Dagger Lord: A LitRPG Series Page 38

  Mav and the giant had both started to tire now. The giant’s thrusts were fewer, and Mav had enough time to move out of reach. The big man seemed to summon all of his energy for one last attack. Mav dodged out of its way, just as he had hundreds of times with Jack in the training yard. It was here that his true reflexes came into play, because no sooner had he dodged the strike than he pivoted around and closed the gap, getting close enough to plunge his mughal deep into an unprotected crevice in his armor.

  Elena, Crowley and Bordan had killed the last of the raiders now. With Henry Veik and Bruce dead, the battle was over.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  There was a din of noise around him, but this wasn’t the sounds of battle. The battle was over now, and they had returned to the castle. The antechamber was filled with dozens of tables scavenged from the various abandoned rooms of the castle. He’d invited all the peasants in his land to join him in a feast. The tables were covered with plates of food, the cooking of which had been overseen by Mav and completed by two peasants he’d chosen as sous-chefs. Musicians stood under a glowing mana torch in the corner of the room and played instruments. One strummed a loot, while another squeezed notes from a bladder pipe. Although it was a celebration, their music was mournful. This felt right to Jack, considering that this was a bittersweet event.

  Whispered conversations had turned to drunken chatter as the feast had progressed. Jack allowed himself an ale or two but made sure to keep a clear head. He met with each of the peasants in turn. They congratulated him on the battle, and they told him how much they were looking forward to living under his rule in the future. Jack didn’t have the heart to tell them that there wouldn’t be such a future.

  Jack wished that Sarna had been well enough to join the feast, but Elena had said that it would be at least a fortnight until she was back to her best. As such, Sarna was in her chamber, well-supplied with a pile of adventure books, a plate of food, and a flagon of ale.

  A door at the end of the antechamber opened, and Elena and Crowley walked through it. With them, shackled at the wrists and ankles by heavy iron, was Bruce Frier. Jack thought that he had killed him, but Veik’s henchman had survived the battle. Rather than finish him off, Jack had ordered that he be sent to the dungeons of the castle, where Crowley Drach would be able to ‘play with him’, as the alchemist-mage had put it.

  Jack stood up from his chair. Despite his best attempts not to get rat-ass drunk, he felt woozy from a cocktail of tiredness and ale. He forced himself to take steady steps. After all, it seemed like all eyes had been on him that night, and it wouldn’t do for a lord to stumble. As he went to cross the room, Mav caught his arm.

  “Jack, I just wanted to say…”

  “No need for that tonight, Mav. Enjoy yourself.”

  “Believe me, I will. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s to eat until my stomach bursts. But I wanted to say something. Indulge me.”

  Jack smiled at him. “I hope this isn’t the ale talking, but go on then.”

  “I know that you’re leaving tonight.”

  Mav’s words stopped him cold. Jack hadn’t told Mav that he was going. “How did you know?” he said.

  “Elena told me. She said that with Veik dead, your kingdom stone is completed. She said that means it’s the end for you.”

  Jack nodded. “I suppose we have to say bye now, don’t we?”

  “Aye, lad. We do.”

  “You’ve been a friend, Mav. Honestly. It could have been lonely here, but you’ve been with me all the way.”

  “I hope that goes for me too, lord,” said a voice.

  He turned to see Elena. She’d taken a cut on her face in battle, and she looked tired. When Jack looked at her and Mav, he realized something that shook him to his roots. When he’d told Mav that he had been a friend to him, he’d meant it. Mav and Elena weren’t just computer characters. They were so much more than that. If it weren’t for their help, their guidance, and their support, he never would have won. There was nothing he could possible say to them that would convey the confusing emotion at becoming attached to what was basically lines of code. Emotion shook through Jack, stronger enough to overwhelm the tiredness in his bones.

  Elena held out her hand for Jack to shake it. Instead, he grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. When that was done, he did the same to Mav.

  “My kingdom stone is complete now, Elena.”

  “I know.”

  “I have to go. In a weird way, I wish I could stay just a little. I’ve spent so long trying to escape this damn place, that I’m going to miss it. But I have things I need to do back home.”

  Elena nodded. “I’m programmed to understand that,” she said.

  He meant it, too. There were lots of things that he needed to do back home, things that he hadn’t felt strong enough to face before. This time, though, he felt like he could do it. He was strong enough to do what he needed to help his mum with her problems. He could finally help make a decision about Uncle Alfie. Not only that, but he’d ask out Sarah as soon as he got a chance.

  Who knew, maybe she would say yes. If she didn’t, that was okay too, because at least he’d have tried. The result of something wasn’t important; what was truly important was that you gave it your all to get there. You couldn’t control everything, and there was no reason you should try. Someone had once told him that chaos was beautiful, and Jack truly understood what that meant.

  The End

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