“Scalios and Skyth are on the way. Said they'll be here in a few minutes,” Asura said before jumping to her feet and sending their invites. “I better go prepare everything. I'll be right back.” She walked to the nearby wall and tapped on it. A small menu popped up and she clicked 'kitchen'.
A moment later she disappeared from the room and reappeared in a large marble kitchen. She hummed softly while she began cooking. In the game it was a simple process which only required her to drag certain items, like minotaur meat, into certain parts of the kitchen, like the wood stove, as they combined to create the meal. Within a few seconds the raw ingredients created a thick stew. She tapped just above the pot and five bowls filled with the meal appeared on a large wooden tray. “There we go,” she said happily before taking it towards the exit.
She reappeared in the main room and held up the meal. “Dinner is served!” she said and tapped the wall a few times. A large dining table appeared in the middle of the room and her bed disappeared.
“Ahhh!” B4hamutt cried out when the mattress disappeared from under him, making him crash into the ground. “A little warning next time?”
“S-sorry,” she said softly, while struggling not to laugh. She placed the food on the table. She took a seat as the others joined her. Slowly the scent of cooked meat, broth and vegetables filled her nose. “Mmmm... what do you guys think?”
“It smells nice,” Andremedia said when she sniffed hers.
“Hold on, I need to enable scent and taste.” B4hamutt tapped on the air.
“Me too,” Scalios said when he took a seat and tapped.
“Well, I'm happy to know I'm not the only one,” Skyth said with a chuckle when she sat down. “Asura, Media? Do you two have yours on all the time?”
“Ummmm... yeah,” Asura said softly, lowering her gaze.
“Only in towns,” Andremedia said and looked down at her food. “I like to snack sometimes. Outside, it gets kind of bad.”
“Wow, lucky,” Skyth said with a chuckle. “You two must be rich as hell. Touch, sight and hearing alone plow through my connection and I have the settings on pretty low. How are you able to afford it?”
“I uhh, get it through school,” Andremedia said. “I have the settings on pretty low though. I only come on a few hours each day too.”
“My parents have a lot of money,” Asura said and slowly moved the spoon around in her stew. “They... spend a lot of it on me.”
“Wow, you're pretty lucky then,” Skyth said and took a bite of the stew. “Hey, this is pretty good. Better than some of the things you can cook in other games.”
“Yeah.” Scalios took a bite of his food. “I hear Spigot hired a lot of professional cooks to create the dishes. They really went all out when they made it.”
“So, what did you want to talk with us about?” Andremedia asked before she took another bite of stew.
“It can wait until after the food. So, what has everyone been up too?” Asura asked.
“Oh, I think I may have found out where those tunnels are,” Skyth said with a chuckle. “Scales and I went to check it out, and I think it's right. You're never going to believe where it is.”
“Considering we've been guessing all this time, how about you just tell us?” Andremedia said with a roll of her eyes.
“Heh, fine,” Skyth said softly. “Under Atlantis.”
Asura stopped, the spoon half-way to her mouth. “Wait, what? But we already checked those tunnels. They didn't work.”
“Oh, they don't,” Scalios said with a smile. “The new ones don't. Since Atlantis was blown up, the tunnels were changed a lot.”
“Yep. I never thought to check the old maps,” Skyth said with a shake of her head. “There were a lot of places that were close in the new maps, so it never dawned on me to check the old maps. But, I got a copy a few days ago and ran it through. A hundred percent match. We went and checked it out today and did a quick search where the X should overlap in the new ones. We found an old statue buried under a lot of sea weed, but the crown should fit on it. Who wants to give it a try later this week?”
“That sounds awesome!” Andremedia said before glancing to Asura. “So, was that what you wanted to talk about?”
“Huh? Oh, no.” She shook her head. “You know, it's really not important. Lets just enjoy our meal. Ow!” She glared at B4hamutt and rubbed her leg where he kicked her. “Fine! I'll tell them.”
“Tell us what?” Skyth asked.
“Nothing, something, I-I'll tell you when we're done...” Asura said timidly as she eyed the ground.
“Oh, just tell us already!” Andremedia finally yelled, standing up and slamming her hands down on the table. “You invite us all the way out here and then keep talking about something being up. It's really getting annoying.”
“I... I...” She quivered and gripped her knees. “It's just... it's not important. I'm sorry, I didn't--”
“Asura, tell them,” B4hamutt said before reaching out to rub her shoulder. “You need to. Just take a deep breath and do it.”
“Okay, you're starting to freak me out a bit,” Scalios said before dropping his spoon. “Why are you so serious? You make it sound like she's dying or something.”
Asura cringed at those words. “I... I am dying. I'll be dead within the next two years. Or... or at least close enough that that no one could tell the difference.” She glanced up at her friends and then began to tell them everything. It burst out of her like a waterfall as she told them about her disease, the surgeries, her limited remaining time and her goals. When she finally finished she tried to control herself, but was unable. Tears began to fall down her face so B4hamutt moved in to hug her tightly.
“Shhh, it's okay. That's all you had to do,” he whispered and gently rubbed her back.
“That's... that's a lot to take in,” Scalios said softly as he got up. “I uhhh... I'm really sorry. Uhhh, is there anything we can do?”
“N-no,” Asura whispered, laying her head in B4hamutt's shoulder.
“Why are you telling us all this?” Andremedia asked, her voice tinged with panic. “It's not like we can do anything. It's a lot to just dump on us like that.”
“Media!” Skyth said in a low hiss.
“Well, it is,” the fae said with a roll of her eyes. “I'm not saying we should ignore it. I just want to know why. Is there anything you wanted from us?”
“N-no, it was stupid,” Asura whispered into the dragon's shoulder. “I shouldn't have told you... I'm sorry...”
“She just wanted someone she could talk with about it,” B4hamutt said and glared at the fae. “To tell her friends. Is that so much to ask?”
“No,” Andremedia said before standing up. “I just... nevermind. This is a lot to process. I need to... I need to go.” She quickly turned away. “I'm not leaving for good, or abandoning you, Asura. I still think we're friends. I just... I just need to process all this.” The fae disappeared.
“I kinda need to as well,” Scalios said before getting to his feet. “I'll just... yeah. See you later. I umm, I'm still up for the tunnels whenever you need me. Bye.” The leviathan disappeared as well.
“See?” Asura said softly as she looked up at B4hamutt. “T-they're all leaving. N-no one wants to be around the sick guy...”
“No!” Skyth said quickly and stood up. “Listen, I may not have known you as long as the others, but I know that's not the case. It's just... a lot to take in. They're just... they just need to think about it. A lot. They'll be back. It's not every day you find out a friend is dying.”
“Are... are you going to leave too?” Asura asked and looked up.
“I ummm, I'd like to,” the leviathan said and poked her fingers together. “It's... I mean... it's just I haven't known you long. This is kind of a personal moment and ummmm... awkward...” she said before her gaze lowered.
“O-oh... right... I'm sorry, I just thought we were... friends,” Asura whispered.
“We are! It's just... we're no
t that close,” the woman sighed and looked to the door. “Listen, I just... I'm going to let you two be alone. Just send me a message whenever you want to try solving the tunnels. Bye.” She practically leaped towards the door, disappearing from the room.
“I-I told you this was a b-bad idea,” Asura whispered and held onto B4hamutt.
“Shhh, calm down,” he whispered back to her and gently ran his hands through her hair. “It's just a lot to take in. They'll be back on tomorrow, or a few days from now. Then we'll be back to normal, except now you'll have more people you can talk with about these things. Even when I'm not here, you won't be alone.” He slowly gripped her shoulders and pushed her away so she had to look up at him. “Listen. This isn't your fault and isn't anything you need to be ashamed of. You don't need to hide it from everyone in the hopes that they'll still like you.”
“How... how can I not be ashamed?” she asked and stared up. “I'm not like anyone else. I'm broken, damaged. I'm not... I'm barely even a person... I'm just a waste of money...”
The dragon let her shoulders go and reached up to grip her chin. He leaned in and placed a kiss to her lips while his other arm pulled her closer. After a few moments he pulled back, his breath hot against her face. “You are a person. You're hurt. You're suffering. You deserve the same right to live as anyone else. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently. They aren't going to leave for good, I promise. We'll all be together again and working as a team. The only difference is now they'll have a bit more understanding of what you're going through and you won't have to ever be alone in any of this. No matter what happens. Okay?”
“O-okay...” she whispered and closed her eyes. “Thank you...”
He smiled and embraced her tightly. “You know, years ago I never would have thought I'd hold you like this.”
“Years ago I never thought I'd have someone who ever would,” she whispered gently. “I never thought I'd be able to feel it even if they did...”
------
It took nearly a week before Asura managed to work up the courage to send the three a message, and then two more days before all three responded. But finally, after another week, the five managed to return as a unit and found themselves amidst the wreckage of Atlantis.
The once proud city was nothing more than charred coral and broken buildings, barely any of it managing to stand more than a few feet high. Crabs occasionally scuttled out from under rocks and across the wreckage in search of food.
Asura sighed as she looked about. “I haven't been here since the attack. I didn't realize it looked so...”
“Broken?” Scalios said.
“Empty. They don't even have those cool water roads any more,” she said with a sigh. “So, where is the entrance?”
“Same place as before,” Skyth said and started swimming down. “Under the city. Come on.” The others quickly followed after her.
Asura moved up to B4hamutt as they swam and lightly tapped him. He glanced at her and she tapped on her menu a few times to establish a direct call. “Should I talk to them about what happened?”
“Huh?” he asked.
“About me... dying.”
“No,” he said and smiled to her. “Unless you want to talk about it. Just do what you'd want to do.”
“I want to kick this leviathan's butt,” she said with a grin.
“Then that's what we'll do.” They entered the tunnels.
Asura ended the call and heard Andremedia's voice, “Has it.”
“Huh?” the angel asked.
“I said, you have the crown, right?”
“Oh! Yeah, right. Where do I use it?”
“We're almost there,” Scalios said as they turned a corner and came to a small cavern. “We're here, we just need to find the statue. It's buried under all the seaweed.” He motioned below. The floor was covered in the slimy green plant.
The five slowly descended and began tugging at the green plant life. Asura cringed when she felt the slimy tendrils wiggle about in her hands. “Ewwww, this stuff is disgusting. Is the real stuff this bad?”
“Probably,” Skyth said with a chuckle. “I've only actually touched it when it was on sushi, and at that point it wasn't growing free in an underwater cave. Found it!”
The leviathan tugged away at the seaweed to reveal the shoulders and head of a scaled humanoid. The rest was buried under the ground. “Okay, just slide it on.”
Asura nodded and kneeled before the statue. A few quick clicks and she had the crown in her hand. With a deep breath, an odd sensation when underwater, she slid the crown on. “Okay, here we go!”
Nothing happened.
“... Well? Come on!” She kicked the statue. “You gotta be kidding me! How can it--” She let out a shriek when the world around her vanished. “Who? What? Am I logged out?” she asked and reached up to touch her stomach. “No, armor is still on. Where... oh.” Light finally began to fill her vision.
She was inside a large, empty underwater cavern. The walls were completely covered in glowing moss, which lit the area. There was only one way in or out, a tunnel near the bottom, wide enough that she and her four friends could stand head to feet and not touch both sides. Near the top of the cavern she could make out a small air pocket.
A moment later the others appeared besides her. “Took your time, huh?” she asked with a smile.
“Well, we can't all just kick the statue and teleport,” Andremedia said with a chuckle. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, nothings popped up yet. Was dark when I got here, but the moss started glowing and the place seems pretty empty. I think we're supposed to--”
A high pitched scream echoed through the chamber, making them cover their ears as it deafened them. After a moment it was gone.
“What the hell was that?” B4hamutt yelled and shook his head.
“I think we're about to find out,” Skyth said softly and motioned towards the tunnel. Large air bubbles, nearly the size of them, began floating up from within. “I think we may have finally found the king.”
“Oh,” Asura said and drew out her blade, quickly changing it to a great sword. “Okay, everyone. Let's be careful. We've beaten one king, we can beat another.”
“Hopefully,” Andremedia said and drew her own great sword. “I really don't want to have to fight that wall again. At least none of us will have to worry about drowning.”
The shriek filled their ears again and a long green snout began to climb out from the tunnel. The beast soon revealed itself, a massive crocodile, easily larger than a football field, with a body like stained jade. Moss grew between the creature's scales and it opened its mouth, revealing hundreds of massive marble colored teeth. It let out a roar that made the entire chamber shake, but fortunately not as ear piercing as its shrieks. The words 'Broknus, Ruler of the Oceans' appeared under it in big white letters.
“I think that's it,” Asura said before turning to the others. “Any plans?”
“Well,” B4hamutt said, “it's an alligator--”
“Crocodile,” Andremedia said.
“Does that really matter?”
“Maybe? I'm just trying to help.”
“... Fine. It's a crocodile. Watch out for the jaws. As big as it is, I doubt it can turn quickly, so just use our maneuverability to our advantage,” B4hamutt said and cracked his knuckles. “Other than that, fight as best you can and don't let it get you. Probably has a wicked tail too.”
“Yeah,” Asura said. The monster turned towards them. “It looks really slow. We can probably--” She let out a startled yelp when the massive crocodile was suddenly almost on them, crossing the distance between them and it in seconds. The five scattered, narrowly avoiding being grabbed in its massive jaws. “Holy crap! How is it so fast?” The monster went after Andremedia, who struggled to dodge around its rapidly snapping jaws.
“It's a legendary boss after all!” Scalios yelled and brought his mace cracking down on its back. “Don't just stand there, attack!”
�
��R-right,” she yelled and swam down and then up, striking across the monsters underbelly. One of its short claws came out of nowhere and smacked the angel full body, sending her rocketing through the water. She slammed against the wall of the chamber and let out a groan when pain shot through her back. “P-pain f-feedback seems to be higher here as well,” she said gently. “Think this is it...”
“Well, that's nice! AHH!” Andremedia yelled before the monster's jaws closed around her. “MMMMMPHHH!”
“We're coming, hold on!” B4hamutt yelled and raked his claws across Broknus's eyes. It let out another ferocious roar. With its mouth open the fae could be seen, her sword stabbed into the top of the monster's mouth and holding on for dear life. As soon as the mouth opened she kicked out from the beast, dislodging her sword, and swam out like a bullet.
“I'm so thankful we're underwater,” the fae said with a groan. “Though even down here the beast smells horrible from inside.”
“Why do you even have smell enabled?” Scalios asked and brought his mace down across the monster's tail, temporarily freezing the limb.
“Because I... shut up! I just do!” Andremedia slashed the monster under the jaw.
Broknus began to turn in the water, rapidly curving its body as it shot straight at Asura. She shrieked and swam up while the others struck at the creature.
“Gahhhh!” she screamed when the monster snapped its jaws rapidly, trying to catch a bite of the fleeing girl. “Get it away from me!”
“Hold on!” B4hamutt yelled and grabbed the thing by its tail. He let out his own shriek when he found himself being pulled along behind the creature. “Gahhhh!”
Asura turned to face the beast and held both her arms out. “Ice shield!” The dome of ice formed in front of her and, when the monster snapped its jaws shut, the ice held it open. A grin flashed on her mouth before she charged out the opening left and drove her sword across the monsters jaw and down its side. The blade sliced through the scales, leaving a long trail of ice where the blade connected and holding the monster's mouth open. “Quick, get it while it's stuck!”
The others moved in quickly, striking with their blades, maces and claws while the creature writhed around. Ice coated the beast on all sides, pinning its limbs down while it howled in rage and turned around to lash at the closest target. Skyth.
Landasy Reality: Angel's Escape Page 36