“Same one who made those traps and that gate,” Sang replied as they reached another door. This door covered the entire opening to the tunnel, making it impossible to pass. The door was constructed of pure steel and there were strange runes on it.
“Hmmm,” Van said as he inspected the runes. “This is interesting! My Bardic Lore power allows me to read these runes, too. Ahem... ‘Be warned, those who wish to enter, for the history of a Druid is one steeped in violence.’”
“Interesting. I don’t see any way to open it up, though,” Sang said as she ran her hands alongside the door. There were no handles, and nor were there any kinds of grips that would allow for it to be pried open.
“Just kick it!” Van said.
“Kick a steel door?” Sang repeated, looking at her companion.
“Yeah. I mean, if you have the sufficient strength, you can break just about anything in this game down,” Van said nonchalantly. “And you’re definitely stronger than me. Just give it a good kick.”
“I think you’re trying to trick me into kicking a steel door,” Sang replied.
“I absolutely am not. Sang, I’m a very serious player and I would never do that to my good friend who I care about,” Van said with the world’s most suspicious grin.
“How about I use you as a battering ram to break this door down?” Sang offered. “How about that?”
“Battering ram heads were removed with the last patch,” Van replied as he dodged Sang’s attempt to grab him. “Just kick it. I’ll play my song of fury and rage. That should give you enough of a boost to where you can break the stupid thing down without a problem.”
“Alright, fine, I’ll try it—but I’m warning you, if I break my foot on a door and you laugh, I’m going to break the door down using your face. Understood?”
“I would never, ever lie to you, Sang, despite how hilarious it would be,” Van replied as he put his bagpipes to this mouth and began to play. His horrific noise greeted her, and the words YOU ARE ENRAGED appeared over Sang, giving her a bonus for her strength score. She looked at the door, looked at Van, and sighed and then brought her leg up in a very fierce kick... knocking the door down to the ground, shattering it to pieces.
“Whoa!” Sang cried out in utter surprise. “I just kicked down a door!” “Yeah, I told you,” Van said as he strolled past her. “You’re really freaking strong in this game.”
Sang grinned. It was such a different perspective, compared to how she was in her waking life. As a 5 foot tall woman with no upper body strength nor any kind of impressive physique—despite how hard she worked out—it was cool to feel so big and strong. The thrill made her stop and consider how easy it was to get caught up in the game. She checked the time and realized they had been going for almost 14 hours now. Sleep Time would be coming in a few hours, and she had almost completely forgotten about the waking world. That… that didn’t feel good. The exhilaration of battle and victory had distracted her so much that she’d forgotten she was really just lying in a tube, being given intravenous liquids for hydration and nourishment. She shook her head and moved forward, forgetting all about the joy she had been experiencing. She was on a mission, and she couldn’t get caught up in the excitement too much, for fear of becoming distracted.
Chapter Eighteen
Sang followed after Van, surveying the area with caution. She wasn’t sure what was around the corner, and much to her surprise, she realized that the entire area was completely covered in vines. The marble was still visible through the vine webbing, but for the most part, everything was green, lush and covered in vines.
“Man, this place gets more and more confusing,” Sang grumbled. “First marble and steel, and now vines?
“Yeah, those runes were in the Druidic language, too,” Van said. “I wonder if maybe this whole quest was just some kind of horrible, clever trap?”
“Trap? Like what? Someone’s luring unsuspecting players down here and killing them?” Sang asked as they reached a large well that was sitting in the center of the vine room. There were no other entrances or exits—it was just a large room full of vines with a massive well in its center.
“Probably,” Van said as he leaned over and looked into the well. “Hey! Check it out!” he said, pointing at the well excitedly. Sang glanced down and noticed that there were images within the water of the well. It was as if she were looking through a live video feed. She could see the Druids in the jungle... the same ones who they had met earlier that day.
“Interesting,” Sang said. “Looks like some kind of magical well.”
“Look!” Van said, pointing to one of the people in the water. It was a woman who was wearing a bearskin hood, and she was walking towards what seemed to be a screen. Sang tilted her head in curiosity as the water began to bubble and move. Then a figure began to emerge from the water—it was the Druid in the bearskin hood.
“Jump back!” Sang warned as she leapt back and pulled out her bow, aiming it at the figure who was still rising from the water.
“Hahahaha!” cried the woman. “I see you interlopers have discovered my lair!”
“Indeed, we have!” Van said, holding up his bagpipes and readying himself for a fight.
“Fear not!” the Druid said. “For I bring you no harm!” Her name read Lady Soara of the Claw, Level 15. “In fact, your arrival is most fortuitous for me! For you see, these Druids have meddled with this great jungle for too long!”
A dialogue box appeared in front of Sang.
Meddled? What do you mean?
Die, wicked Druid!
What do I care?
Sang selected the first option.
“You see, these Druids have come and erected a temple so that they may live out their lives in peace, but in doing so, they reject the most important tenant of being a Druid! We Druids worship nature, and nature is nothing if not cruel, passionless, and above all, violent! These fools think that nature is serene and peaceful, but look at the world we live in. There are creatures that eat their own young for survival, there are bugs that will plant eggs in a living host, and there are animals that will bite and kill because they are bigger and stronger. Nature is not peaceful, and nor should the path of the Druid be one of peace! I have come so that I might enlighten these fools!”
Enlighten? How?
You are evil and must be stopped.
Nature is not cruel, but we perceive it to be cruel!
Sang selected the first option again. This caused the woman to throw her head back and cackle evilly. “Oh, you see, they believe in nonviolence, and so they must be punished! I have found these Trolls beneath the earth—natural creatures of vileness and cruelty! Each fortnight, I cast a hex upon them, causing them to rise up as one and raid the camp, killing a few Druids and dragging others into the earth so that they may be devoured. Soon they will grow desperate! Desperate enough to realize that their path of nonviolence makes them weak! They must become strong, just as nature intends! Only the strong survive!”
Sang shrugged at Van. It made some level of sense... a path of nonviolence would lead ultimately to someone being taken advantage of by those who were violent. Still, she did realize that it wasn’t morally right to kill the Druids just because they were nonviolent. Another dialogue box popped up.
You’re a madwoman! Prepare to pay for your crimes!
Why kill them? Why not tell them of their folly instead?
Ha! Serves those hippies right!
“Man, I hate longwinded dialogue,” Van mumbled. “If only you would skip!”
“I’m interested in what she has to say,” Sang said as she chose the second option.