Free The Lag (The Game Master: Book #1) by Alex Bobl Page B

much, do you? I can buy one in a shop for three gold!"
    "So go to the shop, then."
    Seething with indignation, Attila turned his back to her. He paused in front of the Magneto spitting bolts of lightning, then mustered up some courage and stepped into it.
    Reality blinked. His legs gave under him.
    Attila found himself standing on Gamekeeper's doorstep. That was better. He'd have hated to climb that chimney again.
    The five legionnaires lay sprawled in the grass next to the hut: some face up, others face down. Attila raised an inquiring eyebrow. Now why hadn't their bodies disappeared? Curiouser and curiouser.
    He walked over and poked one of the bodies with his boot, turning it onto its back. The guy was as dead as a dodo.
    The air popped in the doorway behind him, releasing Yanna enshrouded by blue lightning. She leaped forward and grabbed his shoulder. "Where d'you think you're going? You're not gonna leg it, you sly bastard!"
    Attila shrugged her hand off. "If I wanted to leg it, I'd have done it back in the hole. Come have a look."
    But she wouldn't have any of it. "Something tells me that's what you're doing! Trying to rip me off! In any case, what are you doing here in the open? The ghoul respawns in no time. Where is he? We'll have to kill him again now. Hey... what's this ?" she finally noticed the dead legionnaires.
    Attila sensed greed rising inside him. He bent over the body. A scabbarded bastard sword; a dagger with a magic stone set into its hilt; and what was that? An elixir, excellent. Shame the legionnaire didn't have any more of them.
    "You can keep your overpriced penknife," he mumbled as he picked up the player's belt and put it around his own waist, sword and all.
    "Looting, are we?" Yanna quipped. "No, wait! They must have some legionnaire's cheats on them," she bent over another body. "I just don't understand why their avatars didn't disappear. Normally, loot is left over. There should be nothing but loot lying here."
    "How do I know? Better, anyway. This way we don't need to check the grass for their stuff."
    He opened a legionnaire's bag, found nothing of interest and moved on to the next body, casting jealous glances at the girl. Trust her to collect more loot than he did.
    A couple of magic charms; another knife, another sword. Shame he couldn't take it all with him. Too heavy without a weight-reducing artifact. By the same token, he could go to the lake and look for a Crusher: Storms caused them to erupt all over the place like spots on a teenager's face. If he managed to disable it and extract the AntiGravity artifact, then find another Catapult somewhere in the vicinity...
    He forgot about all this when his gaze chanced on the wide belt of the third legionnaire — a sergeant, judging by the stripes on his sleeve. A dedicated four-slot cheat bag dangled from his belt. Just what the doctor ordered!
    It was a good job he'd been the one to have noticed it first. He slung the belt over his shoulder: this wasn't the time or place to study its contents.
    He wondered if the legionnaire had a weight-reducing artifact. It could considerably ease his load, depending on its level and charge. But even if he hadn't, it was still a very good find.
    Attila grinned and stood up, facing an arrow head pointing at his face.
    He grabbed at his sword. "What d'you think you're doing?"
    "Freeze!" she commanded.
    "Why? Are you all right?"
    "No, I'm not all right! I won't till you pay me! You think I can't see you're just waiting for me to turn my back?"
    "Jesus Christ, woman! Who have you been dealing with? Can't you trust anyone for a change?"
    "Trust? Who, a hacker?"
    "Why not? I may not be a hundred percent honest but at least I'm correct. See the difference?"
    "Very well, Mr. Correct. Out with your Book and out with my money."
    He reached into his pocket for the Book. "You're something, you. Give me the account number again," he shook the Book, then tapped it against his hand. "Nope. Won't work."
    "What?" the bow in