by Shawn Davis
Peter wrenched his sword free and turned toward his next opponent. His brutal actions brought him to the attention of another knight moving toward him with a heavy gray mace. The robot swung the mace at him, but he parried it with relative ease.
Rayne’s sword glanced from the knight’s mace, continuing toward its left elbow joint. His blade sheared the robot’s weapon arm cleanly off. Exhibiting the same determination as the rest of its tenacious kind, it continued its attack. Rayne easily knocked the creature’s remaining arm aside with his sword before slicing off its head.
The people in the embattled group, who were still standing, finally noticed the newcomer. Two women and one man stole sidelong glances at Rayne, while they continued to face off with the remaining knights.
Peter watched, impressed, as one of the women sliced off a knight’s sword arm in a shower of sparks. Realizing the robots were vulnerable at the joints, he went for the knees of another knight. He literally cut the robot’s legs out from under him, collapsing its metal carcass to the floor. The woman who had taken off the robot’s arm sliced another knight in two at the waist. The remaining man hacked off another robot’s arm at the shoulder.
Rayne realized the tide of battle had turned. He watched the other woman in the group decapitate a knight in sync with the man slicing off another one’s hand.
Glancing toward the towering silver throne on the raised platform, he was surprised to find it empty. Scanning downward, he saw the shadowy figure, formerly seated on the throne, descending the stairs. The malevolent figure wore a long, dark, flowing robe concealing its features. Glowing green eyes glittered in the shadows beneath a black cowl. The creature carried a long silver staff with a shimmering green jewel on the end.
When the figure reached the floor, it lifted its staff into the air and pointed at one of the tourists. A green lightning bolt shot out from the jewel and struck the female tourist, who had wreaked so much havoc on the robot knights. She dropped to the ground as if she had been hit by a double dose of nerve gel.
At that point, Rayne didn’t hesitate. Hobbling quickly toward the new attacker, he plunged his sword through the robed figure’s chest before it could turn its staff toward him. The figure shrieked deafeningly as the sword exited from between its shoulder blades. The creature seized the sword in its sharp talons and pulled it out of Rayne’s hand as it fell backwards onto the stairs.
Chapter 20
Dragon
As the black-robed figure hit the stairs, all sounds of combat ceased. Rayne turned toward the others and saw the remaining five robots frozen into immobile battle postures. The last two people standing turned toward him and gratefully nodded their heads. They were too out of breath to say anything.
Without speaking, Rayne limped over to the body of the fallen Wizard King and ripped his sword from its chest. Then, he had time to notice the throbbing pain in his ankle. Sitting on the stairs next to the incapacitated robot, Rayne rested his ankle as he caught his breath.
What’s wrong with this place? he wondered, leaning back on the stairs. These robots are out-of-control! Were they always like this or is it that new Artificial Intelligence programming?
Rayne watched two of the battle-weary tourists attend to their fallen comrades. A groggy-looking man and woman appeared to be coming back to consciousness. The survivors gave their fallen friends a hand and let them lean on their shoulders for support. Peter observed the survivors pointing in his direction and saying something unintelligible. When the injured tourists appeared steady on their feet, they turned toward the woman who had been struck by the wizard’s lightning bolt. They lifted her up and let her lean on their shoulders. The recovering woman pointed toward Peter and said something to the others.
Rayne didn’t move from his relaxed position. He was taking advantage of his first opportunity to rest in hours. He didn’t know how long it would be before he had to get up and resume battle with more psychotic robots.
“Who ARE you?” a beautiful brunette asked him as she leaned on a tall, black-haired man’s shoulders.
“I’m Peter. I got separated from my tour group.”
“We’re lucky you caught up with us when you did,” the woman said, admiringly.
“Those knights were getting the best of us,” the man added, scowling.
“They were pretty tough,” Rayne agreed, trying to sound casual in order to impress the attractive brunette.
“I’m Diane,” the brunette said. “This is Bruce and Stacey. Those two over there are Brad and Jennifer.”
“Nice to meet you,” Peter said, sitting up for a moment so he could shake hands.
“Do you have any ideas for our next plan of action?” Diane asked him.
“I don’t know. This is my first visit to this insane asylum,” Peter replied.
“I know what to do,” the tall man, Bruce, interjected. “We have to enter through the secret door behind the Wizard King’s throne. From there, we go through a maze until we find the Dragon’s Lair.”
“Dragon’s Lair?” Rayne asked. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
“I’m not. It’s the only way to end the game and get out of here,” Bruce said as he took a seat next to Peter on the stairs.
“Great. That’s just great. Let me guess. There’s a vicious robot dragon we have to fight,” Rayne muttered, leaning back and closing his eyes with frustration.
“Pretty much,” Bruce said, grinning at him.
“Terrific. That’s just terrific.”
“Look, guys. The sooner we get going, the sooner we can get out of here,” Diane said, impatiently, to the two men reclining on the stairs.
“Diane, we won’t be any good against that dragon if we’re all burned out,” Bruce argued, leaning further back.
“He’s got a point,” Stacey agreed, sitting on the stairs next to Bruce.
“This is getting ridiculous. You said there’s a secret door behind the throne?” Diane asked.
“All you have to do is push the stone wall behind the throne. It will lead you into a maze of tunnels that eventually reach the Dragon’s Lair,” Bruce said.
“You guys can sit around if you want to. I’m getting out of here,” Diane said, brushing past Peter’s shoulder as she ascended the stairs to the throne.
“Hey, Diane! You’ll have a better chance if you wait for us!” Bruce shouted.
They listened to her footsteps tread across the Wizard King’s platform and heard a creak as she pushed open the secret door. Silence followed.
“She’ll find out,” Bruce said, sighing. “I’ve faced that dragon before. He’ll take a few of us out before we can take him down. That’s just the way the game works.”
“It’s a hell of a game,” Rayne commented.
“You said it. Next time I go to Disneyworld,” Jennifer said, sighing as she collapsed onto the stairs next to Bruce.
“Me too,” Stacey agreed, walking up several steps and sitting above the rest of the group.
“Maybe we shouldn’t get too comfortable,” Rayne advised as he scanned the far side of the chamber.
“What are you talking about? We’re in the clear,” Bruce said.
“I’m not so sure about that,” Peter said, using his sword like a crutch to reach a standing position.
“Uh oh,” Stacey muttered, following Peter’s gaze.
A large cluster of glowing red eyes was moving toward them from the far side of the chamber.
“They’re ba-ack,” Bruce drawled.
“I hate those skeleton guys,” Jennifer said as she stood up, wearily.
“I think it’s time to go,” Stacey agreed.
“Hold on, guys,” Bruce said as he reached across the carcass of the fallen Wizard King and grabbed the jeweled staff. “We’ll need this to fight the dragon. Obtaining this weapon was the whole point of overcoming this obstacle.”
“There’s a point to all this?” Rayne asked, using his sword like a cane to move up the stairs to the throne platform.
>
Rayne glanced over his shoulder to see a mob of skeleton warriors – like the one he fought in the cave – swarming into the chamber through a doorway across from the doorway he had gone through earlier. He found the secret door on the far side of the platform and entered a dark corridor. Igniting his lighter, he heard the footsteps of the others following him into the blackness.
This just keeps getting better.
Rayne moved cautiously through the darkness, holding his lighter high in the air. He brushed his right shoulder against the wall and felt dampness soak into his ripped shirt. He could hear water dripping from the ceiling. Soon, he found himself slushing through puddles of water. The water reached his ankles, completely soaking his dress shoes.
Like I said before, this just keeps getting better.
Rayne heard the others slushing through puddles behind him. Whenever they reached an intersection, he took a right. He figured he must have been on the right track because the others kept following him. When they reached a dead-end, he turned the group around and backtracked to the closest intersection where they proceeded to take a left. They came to another intersection in the maze and took another right. As they moved steadily forward down the dark corridor, Peter thought he could see a dim, flickering orange light ahead.
“Hold up for a minute,” Bruce said to the group. “The Dragon’s Lair is straight ahead. Has anyone else been through Dark World before?”
“I have,” Jennifer replied, pulling out an ancient crossbow from a side holster.
Brad followed her lead and pulled out his crossbow. Stacey looked down at the sword in her side scabbard and frowned.
“I’m sticking with you,” Stacey said to Bruce, hugging her arm around his right shoulder.
“So you all know what to expect?” Bruce asked, ignoring her.
“Sure, a big, mean dragon. Why are we standing around talking?” Jennifer asked.
“Right. For those of you who haven’t been through this, the dragon is going to shoot flames over our heads,” Bruce explained.
“Real flames?” Peter asked, surprised.
“Yeah, real flames. You can duck if you want to, but the flames don’t shoot any lower than twenty feet off the ground and they can’t hurt you. They’re just used to intimidate.”
“It’s working,” Stacy said, “I’m intimidated.”
“The main thing you have to look out for is the dragon’s saliva. It’s loaded with nerve gel. If he spits at you, get out of the way. The stuff’s gonna knock you out,” Bruce said, hastily. “He can also hit you with his tail,” he added as an afterthought.
“Okay, sounds fun. Let’s get this over with,” Rayne muttered, gripping his sword tightly and moving toward the flickering orange light at the end of the hallway.
They entered a spacious, torch-lit cavern with massive stalactites and stalagmites jutting out from the ceiling and floor. Some of them were over eight feet long and looked like oversized needles. Several large pools of water lay spread across the cavern floor. Stalagmites jutted up from some of the pools like pointed islands. The torches were set at regular intervals in the walls, casting wavering shadows from the scattered stalagmites.
Rayne thought he could see something gleaming on the far side of the colossal chamber. His eyes squinted, but still couldn’t make it out.
As Rayne led the motley group through the cavern, he made out the bright gleam on the other side. It was an immense pile of gold. The area behind the treasure pile was lost in shadow. He guessed there might be another cave behind the gold mound. They dodged from stalagmite to stalagmite, using them as cover. Rayne assumed the unofficial leadership position, the others following his lead.
“Okay, here’s where we split up,” Rayne said, stopping behind a large boulder. “Bruce and Stacey, I need you to go to the other side of the cave and advance along the left flank. Use the boulders and stalagmites as cover. Brad and Jennifer, advance up the middle. I’ll take the right flank. Everybody got it?”
“Got it,” the group repeated as they moved to their assigned positions.
Rayne watched them jog toward the cover of the nearest stalagmite as he rounded the boulder and made his way forward. Nearing the far end of the cavern, the gleam from the treasure pile grew brighter. Two bright orange orbs glowed in the darkness behind the pile like pieces of burning coal. Rayne assumed these were the dragon’s eyes.
His assumption proved correct when the creature stepped out of the shadows. It set a massive clawed foot on the pile of gold and spread its vast wings. Peter guessed it was fifty feet tall with a wingspan of at least eighty feet.
As it stomped across the gold pile, its features became clearer. A wedge-shaped saurian head hovered on a long serpentine neck, jutting out from a muscular body resembling an oversized lion’s. The head resembled a Tyrannosaurus Rex with foot-long spikes traveling from the top of it all the way down its back to the end of its twenty-foot tail. The dragon’s scaly green hide glittered like impenetrable armor in the glow of the torchlights. It opened its cavernous jaws, exposing four rows of eight-inch, razor-sharp teeth.
Rayne shuddered involuntarily as a loud, echoing roar emanated throughout the cavern. The dragon’s red forked tongue darted out from behind rows of sharp teeth like a striking cobra. He had never seen anything so terrifying in his life.
The realism of this dragon is impeccable. If realism is the right term for a mythical creature. How are we going to take it out?
Rayne froze when he saw the dragon’s massive head swivel around and its coal-red eyes lock onto him. He realized he was mid-way between two towering stalagmites and had no cover. The dragon spread its massive wings, roared at him deafeningly, and stalked across the treasure pile toward him. Rayne sprinted toward the closest stalagmite twenty feet away and the dragon lunged to cut him off.
Suddenly, a brilliant green flash lit up the center of the cavern as a bolt shot out of the Wizard King’s magic staff. It struck the dragon in the left wing, causing it to turn toward its new attacker. Rayne didn’t stop running until he was behind the cover of the nearest pointed rock.
Peering around, he saw the dragon lumbering toward a large pool of water in the middle of the cavern. Another bright green flash blasted out from behind a tall stalagmite rising from the center of the large pool. He assumed Bruce was using the pointed island as cover to snipe at the dragon. It stopped dead in its tracks when it was struck in the neck. The dragon opened its cavernous jaws and roared like a monstrous lion. The echoing roar was deafening in the confines of the cavern and sent a chill down Rayne’s spine.
Thank you, Bruce.
Rayne looked down and saw an armored skeleton sprawled on the cavern floor, clutching a gold crossbow.
That will be a hell of a lot more effective than my sword.
Looking to his left, Rayne saw the dragon closing in on the large pool. He froze when he saw it shoot a line of fire over the lake like a flamethrower. The flames singed the top of the stalagmite Bruce was hiding behind. There was another green flash of light as Bruce took a shot at the approaching monster with the wizard’s staff. The creature halted momentarily as it was struck in the chest by an energy bolt. It roared and shot another line of flames over the tip of the pointed rock.
If that was me, I’d be panicking right about now.
Rayne picked up the skeleton’s crossbow, dropped his sword onto the cavern floor, and walked to the edge of the glittering treasure mound. He was startled when he almost tripped over a large object lying next to the pile. His eyes widened when he realized it was a human being. Bending over the body, he saw it was Diane. Her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping, but she had a troubled expression on her beautiful face.
“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, shaking her lightly by the shoulders.
She let out a low moan and opened her eyes slowly, as if she didn’t want to face whatever was out there.
“That you, Peter?” she asked, groggily.
“It’s me. What happened
to you?”
“What do you think happened to me?” she muttered, leaning on her elbows.
“All right, stupid question. Can you get up?” Peter asked.
“If you give me a hand,” she said.
Helping her up with his free hand, Rayne let her lean on his shoulder. When she was steady on her feet, they turned toward the fifty-foot monstrosity wading across the lake toward the pointed island Bruce was using as cover.
“We have to do something to help him,” Peter said.
“Help who?” Diane asked.
“Help Bruce. He’s hiding behind that rock island in the lake.”
“All right. Let’s go then,” Diane agreed.
They were struck speechless when the dragon opened its massive jaws and shot another long line of flames at the pointed island. Unlike before, the line of fire struck the center of the island and wrapped around it like a clutching hand.
“Hey, it’s not supposed to be able to do that!” Rayne exclaimed.
“What do you mean? It shot flames at me.”
“But that was over your head, right?”
“Sure, but it was still rather disconcerting.”
“It’s not supposed to be able to shoot fire lower than twenty feet. It’s a safety mechanism in its programming, so no one gets hurt,” Peter explained.
“It looks like it just altered its programming,” Diane said.
“It’s that new Artificial Intelligence! The robots are adapting to complex challenges by changing their tactics.”
“We better get over there and help them!” Diane exclaimed as she ran to the edge of the treasure mound.
She found an ancient crossbow on the edge of the gold pile. Picking it up, she jogged toward the dragon. Peter sighed and followed her as fast as he could on his injured ankle. He ignored the pounding pain and tried to concentrate on the task at hand.
