He didn’t make it. Either the river was deep, or his sense of direction was off. Either way, he’d try again.
Six deaths and more than an hour later, he changed his tactics. There had remained a slight incoming current at the ceiling opening, so he began to search with his hands along the floor and walls for the spot where the water was draining out. He drowned four more times before he realized it was exiting beneath a door behind a tapestry that now fluttered in the small current.
Hope exploded within him as he braced a hand against the wall next to the door and pulled it open as his oxygen bar dipped close to empty. Without any light, he fumbled around inside the room until his hands found stone. The water was flowing into a stone bowl. As he reached inside, he screamed out the remainder of his oxygen.
Back in limbo and now down to level 56, he shouted, “A goddamned toilet! The water’s draining into a stone toilet in the privy!”
All hope of escape that direction fled. There was no way he could squeeze through such a small opening. His only chance was to find a way to swim out. But he was in no hurry to try again. Maybe if he waited offline, the drow would cease to be amused by his suffering and open the doors.
So he logged out, removed the headset, and got to work on his first beer of the evening.
*****
That afternoon, King Arand sat in his study with his wife and two remaining sons. He listened as Elrid told him of the Dark One, as Sophie had called him. He listened to the tale of the torture and death of Bain, the trusted companion and bodyguard he had assigned his son at a young age. He heard about the beatings and torture his son had endured. And the man in black leather’s desperation to find a back way into the city. He listened while Elrid told him what the man had said about killing his youngest brother. His wife cried into his shoulder as he held her while Elrid spoke. The prince, to his credit, kept his composure.
“Fitz tried to warn me and I did not listen.” The king’s voice was barely a whisper. “We must do as he asked and fortify the docks. The drow and whatever army he has could attack at any time. Increase the watch on all the walls. Four-man patrols. Drow use stealth and we cannot have them eliminating our guards by surprise. The gates will be sealed at sunset. No one through without specific authorization from me. Every wagon checked, every barrel and crate opened before they come inside the city.”
Elrid made a suggestion of his own. “They could be in the sewers already, Father. Let us seal all the exit grates and post a guard near each one. We can use untrained militia, as they will only be there to raise an alarm. Have the mages set some alarms within the tunnels as well.”
King Arand nodded his head and sighed. “We have become a city under siege. And I must mourn a son without even a body to bury.”
“More than just a son,” Elrid corrected.
Arand looked at his son’s face. He was closer to breaking now than when he’d spoken of his own torture. “I’m sorry about Bain.”
“He was my brother. Blood or not. For ten years, we’ve been together every day. He died horribly, Father. But even after they’d cut more of him away than there was left of him, he stayed strong. He taunted the man in black into killing him. Spat in his face before he died.”
The king placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We will honor him along with your brother and his bodyguard. A small family affair. No reason to waste resources on a lavish funeral if we’re about to be under siege.”
He comforted his queen for a few moments longer, letting her cry herself out. She’d been weeping nonstop since Elrid appeared with the news of his brother’s demise. When she quieted down, he motioned to his eldest son Apollos to open the doors. Two guards waiting outside saluted.
Apollos whispered, “Fetch my mother’s ladies. And bring Sophie of Stormforge.” A moment later, three women bustled into the room and gathered up the queen. Her husband let her go reluctantly, gently releasing her hand as they led her from the room. She would prepare the funeral ceremony.
Sophie walked in as the queen departed. She bowed at the waist to the king. “Your Majesty wished to see me?”
The king was distracted, and Apollos answered for him. “The drow you brought us speaks of two armies. One undead, the other demons. They are poised to attack the city. Yet none of our scouts or hunters, nor any of the adventurers who are always flitting about the forest nearby, have seen any trace of them.”
Sophie pulled out a scroll. “A messenger came through the portal not an hour ago. He brought this message for the king. And one for me. Mine spoke of a battle involving two armies that match that description. They attacked Elysia a few days ago. They did so using a portal orb, transporting from some base of operations that may be far from here.”
The king opened his message and began to read. Apollos looked over his shoulder as Elrid waited patiently.
Arand confirmed, “My letter says much the same. It seems Alexander defeated both armies. One of which included an undead dragon. Impressive for a brand new king. Let us hope the armies the drow prisoner spoke of were the same two. Otherwise we may be vastly outnumbered.” He continued to read.
“It says an alliance is forming. Initiated by the dragon king to gather a force capable of resisting the drow wizards. I remember childhood tales of the drow wizards, but I confess I believed them to be just that. Stories to scare children into behaving.”
Sophie shook her head. “They are very real. They attempted to murder the queen and take over the city of Antalia. Alexander and his people thwarted the attempt and drove them from the city. They have attacked Stormforge as well, using drow assassins and adventurers who served the Dark One. And of course, you’ve just read about the all-out assault on Elysia. The Dark One has a special hatred of Alexander and his companions. They have borne the brunt of the aggression.”
Arand asked, “Charles recommends a meeting with this Alexander. If I send my eldest son with you, can you arrange such a meeting? If there are armies of the dark waiting to sack Damerion, I am not too proud to accept help.”
Sophie produced a teleport scroll. “This will take us to the palace at Stormforge. From there, I can either take Apollos to Elysia or arrange for Alexander to meet us in Stormforge. We can leave right now. Or if you two need time to discuss acceptable terms of the treaty, I can wait outside.”
The king shook his head. “My son has been groomed to take my place since the age of ten. He knows well enough how to protect the interests of Damerion. He has full authority to act on my behalf.”
Apollos looked at Sophie. “I’m ready. Let us get this done quickly. I fear an attack is imminent.” He stepped closer and Sophie placed a hand on his shoulder before triggering the scroll. The two of them appeared in the courtyard of Stormforge Palace. Two guards approached with weapons drawn until they recognized Sophie. Their weapons dropped and they saluted. She ordered, “Please inform the king and captain that Prince Apollos of Damerion has arrived. I believe we are expected.”
One of the guards walked with them toward the palace entry as the other sent a runner ahead. Two more guards appeared as if out of nowhere to watch over the teleport zone.
Captain Redmond met them at the doors. He bowed slightly and smiled at Apollos. “Prince Apollos, welcome to Stormforge. I have not seen you since my wedding, and you were about half as tall as you are now.”
Apollos chuckled. “And you do not seem nearly as tall now as you did then!” He reached out a hand and the captain shook it. Sophie had already disappeared.
The captain led the prince to the king’s study, where both the king and queen were having tea. They rose and welcomed the prince, the queen giving him a hug. “I’m sorry to hear about your brother, child. Please give my love to your mother. She is a good woman and it has been much too long since we’ve spoken.”
“Thank you, Majesty. I will pass along your message. I know she feels the same.”
Charles shook the prince’s hand and motioned for him to sit. “I’ve just sent a message
to Alexander, and expect he’ll be here shortly. He has a portal of his own, but the boy has teleportation magic and tends to pop up – ahhh… see what I mean?”
The king pointed his chin toward the door, where Alexander had just appeared. The young king bowed his head to the king and queen before shaking the captain’s hand. Turning to Apollos, he offered his hand to the prince. “I am Alexander. Pleased to meet you.”
Apollos bobbed his head quickly before accepting the handshake. “Majesty. Thank you for coming so quickly.” He shot a glance at King Charles, who laughed.
Charles said, “I was just telling Apollos that you have a habit of just popping up here and there. Usually to cause some kind of trouble.”
Alexander looked sheepish. “I’m afraid I learned it from Fitz. The wizard has some bad habits.” Everyone in the room made noises of agreement. Turning back to the prince, Alexander said, “I’m afraid I’ve had a hectic week and have not heard much news of the world outside of Elysia. And I’m only slightly familiar with Damerion. I’m an adventurer who got suckered into becoming king, and I’m afraid I’ve not had the training a prince like you would receive.”
Apollos quickly brought him up to speed on Elrid’s capture and torture, and that of his other brother. And the Dark One’s plan to seize the capital city of Damerion. Then he gave a little background on Damerion. “We are a port city, built atop a cliff above the cove. Our walls are high and strong, but we have little defense against an army that could just appear within our city using one of these portals Sophie mentioned. We have mages and a standing army, as well as a city guard. But they are not strong enough to take on an army of demons.”
Alexander replied, “The first thing you should do is give the adventurers in the city a quest to defend it against the attack if it comes. They’ll throw themselves into the battle again and again and should greatly reduce enemy numbers.” Apollos nodded, having already discussed that with his father.
Alexander continued. “Have you read the terms of the alliance proposed by the dragons?”
When the prince shook his head, Charles produced a copy from his desk. The prince took some time to read it. It wasn’t a complicated document. Mutual protection and support. The opportunity for trade, eventually. The fact that the document was created by dragons made Apollos’ hand tremble as he held it. He’d never met a dragon, though he dreamed of flying on one as a child.
He said, “These terms are acceptable to Damerion.”
Alexander grinned. “Great! If you’d like to come back to Elysia with me, Kai can get you an original copy to sign and answer any questions you may have. In addition, I will create a few weapons that will help you in battling drow. You can take them home with you.” He glanced at the king and queen. “All of you are welcome to join us. Lydia too, of course. The place has grown a bit. We have our own Ogre and the food is just as good!”
The queen laughed. “We would love to see the keep. But another time. You have more urgent matters to address. And bring Apollos back here when you’re done with him. We will send Edward to Damerion with him to train his men how to play with your light sticks.”
Alexander bowed deeply. “As you wish, Majesty. But please visit soon. Jules always enjoys an excuse to dress up.”
A moment later, Alexander and Apollos stood in the teleport zone at his keep. The prince looked around, his eyes appraising. “I’m sure this doesn’t compare to your family’s palace. But a month ago, this was an old ruin filled with undead. We’re growing as quickly as we can.”
Apollos eyed the massive walls and the gatehouse with its heavy portcullis and murder holes. “I believe you could easily drive away an invading army here.”
Alexander chuckled. “The secret is not to let them get this far. We fought off the orc and undead armies up on the plateau,” he pointed up and watched the prince’s eyes go up and up, “then we fought the demons outside our outer wall. Oh! Something else you should do. We asked the gods to bless our temple here. The blessing they gave us makes the land itself damaging to the forces of the dark. Rogues and drow get knocked out of stealth as soon as they set foot here. And demons burn like someone threw acid on them.”
Alexander walked Apollos around as he sent a message to Kai in guild chat. “A prince of Damerion is here to sign the treaty and join the alliance.”
“Lia’s eggs are about to hatch. Would you mind terribly bringing him up here? I don’t wish to miss this. Lia would be… angry.” Kai’s voice was excited and scared at the same time.
“WHAT??” Alexander shouted, forgetting guild chat even as sounds of exclamation erupted from the other guild members, both in-chat and out loud. Without explanation, he teleported himself and a suddenly-confused prince up to Kai’s roost.
The prince’s eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of two dragons curled around an indentation in the center of the large chamber. Lia’s head hovered over the eggs and she was half-humming, half-growling what sounded like a lullaby. Kai raised his head and moved so that he was a few feet in front of them.
“Prince Kaibonostrum and Lady Lia of the dragon kingdom, may I present Prince Apollos, heir to the throne of Damerion.”
Apollos stuttered something and bowed deeply at the waist. Kai chuckled in his dragon voice, startling the young man. “Welcome, Apollos. You are just in time to witness the hatching of our dragonlings.” He looked at Alexander. “Pay attention to guild chat, Alexander. Your mate and several others are demanding to be brought up here. They are, of course, welcome. This is an event one should share with friends.”
Alexander popped back down to the courtyard, where most of the players - as well as Silverbeard, Lola, Mattie and Taylor, Thea, and Fibble - were gathering. A moment later, Regina came sprinting across the courtyard with Bodine right behind her. She huffed a bit when she reached them.
“No way we are going to miss this!” she gasped. They had run through the mirror from the garrison tower.
Alexander waited for Bodine to arrive, then teleported the whole group. There were lots of ooh’s and ah’s as they all took in the roost for the first time. Kai welcomed them and gave them a warning. “When the hatchlings first emerge, they might be dangerous to humanoids. Their mother has been teaching them manners, but the excitement of the hatching combined with the need to feed sometimes makes young ones a bit… bitey.”
Sasha snorted. “A bit bitey, says the giant dragon guy. Is it too late to go back downstairs?”
Alexander looked around. “Okay, who’s got meat in their bags? Cough it up. These are going to be the best-fed hatchlings ever to be born in Elysia.”
Lainey rolled her eyes as she pulled several boar carcasses from her bag. “Lorian and I were hunting this morning.” Sasha pulled some meat from her bags, as did Regina and Bodine.
Fibble, not wanting to be left out, produced a couple of cookies. “Do… do baby dragons like cookies?”
Lia spoke from behind Kai. “Baby dragons love cookies, little one. But do not give them more than one each. We do not want to spoil them.”
Fibble looked at the two cookies he held, and then looked at the fingers on his other hand. “How many babies is there?” Alexander could see him fighting the urge to hoard his stash.
“There are seven eggs, little one. Let us hope that means seven baby dragons. Sometimes they are not strong enough to emerge from their shells. Though I am sure any progeny of Kaibonostrum will be more than strong enough.”
“P…p-proggy?” Fibble fumbled over the word. He reached into his bag for more cookies.
Sasha leaned down and whispered, “Babies,” as Fibble pulled out six more cookies. He looked up at Sasha with a question on his face. She took one of the cookies and put it back in his bag.
“This is seven. One for each baby dragon.” The little goblin nodded his head so hard his ears slapped his face.
He turned to face the dragons. Standing on his tiptoes, he strained to see over Lia’s tail. Lugs snatched him up and placed him atop a shou
lder, and Fibble grinned. “I see the babies. I mean, eggs. Babies come soon?”
Lia nodded. “Any moment now. They are straining against their shells.”
The group stood patiently, all eyes on the dragon eggs. A moment later, there was a tiny pop, followed by a cracking sound. A small piece of one egg separated itself and fell to the floor. A nose pushed outward, causing more cracks and widening the gap. Soon there were more pops and crackings, and the other dragonlings pushed to free themselves.
As the first tiny head emerged, Jules squealed and took a few steps forward. Kai cleared his throat to remind her to stay back. Sasha looked like she was going to need to be restrained as well. “Look! Sooo cute!”
When the baby dragon heard her voice and turned to look at her with the tip of its tongue sticking out to one side, she gasped, “Ohmygodineedtohugher!” She physically leaned toward the little hatchling. “Come on! Push! You can do it!”
The others began to encourage the dragonlings as well and the chamber began to sound like a VIP box at a dog track. Everyone was urging their favorite to push harder. Fibble dropped a cookie in the excitement, but Lugs caught it and handed it back to him.
After a few more minutes of struggle, all seven of the hatchlings had emerged. They flopped about a bit, their legs not yet working properly. They flapped tiny wings and took in their surroundings. Lia lowered her head and softly grumbled at them, and they formed into a rough line across the nest, stumbling over chunks of shell as they moved.
The first were twins as green as freshly-grown grass. A blue very similar to Lia’s own hue stood next to them, followed by a silver with sparkling scales and a red that almost glowed. A black dragonling was larger than the others and seemed to possess more poise. The last and smallest was a white dragon with scales that looked as if they were made of cream and honey.
World At War Page 10
