by Rick Scott
Something comes flying at me out of the darkness, crashing into an invisible barrier made of hexagons. My heart leaps into my throat as I cry out and jump back from it. Then I see that it’s a person. She’s small and blond and looks familiar. Her blue eyes are wild with panic as she slams her fists against the barrier.
“Help me!” she cries hysterically. “Please help me!”
What the…?
And then I recognize her. It’s my brother’s teammate from in the Shards. The little girl with the huge sword; Amanda or something. But she died. She died in the Wild to those dogs according to my brother. My God, is this what death is really like?
“Let me in!” she wails, tears flowing from her eyes. “Let me in!”
I shake my head helplessly as I press against the barrier. “I… I don’t know how!”
The blackness erupts with a red orange glow as an ear shattering wail fills the air. In the darkness the silhouette of a giant emerges, its throat made of fire, its face a stark white skull. The light gives form to the alien world that surrounds me. It’s not crystal here, but blackened volcanic shale that stretches to the horizon. Above me the darkened sky is aglow with the crescent sickles of two moons, one larger than the other.
Where the heck am I?
More wails erupt as all around me the fiery mouths of the giants emerge. There must be hundreds of them! The girl Amanda beats on the wall faster. “Please! Please! Don’t let them eat me again!”
Something snatches her up from in front of me, scooping her into the air. Her screams become shrill cries as she’s delivered into the mouth of one of the giants. Then I hear her no more, her death cries drowned out by the mind scrambling wails of the monsters.
They crash into the wall next, causing me the jump backwards and I slam into a wall behind me. I’m in a cylinder or tube of some kind. They crash into it again and again and it begins to shake and weaken with crackles and sparks. My mind is beside itself. What kind of fate was this?
My mother, Citadel, everything I was fighting for evaporates in the pure horror of this existence. This nightmare realm. I want out.
I want out!
My feet leave the ground as I’m sucked upward at tremendous speed, leaving the giant monsters and their nightmare world shrinking below me. I fly higher and see that I was wrong. There were not hundreds of them. There were thousands. Millions maybe. Miles upon miles of blacked earth covered by them like a roiling volcanic sea. They shrink to fit the size of a continent, an enormous land mass surrounded by dark oceans. As I rise higher I see the curvature of a planet, dark and lifeless, adorned by two moons in a vast sea of stars.
It all flashes away from me as I enter the tunnel of spinning colors again, rising instead of falling.
I cry out in pain as a bright white light engulfs me.
My eyes shoot open and I feel myself rising into the air. I suck in air with a gasp and pant like I’ve been holding my breath. My feet touch the ground and my head begins to clear, the pain subsiding. I’m in a hut of some kind with a thatched roof and walls. Across from me I see Aiko, breathing heavily, bent over with her hands on her knees and drenched in sweat. Next to her is another elven woman, but much older, with silvered hair and faded gray robes.
I’m alive…
“Thank the Shards!” Aiko says winded and runs in to crush me in an embrace. “I thought I was going to lose you there.”
I don’t know which I’m more stupefied by: the survival of my near-death experience or receiving a hug from Aiko. I return the embrace, which I realize for her is more an expression of relief, but it’s warm and comforting all the same, and exactly what I need after what I just experienced.
“What happened to me?” I ask once I regain my composure a bit.
“Your companion carried you a very long distance to bring you to me,” the older elf woman says. “You are very fortunate to be alive.”
I look up at Aiko with newfound awe and appreciation. “You carried me?”
She lets out a little laugh. “Trust me it was a workout. You’re heavier than you look. I didn’t know if I was going to make it. Your timer had nearly run out. Three minutes to spare.”
Holy crap. For me it felt like just a few seconds. But here it had been close to an hour? My heart swells with gratitude and elation as I hug her again. “Thank you, Aiko… Thank you so much!” My eyes well as I think about that nightmare place and that poor girl stuck down there and how close I came to being trapped there as well. “You don’t know what you just saved me from.”
She nods and looks down at me, knowingly. “Hey, I’ve been there. Remember?”
That she has. Twice. But did she see what I saw? It would explain her panic attacks if she did. But now wasn’t the time to ask. “Where are we?”
“This is Elnor Village,” the old elf woman says. “I am Lyndria the village elder.”
“I’m Reece,” I say. “And thank you too.” I take hers hands into mine and give her as polite and heartfelt a handshake as I can manage. “Without you I would have been a goner. Thank you for raising me.”
She smiles graciously. “It was the least I could do. You removed a great evil from our lands. The Witch Spider was growing stronger and its territory was invading our forests.”
You gain +100 Favor with Elnor Village!
Favor level in Elnor Village increases to Level 1
[Town administration is now available.]
Oh, geez not again…
“If you’d like to stay a while and help us restore it, we’d be most grateful.”
Do you wish to claim Elnor Village? (Y/N)
Running one village is hard enough. And after what I just witnessed I’m not sure what to make of everything now. If that truly was death, then it’s not what we think it is.
It’s something much, much worse.
I need time to think it all through and I can’t do that with more distractions. “Um… as much as I’d love to, we have a task we need to fulfill to the north.”
It’s the truth, but even that I’m weary of now. How did that fit in with what I just saw?
“That’s understood,” Lyndria says with a nod. “At least rest a while before you journey on. I’m sure your friend might need it.”
“You can say that again…” Aiko lets out a laugh. “Come on, Reece. Let’s go grab a beer.”
I’m sure it’s just a figure of speech. Elves don’t sound right chugging beers, after all.
But right now.
I think I could really use one.
* * *
Bruce Peters stared at the vitals display on the Stasis pod in disbelief. The brainwave activity was now undulating with a slow but steady sine wave. How this was possible he didn’t know. And frankly he didn’t care.
The boy was alive.
Thank God…he was still alive!
“Guess you can cancel that house call,” Dennis said wryly next to him with a stupid smirk on his face. Was that another dig? The software engineer probably figured he was more relieved at not having to face the boy’s mother, rather than elated that the boy was simply alive, in and of itself.
It irked him, because he was partly right. Since when did he become such a terrible human being? “No…” Bruce said. “I’m still going.”
Perhaps not today…but he would. Soon.
Dennis creased his brow. “And tell her what? Nothing happened. It was probably just a sensor glitch.”
“A glitch? You’ve seen something like this happen before?”
Dennis stiffened, like he’d just said something he wasn’t supposed to, but as quick as it come it left and he shrugged nonchalantly. “Not usually for that long a period, but…yes, it happens. From time to time.”
If there was one system Bruce didn’t know well, it was the internal workings of the Shards. For that he had to rely solely on Dennis and at times Bruce wasn’t sure if the software engineer was always giving him the full story or not. Dennis was competent and experienced. He’d even trave
lled to the surface in his younger years, something Bruce would never dream to do. But still, Bruce wondered just how many other ‘glitches’ Dennis was aware about, that he wasn’t. And what they truly might be. “Set an automated alarm on each of them. I want to be notified the second it happens again.”
“Will do,” Dennis said. “But let’s hope it doesn’t, eh?”
Dennis ended his statement with a Cheshire grin and Bruce wasn’t quite sure how to take it. Maybe this was all some kind of game to him. He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped himself. No, Dennis wasn’t acting out of sorts. He was acting how he normally did. It was Bruce who had changed. He cared now, whereas before, the excursions were simply statistics and performance measures.
And maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.
Maybe he’d go and visit Ryan’s mother sooner than later too.
“That’s right,” Bruce said. “Let’s pray it doesn’t happen again.”
Chapter 32: Rest and Reconciliation
The cool breeze that blows across the tavern veranda feels as refreshing as the mug of honey sweetened lemonade in my hand. It’s not a beer, but it’ll do; especially since I probably wouldn’t like the taste of beer anyhow. Across the table from me, Aiko has no such qualms about alcohol and is already sipping on her second glass of chilled elven wine. Its mid-afternoon and we seem to have the tavern porch mostly to ourselves. It’s a small establishment, with a kitchen and dining hall inside and a few tables and chairs set up under a wooden awning out front.
I almost can’t believe I’m in a place like this considering where I was just a few moments ago. If that place was hell then Elnor is most definitely a slice of heaven. It’s as if the forest and village have combined as one, with huge redwoods growing in and around the buildings that make up the town. The architecture is like nothing I’ve ever seen before; made of finely crafted wood frames and plastered stone walls, but instead of thatched roofs, they have gardens and vines growing right on top of their homes. It’s an amazing sight that blends effortlessly with the tall trees. A true Garden of Eden.
The people here are equally exotic to me. Most if not all of them are elves and while they smile at me, they’re not exactly friendly. They stare at me mostly and I’m not sure if their gawking is due to my race or the fact that I’m a Shard Warrior or just a stranger in general. Aiko seems to get plenty of stares too, but for totally different reasons. Compared to the other elven women I see, Aiko is a veritable supermodel and the attention she attracts from the male elves is almost laughable. One of her would be admirers makes the extra effort to greet her with a big smile and some phrases in elven.
I’m not sure what he says, but Aiko returns the greetings and then adds some elven of her own. The guy flushes bright red and then runs off looking embarrassed. Aiko lets out a cackle.
What the heck?
“What did you say to him?” I ask.
Aiko grins. “Your ears are probably too young to hear.”
“Huh?”
She laughs again, but I get the feeling she’s probably right.
“How are you feeling by the way?” she asks taking a sip of wine.
“Me?” I shrug and mimic her, taking a sip of my lemonade. “I should be asking you that question. I’m not the one who just ran a marathon with a ninja on her back.”
She chuckles. “I’ll survive.” Then her look becomes more serious and I see genuine concern in her eyes. “But seriously. Are you okay? I know what you went through wasn’t pleasant. I know it wasn’t for me.”
I appreciate her candor and wonder just how much she recalls from her own near-death experience. Did she see those monsters too? I suppose now is as good a time as any to talk about it. “Aiko…when it happened to you, did you…see anything?”
Her violet eyes squint in question. “What do you mean?”
“Like… did you find yourself in some other place?”
She shakes her head. “It was more like what I felt than what I saw. Like a void. Darkness. An emptiness. It was terrifying.”
I nod and feel those same feeling creeping back as I recall them. “Do you remember seeing anything else though? Like a tunnel of flashing lights?”
Her eyes shift to me and then light up with recollection. “Actually yes. Briefly. I think just before I came back. It all happened so fast. But I wasn’t down and out for as long as you were. Why? Did you see something else?”
I pause a moment and contemplate if I should reveal it or not. Sort of like when I saw those same monsters down in the crystal cavern. But this was way worse than that. Maybe it’s the fact that Aiko just saved my life, or that we’ve both shared the same near-death experience, but for some reason I feel I can tell her. Even more so than Val Helena or even my brother.
“I was someplace else,” I say. “Where we go when we die here, I think. I saw this girl that was with my brother earlier. I think you fought her too, in the PVP arena. A small blond girl with a huge sword. She died just after we all got to the surface and—”
“Wait…hold on.” Her sculpted brows bunch together. “Your brother?”
Oh snap. “Sorry, I forgot you haven’t really met him yet. Well not as my brother anyway. My brother is Maxis.”
“Maxis? The PVP king?”
I chuckle at the stupid title. “Yeah.”
She’s goes quiet for a second and then gives a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess can see it now. No offense but that guy really gets on my nerves.”
I shrug and grin. “Yeah, mine too sometimes.”
“Plus he’s a real pain to fight.” Aiko sips some more wine. “Anyway sorry, you said someone else died?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Let me start from the beginning.”
I tell Aiko the whole story as far back as when we arrived. I fill her in about who Maxis is, our mom and why he’s here. I tell her about Citadel dying and that if we don’t find it and supply it with fresh nano that within six months we’re all going to die. Aiko was present when we were discussing the same with Braxus, but whatever spell was on her made her memory fuzzy so she couldn’t recall any of the details. Then I move on to what I saw in the mines and finally the horrible mirror images I saw just now while on death’s door. By the time I’m finished, over an hour has passed and the sun is growing weak on the horizon.
“So…” I say. “What do you think?”
Aiko pours herself another glass of wine. She sips it slowly before she answers. “Honestly, I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that before. The stuff with Citadel is crazy too. I had no idea we were all living so close to the edge.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
“I’m sorry about your mother too.”
That one makes my heart ache a little. She’s still the main reason I’m even here and doing any of this, but I can’t even communicate with her now. I hope she’s okay. “I honestly want to get home to my Mom as soon as possible. Make sure she’s all right. But I made my promise to Val and to you too now, I guess. To save your sister.”
Aiko lets out a bemused chuckle. “It sounds so weird to hear you say that. But thank you, Reece. For coming here. And for doing what you’re doing. To tell you the truth, I’m not sure my sister would even want to see me.”
I raise an eyebrow. “Seriously? Val did mention that you guys didn’t get along so well, but is it that bad?”
She laughs again, more to herself than to me. “We tolerate each other well. It was Val who was always the referee and peacemaker between us. But I do love her.” Her eyes glisten as she pauses. “Part of me doesn’t want to go inside that maze. Because I’m afraid of what I might find when I get there.”
I recall Val’s mentioning that Becky could have become a Shard Wraith already and I can only imaging the dread both she and Aiko must be feeling now. “I have faith she’s going to be alright, Aiko. Val said time moved slower in there. Maybe it’s only been a couple of days since Val left her.”
Aiko nods. “Maybe….”
A lull settles between us and I can tell Aiko’s thoughts are already someplace else. There’s so much to do, but I need to stay on track. Focus on one goal at a time. And that means getting to the Vale of Sorrows as soon as possible.
“We’ll save her,” I say. “I know we will. Your sister is top priority right now. Maybe we should get back on the road.”
Aiko raises the nearly empty bottle of wine. “I dunno about that kiddo. It’s been a hard day. Let’s rest up here and make a fresh go at it in the morning.”
As much as I want to get back to Gilly and the others, my body is agreeing with Aiko completely. It’s been well over three days since I’ve had a good rest and a proper bed sounds like a luxury we shouldn’t pass up. “Ok sounds like a plan. This place probably has rooms for the night. Let’s order some food and crash.”
We do just that and dine on roasted pheasants until the stars come out. More townspeople come as well. Some even approach us and thank us for killing the Witch Spider. By the time Aiko polishes off her second bottle of wine, we’re ready to head in for the night. We check with the tavern keeper and pay for two rooms and then clamber upstairs.
“Hey,” Aiko says with a bit of a slur as she fumbles with the key to her door. “I need to give you something.”
She turns to me and initiates a trade.
Aiko wishes to trade with you.
Aiko offers you:
A Witch Spider’s Ring
+30 INT 50% reduction to spellcasting and recast times
Cursed: Strong poison effect
A small ring containing the soul of a Witch Spider. While imbuing the wearer with its powers it also ails them with its venom.
My eyes go wide. “Whoa…you’re giving this to me?”
She shrugs. “You nearly died for it. You might as well claim it.”
“I…I don’t know what to say. Are you sure?”
Aiko looks at me for a long time, without speaking. And then she says, “You asked me once, why I finally decided to come here after trying to stop you and Val from doing the same.”
