shrugged. “I can’t. I don’t smell any salt in the breeze but in this realm that might not mean anything. Either way, my best suggestion is to follow the coastline until we find some sort of village. We need information about this land and we aren’t going to find it sitting out here in the wilderness.”
Mathias asked, “And you think we will find help in the town?”
“Alright listen up.” Tao paused until everyone looked at him. “I miss Roland and I will probably always replay the events which lead up to his death to see if I could’ve done something different to change the outcome. But I can’t change it, I can only learn from it. The fact remains that we’re here and we’re alive. Now we have to figure out how to stay alive and if possible, get back home.”
Bjǿrn stood up. “Tao’s right. At this very moment I regret letting Tariq live but that’s because I’m still angry. I know it was the right thing to do and if we had let Cozad kill him, then that would’ve been murder and we wouldn’t have been any better than Tariq. Personally, I know I would feel guilty about that for the rest of my life.”
Cozad nodded. “No. Ta o was right to stop me. As much as I wanted to kill him and still want to kill him, it would’ve been murder. Plain and simple. Besides, we don’t know if it was Brandon or Tariq who killed Roland.”
Pixi fluttered her wings and hovered for a second before asking . “What do you mean by that?”
It was Arieal who answered. “He means that there is a second persona lurking in each of our heads that threatens to take over.” Seeing the Dreadknight nod, she continued. “Each of us have the powers and abilities our avatars had in the game, right?”
“Correct.”
“Well, Brandon, Edward and I chose to play avatars of Chaos to explore the darker side of our nature. Back home, it was just a harmless fantasy, but now…”
Cozad nodded. “Aye. The cold fingers of death are now a part of me. I feel comforted by its embrace.”
Arieal glanced back at the burning pyre in the distance. “I too feel that. The stench of death smells as sweet as a rose to me now. It is very unnerving.”
“I can imagine. I feel my temper on the edge at all times. Just the simplest things threaten to set me off. ” Bjǿrn nodded toward the faerie. “Hell, the flapping of Pixi’s wings is nerve wracking.”
Pixi settled to the ground and took a small step back from the huge Norseman.
Moira giggled. “Don’t worry Pixi. Earl is a gentle giant, here and back home. His bark is worse than his bite.” When she smiled, her bright blue eyes seemed to light up the whole gathering. “Besides if he misbehaves, I’ll punish him.”
Everyone laughed. The thought of Moira, a slender elf weighing less than eighty pounds, punishing the seven foot tall, three-hundred plus pound, bare-chested warrior was ludicrous. Of course, back in the real world they had been married for thirty plus years and Earl had learned the magic phrase long ago and used it now.
“Yes dear.”
Tao took the moment of levity to stand up. “Everyone should try to get some sleep. It’s been a long day and we can’t be sure of what tomorrow holds for us. I’ll take the first watch. Cozad, I’ll wake you in two hours.”
Seeing the logic of Tao’s plan, everyone did their best to find a place to lie down out of the wind. The samurai moved off a few steps to be alone with his thoughts and watch over his friends that were still alive. Unfortunately, the death of Steve brought to surface the loss of his wife once more and soon afterwards the tears began to flow.
* * * * *
Callistra reigned in her Nightmare, a demonic horse with fiery eyes and hooves which she had summoned to be her steed. The smell of burning flesh had called to her. Mounting her steed, she had ridden from her cabin to the southeast to investigate the burning pyre. Now that she was here, other aromatic senses called to her soul.
Magic
Mathias asked, “And you think we will find help in the town?”
“Alright listen up.” Tao paused until everyone looked at him. “I miss Roland and I will probably always replay the events which lead up to his death to see if I could’ve done something different to change the outcome. But I can’t change it, I can only learn from it. The fact remains that we’re here and we’re alive. Now we have to figure out how to stay alive and if possible, get back home.”
Bjǿrn stood up. “Tao’s right. At this very moment I regret letting Tariq live but that’s because I’m still angry. I know it was the right thing to do and if we had let Cozad kill him, then that would’ve been murder and we wouldn’t have been any better than Tariq. Personally, I know I would feel guilty about that for the rest of my life.”
Cozad nodded. “No. Ta o was right to stop me. As much as I wanted to kill him and still want to kill him, it would’ve been murder. Plain and simple. Besides, we don’t know if it was Brandon or Tariq who killed Roland.”
Pixi fluttered her wings and hovered for a second before asking . “What do you mean by that?”
It was Arieal who answered. “He means that there is a second persona lurking in each of our heads that threatens to take over.” Seeing the Dreadknight nod, she continued. “Each of us have the powers and abilities our avatars had in the game, right?”
“Correct.”
“Well, Brandon, Edward and I chose to play avatars of Chaos to explore the darker side of our nature. Back home, it was just a harmless fantasy, but now…”
Cozad nodded. “Aye. The cold fingers of death are now a part of me. I feel comforted by its embrace.”
Arieal glanced back at the burning pyre in the distance. “I too feel that. The stench of death smells as sweet as a rose to me now. It is very unnerving.”
“I can imagine. I feel my temper on the edge at all times. Just the simplest things threaten to set me off. ” Bjǿrn nodded toward the faerie. “Hell, the flapping of Pixi’s wings is nerve wracking.”
Pixi settled to the ground and took a small step back from the huge Norseman.
Moira giggled. “Don’t worry Pixi. Earl is a gentle giant, here and back home. His bark is worse than his bite.” When she smiled, her bright blue eyes seemed to light up the whole gathering. “Besides if he misbehaves, I’ll punish him.”
Everyone laughed. The thought of Moira, a slender elf weighing less than eighty pounds, punishing the seven foot tall, three-hundred plus pound, bare-chested warrior was ludicrous. Of course, back in the real world they had been married for thirty plus years and Earl had learned the magic phrase long ago and used it now.
“Yes dear.”
Tao took the moment of levity to stand up. “Everyone should try to get some sleep. It’s been a long day and we can’t be sure of what tomorrow holds for us. I’ll take the first watch. Cozad, I’ll wake you in two hours.”
Seeing the logic of Tao’s plan, everyone did their best to find a place to lie down out of the wind. The samurai moved off a few steps to be alone with his thoughts and watch over his friends that were still alive. Unfortunately, the death of Steve brought to surface the loss of his wife once more and soon afterwards the tears began to flow.
* * * * *
Callistra reigned in her Nightmare, a demonic horse with fiery eyes and hooves which she had summoned to be her steed. The smell of burning flesh had called to her. Mounting her steed, she had ridden from her cabin to the southeast to investigate the burning pyre. Now that she was here, other aromatic senses called to her soul.
Magic
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