Defenders of the Realm

by Dave Willmarth

  “Matt!” Alexander growled the name. The one responsible for the bombing that all but killed Dayle and did kill a technician at Jupiter Tech. “He is … he is on Io now?”

  “I believe so, Alexander. Though I cannot locate him. I continue to seek his patterns in the interface, and will expel him the moment he is found.” Odin’s voice became harsh. “There have also been a few attempts to alter my own control over Io. As if he were in truth trying to steal divine powers for himself. He will fail, of course.”

  Alexander felt a chill run down his spine. “Have you alerted my father to this?”

  “Of course. They are seeking the interloper in your world as well. He will be found, fear not. But the damage he does here on Io could be significant. So we have called you here not only to warn you, but to prepare you. We have agreed to teach you some divine magic. It will be useful only to counteract the dark magic such as the spell that nearly killed you just now. This is not to be shared under any circumstance. And any misuse of the power will result in its immediate recall, and significant penalties. Do you agree, champion?”

  “I agree, and I thank you, All-Father. I thank all of you.” He looked around at the benevolent smiles of the gods.

  “Return then, Alexander. You will be healed. Use our gifts wisely. And know that you are not alone. We have selected three other champions from different regions of Io. All will strive as you do, to turn back the advances of the drow wizards. You have made a good beginning in your small corner of the land. You must work to expand your influence, increase your efforts.”

  Alexander was going to answer when his vision faded. He felt the sensation of a table under him again, and opened his eyes. He was staring at the ceiling of the great hall in Antalia. Shifting his head left and right, he saw Queen Margaret and Princess Kimberly standing on one side, and Jules and Silverbeard on the other. All had looks of relief on their faces.

  Jules grabbed hold of him. “We thought she had killed you with that nasty worm-thing. Then the altar burned you.” She mumbled into his shoulder.

  Alexander looked questioningly at Silverbeard, who nodded his head. “Her Majesty shouted for us to put ye on the altar n pray. Everybody in the room prayed. The altar glowed bright as day and ye lit up like hot metal in me forge. Then ye disappeared.”

  Kimberly poked him in the rib and grinned at him. “That looked like it hurt. First the worm thing eating your guts, then you sort of… caught fire. You screamed like a little girl. Your Majesty.” She winked at him, and he couldn’t help but laugh.

  Alexander quickly checked his UI. He was at full health, with no bleeds or DoT’s in effect. There were several notifications, but he waved those aside for a moment. “Yeah, it hurt. And I’m sure it was a manly scream.” He winked back at Kimberly.

  Jules lifted her head. “Nope. You sounded like one of those bunnies when they get shot. It was not very kingly at all.”

  Alexander rolled his eyes. “Odin, save me from the honesty of my friends.” There was a distant rumbling of thunder, as if Odin too were laughing.

  He sat up, testing his limbs and balance. Finding nothing wrong, he hopped down off the altar and looked around. The prisoners were nowhere in sight. “What happened to the adventurers?”

  “I happened.” Jules said very matter-of-factly.

  Queen Margaret clarified. “When you disappeared, your Lady Jules here, got a bit… disgruntled. She asked me to charge them with your murder, then pronounce them guilty. Which I did. She then… well, she dispatched them.”

  Kimberly snorted “She tore them apart with those daggers. It was a thing of beauty. A few courtiers lost their lunches.” There was sincere admiration in her voice. Jules just looked at the floor. Alexander leaned close to her and whispered, “Remind me, not to let you kill me”. Jules gave him a tiny sly smile.

  He turned back to Queen Margaret. “I’m sorry for all the excitement, Majesty. I came in answer to your summons. What can Elysia do for you?”

  The queen laughed. “It was more about what I might have been able to do for you. One of our mages told us of Fitz’s search for a way to cure you. It occurred to me that our altar here had been blessed by several of the gods. And that if you were to pray at the altar, they might be able to heal you. Or at least provide an answer as to how you might be healed…”

  She looked at him expectantly. So did everyone else. After a moment, he realized what had just happened, and that she was asking if she’d been correct. He held up a finger.

  Turning his head, he pretended to be focusing on something across the room. With no warning, he cast his Levitation spell on Jules, lifting her gently into the air. There was no pain of any kind. He smiled at the queen, leaving Jules floating up there and fingering her daggers. “It seems you were correct, Majesty. I’m not sure how, but the gods of the pantheon seem to have healed me!”

  Jules cleared her throat and glared at him. He lowered her slowly, scooping her into his arms before setting her down. Turning back to the queen, he asked “How can I repay your kindness?”

  The queen responded “There is no need to repay us. We are deeply indebted to you.” The moment she finished speaking, Sir Jeffrey spoke up from somewhere behind Alexander. “But we wouldn’t say no to a few more of those light cannons!”

  The queen blushed prettily as Kimberly and the others laughed. Alexander said “Of course. I’ll make you a couple more and send them over. Are you okay for recharging them?” He looked meaningfully at the knight. He’d given Sir Jeffrey a soul crystal with the first set, and asked that he keep it secret. The old knight took the hint, saying “We could use a bit more assistance there as well.”

  Alexander nodded. Pulling a large crystal from his bag, he pretended to shake hands with the knight, transferring the item to him as unobtrusively as possible. “I’ll get right on those. You should have them in a few days.”

  He thanked the queen once again, and they said their goodbyes. Anxious to test the return of his magic, Alexander teleported his whole group back to the guild house courtyard. Taylor and his men immediately fanned out to establish a perimeter. Alexander and the others re-entered the house and made for the sitting room. Pollock was not back yet, so Alexander decided to make good on his promise of light cannons while they waited. Silverbeard went to find Michael to discuss housekeeping type issues, and Jules headed upstairs on some mission of her own.

  Alexander pulled three pieces of stone from his bag and shaped them into the cones that would become light cannons. Then he began to channel the Ray of Light spell into each one. He did it slowly, testing his magic as he went. He continued to push magic into the stone until he felt the familiar pushback. He set that one down and started on the next. He was just finishing the third when Silverbeard and Michael joined him. The old dwarf picked up the first cannon and, without a word, shaped the trigger. Alexander’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know you were a shaper!”

  “I’ve not nearly the talent tha’ Brick has. But a simple thing like this be within me ability” Silverbeard set the cannon down and picked up the next. Alexander finished the third a moment later and handed it to him. He lifted the first one and infused the activation word into the trigger. When all three were complete, he handed them to Michael. “Will you make sure these get to the queen?”

  “Of course, Alexander. It would be my honor... and… speaking of honor, I believe Jules would like to see you on the roof.” Michael said.

  Curious, Alexander led the others up the stairs. At the end of the second-floor hallway was what looked like a closet door. It actually led to a narrow stairway that climbed to the roof. Alexander stepped out onto the rooftop and turned, scanning for his lady elf. She stood nearby, leaning casually against a pole that extended up from the roof. Alexander’s eyes were drawn upward. “Jules! It’s beautiful.” He called out. Flying from the pole was an expansive banner, maybe eight feet in length. It was a regal looking black dragon with silver eyes set upon a field of grey. Similar to their guild ba
nner, but more elegant.

  She smiled “A kingdom needs a proper flag, right?”

  He dashed forward and scooped her into his arms. “You are an artist, my love. It’s… it’s just wonderful. Simple, elegant, and regal. Let it strike fear in the hearts of our enemies, and bring comfort to our allies in times of need!” He stood there for a few moments admiring the banner as it fluttered in the wind.

  There were a few shouts of “Elysia!” from Taylor and his men below. Jules stepped to the edge of the roof and waved at them.

  “Yes, you are going to make quite the queen, my lady.” Alexander said to her.

  Michael announced that Pollock was arriving below, so they headed back down the stairs to meet him. He had five players in tow. Alexander invited them to sit, and he spoke with them for a while. Jules, after seeing that three of the five were women, and good-looking ones at that, sat in Alexander’s lap and used one of her daggers to groom her nails during the entire interview.

  Alexander didn’t mind one bit.

  An hour later he generally agreed with Pollock’s choices. He’d made sure that each of them understood the gravity of being invited to the guild. The responsibility and the dangers involved. They each had agreed that they’d take the oath, and confirmed that they were aware of the negative repercussions if they violated that oath. He told them the story of Dirk and his betrayal, just to drive the point home. When it was over, he’d said that Jupiter staff would run their backgrounds and let him know in a day or so. And that he’d get back to them then. The whole time he had thoughts of Matt in the back of his mind. If he could mask his existence in the game, he might be any one of these people and Alexander wouldn’t know.

  After escorting the players out, Pollock returned with them to Stormforge. Sasha ran to get Lydia while the others waited in the greenhouse building. It only took a few minutes for the two herbalists to return. Alexander stood in front of a work table full of potting soil and small pots and removed all the herbs from his Bag of Eternity.

  Lydia immediately became enthusiastic as she pointed out and named each one for Sasha. The elf, dwarf, and man retreated to the courtyard while the ladies arranged to properly plant or store the rare herbs. When they emerged, Lydia invited them all to supper. Alexander politely declined, citing the need to get back to the keep. Lydia smiled sadly “I know from watching my father, and now my brother. A king rarely has time for himself.” She hugged each of them, surprising Silverbeard and Pollock, then waved as they stepped through the portal to the keep.

  Chapter 7

  Back in Business

  The first thing Alexander did once they were through the portal was to look up toward the waterfalls cascading down the cliffs above the keep to where it would fall into the lake. Taking Jules by the hand, he pulled her toward him, hugged her close, and teleported them onto a ledge about halfway up the escarpment. Unexpectedly finding herself looking down from three hundred feet in the air, Jules gripped him tightly. When she looked away from the ground below and up at his face, Alexander kissed her deeply.

  “I wanted to thank you properly for that banner. It truly was beautiful. But not as beautiful as you.” He kissed her again.

  She didn’t object, relaxing into his arms. When they came up for air, she looked into his eyes and said. “It’s beautiful here.”

  They both turned to look out over the keep, the lake, and the forest beyond. To their left a small waterfall tumbled past the ledge on which they stood. On a whim, Alexander said “Hold on.”

  He turned toward the cliff face and activated his Earth Mover ability. He opened the stone in front of him, pushing it to either side and creating a tunnel leading at an angle into the stone behind the waterfall. A dozen steps in, he widened the tunnel into a room. To one side he raised a stone platform that could serve as a bed. Then he raised a table and chairs. When he was done, he turned to Jules. “This will be our special place. For when we just want to get away from everyone for a little while.”

  It was her turn to kiss him. After a short but passionate embrace, she said. “I’ll make some pillows and a mattress and linens and…”

  He just smiled as she made a mental list of all the items she would bring to make the space more cozy. When she was done, he teleported them back to the courtyard.

  As soon as they were back, Jules gave him a smack on the ass—much to the amusement of the citizens moving around them—and was off to begin her project. Alexander noted several of the passing citizens glancing upward and smiling. Following their eyes, he found several of Jules’ banners had been raised while they’d been gone.

  Feeling ambitious and eager to flex his magic, Alexander decided it was time to build the Ogre II. He didn’t want to do so without the O’Malley’s input, though; or Mattie’s. First he made his way to the kitchen. Mattie was there, discussing something with several of the staff. Alexander cleared his throat subtly, and they all turned to regard him. “Mattie, I don’t wish to interrupt. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to fetch the O’Malleys and bring them back here. It’s time to build the Ogre II. Thought you might want to participate.”

  Her eyes widened a bit and she asked, “Your magic?”

  Alexander replied by casting Levitate on a large pot on a nearby table. He raised it up and made it dance through the air a bit as the kitchen staff applauded. It ended with a laugh as he directed it to turn itself over and settle on his own head. There was an echo as he spoke from inside. “My magic appears intact. Mostly.”

  Removing the pot, he handed it to Mattie. She exchanged it for a bag, explaining “The sugar you asked for.” He thanked her and disappeared, teleporting himself to their original guild house in Stormforge, which was located very near The Ogre. He walked the short distance up the street and entered the tavern to find it mostly empty. Martin O’Malley was, as usual, behind the bar.

  “Your Majesty!” He bowed deeply, grinning widely the whole time. Several confused patrons scrambled to their feet before performing a similar bow. Alexander patted his hands in the air, motioning for them to sit. “Please, sit. Drinks are on me!”

  Martin began pouring several mugs of Dwarven ale as the patrons moved toward the bar. “If King Alexander’s buyin’, let it be the good stuff!” He declared.

  There was a brief scuffle as the citizens tried to be the first at the bar without bumping into the king in their midst. As Martin served the drinks, Grumpy’s voice came across guild chat. “Taylor be here at the smithy, and his ears be steamin’. Somethin bout his king dashing off without an escort.”

  “Shit! Please extend my apologies. Tell him I’m safe at the Ogre to fetch the O’Malleys and will be back in a few moments.”

  Martin was finishing up the ale distribution, so Alexander stepped behind the bar and into the kitchen. He called out. “Rose? Are you here?”

  Rose O’Malley stepped out from the pantry and began to shout “Out of me kitchen! The food’ll be ready whe—” She stopped short when she realized who she was yelling at. “Alexander! Er, your Majesty!” She started to bow, and Alexander rushed forward to engulf her in a hug instead.

  “Please cut out the ‘Majesty’ crap, Rose. I liked it better when you were yelling at me.”

  She snorted and slapped him lightly with the kitchen rag in her hand. “Don’t be takin liberties with me, young man! King or no, me husband’ll pound ya should he catch ya hugging on me!”

  Alexander grinned as Martin entered the kitchen behind him, doing just that. “What’s this? I turn me back for a moment and the dashing young king tries to steal me wife!”

  “I’m here to steal you both!” Alexander replied. “For about an hour. It’s time to build the Ogre II, and I’ll need your input on what goes where. Can you get somebody to handle this unruly crowd for a bit?”

  “Ha! For that, you bet yer royal arse we can!” Martin declared. He stepped toward the hallway and yelled up the stairs. “Martha! Come on down! Bring that useless lad, too!”

  A
few moments later Martha descended the stairs followed by a teenage boy carrying a mop. Martin said “Rose and I are going with King Alexander for an hour or two. Watch the shop.”

  Martha smiled brightly at Alexander as she curtsied neatly. “Pleasure to see ya, as always, Majesty. You’ve come a long way since we first met!”

  Alexander gave up and bowed his head in return, “and you’re just as lovely as ever, Martha!” This caused the woman to blush slightly as she moved past them into the kitchen. The boy bobbed his head rapidly and disappeared into the tavern.

  Alexander waved a hand, mostly for show, and teleported the O’Malleys back to the keep. Together they walked to where the Ogre II was to be constructed. Mattie was there waiting for them, along with a dour-faced Taylor. Alexander quickly said “I’m sorry, Taylor. I got so caught up in having my magic back, I didn’t think. I’ll try to do better.”

  Taylor nodded his head in acceptance. He gave Mattie a brief hug, and stepped away to whatever hiding spot he watched his king from. Rose watched Taylor leave, then looked at Mattie. She had a wry grin on her face as she said “Well, he’s a big, strong, pretty one now isn’t he!?” Making Mattie blush.

  Alexander cleared his throat again, and said “Time is limited. You can torture Mattie later.”

  And so they began to build the Ogre II. Alexander created a cellar level the entire size of the allotted space, with a ramp on the side leading up to ground level. He added wide columns and beams before covering it all with a stone slab. From there he let the O’Malleys and Mattie direct him on where to place the kitchen, the stairs, bathrooms, the bar area and open space for tables. When that was through, he created the second and third floors. The center sections featured several small rooms standard to inns across Io. Basic boxes approximately ten feet square. At either end of the corridors they had him create larger rooms and suites for more distinguished guests.