Page 28 of A Light in the Dark
“You’re a reader?”
“I am. And when I’m not reading, I’m gaming. Currently, I’m preparing for a gaming tournament, and my intent is to absolutelycrusha pack of wolves from Moonriver. We have a betting pool going on. Unfortunately, there is a rule. We have to play with someone who is a novice to the game. This evens the battlefield in the game. I have not yet found my partner.”
“Wait. You are competing in some form of gaming contest with a bunch of wolves, probably Hunters?”
“They are Hunters,” he replied. “And I am the only non-wolf stepping up to the plate this year. Nobody else qualified.”
If everything I knew about the Hunters of Moonriver wastrue, Joel would be absolutely destroyed at the game—and then they would come calling to Stonecreek to visit their victim. “Is it true the wolves will let you pet them?”
“Rarely. Calden is participating this year. His new wife is a novice, and he convinced her to give the game a shot.”
“Calden, as in Moonriver’s heir?” I blurted.
“Yes, him. His father is participating, too, but he hasn’t found a novice to join him yet. If you happen to know any single women who could be talked into gaming…”
“We could try Madeline. That would give the Hunters a reason to visit, too.”
“You, Valerie, are absolutely brilliant. And Allasandro wouldn’t have a problem with providing Madeline with a computer to play. She’s probably a little out of his age range, though.”
As I had no idea how old Madeline was, I shrugged. “I didn’t pay attention to her age. I mean, she’s very clearly an adult. But is anyone going to bother her with a wolf sniffing around her turf and teaching her how to game?”
“Absolutely not. And the timing works great. We get a week to teach our novices the game.”
“Let me see if I understand this. You’re taking players who haven’t played a certain game before, and might not even know how to use a computer, and you’re pitting them against players who are good enough they had to qualify to participate in the match?”
“Yep. And the experienced players have to keep their novices alive for as long as possible. Novices are worth a lot of points when alive. The experienced players will be working to knock them out as quickly as possible.”
“What sort of game is this?”
“It’s a time traveling pirate game. It’s one part colony builder, one part player versus player, one part strategy game. The tournament will be done over two months, and we’ll play three nights a week for four hours a session. Each session has a different theme. The first week or so of game play will be focused on the colony building and preparation. Then there will be invasion scenarios, and so on. None of us will get to see the maps until we’re playing, which will make it fun. The last team standing wins.”
“Don’t you mean last player standing wins?”
Joel grinned. “I really do, because honestly, the novices will get knocked out early. We’re going to let the novices team up after they’re eliminated so they can continue to participate.”
“What about the experienced players?”
“We’ll get to do the same, but we can’t win. We can just help make certain others lose. And if we’re eliminated a second time, we have to play in the game’s peaceful mode and build supply towns and fortifications for the other players. It will be fun.”
“That’s what you do after work? You build colonies and attack pirates?”
“I am a swashbuckling king,” he informed me in a solemn tone. “In the single player game, I am a mighty king who builds wealth off the backs of corrupted governments. And then I give the excess to my thriving colonies and lure the poor away from destitution to join my empire.”
I laughed at the thought of the handsome man staying home after work and building himself an empire in single player mode. “And what are you in multiplayer mode?”
“Highly irritated that I can’t be the swashbuckling kingover all other swashbucklers. Last time I was the top player, it lasted all of two days, which is a pretty good stint, truth be told. Most are unseated after about twelve hours. The first time the newly minted king sleeps, the others sweep in and steal his territory.”
“What about the queens?”
“There hasn’t been one yet,” he admitted. “There are women playing the game, and womendotake the king’s crown for a while, but they’re playing male characters when they do it. The better to crush everyone with. Honestly, most women play male characters because the men have cooler clothing options. The females either get to dress in black and white pirate attire, ball gowns, or the equivalent of chainmail bikinis.”
If he was trying to discourage me, he did a poor job of it. “So, you’re telling me that I could run around as a pirate, kill men, take their plunder, and rise to become an evil queen in this game?”
“I am concerned for my fellow gamers right now.”
“Don’t fear. I don’t own a computer. I will admit to being curious, though.”
“Have you ever played a computer game?”
