Max woke up and found himself lying on a mat in a small tent. A glowing golden candlelight burned softly in a corner, lighting up the tent. Two other mats lay empty at both his sides. He wasn't sure where he was, but at least, this certainly didn't look like the stomach of an orc. He heard two people talking outside the tent and could recognize one of the voice; Easton! He got up, rolled up his mat and stepped outside the tent. It was night already, a nightingale could be heard singing loudly in rhythm to the cool night breeze. Easton and a man in a hood sat by a fire, talking. Max recognized the man immediately. He was the same hooded man who jumped out of the bushes and defended them from the orcs. Well, thanks to him, they would live to die another day.
"Well look who's finally awake." Easton said on seeing Max.
"Come son." The man spoke, his voice calm and friendly. "Come sit down and have something to eat. You must be hungry."
Max suddenly realized that he was indeed actually starving. He walked over to the fire, sat on the ground, and crossed his legs in Indian style.
Max eyed the man suspiciously as he handed him a bowl of meat. His face looked familiar.
"What meat is this?" Max asked cautiously as he picked a piece from the bowl. "I hope this isn't Orc meat?"
The man chuckled.
"It's an antelope." He replied.
"Thanks." Max grabbed the bowl and ate like a monkey, devouring each piece to the bone.
"No need to thank me, son." The man responded. "It is quite an honor to help the chosen ones."
"Chosen wah?" Max paused, perplexed, meat in his hand, hanging halfway to his mouth.
"He said we're in another world called Aradia." Easton intervened. "He said we've been sent here to help secure something called the dragon jewel and defeat an evil sorcerer named Dredd."
"Huh?" Max stared at Easton, looking dumb. His meat still hanging in his hand as he blinked blankly. "Another world... Dragon jewel... Dredd... Aradia... wait! Who exactly is he?"
"I am Forge, Captain Forge" The man began. "Second in Command to Lord Helius; The Supreme Commander of the Guardian Army & King of Aradia; My brother."
"Guardian what now?" A more confused look spread across Max's face.
"The Guardian Army; formed by a group of experienced warriors known as The Guardians. We Guardians are sworn protectors of Aradia & its greatest source of power, called the Dragon Jewel."
"O...kay?? Go on."
"Few months ago, a sorcerer named Dredd, in his craves for power, formed a huge alliance and descended on us unexpectedly."
"And why would he do that?" Max cut in, getting interested.
"Because he knows that the guardians are the only ones tough enough in Aradia to stop him. When he struck the first time, his army was inexperienced and weak, and so we won with a striking victory, forcing him to retreat. But lately his army and powers have grown quite immense. He's been capturing cities and harvesting them. We tried stopping him from taking another city yesterday but the outcome wasn't in our favour.
"Lemme guess." Max cut in again. "You guys couldn't defeat him, so you had to drag us here, right?"
"We tried." The captain continued, staring into the fire as he spoke. "But we were outnumbered. We got news that Dredd was going after a city and we rushed down to defend it. But little did we know that our enemy was well prepared to meet us. Before now, we had consulted The Oracle for help, just in case things got worse. But the Oracle's message was that we would need help from outworld; from two TEENAGERS. In objection, we all pushed the Oracle's message aside and concluded we could handle Dredd ourselves. We didn't need some petty teenagers fighting our battles for us. But during our last battle, when Helius saw that we were losing, he ordered me to go to the oracle and summon you two."
"Uh...hum." Max rubbed his head. "So that explains the weird colors earlier, the vortex, the beam and the thunderstorm. Such a cruel way to send an invitation."
"I'm sorry for any inconvenience." The captain apologized.
"So what are we supposed to do now? What about Helius? Can't he stop Dredd?"
The captain stared into the fire for some time, and spoke
"King Helius was killed by Dredd in yesterday's battle. The fate of our world and your world now depends on you two."
"Huh? Our worlds?" Max and Easton spoke the same time.
"If Dredd gets hold of the dragon jewel, he would merge it with his dark staff, allowing him to harness the powers of the jewel. He would become invincible, a god, and he would have access to all worlds and realms, and he will seek to take control of them all. Your quest is to stop Dredd and secure the dragon jewel."
"Quest?" Max scratched his head, trying to remember something. Then it clicked! "That's it!" Max exclaimed. "All this is just a VR simulation game called The Quest. None of this is real!"
"Huh?!" It was now Forge's and Easton's time to stare.
* * * * * * * * * *
"What are you saying?" Easton asked with a bemused look on his face.
"Do you remember that game I told I play every day that was giving me a tough time? Well, this is it! No wonder this forest, the orcs, & Forge looks familiar. But everything seems so real. The soil feels real, the plants, the air, & even Forge seem to consist of real human flesh. But urr... if this is a game, then how come we're inside the game? And how can we be playing a game if we ain't even close to any computer?"
"Good question." Easton replied. He had never liked video games, and he sure wasn't going to accept the idea of being inside one. "Good question." He repeated. "Because I was about to ask you to explain the thunderstorm, the vortex, the light beam and the pain we FELT a few hours ago. Besides, Forge is right here with us. How would you feel if someone told you your world was just a digital construct?"
Forge placed a hand on Easton's shoulder & smiled at him.
"Max may be trying to make a point. You see, Nature has a way of reflecting her offspring in diverse ways. Before now, I didn't believe that a world called Earth existed. Nature had used different writers to reveal your world to us through books, stories and poems. Some even portrayed your world as a mystical world where something called Technology was so advanced that any work was done with ease. Others portrayed your world as a boring place, full of crises; a place where the struggle for survival was high. And others portrayed your world as a place full of life, natural resources, and golden opportunities. But we all thought it was all fantasy and mere imaginations of the mind, until today. My only disappointment however is that Nature chose to portray our world in the form of a computer game. I don't know what a computer game is, but your friend mentioned something about it being a digital construct."
"Wow!" Max exclaimed excitedly. "So you mean all those cartoons, video games, and stories told on Earth actually exist somewhere in the Universe?"
"Yes. And many of our writers here in Aradia describe Earth as Mother Nature herself, because, she reflects more worlds on Earth than any other."
At this moment, Easton stood up and stretched to his full height.
"Now if you guys are done 'wow-ing' each other, I'll suggest we all focus on important issues."
"Important issues like what?" Max asked.
"Like staying alive?!" While you two were busy talking, I heard indistinct rustling in the bushes. Probably our orc friends again." Easton replied.
Max stood up immediately.
"What's with these orc? Do they work for this so-called Dredd?"
"No." Forge replied. "They just do not like intruders. You two must leave now. Take these." The captain stood up and handed Max a sword. "Take this sword, Max. The Oracle said you have been blessed with the gift of the sword. With time, your skills will improve and you will become a fine swordsman."
Max took the sword and drew it out from its sheath. The blade let out a sharp whistling tone as it slid off its sheath.
"Nice." Max commented as he carved a figure eight in the air with the sword. The blade glittered faintly as it reflected the light of the moon. Max ran a finger across the smooth flat edge of the blade and returned it to its sheath. The sheath had a leather belt attached at both ends, so he simply strapped it on his back.
The captain walked up to Easton and gave him a backpack and a sword.
"And you my friend, the Oracle said you have been blessed with magic, the ability to use all kinds of magic. You'll find a spell book and a map in the backpack. Use the book to learn some spells and use the map to find your way out of this place. If you follow it, you should find a portal that would take you to the city of R'eknor. When you get there, you must find Derrick; my son. He'll tell you everything else you need to know."
Easton took the backpack and the sword from Forge.
"But..."
"No buts child!" Forge drew out his own sword. "You must go now! The orcs are here!"
"But... We can't leave here all alone in their territory. They'll ..."
"Go!! RUN!!!"
* * * * * * * * * *
Max and Easton took to their heels, running as fast as their legs could take them, moving through the thick bushes and dark paths of the forest.
"Do you think he'll be ok?" Easton asked, clearing the tall plants in his path with his hands while they ran.
"He should be." Max replied. "He defended us from the orcs earlier, he should be able to handle them even now."
"I hope he survives."
"Emm... Dude, speaking of surviving, I think we may also need to consider that ourselves."
Max pointed ahead to two orcs armed with bows and wooden arrows, just waiting for them to get closer. One of the orcs raised his bow, took aim and fired. Max twisted out of the way and the arrow flew past his face, slightly grazing his left cheek. The two teenage Earthlings immediately came to a halt, and gazed around. More orcs kept springing out from all corners. They were surrounded.
"Seems like we're trapped now." Easton stated, standing back to back with Max.
"Apparently, running isn't an option anymore." Max responded.
"Do something!" Easton cried. "You said you've played a game that reflects this world. You should be able to take down these Orcs alone."
"Me?" Max gave Easton a scornful look. "Why don't you confuse them with some big words from the dictionary, O great encyclopedia?" Max bowed mockingly.
With a loud war cry, the Orcs launched at them, swinging huge wooden spiky clubs, axes, and long pointed sticks. Easton quickly brought out his spell book & flipped through it, looking for any spell he could easily learn, that would help them stay alive. Max stared at him in disbelief.
"Really? Is this the time for that? I'd suggest you better get hold of your sword because this party is about to get rough." Max drew out his sword. "It's time to kick some orc ass."
One of the orcs launched at him, swinging his blade fanatically. Max spun out of the way and knocked out the orc with the hilt of his sword. The unconscious body fell to the ground and did not make a sound. Another orc launched at him, aiming high. Max raised his sword on time and parried the deadly strike. Quickly, he retaliated with a headbutt, smashing the top of his head into the orc's face. The orc staggered back as purple stars revolved around his face. Max made his move and sank his sword deep into the orc's chest. He pulled out his sword and one more orc fell to the ground. Two more took his place, both of them swinging low with their large spiked wooden clubs. Max did a backflip, merely avoiding his legs being crushed into pieces. One of the orcs lifted his club high above his head and brought it down with brutal force, aiming at Max's skull. Reacting instinctively, Max leapt out of the way and the huge club slammed into the ground beneath, creating a small uneven patch in the soil.
"Ha! Missed me!" Max exclaimed with a jeering smile on his face.
Before the orc could straighten up, Max ran forward and landed a clean kick on the orc's face. Spots and colors and then total darkness as Max's feet connected with his head and sent him crashing to the ground, sending dust into the air. The second orc leapt towards him, blade thrusting out as it shot towards Max's gut. Max leaned out of reach, knocking his opponent's blade out of his hand. Before the orc could think of how to react, Max's sword was already halfway through its ribs. Four more orcs joined in, each armed with a sword and an axe. Max's heart raced faster as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He took a quick glance at Easton's direction. Easton was kept busy too, slicing and dodging as several orcs poured themselves on him. Easton slices, blocks, deflects, clang, dodge, roll right, roll left, jabbering at anything that looked like an orc.
Max faced his attackers. There were too many attacking at a time. He needed to act fast. With his eyes fixed on his attackers, Max slowly got to the ground, took a handful of sand and blew it at the face of his attackers. The orcs cried in confusion as the sand stung their eyes, causing them to collide into one another, unable to see clearly. Max ran forward and struck them down. A dozen more grouped and charged towards him.
"Easton!" Max called out. "I think it's time for a little magic help. I'm running out of options here."
"Come closer so I can cast a shield around us." Easton answered.
Max walked backwards towards Easton, not taking his eyes off the approaching enemy even for a second. When he had gotten close, Easton closed his eyes, rubbed his palms together and mumbled a magic spell.
"Magicae clypeus."
Max watched in amazement as a magical crystal blue shield materialized around them. Outside the shield, the orcs cried in frustration as they tried to break through the magic shield but couldn't. They struck at it with all their might but their weapons simply bounced off. Max couldn't help laughing and poking his tongue at them.
"Sorry guys, but dinner's cancelled!"
Easton stretched his hand towards his left and whispered another spell. A pale, red glow bubbled at the tip of his fingers and immediately, all the orcs in that direction became engulfed in flames. The orcs screamed in horror. Easton stretched his hand to the right and whispered the same spell, repeating it again and again in all directions. When he finally let down the shield, the air was filled with the smell of roasted orcs. Max smiled and gave Easton a friendly punch on the shoulder.
"Dude, that was awesome! Now we only have to worry about finding our way out of this forest."
"That shouldn't be a problem." Easton dipped his hand into the backpack given to him by Forge and brought out a map. "Forge gave us a map, remember?"
"Oh!" Max slapped his forehead. "How could I have forgotten?"
Easton rolled the map open and examined it.
"If we follow the map correctly, it should lead us to a portal. And I think the portal should be our ticket out of this forest."
"Well then, lead the way. I'm getting sick of this place."
With Easton leading the way, the young strangers journeyed deeper into the forest for several minutes, moving silently and stealthily, careful not to draw any unwanted attention. The further they ventured into the forest, the more it seemed creepy, and the more their minds played games on them. The trees looked like tall massive monsters under the dim moonlight. Every step sounded like a gunshot in the cold forest. An owl could be heard hooting loudly from a tree top, crickets chirping and a wolf howling in the distance. The forest grew darker and darker, making it harder and almost impossible to see. There was always this weird sensation of being watched. From the corners of his eyes, Easton could spot several figures moving around them. But whenever he turned around, no one was there. They had to find the portal quickly and escape this cursed forest.
"There! We found it!" Max pointed ahead.
Easton looked up and there it was. A bright round glimmering mass of magic, color and light, serving as a magical gateway.
Max and Easton got closer to the portal, staring into it in awe.
"So who goes first?" Easton asked.
"We both go the same time." Max answered. "We can't tell if this portal will end up dropping us back in the centre of the forest. We can only hope it takes us OUT of the forest."
"It should transport us out of here... Hopefully."
And with that, they both walked into the portal, stepping into another phase of their quest.
* * * * * * * * * *
Jade stood before the sorcerer in his chamber, her long dark hair resting on her shoulder as she spoke.
"The spies I sent reported that the outworlders were able to escape the orc forest. We have to stop them now! The more you ignore them, the more time they'll have to get stronger. Send me and I'll..."
Dredd waved his left arm.
"You can do however you please, Jade, as long as you succeed."
"At last." Jade turned to one of the servants standing in the chamber. "Send a message to the black vipers and tell them to get ready. It's time to give our earthly visitors a PROPER welcoming."