The Greystone Chronicles Book Two: The Dire Lands

by Dave Willmarth

  Alexander chuckled. “I can imagine. They seem quite popular. I’ll tell you what. Come to the feast this evening. I’ll introduce you to Brick, the king’s Trade Emissary to Broken Mountain. I happen to know he has a good personal supply at hand, and I’ll persuade him to gift you enough to meet your immediate need. In the meantime, we’ll see what we can do about increasing the king’s supply. We plan to be killing a large number of dire wolves in the near future, and those are the basis of the king’s trade with the dwarves.”

  “Thank you, Alexander. That is most generous of you,” Hobson replied.

  “Now, about the rooms. You said you have twenty-five available? What will the cost be for all of them?” Alexander queried.

  “Our normal rate is ten gold per suite, per night. However, since you’re buying in bulk, so to speak…”

  Alexander raised a hand to interrupt him. “As Knight-Advisor to The King, it would be improper for me to accept any discount. Though I appreciate the thought, Hobson.” He took out a pouch, handing it to the man.

  “Twenty-five suites at ten gold for a night, that’s 250 gold. Here is 500 gold. In case of any accidents that cause property damage. Come to think of it, it might be beneficial for you to hire a few large men to… escort our guests to their rooms, ensuring a minimization of any accidental damage. Maybe some off-duty guards?” Hobson actually laughed at that. Surprising Alexander. “Put that cost on my bill. If there is a remainder left over in the morning, just open an account under Greystone guild. I’m sure we’ll have occasion to come here for a meal or two.”

  “It will be as you say. And we’ll have a hearty breakfast, as well as some useful potions, available first thing in the morning. I’ll personally make sure they’re all awakened and fed by…” Hobson paused for Alexander’s input.

  “We should be ready to leave no later than two hours after sunrise,” he said.

  “Very good. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Alexander. I do hope you visit us often.” Hobson shook his hand.

  “I’ll see you this evening,” Alexander said. He gave small wave to Shari as he left.

  With that taken care of, Alexander headed to the enchantments shop to see Master Baleron about learning some new enchantments.

  He entered the shop to find the old gnome standing on his countertop, reaching toward an upper shelf. “Can I help you with that?” Alexander asked.

  “Alexander! Good timing. Make yourself useful and pull down that box for me.” The gnome pointed at a box on the top shelf, near the ceiling.

  Alexander stepped over and used the lower shelf as a stepladder, grabbing the box and pulling it down. “Here you go.”

  “Thank you, son. Now, what can I do for you? Have you come for another lesson?” Master Baleron inspected him for a moment. “I see! You’ve reached journeyman level so soon!”

  “Yes, I’ve been… experimenting. And I got lucky. Created a few unique and epic items that earned me multiple skill points,” he replied. Before the master could ask, he produced the stone that he’d accidentally created in front of Millicent’s. He handed it to the gnome for inspection.

  Elemental Stone

  Item quality: Unique

  This stone has been infused with the power of the earth, and the element of fire. When affixed to a weapon, it will provide a bonus of +20 to Strength. In addition, the weapon will inflict +150 fire damage.

  “Quite impressive!” Baleron exclaimed. Especially for one so new to the craft. Let me see what I have that might help you…” The old gnome shuffled about behind his counter.

  As he searched, Alexander spoke. “Fitz has offered me a book that details the properties and capacities of various stones, gems, and the like. He says he’s doing it out of self-defense, as I’ve nearly blown myself up more than once when he was nearby.”

  Master Baleron’s head popped up from behind the counter. “Did you say Fitz? As in, Master Fitzbindulum? Well, now. That explains much. Studying with a grandmaster enchanter is bound to increase the speed of one’s progress. I’m afraid you won’t need me any longer, though.” The gnome looked sad. Alexander suspected it was less about not teaching him, and more about losing his supply of dwarven spirits.

  “Ah, well. I’ve not really been studying enchanting under him. Fitz is teaching me magic. Our conversations regarding enchanting have been more like, ‘Be careful you don’t blow something up, idiot’” He smiled at Baleron. “So, I expect I’ll need to learn as much as I can from you, Master Baleron.” Removing a bottle of spirits, he placed it on the counter.

  After some more searching, Baleron found some scrolls that taught Alexander several new enchantments of Light, Fire, Strength, Stamina, Intelligence, and even Luck. Alexander thanked him, and headed back to the compound.

  Walking back through the marketplace in the central square, he heard people talking about Dire Keep, and his calls for volunteers. As always happens when information is passed from mouth to mouth, what must have been a factual announcement from the king, had become a variety of wide tales and rumors. Since he had some time, he decided to set things back on track.

  Stepping to the center of the square, he raised some stone beneath him, lifting himself up above the crowd. Taking out his light damage wand, he fired a burst into the air. This got the attention of some, but not all. “ATTENTION!” he called out, waiting a moment, then firing another burst. This worked much better. Enough people had become silent that others were looking around to see what was happening. One more burst, and he had nearly everyone’s attention. He put the wand away quickly.

  “Good Citizens of Stormforge! My name is Alexander. Some of you may have heard of me?” This caused a ripple of laughter in the crowd. “I know that you all saw last night’s announcement about Dire Keep. And many of you heard the king’s messengers’ announcement this morning. But in my travels this morning, even here in the square, I’ve heard some pretty wild interpretations.” He pointed to a man running a fruit stall. “You, sir. What is your name?”

  The vendor shouted, “Hank, Sir Knight!”

  “Hank! Though I must confess I like your idea… I’m afraid I’m not recruiting only beautiful virgins for Dire Keep!” He smiled as the crowd laughed a bit louder. “And to lay to rest any of the other rumors, especially the one about an Elf invasion, please let me update you all. Then I’ll answer some questions.”

  “First of all, Dire Keep has lain in ruins for two hundred years, after the wizard Fitzbindulum destroyed it in order to kill the necromancer, Baron Dire. Yesterday, at the request of the king, my guild and I went to investigate the ruins. We found a large number of undead, and evidence that the baron may have survived the battle two hundred years ago, and is now working with PWP-”

  He was interrupted with a crashing wave of, “Boo!” and, “Death to PWP!”

  As the noise died down, a voice in the crowd shouted, “GNOMES RULE!” which caused a bit of laughter.

  “As I was saying, there was a presence from… the guild that shall remain nameless, at the keep. We destroyed them all, and disabled the portal they’d been using, claiming Dire Keep in the name of the king!” This brought a resounding cheer from the crowd, which Alexander noticed was growing steadily larger.

  “Unfortunately, the announcement you all saw last night, has also alerted our enemies. So, we must work quickly to repair and secure the keep, before those enemies attack. To accomplish this, I have asked for volunteers from among you all. We need crafters who can help us rebuild. And fighters who can man the walls!” There was another cheer, and some thoughtful looks here and there.

  “I must warn you, though. The keep will soon be a battle zone! Any who come with us will be risking their lives. We will only be taking fifty or so citizens from Stormforge, and we hope, a similar number from Broken Mountain. I will NOT accept any children at this time. Some of you may have heard we lost an innocent dwarven child to a PWP attack on Whitehall. That CANNOT happen again!” He realized he was screaming at a now silent cr
owd.

  Calming himself, he continued. “My aim is to protect the citizens of this realm, not to put you in harm’s way. I could not forgive myself if another child were lost due to reckless decisions on my part. Once the keep is secure, and our enemy dealt with, I will welcome families with children. We’ll need miners, and farmers, hunters and cooks. And everything in between. But for today, I will be accepting only those who understand, and are willing to accept, the dangers involved!”

  There was a cheer from the crowd. Though he wasn’t sure which part of what he’d just said they were cheering.

  “Okay, I have a few minutes. Who has questions?” he asked.

  “What’re you paying?” shouted a large man near the front.

  “That’s a good question. I suppose the pay will depend on the individual, and the service they perform. I’ll ask Captain Redmond to give me a fair wage rate for soldiers, then double it, as hazard pay, for the period until the keep is secure and our enemy vanquished. As for crafters, we’ll work out a similar arrangement. And for any family men or women who are killed in defense of the keep, I will pay two hundred gold to their families to help with the burden of their loss. Though, again, I would prefer volunteers without families.”

  “What about players?” came another shout. This time from a mid-level warrior in custom armor.

  “Greystone guild will be recruiting ADVENTURERS over the course of the day. But certainly not any who don’t know the difference!” He scowled at the man, who flipped him off. This generated some laughter from other players scattered about.

  “I should warn you. Any who join us must swear a magically enforced oath of loyalty. This oath will be sworn to a dragon who has seen fit to join our guild, and become a citizen of the keep. Breaking an oath to a dragon carries extreme consequences on Io. And those who do not pull their weight will be banished. We have no time or patience for slackers or fools! Your fellow citizens’ lives may depend on your actions!”

  “Doesn’t sound like much fun!” shouted a female elf player who was dressed in not much more than a bikini, and dancing around at the fringe of the crowd. There were always a few in every group.

  “No, it does not. Unless you like to build, and to fight. To run dungeons and collect loot.” He winked at the vacant stare on her face.

  “Where will we live?” shouted another voice.

  “Initially you will all live within the walls of the keep, mainly in tents that the king has agreed to lend us. It will take a week or more to build enough housing for everyone. We’ll have to expand the keep’s walls to do so. I also plan to enclose large areas for farming and livestock.”

  “Ya can’t do all that in a week! Even with a hundred sets of hands! I call bullshit!” The warrior from before had decided to troll him. In response, Alexander waved a hand, and the stone underneath the warrior shot upward in a tall column, raising him thirty feet in the air. He squealed like a frightened piglet as he practically flew upward. The crowd roared with laughter. Several players were obviously recording.

  “I am an earth mage, among other things. I also have the assistance of three others from the mage’s guild. This same group built a wall around Whitehall, and reconstructed every building in the village, as well as adding an inn, a warehouse, a masonry shop, three barracks buildings, and nearly two dozen extra homes. All in four days! Plus, we expect dwarven stone masons to be among the volunteers. Anybody else doubt my word?” He waved his hands back and forth, and random blocks of stone raised folks up high enough for the crowd to see, including the bikini dancer. Which elicited some whistles and catcalls. Then he lowered them all again. The idiot warrior he left high in the air, begging to be let down, and considering whether he’d survive the jump. Alexander lowered him back down to save him from himself.

  “What’s your name, warrior?” he asked the man, who was recovering from his rapid descent.

  “I am Ceasar!” the warrior shouted, sticking his chest out. “Ceasar the Bold!” Once he’d said his name, it appeared above his head. It was, of course, spelled wrong. Typical.

  “Well, Ceasar… I think you’ll find your time in this land will be much more enjoyable if you learn some respect for its citizens. Your strength and your level mean nothing here in the city. Only your reputation, and your relationships.” This brought some cheers from other players in the crowd, and a lot of nodding heads from the citizens. Adventurers were known to be rude and annoying much too often.

  “Screw you, noob! You wouldn’t dare face me in a duel! I’d wipe the floor with you!” he screamed, angry at being embarrassed and lectured in front of the crowd. Alexander wanted to facepalm. This guy could be Henry’s dumber brother.

  “That is exactly what I’m talking about, moron. This world is about strength and strategy when you’re out adventuring. But here in the city, it’s about being a decent human being. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners? If the merchants like you, they won’t charge you as much for goods, or repairs. On the other hand, if you walk up to them all ‘I’m an asshole cause I’m stronger than you and there’s nothing you can do about it’ … well, then you pay double! Am I right?” he asked the crowd, who cheered enthusiastically.

  “Shut the hell up and fight me!” screamed the warrior.

  “You’re… what? Maybe twenty-five levels above me? What would it prove if you were to defeat me?” Alexander asked.

  “It would prove you’re full of shit. It would prove you’re not worthy to have your own keep!” The man was snarling now.

  “So! That’s it. You’re jealous? Or maybe you’re working for PWP? Angry that we took your keep from you?” At that, several guards began to make their way toward the man from different directions. Alexander decided to give the man his wish, to distract him a bit longer.

  “Okay, genius who spelled Caesar wrong. You can have your duel. Send me the challenge!” he called out. The crowd roared. Alexander motioned for the crowd to clear a wide space, and for the warrior to step forward. The fool strutted through the parting crowd like a prince about to be crowned king. Once he’d stepped inside the open area, Alexander raised the whole thing 3 feet, so the entire crowd would have a good view. A ring of guards formed around the edge of the circle.

  The warrior sent him a duel challenge, and he accepted. He had fifteen seconds before the duel began. Knowing the warrior build as he did from his previous toon, he was sure this fool would charge at him the instant the clock hit zero. So, he cast his weak magical shield two feet in front of him, making sure it glowed for all to see. Then he prepared the ground behind it, making it soft. He turned on his recorder.

  As the clock reached zero, Ceasar smirked at his obviously weak shield. Activating his charge ability, as expected, he rushed across the open space. Alexander immediately raised a two-foot-thick wall five feet high in front of him. The warrior had lowered his shoulder, intending to bash through the glowing magical shield. Which he did. Upon impact, the shield resisted for less than a second before disappearing with a pop. Leaving the idiot warrior with plenty of momentum as he crashed head first into a thick stone wall. Stunned, Ceasar fell backward into the soft stone prepared by Alexander. Which then liquefied, causing the warrior to sink into it like quicksand. As soon as Ceasar’s arms and legs were secure within the stone, Alexander hardened it again. Now the warrior was unable to move, only his shoulders and head above the stone. Alexander calmly cast Wizard’s Fire on his face. Then he raised a block of stone to sit on. The crowd, which had been roaring, began to laugh.

  Duels in Io had a five-minute timer on them. The battle so far had taken about twenty seconds.

  Motioning to one of the guards, he said, “Could you send word to Captain Redmond? I’d like him to come and determine whether this… genius… is PWP. Ask him to also bring someone who can cast a truth spell? I can hold this man here for another 4 minutes. Thank you.”

  The guard laughed. “We sent for the Captain as soon as the man challenged you, Sir. He’ll be here in a moment.r />
  Ceasar was screaming as the wizard’s fire burned his face. There was no danger the spell would kill him. As a warrior, he was sure to have a very high stamina stat, and the corresponding large health bar.

  Ignoring the insults the man threw at him, he turned to the crowd. “Any other questions while we wait for the Captain?” This drew another laugh. He was pausing in the middle of a duel with a much higher level player, to chat with the crowd.

  “Aye, I have a question!” said the large man who’d asked about pay. “Where do I sign up?” He grinned.

  Alexander laughed. “Another good question! Clearly, you’re much more of a thinking man than Ceasar, here!” He paused for laughter. This was actually fun! “I’ll tell you what. Meet me at the Ogre after this is over. We’ll talk about your qualifications, and what I expect. I’ll buy you an early lunch.”