Game Master in Another World

We headed back to our hidden campsite. I felt relieved knowing that we had removed at least one obstacle from the impending convoy's path.

We returned to find Hazel and Toby playing what looked like tic-tac-toe in the dirt, while Igasnov prayed nearby.

“We removed a goblin obstacle from the path for tomorrow,” Juliana announced.

Toby looked up. “Oh? How many were there?”

“I’m not certain of the exact quantity, but I believe there were around fifty of them.”

“How can you not be sure?” Toby asked, scratching his chin.

“I incinerated them all in a giant pile and then collapsed their warren on top of them, sealing them in,” Juliana responded matter-of-factly.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side, then,” Hazel remarked with a wry smile.

We sat down on a log next to Vera and watched a pīwakawaka flit around the campsite. I began to reflect on how different, yet how strikingly similar, things were here. The flora and fauna perfectly matched where I was originally from, but the settlements had a very old European feel mixed with fantasy elements. It was as if someone had copied the lush forests of my homeland, New Zealand, and then smashed a fantasy setting right on top.

Honestly, I didn’t mind; it kept me from feeling too homesick. Unfortunately, I had yet to encounter a kea or a weka. I figured if I did, I would have to try and befriend them by offering something shiny.

The next morning, we woke early and shared a simple breakfast of berries and dried meat. The meat was tough, but it provided some much-needed extra flavour to our meal.

Igasnov, while chewing on a tough strip of jerky, suddenly asked, “Is there any way we can monitor this caravan from a closer distance? I’m worried we might miss an ambush. It is only one more day until we arrive at Tyre, and bandits will be much more plentiful from here on out.”

Juliana looked at the ground in thought, chewing on a berry. I could savour the sweet, filling taste on our tongue.

“I think we can follow them while invisible. However, we will have to walk, and I will need to recast the spell about once an hour.”

Igasnov, still chewing, replied, “I think that could work. It will be good for us to walk, and since the caravan is so large, it’s unlikely to move particularly fast.”

I noticed Vera frowning; she looked as though she was about to say something, opening her mouth before abruptly closing it again.

After breakfast, we moved to a vantage point on a small hill to observe the village. We could see the carts assembling at the entrance; there appeared to be eight in total now. This caravan was growing quite large.

After an hour, they began to move in a long convoy. Juliana cast Invisibility on us all, and we set off. Immediately, an issue became apparent: we could no longer see one another.

“Hey, are you all there?” Juliana called out.

“Er, yes,” came a reply from Igasnov beside us.

“I’m here,” replied Vera.

“Yes,” squeaked Toby.

“I think we may need to keep talking to each other,” Toby suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Igasnov agreed.

We continued a short distance in front of the caravan, out of earshot, constantly checking to ensure we were all still nearby.

The route was a mixture of featureless tussock plains punctuated by stands of trees. The road would sometimes weave directly through the timber and other times skirt the perimeter. Each time we neared a wooded area, the caravan seemed to be on edge; from a distance, we could see the guards scanning the treelines carefully and travelling at a much slower pace.

One stand of kānuka we entered seemed no different from the ten others we had passed through; however, we almost bumped directly into several men crouched low in the brush. They all held either bows or short swords, remaining perfectly silent apart from one person shuffling nervously.

From what we could see, there were at least five of them, but there were likely more hiding nearby.

Now we had a new issue: how do we coordinate an attack while invisible, while avoiding being spotted by the caravan when our invisibility inevitably breaks?

Juliana had already decided for us. The men nearest to us began to look around in fear as they heard the melodic chant of a druidic spell. Thick vines sprouted from the ground, pulling them down. Igasnov popped into existence, his heavy mace crashing down on a screaming bandit's head.

Shouts erupted nearby as another ten brigands popped up from the bushes; several immediately began firing arrows in our direction.

Igasnov held up his shield to catch the incoming fire while we dodged and weaved, closing the distance to the ensnared men. We slit each captive's throat cleanly before moving on, their wet, choking sounds ceasing almost instantly.

With the final restrained bandit dispatched, Juliana released the vines and sent a rolling cloud of poison gas toward the archers. We could hear them beginning to choke and hack; one man stumbled out of the thick, soupy green fog, blood pouring freely from his mouth.

Igasnov charged, swinging his giant mace and crushing the man before the bandit could even collect himself.

Another fifteen bandits came sprinting from the opposite side of the road, brandishing short swords.

“Heh, it looks like we have our work cut out for us here,” Igasnov chuckled.

Juliana dismissed the poison cloud—revealing a pile of lifeless bodies—before conjuring a towering wall of fire directly on top of the advancing reinforcements. Numerous men began screaming as they were incinerated alive, while a handful of survivors desperately dove to dodge the flames, continuing their charge toward us.

“Get the caster!” screamed one fighter as he skirted around the blaze.

Juliana drew her scimitar while telepathically directing the fiery wall toward the flankers. One attacker did not notice the creeping flames until it was far too late; agonising screams echoed through the trees before quickly fading out.

Igasnov met the charge of an incoming bandit, stepping forward with a perfectly timed swing of his mace. The man tried to block with his short sword, but the heavy blow was far too powerful, smashing straight through his guard and launching his mangled body into a nearby trunk.

Two more thugs charged us. Juliana sidestepped their wild thrusts, driving her scimitar in a brutal upward arc through one bandit's gut and felling him instantly.

Another pair attacked, thrusting their blades toward our chest. Juliana parried the first strike with her scimitar, expertly working her steel up to meet his neck. She caught the second bandit's arm, rotating swiftly so his blade passed harmlessly beside us.

She then brought his face down hard against our rising knee. I felt the sickening crunch of his jaw shattering as he fell backward, completely unconscious.

The bandit from behind tried to stab us once more. Juliana parried his weapon inward before violently kicking the hilt, driving his own blade straight into his heart. A short, breathless gasp of pain escaped his lips as he collapsed into the dirt.

We looked up and saw Igasnov standing amongst a pile of mangled bodies, squaring off against the final remaining raider.

“Fuck you,” the bandit spat as he charged.

Igasnov caught the desperate thrust on his shield and brought his mace crashing down onto the man's skull, ending the fight.

“I think we are done here,” Igasnov said with a smile.

We nodded in agreement. From behind a nearby tree, Vera and Toby tentatively stepped out.

“It is always so scary watching you fight,” Vera murmured, staring down at one of the corpses.

We looked towards the approaching caravan; they had all ground to a halt and were openly staring at us.

Igasnov slung his heavy weapon onto his back and slowly walked toward them. I took control of Juliana to keep her from following, instead sheathing our scimitar and holding back alongside Vera and Toby.

The expressions on the faces of the caravan members were a stark mix of profound relief and abject fear; the newer members seemed to be the least afraid.

We listened to Igasnov’s conversation from afar.

“Hello! Good to see you all again,” Igasnov called out jovially.

“I thought we told you to leave us be!” Harry shouted back.

Jerome quickly stepped in front of Harry. “Now, that is no way to treat our saviours, is it?”

“But they are travelling with the Devil!”

“Well, she doesn’t seem all that devilish to me. Please, come over here and introduce yourself.” Jerome motioned warmly in our direction.

I walked over, relinquishing control to Juliana once more.

“I am pleased to make your acquaintance. I take it you were the one disguised as that black horse earlier?” Jerome asked politely.

“Indeed. I was masquerading as a Nightmare.”

“Ah, I thought as much. An actual Nightmare would be practically impossible to tame,” Jerome said with an easy smile. “Well, thank you both for overseeing our safety on this journey. I must apologise for my fellow travellers' behaviour; it seems they have allowed rumour to obscure reality.”

Juliana smiled warmly. “It is our absolute pleasure to serve you, for it is what our god wills of us.”

“Oh? And who might your god be?”

Juliana shook her head. “I’m sorry, but my god wishes to remain anonymous.”

“You must be quite a special person to be that close to a deity.”

I felt immediately uncomfortable; being referred to as a god was still something I found incredibly difficult to accept.

“Well, my god did create me, after all,” Juliana declared proudly.

Jerome offered a respectful little bow. “Thank you to your god for their benevolence. Won’t you and your companions please join us on our carts?”

“I would be most delighted,” she replied.

“But I still don’t trust this devil!” Harry complained bitterly.

Jerome shot him a stern look. “I’m afraid, Harry, it is my cart. I get to choose who rides on it, and you have no say in the matter.”

Vera and Toby emerged from the treeline to join us before we all clambered onto the back of Jerome's cart, settling in amongst the heavy bundles of wheat.

“I’m sorry for the cramped conditions; please do forgive me,” Jerome apologised as he climbed up onto the driver's bench.

“Oh, that is quite alright. We are most grateful for your offer of a ride,” Juliana replied cheerfully.

With a crack of the reins, the cart set off. Finally having permission to openly rejoin the caravan was going to make our protection job significantly easier.

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