Eden's Gate: The Arena: A LitRPG Adventure
Date: 2018-04-29 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Fiction; Science Fiction; Role Playing Games; Science Fiction Fantasy
Description: Book 4 of the bestselling Eden's Gate series! Edgewood is under attack, and the threat of war lingers across the Serpent Sea. In order to protect their village, the members of Unity will need to work together to level-up and find better gear. They'll need to lay the foundation of a castle that can serve as a fortification from intruders. But what if there's a better way? When Gunnar learns that the King of Highcastle will grant an audience to anyone who wins an Arena championship, he decides to enter the competition as a gladiator. If he can earn a meeting with the ailing King and persuade him
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Eden’s Gate

Book 4: The Arena

Edward Brody

Copyright © 2018 by Edward Brody

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Author’s Notes

Introduction

Book Four of the Eden’s Gate Series!

Edgewood is under attack, and the threat of war lingers across the Serpent Sea. A thief is becoming a thorn in Gunnar's side, and a tempting elf is getting a little feisty.

In order to protect their village, the members of Unity will need to work together to level-up and find better gear. They'll need to lay the foundation of a castle that can serve as a fortification from intruders.

But what if there's a better way?

When Gunnar learns that the King of Highcastle will grant an audience to anyone who wins an Arena championship, he decides to enter the competition as a gladiator. If he can earn a meeting with the ailing King and persuade him to stop Dryden before his dragon flies, he can save Edgewood and countless lives. He'll also get his name posted in every Arena which could lead Rachel one step closer to finding him.

The Arena is a spectacle where people gather to watch fighters put their skills to the test, earn fame, and take home gold. Does Gunnar have what it takes to become a champion or has he bitten off more than he can chew?

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.”

-Thomas Fuller

Chapter One

1/25/0001

Another person screamed, and a man fell face-first into the ground, directly in front of the wagon I was hiding under. An arrow was sticking from his back, and he grunted as he tried clawing himself forward in a desperate effort to get away.

Half of the twenty or so men who were attacking our settlement leaned back and shot another batch of arrows into the sky, making sure they all fell somewhere in our camp.

“Attack!” Shal yelled.

I turned to see Shal point a finger towards the attackers, and each of the dark elves who had been hired to guard our village pulled on their bowstrings and shot straight, piercing arrows into the surrounding forest. Several of the arrows hit their marks, and two of the invaders fell to the ground, while a few others yelped and jerked at their less critical wounds.

As arrows continued flying back and forth, I rolled out from under the wagon I had been hiding under, crouched behind it for cover, and started forming a plan of action while processing what was going on. I had no bow equipped, and using fire or arcane magic would probably draw too much attention towards me.

There was a rustling behind me, and I instinctively grabbed the hilt of my sword as I turned, but I was thankful to see it was Jax rushing to join me in my cover position.

“Are you okay?” he asked with heavy breath.

I nodded. “And you?”

“I’m fine. Do you know who these guys are?”

There was another scream, and across the camp, I saw Ozzy pulling the hammer from his back while Rina staggered backwards, ducked an arrow that had been aimed for her head, then took to safety behind a tree.

I eyed the attackers, and the only one I recognized was the man who had previously tried to rob our shop.

Name: unknown

Race: human

Level: 13

Health/Mana/Stamina: 150/110/160

Status: unknown

He was wearing a set of shiny, black leather armor that looked pristine and had deep, sharp patterns carved into the material. The edges of the armor were fitted with metal, and the whole set looked like something someone of his level shouldn’t have had access to. It made the mix of leather and desert gear I was wearing look like rags in comparison.

“The guy in black is the one that our guards killed the other day,” I explained. “You remember the newbie who tried to rob us, right?”

Jax nodded. “He doesn’t look like a newbie anymore, though. Who are the others?”

“No idea who the other guys are.”

He nodded again. “So what’s our move then?”

I scanned the men accompanying the thief as Jax and I remained crouched behind the wagon. They were all wearing different gear. Some were wearing typical leather armor that I’d expect any human from the Freelands to wear, while a couple of them were decked out in full chain. The two chain wearers that I saw had maces ready to be equipped at their sides, while the leather wearers either had swords or daggers. All of them were carrying bows.

I was about to inspect one of the chainmail wearers when there was another scream, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. It sounded like Keysia’s voice.

Jax grabbed at my collar and pulled me towards him roughly. “Quickly, Gunnar! We don’t have time.”

His sudden tug startled me at first, but then I snapped to my senses. It was the first ambush of the sort that I had experienced in Eden’s Gate, and up until then, I had been able to assess—to some degree—just about all the hostile situations I had been involved in and form a plan of attack beforehand. It was also the first time that Unity as a unit was on the defensive, and it felt a little weird that Jax—who I still looked up to as a mentor—was looking towards me for commands.

But, I had accepted the role of guild leader, and we were in a situation where I couldn’t let doubt be a factor.

I needed to step up and lead.

Ozzy slammed his shield into an attacker as he was reaching for an arrow. As the man stumbled back, Ozzy spun and smashed his hammer across the man’s face, causing blood and teeth to fly out of his mouth.

“Just kill them…” I whispered. I gritted my teeth, tilted my head slightly, and looked Jax directly in the eye. “Do what you do best, and show these assholes no mercy.”

Jax smirked, nodded, and reached behind his back to grab a handful of arrows.

I rolled out from behind the wagon and drew my sword as I charged for the two closest attackers. “Show them no mercy!” I yelled loudly, hoping that all the guards and guild mates could hear me. “Kill anyone who attacks Edgewood!”

As the words left my mouth, it felt savage, violent, and I immediately wondered if my experience in the Sands had affected me or if I was subconsciously taking after Dryden Bloodletter somehow.

I felt an unusually strong tinge of anger inside. Trying to steal from our shop as a newbie was forgivable, but returning to Edgewood to attack us unprovoked wasn’t. As I ran towards the men, I was so angry that I didn’t even think to inspect anyone other than the thief. Whatever level the attackers were, and no matter if we were outnumbered or not, I wanted to show each and every one of them that they had made a serious mistake by marching on our home.

What motive did they have anyway? Our village hadn’t wronged any humans—at least not that I had any knowledge of anyway.

The two men that I was rushing towards noticed me coming their way, and they both nocked an arrow and pointed their arrow tips towards me. But, before they could release their shots, I swung my sword forward in their direction, focusing on an Arcane Slash.

A blue wave of magic sprung away from my sword.

The men let their arrows fly, but the arcane energy I released collided with the projectiles, destroying them in mid-air. The energy continued smashing forward into both men, knocking them back onto the ground and damaging a few trees.

An arrow from another direction slammed into my side, and I grunted loudly as I turned to locate its source. Then, another arrow shot me directly above my waist, causing me to fall down to my knees and nearly drop my sword.

Fire Curtain, I thought reflexively, and a wall of flames rose around me. With arrows flying in several directions, I figured the fire would at least make it difficult for them to get a good shot at me. I needed a moment or two to gather myself.

The protruding arrows hurt like hell, and together they had knocked off 30% of my health. The shafts sticking out of my body were stinging, but I also knew that I’d probably trigger a bleeding effect if I pulled them out.

I chose to just leave them in until the fight was over.

I’d have to be careful rolling or dodging with the shafts sticking out of my body, but I wasn’t sure how long the battle would last, nor was I sure if I’d find a moment to bandage myself if I started to bleed.

An arrow whizzed past my ear, then another arrow landed right beside me. Either someone had terribly bad aim, or they had terribly good aim and were still trying to hit me even without having a clear shot.

There was another scream, and I didn’t recognize the voice. I needed to move fast.

The Fire Curtain dissolved, and I dashed forward, taking cover behind a thin tree. I could see one of the two men that I had hit with Arcane Slash leaning over, trying to care for the other man who had been badly injured.

I held out my hand and focused an Arcane Missile at the man’s back, and his body bucked as soon as the energy struck him. As he twisted around to locate the caster, an arrow landed hard in the side of his neck. He made a gagging noise and grabbed at the shaft as he fell to his knees. Blood started spilling out of his mouth.

You have gained 1000 XP!

I looked around for the source of the arrow, and Jax, who was still hiding in half-cover behind the wagon, acknowledged his guilt with a nod of his chin and a slight smile.

Several meters to my right, two dark elf guards had closed in on our attackers and were engaging in a sword fight with three humans. The dark elves lunged, parried, and dodged with their speed, but they were quickly getting overwhelmed.

I ran towards the elves as more arrows flew past me, and as soon as I was in reaching distance, I drove my falchion deep into the back of a man who was overly focused on our guards. He arched his back, dropped his weapon, and groaned as the elf lunged forward and slashed him hard across the chest and throat with a thin, long blade. The man’s legs went limp and he flopped face-forward onto the ground.

You have gained 800 XP!

Suddenly, it was two versus three in our favor, not the other way around.

One of the remaining men was a chain wearer and swung his flail around in a circle in front of him. He strafed around slowly in a surprisingly calm demeanor, given the chaos taking place all around us. The other man wore a mishmash of leather items and held a broadsword firmly in both hands.

Both elves charged in quickly, swinging their thin, long swords fiercely towards the men. The man with the chain armor swung his flail at an incoming blade, knocking it back and leaving the elf exposed. But before the man could take advantage of the opening, I was at his side, swinging my falchion hard towards his neck, aiming for a killing blow.

The man was faster and managed to duck and swing his flail again, barely clipping my sword, knocking it from its course. I could see the other man in leather was engaged in a close back and forth with the other elf.

White shimmers of energy fell from the sky over the two men, causing them to flinch in pain and stunning them for a brief second once the energy landed on their heads. Even without turning around, I knew that Rina was somewhere behind us lending a hand with her magic.

I lunged at the opportunity, swinging my falchion hard at the flail user’s shin. The blade connected right below his knee, hard enough that it would have severed an uncovered leg, but his chain armor blocked much of the attack. My blade cut through the chain and managed an inch or so into the side of his shin. It was enough to cause the man to shout in pain, but not enough to put him down.

As the man wailed and impulsively whipped his flail in a counterattack effort, the dark elf slashed him hard across his side, another blow that barely pierced the man’s armor but still noticeably affected him. He flinched and grabbed his side, while his flail-holding hand was thrown off balance and connected with nothing but air.

Behind him, the other elf parried an attack from the leather-wearing invader, spun around in an athletic display, and connected with his sword, right across the man’s throat. The man immediately dropped to his knees and grabbed at the wound as blood sprayed violently from his neck.

An arrow flew from somewhere and landed hard in the neck of the elf who had just landed a killing blow. He paused and grabbed the arrow, a look of shock and confusion on his face. He dropped to one knee right before another arrow thumped into the center of his chest. His eyes rolled back in his head and fell forward onto the man he had just killed.

Shit! I thought.

My eyes flickered from our dead guard and back to the chain wearer. Another shimmer of energy landed on him from above, and again he flinched.

The remaining other dark elf and I simultaneously stepped forward and landed sharp blows on the man’s body while we had the chance. My first attack connected with the man’s wrist, triggering him to drop the flail, and the elf’s attack cut into his leg, causing him to fall halfway to the ground.

The man made a noise that was something between a groan and a moan, reached out with a fist, and swung a broken hand. He was determined to cause some sort of damage, even without a weapon.

“Gunnar!” I heard Rina yell.

I turned in the direction of the voice, and instead of Rina, I saw another man out of the corner of my eye, swinging a sword towards my neck.

I ducked just in time to feel the blade make contact with a few bristles of my hair, and reached out my hand, firing an Arcane Missile at the man’s foot.

He lifted his leg and skipped as I rose back to my feet, bringing my sword up vertically with me and slicing through the man’s leather from his crotch to his chest. He groaned as I reached my sword back to strike again, but before I could land a finishing blow, a sharp pain attacked my lower back, and I yelled and fell to my knees, reaching behind me to feel the shaft of yet another arrow. The pain was shocking, and that shock added to the adrenaline, fear, and anger that was consuming me.

My health was down to 30%.

Everything around me seemed to be moving in slow motion. I saw Ozzy, a hundred or so meters away, smash his shield against someone then turn and use his Intimidating Shout on another man. Rina was poking her head out from behind a tree, casting spells, then ducking back, and bodies were beginning to litter the ground. There were a few dead dark elves that I could see and several dead attackers. In front of the shop, three bodies lay, and other bodies were scattered about randomly from there. Tons of arrows were sticking out of the ground and the wood of our homes, and there were more than a few pools of blood.

In front of me, the man we had just cut was regaining some sense of poise and reached down to grab his flail with his working hand. I let go of the arrow in my back and gritted my teeth, trying to force myself to my feet and ignore the pain.

But the man was fast, despite his injuries.

The dark elf swung his sword down at the man, and in an impressive feat of speed, the invader seized his flail, then swung it up quickly enough to knock the elf’s sword out of the way.

He turned and lunged toward me.

I lifted my falchion as fast as I could, having only enough time to attempt a block of whatever attack he had planned for me. With multiple arrows sticking from my body, feeling slightly dazed, and in a kneeling position, I wasn’t confident that I’d survive even a block.

As the man’s flail rushed towards my face, I had a flashback of the pain I experienced when the Bloodletter guard had crushed in my skull while I was in the Sands. A direct header with a spiked, crushing weapon would likely be a killing blow.

A strong blast of liquid suddenly sprayed onto the man, right before his attack connected, pushing him back several meters and slamming him into a tree. He was pinned there as some sort of water kept pressing into him. It was like the white pressured jet of a fireman’s hose, and when I turned to see the source, Gerard was standing a few meters outside of the shop holding both of his wrists together, palms out, releasing the attack. One of his hands was imbued with a reddish orange wave of magic and seemed to be shooting fire into a jet of water that was expelling from the palm of his other hand.

Steam rose from the pinned down man, and underneath the sound of the water splashing, I could hear him screaming in agony.

Gerard paused his attack, and the water stopped, leaving nothing but a few puddles of steaming liquid on the ground and a man writhing in pain. He turned and held his hands out in another direction, firing the water jet at another one of our attackers, this time unleashing just enough of the magic to knock the man back onto the ground.

Gerard took a hard step forward, kneeled, and slammed his hand into the ground. “Wilbro!” He rose back to his feet and waved a flat hand out in front of his chest. “Enough of this!”

The strong patter of hooves could be heard approaching from somewhere in the trees, and Gerard gave a strong nod as if he were signaling something that no one else could see.

Suddenly, an animal akin to a bull, but larger and more terrifying, charged into the clearing. It was taller than Sora with a thick, muscular brown frame and a thick brown fur covering the front part of its torso and a portion of its upper back. Two short but sharp curved horns rose from its head.

The beast ran full speed into the battle, knocking aside any and all bushes or foliage that got in the way, then slammed head-first into one of the attackers, sending him flying across the ground.

Realizing the danger, most of the attackers turned their focus towards the raging animal, and those who still had their bows out, fired. Most of the arrows hit their mark, piercing the beast’s hide but having no noticeable effect other than making it charge faster.

Another jet of water flew past me, blasting into a different attacker, again pushing him back and pinning him against a tree. Gerard spun and fired another jet at yet another man, spun again and connected the attack with someone else. Each time, the men were left on the ground with a steamy mist rising from their bodies.

It was the first time I had seen Gerard fight, and even in my dazed state, I was impressed. He was a lot stronger than he appeared.

Ozzy and several of the elves ran between the trees, driving their weapons into the bodies of the men that Gerard and his pet fell. Quickly, the skirmish seemed to go from full-on chaos, with the attackers having the advantage of surprise, to a one-sided fight, heavily in our favor.

When the bull-like creature impaled the last standing attacker with its horns, pinning his body against the forest ground, the battle seemed to be over. An elf strode up to the pinned man and ended his cries for help by swiping his sword across his throat. Other than a few disabled men writhing and moaning on their last breaths, it seemed as if we had killed them all.

You have gained 1200 XP!

There was a brief, awkward silence amidst the moans. Everyone just froze, looking at each other and catching their breath. There was a feeling of shock that hung in the air.

“Drink up,” Jax said, breaking the calm. He threw a potion my way as he approached.

I was still in incredible pain, so my reflexes weren’t all there. The potion clanked against the edge of my forehead and fell to the ground when I tried to catch it.

“Owwww!” I groaned and leaned forward to pick up the potion.

You’ve received: Minor Healing Potion. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. Drink to recover 50 HP over 5 seconds.

I popped the cork and immediately started drinking.

“What just happened?” Rina asked as she moved to join us. “Who were those men? Are you okay, Gunnar?”

I pulled the vial from my lips as I swallowed the last drop of liquid and threw it a few meters away. I immediately felt better as my health bar rose, but I knew it was just a quick fix as I still needed to remove the three arrows that were lodged inside of me. “Fuck if I know,” I cursed as I stood to my feet. “I guess that guy who tried to rob us brought them here.” I looked around in the immediate vicinity for the thief’s body but didn’t see any that looked like him. “Where’s that asshole’s corpse anyway?”

“Hey, fuck you!” I heard a voice yell from above.

We all looked up towards the voice at the same time, and I reflexively held up a hand to block as I saw the newbie thief flying down from an overhead limb, hammering a sword towards me. I flinched and heard what I thought was just a thud, then immediately felt an incredible burning sensation. When I parted my eyelids, half of my arm was gone.

I grabbed my arm below the bicep and screamed as I stared at the amputation. There was only an inch or so beyond the elbow that was still attached, and blood was pouring out of the wound.

You have obtained grievous wounds and require immediate medical attention. Grievous Wounds is an extreme damage-over-time affect.

Below my status bars, an icon with a generic broken bone and blood drop overlay appeared.

“Gunnar!” Rina yelled and hurried closer to me.

The thief rolled on the ground and snickered, but before he could continue his attack, a quick jet of water smashed him in the back, causing him to slam forward and land on his own sword as he tumbled across the ground. He croaked loudly, and when he rose to his knees, his sword was sticking through his shoulder.

“Ahhhh!” the man shrieked, grabbing at his blade.

I moaned loudly and panted, ignoring the man as I continued to focus on the surreal image in front of me. It was clearly my arm—at least what was left of it—but I just couldn’t process the fact that I only had a stump.

Ozzy jumped towards the thief and swung his hammer against the base of his spine. The man jerked and shrieked, right before two dark elf guards lunged forward and drove their swords into his body. He croaked, and within a few seconds, fell dead to the ground.

I groaned as I squeezed at the base of my arm. The pain was agonizing, and my life was ticking down by 1% every few seconds. At 50% health, I wasn’t going to last long.

I had seen some pretty crazy injuries and mutilations since being in Eden’s Gate and had been the subject of some intense, fatal death blows, but this was the first time I had a limb severed. The logistics of an amputated extremity in the game had never even crossed my mind.

“Do you have a bandage?” Rina asked.

I nodded, let go of my bleeding stump, and started fumbling in my bag with the arm that was still intact.

When I pulled out the only bandage I had left—the type I had been using since I had been in Eden’s Gate—Rina shook her head. “That’s just a small bandage. We need a large bandage for a wound like that.”

“Huh?” I asked. I hadn’t seen any other type of bandages in the game.

“Anyone?” Rina turned her head and scanned our survivors. “Does someone have a large bandage? Quickly!”

“We don’t have any in the shop,” Gerard affirmed as he strode a little closer.

“Oh hell,” Rina sighed. “I don’t have a spell that can stop this kind of bleeding.” She took a step back and stood straight before raising a hand in the air. “Heal!”

Energy covered my body, and my health bar shot up, but the blood that was pouring out of my stump continued.

“Is there any cloth gear that can be spared?” Rina asked. “With some tailoring tools, I might be able to salvage a bandage if the cloth is large enough.”

“We have a few cloth pieces in our inventory, and Aaron probably has some tailoring tools in his home,” Gerard said before turning and rushing for the shop’s door.

Rina turned her eyes towards Ozzy and the elves. “If his health gets too low, give him a health potion. I should be able to craft a bandage, but it might take a few minutes.”

Ozzy and the elves nodded as she spun and followed Gerard.

“Hang in there, Gunnar,” Ozzy urged. He reached out as if he were going to put a hand on my shoulder, but then retracted and frowned. He was obviously just as disturbed by my severed limb as I was.

I gritted my teeth and squeezed my stump tightly, trying to prevent as much blood as possible from pouring out. I gave Ozzy a slight nod of assurance while willing myself to ignore the pain. “I’ll get through all this.” I turned and looked towards the dead thief. “No thanks to that prick.”

“What did he have against us anyway?” Ozzy asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know.” I breathed through the pain and realized that some of the guild was missing. “Forget about him. Where’s Keysia and Aaron…. and where did Jax go?”

“Aaron’s dead…” Ozzy said.

“What? Are you sure?”

“He’s laying a couple meters behind his home. Looked like tried to make a run for it but ended up with some arrows in the back,” Ozzy explained.

“Damn,” I hissed, shaking my head. I wasn’t thrilled to hear that Aaron had died, but he was at least a Reborn. “Keysia? And where did Jax disappear to?”

“I’m still here…” Jax answered from several meters away, pushing towards us through the trees. “One of the guys was playing dead. I saw him get up and make a run for it. Had to chase him a few hundred meters away to take care of the situation.”

I was only able to give Jax a half-hearted nod of approval for his diligence. The pain in my arm was distracting me from providing a proper thanks.

My health ticked down as I waited patiently for Rina to return, and when I reached 20% health, I started to feel uneasy. By 15% I was a bit nauseous and disoriented from the pain.

“Got it!” Rina explained as she burst out of Aaron’s home and ran towards me. “It took me a few attempts, but I managed to craft an adequate bandage.” She held up a white cloth that looked much like a small bandage except thicker and around three times the size.

“Hurry please,” I urged.

Jax reached down to the ground and picked up the other half of my severed arm. “You’ll need to be careful when you’re ambushed.” He ducked his head down a little and bobbed to his right. “It’s natural to hold your arm out to block when something’s coming towards you, but try to default to a quick dodge if you can’t block in time.”

“Yeah…” I groaned, barely listening to him as I focused on the pain and the awkwardness of seeing him holding half my arm in his hand. He picked a strange time to offer fighting tips.

“Help me,” Rina ordered, throwing Jax a menacing glance.

Jax nodded and kneeled in close as Rina took my arm out of his hands. With her free hand, she grabbed my stump and lifted it, then put the two bloody ends together until they were aligned. There was a wave of pain that caused me to hiss when the two made contact.

She looked back to Jax. “Hold this here, so I can easily wrap the bandage.”

Jax grabbed my arm without saying a word and held the two pieces together.

Rina started carefully wrapping the large bandage around the wound, forming several layers until it almost looked like the beginnings of a small cast. When she finished with the last layer, she leaned back and looked at me.

“Is that it?” I asked, not feeling any immediate sensation or difference in the pain.

Rina nodded. “Let it take effect.”

A second later, I felt a hint of a tingling underneath the bandage, and just another second later, the grievous wounds icon below my status bars disappeared. There was a period of more tingling, and slowly but surely, I started to feel the sensation of having a full arm again.

Rina stood, raised her hand, and cast a heal spell on me, then another, bringing my health back to a comfortable level and easing the pain. Beneath the bandage, the tingling intensified until I could fully move my hand and everything started to feel normal again.

I squeezed my hand and wiggled my fingers around. “Wow... That’s so weird but so awesome.” I looked up to Rina. “Thank you.”

Rina smiled and nodded. “Of course. Thankfully, the severed half was still intact.”

“What’s that mean?” Ozzy asked. “What if it wasn’t intact?”

Rina pursed her lips together and furrowed her brow. “If his limb had been lost or destroyed, we would’ve been able to stop the bleeding with the bandage, but he’d still only have a stump.”

“Wait. What?” I asked. Since entering Eden’s Gate, I had counted on the idea I could always heal any wounds with potions or bandages, so the idea that limbs could be permanently lost made things a little more complicated. I supposed I’d get any lost limb back upon death, but death was painful. If I lost a limb, I couldn’t imagine killing myself to get it back, so living with a missing limb for a while was a real possibility if I didn’t have the tools to take care of such an injury.

“Don’t worry,” Rina assured. “There’s a divine spell that can replace a missing limb, but only high-level healers can use it. It’s quite uncommon.”

“There’s a nature magic spell that can regrow a limb as well,” Jax added. “I’ve heard whispers of it in The Vale but never seen it in person.”

“Hmm,” Ozzy hummed and put his finger on his chin. “What if you bandaged someone’s severed limb to another person?”

“Ewww,” Rina moaned. “Are you making a sick joke?”

Ozzy shrugged and shook his head. “Not really. The possibility popped in my head, so I thought I’d ask.”

“Sounds like you’re talking about necromancy-type skills,” Jax said. “I’ve never witnessed anything like that.”

Rina smirked. “As far as I know, large bandages can only reattach limbs to their original owner. You can’t just exchange limbs.”

“My friend…” I heard Shal say low in the distance. When I looked over to him, he was kneeling beside one of the dead dark elves. “Why did you have to die on me?”

“Shit,” I spat and stood to my feet. “Enough chatter. We need to find Keysia and figure out what to do with these dead bodies.”

“Keysia’s over here! She’s been killed!” one of our guards shouted from several meters away, looking down to something that was hidden behind a bush. “Looks like she took several arrows.”

“Damnit,” I cursed. “Keysia was…” I paused and turned to Rina. “Wait. You can rez anyone, right? Not just Reborns?”

Rina nodded. “I’ll resurrect Keysia.”

“What about the others? Aaron, our guards, the customers?”

Rina shrugged and shook her head at the same time as she scanned all the dead bodies. “There’s only a two-hour window from the time someone dies that they can be resurrected, and there’s a cooldown of 20 minutes on my resurrection spell, so with the time I’ll need to meditate between resurrections, I can resurrect four people—maybe five if I rush.”

“Resurrect Keysia first,” I ordered.

Rina nodded. “And then Aaron?”

I shook my head and groaned. “He won’t like this call, but he is a Reborn. Let him respawn and walk back to the village himself. Maybe this will be a lesson that he needs to get out of the village more and train his fighting skills a bit.”

“So then…”

I turned to Shal. “How many guards are dead?” I asked loudly.

“Looks like three,” he replied.

“Okay,” I affirmed. “Resurrect Keysia and the other dark elves, and…” I swallowed and turned to the dead newbie thief who was lying nearby. “If you have time for a fifth rez, resurrect this guy.”

“Why would we resurrect him?!” Gerard cried. “Better to use the use the spell one of the customers that were killed. And didn’t you say this guy is a Reborn too? If that’s the case, he’ll be back.”

“As far as we know, he is,” I said with a nod. “And that’s precisely why we should resurrect him. It’s the second time he’s...” I turned, scanning everyone and searching for the right words. “…fucked with our village, and if we just let him disappear and respawn, we don’t know if or when he’ll be back.” I laced my fingers together, bent them back, and cracked the stiffness out of my previously missing hand. “I think it’s time that him and I had a little chat.”

Chapter Two

1/25/0001

“Are you okay?” Shal asked another elf who was pushing himself up into a sitting position.

The elf nodded and looked around, dazed. “I died?”

“You did,” Shal replied and pointed to Rina. “The human resurrected you.”

The elf took a deep breath. “I thought I was...” He trailed and looked up, wide-eyed at Rina. “Thank you…human.”

Rina smiled and nodded before sitting down and quickly entering a meditation pose.

“She’s great,” Keysia said low as she walked up to my side. “Without her…”

I nodded in agreement. “She’s a wonderful asset.” I turned and faced Keysia. “And I’m surprised you managed to get yourself killed.”

Keysia snickered. “Did you see how many arrows were flying through the trees? I made an effort to take cover, but… that didn’t work out so well.”

“No magic tricks?” I asked.

She gave a slight shrug. “I barely had a chance to figure out what was going on. Everything happened so fast.”

I nodded and rubbed my torso over one the areas where I had extracted arrows. Pulling them out and bandaging the wounds was nearly as painful as when they had pierced my body. “I’m glad the ones that I took didn’t kill me.”

“You’re strong, Gunnar.”

I grinned and placed a hand on Keysia’s shoulder. “Don’t confuse lucky with strong.” I tilted my head to the side. “We should finish looting these guys up.”

The guild members and our hired military were busy collecting all the valuable items from the dead. Any armor, weapons, gold, or trinkets were removed from the fallen and handed over to Gerard in the shop.

I ordered the bodies of the attackers to be moved deeper into the forest, away from the camp, to be taken care of by wild animals or just decompose naturally. The bodies of customers were moved to a designated spot out of the way in preparation for a later burial.

I felt a little bad about looting the dead customers, but there was no better option. If we didn’t take the loot, someone else would. I wondered what would happen if any friends or family members came looking for the missing dead people, but we could just take those instances as they came—if they’d ever come. Thankfully, none of the dead customers were dark elves, so I didn’t need to worry about stirring up trouble with our neighbors.

Rina finished another round of meditating and rose to her feet. She straightened her back and looked at the newbie thief’s corpse. “We don’t have much time left. Are you ready for him?”

“Let’s do it,” I said strongly.

Since we had plans to resurrect the thief, I ordered his weapons to be removed for safety, but I didn’t take any of his other belongings. I figured he might be more cooperative if he felt he had something to lose. Shal, the guards, and all the guild mates formed a perimeter around the man to ensure he couldn’t escape.

Rina closed her eyes and waved her hand in an upward motion at the body. The body began to glow, and the heels of Rina’s feet rose slowly off the ground as if she were starting to tiptoe somewhere. There was the faintest of white light that emanated from Rina as she held her position, but as she as she opened her eyes and stepped flat to the ground, the light dissipated.

The glow around the corpse persisted for a few seconds after Rina finished casting but quickly faded away. The thief’s hands suddenly twitched, and then he groaned as his head began to move.

I looked up to everyone, signaling to be on alert, and the dark elf guards all grabbed their bows, nocked arrows, and pointed them directly at the thief.

The resurrected man groaned again and pushed himself into a sitting position. “What the—?” He blinked his eyes and rubbed his hand over the area where his sword had pierced his shoulder. “Why am I not in…?” His eyelids suddenly shot wide, and he turned his head back and forth quickly, taking in everyone around him.

He kicked his feet against the ground as he tried to stand up and reached for his empty sword sheath at the same time, finding nothing there.

“Don’t move,’ I said firmly.

The thief started to turn and make a run for it, but he just bumped into Jax, who gave him a hard shove on the shoulder, which not only shoved the guy backward but turned him back in my direction.

The man stumbled a couple steps, looked at me, and gulped. “Uhh...”

“Who are you, and why’d you attack us?” I asked.

The thief bit his bottom lip. “You guys killed me first, the other day when I was… uhhh…“ He stopped mid-sentence and looked down as he started mumbling something unintelligible.

“You were caught stealing,” I said.

He looked back up. “Then you remember me? So I guess you know I’m a—”

“You’re a Reborn,” I interrupted.

The man swallowed hard, paused, and looked at me curiously. “That’s not a surprise to you? And why would you resurrect me after killing me a second time?”

I scowled and clenched my fists together, remembering that I needed to send the guy a firm message that he’d made a heinous mistake. “No more questions from you. You answer me. Again—why would you attack our village?”

The thief frowned and shrugged his shoulders. “Because you killed me. You guys got your stuff back, so you didn’t have to shoot me in the back. I wanted payback for that.”

I shook my head and scrunched my eyebrows. “That doesn’t even make sense. The only reason we got the items back is because we killed you.”

He shrugged again. “Yeah, I guess, but…” the thief trailed. “I mean, you didn’t have to kill me for those couple little items. I might be a Reborn, but dying in this game is painful as hell.”

“Game?” I snorted.

The thief rattled his head and held up a hand. “Oh, not a game. I mean—” He stopped and pooched his lips together. “Wait a minute. Are you a—?” He turned his head and scanned the others before turning back to me. “Are you a Reborn too?”

I gritted my teeth, grabbed my falchion and held the point up towards the thief. “I said stop with the questioning. I ask the questions.”

“You are a Reborn!” he said loudly and let out a chuckle. “Another Reborn! That’s why you resurrected me!”

“That’s enough,” I said strongly.

“Dude, I had no idea you were a Reborn!” He took a step towards me and held his hands out to each side. “I would’ve never tried stealing from you or attacked this place if I know it was being run by a Reborn.” He turned and looked around at the others, suddenly not intimidated by all the weapons pointed at him. “Are you looking for guild mates? Are there any other Reborns here?”

“Shut your trap, asshole,” I snapped and took a step forward until my sword tip almost met his chest.

“Whoa, whoa!” The guy said, moving his hands high in the air as his eyes once again went wide.

“Who were the other men? Your guild?”

The man twisted his nose and raised the side of his lip. “No. They were just mercenaries. I hired them to help me with this job.”

“All mercenaries?” I asked.

“Yeah… all of ‘em.”

“How could you afford to hire that many mercenaries at your level?” I asked.

“And how’d you get that armor?” Ozzy added.

“Yeah,” I echoed with a nod. “Your gear looks far above your level.”

The guy snickered, lowered his hands, and rolled his shoulders cockily. “Well, after you guys killed me, I spawned near Newich with nothing. I wasn’t about to try to make it all the way back here in the middle of the night to get my stuff, so I picked up what I could find… ya know? I gradually improved my shopping skills.”

“You mean stealing?” I asked

“I don’t believe there’s any such ‘stealing’ skill,” Keysia said.

“But sneaking is skill,” the thief explained, “and pickpocketing. And the better you get at both, the easier it is to steal things without being noticed.”

Keysia snarled. “Unsavory.”

The man rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I had nothing, so I kept stealing. Lots of sneaking and lots of running when I got caught.”

“That easy?” I questioned.

“No way. Stealing in town is hard, but I got just enough to get back on the road.”

“And?” I raised an eyebrow.

“I was out grinding low-level MOBs in the Freelands when this decked-out guy walks past me. I was curious as to what someone who looked so strong was doing in that area, so I followed him from a distance. He eventually stopped at a cave built into a hill, lit a torch, drew his sword, and slipped inside.”

I glanced at the guards and guild. Everyone seemed glued to the story.

“I followed him inside and tried to stay unnoticed. Let me tell you…” He raised both eyebrows. “Snakes… The guy was killing these gigantic rattlesnakes left and right and collecting some sort of liquid from their bodies.”

“An alchemist,” Jax suspected, “or just a supplier, maybe? Snake venom is a valuable alchemy reagent.”

“Whatever he was doing, the guy was a badass,” the thief cooed. “I watched him take on a bunch of those suckers at once, and I couldn’t even ID the level of any one of them. He handled them pretty well until…” The thief clenched his teeth and sucked air through them. “…this colossal snake—biggest thing I’ve seen—comes out of nowhere.” He held his sword arm up to show a soda-can sized hole that was in the gauntlets. “It knocked the guy’s sword out of his hand when it bit him and he was obviously hurt. I don’t know exactly what happened after that. I just ran for the exit.” The thief shrugged. “I do know that the man emerged from the cave a minute later, shaking, limping, and looking like a ghost.”

“Poison?” Ozzy suggested. “I’ve been there.”

The thief nodded. “I suppose. Killed him faster than I would’ve expected.”

“You didn’t help him?” I asked.

“There was no way I could help him. I had nothing on me that could heal him, and I didn’t know if he was hostile or not. So, I just stayed hidden and followed him ‘til he eventually slowed down altogether and died. I was able equip the armor he had on, and I sold everything else he had on him…. It was enough to buy some better weapons and hire some mercenaries for a day.

“I did a little grinding to get my skills up, but when I thought I was ready, I headed here with the mercs. I knew this little shop was in the middle of nowhere and filled with valuables.” He shrugged and looked to the side. “I thought there were a couple guards but not this many. It was a bad call.” He shook his head. “Look, I hope you can forget this ever happened. We can team up, and –”

“No chance,” I said, and shoved my sword forward ‘til it touched the man on the chest.

“Hey!” the man gasped. “C’mon dude. Relax.”

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Jeremy,” he replied. Let’s—“

“No more talking,” I said again. “You killed our guards, some of our customers, and some of our guild.”

“Oh, so this is a guild? Hell, yeah! Let me in, man! We Reborns should stick together!“

“Shut up,” I hissed. I moved my sword up until it was right against the man’s neck. “How long have you been in Eden’s Gate?”

“I don’t know. About a week or so now… I can’t be sure.”

“Well, then let me tell you something, newb.” I moved my face closer to the guy and lowered my eyelids as I spoke. “Reborn or not, my guild mates mean the world to me. Since you came into our home and attacked us the way you did, I don’t give a damn what you have to say. You—are—no—longer—welcome here.”

“But I didn’t know you were Reborn. C’mon bro,” the guy said. “I was just playing the game. I’m sure you’ve played other games where stealing and shit gets you ahead.”

I paused and exhaled as I looked to my side. I had… I had played lots of games where stealing, killing, and looting would get you ahead. In fact, that knowledge contributed to my decision to make off with the sword that Jax had commissioned me to retrieve from Old Nambunga’s Cave. At that time, I still saw Eden’s Gate as just a game and Jax as just a NPC. I still had the idea that I’d log out and go back to Earth eventually. But that was then. The thief in front of me still hadn’t grasped the fact that Eden’s Gate was far more than a game, and that he shouldn’t just go about his life as if it were.

For a moment, I wondered how much my life in the game would have changed had I actually made it back to Linden with the sword. I would’ve had a nice reward maybe, and maybe I would’ve never seen Jax again. There was even the chance that we all simply wouldn’t exist anymore if my death during the thievery hadn’t set off a chain of events that led me to meet Aaron, which allowed me to help him reach Dr. Winston’s castle.

Whatever the case, it didn’t matter. I had made some less-than-honorable decisions since entering Eden’s Gate, but nothing like hiring mercenaries to attack a newly-formed village in broad daylight. It was clear that Jeremy was headed down a path that didn’t align with Unity’s goals.

“Remove your gear,” I said pointedly.

“What?” The man laughed and smiled at me. “So what? I give you my gear as tribute, and then I can join?”

“Remove your gear,” I repeated.

He looked at me again and seemed confused, but a second later he started removing his gauntlets, then his other pieces of his armor... “I don’t get it, bro. I’m really a good guy… I’m sorry about the attack, and I’ll be sure to make it up to everyone.”

“Shhh…” I whispered.

“We’re Reborns.” The thief turned to Ozzy as he threw his chest piece on the ground. “I’m guessing this guy is too, judging by his accent.”

Ozzy shifted uncomfortably, but he didn’t say anything.

“Your leggings,” I insisted as he was halfway out of his gear.

“I realize that I have to face the consequences.” The guy snapped his lips. “But, the more Reborns we have together, the harder we can go, the higher we can make it.”

I groaned as the thief took off his last piece of armor and threw a small bag on top of it.

He stood there, naked except for his boxer shorts, and raised his hands up at each side. “Well, do you have anything simple I can put on? Just some training gear and preferably a sword weapon or a couple daggers.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” I asked.

He held his hands in front of him and nodded. “I know you’re angry, and I understand your frustration, but I—“

“I told you to take off your gear, because I don’t want to damage it any more than it already is,” I interrupted.

He dropped his hands and frowned. His eyes fell to the sword that I was still pointing at him, suddenly realizing the true danger that he faced. “What do you mean?”

“Look over there,” I asked and pointed to absolutely nothing behind him. It was a simple, lame, trick, but the moment he turned his head to look where I pointed, I lunged forward and drove my sword into his abdomen. I purposely missed his heart, or neck or any other area that I thought might end his life too quickly. I knew the pain of dying in Eden’s Gate, and I wanted him to suffer. I needed to send a message that he was not to come back, that Unity wasn’t to be taken lightly.

The man gasped and croaked, “Dude, no…no.”

“Shhh,” I whispered again. “Do you know the name of this forest?”

The man swallowed, and when he opened his mouth, a bit of blood trickled out of the side of his lips. It looked like he was trying to talk but couldn’t.

“Answer,” I ordered and swiftly pulled the sword back out of his body. “Answer!”

He gasped, fell to his knees, and shook his head.

“This is Edgewood,” I hissed, “and if we catch you here again, we’ll kill you on-sight.”

I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and swung it with all my might at the man’s right arm. As the blade slashed through his humerus bone, severing his arm in half, I could see a few of my guild mates take a step back, and the man made a croaking noise, then screamed through the blood and fell on his side. Red poured out of his arm and stomach. I knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Stop… please,” the man managed to say. At least, I think that’s what he said. It was more of a bubbling sound like someone trying to talk underwater.

I looked down to the man, then used my foot too shove him ‘til he was flat on his back. He twitched a little as he lay there, helpless and dying.

“I’ll say it again to make sure you remember—Edgewood. Don’t come back here, or it’ll be worse next time.” I raised my sword high in the air and pointed the tip down as the man’s eyes shot wide and his lips started to part. I fell into a half kneel as I thrust the sword down, and the blade slipped into his mouth and smashed through the back of his skull.

You have gained 2500 XP!

The XP I received for killing another Reborn was ridiculously high, even with him being a lower level than me, and I wondered if Dr. Winston had programmed it that way to encourage PvP combat. I could see that fact creating a lot of blood-hungry Reborns once they reached higher levels.

I rose back to a standing position, leaving the sword jutting out of the dead man’s face. I took a deep breath and looked up to all the guild members.

There was a strange silence that hung in the air, and everyone looked a little uneasy.

“Gunnar?” Jax said questioningly after a few seconds.

“Yeah?” I asked.

“What was the quest that I gave you the first time we met?” he asked.

“Ummm…” I lowered my eyes as I thought and quickly looked back up. “Collecting pelts in Addenfall, right?”

Jax nodded. “Yeah...”

“Why?” I asked.

Jax tilted his head a bit and sucked in between his teeth. “You seem a little different is all. I just wanted to make sure you’re not a shapeshifter.”

Chapter Three

1/25/0001

I was sitting on a log, going through the thief’s loot, while the rest of Unity was bringing the village back to normal—some picking arrows off the ground and others going about their usual daily routine. The atmosphere was still a little weird after I had killed the thief, but I figured everyone was just tense after the crazy, unexpected attack.

“Yo!” Aaron yelled as he pushed through a thicket of bushes and stepped into the clearing wearing nothing but his underwear. “Who were those people who killed me?! What the hell happened?!”

“Hey, man,” I said and gave a quick, two-finger wave. “Glad you made it back okay.”

“Ow, fuck!” Aaron snapped and make a little limp. He lifted one of his bare feet off the ground and looked at the bottom. “My feet are killing me!”

“Your gear is in the same spot where you died,” I said. “No one’s touched it.”

Aaron continued forward ‘til he was right up to the log. “Where’s Rina? I thought you said she can rez? Did she die too?”

I shook my head. “No, she made it, but I told her not to rez you.”

“What?! Why?!” Aaron moved in front of me and shoved my shoulder. “Another one of your stupid jokes? You let me sit in the void for two hours and walk all the way back here barefoot for what?”

“I told her to resurrect the non-Reborn guildies first. You know—because they’d basically stay dead if she didn’t. I also wanted her to bring back the leader of the attack. She only had time for so many.”

“Wait. What!? Why would you rez someone who attacked the village? Aaron turned and scanned the area ‘til his eyes met the dead thief. He took a step back. “Hey, isn’t that the…?”

“That’s the one we resurrected. The same guy who tried to steal from our shop the other day.”

“Looks like someone really fucked him up,” Aaron said. He pursed his lips together. “So you rezzed him, and then… someone just killed him again?”

“Yeah.”

“Why would you guys do that, and why’s that sword still sticking through his mouth? And why not just rez me, damnit?!”

“I—”

“No, wait.” Aaron held up his hand. “Let me guess. There was some weird quest that you had while you were in the Sands, and this guy is connected in some way, right?”

“Actually—“

“Just like your crazy Bloodletter story, right?” He tapped his foot and crossed his arms. “So what’s the deal with this guy?”

I chuckled. “He’s just a totally random Reborn. He had nothing to do with me or the Sands.”

Aaron scowled. “Well, then, what the hell, dude? Why would you resurrect him over me?”

“You’re a Reborn, Aaron. I knew you’d be back. And since the thief is a Reborn too, I wanted to have a little talk with him to let him know that he’s not welcome here anymore. Words of warning, I guess.”

“So he got killed, then rezzed, and immediately killed again?” Aaron turned to the dead body. “Is that your sword? Did you make that nasty mess yourself?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Damn, dude,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “A sword through the mouth, a busted up stomach and… you even a cut the dude’s arm off? That’s savage.”

“He actually cut my arm off first,” I countered. “I was lucky Rina was able to fix me up.”

“Oh,” Aaron moaned and swallowed. “Well, then, I guess… ugh. Just a little more blood than I’d expect you to spill is all.” He shook his head a little. “Doesn’t seem like you.”

“I figured if he really suffered the pain, he wouldn’t come back. I made it very clear to him that it’ll be worse next time.”

“Fair enough,” Aaron said. “So why leave your sword in him?”

“Just in case any of the mercenaries he hired survived and are still lurking around here. If they see what happened to him, maybe they’d think twice about trying anything.”

“Yeah, well, it’s fuckin’ gross dude!” Aaron rattled his head and twisted his lips in disgust. “Anyway, that ambush was crazy. I can’t believe how fast they killed me.”

“Yeah, and that’s why you need to train a little. I know you want to be a crafter, but you at least need to level up enough that you can defend yourself.”

“Man…” Aaron groaned and snarled his upper lip.

“Don’t be stubborn. Get out every once in a while, and do some hunting and a few quests. I know it’s possible to be a pure crafter in the game, but what if another attack comes? Do you want to die so quickly again?”

Aaron sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’ll make some time to train a little.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked back in the direction where he had died. “Anyway… I’m gonna gather up all my stuff. Let’s talk later.” He glanced back towards the thief’s dead body and then raised an eyebrow as he walked away.

I nodded to him before looking back down at the thief’s stash.

Jeremy hadn’t been carrying much other than his weapons and items, but he did have 200 gold and on him and a minor healing potion. His sword wasn’t as powerful as the one I already had equipped, his arrow and quiver weren’t as good as the ones we had in the shop, but his armor was almost as nice as it looked. It was all labeled as ‘heritage armor’, whatever that meant, but the leather outer appearance had a thin sheet of light, hard metal inside that gave even greater durability without weighing the armor down. The bracers and the gloves each had a large hole in them and were down to their last durability point, so I tossed them, but the rest of the pieces were fine.

I equipped the heritage armor and sorted through the items I collected from the Sands. I equipped the best pieces I had and saved the rest to put in the shop.

“Gunnar,” Rina said from behind me.

I turned around and smiled. “Everything okay? I’m so sorry about what happened. I know it must have been off-putting for that to occur so soon after we got here.”

“It’s…” Rina gave a slight shrug. “It’s okay.”

“You sure? I promise you it’s not something that happens daily. In fact, it’s the first time we’ve been attacked.”

Rina nodded.

“Good,” I said with a smile. “Hopefully, we won’t have to deal with something like that again any time soon. We can focus on making the village stronger. I mean, if those guys caused so much damage, imagine what’ll happen if the Bloodletters were to attack?”

“Umm… Gunnar,” Rina said timidly and lowered her head a bit.

I creased my brow. “Yeah?”

Rina swallowed. “It’s just… I hope you don’t turn into another Dryden.”

I jerked my head back and creased my brow even harder. “What? Why would you think something like that?”

“It’s just that the way you killed that guy. It reminded me of something that Dryden would do. I mean, he probably would have skinned the guy or something, but he would have gone out of his way to hurt him more than necessary.”

“Hey,” I said, waving a hand out in front of me. “I have no intentions to be anything like that asshole, but I’ll admit that I learned a few things while I fought with him in the Sands.”

“That’s terrible,” Rina said.

“No, it isn’t,” I countered, shaking my head. “One of the things he taught me is that you have to send a message at times. A harsh one. A little bit of fear can go a long way. I don’t want to be a menace like Dryden, but I do want to protect Edgewood.”

“A message?” Rina glanced at the body. “So first it’s a single message like this, and then next thing you know, there’s hundreds of stakes with body parts surrounding the entire village?”

I sighed and smiled. “That won’t happen, Rina, but I get what you’re saying. Let’s just hope we don’t have another random attack anytime soon, so we don’t have to worry about those kinds of things. In the meantime, I’m still Gunnar… and I’ll never be like Dryden.”

Rina gave a half smile, a nod and a slight bow. “Thanks. I believe you.”

“And thank you for everything. It’s your first day here, and you’ve already done so much for us. I might not have an arm right now if it weren’t for you.”

“No need for thanks, Gunnar. A day ago, I was trapped in hell. I can’t ever repay you for getting me out of there.”

“Then I guess we’re both thankful for each other.” I reached out and placed my hand on Rina’s shoulder. “But enough thanks for now. Let’s finish getting the camp back in order and do a few normal things for once. Eat, mingle, rest? Tomorrow is a new day, and we have a lot to look forward to. Oh, and um…” I reached inside of my bag and produced the Summoner’s Staff that I had looted from the mage in the Sands. It was way better than the newbie staff she had stolen on our way out and it had a +15 wisdom attribute. “I should’ve given it to you before, but all I could think about was getting the hell of Dryden’s keep. I totally forgot I had it in my bag.”

“Well, this is quite the step up, isn’t it?” I expected her to say something snooty or call me an idiot, but she didn’t seem bothered by my carelessness.

“And you should probably get out of that harem gear when you get a chance.” I looked down at the obscene amount of cleavage that was spilling out of the split in the middle of her dress. “Gerard will hook you up with a proper robe.”

Rina smiled and nodded.

We spent the rest of the day clearing the camp of any signs that there had been bloodshed, and I recovered my sword when Jeremy’s body disappeared.

By sundown, things had mostly returned to normal. No one had the desire to do anything overly intensive after the big fight, except Aaron, who insisted on trekking to town to get an estimate on building a castle foundation.

Thankfully, there were no other surprises the rest of the night.

Chapter Four

1/26/0001

The steel of my falchion clanged against Jax’s sword, and I immediately turned to switch my attention to Ozzy, who was already swinging his hammer at my chest. I adjusted my blade to intercept the blow, but Ozzy was strong. I took damage as his heavy hammer pushed my blade back into my armor, and the corner of the hammer grazed my shoulder.

It was less painful than it would have been had I not been wearing the chest piece that I looted from Jeremy, but it was notable pain nonetheless.

“Argh!” I grunted and winched.

“Think fast!” Jax said, drawing my attention back to him. His sword was once again coming towards me, this time towards my knees, and I inverted my blade just in time to block.

You have gained 1 point of Dexterity!

I turned back towards Ozzy, even faster this time, and while he was raising his hammer in the air, I managed to lunge in and smack my sword against his chest, adjusting the pressure right before impact to cause the least amount of damage to his armor and him.

“Gotcha,” I said, as I swung back around to finish off Jax, but instead found his blade waiting calmly near my throat.

“Again?” Jax asked.

I groaned and stood up straight, wiping the sweat off my brow. “I’m spent.” I had sparred with the guild for at least two hours straight that morning. In the process, I’d managed to get an extra point in dexterity, a vitality point, and nudged my sword skill a lot closer to the next level.

Before going to the Sands, sparring hadn’t been high on my list of priorities when I was in the village, but since getting back, I wanted to make it a regular part of my routine—at least when I wasn’t questing, training magic, or inscription.

“I’m spent too,” Ozzy said. “I need a break. This hammer wears me out faster than when I was using blades.”

Rina, who had been watching on a log nearby with Keysia, raised her hand and cast a heal spell on me. The bumps and bruises I had acquired during the sparring immediately disappeared.

“Thanks,” I said blissfully. “I wasn’t injured too badly, though.”

Rina shrugged. “The more I heal, the faster I can improve my healing skills. No reason to hoard my mana right now.”

“Nope! Save some mana to heal yourself when we’re done!” Keysia said as she shot up off the log and pulled her staff from her back. “Gimme what you got!”

Rina grinned and joined her, readying her new staff. The men all sat down to rest on the log and watch as the two women went at it, swinging their staves at each other and dodging just the same.

“Looks like I’m missing all the fun!” Aaron yelled as he entered the clearing from the path that lead into Edgewood. He was sitting atop an average-sized, dark brown horse that paced slowly into our settlement.

“Oh, nice horse,” Ozzy said.

“Thank ya!” Aaron beamed a wide smile.

“We were beginning to worry about you when you didn’t come back last night,” I said. “What happened?”

“Well, uh…” Aaron hopped off the horse, gave it a pat, and slowly pulled it closer to us by the reigns. “I figured I’d play a little bit of Pig while I was in town, and the Sizzler was kind of on a roll.” He reached behind his head and scratched as he raised a shoulder a little. “The drinks were flowing, and I got a little tipsy. You know how it goes. Couple cute chicks around too, so decided to stay at the inn the for the night.”

“I figured,” I said. I noticed the saddlebags hanging off the saddle looked flat and empty. “Why’d you rent a horse?”

“Hmph!” Aaron huffed confidently. “I actually bought her.” He reached out and started petting the horse’s head. “When I woke up, I had a bit of hangover. Wasn’t looking forward to walking back on foot… So now, I have Betsy. Not the fastest horse they had for sale, but cost me just shy of 2000 gold.”

“Not bad,” I said, but in the back of my mind I was thinking of all the things that 2000 gold could have bought. It was a third the cost of another building for our settlement.

“Damn,” Ozzy said and got up to get a closer look at Betsy. “I really need to get a mount.”

“You can ride her if you need to,” Aaron said. “But now that I’ve got a horse—and I assume we’ll be getting others—we’re going to need to build a stable.”

“A stable?” I asked. “Can’t you just release her to the Otherworld when you’re not using her?”

‘Sure,” Aaron said. “But you already know that it’s taxing to release and summon creatures to the Otherworld. Betsy isn’t a ‘great beast’, so she’s even less tolerant to overly frequent summons. And… because she’s a normal horse, there’s nothing stopping anyone in the guild from riding her, but unless I completely transfer ownership, only I can summon her. So, it would be better for the guild in general to leave her on this side of the world—for community usage.”

Jax cleared his voice. “A stable would offer a nice place for visitors to drop their mount off when they come to shop as well.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “What’s that going to cost?”

“Around 8,000 if we supply the wood,” Aaron said. “And by the way, just the foundation for the castle is going to be at least 12,000. They couldn’t give me any exacts as it’s not every day that castles are built, so it could be a little more or a little less by the time we’re done.”

“Just for the foundation?” I asked.

“Yeah, and for the walls and everything else, it’ll be no less than 100,000, and that’s for something like a small keep rather than a castle. We’ll be looking at hundreds of thousands or even millions depending on the scale of our build.”

My jaw dropped. I knew that building a castle was going to be expensive, but hearing those kinds of numbers was a bit of a wakeup call as to how far off we were. “Well damn, maybe we should just save up for the stable before we worry about the foundation.”

Aaron smiled widely. “No need, my friend.” Aaron turned his head towards the new building that was currently on its last legs of construction. A group of three builders had been working on it all morning and had made significant progress in that short amount of time. I was pretty sure it would be finished by nightfall. “Hey you guys!” Aaron yelled. “I got something for you.”

The builders stopped and looked at each other a moment before sitting their tools down and scurrying up to Aaron. “Yeah? What’s the problem?” one of the builders asked.

Aaron reached into his bag, pulled out a rolled-up parchment, and held it out to the man. “A work order from the head builder in Thorpes. This is your next project after you’ve finished this one.”

The builder brushed his hands together and grabbed the parchment from Aaron’s before unrolling it. “A standard-sized stable, huh? And you’ll be providing the wood?”

“Yep,” Aaron said. “We’ll get you the wood.”

The man nodded and turned his head around, looking at all the trees around him. “The seal looks authentic. Just figure out where you want us to build and we’ll get started tomorrow morning.”

“Will do,” Aaron affirmed and held a big thumbs-up to him.

“What?” I asked as Aaron turned around. “Didn’t you just say a stable would cost 8,000 gold?”

“Yeah, and didn’t I just tell you—” Aaron slapped his hands together and raised his voice as he finished the sentence. “–that the Sizzler was on a roll last night?!”

“Hell, yeah!” Ozzy said, strode up to Aaron, and threw him a high five.

“You won 8,000 gold in Pig?” I questioned, finding it hard to believe.

“Around 11,000 actually. I went to town with a thousand and doubled up a few times on some high rollers. Enough for the horse, the stable, a nice night at the inn, and I still have around 1,000 gold in my pocket. Not bad, don’t you think?”

I shook my head and smiled. “Not bad at all, my niz—” I cut myself off before finishing the sentence.

“What was that?” Aaron asked, holding his hand up to his ear.

“Not bad,” I repeated.

“No, after that. Finish what you were about to say, Gunnar.”

“Nothing,” I said.

“C’mon man,” Aaron insisted. He held a fist out to me and bit his bottom lip. “Just let it out.”

I took a deep breath, smiled, and bumped my fist against his. “Not bad, my nizzle.”

“Hell yes!” Aaron stepped forward and started throwing Ozzy, Jax, and I all subsequent high fives.

“But I hope you know you got lucky,” I said. “I don’t want you getting addicted to gambling or anything just because you had one big night—especially in a game like Pig.”

“Don’t worry. Don’t worry,” Aaron said. “I’ve had enough fun for a while. I know when it’s time to take my chips and run.”

There was a loud thunk, and we all turned around to see Rina laying on her back and Keysia holding the point of her staff over her.

“Owww,” Rina groaned.

“Not bad,” Keysia said. “You’re really quick, but we still need to work on your predictability.”

Rina pushed herself back to her feet. “I’m just rusty is all.” She raised her hand and cast a healing spell on herself. “Give me some time to get back in the swing of fighting, and I’ll best all of you.” She turned and winked our way. “Even you, Mr. Jax.”

There was a second of silence, and Ozzy and Aaron both turned their head and opened their mouths like they were little kids in middle school. “Ohhhhhh,” they howled.

Aaron punched Jax in the shoulder. “Damn, dude. Nice.”

I had to admit, even I wondered if Rina was openly flirting with him, and in a way, it made me feel a bit jealous. I hadn’t really looked at Rina in any romantic context before, but given that she was so attractive, it did stir up a little bit of shallow envy at the idea that she might be into Jax so soon after meeting.

“What?” Jax asked Aaron and visibly swallowed. His face was a little pinker than normal, but he wasn’t showing much expression. I couldn’t tell if he was blushing or just flustered after all the sparring we had done. He was definitely more uncomfortable than normal, though.

Aaron rolled his eyes. “Oh, nothing.”

“That’s a pretty horse,” Keysia said as she walked closer to us.

“She’s Aaron’s now,” Ozzy said loudly, “and we’re getting a stable soon!”

“Oh, wow. Really?!” Keysia veered for the horse and started to rub its mane. “Where are you going to keep her until then?”

Aaron shrugged. “It’s not ideal, but I’ll tie her to a tree while she’s in the village until a stable is built. Or if no one needs to use her ‘til then, I’ll just release her and call her back later.”

“Actually,” I said. “I wouldn’t mind using her today if no one else needs her.”

Aaron cleared his throat. “Excuse me? Don’t you have a fucking panther, Mr. Greedypants?”

“Yeah, but I just summoned and released her a couple times in pretty quick succession. She needs at least a full day off, I think.”

Aaron raised a shoulder and smirked. “Well, sure. Take Betsy, I guess. Where are you headed to?”

“Not sure,” I said. “But I want to stay busy. Actually—” I shifted my back upright, straightened my shoulders, and looked to each of the guild members one by one. “—I want all of you to stay busy. Whether you’re solo or go as a group, I want you all to go out and do quests, grind monsters and gain XP. We need to be strong when another attack comes, and we need to get more gold so that we can build a castle.”

Another thing Dryden had taught me while running his band of mercenaries was to never be complacent, and I didn’t want my guild to fall in the trap of sitting in the village all the time and getting lazy.

“Ohhh,” Aaron cooed. “Look at that. The guild leader’s giving orders.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess that’s an order. I want you all to push yourselves, within reason. Even you, Aaron.” I paused. “Anyone opposed to the idea?”

Everyone gave unanimous smiles and shook their heads.

“Great. I’m going to head out,” I said. “Maybe I can figure out where the items I need for the Bloodthirsty Blade schematic are. Any of you know where to find Bloodmoss and Heaven’s Shroom?”

Everyone looked at each other for a moment until Jax said, “Bloodmoss is known to grow in the Wastelands, but it too dangerous for you to go there. There may be smaller patches outside of the Wastelands that you can find if you consult with an herbalist or a cartographer. You might need to talk to both. I’ve never encountered Heaven’s Shroom, though.”

I sighed. “Okay. I guess I’ll head to Highcastle then. I know there’s a cartographer there, so it’s a start. Anyone up to going with me? Aaron?”

“I need to get to chopping wood,” Aaron said, “if we’re going to get this stable built.”

“I can take care of the wood,” Jax chimed in. “I’m pretty good with an axe”

“Aaron?” I asked again.

“Alright,” Aaron groaned. “Let me go put some armor on and get my spear, I guess.”

“I’ll go too,” Ozzy said.

I look to Keysia and Rina. “I already know you don’t want to go to Highcastle, Keysia, and I don’t think the horse is going to carry more than three, Rina.”

“It’s quite fine,” Rina said.

“Rina and I can group up and do some scouting around Edgewood.” Keysia said. “There’s plenty of things to do in the forest that will help us level.”

“Good,” I said. I looked to Ozzy and then to Aaron. “I guess it’ll be Reborn’s-day-out then, huh?”

“Let’s go!” Ozzy said.

Aaron just smirked.

“Speaking of the mine,” I said. “I should head up there and pay a visit to the runestone.”

“You’re religious?” Rina asked.

“No, not really,” I chuckled. “Reborns respawn at the last runestone that they ‘pray’ at, in the event that they die. I want to respawn as close as possible if something tragic happens.”

“Oh, I see,” Rina said.

“Anyway, you guys go do your thing. Ozzy and Aaron go get ready. I’m going to make a quick run to the mine, and as soon as I get back, we’ll all head out.”

Aaron nodded and handed me the reins to the horse. “She’s all yours, Mr. Bossypants!”

“So I’m greedy and bossy?” I asked.

“Damn right, you are,” Aaron said.

I snarled at him when I remembered that I had a schematic for a Giant’s Potion in my bag that granted 500 health. It also required a Bloodmoss and a couple other reagents to make. “Hey, Jax,” I said. I reached in my bag and tossed him the schematic. “I found this in the Sands.”

He unraveled the schematic and chuckled as he read it. “We’re gonna need to find harpy’s tails and an ogre’s toenail for this, but I wouldn’t worry about it for now. I’m not at the level 20 alchemy that it requires yet.”

“Let’s keep an eye out for that stuff nonetheless,” I said.

I gave Betsy a quick pet and quickly hoisted myself on top of her. I could feel a little bit of resistance from her—a feeling as if she knew that I wasn’t her rightful owner—but she didn’t buck or try to throw me off. I looked down as the guild members started to disperse, and once again I was filled with a sense of pride. They listened to me without question. They all seemed to trust my judgement, and it made me feel like a true guild leader.

I turned Betsy in the direction of the mine and rode her through the trees as quickly as she could manage. I had only been back in the village for a day, but I was anxious for my next adventure.

Chapter Five

1/26/0001

After binding at the rune near the Edgewood mine, I stopped by our shop to go over the financials with Gerard and pick up a simple bow and quiver.

“So we have 3,200 in the shop?” I clarified.

“And some change,” Gerard said. He glanced at two customers who were browsing the items that were scattered about the room then leaned in closer to me. “Probably best not to talk too loudly about gold with customers around—just in case they get any ideas.”

“Got it,” I said lowly. “That includes all the gold that was looted after the attack?”

“Yes, sir,” Gerard whispered.

I reached into my bag and handed Gerard 6,000 of the gold I had accumulated. That put our guild treasury at 9,200 gold, and with the 200 that I kept from the thief’s body, I still had 920 in my bag. That would get me by on anything I needed while I was outside of Edgewood.

It was nice to know that we were already so close to having enough to build the foundation for a castle, but I wanted us to have a bit of padding to cover shop expenses and any overage costs if the foundation ran over budget, per Aaron’s explanation.

Gerard quietly counted out the gold with a smile on his face. “We’re doing well,” he said, “and Aaron told me about the plans for a castle and a stable. A lot’s happening since you’re back.”

“I’m just glad to be back. How’s running the shop from day to day been?”

“This is what I love, Gunnar! Other than the incident we had yesterday, everything’s been just fine. The shop is getting pretty full though, with the speed at which Aaron’s been crafting and the items that have been traded in.”

I scanned the room. Crates were overflowing with lots of low-level looking items, and the walls were covered with various forms of gear, many of them identical or almost identical. “I think we’ll move you over to the newest building once it’s finished. That should give you plenty of space. The wagon outside still works, right?”

“I’d assume so,” Gerard said, “though it hasn’t moved since I got here.”

“Now that Aaron has a horse, we can organize periodic caravans as well. If we get too many duplicates of items or things that don’t sell, load them onto the wagon and take a trip to town to sell them, or get one of the guild mates to do it.”

“I like how you think,” Gerard said. “I’ll make sure it gets done.”

“Speaking of yesterday,” I said. “Things would’ve been a lot uglier if you hadn’t jumped in. I had no idea your magic was so strong. You’d be a useful asset outside of the shop.”

“Well, I couldn’t let them destroy everything after all the work we’ve done. I had to do something. But—” Gerard shook his head. “I’ve had enough adventure in my days. Buying and selling and meeting new customers is what gets me excited now.”

“Alright. Well, up to you,” I said with a shrug. “By the way, your pet—What is that?”

“Wilbro?” Gerard chuckled. “He’s a great bison. I must have been about your age when I found him—out hunting game in the plains with a friend of mine when we came across him fighting with a pack of lions. Let’s just say we did him a favor, and he’s been with me ever since.”

I smiled. “Hell of a pet. What about that spell you used—that crazy stream of hot water?”

“Oh, that’s a spell called Boiling Blast. It’s a bit of a rare fire and water magic spell. It requires you to summon both a stream of water and just the right amount of fire to combine them into a powerful blast of hot, boiling water. Haven’t had to use it for a while, but it is powerful.”

“So you know both fire and water magic?”

“A little bit of arcane and transmutation as well.”

I thought back to the first day I had met Gerard in Linden, and the fact that he had offered to teach me magic while I was in the midst of sabotaging his shop. I wondered if he’d still be willing to put that on the table now that he was in our guild. “You offered to teach me some magic a while back. Can you teach your magic to the rest of the guild? It sure would make us stronger.”

Gerard raised his eyebrows and laughed. “The whole guild?”

“If you’re willing.”

Gerard rattled his head. “I’m only high enough level in fire and water magic to teach those spell branches. I’m still much a novice in arcane and transmutation. But regardless, it’s impossible for me to teach the whole guild.”

“Why? Don’t you just make them kneel and say some magic words?”

“Something like that.” Gerard laughed again. “The thing is, once you reach level 35 in a particular magic branch, you’ll only have the ability to ‘unlock’ that branch of magic in two other people. Every 10 levels you gain in the branch thereafter, grants you the ability unlock it in one other person.”

“Wow, okay.” I creased my brow. “They didn’t give us Reborns instruction manuals, so that’s new information to me.”

“So, it is possible for the whole guild to learn the same branch of magic, but not from the same person.” Gerard chuckled. “Everyone would know everything if everyone could teach everyone every magic tree they knew.”

The newfound knowledge shifted the perspective of a lot of things that had happened to me since I entered Eden’s Gate. I felt a lot more thankful that Kronos, Jax’s friend and the dwarf who helped us in Gramora, had been willing to teach both Aaron and me divine magic. He had mentioned that he had just hit the threshold for teaching someone divine, so maybe he did it for me out of kindness, not expecting Aaron to demand training as well, and thus using up his other level 35 ‘unlock’. It was quite the gift.

And then there was Eanos. He must have really hated Gerard to be willing to part with fire magic and throw in two scrolls in exchange for me sabotaging him. But then again, he was probably making a lot more money in Linden by ridding himself of Gerard than if he had sold the skill for however much. Gerard was an excellent salesman, so Eanos was probably raking in thousands more with him gone.

It was clear why the demon in the Vale taught me arcane magic; he would’ve died otherwise. But Satorin suddenly seemed like slightly less of an asshole by teaching me mentalism, now that I knew how limited magic training was.

“You seemed so willing to teach me magic that day in your shop,” I mention to Gerard. “You were going to sell me a dirt-cheap axe and teach me magic for free if I bought it.”

Gerard grinned. “When you walked into my shop, you seemed about as lost as anyone I’d ever seen before. If I’m not mistaken, you were level 3 and didn’t know your ass from your mouth.” He sighed. “Business was good for me at the time, and I still had an unlock left to teach someone water magic, so I thought, ‘Why not help this struggling young gentlemen out a little bit? Pay it forward, as they say.’”

My stomach turned. It still pained me when I thought of how nice a guy Gerard was and the fact that I ruined his business in Linden. He seemed to have a heart of gold.

“But it doesn’t matter now. After business went sour, I ended up teaching water magic to another adventurer for a little bit of gold, just so I could rent the horses to pull the wagon. If I tried to teach you anything now, I’d simply fail. But, I’ll happily teach you or any guild mates fire or water magic once I reach level 45 in either branch.”

“Well, thanks for the explanation,” I said wearily, still feeling guilty at what I had done to him. At the very least, Gerard seemed to be in a better place and quite happy now that he was with us in Edgewood.

“Hey!” a feminine voice shouted from inside the shop. “That’s mine!”

When I turned, I could see female dark elf holding onto the bowstring of a bow, and on the other end, a stocky, mustached human was pulling the wood on the other side.

“No, I was looking at that, ya’ filthy elf!” the man snapped.

“No! I had it first, you…you—”

“Hey!” Gerard shouted over them. “Cut that out or get out of the shop! The bow is 40 gold. If either of you want it, pay for it now, but no fighting!”

“I want it!” the elf said.

“I’ll give you 45 for it,” the man countered, not letting go of the bow.

“50!” the elf shouted.

“55!” the man insisted.

“60!” the female continued.

The man smirked at the elf and made a grumbling noise before releasing his grip on the bow and turning around to look at some other weapons.

I looked to Gerard as the dark elf girl marched the bow to the counter, and Gerard just smiled and winked at me as the woman started reaching for her gold.

I knew the shop was in good hands.

When I stepped out of the building, Ozzy and Aaron were both standing by the edge of the clearing with the horse, Betsy. Ozzy was wearing his usual mix of plate and chain, though he had obviously switched out many of his older, dented piece pieces with higher-quality, non-dented ones. He had his hammer hitched to his back. Aaron was wearing a set of well-crafted leather armor. It was just a step up from a set of base, newbie armor, but he was still level 7, so his options were limited. A long spear could be seen jutting out from behind his shoulders.

“Ready?” Aaron asked as I approached.

“Yep, let’s go,” I replied.

Aaron stepped back from the side of his horse and waved a hand at the saddle. “After you, guild leader.”

I stepped on to the horse and grabbed the reins, and Aaron hopped on behind me.

Ozzy grabbed the side of the saddle and was about to hop on before I held out my hand to him. “Hey, is it okay for three people to ride a horse like this? Can it handle all of us?”

“I guess so,” Aaron said. “Why not?”

“I mean, that’s a lot of weight for the horse, right?”

Aaron twisted his lips. “I don’t know. Ozzy is kind of big, but I think we’ll be okay”

I sighed. I wasn’t a horse expert, but I had my reservations.

“If we were back on Earth, I don’t think three would be a good idea,” Ozzy said. “But here in in this world, who knows? You want me to walk and meet you there or something?”

I shook my head. “Nah, just hop on. We’ll see what happens.”

Ozzy shrugged and hoisted his bulky body up until he was sitting on the saddle behind Aaron. The horse reared her neck back when he was fully seated and took a couple awkward steps back and then forward before steadying herself.

“Just don’t push her too fast,” Ozzy said.

“No worries,” I replied.

I gave Betsy a gentle, bumping squeeze with my legs, urging her towards Highcastle. She trotted forward, handling the weight nicely, but having ridden her to the runestone and back already, I could tell by the way she bobbed her head that she was at her weight limit. If we got caught in any trouble, we weren’t all going be rushing away on horseback, that was for sure.

“Hey guys,” Aaron said as we pushed through the trees.

“Yeah?” Ozzy and I asked in unison.

“Isn’t this a little gay?” Aaron queried. “Three guys riding together on horseback through a forest?”

“Not gonna lie,” Ozzy said, “feels a little gay.”

“Who cares?” I groaned. “We’re just going from point A to point B.”

“Yeah, but you’re not squeezed in between two dudes like an ice-cream sandwich!” Aaron cried. “Would’ve been a lot better if we brought Rina or Keysia along to be the cream filling, ya know? At least then I’d be nudged up against some tits or ass. This just sucks.”

“Suck it up, jackass,” I said with a chuckle.

“And that better be the bottom of your breastplate I feel poking into my back, Ozzy!” Aaron added.

“It’s part of my leggings,” Ozzy explained. “There’s this round part in the center that—“

“Yeah, well, whatever it is just try to keep it off me, okay?” Aaron interrupted. “Homey don’t play that.”

“Are you going to complain the whole way, Aaron?” I asked.

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me to get out. I could be back in Edgewood cutting down wood right now, but instead, I’m taking wood right between my butt cheeks, and it doesn’t feel good at all.”

“It’s not wood, you idiot,” Ozzy said in in his twangy voice.

“You ever see that old movie, Brokeback… something or another?” Aaron asked. “This kind of reminds me of that, except—“

“Hey, Aaron,” I said, cutting him off.

“Yeah?” Aaron asked grumpily.

“There’s lots of babes in Highcastle, you know?”

“Oh, yeah?” Aaron asked.

“It’s a huge city. I’m guessing there’s thousands. I haven’t even been inside the inns there yet, but I’m betting there’s lots of girls, lots of booze. Probably some gambling too.”

“Huh yeah? I like the sound of that.” I felt him bump his feet against the Besty a little. “What are we trodding around for? Get this horse moving!”

As brilliant as Aaron was, he still had a one-track mind. He mostly kept his trap shut for the rest of the trip.

Chapter Six

1/26/0001

There was a large wooden stable adjacent to the entrance of Outer Highcastle, and we dropped Besty off there before heading inside. The stable master and his help seemed a little put off when they saw the three of us riding up to them on the same horse, but they didn’t make any comments that matched their surprised facial expressions. The cost to stable to horse for a day was 20 gold, and the stable master informed us that we’d have to pay an additional 20 gold per day at the time of pickup if we retrieved the horse late.

As we passed through the Outer Highcastle gates, Aaron’s head started turning from left to right. “Nice, nice,” he said. Lots of people were all moving about, even more busily than I remembered, so I couldn’t tell if he was impressed with the amount of action or if he was commenting on the women he spotted. “Quite impressive, I must say.”

“Lots of stuff going here, but I think the Vale is nicer,” Ozzy said.

“Hard to beat the Vale,” I agreed.

“Hot loaves of bread! Hot loaves!” the bread maker shouted as we entered the same small market that I visited the first time I had come to Highcastle.

“What are we here for again?” Aaron asked. “Babes and booze?”

“To figure out where the reagents are for sword schematic, remember?” I said. “If that doesn’t pan out, maybe we can find a bulletin board with some quests.”

“We have time to eat, right?” Ozzy asked. “I’m starving.”

I inhaled deeply, and the scent of food seemed just as varied and delightful as the chatter that hung in the air. I had made a note to try some of the foods in Highcastle the last time I was there, but never got the chance, and we weren’t in any particular rush this time around. “How much money did you guys bring?”

“I brought a ‘G’ with me,” Aaron said, indicating that he had 1,000.

“I’ve got 500,” Ozzy added.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ve got 900 after stabling the horse, so we’ve all got enough for food. Let’s grab something that we can carry around with us.”

We browsed the various stalls filled with both fresh produce and prepared foods, and I ended up buying a slice of spicecake. It looked like any slice of pie I would’ve purchased on Earth, but the brownish orange body of the cake had small glittery speckles throughout. I had no idea what was in it, but it was pungent, sweet, and delicious all at the same time

Aaron picked up a couple kebabs filled with chunks of what looked like beef and pork with tomatoes and vegetables nudged between them.

Ozzy bought some sort of meat pie from the baker, which was basically a large loaf of bread that was totally packed inside with some sort of minced, cooked meat.

The spicecake was only 5 gold, and I was so busy enjoying every bite that I didn’t bother asking the guys how much they paid for their food.

“Oh my goodness,” Aaron said. “This meat—whatever it is—is absolutely delicious.” He swallowed and used his teeth to rip another chunk from the kebab.

“This thing is good too!” Ozzy said with a full mouth. “Better than anything I ever had back home, but… still not quite as good as elven pie.”

We all seemed to moan in unison at the mention of elven pie.

We continued munching on our food as we slowly walked the streets of Outer Highcastle, and I couldn’t help but notice an air of excitement that was stirring. I couldn’t put my finger on what it was; maybe it was that people were walking a little faster or that their eyes were glowing or maybe it just seemed like there were more people than normal out.

“Is today a Friday?” I asked.

“Friday?” Ozzy asked. “I don’t think there are weekdays in this game, dude.”

Aaron chuckled as he bit another chunk of his food. “Every day is a Friday in Eden’s Gate.” A young, busty woman with freckles darting her face and chest suddenly rushed by us, lifting her cream-colored skirt just enough that it wouldn’t rub against the ground, and Aaron’s eyes followed her as she passed. “Man, oh man… I hope it’s about to be Freaky Friday tonight though,” he said licking his lips and shaking his head.

“Hey Sizzler,” I scolded. “Get ahold of yourself.”

Aaron shrugged. “Hey man. Did you see what I just saw?”

I rolled my eyes at him right before I noticed a nearby stall where various flowers were on display. A plump woman with thin, dark pigtails was standing in front of it with a bundle of flowers in each hand.

“Orchids!” she wailed. “Sunflowers for the lady!” As a well-dressed man passed, she virtually shoved the flowers in front of him in an attempt to get him to buy. “A bundle of flowers, a bundle of joy!”

I elbowed Aaron. “That an herbalist?”

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Aaron said. “Looks like she just has a bunch of flowers.”

“Flowers are herbs too, right?” I asked.

Aaron shrugged. “I guess some of them would be.”

Ozzy stuffed his mouth with his last piece of pie and spoke with his mouth full. “Flowers are herbs. Herbs are flowers.”

“I dunno if it’s that straightforward,” Aaron advised.

“Well, let’s go talk to her,” I said. “Maybe she can help us find the reagents. Jax did say we might need to talk to both the cartographer and an herbalist.”

As I approached the flower lady, she shoved a bouquet of sunflowers under my nose before I even had a chance speak. “Smell wonderful, don’t they? Just 15 gold.”

I cleared my throat and politely nudged my hand between my body and the flowers. “Yeah, they’re quite nice, but—”

“How about you?” She swung the flowers over to Ozzy. “Surely a handsome man like you has a lady who’d love a bouquet.”

Ozzy scratched the back of his head and his cheeks lit up. “Me? Handsome?”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” I said. “You’re an herbalist, right?”

The woman raised an eyebrow and smirked. “An herbalist? I just sell flowers.”

Aaron chuckled. “Told you so.”

I flung my hand back without turning my head and slapped Aaron with the back of my knuckles. I cleared my throat again. “Do you know where we can find an herbalist? Or do you know anything about Bloodmoss and Heaven’s—”

“What’s Bloodmoss?” the lady interjected. “Sounds hideous. If you don’t want to buy the flowers I have on display, quit wasting my time.”

I sighed.

Ozzy leaned over and whispered in my ear. “Maybe if you buy her flowers, she’ll open up a bit more.”

I gave a slight nod as it didn’t sound like a bad idea. “If we buy a bouquet, will you tell us what you know? You do know an herbalist, right?”

The lady eyes perked up and her scowl turned into a bright smile. “Well, sure. 15 gold for a bouquet. I’ll tell you what I know.”

I pulled 15 gold out of my bad bag and pointed towards the purplish-pink flowers she was holding one of her hands. “Give me the orchids.”

The lady accepted the gold, handed me the flowers, and grinned. “A bundle of flowers, a bundle of joy!”

“Yeah… Now, can you tell me where the herbalist is in town?” I asked.

The lady frowned and placed her free hand on her chin. “I’m afraid I’m not sure. I’ve only been living in Highcastle for a few days.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Aaron groaned.

“Why didn’t you say ‘no’ when I asked you if you knew an herbalist?” I asked.

“I do know an herbalist, but nowhere near here. My hometown is a couple days ride on horseback on if you’d like directions.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ozzy said.

“What?” the lady asked. “I told you what I know.”

I just rolled my eyes and sighed. I had experienced the various levels of honesty from NPCs in Eden’s Gate, so I already knew that you were rolling the dice any time you tried to buy information. The lady working me for flowers came as no surprise.

“What a bitch,” Aaron cursed.

“Excuse me?!” the lady yelled and her mouth went wide.

“Nothing.” I held up a calming palm to the lady, and then I turned and pushed Aaron away from the escalating scene. “Let’s go.”

Aaron snarled as we started walking away. “That’s annoying.”

“It’s part of the game,” I said. “You’ve been sitting in the village too long.”

“Yeah, I know, but I’d still like to give that lady a little piece of my mind—even if I know she’s an NPC.” Aaron suddenly smiled and laughed. Perhaps the idea he was getting angry at an NPC over something so small amused him somehow.

“Well, now you’ve got some flowers,” Ozzy said with a laugh.

Useless orchids… I thought.

As if Eden’s Gate were reading my mind, I was suddenly halted and almost tripped, when the base of my legs bumped into something much smaller than me. When I looked down, I saw the same little girl that had been covered in soot the last time I was in Highcastle.

Her dirty hair was clean, combed, and other than a single smudge of dirt that was on her tiny brown overalls, she looked thoroughly bathed—a stark comparison to the first time I saw her. She held her hands up to me and smiled, just like before.

“Hey, you,” I said, and kneeled down to one knee so I could look the girl in the eye. “Don’t you look nice today?”

“Gunnar?” Aaron said. “You know this little girl?”

“Not really,” I answered. “I ran into her and—I think it was her mom—the last time I was here.”

“Foo!” the girl said.

I knew she probably wanted gold, but I wasn’t about to give her another coin out of fear that it would become a habit for her to ask every time I visited Highcastle. Plus, I knew she had a mother or some sort of caretaker looking after her, even if that lady she was with didn’t seem so kind.

“I can’t give you gold today, but how about this?” I asked and popped the flowers up in front of her face. “If you can tell me where the herbalist is, you can have all these.”

The girl’s eyes lit up like she just saw the most amazing thing in the world. “Wowwwwwwww…” She said. She held her hands out and grabbed the base of the bouquet, and I let go so she could hold them.

“Pretty, aren’t they?” I asked.

The little girl just smelled the flowers and looked up to me with a wide smile on her face.

“Okay…” I pursed my lips. “Well, like I said. If you can tell me where the herbalist is, you can keep them.”

The girl seemingly only listened to the ‘you can keep them’ part of what I said, because she suddenly giggled, turned on her heels, and bolted through the crowd of people with the flowers.

“Hey!” I shouted as I stood back to my feet and watched the girl scurry off. I took an instinctive step in the direction she fled, but then thought better of wasting my time chasing her over the cheap flowers.

“Damn, Gunnar,” Aaron said mockingly. He walked beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “You’re making all the good calls today, aren’t ya?”

“Oh, fuck you, Aaron,” I said. I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes at the incident with the flower lady and the little girl, and then I just started chuckling. Aaron and Ozzy joined in on the laughs.

At the end of the day, it was only 15 gold.

“Hey,” a quiet, barely noticeable voice said as our chuckling subsided. I turned to see a shaded area between the side of a tall building and a tree. In the thick of the shadows was a man wearing a dark gray shroud, barely visible, leaning with his back against the building’s wall. “Yeah, you,” he said with a nod and motioned his hand to come near as our eyes met.

I exchanged glances with Ozzy and Aaron, and I could tell by their faces that they had the same thought as me: kind of shady. Thus far, my experience with figures in shrouds hadn’t been too great. Nonetheless, I had two guild mates with me, so I felt safe enough to walk into the shaded area when the man motioned his hand again.

“Yeah?” I asked once in speaking distance with the man.

“You looking for herbs, huh?” the man asked. He was a few inches shorter than me, and when he looked up, I could see pale white skin, glossy blue eyes, and straight platinum white hair that looked it didn’t belong on someone as young as he appeared. When he smiled, his teeth were abnormally pointy and small, as if they had been filed at the tips. “Special herbs?”

“Special herbs?” I asked.

The man glanced at Aaron and Ozzy who were standing on either side of me, and then he looked even further left and right as if he were checking to see if anyone else was listening in. “I’ve got some joojak leaves if you guys are interested.”

“Joojak leaves?” I asked.

“Yeah, man,” the guy hissed. “It’s good stuff.”

“Some kind of drugs?” Aaron asked, leaning closer anxiously. He seemed overly interested.

“Some call them drugs, some call them herbs,” the guy cooed, “but it’s just what you guys need.”

“What are juu-joke leaves for?” Ozzy asked.

The man chuckled. “Joojak leaves. You guys really don’t know? Joojak makes you feel amazingly relaxed. You can instantly enter a meditative state, regardless of how low your skill is, and you recover mana like a meditation master. It skyrockets your charisma while it lasts too. It’s great stuff to have at home when you’re just relaxing with your friends.” He cleared his throat and leaned in closer. “And if you need a little extra ‘pep’ when you’re with a lady, this will keep you going for hours.”

“I’m in,” Aaron said. “Just take my money!”

Ozzy started chuckling, and I threw an elbow at Aaron’s shoulder.

“Dude,” I scolded. I wondered if bringing Aaron along had been a good idea after all. He was fun to have around, but his impulses were a little too much.

“What?” Aaron looked at me questionably then turned back towards the guy. “How much?”

“300 per hit,” the man said.

“Wait a minute,” I said holding out my hand. “So it does all that but there’s no side effects?”

“Oh,” the guy groaned. “Side effects… Well, it does lower your movement speed by 20% while you’re on it, and when the high is over, you’ll be really hungry. Like really hungry.”

“I’m in,” Aaron said again, and before I could say more, he was already handing the guy 300 gold.

“You sure you want to waste your money on that?” I asked.

Aaron nodded. “Gotta enjoy life, Gunnar.”

The man pulled out a small bag that contained dry brown and green leaves and exchanged it for Aaron’s gold. He looked over to Aaron and I. “You guys not interested in joojak?” he asked. “If you’re looking for something stronger, I can offer you some kroka. That’s the really good stuff.”

When the man said kroka, it hit me like a truck. There was a thump in my chest, and my mouth watered. I had a brief flashback of the feeling that I had when I took the kroka in the Sands—that feeling of grandeur, power, and invincibility. Something told me that I needed that again, right then and there. “You have kroka?” I asked as I swallowed.

“Never heard of that either?” the man questioned.

“Yeah, he has,” Aaron said. “Did you ever find that bag you lost?”

“I’ll tell you later,” I said, barely paying attention as my mind thirsted for what the man was carrying. “How much for the kroka?”

“I’ll give you one bag for 2,000,” he said.

I swallowed again. I knew I didn’t have enough money on me to buy it, but then I started doing the math in my head, wondering if we’d have enough if I borrowed the money that Aaron and Ozzy had.

“Yo, Gunnar!” Aaron said loudly and snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I turned to him. “Huh?”

“You okay, bro?” he asked. “Looked like you spaced out for a moment.”

“He wants the good stuff,” the man hissed through a devilish smile.

“We can’t afford to waste 2,000 right now,” Aaron said towards me. “You can come back later if you really want it. Let’s go find those regs for the schematic.”

I rattled my head, shaking myself into a more sensible state. Aaron was right. 2,000 was too much for us right then, and the idea that I was almost going to spend that much for something I really didn’t need was a little crazy. Clearly, kroka had a strong draw, even after using it just once. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s out of our budget for now.”

“Suit yourself,” the man said with a shrug. “But hey. You looking for anything else? I’ve got connections.”

“Do you know where to find Bloodmoss and Heaven’s Shroom?” I asked.

The guy scoffed and waved his hand. “Not my area of expertise.” He paused, smirked, and then leaned in closer again. “But hey? You guys looking to get in to the big show today?”

“What big show?” I asked.

“At the Arena,” the man said. “You haven’t heard? The top ranks in Highcastle are fighting today, and the King’s even coming out to watch. Lots of people from the Freelands turning up to see the show too.”

So that’s why it’s so bustling today, I thought.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing a fight,” Aaron said. “We should take some time to watch the show.”

“Don’t they sell tickets at the front entrance of the Arena?” I asked the man.

“Yeah, for 100 gold. That might be affordable for Inner Highcastle folks, but most common people can’t pay those kind of prices. I can sneak you in for just 20 gold.”

“20 gold is better than 100,” Aaron said.

I turned my head and watched as a couple of guards marched by a few meters away. “Sneaking in with all these guards around?” I asked.

“Half the attendees in the Arena sneak in,” the man said. “They’d never fill all the seats at full price.”

“And what happens if we get caught?” I asked.

“You won’t,” the man said and smiled widely, showing his tiny, pointy teeth. “Trust me.”

Something about that smile told me not to.

“Let’s think about it.” I smiled and nodded at the man. “Nice meeting you, um… Do you have a name?”

“Windell,” the man said.

“Will you be here if we need to find you again?” I asked.

“If you need to find me, you will. Maybe not here, but I’m always around,” Windell said. “Just look to the shadows.”

“Thanks for the herbs,” Aaron said, and Ozzy and I just nodded and turned.

We started back down the path that led towards Inner Highcastle.

“We should’ve taken his offer to sneak into the Arena,” Aaron said.

“It’s too risky, dude. How can we trust that guy?” I asked. “And we don’t know enough about the Arena or what kind of security they have there.”

“Are those leaves he sold you even legal?” Ozzy asked.

Aaron snorted. “Judging by the fact that he’s selling them out of a dark corner, I’m thinking not. But hey—now we know where to buy and sell illicit goods, right?”

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” I said. I was still feeling a little anxious about not getting kroka. “And be careful with those leaves. Do you even know how to take them?”

“Don’t worry about it, Gunnar. I’m a big kid,” Aaron said. “I’ll figure it out.”

I took a deep breath. “Alright. Well, let’s get going. We’ve got a bit of a walk to get to the cartographer, and the Arena is right across from his shop.”

Chapter Seven

1/26/0001

Ozzy, Aaron and I climbed the slope that led to Inner Highcastle and passed through the gates, along with a seemingly endless stream of other people, presumably all going to see the show at the Arena. The longer we stayed in Highcastle, the more crowded it seemed to get.

We reached the large upper-class market area with the giant statue of a Highcastle solider surrounded by water fountains, and every stall was absolutely packed. To the right, on the raised platform, the bearded man wearing a maroon robe held his hands out as he bellowed as he seemed to do every day.

“The Reborns have arrived!” he shouted. “We know not what they are capable of! We know not—” He paused, cleared his throat, and his eyes seemed to focus in on our group, but I couldn’t be sure as there were so many people around us. After a short stare, he continued, “Standing beside you right this very moment may be one of the immortal ones! The great prophecy has come! The dragons shall breathe fire!”

The large majority were ignoring him, but I noticed the thicket of people surrounding his platform was larger than normal. I coughed it up to the fact that everywhere seemed busier. There were, however, four strange characters wearing matching maroon robes, sitting on the platform beside him this time. Each one of them had hoods pulled over their heads, their hands held in a meditative pose, and they were looking down to the ground so their faces couldn’t be seen.

“Hey, do NPCs here know about… us?” Ozzy asked as he glanced over the man.

I shook my head. “I think it’s just a way to fit us into the lore or something. What do you know about it, Aaron?”

Aaron shook his head and scrunched his eyebrows. “I don’t know—maybe some cute gimmick that Dr. Winston programmed in—but I do know people react differently when they find out about us. It’s kind of creepy what that the guy’s going on like that.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “But he was here last time, and all his barking doesn’t seem to be working. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”

Aaron nodded. “Agreed.”

As we walked down the pristine Inner Highcastle corridors, squeezing through throngs of bodies, I wondered if people were coming out in droves because the local champions were fighting in the Arena or if it was because the King was making an appearance.

From all I had heard thus far, King Rutherford was sick and bedridden, so if he was making an appearance in front of the people of Highcastle, that was probably a big deal, depending on their sentiment towards him.

Further, it got my mind wondering if there was an opportunity there that I hadn’t considered before. I assumed—perhaps wrongly—that the King was just lying in his bed waiting to die, but if he was healthy enough that he could travel from his castle and to the Arena, he probably still had enough life in him that he could do things that might seriously stir change in Eden’s Gate.

In fact, when it came to the Bloodletters, the Sparrows, Jax, and the Elves, the King was the biggest catalyst of them all. Now that I knew that The Dark Hand had no intention of killing the King, the Sparrows had no ancient weapon to take on the Bloodletters, and the elves weren’t willing to get involved in anything, it was all just one big wait for the King to die and set off a domino effect that would cause a whole avalanche of a drama.

But what if the King was healthy enough and sensible enough that he could be approached and reasoned with? He did still have the Highcastle Army under his command, after all. What if there was a way that I could convince the King to act against Dryden before he died? If Dryden was out of the picture, that would leave us with only the The Dark Hand to deal with, who was arguably a much lesser threat and didn’t have a dragon under his control.

It was a stretch, but why not?

Jax, Aaron, and the gang had done a good job getting me to relax and just start playing the ‘game’ again, but I couldn’t help but keep the threat of the Bloodletters in the back of my mind, and why would I miss such a prime opportunity to stop the threat if the option was available?

“Let’s forget about the Arena for now,” I said as we moved closer to our destination. “I’ve got another idea.”

“What? Why?” Aaron groaned. “I’ll pay for your ticket if you don’t want to spend the gold.”

“It’s not about the cost,” I said. We rounded a corner, and entered the path where I could see the cartographer’s shop. “There’s the building. I’ll tell you when we’re done.”

“Look at all these people,” Ozzy said, pointing towards a line of finely dressed men, women and children who were all queued up outside the entrance to the Arena.

“Yeah, if that’s the Arena, it looks like it’s going to be a good show,” Aaron said. “Whatever you have in mind better be good, Gunnar.”

Loud trumpet sounds suddenly blared from all directions, and the moment they stopped, a few people cheered. A man outside of the front of the Arena held his palms up to his mouth and shouted, “Thirty minutes before the opening show! Thirty minutes before the opening show!”

The chatter of the people around us increased in intensity, and you could see people moving faster more anxiously in an attempt to get inside and not miss any part of the show.

A couple of teenage boys ran between Aaron and I, pushing us so hard that it almost tripped us both.

“Let’s hurry up,” Ozzy said, picking his pace up to a light jog. “It’s getting crazy out here.”

Aaron and I brushed off our shoulders and followed behind him.

As we approached the cartographer’s door, I held up a hand and started to tell Ozzy to slow down and enter quietly. “Hey, Oz, don’t—” I said right as he pushed forcefully on the door handle, causing the door to swing open and slam against the inner wall.

There was a loud yelp from inside the room, and when I stepped behind Ozzy, I saw the cartographer on his ass against the back wall with several of his miniature, wooden ships scattered on the floor around him.

The cartographer had a feathered stick in one hand, and his eyes were wide. He was breathing heavily, and his other hand was covering his heart. “What is wrong with you people?!” he snapped.

“Oh, sorry if I startled you,” Ozzy said.

“Startled me?! Just startled me?!” The man started to pick himself up off the ground. “You nearly killed me!”

Ozzy looked down as if he were a child who had just been scolded by his parents. “I didn’t mean to.” As the man started picking up his wooden ships, Ozzy added, “I can help you with those if you’d like.”

“Don’t bother! Just tell me what you need,” the cartographer snapped, not bothering to look back.

“We were hoping you could tell us the location of some herbs,” I said.

The cartographer straightened his back when I spoke and looked at me. “Oh, I remember you! You brought a treasure map to me not too long ago.”

“Yeah, that was me,” I confirmed.

“Well, how did it go?” he asked. “Did you find any valuable loot or was it a dud? That’s some nice armor you have on. Was that part of your spoils?”

“Actually, I haven’t even had the chance to use the map yet. I kind of got sidetracked.”

The man snorted. “Sounds like you need to get your priorities straight. You paid for a treasure location, and before you’ve even gone to check it out, you’re back in here looking for herbs?”

“Reagents for a schematic,” I clarified. “But you’re right. I really need to get around to doing the map.”

The man kissed one of the miniature ships he picked off the ground, placed it back on its shelf and started dusting it off with his feathered stick. He snapped his lips, turned to us, and placed the stick on his desk. “Well, tell me what you’re after.”

“Bloodmoss and Heaven’s Shroom. Do you know where we can find them?” I asked.

“Hmm,” the man said. “Well, it’s common knowledge that you can get Bloodmoss from the Wastelands if you want to head over there. Dangerous though.”

“So we’ve heard,” Aaron said.

“But I can cross-reference safer areas where it’s been reported, but it’ll cost you. I’ll charge you 15 gold for it. I’m not familiar with Heaven’s Shroom, but if I’ve got a record of it, that’ll be another 15 gold.”

“Deal,” I said.

The cartographer smiled and walked over to the wall of his shop that had several large maps hanging from it. He flipped up a few large maps to reveal another map which was brightly colored and had lots of text written on it. He hummed and ran his finger across the map for a few minutes, before letting the maps he had flipped up drop back down.

“Looks like you’re in luck. I’m showing that Bloodmoss does sometimes grow in pockets of Nestle Rock—the same place your treasure map pointed to. I’m showing a few other pockets further south, but that’s the closest one.”

“And what’s it look like?” I questioned. “How will we know when we’ve found it?”

“I’m a cartographer, so I don’t keep diagrams of herbs. You’ll need to consult with an herbalist for that,” he explained. “But, I have seen Bloodmoss a few times. It’s generally looks like typical moss, but a bit thicker and blood red. I think you’ll know it when you see it.”

“And Heaven’s Shroom?” I asked.

The man shrugged and snapped his lips. “I didn’t see anything like that on my map.”

“Well, at least we know where Bloodmoss is,” I said.

The man held up a finger. “But…I do have one other point of reference.” He walked across the room and stood on a small wooden step-stool to reach a shelf that was lined with thick, leather-bound books. He pulled an old, thick, brown book from the shelf and started coughing and waving his hand in front of his face. “It’s about time I dusted up there!”

He brought the book back to his desk, sat down in his chair, and flipped it open, causing more dust to plume in the air. He waved a hand at the dust as he picked up his small, circular eye lens and popped it into the crevice of his eye. He scanned up and down as he flipped through the pages.

“What was it again?” he asked “Heaven’s Shroom?”

“Yeah,” I affirmed.

“Let’s see...” he said as ran his finger down each page. “Heaven’s Shroom, Heaven’s Shroom.” It seemed like he was flipping pages for quite a while before he finally exclaimed, “Oh! Looks like there is a record!” He mumbled a bunch of numbers to himself and repeated them a few times. When he stood up and started for the map on the wall, I assumed that they were coordinates.

He ran his finger over the map and kept repeating the numbers over and over, and finally his finger stopped. He stared at his finger for a few seconds before letting out a single chuckle.

The cartographer turned back to us. “Well, what a surprise,” he said. “Looks like the Heaven’s Shroom you’re looking for can be found at none other than Dragon’s Crest.”

I cleared my throat. “Those peaks where the dragons live?” I asked.

The man nodded.

“Is there a specific spot or just in the general vicinity?” I continued.

The man shrugged. “I can’t tell you that, but the coordinates point directly to the peak. And judging by the fact that it’s a shroom that you’re looking for, it’s likely to be in a cave.”

“Dragons,” Aaron cooed in anticipation.

“I don’t think we’re anywhere near ready for dragons,” Ozzy said.

I shrugged. “They say that they don’t attack humans unless provoked.”

“Hah!” the cartographer said. “Part of that might be because sane people don’t go to Dragon’s Crest. Wouldn’t you say walking into someone’s home is a form of provocation?”

“Yeah,” Aaron said. “It’s dangerous, but we’re Re—” He caught himself right before outing us as Reborns.

“You’re what?” the cartographer asked.

I held my hands up and out to the side. “We’re reeee-diculously crazy adventurers!” I turned my head and shot a stink eye at Aaron.

“Hah! You must be if you’re going to Dragon’s Crest to find mushrooms.” The cartographer cleared his voice. “Anyway—30 gold.”

I counted out 30 gold and handed it to the man.

“And please teach your friends to enter civilly if any of you are going to return. I don’t want to die young.” He reached for his curly mustache and twisted his lips. “Well, I guess I’m not that young anymore, but I don’t want to die of fright.”

“I will,” I said with a nod.

Before leaving the shop, I mentioned the compass issue to Aaron and Ozzy, and they both opted to spend 100 gold to buy a basic compass for each of them. The one I had come in handy when I was in the Sands, and if I were to ever finish the treasure map or find Bloodmoss, I’d need it as well. I was certain they’d eventually run into an issue where a compass would prove invaluable.

We exited the shop, and the line to the Arena entrance had grown into a thick clump of bodies, where you couldn’t really tell where it ended. For the most part, most of the people in line seemed to be of a higher class, based on the linens and finer cloths and armor they were wearing. I spotted a few Highcastle soldiers in line as well. Most of the people dressed in shabbier garb seemed to be standing around, and few were disappearing to somewhere behind the Arena.

“So, you said you had another idea?” Aaron pointed to the congregation of people. “Something that looks more interesting than that?”

“Something more important.” I shifted my gaze to the to the stone castle that was set at the far end of a path to the left of the Arena. “Let’s go see the King of Highcastle.”

Chapter Eight

1/26/0001

As we marched towards the castle, I explained my logic to Aaron and Ozzy—that if I could meet with the King, I could rationalize the situation with the Bloodletters and possibly end an inevitable war if he was willing to intervene and stop Dryden.

“It makes sense,” Aaron said, “but there’s no telling if he’ll believe you or not.”

“He doesn’t even know who we are,” Ozzy said.

“Well, whatever the case, we have to try,” I said. “We don’t know the full extent of the King’s condition, but we do know he’s up and mobile today, so there’s a chance we can catch him.”

“A chance,” Aaron snorted. “He could be at the Arena already.”

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“Why’s that?” Aaron asked.

“Because he’s the King and he’s supposedly very ill,” I explained. “They wouldn’t have a sick King waiting around there while everyone arrives. Nah… He’ll be the last person to show up, with a procession, for sure.”

The path leading to the castle consisted of the same polished stones as the rest of Inner Highcastle, but halfway down, a row of blue banners bearing the Highcastle insignia—a yellow lion—lined each side of the path and extended to the entrance.

The castle appeared even larger up close. It was built wholly of rough gray stones, and the front entrance consisted of two tall, wide, spherical towers. A large, brown double door sat inside an arch of stone in between. Above and behind the towers, the front wall continued to rise high and spread further left and right. At the end of each wall was an additional larger watchtower, and Highcastle flags were perched on each one. Windows were scattered evenly all along the castle face.

At the front entrance stood four guards, each wearing the typical plate armor and insignia that Highcastle soldiers wore, but each also wore a nasal helmet that had an arrangement of blue feathers that formed a sort of Mohawk on the top of their heads. On each side, one guard held up a halberd and leaned it behind their shoulder, while the other guard held onto a lance planted firmly on the ground.

As the three of us approached, the guards all seemed to straighten to their most upright of postures.

“What are you gonna say?” Ozzy whispered.

“I don’t know, but just go with it,” I whispered back.

The two guards holding the lances took a step forward and adjusted their lances so that they formed an ‘X’ across the castle door.

“Your business here?” one of the guards asked.

“We’re here to see the King,” I said confidently.

“And who are you?” the guard asked.

“I’m Gunnar, and these are my guild mates.” I felt a little stupid saying that as if my name meant something important, but what else was I going to say? Somehow I thought telling him that we were from Edgewood and I was the ambassador between the high and dark elves would be even worse.

“Gunnar? Is that supposed to mean something to me? Are you a royal or do you have a rank of some sort?” the guard questioned.

“We’re just regular people with important information for the King,” I said.

The guard snickered. “You can’t just come to the castle and ask to see the King.”

“We just did,” Aaron spat.

The guard snarled and glared at Aaron. “Well, you can’t expect us to just let anyone pass through these doors.”

“Many lives depend on what I have to tell him,” I explained. “I’m sure he’ll approve of you letting us by.”

The guard chuckled. “You think you’re the first person to come here and give us that spiel?” He quickly cleared his throat. “Look, if you have an issue, go to the Guild Hall and speak with the magistrate. If whatever you have to say is important enough, he’ll pass it along to the King.”

“I need to tell this to the King directly,” I insisted.

“Too bad,” the guard said firmly. He moved his lance from across the door and pointed the tip towards us. “The King will be heading to the Arena soon, so if we need to clear the path by force, we will. I suggest you leave now.”

I sighed, realizing that my plan had failed before it even started. Ozzy, Aaron and I all turned and started back the way we came.

“Damn, Gunnar,” Aaron said. “You’re batting three-for-three today in the ‘great idea’ department.”

“Shut up, clown,” I hissed.

There was the clank of a metal latch unfastening, and we all turned our heads back around to see the guards step to the side, turn, and hold their weapons up high.

The doors of the castle entrance moaned and creaked as they were pushed outward, and when there was a wide enough clearance, a familiar face stepped outside.

“Stay alert, men,” Commander Eldrich said, turning briefly to each flank and flashing a bright smile. He took a few more steps and started to slow his movements when he recognized me. “Well, hello there, Gunnar.” He tilted his head a bit and creased his brow. “What are you doing at the castle?”

“We came to speak to the King,” I said, “but didn’t get too far.”

“Hah!” The commander smiled. “Not just anyone can come and meet the King, you know?”

“How do we meet him then?” I asked. “It’s really important that I talk to him.”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

I scratched the back of my head and sighed a little. “With all due respect, commander, it’s something that I can really only share with the King.”

“Well, then.” The commander lowered his eyes and pursed his lips. “I can’t imagine what it is, but there’s no way you can get into the castle to meet him.”

“There’s got to be a way,” I said. “I mean… you just came out of there.”

The commander chuckled. “I’m a commander in the King’s army. Of course, I have to meet him. I suppose if you become a commander someday, you can meet him too. But even lower-ranking soldiers can’t just show up at the castle to meet the King.”

“No one else ever sees the King?” I pushed.

Commander Eldrich raised his eyebows and sighed. “Well, I suppose if you committed a crime, you’d eventually meet the King. Of course, you’d have to sit in jail before you stood trial before him. I highly doubt the jail time or even harsher punishment you might get during sentencing would be worth the meeting though.”

For a moment, I considered that I might actually go through with committing a crime if it meant that I’d meet the King. I could explain the Bloodletter situation while standing trial if that was the only way. But then again, if I were a criminal, I imagined the chances of him believing anything I had to say were a lot lower. And who knew how long I’d have to sit in jail before seeing him?

“Of course,” Commander Eldrich continued, “you could marry into royalty, get hired as a squire, or something of that nature to gain access to the King, but I don’t see that happening—at least not anytime soon. But that’s really the—” The Commander stopped mid-sentence, raised an eyebrow, and held up his index finger. “Oh, the King actually does honor anyone who becomes an Arena champion in Highcastle’s name, so if you ever managed to win a championship, you’d get to meet him. By the way, there’s a big show at the Arena today. Everyone will be there. In fact, the King himself will be watching.”

“Okay, wait a minute,” I said. “If someone becomes an Arena champion, they can meet the King?”

“Of course,” the commander affirmed. “It’s a great honor to achieve, and King Rutherford will meet with you directly to congratulate you. Of course, becoming a champion is no easy task. You’d have to earn a shot and beat the current champion to do so.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Commander. You’re given us some valuable information.” I held out my hand for a shake.

The commander reached out and grabbed my hand while scrunching up his nose. “I have?”

“Yeah.” After a quick shake, I pointed my thumb to Ozzy. “You’ve already met Aaron, but this is our guild mate, Ozzy.”

Ozzy grinned and put two fingers to his head in some sort of salute.

“Nice to meet you, Ozzy. And how can I forget the Sizzler over there? I do hope to redeem myself in a game of Pig with you someday.”

“I look forward to the challenge,” Aaron said cockily.

“Anyway, we’ve got to get going.” I turned, nodded at my guild mates, and threw a quick wave back to the commander.

“Where are you three headed in such a rush?” he asked.

“We’re headed for the Arena,” I answered without turning around.

“Hell yeah,” Aaron hissed low.

“Oh! Well, have fun, Gunnar! And remember to stop by the barracks sometime! You still owe me the story of how you acquired the Fellblade!”

NPCs had great memories, apparently.

“I haven’t forgotten, and I will!”

Chapter Nine

1/26/0001

“I hope there’s seats left,” Aaron said. “We should’ve just went straight to the Arena to see the show rather than messing around trying to visit the King and all that.”

“It all makes perfect sense,” I said, ignoring Aaron’s comments as we paced furiously away from the castle.

“What does?” Aaron asked.

“Do you remember what I told you the first day we stepped in Edgewood?”

Aaron bit his bottom lip and hummed. “That you want to find a castle somewhere or build one?”

“No… I mean, yeah. I did say that. But that’s not what I mean. I told you that I was going to make a name for myself in Eden’s Gate. All I wanted was to do was find my girlfriend, and according to Dr. Winston, that’s how I was going to do it.”

“Oh yeah,” Aaron said. “You were obsessed with finding some girl when we first met.”

“You have a girlfriend?” Ozzy asked.

My stomach felt uneasy at the question. Other than a few weak moments when I was in the Sands, Rachel had barely entered my mind as of late.

To be fair, before entering Eden’s Gate, Rachel was all I had, so she was always on my mind. I had no close friends, and talking to other girls was mostly a foreign concept to me. I had no real direction in my life, and it felt like I was waking up every morning just to go to work and pay my bills to repeat the same thing over and over again. The time I spent with Rachel was the only thing I had to look forward to back on Earth.

In Eden’s Gate, I had a great group of close friends, and people actually saw me for who I was. It didn’t matter if women were into me or not, but just the fact that girls like Rina, Keysia and Adeelee associated with me based on my character rather than my job or the car I drove made me feel like more of a man. And I had a clear reason to wake up every morning—to take care of my guild, to level up, to build a better life than the amazing one I was already living.

Fuck, I thought. Even after all the shit I’ve been through in the Sands, I’m having an amazing time.

“I had a girlfriend…” I said to Ozzy, “…before I came here.”

Had a girlfriend… I repeated in my head. I wasn’t hung up on Rachel the way I was before, and if we were to ever meet again, would she even care for the person that I had become? I wasn’t the same shy, stiff, guy that she dated back on Earth, and surely, she wasn’t the same girl either. Would I even care for whoever she was now?

Truth was, there still was no guarantee that Rachel was even in the game. Maybe that was a big reason why I had started to move on.

But even with all my rationalizing, I still wanted to find her if it were possible. She had meant a lot to me back on Earth, so if she were in the game, I wanted to know that she was doing okay, even if we didn’t end up back together. And what better way to make a name for myself then to become a champion?

“Inside the Arena entrance is a plaque with the names of all the top-ranked Arena fighters,” I explained. “It lists their name and the location that they’re fighting from. If I can get my name on that list, it would show in all the Arenas across the world. And if Rachel saw my name on that list, it might lead her to me.”

“Wait,” Aaron said. “You don’t want to see the show? You want to compete?”

“I’m not sure yet.” I rattled my head. “I mean, yeah, I do, if I can. I don’t know. But I want to get my name put on that list.”

“Well, that is about the most literal way of ‘making a name for yourself’ I can think of,” Aaron said.

“And,” I added, “if I become a champion, I get to meet the King. That’ll give me a chance to tell him about the Bloodletter’s plans and possibly sway him into taking action.”

Aaron made a snapping noise with his lips. “I thought we came here just to get the location of some reagents. You have a great way of overcomplicating everything.” He shrugged. “But hey, bro.” He quickly dropped his shoulders and held a fist out to me. “If you think you can do it, you know we support you.”

I chuckled and bumped my fist against his. “Speaking of reagents, you know what else I told you that day in Edgewood?”

“What?”

“That I’d climb Dragon’s Crest someday. If we go over there to find mushrooms, I might have to give it a try.”

Ozzy cleared his throat. “I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but might I remind you that you’re not even level 20 yet?”

I sighed and glanced at Ozzy out of the corner of my eye. “Someday.”

When we returned to the Arena, there were still people scurrying about and people ducking behind the building, but the line at the entrance had thinned out. There were thirty or so people still in line, but it was moving quickly.

We queued up at the tail of the line, and the same trumpet sounds that we heard earlier started blaring. When they quieted, a man stepped out of the entrance and yelled. “Ten minutes before the big show! Ten minutes!” A few stragglers gathered behind us with kebabs in their hands.

“So you’re fighting?” Ozzy asked. “Do you know even know what you’re getting into?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” I said, “but I was told that they aren’t death matches, and you win money if you win. If they’ll let me fight, there isn’t much to lose.”

“Win money, huh?” Ozzy placed his finger on his chin as if he were thinking.

Aaron shook his head and smiled to himself.

I nodded to Ozzy and looked at Aaron. “What are you grinning about?”

“It’s just—” He held his arms out and turned his head all around him. “—all this… I remember working on the Arena concept with Dr. Winston for a bit. It’s something he really wanted to make sure was in the game, so we programmed in a few different designs. We also programmed the idea of Arena combat into the AI, and look.” He waved a hand at the people queued up in front of us. “It all came together better than I could have ever imagined. Sometimes I see things like this, and I can’t believe we’re in a digitally created world.”

I smiled. “It is still hard to believe.”

We passed through the Arena doors, and the line veered to a left where the burly, bearded man I met when I first visited was standing behind a desk. A woman with chocolate skin and a nearly bald, buzzed haircut stood beside him. She wore a full set of brown and tan leather armor with a sword draped at her side, and as each person in line handed her 100 gold, she quickly handed them a white paper ticket. The burly man was leaning over, scribbling on a parchment, and glancing up periodically.

“100 gold,” the woman said, the second I reached the front of the line.

“How can I join the battle?” I asked. “Am I too late?”

The woman scanned over me. “Boris.”

“Yep?” the burly man said without looking up.

“He wants to fight.”

Boris looked up to me and sat his pen down. “Ah, I remember you.” He waved his hand violently to the left. “Step aside so the line can continue moving.”

Aaron, Ozzy, and I moved left, and the woman went back to work collecting money from everyone else in line.

“What day do you want to fight?” the man asked.

I shrugged a shoulder. “Today if it’s not too late.”

“Ugh,” the man groaned and started shaking his head. “I could put you on the list to fight, but we need an even number of fighters in each tier to fill a show. Unless someone else shows up in the next three to four minutes to fight, I’m afraid you wouldn’t have an opponent.”

“We could put him against a beast,” the woman said as she collected money from the next person in line.

“We don’t have enough preparation for that,” the man argued. “We’d need more time and we’d have to—”

“I can fight too,” Ozzy said. “You get money, right?”

The man nodded. “If you win.”

“How much?” Ozzy asked.

“Well,” the man explained, “it depends on how much you win and what tier you’re fighting in. Fighters who win a lot and fight in higher tiers draw more of a crowd. Since you’re an unknown fighter with no record and in the lowest tier, you’d get the minimum of 500 gold for a win.”

“That’s not bad,” I said.

Ozzy rubbed his chin. “And it’s not a death match?”

“We do our best to prevent any deaths,” the man said. “And we heal you of any injuries you receive once your fight is over.”

Ozzy looked at me out of the corner of my eye. “Well, then, yeah. Sign me up.”

“Wait. Does that mean we’d have to fight each other?” I turned to Ozzy. “I don’t want to fight a guild mate.”

“Hmm,” the burly man said. He leaned over the desk and picked up the paper he was working on. “We can shuffle the arrangement around so that you won’t have to fight each other today, but just keep in mind that you’d eventually have to fight each other if you both win and continue winning.”

I smiled and nodded. “Understood.”

“Alright then,” the man said. “Your name?” He sat the paper on the desk and pick up his feathered pen.

“Gunnar Long,” I said.

“And you’re from?” the man asked.

“Edgewood.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Edgewood?”

“Yeah. We’re both from Edgewood.”

“Okayyyy…” The man shook his head in confusion. “Well, the closest Arena is in Highcastle anyway, so that would make you a Highcastle combatant. Do you have a title?”

“Arcane Blade,” I said.

The burly man nodded and whispered, “Arcane blade…” as he wrote.

“Arcane blade?” Aaron said. “You never mentioned you earned a title!”

“I figured you’d see next time you inspected me,” I explained.

“Inspect you?” Aaron asked, wrinkling his brow. “Why would I do that?”

“Congrats,” Ozzy said and patted me on the shoulder.

Boris looked up to Ozzy. “And your name?”

“Ozzy Caldwell.”

“Title?”

“None yet.”

The burly man finished scribbling on the paper then opened a drawer at the front of his desk. From the drawer, he pulled two red tickets that looked like the white tickets that the woman was handing to the attendees, except these tickets had small bell dangling from each one and a pattern on the front that looked much like an inscription rune. He handed Ozzy and I one each.

“Here you go, and good luck!” the man said jovially. “He pointed a finger towards the empty hall that was behind us. “You’ll head that way whenever it’s your turn, but you’re welcome to go enjoy the show before and after your fight. Your ticket will ring when it’s your turn, and you’ll have five minutes to make down the hall and check in. Got it?”

“Got it,” I said.

Ozzy nodded.

I reached for 100 gold and started in the direction where the rest of the attendees were headed.

When I attempted to give the woman my fare, she held out a hand to me. “If you’re fighting, the show is free.”

“Nice,” I said.

Ozzy grinned, and we both passed the woman without paying.

When Aaron tried to follow, the woman held her arm out to block him. “100 gold, sir.”

Aaron smirked and moaned, “Man…” as he reluctantly handed over his gold.

We continued down a curved path, which finally ended at a flight of stairs that led straight up, and as we climbed the stairs, I could hear the chatter of the massive gathering ahead of us.

When we reached the top of the stairs, my heart started thumping. Ahead of us was a massive, circular Arena, much like I imagined a gladiator Arena in Greek times would be. Rows and rows of bleacher-style wooden seats lined the circumference of the Arena, and there were thousands of people filling the seats. Where the lowest row of seats ended, the white inner wall of the Arena dropped down around ten or so feet and met with the flat, weathered dirt where the fighting took place.

The fighting grounds were roughly half the area of a football field, still large enough for a massive battle, but small enough that attendees had a good view of the show from any seat. There were scuffs, indentations, and a few suspicious dark spots on the ground—signs that fighting had recently took place there.

“Well, would you look at this,” Aaron cooed.

I swallowed hard and turned to Ozzy. His eyes were wide, and his face looked pale; he clearly was getting hit with the same overwhelming feeling as me.

We walked around the Arena, searching for seats for a minute or so until we found a spot between two robed men that was just big enough for the three of us to squeeze into. I judged nearly everyone in our seating area as citizens of Inner Highcastle or at least wealthy to some degree based on the nice gear they were wearing.

Behind the area of Arena furthest from entrance, tall, rocky mountains rose into the sky and on that side sat more of the poorer folk with raggedy Outer-Highcastle type wear and common linens.

“Look at that,” Aaron said and pointed in that direction.

Between the mountain and the outer edge of the Arena, there was a four-foot section where people were hoisting themselves over the wall somehow and landing inside of the Arena. One by one they were dropping in, then immediately running to find a seat.

I chuckled. “That must be how you get yourself in for 20 gold.”

“Must be,” Aaron said. He turned his head from side to side, looking at the occasional, light guards who were spaced periodically around the Arena. “It’s pretty obvious they’re sneaking in, but doesn’t look like anyone cares.”

A chubby, robed man who was sitting next to me snorted when he overheard our conversation. “All it takes is a few bribes.” He wrinkled his nose from side to side. “And if the poor folk weren’t allowed to sneak in, the Arena would be half empty most of the time. I suppose they’re tolerated because they add to the atmosphere.”

A trumpet was blown that turned my attention towards the center of the Arena, and when it was blown a second time, everyone in the Arena fell silent.

Standing in the middle of the fighting grounds was a middle-aged man wearing a pair of red tights, black pointy shoes, and a baggy black shirt that was cinched at the waist. A thin sword was draped at this side.

He rubbed his fingers over his black trimmed mustache and goatee then raised his hands. “Welcome everyone to the Arena!” Even without a microphone, his voice was clear and seemed to reverberate off of the Arena walls.

The crowd let out a deafening cheer that was so loud that Ozzy, Aaron and I all flinched and blinked at the intensity.

The cheer quickly quieted down, and the man lowered his hands as he continued to speak. “As you all probably know, today is a special day in which Highcastle’s top ranked fighters in each battle tier will be fighting.” The man paused and scanned all the onlookers. “But even more importantly, we have a special guest who will be watching the show us today.” He paused again, and this time you could cut the tension in the Arena with a knife. After several seconds of silence, the man turned and waved his hand to his left. “Please welcome the illustrious King Rutherford!”

Everyone in the Arena stood to their feet and turned to where the announcer indicated.

A small section of bleacher seating had been carved out into its own box area with thin walls on each side, and in the box was a throne flanked by two slightly smaller high-seated chairs. From behind the seating, a man in a rudimentary wooden wheelchair that was lined all over with black velvet padding and gold etching rolled out. The two wooden wheels on the chair were massive, and a man pushing the chair from behind held the back by each side as there were no handles attached.

The crowd’s cheer was deafening at the first sight of the King.

The King was of a hearty build and wore a long, blue silk robe with the Highcastle insignia sewn into the front. The neck, the sleeves, and bottom of the robe were all lined in a cream-colored fur. His white beard was long but thin and uneven, and sitting atop of the thinning hair on his head was a gold, six pointed crown that was tilted slightly to the side. His head sat back against the chair and drooped to his right a little, but his eyes stared forward. He showed no visible emotion.

At each side of the man were two women. To his left was a tall woman who stood with her shoulders straight and her mouth set in a firm line. Her hair was a mix of dark grey with streaks of white and was pulled into a bun at the top of her head. She waved her hand and eyed the crowd but, like the King, showed almost no emotion at all.

To the man’s right was a much younger girl who looked to be in her teens or early twenties, and the moment I saw her, she looked familiar. She wore a simple white dress that ended with see-through lace at the extremities. She had long, light brown hair that ended at the center of her back, and she seemed genuinely happy to be there as she smiled brightly and waved to the crowd.

I couldn’t put finger on where I had seen the girl before or if I was just imagining things, but she looked extremely familiar to me. Perhaps I had seen a portrait of her hanging up in a shop somewhere? I wasn’t sure. But she appeared to be a Princess, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had been painted and framed on someone’s wall.

The King’s helper pushed his wheelchair forward until it was placed awkwardly in front of the throne, then he moved up to the side of the King and offered him his hand. The King grabbed the man’s hand and slowly pulled himself up to a standing position.

The crowd’s cheers grew louder.

Even if the King were sick, he still had an air about him that screamed “King”. He pulled his shoulders back, puffed out his chest and raised his chin triumphantly at the crowd. He was tall, had signs of a formerly muscular frame, and I could see some resemblance of Jax, The Dark Hand, and Dryden Bloodletter, though he most resembled Dryden.

The King slowly raised his right hand, and the crowd immediately silenced. There was a long pause, where the three members of royalty just looked out to the people in the Arena, and the people seemed content to simply stare at them back.

“People of Highcastle!” the King said in a strong but raspy voice, “Freelanders! Thank you for—” The King suddenly slouched over and let out several loud, wheezing coughs, while pressing a fist to his chest and another to his mouth. The young woman to his right placed a balancing hand on the King’s shoulder and the King’s helper rushed up to his other side and grabbed on to him as well. For a moment, it looked like the King was going to lose balance and fall back into his wheelchair, but he finished coughing, slapped the helper’s hands away and stood back up straight. He pressed his chest out again, raised his chin and clenched his teeth. “Thank you for joining me in the Arena! May Highcastle prosper!”

“May Highcastle prosper!” the crowd shouted in unison.

As the King lowered himself back into his wheelchair and the two women sat patiently in their chairs on each side of him, the crowd continued to shout and cheer.

“He looks good,” I said to Aaron. “A few coughs, but not as bad as I thought.”

“Look at the front of his robe,” Aaron pointed out.

I squinted a little, at first not sure if Aaron was telling me to look at the insignia on his robe, but as I scanned over the insignia, I noticed that several inches below the King’s collar, his robe had turned a deep purple color, and upon further inspection, I could see hints of red on the sides of his hand.

“Blood?” I asked.

“That’s what it looks like,” Aaron said. “I think he’s sicker than he looks, maybe even sicker than he wants to admit.”

I sighed and made a silent prayer that Aaron was wrong. I needed time to get to the King, and even if the King wasn’t willing to listen to me, the longer he survived, the longer I could build up Edgewood’s defenses.

The man standing in the center of the fighting grounds raised his arms and clapped to silence the crowd. As everyone sat back down, I noticed the man suddenly had a few sheets of paper in one of his hands. When he had the full crowd’s full attention, he lowered his arms and looked down at the papers. “We have several battles for you today, and we’ll end the matches with the battles ranking highest in each tier.” The man lowered the paper he was looking at and took a few steps backwards. He raised the hand holding the paper into the air. “Mages please!”

Five men, spaced at even intervals in the front rows around the Arena stood to their feet. They all wore white cloth robes with thick red belts tied around their waist. The men placed their hands together and closed their eyes, and then in unison, they reached their hands out as if they were touching the air in front of them with their palms. A few seconds later, there was a humming, almost electrical sound, and the hands of each of the men started glowing.

“What the hell is going on?” Ozzy asked.

Aaron shrugged and shook his head.

“I have no idea,” I said.

In front of the men, a translucent energy appeared and grew darker and more visible as the men cast whatever spell they were casting. The energy from the men joined and created a domed shield that flowed all the way to the ground then shot up to the sky, arching over the fighting grounds.

The men lowered their hands, and the translucent dome seemed to turn transparent.

The announcer in the fighting grounds smiled and said, “A shield as usual, to protect the crowd from magic attacks. Please be on alert during the show, as non-magical weapons and items can pass freely through the barrier. The Arena will not hold any liability for accidents.”

“Smart,” Aaron said low.

“Now!” the announcer yelled. “For our first fight, we have a level 15 fighter with a win/loss record of 0 and 0. Please welcome the untitled, Sanistaine Morri!”

The crowd clapped unenthusiastically as a portion of the inner arena opened and a man stepped outside. The man was tall and lanky with two long, thin swords in each of his hands. He looked nervous as he made his way closer to the center of the Arena and swallowed hard when the door behind him shut. His armor was a typical set of plain, leather armor, but oddly, he was wearing a pair of red, cloth boots. I found the fact odd as most NPCs generally didn’t mismatch their gear so blatantly, and I immediately questioned if the guy was a Reborn.

“And the opponent, a level 16 fighter with a win/loss record of 0 and 2. Please welcome the untitled, Joshin Mosh!”

Again, the crowd clapped unenthusiastically as the wall opened on the other side, and another man stepped forward. The new fighter was much smaller, held a large hammer in his hand, and wore a set of chainmail armor. He seemed much less nervous than Sanistaine and strode confidently, holding his hammer high in the air.

Joshin glared at Sanistaine from across the Arena and Sanistaine just looked on anxiously.

The announcer glanced at Joshin. “Are you ready?”

Joshin nodded.

The announcer turned to Sanistaine. “Are you ready?”

Sanistaine curled his lips and nodded slightly.

The announcer looked forward, held a sideways palm up to his chin, and yelled, “Fight!” As soon as he said the word, he dipped his chin, and seemingly disappeared, leaving nothing but puff of fog where he was standing.

Joshin rush forward, grunting loudly as he held his hammer up high. Sanistaine stood his ground, and held both of his swords in front of him, nervously waiting for his attacker to approach.

When Joshin swung his hammer, Sanistaine easily parried, using his sword to simultaneously block and pull Joshin forward with his own velocity. Joshin stumbled forward, allowing Sanistaine easy access to his back. Sanistaine swung both swords across Joshin’s lower waist, and Joshin let out a cry.

Aaron chuckled. “This guy.”

Joshin rolled on the ground and picked himself up after the blow. His armor seemed to protect him from most of the attack, but Sanistaine hit him hard enough that he could feel it. He ran on wobbly feet towards Sanistaine and again swung his hammer slowly, allow Sanistaine plenty of time to us one blade to parry the blow, sway to the side, and drive the tip of his other sword deep into his side.

Joshin screamed.

Sanistaine pulled out his sword and leapt into a jumping spin, ending with him slamming his sword hard across the back of Joshin’s neck.

Sanistaine’s attack cut through the man’s chainmail and landed with enough force that it should have decapitated the man, but it didn’t. Instead, the sword was lodged in the back of man’s neck, and a second later there was a wave of energy that pulsated off of Joshin that forced Sanistaine backwards and dislodged the sword.

The crowd clapped and several people were nodding their heads in the amusement. They didn’t seem too impressed with the one-sided show, but were enjoying it nonetheless.

“That Joshin should give up,” the chubby man beside me said to his friend. “He makes an amazing peach cobbler, but he’ll never be cut out for fighting.”

Two women rushed onto the fighting grounds and towards Joshin. One of them stopped midway to raise a staff in the air and cast a healing spell on the fallen man. The women began bandaging him and pouring a potion down his throat as they lifted him to his feet and started walking him slowly out of the fighting area.

“That was fast,” Aaron said.

“He was outmatched,” Ozzy added. “He had better armor, but the other guy had more speed.”

“Do you think the guy with the two swords is a Reborn?” I asked.

Aaron raised his brow. “You noticed the shoes too, huh?”

“Hard not to notice,” I affirmed.

Aaron shrugged. “Could be a Reborn. But I’d need to see more to know for sure.”

Sanistaine held one of his swords up in the air and smiled to the crowd who continued to clap.

The announcer marched back out to the center of the Arena, looked at Sanistaine, and gave him a quick nod, signaling that he could leave. The announcer looked up the onlookers and smiled. “Well done, Sanistaine! A fast win but well earned! I believe we’ll be seeing more of him in the future.”

The bell on Ozzy’s ticket began to ring.

“Oh shit!” Ozzy said, pulling his ticket out of his pocket. “Already?” He looked at Aaron and me with wide eyes.

“Go get ‘em Oz,” I said.

Aaron punched Ozzy on the shoulder. “Make us proud, big guy.”

Ozzy gulped and stood to his feet before rushing off in the direction where we had entered.

The announcer stood patiently in the center of the Arena for a minute or two before lifting the paper in his hands. He announced a level 16 combatant with a record of 0 wins and 0 losses who had the title of “streetfighter”.

The streetfighter walked out wearing a pair of tight leather shorts, a leather vest, and a pair of sandals that were cinched tightly around his feet and ankles. He was tall and muscular, about the same height as Ozzy, but with a little less extra weight. His hands and wrist were wrapped in a tight cloth, and he banged his fists together as he strode into the gaze of the crowd.

“And we have another new combatant,” the announcer yelled. “At level 19 with 0 wins and 0 losses, please welcome the untitled, Ozzy Caldwell!”

“Level 19 and no fights?” the tubby guy beside me snorted to his friend. “I hope he’s doing it for the gold, because he’ll be pushed into the next tier in just a couple levels.”

The man made a good point that I hadn’t really put much thought into. If tier 1 was for anyone level 20 and under, Ozzy was only able to level one more time before being pushed into tier 2, and at level 18, and I was only going to be able to level twice more before getting kicked to the next tier. We had a great advantage by being at high end of the tier, but I wasn’t sure if I was willing to postpone leveling just for a ‘chance’ to win the championship and ‘chance’ to speak with the King. If I happened to surpass level 20 during normal play, I’d just have to work on gaining the championship for tier 2, which would likely be considerably more difficult.

Ozzy marched out onto the fighting grounds nervously. He had his shield in one hand and his hammer in the other, and while he wasn’t as uneasy as Sanistaine had been, I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t excited when he saw the size and muscle of his opponent.

The announcer looked at Ozzy. “Are you ready?”

Ozzy nodded.

Her turned to the streetfighter. “Are you ready?”

The streetfighter banged his bandaged fists together.

The announcer held his sideways palm up to this chin, yelled, “Fight!” and disappeared.

“Let’s go Ozzy!” Aaron yelled, causing several of the people in the stands to briefly turn their attention to us.

I felt nervous for Ozzy. He had a few levels on the streetfighter, but he still looked weaker in comparison to the guy overall, and Ozzy was a close guild mate. I didn’t want to see him lose or get hurt.

The streetfighter ran towards Ozzy, and as soon as he was in reaching distance, he jumped and threw a superman punch. Ozzy, ducked a little, held up his shield, and when the streetfighter’s knuckles landed onto the shield, there was a loud clang that rang all through the arena.

The streetfighter immediately leaned back and dropped to the ground, performing a quick sweep to the legs before Ozzy had time to react. Oz fell sideways to the ground awkwardly, and held up his shield in an attempt to block any incoming blows.

Instead of throwing blows, the streetfighter grabbed the edges of Ozzy’s shield and started yanking back with all his might. Ozzy held on as best he could, but with a hammer in his other hand, his one handed grip was no comparison for the streetfighter’s two, and within seconds, the streetfighter had managed to pry the shield from his grasp and flung it away.

“Shit!” Aaron cursed.

The streetfighter jumped on top of Ozzy and started throwing fists after fist at his face.

I shook my head, thinking the fight was going to end as quickly as the first. The fists of the streetfighter landed hard and you could hear the force of them landing on Ozzy’s face.

Ozzy held up his hand to try to block as many of the blows as possible, but most of them were getting through. Suddenly Ozzy’s hand managed to grab hold of the man’s vest, and Ozzy pulled as hard as he could to get the man closer to him, making it harder for him to land his vicious punches.

The streetfighter continued throwing blows to the side of the Ozzy’s head, but Ozzy suddenly loosened his grip on the man’s vest, causing him to lean back a little, and then Ozzy pulled again, hard, and simultaneously lifted his head up, clanging it against the streetfighters forehead.

“Hell yeah!” I shouted.

When Ozzy’s headbutted the streetfighter, the man raised both hands to his head, and Ozzy took the moment to grab the handle of his hammer with both hands and swing it at the man.

The blow was sloppy but managed to nick the man’s shoulder and smash into his jaw, right under the ear. He flopped to the side and started groaning.

Ozzy was still a bit dazed from all the punches that he took, so he rose to his feet slowly. When he was in a standing position, he wobbled a few times before lifting his hammer high in the air.

The streetfighter just continued to groan on the ground and held on to his broken jaw as Ozzy raised his hammer high into the sky, and hammered it down directly on the man’s face.

I flinched as the hammer made impact, expecting brains to be splattered everywhere, but instead, there was the sound of bones crushing, and then a second later the sound of a seismic energy that pushed Ozzy back and lifted his hammer off of the other fighter.

Ozzy stumbled back a little bit from the energy and fell flat on his butt, and the streetfighter lay on the ground with his face half smashed in. I could see his chest heaving up and down, so he was clearly still alive, but he wasn’t moving otherwise.

The crowd clapped, and I could hear a few of them cheer and shout at the show.

The medical team rushed onto the fighting grounds and one of the girls cast a healing spell while the other was pouring a potion down the man’s throat, quickly reviving him into a more conscious state.

As the announcer walked back onto the fighting grounds, Ozzy turned around, and his nose was dripping blood. His eye was swollen, his lip was busted, and when he smiled, his teeth were blood red. He walked over to grab his shield, then clanked his hammer against his shield as the crowd continued with its clapping.

“Wow!” the announcer said loudly. “What an amazing turn of events!” He nodded to Ozzy and waved his hand to the entrance that he had come from, signaling that he could leave. “It can only get better after that!”

After Ozzy was gone, and the streetfighter had been escorted away, the announcer announced the next fight. It was tier one fight between two untitled fighters. I was barely paying attention as I was anxious for Ozzy’s return.

Shortly after the new fighters entered the Arena—a man wearing plate armor and carrying a flail versus a woman with a bow on her back and a couple of daggers strapped to her side—Ozzy found his way back to his seat. He was fully healed with no sign that he had ever been in a fight.

Aaron and I both stood up to congratulate him, and fist bumps and bro hugs ensued.

“That was sick, my man,” Aaron said.

“Great job,” I added.

Ozzy shook his head. “I thought he had me before I managed to grab his vest. I literally had 15% health left, and headbutting him knocked another 5% off my health off.”

We all sat back down in our seats.

“Great fighting,” a man sitting beside Ozzy said.

Ozzy smiled. “Thanks.” He turned back to us and pulled out a sack of gold. “Got my reward as well.”

“Nice,” I said. I smirked and tilted my head to the side. “What happened when you slammed your hammer down on the guy. What was that energy? I don’t understand how the guy survived.”

Ozzy smiled. “You’ll see.”

“Yo! Great fight!” a voice said loudly.

The three of us turned at the voice, and I immediately jumped to me feet and grabbed the hilt of my sword when I saw who it was.

“Wait, wait!” Jeremy—the thief who had attacked Edgewood—said. He turned his head back and forth to all the Arena attendees. “You don’t want to get yourself in trouble here, do you?”

I turned and noticed that one of the guards was looking right at me, waiting for me to make the wrong move, and I immediately let go of the hilt of my sword.

“What are you doing here?!” I pointed my finger at the guy. “You know you’re not welcome—“

“I’m not welcome in Edgewood is what you told me,” the guy said. “Highcastle is a public place.”

“What do you want?!” I snapped, my anger getting the best of me.

“I told you what I want already. I want to join your guild.”

I shook my head once. “Fuck off before I kill you again.”

Jeremy shrugged and rolled his eyes. “You’re going to kill me here in Highcastle?” He held up his index finger and tilted it back and forth. “I don’t think so.”

“Yo, just leave us alone…” Aaron said. “If you attacked our village, why the hell would we want anything to do with you?”

“Because I’m a Re—“ Jeremy stopped and grinned devilishly. “You know. I’m the same as you two.” He looked to Ozzy. “And I think you’re the same as well.”

“Don’t cause us any more drama,” I said. “If you’re here to watch the show, just go find another seat.”

“It wasn’t random that I found this seat, obviously,” the thief clarified. “I followed you here because I wanted a chance to talk to you without worrying about you butchering me.”

“We’ve said what we need to say,” I hissed.

“Excuse me,” one of the onlookers said, holding a hand out to me. “Will you please sit down? You’re blocking the view.”

I turned back to the show to see the guy wearing plate chasing the girl with the bow around the Arena. She ran ahead, stopping to shoot an arrow, then started running again to gain more ground on the man. I glanced back to Jeremy, huffed, and lowered myself into my seat.

“Look,” Jeremy said. “Whatever I need to do to make it up to you, I’ll do it. I one hundred percent realize that I made a mistake, and I won’t do it again. I’m a good guy, I swear.”

I looked to Ozzy and Aaron and they both just shrugged.

“Your name is Jeremy, right?” I asked.

The man nodded.

“Where are you from?” I continued.

“Miami, represent!” He leaned back in his seat and made some sort of gang-like symbols with his fingers. “Whaaaaaat?!”

Ozzy creased his eyebrows. “Miami? Southern Florida went underwater several years ago.”

The man chuckled. “Yeah, but I mean Miami, Arizona. Small town but lots of character.”

I rolled my eyes. “And you’ve been here in the...uhhh…” I turned my head to the people around me. “You’ve only been in Eden’s Gate for a week?”

“About,” he answered.

“So you can still get in to the game?” I asked.

“Yeah, if you can get your hands on a headset,” he replied.

I suddenly felt a lot more interested in what Jeremy had to say. “Do you know anything about a blackout?”

Jeremy laughed. “They said that the blackout was a success, but most people knew that was bullshit. A simple packet sniffer can tell that the same blockchain that was running on Release Day is still in operation. Most people believed it, but most people are idiots.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. It had been a while since I thought about what was happening on Earth, but knowing that there wasn’t an active effort to destroy my new world—at least as far as Jeremy knew—made me feel a bit more comfortable.

“So,” Jeremy said and held his hands up to his side. “Let’s link up. Put me on your squad. That little village you’re building is awesome, by the way.”

“The village that you attacked?” I snarled.

Jeremy sighed and slouched his shoulders. “Look, man. You guys are the first non-NPCs that I’ve run into, and you seem pretty cool to boot. I would’ve never gone the route I did if I knew you guys were like me.”

I shook my head. I wanted to believe Jeremy. He actually didn’t seem like too much of a bad guy, and in some ways he reminded me of Aaron. He came across as sincere, but how could we trust him? And how could I invite some guy to our guild, that we really didn’t know, who had attacked our guild and killed some of its members, just because he was a Reborn?

“Jeremy,” I said. “I’m sure you’re a cool dude, but after what you pulled, there’s no way we can have you in the guild. How could anyone in my guild trust you after what you did?”

“Dude…” Jeremy moaned.

The bell on my ticket started ringing, and I turned back towards the fighting grounds to see the man wearing plate laying on the ground with numerous arrows sticking out of his body and smoke rising from a couple charred patches on the ground. The archer who had defeated him was celebrating by pumping her bow in the air.

I grabbed my ticket out of my pocket and looked at Ozzy and Aaron. “That’s me, I guess.”

“Go get ‘em, Gunnar,” Aaron said.

Ozzy held his fist out towards me and I quickly bumped mine against his.

I looked to Jeremy one last time before I walked away. “Sorry.”

Chapter Ten

1/26/0001

“Good luck!” Boris at the front desk of the Arena said to me as I passed him and started down the opposite hallway. The woman who had been with him before was no longer there.

“Thanks,” I said nervously.

The hall was somewhat dark, being lit only by the light that was seeping into it from the Arena entrance, but as I followed its curved path, it opened up to a torch lit room.

Inside the room was a tall, dark-skinned man with a white bandana around his head. His arms were massive—so big that with his arms crossed, it looked like he was cradling two giant cantaloupes. Several other people were scattered about the room—all who appeared to be combatants of some sort. Most notably was a Krazir, a cat person like the tailor I met in Knuckle Bay, who was sitting on a bale of hay, rubbing a dagger against a rough stone. He wore full, dark-grey leather garb with a leather hood pulled over his head. Others were slamming their weapons against a wooden training dummies that were leaning against the wall, and some just seemed to be sitting or standing around.

I had no idea what to do, so I just held my ticket up in my hand, letting everyone hear its ring.

“Over here,” the tall man with the bandana said.

When I approached the man, he immediately grabbed the ticket out of my hand and pulled the bell off its edge so that it stopped ringing. He handed the ticket back to me, and looked me up and down. “First time?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“I’m Castille, the Arena warden.”

He held out his hand to shake with me, and I was surprised. It wasn’t often that NPCs initiated shaking hands. But, then I thought—if Aaron had taught Adeelee and Keysia slang, wouldn’t it be logical that NPCs would learn behaviors from Reborns, such as shaking hands? Surely, some Reborns had passed as they entered the competition at some point already.

“I just want to make sure you understand the rules before you enter the Arena.” He turned his head to the side and raised his chin towards a brown-robed man who was leaning against the wall.

The robed man had frazzled blond hair that stood up straight and sloped back from his forehead. He moved from the wall, closed his eyes, and held his hands together for a moment. After a few seconds, I felt something that was like a gust of air slamming into my chest and heard a thump in my ears. It didn’t hurt, but it caused me to take a step back and raise a defensive hand.

Below my status bars an icon of a red heart appeared, and inside the heart was white lettering that said ‘1HP’. When I focused on the icon, a message about the status was shown.

Last Breath: When taking a fatal blow, you will instead be left with 1HP, and any bleeding, poison or other damage-over-time affects will be temporarily halted. If you take additional damage without healing after Last Breath is activated, the damage will be fatal. Spell duration: 1 hour. Source: Mikhel Stronglight

“The spell that he just cast on you will prevent you from dying in battle, and your opponent has the same spell,” Castille explained. “In the event that you see or feel the spell being activated—and you’ll know when that is—you’ll also know you’ve won the match, and any continued attacks will be considered a crime. Do you understand?”

I nodded. The strange energies that I witnessed at the end of the first two shows fights now made sense.

“Potions, buffs, and alcohol are allowed, but drugs are illegal during battle. Are you under the influence of any drugs?” Castille asked.

“No,” I said and shook my head. I wondered why alcohol was legal and why anyone would consider fighting after drinking. Didn’t sound like a good idea.

“Great.” Castille clapped his hands and pointed further into the room. “Continue down the hall until you reach door three. Enter the fighting area as soon as your door is open.”

I did as I was told and walked by all the fighters that were in the room and entered the hall. The Krazir looked up at me threw a devilishly sharp grin as a passed.

The far hall was much the same as the initial hall—dark, and only lit by the light that seeped in from the adjacent room, but there was still just enough light that I could see a number on each door that I passed—one, and then two, and finally three.

On the right side of the hall and on the opposite side of door three was what looked like a large cell or cage with tall metal bars that rose to the ceiling. It was empty, save for a large pile of hay on the floor and a pool of liquid that was in the corner, but it was big enough to house something large.

The smell of something musty hung in the air.

I stood in front of the door and pulled my falchion from its sheath, readying myself for the fight, and quickly cast Divine Zeal to give myself a 10% critical hit chance. My jaw was tense from the anxiety of the unknown. I had no idea who I was fighting, what level the guy would be, or what kind of skills they’d have. And if I was taken down during my first battle in the Arena—boy that would be embarrassing.

The door in front of me suddenly started sliding open, and the light from outside stung my eyes at it pierced the dark.

A prompt window appeared in front of me.

Arena Quest: Tier 1 Battle

Wins: 0, Losses: 0

Defeat your opponent to collect your reward.

Reward: Minimum of 500 gold, 3000 XP

Do you accept this quest?

Accept/Decline

I grinned as I accepted the quest.

“With 0 wins and 0 losses, please welcome the level 18 Arcane Blade, Gunnar Long!” the announcer shouted.

I swallowed, stepped out into the fighting area, and immediately felt small. The Arena looked even bigger from down there, and having thousands of eyes all looking at me at the same time made me feel overwhelmed.

People were giving their weakest version of a clap as I walked closer to the announcer, but I could hear a couple voices in the stands shouting over the sounds.

“Kick some ass, Gunnar!” Aaron yelled.

“Gunnar! Gunnar!” Ozzy cheered.

I turned my head in the direction of their shouts and saw my boys in the crowd, standing up and pumping their fists. I smiled and gave them a head nod. Though I still felt nervous, their support did make me feel a little bit better.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the box where the King and the two women sat. Both the King and the lady I assumed was the Queen both looked down to me but still had no expression on their faces, but the young woman had stood to her feet and was leaning over the railing and squinting as if she were trying to get a better look at something. I looked behind me, trying to determine if she was looking at me, but there was nothing there.

Regardless, seeing the King reminded me of why I was there. I couldn’t think of a way that I was going to meet with the King that day, but if I could beat my opponent and one day claim a championship, maybe I’d get my chance. The Arena was giving me an opportunity to protect my guild, protect Edgewood, and stop Dryden from wreaking havoc.

A door on the other side of the Arena slid open.

“And with a record of 2 wins and 0 losses, please welcome back the untitled, level 16 Lumberjack, Ivar Kromstad!”

Lumberjack? I wondered what kind of skills the guy had to have achieved to get that title? I figured it had something to with axe skills, woodcutting, and strength.

Out from the door stepped a pale, tall man with brown leather pants and a sleeveless vest that showed off the muscles in his arms. He had long red hair that was shaved at the sides, a short red bead, and a braided mustache that extended far below the beard. His long, angular face reminded me of a dwarf, but he had the body of a human—a well-built human.

In his hand was a thick axe with a handle that was almost as long as his body. He raised his axe to the crowd and growled as he stepped further into the Arena, and while most of the claps were weak, there were at least a handful of people who were standing and cheering for the guy.

He lowered the axe, turned to me, and gave me cockiest grin he could give. He didn’t seem at all intimidated.

The announcer looked at me and raised an eyebrow. “Are you ready?”

I swallowed one last time and nodded.

He turned to Ivar. “Are you ready?”

Ivar smiled, rolled his shoulders, and darted his tongue between his teeth. “Aye! I’m ready.”

My stomach turned a little. I knew I had a couple levels on the guy, but the last time someone was that eager to duel me, I ended up getting my skull crushed and spending a couple of hours in the void. In fact, the only organized duel I had ever been a part of was with Garrik in Edgewood, so I pretty much had a 100% losing record.

The announcer held his hand up to his chin. “Fight!”

As soon as the announcer teleported away, Ivar raised his axe and ran at me screaming.

I knew immediately that length of the man’s axe was going to be my biggest challenge. It was at least twice the length of my falchion, and measuring its distance to block with my sword would be incredibly difficult. I’d either need to defeat him with magic, or I’d need to get a good dodge and counterattack to close the gap.

Arcane Missile, I thought and held my palm out to the running man.

I aimed for his center, thinking that he would have trouble dodging, but he saw the attack coming, swayed left and managed to avoid the blast altogether. The missile continued across the Arena before it hit the invisible magic wall that was shielding the crowd. The invisible wall sparkled and flickered a moment while it absorbed the impact.

Whoosh, the man’s axe sounded as he swung it for my chest, and I jumped backwards, barely missing the blow.

I pivoted and started running to my right, trying to keep my distance while holding my palm out and shooting Arcane Missiles towards Ivar’s legs.

Ivar continued chasing, raising his knees high in the air and at just the right moment each time I fired a missile, a manic smile across his face.

Whoosh came the axe again, and this time I leaned backwards and held up my sword, trying to intercept the nearly unavoidable attack, but the power of the axe simply knocked my sword sideways and nearly out of my hands.

I reached out a clumsy palm to try casting a Fireblast at Ivar, but his boot came faster and landed right in my gut. I dipped forward, grabbing my stomach, and before I could focus away from the stabbing pain the boot had caused, Ivar lifted the handle of his axe and uppercut me with the wooden end of it, sending me flying backwards and to the ground.

My sword tumbled away from me.

I tasted blood on my lips and groaned as I looked up to the sky. In the corner of my vision, I saw that I had lost 20% of my health. I tilted my head to the side and saw my sword was a few feet away, and then looked up to see Ivar step closer to me and raise his axe above his head for a killing blow.

Ivar was fast enough to dodge my Arcane Missiles, so I quickly jolted out both hands and used a tactic that I first perfected in the Sands. An Arcane Missile shot out of my left hand while a Fireblast shot out of the right, and I saw Ivar’s eyelids open wide when he saw both blasts rushing towards him at the same time. I aimed both attacks for the outer edges of Ivar’s body to make it as hard as possible for him to dodge.

The momentum of his axe swinging down didn’t help his chances as he swayed to his right, seemingly trying to avoid the Arcane Missile but putting his chest in almost direct alignment of the Fireblast.

When the Fireblast connected with his body, he jolted back and fell to a knee as the axe slammed down into the ground a few inches away from me.

I scurried backwards, jumped to my feet, and ran for my sword.

As soon as I had my sword in my hand, I turned to Ivar and squared up in front of him. He was still one knee, but he was eyeing me and didn’t appear very hurt.

“Your damn magics!” he spat.

I held out a hand and shot another Fireblast at Ivar, thinking that he would have trouble dodging it while on his knee, but he rolled out of the way, and quickly stood up with defiance on his face. He raised a fist in the air, and a ball of green energy formed in his hand, then a pulse of light emanated from his body for a flicker of a second.

He knows some sort of magic too? I thought. Damn.

Ivar continued walking towards me, and with each step he took forward, I took a step back. I shot another Fireblast at him, but this time he made no effort at dodging, and the blast connected directly with his shoulder. His shoulder flinched backwards at the attack, but his body glowed green and there was no evidence of damage. I shot an Arcane Missile at him, and again, there was a brief glow of green, he flinched, but just continued forward.

Some sort of shield?

Ivar broke into a charge.

My heart pounded as the lumberjack ran in my direction, but I held my breath and raised my sword out in front of me. Focus, I said to myself. Focus.

Ivar’s axe swings weren’t the fastest attacks I had ever dodged, but he was pretty quick at dodging himself and had fast hand-to-hand skills that were making it difficult for me to get close enough to counterattack after a dodge. But maybe the long handle of his axe, which was his biggest advantage, was also his biggest disadvantage. If I could step into the attack during one of his axe swings, the momentum of his axe would force him to follow through on the swing, and I’d basically just be hit with the handle.

I focused on Ivar’s movements as he closed in on me and swung his axe again. As soon as the weight of his blade started towards my waist, I rushed forward and lunged the tip of my sword at his chest.

The handle of his blade smacked against my lower ribs just as the tip of my sword penetrated his chest. Ivar let out a loud cry.

The momentum of his axe carried us into a half spin, and we both almost lost balance as we stumbled away from each other.

Ivar looked down and put a hand over the deep wound in his chest, and I knew I couldn’t pussyfoot around. I jumped forward, just as Ivar was looking back up and connected a hard slash across his chest, ripping the leather of his vest completely in two. As he tried pulling his axe into a defensive position, I ducked down and swiped my sword across his waist.

Ivar dropped his axe, fell to his hands and knees, and with his head down, he held a fist high. A green ball of energy was starting to form around his hand again.

Whether it was a healing spell he was casting or another shield, I didn’t know. I wasn’t going to let him have time to finish whatever he was doing. With both hands, I swung my sword at his arm with all my might.

You have reached level 11 in Swords!

When the blade severed Ivar’s hand, I heard an audible “Ohhhh!” from the surrounding crowd. In fact, I had been so focused on fighting Ivar, that up until then, I had had temporarily forgotten I was fighting in front of so many people.

Ivar’s hand rolled on to the ground, and the green magic that had started to form inside of it dissipated. Ivar screamed and grabbed at his arm as blood poured out.

“Finish him!” someone from the stands shouted. Then I heard another person and another. “Finish him!”

Ivar was undoubtedly in pain, and for a moment I hesitated. He had clearly lost the fight and didn’t need to be killed. But, then I remembered that we both had the Last Breath spell, and postponing the battle any longer would just cause him more discomfort.

I spun around ‘til I was behind Ivar, raised my sword high in the air, and slammed it hard into his spine. Ivar screamed again, and just as I was dislodging my sword, I felt and saw a clearish force of energy push me backward and dislodge the sword on its own.

Ivar fell flat to the ground, but the blood pouring out of his arm stopped.

You have completed all requirements for the quest: Tier 1 Battle! Return the spoils to the Arena warden to collect your reward.

The crowd clapped, but Aaron, Ozzy, and a couple other people I didn’t recognize were on their feet cheering. I felt a sense of self-pride like nothing I had ever felt before. It may have been my first fight at the Arena, but that fight skyrocketed my confidence, and sowed a seed that made me not only want to want to fight in the Arena to meet the King, but made me want to fight simply because I wanted that feeling of accomplishment again.

As the pair of healers rushed out into the fighting grounds to attend to Ivar, my eyes panned over to the box where the King was sitting. He was clapping lightly along with the older woman and the pretty young lady who was with him.

I’ll meet you soon, King Rutherford. I thought to myself. One day, I will be a champion.

Chapter Eleven

1/26/0001

“Great fight,” Castille said as he handed me a sack of gold.

You have completed the quest: Tier 1 Battle!

You have gained 3000 XP

“Thanks,” I replied and tilted my head to the side a little. “You saw the fight from in here?”

“Indeed,” he replied. Castille turned around and slid a small panel of the wall behind him that gave a clear view out into the fighting grounds. “We can watch the battles from here.”

I smiled and nodded. “Well, thanks. I’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”

Castille nodded. “Hurry back.”

As I started out of room, the Krazir whom I saw previously was leaning near the exit. “Hurry back,” the Krazir repeated with a hiss and raised the side of his mouth to show his sharp fangs.

I wasn’t sure why the cat person was trying to intimidate me or if intimidation was even his intention; maybe he was naturally intimidating just because he was a cat man with sharp teeth. I gave him a closed-mouth smile and continued on.

Burly Boris at the front desk congratulated me as I passed, and a few people in the stands said “Great fight,” and similar comments as I made my way back to Aaron and Ozzy. As soon as the pair saw me, they shot up out of their seats.

“Dude! That was awesome!” Aaron said and slapped me on the shoulder.

“Two wins for Unity today!” Ozzy added and held a fist out my way.

“Thanks guys,” I said and completed the fist bump. I looked at the seats behind the two. “That guy is gone?”

They both nodded as we lowered ourselves into our seats.

“He stuck around a while and kept trying to convince us to sway you to let him into the guild,” Aaron explained, “but he eventually gave up and left.”

“Good,” I snorted.

Aaron shrugged. “Maybe we should just let him join.”

I raised an eyebrow to him.

“We need to get our numbers up, right? The more Re…” Aaron glanced from side to side. “Ahem… The more people like us we can recruit, the better. The fact that we can respawn gives us a huge ad—“

“Dude,” I interrupted. “How do we know he’s not just trying to get in our guild to steal from us again or attack us when we’re sleeping?”

Aaron snapped his lips. “I don’t think so. I think he’s just a dumb kid who fucked up. You were kind of dumb when I first met you, you know?”

“Oh, fuck you, asshat. Who was the one running around in orc armor—“

“Fur armor,” Aaron corrected.

“Well, whatever. You got your ass handed to you a couple times for that.” I rattled my head. “But that’s beyond the point. What if he decides to ‘fuck up’ more?”

Aaron shrugged. “I dunno…”

“What do you think, Ozzy?” I asked.

Ozzy took a deep breath. “I see both sides. He’s a risk, but I feel there’s some good in him.”

“You didn’t get killed like some of the others,” I said pointedly. I lifted my elbow in the air and placed two fingers on it. “And he didn’t chop your arm off either.”

Ozzy sighed. “Well, you’re the guild leader. I trust your decision making.”

“Hey, look!” Aaron shouted and pointed out into the fighting grounds. “It’s Kronos’ twin.”

A stocky dwarf walked out into the center of the Arena, holding a spear that was three times his size and a shield that could almost cover his entire body. He had blond hair, a fat nose, and thick tangled beard that fell down to his belly. Other than being a dwarf, I didn’t see much resemblance to Kronos.

Still, I was surprised to see another dwarf in Highcastle.

We ended our discussion on that note and watched as the dwarf won his battle against another tier 1 combatant, and there was another tier 1 fight after that—two humans who mostly relied on sword fighting.

As the loser of the last fight was carried out of the Arena, the announcer appeared as usual. “Now, it’s time for our final tier 1 fight of the evening before moving on to tier 2 and tier 3!” He cleared his voice and slowed his speech. “Please give a round of applause for Highcastle’s highest ranking tier 1 combatant and Eden’s Gate’s next champion, the level 20 Dark Assassin, with a record of 23 wins and 0 losses, Meijir Rashtini!”

“23 wins…” I whispered. With a record like that, I felt I had a long way to go before I’d ever achieve a top rank, much less become a champion. I perked up in my seat to get a better look at the strongest competition that was on offer.

Out onto the fighting grounds stepped the very Krazir who had shown me his teeth before and after my fight. Around his waist was a belt with two straight daggers tucked inside. He held two fists in the air and bowed his head as he found his position.

Nearly the whole Arena stood to their feet at Meijir’s entrance, and several people were shouting his name.

“He’s really is going to be Highcastle’s next champion—I tell you,” the tubby man sitting beside me said to his friend as they both applauded. The cat man was clearly a fan favorite.

“And welcome the contender, with a record of 7 wins and 0 losses, the level 20 Warrior, Rudy O’Conner!”

A Dark Assassin and a Warrior... I wondered what prerequisites were required to obtain those titles.

The warrior stepped out in front of the crowd confidently, holding a broadsword in each of his hands. His hair was a layer of stubble that covered his head, lips and his chin, and he was of an average height and build. He had a thick-plated chestpiece, and the rest of his armor seemed to be some sort of studded leather. Several people in the Arena stood and cheered for the man, but after seeing the reception for the Krazir, his seemed unimpressive.

Rudy swung his swords in circles and smiled cockily as he waited for the announcer’s cue.

“Are you ready?” the announcer asked Rudy before turning to the Krazir and asking the same. Once he got his second confirmation, he disappeared, and the fight began.

Rudy held both of his broadswords up high as he rushed for the Krazir, but the assassin stood perfectly still, not even bothering to grab his blades.

“What’s this guy doing?” Ozzy questioned.

When Rudy closed in on the erect figure, he swung one of his swords down, but Meijir kept his feet planted, leaned his body to the right, and narrowly missed the blow. Rudy’s swung his alternate sword at Meijir’s head, but Meijir ducked at just the right time, avoiding yet another attack.

Rudy pulled his swords to a parallel position and viciously swung them up from the ground in a diagonal slice that seemed like it would be impossible for the crouching Krazir to block, but Meijir sprung up and back right before the blade made contact, performing an acrobatic flip in the air.

At the height of Meijir’s backflip, he thrust each of his arms out in front of him, and two projectiles that looked like black throwing stars with a trail of equally black energy sped from his hands. The two strange stars struck into Rudy’s chestpiece, and Rudy yelped on impact.

Meijir landed on his feet and skidded backwards several inches, kicking up a cloud of dust behind him.

“Holy shit,” Aaron said.

Black energy rose from the throwing stars that were wedged in Rudy’s chest, and he grunted as he dropped one of his swords and pulled at the one closest to the center of his frame. He threw the star on the ground, and a second later, the star faded away. When he yanked the other star out of his chest, there was visible, liquid metal pouring down his chestpiece, and the area where the star had been lodged was a few centimeters wider than the actual star. Apparently, the star had somehow melted part of his chestpiece and likely caused a significant amount of damage underneath.

When he tossed the second star on the ground, it quickly disappeared, and there were holes in the fingertips of his gloves where he had touched the stars.

Rudy gritted his teeth through the pain, leaned over and snatched his fallen sword.

Meijir simply stood still.

You could feel the tension escalating in the Arena as Rudy started pacing in a wide circle around Meijir with a look of rage in his eyes.

Once again, Rudy started running towards Meijir, but this time he shouted, leaped into the air halfway through the run, raised his swords as high as possible, and slammed them forward at the ground where he landed.

Dirt sprayed from the ground and rocketed towards Meijir in a thin, single line that seemed too fast for him to dodge.

But Meijir did.

It was as if Meijir became a blur of dark color as he somehow transported himself a mere foot or two left of the attack. His feet and arms didn’t seem to move; it was as if his body just shifted to the new location.

“What the?!” I stood from my seat and blinked my eyes before looking down at Aaron. “Did you see that?”

Aaron nodded.

Someone behind me touched me on the back, and I turned to see a robed man with yellow belt around his waist. “It’s called Shadowstep. It’s an extraordinary dark magic spell.” He cleared his voice. “Now if you’d please have a seat. You’re blocking my view.”

I scratched my shoulder and nodded. “Yeah, sorry.”

As I sat back down in my seat and turned my attention back to the show, Rudy was holding both his broadswords out to his side and was growling fiercely at the sky. The veins on his neck looked like they were about to burst, and his muscles were flexed so hard that you could see them pressing through his armor.

Sweat starting pouring down Rudy’s face, and the moment he stopped growling, he looked like a man possessed with rage. His eyes were wide, his skin was reddened, his nostrils were flared, and his chest heaved with heavy breaths.

He charged towards Meijir, moving almost twice the speed that he had before and kicking up dust with each step he took. When he closed in on Meijir, he leapt forward and scissored his swords towards Meijir with such a power that sparks flew in the air as the two blades rubbed together.

Meijir ducked the scissoring swords, again at just the right moment, pulled a dagger from his belt and slammed it into Rudy’s thigh. Meijir quickly pivoted so that he rolled out from under the sword and was almost behind his target when he rose back to a standing position and slammed a backhanded dagger into the center of Rudy’s spine.

Rudy yelped out and bucked his back at the attack right before Meijir twirled in place and landed a roundhouse right against the dagger that he had just planted in Rudy’s back. The warrior flew forward several feet and dropped his swords as he slid on his face.

Meijir watched patiently as Rudy groaned weakly and somehow managed to push himself up to his hands and knees, but just as Rudy lifted a foot and planted it on the ground, Meijir spun in a three-sixty to his right and released two of his black, energy-laden stars, then repeated the same attacked by performing a three-sixty to his left.

Each time a star slammed into Rudy’s back, he cried out and inched a bit closer to the ground, until he was barely holding his head off the dirt.

Meijir sprinted towards Rudy, leapt over him, and at the peak of his jump, threw two more stars down hard into Rudy’s back, causing him to fall flat on the ground. A wave of energy pulsed out of him and dissipated the magical stars.

Meijir stuck his landing, and the entire Arena leapt out of their seats.

“Wow…” Aaron said, his jaw hanging wide.

I swallowed hard as the three of us stood up to join in on the applause and watched as Meijir bowed in every direction. A few people started cheering, “Champion! Champion!” and I saw couple people throw confetti and ribbons out into the fighting grounds.

I felt deflated after watching Meijir beat Rudy. The Dark Assassins’ skills were far greater than my own. Sure, he was a couple levels higher than me, but even if I were up to level up to 20, how would I defeat someone with that kind of dexterity and speed? And he was just the top-ranked competitor in Highcastle. Even if I figured out a way to beat him, I’d have to take down the champion—who’d likely be tougher than Meijir—if I were ever going to meet the King.

As the announcer pranced back into the center of the Arena, I tapped Aaron with my backhand and leaned my head towards the exit. “C’mon, let’s go.”

Aaron’s wrinkled his eyebrows. “Why? What for?”

“The tier 2 and tier 3 fights are up next,” Ozzy cried.

“We’ve wasted enough time in Highcastle,” I explained. “We need to go train before it gets too late.”

Aaron snapped his lips as he stood to his feet. “Damnit, I was just starting to have fun.”

Ozzy reluctantly stood up. “I kind of want to stay, but Betsy is my ride. I really need to get my own mount soon.”

I slapped Ozzy on the shoulder. “Once the stable is built, feel free to take some money from the treasury for one if you don’t have enough.”

Ozzy raised a brow. “Really? I’m almost there actually.”

I nodded. “Of course. I know you were contributing to the village when I was away.”

Ozzy smiled, nodded and suddenly seemed a bit more upbeat about leaving.

As we navigated through the stands and headed out of the Arena doors, I started thinking of a good place where the boys and I could go grind or if there was a bulletin board in Highcastle where we could get quests. In truth, I wanted to watch the rest of the fights as much as Ozzy and Aaron did, but after seeing Meijir, I knew I had to get to grinding. I needed better gear, better weapons, stat gains, new spells—something. In fact, I was beginning to think that I wasn’t in a position where I’d get strong enough to defeat Meijir before hitting level 21 and being forced in a new tier of combatants. Maybe I needed to forget the whole idea of competing in the arena and figure out another way to meet the King.

“Gunnar! Sizzler!” a voice yelled when we were several meters from the Arena. When I turned, Commander Eldrich was jogging from the Arena entrance and towards us.

“Commander?” I asked, surprise in my voice.

“Great fight, Gunnar.” He turned to Ozzy. “You had a great fight as well, Ozzy. I was surprised to see you both had signed up to fight so shortly after we spoke.”

“You watched us fight?” I queried.

“Of course,” he said. “Any show that the King attends is obviously going to be something special.”

I grinned and nodded. “Well, thanks.”

“You’re fighting for gold?” the commander asked.

I raised a shoulder. “The gold is nice, but like I told you before, I was looking to meet the King.”

“To become a champion?” Captain Eldrich questioned.

“Yeah.” I shook my head and swallowed. “But ugh… After seeing Meijir fight, I don’t think I can beat him.”

The captain huffed and nodded. “That’s true. You won’t beat Meijir at your current skill level.”

I sighed, feeling even more deflated hearing the confirmation from someone of higher importance.

“But that doesn’t mean you should give up,” the commander continued. “With some assistance, maybe one day you could actually do well against him.”

“Assistance?” I asked.

The commander nodded. “If you have a moment, can you join me in the barracks? Your friends as well.”

I scoffed and tossed up a dismissive palm. “I’ll tell you about the Fellblade some other time. We’re really need to go train.”

“It’s not about the Fellblade,” the commander explained. “I have a proposition that may interest you. It should only take a few moments.”

I glanced at Aaron and Ozzy who both looked back at me with curious eyes. I nodded towards the commander and slightly shrugged. “Well, alright, I suppose. I guess we can have a look.”

Chapter Twelve

1/26/0001

We followed the street past the path that led to the King’s castle and past the numerous shops and buildings ‘til we were met with a wide stone, single-story building that jutted out of the face of the mountain. The building was plain and unmarked with two ragged, wooden doors on its face.

“Over there,” the commander said, pointing to the right-hand door as we approached, “is where the Highcastle army organizes and trains. He stepped up to the door on the left, pushed it open, and waved a hand to signal us inside. “And over here, is the Fighter’s Guild.”

“The Fighter’s Guild?” I questions as I stepped inside the room.

The inside of the room was square and plain. The walls were unmarked, but there were numerous weapon racks lining the walls, and on the far side were four wooden training dummies. On the right of the far wall was a long bench for seating and closer to the entrance was an empty table, capable of seating four.

There was a leather-garbed man swinging a sword against one of the training dummies and one other guy on the far bench, leaning over catching his breath. They both glanced at us when we entered, but just as quickly minded their own business.

“We call it the Fighter’s Guild, but it’s really a faction. The Fighter’s Guild of Highcastle!” he said confidently. “Here, we help train citizens who wish to become stronger, to learn fighting abilities they may not learn on their own.”

“Fighting abilities?” I asked. “What do you mean? Like swords versus blunt weapons?” I didn’t understand what he could teach me exactly. It seemed that I could learn how to use any specific weapon just by picking it up and using it.

The commander rubbed his chin. “Yeah sure. But, more specifically—skills.” He reached up and rubbed his nose as if he felt something on it. “You all know the difference between combat spells and other fighting skills right?”

Ozzy shrugged and Aaron grinned like he knew something but wasn’t about to say it.

“Spells are magic?” I said.

The commander smiled and quickly pointed his finger towards me. “That’s correct, but more precisely, spells usually drain your mana and fighting skills usually drain your stamina. There are exceptions, of course, and even some skills that will drain both at the same time, but that’s how things generally work.” He tilted his head to the side and looked at us curiously. “Didn’t your mother and father teach you these basics as children?”

“Papa was a Rolling Stone,” Aaron clucked cockily.

I shoved Aaron with my elbow and threw him a harsh glare. “Combat and magic are somewhat new to us, I suppose.”

The commander looked curiously at Aaron and rattled his head, dismissing him. “Well, okay. So, you know fighting skills that don’t require mana, correct?”

“Ughh…” I groaned. “…backstab?”

The commander smiled. “Of course. One of the first fighting skills that most people learn. Anything else?”

“I know this!” Ozzy cooed. He took a hard step forward and threw his Intimidating Shout towards the commander.

The commander’s brow furrowed, and he immediately stepped forward, grabbed Ozzy by the throat, and slammed him against the wall.

“Holy shit!” Aaron squawked.

“Hey!” I shouted, and my heart jumped.

The commander quickly let go of Ozzy and shook his head as if he had been dazed. “I asked what spells you had, not to use them on me.” He pulled his shoulders back and cracked his back. “Be careful with that ability. It’s difficult to resist.”

“Sorry,” Ozzy said, rubbing his neck where he been grabbed. “I didn’t realize it would affect you.”

“Yeah,” the commander groaned. “Anyway, we can help you hone your fighting abilities and gradually teach you new skills.”

“Skills like?” Ozzy asked.

The commander rubbed his chin. “You saw the fight with Rudy and Meijir, right? When Rudy was shouting towards the sky, he was activating the non-magic buff called Rage. It gives you a power boost but also drains your stamina while in use.”

“Non-magic skills don’t require scrolls right?” I questioned.

“Right,” the commanded confirmed.

“So, then what’s stopping me from just replicating what I saw Rudy do?”

“Well,” the commander explained, “you could very well replicate any fighting skill you see, but it might take you some time before you actually activate it and are able to use it. The more difficult the skill, the more time you’d have to train. And that’s even if you know the skill exists. We can accelerate your growth through guided training and maybe teach you some things you’ve never seen before.”

“Sounds great,” Ozzy said.

The commander smiled. “And that’s why I’m inviting you to join the Fighter’s Guild.” He focused his attention on me. “If you train with the Fighter’s Faction, you may one day be able to defeat Meijir.”

You’ve received an alliance invitation from the faction:

The Fighter’s Guild of Highcastle

Aligning with a faction can give faction specific perks and open hidden quests that are unavailable to non-faction members. Once you are a member of a faction, negative action against that faction can result in harsh consequences.

You can side with as many factions as you want, but be careful of who you align with. If you align with two separate factions that enter a war or have conflicting goals, you may find yourself in a difficult situation!

Do you wish to align with this faction?

Accept/Decline

“It’s free to join?” I asked. “No catch?”

The commander took a deep breath. “I didn’t say that. Members who join the Fighter’s Guild of Highcastle must pledge allegiance to Highcastle. You won’t be a part of the army in any way and have no obligation to fight our battles, but you must oath that you’ll always do what’s in Highcastle’s best interest and never purposely harm a Highcastle or Freelander citizen. There are quests that we’ll give you to complete, but the more tasks you complete for us, the more skills we’ll teach you.”

“Can you leave the faction?” Ozzy asked.

The commander nodded. “Yes, of course. You can leave the faction at any time you wish, but your oath to Highcastle will remain forever.”

“Pledge a lifetime oath?” I snorted, thinking of the conflict that might arise if I were aligned with the Vale and also had some sort of lifetime oath with Highcastle. If something ever broke out between the elves and the Highcastle, having any kind of oath might lead to issues. “That sounds a bit extreme just to learn some fighting skills.”

“Not just fighting skills,” the commander corrected. “While we mostly teach fighting skills, we can help you gain certain special traits—dual wielding, which increases your ability to uses two weapons at once, for example—and if you have magic, there’s also a fighting methods that require both fighting and magic that we can help you learn here.” He turned around to the man that was sitting on the bench. “Halen!”

The man looked up. “Commander?”’

“Can you demonstrate to these men your specialty fighting skill?”

The man smirked before standing up, revealing his thick, padded leather armor, and an array of daggers that were lined all across his belt. “Yes, sure.” He raised an eyebrow. “Now?”

“Yes, please.”

Halen sighed and turned towards the combat dummies that were across the room. He took a deep breath and tossed his fingers in a downward motion as if he were loosening them, and in an impressive act of speed, pulled his sword from its sheath, flung it forward, then rapidly grabbed three daggers with one hand and flung those forward as well.

The sword landed in the chest of furthest training dummy on the right, and each of the three training dummies on the right received a dagger to their phony foreheads.

The man who was swinging his sword at the training dummy on the left, jumped and stumbled back in surprise when the weapons landed.

It was a remarkable feat, but I wasn’t truly impressed until the man held his hand out, and the sword and all the daggers suddenly flew across the room in reverse, right back into the man’s hands. He caught each one and rapidly holstered them in their place.

The man turned. “More?”

The commander smiled. “No, that’s enough.” He turned back to us. “Halen is quite skilled in telekinesis and has learned to utilize that magic to dramatically improve his abilities with blades.”

“Damn…” I said low.

“So, what do you think?” the commander asked. “Joining the faction could help push you closer to being a champion one day.”

“Oh, please…” a voice said from behind us. I turned to see an old, bald man with noticeably large ears standing near the door. He was wearing a cream-colored robe with a tightly-cinched red belt around his waist. “Why bother with these stone-aged weapons—” He stepped forward and flipped his palm out towards something behind us. When I glanced behind me, Halen had frozen solid, and a grey color was quickly rising from his feet and up towards his head. Within seconds, he looked like a solid stone statue. “—when you can simply defeat your enemies with a flick of your wrist?”

“Darion!” the commander yelled. “What are you doing?!”

“I just thought I’d show your friends what’s possible with real magic.” Darion waved his hand towards Halen, and the grey started to dissolve.

A few seconds later, Halen was back to normal and rattling his head, trying to figure out what had happened. He snapped his head up towards Darion, realized he had been the attacker, and quickly grabbed three daggers and lunged them at the mage.

The daggers flew directly for Darion’s head, and we all ducked in unison to avoid taking an inadvertent hit. Darion simply raised his hands as the daggers grew closer and their trajectory swayed upwards and flew far above head and landed in the wall behind him.

When Halen reached for another set of daggers, Halen raised his palm again, and a blue, translucent, wall energy appeared right in front of Halen and stretched the entirety of the room, separating both Halen and the other guy who had been training with the dummy from us.

Halen slammed his dagger on the wall and the other guy, realizing that he had been caught up in the trap, ran up to the energy wall and pressed his hands on it.

“Stop it Darion!” the commander ordered.

“As I was saying,” Darion cooed, ignoring the commander’s request. “Why bother joining the Fighter’s Guild when you have a much greater potential deep inside of you?” Darion took a step closer to me and squinted his eyes a little. “I saw that you’re already skilled in fire magic and arcane.” He turned his head to the side and sniffed the air. “And I’m sensing a very undeveloped ability with divine magic and mentalism as well?” He turned back to me and shook his head. “What potential… what potential.”

“What are you doing here, Darion?” the commander asked.

Darion held his hands out to his side. “The same thing you’re doing here, Bryce. I’m—“

“Commander Eldrich,” the commander corrected.

Darion rolled his eyes. “Commander Bryce Eldrich… The Mage’s Guild is always looking for new potential, and this man—” He turned to me. “—could be just that.”

I turned back towards the energy wall that was dividing the room to see the two men still struggling to find a way through. It looked like they were banging on the wall, but no sound was coming from the other side. I had to admit that Darion’s show was quite impressive, and that was saying a lot after Halen’s interesting swordplay.

“Get rid of the wall, and quit humiliating them,” the commander said, leaning his head towards the pair.

Darion raised his hand again, and the wall disappeared.

Halen and the other guy looked pissed, and they both started forward with weapons in their hands.

“Stand down,” the commander ordered, and the men stopped in their tracks. “Back to what you’re doing and ignore this mage.”

Halen and the other man both snarled but quickly turned and headed back towards the training dummies.

“Your name?” Darion asked me.

“Gunnar,” I said.

“If you join the Mage’s Faction, you’ll have access to purchasing a library of spells that would be difficult to find otherwise in Eden’s Gate.” He smirked. “We’ll help you train your magic ‘til you’re a powerful mage who’s wearing a belt the same as mine.”

You’ve received an alliance invitation from the faction:

The Mage’s Guild

Aligning with a faction can give faction specific perks and open hidden quests that are unavailable to non-faction members. Once you are a member of a faction, negative action against that faction can result in harsh consequences.

You can side with as many factions as you want, but be careful of who you align with. If you align with two separate factions that enter a war or have conflicting goals, you may find yourself in a difficult situation!

Do you wish to align with this faction?

Accept/Decline

I looked down towards his belt. “The belt is magic?”

Darion snickered. “No, but it signifies your power and status. A novice mage in the faction is given a green belt, a proficient mage wears yellow, and only master mages can wear red. If you see a mage wearing a red belt, then rest assured he can turn any fighter—” He flicked his wrist out towards the room. “—to dust.”

“You’re overly confident, Darion,” the commander said. “Magic is powerful, but a master fighter can stand toe-to-toe with the best mages.”

Darion took a deep breath. “We can agree to disagree about that.” Once again he honed in on me. “And you’re not required to sell your soul to Highcastle in order to join the Mage’s Faction.”

I perked up. “No commitments? Sounds too good to be true.”

Darion shook his head. “I didn’t say no commitment. By joining the Mage’s Faction, you agree that you’ll only use your magic for good and honest reasons. For example, you can’t use your magic to manipulate a merchant to sell you goods for a lower price, or paralyze a woman to have your way with her. No necromancy, no witchcraft, no blood magic, no dark magic, and no senseless harm and killing of people who don’t deserve it.”

“But you just turned that dude to stone,” Ozzy said.

Darion snorted. “He wasn’t harmed. It was all in good fun and for good purpose.” He held up a finger. “And one other thing: We don’t allow members of the Mage’s Faction to compete in the Arena. We don’t want to have our organization represented in a light that promotes mindless violence. Members are welcome to attend the gathering, and we do assist with shielding attendees from magic attacks, but no participation in the actual fights.” He turned to the commander. “Besides the fact that our power would be quite the problem for most competitors.”

The commander straightened his shoulders, raised his chin, and took a deep breath. “Most.”

I lowered my head and gave a slight nod. The offer that Darion placed on the table was quite enticing, and the fact that I didn’t have to swear an oath to Highcastle to join was a great bonus. But, I had just joined the Arena, and while I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to beat Meijir, I still had aspirations to get my name on the list of champions. If I couldn’t do it in tier 1, I would try in tier 2 or tier 3 if I felt that I had the chance. Not to mention, vowing to use magic only for ‘good’ was a pretty broad commitment that I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to make at such an early level.

“I appreciate the offer,” I said. I looked up to Darion and then turned to the commander. “Both of you.” I shook my head slowly. “But I’m not ready for the vows either of you require.”

You’ve declined an alliance with the faction: The Fighter’s Guild of Highcastle

You’ve declined an alliance with the faction: The Mage’s Guild

Darion sighed. “Okay, then. I’m sure you’ll realize the value you’re missing out on at some point. You know where the Mage’s Hall is located, right? Quite close to the Arena.”

I nodded.

“I wish you luck until then, Gunnar.” Darion looked up to Bryce. “And nice to see you, commander. Send my best wishes to the King next time you’re in his company.”

“I will,” the commander said with a nod.

Darion turned and exited the barracks.

“Hey, uhh… I’d like join the Fighter’s Faction,” Ozzy said.

“Oh?” The commander perked up. “Well, we’d love to have you, Ozzy.”

Ozzy turned to me as if he were looking for some sort of assurance that he was making a good call. I was torn a little at the idea of Ozzy joining the Fighter’s Guild due to the oath that he’d have to swear to Highcastle, but unlike me, he wasn’t already aligned with the elves of Mist Vale. It was a slight conflict of interest to have him in another faction, but we also had dark elves in our group and other members who were part of no faction at all.

After some thought, it felt like a good risk for Ozzy to take. He had yet to learn any magic branches, so having some guidance to learning more fighting skills was great. Since fighting skills could be replicated, there was also the possibility that he could teach members of the guild any skills he learned if they happened to fit their kit.

I gave Ozzy a slight nod.

Ozzy turned back to the commander. “Yeah, definitely. It sounds like a good fit for me.”

“Great,” the commander said. “Return to the barracks tomorrow morning, and we’ll swear you in and get your training started.” He looked at Aaron and me. “If either of you decide the Fighter’s Faction is a fit, then just return to the barracks.”

Aaron nodded and simultaneously smirked as if the idea of him joining the Fighter’s Guild was completely ridiculous.

“Thanks again, commander,” I repeated. “We’re going to go train before it gets too late.”

The commander gave a slight nod and bumped his fist against his chestpiece. “Take care Gunnar, Ozzy, Sizzler.”

Chapter Thirteen

1/26/0001

“Behind you, Aaron!” I shouted.

Aaron yanked his spear out of the dead animal’s corpse and spun around just in time for a pair of long, sharp antlers to thrust at his legs and lift him up towards the sky.

“Shit!” Aaron shouted as he slammed his spear down into the animal’s back and was thrown into a forward flip over its body.

The animal—something that was labeled a “drope” when I inspected it, was something between a deer and an antelope. Its body was a lean, muscular tan with a thick, white and black speckled stripe down its back. Two long, straight antlers topped its head.

I reached my hand out, sending an Arcane Missile at the drope as it stumbled from the spear, and Aaron flopped on the ground hard.

When the Arcane Missile struck the drope on its flank, it was pushed sideways and tumbled to the ground. It kicked its hooves out in an attempt to stand, but before it could find its footing, Ozzy ran to its side and slammed his hammer hard against its neck, killing it instantly.

You have gained 400 XP!

“Shit,” I cursed as I sheathed my sword, leaned over and caught my breath. “That was intense.”

After leaving Highcastle, we had headed back towards Edgewood but tried to avoid the roads—taking a scenic route in an attempt to find MOBs to grind. We randomly stumbled across a pack of the twenty or so dropes who were all leaning over to drink out of a muddy puddle of water that had formed in the plains. The levels of the dropes ranged anywhere from level 8 to level 15, so it seemed like a good opportunity for us to grind a little XP without getting into anything too deep.

Luckily, the dropes were also fairly stupid, so when we pulled one drope, only four or five of them joined the fight at a time, while the rest of them kept their attention on the watering hole. Keeping Aaron alive through it all was the hardest part, but after four pulls, there were twenty or so animal bodies littering the ground, and we were all exhausted.

“You okay, Aaron?” I asked.

Aaron breathed hard as he lay on the ground with his arms spread wide. He didn’t answer for a few seconds but finally blurted out, “Level 9, bitches.”

I chuckled. “Congratulations, man.”

“Congrats dude,” Ozzy said.

I looked up at all the corpses surrounding around us. “One of us has to learn skinning. That XP was good, but we’re missing out on a lot of potential loot here.”

Aaron lifted himself off the ground and started brushing the grass off his body. “I’ve got enough to deal with. You guys can learn skinning or whatever.”

Ozzy grabbed one of the drope bodies by the antler and pulled its head up to get a closer look at its face. “I’ll see if Jax can teach me some skinning whenever I get the chance. It does seem like a lot that’s going to waste.”

I sighed and looked up to clouds. There was very little light left in the sky. “Let’s head back, yeah? Not our most productive day, but at least we got a few things done.”

* * *

When we pulled Betsy up to Edgewood Village, the night had fallen, and there was already a campfire lit in the center clearance between all the buildings. Rina and Jax were both sitting in front of the fire, and near Aaron’s home a large area of land had been cleared of trees. A massive pile of wood sat to the side of Aaron’s shop.

“Holy cow,” Aaron said loudly as we stopped. He hopped off the horse. “You sure put in work, didn’t you?”

“Yep! Chopping trees all day,” Jax said.

“I can’t believe you did so much in a day,” Aaron awed.

“I’m a Forester,” Jax explained. “I hate killing the forest’s beauties, but I can’t say I’m bad at it.”

Ozzy and I both joined Aaron on the ground, and Aaron started tying Betsy off to a tree.

The door to the shop opened, and Gerard stepped outside carrying a handful of pelts and potions. “Oh, hey guys! Welcome back!” He tilted his head towards the new building. “Just moving things over like you told me, Gunnar.”

I turned and could see that the finishing touches had been completed on the new building.

“Gunnar!” Jax called.

“Yeah?”

Jax reached out and tossed a key towards me. “For the new building,” he explained. “Gerard has the other.”

I had the inclination to look inside the new building, but given that the outside was identical to the older building beside it, I didn’t think there’d be too much difference. Instead, I just moved to sit in front of the fire. “Let us know if you need any help, Gerard,” I said as he struggled to open the new building’s door with both his hands full.

“No worries! I’ve got everything!” he called. He fumbled with the handle a few seconds, but eventually pulled the door open and slipped inside.

“How’d everything go?” Jax asked. “Did you find the reagents?”

I scoffed as I pulled up a seat beside Jax. “Well, things didn’t go exactly as planned. We got the reagent locations, but we ended up spending most of our time at the Arena.”

“The Arena?” Jax pulled his head back and raised an eyebrow. “I thought we weren’t going to be wasting our time?”

“Gunnar and I both fought in the Arena,” Ozzy said as he sat down in front of the fire with the rest of us.

“What?” Jax seemed surprised. “You both competed at the Highcastle Arena?”

“Yeah,” I explained. “And both of us won. I found out that the King meets with anyone who earns a championship in Highcastle’s name, so I figured it was good opportunity.”

Jax tilted his head. “Opportunity for what?”

“Stopping the Bloodletters,” I said. “If I can meet with the King, maybe I can explain everything to him. Maybe I can get him to put a stop to Dryden before he goes after Highcastle and the rest of us.”

Jax looked down and shook his head. “Some of the best fighters in Eden’s Gate compete in the Arena. You’re…” Jax sighed and snapped his lips. “Your forgetting that we just need to get stronger, take out the Dark Hand, and worry about Dryden later.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” I explained, “but if there’s a chance that we could increase our survival odds by getting the King involved, why not take that chance?”

“And you said you won, right?” Keysia said suddenly, pulling a seat up beside Ozzy. Her tone was as supportive as possible.

Ozzy slapped his hand on the log he was sitting on. “You should’ve seen Gunnar. He absolutely destroyed this guy who was way bigger than him. Dude looked like a viking.”

Keysia smiled wide and gazed at me with sparkling eyes. “Really? I wish I could’ve see it.”

“‘Destroyed’ isn’t the word I’d have used. The guy was a couple levels lower than me actually, but I did win the fight.” I pointed a finger to Ozzy. “Big guy’s match was much more one-sided.”

“So you’re just going to focus on getting a championship?” Jax asked. “I suppose you’ll be fighting in the Arena daily until then?”

“No.” I shook my head. “The top ranked fighter in our tier is too good, too fast. I don’t know if it’s possible for me to beat him, but right now he’s out of my league.” I reached down to the ground, picked up a small rock and tossed it in the campfire, causing speckles of smoldering ash to float into the sky. “Tomorrow, I’ll head to Nestle Rock to look for treasure on my map and Bloodmoss. I’ll still compete in the Arena, I guess—the gold and XP for winning is good. But, I’ll need to find better loot and get some skill gains if I ever want to stand a chance at a championship, even if I have to wait ‘til tier 2.”

Jax nodded. “At least you’re being level-headed about it.”

Aaron cleared his voice loudly as he joined the circle on a solitary log. “Don’t try to drag me on your dumb-ass treasure hunt tomorrow either. I admit, today wasn’t too bad, but I need to get back to crafting, and I want to be around when the stable constructions starts.”

I snorted. “Don’t worry, Aaron. I think I had enough of the Sizzler for one day.”

Aaron snapped his lips. “Oh, please... How can anyone get enough of me? And you—” Aaron cut himself off with a pause, snapped his lips, and scanned us while a devilish grin formed across his face. “Oh yeah.” He reached his hand into his bag, pulled out his sack of joojak leaves, and shook it up and down in front of him. “I almost forgot I bought us a little treat.”

Rina’s eyes went wide. “Is that joojak?”

“So you’ve heard of it then?” Aaron asked.

Rina nodded. “I haven’t had it in many years—since before I was a captive of Dryden—but it grows on the other side of the Serpent Sea. It’s technically illegal in most cities over there, but it’s openly accepted in some parts.”

“So, it’s good?” Aaron asked anxiously.

“Worth its weight in gold to some,” Rina said.

Aaron turned his head to Jax and then Keysia. “And you two?”

“The forest guardians love it,” Jax said. He reached up and scratched the back of his head. “I can’t lie. I’ve partaken in a few sessions with the keemus.”

Ozzy started snickering. “You did drugs with those little furballs in Addenfall?”

Jax shrugged. “Some people would call it more of an herb.”

“Oh no,” I groaned. “Let’s not get into the herb vs flower vs—”

“Well, how do you use it?!” Aaron interrupted.

“There’s several ways,” Jax said. “I supposed the easiest way is…” He held out his hand to Aaron. “Just pass it over here.”

Aaron threw the sack of joojak to Jax, and Jax turned around, and picked up a large green leaf that had fallen to the forest floor. He placed the leaf on his lap, and pulled a handful of the joojak leaves from the bag. With both hands, she started crushing the joojak in his palms and allowed the resulting matter to fall onto the leaf. When it had all been crushed, he rolled the leaf up and pinched off the ends so that he had a long, bulging cylinder. When he held up the resulting roll, it reminded me of a fat green cigarette, so I knew the intention was to smoke it.

“Oh shit,” Aaron cooed, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips. “That’s dope as hell! Light it up, Jax! Light it up!”

Jax chuckled and leaned over to the campfire, but just as he was about to stick the end of it in the fire, he looked up at me. “Maybe we should have our fire mage do the honors?” He tossed the joojak roll to me.

“Arcane Blade,” I corrected. I looked down at the roll then held it up to my nose. I suspected it to smell bad, but it actually had a sweet, fruity smell.

“C’mon Gunnar!” Aaron said. “Hurry up.”

“Alright,” I groaned and held the end of the roll out with one hand and focused on casting Fireblast with the other. I had used Fireblast enough times to feel the fire swell in my hands a split second before releasing, so I just had to start the beginnings of Fireblast a couple times and release my focus to create enough heat to light the end of the roll.

The end of the joojak roll started glowing and released a sweet, smokey scent as it started to burn. After it was lit, I leaned over to hand it to Aaron.

Aaron swiped it out of my hands and grinned to the others before placing the roll in his mouth. He started puffing on the roll hard, pulled it out of his mouth, and blew a thick cloud of fruity smoke into the air.

“Whoa…” Aaron said. His face went blank and he blinked a few times. “Wow! You’ve got to try this!”

Aaron leaned over and held the roll out towards me.

I held out a refusing palm. “I don’t know about that stuff, man.” I thought back to my encounter with kroka, and just the thought of kroka made me want to summon Sora and rush to Highcastle to find the creepy guy with sharp teeth. Kroka had—with a doubt—saved my life in the Sands, but I wasn’t quite myself when I was on it, and the side effects afterwards were intense. If I were going to go on a treasure hunt the next day, trying joojak that night seemed like a bad idea.

Aaron coughed and rolled his eyes before pivoting and handing the joojak over to Jax.

Jax willingly accepted the roll, puffed it a few times, then passed it to Rina and Ozzy who also started smoking.

Ozzy held a hand up in front of his face and started turning it from side to side. “Whoa… This is amazing.” He leaned over and handed the roll to Keysia.

Keysia accepted the roll and looked at us all nervously. “This is my first time trying joojak… I’m a little nervous.”

“Oh, Keysia,” Rina said with the corniest, loving smile and glistening eyes on her face. “You’ll be fine, darling.”

Aaron started laughing a bit, but it sounded more like the croaks of a broken machine gun.

Keysia shrugged, puffed on the roll and immediately started coughing as she blew the smoke from her lungs. When she was finished coughing, her eyes went wide and she looked at each of us, one-by-one. “Wow!!” When her eyes stopped on me, she leaned over and thrust the joojak in my direction. “C’mon Gunnar. You have to try.”

I groaned. While I had taken the kroka when I was in a pinch, I still had the taboo of drugs from back on Earth lingering in my mind. Everything was telling me that the roll Keysia was holding out to me was going to eventually kill me or hurt me somehow. That’s what I had always been taught back home.

“C’mon, you little pussy,” Aaron said in a slightly slower speech than normal. “We’re fuckin’ Reborns in here, dude. It can’t kill you or anything.”

I remember him making that point before about kroka, but it was still as good of a point as any. At the very least, I didn’t have to worry about overdosing or dying from the joojak. Worst case was that I’d have a bad side effect or just wouldn’t like it.

“Fine, fine,” I said and took the joojak out of Keysia’s hands.

I put the roll up to my lips and inhaled, expecting the smoke to burn my lungs, but instead it just felt a thick, smooth cloud swell inside me. As I exhaled the smoke, I was overcome with the fruity taste, but felt a slight singeing sensation in my throat that immediately caused me to cough.

But no sooner than I coughed, the discomfort went away, and a sense of elation overcame me. A strange tingle etched up and down my spine, and when I moved my hands, it seemed as if I were moving faster than I actually intended. My eyelids felt heavy and my face felt numb—in a good way, somehow.

An icon appeared below my status bars, and I focused on it to get the details.

You are drug enhanced. Charisma +25, Wisdom +25, Intelligence -5. Movement Speed -20%. Meditation Speed +50%. Duration: 4 hours. Beware of negative side effects!

“Damn…” I said and handed the remaining bit of the roll back over to Aaron.

“How you feeling, Mr. Guildmaster?” Aaron asked as he grabbed the joojak.

“Like a champ…” I said slowly.

Ozzy stuck his finger out at me and croaked, “A grand champion…”

Everyone suddenly burst out into laughter. We must have all laughed for thirty seconds or longer, as each time it seemed like the laughter was about to die, a simple snicker and snort sent us all into laughing again.

The roll was passed around another two times, resetting the time on the effect each time, until the joojak was all burnt to ash.

“Man, Gunnar,” Aaron said. “I love you man. I’m really glad we met.”

Even in my inebriated state, I still felt a little jolted by Aaron’s comment. It was the only time I could remember another man telling me that he ‘loved’ me. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember any woman who ever told me that they loved me either. Outside of my family—who rarely said the word—love had been a somewhat distant thing in my life.

“Haha,” I said awkwardly and took a moment of pause. “You know what? I love you too, Aaron. You’re a little shit, but I love ya.”

Me saying the word love felt even weirder. But I was certain that I loved him. He was my good buddy, and strangely enough, I loved Jax as well. And maybe to a lesser degree, I loved Ozzy, Rina, Gerard and Keysia. I hadn’t had enough time to get as close to them as I had with Jax and Aaron, but I had one-hundred percent trust in them and knew that they would all put their lives on the line for me, and that meant a lot.

Yeah. I loved them. I couldn’t believe I was admitting it, but I did. Hell, even Rachel and I had never used that word together.

Rachel…

My mind floated away, and I was suddenly lost in my own thoughts. My stomach did a flip-flop as I remembered meeting her for the first time and how incredibly into her I was. I remembered our first kiss. And then I remembered our kiss under the waterfall.

Wait, I thought. That wasn’t Rachel. That was Adeelee. Wasn’t it?

My mind shifted gears.

I missed Adeelee. I missed her stupid pointy ears, her cute voice, and I missed the way her soft tits pressed into me when she gave me a hug goodbye. And damn, I could watch that ass walk away from me all day.

Wait a minute… Was it Adeelee I kissed? Or was it Rachel?

“Yo!” Aaron said loudly, snapping me out of my thoughts. “The first time I met Gunnar, he was such a dick. Do you remember that, Gunnar?”

“I wasn’t a dick,” I refuted.

“Yeah you were, bro,” Aaron insisted. “You basically told me to fuck off when I begged you for help.”

“What did you expect me to do?” I looked out to everyone else and pointed my finger at Aaron. “This guy. This guy,” I repeated. “He was sitting half-naked in an orc camp in a fucking cage.”

Everyone burst out laughing, including Aaron.

“Okay,” Aaron said with a nod. “I gotta admit, that was pretty funny.”

Jax cleared his throat and scooted forward on his log. “First time I saw Gunnar, he was curled up under a tree, sucking his thumb like a little tot. He smelled like goblin’s ass.”

My jaw dropped as everyone burst out cackling. “Hey, I was poisoned and almost dead! I only had like 10 willpower back then!”

Jax grabbed his stomach as he continued chuckling. “And those red shoes I gave you to wear after that. I’ll never forget Adeelee’s face when she first saw you.”

My eyelids shot wide open. “She noticed the shoes?!”

“Oh hey!” Ozzy added between chuckles. “This one time I went to Addenfall with Gunnar. We swam through the Crystal River, and some sort of eel swam down his pants and started shocking his monkey again and again. When he made it to shore, he dropped trow, and the thing was latched on to his ass. I swear it was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen!”

Everyone snorted and exploded with laughter, as I jumped to my feet and clumsily whipped out my sword.

I pointed the tip of my blade at Ozzy and clenched my teeth. “I told you not to ever speak about that!”

“Oh shit!” Ozzy said and then started snickering more. He held his hands up and tears were forming in his eyes. “I’m sorry, man. I totally forgot.”

“Yo, chill, Gunnar,” Aaron said. “Nobody cares about the snake in your pants.”

“I hear it’s 12 inches,” Rina added.

The laughter exploded again, and though I was feeling a bit embarrassed, I couldn’t help but smile, which eventually led to a quick chuckle. I sheathed my sword and shot a quick Arcane Missile past Ozzy’s head as I started sitting back down.

Ozzy ducked as the energy passed. “Yo, stop with that magic stuff. Are you trying to kill me?”

I raised my nose mockingly to him. “One day I’ll see you in the Arena, and I’ll really hit you with one of my missiles.”

I was just teasing him. I didn’t really care to fight Ozzy.

“Oh yeah?” he asked and smashed his fist inside his palm, a snarky grin etched across his face. “We’ll see who gets to grand champion first.”

“You Reborns sure are competitive,” Jax said.

When I focused in on Jax and considered the Arena, a thought crossed my mind. “Hey, there’s something I don’t get. When we first went to Linden, you told me to be quiet about my magic—that people didn’t take too kindly to it.”

Jax nodded.

“But people used magic openly in the Arena,” I continued. “And there’s the Mage’s Faction running around openly in Highcastle. Magic doesn’t seem to be all that secret.”

“Ahhhhh,” Aaron cooed. “I can answer this one for you, Gunnar. Dr. Winston and I talked a bit about magic back in the design phase.” He scooted forward on the log and rolled his tongue around in his mouth a couple times. “Basically, magic in Eden’s Gate is a bit like sex. Everyone wants sex, but not everyone has it or can get it. So, the people who have sex generally only talk about sex with the people they’re fuckin’, or at least the people they’re close to. Because—” He held his hands out wide. “—some people get jealous if you’re getting ass and they’re not.”

There was a long, awkward moment of silence where everyone just looked at Aaron, and he just scanned everyone’s faces, wondering why no one was talking. Then, everyone burst back into laughter.

“I think,” I said, trying to hold back bouts of mirth. “I—I think someone just needs to get laid.”

The laughs grew stronger, and Ozzy almost fell off his log.

Aaron sucked air between his teeth. “Jerk.”

When the laughter slowed down, Keysia leaned forward. “The first time I met Gunnar, he… he seemed like a good guy. He made a real impression on me, and I knew that he was going to change everything for the better. And so far, he has. I’m grateful to be so close to him.”

When she finished talking, it was like the record on the DJ table suddenly ground to a halt. Everyone was calm and smiling, and I had no idea what to say. Keysia looked up to me with wide, glistening eyes, and for the first time, I realized that she felt something for me. I don’t know if was the joojak that made her say what she said, but her facial expression was filled with heartfelt sincerity.

My heart thumped in my chest, and my eyes scanned up and down Keysia’s body. Her dark hair and contrasting, nearly colorless skin was so unusual, yet so erotic at the same time. She had a cute face—beautiful face actually, and I suddenly noticed the way her bottom lip was covered with the thinnest layer of moisture. She leaned forward on the log in a way that revealed ample cleavage, and I couldn’t help but wonder how her naked chest would look in comparison to her thin, athletic waist.

I began to feel uncontrollably aroused at the thought, which was a first since being in Eden’s Gate.

I wondered what color her nip—

“Gunnar!” Gerard shouted, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up to see him holding a rolled-up pelt with several sword tips sticking out of the side. “Who’s going be moving into the old shop once I have everything transferred over?”

I rattled my head. “Uhh… I dunno. I guess I will, since it was my house to begin with.” I looked up to the others. “Are you guys okay with that?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Alright,” Gerard said. “I’ll give you my key in the morning.” He paused and squinted his eyes at us. “Hey… Have you guys been smoking joojak?”

Ozzy chuckled. “Yeah, man.”

“Damnit,” Gerard cursed. “Next time, count me in! I’m not up for adventuring outside Edgewood, but I wouldn’t mind taking some time off for a—how do they say it these days?—levitation session? I haven’t smoked joojak in years.”

Aaron chuckled and nodded. “We’ll count you in next time, Big Dog. Sorry we left you out.”

Gerard tilted his head and smirked. “Big Dog? I don’t understand. Are you referring to me as an animal?”

Ozzy started snickering uncontrollably.

“Big Homie,” Aaron said, not helping the situation.

“Big Homie?” Gerard asked. “I’m sorry Aaron, but sometimes I just can’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Big Homie and Big Dog are the same,” I explained. “He just means ‘good friend’, I suppose. It’s Reborn speak.”

“Oh, okay,” Gerard said. “So it’s like that other one—‘nizzle’ or whatever you and Keysia say.”

“Yeah,” Aaron slurred. He looked like he was getting tired.

“Okay, my homies and… big nizzles,” Gerard added. “Please count me in next time.”

I smiled and did my best to not laugh. “We will, Gerard. Don’t worry.”

We sat around, laughed and shared stories for a couple more hours before the campfire started to burn out and everyone’s eyes looked heavy. That was one side-effect of joojak—the longer you stayed under its effects the sleepier you became.

Aaron retired to his home, and the rest of us made our way to our bunks in the larger house.

It was one of the best nights I’d had in Eden’s Gate, and without a doubt, everyone in the guild felt incredibly closer to each other after that bonding session. It was the kind of night that I needed after the Sands. During that time with my friends, I wasn’t worried about Dryden, or leveling up so I could beat Meijir, or meeting the King.

While I was high on joojak, I didn’t worry about anything at all, really. It was just me and the people I had grown to love, enjoying our time together. When I climbed in my bunk, all I could think of was how lucky I was to have been transported to Eden’s Gate.

Chapter Fourteen

1/26/0001

“Gunnar,” a voice whispered.

I stirred in my bunk, unsure if I were dreaming or not—unsure if I were imagining things.

“Gunnar,” I heard again.

I pulled my heavy eyelids open and turned my head to see Keysia kneeling beside my bunk. Her armor had been removed, and she was wearing a thin, white camisole that cut off a few inches below her breasts and tiny, thin, cotton shorts. “Keysia?” I asked.

“Hey. Sorry to wake you.”

I blinked a few times and noticed that the icon indicating I was under the influence of joojak was still there, so I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating. I couldn’t have slept long. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she whispered. “I just…” she blinked a few times and looked down at the floor.

“What is it?” I asked weakly. “You can tell me.”

She paused a long moment before looking back up to me. “Can I stay with you tonight?”

I blinked again and then my eyes went wide, despite their heaviness. At that point, I definitely felt like I was hallucinating. “Stay with me?”

She nodded and the turned her head to the far corner of the room.

I followed her eyes to where she was looking and could see that Jax wasn’t in bed alone. Rina was laying in the bed beside him, and they were both sound asleep with an arm thrown over each other.

Holy shit… I thought.

I don’t know why I felt so surprised—Jax and Rina were perfect for each other—but I had never thought it would actually happen or so soon.

“It’s your last day here before you move back to your own house, and it feels like you just came back to Edgewood. I want to be close to you on your last night here.”

I swallowed hard. “Ugh... You mean here?” I asked shyly, pointing to my bed. “In this bunk?”

“If I’m crossing the line, I understand. I’m sorry.” She dipped her head and started to rise back to her feet, and I got a good look at her perfect, hourglass figure and smooth skin catching the subtle moonlight that shone through the window. It wasn’t the first time I had seen her without her armor on, but generally everyone in the room respected each other’s privacy when we undressed to go to sleep. When the women got undressed for bed, none of the men went out of their way to look.

“No,” I whispered, stopping her in her tracks. “You didn’t cross the line. You can—yeah…You can stay with me if you want.”

“Really?” Keysia smiled, and her eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”

I swallowed again and nodded.

Keysia took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip before starting her climb into the bunk beside me.

I scooted my body over to the inner edge of the bed to give her room to climb in, and she slipped under the blanket that was covering me. I was lying on my back with only my boxer shorts on, so when she turned sideways and threw her arm over me, I could feel the silkiness of her skin rubbing against my legs, and the softness of her breasts pressing against my shoulder.

“Thank you, Gunnar,” she said softly in my ear. She nuzzled her nose against the nape of my neck, and tingles rushed all up and down my body.

I was confused, euphoric, still high off joojak. But, most of all I was aroused.

Keysia smelled like fresh flowers and she felt amazing. I couldn’t believe we were lying together with hardly any clothes on. The man inside me wanted to roll her over and rip off what little she had on and enjoy her perfect elven body.

But even on joojak, I knew that it wouldn’t go over too well if the other people in the room woke up to the sound of me plowing Keysia right in front of them.

And something told me not to take Keysia’s dignity—at least not then and there. Although I promised myself I wouldn’t obsess over the Princess anymore, I still had lingering feelings towards Adeelee.

There was also Rachel, who still popped into my head every now and then and who I still wanted to find.

Had Keysia been a random girl I met and had in my bed, the joojak would’ve been enough for me to go ahead and have my fun, but Keysia wasn’t just a random girl—she was a guild member and a great friend—someone I truly cared about. I didn’t want to hurt her or ruin anything that we already had.

As we lay there together, I was beginning to realize just how attracted I was to Keysia, but I needed to take things slowly and figure out what my feelings really were—not let my raging joojak boner make rash decisions for me.

Maybe she only came to me because of joojak anyway, I thought to myself.

I must have laid there another 3 minutes, struggling with my muddled thoughts about Keysia and the situation I was in, until I felt the soft, comforting brush of her breath against the side of my neck. I tilted my head a little and could see that she was sound asleep.

She looked cute. Very cute.

I took one last glance at Jax and Rina holding each other on his bunk. I felt happy for them.

And with Keysia beside me, I felt happy for me.

Damn, I couldn’t believe she was a NPC.

I closed my eyes and quickly fell back into a deep slumber.

If that day had been one of the best days I had in Eden’s Gate, that moment easily sent it over the edge to being the best day I had Eden’s Gate.

Thus far.

I couldn’t wait to top it.

Chapter Fifteen

1/27/0001

When I woke up the next morning, I found myself in my bed alone. Ozzy, Rina, Jax, and Keysia were all up and out of the building somewhere.

I was glad to discover that I was clear-headed and had no lingering side-effects from the joojak we smoked the night before. In fact, I felt like I had the best sleep of my life.

I sat up from my bed, scratched my head, and wondered if Keysia coming into my bed had been a drug-induced dream. It seemed real, but there were doubts. I really needed to stop being the late sleeper of the guild.

I equipped my gear and stepped outside the building to see Aaron crafting something at the leather station and Rina watching him from behind. Ozzy was crouching in the sparring area alone, swinging his hammer deliberately at the air as if he was some sort of strange, blunt weapons ninja.

Aaron turned his head when the door opened and immediately stopped what he was doing. He said something to Rina, set down the leather in his hands, and hurried over to me. “So, I heard you fucked Keysia last night,” he said brashly.

“What the—?” I put a finger up to my lips. “Shhhh.”

“What?” he said a little lower. “How was it, Gunnar? Is she a trap or not?”

“Dude. I didn’t fuck Keysia.”

“Yeah, you did,” he accused. “Ozzy told me you were in bed together when he woke up, and apparently Jax and Rina were sleeping together too. How come no one invited Sizzler to the group orgy? I’m not good enough or what?”

I chuckled. “You’re a total dumbass, Aaron. We just lay together. That’s all. Nothing happened.”

“Yeah right,” Aaron groaned. “You’re telling me you were in bed with that hot elven piece, and you didn’t try to get it in?”

I waved a dismissive hand at him. “Believe whatever you want, man. But I’m telling you that nothing happened.”

“Okay. I won’t ask for the fine details, but just tell me if she’s a trap or not.”

“I think I would’ve noticed if she was a trap, but that doesn’t mean anything happened. We just went to sleep.”

“Okay, so then you’re gay?” Aaron asked. “I mean, that’s cool. I get it.”

I shook my head. “I’m not gay.”

“Then what’s wrong with you, Gunnar?”

I took a deep breath and put a hand on Aaron’s shoulder. “She’s a guild mate, dude. Things could get awkward.”

Aaron pursed his lips and looked down. “Yeah, I guess I see your point….” He suddenly perked up and rattled his head. “But to be totally honest, I’d still hit that, guild member or not.”

I shook my head a little. “Don’t.”

“Ohhh…” Aaron cooed. He held his hand up to his ear and fluttered his eyelids. “Did you just say ‘don’t’ to me. Does that mean… Our beloved guildmaster has feelings for a certain dark elf?”

“I don’t know what—” I stopped mid-sentence and sighed. “Actually, just do what you want, man. I won’t stop you.”

Aaron snapped his fingers and waved his palm over his face. “You’ll regret saying that. You don’t know the power that the Sizzler has over the ladies.”

I rolled my eyes and tried to change the subject. I was pretty sure Keysia wouldn’t entertain the idea of doing anything with Aaron anyway. “Yeah, so what’s your plan today?”

“Right now, I’m working on a sign for the shop—a nice leather bound one. A few elves showed up this morning and went to your room looking to buy stuff, so we can’t put that off any longer. But, pretty much just crafting and overseeing the stable construction.” He pointed to a pile of lumber that was sitting in an open area several meters away from my home. I noticed that the wagon had been moved away from my house and by the new building as well. “The builders should be here to start things pretty soon.”

“Alright.” I patted Aaron on the shoulder a couple times. “I’m going to go check the new shop and move my stuff back into my house.”

I headed for our newest shophouse, and when I stepped inside, I was impressed. Gerard had arranged everything meticulously, and it looked twice as good as when the shop had been set up in my home. The counter had been moved into the new building, and potions lined shelves on the walls. Armor and weapons were leaning or hanging on the wall, and resources were stacked in crates. There was virtually no clutter and there was plenty of room to grow. If we wanted to push the limits of the building, there might’ve even been enough room to add a second counter and second merchant in the same room.

After checking out the shop, I fetched my crate from in front of the bunk where I had been sleeping and carried it over to my home. On the way over, I noticed Keysia walking into the village clearing, coming from somewhere deeper in the forest. We made eye contact, and she threw me a warm smile.

I immediately had a bit of a tingling sensation in my loins as I remembered the sight of her with without armor on. I had a great night’s sleep with her lying by my side.

When I opened the door to my home, I saw that Gerard had removed everything but the bed, so I just set my crate inside and started rummaging through it for my treasure map and compass.

I took one more quick look at the treasure map before placing the items in my bag and headed for the door.

“Gunnar!” Keysia was standing right in the front of the door when I exited, a large smile beaming across her face.

“Hey. What’s up?”.

“Nothing,” she said. “I just wanted to say ‘good morning’. I just finished a quick check on the guards. Should we hire more?”

“Well, good morning,” I said as I turned to lock the door. I was surprised that nothing seemed awkward between me and Keysia after the night before. Things definitely felt a little different in a way that I couldn’t explain, but we just sort of fell back into our guild routines without anything being weird. “Let’s hold off for now. I think we still have enough security, and with all the building we have planned, we should try to save the gold. But put anyone who wants in, on a waiting list if they ask.”

Keysia nodded. “I will.”

“We haven’t really adventured together in a while. If you want to join me on my journey to Nestle Rock today, I’d love to have you.”

Keysia’s eyes opened wide. “Really? I’d love to go with you.”

“Of course,” I said. I turned in the direction of Ozzy, who was still doing a ninja thing with his hammer. “Yo, Ozzy! You wanna go with us to Nestle Rock?”

Ozzy turned and stood straight up. “I’m going to join the Fighter’s Guild today, remember? If I get a chance, I’m going to fight in the Arena again too.”

I gave him a nod and a thumbs up before turning back to Keysia.

“You don’t want to go with me alone?” Keysia asked.

I snickered. “I wouldn’t mind, but who knows what’s out there. I think it’s safer to go as a group on this one.”

Keysia bit the inside of her lip and nodded lightly.

I yelled for Rina and invited her to join us. She was willing and excited to explore this side of the Serpent Sea, and we all waited a good five or so minutes for Jax to return. He had been hunting, and came back to the village with a couple of pelts and a sack full of wild berries.

“Nestle Rock is no joke,” Jax said as he tossed berries into his mouth. “Let’s just make sure everyone has potions and bandages at the very least.” He turned to Rina. “And if Rina’s going, just make sure we keep her alive.” He smiled, and I could see the slightest bit of blush forming in both Rina’s and Jax’s cheeks.

I wasn’t sure if he said to keep Rina alive because she would be our healer or because he liked her, but I had never seen Jax in such a good mood.

We all made a quick pit stop at the shop to drop off any useless items we couldn’t use and picked up a few potions and bandages before saying a quick goodbye to Aaron, Gerard, and Ozzy.

“It’s all you, Sizzler!” I yelled one last time towards Aaron.

He turned around from the shop sign he was still working on. “Edgewood Village has never been in better hands.”

I turned to Jax. “You ready?”

Jax nodded.

We both closed our eyes and pressed our hands together before kneeling down and slamming our hands onto the ground.

“Fenris!”

“Sora!”

Within seconds, both Fenris and Sora came racing through the trees to join us in the clearing. Fenris practically knocked Jax down as he jumped up to him, but Sora was a bit calmer with her affection. She rushed up to me and immediately started rubbing the back of her neck against my legs.

Father… Sora whispered into my head.

I kneeled down and rubbed her soft fur. I’m glad you’re well, Sora.

Well and refreshed. I sense you need me?

A ride south, I projected back.

Always a ride. I do rather miss when I was too small to be ridden. You’d often summon me just to play.

I frowned and I felt a little bad about her words. It was true… Since she had grown, most of the time I had been summoning her just to ride. I’m sorry, girl. Maybe this time we’ll find some time to play.

Sora perked up and started purring, then started rubbing her head against me so hard that I thought I’d fall.

“Whoa,” I said aloud, pressing down on her a little bit to ease up.

“She’s beautiful,” Keysia said as she strolled over to Sora and rubbed her side. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I once had a great cat like her.”

“You did?” I asked. “What happened?”

“I was riding her to a nearby town to sell some goods when a group of humans hunting for ears... They…” She paused, looked down, and it looked like she was about to cry. “She sacrificed her life so I could live.”

“Wow. I’m sorry,” I said. I looked down at Sora and my heart sank at the idea that I’d ever lose her. I had only known Sora for a short time, so I could only imagine how Keysia felt.

“It’s okay,” Keysia said. “She will never be forgotten.”

I wanted to know more about her pet, but I wasn’t going to press her for any more details. It was clearly a sensitive subject for her, and I didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was.

“I know buddy,” Jax said as Fenris licked his face. “Yes, I will leave you on this side more often as soon as I get my own home.”

Fenris reared his head back and chomped.

“I miss Addenfall too, but Edgewood is nice.” Jax rubbed Fenris hard behind the ears as he stood up. “Relax, we’ll have fun today.”

“Ready to head out?” I asked Jax.

Jax nodded. “I guess you’ll ride with Keysia?”

I glanced at Keysia and smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

Sensing our intentions, Fenris and Sora lowered themselves to the ground. I hopped on Sora and offered my hand to Keysia as she hopped on the back behind me. As soon as she was on, she wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her chest firmly against my back.

It was nice… if not somewhat distracting.

When Jax and Rina were on Fenris, we all started off south towards Nestle Rock.

Chapter Sixteen

1/27/0001

Traveling through the Freelands with Keysia at my back and Jax riding beside me with Rina on at his back was a blast. In a strange sort of a way, it felt like we were on a double date. Jax was with his girl and I with mine, even though Keysia was far from being my girl. I still hadn’t clarified the status of Jax and Rina, but I was pretty sure they hadn’t committed to anything serious either.

Every time I traveled through the Freelands, I was impressed by the green rolling hills and the soft, unobstructed wind. It was notably colder that day, and the faster we moved, the faster the metal of my armor chilled and stung my body. If Keysia wasn’t keeping me warm, I probably would’ve felt a bit uncomfortable.

I noticed several places in the plains on our way to Nestle Rock. There were stone structures, small temples, and even something that looked like a tomb with a thick stone door guarding its entrance. They were all places I wanted to try to visit at some point; there seemed to be an endless number of things to do in Eden’s Gate.

We eventually reached the Crystal River, and I could see the towering trees of Addenfall on the other side.

“West,” Jax said. “If we follow the river, there should be a bridge up ahead.”

“You’ve been there before?” I asked as we turned our mounts to head west.

“No, but I’ve seen the bridge,” Jax replied. “Mother didn’t like me to cross the Crystal River, but she specifically warned me not to cross into Nestle Rock. Nothing but danger there, she’d tell me. Never had a reason to go once I got older.”

“Sounds like a great place,” I joked.

We continued down the river for another twenty minutes, and across the river, the large trees ended abruptly, and the landscape became nothing but flat, nearly-barren land. Small, leafless trees grew up from the tan colored ground, and small patches of brown grass and rocks were patchworked in between. A mountain arrangement could be seen in the horizon.

We eventually found the bridge, which basically consisted of a couple shoddy ropes that were tied to posts on each end and several weathered logs that were loosely dangling below. The so-called “bridge” looked more like an invitation to fall into the water.

To make things worse, the river’s current below the bridge was much stronger than then calm areas nearer to Addenfall and the Vale, and it looked a lot deeper as well. I wasn’t sure exactly how deep, but I didn’t want to find out.

“You sure this is safe?” I asked as Jax walked Fenris up to the edge of the bridge.

“It looks like it’ll hold steady,” Jax answered. “But Fenris is a decent swimmer if it doesn’t.”

Can you swim? I asked Sora.

I don’t know, father. I’ve never tried.

That wasn’t the answer I was hoping for, but I also had to consider that Sora was a panther. If anyone could hold their balance across a shady, swaying bridge, it would be a feline.

I watched anxiously as Fenris carefully placed his paws on each log and slowly crossed the bridge. There were a couple times when the wolf flinched and looked like he might lose balance, but eventually, they made it to the other side unscathed.

I urged Sora onto the bridge, and she was even more deliberate with each step. She would place a paw on one of the logs and touch it lightly a few times before taking another step. She appeared to have even more balance than Fenris, but each time the bridge swayed, she would tense up, causing Keysia and me to squeeze tighter.

It looked like we were home-free when Sora placed her paw on the land on the other side, but as soon as she made contact, the log that was supporting one of her hind legs gave way, causing her rear paw to slip and completely lose balance.

“Gunnar!” Rina shouted.

Sora roared and gripped both the ground and the bridge with her front claws and managed to quickly pull her hind leg back up, but my heart was beating out of my chest. Judging by how hard Keysia had her arms wrapped around my waist, she had been just as startled.

I don’t think that’s a good sign of things to come, Sora projected into my mind.

After crossing the river, I had another look at the rocky arrangement of hills and mountains in the distance, and to the far east, I could see what was either the edge of a cliff or the beginnings of a body of water. I saw no sign of life aside from a small frog that was sitting on a rock that then jumped behind it to hide as we approached.

Jax bobbed his head towards the mountains ahead. “That’s Nestle Rock.”

“We should probably group up,” I suggested and started sending invitations to all.

Jax Horn has joined your party!

Rina Teal has joined your party!

Keysia Udessa has joined your party!

I pulled out my treasure map, checked the coordinates, then pulled out my compass.

I urged Sora forward, backward and in a small circle, so I could get a sense of how the numbers changed on the compass as we moved. When I was certain of the exact trajectory we needed to take to reach the map coordinates, I urged her towards the mountains.

As we moved forward, the flat ground below us was dry and dusty, but quickly turned into a smooth, uneven surface with small cracks that formed squares and other shapes as if water had once existed there. There were still the small trees that were failing to thrive scattered all around, and thick, brushy bushes appeared the further in we went, giving us less visibility to our surroundings.

There was a loud squeal that echoed from somewhere in the sky, and Jax held up his hand, stopped, and looked up to the mountains that were ahead of us. “Stay alert.”

Though we had seen no sign of danger, we all hopped off Fenris and Sora, and continued forward on foot, just in case we needed to take any immediate action. Keysia and I walked on either side of Sora, and Rina and Jax walked on either side of Fenris.

Another squeal pierced the sky, so loud and high-pitched that it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand. It reminded me of a teacher running her nails down a chalkboard.

The ground below us started to turn soft as we continued, and after a few more minutes of walking, our feet were forming deep footprints in the ground. It was more clay than mud, and I didn’t see any actual water near us, but if was squishy enough that it would make running a bit more difficult if we needed to.

Two tall, dirty, cream-colored birds suddenly ran from a behind a bush, and we all grabbed our weapons and tensed up for an attack. The birds were roughly our height and had skinny necks, long pencil legs, and thin, pointy orange beaks. Their wings were laid flat on their sides, and they were covered with so much dirt that if you didn’t look closely, it appeared that they didn’t have wings at all.

The birds stopped in front of us, turned their heads our way, and stared.

You have failed to inspect your target!

You have failed to inspect your target!

Sora entered a pouncing stance, and Fenris growled.

After a few seconds, the birds turned their heads back the direction they were headed and continued running off. Sora made a motion as if she were going to give chase, but I placed a hand on her which seemed to calm her down.

We all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief that the birds weren’t hostile.

When we were thirty or so meters from the mountain, the soft ground below started to turn to thick mud. Our feet sank several inches with each step we took, and I was beginning to worry that there could be a trap or quicksand somewhere beneath us.

Fenris and Sora raised their paws awkwardly as they took each step, and Rina seemed particularly upset, holding her robe up to avoid getting it soaked.

I could see at the base of the mountains there were heavy rocks that mud wouldn’t be able to support, so I knew the mud wouldn’t be a factor for much longer. “We’re almost there,” I said.

Several low, somber moans could suddenly be heard all around that caused us to stop in our tracks. Once again, we all tensed up and reached for our weapons.

The moans persisted, along with the unsettling sound of shifting mud, and then brown bulges started to appear from the ground.

The bulges of mud continued to slowly rise until each bulge formed a tall effigy, and as the mud slowly dripped from each figure, something along the lines of a humanoid appeared.

The humanoids were completely covered in the thick mud, and each one of them had a round head, a slight neck, and unshapely body.

Name: a forgotten one

Race: humanoid

Level: 22

Health/Mana/Stamina: 400/100/500

Status: aggressive

The strange creatures had one thin, muddy arm, but their other arms ended where the elbow should have been, and in place of an elbow was a single muddy finger that was wrapped around a thin, pointy, mud-covered stick or staff of some sort. They had no eyes, mouth, ears or other facial features.

“What the hell are these?!” I yelled.

Before I got an answer, a stick slammed into the back of my head, and sent me falling straight into the ground. One of them must have appeared behind me without me noticing.

Mud shot into my ear during the fall, and I heard Keysia yell my name through the other ear as I tried to regain my orientation. I pushed myself onto my knees and shook my head to clear some of the mud off my face. When I looked up, everyone was fighting with the so-called ‘forgotten ones’.

Jax swung his sword at one of the monsters, and despite the being having a slow-moving appearance, it swiftly ducked his attack and whipped its stick at Jax just as fast when it rose from the dodge. Jax barely managed to lean back to avoid the blow.

Rina and Keysia both had their backs to each other and were surrounded by three forgotten ones. They were turning in circles with their staves in their hands as the monsters inched closer. Each time the monsters took a step, their bodies twitched and made a clicking noise like stiff wooden twigs snapping together. Their dodging and attacks were fast, but their walking movements were awkward and slow.

There were at least ten strange beings, and Fenris and Sora were having the best success at abating them. Sora clamped on to the back of one of the monster’s necks and dragged it through the mud, and Fenris was standing over top of one of the beings that he had fallen, ripping it apart. There was some sort of blackish blood and grey flesh that he pulled up with every bite he ripped from the monster, so they definitely weren’t any type of elemental as they first appeared.

I reached my hand out and shot a Fireblast at one of the three monsters that were attacking Rina and Keysia, but it only seemed to jolt the being forward a bit and there was no sign of damage. There was a dark mark in the mud where the Fireblast had landed, but the being didn’t seem to care.

I fired an Arcane Missile at the same monster, but again, it jolted forward and showed no signs of damage. The Arcane Missile actually made the monster turn around and look at me—at least I think it was looking at me, since it had no visible eyes—but otherwise, it was unaffected.

Thunk!

Before I could stand, I was again hit in the back of the head with another hard stick, and this time I was sent face-first into the mud. My ears rang, and the shock of the blow caused me to inhale a nose full of mud.

Being unable to breathe, I quickly pulled myself back up and blew out my nose as hard as possible to dislodge the mud, then wiped my hand across my eyes.

I was hit again, this time across the back, but I was expecting another attack, and just yelped at the pain without falling back into the mud.

Divine Sight, I thought, trying to get some sort of vision through the mud on my face that I couldn’t immediately clear. When the spell took effect, I turned to see yet another stick attack rushing towards me.

I instinctively cast an Arcane Missile at the monster and hit it in its strange, half arm. The attack hit the arm and knocked its attack back, but it pulled back and thrust the stick at me again.

I rolled, dodging the attack, and sloppily tried to scramble away in the mud.

“Fire doesn’t work!” I yelled. “Neither does arcane!”

Rina raised her staff, and sparkles of energy fell from the sky on two of the effigies in front of her. They jerked back at the impact and groaned, so her magic obviously had an effect.

Sora jumped onto one of the beings that Rina had stunned, slamming it to the ground.

I managed to get my footing as I watch Jax parry one of the being’s sticks, turn, and stab the monster in its gut with a reverse sword thrust. It paused and moaned, and when Jax pulled out his sword, the being just stood there, seemingly disabled a moment as Jax swung his sword around and lopped its head off.

Dark liquid squirted from where the monster’s neck should have been, and the body fell to the ground.

Keysia held out her hand and cast the same AOE [area of effect] lighting attack that I had seen her use in the Edgewood mine towards one of the monsters, and immediately everyone—the monsters, our group, and pets—started shaking uncontrollably. Only Keysia seemed unaffected.

I felt as if I lost control of my limbs and all thought was lost in the brief moment before Keysia released the spell. Her attack was strong enough that Rina fell to the ground, while Jax and I both dropped to a knee.

“Nooo!” Keysia screamed. “My spell must have transferred through the mud!”

I heard a thwack and saw Jax take a stick to the forehead and get knocked onto his back, and a monster was clacking as it began stepping towards the fallen Rina.

Sora and Fenris both shook their heads and seemed to recover from Keysia’s lighting faster than the rest of us, and they each quickly jumped on a monster.

The two stick hits plus the lightning attack had brought me down to 35% health, and I was really proving ineffective during the battle. I had yet to draw my sword, and since both my fire and arcane wasn’t working, I had basically done nothing but slip and slide through the mud since the monsters appeared.

I took the opportunity to cast Boiling Blood, and I felt my temperature rise.

I pulled myself up and unsheathed my sword, just as another one of the monsters attacked me from its flank. This time, I was fast enough to dodge, and my counterattack was fast enough that the monster couldn’t. I whipped my falchion right at the shoulder connected to the monster’s incomplete arm, and the strange limb and stick was severed and fell to the ground. The monster just looked down to it in dismay and then back up to me. It took a step towards me but didn’t attack. It seemed like it didn’t know what to do.

Seeing that the monster was disabled, I ignored it and charged for the monster that was clattering towards Rina. Rina was getting to her feet, but she seemed wobbly and disoriented.

My movement through the mud was still slower than it normally would be with Boiling Blood activated, but the spell offered enough advantage that I was fighting a little faster than I would be on normal ground without any sort of buff.

I dashed in front of Rina and pushed her back, as the monster in front of her thrust his stick her way, then swung my sword up, again aiming for the monster’s shoulder and severing its strange arm.

I turned and ran behind a monster that Keysia was exchanging attacks with, and when I reached back, I cut its shoulder from behind.

I turned my head, looking for another target, to only see Fenris and Sora tearing two more monsters apart. The only other monsters standing were the three whose arms I’d cut. They clacked and twitched as they moved as close to us as possible, but once they were close enough to launch an attack, they just stood there and twitched intermittently.

I leaned over and caught my breath as I felt Boiling Blood starting to fade. “What the hell?”

Jax held his sword out to one of the armless beings that was standing in front of him and looked at it curiously. “They don’t attack?”

“Not without their stump, apparently,” I said.

Sora jumped on the one of the other disabled monsters, ripped its head off, then turned and pounced on another.

When Fenris rushed up to Jax to protect him from the last remaining monster, Jax held out a calming hand to him. “Wait,” he said.

Jax moved his sword closer to the being, and it ducked as if Jax were attacking. When he pulled his sword back, the monster rose back up. Again, Jax moved his sword closer to the being, this time moving slower and more deliberately. The monster’s head followed the tip of his sword but didn’t duck, and when Jax’s blade made contact with the monster’s chest, he rubbed it up and down, dislodging some mud from its chest.

The monster watched and twitched occasionally until Jax had removed just enough of the mud that shredded, waterlogged leather could be seen underneath.

“It looks like they have some sort of armor,” Jax said. “Maybe elven.”

Keysia lifted one of monster’s sticks in her hands that still had a severed half arm attached. “Some of the first elven fighters who turned dark were punished by the Queen if they showed aggression towards another elf. Before they were banished, their arms were severed as punishment… at least that’s how the story goes. When more and more elves started to turn, the Queen removed us before we had a chance to harm anyone, or we left on our own in shame.”

“I’ve heard the story,” Jax said. “Those who had a limb removed were too ashamed to join the other dark elves even. But that would’ve been ages ago.”

Keysia dropped the stick. “Indeed. And if these are those elves, why would they be under the mud? And how? It makes no sense.”

“Witchcraft or necromancy,” I suspect Jax said.

“Or a curse of some sort,” Rina said.

Jax jabbed his sword in the remaining monster’s gut, and the monster looked down at its wound as Jax pulled his sword back, and swung it at the monster’s throat.

You have gained 3500 XP!

Advancement! You have reached level 19 and gained 3 ability points. To assign your ability points, open your status page. You can also increase any of your known skills by 1 level. Choose wisely, as your choices cannot be undone.

“If it’s a curse,” Jax said as the monster’s head flopped into the mud, “then I suppose it’s best we’ve freed them.” He slid the broad side of his blade against his leggings, trying to remove the blood and mud.

“Is everyone okay?” I asked.

“Other than being weighed down in mud, I suppose I’m fine,” Rina said. She raised her hand and cast heal on those of us who had taken damage.

“Sorry again for the shock,” Keysia said. “First time fighting in mud.”

“Well, now you know it travels,” I said.

Keysia reached a muddy hand up and shyly nodded as she scratched the side of her head.

There was another loud screeching noise overhead, and this time it sounded very close.

I lifted my chin to the dry land at the base of the mountain. “Let’s loot up and get out of this mess.”

Chapter Seventeen

1/27/0001

“Looting up” on the forgotten ones was a fruitless exercise. Digging around their bodies produced nothing but rotten, slimy, pieces of flesh and fragments of leather and cloth. There were no good weapons or usable loot that we could find. While the sticks they were holding had decent enough damage stats, they all were down to a durability rating of 1 or 2, so they would’ve been too hard to sell.

When we made it to solid ground, we all did our best to shake away as much mud as possible, and Rina and I took a moment of meditation to restore our mana pool. I was surprised when I managed to meditate on my first try.

You have reached level 2 in Meditation!

I took a moment to open my stats and assign the points I gained from my last level. The Heritage armor was giving me a great boost to my strength, dexterity, and vitality, so I decided to put all of my ability points into intelligence for higher magic damage, and since I hadn’t had time to train Inscription lately, I put my LP in that skill.

We stood at the base of a small mountain that had several smaller mountains on either side. Nudged between the mountain in front of us and closest to the right was a small incline that seemed to lead behind them. There was also a path leading up and around the closest mountain and additional flat paths running left and right.

I pulled out my compass and turned several times to get a feel for where we needed to go, and it was clear the way was forward, but with both the path leading up the mountain and the incline leading behind it, it wasn’t clear which was the best direction.

“Let’s try the path between the two,” I said, indicating the incline.

“Brrr,” Rina said as we trudged up the gradual, rocky incline. She rubbed her shoulders and shivered a little. “I’m used to the hot weather of the Sands. It never gets this cold over there.”

Keysia looked up to the sky. “It’s a bit colder here than Edgewood, but I suspect Edgewood will see snow soon.”

“What are the seasons like here?” I asked.

“Mostly warm,” Jax said. “Quite pleasant, actually. But the cold times like this come and go randomly. It’s mostly unpredictable.”

I squeezed my hands and focused on the chill of the air transferring through my metal gloves. It was cold enough outside that I would’ve been shivering and desperate to get inside if I were on Earth, but the cold I was experiencing didn’t seem to have much of an effect on my body. I noticed it, but it wasn’t slowing me down or bothering me. Come to think of it, some days were scorching hot in the Sands, but I managed through it in full armor. “So, I don’t need seasonal gear?”

“If you ever head north to Tillos or somewhere with extreme colds, warm gear will better keep you comfortable,” Jax explained. “But at these temperatures, special armor isn’t necessary. Over here it never gets cold enough that a few mugs of ale can’t warm you right up.”

Another perk of Eden’s Gate, I thought. Though I did find it odd that Dr. Winston had kept pain in the game but lowered the impact of hot and cold weather.

When we reached the top of the incline, we could see a few smaller hills and mountains on the other side, and surprisingly there were several healthy, large trees. At the center of the arrangement was the tallest mountain, and directly beside the tallest mountain was a skinny mountain peak, no more than twenty meters wide. While it wasn’t as tall or wide as the tallest mountain, it rose high in the sky, and at the top of the peak, several massive birds were flying in circles around it. The peak was covered in vegetation.

There was another loud shriek, and it was clear at that point that the sound was coming from the birds.

We slid down the incline to the few square meters of gravelly flat land that ran between the hills and mountains, and when I checked my compass, I knew that we were getting close to the treasure.

I turned to the left, and led the group in direction of the skinny mountain peak.

Keysia held her hand above her forehead to shield her eyes from the sunlight in the sky as we proceeded. “Guys, those things flying in the air aren’t just birds.”

I squinted against the light and held my hand up to my forehead as Keysia did, but whatever was flying around the peak still looked like giant birds to me. I attempted to use inspect on them, but I didn’t even get a failure message.

“Harpies,” Jax said. I turned to see him looking up and squinting. “Too far away to inspect but definitely harpies.”

At the mention of harpies, I recalled the shopkeeper in Highcastle telling me those type of monsters were in the area. Whatever the case, they still looked like birds from afar, and birds didn’t sound too dangerous after the sudden attack from the strange, one-armed creatures in the mud. Bring on the birds! I thought.

We continued forward another half minute as I studied my compass, and then I held up a hand to stop our group. “Here,” I said. I opened the treasure map and double-checked the coordinates with the compass, and they matched up exactly. “According to the map, the treasure should be around here.”

I held the map up high and scanned the area. The ‘X’ was placed near a large rock and was close to a body of water. As I looked around, there was only one large rock in the area, about fifty meters away, and closer to the skinny mountain peak. I saw no body of water.

“I see a rock that matches, but I’m not sure if that’s the right one,” I said.

“Here, let me see,” Jax insisted and held out his hand. I handed him the map and he also scanned the area. He agreed with the assessment, and we headed towards the rock.

When we reached the rock, I again scanned the area for a body of water but didn’t see anything. When I took the map back from Jax and compared the area again, I scratched my head in confusion. “This must be the wrong rock.”

Keysia leaned over my shoulder as I looked at the rock, and then pointed towards an area of the ground several meters away. It was slightly depressed and there were faint, dry cracks in the depression. “Here’s the water,” she said. “Or at least that’s where the water was before. It looks larger on the map, but I’m pretty sure this is it. It’s just been dried up for a long time.”

I looked at the map several times and compared the rock, the water, and the general surroundings. It seemed likely that she was right. I circled the rock until I was on the edge where the ‘X’ had been marked on the map and rubbed a circle into the ground where I thought it should be. “If Keysia’s right, then the treasure should be right here.”

Jax slapped his hands together. “Alright, let’s get to digging, then. We can take turns shoveling.”

I cleared my throat and swallowed hard. I knew before I even asked that I had made a newbie mistake. “Shovel?”

“You brought a shovel, right?” Jax asked. “Or a pickaxe?”

“Ummm…” I snapped my lips and shook my head. “I didn’t realize that we’d need that.”

Rina held her fist up to her mouth and started chuckling. Jax just let out a sigh.

“It’s hard for me to wrap my head around you being a Reborn who came here with no knowledge of how things work,” Jax said.

I lowered my eyes. “I should’ve known after playing other games like this. I knew we were looking for treasure, but I just didn’t consider that we’d dig for treasure.”

“Treasure hunting isn’t a game, Gunnar,” Keysia said. “This can be dangerous.”

I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant. I mean, back on Earth we had ‘games’ that you could ‘play’, but you weren’t actually in the world or anything.”

All three of the NPCs creased their brows in confusion.

I sighed. “Imagine if you’re watching someone else do something, but you’re able to tell them what to do, and they just do it. On Earth, we were never actually there, but we lived vicariously through characters by taking control of them.”

“Like a god?” Rina asked.

I twisted my lips and darted my eyes to the side. “Uhh… I guess that’s a way you could put it.”

“So before you were a Reborn, you were a god?” Keysia asked.

I snorted. “Of course not. In games, nothing was real. It was just fake and for fun. Roleplaying. But here, everything is…” I grunted and felt like I wanted to pull out my hair. There was no good way I could explain things to them. “Basically, I experienced things like this in the past, but it wasn’t real. Now I’m really here.”

Rina lowered her shoulders and exhaled loudly. “Reborns are so hard to understand.”

“I agree,” Keysia said.

Jax nodded. “I’ve understood most things you’ve told me about Reborns, but this ‘game’ nonsense makes no sense.”

“Never mind.” I shook my head and looked down to the mark I made in the ground. “I guess we need to get a shovel and try this another day?”

Jax took a deep breath then made a short, quick whistle. Fenris moved to him, and he rubbed the wolf behind the ears. “You’re lucky we have Fenris here,” he said. “He might be able to dig up the treasure if it’s not too deep.”

He leaned over and started petting the wolf and making various facial expressions. Having limited experience with Sora, I could tell that he was communicating with Fenris, and judging by the Fenris’ expressions, I could tell the wolf wasn’t happy.

Jax chuckled. “I don’t think he’d be willing to help dig if he wasn’t already covered in mud. He told me that he has standards.”

Standards? I asked myself. A giant wolf who had just ripped apart some mud creature has standards? And they thought Reborns were weird?

Jax pointed his finger towards the mark I made on the ground, and Fenris made a show of stretching his back out before he started clawing at the ground, kicking up loads of dirt behind him. We all watched and waited, and I started to get excited about what we might find.

Keysia and Rina leaned against the giant Rock and started talking. Jax walked a few meters away and leaned against a nearby tree.

I walked behind Jax and used the opportunity to take a cue from Aaron. Maybe it was the excitement of the treasure hunt, or maybe I was in a good mood from the night before, but I had the strong urge to be a little playful. I cleared my throat and leaned up against the tree next to Jax. “So, I heard you fucked Rina last night?”

Jax’s eyelids shot open, and he snapped his head towards me. “What?”

“You two were sleeping together last night, right? How was it?”

Jax shifted his back against the tree. “Yeah, we were together, but we didn’t—”

“Yeah, I know.” I gave up the playful act fast. I could see the fun Aaron had with being obnoxious, but I just couldn’t keep the performance up for any length of time. “But I saw you two, so I thought I’d—I don’t know. Just thought I’d see what’s up.”

“Rina’s a great girl,” Jax said.

“You just met her a couple days ago.’

Jax took a deep breath. “Yeah, but there’s something about her.” He shook his head. “I had been in Addenfall for so long that I’d almost given up on ever meeting someone, but when you brought her to Edgewood, she was like breath of fresh air.”

“She was a bitch when I first met her,” I said.

Jax looked at me and snarled. “A bitch?”

I smiled. “She’s been through a lot, but she’s changed since she’s left the Sands.”

Jax nodded.

I straightened my back against the tree and looked at Jax out of the corner of my eye. “Are you guys an item?”

“Item?” he asked.

“Together? A couple or whatever they call it in this world?”

Jax paused and didn’t say anything for a moment, but then he turned to face me and smiled. “I noticed Keysia was with you last night.”

I felt my cheeks flush and immediately forgot that we were supposed to be focusing on Rina and him. “Yeah, but nothing happened. Same as you.”

“I see why you like her,” Jax said. “She’s sweet. She’s beautiful. But, don’t forget that she’s a dark elf, Gunnar.”

A dark elf… I thought. I hadn’t forgotten that she was a dark elf, but hearing Jax remind me of the fact made me remember the fear and uneasiness that everyone, including the High Elf brethren, had towards them. It made me remember the way that Donovan had been treated when we traveled with him to Thorpes. And it made me remember that Keysia didn’t even want to accompany me to Highcastle, because she didn’t want to cause any unnecessary drama.

If I were to ever explore the idea of Keysia being more than a friend and guild mate, I’d have to consider that she was indeed a dark elf.

Fenris made a whining sound, and Jax tilted up his chin to me. “Sounds like he found something.”

We rushed over to the rock, and Fenris had dug a hole roughly a foot deep and three feet wide in diameter. Sticking out of the center of hole was a sharp piece of brass that was attached to a piece of wood. It was clearly the corner of a treasure chest.

“Hell yeah,” I said and clapped my hands.

I heard the same loud shrieking noise that we had heard several times on the trip, but this time it sounded like it was right in my ear, and before I had any chance to react, I felt sharp claws dig into my back, and I was being lifted off the ground.

I cried out as the claws of the harpy pierced deeper and deeper into my flesh, and I saw another harpy below me swoop by swiftly and knock Jax to the ground. Three more harpies were flying just over the rest of the group, flapping their wings and looking down as if planning their next attack.

All of the harpies looked like undressed humanoid women, but their skin was covered from head to knee with short, flat white and brown feathers. Where humans would normally have feet, another long segment of scaly birdlike legs stretched out in the same direction as their knees. They had three long, sharp claws at the end of their bird legs, and each of their five hands had thick claws at the fingertips. A fan of feathers rose from the top of their head, and large, sprawling white wings were attached to the backs of their arms.

Name: a harpy

Race: humanoid

Level: 25

Health/Mana/Stamina: 300/150/250

Status: aggressive

Sora and Fenris were both circling the ground and looking up at the harpies, growling and roaring, but otherwise unable to do anything. Rina and Keysia both held their staves in defensive positions.

I reached behind me as I rose further into the air and grabbed the slick leg of the harpy. I squeezed hard and pulled it in an effort for it to let me go, but it maintained its grip on the flesh of my back and ignored my hands. I reached down for my sword, and the harpy jerked hard in the air, once I had it out of its sheath, causing me to lose my grip and the sword to fall to the ground below.

I was getting pretty far off the ground and nervous that if I was pulled any higher, I wouldn’t survive the fall if the bird-creature decided to let go.

Shit, I thought, panicking.

I reached one of my arms behind me again and grabbed the bird’s leg, but this time I focused on casting a Fireblast while with its leg firmly in my hand.

Fire swelled in my wrist and it exploded in my palm. The harpy screamed, and I felt the tension of one claw release and then another.

Father! I heard Sora shout in my head, and I prayed I wouldn’t die as I watched the ground grow closer as I fell.

Sora sprinted in my direction, and right before I hit the ground, she jumped so that her body was right under mine, and I thumped hard on her back then ricocheted off and tumbled to the ground.

You are bleeding and require medical attention.

The fall caused dust to kick up in my face, and I coughed as I struggled for air.

Thank you, I thought, knowing that Sora could hear me. Surviving the fall would’ve been questionable without her quick action. In all likelihood, I would’ve died or at least been hurt enough that I’d be out of the fight.

I felt a cool energy, and a light glow emanated around my body. When I looked at my status bars, I was at 80% health, so I didn’t know how hurt I was before Rina healed me.

I pushed myself to my feet and stumbled forward a few paces to pick up my sword then turned around to see Jax crouching beside Fenris shooting arrows in the sky.

The harpy that had attacked me was still hovering high above, but it was missing part of its leg and blood was dripping from the end where my Fireblast had ripped it apart. Its human-like face snarled at me before letting out another deafening screech, and then it started flying down towards me at an alarming speed.

The harpy stopped and reared its body when Sora slid up beside me and roared. I moved closer to Sora and pushed the backside of my body against her for protection.

I looked over Sora’s back to see that Keysia had holstered her staff and summoned her magical fan. She swung it towards the three harpies that were above her, causing a strong gust of wind that forced the harpies upward a little more but didn’t seem to disrupt or damage them at all.

Rina raised her staff and caused magic to fall from above several times, but it seemed as if the harpies could see or hear the slow, falling light before it touched them, and they easily maneuvered out of the way.

I reached my hand out and shot a couple Arcane Missiles and a Fireblast at the injured harpy above me, but it easily dodged each attack. Jax’s arrows were also being dodged.

“Anyone have any ideas?!” I yelled.

“Not yet!” Jax yelled back, still ducking beside Fenris.

“I’m not done yet!” Keysia yelled. She stomped her foot hard on the ground and closed her eyes before pressing her hands together and slowly pushing them out in front of her.

Almost instantly, Keysia’s hair started blowing in the wind, and a strong gust picked up out of nowhere. Within seconds, the gust was so strong that that harpies over her were flapping their wings violently to maintain control. When the wind reached its peak, it howled and shrieked as it passed, and the harpies were turning in different directions, flapping furiously, as if they had lost their orientation.

I recognized it as the Shrieking Gust spell that I bought Keysia from the shop in Highcastle. I was glad it was coming in handy.

Jax shot an arrow towards the injured harpy, and the arrow connected with its back, causing it to tumble violently to the ground. The harpy flapped its wings as it tried to get back to its feet, and feathers were flying everywhere.

I released a Fireblast at the downed harpy, and it connected. Its feathers caught fire, and it screamed and twisted as the fire spread over its body.

The three confused harpies over Rina and Keysia were now taking damage from Rina’s magic, and each time she hit, the harpies screeched, flapped their wings and lost a little height in the air, but it wasn’t quite enough for them to fall to the ground. Jax landed another arrow on the harpy that was above him, but it didn’t prove as effective as the arrow he had landed on the injured harpy.

Keysia’s wind attack suddenly subsided, and while the harpies were still low enough in the air, she held a hand up to the sky, and electricity shot out from her fingertips and spiderwebbed between the three harpies.

The harpies squawked several times, sounding more like dying crows as the energy shook them, and they dropped straight down and hard to the ground.

The two women rushed for the three grounded harpies, and I shot a Fireblast at one of them, causing it to immediately erupt in flames. Keysia slammed her staff in to one of the beasts, and Rina smacked one with hers.

Sora and Fenris ran to join the fight.

I pulled out my sword and ran to help kill the fallen harpies, but as soon as I took a few steps, I heard Jax cry out.

I turned to see the harpy he had been shooting flying right in front of him, scratching and snapping its lower claws. There were three arrows sticking from the beast’s chest, but it was still airborne and didn’t seemed weakened.

“Ahhh!” Jax yelled as sharp claws knocked his bow out of his hand and landed several deep scratches to his arms and chest. He looked overwhelmed by the attack, holding his arms out in front of his face helplessly.

I pivoted and ran for Jax right just as the harpy got a good grip of his shoulder and lifted him off the ground. I stopped and risked shooting a Fireblast and then an Arcane Missile, but the harpy saw the magic coming and managed to dodge, even while carrying Jax’s weight.

Fenris ran for his master and leapt off the ground in an attempt to grab him, his teeth snapping in the air and missing by mere inches.

“Jax!” I shouted.

You are bleeding and require medical attention.

I started to panic as Jax was lifted higher, and I had no idea how I could help him.

“Keysia, the wind spell!” I yelled.

“It’s on cool—!” Her voice was cut off.

I turned around to see that two of the harpies that Keysia had downed managed to fight their way to their feet, and one of them had managed to grab on to Keysia awkwardly with just one claw and was struggling to flap its wings enough to lift her off the ground.

Rina slammed her staff across the temple of the other harpy in front of her, but the harpy rattled its head and leapt off the ground, then started clawing for a grip on Rina while flapping its wings hard.

I reached for my bow in horror, knowing that the harpies were susceptible to fire, but also knowing I couldn’t risk casting more Fireblasts on any of the birds while they were so close to my guild mates. Archery wasn’t my strong point, but I had to try.

Two daggers flew with a whiz through the air and slammed into the back of the harpies that were attacking Keysia and Rina. The harpies screeched and bucked, and then suddenly they froze still, and from the daggers’ point of impact, a layer of ice seemed to appear and magically wrap around the harpies’ bodies.

Keysia dropped to the ground—from the couple feet she had been lifted—safely, and the harpy fell forward and clacked when it fell frozen to the ground. The frozen harpy that had been attacking Rina also fell hard to the ground.

I turned my head to see a figure running towards us, and when he was close enough, my skin crawled.

Jeremy.

The thief who attacked Edgewood.

He was wearing a set of boring leather this time and a pair of sparkling, black boots.

He slid up to one of the frozen harpies and slammed his foot down on its head, causing frozen pieces of bird to splash across the ground.

Keysia and Rina both looked up in confusion, but then Keysia quickly raised her staff and slammed into the other bird, scattering icy chunks everywhere.

Jeremy reached down and yanked his dagger from the harpy closest to him, rushed to the other and repeated the process. He ran towards me at an abnormal speed, and without putting away my bow, I placed my hand on the hilt of my sword, ready to defend.

“Hey Gunnar!” he said as he ran right past me. “That’s was your name, right?!” He was moving about the same speed that I would move if I had cast Boiling Blood, but he didn’t seem injured at all.

You are bleeding and require medical attention.

I looked to Keysia and the gang and gave them a nod, before we started running after him and Jax.

Jeremy ran straight for Jax, who was quite a few feet off the ground, and then he veered off to the left, where there was a straight path leading up the side of one of the mountains. They were both a good hundred meters ahead of us by then.

When he reached the edge of the path that was closest to where Jax was hoovering, he stopped and took aim. He threw a dagger in his hand at the harpy, and just when it looked like it was going to hit, the harpy veered, screeched, and flew up a bit more.

I ran as hard as I could as I could when I saw Jeremy taking aim with his second dagger. He threw it deliberately, and it flew through the air, but once again, the harpy dodged. As the harpy swerved the dagger in the air, I held out both hands and shot both a Fireblast and then an Arcane Missile at it. It was a dangerous move to make with Jax in its grasp, but I had to take the chance or risk him getting dragged away.

The Fireblast missed, but as the harpy was dodging the Fireblast, the Arcane Missile managed to make contact with one of its wings.

The harpy, still holding Jax, started spinning wildly and crashing towards the ground.

“Fenris!” I yelled, hoping the wolf could perform a maneuver like Sora had to prevent a fatal fall.

Fenris ran to just under the spinning harpy and spun his head round and round, following Jax and trying to gauge the fall, but just as the harpy and Jax were about to hit the ground, Fenris leapt, and missed by a few inches. When Fenris landed on his feet, he stumbled a couple times and looked like he had made himself dizzy.

Jax hit the ground hard, and the harpy landed on top of Jax. It flapped its wings as it tried pushing itself back up off the ground, and then it lunged itself in the air. But, Fenris had quickly recovered from his dizziness and jumped, catching the harpy’s leg in his teeth.

Jeremy ran past us as Fenris tugged on the harpy, and just as it looked like the harpy was going down, its leg snapped off in Fenris’ mouth and it rose further into the sky.

The harpy screeched in pain.

Rina cast her magic, which the harpy dodged, and I shot a Fireblast, then an Arcane Missile which the harpy dodged as well. But then a dagger came flying in the other direction and struck the harpy in the back of its shoulder. A moment later, the harpy came crashing down and splintered into several shards of ice.

You have gained 4200 XP!

Jax was on the ground, unmoving, and both Rina and Keysia ran to his side.

“Jax!” Rina cried. “Jax!”

Jeremy slowly walked towards us, his chest heaving and clearly out of breath. He paced up to the shattered bird and recovered his dagger from between the frozen bits. He looked up at me and smiled. “Nice to see you again, man.”

Chapter Eighteen

1/27/0001

I held my sword tip out towards Jeremy as I rushed over to Jax’s body. “Don’t come near us,” I hissed.

I kneeled down beside Jax and could see that there were several deep scratches that had cut through the front of his armor and smaller ones on his face. His chest was still moving up and down, and when I looked at our group status bars, I could see the slightest sliver of health left.

Rina had her bag open and was scouring through it furiously.

“Heal him, Rina!” I said. “He’s going to die soon!”

“I’m out of mana,” she said. “I was casting on those things nonstop. We needed to use a potion.”

“I’ve got a health potion,” Jeremy said.

I still had my sword tip held up as I turned to him. “I said stand back!”

You are bleeding and require medical attention.

I felt the strong pulse of pain and realized that I was also in need of healing soon. I only had 35% left after all the loss of blood, but we still had time to cure the bleeding, and Rina could probably heal me after she was done with Jax.

I reached in my bag, pulled out a bandage, and started bandaging one of Jax’s bleeding wounds. Keysia was on the other side doing the same thing.

Rina found her health potion, lifted Jax’s head ever so slightly and started to pour the vial of red liquid into his mouth. Almost immediately, Jax’s lips started moving up and down, and he groaned. As more liquid fell into his mouth, he blinked his eyes a few times and grunted.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Rina said as she continued pouring liquid into Jax’s mouth.

Jax reached up and grabbed the vial and tilted it even more, so that he quickly finished the last bit of liquid. When he was done, he made a refreshing sigh as if he had just drunk a cold cola. “The harpies?”

I turned to see the piles of two smoldering harpies. It looked as if the frozen harpies were thawing out, but they were still clearly dead. “Looks like they’re all gone for now.”

Jax pushed himself into a sitting position. “Thanks,’ he said towards Rina. He reached down and squeezed the bandages we just fit on him then looked up to me and Keysia. “You guys too.” His brow furrowed. “How’d you kill it? I didn’t see what happened.”

I looked up to see Jeremy hovering beside us with his arms crossed, a wide smirk across his face. “This guy helped,” I said.

Jax turned his head to look at the man, then turned back to me, raised his eyebrow, and snickered.

I stood to my feet and took a step closer to Jeremy, still holding my sword out. “What are you doing here?!”

“Well, you told me not to go back to Edgewood or I’d be killed on sight, right?”

I opened my eyes wide and shook my head mockingly. “Yeah?! So why the hell would you follow us to Nestle Rock?”

Jeremy reached behind his back. “Well, this isn’t Edgewood. And you guys just seem really cool. I really want to earn my spot in the guild.”

I sighed and shook my head. “I told you no multiple times already.” I took a strong step forward and thrust my sword towards Jeremy’s neck. “I told you not to go to Edgewood, and now I’m telling you not to follow us again—here or anywhere else—if you want to live.”

Jeremy took a step back.

Jax stood to his feet along with Keysia and Rina.

You are bleeding and require medical attention.

I flinched at the pain.

“Oh, you’re bleeding, Gunnar,” Rina said. She walked behind me and started fumbling in her back for a bandage to wrap my back.

“Just give me a chance,” Jeremy persisted. “You won’t regret it.”

I closed my eyes and sighed again, loudly. I was getting tired of saying the same thing over and over again. What part of ‘no’ did the guy not understand?

“You’re a Reborn?” Jax suddenly asked.

“I am,” the guy replied. “You too?”

Jax shook his head, and then he turned to me. “Maybe you should give him a shot,” he said low.

“He attacked Edgewood,” I said. I flicked my eyes towards Keysia. “He killed Keysia and some of the others.”

“I don’t know if it was his arrow that hit me,” Keysia clarified.

“I’m sorry if it was me,” Jeremy said. “I don’t think it was, but I was just firing at anything that day.”

“And he stole from us,” I snapped, thrusting my sword forward a few inches.

“I was level 3, dude!” Jeremy cried. “I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.”

Jax cleared his throat and snapped his head to the side. “Remember how you were at that level? You’ve changed quite a bit, Gunnar.”

I twisted my lips at the comment. “So, you seriously think we should let this thief into our guild?”

“Well,” Jax said. “He helped us here. He could’ve easily attacked or stole from us while we were fighting with the harpies if he was a total predator.”

I swallowed and tensed my jaw. “Rina, Keysia? What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Rina scoffed. She straightened her shoulders and smiled. “But, I do know people can change.”

“You could kick him out if he does something harmful,” Keysia said.

“I could…” I said. “I mean, we could.” I rattled my head from side to side. “Look. Now that I’m back in my old house, he’d be sleeping with all of you. You’d all feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with him after everything he’s done?” I turned my head and looked at all three of my guild mates.

They all gave shrugs and light nods.

I sighed and returned my sword to its holster. “Look, I—“

“Trust me, dude,” the guy interrupted.

I held my palm out to him. “Let me finish.” I paused and looked the guy directly in the eye. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you did save us from potential disaster today. I’ll let you join on a probationary period, but if you fuck up again, I’ll seriously hurt you more than last time.”

“Seriously?!” the guy said, grinning widely. “Yes!”

I huffed and pursed my lips.

Jeremy stepped forward and held out a fist bump to me. I looked down to the fist and just held out an open hand. Jeremy responded by opening his fist, taking my hand, and shaking it several times. “Thanks so much, dude!”

“Yeah, thanks for helping with the harpies,” I said. I tilted my head at my guild mates. “And you should thank my team instead. I wouldn’t have even considered it if they weren’t all on board.”

Jeremy looked towards the guild, smiled, and held his hand out to each one. “Thank you soooo much! And I’m so sorry for the attack the other day.”

When Jeremy had finished shaking everyone hands, he turned back to me, and I thought hard about willing a guild invitation to him.

Jeremy Cole has joined your guild: Unity!

“Oh, so the guild’s name is ‘Unity’,” Jeremy cooed. “That sounds sick!”

“Yeah, that’s the name,” I explained. “And welcome to the guild. Don’t do anything to make us regret this.”

Everyone welcomed Jeremy to the guild and introduced themselves.

“Jax.”

“Rina.”

“Keysia.”

Jeremy turned back to me and smiled. He reminded me of a younger version of Aaron, aside from his thick, dark curls. They were both roughly the same height and build, and Jeremy had a similar air of naivety about him.

“I’m glad to be a part of the team. We’re going to kick some ass together!”

I looked at Jeremy curiously. “Why do I have the feeling I’m going to regret this?”

Chapter Nineteen

1/27/0001

We checked each of the fallen harpies before moving back over to the hole. None of them were carrying loot, unfortunately, but Jax cut two hidden snake-like tails from the harpies that hadn’t been damaged too badly, remembering that they were reagents for the Giant’s Potion schematic that he had.

Fenris used his paws to clear as much dirt around the treasure chest as possible, and Jax jumped into the hole to wiggle the chest until it was sitting flat on its bottom.

The chest was huge—twice the size of the chest that Adeelee and I looted in the Vale—and its dark weathered wood was secured by a large brass lock.

I reached for my keychain and found the mysterious key that I had looted with the map and held it up in the air. “You guys ready for this? I hope it fits.”

“Wait a minute,” Jax said as he walked around the chest, looking at it from each angle. “Let me check for traps first.”

“This is the kind of thing I’ve been waiting to do,” Jeremy said as Jax continued inspecting the chest. “Loot treasure chests with a nice guild. I’ve been missing out.”

I chuckled. “You’ve been solo the whole time you’ve been in here?”

“Pretty much.”

“And you said they’ve given up on trying to shut Eden’s Gate down back on Earth?” I queried.

“According to them, Eden’s Gate is already shut down,” Jeremy said. “But only the sheeple believe that.”

“Oh, yeah?” I asked. “I guess they’re trying to ward people from crossing over.”

“Yeah,” Jeremy answered. “And they’ve confiscated just about all the Nexicon headsets.”

“So how’d you get in?”

“I moved out of my home and took my headset with me,” Jeremy said. “Didn’t report my new address.”

“But you knew you’d be stuck in here, right? What made you put the headset on?”

Jeremy sighed and shrugged. “It was mostly impulse. I was having a hard time in life right before I made my decision. I only moved because I lost my job and couldn’t afford my apartment anymore. I was up to my neck in student loans and was struggling to get anywhere in life. $70,000 debt to learn a career I couldn’t even hold a job in.”

“Damn, sorry to hear that,” I said.

Jeremy shook his head. “I just wanted to start over, so I took a chance. Things haven’t been perfect since I put the headset on, but I feel like I can actually be somebody in this world. It’s given me a second chance.”

I nodded. I could relate to what he said somewhat, and just hearing some of his story made me like Jeremy a little more. Maybe he wasn’t all that bad.

“I don’t detect anything,” Jax said, “but let’s be careful.”

“Alright then,” I said as I turned back towards the treasure chest. “I guess this is the moment of truth.”

I kneeled down in front of the chest, slid the mysterious key into the keyhole, and made a silent prayer that the key matched the lock. I tried turning the key to the right, but nothing happened. The key just seemed to hit something inside and not move any further, but when I turned it to the left, there was a clack, and as I continued to turn, it sounded almost as if I were winding a clock.

“This is weird…” I said as I continued turning the key to the left.

I must have turned it at least four full rotations before there was a snapping sound, and the key stopped turning.

I glanced up to everyone before grabbing the front of the chest, and to my delight, the lid moved. “Hell yeah!” I said as I flipped the lid all the way open, but as soon as I saw what was inside, I immediately jumped back.

Hundreds of tiny cockroach-like creatures swarmed out of the chest in every direction, and as soon as they touched my armor, they started biting and chewing.

“Shit!” I yelled as I flung my arms around, trying to get the bugs off me. I swung my hands at my legs, arms, chest, and anywhere that I could feel them, and the whole guild around me were stomping and swatting at them too.

Rina and Keysia were screaming like… girls, basically, and Fenris and Sora were pouncing on the tiny creatures, trying to chew them up as fast as they could.

You have gained 1XP!’

You have gained 1 XP!

You have gained 1 XP!

We were busy ridding ourselves of the roaches for a good two or three minutes before we had killed nearly all of them, and there were little pieces of bug and guts all around and on us. With all the bug juice and mud caked on from earlier, our group was looking in piss-poor condition.

“No traps?” I asked as I leaned over, catching my breath.

“I couldn’t detect that one,” Jax said. “Luckily they were only level 1.”

“If one of us—” Rina jerked and yelped as she felt a bug climb up her leg. She swatted at her inner thigh a couple times, until the bug fell to the ground, and then she raised her foot and stomped it. She huffed. “If one of us had been alone, it might have been enough to kill us.”

“A thousand bug bites would be a horrible way to die,” Keysia added.

I stood up straight and peered back into the chest cautiously, worried that there could be snakes, or, worse, spiders at the bottom of the chest, but thankfully, I saw lots of shiny things catching the light overhead. “We’ve got treasure!” I shouted.

“Hell yeah,” Jeremy said, and I could see the excitement on the other guild mate’s faces.

There were weapons, armor, gold, and jewels that I could see at the very top of the chest, and I started by pulling out a long skinny sword.

You’ve received: Tempered Steel Rapier. 19-21 Attack Damage. Requires 10 Strength. Requires 25 Dexterity. Durability: 6/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Common. Weight: 1.9

“This is nice,” I said after reading the stats and setting the sword aside. “Less damage than my falchion, so not sure if it’s for me.”

“Damage isn’t everything,” Jax said. “Remember that the damage only applies to a single, standard attack to a non-critical area on a forward-facing enemy. You might do more damage with that rapier, because it’s lighter, faster, and its sharp point will likely pierce through light armor.”

“Maybe,” I said. “Let’s see what else what else we have.”

You’ve received: Light Steel Mace of Crushing. 32-40 Attack Damage. Requires 20 Strength. Requires 18 Dexterity. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Exceptional. Rarity: Common. Weight: 3.0 +5 Strength. 5% increased chance to destroy shields and armor.

“Ozzy can use this,” I said. “Looks like a big upgrade for him.”

“Damn!” Jeremy howled. “That’s like double the damage of my daggers.”

“What kind of daggers are those anyway?” I asked. “They have some sort of on-hit freezing effect?”

“They have an ‘on-cast’ effect stat to infuse the daggers with a freeze spell. When I use the on-cast, the dagger freezes the next target it hits. Each dagger only has about 3 charges left though, so I’ll need to replace them soon.”

“Where’d you get those?” I asked.

Jeremy reached behind his head and started scratching. “Ehh… I stole them from a house in Highcastle.”

I shook my head. “See, dude. You can’t just steal from whoever if you’re going to be a part of the guild. I don’t know how it affects your reputation or the guild’s, but just stop. We’re not a thieves’ guild.”

“I will,” Jeremy said. He held up a hand as if he were swearing before a judge. “I’ll put my best foot forward for the guild.”

“What about those shoes?” I asked, noticing strange, light sparkle that emanated off their black.

“They give me a +5 run speed, and they have another 10 [on-cast] charges left to add an additional 25% run speed.” He smiled cockily.

“I mean, where’d you get them?” I clarified.

“Oh…” Jeremy moaned. “I stole these from a vendor.”

“Dude,” I groaned.

“Those are valuable items you stole,” Jax said. “If you’re caught stealing, there can be some serious consequences.”

“I know, I know,” Jeremy said. He held up both arms. “I’m done thieving now. I’m with Unity.”

I huffed and shook my head as I turned back to the chest. The next item was a small blade, just slightly longer than a standard dagger. It had a silver handle with a flat, black, slight-curved blade.

You’ve received: Corrupted Ebon Blade. 15-50 Attack Damage. Requires 14 Strength. Requires 25 Dexterity. Durability: 9/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Epic. Weight: 1.0. 1% chance to cause disease: Corruption.

“Corruption?” I asked as I held up the blade.

Rina took a step back.

“Nasty disease,” Jax said. “Causes your health to drop about 1% every hour, and any gear you’re wearing slowly deteriorates.”

“Wow…” I said. “And how do you cure diseases?”

“Depends on the disease,” Jax explained. “But curing any disease isn’t easy.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever been cured of Corruption,” Keysia said.

“Corruption is a slow, painful death sentence,” Rina added. “An entire town on the other side of the Serpent Sea was wiped out by corruption.”

I suddenly felt like I should be holding the dagger with my fingertips. The on-hit effect had a great potential, and I would’ve been excited about keeping it for myself if the blade had been a bit longer. The fact that it was more dagger than sword turned me off.

“How about this for an upgrade?” I asked, turning to Jeremy.

“Yeah, pass that over here,” he said. “I’ll use it as soon as I have enough Dexterity.”

I tossed the blade on the ground near his feet.

You’ve received: Mobius Staff. 18-22 Attack Damage. Requires 14 Strength. Requires 25 Intelligence. Durability: 9/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 1.0. 10% Magic Damage. On Cast: Energy Strike: 57 Charges Left.

The staff was long, straight, and topped off with a round ball that had two horns springing out from its side. The ball was white, but the rest of the staff was a dark purple color.

“Anyone know about this?” I asked.

Everyone shook their heads.

I held the staff up and honed in on one of the charred harpies that was lying dead nearby. Just as if I were casting a spell, I focused on using the staff’s on-cast ability, and a bright sphere of energy formed in between the two horns above the ball. The energy sped away from the staff, just as fast as an Arcane Missile, and the moment it struck the harpy, it exploded with energy, and pieces of the bird flew everywhere.

It made me wish that I was a staff user.

“I’ll take that,” Keysia and Rina said almost simultaneously.

I looked up to them both, not sure what I should do.

Rina cleared her throat and shrugged. “I just got a new staff, so you can take it, Keysia.”

“Great,” Keysia said. “The staff I’m using now is out of charges, so this will be a nice replacement.”

I tossed Keysia the staff.

There was a heap of what looked like a pelt that I was about to push out of the way, but as soon as I touched it, I found that it was headgear.

You’ve received: Ravager’s Hood. +6 Armor. Durability: 8/10. Quality: Great. Rarity: Epic. Weight: 0.4 kg +3 Dexterity. +3 Strength. +1 Vitality. +1% critical hit chance.

As I lifted the hood, I saw that it was black leather, and the back of the hood was lined with a thick fur of some sort. Attached to the side of the hood were some sort of hard, metal shoulder pads that gave it a menacing appearance. Based on the stats alone, I knew I was going to keep the item. It was a huge upgrade from my scarf.

“How’s that for something to keep you warm?” Jax cooed.

I took my off my slaver’s scarf and immediately replaced it with the hood. It went great with the heritage armor I was wearing.

“Looks good on you,” Rina said.

“Anyone want my scarf?” I asked, holding it out in my hands. “It has +2 dex.”

“I’ll take it,” Jeremy said, and I tossed the scarf to him.

I started scooping out what was left in the treasure chest, and there were 2 emeralds, a pearl, a ruby, and an amethyst. There were also two red inscription powders and 3,017 gold. I was disappointed there were no spells or swords that were significantly stronger than the one I was already using, but it was still a great haul. With the gold in the chest and the amount we’d gain from selling the gems, we’d easily have enough to pay for the castle foundation and have a decent stash of gold leftover in the treasury.

As I counted out the gold, I noticed a small golden ring in the pile that I almost missed. It had a small, ginger emblem on its top. I smiled when I touched it as I knew immediately it would be a great item for Jax.

You’ve received: Ring of Precision. Durability: 7/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 0.1 kg. +5 Dexterity. +10% accuracy with ranged physical attacks.

“You’re spoiling me,” Jax said as I tossed the ring to him.

I stood up from the chest and smiled. “No, I think we’re all spoiled after this treasure hunt. A little over 3,000 gold is a lot for one run, and getting here wasn’t too bad, was it?”

“Well, you almost got killed by harpies,” Jeremy said. “And those one-armed things messed you up pretty bad.”

“You watched us fight the forgotten ones and didn’t help?” I asked, my jaw slack.

“Well, yeah. I was close behind you, but I could see that you guys had things under control—sorta.”

I shook my head and didn’t respond, but he was right about the fight difficulty. The harpies were tough, and the forgotten ones put up a decent fight, considering their limited attack abilities, but he had no idea some of the things I’d been through: all the crazy monsters in Gramora, the psy-demon in the Vale, the Spider Queen, the giant scorpions, Dryden’s dragon… the list went on and on. I shuddered at some of the creatures I’d encountered.

“Now we just need to find Bloodmoss, and then we can head back. Has anyone seen anything that looks like red moss?” I turned my head and saw mostly brown and grey, aside from the few trees that were growing nearby.

Everyone turned their head and scanned the vicinity, but then they all shook their heads.

I sighed. “Maybe we should split up and scour the area? We can keep an eye on each other’s health bars just in case anyone gets attacked.”

I tried willing Jeremy a group invitation.

Your party is currently full!

Your party is currently full!

“There’s a four-to-a-party maximum,” Jax said. “You can adventure with as many people as you want, but you can only share information for three others at a time.”

So much for that idea, I thought.

“Hey, there’s some red stuff up there,” Jeremy said loudly, pointing his finger up the peak where the Harpies had been circling.

Everyone turned in the direction he was looking.

“Yeah, I see it,” Keysia said. “There’s several patches of red mixed in with the green.”

“I hope that’s not it,” I said as we all started walking closer to the skinny mountain peak.

Jax shielded his eyes from the sun when we were right below the peak and looked straight up. “It looks like that might be it,” he said.

“It’s mossy and it’s red,” Rina said.

The slope of the peak leading up to the red spots was almost completely vertical on every side, and the peak was well over a hundred meters high.

“Well, fuck!” I cursed. “There’s no way we can get up there, unless one of you has some incredible secret climbing skill.”

“I think it would take some flying ability to get up there,” Rina said. “This would be hard to climb even with climbing tools.”

“Damnit,” I cursed gain. “Does anyone have any ideas?”

We all sat silent for a moment as we stared up to the harpy’s peak.

Jeremy pointed to the mountain that was closest to the peak. “There’s a wide path leading up that mountain. Perhaps we could build a bridge from the edge of that path over to the peak?”

Jax shook his head. “None of the trees around here are long enough to use as a bridge, and we don’t have the time or crafting skills to build a proper one.”

Jeremy raised his eyebrows and smirked. “I guess we could try jumping it.” He chuckled a bit and smirked.

“Yeah, right,” I said as I looked up at the distance between the edge of the mountain’s path and the peak. “There’s no way any of us could make that jump. It’s too far.”

“Yeah, I know,” Jeremy said. “I was just kidding.”

“Actually,” Jax said deviously. “Maybe one of us could make that jump—specifically you, Gunnar.”

“What?” I twisted my face as I looked at Jax and then I took another look at the distance between the peak and the other mountain. “There’s no way I could do that. I’m not Superman.”

“Who’s Superman?” Keysia asked.

I waved a dismissive hand to her. “No one. But I know I can’t make that jump.”

“You have that spell, right?” Jax asked. “Boiling Blood—the one that gives you an incredible speed increase.”

I nodded my head and glanced back up to the peak. “Yeah, but even with Boiling Blood, I’m still sure I’d miss that jump.”

Jax glanced down at Jeremy’s shoes. “But Jeremy’s shoes will give you another 5% boost and then another 25% if you activate them. If Jeremy lets you borrow his shoes and you combine it with your spell, I think you might just make it.”

I looked down at Jeremy’s shoes and then I looked up the peak again. Boiling Blood gave me a 30% speed increase, so I’d be going about 60% faster with Jeremy’s shoes on and activated. I had never been good with physics, but with all that added speed, I agreed that it would give me a significant increase in jumping distance.

“Maybe…” I said at almost a whisper.

“If you take off all your gear, you’ll be a lot lighter too,” Keysia said.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “It’s really risky, and even if I made it up there, how would I get down?”

Keysia looked down and started thinking, and Jax rubbed his chin.

“What if you use your fan ability like you used on the harpies?” Rina asked Keysia. “The one where you swing your fan and cause a quick gust of wind.”

“That’s a good idea,” Jax concurred. “If you can fan Gunnar one or two times it should slow down his fall a little bit—maybe enough that Sora can catch him.”

I started laughing and shook my head. “Are you guys crazy? You guys want me to fuckin’ jump from up there and somehow float down from a fan swipe?”

As I looked from person to person, no one else was laughing. They all seemed like they actually thought it might work—even Jeremy.

“I’ll loan you my shoes, dude,” Jeremy said.

I looked at them all with an open jaw. “Why me?”

“You’re the only one with a 30% movement speed buff,” Jax said.

“I’ll resurrect you if something goes wrong, Gunnar,” Rina said.

“It’s either we leave without the Bloodmoss or we give it a try,” Jax said. He waved his around him and turned his head. “Or we could look around more… Maybe there’s Bloodmoss somewhere else around here, but I can tell you from experience that the further you go into a zone like this, the more dangerous it becomes. We might be looking at beasts way nastier than those harpies.”

I took another long look up at the mountain peak, and then I lowered my head, closed my eyes and sighed. “Fine.” I started pulling off my gear. “One of you guys are going to have to beat me down to 40%. Please, try not to make me bleed.”

Chapter Twenty

1/27/0001

“Stop!” I yelled. “Stop! Stop!” I held up my hand in submission as Rina’s staff slammed down into my leg one last time.

I groaned miserably as I grabbed my uncovered leg and then my neck and stomach. I was sore all over.

We decided that it was best to have Keysia and Rina hit me with their staffs, since their weapons were blunt and less likely to cause bleeding, but the women almost seemed to have derived pleasure in smacking me around on every part of my body.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Gunnar,” Keysia said as I pushed myself up onto wobbly feet.

“I feel like I want to heal him,” Rina said.

I held my palm towards her. “Please, don’t. I’m just under the threshold to cast my spell. I don’t want to go through another beat down.”

“Attacking you was rather interesting though,” Keysia said. “I never imagined a man, much less a Reborn, would request that kind of punishment from me. It was…” Keysia shook her head as if she didn’t know the word she was looking for.

“Empowering?” Rina asked.

Keysia nodded. “Yes, I believe that’s the word. It was strangely empowering.” Her eyes were wide and darting around as if she had discovered some forbidden fruit for the first time.

I reached up and touched my sore, swollen lip. “I’m all for whatever empowerment you guys are on, but let’s not make the whole ‘beat down the guildmaster’ a habit, okay?”

Everyone started chuckling, except me.

I began my limp up the mountain path, feeling especially chilly wearing nothing but my boxer shorts, unburdening bag, and Jeremy’s shoes. My body was aching from the ass-whooping that the ladies gave me, so even if I was a bit cold, all I could think about was the soreness coursing through me—and the fact that what I was about to do was extremely reckless and might end up costing me my life.

At least one of my lives. I wouldn’t have even considered doing something so stupid if I weren’t in Eden’s Gate.

The walk up the path only took a couple minutes and was uneventful. For the most part, I only saw rocks and weeds the entire way up. When I reached the area of the path that was most aligned with the mountain peak that was nearby, the path continued further up, and I couldn’t help but wonder what else was up that way? More monsters? More treasure? A cave? I’d have to make my way back to Nestle Rock someday to find out.

I walked to the edge of the wide path and looked over to the mountain peak. There was a bed of short grass and moss growing on top, and in the center of the peak appeared to be a bird’s nest and at least one or two eggs. A few inches below the top of the peak, I could see the red patches, and from that closer location it looked much mossier. I was pretty sure that had to be what we were trying to find.

Visually measuring the distance between the mountain peak and the path I was standing on, the jump seemed impossible. I knew I couldn’t possibly make the jump without a spell, and I had never really tested my jumping ability when casting Boiling Blood. The whole plan was based on a lot of assumptions.

I looked down to my guild mates below. They all looked small, and my stomach did a somersault as I thought of how terrible it would be to fall at that height.

“Are you guys ready?” I asked.

“Yeah, we’re ready!” Jax yelled back. “Rina is ready to resurrect you if you fall.”

Thanks for the reminder, I thought.

Are you sure you want to do this, Gunnar? Sora projected.

No, but yeah, I projected back.

That makes no sense, father.

I know, I replied, and this jump makes no sense. Just try your best to catch me if I fall.

I will. Be careful.

I took several steps back until my back was against the wall of the mountain and took a deep breath. My heart was pounding, and I didn’t want to feel the pain of death. I made a quick, silent prayer that I would make the jump and activated Boiling Blood.

As soon as the heat of the spell engulfed my body, I felt a little bit more confident, a little less afraid. I pressed my foot against the side of the mountain, hard, and as soon as I took my first step, I focused on using the on-cast speed ability of the shoes.

My legs moved back and forth faster than they ever had before, and with just a few steps before the edge of the wide path, I felt like I had reached my maximum speed.

One last step, I thought as my foot slammed on the edge of the path. And jump!

I leapt as high as I possibly could as I pushed off the side of the cliff, and for a moment, I felt like I was flying. I tried my best not to look down, to only focus on the mountain peak that was ahead of me, and at the summit of my leap, I thought I might actually make the jump. But as soon as I started to fall, I felt for sure I was going to miss.

I heard my guild mates gasp in horror as my gut slammed into the top edge of the mountain peak. The air was knocked out of my lungs from the impact, and my knees slammed against the peak’s side causing additional pain.

Knowing that I was about to die, I clawed at the top of the peak, trying to pull myself up the best I could, but so consumed by pain that my body felt weak. I glanced at my stat bars as one of my hand slippeds and regained a grip onto a patch of moss. I was down to only 5%, and my head was spinning.

“Gunnar!” I heard someone yell from below. “Hold on!”

My feet kicked out, trying to get a footing on something, but the peak was so steep that my boots simply slipped on of everything they touched.

I groaned loudly at the pain and closed my eyes, trying to pull myself up, but it seemed like each time I tried to pull, my hands slipped a little further.

Boiling Blood ran out, and the pain only seemed to intensify.

“Don’t let go!” someone else yelled.

Why not? I wondered. I was hurting badly and I was too weak to pull myself up without a better grip on something other than the moss and grassy dirt I was clinging to. I almost wanted to let go just to get it over with.

But, the fear of death, the fear of that intense pain associated with death, kept me holding on for dear life. I tried to formulate a plan as I looked around for anything to grab on to.

Nothing.

The grass and moss I was holding lost its rooting, and I slipped back again, and dirt sprayed into my eyes. I winced and formed a hard claw with my fingers, that stopped my hands right at the very edge.

Divine Sight, I thought.

As my vision cleared, I looked down to see the hard, rocky ground below, and I felt like I was going to puke. Not wanting to end up a pancake on the ground, I pulled again, and while I was able to lift my head up several inches, I was just too weak to adjust and fully pull myself up.

A glow surrounded my body, the pain was eased, and I suddenly felt a lot stronger. A couple seconds later there was another glow, and all thoughts of the pain went away. Feeling more in control of myself, I once again used all my strength to pull myself up, and when my head was raised above the peak’s edge, I clawed forward to get a better grip, and then again. Finally, I was able heave a leg over the edge and roll my body until I was fully on top.

I breathed heavily and lay on my back a few moments as I stared up to the bright blue sky.

I made it. I actually made it.

It was sloppy and it hurt, and if I had been even slightly slower or slipped an inch more, I would’ve fallen to my death.

But I made it, thankfully.

I pulled myself off the ground and saw Rina standing on the mountain path across from me. She must have run up the path as fast as she could so that she could get in range to heal me.

“Thanks, Rina,” I said.

“Of course, Gunnar!” She raised her staff in the air and healed me one more time to bring me to full health.

I looked over the edge to see Jeremy throwing high-fives to Jax and Keysia. “You should get back down there. If I’m jumping down, your healing will probably be needed.”

Rina smiled, nodded, and started back down the path.

There wasn’t much at the top of the mountain peak aside from the green moss and the round, brown bird’s nest that was made of twisted twigs and dead grass. In the center of the nest were three large eggs, each about the size of watermelons.

My initial thought was ‘How the hell did the harpies lay these huge things?’ However they did it, it must have been painful.

I lifted one of the eggs, and it was like lifting a slightly less dense bowling ball.

You’ve received: Harpy’s Egg. Durability: 1/1. Quality: Average. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 6.1 kg. ????

I wasn’t sure if the egg was useful, but I opened my bag and tried slipping it inside. The circumference was a little wide for the mouth of my bag, so I ended up setting it back down on the soft nest and leaned over the edge of the peak to look at my guild mates below.

“There’s three harpy’s eggs up here!” I yelled. “Are they good for anything?” It was only then that I noticed that my loud voice was echoing between the mountain ranges, and I worried that we might attracted unwanted attention if we stayed around for too long.

“No clue!” Jax yelled. “Bring them with you if can!”

“They won’t fit!”

Jax turned to Rina and Keysia and they were saying something to each other for a moment before Jax looked back up. “Wanna try throwing one down?”

“Throw an egg?” I asked. “That doesn’t seem like a good idea!”

Jax said something else that I couldn’t hear to Keysia, she nodded, and then he looked back up. “We’ll try Keysia’s wind spell on the egg! If she can slow it down, I might be able to catch it!”

“Ughh…” I groaned. “Okay!”

I picked the egg back up and held it over the side of the peak. “Tell me when you’re ready!”

Keysia summoned her fan, and Jax adjusted himself so that he was right under the egg.

“Ready!” Jax yelled.

I released the egg as gently as possible and watched as it sped towards Jax. Right about halfway down, Keysia pulled her fan back and swung it up towards the egg. I could feel the gust of wind all the way from the top of the peak. For a moment, it looked like the egg might have lost a little bit of speed, but it quickly sped back up and ultimately exploded the moment it met Jax’s hands. Thick clear and yellow slime covered Jax from head to toe, and a little bit of it splashed onto Fenris, who started shaking his head like crazy.

Jax flung his hands towards the ground and started spitting to get the goop out of his mouth. He glanced back up to me, looking like he could fit in nicely with the forgotten ones. “Yeah!” he yelled. “That’s not going to work!”

I chuckled. It was nice to see the poised hunter make a bad call for once.

I looked back to the other two eggs and thought for a moment about how I might get them down but couldn’t come up with anything. The peak that I was standing on didn’t seem like something that a person of my level would normally be able to access, so I’d have to come back when I had a big bag and a better way of ascending and descending the peak if I wanted the eggs. I had no idea what they were used for anyway.

I turned my attention back to getting the Bloodmoss and lay down in a prone position. I scooted forward slowly so that my head was dangling off the edge and I could see the side of the peak.

There was lots of green moss growing up and down the side, but just in arm’s length was a large, red patch with a thick, circular lump in the center. I grabbed onto the center, pulled, and the roots of the moss crackled against the tension and then finally snapped free of the peak.

You’ve received: Bloodmoss. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. A reagent with various uses.

“Got it!” I yelled as soon as I had the reagent in my hands. “And it’s Bloodmoss!”

A couple of the guild mates threw their fists in the air.

I slid my body carefully around the peak and collected all the Bloodmoss that I could reach, which netted four pieces in total.

After collecting it all, I pulled myself to my feet and dropped the Bloodmoss in my bag. I turned around and took one final look at the nest when I noticed the end of what appeared to be a roll of paper jutting out of the bottom of the bird’s nest. I kneeled down, lifted, and pushed the nest aside a little so I could tug the paper free. The paper was brittle and felt like it would fall apart in my hands, so I had to be careful when removing it from the nest.

“Yo! Are you coming down?!” I heard Jeremy yell.

“Give me a minute!” I yelled back. “I found something.”

The roll of paper was tied with a loose green ribbon which easily slipped off when pulled. As I unrolled the paper, small pieces of the material started to chip off and the edges were cracked, but the center of the paper remained mostly intact. Another rolled paper that was inside slipped out and fell into the moss below.

Do not fret, my son. For your skin may have changed, and you may have lost a limb, but you will never lose mine or your mother’s love.

I cannot forgive our brethren for what they’ve done to you, and therefore, we will be leaving the Vale and returning to Village of the Ancients.

That’s right, my son. The Village of the Ancients is real, and there, you can live with us all as one with no fear or depravity. There, you can find the foundations of your true heritage, and we will return your arm to whole.

But, reaching the ancient village is no easy task, and only those skilled in special magic may return to it. Follow the path below, Aaranthol, and you too can join us:

High amongst the tallest mountain,

Cyclops roams, three rising fountains.

None may climb, but those who rise,

Will find a world absent of lies,

Two-head demon, devil’s teeth.

Between the toes and you shall meet.

Emerald rise, a cliff descends.

Step into death, your world begins.

Please Aaranthol, take this scroll and exercise your skills until a time when you’re able to use it. When that time comes, you may find us in the Village of the Ancients waiting for you.

Do not succumb to your pain, Aaranthol. Remain strong and remember that you will always be an elf and will always be our son.

Eternal Love,

Lourinthal & Theodas

You’ve found a hidden quest: Village of the Ancients

A letter to Aaranthol speaks of a hidden village that’s only accessible via special magic. Find the village to collect your reward. Optionally, locate Aaronthol’s parents and tell them what you know.

Reward: Unknown, 30,000 XP

Do you accept this quest? Accept/Decline

30,000 XP? I thought. That was by far the highest XP offering I had ever seen in a quest. In fact, it was the most interesting quest I had ever been offered. A hidden village?

“Hell yes, I accept,” I said out loud.

You have accepted the quest: Village of the Ancients!

I reached down and lifted the paper that had fallen out from between the parchment.

You’ve received: Scroll: Levitation. Rise into and hover in the air. Requires 50 Intelligence. Arcane Magic Level 35. Mentalism Level 35. Durability: 2/10. Quality: Poor. Rarity: Legendary. Weight: 0.1 kg

Holy shit, I thought. A levitation scroll? I felt like I had been in Eden’s Gate a while by then, and other than the Fellblade, that was the first item I’d encountered an item that I found truly breathtaking. At some point I might be able to fly?

I leaned my head back and screamed loudly into the sky. “Yessssss!”

“Yo! What are you doing up there, Gunnar?” Jeremy asked.

“You’re taking a long time,” Jax said.

“I’ll tell you when I get down there,” I yelled back.

“Okay!” Jax yelled. “Are you ready?”

I took a deep breath and wished there was room on the small mountain peak so that I could get a running start and jump back to the path that I had come from…but that wasn’t a possibility. “Yeah, I’m ready, I guess.”

I’m ready for you, Sora projected in my head.

I thought back to what happened when Jax caught the egg, and I hoped that it wouldn’t be a repeat for me. But I also knew the egg was small and aerodynamic. While I didn’t know the math behind it, I knew that If I could control my fear and go belly-first, Keysia’s wind attack would have a much greater effect on me. Another part of me was scared that I might hit Sora so hard that I’d live and she’d die. That would be even worse than if I killed myself.

“Keysia, are you ready?” I yelled.

Keysia held up her summoned fan up so I could see. “Yeah! I’ll do my best!”

I was somewhat afraid of heights but heights were nowhere near as scary for me as spiders, and I had faced that fear multiple times since I entered Eden’s Gate. I had died multiple times too. I was ready for whatever was about to happen and put my maximum faith into my guild.

“Here I come!” I yelled.

I took two big steps and leapt off the side of the mountain peak with my arms and legs stretched as far apart as possible.

I felt like a bird for a moment, but no sooner than I had that feeling, panic overwhelmed me as the speed of my fall picked up and the ground rushed closer to me. I did my best to hold my composure and not flail or rotate my body so that I wouldn’t go down feet or head first.

Keysia swung her fan.

The breeze of Keysia’s fan rushed up toward me, and I quickly slowed and actually moved upward an inch or two before I began falling again, fast.

A second later Keysia swung her fan again, and again I slowed a little bit and moved up an inch or two.

I was three quarters of the way to the ground after Keysia’s second swing, so while I was moving very fast the rest of the way, it had worked to reduce the velocity of my fall.

Sora glanced up and adjusted herself so that she was aligned with my fall.

There was a hard thunking sound as my crotch, chest, and face all fell hard onto the back of Sora, and I felt Sora kneel a bit from the force. She roared, and I bounced a few inches from her body before coming straight back down onto her soft fur.

I only took about 65% damage from the fall.

Before I could even gain my senses, Rina was healing both Sora and me, and the others were coming to check on us.

“You okay?” Jax asked as he lifted my head from Sora’s back.

“Yeah…” I groaned.

“Dude!” Jeremy shouted. “That was awesome!”

“You’re amazing, Gunnar,” Keysia called.

Are you okay? I asked Sora, ignoring the compliments.

That was quite painful, but I’m okay. Are you okay, father?

I’m fine. And thank you.

I slid off Sora, and Jeremy was the first to run up to me and throw me a high five. Jax and Keysia were right behind him throwing me high fives as well. Jax rattled my shoulder and smiled.

“What does this mean?” Rina asked, holding her palm up awkwardly.

“It’s a Reborn tradition,” Keysia explained. “They smash their palms together in the air when something good happens or during a celebration.”

“Hmmm, okay.” Rina stepped up to me and also held her palm up high. I stepped into it and supplied her first high-five. She looked at her palm in confusion.

I was on top of the world at that moment and felt like Eden’s Gate was teaching me more and more about myself the longer I was there. I looked up to the skinny, rising peak, and I knew that someone at my level shouldn’t have ever been able to get up there.

Back on Earth, I used to be a solo player, and if I had stayed that way, getting the Bloodmoss off the side of the peak, or worse, getting on and off of that peak would’ve been impossible. I would’ve had to wait until I was several levels higher and had high-level skills and abilities that would allow me to rise and descend safely.

But, with the help of my guild, and a little critical thinking, I was able to push myself above and beyond that of a typical level 19. Every single person in my group had played a part in me getting to the top of the peak and getting back down in one piece, and without any one of them, the whole idea would’ve been a fail.

And now… I had the Bloodmoss we’d been looking for and a levitation scroll—a scroll that I couldn’t use yet, but one that could be incredibly powerful for me in the future.

Getting that scroll was a special moment for me, because I knew it would push me even further down a path of magic. I had yet to see anyone use a levitation spell, and I could only imagine hovering around in the sky, shooting blasts of fire and arcane energy at those who opposed me. I had a long way to go to get there, but… one day.

Thanks to my guild, of course.

Thanks to Unity.

Chapter Twenty-One

1/27/0001

“Wow. What happened to you guys?” Aaron asked as we rode into Edgewood Village. He was lying down on a log near our unlit campfire.

Keysia and I hopped off Sora.

“A few muddy situations in Nestle Rock,” I replied.

“What about you Jax? You look nasty as hell,” Aaron said as the other three guild mates slid off Fenris. He squinted his eyes and homed in on Jeremy. “Hey, aren’t you that guy?”

Jeremy waved shyly and smiled.

“Yeah, it’s the same guy,” I answered for him. “He’s part of the guild now.”

Aaron pursed his lips and dipped his chin. “Wait. Are you kidding me? You were totally opposed to letting him in just a day or so ago.”

“He saved us in Nestle Rock,” I explained. “I’ve let him in on a probationary period, so if he causes any problems, he’s out.” I turned to Jeremy and gave him a strong glare. “Right, Jeremy?”

Jeremy nodded. “You won’t have to worry about me. I’m problem-free from here on out.”

Aaron raised his eyebrows. “Well, welcome aboard, mate.”

Jeremy walked up to Aaron, and they both grabbed each other’s hands and pulled each other into a shoulder bump.

“You sure we’re cool?” Jeremy questioned. “I’m sorry about the other day.”

Aaron inhaled sharply and shrugged his shoulders. “If Gunnar thinks you’re cool, then we’re cool. Gunnar is an asshole after all, so he doesn’t like most people.”

“Hey!” I spat. “That’s not true.”

“Hey guys!” Ozzy suddenly yelled. He was stepping through the trees, coming from the direction of Highcastle. “You guys are already back?”

“Hey, Oz,” I said, raising my chin. “We just got here.”

“Looks like you all need a bath,” Ozzy said.

“Pretty much.” I pointed towards a massive gash and several dents in the front of his breastplate. “Looks like you had a bit of a bad day yourself.”

“A great day, actually. I’m 2 and 0 now!” Ozzy stopped in front of Aaron and they slapped each other’s hands.

“Hell yeah!” Aaron said.

“Good job, man!” I said.

Ozzy walk towards us with his hand raised for a high five but paused when he noticed Jeremy. “What’s he doing here?”

“Part of the guild now,” I said.

“So...” Ozzy raised his eyebrows “Change of heart?”

“Something like that,” I said. “We’re going to give him a chance.”

Ozzy shrugged and continued to give me a high five, then moved over to Rina, Keysia and Jax. When he made his way to Jeremy, he gave him a high five as well then pulled him into a hug. “Welcome to Unity, man.”

“Thanks,” Jeremy said.

Beside my home, the frame of a stable had been built. It was twice the size of any building that had been in the village thus far but didn’t have any open section for windows. A small feeding area with a trough was attached to the outside, along with a wooden pole and several pegs. It looked like all that was left was to put in some finishing panels and doors.

“Stable is looking good,” I said.

“She’ll be done early tomorrow morning,” Aaron said. “Since it’s mostly just basic walls, the build time is a lot faster than our houses.”

“Nice.” I walked over to the large area where Jax had cleared several trees. “Get them to start the foundation tomorrow.”

Aaron perked up. “Tomorrow?”

I nodded. “We got over 3,000 gold and some decent loot from the treasure map—lot of gems too. We’ve got enough to pay for a foundation.”

“Hell yes!” Aaron said. He rubbed his fingers against his chin a couple times. “Maybe I should head to Thorpes now and try to catch the builders before they head home.”

“Just wait ‘til tomorrow,” I said. “I know you’re just going to go gamble.”

“Pssht,” Aaron spat, and tossed a dismissive hand. “You don’t know that.”

“I know,” I repeated.

“Maybe I’m just as excited to get this castle started as you are,” Aaron countered. “Or maybe I just want some company tonight. You are Jax have bunk buddies, but the Sizzler’s been sleeping alone. We need more girls in the guild, man! It’s beginning to feel like a sausage factory around here.”

I glanced at Jax, and he shifted uncomfortably at Aaron’s comments.

“Yeah, well you really should really wait ‘til tomorrow,” I insisted. “The sun is almost down, and there could be bandits out there.”

Aaron crossed his arms and snorted.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the mace of crushing that we had looted from the treasure hunt. “Got this for you, Oz.”

I read the stats off to Ozzy as he walked up to me and took the mace from my hands. “Oh shit,” he said. “This is a huge upgrade.”

“Maybe you’ll go 3 and 0 with this,” I said.

“For sure…” he cooed.

“Speaking of,” I continued. “If anyone sees a level 1 mentalism spell, let me know. I looted a levitation scroll, so I really need to level up that branch.”

“What?!” Aaron snapped. “Levitation? Like, a flying spell?”

I nodded.

“You didn’t even tell me you learned mentalism,” Aaron sneered.

“I learned it in the Sands. I didn’t think to tell you, since I haven’t gotten anywhere with it yet.”

“Damn, dude,” Aaron said. “You’re killin’ it.” He leaned forward like he was looking behind me. “Nice hood by the way. Just be sure that people don’t mistake you for an orc.”

I smiled. “Got this from the treasure hunt too. And it’s just a classy fur hood, not a full set of orc gear like a certain idiot decided to wear.”

Aaron smiled, but then he tilted his head as if he had changed thoughts. “And schematics? Please tell me you found me some sick item recipes for me to make.”

“No schematics,” I said. “But we did get the Bloodmoss for the Bloodthirsty Blade.”

“Nice,” Aaron said. “What about the Heaven’s Shroom?”

“Give us time,” I said as I lowered my hand a couple times. “Gotta take things one step at a time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Aaron resolved.

I turned to Jeremy. “Let me show you around.”

I gave Jeremy a general rundown of our village, showing him the sleeping quarters where he would stay, the sparring area, my home, Aaron’s home, and told him the plans for the stable and the castle. As we walked towards the shop, I gave him a brief history of how we opened it and our relationship with the dark elves. When I pushed open the door, Gerard tensed up.

“Hey,” Gerard said loudly. “It’s that guy!”

I slapped my hand on Jeremy’s back a couple times. “So, you remember him?”

“I remember every customer,” Gerard said, “and every thief.” He snarled.

“So then, I guess you have your first proof that Reborns exist.” I grinned widely.

Gerard shuffled and scrunched his brow as if he were thinking hard, but then his face went soft. “Well, yeah. I guess I have to believe it after seeing him die,” he said as he looked at Jeremy, “unless you’re some sort of shapeshifter.”

“Sorry about the other day,” Jeremy said.

“He’s part of the guild now,” I explained.

“What!?” Gerard shouted. “He threw his arms down and leaned over the counter. “You let this guy join the guild after attacking us!?”

“He saved us while we were adventuring in Nestle Rock,” I explained.

“But he killed several of our customers, and he attempted to steal from us!”

I had to admit, I felt a little less like a jerk knowing that at least one other guild mate was as highly reluctant to let Jeremy join as I was.

I glanced at Jeremy, who was obviously feeling uncomfortable. “Yeah, but he’s promised to change his ways.”

“That’s what they all say,” Gerard hissed. “Reborn or not, thieves get caught and then when faced with punishment, they say they’ll change. But as soon as they get comfortable, they go right back to causing trouble.”

Jeremy held up his hands and took a step back. “Really, man. I’m really sorry. I was new and naive. I’m a team player from now on.”

Gerard wrapped his arms hard against his chest. “I like you, Gunnar, but I don’t understand this odd decision.” He shook his head slowly. “But Unity has been doing things a little differently than I’d expect. I mean, we have dark elves working with a village consisting primarily of humans. Who’d ever think that would happen? I’ll welcome Mr. Jeremy over there with open arms, but if he tries to steal from our shop again or does anything that would negatively affect our guild or property, I’ll kill him personally.”

I smiled. “I’d expect nothing less of you, Gerard.” I turned to Jeremy. “Any gold or items that you find and are willing to donate, give them to Gerard. For now, if you need any substantial money or items from the shop, talk to me. Once you’ve been with us a while, you’re free to take whatever you need.”

“Thanks, dude,” Jeremy said.

“The only other instructions you have is to not get too complacent. Stay busy doing quests or grinding—whatever you can do to level up. We don’t know when, but there could be a war coming to these parts soon, and we need to be as strong as possible when that happens.”

“A war?” Jeremy asked.

“Yeah, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you about it later. Or there could be an attack from bandits or any other people who might take aim at our guild. We need to be prepared for whatever happens.”

“Understood, boss,” Jeremy said. “Are you going to go on any other quests tomorrow?”

I paused and thought about my plans for the next day. “I think I might head to Highcastle and compete in the Arena with Oz. It’s pretty good gold and XP if we win, and I can always find some mobs to grind on the way back.”

“Okay,” Jeremy said. “I’m a little too low to compete in the Arena myself, so I’ll try to find something else to do.”

“Group up with some of the others,” I said. “And if you can, try to get Aaron to go out with you. He needs to get a few more levels under his belt. Whatever you do, just have fun.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jeremy said.

I scanned Jeremy up and down and slowly moved my fist out in front of him. I still had my reservations, but I was beginning to trust him the more I hung around him.

He smiled and bumped my fist.

“Any mentalism spells in the shop somewhere?” I asked Gerard.

“Afraid not.”

I dropped off the rapier, gold, and gems that we had looted from the treasure chest with Gerard, and grabbed the six red and blue inscription powders that had been traded or sold to the shop.

I left Gerard and Jeremy to their own devices and headed back to my home. Once inside, I took a deep breath, scooted my crate beside the bed and sat down. I flipped open the lid and rummaged through the items that were inside, grabbing all the blank runestones that I had skimmed from the shop since its opening.

I noticed the runestone to the Vale and the Sands, and I had a strong urge to recall to the Mist Vale Village. The last time I was there, I was still shaken by my time in the Sands and sort of left things off with Adeelee on a bad note. Stopping by to say ‘hi’ and have an elven pie with her might be nice, and I wanted to see what it felt to be around her again, now that Keysia was sort of in the picture.

I didn’t know which elf I liked more… Keysia or Adeelee. Psht… I snickered at the thought. I couldn’t believe it was possible to actually have emotions for elves—elven NPCs even. If someone had told me that a month prior, I would’ve laughed in their face.

In the corner of my crate was a lockpick, and I smiled when I saw it. It was the lockpick I used to unlock the door in my escape from the Sands, and I promised myself I would keep it for good luck. I reached behind me and plucked a few strands of fur from my hood and tied them together to form a long, furry string. I looped the string around the lockpick, kissed it, and hung it from a nail on the wall that had been left over from when my home was being used as a shop.

There was also the Dexterous Band that I noticed buried under my box of items. I had looted it a long time ago but never equipped it as I had been training magic at the time, but the +8 dexterity that it offered was too much to pass up. It was a hard call, but I decided to replace my Arcane Amplification Ring that gave me a 10% damage boost with Arcane Magic with the band. Combined with my Heritage Armor, the dexterous band just felt better.

I deposited the levitation scroll and other items that were in my bag that I wouldn’t be using any time soon, grabbed my chisel and started working on my inscription—something I hadn’t done since returning from the Sands.

I worked on inscription, sparred a little with the guild, and took some time to just chat and hang out with the gang for the rest of the night. It had been a good day with a successful treasure hunt, great loot, and we’d even added another Reborn to the guild. I didn’t want to push myself too hard.

Two great days in a row. I was so glad to be back in Edgewood.

I wanted to take a trip to Dragons’ Crest to get the last component for the Bloodthirsty Blade—Heaven’s Shroom—but after talking to the cartographer, I felt walking too close to a dragon’s den might be a little too dangerous at my level. Besides, I was closing in on level 20 and wouldn’t be able to fight in tier 1 of the Arena if I gained too much experience.

While I still had little hope of beating Meijir, it would be a good idea to fight a few more fights in tier one to suck up XP and gain some gold while I was nearing the maximum level of the bracket.

Two or three fights won’t hurt, I thought. Besides, I didn’t want to be outdone by Ozzy.

I’d take a few days off to fight in the Arena and do some basic questing and grinding, and once I hit level 21, I’d gather my guild and take a trip to Dragon’s Crest to look for the shroom. Seemed like a logical plan.

Chapter Twenty-Two

1/29/0001

Over the next two days, the stable had been completed and work began on the castle foundation.

Ozzy and I visited Highcastle and fought in the Arena once each day. We both won our fights, bringing my record to 3 and 0, and bringing Ozzy’s record to 4 and 0.

My first fight was with a pure mage who specialized in water magic. He had several tricks up his sleeve, like summoning a wall of ice around me and creating some sort of strange chilling effect that slowed my movement down by 30%. But, I used my Fireblasts to break through his wall, and when he had me down below 40% health, Boiling Blood nullified his slowing spell.

I was eventually able close in on him and use physical attacks to quickly dispatch him.

I got a reward of 550 gold for the fight.

The second fight was with a guy who had the title of ‘Ranger’. He was level 20 and my toughest opponent thus far. During our battle, he did his best to maintain his distance and fire arrow after arrow at me, and even summoned a large hunting dog that attacked me at the same time. But my magic proved too strong for the dog, and once I had dispatched his pet, we engaged in a hard-fought hand-to-hand battle. The fight was evenly matched until I landed a dirty blow below the belt and dispatch him with a hard slice of my sword while he was stunned.

That fight netted 600 gold.

With each fight, it seemed like Ozzy and I were getting more applause from the audience, more cheers, and thus, the Arena awarded us more money.

After each fight, Ozzy headed over to the barracks to train with the Fighter’s Faction, and I headed out to gain some additional XP on my own.

On the first day, I was randomly approached by a woman as I was leaving Inner Highcastle, who asked me if I’d accompany to her home to help with an infestation problem. I was hesitant to help, as the first time I had been approached for that kind of assistance, I was lured inside a house only to get attacked by Satorin. But she was a Freelander who was just visiting Highcastle to see the show, and she assured me that the infestation was actually outside her home, so I wouldn’t have to go inside any closed doors. It seemed like a good chance to explore the Freelands a bit more and gain some experience.

I followed her to her home, only a 10-minute ride from Highcastle, where a small, brown mountain seemed to be growing thirty or so meters from her front door. All around the landmark were deep indentations in the ground and areas where the grass just seemed to be uneven and sinking. At first glance, the mountain appeared to be a natural rock formation and the deep indentations looked as if something heavy had passed by, but she informed me that the formation was a nest of hardened dirt and there were giant mole-like creatures known as ‘borats’ that were creating a network of holes in the ground. She was worried they would tunnel under her home and cause it to collapse.

I accepted her quest to kill the borats, and I used time on both days to scare the borats out of their holes with fire magic and killed each one after they emerged. I must have killed at least 20 of the large, wolf-sized rodents before I got a notice that I had completed the quest and collected a 300-gold reward.

With each borat ranging anywhere from level 12 to level 16 they gave me a surprisingly low 300 XP each, plus the 1000 XP to complete the quest. The XP was okay. But, when considering the amount of time I spent to finish, 300 gold seemed cheap—especially when I could earn 600 gold for a fifteen minute fight in the Arena.

On the third morning after returning from Nestle Rock, I watched as several builders continued their work on the foundation. They dug a massive, square hole in the ground that was around 3,000 square feet wide, filling almost the entire clearance that Jax had created. It wouldn’t be the largest castle to start, but even if we built only on top of the starting foundation, four levels of rooms would give us a 12,000 square foot castle, which was more than enough for our guild.

Ideally, I wanted to build high, rather than wide, so that we could station archers at the castle’s peak and build protective walls or a moat around the castle. I wasn’t sure how it would turn out in the end, but that seemed like the logical way to proceed.

I leaned against a tree and watched as the builders poured buckets and buckets of tiny gravel into the hole, leveled it, and pack the pieces tightly together.

The air was growing even colder outside, and I pulled my hood over my head to shield myself from the chill. Though the cold wasn’t having any profound effects on me, it was annoying nonetheless.

“Well, you’re doing what you said you would, man,” Aaron said as he approached me from behind. “Building the castle and all.”

“We’re building the castle,” I corrected.

He turned around and looked at the five buildings that we had already built in Edgewood—three homes, a shop, and a stable. “Can you believe how much this place has changed? This used to be a tiny clearing and some trees. And now we’re going to have a castle?”

“We’ve made a lot of progress, for sure,” I said, “but it’ll be a while before this foundation looks anything like a castle. We’ll need gold. Lots of it.”

“We’ll get there, man,” Aaron said. “So long as everyone keeps contributing. We’ve got enough in the treasury for another house now if we want.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? I haven’t checked financials with Gerard in a couple days.”

“Yeah, more than enough,” Aaron said. “All those gems you brought back from Nestle Rock are still sitting in the shop too. Once we sell those, that’s more cash.”

“Hmm,” I cooed. “I’ll take the gems with me to Highcastle today and sell them.”

“So you’re going to fight again today?” Aaron asked.

I shrugged. “Why not? The gold and XP is too good, and Ozzy has more wins than me. I figure he’ll end up fighting that Meijir freak before I have to unless he hits level 21 first. If I can win another couple fights, it’ll be worth it.”

“So you’ve given up on meeting the King?” Aaron asked.

I shook my head. “Not totally. My Ravager’s Hood and Dexterous Band are giving me some good dexterity gains, and if I can get that Heaven’s Shroom, the bloodthirsty blade will increase my damage output a lot. I feel a bit faster than before, and if Jeremy will loan me his shoes, that might give me the edge I need to keep up with Meijir’s speed.”

Aaron turned around where Jeremy was sparring with Jax, Ozzy, and Donovan. “Speaking of Jeremy, he seems to be getting along well.”

“Yeah, hasn’t robbed or killed anyone yet. Looks like he turned out to be a decent guy after all.”

Aaron chuckled. “What about you and Keysia? Anything new there? Been sneaking her into your house now that you’ve got a place all to yourself?”

I shook my head. “Nothing’s happened beyond that one night. We really haven’t spent any time alone.”

Aaron snapped his lips. “Rina and Jax have.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I noticed they stay close during our nightly gatherings.”

“They’ve been linking up and leaving the village together during the day too. According to Ozzy, they’ve been curled up in bed together the last two nights.”

“Huh? He didn’t mention that to me.”

“He didn’t mention it to me either. I asked.”

“Nosy asshole.”

“I wouldn’t call it nosy,” Aaron said. “If you were in the village crafting all day and people watching, you’d want the latest gossip too.”

“Get out more, man,” I said.

“Oh, you didn’t hear? I took a trip with Jeremy up to the mines yesterday and gained another level. There was a small camp of kobolds that were nearby. It seems like they keep trying to stage a comeback.”

“That’s good,” I said. “I mean, not that the kobolds are popping up, but that you’re getting out.”

“Not only have I been getting out, but my crafting is getting better. I made you another sword, and I think this one is a little better than your falchion.”

“Oh really? Let’s have a look.” The day I returned from the Sands, Aaron had offered me a sword he had crafted, but I passed on it as the damage rating was lower than my falchion, and it felt heavy and awkward in my hands. I didn’t have my hopes up that he had anything great.

I followed Aaron back to his home, and as soon as we stepped inside, he grabbed a sword that was leaning near the door. It looked a lot like the first sword he offered me, but the hilt was black rather than grey of the first. He held it up in his hand and rubbed his finger across the blade.

“I put a lot of TLC into this one. I used the best quality of steel I had and really grinded out the edges to make it as a sharp as possible.” He held the sword out to me.

You’ve received: Steel Longsword. 25-41 Attack Damage. Requires 20 Strength. Requires 15 Dexterity. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 3.4

I swung the sword in the air a few times, getting a feel for the weapon. “It’s a bit heavier than my falchion, but it’s definitely a small step up.” I noticed the shallow notch carved into the hilt. “And it can take runestones?”

“Indeed, it can,” Aaron cooed.

“Well, then I guess I’ll be using this until you can craft me the bloodthirsty blade. Thanks, Aaron.” I stepped close to Aaron and initiated a half hug and a shoulder bump.

“I’m just glad to be useful.”

“If you can, watch over the foundation work while I’m out today. I’m going to go see if Ozzy is ready to head out.”

“You know I will,” Aaron said.

I walked out of the Aaron’s home and saw Jax, Ozzy, and Jeremy all attacking Donovan at the same time. Donovan was dodging and blocking all the blows expertly, and throwing in the occasional attack back at the three. It seemed evenly matched, but Donovan’s three attackers were clearly getting frustrated.

Jax swept his sword at Donovan’s feet, but Donovan jumped and when Jeremy thrust his dagger at Donovan’s stomach, the elf tucked his stomach and hopped backwards in a quick dodge. When Ozzy closed in and swung his mace up towards Donovan’s face, Donovan held both swords together in an effort to block, but this time, something unexpected happened.

Ozzy’s body rose in the air and turned a little as he raised his mace, almost as if he were giving a flying uppercut. His attack crashed through Donovan’s swords and smashed him on the underside of his chin, and for that moment Donovan was left completely exposed.

Ozzy followed up by swinging his mace in a backhanded motion that connected with Donovan’s ribs and caused the elf to fall back and to the ground.

“Whoa!” Jax yelled. “Time out! Time out!”

Jax and Ozzy both hurried over to Donovan, and Ozzy stood over him panting, almost as if he couldn’t believe what happened.

“Are you okay, Donovan?” Jax asked.

Donovan grabbed his battered chin and sat up. “Nothing that a potion won’t heal”

“Damn. Sorry!” Ozzy said.

“What was that?” I asked as I approached the group. “That was a bit rough for sparring, and I’ve never seen you take a fall like that, Donovan.”

“It’s called ‘Breakthrough’,” Ozzy said. “I learned the skill yesterday while training in the Fighter’s Guild. I didn’t think I had it perfected yet, but apparently, I’m getting better.”

“Breakthrough?” I asked.

“It breaks through an enemy block—can even work on shields,” Jax explained. “It doesn’t do a whole lot of damage in itself, but it leaves them defenseless for a second or so.”

“Damn, that’s awesome,” I said.

“A great tactic, indeed,” Donovan said. “I think we might have to limit our sparring to two versus one from now on. You’re all catching up to me in fighting skill.”

“You’re still one of the best,” Jax said. “The best I’ve seen at your level.”

“I appreciate the kind words, Jax,” Donovan said with a smile. “You’re an excellent fighter yourself.”

“And your invitation to the guild still stands, Donovan,” I added. “We’re making a lot of progress, and we’ll have a castle soon.”

Donovan took a deep breath. “It’s quite the proposition, and the rate your village has grown is astounding. I must say, the other dark elves would normally be livid with the number of trees you’ve downed since you’ve been here, but they seem quite accepting due the fact that you’re providing them jobs and free trade. Back at our camps, the quality of life has improved dramatically.”

“So does that mean you’re interested?” I asked.

Donovan’s eyes tilted high, and he nodded ever so slightly. “I can’t deny my interest, but there are many things for me to consider. Keysia seems happy here, but I’m not quite so ready to join a human guild.”

“Well, you know we’d love to have you,” I said.

“And I support Queen Farrani and what you’re doing here in Edgewood. If you need my help at any time, you know where to find me.”

I turned to Ozzy. “The Arena?”

Ozzy turned his head in the direction of Highcastle. “Yeah, we should probably head out now if we’re going to fight.”

“I wouldn’t mind tagging along,” Jeremy said.

“The fights are hard,” I said. “You might want to gain another couple levels to be safe.”

Jeremy held up his palm. “I don’t want to fight. Just want to be there to support my buds. I’ve been training hard the last couple days, so I’d like a little time off.”

I shrugged. “Alright. You’re free to tag along.”

“I’m going to go find Rina,” Jax said. “Keysia and her went wandering off somewhere around here. Maybe pick up an easy quest in Thorpes.”

We said our goodbyes to Donovan and Jax and I took a moment to stop by the guild shop. I grabbed all the loose gems that I had yet to sell, and then picked up two of the runestones that I’d created when practicing inscription—one was a minor fire damage spell, and the other was an arcane resistance spell. When I slid them into the slots of my new sword, I gained a +2 fire damage on hit and 3% arcane resistance.

We set off for Highcastle, Jeremy and Ozzy on his horse, and me on Sora. I didn’t have to Summon Sora that time as I had been letting her hang around the village the past couple days. I took what she said to heart when she said I had only summoned her for rides, so she had been sleeping in my house and getting playtime whenever I had a free moment.

Once we arrived to Highcastle, the three of us headed straight for the Arena. Ozzy and I signed up to fight and we all picked up our tickets. There was still plenty of time before the fights began, and Ozzy and Jeremy wanted to eat. I was still anxious about finding a mentalism spell, so I sent them off ahead of me while I stopped inside Inner Highcastle’s magic shop.

“Welcome back,” Sephora said as I entered the store. She wore the same maroon overalls and white blouse that she usually wore, but her hair was pulled back into two tight pigtails that angled slightly behind her head and showed off her rounded facial features. I was again struck by the rosy circles on her cheeks and wondered if they were painted on or somehow a part of her skin.

“Have you gotten any mentalism spells yet?” I asked.

“Not any low-level ones, I’m afraid,” Sephora asked.

I let out a big sigh and slumped my shoulders. “Alright, I’ll be back again.”

Sephora smiled and nodded as I exited the door.

I noticed that snow was just starting to fall as I left—just small, light snow that virtually vaporized the moment it touched down, but it gave the city a bit of a winter charm that I found magical.

I saw a few NPCs file into the Arena, so I knew there wasn’t much time before the fights started. Although I wanted to walk around more and see if any other shops might have a mentalism spell, I really needed to catch up with Ozzy and Jeremy so we didn’t lose each other.

I started back towards the market.

“Hey,” a voice hissed as soon as I was about to turn a corner. I turned to once again see Windell leaning against the wall in a shadowy area in between two tall bushes. “Come over here.”

I looked to each side of me, feeling like I was doing something wrong just by approaching the man, and when I saw that no one was paying attention to me, I paced up to him slowly.

“Where’s your friend?” he asked. “The one who likes joojak?”

“He’s… umm…” I scratched my head, not sure how much information I should provide to the shady character. “He’s not here today.”

“Yeah? Well, let him know I’ve got some new leaves in stock if he wants a sack. Same price as before.”

I chuckled. “I will. Thanks.”

I started to turn, but before I could even take a step, he called again. “Hey!”

I looked back. “Yeah?”

“What about you?”

I smiled. “I’m fine. The joojak was great though.”

“You sure?” Windell asked. “I’ve got the good stuff if you’re looking for kroka.”

I paused in my tracks, and a sudden lump formed in my throat. I had thought little of kroka the past few days but at the mention of the drug, my mouth was suddenly starting to water, and I had the overwhelming urge to have it. “Kroka?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’ve got some.” Windell smiled, revealing his sinister teeth.

I swallowed hard. “I really shouldn’t…”

“You should though,” Windell said. “Just think of how good it feels.”

I paused and zoned out a moment, once again having flashbacks of the incredible sensations that I felt when I was in the Sands and high on kroka. I started to rationalize how useful the drug was and how it allowed me to defeat an enemy that was far higher level than I was. Kroka had saved my life, and if I had some, maybe it would save my life again!

“How much?” I asked.

“For you, 2,500,” Windell said.

I had only brought the gems that I picked up from the shop and 1,000 gold with me. I was pretty certain that the gems were worth around 2,000 gold, so if I sold them, I’d have enough for the kroka and a little leftover. “How about 2,000.”

“2,000, huh?” Windell asked. He bit the inside of his lip and looked down to the ground for a moment. “Alright, 2,000.” He reached in his bag with one hand and held out his other palm.

“Wait,” I said, barely able to control my excitement. “I don’t have the gold on me now, but if you give me a couple minutes, I will.”

Windell snarled and looked from side to side. “You don’t have the money now? I can’t be in this spot for long, you know!?”

I lowered my palm a few times in front of me as I pivoted my heel. “Just wait here a quick moment.”

I ran as fast as I could back to the magic shop.

When I opened door to the magic shop, it slammed hard against the inner wall and startled Sephora, who was arranging scrolls in one of the displays.

“Oh, hey! What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing, but can you buy some gems?” I took two big steps to the closest display, and started pulling all of the gems out of my bag—rubies, pearls, emeralds. With the gems that we looted from Nestle Rock along with the ones that had accumulated in our shop over time, I had ten gems in total.

“Oh, I don’t buy gems here,” Sephora said. “You should take them to a general store or a jeweler. Some magic shop might—”

“How much do you think these are worth?” I interrupted.

Sephora jerked her head back and creased her brow as she approached the display where I had laid out the gems. She shook her head slightly and groan. “I’m not sure, but I’d guess around 2,000-2,500 gold at least. More at some shops.”

“I’ll sell them to you for 1,000,” I said.

Sephora lowered her eyelids. “1,000 gold for all these?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “For the whole lot. I need to sell them fast.”

“Are you a thief?” she snapped.

I shook my head, and I could feel my heart starting to race. Deep inside, I was panicking at the idea that Windell might disappear before I could sell the gems. “I’m not a thief. I just need to sell in a hurry.”

“I can’t rip you off like that,” Sephora said. “I wouldn’t feel right paying so little for all of these.”

“Well, then give me 1,000 gold for the gems, and you can give 1,000 gold off when you come across a level 1 mentalism spell. How about that?”

Sephora sighed. “Well, I guess 1,000 gold isn’t that much, and you seem pretty desperate for whatever reason. Are you sure there isn’t anything wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong. I promise.”

Sephora bit her lip and took a deep breath before reaching inside her purse. “Okay, I’ll give 1,000 gold and a 1,000 gold discount on your next purchase. But only because you’ve bought from me before. I normally don’t do this.”

She sat the gold in my hand, and I didn’t waste any time spinning on my heel and sprinting for the door. “Thanks!”

“Wait!” Sephora shouted.

I paused and turned.

“My name is Sephora,” she said.

“I know,” I replied. “I heard the mage say your name first time I was in here.”

“But I need to know your name, so I can remember that I owe you 1,000 gold.”

“Gunnar Long!” I shouted as I swung open the door and dashed out. “My name is Gunnar Long!”

I ran as hard as I could back towards the corner where Windell had been standing and was relieved when I saw that he was still there. “I’ve got the gold,” I said with heavy breath.

Windell held up his palm to me. “Relax man,” he said. “The way you’re running around and acting crazy is going to attract the wrong kind of attention.”

“Sorry,” I said.

“Yeah, whatever. Just relax next time. We don’t need any problems.”

I nodded in understanding.

“2,000 gold, chump.”

I barely noticed his name calling and didn’t even think to protest it. I was so excited to be getting my product that I just pulled out all of my gold and handed it to him immediately. When he passed me the small sack of white powder, I almost felt as accomplished as I had when I found the levitation scroll in Nestle Rock.

“Be careful with that,” Windell said. “You know how strong it is, right?”

“Yeah, I know.” I said with a nod.

“Put it away before someone sees.”

I nodded, smiled, and flipped open my unburdening bag. I closed the flap when the goods were inside and patted it twice for safe keeping.

“What’s going on over here?” a strong, manly voice said behind me.

I turned around to see a tall, Highcastle Soldier looking down at me curiously. “Oh, umm…” I threw a thumb over my shoulder. “I was just talking to my friend.”

“Your friend?” The soldier raised his brow.

“Yeah, my friend.” I spun back around and looked from side to side several times. Windell had somehow disappeared.

“There’s no one here but you,” the guard said.

“Uhhhh…”

“Quit loitering between the bushes.” The soldier barked. “It looks highly suspicious.”

“Yeah, sorry,” I said. “My mistake.”

The soldier snarled. “You fight in the Arena, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

He raised his chin. “Well good luck on your next fight.” He turned and marched away.

I let out a sigh of relief as I left the shady area and headed down the main path towards the market. I had no gold, so I wasn’t going to be able to buy anything to eat, but I did have kroka in my bag, ready for consumption.

I felt giddy about the drug, and the hardest part of having it in my bag was not using it right away. I wanted the feeling that it gave me, that feeling of power and confidence that was so unlike anything I had ever experienced before, but I also knew it was best to save the kroka until a time that I could better use it.

What if I used the kroka in a fight against Meijir? I wondered. That would definitely give me the edge that I’d need to beat him. But if I did that, I’d have to lie to Castille when he asked me if I was using drugs.

The idea was naughty, but it was something that I had to consider. The stakes were high, after all. I needed to meet the King of Highcastle and get my name on the list that was posted in every Arena. If cheating would edge me closer to saving the world and finding Rachel, I just might’ve been willing to do it.

Whatever the case, I had scored kroka again, and I was happy I’d get another chance to use it.

Chapter Twenty-Three

1/29/0001

“Oh shit!” Jeremy yelled as Ozzy was struck with a powerful crossbow bolt that sent him flying backwards and onto the ground.

Ozzy’s opponent—a female with thick limbs, bulging muscles, and her hair shaved on each side of her head—pulled another bolt from the quiver on her back and started reloading the crossbow. Her crossbow was huge, and it seemed to take her a significant amount of time to wrench the mechanism back and load the ammunition.

“Come on, Ozzy!” I shouted as he pushed himself off the ground and grabbed onto the bolt protruding from his shoulder.

Ozzy rattled his head from side to side and lifted his small, round metal shield in front of him then started marching slowly towards the woman, eyeing her carefully and preparing for the next bolt.

The woman raised the crossbow up to her shoulder and took deliberate aim before letting the bolt fly, and it whistled loudly as it flew through the air.

Ozzy pivoted and raised his shield to block, and the bolt ricocheted off his shield and grazed the side of his armor.

The woman quickly grabbed another bolt, and Ozzy ran as fast as he could across the Arena, hoping that he could reach her before she could get it loaded.

It was a tight race, and for a moment, it looked like the lady would load the crossbow and hit him at point-blank range, but she started to panic and fumble as she glanced up to Ozzy closing in on her. She dropped her crossbow and grabbed the sword and dagger that were both sheathed at her sides.

She turned on her heel and ran backwards to get more distance from Ozzy, but Ozzy stomped his foot on the ground and yelled his Intimidating Shout at her. The woman immediately turned back around as if she were possessed, and started running straight for Ozzy.

The woman was fast, throwing quick, jabbing thrusts with her dagger and accurately timed swipes with her sword, but Ozzy managed to block everything with his shield. Each time Ozzy saw an opening, he swung his mace at the woman, but she dodged just as efficiently, and more than once, she absorbed his mace blows with the solid metal bracers that were wrapped around her arms.

The woman hooked her dagger at Ozzy’s head, but he ducked, and then she swiped her sword but he ducked again. When Ozzy rose the second time, the woman held her bracers out to block his mace, but Ozzy lifted off his feet into an athletic, rising uppercut and that threw the woman’s arms up and jerked her head back.

When his feet were grounded, he swung his mace down in a diagonal, circular motion, and smashed her hard in the side of the temple.

The woman fell down to the ground, and her body went limp. A second later, a translucent energy erupted from her body, and we knew that Ozzy had won the fight.

The audience cheered, and Jeremy and I exchanged high fives.

When Ozzy returned to the stands, Jeremy jumped to his feet and looked up to the sky. “That was sick, man!”

“Hey, thanks!” Ozzy said, smiling from ear to ear.

I patted Ozzy on the shoulder. “You’re getting stronger and stronger every day.”

“And hey, guess what?” Ozzy said.

“What?” Jeremy and I asked in unison.

“I’m an Armsman now!”

Jeremy and I both looked at each other in confusion.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I just got my first title!”

I raised my eyebrows. “That’s awesome, dude. How’d you get that?”

“I’m can’t remember, but I think it said the prerequisites were level 20, level 10 in blunt weapons, level 10 in block, 200 HP, and I had to have absorbed and dealt a certain amount of damage or something. I was too excited about winning the match to pay much attention.”

“That’s awesome dude!” Jeremy shouted.

“And they gave me 700 gold for my 5th win!”

“Hell yeah!” I clucked and threw Ozzy a high five.

The ticket inside my pocket started to jingle.

“Looks like you’re up,” Ozzy said.

I raised an eyebrow. “Let’s see if I can make it number four.”

“I hope you do,” Ozzy said and slammed a fist into his palm. “If we both keep winning, they’ll be forced to put us together in a fight.”

“And I owe you an ass whooping,” I teased as I threw a playful punch into Ozzy’s side and started for the check-in area.

“You wish!” Ozzy snarled as I walked away.

As I passed the bearded ticket seller, he wished me good luck as always, and I continued on until I reached the area where the combatants gathered before fights. Meijir was there again, sitting near the entrance, and he flashed his sinister sharp smile as if he had been waiting the whole time for me to arrive. I tried my best to ignore him and not show any sign of being intimidated.

I had seen Meijir fight again the day before, and his skills were just as impressive as the last time I saw him. He easily dispatched his opponent with a few minutes and hadn’t appeared to take any damage. There was little question why he was the best fighter in Highcastle’s tier 1 division.

“Gunnar!” Castille hooted with a smile. “Glad to see you’re back. You ready for win number four?”

“I hope so,” I said.

The brown-robed man with the strange hair, who was always leaning near the wall, stepped forward and cast ‘Last Breath’ on me, and its icon appeared below my status bars.

“You remember the rules, right?” Castille asked.

I nodded.

“Potions, buffs, and alcohol are allowed, but drugs are illegal during battle. Are you under the influence of any drugs?”

“No, I don’t have any…” I paused and cleared my throat, realizing that my word usage was causing me to lie for no reason. “I’m not on any drugs.” Just the thought of drugs made me anxious to use the kroka that was in my bag.

“Alright, then,” Castille said. “Head to door number seven.”

I nodded and started down the hall.

When I reached door seven, there was a cage behind it like a few of the other doors, but inside this cage was a strange, two-headed dog with a flat, saggy face and a spiky collar around its neck. It was only half the size of Fenris, but it was just as frightening when it growled, barked, and exposed its sharp, pointy teeth. Slobber dripped from its two foamy mouths, and it stared at me hard as if it were ready to devour me the moment I opened its cage.

You have failed to inspect your target!

You have failed to inspect your target!

I had yet to see a battle where anyone fought a beast, but I could only assume that’s why it was there.

The door behind me made a grinding sound as I gawked at the mutant dog, and I quickly turned around as it opened.

Arena Quest: Tier 1 Battle

Wins: 3, Losses: 0

Defeat your opponent to collect your reward.

Reward: Minimum of 500 gold, 3500 XP

Do you accept this quest?

Accept/Decline

I quickly accepted the quest.

“With a record of 3 and 0,” the announcer shouted, “please welcome the level 19 Arcane Blade, Gunnar Long!”

I stepped out into the fighting grounds of the Arena feeling a lot more comfortable than I had the first time. As the few people in the Arena who cheered for me applauded, I held my hand up and smiled.

The stands were full of people but not packed to the brim like it was the day that King Rutherford had visited. There were speckles of open seats in both the area where the high-class people sat and the area where the poorer people from Outer Highcastle were sneaking in. The only fully empty section was the box where the King and the two women who had accompanied him had sat.

“And his opponent, with a record of 6 wins and 0 losses, please welcome the level 20 Shieldbearer, Ike Armorstrong!”

More people stood from their seats and cheered loudly as a man stepped into the Arena wearing full set of battered plate armor. It clearly wasn’t a high-level set of gear, but it looked thick and sturdy and would be a problem for any sword. He was taller, larger than me, and he carried a huge, round shield. In his hand was a short sword, and he had an obviously sharp axe latched to his side.

He grunted and raised his sword and shield high in the air as he stepped into the Arena, and when he made eye contact with me, he scowled hard behind his nasal helmet. He looked like he was determined to kill me, and with the armor and shield he had equipped, I knew I’d have my work cut out for me.

Without wasting time any, the announcer addressed each of us, confirming that we were both ready, and once he had confirmation, he disappeared.

Ike didn’t rush towards me like most other fighters I had battled in the past had. Instead he held his shield out in front of him and strafed around me slowly as he if was plotting an attack.

I ran forward a several meters, making sure that I was well out of striking distance of the man, but close enough that it would be easy to land a magic attack. I knew that magic was the most logical option to fight a guy like him.

I held out both hands and shot both an Arcane Missile and Fireblast at the same time, hoping to end the battle early so I could collect my gold and go off on my next adventure, but as my two projectiles flew towards Ike, he simply ducked behind his shield, and the shield absorbed the entirety of the attacks. In fact, when the missile and Fireblast hit his shield, it lit up with a light blue energy and seemed to absorb the impact entirely. His shield had a magic property of some sort, or he was under the influence of a buff.

He continued strafing around me, waiting for my next move.

It seemed like Ike was baiting me, so I was reluctant to close in on him with my sword. Since he wasn’t moving forward and magic didn’t work, I figured I would try the next logical option and reached for the bow on my back.

Ike made no attempt to rush me in any way as I readied my bow and grabbed an arrow, and when I shot at him, he simply raised his shield again. When I shot a second time, I cast Fire Arrow as the arrow flew, yet again the shield lit up with energy and the arrow fell weakly to the ground.

I really needed to get rid of his shield.

“Boooooo!” I heard several people in the crowd yell. It was the first time I heard anyone in the Arena boo, and I wanted to raise my hands up and yell to them that it wasn’t my fault. It was the Shieldbearer guy who wasn’t giving them a good show.

I fastened my bow, grabbed my sword, and ran at Ike, hoping that I could beat him with my speed. When I was in striking distance, I swung my sword at him hard, but he raised his shield, absorbed the blow, and immediately countered my attack with a heavy swing against my ribcage.

I flinched and rolled out of the way as soon as I was struck. My heritage armor absorbed most of the blow, but the guy still hit hard and knocked off 10% of my health.

He continued strafing slowly around me, waiting for my next attack.

“Come on Gunnar!” I heard someone yell from the stands. It sounded like Ozzy, but I couldn’t be sure. “Get that fucking shield!”

I wanted to yell back to him. “How?” The guy’s defensive capabilities were strong, and his shield was so big that it was hard to find any sort of opening.

Fire Curtain, I thought and cast a long wall of fire, right along the man’s body. He jerked and seemed to feel the flame’s heat, but he immediately rolled back and out of the way. Since he was wearing all plate armor, there was nothing to catch on fire.

Damnit, I whispered. Everything I was trying wasn’t working against him. I was going to have to get creative if I was going to win the fight.

I held my sword out in front of me and mirrored the same strafing motion that Ike was making. “Stop fighting like you’re scared,” I said mockingly. “Do something.”

“Shut up, and get over here, you little bitch boy!” Ike growled.

I raised my eyebrows at that. “Bitch boy” didn’t seem like something a NPC in Eden’s Gate would normally say, and I immediately wondered if Ike was a Reborn.

If he was a Reborn, was there a way that I could use that to my advantage? One thing I knew about Eden’s Gate was that it was several times the size of Earth, and while I wasn’t sure how many Nexicons had been distributed, I knew there couldn’t have been more than a few million or so. Three million? Five million? Ten million?

Even if ten million had logged in, that was a relatively small number of people given the size of the world, so meeting other Reborns wasn’t an everyday thing. And even if you ran into other Reborns, you might not know unless you talked to them. NPC behavior was just too real and lifelike.

I walked closer to Ike, holding my sword out in front of me as if I were to attack at any moment. I got as close to him as I could without getting within his sword distance, so I could speak low enough that the people watching us couldn’t hear.

“How long have you been in here?” I asked.

Ike clenched his teeth and squinted.

“I know who you are.” I cleared my throat. “Nexicon. Dr. Winston. Earth.” I tried not to use the word ‘Reborn’, just in case anyone nearby had supersonic hearing.

Ike lowered his shield and loosened his shoulders. “You’re a…”

I nodded.

“Boooooo!” someone in the crowd shouted again.

“Shit, we’ve got to fight,” I spat. I stepped forward and swung my sword at Ike, and he immediately entered his defensive position behind his shield, but when my sword hit his shield, he didn’t come at me with a counter attack.

“Hey, slow down a minute!” he yelled.

“Fight me!” I yelled and spun around swinging my sword towards his side, and again, he adjusted his shield to absorb the blow. “Quit camping and show your skills!”

“Chill out!” Ike finally lunged forward with his sword, and I stepped back, narrowly avoiding the attack.

“Good one,” I said, ignoring his words and swung my sword again, which again, he blocked with his shield. “But you’re kind of slow and fight like a newb.”

Ike growled as he charged forward fast, slamming the hard metal of his shield against me and pushing me back several feet. It wasn’t as painful as his sword attack, but it was stunning nonetheless and knocked me to the ground. “I’ll show you who’s a newb. What what’s with your build? A single sword and no shield!?” He rushed forward for another attack.

My taunting seemed to be working. One thing I knew is that gamers took a special kind of offense to being called a ‘newb’, and if I could just keep him angry and moving, he’d eventually slow down as he carried around his heavy set of armor and massive shield. The slower he moved, the more opportunity I could find an opening, and if he ran out of stamina, blocking would be ineffective.

I rolled to my side, dodging Ike’s sword as he slammed it into the ground. I scrambled to my feet and scurried out of range. “I like to have a free hand for magic,” I huffed as squared up in front of him, “and I can block with my sword if I need to.”

“That’s so weak!” Ike scorned. He took a hard step forward and shouted at me loudly.

The sound of his shout felt like it was scrambling my brain, and the only thing I could think about was attacking him in the most brutal way possible, as fast as possible. While I knew he had affected me with an Intimidating Shout, I couldn’t help but to move forward and fight.

I swung my sword at Ike’s head, and once again, he blocked it with his shield.

“Block this without a shield!” Ike yelled and lifted his sword high in the air and slammed it down at me with all his might.

I gripped the hilt of my sword and held it out in front of me, and when Ike’s sword slammed into mine, the impact rattled up the blade and into my arms.

I looked at my up at my sword and was shocked to see that Ike was so strong that his blade had cut halfway into mine. When he yanked his sword back, he pulled me forward a bit until our blades dislodged.

While I had blocked the blow, his point was still taken—a sword can only block so much.

“Your defense is good,” I said, “but your fighting is too limited. Big swings and a big shield like a big newb.”

Ike snorted, and his face turned red as he charged towards me.

I felt a little bad as I continued to mock Ike. I mean, we had just met, and he just found out I was a Reborn, so I’m sure he was expecting us to exchange kind words and have a friendly, sportsmanlike fight, so it must have been a bit jarring to be called a ‘newb’ repeatedly.

In all fairness though, he started with the name calling before he knew I was a Reborn, so it served him right.

I raised my sword to defend as Ike slammed his sword at me repeatedly, blocking the blows each time he hammered his sword at mine. I’d lied when I bashed him about his fighting skills—they were actually quite good.

Ike continued to hammer at me, and each time I blocked a blow, I still took a couple percentage points of damage from his sheer strength alone, but I could feel him slowly starting to slow down, each blow coming a little bit slower and with a little less intensity than the last.

Ike performed a sudden spin move that threw me off guard, and when he turned with his sword flailing at me, I blocked, but my sword snapped in two at the notched that he’d cut earlier.

I looked down to my broken sword and then up to Ike, and he smiled when he saw the fear on my face. While still making eye contact with me, he thrust his sword forward, until it slid halfway inside my gut.

I dropped my broken sword, groaned, and grabbed the blade he was holding in my stomach.

“No hard feelings,” Ike said. “Next time don’t be such a douchebag.” He quickly pulled the sword out of my abdomen, and swung it back for a finishing blow, but before he could swing it down, I activated Boiling Blood, ducked and leapt behind him, amply missing the blow.

You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.

I shot an Arcane Missile at his back that caused him to stumble forward, and as he was stumbling and trying not to fall, I ran forward and gave a hard push that caused him to land right on his face and his sword to slip out of his hand.

I immediately grabbed at his shield and tried to yank it from his other hand, but he held on to it tightly, then tightened his grip with both hands to prevent it from getting away.

Knowing that I had little time before Boiling Blood ended, I cast a Fire Curtain right over Ike, and Ike started screaming and let the shield go. I threw the shield back as the flames burned him, and due to the proximity, even burned me a little bit as well. I glanced down to the axe that he had holstered to his side, grabbed it, and rolled back and across the ground.

You’ve received: Sharp Battle Axe. 20-40 Attack Damage. Requires 25 Strength. Durability: 6/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 2.9

With my 10% magic resistance, the flames had only knocked off 10% of my health pool, but with the bleeding, I was down to the last 25%.

I dashed to the shield and picked it up, not wanting to give Ike another chance to get it.

You’ve Received: Large Round Shield of Absorption. +15 Armor. Requires 30 Strength. Durability: 5/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 4.7. +1 level to block. Absorb low-powered magical projectiles.

It wasn’t as heavy as it looked, but it was the first time I had actively equipped shield, so it felt awkward in my hands.

Ahead of me, Ike was stumbling back to his feet and away from the last remnants of the dying Fire Curtain. His armor looked charred, his helmet had fallen off, and he seemed a bit in a daze as he turned around towards me.

He looked alarmed when he saw that I had his axe and shield in my hands, and I raced towards him with the axe raised. He glanced around, looking for his sword.

When I was in striking distance, he ducked as I swung the sword at his head.

Whoosh.

I swung again.

Whoosh.

I felt super slow and awkward with the axe and was having trouble gauging each swing. With no axe skills whatsoever, Ike had no problem ducking my blows.

He threw at me with his fist, and I easily dodged the sloppy attack.

Another axe swing—missed.

This went back and forth for a while, me swinging the axe at him, and him dodging out of the way as I dodged his kicks and punches or blocked them with the shield.

You have reached level 6 in Dodge!

It must have looked like an action fighting movie—two guys who were so skilled at fighting that neither of them could do substantial damage or turn the fight in their favor—but really it was just two guys whose dodging and blocking skills were much higher than the weapons they were using, and both on their last drops of stamina.

The crowd was eating it up though. No one was booing, but instead, people were standing up and cheering as each struggled to get an advantage over the other.

You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.

I could feel myself getting weaker and weaker, and I knew that if I didn’t end the fight soon, I’d simply bleed out enough that Ike would overpower me.

Ike swung a hard hook at my head, and I ducked, dropped the axe to the ground, and shot an Arcane Missile at his foot. He screamed and lifted his foot up, and while he was distracted, I grabbed the axe again by the hilt, and slammed it hard against the calf of his other leg.

Advancement! You have learned the skill: Axes. The fastest distance between two points is hacking through whatever the hell stands in front of you! Axes is linked to the base stat Strength. Increase your Strength to increase your affinity with Axes.

The strike cut into his plate leggings, and Ike fell back and to the ground as if he had slipped on a banana.

I swung the axe high as Ike clenched his teeth and yelped at the pain in his leg, and swung the axe hard against his chest.

Ike cried out, but either my axe skill was too low or the thick plate absorbed much of the attack to do any serious damage. He held up his hands trying to block, as I raised the axe three more times and hammered it into his body. Blood spewed out of his mouth, but he still seemed to have not taken a death blow.

I raised the axe one more time as Ike’s hands started to fall limply to his side, and slammed it down into his skull, but almost as soon as the axe made impact, a strong energy pushed the axe out of his head and threw me backwards.

Hundreds of people in the stands stood to their feet and clapped, and the intensity of the applause was overwhelming. The onlookers threw confetti and ribbons out into the fighting grounds, and I stood up straight and lifted the bloody axe defiantly in the air.

Though I sucked with an axe, it looked badass, and I felt an inclination to train it one day just for the visuals alone. The shield wasn’t too bad either.

You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.

I flinched and dropped to a knee as I felt another stinging pain from the wound that Ike had made in my gut. As the medical team rushed onto the fighting grounds, one of the healers veered off in my direction.

She quickly healed me and started bandaging my wound, and I watched the other healers checking on Ike.

The announcer scurried out of a door, and I knew that I had little time before the healers dragged my opponent away.

“That’s good. I’m fine,” I said to the healer as she tied off my bandage. I brushed her away as I stood back up and rushed over to Ike.

The medical team was lifting Ike off the ground as I approached him, and he grimaced when he saw me. The healers didn’t seem to know why I was there and looked worried that I might make a move to attack Ike and finish him off.

I dropped the axe and shield in front of Ike, and took another step closer. “You’re not really a newb, man. Come find me in place called Edgewood if you ever get the chance.”

Ike’s lips were set in a straight line, and he didn’t reply as the medical team carried him away.

Chapter Twenty-Four

1/29/0001

You have completed the quest: Tier 1 Battle!

You have gained 3200 XP!

Advancement! You have reached level 20 and gained 3 ability points. To assign your ability points, open your status page. You can also increase any of your known skills by 1 level. Choose wisely, as your choices cannot be undone.

“Damn dude! Great fight!” Ozzy cooed as I climbed back into the stands.

“That was awesome,” Jeremy said. He raised his arm in the air, making a mock of him slamming an axe down repeatedly.

I raised my eyebrows and waved my hand for them to come closer. When they closed in, I whispered, “He was a Reborn.”

“Really?” Jeremy said.

I nodded.

“Lots of Reborns showing up lately,” Ozzy said low.

“Inevitable, I think,” I said. “Now that they’re leveling up, they’ll be visiting the big cities more often.”

“How’d you know he was one of us?” Jeremy asked.

“He called me a ‘bitch boy’.”

They both started snickering loudly.

“Bitch boy?” Ozzy laughed.

“Yeah, and I called him a camper and newb. Got him a little riled up.” I chuckled and lifted a sack of gold in my hand. “650 for win number four though.”

“Nice,” Jeremy said. “This fighting gig is good money. I’m definitely going to give it a try when I gain a couple levels.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a chubby blonde lady with leather pants and a white shirt standing a few meters away. She was flanked by three guards and pointed our way.

“Are you sure that’s the guy?” I could hear one of the guards say.

The lady nodded.

The guards leaned over and said something to the other guards, and within seconds they were marching towards us.

“Hey, look out,” I said instinctively.

Ozzy and Jeremy turned as the guards approach, and one of the guards immediately grabbed Jeremy by the arm.

“Hey, what the hell!?” Jeremy spat.

“You need to come with us,” the guard said.

“Hey, what’s going on?!” Ozzy shouted.

The two other guards walked right past Ozzy and each of them placed a hard hand on my shoulder. “You too. You’re coming with us.”

“What? Why?!” I asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” one of the guards said as he started pushing me towards the exit.

“What about me?” Ozzy asked. “They’re my guild mates.”

“You’re fine…” a guard said, “…for now.”

“Uhh…” Ozzy groaned, trying to follow us behind the guards. “What do you want me to do, Gunnar?!”

I shook my head. “I don’t know! Just tell Jax and the others what happened, I guess. We’ll meet you at the village as soon as this is cleared up.”

Ozzy sighed, nodded, and ran for the exit.

Embarrassment flooded over me as all the people in the stands around us gossiped and watched as Jeremy and I were escorted roughly out of the Arena. Even Boris, the guy who sold tickets, seemed surprised when he saw us been hauled out the door.

Jeremy started tugging and pulling as we were on the main path, and one of the guards jerked him towards him hard and slammed a knee in his gut to get him to calm down.

“What the hell?” Jeremy groaned. “Why are you doing this?”

The guard said nothing and yanked on his arm as we continued down the path.

We reached the footpath that led to the King’s castle, and just a few meters past that path was an unpaved trail that sloped down as we walked. It curved, was unmarked, and turned back in the direction of the castle. When we reached the end, I looked up and could see that we basically a story or so below the castle, which basically put us at the castle’s basement.

“What is this?” I asked as we walked up to an iron door that was guarded by two soldiers.

“Highcastle Prison,” one of the guards said.

“Prison?!” Jeremy shrieked.

My eyelids shot open wide. “Prison for what?!”

A guard opened the iron door, and the others pushed us inside where we were immediately met with humid air and a thick, musty smell. On each side of us were rows of small cells made of dark, dirty stone with thick, metal bars running down their front.

The guards pushed us forward, and we passed many empty cells. A few were occupied with people sitting on the stone and hay beds inside—all of them looking tired, decrepit, and hardly interested in what was going on around them. Some weren’t moving.

“In here,” a guard said as another guard unlocked one of the vacant cell doors. The guards shoved us inside so hard that we stumbled and almost fell to the ground.

“What is this?” I shouted. I was trying to remain calm through it all, thinking that there was some sort of misunderstanding and that everything would work its way out, but I was reaching panic point as I realized that we were really going to be locked behind bars. “We deserve an explanation!”

“This is bullshit!” Jeremy spat. “We haven’t done anything.”

One of the guards stepped inside and started patting Jeremy down and taking all the items out of his bag. They took the weapons he had sheathed to his belt as well.

That’s when I started really panicking inside.

There was kroka in my bag, and they were going to find it. Had someone seen me buying kroka and could that be the reason we were being arrested? And if so, why was Jeremy brought to prison too? It made sense.

My heart started racing when the guards finished taking Jeremy’s weapon and items and turned their attention to me. I had left my broken sword in the Arena, so they took my bow and quiver first, then checked all my pockets and crevices before turning to my bag.

First came my keychain, and then a bandage and a potion. I wracked my brain as I tried to think of a way for them not to find the kroka or an explanation for why it was there, but I just couldn’t come up with anything fast enough.

The guard snickered as he lifted the white sack of powder from my bag. “Oh… what do we have here?” He tossed the bag up in his hand and looked back to the other guards.

“Uhhh,” I groaned. “I don’t… Um… Someone must’ve put that there. It’s not mine.” I cringed a little when I said it, because I thought back to all the cop shows I had seen on television when I was back on Earth. The people who were caught with drugs always said the same stupid thing.

The guards snickered. “We haven’t heard that one before, have we guys?”

The other guards chuckled.

“Well, if you weren’t in trouble before,” the guard said, “now you’ve definitely got trouble.”

The guard tossed the kroka to one of the other guards before gathering up my items and stepping outside of the cell. Watching him confiscate the kroka gave me a strange feeling of distress that was almost as strong as the stress of getting locked up.

“You can keep your armor on for now. We’ll confiscate it later after you’ve received an official sentence.”

“Prison sentence?” I asked. “Why are we here now if we haven’t been sentenced to anything. What the hell is going on?”

The guard slammed the prison door shut and locked it with a metal key. As soon as he pulled the key out, a wave of white energy passed over the bars, walls, and floor of the prison and disappeared. He tugged the door a few times to make sure it was secure, and then he frowned. “You’ve been brought here on the suspicion that you’re connected with a murder—the murder of a noble.”

“Murder?!” I shouted and shook my head. “We haven’t murdered anyone!”

The guard snickered again. “We have witnesses, and the evidence…” The guard scanned me up and down, shook his head, and snapped his lips. “The evidence is stacked against you, so to speak.”

“What do you mean, evidence?!” Jeremy asked.

The guard ignored our question. “If the King is feeling well, you’ll stand trial before him tomorrow to learn your fate. If not, you may be here a few days.”

With that, the guards all started walking away.

“Hey wait!” Jeremy yelled. “Don’t leave us in here!”

A minute later, we heard the iron outer door of the prison slam shut.

Chapter Twenty-Five

1/29/0001

“This is bullshit,” Jeremy snapped as he sat on the cold dirty floor of the prison cell. “Something must be wrong with the game. We didn’t murder anyone.”

I leaned back on the hard, prison bed, and when I pressed my hand into the hay, I immediately pulled it back when I felt something wet. I looked down to inspect it, and could see that there was a small trail of water that was dripping down the wall and pooling in the corner of the bed. I sighed and wiped my hand on my pants. “Well, technically you killed some people in our village.”

Jeremy groaned. “Ugh, technically, I guess.”

“But Edgewood is elven territory, so I’m not sure how that would work, and they said it was a noble who was murdered. I think it’s safe to say that your attack on the village has nothing to do with this.”

“Yeah, and why would they lock you up if that was the case? None of this makes sense.”

“There must be an explanation,” I said. “We’ll find out soon enough, but I doubt there’s anything wrong with the game.”

I ruminated to when I teleported to the small, desert prison in the Sands and thought that I might have been the victim of a bug. It turned out that I had been victimized but not because of a bug, and I had summoned Dr. Winston in vain. This time, I was marched to the prison by NPCs and told I was there in connection of a murder, so there was little reason for me to think it was a bug.

Jeremy probably hadn’t been in a situation as compromising as that, or held captive by slavers, or been in the same guild as a murdering madman who was holding a harem of woman captive for his pleasure. Getting marched to the prison in Highcastle and told our crimes was tame in comparison to some of the things I’d been through.

“And quit calling it a game,” I added. “This is our lives now.”

“Some life this is,” Jeremy snapped.

“Did someone say game?!” a beady voice said excitedly. “I want to play a game! I want to play!”

I looked to Jeremy, stood up, and moved up to the prison bars. In the cell directly in front of us was a bed where a man was sleeping—at least he appeared to be sleeping. He hadn’t moved an inch since we had been brought in, and his skin was wrinkly and decrepit. There was a chance he might have been dead. I didn’t see anyone else.

“Who’s there?” I called.

“Me. I’m here.” The voice was coming from my left, and when I pressed my face up to the bars, I could see a skinny, fur-covered arm with thick claws sticking out from the cell beside us. “Let’s play a game.”

“Sorry, pal,” I said. “We don’t have a game to play with you.”

“I heard you say game!” the voice whined. “Trynzen wants to play!”

“Your name is Trynzen?” I asked.

“Yes, Trynzen. My name is Trynzen. Let’s play!”

Jeremy stood up from the ground and started walking over to the bars. “How about we play ‘tell us how to get the fuck out of here!?’,” he shouted.

“Hey,” I said, shaking my head. “We’re not going to try to escape.”

“Why not? This place is miserable.”

“If we were to escape, we’d be wanted criminals and wouldn’t be able to come back to Highcastle. This is the closest big city to Edgewood, so our livelihood kind of depends on us being able to come and go freely.”

Jeremy sighed.

“Once we figure out what’s going on, we’ll decide what to do,” I said.

I didn’t include the fact that I had been fighting in the Arena for a chance to meet the King, amongst other things, and if we escaped, I wouldn’t get to fight in the Arena anymore. Getting brought to prison threw a huge wrench into me becoming a champion and winning an audience with the King. But, because of the circumstance, I was actually going to meet the King after all and a lot sooner than I expected.

Standing trial before the King wasn’t how I had planned to meet him, and it wasn’t the best way to make a first impression, but I knew that I wasn’t guilty of murdering anyone. Surely, during whatever trial they had planned, my innocence would be resolved, and I’d have a chance to speak with the King about Dryden Bloodletter.

At least I hoped.

“You can’t escape,” Trynzen heckled. “No one escapes.”

I snickered. “How long have you been in here?”

“Oh,” Trynzen said. “Let me think. One, two, three, four… Hmm. Long time. Trynzen has been here for ten years.”

“Ten years?” I questioned. I couldn’t imagine staying in one of those dark, damp cells for so long.

“Yes. I am sad,” he moaned. “Trynzen wants to go home…”

“Don’t we all!” Jeremy huffed.

“Why are you in here?” I asked.

“Ohhh,” he said. “I cannot say. Trynzen did something bad.”

“Something bad, huh?” I felt like I was talking with a child, so I adjusted my voice so that it sounded like I was talking to a cute toddler.

“Yes,” Trynzen said.

“You can tell us,” I said. “We won’t tell anyone.”

Jeremy cleared his throat and leaned close to me. “What are you doing, bro?”

I shrugged. “Just talking. The more information, the better.”

“You won’t tell?” Trynzen asked.

“Of course not.”

Trynzen sighed. “Okay, I will tell you. Trynzen find item, make me feel good, make Trynzen feel strong. But Trynzen brothers want item, want to steal. So Trynzen run far, far away.”

I creased my brow, certain that wasn’t the end of his story. “So you were put in jail for that?”

“Trynzen hungry, not know Freelands. I find food and home to stay, but owner not like Trynzen. Try to kill Trynzen! I have to fight him!”

“So you’re in prison for fighting?” I asked.

“Yes, but Trynzen hurt him bad, almost dead. And then I ate his food. They say Trynzen want to be murderer, but Trynzen just scared, just hungry.”

“Hmm,” I said. “That’s unfortunate. I’m sorry to hear that.”

There was a mewing sound from the other cell, and then I heard the sound of feet scurrying across the ground.

* * *

There were no windows in the prison, so it was difficult to tell what time it was or how long we had been held captive, but after what felt like four of five hours, a guard returned.

“Meal time!” I heard a guard yell.

I heard the sound of feet scampering in the cell beside us again, and when the guard was in front of our cell, he tossed a food ration into the cell directly in front of ours. It landed on the ground beside another dried, shriveled food ration, and the guy lying on the bed still hadn’t moved. He turned and tossed two more in our cell.

You’ve received: Small Stale Food Ration. Durability: 1/5. Quality: Poor. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.2 kg. Who knows what’s in these tasteless things? All you know is that they keep you alive.

“Maybe you should check on the guy over there,” I suggested. “He hasn’t moved since we got here.”

The guard glanced back to the man laying on the bed and shrugged. “If he starts stinking, I’ll have him removed.”

“He’s dead?” I asked.

“Could be,” the guard said. “That’s what happens here in prison, you know? You stay locked up and then you die.”

“Food,” I heard Trynzen cry.

“Shush up,” the guard said.

I walked to the bars and could see the guard hold the food ration out towards Trynzen’s fur-covered hands, just an inch or two out of his reach. Trynzen stretched his arms out and grunted as he tried to grab the ration.

“You want this, huh?” the guard said, bobbing the ration forward a little, then pulling it back just in time that Trynzen couldn’t grab it.

“Please!” Trynzen cried. “Trynzen hungry!”

The guard snickered and kicked the bars of Trynzen’s cell, causing the prisoner to duck away. He opened up the food ration, took a bite, and moaned as he chewed it. “This is good stuff,” the guard said.

“Please!” Trynzen cried excitedly, again reaching his arms out between the prison doors.

The guard snorted, cocked his arm back, and threw the rest of the food ration into Trynzen’s cell, hard. “Go fetch it, you dirty Barbaros!”

I heard the ration smack against the wall and the rapid patter footsteps as Trynzen rushed to retrieve it.

The guard spit the chewed bits of ration onto the floor. “Nasty grub!” He started down the hall, handing out rations to the rest of the cells before he eventually disappeared.

Jeremy and I opened our food rations and bit into them. Almost immediately, I wanted to spit it up, and judging by Jeremy’s twisted face, he wasn’t enjoying it either. They tasted ten times worse than a normal food ration.

“Ugh!” I said as I swallowed the first bit.

“I can’t eat this.” Jeremy coughed and sat his ration down.

“Me either,” I agreed. “It’s too sour and too bitter at the same time.”

The feet in the cell beside us scurried quickly against the floor again. “You not eat?! Give to me! Give to Trynzen!”

“Take it,” Jeremy spat and was starting to stand up to hand his ration over.

“Wait,” I said holding my hand out towards him. “We don’t know how long they’ll be in here or how often they bring food. You might want to hold onto it just in case.”

Jeremy looked down at me like I was crazy. “This is nasty, bro.”

I pointed towards the shriveled ration in the other man’s cell. “It might not be too nasty if we haven’t eaten in days. That one over there has to have been left for a couple days at least.”

Jeremy groaned. “Yeah, I guess that’s a good point.”

“Please!” Trynzen cried. “Trynzen hungry, always hungry!”

“We’re keeping our rations,” I said firmly.

“No, no!” Trynzen continued. “Please. I will trade you! Trynzen will trade.”

I raised an eyebrow to Jeremy, then yelled back to Trynzen, “Trade for what?!”

“Got any lockpicks?!” Jeremy called out.

I nudged Jeremy and rolled my eyes. “No escape attempts, dude.”

Trynzen scurried back and forth across his cell several times, and then yelled. “Here! This! I’ll give you this!”

I walked over to the prison bars and could see Trynzen holding his arms out of his cell with a small, wooden bowl in his hands.

“A bowl?” I asked.

“Yes! Good for eating! Good for drink!”

I snorted. “We don’t want your bowl.”

“Wait!” Trynzen yelled and started scurrying around his cell again. When he returned to the bars and held is hand out, between his fingers were a small, white, sharp thing. “This! Trade for this!”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Trynzen’s tooth! Very special.”

If I hadn’t been trapped in a prison, I would’ve lost my patience with the guy. “Dude, we can’t do anything with your tooth. Unless you have something valuable, we’re keeping our food for now. If we get out of here anytime soon, we’ll give you what we have leftover.”

“You can’t get out,” Trynzen said. “No, never!”

“Hey,” Jeremy whispered. “What about that item he was talking about earlier? The thing he said he ran away with?”

I pursed my lips together as I thought about what Jeremy said. My expectations were low that Trynzen would have it, and even if it were worthwhile, why would he trade it for stale food rations?

“What about the item you said your brothers wanted?” I asked. “Is that something you want to trade?”

“No!” Trynzen cried. “Cannot trade. It’s Trynzen’s, and Trynzen cannot trade.”

I smirked and Jeremy shrugged my shoulders.

“What is the item anyway?!” Jeremy yelled.

“A trinket,” Trynzen said. “A special trinket. Powerful. Make Trynzen feel good.”

I perked up, my interest growing as he spoke. “Can we see it?”

“No,” he replied. “Trynzen not have. Trynzen hide it already.”

I looked back towards Jeremy and grinned. “So if it’s not here with you, why can’t you trade it?”

“Because it’s Trynzen’s!” he yelled.

“But you said that no one ever escapes, right?” I clarified.

“No escape,” Trynzen said.

“Okay, so if you can never escape, why not trade the item?” I asked.

There was the sound of something scratching on stone erratically.

“Trynzen not understand. Trynzen not have! Cannot trade!”

“Well, you could tell us where to get the item, right?” I said. “Well trade you a food ration for the information.”

“Information?” Trynzen asked curiously.

“Tell us where you hid the item, and we’ll give you a food ration.”

“But you cannot escape!” Trynzen cried.

I let out a deep sigh, feeling my frustration grow the longer I talked to the guy. “So, if we can’t escape, then we can’t get the item right? So we give you a food ration, and you tell us where the item is, and since we can’t get the item, Trynzen gets to keep the item. Understand?”

There was an erratic scratching sound again.

“But Trynzen not have—” He paused and there was another scratching noise. “—two food rations! Give me two food rations, and I will tell you where Trynzen hid his special item!”

“Are you sure?” I asked. “You wouldn’t lie to us, would you?”

“No! No! Trynzen cannot lie!”

“Okay, how about we give you one ration, and after you tell us where the item is, we give you the second one?” I asked.

“One and then two?” he asked curiously.

I rattled my head, not sure if I was understanding him correctly, but I wasn’t going to keep pressing the guy. Worst case scenario is that we lost the food rations. “Yeah. One and then two…”

“Okay! Give Trynzen now!”

I kneeled down, reached my arms between the prison bars, and slid the food ration across the floor. As soon as it was in Trynzen’s grasp, he snatched it up and started eating it furiously.

“Okay, so where’s the item?” I asked.

There was a long silence, and Trynzen suddenly grabbed the prison bars forcefully. “East, past the Wastelands, past the Freelands, between Babarosia and here. The Peace Temple, hidden beneath a broken Barbaros. That’s where Trynzen hid it. Now, one and then two!”

You’ve found a hidden quest: Trynzen’s Trinket

Trynzen has told you of a hidden trinket somewhere in the Peace Temple between Barbarosia and Highcastle. Find the trinket, and optionally, return the trinket to Trynzen.

Reward: Unknown, 6,000 XP

Do you accept this quest?

Accept/Decline

Nice, I thought and quickly accepted the quest. I was about to pull my hair out, but putting up with Trynzen’s antics had at least netted me a quest. “Barbarosia?” I asked. “Barbaros?

“I am a Barbaros. Trynzen is Barbarosian. Barbarosia is my home! But Trynzen is not like the other Barbarosians. Trynzen is Trynzen!”

I looked at Jeremy. “You heard of that?”

Jeremy shook his head.

“What about the Peace Temple?” I asked.

“One and then two!” Trynzen yelled. “Trynzen told you where I hid it!”

Jeremy handed me his food ration, and I repeated the process of sliding it to the Barbaros man.

Trynzen snatched the ration and started cackling to himself as he ate it. “Barbaros smart, human dumb. No escape, no have trinket, no have key. Why human dumb to give Trynzen one and then two?”

“Did you get a quest prompt?” Jeremy whispered.

“Yeah, I got it,” I said, “Who knows what he’s talking about, but the XP reward looks nice.”

“Yeah,” he replied. “If we can ever get out of here.”

I sighed and moved back to the bed where I laid my head and tried to avoid the water that was pooling in the corner. I was feeling agitated after speaking with Trynzen. The guy was extremely weird, but I’d probably be a little crazy if I were cooped up in there for years as well.

“So what are going to do about food now?” Jeremy asked.

“Well, we’re Reborns,” I said. “We die, we respawn. And since entering the game, I’ve gone without food a few times. A few days will be uncomfortable, but it won’t hurt us.”

“Reborns?” Trynzen said to himself. I hadn’t been talking loud, so he must have had very good hearing. “Human says they are Reborns. Human dumb. Human give one and then two.”

Jeremy groaned, sat down, and leaned his back against the wall. “I’m already starving…”

I lay there with a thousand thoughts rushing through my head. What was the trinket Trynzen was talking about? Why were we in the prison? Who was the murdered noble? What was the rest of the guild doing? I thought about Keysia. I thought about Adeelee. I thought about Rachel. Would I ever get a chance to win a rank in the Arena and get my name listed on the plaques? My most pressing question was what would I say to the King, and was there any chance he would believe me?

I tried to clear my mind and pulled up my stats to assign my points from my last level up. My progress in First Aid was coming along very slowly, so I threw my LP in that skill, and once again, I put all my AP into Intelligence.

The longer I lay there, the more anxious I became. I felt trapped like I had when I was in the Sands, and the more I thought about the Sands, the more I remembered the horrible things I witnessed with Dryden Bloodletter. He would be crossing the Serpent Sea soon, and he’d have a dragon to roast anyone who opposed him. We hadn’t been complacent, but I wasn’t sure if my guild alone would be strong enough to defend itself by the time he’d come. We had only just started the foundation of a castle.

If I couldn’t convince the King of Highcastle to do something, I wasn’t sure where I’d turn next.

Chapter Twenty-Six

1/29/0001

We had been locked up for two days.

Jeremy was lying on the bed groaning and rolling his head from side to side. “I’m dying bro. This is so boring!”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “This is rough.”

We had passed the time sleeping as much as we could and chatted a bit about our lives back on Earth and our times in the game when we were awake. I learned that he had studied to be an electrical engineer, and unlike me, had been very close to his family, even up ‘til the day he put his headset on. Everything had just been ‘too much’ for him, he claimed. His parents had put lots of pressure on him to succeed, and with no job and thousands of dollars in debt, he felt like a failure. He claimed he would’ve never considered suicide, but he was willing to take a chance on the Nexicon working. Right before crossing over, he had a final conversation with his parents on the phone, and told them to join him when they could—that they’d see that he was doing better in Eden’s Gate.

It all sounded way too dramatic for me, but I wasn’t going to judge him. I had never walked in his shoes, so what did I know? I was just happy that he was happy, which he assured me he was—aside from being trapped in a cell.

During our boredom, I tried casting an Arcane Missile on one of the tiny insects that would occasionally crawl into the room, but I found that nothing happened. When I tried all my other spells, they didn’t work either. There must have been something in or around the room that nullified it.

The outer iron door of the prison clanked, and I heard it slide open for the first time since the guard brought us the food rations. Jeremy and I both shot up to our feet and ran to the prison bars, anxious for something to happen.

Four guards chatted as they walked down the hall and ultimately stopped at our cell.

“Food!” Trynzen cried and held his arms out through his bars. “Trynzen is hungry!”

A guard snarled and lifted a kick at Trynzen’s arms, causing him to back away. “Filthy creature!”

Another guard pulled a key from his pocket and began unlocking our cell. “It’s time for your trial.”

“Finally,” Jeremy said with a sigh. “I wanna get the hell out of here!”

One of the guards snickered. “Don’t count on staying gone too long. You’ll likely be right back here if you’re not executed.”

“We’re innocent!” Jeremy snapped.

“Innocent,” the guard huffed. “We’ll see about that.”

When the door swung open, another one of the guards produced two sets of shackles and held them out in his hands. They looked a lot like the shackles that I had been bound with in the Sands but slightly thinner. “We’re going to need to put these on you. We can’t risk you casting magic around the King.”

A guard motioned for me to come forward, and when I stepped outside the cell, he forced me to turn around and bound my arms behind my back. As I was being shackled, I looked inside Trynzen’s cell and saw his face for the first time. He was a cat person of some sort—but not quite like the Krazirs that I had seen before. Instead he looked a bit like a lion with a distorted face and a thick mane around his head. He wore only a loincloth, and the white fur on his body was covered in dirt and grime. He was skinny, hunched over, and decrepit.

If he was some sort of white lion, he was the saddest excuse for a lion I had ever seen.

One of the guards sniffed and brushed his fingers against his nose. “This one over here.” He indicated the cell with the lying man who hadn’t moved since we arrived. “He’s starting to reek.”

“We’ll get him in a few days,” another guard said.

After shackling Jeremy’s arms, they led us further into the prison, past several other cells, some empty, some with half dying people, and some with people who were clearly dead. We eventually reached another iron door that led to a set of winding steps that led straight up and into the King’s castle.

It felt like we had entered a new world as soon as we stepped out of the prison and into the castle. The walls were still stone like the prison, but they were larger, clean immaculate stones, and everything inside of the castle was neatly arranged. Banners and shields hung on the walls, both bearing Highcastle’s crest, and candles and torches were spaced evenly, lighting up the spacious hallways. Portraits of the King and the two women I saw him with in the Arena—who I was pretty sure was his wife and daughter—were hanging throughout, and empty sets of plate armor were placed decoratively on just about every corner.

We only had to walk down one long hall before we entered a massive chamber with a red carpet running down the center of its length. On either side of the carpet were rows of empty bleachers, and at the end of the carpet and raised two small steps up was a large area where a massive gold and velvet throne rose. On either side of the throne were two smaller velvet thrones, and in each one was one of the two women I had seen the King with before.

Immediately in front of the center throne was the King, sitting defiantly in his wheelchair, and standing beside him was a man with long gray and black hair. The man wore a black robe with a blue sash thrown over his shoulder, and he had a long bear that matched his hair. On either side of the entourage, four guards were standing, all holding long spears. Below the raised platform and to the sides of the red carpet were two more guards who held swords and shields.

The prison guards marched us forward until we were standing on the carpet, twenty or so meters in front of the thrones. “Kneel before the King,” one of them said.

Jeremy and I both carefully lowered ourselves until we were on both knees.

“This is ridiculous,” Jeremy whispered.

“Shh,” I warned low.

The bearded man with the sash stepped forward, holding a parchment in his hands. “We have a witness?” he asked.

One of the guards behind me cleared his voice. “She’s on her way.”

As if on cue, a large door—the entrance to the castle, I presumed—creaked open, and the chubby woman who had first pointed us out in the Arena appeared. A guard led her straight down the long carpet until she was almost right beside us and in front of the King.

“She’s the only witness, correct?” the man in the robe asked.

The King and the presumed Queen said nothing, but I noticed the younger lady beside the King breathing rather heavily, and her eyes were burning a hole into me.

“She’s the only witness,” the guard confirmed.

“Your highness?” the robed man queried.

“We may proceed,” the King said in a raspy voice.

The robed man looked at us and frowned. “State your names, please.”

I cleared my throat. “Gunnar Long.”

“Jeremy Cole.”

“Very well,” the robed man said. “You’re both standing trial for the murder of one noble—third cousin to the King, once removed—Percy Clearheart. How do you plead?”

“Screw that,” Jeremy said. “I don’t know who or what you’re talking about.”

I shook my head. “We’re innocent. We haven’t killed anyone.”

The robed man pursed his lips and rolled his eyes. “Both accused have pleaded innocent. Please bring forth our witness.”

The chubby woman stepped forward and immediately kneeled. “I’m so honored to be in your presence, your highness.”

The King didn’t acknowledge her.

“Please tell us what you saw, Ms…” the robed man trailed.

“Mrs. Smith,” the woman said with a nod. “I was traveling about a mile away from my home in the Freelands, gathering herbs, when I ascended a hill and noticed a man lying on the grass from afar. At first, I thought he was drunk or had slipped and fell, but no more than a moment later, another man came running towards him. He approached cautiously, but within seconds, he was pulling off the man’s armor and putting it on his own body. He took everything from the man’s bag, stripped him nude, and without his armor on, I could see blood. It wasn’t much blood, but enough to see that someone had hurt him.”

“And do you know who the killer was, Mrs. Smith?” the robed man asked.

The woman swallowed and nodded before turning towards Jeremy and pointing her finger. “It was him. I’m sure of it.”

Jeremy’s jaw was wide as the pieces started fitting together in his head. He was getting accused of murdering the dead guy that he had stolen the Heritage Armor from. “I didn’t kill him!” Jeremy blurted out.

“Please be quiet, sir,” the robed man said. “You may only speak when you’re spoken to.” He cleared his throat. “And did you recognize the armor that the deceased were wearing?”

The lady nodded, turned to me, and pointed her finger. “He’s wearing the armor now. I’m certain of it.”

“Shit,” I whispered as low as possible. I finally knew why I had been brought to the prison, and the woman’s testimony, coupled with the fact that I was wearing the evidence in question, was damning. They thought I must’ve had something to do with the man’s death because of my gear. Why else would Jeremy give it to me?

“Thank you, Mrs. Smith,” the robed man said. He turned his gaze back on Jeremy and me. “Now that you’ve heard the witness, do you wish to change your plea?”

“No!” Jeremy shouted. “I didn’t kill anyone. I was just grinding in the Freelands and—”

“Excuse me,” the robed man interrupted. “Please clarify the term ‘grinding’.”

Jeremy rattled his head and sighed. “I was killing things… I mean… killing animals not people! I was killing stuff in the Freelands when the guy with the armor came by and went into a cave. When he came out, he died. I took his loot, but I wasn’t responsible for his death.”

“You expect us to believe that Percy Clearheart—an extremely skilled fighter—was injured in a cave and just wandered out and died in front of you?” the robed man asked.

“That’s what happened! I swear!” Jeremy shouted.

“And I suspect you found vials of venom on Percy’s body?” the robed man asked. “What did you do with them?”

“I sold them…” Jeremy said.

“Sold them where?” the man continued.

“I don’t remember,” Jeremy said. “I sold a lot of things—everything he had on him to random vendors around here.”

The man frowned and exchanged disappointed glances with the King before turning to me. “And how did you come to wear Percy’s armor?”

I wiggled my hands behind me, trying to adjust the position of my wrists in the shackles so they weren’t so uncomfortable. “I killed… umm… “ I struggled for words, knowing that I couldn’t tell them that I had killed Jeremy or that would expose us as Reborns, but at the same time, not having any other lie on the tip of my tongue that would make the situation look better. Finally, I blurted, “He gave it to me! We’re guild mates, so he gave it to me.”

“Do you need further testimony, your highness?” the robed man asked.

The King leaned his head down and pressed his thumb and index finger to his forehead. “Not necessary,” he rasped. “Execute them both.”

“What!?” Jeremy yelled.

“No! Wait!” I shouted.

The guards grabbed us by the shoulders and started to pull us off the ground.

My head was spinning, as a thousand thoughts rushed through my brain. The trial had ended much faster than I expected, and I didn’t get an opportunity to say anything about the Bloodletters. Not only that, but they were going to execute us for a crime we didn’t commit? I had no idea what to do.

“Stop!” the young woman in the chair beside the King ordered, and the guards suddenly froze while everyone turned to her. There was a long few seconds of silence where everyone waited for her to say something. “Don’t execute this man, father. He saved my life.”

The King’s head turned back towards Jeremy and I, and then again to his daughter. “Which one?”

“The one wearing the armor.”

The King shook his head and snarled his lips. “Saved you? Saved you how?”

The Princess held a fist up to her lips and pressed her face hard into it. “I didn’t want to tell you this, but a few weeks ago, I was traveling to Thorpes to—“

“You went to see that boy again, didn’t you!” the Queen snapped.

The Princess lowered her head and looked like she was on the verge of tears. “Yes, I was going to see him, but—”

“What happened?” the King snapped.

“The caravan I was riding was attacked by four men. The men hurt the driver and my escorts, and then proceeded to attack me.”

The King turned to the Queen and huffed.

“You didn’t take any Highcastle soldiers with you?” the Queen asked.

“I couldn’t,” the Princess said. “I know any soldier would have told you where I was going. I hired a few commoners to accompany me.”

“How dangerous, Isabella!” the Queen snapped. “We forbade you to see that boy, yet you snuck out of the castle anyway! And you thought commoners could protect you? This is unacceptable!”

The Princess nodded. “I accept my mistakes, but I wasn’t hurt, because of the man who’s kneeling before you now. He provoked all four of the men and led them away from my caravan so that I could run away.”

The King turned to me. “Is that true?”

I nodded as I remembered the time when I saw Ozzy and the three thugs attacking a caravan on the side of the road on my way towards Addenfall. I knew that I had recognized the Princess from somewhere, but until she recounted the tale, I couldn’t recall where.

“Please grant him a pardon, father,” the Princess said. “It’s only fair.”

The King raised a hand and gave a slight nod. It looked like he was about to say something until the robed man interrupted.

“When he was captured, he was found to have kroka in his bag,” the robed man blurted.

The King’s head sloped to the side, and I saw him inhale sharply, gradually shaking his head.

“There’s more, my lord,” the robed man said. He lifted the papers he was holding up and started flipping them one-by-one. “This other character—Mr. Cole—seems to be quite the criminal as well. Someone matching his exact description has been reported for burglary of a home, burglary of a home again, failure to pay in a weapons shop, pickpocketing, snooping, sleeping in an inn without payment, burglary of another home, another pickpocketing accusation, stealing from a food cart, another pickpocketing…” He sighed. “The list continues, my lord.”

I turned to Jeremy and frowned. I had a bad feeling I was making a mistake when I let him join the guild, and there I was, shackled with my arms behind my back and being prosecuted by the King of Highcastle all because of him. He was a thief, and his crimes were coming back to haunt him. Now I was being dragged down by association.

The King exhaled hard. “Two murderers—a thief and a kroka user. I cannot let this pass. Execute them both.”

“Father!” the Princess yelped.

“Please!” Jeremy sputtered as the guards started grabbing us again. “Just let me explain my side of the story!”

A guard shoved Jeremy’s head hard—a reminder that he shouldn’t speak unless he’s spoken too.

“Listen to us!” I yelled.

“You’re hereby sentenced to—” the robed man started but was quickly cut off.

“Go ahead and let them speak,” the King said, holding up his hand. “If he saved the princes, I suppose I can at least give them both time to explain their story.”

Jeremy raised his head up and looked at the King with pleading eyes. “I saw the guy… I mean, I saw Percy walk into the cave. I had no idea what he was doing, and I just followed him into the cave. He killed these giant snakes—lots of them. He fought masterfully, but soon after he entered the cave, a monster snake came out of nowhere and bit his arm. I ran, and a few minutes later, Percy came stumbling out. He looked sick and died as I watched.”

“You did nothing?” the robed man asked.

“I didn’t know what to do,” Jeremy said. “I’m not a healer or anything.”

“Monster snake?” the King asked. He glared at the Queen out of the corner of his eyes.

“Huge,” Jeremy insisted. “Twenty-feet tall, maybe thirty. Its fangs pierced right through his armor.”

The King creased his brow and turned to the robed man. “Giant snakes in these parts wouldn’t be able to pierce his heritage armor.”

“Are you certain it was a snake?” the Queen asked.

Jeremy shrugged. “I can only assume. Its head looked like a snake, and it had a rattler the size of my body.”

Again, the King turned to the Queen. “You don’t think it could be…?”

“The great serpent, Shashana,” the Queen said pointedly, her eyes staring over our heads.

“It can’t be…” the robed man said.

“It could be,” the King countered.

“And what if it was, father?” the Princess asked. “Maybe that could be the answer we’ve been searching for!”

“Shashana hasn’t been seen since the Wastelands were destroyed,” the robed man said. “I’m certain it’s something else.”

“But there could be a chance!” the Princess shouted. “If there’s a chance, we have to find out!”

I watched as the nobles chatted amongst themselves regarding ‘Shashana’—whatever that was—and the intensity of the situation had changed. It was if they suddenly believed Jeremy, or were at least hopeful that he was telling the truth. Whatever they were thinking, it seemed like the best chance I’d have to interject, before things escalated to talks of execution again.

“Your highness,” I interjected.

Everyone quieted, and all eyes turned to me.

“I have information that could be of dire importance to Highcastle.”

The robed man snapped his lips. “If you think you’re going to trade information to avoid punishment for your crimes, you better think again.”

“Let him speak,” the King said weakly.

“It’s information about your son…” I said.

“My son?” the King asked.

Both the Princess and the Queen shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

I was about to speak when the King held his hand up and bobbed his head a little to stop me. “I suppose you’re about to tell me that you have reason to believe that the Dark Hand is my son, and you’d like to help bring him to justice in exchange for a pardon.”

“Pfft,” the robed man spat. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

“This isn’t about the Dark Hand,” I said, “at least primarily it’s not about him. It’s about another son of yours… one who is living in the Endless Sands.”

An awkward silence hung in the air, and King Rutherford’s face turned blank as he slowly lowered his hand back to his chair. The Queen frowned and turned towards the King, and the Princess swallowed hard. It looked like she wanted to run away.

“Guards, take your leave,” the King said. “Take the witness with you.”

The guards behind me removed his hand from my shoulder and shifted as if he wasn’t sure what he was hearing. Most of the other guards looked hesitant as well.

“All of you!” the King yelled as loudly as he could in his raspy, weak voice.

“Your highness!” the robed man protested. “What if they—?”

“All guards take your leave, and you’ll be summoned again when you’re ready!” the King insisted.

The guards all perked up. Half slipped away to rooms deeper into the castle and the others exited out the front door.

When it was just Jeremy, me, the King’s family, and the robed man, the King finally asked, “How do you know about my other son?”

“An agent of his,” I said. “He betrayed Dryden and told me what he knew in exchange for my help. He told the Dark Hand as well.”

The King clenched his teeth.

“Of course, Cristo would eventually find out,” the Queen hissed. “It’s not like you could hide it from him forever.”

“That’s not the issue,” I said. “The issue is that Dryden is plotting to sail across the Serpent Sea and take Highcastle.”

“He’s planning to attack Highcastle?” the robed man asked. “How foolish.”

I shook my head. “No, he’s not going to attack Highcastle. He’s waiting for the King to die, so he can attack the Sparrows, kill the Dark Hand, and claim his right to the throne.”

The King looked down to the floor with somber eyes.

“You should’ve known this would happen, Owen!” the Queen snapped. “You couldn’t keep your filthy cock in your pants, and now another one of your children will die because of it—who knows how many others in the process.”

There was another long silence before the King slowly raised his head. “Indeed, I knew Dryden would cross the sea again one day and to claim his right to the crown. But he doesn’t have to kill Cristo in order to do so. As my eldest son, the throne is his right, so long as the people choose.”

“He doesn’t only want the throne of Highcastle, your highness.” I took a deep breath. “He wants to merge the Bloodletters with the Highcastle army and take over the forests, the Wastelands, everywhere. And not just this side of the Serpent Sea. He wants to take over all of Eden’s Gate! He wants everyone to serve under him. He wants to kill the Dark Hand because he doesn’t want anyone challenging him.”

The Queen snickered. “The bastard is ambitious.”

“King Rutherford,” I pleaded. “Dryden is a monster who slaughters his own men if they disobey. He butchers people and paints his lawn with their remains. He holds women captive in his harem!”

“So I’ve heard,” the King said. “They say the Bloodletters are ruthless, but what are you asking me to do?”

I creased my brow, surprised at the question. “Take out Dryden before he can cross the Serpent Sea.”

There was another pause before the King gave a weak smile. “I just ordered your execution, and now you’re sitting here in front of me, asking me to march on my own son? Have you gone mad?”

“No,” I said. “It’s just that—“

“Even if Dryden were to claim the throne and combine the Highcastle army and the Bloodletters,” the King interrupted, “it’s an absurd idea that he could conquer all of Eden’s Gate. The other races wouldn’t allow it. Strong, he would be, but he’d soon learn his place.”

“He has a dragon,” I said pointedly.

The King froze, and the Queen’s face went pale. The Princess looked at the King and back towards me several times.

“Excuse me?” the robed man said. “What kind of lies did you come here to feed us?”

“Dragons serve men no longer,” the Queen said. “There’s no way he has a dragon.”

“He does, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” I said. “It nearly burned Dryden’s keep down with a single breath of fire.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jeremy staring at me with a slack jaw. I hadn’t told him everything about the Sands, so it was the first time he was hearing about dragons.

“Do you have proof of this so-called dragon?” the King asked.

I lowered my eyes. “No, I don’t have proof, but trust me.” I perked back up and stared at each one of them forcefully. “He plans on killing anyone who opposes him, burning any army that stands in his way. The dragon can’t fly yet, but when it can and the King is dead, he will sail the Bloodletters across the serpent sea. He’s building ships as we speak.”

“A dragon that can’t fly,” the robed man huffed. “This is hogwash.”

“No, it’s not!” I said firmly. “But even if you don’t believe in the dragon, believe everything else I have to say, your majesty.” I looked to his left and to his right. “When you’re gone, you’re leaving your daughter, your … um… wife, your people. If Dryden rules Highcastle the way that he rules the Bloodletters, everyone will suffer.”

The robed man sighed, rolled his eyes and tilted his head from side to side. “‘When the King’s gone. When the King dies.’ It sounds as if you’re expecting him to pass quickly.” He turned to the King. “Have you heard enough your highness? Shall we proceed with their sentencing?”

The King stared daggers into me, and he rattled his hand in his wheelchair as if he were shaking invisible dice. “No,” he said firmly. “I’m somewhat inclined to believe this man.”

“What?” the robe man snapped. “Why would you believe this criminal, your majesty?”

“There’s a reason why I’m the King and you’re the advisor, Windsor.” The King snorted. “I’ve stood judge over many trials, and I know a lie when I see one. The information that this man has given us doesn’t help his criminal case in any way, and he hasn’t asked for a pardon in exchange. He seems to have a genuine concern that Highcastle is in danger.”

I smiled and took a deep breath. I felt like my message may have finally gotten through.

“Don’t forget that he saved me, father,” Isabella said. “Grant him a pardon.”

The King took a deep breath. “Very well.” He held up a hand then flicked his wrist down towards me. “You are pardoned.”

“Thank you, your highness,” I said.

The robe man scowled.

“Whether you were involved in the murder of Percy is debatable,” the King said, “but please remember that kroka is not permitted in my Kingdom. I cannot forgive it again.”

As the King finished his sentence, he suddenly started coughing violently, rocking back and forth in his wheelchair with each wheeze. The Queen placed her hand on his shoulder to steady him in his chair but couldn’t prevent his crown from falling from his head and landing on the floor with a clang.

“Father!” the Princess whined.

“To the infirmary for one of your father’s potions, Isabella,” the Queen said. “Quickly now!”

The Princess bolted out of her chair and ran deep into the castle.

The robed man picked up the crown and moved to the side of the Queen. “Don’t try anything,” he said as he glanced back to us.

Jeremy and I watched as the King continued wheezing into his hand, and a mix of black and blue chunky blood splattered out of his mouth and onto his beard, his robe, and his hands. It looked like he was on the verge of dying right then and there.

The robed man and the Queen comforted the King during his coughing as best as they could, and when the coughing subsided, the King wheezed as he breathed. His chest heaved, and it looked like he was going to fall out of his wheelchair.

After a few short minutes, the Princess came running back into the chamber, and a man holding a vial of yellow liquid and a healing potion came running after her. I recognized the man as the same guy who had wheeled the King out into the Arena— short, bowl haircut of blond, and a plain white robe. He almost slipped as he slid in front of the King and kneeled down. He grabbed the King’s chin and poured the vial of yellow in to his mouth, and once the King swallowed, he followed it up by pouring in the healing potion.

The King’s wheezing slowly subsided, and the blond man started dabbing away the blood around the King’s mouth and on his robe. “Are you okay?” the man asked.

“Yes,” the King said with heavy breath. “Thank you.”

The man stood and looked to the Queen and the robed man. “If the coughing starts again today, he’ll need to return to the infirmary. It looked like he was getting better, but I’m afraid it may be getting worse.”

The Princess lowered her head, and the Queen nodded as she swallowed. “Thank you.”

The healer left the room, and the two women moved back to their chairs.

“Is that enough for today, your Highness?” the robed man asked. “We can continue with the trial another day if necessary.”

“Another day?!” Jeremy blurted. “Didn’t you just say we were pardoned?”

There was no guard to rough Jeremy up, but the robed man eyes were scalding. “I believe the King said that your friend was pardoned, not you.”

Jeremy and I glanced at each other, and he looked terrified.

The King waved his hand weakly. “I can finish this, Windsor.” He cleared his voice and pushed himself up in his wheelchair as best he could. “As my advisor stated, I have pardoned the man wearing the armor, however you—what’s your name again?”

“Jeremy...”

“You’ve committed a long list of crimes, and unlike Gunnar, you didn’t save my daughter’s life.”

“Please don’t execute me,” Jeremy pleaded.

The King sighed. “As the evidence that you killed Percy is circumstantial, I will lower your sentencing to life in Highcastle prison.” The King turned towards Windsor. “You can call the guards back to return him to his cell.”

“Wait! No!” Jeremy said. “That’s actually worse!”

Windsor raised an eyebrow. “You’d prefer to be executed?”

“No,” Jeremy whined, the fear in his voice was wrenching. “I’d prefer neither.”

I felt sorry for Jeremy. He attacked my guild, cut off my arm, and gotten me into a lot of trouble. He complicated my plans to meet the King via an Arena championship and had made my life a living hell, but the longer I knew him, the more I liked him. He was a good guy who had made some poor choices. Everyone had a little bit of Jeremy in them.

And besides that, he was a guild mate and hadn’t done anything wrong since he joined. It was my responsibility to help any member of my guild. I couldn’t let him go back to prison while I walked away.

“Your highness,” I said. “Surely, there’s a way work something out. A fine, maybe? We’ll pay for his crimes if needed.”

“You cannot pay your way out of murder,” Windsor said. “This is a noble Kingdom.”

“Father said that there’s no evidence,” the Princess countered.

Windsor snorted. “We all know what Percy’s armor looks like. It’s right there, and there’s a witness to him killing and looting his body.”

“Looting only,” I corrected. “Not killing.”

“I have a suggestion,” the Queen suddenly said. “You said that there’s a great serpent inside the cave in which you followed Percy?”

Jeremy shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s a serpent, but it’s definitely a giant snake.”

“If that’s true, then bring us the venom of the giant,” the Queen said.

“Yes!” the Princess said. “Can you bring the serpent’s venom? That’s what we need to help father!”

“That’s ridiculous,” Windsor said. “Percy was level 35 and had been poisoned over 1,000 times. He had a poison resistance of 50%! That’s why he was commissioned to gather venom.” He waved a hand to Jeremy. “You expect this low level to retrieve the venom of something that killed Percy? If there really is a great serpent in the cave, we can send a squad of soldiers to take care of it.”

“And lose more men?” the Queen asked. “We lose someone nearly every time we send soldiers into snakes’ dens to gather venom. That’s why we commissioned Percy. He always came back alive.” The Queen smiled. “I suggest we give Jeremy here a chance to redeem himself. He’ll either die by a snake, which will serve the purpose of his execution, or he’ll return to us with the venom of a great serpent.”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” the Princess said. “But if he dies, we must send others.” She placed her hand on the King’s. “We must save father.”

“Umm…” Jeremy groaned. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t think there’s the slightest chance I can kill that thing.”

“I agree,” Windsor said.

“Then accept your life in prison,” the Queen said.

“I’ll help him,” I said. “We have to at least try, if that means you’ll pardon Jeremy too.”

The Queen smiled and turned towards the King as if seeking confirmation.

The King stared as us for several seconds, his hand shaking feebly as he thought.

“A serpent’s venom may be powerful enough to form an antidote, father,” the Princess said. “Let them try.”

“Very well,” the King finally said. “I will agree to that.”

The Queen snapped her lips and turned back to us. “Bring us six vials of snake venom and the venom of the great serpent. If you can do this, Jeremy will be pardoned of his crimes and given a clean record.”

You’ve received a quest offer: Shashana’s Gift

Retrieve 6 vials of giant snake venom and one vial of great serpent venom and return them to the King of Highcastle

Reward: Jeremy’s Pardon, Unknown, 4000 XP

Do you accept this quest? Accept/Decline

“You just want the snake venom for proof?” Jeremy asked.

The Queen sighed. “My husband may be old, but age isn’t affecting his well-being. He has, however, been infected by a mysterious disease. We don’t know how.” She turned towards King Rutherford and scowled. “Although I wouldn’t be surprised if he caught it from one of his whores.”

The King glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, and it looked as if he had shrunk in his chair.

“He has his good days,” the Queen continued. “But his health is deteriorating, and the only thing that seems to slow the disease down is an antidote concocted of giant snake venom, which he drinks daily along with numerous health potions. That’s why Percy was sent to the cave.”

“The venom of a great serpent might be strong enough to make a cure,” the Princess said. “Right mother?”

“In theory, it’s possible,” the Queen said, “but we won’t know unless we have the venom to try.”

I cleared my throat. “If we gather it, will you stop the Bloodletters?”

“Have you no shame?” Windsor asked. “Your friend has been granted a chance at freedom, and you’re trying to barter with the King’s kindness.”

“Relax, Windsor,” the Queen said without turning her head from me. “You said that Dryden wasn’t going to cross the Serpent Sea until after the King dies, correct?”

I nodded.

“Then if you want to stop him,” the Queen explained. “it’s in your best interest to retrieve the venom that may keep the King alive. We can worry about how to address Dryden once the serpent’s venom is in our hands.”

She made a good point. So long as the King stayed alive, I wouldn’t have to worry about Dryden, so it was in my best interest to make sure he lived. The King was old, so I wasn’t sure about her assessment that his age wasn’t affecting his well-being, but if he was diseased, curing that disease might buy us months or possibly even several years where we wouldn’t have to worry about Dryden. And if I could build some rapport with the King by doing him a favor, there was a chance I could sway him to take further action.

“Okay,” I said. “We’ll do our best to get the venom.”

You have accepted the quest: Shashana’s Gift!

The robed man shook his head in disbelief. He clearly thought there was no chance we would be able to get it.

“Owen?” the Queen asked, turning towards the King.

“Windsor, call back the guards to release them,” the King said. “Give them back all their items.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Windsor said.

“But before you leave,” the King said towards me, “remove any pieces of heritage armor you’re wearing. It’s a special kind of armor designed to be passed down between family members. It will be returned to Percy’s next of kin.”

I groaned. I had just broken my sword in the Arena and now I was losing some of my best pieces of armor. That wouldn’t make killing snakes any easier.

“And in case you’re wondering,” the Queen said with her eyes glued to Jeremy, “if you attempt to run away, we’ll place warrants for your head on every bulletin board across Eden’s Gate. I suggest you fight for your life to retrieve the venom. If you come back with nothing, your original sentence will stand.”

The guards returned to the chamber, and our shackles were undone.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

2/1/0001

“Oh, my god!” Jeremy huffed, rubbing his wrists as we strode away from the castle. “Can you believe that shit? They were going to execute us!”

“Just be glad you’re free, asshole,” I said. “Hopefully that was a wakeup call for you.”

“Yeah man,” Jeremy said. “I already told you, I’m playing it straight now that I’m in the guild. Thanks for sticking up for me in there.”

“You’re a guild mate,” I said. “I’d do the same for any other guild member if it came down to it.”

Jeremy nodded. “And I will too. I appreciate what everyone’s done for me so far.” He wrinkled his brow. “Where’d you get that kroka by the way?”

As soon as he mentioned kroka, I felt a twinge in my body. “I bought it. Shit was expensive too, so shame they took it.”

Jeremy punched me on the shoulder. “Well, that means you committed a crime too!”

I couldn’t argue with that and didn’t try.

“How are we going to get this snake venom?” Jeremy asked. “I’m telling you, man—that Percy dude could fight. I don’t think there’s any chance we can kill that thing at our levels.”

“You’re right,” I said. “We probably can’t do it alone, but we have a guild. With the guild’s help, maybe we’ll stand a chance.”

“Oh, hey handsome!” a woman yelled to me as she leaned over the top of her balcony, pressing her breasts on a railing. Another girl wearing something akin to Rina’s old harem outfit was beside her waving and twirling her hair. “Are you looking for a good time?”

It was the first time I had been cat-called while traveling through Highcastle, but I was walking around with no pants or shirt after having the heritage armor confiscated. I must have looked like a freak with nothing but a pair of metal gloves, bracers, a flamboyant belt, and a furry hood around my neck.

“Let’s get back to Edgewood, fast,” I said. “I’m cold, half naked, and we need to let everyone know what’s going on.”

* * *

As we pushed through the last thick trees of Edgewood to enter the clearing of our village, there was lots of chattering in the air, and there was a gathering of people all standing in the center. Most of them were guild mates, but I recognized a slender blonde with pointy ears right away, even with her back turned.

“Adeelee?” I called.

The chattering stopped as soon as I spoke, and the entire crowd turned around.

“Gunnar!” Adeelee cried. “You’re free!?” She was flanked by two elven men, whom I could only assume were bodyguards.

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. I gave Jeremy a quick slap and raised my eyebrows. “Kneel.”

I kneeled, and Jeremy followed suit.

“No, no!” Adeelee cried. “You don’t need to kneel now. Stand up. What happened?”

“Shit, dude!” Aaron said as he circled around Adeelee. “You’ve been gone for two days. I was worried you were going to pull another disappearing act.”

“Yeah, dude!” Ozzy said. “I came back here and told the others as soon as the guards took you away. Where have you been?”

“Are you okay?” Keysia asked.

I felt like I was being bombarded with all the questions flying and everyone’s eyes glued to me. “We were in prison,” I said. “We’re fine now.”

“Prison for what?” Ozzy asked.

I leaned my head towards Jeremy. “Our newest guild mate was charged with murder, and I was wearing the armor of the person he supposedly murdered.”

“I didn’t murder anyone, just to clarify,” Jeremy said.

“It was all a misunderstanding,” I affirmed and homed in on Adeelee. “What are you doing here?”

“Jax traveled to the Vale as soon as you were apprehended. I was planning to visit Highcastle to confront King Rutherford about your charges.”

“You came all the way here to find out what happened to me?” I asked.

Adeelee nodded. “You’re a member of our faction, Gunnar, and the ambassador between Edgewood and the Vale.” She smiled softly. “You’re also my friend.”

I felt touched and surprised. I had never imagined that Adeelee held me in such regard that she’d travel so far and confront the King of Highcastle over me. I didn’t know what to say other than, “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Adeelee replied. “You said that it was a misunderstanding. I take it that everything has been cleared up now?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’ve been pardoned by the King, but when Jeremy joined the guild, he brought some baggage that we need to take care of to clear his name. In addition, I have a mission that might help the King of Highcastle live longer. Completing the mission might buy us more time from Dryden and possibly help me sway the King to take action against him.”

“You implored the King to help you with the Bloodletters?” Adeelee asked.

I nodded. “Queen Faranni wouldn’t help, so I turned toward the King of Highcastle. The threat is real, Adeelee, whether your mother wants to acknowledge it or not.”

“You met with my…” Jax trailed and paused. “You met with the King of Highcastle?” I could see an etch of concern across his face.

“Yes, Jax. I did.” I raised my chin and scanned everyone in front of me. The whole guild was there other than Gerard—who was likely in the shop taking care of things—several of our dark elven guards, Adeelee, and her two elves who looked highly uncomfortable. “The King of Highcastle is gravely ill, but there’s a cave in the Freelands that may bear a remedy for his disease.

“Snake venom,” I continued. “In particular, Jeremy saw a giant serpent there which may have a venom potent enough to concoct a cure.”

“Sa-sa-sa-sanana…” Jeremy stuttered and looked over to me. “What did they say its name was again?”

“Shashana,” I said. “They suspect it’s a great beast known as Shashana.”

“Impossible,” Adeele said, her eyes flicking wide open. “She hasn’t been seen since…”

“Since the great war that destroyed the Wastelands,” Keysia finished.

“Right,” Adeelee upheld. “The Wastelands were once a sea of great plains and forests—before the orcs formed the Scourge. Shashana served a powerful orc summoner who was killed in battle during that time. With no master and the Wastlelands burned to ash, she had no obligation to continue fighting. Some speculate that she may have fled into hiding, but since she hasn’t been seen since, most assume that she died in battle.”

“Whatever is in there, it killed a level 35 with poison, so it’s likely higher level than that. If we go into that cave, it’ll be risky, and I need as many guild members to join me as possible.” I scanned my guild mates. “Jeremy is obviously coming, but Ozzy, Jax, Rina, Keysia, are you willing put your lives at risk to join us?”

“Hell yeah, I’ll go,” Ozzy said.

“Of course I’ll accompany you,” Keysia added.

Jax nodded.

“I owe you my life, Gunnar. I’ll go,” Rina said.

Aaron held up his hands. “Umm, I think it might be a little out of my level range.”

I snickered. “You’d probably be wiped out before we even made it two feet into the cave, Aaron,” I agreed. “You stay here and take care of the village. But that makes six of us, so we might have a fighting chance.”

“I’ll go too,” Adeelee suddenly said.

“You’ll go?” I asked, surprised at her offer.

“Princess… you can’t,” one her guards said.

The Princess turned to him and snarled. “I’m the one who gives orders. Remember your place.”

“Yes, your highness,” the man said with a bow.

The Princess turned back to me. “While I can’t send the elven army across the sea to fight your human battles, I can at least lend myself to your cause. You’ve helped me and the high elves multiple times in the past.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Adeelee. That’ll give us seven—almost enough for two full groups.”

“You’ll fight with me?” Keysia asked towards Adeelee, her face twisted in disbelief. “You’ll fight alongside a dark elf?”

Adeelee swallowed. “I would be lying if I said I was enthusiastic about the idea, but if Jax and Gunnar have been living in the same forest with you for this long without incident, I’m willing to risk fighting with a dark elf during a single hunt.”

Without incident? I thought. It was a good thing she didn’t know about my episode with the dark elf who bashed my head in. I smiled anyway. It was a small step towards progress, but I could see Adeelee had opened up a little since the first time I saw her step foot in Edgewood.

“You could ask Gerard to join you to fill the empty group slot,” Aaron suggested.

I shook my head. “I wish he could join us, but I promised him I wouldn’t drag him out of the village if possible.” I turned to Shal, our head guard. “Would you be willing to accompany us on this hunt? It’s risky, but I’ll pay you for your time.”

Before Shal could speak, a confident voice said, “No, I’ll go.” We all turned to see Donovan step into the clearing, march closer to Adeelee, and kneel. “Would you be willing to fight beside another dark elf, your highness?”

The Princess took a fearful step back. “Donovan…”

“Donovan would give us eight,” I said. “Two full groups, and perhaps the strongest fighter of us all.”

Donovan remained in a kneeling position for some time as the Princess stared down at him. For a moment, I thought she may tell him no, but she glanced at me a couple times before finally saying, “Very well… I will still join you, Gunnar.”

“Great!” I said. “We’ve got a pretty awesome team.”

“Are we heading out tonight?” Ozzy asked.

“No,” I replied. “We’ll spend the rest of the day making preparations. I want everyone to take whatever you need from the shop to max out your gear—weapons, armor, etc.” I turned to Jax. “Can you make potions? We’ll need some.”

Jax shook his head. “I still haven’t set up my alchemy equipment, and I have no reagents. I’ve kind of let my alchemy training fall to the wayside.”

“Travel the nearest town and buy at least eight cure potions—one for each of us to take with us in case of poisoning. Check to make sure we have enough healing potions as well, and if not, buy the required reagents, set up your alchemy equipment, and make what you can.”

Jax nodded.

“Alright!” I said with a slap of my hands. “If you don’t need anything, just make sure you’re mentally prepared for what could be a major fight tomorrow. We’ll head out first thing in the morning.”

Everyone except Adeelee and her guards spread out and started taking care of the things they needed to do.

“You’re becoming a great leader,” Adeelee said. “I’m impressed with how far you’ve come.”

“Thanks,” I said shyly. It had been a while since I had been so close to Adeelee, and once again, I found it hard to focus away from her beauty.

“What is the purpose of the giant stone slab?” she asked.

I turned to where she was looking to see that the foundation for our castle had been completed. It looked even larger than it did when it was just a hole, and whatever process they had used to create it, it was now basically a solid rock. “It’s the foundation for a castle.”

“A castle?” Adeelee asked. “You’re building a castle here?”

I nodded. “I don’t think Edgewood will ever be as grand as Mist Vale, but we’re going to turn our village into something great, and we’ll need defenses from Dryden or anyone else who may attack us.”

“Ambitious,” Adeelee said. She turned her head towards Donovan, who was across the clearing sharpening one of his swords. She took a deep breath. “I’m willing to chance fighting with the two dark elves, but I believe it’s best that I’m not put in the same group with them. It’s my first time with a…”

I nodded, cutting her off. “I understand. I’ll put you in a group with Jax and me.”

“Thank you, Gunnar,” she said.

I scratched the back of my head. “And I want to apologize if I was rude to you the last time I was in the Vale. I had just been through a lot, and I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

“It’s okay, Gunnar,” Adeelee said. “I understand you were upset with my mother’s decision. I was rather disappointed that you didn’t stick around to spend time with me, but I suppose we’ll be fighting side-by-side tomorrow.”

“Yeah, I guess so…” I said. It wasn’t ‘alone time’ like I had originally wanted to spend with Adeelee when I first invited her, but it was something.

“I do have one question to ask you though,” she said, scanning me up and down.

“What’s that?” I replied.

“Why are you wearing nothing but gloves and a fur hood? This is not an appropriate look for an ambassador of the elves.”

“Uhhh… Um…” I suddenly felt naked and super self-conscious, worse than the first time I met the Princess and was still wearing my newbie gear. “The— the King confiscated it?” I stuttered as if I were asking a question. “I’ll go put something on now!” Adeelee twisted her lips and fluttered her eyelashes, as I scurried away straight for our guild’s shop.

How embarrassing.

I not only needed to replace my missing armor, but after breaking my sword, I needed a new weapon as well.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

It was time for our first big raid.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

2/2/0001

Adeelee Vost has joined your party

Jeremy Cole has joined your party.

Jax Horn has joined your party.

Rather than staying in Edgewood Village, Adeelee and her two guards traveled to the edge of the forest and set up their own camp the night before to avoid sleeping near the dark elves. This distrust that the High Elves had towards the dark elves never ceased to amaze me.

We reconvened early the next morning, and I could see that everyone had replaced any pieces of battered gear with the new ones. Jax delivered two health potions and one cure potion to everyone who was traveling on the hunt, and we all carried at least two small bandages. Rina was also armed with two large bandages just in case of extreme injury.

Aaron forged me a new sword that was identical to the last one, except the 25-41 attack damage that the last one had was bumped up to 25-42. Even over the two days I was gone he had honed his craft a little bit. I picked up a few pieces of our best quality leather armor from our shop. None of it was special, and it was a huge step down from the heritage armor, but it was better than being naked.

After making sure everyone was prepared, we rode for the mysterious cave in the Freelands. Keysia rode with me on Sora, Rina rode with Jax on Fenris, Jeremy rode with Adeelee on Tsarra, and Ozzy rode his horse with Donovan on the back. Adeelee’s two guards also accompanied us on our way to the cave.

It was only a fifteen to twenty minute ride through the Freelands before we reached a large field with several small hills beside it. The hills were covered in lush, green grass like most of the Freelands, but one of the hills had a large cave opening in front of it.

“This is it,” Jeremy said as we rode up in front of it. He pointed to a flat area near the field and several meters away from the cave entrance. “That’s where Percy perished.”

I took a deep breath, stopped, and held a hand up. “This is it, guys!”

I hopped off Sora, and everyone followed suit, jumping to the ground. Ozzy tied his horse to a nearby tree, and Adeelee’s guards posted themselves nearby. We walked Sora, Tsarra, and Fenris to the guards and left them there as well.

“Take good care of her,” I said to the guards.

The guards frowned, clearly still not happy that Adeelee was accompanying us into the cave.

I am fully capable of taking care of myself, father, Sora said.

I know, I projected to her. So why don’t you take care of them then? Or just enjoy your time with Tsarra and Fenris.

I’ll try, she said. Are you certain you don’t want me to accompany you?

I’m sure, I replied. This is our first large group battle together. I don’t want to risk losing you if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

Be careful in there, Gunnar.

Everyone lined up in front of the cave, and I took a position in front of them.

“As we discussed,” I said loudly, “Adeelee’s guards will look after our mounts while we’re in the cave. Since there are four to a group, Adeelee, you’ll be in charge of healing our group. Rina, you’ll be in charge of healing your group.”

Adeelee and Rina nodded.

“Since we can only see the status of the other three people in our groups, if someone needs healing, curing, or anything like that, yell out that you need healing if you’re not getting heals, so the healer in the other group can heal you.”

Everyone gave simultaneous nods.

“Ozzy, you’ll be our front line at all times. Try to keep as much of the aggro [monster attention] on you at all times, since you can absorb the damage the best.”

“Got it,” Ozzy said.

“Donovan, Adeelee, and I will be our primary damage dealers behind Ozzy. We’ll use our ranged attacks when necessary, and close in to dispatch as many enemies as possible.”

Donovan and Adeelee nodded.

“Jax and Keysia,” I said, “you’ll be our ranged damage. Use your ranged magic and arrows whenever possible, and only use close-ranged attacks when necessary.”

“For shizzle,” Keysia said.

Adeelee’s head snapped toward Keysia, and her eyes rose in surprise. I thought she was going to say something, but she quickly turned her attention back to me.

“Rina, you’ll be at the back of the squad, healing. I want you to conserve your mana for heals and much as possible, but feel free to use ranged attacks at your discretion.”

Rina nodded.

“Jeremy, since you’re the lowest level of the group, your primary concern is keeping any and all enemies off of Rina. I also had you carry an extra quiver of arrows in case you need to hand it off to Jax. You’re free to use your discretion as well, but just remember, keep Rina from being attacked if at all possible.”

Jeremy didn’t look happy about being the backup defense, but he gave a halfhearted grin and a thumbs up. “Got it.”

I looked up to the line and scanned all their faces. “Our number one objective is to always keep Rina alive. If someone dies, especially a non-Reborn, she’s our only hope of resurrecting them. If Rina dies, it’s all over, and we don’t want to leave here with any casualties. So, if you see Rina in trouble, I want all focus to go on saving her even if you get your head bashed in for doing so. Just remember that she can resurrect you, but you can’t resurrect her. Everyone understand?”

Everyone nodded in understanding.

We took a few minutes to cast buffs on everyone. Adeelee cast Barkskin, I cast Divine Zeal and Divine Sight, and Rina cast Divine Shield, Divine Blessing, and Nourishing Aura. After that, we all took a moment to meditate and bring our mana back up to full.

“Alright,” I said. I stepped forward, placed my hand out, and immediately the other members of the guild joined me in a circle, placing their hands one on top of the other.

“What’s all this about?” Jeremy asked.

“Get over here, dumbass,” I said. “Put your hand on top of ours.”

Jeremy joined the circle and placed his hand on top.

“Adeelee, Donovan,” I said looking to them, “I know you’re not a part of the guild, but you should join us just for good luck’s sake.”

“Hmmm…” Donovan hummed.

“Get over here, dude,” I insisted. “Just do it.”

Donovan sighed, squeezed into the circle, and placed his hand on top of Jeremy’s.

“Adeelee?” I said. “Don’t be stubborn. Hurry before our buffs run out.”

“Okay…” Adeelee said low. She squeezed in between me, but instead of putting her hand on top of Donovan’s, she slid her hand to the bottom, underneath mine.

I smirked but didn’t say anything. If she couldn’t be bothered to sleep near a dark elf, I guess I couldn’t expect her to touch one.

I gave a brief nod to the guild mates, and we all said in unison, “One, two, three, Unity!” and threw our hands in the air.

I pulled my sword out of its sheath and turned for the cave. “Let’s go find us a giant serpent.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

2/2/0001

We all entered the cave with our weapons drawn, Ozzy first.

There were no signs of any creatures in the first small chamber immediately at the cave opening. Vines hung down from the ceiling, and there were several broken rocks laying randomly across the cave floor, but it was otherwise dry and empty. There were two large openings at the back of the cave leading down separate paths.

“Were there snakes in this area before?” I asked Jeremy.

“Not here,” he said. “Just a little further. I’m pretty sure I followed Percy down the opening on the right.”

Without needing any instruction, Ozzy led us down the wide path on the right, and as we walked, Jax asked, “Were there any traps on the way?”

“Not that I remember,” Jeremy replied, “but I was following at a distance. There could have been something.”

Jax nodded. “Everyone stay alert.”

The large path was much like the chamber opening, empty with nothing but hanging vines and large rocks.

“Right up ahead,” Jeremy said. “This is where the snakes start.”

As we walked carefully into the next chamber, all expecting to be attacked at any moment, we were surprised when there were no snakes inside. There were a few shriveled, decayed remnants of what might have been snakes with maggots eating what was left, but there were no dangerous creatures that we could see.

“That’s weird,” Jeremy said. “This is where I remember them being.”

“Creatures move freely in Eden’s Gate,” Jax said. “There’s the possibility that they’ve been cleared out or even moved to another cave.”

I sighed. “I hope not… If all of us came here for nothing, that would be pretty shitty.”

There was another path at the back of the chamber wall, leading further into the cave, and Ozzy started down it, the rest of us behind him.

“I don’t know what’s beyond this point,” Jeremy said. “Be extra careful from here on.”

The next path was a little smaller than the last, and there were several spider webs dangling from the ceiling with hundreds of spiders latched to them idly. I prayed to the gods that there weren’t any giant arachnids inside of the cave; I didn’t want to deal with that horror again.

I hulked down instinctively as we cleared the spider-filled path and entered the next chamber, and like the one before, the chamber looked empty.

“This whole place looks cleared out,” Ozzy says. “This might be a bust.”

“There’s something up there,” Rina said, pointing to the ceiling.

I looked up, and along the ceiling where six or seven large, brown creatures that resembled giant spiders but had longer bodies and looked to have ten legs or more on each side with two long feelers attached to their head.

Name: cave centipede

Race: arthropod

Level: 19

Health/Mana/Stamina: 200/10/240

Status: aggressive

“They don’t seem to have noticed us,” Rina noted.

“Yeah,” I said. “It’s weird that they aren’t attacking when their status reads as if they’re agg—“

Before I had time to say ‘aggressive’, one of the centipedes fell from the ceiling, shrieked, and immediately jumped at Ozzy. Ozzy barely had time to hold up his shield to block the attack as all the other centipedes fell all around us.

“It’s showtime guys!” I yelled as Ozzy stomped his foot and let out an Intimidating Shout, rotating his head from side to side, trying to affect as many of the centipedes as possible.

Several of the centipedes jumped on Ozzy, and he blocked what he could and swung his mace at the others. Adeelee, Donovan, and I rushed for the centipedes and started slashing and hacking at their legs and bodies. Arrows were flying past us, landing into the furthest monsters. I saw Keysia send a ball of magic from her staff, and Ozzy’s body glowed as Rina healed him from any bites the centipedes were landing.

It was a quick and somewhat easy battle, and within a couple minutes, it was all over. Dead centipedes and white guts were splattered all over the ground.

You have gained 3200 XP!

“Boom!” Ozzy said. “Level 21!”

“Nice job!” Jeremy said.

“Nice job, indeed,” I agreed. “Hopefully a sign of things to come.” I shoved Ozzy on the shoulder. “Looks like you’ll be fighting in tier 2 from now on.”

Ozzy lowered his eyelids a little. “Oh yeah… Damn! I totally forgot about the fighting tiers.”

I scanned the corpses with my eyes then looked over to the single opening leading further into the cavern. “These guys won’t have anything to loot. Let’s move on.”

“Wait,” Jax said. “There’s something over there.” He scurried across the chamber until he lifted an almost invisible handle of a bag that was halfway buried under dirt and dust at the edge of the cave wall.

“Damn, he’s got good eyes,” Jeremy said.

Jax flipped open the bag and pulled out 215 gold, an emerald, and a gold non-magical ring. “Don’t know why anyone would leave this here, but a good find nonetheless.”

I smiled. 215 gold was indeed a nice find, and just a few weeks earlier, I would have been jumping for joy at finding that amount of gold. But, since leveling up and fighting stronger and stronger enemies, 215 gold seemed almost trivial. I could earn over 600 gold in a fight in the Arena now, and our shop was bringing in over 1000 gold daily. It was amazing how you could scale your earnings in MMOs, and it seemed that Eden’s Gate was no exception.

We followed the path that led further into the hallway, and throughout our entire journey, I’d stop and cast Divine Sight on everyone whenever the spell ran out. As for the other buffs, Rina, Adeelee and I threw them out randomly, but with their short duration, it was impossible to keep all of them on us all the whole time unless we wanted to stop and meditate constantly, which we didn’t want to do.

The path was long and started to slow down gradually as we continued.

Halfway down the pathway, there was a clicking noise, and Ozzy paused. “Did you hear that?” he asked.

Before anyone could reply, a throng of sharp, metal spikes rose out of the ground and pierced into his body. Ozzy froze, and his eyes went wide. When he looked down to see the sharp spikes piercing him in various locations, he screamed.

A second later, the spikes retracted, pulling out of Ozzy’s body as they retreated to their hiding place in the floor.

Ozzy fell to his knees.

“Quick!” Jax yelled. “Pull him away!”

Donovan and I ran forward and grabbed Ozzy by the arms. We dragged him back across the cavern floor, and only a moment after his body was off the circular trap, the spikes rose again.

“I’m bleeding,” Ozzy groaned. “Shit!”

“I see that,” Rina said as she raised her hand to heal Ozzy, then kneeled down and started bandaging his wounds.

It took us a few minutes to get Ozzy’s bleeding stopped, heal him up, and get him to a point where he was back on his feet and mentally prepared to move forward.

“Those spikes did a number on my armor,” Ozzy said as he pointed to several holes in his leggings. He looked up and over to the trap on the ground. It was difficult to see on the dirty cavern floor, but since the spikes had already risen once, they had pushed a lot of the dirt and dust out of the way to reveal the small holes that the spikes shot out of. The trap was roughly three meters in diameter. “How do we get past this?” Ozzy asked.

“Jump?” I questioned.

“I don’t know if I can make that jump in this armor,” Ozzy said.

“A skipping jump,” Donovan suggested. “Jump as far as you can and thrust yourself off the foot you land on before the spikes come back up.”

“Let’s see you do it first,” Ozzy said. “You’re more agile than me.”

Donovan shrugged. “Well, so long as the trap is triggered with pressure, then I think it will be fine.”

He stepped in front of Ozzy and stood a few meters back from the trap. He ran forward, leapt, and almost cleared the entire trap with one jump before stepping on the edge of the trap. Immediately as his foot touched down, he skipped to the other side.

The spikes shot up right after his foot was off it and then retracted back into the ground.

“Not too difficult,” Donovan said.

We each took turns mimicking Donovan’s jump across the spikes and we all made it without injury, but Ozzy almost ended up getting himself pierced by the spikes again. As he touched down on his heavy armor boots, he attempted a quick skip but ended up falling and sliding forward on the ground. He fell far enough that he was able to clear the trap, but it was a sloppy and embarrassing landing.

After the trap, the path continued downwards, and the circumference of the passage got smaller and smaller until we were all crouching as we moved forward.

“How could any giant monster fit through this?” I asked. “And we haven’t seen a single snake the whole way.”

Jeremy shook his head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense to me either, but I’m not making it up. There were a ton of snakes in this cave before and at least one massive one too.”

The narrowing path slowly started getting wider again and then opened up to another chamber. This particular chamber was almost completely round, and looked man-made. It was totally out of place in an otherwise natural cave. The floor was smoother than the rest of the cave, and while the walls were still rocky and uneven, there were no loose rocks on the ground like there had been everywhere else. In the center of the chamber, a stone pedestal rose from the ground.

“What the hell is this?” Ozzy asked as we stepped inside.

“Careful,” Donovan said. “There could be more traps in here.”

“This is it?” Adeelee asked. “There are no snakes here, and it looks like a dead end.”

“Fuck,” I cursed, turning my head, seeing no other paths forward. “We really came all this way for nothing?”

“Not for nothing,” Jax cooed as he stepped up to one of the walls. “Do you guys see this?” He rubbed his fingers across a bit of discolored, dark brown rock in the wall, stepped sideways and rubbed his finger against another bit of discolored rock. “Vorporite… There’s deposits all along these walls.”

Keysia, Adeelee, and Donovan all started examining the walls, and their eyes went wide.

“This is quite the find,” Donovan said. “I’ve never seen so much Vorporite in one place.”

“Vorporite?” I asked. “What’s the hell is that?”

“A rare, naturally occurring metal.” Jax explained. “Not the hardest metal you can find in Eden’s Gate, but more durable than iron, copper, or steel. If we mine this, we can craft special higher-quality weapons and armor. Hell, we could just mine it, smelt it, and sell the ingots for a good amount of gold.”

“That’s awesome,” I said, “but—” I held my hands up and out to the side. “—no snakes, no serpent. I can’t be excited about some metal deposits when there’s no sign of what we came for.”

“We can still backtrack to the other path at the beginning of the cave,” Keysia said. “And what about the pedestal over there?”

I walked up to pedestal, and the top of it consisted of flat, smooth stone, but rising out of the center was a small stone triangle. Etched on the top of the triangle was a short, upside mallet and two strange rune-like marks on each side.

“That’s dwarven,” Adeelee said. “This must have been a dwarven cave at some point.”

“A dwarven cave in the Freelands?” I asked.

Adeelee nodded. “Long ago, Eden’s Gate was a different place, Gunnar. Dwarves were once common in the Freelands, long before this area was called the Freelands.”

I smiled but didn’t say anything. Long ago? I thought. When Adeelee or the others made comments like that, sometimes I was reminded that I was living in a game, and all the NPCs had been programmed. Their history, their lives, and everything they knew up until the launch of the Eden’s Gate servers had been deliberately written or procedurally generated.

That was the thing, I realized as I continued thinking. Since entering Eden’s Gate, I often wondered what set Reborns apart from NPCs, other than the fact that we could respawn and came from Earth, but I could never find any definitive answer. We both had our own thoughts, our own personalities, and NPCs behaved just like real people, but there was that one thing that truly set us apart.

Reborns had a real past and NPCs didn’t.

Their present and future was just as real as a Reborn, but their past was completely fabricated.

But what did that mean for anyone who would be born in Eden’s Gate at a later time? If a child were conceived in Eden’s Gate—if that were possible—wouldn’t that make the child just as ‘real’ as a Reborn? And even if my past was real, did that matter? For every moment forward, my past was just a memory, just like an NPC’s memory. So even if the NPCs did have that one thing that was so different than us, were Reborns really any different? We saw our past as just another memory, just like them.

“Gunnar?” Adeelee said, snapping me out of my muddled thoughts. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Yeah, about the dwarves,” I replied.

“No,” she corrected. “I asked if you had tried manipulating the symbol on the pedestal. It’s obviously there for a reason.”

I shook my head. “No… I haven’t touched anything yet.”

“A random pedestal like that in an empty room like this doesn’t sit well with me,” Jax muttered. “It could be another trap, even if I’m not detecting anything.”

“Shouldn’t we should just try it while we’re here?” I asked. “If we backtrack to the beginning of the cave and don’t find anything down the other pathway, we’ll end up wondering what we might have missed.”

“That’s true,” Jeremy said. “I think we should just try it. I mean, it looks sorta like a button, right?”

“I’m for it, too,” Ozzy said.

Keysia and Donovan looked wary. I suppose the Reborns were less cautious for obvious reasons.

“You’re the guild leader,” Rina said. “You make the call. It might not do anything. Maybe it’s just for decoration.”

“Alright, let’s just try it,” I said. “Everyone be alert, and get ready to move if we need to.” I placed my hand on the triangle and pressed, but it didn’t budge, and then I grabbed it by the edges and tried twisting it left and then right, but it didn’t move at all. “Nothing…”

“Press it harder,” Donovan said. “This room looks like it’s been untouched for years. It might be stuck.”

I placed both hands on the triangle and pressed into it with all my weight, and finally, it made a gritting noise as it slid into the pedestal the slightest bit—a millimeter at most—but no matter how hard I pressed, it didn’t move any further. I took a step back and looked around but saw nothing had changed. “If it was a button, then it looks like it’s broken now. Let’s just head back to where we started.”

We turned around and started for the path in which we came, but no sooner than we took a few steps, a thick, stone door shot out of the smooth ground below and slammed up in front of the entrance, blocking the path from which we came.

“What the hell?!” Ozzy shouted.

There was the sound of stone grinding against stone, and when I turned around, the triangle on top of the pedestal was slowly easing itself deep inside of the pedestal, and the pedestal started rotating clockwise. A second later, the floor was rotating counterclockwise and we started to descend.

“Guys!” Jeremy cried as he held his arms out to maintain his balance. “What’s going on?!”

“We’re going deeper into the cave!” Adeelee yelled. “The button must have activated it!”

“Ready your weapons!” Jax yelled.

I grabbed my sword and did my best to hold my equilibrium as the floor spun and descended further into the cave.

We spun slowly for another ten or fifteen seconds before the walls around us opened, and I could see that we had entered another chamber. Finally, the floor stopped at the bottom of the cave, and we were inside a large, circular space where the walls extended several meters away from the platform we dropped in on, and there were coffins arranged neatly on the floor around us. The lids on each coffin had been removed, and many of them were broken, but each lid contained the sculpture of a dwarf.

“What is this?” Jeremy asked.

“Looks like some kind of dwarven tomb,” Keysia said.

“And look like someone’s looted it well before we got here,” Jax said.

I walked over to one of the coffins, looked inside, and there was the brittle skeletal remains of a dwarf. I turned and looked in another, and saw the same—but this time, the bones were a jumbled mess. As I peeked inside a third coffin, I heard a light hissing noise, and the low sounds of a rattler.

“Did you hear that?” I asked.

There was another rattle, and then synchronous sound of several hisses at once, and then the sudden sound of rattling all around us.

A small, brown, speckled snake slithered out the eyeball of the skeleton I was looking at, and the moment it saw me, it dashed out of the coffin and onto the ground. I jumped and looked to the floor to see where the snake landed, but instead, I saw many more snakes slithering slowly out from under the coffin and even more pouring from all the coffins around us.

“They’re everywhere!” Rina shrieked.

“Back to the center!” I yelled as I swiped my sword at a snake that was slithering towards me. I turned and ran, jumping over snakes as I passed.

Everyone managed to clear the snakes and make it back to the base where we descended from, and when we were gathered together, Rina hid in the center and the others formed a circle around her.

I looked at the pedestal, ready to press the button again to send us back to the top, but the triangle had sunk deep inside, and there was no visible way that I could remove it.

“There’s hundreds of them!” Ozzy yelled.

“Keysia, I think this is where you’re going to come in handy!” I yelled as the countless snakes closed in and I joined at the outer edge of the circle.

I held out my hand and focused on casting a Fire Curtain across as many of the snakes as I could, and I could hear Keysia release her lighting spell behind me.

You have gained 30 XP!

You have gained 30 XP!

The snakes in the fire immediately started twisting and turning as they were affected by the flames, most of them dying almost instantly. The snakes near the flames that didn’t get hit turned and scurried back.

I started launching Fireblasts in every direction, and Keysia launched a globe of magic from her staff before turning and shooting another lighting attack to her side.

Everyone else was kicking away the snakes or hitting them with their weapons as they closed in.

You have gained 30 XP!

You have gained 30 XP!

You have gained 30 XP!

You have reached level 9 in Fire Magic!

It was only another two minutes of constant magic attacks before the room was filled with the stench of sizzling snake. Hundreds of charred and electrocuted snake corpses littered the ground, and the few snakes that hadn’t died, slithered into hiding.

I turned to Jeremy. “So those were the snakes you were talking about?”

Jeremy shook his head. “No. I didn’t see any snakes like that last time. I mean, they looked sorta like that, but they were a lot bigger.”

I stepped closer and looked down on him with burning eyes. I was beginning to have my doubts about the story he had fed everyone. “You’re not lying to us, are you?”

Jeremy shook his head. “Nah, man. I don’t know why everything is different this time.”

“Forget about the snakes,” Donovan said. “How the hell are we going to get out of here?”

I went to the pedestal to inspect it, but again saw no visible means to activate the triangular button that was on it. I kicked it a couple times and stuck my hand in the deep depression where it had recessed, but it was too far down to access.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said. “Looks like this isn’t going to send us back up.”

“Up there,” Adeelee said as she pointed towards a large hole on the far wall that had to have been at least twenty feet in the air. It looked like it was sloping down, almost like a chute into the chamber. “That’s the only exit I see.”

We walked past the various coffins and closer to the hole, and on the ground at the base of the hole was a massive pile of bodies. Most of them were aged to bones, but there was a layer of rotten, stiff corpses on top of the bones, and then three or four fresher bodies on top of those. Some were nude, and some were still wearing their armor. It smelled terrible.

“Disgusting,” Rina snarled.

“Something has been killing here for a long time,” Jax said.

Jeremy stepped onto the pile of bone and bodies, and started rummaging, even as his feet sunk deep into the mess.

“What are you doing?” Adeelee asked.

“Looting up,” he said.

“You can’t be serious,” Adeelee said. “You shouldn’t touch that pile of rot.”

Jeremy pulled on a pair of shiny leather gloves that were on one of the corpses, and instead of the gloves coming off on one of the hands, the entire hand pulled off the body. He looked at glove and yanked out the dead hand. “Ohhh, magic gloves. I wonder what these are.”

“Gunnar can identify by touch,” Ozzy said.

“Really? How is that possible?” Jeremy asked.

“I’ll tell ya later,” I said. “Just toss the gloves to me.”

You’ve received: Adventurer’s Gloves. +5 Armor. Durability: 3/10. Quality: Poor. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.2 kg. +50 Stamina +5. Vitality

I coughed from the smell of rot coming from the gloves as I read the stats off to him, and then I tossed them back.

“Nice!” Jeremy said. “I’m not too proud to dumpster dive…er… mass grave dive, or whatever you’d call this.”

I didn’t see anything that stood out as particularly useful on any of the corpses, so I focused my attention back on the hole above the pile of death.

The hole was too far up to reach, but there was some sort of fiber that was drooping down from the bottom of the hole. It looked like a sort of linen or organic plant matter that had formed over the years. It wasn’t clear what it was, but with a boost, it was reachable.

“I wonder if that stuff hanging from the hole is strong enough to hold on to,” I said.

“I highly doubt it,” Jax said. “It’s probably moss or fungus that’s formed from the death in the cave.”

“Let’s give it a try,” I said. “Somebody hoist me up.”

“Wait a minute!” Jeremy said as he picked out a pile of slimy gold from a bag covered in rot, then slid it into his pocket. “There’s some sort of scrolls in here.”

He pulled the soggy scrolls out of the bag, and as he unrolled them, the paper was near tearing. “This one looks like a schematic,” he said as he tossed it to me. “Maybe give it to Aaron.”

You’ve received: Schematic: Reinforced Steel Tower Shield. [Steel Shield, Min Armor Limit 60, Max Armor Limit 60. +1-5% Block Level Bonus] Requires 14 Intelligence. Requires Weaponsmithing Lvl 10. Requires: 15 Steel. Requires 5 Wood. Durability: 3/10. Quality: Poor. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg

“Yeah, this is nice,” I said. “He’ll like working on this.”

He shook his head as he tried to figure out the other. “I don’t know exactly what this one is, but it’s some sort of magic scroll.” He gently handed the scroll to me.

You’ve received: Scroll: Clumsy. Temporarily reduce the accuracy and intelligence of an opponent. Requires 10 Intelligence. Mentalism Level 1. Durability: 1/10. Quality: Poor. Rarity: Uncommon. Weight: 0.1 kg

“Oh wow,” I said. “It’s a mentalism scroll. I’ve actually been looking for one of these if you don’t mind me keeping it.”

“Yeah, man. Go ahead,” Jeremy said.

“It’d probably fall apart before we got it out of here anyway,” I alleged.

Given that it was on its last durability point, I didn’t waste any time and read the scroll.

Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Clumsy!

“Thanks, man.” I said to Jeremy as the soggy scroll disappeared into a cloud of dust in my hands. The spell I learned didn’t sound particularly powerful, but I was excited to finally start working on mentalism.

“No problem!” Jeremy said with a smile. He turned to Adeelee and snarled his lips. “See? You can find a lot of great stuff if you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty.”

Adeelee groaned. “I’ll leave the ‘delving into piles of rotting flesh for insignificant gains’ to you.”

Jeremy snapped his lips and lowered his eyes as he stepped off the pile.

“I’ll give you a boost, Gunnar,” Ozzy said as stepped onto the dead bodies and under the hole. He held his hand out in front of him in a cupping motion with his back against the wall.

I stepped up to Ozzy and into his hands, then climbed up until I was standing with both my feet on his shoulders. He was wobbly underneath me, but I maintained my balance as I stretched my arm as far as I could and grabbed the dangling material that was hanging from the hole.

The material felt flaky and made a bit of a crackling noise as I squeezed onto it, but when I pulled, it didn’t break apart. I pulled on it with my full strength, and as I lifted myself off of Jeremy’s shoulders, I snatched another strand of the substance that was hanging just a little higher.

There was a rock a few inches above that strand of material that I grabbed onto, and by pulling myself up from the rock, I was able to barely get a hand on the edge of the hole.

With the hole gradually sloping, it took all of my strength to pull myself up, and the only saving grace was the fact that the strange, hanging material lining the base of the hole provided a surprisingly strong, non-slip grip.

When I was fully inside the hole, I could see that the substance was lining almost every edge, save for a few odd spots where there were tears and holes.

“Good work!” Ozzy shouted when he saw that I was fully up and in the hole.

“Whatever that stuff is, it’s strong,” I said.

I lay on my stomach, and for the next ten minutes, the team hoisted each other up and into the hole. The last two people into the hole—Keysia and Rina—were the hardest, and due to the slope, we had to form a train of us all laying on our stomach to hold their weight. When Keysia had a grip on my hand, Rina grabbed Keysia’s feet and climbed up using her body, then Keysia was pulled in.

The whole thing was a little sketchy, but with teamwork, we got the job done.

“What is this stuff?” Ozzy asked as he rubbed his finger across the strange lining of the hole. “Some sort of weird paper?”

“It could be a soft mineral of some kind,” Adeelee said. “I’ve never seen anything like it, but I don’t spend a lot of time in caves.”

We started to ascend the long, sloping path up, and we took our time to avoid any slips or falls. The lining of the cave did offer some grip, but if any of us lost our footing and fell, the grip probably wouldn’t have been enough to prevent us from sliding all the way back to the bottom of the cave.

We tracked upward for several minutes, and when the path looked like it was about to end, the lining along the wall seemed to taper inwards a little and dangled from the tops and bottom of the wall.

Jax stepped on the end of the material and yanked on a loose piece, tearing it free. He held it up to the sky and flicked it, then his eyes went wide and scanned all around the cave and back down towards where we came. “I don’t think this is any kind of mineral or fungus,” Jax said. “This is skin. It’s molted snake skin.”

“What?” I asked as I started looking at the size of the path. “You’re telling me that this stuff came from a snake?”

“I told you!” Jeremy said and pointed his finger towards me. “I told you there was a big snake!”

“A great serpent,” Adeelee said. “No normal snake could make this.”

A loud rattler sound echoed somewhere ahead of us, and I turned my head as a chill creeped up my spine.

Looking up, I could see we were just a few meters from the ground flattening back out and opening to another chamber.

I swallowed hard, unsheathed my sword, and whispered, “Remember your positions...”

Chapter Thirty

2/2/0001

The rattling continued and only grew louder as we trudged the final paces up the sloping path. When we were about to enter the chamber, we pressed our bodies up against the wall and peered inside, but there didn’t appear to be anything there.

Ozzy glanced at me and scrunched his brow before he rolled off the wall and stepped inside the chamber, and all of us followed behind me, turning our heads left and right, looking for the source of the echoing sounds.

“Ozzy!” Rina yelled from the back of the line.

Ozzy turned, and from high above, a massive serpent, as large as Ragul, Dryden’s Dragon, lowered its head down until it was nearly right in front of him. It was a mix of brown and green scales, and it looked like it was smiling at Ozzy as its long, tongue slithered in and out of its mouth. Its eyes were a menacing yellow gold, and two short, fin-like appendages ran across the length of its head. Its body was tightly entwined around a long stalactite that hung from the ceiling.

Name: Shashana

Race: Great Beast

Level: 39

Health/Mana/Stamina: 1400/400/800

Status: unknown

Ozzy lifted his shield as the serpent swung its head at him, but his block did little as the strength of the serpent sent him flying across the room and slamming against a wall.

“Now!” I yelled. “Everyone now!”

Adeelee, Donovan, and I ran for the serpent in different directions, and the serpent’s eyes darted to each one of us as if it were trying to determine who to strike next.

Jax kneeled down and immediately shot an arrow that pierced deep into the serpent’s skin.

The serpent noticed the shot and immediately turned its attention to Jax, but just as it was about to strike, a web of lighting rose out of Keysia’s hands and into the serpent’s body.

Rina and Jeremy were rushing to assist Ozzy.

The serpent’s rattler shook rapidly at Keysia’s shocking attack. Its eyes closed, and its body trembled a little before releasing its grip from the hanging rock. It came crashing to the ground with an earth-trembling thud.

Adeelee slid forward and drove her sword into the serpent’s side, and Donovan slashed both of his swords at the beast and spun before doing it again. I was a little closer to its back, and when I was about to slam my sword into the reptilian body, the rattler swung around and knocked me several feet across the ground.

As I pulled myself back up, I saw Jax releasing arrow after arrow, and each one was hitting the massive target. But the serpent quickly recovered from its daze and suddenly shot up into an upright position that pushed Adeelee and Donovan to the side.

I shot a Fireblast at the serpent’s underside as I stood to my feet, and it flinched and turned to me when the fire made impact. It reared its head back then jabbed forward, opening its mouth wide and flicking its two-pronged tongue at me. The tongue slammed into my chest, and it felt like I was hit with a hammer. I flew backwards and hit the wall behind me, then slid to the ground in a daze.

I heard the sound of thuds and crashes as I shook my head and tried to regain my senses. When I looked up, Donovan was lying face-first on the ground, and Adeelee was slumped against a wall but trying to pick herself up.

“Damnit,” I spat.

I looked at my health, and I was down to 50%. Adeelee was down to 30%.

The serpent reared its head back again, its attention focused on Jax, who was still lobbing arrow after arrow at its body, and right as it was lunging forward, I cast a Fire Curtain in its path that made it stop and flinch backwards.

“Over here!” Ozzy yelled. He had recovered and made his way to the back of the beast. He stomped his foot and shouted loudly, causing the serpent to swing its head around.

A glow surrounded Donovan’s body as Rina tried to heal him, and I saw Adeelee cast a heal on herself as she rose back to her feet.

I cast a Fireblast and then an Arcane Missile at the back of the beast as it was focused on Ozzy, and then I focused on casting my Clumsy spell for the first time. I heard a strange twanging sound, and I lost some mana, but I otherwise couldn’t tell if it worked or not.

You have reached level 12 in Arcane Magic!

I bolted towards the serpent with my sword raised.

“Gunnar!” Jax yelled. I turned around as I ran to see him pull a dark purple vial from his bag. “Catch!” He threw the liquid towards me, and I caught it with my free hand.

You’ve received: Minor Explosion Potion. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. Break to cause a significant amount of explosive damage.

The serpent thrust its head forward and buried its fangs into Ozzy, piercing his plate armor with ease. Ozzy screamed and swung his mace uselessly at the beast’s head as he was lifted off the ground and shook around violently.

I jumped on top of the serpent’s tail and slammed my sword down as deep as I could, then tossed the purple potion at the back of its upper body. The potion exploded on contact, and the serpent released his grip on Ozzy and hissed as it flung its head in pain.

I lifted my sword and slammed it down again and again.

“Help!” I heard Adeelee cry. I turned my head to see her parrying the strikes of three giant snakes that had suddenly appeared. They weren’t anywhere near the size of the serpent we were fighting, but they were human size in height and slithering upright. There was another path ahead of us where three more giant snakes were filing out of and into the chamber to join the battle as well. They were heading straight for Rina and Jeremy.

“I need healing…” Ozzy grunted as he weakly tried to pick himself off the ground. Blood was seeping from the wounds where the serpent’s fangs had pierced him, and his skin looked pale.

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, I thought. Everyone was in trouble, and I wasn’t sure who to help. I yanked my sword out of the serpent’s body, and remembering that Rina’s death was the worst-case scenario, I ran for her.

I inspected one of the snakes as I approached

Name: giant rattlesnake

Race: animal

Level: 25

Health/Mana/Stamina: 300/120/500

Status: aggressive

Rina swung her staff at one of the snakes as it lunged at her, and Jeremy dashed in and stabbed his dagger into its side. The snake countered and twisted its body to plow its fangs into Jeremy’s neck. Another one of the snakes lunged forward and clenched onto Jeremy’s arm.

“Stand back Rina!” I yelled as I rushed in, swinging my sword at the three giant snakes. I slashed at both of the snakes that were latched on to Jeremy and ducked as the third snake struck out at me.

I shot a Fireblast at the third snake, rolled back, and landed another swipe against the snake that was latched onto Jeremy’s arm.

A sharp pain shot into my leg, and I looked down to see that the snake that had bitten Jeremy’s leg had turned its attention to me.

You have been poisoned and require medical attention. Poison is a weakening and damage-over-time effect.

Two arrows slammed into the side of the snake, and it quickly released.

You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.

I swung my sword at it as hard as I could, and the snake’s head flew off and fell to the ground. The body continued to writhe on the ground even after death.

When I turned my attention back around, the other snake had latched onto Jeremy, but he was jabbing his dagger repeatedly into the one that was latched to his arm. It released, just in time for me to swing my sword again and lop its head off as well.

I grabbed the tail of the one remaining snake that was latched on to Jeremy and cast a Fireblast which almost severed it and caused it to quickly release its grip. When it turned its head to me, Jeremy grabbed it from behind and slammed his dagger hard into the back of its head, causing the snake to writhe randomly and fall loosely to the ground.

Jeremy dropped to his knees. “Poison. I leveled, but I’m poisoned!”

You have been poisoned and require medical attention. Poison is a weakening and damage-over-time effect.

I looked up to my health as I felt a pulse of pain, and I was down to about 30%.

Rina had her work cut out for her, but I had no time to help with Jeremy.

My mana was running low, and knowing that I had more guild mates in trouble behind me, I cast Boiling Blood before I even turned around. My temperature rose, and when I swung around, I saw Donovan push Adeelee out of the way of a giant snake’s strike and take the fangs to his back. He spun with the snake still attached to him and scissored his swords to dispatch another of the snakes. The other one had already been killed and was lying dead on the floor.

Keysia was shooting balls of magic from her staff at the giant serpent, and as the monster struck out at her, she was surprisingly able to dodge its attacks. It was moving slower than it had before, and blood was pouring from its various wounds. Countless arrows were sticking out of its body.

Ozzy was lying flat on the ground, unmoving.

Seeing no other giant snakes, I rushed as fast as I could toward the serpent.

“Arrows, Jeremy! I’m out of arrows!” Jax yelled.

“He’s down! Run to him!” I shouted as I slammed my sword into the serpent’s side. Blood splattered into my face.

The serpent swung its tail and knocked Keysia to the side, and I felt a thump of fear in my heart as I worried for her safety. I yanked my sword out, and climbed on top of the serpent again, driving the top of my blade into its back as many times as I possibly could.

An energy consumed me, and under my status bars, I could see that Adeelee had cast Nature’s Regrowth, which was healing me slowly.

Out of the corner of my eye, Donovan stumbled forward, blood dripping from his back and arms. He slammed both of his swords into the serpent’s scales, and for a moment he held on to both of them before falling sideways and to the ground.

Vines rose from the ground and wrapped around the lower half of the serpent’s body as my Boiling Blood started wearing off. I marched forward and continued slamming my sword down each step of the way as I moved closer and closer to its head.

Lighting shot out from Keysia’s hand, causing the serpent to rattle from the shock, and as it froze there, an arrow flew across the cave and landed directly in the serpent’s eye. The serpent’s rattler shook weakly, and its head thumped as it flopped onto the floor of the cave.

I turned to see Jax kneeling beside Rina, and Jeremy was lying on the ground.

I marched forward across the massive serpent’s body with my sword held high, ready to strike a killing blow.

Chapter Thirty-One

2/2/0001

Adeelee raised another set of thorns that wrapped around the upper half of the serpent’s body, but I could still feel it squirming below my feet as I walked across it and onto its head. I raised my sword and pointed the tip down, prepared to pierce into the serpent’s brain when Keysia called out.

“Gunnar…”

I looked over to her to see her still on the ground, but her palm was raised to me.

“Don’t kill her. Not yet.”

“What?” I asked.

Keysia closed her eyes and lowered her hand towards the snake’s head, and when she spoke again, the structure of her voice changed. It was if she were reading something. “Please. Please, don’t kill me.”

“What?” I asked again, unsure what was going on.

Keysia opened her eyes. “She’s asking for us to spare her. She wants to live.” Keysia closed her eyes again, and once more, her voice shifted. “Why do you enter my home? Why do you seek to harm me when I have done nothing to you?”

I was confused, but I lowered my sword. “What is this?” I asked Keysia.

“I have children to protect, to raise. Please, tell me your cause.” Keysia opened her eyes and swallowed. “Gunnar…”

“You know our cause, Keysia,” I said. “We need the serpent’s venom. That’s why we came here.”

Keysia closed her eyes, and her mouth moved, but she didn’t speak at first. Eventually she said, “I will give you my venom if you’re benevolent enough to let me live.”

You’ve received a quest offer: A Serpent’s Plea

Shashana asks for you to spare her life.

Reward: Unknown, Shashana’s Venom, 4,000 XP

Do you accept this quest?

Accept/Decline

“Keysia…” I muttered, worried she might be getting controlled somehow. I knew about deceptive quests already, and what better creature to hand out a deceptive quest than a snake.

Keysia opened her eyes. “She wants to live, Gunnar. We don’t have to kill her.”

I turned my head and saw Donovan lying on the ground, Ozzy flat and unmoving, and Rina working on Jeremy. Adeelee’s eyes were wide, asphyxiated on the interaction Keysia and I were having, but she didn’t say a word.

“Are you under some sort of spell, Keysia?” I asked.

Keysia shook her head. “No. I can hear her.”

I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t understand why Keysia could hear the snake, but I suppose I couldn’t rule it out since I could speak to Sora. I would have to question her further about it later. “Okay then. What do you think we should do?”

Keysia paused, and her eyes darted to the side. She stared at the ground for a moment before turning her eyes back to me. “Let her live, Gunnar. We should let her live.”

I still felt confused about what was happening, but I gave a slight nod. “So long as she gives us her venom, we’ll let her live.” I trusted Keysia, and so long as she wasn’t under some sort of spell, I was confident that she wouldn’t steer us wrong. I sheathed my sword, and jumped off the massive, reptilian body.

You have accepted the quest: A Serpent’s Plea!

Adeelee’s vines snaked away, and she took a step back, still wide-eyed.

Keysia stood up, fetched a healing potion from her pack, and popped the cork. She walked up to the serpent and was about to pour the potion’s contents down its throat.

“Are you sure about this?” I asked again, knowing that we wouldn’t survive another battle with the beast.

Keysia shook her head. “No, but I can trust her if you can.”

I sighed, shrugged my shoulders, and put my hand back on the hilt of my sword, just in case.

Keysia grabbed the arrow that was lodged in the creature’s eye and yanked it out, which caused it to shake and rattle its rattler erratically. She then poured the healing potion into its mouth. After a few moments, it perked back up, and slithered across the room and to the far wall where it turned on itself and started licking its wounds and yanking the arrows from its body with its mouth.

You have completed the quest: A Serpent’s Plea!

You have gained 4000 XP!

When I turned to Rina, she was bandaging Jeremy, who seemed weak and distraught.

“Oh man,” Jeremy moaned. “That poison was terrible,” he said. “I only had like 1% of my health left. I thought I was dead.”

“Donovan and Ozzy are dead,” Rina said as she tied off a bandage. “I tried my best to keep them both healed, but the poison in Ozzy killed him too fast, and I just couldn’t heal Donovan in time.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “You did your best. As long as you can resurrect them, we’ll all be fine”

“Of course,” Rina said. “Just give me time.”

You have been poisoned and require medical attention. Poison is a weakening and damage-over-time effect.

You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.

I flinched, and glanced at my status bars, realizing that I was closing in on 10% health. I reached into my bag and pulled out a cure potion, and as I was pouring it down my throat, I felt a soft hand grab on to my leg. When I looked down, Adeelee was bandaging me. Her face was blank, and her lips were in a hard line. She was being especially quiet for some reason.

Rina resurrected Donovan as Adeelee cast her healing spell on all of us to quickly bring us to full health. When Donovan sprung back to life, his eyes were wide, and he was breathing heavily.

“I live…” Donovan said. “I’m alive.”

“You are,” I confirmed.

“Now that I know death, I never want to experience that again!” he exclaimed.

After a round of meditation, Rina resurrected Ozzy as well. He was happy to be back, and less shocked than Donovan, but he immediately started ranting about the poison.

“Dude,” Ozzy said. “That’s not normal poison.” He huffed as he spoke. “I even drank a cure potion, but it didn’t work.” He turned to see the snake across the room, licking its wounds, and he started to scoot rapidly across the ground.

I had to do some explaining to those who hadn’t witnessed what transcribed between Shashana and Keysia, but after everyone was fully healed and up and walking, we approached the serpent while it was still busy working on its body.

“Your venom…” I said as we approached.

Keysia briefly closed her eyes and then opened them. “She asks where you will store it.”

I turned to Jax who handed me an empty vial, and I held it out in my hand. “Here,” I said as I popped the cork.

Shashana lowered her head slowly and opened her mouth, exposing her long, sharp fangs. She aligned her fangs until the end of one of them dipped into the empty vial, and over the course of several seconds, liquid poured out of the tip and filled the vial with a yellowish, milky liquid.

You’ve received: Shashana’s Venom. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Legendary. Weight: 0.1 kg. An extremely potent poison from a great serpent.

I smiled once I had the venom, happy that I had accomplished part of the mission.

Keysia closed her eyes and began speaking again. “Thank you for letting me live, dark elf. You are gentle and can understand me, unlike others. Please, accept one of my brood as a gift to you. I trust you to give him or her a life beyond these cave walls.”

The snake turned, and I noticed a thick pile of dark grass behind her. When she turned back around, she opened her mouth to reveal a football-sized white egg that was resting on her tongue.

“You’re giving this to me?” Keysia asked.

The serpent nodded, and Keysia gently grabbed the egg. Once it was in her hands, she rocked her head back and closed her eyes again.

“You,” Keysia said and pointed a finger towards me. “You are the leader of this group?”

I nodded.

“You have proven yourself to be a powerful, capable, and compassionate leader. Return to me when you’ve grown strong enough, and I will honor you with my service.”

I didn’t know what to say to Shashana, so I just gave a nod. It was strange communicating with a thirty-foot serpent who was speaking through a dark elf, after all. But I appreciated her offer, whatever it meant. I knew that I’d return and take her up on her offer—one day.

Keysia’s eyes opened, and she grinned at me before looking down at the egg in her hands, smiling at it as it were a child. Again, it all seemed so strange, and I had no idea how to respond.

“How do you speak with the serpent?” I asked.

“Oh,” Keysia said. “It’s a skill called Beast Lore. It allows you to correspond and bond with different creatures.” Keysia shook her and glanced back at Shashana. “Normally, I wouldn’t be able to communicate with a creature of this level, but her cries were so loud. It was like I couldn’t help but hear them.”

“Can you teach me Beast Lore sometime?”

Keysia smiled and nodded. “Of course, Gunnar.”

When I turned to check on the rest of the guild, I saw Jax cutting open the one of the giant snakes that we had killed and pulling out a large, green sack from its body. He held the sack over an empty vial and squeezed, allowing the liquid inside to fall out. He repeated the process, removed and milked the sacks of another five.

You have completed all requirements for the quest: Shashana’s Gift! Return the spoils to the King Rutherford to collect your reward.

Keysia thanked Shashana for the gift, I thanked Shashana for sharing her venom, and then we all headed to what was in the next and final chamber in the cave.

When we arrived in the last chamber, it was much like second chamber we had entered, but we were surprised when there were another five aggressive, giant snakes inside. We had no choice but to fight them as they attacked immediately, but no one sustained any major injuries during the fight.

You have gained 1000 XP!

Jeremy scratched his head as he scanned the room. “Damn, you know what? I think this was the room I followed Percy into. Did I say he went right before? Maybe I should’ve said left.” He scurried over to the final path and peeked his head inside. “Yep, the exit is right out there.”

“So we went all the way down into that tomb for nothing?” Ozzy fumed.

Jeremy lowered his head, kicked his foot, and put his hands behind his lower back. “Sorry, guys…”

“Not for nothing,” Jax said. “Remember that we found the Vorporite room, and a few decent items as well.”

“And what’s this?” Adeelee asked as she leaned over a sword that was lying loosely on the ground. She lifted it in front of her face and inspected its black and gold hilt and long, silvery blade that looked thick in the center but tapered off sharply on each side.

“Hey,” Jeremy said. “That looks like the sword that guy was using.”

Adeelee smiled and turned to me. “I suppose the leader of the hunt should be privy to the prize.” She tossed the sword towards me, and I caught it by the hilt.

You’ve received: Heritage Sword. 30-61 Attack Damage. Requires 25 Strength. Requires 25 Dexterity. Durability: 6/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Rare. Weight: 2.9 kg

“Oh wow,” I said before reading off its stats. It was a substantial upgrade from the sword I was using.

“Gonna turn it over to the King?” Jeremy asked.

I smirked. “Not unless he makes me. I think he’s getting enough from us already.” I held the sword towards the exit path. “I guess I’ll find out what he has to say soon enough.”

There were no other incidents the rest of the way through the cave, and we left with our heads held high. The guards were still watching our horses, and Sora, Tsarra, and Fenris all came running when they saw us emerge.

We seemed to have completed the mission—the mini raid—and proven that with organized teamwork, we could take down enemies that were many levels higher than us. We suffered a few casualties along the way, but everyone stuck to the plan, so the casualties were only temporary.

I was proud of my guild, proud of Adeelee, and proud of Donovan. Everyone had exceeded my expectations.

And now I had the serpent’s venom to deliver to Highcastle. Jeremy would be pardoned, and maybe I could convince the King to take action against Dryden Bloodletter.

At least I hoped.

Chapter Thirty-Two

2/2/0001

“Thank you Adeelee,” I said as soon as we reached the border of Edgewood forest. I turned to the rest of our group. “Thank you, Donovan. Thank you everyone.”

“It was an honor to fight beside you again, Gunnar,” Donovan said, and his eyes wandered over to Adeeleee. “And an honor to fight alongside the Princess of the Vale.”

Adeelee’s jaw tensed, and she only looked at Donovan out of the corner of her eyes. “I should head home. I didn’t tell anyone I’d be gone for so long. Will you be visiting the Vale again soon, ambassador?”

“Umm…” I shrugged and smiled. “Yeah, I guess I’ll check in over there soon. I have a rune, after all.”

“Great,” Adeelee said and winked an eye. “Perhaps we can go hunt some Psy Demons and share an elven pie?”

I smiled harder and nodded. I knew that I needed to stay focused on the guild, focus on building up Edgewood, but Adeelee had a draw that I found hard to escape.

I watched as she rode away on Tsarra with her two guards, and when I turned back to the others, Donovan was looking away, and Keysia was no longer smiling.

A knot formed in my throat. I had been growing so much closer to Keysia lately, but I couldn’t deny my feelings for Adeelee. The two elves were both so different from each other, but I adored them both. It was the first time in my life that I could ever remember having to choose between two beautiful women and feeling like I had a shot with either one of them, depending on how I played my cards.

And the tension between Donovan and Adeelee had been palpable. I needed to find out what the history was between the two of them, whenever the time was right.

“Thanks again, everyone,” I said. “I’m going to head to Highcastle to see the King now. I’d like to be back before it gets dark. Jeremy, I assume you’ll be coming along?”

Jeremy nodded and joined me on the back of Sora, and we started off with our special delivery.

* * *

“You actually came back,” one of the guards at the front door of the castle said. “I thought for sure you’d make a run for it.”

“We need to see the King,” I said.

He snorted. “We’ve already been through the rules with you once. You can’t just come and see the King at will.”

“The King sent us on a quest to retrieve something,” I continued. “We’re here to give it to him.”

The guard snickered and turned to the guard on the other side of the door. “You expect we’re going to let accused murderers in to ‘give the King something’?”

“I was cleared of any crimes.” I lifted my thumb towards Jeremy. “And he’s about to be too. The King’s life depends on what we’re going to give him, so if you don’t let us in, I suspect the King is going to ‘give you something’ and it rhymes with ‘ass beating’.”

“Rhymes with ass beating?” the guard asked. It looked like he was thinking for a second—perhaps trying to think of something that actually rhymed with an ass beating—but then he turned to the other guard, smirked, and puffed up his chest. “Oh, I get it…”

The other guard gave him a nervous glance. “Why don’t you just go check to see if the King is expecting him?”

The guard nodded, opened the door, and slipped inside.

A few minutes later, the entrance swung open, and we were being escorted inside the castle. The Princess and the King were both walking to their thrones as we strolled in, and the King was being wheeled out by Windsor.

When we were before the raised platform where they sat, we both kneeled.

“The serpent was real,” I said.

“Was it Shashana?” the Princess asked excitedly.

“It was,” I replied, “and we defeated her.”

“If the serpent was really Shashana, you wouldn’t be back here alive,” Windsor said. “There’s no way you two could kill a great serpent.”

I reached into my bag, pulled out the vials of venom and sat them in front of me, one by one. On top of the giant snake venom vials, I placed the vial of great serpent’s venom.

“It was a difficult battle, but my guild and I got exactly what you wanted,” I said. “Shashana’s venom is the darker one on top.”

“So your guild accompanied you?” the Queen asked. “You must have a very loyal—or very stupid—guild if they were willing to accompany you into a great beast’s den.”

I smiled. “I’m lucky to have great guild mates.”

The Queen grinned, and the King took a deep breath as he showed off a large smile—the first time I had seen him so pleased. “Isabelle, Windsor, please take the venom to the head alchemist. Tell him to get to work at once.”

The Princess shot out of her chair and started picking up the vials. Windsor grabbed the remaining ones, and they both started for somewhere deep in the castle.

You’ve completed the quest: Shashana’s Gift!

You have gained 4,000 XP!

“Thank you, Gunnar,” the King said with a nod. “I’m highly impressed.” He raised his hand in the air then flicked it down at Jeremy. “You’re now pardoned.” He turned his attention back to me. “As a reward, I’m also giving you rights to enter the castle if you ever wish to take up another quest on behalf of the Kingdom. I’ll let the guards know to let you pass from now on.”

You now have freedom of passage through: The Castle in Highcastle!

I smiled. “Thank you, your highness.”

“You may go now,” the King said. “May you both enjoy your freedom.”

I cleared my throat. “Your majesty. The Bloodletters? I was hoping that after completing the quest, you might be willing to take some action.”

“Hmph,” the King huffed. “I’ve given some more thought to what you’ve told me, but I still find this dragon business hard to believe. Besides that, you’ve asked me to declare war on my own blood—someone who has done nothing to harm me and I’ve went out of my way to protect. While I do somewhat believe what you told me—aside from the dragon—if I was my younger self, I would execute you just for making such a request.”

I stood to my feet and raised my chin to the King. “We just put our lives on the line for you.”

“And you should be happy that you succeeded,” the King said. “If an antidote is developed that can cure my disease and help me live longer, according to you, the Bloodletters will not cross the sea.”

I nodded. “I am glad of that, but what about the future? Even if disease doesn’t kill you, age will eventually. If you let him continue now, he’ll only grow stronger, and when his dragon can fly, who will stop him?”

The King rolled his eyes. “I would trust you more if there wasn’t all this talk about dragons. No dragon has served man in our lifetime.”

“This one does,” I said pointedly.

I thought for a moment about revealing that I was a Reborn and reciting what I knew of the prophecy of dragons breathing fire after Reborns entered the world, but I thought better of it. The King and Queen were so cynical that the chances of them believing I was immortal were slim, and if they did believe me, I wasn’t sure if there were unknown consequences.

“Shashana,” I said pointedly. “You doubted that the great serpent was real, but now we’ve brought you her venom.”

“I assume you have,” the King said. “You could’ve brought me flavored water, but if you’ve deceived me, I’ll know soon enough. And if that’s the case, I will find you, and you’ll both be hanged.”

“The venom is real, but that’s not the point. The point is that you doubted us, and we proved you wrong. Remember—I gain nothing personally from asking you to stop Dryden. This isn’t about me. It’s about all of Eden’s Gate.”

The King took a huge breath and let out a raspy sigh. He turned to glance at his wife, but she was sitting still and staring forward with her lips set in a straight, emotionless line.

“Well, I have another task that I can ask you to you perform, if you’d like,” the King finally said after a few seconds.

“Another task?” I asked, my voice harsh. “You’re going to blow me off and treat us like we’re some sort of errand boys now? We’ve done enough already!”

The King snorted. “Relax, Gunnar. You have a request, and I have a proposition to match that request. Always remember that nothing comes free in this world.”

I rattled my head. “Okay, and what’s your proposition?”

The Princess suddenly walked back into the throne room. “The head alchemist is analyzing the venom now, father,” she said with a wide smile. “Windsor is helping.”

“Good,” the King said as the Princess sat down. He turned his attention back to me. “You’ve fought in the Arena before, correct? I believe I saw you compete the other day and win your first victory.”

I nodded.

“In less than a week from now, the top ranked fighters in Eden’s Gate will come together to battle for each tier’s championship, and currently, Highcastle’s best tier one combatant is a Krazir named Meijir.” The King snarled his lips, and the Queen wrinkled her nose as if something smelled funny.

“I’m aware of Meijir,” I said.

“We allow any peaceful persons to call Highcastle or the Freelands home, and people here do seem to enjoy watching the Krazir fight. But it’s also a disgrace for a Kingdom composed almost entirely of humans to send one of these foreign cat people off as a representation of our best fighters. Unfortunately, however, everyone who’s tried to battle Meijir has failed. But if—”

“You want me to defeat Meijir?” I interrupted.

“Well,” the King cooed. “If you were able to take down Shashana, then defeating Meijir in a friendly battle shouldn’t seem daunting. It would be in Highcastle’s best interest if you could win the top seat of the division and give us a human representation during the championships, and for that I would be willing to help you.”

I wondered if he forgot the fact that my guild helped me defeat Shashana or where he got the idea that Meijir wouldn’t be a daunting fight for me. Maybe if I had told him it took a full eight people to take down the great serpent and people died during the fight, he wouldn’t overestimate me the way he was.

I sighed. “And If I do that, you’re willing to help? You’re willing take out the Bloodletters?”

The King snickered and shook his head lightly. “I’m not going to just ‘take them out’, of course. But, I will send a group of spies across the Serpent Sea to gather information on the Bloodletters. If we can verify your claim of a dragon, I’ll decide a course of action from there.”

You’ve received a quest offer: Defeat Meijir

The King of Highcastle has asked you to defeat Meijir so you can represent Highcastle at the championship gathering.

Reward: 4,000 XP, the King will send spies to gather information on Dryden Bloodletter.

Do you accept this quest?

Accept/Decline

I sighed. While the King wasn’t fully buying into my pressure to take action against the Bloodletters, he was at least willing to take a first step. And while I wasn’t sure if I could defeat Meijir, it was worth a try. The only problem was I was level 20 and just a few kills away from level 21.

“I only have four wins in the Arena and I’m not too far from leveling,” I said. “By the time I’m matched up against Meijir, I’ll be level 21 and forced into the next tier.”

“I am the King of Highcastle,” the King countered. “If you’re willing to fight, I’ll make sure you’re on the cards to battle him tomorrow.”

I turned to Jeremy who was still on his knee. His eyebrows were raised, and his eyes were darting from side to side. He wanted to be as far from the conversation as possible.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll do my best to defeat Meijir, but I can’t make any promises. If I still had the heritage armor you confiscated, I’d feel better about the fight.”

You’ve accepted the quest: Defeat Meijir!

The King made a humming noise and shifted up in his wheelchair a bit. “I can’t return the heritage armor, but allow me to help you with another gift. Step a little closer, please.”

“Don’t,” the Queen warned. “You shouldn’t waste your energy.”

“Nevermind her,” the King insisted. “Step forth.”

I took a few steps forward until I was on the raised platform.

“That’s good,” the King said. He closed his eyes and placed his hands together with his two index fingers pointing to the sky.

“That’s cheating, father!” the Princess cried. “It won’t be a fair fight.”

The King opened one of his eyes. “Buffs are allowed in the Arena, so therefore, it’s allowed.”

“But…” the Princess whined and just stared at the King without finishing he words.

The King closed his one open eye, and a golden glow formed all over his body. I could hear a strange, almost electronic ring bouncing off the walls, and then the glow suddenly shot off his body and straight into my chest.

I looked down at my hands, and they were lit for a split second before the glow disappeared. I suddenly felt a lot stronger than I had before.

The icon of a King’s crown appeared below my status bars.

King’s Blessing: The power of a King motivates you beyond your limits. +5 Strength. +5 Dexterity. +5 Willpower. +5% critical hit chance. Spell duration: 24 hours. Source: King Owen Rutherford

The King immediately started coughing violently, even worse than the last time I saw him. He flailed in his chair and blood spit out of his mouth and onto his beard.

The Princess and the Queen both shot off their chairs and tried to comfort him. I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Go get the healer quickly, Isabella!” the Queen shouted.

Jeremy and I stood there for a while, thinking that his coughing would subside and we could continue the conversation, but as the Queen waited for Isabella to return to the healer, she turned around to us.

Go!” she said harshly. “You’ve got your task, and my foolish husband has done his best to help you accomplish it. You’ll fight in the Arena tomorrow. There’s nothing more for us to say! Now go!”

Chapter Thirty-Three

2/3/0001

Ozzy and I climbed the slope that led toward inner Highcastle. The snow was coming down harder and finally sticking to the ground.

Ozzy had decided it was best for him not to fight again yet, since he had just entered tier 2. He was just there to support me during the fight, and afterwards he would head to the Fighter’s Guild to continue his training.

I spent what was left of the previous evening sparring and then laid in bed while playing out a strategy in my head of how I could beat Meijir.

I was feeling more confident that I had a chance to beat him. With the Ravager’s Hood, the Dexterous Band, the Heritage Blade, and the King’s temporary blessing, I was substantially stronger and faster than I was the first time I fought in the Arena. Jeremy also lent me his shoes. Losing the heritage armor was a bummer, but if I was going to beat Meijir, I was going to have to not get hit as much as possible.

There was the mentalism spell, Clumsy, that I was able to use now, and if I could get it to land on Meijir, maybe that would be the tipping point that would allow me to avoid and overpower him.

I had done a lot with my guild since returning from the Sands, from pushing back an attack on our village, to defeating Shashana, to killing a group of harpies and scaling their nest—all of which would have been impossible without their support. But, every time I fought in the Arena, I was alone, and no one could help me.

The pressure was all on me to defeat Meijir in order to get the King to take the first step into stopping Dryden.

“You’re going to do fine,” Ozzy said as we approached the entrance to the Arena. He placed his hand on my shoulder. “This Meijir guy doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”

I snorted. “Thanks for the confidence booster, Oz, but I know my limits. If I manage to win, I know it’ll be a close fight.”

“No fucking way!” a voice said a few meters ahead of us.

I looked up to see a thin man with black hair and Asian features standing a few meters away and approaching us slowly. He was wearing a set of typical leather armor that looked a lot like the first set I ever bought in Linden.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “Are you… Gunnar Long?”

I creased my brow in confusion. “Uh… yeah.”

“Whoa…” the guy said low. His mouth was gaped open, and he looked to be in awe.

Ozzy punched me in the shoulder. “Looks like you’ve got fans now.” He turned to the guy. “I guess you’re going to the Arena to watch the show?”

“Huh? Arena?” He rattled his head. “What?”

“You’re one of Gunnar’s fans, right?” Ozzy asked.

“Huh?” The man creased his brow and then quickly relaxed them. “Uhhh, yeah! I’m a fan!”

“Thanks.” I smiled and motioned to the arena. “We’ve got to run now. The fights have already started.”

“Is it free?” the guy asked.

Ozzy glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and cleared his throat. “I thought you said you were a fan?”

The guy smiled shyly and scratched his head. “I guess I’ve heard a lot about you, but I haven’t actually been to the…uhh… show.”

“It’s 100 gold,” I said as I pointed to the entrance. “You can buy your ticket there.”

“Damn, that’s a lot,” he cried.

I chuckled. “Walk around here for a while and look for shady characters lurking in dark corners. Or just run behind the Arena. There’s a way you can sneak in for just 20 gold.” I held up my palm. “But really, we’ve got to go now.”

“Alright, thanks,” the guy said with an air of excitement. “But hey, look. Can we link up after you’re done? I’m trying to make some friends.”

I realized then that he was either a very particularly strange NPC or he was a Reborn. If he was another newbie Reborn, I was definitely willing to spend some time at least chatting with him. “Yeah, okay,” I said. “Meet me outside, around here, when the fights are over, or you can just find us in the stands if you make it inside the Arena.”

The guy smiled and held out his hand. “Great! Great!”

I returned the smile and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you. What’s your name again?”

“Sung,” he said. “My name is Sung.”

“Alright,” I said. “See you round, Sung.”

As we walked away from Sung and closer to the Arena entrance, I glanced behind me and saw that he was still staring from afar.

He was definitely odd.

“Reborn?” Ozzy whispered to me.

“Yeah, I think so,” I said.

“He looked newbie as hell,” Ozzy said.

I shrugged. “Yeah, well, maybe we can help him.”

When we walked inside the Arena, Boris looked like he was already waiting for us. “Nice to see you again, Gunnar. Here’s your ticket.” He held out a fighter’s ticket without me even telling him I was going to fight.

“Thanks,” I said. “I guess you heard who I’m fighting.”

He smiled. “Yep. Good luck!”

Ozzy had to pay a 100-gold admission, since he wasn’t going to fight.

We sat through watching several tier 1 fights before the bell on my ticket started to ring, and once again, Ozzy wished me good luck.

My heart was pounding.

It was make it or break it time.

I walked out of the stands and back down past the ticket seller, and I immediately noticed that something was off. Boris’ face had turned pale, and he didn’t smile or say anything to me as I passed. Standing against a wall nearby was a pasty man with a shaved head and a maroon colored robe, and the moment I made it a few feet into the hallway, he started to follow me from behind.

I thought nothing of it as first—maybe he was a fighter too—but once I entered the area where fighters gathered, I stopped in my tracks.

“What the hell?!” I gasped.

The bearded man who usually stood in the Inner Highcastle market shouting prophecies was there, and beside him was a crude wheelbarrow with a large, filthy runestone inside that looked like it had just been dug out of the ground.

Another robed, bald man—a near clone of the first guy I had seen outside—had his arm wrapped around Castille’s throat and a knife pointed at his face. Mikhel, Castille’s assistant was on the ground, and it wasn’t clear if he was dead or unconscious.

Fifteen or so more maroon-robed, bald men filled the room, all with weapons drawn, and at the back of the room, the other Arena participants were being held against their will.

“Welcome back to the Arena, combatant,” the market prophet hissed. “Give Castille your ticket, now.”

I was highly confused and thought to make a run for it, but as soon as I turned around, the man who had followed me stepped up close and held a dagger up to my chin.

“Quickly,” the street prophet said.

I turned back around and handed my ticket to Castille. His eyes were wide and filled with a mix of helplessness and rage. He gave me a slight nod once he removed the bell from my ticket.

I turned back towards the bearded man. “What’s going on here?”

“Pray,” he said.

“Pray?” I asked.

He leaned his head towards the runestone. “Touch the runestone and pray.”

I swallowed hard. I didn’t understand his intention, but I knew that if I touched the runestone and put any sort of focus into it, I’d immediately bind to that spot. Did he somehow know that I’d be bound or was he trying to get me to participate in some sort of kooky religious ceremony?

There wasn’t much time for me to think about it, as I felt the point of a dagger press against my back. If I wasted any time, I was sure I’d end up like the guy on the floor.

I reached over to the runestone and touched it, but tried to think about anything other than binding—baseball, giant oasis bullfrogs, girls.

“Close your eyes and pray,” the bearded man insisted.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

You have bound to this location. Using a Recall Home spell or death will return you to this position.

“That’s enough,” the man said after a few seconds. “What door will he fight from, Castille?”

“Door 2,” Castille answered. I could hear the reluctance in his voice.

“Well, then,” the bearded man said. “You should hurry to your fight.”

My heart was racing as I walked down the hall and towards door two, and one of the bald men was following me to make sure I didn’t try to get away.

When I reached the door, I looked at the sinister-looking man, and then to the door, still completely confused about what was going on. Why had they attacked the Arena’s warden, and what was the purpose of them making me pray?

As the door started to slide away in front of me, I switched my mind back to my objective. Regardless of what the creepy freaks in the gathering area were doing, I still had to defeat Meijir. My main priority was to win the battle and complete the King’s quest, so that he would send spies across the Serpent Sea.

I needed to stay focused.

Arena Quest: Tier 1 Battle

Wins: 4, Losses: 0

Defeat your opponent to collect your reward.

Reward: Minimum of 500 gold, 4000 XP

Do you accept this quest?

Accept/Decline

I accepted the quest and snarled at the bald man as I drew my sword and stepped out into the fighting grounds. I could see Meijir was already waiting for me on the other side.

The crowd in the Arena was going wild.

But, no sooner than I had made it halfway to the announcer, I froze, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

It hit me then that I didn’t have the Last Breath spell, and that fact had essentially set me up for a deathmatch. If I didn’t defeat Meijir, I was going to die.

I spun around, and the door behind me had already closed. My heart started pounding in my chest, and I was breathing heavily. I needed to stop whatever was going on before it started.

The announcer beckoned me to step closer, and then I heard him ask, “Are you ready?”

“No!” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not ready.”

The announcer nodded once, said, “Very well,” and then he suddenly disappeared.

What the fuck!? I thought. Did he not hear me over the crowd or is he somehow involved in whatever’s going on?

I sheathed my sword and put my hands up in the air. “Stop the fight!” I yelled. “We’ve got to stop the fight! Something really weird is going on!”

The crowd continued cheering as if I were simply putting on a display.

I spun around in circles, scanning for guards, trying to figure out where Ozzy was sitting. “The Arena is under attack!” I yelled. “I wasn’t given my safety spell! Stop the fight!”

The intense cheering continued.

I put my arms down and started to turn back, thinking that I might try to reason with Meijir and explain the situation with him, but no sooner than I started to pivot, I felt an exploding, fiery pain slam into my back.

I screamed and fell forward and to my knees, and when I reached behind my back, I felt two throwing stars sticking out of my spine. A strange energy was rising out of them, and they felt like they were burning me from inside.

A hard boot slammed into my side, causing me to fall over and onto my back, pushing the burning stars deeper inside me.

I yelled out at the searing pain, and instinctively arched my back, but Meijir walked up to me and slammed his boot into my chest, holding me down from moving.

“Nooo!” I shouted in a panic. “Don’t kill me! I don’t have the spell!”

Meijir lifted his chin and held two of his daggers high into the sky.

The crowd roared.

“Finish him!” I heard someone yell.

I reached a hand out and tried to cast an Arcane Missile at him, but as I opened my palm to him, Meijir threw a dagger down that pierced my hand and pinned it to the ground.

I screamed again, and reached my other palm out, but he repeated the process and impaled it with his other dagger.

You are bleeding and require medical attention.

My hands were bleeding, and a strange energy was burning a deeper hole into my back. I was rendered mostly immobile by the daggers and Meijir’s foot, and when I glanced at my health bars, I was down to 15% health and losing a at least 1% every second.

I was going to die soon—very soon.

“Stop this,” I muttered weakly. “I’m going to die…”

Meijir didn’t stop. In fact, he didn’t even wait the 15 seconds for me to die. Instead, he lifted his boot off my chest and high into the air, adjusted it until it was right over my head, and slammed it down hard onto my face.

My vision went black, but I could hear a second or two of cheers before I passed over.

“Meijir! Meijir! Champion! Champion!”

YOU HAVE DIED

All of your current level’s progression has been reset to 0% and any unused attribute and level points have been lost.

You will respawn at your last bound location in approximately 2:00:00

Take this time to reflect on your choices.

You have failed the quest: Tier 1 Battle.

You have failed the quest: Defeat Meijir.

I sat in the void, brooding.

I had failed what might have been my most important quest yet, not for lack of ability, but because a group of freaks had infiltrated the Arena. And even worse, I had to endure the agonizing pain of another death.

I even lost all my progress towards level 21, which I was extremely close to hitting. That was killer.

Would the King give me another chance or was that that? Was I just going to have to forget about ever having any help from King Rutherford? Surely, he would see that the battle had been sabotaged.

And what about all my gear? There was a chance someone could steal something while I was dead.

I figured the guards would have witnessed my very public murder, and as soon as they got a handle on the situation with the freaks, the healers would come out and resurrect me. I thought it was unlikely I’d get looted before they rezzed me, but I couldn’t help but worry about my house key, which was still in my bag.

I wasn’t sure what the weirdo street prophet had been trying to accomplish with the arena attack, but whatever it was, I was sure he was in for a serious punishment for his crimes. The king was about to execute Jeremy and me for killing someone based on a single witness testimony, but there were numerous witnesses to this crime.

I started getting worried when I was sitting in the black nothingness for a while, and I couldn’t fathom what was going on for so long. Why hadn’t I been resurrected? Did the arena not have a healer that could rez?

Telling time in the death space was difficult, but I knew that I had been in there a long time and was anxious to get back to the world, when the darkness around me started to speckle away. But when my vision was fully cleared in front of me, I just wanted to run back to the void and hide.

I was still in the Arena, still in the middle of the fighting grounds, and down to my boxer shorts and unburdening bag.

I hadn’t been resurrected. I respawned.

The entire crowd was still there, and everyone’s eyes were glued to me. Aside from a few alarmed gasps that I heard as soon as I materialized, it was dead silent.

In the stands, I could see several of the bald, robed men restraining the guards and blocking the exits. The wheelbarrow with the runestone inside it had been wheeled out to right beside my corpse. At least, I could only assume that it was where my corpse was, as all my gear was lying right there on the ground where I spawned, sitting in a pool of blood.

Meijir was gone, and the only other person on the ground was the bearded prophet, who was standing directly beside me.

“Freelanders! People of Highcastle!” he bellowed loudly with outstretched arms. “Now you have bore witness with your own eyes! The prophecy has come true! The Reborns have arrived!”

Everyone’s head turned as a sudden, heavy whooshing sound pierced through the air, and right above us flew a massive, red dragon. It passed overhead quickly, turned around and stopped, flapping its heavy wings again and again so that it hovered in the air.

It lowered itself down until its feet grasped onto the outer edge of the Arena wall, its weight causing tiny pieces of stone to to flake and fall. It lunged its neck towards the center of the Arena, exposing its sharp yellowed teeth, and let out an ear-shattering roar. The forceful air from its throat was so strong that it knocked the bearded man down into the dirt, and I instinctively ducked and put an arm over my eyes.

People started screaming and running in every direction, even the bald, robed men who were previously holding everyone back.

It was a total ‘holy shit’ moment, and I knew that things in Eden’s Gate would never be the same.

Author’s Notes

When I started writing Eden’s Gate, I challenged myself to write only from Gunnar’s perspective—unless it was action that was happening on Earth—so that we would only experience new in-game concepts as Gunnar experienced them. Resisting the temptation of jumping into Rachel’s head, Dr. Winston’s head or others—in game—to speed the story along and show you areas of the world that haven’t been revealed yet hasn’t been easy.

The fact that we stay with Gunnar the whole time means that Gunnar’s leveling speed is a little more gradual than other LitRPG stories, but hopefully you can appreciate the slow burn. I don’t want to fade-to-black and start a new segment where Gunnar suddenly has a whole repertoire of new skills and fighting abilities when he still has so much to learn about the game.

Also Gunnar dies, he loses loot, loot breaks. Just like if we were playing a normal MMO, there are those occasional times when Gunnar suffers tremendous setbacks, and he doesn’t always win by default. In The Arena, he lost nearly an entire level of progress during his death. Don’t worry—Gunnar will eventually reach higher levels, and he will level faster at points, and I’m looking forward to writing about all his badassness when that time comes.

When I write this series, I’m considering how all the books will feel at the end. When someone reads all ten (or however many) books that will be a part of this series, I want them to feel like they’ve gone through an epic adventure with Gunnar once they’ve reached the end and find out Gunnar’s (and Rachel’s) ultimate destiny.

In The Arena, I think we got to see how Gunnar’s experience in The Sands changed him and how he’s slowly evolved. He’s a bit tougher, a bit surer of himself, and he’s taking charge and stepping up his role as a guild leader. He’s gradually come from a guy who was a bit self-absorbed and saw the world around him as disposable in The Reborn, to someone who’s now more selfless and compassionate to the people around him.

I know a few people were speculating a Ray Ray appearance, as we already know Ray Ray is competing in the Arena, but keep in mind that Ray Ray is/was fighting out of Scotia, and it would be somewhat reckless for Gunnar to recall to the Endless Sands so soon after roasting Noreiga and escaping the Bloodletters.

Ray Ray will show her face again soon—very soon.

And the fate of Rachel will be revealed eventually as well. [Take that how you will, haha.]

Eden’s Gate is a massive world, there’s so many questions to answer, and we’ve only put a dent into Gunnar’s journey so far. What are the motives of robed men that have taken an interest in Gunnar? Why is there a dragon touching down in the Arena? Will he take up the offer to join the Mage’s or Fighter’s faction? What about the Village of the Ancients?

You may have noticed that The Arena is the first book in the series where there were no Earth segments, and this again goes back to keeping things in Gunnar’s perspective. It’s obvious that Crylight is in the game at this point, so there’s nothing of note happening on the Earth side. We’ll only return there when something does happen.

That begs me to ask, what would you think of a spinoff in the Eden’s Gate world that follows the story from Rachel’s perspective? Perhaps another Reborn’s journey? I feel like we’ve gotten so deep, and some of the rules and systems are so complex that it would be a waste to leave the world once Gunnar’s story is done. If you’d like to read the adventures of other characters in the same game world, leave me a message to let me know. If I see there’s some interest, I might make it happen! :]

And once again, thank you so much for sticking with the series so far! The feedback has been tremendous, and it still honors me to think that so many nizzles have gotten lost in any story that I’ve created.

If you enjoyed the book, the biggest ‘thanks you’ I’ll ever ask you is for to leave a review on Amazon. It helps me a lot! And as always, feel free to email or kick me a message or comment on Facebook if you have the urge. I love hearing from all of you!

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Til book 5…

-Edward

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