No Longer a Game Ch. 06

Chapter 6 -- Faith

Natalie woke up pressed against Rain and cold. She must have gotten cold during the night and snuggled with the girl for warmth. She cursed Christie for being right and then giggled. Her butt was pressed against Rain's crotch and she was being poked. Natalie had woken up like this many times and knew what it was as she remembered the talk in room 122 about Rain being cursed by a nymph and given a penis. She knew it was just a normal bodily reaction for young boys and men to wake up this. She thought about waking Rain with some flirtatious comment but decided not to; after last night's ordeal Natalie knew when to refrain. She stood up and wrapped a blanket around her for warmth, stuck her tongue out at Christie who had laughed at her for being cold and made her way to the fire which was once again blazing.

"We have breakfast if you want." Ahira told her.

Natalie yawned and stretched, "No I'm good but thank you." As she stretched she smelled her arm pits and wrinkled her nose, "I could us a bath though."

"Water's cold. Lou and I just got back." Jason told her, "But it's a nice and clean pond. Take Christie with you just to be safe."

"Yes I could use one also." Christie said.

"Okay but let's wait for Rain to get up. She will need one too after last night." Christie nodded in agreement. "We would not be blessed with coffee would we?"

Ahira chuckled, "No but there is this other stuff...taste like chicory coffee you get in New Orleans." He handed Natalie a cup of the hot liquid.

"Umm, no Starbucks but not bad." She smiled her thanks to the dwarf, "So when did you go to New Orleans? I've been to Mardi Gras once. It was ok but too many people."

"I was born in New Orleans...well Michael was. His family still lives there."

"So what's the game plan?" Jason asked.

"Well we go to Lund and get a ship don't we?" Lou answered.

"Can we? We got a drow and now an outlaw who is most likely wanted in Lund right now for murder. We just can't go strolling in the front gate."

"What else can we do? If I remember the closest city with a sea port is hundreds of miles to the west. Lund was built on a river that is large enough for merchant ships to sail in and out of." Ahira told them.

"Well I was thinking of how to get Christie in the gate but she won't like it." Jason said.

"Why won't I like it?"

Jason chuckled, "I am a paladin of Tyre and we are highly respected for our sense of law and justice and order so if you are my prisoner I could tell them I am taking you back to Athkatla to stand trial in the court of Tyre for crimes but we would have to bind your hands and you won't be able to put on that fancy armor you have been wanting to try on all morning."

"She'll do it." Natalie answered for the drow who gave her a curious look, "It's the only way, Christie, and I want to go home...I want all of us to go home."

"I agree, I'll do it." Christie said. "But what about Rain?"

"Yeah a shame we can't make her look like her other side self." Natalie said.

"But we can!" Lou shouted. "Natalie when I was reading your spell book, you have an illusion spell in there. Apparently I don't have one or did not memorize the one in mine because I don't have it in my head. Do you?"

Natalie closed her eyes and sorted through the spells in her head. It only took a fraction of a second and she smiled, "Yes I have it! We can use it on Rain, but it won't last long. Several hours at best."

"That's enough time to get a room in an inn and we can sequester her in the room...along with Christie, while the rest of us get supplies and look for a ship to book passage on." Jason said.

"Oh Natalie, I almost forgot; I was so focused on reading your spell book. Habersham sent two mage staffs. One for me and one for you. They are attuned to that particular mage so no one else can use them. They don't hold great magic but each one can cast a light that is so bright that it will make the darkest room seem like daytime. I assume he thinks we need them to get to this portal. Mine can also cast a fireball and yours a lightning bolt but those spells are limited to a few charges so use it only as a last resort."

Lou stood and walked to a tree where the two small chests were and came back holding two staffs. Both were tall and straight and one was a highly polished black wood and at the top was a claw from some beast and in its talons was a large red gem. The other was of a fine ivory white wood and its head was craved into a crescent moon and between the bottom and top of the ends of the moon was a large clear crystal attached by fine silver chains.

"Sweet." Natalie said as she took the white staff Lou handed her.

When she held the staff she could feel the magic power in it and somehow knew what words to speak to either summon the light or cast a lightning bolt.

"Oh also I found this. It's not magic but we all agreed it belongs to you." Lou added.

He handed Natalie a thin silver band and in the center front was an eight pointed star with a circle going though it and in the center of the star there was a blue gemstone.

"Aww...thanks guys. I love a pretty accessory." She put the band on her head and it fit perfectly.

Christie smiled, "Suits you. It's a holy symbol of Mystra, goddess of all magic. Lou has a silver ring with the same symbol and there's a black metallic bracelet for Rain with the symbol of Mask, Lord of Shadows, on it. He is the patron god of rogues."

"Well seems Habersham thought of almost everything but feminine products and underwear."

After Rain woke up and they finished breakfast the females went down to the pond to bath while the males packed up the supplies for their trip down to the city. Natalie and Christie stripped out of their clothes while Rain hesitated.

"Come on, Rain." Natalie called to her.

"No...I am ok." She was embarrassed the other two would see the results of the nymph's curse.

"God! We know Rain its ok." Christie told her. "I mean I assumed and Natalie told me about it poking her in the back this morning." Christie laughed. "We'll turn around if it makes you feel better."

Blushing hard Rain agreed. She did need to bathe. When they were done Natalie looked over at Christie getting dressed and stared hard. The drow female's body was a work of art and the white patch of pubic hair between her legs was sexy, Natalie thought, and so were her pink nipples. Natalie like the contrast of the white hair and pink nipples on the drow's black body and she felt herself getting aroused. It was her turn to blush when Christie caught her looking and winked at her.

They got back to the camp and found everything ready. It was agreed they would leave a lot of the supplies behind and take only what they could carry in their packs. Jason and Ahira carried extra packs with some items they felt they would need so they would not have to purchase replacements. The cooking pots and pans, the utensils, the healing potions, the crossbow, and a few other items they took but left some of the food supplies that would spoil; they were not worried about food since they were only a few hours walk to the city gates. Each of the others carried their own packs and weapons and Jason placed Christie's armor and weapon in one of the larger packs he was going to carry. Once already they set out down the hill.

They did not say much for a long while and Natalie walked up to Christie and walked beside her but did not speak for a few minutes.

"I have been thinking," she started, "About why you could not heal Rain."

"Oh why is that?"

"You have no faith."

Christie stopped and glared at Natalie making the elf girl take a step back. "What do you mean I don't have faith!" She snapped.

Natalie was afraid of the drow as Christie's this side personality seemed to take over in her anger. "Just...it's...never mind." She said and started to walk away.

"Natalie, wait. I am sorry. That wasn't me that was Vierna." Christie ran to catch up with the girl.

Natalie slowed her walk, "She...she was scary...I mean...just in that instant she...was so fast and quick...and just the way you looked at me. I thought Vierna was a good drow."

"She is good aligned and is good and does good things but she is still drow and was raised in the Underdark as a Priestess of Lloth and that's not easy to forget I guess. I mean in the game it's simple to play like it and turn it off and not really think about it, I mean it's just a game but here it was different. When you said I didn't have faith it was like I could see her past and for a priestess of Lloth not to have faith is a death sentence. But then I quickly remembered I...or Vierna...damn this is confusing...no longer serves Lloth so I calmed down."

"I...I understand. Sometimes I get this feeling that well...I am really a moon elf and just want to dance in the moonlight." Natalie laughed, "Silly I know but last night after we all went to sleep I woke up and I a swear this owl was trying to talk to me and...it's weird...I mean really trying to talk to me or spy on me and then I wanted to get up and take off my clothes and dance under the stars."

Christie laughed, "I am sure the fellows would have enjoyed that. So tell me what you meant I have no faith?"

Rain walked up to join them and Natalie noticed the others were listening as well. She got embarrassed by her admitting about the previous night but explained to Christie what she meant. She smiled brightly at Rain who had been acting melancholy all morning.

"Well ok now hear me out and don't laugh. I was raised catholic, the whole nine yards, catholic school all the way up high school, went to mass every Sunday until I was fourteen, my mother is a devout catholic and all that. Anyway we were taught God can answer prayers if you have faith in Him. So maybe it's that well...you don't have faith or believe in that goddess of yours that's why you could not heal. She grants you the power right?"

"Yes in the game that's how it works, but that...I mean...she can't be real."

"Why not? Everything else is real. I killed someone last night, that was real, Derrick died last night that, was real." Rain said sharply. "Everything here is real! Too real!"

Natalie put her arm around Rain and tried to hug her but Rain pushed her away, "Just leave me alone. You don't get it...none of you do. None of you were there last night. None of you saw that man kill Derrick for just trying to steal his coin purse! You did not see his guts spill out on the floor! You did not hear him scream in agony as he died and the man laughed at him! No one helped...no one lifted a fucking finger and helped as our friend died!" Rain had started crying, "None of you killed a man! I did! I cut his throat with my knife as if it was nothing! When I did it I felt...felt...oh God help me I felt...I felt satisfaction. It was like...like just something...like...it was so normal like buying a new pair of jeans or something...there was no guilt, no remorse, but...but pleasure."

Rain turned to Natalie, "And you...you said I did the right thing and you would have done the same but what the fuck do you know? You did not kill that man I did so don't tell me you would have done it if you had to because you don't know that...you don't know how it feels!"

Jason came over and grabbed Rain who tried to pull away but he held on tight and she struggled for a few seconds and then collapsed in his arms and started sobbing.

"Ok, let's take a rest. It's about time we bind Christie's wrists anyway and cast that illusion spell on Rain so we can get through the gate." He told them.

After they rested for several minutes and drank some water Rain calmed down. As they rested Christie and Natalie discussed the faith issue and Christie finally agreed with what Natalie said.

"Ok...but Jason healed her some so do you believe in Tyre, Jason?" The drow asked.

"I don't know...what Natalie said makes a lot of sense but my healing is not like yours. Mine is a paladin gift not a gift from whatever god or demi-god that paladin serves."

"But how do I get faith, hell I'm an atheist on the other side, what do I know of faith."

"I don't know." Natalie said, "I can't give it to you...no one can. You have to find it yourself." Natalie looked at her feet, "I lost faith in my God years ago."

The others stared at Natalie but did not press the issue when they saw her eyes sadden and get a faraway look on her face. When she noticed them looking she blushed and gave them a smile. Christie had been dating Natalie for a while and she knew the other girl's fake smile all too well.

"Ok, let's get too it." Jason said as he stood to break the light tension in the air.

Jason tied Christie's hands in front of her with a rope they had in the back pack and gave it enough to have a leash so Jason could hold on to and lead her around. She did pull the hood of her cloak up over her head so her drow features would not be too noticeable.

"What about her clothes?" Natalie said. "With a figure like that and how revealing the outfit is she is going to attract a lot of attention."

"Good point." Ahira agreed and pulled out an extra robe that they put over Christie's drow clothes. It was large sized so it hid her figure very well.

Rain was sitting on the ground and she had calmed down and stopped crying and took Natalie's hand to let the girl pull her to her feet.

"I...I'm sorry I yelled at you." She told the elf.

Natalie smiled cheerfully, "No need to apologize. You're right I don't know how it feels or if I could do. I said those things last night out of anger and hurt. I was angry and hurt someone almost killed you and I was very upset." Natalie kissed Rain's cheek. "You are very dear to me, Rain, on this side and in our world and I don't want anything to happen to you...to any of us like...like Derrick. So shall we try this spell?"

Rain nodded, "Is it going to hurt or turn me into something well...unnatural."

Natalie giggled, "Not at all. It's an illusion so it does not really change your physical appearance at all. It changes how others see you." Natalie grinned, "Wow, I have no idea how I knew that but I did. I know what all my spells do. Weird."

"No not weird, Natalie. On this side you are a mage and studied magic so you know what they all do just as I do." Lou told her.

Natalie shrugged, "Ok here goes nothing."

She held put her hands, waved them in the air, made strange gestures with her fingers, and said the words of the spell and once again felt the strange but very pleasant feeling as the spell was released from her mind and then that very brief moment of loss that lasted less than a second. As with the other spells everyone heard the words but they were immediately forgotten and they could not remember even a simple syllable of the words. There was not bright light or glowing aura around Rain as the spell was cast and she felt nothing.

"Well that didn't work." She said.

She heard Natalie giggling, "Oops."

"What oops?" Rain asked.

"Oh nothing, dear, it worked."

"Let me see. What do I look like? I don't like oops."

Natalie rummaged through her back pack and pulled out her mirror and held it up. Rain grabbed it and looked and saw herself, her this side self; there was no change in her appearance.

"I thought you said it worked?"

Natalie nodded, "It did. You can still see you as yourself but others will see you differently."

"So what will they see? What do you see...all of you."

Natalie took back the mirror and put it in her pack, "Oh that's not important. We should get going."

"What! What do you see?" Rain yelled and then she heard Jason burst out laughing, then Ahira, then Lou, then Christie, and Natalie giggling.

"You look like a very ugly half orc male." Ahira told her as he laughed.

"Natalie!" She screamed.

"Hey it worked didn't it," Natalie said still giggling, "Plus who cares. It's just an illusion and it will get us through the gate."

Rain rolled her eyes, "I suppose. Let's go."

"Remember we need to find an inn quickly because it won't last for long." Natalie reminded them.

They passed the front gate along with merchants and peasants and the people stared hard at Christie, who even with her hooded cloak one could see she was still drow, and the faithful who wore holy symbols of their god or goddess clutched them tight and whispered prayers. Others spit on the ground in front of them as she walked past.

"They sure do hate her." Natalie whispered to Ahira. She felt sorry for Christie.

"She's a drow and while I am sure none of these people have ever seen one their reputation is well known and that of nightmares. Mother's use the drow as boogey men to scare their kids to make them behave, 'If you don't eat your vegetables the drow will come for you', stuff like that. This may not have been a good idea, let's just hope Jason can buff the guards at the gate, but just in case be ready for a fight."

Natalie nodded, gripped her staff tight, and swallowed hard and became afraid. She was so focused on how the people saw Christie and looking for imaginary vigilantes to jump out with swords and attack them that she did not notice how some of the people stared at her, especially the men, and whisper to each other about seeing a moon elf. Natalie braced herself and mentally went through her spells in her head when the gate guard stepped in front of Jason. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rain's large half orc hands move to the hilts of the long knives at her waist. She looked at Ahira and saw him bring the large ax that was strapped to his back down into his hands. Natalie was very frightened and she looked at Jason who seemed calm and his large sword was still over his back.

"Stop!" The guard told Jason. He was not the fat older guard Rain had encountered on her first trip to Lund, this one was young and fit looking and had a cocky air about him.

As the guard waved another guard over, Ahira made his way to stand next to Jason.

"Remember, you are a Paladin of Tyre." He whispered and Jason nodded. "You don't take shit from lowly soldiers."

The paladin towered over the two guards and the second one, just as young as the first, looked nervous.

"What business do you have here and we don't allow her kind in our city." The first guard said as he sneered at Christie.

"I am taking this drow prisoner to Athkatla to stand trial for her crimes." Jason said firmly and with arrogance.

"I am going to get the captain." The second guard muttered.

"We don't need..." the first one started but it was too late, the other young guard had run to a nearby building.

The young guard in front of Jason stood up straight to make himself seem taller, "And you're other companions?"

"The dwarf and half orc and wizard are my henchmen and they helped me kill the drow raiding party that attacked the moon elf girl's village. She is the only survivor and a witness for the drow's trial and to testify to her crimes."

"Why not just burn her now? Get it done with." The guard said, "That's what we will do because I can't let her in our city."

Christie brought her hands to her head and removed her hood to expose her head, "Try it, male, and I'll see you on the altar of Lloth as I cut out your heart." She sneered playing her role as a vicious drow prisoner.

The young guard stepped back in fear and his hand went to his sword hilt.

"Stand down, Herrick." A commanding voice told the young guardsman.

Walking toward the group was a tall, lean, and rather handsome man. He was older than the other two guardsman and his uniform was clean and his armor well-polished. He walked to Jason but his eyes focused on Christie.

"Good morning, sir, I am Danthos, captain of the city guard of Lund." He bowed his head to Jason. "What business have you in the city?" His voice was pleasant and respectful.