Defenders of the Realm

by Dave Willmarth

  Max paused just a foot from the cage, then took a step back. He eyed the lock with suspicion. Alexander offered “We have a paladin here. And I am a champion of the light. We have some light magic. Maybe we could disable the spell?”

  The being looked at Brick for a moment. “A holy spell may have the power to destroy the demon’s magic. But be warned, dwarf. The magic will defend itself.”

  Brick nodded. Not one to fear death, he motioned for the others to move back and to one side. Raising his shield and bracing himself, he pointed his hammer at the lock and cast Holy Smite.

  The reaction was instantaneous and impressive. A blast of holy light struck the lock, and was instantly absorbed. A millisecond later there was an explosion of dark magic that burst from the lock and blasted Brick off his feet. A dark cloud surrounded him, and his health bar began to drop quickly.

  Sasha cast heals on the dwarf, and Alexander hit him with Healing Light. The light magic seemed to dissipate the cloud some, so he cast it again. Brick’s health hovered at about 10%, then began to climb as the darkness faded. He was cursing loudly. “Durin’s blessed dingleberries that hurt!”

  The being in the cage started laughing, holding its stomach as it leaned forward. “Durin’s… ha!” it finally gasped.

  Brick was on his feet again, though walking gingerly. He approached the cage. “Ye like me prayer?” he grinned.

  “Oh, very much! I know Durin, and he would be very pleased. Dingleberries. Ha!”

  “What be yer name, friend o’ Durin?” Brick asked.

  “Oh, I am sorry. I have been alone for so long, I forget my manners. I am known to your kind as Geb. Though I may have been forgotten after so long.”

  Alexander froze. He knew the name. Geb was an Egyptian god of earth. Father of Osiris. But Geb was not a member of Io’s pantheon. And NPCs were not supposed to be named for gods.

  He stepped closer to the cage. “Geb, god of earth?”

  Geb nodded. “I was worshipped as a god once. Ages upon ages ago. Though I am no such thing. I am simply old. As old as the stone. My race do not count time as you do. I know not how to define myself in your ‘years’.”

  “We get the idea, ancient one” Brick bowed his head, and the others followed suit. Geb returned the gesture. After a moment, he said “Paladin, might you pray to my old friend Durin? His power would be more than sufficient to free me.”

  Brick was about to agree when Alexander spoke up. “I was gifted with some divine magic as a champion of the light. I’m willing to try to free you.”

  Geb didn’t speak, simply nodding his head. Alexander stepped forward and reached toward the lock. Stopping his hand just short of touching it, he whispered “Odin, if you’re watching, it would be really embarrassing to die right now.”

  Taking a deep breath and holding it, he took hold of the lock and activated the divine spell he used to destroy the shit-weasel magic at the same time.

  Pain filled his mind. His fingers locked onto the metal and refused to let go. He screamed as dark energy and divine magic battled within him. It felt as if his mind were being ripped to shreds while his spine twisted. His eyes bled, but he didn’t notice. His vision had gone dark the moment he touched the metal. The dark magic battered against the divine, trying to force its way to his core. His own mana recoiled as if horrified by the dark invasion. His teeth clenched so tightly they creaked.

  Alexander’s throat burned as the scream paused long enough for him to gulp some air, then continued. It felt as if his blood had turned to acid. He fell to his knees, still gripping the metal of the lock. He could feel Sasha trying to heal him, but there was none of the usual refreshing coolness of the druid magic. It was as if her magic evaporated the moment it reached him.

  After what seemed like an eternity, there was a flash of light, and the pain began to fade. The divine magic prevailed, and Alexander could feel healing magic soothing his entire being. His jaw unclenched, his vision returned. At some point the lock had fallen to the floor, and the cage door stood ajar. Alexander let himself fall backward and lay flat on the floor, staring up at his light globe. Jules was on her knees next to him, patting his chest awkwardly.

  A moment passed, and Sasha’s voice came to him. “That looked like it hurt.” He could hear the smirk in it.

  The suspenseful silence was broken as the others laughed. Brick nudged him with an iron-toed boot. “Get yer elfy arse up. Ye ain’t dead. Or do I need ta kiss ye again?”

  Jules gave the dwarf a ‘try it and die’ look as she helped Alexander to sit up. Though his health bar was at 100%, he felt weak. That was without a doubt the most pain he’d ever felt. He made a note to speak with his dad about it. That much pain might cause a person’s real body to shut down.

  Geb stood slowly, unfolding his legs as if unsure they still worked. Once he was upright, he took a few small steps. When he didn’t fall, he took a larger step and reached for the cage door. Pushing it open, he stepped out onto the stone. He was maybe five feet tall with a thin body and spindly arms and legs. His oversized head looked as if its weight should snap his neck.

  Immediately the entire chamber began to… sing. Not a structured tune like Jules and Geb had shared. It was more of a hum, with a thousand different tones mixed in. Geb smiled. “Io welcomes me. It has been too long since we communed. Please, a moment.”

  The ancient being knelt and put both hands on the stone. He began to hum in his own deeply resonant voice, and the stone all around them answered. The disparate tones began to harmonize with Geb’s. The red stone in the center of the floor began to pulse slowly, as if relaxing. Geb closed his eyes and lost himself in the communion.

  After a time, he removed his hands and stood again. The sound surrounding the group faded into silence. Alexander regretted the loss of what he thought of as Io’s song. It was as if it touched his soul. Jules took his hand and squeezed. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Grimble was on his knees, looking up at Geb with worshipful eyes. He tried to speak, but could not seem to find words.

  Geb bowed his head to the group. “Thank you. For freeing me. And allowing me to connect with Io once again. It has been too long.”

  Chapter 9

  Ancient Enemies

  Geb raised his hands and each member of the group received a buff.

  Blessing of the Old Ones

  Strength and Stamina increased by 5%. Dark vision increased by 30%. Recipient now has an unfailing sense of direction while underground. This is a permanent blessing bestowed by one of a legendary elder race.

  There were surprised murmurs among the group. Grimble bowed his head “Thank ye ancient one.” The others quickly followed suit. Geb replied “A small thing. To express my thanks.”

  Alexander was eyeing the red stone in the floor. It clearly had some tie to the being they just freed. “Geb? What is this stone?”

  “Ah, the node.” Geb moved to stand next to the stone. He held a hand directly above, and Alexander’s Mage Sight showed him a thread of deep red magic rise up from the stone to connect with Geb’s hand. Geb closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. His skin color took on a slightly reddish hue.

  “There are places of power on Io. Where the nodes expose themselves. This is one of those places.” Geb continued. When he saw blank looks on the faces around him, he said “You do not know of the nodes?”

  Alexander shook his head. This was definitely not in any code he’d seen.

  Geb took a seat and motioned for them to join him around the stone. He played with the thread of magic, pushing it from hand to hand as he spoke. “Within the depths of Io there is a network, a sort of web of power. All magic, all mana, comes from that power. It pushes up through the earth everywhere like rising water. The flow is slow but constantly permeates everything. Though that is just a fraction of the power. A slow leak. The nodes are direct connections to the web. The terminus of a conduit that reaches nearly to the core of our world.”

  Sasha was the first to speak. “This node. It…
knows you. It was glad to see you.”

  “Heh.” Geb chuckled “Not quite. The node is not sentient, though it does live, in a way. It simply recognizes me. I am its Guardian. We have spent many an age together. After so much time, a bond is formed.” Geb paused to indicate the cage. “Inside there, I was unable to make a connection with my node. So, in a way, you are correct. This is a reunion.”

  “Who put you in the cage?” Grimble practically growled the question.

  “Demons” Geb spat the word. “They sought to harness the power of the node. It is a battle as timeless as Io itself. Since the demons first arrived, they have sought power above all else. My people, with the help of a few allies, have fought to prevent them from harnessing the power of the nodes. The demons found this one during some war that was being fought up above. A large force of them retreated into this mine and found me. I’m afraid I was no match for so many, though I destroyed them by the hundreds. They overpowered me and trapped me here. The overlord built this cage to keep me close, but prevent me from reaching the node.”

  “Did they keep you close just to torture you?” Max asked.

  Geb shook his head. “Once a node has bonded with its Guardian, their existence is tied together forever. If the demons had killed me, or moved me too far from this place, the node would have been destroyed. As it was, they could use the power to open portals that reached great distances. They managed to evacuate their army in that manner. Leaving behind the overlord, whom I assume you’ve killed?” A knowing look coming over his face.

  Alexander nodded. “We have. Along with the other demons. And we will take their portal orb far from here.”

  Geb nodded at this. He took a long look at Alexander, then spoke again. “I see that you are a King. Am I to understand that this is now your realm, Alexander?”

  “Our realm, yes. It is called Elysia. There is a mine above you, which we came to explore. We found kobolds and demons… and you.” He smiled at the ancient Guardian.

  Geb shook his head “Those poor creatures. I watched the overlord starve and torture them. They are simple, brutal things. But they deserve better treatment than that. I hope you put them out of their misery quickly?”

  Sasha spoke up. “Uhm… we didn’t kill them. We freed them. Or we will, when we get back upstairs.”

  Geb stared at her for a moment, his face expressionless as stone. His gaze shifted to Alexander. “That was kind of you. Kobolds are not inherently bad. As I said, they are simple. They think of little beyond eating and … reproducing.”

  “Yes, well. It remains to be seen whether leaving them alive is wise. Given the chance they may just rampage through the forest and kill everything for food.” Alexander muttered.

  Geb said “With a little leadership, they can be quite useful. I must spend some time here with my node. It has grown weak in my absence. The war that brought the demons was… some time ago.”

  “About a thousand years.” Sasha added helpfully.

  “Yes. Well as I said, I am not so good with time in human terms. I remember when humans weren’t either. You lived in caves and hunted with sharp sticks and rocks.”

  She held up her staff and indicated the cavern around them. “Not much has changed.”

  “Ha! Quite. Yes. In any event, I will need to remain here for some time. If you would leave the kobolds with me, I’m sure I could find a way to rein them in.” Geb offered.

  Alexander nodded. “That would be fine. Do you need anything? Food? Water?” he looked around the chamber but saw no water source.

  “I gain my sustenance from the stone around me, and from my node. But thank you. With your permission, I will instruct the kobolds to hunt for their food. But only enough to feed themselves, and no more.”

  “As you wish.” Alexander agreed. He looked around “Jeeves, can you hear me?”

  “Yes, Alexander. We are within one of Elysia’s ancillary structures. Whatever magic was blocking my sensors disappeared several minutes ago.”

  “The orb” Geb agreed.

  “Jeeves, this is Geb. He is… an honored guest.”

  “Welcome to Elysia, Ancient One. It is truly an honor to host one of the Althugr.”

  “Althugr?” Lainey asked.

  Geb smiled “A term I have not heard in many ages. One that the original humans gave us when we came across them in the northlands far from here. In their tongue I believe it means ‘ancient souls.’”

  Alexander’s mind was spinning. He was definitely going to take this up with the guys in development when he logged out.

  “Geb, Jeeves is sort of an old soul himself. You might say he’s the soul of Elysia. If you need anything, just speak to Jeeves. He will alert us immediately.”

  Geb got to his feet bowed to Alexander. “My interaction with humans and other surface races has been limited. But you seem like a good King to me. When I have strengthened my node sufficiently, I would like to come visit you, maybe see your kingdom above.”

  Sasha impulsively stepped over and hugged the Guardian. “You will be most welcome.”

  Grimble cleared his throat, and when he had Alexander’s attention, directed his gaze upward.

  Alexander caught the hint. “Geb, as I mentioned, there is a mine above you. It holds many resources that are vital to the growth of our kingdom. Would it bother you if our people were to work the mine?”

  “Of course not. Io provides what her people need. It is there for the taking. I ask only that you remain above, and not delve to this level, where you might harm the node. And I believe as the node strengthens, you’ll find the mine above more fruitful. There will be rare metals and gems soon enough.”

  Grimble grinned “Handy one ta have about, this Ancient One.”

  The group said their goodbyes, and Alexander teleported them up the shaft where they’d confined the kobolds. He liquified the wall that blocked the doorway, and activated another light globe.

  “Your demon master is dead. As are all the other demons. The Guardian has been freed from his cage, and would like to speak with you. The rest of your people have been freed, and are probably in the forest above. You are truly free, and can do as you wish. But I suggest you go down and speak to the Guardian. I think he can help you and your people.” Alexander said to Grik.

  Grik turned and spoke rapidly in his people’s tongue, which sounded like just so much hissing and grunting to Alexander. After a couple minutes, Grik turned to address him again. “You no kill. You feed. Protect. Kill bad master. We listen. We go talk to stone man in cage.”

  Without any further ceremony, he led his people out of the room and down the shaft toward the pit.

  Alexander and party went the opposite direction, marching back toward the surface. They ran into a group of kobolds on the way, and sent them down to follow Grik.

  When they exited the mine, they found Bacon asleep on his back in the sunlight. One back leg twitched as the giant pig dreamed. Brick smiled fondly at his mount, then with a roar dashed forward and ambushed him. He hopped upon Bacon’s immense belly and began to berate him for laziness and dereliction of duty.

  “Some guard pig ye be! A whole damned army coulda marched past ye as ye warmed yer belly!”

  The commotion drew the other mounts from various locations in the surrounding woods. Tigger bounded out of the trees with a very frightened kobold in his jaws. It didn’t seem hurt, but its eyes were bulging and its heart was clearly racing. Tigger set the creature down at Alexander’s feet, whereupon it immediately tried to flee. One massive paw batted the kobold backward onto its rear, where it cowered in fear.

  Alexander tried not to laugh. Tigger clearly hadn’t meant to harm the poor kobold. It didn’t have a scratch on it that he could see. He was simply playing with it. “I’m afraid you’ll have to let your toy go free, Tigger.” He said to his tiger. Tigger looked disappointed, but didn’t argue. He took a couple steps backward and sat on his haunches. His tail whipped back and forth as if he couldn’t wait to pounce again.r />
  But when the kobold saw its opening and fled, the giant cat let it go. The poor thing ran screaming into the mine and disappeared in the darkness.

  Alexander looked at Grimble. “Alright, the mine is clear and safe. You’ll bring some of the miners up to begin working it?”

  Grimble nodded. “I’ll have ta beat em back with sticks. They’ll all be wantin’ ta meet the old one.”

  “Speaking of Geb…” Alexander looked at the open mine entrance. “We can’t have another army getting down there before we can get to him.”

  Alexander activated his Earth Mover skill and quickly pulled up several sections of wall, each twenty feet high. He created a fortification around the mine entrance, leaving a single opening in the center. “Grimble, you and your guys can make a gate, yes?”

  “Easily. Thank ye, Alexander. This place be a bit remote. The lads’ll feel better behind the walls.” Grimble replied.

  With all the mounts accounted for, Alexander teleported them all back to the keep. Where they found Silverbeard and his dungeon group had already returned. They were sitting in the dining area talking about their run.

  When Alexander approached, Fibble shouted “We kill gemmins! Pew Pew!” to which several of the others smiled and nodded. Silverbeard gave a brief report.

  “Aye, the place were full o’ the nasty lil beasties. We cleared the first-floor o’ gremlins that were level 35 or less. The boss be a level 40 shaman with four guards. Damned thing could shoot fireballs, and stun ye with blowgun darts. Second floor had nasty badger-things tha’ stood upright and used swords and bows. All level 40 or higher. We killed the first two groups, but it were a close thing each time. Bodine nearly lost two o’ his wolves. So we left.”

  Fibble added “badger shot me in head!” He pointed to his helm, which had a couple of small arrow shafts still stuck in it. “And tummy tingled again! Fibble stronger!” he puffed out his little chest and grinned at Alexander.