Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  Alexander smiled at the paladin. “That’s great, Benny! You were level 25 when you joined us just a week ago.” He shifted his gaze to the others. “So let’s head back and get some rest. We’ve all taken a beating today. Everybody take a trip to Stormforge for training first thing in the morning. With that army in the demon dungeon, and possibly another one on the way from Antalia, we’re going to need every skill we can get!”

  Max reminded them, “Everybody grab a handful of swords and shields from the storage room. We’ll give them to citizens if an attack comes before we have time to forge better.”

  They each complied with Max’s request, stopping in the storage room to stuff their bags with swords, spears, bows, and shields. There were also several crates of arrows, so Lugs stuck a couple of crates in his bag.

  Deciding the mirror would be better placed upstairs, Lugs went down and retrieved it. Once he was back in the storage room, they closed the trap door and covered it with crates. Alexander created an alcove beneath the stairs in the main room and installed the mirror there.

  “If we’re going to move livestock or large quantities of supplies back and forth, we’re going to need a portal. Fitz, can we establish another portal here? Or will that lich be able to access it?” Alexander asked.

  Fitz thought about it for a moment. “If we bring the portal up to ground level, I think the coordinates will be different enough that those who used the previous portal won’t be able to connect. The old portal was nearly three hundred feet underground, and offset toward the north a good bit. Also, the portal on their end would have been destroyed in the blast. They will know that this one was destroyed as well. They may never try to make the connection again.”

  “Then, if we can, we’ll come back tomorrow and build the portal. And start the wall. In the meantime, let’s go get some food and rest,” Alexander declared.

  Fitz teleported the entire party back to the keep. The sun had set, and it looked as if most of the citizens had already had their evening meal. The party made their way to the kitchen courtyard and took their seats. They found fresh bread and fruit, still-warm pots of boar stew, and pitchers of water and ale sitting on the table.

  As they filled their bellies, the party was mostly silent. Each of them in contemplation of either the fights they’d just survived, their upcoming training, or what was likely to happen in the coming days.

  The silence was interrupted by a crash and a few annoyed cries. Alexander was just rising from his seat to investigate when Bacon came around the corner of the donjon. He trotted toward the group with what could only be described as a piggy smile on his face. Around his neck was what appeared to be the remains of some kind of wooden gate. And trotting behind him were three sows.

  As Bacon reached the party, he moved to where Brick was sitting, plopped down on his belly and poked the dwarf’s chest with his snout, making a demanding snort. Brick chuckled, grabbing an apple from the bowl on the table and tossing it to his mount. Bacon crunched loudly as a farmer came jogging up behind him.

  “That damned pig o’ yours!” the farmer cried out.

  Brick and Bacon both gave the farmer their most innocent faces. “What be the problem?” Brick asked; Bacon snorted inquisitively.

  “He demanded to be let into the pig pen to visit the ladies. We figured, why not? Maybe they’d breed some bigger stock. He’s a damned monster, after all. Things was going fine until he all of a sudden decided to leave. In a hurry. Didn’t even give us a chance to open the gate. He just ran right thru it!” The man pointed to the gate-shaped necklace the giant boar was still wearing. “Now all the pigs is loose, and we gotta round ‘em up again!”

  Brick gave his mount a stern look. “Be this true? Did ye destroy the pen?”

  Bacon looked thoughtful, then enthusiastically nodded his massive head, making his jowls jiggle and flinging apple bits about. He snorted proudly and shook his head, shedding chunks of gate in every direction.

  “BWAHAHAHA!” Brick bellowed. The others tried to stifle their laughter at the unrepentant pig. For the sake of the farmer.

  But one look at the man revealed that he was having a hard time containing his own laughter. After a moment, he gave in and snort-laughed. “Stupid beast,” he muttered.

  Brick held up another apple to get Bacon’s attention. “Ye can have this here treat, if’n ye promise to go back out there ‘n’ round up the rest of them pigs. Put ‘em back where they belong.”

  Bacon nodded vigorously, shedding the rest of the gate from around his neck, saliva dripping from his maw.

  Brick tossed him the apple, which disappeared as quickly as the first. With a satisfied snort, the giant boar got back to his feet and headed off toward the bailey gate and the livestock area beyond. The dwarf watched him go with a smile on his face.

  After dinner, Max reminded everyone to drop off the weapons and gear from the store room at the armory. So, they all strolled over to the first floor of the barracks building and lightened their loads. Between them, they’d brought through 60 swords, 50 shields, 24 spears, 20 bows, 40 helms, and 400 arrows.

  The group dispersed for the evening, with a reminder from Alexander that he’d open the portal an hour after sunrise.

  Jules took Alexander’s hand as they walked into the donjon. They took a quick detour to Silverbeard’s office, where Alexander updated his chamberlain on the day’s events and the additions to their territory. He gave the old dwarf a rough outline of their plans for those lands, asked him to offer any suggestions he could come up with in the morning, and then asked about the gryphons. After Silverbeard assured him that the gryphons were properly situated, having chosen to rest for the night upon the walls of the inner keep, Alexander wished him a good night.

  The two elves walked hand in hand up the stairs to Alexander’s quarters. There was no question as to whether Jules was staying the night. After her death that afternoon, Alexander wasn’t prepared to let her out of his sight again just yet.

  They settled on a sofa in his sitting room. She curled up tight against him, her head on his chest. “You were scared I wouldn’t come back,” she said, easily reading Alexander’s thoughts.

  Alexander took a deep breath. “I was. I saw you die, and all I could think about was you being trapped in the darkness again. I wanted to log out and run to your pod, but I couldn’t. That made me angry, and I sort of lost it.”

  “You just stay away from my pod, mister!” She slapped his leg. “I’m all nekkid in there, and you will NOT be peeking!”

  He chuckled at the absurdity of that. Wrapping both arms around her, he hugged her tightly.

  “Odin spoke to me while I was in limbo. He said that my condition is improving and that my connection is stronger now. I don’t think I have to worry about not staying connected anymore.” She traced a pattern on his stomach with her finger as she spoke.

  He kissed the top of her head. “That’s great news, Jules! Maybe someday soon I’ll be able to hold you like this in the real world. We can game together by day, and snuggle at night,” he whispered.

  She sat back and looked him in the eye. Getting to her feet, she pulled him up and led him past the stacks of looted books in his study toward the bedroom. “When I’m back on my feet in the real world, we’re going to be doing MUCH more than snuggling!” she purred.

  Alexander laughed. “So… then I’ll actually get to peek?”

  “Ha! Don’t get too excited there, Romeo. Tonight, we need sleep.” She dove face-down onto the massive bed, arms and legs spread wide, and immediately pretended to snore loudly. After a moment, she opened one eye and stuck out her tongue. Then she rolled to her side and patted the bed behind her. “Come keep me warm.”

  Alexander joined her; their bodies spooned in the middle of the bed. She pulled his arm around her and settled in, making a few soft grunting noises as she got comfortable, causing Alexander to grin into her hair. It wasn’t long before they were both snoring for real.

  Chapter 2
>
  My, How You’ve Grown!

  Brick woke before sunrise, as was his habit. After a quick shower, he donned his armor and headed down for breakfast. Mattie and the cooks in the kitchen were prepared for early risers, and a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, and oatmeal was already prepared. When he had eaten his own breakfast, Brick fetched a large bowl and filled it with oatmeal, pouring some honey on top. He thanked the ladies for a lovely meal and then went in search of Bacon.

  He found his beast in the stables beneath a veritable pile of sows, snoring contentedly. Grinning, the dwarf crept forward as quietly as his iron-shod shoes would allow and extended the still warm bowl of oatmeal toward Bacon’s nose.

  The battle-boar snuffled a few times in his sleep, getting a snootful of the warm oats and honey smells. When the scent finally reached his piggy brain, he was instantly wide awake and shaking his way out of the pile of annoyed lady pigs. Brick backed up as the giant pig stomped toward him, snuffling enthusiastically at the bowl. Brick continued out of the stables and made it partway across the courtyard before Bacon lost patience and charged. He rammed into his master’s chest, then deftly gripped the bowl in his teeth as Brick fell backward.

  Bacon set the bowl down and buried his snout in it. Brick sat on the ground, laughing. “I been mugged by me own hog! Ye faithless pile o’ breakfast meat!” he cried out, drawing laughter from several bystanders in the courtyard.

  Having finished his treat, the boar licked his snout thoroughly, before nosing the bowl toward Brick. “Oh, no! Ye won’t be getting more o’ that after ye knocked me on me arse!” the dwarf scolded him.

  Bacon looked slightly repentant, stepping forward to gently head-butt his master. He snorted once, then plopped down on his belly. Being careful not to crush Brick, he rolled onto his back, waving his legs lazily in the air. An obvious demand for belly-scratchins.

  Brick eyed the shameless battle-boar. Truth be told, he felt a bit guilty for not paying much attention to his mount over the last few days. The others had dismissed their cats, but Brick thought Bacon preferred to hang around and socialize.

  His conscience got the better of him; with a battle-cry, he leapt upon the boar’s belly and began to tickle him mercilessly. “Gotcha! Ye useless stack o’ ham sammiches! Yer a battle mount. Ye know better than ta leave yer belly exposed!” he shouted.

  The epic battle between dwarf and pig that followed woke all those who still slept within the keep, including Alexander and Jules. Remembering he’d awakened the morning before to an intruding dragon, Alexander sighed and shook his head.

  “Am I ever going to get a full night’s sleep in this place?” he mused aloud.

  Jules mumbled something into her pillow; obviously, she wasn’t a morning person. Alexander noted she’d gotten up at some point during the night and changed. She was now wearing a pink pajama onesie, complete with feet and mittens. All she was missing was bunny ears.

  Smiling at his strangely dressed bed partner, Alexander slid on his boots and gathered his gear before slipping out of the room and downstairs. As he sat in the dining courtyard with his breakfast platter piled high, Brick and Bacon came strolling around the corner. Both were still puffing from their recent exertions.

  “If you’re done torturing that poor animal, have you got time to work on a couple of light cannon triggers? I want to give the king a couple more when I stop by there today,” Alexander called out around a mouthful of eggs.

  “Aye, that be simple enough.” Brick patted the boar on the shoulder and pushed him toward the stable “Git back to yer harem, ye lazy meatball. I got work to be done!”.

  As the dwarf strode off toward the smithy, Bacon turned to regard Alexander. He stepped closer, laying his massive snout on the bench by the elf’s leg and sighing. He looked up at Alexander with pleading eyes, as if he hadn’t been fed in days.

  “Nope. You and that dwarf woke me out of a perfectly good sleep. The sun’s not even up yet!” Alexander shoved at the pig’s head, which moved not one inch. Alexander did his best to ignore the begging and pleading of the giant hog at his side as he finished his breakfast. Bacon tried sighs, desperate squeals, and indignant snorts to no avail. Finally, one of the citizens at the next table couldn’t take it anymore and tossed Bacon an orange.

  The pig caught the fruit in mid-air, and with a sideways glance at Alexander, squeezed his jaw shut. The resulting burst of orange goodness splattered juice on Alexander. Payment for his refusal to feed the hog.

  Alexander was about to extract retribution when Jeeves’ voice came to him. “Master, a single adventurer approaches the drawbridge.”

  Alexander teleported himself to the roof of the outer gatehouse. Looking down, he saw a human barbarian staggering onto the bridge that extended partway across the moat. He was injured and looked as if he’d been in a serious fight. One arm was hanging limply and dripping blood. Blood was also streaming from a cut on the man’s forehead. Alexander used his analyze skill on him.

  Jeff Barbariano

  Human Barbarian

  Level 12

  Health 280/1300

  Real original name. Then again, who am I to talk? And how the hell did a level 12 get through those woods?

  Alexander called out, “Good morning, barbarian. How can we help you?”

  The man stopped, looking around. The sun was just about to rise in the east, but darkness still prevailed. Jeff obviously didn’t see Alexander.

  “Who’s that? Where are you? Show yourself!” the man demanded.

  “My name is Alexander. Who are you, and why are you bleeding on my bridge?”

  “YOU! You’re the reason I’m here! My whole group died because of you!” the man practically screamed in rage.

  “I haven’t killed anyone today. And why were you looking for me?”

  “There’s a bounty on your head! My friends and I came to claim it. Nobody told us there would be giant wolves and bears in the woods. Ten of us started out. They’re all dead because of you. I’m going to take your head myself! Then I’m going to toss your body to the sharks in this moat!” The barbarian waved an axe at Alexander with his good hand.

  “You came from Stormforge? Everybody there knows there are dire wolves out here. And there are definitely NO sharks in my moat.” Alexander smirked at the angry noob.

  “Not Stormforge, Antalia! We heard how you’ve been picking on a local guild, and the Queen put a bounty on you and your guild officers. Come down here and fight me!” Jeff demanded.

  “Jeff, have you not seen any of the PWP videos? It is not us targeting them. They are a PK guild. They came after us-”

  “They told us you’d say that!” Jeff interrupted. “Propaganda! You’d say anything to save your miserable hide! Come down here, coward!”

  “Don’t be an idiot. I’m nearly five times your level, and you’re wounded. Go back where you came from.” Alexander turned to walk away.

  “I’ll kill you, and your dog, and your mom! After I show her what a real man is!” Jeff screamed at his back.

  Alexander froze. Turning to face the barbarian again, he growled. “You should be more careful what you say.”

  “Fuck you! You’re a big talker up there on your wall. Come down here, momma’s boy! I’ll-”

  Jeff never got to finish his sentence. The shiny blue form of Ragnarok rose up out of the water and plucked the barbarian from the edge of the bridge. The man screamed as he disappeared beneath the water, a stream of bubbles the only indicator of where he’d gone. A moment later the bubbles were replaced by a cloud of blood that quickly dispersed in the current.

  Alexander chuckled. Teleporting down to the spot where Jeff had just stood, he looked down into the moat. “Rocky? You still there, buddy?” he called.

  Rocky’s head emerged from the water; a severed forearm gripped in his jaws. He looked up at Alexander as he crunched through the bone and swallowed his prize. A moment later he let out a satisfied belch.

  “Good morning, Rocky. That was ver
y smooth. Jeff the noob never even saw you coming. Did he make a good breakfast?”

  The water dragon nodded his head vigorously, grinning a dragon grin that showed much larger and sharper teeth than Alexander had last seen on his moat monster. Bits of Jeff were stuck in between.

  “You’re growing quickly! What are you, twenty feet long now?” Alexander asked.

  In answer, Rocky disappeared below the surface. He then rocketed up out of the water to land on the bridge next to Alexander. He stretched out as if to display himself, preening a bit at his glimmering blue scales.

  Laughing, Alexander patted the dragon’s head. “You’re beautiful, buddy. And modest, too. I’m glad to see you’re doing well. We’re expecting more adventurers to arrive soon, so more snacks for you. But be careful, okay?”

  The moat monster nodded his head and then slipped quietly back into the water.