Max woke, yet he was in a dream. He was trapped in a dark tunnel, falling, ever falling. The voice of Janet was distant. She told him the dark portal was powerful. He might not be able to find it yet, but he could not escape it. Sooner or later, he would come to it, or it would come to him. If that happened, it would be disaster for all.
Max was falling high above Eveirea. He saw the two continents. Awen and Scarfel. The wide Kraken Sea separating the two. Several large islands in the northern Kraken Sea between the two continents. The Salt River dividing the western continent.
He fell. He saw dark flecks across the continent of Awen flicker and then vanish, leaving only a concentration in the forests of Deepwood. He searched the view as he fell, looking for the dark portal itself. He saw a fleet of ships leaving a harbor on the eastern continent, setting sail from the only harbor in an otherwise sheer wall of rock that ran the entire length of the western shore of Scarfel.
Max fell. He saw the ships loaded with darkness. Dark soldiers, goblins, beasts.
Max woke with a start as the wagon hit a bump in the road. Anita ran her fingers through his hair. She soothed him with soft Druid words.
“You slept the entire journey. I feared it was a magic sleep from which you would not wake.”
“I dreamed,” Max said. “Wild and vivid. I saw all of Eveirea. The Kraken Sea. Awen, Scarfel. Everything.” Max looked around. The wagon was empty.
“Where are the others?”
Anita pointed. At the front of the wagon, the canvas was rolled down, but Max could see the two figures sitting at the front.
“We are near Deepwood. We will go on foot soon.”
At that moment, Elderon called out in a low tone for the hogs to halt. The wagon slowed and then stopped. Jahrod pulled the canvas aside and looked in.
“On your feet, sleepyheads.”
Max climbed out of the wagon. The trees overhead were tall, and all had broad leaves. They were softer and thicker than the needles of the southern pines. They reminded him of oaks, only much taller.
Elderon turned the wagon in the road and slapped the hogs. They squealed and grunted and set off. Max couldn’t believe how fast they moved, their legs swinging underneath them at a smooth and steady rate, pulling the wagon behind.
“Is it ok to leave them?” Max said.
Elderon walked on towards Deepwood. “They know the roads. Captain Fineblade is not far ahead. We go on foot.”
The morning was fresh and cool under the forest canopy, but after an hour’s walk, Max felt the sun streaming through the trees. He felt something he’d not felt out in the wilderness before. It was warm. It was getting hotter by the moment. Anita unbuttoned her cropped tunic. Max wasn’t sure how much more she could take off. The top under her tunic was tiny, barely covering her. She shoved her tunic into her pouch and fanned herself with her hand.
“Wow, it is hot here.” She held up her hair and wafted her neck.
Jahrod was sweating too, beads of sweat on his forehead pouring into his bushy eyebrows and beard. Max hoped he didn’t also start stripping.
“You call this heat?” Jahrod said. “Try a league underground in the Kingdom of Eastwind mines in high summer. This is still cool.”
Max didn’t mind the extra heat, but he did wonder if he would be able to sleep next to Anita now. She was so hot it had been a comfort on cold nights, but if it was to remain warm and even get hotter, could he handle it? He looked at her. She was so beautiful. He decided he would simply endure the extra heat.
She turned and caught his gaze. They shared a smile. Before they could turn their attention back to the road ahead, Elderon and Jahrod stopped in their tracks.
Max looked forward. The road was blocked by a pair of tall, dark figures, heavily armored. One held a sword, the other a two-handed war hammer. Max recognized the threat. He checked their stats in the dappled shade on the road.
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> Name: Death Knight
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> Status: Hostile
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> Attack: Longsword. Dark Terror
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> Threat level: Insidious
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> Name: Death Knight
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> Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
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> Status: Hostile
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> Attack: War Hammer. Dark Terror
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> Threat level: Insidious
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Max loaded his catapult. He drew back the golden roc sinew and took aim. Elderon cast Shield on the party, and Anita cast her attack and defense bonus spell on the party. Jahrod stepped forward a pace and made ready with his axe.
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> Death Knight attacks Max.
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The Death Knights burst into a run. One appeared to be focused on Jahrod, and the one with the war hammer was looking directly at Max. He shot his bullet.
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> Max attacks Death Knight; no damage done.
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> Random effect: Fairy Lights
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The bullet bounced off the Death Knight’s armor with no effect. The brightly colored lights twinkling around the Death Knight’s helmet seemed to irritate it more than anything else. The Death Knight waved away the lights, but they remained, twinkling in pretty colors. It slowed its pace a fraction.
The first Death Knight ran on and struck Jahrod a heavy blow with its sword. Jahrod stumbled back half a pace but came back with a heavy blow from his axe in instant reply. Jahrod had taken heavy damage but delivered a heavy blow himself. If Jahrod went toe-to-toe with the Death Knight, it would be a toss of the coin which one of them walked away from the battle at the end.
Max had time for one more shot as the Death Knight continued towards him, its war hammer in one hand, held out to the side. The huge war hammer was clearly very heavy, but the Death Knight carried it with ease.
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> Max attacks Death Knight; no damage done.
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> Random effect: Explosion
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The bullet bounced harmlessly off the Death Knight’s helmet, but the explosion knocked its head sideways. Even though the blast was clearly strong, the Death Knight didn’t slow its pace at all. He refocused on Max.
Anita cast Root Tangle, and brown tree roots burst upwards from the ground. The roots held both Death Knights and Jahrod in place. Jahrod traded blows with the Death Knight, both parrying the other’s attack and fending off blows with their weapons.
Max put his catapult away. It was doing no good. He began casting as the Death Knight tore at the roots at its shins.
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> Max casts Magic Missile.
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> Death Knight takes minor damage.
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The Death Knight took the damage, and it barely scratched its Health. At least Max had a full complement of active spells thanks to the rest in the wagon. He cast another Magic Missile. The Death Knight took minor damage. Then Elderon’s magic missile struck. It was much more powerful than Max’s but still only did moderate damage.
Max’s most powerful spell, the Fireball, would damage both Death Knights, but it would also damage Jahrod, who was locked in a slugging match with one of the Death Knights, both bound in by the Root Tangle.
Max drew his sword.
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> Max casts Sword Lightning.
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The bolt flew away from the sword and wrapped around one Death Knight and then leapt across to the second Death Knight. It held them both with the crackling blue energy for a moment.
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> Death Knight takes moderate damage.
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> Death Knight takes minor damage.
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Max sheathed his sword and cast another spell from his active group of spells.
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> Max casts Magic Missile.
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> Death Knight takes minor damage.
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Max knew he was burning through spells, but what was the point of keeping them if the Death Knights defeated his little party? Max poured the rest of his magic missiles into the Death Knight that was attacking Jahrod and reduced the Death Knight’s Health to heavily injured. But the other, the one still trying to get through the Root Tangle to Max, was only moderately injured.
The Death Knight broke free of the Root Tangle, the root fibers ripping and snapping. It took a step towards Max, only to be caught up again by more roots bursting out of the ground. One leg pulled at the roots and snapped free, and the Death Knight placed it forward, where it was caught again. The roots held firm even as the Death Knight struggled. Max could hear the strain on the roots, stretching and snapping sounds. The Death Knight broke free again and stepped forward, nearly clear of the area of effect, but a fresh set of roots wrapped around, and the Death Knight had to once again halt its advance.
Max stepped back and drew his catapult. It might be weak, but at least he could do some damage before the Death Knight could get a swing at him with that hammer. His shortsword was not much of a weapon against such a heavily armored and heavily armed foe.
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> Max attacks Death Knight.
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> Death Knight takes minor damage.
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> Random effect: Sleep
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The Death Knight stopped in its tracks. Its arms fell to its sides, the war hammer still held in its fist but lowered to the floor and getting tangled up in roots.
Anita shot bullets at the Death Knight facing Jahrod and delivered a few hits of minor damage. Then the Root Tangle spell faded, the roots returning to the ground.
Jahrod fell back a step and deflected a blow from the Death Knight’s sword.
“How long does the sleep last?” Max said to Elderon, taking a step back.
“It’s not a full-blown Mage spell, just a simple random magic effect. I don’t expect it will last very long at all.”
At that moment, the Death Knight woke from its brief sleep and raised its war hammer. Both Death Knights came forward in step with each other.
“If we focus our attacks on one at a time . . .” Max said as he took another step back.
Elderon drew his sword.
“Yes, target the more heavily damaged one,” Anita said.
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> Max casts Strength.
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The pair of Death Knights raised their weapons and increased their pace, closing the distance to Max’s party. Both Death Knights held their weapons before them, two-handed. A dark cloud grew on the weapons and then drifted slowly forward.
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> Death Knights cast Dark Terror.
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The black cloud hit. Max fell to his knees, suddenly overwhelmed by abject misery. Elderon bent double, gripping the sides of his head, staff and sword forgotten. Jahrod backed away, his axe dragging across the ground at his side. Anita began casting a Revive spell but gave up halfway, the spell fizzling out in her hands.
Max looked up as the Death Knights closed in. Overwhelmed with fear, he knew it was the end.