|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
|||||||
Arion, Lord of Atlantis
Whatever Happened to Atlas?
On a warm afternoon a small boy eagerly trailed along behind a young man as they crossed an open field outside a large city. The child gazed up at the man from time to time with a gaze of pure hero worship. The object of his youthful admiration accepted the boy's affection and deference with an air of amusement that was not entirely free of a sense of approval.
"Well, lad, what say you? Do you approve of the Field of Heroes? I think it combines the splendors of nature with the accomplishments of man in a pleasing manner!" said the auburn haired man as he gestured to a row of golden statues that dotted the lush green landscape.
The boy gazed wide-eyed at the gleaming statues and darted forward as he drew closer to the first one. He stopped in front of a statue of a powerfully built warrior who stood in a posture of regal defiance. The warrior's eyes contained a determination and courage mixed with something benign. "Arion, who is he or who was he?" asked B'Zill.
Arion, High Mage of Atlantis, smiled and said, "Well might you phrase your questions exactly as you did for that great champion of old is indeed one who was and yet may still be!"
B'Zill said, "I don't understand! Please, tell me more!"
Arion nodded and spread his blue cape beneath him as he sat down in front of the statue and gazed out across the field outside the city of the Golden Gate. "B'Zill, for you to fully understand, you must know all about that legendary hero. It falls to me to tell you all I know about him. It will be my pleasure to idle away this sunny day by telling you the story of the mighty Atlas himself!" replied Arion.
"Long ago before there was the City of the Golden Gates or even an Atlantean Empire, people lived in a barbaric manner without laws or rules or any code of basic human decency. In those dark days, the strongest men could oppress weaker people without fear of retribution or the sting of justice. To make matters worse, in those unenlightened times, men made merchandize of their fellow men. Slavery was a common practice and evil warlords and their armies made life a cruel burden to many helpless victims!" he said.
B'Zill said, "You mean there was no king or mage to make things right? No one stood up for poor people against the warlords and slavers!"
Arion said, "B'Zill, in any age when there are those who do evil, there must also inevitably be men and women who fight for the cause of justice, law, and order! Atlas was such a hero. He had good reason to risk his life against slavers and warlords since in many ways his life first began when he stared up at the face of a man who was both of these things. Atlas had known happiness and security until his sixth year. That year marked the end of his childhood as well as the last time in his youth than he could call one place home. You see one morning, seemingly like any other day, a band of murdering slavers fell upon the village and killed or carried off to slavery everyone except for a frightened and shocked Atlas. The boy's father had managed to hide the brown haired, bright eyed boy in a cave before he died trying to protect his wife. When their cries reached his hiding place, Atlas crawled forward to the mouth of the cave to find his home ablaze. Moments later, he saw his father's body sprawl in the dirt as the brave warrior tried to stop several slavers from carrying off his lovely mother. Before Atlas could react she had been taken away along with the other women of the village to face a life as a slave.
"I don't understand how the gods could let that happen!" asked B'Zill.
Arion said, "High Mage that I am, even I am occasionally left to wonder why the Weaver spins his pattern as he does. The chief slaver was cruel and saw humans as a means to grow wealthy. Perhaps, he let his savage army vent their brutality upon the villagers in order to make his name more fearsome to the other communities within the region. Perhaps, he merely had no choice but to kill so many of the people since they were too proud and fierce to submit to life in chains. In any case, Atlas survived and emerged from the safety of the dark cave to confront his father's killer."
***
The boy named Atlas looked up in anger and pain as rough armored hands lifted him into the air and a ruddy face with cold, darting eyes and a debauched manner loomed over him. The slave-lord's elaborate helmet caught his attention and he gasped as the carved decoration in the shape of a serpent's head drew closer to his own face. "You'll make a fit slave one day, cub!" growled the villain as his men roared in approval.
Atlas moved with agility and precision beyond that of a small child as he struck the grinning warlord in the face and then fell to the ground. "You're bad! I hurt you!" he cried. The blow did more than force the slave-lord to release the boy. The sheer impact drove him off his feet and left him stunned in the dirt. Atlas raced away into the marshlands and tried to smother his own panting breath but all he could do was keep still until his enemies had departed.
He waited for what seemed to be hours and then slowly he peered up out of the weeds to look around as lightning flashed and thunder boomed. The coming of the storm reflected externally what turmoil Atlas felt within his aching chest. There was no sign of the slavers and the flames from the burning village had died down.
Atlas started to stand up when two hands closed around his mouth. "Stop struggling you little whelp! You'll betray our position. They are almost out of sight!" hissed a sibilant voice in his ear as narrow, tapering fingers closed around his mouth.
He reached backward and grabbed those arms and hurled the man who had touched him over his head to the ground below. "Great Mammoths! His strength is that of a grown man!" thought the startled man as he sailed through the air and landed in a puddle. Atlas ignored the man he had thrown aside in order to race over to his father's body. The child wept softly as he touched his father's still form.
He suddenly looked up at the ruins of his home and raced inside to emerge with a crystal object clutched closely to his chest. Then, he saw a gaunt figure in a dirty green robe with a hood. This odd scarecrow of a man was clearly neither slaver nor warrior.
The man had tried to make Atlas remain silent in order to protect himself from the slavers. Apparently, the man in green had been hiding in the weeds for a long time. "The boy returns with a glowing object! A crystal! Can it be?" muttered the thin figure in green.
The startled man rolled to his feet and revealed a drawn and hungry expression as he raised his hands in a placating manner. "Forgive this poor traveler, boy. Little did I know who your people were! Your people came from the Crystal Mountain. I know this for the truth for I see you carry a piece that can only come from that fabled realm! I am Chagra, your humble servant. Where you lead, I shall follow!" he said as Atlas grimly walked away from the only home he had ever known.
Atlas had glared at the smarmy man for a moment and then replied, "As you choose, as for me, I will find the man in the serpent helm and he will regret what he and his men have done to me! I will avenge my parents!"
Thus, the odd companions had set off from the ruined village and for the rest of his life Atlas would remember nothing before the moment when he stared up into the face of chief slaver with the same vivid intensity. That grinning fiend's image haunted the child and drove him to increase in strength and cunning as he grew. He would need to acquire such attributes in order to one day avenge the loss of his parents and his home.
Atlas grew into a tall, muscular, brown haired titan of a man. He favored a red loincloth and boots as his normal garb. He also wore a gleaming golden helmet that was awarded to him for triumphing against all comers in a grand gladiatorial contest. He had no desire for the precious helm to attract thieves everywhere he went so he concealed it beneath a red hood. He possessed a strength that could not be equaled by a dozen men! He also came to have a caring heart. He did not allow his pain to color his world in bitter hues. He became a champion to all those in need and his journeys took him into many a perilous situation.
***
"Did he kill monsters?" asked B'Zill.
Arion smiled and said, "Aye that he did! He defeated warriors, monsters, mages, and on more than one occasion he managed to turn defeat into victory for the oppressed or enslaved. Yet, for all of his triumphs, mighty Atlas never forgot the face of the slayer in the serpent helm nor could he ever rest until he brought that villain to the grave."
"What of Chagra? Why did he follow Atlas even when he was just a boy?" asked B'Zill.
Arion said, "That is but one of the mysteries that surrounded Atlas. He accepted Chagra as companion and servant and never questioned the strange man about his own motives until one day when Atlas was around twenty years old. He had just earned the golden helmet prize that was awarded to him for defeating all foes in a grand gladiatorial contest. This display of amazing physical prowess had led Chagra to make a decision."
***
Thus, after they had loaded their small wagon with supplies and exited the city in which Atlas had won great acclaim for his battle skills, Chagra cleared his throat and began a fateful speech. He had waited until their wagon had left the city and no one was in sight of their vehicle before he began his speech.
He cleared his throat again and then he said, "I have waited until now to make you an offer. I've waited until you were ready to bargain. Atlas, I can lead you to your goal. I can help you find the slave lord who killed you father. You see, I've learned where he lives! I have not been entirely idle all these years while you were bravely slaying dragons or rescuing beautiful maidens. I have never stopped questioning all we met in order to learn the truth about your enemy. I will take you to him if you take me to the Crystal Mountains. It is said there is great wealth to be had there but no man has ever found the mystical place. It is on no map or chart made by mortal men. I would like to find more crystals like the one you have always carried with you."
Atlas had been surprised by the news; however, he wisely hid his emotions and agreed to the deal. "I see. Then, first take me to the lizard kingdom. That can only be the source of that cursed helmet the slaver wore! No mortal with a soul would choose such a crest!"
Chagra smiled thinly and said, "Agreed! I will lead you beyond the border of the lizard kingdom and inside that realm's cluster of scattered cities will we find the one you seek!"
They journeyed through rocky cliffs ringed with fire and battled past scaly giant lizards from an even earlier time but with Chagra's guile and Atlas's courage, they eventually emerged into the streets of a dirty and decadent city called Hyssa.
Atlas knew that he would need money in order to survive while his quest continued. Thus, he agreed reluctantly to perform in the streets as a strongman while Chagra tried to use his oily charms to persuade the crowds to offer them coins. "Step up and see the Mighty Atlas! No mere mortal can match his amazing strength! Watch in open mouthed awe as Atlas shatters stone in his bare hands!" cried Chagra as he stood on the back of their wagon while Atlas mounted the nearby steps of a market place and lifted two massive stone columns under each arm.
Atlas merely swung his arms around and shattered the columns into rubble with one impressive heave of his body. As the crowd cheered and coins rained down around them, a sneering tone cut through the sounds of innocent amusement as slaves carrying a divan came into view.
A nobleman reclined on the divan and from his perch above the crowd he looked down at Atlas in dismay. "Clear the way for one of the King's nobles! I have business in the city and will not wait for you rabble to gawk at some freak show!" he said.
Atlas smiled and said, "Nobleman are you? Well, let me show you what I think of noblemen who ride on the backs of human beings!" He rushed forward and scattered the slaves with one dynamic charge and then he toppled the divan to the street and raised the struggling nobleman into the air with one hand!
"Hold knave! I am the Warlord of Hyssa! What manner of fool dares to mistreat one whom I favor!" growled a voice as armored men rode into view and a shocked Atlas froze in his tracks.
The brawny man with curly brown hair wore only a red hood and red pants but he still made a majestic sight as he held the attention of all observers including the man who spoke to him in such commanding tones.
That speaker was the world in itself for Atlas for his features were an exactly match for those of his hated foe. Although, now older and heavier and possessed of far more power than before, the chief slaver from his village now stood before the champion as men bowed low in fear. "I am the Warlord of Hyssa! Have we not met before?" asked the cruel killer as his eyes met those of Atlas and he began to grow nervous.
"Speak! Who are you?" he shouted.
Atlas released the noble and stepped forward with his fist raised in challenge. "Your conqueror!" he declared as he faced his father's killer after so many years.
Atlas leaped forward at the Warlord and sent his warriors crashing to the ground on either side as he made his way toward his enemy. He casually caught and shoved sword strokes away from his body and ignored the blows from maces and morning stars as if he was made of metal himself.
"He fights like a tiger!" said the Warlord of Hyssa as Atlas connected with a mighty punch that knocked a burly soldier cold.
Atlas said, "You killed my father! You miserable worm! You killed my father!"
The Warlord of Hyssa smiled and said, "I've killed many fathers in my time. For that matter I've killed mothers as well. Do you have a point?"
Atlas jumped into the air and tackled the armored figure. He sent him reeling off the back of his horse and began to pummel him with both fists. "Stop! Let the Warlord go or we'll kill your friend!" cried a soldier as he held a dagger to Chagra's bony neck.
Atlas frowned and slammed the Warlord's head against the ground before backing away from him. "Let him go! He has nothing to do with this!" he cried.
The soldiers surrounded him and one continued to keep a firm hold on Chagra. "Come with us to the keep or we'll slit his throat. For that matter, make any trouble and we'll kill the women as well!" he said. He gestured to where the soldiers had taken captive a number of young women from the crowd.
"You swine! You cowardly pack of serpents! I'll obey you. Don't hurt these people!" said a grim Atlas as he raised his hands and allowed the soldiers to bind him and force him into a march to a large keep outside of the city.
The Warlord of Hyssa had been helped to his feet and then to his horse. He rode at the head of the group and he glanced backward at Atlas from time to time. "I know those burning eyes! I think this brute is the wild child who once attacked me! I've never forgotten that whelp's raw strength!" he thought.
Chagra scowled in dismay as he found himself a helpless captive. He had made a career out of avoiding peril. He had always managed to leave any act of danger to his brawny ally and he bitterly resented being caught in the middle now.
"I've never had any real affection for Atlas but I've always pretended to be his loyal servant since I'd hoped to profit by his inhuman strength or his mysterious past. He vowed to take me to the Crystal Mountains where that gem of his originated. Why couldn't I have insisted that he perform that task before I told him where to find those who wear the serpent crest!" he thought in despair.
He sighed as he recalled his first encounter with such a gemstone. "I was a boy in the marketplace when my old uncle paid a good price for a crystalline sphere brought into his stall by a rugged brute of a man. He told me that such a gemstone had to have magical power if utilized by one with the gift of arcane conjuration. I remembered that and vowed to find other crystals and those who possessed them. When I reached adulthood, I managed to locate other gems of that type but in every case their owners had bartered them away or lost them to thieves. I learned nothing more than the fact that the crystals came from a fabled mountain range but no man could tell me more or help me find such a range. I did learn that the people of the crystal mountain were few in number and scattered across the globe. They were a strange lot and little was known of them except that they alone could find the mountain that spawned their own individual crystals. I thought my fortune was made when I saw Atlas bring out that crystal but my hope that he would lead me to others of his race never came true. Thus, I decided to profit from him once and for all and be done with his life of constant heroics! Now, it seems I've waited too long."
Atlas was concerned about the gaunt man he viewed as a friend and he also felt pity for the scared women who found themselves enslaved by the fiendish Warlord of Hyssa. He admired a fiery redheaded woman who wore a filmy pink tunic and slippers. She showed no sign of fear although she was as helpless as her peers.
He allowed the soldiers to push him forward into a rounded pit within the heart of the old keep. He landed on his feet and looked around but the light was dim and he could see little. "You'll pay for your actions! You'll feed my pet and I'll watch your death with pleasure!" shouted the Warlord of Hyssa from above. Torchlight quickly illuminated the top of the pit and Atlas saw the grinning Warlord and his men watching from around the top.
"The only thing that I'll feed is my desire to see your corpse!" cried Atlas.
He knew that in time he could climb out of the pit. All he had to do was form climbing holes with his powerful hands. He had performed such feats before in other deadly situations. Still, he suspected something more immediate had to be done before he could avenge his old losses.
"Where is the monster? There's always a monster in this kind of spectacle. Let me slay it and be on my way!" he said with a mocking smile.
The Warlord of Hyssa scowled and said, "Laugh when your allies suffer for your words!" He gestured and his men shoved Chagra and the red haired beauty into the pit.
Atlas moved forward and caught the girl in his arms as Chagra landed nearby. "I fear I was too slow to soften both your falls!" he said with a shrug.
Chagra rubbed his arm and said, "Yes, very amusing, Atlas. I'll smile at the memory of this moment …when we're away from this infernal pit!"
Atlas said, "What is your name, girl?"
She said, "I am called Lana. Please, can you help me? I've never faced such a frightening crisis in my life!"
Atlas said, "I have faced many a fight and none of them have even left me scarred except for one from my childhood. Those scars can't be seen but believe me, they are felt to this day!" He heard a roar and saw a green skinned humanoid figure rear up on its legs to tower over him. The creature seemed to lack any obvious eyes or ears but its open mouth and long tongue could be seen clearly. "Cosmos! That thing is ugly!" he said.
He jumped forward and felt the creature's snaking tongue wrap around his wrist. The tongue burned as it touched his skin and he gritted his teeth as he placed his hands around it and used it to physically drag the beast down to his level. He punched it again and again and noticed with confident pleasure how it staggered and finally fell after he landed another strong blow. "Your wife is indisposed, Warlord! Come down and revive her!" he said.
The Warlord of Hyssa scowled as his own men snickered at the remark. "Kill him! Rain down your spears and end his witless prattle!" he said. The guards stepped to the edge of the pit and raised their spears.
Atlas said, "I had better end this swiftly before one as pretty as you or as vain as Chagra gets hurt!" He bent over the fallen creature and in a remarkable show of raw power, he lifted it over his head and hurled into out of the pit and on top of the row of soldiers. "Now, while they try to free one another, let's make haste and leave this pit!" he said.
He slammed his fist into the wall and left a hole. He made a second one a bit higher along the wall and then used the holes to climb higher where he could make additional holes with smashing blows. After he reached the top, he grabbed a chain from a wall turret and used it to pull both Chagra and Lana to freedom.
A swift kick sent a soldier reeling while he completed his task. He spun the chain around and around and used it to clear his path until he stood before the cornered Warlord Of Hyssa. "I will not beg for mercy nor will I try to buy my life! Kill me and be cursed for it, you savage!" he said.
Atlas said, "I have never killed except in battle. Raise your sword and face me!"
The Warlord nodded and said, "Very well. No man may call me coward!" He swung at the bare chested warrior and gasped as Atlas shattered the blade with one precise swing of his arm.
Atlas gripped the struggling Warlord by the throat and lifted him off the ground. "Your pet is stirring. I'll let him finish you off. You've earned that kind of slow death!" he said. He hurled the beaten Warlord of Hyssa at the rising form of the green creature.
It snatched him with its elongated tongue and swallowed him in one gulp.
Atlas nodded and said, "A fitting way for such a man to go. Digested by one even more reptilian than himself!"
Chagra said, "Aye! Now, let us be away from here! His men are still at large and they will catch us when we depart from this section."
Atlas said, "No! You may leave but I have a final task to accomplish ere I go. He has other prisoners here and I will free them or die trying!"
The man in red charged forward and grabbed a wall of bars and ripped them away from the wall. He yelled into the cells beyond as he pinned approaching troops behind the huge metal frame. "Come! Your day of freedom is at hand! Do not fear the serpents of Hyssa! They will trouble you no more!" Cheers echoed as dozens of men and women ran out of the vast number of cells below.
"Apparently, the ex-slaver had not forsaken his passion for human commodities!" thought Atlas.
Lana clutched his arm and said, "Atlas, take us with you! We need someone like you!" Atlas stared at the woman for a moment as he continued to lead the freed captives out of the keep.
Finally, he said, "Lana, you are all welcome to follow me. I am about to take Chagra to the Crystal Mountains. Should you wish to go there, you may do so!"
Lana hurriedly conferred with the others as they departed from the keep. All it took was a few well placed blows from Atlas to dissuade the remaining troops from trying to stop their passage.
A black man in a blue tunic stepped forward from the crowd. "Atlas, I am Garis. We would gladly join you. Our own villages are no more. The Warlord of Hyssa burned them when he captured us. What can you tell us of the Crystal Mountains?"
Atlas said, "When I was a child my father told me that this crystal was a sign of my heritage and that it would lead me to the Crystal Mountains if I so desired. He urged me to always keep it safe."
Chagra sputtered in surprise. "You mean that crystal is a talisman of some type? The ones I found before did nothing for me! They must truly be some arcane work that will only respond to the touch of one of your kind. Why did you not use it to find that place when you were a child?" he asked.
Atlas said, "I never had a reason to do so. My life until this point has been dedicated to preparing myself for finding and slaying the man who killed my parents. I knew he was not in the remote regions since his career of plunder required him to be based around some city!"
Lana took his hand and said, "We will all join you. You've freed us and we want a leader and a new home. You could provide us with both!"
Atlas smiled and said, "So be it!" He led the group to the stables and instructed them to saddle the horses found within. One swift punch dropped a protesting guard and Atlas soon led his new band of followers out of the city.
"Won't the guards follow us?" asked Chagra as he glanced nervously over his shoulder.
Atlas laughed and said, "Those jackals? They will be far too busy fighting each other for the right to replace their late leader! In any case, let them follow, I'll serve them in the same manner I dealt with their Warlord!"
The group traveled for many days through rugged terrain and finally emerged above an open plain. Chagra whispered to Atlas, "Atlas, what folly is this? We are no closer to mountains than when we started! Our food is running out as well! The game with which we restocked our supplies may not even be available on such a barren plain!"
Atlas scowled and raised the crystal over his head. "My father told me how to use this crystal when the time was right! Watch and hold your tongue!" he said.
The crystal caught the light of the sun and suddenly the barren plain gleamed as what had appeared to be empty space was revealed as a long range of shining crystalline formations. "By the Cosmos! It was there all the time! Only that gem brought it into view!" said Lana.
Atlas said, "Aye! That explains why no man could find it except for one of my race who knew how to work the crystals!"
Chagra said, "I could live as a sultan with the gold those crystals could bring me!"
Atlas said, "I fear that fate has other plans for that formation!"
Garis said, "Atlas, it's alive!"
The whole range shuddered and began to move as the massive structure rose out of the ground and loomed high above them as previously concealed parts of the shining formation emerged from beneath the ground. "That's not a mountain! It appears to be a craft of some type!" said Garis.
Atlas frowned and said, "Cosmos! It is some strange contrivance!" He ran forward and stopped as the crystalline structure parted to reveal a doorway. He entered and saw a recessed spot in the middle of the chamber. He placed his own small crystal fragment on the area and a light flashed to reveal a flickering image of a beautiful blonde woman in a light blue outfit.
"Some type of unholy phantasm!" said Lana as she moved inside after Atlas.
"It is a ghost!" whispered Garis.
Atlas said, "Nay! It is one of my people! I feel that to be true!"
The woman said, "At long last, we have received a signal from the lost spacecraft! It was not destroyed in passage as we thought!" She appeared to be standing elsewhere in a pastoral setting and her words were addressed to some unseen person in her own realm.
She looked forward again and said, "Lost travelers, we rejoice that at long last you have managed to repair your signal device and communicate with us. We deemed you all to have been lost to the forces we have opposed for so long. Dread Steppenwolf's legions did not claim you after all!"
Atlas said, "Lady, I am Atlas. My ancestors came from your realm. I feel this to be true. You say they came here in this strange means of movement?"
She said, "Yes! You do have the look of our race. Noble, strong, brave! Good sir, know that your ancestors left our world on a mission of peace in a time of war. They were attacked and we thought they had been destroyed. Tis now apparent that the primitive matter threshold device they were testing allowed them to shunt themselves to a new world entirely. We searched for them but gave up as war pressed us at every side. We later abandoned the matter threshold for a new device!"
Chagra said, "Atlas comes from another world! That explains his inhuman power!"
Atlas said, "My father and mother and their friends must have separated on this world to find a way to return. They lived and died here since none of them knew how to restore their craft. Why was that?
The lovely blonde said, "Because it was only a short time ago as we measure time that a brilliant ally found a way of creating a means by which any who used the threshold craft that brought your ancestors to your realm could possibly reach us. He sought to do so as a purely intellectual achievement but it has brought us joy. Now, let us use the Boom Tube that replaced the crystal craft in which you stand, to bring you home!"
Atlas frowned as he felt the crowd of followers gazing at him. He said, "No! I will remain here with these people. They need me and I will not leave them. I wish you well but my place is here. I will never join you, lady. Tell me though, what is your name and who were my people?"
She nodded sadly and said, "I am Lady Avia and this is New Genesis! Fare well, noble Atlas. You will never leave our memories or hearts!" The image faded away and Atlas turned to embrace Lana.
"I am home now. Let us settle this empty land and make it a home for us and our people!" he said.
***
B'Zill interrupted Arion's tale to say, "So, Atlas came from another realm and his crystal was a science from that world! His people always kept fragments of that crystal in hopes that someday their race would use it to locate them!"
Arion said, "Aye! Atlas and Lana wed and their band settled on the ruins beyond the crystal ship. Those ruins once belonged to another alien race. While some of the followers of Atlas eventually managed to use the crystal ship to leave Earth for space, others remained to found a city whose name was taken from those of Atlas and Lana. While marriage with people of this world eventually eliminated the great strength found in the race from which Atlas came, our current kings still retain the long life his people knew!"
"Atlantis!" cried B'Zill.
Arion smiled and said, "Aye! That is why the statue of mighty Atlas is first. He was the first king of what would become our noble Atlantean Empire!"
The child stared up at the statue and smiled. "Arion, will you tell me about the other heroes?" he asked.
Arion laughed and said, "Aye, but not today! I have work of my own to do to make sure all Atlas built does not fall away to the perils of today!"