by Ramy Vance
Chine soared above the clouds as the rest of the riders started to take off. It is the binding. It is not a thing that can be put into words simply, but we are intertwined. Nothing will change that. I am here for you. You are here for me.
Fier and the rest of the cadets were now in the sky. Fier raised her hand and targets appeared in the air. She pointed at them and barked, “All right, everyone, get into groups of four. Take down your targets without using your dragon’s elemental powers. Got it?”
Jollies, Brath, and Gill made their way toward Alex without saying anything. The four of them sized up their targets and took off.
Jollies busted through the smaller targets, Amber firing her shoulder plasma cannons. Brath was right behind her, cleaning up the larger targets. One of the targets Brath hit split into two more targets and flew away from each other,
Gill went after the two new targets. Timber swiped the targets, his mech claws tearing through both of them.
Alex was at a loss as to what to do. All the targets in her vicinity had been destroyed.
Fier came up behind Alex, sneering. “Well, it seems like you four are far beyond target practice,” she said. “How about we try something a little bit more advanced?”
Fier waved her hand and the sky disappeared. It shimmered into darkness, a darkness Alex was familiar with. Guess it’s time for VR, Alex thought.
Chapter Nine
The blackness faded and opened up into the lush world of Middang3ard. Alex was still atop Chine, flying through the sky amidst clouds, but the clouds were different. When Alex looked down, she could see the villages and hamlets she had grown so accustomed to in Middang3ard.
Brath, Gill, and Jollies were still beside Alex. Gill was looking around as if he had been dropped into a reality he didn’t understand. “Where in the realms are we?” he asked.
Alex flew in front of her friends. “We’re in a VR simulation,” she explained. “Like the game I used to play. The game that brought me here. None of this is real. Well, not real in the sense that we can die or anything like that, but it’s real enough.”
Brath stared down at the world beneath him. “It almost looks like home. Almost.”
Alex’s heart broke for him, but before she could say anything, an icicle flew through the air, narrowly missing her head. If Chine hadn’t dodged at the last minute, it would have decapitated her. “We got incoming fire!” she shouted.
Whatever had thrown the icicle was obviously not in the air. That meant Alex needed to get to the ground as fast as possible. If their enemy could throw something that far, they must be extremely strong. “Come on,” she said as she leaned forward, directing Chine toward the ground.
Her dragon rocketed toward the ground. Alex blinked back tears from the speed. This was everything she loved, yet she knew it wasn’t real. Part of what she had loved about being a dragonrider was the game; this was just a reminder.
Chine and the rest of the dragons landed, throwing up dust and dirt all around them.
The four dragonrider cadets and their dragons were in front of a mountain covered in ice. Its summit was not visible, extending far into the clouds.
At the base of the mountain were twenty frost giants. They were at least ten feet tall, their lanky arms nearly scraping the ground. Ice hung from their fur, and icicles clung to their beards.
Alex leaned forward, spurring Chine onward. Chine shot a jet of ether fire at the frost giants.
The largest frost giant stepped forward and waved his hand, dispelling the fire.
Alex turned to the rest of her party and shouted, “It’s rigged against us! We can’t use dragon attacks!”
Brath shrugged as he pulled Furi back, trying to rein him in. “What do you mean, we can’t use dragon attacks?” he asked. “Or that it’s rigged against us?”
“This isn’t real life. There are certain rules that whoever made this is forcing us to play by, and one of them is obviously that dragon attacks can’t do anything. Gill and Jollies, get behind the giants. Brath, me and you are going to hit them head-on.”
No one asked questions. In a moment of precise coordination that frankly surprised and awed Alex, Gill and Jollies swooped behind the frost giants. Brath guided Furi over to Alex. “We have to use our weapons, just like the target practice we were doing. Come on, let’s do this!”
Alex leaned forward, and Chine charged toward the frost giants.
One of the frost giants reached down and pulled up a piece of earth. The dirt instantly froze over, and the giant threw it at Chine.
Chine shot a jet of ether fire that burned through the ice. At least the fire works for that crap, Alex thought as Brath and Furi flew past her.
Brath fired two plasma shots. One of them hit a frost giant in the chest, vaporizing it.
Gill and Jollies were in position behind the frost giants. They both started to fire their plasma cannons.
The frost giants turned around, stunned that they were being attacked from the rear. As the confused giants tried to make sense of what was happening, Alex zeroed in on the largest and fired a volley of plasma at him.
The plasma connected with the giant and burned through his torso, instantly eviscerating him.
Jollies and Gill were firing their dragons’ plasma cannons as fast as they could.
Gill leaned back, pulled up his visor, and scanned his options. He found one that worked for him and Timber and grinned as he let off a volley of missiles.
The missiles hit the center of the circle of frost giants, sending a couple of them tumbling.
As the frost giants caught up in the explosion soared through the air, Jollies swooped by using Amber’s extreme speed. Lightning crackled off both of them and they shot plasma bolts, taking care of whatever giants survived Gill’s initial blast.
Brath and Alex charged toward the remaining giants. “This is over!” Alex shouted as Chine reared up on his hind legs and shot a jet of celebratory fire.
Chine chomped down on one of the frost giants, ripping it in two. “This is a battle!” He chuckled.
Gill and Jollies cut through the back end of the frost giants, their missiles and plasma cannons shearing through the icy hides of the giants. Alex and Brath took care of the remaining giants in the front of the horde. Once the smoke had settled, only the dragonriders remained.
The world broke apart for a second and the bodies of the frost giants shimmered out of existence.
Suddenly, Alex and the rest of them were back in the Wasp’s Nest.
Fier walked up to the four cadets, smiling and shaking her head. “I don’t know why I didn’t assume you four would be the first to get through this,” she said. “Wasn’t expecting it to be in record time, though.”
Alex smiled as she looked at Brath, Jollies, and Gill. “Yeah, well, that’s how you take care of a threat.” She laughed. “At least in VR. Makes it a little easier when I know I’m not going to get killed.”
“And I see, no pun intended, that you didn’t need to bring along your seeing-eye Beholder.”
Alex hadn’t even realized she hadn’t brought Manny along for the ride. The thought hadn’t crossed her mind. She had been looking through her own eyes the entire time. “Yeah, I guess I didn’t have to,” Alex muttered.
“Oh, don’t go on being modest. We don’t have time for that crap. We need heroes. Looks like you four might be right for the job.”
Chapter Ten
Alex woke up around the same time as Jollies and they both changed into their new red uniforms. Today was the day. It had come faster than Alex had assumed it would, but it was here. She was going to graduate from being a cadet to being a dragonrider.
When Jollies and Alex stepped out of their room, Gill and Brath were waiting in the hall for them. The four of them walked to the Great Hall, turned a corner to the left, and headed toward Myrddin’s office.
Myrddin was waiting for them, sipping a cup of tea as he leaned back in his chair. Fier and Roy were with him. Roy stood in the
corner as if he hoped to be hidden by the shadows. Fier, on the other hand, sat on top of Myrddin’s desk.
There were no seats, so Alex and the rest stood at attention. She didn’t know if it was appropriate since she had never been instructed to stand in such a way, but she’d read enough books to feel like it was the best decision.
Myrddin stood up, his face grave, as usual. “You all probably read the message I sent you by now,” Myrddin said. “I don’t see the point in repeating it. That being said, I am immensely proud of you four. Immensely. But we do not have time for congratulations.”
The room started to contort, the crystal walls moving out and making room for more. Myrddin’s office opened into a larger room, one as vast as the Great Hall.
Scientists zoomed by on hoverboards, checking on different computer terminals and monitors.
The monitors showed different realms. There were dozens of them, teams of scientists poring over what they were watching.
In addition to the monitors displaying the realms, there were also scrying stations. At least ten dedicated wizards stood over large bowls of water. Alex assumed they were trying to figure out what was in store for Middang3ard.
Myrddin started walking through the room, and Alex and the rest of the newly appointed dragonriders followed. “You all know we are at war,” Myrddin stated. “And you four are moving to the forefront of it.”
“You are the Dragonriders Boundless, second only to our first and foremost squad, which you will be backing up. Roy is in charge of that squad, the mech dragons—his idea, not mine. You will be accompanying him and his squad on their next mission.”
Alex was still trying to take in everything that was happening around her. She almost didn’t hear Myrddin’s words. She and Gill and Brath and Jollies were part of a squad now? She had just arrived at the Wasp’s Nest a few days ago.
Myrddin continued walking, and the Boundless followed him.
A staircase appeared in front of Myrddin, and he ascended it and stepped onto a platform. Manny was there, floating in front of a dozen monitors. One of his tentacled eyes flipped over and looked at the Boundless team. “We’ve come full circle, haven’t we?” he joked.
Alex looked at the monitors. Each of them showed a different realm.
Myrddin stood next to Manny and straightened his tie. “Your mission is to accompany Roy and his Mech riders as they transport minerals and other resources to Middang3ard. These minerals will be used for weapons. It is of the utmost importance that this delivery arrives on time. I am trusting you all with this task.”
The Boundless squad looked at each other. Alex was the one to speak. “You want us to do this?” she asked.
Myrddin smiled. “Yes, I do. I trust you all,” he said as he turned his back to her. “And I believe I have a worthwhile addition for you.”
Myrddin waved his hand, and the monitors disappeared. In their place was a floating platform.
It was Jim, her former partner in Middang3ard VR, waving and smiling like a dork. He was outfitted in the armor of the dragonriders. “Hey, guys,” he exclaimed before turning to Alex and saying, “Long time no see!”
Author Notes Ramy Vance
January 30, 2020
I started writing rather late in life, and in that time and I had failed a lot. Failed businesses, relationships … but failing at failing?
Seriously, what kind of loser am I?
You see, before I started taking my writing seriously, I thought it would be cool to do a blog about failing. I figured that that only way to really learn is to fail. And not just fail – fail fast and often.
I learned a lot about myself in all the things I tried and did not succeed at. More than I care to share. So I started this website/blog called: Who Fails Wins. Check it out here. The video is pretty cool.
The goal was to get 100 stories about failure. If I got it, I’d start the blog.
I got 34. And most of the stories weren’t really fail stories, but rather stories about sort of failing. Things like: I failed my French test, studied real hard, tried again and passed.
Not really a fail story.
But a few people took it seriously, and since this failed endeavour deserves to be shared, I thought I’d share the top three stories. The first one is from me.
I held back the name of the other two, but know that all three stories are real – and from people who felt real pain for something that they carried/will carry with them for their whole lives.
Sorry to be such a downer on this one, but as someone who knows that stories heal, maybe stories about failure will have their strange, healing benefits, too.
My Story – Never Said It Out Loud:
I quit my job to take care of my dying father. It took nine months for the cancer to take him and in all that time, in all those hospital visits, all the hanging out we did watching old movies or chatting, I never once told him that I loved him. I thought about it, but for reasons I don’t quite understand, I just never did. He probably knew, but I still wish had said it out loud. Even if only once.
Fail Story 2 – Never Letting Go:
I am 89 years old and have two children who are almost senior citizens themselves. My failure is never letting go of the pain of the loss of what would have been my second child. He was a still born that I named Michael and he is buried in my Church cemetery. When I go, I have asked my daughter to spread my ashes on the grave of a child that I never heard cry.
Fail Story 3 – Nagging Dreams:
Since I was 12 I’ve wanted to be an artist. I studied art and got my degree. I had to decide if I had the courage to be a full-time artist depending on sales. I opted for the path of least resistance, teaching. I never gave up my art or my dream of being a renowned artist which I never achieved. Failure? I now have an adequate pension for retirement. I had a family life and raised a son. I still do my art and I participate in group and solo shows. BUT my elusive dream still nags me.
Author Notes Michael Anderle
February 1, 2020
Seriously Ramy? Failure? Damn you, man!
Thank you for reading our words, but I JUST read Ramy’s Author Notes. I usually go along with the theme of my collaborator’s Author Notes to keep us whole, but then he went and chose to write about failing.
Which was my business life to a degree before I failed to fail.
They say a person who succeeds is often enough not the best, but the one stubborn asshat who just never understood the concept of quitting. When the dust settled, he or she was the one there picking up their pick and slamming it into the mountain again, going after the dream.
That is me.
I was not a storyteller from a young age, crafting stories on notebooks through my teen years and receiving dozens of rejections (hundreds or thousands.) Nope. I quit. I failed.
I ran with my torn heart, ripped to pieces by well-considered opinions not willing to see the gems of encouragement on my…well, actually on me.
I tried ONE time to send in a story to my high school literary magazine and was rejected. I enjoyed that so much I stole my manuscript out of the slush pile, hid it in my backpack, and never submitting anything again until thirty-two years later.
And that submission was to Amazon.
Ad Aeternitatem, baby!
Diary: Sunday Jan 26th – Saturday Feb 1st
First, the fun part. WOOT, Goth Drow! It’s a new series I’m happy about, and it will be coming to you in early March as one of our LMBPN Large Releases of about 180k words.
Like Witch of the Federation or The Steel Dragon size.
This week, I spoke with ALLI (Alliance of Independent Authors) on a recorded video call for their symposium on selling foreign rights (with others, including Judith Anderle, our CMO for the company, who honestly spoke the most for LMBPN since it’s her area of expertise.)
I finished a book titled In Cold Type by Leonard Shatzkin, written in 1983. The book helped open my eyes to the issues in the bookselling business. I hope to fi
gure out a way and implement a solution for selling paperbacks (which is about .02% of our income, if that much.)
I greenlit (well, maybe only in my mind) Cryptid Assassin 05… but don’t have a clue on where I want the story to go yet.
(I might want to get on that.)
Before I do that, I have two story beats to review and approve and Opus 5 editing to finish.
I’ve been ill for the last forty-eight hours and had to learn to respect my body once again. It has probably been twelve months or longer that I have gone without any serious sick downtime. There is nothing like experience to foster sympathy through empathy, at least for me.
There is going to be a big author signing/fan get together or something going on the Friday after the 20Booksto50k Event here in Las Vegas in November (the show runs Tuesday to Thursday 10th-12th). Yes, yes, I know that is Friday the 13th ;-). I didn’t set the date—ask Martelle about that one! The event will be held at Sam’s Town Casino and Hotel (about twenty minutes east of the Strip driving straight over.)
For those who know, I’m doing a weight loss “thing” with my older brother. My goal was to be under 220 by Feb 1st. I weighed in at 218.8.
Go, Team! (I imagine being sick and unable to eat much helped, but what the hell. I’m keeping that W on my side.) I need to finish on June 30th at UNDER 202.0 lbs. If it looks like I might miss it, you may see Anderle doing all sorts of crazy stuff to drop weight.
I’m going to wrap up this diary post since I’m about two days past due on a lot of work. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll chat with you in the next… OH OH!
New Universe coming 2020! (Well, uh, that’s not even a big deal anymore—it’s LMBPN. OF COURSE, THERE IS A NEW UNIVERSE COMING!)
