Shepherd's Wolf

by M. Andrew Reid

  “Do not open your mouth again,” Viper snarled. “You made this twice as hard as it needs to be. I’ve never done this without the Palace Guard. It may not be possible.”

  “Remember our deal,” Bishop said urgently. “Just get us out of here.”

  The troop of guards was fifteen strong and led by an Agilus with bright golden fur. The leader went straight for Viper, who had waved the others back behind him. A spear was thrust at Viper’s belly, but pierced only air. Viper sidestepped the thrust and caught the spear with one hand. With the other, he jabbed the point of Focus between the segments of the guard’s armor. Red blood spurted out, and the guard was suspended for a brief second, held in place by the two spears.

  Viper dropped the guard captain’s spear and swung Focus in a broad arc in front of him. Two guards were sliced nearly in half by the dark blade. A salvo of arrows from Athena took three more.

  The guards remained focused on Viper, surrounding him on all sides. He danced around their swords and blasted them with lightning. Guards that were not charred to cinders were quickly finished with short jabs from Focus.

  When the final guard fell, the slaves and servants turned their attention on Viper. There were hundreds of them in the hall, and they rushed as one mass, flowing over tables and chairs like water. Shouts of Noble scum! and You killed my daughter for spilling a glass of wine! and I want my father back, you bastard! could be heard over the wails and screams of the other slaves.

  Viper yelled, “Stay back!” and ran forward to meet the throng of bloodthirsty slaves.

  Focus glowed fiercely, and a rumble rose in Viper’s throat. The spear drew light from the room - ever brighter as the hall grew darker. Viper’s growl turned into a roar, and he sprang into the air. He brought the spear high over his head, and smashed it down as he landed.

  Any slaves immediately around him were vaporized. Others were thrown skyward. A stream of white fire ripped across the floor in a straight line, cracking a wall on the far side of the room.

  Viper spun impossibly fast, and the spear became a white-hot finger of death. The slaves were forced back, and many began retreating through a large door. Soon the retreat was a full rout, and the hall was empty in seconds.

  “Is that it?” Wisp asked.

  “Move up.” Viper trotted toward the door. He turned back, “Come on!”

  The door slammed shut as the group approached. Viper grunted, but did not appear angry. He swung Focus around to his back, and the spear shaft neatly clicked into its sheath.

  “Were we too slow?” Haymaker asked.

  “No, this happens.” Viper swung his arms in circles to stretch, “The next room is setting up; we have some time to plan here.”

  Christine had lingered slightly to gorge on the food scattered across the hall. Somehow, a huge platter holding a monstrous roast bird was unscathed on a table. One massive gulp removed the roast from existence. She was visibly growing as she ate.

  “I would stop her.” Athena motioned to Bishop, “She may not fit through the doors if she keeps it up.”

  “Christine!” Bishop snapped his fingers, “You can eat when we’re outside!”

  The dragon moaned and reluctantly dropped a chunk of grilled beast from her mouth. She shuffled over to Bishop and let him scratch her nose before sitting back on her haunches. She purred softly, and her pearl eyes stared inquisitively at Bishop.

  “Room Two.” Viper slapped the large door, “We’re supposed to have the Palace Guard with us, but I had to kill them because somebody here felt bad for the poor kitties. Our new allies would have explained that our mission is to try to save the Queen and the royal family. The rewards would have been a nice dagger for Wisp and a shield for Haymaker which could have come in handy in the Agilar. I don’t know if there is a reward or not anymore, but I do know there is a good chance that we are screwed.”

  “Why is that?” Bishop asked.

  “You read the guide.” Viper frowned, “After we clear the next room, we will have thirty minutes to complete the dungeon before the slaves execute the Queen. If that happens...”

  “I skimmed through the chapter on Carrion Hall,” Bishop admitted. “I was more interested in the Agilar when I read the guide.”

  “If that happens,” Viper continued, “we fail the dungeon and the system wipes us. In the history of this world, the Palace Guard succeeds in saving the Queen. She turns to her sorcerers as a means to defeat the slave rebellion, and winds up bringing the first Electar to Verdia. If we don’t save the Queen, we wipe.”

  “What does wipe mean?” Laura asked.

  Wisp grumbled an answer, “It can mean a couple things. Normally, it means that everyone dies, we lose all of our stuff in here, and we have to come back in to get it. But in this case, we all go poof. We respawn at the nearest town and we still have our stuff. We simply fail the dungeon.”

  “We would respawn, but I don’t think the wolf would. Pets and companions are lost when this happens. That’s part of the reason that people hate this dungeon.” Viper’s tone was dark.

  “What?” Ben looked down from Gabe’s back, “Where would he go?”

  Viper shrugged, “He doesn’t seem to follow the rules. However I’m pretty sure he can die, and he won’t come back.”

  “Why did you bring us in here if you knew this could happen?” Laura scolded.

  “Because,” Viper glared, “I’ve done this alone several times. I’ve never had some idiot turn the guards against us before. Something that Limerick’s guide won’t tell you is that the guards are incredibly powerful if they have a strong leader. If you know how to guide them, this dungeon is a piece of cake. Without their help, it may be impossible.”

  “Do not worry, Ben,” Athena was fiercely determined, “We will make it out of here.”

  Viper pointed to the door, “Room Two is simple. Three groups: left, middle, right. Haymaker, I want you to tank the left group.”

  “Tank?” Laura asked.

  “Would you shut up?” Viper growled.

  Bishop leaned over to her and whispered, “Haymaker will try to take all the damage and make sure that the enemies attack him and not vulnerable allies, like me and you.”

  “Athena do you have something that can brawl?” Viper asked.

  She nodded and transformed into a stout badger with six stumpy legs. Her strong jaw worked, exposing sharp teeth. Athena grunted several times and clawed at the stone floor.

  “Okay,” Viper said, “you take the group to our right. I have the middle. Wisp, you have to cut down any strays that go for Bishop or the kid.”

  “Right.”

  “Bishop, do magic stuff to keep us alive.”

  “Yep.”

  Viper clenched his fists, charging them with purple fury. He faced the door. “Remember, when we finish this room we run straight to the next. I will explain as we go, do exactly as I say.”

  With a shout, Viper drew back his leg and kicked the massive door open. Thunder rocked the hall as the door slammed into the wall on the other side. Behind the door was only darkness.

  Viper charged through the door, followed closely by Athena and Haymaker. They entered another cavernous room with four round pillars holding up a domed ceiling. Three large doors lined the back wall. Suddenly, the doors burst open. Slaves boiled out, screaming and brandishing weapons.

  The middle group was made up entirely of Brutalli. They were well armed and armored in plate. They had been trustees - slaves given the honor of serving with the Palace Guard. The group on the left was composed of Agilus house servants armed with an array of fire pokers, letter openers, and other household implements. The right group was a mix of both races. They looked like they had been quarry workers - carrying immense hammers or sharp pickaxes.

  Viper rushed forward, flinging bolts of energy into the ranks of armored Brutalli. A few steps short of colliding with the slaves, he stopped and drew both hands back. He swung, fists clasped like a club, up and into the first Brutalli. The
re was a blast of purple flame, and the Brutalli rocketed away, smashing into the far wall. Viper unsheathed Focus from his back and set to work.

  Haymaker’s group tried to run around him and get to the softer targets. They appeared to be focused on Ben and Gabe. Haymaker waded forward and thumped his chest, shouting, “Fight me!” His voice swept across the room with a visible orange burst.

  Taunted, the enemies stopped in their tracks and turned to face Haymaker. Haymaker laughed and slammed his fists into the floor, stunning the Agilus around him. He stomped through the horde, punching and kicking and head-butting anything in reach. The tiny weapons of his attackers plinked uselessly off his thick plate armor.

  Athena launched into her group. The slaves were caught off-guard, and she had one of them down with his throat in her jaws before they could react. She ripped free and leapt for another target, but a hammer caught her in mid-air, slamming her to the ground. Bishop saw this and quickly protected her with a shield of pale blue light. Athena regained her footing and began slashing left and right with her powerful claws.

  Wisp hung back, placing himself between Ben and the three groups. Ben cowered on top of Gabe, who snarled fiercely but did not move. Laura watched the scene with fascination.

  Athena’s shield wore off, and she was overwhelmed again. Bishop rushed forward to help her. He cast a slowing field that brought the enemies to a crawl. One miner, an Agilus with a hammer, broke free of the field and sprinted toward Bishop. The miner tackled Bishop and pinned him on his back. The hammer flashed up and fell toward Bishop’s face.

  There was a shrill scream, and an intense rush of heat. A cone of blue flame shot out of Christine’s mouth, melting the Agilus and the hammer he was holding. The flame was so focused that Bishop was not even singed.

  Christine lumbered forward and threw herself into the fray. Any slaves attacking Athena were swept aside by the dragon’s clawed wings. Her long neck snapped forward and she closed her jaws around a Brutalli’s head, shearing it clean off. Once Athena had scrabbled clear, the dragon let loose with a torrent of flame.

  Athena returned to her normal form and quickly healed herself. She drew arrows and began peppering fleeing slaves as they sought to escape the flames. When they had fallen, she turned to Viper’s group and carefully placed arrows between the gaps in their armor.

  Wisp did the same with Haymaker’s group, slinging darts before moving in to clean up with his sword. The remaining slaves were quickly dealt with. Eerie silence consumed them as the last body hit the stone floor.

  Darkness fell, and the world was black. A distant door opened, spilling light in an ever increasing arc as it swung. An Agilus wearing purple robes and a strange hat that covered one side of his head stepped into the room.

  “I am Ramar; I was once the King’s Cup Bearer. My mother was fed to flamestriders for sport. My father was beaten blind for dropping a glass of wine. My brothers fought each other to the death, the winner was given the reward of having his tongue cut out. For too long we have been under the heels of you so-called Great Houses. Your reign of tyranny ends today!”

  He yelled, “For too long you have killed, and tortured, and raped, and defiled us. No living creature deserves to be treated the way we have been treated. If you leave now, we will let you live. If you continue, we will be forced to kill you. We will have our justice.”

  “How about we become the servants for a while to pay you back?” Haymaker said. “I have a coupon book at home that an old girlfriend gave me for Valentine’s Day. It’s good for free back-rubs and doing the dishes. We’ll give you that and you can redeem it whenever...”

  “Enough of your lies!” Ramar spat. “We have been living with false promises for generations. We desire peace and respect.”

  “I don’t think I have a coupon for that.”

  Ramar continued, “Our first step to freedom is removing those responsible for the atrocities. The Queen will be dumped in the forest, so that the flies can have her. Sadly, you will not live to see her die.”

  He turned and walked through the door. It slammed shut behind him. Viper hurried the group on, halting them in front of the door.

  “When this door opens, we have thirty minutes to finish. There are three more rooms. The next room is where I need you all to stay back and do not interfere. After that, we will go outside across a courtyard. Stay together when we get outside. The final room is a boss fight with Ramar. I can take him out alone if you don’t get in my way.”

  The door creaked open, and Viper rushed through immediately. When the group followed him in, they found themselves in a large bunk hall. Three more massive doors, identical to those in the last room, stood at the end of the hall. Fifty or so young and old female slaves and servants stood quietly, wearing plain clothing.

  “I’ve heard of this part,” Athena whispered, sucking through her teeth.

  Viper took a couple steps forward, “Where are they taking her?”

  The women stared at him blankly. One Agilus woman put her hands on the shoulders of a girl- a frightened kitten.

  “WHERE are they taking her?” Viper took three quick steps and extended his hand. A tendril of darkness snaked out and wrapped around the Agilus woman’s throat. He pulled her forward, knocking the girl aside.

  She rose into the air, struggling and kicking and clutching at the black ropes around her throat. Viper closed his hand and the tendrils coiled tighter. Blood oozed from the woman’s nose.

  Viper stared at the little girl, “Tell me where they took the queen, and I will put her down.”

  Tears were welling up in the girl’s green eyes, but she remained silent. The woman, presumably her mother, continued to struggle as she hung helpless in the air. She was now clawing at her own throat in an attempt to break the magical bonds.

  Viper snarled and slammed the woman down. Something cracked, and the Agilus woman did not move. He shot a bolt of energy at the nearest slave, incinerating her. Her screams echoed off the vaulted ceilings.

  “It can stop now. I just need to know which door to take.” Viper lowered his voice. “Your rebellion is doomed, but you can live. If someone does not speak up I will begin killing all of you one by one, starting with her.” He pointed to the little girl, who was trembling and staring at the dead woman on the floor.

  Viper leveled his spear at the girl’s throat. He counted, “Three… two… one.” He drew back the spear to thrust it forward.

  “Wait.” A voice halted Viper. It was Athena. She addressed the Agilus women, “Sisters...”

  “You are no sister of ours,” several slaves muttered.

  Viper shot a glare at Athena, but she continued, “He will kill all of you, we cannot stop him. Whether or not the Queen dies, you will die unless you leave right now. You must tell him where we need to go. Now is your chance to leave the castle and start a new life away from here. Take that chance,” she drew an arrow and drew the bow taut, “or die where you stand.”

  “They...”one woman stuttered, “…they took the door on the left, into the courtyard. They are headed for the temple.”

  “Thank you.” Athena said.

  Viper suddenly flung out vicious bolts of dark lightning, searing the women nearest him. Those still standing screamed and fled across the room. Viper followed calmly, dropping them one by one with bursts of purple fire and shards of ice. The last to fall was the little girl. When she crumpled, a knife fell from her outstretched hand - black and dripping with poison.

  “Before you get mad at me,” Viper said, “look at that.” He pointed to the knife on the floor. “They would have attacked us as soon as we passed them. One knick from that knife and it’s over; no more wolf.”

  “I remember what Limerick said about this place,” Bishop mused. “What are you willing to do to accomplish your goals?”

  “Whatever it takes, I guess,” Haymaker said, shaking his head.

  Viper led the group across the room and around the smoking corpses. He turned back to them
when they reached the door. “We’ll have to deal with cavalry and monsters out here, so stick together. Protect the wolf at all costs.”

  He opened the door, revealing a wide staircase that led down to a rolling, grassy courtyard. The yard extended for half a mile or more, with glittering towers and a large domed temple at the far end. A bright sun beat down from a clear blue sky.

  Waiting on a low hill were thirty or so Agilus mounted on flamestriders. Their spear-points winked in the sunlight, and their mounts clawed at the grass impatiently. They turned as one to face the opening door.

  Viper sighed, “The Palace Guard would have helped us. Now, we will have to fight them as well as the allyriaks.”

  “I’ve always wanted to see allyriaks!” Laura exclaimed.

  Haymaker sputtered, “We can’t take out allyriaks. They’ll just step on us.”

  “I’ll handle them. You all need to fight off the guards and cross the courtyard. Wait for me at the temple door.” Viper moved down the steps, “Let’s go. Stay together.”

  The party descended the steps and began cautiously walking across the grassy courtyard - a field so wide it was better described as a sea of grass that happened to be surrounded by buildings. Built against an edge of the courtyard was a large stable, with stalls high and wide enough to accommodate elephants.

  Four of the stable doors exploded open, throwing splinters and debris high in the air. Large, thick skinned creatures lumbered out. They had six strong legs, with the front pair bearing massive digging claws. Their large heads and thick necks were covered in stony spines, their markings a dull brown.

  Atop each allyriak sat an Agilus rider with a small whip and two more with short bows. The beasts wore harnesses meant to tether them to plows; the slaves were using the animals they had once worked with as weapons. The riders shouted and charged toward the mounted guards in the center of the courtyard. The allyriaks rolled like thunder, their bellows blasting across the rolling hills and echoing off the castle walls.

  The Palace Guard ignored the charging monsters, and spurred their mounts down the hill toward the party. They shouted, “Kill the traitors!” and lowered their spears. Their flamestriders squawked and screeched in anticipation.