The War of Atlantis

[TheThing]

Chapter 1: A Strange Wedding

Unicorn Run, Atlantis

“Noah, do you think this Magnus person will still remember your father?” said Calvin, a worried expression on his youthful face. He put his hands behind head and looked up the sky as he walked beside his shorter friend Noah. The later seriously considered Calvin’s question then answered, “Well, he will. We have the ring, after all. I think he will recognize me.”

In fact, Noah knew nothing about the outcome of the upcoming meeting. It has been thirty years after the Great War of Atlantis, which Noah’s dwarven stepfather Fret Vultalon and the famous archmage, Magnus, fought together and defeated the demon lord Aerion.

Noah had always been fascinated, just like every other child of the Atlantis, by the stories of the band of the Demonslayers. The kindhearted Fret Vultalon adopted Noah, an orphan of the catastrophic time. He grew up with his best friend Calvin, a farmer boy who always sneaked out on his chores and came to play with Noah. Of course, Calvin rarely made it without a scar or two from his angry father.

They are now on their ways to Heine Castle to find Magnus, as the final request of Fret Vultalon.

“So, Fret really fought beside Magnus? THE famous Magnus?” Calvin asked, with excitement flashing in his blue eyes. “-Queak-” a little fur-ball sitting on Noah’s head jumped in answer.

There was another friend, a little tear-shaped fur-ball. The fur-ball, Fibby by name, can make a strange queak voice when squeezed. Noah found the little… thing at the wheat field, where Fibby’s metallic glow led Noah to this prized discovery.

“Queak, queak” Fibby, being particularly talkative, issued a series of respondes matter-of-factly.

After a thousandth time trying very hard to understand Fibby, Calvin gave up. “How do you understand this thing?” Calvin frowned. Quickly, another series of loud “queaks” meaning “I am not a THING”, as well as some unearthly remarks, came from the angry little fur-ball. “Fibby!” Noah scratched his head and smiled embarrassingly “don’t say that to Calvin!” Then Noah shrugged “I don’t know… I just… understand Fibby.”

Suddenly a strange idea jumped into Calvin’s head, a wicked smile crossed his face and he leaned close to Noah’s ear “hey, is Fibby… mmm, a girl-fur-ball, or a boy-fur-ball?” “-QUEAK-”, the little fur-ball jumped from Noah’s head onto Calvin, and stomped on the later. The trio laughed at the silliness while Calvin begging Fibby to stop.

“HELP!” a terrified shriek broke the three’s laughter with Calvin immediately looking for cover, and Fibby growled a disgusted “queak”. A young woman ran down the road towards them, she dressed in a wedding dress, apparently a bride.

“Qui-qui-quick, hel-help!” the young girl huffed and choked the air, and begged. Seeing a harmless young woman, Calvin came out from behind the bush “What’s the matter lady?” and asked in a calm down. “Queak” Fibby made a helpless face.

“Hel… help, wedding, I run, goblins, cramp, cramp!” the young girl breathed heavily, trying to catch up her breath.

“What… what? There are goblins?” Calvin asked nervously, and again started to look for retreat route. There was no need to answer because a group of five mad and armed goblins ran into them.

“Give the bride!” one goblin with fuzzy furs on his head, and seemed obviously bigger than the rest of the group shouted

“There is the bride!” a smaller goblin pointed with a sharp spear

Everyone looked towards Calvin where the young girl hide behind. “No no no, don’t come!” Calvin waved his arms hurriedly, thinking the goblins are after him.

“NO?!” The leader goblin, Fuzzy head, yelled angrily “Kill the one who resist! And get the bride!”

Four goblins rushed to Calvin. “Oh no…” was all Calvin could say, then he turned and about to flee. Only that the girl grabbed him by the arm and tripped him over “What are you doing!” Calvin accused angrily “run for your life!” and added almost as an after thought “Oh, and don’t run with me!”

The young girl giggled, and pointed to Noah, who was already engaged with the goblins. Noah took down one goblin by surprise when they rushed towards Calvin, and now is fighting off another goblin. The other two goblins stood there, confused, and not knowing what to do. Seeing Noah’s not-so-novice fighting, the Fuzzy head decided that Noah as a more immediate threat “Kill this boy first!”

Two goblins flanked Noah, who was already giving all his effort to fight one. The goblin leader grinned “heh! Kill him! No mercy!”

Noah dodged a clumsy thrash from the front goblin, then put his sword up just in time to parry the one on his right, but wasn’t so lucky to dodge the spear from his left. Scoring a minor hit, the goblins cheered on.

“Queak queak!” the fur-ball squeaked hurrily, knowing the dangerous situation Noah is in. “Do something!” the girl grabbed Calvin’s arm and shook him real hard “Do something!”

“Ok ok ok!” Calvin tried hard to think, almost panicking. Suddenly an idea hit home “Lets run!”

“NO!” the girl caught Calvin before he could took off “you cannot leave your friend here!”

Calvin squeezed his eyes and made signals and whispered, “trust me, OK? Lets run!”

So the two took off in the tall grass field. The Fuzzy head saw the fleeing pair and started after them “Stop! Or I kill ye!” He reached the edge of the grass field, but found two separate tracks going in different direction. “$%^&,” The goblin cursed then turned to his three goblin sidekicks “You two! Go after the bride!”

Noah breathed a relived sigh as two of his three opponents left to chase Calvin and the bride. More confidence returned to his parrying as he began more attacking than defending.

“OK, me has to kill ye!” the goblin leader felt unease as time went by, and joined the parrying.

The Fuzzy head, being the biggest and the strongest of the five, fought with great efficiency. (in comparison to his minions) Noah was again hard pressed. Every time the goblin makes a mistake, the Fuzzy head immediately covers him up with parries to cut off Noah’s attempt at killing off his opponent.

Noah faked a swing of his sword from the left at the level of the goblin’s shoulder, and the goblin lifted his short sword to parry, only throwing himself off balance as his short sword caught nothing but air. Noah’s real attack came from the right side, but just as his sword came in at the helpless goblin, the Fuzzy head stepped up and parried that hit, with a recovered goblin on Noah’s flank, thrashing dangerously.

After many times of the similar attempt, the Fuzzy head always seemed to be able to block Noah’s blow just on time. “Fibby?” Noah called silently. A reassuring “queak” sounded in his mind, and Noah gave his instruction quickly.

Noah faked a swing again, on the goblin’s left flank. The stupid creature fell to the same trick again, and again Noah’s real attack came from the right flank. The fuzzy head, confident in his ability to handle the attack, stepped in…

“NOW!” Noah shouted as Fibby leaped from his head onto the Fuzzy head’s face, effectively bloked his vision. “AH!” the fuzzy jumped in surprise and waved his sword blindly as he fell backwards – leaving a big opening on his goblin sidekick’s defense. Noah’s sword came in unstopped and caught the dumbfounded creature in the right shoulder. Both goblins fell down to the ground, one bite dust, and another from confusion.

The Fuzzy head rolled and kicked, getting out of would-be-harm’s way. However, Noah, not a experienced fighter, did not know to finish his enemies off with pursuit. The fur ball already jumped off the Fuzzy head’s face and jumped back to Noah with merry “queak.”

“ ... ” the fuzzy head couldn’t find a word to say, seeing all his minions gone. “Ye will pay for this! Ye will!” then he ran off.

Couple minutes later, Calvin and the girl came out of the grass field; both threw away a big rock the size of a goblin’s head, and smiled when they see their friend Noah won the battle.

“So who are you?” both boys asked...

[ 04-30-2002, 08:58 AM: Message edited by: TheThing ]

[TheThing]

“So who are you?” both boys asked

“Thank you for saving me!” the girl looked adorable with her cheeks turning red from the running “my name is Layla … oh how cute!” She spotted the fur-ball Fibby, who quickly jumped itself into Layla’s hands. She patted the fur-ball and kissed the furry thing, who turned red at the affection

“Must be a boy,” Calvin whispered as they observed the scene

Noah laughed as he put his sword back in sheath, and gave out his hand “Hey, Calvin, thank. Your plan was pretty good.” Noah said with a sincere appreciation. “I almost thought we couldn’t make it”

Calvin tried hard to hide away his embarrassment, in fact his run-away plan mostly served to protect himself. He had no intention of returning even if no goblins followed him back during the fighting. Still, he managed to gave out his hand and the two slapped. Looking at Noah’s smile, a sense of guilt crept behind Calvin’s mind, yet he dismissed the notion quietly “after all, I saved our lives.”

And they focused back to Layla and Fibby, who quickly became the best friends. “What was going on? Why did the goblins want you?” Calvin asked

“Well, you will never believe this!” Layla chuckled lightly, and gentlely put Fibby on her shoulder “the ugly fuzzy head wants to marry me!”

“What!” both boys’ jaw dropped in surprise

Layla smiled at the attention, and continued “Me and dad lived 20 miles outside of Woodbec town, and we farm, until one day, the fuzzy head and his goblin band came along.”

“So they found you,” Calvin added

“Yep!” Layla said, a thin cloud of anxiousness crossed her face at the mentioning of her dad, she continued “anyways, they caught dad, and used him to force me to marry.”

“I pretended to go along, so that they’d let dad go”

“Then you ran off on the wedding day!” Calvin clapped “Brilliant! Except you wouldn’t get away just in time…”

With a light sigh, she said, “Yeah, of course, I was so stupid to think the Fuzzy head would trust me… he came earlier than we agreed. I had his guards drunk that he set around my house to watch me, and I was just about to run off when he came in with his stupid goblins.”
“I see” Noah said “what are you going to do now?”

“I am going back to Woodbec to find my dad, as I told him to wait for me there.”

“Hey, we are going there too!” Calvin said excitedly as he put his hand around Noah’s shoulder

“Wh…” before Noah can interrupt, Calvin squeezed his shoulder HARD.

“Really?” a hopeful look showed on Layla’s face.

“Of course yes!” Calvin said, “We are going there… mmm, to get *cough* hair cut, yes, get hair cut!”

“Queak,” Fibby almost laughed at the lame excuse.

“Great then!” Layla said happily, and gave a thankful look to Calvin, who fainted…

So the four friends headed towards Woodbec.

[ 04-30-2002, 07:40 AM: Message edited by: TheThing ]

[TheThing]

Inn of Elvinbrew, Woodbec

“WHAT!” Layla gasped “What do you mean dad’s not here?!”

“I am sorry Miss Layla” the innkeeper apologized with a bitter face, “but Anderson never showed up.”

“That’s IMPOSSIBLE!” Layla slammed the counter angrily, which made everyone coil back in fear, “stop playing now! Tell me where my dad is!”

Calvin whispered to Noah “I think she is scarier than the goblins we fought”

“Queak queak” Fibby grinned knowingly as Layla turned to face Calvin with tear-streaming eyes

“And you are still joking!” Layla pointed an accusing finger towards Calvin, the later shrinked into a tiny person. “And you too!” Layla shouted to Fibby, who made a very sorry face, and dropped its eyelashes apologizingly.

“Layla,” Noah started, “it is no use being so angry now. Let’s look around the town and be back in an hour, OK? Maybe we will find your dad somewhere…”

“Yes, you are right!” suddenly hope returned to her eyes, and she wiped off the tear-streaks on her face and rushed off the inn. Watching her eagerly running off into the crowds, Fibby, Calvin and Noah sighed inwardly, as all suspecting something different had happened.

An hour later…

“I cannot find him…” Layla said listlessly, this time completely overwhelmed by a dread possibility

“Neither can I” Noah and Calvin said, quietly, taking care not to disturb Layla.

A knock on the door, the innkeeper came in

“Miss Layla, you might want to take a look at this…” he handed a small wooden box to her

Layla took one look in the box, and dropped in her chair with paled face, a look of fear in her eyes. Calvin and Noah quickly took over the box and found a little finger inside. That was all they needed to know to understand Layla’s reaction.

Calvin was the first to recover from the shock, he asked the innkeeper “who sent this?”

“Well, I don’t know” the innkeeper answered honestly, “he didn’t show his face, but he also left a note with the box, here”

And Calvin read the note “Tomorrow, Evergreen Valley, come alone, if you want your dad to live. Heh, heh.” Layla shout a dangerous glance at Calvin, who quickly realized his error “no no! I didn’t say ‘heh, heh’. It is the note! I swear! Look, here they are.”

Layla sighed and closed her eyes, finally, she said slowly “I still couldn’t get away... "

[TheThing]

Layla sighed and closed her eyes, after a long moment of silence, she said slowly “I still couldn’t get away…”

“…”

Layla forced a smile in her face, “perhaps it is not so bad marrying a goblin.”

“Lay…” Calvin started but was sharply cut off

“What do you know!” Layla cried out “You don’t have a dad who is gonna die if,” throwing her fist angrily, and bite the words out “if you don’t marry some ugly stupid… THING!”

Having no way to comfort a sobering Layla, the friends quietly left her room.

The night quickly became restless, Layla’s soft sighs kept Calvin awoke the whole night. During one time, Calvin almost got up and walked into Layla’s room, hoping to comfort her, yet he stopped at the door for a long moment, couldn’t find the strength to knock. Then he walked back to his room, and lay on his bed quietly, listening to her low weeping.

Suddenly, Calvin sat up straight, and woke up Noah “hey, Noah, Noah! Listen to this!”

Calvin’s plan brought a smile on Noah’s face, “this will work! I think so!” with Fibby’s “queak queak” in agreement. The trio couldn’t wait till the morning to see Layla, they literally broke her door to get in her room, and shouted with excitement.
After they related the plan over and over with mumbled and jumbled words to a confused Layla, she finally pieced things together. With a strange look on her face that tied Calvin’s tongue tightly, she said “Calvin… Noah, thank you for doing this… but I don’t want you two to risk your lives for me. You owe me nothing.”

Noah smiled sincerely “this is what I always wanted to do, to help people when they are in danger, as my father Fret Vultalon did in his time, and as all the band of the Demonslayers did.”

“Yep,” Calvin added “This is what friends do!”

With a happy sigh, Layla looked at the trio with renewed hope.

“Get some sleep,” Calvin said “We have a long day tomorrow”

And as Noah and Fibby left the room, Calvin turned and said “And, Laylay?”

“Yeah?”

“Promise me, after we saved your father, never say things like ‘perhaps it is not so bad to marry a goblin’,” Calvin said with all his seriousness “Promise me, never give up hope.”

Layla gave a silent nod of appreciation. And Calvin turned to leave.

[TheThing]

Evergreen Valley

An old man is tied up against a wooden stack, below him lay the firewood that would be ignited with the fuzzy head’s a single command. The furred head goblin leader waited impatiently, and growled at the old man every so often. Anderson spat the disgusting creature, but couldn’t get him because he is too hungry and beat up to spit that far “I will die at the first chance before you lay a finger on me daughter, you kobold faced dog!”

A stinging whip slashed cross the old man’s bared chest, “shut ye mouth, old fool!”

“Dad!” came a heart-pulling shriek, “Let my dad go!” It is Layla at the entrance of the Evergreen Valley.

The ugly goblin leader smiled victoriously, “heh, so my bride finally comes!”

“No!” the old man Anderson shouted on top of his lungs, “Go back! Layla! My good daughter, don’t come!” He stomped the firewood angrily, “I do not allow you to come for me! Run away! Ahhhh!” Another harsh whip silenced the old man.

That whip sank Layla’s heart, for not only does she care greatly for her father, but also the success of the plan requires him to be able to stay conscious.

“Carry… mmm, carry my dad out first!” knowing the critical part ahead, Layla tried her best to stay calm.

“Yes yes!” the fuzzy head almost drooled to hear Layla’s voice “of course, anything to please you, dear!” then he signal his two goblin guards to untie the man and carry him outside the valley.

“Now come to me!” the fuzzy head couldn’t wait to have her, “come, come here!”

“Breath easy now” Layla silently reminded herself, and she purposefully looked at the goblin’s ugly face, a sheer wall of disgust and anger blocked out the fear. And she started walking towards the fuzzy head, with a smile, which the goblin mistook as acceptance, of discontent. Half reaching the goblin, Layla suddenly turned and ran back. She sped up passing a few confused goblin sentries, and headed towards the exist. The fuzzy head, along with 20 other goblins, shouted with surprise. A single goblin fired an arrow towards Layla, but missed terribly. His angry leader harshly shoved the poor goblin off his feet, “DON’T shoot! I want her alive!”

The goblins near the exist of the valley came to intercept. Layla darted into the nearest thick bush, and disappeared. Just before they could get a look into the bush, another Layla appeared outside the valley, waving and whistling. Confused, the goblin guards went after the one outside.

“GET HER!” the fuzzy head stomped angrily, whipped the closest goblin.

A few went after the bush, but a third Layla appeared at the other end of the valley, making a lot of noise to attract the goblins attention. The fuzzy head turned and cursed, “What the …” too confused and angry to think, he pointed to that Layla and screamed “GO GET HER!” All the while, the real Layla slipped out of her hidden place and sneaked out of the evergreen.

As she ran outside, she saw the two goblins that carried her dad. She went at them. The two goblins were already confused by the commotion, now clueless. They had no idea what to do. One of them raised a spear and warned Layla to stop. Layla paused to consider, then ran off to her right side. Two goblins followed immediately, thinking a big prize to capture her.

At the same time, back in the valley, the goblins went in all directions. Apparently, there was more than one Layla, and all of them ran extremely fast! Quickly, the valley became empty with only the fuzzy head left. Berated, hurt, and betrayed, the goblin leader took out his sword and marched to one thing that he knew will hurt his prized bride, Anderson.

[ 04-30-2002, 10:01 AM: Message edited by: TheThing ]

[TheThing]

Noah, naturally adapted reflexes, and Calvin with his wit, it was not so difficult for both to get rid of the tails. Being nearest to Layla, Calvin saw her ran off with two goblins. “Layla!” the first thought that crossed his mind was to aid her, but he couldn’t do so without risking her father’s life. The plan was that all of them, Noah, Layla, and himself, wearing the same clothes. First, they let Layla walk in, and in exchange so that Anderson could escape first, then use each other as distraction to confuse the goblins, and escape together. Now that Anderson cannot run on his own, with Noah nowhere to be found, it left with Calvin to save him… It is the last thing in the world that Calvin would do to risk his life.

He saw a goblin form running out of the valley, and recognize him to be the mad fuzzy head. A shudder ran through his spine, and panic strike.

“Nooo….” Calvin felt so trapped. With each passing second, he knew that there was less time to make the decision, run or fight?

[ 04-30-2002, 10:13 AM: Message edited by: TheThing ]

[TheThing]

“Ok, he is not my dad!” Calvin frowned at the thought, and took great pain to make his next move. He lay down in the grass, and pretended to faint from a fall ...

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The angry goblin walked towards the helpless man on the ground, who was still unconscious from the previous torment.

“AHHH!” the old man screamed once as sword stabbed home, and he screamed louder as the goblin jerked the sword in Anderson’s wounded kneecap.

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“God, please make it stop” Calvin clutched his fingers painfully; his fingernails biting into flesh as each scream beat in his eardrum harder and louder.

[TheThing]

The painful wail of that familiar voice brought a halt to her beating heart. She stopped dead cold in the field. Slowly, she turned to face the direction where the scream came from. The two goblins that were chasing her sensed something awful happened, and backed away from her cold and lifeless gaze.

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She bent down to her father, whom with each breath a part of his spirit drifts an inch away from. She held out her hands, trying for one last time to feel her father’s warmth.

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The goblin lifted his sword threateningly, meaning to strike down. Layla only lifted her gaze, and dismissed the murderous wretch with a cold pitiful look.

With a disoriented growl, the goblin lifted his sword again and charged towards Layla. Another sword deflected his blow just in time, but the mad murder was not about stop. He brought back his sword into position and cut low at the person that stopped him. Noah back stepped quickly, and the sword swooshed past his thigh, leaving an opening on his leathered pants. And at the same time, Noah returned a thrash of his own. The goblin, too blinded with rage, stumbled over and threw himself on Noah’s sword tip…

“For…give me…” was the last words coming out of the goblin’s blood tainted mouth

Ignoring his final plead, Layla slowly turned away, expressionless.

[TheThing]

Staring at two corpse, neither of the four friends said anything. The hordes of goblins already dispatched itself after their leader's death.

They burried the old Anderson.

Layla started leaving, and halted shortly after Noah's calling

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I don't know"

Watching her fragiled body against wind, Calvin couldn't find a single word.

"For...give me" Calvin muttered under his breath as he watched Layla set off into distance.

Chapter 1 ends

[ 04-30-2002, 11:20 AM: Message edited by: TheThing ]

[TheThing]

does anyone even bother to read this?!