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  “I thought you didn’t explore the later levels of the game,” I said.

  He sighed then said, “I didn’t, but I’ve heard things.”

  We walked in silence the rest of the way to the temple. For whatever reason, the entire city was dead set against joining our group.

  Stupid liger curse.

  Back at the temple, we found Sarah, Evan, and Ewen sitting in the main chamber. The lack of pews or seating made it appear even bigger than it was.

  As we entered, they all looked up from where they sat on the floor.

  “You didn’t find anyone?” Sarah asked, her back against one of the stone walls.

  “No,” I said. “We need to go and do this on our own.”

  “Agreed,” Benji said. “We need to go find this dwarf hiding in Woodshore Forest.”

  “We don’t see dwarves much anymore,” Ewen said. “And that’s not a bad thing.”

  “Hey, don’t talk that way,” Sarah scolded as she stood.

  “Sorry, Sarah,” Evan said, still smiling.

  “Anything left to eat?” I asked.

  Before anyone could answer, the front door of the temple swung open. Captain Riggardo barged in with half a dozen of his men with their swords drawn.

  I spun around and asked, “What’s going on?”

  “You’re all under arrest,” Captain Riggardo said.

  “For what?” Sarah asked.

  “That barfight wasn’t my fault,” I said.

  “You think I care about that?” Captain Riggardo snickered. “You’re the dumbest people in all of the realms. I can’t believe I trusted you to do the right thing.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sarah asked.

  The men moved around the room, surrounding us.

  “You’re here to grow an army like Bernardo, the cultist priest,” Captain Riggardo said. “But you won’t succeed. Not on my watch.”

  “You’re crazy,” I said. “Why would we kill him if we were working with him?”

  “I don’t claim to understand crazy,” Captain Riggardo said.

  “We’re against Magictology, too,” I said.

  Captain Riggardo raised a fist in the air. Two men rushed forward and grabbed me by the arms. I struggled, but they had a firm grip.

  “Why have you been communicating with him in that magic mirror?” Captain Riggardo asked. “That doesn’t make sense if you’re not working with him.”

  “You don’t understand,” Bernard said. “This is all a misunderstanding.”

  “Nice try, smooth talker.” Captain Riggardo shook his head. “Don’t worry. You’ll get your day in court. We’re not savages like the goblins. Our system of justice works.”

  “How do you even know about the magic mirror?” Sarah asked. “Have you been spying on us this whole time?”

  Captain Riggardo grinned.

  “Yes,” he said. “I had magic items installed to keep an eye on this place when it was first built. We were about to bust Bernardo when you five rolled into town and took him out.”

  “This is all too much,” Sarah said.

  “Like I said, you’ll get your day in court.” Captain Riggardo turned to a man on his left. “Make sure you get all their weapons and magic items too.”

  “That’s not acceptable,” I said.

  Captain Riggardo laughed again.

  “I have two dozen more men waiting outside,” he said. “You really want to take us on?”

  “No,” Sarah said. “We’ll go with you. The trial will be fair, right?”

  “You’ll get a representative,” Captain Riggardo said. “But the evidence we have is conclusive. I imagine you’ll be spending a few years locked in a cage.”

  Bernard raised a hand.

  “Hold on,” he said. “If you heard us talking to Magi Inyontoo, you heard that we’re not working with him, right?”

  “We’ve got other witnesses, too.” Captain Riggardo turned and walked to the door, adding over his shoulder.“Lock them up.”

  The man who had been standing on his left said, “Drop your weapons and anything magic. We’ll check you again back at the garrison, so don’t try to be brave.”

  I glanced over at Sarah and nodded. She mimicked the gesture as if she understood we should go quietly.

  Evan broke free from the single man holding on to him. He ran about ten feet before two other men grabbed him.

  “Cut it out!” Evan shouted as he struggled.

  “Take it easy with him,” Sarah said.

  “Don’t resist,” the man in charge said.

  “We’re surrendering,” I said. “We’re innocent, and that’ll come out in court.”

  A man near the door snickered but said nothing. While detaining us, they piled all our items and weapons on the floor.

  “Is that everything?” a guard asked. “We better not find anything else.”

  “That’s everything,” I said. “You want our clothes too?”

  “You’ll get stripped and put into proper attire back at the garrison, don’t you worry.”

  Some of the other guards laughed, snickering and whispering to each other. I took a deep breath to control my emotions. We needed to stay alive no matter what.

  The men led us out of the temple then toward the garrison in the center of the city. Surrounded by a ten-foot wooden fence with spikes, it looked impenetrable.

  Had the city always been so militaristic? Or was it something Magi Inyontoo or other players had done when they passed through level one-two? I wondered.

  They’d taken us by surprise, something we couldn’t let happen again. I stayed calm as they brought us into the garrison, splitting us up.

  Evan cried as they dragged him away.

  I ended up in a tiny ten-foot square cell with no window. Someone had scratched “Justice is Never Free” on one of the brick walls next to “Bleak the Gobs.”

  My thoughts turned to Sarah.

  Would she be okay?

  Nothing too dark other than death had happened in the game up to that point, but it could become more macabre.

  I concentrated on my breathing and staying calm. With luck, our representative would help us get past the trumped-up charges against us. I hoped the plan would work.

  6

  An Attorney Will be Provided

  Eric

  With time to spare, I went over my new stats. The charisma ring had been nice for Bernard, but I needed to find ways to buff my stats, especially my strength.

  If we couldn’t find a suitable tank for our group, I needed to keep filling the role. A black dragon wouldn’t be an easy kill, but I’d do what I could to finish our quest.

  > stats

  Name: Drexmao (“Drex”) Race: Human (Special) Level: 7

  Class: Rogue --> Bounty Hunter Experience Points: 23,911 (11,089 for next level) Alignment: -15 (Breaking Bad) Health: 104 (104) Strength: 85 (+20% to hit, +4 damage) Dexterity: 75 (+10% DEX saves) Constitution: 70 (+5% CON saves, +1 HP per level) Intelligence: 75 (+10% INT saves) Wisdom: 55 (+0%) Charisma: 44 (+0%)

  I also checked my current skills.

  > stats skills

  Black Market Connections – Basic Level 4 of 10

  Dodge – Basic Level 2 of 10

  Monster Lore – Basic Level 5 of 10

  Weapon Craft – Blades – Basic Level 9 of 10

  Climbing – Basic Level 5 of 10

  Stealth – Basic Level 4 of 10

  Create Item – Basic Level 1 of 10

  Identify Item – Basic Level 7 of 10

  Language: Human, Common

  Sense Motive – Basic Level 6 of 10

  Bargaining – Basic Level 3 of 10

  The numbers and letters blurred together in my heads-up display. I closed the virtual window then stared at the brick walls of my cell.

  How are the others?

  I wondered if we should’ve fought the Black Guard then ran. After mulling it over, I again concluded the risk had been too high. I didn’t want to be an NPC.
r />   A guard approached the steel bars of my cage.

  I stared into his eyes, not detecting any signs of humanity.

  Why were the Black Guard so down on other races?

  They didn’t appear to be working with Magi Inyontoo. I felt like we were playing 3D chess with Scrabble pieces. Nothing made a lot of sense.

  After the guard opened the door, he stepped back a few feet.

  “Get out here,” he barked.

  I walked out of the cell, looking for signs of the others but not seeing them.

  “This way,” the guard said.

  “Where are we going?” I asked.

  “Keep your trap shut.” He pushed me. “Just keep walking.”

  I obeyed, walking down a hallway in front of him.

  “Stop,” he said as we approached a wooden door. “Open it.”

  On the other side of the door, I saw a windowless room with a rough-hewn table in the center. Sarah, Bernard, Evan and Ewen all sat on one side. A man with light mocha skin and no hair sat across from them.

  He turned and smiled.

  “Everyone okay?” I asked.

  Sarah and the others nodded.

  “You made it,” the bald man said. “Take a seat.”

  “I’ll be outside,” the guard said. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

  After he left, the bald man waved to the only empty chair.

  “Have a seat,” he said, motioning with his hand.

  I sat down next to Sarah.

  “My name is Omar Persyn,” the man said. “I’ll be representing you today.”

  “We’re already going to trial?” Sarah asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

  “The military is currently handling all matters of justice, so you’ll have a speedy trial,” Omar said. “Now, as I read here in front of me, you’re charged with running a cult.”

  “It’s not true,” Bernard said.

  “That may be so,” Omar said. “But they’ve got convincing evidence of you using—let me see—a magic mirror to contact someone named Magi Inyontoo. Are you involved with him and the Magictology cult?”

  He looked up.

  “No,” I said. “We’re not involved with him. In fact, we’re adventurers on a quest to stop his madness in this and all other realms, once and for all.”

  Omar nodded.

  “I see, I see,” he said, jotting something down. “You’re adventurers.”

  “What real evidence do they have against us?” Sarah asked.

  “Magic eyewitness testimony from Captain Riggardo himself,” Omar said. “And seeing how he’s the judge, jury, and executioner all rolled into one these days, he’ll believe his own evidence, I’m sure.”

  “That’s messed up,” Bernard said.

  Omar nodded and said, “I agree.”

  The light from torches set in the walls reflected off his shiny head.

  “Do we have any chance of winning this?” I asked.

  Omar frowned and shook his head.

  “Not really,” he said. “This is more of a formality, to be honest. To win, I’d have to cheat as much or more than the prosecution.”

  “Can you do that?” I asked.

  Omar took a deep breath, looking from one set of eyes to another.

  “You know, I’ve grown tired of being an attorney in Esterhollow. I never meant to be stuck here. My dream is to one day join a group of adventurers.”

  I smiled.

  “Tell you what,” I said, not having time to discuss it with the others. “You get us out of this with all our equipment, and you can join our party.”

  “What?” Sarah asked, looking over at me.

  I turned to them and said, “We do need more people in our part.”

  “Yeah, but an attorney?” Sarah asked.

  “I’ve studied the magic arts in the past,” Omar said. “In fact, if I were to join a party of adventurers, I’m sure all my old skills would return.”

  He reached under his ill-fitting white shirt and pulled out a sizable pearl.

  “This was given to me by my father,” he said. “It holds all the magic our family has learned over the years, but I’ve been afraid to use it on my own.”

  “You get out of this by any means necessary,” I said. “And you can join our party.”

  Omar’s eyes opened wider as a smile perched itself on his face.

  “Are you serious?” he asked. “That’s been my dream for so long now.”

  Is he a trapped player character?

  “You need to get us out of this mess first,” I said. “Do you have any ideas?”

  “Can I use any means necessary?” Omar asked.

  “What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

  “Captain Riggardo will cheat to get what he wants,” Omar said. “We need to cheat, too.”

  “How?” Sarah asked.

  “You’re a mage, aren’t you?” Omar asked.

  Sarah nodded and said, “Yeah, but they won’t allow me to cast in the courtroom, will they? I don’t think it’ll be that easy.”

  “Maybe…” Omar tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. “Just maybe, we can get a private audience with the judge in his chambers. Do you have illusion magic?”

  “Oh boy, does she,” Evan said proudly. “She’s the best.”

  “Good,” Omar said. “Any spells I might know?”

  “Become Unknowable Humanoid,” Sarah said.

  “Amazing.” Omar’s face lit up again. “That’s a wonderful spell. You can transform Drex to look like Captain Riggardo, and we’ll be home-free.”

  Omar clapped his hands as if it were all decided.

  “No,” Sarah said. “It’s Become Unknowable Humanoid. I can’t make someone appear as another person.”

  “Oh…” Omar said.

  “I can make Captain Riggardo appear like a hobgoblin,” Sarah said, sitting up. “Yeah, that might work, right?”

  “You can do it, Sarah,” Evan cheered then added, “Hey, stupid game.”

  “We don’t have my staff or the amulet, Evan, so be careful,” Sarah said then turned to Omar. “We can’t leave the city without our equipment.”

  “Yeah,” Bernard added. “We need everything from the temple too.”

  “And do you know anyone else who might join our group?” I threw in for good measure.

  Omar held up his hands, palms out.

  “Hold on, hold on,” he said, shaking his head. “Not all at the same time. This is too much for me to take in at once.”

  “Some wizard,” Ewen said in a grumpy tone.

  “You don’t understand,” Omar said. “When the black dragon commanded Captain Riggardo to make the entire realm human only, everything went crazy. Can I join your adventuring party? There’s so much more I can’t tell you until I do.”

  Maybe he is a player character?

  “I don’t know,” Bernard said. “After Sylvar betrayed us, I’m not sure we need to be letting just anyone into our group.”

  “Who’s Sylvar?” Omar asked. “Is he relevant to the case?”

  “None of this applies to the case,” Sarah said. “Can we get back to the business at hand, please? We need a more solid plan to get us out of this mess. I can’t believe we’re still making so many mistakes.”

  “Sylvar’s a ranger who betrayed us in another realm,” I said. “That’s all.”

  “Back to the case,” Omar said. “If I’m caught helping you, it’s punishable by death.”

  “We’ll protect you,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “But what about our equipment?” Sarah asked. “Can you get it?”

  “I’ll have it brought into the courtroom as evidence,” Omar said. “After you make the judge look like a hobgoblin, you can grab everything in the confusion. That’s when we’ll make our getaway. Rusty the bailiff will bring your wagon around and wait for us.”

  “This plan is too complicated,” Sarah said, shaking her head. “Will he even allow me to cast a spell in the courtroom
? Won’t people see me doing it?”

  “Not if we distract them,” I said. “This might work.”

  Bernard sighed but said nothing. Ewen tapped his fingers on the table. Both he and Evan continued smiling, their oversized heads bobbing about.

  “I need to go,” Omar said, standing up. “Tomorrow, we’ll find out if this works or not. If it does, I’m ready to adventure to the ends of the realm if necessary.”

  “We’re headed to the Pit of Doom,” Evan said as if it were a simple, normal thing to do. “That’s where I’m killing the dragon.”

  I really need to talk to him about blurting out our business.

  “That’s fine with me,” Omar said. “I’ll be happy to get out of Esterhollow.”

  He stood then clapped his hands together.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  I shook my head.

  “No, this will work,” I said. “And when it does, you’ll be joining us.”

  Omar walked to the door then opened it. A few guards entered, leading each of us away separately. Evan cried again, struggling against the much larger men.

  “Hang on, little buddy,” I said as they led him from the room.

  “Bozos,” Ewen said as they pulled him away next.

  “We got this,” I said.

  Neither Bernard nor Sarah appeared convinced.

  When the guards came for me, I didn’t struggle. Back in my cell, awaiting trial, I wondered again if I’d made a mistake not fighting them at the temple.

  Sleep evaded me most of the night. I tossed and turned on a pile of hay on the cold, dirt floor. My dreams involved huge, ugly monsters and running.

  7

  If the Gauntlet Fits, You Must Acquit

  Sarah

  I sat on the floor with my back to one of the walls, staring into space.

  “Are you okay?” Charlotte asked in my mind.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “Thinking through tomorrow.”

  “You’ll do great,” she said.