World At War

by Dave Willmarth

  Fibble leapt off of Lug’s shoulder without warning. He dashed forward and offered a cookie to the first of the greens, which was closest. Lia nudged the dragonling with her nose and it opened its mouth politely. Fibble reached forward, suddenly nervous about losing a hand, and placed a cookie in its mouth. As it chomped down on the treat and made happy-sounding noises, Fibble grinned and moved on to the next. One by one, he placed a cookie in an open mouth. When he reached the white dragon, it didn’t open up. Instead, it leaned forward and nuzzled the goblin’s chest.

  Unsure what to do, Fibble looked up at Lia. The dragoness spoke to her hatchling. “Fibble has brought you a gift, little one. It would be rude not to accept.”

  The little white dragon, barely as tall as Fibble, rubbed her face against him once more before a tiny sneeze burst forth. The others laughed as Lainey said, “Yeah, he needs a bath.”

  Horrified, Fibble turned to give her a dirty look. As he did, the sneaky little white dragon snatched the cookie from his outstretched hand and gulped it down. Then she poked her snout into his chest hard enough to cause him to take a step back. As he steadied himself, she burped at him. He happily returned the burp-greeting and stepped forward to wrap his arms around her neck in a hug.

  Sasha had tears running down her face. “This could not be any cuter. I might melt.”

  Lugs called Fibble back and he left the little dragon reluctantly. She didn’t seem any happier to see him go. She tried to follow, but her coordination wasn’t up to the task.

  Lia said softly, “Lainey?” and immediately the valkyrie and a few of the others moved forward to deposit meat in front of the hatchlings. They sniffed and poked at it for a bit, then tore into the meals with gusto. Both Kai and Lia rumbled happily like purring cats.

  Fitz appeared out of nowhere. “Ah, the next generation.” He smiled warmly at the little dragonlings as they ripped into their meals. “And they have proper appetites!” Turning to face Alexander, he said, “They will need to sleep after they feed. Breaking free of the egg is taxing. Alexander, we will speak later.”

  Lia nodded and added, “Thank you all for joining us, and for your kind gifts.”

  Alexander recognized a dismissal when he heard one. He bowed to the new mother and gathered the group together before teleporting them back down to the keep.

  *****

  The moment Alexander and crew were gone, Fitz sat down on the floor and said, “Come to me, little ones!” The seven dragonlings hopped and waddled their way over and mobbed the old wizard. He laughed long and hard as he wrassled with them like a kid playing with a litter of puppies. They licked his face and chewed on his hands, tugged on his feet. Lia and Kai watched on, the proud parents smiling as their oldest living ancestor rolled around on the floor with the newest of the dragons.

  Eventually, their bellies full and their energy spent, the little ones trotted back to the warmth of the nest to curl up and sleep. Lia watched over them as Kai and Fitz moved outside to talk.

  “Catch me up,” Fitz commanded. Kai quickly told him about the trip to the elven kingdom, the death of the corrupted king, and Lorian’s passing of the throne to Ithaniel. And about the drow infiltration that Kai had reported. There were more than a few corrupted elves just amongst those he had encountered during his walk through the city. Fitz scratched his beard absently. “A good choice. Ithaniel will do well. Assuming he lives.”

  Kai changed topics and caught Fitz up on the minotaurs and orcs becoming citizens. And the addition of Damerion to the alliance. Fitz grunted at that. He’d had faith that the boy prince would convince his father of the threat.

  In turn, Fitz filled Kai in on his trip to the Dark One’s lair and the traps he laid. “I figure he’ll die at least ten times before someone realizes something’s wrong and goes looking for him. We cleared their entire stronghold of drow, so the cursed undead will have permeated the halls by now. Whoever the drow send to check on him will have to fight their way through.”

  Kai shook his head. “I wish I could have been there to see his first few deaths. Would have been quite satisfying.”

  Fitz looked fondly over at the sleeping hatchlings. “Take good care of those little ones. Make them strong and teach them well. If things go badly, they may be all that’s left of our people at the end of this.” He placed a hand on Kai’s head briefly, then disappeared.

  Back down in the keep, he sought out Alexander, who was just sitting down to dinner in the dining area. Never one to turn down a meal, Fitz sat next to him and stole his plate.

  “Haven’t eaten in six hours. Feeling weak,” he mumbled as he chewed the meat off a roasted rib.

  Alexander just sighed and went to get another plate. It never paid to get between the old wizard and food. When he got back, Rufus was sitting on the brim of the old man’s hat, nibbling on a small riblet of his own. He took a moment to wipe one greasy hand on the hat before waving to Alexander.

  Fitz informed Alexander and those at the table with him of his adventure in the Dark One’s lair. When he got to the part about setting traps with needles using their own poison, Brick couldn’t contain himself.

  “BWAHAHA! He’s gonna think yer a real pain in the arse!” He bent over laughing at the image. “It be alright, though. Everything will work out in tha end!”

  Alexander couldn’t help but crack a smile himself. Less because of Brick’s jokes and more about the rage he imagined Matt would fly into after dying repeatedly and being trapped. He was sure the psychopath got off on the power of being the ‘Dark One,’ and an NPC had just screwed up his plans big time. Maybe he’d make a mistake and expose himself. Alexander knew a lot of folks at Olympus were anxious to go back to their homes and live a normal life.

  *****

  Chapter 6

  Friends In Low Places

  Arc’men the drow wizard put down the communication stone and slammed his fist onto the table in front of him. “Where is that damned adventurer? He has not answered a summons in days. Who did we assign to watch over him?”

  One of his lieutenants answered, “Kral’ven is with him. They were at the stronghold outside of Demarion at last report. But she too has been unreachable. Should we send someone to investigate?”

  The wizard nodded and waved a hand. A portal orb floated up from a stand nearby and settled on the ground in the center of the room. Another wave of the hand and a portal opened. They could see little, the room on the other side was dark.

  The lieutenant pointed to a drow guard standing nearby. The guard went into stealth mode and moved to the portal. The moment he stepped through, he began to float up and away. There was a moment of confusion on both sides of the portal before the wizard saw a string of bubbles escape from the drow’s mouth as it drifted upward.

  The guard realized the room was flooded. The purplish light of the portal revealed his face as he turned and began to swim back toward the portal. The wizard quickly clenched a hand and the portal closed. The lieutenant dashed forward as if to save the guard, then turned to the wizard. “Why? He would have made it back easily.”

  The wizard looked at him with contempt. He made a fist and the lieutenant began to gasp for breath. He fell to his knees, clutching his chest as if in prayer. “Do not EVER question me, youngling. I am older than the stone and wiser than you can even comprehend! That room was flooded. The moment your guard broke the plane, tons of water would have burst through with him to drown us all. Well, all of you.” He smirked. Releasing his hold on his servant, he said, “Send someone to the stronghold to find out what that idiot has done. Bring him back here to answer for his actions.”

  The chastised drow rose to his feet and bowed. “My apologies, Master. It will be done immediately.” He made several hand motions behind his back and three drow departed the room to relay his orders.

  The wizard sniffed and looked disinterested. He quickly changed the topic. “Where are we with our plan for the elves? Has the king been replaced?”

  The lieutenan
t bowed his head. “The king was to be removed last night. We are awaiting word from our spies. Their report is overdue as well.”

  “Incompetents! I’m surrounded by incompetent fools! Find out what is going on, or I will feed you to the next demon I summon!”

  The drow bobbed his head and fled the room, several others following behind. When the wizard was in a bad mood, it wasn’t safe to be near him.

  *****

  When Apollos had recovered a bit from the surprise of the dragons hatching, Alexander escorted him around the keep, making small talk as they went. The prince was particularly interested in the dragon forge, as was nearly everyone else who saw it. Alexander teleported him up to the top of the garrison tower on the plateau to give him an idea of the scope of Elysia’s lands. Apollos was duly impressed.

  “It seems your kingdom is larger than Damerion. Indeed, it may be one of the largest anywhere. The resources you have at your disposal will make you wealthy indeed.”

  Alexander grimaced. “Wealth isn’t what interests me. Money is simply something we need to make sure that our citizens have what they need: food, weapons, shelter. Our strength will be in our people.”

  Apollos nodded. “My father has often said something similar. I think you two might get along well. And speaking of food… did I smell bacon back there at the keep?”

  Alexander grinned at him. “You bet! I’ll introduce you to him!” He teleported a confused-looking prince back to the keep. From the teleport zone he led the prince to the stables, where Bacon was lounging on a pile of hay, snoring away. Alexander produced an apple from his bag and placed it near the giant war pig’s snout. A moment later, Bacon opened a lazy eye, moved his snout just enough that his tongue could reach the apple, and scarfed it down. He snorted once in appreciation and closed his eyes again. “Apollos, meet Bacon! Brick’s glorious mount. Yes, he smells bad. But you get used it.” Bacon made an offended snort, then farted in response. The thunderous explosion had both men stepping back to avoid the smell. They retreated back to the courtyard.

  Apollos laughed. “That wasn’t the bacon I was hoping for,” he said, as he waved his hand in front of his face in mock disgust.

  Alexander replied, “Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. Let’s go to the dining area and we’ll get you some food while I work on your weapons.” And they did just that. Hitting the kitchen first, Apollos stacked a plate with bacon, eggs, fruit, and fresh-baked rolls. Taking seats at one of the long tables, the prince began to eat as Alexander took out a couple of pieces of obsidian and began to shape them. A few minutes later, he was through, having created two light cannons. He no longer got any skill points for crafting these, as they were well below his ability level now. He’d have to come up with something new soon.

  Walking to the smithy, Alexander handed the two new cannons to Brick so he could shape the triggers. While Brick worked, Alexander said, “You’ll need a trigger word to call out as you depress the trigger. You have to do both at once or it will not fire. It’s sort of a safety precaution.”

  Apollos didn’t hesitate. “Elrid,” he said, a mournful look on his face. “It seems fitting to me that our men should have his name on their lips as they kill those who tortured him and murdered our brother. Plus, it will make Elrid blush.”

  Alexander grinned at the prince as he took the weapons back from Brick and added in the trigger word. Then the three of them walked together out the main gate and down to the outer wall. Crossing the drawbridge, Alexander paused. “Steady, prince. You’re about to meet another dragon. This one is our heroic moat monster, Rocky.”

  He whistled a few times, as if calling a dog home, and Rocky’s head burst forth from the water. The spray reached all three of them up on the bridge, but Apollos didn’t seem to mind. Rocky floated there, mouth open and tongue out. Alexander obliged by removing a handful of sugar cubes from his bag and tossing them into the water dragon’s mouth. Rocky made a hooting sound of thanks before disappearing under the surface.

  “Just how many dragons do you keep around here?” Apollos chuckled. “Any other surprises I should prepare for?”

  Brick answered, “Well, let me see. There be a roost full o’ gryphons up on the wall. And a bunch o’ duergar livin’ under us. There be villages full o’ orcs and minotaurs up top, as well as giant kitties that could swallow yer head whole. We got a tribe o’ rock trolls livin’ in the mine…” His voice trailed off as he thought. Alexander willed him not to mention the Guardian deep in the mine above. “Yep, I think that be all.”

  Apollos shook his head. “In Damerion it’s unusual to see any non-humans. Elves and dwarves visit occasionally for trade. And a few have made Damerion home. But I’ve never actually seen an orc. And I’m not sure anyone in Damerion has seen a minotaur.”

  Alexander nodded. “Until recently, I’d never seen a minotaur either. I’ll take you to meet them if you like. In the meantime, let’s talk about that cannon in your hand.”

  They spent the next several minutes teaching Apollos how to fire the light cannon. He used it to cut down a few trees and quickly became confident enough in its use. “I think I can show our weaponsmaster how these work. He can take it from there. I’ll be sure Elrid’s present for the training too.”

  Finished with that task, Brick returned to the smithy with a wink at Alexander. He’d been working on their special project. Alexander teleported himself and the prince up to the plateau. They stopped first at the garrison tower, where he was introduced to Regina and Bodine’s menagerie. After a short visit, Alexander teleported them to the orc village.

  The orcs greeted them with friendly waves and smiles that bared sharp teeth. Apollos had never met friendly orcs and it took some getting used to. Alexander led him to where the newest longhouse was located, telling him the story of the battle at the bridge and how the orcs had come to occupy the village. After a formal introduction to some of the elders who were close by and a check to see that they were getting what they needed, they said their goodbyes and moved on.

  Alexander teleported them to the minotaur village next. It looked much the same as the orc village, only another longhouse seemed to be building itself next to the first two. Both men watched this phenomenon for a few minutes as blocks of stone seemed to simply grow along the walls as the structure took form. Dawn joined them and was introduced to the prince. “Molgo is out exploring. He is like a child with a new toy. This forest already feels like home to us. Thank you, Alexander.”

  “No need for thanks, Dawn. You and your people are a welcome addition to Elysia. We needed you much more than you needed us!” He smiled at her. “You wouldn’t happen to have any of that goat’s milk drink, would you? I think the prince deserves a taste. This is a day of firsts for him. Lia’s eggs hatched a few hours ago!”

  Dawn grinned and led them back to her home. She fetched three mugs of the fermented goat’s milk and brought them to the dining table. Alexander took a quick swig to reassure the prince, but didn’t swallow right away. He watched as the prince took a deep draught and swallowed it down. He immediately began to cough and pound on his chest. He wheezed, “By the gods! What is in this?”

  Dawn laughed, her deep voice booming through the room. “Ha! That’s a secret, Prince Apollos.”

  Alexander swallowed his mouthful, then another as Apollos did the same. A pleasant burning spread through his chest and belly. He prudently set the mug down and said, “If you could produce this in large quantities, you could sell it to the dwarves for sure. Probably in the human cities as well. We can help you obtain more goats if you like. It could be a significant source of income. Especially from the dwarves.” He pictured the village being mobbed by drunken dwarves demanding the drink.

  Dawn nodded sadly. “We once had vast herds of goats out on the plains. But the warlord stole and slaughtered many for his army. We have enough to feed our people and provide milk for the children and for this.” She held up her mug. “But any additional stock you could provide would be welcomed
.”

  Alexander allowed Apollos another drink before suggesting they move along. He didn’t want the young man plastered when he got home. The prince was a little unsteady as he got to his feet as it was. They thanked Dawn and Alexander promised to look into the goats for her. When they’d exited the house and teleported back to the garrison tower, Apollos spoke up. “We have livestock. And not all of it can be brought into the city during the siege. I’m sure the farmers would rather sell it than lose it to the enemy or the wolves.” His statement was slightly slurred and followed by a hiccup.

  “We’ll make that happen, then. We’ll bring Silverbeard with us when we portal you back to Damerion. He can negotiate. But we’ll need to sober you up before then. Have you ever met a rock troll?”

  Alexander continued to ferry the prince around, introducing him to the various citizens of Elysia, including the rock trolls, gryphons, and duergar. They visited the memorial to those fallen in battle and took a walk through the keep. Alexander got directions from Jeeves and they followed the newly-made tunnel to the expanding market square deep in the mountain. Alexander hadn’t been there himself, and was truly impressed with what he saw.

  Apollos commented, “This is genius. I mean, it’s not a new idea. The dwarves have built underground for eons. But the only things we’ve built underground in Damerion are sewer tunnels.”

  “Yes, this is much more than I expected.” Alexander spun around, taking in the space. The open part of the square was a hundred yards across. Along its edges, the rough shapes of buildings were beginning to take form. These would become shops and housing and warehouses eventually. No wonder Jeeves had plenty of stone units to build the additions to the villages.

  Jeeves’ voice rang out. “If you wish, I can scale back the plans, Majesty.”

  Alexander shook his head. “No. No, Jeeves, thank you. This is wonderful. You’ve done very well here. Please continue as you have been.”

  “Of course, Majesty. In a month’s time, barring any more additions to the villages or other projects, this zone will be able to house one thousand citizens, crafters, merchants, and guests, as well as store food supplies for approximately two months within the warehouses. Should the keep fall, you could retreat here and collapse the tunnel. There is a safe supply of water, and the two month period could be extended if you managed to bring livestock as well.”