Shadow Sun Unification
Book Five
of the
Shadow Sun Series
By
Dave Willmarth
Copyright © 2021 by Dave Willmarth
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.
All characters and events depicted in this novel are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Prologue
Rajesh looked out the window of his office at the factory floor below. More than a hundred of his people were down there, working to create his most valuable and profitable commodity. Outside the walls, thousands more were harvesting the materials his factory workers needed to do their job. His thoughts drifted back to the early days, when this building had just been a shelter for himself and his family. Before they figured out how to make it work for them.
A brief knock at the door interrupted his reverie. “Come in.”
“Good morning, Rajesh. I have the weekly reports here.” An older man wearing a pristine white shirt and pants entered the room, extending a ledger.
“You will address me as Earl Rajesh, please. I should not have to keep reminding you of this, uncle.”
“I changed your diapers when you were little, Rajesh. Be glad I do not address you using your nickname from back then, Stinky.” The old man grinned at his nephew, setting the ledger down on the desk before him. “In formal settings I shall use your proper title. But here and now, with just us two, you are my dear Rajesh.”
Rajesh sighed. His uncle Agni was irrepressible, and he supposed he wouldn’t want it any other way. The old man had stayed by his side and supported him without fail since the earliest days of the apocalypse. Taking the ledger, he gave it a quick scan, his eyes moving down to the bottom line.
“Sales have been good. We are very close, I think, to being able to expand again.”
“And maybe this time you will become a prince!” Agni waved his hands in the air with a flourish, then bowed gracefully, grinning the entire time.
Rajesh shook his head. “I wish there were some kind of wiki or instruction book that spelled out exactly what it will take. That Allistor person achieved the title months ago! I dislike being second, and will not tolerate being third. We must expand as quickly as possible, so that I am next to achieve princedom.”
Agni nodded his head. “The researchers have been monitoring the open market via the kiosks, and we are still the only ones selling our product. Eventually, there will be no more of it to scavenge, and every human on earth will be your customer.”
Rajesh chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “I never gave it much thought before our world as we knew it came to an end. This new world, it presents many opportunities. Who would have ever guessed that I, a simple accountant and virtual game hobbyist, would become the Toilet Paper Prince of Earth?”
“Toilet Paper Earl.” Agni corrected his nephew, his smile wide as he held up one finger. “Perhaps you would reconsider contacting this Allistor? He is, after all, the only one who can tell you how he achieved the title of Prince.”
Rajesh scowled. He had already refused this suggestion from his uncle more than once. He had no idea what type of man Allistor was. How would he respond to a competitor? Would he assist Rajesh in achieving the next rank? Or would he lash out in jealousy, attempting to take Rajesh’s holdings for himself?
“There is too much risk, uncle. Continue to gather information about this man as best you can. Should we find accurate intelligence that he is good and honorable, I will seek him out. Otherwise, it is best not to show ourselves. We will continue to sell our toilet paper via anonymous trade accounts, and buy weapons and armor the same way.”
“What about our new neighbors? Surely they will have more information on the prince.”
“The jelly creatures?” Rajesh raised one eyebrow at Agni. “Do they even speak?”
“The System called them gelatinous when we used Identify on them, not jelly. I imagine they must communicate, somehow.” The old man looked thoughtful. “If you would lift your orders not to interact with them, I could find out…”
“The only person who has interacted with them screamed for a full two minutes before he was engulfed and dissolved. You wish to tempt that fate yourself?”
The old man shook his head slightly. “Gupta was a fool. He did not even try to communicate. He simply charged into their midst as soon as they emerged from that cave, hacking and slashing like a madman, shouting about loot.”
Rajesh thought it over for a long moment. Finally, he nodded slightly. “You may attempt communication.” He held up a finger, much like his uncle had earlier. “But not you, personally. Choose someone less important, and instruct them on what to do. And make sure no one else is nearby. Gupta nearly caused a panic among the peasants with his screams.”
The old man bowed his head slightly, and exited the office. Rajesh returned his gaze to the factory floor, drumming his fingers on the arm of his executive chair.
Chapter 1
Allistor sat on the roof of a recently cleared high rise not far from Invictus Tower. His crews of beastkin, and lower leveled humans from among the recent recruits, had been working hard to clear structures in an expanding zone around their home. There were a hundred groups now, each taking a building at a time, working their way outward from his tower across lower Manhattan.
Escorted by battle droids, the groups were earning decent experience killing the remaining monsters that had spawned during Stabilization. Allistor had given them all a repeatable quest to clear and claim each building, providing significant experience and klax even if they did not encounter monsters. They were learning to fight together as teams, and the loot they were gathering was useful for several crafts, from leatherworking to alchemy.
As with each of the other buildings, Allistor had just used the City tab on his interface to begin repairs of the building he stood upon. This one would take about eighteen hours for the mostly superficial damage to repair itself. He hadn’t bothered to change the footprint. It was previously an apartment building, and would continue to serve as one going forward. Allistor did choose to upgrade the elevator, and place an anti-aircraft turret on the roof, which is why he was up there.
And since he was alone and isolated, he decided to experiment with his dangerous new spell. His mentor had warned him not to fail in the casting, and to be far from any innocent bystanders, especially the old elf himself, just in case.
Daigath had recommended he begin with a small object, and one that would easily accept enchantment. So Allistor chose a small emerald from a looted bag of gems. If the enchantment worked, he could have the stone set into a ring, or a bracelet, or even just sewn into his armor somewhere.
Allistor set the emerald down atop an old HVAC exhaust housing, and focused his attention on it. He took a moment, again on the advice of his mentor, to study the gem carefully. To take in its color, the cut of its many facets, and to remember its weight in his hand. Keeping all of that in mind, he cast Dimensional Manipulation.
He could feel the magic of the spell as it was pushed into the emerald. It felt sort of slippery and twisted, and Allistor could almost see the tear in his reality that was being created inside the gemstone. At the same time, he felt a pull. As if his body and soul were being dragged
toward the rift. It was only a slight tug, easily resisted for the few seconds it took for the spell to complete.
Spell Level Up! Dimensional Manipulation +1
Allistor lifted the stone and held it in his palm, casting Examine.
Enchanted Emerald
Item Quality: Uncommon
Enchantment: Void Storage; Capacity Used: 1/50
This gemstone contains a single compartment of Void Storage. An item stored in this pocket dimension will be reduced to .01% of its normal weight. Item will be preserved in the state in which it was deposited. Living organisms will perish, but be preserved in the same condition.
Allistor tossed the little gem up in the air, then caught it. “Yesss! Who can make secret compartments for hiding important stuff? This guy!” he pointed to his own chest with his thumb. Taking a moment to read the description more carefully, he mumbled to himself. “So, the weight reduction is very cool. It means I could carry ten thousand pounds of gold, for example, and it would only weigh a pound. And the capacity thing…”
He stared at the bit that said he’d used one out of fifty, or two percent of the gem’s capacity. “Pretty sure this means I can turn this into a fifty-slot storage item. But can I just cast the spell again now and add another slot? Or did I need to add all the slots at once? If I try to re-cast it, will this thing explode?”
Thinking back to all the old sci-fi stories he’d read and watched, it seemed to him that when one dimensional abnormality or rift encountered another, the results were catastrophic. Sure, it was all fiction. But now Allistor knew that much of old Earth’s fiction was based on fact, created as a sort of primer for Earth’s inhabitants to help them adjust to their eventual induction into the Collective.
“Better ask Daigath before I try again on this one.” He returned the gem to his inventory ring, holding his breath as he did so. He had no idea how stable his new device was, or whether it would react badly to being stored inside another. When nothing happened, he let loose the breath with a relieved sigh. Pulling another emerald of similar size from his inventory, he decided to try again, with two slots.
This time he held the gemstone in his hand as he studied it. When it came time to cast the spell, he imagined the emerald with two storage slots, side by side. He felt more resistance to the magic as it entered the emerald, and this time the pull felt stronger as well. Gritting his teeth in determination, he narrowed his focus and pushed harder.
Much to his surprise, a window popped up on his interface in the middle of the casting. It displayed an image of the emerald, and some numbers.
Common Emerald
Enchantment In Progress: Void Storage
Capacity: 50 compartments;Mana Cost: 1,000/compartment
Mana Available: 15,400; Maximum Available Compartments: 15
Allistor’s total mana pool was currently at sixteen thousand. And though he hadn’t checked, he assumed that the previous spell had cost him one thousand mana for the single slot. He’d regenerated a bit of mana since then, but he was still limited to fifteen slots by his current mana pool. Which didn’t matter, because he doubted he could manage that many on his second ever attempt at the enchantment.
Let’s try ten slots. He thought to himself. As soon as he thought the words, his intent was manifested by the spell. The emerald began to glow with a silvery-black pulse, and the pull on Allistor’s physical being actually caused him to lean forward slightly. A moment later the glow faded, and the slightly warm gem sat calmly in his palm. He felt a little lightheaded after the rapid drain of nearly two thirds of his mana pool, and used his empty hand to steady himself against the exhaust housing. After a short rest, he used Examine on the gem.
Enchanted Emerald
Item Quality: Uncommon
Enchantment: Void Storage; Capacity Used: 10/50
This gemstone contains 10 compartments of Void Storage. Any item stored in this pocket dimension will be reduced to .01% of its normal weight. Item will be preserved in the state in which it was deposited. Living organisms will perish, but be preserved in the same condition.
Proud of himself, Allistor tested the gem. He pulled several random items from his inventory ring and set them atop the housing, then one by one placed them into the emerald’s slots. He chose a couple large items, like a fomorian spear and shield, just to make sure they’d fit okay. And they did.
Allistor quickly emptied all the items from his new creation and returned them to his ring, then headed downstairs. He wanted to show off his creations to Amanda, Lilly, Michael, and Ramon! And he needed to visit Daigath to ask a few questions.
*****
Instead of his squire William, who was usually waiting for him when he returned to the tower, L’olwyn was waiting for Allistor in the tower lobby when he arrived. William was at the Silo, as he had been practically every hour of the last few days, watching the dragon eggs with Daniel. There had been several false alarms, the eggs vibrating and wobbling, but no hatchings as of yet. The young boy was determined to be there for the first of them.
Allistor motioned L’olwyn toward the sitting area, and when both were comfortably seated, asked, “What’s up?”
“I have finalized the trade agreement terms with Queen Xeria’s factor, Allistor. I thought you would wish to review the terms before executing the agreement.”
Allistor nodded. “I would indeed. But I think maybe that’s a discussion for a larger group. As I mentioned before, I don’t know much of anything about trade, and would like some more experienced eyes than mine on this. No offense to you, L’olwyn. I’m sure you did a wonderful job.”
“Indeed.” The elf’s dry response was as stiff as when he’d first arrived on Earth. Allistor felt a twinge of regret for offending his analyst, but he believed in what he’d just said. He had advisors for a reason, and was not too proud to admit when he needed them.
“How about we discuss it over dinner? We’ll have food brought up to the conference room. You can provide the other analysts and Harmon with copies for them to review between now and then.”
“Of course, sire.” The use of the title, rather than his name, was a clear sign that L’olwyn had taken offense. Allistor would have to find some way to make it up to him.
L’olwyn departed without another word, and Allistor decided to stop in the kitchen to make dinner arrangements. To his surprise, Meg was nowhere to be seen when he stepped through the kitchen door. Instead, he found Sydney and Addy preparing several dozen sandwiches, humming a quiet duet as they worked. He waited for them to finish before speaking.
“Hey ladies! That was a very pretty tune. The usual buffs?”
Addy shook her head. “We’re experimenting with different songs, different intentions as we sing, hoping to figure out new buffs. Like, how cool would it be if your wedding cake gave a Charisma buff?” She grinned at him.
Allistor pictured an entire ballroom of humans and aliens, all of them just a bit more charming than normal.
“It would certainly make things interesting!” he chuckled. “I was looking for Meg…”
“She’s at Luther’s Landing today. Amanda and Nancy, too.” Sydney looked sad as she added, “Making sure the folks there are okay after… George.”
Allistor felt a twinge of pain himself at the mention of his old friend’s death. It had only been a few days. “Ah, gotcha. I’m glad she’s looking out for them. I should probably visit there myself.” He paused, forgetting for a moment why he was in the kitchen. When he remembered, he added, “I’m having a dinner meeting up in the conference room this evening. Can you girls make sure the staff sends up food for… let’s say ten people? Nothing fancy. These sandwiches would be fine.” He smiled at them as both girls nodded.
Wishing them good luck with their experiments, he left the kitchen and headed for the teleport pad. A few moments later he arrived at Ramon’s Citadel on Governor’s Island. Allistor was barely five steps from the pad when Max came bounding over to greet him. He spent a few minutes playing
with the enthusiastic mutt, his heart lightening a bit as he wrestled with Max and watched the carefree mutt sprint around the open space.
Before long, Ramon’s voice came to him through Nigel. “I’m in the crafting lab if you need me.”
“Just the man I was looking for.” Allistor responded. “Be there in a few. Max needed some lovin’.” He petted the dog one more time, then headed for the old fort where Ramon and his people created copies of all the spell scrolls. Max happily followed along, running circles around Allistor as he walked, and barking occasionally, letting Allistor know he wouldn’t be opposed to a treat.
True to his word, Ramon was sitting at a table in the lab, several sheets of paper in separate stacks in front of him. Most of them were blank, and looked to be standard old-world copy paper rather than scroll parchment.
“Hey, buddy. Whatcha doin?” Allistor shook his friend’s hand.
“I’m actually working on some new skills.” Ramon answered without looking up. He was folding a piece of the copy paper. Allistor watched as it began to take the form of a classic paper airplane.
“Uh, didn’t you learn to make those airplanes in first grade, like the rest of us?” Allistor teased.
“Yup! But not like this…” Ramon completed the last fold, staring at the paper plane for a moment before picking it up and launching it into the air. It floated in a lazy circle, coming around and zeroing in on Allistor.
“Well, it works…” Laughing, he reached out to catch it gently. But the moment his hands touched the paper, it exploded! Allistor’s hands went numb, and frost formed on both of them, stretching all the way to his elbows. “What the hell?”
“Ha! Told you.” Ramon beamed at him. “Don’t worry, I only put a few points of mana into the spell. The frost will fade in a minute or so.” They both watched Allistor’s hands, and the frost began to melt almost immediately. Allistor wiggled his fingers, which seemed to speed the process.
Shadow Sun Unification: Shadow Sun Book Five Page 1
