Chapter 17: Cells and Cyclops
Name Chase Class — Marks 0 Guild — SD 984
Chase allowed his teammates to slap his back and congratulate him as he massaged his right hand. As Brent was yapping about his accidental split arrow Chase gently flexed his fingers.
Everything feels fine now, thought Chase. The spasms are gone, I guess.
“The most amazing thing I have ever seen,” said Brent, eyes aglow. “A split arrow! When Mark scored that nine for a moment I thought it was all over but nope! Well done, Chase. Choosing you was the best decision I have made all week.”
“Thanks,” said Chase, smiling. “But I really didn’t mean to split that arrow. Actually I think without the wind I would have missed it.”
For the first time since he had met her, Claire laughed. She seemed to find this bit of information particularly humorous.
“Seriously? You mean it was all an accident?” She doubled over and clutched her stomach. After a bit she straightened herself up and said, “sorry, I laugh sometimes after being nervous.”
“Yeah, she does,” said Brent. He cocked his head and looked at Chase. “Are you sure it was an accident though? You got the first two targets perfectly.”
Chase shrugged. “Had to be, Brent. I must have been an archer in the Old World, but I highly doubt I was trained to split an arrow like that. Again I think it was some wind.”
Out the corner of his eye Chase noticed that Amelie was staring at him. When he glanced at her she was looking at his right hand.
“Every thing alright, Amelie?” Said Brent. “You’re giving Chase quite the stare there.”
She looked surprised to be called upon in the group.
“Huh? Oh, yes.” She nodded but didn’t mention if she saw Chase’s hand shake. “Well done, Chase. I hope that Alex and I perform as well as you did.”
Alexander was the only one sitting and was absentmindedly plucking blades of grass from the field and examining them.
“Any idea what the third event will be?” He held up some grass and squinted, examining it for who knew what. “If it’s some stupid riddle then I am afraid Amelie is going to have to take the reins.”
“Riddle?” Brent crossed his arms and frowned. “I hadn’t thought about that. Claire, have they ever done a riddle in the Triple Fives?”
“Not that I have seen,” said Claire. “Last time it was some bridge building event with a few objects.”
“Oh man,” said Brent. “I remember falling asleep during that one. I wonder what genius came up with that idea.”
“This genius,” came a deep voice behind them. Brent spun around.
Master at Arms Brix was standing there looking perturbed. His handlebar mustache twitched irritably as he eyed the young man. Beside him was a familiar face.
“Well done,” said Advisor Ghelion before Brix could say anything else. He seemed genuinely pleased that the five of them had made it so far. “I am glad that you two took my suggestion to recruit Chase.”
“I thought it might have been your idea,” said Chase.
Ghelion’s smile was tight as he looked at Chase.
He doesn’t honestly think I split that arrow on purpose does he? thought Chase.
“Well they needed a couple other players and for some some reason no one else could be bothered,” said Ghelion.
“Might have had something to do with Brent knocking out Gregory yesterday,” said Claire, smiling. It seemed memories of violence also made her happy.
Ghelion sighed. “Yes, now that you mention it, that is very likely.”
“Excuse me,” said Amelie. “Advisor…?”
“Ghelion.”
“Advisor Ghelion. Are you in charge of the third event?”
“I just so happen to have that honor,” said Ghelion. Suddenly he clapped his hands twice and a pair of wooden tables appeared out of thin air about 20 feet away from one another. He looked over his work and sighed.
“Every time,” he muttered. He clapped again and this time five matching wooden chairs appeared at each table as well.
“Wow!” Alexander stood up, mouth open. “How did you do that?”
“He’s not your regular NPC, Alex,” said Claire. “Advisors have magic powers.”
“Alexander,” corrected the young man. “I don’t understand though, how—.”
“It’s not ‘magic powers’, per se,” explained Ghelion. “Advisors just have special abilities. AION had to have some people walking around who could set things right if players got out of control.”
You should see him get angry, thought Chase, remembering his Advisors sudden transformation the day before in his office.
“Master at Arms, could you call the other team?” Said Ghelion. “I need to explain how this is going to work.”
“TEAMS REPORT HERE,” shouted Brix. “ON THE DOUBLE.”
All five of them including Ghelion had to cover their ears. As Chase was shaking his head to stop the ringing in his ears the other five members of the second team arrived. He only knew the Meredith who he had competed against. Her teammates were another woman who looked around her same age, and three men. One seemed closer to Marlon’s age and was wearing a pair of glasses, while the other two younger ones were burly and bearded. Chase recognized them from their fight during the first event.
Meredith nodded at Chase as she came near.
“That was an incredible shot. My name is Meredith.”
“Trust me, it was an accident,” said Chase as he shook her hand. “My name is Chase. I assume you know Brent and Claire. These two over here are my spawnmates: Alexander and Amelie.”
Greetings were shared around and then Meredith introduced her team.
“The two who look like they could eat rocks for breakfast are Daniel and Hackney,” Meredith motioned towards the two men. They didn’t smile back. One was nursing a bruise on his arm he had sustained during the first event. “And our two brainiacs for the final event are Sherry,” the young girl smiled. Where Meredith was blonde she was auburn and had dark eyes. “And this is Clark.”
The older man grasped Chase’s hand in both of his and shook vigorously.
“Well met, young man, well met. That was a fantastic shot if I may say so.”
“Thanks. It was an accident.”
“Hoho!” Laughed Clark, his eyes brimming with mirth. “I can tell a master when I see one. Don’t be so modest.”
Blast, I really flubbed this up, thought Chase. If news of this reached all the new players which it undoubtedly would he would become more well known than he wanted. He would have to act more discrete in the future.
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Ghelion cleared his throat.
“If everyone is here then allow me to go ahead and explain what it is we are all doing.” The Advisor motioned to the tables. “For this event the advisors have decided to allow all five members of each team to participate, so the two you chosen for the final event will not be alone.”
“No talking, you two,” snapped Brix as he glared at Daniel and Hackney. “Listen to the Advisor, he’s only explaining this once.
“Thank you, master at arms,” said Ghelion. “For this event you will be going on a kind of adventure. Only instead of marching into the woods and slaying goblins or trolls the entire adventure will be happening in your imagination.”
Oh no, I know what this is, thought Chase. If he was right then he would be all but useless during this entire thing. This game came in and out of popularity over the years and it was not one which Chase ever sought out willingly.
“Our imaginations?” Said Brent. “What are you talking about?”
“This is a game from the Old World,” said Ghelion. “It is played by several people and what is essentially a guide who informs and entertains the players as they make their way through an imaginary landscape while solving puzzles and completing quests. Though its name has been lost to time it remains a favorite pastime among many players-and NPCs too.”
“What’s the quest, exactly?” Said Meredith. She looked just as confused as the rest of them.
“The quest will involve your teams capture by a cyclops. Which ever team can escape the cyclops’ cave by the best means will win the Triple Five.” Ghelion looked around at the uncomprehending faces and sighed again. “It’s actually much simpler than it sounds, trust me. Brent, Meredith. Please take your teams to either one of the two tables. I’ll be passing out some information before we begin.”
Chase allowed his teammates to get ahead of him on their way to the table. Ghelion nodded at him and leaned in close.
“Way to keep a low profile, Chase.”
“What?” Chase kept his voice low. “Was I suppose to just lose? Why did you even tell Brent that I would want to do this?”
“Never mind that. Have you seen Thomas around?”
Chase glanced back to the stands where the crowd was waiting patiently and craning their necks to see what was happening on the field.
“He’s gone,” said Chase. “I saw him up there earlier but he must have left.”
“Did you get a chance to speak with him?”
“Afraid not. He didn’t come back to the room last night.”
“That’s a pity,” said Ghelion. “We can worry about that later, however. Go join your team, I think they will need you for this.”
Chase wanted to ask why in the world Ghelion has chosen this as an event for the Triple Fives but instead did as he was told and went to the table. He took an empty chair between Claire and Amelie. Alex and Brent sat on the other side of the table and were looking over some paper they had.
“You better read this,” said Amelie. She passed him a page with some writing on it. Chase scanned it over.
“It says that I am a Fighter with a 5% strength buff, three healing potions in my bag, and also an iron sword and a full suit of armor. I also have a list of stats.” After scanning the rest of the items, Chase added, “Ugh, I hate stats.”
Alexander look up from his own page.
“Have you played this before?”
Never willingly, thought Chase.
“No, but it looks rather tedious, don’t you think?”
Brent sighed. “Apparently I am a barbarian. What’s a ‘berserker’? Anyone know?”
“It’s a kind of warrior who is filled with blood lust and can’t feel pain, I believe,” responded Amelie.
“Oh,” Brent blinked. “Actually that is kind of cool. Alex, what are you?”
“Fighter, just like Chase.”
“I am an Archer,” said Claire. She looked up as Ghelion came over. “Can I switch with Chase? I don’t want to be the archer clearly I am a fighter.”
“No,” said Ghelion. “What you have before you is your character sheet and they were chosen specifically for each of you.”
“I like mine,” said Amelie, sounding cheerful. “I am a mage. Looks like I will be able to heal people.”
“Alright,” said Ghelion. “I am going to be your guide for this quest. The other team will have Advisor Tarry. I will be detailing the area which your characters are in, as well as the conditions. We will go around the table in turns as each of you tell me what you will do. These,” Ghelion opened his palm and a pair of dice appeared there from the air. “Will determine whether or not your actions will work based upon your characters stat page. Understand?”
“Not really,” muttered Chase.
“Trust me, this will be fun,” smiled Ghelion. “The only hard rule is that once the game begins no one is allowed to leave the table. Doing so will be an instant forfeit.”
“Why?” Asked Chase.
Ghelion shrugged. “Just a rule we came up with. When you leave the island and begin your adventure you will be forced to fight under any manner of conditions. Let us just say that this rule will simulate future moments when you will be unable to leave confrontations. Only on the main land instead of losing the Triple Fives it may be the difference between life and death. Are we ready?”
When no one said a word Chase felt the need to look around the table and examine the faces of his teammates. They were a good bunch and if they had made it this far then he was sure a simple game would be no match for them.
“We are gonna win, team,” said Chase. Brent looked up from his character sheet and Alex sat up straighter. “I know we have never played this before but if a new player can get a split arrow on accident then the five of us together are going to be no match for the other team when we put our heads together. Amelie, Claire, are you ready?”
“I’m ready for anything,” said Amelie.
“Me too.” Claire nodded her head.
“So are we,” said Brent.
Alex spread his sheet flat upon the table and a serious look fell over his face. Chase could almost see the gears turning in his head.
“Very well,” said Ghelion. “Master at arms. You may announce—.”
“EVERYONE MAY COME TO THE FIELD. THE FINAL EVENT WILL BE A GAME OF STRATEGY AND WITS. PLEASE STAND AT LEAST 8 FEET FROM EACH TABLE. AND BE QUIET!”
And excited murmuring followed the crowd as they exited the stands and came to stand around the tables. There must have been at least a hundred people including the defeated teams who had decided to see the final results. Chase looked around but still didn’t see Thomas anywhere.
“I SAID BE QUIET,” roared Brix.
Ignoring the crowd Ghelion stood at the head of the table. Through the crowd Chase saw the other Advisor begin addressing the other team.
“The five of you awaken in a cave,” began Ghelion. “You cannot remember how you arrived there but one thing is for sure: each of you are bound and gagged. There is a dim light coming from a single candle which reveals a cell door placed into the entrance.”
“How did we get there?” Said Brent.
“I can’t tell you that. And it’s not important,” added Ghelion. “Alexander, you go first. What will you do?”
Alex frowned. “Bound and gagged. Do we have our bags?”
Ghelion shook his head. “No. They have been taken from you. You have no weapons at this time either.”
“I see,” Alex thought a moment. “Are there any sharp rocks on the ground? Maybe if I find one I can work the bindings around my wrists and free the others.”
Ghelion rolled the dice. They came up 6 and 5.
“The roll is high. You find a sharp rock and after some work manage to sever the rope binding your wrist.”
“Good job, Alexander!” Said Amelie. “Can you free me?”
“It is Claire’s turn,” said Ghelion.
“Me? Oh,” Claire looked around the table confused as what to do. “Can’t Alex just free us all?”
“He may when it is his turn. Would you like to skip your turn?”
Claire shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
“Chase,” said Ghelion. “What will you do?”
“There’s a candle, right? I want to try to get to my feet and burn the rope.”
“You are bound at the wrist and ankle, so it will require a lot of dexterity to do this. Can you read me your dexterity stat?”
“My dexterity?” Chase examined his character sheet. “Says its at 4. Is that enough?”
“We shall see.” Ghelion rolled the dice. 2 and 5. “You manage to get to your feet but after hopping twice towards the candle you trip over a stone and hit your head on the floor.”
“What? That’s ridiculous! Did you just decide that?”
“It has to do with your roll, Chase. It was too low to be successful. Remove one hit point from your character,” he added.
Chase saw above his character’s stats were the words “HP: 20”. He sighed but crossed it out and wrote “19”.
The crowd murmured around them. This seemed to be confusing more people than just them.
“My turn?” Said Amelie. “Could I cast this spell? Healing 1? Maybe I can get Chase his hit points back.”
“You are still gagged, so unable to cast spells,” said Ghelion, casually tossing the dice in his hand.
“Thanks anyway,” Chase murmured to her.
“Alright, I ask Alex to cut my bindings with his rock. Or motion, I guess. I am still gagged, after all.”
Ghelion rolled the dice. 1 and 2.
Chase shook his head. “Sorry Amelie, looks like—.”
“Done,” interrupted Ghelion. “Alex tosses the stone to you and you free yourself.
Amelie smiled with satisfaction.
“What?” Chase felt a deep frustration rise within him. “She only got a 3! Why did I have to brain myself on the cave floor?”
“She was only asking for the rock, Chase, not hopping like a rabbit to a candle. There’s a fair chance your character would have set their clothes alight anyways.”
Claire said, “You mean I could have just asked Alex and I would be free by now?”
“Of course. You can do nearly anything in this game that you can in the real world. Brent, it’s your go.”
“Okay,” said Brent. He rubbed his hands together. “I wanna try for the candle.”
“No!” Said Claire and Chase together.
“Why would you do that?” Said Claire. Her expression reminded Chase of this NPC mother he met once whose child would always hide in a well when there were chores to be done.
Brent shrugged. “Maybe I can make it.”
“I would suggest just getting the stone from Amelie,” said Alex, rolling his eyes.
“Fine, whatever,” sighed Brent. “Ghelion, I ask for Amelie to throw me the stone.”
Ghelion rolled. The dice came up as 1 and 1.
“2,” said Chase. “Ah well. Guess you are free, too.”
“Amelie throws the rock but Brent fails to catch it. The rock hits Brent in the forehead and knocks him out. Also minus one hit point, please.”
“Why, you!” Brent nearly came out of his seat but remembered the rules. “Seriously? How did she knock me out?”
“You said ’throw the rock’, not ‘hand the rock’,” said Ghelion innocently. “Also, a pair of 1’s is called a snake eyes and in this game is an unlucky number. Rolling a snake eyes almost always means something bad is going to happen.”
“My bad, Brent,” said Amelie sheepishly.
“How long am I going to be out for?” Said Brent.
“Three turns.”
“Is it my turn again?” Said Alex. “I think the other team is already out of the cell,” he added. “I can hear them talking.”
“What will you do?” Said Ghelion.
“I want to cut everyone’s bindings. Can I do that in a single turn?”
“You’ll have to roll an eight or higher.”
“Okay,” said Alex. “Do it.”
The dice spun across the table and stopped near the middle.
“Eight!” Exclaimed Amelie. “Good job, Alex, everyone is free!”
“Alright.” Claire pounded a fist on the table. She seemed to be getting into the excitement now. “I want to smash the door down.”
“Are you sure you can do that?” Said Chase. “Check your strength stat before Ghelion rolls and says you broke your foot trying.”
“Um,” Claire scanned her sheet. “My strength is a 4.”
“Just try opening it first,” suggested Alex. “Ghelion said this is the cave of a cyclops. Maybe they don’t have locks.”
“Fine,” said Claire, sounding deflated. “I try to open the door.”
“The door opens inward,” said Ghelion. “Good call, Alex. You too, Chase.”
“Thanks,” said Chase dryly. “I want to go outside and check for our weapons. Can I do that?”
“Of course,” said Ghelion. “You find a chest with everyone’s weapons and bags.”
“Now we are getting somewhere,” said Brent. “Give me my stuff and let’s go kill this one eyed freak before the other team does.”
Chase could hear the spectators at the other table cheer as the other team played. They had to be further along than his own team at this point, which was evidenced by the crowd around them leaving to watch the other game. People were thinning out and through the crowd Chase thought he saw some commotion near the stands.