The two dragons in the room flashed each other feral smiles and sat back to wait for the next part of the show. They’d already sealed the room and moved the earth above so that just a minor shove of earth magic from either of them would unleash the river upon the room. One of them pulled out a stick of hard candy and broke it in half, offering a piece to his companion. Dragons had a wicked sweet tooth when in human form.
A few minutes later, the Dark One appeared, once again sitting on his throne. Once again, he was stuck by the poison needles, though he’d tried to leap up and avoid them. With a furious growl, he removed a sword from his back and hacked at the needles on the throne’s seat. He managed to break them all before he died again.
“I forgot to look,” one of the dragons whispered to the other. “Did he lose a level?” The second one shrugged as they sat back to wait again. Beings who were effectively immortal had a great deal of patience. And watching this adventurer rage was amusing.
Back in limbo, Matt raged. He stomped around and cursed. After a few minutes, he began to take deep breaths. “Okay. The drow betrayed you. Set a trap. They must be angry about the failure to capture Antalia. They have to know they can’t really kill me, so this must be some kind of message. A reprimand.” His rage boiled to the top again. “Goddamned NPCs think they can teach ME a lesson?! I’ll…” He paused. There really wasn’t much he could do. The drow wizards who’d granted him the power he had and the drow who followed him were beyond his reach. They were so high-level he couldn’t even SEE their levels when he inspected them. Even the servants they sent to him with messages or gifts were at least a hundred levels above him.
“So I’ll take this punishment. Eventually they’ll get tired of it and I can get back to work. The prince will break soon and I’ll have my way into Damerion.” He looked at his timer counting down the last few seconds.
This time, the moment he appeared, he leapt up from the throne’s seat, using his legs and hands for balance. He felt a few snags on his armor, but nothing penetrated. He quickly grabbed his sword again and hacked at the broken needles until they were flush with the seat. Sitting back down very carefully, he relaxed when no more poison debuffs appeared on his UI.
Once again, he shouted, “Guards!” but no one responded. He slipped into stealth mode, hoping to detect any drow standing nearby. If they’d been told to punish him, they might be loitering about watching him suffer. But most of the drow had higher-level stealth abilities than him as well. It was innate to their race, and they improved it throughout their entire lives. Which for some of them had been hundreds or even a thousand years. Dropping stealth, he reached into his bag for a snack. He removed an apple and took a big bite. Immediately, the poison debuff appeared on his UI again.
“Dammit! How much is enough? I’ve learned my lesson! I won’t fail again!” His shouting became ragged as he once again fell dead. This time, he could swear he heard laughter as his vision faded.
The elder of the two dragons chided his companion. “Do not expose us by laughing. He will search for us when he returns.”
The younger bowed his head in apology. “I am sorry. But he will not be looking for us. He thinks the drow are punishing him for losing Antalia. I could watch this all day.” He grinned. The other dragon produced another hard candy and handed it over.
Matt threw off his headset and jumped up from his chair. “Aaaaaargh!” he screamed into the empty room. Immediately he clamped a hand over his mouth, remembering where he was. It wouldn’t do for the neighbors to hear him and report a squatter to the police. Every cop in the city had his face memorized.
Pacing the room as his limbo time counted down, he grumbled to himself, “I’ve lost three full levels in twenty minutes. They’ve GOT to see that losing levels makes me less effective. They need me! And how the HELL did they get into my inventory to poison an apple?”
It never occurred to him that the poison might be on his glove after touching the throne. Matt wasn’t the smartest among his siblings. Or his peers. His father had been the smart one, the planner. Matt was the driving force and the charismatic face. The two of them had made a good team. Without his father, he knew his time and his capabilities were limited.
When he’d calmed down enough, he sat back in the chair and donned the headset again. This time when he logged in, he didn’t bother jumping up from the chair. He sat there thinking. He removed every item of food from his bag and dropped it on the floor. He did the same with his water bottle. He’d sniffed it first, but there were plenty of poisons that had no odor. So he tossed it aside.
Standing up, he began to pace back and forth. He thought better as he moved. “Maybe I’ll just go up to the surface and change my bind point for now. I can always change it back when this is over.” He turned to head for the door and felt a sharp spike of pain in his foot.
“Come ON!” he shouted, as the poisoned debuff appeared on his UI once again. He looked down to see a needle poking up from the floor. Removing his sword, he swiped at it, breaking off the needle point. He spotted a few others and did the same. Then he sat down on the throne again and died.
The younger of the two dragons unstealthed and carefully approached the throne, watching for any needles in the floor. “He pulled a lot of items from that bag. Let’s see what else he has in there? Could be something shiny.”
The other dragon nodded. Dragons loved shiny treasure, whether they were in human form or their natural form. Bag in hand, the first dragon returned to their hiding spot and the two of them peeked inside.
*****
Alexander and Jules spent most of the day just relaxing. They talked about things. Logged onto the computer at Alexander’s desk and viewed some of their friend’s feeds. Alexander was keen to see Fibble’s feed, and they watched the little guy sneak into the kitchen and steal a handful of cookies from a jar. Alexander noticed one of the cooks noticing the little guy, but she just smiled slightly and pretended she hadn’t. They watched him run so fast that his fuzzy green slippers were just a blur on the screen as he dashed back to his little room in the stables. He stashed the cookies in a bag buried under his many pillows. When they were secure, he put his eyes to the gap in the floorboards and threatened any bugs that might be down there who were tempted to take his cookies.
From there he went to find Bacon, who was lounging near the stables in his own private mud pit. Fibble gleefully leapt right in and began to wrestle with the pig. They were both quickly covered in mud. Alexander was tempted to message Lainey and get her to give the little goblin a bath, but decided he’d dunk the thief in the lake when he got back.
They took a short walk around the grounds, Alexander pushing Jules’ wheelchair and leaning on it at the same time. They walked down to the dock that stuck out into the lake and watched as a couple of teenagers paddled around in the water. On the way back, Alexander was nearly run down by a four-year-old on a Big Wheel that zoomed past. He eyed the retreating kid with a grin as an idea struck him.
Back up in his office that afternoon, they simply sat and snuggled on the sofa. They joined the crowd down in the cafeteria for dinner, during which many people stopped by their table to introduce themselves to Jules and to give their congratulations. It seemed everybody knew her, and she began to get a little overwhelmed by the attention.
After dinner, they retired to Alexander’s bedroom. Jules said, “I think we should get back in the game. Maybe first thing in the morning?”
Alexander hesitated. Then he said, “Heimdall, could you call Dr. Feelgood for me?”
“Of course, Alexander. She is in her office. One moment.”
“Hello, Alexander.” The doc’s voice came through a moment later. “How are things going?”
“Great, Doc! Jules and I were wondering if it would be okay to go back into the game tomorrow. Wanted to make sure you don’t have any… concerns.”
“Nope! Our main worry was that Jules wouldn’t want to return to this world. I think that question’s been an
swered. You two are just adorable together, by the way.” Both of them rolled their eyes. “You can log back in whenever you’re ready. We’ll monitor Jules carefully, of course. But we anticipate no problems. And we still want you both to log out maybe once a week for a few physical therapy sessions.”
“Thanks, Doc!” Jules answered. “We’ll log back in first thing in the morning. Have a good night!”
They crawled into bed on their respective sides and Jules squirmed a bit as Alexander rolled to his side to spoon her. “This bed isn’t as big as the one in-game,” she commented.
Alexander immediately replied, “I can have a bigger one brought up by the time we log out again. Princes can make stuff like that happen.”
She giggled at him. “Don’t be silly. I want to be close to you. Who needs a big ol’ bed?”
*****
The next morning, they woke up before sunrise and made their way down to their pods. The support staff was waiting, having been alerted by the doc the night before. In just a few minutes, they were stripped down and loaded up in the pods.
They awoke on Alexander’s balcony at Greystone Manor, where they’d logged out. Tigger wasn’t there, having been dismissed to the nether when Alexander left the game. They walked together down to the portal and Alexander activated it. Walking through hand in hand, they greeted the few Elysians who were awake before the sun.
Jules simply said, “Pancakes,” before kissing his cheek and dashing off toward the kitchen. It felt good to run after a couple days of stumbling around on uncertain legs. Alexander waited only a few seconds before he chased after her.
Reaching the kitchen, Jules hugged all the cooks one by one, much to their surprise and delight. They handed her a plate piled high with pancakes and a bottle of syrup. Alexander was given a heaping pile of scrambled eggs and toast and a separate plate with just bacon. The cook who handed him the bacon said, “Ya know she’s gonna steal some.”
Laughing, the two of them walked out to the dining area and took seats at one of the long tables. A few of the farmers were there already and they exchanged pleasantries. Alexander got updates on how the crops and livestock were faring. The farmers were thrilled with the health and growth rate of the crops that were sprouting up in the blessed soil around the keep.
As the sky lightened, others began to join them. Both citizens and players. Brick appeared and grabbed Jules up in a big bear hug, lifting her right off her bench. Alexander warned him, “Careful. She’s eaten like, twenty pancakes. If you squeeze her too hard it might get messy.”
The dwarf laughed and set her down. “Good ta have ye back, Jules!”
She gave him a smile and then looked up as the sun cleared the wall. “So this is what a sunrise looks like. Huh.” Which earned her a general laugh from the crowd. Just as everyone at Olympus seemed to know her, she was semi-famous here at the keep for not being a morning person.
When Sasha and the other officers had joined them, Alexander said, “I want to go visit the elves as soon as possible. I was thinking of leaving this afternoon. Who wants to come along?”
Sasha shook her head. “I’ll go. You might do something stupid and need healing.”
Brick, Lugs, Max, Helga and Lainey all shook their heads no.
“Kai will come with me as a representative of the dragons. The alliance was their idea, after all. And I’ll bring Lorian, as he’s a member of the royal family. Lola, would you like to come along in case there are any trade agreements in the offing?”
The dwarfess nodded her head. “Aye, I’ll go with ye. Never been to the elven kingdom.”
Alexander looked around. No other volunteers presented themselves. Alright.
Opening guild chat, he said, “Lorian, please come to the keep. Time to go meet your parents. Kai, if you wouldn’t mind joining us?”
Lorian responded with a simple, “On my way,” and Kai’s response was easy enough – he appeared in the courtyard. Walking to Alexander, he said, “If it’s alright with you, Alexander, I will fly you to the elven lands. Lia is sure our offspring will hatch any day, and I don’t wish to be away any longer than necessary.”
Alexander held up a hand. “Of course I’m okay with flying. But we can postpone the trip until another dragon can join us. You can summon one of your people and we’ll go when they arrive.”
Kai shook his head. “No, it must be me. The elves are unlikely to be cooperative. It will take the full weight of the dragon kingdom behind you to make them listen to what you have to say.” Alexander nodded, acceding to his wishes.
It didn’t take long for Lorian to appear. He’d been in the forest up on the plateau and used the mirror in the garrison tower to return to the keep. Alexander filled him in on their plan and he retired to his quarters to prepare for the trip. Lola, Sasha, and Kai did the same. Jules just looked at Alexander and smiled. “Have daggers, will travel.”
When it was time to leave, Kai asked them to meet him outside the walls. They all walked out through the main gate and down the road to the outer gatehouse. Rocky greeted them at the moat, swimming up and laying his head on the bridge. Alexander scratched his ears a bit, then poured a handful of sugar cubes into the water dragon’s mouth. “Behave yourself, buddy! We’ll be back.”
Kai was already in his dragon form when they crossed the moat. His real dragon form, not the smaller version he’d used at Greystone Manor or in the keep. Just his head was larger than one of their cargo wagons. His massive serpentine body stretched hundreds of feet from nose to tail. He was larger than a real-world 747.
Laying on his belly, he spread his wing slightly and laid it flat. Alexander climbed up onto the wing, then helped the others up as well. Then they marched across the leathery membrane onto Kai’s shoulder, finally settling on his back between his massive shoulders. There were twin rows of spikes down his back, with just enough room in between that one could sit and hold onto the spikes to one’s left and right like handlebars.
When all were aboard, he called out, “Hold tight, here we go!” and took a few running steps before launching himself into the air while beating his massive wings. They skyrocketed upward, quickly clearing the trees. With another beat of his wings, they were hundreds of feet higher. He turned slightly to the east and caught an updraft, rising quickly above even the level of the plateau. Already the keep below them looked small and far away.
Alexander enjoyed the scenery as Kai headed toward the elven kingdom. What would have taken a couple of days on the ground, even with their mounts, was going to be a short trip of a couple of hours. The wind screamed past them as Kai picked up speed. It was too loud to speak to anyone, so he spent his time thinking about what might persuade the elves. He knew very little about them, other than that they were unfriendly, aloof, and thought other humanoid races were inferior.
It didn’t take long for him to worry himself into doubting every argument he could conceive. To distract himself, he thought about allies that would probably be easier to deal with. He still needed to formalize the alliances with the orcs and the minotaurs up on the plateau. He’d take Silverbeard with him. The old dwarf could draft a treaty or trade agreement faster than Alexander could read through his own character sheet.
His musings were interrupted when Kai banked again, angling them toward the ground. Alexander looked below, but all he could see was an old growth forest of towering trees. “That makes sense,” he muttered to himself. “Elves live in trees. Were you expecting skyscrapers and clear-cut squares?”
Kai circled for a moment, letting out a roar of greeting. Less than a minute later, a flaming arrow flew into the sky and Kai descended. He folded his wings to squeeze through an opening in the canopy, then flared them out to slow their descent just before they touched down. It seemed the elves didn’t make it easy for even the dragons to visit.
One by one, Alexander and the others slid from Kai’s neck to his wing and walked down to the forest floor. Kai then assumed his human form and moved to stand behind and t
he right of Alexander. A group of elves in formal attire exited a doorway molded into a wide tree onto a balcony just above them. Rather than come down to greet the visitors, one of them called down, “To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Prince Kaibonostrum?”
Behind him, Lorian growled. “They insult us. Etiquette dictates they greet us down here and offer hospitality. My father is not even here.”
Kai called out, “I hear a voice, but do not see a body to go with it!” as he made a point of keeping his gaze down and searching the forest floor in front of Alexander. Lola grunted her approval and Lorian actually chuckled. When there was no movement above, Kai added, “Have the elves learned the stealth of the drow? If so, show yourselves so I may congratulate you!”
There were a few angry mutterings from above and the elves moved down a sloping ramp to the forest floor. They marched slowly and sedately to stand before Alexander’s group. The one who had spoken before said, “My apologies, Prince Kaibonostrum. We have neglected the rules of hospitality, much to our shame. Welcome. Who have you brought with you today?”
Kai stared for a moment, making it clear he believed not one bit of the apology. “Allow me to introduce King Alexander of Elysia. Friend and ally of Stormforge, Broken Mountain, Antalia, and the dragon kingdom. Favored of Odin, Champion of Light, and sworn enemy of the drow wizards.” Alexander inclined his head slightly to acknowledge the titles.
The elf bowed his own head just as slightly, eliciting another growl from Lorian. “Greetings, King Alexander. And welcome to our lands. I am-”
Alexander cut him off. “I don’t care who you are. You’ve shown yourself to be rude and disingenuous and I’ve only been here a few moments. Where is your king?”
The group of elves all reeled in shock. The one standing in front stepped forward, getting within inches of Alexander as he leaned in. “How dare you!”
World At War Page 5