Copperbeard showed back up suddenly one day. And while I was awaiting their rerturn it startled me so badly I dropped the soup I had been trying to make. It was a good thing I wasn't doing something more indelicate.
“Are the rest of them coming?” I asked the moment he got up off of his bedroll.
“No,” he said and looked away. “We are havin some issues with everyone having the same availability.”
I felt like there was something he wasn’t saying.
“Ayerelia should said she might be able to join," he said avoiding my gaze. "We were thinking we could pack up camp and move along. The others can still spawn in the camp. That way we can make progress without everyone needing to be here.” He then turned to give me a reassuring smile.
I wasn’t buying it. Not the idea of moving camp and making progress with less than a full party. That actually sounded quite practical. That he wouldn’t hold my eye contact was suspicious and that smile looked fake as fuck.
“Out with it.” I told him deadpan.
He gave a sigh and mopped his face with his hand. “It’s Darkraven. She’s grounded and we aren’t sure when she will be allowed to log in again. Ayerelia likely knows more. I just know Darkraven isn’t even allowed in the group chat to tell us herself.”
“But she’s got the ring.” I said immediately concerned.
He nodded agreement. “Aye that’s a problem. In this game you have to both be physically in game and in the same location to transfer items. We just have to hope that by the time we get to the Prince’s army she will be allowed back in.”
“Fuck.”
He nodded at that too.
“What about Arjun?”
“He’s been busy with work. Says he will try to get on when we are all here. But that there isn’t much point without the quest item.” The dwarf looked away, towards Arjun’s bedroll. “He is adamant about not doing the escort quest again no matter what happens.”
I could see that. It had been terrible in a way that hadn't been fun in the slightest. Fighting the bear or the boars was terrible, but kind of fun. Watching an NPC die before you, was not.
“Any news on that ticket?” I asked rolling up Arjun’s bedroll.
“No, but it’s still open,” Copperbeard heaved his roll on top of Ayerelia’s.
We had just finished packing up the entire camp when Ayerelia popped in. I wondered if it was possible for her to know we had done all the hard work before she showed up or if this was just a happy coincidence for her.
“What’s the deal with Darkraven?” I asked.
“Well hello to you too," She gave me a disapproving glare, but answered, "She’s grounded.”
I waited a moment to see if more information was coming. When it wasn’t I said, “I heard that.”
The elf rolled her eyes dramatically. “I don’t know what you want me to do about it. She’s not my kid.”
The idea of Ayerelia as someone’s mom shorted out my brain for a moment, and I was stunned into silence. That was an idea too terrible and incongruous to even contemplate.
Taking my silence to mean the matter was closed Ayerelia picked up her nicely packed gear and put it in her inventory. I looked over at the dwarf to see if he was going to say anything, but he just shrugged.
“Since you are always here,” Ayerelia said looking down at Arjun’s supplies. “How about you take his stuff and hold on to it.” She had already taken Darkraven’s gear into her inventory.
“My inventory is not the same as yours.” I said, hesitating a bit, not wanting to get into another argument with her. “The reason I have a back pack is my tent and stuff won’t go into my inventory.”
Ayerelia was about to argue when she paused. “Why do you have a tent?”
This also threw me. I mean, why wouldn’t I have a tent? Then I thought about it, did none of them have tents? They had just left their bedrolls out and logged off. Now that it was pointed out that was odd.
“Um I have a tent in case of rain.” I said, not sure if she would get angry at the insinuation that she was stupid. I thought she was many things, but stupid wasn't one of them.
“But it never rains.” Copperbeard interjected.
And he was right, It hadn’t rained. Not since I had partied up. I looked at him in the eye so that he, at least, would know I wasn’t joking. “It has rained in here on me. I have had to weather a severe night long thunderstorm in-game.”
Ayerelia made a pfft noise. But even she wouldn’t think I was dumb enough to haul a tent around for no reason at all.
“I’ll take it.” Copperbeard said and the last bedroll and the supplies stacked upon it winked away.
“Now that that’s settled.” Ayerelia said sweeping back her silver hair. Shall we head east?”
I told them about the possible camp fires and it was decided we would investigate them if they were still there.
The day was fine and clear, as had been all the days. How was everything so green without rain? Well yes it was programmed to be green. But then why had their been a thunderstorm?
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We walked in silence and my thoughts were churning. Not only why had their been a thunderstorm. Things had been... different before I met up with other players. In all our fights not once had we fought people. Only beasts. But I had had to face the highwaymen. And their horses. I hadn't seen any horses like those, not even in Bistmore.
When Lord Ashford had been killed it hadn’t been by my hand. His death wasn’t even part of ‘my’ storyline. So I wasn't sure if he counted as part of the 'weirdness'. With this game what was weird and what was normal. I should ask the others if they had quests like I had had. Then my mind began to wander. How Sera was doing? There was no email in this game so people should write letters. Was there an NCP to NCP postal service? And if so could I use it?
Ayerelia came up beside me and interrupted my thoughts. “That bear thing really works for you.” She pointed at the bearskin mantle.
I sighed, now what. But I said “Thanks," possibly a bit more sarcastically than I meant because Ayerelia felt the need to protest.
“No really. It makes you look even bigger, it makes your shoulders look massive. It’s quite impressive and a bit intimidating.”
I glanced sideways at her. Now that we were side by side, I remembered when we first met I had to look up to her, now she was having to look up at me. I was bigger. But I knew what she meant.
“What is that item called?” She asked. Why did she want one? I almost chuckled thinking of her in a shaggy rough bear skin piece of clothing.
I relaxed a bit. I didn't think she was mocking me. “It was labelled Mantle of the Bear. The tag said it was rare.”
She tilted her head. “It’s a bit small for a mantle. Those are usually more cloak-like. That looks like…” she paused and tapped her fingers to her lips. “Its like a cross between a mantle and a paldron or maybe a spaulder.”
I was impressed. Those sounded like real historical garments. Or maybe armour. “Were those last ones fashion or protection?” I asked, intrigued.
“Mostly they were armour but historically they could be also quite fashionable. Fantasy armour almost always has fancy shoulder gear.” She shook her shoulders and silk tassels swished and glinted against her gleaming metal shoulder coverings.
“Huh,” I said. “That makes a kind of sense then. They were listed as armour. Though I am not sure how much protection they are going to be doing. They only cover my shoulders and across my back.”
Ayerelia looked appraisingly at me. “It also covers the back of your neck. I wouldn’t discount having thick hide protecting your back from what is behind you.”
She had a point. I wanted to thank her, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t go well. So I just let us lapse back into silence. But it was more companionable than it had been before.
We came out to the section of tracks that met the main road. It was later in the day than when I had been here previously. But there were at least five or six thin plumes of smoke rising in the air in the distance.
“We won’t make that by tonight.” Copperbeard said, drinking from his water skin. “Shall we camp and reset the day?”
Ayerelia agreed. But I wondered. What if those other players were staying up? I remembered playing a game with Rodney. It was an old game from my parent’s generation or before. It was quaint, and it had vikings. It has this mechanic where everyone had to sleep if you wanted to skip to the next morning, if even one person stayed up the game continued in real time. There was just enough time fuckery when the other party members were around and I was trying to sleep I figured there had to be something similar going on here.
I set up my sleeping area despite Dekka's help and had started spitting a couple of beast haunches for dinner when Copperbeard joined me.
“I've been meaning to ask, do you need to eat in here?” He helped me get the joints of meat over the fire.
I thought about it. “Not like out there. But I do feel hungry, and I feel weaker if I don’t eat. Same with water." So saying I drank the last of the water in my water skin. I was going to have to make a trip back to that little stream we crossed earlier. "Do you need to eat in here?” I asked him. I had seen them eat but less frequently than they should if they were real people living in this world.
“We have stamina bars. They get bigger and drain slower if you have the 'full' buff.” He pulled over a log to sit on by the fire and watched me work.
“I found a stamina bar,” I told him. “In my HUD menu, but like my health bar it’s just that-- a bar. I have no idea how big my reserves are, just a visual percentage or amount that it is full. I have never noticed my stamina getting low.”
That seemed to surprise him. “Even when you are fighting?” He asked.
I shrugged. I hadn’t even thought of getting fatigued until I had noticed the bar in my HUD.
Dekka came by to check to see what the holdup with dinner was, and Ayerelia wasn’t far behind.
“Your dog needs a new bow. That one is disgusting. I think it smells.” She took a step closer to Dekka, sniffed audibly and then made a face. “No I am sure it smells . At least I am glad it’s your dog that smells rotten and not our dinner.” The elf said as she joined us by the campfire.
Well there went a lot of the goodwill I had been feeling towards her.
“I will get right on that as soon as I see a ribbon and silk shop. Think there will be one in the forest up ahead? Maybe beside a big tree and run by a nice matronly bear?”
She shook her head, and not dignifying my sarcasm with a reply, and went to sit on the opposite side of the fire. Further away from my stinky dog. Though now that she pointed it out, Dekka and her bow did smell a bit ripe.
Dinner was roast beast. I think this one had been from the boar. They all looked suspiciously similar and only differed slightly in taste. Now that Copperbeard had mentioned it, I wasn’t eating an even remotely balanced diet. Yet I was healthy, I was growing strong— very literally.
Must be a game mechanic, any food counted. Maybe it was too difficult to program in vitamin verisimilitude.
When we went to bed, as I expected, I didn’t fall asleep instantly like I normally did when with the group. The other two didn’t say anything so I wasn't sure if they noticed that night. But they sure did the next morning.
I woke up to a “What the fuck!” that was not mine.
Ayerelia was sitting up in her bedroll looking decidedly peeved.
“What is it?” Asked Copperbeard looking around to see if there was a threat. Though there should be no threat in the immediate environs of a set camp.
“There must be a mistake,” She said, her eyes unfocused like she was looking at her HUD. “Check your time. Your real time.”
“Oh.” He said and was silent his eyes also unfocused. “How did that happen?”
“How did what happen?” I asked annoyed at the way they always ignored the fact I didn't have settings like 'real time' in my HUD.
“We have been asleep for over two hours in real time.” He said astonished.
Oh that. Well I had been expecting so I shrugged.
“I have to go!” Ayerelia said. “I am going to be late to work!” And without so much as a “Sorry” or a “Goodbye” she was gone.
Dekka gave a little sneeze of annoyance. Though I think she was quite happy the annoying elf had left. I was going to have to explain to my dog the importance of having a healer along and see if she could come to see why I valued Ayerelia’s usefulness if not her personality.
“How about you?” I asked Copperbeard.
“I am good with time. But there is no point in moving the camp.”
“Why not?”
He looked over at me and then realised I was serious he said, “You really don’t have access to the game rules or wiki do you?”
I shook my head. Why was it so hard for them to believe me?
“At least half your party, rounded up, has to set up a new camp to enable fast travel for the group.”
“Oh.” I said. That made a kind of sense. And it explained why Ayerelia hadn’t tried getting me to lug everyone’s stuff whilst they were busy living their real lives.
“Yeah,” he said, his face falling in disappointment. “I guess I might as well go too. I have some work to do in the garden the missus has been on me for.” He gave me a kind of salute and then lay back down and disappeared.
My dog and I just sat there looking at each other.
“Fucking players man.” I said to her.
She gave a little sneeze snort in agreement.
What do you value in a story? (not saying I am going to change my plans but I can highlight certain aspects more or less) Answer all that apply
