by Galen Wolf
He turns his horse round but he’s still looking at me warily over his shoulder as if he can’t believe what a fool I am. I just watch him while he pulls slowly away. And then in a final act of meanness that he just can’t resist, he pulls out a spear and hurls it at Henry.
The spear sticks into the mud a foot short of the mule. Turns out it was him who was the fool. I pull out my lance and he jabs his spurs into his horse’s flank and it gallops away with him.
I click my tongue and Spirit hurtles forward. We catch Faroz after about three hundred yards and my crystal lance pierces him in his back gaining an autocrit for 1020, slaughtering him. His horse comes to a halt, glad he’s dead I bet.
Then I turn to the bridge. Bessie still can’t jump it so I spend twenty minutes finding dead wood that I can push over the gap and secure as best I can. I glance nervously back at Hellsmouth. They’ll be back soon. They’ll resurrect and come after us, I know, so time is short.
Finally, Henry persuades Bessie to cross the rickety wood over the three-hundred-foot drop and we’re on the Silver Drift side of the bridge. I dismount Spirit and knock away the wood. No point making it easier for them.
Then we ride for home.
Barons and Paladins
Now I’m free of pursuit I take the time to check personal messages as I ride along. There are messages from Tye, Fitheach and Bernard. Three from Tye, two from Bernard. They all say the same thing. ‘Are you ok?’ ‘Let me know!’ ‘Can I help?’
There’s also one from Cuthbert. ‘Heh. Rezzed at Lindisfarne or whatever godawful name they’re calling it now. Place overrun with goblinoids and undead. Got killed three times, then managed to kill enough to run. I know the place better than them so I hid up in the ruined lighthouse. Got away. Heading north to Edinburgh. See you soon!’
I answer that one first: Are you ok? Let me know! Can I help?
He’ll be fine; he’s a resourceful old geezer. But why’s he heading to Edinburgh? It used to belong to King Lot, an ally of Arthur’s but it’s not even called Edinburgh any more. Cuthbert must know something I don’t.
Then I reply to the rest of the guys. ‘Don’t worry. Be back soon.’
It’s a long way home and I have to log-off and attend to some rl stuff, so I search out a cave and leave Spirit and the mules there. The Jabberwock eggs are safe in my inventory so I don’t need to worry about them.
When I eventually come back, delayed by a combination of food-shopping and an incident in a book store I won’t go into, the animals are well.
‘Let’s be going then, chum,’ Henry says. He’s sounding chipper now he knows we’re on the last lap.
We step out of the cave and the trail west is about a hundred yards in front of us through scrubby dead thorns and thistles.
‘Yes, it’s been a mighty adventure, but I’m glad to be going home,’ Henry says.
Then I hear a thin whistle way above. I glance up and see a pterosaur circling. It makes no move to attack, but it’s spotted us. I have no idea how Satanus’s guys communicate with the pterosaurs, or whether there’s some technique whereby they can look through their eyes. I don’t think they’ve got any garrisons really close by, though we are getting closer to Carrionburg, out of sight to the south. Either way, we should hurry.
The pterosaur haunts us from above us all the way back to Silver Drift and when I see the familiar craggy outcrop with its familiar twisted thorn tree and make out the charred and chipped door to the Forgotten Chapel Dungeon, my heart soars. There are my friends too. I even tap the wooden boxes to make sure that I haven’t failed the quest at the last minute.
I pm’d the guys so they’re there waiting for me. I lift my visor and wave. They wave back. There’s Bernard and Fitheach and Tye, brown and white and ginger haired respectively but also a gang of the NPCs. I see Thorvald the Miner, Asterix the Dwarf, Oliver Stone, Architect, Jason the Elf Brewer and Uchtred my new sergeant at arms. Geraint the Blacksmith is there and behind him, lurks Peter the Silent, the rogue and Simon the Vendor. I’m so pleased to see them, I could almost kiss them. But I probably won’t. In fact I definitely won’t. Maybe a handshake.
Bernard breaks ranks and runs at me. ‘Gorrow! I never thought I’d see you again.’
He’s exaggerating, but that’s his way. Then Tye runs forward not to be outdone. Fitheach stands there dignified with a respectful smile on his face. I wonder what happened to the bloodthirsty killer alternative-personality that almost got out when he was questing?
Bernard punches my leg in a jokey fashion but then pulls his fist away wincing when he hits my plate armour. Tye is like an excited puppy. ‘Hey, Gorrow, you won’t believe it! We’ve been killing it in the dungeon…’
‘Killing them anyway,’ Bernard stifles his giggles behind his hand.
‘No, man. Really. We’ve levelled it to Level 10! Believe it! Level 10! Got loads of xp. We got gear off them that we sold to Simon for cash money. Things are looking up. Totally bomb.’
‘Bomb?’
Tye grins. ‘Yee, on mommas.’
I shake my head, dismount and lead Spirit and the mules into the dungeon. Bernard’s making a big fuss of Henry who’s pretending he didn’t miss him. Bessie looks shy when Tye tickles her ears.
I step inside the dungeon and Fitheach pushes the door closed behind us. I’m home and I never thought I’d be so happy to step inside the ruined, damp dungeon with its dim lights and weird smells. But I am.
We go through the Tapestry Room with the whole crowd until we find the connecting door. They’re waiting for me and I realise that though Tye and Bernard and Fitheach have keys they want me to have the pleasure of unlocking my own door. So I do and I step through from the Forgotten Chapel Dungeon to the Silver Drift Mine.
As I do, I hesitate. The boxes are in my inventory and I was hoping to get a success message to say I’d succeeded in the Quest of the Jabberwock but so far nothing. I guess I actually have to get the blood to turn in the quest. That makes me frown.
Later, when Spirit and the mules are taken to the Secret Valley to graze and I’m sitting with Jason, my business manager, Geraint the Blacksmith, Uchtred representing our small army, Fitheach, Tye and Bernard in my own chambers. Candles burn in alcoves in the rock walls. The familiar oak furniture is all around me. They guys want to give me an update.
Jason goes first. ‘Take a look at the settlement tab, Sir Gorrow.’
Military
Eagles 11
Light Archers: 54
Yeomen Halberdiers: 66
Total Military: 120
Civilians
Farmers 32
Millers 3
Bakers 4
Carpenters 6
Stable Boys 1
Farriers: 4
Gardeners: 4
Roofers: 1
Scriveners: 1
Apothecary: 2
Minstrel: 1
Foresters: 6
Tanners: 1
Fishermen: 22
Hunters: 6
School Mistress: 1
Miners: 42
Children 23
Total Civilians: 142
Religious
Friars 4
Parish Priest 1
Nuns 2
Total Religious: 7
Key NPCs: 8
Silver Drift Population: 277
I sit forward. ‘Wow! You did all of that while I was away?’
Jason looks slightly embarrassed. ‘I took advice from Mr Tye and Mr Bernard and of course St Fitheach, but we built a stable and a mill and a school and church.’
‘The church improves population happiness and thus growth rates,’ Fitheach says.
Jason adds, ‘As does the minstrel.’
I nod. ‘And where are all the new buildings?’
Thorvald says, ‘They’re all underground except the stables and the old barracks which we’re using for training in the open air and in the woods outside. Like you said.’
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‘Good. Uchtred, want to add anything?’
He’s new to his role and less confident than the others who’ve known me a while now, but still, he speaks up, ‘We lost an eagle.’
‘Casualties are inevitable,’ I say. ‘It’s not your fault.’
He clears his throat. ‘And we need some cavalry. In my estimation, sir.’
I nod. ‘It’s a good point.’ I turn to Jason. ‘Do we have enough horses and children growing up so we can form a cavalry unit?’
He smiles. ‘I think so. Medium leather armoured?’
I glance at Geraint the Blacksmith. ‘I’m guessing we’ve got enough minerals to arm them with better than leather. Is that right?’
Geraint, a man a few words at the best of times, simply grunts. ‘No problem. Steel, or better?’
‘Better if you can.’
He nods. ‘Thorvald’s been digging so many holes to make the buildings we got tons, literally tons of any kind of metal you need.’
And that reminds me of my skill points and looking for Smoky Crystal down here.
‘Can you work meteoric iron, Geraint?’
‘Sure.’
‘Then let’s armour all the troops with that except the archers. I need them to be able to move quickly.’
‘So armour and weapons for the halberdiers and this up-coming heavy cavalry unit?’
I nod to Uchtred. ‘We need light cavalry too, to ride them down. Spear and shield and leather armour. And horse archers. Also light.’
‘So three new regiments — all cavalry, one heavy, one light, one horse archers?’
‘That’s it.’
Uchtred looks to Jason who frowns. ‘We can’t do that all at once, Sir Gorrow. We don’t have the population growth yet.’
‘Just do it when you can. Heavy cavalry first. Liaise with Geraint and Uchtred. But keep building the halberdiers and foot archers up too.’
‘Like I say, it’s about population growth.’
‘Then we need to figure out a way of increasing population growth. The enemy know we’re here, though they don’t yet know how to get to us. They know we’ve got the Jabberwock eggs and they must by now know what they’re for. We have some time, but not lots.’
Bernard’s looking thoughtfully at me. ‘You’re Level 15 now, right?’
‘16. Just got it.’
‘Ah, congrats. So you can pick your prestige class now.’
I nod.
‘What were you thinking?’ he asks.
Fitheach interrupts. ‘He’s going to go for Paladin. King Arthur needs the strength and self-healing of the paladins on his battlefield.’
‘Well…’ I say.
Bernard sits back. ‘Then that’s that idea gone down the pan.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You know the Baron class gets enhancements to settlement and military unit growth and production?’
I did know something of it. Not in fine detail, but I was aware. Bernard continues, but if you’re going Paladin, we’ll have to find us another baron to run Silver Drift.’
Bernard knows me. He knows that is not going to sit easy with me. There’s a tense silence with both Fitheach and Bernard starting at me intently until I sit back. ‘I haven’t decided yet. Give me some time.’
‘We’ve been digging out Level 3 of the dungeon too,’ Thorvald says. I raise my eyebrows and Thorvald looks concerned. ‘Everyone said it would be okay to make progress on the third level.’
Once again they’re all watching me. I don’t have a problem with that. We planned four levels to the dungeon. Of course, if I become a Paladin, will I have time to run the dungeon too?
‘Want to come and take a look at my new abode?’ Fitheach asks.
‘Of course.’
‘And we can talk as we walk,’ Fitheach says, ominously. Bernard glares at him but he smiles peacefully back at the alchemist, getting up.
‘Come with?’ I ask Bernard.
The rest of them go about their tasks and I end up walking through the dungeon with Tye and Bernard and Fitheach. Tye peels off and goes to his boss room on Level One, then we find the steps and walk down to Level Two and Bernard’s acid themed rooms. He stops in his cavernous boss room. I look around. ‘How do we get down to Level Three?’
Bernard points to an ivory door that wasn’t there last time I visited his room. Fitheach nods. ‘Yes, follow me.’
The other side of the ivory door is a spiral staircase also made of ivory. I look around. There are fairy lights winking in the walls. The walls are white and there are silver trees and vegetation with silver and gold leaves around the place. It looks really nice. ‘It’s a bit like Christmas,’ I say.
Fitheach smiles. ‘It’s the effect I wanted. It’s not finished yet of course.’
I hear the ringing of mattocks striking rock out of sight and guess the miners are still extending the level. ‘What kind of mobs are you putting in place?’
‘Angels of course. Sprites of light, that sort of thing.’
‘Traps?’
‘Peter the Silent has been very helpful. He’s quite ingenious.’
‘When it comes to killing people by stealth, yes, he is.’
‘We have blinding traps, and of course holy energy traps. He’s got one where a silver fountain firework effect explodes and disembowels the unwary.’
‘Nice.’
‘And of course, unicorns. I know they’re not strictly Christian, but they’re pretty Arthurian.’
‘I think you’ll find that was White Harts, but hey, if you want unicorns, why not?’
Fitheach goes quiet. He puts his hand on my arm. ‘I just wanted to say, you really need to go paladin. If you don’t, we won’t fall out or anything, but just think of the difference you could make on the battlefield. You’ve seen what the enemy can bring against us, we need high quality fighters, especially tanks with excellent self-healing, and that’s what a paladin is. I’m happy to begin training you as soon as possible.’
I step back and lean against the white tunnel wall. ‘But there’s Silver Drift. I’ve built it up since I first entered the game. There’ve been setbacks, but that’s made the place more important to me. If I was a baron, I could improve it further.’
‘Of course. I understand. It will be a hard choice for you, but you still need to choose paladin in the end.’
I sigh even more deeply. ‘By the way, the fields growing underground with your Sunlight spell. How are they going?’
‘Excellently! We have had some excellent crops. They grow even better than outside, because outside they don’t have the constant sunlight that my spell provides.’
‘That’s great.’
‘I’m going to stay down here, Gorrow. I need to talk to the miners. I just wanted you to see the new level.’
‘Of course.’ With that I walk back up to Bernard’s level. I emerge, smiling through the ivory door. I jerk my thumb over my shoulder. ‘Really nice down there. Pretty.’
‘Don’t let him persuade you to become a paladin, Gorrow. We need you here. He’s a saint, of course he’s going to be fixated on holy things, but think about it — Silver Drift is yours. It’s going to be a springboard for the counter-attack. Go baron. Please. Not that, I’ll fall out with you if you don’t, but really — be smart about it.’
‘Okay, listen I want to talk to you about the Jabberwock eggs. We need a furnace, but not here, up in Silver Drift settlement itself out of the way of any enemy eyes.’
‘There’s Geraint’s furnace of course.’
‘Of course!’ Together we hurry up through the dungeon and then cross into Silver Drift. Geraint’s in his forge making plate armour for the new heavy cavalry.
The heat is sweltering, but Geraint’s used to it. Bernard pulls out his red and white spotted handkerchief and dabs the sweat from his brow.
I produce the first box of Jabberwock eggs from my inventory. For the first time, I open the box and see six eggs the size of ostrich eggs wrapped in straw t
o protect them. I take one out. It’s pretty heavy and rough to the touch, coloured yellow and black.
‘What’s that?’ Geraint asks.
‘It’s a Jabberwock egg,’ I say.
He doesn’t take his eye off the egg.
I say, ‘Can I put it in your furnace?’
‘It’s your furnace really, Sir Gorrow.’
I bend down while he opens the furnace doors with his tongs. I’m about to put the egg in by hand when Geraint says, ‘You’d better let me use the tongs.’
He dips his iron tongs in the water barrel then carefully picks the egg out of my hands. Though he is careful, my heart is still in my throat in case the egg cracks, either between the tongs or as soon as he puts it into the heat. But it doesn’t. Then Geraint stretches his foot and closes the furnace door with the tip of his boot.
‘So that’s to hatch it?’ Bernard asks.
‘Yes.’
‘How long will it take?’
‘No idea.’
Then I see there’s a timer bar appeared over the egg. As soon as it got to a certain temperature the egg started to prepare itself. And it’s moving fast. It’s got percentage points on it, and it’s moving pretty quickly. It goes from 1-3% while I’m looking at it.
‘It’ll hatch soon,’ Bernard says. ‘Then what?’
I look to Geraint and then to Bernard. ‘You two have to work together to infuse the Smoky Crystals with Jabberwock blood to unlock the vorpal weapon enhancement.’
‘So we’ve got to kill it?’ Bernard asks.
I sigh. ‘I hope not.’
He says, ‘I’ll take a closer look at the recipe. It may give more details on how to produce it. The game developers love giving you conundrums like this and then if you’re smart enough, you see they’ve put a little way out somewhere cunningly hidden in the fine print.’
We wait like three expectant fathers while the timer bar runs up to its end.
