I followed the human disguise of Bane in silence as Enab led me through various checkpoints. Eventually, he took me down the stairs to the dungeons.
Enab turned to face the jailer, an unkempt looking man with a large gut and tiny legs. "He is a member of our Brotherhood and must be treated accordingly. Please provide him with a private cell near the water pipes," the young man instructed.
The jailer nodded and grabbed my left arm roughly. He pulled me down the hallway, past numerous occupied cells and finally opened the door to an empty jail at the very end. "Here you go, your eminence," he said mockingly. Without warning, he pushed a fat hand against my back and threw me into my cell. He smirked at me as he locked the door and whistled a tune as he walked away.
I looked around my cell and saw that it was approximately four feet by six feet. There was a chamber pot in a corner but nothing else. There were no windows to tell the passage of time. The only source of light was the torches on walls between the cells. I started pacing around the room, with my hand casually touching the wall when I suddenly stopped—I felt the warmth coming from this particular section of the wall. Remembering Enab's request to the jailer, I realized that the water pipes, especially the hot water pipe, was running past this section of the wall. I turned around, sat down, and leaned my back against the wall. The warmth felt soothing and I slowly lowered my guard.
Knowing that there were still some time before sunset and first rays of moonlight would arrive, I decided to spend my remaining time going through all my pop-up messages:
“Spell effect: Dark Rejuvenation. Stamina 100% recovered. 2x Attack. 2x Damage.” This was the spell that Lord Bane had cast on me during my fight with Ebenthal. With double attack and damage, I wouldn’t be able to miss my attack even if I had closed my eyes while I swung the sword.
“Charge skill SUCCESSFUL. -10 Stamina. Critical hit! -90 Damage. +100XP.” Dang! I didn’t realize that Bane’s spell would double my critical damage. Along with the 45 points of damage taken by my opponent from the first Charge attack, Ebenthal took 135 Damage in total and apparently had less than that.
“Bishop Canterbury’s Quest COMPLETED. +5,000XP. Title ACQUIRED: Were-Hunter. +1,000 Reputation. +2,000XP.” My jaws dropped when I read this notification. What was the bishop’s quest again? Oh, yes! The Holy One wanted me to find Judge Wachtel’s killer and avenge his death. Since Ebenthal was the leader of the were-pack, the game apparently made him responsible for the judge’s death. Thus, the wererat’s defeat by my hand was considered the completion of the bishop’s quest.
“Personal nemesis DEFEATED. Bonus: +1,000XP.” Talk about killing two birds with one stone! It was true that Ebenthal had turned into my personal nemesis, and I was happy that the game granted me a little extra experience for defeating him.
"Stamina reduced to ZERO. Condition: PARALYZED." This was when I ran back to the surface after Sister Maisen and Captain Li decided to make their last stand in the chamber. I ran at my top speed and drained my entire stamina bar in the process. It was pitiful the way I had to crawl through the tunnel because I ran out of stamina. I will have to undergo more stamina training. "Stamina 100% recovered. Health 100% recovered." This was when Master Gurgne gave me a stamina potion and a healing potion to help me recover.
"Relationship FORMED with Deacon Manfeuh. +100XP." This occurred when I accepted the deacon's offer to teach me the ways and customs of the Brotherhood.
"-5 Health." "Condition: ENTHRALLED. Duration: 0.00.00.60." "Permanent Status: Marked by Bane. -500 Reputation, -1,000XP." Ouch. Being branded by Bane had cost me a ton of experience points! I did not expect to lose any experience in this gaming world. I will have to keep this in mind. Thankfully, Jasla kindly kept my mind off the pain. I couldn't help but feel my cheeks turn red at the memory of her kiss; it tasted like apricot. "ACQUIRED: Truth Stone of Order and Chaos. +500XP." This was a surprise. I didn't expect to get any experience out of getting my cross back from Bane. So in the end, the demon cost me 500XP.
My final notification read, "-1 Health." That was due to the bishop's slap across my cheek to awaken me from the plane walk. I didn't understand why I would lose consciousness when I plane walked. I would need to discuss this further with a mage.
With my huge stockpile of pop-ups finally cleared, I called up my player status screen. A picture of my player avatar was on the left column and right above that read: “Title: Pursuer of the Crown, Title: Were-Hunter, Status: Liege of the Butterfly School of Swordsmanship, Status: Initiate of the Church of Britannia.” The middle column read: "Name: Lawrence Eugene Mulligan, Race: Human, Alignment: Neutral, Special Condition: Kissed by Lady Luck (Expiration 5:11:02), Profession: Swordsman (Amateur), Level: 4, Experience: 22,304/10,000, Reputation: 4,552, Attack: 27, Damage: 5-7 (Unarmed), 6-10 (Dagger), 6-14 (Sword), Critical Attack: 5%, Critical Damage: 250%." On the right side of the screen were my player attributes: "Health: 40, Stamina: 23, Magic: 30, Strength: 17, Intelligence: 20, Wisdom: 10, Dexterity: 17, Constitution: 17, Charisma: 12. Abilities: Navigation-Sense (Level 3), Magic Sense (Level 2), Immunity to Electricity (Level 1), Negotiation (Level 1), Spirit Sense (Level 2)." At the bottom was a tab marked "Skills." When I mentally clicked on the tab, I saw: "Professional Skills: Swordsman—Charge (Level 1), Disarm (Level 1)."
I was very surprised by my current amount of experience points. Advancement to Level 5 would cost 10,000XP. I probably had enough to reach Level 6, too! And this was only my third day stuck inside this gaming world! I didn't expect it would be so easy for me to gain experience and level up! I started giggling. At this rate, I could probably obtain kingship within a month! Time for some awesome sauce!
Suddenly, I heard the church bell toll seven times. Next, I heard the rumbling sound of metal boots hitting the steps. Keys started jingling down the hallway and then hinges squealed as jail doors started opening.
I got off the ground and stood in the center of my jail cell. I didn't want to give the impression that I was planning to bum rush the guards and try to escape. Yeah, right. I was so out of shape that Jasla had called me a "hamster." Why would any seasoned warrior feel threatened by me? I sighed aloud at the thought. I need more training. That's the only way the folks in this town will take me seriously. I didn't want to hide in some dirty white robe and use religion as the source of my authority. I wanted to be the warrior who saved this town from wererats and other agents of chaos. When the footsteps finally reached my cell, I was surprised to see Deacon Manfeuh accompanying the jailer.
The deacon offered me a reassuring smile and said simply, "It's time."
I walked past the opened cell door and stepped into the hallway. As I followed the two men down the hall, I saw that all the cells had been emptied out; I was the last one to leave.
The jailer accompanied us until we reached the checkpoint at the top of the stairs. Having performed his duty, the jailer turned and walked away.
The guards started to walk with us when Manfeuh raised his hand. "Please remain at your post," he said.
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The guards saluted and returned to their station next to the staircase.
When the two of us were finally alone, my teacher started talking. "Brother, I pray to the gods of law and order that you will be triumphant in your next trial." Suddenly, he stopped walking and turned to face me. "No matter what happens in the Public Square, please remember that you are not just part of our Brotherhood but also our shining star; your attitude and behavior reflects on the town of Tregome as a whole. The gods will be watching."
I bowed deeply in appreciation of my teacher's warning. The nature of this gaming world was perplexing to me. My discussion with Lord Bane in his torture chamber had confirmed my suspicion that I was being watched. It felt like I was Jim Carrey's character in "The Truman Show." Anything I said and did could influence my candidacy for kingship. My ill-advised confrontation with Bane, in front of the bishop, had certainly resulted in a few points deducted from my final score. But now I had another opportunity to prove my worthiness in front of the town people—assuming that I won't turn into a wererat and commit seppuku first.
With my resolve hardened, I followed the deacon out the door. When I stepped outside the building, a darkening, purple sky greeted me. Guards quickly grabbed me and took me into a cell. As I was dragged inside I quickly noted that there were three prisoners tied to three sides of the outdoor cell, one prisoner per side. Their faces were facing outward and I couldn't discern their identities. The guards tied my hands behind my back and then tied a rope around my throat to two cell bars. My cheeks were pressed against the ice cold metal of my outdoor cage. My eyes darted back and forth as I quickly surveyed my surroundings. I realized that we were in the Public Square, surrounded by the town people.
Everyone was holding a candle. The faces in the crowd reflected different emotions: fear, anger, sadness, hopelessness. Even children were present.
Suddenly, a cat man walked past me. "Be brave," the man said as he peered down at me. It was Kalistro!
I nodded in acknowledgment and then my grandmaster stepped out of my view. I tilted my chin up and stared at the half moon up above. As the darkness continued to strengthen, the moon became ever brighter. It was my salvation. It was my condemnation. It was gorgeous.
Finally, the pale moonlight shone on the Public Square.
I heard people cry out, "No!" And they started screaming in horror and agony. Suddenly, my cage started rattling back and forth. I heard squeals. I heard a male voice address the crowd.
"May the Gods of Lord and Order give us strength to protect our people. May They grant forgiveness for our sins. May They provide everlasting salvation to our fallen loved ones." It was Bishop Canterbury who had spoken.
Then a woman started singing: "Oh my Beloved, Into the embrace of god you go, Your work is done and you must rest, Your memory forever etched into our hearts." I recognized the voice as belonging to Amelica. She sang the song over and over again, with the light accompaniment of a lute. Finally, Amelica walked into my view. It was she who was playing the musical instrument while singing.
I saw the tears flowing freely down her cheeks, and I started tearing up too.
Amelica gave me a brave smile and then continued circling the rest of the cages. After a long while, Amelica finally stopped her performance.
I heard the sound of swords being pulled out of scabbards and then the screams of pain as these deadly instruments entered soft flesh and ended innocent lives.
The crowd cried out as they watched their loved ones being forced to commit seppuku.
I trembled with fear and my knees started to buckle. Oh, how foolish I was to think that survival in this world was easy! The slaughter of the innocent was testimony otherwise. They were killed not because of any wrongdoing, but because Lady Luck had refused to protect them from being turned into wererats. And the favor that I received from the goddess could easily be lost in the instant of a coin flip.
When the horrific slaughtering in the Public Square was finally completed, I heard the sound of the jail door being unlocked and then squealed open. Someone ran into the cell and then I was hugged from behind.
"Are you okay?" Amelica asked softly as she kissed my right cheek.
Once my wrists and neck were unbound, I turned around and reciprocated the hug. "I'm okay," I said quietly. “Is your son safe?” I asked.
“Yes, Gendun is safe,” the mother replied while tightening her grip on me. “I heard you fought Ebenthal one-on-one and defeated him. With the wererat leader gone, you made Tregome safer for everyone,” she praised me.
I barely heard her compliment because when I looked around the cell, I saw that all my cellmates had turned. And the grandmaster was performing the grisly task of cutting their dead bodies loose from their ropes. I released Amelica and gently pushed her aside. I knelt down and looked at the faces on the ground; they all looked familiar to me despite being in the state of half-were.
"They were our students," Kalistro answered my unspoken question.
"I'm sorry," I replied. I got down on my knees and I bowed deeply before my comrades; my head touched the ground.
"They performed their duties with Honor," the cat man replied with a strained voice.
"Sirs, we need to retrieve the bodies for a funeral pyre," a Watchman interrupted us.
"Come, let us leave," the grandmaster said and pulled me back to my feet.
Amelica grabbed my left hand and pulled me out of the jail cell.
We stood and watched as the Watchmen pulled the bodies of the fallen out of the cells and laid them, side by side, on top of wooden sticks.
When the arrangement of the bodies was completed, the Bishop slowly walked along the row of bodies, perhaps two dozen in all, and doused them with a liquid that I assumed was oil. When the last body was so doused, town people drew closer to the fallen. Each living person held a torch.
Bishop Canterbury was handed a torch and he dropped it on the last body that he had doused. So signaled, the rest of the town folk dropped their torches, too, and started the funeral pyre.
"Let's go home," Amelica suggested as she pulled me away from the scene.
When we returned to The Noble Lady, I couldn’t help but breathe a big sigh of relief.
Amelica tried to take to me to the common room for dinner, but I didn’t have an appetite to eat anything.
Instead, I rounded the bar table and walked straight up the stairs. I was surprised when Amelica followed me and then entered my room. “Don’t you have to work tonight?” I asked her.
“I’m taking the night off,” she replied and shook her head. Suddenly, Amelica looked deep into my eyes and continued. “Your faith and conviction were badly shaken today. You have seen many terrible things and you were forced to take a life to preserve your own. If you stay in this room tonight, alone, I fear that you will drown in a sea of ill-thoughts and hopelessness. With your permission, milord, I will save you from yourself.”
I looked into her azure eyes and saw nothing but sincerity and love. I suddenly remembered being paralyzed with fear in my jail cell when my three jail mates started turning into wererats. No doubt that my mind will be plagued by what I heard and saw in the Public Square if I spend tonight alone in my room.
Amelica was still looking at me and patiently waiting for my response.
“Thank you,” I whispered and submitted myself to her companionship.