Azor steps over the twisted root of an ancient tree. Derek follows him, hopping on top and then down from the root.
The Golon strokes his chin, "You say that there are libram in your world that speak of our world as a game."
Derek walks quickly to keep up with the stone giant's stride. "Well, if by 'libram' you mean book, then yes. It is a roleplaying game called Blade and Bolt, B&B for short. Basically, people, in my world gather around a table for anywhere from three to six hours and pretend that they are controlling a character in this world. The characters are usually a rogue or a wizard or a cleric or a fighter. We tell stories together in the setting of this world, Thrycion. That's a roleplaying game. Now here is where things get sticky. The roleplaying game fans back on Earth don't know that this world is real."
"And the way that this game was created was that a Planes Walker from your world, a man called Korbach, came here and wrote down all he saw in journals and then turned those journals into a game when he returned to your world, Earth?" Azor asked.
"Korbach isn't a Planes Walker, he's just an ordinary man-"
"You mean a commoner, a peasant."
"No, Korbach's not a peasant, he has money. Well, lets say he has lots of gold but he really isn't a Duke or a Baron or anything like that. In the part of my world where I live we don't have kings or royalty and the way we buy goods is actually by trading special slips of paper."
"These slips of paper are writ with magic, I assume."
"No, magic does not exist on my world."
Azor stops and turns to face Derek. "There is no magic on your world?"
"No magic on my world. There are no sorcerers, no wizards, no clerics. No magical healing, no scrolls, no wands or magical rings."
"Then you have come to Thrycion to bring magic weapons and equipment and tomes back to your world so that you may help defend it against magically powerful planes walkers that enter your world."
"No, I am not sure if any of the magic that exists here on Thrycion would be viable on Earth. Actually, we have technology on my world - computers, guns, flying machines, spaceships, cell phones - that rivals the magic on your world."
"I see. If there are no wizards or fighters or rogues or clerics on your world and you yourself are none of those, what purpose do you serve on your world?"
"Oh, ahh, well, I - I am a merchant on my world."
"What do you sell?"
"I sell, well, I sell - You know what Azor, I am many things on my world and one of them is a liar. But now I am on Thrycion and perhaps on Thrycion I can be something different. I am going to tell you the truth. On my world I sell drugs. I sell substances that are like alcohol but are much more powerful and much more damaging to people. It was not a great purpose, but I was good at it and I did make a crap ton of money. I broke the laws of my land and hurt a lot of people to do business though."
"Oh, I see. You align yourself with the spheres of evil and chaos." Azor reaches above his head and plucks a small flower from a tree limb above him and gazes at it in his palm.
"No, no. We don't have alignments on my world. We don't believe that your actions fall neatly into spheres of evil or good, law or chaos. It is more complex than that."
Azor lets the flower drop. "So your world is free of both magic and morality. Most interesting."
"Honestly, I think you would -"
A scream echoes through the forest surrounding the two. Azor waits a few seconds to isolate the direction of the noise and surges off through the trees once he is sure. Derek yanks the pistol out of his pack, drops the heavy bag to the ground and flies through branches and foliage to catch the giant. Derek jumps from a small hill crest, slides down a loose embankment of moist thick grass and follows Azor's deep clomp marks until he bursts out onto an open field. Across the field, a small village stirs with the frenzied movement of peasants and horses as they run from four Minotaurs.
The Minotaurs carry long curved blades and wear black leather armor. Derek watches as one of the Minotaurs knocks a child from the arms of a farmer and then eviscerates the man even as the child scrabbles back toward the man. The single scream Azor and Derek heard is now a cacophony of burning thatch and sorrow and fear. Azor pounds toward the Minotaur that is cutting at entrails wrapped around his hooves. Azor hits the Minotaur with all the force of a fifty-foot charge and shatters its torso and shoulders. A burning hut fifteen feet behind the struck Minotaur topples as it bursts through a load-bearing timber. Azor growls and unsheathes Klage and searches for his next kill.
"To your left, Azor," Derek shouts and points.
One of the Minotaurs turns to see Derek and runs for him.
"This way, this way, Derek!" Stephen and Cynthia shout from a copse of trees at the eastern edge of the village. The Minotaur stomps forward and Derek sees runes along the edge of the minotaur's curved blade flash with brilliant white light as the minotaur mouths something. Derek raises his Glock, sights as the Minotaur approaches. His hands are shaking so hard he cannot aim. He turns and runs, looking back as the Minotaur gains on him. Winded from the run in the forest, Derek feels his chest burn and hears the hooves directly behind him. A flash of green and brown and the Minotaur flies sideways, perpendicular to the path he was running along. Derek spins and sees Kinewyn stab the Minotaur a half-dozen times before springing off the downed minotaur's chest and run off at surprising speed. Cynthia and Stephen run out to Derek and help him back to the copse of trees.
"Whe-, whe- where's Max?" Derek places his hands on his knees and closes his eyes to stabilize himself.
Cynthia puts her hands on his shoulders, "We don't know."
"Well, come on, we have to find him. I can't run anymore. Stephen, take the Glock and go find him. Now. Now."
Stephen looks from Derek to the burning village, screams and fire and chaos emanating from the area, "Uh, I don't know-"
Cynthia curses, "No, Stephen, of course you are not going into the fray. Shut up, Derek. Bryong and Kinewyn and Azor have each killed one of the Minotaurs, its almost over. Just-"
The limbs of the trees behind them rustle but a moment before a fifth minotaur bursts forward. Stephen screams. Derek and Cynthia are parted as the Minotaur shoves Derek to the ground and slashes his blade from Cynthia's shoulder to hip. Cynthia falls back, cleaved in two. Now Derek howls and grabs the Minotaur’s horn from behind. He pulls the Minotaurs face to him and fires point blank. There is a bison's grunt and Derek fires again and again, following the Minotaur down as more of its head turns to red mist. Derek stands and empties the clip into the Minotaurs chest.
Derek doesn't notice as Bryong approaches and takes the pistol out of Derek's hand. Kinewyn and the rest of his crew approach.
"Come to, man," Kinewyn shakes Stephen's by shoulders gently as the college student, a world away from his home, stares at the carnage before him.
Derek is brought out of his stunned state by Kinewyn’s attempts to bring Stephen back. He looks at Azor, who nods and places a stony hand on his shoulder. Derek nods back and goes over to Kinewyn and Stephen.
"Stephen, snap out of it," Derek says sharply.
As though Stephen had to hear the voice of someone of his own world he startles. "Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, Good Lord, no, no, no."
Stephen goes to kneel next to Cynthia. Coveark steps in front of him. "No, noble, there is nothing you can do and much you can harm. Please go over to the village and let Bryong tend to your friend's body."
Stephen looks passed Coveark and sees a palm's width of separation a between the two halves of Cynthia's body. He wretches and places his hands on his knees. Derek gives him a moment and then leads him back to the village, Kinewyn, Azor and Coveark following.
The five are surrounded by villagers immediately. The villagers barrage them with thanks and well wishes. The village elder commands his people to gather provisions to send with Kinewyn’s band. Surprisingly, Derek watches as Kinewyn makes a show of thanking all of the villagers for the fine food and clean blankets and a fresh horse. Derek
wonders why the old elf would accept these things even as huts in the village are still smoldering. He is struck, however, by the immediate resiliency of the villagers. Even the children are already picking up chunks of debris to make room for rebuilding.
Stephen watches one of the children drag a log to the edge of the village to place it near other charred timbers. The smoke swirls and then clears and Max steps out from the forest.
Stephen runs to him. "Where were you?"
Max stops. "It's good to see you too, Stephen. I see Derek with the elf but where is Cynthia."
Stephen tells him.
Max turns away from Stephen and waits until his voice won't crack and his tears stop flowing. "Stephen, we have to go back. This is completely out of hand."
Stephen shakes his head, walks back to where Kinewyn is talking with Derek. Kinewyn greets Max once he catches up and leads his band and Stephen and Derek back to where Bryong is now sitting next to Cynthia. Cynthia is whole again and Stephen bends down next to her.
"You have cast a gentle repose upon her," Stephen says and a pained smile crosses his lips. "Thank you, Bryong. You have honored a brave girl." Tears now fall from his cheeks. Stephen turns to the rest. "Please, we know you are traveling to Grenfell. But would you help us to bury Cynthia."
Kinewyn waits a moment before speaking. "There is no need to bury Cynthia. My band has long known that one of us would fall eventually. We have made arrangements with a powerful cleric in Taltherin to have one of us resurrected if ever it became necessary. Azor and Coveark and Bryong, it cost each of you a year's stakes in gold to buy that resurrection. Will you give up your stake in that arranged resurrection to aid this fallen Plane Walker."
All of Kinewyn’s band answer immediately Yes.
Kinewyn smiles and Derek jumps and claps his hands. "Of course, of course. A resurrection spell can be cast by any thirteen circle cleric in this world. This is incredible. Oh, Stephen, thank God!"
"Thank who, Derek?"
"God, Stephen, God, or the devil or Cthulu or Ra or whatever deity raises the dead on this world. What does it matter, Cynthia is going to live. She is going to live," Derek's joy cannot be contained. He is oblivious to Stephen's dark frown.
"Absolutely not. Cynthia will not be resurrected. Hebrews 9:27 - 'And it is appointed unto man once to die, but after this the judgment'. Cynthia will not be resurrected."
"What," Derek stops as though he does not understand. "What are you saying, Stephen?"
"I am saying that it does not matter if we are on Thrycion or Earth. Resurrection is a blasphemous action and I will not subject Cynthia's body to dark magic."
"Dark magic," Derek's voice rises. "What the hell are you talking about? Kinewyn is of the sphere of good. That is clear. Kinewyn, the cleric you speak of holds to the sphere of good, correct?"
"Yes, of course," Kinewyn affirms.
"It does not matter, Derek," anger now crosses Stephen's face. "You know I never included anything from the Deities and Divinity Source Book in my game. That is the one area where the Blade & Bolt game crossed into occult material. I would not allow it in our game and I will not allow Cynthia to be resurrected here on Thrycion. It will not happen."
Max exhales deeply. "Stephen, in case you haven't been paying attention. This is not 'the game world', this is Thrycion, the world that Korbach based his game on. Cynthia is really dead. Actually deceased and on Thrycion she can live again. This isn't a player character death; this is a person death, Stephen. Now get you head out of your-"
Stephen smashes his fist into Max's mouth. "Don't tell me where we are, Max?" Stephen straddles his fallen friend and raises his fist. I know-"
Derek kicks Stephen in the shoulder from the side, sending his sprawling.
"Enough," Kinewyn shouts.
Bryong raises her hands, brilliant energy enfolding her fingers. She casts and Stephen, Derek and Max are held fast, unable to move of their own volition.
The old elf speaks softly, "I see that your group is not in agreement on the issue of resurrection for your fallen band mate, Cynthia. I will not aid any one of you in a decision against the other. Decide among yourselves what fate she will have but our offer to supply a resurrection we have saved and protected for years is now rescinded. Your bickering and anger shame the lot of you."
Stephen growls in anger fighting the spell uselessly to move again. Max groans in pain as blood flows from his mouth. Derek is motionless as his tears fall to Thrycion.
Chapter 09