Peridot Rymes V

Scanning the room, Peridot began the task of getting herself ready for the day. She tried not to put too much thought into because, frankly, she had no idea what to expect. There were some clothing items hanging on the wooden railing surrounding the staircase. From across the room it looked like a mix matched ensemble to her. Upon closer inspection she saw that they were made of lightweight silky material. She had to wonder if they had been woven from greivver silk. When playing the game she had never really been all that concerned with the materials things were made of unless she was in need of some particular type of salvage. In the light of the mind boggling happenings of the last 24 hours, though, she was becoming increasingly curious of minor details.

She was beginning to wish that she had studied more lore surrounding the gaming environment. Perhaps she would be more prepared for what she was experiencing now. Up until now, lore was only important for completing particular quests or figuring out what a new game patch would bring. She had limited knowledge of its details, as she had always been more concerned with making progress, achieving levels, or simply hanging out with Kyle.

Kyle had been the true lore lover. How she missed him. She hoped that he was not one of those tricked by Jonathan and that he had entered town fully equipped to survive. She rather doubted this to be the case. He was usually much less impulsive than she and he had a knack for seeing through deception. Of all the people she knew, he was the most difficult to catch by surprise.

She turned her thoughts back to the matter at hand. Dressing in the green long sleeved shirt and violet pants, she was a little disgusted with the fashion statement she was definitely not making. The dark green soft leather boots slipped easily onto her feet. Grateful that there was no mirror in sight, she set about foraging through the food table.

She was surprisingly hungry this morning. She wasn’t normally a morning eater and usually just faked breakfast with a piece of toast or a glass of milk. Today it seemed she was famished. Even after last nights feast, she found herself eating like she had not eaten in days.

She noticed that the wine was missing. She found a mug of apple juice in its place. At least it tasted like apple juice and since she knew there had always been apple trees in Dereth, it seemed like a logical assumption.

She stopped just short of being uncomfortably full. She knew that she probably had an exerting day in front of her and did not want to feel like a bloated walrus while taking it all in. She had never visited the training halls since the developers had changed them from the rows of straw drudges and rotten fruit that had existed when she first began playing.

She tried once more to lift the heavy back pack, but still found it as impossible to pick up as it had been yesterday. Her weakness really annoyed her and she couldn’t help but wonder if she would ever be more capable in this fantasy gone real. Pushing her frustration aside, she headed down the stairs to find Samuel. As she descended, he greeted her.

“Good morning, Peridot. Looks like you are a perfect fit for your new clothes. Sleep well?”

“Very well, thanks, though this color combination leaves something to be desired.” Her response made Samuel smile at her concern of fashion over functionality.

“You can concern yourself with appearances after you finish training. There are many tailors about who can outfit you in finery. For now we are only concerned with getting you equipped for training.”

Motioning her to move closer, he began handing her items.

“You will wear these over the garments you are wearing. The shirt and pants protect your skin from chaffing as a result of armor friction.”

One by one he handed her leggings, a cap, and a pair of gauntlets made of the pliable leather as her boots. With each new piece, he instructed her how to properly equip it and explained its benefits to her in her upcoming training sessions. Fortunately, the leggings covered her silly purple pants.

Noticing there was nothing to put on over her shirt, she questioned Samuel.

“What is to protect my upper body and arms?”

“You will learn about that later. Right now, this is all the protection you have the strength to carry.”

This brought to mind her stash of items lying in the pack upstairs.

“How am I to take all of my supplies to training? I am still too weak to lift it.” Peridot’s face reflected her frustration.

“Not to worry,” replied Samuel. “It will be delivered by the time you finish your first lesson. Here is everything you will need for your first class.”

Samuel tossed her a small back that was much lighter than her main pack. It contained her foci, a few spell components, her training wand and a few apples. She also noticed the dull dagger strapped to the side of the bag.

“Good luck to you. May we meet again soon.” Samuel offered his good-byes knowing that he probably would not see this new arrival again. He unlocked the heavy doors leading to the training area and ushered her through into the corridor. She jumped as the steel doors slammed behind her. The sound of doors closing meant even more distance from the familiar.

As she was making her way down the stone hallway, she was suddenly stopped short by the sound of a crash and what seemed to be Jonathan’s voice crying out for help. Out of concern she started back toward the door, but found she couldn’t open it from the outside. She yelled at Samuel, concerned for his welfare, but could not hear a response. Footfalls sounded from the corridor behind her and she was whisked away from the doorway while what seemed like an army stormed the door.

Resisting her restraint proved futile as she was drug away from the commotion without being able to find out what the noise was or if her acquaintances from the previous day were still intact. She found herself a little shaken and standing in front of a large double wooden door at the other end of the hall. The path back toward Samuel was blocked by two men much larger than her. As she glanced back over her shoulder, one of them motioned her to move along.

Pushing the doors open, she stepped into a roomy area that would have had her thinking it was an outdoor courtyard had it not been for the wooden beams and boards across the ceiling. From the entrance she spied a huge apple tree surrounded by what, from a distance, appeared to be grass. She was surprised to see that the roof was solid.

“Could be that somehow a portion of the ceiling is removable to allow sunlight.”

Ideas rolled around in Peridot’s mind. Kyle would say that she over complicated things. He often accused her of over thinking a situation. She supposed it was simply in her nature to ask questions-to figure things out. Even if it was totally irrelevant, she felt thinking was a necessity and questions were where truth was found.

Startled back from her wandering, she looked straight into a stern and serious face. His emerald eyes showed a certain matter of fact-ness. She was surprised to hear the sensitive voice that he spoke to her in. Obviously, he knew that she was concern over the happenings down the hall and he assumed her concern for the people she had just met.

“It is under control. I will give you details when I get them. I am the Training Master her at the academy.”

There was another comforting offering of the hand. She was so glad that the practice of the handshake was not lost in this world. She needed a touch of the familiar to keep from being hysterical. Her whole world had turned upside down over the last day. Yesterday she woke up just wanting to enjoy the wonderful spring weather and now she wasn’t sure there was any such thing as a spring morning in West Texas.

“What is dream? What is real?” Last night before falling to sleep, Peridot had whispered those words over and over again prompting a memory of an old “Moody Blues” song that her mother always loved. Memories flooded her mind.

“Where is Kyle? What happened to Samuel and Jonathan? I just want to find Kyle!”

She burst into tears. She didn’t care that it could be perceived as a purely feminine display of PMS. She was sure that if Dereth had become real, she would not be able to escape a reality as annoying. After all, this did not seem to be her lucky day. Until now, she had done her best not to be the drama queen since her arrival. Still, how much was a girl supposed to take before she showed some emotion?

The man before her led her toward a corner of the room. It was separated from the main area by pillars and archways. There was a chest in the corner and he motioned for her sit down. He then knelt in front of her and looked her straight in the eye.

“It is good to come to grips with your reality.”

She couldn’t hold back a sob, “I don’t know what reality is anymore!”

“For now, that is your reality. From your reality you find the truth.”

“Are you crazy? How the hell am I supposed to even know what you are talking about? Yesterday, this was a game and I lived in the real world. Today, this is the real world. How in the hell is that supposed to make sense and where the hell can I find Kyle! Why won’t anybody tell me whether they have seen him or not? Is he dead? Why won’t you people help me find my best friend?”

The Training Master spoke softer. “He is here. You can stop worrying about that.”

Blinking back the tears and wiping her cheeks she responded with a weak, “What?”

“Your friend-Kyle, he is here, in the training halls. Normally I wouldn’t share such information with someone so new, but I sense your sincerity. I will be your Training Master later, for now I will just be your friend and tell you that you will see Kyle soon. You will just have to catch up with him. I will make my best effort to get word to him that you are here. You must understand, though, we can not interrupt his training. That could put him in harms way.”

Peridot breathed a sigh of relief and wrapped both her arms around the Training Master’s neck. She uncontrollably hugged him. He was surprised at her sudden reaction, but didn’t reject her gesture. He even cracked as smile when he realized she was both laughing and crying at the same time.

“Must be that earth thing they call “PMS.” He kept this thought to himself.

“Now, let’s get on with it shall we?” He spoke aloud, motioning her toward the center of the training area.

She moved in the direction he sent her and noticed that her large backpack had arrived. She looked toward the door to see if she could observe who had delivered it. She barely had time to catch a glimpse of Samuel waving farewell to her before the door swung to.

“Perhaps this is my lucky day after all.” She smiled at her new trainer.

“Then let us begin.” He returned the smile before regaining his composure and resuming his stern serious demeanor.