Defenders of the Realm

by Dave Willmarth

  They also sent a message to the queen in Antalia. She sent her congratulations on the victory, and a reminder that her soldiers would be available should Alexander need assistance in the future. Her reply included a private note that she’d like Alexander to visit when he had time. He added that to his to-do list.

  Alexander retired to his sitting room to prepare himself for the sunset ceremony. He found Captain Redmond waiting for him. “It’s not easy to lose people.”

  Alexander sat down. “No. And they died because of me. I failed them.”

  The Captain snorted. “Bullshit. I talked to Jenkins. He told me how you set up the battle. Your strategy was clever and sound. There is no way to account for every possible contingency in battle. Shit happens, and you deal with it. From what I hear, you were pretty damned heroic, crippling yourself to teleport into the middle of the orc horde and deal with the shaman, then taking on the orc boss. If you hadn’t acted, there would have been many more bodies on that pyre.”

  Alexander knew what he said made sense. But he couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt. Still, there was no need to burden the captain as well. “Thank you. I appreciate your words.”

  The captain wasn’t the least bit convinced, but he knew what Alexander was going through, having been through it himself. So he let it go. Changing the subject, he asked “Want a bit of tactical advice?”

  Alexander sat back and took a deep breath. “Sure. Hit me.”

  “Next time, make more use of your disposable assets. Like the stone golems. Just two of them were enough to send the whole orc army running. If you’d used all you had, the victory would have been cleaner. I’m not saying lives would not have been lost.” He qualified “Just that you don’t feel as bad when you sacrifice golems.”

  They were tough words for Alexander to hear. He felt as if his friend had just kicked him in the gut. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “As I said. You can’t think of everything. You are not an experienced commander, Alexander. You’ll learn from this battle. And do better next time. You did well, and the cost of this knowledge was low, compared to what it could have been.”

  The two of them sat in silence for a while, both deep in thought. At some point the captain rose from his chair and poured them both a drink before sitting again. They made some small talk. Alexander asked about Lydia and the baby. The captain teased him about his sword practice. Apparently, word had reached him in Stormforge. The captain was among those who’d known him as a warrior, and was amused by his current lack of skill.

  By the time they’d finished a second drink, it was nearly sunset. The two of them descended the stairs and were met by Jules and Lydia at the bottom. The two couples walked hand in hand out to the courtyard, where they found nearly every citizen of Elysia gathered. King Thalgrin was there as well, along with Ironhammer and Tomebinder.

  Brick stood by the new obelisk, which was covered in a white cloth. There were boxes stacked for Alexander to step onto, since he couldn’t use his magic to raise himself up. He did so, and looked out over the crowd.

  “We lost nine Elysians today. They weren’t just dwarves, or men, or trolls. They were ours! Our brothers and friends. They will be missed. And they will be remembered!” He motioned to Brick, who pulled the cloth from the monument, and many in the crowd gasped. There stood a smooth stone obelisk, three-sided and ten feet high. It stood in a patch of green grass in front of the small grove of trees maintained by the druids. The light of the setting sun reflected off of silvery highlights. Looking closely, Alexander could see that Brick had used his shaping skills to engrave the names of each of the fallen in silvery script. Three names per side. Above the names was a depiction of the battle that ran around all 3 sides. The first side showed the northern section of the bridge with Lugs and tanks, the second side the mass of orcs with Alexander killing the shaman, and the third side showed Drog fighting Borag and the tower filled with archers on the south side of the bridge. It was beautifully done and brought many in the crowd, including Alexander, to tears.

  The crowd gave him time to collect himself, and he managed to do so. Holding up his hands, he said “Thank you, Brick. That’s just… beautiful. Let it be a reminder of our commitment to work together, to grow this land! To stand side by side and defend Elysia against all enemies!”

  The crowd roared their approval, their emotions getting the better of them. He continued, nodding toward Thalgrin “We will become stronger! To stand by our allies and defeat the minions of the drow wizards!” Another cheer. “We will make this place for our families, our children, and their children!” He stepped down as the crowd applauded and cheered. He motioned for Thalgrin to step up and say something.

  The surprised king climbed the boxes, and the crowd went silent. He shouted. “I be proud o’ yer king Alexander! Today, he led ye to a glorious victory!” The crowd erupted again. He waited until the courtyard was nearly silent. Then he said quietly, his head lowered. “Every victory comes at a cost. Some of ye be learnin that fer the first time today.” Then he grinned and raised his fist in the air. “And to honor them that paid the cost fer ye this day, there be food and spirits!”

  He leapt down from the boxes as the citizens of Elysia cheered and laughed, and pushed through the crowd.

  He shouted, “Follow me!” Leading the way to the dining area, where refreshments were served.

  Fitz sent some fireworks into the air to help lighten the mood, and the celebration began.

  When nearly all of those present had left the grove, Brick and Grumpy each took a knee next to the monument. Alexander, catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, stopped to watch. Jules, who was holding his hand, stopped as well. Alexander hissed at Max, who turned before grabbing Lainey and Sasha. The two dwarves bowed their heads and placed hammer to chest. The sun was fully set now, making it easy to see when the inscribed names and the lines of the battle scenes began to glow. Not brightly, just enough to be seen clearly.

  Brick and Grumpy got to their feet. Brick simply said “Durin honors the fallen.” As the others gathered around. They stood in silence for a while, admiring the monument and saying their own private goodbyes to their people.

  Alexander finally said, “let’s join the others” and turned to find that Thalgrin had made his way back to them. He’d stood there quietly, alone, watching them pay their respects.

  Nodding his head, he said. “It speaks well o’ ye all that ye care so deeply fer yer people. But now ye need ta look to the needs o’ the livin!” He motioned for them to join him, and led them back to the party.

  The Elysians celebrated well into the night. Stories were told of the fallen, some funny, some sad. Toasts abounded, until few stood upright and steady. The dwarves sang several songs of battle and honor, and death. There was great beauty in their gravely voices as they combined in song.

  Fibble, as usual, ended up riding Lugs, who had to dodge repeated pokes in the general direction of his chalupa throughout the evening.

  Helga took up his cause and began to defend his nether region with slaps and pokes of her own, much to the delight of the dwarves.

  And when the songs were sung, and the hour grew late, the guards escorted the orcs up from the dungeon levels where they’d been kept since the battle. Silverbeard opened a portal, and the orcs were marched between two columns of silent Elysians. Thalgrin followed them through, leaving his dozen dwarves behind. As the citizens dispersed to find their beds, Silverbeard and the two dwarven captains arranged for quarters for the new guards.

  Alexander stood near the portal, bidding his people good night as they passed. He moved to the dining area to try and help with the cleanup, but Silverbeard stopped him. “It would no’ be proper fer a king.” was all he said. With nothing better to do, Alexander retired to his quarters.

  Jules was already in her pink bunnymonster jammies and snoring loudly. She and Sasha had played some kind of game involving shots, and both had retired early. Alexander stripped to
his shorts and crawled into bed himself. He snuggled up behind to spoon his furry elfess, and closed his eyes. It was a long time before the visions of the battle faded and let him sleep.

  *****

  The sounds of morning came way too early for Alexander. He’d barely slept three hours before being awakened by the activity outside. Jules of course ignored the sound completely, having pulled a pillow over her head. Alexander decided to let her sleep as he rose and hit the shower. After getting dressed, he headed to his study. Sitting at his desk, he finally took a moment to address all the notifications from the battle that he’d ignored the day before.

  Level up! You are now level 61!

  Your wisdom has increased by +1.

  Your intelligence has increased by +1

  You have 15 free attribute points available

  Level up!...

  Level up! You are now level 63!

  Your wisdom has increased by +1.

  Your intelligence has increased by +1

  You have 15 free attribute points available

  Quest Complete: Borag’s Bane

  You have killed War Master Borag and three hundred of his warriors.

  Reward: 20,000 Experience; 10,000 gold; Reputation increase with Molgo’s tribe.

  Your reputation with Molgo’s tribe is now Honored.

  Bonus quest completed: Eliminate the threat.

  You have defeated a superior force with minimal losses to your own forces. In doing so, you eliminated a threat to both your own kingdom and that of Molgo’s tribe. And you showed mercy to captured prisoners of war. Bonus Reward: 10,000 Experience; 1,000 gold for each Elysian Defender. Kingdom of Elysia reputation increase with all light factions.

  There were more notifications, but he paused as an increasing sound of celebration rose up from below. He stepped into the bedroom and out on the balcony. The citizens below were congratulating each other. Alexander was wondering what was going on when Grimble’s voice came across guild chat.

  “Thank ye, Alexander. From all me miners. Sharing that quest with em were the act of a true King.”

  “You are most welcome, Grimble. You and all the citizens. We help each other grow stronger. It’s what we’re here for.” Alexander understood now. The Elysians hadn’t received the experience or the gold until he acknowledged the quest completion just now. “Must be a king thing” he said to himself. He grinned as he looked down at his people. That much experience probably leveled some of them up quite a few times. And a thousand gold would be significant to most of them.

  Returning to his desk, he opened his UI and pulled up the rest of the notifications, on the off chance there was some other benefit to the folks outside.

  The Reputation of the Kingdom of Elysia has increased among all Kingdoms of Light. Elysia’s reputation is now Friendly.

  The Kingdom Level of Elysia has increased. Elysia is now Level 21.

  You have earned a new Title: Warrior King.

  Hidden Quest Completed! Defenders of the Realm

  In successfully defending the Realm of Elysia against an invasion by a foreign army, every citizen who participated in the battle has earned the title “Defender of the Realm”. Quest Completion Reward: 10,000 experience; 500 gold;

  Alexander heard the celebration go up a notch outside, and grinned. That was the last of the notifications. Brick’s voice came through guild chat. “Whatever yer doin, Alexander, ye better stop it! A few o’ me young apprentices here nearly passed out from levelin’ up and bein suddenly rich.”

  “Yeah, Fibble’s with me and he nearly shit himself when he leveled. He doesn’t understand why his tummy is tingling from contemplating his bellybutton fuzz.” Sasha giggled.

  “Don’t worry, I’m done. But I have a question. Did Jeeves level up and I missed it?”

  “Duh. Right after you killed the orc boss, when the others surrendered. You didn’t hear the massive gongy-sounding thing?” Sasha was using her “I’m about to call you dork boy” tone.

  “I got knocked unconscious right when I killed Borag. Somebody stabbed me, I fell, and got kicked in the head. So, no. I didn’t hear the gongy-sounding-thing.”

  “That’ll teach you to jump yourself into the middle of a hundred angry orcs and pick a fight with the biggest one around. Dork.” Sasha’s tone was more affectionate than angry.

  Alexander continued in guild chat “Ok, I’m calling an officer’s meeting in my quarters. If you’re busy, don’t sweat it. We’re going to discuss which upgrade to give Jeeves, and a few other things. Ten minutes.”

  Jules, finally convinced to rise by the combination of the guild chat traffic and the noise outside, hit the showers. She shot Alexander a dirty look, and grumbled all the way from the bed to the bathroom. Alexander pretended not to hear.

  With ten minutes to kill, and no magic to help him fill his time with enchanting or building, he decided to finally check the contents of his Bag of Eternity. He’d already emptied all the weapons and gear he’d picked up in the secret room where he’d found the bag. But there were still multiple items.

  There were herbs that he needed to ask Sasha and Lydia about. The only one he recognized was featherroot. He assumed if they were important enough to be stowed in this particular bag, they must be rare or valuable. Or both. He jotted the names on a piece of paper.

  He found several bits of metal. Not large quantities, but they were rare metals like mithril and skymetal. This was looking more and more like some wizard’s ingredient stash. Three of the slots held what looked like oblong stones. He removed one from the bag and Inspected it.

  Gryphon Egg

  Quality: Extremely Rare

  This egg was claimed from a Gryphon Corps barracks nest when the mother gryphon was killed in combat.

  Alexander’s eyes widened and quickly returned the egg to the bag. He dashed out of his quarters and down the stairs. Once in the courtyard he dodged passing citizens as he made his way to the wall and the stairs leading up. In guild chat he shouted “Kai! I need you or Fitz to help me talk to the gryphons. Right now, please.” As he ran up the stairs he mumbled to himself. “Stupid. Why’d you take it out of the bag? What if you’ve killed it. Centuries frozen in time and you just restarted its clock.”

  He burst onto the top of the wall and ran the distance to the gryphons’ roost. Several of the guards he passed asked if they were under attack. He shouted as he passed “No, everything is fine, except your king is an idiot!” Kai appeared on the wall in front of him and turned to see him running. “What’s wrong, Alexander?”

  Alexander panted as he slowed to a walk. “Found this Bag of Eternity. Keeps everything in time suspension. There are eggs in here. Gryphon eggs. Three.” He paused for a moment for a couple deep breaths. “I took one out before I knew what it was. I’m afraid I might have harmed it. Started its clock ticking again or something. I put it back right away…”

  Kai began to laugh. “If it’s a bag of eternity, then any clock that you may have started has been stopped again. The egg is likely fine. Come. Let us tell Braxis his family will be growing.”

  The dragon in human form led the flustered elf the rest of the way to the roost. He called out, and Braxis emerged. Kai spoke to him calmly. “Good morning Braxis. Alexander here has found something you might like. Several somethings, actually. You should call your mate.”

  Braxis tilted his head a moment, then did as the dragon suggested and squawked at his mate. She emerged a moment later, bowing her head to Kai. She gave Alexander what he thought was a smile. He returned it. Pulling the same egg from the bag, he held it forward in the both hands for the gryphon female to see. She instantly began making a series of squawking noises as she stepped toward Alexander. With her beak inches from the egg, she stopped speaking and sniffed at it. A baleful look was cast Alexander’s way.

  Kai quickly translated. “She wants to know where you got the egg. Says it is a crime to raid a gryphon’s nest. Punishable by death. King or not, she’s considering eating you
r face.” Kai grinned. Alexander wasn’t at all sure he was kidding. He said “I only know what the description says. Read it yourself!”

  Kai took a moment to inspect the egg, then said “Ahhh.” Looking at Braxis, he said “The egg was claimed by one of the regimental wizards long ago after its parents were killed in combat. They have preserved it all these years, and Alexander just found it. Along with two others.”

  Braxis nodded his head and translated for his mate. She calmed down, her gaze becoming more friendly. She gently took the egg in her beak, and walked inside the roost’s main door. Kai motioned for Alexander to follow.

  She walked straight to a nest made of small branches, furs, and hay. Depositing the egg into the nest, she looked expectantly at Alexander. He produced the second egg and set it down next to the first, then did the same with the third. When she kept watching him, he raised his empty hands saying, “That’s all I have.”

  She lowered her head and gently butted him away from the nest before climbing in and settling atop the eggs. Looking at Braxis, she barked some orders at him, then began preening at the nest, bringing the edges in closer toward her to preserve her body heat. Braxis got a clearly hen-pecked look on his face and leapt out the side door of the roost. He dropped for a moment before spreading his wings and flying away. The female looked very satisfied as Kai began to laugh.

  “I hope Braxis forgives you for this.” He said to Alexander. “You’ve just given her an excuse to put him to work. Alphas are supposed to lay about and be fed most of the time. She’s just sent him hunting, and told him to gather more nesting material.”

  Alexander was still worried he’d damaged the one egg somehow. “She… she thinks the eggs are all okay?” he asked Kai.

  Kai spoke to her in her own language. There was a short exchange before Kai reported. “She says they are all fine. They will hatch in approximately a week. She claims one of them is an Alpha.” His face was grim.