World At War

by Dave Willmarth

  Alexander grimaced. He’d made a big mistake and lost their attention. Looking at Fitz, he whispered, “I should have held back the food until the end, right?”

  The dragon just snorted at him, blue flames leaking from his nostrils. They all waited as the giants greedily finished off the offered meal. At their size, each bear carcass was no more than a mouthful. Alexander began to reconsider any long term offer of food. Just these three could eat more than the citizens living in the keep each day.

  When the food was gone, Alexander lowered himself to the giants’ eye level. Fitz cleared his throat, and Alexander had their full attention again.

  “You have been healed. And fed. Look around you! We could have easily taken your lives, as we took those of your fellow giants.” He motioned to the dead giants, then to the dragon behind him. Then he pointed to the wing of dragons circling above. The giants shrank back upon seeing them, not having noticed them before.

  “Instead, I will spare your lives. And offer to make you Elysians, if you like. You can join our clan. Live on our lands in peace. Hunt as you like, as long as you don’t harm each other or any of our people.”

  The giants looked slightly confused. Fitz coughed quietly and said, “Use small words.”

  Alexander rolled his eyes, but followed the suggestion. “Safe place to live. Plenty of food. But no fighting unless I ask you to!”

  The smallest of the three giants had heard enough. He took a step toward Alexander, smiling and nodding his head. The others watched to see what would happen.

  Alexander asked, “You wish to become one of us? You will swear to behave?”

  The giant nodded again. His booming voice said, “Swear! Friend! Name is Dag!”

  Fitz spoke behind Alexander, his voice less growly and more friendly this time. “Dag, you swear by the gods to obey Alexander and protect the citizens of Elysia? If you break this oath, it will end your life.”

  Dag’s eyes widened a bit and he got a thoughtful look on his face. After a tense ten seconds or so, he nodded again. “Dag swear!”

  A blue light enveloped the giant and a black dragon symbol appeared over his head. Alexander smiled. “Welcome to Elysia, Dag!”

  “Thank you, boss elf!” Dag grinned at him. He looked around for a moment, then raised one hand. “What do now?”

  Sounds of laughter echoed down from the wall as Alexander smiled at the giant. “Just take a seat for now. I must speak to these other two.”

  Dag sat, crushing a significant section of corn stalks, shaking his head. “No need them. Stupid giants. Dag only one you need. Kill them.”

  The other two began to move toward Dag with dark intent in their eyes. That is until Fitz growled at them, freezing them in place. Both put their hands behind their backs and tried to look innocent.

  Alexander tried to hold a stern look as he addressed the two. “What are your names?”

  “Grud,” said the first, thumping his chest.

  “Moog.” The second giant pointed to himself. “No kill Moog. Moog not want to hurt little shrimps.” He looked fearfully at Fitz.

  “No, no kill Moog. Or Grud,” Alexander assured them. “If you do not wish to stay, we will send you away. I’m afraid I do not know where your homes are.”

  “Mountains!” Grud said with assurance. As if that explained everything.

  “There are many mountains. And I have no way to know which ones are yours. We can send you far away to new mountains. Or you can stay here, become our friends. And live in our mountains.” Alexander waved to the forest on the other side of the wall. “Or you can live in this forest. One of you, anyway.”

  Moog got back to his feet. He looked up at the wall, at the people there. And then up at the dragons above. Facing back toward Alexander, he whispered so loudly that everyone could hear anyway. “Any girl giants here?”

  This time, Alexander couldn’t help but laugh. “No, no girls. But maybe the dragons will help you find one after the fighting is through?”

  Fitz snorted at him again but said nothing. Alexander thought he detected a dragonish smile trying to break free.

  Moog nodded his head. “Moog stay. But not in forest here. Up in mountains.”

  Grud shook his head. “No stay. Grud be friend. Not hurt little ones. But want to go home. Find place and live alone. Is giant way.”

  “Fair enough!” Alexander looked to Fitz. The dragon administered the oath to Moog, who smiled and very carefully reached out to Alexander, who was still floating in the air. He patted Alexander’s head gently – for a giant – causing him to drop about ten feet before he recovered.

  Moog yanked back his hand. “Sorry.”

  Fitz looked to the air, and Del ceased his circling to land next to him. Fitz indicated Grud. “Please escort Grud here to a secluded mountain someplace.”

  Del nodded his head and motioned for Grud to approach. The wary giant stepped closer, then cringed as Del took hold of him by the shoulders. The dragon lifted the giant with a little effort, then took several steps forward and leapt as he beat his mighty wings. The two of them rose slowly into the sky, then turned and disappeared over the top of the cliff above.

  Alexander looked at his two newest and largest Elysians. “Again, welcome to Elysia! We will find a good place for each of you on the mountain above. But we are still fighting a battle against the drow.”

  Moog growled. “Hate drow!” Dag nodded in agreement.

  “Yes. Me too, Moog,” Alexander agreed. “I was wondering if you two would stay here for a day or two and help us defend the keep? You can say no. It’s okay. The drow are dangerous.”

  Moog agreed immediately. “Stay. Kill drow. Eat more?” He looked longingly at the burned corpses of the were-beasts and hobgoblins that had yet to be looted. Dag followed his gaze and licked his lips.

  Alexander wasn’t about to refuse such an easy favor. “Let my people loot the corpses, then you can eat all you want. But ONLY the were-beasts and hobgoblins. None of our people.”

  Both giants agreed. Alexander looked to the wall and the gates opened. Several of the players exited onto the battlefield. Some who had died trotted over to recover their gear, then helped with the looting. Alexander called to Brick and handed him his gear as he lowered himself to the ground.

  Sasha walked up. “We didn’t get a quest completion or wave completion notification.”

  Alexander looked at his UI, scrolling through his notifications. She was right. He looked around, mentally counting the giant corpses. “Is there still a giant out in the moat or something?”

  Just then Beatrix, who had gone up onto the wall where she’d been killed, called out in raid chat, “Something’s banging on the doors down below.”

  “The orcs!” Alexander felt like an idiot. “I killed most of the orcs with the drawbridge. Rocky got some, but there were five or six who made it into the tunnel.”

  He turned to the two giants. “I’m going to let some orcs in the gate. I want you guys to stand behind me.” Moog and Dag stepped toward the gate and waited for Alexander to catch up. “Close enough,” he mumbled, making Brick chuckle.

  When Alexander was maybe fifty yards from the gate, he shouted, “Jeeves, please open the gates!”

  The two doors instantly began to swing inward. Six orcs raised a battle cry and charged through as soon as the opening was wide enough. Alexander held up and hand and shouted, “Stop!”

  The orcs ignored him.

  Until they saw the giants standing behind him. And the dragon behind them. And a dozen or so players with weapons drawn advancing in a half-circle around them.

  The lead orc skidded to a halt maybe twenty yards from Alexander. Without the mind control, they had the good sense not to commit suicide in a hopeless fight. The other orcs halted as well, all of them panting and gripping their weapons tightly.

  Alexander called out, “You don’t have to die. We know the drow forced you to come here. You paid a heavy price. Throw down your weapons and we will let you live!
”

  As they were thinking it over, three of the orc elders from the plateau tribe stepped forward. One of them grunted out something in the orc’s language. From the tone of it, it was half challenge, half explanation.

  The lead orc snorted in disgust at the elder’s words. He hefted a war axe onto his shoulder and looked as if he was considering a charge. Alexander looked to the elder.

  “Dark ones,” the elder explained. “Follow dark gods. Only know how to kill. Surrender is a sin for them. They will attack soon.”

  Alexander decided to force the issue. He needed to see to his own people. “Drop your weapons now! Or die where you stand!” Both giants growled their agreement.

  The lead orc pulled the axe from his shoulder and laid the blade flat on his off hand, as if presenting the weapon to Alexander. He took several steps forward, not saying a word. When he was within reach of Alexander, he said, “Die first!” and used both hands to shove the weapon at Alexander. The sharp blade rang out as it struck his chest piece. It didn’t penetrate the armor, but the force of it knocked him back.

  Which was a good thing. Because two seconds later, Dag’s fist swept across and grabbed the orc. Lifting him up, he bit the creature’s head off even as he grabbed another with his left hand. Moog was more efficient, simply stomping the remaining orcs to pulp. The moment the last one died, golden light showered nearly every player and citizen as they leveled up.

  Quest Complete! Hold What You Have

  You and your people have successfully defended the Elysian capitol against attacks from the forces of darkness.

  Reward: 500 gold. 250,000 experience. Title: Defender of Light!

  You may now further the cause of light by entering the nearby lands of the drow wizards and taking control of their stronghold.

  New Quest: The Heart of Darkness

  Attack and defeat the drow in their own stronghold. Capture or kill the drow wizard in control of the dark forces there. Use the portal orb received from the defeated apprentice to gain access to the drow lands.

  Reward: Variable

  Bonus Reward: Experience doubled for capture of the drow wizard.

  Alexander got to his feet. “Thank you Dag, Moog. You have earned a reward!” Looking at Brick, he said, “Please give each one of them a keg of spirits? I’ll pay you for them.”

  Brick shook his head. “No need. That were fun to watch! HA!”

  Sasha tapped Alexander on the shoulder. “Any chance you could move the giants outside and save whatever crops haven’t been squished?”

  Alexander looked at the two giants. “Umm… Fitz? That might be too much weight for me. Would you mind?”

  A blink later, the two giants found themselves standing on the other side of the moat. They immediately began picking up burned and mutilated monster corpses and munching on them. They sat contentedly and focused on the meal.

  Beatrix started to object that those mobs hadn’t been looted yet. Alexander laughed. “Feel free to go argue with them about it!” He laughed even harder as she ran out the gate and started yelling at them.

  His laughter subsided abruptly as he saw the bodies of too many of his citizens still littering the wall and the ground below. “Jeeves, how many did we lose?”

  “Eleven of the citizens who perished in the first stage were resurrected, leaving eight killed. In the second stage, we lost an additional fifty-three citizens, Majesty.”

  The blow hit Alexander like a truck. He’d seen the carnage with his own eyes, but somehow had expected the number to be smaller. He fought back the urge to cry for his dead, telling himself over and over that they weren’t real.

  Jules appeared at his side, taking his hand in her own. She pulled him toward the inner keep. “Let’s go. You’re not needed out here. Come with me.” He numbly followed her lead as he listened to Silverbeard and Lola calling out orders to take the looted bodies out across the bridge and gather up their own dead for burial.

  Chapter 12

  Recovery

  Despite their victory and the massive gains in both experience and wealth that most of the citizens received, the keep was a somber place. The healers had resurrected as many as they could from the first wave, but they were limited to one resurrection per day, leaving more than threescore citizens of Elysia who were lost to them in the battle to defend their homes.

  The vast majority of those killed were orcs. They charged at their enemies in a battle-induced rage that was both deadly and dangerous. To themselves as much as their enemies. Alexander had seen the first two killed when the duergar had been dropped by a gargoyle on their heads. But in all, thirty-five of the sixty-one dead were orcs.

  Alexander sought out the surviving elders to give his apologies, but when he located them, they were celebrating. They’d ‘liberated’ a few dozen barrels of ale from the Ogre II and were toasting the heroic deaths of their comrades. As Alexander observed, listening to the outrageous claims of courage and lethality being heaped upon the dead, one of the elders approached.

  “You do not share in our joy,” the elder stated.

  Alexander shook his head. “It is difficult. I feel responsible for their deaths. If I had prepared them better…” He was thinking of his failure to provide dragon pins to the newly recruited orcs and minotaurs.

  The elder grunted. “You have given them a great gift. They died with honor, as warriors in a glorious battle! They died protecting our lands, our people. It has been many generations since our warriors have achieved such deaths. We have been reduced to clan fights and raids against the minotaur settlements. Honorless fights driven by greed or pride.”

  The elder waved an arm toward the battlefield, hidden behind the high walls of the keep. “We are proud of our dead. They will be remembered. You have given them this honor. We thank you.” He bowed his head to Alexander.

  Alexander bowed his head slightly in return. “I am glad their deaths have earned them honor. Still, I would prefer they had lived to fight on to greater glory.”

  The elder clapped Alexander on the back. “Yes! Greater glory. Let us continue this fight. Now we have dead to avenge!”

  Shaking his head at the bloodlust of the orcs, Alexander answered, “We may well have to assist our allies in the defense of their cities. But for now, let us mourn our dead. Or celebrate them. And prepare for another attack, should it come.”

  Leaving the orcs to their rituals, he went to find Molgo and Dawn. They were seated on hay bales in the stables, several of their people scattered around them. All had been healed. Save the fourteen who had been killed in the battle.

  “Molgo, Dawn. I want to thank you and your people for coming to defend the keep. And to say that I am sorry for your losses.”

  Dawn got to her feet, towering over Alexander. “We are honored to have been able to fight at your side, Alexander. As for our dead, they were warriors. Each of us goes into battle knowing we may die. We accept the deaths of our brothers and sisters as gifts to us, and honor them in return. Their sacrifice has allowed us to remain in our new homes, with our families, and theirs.” She looked over to where the orcs were once again loudly celebrating and smiled. “Though we do not crave battle as the orcs do, we are a warrior race. Few of us die of old age. Thus it has ever been, and shall always be.”

  Molgo simply grunted in agreement, along with the others gathered around them.

  Alexander asked, “Can I get you anything? The orcs have put a dent in the ale supply, but there is plenty left. Or we can bring you food…”

  “We are content. Unless you would be willing to allow some of us to accompany you when you seek out the dark ones in their stronghold?” Molgo pressed.

  Alexander opened his mouth to deny them. But he hesitated. He owed these people a great debt. And it might dishonor them to refuse. He still didn’t want to risk the lives of any citizens in the drow lands. Enough of them had died already that day. But their attitude toward honorable death and the echo of Jules’ voice in his head reminding him that
they were in fact NPCs made him rethink his earlier position.

  “As you know, I did not intend to bring any citizens with me, other than a wing of dragons. But after the sacrifice your people have made for Elysia today, I must reconsider. Choose ten of your people. If possible, I would prefer it be those without families to leave behind should they be killed.”

  There was a roar of approval from the gathered minotaurs that shook the stables. Alexander left them to their choosing and moved on.

  The remainder of the dead were three duergar, six dwarves, and three humans. Alexander looked around for Gelag, but didn’t see him. In fact, he didn’t see any duergar anywhere.

  “Jeeves, can you tell me Gelag’s location please?”

  “Gelag has returned to the duergar city below. Along with all of his people. They are conducting burial rites.”

  Alexander hoped that the duergar were simply very private when it came to their death rituals and that their losses had not caused a rift between them and the other races of Elysia. Or resentment toward him directly. But he’d honor their desire for privacy.

  Moving to the dining area, he found several of the players who’d been killed sitting around bragging about their epic deaths, or the loot they received. His lips twitched into a smile as he listened. They didn’t sound that much different from the orcs.

  Many of the players, especially the healers who had come from Antalia, were lower-level. They had gained as much as five levels worth of XP from the battle and the quests. And since the were-beasts and hobgoblins were, for the most part, higher-level than they were, they picked up some usable weapons and armor as well.

  Alexander took a seat among them, enjoying the banter and decompressing after the battle. As he listened, he realized he hadn’t checked the loot drop from the drow in his rush to get back to the keep.