Delly fell to one knee, and Esther rushed toward her. The barbarian’s health was at 56 out of 1200, and the rogue thought she could see each of the 1144 damage etched across her body as a cut, bruise, or open wound. Blood and gore covered the woman’s dark skin, giving Esther pause as she reached out to hug her. “Gromphy,” the woman scolded, “get over here and help her.”
The goblin didn’t like taking orders from Esther, but he complied, and within moments, Delly’s body looked pristine, and her health climbed. The barbarian’s descent from her rage happened more gradually this time. Since she hadn’t pushed to the point of exhaustion, she transitioned smoothly without total collapse. As Esther helped her up, Delly still wobbled on her feet a bit, but it was nothing like before when she had labored to stay conscious. After a few calming breaths and another potion from Gromphy, the woman looked better, regal even, like a desert queen.
Jace took a knee and bowed before her. “The throne is yours,” he said, motioning toward the empty dias. The actual chair still lay on the floor behind it where Vulder had recovered from Delly’s deadly attack. The barbarian stared at the toppled throne, understanding the symbolic nature of the image. Zamora had no leader. More than that, the desert kingdom had no monarch. Vulder had been the Vice Regent, holding down the throne until the king returned. He had meant to be that king, an undead ruler that would reign for generations. She had defeated him. The throne was now hers if she wanted.
Delly walked over to the chair, easily picking up the massive seat, flexing her powerful muscles, and setting it down gently on the dias. She retrieved her axe from the floor and stored it in her inventory along with the mace. Moving around to the front of the raised platform, she contemplated the empty throne for several moments.
“What am I supposed to do?” she asked. “I didn’t want this. I just wanted . . .”
“Freedom?” Esther said, moving to stand alongside her. “As long as I’ve known you, you wanted to be free. Now you are, and you have a chance to give that to your people.” She pointed outside at the steady rain. “Your land was under a curse, and your city under the control of an evil dictator. You’ve ended both of those with one fell swing of a mace. Now, your people need a leader.”
“But it can’t be me,” Delly said, turning to face her friend. “I am a . . .” her eyes fell on the dead bodies around the room, several torn apart by her bare hands. “I’m a monster,” she finished. “And before that, I was . . .”
Her eyes found Esther again, and the rogue knew she was thinking of her time as an escort at the Gilded Swan. “And before that, you were a slave,” she said. “Just like the people in the city below us. Who better to lead them toward freedom?”
“Sonan,” Delly replied. “Sonan, Son of Cam. He was supposed to do this, not me. This is his throne. He was prophesied to defeat Lord Vulder.”
“No, he wasn’t,” Jace said, moving to stand next to Esther. “The prophecy said his rage would bring liberty. That rage is now inside you.”
Delly suddenly recoiled from the throne. “I can give it back,” she said. “I must give it back. I stole it. I should never have had it in the first place.”
“But you . . .” Esther started, and Jace put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.
“If that is what you want,” Jace said. “We can help you.”
Esther looked up at him, confused. He smiled back. “I think I know what will happen,” he whispered. “Trust me. Also, can I have my necklace back?”
Esther had swapped the illusion medallion for her Athletic charm a while ago and fished into her gem bag to retrieve the item in question. She handed it to Jace, and he quickly assumed his human persona. “Let’s go,” he said, leading the way toward the double doors exiting the throne room. Jace waited until his crew caught up, allowing Delly and Esther to stand beside him before he opened the door. The foyer overflowed with people. Two dozen guards stood at the front, fighting back against a press of a hundred excited citizens.
Jace had imagined that their fight on this top-level had not gone unnoticed by the citizens below, and anyone with a hint of magical power would have been able to deduce that it was the source of the ominous storm clouds and now the rain. He had never imagined this level of response from the people, but he wasn’t about to let it go to waste. Once his group emerged from the throne room, the massive crowd calmed and quieted in anticipation of an announcement.
“People of Zamora!” Jace cried out in the loudest voice his human lungs could muster. “As many of you may have assumed, Lord Vulder and his companions are the ones responsible for the plague that has dried up your land and cut off the rest of your kingdom, destroying your former prosperity and sentencing you to a life of poverty and servitude.” Jace doubted that any of the people gathered here had ever thought that, as the plot twist was a relatively new addition to this module. Still, dozens of citizens nodded their heads and whispered, “I told you so,” to whomever would hear them.
“Fear not,” Jace continued, quieting the crowd. “His tyrannical rule and the plague are both ended. I give you Delilah Sorek, Child of the Desert, Slayer of Lord Vulder, Rainmaker, and your Barbarian Queen!”
The crowd erupted in cheers as Jace stepped aside to reveal Delly standing awkwardly behind him. “I told you I didn’t want this!” she whispered harshly, barely audible above the roar of the adoring crowd. The guards stood at quick attention, awaiting her orders.
“It’s yours till you give it away,” Jace said with a smirk.
“Then let’s hurry,” she said and started walking toward the far side of the room.
“Make way!” a few of the guards called. “Make way for the queen!”
The dense crowd parted before them, guards quickly lining a narrow path through the people. Jace walked behind her, with Esther and the rest of his crew on his heels. The people fell to their knees as she passed, praising and thanking her for all she did. Many of the people wept with joy. The path led to the travel node, and Jace activated it as soon as he drew near. Several options opened up to him, and he took the one that made the most sense.
When the void dissipated around him, they stood in a cave deep beneath the city.
“Where are we?” Delly asked, not recognizing the scenery.
“At the entrance to the underground mines,” Jace replied.
“Why didn’t you take us directly to him?” Delly asked. “I want this power, this responsibility, out of me as quickly as possible.”
Jace shrugged his shoulders. “The way was blocked. There must be something we need to resolve to open access to the lower levels.”
“Whatever,” she replied. “Lead on.”
Jace led the group with Esther close beside him. She hadn’t been in these exact tunnels, as she had taken a far less direct route, but she recognized where they were and soon could give him directions. They passed several guard stations, and the rogue’s instincts told her to hide, but Jace kept a hand on her to stay close and visible. Every guard grew cautious at first, but as soon as they saw Delly walking tall in the middle of the group, they snapped to attention and bowed at her passing, saying things like, “Your Highness” and “Your Majesty.”
Delly grunted in return and pushed Jace to move faster, never once questioning the game mechanics that allowed word of her ascent to precede their travel. After several intersections, they finally came to the hold-up and why Jace was not permitted to transport directly to the dwarven level.
Groups of kobolds and gnomes huddled together in a large open cavern with human guards trying to keep the peace. The conflict had only recently deescalated from violence, and the evidence lay about the stone with bodies and blood from both races scattered about. The humans had no idea how to navigate the situation as leaders from both sides began calling out outrageous demands.
One guard saw Jace’s crew approach and rushed over to stop them. “I’m sorry, we aren’t letting anyone through. The situation down here is too volatile for . . .” his voice trailed off when he saw Delly. He fell to his knee. “I’m sorry, your Highness. I didn’t know you were coming.”
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“What is the problem?” she asked, clear agitation in her voice. She only wanted to get through.
“The kobolds and gnomes are fighting,” he reported. “They both refuse to work as long as the other stays within the caves. We don’t know what to do.”
Delly had no desire to negotiate or compromise. Her barbarian mind only dealt in absolutes. She pushed past the guard and walked between the feuding sides. The shouting died down as she made her appearance, and soon, everyone looked on with rapt attention. “If you can not work beside each other, then you can all leave,” she said. “We no longer require your services.”
“But the city walls . . .” the gnome leader spoke up.
“And the weapons we makes . . .” a kobold said.
“Irrelevant,” Delly said. “The plague is ended. Walls will no longer be needed to hold out the desert monsters, and we won’t need weapons to fight them. The kingdom must be rebuilt, and Zamora will be its new capital. We will be the center of trade and be richer than ever before. Those who can extract precious metals and stones and ship them to the rest of the kingdom will become rich. But it won’t be you. Now, get out of my mines!” Her voice raised to scream at the end of her speech, and her final words shook the earth around them as she drew upon her immense power.
The minor earthquake startled the humans, but to the cave-dwelling races, who understood the power Delly wielded, the woman had just become a goddess. They all dropped to their knees. “We didn’t know . . .” the gnome stuttered. “We would be honored to serve you and the kingdom.”
Delly turned her eyes on the kobold spokesman. “Wh-what he says,” the less articulate created muttered.
“Good,” she responded. “Then get back to work. The hatred you have for each other pales in comparison to the power I wield and the profit we all stand to gain. You would be fools to let it destroy you.”
The gnomes all chanted together in affirmation while the kobolds remained silent but nodded their assent. “Then what are you waiting for?” Delly shouted. “Be gone!” The earth shook again, and the two feuding races scattered. Within a minute, only the human guards remained.
Most of the men had fallen to their knees, and now some of them rose. “You are a true leader,” one of them said. “Thank you. The way should be clear before you.” He bowed and beckoned toward the far side of the cavern that led toward the dwarves.
Delly grunted in response and offered a slight nod in the guard’s direction. She strode forward purposefully. Within seconds, Esther was prancing beside her. “That was awesome, Delly. You will make a great queen.”
“Shut up,” the barbarian muttered, though Esther was pretty sure the tough woman suppressed a smile.
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The dwarves treated Delly and her entourage with similar respect and willingly led the group down to the lowest level, where Sonan trudged in an endless circle. Jace hadn’t been to the lower mines before, and Gracie hadn’t been able to see through Esther’s eyes when she had visited, so he took in the spectacular view for the first time. Activity seemed to increase two-fold when Delly arrived as if the dwarves wanted to impress the new queen with their industriousness. Jace was more interested in Sonan.
The huge man wore only a loin cloth and pushed the four-spoked wheel without ever looking up. Even when the group reached the lower level and the dwarves continued to enlighten Delly about their exploits, the barbarian slave never lifted his gaze from the circumference of stone he had traveled since the inspection of this module. Jace thought the man’s heavy footfalls should have dug a trough around the axile, but the game didn’t account for that. Instead, his tiny stone island stood smooth and clean in the lake’s center, over 100 feet from any edge.
“I wish to speak to him,” Delly said, drawing Jace’s attention and ending the dwarve’s self-aggrandizing. “How do we get out there? Or can he come to us?”
“Lord Vulder said he was never to leave the island,” the lead dwarf said. “I can not . . .”
“Lord Vulder is dead,” Delly said, sending a slight tremor through the ground to punctuate her statement. She glanced at Jace before continuing. “I am in charge now. I want to talk with him.” The stone shaman smiled. In order to get what she wanted, she had to assume authority. He wasn’t convinced she would give it up so easily.
“But the water he is pumping . . .” the dwarf continued in one last effort.
“It is raining outside,” Delly said. “The city will find its own water going forward. Bring him here.”
That ended the arguments, and after a brief discussion, a dwarven cleric activated a ward carved in the stone, and an arched bridge reached out toward the island. This did cause Sonan to stop walking. The wheel stopped instantly as the man regarded the intrusion into his space and then followed the arch back to the waiting group. When his eyes found Delly, he went weak in the knees. Jace heard her breath catch when their eyes met. The cut scene he had watched had not watered down their lovemaking, and that passionate encounter was the last time either of them had seen each other.
The dwarves shouted instructions to the brute, and he obeyed, marching across the bridge, his eyes never leaving Delly’s. Esther and Gromphy found themselves standing between the barbarians and quickly vacated the space. The dwarves gave constant warnings for the man to behave and stop at the edge of the bridge, all of which Sonan ignored. The clatter of weapons filled the cavern as dwarves readied axes and hammers, but Delly’s raised hand stopped them. Her eyes stayed on Sonan’s and she saw no hostility there. Instead, the big man walked right up to her and dropped to one knee, finally averting his eyes and staring at her feet. “My queen,” he said.
“I’ll have none of that,” Delly blushed. “Rise and look me in the face.” He did so. Jace saw Delly tremble at his closeness. “I have something that belongs to you,” she said.
“I agree,” he said. “Though if you speak of the throne or the power of this land, you can keep them. They belong to the one who uses them best. I feel they have chosen you, and I can not argue.”
“But I do not want them,” she replied.
“And you think I do?” he smiled. “Destiny and desire are not the same thing.”
“And what do you desire?”
“You do have something that belongs to me,” he answered.
Delly cocked her head. “And what is that?”
“My heart.”
Jace heard a sharp intake of breath beside him and turned to see Draya choking up at the sappy love story. He rolled his eyes.
“I never meant to take it,” Delly said, her eyes falling from his. “It was the curse they used when they sent me to you.”
Sonan cupped her chin in his hand and pulled her face back to his. “No. The curse was when they took you from me.” He leaned down to her.
“But the succubus,” Delly pleaded breathlessly. “I can’t control it.”
Sonan didn’t slow as he brought his face down to hers. “And how do you think you defeat a succubus?”
“True lo . . .” she started to say, but their lips met in a kiss, and her breath was stolen.
Beside Jace, Draya was crying. “Do you need a handkerchief?” he asked. She punched him in the arm.
Before them, Delly and Sonan embraced as the passion within their kiss deepened. Suddenly, her body convulsed and jumped. It looked like she wanted to scream and free herself, but the strong man held her close. The dwarves hadn’t sheathed their weapons, and they readied them now, fearing their long-time captive was hurting their new queen.
Delly convulsed one more time, and a hazy red image ripped itself from her body and screeched a blood-curdling sound. The dwarves recognized this demon spirit as the true enemy, and the clerics unleashed several spells at it before it could get its bearings and disappear into the stone. Jace ignored that fight and looked again at the barbarian pair locked together. Delly was limp at first, but as the dwarves successfully dealt with the succubus that had invaded her, her strength returned, and Sonan’s grip on her relaxed.
When the spirit finally died with a sound of tearing fabric, the lovers ended their kiss and hugged each other. “I don’t know how to rule a city, much less a kingdom,” Delly confessed once her breath returned.
“Neither do I,” Sonan replied. “How about we figure it out together?”
Delly had snuggled into his bare chest and now pulled back to look up at him. “I can live with that.” They kissed briefly again, and the new queen turned to look at Jace, Esther, and the rest of the crew. “I can’t thank you enough. I don’t think I will ever be able to repay you.”
“Just knowing you are happy and free is payment enough,” Esther replied.
“Though, ye hast many gems that are . . .” Gromphy started, looking around the vast cavern.
Jace shut the goblin up with a wave of his hand. “That won’t be necessary,” he said. “We are happy to have defeated the evil that plagued your land. Is there anything else you need?”
Delly still hugged Sonan as she contemplated her response. Obviously, ruling a kingdom was never part of her plan, and Jace could tell her mind was more focused on her male companion right now. However, a thought suddenly struck her. “What about the snakes? I have no desire to use them as Vulder did.”
Jace looked down at Gromphy. The goblin hoisted the green medallion he had stolen. “Already dealt with,” the crafter said. “All the serpents hath been killed or fled the city. Thou hast nothing to fear.”
Jace heard Draya breathe a sigh of relief. “Good,” she said. “If that is all, can we get back home? I’m starving.”
“That’s my line,” Esther said, and the two friends laughed. Delly and Sonan joined in.
Jace understood the quest was over, and it was time to leave. “It was an honor to assist you,” he said with a bow. “Hopefully, we will meet again.”
Esther said a final goodbye to her friend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Jace directed his crew to leave and asked Psycho to escort them out. He told Snowy to follow the elf and then used his familiar link to put his character on auto-follow so he could look over his character sheet while he walked.
Esther, Draya, and Jace had all leveled to 19 during this mission. Jace spent little time on himself. After dispersing his points in their usual locations, he picked a new class-specific feat and chose his last Totem range booster, bringing the bonus up to +15. He could now stay in contact with his totems even when they were 475 feet away. He rarely took advantage of this, but that was only because the last few missions had all been in wooden buildings.
Esther and Draya weren’t hard either. Jace took the last Lt. Blade feat for his rogue, giving her mastery and raising her attack base to 53. Draya took the first illusion training feat, giving her +2 to the difficulty of her illusion spells.
They were all now one level away from 20. Besides the regular boosts from hitting a level divisible by five, Draya would soon be able to turn into a dragon. Jace looked forward to that and exited his inventory to find that his group had navigated the dwarven cavern successfully and stood before a travel node. With the desert quest completed, Jace had the opportunity to send his crew home, and he took it.