World At War

by Dave Willmarth

  Silverbeard wasted no time, jogging out the nearby gate and hollering to the gathered farmers. There was a cheer from the farmers and much excitement as animals were moved toward the gate. Several guards and stablehands moved to assist in managing the chaos.

  Alexander remembered the light cannons. “Oh! Here, these are for you as well.” He handed each of the princes a weapon.

  “You are a generous friend, Alexander,” Apollos said, putting the weapon over his shoulder like a spear shaft. “Thank you, for all of this.”

  Alexander just shrugged and walked back toward the portal. Already, the livestock was moving in that direction. “That’s what friends do. We help each other.”

  He opened the portal and the animals were herded through. It took nearly an hour to push them all through and Alexander saw his people on the other side of the portal desperately trying to herd them out of the courtyard through the main gate. He imagined they were having difficulty protecting the crops growing between the inner and outer gates. He quickly sent a message to Brick.

  “I screwed up. Just emptied a whole zoo’s worth of critters into the courtyard. Get some folks together to help the farmers keep them under control. I’ll be there in a minute to start teleporting them.”

  “BWAHAHAHA!” was the only answer he got.

  When he stepped through the portal himself, he quickly discovered that they had obtained not only a large population of livestock, but a corresponding quantity of fertilizer. Some of which was now all over his boot. He looked up to see Brick grinning at him. “Watch yer step!”

  Ignoring his friend’s glee, he scraped his boot as best he could, then dashed out the gate. The livestock were crowded onto the path leading down to the drawbridge. As expected, several animals had left the path and were trampling crops on either side, or munching on them. He went to work.

  First, he called out to Jeeves, “Loudspeaker please, Jeeves!” Then a moment later, he said, “My apologies, folks. I just bought us a large herd of livestock and didn’t think to make the proper arrangements for when they got here. I’m about to teleport them up to the garrison tower. They’ll appear inside the walls by the south gate. All available hands who can help us direct them to the proper corrals and pens, please report to the tower. Regina and Bodine, please secure your more predatory critters inside for now. I’m about to march a smorgasbord past you.”

  He waited a few minutes while folks dashed for the mirror that would teleport them up to the tower. When he figured there were enough people, he said, “Jeeves, please close the south gate of the garrison tower.”

  “It is already done, Majesty.”

  Alexander chose a group of cattle that were actively grazing on the green sprouts next to the road. With a wave of his hand, he sent them up to the plateau. He waited a minute or so for someone to move them, then did the same with a flock of sheep. He kept it up, sending a new group every minute or two so as not to drop them on top of each other. One of the farmers came to him after half an hour and said, “That’ll be enough. We can handle what’s left down here. We’ve got the corrals over by the quarry and the stables here.”

  Alexander nodded and apologized again. “My bad. I’ll do better next time.”

  The farmer laughed. “Don’t think you’ll need a next time. You’ve brought us enough stock to breed herds that’ll feed the kingdom for years. A good number of them sheep ‘n pigs are already pregnant.”

  Alexander shook his head. “Breed them quickly. Damerion may need to purchase these back from us if their city is put under siege.” The farmer nodded in understanding and moved off to help with the last of the animals being driven across the drawbridge.

  As he walked back into the keep, he saw unhappy citizens with shovels and brooms cleaning up the considerable quantity of poo left behind by the stampede. Alexander tried to sneak past unnoticed but received several glares as he passed.

  Ducking into the donjon’s main doors, he headed for Silverbeard’s office. The old dwarf was behind his desk, buried in paper as usual. “So, I screwed that up, didn’t I?”

  Silverbeard chuckled. “Nay, lad. That be on me. I shoulda warned ye to get ready on this side. And I dinna’ expect ye to take every critter they offered.”

  “I shouldn’t have?” Alexander queried.

  “It be alright, lad. I’d have said no, meself. Ye don’t want to leave them short o’ food because them farmers smelled a profit. But yer promise to sell the stock back if need be, and at no profit, were a good idea. Them animals will be well fed up on the plateau, and when their wee ones are born, we’ll increase the size o’ our herds even if we need to return the ones ye bought.”

  Alexander nodded as he thought about the mass of goats. “Oh! There’s another benefit to those goats.” He pulled out one of the skins full of goat’s milk and poured some into a glass on the dwarf’s desk. The old chancellor looked at it suspiciously and took a sniff.

  “Bah! What’d ye give me?” He gave his king a dirty look. “Do this be some kind o’ test o’ me loyalty?”

  Laughing, Alexander said, “Just drink it. Trust me.”

  Still looking skeptical, the dwarf picked up the glass and downed the drink quickly. He coughed once and slapped a hand on the desk. As the drink made its way down his gullet and into his gut, his eyes widened. “That be good stuff!”

  “That’s the fermented goat’s milk the minotaurs make. The reason for the extra goats. I figure your fellow dwarves will snatch up every keg that Molgo can produce. Earn some gold for his village.”

  “Well, it ain’t good ol’ dwarven spirits! But it’ll do in a pinch, that’s fer sure.” Silverbeard burped and then frowned at the fermented milk odor. “Ach. Not so good comin’ back up!”

  “I was planning on taking these two skins to the Ogre here and the one in Stormforge. Letting them give out free samples to generate business.”

  “Aye, lad. That’ll do it. Ye’ll need to put a steep price on it. If it be cheap as ale, them minotaurs’ll never be able to keep up with demand. Sell to the taverns fer… a hunnert gold a small keg.”

  Alexander was surprised at the suggestion, but accepted it. Molgo and Dawn would be very happy with that number. Thanking Silverbeard, and refilling his glass before he left, he headed over to the Ogre II. Finding Mattie inside, he handed her the skin. “This is a new drink from the minotaurs. Fermented goat’s milk. I think your customers are going to love it. Use this to give out some samples tonight. More will be available at one hundred gold per small keg.”

  Mattie’s eyes widened. “So much?” She uncorked the skin and took a sniff. Her nose wrinkled and she quickly moved her face away. “Smells like something died in there.”

  Alexander grinned. “Yup! Hold on a second.” He looked around the tavern that took up most of the ground floor of the inn. Spotting a dwarven guard eating a meal, he called out, “How’d you like to test a new drink for us?”

  The dwarf didn’t hesitate. He was on his feet and standing next to them in seconds. “What’ye got?”

  Mattie put a mug on the bar and Alexander poured a shot of the goat’s milk. “Fermented goat’s milk. Drink of choice for minotaur warriors. They seem to think us smaller races can’t handle it.”

  “Bah!” The dwarf took the mug and swallowed its contents all at once. He pounded his chest once as his eyes rolled up for a moment. Then a wide grin appeared on his face. “It be good! Better than it smells!”

  “Spread the word,” Alexander said. “Tell your friends to come get a sample while they last. The minotaurs will be sending more. But the supply is limited and it will be expensive.”

  “Aye, me mates will want ta try this. And what else would I be usin’ me gold fer?” He chuckled as he went back to his meal.

  Alexander left Mattie to her business and went to find a quiet spot to do some crafting of his own. He hadn’t leveled up his enchanting in several days and felt like a slacker.

  He was just sitting down to contemplate what he might
try next when there was a scream from the wall. He leapt to his feet as a notification appeared on his UI.

  Kingdom Alert! Your kingdom is under attack!

  Quest Activated: Defending Elysia

  Your kingdom has been attacked by an enemy force. Defend your land and your people!

  Experience: Variable

  Bonus Experience: Defeat your enemy without the loss of Elysian lives.

  Bonus Experience: Completely destroy the enemy force.

  Do you wish to share this quest with the citizens of Elysia? Y/N

  Alexander mentally hit the ‘Yes’ button as he ran across the courtyard toward the stairs that led up the interior of the keep’s wall. A fast-moving shadow to his right warned him of approaching danger and he went into a slide as talons grasped the air where his body had been. Looking up as he slid, he saw a large, winged creature with skin that looked to be made of stone.

  Gargoyle Scout

  Level 55

  Health: 28,000/28,000

  As he was getting to his feet, Jeeves was sounding the alarm for every citizen to hear. Alexander ignored the stairs and teleported himself to the top of the wall. Already, the light cannons mounted there were being put to use. Beams of light shot into the sky in multiple locations as crossbows sent bolts aloft as well.

  Looking up, Alexander saw three of the creatures swooping toward the wall or dodging defensive fire. One gargoyle was holding a human guard by the shoulders and climbing steadily. A moment later, a golden blur shot past beneath the gargoyle and Braxis began to dive back toward the keep with the guard in tow. He’d stolen the man right from the monster’s claws. Two more gryphons attacked the gargoyle as it tried to dive after Braxis. Blood flew as beaks and talons raked at flesh in an airborne melee.

  One of the guards with a light cannon managed to hit another of the monsters as it paused in the air before diving. The thing screamed in rage as the light magic burned into its wing. Another light beam joined it half a second later and the damaged creature began to drop slowly in a spiral pattern. Its burned wing was no longer able to keep it aloft. Guards rushed in the direction it was falling, determined to finish it when it hit the ground.

  Alexander searched the sky. The third gargoyle was nowhere to be seen, until it popped up over the wall and snatched Alexander with its rear claws. Flapping its wings, it pulled him over the edge of the wall and began to climb. The guards nearby along the wall aimed their crossbows, but hesitated, not wanting to kill Alexander by mistake. Alexander looked up at the creature holding him and cast Wizard’s Fire on it. The flames engulfed the creature immediately, causing it to scream. Still, it continued to beat its wings.

  “If I die, elf, you will die with me!” it growled at him. Pushing through the pain of the flames, it lifted Alexander ever higher.

  Gargoyle Scout

  Level 60

  Health: 27,000/31,000

  Alexander shot it with several Magic Bolts, whittling away at its health as the thing dragged him through the sky. It was awkward with his body in tow and was moving slowly, more vertically than horizontally. As a result, Alexander could see when the gargoyle fighting the gryphons dropped from the sky. The two gryphons and Braxis were all headed in his direction. He could see that the two who had been in combat were badly hurt. The gargoyle hadn’t died easily.

  Alexander stopped his offensive casting to cast his biggest Healing Light spell on each of the gryphons, then shouted to Braxis, “Keep back! I have this!”

  Braxis nodded and squawked at his companions, who altered their courses so that they surrounded the gargoyle as it continued to gain altitude. Alexander looked up and began to build up a charge of Ray of Light. He allowed the spell to build and build until he had accumulated nearly a thousand mana. Lifting his arm up toward the monster above him, he shouted, “Hey, ugly!”

  The gargoyle looked down at him and he released the spell straight into its face. The compressed burst of light magic put a hole the size of a plum right through the monster’s face, exiting out the back of its head. The thing died instantly, its claws still holding a death grip on Alexander as its burning corpse began to fall. Alexander cast a heal on himself to recover the health points burned away by his own Wizard’s Fire.

  Braxis and the other gryphons rushed in, intent on freeing Alexander. He shouted, “No!” and waved them back. The last thing he needed was fur and feather-covered gryphons catching fire mid-air. They backed off, but followed him as he fell. Looking down, he saw they were over the waterfall and dropping rapidly toward the rocks.

  He took out his sword and hacked at the gargoyle’s left leg. The blade cut cleanly through flesh and bone and he was free of one leg, though the talon still gripped his shoulder. And now he and the dead monster were spiraling badly, the force of the spin nearly making him lose his grip on the sword. His elven body didn’t have the strength to overcome inertia and raise the sword.

  A moment later, they bounced. The gargoyle’s body struck an outcropping of stone not far from Kai’s roost and acted like an anchor. It stopped their spinning and slowed their fall, but caused Alexander’s body to swing toward the cliff face and slam into the rock. He felt his left arm break, and several ribs as well. He barely had time to register what happened when his weight and the momentum of their fall pulled the monster’s corpse off the rock above him and they were once again dropping.

  Alexander’s mind was fuzzy from the pain of the impact but he managed to activate his teleport ability, moving his body and the gargoyle’s out over the open water of the lake. They picked up speed as they continued to fall, and he realized as he looked down that he would hit the water first. If he survived the impact, he would be crushed a moment later by the monster above him.

  Waving his sword arm in a panic, he managed to hack off the remaining leg that attached him to the gargoyle. He pushed the corpse away with a leg and closed his eyes to await the impact.

  But it never came. He heard the splash of the monster hitting the water and felt a wet spray on his face. But his body was being lifted away from the surface. Opening his eyes, he saw that Braxis and his mate each held one of his legs and were pumping their wings to lift him into the air. The water was just feet below his head.

  They carried him up onto the wall and unceremoniously dropped him the last couple feet. He managed to curl up enough that he didn’t land on his head, letting his shoulders and back absorb the impact. With a groan of pain from his broken bones, he rolled over and used the wall to pull himself to his feet. He felt heals from Sasha wash over him. Once he was steady, he turned and bowed to the gryphons. “Thank you. I would not have enjoyed that bath.”

  Both gryphons squawked and Alexander thought Braxis might be laughing at him. They turned and trotted back into their roost.

  Kai appeared next to Alexander a moment later in human form. “I smell dark magic!” he growled.

  Alexander pointed to the gargoyle corpse that the gryphons had mauled and dropped into the courtyard. “Gargoyles.”

  The dragon prince’s voice was filled with barely contained rage. “Servants of the drow wizards. These are scouts. They would only be here for one of two reasons. They were sent to observe our defenses ahead of an attack, or they were sent to capture someone to take back to their masters.”

  Alexander nodded. “That figures. One of them targeted me and was taking me away. It had plenty of time to kill me. It could have just dropped me and saved itself. But it didn’t.”

  “Its masters don’t react well to failure. If it was sent to fetch you and returned without you, it would have suffered a much more painful death.”

  Alexander looked at the dead mob as Beatrix bent to loot it. He smiled at the little gnome. She was even faster to loot than Max or Brick. “What I don’t understand is why the guards didn’t see them coming? The first warning I heard was when they actually grabbed one of our guards.” He nodded toward the man that Braxis had saved. Sasha had healed him and he was recovering from the scare.
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br />   “Gargoyles have a stealth ability. They are nearly invisible until they attack. I might have smelled them if I were paying more attention. The gryphons should be able to smell them too, now that they have the scent. We will be more vigilant from now on. I would also like to summon a wing of my cousins here for added protection.” Kai’s tone made it clear that wasn’t really a request.

  “Of course, Kai. You know that your people are always welcome here. And we appreciate the added security. I will have Silverbeard prepare the nicest guest quarters we have.”

  Kai shook his head. “If it is acceptable, they will occupy the tower. The room at the top gives a good view of the area and a quick exit should they need to attack.”

  “The tower is all theirs. Please tell them to feel free to modify it in whatever way makes them most comfortable.” Alexander smiled at his friend and ally.

  Kai nodded and disappeared, presumably back to his roost to catch Lia up on events. His suspicion was confirmed a moment later when an enraged roar echoed out from the cliffs above. Alexander felt sorry for Fibble. The little goblin had big ears and was trapped inside a stone chamber with that thunderous sound.

  After quickly checking on the still-shaken guard, Alexander made his way down to the courtyard. Sasha was waiting impatiently for Lainey to skin the gargoyle. As soon as the Valkyrie was finished, Sasha began harvesting parts from the monster. She took claws, teeth, its heart, and several internal organs. When she saw a small group observing her, she shrugged. “My alchemy skill is telling me this thing has all kinds of usable ingredients. We need to find the other two. This thing’s heart is a rare purple ingredient.”

  Alexander nodded and teleported himself to the dock where the fishing boat was tied up. Untying the mooring line, he hopped in and pushed himself off. He let the boat drift in the general direction of the center of the lake as he gazed down into the water. Eventually, he spotted what he thought might be the gargoyle’s corpse. Casting Levitate, he lifted it up out of the water and into the boat. Then he rowed himself and the monster back to the dock. Once he had the boat tied up again, he teleported himself and the gargoyle back to the keep where Lainey and Sasha looted, skinned, and harvested it.