On the Lost Continent

by Andrew Novak

  “Wait here,” Jack ordered and headed for the stairs.

  He climbed cautiously, listening. But all was silent outside. With an ear pressed to the door, the only sound he could make out was a soft creaking. Not footsteps, nothing distinct. He withdrew the revolver and gently pushed the door. It was evening outside. Pale red light flooded the remains of Simon’s House. There was no one in the empty room, no tracks in the dust coating the floor. But the cable Jack had worked through a crack between bricks was twitching gently.

  Jack attached the antenna over the door so as not to stretch the cord too far. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time but now he couldn’t see what was happening with the antenna without leaving the building. So, he’d have to go out there and check. Jack shoved the door open, stumbled outside, spun in mid-air and landed on his back in the dust, raising the Smith & Wesson.

  A strange beast was gazing down at him from the top of a wall. It was an animal Jack had never seen before. It was the size of a small dog, but lithe and sinewy, with a short, sleek coat of gray. Everything was gray in the Wasteland. Any other color could expose you. The survivors were those, who were well-concealed. But this was a species Jack had never run into in these parts. Before Jack appeared, the beast had been gnawing on the cable. It had already chewed the antenna to pieces and was now busy with the cable jacket. When Jack had landed on the floor, flinging up dust and startling the creature, its clawed paws slipped off the wall. The animal jerked, jumping around, trying to hang on. Jack fired.

  The creature uttered a brief, plaintive whimper and tumbled down Jack rolled out of the way, his face streaked with hot spatter. The carcass smashed into the ground where he had just been lying and its heels beat the ground in convulsions. Jack swiped a sleeve across his face to wipe away the blood, and shrunk back, pulling his legs up quickly. The creature was slight, but its claws looked rather menacing and he was mesmerized by the way the death spasms made its limbs writhe.

  The beast was still in the process of dying a minute later, and doing it quite loudly, although with less vigor.

  “Hey, are you okay?”

  Jack glanced over his shoulder. Lisa stood staring out from the darkness of the doorway, a hammer in her right hand.

  “Think you’re going to take out a giant with that hammer? I was just slugging it out with one here.”

  “You have blood on your face.”

  “It’s not mine.”

  “What is that thing?”

  The little beast’s convulsions were starting to fade. It’s struggling had already quieted and the blood splattered less freely.

  “I have no idea. From time to time, strange things wander in from the far reaches of the Wasteland. But with claws like those, it doesn’t really matter what it is. We’re leaving tomorrow. We can’t do it at night, but we’re taking off at dawn. Go get some sleep while there’s still time. I’ll repair the reception and we’ll pop back into Gaerthon from here one more time tonight. We need to find a crossroads.”

  “Again, with the crossroads! Why?”

  “What do you mean, ‘why’? You have make sacrifices to Necta at a crossroads.”

  * * *

  Jack dragged the dead creature away from Simon’s House, sprinkled the blood on the floor with a mixture of dust and a handful of tobacco, and only then could he deal with the antenna. Tobacco was supposed to mask the scent of blood. Otherwise, they would be guaranteed some nighttime entertainment.

  By the time he’d finished, night had already fallen in the Wasteland. But nighttime in Alterra came three hours later than in reality. So, Jack had some time to think about the situation, because so far, it was all rather odd. He reached Gaerthon, but the quest for Service to the Dark hadn’t updated. And what was with the freak storm that broke out over the city ruins? It came out of nowhere at the very moment when Jack decided to visit Necta’s temple. He served the Night Mother, right? Now, it was unlikely he would be able to visit her sanctuary.

  What was the point in worrying? Better to log into the game and see for himself. First order of business in virt was to pay the five-gold fine for exiting the game outside of a designated area. What’s more, Eloise had transferred every last bit of her money to Jack for the guild registration. He had to transfer fifty gold back to her, so she could pay the fine and have a handful of gold for unforeseen expenses. Jack then checked his own finances.

  You transferred 50 gold.

  Do you want to see the details of the transaction? Yes/No

  You have 266 gold in your account.

  Do you want to perform another transaction? Yes/No

  “I’m broke,” Jack muttered, looking around at the familiar mountain slope. “Gonna have to nip back to Stoglav to sell loot.”

  Lisa appeared next to him and began looking around.

  “The old codger is gone,” she said.

  This is the spot where they killed the giant together. The puddle of blood had already melted away. What about the city? As far as they could see in the fading light, all that remained of the walls and buildings were piles of rubble. Was it possible that Vecta’s temple survived? Or at least the basement underneath. Those vaults could have easily survived the storm.

  “First, we’ll visit the village at the foot of the mountain,” decided Jack. “Nevil is probably there and we still haven’t completed his quest.

  They walked down the path to the shore. The house windows glowed, the silvery light of Shadris flickered on the waves, and the Dead Wind, anchored near the shoreline, resembled a tear in a twinkling universe — a long smudge of absolute black. Jack spotted a light speck in the distance above the open sea. What might be over there? It was far away, at a distance where the light was barely discernable. And it must have been quite large if it was still visible… What was it?

  “Lisa, did Ruger ever tell you what the Skyfort is?”

  “No, he just started cursing if anyone mentioned it in front of him. Why do you ask?”

  Jack pointed at the speck of light over the sea.

  “Looks like it’s moving away,” Lisa observed. “Do you think the Skyfort was here when the storm began?”

  The thought occurred to Jack, but he hadn’t seen the flying fortress during the storm. The clouds had been so dense, it was impossible to see anything in the sky! While he mused, the blurred spot of light flashed brighter for a heartbeat, a spark separated from it and slowly floated across the sky.

  “Here they are! The courageous travelers!”

  Jack shook his head to chase out thoughts of the Skyfort. Nevil himself was hurrying along the path to meet him and Lisa. Despite the late hour, he had been hanging around the outskirts, watching for his saviors. There were a few other people with him. Everyone looked at the outlanders with adoration.

  “We are a poor people,” Nevil insisted, “but we will try to repay you for your kindness! There are no more monsters on our island. We are saved!”

  “So, this is an island,” Lisa interjected. “And I thought…”

  Jack also assumed that the mountain and ruins were part of the mainland.

  “I want to give you the most precious thing in our village,” the elder continued. “In truth, it is our only treasure. Take these Rosary. Legend goes, they belonged to Theokrist himself!”

  “And who is Theokrist?” Lisa interrupted him. “We actually aren’t from these parts. We come from a distant land and know nothing about this place.”

  “Dark days followed after the Gods abandoned us,” Nevil said, ready with the explanation. An introductory text was probably written in his script for newcomers just arriving to Gaerthon and the time had come to recite it. “Monsters came here from some unknown place, a unique misfortune for each island. Ours, for example, was the settlement of the giants’. Prayer did not help us, for the Gods had left our land. The people suffered without their supervision. There were many men of courage who challenged these dreadful beasts, but they were unable to overcome this adversity.”

 
; The fishermen surrounding the elder made noises of agreement. He took a breath and continued:

  “An honorable, brave young man by the name of Theokrist volunteered. He promised that he’d find a way to rid the land of these monsters, and took to the road. He descended into the deepest chasms and climbed mountains. He discovered abandoned temples and beheld long-forgotten shrines. They say he learned the secret of the Gods.”

  “But the giants are still here?” asked Jack.

  “After returning from his journey, Theokrist said that only the Gods had the power to destroy all the monsters at once.”

  “What a grand discovery,” murmured Eloise. Quietly, so only Jack could hear.

  “But we don’t know how to bring the Gods back to our land,” old Nevil went on. “Theokrist believed that we needed to light the fire in all the old temples of Gaerthon. The ancient sanctuaries have been neglected, their fires extinguished, and monsters have settled in their ruins.”

  “Sounds reasonable,” Jack muttered. “Light the fire, draw the Gods back to this place. But the temple on the mountain is destroyed now, yeah? Or did it survive?”

  “Theokrist brought magical items back that were supposed to simplify his endeavor,” Nevil continued, ignoring Jack’s remarks. “There was his belt, which granted strength. An invisibility cloak and a sword, the likes of which the world has never seen. And other powerful artifacts. He left for the ancient city at the top of the mountain. We haven’t seen Theokrist or his enchanted weapons since.”

  “He was killed in a battle with the Giants, I guess,” Jack said.

  “Must be so,” the old man lamented. “We found only one item from his outfit on the mountainside. These prayer beads. Please accept them as a gift. We have nothing else with which to express our gratitude.”

  Attention! You have completed the quest “Save Elder Nevil from the giant”.

  Reward: Theokrist’s Rosary

  You receive 1 XP.

  You have 51 XP. Earn 9 XP to unlock a new skill.

  Attention! You receive the quest “Restoration of the divine fire”.

  Reward: Unknown

  Accept/Reject

  Aha, Jack thought, there it was. The great, multi-step quest on Gaerthon. Well, now things were starting to come together…

  He accepted the beads from the elder.

  Theokrist’s Rosary

  Level: Unique

  Properties: Unknown

  It looked like an artifact of some significance. Eight stones strung on a cord, two white and two black. The rest were smaller and varied in color. Ruby red, emerald green, yellow beryl and sapphire blue. When Jack brought it to his eye, it became evident that these weren’t typical gems. Something shifted inside them. Something lived there. Mysterious… Some force… or forces were imprisoned in the stones.

  This didn’t look like warrior gear, but Theokrist hadn’t exactly been a warrior. He could have been considered a mage, a priest, and pilgrim in equal measure. The beads made sense, then.

  But the item’s unknown properties, which were supposed to serve him in the quest? It didn’t get any more unique than that!

  “Okay,” Jack nodded, “I’ll try to discover Theokrist’s secret and help these lands regain the favor of the Gods. Either way, I decided to participate when I agreed to fight the giants.”

  “A great feat, just great,” the elder bowed his head.

  His countrymen echoed their agreement.

  “But it will be long and difficult,” Jack interrupted. “Who knows how long it’ll take to solve all the mysteries. In the meantime, can I buy a sheep from you?”

  Nevil paused for a couple of seconds and Jack thought he could feel the game’s digital gears spinning.

  “I won’t allow such a great hero to spend his money on my island,” Nevil finally said. “The sheep will be our gift to you. In fact, anything you require, you need only ask. You may claim anything in our village.”

  “I won’t burden these poor people. A small sheep will do. To start.”

  They immediately brought the animal for Jack and, after exchanging goodbyes with the fishermen, he headed up the hill once again. Lisa hurried after him. She kept silent at first, but her patience didn’t last long.

  “Where are we going? Jack, what are you looking for? Are we searching for something? Talk to me! What are you trying to find?”

  “Knock it off! A crossroads! Did the crossroads abandon these lands with the Gods or something? Speaking of which, what’s with this damn place…”

  Lisa fell silent, mulling over his words. Jack soon noticed a path that snaked around to an adjacent ledge. He already knew there were no crossroads on the main trail leading to the mountaintop city. They had to check the other trails. Jack, Lisa, and the sheep, who bleated docilely at the new owner at the other end of the rope, cut through thickets of scraggly shrubs and exited onto a slope separated by the rocky ledge on another side of the mountain. A quarter of an hour later and fortune smiled on Jack. He located an intersection of narrow mountain paths, which seemed to lead nowhere. These were most likely the trails the shepherds used to herd their sheep and goats from one tiny mountain pasture to another. Would it pass for a crossroads? Unfortunately, he had nothing better to offer Necta in this backwater.

  Jack stopped where the trails crossed, tugged on the rope to bring the sheep closer, and withdrew Shadow of the King.

  “Great Necta,” he began, “I hope you can hear me? Because, if you’re not here, then this really is a terrible spot. But, to be honest, it’s not my fault that you, the gods, created Elder Nevil’s island so poorly that it’s damn near impossible to find a decent crossroads. Anyway, please accept this sacrifice and instruct your faithful servant, who has lost his way. Especially because there aren’t any decent roads on this island, like I already said.”

  He slit the animal’s throat with the blade that streamed darkness and took a step away from the fallen sheep. When the enormous figure of the goddess rose before him, he couldn’t contain a sigh of relief. It worked! Necta was appearing!

  She seemed more corporeal here on Gaerthon than before. Well, these were her shores. The old gods of Order ruled Gaerthon.

  “Jack, my loyal servant, you have come far on the path of service to the Dark,” her ringing voice reverberated in Jack’s ears.

  Lisa, who wasn’t prepared for Necta’s appearance, had been looking away. Now, she turned back and gasped at the sight of the huge figure.

  “Now it is time to announce your goal,” she said. “Free my husband. The Black Sword was given to you for this purpose. Find and release him. Solve the Great Mysteries of Alterra. Hardship awaits you on this path. You must pass through the wild lands and encounter enemies, the most dangerous who inhabit this world. However, the reward will be worthy of such a feat.”

  The dark figure of Necta shivered. But not like a person would shiver. She disappeared for a split second and reappeared, as if the image transmission had been disconnected and then turned back on.

  “And do not trust the minor gods,” Necta added in a quiet, almost normal, voice. “They no longer serve the people. They need only the gray shadows.”

  “Shadows?” Jack asked, surprised. “What does that mean?”

  “The shadows without souls. The empty cover, beyond which there is nothing. The lesser gods are gathering an army of gray shadows. Do not trust them. They aren’t who they claim to be.”

  * * *

  While Jack was thinking about the quest and, especially, what Necta could have meant by her warning against the lesser gods, the talking specter disappeared, dissolved in the twilight. The mountainside was somehow too empty and quiet without her. With Necta here, albeit in the form of a ghost, the entire area had seemed… significant. Like every rock and bush possessed tremendous meaning. With the Night Mother’s departure, though, the sensation disappeared and Jack was left standing at a barely-discernable crossroads on the most ordinary slope of the most unremarkable mountain. Amidst common sto
nes. He rubbed his forehead, trying to wrap his mind around what the goddess just told him.

  The image of the world in front of Jack blinked, lines slid across his vision

  Attention! Quest progression in “Service to the Dark”.

  Locate and free Necta’s husband.

  Attention! You are the first player to make a sacrifice to Necta on Gaerthon. You receive 1 XP.

  You have 52 XP. Earn 8 XP to unlock a new skill.

  Lisa pulled on his hand and pointed to the sky, effectively distracting him from his thoughts.

  “Look! It’s coming! It’s moving right toward us!”

  The spark falling from the light spot in the sky was actually moving directly toward Nevil’s island and clearly descending. Now the spot had become a wispy, copper-colored flame and they could make out the outline of wide, blazing wings, flapping evenly. With each thrust, sparkles floated away and scattered, then gradually dissipated.

  “What is that?” Jack asked, surprised.

  There was no reply. Lisa knew no more about it than he did.

  The winged flame slid across the sky in an arc, a glimmering tail stretching behind it. Its trajectory seemed to point directly at the top of the mountain.

  “Up!” Jack shouted. “Hurry!”

  They ran up the trail to reach the top before the flaming visitor, but were too late. The fiery shadow dropped into the ruins and its red glow warmed the broken walls. A fierce, hoarse growl echoed over the mountain.

  Lisa grabbed Jack by the arm and they stopped. They could hear something approaching over the clatter of tumbling rocks and crackling flame, Bands of light shifted through the fragments of wall. Jack backed away, dragging Lisa behind him, but the living fire raced faster… and then leaped out from behind the ruined gate onto the path.

  They had never seen such a creature. It was huge, the size of a horse, a beast woven from fire. Red tongues licked its sides and withers. Its eyes sparkled with a dazzling light. When the monster parted its jaws and began to roar, it flashed fangs several inches long, glowing like white-hot iron spikes. Folded wings bristled over its backbone, along which danced little tongues of flame.