Lost Lands: The Game - Atlantis (6 page)

Chapter 7

Sunrise
found the companions still asleep in the rocks. Tao hadn’t awakened a replacement for the night watch once he discovered how calming meditation was in this reality. He had moved away from the rest of the party and had settled down in the lotus position, with ankles folded up onto his inner thighs and entered the trance of the Sensei. It was enlightening. He was aware of everything around him from the ants in the ground to the owls hunting the night sky. With the first hints of the morning sun, Tao had come out of his trance, stood up and felt more refreshed than any other time of his life.

Gazing out at the lake, Tao could just make out the distant sha
pes of several boats. Probably the fishing fleet from the village he hoped to find nearby. Moving over to Gamble, he tapped the dwarf on his foot.

The skald was instantly awake.
“Morning.”

Tao
looked toward the north where a small plume of smoke signaled the remains of his friend’s pyre and said, “Wake everyone. We’ll be moving soon.”

Gamble
watched as his oldest friend wandered off towards the lake. They had been best friends over thirty years and he knew what was bothering the samurai. The Marvin mind-set realized that Mac was still haunted by the men he lost during Desert Storm. Now, Steve’s death would have dredged up those memories in addition to the fresh wounds of Cassie’s loss only four months ago.

Then
, there was the fact that they were heading into unknown territory without any information on the region or culture and it was his friend’s responsibility to keep everyone safe. Whether it was the truth or not, didn’t matter. It was how Mac viewed the situation. Marvin’s problem was how could he best help his friend?

Ever practical, both on the other side and in game,
Gamble just shrugged his shoulders and buried his problem for the moment and turned to the task of waking everyone up. Cozad was the easiest to awaken, since his eyes flew open at the dwarf’s approach. However, Pixi was the hardest. It seems that fairies have the natural tendency to turn invisible when sleeping, mix that with her ability to shrink down to about six inches tall and you have a very hard companion to find. The dwarf only found her when he tripped over her.

Breakfast for the companions was a mixture of dried fruits and travel biscuits, not the most tasty fare but edible and nourishing.
Everyone seemed to want to keep the morning conversation light and about unimportant subjects. Finally Mathias said, “Something has been bothering me.”

Arieal
was the first to respond. “What?”

“Time.”

Moira asked, “Time? What about time?”

“If this is the game and we are governed by the rules of the game, wouldn’t time also be affected?”

“How so?” asked Arieal.

“It has
probably been eight to twelve hours since we came across, right?”

Bjǿrn
looked up at the twin suns just starting their race across the sky. “Yes. That would be a good estimate.”

“So, how much time has pas
sed back home?”

Pixi said, “The same amount, right?”

Gamble shook his head. “No. Game time was much faster than real time. I want to say almost twelve to one.” Seeing the blank stares from Pixi and Moira, the dwarf continued. “I’m sure it wasn’t a straight twelve to one conversion but I know that every two hours of real time was one full day in game time or twelve game days to one day real time. Does that help?”

Mathias
cocked his head to the side while he considered what that meant. “So, only an hour or so has passed back on the other side?”

Gamble
shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure but if this land follows the rules of the game and that also includes time, then yes.”

Tao
rejoined the group. “Also remember that Al Shaytan said that time would not be a problem. I can take that remark two ways. Either that time moves much different in this land or more likely, we’re stuck here and have all the time in the world.”

Mathias
grinned. “So, I still have a chance on making it to my wedding on time.”

Tao nodded. “It would seem so.”

Mathias hopped up. “Outstanding.”

Everyone else seemed to be infected
by Mathias’s sudden good mood and began to pack away their belongings. Within minutes, the companions were ready and followed Tao as he moved down to the shoreline.

*   *   *   *   *

A large bat landed on a granite headstone just outside an old stone chapel.

Callistra
cancelled the transformation spell and returned to her natural form. One byproduct of the transformation was that the blood was gone from her clothes. She didn’t know why or how it happened but she just accepted it and went on with her business. Moving through the graveyard, Callistra thought about the misconception that vampires couldn’t walk on holy ground. If that was true, she hadn’t run across a holy enough spot to stop her… yet. Hearing singing from inside the chapel, she decided not to use the main door. She didn’t relish running into any innocents. Her hunger might be sated at the moment but she didn’t trust herself around that much fresh meat. Seeing an open window on the second floor, she leapt the distance and landed gracefully on the small window sill. Sniffing the air, she could smell the humans below but none were close by so she entered the room.

Judging from the furnishings, it was
Kastle’s room. It had a simple cot for a bed, a wardrobe full of robes and two large tables covered with scrolls and parchments. Covering one wall was a hand-drawn map of Hyperborea and all its known villages. On a second wall was another of Atlantis or at least what was known about the fabled city.

Callistra
rummaged through the scrolls while she waited for her old companion. Running across, Kastle’s journal she sat back on his bed flipped to the first page and began to read.

‘DAY
9: It has been several days since we awakened in the dark forest. Al Shaytan promised us the adventure of a lifetime. I am not sure Wynn would agree with that. He fell in battle to some giants we ran across and we were unable to recover his body since we had to flee or perish. Jagoda didn’t take that well and wanted to go back. Only the will of the group overruled him. I will regret voting against him and not going back to the end of my days.’

Tears filled
Callistra’s eyes as she remembered that day. She could still hear Wynn’s screams as the giants ripped off his legs and began eating him while he was still alive. The companions had fled in fear. That was the true feeling of guilt that Jagoda felt. Of course, one thing was still peculiar to her. She fed on the innocent inhabitants of this land to keep herself alive and had no qualms about it but the memory of Wynn’s death brought her to tears.

Flipping the pages at random, she read another passage.

‘DAY 27: We stumbled into a small walled town today. We thought our luck was improving since we had run out of rations days before but we were unprepared for their fear of outsiders. We had gold but they weren’t interested in trading and became an angry mob. We tried to flee. However the mob chased us and when Argos fell to a spear thrown by one of the townsfolk, Jagoda went nuts. We were surrounded and outnumbered. We made them pay but our defeat was inevitable. There were just too many of them. That would’ve been our last day in this realm if not for the arrival of the Atlantean. Sartael came to our rescue, blasting away at the townsfolk. They fled back inside their walls. Jagoda was still angry and wanted vengeance but since we were all injured, we fled into the night.’

‘DAY
33: Sartael has been a wonderful host with a wealth of knowledge. Although he has been very tight-lipped about Atlantis, I have been able to gather that some sort of calamity has befallen the Dragon Kings and the general populace blame them for their lot in life. It is my guess that Sartael is an outcast from Atlantis. I have no proof of my suspicions but there is just something odd about him. On a personal note, Aaliyah and I had a wonderful walk at sunset. Nothing happened but I’m hopeful for the future.’

‘DAY 40: Argos is dead.
We thought he was recovering from his wounds but he passed away during the night. However, Jagoda discovered bite marks on his neck and accused Callistra of killing him.’

Callistra
still remembered that day. Jagoda had actually attacked her but Kastle intervened. Suddenly, their little party was at odds with each other. Sartael, the snake that he was, stepped in and used his magic to subdue her and take her wand. It was not a fond memory. Jagoda had wanted to kill her where she lay but Kastle argued against any such action. She shuddered to think of what might’ve happened if the Atlantean hadn’t chosen that evening to show his true colors.

‘DAY 41:
The Atlantean attacked us during the night and caught us completely off guard. We lost Bertram and Albiona to Sartael’s magic and Kano is missing. The shinobi might’ve just slipped off into the night but honestly, that doesn’t seem like his style. Sartael probably would’ve gotten all of us if he hadn’t underestimated Geirolf and overlooked Callistra. While the traitorous Atlantean fought our werewolf companion, Callistra was able to free herself and then myself. She had wanted to leave Jagoda behind but Aaliyah wouldn’t allow it. The four of us slipped away and left our dead friends behind.’

The witch took a deep breath to calm her nerves. One day she would get vengeance on Sartael. She didn’t know when or how but it will happen. Callistra flipped further back in the journal and continued to read.

‘DAY 97: I think I have lost my chances with Aaliyah. She seems enamored by the rock hard physique of Jagoda and his easy-going smile. She is blinded to his snide remarks. I fear to say anything more as it will just push her further into his arms. On a positive side, it seems that Callistra seems to enjoy my company, although I doubt it will lead anywhere. I know she’s married on the other side and completely devoted to her husband.’.

‘
DAY 166: It finally happened. It was cold and raining last night when Callistra came into my tent. Without a single word, she undressed and climbed into my bed. It was intense, it was magical. I’m sure she just needed the warmth of another body. It wasn’t me she truly wanted but I was handy, not that I mind. The sounds of Aaliyah and Jagoda’s lovemaking has bothered me for weeks. I guess it got to Calli too. She was gone when I woke up and hasn’t been very talkative today. I wonder if it was a one-time thing or will it happen again. I have to admit I am hoping for the latter but only time will tell.’

Turning a few
more pages, Callistra felt tears beginning to fill her eyes but she read on.

‘DAY
225: We have begun to argue almost constantly. Jagoda has threatened to leave once more. I believe that Aaliyah is leaning toward following him if he does leave. I fear that our days as a group are numbered. On a personal note, Callistra is losing her battle with the forces of Chaos inside her. I fear it was the loss of her wand which truly began her descent into darkness. I fear this will be the end of our union. I cannot abide what she is becoming and fear for her soul.’

Hearing the
chapel bells begin to ring, Callistra knew that the service was over and Kastle would be here soon, so she flipped to the last entry of the journal.

‘DAY
815: It has been nearly four years since we crossed over and I haven’t seen or heard from any of my companions in months. I’ve heard rumors of a witch living in the Dark Forest to the north, perhaps this is Callistra. It is my hope that she has found some semblance of peace. I’ve also heard of rumors concerning Jagoda and Aaliyah. Some traveling merchants tell of bandits operating on the coast primarily raiding the Atlantean traders. They say their leader is an Outlander with a sword of fire. This sounds like Jagoda to me. Perhaps I will swallow my pride and journey north to apologize for my harsh words. How I yearn for the days of adventure with my companions or a Domino’s pizza and a frosted mug of Budweiser. Better yet, the warmth of Callistra in my bed or the heavenly light of Aaliyah’s smile.’

Callistra
closed the journal as she heard the approaching footfalls of her former lover as he climbed the stairs. He was right. It had been a long time since she enjoyed the warmth of a body next to her in the night. However, it wasn’t Kastle which she longed for. It was her husband back home. Feeling her blood quicken at the thought of sex an old saying came to mind; any port in a storm.

*   *   *   *   *

Back in Dallas, Kastle was known as Richard Langford, a mid-level accountant in a large legal firm. Twenty-six, single and overweight, he lived at home and took care of his elderly mother. His greatest release from the stresses of reality had been playing
Lost Lands
. In the game, he was a mighty cleric of Thor the Thunder God, healing the sick and punishing the unrighteous. When he was pulled into the game by Al Shaytan, it was like a dream come true. That was until he saw his friends fall in battle and the reality of their situation had set in. However, losing his chances with Aaliyah to Jagoda and watching Callistra succumb to the Chaos Spirit was almost more than he could bear. Turning aside from the path of the adventurer, Kastle found this old chapel in the small hamlet of Crooner’s Gap and began to administer to its residents. It was a good life. If not happy, he was at least content.