Age of Victoria, page 4
Chapter 5
The roar from outside had us ducking and preparing for another attack from the door. For a brief moment of silence, we paused, not even daring to breathe. The silence was broken by a loud crashing sound followed by a child’s scream. There was no hesitation, without discussion we all rushed towards the door, the Colonel flinging the stacked chair barricade away with two wild swings of his free hand. In passing, I grabbed Robert’s pistol, knowing some how instinctively that I could use it though it was in some way a weak weapon. Going outside was a dangerous idea, going unarmed was foolishness. None of the others followed us out, they each huddled around Rebecca.
The Colonel rushed down the hallway like a rampaging injured bull, his momentum only slowing at the doorway to check the field of battle. His sudden stop caused a flinch to ripple across his shoulders, visible even from down the hallways. The Colonel’s pause was only for a moment, and then he turned and lumbered towards the barn. Robert, fast on his uncle’s heels, led with his shield held in front, crude club following. I loved Robert to death, he had been a friend since childhood, but compared to the expressive masculinity of father and the Colonel, he had always seemed wishy-washy. His show of bravery changed my mind.
Audibly gulping, I followed in the wake of the two defenders.
The stables had been built so that a small stablemaster’s apartment was above the tack room. Fully updated with a water closet, it was the most significant perk of the job. The door to the apartment was shattered with pieces of the door strewn about. Climbing the stairs was the back side of a sizeable greenish brute dressed in cloth rags. The humanoid monstrosity was so tall and wide it barely fit in the doorway. Turning its body sideways slightly it started to climb.
Focusing, I tried to read one of these monster’s information. With a bit of practice, I could imagine this would become second nature.
Orc Pillager
Warrior - Lvl 2
This would be a difficult opponent.
The difficulty line was yellow as it had been when inspecting the Colonel. The orc was trying to climb further up the stairs, but its forward progress was blocked by its compatriot in front. The apartment had been modernized, but the narrow stairway remained the same as before it had been updated. It appeared that this was an unexpected benefit. Three of the orcs were crammed into the stairwell. The lead orc was trying to bash through the door at the top of the stairs, but its efforts were hindered by the awkward angle and lack of bracing.
The Colonel grasped the strategic advantage of this situation and ruthlessly exploited it. Lunging his large body forward the Colonel’s sword drove through the knee of the last orc on the stairs. Above the orc’s head, two floating images appeared. One was a dripping drop of blood and the other a leg with manacle. Yanking his sword from the injured orc’s body, the Colonel stabbed the orc in its unprotected side, killing it. The red thirteen which floated out of the orc didn’t block the next orc in line. This monster was facing the Colonel and had the high ground, in its hand was a large knotted club. Before the Colonel could retreat the orc slammed his weapon into the Colonel’s head. A floating image of a man’s face with stars and a duck rotating around his head appeared. The weird image was joined by a red thirteen. The Colonel stumbling backward forced Robert to the side of the doorway. The Colonel’s knee-high boots thumped on the flagstone entranceway as he nearly fell prone. The orc never hesitated in giving up its height advantage, it rushed through the doorway after the Colonel and pressed its advantage. Robert found himself behind the bruiser with access to the beasts unprotected head.
The loud sound of the orc’s skull cracking rang out from Robert's full body swing. Robert had played cricket when he was younger, and his experience showed.
The first orc's body faded when it died, but this one remained. The sounds of the third orc’s rampage above stopped. The silence had me squeezing the pistol’s grip with white knuckles. I had never fired a gun before, but if the need occurred, I would. While Robert and I stood and prepared for the third adversary, the Colonel recovered from the stun he had received. Beyond a small mark on his forehead, he appeared amazingly healthy.
From within the entranceway, we could hear loud snorts; these were the sounds of the beast sniffing the air. Robert moved forward with his makeshift club and prepared himself to attack the final enemy when a loud inhuman roar of sheer rage started from above and lasted for seconds. All of us recoiled from the animalistic noise and scrambled further back in surprise as a loud crash came from inside. The sound of shattering wood was followed by bodies tumbling down the stairs. From within the entranceway appeared the orc with Philip Nye straddling him. An image of a screaming red human floated above the stablehand’s head, his muscular arms cloaked in blurs of red as he pummeled the orc with fists grown massive and grotesque. The orc took blow after blow, his arms trapped uselessly under the stablemaster’s knees, red fives and sevens floating away in a flurry of destruction. Soon the orc was dead and disappeared moments later.
Breathing heavily Mr. Nye stood, his body shrinking back to its standard size. Above his head, a new image appeared of a man trudging wearily under a load of weight.
“Rufus, get down here. Hurry!” called the Colonel as Robert helped a now staggering Mr. Nye.
My habit of focusing on everyone and anything showed me Mr. Nye’s information.
Philip Nye
Berserker - Lvl 2
This would be a difficult opponent.
Philip Nye was a berserker. That would certainly explain the explosion of rage and violence that he delivered upon the monster.
With a repeat of the horror from before, the one in the quest objective became a two. Two waves survived, and shimmering into view in the courtyard was the third wave. The monster which coalesced out of the air was seven feet tall, a dark woody tan, and wearing only a loincloth. Its colossal body had scars and marks from numerous battles, and its belly was bulbous. The monster's arms were as thick as my waist, and it hunched forward allowing it a four-limbed gait. It appeared to be a melding of a rotund man and a gorilla.
Young Ogre
Berserker - Lvl 5
Prepare for death.
The brilliant crimson text describing our imminent death caused me to whimper.
The ogre’s head whipped up, our eyes meeting. The pinprick black pupils floated in orbs of blood red. Nostrils flaring, the ogre opened its oversized jaw, the lips pulled back showing yellow and cracked teeth. With a howl of anger, the young ogre charged. I couldn’t move, my body froze as death hurdled towards me. The Colonel never hesitated, he charged then braced as he extended his sword like a pikeman breaking a cavalry charge. The Colonel’s movement altered the ogre’s trajectory, but his sword failed to slow the beast. A red twenty-five floated away from the sword now embedded in the ogre’s eye. An image of a man with an eye patch appeared over the beasts head along with the bleeding image, but its injury did not stop it from stomping over the Colonel. The red thirty which floated from the Colonel’s prone form told the tale of how damaging that charge was.
The ogre stomped forward five or six paces before it slowed and turned, the embedded sword swinging around like a macabre weather vane. A small puff of a red five floating from the monsters head failed to distract it.
Baring its teeth the beast knuckle-walked forward to finish the beating of Markus’ body. When Markus rolled over and stood, the ogre paused then hollered and swung at the Colonel’s head. The Colonel took the blow across the jaw, his head whipping to the side. A ten floated away from his head; his health must be close to empty by this point. According to the tutorial, in this new world, zero health meant death.
Strange words flowed from Robert’s mouth, a deep echo resonating from his tones. With Robert’s words rising to a crescendo a white light appeared around the Colonel before a green twenty was sucked into his body.
The young ogre dropped the arm raised to beat the Colonel and turned on Robert. Leaning forward the beast froze and let loose a holler as the image of the screaming red human appeared above its head. A small bar over the image began to fill as the monster screamed. If the monstrosity performed the same crazed attack that Philip had, none of us would survive.
While the monster continued its rage-induced yell, I stepped forward and pushed the pistol into the ogre’s ear and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back as a red twenty-three drifted from the monster’s ear. Multiple images appeared over the monsters head, a torn ear, a return of the swirling duck and stars, along with a large number two on the blood drop. The monster's roar was halted, and its head wobbled as it tried to turn toward its new attacker.
The presentation of the Colonel’s sword was all I needed. Without thought, I dropped the mostly useless pistol and wrapped my hands around the sword and shoved with all my might. The red twenty-five was the last act needed to end its life. The golden one hundred and fifty floating into my body was anti-climatic compared to the fallen corpse. Reaching down I looted a chainmail armor from the monster, the shiny ringed tunic dropping into my inventory instantly.
“How did you do that Robert?” the Colonel asked.
Robert refused to meet our eyes. He held his club loosely in his hand while he stared at his shield. Before we could continue to question him, the quest objective updated.
The Great Cleansing!
Objective:
Survive three waves of monsters. Levels and numbers depend on the density of the population in the Zone.
Wave 3/3 Survived.
Reward: 1000 exp, class specific item.
With that, the event was over and the exp, the golden number one thousand, floated into my body. A flash of shimmering golden light swirled around my form, and I could feel a sudden burst of power ripple through me. Wondering what had happened, I brought up the log window as the tutorial had taught me.
Level up!
Victoria [Warrior lvl 2] - at level 10 NPC's will no longer be zone locked.
New Skills!
Gained Skill - Block.
Gained Skill - Kick.
Once I closed the log window a new window appeared, this one titled ‘Reward.’ Inside was a large sword, more meat cleaver than the refined lines of the Colonel’s cane sword that he had nicknamed Eloise. Once I accepted my reward, the window disappeared and the weapon transferred to my inventory.
Rounding up Rufus we returned to the mansion. Despite the lack of a door, it was the sturdiest built building on the property. With some care, we should be able to block off the entrance using some of the larger furniture. It might not stop an ogre or even goblins, but it would give us enough warning to prepare to fight. While Rufus peppered his dad with questions, I stared at Roberts information.
Robert Collingwood
Cleric - Lvl 1
This opponent appears weaker than you.
While the last line in light blue text drew my eye, the word ‘Cleric’ answered at least a few of my questions. For whatever reason, it appeared a cleric could heal using the magic words Robert had spoke. Out of curiosity, I focused on Rufus and his information made me chuckle.
Rufus Nye
Beast Tamer - Lvl 1
This opponent appears weaker than you.
Rufus loved animals, and so the question of what he did to gain his class was easy to guess. More than once I had caught him feeding the barn cat Buttons.
My musings were interrupted by yelling and screaming coming from the ladies we had left behind while Owen just stood silently next to Annie. Our return silenced the screaming match. Emma looked over each of us from head to toe, but I noticed her eyes lingered on Robert more than anyone else. When she caught me watching her, she blushed and focused on the Colonel.
Resheathing ‘Eloise,’ the Colonel leaned on his cane. His movements had been better while fighting, but he seemed to be coming down from the battle rush that had allowed him to fight. The clothing the Colonel wore had a few smudges and wrinkles, but he remained almost pristine compared to the battle we had just fought. None of us appeared to have suffered more than a superficial wound during the fight even as we had taken damage which drove us nearly to death. Even the small bleeding headwound the Colonel had sported during the battle with the orcs was now gone without leaving a stain.
“Me and Robert will barricade the doors. We will huddle here and wait for our family to arrive, if they have survived the trip that is,” the Colonel said.
Annie bit her knuckles in concern at this pronouncement, and well she should. With the doorways we had been able to fight our enemies one at a time, two at worst, the terrain acting to hinder the monsters movements and attack. Out in the open, the young ogre had bulled the Colonel over with little fan fair. If we had been mobbed by all of the goblins at once, we would have all died in short order. Our location had played as much in our survival as the lucky access to weapons.
Everyone agreed that we should huddle down and wait for rescue.
Glancing around I said, “I’m going upstairs to change.”
The Colonel just nodded, my attire being scandalous but less important to him than the defenses. While the men turned to harvest material for a makeshift barricade, I raced to my room.
I had no intention of waiting for the others. The world had changed, and the rules were different. I had ten days to reach level ten or I would be stuck in this ‘zone’ forever as a merchant or ‘quest giver.’ That life wasn’t for me. I wanted to explore. I wanted to see father again. I wanted more of the feeling of gaining a level. The rush of conquest at the moment I shoved that sword into the young ogre’s face was like the thrill I felt as a young girl hearing father’s war stories. I was the Warrior now, and the icon of the cave in my minimap told me exactly what I needed to do.
Chapter 6
“What are you planning Vick?” asked Emma as she stood in the doorway to my room.
I ducked at the sound of my nickname, like a little kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I had always hated the diminutive form of my name, ‘Vicky,’ it always seemed to me like someone was calling me a little girl. The three knew that, and they always called me ‘Vick,’ something that polite society would find distasteful and crass.
“Emma, you called me ‘Vick.’ You haven’t called me that in a year at least,” I said, trying desperately to distract Emma from my plans.
Emma’s face scrunched up in a frown, her little nose wrinkling in the unfamiliar facial expression. She was holding her arms clasped around her chest, and I didn’t think it was just the attack and the windows which was the cause. She had been upset when she entered the game room as well.
“I…I buried a dead mouse from the pantry this morning.”
The nonsequitur threw me for a moment. It was a very ‘Emma’ thing to do, she had always felt strongly about animals and had even buried two barn cats when they died. But that didn’t explain why she was upset. Focusing on Emma, I brought forth her information.
Emma Raines
Necromancer - Lvl 1
This opponent appears weaker than you.
Necromancer, a death mage, that Class said it all. Little Emma, the most stoic and lovable of all of us, always there to help with a scrape or a bruise, was now a mage of the dead. Robert had never been much for religion, he went to church, and he mouthed the words but had never espoused the faith in private, but this might be a step too far. Worse he was now a ‘Cleric,’ we didn’t know the rules in this world, but he might be required to avoid her or fight her or some other craziness.
“Oh Emma, why did you bury a mouse hun?” I asked. It made no sense, I knew she cared for animals, but it was a mouse!
Emma seemed to shrink in on herself, her hands held tight to her chest, as silent tears ran down her cheeks.
“Ms. Northrop has been saying for weeks she was going to get rid of me the moment she found that I had done anything. She kept saying she thought I was a thief. A dead mouse in the pantry, that’s my responsibility, she would say I never cleaned or something, she would blame me, but I couldn’t just throw the poor thing outside, it was so tiny and looked helpless, all skin and bones,” she rambled, with her chin tucked into her chest.
Like a flash of light, I could see what the plan was. Steal from the family, accuse Emma, and blame more and more of the servants she had fired. Then leave with whatever she had stolen. If she planned it right, it would place the crime on Emma and she might have been able to continue as a Governess somewhere else with none the wiser. Except for anyone who had ever met Emma that was. We would have known that she would never have stolen from us. Rebecca’s plan would have failed right at that moment.
“Emma, hun, none of that matters now. She isn’t in charge, and none of us care what that ‘Rogue’ says. You need to go down and talk to Robert. You need to find out if this changes anything,” I said, trying not to let the guilt of manipulating my friend show in my voice. If Emma hadn’t been so upset, she would have figured out that I was distracting her. I couldn’t let them stop me; this was my only hope to escape from this place and to see the world. I thought of the pleasant feeling from when I gained a level; I wanted more of that.
With a bit more encouragement, Emma agreed to talk to Robert, a conversation I was hoping not to be around to hear.
If I was going to fight monsters and gain levels, I needed to check what armor and weapons I had available. In my inventory, I could see the sword quest reward and the chainmail shirt I had looted from the young ogre. With a bit of intent, I moved the sword from my inventory and into the right-hand slot in my character window. Much to my surprise, the sword didn’t suddenly appear in my hand, but the moment I thought of it, I was grasping the sword. The blade was as long as my leg, thick and blocky, the edge a large curve of metal with two notches. The incredible thing was its weight. Huge and heavy, yet I could move it quickly. The weapon felt like it was an extension of my body. Different movements and how to use the blade flashed through my mind, how to slash and jab, how to use its weight to help with dodging as well as how to block using the sword. I could even tell that blocking with the blade was more difficult than with a shield, the nature of skillful blocking was just there and hovering in front of me.
The roar from outside had us ducking and preparing for another attack from the door. For a brief moment of silence, we paused, not even daring to breathe. The silence was broken by a loud crashing sound followed by a child’s scream. There was no hesitation, without discussion we all rushed towards the door, the Colonel flinging the stacked chair barricade away with two wild swings of his free hand. In passing, I grabbed Robert’s pistol, knowing some how instinctively that I could use it though it was in some way a weak weapon. Going outside was a dangerous idea, going unarmed was foolishness. None of the others followed us out, they each huddled around Rebecca.
The Colonel rushed down the hallway like a rampaging injured bull, his momentum only slowing at the doorway to check the field of battle. His sudden stop caused a flinch to ripple across his shoulders, visible even from down the hallways. The Colonel’s pause was only for a moment, and then he turned and lumbered towards the barn. Robert, fast on his uncle’s heels, led with his shield held in front, crude club following. I loved Robert to death, he had been a friend since childhood, but compared to the expressive masculinity of father and the Colonel, he had always seemed wishy-washy. His show of bravery changed my mind.
Audibly gulping, I followed in the wake of the two defenders.
The stables had been built so that a small stablemaster’s apartment was above the tack room. Fully updated with a water closet, it was the most significant perk of the job. The door to the apartment was shattered with pieces of the door strewn about. Climbing the stairs was the back side of a sizeable greenish brute dressed in cloth rags. The humanoid monstrosity was so tall and wide it barely fit in the doorway. Turning its body sideways slightly it started to climb.
Focusing, I tried to read one of these monster’s information. With a bit of practice, I could imagine this would become second nature.
Orc Pillager
Warrior - Lvl 2
This would be a difficult opponent.
The difficulty line was yellow as it had been when inspecting the Colonel. The orc was trying to climb further up the stairs, but its forward progress was blocked by its compatriot in front. The apartment had been modernized, but the narrow stairway remained the same as before it had been updated. It appeared that this was an unexpected benefit. Three of the orcs were crammed into the stairwell. The lead orc was trying to bash through the door at the top of the stairs, but its efforts were hindered by the awkward angle and lack of bracing.
The Colonel grasped the strategic advantage of this situation and ruthlessly exploited it. Lunging his large body forward the Colonel’s sword drove through the knee of the last orc on the stairs. Above the orc’s head, two floating images appeared. One was a dripping drop of blood and the other a leg with manacle. Yanking his sword from the injured orc’s body, the Colonel stabbed the orc in its unprotected side, killing it. The red thirteen which floated out of the orc didn’t block the next orc in line. This monster was facing the Colonel and had the high ground, in its hand was a large knotted club. Before the Colonel could retreat the orc slammed his weapon into the Colonel’s head. A floating image of a man’s face with stars and a duck rotating around his head appeared. The weird image was joined by a red thirteen. The Colonel stumbling backward forced Robert to the side of the doorway. The Colonel’s knee-high boots thumped on the flagstone entranceway as he nearly fell prone. The orc never hesitated in giving up its height advantage, it rushed through the doorway after the Colonel and pressed its advantage. Robert found himself behind the bruiser with access to the beasts unprotected head.
The loud sound of the orc’s skull cracking rang out from Robert's full body swing. Robert had played cricket when he was younger, and his experience showed.
The first orc's body faded when it died, but this one remained. The sounds of the third orc’s rampage above stopped. The silence had me squeezing the pistol’s grip with white knuckles. I had never fired a gun before, but if the need occurred, I would. While Robert and I stood and prepared for the third adversary, the Colonel recovered from the stun he had received. Beyond a small mark on his forehead, he appeared amazingly healthy.
From within the entranceway, we could hear loud snorts; these were the sounds of the beast sniffing the air. Robert moved forward with his makeshift club and prepared himself to attack the final enemy when a loud inhuman roar of sheer rage started from above and lasted for seconds. All of us recoiled from the animalistic noise and scrambled further back in surprise as a loud crash came from inside. The sound of shattering wood was followed by bodies tumbling down the stairs. From within the entranceway appeared the orc with Philip Nye straddling him. An image of a screaming red human floated above the stablehand’s head, his muscular arms cloaked in blurs of red as he pummeled the orc with fists grown massive and grotesque. The orc took blow after blow, his arms trapped uselessly under the stablemaster’s knees, red fives and sevens floating away in a flurry of destruction. Soon the orc was dead and disappeared moments later.
Breathing heavily Mr. Nye stood, his body shrinking back to its standard size. Above his head, a new image appeared of a man trudging wearily under a load of weight.
“Rufus, get down here. Hurry!” called the Colonel as Robert helped a now staggering Mr. Nye.
My habit of focusing on everyone and anything showed me Mr. Nye’s information.
Philip Nye
Berserker - Lvl 2
This would be a difficult opponent.
Philip Nye was a berserker. That would certainly explain the explosion of rage and violence that he delivered upon the monster.
With a repeat of the horror from before, the one in the quest objective became a two. Two waves survived, and shimmering into view in the courtyard was the third wave. The monster which coalesced out of the air was seven feet tall, a dark woody tan, and wearing only a loincloth. Its colossal body had scars and marks from numerous battles, and its belly was bulbous. The monster's arms were as thick as my waist, and it hunched forward allowing it a four-limbed gait. It appeared to be a melding of a rotund man and a gorilla.
Young Ogre
Berserker - Lvl 5
Prepare for death.
The brilliant crimson text describing our imminent death caused me to whimper.
The ogre’s head whipped up, our eyes meeting. The pinprick black pupils floated in orbs of blood red. Nostrils flaring, the ogre opened its oversized jaw, the lips pulled back showing yellow and cracked teeth. With a howl of anger, the young ogre charged. I couldn’t move, my body froze as death hurdled towards me. The Colonel never hesitated, he charged then braced as he extended his sword like a pikeman breaking a cavalry charge. The Colonel’s movement altered the ogre’s trajectory, but his sword failed to slow the beast. A red twenty-five floated away from the sword now embedded in the ogre’s eye. An image of a man with an eye patch appeared over the beasts head along with the bleeding image, but its injury did not stop it from stomping over the Colonel. The red thirty which floated from the Colonel’s prone form told the tale of how damaging that charge was.
The ogre stomped forward five or six paces before it slowed and turned, the embedded sword swinging around like a macabre weather vane. A small puff of a red five floating from the monsters head failed to distract it.
Baring its teeth the beast knuckle-walked forward to finish the beating of Markus’ body. When Markus rolled over and stood, the ogre paused then hollered and swung at the Colonel’s head. The Colonel took the blow across the jaw, his head whipping to the side. A ten floated away from his head; his health must be close to empty by this point. According to the tutorial, in this new world, zero health meant death.
Strange words flowed from Robert’s mouth, a deep echo resonating from his tones. With Robert’s words rising to a crescendo a white light appeared around the Colonel before a green twenty was sucked into his body.
The young ogre dropped the arm raised to beat the Colonel and turned on Robert. Leaning forward the beast froze and let loose a holler as the image of the screaming red human appeared above its head. A small bar over the image began to fill as the monster screamed. If the monstrosity performed the same crazed attack that Philip had, none of us would survive.
While the monster continued its rage-induced yell, I stepped forward and pushed the pistol into the ogre’s ear and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked back as a red twenty-three drifted from the monster’s ear. Multiple images appeared over the monsters head, a torn ear, a return of the swirling duck and stars, along with a large number two on the blood drop. The monster's roar was halted, and its head wobbled as it tried to turn toward its new attacker.
The presentation of the Colonel’s sword was all I needed. Without thought, I dropped the mostly useless pistol and wrapped my hands around the sword and shoved with all my might. The red twenty-five was the last act needed to end its life. The golden one hundred and fifty floating into my body was anti-climatic compared to the fallen corpse. Reaching down I looted a chainmail armor from the monster, the shiny ringed tunic dropping into my inventory instantly.
“How did you do that Robert?” the Colonel asked.
Robert refused to meet our eyes. He held his club loosely in his hand while he stared at his shield. Before we could continue to question him, the quest objective updated.
The Great Cleansing!
Objective:
Survive three waves of monsters. Levels and numbers depend on the density of the population in the Zone.
Wave 3/3 Survived.
Reward: 1000 exp, class specific item.
With that, the event was over and the exp, the golden number one thousand, floated into my body. A flash of shimmering golden light swirled around my form, and I could feel a sudden burst of power ripple through me. Wondering what had happened, I brought up the log window as the tutorial had taught me.
Level up!
Victoria [Warrior lvl 2] - at level 10 NPC's will no longer be zone locked.
New Skills!
Gained Skill - Block.
Gained Skill - Kick.
Once I closed the log window a new window appeared, this one titled ‘Reward.’ Inside was a large sword, more meat cleaver than the refined lines of the Colonel’s cane sword that he had nicknamed Eloise. Once I accepted my reward, the window disappeared and the weapon transferred to my inventory.
Rounding up Rufus we returned to the mansion. Despite the lack of a door, it was the sturdiest built building on the property. With some care, we should be able to block off the entrance using some of the larger furniture. It might not stop an ogre or even goblins, but it would give us enough warning to prepare to fight. While Rufus peppered his dad with questions, I stared at Roberts information.
Robert Collingwood
Cleric - Lvl 1
This opponent appears weaker than you.
While the last line in light blue text drew my eye, the word ‘Cleric’ answered at least a few of my questions. For whatever reason, it appeared a cleric could heal using the magic words Robert had spoke. Out of curiosity, I focused on Rufus and his information made me chuckle.
Rufus Nye
Beast Tamer - Lvl 1
This opponent appears weaker than you.
Rufus loved animals, and so the question of what he did to gain his class was easy to guess. More than once I had caught him feeding the barn cat Buttons.
My musings were interrupted by yelling and screaming coming from the ladies we had left behind while Owen just stood silently next to Annie. Our return silenced the screaming match. Emma looked over each of us from head to toe, but I noticed her eyes lingered on Robert more than anyone else. When she caught me watching her, she blushed and focused on the Colonel.
Resheathing ‘Eloise,’ the Colonel leaned on his cane. His movements had been better while fighting, but he seemed to be coming down from the battle rush that had allowed him to fight. The clothing the Colonel wore had a few smudges and wrinkles, but he remained almost pristine compared to the battle we had just fought. None of us appeared to have suffered more than a superficial wound during the fight even as we had taken damage which drove us nearly to death. Even the small bleeding headwound the Colonel had sported during the battle with the orcs was now gone without leaving a stain.
“Me and Robert will barricade the doors. We will huddle here and wait for our family to arrive, if they have survived the trip that is,” the Colonel said.
Annie bit her knuckles in concern at this pronouncement, and well she should. With the doorways we had been able to fight our enemies one at a time, two at worst, the terrain acting to hinder the monsters movements and attack. Out in the open, the young ogre had bulled the Colonel over with little fan fair. If we had been mobbed by all of the goblins at once, we would have all died in short order. Our location had played as much in our survival as the lucky access to weapons.
Everyone agreed that we should huddle down and wait for rescue.
Glancing around I said, “I’m going upstairs to change.”
The Colonel just nodded, my attire being scandalous but less important to him than the defenses. While the men turned to harvest material for a makeshift barricade, I raced to my room.
I had no intention of waiting for the others. The world had changed, and the rules were different. I had ten days to reach level ten or I would be stuck in this ‘zone’ forever as a merchant or ‘quest giver.’ That life wasn’t for me. I wanted to explore. I wanted to see father again. I wanted more of the feeling of gaining a level. The rush of conquest at the moment I shoved that sword into the young ogre’s face was like the thrill I felt as a young girl hearing father’s war stories. I was the Warrior now, and the icon of the cave in my minimap told me exactly what I needed to do.
Chapter 6
“What are you planning Vick?” asked Emma as she stood in the doorway to my room.
I ducked at the sound of my nickname, like a little kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I had always hated the diminutive form of my name, ‘Vicky,’ it always seemed to me like someone was calling me a little girl. The three knew that, and they always called me ‘Vick,’ something that polite society would find distasteful and crass.
“Emma, you called me ‘Vick.’ You haven’t called me that in a year at least,” I said, trying desperately to distract Emma from my plans.
Emma’s face scrunched up in a frown, her little nose wrinkling in the unfamiliar facial expression. She was holding her arms clasped around her chest, and I didn’t think it was just the attack and the windows which was the cause. She had been upset when she entered the game room as well.
“I…I buried a dead mouse from the pantry this morning.”
The nonsequitur threw me for a moment. It was a very ‘Emma’ thing to do, she had always felt strongly about animals and had even buried two barn cats when they died. But that didn’t explain why she was upset. Focusing on Emma, I brought forth her information.
Emma Raines
Necromancer - Lvl 1
This opponent appears weaker than you.
Necromancer, a death mage, that Class said it all. Little Emma, the most stoic and lovable of all of us, always there to help with a scrape or a bruise, was now a mage of the dead. Robert had never been much for religion, he went to church, and he mouthed the words but had never espoused the faith in private, but this might be a step too far. Worse he was now a ‘Cleric,’ we didn’t know the rules in this world, but he might be required to avoid her or fight her or some other craziness.
“Oh Emma, why did you bury a mouse hun?” I asked. It made no sense, I knew she cared for animals, but it was a mouse!
Emma seemed to shrink in on herself, her hands held tight to her chest, as silent tears ran down her cheeks.
“Ms. Northrop has been saying for weeks she was going to get rid of me the moment she found that I had done anything. She kept saying she thought I was a thief. A dead mouse in the pantry, that’s my responsibility, she would say I never cleaned or something, she would blame me, but I couldn’t just throw the poor thing outside, it was so tiny and looked helpless, all skin and bones,” she rambled, with her chin tucked into her chest.
Like a flash of light, I could see what the plan was. Steal from the family, accuse Emma, and blame more and more of the servants she had fired. Then leave with whatever she had stolen. If she planned it right, it would place the crime on Emma and she might have been able to continue as a Governess somewhere else with none the wiser. Except for anyone who had ever met Emma that was. We would have known that she would never have stolen from us. Rebecca’s plan would have failed right at that moment.
“Emma, hun, none of that matters now. She isn’t in charge, and none of us care what that ‘Rogue’ says. You need to go down and talk to Robert. You need to find out if this changes anything,” I said, trying not to let the guilt of manipulating my friend show in my voice. If Emma hadn’t been so upset, she would have figured out that I was distracting her. I couldn’t let them stop me; this was my only hope to escape from this place and to see the world. I thought of the pleasant feeling from when I gained a level; I wanted more of that.
With a bit more encouragement, Emma agreed to talk to Robert, a conversation I was hoping not to be around to hear.
If I was going to fight monsters and gain levels, I needed to check what armor and weapons I had available. In my inventory, I could see the sword quest reward and the chainmail shirt I had looted from the young ogre. With a bit of intent, I moved the sword from my inventory and into the right-hand slot in my character window. Much to my surprise, the sword didn’t suddenly appear in my hand, but the moment I thought of it, I was grasping the sword. The blade was as long as my leg, thick and blocky, the edge a large curve of metal with two notches. The incredible thing was its weight. Huge and heavy, yet I could move it quickly. The weapon felt like it was an extension of my body. Different movements and how to use the blade flashed through my mind, how to slash and jab, how to use its weight to help with dodging as well as how to block using the sword. I could even tell that blocking with the blade was more difficult than with a shield, the nature of skillful blocking was just there and hovering in front of me.
