Master PC: The Elves

Mark spent the night between Suzy and Becky. At around two AM, he felt the call of nature and went to the bathroom. As he squatted, with finally a moment's peace. he thought.

That little girl's pleading had really gotten to him. Sex WAS supposed to be love. He was acting more and more like his mother and sisters, where love was a tool, a weapon. Tomorrow he would go tot school, get himself back on track.

In the morning, he got up and delivered the paper himself, despite Becky and Suzy's pleadings. He showered alone, despite Joanne's pleading. He did eat the breakfast Suzy cooked for him and that was a mistake.

It gave Joanne time to convince to give her permission to program genius level math, science and business knowledge into his head. After that, school became superfluous.

With black box, and his mother's new money, he was able to invest her money very wisely indeed. Mark projected they would be millionaires within the week, if his weather predictions for the late frost that would wipe out the Brazilian coffee crop held out.

Mark quit his job. Watching the Hisieng Index was more important. The rest of the week, Mark stayed home, making money and arranging his affairs before the families big move into the ranch house. Merry only barely crossed his mind.

Another Saturday morning rolled around and there was a knock at his bedroom door. Elizabeth-Becky said he had visitors.

The old gaming gang was there. Sam spoke for the group. "You okay, Mark?"

"Oh! It's game day! I am sorry guys but..."

"We know. You've got better things to do. Well, we just came by to check on you, to make sure you were okay, no phone call and all."

"Thanks."

The rest of the gamers left the house. Mark pulled Sam aside. "I am so sorry, Sam."

"Like I said, no problem. D&D rule #1: girls come first. And that 'Merry' I saw you with was real nice."

"Yeah, Merry."

"She here?"

"Not right now."

"Tell her I said 'hi." Meanwhile. I'll just NPC your character, okay?"

"Okay."

"Gotta go. Gotta GM."

Mark sent the girls away and just thought about his life. It was the first time in a long time. The game, for him, was never about the game. It was about friendship. Some guys played poker, some bowled, but it was always about the players, the friends one saw when he/she gamed. They were the only people to know he was missing. Even the school didn't bother with him.

What had changed him? He needed to go to the source, to the one person he hoped still loved him, Merry.

He pedaled like a madman and left his bike on Merry' driveway. On a teacher's salary, her and her husband hadn't been able to buy a house. She was not alone, but Cesar left them easily enough. Merry got him water and fixed him a sandwich.

"Merry, what have I done?"

Merry, as ever, sweetly broke the truth to him. "Oooo, Mark, dear, you just fell into the trap."

"Trap?"

"It's called, 'diminishing returns,' dear. It happens when people go to greater and greater extremes to get the original feeling. That happens to addicts to a lot."

"I'm an addict?"

"I am afraid so. Soon there will be no stopping you. I saw that couldn't support you, that's why I left."

"God. What can I do?"

"Well, what have you done?"

Mark laid it all out for her.

"That's a lot. I don't know where to begin to fix it all. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about all these problems?"

"I hate this world."

Merry caressed his face. "That's where I would begin if I were you."

It took Mark and Crystal Ball three days to fix it all. Even then, they had to wait a week for the Spring Equinox, the in-between time, whenthe barrier betweenthe Faierie and the Visible realm was thinnest. Then his Shidhe lovers could open a portal.

On that day, Mark, Joanne, Suzanne and Elizabeth disappeared from the face of this Earth. A pregnant Merry and her lover-husband, Cesar Arguello as the new owners, moved into the abandoned house. The Triple Y ranch prospered under the guidance of Willa Newton and her grandson, Mark.

In Sam's world, as legend has it, a great mortal warrior-wizard, Silbar, with three elvish maiden-lovers, conquered the realm. He, with the aid of his magic crystal ball, purged the kingdom of evil. He drove the vicious goblin armies mad, slew the fierce dragon, Dastwyrm, with his supernatural physical prowess and rescued the dwarves from slavery. He wed the beauteous princess Redwynn and sired a line that kept the kingdom at peace and prosperity for aeons.