Bjǿrn and Moira calmly picked up their weapons and climbed down to the forest floor. They knew the wyvern riders had found them. They had been expecting this. The only question remained was how the encounter would play out. Moving into the clearing just outside the tree camp, they counted twenty wyverns with riders circling the camp. Bjǿrn calmly planted his seven foot claymore into the soil and waited.
Moira leaned her head on his shoulder and gently caressed his back. “This is the end my love.”
Bjǿrn had seen the look of hatred on the riders’ eyes and knew that she was right. “True, but I wouldn’t change the last few days for anything. I love you, I always have and I always will.”
Seeing the wyvern riders begin their attack, Moira leaned up on her tip-toes and kissed her husband for the last time. “You have always been my rock and I thank you for that. This isn’t how I thought I would go out but its better this way. I love you.”
Bjǿrn returned the kiss. “At least we’ll be together. The thought of living without you has haunted me these past few years.” Taking a two-handed grip on his sword, he pulled it free. “Let’s show these bandits how Americans fight.”
Moira grinned. “Don’t you know it!”
Stepping back to be outside the range of her husband’s blade, she began casting her spells. The trees, grasses and insects of the forest answered her call.
* * * * *
When Adak, the commander of the wyvern riders, saw the two strangers exit Camp Five it answered many questions about his brother’s missing patrol. Even from this height, he could tell that the large blue-kilted warrior bore the mark of the Atlanteans. They had obviously killed his brother’s patrol and taken possession of the camp. Since no dragons were on the way up to confront them, these two were probably just the rear guard charged with the task of holding the camp while the dragon-riders raided nearby.
Adak signaled his flight of five to peel off and to remain on over-watch while the other three flights attacked. He wasn’t going to get caught on the ground by the Atlanteans. As his men began their attacks, he had to admire the calm demeanor of the Atlantean and his companion. They did nothing more than talk, kiss and separate. They didn’t seem in a hurry or even concerned about the diving wyverns. This actually worried him more than he cared to admit.
Just before his raiders reached them, the tattooed warrior shape-shifted into a huge were-bear. Instead of running away from the diving serpents, it attacked. It was rather frightening. The were-bear’s sword glowed with an unnatural light as it cleaved through wyvern and raider flesh alike. His men shot arrow after arrow at him. Some hit, some didn’t. Many of the raider’s crossbows seem to warp and explode in their hands. While others found that their swords were suddenly so hot that they could no longer hold them. Mere seconds into the attack and Adak counted four of his wyverns down and at least two more injured but flying…barely.
He could tell that both of the Atlanteans were injured as well but neither seemed to be ready to surrender. Knowing he didn’t have a choice, he ordered his flight into the attack. Looking over his shoulder at his second in command, he yelled over the wind. “Concentrate our attacks on the female! She’s the spellcaster!”
Seeing him nod, Adak turned his attention back to the task at hand.
* * * * *
Moira wiped the blood away from her eyes with an equally bloody hand. She could see that her husband was also injured from the way he moved but she knew that it was nothing serious. Looking down at the arrow protruding from her stomach, she couldn’t say the same thing. The only reason she was still standing was the use of a simple spell which dulled the pain. Glancing at the sky, she watched as the wyvern riders began their next run and knew it would be the last. They had injured the raiders but not enough to make them flee. They wouldn’t be able to stop them on the next pass and they both knew it.
Bjǿrn grunted from the pain. Most of his injuries were minor but the one slash on his back from one of the wyverns burned like fire. As the reserve wyverns joined the next pass, he knew they wouldn’t survive. Glancing at his wife, he noticed the arrow in her gut and gash on her forehead. He crossed the twenty feet which separated them. “This is it doll.”
Moira nodded. “I know. I just hate the fact that we are going to be killed by some low level bandits.”
Bjǿrn let the change back to his human form come over him. “It could be worse. It could’ve been some goblins.”
Moira laughed. “Yes, there is that.”
Bjǿrn glanced back at the wyverns and knew they only had a few seconds left. Picking up his claymore with both hands, one on the tang and the other on the blade, he asked, “Blaze of Glory?”
Realizing what he had planned, she copied his actions with her staff and nodded. “On the count of three?”
Bjǿrn said, “One…”
They both raised their weapons high above their knees while Moira said, “Two…”
Bjǿrn looked up. The lead wyvern was only fifty feet away and closing fast.
“Three!”
Husband and wife slammed their weapons over their knees with all the force they could muster.
* * * * *
Adak wasn’t reckless. He wasn’t the type to lead a charge and it saved his life on this day.
His flight had fallen in behind the survivors of the first run and seeing the two Atlanteans calmly talk in the face of certain death made him hesitate. He didn’t know what they were planning but he knew it wouldn’t be good for his men. However, the resounding explosion when they broke their weapons was not what he was expecting.
Every wyvern and raider in front of him was engulfed in an enormous fireball.
Adak struggled to keep his serpent in the air as he banked hard to avoid the deadly inferno. The sudden turbulence nearly knocked him from the saddle but he managed to hang on and direct his steed to the ground. It wasn’t his best landing but he was alive.
Looking around, he only spied three other wyverns and riders on the ground. The rest were gone. There wasn’t a single sign of them or the two Atlanteans, just a charred piece of land.
* * * * *
Arieal hadn’t been very deep in the forest when she heard the shrill call of the hunting horn and knew that the wyvern-riders had found them. Running through the trees in reckless abandonment, she arrived at the clearing just in time to witness Bjǿrn and Moira’s last act of defiance.
She had heard of the Blaze of Glory spell before, everyone in game had, but relatively few ever used it.
In game it was a combination spell and action that an avatar could take. It involved sacrificing a mighty magical item and releasing all spells and abilities an avatar had in one monstrous blast. It wasn’t used in game very often because that avatar would no longer be available for play. In essence, it was a way of sacrificing your avatar to gain a victory. It would be a costly victory since only master level avatars had the ability. It had taken Annie three years of playing three or four hours a day to get her current avatar to master level.
Unfortunately, she was a bit too close to the blast and it knocked her backwards into a tree. The last thing she remembered before the cool blackness of unconsciousness claimed her was seeing a few of the wyverns land nearby.
* * * * *
Cozad was deep in the forest when he heard the shrill call of the hunting horns. Due to echoes of the tree filled valley that he was in currently, he couldn’t tell from where the sound originated.
As the Dreadknight began the process of backtracking to the tree camp, he felt the ground tremble and heard the explosion. He knew at that moment that something extremely bad had happened. Rushing through the trees, he came out of the woods just in time to see four wyverns and riders fly off to the west. The bound form of Arieal could be seen draped across the saddle of the lead serpent.
Of Moira and Bjǿrn there was no sign, at least not until he studied the ground around the area of the explosion and read the tale of the battle in the dirt. Seeing nothing else
to be gained by standing there, Cozad moved in the camp and began packing foodstuffs and other supplies. He knew that Tao would be back soon. They weren’t going to let anyone capture one of their companions, at least not without a fight.
With a companion in trouble, the Ed mindset and the Cozad mindset were in total agreement and for a few moments, he was at peace.
* * * * *
Kastle followed Tao as they rode through the trees. He couldn’t help but admire the way the samurai sat easily on the horse and how it seemed to respond to his every signal. Even though Kastle was born and raised in Texas, he had never been on a horse before being pulled into the game nor had he taken the skill while leveling up of his character. It always seemed a wasted skill but now, he regretted it.
As they came up to a stream, Tao reined in his horse and patted its neck. “We should dismount and let them drink a little.” Putting action to his words, he slid off and led his steed to the stream.
Kastle followed suit and studied his new companion. To all appearances, Tao seemed calm while he felt anxious. Shaking his head he asked, “How can you be so calm?”
Tao looked up. “About what?”
“Calli.”
“Four months ago I thought my wife died in a house fire. I had a funeral. I grieved and I drank. I lived for the game. Suddenly, I find myself brought over into the game and I’ve become my avatar. In some ways it’s a dream come true but I’ve already lost one friend to this adventure. How many more will I lose before it’s over? But now I find out that Cassie is still alive? How should I act?”
Kastle cocked his head to the side. “Four months? That’s all the time that has passed back home?”
Tao nodded as he pulled his horse’s head up from the water. It was bad to let them drink too much too quickly. Kastle followed his example. As Tao climbed back onto his horse he asked, “How long did you think?”
Kastle remounted his horse. “It has been almost four years since we crossed over. We’ve lost many friends during that time. As far as I know, there are only four of us left, Calli and me and the two who we hope to find, Jagoda and Aaliyah.”
Tao didn’t speak but began leading his horse across the stream and up the adjoining hill.
Kastle continued. “Jagoda and I had a falling out after we had a run in with an Atlantean.”
Tao raised an eyebrow. “What do you know about the Atlanteans?”
“Plenty and nothing.”
“That’s rather cryptic.”
Kastle chuckled. “Well, I’ve only met one Atlantean since we’ve been here. Although, he was charming and helpful at first, he turned into a real Mister Hyde in the end. He killed five members of my party before we escaped. On that day, Jagoda swore an oath of vengeance against Sartael and all Atlanteans.”
“I’m sure there is more to that story.”
“Yes, there is but another time and place perhaps.”
Tao nodded. “Gotcha. Maybe you can answer why since our crossing I’ve been accused twice of being an Atlantean?”
“You bear the mark.”
“What mark?”
Kastle pointed at his left cheek. “The dragon tattoo. Only an Atlantean would have such a mark.”
“That’s why the villagers and the young wyvern rider were afraid of Bjǿrn and myself. We both have visible tats.”
Kastle nudged his horse forward a bit until he was beside Tao. “Which brings up a question of my own, how is it you had a wyvern?”
Tao chuckled. “That is a long story. After we crossed over, we made our way along the coast…”
The rest of his story disappeared into the wind as an explosion shattered the silence of the forest and a huge fireball could be seen in the distance above the trees. Without waiting to see if the priest followed or not, Tao spurred his horse forward. In his heart of hearts, he knew he had just lost a friend.
The distance was greater than Tao thought and it took him nearly a half hour to reach an area within bow shot of the camp. Reining in his horse, he vaulted from the saddle and rushed to the edge of the tree line.
Nothing in sight moved.
Turning back to his horse, Tao noted its heavy breathing and that his coat was covered in sweat. He had not been easy on the beast during the ride. Loosening the straps, he removed the saddle and bridle just as Kastle rode up. Even though it was obvious he wasn’t an expert rider, the priest had done his best to keep up and hadn’t fallen off in their hasty ride.
Kastle climbed down slowly. His thighs ached like no other time in his life, so much so that it hurt to walk. Hating to waste a spell but unsure what they were about to face, the cleric muttered the words of a simple spell of Endure Pain. It wouldn’t take the pain and discomfort away but it did dull it to a manageable level, like taking a super-strength fast-acting pain-killer.
Kastle turned back to find the samurai removing the saddle and bridle of his horse. “What…”
Tao whispered, “Simple. If we don’t come back, these magnificent animals would be at a disadvantage and die in the wilderness if we left them with everything on. If we need them again, they will be nearby and we can catch them. If not, I won’t feel guilty about leaving them behind.”
“I had never thought about it that way but it makes sense.” Kastle nodded. Grabbing his and Calli’s saddle bags, the priest slung them over his shoulder. “Lead on.”
Tao moved slowly from tree to tree, pausing at varied intervals to see if anything moved in the camp. It didn’t. Once they got close enough to see the scorched earth, Tao stepped out from concealment.
Kastle lagged behind but didn’t approach the samurai. He seemed in deep concentration. The priest could hear the rustling of wings inside the grove of trees. He wasn’t exactly sure what that meant yet but he kept one hand on his hammer just in case.
Tao paused at the center of the charred ground and knelt down. There wasn’t much left but he lifted up the remnants of a sword and a staff. “I lost two friends this day.”
Kastle moved up behind him and gazed down at the shattered remains. Not knowing what else to say, he fell back on the simple phrase, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“C’est la guerre.”
“Huh? I have heard of C’est la vie, ‘such is life’ but I’ve never heard that one before.”
When Tao stood up, his face was blank of any emotion. “Such is war. It was a phrase the French uttered during the German occupation and has been commonly used among soldiers since World War two.”
“Ah,” was all Kastle could say. When he looked back into the grove of trees, he saw an armored warrior in battered plate armor carrying a huge single bladed axe step out from the shadows. Pulling out his warhammer, Kastle dropped the two saddle bags on the ground and called, “Ware! Enemies!”
Hearing the warning, Tao reacted out of instinct. Dropping the weapon fragments, he rolled forward to create distance and drew both swords as he assumed the mountain stance. Seconds later, he sheathed both blades and moved forward.
The Dreadknight planted the butt of his axe in the ground, took off his helmet and hung it on his weapon. “About time you showed up.”
Tao gripped forearms with the warrior. “I ran into some trouble on the way and had to travel the old fashion way, horseback.” He waved the cleric forward. “Cozad, meet my new friend Kastle. He’s from Dallas.”
The pale skin above his eyes moved and Kastle realized that he didn’t have eyebrows or any hair that he could see but it was the soft blue glowing eyes which captivated his attention. Realizing he was staring, Kastle held out his right hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
Cozad pulled off his gauntlet and shook hands. However, when they touched hands there was a small jolt which startled them both. “I’m sorry. My affliction doesn’t seem to like your god. Whom do you serve?”
“Thor, the Thunder God.”
“Ah, that explains it.”
Tao asked, “Explains what?”
Cozad replaced his gauntlet. “During characte
r creation Dreadknights have to pick a dark god to serve and I chose Thanatos, the ancient Greek god of death. It seemed a logical choice for my avatar. However, you also have to pick four adversarial gods. I selected Zeus, Mars, Odin and Thor.”
Kastle nodded. “You picked the four most common warrior gods. I can understand that.”
Tao focused his attention on the priest. “Does that mean you can’t heal him?”
Kastle shrugged. “I’m not sure. In the game, only my offensive magic would work on him, not defensive or beneficial spells. But here…” He let his voice trail off indicating that he was unsure.
Cozad stepped back. “One way to find out priest, cast something on me.”
Kastle hesitated. “But it might cause you pain instead.”
“Pain is life, priest.”
Seeing the logic behind the Dreadknight’s request, Kastle thought through the spells he had left for the day and selected a simple augmentation spell. If it worked correctly, it would increase his strength and hardiness for three hours. Pulling out his holy symbol, which for a warrior-priest of Thor was his warhammer, Kastle spoke the words of his spell and waited.
Cozad waited patiently for the priest to cast his enchantment and felt the tingle of the magic at work on him. There was a split second where he was certain it would fail but then he felt the extra surge of energy flow through his body. “Strength spell?”
Kastle smiled. “Actually, Aide spell; strength and constitution buff. I take it that it worked?”
“Aye. I feel good.”
Tao slapped his friend on the shoulder. “Now that’s settled, we have work to do.”
Cozad nodded. “They only have about an hour head start on us.”
Tao cocked his head to the side. “Who?”
“The wyvern riders. They have Arieal.”
Tao felt his heart fall into his stomach. This couldn’t be worse if he’d planned it. Two of his friends dead, three on a scouting expedition, one captured by the wyvern raiders and his wife a prisoner of the Peacekeepers. Not seeing any other alternative, Tao just nodded. “Then we have to get her back first.”
Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis Page 14