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Rated PG: This story contains a moderate amount of violence.
Introduction: Nietzsche once wrote about what befalls a person once they stared into the abyss. The Young Ones find out in…
By: Sterling Coleman
* * *
We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.
Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.
We smile, but, O Great Christ, our cries
To Thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh, the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask.
Paul Laurence Dunbar
* * * * *
“Okay guys, the coast is clear.” called Diana leaping out of a tree and landing with a cat-like grace that had been forged through her main competitive pursuit—gymnastics. Her dark brown hands held her quarterstaff at the ready as she surveyed the area like a lioness on the prowl.
“Sheesh, you think Venger would give his Orcs a vacation once in a while.” replied Presto appearing from behind a shrub next to the Acrobat. As he brushed some leaves out of his reddish brown hair and emerald colored robes, Diana gave him a quick smile. Easing up a little, she shrunk her quarterstaff down to the size of an ink pen and tucked it away in her belt near her fur shorts. While she never had a complaint about the performance of her own weapon, she was always amused by the stuff that Presto would pull out of his magic hat when his spells didn’t go well.
“A vacation? From chasing us? Nah! Hunting us down is all the exercise they ever get these days.” answered Eric who stood alongside the Wizard trying to pick some leaves out of his breastplate armor. Mister Loud Mouth had spoken! The tall, dark, yet not so handsome Cavalier had chimed in with his own two cents and as usual his captive audience couldn’t help but listen. “Besides, it’s probably not in their contract.”
“Yeah, well contract or not, we have to take five. Diana, would you mind continuing as lookout?” asked Hank as he moved from behind a nearby tree dispersing an energy arrow he had nocked in his bow.
He was the leader. The Ranger. The man in whom they had entrusted all of their hopes and fears. And while Eric once said that Hank was Starbuck with a Boy Scout complex, beneath that green leather armor there was a man of courage and integrity who would never rest until he got everybody home.
“You had to ask me that after I got out of the tree?” inquired the Acrobat sarcastically, putting her hands on her hips.
“Sorry.” apologized the Ranger leaning his bow against the tree and settling down next to it.
“Mind if I join you?” came a voice from Diana’s left.
She turned around just in time to see Sheila become visible; lowering the hood on her purple cloak as she entered the little clearing. Their redhead, freckle-faced Thief had done her job well. She had been charged with distracting and confusing their pursuers. While her pink blouse and skirt did little to hide her appearance in the forest, her cloak of invisibility more than compensated for her lack of camouflage attire. And thanks to that cloak and its wearer, they now had more than enough time to rest and ready themselves for their next round of the cat-and-mouse game that they were playing with the Orcs.
“Sure, the more the merrier. But where’s Bobby and Uni?” Looking around for Sheila’s younger brother and his pet baby unicorn.
“Sleeping under that tree.” Pointing to one behind her. “The Orcs ran them pretty hard today.”
“More like the Orcs have been running **us** pretty hard all week.” interjected Eric, laying down his magic shield and stretching out on the ground. “For once, the squirt has the right idea, I’m going to catch me some shuteye. If Venger, Tiamat, or the Orcs show up; tell them to take a number. The Cavalier is out!”
“Yeah! Right! Anything you say, Eric. A complimentary wake up call always comes with room service!” replied Diana cynically. “How about you, Presto?” The Acrobat found the Wizard was already fast asleep with his hat pulled over his eyes.
“Well, I guess that leaves just you and me.” declared the Thief.
“You and I, Sheila, you and I” corrected the Acrobat as she turned and walked out of the clearing.
“What’s eating you?” asked the Thief more than a little concerned about her friend’s behavior.
“Lots of things.” replied the Acrobat without looking back. “I’ll explain after I’ve found us a good place to pull guard duty.”
* * * * *
The two friends chose their spot well. They found an oak that was a hundred yards away from where their friends slept, yet had a commanding view of the area. It was far enough away for them to talk without waking the others and with a light mid-afternoon wind blowing towards them; their voices wouldn’t carry too far above the rustling leaves thus alerting their enemies to their position as well. For more than a few long minutes, they sat in silence watching the four suns begin their descent in the summer sky and appreciating the day in spite of the recent trials they had endured.
“This is nice.” admired Sheila breaking the silence around them.
“I guess.” said Diana dismissively.
“What’s wrong?”
The Acrobat stared down at the clearing without uttering a word.
“Diana?—”
“Aren’t you tired of it all?” exasperated her friend turning towards her.
“What?”
“The Realm. Venger. Being hunted by Orcs, Goblins, Lizardmen, or the latest villain of the week. Don’t you just want to walk away from it all or at the very least settle down?”
“Diana, we’ve all had a hard week—“
“It’s more than that! I’m sick and tired, Sheila. I’m sick and tired of being chased, hounded, and stalked by every monster the Realm throws at us. When we first got here, I was shocked just like the rest of us. But then I thought ‘Hey, it would be nice to be Diana the Acrobat for awhile and take a break from being Diana the Olympic hopeful. All I have to do is stay alive and help us get back home.’ And for a while it was pretty nice, but now I want to go back to being the old me again. I just want to see my family and the rest of our friends, that’s all.”
She looked away from her friend and back towards the ground.
“I’m burnt out, Sheila. I’m just sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
Reflecting upon what they had gone through, the Acrobat began to wonder how much the events of the past week had begun to tell on her. A week ago, they had wrapped up yet another mission. While there was no opportunity for them to go home during that one, they felt pretty good about liberating the farming community of Nithren from the control of a small garrison of Lizardmen. After the festivities were over, they had even met up with Dungeonmaster and received their complimentary riddle and marching orders for their next opportunity to go home.
** ‘And what was that riddle again?’ **mused Diana to herself. ** ‘Oh yeah, beware the dark reflection of your outer self and seek the bright one from within. Whatever the heck that meant?’ ** The Acrobat always fancied herself at being the best at solving Dungeonmaster’s riddles. Although she had to reluctantly admit that this time, he had her completely stumped. Anyway, Dungeonmaster told them to travel seven days to the south and to wait for him in the Forest Between The Realms. Still, what started out as a leisurely trip through some rolling plains ended up becoming a series of hit-and-run skirmishes with a large platoon of Orc soldiers who Eric so eloquently dubbed as “The Orcs From Hell.”
Those guys were tough. They were more disciplined, better organized, and better trained than any other Orc soldiers Venger had thrown at them in the past. While their fighting skills—thankfully—still left a lot to be desired; they were not easily scared or intimidated. Between Sheila’s acts of sabotage and Hank’s predawn arson raids, the best they could do was to slow them down. Beyond that, they just kept coming at every opportunity. They nearly encircled them twice, and had pushed them into a forced march on their last day on the plains.
By the time they reached the Forest Between The Realms, the Young Ones were exhausted, hungry, and tired. Fortunately, the Forest changed the nature of the game from tag-your-it to hide-and-seek. And while they were grateful for the opportunity to rest and forage for food, being hunted day-in and day-out had taken its toll on them.
** ‘If only Eric hadn’t been on point and stumbled across that Orc as we were going around their encampment’ thought the Acrobat. ‘Ah, but then he wouldn’t be Eric, now would he?’ **
And speaking of the Cavalier, he openly asked the question that everyone pondered inwardly. ‘Now that we’ve made it to this stinking forest, where is Dungeonmaster?’ It was a good question. Diana believed that they would definitely need his help to get out of this mess. Still, they had been in the forest for only a couple of days…
“It looks to me like someone needs a shoulder to lean on.” said Sheila as she took her friend’s hand in her own, pulling the Acrobat out of her reverie.
“Am I that transparent? I guess I’m so used to being the cheerleader and picking everyone else up, that when it’s my turn for a pick me up, I turn on people. I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier, it’s just that I’m tired of playing these games. I need a vacation. No Venger, no Orcs, no NOTHING! I just need to go someplace where the sky is calm and the stars are bright.”
“Don’t we all.” replied the Thief sadly. “But can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Do you remember MBM, Mean Betty Markham?”
“Oh, God yes! That was when we first met.”
“And remember what you told me that day?”
“Yeah, I remember…” sighed Diana with a little grin.
Mean Betty Markham was the terror of the fourth grade class at Westview Elementary. She was almost a foot taller than everyone else and liked to bully both the boys and girls in her class unmercifully—until the day she ran into two of her classmates who were jumping rope, Sheila McAndrews and Diana Shaw.
Because Sheila had refused to help her cheat on a test earlier that day, Betty attacked her at recess by taking her jump rope, pushing her to the ground, and beating her with it. While the young Thief was covering up under the blows, Diana took her rope, slapped Betty in the face with it, and drove her off. She then helped Sheila to her feet and together they jumped their tormentor and beat her soundly. From that day on, Mean Betty Markham never attacked anyone again, while Sheila and Diana forged a bond of friendship that, while put to the test many times, never wavered or broken.
“…I believe I said, ‘If we stick together, we can take her!’”
“Right! And that’s my advice to you. I know you’re tired. We all are! But if we stick together and find Dungeonmaster; we can take these guys, get out of here, and maybe ask for a little vacation time to boot. So what do you say? Are you ready to take on an army of Mean Betty Markhams or not?”
“Do I have a choice?” Perked up Diana with a little smile. “If I wasn’t on point, you guys would be practically lost without me.” She leaned over and gave Sheila a warm hug.
“Thanks, Squeaky.”
“Hey! I thought you said you weren’t going to call me that again?” cried Sheila, pulling away from the Acrobat with a surprised expression on her face.
“I lied.”
“Okay, Bright Eyes, two can play that game as cheap as one.”
“We’ll see, Squeaky, we’ll see—”
Squeaky and Bright Eyes. They were the nicknames that they had given each other in grade school after the MBM incident. Sheila was called Squeaky because up until her freshman year in high school her voice would occasionally squeak. Diana was called Bright Eyes because her dark brown eyes would grow to be the size of silver dollars whenever she was happy or excited—which during her grade school and early high school years was quite often.
For fear of embarrassing the other, they never used those nicknames in public. Only in private and really, only in jest. Sheila thought she had outgrown her nickname—apparently not if Diana sought to tease her with it.
“Wait a minute, I thought I heard something.” Whispered Sheila signaling for her friend to be silent.
“Orcs?” whispered Diana in an equally hushed tone.
“I’m not sure, but I think the sounds are coming from over there.” Pointing off into a direction that led away from their encampment.
“I’m sorry but I don’t hear anything, Sheila.”
“There it is again, it sounds like someone’s lifting or dropping something.”
“Okay, I’ll go down there and check it out. You head back to camp, wake the others, and tell them to get ready to run, fight, or both. It could be a trick to lure us out into the open, but there’s only one way to be sure, and that’s to go down there and see what’s going on.”
“Are you sure you’re going to be alright?” asked Sheila with concern creeping into her voice.
“Don’t worry, MOM, I’ll be careful.” mocked Diana playfully. “Just get the others up and ready to go. It could be nothing, but then again, this is the Realm.”
And with that Diana leaped from their branch, swung down to a lower one, and soundlessly landed upon the ground. Drawing her weapon, the Acrobat stealthily headed off in the direction of the mysterious noise, and disappeared from view leaving her compatriot to take a more conventional route to reach the forest floor. Sheila had to admit that no matter how many times she saw her best friend in action, it always took her breath away.
* * * * *
** ‘As usual, Squeaky’s hearing is right on the money.’ ** thought Diana. Drawing closer to the noise, she heard the unmistakable snorting and grunting that only Orcs and their distant cousins—hogs—could make. Added to this a series of resounding thuds, the Acrobat suspected that something—or someone—was getting worked over pretty good. Her suspicions were confirmed when she quietly hid herself behind a bush on a small bluff overlooking a sight that both impressed and repulsed her.
What impressed her was the view that lay beyond her hiding place. With the light of the afternoon suns filtering through the trees, some of it found its way to a series of small lakes that were interspersed between the oaks. This gave the deep blue water a near blinding radiance and lent the surrounding area a quiet majesty. It reminded Diana of the Valley of the Unicorns—minus the rainbow waterfall.
By contrast, the only thing that disturbed this peaceful setting and completely repulsed her, was the presence of two Orcs unmercifully kicking a hooded figure lying motionless below her hiding spot. The Acrobat instantly recognized them as part of the same group of Orcs that had pursued them into the forest—mostly because of the black chain mail armor they wore. Armed with bastard swords sheathed at their sides and large crossbows strapped to their backs; the Orcs were thoroughly amused by the plight of their prisoner when Diana chose to act.
Hoping that the Orcs didn’t have any reinforcements nearby, the Acrobat boldly walked out from behind the bush. Standing near the edge of the bluff with her quarterstaff in hand, Diana cried out.
“Hey, fellas, up here!”
“Huh?!” The Orcs stopped their attack and immediately looked up and turned their attention towards her.
“Is this a private party or can anybody join?”
The first Orc told his comrade. “You get her! I’ll finish this one.”
“Right!”
The second Orc drew his bastard sword and charged up the bluff towards Diana, who was leaning on her staff calmly waiting for him. She was mildly amused by this Orc’s effort to move himself, his considerable girth, and equipment up the bluff. However, her amusement was only momentary as she dropped into a fighting stance when her attacker got halfway up the hill. No sooner than when his helmet cleared the summit, the Acrobat swung downward with her quarterstaff in a vicious blow to the head that sent the Orc sprawling back down to the foot of the bluff, and into the not-so-wonderful world of unconsciousness.
Looking up from his work, the other Orc witnessed his comrade’s defeat and snarled at Diana who remained atop the bluff.
** ‘Remember, Diana, don’t get cocky. There’s one more to go and there may be more on the way. Finish him and finish it quickly.’ **
Fast drawing his crossbow, the remaining Orc loaded it with a surprising quickness, and aimed it at the Acrobat. Twirling her staff in front of her until it became a fine green blur, Diana easily deflected the crossbow bolt and watched it drive itself into a nearby tree.
Dropping back into a fighting stance, she confidently smiled, “Your friend wasn’t too good at playing King-Of-The-Hill, now it’s your turn. But I’ll be nice and give you a choice, we could do this the easy way—you walk out of here—or we could do this the hard way—you get carried out. Either way, your victim stays with me.”
Throwing his crossbow aside and roaring at her like a hungry lion coveting its prey, the Orc drew his sword and charged up the bluff.
“But, I see some people like to do things the hard way.” sighed Diana sadly.
This Orc, however, did not follow suit exactly as his friend did. Before he reached the summit of the hill, he began to swing his sword wildly in front of him to force his opponent back from the edge of the bluff. Diana gave a little ground and waited for him to get halfway up the slope. When she saw his helmet appear just over the edge, she ran towards the Orc. Using her quarterstaff to vault over him and performing a mid-air end-over-end flip, the Acrobat landed near the base of the bluff and turned to face her attacker.
With the Orc turning and charging back down the hill to confront her, Diana saw her opening. She made a swing with her quarterstaff as if to strike him in the head. The Orc instinctively brought his sword up to block her attack. As he did; the Acrobat skillfully swung her staff downward in a tight arc, nailing him on the lower calf muscle. Sweeping her opponent literally off of his feet, Diana sent the Orc crashing to the ground before he could make another move. Quickly kicking his dropped sword out of his reach, she leveled her staff at him until its tip was only a few inches away from his face.
“Leave—NOW!” demanded Diana firmly. She had had her fun with the first Orc. The time she had spent on taking down this guy could have been better served helping their victim.
Offering no further resistance, the Orc got to his feet and quickly hobbled off into the forest. Watching him go, Diana strode over to where their victim lay. The hooded figure gave a weak groan as she approached.
** ‘Good. At least you’re alive. If I can get you back to Presto, we can get you patched up in no time.’ ** thought the Acrobat as the figure attempted to rise.
“Easy now.” Diana knelt beside her charge, lowering the person back into place. “I’m here to help you. The Orcs are gone, but you took one heck of a beating. Lie still, help is on the way.” ‘Where are you guys, anyway?’
“Than-Thank you” exasperated a weak feminine voice.
“Diana!” Came an all too familiar one from the direction she had made her approach. Eric was standing near the edge of the bluff.
“Over here!” Waving up to him. “Where’s Presto? I’ve got a girl over her that needs some serious medical attention!”
Among the Young Ones, it was no secret that Presto was the guy to call when someone was hurt or injured. More than once, he and his magic hat had served as pharmacist, doctor, EMT, and—with the aid of a copy of The Anatomy of Domestic Animals—veterinarian. While the sight of blood did make him a little squeamish, the young Wizard was well attuned to performing CPR, bandaging wounds, and supplying the necessary drugs to relieve most any non-magical ailment—at least, when his hat chose to cooperate.
Looking back and calling for Presto to hurry up, the Cavalier absently stepped off the edge of the bluff.
“Eric, look out!” cried Diana, too little, too late.
The poor Cavalier rolled headlong down the hill until he came to an abrupt stop by slamming face first into the open armpit of the unconscious Orc at the base of the bluff.
“Ewwww---“ Complained Eric rubbing the back of his head with one hand and holding his nose with the other one. “Couldn’t you have warned me ahead of time about that first step? Geez, this Orc smells like—Orc?! YAAH!” The Cavalier jumped back with his shield ready as he finally took notice of what he had run into.
“Sorry, Eric. Don’t mind him, he’s just taking a nap courtesy of yours truly. It’s the girl over here I’m worried about.”
Having learned from Eric’s mistake, the others carefully made their way down the bluff and joined Diana. Hank motioned for Bobby and Sheila to take up lookout positions on either side of the clearing, while he inquired about what happened.
“Same old, same old. Two Orcs were roughing this girl up, I flattened them, one’s over there sleeping it off and the other one’s running for the hills. Nothing new—except for our friend here.”
Hank looked over at the Orc that served as Eric’s brake and had to admire Diana’s handy work. It was almost as good as the time she defeated three goblins in Delmakros Keep. That was another chance to go home that had gone up in smoke. Literally!
“Who is she?” asked Sheila.
“I don’t know.”
“Saved any for us, Diana?” inquired Bobby leveling his club as if he was going to batting practice.
“I’m afraid not, Barbarian. This person needed my help more than I needed to reel in the one that got away.”
“Which way did he go? I’ll smash him for ya’!”
“Nyeah!” affirmed Uni as ever by her master’s side.
“Bobby, you’re going to stay right here.” warned Sheila protectively. “We still have those Orcs after us, and I don’t want you getting lost in this forest.”
“Awww, Sis.” The Barbarian folded his arms angrily and stormed off with Uni in tow.
Presto had already begun pulling a first aid kit out of his hat when he asked, “How bad is she?”
“I didn’t want to move her in case she might have some internal injuries or something. What do you think?”
“Well, let’s roll her over and see how bad off she is—but do it gently, if something’s broken we don’t want to make it any worse.”
“Okay.” agreed Diana as she gently turned her over for Presto to examine. In doing so, the girl’s hood fell back from her head and revealed much to everyone’s surprise a beaten and battered form of an auburn-haired girl that bore a striking resemblance to Sheila!
To Be Continued in If We Must Die
Chapter Two of Dark Reflections
DARKNESS
IS
FALLING