by L. R. Wolf
“Just keep your eyes on mine.” Elohwa locked her violet eyes onto Aya’s blue. She drew her blade gently across Aya’s palms, the sharp edge easily sliced through the skin as if it were paper. A thin line of blood began to seep up from the new wounds. Elohwa closed Aya’s hands allowing the blood to coat the Foci within Aya’s palms.
Aya had barely felt the cold of the sharp edge as Elohwa cut swiftly and surely, the wound opening so fast that the Dreamer felt no pain. She could feel the warm liquid beginning to coat her palms and Foci. She continued staring into Elohwa’s eyes, focusing on them as she pulled up the most powerful memories she possibly could to try and fall back into the Spell Trance. She thought of the births of her children. How she had felt the first time she had laid her eyes upon them. That sense of joy and love. A smile spread across her face. The blood magic helped ease her back into the Spell Trance, only instead of anger amplifying her spells, this time it was the pure love she felt at the first sight of her children. Aya’s gaze broke with Elohwa and traveled over to the dragon. Time seemed to slow as she watched the Dragon snap at a Dreamer who had managed to use a Shadow Step ability to get on top of the dragon and drive his daggers into its neck.
Aya raised her arms and opened them pointing her palms outward towards the Dragon. She caught the Dragon’s eyes right before she triggered the charm spell held within the bracelet. The two became locked in a battle of wills. His red burning eyes bore into Aya’s glowing blue eyes. Aya could feel the pain the Dragon was experiencing. She could feel every little knick, every scratch. She could feel Thorn’s fire and poison burning through his veins. And the rage, the unadulterated rage was overwhelming. Aya staggered under the wave of emotions radiating from the beast just as the Dragon was feeling her emotions. The Dragon stopped struggling, the runes covering his body were changing from red to purple as they traveled up his body and eventually reaching his eyes. The red glow faded away, to be replaced by a deep purple as he regained control himself.
Time resumed. The Dragon shook himself, dislodging the Dreamers that had used their special skills to get on his back or behind him. He continued to stare into Aya’s eyes, his giant head nodded towards the two women almost imperceptibly before he turned his attention towards the Dark forces. He opened his mouth unleashing a stream of pure liquid fire on the horde of ranged Dark Troops that had remained in the back as his support.
Aya collapsed into unconsciousness, physical, mental and spiritual exhaustion completely overwhelming her. Elohwa scooped her up, holding her close as she looked for someplace safe. She carried her Dreamer back to the barn where they had first summoned Thorn, out of the sight of the other Dreamers. The barn had sustained some damage from the fighting. A few areas were covered in scorch marks where spells and the Dragon’s black fire had set fire to it before Elohwa and Voksil had unleashed their storm spells to extinguish the blazes.
Dreamers backed away in confusion as their enemy suddenly stopped fighting them and turned his attacks on his former masters. The Dragon tore through the remaining Dark Troops bathing them in red and orange flames. Some Dreamers kept raining arrows and spells down on the Dragon in an attempt to bring him down for the loot he might carry, not caring that he was no longer fighting them. When the last Dark Trooper fell, the Dragon roared once more as violet ethereal wings seemed to sprout from the Dragon’s back, knocking over the Dreamers still trying to land attacks against him. He leapt into the air, his ethereal wings flapping to keep him aloft before he rose into the sky and shot off towards the east.
Before any Dreamers could begin complaining about not getting the opportunity to slay the mighty dragon, trumpets blared as a giant chest appeared where the Dragon had landed and notifications appeared in the interfaces of all of those present.
On this historic day, Dreamers of all races successfully defended the human village of Sorrent from an attack by the forces of Darkness! Go forth and reap your rewards!!
Dreamers quickly dismissed the notifications and rushed for the chest. This particular chest was ornately decorated, but was the size of a typical chest. While every Dreamer received a minimum of twenty platinum, each individual Dreamer saw something different within, since the loot was based off of how much they contributed. Dreamers started equipping any new weapon or armor they received to show off the loot to those around them. A few lucky Dreamers had obtained mounts that looked like the War mounts some of the Dark Troops had ridden upon. A giant black bear here, a horse with red eyes there.
Elohwa had remained in the barn with Aya, the Dreamer’s head in her lap once again as she slept off the exhaustion. Thorn was wandering out and around the village while he sought out the various loot markers that littered the battlefield. The chest would be around for quite a while so he was in no rush to make his way over to loot it for his masters considering Dreamer’s were already fighting to get to the chest.
“Come on, people! Hurry the hell up!”
“Loot and leave, people! I gots stuff to do!”
“LET’S GO!!”
“MOVE FOR FU**S SAKE!”
“How come he got a mount and all I got was some crappy ring?! I did way more damage than that noobie!”
“Hey, if you don’t want that I’ll take it!”
“Want to trade my epic one hand sword for an epic two hander! PST!”
Thorn shook his head, not quite understanding the fascination that Dreamers had with shiny things.
Voksil finished healing the Guards and other NPC’s who had remained behind to save their village before he entered the barn and returned to his wife’s side. “Is she going to be ok?”
Elohwa glanced up rubbing her tired eyes. “She will be fine. She had to use blood magic to release the Dragon from his enchantment. She will most likely awake with a rather nasty headache.”
Voksil frowned as he stared down at his wife, images of her lying comatose in a medical pod in the Dreamscape facility flashed through his mind before he pushed it away. Here, in this world, his wife was healthy. “We’ll wait here for awhile until things calm down outside. Why don’t you get some rest. I’ll watch over you two and I’m sure when Thorn is done he’ll be in as well.”
Elohwa was too tired to argue, she pulled her cloak off and rolled it up slipping it under Aya’s head before she laid down beside Aya, folding her arms up under herself for a pillow before immediately falling asleep.
Chapter 38: The End of the Beginning
∆∆∆
Aya awoke to a cacophony of hammers banging on her ear drums and daggers piercing her eyes, the headache was worse than anything she had ever suffered before. She groaned and screwed her eyes shut trying to will herself to go back to sleep until the pain had passed. She felt someone gently lift her head and put something to her lips. Warm liquid flowed into her mouth. She swallowed the liquid, the pain starting to ease. More of the herbal tea was poured into her mouth before her head was gently lowered back down onto soft cloth. As the pounding in her head began to fade, she was able to hear people talking in low voices so as not to disturb her before she once more descended into blissful sleep.
***
“When she’s feeling better and you’re more awake we should head back to the city. I’ll be waking up in about an hour or so if my sleep schedule holds.” Voksil was talking to Elohwa who had only just awoken from her nap. Voksil and Thorn had been watching over the women within the confines of a stall in the back of the barn.
“That would be wise, she will need more rest to fully recover from the blood magic and spell trances.” Elohwa was chewing on some of the kitchen rations that Derick had made for them. The meat was still warm and moist as if it had just come out of the pan. The meat had been allowed to cool for a bit before being put in the cloth bundles, which placed them in a suspended state once they were placed within the magic cloths. “I will take her back to the city should you have to leave before she is ready.”
Voksil was eating his own hearty ration, consisting of something akin to
chicken and fish. “Sounds good.”
Thorn started shifting a bit, as someone entered the barn throwing a long shadow across the dirt floor. There was a gentle tap on a post as someone knocked to announce themselves. “It’s Trav. May I enter?” Trav remained at the front until he had permission. He had seen what Thorn was capable of and would rather err on the side of caution.
Elohwa peeked her head around the corner of the stall and waved at him. “Yes, of course, my friend! Please, join us!”
Thorn moved away from the mouth of the stall to give Trav room as Voksil rose to his feet and dusted himself off.
Trav approached the stall nodding at Thorn before he extending his arm out to Voksil who took hold of his wrist. “How is she doing?” He had seen Aya collapse, but things had been so hectic he hadn’t gotten a chance to check in and by the time everything had calmed down he hadn’t wanted to disturb them.
“She will need some time to recover, but she should be fine once she has rested.” Elohwa looked down at Aya and brushed some stray hairs away from the Dreamers eyes.
“Apologies for not stopping by earlier, I figured you may wish to sleep a bit after a day of battle.” Trav took some of his own rations out of his bag, a grimace on his face as he looked at the dry meat held within. Voksil and Elohwa both held out the hearty bundle in their hands, offering him some fresh meat, vegetables and fruits. He took some from each bag so as not to offend the other. “Thank you kindly, friends!” He took a bite of the freshly cooked pheasant that Elohwa had offered him, his eyes closing as the meat practically melted in his mouth.
Elohwa chuckled a bit as she gently lifted Aya’s head again and poured some more of the herbal tea into her mouth. Another groan escaping the Dreamer, before Elohwa lowered her head back down to her rolled up cloak.
Trav swallowed the bite of meat and washed it down with the waterskin hanging at his side. “That is incredible, please, give my thanks and regards to the chef!” He popped another bite of the succulent meat into his mouth before he continued. “Now to a bit of business. I have heard that you have been here from the start, defending the village and the people within. The Guards and villagers are grateful for their lives and livelihood, we know many would have perished if it were not for you and your healing prowess. They have come to the conclusion that one of you should take control of the village. To build it and grow it as you see fit.” He held out a clenched fist and then opened it. In the palm of his hand lay a small stone, much like the Heart of the City that Aya had received from the Goddess.
Elohwa looked to Voksil and thrust her chin out at the outstretched hand. “It is yours to take, Voksil. We both know that Aya would agree.” She didn’t have to add that Aya already owned a city.
“Are you sure?” Voksil met Trav’s eyes. He had been witness to the enormous amount of work that was required to build and run a city. Though Aya was having to start from almost nothing, the only buildings that had been left standing had been the keep and the temples, he would be starting with buildings, housing and the people who already lived and worked here.
Trav nodded and extended his hand out towards Voksil. “You four have shown that you value the lives of the people here. Everyone here would gladly follow a leader that shows such compassion and mercy.”
Voksil picked up the stone and stared at it. “Thank you, Trav. This is a great honor. I hope that I will not let you and your people down.” A prompt opened in his vision as he closed his fingers around the stone.
Would you like to claim the human village of Sorrent?
He thought ‘yes’ at the stone which glowed briefly before another prompt appeared in his vision.
You have lain claim to the human village of Sorrent. Would you like to rename the village?
He thought for a moment before he declined. As he did so, trumpets sounded, a notification popped up in every Dreamer’s interface.
The Wood Elf Voksil has claimed the village of Sorrent!
He frowned as his chat channel’s suddenly exploded with messages ranging from “How’d you do that? How much for the village?” to “hacker, exploiter” etc. He waved them away as another mass message appeared within every Dreamer’s view which subsequently halted the messages.
Greetings Dreamers! We would like to congratulate you all on a job well done during our first ever Unique Event! Though a majority of the starting villages fell before the might of the Dark Armies, one village survived the onslaught- the human village of Sorrent! The Valiant defenders of the village fought courageously through twenty four waves of ever increasing difficulty before coming face to face with an Ancient Dragon who had fallen under the control of the Darkness. However, a few brave Dreamers were able to break the spell surrounding the Dragon and release it from its enslavement.
The surviving villagers and guards of Sorrent took notice of the actions performed by the defending Dreamers. Voksil of the Wood Elves showed honor and compassion by foregoing the fame and fortune of combat and the rewards that came with it in order to heal the people of the village and to bring them back from the very brink of death. It was by these actions that the villagers themselves determined who should be chosen to govern their lives. Let it be known that actions can have both consequences and rewards. Congratulations, Voksil, on your new village.
Before anyone could react to the message, another notification opened under it.
In three days time, the villages that fell before the Dark will be available to be claimed and rebuilt. Only those found worthy will be granted an opportunity to claim the city! Quest boards have risen around these villages detailing what they require to be rebuilt. Your contributions will go far in earning you a place on the village leaderboards. At the end of the third day, five Dreamers will be chosen to be able to bid on the villages. Keep in mind, though you can assist multiple villages with their needs, a Dreamer can only bid on one village. Villages can NOT be traded or sold to other Dreamers. If a Dreamer wishes to relinquish control of their village, they may do so, but the Dreamer will immediately lose rights to the village as it goes back up for bids. The previous owner will NOT be allowed to participate in any bids on villages or cities for a set time depending on the level of the village or city the Dreamer built. The Dreamer will also not be eligible for any of the bids placed upon the village or city that once belonged to them. If the Dreamer of a village or City is away for a prolonged period of time, the village or city will go back up for bids. This concludes our event!
Voksil opened up his Village interface to see what he had to work with.
Sorrent-Village
Natural Resources-Incredibly Rich
Wild Game-Incredibly Rich
Farm Lands-Incredibly Rich and Fertile
Defenses-No Walls, Militia, few trained Guards
City Income-Varies based on services rendered
City Expenses-Requires repairs before expenses can be ascertained
City Treasury-2 platinum
Population-125 Permanent Residents (60 Within city limits 65 in Farm Lands)
Loyalty-100% (Residents currently hail you as a hero for saving the town!)
Morale-70% ++ (Swiftly increasing after event drastically lowered morale)
He gave Aya and Elohwa administrative rights to the village so they could make changes while he was away, but they also already had their hands full rebuilding Eventide Falls. He knew he would need local help, his gazed turned to Trav. “You live here don’t you, Trav?”
Trav had been finishing off the hearty rations that Elohwa and Voksil had given him. “All my life, good sir!”
“I would like to build this village up into a city, but I’m going to require help. I was wondering if you would like to help me with that?” Voksil had always been a good judge of people, he liked the man the second he had met him. It also helped that Aya and Elohwa both trusted him.
Trav dropped the waterskin he had been lifting to his mouth, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “You...you want ME to help?!” He w
as so taken aback that a man he barely knew was offering him the opportunity to shape the future of his village that he began stuttering. “I...I…”
Voksil nodded and extended his arm forward. Trav watched Voksil’s face looking for any sign that he might be jesting, but the look on the Dreamer’s face was completely serious. He extended his own arm and grabbed Voksil’s wrist, the Dreamer’s fingers closing around his own wrist. “I would be incredibly honored to assist you in anyway I can!”
With that, Voksil gave him village permissions so that he could build and change things any way that he saw fit.
Trav smiled broadly as he suddenly seemed to stand taller. “Thank you for placing your trust in me! I shall do my best!” He bowed his head towards Voksil.
Elohwa had been listening to the exchange while she occasionally lifted Aya’s head to administer the herbal tea, but now she turned her attention to the mage before her. “Congratulations, Trav! I can think of no one better to help make this into a glorious city! I believe I know where you can obtain any materials you might require.” She winked at him, she couldn’t come out and just say that they could give them the materials considering they weren’t supposed to have a city just yet.
Trav nodded and winked back as he understood what she was offering. “You should put me into contact with them. I would be more than happy to pay for any building materials they could provide. Voksil, I have granted you my contact information so that you are able to contact me at any time through the day.”
She flashed him a nod and a smile of understanding.
“I’m getting warnings about waking so I should go. I’ll be back later and thank you, Trav. If you need anything while I’m not around then please feel free to message me, Aya or Elohwa.” Voksil leaned down and kissed Aya’s forehead before he rose to his feet. In an instant, he was gone.
“I should get Aya back home where I can make her more comfortable. Should you need anything, please do not hesitate to ask.” Elowah positioned herself so that she could put her arms under Aya to lift her up and carry her.