Darkhand Read online

  Alpha World

  Book Seven:

  Darkhand

  Daniel Schinhofen

  Copyright © 2019 Daniel J. Schinhofen

  No parts of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without the written permission from the publisher.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Copyright © 2019 Daniel J. Schinhofen

  All rights reserved.

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter One

  Stacia woke them at the appointed time the next morning. Their thoughts turned to Vladimir’s revelation from the night before. The city of Peace held many dire secrets, all of them important in their own way. Sir Carter’s quest involving the Urn of Souls was something that could greatly impact the world. In addition, they had learned that Dimitry Dracon, once known as the Dragon Eater, was imprisoned under the city and Vladimir was going to kill him.

  Stacia’s face filled with dismay as she read an incoming message. “Oh, tha’ is nay good.”

  “What’s wrong?” Alburet asked.

  “We will be missin’ Erin’s weddin’,” Stacia said. “She sent out invites last week, just after we set out. The weddin’ be in two more days. Erin was askin’ if we were goin’ to make it, since we never answered the invitation.”

  “I don’t think we’ll be back in time,” Alburet replied. “I’m sorry.”

  Stacia shook her head. “We be doin’ this for our family. It be sad that we will miss her day, but Ma will help explain thin’s,” Stacia said, pulling out her Mindstone. “I just be hopin’ tha’ she will nay hold it against us.”

  “Between your mother and Wilbur, I’m sure she will understand,” Alburet said, taking her arm after she’d sent a reply. “We have to focus on the here and now, we’ll apologize after.”

  “I’m sure she’ll understand once we explain when we get back,” Fluff added.

  “Family can be prickly, but your family is close, so she’ll understand,” Karen said. “We’ll have dinner with them after we get back. Okay?”

  “Aye, it be for the best,” Stacia sniffled, holding back tears. “We be doin’ this for us, and we must make sure tha’ be our priority.”

  Alburet pushed the tent flap open. “Ladies, after you.” He silently hoped that Stacia would be able to put her sadness behind her.

  Armored and ready to start another day of travel, they left the tent. Kemper, one of the Shamans, was kneeling next to the fire cooking breakfast as they emerged. “Morning. You’re the first ones awake,” he greeted them.

  “That’s unusual,” Alburet said as he took a seat with Fluff to his left and Stacia to his right. “When is it my turn to cook breakfast?”

  “I think it’s the day after tomorrow,” Kemper replied. “Tomorrow is Rolland’s turn. Karen will be handling dinner tonight, though our stock of food for cooking is running low, so we might end up having to use rations.”

  “Guess we’ll have jerky and tea after the other stuff runs out,” Alburet said.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Vladimir said, appearing next to the fire from the darkness. “I have a bag with things to turn into meals.”

  Alburet’s eyebrow went up. “Are you feeling more sociable now that you’ve told us the truth?”

  “A certain weight did lift from me last night,” Vladimir replied. “We still need to hurry, though.”

  “We will,” Ioaniss said, coming into the light of the campfire with Sala behind him. “It seems that both your and Sir Carter’s tasks lie in the same direction inside the city, so maybe we can manage both of them.”

  Vladimir’s eyes flickered to Carter’s tent. “I hope that my sister doesn’t know that the Urn is in the city. If she finds out, she will surely seek to take it to Stein.”

  Ioaniss blanched, “Oh Justice, that would be catastrophic.”

  “Indeed,” Vladimir said dryly as Renful led the other Shamans to the fire.

  “Sorry we’re late,” Kim said, taking a seat near Stacia, with Rolland beside her.

  “It seems Carter is the one late this morning,” Vladimir sniffed.

  Renful went to Carter’s tent and began to knock on the post, haranguing the noble to wake. Carter abruptly exited after a few moments, making Renful step back. “I was already moving,” Carter told Renful with a flat stare.

  Carter got his tent put away as Renful came back to the fire. Kemper dished out the thin porridge for everyone, and Vladimir looked at his bowl with a frown. “Renful, make sure the provisions bag is accessible for dinner and other meals going forward.”

  “It will be done,” Renful said, his lips twisting in distaste as he looked at his bowl.

  Alburet agreed with their looks after taking his first bite of the hot, but distinctly bland, food. The meal was quick, with no one wanting to linger over it. Once the bowls had been washed and packed away, everyone made sure they were ready for the next attack as Ioaniss stood next to the Campstone.

  Alburet summoned Bob and Tiny, then copied all three of his minions. “Everyone ready for another day of sand and trudging?”

  “I don’t have to trudge all day,” Bob said as he and BJ took to the air. “Mother says we’re getting close to Peace. She’ll have the Infernals break off ahead of us, so as to not draw attention to us coming.”

  “She said that she was going to have them take up camping positions between here and there,” Tiny rumbled.

  “It seems that your connections are smoothing the way for us again,” Vladimir said to Alburet. “We’ve been able to travel faster than I would have if I hadn’t waited for you.”

  “Is everyone ready?” Ioaniss asked. Once they all nodded, Ioaniss pulled the Campstone. He quickly tucked it away and pulled his crossbow.

  Everyone was spread out, in case the first fight was another Elder Sandworm. Luckily, it was just three groups of Forgotten Dead, but the mobs had changed. Forgotten Shields, Forgotten Bastards, and Forgotten Shadows rose out of the sands.

  “I will take three of the Bastards,” Renful called out, his hands beginning to flow with the motions of a spell.

  The Shadows vanished into the still air while Sala, Tiny, and TJ clashed with the Shields, who were obviously Defenders.

  Gerald fell back next to Mary
sue and the Shamans. “The rogues will be coming for the healers. We need the other Bastards dealt with first.”

  Alburet summoned Imp Storm. “Get the Bastards that aren’t being controlled by Renful.”

  Fluff was flushed red, tail lashing as she waited for the Shadows to show, and Rolland was holding a cascading white and blue spell in his hands. Kim, Jones, Karen, and Vladimir were nowhere to be seen. Alburet turned his attention toward the healers. The hairs on his neck stood up as he looked at Marysue and shouted, “Rolland, cast it now!”

  Following the command, Rolland unleashed the Blizzard on top of the healers. All six Shadows appeared a few feet from their targets, their legs encased in ice as the spell anchored them in place and broke their stealth. “Nice timing,” Rolland said as he started casting another spell.

  The six Shadows split into Shadow Clones, which weren’t trapped in the ice. “That would have been the reason to wait,” Vladimir said, appearing behind one of the frozen Shadows and jabbing his blades into its back. “Kill the frozen ones and their duplicates will vanish.”

  Gerald used his area taunt to pull the Shadow Clones to him, then Ground Stomped to be sure he kept their attention. “Al, area burst on me.”

  “Imps, new targets. Burn the Clones down,” Alburet called out.

  “I’ll finish the Bastards,” Renful said, his new minions continuing their attacks on their former allies.

  Everyone else jumped on the Forgotten Shadow that Vladimir was attacking, while the healers backed away from Gerald. Alburet managed to keep his focus on the Shadow he was throwing Fire Blasts at, despite the Fire Bursts going off on top of Gerald.

  The Shadow Clones were blasted into nothing from the sheer firepower brought to bear on them. The Imp Storm vanished less than a second after the Clones had been dealt with, while the rest of the group moved to the third Forgotten Shadow.

  “I require some aid,” Sala called out. TJ and Tiny had both been slain by their targets, leaving Sala to handle all three Forgotten Shields by himself.

  Gerald glanced over in time to see the three Forgotten Bastards controlled by Renful attack Sala’s mobs from behind. “You’re good.”

  “So it seems. Ah, thank you,” Sala said as more heals washed over him.

  “Ice coming off,” Rolland called out. His Blizzard effect was about to break, and three of the Shadows still lived.

  “They’ll vanish,” Vladimir said as the ice holding the mobs began to crack.

  “Everyone, draw in toward the healers,” Alburet shouted. “Be ready for the attacks.”

  The ice broke and— as Vladimir had predicted— the Forgotten Shadows vanished. The trio of mobs reappeared after only a moment, and Alburet crumpled to the ground as six blades pierced him. Before the mobs could strike again, one was encased in ice and another in amber while Gerald taunted the third to him.

  Healing washed over Alburet from Marysue and the Shamans, bringing him back from a sliver of life. “Thanks,” Alburet gasped as he got to his feet. Fluff’s lips were pulled back in a feral rictus of hate almost matched in intensity by Karen’s as they turned on the mob Gerald had engaged. The Shadow was quickly butchered, and everyone turned to the two trapped mobs.

  “Dropping my spell,” Rolland said, giving them time to move closer to the enemy stuck in the block of ice before banishing the entrapment spell.

  The Forgotten Shadow had a single moment to realize it was surrounded before everyone piled onto it. For a few brief seconds, the Shadow had five Copies that tried desperately to peel its attackers off. However, it wasn’t enough, and the creature quickly fell.

  Sala rejoined them, trailed by Renful and the three Forgotten Bastards he had charmed. When the last Shadow came free of the amber trap, it was butchered almost instantly under the combined attacks of the group.

  Alburet summoned Tiny again once the fight was over. “Thanks for holding as long as you could.”

  “It is my job, master,” Tiny rumbled.

  He Copied Tiny while the others looted the corpses. Vladimir was already visibly ready to move on. “Well, looks like the morning excitement is done,” Alburet chuckled.

  “That wasn’t fun,” Marysue said with a sigh. “I would’ve needed to use a potion if that had gone on much longer.”

  “We have plenty,” Vladimir said as he started walking. “If you need to use one, do so. I’ll make sure you are restocked.”

  As they resumed their trek across the sands, Gerald fell into step with Marysue. “He seems a bit easier to talk to today.”

  “Ever since he told us about his brother,” Marysue replied with a nod.

  “He did say he felt less burdened this morning,” Fluff added.

  “The fact that we didn’t get upset with the revelation probably had something to do with it,” Alburet chimed in.

  “How far out from the city do you think we are?” Karen asked as the sun finally broke the horizon.

  “I see a group ahead of us,” Ioaniss called out, the light of day allowing them to see farther.

  Everyone turned their attention to what Ioaniss was looking at. Half a mile or so ahead of them, a small group lounged on the sands. Two smaller forms darted in the air above them.

  “Infernals,” Alburet said as he caught up to Jones and Dracon at the front of the group. “I should take the lead here, I think.”

  “That is a valid point,” Vladimir said, stepping aside for Alburet and Stacia as she joined them. “We’ll be ready to assist.”

  “I doubt it will be needed,” Alburet said as they continued toward the Infernals.

  As they got close enough to talk, the Greater Succubi and Greater Destroyers got to their feet, smiles plastered on their faces. “Greetings, Alburet. Gygax said you would be here soon,” one of the Greater Destroyers rumbled. “We will be staying here for a day before dispersing from this place. Know that your path behind is safe, for a time.”

  “Thank you,” Alburet said.

  “We have been tasked to clear your way to Peace. The last group will be stationed a few hours from the walls. That is the closest we will go, for fear of alerting those in the city that we are on the move.”

  “That is a good idea,” Vladimir said, approaching as Alburet spoke with the Infernals.

  “Mother is working with Gygax to make sure all is in order,” the Greater Destroyer said, glancing to Vladimir. “You are only a day or two from the city. We wish you the best of luck in your endeavor.”

  “We thank you,” Ioaniss said, openly studying the Infernals.

  The two Succubi smirked at Ioaniss, before licking their lips suggestively. “If you have time after your mission…”

  Ioaniss chuckled, “You’re not the first Succubi to offer. Alas, I shall need to return swiftly to the King and tell him of what has transpired once our mission is completed.”

  “Pity,” the one on the left sighed, “but if you make it back to the Dark Lord’s Keep, we shall greet you again, personally.”

  “I shall do my best to not keep you waiting long, then,” Ioaniss said, tipping his hat and following the others.

  “Give our thanks to Gygax and Mother the next time you see them,” Alburet said. “I would like to stay and chat longer, but the mission calls.”

  “You’ll see them before we do,” one of the Greater Imps said as it landed beside the others.

  “Fair enough,” Alburet said. He gave them a nod and started after the others. He and his three wives were the last ones to leave the group of Infernals.

  “Well, that will make part of this trip much easier,” Vladimir said as they caught back up to the others. “Let’s hope there isn’t a hidden knife in this gift.”

  “That doesn’t seem to be the Dark Lord’s way,” Ioaniss said. “He has always been very upfront when he’s displeased, from everything I’ve read.”

  “Hmm,” Vladimir went quiet as the group continued to trudge across the Dead Lands.

  Chapter Two

  The rest of the day had
been uneventful, though they did occasionally come across Infernal groups that were keeping the area clear for them. They even sometimes approached just as the Infernals finished killing off groups of the Forgotten Undead.

  Making camp as the sun set, Vladimir looked off toward the direction they would be continuing in the morning. Alburet stopped next to the Vampire after dismissing his minions. “Will you be able to kill him?”

  Vladimir’s gaze briefly swung to Alburet before turning to the sands again. “I’ve known this day would come since before you were born, Two-souled. I had once hoped to get there before he was found; my hubris has led us to this moment. I will drive my knives into his heart if it is the last thing I do.”

  “We’ll be there to help,” Alburet said, turning toward the tent Stacia erected. “See you at dinner.”