[ - Author's Note - ]
Welcome to Round 2 of James Noxdecus vs. Sir John Mandeville, Electric Boogaloo! And the story now has over thirty four thousand views on ff-dot-net! I'd call that a milestone, especially since it's only been about a month and change since I posted this story. Let's push it to over one hundred thousand!
All that, aside, to answer a common question being asked, no Miria isn't sleeping around on James, it's just in this world her mother sees no shame in Miria doing so; it is a much more sexually open world, after all.
I also plan on putting up two polls, one on ff-dot-net on who your favorite goddess is in my profile for that site, and on on AO3 at the bottom of the story on any kinks you'd like to see added. Vote for whatever you like!
Anyway, this chapter will have the first real open conflict between Mandeville's forces and James' Party. Enjoy and tell me what you think in a review!
Without further ado...
[ - Act I - Chapter VI: Maid to Fight - ]
Debcorra tapped her chin as she sat down on a bench, legs crossed as she looked at the screen. She finally sighed and spoke. "I don't get it." She admitted still looking to the screen.
"Get what?" Benterra replied, looking to her as he sat beside the goddess. Anncastel was off visiting another in the celestial realm leaving the two in her temple.
"Why wasn't there titles for James to see when he used observe on those people? It seems weird..." She said tapping her chin. "I mean, it seems really odd to have that happen, right?"
"Well it was a concession we had to make." Benterra said, smiling back at her. "Anything that could act as a spoiler to... Errr, how do I put this... darker intentions some individuals have had to be hidden from him. Not our choice; a limitation we had to work with. And worked quite well... As it's own form of an interface spoiler."
"Hmm? What do you mean?" She said as he smiled back to her.
"Well, people notice patterns, generally. They're good at it and when one comes up they note how it goes. For example; one, two, three, two, three, four, three, four, five... You already know what follows that." Benterra said as the goddess nodded.
"Four, five, six." She replied.
"Exactly." He said, nodding once more. "Up until now he's seen titles. Observe gets a title. Observe gets a title. Observe gets a title. Observe doesn't gets a tittle." He said, holding up a finger. "The pattern is now broken. And now he's wondering why. And if he encounters, say, a traitorous general as an example and his observe comes up with a blank on the title..."
"It would tip him off that something's wrong..." She said as Benterra nodded.
"There's only so much we can do to ensure he had advantages; this is one of them. Even if he doesn't know exactly what's up this should tip him off that something is wrong." He continued smiling a bit. "After all, there are wolves in sheep's clothing about to deal with."
[-]
Argon City's Red Light District
Inside The Rusted Dagger Tavern
"That fucking lordling..." Rowdy let off, snorting as he nursed a small glass of whiskey at the tavern's bar. "Who does he think he is?"
"A lordling?" Rowdy glared at the man sitting next to him, named Titan Tremor who shrank in on himself slightly. At six-four, Terry 'Titan' Tremor was wearing an open vest that was dark brown. His pants were black and thick and hanging off each hip was a set of heavy brass knuckles. Heavy brown boots were on each foot. His head was bald and rounded, as clean shaven as his face was with a wide nose on the front of it.
He was muscular but also had a bit of a gut. The man rubbed the back of his head, still remembering hitting it on the ground from his icy slip the other day. Titan was one of Rowdy's key members; a big, heavy brute who normally went without weapons and just punched his way through his problems. He was much faster then he looked... But just as dumb. Rowdy huffed. Still, nothing beat solid, raw muscle.
"You know what I mean, Idiot." He let off, snorting as he sipped his drink. The tavern they were in was a seedier one then most; cheap, worn tables and furniture, dimmer lighting then most places and the floors creaked a little. The roughest men in town came to the Rusted Dagger to relax and make deals under the table, deal in substances the law said you shouldn't have and take jobs on the 'Black Board'; a job board not unlike at the guild, except for less... proper jobs.
He loved it. Mostly because the liquor didn't taste like piss. There wasn't any Orc's Wine there.
Orc's Wine, was of course, a low quality, foul tasting ale that had only one good quality to it was how fast it got you drunk. Supposedly it was made by actual Orcs. Orc brewers; the thought almost made him chuckle. He finished his glass and set it down. "Refill." He told the bartender; a half-elven male. The bartender was a rough type too; missing half of his right ear, a scar over one cheek and an eye on the left side of his face, the man was built strong too, not delicate like most elven types. More liquor was added to his glass, followed by a cube generated by the bartender's ice magic. Nothing like a bartender who knew ice magic to cool your drink. "But sooner or later someone needs to give that bastard a solid spanking!"
"Isn't that his mother's job?"
"A beating then."
"Oh, that makes sense." Rowdy sighed and facepalmed at his underling.
"I swear, sometimes I worry about you man. Someone will tell you to duck and you'll be thinking there is one around to cook." He let off sipping his drink... Then blinking and looking to his glass.
"Mmmm, duck..." Titan let off, but Rowdy ignored him, looking to the barkeep.
"Hey, what gives? This isn't my normal drink!" He let off. The drink was smoother and fuller then his usual; richer. He had it once after a big job; it was a pricey drink!
"It's paid for by the gentleman in the corner." The barkeep told him, smoothing his hands over his black tunic before looking to a man in a corner table.
Rowdy's eyes followed. The corner was darker then most; often called 'The Shady Table' by the way the lanterns were positioned and a support pillar that had a moose's head mounted to it cast the shadows around it. It was the one most commonly used to make shady deals at and coupled with the darkened area earned it it's name. He made a few deals there himself, real shady ones. Drug delivery, murder, intimidation...
The weirdest though was a very innocent looking blonde girl who wanted, of all things, a still living, unharmed goblin brought to her. Why he didn't know, he wasn't paid to ask.
Sitting there was a man clad in dark, leather armor and a black long coat. He was looking back at him, as if waiting to see what he was doing.
"He's paid for a second, if you join him for a 'talk'." Rowdy took a long sip, savoring the flavor. A second finished the drink.
"Top me up. I'll go chat." He said. Once his glass was full he stood and moved to the Shady Table. He was slightly unsteady; he'd been drinking for awhile after all, and set the glass down before sitting down. Now closer he could see the armor was a dark, blood red. "Well. You bought me two drinks. You look like a guy who knows what a pussy feels like, so I don't think your a fag. What are you looking for?"
"A chat." The man said smoothly, leaning over the table. He nursed his own drink; a mead by the looks of it, sipping it slowly. "I'm working for a man who's having a... Rough patch with a local lordling named James Noxdecus." Rowdy sneered and snorted, sipping his own drink. "Know him then?"
"Only met face to face yesterday." He told the man, huffing. "But I know well of him. Ever since he started working at the guild he's been talked about a lot, mostly for the three bitches following him."
"What about the eastern swordswoman?" The man said back. Rowdy barley managed to not spit out his next sip.
"Oh fuck me, he's got her following him too? Shit, that damned playboy..." He let off with a snort. "A dude has money and a title and allllllll the bitches line up like fucking flies to shit."
"Ain't that always the story, huh? Ah well. Men like us have our own ways to get the bitches, eh?" The man said, smiling. "Look, long story short is we plan on getting rough with the lordling; leave him a bit bloody. So I was hoping you'd talk a bit about him. What jobs he likes to take, what tactics he uses, that sorta thing." Rowdy snorted and leaned on the table with one arm.
"Not sure about tactics but I heard he uses the halfling to scout. Cat-in-Heat is an archer; dead accurate too. Last year there was an archery competition. She won; no contest. The elf slut is the apprentice to the fucking Baron and is a fucking haughty bitch who needs a hard dicking to teach her where her place is." The man snorted and smiled at that. "And I don't know anything about the samurai-wannabe. She rolled into town the other day." Rowdy took another sip. "As for jobs they used to take a variety, but the last two or so weeks have been almost all goblin jobs."
"Really?" The man let off, curious as he sipped his own drink.
"Yeah. Not sure if he's got a mad on, is going for the coin or what. But he's been knocking'em down like nuts." He said, snorting. "Kara, the guild receptionist, is also sweet on him. Not saying she has a thing for him, beyond what any bitch does for a man with a fat wallet, but she seems to think he's-" He paused to make air quotes. "'Reliable' or something like that." He snorted, shaking his head. "I know she takes some jobs directly to him; not sure which ones. I know she keeps a goblin job under the table for him; usually whatever the toughest is for the day. Not the only one she saves jobs for, but she does it."
"I see..." The man said, rubbing his chin with a thumb for a long moment. "And if I slipped her some coin..." He began with a grin. Rowdy shook his head right as he said it.
"Fuck no. Bitch is an uptight freak about that kind of shit. She wouldn't take a bribe if her life depended on it." Rowdy said... Before his eyes widened. "Ohhhhh, want to bait him out with a job, huh?" The man smirked back in response. "Just make sure it sounds tough. Two dozen of the little bastards, lodged up in some cave or den someplace. I mean if you go east a bit there's an old, old watchtower with a big cellar; it's had to be cleared out of the bastards more then once before. Or some attempts at mining at the north or northwest I think it was has some caverns to use for an ambush."
"Good to know, good to know..." He said, stroking his chin. "Say, while I have you here, any rumors about the manor? I mean why a manor and not a proper castle?"
"I dunno." Rowdy said with an honest shrug. "But what I do know is that there was supposed to be a siege there by the Legion some... Fuck, like a century or three ago, and they just gave up and moved onto Ur before getting trashed." He said, shrugging. "Something about the manor, but I wasn't paying attention."
The man nodded once, sipping his drink. "Hmm... I see. No secret entrances,huh?"
"If we knew it wouldn't be very secret, would it?"
"Fair, fair. No rumors of one then?"
"Not one I've heard of."
The man nodded and sipped his drink, humming softly. "I see. And when does the good lord does his guild work?"
"Mornings, if what I heard is right."
"Hmm. I see. Thanks for the little talk." The man would finish his drink off standing up. He would reach into a pocket and he tossed something onto the table, spinning on edge for a moment; a single silver coin. "Hope you have yourself a good day, ne?" He let off, walking to the Rusted Dagger's doors and out into the now afternoon's air.
Everything Rowdy had told Brendon lined up with other information he'd gotten here and there, but hearing about the mines and the old watchtower was new. He would quickly go to his horse and leave the town as soon as he could. First towards the east, quickly finding the old tower, decrepit with age and lack of maintenance. It was unoccupied but a simple look about the area showed a newer watchtower up on a hill in the distance. Not a good place for an ambush, clearly. Scoffing he turned and went back to Argon then moved to the north and around to the northwest. He eventually found the mines in question.
He would enter the three mines he found, noting each one. One was occupied by goblins already so he simply backed away from that one and left the way he came, remounting his horse and taking off for Calfield.
He was going to be overdue to report in, but given the situation the time spent would be worth it.
[-]
The Next Day,
The Town of Calfield, Barony of Mungale,
Inside The Watchman's Rest Inn & Tavern
John Mandeville moved his chess piece as he sat across Lady Blackjack once more. It was rare to find a decent player willing to play in earnest against him; so many worried defeating him would cause him too much anger and have him punish them in some way. It was true that he was a sore loser, he'd admit that, but he knew the value of being challenged. Losing a match in chess was upsetting to him, but not to the point he'd break an arm.
Maybe break a chess piece, but not a person. That would be petty.
Calfield was a quaint town; smaller then Argon and with no town walls but an old, smaller, still up-kept keep at the front with a garrison for local defense. The buildings were slightly worn stone and wood structures giving it a pleasant, rustic feel but not to the point of being dirty or unsightly. The three story inn and tavern itself was stone on the first floor in an L shape with a slightly larger second floor. It was cozy; not his usual accommodations but more then acceptable. He was in the largest of the inn rooms at that moment; one with three beds, each with a thick blue blanket. The best men of his that he had brought along were staying there as well and the inn owners were very happy for the business. The men they didn't have room for were in another inn on the other side of the town, The Drunken Fly.
The room was furnished well; a dresser for each bed, a window open to face the main road, a decent, red rug under the large table he and Blackjack played at. Wesland sat on a bed, arms crossed as he watched the game from his spot. One of his men stood at the door and another at the window, acting as sentries. The game continued and soon a knock sounded at the door. "Room service!" A cheery voice came out. The sentry opened the door, peering around it then opened it fully. A bar wench; a freckle-faced redhead with her hair in pigtails walked in. Her skirt was short, her cleavage on display (Even if they were only B-Cups) and her boots light. She set a sandwich down for himself and Blackjack along with drinks; an orange juice for himself and an ale for the woman. He never understood drinking in the middle of the day, but he wouldn't judge.
The wench moved and gave each of the guards their own sandwich, both men thanking her before she left. He eyed the man at the door for a moment; He wore a chain mail shirt over padded gambeson with a light, metal plate over his chest. Both wore sallet style helmets; basic, rounded helmets with a visor that covered most of the face. Both visors were lifted up to let the men eat. Both men wore leather gloves with chain mail set to the back of them, but also a bracer on the right arm; the left only had an additional leather layer of padding on the forearm to help them use their tall kite shields. Metal plates over the tops and front of the leather boots and a layer of chain mail over the thighs.
Most of his guard wore likewise armor save his guard captain who was over at the Drunken Fly to keep things in line over there. He moved another chess piece to counter Blackjack's move, pressing the piece firmly to the board before taking a bite of his food. Rustic or not, the chef was good. "Sir, I see Lightstep riding to us." His man at the window let off.
"It's about time." He was almost a day overdue and he was starting to worry; Brendon was talented but it wasn't the first time things had gone wrong for him. Otherwise Chole wouldn't have gotten away from him.
Twice.
He glanced to the guard at the door. "Have another meal sent up for him." The man saluted still eating as he left. He would return shortly after he left, retaking his post. The bar wench as well, would return, set another sandwich down at the table with a mug of a berry juice and left. The game continued as he and Blackjack ate in silence. Several minutes went by and his king was pushed over (A careless mistake on his part trapped his king behind his pawns and left a spot for her rook to set him in check. Annoying as it was it was a fair loss) before there was a knock as Brendon opened the door and stepped in, to the guard's annoyance. Mandeville was about to open his mouth but it was Lightstep who spoke first.
"We have a big problem." He said, moving to the table as he sat down into his seat, pulling his gloves off. Blackjack let off a cuss under her breath as the old man huffed.
"It explains your tardiness. What happened?" He asked his mercenary, leaning on the table softly, setting his chin atop of the back of his folded hands.
"Damn lordling was in Argon while I was there. I don't know how, I don't know why but he worked out exactly what our plan was." He said simply, sipping his drink but not touching his food yet. Everyone in the room turned to look at him wide-eyed.
"Shit." Blackjack let off. "How the hell did he work that out?" She let off, leaning on the table herself. She had eaten most of her food by then; only a small amount left.
"Impossible!" Mandeville barked out. "How could he know that?" Brandon shrugged as he started to eat his own food. The old man ground his teeth softly, seething as he thought of what could have happened.
"He was in Elddale." Blackjack and Brendon jerked softly as they looked to Wesland who seemed to quivered under the eyes moving to him, even his master's from over a shoulder. "Stories get around, after all."
"...The brute's got a good point." Brendon said, sighing as he nursed his drink in one hand, holding his food in another, gesturing with it slightly. "This isn't the first time you done this, am I right? If he heard a tale or two of you, well, even the town idiot would work things out from there. He said if something came up he'd make up an excuse to invite the guy over and cite some issue or another."
Mandeville took in a deep breath before huffing it out softly. "Damn it. Goddess bloody damn it. My reputation preceding me is a double-edged sword then, it seems. Then we will need a ne-"
"Wait..." Blackjack let off, sitting up full as she looked to the other mercenary sitting to her side. "What exactly was the bastard doing in town?" She asked drawing eyes to her now. "I mean if I were in his shoes with the boss on my ass, aside from enjoying that dark-slut with the fat tits what I'd be doing is I'd bar the doors and not leave. At all. For any reason. What in the hell was he in town for? Some secret lover?"
"He went to get a guild job." Was the answer that came in reply. All eyes moved back on to Brendon. "No, that's not a joke. He went right to the guild, saw him go in. He brought the elf, the sword girl, the mongrel and even the half-runt with him."
There was silence for a long moment as they looked to him dumbfounded, the man eating his sandwich with another shrug. After he swallowed he lifted his mug for another long sip of his drink. The long silence was then finally broken by John Mandeville himself who spoke out.
"That damned arrogant bastard!" He slammed the bottom of his fist to the table, knocking over a few chess pieces with the impact. "He thinks that because he worked out one little plan that he can go around and act like nothing is going to happen to him? Gah! If the problems of doing so weren't so bloody annoying I'd kill the damn brat with my bare hands! ... But still..."
"Still..." Lady Blackjack let off as the older man stroked his goatee in thought, his other arm crossed over his chest as he leaned back in the seat. She listened to him hum softly before a smirk came to his lips, small at first then wider after a few moments.
"Still, if he's going out and about, well then, we can use that to our advantage. We can use it to set up an ambush. If we know what he does then we can use that to our advantage." He said, grinning even wider.
"Well, that's why I'm late. Did some digging around, slipping coin here and there, loosening tongues. You owe me nine silver for it, by the way." The mercenary let off. "He's been doing almost nothing but goblin jobs for weeks. And when I slipped into the guild and poked around, well, guess what he took?"
"Goblin jobs? Yeesh, what happened, did they kill his puppy or something?" Blackjack let off, rolling her eyes as Mandeville hummed to himself.
"Goblin jobs you say? They pay well. It'll take him out of town. To where the goblins live." He stroked his goatee once more, smirking wider. "To caves. And mines. And forgotten basements. Places were certain kinds of magic are ill-advised to use. A magic user like him and his elf slut ally would be limited there."
"If we find a net we can lay a trap at the entrance." Blackjack said, smirking as she pointed to her boss. "Bring a couple men, drop it on them, tangle them up. Lace a rope and it'll be easy to tie them in there and subdue them. An easy job." She said, finishing her sandwich with a grin.
"Exactly. Once they go in we can send some men in behind them." The merchant let off, pointing back. Sure, this meant his earlier work over the last few days, buttering up the local mayor was wasted but he could adapt to an opportunity. "Just to be sure no chances are taken."
"Fuck, we can then take the other bitches too!" The woman let off, rubbing her hands together grinning. "Dibs on the elf." She let off, giggling.
"Humph. We'll need to leave the mongrel behind; it'd be too much trouble to take her. Use her before you go, however."
"You guys forgetting something here?" Brendon's voice cut through the exchange, the man licking his fingers clean after finishing his food. "That mongrel has a wicked sense of smell." He told them as they stopped and frowned. "We'll need to counter that as well. Thankfully, I have just the thing." He reached into the inside of his jacket's pocket and pulled out a small, green gem. It had a steel ring around it and was on a short, thin chain. "This is a wind spell stone. Found it a couple of years ago. Blow on it a little and it sends a gentle breeze in every direction. Set it up right and you push your smells back and can send other scents forwards. Get a dead goblin or something and drop it in the right place, set this little gem down and you can fool that nose of hers."
"That's some good thinking." Blackjack said, grinning. "Know where we can find one?"
"There's a mine northwest of town that lousy with the buggers. Not sure how long they'll be unnoticed, but if we get there and deal with them quick, well, we'll have a place to set up shop."
"Excellent." Mandeville let off to Brendon's explanation. "Most excellent."
"Best of all is word says the guild receptionist is sweet on our little lordling." Brendon added, sipping his drink for a moment. "She sometimes keeps a job or two under the table. Guilds are known to do that; keep the tougher or specialized jobs for specific people. Don't want a key scouting job to go to a newbie who doesn't know which end of the spear to goes into the enemy, after all. And she keeps tougher goblin jobs down there for him."
"Hmm... We can have one of our men report in a goblin sighting at the mine. Have him act the role of a passing... Hmm, traveler of some sort." Mandeville let off, smirking as he spoke. "He could be bard, a scribe or a messenger maybe. Not directly to the guild, but to the nearest town. He offers to add a few silver to the pile. Sweeten the pot. They'll put the job in for us, so it wouldn't seem suspicious to the guild girl or the brat. They'll have no idea it's us."
"We get things set up at the ambush point, nets ready and we'll nab them." Lady Blackjack let off, grinning harder then she had before. "Rough up the lordling a bit, and then leave him there- No! We use the bitches there where he can see it then we leave him there!"
"I like how think Blackjack." Mandeville said with a grin. "Right then. Brendon, Blackjack. You'll take ten of the men with you. The particulars will be left to you. Leave that damned brat beaten and limping home with his well fucked mongrel of a sister. Bring Riri to me. Don't harm her, but... Use her as you see fit. The elf and swordswoman are yours to do with as you see fit. Use them, kill them, sell them. I don't care."
"An elven whore and an eastern slut could fetch some nice prices over at Elddale." Brendon said, grinning softly as he rubbed his chin with a thumb.
"Heh. Good way to earn drinks." Blackjack added as the two mercenaries bumped their mugs together before having a sip of each of their drinks. "Too bad there won't be a good fight, but I'll take the easy pay day, any day!"
"Hear, hear sister!" Brendon added with a chuckle.
"You two will be the instruments of my revenge and retribution!" Mandeville said as he stood up at the table. If anyone looked to Wesland they would see him shiver to himself. "You will teach them their places in the world, return to me as victorious warriors and we will ride away in glory! My little toy will understand her place at my feet, that brat will understand his place as a worthless nobody riding his parent's fortune and our ways will prove the stronger! To victory!"
"To victory!"
[-]
The Next Day,
An Abandoned Mine Northwest of Argon City
The mine they chose for the ambush was scouted out and chosen because of a simple reason; Brendon had found a vent for the mine had collapsed and opened up to the outside world creating a 'backdoor' of sorts inside. As such they wouldn't need to go through the main entrance at all thus not dragging their scent along it. The only issue for using the place was the abundance of goblins present.
It was a rather minor issue.
Using his spell stone eye to see better in the darkness he could see the little beasties wander around and eat, shit and do what goblins do. The largest of the lot; one with some black paint on one side of the face in some strange pattern, pushed the smaller ones about and asserted his dominance. Smirking he drew his crossbow. A press of a button and the limbs detached from the sides of the stock as they moved into place. Reaching up and pulling a small lever on the underside the nose of the stock towards him he locked the limbs into place at the top. A second lever on the side of the stock was pulled back, the string being drawn tight as he loaded a bow.
The inner mechanics of the crossbow was a series of pulleys that reduced the draw strength for the weapon's bow from two hundred pounds to twenty while retaining the full firing power. It was an expensive piece of work, but well worth the price. He glanced behind him as he ducked down behind an old crate. Lady Blackjack had her spear at the ready leaning over to avoid being spotted. She looked to him and nodded. Behind her was ten of Mandeville's guards. Most of them looked professional but one of them seemed nervous; shaking his head as he tried to psyche himself up.
He turned his head forwards and took aim at the largest of the lot. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Pull trigger.
The bolt fired off and rocketed through the air straight to the biggest one slamming through the head of the goblin with a large spurt of blood coming out of the exit wound with enough force to carry on and slam into the eye of another where it lodged, critically wounding but somehow not killing it.
As the goblins stood in shock Blackjack let off a war cry and charged in. She decapitated the nearest monster in range as the soldiers followed her, swords and spears drawn. Blackjack pressed forwards through the mob until she was near the main entrance and turned about. If the goblins wanted to escape the mines and their deaths they would need to get past her first.
No goblin would escape them.
[-]
"How long until our man gets back?" Blackjack asked, sitting on an intact crate as she sharpened her weapon after having cleaning it. The crate creaked softly when she started to sit on it and as he was looking over to her Brendon wondered if it would survive her weight coupled with her armor's. The pair were in the main chamber of the mine, overlooking what was being done within.
"Give him another twenty odd minutes. Shouldn't be too long, I think." He was standing cross armed as he supervised the men. They had positioned the net over the main entrance to the chamber. They had loaded the goblin bodies into a series of crates and tucked one behind a rock with his wind gem set up to keep the goblin scent pushing out of the tunnel. Even if the men's scent mixed in the goblin's would overpower it. That said...
He felt a soft, gentle knot in his gut. It was something that happened now and then; it was his gut saying something was off. What he didn't know, but it was well and truly off. His gut had yet to steer him wrong so far and he had only ignored it once. Only once.
It ended up with him left with a knife in his gut in a back alley and forced to crawl to a church for healing while not letting his guts spill out onto the street. He was only lucky that the idiot left the knife in him, other wise he might have bled out. As it was he still spent a week laid out unable to do anything once the healers had gotten to him with their magic.
He did find the man later on the following week when he was able to get around once more. He returned the knife.
"Whatever. I'm going to go nap for a bit. Wake me up when he gets here." Blackjack stood and walked off back towards the ventilation tunnel turned exit towards their small camp. She didn't seem worried like he did as he huffed and looked to the entrance. The men were giving the net a dry run; deploying it as a test. They took a moment to talk over how it fell down and then moved to set it back into place. Once done one of them had took out some straws, showed one end with a red tip and set it into a cup, shaking it about and mixing them up. Apparently they would live test the net on whoever drew the red tipped one. Made sense; always good to leave nothing to chance.
"You look worried there, sir. Is somethin' awful wrong?" Brendon heard behind him and to his left. He turned to see a young man in the basic Mandeville armor. His sallet's visor was lifted up showing off a boyish, freckled face, blinking at him. Some copper hair hung down into sight but he couldn't tell his hair style. "Or am Ah just imaginin' things?"
"Nah." He told the youth with the hick accent. "Just a gut feeling that's something off. For the life of me I don't know what." He said, sighing. "You listen to your gut when it talks; keeps it from being spilled out onto the ground... Ahhh..." Damn, he didn't know the kid's name.
"Richard Donnars, sir." He said, giving a formal salute to him. "Ah've been workin' under Mister Mandeville for 'round six months now."
"Really? You seem more of a farmer's son type, not a warrior." Brendon said, gesturing to the lad with a hand for a moment, watching him rub the back of his helm.
"Well, ya, Ah am." Richard said looking up to him. "Ah come from a small farm down in the south o' Balanar, near a lil' town call Ferdder. Nothing ta big, ya know? Ma, Pa, three brothers, a sistah and a dozen and change slaves ta work and till the land. Was all good 'til about two years ago. Bloody Halcon Pox blew inta town and onta the farm. Family came out of it okay; mah Ma came down with it but she's tougher then a drunken orc in a pissy mood." Brendon snorted and smiled at that mental image. "But we lost over 'alf the slaves. Dropped down like flies, they did. And one of them got so sick, he ain't never bounced back and we 'ad to put him down. We 'ad ole' Arberda for fifteen years we did. After the pox, well, he couldn't do nothin'."
"Yeah, never got the Halcon Pox. Heard it was goddess awful though." Brendon let off, nodding once more. "I rolled into a town it hit hard once about four years ago. Damn near a ghost town after it came and went." Richard nodded once, before pointing to his chest.
"It's why Ah I left the farm. We 'ad to hire farmhands to work and, well, that was pricey. So Ah started doing some 'venturing work ta get extra coin, sendin' it ta the farm. Tryin' ta get things runnin' once more. I caught Mister Mandeville's eye somehow and, well, got ta work fer him. Better pay, better places ta sleep and... Ummm..."
"Pussy on tap?"
"Th-that..." He said, blushing as he looked up, smiling softly. "Mister Mandeville's more then 'appy ta let you use his slaves. There's, ahh, a real cute one. Black haired, petite, blue eyes. Blows dick like a damn tornado." He smiled in a silly manner, shifting from side to side. "But yeah. Ah 'ope ta have a slave like her someday. Maybe settle down on mah own farm, 'ave someone like her ta give me a couple kids, two or three slaves ta work the land..."
"Not my idea of settling down, but each their own." Brendon said, shrugging.
"Hey, how you end up workin' fer Mister Mandeville?" Richard asked him, looking over to the mercenary.
"Me? Hmm. Well... I did work here and there for a few years. I was in Caul when I got a job; someone escaped with a man's slave." Richard's eyes widened. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Real dick move. I didn't come from a slave province so I didn't know how how dick of a move it was. Buried the bastard and got her back before they got to a boarder though." He chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Never been so thanked in my life. Got a night with another of his slaves too. Slave jobs paid very well, so I just fell into it from there. As for the boss, eh, I did work for one of his buddies and he hired me a year back. I go about, do what he needs done. This is the first time I worked with so many of his other people, though."
"Yeah, he takes the loss of his slaves worst then most do." Richard said with a nod. "Why I 'eard from the captain he beat one of his pleasure girls 'alf to death when he 'eard that two of his slaves got away from him."
Brendon whistled hard at that. "Really? I knew the boss could have a temper, but he's usually good at keeping a handle on it."
"Yup. Mind, only 'eard about it from others. Not sure if the tale bein' stretched at all, but everyone says she needed a 'ealer good and quick." Brendon nodded as he set a hand on his chin.
"Yeah, I can buy that. Must have been piss-"
"He's back!" He heard seeing another solider run down to them in the chamber. "Ha! The town sent out the request!"
"Nice..." Brendon let off, almost purring it out as he smirked. "We cast the line. Now we just need to wait for a bite."
[-]
Blackjack had set up the sentry detail and dinner was served that evening. One of the men was the son of a chef and he'd cooked a good meal for them, a nice, meaty stew with good seasonings. They had set up their tents, chatted into the night and those not about to stand guard sipped whatever drink would fit their tastes. For Brendon it was vodka; cheap, decent and mixed well with other drinks like the berry juice he set it in. When his drinking was done he moved to his tent and laid on top of his mat.
Something about the whole situation made him think of his mother.
He couldn't remember when he was dropped off. He was told as a baby but when he thought of her he had an image of her in his mind. It was hazy and blurry at best. Fair skin, white dress, long, flowing brown hair. Sometimes he could see green eyes. He was left at the church's orphanage in Kanton City in Brell, a county and the southern most province of Thorne. He always wondered about her. He overheard the nuns once, talk about him when he was still very young. One of them said that his mother said she'd never accept 'that bastard's child'. Hell, he wasn't sure the woman was his mother; it could have been a maid, handmaiden or some other servant.
He sighed, squirming on the mat. He wondered if his mother was some rich, merchant's wife or daughter, a noblewoman of some sort or another woman of class. He'd never know. What he did know was he was abandoned and those who decided to adopt children ignored him. He snorted at the memory.
Sure, he disliked the Noxdecus brat, James, but that was due to his status as a foe and well off one at that. That he was a baron's son didn't bother him; nobility needed heirs and that he was one wasn't an issue.
His sister on the other hand. He snorted at the thought. Fuck, he'd rape the bitch hard once the chance came.
Someone like him could be abandoned and tossed aside, left to rot in an underfunded orphanage under the watch of over-worked and understaffed nuns, with too little to eat and with nothing but patched and worn clothes to wear; he had to literally scrap and fight for more then just enough to live the next day with a rumbling tummy. He needed to beat up other kids, pick pockets and more to have a standard of living a peasant's son would have. He bled, fought and cried just to not be hungry for a night.
Yet that mongrel stray could be picked up by a baron and baroness like a lost, pet kitten, cleaned up and bathed, told she's a good little child, allowed to feast on roasts, rich foods and fruits, allowed to wear the finest of clothing, sleep in a bed without lumps and torn blankets and told she's special when she was nothing more then a lost mongrel. She was nothing but a lucky little Catalan stray who wound up far higher up on the food chain then a little abandoned boy that may have been actual nobility.
He didn't know if he could impregnate a mongrel, but damned if he wouldn't try. He smirked.
Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a hell of a day if there was a bite on their hook.
So why did the knot in gut tighten just a bit more?
[-]
We walked down to the guild in the morning; Aeris and Miria flanking my sides, Riri just a couple steps ahead of me and Makoto bringing up the rear. It'd been about four days since Mandeville decided to pay us a visit. I'd trained, gained some stat points and spent then, got some trait points and then used them to improve Muscle Wizard. For twenty five points (Six regular, nineteen universal) I was able to change it from giving me one strength for every five points to one for every four. Already that meant another two points in strength. Using the last five universal and all twenty of my sexual trait points let me upgrade The Speed of Sex as well, now getting one dexterity for every five in rapid rather then six netting me one more point there.
It wasn't much right now to be sure, but it would pay off down the line.
We were expecting Mandeville's surprise to come about sooner rather then later. There were no promises we'd get through everything, of course, but we were as prepared as we could be. At the very least they had no idea what I had prepared for the coming conflict with some of the work I'd been doing since I arrived coming in handy for this situation. Walking into the guild and towards the front desk I waved to Kara who smiled back. She reached under the desk and set a sheet down on said desk for us to see.
"I have a job for you guys in the northwest mines. There's more goblin problems, I'm afraid." She said, smiling over to us as she folding her hands in her lap (Which also pushed her modest breasts together. She kept a few jobs under her desk for people who were specialized in something; for me it was appraisal jobs in particular but for us and a few others in trusted groups, the bigger goblin jobs. This one in particular; it was about two dozen goblins it said on the paper. But it had some very nice rewards.
Four Universal and Four Regular Stat Points! Plus 5 Regular Trait Points, plus twelve hundred xp. That was quite good. The page had a trio of goblins drawn on it.
Required: Group of Four or Larger
Expected Threat Level: C to C+
Description: A passing scribe spotted some goblins in an old mine he planned to set a camp near. Rough count is over a dozen; however there are likely more in the mine. As such we are expecting around two dozen or so. If this group remains unchecked it could threaten the small town of Cocan or other nearby farms and villages. Dispatch the Aberrant and clear out the mine.
The scribe additionally added some coin to the pot to have the Goblins dealt with.
Reward: 5 Gold, 7 Silver
Amendment: The person who posted the job said he had a strange feeling about the scribe, but couldn't put his finger on it.
I read the sheet and passed it around to everyone. Once I had shared it with the others I gave each a look with a small nod and getting one in return from each of them. I then turned back to face Kara. "We'll take it." She seemed a bit curious about the nod we passed around but nodded to me as well after a moment.
"Alright then. I don't really have anything else to add to this, so I'll just send you on your way." She said with a soft smile.
[New Quest Gained: Enemy of Mine]
[New Objective: Reach the Mine]
[New Objective: Investigate the Mine]
What a nice quest title.
We thanked her before we left the guild and moved out of the town through the gates. I grinned softly as we stopped a bit out of town. I then pulled something out of a pouch at my side and used it before we carried on our way towards the mine in the northwest.
We walked along, taking our time as we talked a bit. We did keep our eyes and ears open, just in case one of Mandeville's goons came out.
We were most of the way there when Makoto moved up to walk next to me. "James-sama, mayhaps you can answer a question for me?"
"Yeah?" I asked, turning my head to her. At that point we were walking on open ground, knee high grass about us. A few trees sprouted up and in the distance was a couple of deer.
"How is it that Eostia has many lands within it that lacks slavery of any kind, but some that embrace it in full? It seems strange that High Queen Celestine would allow it at all in her lands, given what I have heard of her."
"It is strange, but there is a reason for it. Have you heard the story of the Seven Legendary Shield Maidens?" I asked her. She nodded once to me. "Yeah. Most people stop telling the tale at the end of the war with Verlangen when they came back and founded the seven kingdoms that would make up Eostia. But the reality is that's not where the story ended; because the surrounding provinces weren't part of the kingdoms back then."
"What? They weren't a part of the kingdoms from the start?" Riri asked, looking back to me as I shook my head at her.
"Not quite." I said, smiling back. "After Verlangen's fall things got more then a bit chaotic. The nobility ruling the provinces either moved to secure their own lands once Verlangen's rule fell or to take others. A lot of small wars, often called the Wars of Succession, sprung up everywhere. The Seven realized that the chaos this unrest would cause would spill over to them sooner or later and moved to mitigate the situation, trying to negotiate peace between them. Some listened and joined, such as Mungale. Others kept up their wars or rattled their weapons about to try and frighten the great kingdoms off."
I looked up for a moment and nodded as I collected my thoughts. "In the end they decided the only way to end the Wars was by force and launched a campaign of conquest." Makoto's eyes opened wider as I continued. "In the end the seven conquered all the realm but Joanna of the White Cloth realized what could go wrong if she forced her will on the nobility and their provinces. So rather then make demands and impose laws and such she brought over the nobility and proposed the Aegis Alliance Accords. There were quite a few rights and such listed in it and responsibilities, such as calling forth armies in time of threat. One of those rights, however, was the right to create and enforce their own laws independent of others in the realm." I sighed as I shook my head. "So that means if Celestine attempts to force slavery's end in a province then she'd be in violation of the Accords which would have a lot of bad implications for Eostia as a whole."
"In short..." Makoto said, tapping her chin as she kept walking at my side. "Her hands are tied by the binds that were left behind from those who came well before her."
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. I imagine there's some kind of loophole, but if there is she can't or won't use it." I said, sighing as Miria laughed, reaching out and slapping a hand on my shoulder.
"It's why I'm glad he's the heir and not me." She said with a wide grin. "I'd hate having to deal with that shit." I shrugged, half smiling as we kept going.
Half an hour later we reached the mine. I glanced to Miria who sniffed softly and gave me a soft look from the side of her eye.
[(⸜∕ ) Reach the Mine]
[-]
Brendon squirmed as he kept watch on the entrance. The scout had come up to them mere moments ago; the lordling had taken the bait and was coming to the mine with his party in tow. All they had to do was pull the line at the right time and set the hook. He was to the side in a flanking position behind a pillar and a larger rock on one knee. Blackjack was behind a crate near the center; ready to rush from the front as the point of the spear. Two more of their men flanked her on either side and one took the flanking position on the side opposite of him on the other side of the chamber.
By the entrance was Richard and one of the other men on one side behind a large rock and one more on the other side. The net was ready to go and even if it failed somehow they had an eight to five advantage. In addition the other four of their men would follow them in after a short while; totaling a twelve to five advantage. Fighting in the mine meant the spell casters couldn't use their full list of spells. Aside from him they all wore heavy armor in quarters that would prevent full mobility; easier to trap them in place.
So why did the knot his gut tighten?
"Stop squirming?" Blackjack hissed to him over the silence in the mine as he glared back.
"Somethin' is off. I know it, I can feel it in my gut." He hissed back, glaring to the entrance. He knew something was wrong but he didn't know what it was. He had no idea what it could be and that he didn't know was driving him nuts!
"Just because I have dibs on the elf slut doesn't mean you can pout about it."
"Pipe down Blackjack, they'll be here soon!"
He grit his teeth. What was it, what was wrong? He knew something was wrong, but not exactly what! He controlled his breathing to avoid giving himself away as he kept watch on the tunnel. He knew it was about to go sideways, but not how, just that it would.
Almost fifteen minutes later he saw the half-runt, creeping forwards in a low stance moving slowly into the chamber. The lordling and mongrel followed next. The elf came next then the swordswoman. They were almost at the area for the net to nab them and in a rather tight formation. One pull, one wrap and they were in the bag, It looked easy.
So what was wrong?
He peeked out from his hiding place, looking around his rock, looking at them closer, using his eye. They looked just as he had seen them the last time. He frowned. He could see them cast their shadows onto the walls and floor of the mine. The knot tightened in his gut. He lifted up slightly to look up at a new angle as they moved into position. And then he saw what wasn't there.
Footprints. His eyes widened. An illusionist with some skill and forethought would include shadows with their spell but many forgot the footprints.
"Wait!" He shouted out loudly, trying to stop the pull of the net, but it was too late; the net falling down onto the images of the lordling and his female party... and right through them, revealing the illusion spell's reality to everyone. Even so the three soldiers reacted too slow; they had pulled on the ropes to bind their quarry fully only stopping once they noticed the net had passed through, pausing in confusion...
Before screaming as a blue orb of mana slammed into them from the tunnel, covering all three in white frost as the illusions dissipated. The three men stumbled backwards only for a sudden burst of wind to slam into them from the tunnel. The gale was enough to rattle the crates in the room and send the three flying into the chamber. One body hit the rock Brendon was hiding behind and dropped it besides him as it bounced off. He looked down; the sallet had come off the man's head to show off Richard's face to him. His chest and right arm were covered in front, as was the bottom of his jaw. The frost froze the blood coming from his mouth as he looked up to Brendon.
"Tell... muh Ma... Ah... Ah..." It was all he got off before going still, eyes still wide but now empty and without life.
"Gods dammit!" Brendon let off as the real lordling and his party were now standing at the entrance. Blackjack was looking back at him, before frowning as she jumped over her cover to face the Noxdecus brat.
"How did they know we were here?" The other three guards moved to flank her as did he.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did we ruin your little ambush?" The lordling let off at them with a smirk.
He knew! How could he have known? What had tipped their hand?
[-]
[(⸜∕ ) Investigate the Mine]
"Oh, I'm sorry. Did we ruin your little ambush?" I said as we walked into the mine's main chamber. I could see two of Mandeville's mercs were there glaring daggers at us. There were another three normal guards were there as well; two flanking Blackjack to her right and one between her and Lightstep. "Well, for obvious reasons, we're not sorry." I did my best to ignore the three dead bodies now on the ground.
I had killed animals before, I had killed goblins before and I had killed slimes before. This was my first time killing people (Technically speaking Aeris killed them all, but I still had a hand in it), killing actual human beings and I was trying to ignore what feelings it was bringing out in me.
Recalling what sort of evil would happen to Riri thanks to these bastards, however, made it a much easier pill to swallow for me.
"How did they know!?" One of the guards let off glancing to Blackjack as he spoke.
"Obvious ambush was obvious." It wasn't, it fact, so obvious but I had my ways to figure it out.
"Needless to say, we were expecting your pitiful ambush." Aeris added, staff floating before her where she took it in her hand, spinning it once before smirking at them. "And we were more then prepared for you."
"Now then villains, surrender yourselves to justice and you'll be treated with fairness. Resist and you will be treated to the worms." Makoto added drawing her sword and moving to a combat stance as did I, pointing my rapier at them. Riri drew her long knives in each hand into a reverse grip, crouching into her own combat stance.
"Or you can kill yourselves and save us the trouble." Miria added, her bow in hand with an arrow notched as she half pulled it back readying it to fire. I was in the middle of our formation with Makoto off to my left some six feet away, Riri to my right in about the same distance. Aeris and Miria were to my left and right (Respectfully) some three feet, but back by about four. We laid out the plan before we went in and there was no reason not to stick with it so far. We got three of them right off the bat so the numbers were even; five on five.
That said Blackjack and Lightstep were higher levels so there was still risk to deal with here, but it would be fine; we just needed to last long enough if it came down to it.
"Damned bastards!" One of the guards let off, looking to Brendon. "Sir, our orders?" He let off as the mercenary frowned deeper. He seemed to think the situation over before snorting...
Then the boss music started. And for once I was pumped for it. A flash of white and my vision zoomed in on Lightstep as he snarled.
"Gods dammit!" Brendon let off, crossing his arms and drawing both of his short swords, spinning them once before he took a combat stance. "Blackjack! We're earning our coin the hard way!" He let off as his spell stone eye shone for a moment.
_Red-Eyed Hunter of Slaves_
Brendon Lightstep
My view then swapped right to Blackjack. "Bah!" Blackjack drew the sprear from her back and spun it about twice before she spat to the ground before her. "That's fine by me! I prefer a good fight anyway!" She said as she took her own combat stance, spear pointed forwards.
_Mercenary Flesh Hunter_
Lady Blackjack
The view moved back to showcase both of them plus all three of the remaining guards before another flash as my vision returned to normal.
[New Objective: Defeat Lady Blackjack]
[New Objective: Defeat Brendon Lightstep]
[Bonus Objective: Kill Lady Blackjack]
[Bonus Objective: Kill Brendon Lightstep]
So, that was their titles, huh? That's good to know.
Miria used one of her skills (I didn't know the name of it) and fully drew her bow. I charged as did Makoto, Aeris moving to support the swordswoman as they went towards Blackjack's side and Riri moving to back me as we went the opposite way towards Brendon; the pair moving to respond. One of the guards moved to support Blackjack, while the other two went down the middle towards my sister. Miria readied to shoot her arrow as I threw a second Arctic Orb, but not at a person rather into the floor in front of Miria. The two guards that had broken off slipped up on the ice that formed on the ground and Miria shot her first arrow. With the guards flailing and off balance their shields were not in a position to defend them and she shot the first guard in the abs. He cried out and slipped fully on the ice, landing hard as she shot a second arrow into his guts. They wore some plate armor on their chests, but it didn't extend all the way down. Miria was using long, pointed arrowheads designed to punch though the chain mail their steel plates didn't cover.
I started to ignore the rest of the fight as I thrust my blade to Brendon's chest. He deflected it and tried to slash at me but in a smooth motion I drew my parrying dagger and blocked it, twisting my hand then turning my arm quickly to try and disarm him. The motion failed and he pulled his blade back but before he could attack again Riri leapt at his head, swinging her own blades, forcing him to block. She managed to land a kick while still airborne and pushed herself back, but aside from a grunt Brendon seemed unaffected. I jabbed my rapier to his face but he leaned away and stepped back.
I stepped in thrusting twice then using my Rapid Strike, my blade thrusting at his body quickly and repeatedly as he backed up, blocking what he could with his blade. I landed some hits on his armor, but only one punched into the leather. He jerked back and kicked at Riri who blocked with her blades and was pushed back when she tried another attack. There was no blood on my sword, so I assumed he pulled back before I hit his skin.
I sheathed my dagger and drew a throwing knife using Power Shot to boost my attack then Snap Throw to launch it at his thigh to slow him down. He dodged by leaning to the side onto one leg only to get dropkicked by Riri who sent him back into a pillar. I followed with Piercing Strike, but turned my blade to turn it into a punch to avoid lodging the blade into the wood; a good choice as he dodged to my side. He landed a slash on my arm but the leather plate held as I swung the pommel of my blade to his jaw, stepping in and connecting with the hit. He leapt back; I connected solidly with my hit but he was able to shrug it off mostly as he kicked at Riri as she tried to move in once more, taking the boot to the chest, but lessening the impact by rolling with it, rolling over her shoulder and back to her feet.
I glanced to the others real quick. The guard that took two arrows was on the ground in the fetal position, clearly unable to continue. The other guard that charged Miria also had an arrow in his gut, but had been pushing through it and forced her to fight in melee with her own sword. She wasn't able to match him, but he was clearly in pain and hobbled by the arrow sticking out of him; that fight could go either way right now.
The guard supporting Blackjack was dead; given the dent in his chest armor and lack of response if he was alive he was not in a happy place. That said, Blackjack seemed to be handful for the pair; Blackjack kept moving to keep Makoto between her and Aeris, reducing what the elf could do to help and Makoto's weapon was less effective against her; the spear's reach and hooks was proving to be a problem and Makoto was clearly worried about getting her weapon hooked by the spears prongs. I clicked my tongue and drew mana, looking back at Brendon and smirked. I made to look as if I'd charge him... But then dashed towards Blackjack. "Makoto! Switch!"
"Understood!" She let off, dashing to the side as I threw the magic in my hand in an Arctic Orb at Blackjack. She moved to give chase to Makoto, but seeing my attack she back flipped over it as it slammed into the mine's wall (In heavy armor as well, mind you) but before she could respond Aeris' threw a burst of heavy wind at her in a sphere; forcing her to duck under it.
I heard a battle cry as Makoto met Brendon in combat; Riri had been occupying him and keeping him from following me. I drew in mana and threw a second Arctic Orb and threw it at Blackjack's feet only to watch her jump back, avoiding the ice patch before it formed before launching forwards, dodging another of Aeris' wind spells. I thought she was going to try and run or slide over the patch but she instead set the point of her spear down and pole vaulted over it to kick me in the chest sending me back and rolling over my shoulder. She moved to stab but I used Snap Throw to send a knife at her face only to have her side step then duck another of Aeris' spells. She thrust her lance out at me as I sidestepped and used my free hand to grab the shaft under the point and between the hooks, trying to make her either hold still or abandon her weapon.
Instead she planted her feet, howled and pulled the spear to side dragging me along in shock and into Aeris' path and making her abandon her next spell. I let go, rolling over my shoulder once more and turning to face her before I lifted my left arm to block a she drew a whip from behind her and cracked it at my face. It hit my arm and wrapped it before pulling with her arm hard, making me yelp as I was swung like a sack of potatoes into a rock; my grip on the Unicorn's Horn slipping. I grunted with the impact, feeling my back flare up in pain and hearing my sword clanging on the ground but I channeled ice magic through the whip, covering it frost as it traveled up the leather. She moved to stab at me only to duck again as Aeris sent another wind spell at her. I gave the whip a pull and the leather snapped about a foot from my hand. She let go of her whip and charged Aeris now, knowing I needed a moment to recover.
Aeris let off a short burst of fire at her only to have the woman swing her spear about and blast the flames away with the wind pressure! I only got up myself, cast Minor Heal on myself before walking off what else was ailing me. Rather then go for my weapon I charged at Blackjack's back. Aeris screamed in fear as she used another flame spell only to have the mercenary use the same skill as before to bat the flames away from her before using the hooks on her spear to grab Aeris' staff and tried to pull it away and leave the elf open. Aeris let go, but used the Levitation spell on it to lift the staff upwards making the spearwoman pause in surprise...
Just long enough to let me land on her back and swing my parrying dagger into her face, the point driving into her eye. As blood spurt out she screamed in pain and clawed at me with one hand as I channeled mana into my free hand, now on her neck, slowly coating it in ice. She gasped loudly, clearly panicking as she let her weapon go to grab me with both hands. I hooked my legs around her waist, freezing her neck further as she tried to yank me off her only to stumble and land on her knees. Soon her grip slipped as she stopped moving, slumping fully to the ground. I was on her back panting as Aeris sighed in relief.
[(⸜∕ ) Defeat Lady Blackjack]
[(⸜∕ ) Kill Lady Blackjack]
That's one of the bosses down.
"Blackjack!" Brendon cried out as I got up checking on my friends. Miria's foe had stumbled from his wound finally letting her back away and get her breath back; he seemed unable to move now. Blackjack's spear hit the ground as Aeris' staff dislodged it. Brendon was struggling to defend against the two women he was fighting, his chest armor having a shallow, diagonal cut to it. Makoto suffered some nicks in the fight, but seemed alright otherwise. I moved to my rapier and quickly picked it up just as voices came out of the main tunnel. "It's about bloody time the damned cavalry arrived!" He let off, leaping well back from his opponents.
"CHAAARGE! FOR MUNGALE!" A bellowing voice came from the tunnel to Brendon's shock.
"What!? How!?" He let off in shock, backing up. From the tunnel stormed Gregory backed by six of the manor's guards. In terms of armor they were identical to Mandeville's save a fully covering chest plate that covered the entire front and back of the torso, a helmet with a full visor and blue tabard over the front. Brendon looked about. All of his allies were dead or dying, he was now outnumbered ten to one and was struggling with his two current foes.
"Surrender!" I told him pointing my weapon to him. "You're done!"
"Like hell I am!" He let off drawing something and throwing it into the room before him; something small, round and black that started to spew smoke everywhere, filling half the chamber in a hurry. Aeris used a wind spell to clear the air, but by the time the smoke was clear he was gone. Makoto moved to give chase, starting to move to the tunnels in the back of the mine but I called out to her.
"Makoto, stop! We don't know anything about those tunnels!" I called out. She stopped, frowned and seemed like she'd try to give chase but finally thought better of it as she sheathed her weapon and walked back. I didn't think Brendon was going to pull an ambush, but no sense to risk it anyway.
[(⸜∕ ) Defeat Brendon Lightstep]
[(X) Kill Brendon Lightstep]
Defeated List
4 Mandeville Guardsmen x 180xp=720XP
4 Mandeville Sentries x 190xp=760XP
2 Mandeville Veteran Guardsmen x 230xp=460XP
Lady Blackjack=680xp x 1.25 Kill Bonus=850XP
Brendon Lightstep=680XP
Gain 3470XP Total
Level Up!
You are now Level 9!
+1 to Dex, Acc & Mnc
+1 to End!
+2 RSP & SSP!
+5 UTP!
Achievement Unlocked: Best Killed Cold
Killed someone or something with an ice spell
Title Unlocked: Underdog
You have defeated five or more bosses with a higher level then your own!
+1 to all Damage. +10% XP Bonus to all Quest Rewards
I switched titles then and there but as I sighed I turned back and walked to someone and knelt down.
There was Lady Blackjack. The woman I just killed.
I knew I had to. There was no better choice to defend myself and my allies, my friends, my family. And since arriving here I knew the chances that I'd have to kill another human being were quite high, but still to actually kill someone was a bit... disturbing let alone in the manner it happened. I grabbed her shoulder, pushing her corpse to lie on it's back. The front of her neck up to her jaw and past it to her nose was covered in frost. It also extended down to the tops of her shoulders and front of her chest. She had literally been unable to breathe from the freezing of her airways.
I felt a heavy hand my shoulder, squeezing firmly. "The first is always the hardest. But you bore it well, young master." Gregory said softly as I just nodded. I stood up and sighed. "What shall be done with the bodies?" He asked as I looked about.
"Any of them survive?" I asked softly, trying to get my voice back.
Come one dude, get it together. Do it for Riri...
"No. We cut down their reinforcements before they reached the mine, and those Miria fought succumbed to their injuries. I do believe they had painful deaths."
"No less then slaver scum deserves." One of our guards said with a small cheer coming from the others. I nodded once and sighed.
"I guess so. Take their gear and anything useful on them, or identifying for that matter. Burn the bodies and bury them." I said to Gregory who nodded once.
"One of them got away though." Makoto said, huffing as the rest my party moved closer to me, save Riri who stepped in and hugged me about the waist as I set a hand to her head, stroking her hair gently. "Mandeville will know of these events shortly, we are to be sure of this."
"That's annoying. If that old fart doesn't give up we'll be fighting that guy a second time." Aeris added, huffing as she crossed her arms under her bust. "Is it wise to not go after him?"
"There are downsides, yeah." I said, nodding once. "But there's more to it then that; there are benefits for us as well."
[-]
[Quest Complete: Enemy of Mine]
[Gain 1200XP +120XP Underdog Bonus]
On the way back to the guild I had spent my new stat points; both of my sexual points to stamina and both of my regular to mana capacity. After turning in the mission and getting four of both universal and regular stat points I would put one into each of my regular stats save luck. We relayed all that happened to Kara who seemed surprised. Finally she gave us a sad look and hung her head.
"I'm sorry. Had I known it was a trap I wouldn't have given it to you. Hells, I had a feeling something was off about it, but I couldn't figure out what..."
"It's fine, Kara." I told her, smiling with a wave. "We were expecting something like this sooner or later so we managed to turn their ambush against them." I said, nodding once to her.
"That said..." Miria let off, frowning. "We need to figure out their next move." She said as I gave another nod.
Well, I had my ways in that regards.
[-]
When we got home I set about to do some paperwork that piled up during my adventures. Now that we sprung our counter-trap there wasn't a need to go back to work until my parents got back so I focused on what I was supposed to be doing, coupled with doing what I needed to keep abreast of the situation with Mandeville, although I imagined that would be a day or two before we heard from them. That said...
That said, last time he left his huge goon behind, the titanic slave. I had an idea of what to do about it though; an imbue spell on a spell stone. There were ways, I was told, to alter items imbued by someone else but that was a subject I was still experimenting with. Rather I planned to use a small spell stone with a spell on it that when slipped to the inside of a slave collar would make a small 'shield' between the collar and skin, removing it's effects. It would be a good solution, if we could use it.
In the meantime I had worked on one of my projects as there was a knock on the door. I turned my head, sighing softly. I was in my underclothing, but I didn't mind that much. "Come in." I called out. The door opened and, as I expected, Riri walked in wearing her maid's uniform as she walked up to me. "Hey Riri. How are you holding up?" I asked her smiling as she smiled back, although it was an uneasy one.
"M-Master..." She began as I looked down to her smiling. "Am I... Am I worth it?" I blinked, smile gone. What?
"What do you mean by that?" I asked as she shivered a bit, her arms moving to hug her own torso.
"I mean... We fought two very bad people... And we'll have to fight more doing this... Am I... Am I worth that kind of fight?" She asked, trembling softly before me.
"Yes." I said it before I even knew I was saying something. She looked up in shock but I was moving to pick her up, hugging her to my chest as I sat her on my lap. "No one deserves that kind of life. And you've been one of my best friends and most reliable helpers. You're important to me; you're damn close enough to be called family and I wouldn't give you up to a monster like that old man. When this is over he'll be going home fuming and you'll be here, safe and sound."
"But-"
"No buts Riri." I replied firmly, holding her close. "You're worth it, and if you ever suggest otherwise I'll spank you." She let off a snort of a giggle as she leaned into me, hugging me back. I stroked her back softly as we just sat there for the time being.
"Can I sleep here tonight?" She asked me softly.
"Of course."
[ - Author's Note - ]
So, the scorecard so far...
James Noxdecus: 1
Sir John Mandeville: 0
Sounds about right. That was a bit of a chapter; this is the most I've written away from James' perspective (Unless you count 'Read The Manual, of course) and it was interesting.
So has anyone figured out how James worked out the plan? There is a reason! Not an ass-pull, promise.
Anyway, until the next time!
~~Eostian Scribe