Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  As one, the guardsmen raised their swords and moved toward their foes as Lucius shouted, “Fools! These men are mine, body and soul. They serve the Dark One through me!”

  Brick charged forward to engage the lead guard, using his Shield Bash ability to knock the man back a step and cause those behind to falter. One of the guards, the one farthest from the group, made a run for the opposite door to call for reinforcements. Max, Lainey, and Lorian all hit him with arrows. Lorian and Max’s glanced off the man’s armor with no noticeable effect, while Lainey’s stun arrow sent electric energy arcing across the man’s armor, causing him to stumble. As he regained his balance, Jules appeared in front of him, stabbing a dagger deep into each eye socket. The man’s body went limp, and Jules withdrew her daggers as he fell to the floor.

  Meanwhile, Brick and the princess were side by side, shields up and blocking blows from three of the guards. Michael was engaging two more, his sword practically humming as he blocked incoming blows from both guards. Lucius stood behind them, hands moving in a detailed pattern as he mumbled to himself.

  Sasha cast a thorn trap that encompassed all the guards and Lucius at once. Alexander cast wizard’s fire on the chancellor before switching to magic bolts and hitting each of the trapped guards, one after the other. The vines caught fire as usual, but the guards were well armored and did not seem to suffer any damage from the heat.

  Taking advantage of their immobility, Michael stepped back from the two guards he faced. One of them instinctively tried to step after him and, his feet being bound in place, lost his balance. As the guard leaned forward, Michael reacted instantly. The old knight leapt into the air, bringing his blade down in a whistling arc that separated the guard’s head from his neck. He then spun to his left, bring his blade around to attack his other target. That guardsman had the sense to raise his blade to block Michael’s attack, and their battle resumed.

  Max hit Lucius with a silence arrow as the man continued his cast. But the spell failed, and Lucius flung his hands out toward the ranger. A familiar black bolt struck the ranger in his ribs, just below his bow arm, which was still extended as Max fired another shot. The dark magic immediately began to burrow into the ranger’s torso as he dropped his bow and fell screaming to the floor. An arrow from Lorian struck the chancellor in the chest but did not take him down.

  Kai who had remained at the back of the group, leapt forward immediately to render aid to Max even as Sasha cast her largest heals on him repeatedly. Fibble stood behind Sasha, frantically casting heals at Max and shouting, “Pew! Pew!”

  Lainey, knowing the pain Max was suffering, remembering when she herself was a victim of this same dark magic, snarled in rage and began to fire arrow after arrow into the chancellor’s face.

  The heat from the wizard’s fire and burning vines was beginning to take a toll on the guardsmen. While their metal armor initially protected them from that heat, the armor itself was beginning to glow a dull red. The men were being slowly roasted as they continued to cut and bash at Brick and the princess. Kimberly herself had already taken a step back and was using her shield more to block the heat than any enemy blows. She looked wonderingly at Brick, who didn’t seem to feel the heat at all. He was quite happily insulting the mothers, wives, and girlfriends of the three men in front of him to hold their attention. The princess grinned at a particularly naughty turn of phrase that caused the lead guard to bellow in rage and take a careless two-handed swing at the dwarf. The guard’s sword glanced off the face of Brick’s legendary shield, continuing onward and pulling the man off balance. Kimberly stepped forward, driving her own sword cleanly into the man’s exposed neck, killing him. She quickly stepped backward, raising her shield to block a blow from the man behind the dead guard. Brick took advantage of the distraction and smashed the man’s elbow with his hammer. The guard’s sword fell from his now useless hand.

  Lucius had managed to erect a magic shield between himself and Lainey, stopping her arrows from reaching him, and allowing him to cast another spell. This time he targeted Sasha. A bolt of darkness tore across the room toward the healer. She tried to avoid it, falling to one side but was struck on the shoulder. She too fell screaming to the floor, her mangled shoulder smoking as the evil magic dug into her. “Nooooo!” Fibble cried out in terror, eyes wide as Sasha fell. He dropped to his knees at her side, completely forgetting his wand. “Sasha no die!” the little goblin whimpered.

  Alexander cast his best heal on her as he fumbled for his healing wand. Producing the item, he channeled Healing Light into his best friend. Seeing this, Fibble reclaimed his own stick and began casting healing light magic into his pet human. Her health bar, already down below 50%, hesitated for a moment in its decline. A surge of hope ran through Alexander as he thought that the light magic would unwind the dark magic killing Sasha.

  But the reprieve was short-lived, and the dark magic resumed its relentless progress toward her heart. The druidess screamed in pain, making eye contact with Alexander before her eyes went blank as her health bar dropped to zero.

  Kai stood up from the still form of Max. Despite his efforts, Max had died. He turned to see Sasha also dead by the same dark magic. The dragon’s eyes blazed with blue fire as he stalked toward the chancellor. “You are an abomination!” His voice was nothing more than a low growl, yet it seemed to shake the very foundations of the palace.

  Lucius, eyes wide with terror, was once again casting a spell. His hands moved frantically as he shouted the incantation. Lorian put arrow after arrow into the chancellor, dropping his health a small amount each time. Alexander cast a burst of Ray of Light at the chancellor, striking him in the face. He then cast another, burning deeply into the man’s cheek before Kai reached him.

  The dragon reached out with both hands, gripping Lucius on either side of his head. With a roar that caused even the guildmembers to flinch, he simply twisted and lifted, tearing the man’s head from his body.

  The remaining guards, scared by the dragon’s fury and the gruesome demise of their master, dropped their weapons.

  Brick and Michael, both breathing heavily, looked to Alexander. Alexander didn’t hesitate. “No mercy,” was his response to their unvoiced question. To emphasize his words, he drew his own sword and stepped toward the closest of the remaining guards. It was the man with the crushed elbow. As the guard began to beg for his life, Alexander drove the point of his sword into the man’s open mouth and out the back of his skull. Almost in unison, Princess Kimberly and Michael removed the heads of the last two guard officers.

  Fibble sat crying next to Sasha’s corpse, holding her hand. Brick moved to pick up his and Sasha’s gear. He hesitated over Sasha’s body, looking at Alexander. “We could have Benny come and rez-”

  Alexander shook his head. “Just get their gear. We may need Benny’s rez if one of the citizens is killed.” As he spoke, he cast a couple heals on Brick, who was down to about 70% health. Turning to Michael, then Kimberly, he cast heals on both of them as well. While Kimberly had taken very little damage, Michael had suffered several cuts, one of them serious enough to disable his left arm.

  Alexander checked the health bars of the other raid members on his UI. Lugs’ group were all still alive, though their health bars were fluctuating. So, they were taking damage and being healed.

  He opened raid chat. “Lucius is dead. Sasha and Max are down. Lugs, how’s it going?”

  Lugs replied, “We’re in the queen’s chambers. We killed the guards outside and got in, no problem. The queen is here, but unconscious. Lyra says she’s been drugged or poisoned. More guards showed up, and are trying to get in. Maybe two dozen. We’re holding them at the door. Could use a little help.”

  Alexander looked to Michael. “The other group is trapped in the queen’s chambers. Two dozen guards outside. The queen is unconscious but alive.”

  “This way!” Kimberly shouted, making for the door. Michael sprang after her, with Alexander, Lainey, Jules and Lorian right behind
. Brick picked up the last of his friends’ gear as their bodies faded away, then followed. Kai stalked after them, still enraged, with Lucius’ head held in one now-clawed hand. Fibble didn’t seem to notice them leaving, as he sat looking forlornly at the spot where Sasha had lain.

  As they rushed through a corridor toward a stairway, Kai caught up with Kimberly at the front of the group. Nearing the top of the stairs, they encountered the large group of guards attempting to get past Lugs’ giant shield and into the queen’s chambers. They were having to step over a pile of bodies that Lugs and the others had already dispatched.

  Kai held the chancellor’s still dripping head high and bellowed, “Lucius is dead! Your dark master is a fraud! Surrender now or suffer Lucius’s fate!”

  The force of the dragon prince’s voice struck the guards like a shock wave. Those nearest to him pushed back against their comrades. Every head turned toward Kai. Upon seeing Lucius’s head staring back at them, they paused. The corridor became quiet, until Lugs took advantage of the distraction, bringing his massive hammer down to crush the skull of the nearest guard.

  The guard’s leader looked from his master’s severed head to the ogre tank who was grinning down at his newly flattened victim. “For the Dark One!” he shouted, charging toward Kai with his sword raised. Several others took up the cry and resumed their attempts to get past Lugs.

  Brick leapt in front of Kai, standing at the top of the stairs, raising his shield and scraping his hammer across its surface. The Serpent’s Screech ability triggered every guard in the room to focus on the dwarf. He then activated his Shield Bash, smashing his legendary shield into the face of the oncoming guard officer, knocking the man unconscious. Michael and Kimberly stepped forward on either side of the tank, shield and weapons at the ready as several more guardsmen approached. Lorian raised his bow and began to fire, putting arrows into unarmored faces at point blank range.

  Suddenly finding himself with no enemies, Lugs stepped out of the doorway. Dayle stepped next to him; shield held high as Warren and Helga followed. Lugs cried out, “Clear the stairway!” and raised his shield and turned it sideways.

  Brick, seeing what the massive tank was about to do, grinned and shouted, “Do as he said! Step aside! Tha’ big lug is gonna play snowplow!”

  As the other members of the party topped the stairs and moved to their left, Brick followed his own advice. Stepping to the left edge of the top stair, he raised his shield and shouted, “Go!”

  Lugs activated his Shield Charge ability. All nine feet of his massive ogre body shot forward; shield held sideways to scoop up as many of the guards as possible. The impact sent guard bodies flying backward and down the stairs. Several others were knocked down and trampled by the big tank. Right behind Lugs, Dayle activated the same ability and knocked back three guards who had escaped Lugs’ initial charge. Brick helped along a few stragglers who had managed to avoid tumbling down the stairs, bashing them with shield and hammer. In seconds, all but three of the guards were tangled up in the stairway. Helga, Misty, and Beatrix quickly dispatched those three, as well as two who were still alive after having bones crushed by Lugs.

  “Form up!” Brick shouted, turning where he stood so that his shield faced the guards on the stairs below. Lugs and Dayle were there in seconds. Lugs took up the center with Dayle opposite Brick. Between the three of them, their shields completely blocked the opening. Alexander cast Wizard’s Fire on several of the guards, which quickly spread to all of them. Lorian, Lainey, Misty, Beatrix, and Alexander all hurled missiles and magic attacks at the dwindling group of guardsmen. Beatrix covered the stairway in water, then Misty froze it, making the stairs slick with ice and leaving no sure footing for the guards. Lorian and Lainey followed up by putting arrows into eyes sockets, knocking their victims back and causing them to fall into others. Bodies fell and slid down the stairs into others, taking them down as well.

  After half a minute of hard fighting, a falling guard got in a lucky shot as he went down, nearly severing Dayle’s outstretched forearm as he pounded at another guard. Dayle’s hammer dropped to the stairs as he grunted in pain. He staggered backward, holding his dangling hand with his shield hand.

  The guards took advantage of the hole, a group of them managing to squeeze past Lugs who attempted to cover the gap. Benny produced his own shield and pressed forward as Helga, Michael, Kimberly, Jules, Warren and the others engaged the group to keep them from attacking the tanks from behind. Crushing one guard’s knee as he passed, Benny took up Dayle’s position as he simultaneously threw heals on the injured tank. Lyra was doing the same, hitting the tank with her largest heals as she yelled, “Drink a potion!”

  Helga activated one of her barbarian abilities, going into Berserker mode. She flung herself at the group of guards, eyes blood red and screaming in rage. Her massive sword cleaved limbs from three guards before she even touched the ground. She began to spin, taking hits without even trying to defend herself. Her blade cut down guard after guard as they tried to retreat. One got out of range, only to be cut down by Michael, who was carefully staying out of Helga’s reach.

  When the last of the group fell, Helga collapsed to the floor, exhausted. Her stamina was completely drained, and her health bar stood at 18%. Lyra quickly cast more heals on the barbarian as she lay staring up at the ceiling, panting for breath.

  The group of guards on the stairs had been joined by reinforcements from below. Another ten guards, fresh and with full stamina, pushed past their tired comrades and engaged the three tanks. Several of them carried spears, and one got past Brick’s shield from below, stabbing through his shin and calf. The stoic dwarf roared in pain, breaking the spear with a blow from his hammer. He bashed the guards in front of him with his shield, knocking them back long enough for him to pull the spear from his leg. He cast a heal on himself that was sufficient to stop the bleeding, and then he returned to the fight.

  Lyra cast her biggest heal on the dwarf, the spell draining the last of her mana. She reached into her bag and produced one of Sasha’s mana potions, as well as a vial of water from the keep. Gulping down both, her mana bar was restored to about 30%, and a buff icon appeared on her UI to let her know that her regeneration rate had increased.

  The ranged fighters went back to work, cutting down the health bars of the guards on the stairs as the tanks held them, and did whatever damage they could. Helga remained on the floor, an empty stamina potion vial beside her. She was of no use at the moment, not having any ranged attacks, so she rightly continued to recover. Warren sat with her, doing the same.

  Lugs, seeing an opportunity, set his hammer down next to him and grabbed the haft of a spear that was thrust in his direction. The guard at the other end of the spear had no hope of matching the ogre’s strength as he simply yanked the weapon away. Turning it so that the business end pointed down the stairs, he began a series of quick thrusts. Each one impaled a guard, punching right through armor with ease. Six guards perished in this manner before the rest wised up and retreated out of thrusting range. Lugs just laughed and hurled the spear at the group, the juggernaut of a spear impaling two more and pinning the arm of a third to the wall.

  Seeing that the ogre tank had thrown away the devastating weapon, the remaining eight guards began to climb the stairs again. Lugs allowed them to approach before removing one of his duergar spears from his bag. Three quick thrusts and three more guards were dead or out of the fight. The others fled down the stairs, but not quickly enough. Lugs aimed at the middle of the pack, skewering only a single guard this time, but tripping up those behind him so that they tumbled down in a tangle of arms, legs, and weapons.

  There was a cry of pain from below, and a shout of, “For the queen!” as a squad of soldiers led by an old knight put down the remaining four guards. The knight climbed the stairs, calling out, “Michael! Are you there? Does the queen live?”

  Michael shouted down in reply. “Sir Jeffrey! The queen lives, barely. She has been poisoned. Bring
the alchemist!”

  Sir Jeffrey passed the order to his men below, four of whom dashed away down the corridor. The rest secured the bottom of the stairs, wary of an attack by more of Lucius’s men. As he approached the three tanks, the knight halted and bowed his head. “I thank you, for protecting my queen.”

  All three tanks nodded in response, stepping aside to let the old knight pass. Each kept a wary eye on the stairs, just in case. Benny began throwing heals on Brick and the others. He was just about to top off Dayle’s health bar when he simply collapsed to the floor. Benny looked confusedly at the now dead tank, and then at Warren, Lyra, and Misty as they all dropped dead a second later.

  “What the hell?” Brick spoke the words that were on everyone’s minds. “Did yer dad pull ‘em out?”

  Alexander shook his head, feeling a sense of dread as he answered. “No, their immersion isn’t over yet. Maybe there was a power issue or something.”

  Michael, Kimberly and Sir Jeffrey, not able to follow this discussion due to the NPC block, looked askance at the suddenly dead adventurers momentarily, then rushed into the queen’s chambers. Sam was already at the queen’s side, along with Kai.

  Lainey looked confused and upset. “Does this… does this happen a lot?”

  “No” Alexander simply said. Then, seeing that his answer had only distressed Lainey further, he added “The immersion systems are very stable. And Olympus hosts the server we’re on, so there should be no connection issue. I’m sure it’s just a power issue.”

  As Lainey nodded her head, the sinking feeling in Alexander’s gut grew worse. He was remembering the day his father first showed him the immersion pod. He was certain that each one had a battery backup, in case of sudden power loss.

  Looking at the other players, he said, “Get all their gear. They’ll respawn back at the keep, and won’t want to come all the way back here for their stuff.” He wanted to distract them, to put off what he suspected for a few minutes more.