Tales from the Dead Man Inn

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “So mean,” Mother murmured, trailing her fingers across the back of his neck. “I will tell you. Bastet’s armor is chain and very black panther inspired. The head piece looks like a massive panther roaring and is quite intimidating. The set bonuses are different than I would have expected. The three piece bonus gives the wearer complete immunity from mind control while raging and makes Leap an at-will Ability. The second bonus might be a bit much; it lets the wearer use all of their abilities without cooldowns for a solid minute.”

  The Dark Lord whistled softly as he considered what his people could do with that kind of bonus. Shaking his head, he looked down at Eve, draped on his lap, “Tell me more.”

  “I thought you would take longer to think about that one,” Mother purred as she leaned into him. “Alas, it wasn’t enough. Let’s see if Peace’s set is enough to distract you further.”

  Shaking his head, he gave her a quick kiss. “Not more distracting than you are.”

  “Always with the words to make my heart flutter,” Mother sighed. “Peace was a bit more hesitant to share with me, but when I told her that I had been tasked to create a set as well, she started gushing with enthusiasm. She really is such a sweet hearted person.”

  “Yet somehow, she’s with my brother,” the Dark Lord snorted.

  “Stop it,” Mother said as she placed her hand against his chest. “We’re talking about armor, not your brother. Peace went with a simple extra heal for the three piece bonus. It can be for a single target or an area, with a set amount of healing split between the targets. On top of that, it removes debuffs from those it heals, with a long cooldown to help balance it out.”

  “Sweet and smart, almost worthy of being your second,” the Dark Lord murmured.

  “Stop that. You know she wouldn’t consider it, and it would cause an all-out war between you and Justice.”

  Shrugging, he sighed, “Yes. I was just thinking the other night that it's wrong for me to be with only one wife, when I tell my followers that multiple partners is the best thing they can do.”

  “We’ll find someone in time. We have eternity, which means they will have to mesh just right with us. Now stop interrupting me, or I won’t do that thing you like so much…”

  Snorting, he kissed her lightly. “Fine. Please continue, my darling wife.”

  “The second bonus is more intense, doubling all stats for everyone in the party or raid with the Priest for two minutes, though it can only be used once per day.”

  Blinking as he marveled at the sheer power that could give to a maximum level adventurer, he let out a soft whistle. “I didn’t think she would reach that far.”

  “The Overlord has already approved her armor set. It will make the wearer look like an angel with white, downy wings making up the back of the tunic.”

  “She would pick something along those lines,” the Dark Lord nodded.

  “I don’t want to go too far with the whole bone motif for the Necromancers, but I’m going to include some,” Mother said. “I’m still considering the bonuses. I want to do something that buffs their minions, at the very least.”

  “Whatever you do will be wonderful,” he murmured, putting his arms fully around her. “What I think we should be doing right now, though, is going back to bed for a while.”

  “Oh, someone wants to sample my special talents again, hmm?” Mother said as he stood up, carrying her.

  “If our daughters have even half of your ways, they could conquer the world just by batting their eye lashes and wiggling their hips.”

  Giggling, she placed soft kisses along his collarbone, “Oh, they have at least that much of my power. After all, you made me, and I made sure they could do what you wanted them to do.”

  “I still wait for the day that the Overlord calls in the return on the favor she gave me, letting me have you.”

  “That’s quite the favor to repay,” Mother said as she continued to kiss his chest.

  “Yes, it is,” the Dark Lord murmured as he kicked open their bedroom door. “But, that’s a worry for another time.”

  ~*~*~

  Days later, the Dark Lord sat on his throne, lost in thought over his armor set. He had considered hundreds of different ideas, but none of them held any real appeal to him. He wanted his armor to really stand apart from the others.

  “Do you want to see my final creation, dear?” Mother asked as she came up beside him.

  Smile forming on his lips, he replied, “Of course I would.”

  “Have him come forward,” Mother said loudly.

  A moment later, one of the Succubi lead a tall, thin human toward them. He wore black leather armor with mithril trim. The set was tasteful, with none of the skeletal motif that Mother had said she was leery of. The only piece that had any bones was the belt, where the mithril trim formed a spine that wrapped around the wearer. The hood was deep, and the Dark Lord frowned, as he couldn’t see the face of the person wearing it. It was as if an inky veil separated them.

  “Very tasteful,” he murmured.

  “The first set bonus is a passive buff I called Necromancer’s Will—it makes the wearer’s minions 90% resistant to light magic. The second bonus is fun. When a minion takes enough damage to die, it keeps fighting for another fifteen seconds. At the end of that it explodes, doing the same amount of damage that it took during the span. The explosion is dark magic, healing its friends and potentially damaging enemies.”

  “It is a very intriguing set of armor,” the Dark Lord said with a smile. “Who do you have wearing the set?”

  “My name is Stein, Dark Lord,” the man wearing the Necromancer armor bowed to the throne.

  “Welcome to my home, Stein,” the Dark Lord felt a chill across his neck at the man’s name. “Did Mother bring you just to show off the armor she has fashioned?”

  “Not quite. Not too long ago, you granted a boon to a friend of mine. When he came to see you to redeem the boon, he brought me with him. I chose to stay here when he left, learning all that I can of Summoners and the Infernals,” Stein bowed to Mother, “It was my fortune to be here when she needed someone to wear this wonderful set of armor.”

  The Dark Lord’s sense of foreboding increased at Stein’s words. “I see. I’m glad you were able to enjoy your stay. However, I’m going to be closing my home to all guests for a few days, starting later tonight.”

  “Ah, I see,” bowing again, Stein sighed. “I shall collect my things and depart.”

  “Neva, please escort Stein back to the room he has been using and collect the armor,” Mother said. “My thanks, Stein, for helping me showcase the set.”

  “I hope one day to see it all again, Mother,” Stein said with another bow before following Neva out of the room.

  The Dark Lord watched him leave, the chill in his blood remaining until the door shut behind Stein. “I think that man is going to be a nexus. Did he come with the Dragon Eater?”

  “Yes,” Mother said, puzzled by the intensity of his tone. “We turned Dimitry’s sister into a Half-blood Infernal.”

  “I fear we may have made a grave error,” he said grimly.

  A bright flash notified them of Victoria’s arrival. “I’m very impressed with your armor, Eve,” the Overlord said without preamble. “I will collect the armor after Stein removes it.” Eyes turning to the Dark Lord, Victoria’s smile dimmed. “I see you’re troubled; do you wish to tell me what bothers you?”

  “I think that Stein is going to be a nexus for something I dreamt last night,” he told her.

  “Ah,” Victoria looked pensive for a moment. “Wheels are turning, and hard times are coming. I am going to be calling in my favor soon.”

  Sitting up straighter, his face lost all expression. “What will you ask of me?”

  “Do not interfere with what is to come. You may offer your followers words, but you may not intercede on their behalf. It will be painful, and you will curse me many times, but it is needful to bring about what is to come in the fullness of t
ime.”

  “My nightmare is going to be true, then?”

  “Indeed,” Victoria replied sadly. “Needs must. Have you come to a decision regarding your armor?”

  Seeing the deflection for what it was, he sighed. “I have not yet finalized the bonuses. Have you rejected any of the others?”

  “I have not had a need to,” Victoria said. “I look forward to what you will do. I shall return when you are done with your armor, but don’t take too long.”

  Another bright flash and Victoria was gone, leaving the Dark Lord stewing over her words. “I need to work on my armor,” he said, getting to his feet. “I’ll be in my workroom.”

  Going to his workroom, the Dark Lord glowered at the walls. “You want me to make you armor, after telling me my followers are going to suffer and I can do nothing…” Seething, his hands gripped the Infernal Steel work bench hard enough that it started to deform. “Fine. Let us see how you like what I’m about to do.”

  Releasing the work bench, he pulled the black and red leathers to him and began piecing them together with a smirk. Once he had them assembled, he opened the interface they had been given to work with and added the stats, making sure that the wearer of the armor would be more well-rounded than any of their peers. He finally added the text to the two bonus sections before stepping back and looking at the set.

  The first bonus wasn’t bad. In fact, it looked a little lackluster compared to the other bonuses he knew of. When the set was complete, though, it would be quite powerful, and adding in the second set bonus made the entire set possibly more than Victoria would allow.

  A bright flash brought him around with a grimace. “Overlord.”

  “I know you are upset with me, and I will not fault you. I will accept the armor set you have just completed in recompense for what is to come. I will not let your brother match you in this, either. Those who accept the transition, though, will not be allowed to become less powerful than they are, only ever growing more powerful until the final death claims them. I will even allow them to be useful to your followers in the future.”

  “Why? Why must my followers suffer as I have seen?”

  “Life is never without pain,” Victoria said, her eyes changing to orbs of light and darkness. “Know that as much as it pains you, it pains me as well. Things must be as they will be, for it is only through the path before us that the world will know peace in the future.”

  The weight of her gaze made him fall to his knees. “Is there nothing we can do to ease the pain and sorrow?”

  Her gaze lightened. “You have always been the one who cared most for his followers. You have only made me proud,” a small, brittle smile came to her lips. “Just do as I ask, and in time, there will be a moment when you will be able to start to repair the damage that is to come, but it will be many years before then.”

  Forcing himself back to his feet, it took everything he had to stand. “I will be ready. I only hope my followers will understand.”

  A ghost of a smile came to Victoria. “Always so stubborn. They will, and in time, they will even praise you more fervently than they already do. I must go now, for I have an appointment to keep. I look forward to the first follower of yours who assembles this set.”

  Victoria disappeared in a flash of light, taking with her the armor that had been on the bench. “Maybe one day you will explain to me why this was necessary,” the Dark Lord muttered as he left his workroom in search of Eve.

  ~*~*~

  Yuna Demonchild smiled sardonically at her companion, Steinberg Franklinson. “I can’t believe we’ve both been able to put together parts of the armor sets.”

  “Maybe the Dark Lord is smiling upon us,” he replied as he put the belt on. “Oh, this is amazing,” he said. His eyes lit up as he looked at the newly revealed bonus for the armor. “It gives a passive buff to my minions, making them 90% resistant to light magic.”

  “Well, if we run into any more of Justice’s Paladins, maybe they’ll last longer than my Infernals,” Yuna chuckled. “That would be a nice change of pace.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Steinberg waved her off. “It’s only because you have the ability to have two of Frita out to use Comforting Touch on Jaxal.”

  “We’ll just have to wait and see,” Yuna said. “Now come on—I want to make it to an inn by the end of the evening. You still owe me a massage for losing the bet on who would get the killing blow on that Mature Dragon.”

  Summoning their mounts, they started down the road. “One day, I would like to see Stormguard again,” Steinberg said as they rode. “So many of us have been scattered to the winds since my great grandfather’s lunacy.”

  “Yes. We’ll have to do that before I speak with the Dark Lord, though; I’ll become half Infernal soon.”

  “It’s going to be harder for us to travel, but it’s what you want, so we’ll manage,” he replied.

  A roar that shook the heavens made both of them look to the west, where an Elder Dragon swooped near the road. As it came back out of its turn, the beast breathed a cloud of white mist. “What the fuck is that doing this far from the mountains?” Yuna hissed as she booted her mount into a gallop.

  “I think I heard screams,” Steinberg yelled as he chased after her, the road climbing over a hill.

  Cresting the ridge, they thundered down toward a battle between the Elder Dragon and a small squad of men in uniforms. Dismissing their mounts as they closed in on the fight, both of them summoned their minions.

  As Yuna directed her minions to attack the mob, Steinberg winced as he saw the man at the center of the fight. “Yuna, that’s the Emperor.”

  “It doesn’t matter, they won’t survive without us,” Yuna snapped as she triggered Lasting Haze along with Purple Haze to buff all of them with extra constitution. The two Abilities stacked and ate at her mana pool, but they were needed for this fight. Drinking a mana potion, she looked back at Steinberg. “We’ll flee afterwards.”

  Nodding, he pulled his eyes from the Emperor to focus on the Elder Dragon. “Bringing it down,” he yelled loud enough for the others to hear. Two large skeletal hands reached out of the ground, grabbing the Elder Dragon and slamming it to the ground. “Freeze it in place.”

  The few remaining Elementalists with the Emperor did as he said, summoning their magic to anchor the Dragon’s legs to the ground. As soon as they had, the Undead, Infernals, and the guards with the Emperor rushed at the beast. Maximus was there before all of them, his sword gleaming with Holy Fire as he cut into the Dragon’s chest.

  “For Justice!” Emperor Maximus Lightheart yelled, a ring of golden energy flaring around him and his guards, as a buff enhanced all of them.

  The fight raged back and forth, as the boss monster was a danger not just to them, but also to the nearby settlement. By the time the fight came to an end, Yuna and Steinberg were wounded, bloody, out of potions, and their minions were all dead.

  Leveling their weapons at the wounded adventurers, the guards glared at them. “Stand down!” Maximus commanded imperiously as he pushed through the handful of guards he had left. “We owe our lives to them. Do not tarnish the name of our god by turning on them after they risked themselves to aid us.”

  Striding forward, he glared at his men when they went to follow him. “Stay here. I will speak with them alone.”

  “But, Sire—” one of the men said before clamping his jaw shut under the gaze of the Emperor.

  The Emperor strode to the two adventurers, sheathing his weapon and holding out empty hands. “I wish to thank you for coming to my aid. I shall have my men bring the coin we had with us—”

  “We have no need of thanks,” Steinberg cut in with a grimace.

  Nudging him, Yuna stepped forward. “Sire, we only did what any good person would have done.”

  Maximus’ head jerked as if he’d been slapped, then he took a deep breath. “That is true, but the Empire has been less than just to those of your classes, as my men just proved. I would not have foun
d fault if you had left us to our fate.”

  “That is not our way. The Dark Lord has never harbored any ill will toward the Empire, even with your laws. He would only smile upon us for defeating the danger that would have turned on the nearest settlement,” Yuna replied.

  Eyes squinting, he looked at their gear. “I see. I would like to reward you nevertheless. I shall give you enough gold to retire from adventuring.”

  “We do not want your coin,” Steinberg snapped.

  “Sire,” Yuna said softly, “while we are adventurers, not all rewards are monetary in nature.”

  “That is all I can give to you,” Maximus said, but his gaze went distant as if he was contemplating a radical idea.

  “Take your coin and—” Steinberg began before Yuna cut him off.