Revelations
Sakura sat back in the only comfortable chair in King Algernon’s High Study and wiggled her toes. “I think all zis walking ees damaging my beautiful feet! When we are done with zis game, I will have a word or two with the carnival owners about reducing the amount of walking involved.”
Golf stared at her in disbelief. “Sakura, how...HOW on earth can you still believe we’re playing a carnival game?! We’ve been here for over a month!”
“Oh, I know eet seems that way, Golf, but really eet must only have been an hour or so.” She sat up straight, her attention leaving her feet as she stared meaningfully up at Golf. Harvey, standing by the western window and playing absently with the telescope mounted there, perked up his ears. “This oughtta be good,” he muttered.
Sakura took a deep breath and began. “Think back, Golf. We may have done a lot of things and fought a lot of people, but do you really remember all the tedious time in-between those incidents zat would have had to have passed eef we had really been here a whole month?”
Golf stared at his beautiful companion in disbelief. His mouth opened. It closed. It opened again. Finally, noise came out. “Yes! Yes, Sakura, I do remember all that tedious time. I remember every tedious minute of it! I remember figuring out how the monetary system in this place works, and I remember using that money to make sure we had food to eat. I remember sitting in a dungeon cell for three days while the priests made sure I wasn’t a demon. And I remember the walking, Sakura. The endless walking. The walking you were just complaining about. How can you persist in this delusion that we’re playing a game?
Before Golf could reply, Tank returned with Shiba in tow. “So.” Shiba said. “What do we know now that we couldn’t have found out walking in the other direction?”
Golf spun on his heel to face Shiba. “What we know,” he said, fire in his voice, “is that these Steam Wolves are the product of an evil tyrant known only as the Necromaster. He rules a kingdom to west of here called Zardoz that King Algernon and his people believe to be haunted by demons. We, however, based on the evidence we found at the shack, believe that this Necromaster is merely using advanced technology that seems like dark magic. Further, based on Sakura’s knowledge of steam power and Japanese cartoons, we believe that this Necromaster is not a native of Arcanos, but is in fact from OUR WORLD!”
Shiba blinked. “All of which we could have also •gured out if we’d just gone west instead of returning here.”
“That’s not the point!” Golf shouted.
“Well, then what IS the point, Golf? You brought us all the way back here to learn something we could have found out with a stop at some old hermit’s shack!”
“There WERE no hermits! Hermits need food! And the entire area had been stripped of all vegetation! Without vegetation, there are no animals! And without vegetation or animals, hermits can’t eat!”
“Gee, Golf, where did you learn so much about hermits?” Tank asked.
Golf sighed. “Look, forget the hermits. Shiba, I’m just ticked off because you weren’t here for our meeting with the King. I know you don’t have much of a life waiting for you back home, but I’ve got a family to support. And every day I spend here is a day I could have been spending in a golf tournament, making sure that my mom gets to eat a meal every now and again.
So if you’re done practicing your swing, maybe you could help us figure out what we’re going to—”
Golf turned suddenly, and raced over to the window. “Of course! The telescope! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” Golf grasped the king’s ancient spyglass in his hands and trained it westward. “With the enhanced vision I’ve developed since we’ve been here, I’m sure I can use this telescope to see right into the heart of the Necromaster’s kingdom! A-ha! There!
“It’s horrible, guys. The place is
an industrial wasteland. There’s no trees, no birds... Even
the grass is dead. Every building seems to be devoted to some
kind of industrial production. But what are they...” Golf’s
voice
trailed off, and he stood up from the telescope.
“Well, what is it?” Harvey asked. “Don’t leave us hangin’, brother!”
“Weapons,” Golf said. “They’re making weapons. And not just swords and pikes, either. They’re making guns. And the army I just saw looked big enough to over-run Algernon in a day.”
Shiba’s mouth formed into a hard line. “I guess that means we’re heading back west.”
...And, miles away to the west, another eye peered back at Golf through another spyglass, one of superior scientific design. With a hiss of steam, the Necromaster sighed. “Well. I suppose I’ll be having visitors, then...”
