Defenders of the Realm

by Dave Willmarth

  Growling, Molgo reached for his axe. Alexander held up his hands, saying “Peace, Molgo. These are the healers I summoned for your people. And this is the wizard Fitzbindulum, who was kind enough to bring them here.”

  Molgo let go of his weapon and nodded his head. “Thank you all for coming. My people have been running and fighting for a full day and night, and the first half of this day. Many are injured, and we would appreciate your assistance.”

  One of the healers, whose name Alexander didn’t know, stepped forward, holding out a hand, which Molgo shook gently. “We would be happy to help. Show us to your wounded.”

  As the chieftain led the healers out of the tent, Fitz stepped over and slapped the back of Alexander’s head. “Boy, did I not tell you that using magic would be dangerous?”

  Alexander actually smiled. “You did, grandfather. But these warriors were dying, and I needed to help.”

  “Grandfather?! Bah! I’m old enough to be… well never mind! Show some respect!” the wizard grumped at him, stalking back and forth across the tent. “You haven’t got the sense Odin gave a rock!”

  “That may be, Fitz. But it’s all part of my charm.” His grin was shameless as he watched the old wizard turn red. Hoping to prevent an explosion, he said “I’ve made a new ally, I think. One with a thousand warriors nearly the size of Lugs. And there really are some horribly wounded minotaurs here. If you hadn’t been so quick to bring the healers, I think several hundred might have died from blood loss or infection. And I couldn’t have made any more potions.” He attempted to stand, but his legs were still shaky. Instead he said “Molgo tells me the leader of the orcs is ruthless. His name is Borag. He attacked their city looking to take it for themselves. They punished him for it, pushing him and his army all the way here. From the bodies I could see, I think they killed several thousands. Less than four hundred remain in our forest.”

  “Yes, yes!” Fitz waved a dismissive hand at him. “You invited me to the battle group, remember? I’ve heard all you’ve had to say, and I received the quest notification as well. Imagine. A wizard of my age going on a quest. Ha!”

  “Well, wizard. Will you help me figure out a way to defeat the orcs? Without my magic, I feel useless. I don’t believe I’m thinking straight either.” He gave Fitz his best puppy dog look.

  “Bah! We’ll not be doing anything for a day or two while you recover, boy!” he switched to battle chat. “Jeeves! Have the orcs moved?”

  “They have not, master wizard. They appear to be settling into the village. Many are asleep already. Several more have died. A few have gone out hunting.”

  “That settles it. Conclude your business with the chieftain and I’ll send you back to the keep!” Fitz’s tone of voice left no room for argument. The old wizard had no qualms about ordering royalty around like misbehaving children. Alexander simply nodded his agreement. The pain was fading, but he was exhausted from the effort.

  Fitz stepped out to send Braxis home, and to see if he could assist the minotaurs in some way. The grouchy old wizard did have a heart, after all. Maybe half an hour passed as Alexander recovered. He’d decided to lay on the floor to relax, and had been chatting with his people while he rested. When Molgo returned, he got to his feet using the table for balance.

  He said, “I hope our healers have been helpful?”

  The minotaur sat cross-legged on the ground in front of Alexander, who took the hint and sat on the stump. “Our shamans are already pestering them to teach us some of their healing magic. Much of it is holy magic, granted by their deities. But they are teaching what they can as they heal my people. Many who would have perished of their wounds will live to fight again.”

  He turned and looked toward the exit for a moment. “As for your wizard, well… he is quite impressive.”

  Alexander rolled his eyes. “Has he been showing off? What did he do? Levitate a squad of your warriors or something?”

  Molgo chuckled, saying “Nothing like that. You must see for yourself, if you are rested enough?”

  Alexander pushed himself to his feet and led the way out of the tent. What he saw when he exited made him snort-laugh. There was a tower. Not like his wizard’s tower. This one was four stories high, and maybe a hundred feet wide. About fifty yards out from the tower it was surrounded by three walls that stood thirty feet high. Fitz was raising the fourth wall as Alexander watched. Then with a wave of his hand, a stone fountain formed inside the new courtyard, water bubbling forth and falling into a basin. Turning to the chieftain, Fitz said “There is room for all of your warriors inside. Should you have a need.”

  Alexander’s gaze shifted to the oversized fighters surrounding them. Many were standing with mouths open, their gazes shifting from the tower to the wizard. Others were smiling and nodding heads, or slapping a neighbor’s shoulder and pointing. Already some were making their way toward the gate opening.

  Seeing the gate, Fitz said “You’ll have to fashion your own gate, but with the number of axes I see around me, I don’t believe you’ll have trouble rounding up timber.”

  Your reputation with Molgo’s tribe had increased to: Respected.

  Molgo turned to them, saying “You have done much for my people today. People who are complete strangers to you, and who have just pushed a small army of orcs onto your land. I am afraid I have no way to repay such generosity.”

  Fitz looked at Alexander, raising an eyebrow. Alexander cleared his throat. “We are pleased to have met you and your tribe, regardless of the circumstance. And would be honored if we could call you friends. There is a war coming. The drow wizards have risen once again, and their aim is to conquer all of Io. In the coming days we will need warriors with strength such as yours to help us battle the drow and their minions.”

  Molgo held out a massive paw, and Alexander shook it with all the strength he could muster. The chieftain said “If you need us, send word to this tower. Our people will muster and come to your aid. Our histories speak of the drow wizards as an ancient and formidable enemy. My people and I could find much honor and glory fighting beside you.”

  Fitz, not one to tolerate niceties, said “Good, then. We’re all friends. Now it is time for Alexander to rejoin his people. I believe his future queen has some words for him…” with a wave of his hand, Alexander was teleported to his sitting room at the keep.

  He dragged his feet as he walked through the study to tumble onto his bed, not bothering to remove any of his gear. Laying his head on a pillow, he closed his eyes and slipped into oblivion.

  Chapter 4

  What’s Left Behind

  Alexander woke alone in his oversized bed. Though he’d been alone nearly every morning of his first twenty years, he found that now he missed having a body next to him. A quick look around the room didn’t reveal the location of his pink bunnymonster. He checked his UI and saw that it was 7:00am. By rights Jules should still be in bed, snoring softly or drooling on his chest.

  Getting up, he found that he was still in his full gear, sword at his hip just as when he’d stumbled into bed. That was odd, too. He would have thought Jules would have awakened him to strip down.

  Moving through his study, he found Jules and Fibble both sleeping in the sitting room. Jules was stretched out on a sofa, still wearing her black leather gear. Fibble was curled up in the fetal position in one of the overstuffed chairs. He was hugging a pillow larger than himself. Alexander quietly returned to his study and took a seat, not wanting to disturb the sleepers. He felt refreshed, having slept about eighteen hours as best he could figure.

  He took out a piece of paper and pen from his desk drawer and began to make a list of the things he needed to accomplish. It looked something like;

  Fortify the mine

  Scout the village occupied by Borag, create attack plan

  Figure out how to fix my magic

  Check on the fort at the caverns

  Level up our people asap

  Invite the minotaurs to be formal allies
. Trading partners?

  Meet with the elves re: alliance

  Find out what Fitz is learning from Baron Dire and the drow prisoners

  Wolf pets from the pack up top?

  When he heard Jules stirring in the next room, he smiled and added “Feed Jules” to the list. He set the pen down and stuck the list in his pocket as he waited for his favorite elfess to come to her senses. With Jules, if she was left alone, waking up was a solid half-hour process. He didn’t have to wait that long, as Jules’ stirrings woke Fibble.

  The little goblin spotted Alexander and shouted “Boss is awake!” He leapt from his chair and barely touched the ground before leaping atop the desk and wrapping his arms around Alexander’s neck.

  Surprised by the hug, Alexander patted the lil fella’s back. “I’m happy to see you too, Fibble.” He looked past Fibble’s large head to see Jules peering over the back of the sofa at him. She was smiling, so he relaxed a bit. Whatever the reason she hadn’t joined him last night, it couldn’t have been that serious.

  Fibble let go and took a step back, then plopped down on his butt atop the desk. “Fibble thought boss never wake up! Sleeps long long.” He held up his stick. “Fibble try to fix, but Fitz say no. Boss just need rest. So Fibble and Jules guard!” he grinned at Alexander with his chest puffed out.

  “Thank you Fibble. And yes, I was very tired. I did something stupid yesterday.” He patted the goblin’s shoulder.

  Fibble nodded enthusiastically, his ears flapping. “Yup! Stupid. That what Sasha say, and Lainey, and Fitz. Jules also say ‘dorkboy’. Fibble thought boss name was al’zander?” The tiny protector looked confused, and Alexander couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Dorkboy is what they call me when they’re trying to say they love me, Fibble. It’s a special name.”

  He regretted it as soon as he said it. “Fibble love boss, too! Call you dorkboy!” when he heard Jules giggle from the other room, he turned to see her approaching. “Jules! Dorkboy awake!” He beamed.

  “I see that. Thank you, Fibble. You were a very good protector last night.” She leaned down and kissed the little goblin’s head. “Now, I think you need some breakfast!”

  Fibble was gone so fast Alexander wasn’t sure he’d actually seen the little guy’s feet move. There was a slight commotion outside, and he imagined Fibble just bowled into someone on his way down the stairs. He was going to get up and check, but Jules settled herself into his lap. She gave him a soft kiss. “Good morning sleepyhead.”

  “Mmmm thank you. I missed you when I woke up.” he asked without asking.

  “Fitz. He wouldn’t let me in the room. He and a couple other mages were… well they were basically experimenting on you while you slept. Trying to figure out how to fix you. I don’t know what time they left, I fell asleep on the couch. Fibble’s snoring made me sleepy.” She grinned, then kissed him again.

  For the first time in a long time, he had nothing more urgent than breakfast to accomplish for the next little while. So he lifted Jules as he stood, and carried her back to the sofa she’d slept on.

  Settling them both down, he said “I didn’t like waking up without you. I know we’ve only known each other a few weeks. And I only know just a little bit about you or your life outside our little game here. But I feel as if I’m incomplete without you.”

  Jules snuggled closer to him, burying her face against his neck. She squeezed him tight, but didn’t speak. He spent a minute or so just listening to her breathe. There was a wetness against his neck that he hoped was tears. Otherwise his beautiful elfess was getting snot or slobber all over him. When she raised her head to look at him, there were tears in her eyes.

  “I… feel the same. I know more about you, cuz I’ve asked Sasha and Lainey a ton of questions. But I’ll tell you anything you want to know about me. Just ask.”

  Alexander thought briefly before asking “What did you do before you were hurt, were you in school, or working?”

  “Yeah, I was in school. Trade school. I was getting my certification as a mechanic.” She smiled at him, expecting the open mouth and widened eyes when he reacted. She poked him in the chest.

  “You mean like, fixing cars and such?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah. Those too. But I was specializing in robotics. Everybody’s playing games like Io to earn a living these days. And a lot of people start as teenagers. There are people out there who’ve never had any other job. My dad was a mechanic, and I used to sit with him, hand him tools while he fixed stuff. He showed me what to do. And he told me that by the time I was grown, almost nobody would know how to fix anything anymore. So a mechanic could write her own ticket.”

  Alexander was impressed. “When we get you out of your pod, you can build robots? Or like, change the oil in my car!”

  Jules snorted. “Yes, I can do both. My pop died when I was fifteen, so I started running his business. Fixing cars and stuff for people in town. Mom actually ran the business stuff, like paying the bills and taking the money from the customers. Then she passed away about a year later. I didn’t want to work the shop anymore, so I sold it and went to school full time. Mom and pop both had pretty good life insurance, so I had enough money to live on.”

  Now it was Alexander’s turn to squeeze. He’d known from his dad that Jules didn’t have family at the time she’d been hurt, and that she was a ward of the hospital when he found her. But he hadn’t heard the details of when or how she lost her family.

  “I’m sorry Jules. You’ve had a tough life.”

  “Not so tough.” Her voice was cheerful. “I had a wonderful childhood. My parents loved me, and we had lots of fun times. I was almost grown when my dad passed. Yeah, I mean these last few years haven’t been easy.” She wiped tears from her eyes again, then kissed him. “But look at me now! I’m a badass rogue, my boyfriend is super cute and like, the richest boy on earth! I have lots of friends, and get to do cool stuff every day. What more could a girl want?”

  “You’re amazing, you know that? Most people, including me, would be crushed by what you’ve endured. But you just focus on the good things and keep going.” He stated.

  “Speaking of good things” she got up off his lap and pulled on his hand. “It’s time for pancakes!”

  He allowed himself to be pulled up, and she led him downstairs to the dining area. There were indeed pancakes available, and he watched as she piled a stack so high he worried it would tip over. When she saw him staring, she kissed him quickly.

  “Don’t worry, this is for both of us. Mostly for me, but I’ll share. Grab the syrup.” she said as she moved toward an empty table. He did as he was told and picked up a couple plates, forks, and bottle of syrup.

  They enjoyed their breakfast, talking with the various folks who sat with them as they ate. Alexander kept glancing sidelong at Jules as she laughed between mouthfuls of pancakey goodness. He’d fallen for her almost from the moment they met. He knew it initially came from some desire to protect her in her wounded and vulnerable state. But now she didn’t seem vulnerable at all. His dad said she was recovering inside her pod. And she was a much different woman in-game now, compared to the way she was when they’d found her.

  “I don’t know how many years I have left. But I know I want to spend them with her.” He thought.

  She caught him looking and flashed a bright smile his way. Her teeth were full of syrupy pancake bits, the sight made him chuckle. She leaned in and gave him a sticky kiss on the cheek, much to the amusement of the gathered citizens.

  After breakfast, Jules disappeared to her shop. She claimed to be working on an important project. If it was anything like the dress she’d made for herself before, Alexander was all for it.

  From his seat at the table he could see Brick and Grumpy already pounding away in the dragon forge. They still needed weapons and armor for some of their citizens, and battle was imminent. Speaking of battle, he needed to know if Fitz had fixed his magic. He pulled out a small piece of obsidian and began
the Undying enchantment.

  Instantly he felt nauseous and his gut clenched. He put the stone away. “Guess that answers that question.” He said aloud.

  He sat for a while, breathing deeply and willing the feeling to go away. As he waited, he noted a stream of people going back and forth across the courtyard. Those who were walking away from the donjon were carrying glowing weapons. Clearly someone had the presence of mind to instruct the citizens to have their weapons blessed at the temple. Another thing he should’ve thought of himself. Reminded of his list, he pulled it out.

  Opening guild chat, he said “Good morning Lorian. Any activity around the caverns?”

  “None, Alexander. Unless you count a wrestling match between the rock trolls. They knocked down a few trees and made a lot of noise, but neither was seriously injured.”

  “Thank you, Lorian. If you’ve got time today, I’d like to speak with you about going to meet your people. Nothing urgent.”

  “I’ll stop and see you this evening, Alexander.” Lorian’s response sounded grim. Alexander imagined he wasn’t anxious to return to the people who had shunned him for being a halfling bastard. Although Alexander’s avatar was a full-blooded light elf, he wondered if they would treat him any better, knowing he was an adventurer.

  Alexander said aloud. “Jeeves, please monitor the orcs. Let me know if any move further south than the village.”

  “Several have ventured south already, Alexander. They appear to be hunting parties. Some have already returned with food. None have traveled as far as the bridge. I will alert you, if any do so.”

  “Lorian, ask your hunters to spread out along the river to watch for any orcs attempting to cross, please.”

  “Of course, Alexander.” Lorian replied. “A few are already north of the river. I’ll have them pull back. If there is a crossing, do you want them to engage?”