Flipping through the menus, I was not enthused about leveling up this time. While I had been picking and choosing things on a whim, it seemed like everyone in the group had better thought-out long-term strategies than myself. That included Slade as well.

Learning that he’d been using a charm effect for the last umpteenth levels gnawed at me. Especially considering what Kane said, it worked on people in the game. I’d thought Slade was beginning to respect me. Now I wondered if that’s all charisma was, making others feel important when they were around you.

Max, too, was delving down a path of spells and becoming a powerhouse. If I thought about the Battle of Broken Hill, Max had killed most goblin attackers. He had annihilated entire groups while I was picking things off here and there. Was that something to be proud of, though?

Victoria – Level 7 Ranger

- Archery +1

- Dodge +1

- Negotiations +1

Skills:

- Hunter’s Mark

- Fighting Style: Archery

- Crippling Shot

- Speak with Animals

- Herbalism

Boons:

- World Knowledge

- Pet

Choose next skill:

- Volley

- Pathfinding

- Ancient Knowledge

Looking over my stats, I was simply frustrated. I kept picking things and not using them at all. I hadn’t used Herbalism or Pet at all. After a moment of reflection, however, it was fair to say that I hadn’t had a chance, really. After the Battle of Broken Hill, we’d mostly been trying to organize this march north.

One thing seemed certain, however: the game was changing. We’d come in as four starry-eyed students. We were eager to pick fights and explore what little we knew around us. Things had gotten bigger. Slade was leading an army, Max destroying armies, and Emma communing with something otherworldly. I was still plinging arrows.

It was time to up my game. I hated that it felt like I was desperately trying to catch up with everyone. They’d all figured out that we were operating on a higher level and chosen their skills accordingly or on Slade’s behalf, intuited it. I needed to start looking at the big picture instead of whatever the momentary cool was.

Volley was out. It was a pure combat skill. Fire a lot of arrows, kill a lot of things. Our mission was not just to survive but to communicate with things. Sadly, I had no choice for that, but this was the exact opposite.

The thought of picking Ancient Knowledge and becoming susceptible to whatever was consuming Emma terrified me. The insight it would provide would be marred by whatever twisted whispers she heard.

Reluctantly, I chose Pathfinding. It was the best, worst choice on the block. Maybe, just maybe, it was the type of world knowledge that would help us find the things we needed. The description in the help menu claimed that given a known location or resource, this skill would help me find the shortest path to it. That seemed the least harmful of the three skills I had to choose from.

We rode most of the day. I pined for a fast travel system. Having to actually move around in the world was tedious and emotionally draining when consumed with depressing thoughts. All day long, it nagged at me that everyone else seemed to have come into their own, they were heroes, and I was just kind of wheeling it. If Slade somehow managed to become king, I decided I would Hunter’s Mark myself and go out in a volley of my own arrows.

Max rode up to me when the sun was well past noon, snapping me out of my sullen funk.

“Hey,” he said. “Do you think we should ride ahead and warn the people of Springfield that a big goblin is coming? Maybe give them some warning so they don’t completely freak out?”

“That’s a good idea,” I said. Springfield wasn’t a big town by any standard, but it had a wooden wall around most buildings. It wouldn’t help our cause if they turtled up inside and refused to open the gate for their mighty king, Slade.

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I whistled and waved Slade and Emma back to us. He also seemed to think it was a good idea and insisted we take Malworth with us. I thought, what could possibly be the problem with four strangers causing a ruckus one night to return with a goblin king a few days later?

The entire column came to a grinding halt. Malworth decided to join us. He thought it a fabulous idea for Slade to exhibit one of his holdings to the goblin king. It was agreed that two of his guards would accompany us as well. I suggested that the goblins switch to horses, but they wouldn’t hear of it. They would remain mounted on their swiftscales. I was worried the townsfolk would slam the gates shut before we even got close to Springfield.

Our little band of seven departed. The goblin convoy would take a short rest and then follow. This would allow us to smooth things out in Springfield. At least, that’s what I was hoping.

Slade took the lead, with Max, Emma, and me fanning out behind him. Inside our little arrowhead, Malworth and his two bodyguards rode. We rode well ahead of the goblin army. Looking back, I could barely see them on the plains behind us.

It didn’t take long for Springfield to show on the horizon to the north of us. At first, just a dark spot seemed to hover over the road in the distance. As we approached, the jagged shapes of buildings formed and grew. Eventually, even the palisade around the town was visible.

Squinting, I saw that the gates were open, and it didn’t look like anyone was manning the wall. We were about fifty yards from the gates when someone shouted, “Goblins!”

There was a flurry of activity inside the town. Slade decided to charge right on in. He urged midnight into a sprint, dashing to the gates before anyone could close them. The rest of us followed suit slower, trying to catch up.

When I reached the gate, Slade announced to the half dozen people there, “Slade the Slayer has returned!”

The guards and town folks seemed more confused than relieved he returned. I suspected we were no more than an interesting diversion of the day about a week ago when we left.

A gasped hush rippled through the small crowd when Malworth and his guards rode through the gates. Most were frozen, aghast that goblins had gotten inside the town.

Slade pointed to the heart of the town, yelling, “To the mayor's office!”

Following Slade, our entourage made its way down the main street. Some townspeople scurried off quickly, while others poked out of homes and buildings to watch the human and goblin parade. None of the townsfolk looked very happy. A few town guards followed, unsure what to do about our group.

Slade leaped off his horse at the town hall and handed the bridal to a stammering town guard. He then proceeded to strut into the building without another word. I scrambled off Princess and rushed to keep up with him. Max, Emma, and the goblins followed.

I hadn’t been to the town hall the last time we were here. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but it was not just a big, wide-open area. There was a raised area on the far side, probably for the mayor to give speeches. The mayor was in a heated conversation with some well-dressed citizens, businessmen maybe. When Slade entered their conversation died.

“We have returned!” Slade shouted.

The mayor and his audience seemed stunned into silence so Slade strode straight up to the mayor and clapped him hard on the shoulder.

Slade continued, “We’ve brought Malworth, the goblin king, with us. They are having trouble with the glitches, and we need to help them find some land to make camp while we resolve the problem.”

The mayor could only stammer, “Glitches? Find them lands? You were supposed to kill the goblin king!”

“What treachery is this?” Malworth roared.

Slade held up a hand to the goblin king as if signaling that he was working things out.

“We’ve resolved the trouble without any need for that,” Slade told the mayor. “All we’ve got to do is find them a place to live while we sort out the problem with the real enemy.”

“They’re goblins,” The mayor screamed. “And you’ve brought them into the city. Are you mad?”

“No, I’m cool,” Slade said. “But you need to chill. We made an agreement with Malworth and got to find them a place to hang for a bit.”

The mayor was panting trying to control his rage, but took a few long breathes trying to calm himself. The merchants backed away, circling around well away from the goblins, then dashing out the front doors.

“King Slade,” Malworth said. “Surely you can order this minion to grant us the land needed.”

“King Slade?” The mayor asked in shock. “Slade the Slayer wasn’t enough? Now it's king, is it?”

“You’re not a king?” Malworth said.

“That may have been a minor exaggeration,” Slade explained to Malworth.

Slade turned back to the mayor, but Malworth roared while drawing out his sword, “An exaggeration? You lied! Promises were made for land. We will have land!”

The goblin guards ripped their swords out as well. Max and Emma did the same, and I considered popping into inventory but watched to see what Slade would do.

“We can work this out!” Slade shouted back.

“You deceived us and led my tribe into a potential trap. There is no working this out.” Malworth said.

The goblin king stepped forward and slammed the point of his sword into Slade’s gut.