Page 4 of The Glass Unicorn: Part 1
Reggie held out his hand. “Let me see them. I have an Identify Magic spell.”
Brynn handed them to him. Reggie held them in his right hand, and waved his left hand over them, closing his eyes andwhispering an incantation. The rings glimmered, sparkling as though the sunlight had hit them directly.
“Oh that’s so cool! I know what they are,” he said. “The emerald is a ring of health—it adds to your hit points. The ruby, a ring of power—it strengthens your swings with a blade or a hammer.” He looked at us. “We could either sell these—they’d fetch a pretty penny—or we can use them. There are no curses on them.”
Everybody looked at me. I was the tacit leader of the party, given it had been my idea to come here.
“What do you want to do?” Ray asked.
“Who has the least hit points?” I asked.
Reggie raised his hand. “Wizards and mages always seem to. Mine are pretty pathetic.”
“Then you take the emerald ring. Either Thornhold or Brynn should take the ruby ring.” I glanced at both of them. “Who wants it?”
Thornhold cleared his throat. “It would be fun to have, but Brynn struck the final blow. She’s a tank. Go ahead and take it.”
Brynn smiled at him. “Thanks. All right.” She slid the ruby ring on her finger and it conformed to her ring finger. The same happened with Reggie and the emerald ring.
“We got experience points for that, so we’re on the way to leveling up,” Ray said. He grumbled. “I want a new robe. This thing feels like burlap.”
“Don’t you think we should wait and spend our money on food and supplies, instead? We’re here for two weeks,” I said. We’d signed up for the two week package, and except in cases of emergency, we were in here for the duration.
“Well, let’s make the most of this,” Ray said, glancing at the sky. “It’s closing in on midday. If we’re going to head into the woods, we should get a move on. It’s quite a hike down the hillside.
“Remember, the forests are swarming with all sorts of critters.” I spotted a well to one side. “Over there—we should make certain our water bottles are full.” I led the way, using the water already in my bottle to rinse the taste of puke out of my mouth, spitting several times until all I could taste was clear water.
We filled our bottles. Then, after a moment to pause and appreciate what we were about to do, we headed toward the path leading to the forest.
The sky overhead was clear,the sun beating down on us warm, but not hot. The Game-Guide had told us that we’d be entering Abarria during early autumn. It was early September in the real world, and apparently the seasons here matched those outside.
The hill was steep, but not so much so that it was dangerous. I did, however, regret that we’d gone on the cheap. It would be so much easier if we’d sprung for horses. But it was too late for that, and we were stuck going on foot.
All around, the droning of insects filled the breeze. To either side of the path—which was large enough for a wagon to traverse with horsemen alongside—the knee-high grass rustled in the wind. The distance between us and the woodland were clear of any signs of habitation, though I knew there was a small village somewhere near the forest. There were copses along the way—small thickets, but the massive forest was unmistakable. Miles of whispering grassland separated its borders from us.
“How far to the forest?” Ray asked.
I stared at the road, and was suddenly aware that I actually knew the answer. “Fifteen miles. I hope you’ve all built up your stamina.”
But we could manage it. Our change in physiques weren’t only in looks, but we were road worthy warriors, meant for the nomadic life. It still felt odd to be in a body unlike my own, but somehow, Abarria Game-Guides had managed to engineer the shift so that there wasn’t a huge disconnect. I wasn’t sure what would happen if I were to look in a mirror. Would I even recognize myself? But that I had chosen this helped. As did the fact that this was for a limited time. Though I already planned on signing up for a gym when I got home, and maybe even for archery classes.
“Why aren’t we going to the village first? I forget,” Reggie said.
“Because…I guess we got sidetracked by the Trogger, I said. “Though you know that trouble always starts in villages like Dusmaria—” I stopped as the breeze picked up. My senses felt overloaded. The air was thick with moisture and rain was on the way. “Great, we’re due for rain. Let’s get moving.”
“All the better to go to the village,” Brynn argued. “We don’t stand a chance of reaching the forest before the storm hits.”
I didn’t want to go to the village, but the others were giving me looks that said I could either override them and listen to them complain when the rain hit, or we could turn around and head for the village, and make them happy.
I debated a few moments longer but finally decided to give in. A good leader knew how to compromise.
“Fine, we turn around and head for Dusmaria. But once we’re there, keep your guard up. If years of playing the game has taught us anything, it’s that villages are rife with dangers. Everyone from pickpockets to slavers roam the streets. We’ll get a room at the inn for the night. Then, tomorrow at first light, we hit the road, rain or not. Happy now?” I knew I sounded sarcastic, but the others knew me well enough and theycheerfully began to discuss what they thought the village would be like.
What the hell,I decided. What could one night in the village hurt?
Against my better judgement, we returned to our starting point and, skirting the landing pad area where it looked like yet another party of adventurers—this time three elves—were preparing for their quest—we headed toward the stinky village.
As we headed for the village, I decided to squelch my fears and go whichever way the wind was blowing. That optimism lasted until we hit the gates of Dusmaria.
