Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

“He… what? How can…?” Alexander paused in his confusion just as Mattie emerged from the kitchen and set a plate of pancakes in front of him. “Thank you, Mattie. I ran into the O’Malleys yesterday outside the palace. They send their regards and wanted me to let you know that your ex-husband has been searching for you. He was working with a group of bounty hunters, and I told the O’Malleys to send him here.”

  Mattie looked frightened for a moment. Then her face hardened. “Let him come. You kill him good and dead when he gets here.”

  Admiring her spunk, Alexander smiled. “If he comes, he’ll regret it. We’ll feed him to Rocky. But he may not show up at all. The bounty has been canceled.”

  Mattie smiled at the idea of her worthless dungsnuffler of an ex-husband being eaten by their cute little moat monster. “Thank you, Alexander. Can I get ya anything else?”

  Alexander looked down at his plate, which was significantly less crowded than it had been a moment ago. Jules’ plate was correspondingly more laden with pancakes. Shaking his head, he replied, “No, thank you, Mattie. And Rose says she’s stealing you as soon as they open the Ogre II here in the keep.”

  Mattie just smiled as she turned to head back to the kitchen. Alexander poured some syrup on his breakfast and took a moment to eat a few bites, in case his voracious elfess had ideas about helping herself to any more.

  Once he’d consumed about half his stack, he looked again at Silverbeard. “How did Jeeves register a building that’s something like fifty miles from here?”

  Silverbeard grinned. “Ye claimed it fer the guild. Now a piece o’ Jeeves’ spirit be inhabiting it, just like here, or up in them towers up top.”

  Huh.” Alexander hadn’t thought about the possibility that capturing the guild house in Antalia would give Jeeves more points.

  Alexander’s focus came back to his plate as it began to slide to one side. Looking that direction, he noted Jules’ now empty plate being shoved toward the center of the table as his plate moved to take its place. He looked up to see a childish grin on Jules’ face. When she saw him noticing the theft of his food, she just shrugged and said, “Pancakes.”

  He couldn’t help laughing as he put his arm around the girl who had so completely charmed him. Looking to Silverbeard, he said, “We’ll be right back,” before turning to Jules and saying, “You’re coming with me, for your own good.” And with that, he teleported both of them up to the control room.

  Jules, who’d had the presence of mind to pick up her plate and bring it with her, promptly sat at the control table and resumed breakfast. Alexander sat next to her on the bench, and said, “Good morning, Jeeves.” He snaked a hand in and nabbed the uppermost remaining portion of pancake, withdrawing his hand even as Jules’ fork descended in protection of her treats. He quickly stuffed the sticky third of a pancake in his mouth, deciding that was the only effective way to retain ownership. Jules eyed him as if contemplating going in after it, before smiling sweetly and resuming her meal.

  “Good morning, Master. Welcome back. What can I do for you today?”

  “Hello, Jeeves. I understand you’ve picked up another ancillary building. The guild house in Antalia,” Alexander prompted.

  “Yes, Master. The building is currently under Odin’s protection. However, in less than eight hours it will be vulnerable to attack. Would you like me to lock all of the entry doors?”

  “Thank you, Jeeves, that is very thoughtful of you. Please do so. But allow entry for any of our guild members, or for Martin, the leader of PWP. Oh, and any he designates. I expect we’ll be turning over control of the house to them today.”

  “I see. That is unfortunate, Master. The claiming of that building, in addition to the village I have repaired up on the plateau, and your improvements to this keep and the garrison, allowed me to achieve level 20. If you surrender the guild house in Antalia, I will return to level 19, at least until the second village is repaired.”

  Alexander patted the table in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Jeeves. I don’t think we have the manpower to defend the guild house when it becomes vulnerable again. How long until the second village is repaired?”

  “Two days, Master. The improvements I made here in the keep provided enough stone resources to begin the repairs this morning.”

  “Ah, well. Thank you, Jeeves. Two days is not so long to wait. And maybe we won’t lose the guild house so quickly. The bounty on our heads has been removed. And our reputation in the city has increased drastically. I will see what we can arrange.”

  “Thank you, Master. I do so enjoy being level 20. Also, I should report that the stone golems have mapped a significant portion of the plateau. It is larger than we first anticipated. The golems, all but the one you took from the western tower, moved outward from the garrison tower until they each hit an obstacle. Whether it was a cliff, mountain, or river that could not be crossed. Or in the case of the northern exploration, the end of the forest. Once they stopped, I had each of them travel twenty degrees clockwise to a new start location, and make their way back to the garrison tower. They finished the journey during the night. Would you like an update to your map?”

  Alexander grinned at the table. “That’s awesome, Jeeves! Good thinking. You really are starting to anticipate our needs quite well. Yes, please update my map.”

  Alexander pulled up his UI and enlarged his area map. He watched as it quickly filled in around the pathways taken by the eight stone golems. The path for the one who headed due west stopped at the western tower, where they’d set him to guard duty before bringing him back to the garrison tower. But the others all progressed outward beyond what Alexander expected. Then, as Jeeves described, each of them took a right turn and moved a good distance before returning. Other than a few blank areas at the outer edges, this process filled in his map of the plateau pretty comprehensively.

  “Jeeves, what are the approximate dimensions of the plateau?” he asked.

  “Approximately twenty miles wide from east to west, Master. And from the cliffs to the south, to the northern edge of the forest, just over thirty miles. The plateau itself continues beyond the forest, but I halted the golems at the tree line. Open grassland could be seen to the north, beyond which was a mountain range.”

  Jules poked Alexander in the ribs with her elbow. “So, you’re about to be king of a patch of ground that’s almost 650 square miles.”

  Alexander grimaced. “Not king. And I’m surprised you could do any sort of math with all those pancakes in you. You should be in a coma.” He tried to tickle her as he spoke.

  Fending him off, she made some fake-karate hand chopping motions. “Maple syrup sugar rush! I’m a pancake ninja!” She grinned.

  Alexander returned his gaze to the table, shaking his head. “Jeeves, did the golems find anything unusual or useful? Or both?”

  “Yes, Master. In total they have located: Four mines; Seven ruined villages, including the two made of stone which we’ve already discussed, and five constructed of wood, mud, and other natural materials; Two cave complexes, one of which appears to be a dungeon entrance; One river port structure, also made of stone; And one additional stone tower near the northern edge of the forest. They also came upon three large burial mounds. There are two bridges that cross over the river that are in disrepair but still intact, and two more that require significant repairs that cross over tributaries.”

  Alexander kept waiting for Jeeves to pause and take a breath. He chuckled as he realized it wouldn’t happen. Jeeves continued.

  “The golems, or the parties of citizens, have encountered several inhabitants of the forest. You are already aware of the family of prowlers to the west, who now occupy the tower. And the rock troll behemoth, which you dispatched. It seems there is also a tribe of rock trolls living in the caves to the northwest. The system that does not include a dungeon. The caves around the dungeon are occupied by creatures I could not identify. To the northeast, a group of gryphons are nesting on a mountain that is just outside the plateau bou
ndary. One of the mines, located almost due north of the tower near the center of the forest, is occupied by kobolds. There are a significant number of Dire Wolves in two different packs across the river to the east and southeast. To the north of the forest, smoke was observed far into the plains, in several locations. And the entire forest is host to a large number of bears, deer, mountain lions, wild pigs, birds, rabbits, squirrels-”

  “Thank you, Jeeves, we get the idea,” Alexander cut him off, half curious about whether he’d drill down to insects and such if not stopped. “Do you have any new options for upgrades?”

  “Not new, Master. The same as before. But a few are 2nd level upgrades. Improved Interface and Stone Golems are both available at level 2 now. As well as the first level Extended Area, Dungeon Spawn, and Aerial Defense options.”

  “Okay, we will discuss the options, Jeeves. I don’t see a point in making the decision now if you are going to drop back to 19 soon. And speaking of levels, can you show me your current stat screen?”

  “Of course, Master.” The familiar blue hologram appeared above the table.

  Dire Keep: Level 20/25

  Physical Status: 1700/1900

  Resources: 39,500 units

  See Infrastructure for details

  See Resources for details

  Current Population: 313

  Defensive Capabilities: 100%

  Citizens: 294 Guests: 19

  See Defense for details

  Ancillary Structures: 26

  Production rate: 69%

  See Ancillary Structures for details

  Production will increase with population and use of ancillary structures

  “It says we have nineteen guests?” Alexander inquired.

  “Yes, Master. We have the wizard Fitz, Lady Lia, five rock trolls in the mine, four gryphons on the walls, five prowlers in the western observation tower, and three humans in the guild house in Antalia.”

  Alright. Thank you, Jeeves. Please continue your building and repair projects. Add those bridges to the list. Start with the ones that aren’t crossable. And if the golems have completed their mapping, please assign them wherever Silverbeard feels they are most needed. I’ll see you again once we’ve determined the future of the guild house in Antalia.”

  Jules waved at nothing in particular as Alexander teleported them back down to the courtyard. Kissing him on the cheek, she said, “I’ve got work to do. Please find time to check on Fibble. He was crushed when Sasha died yesterday.”

  Alexander nodded his head, watching Jules walk across the courtyard and into the donjon. He sighed regretfully as she disappeared. Turning toward the dining area, he sent out a message in guild chat. “Fibble, can you meet me in the eating place?”

  Taking a seat on one of the benches, Alexander decided to be productive while he waited for the little goblin. He pulled some obsidian from his bag and began to make more of the rough dragon pins with the Undying and healing spells imbued within. He’d lost count over the last week but was sure they needed more of them.

  He chatted amiably with folks sitting nearby or passing by as he worked. Before long he had a pile of thirty of the little black cubes ready to be shaped. But there was no sign of Fibble.

  “Jeeves, can you tell me where Fibble is?” he asked out loud.

  “Fibble was outside the wizard’s tower last night shortly after returning from Antalia with Prince Kai and the others. Then he disappeared. I presume into the tower. I still cannot sense anything inside the tower.”

  “Thank you, Jeeves. If you sense him outside the tower, please let me know. And ask him to join me at the bank.”

  Alexander made his way over to the bank location. Blix was in his accustomed place at the planning table, looking over the drawings. The dwarven work crew was in the cellar level, assembling the pieces of the vault.

  “Good morning, Blix! Are you ready for the rest of your building?” he called out as he approached.

  “Blix looked up, smiling at Alexander and bobbing his head. “Most certainly, Alexander. I have made a few minor changes to the plans since we last spoke. Here, please take a look.” He motioned to the drawings on the table in front of him.

  Alexander approached and looked down at the drawings. Having only briefly glanced at them to get the basement dimensions, he had no idea what changes were made. Deciding he didn’t have time for the gnome banker to explain everything, he simply said, “This looks easy enough. Some of the detail work will need to be done by Brick or the other shapers. I’m afraid I don’t do door hinges and such.”

  Blix chuckled. “The dwarves can see to those details. If you raise the walls and the other structural elements, that will be more than acceptable.”

  Alexander spent a few minutes studying the drawings in detail, making sure he had the overall dimension of the structure correct. Then he stepped forward and began to move stone. He started with the pile of stone he’d removed from the cellar yesterday. Shaping three chunks of it into thick beams, he laid them across the cellar, placing each one over a stone support column that he’d raised in a line along the center of the cellar.

  Once the beams were secured by merging the ends into the surrounding stone, he moved sections of four-inch-thick slabs and laid them across the beams. He made sure to cut out a section over the ramp he’d built down into the cellar. The dwarves could turn that into a stairway if they preferred. But for now, the cellar and ground level floor were complete. Alexander quickly placed another row of columns down the middle of the floor - each one placed over the top of the one below. Then he raised walls to match the dimensions on the plans. Once the outer walls were in place, he created three more beams and set them across, binding them to the outer walls at each end. Then he paused and took a break.

  Raising a block of stone to sit on, he spoke to Blix while he waited for his stamina and mana to replenish. Though he had a much larger pool of both now, he was training himself to manage them better. Too many times he had exhausted himself or his mana pool and suffered the consequences.

  “So, Blix. Have you given any more thought to the loan program I mentioned yesterday?”

  Blix looked uncomfortable. “To be honest, I spent most of the evening working on the plan revisions. But I like the concept. Banks don’t make money by holding deposits. We make money by lending and collecting interest.”

  Alexander grinned at the enthusiastic gnome. “Just not too much interest. Our purpose here is to help the citizens grow the community. To foster new businesses. For example, I know the O’Malleys from Stormforge plan to open an inn and tavern here in the keep. Called the Ogre II. In fact, they might be the perfect first customer for you. They have significant gold to work with, as they’ve done us a few favors in recent weeks, and so they’ll have plenty of equity to start. And a proven business model. Good food and drink at a reasonable price. Plus, they’ll have regular access to dwarven ale and spirits. A good risk, if you ask me. I’m going to Stormforge when I finish here. If you’d like to join me, I could introduce you.”

  Blix looked thoughtful for the briefest of moments. “I would. I can visit our Stormforge banker’s guild office and arrange for proper furniture and such. And I would like to meet these O’Malleys.”

  “Done! I’ll be done here shortly. I promised to open a portal from Broken Mountain to Greystone Manor in Stormforge at noon. Meet me in the courtyard a few minutes before.” Alexander rose and resumed work on the bank structure.

  He quickly covered the first floor with a thinner two-inch stone floor, again leaving room for a stairway in the back. Then he raised the second-floor columns and walls, slightly thinner than those below to reduce weight. He set those beams, and then a flat stone roof that sloped slightly toward the rear of the building. Smiling to himself, he added a couple of skylights like those he’d created for the quarry outside Whitehall. He walked around the structure, taking care to make sure all the corners were properly melded to ensure stability.

  With the outer stru
cture complete, he moved inside, asking Blix to bring the drawings along. He raised the stairway from the first floor to the second. Then, with Blix consulting the drawings and making chalk marks on the stone floors for walls and doorways, he proceeded to rough in the building’s interior. He created bathrooms on each floor, with proper plumbing lines, if not fixtures. He made a conference room, teller area with counters, several offices, and resident quarters upstairs. He even installed a heat regulator like he’d done at the quarry.

  All in all, it took him just under two hours to complete his work. Blix was thrilled with the speed at which his new bank had risen from the earth itself. He moved from room to room, patting the walls and muttering in a happy tone. Once in a while, he would pat Alexander himself as if he were a favored pet who’d learned a new trick. Alexander just grinned at the diminutive banker. He was starting to like Blix.

  “I’m afraid that’s all I have time for,” Alexander called out to Blix as he made for the main door. “Brick can assist you with whatever your crew can’t take care of. I’m not sure when he’ll be back, but I don’t think it will be more than a day or so.”

  Blix rushed out the door behind him. “Thank so much, Alexander! You’ve saved me not only time but also a great deal of money! Not having to pay for this construction leaves me a great deal of discretionary money for improvements and security measures.”

  Alexander smiled again. “Just make sure you pay that crew whatever you contracted for. They shouldn’t suffer from your good fortune,” he warned politely.

  “Of course! We do have a reputation to uphold after all. I will see you at the portal before noon. How much time will I have in Stormforge?” Blix asked.

  “As much as you need. If you need to stay overnight, we have rooms available at the manor.”

  Alexander moved off toward the smithy. Finding one of the smiths with the shaping skill, he asked them to finish his dragon pins. Unlike the dwarven masters working the dragon forge, the smiths agreed to complete the work without asking anything in return. They simply reminded him that they were anxious for their turn to work the already legendary dragon forge.