The Path to Peace

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “We’re planning on hitting Glacial Lake, but we were curious if any of the Dragonkin zones might be in that same range?” Gerald replied.

  “Aye, Lava Point be the other zone in that range,” the Dwarf nodded. “Six floors up, on the left.”

  “Thank you,” Gerald said, leading the group past the desk.

  “Mind the Spitters,” the receptionist called after them.

  “Spitters are quitters, it’s better to swallow,” Karen deadpanned.

  Gerald frowned and Alburet rolled his eyes as Bob cackled.

  “Ya be right,” Stacia said into the silence, nodding sagely.

  “Please…” Gerald sighed.

  “Is that what—” Marysue began.

  “Mary!?” Gerald spluttered.

  Marysue giggled, “I was only teasing, Gerald.”

  “Oh gods,” Gerald groaned. “You’re all bad influences on her.”

  “Are they?” Marysue asked as they climbed the stairs. “Would we have taken this path without their nudging?”

  Gerald opened and closed his mouth for a moment before he sighed. “Maybe. You are still a Dorn though, you can’t say those kinds of things in public.”

  “I’m not a Dorn when I’m here. Here, I am Marysue, devout Priestess of Peace,” Marysue said firmly, “and you’re not Francis. You’re Gerald, my knight in shining armor. I won’t be bound by those rules here, Gerald.”

  Face creasing with warring emotions, he finally bowed his head. “As m’lady wishes.”

  “Better,” Marysue said and kissed his cheek again.

  The others all watched in silence, exchanging smiles and significant glances. No one else said anything until they finally found the right room and took the glyph to the zone they wanted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Dwarven Keep was a sunken bunker, with only a few feet visible above ground level. Two heavily armed and bearded Dwarves stood next to the stairs leading down into the stronghold. The other thing that caught everyone’s attention were the open pits of lava that dotted the landscape. Basalt rock, bereft of all plant growth, stretched in all directions. A roar echoed down the canyons around the keep, causing even the guards to look around with a bit of trepidation.

  “That’s not a normal occurrence, I take it?” Gerald asked the two guards.

  “Nay, it seems one of the Matriarchs has woken up,” one of them said. “She likely be tryin’ to find places to leave clutches of eggs.”

  “Good thin’ for us ye be here,” the other said. “Sergeant Brus will be wantin’ to talk to ye.”

  “Then we won’t keep him waiting,” Gerald said. “Have other Two-souled been out here?”

  “Aye, but most of them do nay stay long,” the first guard replied. “The Fledglin’s be a right pain to deal with.”

  “Ach, the bastards never come down,” the second guard sighed. “The Flamers be bad enough. I hope ye all like flames, as ye’ll be feelin’ enough of it.”

  Marysue frowned. “They can be dealt with, though.”

  “Oh, aye, iffin ye do nay mind the red skin ye’ll be havin’ while yer out there,” the first guard replied. “Down the stairs, follow the corridor left, the double doors on the right be where yer wantin’ to go.”

  “Thank you,” Gerald said as he led Marysue and the others down the stairs.

  “My fur is going to get singed,” Fluff said softly.

  “Nay as much as it would,” Stacia told her. “Ya blood was changed. Ya do nay have the penalties tha’ our husband be havin’ with reputation, but iffin ya look, ya will see ya have some resistance to flames.”

  Nodding, Karen grinned, “Half the damage from fire, no penalties to rep, and of course, our ability to better understand each other.”

  “Aye,” Stacia said. “It be nay half damage, though, but 50% fire resistance. Iffin they have a way to overcome resistance, we will still be takin’ more than half.”

  “Fair enough,” Karen shrugged.

  “Gerald will be the one most likely to have difficulties,” Alburet said. Glancing behind him at Tiny, who had taken up rearguard, he raised a brow and got a nod in return. “Thank you, Tiny.”

  “I will do my best, master,” Tiny rumbled.

  “My spells are likely not going to be as effective,” Bob sighed. “You’re still going to want two of me, though.”

  “Why’s that?” Alburet asked the Imp, who was walking along next to Tiny and TJ.

  “The Fledglings don’t land,” Bob said. “Or at least, that’s what I’ve heard from others who’ve been through this zone.”

  “The guard said as much. So we’ll need ranged to deal with them?” Karen asked.

  “Yes,” Bob said.

  “We’ll find a way,” Alburet said with pursed lips, trying to figure out a workaround, “we always do.”

  “I believe you’re right,” Fluff said from Alburet’s left.

  He kissed her cheek, then finally started paying attention to the hallway they were walking down. The rock had been carved out by a master crafter, with arched ceilings fifteen feet above holding intricate runes engraved into the stone.

  “I wonder what the runes say?” Marysue said from in front of them.

  “We can ask the Sergeant,” Gerald said. They passed a few doors on their left, then double doors finally appeared on their right. “Here we are.”

  Following him in, the group found a single Sergeant behind a stone desk, going over paperwork with an air of boredom. The door opening brought her head up and a polite smile to her face. “More Two-souled. Welcome to the Lava Pits, iffin ye can stand the heat.”

  Coming to a stop before the desk, they saluted and held it for a few seconds, until the Sergeant returned it. “Ma’am, we’d like the quests to help thin the beasts that plague this area,” Gerald told her.

  “Nay had a group of ye salute me before,” the Dwarf said with raised brows. “Ye must be Alpha Company. They be the only ones I heard of tha’ do such.”

  “We are indeed, Ma’am,” Gerald grinned.

  “We’ve had a handful of ye Two-souled come through in the last week. None of ‘em have completed more than one of me quests. Ye think ye can manage to surprise me?”

  “We’ve been known to surprise people,” Alburet said, fighting a grin.

  “Ye must be Alburet, the old leader of Alpha Company. Only Two-souled Half-Infernal we be knowin’ of.” Eyes narrowing, she studied him. “Ye do nay look like much, but word says yer lot conquered a Keep far into the Dead Lands, and iffin tha’ be true, then ye deserve me respect. So I’ll be givin’ ye what ye ask for. I be doin’ somethin’ special for ye, though. Iffin ye can complete them all, I’ll give ye the most reputation we can be givin’ out. Iffin ye fail, though, ye’ll nay be getting’ any reputation from us at all. Ye want to chance it?”

  “We’ll get them done,” Gerald said firmly.

  “I do be likin’ the ones who do nay back down from a challenge,” the Dwarf laughed, her eyes going over Gerald’s armor. “Iffin ye need to cool off later—”

  “He’s taken,” Marysue said icily.

  “Ach, don’t it always be the way,” the Sergeant sighed. “Nay offense was meant,” she said directly to Marysue.

  “None taken,” Marysue said a little stiffly.

  Gerald patted Marysue’s hand where it rested on his arm, but addressed the Sergeant, “What is it we need to do Ma’am?”

  Quest: Kill twenty Fire Fledglings

  Reward: Three hundred gold and increased reputation with Bunker guards

  Quest: Kill twenty Burning Flamers

  Reward: Three hundred gold and increased reputation with Bunker guards

  Quest: Kill five Egg Tenders

  Reward: Three hundred gold and increased reputation with Bunker guards

  Quest: Kill a Matriarch

  Reward: Seven hundred gold and an item from the Quartermaster’s stores.

  Bonus: Complete all the quests in 12 hours.

  Reward: Maximu
m reputation from Sergeant Brus.

  Failure: If you fail this quest you forfeit all reputation from this zone.

  Sergeant Brus rattled off all of the requirements and the quests popped up as she recited them. “Now ye have yer tasks. Luck be with ye, Alpha Company.”

  “Ma’am,” Gerald said as the group saluted, “we’ll return as swiftly as we can.”

  “Aye, I be waitin’ to see how ye fare,” Sergeant Brus said, returning the salute. As Alpha Company left the area, she watched them leaving, a smile forming on her lips. Brushing at the long sideburns that marked all female Dwarves, she sighed. “The good lookin’ ones always be taken.”

  Walking down the hall towards the exit, Bob was chortling under his breath. When he caught Alburet looking at him, Bob pointed at Gerald and gave the Defender’s back big puppy dog eyes.

  Rolling his eyes, Alburet fought to keep a grin off his face, not wanting to encourage the Imp. The burst of amusement from him made his wives all look at Bob and catch the puppy dog eyes as well. Karen snorted.

  The snort brought Gerald’s head around to see what was going on. Bob was able to drop the expression just in time. “Everything okay?”

  “Aye,” Stacia managed to get out evenly, fighting back a grin of her own. “Karen just had a tickle in her throat.”

  “And not from anything I wanted to tickle it, either,” Karen chuckled.

  Rolling his eyes, Gerald turned back to face the front. “You’re as bad as the Imp.”

  “Woohoo, we’re two peas in a pod,” Bob laughed.

  Everyone but Gerald laughed at Bob’s outburst, even Marysue, who managed to stifle most of it. Frowning thunderously, Gerald grumbled under his breath, “Why do I always seem to be the butt of their jokes?”

  Fluff caught his mutter, but she kept silent. She wasn’t sure how to explain to him that if he would stop reacting, then the others would stop making the jokes. Catching her moment of indecision, Karen kissed her cheek a second before Alburet kissed her other one. A beautiful smile formed on her lips as she felt their love and let that soak into her.

  As they came out of the bunker, the two guards gave them knowing grins. “Still goin’ out to give it a try, eh?”

  “We’ll be back once we finish the tasks given to us,” Gerald said sternly. “Alpha Company doesn’t fail at what it sets out to do.”

  Both Dwarves held up placating hands, and one of them quickly spoke up. “Fine, fine, no offense was meant.”

  “Calm down, Gerald,” Marysue said, patting his arm. “They didn’t do anything wrong. You still need to work on loosening up here. Let’s go find some things and kill them, okay?”

  Gerald exhaled with a scowl, then nodded sharply and looked at the guards. “My apologies. You’ll see what I mean, though, when we get back.”

  “Lookin’ forward to it,” the other guard said. “Luck be wi’ ye.”

  Gerald led them away from the bunker with a deliberate stride. After a few steps, Marysue let go of his arm so he could get his shield and sword ready. Tiny came forward and walked alongside Gerald as Marysue dropped back.

  “Gerald,” Tiny rumbled softly, “as one protector to another, I know Bob can be difficult. In time, he stops—if you can avoid reacting to his gibes.”

  Brows raising, Gerald glanced at the Destroyer as his lips twitched. “If we can bury our earlier issues, maybe he and I can, too. Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Yes,” Tiny nodded.

  “We’ll see,” Gerald said as he rotated his shoulders. “Ready to kill some mobs?”

  “Yes. I will even show you a trick to fighting the Flamers,” Tiny grinned.

  “Really?” Gerald said. “Wait, you’ve been here before?”

  “Long ago,” Tiny sighed, his eyes going distant for a moment. “Many years ago, and not with such good people.”

  Blinking as the idea that Tiny had been in the zone before really started to sink in, Gerald slowed for a moment before matching Tiny’s stride again. “Okay, you’ve got the lead. Besides, you take less damage from fire, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Tiny’s grin grew broader. “They hate it when Destroyers walk these lands,” Tiny’s laugh was dark. “Time to remind them why.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  A fine, dusty ash hung in the air, becoming thicker the further they went into various clefts and tunnels through the basalt. Marysue was the first to pull a piece of cloth from her bag to cover her nose and mouth, and the others quickly followed suit.

  “Tha’ be much better,” Stacia said.

  “I did this a few times during our journey across the Dead Lands, during the bad sand storms.”

  “They never seemed to last long enough to be a real problem, but this dust sure seems inclined to,” Karen said.

  Gerald coughed roughly, “This is miserable. No wonder everyone leaves this zone in such short order.”

  Alburet had to agree. “So this is the first danger of the Lava Pits.”

  Fluff giggled, “What about the R.O.U.S’s?”

  Alburet’s grin was covered, but his twinkling eyes could still be seen. “Well spotted, Fluff.”

  “It’s one of my favorite movies,” Fluff replied. “True love…”

  “As you wish,” Karen said from beside the Lunari.

  “Incoming,” BJ called out, flying back towards them. “Two Fledglings inbound.”

  A few seconds later, the small dragons came into view over one of the rock mounds. As soon as the red scaled beasts were in their line of sight, Bob and BJ launched Fire Blasts at them. “Over here,” Bob taunted the mobs with a sharp slap on his ass.

  “I’ve got them,” Gerald said, targeting one with his taunt. The Fledgling stopped and spat a glob of fire down at him, which Gerald was able to deflect with his shield. “Come on down, lizard,” Gerald chuckled.

  The Fledgling stayed above him, hovering in place. The other Fledgling went past them, aiming for Bob. Both Bob and BJ tensed, then darted to either side just as the beast spat.

  “Missed,” Bob cackled as he threw another Fire Blast.

  “How are we supposed to hurt them?” Alburet called out and threw his own Fire Blast, missing the Fledgling as it banked to go back towards the Imps.

  “Ranged,” Bob said, “they don’t land to fight.”

  Gerald snapped as he batted another flame aside, “This place sucks.”

  Fluff was watching the Fledglings intently while the others all frowned up at the beasts. Kitten sang at one but it seemed unaffected. “I can nay control them,” she told the others with a deep frown.

  “I got this,” Fluff said roughly as her skin went red. With a grunt, she launched herself into the air right into the path of one of the mobs. Wrapping her arms around the vicious beast, she dragged it out of the air with a solid thump. “Help?”

  Karen appeared almost instantly, her blades carving deep gouges into the mob. “Fuck yeah! Way to go, lover,” Karen praised Fluff.

  “That’s one way to do it,” Marysue blinked.

  Kitten targeted the other Fledgling and sang to stun it instead. The beast, which had been in an aerial dogfight with Bob, plummeted to the ground like a rock. It shakily stood and, with an indignant sound, started trying to take flight again.

  “No,” Tiny said, clamping his hand around the beast’s skull. “I’ll hold it for you, Gerald.”

  Gerald shook his head and shoved his sword deep into the mob. “That is just wrong,” he chuckled, “grounded and caught.”

  It didn’t take long for them to dispatch the Fledglings after they had been caught, as the small beasts didn’t have the strength to break free of their captors.

  “Normally need ranged to deal with them?” Marysue asked Bob.

  Giving her a shrug, Bob looked away. “You’re always finding different solutions.”

  “That’s what we do,” Karen cut in with a chuckle. “I didn’t expect a flying Fluff or a stunned Fledgling, though.”

  “The two things they neve
r expect,” Alburet said in a weaselly voice. “A flying Berserker, a song of stunning, or being held by a Destroyer…” Coughing, he looked at the group, “Three things… the three things that—”

  Fluffball giggled again, “The Spanish Inquisition?”

  “Monty Python knew humor,” Alburet chuckled. “David…” He clamped his jaw shut, a brief but intense moment of loss hitting him.