Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis (8 page)

Chapter 9

By the time Kastle and Callistra arrived at her cabin it was an hour past noon. They found the assassin lying on her doorstep still bound by the magical black bands. Kastle lifted the assassin out of the way with ease and followed his beautiful companion inside. This was the first time he’d been invited to visit his lover’s home. It was a simple three-room log cabin in a secluded clearing at the northeast edge of the Dark Forest.

Kastle paused as he entered
the cabin. Although it was a simple design, it was ingeniously built with the main room, kitchen and bedroom surrounding a large stone fireplace in the center of the cabin where its heat would radiate into all three rooms. Kastle really didn’t want to know how she came in possession of the cabin. He gestured with the bound assassin. “Where?”

As
Callistra left the main room for her bedroom, she just waved her hand. “Anywhere is fine.”

Dumping him in a beautifully
hand-carved chair, Kastle pulled out a length of rope from his backpack and began wrapping the arms and chest of the Hashāshīn. Satisfied with his handiwork, he stepped back. “Alright assassin. It’s time we had a talk. In a moment we’re going to release the magical bands which are holding you but I suggest you don’t try to escape until we’ve had a chance to get to know one another better. Alright?”

Tariq
couldn’t reply since he was effectively gagged by the sorcerous ribbons but the stare he gave the holy man was full of anger and hatred.

When
Callistra reentered the room, both men followed the beautiful vampyress with their eyes as she moved over to a small cage. Lifting the lid, she pulled out a solid black scorpion that was at least eight inches long and placed it on Tariq’s chest. Gracing him with a crooked smile she said, “No sudden moves. If my pet feels threatened or jostled, he has a tendency to sting. Of course, the choice is entirely yours.”

After a moment she asked, “Do you understand or shall I have my pet demonstrate?”

Tariq nodded, then thought about it and shook his head. He couldn’t remember which was the right answer, was it yes or no?

Whichever was the right answer
Callistra was satisfied and pulled out her wand. With a simple flick of the wrist, she tapped the tip of the wand to the black bands and they dissolved in to nothing.

Tariq
asked, “What right do you have to hold me? I know my rights. You can’t hold me.”

Kastle chuckled. “First, let’s get something straight. You aren’t in
America or Canada or even East-bumble-fuck Egypt. You are in Hyperborea and here, might makes right. Currently we have power over you which gives us the right to do what we please. We have the right to hold you captive, turn you into a slave or kill you. It is our choice not yours. Is that clear?”

Tariq
flexed his shoulders and started to lean forward with the intention of standing up. That was until the scorpion shifted positions and flicked its tail. Tariq hesitated and then slowly shifted his weight back into the chair. He swallowed hard before speaking. “Clear. What is it that you want?”

“Information.”

“What kind of information?”

“Let’s start simple with introductions. I’m Kastle and the lovely young lady behind me is
Callistra. What’s your name?”

“
Tariq al’Nasir al’Rafiq of the Hashāshīn Order.”

“
What brought you to Hyperborea?”

“
Al Shaytan.”

“Where are your companions?”

Tariq spit in the cleric’s face. “In Hell for all I care.”

Kastle
calmly wiped off the spit and looked at his companion. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. You want to try?”

Callistra
stood up and moved behind the assassin. Leaning down, she whispered in his left ear but loud enough that Kastle would hear what she said. “I can make you talk.” She shifted to his other ear. “I know something very important about you, something that you don’t even know about yourself.”

As she slid her arms around his chest she leaned in and nibbled on his neck,
Tariq found it very erotic and enticing. When she shifted her hands lower, he felt his pulse quicken at her touch. However, when she grabbed his dagger and pulled it away, he tensed and started to rise once again. When the scorpion crawled the few remaining inches until it stood over his left carotid artery, Tariq froze.

Callistra
moved into view. “This is beautiful. It’s a dagger of venom, right? Or should I call it a katar since it’s crafted in the Arabic fashion of a punch dagger?”

Seeing the assassin’s eyes widen as she handled his blade, she continued talking. “This was the weapon given to you by
Al Shaytan. No use trying to deny it, his mark is right here on the tang. Right now you just think this is a magnificent magical item but it is more…much more. Shall I tell you about it?”

Callistra
moved over to the sofa about fifteen feet away from the bound assassin and sat down. Tariq had no idea why but there was a tightness in his stomach that wasn’t there a few moments ago. He felt feverish and began to sweat. His first thought was that the scorpion had already stung him. When the witch began to twirl his dagger around, he felt his eyes drawn to the magical blade and the longing to hold it in his hands began to grow. It was his blade after all. Why should he let the witch hold it? 

Callistra
’s smile didn’t reach her eyes when she asked, “Do you feel it? The need to hold this? Is it gaining strength? Now imagine if I were to drop this in the deepest ocean. How would you feel? I’ll tell you how. You would do anything to retrieve it. The compulsion would be so strong it could drive you to try and swim to the bottom of the ocean. And why? Isn’t this just a magical dagger? A simple tool?”

The witch
stood up and moved closer. As she closed the gap, the pain in his gut lessened and he felt his anxiety lessen. It was strange.

“You see
Al Shaytan tricked you. These items are much more than simple magical weapons. They are soul bound to the owner. Should you lose this dagger or it was taken away from you for any length of time, you would feel such anxiety that it would drive you crazy. You would be like a junkie always looking for a fix and nothing, I repeat nothing, can curb the urge.” Callistra shifted her gaze to Kastle and some untold message passed between them. Looking back at Tariq she added, “Trust me. I know.”

The assassin
took a moment to really study the vampyress. Yes, she was gorgeous but now that he was looking, he thought he could see a slight madness in her eyes. Then he actually noticed how crudely fashioned her wand was compared to everything else about her. Her outfit and jewelry was expertly crafted and of superb design, then why the crude wand? Tariq’s eyes flicked over to the cleric. He was well muscled and his armor was exquisitely crafted. He was just silently watching him with his hand resting on his warhammer. That’s when everything clicked.

“You’re
both from the other side, the real world?”

Callistra
waved her fingers and the scorpion flicked its tail. “Don’t think that this place isn’t real. If you die here, you die back home…simple as that. But yes, we’re from America. Kastle is from Dallas and I’m from Louisville. How about you?”

Tariq
tried to remember but it seemed so hazy. “B…Boston.”

Kastle leaned forward. “What
’s your real name?”

Tariq
cocked his head to the side as he tried to remember. It should be easy but the harder he thought the more jumbled his memory became. Looking up, his eyes were wide with fear. “I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

Kastle just nodded. “As a minion of Chaos, it is your curse on this side of the portal.
The longer you stay, the harder it will be to resist its pull. Eventually the darkness will overwhelm you and you will become your avatar in every way.” His eyes flicked over to the witch. “You may even be tempted to try something rash to stop it but in the end, the Chaos will win.” Looking back at the assassin he added, “However I may be able to help.” Reaching into a pouch, Kastle pulled out a small silver amulet of a hammer and placed it over the assassin’s head.

Immediately
, Tariq felt calm. Like a cool breeze blowing through his mind clearing away the haze. “Brandon. My name is Brandon.”

Kastle grinned. “Go
od. Now tell me about the people you crossed over with. It’s important. Try not to leave out any detail.”

Tariq
nodded and launched into his tale. He began it on the night of the raid when his guild, the Society of Night had joined forces with the Keepers of the Flame to complete the Tomb of Immortality. Only vaguely did he notice that Callistra tensed up as his story unfolded. The assassin continued his tale all the way through the battle with the goblins, including his decision to backstab the paladin. He didn’t leave anything out or try to embellish his actions. He just stuck to the facts. The only detail he really didn’t go into were the names of his companions.

Kastle didn’t say anything or pass any type of judgment on his actions. He just listened
patiently; which actually helped Tariq tell his tale. Once he was done, the assassin sat back and waited.

When Callistra spoke,
her voice seemed softer than usual. “This samurai in red and black armor…what was his name?”

“
Tao…Taote Ching.”

“Oh my God!” yelled
Callistra as she collapsed onto the floor.

“Calli!”
Kastle rushed to her side only to find her unconscious. Lifting her gently, he carried her into the next room.

Tariq
immediately realized that this was the perfect time to slip away. That was until the black scorpion shifted its position once more to remind the assassin that it was still there and just waiting for a reason to sting him.

Chapter 10

The
companions were only several hundred yards outside of the gates of Saebroc when Gamble stumbled and nearly fell. Even though the dwarf was amazingly strong considering his short stature carrying the limp form of Moira was quickly sapping his strength and he had to set the injured druid down.

Tao glanced back at the gates of
the village and didn’t see any sign of pursuit at the moment. Looking east, he could just barely make out the fleeing wyverns. It wouldn’t be long before they were out of sight. He knew what needed to be done but hated to divide his group.

“Cozad, you’re in charge until I get back. Do your best to keep
everyone safe.”

The Dreadknight just nodded but
Arieal looked up and asked, “Where are you going?”

“After Bjǿrn. If
Mathias catches up to them, he will be vastly outnumbered.”

Arieal
chewed on a stray strand of hair for a second before saying, “Be careful.”

Tao fished through his pouches until he found
the crystal vial that he wanted. In the game, it had many names but it was most commonly referred to as a potion of speed. For a brief span of time, everything about him would be sped up, his heart rate, his reactions and more importantly, his foot speed. He knew that too many uses of the tonic would age him or have other dismal side-effects. This was a type of potion he typically saved for dire situations and this seemed like the time.

Popping the cork, Tao downed the red liquid
and absentmindedly noted that it had a slight peppermint flavor to it. Seconds later, the world surrounding him seemed to slow down. Gone was the whistling of the wind or the buzzing of the nearby bees. Actually, the bees seemed just to hang in mid-air. It was very strange.

Knowing that the potion wouldn’t last long, Tao
began running.

Even though he had used this particular potion
on numerous occasions in the game, it was completely different this time. When he was sitting behind his computer screen, his avatar would gain several benefits in combat but most common advantage was that he could cover great distances in a short amount of time. So he ran and gained on the fleeing wyvern-riders with each passing minute.

*   *   * 
*   *

Mathias
’ first instinct when the wyvern-riders had swooped in was to hide. But when he saw the mob charging his friends, concern banished his fear. Stepping out from behind cover and began firing. That was until the wyvern-riders captured his friend. Concerned that he would strike Bjǿrn with a badly timed shot, Mathias concentrated his first few shots on the trailing rider. He saw the rider jerk once and slump over in the saddle before the wyvern banked over the walls.

Glancing down at the town square, he saw a guard charging Tao. The normally hyper-alert samurai seemed  distracted so
Mathias fired off a quick shot and hit his mark center-mass.

He
couldn’t help but grin when Tao looked up. When his friend signaled for him to follow the wyverns, the half-elf couldn’t think of any reason not to, so off he went. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, then to the ramparts and onto the rocky ground had been child’s play. Keeping up with the wyverns was another matter. As a half-elven archer, he was granted certain abilities in tracking, especially over grasslands and through woodlands. Since his prey was flying while he was running, it was only a matter of time before they outdistanced him. Realizing what needed to be done, Mathias angled slightly to his right toward a large group of rocks. Pausing at the peak, Mathias used one of his innate magical abilities to enhance his aim, sighted down the shaft, led his target, timed his release between breaths and let fly his arrow.

Without waiting to see if it struck,
Mathias leapt off the rocks and continued pursuit for about seventy feet when he was rewarded with the results of his shot.

O
ne of the two wyverns carrying Bjǿrn jerked to the side and released its grip on the massive were-bear. The other wyvern was suddenly left ‘holding the bag’ and couldn’t carry the weight solo. It dove under the load for a second before releasing its grip also. Bjǿrn fell the last fifty feet and landed with a loud thump. The half-elf hoped the Norseman wasn’t too injured because he was going to need some help, since it looked like he had angered the proverbial hornet’s nest as the five wyverns circled back toward him.

Dropping to one knee,
Mathias began firing and muttered to himself, “How in the world do I get myself into these messes?” 

*   *   *   *   *

When the potion wore off, Tao was close enough to see Mathias’ amazing shot. With the five wyvern-riders circling back to attack, he decided it was time to keep the pressure on the raiders. After all, the best defense is a strong offense. With the riders concentrating on Mathias, Tao had a few seconds to study the situation. He was also close enough to get a good look at the riders.

They looked human and seemed to be dressed in leather armor. Their
faces were covered with red scarves which instinctively reminded Tao of the bandanas worn by the outlaws in old western movies. Out of the five wyvern-riders, one looked completely incapacitated. He was slumped over in his saddle completely limp while his steed just followed the rest of the herd and another rider seemed to be injured by the way he was holding his leg. The other three seemed fine and completely irritated with Mathias.

On their first low pass, all three fired their crossbows at the half-elf
, who just rolled out of the way and loosed a couple shafts of his own. However, his aim was off and the arrows just bounced off the thick hide of the wyverns. Knowing he didn’t have the skill of the half-elf with his bow, Tao decided for a more direct approach.

One of the signature kicks in TaeKwonDo
was a flying side-kick and it is an extremely powerful technique. As the legends tell it, this particular kick was developed by the Koreans during the Japanese occupation. Supposedly, the peasants used this kick to knock armored samurais off their horses. Tao didn’t know if that was true or not but it always sounded good and was possibly practical in this situation.

Shifting
several feet to his right, Tao waited about twenty feet behind the same rocks Mathias had used to make his incredible long distance shot from. Keeping low until the wyvern-riders made another pass, the samurai began his run as they came around. Timing was going to be everything on this attack and Tao knew he only had one shot at it. Leaping from the peak of the rocks, Tao knew he had timed it right when the lead wyvern failed to veer away. Both beast and raider were too busy concentrating on the half-elf to defend against Tao’s unorthodox attack. His right foot connected with the rider’s left ribcage. Even over the noise of the screeching wyverns and hoarse laughter of the riders, Tao heard the bandit’s bones crack as the rider was catapulted off his flying steed. Tao reached out and managed to barely snag the wyvern’s saddle.

The
lead serpent didn’t know what was going on with the exception that his master was giving him conflicting signals. By the way he was leaning in the saddle, his rider wanted him to turn hard right. By the way he was pulling on his bit, his rider wanted him to land. Confused, the poor beast of burden did both.

Dropping his
right wing, the wyvern executed a diving corkscrew landing. It wasn’t pretty…but within seconds, it was on the ground. The other four wyverns were completely confused. Their alpha had just landed and so they followed suit. The one with the dead rider landed first. The other three riders were suddenly too busy trying to convince their flying steeds to stay in the air to defend against Mathias’ arrows. Two seconds and two shots later, two more wyverns landed. Only the injured rider remained aloft and although he was still flying, it was obvious that he was fighting his steed to keep it there.

Tao shouted, “Two choices, land or die!”

Mathias nodded and sighted down his shaft once more but held the arrow in the drawn position. Seeing no alternative, the rider signaled to his steed to land. Mathias released the tension on his great yew bow but kept the arrow notched and pointed at the rider.

“Nice timing Tao. I have to admit that I was slightly worried there for a second.”

“Glad I could make it in time.” With a nod to the injured rider Tao said, “Get him down from there, I want a word with him.”

Keeping his hands on the
grey wyvern’s hide, Tao slowly moved forward toward the head of the great beast rubbing as he went. Not really sure of the flying serpent’s mannerisms, he just pretended that it was a really large horse and treated it accordingly. Being from Kentucky, he had grown up with horses. One trick he knew when handling a new horse was to imprint your touch and smell on the beast. It works best on foals but he also knew it to be an old ‘horse traders’ trick.

After a few
minutes, Tao turned his attention to the lone surviving rider. He was definitely human and young, Tao guessed him to be in his late teens or early twenties. Judging from the downward angle of the arrow protruding from his left hip, this must’ve been the rider Mathias had hit with his long distance shot.

“Incredible shot by the way. I had no idea you could shoot that far. Much less hit anything, I
am truly impressed.”

Mathias
blushed slightly. “Thanks. I guess Lady Luck was smiling on me.”

Tao nodded and turned back to the young man who was obviously in great pain. “We could help you if you want. If you don’t get that arrow out, you’re going to die.”

The young man grimaced with pain. “I don’t want any help from you Atlantean. I would rather die.”

“That is the second time today that I have been accused of being an Atlantean. I guess that isn’t a good thing around here.
You can believe me or not but I am not an Atlantean, I’m a Kentuckian.”

“Liar. Only an Atlantean could’ve flown up and killed Adok. He was a great hunter.”

“Adok?” Tao glanced at the body of the man he knocked from the wyvern. “Oh him? Trust me, it wasn’t magic just a skillful kick.”

“Trust you? Does a farmer trust the fox
that kills his chickens? No.”

Tao looked at
Mathias. “This isn’t going well.”

“Maybe if we healed him?”
Mathias suggested.

“Possibly.” Tao squatted down so that he was eye level with the young man. “We
’re going to help you. We’ll get that arrow out and heal your wound. Then you can go free.”

“Liar!”
the young man screamed. Pulling out a hidden dagger, he plunged the blade into his own chest, right under the solar plexus and into his heart.

Tao
just shook his head. “Be at peace young one.”

Mathias
just stared at the dead kid. “Why? Why would he do that?”

“
Maybe it is part of his culture or perhaps his religion doesn’t allow being taken prisoner. I can only guess but for whatever reason, it was his choice.”

Mathias
turned his attention to his friend with a blank look. “How…how can you be so cold?”

“Don’t forget I was in Desert Storm. This wasn’t the first young man I
’ve watched take his own life in the pursuit of his beliefs. It was obvious that he thought us helping him was a fate worse than death. He made his choice. We gave him options.”

Mathias
nodded but looked back at the young man. “But he’s just a kid.”

“True. But it was his choice, not ours. We cannot change it.
” Tao placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Do me a favor and go check on Bjǿrn. Hopefully, he just needs help getting out of the net.”

Mathias
nodded and stumbled away from the dead rider.

Tao went to work searching the bodies for anything useful, all the while being watched by the five wyverns.