Landasy Reality: Angel's Escape

by Fredrick Stokely

  She held her club up and grinned. The blood fish. This worlds larger, but more solitary, version of piranhas. Its tongue darted out for a moment before the beast began swimming straight at her. She didn't hesitate to pull her club back and then swing forward with all her might. The creature was struck across the side of its face, shattering many of its teeth and sending it hurtling into the wall. “Ice bomb.” A small sphere of water in front of the creature began to spin around moments before turning to ice and exploding into little shards. She dove forward and gave it one final smack across the skull before the creature disappeared in a flurry of red sparkles.

  “Perfect, another quest done,” she said happily before she turned around and, using her map to help navigate, made her way back to Atlantis. “I love the leviathan's underwater casting ability. Makes all these quests sooo much easier.” It had been almost a week since the event had ended and she was managing to make steady progress towards her next mastery, one quest at a time.

  ------

  Asura popped out from one of the caves with a grin, glancing towards the city. Another quest done meant she was one step closer to getting this class maxed out. She swam in from the side of the city this time, having learned her lesson from her first trip. She walked off in search of the quest giver, but froze as the lights above suddenly went out, covering the city in darkness. “What on earth?” The darkness didn't last long before massive explosions ripped through the city, temporarily lighting it back up. Her mouth hung open in shock when dragon characters began to appear throughout the city, some of them even seemed to be player characters.

  A dragon suddenly charged at her. She easily dodged to the right as its axe missed her and, spinning around, she caught the dragon under the chin with her club. It disappeared in a flurry of red sparkles while she stared. “What is going on?”

  Off a few yards away she could see more dragons attacking a small group of confused leviathans. She backed away and hid behind a wall while her class change counter slowly ticked down. The moment it ended she changed her class back to angel and, holding Excalibur tight in hand, charged the nearest group.

  Her sword cleaved through the creature's easily, in fact it seemed to only take one blow to kill them. Not just for her, but even the low level leviathans who were fighting were crushing them. The only ones having a problem were the NPC guards.

  More explosions ripped through the city and, as she watched, chunks of coral fell from above. The water roads were losing their form and splashing to the ground. Some water dripping onto her shoulder brought the angel's gaze up as her mouth fell open. The dome above, despite having been nothing but magic holding the water back, was failing. As more explosions tore through the majestic city more and more water began to dribble in from above. Finally a massive fireball enveloped the largest coral building in the city, the castle which was home to only the strongest and richest leviathan players, and the dome above shattered completely. Water crashed down at them and she could do nothing but watch in shock and horror as the icy water charged at her like a herd of rampaging beasts. There was no way to run, no way to hide, she couldn't even lift her hands to defend herself while her body locked up in fear.

  The ground shook and the water pounded as it finally came to her. She was thrown backwards by the force, only to be driven forward and down by the turbulent waters as they closed in from all sides. The last thing she saw was the once proud city of Atlantis crumbling to pieces, its corals obliterated with leviathan and dragon corpses filling the street. Actual corpses, they didn't disappear. She couldn't understand any of this. The merciless icy waters tossed her like a confused rag doll while she struggled to maintain her composure.

  Then it was all over and she was lying on the nearby beach, staring up at the sky. A small message popped up in front of her and she slowly read it aloud. “You wake up on the beach after the attack on Atlantis. The leviathan that pulled you in tells you that she needs to go rescue any others who are still trapped. As an angel you are told to report to the Golden Fortress of Everlight.”

  Asura let out a groan before slowly getting up. “Well that explains nothing...” she said before spreading out her wings and taking off. Whatever it was, she hoped it would make sense.

  ------

  The fortress was, despite being called golden, not made of gold. Instead it looked like any normal fortress, albeit nearly the size of a city. It was made of massive stone walls, cannons jutting from them, with three flags for the angels, leviathans and holy beasts. Players were funneling in from all three races of the faction, any of the other three being barred access. Asura landed on the roof, among other angels, and headed in through a side door. The moment she entered a small warning popped up, informing her she would be unable to change her class.

  She was directed to a massive room nearly the size of the arena she had fought in recently. Hundreds of angels were milling about, creating an odd sensation as she tried to push through and around the mass of feathers.

  Everyone here bore the same sword as her, Excalibur, at their side. At least those who carried swords. She slowly began to make her way towards the back of the room and, to her surprise, drinks and food had been prepared. It didn't technically have any nutritional value, but it was still a nice touch. She took some punch and then stood near the back to wait.

  She didn't have to wait long. “SOLDIERS! Silence!” a voice boomed out. The players went quiet almost instantly, though she wondered if people actually stopped talking or if they were just temporarily muted. She imagined the latter. “Those who were at any of the capitals of the Righteous Coalition have seen the damage those scum have caused!” The wall opposite the one she was against suddenly showed images of the three cities, or what remained of them.

  Atlantis was little more than a watery grave. Gaia, the holy beast's underground capital, had completely caved in on itself. Finally, Sanctuary, the angel's flying city, had crashed into the earth below. The castle that was once her home was rubble on the ground and she couldn't help but feel anger bubble within her. What if all the things she stored there had been destroyed? There was no way they'd just destroy her stuff, was there?

  “This was a prepared assault by the creature's of the Unholy Legions! Attacking each of our capitals in turn, they hoped to weaken our forces and destroy us once and for all! Fortunately, thanks to the quick responses by warriors like you, the main attack forces they sent in were mostly stopped before they could kill too many. Unfortunately, the bombs they placed went off without us being able to stop them. With our three capitals destroyed, the coalition will now operate from here, the Golden Fortress of Everlight. Together we will drive those scum back to the netherworld where they belong!” the voice rang out again. She finally caught sight of its owner, a large angel wearing full plate armor with a massive great sword on his back. He was standing on top of a raised platform on the opposite side of the room.

  “The next few years will be long and dangerous, but I know each and every one of you will stand strong and help us eliminate these creatures! The time of peace is no more! This is war!” the angel yelled and raised his fist in the air. No one said a word and after a few moments he lowered his hand. “Prepare yourself. All missions for the Coalition will now be distributed from this fortress. Find your respective leaders and get ready. This will be like nothing any of you have experienced before!”

  That, on the other hand, brought a cheer from the assorted angels before they headed out. Asura followed behind the crowd, a grin spreading on her lips. It seemed a brand new event was taking place. She hoped in the end it proved to be as exciting, if less frightening, as its introduction.

  Chapter 10

  Age: 17 years, 8 months

  Asura held her breath and held her body flat against the stone wall. She was illuminated by the small rivers of lava that flowed through the small ditches carved into the home of the dragons, Camelot. Fortunately, the guards overhead had yet to notice anything as they stared out towards the only '
official' entrance into the city.

  The ground shifted a bit under her feet before a head popped out. “Hey!” she snapped and closed her legs as tight as she could. “You're supposed to come out next to me, not under me!” The head disappeared before popping out a few feet from her.

  “Sorry. Here, I got 'em,” the man said. His body was covered in thick brown fur and his head was that of a wolves. Over his hands he wore the same metal gauntlets that B4hamutt favored. He was holding a large orb that was see-through, but at its core had a small black sphere that seemed to absorb all light into a small vortex of inescapable darkness.

  “Perfect. Squad A through C have already got theirs and are in the midst of trying to set them up. Once we set ours up we'll have about thirty seconds to get out of here before the whole place goes up. So I hope you can dig fast,”

  “Heh, fastest. Here.” He held out the orb and she took it, stuffing it into the small bag at her side. She then leaned forward and looked up at the guards. “Only a few more minutes and... there.” She reached out and grabbed the holy beast before spreading her wings.

  On the wall the guards had turned away and were calling out to their replacements. With them temporarily distracted the two saboteurs flew off to the right and then up the wall. She dropped him on the other side and both darted behind a nearby stone building.

  “Do you find anything funny about an angel setting off the last bombs to destroy Camelot?” the beast asked with a smirk.

  “Not really, no. Keep it down, just because NPCs can't hear us chatting doesn't mean a player won't notice us. If we're busted we're toast,” she said while watching the guards. They finished their discussion and the two new guards took their spot. “Good. Okay, let's go,” she said and the two began to make their way through the city.

  It was slow going as the two went, constantly keeping away from any doors or windows as they slunk through the shadows. It was going well until they walked into an alley way and suddenly a hand materialized from the darkness and grabbed her companion by the throat.

  “Well well well, what have we here? If it isn't some members of the conceited alliance,” a large red demon said before his body materialized from the darkness. “You know your kind aren't welcome here any more.” His eyes turned to Asura. “Wait, your colors are... aren't you on our side?”

  “Nope!” Asura's sword flashed out. The blade cleaved through his hand and then through his head before he disappeared in a shower of red sparkles.

  Her companion let out a deep breath, “W-watch it with that sword, will you? I like having a head!”

  “Sorry, but I had to move quick. Come on. If we don't get this placed by the time he resurrects he'll alert the guards,” She said before they continued walking, albeit much faster now.

  “He did have a point, why are your colors like that if you aren't a member of the Unholy Legions?”

  “Because I have two of their classes mastered. It currently considers me a member of them. It's why I'm doing as many missions as I can, until I can get my faction standings right.” She scowled. “I was oh so lucky, the game waits until I get to the legion's side before finally making affiliations matter.”

  The beast chuckled before hiding behind another building, glancing up towards a large stream of hot magma while it spilled from above and into a pit directly in front of the city's castle. “You sure you'll be okay placing the bomb up there? Lava does a lot of damage,”

  “Yeah, it does. Hurts too. But I'll be fine, so long as you keep the guards distracted I'll be able to fly up there and set the bomb, no problem. Lava shouldn't even touch me.”

  “Yeah, good luck,” he said before looking to the castle. “I swear some of these missions are just brutal... here I go!” He charged into the middle of the court yard and raised his hands. “Stone catapult.” The ground under him began to shudder. He thrust his hands forward and chunks of the ground lifted up and sailed through the air, crashing into the walls of the castle. He kept his hands up as more and more continued to shoot out, raining on the castle before the large doorway began to open. He began to concentrate his fire on there so the dragons attempting to come out were buried in stone.

  Asura took to the air, her movements ignored in the face of the far more damaging attack. She soon flew high above the city and gazed down in awe. Lava flowed around the structures, creating what looked like a massive orange web. The castle's doors had finally collapsed under the assault and dragon NPCs were billowing out, attempting to get out from under the barrage. The courtyard had been all but destroyed, huge holes from where the rocks had been drawn.

  A fireball flew past her head, forcing her back a few feet. Far off to her right were three dragons, each with a pair of wings. “Right, more people have two classes now... dang it...” She sighed before she drew her sword. Within moments the dragons were on her.

  The first tried to slash at her with an axe, though she easily deflected it with her own blade before twisting around to his left side and slashing across his side. She then dove down as the others attempted to slice into her. Only one had a sword, the other two axes. “Fireball!” she called out and held her left palm out at them, engulfing the dragons in flames. “Dragon and angel masteries. That means both their defenses will be high... No matter.” Once the flames cleared she charged right into them. They were still trying to block the fire from scorching their faces and unable to properly defend themselves as her blade shot out. Excalibur easily cleaved through one of the wings of the nearest dragon and, when it disappeared in a flurry of red sparkles, he plummeted to the ground below.

  The remaining two watched their friend plummet to the ground for a few seconds, before turning their eyes to her wings. It was one of the best ways to stop a flier after all, clipping their wings. She quickly moved her fingers through the menus before her sword split into two, one long sword and one dagger.

  The two split off and surrounded her. Attacking from both sides, she knew there was no way she could block both of their attacks. Taking a deep breath, she charged straight at the one ahead of her. Quickly sheathing the dagger she shoved the empty hand out. “Rayburst!” Bright rays of light struck into the startled dragons chest before she slammed into him. She grabbed him with her free hand and turned them both around in a tight circle. When the second dragon charged at them she let her captive go, flinging him straight into his back up.

  As the two floundered about and tried to right themselves, she charged in and with a few quick cuts from Excalibur the duo were sent hurtling down to the ground. Unfortunately, their little fight had drawn attention and down below she could see a few more taking flight while others readied their bows to take shots at her. “Ice shield!” A wall of ice formed ahead of her, suspended in mid air. Moving quickly she flew back up to where the magma flowed and grabbed onto the roof.

  “Great, just great.” Asura looked for somewhere to place the bomb. The rock surface was smooth without any crevices to place the destructive orb. “Come on, there has got to be something...” she said before seeing her barrier shatter out of the corner of her vision. “Ugh, I don't have time for this!” She placed her hand to the roof. “Fissure!” A crack formed in the thick stone and slowly got bigger and bigger until it was large enough she could slide the bomb inside.

  An arrow struck her right wing, causing her to jerk away, the bomb falling from her grasp. “No!” she shrieked and dove for it. Her hands latched around it in moments, but more and more arrows struck at her, most missing but a few finding a new home in her body. Worst of all, the fliers were getting closer, having gone up to the roof away from the arrows and were now flying straight at her. “Screw it!” She flew up and jammed the bomb into the small hole. She then dove down as fast as she could, trying to dodge and weave around the arrows as she went. She opened a communication with her partner, “It's done! I'm good! Get out of here!”

  “But what about you? If I don't-”

  “I'll be fine, just go! I'll find my own way out!” she y
elled before ducking under a flaming boulder. Down below she could see actual catapults being aimed at her as their few air forces took to the sky in pursuit. “Tell them to set off the bomb, I'll be fine!” she yelled before folding her wings and diving straight down. The world went by in a blur while fire and arrows shot by her like lightning and the floor came up at her like an impenetrable wall. Taking a deep breath she let her wings out, just a little, and she altered her position horizontally. Within seconds she was skimming along the rooftops while others tried to pursue her.

  She folded in her left wing and dove into a nearby road, startling those walking into it. Behind her she could hear crashing as her pursuers tried to mimic her and failed. “Heh. I've been doing this for years, a few months of leveling won't let you keep up with me!” she yelled, though they were too far behind to hear her. She flapped her wings yet again before shooting straight up and over the outer wall of the city.

  Explosions tore through the city behind her and, when she looked back for a moment, she could see massive fireballs spreading throughout the dragon held city. Buildings were reduced to ash as the great lava falls above were torn asunder, allowing magma to flow freely throughout the city. With the destruction being wrought on their home, the dragons gave up their chase to return and attempt to stop the damage. Without pursuit, she was easily able to escape from the burning city.

  ------

  “That was the most awesome thing EVER! Did everyone make it out okay?” Asura asked when she met up with the group of assorted classes.

  Scalios looked to her and nodded, “Yeah. I'd say the event was a complete success. With Camelot destroyed, that means only two cities left to go. How much experience did you get for this?”