Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis (28 page)

Sanguine
knew that the pit was extremely deep and it would take a lot of dirt. Not that he could really fill the pit since it was in fact a portal to another dimension but the introduction of enough soil could break the Balrog’s connection to its home plane. The real danger lie in the fact that once he cast this spell, he would be defenseless.

Glancing at battle between the Balrog and the Outlanders, Sanguine knew he had no other choice. Not if he wanted to aid them. Summoning all the power he could muster, both from inside himself and his wand, Sanguine pointed his wand at the hillside behind Crooked Creek and cast the spell. Nearly one third of the hillside lifted up into the air. It was as if a giant unseen hand, reached down and scooped up a large portion of the hill.

Beads of sweat broke out all across Sanguine’s forehead as he concentrated on moving the dirt to the correct location. Inch by inch, foot by foot, yard by yard, the mound of dirt floated toward the gaping pit. Just when he didn’t think he couldn’t hold it any longer, he was there. Cancelling the spell, the hillside came crashing down on the flaming portal.

Sanguine dropped to his knees with exhaustion but couldn’t tell if his gamble had worked since there was a huge mound of
dirt in between him and the Balrog.

*   *   *   *   *

Tao had been injured an untold number of times, both as a martial artist and soldier. But at this very moment, none of the pain he felt in the past was anything like was he was experiencing at this very moment. The oddest part was the fact that the flames were both hot and cold at the same time. The flames burned the skin but sent a chill to his very soul. He was afraid to open his eyes since he imagined that his hands and arms were nothing more than charred flesh by now. A logical person would let go but then, a rational person wouldn’t have jumped on the back of a giant fire-winged demon either.

Suddenly, the burning was gone. He was still being thrashed around but it was getting less and less violent.

Daring to see what was going on, Tao opened one eye. The first thing he did was look at his hands and much to his surprise, they seemed normal. No burn marks were visible. Opening up his other eye, Tao chanced a look around and noticed that the beast’s fiery wings were gone. Then came the realization that the fiend was shrinking. But more importantly, he ached all over. It was as if every muscle in his body was having a charley horse at the same time.

Tao tried to force his body to
respond to his commands but nothing would move. He couldn’t even relax his hands enough to let go. He had no choice but to hang on and ride this out.

*   *   *   *   *

When Cassie heard her husband scream, she went crazy. She had no reason to believe that he would survive his kamikaze styled attack but she prayed that he did. Her fear and rage fueled the bond between her and the Holy Avenger sword. What had started out as the sword dragging her to a proper position, became something else. Calli became the living embodiment of righteous vengeance. She stabbed and thrust with impunity. She blocked, parried and moved as gracefully as a professional dancer.

The Balrog was in pain but it was far from being defeated
until something odd happened. A large chunk of the surrounding countryside lifted up into the air, floated into town and crashed down behind the demon. However, that wasn’t the bizarre part. The Balrog’s wings of fire disappeared and it began to shrink with every swipe of Calli’s sword. She didn’t know what was happening but she kept up her attacks.

The Balrog decided to make one last suicidal attack, dropped its scourge, took a two-handed grip on its sword and chopped down with all its might. Unfortunately for the demon, Calli
stra was ready for it.

The Holy Avenger had anticipated such an attack and guided the witch to the perfect spot for a counterattack. Stepping underneath the massive body,
Callistra leapt straight up and swung her own mighty weapon. The shining silver blade slid right through the demon’s neck like a knife through butter and the Balrog fell to the ground, decapitated and very dead.

Chapter 34

Grigoris exhaled deeply when the demon fell. Actually, he hadn’t even realized he had been holding his breath as the battle raged but evidently, he had been. When Sartael the Snake had arrived and seduced Cozad to the side of Chaos, he had begun to doubt the outcome. When the wyverns turned on their riders and the cockatrice had attacked the samurai, he knew that their demise was imminent. Additionally, the summoning of the demon had all but sealed their fate. Once again, he felt that his brother was going to win.

T
o see them prevail in the face of such long odds was more than the imprisoned seraph could hope for. But it was more than that and Grigoris realized it. He had begun to cheer for them and felt invested in their struggles. He knew it was dangerous for him to get attached to the Outlanders. For him to win this contest against his brother, he may have to sacrifice one of them to assure ultimate victory.

Grigoris shook his head and chastised himself for his thoughts. It was not his place to sacrifice one or all of the Outlanders. That was the real truth here. His involvement was limited to ensure that the Outlanders maintained free will. They deserved the opportunity to decide their own fate. That was the will of his father, freedom of choice in all things. That was the true secret of life.

Chapter 35

Calli held her pose for a few seconds and took in the battlefield with a single glance.

The whole town was ablaze and bodies filled the streets. Nevertheless, it was the disintegrating corpse of the Balrog which captivated her attention. Primarily because the severed head of the demon was still looking at her with hate-filled eyes. Its mouth opened and closed several times while its forked tongue flicked in and out. Even as the light in its ebony eyes faded, it croaked.

“We shall meet again you traitorous witch.”

Before Callistra could respond, the severed head of the demon hissed once and crumbled into dust. It seems she had made another enemy this day.

Unbidden
, an old nearly forgotten quote ran through her mind,
‘A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.’
She had no idea who said it but it seemed fitting somehow.

When the last of the demon had dissolved into nothingness, the Holy Avenger sword relaxed its grip on her body and she could move of her own accord. Rushing forward, she stabbed the sacred blade into the dirt next to her husband’s body. He was lying face down with his hands still wrapped around the hilt of his katana
.

“
Patrick!”

When
he didn’t respond, Callistra felt the cold hands of fear grip her heart.

*   *   *   *   *

The moment the dark wizard and Cozad had stepped through the magical portal and disappeared from the battlefield, the remaining goblins and Peacekeepers lost their desire for battle. The goblins tried to flee back into the surrounding countryside but the villagers wouldn’t allow it. They ran after them and killed every last one. The Peacekeepers were another matter. They called for parley and threw down their weapons. A few of the villagers had wanted to continue attacking the invaders, that was until the remaining wyvern bandits stepped forward and stopped them. They had already seen what would happen if one of them countermanded an order given by their new Captain.

Aaliyah and Arieal sat down right where they were and took in a deep breath of air. It might have been full of the stench of battle but it was also life affirming. The two conjurers had worked together, sending their minions wherever they were needed. It had been touch and go a few times. Once, a crazed band of five hobgoblins had broken through
the wall of defenders and threatened them directly. It was at that moment when they both realized that a well-placed whack with a staff or a slash with a dagger was worth its weight in gold. The hobgoblins had thought they would be easy pickings but the two casters were more in sync with each other than they imagined. Possibly a side effect of the merger but they had been able to fight as one effective unit and they had dispatched their attackers quickly.

Now they just wanted to sit and relax for a moment. But it was not to be. Mathias came running up and both casters could tell that he carried bad news.

“Aaliyah…come quickly.”

The blonde beauty stood up. “What is it?”

Mathias licked his lips. “Kastle is asking for you.”

The next few moments would be forever seared into Ashley’s memory. Rushing across the battlefield, she
didn’t even notice the scattered bodies and pools of blood. Her sole attention was fixed on the prone form of her lover.

Kastle was lying on his back with his feet propped up on the carcass of a dead wyvern. Gamble had made a pillow for him out of the remnants of his cloak. The rest he had used as a makeshift bandage
, first on the priest’s forehead and then on the large gash across his abdomen. The first thing Ashley really noticed was the fact that the priest was pale, too pale.

She glanced up at the dwarf, who just gave her a subtle shake of his head. Reaching out, she grabbed his hand. “Kastle….Richard. I’m here. I’m here darling.”

Kastle’s eyes fluttered open. “Ash? Ashley, is that you?”

His voice was weak. Weaker than any time she had heard it.

“Yes my love, I am here.”

Kastle turned his head slowly as his eyes focused in on her. “You are so beautiful.”

Aaliyah’s tears were flowing but still she blushed. “You’re just trying to sweet talk your way back into my pants.”

Kastle tried to lick his lips but his mouth was too dry. “No, not your avatar. You. I’ve always loved you Ash. I’m sorry I was too afraid to say it before now.”

Aaliyah leaned forward and kissed him gently. “Shhh….my love. Save your strength. You will have plenty of time to tell me this.”

Kastle
started to say something but began coughing violently and he quickly covered his mouth with a rag.

Aaliyah frantically looked around for help but when she saw the look in the eyes of Arieal and Mathias, she could tell that they knew the truth also. He didn’t have much time left. They knew it and so did Kastle.

*   *   *   *   *

Tariq edged his way over to where Callistra and Tao
lay.

He really didn’t want to intrude on their reunion but he felt that the
witch would want to be there before the priest died. Besides, it was time to confront his past. He had failed the group when he had assassinated Roland. Although he had strived to atone for his crime, he realized now that Tao was the judge he had to face. For better or worse, it was time to pay the piper.

Softly clearing his throat Tariq said, “
Calli?”

*   *   *   *   *

Cassie felt the tears running down her face as she rolled the avatar of her husband over. It was strange seeing him like this. Logically, she knew this was Patrick but it wasn’t him. From the slant of his eyes to the shade of his skin, everything was different. But in her heart, she knew this was her husband.

Leaning forward, she kissed him gently on the lips. They felt warm to her but they were lifeless.
Suddenly, one arm shot up, wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. But it was the passion and warmth in his kiss that truly got her attention.

Minutes passed before she leaned back and looked into his eyes. Even though the shape of them were different, Cassie could swear they were the same as
Patrick’s back home.

Tao spoke first. “Hey doll.”

The wall holding back Cassie’s emotions broke down at those words. Those were the same two words he said to her when they first met all those years ago. She had been out with some girlfriends in a bar and they had guys hitting on them all night with cheesy pickup lines after pickup lines. Patrick had walked up and said those two simple words. What had made it so different was the fact that he only made eye contact with her, totally ignoring her girlfriends, and that he only stared into her eyes.

Cassie
laughed and more tears fell as she responded the same way she had back then. “Hi there.”

Neither one of them said another word for several minutes as they squeezed each other tightly. They only broke their embrace when they heard someone clear their throat behind them.

“Calli?”

The
scarlet haired witch glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Brandon…” Whatever else she was going to say fled as did her smile. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Kastle.” Tariq lowered his head. He didn’t have to say anything else, the couple knew it was bad. 

Tao tried to push himself up but every muscle in his body ached and refused. Tariq moved forward and helped Calli lift him. Tao simply nodded and said, “Thanks.”

Tariq grinned in spite of himself. Just like that, Brandon felt that he was once more a part of the group. It seems that his past actions might not be completely forgotten but at least they were forgiven. It was a good feeling.

As they walked up, Tao took in the priest’s condition with a single glance. He was a goner. Actually, it was a testament to his willpower and constitution that he was still alive.  Arieal and Aaliyah were already there and so was Gamble. Calli rushed forward to the priest’s side, knelt down and grabbed his hand.

Judging from her body language, they had been more than friends. One part of Tao’s mind, the Mac persona felt a slight twinge of jealousy. It wasn’t logical. He had been unfaithful with Arieal several times since he crossed over. Of course, he knew from conversations with Kastle that they had been trapped inside this reality for nearly four years. Tao forced his jealousy down and knelt beside the fallen priest.

Kastle shifted his head to the side and made eye contact with the samurai. “Tao, don’t judge Calli. We have all done things we aren’t proud of to survive.”

Tao flashed him a reassuring grin. “No worries, Kastle. I am not in a position to judge. Rest easy
my friend. You have done your part.”

Kastle
gestured feebly with his left hand. “Gamble…keep my hammer. I suspect you will need it before this is all over.”

“I will priest, I will.” Gamble reached over and picked up the mighty weapon. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it safe. “

Aaliyah leaned forward and kissed him once more. “Rest now Richard. Know that I will love you to the end of my days.”

Kastle
smiled. Reaching out, he caressed her cheek one last time.

“I
’ll be waiting for you.” And with those final words, he died.