Tiny Sam smiled. “That should be perfect. I’ll let the chef know.” She disappeared in a rush. Alexander and Jules got to their feet and headed outside. Rather than cut through the kitchen to go out the back door, they exited the front and strolled around the side arm in arm. They paused to examine the stable building’s progress a bit more closely, then walked through the new gate into the other yard.
There were two druid healers already working at planting the garden there. Both bowed their heads to the king and guild leader, being already on their knees. He said, “Please, no bowing. And don’t let us interrupt you. When you see Sasha come back through, flag her down. She has some rare herbs to add to your garden.”
Moving into the house, the two of them greeted any guild members or Elysian citizens they encountered. Alexander noted as they moved down the first floor hallway that the round room that had been designated as the teleport and respawn point by the Chaos Nation folks was still filled with the spikes that Fitz had placed there during the battle. With the portal in place, there was no need for the room, and no point in allowing any of the drow or defeated guild members to teleport in if they were still carrying any scrolls targeted to that spot. At least, not without being shredded.
One of the healers saw Alexander pause to look inside and offered, “Not much activity anymore. But for the first week or so, random people would show up dead in there. We looted their corpses and added what they had to the guild vault.” She grinned at them. Jules snorted.
“Sounds good to me!” Alexander returned the smile. “Have you guys had any trouble with Chaos Nation or former PWP folks attacking? Here or elsewhere in the city?”
The priest shook her head. “None. The drow can’t stealth around since the city was blessed. And the few members of those guilds who dared show their faces since the battle have either been killed on the street or arrested as enemies of Antalia. Two made it as far as the street outside before the guards caught them. You should have heard them screaming about how we stole all their gear.” The grin appeared on her face again.
“Well, since Henry looted most of the PWP vault, it only seems right you folks inherit whatever was in the Chaos Nation vault. I hope you can put it to good use.” Alexander nodded to the woman before moving on.
He and Jules spent a few more minutes visiting with folks in the house before returning to find Tiny Sam and the chef already placing food on the dining room table. Alexander seated Jules before taking the chair next to her.
“It smells delicious!” Jules practically drooled as she complimented the chef. “What is it?”
“Thank you, Lady Jules.” The chef bobbed his head quickly. “I’m afraid it’s simple fare, as we did not expect you today. Roast boar with my own special-recipe gravy. Red potatoes roasted with butter and herbs. Fresh salad with buttermilk dressing. And for dessert, double chocolate cake with coconut frosting.”
Jules got up from her chair and actually hugged the startled man. “This is wonderful! Thank you.” She beamed at him and gave him a little peck on the cheek. “Now. Please take a seat, both of you, and join us. We insist.”
The chef and Tiny Sam both hesitated until Jules pulled out one of the chairs and gently shoved Samantha into it. The chef joined her as Jules moved back to her own seat. She grabbed a knife and cut into the cake as she sat down. “I think I’ll start with dessert!”
Tiny Sam giggled, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. Jules raised an eyebrow at her. “You’ve never started with dessert first?” When the young woman shook her head, Jules plopped a heaping slice of cake onto her plate. “Well, now you have!”
They passed the next half hour or so eating the meal and talking about Antalia. Jules asked the chef if he was happy that he’d stayed in the house and become an Elysian. He assured her that he’d never been happier.
Brick returned a short while after the meal was completed. Tiny Sam gave him a plate of leftovers, which he declared to be, “A meal fit fer a king!” making her giggle.
Michael was next to arrive back at the house. His face was slightly flushed and he spoke very carefully. “Twirk will take all you’ve got to sell her, and at one hundred gold per keg.”
Brick laughed at the old knight. “Ye had to sample a bit more, didn’t ye?”
Michael hiccupped. “It was the gentlemanly thing to do. One should never let a lady drink alone.” He took a seat in one of the chairs and seemed ready for a nap.
Sasha returned less than thirty minutes later. She was smiling from ear to ear and nearly floating as she walked. “I’ve learned SO much! And we need to kill about a hundred more of those gargoyles. The ingredients they drop make the most amazing things!”
Alexander shook his head. “Three was bad enough. Let’s hope we never see a hundred of those things.”
After a few more minutes of chatting - mostly with Tiny Sam, as Michael was fading fast - the group headed back out to the portal. Alexander told the young woman, “When Michael wakes up, tell him we’ll have someone open a portal twice daily. Mid-morning and sunset.”
With that, he turned and opened the portal and they stepped through to the keep, Alexander’s personal guard once again bringing up the rear.
*****
Matt put on his headgear and once again logged into the game. He was prepared for yet another session of swimming for his life. All told, he had died thirty-eight times in that accursed place, but he was determined to get out. He’d lost so many levels by this time that it barely even registered anymore. His only thought was to find a way to swim up to breathable air and escape.
This time, however, was different.
He found himself on his throne as usual, but as he went to raise his feet to push off and swim upward, he realized he could breathe. The water was gone. The room was still wet, water dripping from the tapestries along the walls. A steady stream still poured from the mostly-closed hole in the room’s ceiling. And the stone doors that had sealed him in were shattered, the water running out through the opening. He could see the bodies of cursed undead and drow soldiers in the long chamber beyond.
A pair of drow emerged from stealth in front of him. The taller of the two stepped forward. “We were wondering if you would return. It seems you have fallen into quite the trap here.” The drow took a moment, inspecting him carefully. “And you have died many times. You are weak now.”
Matt growled in his Dark One avatar. He instinctively reached for his daggers before realizing he no longer had them. Or his bag. Shaking with rage, he spat at the drow. “Watch your tongue, worm! Yes, I died. Many times. But soon I will regain my lost strength. And I shall remember your words.”
The smaller drow sneered at him. “What makes you think we’ll let you live long enough to regain what little strength you had? You have failed our masters again and again. Failure is punished, not rewarded.”
“Ha! You mean this was not punishment enough? The wizards sealed me in here, poisoned my throne, and drowned me over and over. How much more punishment will they need before they’re satisfied?” He was nearly screaming at them by the time he finished.
The smaller drow stepped forward. “This was not the master’s doing. We were sent here after he discovered the flooded room while searching you out. So watch your tongue, weakling! ‘Dark One,’ indeed. I do not understand what the masters see in you.”
The Dark One had been looking past the drow as he spoke. Now he stepped down from the throne and turned to face the dark elf. Making sure he aligned himself properly, he growled, “I will show you who is weak!”
With a sudden exhalation of breath, he ducked his shoulder and tackled the drow, driving its body backward and to the ground, where one of the poison thorns he had not cleared slammed into the dark elf’s back. There was a short scream of pain, followed by some thrashing as he tried to push the Dark One off of him. Then his eyes went blank and he stopped moving.
The Dark One got to his feet and delivered a brutal kick to the drow’s head. Then he b
ent and looted the body. He placed looted daggers in sheaths on either thigh, then claimed the dark elf’s inventory bag as his own. For good measure, he took the leather armor and equipped that as well. His old armor was in tatters.
Turning to the remaining drow, he said, “I assume since they sent you here, the wizards wish to speak with me?”
The drow nodded respectfully. “They do. Rather, one does. The Grand Master. He sent this.” Producing one of the dark portal orbs, he set it down and on the ground and activated it. A moment later, a purple-tinged hole opened in the air in front of them. The Dark One stepped through first, the drow following. As the portal closed behind them, the moans of the cursed dead that inhabited the city above could be heard growing closer.
The Dark One found himself in a room he’d never seen before. One of the drow wizards, the Grand Master himself, sat on a raised chair in the center of the room. Surrounding him were kneeling servants; lesser wizards, guards, scouts, and assassins. The Dark One could sense several more drow standing around them in stealth mode. Some in the open, some behind the stone pillars that ringed the room.
As he took in the room, the old wizard spoke. “Welcome to my home, oh Dark One.” His tone was mocking, and several of those on their knees chuckled. A few even raised their heads enough to make eye contact. There was no mercy in those gazes. Only hunger.
“Thank you, Grand Master. And thank you also for the rescue. That trap has taken much from me. But I will find the one responsible for it and make them suffer.” He kept his tone neutral and as matter-of-fact as possible.
“Vengeance is admirable. But yours must wait. We have work for you and you have lost much ground. You have grown weaker. You have lost Antalia and all our servants there. You have failed in your mission to infiltrate Damerion. And the armies you sent into Elysia are no more.”
The Dark One winced at the listing of his shortcomings. He suppressed the urge to argue or make excuses. Instead, he answered, “All you have said is true. But I can regain my strength the same way I gained it before. With your help. And I remain your loyal servant. I will find a way to take down Elysia and clear the way for our armies to destroy its allies.”
“We shall see,” the old wizard rasped. “You will be taken to one of the dungeons to regain your lost levels. Alexander is growing quickly as well and we believe he is already at level 70. When you have reached a comparable level, we will arrange for you to face him. Fail us again, and you will suffer unimaginable torment every moment you spend in our world for all eternity.”
The ancient wizard looked down at him from his throne. His growing smile was the embodiment of pure evil. “In the meantime, we have prepared a lesson for the Elysians and their allies.”
*****
Alexander and company were just crossing the courtyard after exiting the portal when the twin roars of two enraged dragons shook the earth. All eyes went instantly to the roost above them, just in time to see the winged forms of two gargoyles burst from the entrance. One was carrying a small form in its claws.
Sasha gasped, “Is that Fibble? Save him!”
The flying creatures were out of range for any spellcasting from the group. Lainey instantly leapt into the air, her wings straining to lift her quickly above the wall. She already had her bow and arrow equipped.
Kai burst from the roost in dragon form, immediately snatching up the nearest gargoyle in his jaws. The one carrying the small passenger dove toward the lake and forest below, likely trying to take cover in the trees. Kai’s roar this time contained more anguish than anger as he turned toward the retreating monster. Braxis and his gryphons were already airborne and rushing toward the gargoyle as well, issuing challenging calls as they sped toward it.
Alexander focused on the thing’s back and teleported himself. He appeared just above the monster and fell onto its back. Wrapping one arm around its neck, he held tight as he drew his sword. With a vicious swing, he severed the gargoyle’s right wing near the first joint.
There were two screams of pain. The first from the gargoyle, the second from its passenger as the monster reflexively dug in with its claws. The small, high-pitched second scream tore at Alexander’s heart. Looking down, expecting to see a bleeding Fibble, he was horrified to see one of the green hatchlings. Its head was drooping and blood ran from several deep claw wounds. Alexander frantically cast heals on the baby dragon as the three of them fell toward the ground. Even as he cast a second healing spell, he could tell it was doing no good. The wounds weren’t closing.
Kai reached them first, his foreclaw sweeping Alexander off the monster’s back just before his jaw clamped down on its head and torso. As Alexander continued to fall, he saw Kai grasp his child gently in his front claws and lift both the gargoyle’s and his offspring’s corpses higher into the air. That was all he had time to see before he hit the ground and died.
*****
Chapter 9
Consequences
When Alexander respawned after the longest limbo of his life, the keep was in a state of confusion. Dragons filled the sky and armed citizens rushed about in every direction. His UI was filled with notifications, but he waved them aside for a moment. In guild chat he said, “Somebody give me an update!”
The group knew that Sasha would answer, as their strategist, and left the channel silent so she could be heard. The sorrow in her voice was clear.
“Gargoyles attacked Kai’s roost. Killed one of the babies.” She came trotting up to him as she spoke. As soon as she reached him, she threw her arms around him and squeezed him harder than she ever could with his real-life body. She sobbed into his shoulder and he patted her back as he squeezed her back with his other arm. The others in the group began to assemble around them.
“I saw that much. I tried to save the little one, but the gargoyle’s claws did so much damage. I… I think it was my fault. It squeezed harder when I cut its wing.” His voice went hoarse and he couldn’t continue.
Lainey and Jules joined in the hug while Brick shuffled his feet uncomfortably. Max came trotting over and, sensing the mood, put a hand on the dwarf’s shoulder.
After a moment, Sasha pushed Alexander away. “No! This wasn’t your fault. Those things came here to kill the babies. You tried to stop it.”
Alexander shook his head. “If you had heard the scream... I thought-” he swallowed, his throat tight. “I thought it was Fibble.” Jules hugged him tighter.
Alexander sent out another message in guild chat. “Fibble? Can you hear me? Are you okay?”
The only response was the sound of the little goblin crying. A moment later, Kai surprised them by answering. “Fibble is unhurt. Two of our hatchlings were injured, and he helped to heal them.”
Alexander answered, “Kai, I’m so sorry. Can I come up and join you?”
There was a long hesitation before the dragon answered. “That would be… unwise. Lia is not herself at the moment. She has gathered the remaining little ones to herself and might lash out at any intruders. Even I cannot approach. Give her time to come to her senses, please.”
“Of course. Whatever you need. We are here for you.”
Kai’s voice changed with his next message, a clear growl of anger mixed with heartbreak coming through. “I do not know how they got so close. They smelled heavily of drow magic. The wizards must have discovered a way to mask their presence even from dragonkind. I have already sent one of my cousins to alert my father. You should do the same for our allies.” His voice went silent and Alexander left him to it.
“Jeeves, alert the other keeps that you can reach, please,” he called out.
“Of course, Majesty.”
Fitz appeared in the courtyard a moment later. He wasted no time with pleasantries. “I’ve been to the roost. The remaining little ones are fine. Fibble was deafened but has been healed. He’s upset, but Lia has gathered him in with her own and is tending to him. I have set a ward across the entrance that will kill anything other than a dragon that tries to p
ass through. So do not attempt to visit until I tell you otherwise.”
The wizard looked to the sky and one of the dragons dove toward the tower. It took humanoid form as it entered the upper room, then appeared next to Fitz. It was Del. Fitz ordered, “I want someone in the air over the keep and the roost at all times. Bring another wing if you need to. I want wings guarding the palaces in Stormforge, Broken Mountain, Antalia, Damerion, the elven kingdom, and every other nation or city that serves the light.”
Del bowed to the elder dragon and disappeared. Fitz turned to Alexander. “Call your allies together. Now. Bring them all here, as this place is currently the most secure.” Then he too was gone.
Alexander turned to Silverbeard and Lola, who were nearby. “We’re going to have a bunch of royal guests. Please work with Jeeves and gather whomever you need from the crafters to make sure we have adequate quarters for them.”
Silverbeard nodded. “Aye, lad. Won’t be as fancy as they be used to, but we’ll make ‘em comfortable enough.”
Alexander looked to his core group, who were standing nearby. “I’m going to send one of you to each city. Bring them back with you if you can, or get a commitment that they’ll be here at sunrise. Tell them whatever you need to. No need to keep secrets.” He lowered his voice. “Except about the Guardian.”
He turned and activated the portal to the elven kingdom and Lorian dashed through. One by one, he sent his people to gather the rulers of the allied kingdoms.
*****
Matt logged out of the game to find that the house he was squatting in was pitch-black. Only the sound of the refrigerator running and a passing car outside reached his ears. He sat there in his chair, unmoving. The old drow wizard had sent an apprentice with him through a dungeon. The apprentice had healed him as he fought his way through but hadn’t grouped with him, so he got all the experience for the kills. The single run had earned him five levels. It would get harder as he leveled up, but he estimated he could catch up to Alexander and friends in two weeks. Maybe three, if they continued to level at the pace they had been recently. He smiled to himself, already plotting his revenge in the game. But his reverie was interrupted by a question, which he mumbled out loud: “If the drow wizards didn’t set that trap for me, who did?”
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