The Berserker Chronicles [ONC 2022]

The Tiny Hamlet

Chapter 6

Searching for a friend,
Made friends with eight green-skinned friends
No. They ain't good friends

"I NEED TO FIND MORGAN," I found myself sprinting through the Felling, occasionally jumping over waist-high stumps, thick logs and ducking under low-hanging branches threatening to slap my face if I didn't.

"Stop being stubborn!" Elronde was running behind me, trying to catch up. "You don't even know where your friend is."

"Do you?"

"No," She admitted.

"Then stop wasting my time," I increased my speed.

Overhead, a dark shape glided and Elronde landed in my front in the form of swirling shadow and sparks of pixels.

For a fleeting moment, I was lost for words and speed. "Where? Um… H-How'd you do that?"

"Shadow-travel," she breathed. "The same way I sneaked up on you in the game room. A faster way for dark elves to travel. But it drains mana quickly."

"Mana?" I said. "That magical stamina thingy with game characters?"

Elronde made a circular motion with her index over her head and a semitransparent display popped up. Her profile. It read:

•╔════◄░░░░░░►════╗•
Name: Elronde the Blonde
Race: Dark half-elf
Health: 67/100
Mana: 45/100
IQ: 7/10
Weapon: Hidden
Magical Items: Hidden
•╚════◄░░░░░░►════╝•

"Your mana, IQ and health can be replenished in many ways." Elronde explained. "Your weapons, aren't they obvious? You've got two useless battle axes you couldn't use to kill the rats."

"But it was dark. I couldn't —"

"Magical items can be pillaged, earned or found lying about.” Elronde continued. "I'm showing you my secret Character Profile because you saved me once. I owe you nothing now."

Elronde snapped her fingers.

I watched in awe as the semitransparent head-up display vanished. "Wow. Just wow."

"Everyone has his or her Character Profile and only that person can activate it, or in the case of the Psychers, don't ask! While you might be in a gameworld, your human soul is in here." She jabbed my chest. "You can feel. You can hurt. You can die. This isn't a game anymore. This is real, so listen to me."

I snorted now that I've gotten over my shock. "Thank you very much. Now, can you move out of my way? Please?"

"Look," Elronde edged forward, grabbing my wrist. "We are going to find your friend together but we have to get somewhere first."

"Can't wherever we are going wait?" I pressed my luck. "I mean, my friend might be in grave danger.”

"To that mountain. Mt. Hideaway." Elronde assumed we had a deal "Now, move, bonehead!"

I turned but didn't move. I could see the domed mountain from here. With its twin peaks, it looked like a kneeling two-humped camel. Morgan would have claimed its called a bactrian camel because he had argued that before. He's always had a knack for biology or, in fact anything alive. The mountain projected so high that its peaks were fog-laden by banks of clouds.

"And do what there?" I asked. "Hide away from the world?"

"Meet the monks." She let go of my hand. "They're staying in the Hidden Monastery. From there we will go to Castle Revelsford and ask for King Roderick's help against the raiders." Elronde kicked a stone out of her path and whirled.