Landasy Reality: Angel's Escape

by Fredrick Stokely

  A piercing scream tore through the water, the shrill sound piercing to her core. Even after it ended she felt as if she could still hear it, reverberating within her head and cutting into her skull. “I think it's angry.”

  “Keep going!” B4hamutt yelled. She could see the others charging back in and she quickly joined them. The water around the fighters boiled and bubbled as they slashed through the creature, its tentacles struggling to hold them off, but the longer the fight went on the fewer it had.

  Finally Asura stabbed her blade into another one of the mouths. As the fires burst out and boiled the water, as well as the small tooth-fish, the explosion was pushed inward and the monstrous beast began to shake. From where her blade stabbed the flesh began to evaporate into red sparkles, spreading outward. “Guys, I think we did it!” she called out. “It's breaking apart.”

  “Yeah! It started breaking apart where I stabbed it too,” B4hamutt said, panting heavily. “Everyone group up, we don't know if there's a second part of this. Be ready for anything and watch each others backs.”

  The five gathered together and watched the beast as best they could. Their enemy-passes still showed the creature, but it was shrinking rapidly as its body disappeared into red sparkles. Within a few moments, the compass-like devices didn't show a single sign of the beast.

  “Think it's still there?” Asura asked nervously.

  “I'll go check,” B4hamutt said before swimming towards where it had been.

  “Wait!” she yelled and reached out to try and grab him, but he was already gone. The others stared at her, causing her to blush. “I-I just don't think we should go alone.”

  “It's gone!” B4hamutt yelled out. “Come to me.”

  The others swam after his location. The dragon was sitting on top of a large iron treasure chest, which was covered in seaweed and floating in the water.

  “Is that it?” Asura asked as she smiled. “I-is that the kings treasure?”

  “Maybe,” Andremedia said softly. “But I doubt it. This was nothing like the Niohoggr fight. It was a lot easier for one. Not to mention we never had the monster's name pop up.” She glanced to the angel and cringed at the glare she received. “B-but it might be part of it! I mean, maybe it's connected somehow? Some kind of event?”

  “Well, we won't know until we open the chest,” Skyth said with a roll of her eyes. “So come on, open it! Let's see what we got!”

  B4hamutt nodded and reached down, gripping the edge of the box. With a groan he opened the top and air bubbles flooded out. Once it was opened the chest began to sink, leaving its two piece of treasure floating. A pearl crown and a map.

  “Huh,” the dragon muttered as he held them out.

  “What? What is it? Where's the map point?” Asura asked before taking it. It was a map of tunnels. “Wait...”

  “Yep,” he said with a sigh. “It's a map of undersea tunnels. However, considering the entire ocean in the game is filled with thousands of them, it could take us years to find these particular ones.”

  “Oh, don't be so over dramatic,” Scalios said before taking the map. “I'm sure if we look online we can find whichever tunnels these are a part of. Then all we have to do is get to them and use the crown at this X mark.”

  “Leave it to me,” Skyth said and held out her hand. “I can build a program to go through all the maps and see which one it correlates to. It might take a while to get everything, but it shouldn't be an issue. Hold on while I copy the map.”

  “What if it's somewhere that hasn't been explored yet?” Asura asked before examining the crown. It had a small blue gem on the head.

  “Well, I guess we can start searching through the tunnels ourselves,” B4hamutt said and patted her on the back. “We've come this far, we won't give up now.”

  “Of course,” Skyth said before holding the map back out to them. “Okay, I have a copy. I'll get to work on it during my down time. It'll probably take a few days or weeks though.”

  “Don't worry about it,” Scalios said with a shrug. “Not like we're in a rush. We can try to find information on the other kings while you do that.”

  Skyth nodded before looking up. “I'm gonna head home. Once I do I need to log out anyway. Work in the morning. It was fun!” she yelled and swam up.

  “I need to go as well. School,” Andremedia said and quickly followed.

  “I uhhh, got some things to finish,” Scalios said as well. “Working on my demon class and all. See you two later.”

  Within moments the three left the chat as B4hamutt and Asura glanced to each other. “They're certainly subtle, aren't they?” she asked with a roll of her eyes.

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “Nothing, come on.” She took his hand and began swimming towards the surface. “We have a few days before we have to work on anything else.” Her hand tightened on his. “Anything you'd like to do?”

  “Well, I still need to work on my fae class,” he said before glancing to her. “I imagine you still need to work on your demon class. We could do that together?”

  “I was hoping for something a bit more romantic,” she said before smiling to him. “But I suppose it will have to do.” She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Despite the icy water surrounded them, his cheek still felt warm to the touch. Especially when he blushed.

  ------

  Days soon turned to weeks and months as the two trained and leveled together. Even though Asura was gaining levels and experience far slower than she was used to, she never felt annoyed or anxious. As soon as B4hamutt came on she dropped whatever she was doing and the two would play together, be it by leveling their classes or simple things such as trying out the in-game diners or restaurants.

  He'd even begun staying up late with her, coming to her room and sitting with her until she eventually fell asleep. Sadly, he had to log off and return to the real world and could never stay the full night, but knowing he was there when she drifted off had helped to stave off her nightmares.

  Skyth had been keeping them up to date on her progress, though she had yet to have made much. She had gone through all the maps of commonly used tunnels in the game, even ones outside leviathan lands, and given them the locations to check out as possible connections. Asura, as the one with the most in game time, had been spending most of her solo time checking the tunnels, though she did it as an angel rather than risk leveling her demon class without B4hamutt. Each one had been a dead end, and she was beginning to doubt it was somewhere that had already been explored and mapped. To her surprise, she was finding she didn't really mind.

  Time in the real world dwindled even more. With no need for meals, his parents were allowing him to spend almost all of his time in the virtual world. Some days the nurses didn't even disconnect him when they cleaned him and he was able to spend the entire day with his friends.

  It was a day like that, that she awoke to a received message. Yawning slowly, Asura reached out and opened it. It was a text message, asking her to meet her parents in the space station at noon. She stretched out and slowly crawled out of bed before scratching her side. “Don't see why they couldn't just... huh?” she whispered when she checked her list. Her dad was already on. She sighed and sent him a text message asking if he wanted to meet now. A few moments later she received the go ahead and began logging out from Landasy Reality.

  Within moments he was on the space station, gazing out at the stars. He reached out to run his fingers along the glass and sighed. “I should try to visit them more often...” he told himself, though he knew he'd forget it later. He shook his head and began walking through the station. He clicked the menu and invited his dad to join his group. The two soon met up, at the nearby space diner. He waved and sat down across from him. “Hey, what's up?”

  His father sighed and gazed at him. The game didn't show the effects very well, but Asher could tell something was wrong by the creases in his father's forehead. “Son, we need to talk...”

  The conversation we
nt on for nearly an hour, until eventually his father logged out from the world and left Asher alone. He exited the game and quickly logged back into LRVR before bringing up the menu, his hands shaking.

  Asura clicked B4hamutt's name, her hand trembling so bad it took her a few attempts. She gulped and slowly opened a side menu. A phone number popped up and she clicked it. “Mutt? I-it's Asura. I-I know you said only use this number in case of an emergency, but this is definitely one,” she said as she struggled to stop the tears. “P-please come on soon. I... I need you. I need someone to talk to...”

  She closed the menu and laid down in her bed, curling into a little ball. Her wings wrapped around her as the tears began to fall down her face. “Oh god... why... I... I don't want... this... any of this...”

  There was a small ding when B4hamutt logged in and she quickly gave him an invite into her room. When he entered his eyes moved over her. “What's wrong? Why did you call me?”

  She looked up at him and she tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. “I... I'gh... I just... I...” She sobbed as she shook her head. The dragon moved over and wrapped his arms around her and held her head to his chest.

  “There there... cry it out,” he whispered and patted her back.

  She did so, sobbing into his chest as the tears flowed down her face. She clutched at his scales and held onto him, smelling the soft scent of his body and feeling the firm power of his thick scales. She didn't know how long she laid there, but eventually her tears dried up and her sobs turned to light hiccups. “T-thank you...”

  “It's okay... what's wrong?” he asked as his hands gently stroked up and down her back.

  “I... I talked to my dad...” she said softly, not letting go. “He... he talked to the doctors...”

  “What did they say?” he asked and she felt his hands tense up.

  “My kidneys will start to fail in a few months. After that I'll have about five to seven months before my heart gives out. T-they have machines but... after that... I only have a year, at most, before my brain shuts down.”

  “I... I see,” he said before running his claws down her spine. “I...”

  “They say I'll be deaf in a few weeks and won't even be able to open my eyes any more... this'll be the only way I... I can do anything...” she whispered and squeezed his back. “I... I don't want this...”

  “I know, I know...” he whispered and rubbed her back.

  “I... I won't even be able to p-play any more in the end,” she whispered. “Once it starts affecting my brain, the head set won't be able to pick up or send the impulses. I'll be... trapped. I-I won't even know when I'm about to die... I... I can't do this...” she said softly and looked up at him. “I-I don't want to die like this!”

  “No one does,” he said before stroking her cheek. “I... I know it's horrible. But you don't need to do this alone, I'm here for you. Until the end.”

  She nodded slowly and leaned up to kiss him, though he put a finger to her lips to stop her.

  “Asura,” he said softly. “I think you should tell the others.”

  “W-what?”

  “I think you should tell the others,” he repeated as he gazed into her eyes. “You're going through something I could never even dream of. You need them to be by your side. You need friends...”

  “But... t-they won't want to be around me any more,” she whispered softly. “I'll just be the sick person they pity and brings the mood down...”

  “No, you won't,” he whispered and gave another tight hug. “You're our friend. In times like this we all need people we can turn to. You need us. All of us.”

  “What if they don't want to keep being around me then?” she asked and her gaze lowered to his stomach. “What if they don't want to be around someone so sick?”

  “That's not going to happen. Trust me,” he said before gripping her chin and making her look him in the eyes.

  His eyes were soft and gentle, though she could see the moistness of forming tears. She smiled and sighed. “Okay... I... I guess I can tell some of them. We're hunting those monsters together, I should at least let them know I won't be able to finish with them...”

  He nodded and leaned in to give her a kiss. “You should tell your parents too...”

  She laid there, stunned, for a few minutes. He waited patiently. “Wait... tell them? What do you mean?”

  “You told me you never told them about Asura,” he whispered. “You should tell them what you have been working on. What you have achieved.”

  “No way!” Asura screamed and her face turned red. “You think I can tell them this? If they found out I was playing a girl they'd freak out!”

  “Do you really think that? After all you've told me, do you really think they'll be upset about that?”

  She stared at him for a few seconds sighing. “Maybe not,” she whispered softly. “But they'll definitely freak out if I tell them about us...”

  B4hamutt's cheeks turned bright red. “W-well, I don't see how that is any of their business. Just, umm, tell them about your goals. What you've done. All that and... I mean, they deserve to know, right?”

  “I guess...” she whispered before smiling up at him. “Mutt, I just want you to know. No matter what happens... I... I don't regret the time I've spent on here. With all of you. If I have to die, I'm happy I got to spend my time with people like you and the others.”

  “I know, I know,” he whispered before kissing her once more, both closing their eyes.

  Chapter 17

  Age: 19 years, 6 months

  Asura paced nervously across her room. Every so often she stopped and glanced at the door, but began pacing again quickly.

  “Can you stop that?” B4hamutt asked from her bed, leaning against the bed posts. “They aren't going to be here for at least thirty more minutes. You're giving me a headache.”

  “What if they don't want to listen?” Asura asked as she continued to pace. “What if they think I'm looking for attention?” Her voice got higher and higher pitched. “What if they decide they don't want to --” She went silent when the dragon put a finger to her lips.

  “Shhhh... it's okay,” B4hamutt said and pulled her into his lap. “It's going to be fine. I promise. Just relax, okay?” He leaned in to kiss her cheek.

  “Okay... you're right...” she said before closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Do you think you can talk to them? A-at least at first? You know, loosen them up?”

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Asura, calm down. It's going to be fine,” he said with a smile before he gently stroked her cheek. “You're shaking, there is no need for that. It's all going to be okay...”

  “F-fine... AH!” she shrieked when a message popped up in her vision. “Media's on. S-should I invite her in?” she asked, staring at him fearfully.

  “Yes,” B4hamutt said with a chuckle before patting her shoulder. “Just trust me, okay? We'll have a nice dinner, sit everyone down and talk it out.”

  “I know, I know, I hope...” Asura said before sending the fae the invitation. Within moments the girl appeared in the room.

  “So, what did you invite me all the way here for?” Andremedia asked and looked around the room.

  “Err, dinner mostly,” Asura said softly. B4hamutt elbowed her in the side. “Oh, and I have some things I need to talk with all of you about, after dinner. But it can wait, I'd really like everyone to be here.”

  “Okay. Is it about the leviathan king? Did you find out where it was?”

  “What? Oh, no,” Asura said and nervously rubbed her arm. “I uhhh, I haven't even been thinking much about that in the last few weeks. It's... something else.”

  “Okay? You're acting really strange. Mutt, do you know what this is about?”

  “Yes,” B4hamutt said quickly. “But it's not my place to say. If you want to relax, just sit down and we can chat. Asura has a lot of furniture... a lot. I don't even know why she has so much. It honestly seems kind of like a was
te.” He gulped when the angel turned to glare at him. “T-though a lot of it is really nice and comfortable! Just pull a chair up or something.”

  Andremedia rolled her eyes and tapped on the wall. A large red recliner appeared and she sat down in it.

  “So, how has school been?” Asura asked.

  “Oh, you know,” the fae said with a shrug. “Doing homework, working on assignments, calculating a bunch of things to ensure I pass all of my tests.”

  “You know,” the angel said as she sat back down on the edge of the bed. “I don't think you've ever told us what you were studying for? Are you in high school, or college?”

  “Studying for? Oh, nothing major. Planning to go into computers mostly.” A small smile formed on her lips and she chuckled.

  “Really?” Asura asked and crossed her arms. “You might want to talk with Skyth. I think she does programming in her day job.”

  “Yeah, but how good can she be?” Andremedia asked. “I mean, the program she built hasn't helped us at all in finding where the crown goes, and she's probably gone through every map online. Not to mention the dozens of areas she's had us map and search.”

  “It's not her fault,” Asura said quickly. “It would hardly be a big quest if it was easy. I'm sure we'll find it soon. Besides, it's not like we've made much headway on any of the other big monsters.”

  “Well, no,” Andremedia said and closed she closed her eyes. “Sorry, I'm not trying to cause a fight. I'm just getting frustrated with having to wait like this...”

  “Oh,” Asura said, lowering her eyes. “I know exactly how you feel. Don't worry though, no matter what happens we won't be doing it without you. We're a team for this, remember?”

  “I guess, just do--” The fae went quiet when Asura raised a hand for silence.