Camelot Resurgent Read online

  Camelot Resurgent

  An Arthurian LitRPG

  Galen Wolf

  Contents

  1. Back in the Game

  2. First Encounter

  3. Fight, fight, fight (fight)

  4. Aceeed!

  5. Holy Maloney

  6. Feedback

  7. The New Boss

  8. Setting Out

  9. Smoke on the Water

  10. Robin Hood

  11. The Quest of the Crystal Dragon

  12. Into the Dragon's Glade

  13. Clitheroe

  14. Working Down a Diamond Mine

  15. The Quest of the Adamantine Bikinis

  16. The Witch's Thrall

  17. The Tale of Mr Treacle

  18. Delving Down the Treacle Mine

  19. Mr Treacle Returns

  20. Tying Up and Moving On

  21. Glow

  22. Dancing With A Dragon

  23. A View of Caer

  24. Alderley Edge

  25. Meeting the Wizard

  26. Vorpal Counterstrike

  27. Wagon Train

  28. Snap, Crackle and Pop

  29. Under the Dome

  30. Purple Haze

  31. The Top of the Ziggurat

  32. Under The Walls

  33. At the Court of the Crimson King

  34. Single Combat

  35. Magic Mirrors

  36. Camelot Resurgent

  Also by Galen Wolf

  1

  Back in the Game

  I’m back in Camelot ™, the massively multi-player online virtual reality role-playing game otherwise known as a MMOVRRPG. I’ve been away from the game for a few weeks because of real-life pressures but also because of things getting a little too intense in Camelot before I took the break and almost blowing my fuse.

  But now I’m back and here I sit in my rock-cut chamber in the Silver Drift mine, lit by guttering wax candles in stone alcoves. I’m at a heavy scarred oak table on a heavy oak chair padded in green velvet with a red design. I am Sir Gorrow of the Bloody Field after all, my arms awarded by King Arthur himself on the battlefield in front of Camelot just before the city fell to the Evil One.

  That was a while ago now in game terms. And now I sit here in my settlement with my friends. Yes, my friends: real and virtual — player characters (PCs) and non-player characters (NPCs). We run a dungeon in here called the Forgotten Chapel, which a front operation for our real purpose — to build an army for King Arthur in a hidden settlement called Silver Drift. I’m boss of the Forgotten Chapel dungeon and Baron of Silver Drift. I’ve just taken up the Prestige Class of Baron, more of which later, maybe.

  In front of me sits the orange haired fire-mage Tye, dressed in his blue silk wizard’s robes. He’s mini-boss of Level One of the dungeon. To his right, is bearded Bernard the Alchemist, wearing a frayed brown cassock covered in chemical stains and last night’s dinner. He’s mini-boss of Level Two, which has an acid theme. (Tye’s level has a fire theme in case you didn’t guess that.) To Bernard’s right is shaggy-eyebrowed, beak-nosed Saint Fitheach wearing his white shift, his long white Gandalf-style hair flowing down his back. He’s mini-boss of the newly excavated Level Three of the Forgotten Chapel, and very excited about his wrathful angels, spiky seraphs and cheeky cherubim, not to mention his stat-draining holy traps.

  I am Dungeon Boss and Lord of Level Five, except Level Five hasn’t been dug out yet. But that’s fine, my miners are about to dig and we have other things to think about before we get to that issue. Thorvald, my boss miner, is also in the chamber, though standing. (I didn’t ask him to stand). Thorvald wants to get cracking on Level Five as soon as possible. Unlike Tye, Bernard and Fitheach, and I guess, myself, who are people, Thorvald is computer generated, albeit fiendishly cleverly generated with an intelligence that appears superior to that of many players — Tye’s for instance.

  Uchtred my sergeant at arms is also in the chamber, and Peter the Silent, my trapsmith, Geraint the Blacksmith, who is like the blacksmith, then Asterix the blue-bearded dwarf agency staffer and Oliver Stone, architect. Jason the Brewer and simultaneously Business Manager is outside the door, as we couldn’t fit any more in my chamber. Behind him is Simon the Vendor. They’re all AI guys, and they are all looking at me.

  Thorvald says grimly. ‘So what’s the plan now, boss?’

  I nod knowingly. ‘The plan, eh?’

  The candles flicker in a warm breeze that’s coming from somewhere in the mine. Silence hangs as they wait for my wise reply and I hear the distant chinking and chipping of pickaxes. They’re all still staring. I put up my hand and say, ‘Gimme a minute, guys. I’m thinking.’

  Truth is, I’ve already thought. I know what I need to do, but I’m worried it won’t be popular. I sit back, frown and say, ‘We’ve got to get to King Arthur.’

  Uproar erupts. My decision has caused discussion, furious looks, as well as smiles, winks, nods and curses under the breath, depending on who thinks what. But I’m decided. We’re going to save King Arthur., and that’s that.

  I guess that the opinions are split between those of my pals who want to help the King, precious few, and those who think we should sit tight at Silver Drift and look after ourselves.

  Before they can comment, the alarm light blinks on in the vision of my Heads Up Display (HUD). Tye, Fitheach and Bernard get the alert too.

  ‘Someone’s coming in,’ Tye says, standing up and almost knocking over the leather tankard containing Jason’s best Silver Drift beer that Bernard had placed on the table in front of them.

  Bernard waves him down, reaching to sup his ale. ‘Don’t worry, kid. You’ve got plenty of time.’

  I check on the HUD and I see six red dots blinking on the screen. They’ve come in the dungeon’s front portal and are cautiously making their way down the passage towards the door on the right that opens up onto the Ruined Chapel room. There are a couple of mobs in there that will trigger as soon as they get close.

  Tye pushes back his ginger hair. ‘It’s fine for you to say wait and be cool, Bernard, but I’m the first boss they’ll meet.’

  ‘Mini-boss,’ Bernard mutters into his beer.

  Tye twists his mouth. ‘Yeah, but you’re only a mini-boss too.’

  I hold up my hand. ‘Guys, please. We’ve got a party to meet and greet.’

  Bernard stands and brushes down crumbs from his cassock. I don’t know where they’ve come from as he has eaten nothing, but maybe it’s a graphic effect to accentuate his slightly shabby character. He shrugs. ‘Mini boss, maybe, but I’m boss of Level Two, you’re only boss of Level One, Tye.’

  Tye sulks. ‘Whatever. That doesn’t mean anything.’

  Bernard turns and asks, ‘What level are the adventurers?’

  I check my screen. There are six. The lowest is a Level 6 Rogue, the highest is a Level 9 Barbarian. The Forgotten Chapel Dungeon has now levelled to Level 11, so they will be outmatched, especially if they try to go downstairs as each level of the dungeon gets one level harder.

  The dungeon has a mechanism that allows us to spawn copies of loot and even clone good items that adventurers drop when they die, so we won’t be out of pocket if they get some loot. I’m almost about to wish them well when Fitheach says, ‘Check their alignment. Are they evil? What guild do they belong to?’

  We are sworn enemies of some of the evil guilds such as The Fangs of Koth, Dead Souls and Blood for Satanus. I’m a member of the Knights of the Round table, a good guild based now in Caer, since Camelot fell, so we are bound to clash with the evil guilds. Not least since they burned Camelot to the ground and killed tons of my guildies. I check.

  ‘No, they’re not a guild group. There’s Grimdark, Level 9 Barbarian, Hamish
Level 6 Rogue.’

  I can’t see Hamish being up to to the Level 12 traps he will face on this level. (Traps are always 1 level up from the level of the dungeon they’re set up on). I continue to read down my list.

  Melanieoxoxo a Level 8 Cleric

  Danven, a Level 8 Fighter

  Tigorono, a Level 8 Wizard

  Treebeard781, a Level 7 druid

  ‘I love druids,’ Bernard says.

  Fitheach screws up his face. ‘I don’t. Too woody and pagan.’

  ‘I’m going to get ready,’ Tye says, sweeping off in a swirl of blue robes. The NPCs move out the way to let him past.

  Thorvald nods at me. ‘So, at least we know the plan. Let me know what you want to do.’

  Then they leave too.

  I shrug and stand. Bernard has followed Tye out and I’m left with Saint Fitheach. He’s pulling at his white beard and seems agitated. ‘What’s up?’ I ask.

  ‘A bit nervous.’

  ‘Nervous? How come? We’ve had hundreds of adventurers through this place.’

  He shrugs. ‘Yeah, but I’ve never been in charge of my own level before.’

  I lean over and pat him on his white robed shoulder. ‘You’ll do fine. Don’t worry.’

  He sighs. ‘But I do worry, Gorrow. When I was just helping out on other peoples’ levels, it was okay, but now, I’m kind of responsible…’

  I try to mollify him. ‘Listen, these guys are not going to get to your Level. The biggest guy in their group is Level 9 and your level will be…’ I pause to calculate but he says, ‘Level 14 traps and mobs.’

  I beam. ‘See, no danger they’ll even get close.’

  He nods, suddenly comforted. ‘You’re right. Though I would have liked them to see the Level, we’ve made it nice…’

  I shake my head. He doesn’t want adventurers to get to his level and yet he does. That’s saints for you — ambivalent to a man. I set out the door. ‘Let’s go.’

  I’m back in my armour. I’ve still got the Green Knight glamour on so people won’t recognise me as Sir Gorrow of the Bloody Field. Our presence deep in enemy territory is well-known to the enemy, though so far his minions haven’t found a way into our Silver Drift settlement. The only way they could do that is to come over the steep hills that ring the Secret Valley, and even then they’d have to siege our back door. But they haven’t found a way over the hills, because there isn’t an easy one, not one that would allow siege engines and cavalry over, anyway. But I know they’re searching.

  Fitheach comes right up behind me and tries to shoo me out. ‘Come on, they’re waiting.’

  2

  First Encounter

  Tye rushes up to Level One to deal with the intruders, but with Observation Mode on even I can’t see him once we go through the heavy locked door that leads to the dungeon zone. Fitheach is still nervous and I usher him in front of me and remind him to put on Observation Mode so the adventurers won’t see him. He nods and flicks the switch and vanishes in front of my eyes.

  Bernard and Tye are ahead; though I only see them as green blips on the HUD, not in the game view. From dot’s speed, I am guessing Tye is running through the Tapestry Room past the untriggered Paladin mob and the other monsters we’ve got set out here and there and that he is heading right down the Spooky Corridor.

  Tye ignores the alcove to his left goes down the sloping passage. Bernard is with him; they both have to get to their levels and rooms where they will await the adventurers. Fitheach huffs and puffs invisibly before heading after them. He’ll deal with the intruders on Level 3, if they ever get that far.

  As my level hasn’t yet been dug out, I decide to hang around on Level One, to see how my guests are getting on.

  I am invisible to them and can’t interact while I have observation mode on, so I stroll through the Tapestry Room to the door that leads onto the main passage. I step out. To the left the dungeon door, some hundred yards away, has closed shut. From the commotion the adventurers are still battling their way through the Ruined Chapel. In there is a collection of minor loot, originally crafted by Geraint, and amongst the debris a key that will allow them to unlock the door into the Gas Room and down into Tye’s Fire Dwarf area.

  As I walk, I glance to the schematic. There are green dots marking our mobs, gold dots marking loot and red dots marking the enemy adventurers. Six red dots bleep on and off in the Ruined Chapel among the cobwebbed pews and ruined icons. I particularly like the bloody graffiti on the wall, a flourish designed by my NPC interior decorator Oliver Stone. A green dot blinks off in the Ruined Chapel. I hover over it to see:

 

  Then they deal with the Acid Slime and another green dot is extinguished. All the mobs will re-spawn in thirty minutes from their death. The mobs here are one plus dungeon floor level, so Level 12. They’re better than the adventurers by at least three levels, but there are six adventurers.

  I hover over the red dots to see who’s leading, and it seems to be the Level 9 Barbarian, Grimdark. They pause in the Ruined Chapel, presumably checking for loot. I am guessing they’ve got the key to the lower level here, though they won’t yet know where it’s for.

  I’m in the Tapestry Room, alone of all my gang when the adventurers bluster in. I hear them outside the door.

  I hear a roar. ‘Time up for fannying around, you Girl Scouts! Let’s do this!’

  For the first time, I clap eyes on them, as the bare-chested ginger haired barbarian Grimdark bursts into the room.

  There are various low level pieces of loot lying on the floor, but he pays no attention to these. He rushes forward, his huge great-axe raised up above his head ready to smash stuff. He’s all muscle, no shirt and his pants appear to be braided from leather. The only armour he has is a prominent gold codpiece protecting his virtual man-parts. He screams in rage as he sees the NPC Level 12 Paladin that guards the Tapestry Room and sprints towards it.

  From behind him, their rogue Bilbo hisses, ‘Easy, Grim. There might be traps!’ but the barbarian ignores him. Hustling through the door now behind them are the green-clad druid Treebeard 781, a female cleric, another plate-mailed fighter who’s a lot more cautious than Grimdark, and a wizard in a red and gold Chinese style robe emblazoned with dragons. There’s a burning smell and a bright ray of fire stabs through the air to strike the NPC paladin. Instead of being grateful, the barbarian screams, ‘Don’t steal my kill, wissard.’

  He’s got an accent — maybe Swedish or something. With a yell, he swings his great-axe diagonally down, aiming for the paladin. The NPC raises his shield and there’s a crash of steel and a shower of sparks as the barbarian’s axe skitters off the paladin’s shield.

  The paladin ripostes and slashes his longsword down the barbarian’s left arm. Blood drips from the wound and the barbarian shouts back. ‘Heal me up, cleric.’

  This must be a Pick Up Group because these guys don’t seem to know each other well, or at least the barbarian can’t remember their names.

  The cleric obliges and Grimdark is bathed in the slivery light of a healing spell. He doesn’t thank her but smashes his axe down again on the paladin and the paladin staggers back, puts up his guard and deflects the barbarians lunging axe head. The paladin’s shield is buckled and the with an insane laugh the barbarian attacks again.

  Bilbo the rogue is sneaking round the side and Melanie the Cleric is waiting for her next order to heal. The fighter and the wizard are looking at each other. The wizard shrugs and mutters, ‘Let him do it.’

  The fighter lifts the visor of his helmet. ‘He’s an idiot.’

  ‘But so magnificent,’ Melanie the cleric says in moon-struck tones.

  The paladin draws blood again and the barbarian yells, ‘That enough. I go into Rage!’ There is a red graphic effect and Grimdark’s face morphs like the Mighty Hulk so he’s bigger and wider than he was. Snarling, he smashes his axe down again and again, until the paladin collapses in a clatter of iron.

&nb
sp; ‘Yessss!!!!!’ Grimdark fistpumps in victory. He turns round, still raging and covered in blood, which he ignores. Melanie obligingly heals him up without being asked.

  Bilbo the rogue has used the distraction of the fight to collect up the loot hereabouts. There’s a gloopy, slithering sound as an Acid Slime heaves itself from the ceiling behind them. The wizard Tigorno shoots out a ray of fire and fries it. ‘You’re welcome,’ he says. Grimdark ignores him and points past me to the exit. ‘Come, we go there.’

  He’s pointing over at the so-called Spooky Corridor that leads towards their encounter with Tye. Bilbo raises his hand. ‘Let me go first in case of traps.’

  Grimdark says, ‘No. I go first. I not show cowardice of traps.’

  Melanie says in a quiet voice. ‘Let Bilbo do his stuff.’

  The wizard and fighter spout up. ‘Hang back, Grimdark,’ they say in unison.

  The barbarian huffs and puffs but lets the rogue go forward. The little guy — turns out he’s a halfling—bends down, sniffs, rubs the ground with two fingers and then smells his fingers. This is all posing because his Trap Sense skill will let him know the trap’s there. Then he nods, reaches into a leather pouch on a belt around his waist. He pulls out some thin metal tools, tinkers for a while then a hatch opens revealing a pit trap. He messes with that, and then drops into the pit, pulling a healing potion and some black lacquered armour as loot.