By then, my conversation with Villager #1 caught the attention of a few more villagers. Still, the old man talked on, and Courtney gazed at him with glazed, unblinking eyes, nodding occasionally.
It was my dream, not hers. Time to channel Bold Bryce and take control.
Pushing past a cluster of villagers, I strode for a barrel outside of a blacksmith’s awning. The blacksmith worked in the shadows, poking a fire, totally oblivious that the devil incarnate was portraying herself as some kind of Chosen One outside. He was like an NPC, doing his villager duty to create a medieval backdrop while everyone else lived their lives.
I clambered onto the barrel, drawing a lungful of air.
Clang, clang, clang.
The blacksmith’s work ethic was admirable but inconvenient.
Clang, clang, clang.
I crouched on the barrel to peer under the awning into the darkness. “Excuse—”Clang.“Excu—”Clang.“Excuse me?”
The blacksmith looked up, eyes stark against his soot-smeared face.
“Sorry, but I’m having a big moment here,” I said. “Do you mind?”
The blacksmith blinked. “?’Ello, sir. Might I interest you in a blade, then? If you don’t have coin, mayhap we can arrange a trade. You look like a strong warrior. My daughter…” He wiped a dramatic hand across his brow. “She was taken by a band of giants not far from here, and—”
Years of video games and a brief D&D obsession in high schoolhad prepared me for this moment. I hopped off the barrel and walked under the awning. “Listen, this isn’t personal, but I’m kinda focused on the main storyline right now. Your world needs a Chosen One, which means there’s probably a huge war brewing and some sort of dark lord or evil king on his way here as we speak. Maybe I’ll circle back to collect your side quest’s XP later, cool?” I held my fist out for a bump.
The blacksmith’s mouth gaped. “A… war?”
“Oh.Oh, you didn’t know.” I cringed. “Okay, well…” I inched forward to lightly fist-bump his massive bicep. “Sorry about the bad news.” I offered a strained smile. “But I super appreciate you keeping it down.”
I scooted out of the shop as quickly as I could. Spying a hammer on my way out, I snatched it up and gave it a few quick bangs against a shield hanging from a post outside.
“Courtney!” I yelled. This could actually be kind of fun. There were no risks in a dream. No consequences. I pounded the hammer harder.“Courtney!”
Courtney’s gaze zeroed in on me. “Bryce.” Her flat voice cut the distance between us. “Go away.”
The endless drone of the old man mercifully stopped. He ran a hand over his beard, leaning forward to squint at me. “By the gods,” he wheezed.
A few assorted villagers shuffled, muttering, “What did he say?” and “I don’t know” and “I barely heard him.”
I waved my hammer at the villagers. “Guys.Please?Give us a minute.”
They averted their eyes.
“He said, ‘By the gods,’?” one villager whispered to his friends.
I drilled him with a look. He shrank back into the crowd, mouthing,Sorry.
“The gods have blessed us,” the old man warbled, “with two possible saviors.”
Several villagers talked over him, again asking one another if they could hear what he’d said.
“Could you speak up?” a tinny voice called from the back of the crowd.
“The gods have blessed us,” the old man amiably warbled again at the exact same volume, “with two possible saviors.”
Courtney whirled on the old man. “There can’t be two Chosen Ones. There’s no such thing as a Chosen Two. ChosenOne. It’s in the name.”
I concurred. I didn’t super love sharing a planet with Courtney; I didn’t want to share a title with her too. Maybe if I convinced everyone she didn’t belong here, she’d vanish from the dream.
I walked forward, the crowd parting to let me through. A few villagers bowed as I passed. Now Iwashaving fun, doing things I’d never dare to in real life.
