I don’t know how long it took to wipe out the Anvilton party but when it was done, me, my friends and the Hammerton Dwarves stood victorious, though not unscathed. I saw a few of the Hammerton Dwarves standing over a few of their comrades’ corpses, mourning their losses.
“Well that worked out, mates,” said Heath, appearing next to me, my spear lashing out on instinct and almost getting him stabbed for his troubles. Luckily, Heath ducked just in time to avoid it, “Right, appearing out of nowhere after an intense battle is probably not the best idea.”
“You think?” Baby asked, glaring at the Thief, the small Fairy landed next to Rose, her mana pool almost completely depleted.
“I’m just glad you all showed up when you did,” I said, happy to have my friends with me.
“Kind of crazy trying to take them all on by yourself, mate,” commented Heath. “I’m kind of impressed.” Heath, the Thief and ex-player killer was odd to say the least. He spoke with a bad British accent, had a swagger that mimicked an old rock’n’roller (or so he claimed), and he was trying to become a Bard. Actually, it was called a Jack of All, an advanced Thief class that was also a Bard, a hybrid class if you will. Once upon a time, Heath was a very serious player killer that went by the nom-de-plume ‘Morte Affiture’. After having his level reduced back to 1 by a different Warrior Priest that worked for a different Goddess, he decided he needed to change his ways. He was still a work in progress.
“Heath’s got a point,” said Baby.
“It wasn’t my intention to take them all on but one of them recognized me. The guy Pwn Star69 was the first player killer I delivered Justice to. He was the guy that killed me not even a minute after I logged into the game world,” I explained.
“Wow, then you’re just lucky we were close,” said Rose, slipping her helmet off her head, letting the dark red curls free. Rose was a Vampiric Knight, Squire rank. She was a half-Vampire, half-Dark Elf and all kinds of awesome as a tank. In time she would supposedly learn a bunch of Vampire Knight skills that went beyond the snake familiar, named Panther, that hung around her neck like a necklace. “Anyway, where are Micaela and Olaf?”
“They’re around here somewhere,” I said, looking around the battlefield. “Unless they died again,” I added, looking to my party status. It reflected them both as alive but didn’t give a location.
“Here you are, Bye-bye,” interrupted the Duchess herself before I could start to look for my friends. “This is a fine mess you have gotten us into.” The Duchess Mardi was a Dwarf, formerly a Dwarven Goddess that gave up her divinity for love only to be betrayed. That betrayal came from the son of the Duke of Anvilton, which began the hostility between the two cities. Hostilities, which over the last one hundred years, seemed to have now escalated into a full-blown war.
“Wait, how is this my fault?” I asked, confused.
“Because I said so,” Mardi retorted, the corners of her mouth upturning slightly.
“Whatever you say, Mardi,” I said, rolling my eyes and sharing a look of amusement with Rose.
“Are we waiting for Micaela and Olaf or what?” Heath asked, scanning the area.
“Vision should be able to show them the way,” said Rose. “I think it would be best if we got Mardi back to Hammerton.”
“I agree with Rose,” I added. “Once the Duchess is safe, we can go look for them if they don’t catch up.”
“Works for me,” said Baby, fluttering upward into the air on her six shimmering Fairy wings. “Let’s get some buffs spread around then get moving.”
Then a pair of booms echoed through the woods followed by howling and a scream of “Oh God, not the face! No, the face, the face, I was wrong!”
“Don’t want to know,” said Heath, shuddering.
Olaf and Micaela returned a minute later, Olaf looking pale as a ghost and Micaela nearly skipping, a sugary sweet smile on her face.
“Right, buffs,” I said, trying to just move on from whatever happened. Some things were best unknown.
It took a few minutes to spread all the buffs around to my friends and the Hammerton Dwarven Patrol. Speaking of the patrol, there were almost a dozen of them, all between level 7 and 14. Six of the patrol had been relegated to carrying their dead. I wanted to take time to meet each of them, give them my condolences, but with the time constraints it was better that we got moving. There would be time for that later.
“Well, I’m going to hunt around, see what I can find. I’ll catch up with you all later,” said Heath, vanishing from sight.
“Form up,” yelled one of the Dwarves, this one had a blue gem in the front of her skullcap, my guess was some kind of rank signifier. The other Dwarves responded quickly, the six guards, including the one giving orders formed two columns of three on either side of the Duchess.
“Bye-bye, Rose, walk with me,” ordered Mardi, motioning to the space next to her.
Not needing to be told twice, Rose and I stepped in line with her.
“This is Captain Grandmite,” said Mardi, motioning to the Dwarf in the middle of the column next to her. “She’s as loyal as they come.”
“Thank you, your Grace,” said the Dwarf,
“Captain Grandmite, this is Bye-bye Jacko and Rose Thorns,” Mardi continued. “They are to be given every courtesy while staying within the walls of Hammerton. That said, as much as they are my personal guests, they have come to work. Do not hesitate to put them to work in defense of the realm. Am I understood?”
“Yes, your Grace,” said the Captain, straightening up, one of her gauntleted fisted hammering against her chest plate.
“Starting tomorrow, you can report to Captain Grandmite to see about helping,” Mardi said, addressing Rose and me again.
“Will do,” I said, not sure how I felt about reporting to a military structure. I suppose, I was technically a mercenary but having my group and I report to the town’s military worried me. I did not believe our group was best suited to working on a warfront . . . well, maybe Olaf was, but the rest of us were better served as a strike group, more mission oriented and less frontline fighters. I guess, time would tell.
We walked mostly in silence after that. As we went lower into the valley the trees thinned out, but the rock formations did not. If anything, they became much more frequent and significantly larger the further into the valley we went.
“Careful, though these may look to be the result of rock slides, they are most likely the work of Stone Giants,” warned Captain Grandmite, her voice laced with a very thick brogue. “The giant bastards have been in a tizzy the last month, someone or something be stirring them up.”
As we got closer to Hammerton, the terrain smoothed a little but there were still giant rock formations jutting into the sky at random creating a natural maze. If I hadn’t been able to see the giant Hammer-shaped Tower looming above us, I am certain I would have gotten lost in there.
“You’ll be getting your first look at the gates in a moment,” said Mardi excitedly as we started walking down a stone hewn slope into a torchlit tunnel. “It is going to be so good to be home again.”
As we cleared the tunnel we emerged into a large open space, covered in flat rectangular stone work for a hundred yards. To my right I could see three more tunnel entrances and directly across the courtyard stood a massive stone door, the gateway towered over all of us, standing six or seven times my own height. On either side of the doorway stood a massive wall, dozens of cannons could be seen poking out over the edges of the battlements.
Above the battlements there were several fortress structures built right into the side of the mountain and in the very center stood the monolithic hammer.
Approaching the doors there was a loud grinding sound and the clanking of gears, the doors slowly shifting, giving us our first look at the Dwarven city of Hammerton just beyond.
“Welcome to my home!�
� Mardi cheered. “Welcome to Hammerton!”
Chapter 2
I didn’t expect the wash of heat that hit me as we walked through the massive arched gateway. Feeling the heat made me realize just how cool the mountainous air outside actually was. The adrenaline from the fighting, and trying to survive, served to warm me and make me oblivious to the chill.
“Ah, feel that heat from the forges, it is good to be home,” said Mardi, sighing contentedly.
Past the gates, there must have been at least a hundred heavily armored soldiers, each with a pike three times taller than the soldier that carried it. It was an impressive sight to see so many armored Dwarves standing ready to defend the city. Beyond the soldiers were another set of gates, though much smaller than the main gate.
Mardi exchanged a few quiet words with Captain Grandmite. Then the Captain saluted her before turning away and started to order the other soldiers about.
“Well, let us get you all settled in,” said Mardi, addressing my friends and me.
Mardi led us through the second set of gates which emerged into a large thoroughfare made of dark stone brick. Above our heads, the ceiling was white marble, or something similar. Massive, firelit bronze braziers hung from thick bronze chains, lighting the entirety of the street. The street itself seemed to be on a slope going down into the mountain. And on either side of the street, shops and homes were carved right into the mountain. It really was a mountain town and a very impressive sight to behold.
Following the Duchess into the city, I couldn’t help but feel slightly awed by Mardi as she said hello to every citizen on the street, greeting each of them by name, then asking about their husbands, wives, boyfriends, girlfriends or their children if they had any, and all by name. I had been impressed by Mardi’s crafting skills, I was more impressed by how much she cared for her people and how much they seemed to care for her.
“The forges are deep into the mountain, long ago the founders of this magnificent city burrowed deep into the earth. They burrowed so deep, they came to a place where heat was so intense, it melted rock and metal alike. Seeing the value of such heat, the founders hired a variety of spellcasters to help with the creation of a system of pipes to bring that heat to the forges and circulate it back down into the earth. It allows us to work with the toughest of metals, even mithril. While it does not have the power of my father’s forge, it is still very impressive,” Mardi explained with pride, then added with a bit of venom, “Unfortunately, the ruddy coal suckers to the south stole the plans and built a forge of their own similar to ours.”
I felt for Mardi, being betrayed as she had been, but I couldn’t help but feel there was more going on. Her whole back story reeked of something bigger at work. It also made me think back to the message the portal gave me before we came to the Hammer and Anvil Mountain Valley.
Hammer and Anvil Mountain Valley – Level 5-10 *Recommended Level 10-15 due to current conflict*
The Dwarves of the Hammer mountain have been at odds with the Dwarves of Anvil mountain for years and the valley that separates them is on the verge of becoming a battlefield. If that weren’t enough, the Rock Giant tribes have become agitated and have begun attacking at random. *Chaos has taken up residence, travelers be wary*
‘Chaos has taken up residence, travelers be wary.’ Did that mean that the embodiment of Chaos was living here? Or was it another of his or her agents at work? Then there was my own quest from the Goddess Issara.
Class Quest Alert: Survive!
The Goddess Issara has asked that you survive whatever is awaiting you in the Hammer and Anvil Mountain Valley. More than that, the Goddess Issara has asked you to win.
Reward: Experience, Sigils of the Goddess Issara
Like that wasn’t at all ominous. Remembering this was a quest I couldn’t refuse made it more ominous, if that was at all possible.
Mardi continued the tour pointing out various shops, simple grocers and the like. She mentioned that all the serious shops and profession trainers were near the forge, which I made note of. I was also making a mental map of everything she pointed out and little tidbits I could glean from her when she would mention something that I would consider a curiosity. Things like ‘That’s old Winston Winsome, poor old fellow has never won at anything in his life. But his brother Losston Winsome never seems to lose.’ Or ‘Gabi Gabermach is the town gossip, if there is dirt to be found, she’ll find it.’ Each one would need to be visited at some point just to see if I couldn’t manage to sniff out a quest or two, I just couldn’t seem to help myself when I caught the scent of a mystery. Plus, we had almost 20-days to figure out how to resolve whatever it was that was happening here, I was bound to have some downtime, it wasn’t like a full-scale war was going to break out tomorrow or the next day.
Eventually the road split into two paths, going left and right, curving around as they went deeper under the mountain. The split of the road was capped off with what looked like a guard post with another gate, though this one look more ornate with a bronze embossed image of a giant smithing hammer.
“Through here is my personal residence,” said Mardi. “Now, I know I have offered you up to working with the Captain, but I would still like to have you close. It would mean a lot to me if you be my guests for the duration.”
“We’d be honored,” said Olaf, accepting on our behalf.
“Excellent,” said Mardi, beaming. She turned swiftly back toward the gate and motioned for the guard to open it.
Following Mardi inside, I was amazed all over again. I mean, the city was amazing already, but this was something special. It was a massive cavern. It was filled with green moss and glowing mushrooms every color of the rainbow, and in the middle was a large lake. I could even hear animals moving around, the croaking of frogs and the buzz of insects filling the air. The stalactite covered cavern ceiling could have been confused for the night sky with the way it sparkled in the low light, it made me wonder if they were precious gemstones or perhaps a metal vein.
Just at the edge of that lake was a manor house, much larger than the one we stayed in while we were in Root City. Like the other buildings we had seen, this one seemed to have been carved from solid rock though it was considerably more stylish with massive pillars and intricately carved reliefs embossed with bronze.
“This was once my temple, when I surrendered my divinity it became my home,” Mardi explained. “Hopefully, when my divinity is restored, it will become my temple once more.”
“We’ll do everything we can,” I promised. It might have been a little greedy on my part, I wanted to complete my ‘Spear of Gungnir’, a weapon that was supposedly capable of slaying a God . . . supposedly.
Legendary Quest: Spear of Gungnir II
Find the blueprints and required materials for the next level of the Spear of Gungnir.
Reward: Experience, Spear of Gungnir II
We had found the blueprints but now we needed to collect the materials . . . material, there was only one that I was aware of. According to Mardi, I needed to acquire the still beating heart of a stone giant. Something Mardi expressed as being unbelievably difficult. I suppose we would find out when we tried to obtain said material.
Inside the home wasn’t nearly as opulent as the exterior indicated. The walls were clean white with a few paintings hung, though they appeared to be more personal in nature as there was no discernable pattern to the artwork. The furniture was similarly clean, but seemed more eclectic in nature, the chairs not quite matching the couch or each other.
And much to my surprise, there was a familiar face there to greet us.
“Welcome back, mistress, I trust your journey was safe as you seem to have arrived undamaged,” greeted Barkley, the Human butler that had managed the Duchess’ manor while we were in Root City.
I had thought he was going to be staying in Root City. Actually, I thought he was assigned to the house by the Human government or King. When we left, the manor was still in quite a bit of disrepair ins
ide, though the damage done by the Stonebreaker Mafia was slowly being repaired. I also cringed a little as he reminded me of the other looming quest, one that we already came far too close to failing after said mafia group kidnapped the Duchess with the intent of forcing her to marry the Dwarven Mafia Boss, Cap Alone.
Quest Alert: Extended Guard Duty: Protect the Daughter of Ivaldi (Recommended Level 8-10)
The Dwarven God Ivaldi has asked you to protect his daughter and help her through her strife.
Reward: Experience, Mystic Variable Piece of Gear
“Barkley, old chap, good to see you,” said Heath, appearing out of nowhere. As usual, his sudden appearance made several of us jump.
“Good to see you as well, Master Heath,” the butler returned flatly, not startled in the slightest that I could see.
“Heath, where did you come from?” Rose asked before the rest of us could. “I thought you said you were going hunting or something?” It was a good question as even I had failed to spot him with my ‘Perception’ subskill ‘See Intrigue’.
Perception
Level: 29
Experience: 3.22%
Skill Range: 12.90 yards
Chance to See: 17.25%
Chance to Identify/Track: 24.50%
Subskill: Beast Tracking
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to see animal tracks to better hunt them.
Subskill: Humanoid Tracking
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to track humanoids.
Subskill: Eye for Detail
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to see details that would be missed otherwise.
Subskill: Spot Trap
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to see hidden traps.
Subskill: Analyze Stamina
Skill Effect (Passive): Enables you to see target Stamina
The Mountain Valley War Page 3
