Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  Alexander stepped into the middle of the group and called out for attention. When he had it, he said, “A few of you have asked about bringing friends or family. We could use a few more citizens. Especially hunters, as we have a growing number of mouths to feed and it will take a while for crops to grow. We also just picked up another mine or four, so we’ll need miners. Anyone know any dwarves who like to mine?”

  This earned a hearty round of laughs from the crowd.

  “We also would accept some younger dwarves who want to learn a new trade. Like farming, fishing, livestock breeding, hunting, blacksmithing, or any one of the other crafts. Magic users are always welcome as well. However, this is still a fortress under siege. Though you don’t see the enemy outside the wall, they are coming. So, no children. Everyone who comes here may need to pick up a weapon and defend themselves,” he warned.

  The gathered dwarves spoke quietly among themselves as a few others who had heard Alexander’s comments joined the group to see about recruiting friends.

  Alexander moved in front of the portal and activated it. Before he ushered the citizens through, he called out, “One more thing! Nobody from Broken Mountain becomes a citizen here without first obtaining King Thalgrin’s approval. I’ll not steal people from my allies.”

  Nodding their heads in agreement, the dwarves stepped through the portal. Silverbeard was there taking note of who left. Then he joined Alexander and Jules as they went through.

  Not wanting to cause alarm in the great hall, Alexander decided to walk through the city, rather than teleport. He was in no great hurry. As usual, a runner was sent to alert the king to visitors. Alexander smiled at the boy, saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t be there when you arrive.”

  Silverbeard took the initiative to point out a few interesting sights, even detouring them through one of the artisan markets. “Ye might find armor or weapons ye like here.” He winked at them.

  As they browsed through the many and varied vendor stalls, Alexander noticed a player behind one of the counters. Walking over, he said, “Good evening. I’m Alexander.” He stuck out a hand.

  The dark-haired dwarf shook his hand with a powerful grip. “I know yer name. And who ye are. I be Grumpy. Me name, not me attitude!” He chuckled.

  Alexander couldn’t resist. “You didn’t want to go with Bashful or Doc?”

  “Ha! When I choosed this name, I were much younger ‘n’ drunker. Seemed ta make sense at the time.” He winked at Jules, who smiled back.

  “You’re a blacksmith, then? You made these weapons yourself?” Alexander looked over the items on the table between them. Jules reached down and picked up a matched pair of engraved daggers.

  “Aye. I’m a master smith. Been smithing since the early days of Europa. I’m one o’ them that took advantage o’ the chance to transfer meself here to Io when it launched.”

  Jules ran her fingers over the engraving on one of the dagger blades. “These are beautiful.”

  “Thank ye, lass. Them be one o’ me favorite works. But daggers be unpopular among dwarves. We prefer hammers or axes!” He scratched his beard a moment. “The price o’ those be 200 gold. But for a lovely lass like yerself, I’ll make it 175.”

  “We’ll take them.” Alexander didn’t hesitate. “Tell me, Grumpy. How much time do you spend on Io? And are there more adventurers around? I’ve been here a few times and only met one dwarf adventurer. And he’s in our guild.”

  “This be where I make me livin’. Between Europa ‘n’ here, been playin’ full-time nearly twenty years. Used to do all the quests n lootin’. But since I became a master smith, me weapons ‘n’ such earn me a good livin’. Still, the work takes time. If I’m awake, I’m here. I log out to eat ‘n’ sleep. As fer players, there be quite a few. Most clear the noob quests here and then get out ‘n’ about in the mountains.”

  Alexander thought for a moment. “You said you know who I am. You’ve seen the videos about us?”

  “Aye. Seen ye fight them PK fools. Had me a good belly laugh! And I see’d the announcement when ye took their keep, and then their guild house. Got what they deserved, ye ask me!”

  Jules, still focused on her new daggers, asked, “Can you enchant these? Maybe for agility or dexterity? Something useful for a rogue?”

  “Aye, I can do that. Though there be better enchanters hereabouts. I never add chants to me weapons ahead o’ time. Might be someone wants strength instead o’ agility. I figger why eliminate potential buyers?”

  “Smart thinking.” Jules nodded her head. She set the daggers down for a moment, reaching for a wide belt of leather with eight throwing daggers tucked into individual slots. She pulled one of the daggers and mimed throwing it at Alexander.

  Alexander said, “Grumpy, how would you like to join our guild? Our main blacksmith is Brick. He’s built himself a couple of really nice forges-”

  “BWAAHAHA!” Grumpy’s laughter interrupted Alexander. “Really nice? Every dwarf here’s hear’d ‘bout yer dragon forge. Most would sacrifice a nut or shave their beards ta work it!”

  “Yes, well. Brick is still a journeyman. And while Ironhammer and several other masters are working the dragon forge, we could use a master of our own. You’d earn a wage for helping to train our smiths, and to make weapons, and armor for our people. In addition to what you earn by selling your own works. And a percentage of the loot from any raids or battles.” Alexander looked to Silverbeard, who’d been quietly examining a double-bladed axe. The old dwarf nodded his head in answer to Alexander’s unvoiced question.

  Catching the exchange, Grumpy grinned. “Old Silverbeard here knows me since I were a noob. Whatever ye be doin at that keep o’ yers, it agrees with him.” He turned to Silverbeard. “Ye look two hunnert years younger than last I saw ye!”

  Silverbeard nodded sagely. “It were a dual blessing from Durin and Asclepius. I prayed at an altar Alexander ‘n’ Brick built.”

  Alexander added, “Those same two gods put their blessing on the dragon forge. And I’m thinking if we have a master smith of our own, maybe we can create a second one at the keep. It’s already built…” he let the thought trail off. He actually had no idea if the gods, or Kai, would be willing to duplicate the legendary forge. Or if they should. Maybe one was enough.

  “I can’t guarantee that, of course. But we can definitely give you access to the forge at Greystone Manor.”

  Grumpy looked at Alexander. “And how d’ye know I ain’t one o’ them servants of the Dark One?”

  “Well, I don’t. Not for sure. But I don’t think you are. And you’ll have to take the oath, just like everyone else. If you violate that oath, you’ll lose this life that you’ve spent so much time building. Not to mention your freedom in our world if you’re working for the Dark One.”

  Grumpy looked as if he were considering it. Alexander decided to play a trump card. “Tell you what. Join us, and I’ll give you a half pound of mithril to use as you see fit. Make something for yourself or something to sell. And you can use the dragon forge to make it.”

  Grumpy stuck out his hand, and Alexander shook it. “Do you have a name other than Grumpy we can call you? It’s funny the first few times, but…”

  “Me real name’s Langhorne. Ye can call me Lang if’n ye prefer.”

  “Okay, Lang. We’re on our way to see the king. It should take about an hour, maybe less, then we’ll be opening a portal to the keep. If you’d like to join us, then you’re welcome. Or I’ll be opening a portal around noon tomorrow if you need more time.”

  “An hour should do. Most of me gear’s right here. I’ll meet ye at the portal,” Lang said as he began to pack up his wares.

  Alexander paid the man for Jules’ daggers, and the trio moved on. Ten minutes later they entered the great hall.

  “Alexander! Welcome back, lad! And ye bring’d yer lovely lass.” Thalgrin bowed with an exaggerated flourish to Jules. Then he grabbed Silverbeard in a massive hug. “Silverbeard, ye old goat! Ye look younger�
��n me. What’s yer secret?”

  Silverbeard grinned. “Clean livin’ and a pure heart!”

  “BWAHAHA!” Thalgrin’s laugh echoed through the hall “Guess I’m doomed, then.” The king motioned for them to take a seat at one of the long stone tables.

  “It be good to see ye here in me halls again, Alexander. What bring’d ye here?”

  “Well, Your Majesty. Several things. First, I thought you should know about recent happenings in Antalia.” Alexander went on to explain about taking the guild hall, saving the queen, killing Lucius, and his plans to rebuild PWP the way it was.

  When he was done, Thalgrin nodded his head. “That be a right honorable thing yer doin’. I’ll remove the bounty on PWP members. But leave the one on servants o’ the Dark One.”

  Alexander bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I also wanted to speak to you about a new land we have claimed. We discovered it up on the plateau above Dire Keep. It is quite a bit larger in land area than Stormforge. And I’ve been given the right to establish a new kingdom, which we plan to call Elysia. But I would not do so without coming to you first. Without making sure we can continue our alliance.” He hesitated a moment, then added, “Ideally, I’d like to form a four-way alliance that includes Antalia. Eventually, I hope to also include the elves and the dragons.”

  Thalgrin didn’t even hesitate. “It be me thinkin’ that a stronger friend is a better friend. If ye’ve found space to grow, more resources to claim, without takin’ ‘em from yer neighbors, then good! Yer a friend o’ Broken Mountain, be yer lands big or small.”

  Alexander grinned at the exuberant king. “Speaking of taking from my neighbors. If you have any more volunteers who wish to come.,.”

  “BWAHAHA! Ye be stealin’ me best right out from under me!” the king complained half-heartedly. “Aye, there be more. What’re ye needing?”

  “Well, we’ve more mouths to feed. So I need hunters. And we found another four mines, though I don’t know yet what they hold. We’ve got two empty villages made of stone that could be occupied by tradespeople and farmers. And any young ones who wish to learn trades and are old enough to fight if needed.”

  The king nodded his head. He called over one of his attendants and spoke quietly before the dwarf ran off.

  Alexander decided to offer something in return. “We also discovered the rest of the rock troll tribe that belongs to the chief we found in our mine. They’ll all be moving into our mine tomorrow. About twenty of them in total. But it occurs to me, that you might have a use for friendly rock trolls here in the mountain. So, if you’re interested, I could ask if some of them want to live here. And there’s a tremendous amount of lumber. As well as a river full of fish. So, we could work out a more extensive trade agreement. Say, a wagonload of free fish a week, if you send me a few dwarves to work the nets? When the crops have had time to grow, we could make similar arrangements. I’ve got the space and the fertile soil to help you feed your people. And, of course, continued use of the dragon forge.”

  “Aye, lad, that all sounds fine. We’ll talk to them that’s interested today. If ye come back tomorrow, we’ll have a good few for ye.”

  “Perfect! I brought some citizens with me today who wanted to visit loved ones or friends. I think they’ll try to recruit some as well. But I warned them that we’ll not take anyone who hasn’t been approved by you. In any case, I told them I would open another portal for them at noon tomorrow.”

  They said their goodbyes to Thalgrin and headed back to the portal. This time, to save time, Alexander teleported them. Lang was there to meet them, a small push-cart laden with goods and tools standing next to him. About half of the citizens who had come from the keep were there as well. Alexander opened the portal, and they all stepped through.

  Silverbeard took Lang to find him a room and space to store his things. The other dwarves dispersed to go find meals or take care of other business. Alexander found himself alone with Jules.

  “I bet I could convince Mattie to bring us a nice meal up in our rooms,” Alexander offered.

  “OUR rooms?” Jules teased. She took his hand, and the two of them headed for the kitchen.

  Chapter 13

  All For One

  The next morning, Alexander awoke before sunrise when his UI alarm went off. Not wanting to wake Jules, who was snoring quite loudly next to him, he grabbed his gear and crept into the study, closing the door behind him. He put his gear on and checked his UI. Helga was online, but none of the others.

  Teleporting himself up to the designated meeting spot on the plateau, he did not see Gorg or any of the rock trolls. The sun hadn’t risen yet, so he sat down to wait. Pulling a small piece of obsidian from his bag, he formed it into a ring. He was just completing the far-speaking enchantment when the ground began to tremble.

  The tread of more than two dozen rock trolls made quite the impact on the land. Alexander stood and watched as the trolls emerged from the underbrush in ones and twos. Gorg led the way, with Drog on his right.

  Gorg halted in front of Alexander, holding out a giant fist for the elf to bump. A gesture he’d apparently learned from Max. “We come. All my people,” Gorg reported.

  “Great! I can teleport you down to the mine. Though I think I should do it in two groups, just to be safe,” Alexander replied. When Gorg nodded that they were ready, Alexander sent half of the rock trolls, including Gorg and Drog, to a clear spot outside the mine entrance. He waited a minute for the first group to have time to move away, then he gestured for the remaining trolls to gather close, and he teleported them, and himself, to the same spot.

  Gorg was waiting at the mine entrance. He waved his people to head inside. Alexander approached. “We will bring food later today. The hunters are working on it now. Also, I have a question for you.”

  Gorg tilted his head to one side. “Question? Ask.”

  “I spoke to King Thalgrin in Broken Mountain yesterday. He was happy to hear that we found the rest of your people. He said he would like to have some rock trolls at Broken Mountain. I thought you might be a little crowded with so many down there in your cave. So, if a few of your people would like to live with the dwarves in Broken Mountain, I can take them there.”

  Gorg’s face turned angry, and he growled so deeply that pebbles on the ground around him began to rattle. “You sell Gorg’s people as slaves!”

  Alexander quickly raised his hands and took a step back. “No! No, I would never do that! If you go to Broken Mountain, it would be as friends. Allies! The same as here. They would give your people a place to live, food, marble, and water. In return, your people would help them with their work. The dwarves have a sense of honor, just as you and I do. We do not have slaves, ever.”

  After a solid minute of Alexander living in fear of being pulverized by the angry troll, Gorg nodded his head. “You treat Gorg good. Keep deal we make. Find tribe. Gorg think about other place.” And without further conversation, he turned and descended into the mine.

  Alexander let out the breath he’d been holding and waved at several miners who’d been standing nearby with weapons and picks in hand, ready to defend Alexander if the rock troll had attacked. “Thanks, guys. But if this comes up again, don’t get involved. I don’t want any of you getting smushed into pulp because I said something stupid!” He grinned at them.

  Teleporting himself back to the keep, he headed toward the dining area outside the kitchen. The sun had just risen, and many of his people were sitting down to breakfast. Unsurprisingly, Jules was not among them. Alexander grinned as he considered walking upstairs with a single pancake to tempt her.

  As was becoming his habit, he chatted with random folks who sat with him while he ate his breakfast. This morning it was eggs, sausage, and biscuits, with bowls of oranges and apples on the table. Upon spotting the fruit, he’d instinctively looked around for Bacon. But with Brick offline, Bacon would be banished to whatever limbo pets went to when dismissed.

  He spotted Lang ov
er at the smithy and made his way there to join him. He found the master smith already instructing some of the lesser smiths on a better technique for folding metal. Not wanting to interrupt the dwarf, Alexander stood and watched for a bit. Then he opened up guild chat.

  “Good morning, Kai. We have ourselves a new master smith. An adventurer I recruited from Broken Mountain yesterday. Would you mind administering the oath today?”

  “It would be my pleasure, Alexander. When would you like to do so?”

  “Let’s say, an hour? Wait, you know what? We’re expecting more dwarves from Broken Mountain this afternoon. We can just do all the oaths at once,” Alexander replied.

  “I am out hunting breakfast for Lia and myself at the moment. After breakfast, I will be in the keep. I wish to discuss something with you. If you have time?”

  “I always have time for you, Kai.” Alexander saw that Lang had paused in his instruction and was filing something off to one side of the room. He stepped over to speak to the dwarf. “Good morning. You’re up and at work early!”

  “Bah! I don’t sleep much. Figgered I’d get a good look at this here forge.” Lang sounded a bit surly.

  “And what do you think of it?” Alexander asked.

  “It be a thing of beauty, for sure,” Lang said, touching the obsidian wall with one hand. He smiled at the wall. “But it nay be a dragon forge!”

  Alexander laughed. “I’ve got to go to Stormforge this afternoon. I’ll take you there to meet the dragon forge. And I’ll have Master Silverbeard get you your mithril before then. In the meantime, there will be more dwarves coming from Broken Mountain at noon. When they get here, you can take your oath along with them.”

  “Fair enough,” Lang agreed before turning back to his work. Alexander felt dismissed, so he moved along, mumbling to himself, “Grumpy might not be such a bad name for him.”