Page 8 of The Glass Unicorn: Part 2
Within minutes, the others, including Geoff, joined me. We were all covered with blood and slime, and none of us seemed particularly happy.
“What now?” I asked. I turned to Geoff. “Do you know how big this dungeon is?”
He shrugged. “It has several levels, I know that much. And there’s supposed to be some excellent treasure hidden inhere. There are rumors of some sort of artifact, as well. And somewhere, that necromancer has to be hiding. Unless he’s fled the dungeon already.”
I slid down to squat, still leaning against the cavern wall. “I suppose wearehere. We might as well continue on.” A thought crossed my mind and I turned to Geoff. “You do know about the game, don’t you?”
He looked puzzled, and I noticed that there was no watch on his wrist. “What do you mean?”
“Where’s your watch?” Thornhold asked. He leaned on the hilt of his axe, looking remarkably comfortable for what we had just been through. He actually gave off the aura of a dwarf, which seemed kind of a blessing. Dwarves were steady and sturdy, and they didn’t spook all that easily.
“Something happened and the game broke. We can’t get out,” Brynn said.
Geoff paled. It was obvious he didn’t know. “You’re joking. At least, Ihopeyou’re joking?”
“I’m afraid not,” I said. “We’re stuck in here for as long as it takes them to fix the game. We do have contact with one of the employees, and she can get messages from the game guides. But she can’t send anything out.” I didn’t want to give away her secret Wi-Fi connection with her relatives. We didn’t know who Geoff really was, except he wasn’t a Sym.
“Crap,” Geoff said. “I was supposed to leave here tomorrow. You mean I’m stuck here? In Elfin form?”
“Just like I am,” I said. “Did you come with anybody? A group or a party?”
He shook his head. “I came in on my own. I’m a solo player mostly, but my wife gifted me a four day excursion. We’re nowhere near rich. She saved for months to make this happen. I can’t stay here—my wife and baby depend on me.”
“It’s okay—” Ray started to say, but Geoff waved him off.
He began to hyperventilate. “I’m the sole breadwinner. The only way my wife was able to afford this was by scrimping and saving. I didn’t know she was doing that, and I wasn’t going to accept it but she insisted that I deserved a break. I work two jobs to keep us going, while she stays home with the baby. She has a chronic illness and can’t work outside the house.”
He sounded so distraught, and the look on his face was so sincere, that I felt sorry for him. I motioned to the others. “Excuse us a second, please.”
We stepped back inside the room, and Thornhold pulled out his axe. Three zombie fingers were still wiggling around like worms. With one smash, he flattened them into paste.
“What do you think about asking him to go with us? I can’t stand the thought of him being on his own and getting killed, not when his wife and child are out there waiting. We could ask Liesel if she can contact his wife?”
Brynn glanced out the door at Geoff, and back at me. “I say yes. I trust him. It might be a mistake but I don’t think so.”
The others agreed, and we returned to the hallway, shutting the door behind us once more.
“Geoff?” I asked. “How would you like to join our party? We can clear out this dungeon and then go back to a safe place where we can rest. Maybe we can find out more about what’s going on at that point.”
“You mean it?” He asked. “I can go with you?”
I nodded. “We like you and having a bard along would be helpful. You also seem handy with that sword.”
“I took fencing in college,” Geoff said. “I’ve kept it up ever since. I also know some martial arts and I can teach you some basic moves, if you like. And I’m a decent archer.”
This alliance was sounding better and better. We agreed on it, and then—letting him lead because he seemed to know moreabout the dungeon than we did—we headed still further down the hallway, waiting for the next jump scare.
CHAPTER 12: LIONS AND TIGERS AND…WERESPIDERS?
We regrouped and,after wiping off as much of the zombie remains as possible, we headed further down the passage. Up ahead, we came to a curve, which lead to a series of stairs going down. I stood there, staring at them. In the game, there was usually some trap to be found, but here we couldn’t just roll the dice. We actually had to get busy and take a close look.
I could pick locks to an extent, but I wasn’t the best. I turned to the others, trying to remember if one of us had the ability. “Lock picking. Who’s good at it?”
“My dexterity is good, but I have a slim chance in hell to find any traps,” Reggie said.
“Don’t look at me,” Thornhold said.
“I can do it,” Geoff said. “I’m a mixed class—a bard/rogue. I’ve got a decent chance to find anything that might be there.”
