Shadow Sun Unification: Shadow Sun Book Five

by Dave Willmarth

  “Look at our little family.” She beamed at him.

  Allistor couldn’t help but smile back at her. They’d had a few more discussions over the last couple days regarding the kids and potentially adopting them. L’olwyn had offered up the idea of making them official wards, giving them the protection of being part of the royal family without placing them ahead of any future biological heirs in the line of succession. Amanda planned to bring up the subject with the kids today, while they had some alone-time in the forest.

  Things had been hectic in the days since the orb was auctioned. While awaiting the delivery of the first eternity gate, and some of the promised goods from his new allies, Allistor had sent four groups out on the Bellerophon, Opportunity, and two of the goblin colony ships, to locate and make contact with other groups of survivors in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. He’d filled their cargo bays with gifts of fresh fish and other food, plasma rifles, and crafted gear that his own people had mostly outgrown, but would be upgrades for most other humans. He’d also sent along a few class trainers, a healing, melee class, and casting class with each ship. Reports so far were that most groups were friendly and receptive. Except for two that had attacked his people on sight. One of those was eventually calmed and agreed to talk peacefully. The other group was left alone for the time being.

  Allistor had spent many hours closeted with his advisors, working out the details of what lands the auction participants had chosen, what other lands he wanted to make available at auction, what and who he wanted to place on his new space station that would hover above Invictus City, where they might place their new dungeon cores, and a thousand other details. Amanda had contributed to many of those discussions, as had several of his core group.

  News of the pending eternity gate at Orion spread quickly through the Collective. A new gate was an uncommon event, and a new gate owned by a fledgling emperor was unheard of. Factions were sending representatives with great haste, expecting to take advantage of Allistor’s inexperience to gain both profit and power.

  The morning after the hatching, the girls had indeed gone and sang to the little drakes, earning bonds for each of them. About half of the drakelings had now bonded with one of Allistor’s people, and part of the reason he was on his way to see Daigath was to ask about the remainder. If they didn’t bond, something would have to be done with them.

  As they rousted Fuzzy and the drakes to begin their hike to Daigath’s home, Helen fell into step next to Allistor. Her green drakeling took station upon her shoulder, wrapping its tail around her neck for stability, then huffed contentedly. She absently stroked its side as she spoke to Allistor.

  “The dwarves at Lightholm contacted me this morning. They say they’ll have the volcano at Yellowstone stabilized in a week or so. They’ve also passed along two requests.”

  “Requests?”

  “First, there are approximately ten thousand more dwarves who’d like to join us here on Earth, and at least double that number that would like to live on Orion. That’s besides the Lighthammer dwarves who will be working on the gravity lift, and the Stardrifters who will be living in their Citadel on the planet as well.”

  Allistor grinned. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t welcome them. Dwarves are good people, and generally fun to have around.”

  “Which brings us to the second request. They’d like permission to establish a second Citadel at Yellowstone, and significantly expand Lightholm, to make room for the additional arrivals.”

  “That’s an easy one. Lightholm is theirs to expand as they see fit. And of course they can create a second Citadel. As long as they use their own resources. You already knew I’d say yes, so why bring this to me…?” He paused, seeing the look Helen was giving him. After a moment, he realized why. A grin appeared on his own face. “Hold on a second.”

  He opened up his UI and selected the tab labeled Vassals. After a few clicks, he watched as Helen’s eyes widened. Waving at Amanda to get her attention, he nodded his head toward Helen. When Amanda saw Helen’s mouth hanging open, she gave him a questioning look.

  By way of answer, he said, “Congratulations, Countess Helen! In case you aren’t aware, that’s the female equivalent of the noble rank of Earl. And I’ve promoted Longbeard as well, so now he can create that second Citadel without you.”

  “Congrats!” Amanda hugged the surprised former park ranger. “It’s about time Allistor recognized your hard work and loyalty.”

  Allistor looked at his feet as both women glared at him for a moment, then chuckled at his discomfort. “Thank you, Allistor.” Helen’s smile grew warm, as did the look she gave him.

  “You know what this means, right?” Amanda happily queried. She waited a moment for Helen to raise an eyebrow before finishing. “Handsome men, elves, dwarves, maybe even orcanin will be lining up trying to bag themselves a Countess of Invictus!”

  Helen rolled her eyes and groaned. Looking to Allistor, she grumped. “You did that on purpose! Take it back!”

  “Ha! No chance.” Allistor gave her a one-armed hug and resumed following the bears toward Daigath’s home. “And I feel I should point out that it probably won’t be just the handsome ones.”

  He could hear the two women muttering to each other as he moved ahead of them, picking up his pace a bit. If he didn’t stay close to the bears, they’d likely wander off to harvest berries and such. Once they were away from the cleared area outside the gates and following the trail through the forest proper, the baby drakes perked up. There were a thousand little sounds of chirping birds, insects, rustles in the leaves and bushes. Their hunting instincts kicked in, and they began to peer around, sniffing the air and making tiny growly noises.

  When they came upon the small creek crossing, Allistor called a halt. “Let’s stop here for a bit. The bears can catch a few fish, and the drakes can do a little hunting. Kids, make sure you keep them close by. And you stay where we can see you.”

  While Fuzzy and Fiona happily splashed into the rocky creek, quickly joined by the blue drakeling, the others leapt from their humans’ shoulders and flapped clumsily down to the ground where they began nosing through the undergrowth. The little blue darted gracefully through the water, at home in his element. He snapped up several minnows in the shallower water before rolling over onto his back to sun his full belly on a wide flat rock. Despite being full, when Fuzzy flung a two-pound fish onto the bank a few minutes later, the little blue waddled over and sniffed at it. He was about to take a bite when Fuzzy growled a warning. Immediately the drakeling was back in the shallows, snapping at more minnows, acting innocent. Addy giggled happily at her pet’s antics, moving to sit on the bank and calling to it.

  There was a high-pitched scream and a tiny yelp of surprise as Helen’s green, having spotted a small wiggling bit of fluff, bit down on a bunny’s tail, causing it to react. Both critters were frightened, the bunny leaping out from under a bush and away, even as the drakeling tumbled backward ass over teakettle. Helen snort-laughed, walking over to the little green and picking her up. “That one was a little too big for you right now, pretty lady. But don’t worry, in a few weeks you’ll be gobbling up bunnies as a light snack.”

  Five minutes later the group continued onward, the humans picking their way across the stones to the other side of the creek, the drakelings with full tummies falling asleep on their shoulders or in their arms. It didn’t take them long to reach Daigath’s home tree, where he and Netsirk the dark elf druidess greeted them all.

  “Welcome!” Daigath got to his feet, opening his arms wide and indicating several sections of tree roots that had fashioned themselves into chairs arranged in a half circle. “Please, make yourselves comfortable. And congratulations, young ladies, on your new bonded.”

  They took a moment to introduce the elves to the new pets, then set them down where they could snooze comfortably on the grass and leaves. The druidess gathered up the girls and William, tempting them into following her. “I happen
to know where there are several blackberry bushes ripe with the sweetest berries. Would you like to help me pick some?”

  As the kids drifted away, Allistor looked to Daigath. “Sorry to just barge in on you, but we have some questions, if you don’t mind?”

  “Of course not, Allistor. What can I do for you?”

  Helen took the first one. “About the drakes. Nearly half of them have not bonded with anyone yet.”

  Daigath nodded. “It is likely that at least a few of them will not bond. Some will be more feral than others, even among the bonded.”

  “Do we just kill the ones that refuse to bond? Or maybe sell them? Is there a market for drakes somewhere?”

  Daigath nodded his head. “That is your choice. You can choose to kill them now and be done with them, set them free, or find a way to raise them as livestock. When they reach adulthood you can harvest a good deal of meat, hide and other useful parts. I’m afraid there’s not much of a market for baby drakes. As I mentioned before, they’re considered a nuisance in most places.”

  Helen offered, “We could maybe take them to Orion, set them free somewhere that isn’t inhabited. Let them grow up, then hunt them for xp and materials.” As a former park ranger, part of her job was husbanding the various species dwelling within her territory. Life and death were simply the normal cycle that every creature must follow. It didn’t bother her to hunt and kill predators that might later become a nuisance.

  The idea struck a chord with Allistor, and he closed his eyes for a moment, trying to focus on the barely formed thought Helen had inspired. The others went silent, until Helen asked “Are you in pain, or just thinking? Because on you, it’s the same face either way.”

  Allistor shot her a finger, causing the others to chuckle as he chased the thought down. When he finally grasped it, he had a whole new question for his mentor.

  “Master Daigath, as you know, I have an unaligned dungeon core. If we were to take the unbonded baby drakes into the dungeon, would they… I don’t even know how to say it. Would they bond with the dungeon core, I guess? Would they become dungeon monsters that could be killed and respawn?”

  The ancient elf nodded his head thoughtfully. “There is such a thing as a dragon core, though I know of only three in existence. I have never heard of a drake core, but it should be possible. I’m not one hundred percent positive I know what you mean by respawn, but I think I grasp the idea. In a dungeon, the enemies you defeat are regenerated using the core’s energy and resources, and reborn, usually at the same level at which they perished. Dungeon inhabitants level up by killing those who enter, or feeding on each other, if no visitors appear for long periods of time.”

  “Resources?” Allistor asked. He had a feeling he knew the answer, but didn’t want to waste the chance to obtain knowledge from Daigath.

  “Dungeon cores use what is around them to power their dungeons, and their growth. Initially, newly formed cores harvest the soil, stone, minerals, flora and fauna in the vicinity of the core to create their first chamber. That chamber then acts as a collector for ambient mana, drawing it in from a limited area around the core. As the core grows larger, the draw becomes more efficient, and both mana and resources are harvested from a larger area. Cores gain experience just like any of us, by killing living creatures. To begin with it may just be worms and insects, algae and moss. But unlike us, the core can also absorb and make use of one hundred percent of the corpses. Breaking them down into mineral components or biomass that it can use to create its inhabitants.”

  He looked at Allistor, then over at the snoozing drakelings. “The cores that you’ve received are already powerful, having developed a dungeon that was then conquered. Those that defeated the dungeon harvested the core, and sold or traded it. Once you place them in their new environment, they will quickly recreate their dungeons, with a bit of modification from using local resources. For example, if a core is placed near some natural underground structures and tunnels, it may use those rather than expend the energy to create new ones. Plant or animal based cores may modify its inhabitants roster to include the local resources, rather than whatever was native to its previous world. All except for the unaligned core, of course. That one did not grow on its own, but was created artificially, and given significant power during that process.”

  Allistor shook his head. “It just occurred to me that we had significant trouble killing the mother drake when we found her. I’m not sure I want to send my people into a dungeon with eight or ten of them, even if they only have to face one at a time. Maybe have one as the final dungeon boss or something. I need to think about this some more.”

  “Wise decision.” Daigath patted his shoulder.

  Thinking of losing his people to a gaggle of drakes in a dungeon reminded Allistor of another question he’d been wanting to ask Daigath. “Master, Amanda has been studying the motes closely, and is working toward finding a way to resurrect our people when they’re killed. It occurs to us that if resurrection were possible, we’d have heard about it by now. Harmon would have revived some of his lost troops, or something. We can’t be the first to think of this, or attempt to find a way.”

  The old elf just stared at Allistor, his face impassive, waiting.

  Allistor took that to mean he was waiting for an actual question, so he continued. “Is it possible to resurrect someone who’s just been killed? I mean, we here on Earth could do that to some extent using our science, not magic. For example, someone who’s heart stopped could be revived using electric shocks, at least for a little while after their death.”

  Daigath nodded once, a satisfied look on his face. “It is good you asked. There are rules within the System that pertain specifically to this topic, the first of which is that the information I am about to pass on to you can not be volunteered. One has to ask the question, first.”

  Amanda practically shoved Allistor aside as she stepped closer to Daigath, laser focused on his words.

  “The short answer is yes, resurrection is possible. But only in very limited circumstances, and at significant cost.” He smiled as Amanda leaned in his direction, balancing on the balls of her feet, her eyes wide. “The first thing you need to know is that not everyone can cast the required spell. It takes a great deal of mana, generally more than anyone under level one hundred can produce. It also requires mastery of several advanced healing magic spells, again something that only high level individuals have accomplished. The nature of the spell requires that the caster bind their own life force with their target for a short while, effectively lending a spark to rekindle that of the deceased. This carries a significant risk, as each time this sharing takes place, there is a chance that the healer’s life force will be completely drained into their target. Especially if the deceased is a similar level, or higher level than the healer.”

  Amanda sat down on the ground, thinking hard. After a moment, she nodded once, and said, “It’s population control, right? If the System allowed every healer to resurrect dead friends, no one would ever die. The natural order of things would be thrown out of whack, and overpopulation would put a strain on resources.”

  “Exactly right, my dear. When the Collective was young, when I was young, there was no risk to the healers. One still had to build up a massive mana pool, and master the necessary spells. But once those goals were achieved, they were free to revive others as often as they liked. There was a time limit, of course. Bodies had to be revived within a solar day of their death. Wealthy houses, guilds, and factions spent great amounts of wealth to level up healers to the point where they could resurrect the dead. But the System took note of what you just surmised, and a correction was made. The life force sharing factor was added, and many of the healers became unwilling to risk their lives to resurrect others. Among those still willing, many perished. The houses and factions that supported them began to forbid them from resurrecting anyone except nobles, or even the most elite like emperors or house elders. As I said before, it required a significant
investment to create a healer capable of resurrection magic, and the factions protected that investment.”

  Amanda was about to ask another question when Daigath’s eyes lifted to the sky behind the humans, looking back toward the Stronghold.

  “Either your Stronghold is under attack, or they are trying to get our attention.” He nodded toward Wilderness, and the others all turned in unison to see several fireballs arcing into the sky.

  “Shit!” Allistor took off at a run, the other adults not far behind him. All except for Netsirk, who called out that she would watch over the kids and hatchlings.

  With their improved physical forms, all of the humans were able to keep a rapid pace as they dashed through the woods, Allistor cursing at himself for not having a radio in his inventory. He could have simply called in via a relay through one of the droids at the Stronghold instead of having to take the time to run back from Daigath’s clearing. Always having Nigel around, or a droid nearby, it hadn’t occurred to him to grab a radio.

  Allistor crossed the creek at a run, leaping far out into the water, placing one foot on a rock about midway across, before a second leap took him the rest of the way to the far shore. The others stayed with him, though Amanda was lagging behind slightly. She’d put fewer points into her physical stats, and was having to work hard to keep up. Daigath, by comparison, seemed to be holding back to keep pace with the humans and bears. His breath came easily as he moved almost silently through the forest next to Allistor.

  Before they even reached the gate to Wilderness, the moment they were within Nigel’s range, he spoke to them.

  “There is a large group of humanoids attacking the Warehouse Outpost in Laramie, Sire.”

  “Put me through to the Outpost and the Stadium, on loudspeaker!” Allistor continued to run on through the gate, the others right behind.

  “Go ahead, Sire.”

  “This is Allistor. Tell me what’s happening!”

  “Allistor, this is Cindy! I’m at the Warehouse.” Allistor remembered her, the former prisoner that had requested to remain at the Outpost the day he and his people had freed them from Barden and claimed the property. “It… it sounds crazy, but we’re being attacked by zombies! Like, really a lot of them. They’ve surrounded our walls and are trying to get in!” Her voice sounded half hysterical.