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  “Will you guys knock it off?” Bernard snapped. “We’ve already got a bad reputation as a group. Do we really want to make it worse?”

  “Compared to him, Axelrod and others, we’re all noobs,” I said.

  “We’re getting better,” Josh said defensively.

  Boki laughed.

  “This is gonna be a great adventure,” he said. “I can feel it in my holy dwarven bones.”

  He howled and hooted as the moon rose on the horizon.

  We continued flying south toward Westwood. I stared down at the trees and trails as we flew miles ahead.

  “There’s something burning up ahead,” Boki said a long while later.

  I stood then walked over to him to look. Several fires burned in the distance. The sound of battle carried through the night air, faintly reaching our ears.

  “Finally, a fight,” Josh said then flexed his biceps.

  “We can fly around,” Boki said. “No time to mess with random encounters.”

  “How do we know it’s random?” I asked. “Wouldn’t we want someone to stop if we were fighting an unwinnable battle against a horde of undead?”

  “It doesn’t make sense to stop and help strangers,” Boki said.

  Bernard cleared his throat.

  “We should stop and help,” he said. “Maybe we’ll find someone to join our party or some good loot. We could always use new gear.”

  Derringer scrambled to his feet to join the conversation.

  “I agree,” he said. “That’s four against your one vote.”

  Everyone turned to Boki. The dwarf laughed and waved a hand through the air.

  “I was just testing your resolve,” he said. “We should definitely stop and help.”

  “Great,” I said. “Take us closer. We need to see what’s going on.”

  As the platform veered to the left, closing in on the burning fires, I told Who to give me information. We floated toward the action.

  I saw a group of zombies and older skeletons fighting four humans. Behind the front line of the battle, a blade wight stood overseeing everything. The name came from the rusty blades the creature had in place of arms. My Monster Lore skill came in handy all the time.

  “It’s a blade wight,” Derringer said.

  “Yeah...” I nodded. “We can take them all. I’ll pop one of these potions, and we’ll be fine.”

  “No,” Bernard said. “They’re too dangerous. Give them to me.”

  “They’re right here,” I said, nudging the miniature chest with my foot.

  “I’m landing,” Boki said. “Everyone ready to dismount?”

  “Forget landing,” Josh said then dove off the platform as it neared the ground.

  He fell a few feet before landing right behind two zombies. They went down immediately, their skulls slashed open by his sword. Several others turned as he screamed something an orcish battle-cry I’d never heard before.

  Boki continued flying to the other side of the battlefield.

  “Take us down,” I said. “He needs our help.”

  “I’m looking for a good spot,” the dwarf replied.

  “Let’s go,” Derringer said then dove off the platform.

  When he landed on his feet, several zombies shambled toward him.

  Might as well. I jumped after him, landing and rolling before coming up.

  Both weapons drawn, I looked around. A farm building burned in the distance as zombies continued flooding the field we had landed in. Bernard waited for Boki to land a hundred feet away before he got off the platform.

  “The dead shall die again!” Derringer screamed then ran at two zombies.

  I wasted no time zeroing in on a group of my own.

  Your pierce INJURES the zombie for 12 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Your slash HITS the zombie for 10 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  I turned and attacked two more with both swords, loving my dual-wield skill.

  Your pierce HITS the zombie for 9 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Your slash GRAZES the zombie for 7 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  They’re going down quick. Good sign. I scanned the moonlit field for more undead.

  The blade wight stood in the distance, watching the battle closely. We need to take him out. I rushed across the field toward the unearthly creature with blades for arms.

  “Stick together!” Derringer shouted as if he were my boss or some sort of general.

  I ran past him, not even stopping to take out zombies, simply slashing them as I went.

  Your pierce INJURES the zombie for 11 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Your slash HITS the zombie for 9 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Both decomposing bodies fell onto the dry, brittle grass as I passed. The fur I’d put on back in the city helped with the cold wind cutting through the air like a chilly knife.

  The blade wight noticed me approaching and waved its sword arms while yelling in an unknown language. A large group of zombies turned and shambled toward me.

  All the others had their own dead bodies to worry about, so I slowed down to take on the approaching horde. The first two went down quickly at the same time as I slashed.

  Your pierce INJURES the zombie for 13 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Your slash HITS the zombie for 8 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  How many are out here? No time to count now.

  Three zombies came at me simultaneously.

  I dodged one, but two others clawed me.

  The zombie claws HIT you for 8 damage.

  The zombie claws GRAZE you for 5 damage.

  You have [115/128] health remaining.

  I twirled around with both swords swinging.

  Your pierce INJURES the zombie for 11 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Your slash GRAZES the zombie for 7 damage.

  The zombie is dead!

  Over a half-dozen zombies swarmed around me. Stopping and turning slowly, I attacked and killed one after another. Still they came forward, overwhelming me. While easy to take out singly, in numbers they became worrisome.

  “Need some help?” Boki asked as his warhammer plowed into the head of a zombie.

  Its head splattered before it fell to the ground in a pile of half-rotten flesh.

  “Thanks,” I said. “There’s so many of them.”

  “We almost have them all,” Boki said. “Watch out.”

  I turned and stabbed a zombie in the skull.

  “Let’s get that blade wight and finish this,” a stranger with curly black hair said.

  I recognized him as one of the men fighting zombies when we flew over.

  “What happened to your companions?” I asked, glancing around.

  “They’re dead,” he said.

  Scars lined both sides of his face. His battered half-plate armor had seen better days.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “We stopped to help as soon as we saw.”

  He nodded his head toward the blade wight.

  “We can do introductions later,” he said. “Time to kill that blasted Wight.”

  Bernard, Josh, and Derringer walked up, all breathing heavy.

  “What’s the plan?” Josh asked. “Why isn’t the battle over?”

  “The blade wight,” I said, pointing at the radiant creature in the distance.

  “Great, let’s kill it,” the barbarian said then rushed forward.

  “Does he ever wait to come up with a plan?” Derringer asked.

  Bernard grinned as the new party member learned of Josh’s Jenkins Disease.

  “I’m with Leroy the barbarian,” the curly haired man said then lifted a heavy mace.

  He ran forward with a prayer or battle-cry. It sounded like a mixture of both.

  Was he a cleric? I wondered as I looked over at the others. That would be good for our growing group
of players.

  Derringer sighed at my side.

  “They’ll need our help,” he said. “We should go.”

  I nodded then jogged after Josh and the newcomer we’d saved from the zombies. His friends hadn’t been as lucky, but at least we saved one person.

  As we approached the edge of the field, the blade wight raised its razor-sharp arms and shrieked into the night air. Out of the darkness nearby, two towering bugbear corpses staggered forward.

  “Wonderful,” I muttered. “Nice job keeping an eye open, Who.”

  No answer.

  “Who? Are you there?”

  Had he attacked a zombie and lost?

  I continued running toward the bugbears. They crashed through the wooden fence at the edge of the field, growling with their arms outstretched.

  As I ran, I thought about the Everlast potions back on the floating platform. Should I have taken one? The bugbear zombies shouldn’t be a problem.

  The blade wight, on the other hand, worried me immensely. I saw the foul creature slink away into the darkness as the bugbear zombies attacked.

  Should I go after it alone? With the Everlast potion I might’ve been able to pull it off, but I didn’t want to risk it. The stakes were too high with Sarah missing.

  I reached one of the tall zombies and swung with both my weapons.

  Your slash MISSES the bugbear zombie.

  Your slash MISSES the bugbear zombie.

  The rotting creature turned and swiped me with a claw.

  I dodged too late, taking the full brunt of the claws to my chest.

  The bugbear zombie’s claw HITS you for 9 damage.

  You have [106/128] health remaining.

  “The blade wight’s getting away!” I yelled as I attacked.

  Your slash HITS the bugbear zombie for 8 damage.

  Your slash MISSES the bugbear zombie.

  We better get more xp for these bigger zombies.

  The hulking beast punched Bernard as he stood next to me.

  He flew backward, toppling to the ground.

  “That’s not nice!” I yelled, knowing the zombie couldn’t understand.

  I attacked as he turned toward me.

  Your slash INJURES the bugbear zombie for 11 damage.

  Your slash GRAZES the bugbear zombie for 5 damage.

  Ugh. A little better.

  “Surround them,” Derringer said.

  I saw him flank the second bugbear zombie while Josh bashed away at the one in front of him. Boki appeared to my left, swinging his Warhammer. He struck the bugbear zombie in the chest, forcing it back a few steps.

  I moved forward and pierced its flesh with both swords.

  Your pierce HITS the bugbear zombie for 10 damage.

  Your pierce HITS the bugbear zombie for 9 damage.

  The bugbear zombie is dead!

  I turned to check on Bernard and saw him back on his feet.

  “You okay?” I asked, swords still raised.

  He nodded and said, “Stupid zombies,” as he brushed himself off.

  I grinned, adrenaline still rushing through my body. The other bugbear zombie let out a final wheeze before collapsing to the ground in a pile of bruised and bloody flesh after Josh sliced it with the Sword of Sands.

  Combat is Over!

  You get 4,500 divided by five party members.

  You get 900 xp.

  You have 90,466 xp.

  You need 14,534 xp for level 10 Rogue -> Bounty Hunter

  The curly haired stranger turned and looked out over the field. Lifeless bodies littered the ground wherever he looked.

  “Where’s the blade wight?” I asked, peering into the darkness.

  The barn continued burning in the distance.

  “Long gone by now,” Derringer said then turned to the newcomer. “You know where he might be going? Does he have a lair nearby?”

  “He came from High Keep,” the man said.

  “We’re headed south to Westwood,” Bernard said.

  “Good luck with that.” The man walked toward the center of the field. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to bury my friends.”

  “We’ll help,” I said, walking after him.

  Derringer followed me and the stranger.

  “We can make camp here for the night afterward,” I said.

  The scarred man stopped and turned, light from the distant flames flickering on his face.

  “It’s not safe anywhere,” he said. “We should march through to High Keep and not stop until all the undead are wiped from our realm.”

  Bernard stepped forward, his arm extended.

  “What’s your name?” he asked. “They call me Bernard.”

  “I’m Cario,” the man said as he shook Bernard’s hand.

  Everyone else introduced themselves as we stood in the field full of death.

  “We should get this done,” Cario said after introductions. “It’s a long time until morning, and we can’t stay here tonight.”

  “I could use some rest,” Boki said. “That was a decent sized horde of zombies.”

  “No kidding,” Josh added.

  “You can rest while we fly on that platform of yours,” Cario said. “Will it hold me too?”

  “Of course,” Boki said defensively. “It’s dwarven design.”

  “Good,” Cario said. “You can drop me off at High Keep on your way to Westwood. I need to avenge my family.”

  “We can help you,” I said.

  “No, we can’t.” Boki stepped in front of me, arms crossed over his chest. “Axelrod told me to keep you guys safe until he arrives. Attacking High Keep while its full of undead doesn’t make my job any easier.”

  “Who ever said the Tower of Gates is easy?” I asked then grinned. “We’re not waiting around for Axelrod. Sarah needs our help. We might be able to find some information at High Keep or at least stop this blade wight from creating more undead.”

  “He’s not the only source,” Cario said.

  “We heard they’re coming from the orc lands to the east too,” I said. “Can you confirm?”

  Cario nodded.

  “They’re coming from everywhere, and there’s no way to stop them.”

  “I’ll bash all of them,” Josh said, flexing his thick, muscular arms.

  “You’ll need more than your dull wit,” Cario said.

  “Hey…” Josh stepped forward. “Watch your mouth.”

  “Cut it out,” I said. “We’ll fly near High Keep and camp for the night. My owl can’t transform until later tomorrow evening, so we’ll need to scout somewhere safe to stay until morning.”

  “I know a place,” Cario said. “It’s a mile away from High Keep.”

  “Great,” I said. “Let’s roll.”

  “That’s Axelrod’s line,” Boki said.

  “Are you going to tattle on me?” I asked.

  Boki stared up at me then slowly shook his head.

  “I’m loyal,” he said. “You’ll see.”

  What an odd thing to say, I thought as we made our way to the bodies we needed to bury.

  Halfway through the impromptu burial, Who flew back in range.

  “Eric, I’m sorry. Undead eagles attacked, and I had to hide.”

  “Are you okay?” I asked as I worked. “Land on my shoulder. Time for you to go back to a figurine.”

  “I want to stay alive, Eric.”

  “You’ll stop working if you’re an owl too long,” I reminded the personified magic item.

  “I know, but I wish…”

  His voice trailed off as he landed on my shoulder.

  “What’s that?” Cario asked, stumbling back.

  “It’s my friend, Who,” I said.

  “Who?” he asked.

  I smiled.

  “Exactly. Who the owl.”

  Cario’s eyes widened as the magnificent creature turned back into a figurine. I caught it with my right hand before it fell to the ground.

  “I’ve heard of those, but I’ve n
ever seen one,” Cario said. “Let’s get back to work.”

  After giving Cario’s relatives a proper burial, we loaded onto the floating platform. I picked up the wooden box with the Everlast potions then sat down.

  I’ve got to try one of these, I thought as I clutched them in my lap.

  The landscape below passed quickly as the floating platform, nearing full capacity, sped south toward High Keep. Would it look the same? Had it truly been overrun with undead? Was the blade wight holed up inside?

  My questions piled up in my mind. I glanced over at Casio as he sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the platform. His occasional twitches and muttering to himself concerned me, but our group needed all the help we could get.

  A little protective and healing magic would go a long way in helping find Sarah. I’d all but forgotten about our main quest to find safe passage to the Gracoria continent. That could wait.

  Sarah needed our help right away.

  We landed about a mile away from High Keep in a copse of trees next to yet another barren and desolate field. The chill night air hit me as I helped the others set-up camp. Each of us slept in shifts through the night.

  The next morning, I woke to hear Bernard yelling.

  “Someone’s coming!” he shouted to rouse us. “It’s a mage in all black!”

  Magi Inyontoo? I wondered as I stood.

  I better not find out he hurt Sarah.

  We all ran toward Bernard at the edge of the trees.

  Chapter 3

  The Battle of High Keep

  Eric

  The wizard in black robes boldly walked across the field and toward us.

  “Let me join your party,” Cario said as he stood next to me. “In case there’s a battle.”

  I glanced at the others. “Anyone have a problem with Cario joining our party?”

  Everyone shook their head or muttered no before looking back at the approaching mage. We let him into our group through the HUD interface.

  [PC] Cario the human priest has joined your party.

  I pushed questions of his level and abilities out of my mind as I too stared at the approaching figure. Enemy? Another friend? Magi Inyontoo? We’d soon know.

  The mage raised his arms. His sleeves slid down, exposing pale, blotchy skin. “I come in peace,” he said a couple hundred feet away. “With a message.”