Chapter 10 – The Quest

1/27/2020 --:--

Ryan climbed over the next rise; the cold, damp winter night air chilled him to the bone as he clutched himself to ward off the chill. The hazmat suit he was still wearing no longer did much to help keep him warm. Where am I? What am I doing miles from any shelter? Ryan inquired of himself.

Ryan knew from a nagging thought that he was desperately searching for someone, but he could not remember who. There was some fog shrouding his thoughts and he only needed to peer beyond it to find answers.

So…tired, must keep going. Ryan could barely move his fingers and hit feet were numb blocks of ice. Shivers convulsed his body as the water soaking his clothes sapped energy and warmth from his stumbling form.

Several hours earlier, the pod he was in had landed in a lake. Ryan had needed to take off his mask and swim to the surface of the lake where he crawled out into the freezing air and blasts of cold wind to avoid drowning. Now he faced a different danger… freezing to death.

Must… keep… moving Ryan thought desperately. So… tired, just need a few minutes his rebelling body cried out as he stumbled forward in the wind. Without warning, Ryan’s feet tripped and his knees buckled as he tumbled face first into the cold frozen ground.

Get up! Ryan’s mind screamed at his body. His limbs would not move. Who am I looking for? Ryan struggled to remember. His vision blurred and he felt his muscles relax. Why am I out here? Why am I not at Fort Stalwart? Ryan wondered.

Ryan slowly lifted his head over his shoulder. His body looked… different. His body looked almost feminine, but he could not tell because of the baggy hazmat suit that covered him. Who am I? Ryan looked forward. He saw a puddle one foot in front of him. With a monumental effort, Ryan dragged himself to the puddle and looked into it.

There was a different face that looked back at him. The face was feminine, with long black hair tied back in a bun and eyes that were bright green although they were dulled by fatigue. It was Lucy’s face. I am in my sister’s body and mind this must be a dream or a vision. Ryan realized.

“Ryan Davis, where are you? I hope you are safe.” Lucy’s voice whispered softly and she succumbed to the cold and drifted out of consciousness.

Ryan woke with a gasp, sweat drenching his body. Cold shivers ran their icy tendrils across his back. Lucy is here and in danger Ryan thought. He checked his watch for the time, but it was broken from his fight with the small Eviscerator.

“Wakey Wakey!” Robert called cheerfully. “We let you sleep in enough already.” Robert’s face suddenly became serious once he spotted Ryan’s expression. “What’s wrong? You look pale and frightened.”

“My sister is here and in trouble.”

“How do you know?”

“I had a vision last night. We need to at least try to find her to see that she’s ok.”

“Are you sure? We need to train you so you can fight effectively if you run into an Eviscerator.”

“There is no time to train. Please Robert; this is really important to me.”

“Okay, but first we need to equip ourselves.” With that, Robert led Ryan down the hall outside his room and to a door that had a descending flight of stairs behind it.

“Where does that lead?” Ryan asked.

“It leads down to my armory, come on.” Robert quickly descended the stairs, Motioning for Ryan to follow him.

Once they were down, Ryan looked at the weapons and armor hanging around him. Swords, daggers, spears, javelins, lances, and throwing knives all hung on finely carved wooden racks, their edges gleaming silver, sharp and ready. On another wall hung a few crossbows and quivers filled with the metal bolts that the crossbows shot.

On another wall there hung shields of engraved metal and shields of wood. The wood shields had designs emblazoned on them, some bold colors while others had designs with muted colors created to camouflage rather than stand out. Next to the shields there hung armor. Leggings, breastplates, boots, helmets, and gauntlets made of many different materials.

There was armor made from leather, chainmail, or metal plates. Some armor was made from a mixture of materials. It was this last kind of armor Robert selected for Ryan. It was a set of armor made from leather and chainmail with no gauntlets for better hand dexterity.

“This is a set of my sister’s armor since it is more your size. I have adjusted a few straps to make it fit your frame better. The armor is mostly leather so it is fairly light. How does it feel?” Robert asked.

“It fits fine and the weight is pretty manageable.” Ryan replied.

“Good, later we will have to fit you for your own armor, but that will work for now. Now here comes the fun part, weapons.” Robert walked to the wall with the melee weapons and took down a pair of daggers about eight inches long. “These should work for you.” Robert said, handing Ryan the daggers in their leather weapons belt.

Next, Robert strode to the wall with the crossbows and took down a small crossbow with a strap. He also took down a quiver full of metal bolts which Ryan attached to his belt next to his thigh. Robert then began equipping himself with a set of chainmail and leather armor, dual broadswords, a crossbow with quiver, and a few throwing knives which he tucked into his belt.

“Now we need to head upstairs to eat and pack food. By the way, can you describe the area Lucy was at in your vision?”

“She was near this lake… the lake looked familiar. She was also near these woods with strange, dead-looking trees. Oh! The lake was near where you saved me. I saw it and the woods outside of the building that my pod landed in.”

Hearing this, Robert stiffened and paled a little bit. “You describe the lake of the lost. It is near the twisted wood which is a hotbed for the Eviscerators. If you are right about your sister’s location, she might have more problems than cold and exposure.

Ryan felt his stomach grow still and cold. “Why is it called the lake of the lost?”

“Maybe I will tell you sometime, but not now. For now we must hurry to pack and hope that your sister is still alive.”