by Tyler R Lee
“I understand, but I don’t believe a singular general is needed. Instead, we will all have a say on what happens. All opinions and strategies from any are welcome and open for discussion. It’s how ShieldBro wanted it to be. He only took on the role of leader because no one had stepped up yet, and there was literally no hope in anyone at the time. Now, there is hope in us all. Hell,” he smiled and turned to Peter, “we even convinced the Lone Monk to join us.”
“Lone Monk?” Peter turned up his face in confusion.
“That’s what a lot of people were calling you when you were venturing out by yourself,” Ariel smiled. “It stuck for good when we heard you had gone by yourself to save Shield and his companions.”
“Not like I was--”
“Slaying dragons?” Lysander grinned. “You still don’t get that it takes a lot of guts and will to be alone under these circumstances.”
Peter dropped his head. “And look what my solitary attitude got us.”
“Stop blaming yourself,” Lysander and Ariel said in unison.
“You did everything you could, man,” Lysander said as he placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Peter heard a few people from the crowd agree as Ariel placed a gentle hand on his other shoulder.
“Fine,” Peter conceded. “That doesn’t change the fact that you,” he pointed to Lysander, “are the only person who can lead this group.”
“What makes me the person?” Lysander asked aloud. No one answered immediately. Most in the crowd just looked to one another, not fully expecting the question. “Seriously, what makes me better than anyone else?”
He began calling out other people from the crowd. “NoScope is the most calm and calculating person I’ve played with,” he said as he motioned to the grey ninja. “Streak’s and Gunner’s off the wall tactics can catch more enemies by surprise than anyone else.” The two glanced at each other, then smiled in mutual respect, having never really fought side-by-side before. “Glitch and ValCary might be the most aggressive fighters, being able to overwhelm even the toughest enemies,” he said as he motioned to two female players; one with a blue full-body suit with pink trim, a blue headband, long red hair, and twin arm blades; the other was the winged holy warrior with twin longswords Peter had seen at the goblin battle. “What about Tony? He’s as good a mage as me.” He was now pointing into the crowd at an exceedingly relaxed looking man in bright red robes and a red headband.
“And these two.” Lysander was now motioning to Ariel and Peter. “Ariel is the best fighter we have.” Ariel blushed a bit, but grinned with pride. “And, as many of you have come to understand, no one has more will than Peter.” Peter scratched the top of his head and gave a weak smile.
“As you can see, we all have our own abilities. We are all needed and necessary to this cause. So, I bring this question to the group: what is our next move?”
For a long time no one said anything. Finally, after murmurs and whispers of hesitation and trepidation from the crowd, a voice asked, “The old man in the village?” It was ValCary, the winged holy warrior Lysander had recently pointed out. Her voice was more sure than questioning.
“Go on,” Lysander urged.
“Yeah! There’s an old man here in New Beginnings,” Glitch answered with a playful swat on ValCary’s arm. “NPC, claims to be an old sea captain or something. A few of us followed up on him since Mount Apex is across the Vast Sea and all. He said he knew a way across, and that it had something to do with the Hidden Tomb.”
“He may have made a brilliant world and pulled off a masterfully evil plan, but Yoshitsune sure wasn’t much for naming things, was he?” Peter mused. Ariel and Lysander held back a chuckle.
“That’s a great lead. Who all was there to hear it?”
“Us three,” Glitch said as he put an arm around ValCary and playfully punched the mage in red in the arm, the one that Lysander had called Tony earlier.
“Great. Well, if no one else has anything, I think I’d like to hear the dialogue for myself. I’ll take Peter, Ariel, Gunner, Streak, and NoScope with me. If there’s no objection, I think it would be a good idea if Glitch, Tony, and Val took everyone who is ready to continue with this through some more training exercises. As we progress through the game, the danger will only intensify. Maybe split into groups and go grind, but you guys will know best,” he ended as he looked to Glitch, Val, and Tony.
“I’ll assist them,” NoScope said. “I’ve heard the old man’s story for myself.
“Great,” Lysander responded. “The more the better.”
With that, the group chatted for a bit, while Lysander, Glitch, Tony, ValCary, and NoScope talked about what the plan was.
“He ended up taking command anyway,” Peter grinned.
“Yeah, but he is making sure to let everyone know that their voice matters,” Ariel added.
“Good. That’s the kind of leader we need.
As Lysander broke away from the group he was talking to, Peter quickly ran up to NoScope before she could leave with the others.
“Your accent,” Peter inquired as the whole crowd was breaking up. “Is that in-game, or natural?”
“It is mine. I didn’t change my physical appearance or voice when I created this avatar.”
“You were one of the prayers I heard after the goblin battle, then again at Shield’s funeral. What language is it, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“It was an Islamic prayer. I am Muslim. My family immigrated from Pakistan a few years ago.”
“Thank you for the prayer. ShieldBro would have appreciated it.”
“It was the least I could do.” A bit of sadness had worked its way into her voice. “ShieldBro was a good man. He inspired all of us to fight back. I was not sure if he was religious or--”
“It doesn’t matter. Shield would have appreciated the thought and the words, no matter the belief. And...as his friend...I appreciate it, too.”
“Ready to see this old sea captain?” Lysander asked as NoScope and Peter shook hands and parted ways.
“Yep,” Ariel responded.
“Let’s hit it,” Streak smiled.
“You bet,” Gunner said as he quickly morphed his right hand into an arm blaster, then back to a regular arm.
“Yes,” Peter said. “Let’s find our way off this island.”
Chapter 8
Lysander, Gunner, Streak, Ariel, and Peter made their way across the village of New Beginnings towards the area where the old sea captain resided. “So, where does the old sea captain live?” Peter asked as the group made their way out of the practice yard.
“On the other side of the town, to the east, in a small fishing hamlet on the coast,” Lysander answered as he placed his pointed hat back on his head.
“Now, who would have thought,” Streak jested, “that an old sea captain would live near the sea?”
The group laughed. “Yeah, logically my thought process should have followed the path of realism, Mr. cheetah-man dressed as a blue Barry Allen, complete with super speed,” Peter commented as he grinned back at Streak, who returned the smile.
“Barry Allen?” Streak added with a playful grimace. “Please. Wally West. If I’m not a skinny white boy in real life I sure ain’t one in this game.”
The laughs grew louder from the group. “Hey, in real life I am a skinny white boy,” Peter countered. “But, in here--”
“You’re a skinny white boy who can punch real hard,” Lysander interrupted, which got the most laughs from everyone.
“I...got nothing,” Peter conceded with a chuckle.
As the group walked and joked, Peter noticed the layout of the small town for the first time. The center, where he had spent most of his time, was where the inns, shops, and most places of interest where. It was where the fountain with the statue of the armored warrior was that he noticed when he first entered, and where the stone streets spider-webbed out in a few directions leading to different parts of the town. West led to the practice yard they had just c
ome from, which was far emptier than the rest of the area, being mostly for training or last minute prep for adventuring. North led to an exit that took players into Split Rock Canyon where the tragic goblin battle had taken place, and south exited to open fields and rocky cliffs where Peter had started the game. East led to a small village on the coast, where many NPCs took up residence.
The stone streets gave way to dirt paths as they made their way away from the larger, more player populated area. Smaller, wooden shacks popped up, allowing for more trees and greenery than the stone-centric town square. The path led down hill, with multiple houses on different levels created by the constant sloping and leveling off of the terrain down to the coast.
“I think we’re getting close,” Ariel committed as they started down the hill.
“The ocean gave it away, right?” Streak quipped.
Ariel laughed with the rest, then retorted with, “Ya talk fast, ya move fast, can ya disappear fast?”
“Hey,” Streak replied as he placed both cheetah claws on his heart in an exaggerated gesture while the others chuckled. “I joke. You hurt. Besides, I don’t do everything fast. My boyfriend is grateful for that.”
This time everyone but Gunner gave a loud laugh, who asked in a somewhat surprised tone,” Oh, I thought you were a guy this whole time. My bad.”
“No no,” Streak laughed. “No bad. I’m not a girl. I’m a dude.”
“Oh,” Gunner responded with the slightest hint of trepidation in his voice, which Streak picked up, easily.
“Problem?” the speedster asked as everyone else stiffened a bit as they walked.
“Oh, no. I mean, I don’t agree, but that’s not my decision.”
“You don’t agree? I wasn’t aware we were debating anything, my man.”
“No, I just--”
“Alright,” Lysander interrupted, to Peter’s and Ariel’s relief as they stopped in front of a house that was by itself at the bottom of the hill, closest to the beach. “We’re here, you two. Let’s not have a debate when we have some important info we need to get.”
Everyone fell silent as Lysander’s knock on the door echoed through the deafening awkward silence now surrounding the group. From inside, an old, haggard voice could be heard. “Coming, coming. Who the blazes could that be?” When the door opened, a figure that couldn’t have fit what they expected any better appeared. He was an old man, partly hunched over, with a messy white beard to match the messy white hair atop his balding head. He came complete with a muscled but slightly withered frame to show his age, but also his former life as a hardy sea captain.
“What can I do for ye?” he asked out of the side of his mouth.
“I’ll never get used to how realistic the over-the-top fantasy NPCs are in this game,” Peter whispered to Ariel, who nodded.
“We...um…” Lysandered stammered, not sure how to open up the dialogue for what he needed to know. Finally, he decided to just go for it. “We heard you might know of a way to get across the Vast Sea. We need to get to Mount Apex.”
“Across the Vast Sea, ye say?” he answered in his deep, gravelly voice.
After a moment of silence, Lysander responded with, “...yeah, I do say that.”
“Quite a journey that’d be. Why do ye and yer friends need to go so far?”
“Well...uh…” Lysander wasn’t sure how to answer this one, nor was anyone else.
The old sea captain stared at Lysander, then at each of them as he waited for an answer. The clouds had covered the sun and the beach nearby had gone from a shining light brown to a cold grey. Then, Peter spoke. “People need our help. That’s why we must cross the sea.”
Everyone looked to Peter, who looked around and then shrugged, then back to the captain, who eyed Peter himself, then smiled and said, “Why don’t y'all come in?”
Gunner patted Peter on the back, then headed in as Lysander held the door. As Streak passed Ariel, she put her hand up and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, never better,” he responded with a smile, but Ariel noticed he dropped it immediately as he turned a walked, a bit stiffer than his previous carefree manner.
Before Streak went through the door after Gunner, Lysander stopped him and offered, “Don’t let it get to ya, man. We’re all in this together. No matter how closed minded some are.” Streak smiled weakly, then headed inside, followed by Peter and Ariel, who gave Lysander a smile for trying. Then, the wizard shut the door as he entered.
The inside of the old hut was modest, as one might expect. It had a few wooden chairs in the main room, a table and a couple more chairs in the small kitchen, an open door that led to a bedroom just big enough for a bed, and a closed door that was probably a small storage space or pantry. No one but the captain sat, too eager to get the info they had come for.
“Can I get ye kids anything?” the old man asked.
“Pepsi,” Peter said, dryly. Everyone just looked at him. “Or nothing, jeez.” he added.
“It’s a bit of a story, let me tell ye,” the old man started.
“God, I’d kill for a Coke,” Streak said suddenly.
“Right!?” Peter exclaimed.
“Really?” Lysander asked, looking to both of them, impatiently. They both shrugged and let the old man continue.
The old sea captain leaned back in the wooden chair he had sat down in, looked up and took a deep breath, as if preparing for something strenuous. “The Vast Sea is perfectly named; it is just that. More expansive than any country upon this planet, more unexplored than the deepest dungeon, and more treacherous than the most evil lich lord’s lair. Among the larger countries, travel and trade along the coasts are common. However, such a small island nation as this, we have no enticing goods to attract the trade of those across the sea. Nor do we require their trade, with our fertile lands for farming, abundant mining opportunities, and plentiful shores for fishing.”
“Almost as if it was created specifically to make it difficult to leave,” Ariel said in mocking comprehension.
“In light of this,” the old captain continued, “there has never been much of a reason for anyone, us or the rest of the world, to figure out a way to traverse to the other side. But, even if the journey was one someone wanted to take, it is a long way to the nearest continent.”
“Surely, a large ship could make it,” Gunner interjected.
“It ain’t that easy, son. While we do have enough for the small villages that dot this island nation, the resources needed to stock a large enough ship would be too much of a toll to take on the land.”
“What about a small ship?” Gunner questioned.
“A small ship, fewer people, would be the more efficient way to go about it. But, as I said, the trip is long and the sea is treacherous. The storms would scuttle a small ship before it made it halfway. That’s if a kraken or worse didn’t pull it under before.” Gunner shivered a bit.
“Alright,” Peter started, also a bit shaken by the thought. “How about a bigger ship with a smaller crew?”
“Even with a crew of just a dozen or so, which is the least you’ll need on a ship big enough to take on the storms and not be instantly seen as a quick meal for a creature of the deep, the trip is so long that the village couldn’t afford to part with the food needed.”
“Clever, Yoshitsune,” Peter mouthed in annoyance.
“We heard you knew a way to cross the Vast Sea,” Ariel stated. “But you make it sound impossible.”
It was then that the old sea captain grinned, sheepishly, the few teeth he had left clearly visible. “Well, young lady, I may have heard a rumor about somethin’ that might be able to get you across. Somethin’ small enough to not require much of a crew, fast enough to make the journey so as not to need many provisions, and safe enough to not be in danger from storms or sea creatures.”
“What rumor?” Lysander asked, getting a little annoyed at this runaround.
“Long ago, before our people settled this land, there was a society that d
welt here and flourished. With a mastery of magic and technology lost to the world today, they had many miraculous mechanisms and creations that could do many things we can’t do today. I have heard that one of these miraculous creations was a ship. One that was light and swift, but still large enough to weather the storms and the sea.”
“Older civilization, somehow more advanced than the current. Not exactly original, but it works,” Streak remarked.
“I wonder if what we need will be hidden in a dangerous dungeon,” Peter added.
“Legend has it,” the captain continued, “the design specs for this ship are in the Hidden Tomb outside of New Beginnings. But, to this day, no one has discovered how to get inside.”