“La plus belle des ruses du diable est de vous persuader qu’il n’existe pas.”―Charles Baudelaire

  Murkwood—Dave Nelson

  Dave walked along inspecting the walls of Eris’ Rise. The defenses were coming along admirably. The walls were no more than mere wooden timbers but were mostly a defense grown in place with entwined branches of sacred ash, which gave it a durability far beyond what a standard wooden wall would have possessed.

  In the future the plan called for reinforcing the walls with a second layer of stone, but that project would likely take years. They had not even attempted it now with the limited timetable that they had. Besides, Dave hoped that this would be the last attack they would endure for a while and his new hope could grow in peace for a while. Of course, this was Eloria, so that was sadly unlikely.

  For now though, he was proud of the work of his people and honestly thankful for the contributions that had gotten them to this place. The dungeon had provided many of the resources necessary to get here, as had the simple contribution of the sacred ash. Even inspecting the wall, it was hard for him not to turn it into more of an inspection of their process as a whole.

  His people, and they truly had become that, had come so far. They were bonded to one another and to the Nelsons through shared hardships and a combining of efforts. The only citizens who were not Tier 2 now were children. There had been a great deal of debate but eventually even Emily had agreed to let the ten-to-fourteen-year-olds get a little power leveling.

  The people, especially the humans, loved their rulers all the more for it. Elves were always more willing to allow commoners to level although their nobles certainly never went out of their way to promote it. Reaching level nine might not make their older children perfectly safe, but it definitely gave them the ability to defend themselves against a stray goblin. In Eloria, safety was an illusion, perhaps it had been on Earth too. A chance was all anyone could reasonably expect.

  Almost half of the elves had been able to make it to Tier 3 and even a handful of humans. The numbers had surprised the paladins. While they had already been Tier 2 before coming to Eris’ Rise, so the boon had of course opened Tier 3, they were shocked by how many of the former serfs were able to reach that level. Sir Morganthal, the knight in charge of the defenses of the city, had pointed out in one of their council meetings that Eris’ Rise now likely had more Tier 3s than the rest of Albia combined.

  The realization had been shocking in many ways for Dave. He had met Max, the royal mage, and Captain Raddick, so his expectation might have been set too high to begin with. The paladins and knights, however, convinced him that there likely weren’t more than twenty Tier 3s in all of Albia. The number was never exactly known because unlike the system the Nelsons had set up, everywhere else level and tier were kept as largely personal issues.

  Now, even with only 50% of the elves and 20% of the humans at Tier 3, they far outnumbered the totals for the rest of Albia. This didn’t mean that every one of those people specialized in combat. Far from it. They were stronger and had more health, but many of the Tier 3s continued to focus on the things they had done before access to leveling had been a thing for them. They just became better at it.

  This resulted in Eris’ Rise enjoying cooking from Tier 3 chefs, who prepared dishes with ingredients grown by Tier 3 farmers, or wearing clothing crafted by Tier 3 tailors. Everything in life took on a finer quality, and Dave actually hated that he was going to have to call upon many of those people in the upcoming battle. This was because Eris’ Rise apparently enjoyed yet another benefit. The percentage of their citizenry who were capable of learning magic was also much higher than normal.

  All of these thoughts went through his head as Dave was doing his final inspection of the walls. Today, they would have the big war council that he had been dreading. Preparing for this was fun. Even the close calls in the dungeon had become few and far between. The actual battle would put people’s lives at risk, people he cared about.

  “Would you like a demonstration of how well the magcannon crews have mastered these weapons?” Sir Morganthal asked.

  The question reminded Dave that for the twentieth time he had lost focus in this tour. “No, I trust that you will have a report at the council meeting later today.”

  “Of course, m’lord.”

  “That will do for now, then. I feel the need for some private time,” Dave said. Then he looked at the bodyguards who followed him around everywhere he went besides inside the dungeon. “I’m sorry, but you can’t come with me. I just feel the need to be alone for a short while.”

  Without another word, Dave leapt from the top of the defensive platform atop the wall to the ground outside the city. His stronger body could handle the fall, but he used Lesser Repulsion to slow his fall and a technique he had been practicing. There was always so much to practice and he loved that, but if he was honest with himself, those times of training made this feel more like a game. He was struggling with how he could enjoy all of this so much, knowing that soon many of these people would be dead.

  Then a voice whispered in his mind, “But it is a game.”

  Dave hadn’t shared with anyone, even Emily, that the voice had been speaking more often. It wasn’t every day or even every week. It never seemed to speak to him while he was in the dungeon, but it did seem to be occurring with an increasing frequency. Usually always in very short statements like the last.

  He worried about his sanity. That concern was enhanced even more by some self-realizations about how he had acted lately. The transition to a completely alien world combined with the stress of protecting his family had resulted in his being a bit unstable. It was a hard pill for him to swallow even after Emily had pointed it out.

  As with most any true criticism a person hears from their spouse, he went through the stages of anger, denial, reversing the blame, justification, and hoped that he was now coming to terms with it. He had been petty in the beginning. Even while they faced life-and-death challenges, he had worried about being outleveled or being the last one to get a class. That was petty, and now in hindsight he could admit it.

  Then when he did gain everything he wanted, Dave was man enough to admit that it had gone to his head. Whether it was attacking the ogres back at the elven village or goblins at the wall, there had always seemed a justification in his head at the time. If he looked back further, he had actually taken foolish chances before when trying to level up in the early days.

  This was hard for Dave, because he had always prided himself on being the stable guy. He was the bedrock, and everyone around him—from wife, kids, clients, and friends—could count on him. At least they could count on him to meet his obligations. He didn’t always give as much of himself as they might have wanted, especially not to his family. This had only been highlighted more in Eloria.

  Yes, life was far more dangerous here. Yes, dealing with pragmatic realities was more important than ever before. Equally though, there were no smartphones, no streaming services or games to distract him. During the quiet moments between struggling for their lives, he had found too many awkward silences. He hoped that after the goblin threat was dealt with, he would have the time to relax more with Emily and the kids.

  Now though, he found himself out in the middle of the woods. He was no longer afraid of being out here. He was the alpha predator in these woods now. His class, level, and even land-ruler buff, which increased all of his stats by 25% while on the land he ruled, made him a veritable monster here. None of the creatures here naturally were above a weak Tier 2, and even those monsters, like the tiger from a few weeks ago, that managed to find their way here were all beneath him.

  There it was again. That line of thinking where he put himself above others. It wasn’t something that he wanted to think was natural. He wanted to blame it on how he was treated as a noble now. Or better yet, he wanted to blame it on the voice that was speaking in his head. Yet a part of Dave knew better. That arrogance had always lurked in him, a subtle sense that he was smarter than everyone around him. Usually he had always kept it reined in, hidden from everyone, including himself. That didn’t mean that it hadn’t always been there.

  Then an audible voice drew his attention. “It is about time you arrived. I was beginning to wonder if you had some way to resist the geas I placed on you.”

  Dave knew that voice. It sent a cold chill down his spine. He focused himself and tried to school his face so that he could turn to face it without betraying his fear, all while kicking himself for coming out here alone. As he turned to face Seimion, Dave said, “And here I was thinking that I was gonna getting a quiet stroll in the woods when in reality you were using some magic mojo to suck me out here.”

  The spiderkin mage stared back at Dave with his hood down. “You have such an odd turn of phrase at times. You share that with Him, you know.”

  “Him? You mean your master,” Dave replied.

  “He is the Master of all. I have told you this before. But I am here to ask if you have come to a decision yet.”

  “Why come ask me? Can’t you just read my mind? I hear your words whispered in my head all the time lately,” Dave asked.

  The expression on Seimion’s face changed briefly. Dave wasn’t sure what a surprised spider would look like, but he thought that it must have been the expression on the mage’s face. That made him think that perhaps he knew something the enemy didn’t know, and that gave him a moment of hope. Still, he waited for an answer.

  “Is it possible?” the spiderkin said more to himself than to Dave. So again Dave just waited. He watched as the mage paced back and forth.

  The mage then stared at him. “You are saying that you hear a voice in your head? That must be the Master speaking directly to you. You are blessed beyond measure, then. Know this, if only you bow your knee to the Master, he will raise you up above all others.”

  Determined to keep this deadly enemy off-kilter, Dave asked, “Even above you?”

  “Yes, above me. I would become your humble servant here. All of my power and knowledge would be yours to command. So the Master has told me. I just didn’t know that He was already speaking to you in your mind. This is such a great honor.”

  “It’s annoying is what it is. Makes sense though. So somehow I got lucky enough to have my own evil Jiminy Cricket giving me bad advice. I supposed next you will tell me to let my conscience be my guide,” Dave said, laughing at his own joke.

  “I don’t know what you speak of, but know that evil is only a word. As my people say, ‘the fly always thinks the spider is evil.’ Yet the fly has no more right to life than the spider does,” Seimion said.

  “How very Nietzschean of you, but I assume you aren’t here to argue moral philosophy.”

  “Quite right. I am here to ask if you wish to take control of the goblin horde. Have you come to a decision, will you be the spider or the fly?”

  “I am close to a decision, but we have a meeting today. I need to hear the thoughts of the others one more time. Besides, I don’t believe the time that you allotted me is gone. I know with the time dilation that I lose track sometimes,” Dave said while stalling for time.

  “Yes, the time is not up yet. I had simply hoped that you had come to your senses and were willing to join the winning side. The goblin army is starting to mobilize. They will be on the move within less than a week. Then it is just a matter of how long they take to get here. Of course, when they are knocking on your door, it will be too late to change your mind. You have made admirable strides here, and that is no doubt part of why the Master wants you to join him, but you can’t truly believe that you can survive what is coming.”

  “I don’t know. Goblins don’t scare me so much. Maybe my daughter will just make friends with all of them.”

  “Be flippant all you like, but you won’t be laughing when they start playing games with your daughters. You likely will be dead by that time, but you will die with the knowledge of the horrors that will follow. The Master doesn’t wish for needless suffering, but this is a rather blunt object aimed at you.”

  “I still like our odds,” Dave bluffed. The truth was that he thought there was a chance that they could win. He even thought it likely, but the cost might be too high to pay. Could it be considered a win if 90% of the population was wiped out?

  “I know that you have had spies and scouts checking up on the enemy army. The goblins are but fodder to soften you. Just because you have fought ogres doesn’t mean that your men are ready for them. And just because you are ready for ogres doesn’t mean you are ready for mountain giants.”

  “Your warning has been delivered. Now am I free to go? I promise you shall have my answer before the goblins are within sight of Eris’ Rise,” Dave said.

  “Very well, but know that your time draws short and the Master’s patience is not without limits.” Seimion’s words echoed through the air as he teleported away.

  Dave stood there in the snow. The weather had started to turn. It was definitely nearing the end of winter. He believed the spiderkin. The end of this tension was almost at an end one way or another. Then an idea struck him.

  Perhaps it was Seimion’s mysterious master who had been pushing at Dave, twisting at that well-contained arrogance within him. Maybe that was the reason that he had been so much more aggressive in combat. There was a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Maybe this could be turned to their benefit. With that in mind, he turned back towards town. He was going to need to call the meeting early.

  A few hours later, the new town hall was full. Instead of limiting this meeting to the normal military council, Dave invited all the knights, paladins, military officers both human and elven, the priests, druids, forest wardens, Tier 3 casters, his entire family, and as many of the community leaders that they could fit into the building. Once filled to standing room only, there were over 350 people in the building, which was around 15% of the total population.

  Dave began with a little encouragement. “Thank you for attending. I have invited you all here because you represent the backbone of Eris’ Rise. You are the leaders of our military and our community, the best and brightest that we have.”

  He could see the smiles in the crowd, yet sensed the unease. They were not accustomed to such things. Nobles had small councils to get advice from, but this was beyond that. None of them had ever heard of a town hall meeting, so this made them all uncomfortable. “Without a doubt you all know about the threat that is headed our way. I have word that we can expect the enemy army to be on the move within a week or less. That likely gives us between two and three weeks till they get here.”

  That brought a round of murmurs from the room, but Dave was proud of how stalwartly they faced the reality of an army on their doorstep. “I am officially announcing the end of leveling efforts. We have the strength that we need; now we need to refine it. The same goes for any research that is not immediately applicable, or crafting for that matter. Undoubtedly the alchemists and herbalists can continue to make potions and poultices for healing. Blacksmiths will continue crafting weapons and armor as needed. The same goes for all relevant crafts. But beyond that everything will be directed into two projects. Most of you will be preparing for the attack. You will run drills until you can do them in your sleep. Even civilians will have emergency drill practice. We will practice till everyone knows their place and thus are ready to respond at a moment’s notice.”

  This prompted a series of questions about where people fit in. Dave considered it a testament to the progress made in Eris’ Rise that fully a dozen people were willing to ask him questions, albeit with more bowing and scraping than made him comfortable. He chuckled to himself and wondered if there would come a day when he regretted helping these people develop a backbone instead of blindly obeying their leaders.

  Once the questions were answered, Emily looked at him and asked, “You mentioned two projects. If one is drilling for the defense, then what is the other?”

  Dave grinned and felt a rush of eagerness. “Since my family and I arrived in the Murkwood, we have been reacting. We have been on the defense. Always we are one step behind the enemy and only able to survive through hard work. I don’t mean to minimize that accomplishment, either for my family or for the people here. But can any of you say that you are content with just surviving?”

  He paused and allowed the question to permeate the room for a moment but didn’t give them long enough for anyone to actually answer him. Instead he continued, “It may have been what you thought was your lot in life, but I hope if Eris’ Rise stands for nothing else, that it stands for hope. Hope for bettering yourselves. Hope for a better life for you and your families. Dare I even say hope for safety.”

  Dave saw the nods and the weak hopeful smiles and thought that maybe he was getting to them. “I believe that there is a way for us to seize that future. There is a path before us, but we have to walk down it. Instead of waiting for this enemy to come to us, as happened with the death knights and then again with the human and elven raids and even with the dark magician, I propose that we attack them.”

  That cracked the room. They began whispering amongst themselves until their leaders started to hush them. Emily gave him the ‘we should talk about this in private’ look. Rather than ignoring her concerns, he gave her a wink. He hoped it conveyed the idea that she should trust him.

  Jaselm asked, “The scouting reports that we have, even from the Chosen, indicate that their army is massive. Would it not be suicidal to attack them out in the open?”

  Sir Morganthal added, “If we are going on the offensive, then why spend all the time and energy building up our walls? Why build traps for the attackers? Why build weapons that are too large for us to haul out in an effort to attack them?”

  Waving his hand for quiet, Dave said, “These are all valid questions. The answers are both simple and profound at the same time. First, because it didn’t occur to me until today. Don’t discount it for that reason though. I consider this to be something of an epiphany. Second, because this strategy is not foolproof. We cannot rely upon it solely. There are too many lives at stake here.”