Page 53 of Evil Hearts

In the game, I had gotten off the path, trying to find the quickest route forward, but I shouldn’t be too far away from it yet. The forest seems endless, stretching in all directions as far as the eye can see. There was no familiar landmark, no clear path because I had only been worried about finding the bandit camp.

“Okay. Okay. Just breathe, Katie.” I mutter to myself, trying to calm the rising panic. This isn’t quite what I had in mind when I was dreaming of adventure. I raise a hand to my chest, trying to calm my rising pulse, but the sword brushes against my side with the movement. My pulse quickens, but it’s not just fear. Something inside of me, something more primal, feels like it was just awakened. A flick of power, of purpose, courses through my veins.

I can do this.

I glance around, trying to decide what to do next. I exhale, steadying myself. The world may have completely changed around me, but if I’m truly here, maybe completing the quests will send me home. If that’s what I want… Here, I have the ability to do something more than the endless days of work. More than the quiet nights at home. This weirdly familiar forest could give me the escape I always wanted, but there’s a danger here as well. It lurks in the shadows, watching me.

Even so, I’m closer to the bandit camp than the quaint village that gave me the quest to begin with. It would take me hours to get back to the relative safety of the village. Besides, if I’m my character, I should be able to do the badassery my character can do. Right?

I rest my hands on my daggers, determination igniting in my chest as I step forward into the dense forest, ready to face whatever might come next.

Chapter Five

The forest feels alive in ways that almost seem sentient. As I walk deeper, the canopy above grows thicker, and the air is filled with a deep, constant hum, almost as if the forest itself is breathing. The occasional whispering breeze rustles the leaves, but it’s more than just wind. It’s as if voices are carried through the trees, speaking in ancient tongues. If I listen closely, it’s almost like I can understand them.

The path below my feet is winding and uneven, but it’s clear that someone, or something, has passed here before. Shafts of sunlight break through gaps in the canopy, illuminating patches of soft, glowing moss. Small, mischievous creatures dart between the underbrush, periodically trying to trip me. Winged squirrels leap from tree to tree, and translucent butterflies the size of my hand glow in the twilight air. Occasionally, I see a pair of glowing eyes watching me from the shadows, though whether it’s a creature of the forest, or something far older, I can’t be sure.

I should have noticed these small details while playing the game, but I never have. Instead, I rushed from one place to the next, just trying to complete the quests. But the world around me is alive and beautiful.

Though, I probably wouldn’t say that about every part of this world. Here, the land is untouched by the War. The ground isn’t soaked in blood. The towns aren’t burning. Here, the towns arefilled with all sorts of mixed races. Nobody has to pick a faction to support. This is why the village is so unhappy with the local Orc being kidnapped by human bandits. They don’t want the war on their doorstep, even if it already is.

The thought of war worries me a little, but surely, if I’m my character I’ll be able to handle it… I hope.

I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. This is my chance to live out the adventure I’ve put hours into. But, I need to know for sure that I can even do it. Aelia is a high-level rogue, which means I can’t shoot fireballs from my hands. I can’t compel people to do my bidding.

I kill things. Expertly.

I bounce on my toes, trying to figure out what move to try first. Rogues are notorious for their Sprint. They can run as fast as the Flash, darting around trees, and leaping over boulders. It makes it easier to run away if I get into some trouble, but I can also use it in the fight to give me a bit of a speed advantage.

Okay, Katie. Sprint. We’re going to Sprint.

With one foot out in front of the other, I start running like I normally would. I envision the spell, needing to move as fast as lightning, and for a second the trees around me begin to blur as I sprint forward. But now, I can’t see what’s happening around me. A tree root wraps around my foot, throwing me at super speed, face-first into the mud.

I sit up, groaning in pain as I spit the mud out of my mouth. My hand grabs my nose, the throbbing unbearable, but at least it isn’t bleeding. I pull a few twigs from my braid before pushing myself to my feet.

Anxiety floods my brain at the epic fail. I thought it would be easy, being my character. She’s already so much of a badass, but my mind doesn’t know the rules of her body, or even the land around me. And the pain radiating through my face is a starkreminder that I could probably die here. I don’t think this is a dream.

Even still, I can’t let this discourage me. Aelia has so many tricks, I just need to learn how they work.

I move to stand in front of a large, gnarled tree, pulling my short sword from my back. Slice and Dice should be easy enough with minimal damage to my body. With Slice and Dice, Aelia can do a lot of high-powered strikes all at once to maximize damage. The tree looms over me as I strike a fighter’s pose I’d seen on TV, moving the sword forward in a striking motion.

The sword hits with a dull thunk as I practice moving it slowly. I pick up momentum, chanting Slice and Dice in my head. Chunks of tree bark start to fly around me and I can’t help but feel a bit giddy at the fact that it’s working! It’s really working!

Until pain shoots up my arm and my hand cramps. My movements become sloppy as I try to work through the pain, and my sword bounces off the trunk. It flies over my shoulder, landing a few feet away. My heart sinks into my butt when I realize just how close to my neck the sword had been.

It seems so easy when I’m playing the game, hit button three when it’s charged, and I’m slicing and dicing. And for a minute there, I thought I had it down, but now I’m not so sure I can do this. Though, I have no idea what other choice I have.

Desperation sets in, as I scrounge around in the leather pouch at my side. I pull a small, gold-embossed scroll from it, and remember using it when Aelia needed a bit more help during large monster battles. If it works, it should summon a shield around me. I unfurl it, my voice shaky as I read the ancient-looking text.

A pathetic puff of air, barely enough to ruffle my hair erupts from the parchment. No shield.

I curse under my breath, tension creeping up into my neck. This isn’t going well. When I’m playing the game, I know how todo these things. I know how Aelia makes them work. But here, in her body, my limbs feel clumsy. There’s a disconnect between my brain and the moves.

Aelia is graceful, powerful, and capable of fighting huge armies and battling the most challenging of quests. Katie? Not so much.

Still, the thought of what lay ahead keeps me pressing forward. Aelia had a mission to save Gashna. An odd mission, as Orcs are usually great warriors, but Gashna is a lowly innkeeper, incapable of rescuing himself. That’s the beauty of Haven, a village where all races can come together and be whatever they want to be. It’s the last quest of the game, and Aelia always overcomes and pushes through each quest.

And I think a small part of me holds hope that completing this quest would finish the game, and send me home.

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