Bolts of lightning began shooting out from Drew’s fingertips as the party split in three directions.
With a confidence that surprised me, Drew ran up the middle straight towards them while Silas, Killian and I cut to the left. Jessica and Kappa went right and Sarah, bless her heart, dove into the bushes exerting the most energy I had seen her use. Ergon turned towards the left to meet the three of us as Drew fired large, impressive bolts of lightning toward him. Despite the awesome nature of the display; the lightning seemed almost inconsequential to him as he ran to us.
On the right-side Kappa took a knee and began quickly firing arrows at Hestle while Jessica continued to run. With impressive dexterity he dodged the first of Kappa's arrows and deflected the second but Jessica covered the distance in only a few strides and, with a swiftness that would impress even the most seasoned video game player, she dropped to her knees, skidding towards him. Even if his attention weren't focused on dodging Kappa's impressive aim, Jessica carried herself towards him with such a confidence that I don't think he could've avoided her if he tried. She arrived at his legs with both daggers drawn and leaped up the moment her knees met his boots. As she jumped, she dragged her blades across his stomach and chest, swiping up in a lunge that seemed to carry out almost in slow motion. I heard his cry from the far side of the courtyard just as Silas, Killian and I met the massive brute.
Silas, as if using us as scenery, ran up Killian's back and jumped from his shoulder only to be swiped out of the air by Ergon. I snapped to my brother who slammed against the stone ground of the courtyard and felt the adrenalin pumping through my veins run ice cold. Killian either didn't see or chose not to react and instead continued towards Ergon. The massive brute swung low, narrowly missing Killian as the dwarf cackled loudly. With a bellowing grunt Ergon reeled back to take another swing just as Killian ran between his legs, running his axe along the inside of his right leg as he did. Ergon let out a howl and knelt, favouring the right leg.
I watched Ergon topple to the ground under the weight of his own body. The cut Killian had given him was deep and already I could see the blood pooling on the ground. Almost clumsily he fell to his knees and then all fours as I ran towards him drawing the Alder arrow. With a reach that caught me completely off guard he swept at my feet and sent me hard against the stone. I felt a sharp stinging in my back and through clenched teeth scrambled back towards the stone wall. I had just pressed my back against the wall to catch my breath when I saw Silas laying a few feet away; his eyes were still closed. I began to panic as I realized that he hadn't moved since being thrown. I turned back to see Ergon standing up, but more worryingly he caught my gaze and saw that I was looking at Silas - and the look of worry that had brought me. With a monstrous smile he began towards us.
I called to Drew but he had turned his attention to Hestle and the girls, sending a black smoke towards them which momentarily bound Hestle. Despite being almost entirely incapacitated Hestle still managed to free a single hand and threw a enchanted bola towards Drew’s feet which immediately attached and sent him to the ground. I turned back helpless to see Ergon standing before Silas who still hadn't moved. With a sinister, inhuman smile, Ergon went to grab Silas but instead let out a pained scream. From behind I could hear Killian muttering all manner of curses as he sunk his axe into Ergon's back. I did a half fist pump and stood up as Ergon reeled back however my excitement was short lived as, in one swift motion, he leaned forward and lifted Silas up by the skull. Ergon turned quickly, flinging Killian from his back and turned to me. He held my brother high above his head and threatened, “I will crush him.”
I turned to the others to see both Jessica and Kappa landing blow after blow upon Hestle. I watched as Kappa fired another arrow that sunk deep into Hestle's arm, joining three others she had apparently had success with. Jessica, who continued to land blow after blow on him, circled around with her daggers drawn. I turned back to Ergon, realizing I would have to deal with him alone. I breathed fire through my lungs, my eyes stung with sweat and tears and with a confidence that ran throughout my entire body - I knocked the Alder Arrow. I lifted my bow, drew the string taut and for a moment everything moved in slow motion...
Cliché right?
Hey, what do you want me to say?
Look, remember that scene in Saving Private Ryan? When Tom Hanks hits the beach and everything moves in slow motion; he sees the carnage of the world around him and everything is just... dying. I guess it was like that only... I guess my moment of clarity wasn't the death and carnage. I hope it's clear that I would do anything for Silas. I remember when all this started; when we first tried to complete the Stone Breaker quest and how a Skeleton nearly ended us; I was so scared when Silas got hit. Now here he was; hurt, unconscious... maybe worse and I had all the power to stop it. I could see it sing clean; I could see it move through Ergon’s head and out the other side. He'd drop my brother and be dead before he hit the ground; it would save my brother’s life and end his...
But my slow-motion moment of clarity wasn't for us and our situation; it was for theirs. Just as I was about to let the arrow loose, I saw Ergon’s eyes dart towards Hestle. That same nervous look that I did moments ago when I saw Silas. It wasn't hate or anger; it was fear. Fear of losing a loved one. I watched his eyes shift from Hestle to me as Jessica and Kappa continued to hurt him. In that moment I knew what I had to do.
"Kap," I shouted and her attention shot towards me, "We're done. It's over. We've won." I said flatly.
It took her a moment to understand what I was saying and even after Jessica had stopped, she still didn't quite follow but as Ergon watched them lower their weapons and slowly put Silas down, it washed over them. It was oddly somber the way this lumbering creature walked over to his brother who had collapsed on the stone floor who still held a smile and picked him up. We watched them leave the courtyard silently.
I had been at Silas's side the moment he was dropped and through teary eyes I watched leaned over him.
"Marcus? Hey buddy... please talk to me." I said sniffing hard as I stroked his dark green cheek. I closed my eyes hard and suddenly heard him cough. I opened my eyes quickly and watched him grin. I laughed in relief and hugged his small body a she came to.
"You really scared me there, brother." I said letting the tears come fully now. Through half closed eyes Silas waited a beat and said, “Don’t tell mom and dad I swore,” I laughed and picked him up, Kappa nodded and took him from me and I turned to Drew, wiping the tears from my eyes. We all shared a knowing look and after a moment I was about to speak when Kappa said,
"It was the right call."
I nodded and turned to Drew,
“Let’s do this.”
Drew opened the portal to the real world and Jessica and I walked in. The plan was for her to head for the USB in Drew’s desk drawer while I booted up the PC and readied the files for transfer. We stepped onto the soft brown low-pile carpet of the library and despite having already been through, it felt surreal. We were at the far end of the library and at the end of a long line of book shelves. It was far enough to make me nervous but close enough to still be within the walls of the library. We agreed to leave the portal open and as we entered, you could look back through to Dunn on the other side, it was a bizarre feeling. I turned to Jessica’s strained face and watched her marvel at the world she had all but forgotten, “Hey,” I said snapping her attention back to the task at hand.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
With a nod she said, “Right,” and began for Drew’s desk. I headed for the PC that I had left my files on and hoped that for whatever reason they hadn’t been purged; the game after all was huge and these were community computers. I booted it up and thanked no one in particular under my breath. Ever since coming here previously I had the fear that nothing could move; after all the clocks weren’t moving and everything mechanical seemed to have frozen along with the people. This opened a new slew of questions but for now I was content to see that since I was moving, things I touched could too and as I loaded the PC up I began searching for the files.
It didn’t take me long to find because I had left them on the desktop and as I waited for Jessica to return I opened the folder. It felt like revisiting an old friend and for a second I remembered fondly the times being here with Drew, examining code and learning how to build all this together. After a short while I turned to the direction Jessica walked and called out, “Jessica?”
There was no answer and suddenly I remembered what I had encountered last time and the things that moved in the frozen world. I stood up and bolted for the front counter just as Jessica popped her head up, “Found it!” she said.
“You scared me,” I said angrily, with a confused face she shot back.
“Why?” I hesitated but having told enough half-truths I motioned for her to follow and because to tell her about the things I had seen.
“When I was here before there was something that moved, a few things actually,” we approached the computer and I plugged in the USB as the computer searched for it, “I was heading back to the gateway when there were these creatures, these black, blurry, animal-like things…” I said and I could see her eyes grow wide as the computer found the USB and I copy pasted the files. It was a rather big game and as it counted down the time I turned back to her.
“What do you mean animal-like?” she asked.
“The walked on all fours while they were moving between the cars but when they chased after me.”
“They chased you?” She said, I could hear the fear in her voice.
“Yes,” and as I remembered I began to grow nervous as well, “they did and they were fast, very, very fast.”
The files were was 50% uploaded by the time we heard the first howl from just outside the front lobby. I watched the colour drain from Jessica’s face as beads of sweat almost instantly began developing on both of our foreheads. I stood and looked around as if to find an immediate solution in a small-town library.
“What do we do?” She said frantically and I pointed under the large desk that the bay of computers sat upon. It was wide and low and knowing how fast they were, the only thing we would be able to find in short time. We clambered under the desk as a second howl came from Mr. Drew’s desk and a moment later it entered the library.
The creature had a look about it as if it were put through a filter. What looked like hair was almost blurred and the black matt of its coat was almost pixelated, staring at it hurt both our eyes and as it entered we could smell it. It smelt like burnt gears; mechanical and hot like a computer running. A plastic, metal smell that was fresh and vaguely robotic, but it was anything but a robot. It carried itself like a large dog but walked on two feet, inhuman as if trying to mimic a man. I looked to Jessica who was shaking and I tried to think. Any minute it would be on us and with the height of the desk it was only a matter of time before it saw us. I couldn’t see the monitor from below and with a held breath, peaked my head up a bit to see the completed upload on the USB.
I leaned back down as the creature opened it mouth and called again, this time we saw its teeth; black as its coat but sharp, jagged awkward teeth that stuck out every which way. I turned to Jessica again and mouthed the words, on three we run. She shook her head no but I nodded yes and held up three fingers. Then two fingers. Then one.
Jessica bolted from under the desk, scrambling to a run from her crouched positions and nearly toppled over as she stood. The creature saw her immediately and bolted towards her giving me a moment to hop up and grab the USB. As soon as I wrapped my fingers around it I started screaming and hollering to draw its attention. Jessica had bolted down one of the thin aisles of books with the creature hot on her heels but it stopped at my scream. With sweaty palms I slid the USB in my pocket and slapped the desk, continuing to drawn its attention, and as I did the creature turned from Jessica and howled towards me.
I locked eyes with it for a second; the wispy smoke of it clawing for the ceiling like black frost on a hot day. The creature’s eyes were white and pupil less and as the howl rang out loud and fierce, I couldn’t move. It began towards me, slower than it did for Jessica and as it grew closer I could feel the sweat staining my shirt. I tried to move my feet but I was overcome with fear as I watched the things face and in moments it would be on me. Just as I was sure I was done for the creature cried out, this time in pain, as a fully-loaded book return cart on wheels slammed into it, dragging it across the brown carpet and sending it into the white wall of the library. I turned and saw Jessica blow a strand of long hair from her face and nod to me.
“Let’s get out of here,” I smiled reactively at her but watched as her expression fall. I turned to follower her eye line and saw a second and third creature enter the library. I turned and ran just as they growled loudly and set off towards us.
We barreled through the library shelves, pulling handfuls of books to the ground as we did. I was hoping they would impede their progress but looking over my shoulder I could see them hop easily over any stack we threw in their way. As we rounded the last corner of the bookshelves I was praying that Drew had left the portal open and as the thrum of the black gateway became audible over the drawing of our own breathes, I shouted to Jessica, “Jump through, I’ll throw something in their way…” I looked around but before I could spot a bookshelf large enough to block them I felt her fingers wrap around mine.
“No way.” She said as we rounded the corner and saw the portal. We could see the others standing on the other side; the evening light from the courtyard, the expressions on their faces distorted through the rippled effect on the portal and with every ounce of energy we leapt forward and fell through the gateway onto the stone floor of the castle courtyard. My heart beat wildly in my ears but over the pounding blood I could hear Killian.
“What be that?!” he said, pointing with the head of his Axe towards the still open portal. The creatures we snapping their jaws at the portal, trying to get through but clearly unable as Kappa stepped forward and helped me up. She too was looking at the things on the other side and with a bewildered expression told Drew to close the portal. With a sapping sound the gateway closed and we were once again in the quiet of world of Dunn.
Kappa, adding to Killian’s question, said, “What was that Lester?”
I turned to the others and said, “I’m sorry; I meant to tell you…” Kappa shook her head as if to say there’s been enough apologizing, just tell us what’s going on. I nodded to her and said, “They are these creatures; very fast, very scary and animal-like….” I said turning to Jessica for confirmation.
She was still catching her breath but after a beat said, “Yes and I’ll double his thoughts on scary.” Drew made a worried face through his own tired pants,
“Substituting the code will take at least three times the length of what you just did.” He wiped the sweat from his brow nervously and added, “How are we supposed to fend them off for that long?” I shook my head in my own lack of answers.
The courtyard light was all but gone leaving only the torchlight to illuminate our faces. Each of us wore a defeated expression; one that felt equally nervous and doubtful of getting home once and for all. Despite being together and having a copy of Dunn in my pocket, I could see that we had never felt lower. That was until the crisp, clear articulate voice of Millicent sounded out from the balcony that overlooked the courtyard above us said, “Lester Dunn, I have been waiting for you.”