《Bryconia: A LitRPG Progression Fantasy》 Chapter 1: Character Creation
Outside, it is gloomy, with storm clouds threatening to darken the sky before night even comes. Inside, huddled around a table in a gaming store, is a group of seven. Six guys, one girl. Their ages vary. Their relationships vary. Some have been friends for many years, and some are only here because of the game. At the head of the table is Jenkins. He''s a short, pudgy guy in his early twenties, with hair that has been dyed blond and grown out with three inch long brown roots. He¡¯s surrounded by binders, folders, and notebooks. Jenkins flips through one of the folders and starts passing out character sheets to all the others. "We''ll start by making characters," Jenkins says after the sheets are distributed. "Think carefully about your character''s name, because that is who you are from this point forward. You will no longer be known by your real name until the game is over." "This character sheet is weird," the only girl at a table, a brunette named Lucy, remarks. "I thought we were playing D&D." "I never said it was D&D," Jenkins chuckles and leans back with a devious smile on his face. "This is going to be a little different. This is my world, and I created everything from scratch. Don''t worry, it''s fairly easy to learn." "Alright then," Lucy says. "Well, I''m going to make things easy and name my character Lucy." "That''s fair." Jenkins nods and looks around at the others, who are still mulling over the character sheets. "So tell me about your character. Who is Lucy?" "I don''t know anything about your world." She shrugs. "Is there magic? Are there dungeons? Dragons?" "The world is called Bryconia," Jenkins says, opening a binder that is filled with what appears to be hundreds upon hundreds of pages of material. "Tell me what kind of character you want to play, and I''ll make it work." "Let me think about that." Lucy sinks into her seat and studies the character sheet. "I''m going to be Leone Lebrae," the largest and, debatably the strongest guy at the table says. "I''m a seven foot tall elf with long golden hair. I grew up on a ship, and may or may not have been a pirate once upon a time." "That''s tall for an elf." Jenkins perks a brow. "Why don''t you put elf with a question mark next to it? There''s going to be some mystery about your exact origin." "Okay." Leone beams a smile. "But everything else is okay?" "Nah, we gotta work on that," Jenkins says with a chuckle. "In Bryconia, there is a long history of conflict between the elves that live in Elvenlark and the various other races. Elves that leave Elvenlark to join the outside world are not usually met with kindness, and some have even been enslaved." "I''m not a damn slave," Leone retorts. "Then perhaps you were a kitchen boy on a ship that may or may not have been involved in piracy." Jenkins contemplates the dilemma. "There you picked up a few things, like sailing and how to wield a rapier better than most other level zero characters." "Level zero?" Lucy asks. "Damn, we can''t even be level one?" "Nope," Jenkins says with a chuckle. "Alright then." Leone writes a couple of things down on his sheet. "What about other skills and attributes? Do we need an alignment? Will we have abilities?" "You''ll have some of that," Jenkins nods. "You won''t roll for your attributes. They just need to make sense for your character." Jenkins reaches across the table and points at the attributes section of the character sheet. Each one has a scale of 1-100. Power Speed Intelligence Affinity "Hmm," Leone stares at the attributes. "Uh, I should have really high power since I''m seven feet tall. High speed because I''m an elf. I''m smart, obviously. Wait, where''s charisma?" "You don''t need that. It''s part of your character." Jenkins reaches over and swipes the character sheet, quickly jotting down a few things, then hands it back. "This is what I''d go with, based on what you''ve told me." Leone Lebrae ¨C Level 0 Character Class: Fighter Race: Elf/? Power ¨C 85 Speed ¨C 75 Intelligence ¨C 60 Affinity ¨C 50 -Rapier ¨C Level 1 -Sailing ¨C Level 1 "What is Affinity?" Leone asks. "It''s for magic users." Jenkins says in response. "If you''re a spellcaster, your Affinity has to be higher than sixty." "No spells for me." Leone shakes his head. "Is that it? Am I set? What about money and equipment?" "What do you have in your pocket right now?" Jenkins asks. "Uh, I don''t know." Leone reaches for his wallet and flips it open. "I got five bucks, but I got my debit card, so I don''t really need money." "No debit cards in Bryconia. Your character has five gold pieces. Write it down." Jenkins motions to the character sheet. "Basic equipment like armor and weapons will need to be purchased when you get to town." "I should have a rapier." Leone scoffs. "You were a kitchen boy. You likely trained with someone else''s rapier and never owned one yourself. Sorry." Jenkins smiles and shrugs. There''s silence for a few minutes as everyone takes in the character creation process. Lucy writes some stuff down and then passes the character sheet over to Jenkins. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Okay, how about this?" She asks. Lucy ¨C Level 0 Character Class: Rogue Race: Human Power ¨C 55 Speed ¨C 75 Intelligence ¨C 70 Affinity ¨C 50 -Sling ¨C Level 1 -Persuasion ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Ten gold pieces "Persuasion?" Jenkins asks. "Did you make that up?" "You gave Leone sailing." She shrugs. "I figured you''d be okay with that, too." "I am perfectly fine with it." Jenkins smiles. "How about everyone else?" A couple of comments fill the room, then the others begin to work on their characters, jotting down information. Jenkins sits back with a devious grin, watching as his friends try to make sense of Bryconia and what it will entail. "I''m going to be Vryce." A guy with a medium build, sandy-brown hair, and glasses says. "Here''s my character sheet?" "Excellent." Jenkins looks down at the sheet and makes a few adjustments. Vryce ¨C Level 0 Character Class: Fighter/Necromancer Race: Half-Elf, but appears human. Power ¨C 65 Speed ¨C 55 Intelligence ¨C 75 Affinity ¨C 70 -Two-Handed Swords ¨C Level 1 -Intimidation ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Nothing "I have an average build, but I wear a black robe, with light armor underneath it, and I have a massive two-handed broadsword on my back. That''s where the intimidation comes in." Vryce smirks. "I''ll allow that, once you have obtained your sword." Jenkins nods. "The robe you can say is part of your basic equipment. You have enough Affinity to be cast spells, but at level zero, you will only have one cantrip at your disposal and since you''re a hybrid class, your casting will be limited." "That''s fine." Vryce shrugs. "What cantrips can I choose from?" "How many hit points do cats have?" Vryce flashes an evil grin. "Oh hell no!" Lucy interjects. "You are not killing cats around my character!" "Hold on." Jenkins raises a hand. "All of that can be sorted out in game. We won''t have time to do anything other than make characters today." "We don''t even get to play?" Leone glares angrily. "Fuck, that sucks." "Sorry guys." Jenkins motions towards the window. "I need to make it home before the storm. You guys know how my dog gets when the weather is bad." "I have my character ready." The oldest guy in the room, and the owner of the gaming store, leans forward. "I''m Palmer. Nothing special, I''m just an old cleric." "Why are you still level zero if you''re old?" Lucy laughs. "I guess I got a late start." Palmer shrugs. "I didn''t make the rules." "You''ll need to come up with a story before the game starts." Jenkins takes the character sheet and makes a few adjustments. Palmer ¨C Level 0 Character Class: Cleric Race: Human Power ¨C 55 Speed ¨C 45 Intelligence ¨C 70 Affinity ¨C 75 -Mace ¨C Level 1 -Divination ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Knowledge ¨C Cleric Fifty-five gold pieces "How''d I do?" Palmer asks. "It''s good." Jenkins smiles. "Since you''re a cleric, you will have two prayers at level zero and you will not be able to comprehend any of the other spells in your book." "Sure." Palmer shrugs, seemingly unbothered by the decision. "What are they?" "The first one is a basic heal, which will cost half your mana and restore five hit points. The second one will cost five mana points, and it is a blessing that can be placed on a weapon to imbue it with holy power for one hour." "Holy power, huh?" Palmer nods. "What does that do?" "You''ll have to choose a god." Jenkins leans back in his chair. "That will determine what kind of blessing you get." "What are my options?" Palmer asks. "Give me a basic idea and I''ll find one for you." Jenkins smiles as he flips through his binder. "Battle? War? Whatever." Palmer tries to peek at the binder, but Jenkins pulls it away. "How about Grath? He''s a lesser god with a small following and his followers believe in honorable combat." Jenkins studies the page in the binder. "His blessing will allow the wielder to draw the attention of an enemy, but only if the intentions are honorable." "That sounds good to me." Palmer nods. "That just leaves you two." Jenkins looks down the table at the two guys on the end. "I''m Rabu." The larger of the two says. "I''m a evil little gnome necromancer who is um, very well endowed." "What the fuck, dude?" Vryce chuckles. "I''m already a necromancer." "You''re a hybrid," Rabu says. "I want to play a pure class." "Let me see your character sheet." Jenkins beckons for it and Rabu slides it down the table. Jenkins studies it for a moment. "How is it?" Rabu asks. "I''m going to make a couple of adjustments here." Jenkins leans forward, pushing his pencil into action. Rabu ¨C Level 0 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Jenkins slides the character sheet across the table and the others lean over to take a look. "Language?" Lucy asks. "What does that do?" "Rabu speaks one additional language in addition to his native gnomish tongue and the common tongue everyone speaks." Jenkins smiles. "What language?" Rabu perks a brow. "You choose." Jenkins motions to him. "Can it be anything?" Rabu''s eyes light up and his lips twist into a grin. "You''re pushing your luck, but sure. Try to break the game." Jenkins laughs. "Rattus." Rabu says with a deadpan stare. "I can speak Rattus. Latin for¡­ Rat." "Oh shit." Leone cackles and shakes his head. "I do need sacrifices!" Vryce turns to Lucy. "Rats are better than cats, right?" "Fuck off." Lucy scoffs, but a wry smile teases the edge of her lips. "Alright," Jenkins says. "Only one character sheet to collect." "Yeah." The thin-framed guy at the end of the table says. "I''m Malakai. I''m a Paladin. To make things easier, I also follow Grath. Palmer and I should get along great." "Where is Malakai from?" Jenkins asks. "How did he become a paladin?" Malakai thinks for a moment, running his fingers through his hair. He''s older than everyone other than Palmer, but he has a youthfulness to him that sometimes makes him seem younger. Also, he''s usually high. "Hell, I don''t know, man." Malakai shrugs. "He''s an orphan or something and he grew up in a temple." "Done." Jenkins nods and grabs the character sheet. "Let me make some adjustments." Malakai ¨C Level 0 Character Class: Paladin Race: Human Power ¨C 55 Speed ¨C 45 Intelligence ¨C 65 Affinity ¨C 65 - ¨C Level 1 -Piousness ¨C Level 1 -Meditation ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: The Sword of Grath. "Wait, what?" Palmer raises a brow. "He got a weapon?" "He did." Jenkins nods. "It made sense for his character." "I''m a rogue." Lucy argues. "I should at least know where to stash a knife or something." "Valid point." Jenkins smiles. "Add that to your equipment." "Damn right I will." Lucy bites her bottom lip as she jots it down. "Okay, so like, I don''t have a book with spells or anything?" Vryce exhales sharply. "I''m at least half-necromancer." "You didn''t put in the time required." Jenkins shrugs. "You spent too much time trying to learn how to be intimidating." "Whatever." Vryce rolls his eyes. "I''m ready to play." "Soon." Jenkins says, as a second later, a flash of lightning is accompanied by thunder. "But I think that''s our cue." "We better start next weekend." Leone gathers his things. "It''s been almost a month since Big Mike wrapped up his campaign." "I know." Jenkins says with a faraway look in his eyes. "This will be different, but I think you''ll enjoy it." "We''ll see." Leone smirks. "I''ll start something up if it sucks." "Give it a week or two." Jenkins winks and slings his bag over his shoulder before walking towards the door. Outside, they look up at the sky and make their way to their vehicles. The storm is coming in fast. It¡¯s not the normal pop up storm that plagues the area this time of year. It seems to be more violent and destructive. But even stranger, it seems to be following each person as they depart the gaming store. Chapter 2: The Storm The group departs the gaming store, but the excitement of the upcoming game lingers. Unfortunately, the storm prevents them from having any real discussion in the parking lot. Most rush to their individual vehicles, except for Vryce and Lucy, who usually ride together. Vryce jerks open the passenger side door of his car and makes sure Lucy is safely inside before rushing around to his side of the car. Both of them are soaked by the time they get seated. "So what do you think?" Vryce asks. "This game seems a little weird." "You''re the weirdo that''s talking about sacrificing cats." She gives him a glare. "If Rabu can talk to rats, then maybe it''ll be easier to find sacrifices." Vryce shrugs. "But that doesn''t mean all of the strays are safe." "The first thing I''m going to do is build a cat sanctuary to protect them from you." Lucy grins and leans over to give Vryce a playful nudge. "By the way, are we really just going to stick with the character names? I have to call you Vryce from now on?" "Those are the rules." Vryce shrugs again, seemingly unbothered by it. "It''s kind of what we did with Big Mike''s game too. After a couple of weeks, we called each other by our character names more than our real names." "I hate that I met you guys too late to join that one." Lucy leans over to look up at the sky. "It seemed like a lot of fun." "It was for a long time¡­" Vryce''s words trail off and his expression grows dark. "Did something happen?" Lucy perks a brow, noticing the look on Vryce''s face. "I don''t really want to talk about it," Vryce says, glancing up at the sky. "This storm is crazy." "Yeah, it is." Lucy follows Vryce''s lead as he changes the conversation. "I thought it was supposed to just be some light rain." "Apparently not." Vryce says, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. Vryce and Lucy continue to talk as they drive to Lucy''s house, then they say their goodbyes. Vryce waits for Lucy to make it indoors before continuing on to his place. Once he''s home, he cracks open a beer and starts drafting up some ideas for his character. After a few hours, and several beers, Vryce has written an entire backstory for his half-elf necromancer. Unbeknownst to him, the rest of his friends are doing something similar, although only a couple go as far as to write out a detailed backstory. Malakai, in particular, is expressing his creativity through art, drawing his character the way he sees him, while laying out some general notes about the characters time at the temple. All of this underneath the raging storm, which quickly becomes more volatile than anyone could have predicted. It isn''t long before the power starts to go out, and as the estimated time for restoration becomes available, everyone decides it is time to call it a night. They all expect to wake up the next morning and continue developing the character they will be playing in Bryconia. But fate has other plans. *** Leone Lebrae is the first one to wake up, but instead of waking up in his bed at home, he''s laying in what appears to be grass. His head hurts so bad he struggles to open his eyes, but when he finally does, he sees a bright blue sky overhead. "What the hell?" Leone sits up, rubs the side of his head, and tries to make sense of what he sees. In the distance, he can see a small village, but it doesn''t look like one he''s ever seen before. It certainly doesn''t look modern. It reminds him of a village from a movie set in the middle ages. To his immediate right, he notices a tree, and as he tries to stand up, he stumbles towards it because his legs are weak. He catches himself on the tree and notices a woman on the ground. "Lucy?" He tilts his head slightly. The woman on the ground looks similar enough to his friend to be recognizable, but her attire is strange. She''s wearing a dirty white tunic, muddy pants, and only one shoe, which is barely more than tattered leather cobbled together. Leone kneels down and shakes her, saying her name again. "Lucy! Wake up!" "Huh?" Lucy''s eyes slowly open and her hand immediately goes to her head. "Where am I? Wait, who the fuck are you!?" Despite the pain, Lucy panics, rolls over, and scurries away from the strange, golden haired elf. "It''s me, Lucy! It''s Leone!" A strange look settles on Leone''s face. "I''m not Leone, I''m Leone. What? I''m trying to say my name, but it''s just coming out as Leone." A realization settles across Lucy''s face, and the panic seems to dissipate. She studies her friend closely, recognizing some features that remind her of the guy that sat near her at the table last night, but he looks a whole lot different now. "You''re Leone?" Lucy also tries to use Leone''s real name, but her words betray her. "Fuck." Leone slumps down to the ground. "What the hell is going on here?" Lucy looks at her hands and feet as she tries to stand. Like Leone, it''s a difficult process and she stumbles over to the tree before slumping down on the ground next to her friend. As Lucy tries to shake the disjointed thoughts out of her head, Leone attempts to stand for a second time, using the tree for support. "Are we in Bryconia?" Lucy asks. "That''s what this is, right? We made these characters last night." Leone doesn''t respond, but the expression on his face darkens. He looks around and a few seconds later, a string of profanities pulls their attention to the distant right, where they see a figure dressed in much nicer attire, complete with a tabard that has a strange symbol on the front. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Is that¡­" Lucy squints. "Palmer!" Leone says, then pauses as he realizes the name he tried to say has once again been corrected. "Palmer, over here!" Palmer staggers, then falls to a knee. Leone attempts to walk over to assist, but he''s still struggling to walk. He''s finally forced to lean against the tree and watch as Palmer painstakingly crosses the field to get to where they are, falling and stumbling the entire way. "Leone?" Palmer says, then his face registers confusion. "You won''t be able to say his real name." Lucy drags herself closer to the tree to support her back. "I think we''re in Bryconia. Somehow we''re¡­" "Our characters." Palmer nods as he finishes Lucy''s sentence. "We need to find everyone else." "That might be difficult since we can barely walk." Leone says in a huff. "How bad does your head hurt?" "Like I got kicked in the face by a mule." Palmer sighs and leans against the tree. "Maybe if we rest for a few minutes, we can figure this out." "You''re a cleric, right?" Lucy asks, moving closer to Palmer. "Can''t you heal us or something?" "Uh, maybe?" Palmer says, as he ponders Lucy''s question. "But I have no idea how to do it." "Didn''t Jenkins say something about a book?" Leone leans forward and points at the satchel hanging from Palmer''s waist. "Look in there." "Right." Palmer nods and opens his satchel. "This must be it." Palmer pulls out a book titled Prayers of Grath. He flips it open and almost everything it is garbled except for the very first page, which has two prayers listed. Prayer of Healing I: In Mani Grath -Heals 5 hit points -Mana Cost: 50% of your total Mana Points. === Prayer of Holy Power I: Sanct Rel Grath -Imbues weapon with the Holy Power of Grath for one hour, which allow the wielder to draw the attention of one enemy, as long as the wielder''s intentions are honorable. -Mana Cost: 5 Mana Points "I guess I just say the prayer?" Palmer turns towards Lucy. "Maybe I put my hands on you or something?" "Try it." Lucy nods and moves closer. Palmer studies the phrase, practicing it silently before leaning over to Lucy, and putting his hands on her arm. The older cleric closes his eyes and recites the words from his book. "In Mani Grath," Palmer says, and suddenly, a light blue glow pours from his hands. It envelopes Lucy and quickly fades. "Whoa!" Leone blinks in surprise. "Lucy, how do you feel?" "I feel¡­" Lucy puts her hand on the tree and is able to stand up. "Better. Not perfect, but better." "Alright, Palmer." Leone smiles. "Heal me." "Wait." Palmer shakes his head. "This drains half my mana, which means I can only do one more heal before my mana recharges. Whenever that is." "Hmm." Leone contemplates what Palmer said. "Okay, Lucy go look around and see if you can find the others. Also keep an eye out for anything we can use as weapons." "Do you think you''re in charge or something?" Lucy tilts her head slightly. "You''re the only one who can walk, for crying out loud." Leone grumbles under his breath. "Will you just do it? Please?" "Try asking nicer the first time." Lucy turns and starts walking away from the two men by the tree. "Oh, look. I found my other shoe." "Great." Leone sighs. "Now try to find Vryce, Rabu and Malakai." "I''m looking, chill." Lucy wanders further away, the strength in her legs seemingly restored by Palmer''s prayer. Leone tries to get to feet again, but he feels even weaker, so he remains where he is. Palmer begins digging through his satchel to see if there is anything else that could be useful. "Hmm." Palmer pulls out a bag that jingles and opens it. "I guess this is my gold." "You''re buying dinner." Leone chuckles then feels around his waist to find a similar coin purse. "I only had five bucks on me." "These coins are strange." Palmer pulls a handful of them out of the bag. "I''ve got some that are stamped for King Brynn, and then others that have markings I can''t understand." "Let me check mine." Leone removes his coin purse and dumps the five gold pieces in his hand. "Mine are the same say. I''ve got two for King Brynn, and the other three are different." "Let''s hope they all spend the same." Palmer shrugs and drops his coins back into his bag. "We need a plan." The conversation is interrupted by Lucy, who calls out to them. "Leone! Palmer! I found Vryce!" She leans down and a couple of seconds later, a bewildered looking man sits up. "Doesn''t Vryce have some kind of healing spell?" Leone glances over at Palmer. "Yeah, but he has to sacrifice something. If we find Rabu, he can talk to rats, right?" Palmer shakes his head. "I can''t believe I''m even considering that, but maybe he could convince a rat to come to us so we can sacrifice it?" "This is crazy." Leone grunts. The two men watch Lucy and Vryce, who aren''t talking loud enough for Leone or Palmer to hear what they are saying. Judging by Vryce''s reaction, Lucy appears to be explaining the situation to him. Vryce sits in stunned silence for almost a full minute before he attempts to get up. He struggles, but with Lucy''s assistance, he begins staggering towards the tree. "Here, I''ll try to help." Palmer pushes himself up with a groan and shoulders some of Vryce''s weight before the duo collapses. Lucy seems more nimble than she was in the real world, and is able to easily retain her footing. "I was really looking forward to playing Bryconia." Vryce lets out a chuckle. "But not like this." "Lucy, see if you can find something for Vryce to sacrifice so he can use his heal." Leone motions towards the field. "There you go giving orders again." Lucy puts her hands on her hips. "I don''t even know how to cast my spell." Vryce sighs and looks to Palmer. "Lucy told me what you did, but I don''t have a book or anything." "You''re a necromancer, right? Half of one, anyway." Lucy ponders the situation. "Maybe just close your eyes and focus or something." "I''ll try." Vryce lets out a weary groan and closes his eyes. The rest of the group stares at Vryce as he concentrates, but when he opens his eyes, it''s clear he''s made no progress. "Anything?" Leone asks. "No." Vryce grumbles. "I really have no fucking idea. Plus, this robe is hot as hell. Why did I ask for a robe?" "You were trying to be intimidating." Lucy lets out a light chuckle. "I changed my mind." Vryce strips off the robe, revealing a tattered tunic and pants that are far too short for him. "Your intimidation went way down." Leone snorts. "Fuck it, I don''t care." Vryce pulls himself close to the tree and leans against it. "I''m going to go look for Rabu and Malakai." Lucy says confidently, then turns and walks back into the field. "Screw you, Jenkins." Vryce looks up and shakes his head. "You son of a bitch." "We don''t know if he''s actually responsible for this." Leone furrows his brow. "Remember, there was a really bad storm last night. Maybe something got¡­ I don''t know." "There you go," Vryce says. "Always defending him even though he''s the reason Big Mike''s game ended." "That was my fault too." Leone sighs. "I could have handled it differently." "Whatever." Vryce shakes his head. "We''ll find Rabu and Malakai, then we''ll figure out how to get home." Lucy walks around the field. The others regain their strength. As night comes, the group comes to terms with the fact that they can''t find their friends. Lucy has walked in every direction, without venturing close to the village, and the others have been able to do some light scouting, but they still haven''t regained all of their strength. "We need to rest." Leone says. "We''ll be useless if we don''t." "Yeah," the slender brunette says as she finds a comfortable spot on the ground. "I can''t see a damn thing anyway." "I can see fine." Leone chuckles. "But we still need rest." "Wait, you can see in the dark?" Lucy perks up. "It''s different, but yes." Leone nods, then looks towards Vryce. "You''re a half-elf. Can''t see you see in the dark?" "Not enough to call it special." Vryce shrugs. "I guess I didn''t get that ability." "I can''t see anything." Palmer leans against a rock. "Hopefully, we''ll have our strength back tomorrow and we can find the others." "Exactly." Leone sighs. "Then we''ll figure out how to get home." Despite Leone''s best attempt at confidence, his statement is hollow. They are all worried about their future. Finding their friends was a priority, but then what? Was it even possible to get home again? Chapter 3: Rabu The wagon jolts, and a groggy Rabu tries to open his eyes. "Where am I?" He rasps, his voice weak. "Here, drink some water." A girl''s voice echoes and Rabu feels something cool against his lips. "This is from the Spring of the Moon. It''s supposed to be magic." Spring of the Moon? Magic? The words toy with his thoughts. "Where am I?" Rabu rasps for the second time, his voice getting stronger after drinking the water. "We''re a few miles away from Logis." The girl''s voice says. "Almost home." Rabu forces his eyes to open, and blinks to focus. The girl has a warm smile on her face and the moon creates a halo around her light blonde hair. As the haze clears, he''s realizes he''s in the back of a wagon. There is a man sitting in the front and two horses are carrying them forward at a steady pace. It''s still fast enough to make Rabu''s head spin. "I don''t understand." Rabu sits up. "Logis?" "The capital." The girl rolls her eyes. "I thought gnomes were supposed to be smart." "Gnomes?" Rabu asks, then looks down at his body. "Wait... What!?" Rabu examines himself. He has stubby arms and rather short legs. He''s wearing a black robe that looks like it''s seen better days. "You do realize you''re a gnome, right?" The girl pokes Rabu in his shoulder and laughs. "We wouldn''t have picked you up if you weren''t." The bouncing of the wagon jolts Rabu enough for his thoughts to clear. He quickly deduces that if he''s a gnome, it ties into the character he made the previous night, and since he took some cold medicine before he went to bed, it was obvious that he was in some kind of weird dream. "You picked me up because I''m a gnome?" Rabu asks, narrowing his eyes at the girl in front of him. "Of course." She nods. "Gnomes are worth a lot of money. My father says he''ll be able to sell you for a thousand gold pieces. Maybe more." Rabu tries to sit up, but he feels an ache in his bones. "I''m hurt." He groans, his head spinning with ideas. "Do you have anything that can heal me?" "The water didn''t help?" The girl asks, snapping her head back in surprise. "Not really." Rabu shakes his head. "I need something stronger than that." "Well¡­" The girl hesitates for a moment. "I do have my emergency healing potion, but I''d have to ask my father." "He driving the wagon?" Rabu motions to the man. "Yes." The girl nods. "He''s the one who told you how gnomes are worth, right?" Rabu forces a half-smile. "I''m sure he''d want me to be healthy. Besides, after you sell me, you can afford plenty of healing potions." "I guess that''s true." The girl clutches a small vial around her neck. "Okay, here." She spins the string that holds the vial, unties it, and offers it to Rabu. Rabu twists off the top, gives it a sniff, and is surprised to find that it has a pleasant scent. It tastes even better. He downs the potion, and within a few seconds, he feels all of his strength returning. The girl takes the vial back and secures it around her neck. "Thank you." He sighs. "What''s your name?" "Mara." She says, moving closer. "How about you?" "I''m Rabu." The gnome says, then his face twist into confusion. "Rabu." "Rabu Rabu?" Mara perks a brow. "What a strange name." "No, it''s Rabu." He shakes his head as he says it. "Forget it, my name is Rabu." He isn''t sure why he can''t say his real name, but he just decides to accept it. "Nice to meet you." Mara gives a curt nod. "Why were you laying in the road?" "Laying in the road?" Rabu asks. "What do you mean?" "That''s where we found you. Close to the village of Roth. You were passed out in the dirt." Mara glances towards her father. "He said you were probably drunk." "I wasn''t drunk." Rabu rolls his head to the side and squeezes his hands which feel strange with his short sausage-like fingers. "But clearly I took too much cold medication last night." "Cold medication?" Mara asks, the word seemingly foreign to her. "What''s that?" Rabu decides not to explain it. "Nothing." Rabu rolls over and pulls his robe tight. "I need to get some rest." "You''ve been asleep since we found you." Mara pouts, but Rabu ignores her. Mara slides to the front of the wagon and sits next to her father. Rabu can''t hear what they are saying, but the older man glances back at Rabu a couple of times. Rabu pinches himself, which only results in pain, and then pushes his thumbnail into his hand until he sees a speck of blood. Why can''t I wake up? He silently asks himself. This has be some weird dream. As far as dreams go, it''s pretty mild compared to some the previous dreams he''s had after taking cold medication. The last one he can recall involved his grandmother fighting a horde of monkeys that were trying to eat all of her food. Also, professional wrestler Batista was there for some reason. Then it all devolved into madness when he discovered his grandmother''s house was actually a strip mall in the middle of a Call of Duty-like war torn landscape. Bryconia, by comparison, isn''t quite as chaotic. That realization worries Rabu. Could all of this somehow be real? Could he actually be in Bryconia? He glances back at the front of the wagon and then notices a small satchel with a broken strap lying nearby. He''s careful not to let Mara or her father see him grab the satchel, and he uses his small frame to block their view as he opens it. Inside he finds a few vials filled with what appear to be various reagents and a Book of Necromancy. Rabu didn''t get a chance to ask about his spells, so he quickly flips open the book, and sees that most of the spells are unreadable except for two on the front page, which appear to be cantrips. Unsteady Gait: Vin Di -Causes one humanoid to stumble or lose their footing. -Mana Cost: 10 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Ginger Root === Summon Mouse: Res Tor -Summons one mouse who will obey simple commands. -Mana Cost: 15 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Mouse Tail Rabu memorizes the two phrases easily, then digs in his satchel and examines the vials. He finds one with what appears to be ginger root and another that is clearly filled with a few mouse tails. In the lining of his robe, he finds several pockets, so he hides the vials there, and pushes his bag back to the front of the wagon. The gnome''s mind spins with ideas. He contemplates murdering Mara and her father in order to escape. His conscience would normally push him away from an idea like that, but he finds no resistance to the idea when it burrows into his thoughts. But how? Rabu tries to remember his character sheet and focuses on the mana. Forty mana points. That''s what it said. Combined with the reagents in his pocket, he could easily hinder Mara and her father with Unsteady Gait. Or would it be better to scare the girl with a mouse? Rabu isn''t sure exactly how old she is, but judging by what he could see in the moonlight, she appeared to be in her early teens. Surely, she would be terrified if a mouse suddenly appeared. Right? Wrong? Those didn''t seem to matter to Rabu. It was like his ability to differentiate the two was missing. Am I¡­ Rabu thinks silently. Evil? Rabu remembers what he said when he passed his character sheet to Jenkins, and the phrase immediately passes across his lips again. "I''m a evil little gnome necromancer who is um, very well endowed." The last part was said in jest, but as he feels below his waist, he finds that he got exactly what he asked for. He immediately regrets not asking to be a ten foot tall Minotaur that could tear the wagon to pieces and stomp the two human occupants into nothing but paste beneath his hooves. The thought puts a smile on his face. As the wagon rolls on towards their destination, Rabu begins to understand that this is no dream. He doesn''t know how he got to Bryconia, or if his friends are here too, but his primary thought is self-preservation. Survival. That''s all that truely matters. If this is a game¡­ Rabu thinks to himself. Then the two of them are just NPCs, right? Their lives mean nothing. Rabu was no stranger to playing an evil character. His endeavors often ended in violence and bloodshed, whether it was a casual game of Skyrim where he terrorized the towns, or Fallout, where he murdered everyone in his path. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Bryconia would be no different, if that''s what it took for him to survive. He was at peace with that decision, but in reality, there wasn''t anything to be at peace with. He felt no desire to try and bring a amicable end to his current situation. Death and destruction seemed like a lot more fun. "We''re almost there." Mara says, looking back to Rabu. Rabu sits up, and what lies ahead takes his breath away for a moment. Enormous stone walls, a giant wooden gate, and in the distance, a grandiose castle is lit up by torches that adorn the windows. Rabu''s vision seems to be stronger than it was in the real world, like he has more focus, and can see further than he should be able to. He doesn''t know if it''s because he''s a gnome, or because he doesn''t need the glasses that he put on his nightstand before the cold medication put him to sleep. The gates are open and Rabu peers over the side of the wagon at the guards standing nearby as they pass. They are outfitted in chain mail armor with a tabard that bears the symbol of an ornate fish, and holding spears that shimmer in the moonlight. As the wagon enters the city, the ride gets bumpier, and Rabu looks down to see cobblestones making up a roadway that weaves through the city. Rabu sees houses and workshops along the road, and a few dirty children are playing in the street. When they catch sight of Rabu, they point and stare. This causes Rabu to duck back down into the wagon, unsure if he should let very many people see him. Mara did mention selling him, after all, and greed is a motivation Rabu knows well, although he isn''t sure why it seems so familiar. The wagon passes underneath a bridge, and Rabu dares another peek, noticing that quality of the houses they are passing seem to be dwindling. Instead of stone houses and workshops, he sees wooden shacks, and the wagon finally comes to a stop in front of one. "We''re here!" Mara jumps up, excitement filling her voice. "Alright, gnome," her father says harshly before stepping into the back of the wagon. "I believe I''ve got a chicken cage that will hold you." "A cage?" Rabu asks, clutching the reagents in his pocket. "Why are you going to put me in a cage? That seems a bit harsh." "Well we can''t have you running off while we''re asleep, can we?" The man suddenly grabs Rabu, lifts him out of the wagon, and tosses him over the side. Rabu is startled by how easy the man was able to lift him, but he doesn''t have much time to think before he collides with the dirt. "Daddy, you''ll hurt him!" Mara jumps to the ground, landing beside Rabu. "Gnomes are more durable than they look." The man laughs, then drops down behind Rabu. "Mara, go get the cage." "Yes sir." She says, her voice reflecting a hint of defeat. Rabu''s blood boils as he peers back at the man who threw him out of the wagon. A second later, the man pulls his foot back and kicks Rabu hard in the ribs, which sends him sprawling towards an old rickety fence. "That''s for tricking my daughter into using her emergency healing potion on you. That''s the only one we have." The man grinds out his words. "Filthy little devil." Rabu contemplates running away and using his spells to escape, but he doesn''t know if that''s the best option. If Mara and her father have no issue with selling him, then others will likely feel the same way, and he only has forty mana points at his disposal. Also, he has limited reagents and no idea how to acquire more. Mara returns with the cage and she places it on the ground. Rabu looks at it and laughs to himself, because there''s no way it will be able to hold him, but if they think it will, then he''ll use it to his advantage. "Get in the cage." Mara''s father kicks at Rabu again, but Rabu dodges the attempt and scurries into the safety of the wire-framed enclosure. "You don''t have to be mean to him." Mara gives her father a doe-eyed look. "Please, he''s not a monster or anything." "You don''t know what these filthy little devils are capable of." Her father grunts. "Run along, now. I''ll get him inside." "Yes sir." Mara sighs and walks back to the house. "Know any magic tricks, gnome?" The man leans down to study Rabu. "If you do, you''ll be worth a lot more money." "No." Rabu narrows his eyes into a glare as he lies. "I''m not a magic gnome." "Too bad." The man grunts. "Ah well, I''m sure someone will buy you anyway." The man picks up the cage and carries it into the house, then places it in the center of the room. Rabu surveys his surroundings, noticing that the house is fairly quaint. There''s a fireplace, a cooking kettle next to it, and two straw beds on opposite sides of the house. Each of them has a tattered curtain tied back, which appears to be designed to give some sort of privacy. There isn''t much furniture other than a wooden table, a few chairs, and a paltry looking shelf that contains what Rabu assumes to be food. "Should I make some soup?" Mara asks. "Yes," her father says. "Just enough for the two of us. The gnome will just have to starve until we find a buyer." "Yes sir," Mara says, then flashes a solemn look at Rabu before turning to walk to the cooking kettle. "I''m going to take care of the horses," her father says. "I''ll be back shortly." Rabu watches the older man as he exits the house, then Rabu turns his attention back to Mara. While Rabu can feel a rumble in his stomach, he is rather glad he won''t be forced to eat the soup when he observes Mara pick up a couple of moldy potatoes and almost-rotten carrots. He takes note of the dull knife she uses to peel and cut the vegetables, and where she places it when she''s done. A few minutes later, Mara''s father returns with Rabu''s satchel and a few other things from the wagon. He fumbles around with the satchel, examines the book, and then tosses everything on the table. If he can read the title of the book, he doesn''t seem alarmed by it. "So you can''t do anything special, huh?" The man walks over and nudges the chicken-cage with his foot, drawing Rabu''s attention. "Sorry," Rabu says. "I''m just an ordinary gnome." "Ordinary?" The man snorts. "There''s nothing ordinary about you. I''ve heard the legends. I know you''re clever and full of tricks, so don''t even think about trying any of that shit with me. A one-eared gnome is worth almost as much as a two-eared gnome." "Daddy!" Mara whines. "Please don''t be cruel to him. He seems nice." "Already tricked my daughter, it seems." The man sighs as he walks over to the table to sit down. "But that''s fine, we''ll be rid of you tomorrow." Mara''s father seems to lose interest in Rabu, so the gnome sits quietly in his cage, carefully studying his surroundings. His escape seems simple enough. The cage is held together by thin wire and wooden slats that are almost rotten. Rabu is confident he can get out of the cage with minimal effort. For a moment, he considers escaping peacefully into the night, but he feels drawn to a more violent escape. A strong desire for Mara''s father to pay dearly for throwing him out of the wagon and kicking him in his ribs. Mara has treated Rabu with kindness, but Rabu does not feel compelled to return the favor. If anything, he revels at the thought of her suffering a violent end, just like her father. "Get me some of the moon water," Mara''s father says as she puts two wooden bowls on the table. "My back hurts from the wagon." "I don''t know if it''s actually magic." Mara says with a sigh as she pours some of the water into a tin cup. "It didn''t seem to help Rabu at all." "It probably doesn''t work on filthy little devils." Mara''s father takes a long drink from his cup and shrugs. "Maybe it takes a while to kick in." "What are we going to do with the money when we get it?" Mara asks her father. "Do you think I might be able to learn to read or possibly start going to school?" "Why?" Her father laughs at the thought and begins eating his soup. "Do you think your dowry will be more if you can read a damn book?" "No sir," Mara says sadly. "But I might be able to learn enough to get a job or possibly become an apprentice at one of the shops. That''s what Hannah was able to do." "Hannah''s parents can afford for her to sit around and learn how to sew." Mara''s father snorts and a scowl forms on his face. "Us common folks are lucky to have food on the table. The gnome is a blessing, and we''ll be able to eat for a while, but the money won''t last forever." "Yes sir." Mara nods and glances over to Rabu. Rabu doesn''t look at her, even though he notices her glance out of the corner of his eye. He simply waits in his cage, keeping his hands close to the reagents tucked away in his pockets. When the two humans finish their dinner, Mara''s father goes to his bed, and Mara carries everything over to the kettle. She watches until her father closes his curtain and then she quickly pours some soup into her bowl. She walks it over to Rabu, unlocks his cage, and pushes it in. "Shh," She says softly, putting her finger to her lips and lowering her voice to a whisper. "I saved a little for you." "Thank you," the gnome rasps, pulling the bowl underneath his robe. "Did you say something?" Mara''s father asks loudly. "No sir!" Mara squeaks, then scurries away. "Finish cleaning and get to bed," the man grunts. "I want to be up early tomorrow so we can find a buyer for the gnome." "Yes sir." Mara says in response. Rabu watches as Mara cleans up and examines the food in his bowl. It looks disgusting, but he realizes he does need to eat, so he tilts the bowl up to drain some of the soup into his mouth. It tastes as bad as it looks and makes his stomach churn after a few bites, so he pushes the bowl back to the edge of the cage. Mara looks disappointed when she collects it, but she doesn''t say anything. All she does is look nervously towards her father''s curtain before cleaning the bowl. After that, she wipes her hands, places the clean dishes on the table, and walks back over to Rabu''s cage. "Goodnight." She whispers. Rabu doesn''t respond. He watches as Mara extinguishes the candles that light the room and starts getting ready for bed. She pulls the curtain around her bed, and Rabu can hear the straw crunch when she lays down. Now I just have to wait, Rabu thinks, remaining alert in the darkness. It isn''t long before Rabu hears snoring coming from the older man''s bed. Still, Rabu waits a little longer to make sure Mara is asleep as well before he begins carefully dismantling the cage. He does it quietly, pulling each piece of the wire away from the wood, and pauses after each little sound to make sure it isn''t enough to wake the sleeping duo. It''s a painstaking process, but he finally gets one side open, and crawls to freedom. His first step causes a slight creak in the board, which makes him freeze, then he continues on, carefully taking each step towards the table. It''s too high for Rabu to reach, but he''s able to climb into a chair, and then onto the table. He tucks his Book of Necromancy into his satchel, and ties the leather strap together before slinging it across his neck. Then he picks up the knife Mara used to make dinner. It''s dull, rusted along the outer edge, and of poor quality, but the point of it can still do some damage. That''s all Rabu cares about. He carefully drops back to the floor and clutches the knife in his hand as he approaches the man''s curtain. "Wha-?" The man eyes open as Rabu pulls away the curtain, but Rabu doesn''t let the man get the entire word out of his mouth before shoving the knife into the his throat. The shock registers on the man''s face, but his death is anything but quiet. He thrashes around, tries to stand, and makes an awful racket as he crawls away from his bed, jerking the knife out of his throat. A poor decision. Blood begins to pour out of the wound and the man collapses. A second later, Rabu sees Mara''s curtain fly open. "Daddy?" She asks, then she sees her father on the ground. "No!" In the darkness, Rabu isn''t easily seen, but as Mara''s eyes focus, she stares in horror at the gnome. "Shh." Rabu says, a grin forming on the edge of his lips. "What have you done?" Mara begins to cry, then she rushes towards the door. "Vin Di!" Rabu says harshly, squeezing a reagent to dust in his palm as he utters the spell and aims his other hand at Mara. Rabu feels something drain from within him, then a wind seems to rush from his hand, tripping Mara as she scrambles. Her feet get tangled together and she sprawls torwards the door, a loud thud echoing as her head hits the metal lock. Rabu clutches his reagents as he walks over, and sees blood pooling around the girl''s head. She pushes herself up and reaches for the vial around her neck, then a light groan passes across her lips before she collapses again. "Damn it," Rabu says. "I had almost convinced myself to let you live." Rabu feels nothing as he watches the final moment of life drain out of the young girl. That does surprise him, in a way. While he''s come to terms with the fact he''s in a game, the deaths certainly seem real. He just took a man''s life, and accidentally killed the only person in Bryconia who has been nice to him. Was it an accident? Even Rabu isn''t sure he knows the true answer to that question. Suddenly, Rabu feels something surge inside of him. His eyes roll back in his head. His mind feels like it''s being zapped by a million tiny lightning bolts at the same time. Then his vision focuses and he sees a red dot glowing on his wrist. He pushes down on it, and something appears in front of him. It''s his character sheet. And he just gained a level. Rabu ¨C Level 0 +1 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Hit Points: 35 + 5 Mana Points: 30/40 +5 Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Various Reagents Dull kitchen knife Rabu blinks a few times as he stares at it, then more words flash. You''ve unlocked a new spell. Rabu reaches into his satchel to retrieve his Book of Necromancy. He opens it and below the two cantrips, a new spell apears. Poison I: Nox Vi -Poisons one creature or humanoid of your level or lower, inflicting continous damage until they injest the antidote. -Mana Cost: 15 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Nightshade -Antidote: Water from the Spring of the Moon "What the¡­" Rabu sees the glow on his wrist dim into a light red speck that is barely visible. He touches it again, and just like before, his character sheet appears. Rabu ¨C Level 1 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Hit Points: 40 Mana Points: 35/45 Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Various Reagents Dull kitchen knife "Well okay then." Rabu smiles. "I guess there''s only one thing left to do..." Loot the bodies. Chapter 4: The Village of Roth The sun peeks over the clouds, and the light shines down on the small encampment in the field. Lucy is the first one to wake up. She rubs her eyes and feels a rush of energy that she didn''t have yesterday, even after Palmer''s healing spell. Her companions haven''t stirred, so Lucy decides to let them sleep, and wanders out into the field. She''s hoping to find some sign of Rabu or Malakai, so she carefully examines the area. Nothing catches her eye, but her stomach rumbles, and she realizes that she needs food. By her best estimate, it''s been at least twenty-four hours since she''s eaten. She glances back at her companions and realizes they will be hungry when they wake up as well. Lucy thinks back to her character sheet. She convinced Jenkins to give her a knife, and while it wasn''t on her when she woke up, she found it in the field next to her other shoe. She also had a couple of skills. Persuasion and Sling. There''s nobody to persuade, but a sling could come in handy, if she could find a way to make one. She picks up a few rocks that look like they would be decent projectiles, and then walks back to the camp, where she notices Vryce stirring. "Hey," Lucy says. "Do you mind if I cut some fabric off the bottom of your robe?" "Why?" Vryce asks, rubbing his eyes. "I''m going to make a sling." Lucy smiles. "Then I''m going to try and find something to eat." "Take what you need." Vryce motions to his robe. "Thank you." Lucy nods. "You''re going hunting?" Vryce cracks his back as he sits up. "I''ll come with you." "I didn''t ask for help." Lucy gives him a side-eyed glance as she kneels and begins trimming some fabric off his robe. "I noticed a stream nearby, so I''m going to go and see if I can find some berries near the water." "Then why do you need the sling?" Vryce raises a brow. "I''m just trying to be careful." Lucy finishes cutting fabric from the robe, then takes her coin purse from her belt, trimming some leather from the top. "Then let me come with you." Vryce puts a hand on the tree and stands up. "If something does happen, it will be better if there are two of us. Besides, I need to stretch my legs some. It feels like my strength has returned." "Fine," Lucy relents, nodding in agreement. Vryce finishes waking up, and gathers his things, opting to leave the robe behind. Lucy turns the fabric from Vryce''s robe and the leather from her coin pouch into a makeshift sling. It''s not perfect, but she lets a rock fly to test it, and it appears to be a decent enough weapon. Her sling proficiency is certainly noticeable, because when Vryce tries to duplicate her shot, his rock spins out of control and lands dangerously close to Leone''s head. "Come on," Lucy says, motioning to Vryce. "We don''t want to kill one of our friends by accident." "I wonder what happens if we die?" Vryce bemuses. "Do we go home, or¡­" "This isn''t a dream, or anything like that." Lucy says with some certainty in her voice. "I don''t know how we ended up here, but I don''t think we should be that eager to die." "Jenkins did it." Vryce looks around. "I''m not sure how, but he''s responsible for this." "Maybe." Lucy shrugs. "That seems kind of strange, though. Why would he want to trap us here?" "Plenty of reasons¡­" Vryce mutters under his breath. "What?" Lucy asks, not able to make out what he said. "Nothing." Vryce shakes his head and then points. "There''s the stream. Let''s look for some berries." The duo searches near the stream and drinks some water, but they don''t find any berries. After searching for almost an hour, they start to head back to the camp, but Vryce suddenly grabs Lucy''s arm. "Look!" Vryce whispers as he pulls Lucy to the ground. "There''s a deer." "And?" Lucy asks in a hushed tone. "You could use that." Vryce motions to the sling. "To take down a deer? Are you crazy?" Lucy''s eyes get big. "I''m not even sure I could kill a squirrel with this thing." "Try." Vryce insists. "If you don''t think you can knock it out, then aim for a leg." "Okay¡­" Lucy says with some hesitation in her voice. The deer isn''t very big. It''s a young male that doesn''t have much in the way of antlers. Lucy has no idea if she can hit the deer, or if she''ll just scare it off, but she decides to give it her best shot. She drops the smoothest rock she''s found into leather and starts spinning the sling, slowly walking towards the deer as she does. The deer snaps it''s head, and Lucy knows it''s now or never. She tries to focus, spins the sling faster, and lets the rock fly. It erupts from the sling with a lot more power and accuracy than Lucy imagined. The rock swiftly closes the distance, and ricochets off the deer''s leg. The deer screams and begins to stumble around. "You did it!" Vryce lets out a woo. "Give me your knife!" "Here." Lucy yanks the knife out of her belt and hands it to Vryce. The blade feels so comfortable in Vryce''s hand. In the real world, he was a former Marine, and he trained in hand-to-hand combat. It feels almost foreign to tap into that training, but he does it anyway. He runs across the field, and as the deer tries to sprint, he rushes it with a tackle. The deer is too injured to escape, and Vryce finishes it off with the knife, making the last cut across the deer''s neck. "I got it!" Vryce looks back with a grin, then the expression disappears from his face as he feels a light surge go through his body. "What was that?" Lucy shudders as she experiences the same thing. "I don''t know." Vryce looks down at his hands. "You felt it too?" "Yeah," Lucy looks around nervously. "We should get back to the camp." Vryce picks up the deer, and slings it across both shoulders. It''s heavy, but he finds that it isn''t that hard to manage the weight once he starts walking. Leon and Palmer begin to wake up as the duo approaches the camp. "We got breakfast." Vryce says proudly, dropping the deer on the ground. "Did you finally figure out how you use your spells?" Leone stretches his arms and yawns. "I did it." Lucy grins. "With my sling." "Interesting," Palmer says. "That was on your character sheet, right?" "Yep." Lucy squats and then sits down next to the tree. "I''m way better with it than I expected." "We''ll have to build a fire." Leone says, looking around for some wood. "I''ll get the deer ready." Vryce says, reaching down to grab it by a hoof. Vryce begins field dressing the deer, and Lucy has to look away, because it makes her a bit squeamish. Palmer studies his book, trying to decipher the prayers that are too garbled to understand. Leone gathers some wood and brings it back to the camp. "Can I borrow the knife for a moment?" Leone asks Vryce, who is busy gutting the deer. "Ask Lucy, it belongs to her." Vryce mostly ignores Leone, despite responding to him. "It''s okay," Lucy says and watches as Leone brings the wood over. "What are planning to do exactly? Rub two sticks together?" "I was a Boy Scout when I was younger." Leone takes a seat and makes what resembles a tiny tent out of sticks and leaves. "Let''s see if I can still remember how to start a fire." Leone uses the knife to trim one side of a stick until it''s flat, then carves out a groove and props it at an angle on his boot. He then takes a slender, but sturdy stick and begins grinding it into the groove, putting a little more pressure each time. After almost two dozen attempts, it begins to smolder. "Here!" Lucy moves some more leaves closer to Leon''s pile of sticks. "I think you need more of these if it''s going to actually work." Leone''s efforts finally pay off with a small spark ignites the leaves. He blows on it until the sticks begin to burn, and then it grows into a small fire. "Hell yeah." Leone says. "Now we can cook that deer." "I''ve never had deer before," Lucy says with a hint of concern in her voice. "It''s a little greasy, but it''s edible." Leone shrugs. "It''s not like we have anything else to eat." "What about the village?" Palmer asks. "You did say dinner was on me." "Dinner will come later." Leone nods. "I do want to check out the village, but we should try to eat something first. We don''t even know if they''ll have anything we can buy. We also don''t know if they''ll take our coins." "What do you mean?" Lucy asks. "Palmer noticed that some of his coins are different. So are mine." Leone motions to Lucy''s coin purse. "Have you looked at yours?" "No." She says, dumping them into her hands. "They all look the same to me." Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Interesting." Palmer leans over. "All of your coins are stamped for King Brynn. We''ve got some different ones." "Who knows." Lucy shrugs. "But I would imagine gold is gold to most people, especially if you two have different coins." "Maybe," Palmer admits. Vryce takes the knife back from Leone, cleans it, and finishes field dressing the deer. Leone handles the cooking, doing his best to roast the portions evenly over the fire. It''s a lengthy process, but he''s eventually able to begin handing out chunks of the kill to everyone seated around him. "It''s not terrible." Lucy grimaces a little as she chews her first bite. "I''ve had worse." Vryce shrugs. "Well fuck you both, next time one of you can cook." Leone looks slightly annoyed. "Lucy and I killed the damn thing." Vryce laughs and shakes his head. "We have food, so we''re not going to starve." Palmer leans forward. "Let''s just be thankful for that." The group eats, mostly in silence, occasionally throwing a verbal barb or two at each other. This part feels normal to them, because their games usually devolve into jokes and insults at some point, but nobody gets truly upset unless someone takes things too far. "So, what''s the plan?" Lucy asks after eating all of the deer she can stomach. "We all have our strength back now, so we can keep searching for Rabu and Malakai." "I don''t think we''re going to find them," Leone says with a sigh. "They would have woken up by now if they were in the field." "It''s possible they woke up before we did and wandered into the village." Palmer motions towards it. "I think we should go ask around." "That''s probably our best shot." Lucy nods in agreement. "But we need to be careful." "We have to treat this like a game," Leone says. "Jenkins didn''t tell us much about Bryconia, but we have to assume there is some linear path we''re supposed to follow." "Yeah, but we never do what we''re supposed to in these games." Vryce lets out a light chuckle. "We always wander around and get ourselves in trouble." "That''s why we have to be careful," Lucy moves closer to the Leone. "Jenkins mentioned that elves aren''t treated very well, so I don''t think you should be wandering around with your ears poking out like that." "Agreed." Vryce points to his robe. "Why don''t you see if you can make a hood or something out of my robe." "Yeah, alright." Leone sighs and reaches for the robe. "Here." Lucy hands him her knife. "I don''t think my ears will be much of a problem." Vryce rubs the slight incline near the top. "Nah, you should be fine." Lucy smirks. "What''s our story?" Palmer asks. "We need to make sure we''re on the same page if they start asking questions when we get to the village." "We''re a group of adventurers searching for our friends?" Leone shrugs. "I mean, I wrote up a backstory for my character before the power went out, but I didn''t really include any of you guys in it." "I did the same thing." Vryce nods. "But, I also didn''t include anyone else." "I was going to, but I didn''t get very far." Palmer sighs. "Regardless, I think we need a better cover story than that, because we don''t exactly look like adventurers. Our only weapons are a sling and a knife." "That''s why we need to get to the village." Leone chuckles. "You have to buy us some gear." "That brings up the problem with our coins." Palmer motions to his coin purse. "We need to figure out if they will even take our money." "Alright, how about this." Vryce ponders for a moment. "We''re a group of travelers, we ran into some trouble on the way here, and got separated from our friends. We''ll just ask if they''ve seen them, then try a few more questions if they seem friendly." "What kind of trouble did we get into?" Lucy asks, tilting her head slightly. "Uh, how about a wild boar?" Vryce shrugs. "There are boars in Bryconia?" Lucy perks a brow. "Fuck, I don''t know." Vryce sighs and shakes his head. "We saw a deer, so I don''t think a boar is that far of a stretch." "Unless the villagers are hostile and decide we need to necks stretched because our story doesn''t make sense." Lucy shrugs innocently. "I''m just trying to cover the bases here." "That''s another thing we need to be careful of," Palmer interjects. "The people we meet aren''t going to understanding things like cover the bases. And earlier, Leone, you mentioned being a Boy Scout when you were younger. That''s going to sound strange too." "We have to roleplay," Lucy says. "We have to stick to things our characters would know." "It''s weird that we can''t say our real names, because it''s not like we''ve been totally transformed into our characters." Vryce narrows his eyes. "Leone remembered his Boy Scout training, and earlier, when I was approaching the deer, some of my Marine training seemed to kick in." "Are you happy now that you''ve gotten that out of your system?" Leone smirks. "Your daily reminder to everyone that you used to be a Marine." "Man, fuck you." Vryce shakes his head, his brows furrowing. "I was just trying to make a point." "It''s a valid point," Lucy says. "But I don''t think we have time to sort all of that out right now. Let''s go to the village, roleplay a little, and try to get as much information as possible." "Alright then." Leone begins to stand up. "I''ll lead the way." "No." Lucy shakes her head and hops to her feet. "You need to hang in the back and let us do the talking. You''re already going to draw a lot of attention because you''re practically a giant. We don''t want them looking close enough to realize you''re an elf." "Fine." Leone grumbles under his breath. "I''ll just wear my hood and keep my head down." The group puts out their fire, tidies up their camp, and moves the remains of the deer into the wooded area. Then they begin nervously walking towards the village. As they get closer, they can tell that the village is quite small, but there are farms and livestock protected by fences made from sharpened stakes that are bound together with some kind of twine. The houses are a mixture of wooden huts, thatch houses, and a couple of stone structures that appear to be under construction. "Nobody seems to be rolling out the red carpet." Leone says softly to his companions as they enter the village. "They don''t even know what this is." Lucy hisses. "And stay quiet!" "Sorry," Leone mutters. "You''re so fucking bossy." "Quiet!" Lucy hisses again, this time her eyes reflect enough urgency for Leone to listen. The villagers appear to be human, and Leone is right, they don''t seem to be very welcoming. A few eye the group as they walk through the village, and others immediately go indoors. The group tries to be cordial, smiling and nodding to the villagers, hoping to ease their concerns, but it doesn''t appear to work. Finally, as they approach the center of the village, a man walks out of the largest wooden structure, and stares them down. He''s dressed like a warrior, with chain mail, a sword hanging at his side, and a coif in his hand that he could slide on if necessary. "Hello." Palmer holds up a hand, trying to appear non-threatening. "My friends and I ran into some trouble on the road and a couple of us got separated the group. Have you seen any other travelers recently?" "No," the man replies flatly. "You''re poorly armed for travelers." "Yes, we''ve come to realize that," Lucy smiles. "But we do have a little coin, if you have supplies to sell." "If you''re looking for weapons, they''re all spoken for," the man says. "We do sell rations, basic supplies, and some leather goods at our store." "Is there anywhere to get a drink?" Vryce looks around. "A tavern, perhaps?" "It''ll be a couple of hours before the tavern opens," the man says with some hesitation in his voice. "Unfortunately, we don''t serve strangers there." "What?" Vryce blinks in surprise. "Why?" "The last thing we need is a bunch of drunkards tearing up our village," the man scoffs. "If that''s what you''re looking for, I''d like to kindly ask you to continue on your journey. Your friends aren''t here." "Wait!" A woman comes running up to the group, and goes right to Palmer, pointing at his tabard. "I recognize that symbol. Are you a holy man? A healer?" "Um, yes." Palmer says with hesitation in his voice. "I am." "Please, can you help my daughter? She has been sick for almost a week and it''s getting worse." The woman''s eyes are red-rimmed, and it looks like she''s had a lot of sleepless, tear-filled nights. "Melinda, the strangers are leaving," the man interjects. "I''ve already sent a message to Logis, so a healer should be coming soon." "Palmer''s right here, though." Lucy says, seizing the opportunity in front of her. "He would be happy to help." "I have some medical training as well." Vryce says with a devious grin teasing the edge of his lips. "I may also be able to provide some assistance." "No," Lucy hisses at Vryce. "Palmer can handle this." "Please let him try," Melinda says to the armored man. "What if it was your daughter?" "Fine," he replies with a sigh and levels his gaze at Palmer. "But we will not pay you for your service, because we did not send for you." "I do not require payment." Palmer says, before turning to the woman. "Where is your daughter?" "Follow me," the woman says, taking Palmer''s hand. The others trail behind the duo, and the armored man walks behind them. Melinda leads Palmer to a small thatch shack that is not big enough for everyone. Lucy goes inside with Palmer, while Vryce and Leone remain outside with the armored man. "You''re the ones who made camp nearby, right?" The armored man asks. "Yes." Vryce nods. "I guess you saw our fire?" "Indeed," the man replies. "I was hoping you would be on your way after you were done." "I''m guessing you don''t get many travelers out this way?" Vryce perks a brow. "No, mostly merchants and sell-swords, but we have little use for either," the man shakes his head. "The merchants always try to charge us twice what they sell their merchandise for in Logis, and if we really need something, it''s easy enough for us to send someone there to get it for a better price." "I see." Vryce nods. "Well we''re not selling anything, even our services. We''re simply looking for our friends." Suddenly, Palmer comes charging out of the shack, his eyes reflecting a hint of panic. "I need water from the Spring of the Moon." "What?" Vryce blinks in confusion. "Oh, you''re that kind of healer," the armored man''s expression grows dark. "Water from the Spring of the Moon isn''t magic. It''s just a stupid legend merchants made up to sell healing potions that don''t actually do anything." "It''ll work," Palmer insists. "Where is the Spring of the Moon?" "You don''t have to go there, we''ve got some of the water," the armored man groans. "I''ll give you some just to prove that you''re wrong. It''s not like it''s good for anything else." The man stomps towards his house and Vryce immediately looks to Palmer. "What happened?" Vryce asks. "Why are you asking that water?" "She''s poisoned. The water will cure her." Palmer stares at the man as he disappears into his house. "How do you know?" Vryce seems bewildered. "I''m not sure," Palmer sighs. "When I tried to pray, it was like something blocked the magic, and I just knew what would help her." "That''s weird." Leone says, breaking his silence since there is nobody else around. The armored man returns with a small leather flask and offers it to Palmer. Palmer removes the cap, sniffs it, and nods before walking back into Melinda''s shack. "After this, you will leave immediately," the man insists. "You got Melinda''s hopes up for nothing. It would have been better if you just refused to help." Vryce wants to reply, and not in a pleasant way, so he bites his tongue. They wait in silence, although Leone does drop his head and mutter a small prayer that it will work, much like he would have done in the real world. A few seconds later, there is a shriek from inside the thatch shack. "Your friend better not have hurt her!" the armored man pushes his way inside. Vryce and Leone rush to the door, and inside the shack, they can see a young girl sitting up on her bed. Palmer holds her hands in his, utters the same prayer that healed Lucy, and blue light resonates from his hands. A few seconds later, the four displaced friends all experience a light surge. Lucy and Vryce recognize it as the feeling they experienced after killing the deer. Palmer and Leone seem confused by it. "What the fuck was that?" Leone whispers to Vryce. "I''ve felt it before, but we should talk about it later." Vryce waves off Leone''s question. "For now, I think we need to try and use the goodwill Palmer just earned to our advantage." "Agreed," Leone whispers. Palmer says a few things to Melinda and puts the flask in her hand, then he exits the shack with Lucy. The armored man isn''t far behind. Other villagers start to gather around the thatch structure, and it doesn''t take long for word of what happened to spread. "Killian!" An older man using a stick for support steps forward and addresses the armored man. "We should welcome these travelers and offer them any assistance we can. I do not believe they mean us any harm." "The water from the Spring of the Moon has never healed anyone before." Killian eyes Palmer with a suspicious glare. "How did you make it work?" "The girl was poisoned," Palmer says. "If anyone else shows similar symptoms, the water will work. It''s an antidote." Killian seems to be contemplating what Palmer said, and he looks around at the other villagers for a moment before turning back to the group. "You can stay," Killian says, letting his hand fall away from his sword. "You can shop, drink at the tavern, and we''ll make sure you have somewhere to sleep tonight. There is a merchant coming tomorrow, and he may have some supplies that will help you on the rest of your journey to find your friends. He''s one of the few that doesn''t overcharge for everything." "Thank you," Lucy says with a gracious smile. "No, thank you," Killian replies, glancing towards the thatch shack. "Melinda has been praying non-stop since her daughter got sick. I''m a suspicious man because it''s my job to keep this village safe, but I will not ignore a sign from the gods." Killian walks back to his house and disappears inside. The other villagers remain at Melinda''s house for while, talk with the group, and give them directions so they can navigate the Village of Roth. Then they slowly disperse, and return to their homes. "So, what do we do now?" Leone whispers. "We''ll shop and pick up a few things after we figure out which coins to use, then we''ll go to the tavern when it opens." Vryce smiles. "We need information, and drunk people love to talk, right?" "Fair point," Lucy admits with a laugh. After everything that has happened since arriving in Bryconia, all of them feel like they could use a drink, even the ones who didn''t really partake of it in the real world. Chapter 5: Murder Gnome Rabu ¨C Level 1 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Hit Points: 40 Mana Points: 35/45 Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Various Reagents Dull kitchen knife Silver chain with an empty vial Sewing kit First aid kit Flask (Water from the Spring of the Moon) Twenty-seven gold pieces Perfect, Now I just have to figure out how to get more XP. ''Tailor''s Guild ¨C Apprentice'' Rabu ¨C Level 1 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Hit Points: 40 Mana Points: 25/45 Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Various Reagents Dull kitchen knife Silver chain with an empty vial Platinum chain with a full vial (Healing Potion) Token: Tailor''s Guild ¨C Apprentice Sewing kit First aid kit Flask (Water from the Spring of the Moon) Forty-two gold pieces I wonder if I could eat themNo, I don''t think I''m that desperate. Yet. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Alright, This one may be harder than the others, but I should be able to pull it off. I guess I should take care of my ear,Glad I found that first aid kit. Rabu ¨C Level 1 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Hit Points: 35/40 (Regenerating) Mana Points: 35/45 Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Various Reagents Various herbs, spices and salts Rations (5) Sharp kitchen knife Silver chain with an empty vial Platinum chain with a full vial (Healing Potion) Token: Tailor''s Guild ¨C Apprentice Sewing kit First aid kit (2 Uses Remaining) Flask (Water from the Spring of the Moon) Eighty-seven gold pieces I should have told Jenkins that my character does cardio every day. Sewage? Wait if, there''s a sewer¡­ I don''t think I''ll be leveling up tonight. At least I don''t have to worry about anyone finding me for a while. Chapter 6: Weapons holy man knew now really Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. have Sacrifice: Vin Ro -Sacrifice one living creature with less hit points than your available mana points, and channel their hit points to yourself or someone else. -Mana Cost: All Available Mana -Reagent Cost: Dill Weed Chapter 7: Leveling Up The wagon takes a sharp left as they approach a wooded area. The right leads to a winding path through an open landscape, but the left leads into a denser area, with trees on both sides of the road, hanging over it in a natural canopy. "This is the shortcut?" Palmer asks, looking around. "Yes, this cuts a lot of time off the journey." Hawthorne nods. "It''s a direct path, but most prefer the safety of the King''s Road." "Have you taken this path before? Palmer glances from left to right with a hint of nervousness in his tone. "Yes," Hawthorne says, following Palmer''s glances. "I''ve only run into trouble a couple of times, but I had someone with me, and things never got violent. You can never be too careful, though." "Agreed." Palmer leans back. "Hopefully this will be a peaceful journey." "Why are you going to Logis, anyway?" Hawthorne perks a brow. "Are you going to be joining the Royal Quest?" "Royal Quest? What''s that? Palmer tilts his head towards Hawthorne. "You don''t know about the Royal Quest?" Hawthorne looks confused. "It is the only thing people have been talking about in Logis since King Brynn announced it. Maybe word didn''t reach the Village of Roth." "No," Palmer says cautiously, not wanting to reveal too much about his ignorance. "It''s been a while since the last one, right?" "A Royal Quest?" Hawthorne''s head snaps back in surprise. "It''s been¡­ My grandfather told me about the last one, and he was too young to participate." "Right." Palmer tries to feign understanding. "Same here." Hawthorne eyes Palmer for a moment, but he doesn''t say anything. The road weaves into the forest, and the canopy overhead blocks off more of the light. Hawthorne sits up in his seat, trying to stay alert, so Palmer does the same. "Can the horse go-" Palmer is cut off my sentence by a whistling sound. A second later, an arrow embeds in Hawthorne''s arm. He lets out a scream and loses control of the reigns. Palmer reaches for them in desperation, narrowly avoiding an arrow that gets embedded in the wood behind him. "Bandits!" Hawthorne gurgles, grabbing his arm. "Fuck!" Palmer yells, finally getting a grasp of the reigns. In the back of the wagon, the others were trying to get some sleep on the way, but the chaos quickly wakes them up. Leone pops his head through the curtain and an arrow whizzes overhead. "Oh shit!" Leone says, ducking arrow that almost nick his ear. "We''ve got a problem." "Obviously." Vryce remarks, grabbing the longsword Palmer got for him. "I knew we''d have to fight something eventually." Lucy lets out a nervous chuckle as she loads a rock into her sling and pushes her knife deep into her boot. Palmer yanks on the reigns and brings the horses to a stop. As soon as he does, two men run out into the road, crossbows loaded. Palmer instinctively puts his hands up, unsure what else he can do in light of the situation. From the rear, a man and and girl run up, each brandishing swords. "Seven hells!" The man holding a sword says. "We should have shot the horses so we didn''t have to chase them so fucking far." "Get out of the wagon!" One of the crossbowmen says harshly. "Get your friend out too." Palmer eyes the four of them carefully, then leans over to grab Hawthorne. The merchant appears weak. The arrow that went into his arm also went deep into his armpit and he''s bleeding profusely. "Please," Palmer says, looking at Hawthorne. "I need to heal him." "He''s a holy man," the girl says, her voice reflecting hesitation. "Step away," the man holding a sword levels it at Palmer. "Stand by the side of the road until we''re done." Inside the wagon, Leone, Vryce and Lucy are trying to come up with a plan. "Two with the crossbows are the primary concern." Leone whispers. "Lucy, can you hit with one them with your sling? I''ll take the other." "I won''t argue with you this time." Lucy clutches her sling and loads a rock. "I''ll get the guy with the sword." Vryce says softly. "I''ll go out through the front of the wagon and try to catch him before he realizes what is happening." "That just leaves the girl," Lucy whispers. "We''ll deal with her after the others." Leone lifts his rapier. "Let''s go!" Outside of the wagon, Palmer is forced to lower Hawthorne onto the road and take a few steps back. A second later, Leone, Lucy and Vryce burst out of the wagon. Lucy lets a rock fly from her sling and hits one of the crossbow wielding bandits right between the eyes. Palmer watches the life drain out of them. Leone charges the other one with a crossbow, hitting him with a tackle and shoving his rapier into the center of the man''s chest. The man holding the sword spins around as all of this is happening, but he''s met by Vryce, who leaps from the seat of the wagon, sword pointed down, and impales the bandit on his longsword. As the dust settles, all of them experience a sudden rush, and what feels like electricity, coursing through their veins and dancing across their scalps. Leone, Lucy and Palmer stare in awe as the red light on their wrists light up, and they gain a level. Palmer immediately scrambles towards Hawthorne and starts chanting a prayer to heal him. Vryce, on the other hand, doesn''t know what is going on, exactly. He feels the surge, but not like them. He turns his attention to the bandit girl, and starts advancing on her. She lets out a scream, turns to scramble, and trips over a rock. Vryce draws his sword back to strike, feeling compelled to end her life, but he doesn''t know why. "Wait!" Lucy runs over. "Don''t kill her! We won. It''s over." "What happened to all of you?" Vryce looks to Lucy, still keeping his sword leveled on the bandit girl. "We, um¡­" Lucy holds up her wrist and shows Vryce the red dot. "We leveled up." The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. "Why didn''t I level up?" Vryce looks confused for a moment. "Wait, you leveled up because you killed the bandits. Maybe I''ll level up if I take care of this one one my own." "Please!" The bandit girl starts crying. "I didn''t even want to do this. My brother made me. I¡­" "You can''t kill her, Vryce." Lucy puts her hand on Vryce''s arm. "It wouldn''t be right." "This is a game." Vryce scoffs, seemingly annoyed by Lucy. "She''s not a real person." "Why didn''t we just kill all the villagers then?" Lucy shrugs. "Did they not seem real to you?" "Maybe we should have." Vryce grinds out. "I didn''t even get enough to level up. My only spell is useless. The merchant didn''t even have the sword I chose for my proficiency." "Don''t do it, Vryce." Palmer walks up to them. "She''s not a threat. Let''s get the wagon set up so we can continue on to Logis." "Fine." Vryce shakes his head and lowers his sword. "Thank you!" The bandit girl squeaks out, then runs into the woods. Leone, Palmer and Lucy exchange glances. They leveled up, and they saw their character sheets. As much as they want to check them out, they tend to the wagon first, and help Hawthorne back into the driver''s seat. "Let''s get going." Palmer says, looking to the group. "Yeah, we should-" Lucy begins, then her eyes go blank. "Lucy!" Vryce screams as he sees an arrow hit her from behind. More arrows fly, several of them hitting Hawthorne, who is still recovering. "Take cover!" Leone yells, motioning to the wagon. Lucy collapses to the ground and Vryce goes down beside her. He grabs her arm and drags her towards the wagon. Palmer rushes over to assist. Leone ducks, looking up as several more arrows hit the wagon and a couple hit Hawthorne, who isn''t able to seek cover in time. "Heal her!" Vryce screams at Palmer. "Okay!" Palmer nods. "One second!" Palmer closes his eyes, puts his hands on Lucy, and utters the prayer. "In Mani Grath" Palmer says, and a blue light rushes from his fingers. Vryce carefully removes the arrow as Palmer prays, and the wound closes. "You did it." Vryce lets out a brief sigh of relief. "Now let''s see if we can keep ourselves alive." Vryce peeks around the wagon and sees Hawthorne laying across the front, multiple arrows sticking out of him. It looks like he''s beyond the point of saving this time. "There''s way too many of them." Vryce shakes his head. "They''re going to have us surrounded in no time." "We should fight." Leone growls, tightening the grip on his rapier. "We can rush them like before." Palmer pokes his head up, narrowly dodges an arrow and immediately ducks again. "There''s no way." Palmer puts a hand on Leone. "We will die." "What do you think is going to happen when they surround us?" Leone asks angrily, seemingly getting more incensed when he glances down at Lucy. Suddenly, the arrows stop and footsteps begin approaching the wagon. The group clutches their weapons, trying to decide if they should attack or hold their ground. Neither option seems like it will end well for them. "If you throw down your weapons and come out, you will not be harmed." A voice echoes on the other side of the wagon. "I don''t know if we can trust them," Vryce whispers. "We don''t really have a choice." Palmer motions to Lucy. "Even if we could run, we''d have to carry her." "I shouldn''t have let the girl go." Vryce narrows his eyes, rage quickly filling them. "Do you guys have anything new? Didn''t you level up?" "I haven''t even been able to check." Palmer sighs and an arrow slams into the wagon. "That''s the last warning shot." The bandits voice echoes again. "We''re putting down our weapons!" Palmer says, slowly standing up with his hands raised. "Fuck!" Vryce mutters and looks to Leone. Leone looks hesitant, but he finally places his rapier on the ground and stands up with his hands raised. Vryce curses under his breath several times before dropping his longsword and following their lead. More bandits come out of the woods. They are all dressed in dark-colored dingy cloaks, most with a green or brown hue. Some are carrying crossbows, some have short bows, and others are armed with an assortment of blades. A few seconds later, the girl that Vryce let live walks out and puts her hands on her hips. "Tie them up," She motions to Palmer, Vryce and Leone. "Right away, Sister Anna," a bandit days, then pulls some rope from his belt. A few of the bandits circle the group and keep crossbows leveled on them as the man begins binding their hands. Palmer is first, followed by Vryce, and then several of them circle Leone. "Take off his hood." Sister Anna says, walking closer, and one of the bandit''s complies. "Oh! You''re an elf!" "That''s a big fucking elf," one of the bandit''s says and the others seem to agree. "Does he have a slaver''s mark?" Another bandit asks. "No," the bandit that binds his arms says, looking at Leone''s wrists. "He''s free." "We''ll brand him when we get to Port Rish." Sister Anna motions to the bandits. "Pillage the wagon. We''ll dump it in the woods nearby. Hide the merchant''s body, and if the girl is alive, bring her too. If not, get rid of her." "She''s gone," Palmer says, looking down at Lucy. "I tried to heal her but it wasn''t enough." "Too bad," Sister Anna says, a wicked grin spreading across her face "But she was probably too gullible to be useful anyway." Palmer is bluffing, but Lucy is unresponsive, so he hopes the bandits won''t investigate further. If nothing else, she may be able to escape. Possibly get help. Although Palmer doesn''t know where they are going, or how long it''ll take for her to wake up. "Keep a straight line," one of the bandits nudges Palmer with the handle of his sword. "If any of you try to run, there will be no warning shots." Vryce and Leone fall into line behind Palmer. Vryce looks back and sees one of the bandits roll Lucy towards the edge of the road, then he pushes her into the underbrush. The trio is pushed ahead, and they can''t see anything else, but they can hear the sounds of the bandits going through the wagon. It''s a long walk to the bandit camp. Several miles through the woods. Vryce does his best to drag his feet in several places and disrupt the terrain. If nothing else, he hopes that will be a path they can follow back to the road, if they ever get the opportunity. Palmer walks with his head down, unsure if he made the right call when he surrendered. He says a silent prayer to Grath, asking his god to spare their lives, and also take care of Lucy, who will likely wake up alone in the forest at some point, provided that he healed her enough to keep her from dying. Leone is angry. He wanted to fight. He would died with a blade in his hand if he could have. Now, he''s uncertain what fate he will face. The bandits mentioned branding him, and he wonders if that means slavery, because that is what it sounded like. Silently, he curses Jenkins for bringing them to this world, but he does wonder if death is the escape. Will he wake up in his bed at home, with all of this nothing more than a twisted dream, or will he face whatever afterlife exists in Bryconia? He was confident about that in the real world. Death. Final judgment. An eternity in heaven or hell. He wasn''t a regular churchgoer, but he still had his faith. After an hour passes, the group sees the camp ahead. The bandits lead them to small cages that are barely big enough to hold them. Palmer and Vryce are each forced into one with cramped quarters, but Leone is too big to fit, so the bandits add extra rope to his arms, bind his feet, and tie him to a tree near his friends. "Alright, everyone," Sister Anna says. "Tonight we mourn our fallen brothers and tomorrow, we begin our journey to Rish so we can exchange some of the valuables we found for supplies." "Here, here," a bandit says. "Brother Saul, I believe it is time to start pouring the drinks." "Aye, brother," a bandit who appears to be Brother Saul replies. "We will celebrate the lives they lived, and mourn the days they will never have." "What is this, some kind of cult?" Vryce whispers to Palmer. "Do you know anything about cults? You should, right? As a cleric¡­" "I don''t know anything about them." Palmer shakes his head. "I tried praying on the way here." "No response?" Vryce asks sarcastically. "Not this time," Palmer confirms with a sigh. "Leone¡­" Vryce twists in his cage so he can look over at the golden haired elf. "Any chance you can burst out of those ropes like The Incredible Hulk and save the day?" "No," Leone replies coldly. "We shouldn''t have surrendered." "At least Lucy is safe," Palmer sighs. "I hope." "Quiet!" A bandit yells at the trio. "Otherwise, we''ll cut out your tongues." Palmer, Vryce and Leone exchange glances and stop talking. Despite being fairly sure the ropes can''t be budged, Leone does try to free himself a few times, when the bandits aren''t watching. He doesn''t make any real progress, but he manages to stop his wrists from going completely numb. Palmer closes his eyes and says another prayer, hoping that it will be answered. He wants to press the red spot on his wrist and look at his character sheet, but he doesn''t fully understand what he saw after he leveled up. He only saw his character sheet appear, and he''s aware Lucy and Leone also leveled up. His theory is that he''s the only one who would be able to see it, but he''s not willing to test the theory in a camp full of bandits. Vryce sits in silence, glaring at the bandits, while examining the lock on his cage. It appears to be made out of iron, just like his cage, and looks fairly sturdy. He doesn''t see any way to budge it, and is cautious to try with the bandits so close. Overall, none of them feel very optimistic about their future, regardless of Lucy''s fate. Chapter 8: Lucy Wait, I leveled up. I saw my character sheet! Lucy ¨C Level 1 Character Class: Rogue Race: Human Hit Points: 8/40 Mana Points: 0 Power ¨C 55 Speed ¨C 75 Intelligence ¨C 70 Affinity ¨C 50 -Sling ¨C Level 1 -Persuasion ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Makeshift sling Silver chain with a full vial (Healing Potion) Dull knife Come on, I just need a few more. Good enough,I''ll save the other one in case one of my friends is injured. fun be Damn it,Now what do I do? If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. seemed Oh well,I doubt I''m worthy of an answer anyway. enormous speaks any god Chapter 9: The Road to Logis Leone is happy to be free from the ropes, and happier that his friends are safe, but he follows Rendaz with caution as they depart the bandit camp. Leone isn''t sure what to make of it all. His curiosity is certainly piqued. As he follows Rendaz, he feels a slight buzzing sensation, but he doesn''t know what to make of it exactly. "This should be far enough." Rendaz says in a soothing tone. "Leone Lebrae. A strange name for an elf." "Apparently I''m big for elf too." Leone shrugs slightly. "Ah yes, by current standards, I guess you are." Rendaz nods. "But there was a time when you would not have been out of place." "Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" Leone asks inquisitively, but with respect. "No." Rendaz says. "I want to tell you a story." "Okay." Leone replies, tilting his head slightly. "Long ago, before war and conflict were common in Bryconia, the elves lived in peace with the other races," Rendaz begins. "Soon, these lands will be filled with the hope of that becoming a reality again. Even now as we speak, Prince Ardryll rides from Elvenlark. His destination is Logis, and he has a personal invitation from King Brynn. It will be the first time an elf from the royal bloodline has set foot in Logis since their race was betrayed by the humans." "Why are you telling me this?" Leone asks. "Because you are not a true elf, are you, Leone?" Rendaz moves closer. "You are something different. Something ancient." "I don''t really know what I am," Leone sighs. "You know we''re not from Bryconia, so you must know something about how we got here. How we¡­ Became what we are." "Regardless of who you used to be, who you are now is what matters, and you will soon find that you may very well hold the key to Bryconia''s future. Whether you use that for good or evil, is yet to be determined." Rendaz says. "I don''t understand." Leone blinks in confusion. Rendaz walks closer and leans his head against the golden haired elf. In an instant, Leone is flooded with visions. He sees a man who looks similar to him, with dark skin and dull-colored blonde hair, holding a sword with several gems in the hilt and crackling with power. The vision fades to one of a dragon, ridden by an elf, roaring across the sky. As quickly as that vision appears, it fades to another. A man who looks very similar to Leone, but clearly older, is standing in a field of grass, with enormous trees surrounding him. In the distance Leone sees a woman ¨C the most beautiful woman he''s ever laid eyes on, real world or Bryconia. As she turns, he realizes she is an elf. She smiles to the man and two children rush past her, arms outstretched. Before Leone can fully process what he sees, the vision fades. "What was that?" Leone steps back, his pulse racing and his heart beating hard in his chest. "That which was. That which is." Rendaz lifts his head. "Perhaps a glimpse of your future. I can only show you what I see. How you interpret it is up to you. You do not have a true destiny, Leone. You must forge your own path. Those you travel with may follow you down it, or eventually stand in your way. Their destiny is also unclear." "What should I do?" Leone asks. "Can you give me any guidance at all?" "No." Rendaz turns away. "I''ve shared all that I can." Leone starts to speak, but before he can, Rendaz rushes into the woods and the light goes dim. Leone blinks a couple of times as the shock wears off and then he walks back to the encampment. The rest of the group already has the horses ready to go. "Where is Rendaz?" Lucy asks, looking past Leone. "He had to go, I guess." Leone shrugs. "He disappeared into the woods." "What did he say?" Vryce walks closer. "I''m not really sure." Leone shrugs again, grabbing a cloak from one of the bandits and putting it on. "He showed me several visions and said I don''t have a true destiny. He said I have to forge my own path." "Interesting," Palmer says. "Well, for now, we need to get out of these woods. Especially if Rendaz is gone." "Agreed," Lucy replies, hoisting herself up onto her horse. "Let''s go." The sun is beginning to rise, so the group mounts up and takes off towards it. The way is not clear, and the path that cuts through the trees is hard to follow at times, but they keep their horses aimed towards the sun. "What the hell was that?" Palmer pulls on his horse''s reigns. "I swear I heard someone call my name." "Don''t stop!" Lucy urges. "Remember what Rendaz said, we can''t get distracted until we''re out of the woods." "This area is familiar to me," Leone says, looking around. "But I don''t know why." "I don''t think we should try to figure it out." Vryce glances at his companions. "This area feels¡­ Sinister." Vryce takes off, and the others follow. Soon, all of them are hearing voices calling their names, but they do their best not to let the voices distract them from their course. After several minutes, Leone slows his horse, but Lucy grabs the reigns and urges him forward. Leone just stares ahead, his eyes glassed over like he''s in a trance. "We have to go!" Lucy says harshly. "Leone''s snap out of it!" "Leone, come on!" Vryce pulls his reigns. "But they''re calling me by my real name now..." Leone looks dazed. "We have to go, I hear it too!" Palmer urges. "We''re can''t stop!" Lucy spins her horse around slaps the hindquarters of the one Leone is riding, which causes it to take off at a sprint. The others follow Leone''s horse through a dark part of the forest where the trail is even harder to follow, but they are able to spot the sun through the leaves. The voices get louder, then begin to fade as they get closer to the edge of the forest. Finally, Leone breaks free and pulls the reigns as he enters an open field. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Thank you, Lucy," Leone says immediately. "I tried to ignore it, but I couldn''t." "We have to take care of each other, right?" Lucy smiles. "Yeah," Leone replies, looking down at the ground as he remembers what Rendaz told him. "It''s going to be okay." Palmer slaps Leone on the back. "We made it. I was struggling too towards the end." "This is such a strange world," Vryce sighs. "But we escaped the woods, so now what?" "I think that may be the King''s Road up ahead." Palmer points. "If we follow that, we should get to Logis." "Onward then," Lucy says. The group rides to the road and follows it. After almost an hour, they see what appears to be a broken down wagon on the side of the road in the distance, with a man and woman standing next to it. Vryce immediately brings his horse to a stop and begins to remove the sword from his back. "What are you doing?" Palmer asks. "I still need some XP if I''m going to level up." Vryce chuckles. "They aren''t bandits, but I''m sure they''re good enough." "No!" Lucy says, grabbing the reigns of Vryce''s horse. "We aren''t going to start killing random people!" "You aren''t¡­" Vryce shrugs and pulls the reigns away. Vryce unsheathes his sword and starts riding towards the two people on the side of the road. "I''ll stop him," Leone growls, yanking his rapier out of the sheath as he pulls the hood of his cloak over his head. Leone pushes his horse into a gallop and circles in front of Vryce. Leone levels the rapier at Vryce, which forces the half-elf to stop. "What''s your problem, Leone?" Vryce glares at his friend. "You normally love killing everything in your path." "Look, I realize this is basically a game, but we don''t have any idea how to get home." Leone leans forward on his horse. "Anything we do here will have consequences. Do you really want to end up in a dungeon somewhere or get executed because you decided to kill a couple of people for XP?" "They''d have to catch me first." Vryce shrugs. "Fine." Leone sheathes his rapier. "If you want to kill them, go ahead, but we''re going on without you. If something happens, then you can deal with it on your own." Vryce glares at Leone for a couple of seconds, then returns the sword to his back. "We damn sure better find something to kill soon." Vryce sighs angrily. "We need a bunch of goblins or¡­ Orcs. Something!" "Be patient," Leone says. "We''re not strong enough to go looking for trouble yet." "Whatever." Vryce looks to his left as Palmer and Lucy ride up beside him. "Are we good here?" Lucy asks. "I guess so," Vryce mutters. "It''s a good thing you had a change of heart." Palmer points. "I see two heavily armed guys on horseback ahead, and I''m guessing they are patrolling the King''s Road." "More XP." Vryce shrugs nonchalantly. "But, I''ll wait. I''ll try to be patient." "Come on," Leone motions to Vryce. "Let''s see if we can help them out with their wagon." The ride ahead to the wagon, and offer their support. The man and woman are grateful. They are on their way to their daughter''s wedding in a nearby town, and their wagon has a broken wheel. The group helps them get the wagon off the road, and then they begin contemplating options for repairing it. They are still discussing those options when the two heavily armored men arrive, both wearing the symbol of an ornate fish on their tabard. "Greetings," the armored man in front says. "Did you run into trouble?" "We did," the woman says. "But these folks have offered to help, and I believe we''ll be on our way shortly." "Stay on the King''s Road," the other armored man says. "It''s dangerous if you stray." "Understood," the man beside the wagon says. The two armored men ride off, and Leone takes a step back, looking at the wagon. "I think we can fix it. It won''t be perfect, but if you go slow, you should be able to make it." Leone nods. "What do you think, Palmer?" "I believe it''ll work." Palmer nods in confirmation, then looks towards the man and woman by the wagon. "Do you have any rope... Or twine, perhaps?" "We have some twine," the man says, moving some stuff around his wagon until he finds it. "Here." Palmer and Leone use the twine and a piece of wood to repair the broken wagon wheel. It looks rather unsteady after they''re finished, but they make a few more adjustments and are confident it will hold. "Try to avoid rocks," Leone says as he helps the woman back into her wagon. "I''ll do my best," the man says. "Thank you again for your help." The group waves as the couple makes their way down the road, and suddenly, they all feel a light surge. "What caused that?" Lucy asks. "I thought it was XP after we leveled up, but this is similar to what happened when Palmer cured Miranda''s daughter." "Wait," Palmer says, pondering it for a moment. "I think we just completed a quest." "What?" Vryce asks in confusion. "We just repaired a damn wagon." "Just like Palmer cured Miranda''s daughter." Lucy nods. "They were both quests, and we completed them. That''s why we felt the surge." "Well, once again." Vryce sighs. "It wasn''t enough for me to level up." "Maybe it''s because of your class." Leone walks over. "You''re the only one playing a hybrid. It may take more XP for you to level up." "Bullshit," Vryce mutters. "I want to re-roll." "I don''t think that''s an option here," Lucy chuckles as she gets back on her horse. The group rides onward, and they pass a few more guards on the road before they finally see Logis. They stop for several minutes to stare at the majestic castle in the distance before continuing on. When they get to the gates, they see a number of guards, all of them with the ornate fish emblem on their tabards. "I guess the king likes fish." Vryce shrugs. "Who knows." Leone leans over to pat his horse. "I think we need to find somewhere to stay for the night, and stable our horses." "A tavern or an inn, perhaps." Palmer says. "Yeah, I''m sure we can find accommodations." Leone nods. Finding room and board proves to be a bit of a problem. The news of the Royal Quest has spread and Logis is bustling with travelers. After asking around, the group finally gets directed to an inn in the poor part of town, where most of the houses are run-down shacks, as opposed to the stone buildings near the center of town. Still, they''re happy to have lodging, so after stabling their horses, they make their way to a nearby tavern. "We may need to be careful with our coins here." Leone says, pulling his cloak down over his face. "Don''t offer anything except for the ones with King Brynn''s stamp unless we see them taking other coins." "We''ve got plenty." Palmer motions to his coin purse. "I took everything I could from the bandits." "Hmm." Vryce narrows his eyes at Palmer. "I''m going to tithe to my god." Palmer chuckles and shrugs. "As soon as I find a temple." "Drinks are on you, then." Leone pats Palmer on his back. Palmer orders the first round and the group finds a table. It''s clear that people are excited about the Royal Quest because there are numerous conversations going on about it, although none of them seem to know exactly when it will happen. "We need a plan," Palmer says, sipping his ale. "Yes." Lucy nods. "We need to try and find Rabu and Malakai." "Tomorrow morning, I''ll see if I can find a temple." Palmer nods. "Malakai mentioned that when he was making his character, so it''s a good place to start." "Agreed." Lucy says. "I''m going to look for Rabu." Vryce lifts the tankard to his lips and guzzles some of the amber brew. "I''m sure there aren''t many gnomes around here. If anyone has seen him, I''m sure they''ll remember it." "I''ll give you some coins in case you need to persuade them." Palmer nods. "We need to find our friends." "I''m going to see what I can find out about the Royal Quest," Leone says. "If doing quests really did give us XP, then that we may want to consider it." "I''ll, um¡­" Lucy looks around at her friends. "Maybe I''ll tag along with one of you." The brunette rogue has a lot of her mind. She''s still reeling from almost dying, getting lost in the forest, and meeting a literal god that saved her friends. She''s also beginning to worry about Vryce. While she''s never admitted it to anyone except her best friend, Lucy has always had a crush on Vryce. In Bryconia, Lucy is struggling to remember why she was so infatuated with him. He''s practically a monster. The bandit girl was one thing, but the two people on the side of the road? They were just trying to get to their daughter''s wedding. "Alright," Vryce says, raising his tankard as a second round is delivered. "We made it to Logis. That''s worth drinking to, right?" "It is," Palmer nods, lifting his cup. "To getting here alive," Lucy sighs, joining her friends. "Logis." Leone says flatly, then they all drink. The drinks continue to flow. The coin, well spent, after they day that they''ve had. A burden weighs on all of them. Lucy isn''t the only one with thoughts in disarray. The others, drown them in ale a little easier than she does. But as the night wears on, all of them find some comfort in their drinks before they finally end up in their beds. Chapter 10: Cleric of Grath The city of Logis is peaceful in the morning when everyone wakes up. They get some breakfast from the inn, but it isn''t very good. The meat is similar to the rations they saw for sale in Roth, and the bread is a dried roll that is really tough to eat. They force the food down with quite a lot of water. It helps with the saltiness of the preserved meat, and makes the bread almost edible. "So you''re off the temple, Palmer?" Lucy asks, drinking some water from a waterskin she took from a bandit. "Yeah, do you want to come with me?" Palmer turns to the brunette rogue. "It might be kind of boring." "I don''t know¡­" Lucy looks towards Vryce. "It might be better if I help you search for Rabu." "Oh?" Vryce chuckles. "Do you think I need a babysitter so I don''t start killing random people?" "No, that isn''t what I meant at all," Lucy says, looking rather offended. "But now that you bring it up¡­" "I''ll be okay on my own," Vryce scoffs. "You should probably go with Leone. He''s the one who will cause a problem if he takes off his hood or tries to talk to anyone." "I was planning to do more listening than talking," Leone looks to Lucy. "But if you''d like to come with me, I''d love the company." "Awesome, thank you." Lucy says to Leone before flashing a glance of disappointment at Vryce. Lucy and Leone walk towards the main part of town, where most of the finer shops are located. Vryce trails behind them for a ways before splitting off on his own, intending to interrogate a few people if he finds someone who may know something about Rabu. Palmer gathers what he needs and finds a guard that is patrolling the area. "Good morning," Palmer says cheerfully. "I''m looking for the Temple of Grath. Do you happen to know where that is?" "If you''re looking for a temple, your best bet is to check in Piety Square," the guard says, pointing to the south. "When you get to the bridge, you''ll be able to see the Temple of Ra. It''s the largest." "The Temple of Ra?" Palmer blinks in surprise. "People worship Ra here?" "Of course," the guard replies, looking confused. "He makes the sun rise every single day." "Right¡­" Palmer still seems perplexed. "Thank you for the information. I appreciate it." "Anytime, citizen." The guard beams a smile. "By the way, we''ve had some trouble in Logis lately, and someone was attacked nearby in an alleyway a couple of nights ago. If you go out after dark, keep your wits about you." "I will." Palmer nods. "Thank you again." With the information he needs, or at least a lead, Palmer sets off on his journey to Piety Square. Just as the guard said, when Palmer gets to the bridge, he can see a large temple in the distance. As he gets close to Piety Square, he sees a few shops and several people in the street, each with a cup near their feet. They appear to be beggars, and most of them have visible problems, like missing arms, legs, and a couple that are blind. "Please sir," one of the men leans forward. "If you could spare a few coins¡­" Palmer looks around with a sigh, and then digs into his coin purse. The group took all the gold they could reasonably carry from the bandits, so Palmer has some to spare. He drops a couple of coins in each cup, getting a round of gratitude from the beggars. "Could any of you point me towards the Temple of Grath?" Palmer asks, hoping his generosity will be rewarded. "Grath?" A man with missing teeth and a rag tied across his eyes leans forward. "The last time I was able to see it myself, it was in pretty rough shape. It''s on the eastern side of Piety Square." "Yes, that''s right," another man says, pointing with the only arm he has. "Follow the main road until it splits, then go east." "Thank you." Palmer briefly nods to the group before continuing on. Palmer follows the main road, hoping that when he finally does find the Temple of Grath, it''ll lead him to Malakai. He isn''t totally convinced, but there was no sign of Malakai in the field. If by some chance, Malakai was also picked up by someone when he woke up, then it would only make sense that he would eventually make it to Logis, and likely seek out the temple as well. When Palmer gets to the place where the road splits, he gets a much closer view of the Temple of Ra. It''s an incredible sight to behold. He feels like he''s briefly stepped into Ancient Egypt, when the wonders of the world he knew before Bryconia were still at the peak of their grandeur. The temple has a white-gold pyramid on each side, two sphinxes that appear to be plated in the same material sitting by the entrance, and an enormous temple that looks like it could hold thousands of people. Six Flags over Jesus, Palmer thinks, chuckling a little as he remembers what he used to call the megachurches back home. After admiring the Temple of Ra, Palmer continues through Piety Square, seeing a lot of smaller temples along the way. Some of them have a few parishioners around, and others appear to be closed. He carefully checks the crest on each one and compares it to his tabard before moving on. Towards the end of the street, a lot of the temples he sees are in disrepair and neglected. Finally, he sees the Temple of Grath, but it looks like it has seen better days. It''s not a large temple by any means, but it does seem to stand taller than some of the others. "Well damn," Palmer says, staring at the broken down structure. This part of Piety Square doesn''t have any parishioners, and it doesn''t look like people come here often. Nonetheless, Palmer feels like he should at least look inside the temple since he''s come this far. He ascends the broken steps with purpose, pushing the doors open when he gets to the top of the stairs. The inside of the temple appears to be maintained better than the outside. Palmer sees banners with Garth''s crest, but they are quite faded. There are a few books stacked in some of the pews, but even those look like they''ve been there for a while, and there are signs of age on them. Ahead, Palmer can see an enormous statue that he assumes is Grath. He walks closer and feels a slight buzzing sensation, similar to what he felt when he was in the presence of Rendaz. "Excuse me, sir. Can I help you?" An older, almost feeble voice calls from behind. "Uh, hello," Palmer says, turning to see a bald man with a long white beard who is wearing a robe. The man''s face immediately registers shock when he sees the crest on Palmer''s tabard. "Why are you wearing that?" The man moves closer, much faster than Palmer expected, considering the man''s age. "Do you worship Grath?" "Aye," Palmer nods in confirmation. "I am a Cleric of Grath, and I''m searching for my friend, who also worships Grath. He''s a paladin." "A cleric? A paladin?" The older man looks bewildered. "That''s impossible!" "Why?" Palmer asks, his expression beginning to match the one on the older man''s face. "Because¡­" The man says. "Grath stopped answering our prayers almost fifty years ago, so unless you look very good for your age, then you''re way too young to have ever faced the trials. Those stopped as soon as Grath stopped answering." "Then why are you here in this temple?" Palmer asks, tilting his head inquisitively. "I ask myself that question all the time," the older man admits. "But truthfully, I don''t even know where I would go. For many years, after Grath stopped answering, people would come here seeking answers. I never had any to give, but I did try to comfort them. There''s a certain hollowness you feel when your god completely abandons you." "How long has it been since you prayed?" Palmer asks. "I prayed almost every single day for¡­" The man sighs. "Longer than I''d like to admit. But it has been a while." "Are you familiar with this mace?" Palmer asks, removing it from his back. "Yes," the man says. "I don''t know where you got it, but those used to be awarded to clerics before they faced the trials." Palmer nods and closes his eyes. He concentrates on the prayer that he saw in his book, but has not used yet. "Sanct Rel Grath," Palmer prays, not opening his eyes until he feels something surge from within him. "What?" The older man looks confused, taking a few steps back, and cowering as Palmer''s weapon begins to glow with holy power. "How!?" "Like you, I have no answers to give." Palmer shrugs. "But perhaps it is time for you to once again consider praying to Grath." "I¡­" The man walks closer to the statue of Grath. "I wouldn''t even know what to say after all these years. If he''s been there and I simply stopped praying... I''m not even worthy of his forgiveness." "What''s your name?" Palmer asks. "I''m um, Fitzgerald," the man says, looking back to Palmer. "Once upon a time, I called myself a Priest of Grath." "Then let us pray together, friend." Palmer walks up and puts his hand on the priest''s shoulder. "I''m sure Grath will be happy to hear from the one person who held onto to more faith than most." The two men walk to the front of the church. The priest kneels and Palmer does the same. Palmer quietly prays for his friends and safety on their journey. He doesn''t know what the priest prays for exactly, but a couple of seconds later, the statue begins to glow. "He answered!" Fitzgerald says in shock. "He''s returned to us!" "Aye," Palmer says with a smile as he opens his eyes. "You must face the trials!" Fitzgerald turns to Palmer, his voice filling with excitement. "For some reason, Grath has chosen you, and if you are to be a true Cleric of Grath, you must be ordained!" "How do I do that?" Palmer asks. "Wait here!" The priest comes to his feet and starts walking towards a door to the right of the statue. "I''ll be right back!" The priest appeared to be feeble and weak when Palmer arrived, but restoring his faith seems to have shaved years off of him. Perhaps it is just adrenaline, or a burst of hope, but it''s clearly noticeable. Fitzgerald opens the door, and Palmer can see tomes, along with an assortment of weapons behind the door. A few seconds later, the priest emerges, holding a shield and a rather old book. "You already have your mace, but you''ll need a shield." Fitzgerald starts to walk, but then hesitates. "Actually, this is quite heavy. I may have overestimated my strength." "I got it," Palmer says, walking over to take the shield from the priest. "Thank you." The priest nods. "Now, return to the statue and kneel. I will say the prayer that begins the trials." "Is there anything I need to know before we begin?" Palmer asks. "No, let your faith guide you and remember the core principle." Fitzgerald replies. "Only engage in combat when it is honorable to do so." Palmer walks over to the statue and kneels, holding his mace and shield. The priest begins a prayer that Palmer doesn''t recognize, but the statue quickly begins to glow, and Palmer can feel the glow coursing through him. His eyelids get heavy. He feels like he''s sinking into a dream, then he finally gets the strength to force them back open again. Palmer is no longer in the temple. He''s kneeling in what appears to be red clay, with a battle raging in the distance. He tries to get up, but then he sees a man approaching who looks eerily similar to the statue in the church. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "Grath?" Palmer asks in hesitation. "No, I am his Avatar." The man says. "Grath no longer has the power to make a personal appearance at the trials." "What are these trials exactly?" Palmer asks, rising to his feet. "A test of your judgement," the Avatar says with a nod. "There was a time when you would have taken these trials when you were much younger, but your circumstances are different. You are not actually from Bryconia." "No," Palmer admits. "I asked to be an old cleric and I guess I got what I asked for." "It doesn''t matter," the Avatar replies. "All you have to do is prove your worthy of the power Grath has bestowed upon you, and if you do, then you will be trusted with more." "I understand." Palmer nods. "Then let us begin," the Avatar says. The Avatar of Grath moves his hands and prays, then Palmer sees two beds rise from the red clay. On one is a young boy, and on the other is a man wearing similar attire to Palmer, but he has chain mail underneath his tabard. "Before you are two people in need of healing," the Avatar motions to them. "One is an orphan boy from the streets with no family and he gets by stealing from the local merchants. He was attacked by a shopkeeper while trying to steal food, and his injuries will claim his life soon enough. Beside him is a Cleric of Grath, who was injured in battle, fighting for his god. He has mere minutes to live. You only have the strength to heal one of them. Make your choice." Palmer walks up to the orphan and the Cleric of Grath, looking down at them both. He contemplates his options and lets out a sigh before closing his eyes. He kneels beside the orphan, placing his hands on the child''s hands. "In Mani Grath," Palmer prays, opening his eyes as the blue glow emanates from his hands and heals the orphan. The orphan coughs a couple of times, then sits up. Palmer immediately turns his attention to the cleric but finds that he has already died. The Avatar of Grath waves his hands, and both beds sink into the red clay, disappearing as quickly as they appeared. "An interesting choice," the Avatar says. "Tell me why you healed the orphan over a Cleric of Grath." "The cleric fell in honorable combat. The orphan did not," Palmer answers. "But if you healed the cleric, could he have not healed the orphan?" The Avatar tilts his head slightly. "There was no way to guarantee that," Palmer says. "The cleric was weak and near death. There was not enough time to ensure that the orphan would be saved as well." "I see." The Avatar nods. "For your second trial, you have now saved the orphan. What will do you with him? How will you ensure that he doesn''t meet a similar fate the next time he gets hungry?" "I will take him to the Temple of Grath. I will make sure he has food, shelter, and one day, he may also be a follower of Grath," Palmer replies. "A wise choice." The Avatar nods again. "This scenario actually happened. A wise cleric, such as yourself, chose to save the young orphan. He went on to become a Paladin of Grath. His name¡­ Is Malakai." "Malakai!?" Palmer blinks in confusion. "We came to Bryconia with someone named Malakai and he was a Paladin of Grath!" "I am aware," The Avatar replies. "But your friend did not arrive at the same time as the rest of you, nor was he a man when he got here. That was almost two hundred and fifty years ago." "Then he''s¡­" Palmer looks down, the realization registering. "He was lost in battle, I''m afraid." The Avatar says. "But he was a mighty paladin and one who commanded a lot of respect from his peers, including the wise cleric who saved his life." "So is he in heaven?" Palmer asks with some hesitation in his voice. "Is that a thing here? The afterlife? You may not be familiar with the concept." "There are a variety of beliefs in Bryconia, so I understand what you mean." The Avatar nods. "Like all honorable warriors, Malakai has joined the Eternal Battle. It is an honor given to those who truly believe in the power of Grath." "Was he happy?" Palmer asks, feeling quite shaken by the news. "Did he have a good life?" "Ask him yourself," The Avatar says, stepping to the side. Palmer stares in disbelief as a beam of light shines down and man appears. He''s wearing a suit of radiant armor with Garth''s crest and carrying a sword that crackles with power. It takes Palmer a second to process what he sees, but there are enough features for him to recognize his friend. "Palmer!" Malakai smiles and sheathes his weapon. "It''s been¡­ So long!" Malakai walks straight to Palmer and embraces him with a hearty hug. Palmer is caught off guard, but returns the embrace. "We seem to have gotten separated," Palmer says. "We only arrived in Bryconia a few days ago." "Days?" Malakai asks as he takes a step back. "I searched everywhere for you guys. I thought maybe you had come back as children, just like I did, but I could never find you." "I guess that means you never found a way home." Palmer sighs. "Home?" Malakai chuckles. "I can barely remember where we came from. I always wondered if I would go back there when I died, but thankfully, I could continue serving Grath, even in death." "Malakai, there are things that Palmer must discover for himself," the Avatar says. "Remember your own journey. Palmer has not yet completed his trials." "Of course." Malakai nods. "I must return to the Eternal Battle, Palmer. I wish you luck in your trials. Always remember the principles of Grath. They will guide you every step of the way." Palmer wants to ask more, but he sees the beam of light appear again, and Malakai steps into it. "Farewell, my friend." Palmer lifts his hand to wave as Malakai disappears. "Grath felt you should be free of this burden," the Avatar says. "Consider it a gift for completing your first and second trial." "I would have never stopped searching for him," Palmer admits, then looks up to the sky. "Thank you." "Now, for your third trial." The Avatar moves his hands and the red clay begins to form a line of men wearing a crest Palmer doesn''t recognize, all of them with their hands and feet bound. "These men are prisoners of war," the Avatar says. "The blood of those who fought beside you is fresh on these men''s blades. You must decide their fate." Palmer looks at the men. Their ages vary. Some appear to be old, battled hardened soldiers. Some appear to be barely more than teenagers. A couple of them are so young Palmer would still call them children. On the ground nearby, are a number of bloody weapons, and Palmer can see dozens of fallen followers of Grath behind the prisoners. "Did they fight honorably?" Palmer asks the Avatar. "Yes," the Avatar replies. "We will keep them as prisoners, and we will treat them well." Palmer says, motioning to the men. "If they fought honorably, then they have done nothing wrong except fight for the wrong side." "An interesting choice," the Avatar says, moving his hands, and all the men sink into the red clay. "Was it not a wise one?" Palmer asks. "No," the Avatar replies. "This scenario happened just like the other one, and these men were spared. During the night, they escaped, and killed several dozen more of Grath''s followers before they were finally stopped." "So I failed the trial?" Palmer asks with a sigh. "I should have just executed them?" "You made the right choice, whether it was wise or not," the Avatar says. "Executing them would not have been honorable, but there were other options." "What other options?" Palmer tilts his head inquisitively. "It doesn''t matter. Are you ready for the final trial?" The Avatar walks closer to Palmer. "Yes," Palmer says, trying to show confidence, but still mulling over the previous trial. "This will be a test of strength." The Avatar begins moving his hands. In the distance, a village begins to form from the red clay, and then people are formed as well. Palmer hears a shriek from the air, and he sees a red dragon flying overhead. "This dragon will destroy the village and kill everyone in it." The Avatar says. "Unless you do something, but you have to act quickly." Palmer watches as the dragon lands, and the villagers begin running around in a panic. Palmer picks up his shield, removes his mace from his back, and charges forward, his stomach twisting into a knot as he does. There''s no way I can beat a dragon, he thinks. This is absurd. As Palmer gets closer, he presses the spot on his wrist, hoping to look at his character sheet and see if there is anything he could use. Unfortunately, the character sheet does not appear. "Everyone, run!" Palmer yells as he gets to the village. "Go through the front gate and don''t look back!" Palmer has no idea what to do, exactly, but keeping people alive seems like it should be his first priority. The dragon lets out a mighty growl and Palmer sees a glow in the back of its throat. "Fire!" Palmer yells as the dragon''s breath engulfs part of the village. The dragon stomps forward, obliterating several huts as he does. Palmer thinks about his options, then remembers one of his prayers. He holds up his mace, closes his eyes, and repeats the prayer from the temple. "Sanct Rel Grath," Palmer prays, feeling something surge from within him, and when he opens his eyes, his weapon is once again glowing. Palmer holds up his shield and rushes towards the dragon, preparing to strike with his mace. The dragon''s attention is on the cleric in a moment. It swoops around, right as Palmer swings his mace, connecting with the side of dragon''s leg. This causes the dragon to shriek and unleash his breath. Palmer holds up his shield, and then suddenly, something flashes in his mind. A prayer! "Flam Sanct Grath!" Palmer yells the prayer, closing his eyes, and bracing his shield. Palmer can feel the heat of the dragon''s breath as it hits his shield. He''s sure that he will be dead in a matter of seconds, but as he opens his eyes, he sees that he''s protected by a dim blue glow. The glow begins to fade, so Palmer lowers his shield to look over it. Instead of the dragon, Palmer sees the Avatar standing in front of him. "Did I fail?" Palmer asks, looking around as the village collapses into the red clay. "No, you engaged the dragon in honorable combat, used Grath''s prayers, and were gifted with one that would save your life." The Avatar walks closer and offers his hand. "Rise now, Cleric of Garth. You have passed your trials." Palmer takes the Avatar''s hand, and as he does, he feels an overwhelming surge go through his body, similar to how he felt when he leveled up, but it''s a lot more intense. It causes him to cry out, and makes his head spin, then his character sheet appears in front of him. Palmer ¨C Level 1 +2 Character Class: Cleric Race: Human Hit Points: 65 +10 Mana Points: 35 +10 Power ¨C 55 Speed ¨C 45 Intelligence ¨C 70 Affinity ¨C 75 -Mace ¨C Level 1 +1 -Divination ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Knowledge ¨C Cleric Dagger Mace of Grath Shield of Grath 92 Gold Pieces Before Palmer can process what he sees, more words flash. You''ve unlocked new prayers! Palmer blinks a couple of times and then the message about his prayers is replaced by another. You''ve passed the Trials of Grath! All attributes increase by 5. When the second set of words disappear, Palmer is no longer with the Avatar. He''s back in the church with Fitzgerald standing nearby. "You did it!" Fitzgerald says, shock echoing in his voice. "You truly are a Cleric of Grath!" "Yes," Palmer says, still somewhat stunned when he rises to his feet. "It would seem that I have." "You look¡­ Different." Fitzgerald says as he approaches. "You weren''t an old man when you walked in here, compared to me, at least. But now it looks like your youth has been restored!" "Really?" Palmer asks. "Come." Fitzgerald motions to Palmer and leads him to a dusty mirror. Fitzgerald wipes away the dust and Palmer leans forward. In the reflection, Palmer sees that the years have indeed disappeared. In the real world, he was almost forty, and his character was even older. The face that stares back at him looks to be in his early twenties, possibly even younger. "I''m glad they don''t ask for ID at the taverns." Palmer chuckles, admiring his youthful appearance. "I don''t understand," the cleric replies. "Sorry," Palmer says apologetically. "That''s from another lifetime." "Well, you''ve got a new life to live now, cleric." Fitzgerald smiles. "I will pray for Grath to make it a long one." "Aye." Palmer nods. "With any luck, I''ll have as many years as you." "If you need anything from the temple, it is at your disposal. We have a few suits of chain mail in the back, if you would like to take one." Fitzgerald motions. "Unfortunately, that''s all we have left, other than a few weapons like the one you carry." "I will take you up on that offer," Palmer says. "What will you do now that Grath is answering your prayers again? Will you rebuild this temple?" "If I can," the priest replies. "It is a day for rejoicing, but it will not be easy to convince people to put their faith in a god that once abandoned his followers." "I''m sure he had his reasons." Palmer sighs. "I found out what happened to my friend, which was the main reason I came. I should let the others know." "Do you travel with other followers of Grath?" Fitzgerald asks, a little excitement in his voice. "No," Palmer replies. "But perhaps one day, they will be." "If you meet others who follow Grath, or if you convert anyone to our cause, please send them to the temple," Fitzgerald says. "I will keep it open day and night, just in case." "Do you need gold?" Palmer asks, removing his coin purse. "This is all I have currently, but I will donate it to the rebuilding efforts." "Thank you," Fitzgerald says, taking the coin purse. "I will make sure it is well spent." "I will bring more when I can," Palmer pats the priest''s shoulder. "But for now, I must take my leave." "May Grath protect you on your journey." Fitzgerald smiles. "Thank you, and I hope he does the same for you, friend." Palmer gives the priest a polite nod. Palmer goes to the back of the church and collects a suit of chain mail. It''s too cumbersome to transport, so he has no choice but to wear it. He''s surprised to find that it is not only a perfect fit, but also doesn''t feel as heavy once he has it on. He''s able to attach his shield and mace to the back of his armor, and once he puts the coif on, he feels like a proper cleric. After leaving the church, he looks at his character sheet again, mostly out of curiosity. Palmer ¨C Level 3 Character Class: Cleric Race: Human Hit Points: 75 Mana Points: 45 Power ¨C 60 Speed ¨C 50 Intelligence ¨C 75 Affinity ¨C 80 -Mace ¨C Level 2 -Divination ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Knowledge ¨C Cleric Dagger Mace of Grath Shield of Grath Chain Mail of Grath I definitely feel more powerful, Palmer thinks. Or maybe it''s just because I''m younger. Palmer takes out his Book of Knowledge as he walks, flipping through the pages took at his prayers. He''s surprised to see that not only does he have new prayers, but his two original ones have changed as well. Prayer of Healing I: In Mani Grath -Heals 10 Hit Points -Mana Cost: 10 Mana Points === Prayer of Holy Power I: Sanct Rel Grath -Imbues target weapon with the Holy Power of Grath for one hour, which allow the wielder to draw the attention of one enemy, as long as the wielder''s intentions are honorable. -Mana Cost: Free === Prayer of Fire Protection I: Flam Sanct Grath -Negates one fire attack. -Mana Cost: 25 Mana Points === Restore Life I: Res Mani Grath -Brings one humanoid who has been reduced to 0 hit points to 1 hit point. This will not heal their wounds, and they may still succumb to them if they do not receive additional healing. -Mana Cost: 50 Mana Points Huh¡­ Palmer thinks, briefly checking his character sheet again. I don''t even have enough mana to use the last one. Palmer decides not to dwell on it, since his previous prayers changed after leveling up. It seems only logical that his new ones will as well. As he walks through Piety Square, he takes a moment to look at the newer temples, hoping that he''ll see the Temple of Grath one day restored to its former glory. It still weighs on him to think about Malakai, but his friend seemed happy, fresh from the Eternal Battle. Silently, Palmer prays it will be a long time before he joins Malakai on that battlefield, especially with his youth restored. Chapter 11: Lucy & Leone After parting ways with their friends, Lucy and Leone make their way to the main part of town. Vryce follows behind them, with Lucy back at him several times before he finally splits off. Lucy seems slightly relieved. "I guess you like Vryce in the real world a lot more than Vryce in Bryconia." Leone cuts his eyes towards the brunette rogue as they continue walking. "I mean, we were making characters," Lucy says with a sigh. "But I don''t feel that different from the way I felt in the real world. Do you?" "Different?" Leone asks. "I feel the same, but I certainly look different." "Yeah." Lucy''s lips curl into a half-grin. "You definitely do." "You¡­" Leone glances over. "Not so much." "I didn''t even come up with a name for my character," She shrugs. "I guess I''m not very original." "You played D&D, right? I remember your friend Whimsy saying something about that." Leone chuckles. "Whimsy." Lucy shakes her head and laughs. "Yeah, we played D&D. I was Lucy in that game too." "Let me guess? A rogue." Leone glances over again. "Yes," Lucy admits with a laugh. "Whimsy gave me a lot of shit for that. She said if she could come up with a cool nickname in real life and make people call her that, I could at least think up something epic for my character. I still went with Lucy." "I think it makes you more genuine," Leone says. "I asked to be a seven foot tall elf with golden hair. I don''t look anything like myself in the real world." "You do," Lucy replies. "Especially in the face. The hair is wild though, it''s like something out of an anime." "The funny thing is, that''s exactly what I envisioned when I was making the character," Leone shrugs. "Jenkins had no way of knowing that." "Vryce seems convinced that Jenkins one hundred percent responsible. But he doesn''t like to talk about it." Lucy looks down and nudges a cobblestone in the road that is loose. "Yeah, I understand why he would think that, but it doesn''t make sense to me." Leone lifts his head as they get to the main part of town. "I think we''re here." "So what''s the plan?" Lucy asks. "I guess since I''m tagging along, I can let you take the lead." "You don''t think you''re the... Party leader, do you?" Leone tilts his head slightly. "Why can''t I be the party leader?" Lucy puts her hands on her hips. "Because I''m a girl?" "No, because you''re a rogue and your weapon is a sling with rocks you picked up at the bandit camp." Leone scoffs. "Do you really want to be the first one charging into battle?" "I mean, I would." Lucy looks down, realizing Leone actually has a point. "But that doesn''t mean I can''t make decisions like deciding where we go, or what we do. I think everyone should have a vote. Nobody should be firing off orders." "I have no problem letting everyone have a vote." Leone softens his tone. "And if I fire off orders, I''m sorry. It''s not meant to be malicious. You have to understand that when we play these games, people get distracted with side-conversations and waste a lot of time. I''m usually the one trying to get everyone back on track." "Side-conversations like this one?" Lucy smirks. "I''m not mad at you or anything. This is new to all of us." "Let''s see what we can find out about the Royal Quest." Leone turns towards the populated area ahead. "The tavern seems like a fine place to start." "You realize we just had breakfast." Lucy laughs. "Which means we''re overdue for a drink. They served liquor with breakfast in the Village of Roth." Leone motions to Lucy and they start walking. "Come on, maybe they have that liquor supposedly made by the elves." "No way!" Lucy feigns a dry-heave. "I''ll sip an ale." "Suit yourself." Leone shrugs, pointing out the tavern. "That one looks a lot better than the one we drank at last night by the inn." "They have a lot of taverns here." Lucy chuckles under her breath. "People like to drink." Leone pushes the door open as they arrive. "After you." Lucy walks into the tavern first. The one by the inn didn''t have many customers. By comparison, this one is quite busy. "Oh wow," Leone says as he walks in behind her, pulling his cloak down over his face. "I think we''re in the right place." "Find us a table." Lucy glances back at the much larger elf. "I''ll get drinks." "Ask if they have the elf drink!" Leone says before walking off to look for a table. Lucy walks up to the bar, and tries to get the bartender''s attention. It proves more difficult that she anticipated. Not only is he busy, but he seems to be completely ignoring her. She finally gets frustrated, and when he goes to bring two men at the end of the bar a round of drinks, she wedges herself between them. "Excuse me!" Lucy grunts at the lack of personal space. "I need an ale, and do you have any elven drinks?" "We got wine," the bartender replies, jerking his thumb towards the shelf. "It isn''t the stuff the slave-elves make, so it is expensive." "Great!" Lucy says, clutching her coin purse. "I''ll take a tankard of it!" "You got it," the bartender says with a nod. "Excuse me fellas, I''ll be going now." Lucy smiles to the two men she''s wedged between and pries herself loose. The smell, however, does not leave as she moves down the bar. She sniffs her shirt and this time, it''s not a fake dry-heave. "Oh hell." Lucy shudders. "They''re fishermen." The price for the drinks is eleven gold pieces, and only one of them is for her ale. Lucy pays with a grimace, collects her drinks, and spots Leone at a table. She makes her way through the tavern and sits down, putting the wine in front of him. "That damn sure better be good," Lucy says as she sits down. "It cost ten gold pieces." "Wow," Leone remarks, lifting the tankard to his lips. "Okay, that may be worth every coin. Want to try it?" "I guess I should." Lucy nods. "I did pay for it after all." Leone slides the tankard over to Lucy who takes a small sip, then her eyes get wide, and she takes a deeper drink. "Yep, that''s really good." She smiles. "Too bad we can''t afford to keep drinking it." "We''ll find a way to make more money," Leone says. "While you were buying the drinks, I heard a couple of people talking about the Royal Quest." "Anything interesting?" Lucy asks. "We listened to people talk about it last night, too." "News changes daily," Leone replies. "Today, people are saying that king has announced a Day of Feasting will begin in two days time, and at the end of it, he will have news about the Royal Quest." Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "That sounds like one of those announcements about an announcement they had back home." Lucy smirks and sips her ale, visibly displeased with it after tasting the elven wine. "Yeah, but a Day of Feasting sounds nice." Leone shrugs. "I think it''s like a holiday to people in Bryconia." "Should we buy groceries and plan a barbecue?" Lucy asks sarcastically. "Maybe." Leone laughs and sips his wine. "Let''s do a little listening for now, and see what else we can hear." Lucy tries to listen, but she mainly hears chatter. A few pieces of a conversation here, and there, but nothing significant. Leone, on the other hand, has noticed that his hearing is much better than it was in the real world. He has the ability to differentiate various conversations and hone in on them if he focuses. He first realized it in the bandit camp, where he heard a lot more about the bandit''s plans for them than Palmer or Vryce. He elected not to tell Vryce that the bandits deemed him useless and planned to cut his throat at dawn, nor did he tell Palmer that because he was holy man, he would be dumped in the woods somewhere. The bandits couldn''t bring themselves to kill him, out of fear of being cursed by the gods, but were fine if the elements took care of it for them. In the tavern, Leone is able to learn a few new things, before Lucy interrupts. "I really can''t hear much of anything except noise." Lucy sighs and sips her ale. "You hear anything?" "I heard that the last time there was a Day of Feasting, the drinks were half-off in this tavern." Leone smirks. "The barbecue is canceled." "That''s not very useful." Lucy rolls her eyes. "I also heard that if we want to hear King Brynn''s announcement, we''ll have to be in the Royal Square at sundown on the Day of Feasting." Leone smiles and sips his wine. "You heard all of that in this noise?" Lucy looks around. "How?" "Maybe my ears are bigger." Leone shrugs. "Or it could have something to do with being an elf." "I''m going to make my next character an elf." Lucy perks a brow, then her expression darkens. "If there is even is a next character." "You''ll look cute in a cloak." Leone say with a smile, despite the brunette''s change in demeanor. "I hope the next game isn''t Bryconia." Lucy looks down at the table. "Here." Leone pushes his wine across the table and grabs Lucy''s ale. "Finish that, you did buy it after all." "Are you sure?" Lucy asks with hesitation in her voice. "Yes," Leone says with a nod. "I don''t mind the ale." "Thank you," Lucy replies lifting the tankard to her lips for a sip. "That is so freaking good!" The duo continue to drink, make a few jokes, and listen in on the conversation. The wine clearly goes to Lucy''s head, because after she finishes it, she not only wants another, but wants to buy one for Leone as well. Leone tries to dissuade the brunette rogue. He is not successful. Lucy goes to the bar, orders the drinks, and returns with two tankards of the eleven wine, her coin purse visibly lighter. "You didn''t drink much in the real world, did you?" Leone eyes Lucy. "No." She laughs. "I had a beer at a few high school parties, and a couple shots of liquor. Oh, I did try tequila!" "What did you think of it," Leone asks, his interest piqued. "It was awful." Lucy gags. "Even with lime." "Let me guess, you had Jose Cuervo or something?" Leone shakes his head. "Pretty sure that was it." Lucy shrugs. "Why?" "If we ever do get back to the real world, I''ll introduce you to a really good Mezcal." Leone lifts his tankard to his lips for a deep drink. "It''ll be better, I promise." "Speaking of the real world." Lucy leans closer. "We have actual knowledge of the real world. Couldn''t we put that to good use here? Like, imagine if we had a car!" "Do you know how to make a car?" Leone asks, perking a brow. "No, but¡­" Lucy grabs her drink. "Don''t you?" "Why would I know how to make a car?" Leone chuckles. "I can change a tire and jump start one, but I leave the rest to the professionals." "Hmm." Lucy ponders. "Well there has to be something we can use to our advantage." "Look at you, trying to turn into a power gamer." Leone smirks, sipping his wine. "I think we should focus on the Royal Quest. Each time we level up, we get stronger, and I''m sure the Royal Quest will offer lots of opportunities for that." "Are we even strong enough to do the Royal Quest?" Lucy asks a sobering question, despite her buzz. "We''re level one, but Vryce hasn''t even leveled up. Plus, we really need to try and find out what happened to Rabu and Malakai." "Well, we won''t find out anything about them here." Leone lifts his tankard. "Let''s finish these off, and see if the others had any luck." The duo continues drinking. Leone doesn''t appear to be drunk, but Lucy clearly is. She can''t even finish her drink and pushes it across the table. Leone takes the last gulp and puts the tankard down. When they stand up, Lucy appears to have be a little unsteady, but she seems to have stopped herself before she got further than that. "Need a hand?" Leone asks, offering to Lucy. "I''m okay." Lucy waves him off. They turn to leave, but after they get halfway to the door, it opens. A man walks inside, wearing a duster, boots, and what appears to be a cowboy hat. Lucy and Leone stop in their tracks, glancing at each other, as if they''re silently asking if the other is seeing it too. A nod between them confirms it. "Am I really drunk or does that guy look like he just walked out of a Western?" Lucy raises both eyebrows. "Yeah," Leone says. "He really does." The man walks up the bar, leans against it, and shifts his duster so that Lucy and Leone can see what appears to be a gun hanging at his side. "No fucking way!" Lucy blinks in surprise. "I''m going to talk to him." Leone says. "No, wait!" Lucy grabs his arm. "If you talk to him, he may realize you''re an elf!" "That guy." Leone points. "Is clearly not from Bryconia. I don''t think an elf is going to be that surprising." Lucy tries to latch onto Leone''s arm, but he shrugs her off. He makes his way through the bar, and leans next to the man with the gun on his hip. "Uh, excuse me." Leone tilts a head. "Is your name Clint Eastwood, by any chance?" "Damn," the man replies cocking his head towards Leone. "You''re not from around here, are ya?" "No," Leone replies coldly. "And neither are you." "Did Jenkins do it again?" The man asks. "Fuck, I never even considered that." "I''m Leone," the golden haired elf says. "You?" "Well, I know Leone ain''t your real name, nor is Cowboy mine, but that''s that''s what you can call me," the man says, picking up his ale. "We''ve only been here a few days." Leone motions to Lucy, who is waiting nearby, clearly nervous. "Ah," Cowboy says, glancing at the brunette rogue. "Lost anyone yet?" "Yes!" Leone says immediately. "We''re still searching for two of our friends." "Nah, I don''t mean people you''re looking for." Cowboy shakes his head. "I''m talking about something a little more permanent." "No." Leone blinks a couple of times. "We did have a close call¡­" "We had a bunch of those." Cowboy sips his ale and sighs. "But eventually, we did lose someone. There were four of us in the beginning. I''m the only one left." "Did you make a character? For Jenkins?" Leone leans against the bar and motions for Lucy to come closer. "Yep," Cowboy says. "Fuck, we were kids at the time. Jenkins was always creating games. He had a whole system he made for us when we played with our action figures. He made up this game we played in his front yard that combined football and baseball. It was a terrible game. But then one day, he told us about Bryconia. We were certainly intrigued¡­" "How old were you?" Lucy asks, joining the conversation. "Fuck, I don''t know exactly. I was in fifth grade at the time. The rest of it gets a bit hazy." Cowboy shrugs. "So you never found a way home?" Lucy''s face gets solemn. "Nah, honestly? What''s the point now? I''ve been in Bryconia for a really long time. I''m married. I got kids. Why would I even want to go back?" Cowboy downs his ale and motions for another. "How did you manage to make that?" Leone motions to the gun hanging at Cowboy''s side. "Oh, it''s not as impressive as it looks." Cowboy chuckles. "It''s just magic. It''s not a real gun. Looks cool though." "Do you have a character sheet?" Lucy cleans closer to try and look at Cowboy''s wrist. "Yeah, I got one." Cowboy nods. "You won''t be able to see it though. Nobody can." "What level are you?" Leone perks a brow. "High enough not to care about them anymore." Cowboy sips his fresh ale. "It''s exciting in the beginning, right? Feeling that rush? It doesn''t last forever, so enjoy it while you can." "It is rather nice," Lucy admits. "We''ve been thinking about doing the Royal Quest." Leone tilts his head slightly. "What about you?" "Nah," Cowboy says with a scoff. "I''ve done enough questing for one lifetime. I''m just going to enjoy a few drinks, and go home to my wife. My daughter just got accepted an apprentice at the Tailor''s Guild. Apparently one of their apprentices got murdered a few nights ago." "You didn''t¡­" Lucy hesitates. "No," Cowboy says coldly. "Killing people for no reason is a dark path. I wouldn''t recommend it. Now if you''ll both excuse me, I would like to drink in peace." "Thank you for your time." Leone gives Cowboy a nod. "Maybe we''ll see you again sometime and we can have a few drinks." "If you live." Cowboy shrugs. "That might be harder than you think." "We''re going to try." Leone sighs. Despite the rather pleasant buzz the duo had when the left their table, Leone and Lucy are rather solemn after leaving the tavern. "Do you think we just die?" Lucy asks absently. "Life, if our hit points get reduced to zero, that''s it. The end." "Yeah," Leone replies. "I don''t think we go back to the real world if we die." "What makes you so sure?" Lucy cocks a brow. "Jenkins told me a story about some kids in his neighborhood that disappeared when he was younger." Leone sighs. "I remembered the story when he told it. It made the news, and my mom wouldn''t let me go outside by myself for almost a year. She used to watch me if I was walking across the street to my best friend''s house. I thought Jenkins was just embellishing, like people who swear they lived next door to a serial killer, but actually lived several miles away." "I remember something about that, but I moved to the area a while after it happened." Both of Lucy''s eyebrows shoot up in alarm. "Do you think Cowboy was one of those missing kids?" "My parents watched that news story every night," Leone says. "They showed those faces every single broadcast. I''ll never forget them, nor will I forget that one of them was wearing a cowboy hat." "Damn," Lucy says solemnly. "That means our parents are probably worried about us, right now." "Yeah." Leone nods and motions to Lucy. "Come on, let''s get back to the inn. We need to let everyone else know we found out." "Agreed." Lucy trails behind Leone for a moment before finally catching up to him. The golden haired elf and the brunette rogue are both shaken after their conversation with Cowboy. Their demeanor is quite solemn and it''s beginning to sink in for both of them that going home may never be an option. Game or not, the consequences are certainly real. Chapter 12: Vryce The former Marine walks through the streets of Logis, feeling somewhat annoyed by the events of the last couple days. He¡¯s normally not the jealous type, but he can¡¯t help being envious over the fact everyone else has leveled up and discovered their character sheets. He¡¯s pressed on his wrist, despite not having a red dot like they do, but nothing appears. Vryce also doesn¡¯t agree with some of the choices made along the way. He doesn¡¯t understand why his friends act like all of the people in Bryconia are real. They aren¡¯t, as far as Vryce is concerned. They¡¯re just NPCs in some twisted game Jenkins created, and as he passes some of those people on the streets of Logis, he wonders how much XP each one of them would give. The children probably aren¡¯t worth much, Vryce surmises. But I bet the adults are worth a decent amount, and the guards? Surely they give good XP. Vryce envisions himself removing the sword from his back and just tearing through the citizens like a madman. That would be fun, he thinks, smiling at the thought. We could kill everyone, pillage the town, and then start working our way across the map until there¡¯s nobody left. At least then we¡¯d be having fun. Vryce knows his friends would never go for it. They wouldn¡¯t even let him kill the two people on the road. Yeah, they would have been forced to deal with the guards that were patrolling the King¡¯s Highway, but Vryce feels like they could have handled them too. ¡°What¡¯s the point of leveling up, if you can¡¯t even use it?¡± Vryce mutters to himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did you say something?¡± A woman stops and looks over at Vryce. ¡°No,¡± Vryce says flatly, then remembers why he¡¯s walking the streets to begin with. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m looking for a friend. He¡¯s a short guy¡­ I think. A man and a young girl picked him up near the Village of Roth, and I think they may have brought him here.¡± Vryce is careful with his words, despite wanting nothing more than to cleave the woman in half rather than ask her for information. ¡°It was probably someone going to the Spring of the Moon,¡± the woman replies. ¡°It¡¯s that time of year, and a lot of people make the journey. I did it once when I was younger, but the water never really seemed to do anything for me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Vryce nods to the woman and continues his journey. The information isn¡¯t useful at all. Vryce is annoyed that he even bothered to stop and talk to the woman to begin with. The half-elf cuts off from the main part of town and starts wandering down some side streets, unsure of where¡¯s going, but not very eager to return to the inn. He notices that the shops in the area begin to get more rundown as he ventures away from the main hub of activity, and the residential area switches from stone houses to wooden shacks. They still look better than the small thatch shacks in the Village of Roth, but not by much. He passes under a bridge, and something catches his eye. There is a piece of parchment stuck to the wall. It says BEWARE THE CREATURE and underneath it is a crude drawing of a man¡¯s face. The man has a rather large nose, red eyes, a bushy beard, and what appears to be fangs, dripping with blood. ¡°Pay no attention to that,¡± someone says, startling Vryce. ¡°There¡¯s no creature stalking the streets of Logis at night.¡± The half-elf turns to see a man in filthy clothes and dirt smudges on his face. ¡°What¡¯s this about,¡± Vryce asks. ¡°Have you heard about the people who got killed a few streets over?¡± The man asks, walking closer. ¡°It happened a couple nights ago.¡± ¡°No,¡± Vryce replies. ¡°My friends and I just got to town last night.¡± ¡°Ah, Harold Winthrope and his daughter Mara were killed, along with Mara¡¯s best friend. I can¡¯t remember her name.¡± The man sighs. ¡°One of their neighbors as well. That same night, a guy I work with says he was attacked by some creature in an alleyway that bit his leg.¡± ¡°He thinks the creature killed the others?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°He¡¯s nothing but a drunk. He got thrown out of the tavern because he ran out of money.¡± The man shakes his head. ¡°He probably passed out and dreamed the whole thing up, or got bit by a whore when he couldn¡¯t afford to pay her, and needed a story to tell his wife.¡± ¡°Who do you think killed those people?¡± Vryce tilts his head inquisitively. ¡°This isn¡¯t the best part of Logis.¡± The man shrugs, then motions to the sword on Vryce¡¯s back. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will be messing with you, though.¡± ¡°A wise choice for them.¡± Vryce nods and points to the picture. ¡°Just out of curiosity, do you know where I could find the guy you work with who drew this?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± the man chuckles. ¡°We just got off work, so he¡¯ll be in the tavern down the street. Ask for Edward. I¡¯ll warn you, though. He probably won¡¯t talk to you unless you buy him a drink.¡± ¡°I could use a drink myself.¡± Vryce flashes the guy a half-smile and nods before walking in the direction of the tavern. Maybe some people are useful, Vryce thinks. But it would have been nice to end the conversation with decapitation. Vryce wonders if the so-called creature could be Rabu. He doesn¡¯t know what gnomes look like in Bryconia, but Rabu was picked up by a man and a young girl. Now a man, his daughter, her friend, and their neighbor are dead. To Vryce, it sounds like the exact same thing he would do, if he was in a similar situation. ¡°I bet Rabu leveled up,¡± Vryce grumbles under his breath. Vryce finds the tavern and it¡¯s as run-down as the rest of the area. The one next to the inn that the group drank at the previous night wasn¡¯t very impressive, but it looked a lot better than this one. Vryce walks in and sees a number of individuals who look rather unsavory. Mainly because they are dirty and their clothes are unkempt. Not that his attire is much better. He gets a few looks from the patrons when they notice his sword, but none of them say anything. ¡°Hello!¡± Vryce flashes the bartender a smile. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Edward.¡± ¡°Edward!¡± The bartender yells towards the end of the bar. ¡°This guy is looking for you and he has a really big sword. Who did you piss off this time?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Edward looks confused and his eyes shift like he¡¯s planning to make a break for the door. ¡°I mean you no harm,¡± Vryce says, walking to the end of the bar. ¡°I just wanted to ask you a few questions about the creature you have been telling people about.¡± ¡°It was a fucking devil is what it was!¡± Edward says quickly, then his demeanor shifts. ¡°Actually, if you want to talk about the creature, you¡¯ll have to buy me a drink first.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Vryce nods and motions to the bartender. ¡°Get Edward a couple of drinks on me. I¡¯ll take an ale.¡± ¡°Do you want to pay his tab too?¡± The bartender chuckles. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°No,¡± Vryce says flatly. ¡°Ah well, I had to ask.¡± The bartender shrugs and walks over to get the drinks. Vryce waits until the drinks are delivered, and pays for them, before turning back to Edward. ¡°Alright, I bought you two drinks. Tell me what you know.¡± Vryce narrows his eyes, not trying to be intimidating, but Edward does seem uncomfortable, despite the free drinks. ¡°Yeah, so,¡± Edward begins. ¡°A couple nights ago, I got cut off because I ran out of money and the bartender wouldn¡¯t let me put anything else on my tab. I was planning to go home and sleep it off, but on my way there, I got attacked in the alleyway.¡± ¡°Attacked?¡± Vryce raises his eyebrows. ¡°Yeah!¡± Edward says quickly. ¡°I was just minding my own business and then next thing I know, this creature with red eyes and fangs just fucking attacks me! The damn thing had a knife and it bit me! I thought it was a kid at first, but no way! It was some kind of devil-creature.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Vryce says, pondering the man¡¯s words. ¡°How big was this creature exactly?¡± ¡°Ah, about this high.¡± Edward leans over and holds his hand about three feet off the ground. ¡°Maybe bigger, it was hard to see in the dark.¡± ¡°And you haven¡¯t seen the creature since then?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°Nope, thank goodness.¡± Edward sighs, then motions to Vryce¡¯s sword. ¡°Why are you asking anyway, are you some kind of creature hunter or something?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡° Vryce nods and sips his ale. Vryce asks Edward a few more questions, but it doesn¡¯t seem like he has any other useful information to share, and gets more nervous as the conversation continues, so Vryce finishes his ale and departs the tavern. Vryce has wasted a lot of time, and while he feels like he has some clues, he doesn¡¯t feel any closer to finding his friend. Instead of returning to the inn immediately, he wanders the streets aimlessly, hoping to run into additional clues, but he doesn¡¯t find anything noteworthy. When it begins to get dark, he decides he should go back, even if he isn¡¯t that enthused to do so. The inn seems to have more activity than it did the previous night. Vryce makes his way up the stairs to his room, and pushes the door open, where he finds everyone else deep in conversation, but his attention is immediately drawn to Palmer. The cleric appears to be much younger than he was when he left that morning. ¡°Palmer?¡± Vryce asks, sitting down in one of the chairs. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°He leveled up!¡± Lucy says excitedly. ¡°He¡¯s level three now!¡± ¡°And that made you younger?¡± Vryce eyes the cleric. ¡°No,¡± Palmer replies, shaking his head. ¡°I had to face Grath¡¯s trials, and after succeeding, I was blessed. My attributes increased and my youth was restored.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Vryce says flatly. ¡°You¡¯re level three and I haven¡¯t even made it to level one.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll level up eventually.¡± Lucy sighs, then shifts the conversation. ¡°Did you find out anything about Rabu?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± Vryce shrugs. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, we found out some other stuff today, and it isn¡¯t good news.¡± Leone walks over and sits near Palmer. ¡°I¡¯ll let Palmer tell you about Malakai first.¡± Palmer shares the information he learned about their missing friend. In the real world, Vryce and Malakai were fairly close, so the news that the paladin not only landed in Bryconia two hundred years in the past, but is also dead, does not sit well with the half-elf. ¡°You have bad news too?¡± Vryce turns to Leone. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not good news.¡± Leone sighs. ¡°Lucy and I were at a tavern near the main part of the city, trying to find out what we could about the Royal Quest. We ran into a man dressed like a cowboy. He¡¯s not from Bryconia.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Vryce¡¯s blinks in confusion. ¡°Is he¡­ Like us?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucy replies before Leone has a chance to. ¡°He said he even has a character sheet, but he wouldn¡¯t tell us what level he is.¡± Leone finishes telling Vryce about Cowboy, and Vryce also remembers the news story about the missing kids. He grew up in a neighboring town, but the story was on the news every night for a while, and he even remembers a True Crime documentary that was made about their disappearances. ¡°I had no idea Jenkins was friends with them,¡± Vryce says after Leone finishes his story. ¡°So they¡¯re all dead except for Cowboy?¡± ¡°Apparently so.¡± Lucy sighs. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re ever going to get back to the real world.¡± ¡°Well that is just fucking fantastic.¡± Vryce¡¯s expression shifts to a scowl and he abruptly stands up from his chair. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Lucy asks. ¡°To get a drink¡­ Take a walk¡­ Something.¡± Vryce mutters as he walks towards the door. ¡°Want any company?¡± Lucy gives him a hopeful glance. Vryce doesn¡¯t reply. He leaves the room and slams the door behind him. The half-elf is pissed. No, he doesn¡¯t want any company. Not right now. He¡¯s believed from the beginning that Jenkins trapped them in Bryconia for a reason, but he always assumed they¡¯d return home at some point. Finding out there are others who didn¡¯t survive, or make it home, and that Malakai is dead¡­ He needs to process that information, and he doesn¡¯t need the doe-eyed brunette following him around while he does. Vryce is aware Lucy has a crush on him. It¡¯s no secret, really. Maybe she thinks it is, but everyone at the gaming shop has figured it out. His friends have told him multiple times to go for it, even if she is younger than him, but something has always held him back. Now, he¡¯s glad he didn¡¯t, because the last thing he needs is a girlfriend to take care of when he¡¯s got so much else to deal with. Vryce doesn¡¯t go to the tavern by the inn. He knows his friends will end up there, and he has no interest in interacting with them right now. Instead, he follows the same path he took earlier, through the rough part of Logis, desperately hoping someone is stupid enough to mess with him. He stares down everyone he passes, silently daring them to make a move, but whether it¡¯s his intimidating stare or the sword on his back, none of them do. ¡°Give me an ale,¡± Vryce says to the bartender once he gets seated at the tavern. ¡°And keep them coming.¡± ¡°Back so soon?¡± The bartender chuckles as he pours an ale for the half-elf. ¡°Seems like a nice place to drink,¡± Vryce mutters, looking around. ¡°Well, it can get kind of rowdy later in the evening.¡± The bartender shrugs. ¡°But if it does, can I kindly ask that you not start swinging that sword around? Some of these people are regulars and actually pay their tabs.¡± ¡°As long as they leave me alone,¡± Vryce says, lifting his ale to take a sip. Vryce decides he¡¯s going to get drunk. He makes that decision after his second ale, and swaps over to whiskey. It tastes terrible, like something you¡¯d get from the bottom part of the bottom shelf, and regret drinking it the next day. But he doesn¡¯t care. He downs enough that that taste doesn¡¯t bother him anymore, but stops himself before he gets too far gone. He does have to get back to the inn, and he¡¯d like to be able to still swing his sword, if an opportunity presents itself. With a really nice buzz and a slight stumble in his step, Vryce departs the tavern. It¡¯s late, and the streets are mostly deserted. The half-elf needs to take a piss, so he steps into an alleyway and props himself up against the wall. A few seconds later, he sees a rat scurry by, then several more behind it. Then another figure passes him. Small enough to be a child, but quite stubby. The figure seems to be following the rats. It takes Vryce a second to process it, then he rushes out of the alleyway. ¡°Rabu!¡± Vryce yells as the figure turns a corner. Vryce starts after the figure, but then he sees a head poke around the corner. ¡°Vryce?¡± The figure asks, then steps fully into view. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Vryce says excitedly, pointing at the gnome. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for you all day.¡± ¡°Come!¡± Rabu motions to his friend and leads him into another alleyway. ¡°I¡¯m trying to stay out of sight. Apparently, gnomes are something of a legend, and the first two people I met were talking about selling me.¡± ¡°Let me guess¡­¡± Vryce grins. ¡°You killed them both.¡± ¡°I sure did,¡± Rabu says proudly. ¡°And I leveled up! Have you leveled up yet?¡± ¡°No,¡± Vryce replies, the grin disappearing from his face. ¡°Everyone else has, but I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°So everyone else is here too?¡± Rabu¡¯s eyebrows perk up. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! We¡¯ll be able to kill so many people. So much XP!¡± ¡°The rest of the group doesn''t seem that enthused about killing random people. Unfortunately, not everyone made it.¡± Vryce sighs. ¡°We just found out that Malakai is dead.¡± ¡°Dead?¡± Rabu blinks in surprise. ¡°Damn.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot we should catch up on.¡± Vryce nods, and then notices several rats walk up and circle Rabu¡¯s feet. ¡°Friends of yours?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to train them,¡± Rabu replies. ¡°I can speak to them, but they don¡¯t fully comprehend what I¡¯m saying. I¡¯ve been trying to find the most intelligent ones so I can try to breed them. Maybe if I train them up from when they¡¯re babies, they¡¯ll be able to follow orders better.¡± ¡°That¡¯ll take a while.¡± Vryce furrows his brow. ¡°Where are you staying, anyway?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a nice place not far from here¡­ In the sewer.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°The sewer?¡± Vryce wrinkles his nose. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Long story, but I found an old camp down there that the workers used when they were building it. The smell isn¡¯t so bad there. Honestly, I¡¯m starting to get used to it.¡± Rabu shrugs. ¡°I can show you, if you¡¯d like. If we have a lot to catch up on, we shouldn¡¯t do it out here. People are looking for me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I saw the poster.¡± Vryce chuckles. ¡°Alright, lead the way.¡± Vryce is filled with a little hope after finding Rabu. There¡¯s still a lot bothering him, but in a way, he¡¯s grateful to have somewhere to go other than the inn. He¡¯s just not sure how he feels about sleeping in a sewer. Chapter 13: Serial Killers Morning dawns on Logis. At the inn, Lucy is the first to wake up, and when she sees that Vryce¡¯s bunk appears to be untouched, she panics. ¡°He didn¡¯t come back!¡± Lucy shakes Leone. ¡°Wake up!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The golden haired elf blinks a few times and rubs his eyes. ¡°Vryce!¡± Lucy points at his bunk. ¡°I know he was upset when he left, but I still thought he would be back before morning.¡± ¡°He probably got drunk, and is sleeping it off somewhere,¡± Leone grumbles. ¡°Maybe he got arrested. I wonder if they have a drunk tank here.¡± ¡°We need to find out!¡± Lucy turns and starts shaking Palmer. Palmer wakes up in a lot better mood than Leone. He hops out of bed and smiles when none of the aches and pains he usually experiences in the morning are present. ¡°Hmm.¡± Palmer checks Vryce¡¯s bunk. ¡°He took almost everything with him when he left.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll ask around downstairs and see if anyone has seen him,¡± Lucy says. ¡°I¡¯m sure people will remember a guy with a really big sword on his back.¡± Lucy urges Leone to get up, and the golden haired elf eventually complies. Palmer is already dressed and ready to go by the time Leone stumbles over to gather his things. The trio makes their way downstairs to ask some questions but they don¡¯t get any useful information. The innkeeper certainly remembers their companion. He just hasn¡¯t seen him since he left the previous night. ¡°What should we do?¡± Lucy looks back and forth between Leone and Palmer. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out if there¡¯s a drunk tank, or what they would have done with him if he got picked up by the guards.¡± Palmer nods and walks towards the door. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s fine,¡± Leone says to the worried brunette. ¡°He does know how to take care of himself.¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s also eager to level up.¡± Lucy brings her thumb to her lips and nibbles on the nail. ¡°I really hope he didn¡¯t do something stupid.¡± Palmer returns and Lucy doesn¡¯t even give him time to get back through the door before walking over. ¡°Anything?¡± She asks. ¡°If he was picked up by the guards, then they would have thrown him in the dungeon,¡± Palmer says. ¡°But, the guard said they normally don¡¯t take drunks to the dungeon unless it is a last resort.¡± ¡°Did he say anything about a crazy person swinging around a giant sword?¡± Leone asks. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask about that.¡± Palmer shakes his head. ¡°Should we check the dungeon, just to be safe?¡± ¡°Absolutely!¡± Lucy replies immediately. ¡°Leone, why don¡¯t you stay here in case he comes back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to argue with that.¡± Leone stretches. ¡°I might squeeze in a nap.¡± ¡°You literally just got up,¡± Lucy says, narrowing her eyes at him. ¡°Please don¡¯t go back to sleep. We need to know if Vryce shows up.¡± ¡°Fine,¡± Leone grumbles. ¡°Since you asked nicely¡­¡± Palmer and Lucy depart to investigate the dungeon and Leone returns to the room. The golden haired elf does his best to stay awake. He eats some salted meat, a piece of stale bread, and washes it down with some water. He wishes it was the elven wine from the tavern, and plans to return for a tankard of it as soon as they figure out where Vryce is. *** In another part of Logis, in the sewers, the only thing stirring is human waste and the rodents that scurry around. Eventually, Rabu stirs and sits up in his makeshift bunk. He tries to get up quietly, since Vryce is still sleeping, but the noise is enough to rouse the half-elf from his drunken slumber. ¡°Oh fuck,¡± Vryce says with a groan as he sits up. ¡°I haven¡¯t had a hangover like this since I was in the Marines.¡± ¡°Here.¡± Rabu grabs some rations. ¡°Eat some of this salted meat and drink some water. Your waterskin is on the floor beside your bunk.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Vryce mumbles, taking the salted meat and feeling around for his waterskin. Rabu and Vryce got caught up the previous night after they got to the sewers. Vryce was definitely drunk, but he remembers everything they discussed. He eats the meat and looks around at all of the rats. ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried they have diseases and shit?¡± Vryce asks groggily. ¡°Nah, not really,¡± Rabu remarks. ¡°My plan is to find somewhere to stay other than the sewer and clean them up some. Until then, I¡¯ll just have to take my chances.¡± ¡°Which one is Splinter?¡± Vryce jokes. ¡°He¡¯ll have to train your ninja turtles.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think any of these rats are going to start doing karate,¡± Rabu says with a laugh. ¡°But, I¡¯ve taught them a few tricks.¡± Rabu breaks off some salted meat and demonstrates, making a few of the rats turn circles, stand there back legs, and beg for the food. He speaks to them in Rattus, giving out commands before he finally rewards them with a treat. ¡°They¡¯re like really ugly puppies.¡± Vryce chuckles. ¡°Yeah, but imagine this¡­¡± Rabu sits in his bunk and crosses his stubby legs. ¡°They¡¯re small, and they can go places I can¡¯t go, so they¡¯ll be able to steal stuff for me. If I find some bigger ones, I might even be able to train them to kill.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± Vryce ponders it. ¡°Too bad we don¡¯t know anything about dentistry. We could implant some razor sharp metal teeth.¡± ¡°Exactly!¡± Rabu says excitedly. ¡°Think you¡¯ll get XP if they kill something?¡± Vryce perks a brow. ¡°Maybe.¡± Rabu nods. ¡°If I command them to do it, I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°Well, no offense, but I¡¯m not going to wait until you train an army of rats to try and get XP.¡± Vryce rubs his head and grimaces. ¡°Oh, neither am I.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°After it gets dark, we¡¯ll go hunting. I¡¯ve been hesitant to do it on my own after the guards chased me the other night, but if you¡¯re with me, it¡¯ll be a lot easier.¡± ¡°I missed you, man.¡± Vryce chuckles. ¡°But we do need to be careful. People are talking about the murders. If more bodies start piling up¡­¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rabu nods in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve been scouting around. There¡¯s a family that lives close by, and the house is away from the road, so nobody will hear if they make any noise. Husband, wife, and a little boy. They seem like a good target, but I need to find some reagents first.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°I¡¯ve got some from the merchant camp, but if there¡¯s something specific you need, I¡¯m sure I can just go buy it.¡± Vryce shrugs. ¡°Nobody is looking for me.¡± ¡°True,¡± Rabu says. ¡°I need more ginger root. I¡¯m not worried about the rat tails, since I don¡¯t really care about summoning a mouse. I could use some nightshade though, if you can find that.¡± ¡°Ginger root and nightshade.¡± Vryce nods. ¡°I¡¯ll find it. Need anything else?¡± ¡°Some food would be nice,¡± Rabu says. ¡°I¡¯ve been feeding all of my meat to the rats, and it¡¯s not going to last much longer.¡± ¡°Alright, got it.¡± Vryce nods again. Vryce lets Rabu look through the reagents he salvaged from the bandit camp, but none of them appear to be useful to the gnome. Finding Rabu has taken some of the sting out of learning that Malakai is dead. Based on what Palmer told him, their friend did have a good life, and didn¡¯t seem upset in Bryconia¡¯s version of the afterlife. Still, Vryce would prefer if they had arrived together. Vryce nurses his hangover with salted meat and water, then decides to make his way into town. The fresh air is nice, and while he did start to get used to the smell in the sewers, he¡¯s not that happy about the accommodations. The half-elf isn¡¯t completely sure where he should find reagents, but decides to start with the local apothecary. ¡°Good morning,¡± Vryce musters as much cheer as he can as he enters the shop. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a few reagents, if you have them.¡± ¡°Welcome!¡± The shopkeeper says, matching Vryce¡¯s cheer. ¡°We should have everything you need. Reagents, potions, and we¡¯ve even got some water from the Spring of the Moon. It¡¯s half price in honor of the Day of Feasting that begins tomorrow.¡± ¡°I need ginger root and nightshade,¡± Vryce says, leaning against the counter. ¡°Ginger root I can do, but nightshade?¡± The shopkeeper looks perplexed. ¡°That¡¯s primarily used to make poisons.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t sell that?¡± Vryce asks, tilting his head. ¡°I might have some,¡± the shopkeeper says, lowering his voice. ¡°But it¡¯s not going to be cheap.¡± ¡°How much?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a vial of leaves for fifteen gold pieces,¡± the shopkeeper replies in a hushed tone. ¡°If anyone asks, you didn¡¯t get it here.¡± ¡°Is it illegal?¡± Vryce leans closer. ¡°No, but reputable shops don¡¯t normally sell it. I just happen to have some left from a special order. The merchant never showed up to get it.¡± The shopkeeper shrugs. ¡°Hmm, alright.¡± Vryce nods. ¡°I¡¯ll take the nightshade and the ginger root.¡± ¡°Any potions?¡± The shopkeeper motions to the wall behind him. ¡°Nah,¡± Vryce says. ¡°The reagents will do.¡± The merchant goes into the back to get the nightshade and Vryce checks out the front door of the store. It¡¯s protected by a sturdy looking lock, and Vryce can sense some sort of magic radiating from it. ¡°Alright, I got your reagents.¡± The shopkeeper says, as he returns from the back. ¡°Seventeen gold pieces in all.¡± ¡°Here you go¡­¡± Vryce digs into his coin purse and makes sure he only chooses coins with King Brynn¡¯s stamp, then hands them over. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate it.¡± The merchant smiles as he collects his coins. Vryce departs the store and buys a bag of salted meat from another vendor. As he¡¯s walking back towards the sewer entrance, he spots Palmer and Lucy ahead. He immediately cuts into an alleyway to make sure they don¡¯t see him. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand where Vryce is,¡± Lucy says in a worried tone as she passes. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll turn up soon.¡± Palmer lets out a sigh. Or never, Vryce thinks. But certainly not until I level up. Vryce makes his way through town once Palmer and Lucy are out of sight. Rabu told the half-elf about the path he had to take when he first got into the sewers, and Vryce is thankful that he found a much larger opening that doesn¡¯t require them to crawl through the filth. He looks around to make sure there is nobody that could see him before disappearing into the darkness. Once inside, he¡¯s able to find the path back to the camp fairly easily. ¡°Nightshade and ginger root,¡± Vryce says proudly, dropping the vials on Rabu¡¯s bunk. ¡°Perfect.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°Unsteady Gait is much better than I realized when Jenkins told me about it. I can¡¯t wait to try the poison spell.¡± ¡°Hopefully it helps us both level up.¡± Vryce drops down onto his bunk. ¡°My spell is fucking useless with Palmer around. He doesn¡¯t have to sacrifice anything to heal people.¡± ¡°I wonder if you could use my spells,¡± Rabu ponders, then opens the vial with ginger root. ¡°Here, try it. Say Vin Di and crush the ginger root. You can aim it at me, I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll do much if I¡¯m sitting down.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Vryce nods and holds the ginger root, crushing it as he says the spell. ¡°Vin Di!¡± ¡°Nope, that didn¡¯t work.¡± Rabu sighs. ¡°Normally the ginger root gets turned into a powder when the spell activates.¡± ¡°Magic seems weird here,¡± Vryce says. ¡°When you look at a book of spells, it doesn¡¯t seem like you can see anything except the ones you know. Everything else is gibberish.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only seen mine.¡± Rabu leans over and picks it up. ¡°Do you see your spell when you open it?¡± ¡°Here,¡± Vryce nudges his book to Rabu as he takes the one from the gnome. ¡°Yeah, I see my spells.¡± Rabu nods as he studies Vryce¡¯s book. ¡°Yours looks a lot different from mine, but the title is the same.¡± ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s like that for everyone. We¡¯re obviously not the only magic users in Bryconia.¡± Vryce ponders the thought for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t think regular people level up like us, so they must have a way to learn new magic.¡± ¡°A mystery for another day, my friend.¡± Rabu leans back in his bunk. ¡°For now, we should rest some, that way we can terrorize Logis tonight.¡± ¡°Hell yeah.¡± Vryce grins. The two of them make small talk as they wait for the sun to go down. They talk about home, reminisce about a few things, and when it starts to get dark, they begin to plan out their evening. ¡°You¡¯ll look in the windows and make sure they¡¯re in bed.¡± Rabu says, sketching the house in the dirt. ¡°Once we¡¯re sure, I¡¯ll send the rats in to make them panic.¡± ¡°Then we can get into the house.¡± Vryce nods in understanding. ¡°Let¡¯s do it.¡± Rabu smiles. Rabu tells the rats to follow him, then slips out of the sewers ahead of Vryce. The gnome leads the way to the house that he spotted, and they carefully make their way to the back. Vryce peeks in the window and waves off Rabu. ¡°Not yet,¡± Vryce whispers. ¡°They¡¯re still up.¡± There isn¡¯t much at the back of the house other than a horse. The house itself is rather run down, so it doesn¡¯t look like they will have much to take. That doesn¡¯t seem to be important to Vryce and Rabu. They¡¯re just eager to kill, and hoping that this will be the one that levels them up. ¡°I can¡¯t see,¡± Rabu leans up. ¡°Are the lights out?¡± ¡°Just now.¡± Vryce nods. ¡°Let¡¯s wait a few minutes to let them get settled in.¡± The duo waits in silence, and after a few minutes, Rabu starts speaking to his rats. He sends them to the house, and it doesn¡¯t take long for them to find a way in. Then, it¡¯s just a waiting game. Vryce and Rabu hear a scream first, followed by noise inside the house. A few seconds later, the back door opens, and they see the man kicking at the rats as they scurry away. ¡°Now!¡± Vryce says, removing the sword from his back. The two charge towards the house, and Rabu crushes a ginger root as he waves his hand. ¡°Vin Di!¡± Rabu says, and a wind causes the man to stumble. ¡°I got him!¡± Vryce smiles, swinging his sword so hard that he cleaves straight through the man¡¯s arm and into a torso. ¡°I got the kid!¡± Rabu rushes into the house, pulling his dagger out as he does. There¡¯s another scream. It¡¯s the wife. Vryce runs into the house, sword in front of him, and runs her through. He looks over his shoulder and sees Rabu finish off the boy. Vryce yanks his sword free, and surveys the scene. Then he feels electricity coursing through his body. It is one of the most amazing things he¡¯s ever felt. He sinks to his knees as he levels up, and his character sheet finally appears. Vryce ¨C Level 0 +1 Character Class: Fighter/Necromancer Race: Half-Elf, but appears human. Hit Points: 55 +5 Mana Points: 20 +5 Power ¨C 65 Speed ¨C 55 Intelligence ¨C 75 Affinity ¨C 70 -Two-Handed Swords ¨C Level 1 -Intimidation ¨C Level 1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Two-handed sword Dagger 6 Vials (Various Reagents) 63 Gold Coins ¡°Holy shit,¡± Vryce says, his head spinning. Before he can say anything else, more words appear in front of him. You''ve unlocked a new spell. ¡°It¡¯s nice isn¡¯t it?¡± Rabu chuckles. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to level up again.¡± Vryce immediately reaches into his satchel and pulls out his Book of Necromancy. He eagerly flips it open to look at his new spell. Create Reagent Crystal: El Crux -Sacrifice one reagent to create a reagent crystal that can be used for any spell. -Mana Cost: 10 Mana Points ¡°What did you get?¡± Rabu asks, wiping the blood from his knife. ¡°A spell to create reagent crystals.¡± Vryce sighs. ¡°It could be useful, but I was hoping for something better.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pillage this house and we¡¯ll look for another.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°I¡¯d like to level up tonight too.¡± ¡°Another one tonight?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°Have you scouted any other houses?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll scout them together,¡± Rabu says, tossing things around the house as he looks for loot. Vryce wipes his sword down, then puts it on his back. For the first time since coming to Bryconia, he actually feels happy. Mainly because he finally leveled up. Chapter 14: The Day of Feasting On the Day of Feasting, Lucy wakes up with red-rimmed eyes and she immediately sits up to check Vryce¡¯s bunk, hoping he has returned at some point in the evening. But for the second day in a row, it¡¯s empty. The brunette rogue spent the previous evening worried sick over her friend. She didn¡¯t even join Leone and Palmer when they went to the tavern. The worry eventually gave way to tears, and for the first time in several years, she cried herself to sleep. Where are you Vryce? Lucy silently asks. If something has happened to you¡­ Every worst case scenario floods Lucy¡¯s mind. While she¡¯s had a crush on him for quite some time, she also considered him a friend. His actions since arriving in Bryconia caused some of those feelings to wane, but they still linger. Lucy decides to go down to the inn and get breakfast for her friends. She isn¡¯t sure if she¡¯ll be able to eat, but she needs a distraction. When she gets downstairs, she¡¯s amazed by what she sees. The inn normally has salted meat and stale bread for the guests, but today, they have a table filled with food. The table has a variety of fresh meat, freshly baked bread, and even some traditional breakfast food she recognizes from home, like scrambled eggs and something that resembles oatmeal. ¡°Good morning, lass! Happy Day of Feasting to you!¡± The innkeeper says cheerfully. ¡°Since you are our guest, we will make sure your belly is full all day long! We¡¯ll also have a carriage later, to take all of our guests to the Royal Square to hear King Brynn¡¯s announcement about the Royal Quest.¡± ¡°Wow, um¡­¡± Lucy blinks in surprise. ¡°Happy Day of Feasting to you as well!¡± While the brunette rogue was unsure if she would be able to eat, after seeing the incredible spread, her stomach starts to rumble. There are some other guests already eating, so Lucy pulls up a chair. She piles her plate high and her mouth waters when she looks down at her food. My eyes may have been bigger than my stomach, she thinks. But I¡¯m going to eat what I can. Lucy gets midway through her meal before she sees Palmer and Leone come down the stairs. She waves to them, and while the cloak hides Leone¡¯s face, she sees the excitement flicker in Palmer¡¯s eyes. ¡°Wow!¡± Palmer says as he walks over. ¡°If I had known we were going to get fed like this, I would have gotten up earlier.¡± ¡°Vryce didn¡¯t come back to the room?¡± Leone asks softly as he sits down. ¡°No.¡± Lucy¡¯s face twists into a scowl. ¡°I¡¯m really worried.¡± ¡°We¡¯re worried too,¡± Palmer admits. ¡°After a couple of drinks, we went around to some other taverns, asking if they had seen him. We talked to a couple of people who said they remembered a guy with a really big sword on his back. He was asking about some kind of creature.¡± ¡°Creature?¡± Lucy asks. ¡°From what we could figure out, someone had an encounter with a red-eyed, fanged beast in an alleyway one night.¡± Leone reaches into his cloak and puts a piece of parchment on the table. ¡°We found this not far from the tavern.¡± ¡°Beware the Creature¡­¡± Lucy reads. ¡°Do you think Vryce may have gone hunting this? He was upset because he hadn¡¯t been able to gain any XP.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Palmer replies. ¡°But if you take away the red eyes and the fangs, that could also be a gnome.¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Leone adds. ¡°So, you guys think this is Rabu!¡± Lucy seems excited by the prospect. ¡°If Vryce went searching for Rabu and found him, then that could be where is. But why wouldn¡¯t they come back to the inn?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Palmer lets out a sigh. ¡°Unfortunately, we¡¯re just speculating. We can start searching for him again after we eat.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Lucy says, nodding in agreement. ¡°We can at least enjoy our meal. This is the best food I¡¯ve had since we arrived in Bryconia.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t forget that the elven wine is half off today,¡± Leone says. ¡°We can ask about Vryce while we¡¯re there.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Lucy nods. ¡°Was that the tavern where they saw Vryce?¡± ¡°No,¡± Leone admits. ¡°It isn¡¯t the best part of town.¡± ¡°We should stop by there, just to be safe,¡± Lucy says. ¡°We don¡¯t have to stay for a drink.¡± The trio has a plan, so they try to enjoy the rest of their meal. The conversation is still rather gloomy, despite the festivities, because all of them are worried about their friend. Lucy, most of all. *** ¡°This has to be the one,¡± Rabu says, dragging his blade across the woman¡¯s throat on the floor in front of him. ¡°Surely,¡± Vryce says in agreement. Rabu sits back. He feels a surge from the woman he¡¯s killed, and while it¡¯s not as good as what he felt when he leveled up the first time, it¡¯s enough to satiate the craving he¡¯s had since then. He sits back with a smile on his face as blood pools on the floor in front of him. Then his character sheet appears. Rabu ¨C Level 1 +1 Character Class: Necromancer Race: Gnome Hit Points: 40 +5 Mana Points: 25/45 +5 Power ¨C 25 Speed ¨C 35 Intelligence ¨C 80 Affinity ¨C 70 -Negotiation ¨C Level 1 -Language ¨C Level 1 +1 *** Equipment: Book of Necromancy Various Reagents Rations (25) Sharp kitchen knife Platinum chain with a full vial (Healing Potion) Token: Tailor''s Guild ¨C Apprentice First aid kit (2 Uses Remaining) Flask (Water from the Spring of the Moon) 135 gold pieces This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Finally!¡± Rabu says, then more words appear. You''ve unlocked a new spell. ¡°You leveled up?¡± Vryce asks, studying the gnome for a moment. ¡°I did.¡± Rabu reaches into his satchel. ¡°I also got a new spell.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Vryce steps over the body of the man he killed and sits on a chair near Rabu. Rabu flips his spell book open, and he notices that in addition to his new spell, his current ones have changed. Unsteady Gait: Vin Di -Causes one humanoid to stumble or lose their footing. -Mana Cost: 5 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Ginger Root === Summon Mouse: Res Tor -Summons one mouse who will obey simple commands. -Mana Cost: 10 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Mouse Tail === Poison I: Nox Vi -Poisons one creature or humanoid of your level or lower, inflicting continuous damage until they ingest the antidote. -Mana Cost: 10 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Nightshade -Antidote: Water from the Spring of the Moon === Animate Corpse: Res Dect -Channel your power into a creature or humanoid corpse that was your level or lower while they were alive, animating them for a period of thirty minutes. They will obey simple commands. -Mana Cost: 25 Mana Points -Reagent Cost: Human Tongue ¡°Well?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°I think I¡¯ll show you.¡± Ragu grins, then leans down and cuts out the tongue of the woman laying on the ground. ¡°A tongue?¡± Vryce¡¯s eyebrows shoot up. ¡°It¡¯s a reagent.¡± Rabu squeezes the tongue in his hand and says the words from his spellbook. ¡°Res Dect!¡± A guttural sound echoes from the woman on the floor, and she sits up, blood still running from her mouth. Her eyes stare ahead, seemingly unfocused. ¡°Walk over to the bed and stand.¡± Rabu says, pointing in the direction of the bed. The corpse obeys, but it isn¡¯t very graceful. It splatters blood, slips in it, and crashes into the ground before finally achieving balance. Then it walks over to the bed and stands, blood dripping down to the floor. ¡°That¡¯s so fucking cool!¡± Vryce says excitedly. ¡°We have our own zombie!¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°I don¡¯t think it will do very much. The spell says it will obey basic commands, but it will only last for thirty minutes.¡± ¡°The bodies will get rid of themselves.¡± Vryce chuckles. ¡°Well, this one will, but I''m basically out of mana now.¡± Rabu sighs. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we head back to the sewers.¡± ¡°It¡¯s morning now,¡± Vryce says as he peeks out the window. ¡°There are also a lot of people on the streets for the Day of Feasting.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to be careful then.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°Luckily, I¡¯m wearing black.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Vryce looks down at his bloody attire. ¡°The sword draws enough attention as it is.¡± ¡°This guy looks like he¡¯s about your size. Let¡¯s see if he has anything you can wear.¡± Rabu motions to the half-elf. ¡°What happened to your robe anyway?¡± ¡°Mine was a piece of shit. It wasn¡¯t as nice as yours.¡± Vryce sighs. ¡°It was hot as hell to begin with and then Lucy cut it up to make a sling.¡± ¡°Resourceful.¡± Rabu chuckles. Rabu and Vryce go through the man¡¯s things. Vryce is able to find another pair of pants and a tunic. While they aren¡¯t the best fit, they¡¯re good enough. They also find a dark gray cloak with a hood hanging on the back of the door. Vryce slips it on and turns to Rabu. ¡°How do I look now?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°I think the intimidation factor is beginning to show.¡± Rabu grins. ¡°You¡¯ll have to remember to take it off before we start killing people again tonight.¡± ¡°What about the zombie?¡± Vryce motions to the woman. ¡°I¡¯ll tell her to walk down the street so we can make our getaway.¡± Rabu nods, a devious grin forming on the edge of his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone will be paying much attention to us if there is a zombie chasing them.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sure to cause a panic,¡± Vryce says. ¡°It might lead to them finding the bodies a lot quicker.¡± ¡°Come to me,¡± Rabu says, motioning to his zombie. The zombie walks over and Rabu takes a knife from the kitchen table. He jabs it into the man several times until it is bloody, then puts it in the zombie¡¯s hand. ¡°There,¡± the gnome says. ¡°Now they¡¯ll just think she went crazy and killed her husband. I¡¯m sure the guards will do more damage to her than we did.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Vryce replies. ¡°Let¡¯s hope it works.¡± The duo puts the plan into motion. They creep out of the house, down to the street, and send the zombie ahead of them. Rabu sends the rats to the sewer, but instructs them to stay out of sight. It only takes a few minutes for screams to start echoing from the street, which allows Vryce and Rabu to quickly run to the sewer entrance. Once they¡¯re sure there is nobody around, they slip into the darkness. ¡°A perfect plan,¡± Rabu says. ¡°We do need to be careful.¡± Vryce looks over his shoulder. ¡°At least until we have a better plan for disposing of the bodies.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Rabu admits. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough mana to turn them all into zombies.¡± ¡°We may need to lay low tonight,¡± Vryce says. ¡°WIth the Day of Feasting and the announcement about the Royal Quest later, there will be more people on the streets than normal.¡± ¡°You should probably go and find out what you can about the Royal Quest.¡± Rabu sits down on his bunk once they get back to their camp, and begins feeding his rats. ¡°The others will probably be there.¡± ¡°Should I tell them I found you?¡± Vryce asks, removing his cloak and sword before sitting down on his bunk. ¡°You might as well.¡± Rabu shrugs. ¡°Just tell them I found a place to hide because I¡¯m a gnome and I can¡¯t risk being seen.¡± ¡°Sounds good,¡± Vryce says. ¡°You can¡¯t put on a cloak to hide your ears like Leone can.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate, but I don¡¯t mind.¡± Rabu lays back in his bunk. ¡°I kind of like being a gnome.¡± Rabu turns over and goes to sleep immediately. Vryce looks over his character sheet and makes a couple of reagent crystals from the dill weed in his vial before he tries to sleep. Unfortunately, it doesn¡¯t come easy. Vryce is amped up from the murders, and while he¡¯s happy to be reunited with Rabu, he¡¯s not sure how the rest of his friends will react when they see him again. He doesn¡¯t plan to tell the others about the murders, but there are sure to be questions, especially since it¡¯s been two nights since he left. He decides that problem can wait, and after tossing in his bunk for nearly an hour, he¡¯s finally able to fall asleep. A few minutes later, he is jolted from his sleep by a sensation that is similar to what he felt when he was in the presence of Rendaz. He blinks a couple of times because he can¡¯t see anything at all, and then he realizes it is pitch black in the sewer. It¡¯s also eerily quiet. He can¡¯t even hear the rats scurrying around. ¡°Rabu?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°Hey, wake up, something is wrong.¡± There¡¯s no response from the gnome. Vryce puts his hand on the ground, but instead of the rough surface he was sleeping on, the ground appears to be smooth. It reminds of the marble floors from the suite he stayed in the last time he went to Vegas in the real world. ¡°Hello?¡± Vryce calls out, becoming rather alarmed. ¡°Is anyone there?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± a gravelly voice replies. ¡°I am here, my child.¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Vryce leans forward in the darkness. ¡°I can¡¯t see anything at all!¡± ¡°My name is Da-Har, my child.¡± the voice says. ¡°I¡¯m not your child,¡± Vryce replies harshly, feeling around for his sword, but all he can feel is the smooth floor. ¡°Oh but you are, because you have chosen a dark path, and it has led you directly to me,¡± Da-Har says. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Vryce moves further from his bunk, still not finding his sword, and when he tries to return to his bunk, he can¡¯t find it either. ¡°You crave power. You will do anything to get it, even taking the lives of innocent people,¡± Da-Har rasps in his gravelly tone. ¡°What if I could give you more of the power you seek?¡± Vryce continues to feel around, the darkness so thick that he can¡¯t even see his hand when he holds it against his face. ¡°If you¡¯re offering something, then there¡¯s obviously a price.¡± Vryce pushes himself up, feeling around for a wall or something he can identify. ¡°I require nothing but your oath and devotion, my child,¡± Da-Har lets out a raspy chuckle. ¡°You¡¯ve already chosen a dark path, so why not let me lead you further down it?¡± ¡°Oath and devotion, huh?¡± Vryce asks. ¡°Let me guess, you¡¯re a god?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Da-Har replies. ¡°I can also sense that you don¡¯t care much for gods.¡± ¡°Where I¡¯m from, most people say there¡¯s only one, and he asks for a lot in exchange for blind faith.¡± Vryce scoffs. ¡°What¡¯s the point of prayer, if none of them ever get answered?¡± ¡°Have you not seen prayers get answered since you arrived in Bryconia?¡± Da-Har asks. ¡°Not always,¡± Vryce replies, remembering Palmer¡¯s prayer that went unanswered at the bandit camp. ¡°Your faith is weak, but it doesn¡¯t have to be strong,¡± Da-Har says. ¡°I will give you time to contemplate what we have discussed, but you will not leave empty handed. Considering it a gift, for embarking on the dark path that led you to me.¡± In an instant, the darkness evaporates, and Vryce realizes he is crawling around on the ground at the camp in the sewer. He looks over at Rabu¡¯s bunk and sees that the gnome is still sleeping. Vryce wonders if it was all a hallucination, but when he turns to his bunk, he sees a pendant laying on the makeshift pillow. The pendant has a symbol he doesn¡¯t recognize, but when he picks it up, he can sense the magic radiating from it. He immediately checks his character sheet, and notices that the pendant is listed under his equipment. Medallion of Da-Har - +1 Intimidation, +1 Two-Handed Swords Interesting, Vryce thinks. Vryce lays in his bunk and flips the pendant over a few times, studying the symbol. He¡¯s not entirely convinced that he¡¯s ready to start putting his faith in a higher power, but it¡¯s certainly something to think about. Chapter 15: Royal Decree Leone, Lucy and Palmer have spent another day searching for Vryce, although they did allow themselves to get distracted by some of the festivities. By the late afternoon, they are all buzzing from half-priced elven wine, and on their way back to the inn. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think we¡¯re not going to find Vryce,¡± Lucy says with a sigh. ¡°He may not want to be found.¡± Palmer shrugs. ¡°All three of us know what he was upset about, and based on what we heard today¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± Lucy says. ¡°Multiple murders. A zombie walking through the middle of town. I think Vryce decided to take matters into his own hands so he could level up, and that zombie was probably one of his new spells.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure that it was a zombie.¡± Leone glances over at the brunette rogue. ¡°Some people are convinced she just went crazy.¡± ¡°The people who saw her before she was attacked by the guards said she looked like a corpse wandering down the street.¡± Lucy¡¯s eyebrows go up. ¡°That sounds like a zombie to me.¡± They don¡¯t get a chance to continue their discussion. The trio makes it back to the inn, and the innkeeper quickly ushers them into a carriage. The carriage takes them through the city of Logis, all the way to the castle that they could only see from a distance, and the driver stops at the gate. A guard that is dressed in armor a lot fancier than the ones in town walks over to the carriage. ¡°These people are guests at the Nimblefoot Inn,¡± the driver says. ¡°They¡¯re here to listen to the announcement about the Royal Quest.¡± The guard briefly glances into the carriage, then motions for the driver to keep going. The driver slaps the reins against the horses and guides them into the courtyard, which is filled with people. The driver finds a place to park the carriage, then he climbs down and opens the door for the trio. ¡°Wow,¡± Lucy says as she looks around the Royal Courtyard. ¡°This place is pretty impressive.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Palmer replies, nodding in agreement. The courtyard is vast with paved tiles on the ground and extremely high walls on three sides. Ahead of them, at the front of the courtyard, is the king¡¯s castle, with an enormous balcony that spans the width of the courtyard. Along the edge of the balcony are ornate carvings of fish that alternate between marble and onyx except for two large gold ones on each end. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with the fish?¡± Lucy asks, looking over at a couple of guards that have a similar emblem on their tabard. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, exactly,¡± Leone says. ¡°I heard someone mention that King Brynn is also known as the Admiral King. Maybe the fish has something to do with that.¡± The trio makes their way through the guests and finds a spot with a good vantage point of the balcony, where they assume the king will appear to make the announcement. As the sun begins to set, more people file into the courtyard. ¡°Damn, some people really dressed up for this.¡± Lucy motions ahead to a group that is wearing what appears to be fairly expensive attire, judging by what she¡¯s seen in the shops. ¡°Even their slaves are dressed up,¡± Leone grumbles as he eyes a few elves near the group of well-dressed people. ¡°Is that¡­¡± Palmer takes a few steps forward and points out a small woman with a collar around her neck and a chain that¡¯s held by a portly gentleman. ¡°Is that a gnome?¡± ¡°I think it is!¡± Lucy blinks in surprise. ¡°Why does he have her on a chain?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Palmer admits. ¡°She doesn¡¯t look very happy about it though.¡± The trio watches as the man parades the gnome around. He stops to talk to several people who appear to be friendly with him. Each of them leans down to inspect the woman, a couple even going as far as to poke her several times. Some people who pass by stop to gawk, but don¡¯t linger for long. Others seem to cower in fear at the sight and move away from the man as quickly as possible once they spot the woman he¡¯s leading around. ¡°Hopefully we won¡¯t find out that Rabu has suffered a similar fate.¡± Leone sighs. ¡°Considering the parchment we found near the tavern, I think he may put up a fight if anyone tries.¡± Palmer watches as the man leads the gnome out of sight. ¡°Yeah,¡± Lucy admits. ¡°And if he¡¯s with Vryce now, then I think we already know what they are up to.¡± ¡°Possibly,¡± Leone says. There is a lot of commotion, and then everyone¡¯s attention is drawn to the balcony. A middle-aged man walks out dressed in golden plate armor with an ornate fish on the front, and a golden crown on his head is adorned with large jewels. He¡¯s trailed by a boy who looks to be fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in a fine silk tunic and a golden tabard with the same symbol as the king¡¯s armor. A man with a trumpet steps forward, plays a few notes that seem to amp up the crowd, and then he tucks it beneath his arm. ¡°Citizens of Logis!¡± The king raises a hand in what appears to be some sort of salute that is returned by the crowd. ¡°Today is a joyous day but some of you may not agree with what you will hear. I ask that you put your trust in me again, just like you did the day I took the throne. As king, it is my duty to not only protect the kingdom from our enemies, but also to forge new alliances that will bring peace to our realm.¡± There is murmuring amongst the crowd. It¡¯s clear that King Brynn has his loyal supporters, and some who are immediately suspicious of what he says. The king ignores them and continues his speech. ¡°I would like to introduce you to a special guest who joined me for the Day of Feasting,¡± King Brynn says, looking behind him. A figure steps forward wearing a golden cloak that hides his face, but the way the material sparkles looks unusual to the group of otherworldly travelers. Underneath his cloak, chain mail is visible. It looks similar to platinum, but it has a white, vibrant hue. The figure pushes his cloak back and a hush falls over the crowd, quickly followed by a roar of confusion as they see his pale-blonde hair and ears that come to a distinct point. ¡°It¡¯s an elf!¡± A man near the trio exclaims. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°This is Prince Adryll,¡± King Brynn says. ¡°Heir to the throne of Elvenlark!¡± ¡°An elven prince?¡± Lucy asks, looking back and forth between Palmer and Leone. ¡°Rendaz said something about him¡­¡± Leone says absently. The elven prince looks down at the people, his eyes registering what can only be described as contempt when he sees a group of elves with slaver¡¯s marks. Those elves quickly look down at the ground, almost like they are ashamed to be seen by their prince. King Brynn waits for some of the commotion to die down before he starts talking again. ¡°It has been a very long time since an elf from the royal bloodline stood beside the King of Logis,¡± King Brynn studies his subjects as he speaks. ¡°As many of you know, the fault lies with us, because we were the ones who betrayed our friends so long ago.¡± King Brynn glances over to Prince Ardryll, who lifts his head, a stoic expression on his face. Then he steps forward, looking down at the crowd once more. He begins to speak, in a tone that is soft, but it carries so well everyone can hear his words. ¡°The elves of Elvenlark have longed for the day when peace could be restored to the realm. A day when elves could once again find friendship and acceptance in the world of men,¡± Prince Adryll says. ¡°Too much blood has been shed, too many lives have been lost, and too many elves have succumbed to the harsh world outside of their ancestral home. While it has been many years since the war between our races that followed the betrayal, we still mourn the lives it claimed.¡± There is more murmuring from the crowd. Some people seem excited by the prospect of peace, while others seem to be angry with their king. The guards stand ready, in case there is trouble, but the people in the Royal Square significantly outnumber them. ¡°I hope they don¡¯t riot,¡± Lucy says, nervously looking around. ¡°If something happens, stay close to me,¡± Leone growls, his hand resting on his rapier. While the crowd is uneasy, they eventually settle down, and King Brynn steps forward to speak once again. ¡°The first step towards peace is accepting that we made mistakes, and one of those mistakes was enslaving those we used to call friends.¡± King Brynn looks down at some of the elves in the courtyard. ¡°By royal decree, in my name, I hereby put an end to slavery in our realm. Not just elves, but all who bear the slaver¡¯s mark.¡± The decree immediately causes an enormous uproar. The elves look around, confused, and some people try to usher their slaves towards the gate. The guards move in front of the gate to prevent them from leaving. ¡°Oh shit!¡± Lucy says as a man near the gate draws a sword. ¡°Wait!¡± King Brynn bellows, loud enough to draw everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°All who hold certificates for slaves will be fairly compensated by the royal treasury. Beginning tomorrow, you will be able to bring your certificates to any of the royal merchants in Logis. You may not agree with this decision, but I hope you will understand it is necessary.¡± The man at the gate puts his sword away and the guards take a step back. Throughout the courtyard, several arguments break out, but none of them escalate to violence. Some of the people seem excited by King Brynn¡¯s decree, and go over to speak to the elves that have been freed. Others seem extremely angry, but as the arguments ensue, it becomes clear that those who are upset are in the minority. ¡°To those that are now free¡­¡± King Brynn begins talking again and it puts an end to several of the arguments so they can turn their attention back to him. ¡°The priests at the Temple of Ra will remove your mark at no cost to you. In addition, they will provide you with a sum of gold to assist with your transition to freedom.¡± ¡°And,¡± Prince Adryll says. ¡°For many years, Elvenlark¡¯s borders have been protected by magic and many of you were born after the borders were sealed, so you¡¯ve never even seen your ancestral home. As we celebrate this new era of peace, Elvenlark borders will be opened, and we will welcome any elves who wish to come home.¡± This news seems to excite the elves and a few of them actually start crying. ¡°Now,¡± King Brynn says. ¡°Who would like to hear more about the Royal Quest?¡± While the people in the courtyard are uneasy after the royal decree to free the slaves, they did originally come to hear the announcement about the Royal Quest, so they settle down. King Brynn waits until he has the attention of the crowd before continuing. ¡°In one years'' time, the alliance between Elvenlark and Logis will be strengthened by a Royal Wedding. Princess Clairana of Elvenlark will marry my son, Prince Vancent Brynn, heir to the throne of Logis.¡± King Brynn motions to the boy behind him as he makes his announcement, and the teenager steps forward, waving to the people. While this announcement doesn¡¯t cause an incredible uproar like the earlier one, there are a few disparaging remarks amongst the crowd from those who aren¡¯t happy about their future queen being an elf. After the crowd settles again, King Brynn begins speaking again. ¡°As you all know, it is our custom for the father of the groom to give a gift to the father of the bride prior to the wedding. Long ago, the elves of Elvenlark wore a crown known as the Diadem of Eternity. The crown was lost in battle, but it has long been believed it ended up in Mistfall, in the possession of a mage named Talongrath.¡± The name seems to be known to some people in the crowd, and the group can overhear chattering about it. Leone focuses, trying to pick up something useful. ¡°Misfall is a dangerous place,¡± Leone says. ¡°And Talongrath was believed to practice dark arts. I think they mean necromancy.¡± ¡°Great¡­¡± Lucy says sarcastically. ¡°And we¡¯ve lost both of our necromancers.¡± ¡°I can ask the priest at the Temple of Grath.¡± Leone nods. ¡°He may know something about Mistfall and Talongrath.¡± King Brynn holds up his hand and the crowd hushes. ¡°Any who are brave enough to embark on the Royal Quest and return with the Diadem of Eternity will be rewarded¡­¡± King Brynn turns to his son, who hands his father a sword that is sheathed in a scabbard. ¡°Some of you will recognize this sword, especially those who have fought beside me on the battlefield.¡± King Brynn unsheathes the sword. It has a golden hue, a dragon¡¯s head on the hilt, and seems to crackle with some sort of mystical energy. Leone recognizes the power that radiates from it because it is similar to the sword he saw in the visions Rendaz showed him. Palmer has also seen a sword like in the hand of Malakai, when he spoke to him in the afterlife. ¡°This is one of the Seven Swords of Bryconia,¡± King Brynn says. ¡°It, along with land and a title, will go to the person who brings me the Diadem of Eternity before my son¡¯s wedding day.¡± ¡°That sword¡­¡± Leone narrows his eyes. ¡°Yeah,¡± Palmer says, nodding to his friend. ¡°It¡¯s very powerful.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not even proficient with swords but that looks like it would be a lot better than my sling.¡± Lucy stares at the sword in awe. There¡¯s a lot of excitement in the courtyard. Some seem more interested in the land and the title than the sword itself, but there are others who appear to comprehend the power. There¡¯s still a lot of talk about the other announcements, and as King Brynn sheaths the sword, he holds up his hand to get everyone¡¯s attention again. ¡°Today is a good day. It¡¯s one for celebration.¡± He puts his hands on the balcony and leans forward. ¡°Whether you agree with what I¡¯ve said today or not, I hope you will at least put your trust in me as you always have, because my goal is to ensure the prosperity of our kingdom. Now, enjoy the last few hours of the Day of Feasting!¡± King Brynn steps back and holds up his hand in a salute. It is returned by a lot less people than it was when he initially appeared, but he does seem to have the support of the majority. ¡°Well,¡± Leone says with a chuckle, reaching up to his hood. ¡°I guess I don¡¯t need this anymore.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± Lucy smiles. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you¡¯re an elf anymore.¡± Leone removes his hood and a few people around them seem shocked, but they don¡¯t say anything. The guards open the gate to the courtyard and people begin moving towards the exit. A few are stopped, and their slaves are allowed to go on without them, despite a few protests. The man who previously had the gnome on a chain walks past the trio, clutching the collar and chain in his hands, his eyes darting around nervously. Leone looks back to the balcony and sees that the people in the crowd aren¡¯t the only ones who have noticed him. Prince Arydrll has his eyes locked on the golden haired elf, and the expression on the elf prince¡¯s face shifts from confusion to what can only be described as absolute terror.