The fork screeched across the plate, sending shivers down Malcolm’s spine.
“Malcolm, stop that!” Valgrin made a show of shaking his head.
“Didn’t mean to do that. But back to my point, someone here could have given us a head’s up about last night so we could have picked a table closer.” Malcolm pointed his fork at Steeyann, Izzy, and Deeah. “You get a pass.” Malcolm sat his fork down after pointing at Tahlur.
Steeyann gave Malcolm a grin and took another bite of eggs. Izzy shrugged.
“Why would I have told you that? You were already seated when I met you. You could still hear her, so what does it matter, anyway?” Deeah stabbed the air with her jam covered knife.
Malcolm choked back a reply, then lifted his mug of hot tea to take a sip. He watched as Tahlur and Valgrin covered their mouths to hide their grins. I’m taking names!
Izzy reached over to grab a roll. “Nobody knows but me when I’ll be playing next. I used to perform three to four nights a week. Not that I’m bragging, mind you, but some of the crowd had to stand in the streets, most nights. The nights everyone knew I wasn’t performing, we were about half-full at best.” She cut the roll and spread the purple jam.
“You stopped announcing when you’d perform and do it randomly, and you ended up with a full-house every night?” Valgrin asked.
“More full nights than not and it’s not random, but only I know the method used. And I only use it for a month at a time, maximum.”
Valgrin smiled. “Brilliant marketing. Does anyone get angry at you for not performing?”
“The did at first, but I handled it. Nobody complains anymore. Topic done.”
Everyone at the table nodded and focused on their food for a few minutes.
Steeyann broke the silence. “We’re going to the guild house after breakfast. We want to see if Fred listed Malcolm and Valgrin. If not, we’ll get them listed. Then we’re going to line up some jobs.”
“Grinding for experience?” Deeah asked.
“That and also look for some income.” Malcolm added. “Everyone has been terrific in helping us out, but we’d like to have some income. Not everyone is going to be as nice as y’all.”
“Makes sense.” Izzy smiled at Malcolm.
I could get used to this. Malcolm smiled back. Steeyann’s cough brought him back to the conversation.
“I said, Malcolm, are you ready to go?”
Heat flowed through Malcolm’s face. “Sorry, missed that, yes give me a couple of minutes.” He stood up and ran upstairs, more to hide his embarrassment than for speed. He grabbed his pack, slung it on his back, and joined the others downstairs.
“Ready now,” Malcolm announced.
Steeyann nodded and headed out the door. The other three followed.
###
“Again, I ask you to explain. How can two people who just onboarded already be fifth level? This smells of cheating?” The wiry old man’s face took on new shades of purple as he shouted at the group. Most of it directed at Steeyann.
Malcolm stepped up, for the second time. “As we’ve explained. My friend and I were told we were a special case and started at fourth level. We made it to fifth level in the onboarding. Can’t you call someone to verify? Whoever builds the onboarding dungeons would know, at the very least.”
“I’m not bothering anyone else with this issue. There is nothing about special onboarders in our bulletins. So you need to do better than that.” The gray-haired man growled.
Steeyann pushed Malcolm to the side and got up in the older man’s face. “Listen here, Rhawlzon, we both know this is more about me getting picked over your son than about the levels of the onboarders…”
Malcolm stepped away, trying to ignore the shouting going on behind him. Fred, Sandy! Anybody listening? We need help. Someone is trying to keep us from joining the guild! Sandy, you’re always watching. Why aren’t you helping?
Malcolm slammed his fist against the wall in frustration at the silence. A small dent in stone? Not the smartest of moves. Malcolm cast heal on his hand, the pain vanished.
He turned back and took a few steps to rejoin the group. The shouting had stopped, the low cold growling at each other had taken over. Malcolm stopped next to Valgrin.
“Have you tried to reach Sandy or Fred?” Malcolm whispered, sparing a glance down at Skwilly.
“No answer from Sandy. Didn’t try to reach Fred. I’ve been trying to think if this is some sort of puzzle to solve, or just an admin with a power trip.” Valgrin whispered back. “Skwilly agreed to watch the man, ready to do his flash if needed.”
Malcolm nodded, then his eyebrows rose as an idea came to him. “Lets get a little closer and follow my lead. Skwilly, you stay here, ready to save us.” Malcolm headed to the side of the desk where Steeyann and Rhawlzon were arguing.
“Steeyann,” Malcolm raised his voice a little. When no answer came, he shouted. “Steeyann!” Both men turned and looked at Malcolm.
“It seems obvious to me that this is another test. The council, or whatever they call themselves, has put a dead-end here in place to see if we can figure it out. Let’s go down the hall and we’ll open every door and ransack every office looking for the answer.” Malcolm turned away.
“This is not a dead-end and you will be taken into custody if you force your way past this point.” Rhawlzon spat out.
Malcolm stopped, then added some flair to spinning to face his friend. “Seems like a dead-end to me. Valgrin?”
“Oh, either a dead-end like a maze or we’re dealing with someone in a dead-end job and he’s taking it out on Steeyann for some past perceived offense. Bullies often transfer their issues to the people they try to bully.” Valgrin answered.
Malcolm smiled at the new shade of purple they’d gotten out of Rhawlzon. “This guy’s approval is probably limited to any first or second level. He doesn’t want Steeyann to know that, because of that past humiliation. So we come to an impasse. We’ll call his bluff. Steeyann, lead the way.”
“I have the authority to use whatever means to make sure you don’t pass me.” Rhawlzon screamed.
“Then use it.” Malcolm walked past the screaming man. The rest of the group followed him.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
As soon as Steeyann joined the rest of the group, Fred stepped through a wall and stopped in front of them. “Stupid test, but we do as we’re told. Right, Rhawlzon?”
“Yes, I apologize for being the dead-end, but I need my job.” The man answered from behind the group, causing them to turn.
Rhawlzon smiled and bobbed his head. “No hard feelings Steeyann?” The man held out his hand.
“That was all an act?” Steeyann asked. When Rhawlzon nodded, Steeyann shook the offered hand. “Then no hard feelings.”
Malcolm watched the handshake, then turned to face Fred. “Whoever set this up as some type of test should be kicked off the team.”
“I agree.” Fred lifted both palms up and shrugged. “As I said, sometimes we have to do what we’re told. If you had resorted to violence, there would’ve been a penalty, not sure what would have been done.”
When Fred turned and started walking down the hall, Malcolm noticed Steeyann and Tahlur had kept walking and were well ahead of them. Valgrin and Skwilly followed Fred. Malcolm looked behind, then shrugged and brought up the rear. Why does all this feel almost normal now? Got to be magic and our characters taking over the old us. Do we forget who we were? Valgrin won’t like that. Me? Might be kinda nice, but could cause problems. Maybe Fred will tell me.
Malcolm picked up his pace, drawing even with Fred in a manner of seconds.
Fred didn’t break stride, but glanced over at Malcolm. “You have a question or just want to talk?”
“It could be I just like you and want to walk next to you.” Malcolm watched Fred roll his eyes. “But yeah, I have a question. Are our memories fading or being played with? This world is feeling more normal and I’ve never trained for real hand-to-hand combat, yet I know the moves like I’ve trained most of my life.”
Valgrin quickened his walk, coming alongside Fred and Malcolm.
Fred started talking once Valgrin was in place. “Not fading, if you forget something—that’s on you. There are some who get immersed or are here long enough that they forget, but it’s them, not us. There is that acceptance magic we talked about that all onboarded have cast on them. It has a fail rate of less than one percent. It helps your mind accept this world and you have the knowledge to do what your character is supposed to do.”
“That’s what we thought.” Malcolm nodded at Valgrin. “It made sense, but then I thought that might replace our memories.”
“It does for some people, but it’s not part of the magic itself.” Fred paused, then continued, “Could be considered a side-effect of the magic for some people, but….”
“New listing that sounds like it would be good for us.” Steeyann called out, “Hurry and get here. Don’t want someone else to take this one.”
“What is it?” Valgrin shouted back.
“I’ll tell you when you catch up. I’m not going to shout the whole thing.” He pointed behind him.
Malcom let his gaze follow Steeyann’s finger and noticed several others looking at the listings posted on the bulletin boards in the room they had just entered. He held up a thumb in answer to Steeyann.
They picked up the pace and caught up with Steeyann and Tahlur.
“Okay, we’re here. What is it?” Malcolm asked.
“Here’s the gist of it. We’d have to get to Kithreen, a small farming village to the northwest. A report came in late yesterday afternoon that they are having a problem with livestock going missing. Typically chickens. They want someone to investigate. They don’t have a local guard, and they were told the guard couldn’t send any help for a couple of weeks—therefore they have asked for adventurer help. I can go get assigned to this one and we could get there by tonight. They have a limited travel portal.”
Malcolm turned to Valgrin. “About half of that made sense to me. How you doing?”
“I might have gotten most of it. Travel portal threw me off, though.”
“Show-off.” Malcolm grinned, then turned to Steeyann. “To sum up, we’re heading to a farming community to investigate possible poaching, using a portal for travel?”
“Sounds like you got more than half.” Steeyann answered.
“What’s this portal thing?” Malcolm sat on a nearby table.
“Limited travel portal means it’s only for Terska, not all of the EverNever—and may not have all the points in Terska. But it has one from here.” Steeyann pointed to the other end of the room.
“Terska being the place Sanpra and Kithreen are a part of—state, region, county, or whatever it’s called around here?” Malcolm asked.
“Zone might be the best way of putting it.” Fred stepped in before anyone else could respond. “However, state or region would fit, too.”
“Thanks. So we have to get assigned to this task and then head out. Which reminds me, Fred, did you get me and Valgrin membership to this guild?”
“You are both members, and because you passed your test earlier. You’ve both been upgraded to advanced membership. Which allows you to take on more lucrative contracts. Hire out to be on a security detail, like Steeyann does. Also opens up practice facilities and library access.”
Valgrin spoke before Malcolm could. “So the reward for passing that test a few minutes ago is advanced membership?”
Fred nodded.
“Okay, still stupid, but I don’t mind so much anymore. Can’t wait to go dig in the library.” Valgrin rubbed his hands together.
“You can explore the library when we get back,” Steeyann commented. “It’s simple to get a job assigned. Just take it over to one of the clerks over there and register. I’ll get it done and then we can head back to Izzy’s to get ready.”
###
“I’ve seen up to three mages working here simultaneously.” Steeyann answered Valgrin. “They dump some magic into the machine and it stores it for the operators to run the machines. Sometimes the mage will charge and run the machine. Not sure how long the charges last.” He paused and sighed. “Any more questions?”
Valgrin opened his mouth, shut it, then replied. “Yes, but not for now. I’ve hit you with enough.”
Steeyann took a deep breath. “It’s probably getting close to our turn. This station usually isn’t this busy.”
“I don’t mind. The wait gave me plenty of time to watch and ask questions. Thank you for being willing to be badgered.”
“Helped pass the time. You do ask a lot of questions.” Steeyann laughed. “Let’s go join the others.”
They wove through the crowd waiting their turn, rejoining the group right as they were called to the portal.
The operator gently ushered them through a gap in the gleaming metal railing, guiding them onto the square platform that shimmered with a deep copper hue. Once the entire group had passed through, he carefully latched a sturdy chain across the opening, securing their place on the platform with a satisfying click.
Valgrin noticed, if they scrunched together, there was room for five or six more. How many can it transport? Save that one for later. He observed intently as the operator deftly adjusted a couple of dials, his fingers moving with practiced precision.
“Transporting four humans and a priggy to Kithreen. Ready?”
The group confirmed their readiness.
“All clear and ready.” The second operator confirmed.
Valgrin’s world went black. A muffled squeal pierced the void, only to be swallowed up as abruptly as the light had vanished. He meticulously counted each second that ticked by, his heart racing in anticipation and fear. Out of nowhere, an unstoppable force yanked him forward, as if the universe itself was determined to drag him into the depths of oblivion. He wondered if any of his body parts, other than his stomach, had stayed behind.
An occasional flash of pink and yellow passed him by in a blur.
He stopped hard, as if hitting a wall, but he didn’t feel any pain from a collision. A couple of seconds later, his stomach caught up, overshot him, and had to reverse itself to join with the rest of his body. His legs trembled beneath him, unsteady and weak, as he fumbled blindly in the pitch-black surroundings, desperate to find a spot to retch without making a mess.
As his vision struggled to return, a vivid green railing emerged in front of him, glowing like neon in the dim light. He clutched it tightly, his knuckles turning white, as his stomach churned ominously. To his right, the unmistakable sound of someone retching pierced the air. The sickening soundtrack and acrid smell was too much for Valgrin, his stomach heaved in sympathy. In mere moments, he doubled over, and his lunch made an unceremonious exit.
He opened his eyes and saw his white-knuckled grip on a glowing green rail. With a glance downwards and to the right , he saw a pale Skwilly leaning against a lower glowing rail. He’d found his barf buddy. To his left, the rest of the group stood in stark contrast, their faces lit up with amused smiles as they watched Valgrin and Skwilly's less-than-graceful ordeal.
He back looked down and the metal grate around Skwilly and his feet looked just as clean as the rest of the grated floor.
He spat, trying to get the horrible taste out of his mouth. A small wooden cup appeared in front of him, offered by one of the operators. He took it, swished the water in his mouth.
“Spit it on the floor.” Tahlur instructed. Valgrin did, the grate absorbing all the liquid. That’s how it stays clean.
“Could’ve warned us. You okay Skwilly?”
The priggy staggered over to the rest of the group, his snout bouncing up and down, nodding.
“Never know who gets portal sick.” Tahlur smiled. “If it helps any, you may never get sick again.”
Malcolm laughed, “Notice he said, may.”
Valgrin groaned and glared at his friend. “I noticed, I noticed. We make it to Kithreen?”
“Yep, adventure awaits us. Soon as you can move, that is.” Malcolm patted Valgrin on the back.
“Let’s go then.” Valgrin only stumbled twice as they made their way outside. “Wonder where we go next. Town seems to be empty.” A loud explosion sounded. “Or, maybe not.”
