The Greystone Chronicles Book Two: The Dire Lands

by Dave Willmarth

  “I’ll speak to them about it now. I don’t even know that they’re willing to join us yet.”

  Alexander headed off into the donjon. He stopped in the kitchen to see if the duergar had eaten yet. Upon learning they hadn’t, he asked that a modest lunch be prepared on a tray, which he carried to the great hall.

  Reaching the hall, he found Gelag and the other five councilors waiting for him. They all had taken seats at a long table to one side of the room. Alexander joined them, setting down the food and motioning for them to help themselves.

  “Good morning, Gelag. Councilors.” He nodded his head.

  “Good morning, Alexander,” they all said in unison.

  “I have just returned from Stormforge, where we obtained more supplies. There is a quantity set aside for you in the courtyard. It should be enough to feed your people for a week. Longer if you supplement it with fish or wildlife that you hunt.”

  The eyes of the councilors widened. This was more generosity than they’d expected. Food for nearly a hundred and fifty people for a week was no small thing.

  “We thank you, again, Alexander. You and your people have been kind. We discuss with our people last night. Many wish to join Greystone. Many others are scared. Most are not fighters.”

  “I understand, Gelag. And I would not ask your people who are not fighters to take a place on the wall. But if our gates are breached, if the enemy penetrates the keep, they will need to fight to defend themselves. Or die.” He paused a moment while the councilors whispered among themselves. The whispering was interrupted with bites of fruit and sausages.

  “However, I can offer your people something that will help ensure their survival.” Alexander pulled out six of the dragon pins, handing one to each of the councilors. He waited for them to examine the items.

  “This… I not die when wearing this?” Morig asked.

  “Well, not from a single blow. Like an arrow. It will prevent one mortal blow. But if you have a bleed effect, or fire, or poison, that continues to do damage, then the next hit can kill you. That is the reason for the healing spell. If properly used, the two together should keep you alive long enough for a healer to reach you. It only works once. Let me be clear. It is NOT a guarantee. It is just a hope,” Alexander warned them.

  “And… you can give to all of our people?” Brega asked.

  “I have…” Alexander quickly checked his inventory. “I have nearly 100 of them now. We are making more. I should have enough for everyone in a day or two.”

  “What they cost?” asked one of the councilors Alexander hadn’t spoken to yet.

  “These are our gift to any who swear the oath. We too have made an oath, to protect our citizens. This is part of our effort to fulfill that oath.” Alexander smiled at the grey dwarf.

  Gelag looked to the others. One by one, they nodded their heads.

  “We choose to join. Take oath. We can help with building, hunting, many other things. Not just fighting,” Gelag said.

  “Wonderful!” Alexander shook the duergar’s hand. “I spoke to King Charles of Stormforge, and he welcomes you to his kingdom. He has announced to all his citizens that friendly duergar will be seen in the city soon. Initially, I will send people with you, to make sure there are no incidents. Until the people there get used to you.”

  Brega gasped. “We can go to city? Human city? For trade?”

  Laughing, Alexander said, “Of course. You will be citizens of Dire Keep. There is also an auction house in the keep now. And there will be a bank soon. Speaking of the keep. Would your people prefer to live inside the keep? Or to remain in your caverns?”

  Morig answered for his people “We think… caverns for now. Maybe move soon, when our people feel better?”

  “That would be fine. I would need some time to make housing for so many, anyway. Silverbeard mentioned that you might like it if we carved some space into the mountain at the back of the keep? So it would feel like you remain underground?”

  All six duergar nodded their heads, smiling. “Yes, that would be better. Duergar do not enjoy sunlight. Hurts our eyes. We were made for underground.” Morig grinned.

  Need to get with Brick and Lainey. Maybe Beatrix too. Maybe we can invent Io’s first sunglasses?

  “Good enough then. We’ll get to work on some housing for you. In the meantime, I’ll move your mirror into one of the structures on the outer wall. You and your people can use a wagon to move your supplies down there, and transfer them into the caverns.”

  Alexander walked outside with the duergar in tow. Locating Lola, he asked, “Any of the outer wall structures not occupied yet? Preferably one with a lower level?”

  Lola checked her notes. Then she shared her map with Alexander, and pinged one of the structures.

  Alexander teleported to the cave he’d made for the duergar, grabbed the mirror, and teleported back. Lola was organizing some citizens to help load the duergar supplies onto a wagon.

  “Lola, please send the wagon down when it’s loaded. I’ll take these guys with me.” Alexander motioned for the duergar to follow.

  He walked out the keep’s gate and down the path toward the outer gate. As they approached, he noted some citizens on the wall, calling out to Rocky and tossing bits of food. His moat monster was going to be growing faster than expected.

  Turning to use the path along the back side of the outer wall, they soon arrived at the structure Lola had indicated. It was a standard one story from the outside, roughly 20x20. Indicating the structure, he said “This building will be yours to use.”

  Stepping inside, he led them down the stairs to the cellar level, which was much larger. Using his earth mover ability, he cleared an alcove in the stone under the stairs and placed the mirror in it. “I’m afraid a wagon won’t fit, so your people will have to carry supplies downstairs by hand.” He apologized.

  “No problem. Duergar strong like dwarves. Maybe stronger.” Gelag smiled.

  “One other thing,” Alexander mentioned. “If the enemy breaches the wall and gets in here, they would have access to your caverns. I want you to have at least two of your people assigned at all times to this mirror. In the event of an attack, they are to bring the mirror into the keep immediately. If they cannot do that, then tell them to hide it face down under a box or something, so that the enemy does not notice it. Have one of them go through the mirror first, to warn your people not to use it.”

  Brega nodded her head. “It will be done.” Moving forward, she said, “I will get more people to move supplies.” Then she touched the mirror and was gone.

  Alexander said, “Tomorrow morning? Your people will all come and take the oath?” Gelag and the other councilors all nodded their heads.

  Leaving the duergar to their supplies, Alexander headed back to the drawbridge. It was down at the moment, as the logging and hunting parties were out, and the miners had headed toward the mine.

  Standing on the bridge, he called out, “Rocky! Are you down there, buddy?”

  The little moat monster practically flew out of the water, landing on the bridge next to Alexander. He had a fish in his jaws, and was wagging his tail like a puppy.

  Laughing, Alexander said, “Finish your lunch, buddy. I just wanted to say hi. You look like you’ve grown already!” And it was true. Rocky had been roughly four feet long the day before. Now Alexander estimated he was closer to six.

  Rocky chomped down on his fish, severing the head and tail from the main body. After gulping down that piece, he snatched up the head and tail and swallowed them whole as well. He looked at Alexander with his big googly eyes, tongue hanging out. Alexander squatted down and scratched the water dragon’s ear in the same spot Jules had the day before. Rocky purred and thumped his tail a few times.

  “Okay, buddy. Glad to see you’re doing well. Try to leave some fish for Lars and Elsbett to catch, okay?” Alexander patted the dragon’s head. Rocky nodded his head yes, then dove back into the water. A moment later his tail flicked, splashin
g water up onto Alexander. The moat monster grinned at him.

  “Ha! I’ll get you for that!” Alexander waved a mock-angry fist at the little dragon. Rocky disappeared under the surface.

  Teleporting himself over to the fishing pier, he found Lars and Elsbett sitting on the end of the pier, each holding a fishing pole.

  “Good … afternoon, I guess.” Alexander glanced at his UI’s clock. “How are they biting?”

  Lars grunted. “They ain’t. That durned moat monster of yours keeps thrashing around, scaring all the fish!”

  Alexander tried not to smile. “Rocky’s intelligent enough. Ask him not to, and he’ll listen. Soon he’ll be too big to swim through the tunnel, and he’ll stay in the moat.”

  “Aye. That day can’t come fast enough!” Lars grumbled.

  Seeing another ‘two birds, one stone’ opportunity, Alexander said, “The more you feed him, the faster he’ll grow. Maybe you can even teach him some tricks. Like how to retrieve your net for you. I think we can do without fish for a week or so…”

  Young Elsbett’s eyes grew wide, and she was visibly trying to hide her excitement. Lars simply nodded, saying, “Aye, that might work.”

  “We have information that an army is coming. At least part of it undead. Does your teleport charm work for more than one person?” Alexander asked Lars.

  Lars shook his head. “It ain’t got enough power”

  Alexander removed one of the king’s teleport scrolls from his bag. Handing it to Elsbett, he said, “You keep this with you at all times. If you see the enemy and you’re trapped out here, you use it. It’ll take you straight to the palace at Stormforge. When you get there, you tell them we’re under attack.”

  Elsbett accepted the scroll. “Aye. Thank ye. I’ll not let ye down.”

  Teleporting himself back to the keep, he made his way to Sasha’s alchemy lab. “Whatcha up to?” he asked.

  “Picking my nose, just waiting for you to come and offer me something useful to do?” her sarcastic answer came.

  “Well, since you mentioned, how’d you like to come with me to the cave where we found all the featherroot? It’s been few weeks, maybe it has re-grown.” Alexander knew she couldn’t resist that. She’d wanted to visit there the day they first explored the keep.

  “YES! Let’s bring Lainey and Jules. They’re both learning to gather herbs.” Sasha was already on her feet and out the door shouting, “Jules! Where are you?”

  “Instead of shouting like a mad woman, how about just using guild chat?” Alexander reminder her.

  “Oh. Right.” Sasha shouted in guild chat, “JULES! LAINEY! WHERE ARE YOU?” Alexander just shook his head.

  Meeting up with the other two ladies, Alexander teleported them all to a grassy area he remembered just outside the cave entrance. They walked in from there. Jules went into stealth mode and moved ahead of them, scouting.

  After a few moments, she said, “All clear, all the way to the dungeon entrance.”

  The rest of them moved into the cave, and Sasha exclaimed “They HAVE grown back! Dozens of them. I’m going to take a few of the plants whole, roots and all. I’ll transplant a few to the garden at the keep, and a few others to greenhouse at the manor. Then Lydia can have access to them whenever she needs them.”

  “While you guys pick flowers, I’m going to poke my head in the dungeon. See if they respawned.” Alexander informed them as he headed toward the back.

  Stepping through the portal, he found himself in the same safe room they’d encountered the first time he and his friends had entered. Back before they switched to their current avatars. It had been less than three weeks in real world time. But so much had happened, it seemed more like a year.

  Using his earth sense, he explored below him. This wouldn’t tell him if the dungeon was occupied, only whether it had changed. From what he could tell, the layout was still the same as last time.

  Taking small steps, he moved forward into the corridor in front of him. This level had been imps, but they were all above level 60, and ran in packs. He wasn’t about to try and fight them.

  He made it about a hundred feet down the corridor before he spotted the door to the first room. There was movement inside the room. He could see flickering light and shadows. Creeping forward, he stopped near the door and gazed into the room at an angle.

  Well, shit. Imps. AND undead. There shouldn’t be both.

  Alexander waited a few moments to see if maybe the two groups would fight each other. But the undead just shuffled slowly about the room, completely ignoring and ignored in return by the imps.

  He inspected several of each. All over level 50. That meant the demons had respawned about ten levels lower than when they’d killed them all before.

  In guild chat, he said, “Sasha, Jules, Lainey, do you have what you need? If so, get out of the cave. I’ve got demons and undead both in here.”

  “Give us a couple minutes. I don’t want to ruin these plants by rushing. And it’s just me and Lainey. Isn’t Jules with you?” Sasha said.

  Dammit!

  “Jules, where are you?” Alexander asked, beginning to get upset.

  “Right here behind you! Boo!” Jules exclaimed.

  The mobs in the room heard the rogue’s outburst, and began to chitter and moan. Several headed for the door.

  “Dammit, Jules! Run! Get through the gate!” Alexander shouted at her. At the same time, he was raising a wall in front of the door to try and hold back the mobs.

  He was hit by two fireballs that made it over the wall when it was only about four feet high. The damage interrupted his casting. He decided that would have to be enough. Casting a heal on himself, he turned and ran as fast he could down the corridor. He saw Jules jump through the gate ahead of him.

  He turned to look as he stepped through the gate himself. There were several imps who had made it over the wall and were hopping toward him. They were maybe halfway down the hallway.

  The moment he was through the portal, he turned and began to raise a wall half an inch in front of the portal’s surface. He poured mana into the spell, raising the stone as quickly as he could. His efforts were rewarded when he heard two resounding thumps against the wall, followed by three more. He continued to raise the wall until it was flush with the cave’s ceiling. Then he thickened it. First to three feet, then to ten feet, then twenty. He didn’t stop until he had filled the cave with stone to a depth of thirty feet.

  “That should slow them down,” he said to himself.

  Moving back out into the area where the ladies should be, he didn’t see Jules. Panicking, he shouted, “Where’s Jules?

  “She ran by us, crying. What did you do?” Lainey stood in front of him, arms crossed.

  “She decided to follow me, then ‘surprise’ me inside the dungeon. Right outside a room full of mobs. Her shout aggro’d the whole room. I yelled at her to run to the gate while I held them off.”

  “You yelled at her?” Lainey’s face darkened.

  “No, not like at her… I didn’t scold her or anything. Just yelled for her to run. She had the aggro. They were going to eat her face.” Alexander thought back.

  Did I yell at her? No. I wouldn’t do that. But could she have taken it that way?

  Lainey didn’t look convinced.

  Sasha called out, “We’re done here, let’s go.” She turned and began to walk outside to find Jules.

  They found her sitting on the ground, back against a boulder, crying. Sasha sat down next to her, hugging her close.

  “I… I’m sorry, Alexander. That was stupid. I nearly got us both killed. I just didn’t want you to go in there alone… and then I wanted to scare you. I’m SO sorry!” She broke down into sobs.

  Lainey and Sasha both threw looks at him that said, “Do something, idiot.”

  Sitting on Jules’ other side, he pulled her away from Sasha, gathering her into an embrace. He rocked her back and forth, saying, “It’s okay, Jules. I’m sorry I yelled. I panicked. I
saw all of them aggro on you, and I got scared they’d get to you before I could stop them. I just wanted you safe more than anything in the world at that moment.”

  Jules’ sobs subsided a bit. Lainey and Sasha both smiled at him. Apparently, that was the right thing to say.

  Jules looked at him. “You’re not mad at me?” She sniffed.

  “Never was. Just scared. Room full of zombies and demons tryin’ to eat our faces? Nearly peed myself.” He grinned.

  Jules half-sobbed, half-laughed. Lainey snorted and kicked his leg. “Idiot.”

  Giving Jules some time to compose herself, he asked Sasha, “How many of those plants did you get? I’m thinking of sealing this cave for good.