Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  Mags lifted the item from the box, pulling it open to its full size. It was a loop of leather with the emerald affixed on one side, and a clasp on the opposite.

  “It’s a choker,” Mags explained. When no enlightenment appeared on Alexander’s visage, she elaborated. “She’ll wear it around her neck. It fits tight, so there’s no jingling like with a necklace. The gem is secured tightly to the leather, so it will not just fly off during combat. And the emerald is enchanted with agility.” She flipped the thing inside out, then held it against her own throat to demonstrate. “She can even turn it inside out so that the gem presses against her skin, and it will not be visible in times of stealth.”

  “That’s… perfect!” Alexander beamed at the tiny shopkeeper. “Even the agility boost is appropriate. And the stone is beautiful. I’ll take it!”

  “I’m glad you like it. That’ll be 130 gold.” Mags returned the choker to its box, arranging it so that the stone was properly displayed.

  Alexander set 200 gold on the counter. “Thank you, Mags. Keep the change. You’ve been amazing. I’m so glad I came in here this morning! I will be sure to tell my fellow guild members about you.”

  Mags scooped up the gold and deposited it in her coin purse. “You just send that young lady in here, so I can see her. I have a feeling you’ll be needing my services again! And I can make better items for her if I’ve met her in person.” She winked at him. “Now, go on! Go make the young lady smile!”

  Alexander stowed the box in his bag as he left the shop. There was an extra spring in his step as he made his way back to the compound as he began to plan ways to present his gift to Jules.

  Once back at Greystone Manor, Alexander sat at the desk in the study. He had a few hours yet before it was time to open the portal back to the keep. There was something he’d wanted to work on for several days now, and had not found the time.

  He pulled Ceaser’s ring of communication out of his bag. He wanted to figure out how the magic worked so that he could create rings for his citizens. Especially with the new territory they had to explore. Being able to communicate with non-guildmember citizens at a distance would be invaluable.

  First, he activated Mage Sight and examined the ring. He could see the ‘color’ of the magic imbued in the metal. It was a dark blue, almost purple shade. He wondered if that might have something to do with the alignment of the ring’s creator, or just the type of magic used. He tried using Analyze, but it gave him the same basic information he’d seen before.

  Ring of Communication

  This ring allows the wearer to speak with its creator over long distances

  Baleron had taught him how to deconstruct enchanted items. The process was relatively simple, but not one hundred percent guaranteed to be successful. Sometimes deconstruction resulted in knowledge of how to duplicate the enchantment involved. And sometimes the item was destroyed with no information gained. Alexander had four of the rings, looted after the battle in the square with Ceasar and his friends. He wanted to retain at least one of them to use in their attack on Antalia. That left him three chances to learn the magic.

  He placed the ring on the desk in front of him and cast the deconstruction spell on it. He watched with his Mage Sight, hoping for some enlightenment. The magic glow seemed to brighten slightly, then fade away as the ring disintegrated.

  Well, that didn’t work. Maybe my skill level is too low? Or maybe it’s just that the odds were against me this time. Maybe a subtler approach?

  He reached into his bag and produced another ring. This one looked identical to the last.

  Holding the ring in his hand, Alexander focused on the deconstruction spell. Keeping his Mage Sight active, he pushed the deconstruction magic into the ring as slowly as possible, watching carefully for any clues as to how the communication magic worked. Not seeing any visual indicators, he closed his eyes and continued to push the magic. When the spell was complete, he felt the ring disintegrate in the palm of his hand. There was a tingling sensation in his mind that quickly increased as knowledge of the spell installed itself. The tingling escalated into significant pain that Alexander now recognized as normal based on his experience of learning spells from Fitz or Kai. It lasted only a moment before fading away.

  Alexander opened his eyes and looked at his still open hand. There was no sign of the ring. Opening his UI and selecting his spell library, he found what he was looking for.

  Far-Speaking

  Level One: This enchantment allows an item’s user to communicate with its creator over a distance of up to 30 miles.

  Alexander gave himself a little fist-bump of celebration. This enchantment could be incredibly useful. He immediately pulled out ten small pieces of obsidian and began to enchant each of them with his new spell. When he’d finished the ninth one, he got an alert.

  Skill Level Up! Enchanting +1

  After finishing the tenth stone, he went out to the smithy. Brick was away getting training or running errands, but Alexander was able to make a deal with one of the master smiths who had the shaping skill. He shaped the ten stones into tiny dragons in return for Alexander enchanting a couple of items for him. Alexander was thrilled with the arrangement.

  Ten minutes later, he stepped into Lydia’s shop. He spotted her in the back workroom, seated on a stool at her workbench and monitoring several potions that were bubbling above small flames.

  “Hello again, Alexander. What can I do for you?” She smiled in greeting.

  “I bring gifts!” he grinned back as he produced two of the newly crafted little dragons and handed them to her. “One for you, and one for the captain.”

  Lydia took a moment to Analyze one of them. “Well! Someone has been learning again. These could be very useful.”

  “Yes, I deconstructed a couple of the rings we took from Ceasar and his friends. Managed to learn the communication enchantment. These will only allow you to speak me. But I’m hoping with more practice I can make some that will work two ways. In the meantime, if you need anything, you can reach me anytime!”

  “That is very thoughtful of you, Alexander. You’re a good boy.” Alexander noticed she rubbed her belly with one hand as she spoke. “I’ll be sure and pass this other one on to my husband. Did you find him earlier?”

  “Yes, I did. Thank you. He mentioned that the Greystone ladies had already been by to update you!”

  “Yes, news travels fast. Your very own kingdom. Quite impressive. Have you decided on a name?” she asked.

  “Ha! Like I’ll have any choice in that! Brick will try to name it ‘Bricktopia’ or ‘Durinvania’. Max will suggest something like ‘Maxland’. Ultimately, I’m sure the ladies will decide on the name. I’m just here to look pretty.” He grinned at her. “We’ll end up with something like Fluffybunnyum.”

  Lydia snort-laughed at that. “You just might, at that,” she agreed, shaking her head.

  “Your brother already gave me his blessing,” Alexander added. “I’m going to speak to King Thalgrin as well. And we have some preparations to complete before we make things official.”

  “Good thinking. I’m very proud of you. All of you! Now, I’m sure you have things to get done, and if you keep distracting me, I’ll ruin these potions. Off with you!” she waved him out of her shop.

  Alexander went back to the compound and spotted his tiger, sitting in his usual spot on the balcony outside his suite. Plopping down next to the massive cat, Alexander scratched his ears. “Do you have a name already? Or should I give you one?”

  The tiger made a chuffing sound that sounded a lot like laughter.

  “Let me guess. Jules named you?” Alexander raised his eyebrows at the cat, who just chuffed again.

  Chapter 3

  What’s in a Name?

  Max had headed out into the city as soon as he stepped through the portal. His first stop was the butcher’s shop, where he arranged for a cart of tasty meat chunks to be delivered to the compound for the big cats.

  Nex
t, he headed to the outskirts of the city near the west gate. The ranger and hunter trainers could be found in a wooded compound just inside the wall. He found his trainer watching some level one noobs trying to hit training targets with starter bows and arrows.

  “Max! Thank the gods. Somebody with a brain to talk to. Tell me, does your homeland TRY to recruit your dumbest and slowest to become adventurers? And who gives them such ridiculous names?” the trainer shook his hand.

  Max looked at the line of noobs. They had names like ‘Stinkyfeet’, ‘LadyKilla’, and his personal favorite, ‘DufusMcGee’.

  Chuckling, Max looked at his trainer. “Yes. We send all the morons here to get themselves killed. We figured it would make good entertainment for you.”

  “HA!” The trainer shook his head. “I see you’ve gained quite a bit of experience since I saw you last. Dungeon runs?”

  “You could say that. I’ve killed lots of demons, bugs, and undead the last couple days. High levels. Those noobs aren’t the only ones who were born stupid!” Max replied. “I was hoping you’d have something more to teach me? Maybe keep me alive a few more days?”

  “Certainly! Let me see here…” The trainer stared at Max for several seconds, noting his level and skills. “I’ve got a couple good ones for you. The first is an upgrade to the multi-shot you got last time. You can control the point at which the arrows begin to scatter. Anytime from when they first leave your bow, to right before they impact. Obviously, the earlier you trigger them, the wider the spread will be.”

  “Awesome!” Max was already thinking up ways this might be useful. He could trigger the spread at the last second and have five arrows hit a single target all at once. That would make a great interrupt.

  “The other is called Grapple. Your arrow flies with a thin magic thread attached to it. When you hit the target, you can yank it toward you. Watch.”

  In one smooth motion, the trainer pulled his bow from over his shoulder, drew the string, and fired an arrow into the boot heel of one of the noobs. Then he stepped backward and yanked on his bow. The unfortunate ‘LadyKilla’ tumbled face-down on the ground, nearly stabbing himself with an arrow as his foot was pulled from under him. Even knowing it was there, the thread was so thin that Max couldn’t see it. “You can also shoot it up into a window, for example, and pull yourself up.”

  “I’ll take it!” Max was already picturing shooting a certain dwarf in his posterior region and pulling him off his battle boar. “How strong is that thread?”

  “At level one, the thread will be strong enough to support three people at once.”

  “Both upgrades will come in very handy. Thank you!” Max said. The trainer placed a hand on Max’s forehead, and the knowledge was passed directly into his mind. For some reason, these skills didn’t hurt like the magic that Kai had given him.

  Maybe because it’s a class ability? I’ll ask Kai about it when I see him.

  Handing the trainer 50 gold, which was a significant amount more than the training cost, Max wished the man well and left the area. He was walking along a side street, thinking about visiting the carpentry skill trainer, when he noticed a shadow flicker in front of him.

  Instantly suspicious, he kept walking without pausing. His half-elven vision was excellent, and the wide set of his eyes on his face gave him more peripheral range than a human. There was no one in the street ahead of him, so the shadow must have come from someone on a rooftop above.

  Keeping a steady pace, he began to sing to himself as he continued to watch for another sign. A block further down the street, he saw it again. A humanoid shadow on the stone of the street just ahead of him. Which, from the angle of the late morning sun, meant that the caster of that shadow had to be very close.

  Continuing forward, he opened guild officer’s chat. “Hey, guys. Got somebody stalking me from the rooftops. So far, I’ve only seen one. Don’t know how serious it is. I’m going to head to the old guild house. Slowly. Anybody close enough to get there? Maybe set up a welcoming party?”

  “I be two blocks from our compound,” Brick responded.

  Alexander said, “I’m in the compound. Brick, come here, and I’ll teleport us both to the house.”

  “We’re at the tailor’s, maybe 5 minutes from the house if we run. Walk slow, Max. Stop and tie your shoe or something. We’ll be there. Jules will be stealthed, and Lainey will get on the roof,” Sasha added.

  Max came to an intersection where two side streets met. On the opposite corner, there was an alchemist’s shop with a large storefront window. Moving across the intersection, and approaching the shop, Max watched the reflection in the window, hoping to spot someone on the roof behind him. No such luck.

  Taking the opportunity to kill some time, he stepped inside the shop. Greeting the shopkeeper, he asked about agility potions. The old shopkeeper produced a box of six vials that all contained potions of +10 to agility. Max asked the old man if he had anything with a larger boost.

  “Aye, I have some that give 25 points in agility. But they’re quite pricey.” The shopkeeper put away the first box and produced another. This one held five potions. “The price is 75 gold.”

  Max quickly did the math. 15 gold each for a 25-point boost? No-brainer there!

  “I’ll take them. Do you have any more?” Max asked.

  The shopkeeper shook his head. “I’m sorry, this is all I have.”

  Max gave the man four 20-gold pieces and told him to keep the change. All the while he was watching out the window to see if he could spot his follower.

  Putting the potions in his bag, he took a deep breath and held it as he opened the door. He half expected an arrow in the chest as he stepped out. When nothing happened, he released the breath as casually as possible and set out toward the old guild house.

  While walking the six blocks to the old guild house, Max noticed his stalker’s shadow twice more. Whoever this was, they either weren’t very good, or they didn’t care whether Max knew they were there.

  As he approached the house, Lainey spoke in guild chat “Two people on the roof behind you. One’s an archer. The other looks like a caster. The archer’s bow is empty. They’re just watching you.”

  Alexander replied, “Lainey, stay behind cover. Don’t let them see you. Sasha and I are inside the house. Jules?”

  “I’m behind Max. In the shade across the street from the house. They can’t see me,” Jules reported.

  Max crossed the street and entered the front door of the guild house. He found Alexander, Brick, and Sasha standing on either side of the front window, looking out and upward. “Thanks for coming, guys. I’m not sure what they want. They could have shot me a dozen times since I spotted them.”

  “Yeah. I’ve been wondering about that. It doesn’t make sense for them to follow you. If they’re PWP or Chaos Nation they already know where we live,” Sasha said. She had the best mind for strategy among the group, and would normally be the first to solve a puzzle like this.

  Jules spoke in guild chat again. “I can hear them talking above me. They’re wondering whose house Max is in. One of them mentioned backup coming. And something about a bounty and buying better gear.”

  “Thank you, Jules. That explains a lot. More players looking to collect on the bounty. They probably won’t attack in the city. They’ll wait for you to leave. They might not know about the portal at the compound. We could probably head back, and they’d just wait outside forever.” Sasha said. She snorted out loud, amused by her idea.

  “But, if they know about the bounty, they know about Dire Keep. Why come here looking for us?” Alexander asked.

  “Well, we can’t just attack them. We’d get flagged for PVP inside the city. They haven’t committed a crime that we know of,” Sasha mused.

  “Max, buddy. How do you feel about playing target dummy some more? Take a walk down to the Ogre?” Alexander asked. Max just nodded his head.

  Alexander spoke in guild chat. “Okay, guys. Max is going to walk to t
he Ogre. Jules, stay as close to them as you can. See what they say. Lainey, follow them from the rooftops. Shout out as soon as they can’t see the door. Sasha, I’m sending you to the palace. Inform the guards about what’s going on. Send them to the Ogre.” He waived a hand and Sasha disappeared.

  “Brick and I will be waiting inside the Ogre. Max, Lainey, Jules, shout if you see them attacking. Max will walk inside and sit at a table. Let’s see if our friends out there follow him in.”

  Max opened the front door and headed out at a leisurely pace. It took all his willpower not to look up at the roof before he turned and headed up the hill toward the Ogre. He smiled and greeted a few passing citizens as he walked, trying his best to act casual. Despite knowing that Lainey would warn him, he couldn’t help but expect an arrow in the back at any time.

  “They’re moving to follow,” Lainey reported.