by Jim Moens
“No trap, sir,” the dwarf replied. “No trap at all. No sir.”
“Don’t be so negative, Doug,” Megan said as she relaxed her grip on her katana. “I think we’re okay. You said these guys were harmless.”
“No trap,” the dwarf said as he raised his hands defensively. “Friends.”
“Fine,” Doug sighed. “So where’s this so-called ‘Princess’ of yours?”
“Behind you,” came an oddly distorted voice.
Doug turned to see a figure standing deep in the shadows. He couldn’t make out much in the way of detail, but the contours seemed familiar somehow. Small red and blue lights blinked from the figure’s wrist.
“Princess,” the dwarf said, as he took Doug by the hand and pulled him forward. “Come meet the Princess.”
Doug took a few halting steps forward. Then he realized--
“That’s an Alliance Mark VII Exo-Suit,” he said. “Right?”
“Indeed,” the figure replied.
“I played some Galactic Crusade back in the day.”
“You should really try it again, Doug. The last upgrade was amazing. A Y’rin K’shinti Marauder looks freaking awesome in HD.”
The figure touched a button on the suit’s wrist pad. The helmet slid back into the rest of the suit, revealing Laurel’s face.
“I was worried about you,” Doug said. “I checked the game, I checked chat…”
“I was here,” Laurel said. “I broke away from that guy and somehow ended up in the hangar bay of a Class IV Star Cruiser. I got the suit on and the medical matrix started to heal me. Not long after, I was back here.”
Megan looked up. “Sounds kind of familiar,” she said.
Laurel looked Megan up and down. “This is her?” she said. “She’s beautiful.”
“This is Megan,” Doug said. “My sister.”
“Your...” Laurel stammered for a moment. “Your what?”
Megan’s death had come up more than once in the endless chats with Laurel. She often stated that she wished that she and Megan could have been friends.
“My sister,” Doug said quietly. “I don’t understand it either. And neither does she.”
Megan offered a wave. “Hiya,” she said.
Laurel, still processing, nodded back.
“What the hell is going on, Doug?” Laurel said as she stepped forward.
“ ‘That guy’... his name is Damon, by the way... apparently he wants to kill me. Not actually sure why.”
Laurel was face-to-face with Doug. “That’s sort of less explanation than I was hoping for.”
“I’m sorry. That’s all I have so far. All I do know is that I want to rescue my son and my… my friends. The Slavers have them.”
“Oh. Well, shit.” A pause. “So now what?”
“We wait,” Doug said. “We wait until dawn.”
Megan made a wide swing with her sword then cut downward. She spun on her heels and parried an imaginary opponent, then stepped back and made a high cut.
Doug recognized the form, but couldn’t name it. His sword training was not that far along.
“Hey, mouse,” he said as he approached.
Megan quickly snapped out of her reverie.
“Hey Dougie,” she said. “Want to spar?” She nodded in the direction of her second sword, leaning against the wall.
“Promise not to cut my head off?”
Megan smiled. “No such promise from me,” she said. “You’ll have to take your chances.”
Doug stepped over and gingerly gripped the katana by its hilt.
“It’s not made of glass,” Megan said. “Treat it like a weapon.”
Doug held the sword up, slid one foot back, and turned slightly so that he was in the ready position.
“Better,” Megan said. She slowly swung towards Doug’s midsection, a blow that he handily blocked.
“And I’m not made of glass,” he said. “Treat me like an opponent.”
Megan raised her sword and swung straight down. Doug blocked, then started to circle around behind Megan. She wasn’t having it. She thrust her sword straight out, blocking Doug’s path.
“So I take it that Laurel is not your girlfriend,” Megan said.
“No.” Doug blocked a low strike from Megan, sidestepped and returned the favor. “Laurel lives in Oregon, so dating would be kind of tough.”
Megan blocked Doug’s strike and stepped back. “Tell me about her. Tell me about your girlfriend.”
Doug feigned a lunge. Megan shook her head and they both grinned.
“She’s beautiful,” Doug said. “And I mean really beautiful.”
Megan came at him with a rapid fire combo. Doug blocked one strike and circled away from the next.
“And she’s smart,” Doug said as he blocked the third blow. “She’s Frankie’s school librarian, actually.”
Doug went for an overhead cut, which Megan easily blocked. “She’s kind.”
They both stepped back and assumed the ready position.
“And she’s the most positive person I’ve ever met.” Doug lowered his sword. “Except for you, of course.”
Megan relaxed her ready stance. “I want to meet my niece,” she said.
“You will,” Doug replied. “I promise you that.”
Megan sighed and lowered her sword. “I never got my black belt, Dougie.”
Doug opened his mouth to speak and Megan held up a hand. “Almost but not quite doesn’t cut it,” she said. “I was ready for that test. I would have crushed it.”
“But you did,” Doug replied. “You did get the belt.”
Megan looked at Doug curiously. Doug struggled to speak. The words were slow to come.
“Sensei brought it to us. He said you earned it. You were buried with it.”
Megan put her hand to her mouth and did something Doug had seen only twice before. She started to cry. Doug put the sword back where he found it, leaning against a stone stable wall. He went to his sister and embraced her tightly.
Megan somehow managed to speak through her sobs. “I missed… I missed out on your whole life, Doug. Your whole damn life.”
“Megan--”
“I’m an aunt. I have a niece I’ve never even seen!”
“Megan… you’re going to meet her. You will.”
Megan wiped her eyes and nodded.
“I missed out too, you know,” Doug said as he gave Megan’s shoulder a squeeze. “You always pushed me to be better. Always.” A pause. “Apparently I need that in my life.”
“Dougie, don’t put that on me. All I ever did was remind you who you are.”
Megan felt a tug on her leg. She looked down to see the dwarf.
“We have a giant.”
“You told me that,” Megan replied. She chuckled a bit as she wiped a tear away.
“Can we see this... giant of yours?” Doug said, skeptical.
“Yes you can,” came a voice.
Doug and Megan turned as one. It was Laurel.
“Down below,” Laurel said. “Follow me.”
They followed Laurel deep into the aqueduct system, into the catacombs far below the city. They reached a large chamber that, given the number of tunnels that emptied water into it, was likely the nexus of the entire system.
“Check this out,” Laurel said as she tapped out a few buttons on her suit’s wrist pad.
The surface of the water began to bubble. Something began to emerge from the water. A giant rose. It was an XT9 Mechanized Combat Vehicle. It stood nearly twenty feet high and fairly well bristled with weapons. There were laser turrets on each shoulder, tremor torpedo launchers at waist level, and plasma cannons around each wrist. Doug could see a human-sized cockpit where the XT9's head might be.
Megan’s jaw dropped. “Doug… that’s a Transformer.”
Laurel laughed. “I wish it was a Transformer. Unfortunately, this baby doesn’t turn into a Camaro.” Laurel pressed another button. The XT9 suddenly stiffened its posture. It effecti
vely stood at attention, as if it was an infantryman under review.
“It’s designed for one thing and one thing only,” she said. “Surface combat on alien worlds.”
“I’ve never seen this one,” Doug said, his voice quiet with awe.
“It came with the upgrade,” Laurel replied. “I got in it when I was on the starcruiser, and suddenly I was here, submerged in water. So we have it. I thought it might just come in handy for us.”
“You think?” Doug said, looking the XT9 up and down. “That is beyond badass.”
“I’ll help you get your daughter and your friends back,” Laurel said.
“Okay.” Megan drew in a deep breath. “So now we need a plan, right?”
“We do,” Doug said. “But what worries me are a lot of unknowns. How do we prepare for magic and creatures, and… hell, I don’t know what we might run into.”
“This is a game, right?” Megan said.
Doug nodded at Megan.
“Don’t you ever plan what you’ll do in the game?”
“She’s right, Doug,” Laurel said. “Didn’t you ever plan a raid with your guild?”
Doug couldn’t disagree. He remembered participating in a raiding party to steal an enchanted jewel from a dark sorcerer. The raid was planned down to the finest detail… who would be where, when they would be there, and what each member of the squad would do. Things didn’t go according to plan of course, but they still somehow managed to be successful.
“Let’s talk this out,” Doug said. “I have a couple ideas.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Their dwarf friend managed to scrounge up an evening meal of Orozio beans along with a vegetable called Culifris, which was a surprisingly tasty and filling cross between a carrot and cucumber.
The first hints of dawn came after a night of very fitful sleep.
Doug and Megan both put on robes that were rather crudely cut from a sort of canvas-like material. Both were wordless as they prepared. Megan stretched just as she did before tournaments.
“Should we get going?” Doug asked.
“The crowd is still gathering,” Laurel said. “We’re good.” She slid on her armored glove. It made a slight whirring sound as it connected with the rest of her armor. “I’m ready. My little buddy is on his way to the vantage point.”
Doug glanced at Megan. She slid her twin katanas into their scabbards, now at her waist, well hidden under her cloak. She nodded and Doug nodded back.
“Let’s go,” he said.
The auction yard was nothing more than an expanse of dirt surrounded by a low fence, with a stage of sorts at one end. Doug and Megan entered through an open gate, both scanning the already thick crowd.
“If we see Damon--” Doug started to say.
“I call dibs,” Megan interrupted.
“He killed my sister,” Doug said, only half-joking.
“He killed me.”
“I suppose you have a point.”
Megan tapped Doug on the arm and gestured towards the stage. A royal human, an elderly man resplendent in a long, purple robe, had taken the stage. He held his hands up in an attempt to hush the crowd.
“Everyone,” he shouted, “everyone! We shall begin in just a moment. We have a great selection for you today, from beasts of burden…” His thin lips curled into a smile that was more of a sneer. “...to domestic help.”
A murmur spread across the crowd. Doug turned and looked up at a tower across the way. He could discern their new dwarf friend, standing watch through an open window near the top.
“We’re good to go,” he said to Megan. She answered by gripping the hilt of one of her swords.
The Old Royal gestured towards the right side of the stage. “Let’s begin!” He was answered by a few scattered cheers.
A tall, beefy man stepped on to the stage, pushed forward by a troll wielding a long, sharp spear.
The Old Royal grandly addressed the crowd. “Here we have a strong, strapping fellow. Ideal for field work, for construction, or perhaps even a bit of combat, should the need arise.” He attempted another smile. “What say you?”
A frenzy of shouted bids and wild gesticulating took hold of the crowd. Doug and Megan wound their way through it all, up to where they were mere feet from the stage. They were both caught up in a crush of people along with various and sundry creatures all trying to move forward just as they were. Doug was reminded of the Disturbed concert he attended the summer before.
The Old Royal gestured to someone in the crowd. A heavyset man with long, red curly hair stepped up to the stage and handed the Old Royal a small velvet bag. They nodded to one another as the man gestured for his new purchase to step forward. The Big Slave shook his head quickly and stepped back.
“You will come,” the redheaded man commanded, only to be answered by his new purchase stepping back.
The redheaded man reached in a bag by his side and withdrew a whip. It began to crackle with energy as he snapped it against the stage floor. The Big Slave bowed his head and ever so slowly stepped forward. He followed the redheaded man off the stage and into the crowd.
“Very good, very good,” the Old Royal said to the crowd. “Next we have… something of a mixed bag of goods.”
Rebecca came on stage first, accompanied by a swell of shouting from the crowd. Frankie followed, then Nick, Kevin, Carl, and Tommy. All were chained together by ankle irons.
“Is that…?” Megan said.
Doug’s only response was to nod.
“A woman,” the Old Royal began. “A child. And four strapping young men, eager to perform all of the labor that you require.”
“How much for the woman?” someone shouted from the crowd.
The Old Royal was quick to respond. “No, my friend… they come as a set only.”
The flurry of shouting renewed. The Old Royal stood at the podium, his hands on his hips, smiling broadly as he looked about.
Megan scowled. “Screw this,” she said and started pushing the rest of the way to the front of the crowd. Doug went to follow, but had a much harder time moving forward. He watched as Megan fairly well climbed up a tall man and leapt from his shoulders onto the stage.
“Auction’s over!” she shouted as she landed.
Frankie’s eyes widened. She knows, Doug thought, as he began his own sprint towards the stage.
Megan motioned to Frankie and the others. “Let’s go!” she shouted.
Doug vaulted onto the stage and approached the Old Royal.
“Like the lady said,” he growled, “the auction is over.”
The Old Royal began to sputter a protest.
“This is… this…”
Doug turned the podium into splinters with a sidekick.
“This is not proper!” the Old Royal finished.
Frankie, Rebecca, and the others gathered around Doug.
“Dad…?” Frankie said tentatively.
“We’re going to get you out of here,” Doug said, eyeing the frantic crowd warily.
“Dad, is that…”
Doug turned his full attention to his daughter. “Yes,” he said.
“NOW!” Megan shouted above the tumult of the crowd.
“I’ll explain later,” Doug said to Frankie; then to the others, “but yeah, it’s time to go.”
The group surveyed the densely packed crowd.
“Is there a back way out of here?” Doug said.
“The only back way is through people for sale and those wanting to sell them,” Nick responded. “No way I’m going back there.”
Megan held a group of young toughs at bay with her katana. They began to back away, wanting nothing to do with the business end of a sword.
Megan waved at the group with her other sword. “Behind me!” she shouted.
Doug picked up Frankie and jumped off the stage to follow. The rest rapidly followed suit. They managed to push their way through the crowd with Megan and her swords leading the way.
They dashed away
from the auction yard and made a left down a side street.
“Now what?” Nick said, trying to catch his breath.
Doug put Frankie down. “We have to find--”
He saw Megan crouch down next to him, eye level with Frankie.
“Hi,” Megan said with a broad smile.
“You’re Megan?” Frankie said, wide-eyed.
Megan nodded. “I am.”
“I’ve seen your picture.”
They were momentarily blanketed in shadow. Doug looked up.
“Ah, shit…” he said.
The dragon banked overhead, as if it was an airplane coming in for a landing. It headed right for them.
“That’s a… that’s a dragon,” Carl said. “What the hell do we do now?”
“Run the other way?” Nick said.
“And quickly,” Doug said. “We need to find shelter.”
The group turned and ran. Not a single soul got in their way this time. No one wanted to be in the path of a rampaging, angry, four-winged dragon. It flew overhead again and banked into another turn. This time it dipped down from the sky, claws extended.
“He wants to eat us,” Nick said.
She, Doug thought. It had occurred to him that this was likely the very same dragon he had run into during his last trip to Questworld. Mama Bear was still angry at him.
“Everybody get away from me,” he said. “The dragon is after me.”
Nick looked at him incredulously. “Dude, what?”
An odd, discordant roar came from behind them. The XT9 flew right at the dragon, effectively tackling it in midair. The mecha swung a metal first at the dragon’s neck. The dragon shrieked as they tumbled onto the roof of an apothecary shop.
“So a dragon is fighting a robot,” Kevin said with awe.
“I feel like that’s not canon to Questworld,” Nick said to Doug.
“It isn’t,” Doug replied. “That’s a friend of mine in the mecha.”
“Of course,” Nick said.
Doug glanced down at Frankie. “Doing okay?”
Frankie nodded. She was holding steady, even amidst all of the chaos.
They couldn’t see the battle, but could hear the crunch of metal on bone and the dragon’s furious cries.
“We should move,” Megan said.
