Darkness Fallen

by Dave Willmarth

  Next, he went to Silverbeard’s office. Finding the elder dwarf already in his office and working through a deep stack of paper, he took a seat. “Good morning, Master Silverbeard. I trust you slept well?”

  “Aye, lad. Slept fine. Knowin’ there be more o’ me people comin’ to help manage this place give’d me some peace o’ mind.”

  Alexander agreed completely. “Me as well. And Grumpy is already hard at work. Which reminds me, please give him his mithril as soon as he’s taken the oath. I promised to take him to the dragon forge this afternoon. Kai’s going to take his oath along with all those from Broken Mountain when they arrive.”

  Silverbeard produced a lump of silvery metal from his desk drawer, holding it up for Alexander to see. “It be right here.”

  Alexander laughed. “I’m sorry. I know you’re on top of everything. Instead of trying to tell you your job, how about if I ask your advice?”

  “Aye, lad. I’ll advise ye as best I can. What’re ye need’n’?”

  “Well, you heard me speak to Grumpy yesterday about the forge here. Do you think I should ask Kai to use his fire on this forge as well? Or is that being greedy?”

  Silverbeard set down his pen and put both hands flat on his desk. “I been considerin’ that since yesterday meself. It be a lot to ask. A dragon leaves a bit o’ himself behind when he sets a flame to forge like that. On the other hand, Kai be a damned powerful dragon, with power to spare.”

  Alexander hadn’t thought of things quite that way. He responded slowly, thinking as he spoke. “It is… a big request. Maybe I should just forget it. The forge is already better than most with just the obsidian.”

  “I counsel ye to have patience. It may be that the prince will notice yer need and offer to help on his own.”

  Alexander thanked Silverbeard and left his office.

  Max and Sasha came walking out of the keep’s chapel, where’d they’d respawned after being killed. Sasha opened her mouth to say something when a Jules-shaped blur tackled her to the ground. When the bodies stopped moving, Jules was hugging tightly to the druid.

  Sasha grinned. “Hi, Jules. I missed you, too.” She patted the elf on the back a few times. “But how ‘bout you let me breathe, so I don’t have to respawn again?”

  Max, who had moved next to Alexander, nudged him with an elbow. “Kinda looks like they’re wrassling, don’t it? All we need is some mud…”

  Alexander tried not to smile at the tasteless comment. Jules had let go of Sasha, and the two were picking themselves up off the floor. Jules eyed Max and looked as if she were ready to take another flying leap. Max held up both hands. “I’m happy to see you, too. But no tackling, okay? I’m delicate.” He grinned at her.

  Instead, Jules walked over and put an arm around Alexander. Which he didn’t mind one bit. Sasha stepped closer and also gave him a quick hug. Stepping back, she said, “Pops asked me to pass along that the four you picked up yesterday check out okay. So does Grumpy dwarf.” She grinned at that.

  “Good to know. Thank you.” Alexander ruffled her red hair. An act he knew was guaranteed to annoy her. “So how much xp did you guys lose when you died?”

  Max grimaced as Sasha punched Alexander in the gut in retaliation for the hair mussing. “I lost a level. Back to 57,” he said.

  “Yup, me too,” Sasha confirmed.

  Max added, “And not for nothin’, but that shit HURT. Not just that shit-weasel looking thing digging its way into my body. But Kai jamming his dragon-claw fist into my chest tryin’ to chase it down and pull it out! That sucked.”

  Alexander adopted his best Yoda face. “Ignore the pain, you must. All in your head, it is- argh!” he doubled over as Sasha punched him in the gut again. Hard.

  Kai walked into the main doors as Alexander was trying to recover his breath. He was joined by Brick and Lainey coming out of the chapel, where their stones were bound. Both started handing over the items they’d collected from Sasha and Max’s corpses. Soon everybody was back in proper form.

  Then Brick pulled out an item and handed it to Alexander.

  Staff of Conqueror

  Item level: Epic, Scalable

  Stats: Intelligence +15, Charisma +20, Wisdom +10

  This staff was wielded by the wizard Kadien, who used guile and persuasion as much as magical prowess to eliminate his rivals and seize his throne.

  “What is this?” Alexander asked. “Where’d it come from?”

  Brick grinned at him. “Surprise! While ye were in with the queen bein’ all heroic-herb-guy, I picked up Luscius’s head, which Kai had dropped. Thinkin’ mebbe I’d mount it next to tha’ snake. Turns out ye can loot just a head.”

  Max jumped right in. “And that’s all he dropped? That was a damned tough fight!”

  Brick shrugged. “Could be the body woulda dropped more?”

  Alexander put the staff in his bag. “Did you guys watch my feed yesterday?”

  “Aye! Ye bring’d me a master blacksmith ta play with!” Brick rubbed his hands together.

  “And a friggin’ rock troll offensive line to mow down our enemies!” Max golf-clapped for his friend. “Well played.”

  Sasha batted her eyelashes at Alexander. “I was more impressed with how you sweet-talked those bounty hunters. And you didn’t even have that staff with the charisma boost!”

  Alexander looked to Lainey, expecting some snarky comment from her as well. She just looked at him for a moment. Then she quietly said, “I’m glad you killed Mattie’s dungsnuffler ex.” The others all nodded at this.

  “Well, today is what I’d call a prep day. You all saw that the queen has requested our presence in Antalia? The day after tomorrow. I say we spend today and tomorrow doing what we can to build up this place, train some of our people, and just generally take care of business.”

  All of them made agreeable noises, and none voiced an argument. So, Alexander continued. “Kai and I have to have a little talk. Then I promised to take Lang-”

  Sasha corrected, “Grumpy.”

  To which Alexander rolled his eyes. “Fine. I promised to take Grumpy to the compound and try to get one of the masters to step aside so he can use the dragon forge. Also, need to pick up Blix. And at noon, one of us…” He looked at Brick. “Needs to open the portal to Broken Mountain so the new recruits can join us.”

  Brick shrugged. “I’ll be here. I can open tha portal. If me count is right, I be due for another shipment o’ spirits anyway.”

  “Thank you. Now, what about the others. I noticed Helga was online, but I haven’t spoken to her yet. And none of Dayle’s group are on?”

  Lainey spoke first. “Helga, Lugs, Benny, and Beatrix are all going into immersion tomorrow. They were all logging in to bank their gear, etc. and were going to take care of some real-world business first.” Alexander nodded in understanding. They’d all done the same.

  “Misty may not come back. She doesn’t seem angry or anything. But she also doesn’t seem anxious to get back in the game. She went to go see her sister,” Lainey continued. “Warren and Lyra wanted to wait another day. I think partly to make sure Dayle is going to live. And partly to see what Misty does.”

  Alexander sighed. “So, Helga, Lugs, Benny, and Beatrix are all going to be noob level when we attack Chaos Nation. Unless we can put it off for a while. And we may not have Warren or the others, either. At least we picked up Pollock and friends. They’ll be of some help.”

  “Oh!” Sasha slapped Alexander’s butt in congratulations. “Good job on the healing potion enchantment there, sport!”

  Jules giggled at the surprised look on Alexander’s face. So did Max.

  Alexander recovered. “Max, those guys won’t level much killing Dire Wolves and such down here. You think you and Lainey, and maybe Lorian, could take them up top to hunt some higher-level mobs? Might be enough xp to get you your lost level back. You could explore the dungeon that’s up there.”

  “We’d need a healer for that. And I don’t mean Fibble.�
� Max looked at Sasha.

  She sighed. “I want to make a bunch of potions for Alexander to enchant. But I can take time to do the dungeon.”

  Alexander added, “Check to see what level it is when you get there. Might be good for all of us to go in there. But hunt some critters on your way there.”

  With that settled, Brick went off to play with Grumpy, Max and Lainey headed out to the forest to find Pollock, Jules and Sasha went in search of pancakes, and Alexander and Kai headed to his study.

  Once the two of them had taken seats, Kai began without preamble. “I’ve spoken to my father, the king. I told him about the dark magic that is being used by these servants of the Dark One. It is a very old magic, not seen since the early days of Io. We dragons once fought a costly war against the drow, whose wizards created this magic. They summoned armies of demons, and raised orcs and goblins and other creatures of the dark from their holes in the earth. The elves and dwarves joined us against these forces. Men, at the time, were barely more than animals themselves. We tried to protect them, but they were nearly wiped out.”

  Alexanders eyes widened. He thought he knew the history of Io. He’d even helped write some of it. But he’d never heard of anything going back to the stone age of man.

  Kai continued, a small grin on his face. “Lucky for you, mankind breed like rabbits. It only took a few centuries for your population to flourish again.”

  Kai pulled a scroll from his belt. “This is an offer of alliance between the Dire Lands, soon to be known as Elysia, and the Kingdom of Dragons. It names me as official ambassador to Elysia. And you as its king. I must urge you to accept this title. I know you discussed having a more democratic structure. And I believe that to be a good idea. But you must ultimately have one person, one ruler, who can act quickly in times of trouble. It is not always possible to gather councils or advisors in time to make vital decisions. Especially in times of war. One who can be the deciding vote in the event a council is evenly split on an issue.”

  Kai sat back in his chair after setting the scroll on Alexander’s desk.

  Alexander stared at the scroll. On the one hand, it was something he’d just told Thalgrin he hoped to accomplish one day. On the other hand, how could he be a king?

  “This is… unexpected,” he said to Kai as he lifted the scroll and unrolled it. The offer was written in beautiful calligraphy that was a work of art in its own right.

  Kai smiled at him. “I doubt that. Sooner than expected, certainly. But this Dark One presents more of a threat than I initially believed. If I am correct, the drow wizards are resurfacing. We must find and eliminate them now before they can complete their plans and raise armies. The last war cost many dragon lives. And many thousands of elves and dwarves perished.”

  Alexander nodded. “I will need the support of the others in this. I cannot just appoint myself king.”

  “You already have it. I took the liberty of speaking to each of them, except Jules, individually since I returned from my kingdom. Each of them is behind you one hundred percent Mainly, I suspect, because none of them wants the job.”

  Alexander laughed at that. Then something Kai said struck him. “Except Jules?”

  “Well, you see…” Kai looked a bit embarrassed. “I wasn’t sure she could keep a secret from you. And I did not think she would object, as having her mate become a king would soon make her a queen, would it not?”

  “No pressure,” Alexander mumbled.

  Kai laughed. “I understand the pressures of high office. And the need to secure a mate to ensure the continuation of the line.”

  Alexander rolled his eyes. This was only getting worse. First king, then married, now producing heirs!

  “Can I think about this for a day or two?” he almost pleaded to the dragon prince. “This isn’t something one should decide on a whim.”

  “Of course. But do not wait long. Every day we delay in taking action, the enemy becomes better prepared.” Kai looked at him, then jumped up suddenly from his seat. “In the meantime, I heard mention of a master smith? I do not see why he should have to share time at the dragon forge at Greystone Manor. I shall go and use my flame to light the forge downstairs.” He winked at Alexander. “But it is up to you to convince Durin to bless it!”

  “Kai! That is… are you sure? I understand you must sacrifice a bit of your magic to do this. And you’ve already left some of it in Stormforge…”

  “I am sure. The dragon forges can be used to create weapons of power that may turn the tide of battle against the dark forces. My father will be sending representatives to each of the dwarven clans to offer them dragon forges of their own. This war, if it comes to that, will be fought across all of Io, not just here in the local realms. Even the gods may be called upon before it ends.”

  Alexander nodded his head. “Thank you. But let’s not waste the opportunity. Rather than lighting it now, let’s do it this evening when everyone can gather. We’re bringing more folks from Broken Mountain today. Maybe King Thalgrin would like to attend? We can do it just after sunset when most of our people are gathering to eat.”

  “A good idea,” Kai agreed. “Never miss a chance to amaze and impress the masses, eh?” He winked at his soon-to-be royal friend.

  Alexander asked, “Speaking of Thalgrin, has he been informed about the drow? Have any of the rulers?”

  “You are the first. My father is considering whether to call all of them together in a conclave or to let them know individually. Many have not had the experiences you have, and will not believe that the drow are returning. We may need your assistance in convincing them.”

  Kai lowered his eyes to the floor. “Many human kingdoms have forgotten their allegiances of old. Dragons are now a thing to be hunted for glory or rare loot. Some may not answer the call if we declare a conclave under the old laws.”

  Alexander tried to raise the dragon’s spirits. “Well, we know Stormforge remembers the old ways, the king told you so himself. And Broken Mountain upholds them still. I will personally make sure Antalia honors the dragons as they should. The fact that a dragon prince ripped off the head of the usurper will probably help!” He grinned as Kai snorted.

  Alexander rose from his chair. “I was planning to go to Stormforge this morning to see about recruiting more citizens. Would you like to come along?

  “Thank you, but I must return to the roost to attend Lia. She’s… more demanding of late. Our young will hatch soon.” Kai smiled proudly.

  Alexander returned the smile. “We’ll have to lock Sasha and Jules, and maybe Fibble, in a room somewhere to keep them from stealing your offspring.”

  “Oh, no. Lia will appreciate the help, even if she won’t admit it. One dragonling is a handful. A whole brood… well, life is going to get interesting.”

  With that, Kai disappeared, teleporting back to his roost. Alexander headed downstairs to check on Brick and Lang. He wanted to make sure the two blacksmiths were going to get along.

  Passing through the kitchen on his way out, he spotted Mattie. Detouring over to the oven she was just closing, he said, “Hi, Mattie.”

  “Alexander. Didn’t you already have breakfast? I still have some eggs here…”

  “No, thank you. I had plenty. I wanted to give you a little heads-up that I may be bringing one or more of the O’Malleys back with me this afternoon. And that we may have cause for a celebration this evening. We’ll also be adding a bunch of new citizens from Broken Mountain this afternoon, and maybe some from Stormforge. I don’t know how many, but potentially several dozen. So maybe you and the others here in the kitchen could have some extra food ready at dinner time?”

  Mattie was thoughtful for a minute. “We are reaching the limits of what this kitchen can produce in a day. But we could begin using the other kitchen, the one attached to the dining hall inside. And if you’re recruiting, we could use more help here in the kitchen.”

  “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Keep in mind that some of the food and drink bur
dens will be lifted when the Ogre II opens up. But I like your idea of using the other kitchen as well. And if we need to, we can expand this one.”

  He left Mattie planning for the evening meal. Outside, he spotted Brick and Grumpy working at the smithy. “Gentlemen,” he said by way of greeting.

  The two dwarves turned and looked at him as if he were a nun that just walked into a strip club. Grumpy came to his senses first. “Apologies, Alexander. We been discussin’ how best ta produce the weapons ye need to arm everyone.”

  “Well, I was going to invite you to go to Stormforge with me, to see the dragon forge…” He paused as Grumpy took a step forward and opened his mouth to respond. “BUT!” He grinned as the dwarf halted mid-breath. “Kai has just informed me that he will once again share his magic to make THIS forge into a dragon forge this evening. So, really there’s no need for you to go.”

  “BWAHAHAHA!” Both dwarves burst out laughing. Grumpy slapped Alexander on the shoulder. “Ye keep’d yer word. And faster’n I expected.”

  “Yes, well, I try,” Alexander replied dryly. “And you’ll need to do your part as well. You two will need to ask Durin for his blessing.”

  “Aye, we’ll do that. Thank ye.”

  Alexander left the smithy and headed for the portal. A thought occurred to him as he walked, and he said, “Jeeves, where is Corporal Taylor?”

  “He is in the armory, Master.”

  “Thank you, Jeeves.” Alexander headed toward the barracks building, which housed the armory. “Have you started on the lab connected to my chambers?

  “I have removed the stone, as requested, Master. Though I did not connect the room to your study. As you mentioned, you wished it to be a secret?”

  “Perfect. I’ll take care of that. Thank you, Jeeves.”

  Alexander stepped into the armory and called out to Taylor. When the guard corporal snapped to attention, Alexander motioned for him to follow.

  Once outside, Alexander continued his path toward the portal. Then he changed his mind and simply teleported himself and Taylor to Greystone Manor. Turning to the guard, he asked, “What is your first name, Taylor?”