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  “Are you buying or selling?” a wrinkled man asked from behind a wooden table.

  He sat on the top of a barrel, arms crossed over his chest.

  “I’m here to buy that one,” I said, nodding behind him.

  “The Reaper? Good choice.”

  He hopped down from the barrel before grabbing the sword.

  “Good price too,” he said as he handed it to me.

  The balanced blade felt good in my hands.

  “How much?” I asked.

  “A hundred gold.”

  I snorted. “Too much.”

  “Well,” the man began, “you’re helping build that new temple, aren’t you? I’ve heard talk of you around the city. You’ve got plenty of gold.”

  I tilted my head back, still holding the sword. “What have you heard about me?” I asked.

  The man smiled and took a step back.

  “Nothing bad,” he said. “Magictology for the Fishes, or whatever it is you guys say.”

  I held the sword up with a single hand while my other reached for my coin pouch.

  “Here’s seventy-five gold,” I said, tossing the leather pouch on the table. “That’s all I have right now. Do you accept it?”

  “Never say no to a half-orc barbarian, my mother always told me,” the man said. “Enjoy your sword and have a nice day.”

  I grinned then turned and headed back to the temple with my new sword strapped to my back. A month after spawning as my second character in the game, I was settling into my new life. The effects of my retail therapy wore off as I walked down the middle of the city’s main road.

  I hoped the rest of the year would go by quickly. Could I somehow speed up time or get around my one-year penalty somehow? Maybe Monky would know.

  My thoughts returned to her as I approached the almost completed Temple of Magictology. A lot of my blood, sweat, and tears had gone into building it even if I was in a virtual world.

  I searched the first two floors for Monky, but I didn’t find any of them. Not too concerned, I headed to my room for a quick nap or some thinking—after I checked my stats.

  > stats

  Name: Yorg Race: Half-Orc Class: Barbarian

  Level: 2 XP: 3,200 (100 for next level)

  Alignment: +0 (Uncertain) HEALTH: 57 (57)

  MANA: 0 (0)

  Strength: 99 (+35%) (+10 Damage)

  Dexterity: 66 (+5%)

  Constitution: 95 (+35%) (+10 Health)

  Intelligence: 43 (+0%)

  Wisdom: 53 (+0%)

  Charisma: 32 (-5%)

  5

  Can We Work Together?

  Josh

  Two weeks later, I reached level three barbarian and almost had enough experience points for level four. With seventy-three health points, I felt invincible as I stared across the dining room at Monky. She sat with her chair tilted up on two legs and her back against the wall.

  We’d grown closer after spending even more time together. I wondered why she stuck with the others in our group. Was it a loyalty to Magi Inyontoo, or was something else at play? She caught me staring and smiled.

  I had gotten accustomed to seeing her as a man.

  “Being a barbarian sucks,” I declared to break up the silence in the room.

  Monky plopped her chair back on all four legs and asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m tired of being the brute. Why can’t I learn magic or something?”

  “Technically, you can,” Monky said. “But Rizzo won’t allow it.”

  I kept my mutinous thoughts to myself and nodded.

  “You’re too stupid,” Sylvar said from the doorway across the room.

  I glanced over, wondering how long he’d been spying on us.

  “You two are growing quite close,” he said as he walked over.

  “So?” I asked.

  The more powerful I became, the less he worried me.

  “You can’t trust everyone in this game,” the elven ranger said.

  I glanced over at Monky. As usual, she had on a passive expression.

  When the bell at the top of the temple rang, I stood and went for my sword.

  “Hold on, big guy,” Sylvar said. “We have to wait for the…”

  The words were barely out of his mouth when several other bells began ringing throughout the city.

  “Something’s wrong,” Monky said as she stood.

  Harvey, without a shirt, stuck his head in the room.

  “Come on,” he said. “A few goblins got out again.”

  Sylvar turned and walked out of the dining room. Monky and I followed suit. We met the others outside in front of the temple. A group of people ran by, some of them screaming.

  “The goblins are here!” a woman yelled, her voice shrill, as she hightailed it to the city center.

  “We should let the barbarian handle it,” Sylvar said.

  I pulled my brand new sword, ready to do the work. Killing goblins or bearbugs in safely confined zones had never seemed fair to me anyway.

  “Follow me,” Monky said then walked away from the temple.

  I jogged to catch up, amazed at her long strides. Without a way to prove she was a woman outside the game, I had to trust her.

  Ever since my own father had betrayed my trust, I found it difficult to let my guard down long enough for anyone to know the real me inside. With Monky, I found myself opening up and trusting her. I shook the thoughts out of my mind as I reached the edge of the market.

  The others caught up as I stopped next to Monky. Someone in the sea of people screamed, causing a panic. I expected someone to get crushed to death as men, women, and children attempted to flee the marketplace.

  “We need to control this mob,” Rizzo said. “I think Riggardo will show up for this.”

  “Screw that guy,” Sylvar said.

  I kept my mouth shut, listening.

  “Dirty, stinking, inhuman goblins!” someone in the crowd yelled.

  A “Kill the gobs, kill the gobs” refrain started up soon after.

  The thunderous noise of the people overwhelmed me. Was hating the goblins a way to play out their racist fantasies? The fact a lot of players were prisoners supported my theory.

  “We should let them blow off their steam,” Monky said. “I doubt any goblins escaped.”

  Rizzo frowned. I could see the burden of leadership in his sad eyes, even though I wasn’t impressed with him as our leader.

  “We need to sweep the city at least once,” he said. “You know how they breed. If we let a few of them hide, we’re going to be infested within weeks.”

  “Screw the gobs!” Thero shouted then raised his fist.

  His enthusiasm failed to surprise me. I disliked him immensely.

  Monky tapped me on the arm then motioned with her head for me to follow. As she wandered into the crowd, I followed close behind. The people parted as I approached due to my size and the fact I held my sword in both hands.

  While tired of being a barbarian, I had to admit my reputation had its advantages sometimes. Monky continued walking and left the market on the opposite side. She waved for me to follow her behind one of the wood and cloth booths.

  “I have another secret,” she said in a low voice when I came around the corner.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I told you about my Ring of Teleportation, and you didn’t say anything. Then I revealed my other secret, and again you said nothing. I’ve got another secret for you. Please keep it for me.”

  “What is it?” I asked.

  She pursed her lips together.

  “Go on,” I said. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

  “I’ve been helping the goblins,” she said, staring into my eyes.

  “You’re going against Magi Inyontoo?” I asked, surprised at the revelation.

  “We can talk about it later, but I wanted to let you know.” She glanced back at the market. “This game is messed up, and I don’t want to add to the misery. Some of the goblins are trapped
players, and we’re making their lives worse.”

  “Do you really think there are goblins in the city?” I asked.

  She turned, nodded, and said, “Yeah. Somewhere. They’re probably scared.”

  “Let’s look for them.” I glanced over her shoulder. “Maybe we’ll find them first.”

  “I hope so,” she said.

  Her muscular yet lithe male body walked down an alley. I followed her. Even after so long in the game, the Tower of Gates still managed to surprise me at time.

  “I think I might know where they’ll go,” she said over her shoulder. “It’s a hiding place.”

  She continued down the deserted alley. I glanced over my shoulder a few times to make sure we weren’t being followed. At the next cross street, she stopped.

  “It’s close by,” she said. “Up by the docks on the north side of town.”

  “Lead the way,” I said.

  She smiled, the gesture emphasizing her masculine facial features. A few weeks after her startling revelation, I had decided to take her word for it. Until I found out otherwise, I would believe her.

  A few blocks away, we reached the edge of a boardwalk. She stopped again, glancing around as if looking for something or someone.

  “There,” she said, pointing to a ship tied to one of the piers stretching into the water.

  “What?” I asked, looking but not seeing anything out of the ordinary.

  “That flag,” she said. “It’s a signal. They’re safe on the ship.”

  She took off across the boardwalk, deftly moving in between men and women as they walked. Not as agile, I simply walked forward. The other people got out of my way.

  We traveled the length of the pier then stopped near a rope ladder on the side of a sizable sailing ship. She grabbed onto the rope then nimbly climbed up to the deck.

  “Come on,” she said from the top.

  I climbed up after her, swinging my body over the rails. The dirty deck smelled of fish, making me hungry. I glanced around, not seeing anybody.

  “This way,” she said then headed for a set of stairs leading below deck.

  I was even less impressed with the interior of the ship. Black grime stained the wood of the hand rails all the way down. Monky stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

  She held up her index finger. I kept quiet, not hearing or seeing anything. After a moment of silence, she chanted loudly for a few seconds then abruptly stopped.

  I heard something clanging against metal below us. She motioned for me to follow then headed deeper into the ship. With each step, things got even grimier.

  The foul smells of fish and rum also got worse. We stopped at what I thought was the bottom-most floor of the ship. She moved a barrel, exposing a trap door.

  After opening it, she called down, “Hello. It’s me, Monky.”

  I flinched as a green, greasy goblin popped its head out. When I lifted my blade, the goblin screamed and retreated to its dark hiding spot.

  “Sorry,” I said as I put away the weapon.

  Monky paid no attention to me as she went down after the goblin. I sighed then climbed down the hatch, barely fitting. Once at the bottom of the boat, I couldn’t even stand at full height. Several goblins cowered together.

  “Stay back,” Monky said. “They’re frightened.”

  “How many are down here?” I asked.

  She snapped her fingers, creating a ball of light that hovered in the air. I stared past her and saw at least two dozen goblins huddled. One of them crept forward.

  “Thank you,” the goblin said, accent heavy. “Is it safe to leave now?”

  “Not yet,” Monky said. “Perhaps tonight.”

  “We want out of here,” another goblin said.

  A few of the others mumbled their agreement.

  “It’s not safe yet,” Monky said. “You need to wait.”

  “We’re hungry,” their apparent leader said.

  Monky turned to me. “Do you have any food on you?” she asked.

  “Always,” I said as I unslung the sack on my left shoulder.

  I removed the few loaves of bread and beef jerky I kept around just in case. Sylvar and the others loved spiking my food with gross things, so I had taken to keeping my own uncontaminated food supply.

  As I set the food on the bottom of the boat, the goblins swarmed forward. I shifted my weight from one foot to another, still uncomfortably bent over.

  “You can go back up,” Monky said. “I need to talk with them.”

  Crouched, I slinked back to the hatch. Once out of the enclosed space, I stretched my arms. Were the goblins player characters or something? Monky thought they were special, but I couldn’t figure out why on my own. As I pondered, I heard familiar laughter above us.

  I leaned over the hatch and stuck my head down.

  “We’ve got company,” I said.

  “Keep them busy,” Monky replied. “I’m almost done healing the goblins.”

  “But who is it?” I asked.

  She resumed chanting and humming. I sighed as I stood up. Walking over to the door, I listened for the laughter. Had they gone away? Were we safe?

  “There you are,” Sylvar said as he walked down the stairs.

  I stepped out into the hallway, blocking the storage room.

  “What’s going on?” I asked then hastily added, “I haven’t found any goblins on this ship.”

  Harvey, Rizzo, Thero, and a strange man in black armor followed Sylvar down the stairs. I took out my sword again, casually resting the blade on my shoulder.

  “Why are you searching this ship?” Rizzo asked.

  I noticed the newcomer watching everything.

  “Just a hunch,” I said. “But I was wrong.”

  “Stupid half-breed,” Sylvar said.

  “Enough!” the stranger shouted. “I’ve tracked them here to this ship. This is the last place we’ve looked. I don’t know who you are, but you need to step aside.”

  “Let us through,” Rizzo added.

  Not thinking, I dropped my sword then ran toward the group at the bottom of the stairs. They yelled as I barreled into them, toppling all of us to the floor.

  “Who is this nut?” the stranger screamed. “Get off me!”

  “Sorry,” Thero muttered then passed gas through his armor. “Double that.”

  Harvey was fighting not to chuckle, but some of his laughter slipped through.

  I untangled myself then stood. Monky and the goblins had nowhere to run. I had stalled for time, but they couldn’t slip past us and out of the ship. What was I thinking?

  “Apologize to Captain Riggardo!” Rizzo shouted. “Do it now!”

  “Sorry,” I said, bowing my head. “Still learning to control my barbarian rage.”

  “That outburst was no barbarian rage,” Rizzo snapped.

  “I’m working for Magi Inyontoo,” I said. “We’re all on the same team.”

  Captain Riggardo laughed as he stepped forward.

  “Like that matters to me,” he said, stopping mere inches from me. “What exactly are you doing for Magi Inyontoo? And you one of the three new players?”

  “He’s helping us kill the other newcomers,” Rizzo said. “Leave him alone.”

  “Shut up,” Captain Riggardo said, not taking his eyes off me. “I asked the dumb brute.”

  “I kill the people Magi Inyontoo tells me to kill, so I can get out of this stupid game,” I said.

  We maintained eye contact. He averted his eyes first. I grunted.

  He whipped his head back, pushing his chest against mine.

  “What did you say?” he asked.

  “You heard me.”

  “We need to find the goblins,” Rizzo said before we got into a fight. “It’s a small group, but there’s obviously a way they’re getting out of the trainer zone Magi created. That hack is still kludgy if you ask me.”

  “You need to figure it out,” Captain Riggardo said. “And soon. Magi Inyontoo and I are not pleased with h
ow the situation is going so far. You’re taking too long.”

  “It’s not our fault,” Sylvar whined. “He doesn’t have a prisoner number, and the gamemaster tacked a year onto his respawn. It took us over a week to just find him.”

  “Yeah,” Rizzo added. “We needed to find a way to reach him before training. It’s not a big deal. We’ll be back on schedule shortly.”

  “The other two new players won’t know what hit them,” Harvey added.

  Thero burped, adding no other insight.

  Captain Riggardo sighed.

  “Fine,” he said. “But let’s finish searching the ship. I love hearing the sound of a goblin’s neck snapping as I tightly grip it with both hands.”

  His grin caused me concern, but I kept silent. I needed to figure a way out of the mess without the goblins or Monky getting into trouble. But without magic, I didn’t see a way.

  “Step aside,” Captain Riggardo said.

  I shuffled to the left then right, blocking him.

  “Sorry,” I said then relented.

  He shoved me then walked down the hallway to the back storage room. I followed him, stopping in the doorway as he saw the open hatch on the floor.

  “Aha!” he shouted like an overzealous attorney during his first trial.

  Captain Riggardo stormed over to the hatch and dropped to his knees, peering down into the darkness. I waited for him to make a discovery. When nothing happened, I stepped forward and peeked over his shoulder.

  “Anything?” I asked, hoping I sounded snarky enough.

  “I need light,” Captain Riggardo said.

  Harvey shuffled over then cast a spell for illumination before crawling underneath the storage room to the bottom of the boat. I waited for him to discover the goblins.

  “There’s nothing down here,” he said. “Completely empty.”

  I fought to hide my surprise, which turned out to be almost as difficult as burying my anger when it rose to the surface. As Captain Riggardo stood, I remembered Monky’s ring. She must’ve teleported all of them.

  “Told you it was clear,” I said as Harvey climbed out of the hatch.

  “You smell,” Thero said as he sniffed the air.

  “Like you’re one to talk,” the healer retorted.

  “Enough,” Captain Riggardo shouted. “Let’s get off this floating trash heap.”