Entering the Game
Chapter Ten
"A Desperate Escape!"
The six sat in the large room they'd been led to. There were three cots in the room, and nothing else except their few possessions that they'd bought in the real world before the game became real, and the coins the boys had found in the sewers. They'd then been left, and a quick check on the door showed it was either locked or something very heavy had been pushed up against it.
"What are they going to do to us?" Penny asked nervously, sitting next to Linda.
The older girl put her arm around the younger. "Don't be scared," Linda said, trying not to sound scared herself. "I don't know what they want from us, but they're good guys, right?" She looked over at David. "The sun god in this world is good, right? So his priests have to be good?"
"Then what did they lock us in here for?" Greg demanded before David could answer.
"That old priest wants something he thinks we have," Tom guessed. "Maybe something he thinks we found out and he wants to know what it is."
"I don't know anything!" Penny said. "It must be something you guys did when you were fighting rats."
Linda shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I think he made me play that creepy organ trying to find out something about it. Either he didn't find out what he wanted to know, or he thinks I'm hiding something I learned from playing it." She made a face. "Or he's going to try to make me play it again, and I won't! I'll never get near that awful thing again!"
"You sure that thing's cursed?" Greg demanded, glaring at David. "Why didn't you warn me about it?"
"I didn't think you'd try to play it!" David pointed out. "Why didn't you tell him you don't know how?"
"You know him," Andy said, sitting on the floor near the door. "He's always got to show off, and can't admit it when he doesn't know something."
Greg jumped up. "I've had it with you, jerk!"
"Same here!" Andy replied, getting to his feet.
"Stop it!" Linda cried as they started towards each other. "We're locked up and don't know what's going to happen to us, and you two want to fight over something stupid?!"
"Boys are stupid, always wanting to fight," Penny said. "Kick his butt, Big Brother!"
"Penny!" Linda yelled. "You're not helping!"
…
Prudence screamed as the branch shook from the wolf's attack. If it jumped just a little bit higher, it would grab her and pull her down out of the tree, and that would be the end of her! Prudence sobbed, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut and stayed where she was. Even a sad, pathetic life was better than no life at all!
She wrapped her good leg around the tree trunk and tried to climb higher, but her twisted ankle, now as thick as her calf and bright purple, wouldn't cooperate. She could feel her grip on the tree weakening.
"Help!" she screamed. "Oh please, someone, anyone, save me!"
"Who's shrieking like a banshee to wake the dead?" demanded a voice.
"Help me!" Prudence sobbed. "Whoever you are, please don't let it get me!"
"Away with thee, you stupid dog!" came the voice. Prudence heard a snarl then the sound of running footsteps. The wolf was attacking her would-be rescuer. Prudence sobbed. It would probably kill them, then come back to get her for dessert!
Suddenly there was a loud crash like thunder. The ground shook, almost causing Prudence to fall out of the tree. Then she heard a yelping sound. Then silence.
Prudence finally dared to open her eyes and look down. She didn't see the wolf. She did, however, see a robed figure with a twisted old stick in one hand and an old lantern in the other. She took a deep breath. How had they gotten rid of the wolf? And what if her rescuer turned out to be something much worse? Would they have their way with her? Kill her? Maybe even eat her?!
"Well?" came a surprisingly old voice. "Are ye just going to sit up there all night? Come on down! The doggy won't harm ye!"
Prudence's eyes grew wider as the figure's hood fell back, revealing her rescuer was an old woman with thinning grey hair.
"H-hepzibah!" Prudence cried. So the tales were all true about her being a witch! She knew it!
"So ye know me, do ye?" the old woman said. "Why are ye here? Following me was ye? Trying to rob ol' Hepzibah was ye?"
"No!" Prudence insisted. "I just…I just…" Suddenly she realized the reason she was here was pretty stupid. Hepzibah had never suggested she come here. Never shown any sign she wanted an apprentice. She didn't even remember Prudence!
"You just what?" the old woman pressed her. "A spy for those fools in the village then, are ye?"
"What?" Prudence said. "No! I just…I just…"
"Ye already said that!" Hepzibah said, letting out a cackling laugh. "Are ye touched in the head and just running about through the woods like a wild thing?"
Prudence took a deep breath. "I know how they treat you in the village," she said.
"Oh, so ye does, does ye?" the old woman said, grinning. She had few teeth, and those she did have were yellow. "And what be that to ye?"
"Because they treat me the same way!" the girl said. "That's why I'm here! Because I…I want to…to be like you!"
"Ye want to be like me?" the old woman cackled. "And just what does ye think Ol' Hepzibah is, me ducky?"
"They say in the village that you're a…a…" Prudence didn't finish. What if she called the old woman a witch and Hepzibah got angry and put a spell on her? Or even just left her. She still couldn't walk. What had happened to that wolf? Was it dead, or would it come back once Hepzibah was gone?
"A witch?" Hepzibah finished for her. She cackled again. "And what if they was right?"
"Are you going to hurt me?" Prudence asked, wondering if the old woman would silence her for knowing about her being a witch.
The old woman cackled again. "Come down and let's get out of the rain, or do ye enjoy getting soaking wet?"
Prudence tried to climb down. Ow! Her ankle felt like knives were being stuck in it when she tried to use it. She lost her balance and fell on her butt.
The old woman roared with laughter. "Are ye always this clumsy, fool?" she said. "Well, come on! Get up!"
"I can't get up!" Prudence admitted. "I hurt my ankle and now I've hurt my bum!"
Hepzibah cursed under her breath and bent down to look at her ankle. "Aye, your ankle 'tis a lovely shade of purple," she laughed. Prudence cried out as she felt her ankle burning. "Oh hush there!" the old woman said. "There! Now get up!"
Prudence felt her ankle. It wasn't swollen anymore! "Y-you really are a-a…"
"Get along with ye and say it already!" Hepzibah ordered.
"You're a witch!" Prudence said, then cringed, wondering if saying it out loud was a test, and she'd just failed it.
But Hepzibah only said, "There, ye've said it. Happy now?"
Prudence struggled to her feet. Her butt still hurt, but not bad enough to ask the old woman to heal it too. She looked up to see the old woman was already walking away. Should she follow? Or had she been dismissed?
"Well?" Hepzibah said suddenly without looking back. "Are ye coming or not?"
"Yes!" Prudence said, hurrying after her. "Yes, I'm coming!"
We'll see more of Prudence later.
…
"What's that sound?" Greg demanded. Everyone listened. It sounded like something was being scratched against metal. Greg tried the door. It opened! "What the…"
"Shh!" Linda hissed, peeking out the door. "I don't see anybody. Whoever let us out must have ran and hid. Be quiet! Maybe we can sneak out of here without being seen!"
"Or maybe it's a trap," Greg said pessimistically.
"Fine," Andy said, slipping out the door. "You stay here and entertain the priests when they get back. Bye!"
"Oh no you don't!" the other boy said, hurrying after him.
"Will you keep quiet, you dumbell!" Penny said.
"All of you keep quiet," Linda warned. "Do you want them to hear us?"
A toad hopped up to Penny. "Greptog!" she said, picking it up. "Did you unlock the door?"
"How the heck could a frog unlock a door?" Greg demanded. "You're screwy!"
"He's…special…" Penny said, remembering she wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the toad yet, although that was making less and less sense to her. Why did it need to be a secret? Everybody already knew she was a magic-user and had a familiar. Familiars weren't supposed to talk? Then why did hers?
"There's something weird about that thing," Linda said, as if she was reading Penny's mind.
"Worry about it later," Andy said. "Let's get out of here first!"
They moved as quietly as they could, which wasn't easy, since both Andy and David made clanking noises as they walked. The corridors seemed empty.
"Where is everybody?" Penny asked softly.
"What, you want them to catch us?" Greg demanded.
"It is strange there's no one around," David said.
"Besides the old priest and his assistant, I only saw two or three others," Tom said. They turned a corner and could now see the door leading to outside.
"Guess this place isn't very popular," Andy muttered.
"No wonder, if they make everybody play that creepy organ!" Linda said with a shudder. She could smell again, but her skin still felt kind of strange. She'd hoped it would have worn off by now, whatever it was, but it was still there. And it scared her.
Finally they reached the outside door.
"This is too easy," Greg said, as he reached out to open the door.
"You there! Halt!" came a voice behind them.
"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Andy complained.
There were four priests in all, besides the old one. One was armed with a mace, one a hammer, one a big wooden club, and the last a stick with a chain that connected it to a large metal ball. The old priest stood behind them, holding a staff that was strangely carved to look like two snakes curled around each other.
"Surely you don't wish to leave us so soon?" the old priest said, as the others began to move towards them. "We yet have much to discuss, children."
"Yeah, well we don't have anything to say to you, Gramps!" Greg said, trying to open the door. It wouldn't budge.
"It's locked!" he yelled.
"You are overwrought," the old priest said. "Come. I can soothe your nerves with some special herbs."
"Stay away from us!" Linda cried.
"Now, now," the old priest said, sounding really concerned but still staying behind his younger assistants. "There's no need for hysterics, young lady."
"Don't talk down to me because I'm a girl!" Linda said.
"Yeah!" Penny added.
"Andy," David hissed. "You're strong. Try breaking the door open!"
"Huh?" Andy said. He was still having trouble getting used to how much stronger he was in this world.
"Doofus!" Greg snorted. He threw his shoulder against the door. BAM! It shook but didn't open.
"Let me try that," Andy said. He threw himself against the door. BAM! It shook even more but still didn't open.
"Children," the old priest said, still hiding behind the others, "come away from that door before you injure yourselves. I'm quite certain we can solve your problems if you'll simply return to your room and calm yourselves." His voice had become quieter, softer. Penny would later say he sounded like the Tin Woodman in the Wizard of Oz just then.
"Doesn't look like we've got much choice, guys," Tom said, trying the door. BAM! It didn't shake as much as it had when Greg hit it.
"Listen to your friend," the old priest said softly, his voice droning on. "Calm yourselves. Calm…calm…"
"I feel kinda funny…" Linda said, starting to wobble a bit.
"I think he's putting a sleep spell on us!" Andy said, rubbing his eyes.
"But sleep isn't a cleric spell," David said. "Only magic-users are supposed to know it!" He yawned.
"He must have…come up with a…cleric version…" Tom said, leaning against the wall to keep from falling down.
"I'll get him!" Penny said, waving her hands. "Shoc…"
"Don't waste your spell!" David said, yawning again. "You have to touch your target to use it on them!"
"Don't yawn!" Linda said desperately. "You'll make us all…" She yawned.
"I can't stay on my feet," Tom said, starting to sink along the wall towards the floor. He also yawned.
"Don't fall asleep, guys!" Andy said, yawning. "If we do, we'll never get another chance to get out of here!"
"But why should you wish to leave?" the old priest continued softly. "Why not lay down and have some sweet dreams, children?"
"Come on!" Greg said, throwing himself against the door again. He didn't hit it as hard as he had before. He yawned. Actually some shut eye sounded pretty good just then.
"Greptog!" Penny moaned, now on her knees. She yawned. "Do something! Anything! You're my familiar! Help us! Please!"
The group was too tired at the moment to be shocked by what happened next, but the four younger priests certainly reacted quickly enough, when Greptog suddenly began to grow. And grow! Fur covered him. Horns erupted from his flat head. His webbed paws became split hooves.
Greptog was now a billy goat! With a loud "Baaaa!" he backed away from the door , lowered his head, and charged! CRASH! He smashed through the door. The younger priests fled, crying out to Pelor for help.
"What the?" Greg said.
"How did…?" Linda started to ask.
"Worry about that later!" Andy said, helping Linda through the hole in the door then pushing through his now almost asleep little sister. "Let's get out of here!"
The old priest hadn't ran away with the others. As the kids made a run for it, he turned back and yelled at his followers to come back. "Cowards! Haven't you ever seen sorcery before? Come back! They're escaping!" He cursed. A toad turning into a goat. And the little elf girl had called it her familiar. But she hadn't seemed evil. So he had been right in his presumption. The children were not only naïve, but fools. Devil worshippers even!
Why else would the little girl have a imp, a quasitfor a familiar?!
Once again, no one noticed that the little black cat, which had been hiding during all the commotion, had followed out the smashed door after Penny, wondering why its mistress still hadn't acknowledged it.
…
The skinny one came at her again. She dodged his attack with a gracefulness that even Penny in her elf form couldn't have matched. Her slim arm whipped out like a snake, cutting a gash in his cheek. She ducked, allowing the sword to pass under her head, so close it would have glanced off her horns if she hadn't shape changed to her fully human form. The fat one struck at her chest. His attack seemed to be moving in slow motion as she moved lightly away. Her dagger scratched against his forehead. Not too deep. She wasn't ready to kill. Not just yet.
The leader's eyes narrowed and he moved quickly, stabbing at her then dropped back out of her reach. "Beware!" he warned his two friends. "She's no innocent with a knife! Don't let her get too close!"
But Skinny was furious now and didn't listen. He sprang at her, trying to slice her throat. She leaped backwards. Realizing they were onto to her, she decided to get more serious. She deflected Skinny's next attack and brought up her knee hard and fast. He squealed and dropped to his knees. "I'll get you for that you %#$? !" he said in a high pitched voice.
At that moment the leader struck, slicing open her shoulder. She didn't cry out, however, or even gasp. Having been born and raised in the Abyss, the alu-demon had learned much of pain. How to give it, how to avoid it, and how to take it without showing emotion. If not for many healing spells, she had no doubt her body, which she was very proud of, would be covered with scars and her mouth quite toothless.
The girl muttered something they couldn't catch and wouldn't have understood if they had. She struck out with her dagger. Sparks shot through her hand, across the knife, and into the leader of the group. "Shocking grasp!" The man's hair seemed to stand on end. He shook violently. Then he fell forward on his face and didn't move.
"She killed him!" the fat one cried. "She's a witch!"
"No," the girl said. "But you'll wish I was!" Actually, she had exhausted her spells for the day, but they didn't need to know that. They wouldn't get the chance to at on that knowledge if they did know. She decided to let them see the real her. She grinned, allowing her teeth to again grow into fangs. Little horns grew out of her flaming red hair, and small wings burst from her bare back.
"Demon!" the fat one cried, dropping his weapon and running, leaving Skinny, who was still in agony, alone.
His sword, which he'd struggled to hold onto when she'd kneed him, dropped from his hand. He turned to run. She threw her dagger. It buried about halfway into his back. He slumped to the ground. She stepped on his back to pull out her dagger, then flapped her wings and flew after the fat one, who was struggling to climb a wall into an abandoned backyard. She waited until he was almost over, then came down and kicked him with one bare foot, causing him to land on his head. After making sure he was dead, she flew back to where the other two lay. She wiped the blood on the cloak of the leader, then sheathed it. She flew to the end of the alley, landed, and willed herself back into her human form. She was overconfident, but not a fool. She knew she didn't have the power to keep fighting off rowdies if more should show up.
The girl stepped out of the alley and walked through the village, forcing her chaotic mind to focus, although she'd much rather dance in the streets like a lunatic. She was out of the Abyss and on Oerth! The home of her unknown, human father! She'd heard about Oerth all her life, and now that she'd finally been allowed to come here, she intended to remain and have fun here as long as possible.
She grinned. Such a pity that humans wouldn't care much for her idea of "fun"…
…
"We can't go yet," Linda said as Greg started towards the town gates. He turned and glared at her.
"We have to get out of Dodge before the priests come after us," Greg pointed out. "You want to get caught again?"
"Of course not," Linda told him. "We just need to get a few things before we take off for who knows where."
"Oh, seriously?" Greg said, waving his hands in the air. "We just escaped from being locked up for who knows what, and you want to go shopping?! Girls!"
"We don't even have any food to take with us," she pointed out. "Not to mention grain for the horses."
"And my pony," Penny piped up.
"We also need a few other things…" Linda added, then didn't finish.
"Like what?" Andy asked her.
"Um…well…" Linda stammered, embarrassed to tell a bunch of boys what else she'd noticed she and Penny needed.
"We gotta get some undies," Penny said without a trace of embarrassment. "I don't want to moon you guys every time I do a flip to get away from monsters."
None of the boys said anything, but, remembering that they didn't have any underwear either, they all agreed to go shopping.
"But don't go looking at everything you see," Greg told the girls. "We get what we need and get out of here fast!"
"And keep an eye out for the priests," David added.
"And you stay close to me, Penny!" Andy told his sister.
They soon had everything they needed, then noticed Linda was missing.
"You think they got her?" Andy asked.
"We gotta save her!" Penny squealed. She started running about the marketplace, calling Linda's name. She found her at one stall, buying what looked like a bunch of rags. "There you are!" she cried, causing the older girl to jump.
"Don't make so much noise, Penny!" Linda hissed, her face turning red. "Where are the guys?"
"Looking for you," Penny told her. "How come you're buying some old rags?"
Linda placed her purchase in the bag she'd gotten to carry her stuff, took Penny by the hand, and led her away from the merchant, a fat guy with a big mustache.
"You wouldn't know, you're too young," Linda said, lowering her voice so Penny had to strain to hear her. "But when you get close to my age, you'll find that once a month you'll need…well, something like these rags..."
"Oh," Penny said much too loudly. "You mean they're for when you get your…prmfrr!" Linda had put her hand over the younger girl's mouth.
"Everybody doesn't have to know!" Linda hissed. "And no telling the guys I've got these or why, okay?"
"Got it," Penny said, pulling her hand away. "So what's it like? Is it really gross?"
"I'll tell you when you're a little older," Linda said, her face red again.
"There you are!" came Greg's voice. "Where the heck did you run off to?"
"We were looking at pretty stuff," Penny said, stepping in front of Linda who quickly hid her little bag of rags. "Cause we know once we get out of town all we'll see is ugly stuff…like you!"
"Listen, shrimp…" Greg said, glaring down at her.
"Hey, leave my sister alone!" Andy told him.
"Stop yelling, you'll attract attention," David hissed.
"Yeah, guys," Tom said. "You forget we're supposed to be getting out of here?"
"I didn't forget anything," Greg said dangerously, glaring at Andy.
"Come one," Linda said. "Let's get out through the gates before the priests tell the guards not to let us go!"
"Why wouldn't they let us out?" Penny asked. "They don't care if you play that organ or not."
"The priests might tell the guards we're thieves or dangerous or something," Andy told his sister.
Penny's mouth grew wide. "You mean they might put us in jail?" she said. "I don't want to be a jailbird! I'm too young to go to the clink!"
"Where does she pick that kind of stuff up?" Linda asked Andy.
"Our dad watches a lot of old cops and robbers movies," Andy said.
"And monster movies," Penny said. "I knew Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman before I was potty trained. Know what you say when a werewolf dies? 'The way you walked was thorny…'"
Andy grabbed his sister's arm. "Quit overacting, you old Gypsy woman!"
"Don't pull!" Penny squealed. "That's my arm that was all hurty! Hey, what if the priest undoes the spell and my arm breaks again?"
"Magic doesn't work that way in this game," David said. "There are spells that can be reversed, but I don't think you can give cured injuries back to people, and if he could, I think he'd have to hit you or touch you with a staff or something."
They soon reached the gates. Greg called up, "What ho, the guards!"
"Where does he get that from?" Linda asked. He'd said that when they'd come in.
"Maybe he and his dad watch old Robin Hood movies," Penny said. "Welcome to Sherwood, M'lady!"
"What, you lot going out again?" came the same smart-alecky voice. "Decided to try to get yourselves killed again because you failed last time?"
"I'm gonna knock his block off!" Greg muttered, clenching his fists.
"You want them to shoot us full of arrows?" David told him. "Let's just be glad we're getting out of here!"
They watched the gate slowly open. As they rode out of the village, they heard a commotion behind them. "What's all that about?" the guard demanded.
"Keep going!" David hissed. "It's the priests! They'll have them close the gates on us!" He urged his horse to hurry.
"Come on, Penny!" Andy called over his shoulder to his sister as he tried to get his own steed to move.
…
The two wolves waited until they were joined by a third. This one was larger than the others, with shaggy black fur while the others were a dark gray. Its eyes seemed to glow a brighter red than the others as well.
"Dire wolf…" Bronze said softly. Russet shivered. She'd never seen one of those, but had heard of them. Larger, fiercer, more intelligent than other wolves, they were far more dangerous, and often used as steeds by goblins. "That one is mine!" her eldest brother said. She was glad to let him have it!
They seemed to be waiting. For more to come and help them? Russet swallowed hard. She'd wanted adventure, but had never actually done any fighting, except practice with her brothers, and, before his death, their father.
Bronze waved his weapon and yelled. Copper did the same. Taking a deep breath, Russet followed their lead. Sometimes it drove predators away.
Not today, however. The dire wolf growled, and the two wolves joined it. Their teeth looked huge and sharp.
The dire wolf suddenly leaped at Bronze. "For Odin!" he roared, leaping to meet its attack. It ducked its head and crashed into his midsection, driving him back. He swung his axe. The monster yelped and backed away, then leaped at him again, jaws clamping down on his arm. He swung his axe again and again.
Copper threw himself at one of the wolves. "For Thor!" he cried, swinging his chipped mace. The wolf howled and backed away, then sprang at him again, fangs snapping at his throat. He backed away as it came at him yet again.
Russet had backed away, still waving her hammer. She squealed as the remaining wolf leaped at her, swinging wildly and missing. She was spared being bitten only because the swing pulled her so off-balance that she fell on her butt. She threw her hammer up as the wolf pounced on her. Sharp teeth and slavering jaws closed on her hammer, making it impossible for her to swing it again. She struggled to keep it from wresting her weapon out of her hands. A sharply clawed paw came down hard on her belly, driving the air out of her lungs. The other paw clawed at her shoulder. She sobbed as she felt her hammer being pulled from her grasp. If it succeeded, its teeth would be at her throat before she could defend herself! After wishing for adventure and vowing to make her brothers accept her as an equal, how sad that she'd end up dying in her very first fight!
For the first time since she'd been an infant in arms, Russet the hill dwarf cried…
…
Soon David, with Greg, and Andy, with Tom and Linda, had gotten out of the village. Andy reined in his horse and looked back to see if his sister was coming.
Unfortunately, Penny's pony wasn't being cooperative. It had decided to stop right on the drawbridge and wouldn't budge. Andy turned the reins of his horse over to Linda, then jumped down, making loud clanging noises and nearly falling over. He steadied himself, then clanged over to where Penny was still struggling to get the stubborn animal to move.
"What the heck are you doing?!" he demanded.
"She won't move!" Penny sobbed. "She's not as sweet and gentle and great as I thought she'd be! Fantasy stinks if it becomes real!"
"Talk later!" Andy said, tugging at the bridle. "Come on! You're as must of a pest as your owner!"
"I am not a pest!" Penny cried.
"Shut up!" he hissed, looking past her at a pair of approaching guards. "They're coming! Hang on tight!" He drew his sword and swatted the pony's rump. It reared, nearly knocking Penny off its back, then started running. Andy turned and raced after it, just as the drawbridge began to rise. The pony made it and kept running. Andy reached the edge. It seemed like a long way to the ground now, but if the drawbridge rose any further he'd slide back down and be trapped inside the village. There was nothing to do…but jump!
Bang! Clang! Crash! Sproing! Andy hit the ground and rolled along wildly, making a heck of a racket, like tossing a bunch of metal pots and pans down a flight of stairs.
Linda turned the reins of Andy's horse over to Tom and jumped down. She raced over to him. "Are you hurt?" she asked. "Can you get up?" She tried to help him to his feet. "You weigh a ton!" she complained. "Hey! Somebody help me!"
"Get out of here!" Andy said, looking back. The drawbridge was being lowered again. "Run! They'll get you too!"
"I'm not going without you!" Linda insisted. "Come on! Stand up! I know you can do it, Andy!"
And maybe, because she'd said that, he could. Because Andy, despite the heavy armor, managed to get to his feet, and without knocking Linda down by putting his weight on her. "Run!" he said again.
Without thinking about it, Linda's hand reached out towards his, and, also without thinking, Andy's hand gripped hers. The two started to run towards Andy's horse. Reaching it, Andy pushed her up onto its back. Something flew past his shoulder.
"They're shooting arrows at us!" Linda cried. "Quick! Get on!"
"I'm too heavy," he said. "I'll slow you guys down!"
"Andy! Don't try to be a hero!" Linda said, starting to get down again.
Thunk! Clang! An arrow had just hit Andy in the back!
"ANDY!" Linda screamed.
"I'm okay," he said, shaking a little. His armor had protected him, the arrow had bounced off, but the impact had been like getting hit in the back with a rock, and it nearly knocked him off his feet again. "Get out of here!" David and Greg were now some distance ahead of them. Penny was hanging on for dear life as her pony continued to gallop, and didn't see what was happening.
More arrows came flying at them. Andy screamed like a girl as one hit Linda, who wasn't wearing any armor, right between the shoulder blades, knocking her off of Andy's horse!
…
Oh no! Is Linda dead?! Find out next time!
…
Russet the dwarf- 1st level fighter, hp 15, S: 16 D: 15 C: 19 I: 13 W: 11 CH: 16 (17 to other dwarves) CO: 16 (18 to other dwarves)
Bronze the dwarf- 3rd level fighter, hp 40, S: 18/75 D: 16 C: 19 I: 14 W: 13 CH: 12 CO: 13
Copper the dwarf- 2nd level fighter, hp28, S: 18 D: 17 C: 18 I: 13 W: 12 CH: 12 CO: 13
Prudence- 1st level commoner, soon to be 1st level witch, hp 5, S: 8 D: 16 C: 15 I: 16 W: 11 CH: 15 CO: 18
Hepzibah- secret order witch,
Alu-Demon- 1st level wizard, hp 6, S: 17 D: 20 C: 17 I: 17 W: 16 CH: 20 CO: 25
Note: While the game later made dire wolves bigger than worgs, 1st Edition, which I'm mostly going by, made the worgs bigger.
Second Note: I've read some about dragon born. No place to introduce one now but all sorts of monsters might show up on Midnight Mountain!