Towns and Towers: A New Land

by Shawn Kass

  Picking up where she had left off, Anna said, “Well, this arrangement held up for some number of years until the king’s daughter fell in love with a man from another country. Not wanting his daughter to be with the outsider, the king decided to arrest him and send the man into the labyrinth for the next feeding. The girl, however, being as lovestruck as she was, disobeyed her father’s wishes and sneaked into the dungeons to see him. Once down there, she quickly sought him out and before the guards could stop her, she told him how to navigate the maze. With this knowledge the man went forth with the other prisoners and was able to slay the minotaur.”

  “How?” asked Kat. “What did he use to defeat it? Did it have any weaknesses?”

  “I’m sorry,” said Anna. “I don’t think it said anything about that.”

  Surprising them all, a sweet young voice spoke up from just behind them and said, “That’s all right. I’ve been here for hours, and I haven’t seen anything which would indicate that it even has a weakness.”

  “Raven?” asked Kat, spinning around towards the voice. “Is that you?”

  “In the flesh,” she answered. “I’m sorry you can’t see me at the moment, but I’ve been casting invisibility on myself ever since I got trapped in here.”

  “That’s what we thought you’d do,” said Kat. “I’m so glad you survived. You must be about out of mana by now.”

  “I am,” she admitted. “I have been trying to relax and let it build back up between castings, but it doesn’t last long enough, and I didn’t want to be seen by that thing. I do, however, have some good news for you.”

  “Spill it,” said Torix eagerly.

  “Well, I heard what you were talking about, and I want to tell you that you guys were right. The minotaur is chained up, but it’s better than that. The minotaur can’t go outside of the circle at your feet. I’ve been watching it, and every once in a while it will get up and pace the circle, testing the boundary as it goes. Whenever it tries to cross the line, a red wall of energy springs up like some sort of sci-fi force field thing.”

  “A what?” asked Mace.

  “An impenetrable barrier,” answered Raven.

  “Excellent, so this area out here is safe. That will help,” said Kat. “Did you figure out anything else while you’ve been here?”

  “Yeah. I found a door at the far end of the room. It’s currently locked, but I managed to spot the key which might unlock it just before you all came in here.”

  “Excellent,” said Kat. “You did good. Where is it?”

  “That would be the bad news,” said Raven. “It’s attached to a chain around the minotaur’s neck.”

  “Then let’s go get it,” said Mace.

  “Wait, we need more information,” said Sam. Thinking about the strategy guides he used to download and multitude of forums he used to visit when preparing for big fights in video games, he said, “Look I’m all for killing this thing, but right now we have a minute while it’s not attacking us. Let’s talk this out some more.”

  With a growl, Mace said, “I’ll let my War Axe talk for me,” as he turned and stepped across the line on the floor, entering the circle.

  Sam was about to say something about him being as bullheaded as the monster before them, but before he could, Mace’s foot crossed the threshold, and everything changed.

  The minotaur which was sitting quietly before now sprang to life and as it stood up, the group saw that it was easily twenty feet tall and absolutely terrifying. Atop its head stood two sharp pointed horns, each of which were nearly a foot in diameter and at least four feet long. From its snout hung a thick metal loop which looked be about the same gauge as a bicycle tire, and when it snarled, its teeth appeared jagged and sharp.

  Trying to take in everything, Sam quickly scanned the rest of the creature and saw that it wore little more than a loin cloth about its waist, but that it did have two thick manacles about its wrists, each of which were adorned with studded metallic points. When the minotaur took a step to the side, Sam noticed that instead of feet, it had thick cloven hooves, and that the hands that reached down only had three thick digits instead of five. Unfortunately, within seconds they proved themselves to be more than ready to accept the task of wielding a weapon, as the minotaur picked up a battle axe that was so large, it could have easily been made from the crushed remains of a flattened Buick stuck atop a telephone pole.

  As it turned to face the group and took a step forward, its long tail unraveled and dropped from where it had been wrapped tightly about its waist.

  Feeling uneasy, Sam said, “Well, Mace, I think you got its attention.”

  Taking a second to spit into the palm of his hands, Mace gave him a crazy-eyed look as he rubbed them together, and said, “I did indeed.”

  “Do you feel that?” asked Anna. “There’s something wrong here.”

  Speaking from their right side, Raven said, “It’s the minotaur’s aura. It has some sort of special ability which weighs everything down. I felt it every time I got too close to the circle.”

  Remembering the games he had played before, Sam said, “It’s not just an aura. I think it’s a status effect, and it’s charging up for something. Get ready!”

  “Forget that,” said Mace as he lifted his own axe, “Let’s kill it before it gets a chance to finish.” Then, not waiting for the rest of the group, Mace charged in with his axe held high, intent on chopping the minotaur’s legs out from beneath it, and after only a second’s hesitation, Casavir sprinted forward and joined him. Seeing no other options for them now, Torix gave Sam and Hugo a vicious looking smile, and then the two of them crossed the boundary as well. Unfortunately, their advance only lasted a few steps before the beast let loose with its first attack.

  After sucking in a huge breath, the minotaur let out a ferocious roar so loud it rippled the air and was able to break through the fighting spirit of any man. As proof, Sam watched as Casavir, Hugo, and Torix, the closest fighters to Sam’s location, stopped dead in their tracks, paralyzed with fear. Mace, who was several feet in front of them all, was knocked to the ground despite his superior size and strength, and Hugo reached out for his friend despite the distance, fearing for his safety.

  Being further back than the rest, Sam didn’t receive the full effect of the minotaur’s special status debuff, but it was more than enough for him to feel it wash over him, too. The pressure of the minotaur’s will was enough to lock his knees in place and force his spine to shrink on him so it looked like he was cowering in submission before the giant beast. Trying to fight back, Sam’s eyes began to tear up as he dug deep within himself and tried to throw off the oppressive weight. Within moments, he felt like his lungs were going to jump out of his chest.

  As the thing’s hoof came down, it crushed the stone beneath it and sent debris flying into the fighters’ faces, but that wasn’t the minotaur’s attack any more than its roar was. In fact, those were just the prelude to what came next.

  Leaping forward, the minotaur closed the distance between itself and Mace in the blink of an eye, and its massive battle axe came crashing down on the Reckoners’ tank. It was a blow so powerful Sam could feel the wind from the crash tousle his hair despite the fact that he was a dozen feet away. It made him close his eyes against not only the imagery he expected to see, but also to protect himself from the small pebbles which now flew like tiny missiles through the air.

  When Sam and the others opened their eyes, they each thought that their group’s size must have been reduced by one, but somehow Mace managed to block the attack with his own axe at the last minute. Sam had no idea how Mace had managed to move against the incredible force which must have been pressing down on him, never mind survive the blow, but it was something he told himself he would have to ask the big guy about if they made it out of there alive.

  As for Mace, he didn’t escape the first round unscathed. Looking over his situation, Sam saw that he was lying on his back, bracing against the monster’s weapon with
his own War Axe, and while it had held so far, Mace’s muscles were shaking under the strain. To add to that, while the blade of the minotaur’s weapon had been kept from cleaving him in two, there was little he could do about the force of blow. Had Mace been standing, Sam knew the big guy could have either redirected the energy or even taken it and been shoved backwards, but with his back against the ground, there was nowhere for him to go but into the ground.

  When the minotaur lifted his axe, Sam saw that Mace was no longer lying on the ground so much as he had been forced within it. Scattered bits of stone littered the area around him as he lay within a crater matching his own dimensions. Cursing himself for not being at Mace’s side, Sam knew there was little he could have done, but he still found himself wishing he had been in the front with his teammate who had been fighting by his side for the past couple hours.

  When the pressure of the minotaur’s aura suddenly began to relax, Sam felt the energy flood back into his body, and he was released from the debuff which had frozen him in place. Chancing a look back to the women, he saw that it was Anna and Kat who had saved them, as both of the women were peppering the monster with arrows from just beyond the edge of the circle.

  Not wanting to waste a second, Sam yelled to the others, “Casavir, shield us while Torix, Hugo, and I get Mace out of there!”

  Seeing that the women were covering the men for the moment, Casavir gave him a nod and staggered to his feet. Feeling unsteady, Casavir did his best to fight through it as he stepped forward until the last of the negative status effect faded away, and he regained full control. From there, he put on a burst of speed and rushed forward to aid Mace.

  Behind him, Sam offered Torix a hand, but the barbarian glared at the monster instead and said, “I’ll get it for that dirty trick.”

  “In a minute. We have to get Mace out of the circle first.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Hugo.

  “Remember what Raven said? The minotaur won’t be able to get us once we’re all out of its reach. We just have to cross back over the line.”

  Growling, Torix picked up his weapon and said, “Fine, but I owe that monster one,” before he took off in a run towards their fallen comrade.

  Reaching Mace first, Casavir set his large shield before him so that it acted as a wall between them and the minotaur, and then he reached back and performed a complex sign with his hand as he began mumbling the beginnings of a prayer of healing. The healing itself wasn’t meant to get Mace back into fighting form just yet, only to stabilize him long enough that the others could drag him to safety.

  Somewhere behind them, they heard Kat yell, “We have to aim for the face! The body shots aren’t effective,” and despite knowing that it wouldn’t be enough to finish the minotaur off, they were pleased that the two of them had bought them a few precious seconds.

  Coming to a halt next to Torix and Hugo, Sam noticed the blood which had pooled up around Mace’s form and said, “Grab an arm and let’s go.” Then to Casavir, he added, “Follow us, and keep that shield at the ready. You can heal him once we are outside the circle.”

  Stopping whatever prayer he had been reciting, the paladin said, “I shall,” with a confidence Sam hoped was more than just ego, but for which he had no choice but to trust.

  Together they began to drag Mace back with Casavir at their rear protecting them, but the minotaur took that moment to prove that it wasn’t through with them yet. Lifting its axe before its face, the minotaur blocked the majority of the arrows which were coming in and began to advance on the small group who had invaded its domain.

  “It’s coming for us!” shouted Casavir even as the giant beast stomped forward.

  “I see that,” responded Sam. “Come on, let’s hurry. The edge isn’t too much further.”

  Grunting, Torix and Sam continued pulling until both of them had managed to cross the line and then with a final heave, they managed to pull the limp form of Mace out of the circle as well. Unfortunately, that was all the time the group had as the minotaur had managed to catch up with them and was swinging its axe their way.

  Following his orders, Casavir planted himself in the way and began praying aloud once again, but this time the words were not the murmur of the meek. Instead they were spoken with a powerful resonance, and as the short prayer concluded, Casavir yelled the words, “Divine protection!” and his shield immediately began to glow, even as the minotaur’s axe slammed into it.

  If it hadn’t been for his prayer, Sam was sure that the paladin would have certainly been killed on the spot, but by the grace of whatever god or gods the game offered, Casavir was protected from the majority of the powerful blow. Instead of being cut in half or knocked aside, his shield withstood the impact and he was only pushed backwards a couple of feet until he was outside the circle. The problem was his shield had scraped against the ground the whole way, and Sam could see the track it left as it gouged its way through the stone floor, and that it had broken the circle.

  Meeting the minotaur’s eyes, Sam saw that it had noticed this. From the look it gave, Sam knew nothing good could come from it. Calling out to everyone, Sam’s voice cracked with fear as he yelled, “Get back! The circle’s been broken. Everyone, get back!”

  As Casavir turned to retreat with the rest of the group, the minotaur stomped forward and tested the air for the barrier Raven had described. Its efforts were tentative at first as it pushed out with its three fingered hand, but finding nothing in the area above the circle’s edge, the monster stepped forward and straddled the line which had kept it imprisoned for so long.

  Watching this, even as he continued to back up, Sam had the fleeting idea that perhaps this would open up some sort of alternative story line where freeing the wrongfully imprisoned creature would yield them great rewards. It was so uncommon a thing to happen in games, and it usually came with some unique sub-quests with even more valuable loot or a summoning spell which allowed characters to call upon the minotaur in times of great need. Unfortunately, rather than thanking them for its freedom and offering them some goodies for their trouble, the monster let loose with a horrific roar of triumph and launched itself at them instead.

  Knowing that there was no way to get everyone to safety since there was no safe place and that Mace was too heavy for them to move quickly, Sam understood that the only recourse left available to him was to engage the thing. Drawing his sword, he left Mace to Hugo and Torix as he assumed a fighting stance and yelled, “Come get some!”

  Employing all of the combat instincts his time in the game had taught him, Sam saw the battle axe coming straight down for his head, and he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid being split down the middle. Then, coming up out of the roll, Sam launched a counterattack and swung for the minotaur’s exposed wrist. To his surprise, however, the monster managed to rip its axe from the ground just in time to avoid Sam’s sword. Coming to a stop, Sam looked up to meet the thing’s gaze, and in that second, he saw that the beast recognized how close it had come to its first injury.

  As a low growl reverberated from the massive creature’s chest, Sam took a step back and prepared for the next attack. His plan was to use himself as bait and get it angry enough to make a mistake. He then hoped to be able to capitalize on it either overreaching or miscalculating somehow so that he could exploit a weakness. It wasn’t much of plan. In fact, it was probably less than tissue paper thin, but he didn’t know what else he could do. The group was already down a man, two, if he included the fact that Casavir would have to spend time healing instead of fighting, and he had no time to coordinate anything with the others.

  With a grin, Sam taunted the minotaur with, “Bringing it, Cow-Boy,” knowing that the thing probably wouldn’t understand him, never mind get the play on words insult referencing its dual nature, but that didn’t matter. Talking smack was what gamers did, if for no other reason than to psych themselves up for battle.

  Holding the axe up, the minotaur tried to stomp on Sam with i
ts cloven hoof, but again Sam dodged out of the way. Trying again yielded no better results, and so in frustration, the minotaur swung its axe again and tried to cleave him in two.

  Thankful for every bit of speed and agility he had gained, Sam managed to stay just out of reach as the minotaur continued its assault. When it swung for him again, Sam hopped backwards just far enough to feel the wind from the axe’s passing before he lifted his hand towards its face and screamed, “America!” releasing a half dozen fireballs.

  Following his command, each sphere of burning plasma hit its mark, and as expected, seared the monster’s flesh causing it to shriek in pain. What he hadn’t expected, however, was the sudden calling of his own name by someone standing just behind him and completely invisible.

  “Sam?” asked Raven.

  Finally recognizing the voice and not believing she could possibly be here, Sam’s mouth dropped open wordlessly as he turned to stare at the space where the voice was coming from.

  “Sam, it’s me, Quinn,” said the invisible voice.

  “Wh…wh…what are you doing here?” stuttered Sam as his brain tried to process this new information.

  “I have no idea,” exclaimed Quinn. “I just appeared here.”

  “So did I,” said Sam. “How long have you been here?”

  “I don’t know, a few days I think. How do we get home?”

  “I don’t know. I think we have to beat the ga…,” he began, but his words were cut short as the minotaur’s next attack caught him off guard and sent him flying.

  He didn’t know if he had actually lost consciousness or if that was even possible here in the game world, but as he opened his eyes, he noticed his arms and legs flapping limply before him in the wind half a second before his body smashed into the closest support pillar. Closing his eyes against the pain, he imagined that his hit point bar must have been cut in half from that one attack, and he cursed himself for losing focus in the middle of a fight. It wasn’t like him to do such a thing, but then again, finding out that his girl was trapped in this game world with him was more than enough reason for him to have a lapse in concentration.