The White Mage

The Road Ahead

"Are you serious?!?!" Deezy is nearly beside himself on the other end.

"Yeah, I'm serious," I say. "I took the job."

"Wait wait wait wait wait... lemme get this straight." I hear him take a deep breath. "You're telling me you agreed to go into the Ardenines with some chick, both of you under level 50, to go for the unattainable prize at the end, fighting monsters 3 times your level all while running from other players twice your level who want you dead."

"Yep," I respond. "For double my usual rate, rights to all salvaged gold, a chance at $15,000,000, and a healthy supply of escape ropes for when things get dicey. I've thought this through. I've got nothing to lose."

"Yeah," he says. "Until you get to the end and she backstabs you and claims the Muffin for herself, then collects back all the money she paid you from your corpse."

"Dude, you're paranoid. Why would she take it for herself when we both get the full amount? And what's a thousand bucks or so when you've got 15 mil? There's no reason for her to do that. While we're in the Ardenines she'll need me, so there's no worries there."

"Yeah, and when the other players come for you will she have your back, or will she let you die and take your goods?"

"If I die, it'll be after her. I take good care of myself. Look, it's no different from any other job. It's just in a harder zone."

Deezy sighs. He's lost the argument and he knows it. "It just doesn't seem right, going into the deadliest area in the game with someone you don't even know."

Something clicks into place in my head. "Look, I know we wanted to do this together. I wish I was going with you, really. I'm not going to leave you out of it, either. What do you say we make a new Discord and invite her in, that way you can keep tabs whenever you want?"

"This isn't about me," says Deezy. "You've gotta tread carefully now that you've been had. People might start to think they can push you around. Your business will die if your reputation goes down."

"There's nothing better for my reputation than showing that I'm a good partner to have in the Ardenines," I respond as I check the time. "Look, I gotta go. I'm meeting Garnett to get an action plan together. I appreciate your concern, man, but if I don't try I know I'll regret it."

He sighs again, and I can almost sense him rubbing his face in exasperation. "Fine. You do what you think is best. I'll get the Discord ready. I'll send you the link once I've got it."

"Cool. Talk to you later, alright?"

"Sure. Later, bro."

-

Garnett had wanted to meet at the Trancing Crony again, but I suggested we meet at the Maudria Library. It's quieter there and much less populated. It's a fancy collection of lore books and outside literature via Amazon all stored together in a huge building. I've spent a lot of time in there. It's a great place to relax, research monsters, learn spells, and plan strategies. It's also almost always empty, since reading has been out of vogue for years.

I don't have to wait long before she shows up. She's not wearing her armor this time. Instead, she's opted for a more lady-like approach. She's wearing a long green dress with a blue weave around the edges. Her hair, as it turns out, is dark brown and falls halfway down her back. She has it tied back in a complicated series of braids all held in place by a network of silk ribbons. The darkness of the colors make her bright eyes stand out even more than they did in her armor. In fact, had it not been for them I wouldn't have recognized her. I suddenly feel like a peasant, still wearing my outfit from yesterday. She walks up to my desk and I set aside the spell tome I've been reading as she takes a seat across from me.