Dream Storm Online Read online

  Dream Storm Online

  © Jareth Stark

  Contents

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  A Message from Jareth Stark

  The Park - Chapter One

  1

  Henry awoke to the feeling of dew. It had been raining. Why was he outside?

  He looked around, trying to work out what was going on. The last thing he could remember was falling asleep playing his favourite online role playing game, Dream Storm Online. He’d started a new character, increased his rank to level 5, and then sleep had overtaken him. But if that was the case, surely he should be at home in front of his games console, not lying on the grass, with dew soaking through his clothes, and onto his skin.

  Henry rubbed his eyes and looked around. The sun was peeking through the clouds, and he could hear the sound of waves in the distance.

  Okay, something is wrong, thought Henry. Where the hell am I?

  But the strange location wasn’t all that was wrong. As Henry sat up, he realised that his body wasn’t moving in the way that he was used to; and it wasn’t because of the damp feeling in his bones. His legs and arms were more muscular than they normally were, and he couldn’t move quite so quickly.

  What the hell? Why is my skin green?

  And then it dawned on him - Henry had been transported into the role playing game Dream Storm Online.

  “But how could this have happened?” He spoke aloud, but there was nobody around to listen.

  Henry glanced at his surroundings, and tried to work out where he was. He saw what appeared to be a monastery in the distance, and could see people moving around. Or, at least, they seemed to be people. If he was an orc, there were probably elves, barbarians, and god knows what else over there.

  Instinctively, Henry checked the Stormcom on his arm and was relieved to find it was there. When he was playing the game in the real world, he often used the Stormcom to navigate, to check on the quests he was working on, and to equip different kinds of armour and potions. At least with his device being operational, he could find out where he was.

  Henry clicked the button on the side of his Stormcom to turn it on and used the touch screen to navigate between menus. He was close to the town of Eelry, close to where he had finished slaying a river troll before he fell asleep last night.

  Henry knew he shouldn’t be, but he was pretty excited. Being inside the game was like virtual reality but better! The developers of Dream Storm Online hadn’t worked on the virtual tech needed yet, so he felt like this was a truly unique opportunity. And, surely there would be a quest somewhere that would help him find his way out of the game if he needed to. It wasn’t like anyone would miss him in the real world anyway.

  Clicking on his Stormcom again, Henry discovered that he needed to travel East to reach the town. He stood up, brushed down his linen armour, and began to make his way over there.

  If I’m going to be here a while, I’m going to have to level up pretty fast. The last thing I want is to find myself in a fight with this shit armour and my even worse steel axe, Henry thought.

  Henry almost wished that he’d been playing with his old character before he fell asleep. His old character had been designed to be stealthy and at level 327, he had the ability to pretty much turn invisible, even in the middle of a crowd. He could fight too - he was an expert with destruction magic and it never took him long to defeat the foes who tried to slay him.

  His new character had almost been created as a joke. Henry the Horny Orc he’d typed in when asked to name his character. In the ‘build’ screen, Henry had given his character the biggest torso you could ever imagine, and the most muscular composition available. He’d also opted to make Henry the Horny Orc a melee character, which wasn’t his usual play style. He did have the foresight to give himself healing abilities though. The orc build was strong defensively, and the restoration healing magic he’d learnt would at least ensure he didn’t have to carry 200 potions around with him until he levelled up.

  Plus, at least this build was manly - Henry the Horny Orc would have a lot more chance of meeting a nice woman than Henry the Sneaky Thief would have done. Yes, maybe things won’t be so bad.

  The closer Henry got to the monastery, the more he could see of the town of Eelry. The merchants he had shopped with just the night before were all there selling their wares. They didn’t seem like NPCs, though. They were freely interacting with the people of the town, joking with them, and even making non-standard recommendations about which of their goods they should by.

  This is incredible Henry thought. Surely I’m not dreaming - this is way too lifelike.

  Henry tried pinching himself, which was his usual way of finding out if he was, in actual fact, asleep. But nothing happened. Before he could think about it for too long, he heard a voice beckoning him.

  “Please sir, if you wouldn’t mind”.

  Henry turned round and could see movement in the bushes on the edge of the town. Was that where the sound was coming from?

  “Please sir, over here”.

  Henry walked towards the voice and was mildly shocked when a beautiful tree elf appeared. She wore a gown in the most gorgeous emerald green Henry had ever seen, she had pointy little ears that seemed to accentuate the small, yet perfect, features on her face, and the tears she was crying looked more like gold dust than water.

  “My boyfriend, sir, you have to save him. He was taken by slavers over in Silkhaven. I tried to help him but my powers are too weak. I’ve been waiting for an adventurer to come along, someone who might be able to save him”.

  Of course you have, thought Henry. This was how most of the quests in Dream Storm Online usually started. But not really having anything better to do, Henry decided to humour her. Maybe she would do him a favour in return if he did as she asked.

  Usually, Henry was given a list of phrases he could say in response to a quest giver, and being without them unnerved him for a second. What was the standard response here? He supposed he’d usually just ask some questions.

  “And err, where was your boyfriend taken from fair tree elf?”

  “I’ve already told you,” she replied almost indignantly. “Weren’t you listening? He was taken by slavers over in Silkhaven. It’s just to the north of here, close to the coast”.

  Henry didn’t much like the way she spoke to him, but he also couldn’t get past her beauty.

  “And if I do save your boyfriend, what do I get in return?” he asked.

  “Anything sir, I promise you, I’ll do anything you want”. Her tone had returned to pleading again.

  “Anything eh? Does that mean that you’d be willing to be unfaithful to your boyfriend? I mean, I’m pretty much risking my life for you here”.

  “What? You mean? Oh, very well. I suppose that is the least I can do. You don’t look like all those other orcs, so I guess it won’t be as bad as I imagine it will be”.

  “Less of that tone fair tree elf. I’ll have you know I am incredibly handsome for an orc, and I can give you an experience you will never forget”. Henry didn’t much know if that last part was true, but he expected it would be. He was the most muscular of all his kin, so it pretty much went without saying tha
t he would be well endowed where it mattered. Not that he’d needed to check himself out down there just yet. Perhaps in the actual game, natural things like peeing weren’t something you needed to do anymore.

  “Just find my boyfriend,” she said, more sternly this time. “After that we can discuss the terms”.

  “Okay,” said Henry. “Just so you know, I’d also like some better armour than this crap I’m wearing now as well. Something a little more sturdy will do for now, it doesn’t technically have to be heavy armour. If you can pay me with that and a taste of your pretty little cunt, we have a deal”.

  “Fine, fine, just go and find him,” the tree elf replied. “I’ve placed a marker on your map. It’s not too far from here. If you go now, you could be back with him before nightfall”.

  “As you command,” said Henry, laughing to himself at the way he was able to make pretty much any situation happen.

  Dream Storm Online had been Henry’s favourite game for years, but actually being there and not being restricted to the developers’ speech responses felt liberating. Plus, he’d always wondered what it would be like to fuck a tree elf. They weren’t exactly the prettiest of the elven clans, but they were still a lot nicer than the girls he attracted in the real world.

  2

  Henry tapped his Stormcom, made sure he was facing the right direction and began walking. The route took him past the town of Eelry, through large grassy mounds, and finally led him to a rocky cliff. The marker on his map turned into a skull and it worried him.

  Seriously. Would I really be sent on a quest I couldn’t handle? thought Henry. I’m only level 5. What happens if I die out here? Do I die in the real world too. Fuck it, I don’t even want to know. I just hope the enemies level with me like they usually do. If that’s the case, I have a chance.

  Using his Stormcom, Henry made sure he had a couple of potions equipped. He opted to go without a shield in order to use the two handed axe he’d found in a chest the day before. And, he also made sure to test out his restoration magic to make sure that was working as intended.

  Not many orcs were interested in the magical arts, but the fact that he’d gone against convention when building his character was something that he was inherently glad about when quests of this nature came along. Plus, Henry hadn’t actually seen any other adventurers yet, and until he did and could find a mage to travel with, he was on his own. He had to look out for himself.

  Henry looked over the top of the cliff and could see a couple of slavers standing by the fire laughing. He couldn’t see any slaves, though, so whether they were still here or had moved on was anyone’s guess. Henry weighed up his options. As an orc, he didn’t look like the typical adventurer so maybe the slavers would be stupid enough to believe he was enquiring about buying one. Yes, that would maybe get him out of having to fight. As quickly as he was able, he launched himself off the side of the cliff, and took a slow, confident walk over to the slavers

  “Get outta here,” the first slaver said to him. “This is private property don’t ya know”.

  “Yeah, what he said,” the second slaver confirmed. “Unless you wanna see just how sharp my dagger is, I suggest you go back from whence you came”.

  Henry wasn’t to be deterred. “I was told this was the place to come to buy slaves,” he said in a matter of fact tone. He stood up straight, showing the slavers just how intimidating his body was. He wasn’t about to take any shit - or at least, not as far as they were concerned.

  “Oh yeah, and where’d ya here that?” slaver number 1 asked. Henry decided to call them Bald and Not Bald. He imagined the game would call them something ridiculously stupid too if he was able to hover his cursor over their heads to find out their real names.

  “From a man back in town, Eelry I think it was”.

  “Has Hartwood been shouting his mouth off again?” Not Bald said. “I told him he can’t keep doing this, not if we’re to get these out of here and into Dusthallow. We need the coin”.

  “How much coin?” Henry interrupted.

  “Err, well, I dunno, what have you got to offer?” Not Bald replied. He seemed to be the more dominant of the two so Henry decided he’d direct his questions at him, ignoring Bald completely.

  “I just raided a chest, not far from here,” said Henry. “I’ve only got 50 gold coins on me right now, but I have got something you can sell for much more if you find the right dealer”.

  Not Bald seemed interested so Henry continued.

  “See this necklace? Made of pewter it is. And it’s said to be able to persuade even the craftiest of people to do what you want”.

  “Is that right?” Bald said. “Maybe we should give him a deal ‘arry, what do you say?”

  “What kind of slave are you asking for in return for this necklace?” Not Bald said.

  “A tree elf would be ideal. I hear they’re pretty good with an axe, which is what I need,” said Henry, making a point of showing the slavers the big two handed axe he was carrying. “Male, if you have one”.

  Henry hadn’t actually thought to ask for a description of the tree elf’s boyfriend, or her name for that matter. He hoped there weren’t a lot to choose from, otherwise he’d end up having to play his hand, which he desperately didn’t want to do.

  “Hmmm…” said Not Bald. “This doesn’t sound right to me”.

  Henry could tell Not Bald was getting suspicious. He needed to do something and quickly.

  “Tell ya what, I’ll even throw in this armour I’m wearing. I could do with a change anyway, it’s not heavy enough for my liking. It looks like it will suit you perfectly, though. And it’s gotta be a damn sight better than those rags. A big orc like me comes swinging at you with an axe, you’re not gonna last long, I can tell you that right now”.

  “Are you threatening me?” Not Bald replied. “Cos I don’t like being threatened”.

  “Me? No, just trying to strike a fair deal here,” said Henry. “But I haven’t got no more to give you once I’ve given you my armour. So what do you say? Have you got a tree elf there or not. If not, I’ll go and speak with Hartwood, find out why he lied to me”.

  “Okay, okay,” Not Bald replied. He passed a key to Bald who motioned Henry to follow him.

  As they rounded the corner, Henry saw a large steel cage containing three slaves. They had been shackled with rope around the wrists and the ankles, and tied together so there was no way of moving, let alone trying to escape.

  “We got two tree elves, and one shadow elf,” Bald said. “I’d rather you took the shadow elf. The way he looks at me; creeps me right out it does. But if you’d rather have a tree elf, I’m not gonna stop you”.

  Henry took a look at the two elves in the cage, and realised he probably wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart, even if his quest giver had given him a description.

  “Err, where did you find these elves?” Henry asked Bald. As the stupider of the two slavers, maybe he’d be able to work out which one he needed by asking a few basic questions.

  “Not far from here,” Bald replied. “Why does it matter to you anyway?”

  Henry looked at the elves again, looking for some kind of sign on which one he’d been asked to save, but neither gave a response. The shadow elf was sneering at him too, giving him a really uneasy feeling.

  Well, there was nothing he could do. With neither elf being willing to open their mouths, and the slaver being cryptic about where he’d found them, he was going to have to fight and free them all. At least with Not Bald here, he might have a chance of winning the battle that was about to ensue. And, if he ended up saving all three elves, maybe the others would help him in the future should he need them.

  “I ask because I’m looking for one in particular,” Henry said, his hands on his axe.

  “What?” Bald said, a look of confusion washing over his face.

  Henry couldn’t help but wonder how Bald had managed to capture three slaves when he was clearly so dumb. He laughed heartily and tig
htened his grip on the axe.

  “What part of that didn’t you understand?” Henry said, his confidence building by the second. “I… Am… Looking… For… One… Elf… In… Particular” he said again, before swinging his axe down and hitting Bald right in the centre of his head.

  As the axe hit Bald’s skull, Henry heard it shatter. Bald had no time to scream, no time to reach for his own weapon, he was dead. Blood spattered across the side of the cage, soaking the elves in the process, and bits of bone fragments splayed across the ground. Henry laughed, holstered his weapon, and picked up the key, which was now covered in Bald’s congealed blood.

  “Which one of you has a girlfriend in Eelry?” he asked the elves who were partly frightened, partly in awe of his prowess.

  “I do,” said the tree elf closest to the cage.

  “If you’d have spoken up sooner, that wouldn’t have had to happen,” Henry told him. “But seeing as it did, I may as well free you all. You,” he said, pointing at the elf towards the front, “can travel with me. I’ve got a quest to hand in and rewards to claim”.

  Despite the sliminess of the key, Henry managed to open the padlock on the front of the cage and untie the ropes surrounding the prisoners.

  “I suggest you don’t go back through the camp. Not unless you want Not Bald to attack,” Henry told the slaves.

  “There’s a road up over this way,” the shadow elf said. “I’ve seen people leaving the camp and going up that way, it must be the way out”.

  “Not so sure I like the sound of running into more people,” said Henry. “Too much risk of getting captured again, and none of you have any weapons. Myself and the tree elf are going to scale the cliff. You two can do as you wish”.

  The shadow elf sneaked off down the route he’d suggested. Henry watched him go and was quite glad he hadn’t opted to join them. There was something strange about him that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Henry wasn’t sure he wanted to know who he was or what he was doing when he’d been picked up by Bald and Not Bald. The second tree elf had been happy to stay with him, though, probably assuming he would be able to protect him until they reached the town of Eelry.