stepped up, the tall dwarf dressed in slim armor.  ¡°And you will be his guardian angel,¡± the god said.  ¡°In my direct service, you can provide just as much aid as before, only coupled with the wisdom and power you lacked.  You won¡¯t be able to influence everything you can now, but you will be far from powerless to help your new king.¡±


    That was all Kai needed to hear, and he rose from the ground and embraced his god.  Delly rose next.  Jace knew she had never wanted to be queen, and with Sonan in place as king and her ability to visit her love as an angel when needed, it wasn¡¯t a difficult decision.  Tami was more of a surprise.  But, like Delly, Shelah could rule her mermaid kingdom, and she could still visit him.


    That left Esther.  She remained kneeling on the ground, only half paying attention as her friends resumed their angelic calling.  Decus Gemma approached her.  He was possibly the most handsome man Jace had ever seen, wearing tight black pants and a billowing purple shirt open halfway to his navel.  He had perfect black stubble with jewelry all over his body.  His green eyes sparkled like emeralds.


    ¡°Rise, my precious gemstone,¡± he said in a soothing voice once he stood before Esther.  She obeyed, still keeping her head bowed.  Decus lifted her chin gently.  ¡°Perhaps you feel you have lived a more infamous life than the others.  I promise if you come with me, all of that will be wiped clean.¡±


    She smiled warmly at him.  ¡°Jace has already done that.¡±


    The shaman¡¯s breath caught in his throat at such a poignant statement, almost moving him to tears.


    ¡°He accepted me for who I am from the start,¡± she continued, ¡°and I don¡¯t think I want to change that.¡±


    Decus smiled at her decision, and Jace guessed it was what the god wanted all along.  ¡°I understand.  If you ever change your mind . . .¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Esther replied confidently, cutting him off.


    He stepped back and bowed slightly.  ¡°Very well.  I accept your decision, but I would not leave you without divine protection.¡±  He swept his arms back at the four gods who stood behind him.  ¡°I offer your friends as personal guardian angels.  Their help is limited, but when you are in dire need, and all hope is lost, they can come to your aid.  They can give you strength, magic, protection, or life.¡±  He bowed again, stepped back to the other gods, and they all faded into nothing.


    ¡°Esther!  How could you?¡± Draya cried, rushing up to her friend.  ¡°You could have been an angel.¡±


    ¡°She already is,¡± Psycho said, smiling warmly as he regarded the woman in a new light.  Esther looked like she might cry, so she covered it up by surprising the tall elf with a hug.  Psycho kept his arms wide, eyeing the voluptuous woman attached to him and not seeing any safe place for his hands.  Esther didn¡¯t prolong the awkward encounter long and turned to Draya next.  The two women embraced more naturally, exchanging tears.


    Esther released her friend and turned to see Gromphy standing before her.  ¡°Bah, twas a hasty, impetuous avowal.  Thou art ludicrous.¡±


    She smiled down at him.  ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, but you¡¯re probably right.¡±  Esther reached down to grab him.  Gromphy tried to escape but was no match for her Grappling skills.  She lifted him off the ground and gave him a tremendous hug.


    ¡°Put me down, you curvaceous rake!  I will . . .¡± but Esther rendered him Helpless, and his ranting stopped for a few moments.  She put him down eventually, and the goblin fastidiously straightened his clothes, muttering to himself.  Despite his outward bluster, Jace detected a tear in his eye.


    Esther turned on her leader next.  Jace couldn¡¯t help but smile.  His illusion necklace had been returned to him, and he thought of transitioning to a human but didn¡¯t think the rogue wanted that.  In the same way he had accepted her, she had never shied away from his orc persona.  She hugged him, and he felt tears run down his muscled arm where her head rested.  ¡°Thank you so much,¡± she replied.  ¡°Thank you for everything.¡±


    ¡°Even killing you?¡± Jace asked.  He knew the Progressive rogue wouldn¡¯t hold a grudge against him, but he still felt uncomfortable about it.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the first time,¡± Draya spoke up.


    ¡°And probably won¡¯t be the last,¡± Psycho added.


    ¡°Maybe that will be the new thing,¡± Draya continued.  ¡°As our quests get harder and harder, Jace will have to find new and exciting ways to kill Esther.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jace said, pushing the rogue away and turning to his mage and archer, who tried to hold back laughter.  ¡°Way to ruin the Hallmark moment.¡±  They all looked at him blankly, and he realized the real world saying was lost on them.  He also realized he¡¯d been in the game for a long time, and the real world called out to him.  It must have been close to 36 hours.  It was time to wrap things up.


    Like his last big mission, Jace ended this one with a new stronghold.  He still hadn¡¯t decided what he wanted to do with Stormhold and had given Psycho instructions to keep an eye on it while he was logged out so it didn¡¯t grow squatters.  This one would probably be different, as it really belonged to Shimbato and needed to have visitors in order for the god to survive.


    Jace navigated back into the settings and saw that since all combat had ended, he had options to spawn new monks.  He did so, and the game yanked him out of his settings.  Four monks scampered into the room, drawing Jace''s attention and causing his other party members to scatter.  The monks moved toward him, reverently bowed their heads, and took a knee.  Jace wanted to wave them off, refusing their worship, but he felt another bright light forming behind him, and he turned to see the monks¡¯ true target.


    Shimbato had entered the monastery.


    After his glowing arrival subsided, he appeared much the same as when the statue had come to life, only much shorter, a few inches under six feet.  Jace took a cue from the other monks and dropped to one knee.


    ¡°Rise, my champion,¡± the man said with a strange accent that Jace wanted to call Tibbeten.  ¡°I owe you much thanks.  Without you, I would have perished by the end of the day.¡±  Jace and his crew had arrived at nightfall, and the player guessed it was getting close to 10 pm local time.  ¡°I would now bestow you with a permanent boon, but alas, you are not a follower of mine.  I fear you could not use it.¡±


    ¡°Will I forever be your champion?¡± Jace asked.


    Shimbato nodded.  ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then, at the times I choose to follow you in the future, might I retain a champion¡¯s benefits?¡±


    {Ooh, clever,} Gracie said.  When Jace had cast the Divine Alliance spell and chosen Shimbato, he had received starting monk abilities, but when he had been a champion, Gracie had given him Mastery in unarmed attacks with a Knockdown ability.


    Shimbato nodded.  ¡°Dexmachi told me you were one to bend the rules.¡±  He paused in thought and then nodded again.  ¡°So be it.¡±


    Jace smiled.  He could now have ten rounds of masterful unarmed attacks, which would come in immensely handy the next time he transformed into a stone elemental.


    ¡°Also, this monastery is yours,¡± the god said, ¡°though I would prefer you transfer it to another player who has a vested interest in my success, should one ever come along.¡±


    Jace knew monks were not popular classes, and Shimbato was one of many gods for players to follow.  It might be a while till such a player came along.  Still, he nodded.  ¡°I can come here to train whenever I want?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the god said.  ¡°My people will guide you through any training you need.¡±  He motioned to the four monks who had entered.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jace said.  ¡°If you don¡¯t mind.  I need to be going.  My people are tired, and we need our rest.¡±


    ¡°Not before we eat,¡± Esther spoke up.


    Jace smiled.  ¡°I¡¯m sure the gnomes can cook something up.¡±  The orc bowed one last time to the monk god and then said goodbye to the men behind him.  They shied away a bit at his monstrous form, but their god had blessed him, and the orc would be welcome back in the monastery without judgment.


    They used the private travel node Jace had installed at the cliffside entrance, and within seconds, they were standing before their home, the stars shining above them.  Esther ran in first, and Snowy greeted her fondly.  The wolf had been resurrected twice now and knew better than to exert herself again.  Jace guessed Gromphy had given them a potion to overcome the resurrection sickness but knew such items were rare, and the game wouldn¡¯t allow Snowy to drink one again so soon.  The player trusted his familiar would be right as rain in the morning, but he wouldn¡¯t be there to see it.


    Without too much trouble, the gnomes prepared a feast, and the characters ate to their heart¡¯s content, reliving the most epic moments of their recent fights.  Draya celebrated the least and stayed quiet when they discussed the pirate mission, especially when Psycho detailed their exploration of the mermaid kingdom and Gromphy¡¯s misadventures with the Frosthold.


    Jace watched the mage idly twirl her red hair around a finger, the black streak within seaming to pulse with power as she relived the painful memories.  The shaman hoped her brush with demon fire was something she could work through.


    Gracie allowed the party to last longer than Jace had expected before she practically begged the player to log out.  He confirmed, excused himself from the meal, and retired to his room.  Within a minute, Jason Hawthorne was back in Chicago, pulling his skull cap off and looking Gracie in the eyes.  She let out a long sigh.  ¡°That was one for the record books,¡± she said, standing over him and unhooking his more medically sensitive attachments.  ¡°I recorded everything, and Stephen and Allison are going to have a great time reviewing the footage.¡±


    The  CIA agents usually watched live, but not only had this session gone on for more than a day, Jason knew they had been tasked with identifying more clients of Rock Bender¡¯s money laundering scheme.  ¡°Any more news on the real terrorists?¡±


    Gracie shrugged as she finished Jason¡¯s logging-off procedure and stepped back so he could stand and stretch his limbs.  ¡°I haven¡¯t kept close tabs on them.  After they raided that home in Dallas, they were trying to get half a dozen more warrants.  Regardless of that outcome, my guess is we just earned the right to do anything we want in the game.¡±


    Jason nodded. He would take a break for a few days to let his mind and body unravel.  Gracie would need at least that long to get her sleep cycle back on schedule.  He saw a well-used coffee mug next to her keyboard and several empty single-serve pods sitting on the counter by the wet bar.  Despite the caffeine that must be running through her system, she looked ready to collapse.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you,¡± she said, ¡°but I¡¯m exhausted.¡±  Jason glanced at the clock on the wall and saw it was 5:30 pm.  ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for at least twelve hours,¡± she continued.  ¡°I have a meeting with the team tomorrow morning.  They want a full debriefing.  We got a lot of good publicity with the money laundering expose, and they want to know if we can add a positive spin to the other baddies we took out.¡±  She paused.  ¡°I suppose you aren¡¯t that tired.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m actually pretty hungry,¡± Jason replied.  Eating in the game sated his mind¡¯s need for food, and Gracie hooked him up with IVs to keep him hydrated and his blood sugar up, but neither filled his stomach the way a proper meal would.


    ¡°You¡¯re on your own,¡± Gracie laughed but then added, ¡°What are you in the mood for?¡± as if the correct answer might earn him a dining companion.


    ¡°I think I want pancakes,¡± he said.


    They both laughed.

 Epilogue

    Psycho heard the knock on his door and thought about denying entrance to whomever it was, but relented after the second knock and triggered the magical lock on the door. His visitor didn¡¯t surprise him. ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep either?¡±


    Draya winced at the accurate assessment. The wards Trixna had cast on each of their rooms let any potential guest know if the occupants were awake or asleep, so Psycho knew Draya hadn¡¯t feared waking him. ¡°I thought you might want to talk,¡± she lied.


    Pschco knew better but played along at first. ¡°How do you know I wasn¡¯t just about to turn in?¡±


    ¡°Because you are still dressed in your cloak and armor,¡± she replied. Draya wore leggings and a long flowing shirt, much more appropriate for this time of night.


    ¡°And you could see that through the door?¡± he asked, knowing the answer. ¡°Perhaps I like to be prepared. You never know what might fly through the window in these dangerous mountains.¡±


    Draya smiled at his humorous attempt. Her eyes searched out his lone window. While her bedroom sat adjacent to the magically warmed beach the gnomes had crafted, Psycho¡¯s window looked over a 200-foot drop-off with a majestic view of the mountains and forested valley below. The magical shield over the window kept the cold night air out and the warm room-temperature air in. It also prevented any unwanted visitors.


    ¡°And you sleep with that, too?¡± she nodded to the item in his hands.


    Psycho sat at the foot of his bed, idly twirling a black arrow, whisps of shadow trailing its tip. He had been so lost in thought when Draya had knocked that he forgot he was holding it. He panicked for a moment and thought about stashing the item in his cloak, but it was too late. Instead, he played it off with another joke. ¡°I like to cuddle it at night,¡± the elf said. ¡°Its shadow darkens the room when the moon is too bright.¡±


    Draya frowned. The lights were turned down, with only a few minor wards glowing dimly. The moon, if it was even out this night, wasn¡¯t visible through the window, and the few stars she saw wouldn¡¯t have much effect on the illumination.


    ¡°More likely, it is what is keeping you up,¡± Draya said. Psycho only shrugged. She continued. ¡°You aren¡¯t like him, you know. The Shade Fletcher and you are totally different?¡± The mage correctly identified the black arrow.


    Psycho chuckled. ¡°Yes, Esther thinks he¡¯s a she.¡±


    Draya¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant. He . . . uh, she . . . uh, they are a ruthless killer. You are not.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I?¡± Psycho asked, looking up from the arrow, unable to keep the hurt from his voice.


    ¡°No,¡± Draya insisted.


    ¡°Jace hired me to kill,¡± he replied stoically.


    ¡°From what I understand, he freed you,¡± Draya argued. ¡°Saved you from your fate. Gave you a new purpose. Granted you free will.¡±


    Psycho laughed. Draya had no idea. She didn¡¯t know about scripts, at least not in the artificial way the game applied them. She might call them destiny or will, but Psycho knew otherwise, and he knew they designed him to be the ruthless killer Draya said he wasn¡¯t.


    ¡°At least you have more freedom than you did when you were with that Drescher person Esther talks about. She said you were a real ¡®ray of sunshine¡¯ back then.¡±


    Psycho shrugged, conceding the point. ¡°Drescher treated me like a killer, and I performed for him. Jace treats me like a person, but I still kill for him.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill me,¡± Draya said, her voice cracking. She swallowed to regain her composure. ¡°I was pretty out of it at the time, but Esther filled me in. You had a vampire and demon leaning on you to kill me. They used logic, magic, and seduction, and you refused them. Would a ruthless killer do that?¡±


    ¡°I killed Snowy,¡± he replied.


    Draya frowned at him. ¡°And I tried to kill you,¡± she replied quickly, no guilt in her voice. ¡°That was different, and you know it. We had no will and no chance to fight back. The power of gods compelled us. You can¡¯t feel guilty about that. Even Snowy is smart enough to know that was different.¡±


    Psycho didn¡¯t argue back.


    ¡°When I walked in here,¡± Draya continued, ¡°you joked with me, despite your dark mood. When did the most deadly killer in the realms develop a sense of humor?¡±


    ¡°Second deadliest,¡± Psycho corrected, holding up the arrow.


    Draya laughed. ¡°Really? Is that what this is about? Are you upset you are just like the Shade Fletcher, or that he/she/it is better than you? A few lucky shots don¡¯t count for anything.¡±


    Psycho smiled. He knew the shot that had taken him down and killed Queen Vashti hadn¡¯t been lucky. Still, when Draya exposed his contradictory mood for what it was, it felt silly. Jace was helping him escape his oppressive script. The archer remembered his time in Sniper¡¯s Refuge, between Drescher and Jace, when he had been compelled to shoot everyone who approached his tower. Nothing like that existed now.


    He stowed the arrow into his cloak. Despite its absence, he still saw a shadowed line before his vision, like staring into the sun and then seeing spots when you looked away. He blinked several times to try to banish it and finally looked toward Draya to shift his perspective.


    Her smile seemed forced, and as he focused on her red hair, he knew why. She also had a black streak that wasn¡¯t easily banished. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your lack of sleep is because you''re worried about all the school you just missed,¡± Psycho said. ¡°Is fire still dominating your dreams?¡±


    Draya¡¯s smile lost any sincerity it might have possessed, and she nodded. ¡°You¡¯d think, as a dragon, I should expect that.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t dragon fire, is it?¡± the elf asked.


    Fear flashed in her eyes as the black streak in her hair pulsed with power. She shook her head. ¡°No,¡± she choked. ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±


    Psycho grew suddenly protective like someone was abusing his sister. That this type of righteous protection shouldn¡¯t exist in a scripted killer wasn¡¯t lost on him. He leaned into it. ¡°Is there something I can do?¡± he asked, rising from the bed and walking toward her. ¡°Something I can kill?¡± He smiled.


    She chuckled at the joke, but it was forced. ¡°Not unless you want to venture into the pit of hell to slay a demon lord.¡±


    The archer shrugged. ¡°Jace seems fairly adept at that. You should ask him. We just spent days servicing Esther¡¯s needs. I¡¯m sure he would do the same for you?¡±


    Draya shook her head. ¡°This is different. Karo¡¯Kafellon is nothing compared to the monster I stole fire from. Even when Karo had the power of the gods flowing through him, he couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the burning sun of demon fire that is after me.¡±


    ¡°How do you know?¡± Psycho asked.


    She frowned at him. ¡°I¡¯m a mage. I can sense magical power. This is unlike anything I¡¯ve experienced before.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even 20 years old. What have you experienced?¡±


    Draya smirked. ¡°I used the power of an ancient lich to secure a red dragon¡¯s spirit within me.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Psycho said, knowing the young woman and having experienced more than most. ¡°Do you know the demon¡¯s name?¡±


    Draya shook her head. ¡°Only that he wants me . . . haunts me . . . won¡¯t stop until I am his. Getting to level 20 and becoming a full dragon hasn¡¯t lessened his desire. When I¡¯m awake and distracted, I can push him to the back of my mind, but at night . . . when I¡¯m alone . . .¡±


    Psycho took another step toward her, unsure of what to do. He might not be the heartless assassin he once was, but that didn¡¯t make emotional matters like this easier for him to navigate. Draya looked up at him, sensing the tension within him.


    ¡°Can I sleep here tonight?¡±


    Now he took a step back, a look of horror on his face.


    Her expression changed to one of shock, too. ¡°Oh, no, not like that. I¡¯m not Esther. I just don¡¯t want to be alone.¡±


    ¡°And your normal roommate isn¡¯t good enough?¡± Psycho asked, halting his retreat for a moment.


    Draya frowned. ¡°She snuck out as soon as she thought I was asleep.¡±


    Psycho released a dry chuckle. As much as Jace¡¯s acceptance of the archer allowed his change, it gave Esther the confidence to stay the same. ¡°Wasn¡¯t her nighttime liaisons the cause of all our problems in the last mission?¡±


    Draya shrugged, not really wanting to discuss Esther¡¯s pernicious promiscuity. Psycho saw this immediately and returned to the issue at hand. ¡°I only have one bed,¡± he said, turning to regard his sparse room.


    ¡°I can sleep on the floor,¡± the woman said, eyeing up the polar bear rug lying before the window.


    Psycho thought the magical residue from the cold creature might offer her additional comfort from her fiery dreams, but he shook his head at the idea. ¡°No, you can have the bed. I¡¯m not really that tired. Gromphy¡¯s healing potions usually keep me going for hours.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You need your sleep,¡± Psycho said. ¡°I will watch over you. My chair is actually quite comfortable.¡±


    Draya closed the distance between them and hugged the tall elf. He returned the embrace as awkwardly as he had Esther¡¯s just a few hours earlier. She sensed his discomfort and withdrew after a few moments. Psycho kept a hand on her shoulder and guided her over to his bed. It was large, with two pillows, but he had no intention of sharing it with her. He pulled back the covers and helped her in. As he began to pull away, she clutched at him.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Can you stay by me for a little while yet? At least until I fall asleep?¡±


    Psycho nodded and prepared to rub her shoulder, but she rolled over to the far side, forcing him to sit on the bed to maintain contact. She faced the wall, with her back to him, and he gently stroked her arm and brushed her hair. The dragon mage purred like a cat under his touch, and soon, her breathing took on a slow, repetitive pattern. Psycho shifted his position to stand, releasing his touch on her, and she moaned, shifting her position.


    The elf sighed and lay down next to her on top of the covers. As he continued to stroke her arm, he watched the black streak in her hair fade into the room¡¯s shadows. He felt the calm sense of safety emanating from her soothing his own troubled thoughts. He hoped the demon that tormented her would never find his way to their physical plane, but if he did, Psycho would be here to protect her. Those comforting thoughts filled his mind until he, too, fell asleep.


    <hr>


    Hector looked warily at the warlock as the man prepared the spell. ¡°Elias, are you sure this is going to work?¡±


    Elias looked up from a pile of gemstones he had been arranging before his friend¡¯s door. ¡°Why,¡± the warlock grinned, ¡°don¡¯t you trust me?¡±


    Hector grimaced. He didn¡¯t trust anyone. Ever since he had joined this guild, other players had been playing tricks and pranking him. They all assured him it was just part of the customary hazing ritual and he wasn¡¯t in any danger, but Selina had taken things a bit too far.


    The guild house wasn¡¯t the same as a stronghold, as each player had total control of their rooms, and no one player could set the parameters for the whole house. Located on the outskirts of Gildestraad, one of the largest, most diverse cities in the realms, membership in the guild was highly desired. Unlike some of the more specialized areas in ROI, the large city offered something for everyone, spawning dozens of unique quests due to the chaotic nature of the players interacting with the hundreds of NPCs.


    Hector had joined less than a week ago and felt like he was doing the group a favor, as he was a level 14 fighter, and most of the others were 10 to 12. Still, they treated him like a noob. Especially Selina.


    ¡°Just sleep with her already,¡± Elias said once Hector didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell she¡¯s flirting with you?¡±


    ¡°Is that why she leaves traps in my room every time I log off?¡± the fighter asked. Every time he entered the game, he suffered 20-30 points of damage. Healing potions weren¡¯t cheap.


    The warlock looked him dead in the eyes. ¡°Yes. Trust me, she¡¯s done it to other guys. She wants to see if you can take a little abuse first.¡±


    Hector shrugged. Like many ROI players, he hadn¡¯t had a lot of success with the opposite sex in the real world. In his experience, you returned hostility for hostility. If the female rogue was really interested in him, then she should interpret his trap in the same way she wanted him to interpret hers. ¡°Just do the spell,¡± Hector said.


    ¡°All right,¡± Elias said. ¡°I¡¯m just saying you are probably passing up a great opportunity. Do you have the sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Hector said and disappeared briefly into his room. He returned with a goblin, tied securely with ropes.


    ¡°Are you crazy?!¡± Elias shouted, leaping back from the creature. ¡°That¡¯s a level 9 flame berzerker! He could burn down this entire guild house.¡±


    The structure was a three-story palatial home built on the edge of the Gilder River. It had rooms for eight guild members, but only seven were being used. Hector imagined the goblin could cause quite a bit of havoc, but he wasn¡¯t worried about the monster getting loose. As a level 14 fighter, disabling and then securing the creature had been easy. Although, he imagined to a squishy level 9 warlock, the rage-filled goblin with a propensity for incendiary episodes might evoke a bit more fear.


    ¡°You said the more powerful, the better,¡± Hector said. ¡°And a fire propensity was preferred.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Elias admitted, ¡°but I thought you would go into the mountains and bring back a baby red worm.¡±


    Hector scoffed at the low-level monster. He thought, not for the first time, that perhaps joining this guild had been a mistake. They were opportunists, focusing more on FedEx missions and plot-heavy deduction quests. Hector wasn¡¯t the brightest player and struggled with some of the riddles he had encountered. This guild had been looking for some muscle to allow them to attempt more battle-oriented missions. It had seemed like a perfect fit.


    The fighter ignored the incongruity for now and looked back at the goblin. ¡°Will he work?¡±


    Elias shrugged an affirmative.


    ¡°Good,¡± Hector said, ¡°then get on with it. This spell will trap my door and deal 100 fire damage to anyone who tries to enter, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the warlock confirmed. ¡°And it will stay active until you turn it off, dealing 100 damage over and over again. Are you sure you want to do this? This could kill some members of the guild.¡±


    Hector looked above the warlock¡¯s head. With only 130 Hitpoints, Elias wouldn¡¯t likely survive such a spell. He probably had a few damage protections, but not enough to reduce the fire attack to 64 points, which would be just below half. Selina had 184 Hitpoints at level 12, but he knew the rogue was covered in magic protection spells and would probably survive.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave a sign on the door,¡± Hector said.


    ¡°And your warnings have kept Selina away in the past?¡± Elias asked, already knowing the answer.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t my problem,¡± Hector smiled. ¡°Besides, she should survive one attack, probably even two. She should learn after that.¡±


    ¡°And then she probably won¡¯t ever sleep with you, but hey, it¡¯s your stag party.¡± Elias returned to his preparations.


    ¡°How is the spell able to generate so much power?¡± Hector asked, hoping for clarification on something that bothered him. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t a spell like this need 500 points of mana to recharge it each time?¡±


    The warlock smiled. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m tying it to a demon.¡±


    ¡°A demon?¡± The shock on Hector¡¯s face mirrored what Elias had shown when the fighter had produced the goblin. The fighter quickly realized that what seemed easy for him was difficult for the warlock and vice versa. Still, a demon?


    Elias recognized his concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Ignis Ardeat is barely a demon, and he doesn¡¯t deal in demon fire. He uses the power of the lower realms and turns it into simple mage fire, so he is able to produce much more of it cheaper than other demons.¡±


    ¡°But he still needs a sacrifice?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way around that,¡± Elias said. ¡°Now, hold him steady.¡±


    Hector nodded and pushed the goblin against the floor. With the creature bound, his fire abilities weren¡¯t available. However, the berserker could still initiate his rage abilities, and the goblin squirmed and fought against the powerful fighter to no avail. Within a round, the player had the sacrifice motionless before his closed door.


    Elias had embedded a few rubies under the knocker and now drew patterns in the air between the monster and the door. Hector wanted to distance himself from the dark magic but knew he needed to hold the goblin as motionless as possible. He felt the mana surge before him as a fiery link sprouted from the goblin¡¯s chest and arched into the door. The warlock swayed back and forth with the spell and pulled an ornate dagger from his cloak.


    Elias held the weapon high and then plunged it into the goblin¡¯s chest. The completion of the spell released way more energy than Hector expected, and the human fighter flew back and crashed into the opposite wooden wall. The half-elf warlock also went flying, but he sailed parallel with the hall and traveled 30 feet before he hit a stone pillar at the end of the passageway.


    Hector recovered first and returned to inspect the scene. He had assumed the goblin would have been consumed, but the body still lay on the floor, the dagger resting harmlessly beside it. The fighter rushed forward to secure the monster but then hesitated. It wasn¡¯t the goblin. This new creature was the same size and rough shape, but he was leaner with a long spiked tail, red skin, and a more intelligent face. He looked like a minor demon, perhaps an imp.


    Ignis Ardeat had not enjoyed the trip. Before he had rejected the dagger, he had felt the stabbing pain in his chest. Also, the physical realm was much colder than the depths of hell, and a persistent chill crept into his soul. He flared fire within himself with the power granted to him by his new master, Lord Cindava. As warmth flooded through him, he focused his eyes on the tall human standing over him, a shocked expression on his face. Ignis knew that the spell this player had just tried to cast shouldn¡¯t have had this result. He understood the confusion.


    ¡°My name is Ignis Ardeat,¡± the demon said, standing up. ¡°Though you have not intended to summon me, I am here at the behest of Lord Cindava. He is your master now. He dictated that I come to realms the next time someone summoned my power, for he has an important task for you to perform.¡±


    ¡°I . . . I . . . What?¡± Hector said.


    Ignis sighed, hoping for better. ¡°You shall bring me to Sylvester Tread . . .¡±


    ¡°Get thee back to hell!¡±


    The demon turned at the interruption to see a half-elf warlock charging toward him, still suffering from a Dazed condition after hitting his head. Ignis sighed at the pompous speech from the lowly player.


    ¡°I hath summoned thee, and thou shalt obey my every . . .¡±


    Ignis unleashed a gout of demon fire toward Elias, and the player was once again thrown from his feet and hurled backward, dead before he hit the stone pillar again. The demon spun back to Hector. ¡°Where was I? Oh, yes . . . You shall bring me to Sylvester Treadstone, a level 12 tracker. He will be waiting for us at his stronghold a mile outside of Portsmith.¡±


    Hector looked over the short demon to see Elias burning as if he were soaked in oil, the beat-red flames spreading to the wooden hallway. He didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°But . . . I . . . I mean . . . What about my door?¡±


    Ignis looked up at the door beside him, decorated with rubies but otherwise unremarkable. ¡°What about it?¡± he asked but then figured out what the human and half-elf must have been doing. ¡°Oh, you were cursing the door. You won¡¯t need that anymore. You are to come with me.¡± Ignis knew the rules of the realms wouldn¡¯t let him travel without the aid of a player.


    ¡°But what if Selina comes back?¡±


    Ignis shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Is she your mate? Why did you wish to burn her? Is that some strange human sex ritual?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Hector said. ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t think so. I mean, Elias thought . . .¡± his eyes went back to the dead player at the end of the hall, which was now truly on fire.


    Ignis grew frustrated at the dense player. He extended his left hand toward the door and released another burst of demon fire. The wooden panel ruptured from its hinges and exploded into the empty room. The demon let his arm flow back and forth, drenching the space in flames. Ignis ended the spell, but the fire continued raging within Hector¡¯s old room.


    ¡°My stuff?¡± Hector cried, almost rushing into his room. He realized the stupidity of the venture in time and saved himself a certain death.


    Ignis sighed. ¡°When your Selina steps into your room, she will get all the fire she can handle. If you come with me, you can have any woman you want, and I will replace all your items with magical upgrades. Now, bring me to Sylvester Treadstone before I find someone else.¡±


    Hector finally realized he didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter. The short demon didn¡¯t have a level or Hitpoint counter above his head, so he didn¡¯t know how wise it was to attack the creature. ¡°I¡¯ve been to Portsmith before,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the guts to go to the Gilded Swan, but I completed a few quests in the outskirts.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Ignis said. He didn¡¯t know what golden birds had to do with anything, but at least this player knew where Sylvester was. The tracker was one of his master¡¯s favorite followers. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Hector took one last look at the burning building, nodded toward the demon, and hurried toward the staircase that would lead them to the relative safety of the Non-PVP city. Ignis followed behind, trying to think neutral thoughts. He knew Cindava monitored his thoughts, so he tried to disguise his negative thoughts regarding this mission as disapproval of his human guide. Ignis did not want to help his master obtain Draeklynn Ember, but he was compelled to.


    Sylvester Treadstone had dealt with Jace Thorne before and would know how to get close to the player who guarded Daeklynn. Then Ignis would be responsible for escorting the mage back to hell. He tried to mask his disgust at this assignment with anticipation of seeing the dragon mage in the flesh and possibly touching her skin or feeling her dragon fire released on him. Outside of those brief pleasures, he would take no delight in bringing the young woman to his master, and he saw no way how anyone would be able to stop him.


    The END


    And there we have it.  Almost 700k words.  Took two years to write.  If you made it this far, please leave a comment or rating.  I would really appreciate it.  My plans now are to reread this huge thing and make all the retroactive changes I need to.  I adjusted the rules so many times that I''m worried about what that first fight Jace had with the goblins will look like.  I have ideas for further stories.  I have a pretty well-thought-out short story with Esther and Psycho.  Another one with Gromphy and Draya.  And then two more novel length ideas that are stand-alone stories that don''t tie into a larger story like these three novels did.


    But, for now, I will work on polishing these stories and eventually publishing them.  If you would like updates on when that happens, please follow and be a little patient.  I will probably post one of the short stories to announce any updates.  Thanks again.