Virtuality: Magic Island

Chapter 16: The Strategic Way

Lontari was now sitting up, listening to Imani talk.

"Yes, Lontari," she said. "Fighting isn't all about strength and power. It's also about the thought you put into defeating your opponent."

Lontari listened to her closely, staring at her like he has seen a ghost. The realization struck him so hard that he couldn't believe he'd never considered it. All this time he had been investing his sweat and blood into making sure he was the most powerful multimage. But what is a powerful mage without thought?

"I've never thought about that. I could defeat Occidifu and his men without my powers..."

"Absolutely!" Imani confirmed. "If anything, it'd give you a much better chance.

"Wise words, my dear," said Axel. 

Imani giggled. "I've learned a lot while playing this game."

Lontari regretted that he didn't realize this the first time around, but there was no time to feel sorry for oneself. He had a gem-hungry hunter to defeat. So, he hopped out of bed and holstered his sword on his back.

"Well, guys," he said proudly with his chest. "What are we waiting for? We have a tyrant to defeat."

The group all stood up to leave the room, but then all of a sudden, they heard the sound of rumbling and cracking. Once they looked out of the window, they gasped in horror at the amount of cracks tearing open in the road.

"Oh crap!" Lontari half-yelled. "Occidifu has the gem now! We've got to get to Perikayo, now!"

Meanwhile, in Perikayo, the once beautiful and majestic Kingston Palace was now obscured by flames. Pieces fell apart and crashed onto the grass yard it sat on. But this was nowhere near a bother for Occidifu and his men as they proudly walked out of the doors, their leader proudly holding the shiny green gem.

"I finally have it..." he said. He then proudly barked, "I finally have the Viridis gem!!!"

He turned around to look at his men. "Well, men. We've accomplished our objective. Now, we must depart before that Lontari comes for us again!"

He pulled out his phone attached to his hip and called his ship pilots, who answered almost immediately. "Captain. Come in, captain."

"Yes, Occidifu," the voice said on the phone.

"I need you to sail over to the Perikayo mountains. The army and I will meet you there."

"Roger that."

Somewhere in the vast ocean, the enormous black ship was strolling with the waves. That was, until it suddenly took an abrupt left, headed straight for the tall, somewhat grassy mountains that led to Perikayo and Magic Island altogether.

But Lontari and the gang was beating them to it. The big orange dragon flew across the sky. Lontari and his friends stared in sadness at what was once Perikayo. Every building and house was being gobbled up by flames. Dead bodies were littered in the street. The distorted alm trees were missing their green leaves and were on the verge of snapping in half.

"This place used to be so beautiful and tropical..." said Axel.

Lontari watched in sadness, until something popped up in his head. He gasped in fear when he realized. He was ashamed he hadn't even thought of it.

"What's wrong?" Imani asked.

"Mom! Squirt! Denver!" Lontari said. "I have to see them!!"

"Your mom plays this game?" 

Lontari sighed. "No. This virtual mom. My real life one is almost never home."

Was he in for a real nasty surprise. The street on which he lived was the first aftermath of this entire disaster. It reaked of the smell of charcoal and rain that left a nasty taste in your mouth. The houses were now nothing more than long shards of wind that emitted disgusting black smoke into the air. The sidewalks were cracked, and had tiny little fires littered here in the there. The cars were cracked and dented, and missing their wheels.