He took me back to Draconia, and we agreed that we'd get together every once in a while. We said our goodbyes.
`See you in Hell, Danny Boy!' he told me, as he always did when we parted.
`See you in Hell!' I told him, and we shook hands smiling. Then he left, and resumed his travels among the Planes.
I decided that I should try to establish a stronghold or something in Draconia. I had no idea that all that would simply fall in my lap. You see, the first place I went to was the tavern which had served as base of operations for Zack and me for many years. As soon as I walked into the tavern I could feel the tension in the air. I asked them what was wrong, and they told me of the fate that had befallen the Lord of the castle nearby. He was killed by the dragons, and that made the locals terrified. This warlord was the only guy who protected them from the dragons for many long years, and now that he was dead, they were trembling at the thought that the dragons would enslave them all.
Of course I told them that someone would certainly step up to take over, but they said that it was hopeless. That warlord's family had reigned over the castle for centuries, but he was the last in line. He died with no heir, and no-one outside the family wanted the burden of reigning over a castle that stood as the sole bastion of defense against the dragons in this region. Nobody else had the guts to step up against the dragons. By then, many guards had left in panic, and the ones that remained didn't have enough good quality weapons.
Now, once I heard their story, I was thinking, maybe I could do this job. I was not scared of dragons, and I thought, this might be an exciting adventure! So I asked for directions, and traveled to the castle. Indeed, there were only a dozen guards left, the ones who had families and many friends in the nearby settlements and could not bring themselves to abandon them. I asked these warriors about who would lead them against the dragons that would eventually come, and they told me the same story as the villagers earlier. I told them, that if there was no-one else, then I would lead them in the coming battle.
`Hey, it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it! If you won't, why not me?' I told them. They stared at each other, and then looked me up and down, measuring me. They said:
`You are either very brave or very foolish. But if you truly wish to die, we'll not stop you. First, though, you must prove that you are not just some lunatic... Show us how well you can fight!'
They told me to fight their best warrior, and that if I prevailed, they would follow my lead and defend the castle against the dragons. I agreed, and the duel commenced.
Poor sod was only armed with an ordinary longsword. I didn't want to kill him, so I didn't draw my weapon. He hesitated to attack me, but once I charged towards him, he finally raised his sword to attack. His sword slipped aside on my armor, and after two well-placed punches to his chin, I staggered him enough so that I could disarm him easily.
They were impressed, and said they would honor their promise and follow me in battle when the dragons come, but they expressed their concern for the battle to come. They said, they expected at least a dozen dragons to come, and with all the half-dragons and slave soldiers aiding them, they would take the castle easily.
I asked them how much time we had, and they said we could expect the dragons' army to arrive in about a week or so. That left me with very little time, but I tried to make the most of it.
I started going through the many spellbooks and magical tomes I had found during my travels with Zack, and eventually an idea sprung to my mind.
Golems.
Gigantic animated figures of clay or stone, that have the strength that can match even that of dragons. If I could create a few of them, they could serve well against the dragons, while I and the guards dispatch the half-dragons and slave soldiers. I spent a full night thinking about how and what kind of golems to create, and finally I had the idea of a lifetime!
If I create golems that can alter their shape, we can take the dragons by surprise. Even better, if I create golems that can become siege engines or ballistae or catapults or other war machines, we can even use them before the dragons get close. It would truly give us the edge against them.
However, the process of creating a golem is very difficult, and requires special materials. I had less than a week to get them. Fortunately, I knew just the source!
By teleportation I went back to Ess'yer and looked up an old friend of mine, whom I got to know back in Ashkel. A dwarf called Aaron. He was a merchant and smuggler, and he was able to get whatever supplies you needed. Since I was in need of weapons for my soldiers and magical materials for the creation of the golems, he was the guy to turn to.
Fortunately he was easy to find. He was in Ashkel, and after a century or so had passed since the fiasco with Matuak, I thought there should be no problems with going back. So I rented a room in the best tavern of Ashkel, and then went to his house to see him.
*
I knocked on his door, and a few minutes later I could hear his characteristic voice through the door.
`Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, no need to knock the damn door down...'
He was always a bit grumpy. And I wasn't even knocking as loud as Zack.
`Yes, what do you want?' he asked immediately as he opened the door.
`Do you sell used brooms, good sir? I'm in need of some cheap cleaning equipment.' I told him, smiling.
`Are you kidding me, boy?! Do you know who you're talking to?' he asked, sounding angry. I just smiled, and looked him in the eye, silently.
`Wait a minute...' he said after a while. `Daniel? Daniel, is that you?'
`Who else would remind you of and old promise you never kept?'
I was referring to a joke I played on him when I was in the Fighter's Guild. We made a bet, and he said that if he lost, he'd go and sell used brooms and mops and buckets and the like. I won the bet, but of course I didn't make him keep his promise. I didn't want to drive him out of business. He was a good friend.
`Ah, that?' he asked, as he recalled that old bet. `I was wondering when you'd bring it up! Well, how many brooms do you want?'
`Can I come in? We could talk about the details while seated. I need very special brooms, actually.'
`Yeah, sure thing, Daniel. Step right in!'
We sat down by a table in his home, and we talked for a long time about how things fared with us both since I left Ashkel. He told me all about how he had established himself as a merchant in Ashkel. He had already been a renowned seller of exotic goods a century before that, but during the time which passed he became the single wealthiest merchant of the city. Quite a feat from a dwarf in a city inhabited mostly by humans.
I also told him what I had been doing over the years. The adventures we had with Zack, and the way Zack initiated me into magic. Aaron listened patiently, but he frowned every time I mentioned Zack's name. When I finished summing up everything, I asked him about that.
`Oh, don't even mention that bloody wizard to me!' he said. `I still shudder to think back to one of my first business deals with him...'
`Why, didn't he pay you well?'
`Oh, he paid, and how!'
`Well what's the problem then?'
`Are you sure you wanna hear that?'
I nodded.
`Fine then...' he said. `...but you didn't hear this from me...
You see, this was not long after Zack was awarded a magical staff from his Guild. It was a prestigious award given to students when they reach a certain rank. I don't know details, I don't go into these mage-things much, but I think it's the reward for something called a Third Trial of the Magi.
Anyway, Zack came to me and said he wanted to buy two extremely powerful rechargeable wands of lightning. I told him that those things were pretty dangerous, but he didn't care. When I asked him if he had the money, he said he'd trade the wands for another magical item. I said that if it was powerful enough, we could make a trade. He nodded, smiling with that typical smile of his, and then he handed me that staff.
Can
you imagine my surprise? That staff was way more valuable than the two wands he wanted. I am no mage but I have an eye for such things, and I have some trinkets that can tell me what magic items are good for. The staff had some pretty powerful protective enchantments, it was designed to help wizards survive in battle easier. He would give it up so readily just so he could shoot lightning bolts like there's no tomorrow. I thought the boy was stupid, but since it would be profitable, I agreed to the deal.
Now the thing is, I had no idea at the time that this was a prestigious reward from the Mage Guild. Months later, when I tried selling it, my almost-clients enlightened me. I mean, they told me why they didn't want to buy it. I'm serious... Nobody wanted to buy that shit in Ashkel. Nobody! I had to go all the way to Ordhiar to sell it! It was a pain in the ass from the beginning! That son of a bitch Zack Sands never bothered to mention just what kind of staff that was.'
`Wow! He actually sold that staff?'
`Yeah! He did. To me of all people... You know, after I managed to get rid of that damn staff, I told myself that I'd never deal with him again. Yet somehow, he always manages to make me sell him my stuff... In the greatest secrecy, of course. Nobody wants to see him around here, after all.'
`You mean he comes to Ashkel regularly?'
`Well, not really. After you and him disappeared, I didn't seen him for a very long time. I think he was here once around two decades ago, and twice during the past three years.'
`He never mentioned that he jumped over.'
`What, you were traveling with him during this time?'
`Yeah, we roamed the Planes together. It was great fun!'
`I can imagine that... Are you still hanging out with him?'
`We parted ways for a while. I'm actually trying to settle down in Draconia.'
`In Draconia? Why there?'
`It is the most magnificent place I have ever seen! Zack has taken me to countless worlds, but none rivaled the beauty and magnificence of Draconia!'
`Well, to each their own...'
`That brings me to why I am here.'
`So, you really do want to buy something?'
`Yes.'
`But it's not brooms, is it?'
`No. Weapons. Enchanted weapons. And something more...'
*
I told him what I needed, and why I needed them. Once I gave him the full list of things I required, he rubbed his beard.
`I don't know, Daniel.' he said, shaking his head. `This stuff ain't easy to get. You say you'd need it in the next few days?'
`The sooner the better. The siege will begin in less than a week. It takes a day to create the golems, at least. So I need the resources, fast!'
`Well, I guess I'll see what I can do. Anything for an old friend. But you know, the materials will be rather expensive. I have some pretty delicate sources, you see...'
`Don't worry about that.' I told him. `I'll pay what is needed. Just get me the materials, and fast.'
`Alright then, Daniel. I'll get back to you tomorrow. Are you staying in town?'
`Yeah, in a tavern. But I don't know when you can find me there. I may be busy. I'll drop in tomorrow around this time of day, alright?'
`Sure thing! Of course I understand what you mean that you might be busy in the tavern, heh!'
*
The following day, he still didn't have the materials, but he did have the weapons for my men. I paid them, and took the shipment back to my men. They were very pleased at the sight of the razor sharp, enchanted swords I got for them. I think it greatly boosted their morale. But I was really missing the components for the golems...
It took Aaron three more days to get them for me. I had very little time to get to work by then. With no time to lose, I worked day and night, not wasting time to sleep, until I was finished. I will spare you the boring details of the process of creating a golem, just suffice to say that it's a long and difficult process, but fortunately I had all the necessary materials and I succeeded.
The golems themselves were complete about a day before the dragons came. All that remained to be done, was the enchantment that would allow them to alter their shape. It took me three hours to complete the enchantment for one golem, and there were four of them in total. So it took half a day to finish. When the dust from all my hard labor had finally settled, there stood four tall golems in the courtyard. Four golems that had the power to alter their shape and become war machines. I named them alter golems. I commanded them to alter their shape, and wait for the dragons to come. I enchanted each of them to become a different kind of war machine. One was a catapult, another a ballista, yet another a small bastion with crossbows mounted atop, and the last one was a gigantic battering ram on wheels. They all assumed their war machine form and we waited.
At the end of the day, the dragons came. There were ten dragons altogether, and about sixty footsoldiers, half of them slave soldiers, the rest half-dragons. The footsoldiers approached the castle as close as they could, until they came within firing range of my catapult golem. As the catapult started firing at them, the dragons soaring high above realized that we had made some preparations, and they descended onto the courtyard with the intent of destroying the war machines.
They swooped down from the sky and breathed fire onto the catapult. The fire did not harm it however, so one of the dragons landed beside it, to try and rip it to pieces. That's when the catapult altered its shape, assuming its true form. The golem arose and grabbed the dragon, wrestled it to the ground, and pounded its body where it could. The dragons up in the sky were visibly shocked at this unexpected turn of events, but after they recovered from their initial shock, four more of them descended onto the battlefield, to aid the first dragon. Then, the arrow tower and the ballista also assumed their normal shape, and now the dragons had three golems to contend with.
As this battle raged in the courtyard, the footsoldiers got close to the gates of the courtyard. Before they could attempt to break it down, I commanded the gates to be opened, and the last alter golem, in its battering ram shape, rolled out the gate and straight into the footsoldiers. Some of them managed to jump out of the way, but most of them were too slow, and the battering ram slammed into them with tremendous impact, crushing at least ten of them. Then, the battering ram assumed its golem shape.
`Men! Attack!' I commanded, and with weapons drawn, the guards and I rushed out of the courtyard and attacked the footsoldiers of the dragon army. For a while, the last alter golem helped us in the battle, but then I commanded it to go help the other golems in fighting off the dragons. At least forty footsoldiers remained, while I only had a little more than a dozen guards on my side. But they were well armed with enchanted weapons, and I still had a few tricks up my sleeve as well. A few minor spells that could slow our opponents or reduce their vision, or temporarily daze them, proved very helpful. Before long, we cut down ten of them, and my men became confident that we could prevail.
Every once in a while I glanced back to see how the golems were faring. After we downed another five footsoldiers, two dragons already lay motionless on the ground beside the golems, with tattered wings and broken necks. Five others were fighting the golems, while the last three were circling high in the sky, waiting.
The battle raged on, and slowly the numbers of our enemies dwindled. When there were only five-ten of the footsoldiers left alive, I looked back to the courtyard and could see that the golems were now fighting just a single dragon. Up in the sky, two more remained. All the others were dead.
Minutes later, the golems killed that final dragon on the ground, and looked up, waiting for the last two dragons to descend upon them. But they did not come. Instead, they made a final circle, and then flew away, retreating to the territory of the dragons.
In front of the courtyard, the guards and I defeated the last few footsoldiers of the dragon army, and we raised our weapons high and cried out in victory. I looked around, and saw that only two of my men had fallen, all the others managed to survive with
minor injuries. The golems also took only minor damage, except for the one that the dragons had attacked first, but even that one was still in one piece and walking.
We were victorious. My men cheered, and hailed me for guiding them to victory over the dragons. I let them celebrate, although I knew well, that this was only the beginning.
Find him, bitch!
Sil Velies, Draconia, present day (11 hours after Twilightfall)
Slowly I step out of the Portal and return to Arghard. Finally... The Afterlife is a fucking boring place, it sucks to spend even a few minutes there...
No wonder no-one wants to die. Hell, if they knew, they'd wanna die even less...
Now, where the fuck is the little bitch?
I glance around, but Ghaubel is nowhere to be seen. Strange... I came straight to her Observation Room because I thought she'd be right here... Well, let's go look around then.
*
Great... I've pretty much walked through her whole fucking stronghold and she's nowhere. The little bitch didn't even bother to clean up the mess, everything is as ruined as it was when I was here last time. Well, there's only one place left to look. If she ain't there, I'm gonna have to try to use the Observation Room myself...
I slowly approach the breach in the wall where I entered the last time and I step out into the courtyard.
There she is... Sitting at the edge of one of the craters, and looking up to the sky. I approach her.
She startles as she hears my footsteps, and turns towards me. She looks frightened for a second, but then she just turns back to the sky. For a brief moment, I seem to have seen a very much telling expression in her eyes. An expression that says, nothing matters any more.
`All by yourself, darling?' I ask, as I reach her.
`Have you already forgotten how you left me here?' she asks, with a slight edge in her voice. She doesn't sound like her usual self, she sounds like she's given up everything. Oh, well excuse me if I don't cry you a river, you little bitch...
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