Defenders of the Realm

by Dave Willmarth

  After placing the orb on the stand and poking at it a few times to make sure it was stable, he stepped out of the building and raised more stone to close off the doorway. A couple of the shapers approached and laid hands on the door, melding it to the stone around it to strengthen it.

  Now they were prepared. He watched as more of his people and the Broken Mountain dwarves with their new pins approached from the keep. Grimble appeared with four rock trolls carrying clubs the size of cabers. Silverbeard arrived with the minotaurs as well. They hadn’t found armor to fit them, but Molgo had picked up a long twin-bladed battle axe. And Dawn had a massive two-handed longsword that she easily hefted in one hand. Both had longbows over their shoulders and a quiver strapped to their belts.

  When everyone had arrived, Sasha took over. She divided the troops into groups and assigned the usual leaders to each one. There were more of them this time, as they had no need to leave anything but a minimal force to guard the walls. They were all within sight of the keep, after all. The gryphons had agreed to maintain an aerial patrol to watch for any demons flying or falling from the cliffs above. And Jeeves would alert them to any intruders coming by land.

  As per usual, Taylor and his squad were sticking close to Alexander. The two minotaurs seemed to have adopted him as well, following behind him as he moved around.

  He called all of his people to gather up by the drawbridge. Even Rocky stuck his head up out of the water to listen. He decided to Levitate himself just for effect. Floating six feet in the air, he said “Alright! This is how it’s going to go. Sasha will assign each group an area. When she says go, I’m going to activate the portal orb. Something close to a thousand demons are going to come rushing through… and all of you are going to kill them!” He grinned as the gathered troops roared their approval. “They will be trapped inside the building, which has been consecrated by all of you. They will be in constant pain, and hopefully enraged, and not thinking clearly. You will be shooting at them through the slots from the relative safety of the trenches.” He paused as there was clapping and more cheering.

  “This is the VERY IMPORTANT” he emphasized. “Your comrades in arms will be shooting from the slot on the opposite side. Remember to shoot DOWN at the bad guys. No shooting each other on a dare or for fun!” As the chuckles and shouted dares died down, he finished his speech. “I’ve done all I can to ensure this battle is as one-sided as possible. I’m not looking for a fair and honorable fight. I’m looking for a slaughter!”

  He stepped down as the troops roared their approval again. As they dispersed he pulled up the part 2 of 2 quest for Defenders of the Realm and shared it with everyone in case there were some who hadn’t received it yet. Like the rock trolls, the minotaurs, and a few others. A squawk from above suggested that Braxis and his gryphons had received it as well.

  He waited a few minutes for everyone to take their places. Sasha had arranged it so that there were fifty crossbowmen on each side, with a healer mixed in every five bodies or so. The hunters who weren’t on patrol in the forest were there, ten on each side. Those with ranged magic like Misty, Beatrix, and the newly joined caster were positioned back a few steps behind the crates (or on top of a crate in Beatrix’s case) of ammunition. This was in case there was some splash damage from demon magic. The squishy casters couldn’t take much of that.

  The dwarves and guards all had their shields leaned against the wall in front of them, ready to be raised to seal off the slots at a moment’s notice. Lugs stood by with one of his long spears, clearly hoping some of the enemy would get too close to the wall. The ogre looked funny standing in the trench with the slot roughly at the height of his waist. Several of the dwarves made jokes asking which spear he intended to use. Helga nearly fell over laughing at that, saying between gasps “Ya already… lost your chalupa …to the bunnies! Don’t go feeding it to… demons, too! Ya sick bastard!”

  With everyone set, Alexander nodded to Misty. She closed her eyes, and the water inside the building froze. It created a long sheet of ice leading from the portal to the altar. “Target practice!” Alexander shouted “Let’s see if you can shoot them while they’re sliding!”

  With that, he looked at the orb and uttered the trigger phrase “Póg mo thóin!”

  The orb instantly began to glow with a swirling dark purple hue. A moment later there was a flash, and a purplish-black swirling disc appeared above the orb. It wasn’t like a portal Alexander would open, where one could see through to the other side. This one was opaque like a dungeon entrance portal.

  Within seconds the demons began to stream through. First came several large warrior demons, in thick black scale armor. They stood eight feet tall, with horns upon their heads in various configurations and sizes. Some curved backward from foreheads. Other stuck straight out the sides. Each had razor sharp teeth and claws, cloven hoofs, and carried wicked looking swords in each hand.

  Minor Demon Warrior

  Level 65

  Health 18,000/18,000

  Around their feet skittered imps by the dozen. They were only knee-high to the warriors and jabbering nonstop in their demon language. When the first of the large demons hit the ice, his hooves slid out from under him and he crushed two of the imps as he fell. The others coming behind suffered similar fates. Their momentum coming through the portal sent them sliding toward the altar at the other end of the room. More and more demons piled in behind them, the weight and momentum pushing them further and further as they tried to regain their feet. Every single demon screamed in pain as they touched the blessed ground.

  “FIRE” Sasha’s voice rang out in battle chat and was echoed out loud by each group leader. Nearly a hundred light-blessed crossbow bolts and arrows rifled through the slots on either side of the jumbled demons. The heavy projectiles ripped into flesh, many of them blasting imps into oblivion on contact before continuing on into the flesh of the demons behind them. The screams and roars of rage became a deafening cacophony. Each group leader had been instructed after the first volley to stagger their fire. So the two groups closest to the portal fired again twenty seconds after the initial blast. The next two fired five seconds later, and so forth. This ensured that there were no pauses for reload times, and that the demons were taking constant damage. When possible, Lainey was casting Trap Soul on the more powerful demons in between bow shots.

  The slaughter continued as more and more demons came through the portal and pressed into those already scrambling on the ice. A pair of winged demons passed through already airborne. The two group leaders whose turn it was to fire next shouted for their troops to focus fire on those demons, and they were quickly knocked down into the pile below.

  Several of the imps were managing to sling dark magic spells at the defenders. Fireballs flew by the dozens toward the defenders, most splashing against the walls above or below the slots. Some of the magic inevitably got through, and the healers went to work.

  The fight continued for nearly a minute as his archers poured on the damage. Misty made things worse by freezing clumps of demons together as they slid on the ice. More and more demons were managing to launch attacks at his people, and the healers were starting to struggle to keep up with the splash damage. Alexander fired Ray of Light bursts into any demon he saw getting their footing. He noticed that the pile had now extended nearly all the way to the altar. With a shout, he caught Misty’s attention. She grinned and waved her hands.

  The ice floor beneath the demons suddenly turned to mist as she thawed and evaporated it all. The disappearing water exposed Alexander’s next weapon. The shapers had covered the entire floor of the room with a four-foot tall forest of razor-edged stone spikes just like those Fitz had created in the Chaos Nation guild house. Hundreds of demons fell onto the spikes and were ripped apart by their own weight and the weight of those above them. In seconds, nearly every demon on the room perished.

  All around him flashes of light went off as Alexander’s people were leveling up. And so was he.
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  Level up! You are now level 66!

  Your wisdom has increased by +1.

  Your intelligence has increased by +1

  You have 20 free attribute points available

  Unaware of the fate of their predecessors, more demons emerged from the portal. Roars of rage quickly turned to screams as they stepped off the short ledge where the portal stood and fell onto the blessed stone spikes below. More demons piled on top of the them, pushing them deeper into the razor sharp forest and sealing their doom.

  The archers and casters had a brief respite to breathe, heal, and restock their ammo, and restore their mana as they watched the demons shove each other onto the spikes. Now the first twenty feet or so of the spiked floor was completely covered in shredded demon flesh, and the newcomers were standing atop the fallen. New arrivals tried to push them forward, and they fought fiercely to hold back the tide so as not to be pushed onto uncovered spikes.

  Still they kept coming. Another minute, and half the floor was covered. The demons standing atop their own dead were managing more and more attacks against the defenders as they were shoved forward toward the altar. Especially the lightweight and nimble imps.

  Demon Imp

  Level 60

  Health 9,000/9,000

  The little things were everywhere. And they learned quickly, beginning to focus their fire in particular spots. A nearly constant barrage of demon magic pounded into the walls. Individually they were weak. But fifty at a time caused the walls to tremble from the impacts.

  Alexander’s people resumed their blistering fire, light-blessed bolts and arrows slamming into the enemy from both directions. Another hundred or more of the demons were blasted away.

  Level up! You are now level 67!

  Your wisdom has increased by +1.

  Your intelligence has increased by +1

  You have 20 free attribute points available

  It was hard to measure, but Alexander estimated that maybe four hundred of the demons had been killed by his people and the harsh environment inside the room. The demons were all leveled about the same as Alexander and his core group. Which meant they were higher level than nearly all of his people. Even divided between so many, the experience gains were significant.

  A shout went out near the far end of the room as several imps managed to focus fire on the slot at once. The dwarves there had raised their shields and blocked most of it, but several of them, including their healer, were down. Other healers moved to take up the slack as the group was helped to their feet and healed as quickly as possible.

  Inside the room, the demons continued to sacrifice their own to cover the spikes in a widening area. Now close to ¾ of the floor was safe for the monsters to stand upon. Some of the warriors had reached the side walls and were attempting to stab through the slots at defenders. The magic attacks from the imps were increasing in number and effectiveness as well. A quick check of his UI showed Alexander that nearly all of his defenders had taken damage to some degree. Though none had been killed yet, many were below 30% health.

  Sasha called out in battle chat “Light cannons!”

  Alexander watched as three of his guards dropped their crossbows and produced the light cannons he’d made with Brick’s help. He knew three more were doing the same on the other side of the room. They aimed through the slots and triggered the cannons almost simultaneously. Beams of light magic criss-crossed the room, burning into demons wherever they went. The guards swept the beams back and forth rapidly like scythes through wheat. And while a swipe of the beam might not kill an imp instantly, it did interrupt their casting. Immediately the rate of attacks against the defenders dropped considerably. The healers focused on those most seriously wounded, trying to bring them back up to safe levels. The defenders rallied and group leaders began to call out to each other. They coordinated two massive volleys from every defender at once. The hail of bolts and arrows took down another couple hundred of the demons in less than thirty seconds. Few of the enemy were still moving within the room. But still, they kept coming. The defenders went back to staggered attacks as the room began to fill again.

  Another shout, and Alexander looked toward the portal. Three flying demons emerged, already airborne in an arrow formation. Immediately the crossbows focused on them, trying to take them down. But these were much larger and better armored. Bolts still penetrated their wings and any exposed skin. But they simply stuck in the red scale armor on their torsos and legs.

  Elite Demon Guard

  Level 80

  Health 28,000/28,000

  The demon guards quickly looked like porcupines as they cast much larger attacks against the walls. Their wings were shredded and all three were forced to land and stand in formation. With no thought for self-preservation, they stood there taking and returning blows. A moment later, Alexander understood why.

  Behind them a drow stepped casually through the portal. She wore jet black robes covered in arcane symbols that glowed red and shimmered as she moved. She carried a staff made of bone as white as her hair. Atop the staff was a red crystal in the shape of a skull.

  Drow Wizard’s Apprentice

  Level 90

  Health 26,000/26,000

  Sasha shouted “Focus on the drow!”

  Immediately, all six of the light cannons swept forward across the room to burn at the demon guards who blocked the way to the drow. The demons howled in pain as their flesh smoked and sizzled away. But they held their ground, protecting the drow as she raised her staff.

  A magic shield appeared around her. Crossbow bolts pinged off of it, some ricocheting into her demon guards or the demons still flowing through the portal behind her. One of the light cannons managed to get an angle between the guards and the clash of demon magic with light magic was spectacular. The room lit up as the opposing magics sparked and crackled, each trying to overcome the other. But the shield held.

  Alexander added his own burst of Ray of Light, aimed directly at the drow apprentice. Another flash and the shield shimmered a bit as if weakening, but still held. Inside her protective bubble, the drow raised her staff and pointed it toward the nearest wall, which was behind the portal. She chanted loudly in a language Alexander didn’t understand, then spun the staff once. A stream of dark magic shot from the staff and impacted the wall with a resounding boom. The wall actually screamed as the dark magic blast struck the light-blessed stone. Alexander could see cracks form in the wall, but it held.

  Sasha saw it too. “Lugs! Brick! Take the rock trolls and get ready! She’s gonna make a hole!”

  The tanks and the rock trolls all scrambled up out of the trenches as another dark magic blast struck the wall. The cracks widened and bits of stone separated and fell to the floor. Brick and two other dwarves put hands on the wall. The cracks started to close and smooth over as the shapers tried their best to mend and reinforce the wall. Alexander was about to use his Earth Mover skill to raise a second wall in front of it when the drow changed tactics.

  She had been muttering a spell that he thought was a third strike against the wall. Instead she’d been preparing the Deathworm spell. She pointed her staff directly at him, and the thing blasted through the slot to hit him squarely in the chest.

  The worm failed to penetrate his legendary mithril shirt, but the force of the blast knocked him off his feet. The nasty worm landed inches from his face and scrambled forward to burrow into his cheek. The pain nearly sent Alexander into unconscious oblivion. Pure reflex caused him to raise a hand and take hold of the evil thing. He reached into himself and summoned the divine magic spell that Odin had given him as he tried to pull the thing from his mangled face.

  The worm screamed and spat some kind of ichor directly into Alexander’s mouth as it shriveled to ash under the divine magic’s power. Alexander gagged and vomited, but the substance clung to his gums and throat and began to burn. He could feel heals from Sasha or one of the other healers, but the burning continued. His health bar was dropping rapidly,
and an icon popped up on his UI to tell him he was poisoned.

  He fumbled his way to the nearest crate and gulped down a cure poison potion. The burning abated, but didn’t fade completely. His health bar still ticked down, but not nearly as quickly. He cast a Healing Light spell on himself, and the pain abated further. He was back above 50% health now, and he could feel one of Sasha’s druidic heals sink into him.

  As he got back to his feet, a booming sound told him the drow had managed to break through the wall. Moving as quickly as he could, he rounded the end of the building and joined Brick and the others. The two minotaurs who had assigned themselves as his guards took up position on either side of him, bows already firing rapidly into the breach in the wall.

  Brick, Lugs, and the rock trolls had formed up in front of the hole, shields up and ready. Warren, Helga, Pollock and his guys, along with all the other melee type players were right behind them with weapons ready. Sasha and Lyra moved to stand by Alexander along with Beatrix and Misty, Max and Lainey.

  Sasha shouted. “Crossbows! Keep firing! Kill everything that comes through that portal! Adventurers to the breach! If they break through we’re in trouble!”

  One of the three elite demons was down, and the other two were staggering. Their health bars were barely more than a sliver. As Sasha cast Trap Soul on them, scores of bolts pincushioned both of them. And their bodies were scored from the light cannon beams. Alexander watched as they both fell, opening the path for all six light cannons to focus on the drow’s shield. The resulting light display was hard to look at. Alexander cast Wizard’s Fire at her, the flames adding to the jumble of magic roiling across the surface of the shield.

  As more demons poured through the portal, the drow apprentice threw them at the breach. They slammed into the tanks’ shields in a frenzy, roaring and screaming in rage. Brick looked tiny next to Lugs and the massive rock trolls with their six foot tall shields, but he held his own. He dug in his feet and leaned into his shield, maintaining his place in the line. Lugs took several of his long spears out of his bag and passed one to each rock troll. In moments they were all skewering demons two and three at a time with powerful jabs. The press of the enemy slacked just a bit, and Brick took the opportunity to cast a Holy Smite at the drow apprentice.