“I actually agree with the Fairy,” groused Gras.
“Anyway,” I said, directing the conversation back to the matter at hand. “We were looking for a way to make peace between Anvilton and Hammerton. Gras here is a part of the solution.”
“Okay, but what were you saying about an Assassin?” Olaf asked.
It took a few minutes to relay my conversation with Gras to my friends.
“And we’re not killing him, why?” Rose asked, glaring daggers at the captured Gras after hearing my story.
“Because he was at least partly right. The best way to peace is to replace the Duke with Gras,” I said.
“Right, all we need to do is fight through an army of players, then an army of Anvilton soldiers and assuming we survive steps one and two, we need to find and either capture or kill the Duke of Anvilton, does that about sum it up?” Olaf asked, sounding entirely uncomfortable with the plan.
“My rebellion will take the Duke,” Gras insisted. “I need you to stall the hostilities as long as possible. Keep it between the adventurers for as long as you can.”
“Right, because the secret rebellion always wins,” said Olaf sarcastically.
“We must, for the sake of my people, we must win,” said Gras. “My people suffer under my father’s reign. They either toil away making weapons and armor or food to feed his war machine. I can tell you now, my father’s army is at least four times larger than what Hammerton can field, not to mention the adventurer mercenaries he’s hired. If war comes, Hammerton will be crushed.”
“This is getting big, mate,” said Olaf, looking at me seriously. “I don’t know if we can manage all the angles on this one.”
Olaf wasn’t wrong about there being a lot of angles to this one. But none of it was what I would consider insurmountable. “Then we break it down, one step at a time. So, let’s start. What do we need to do?” I asked.
“Earn the respect of the Hammerton military,” said Olaf.
“Slow down the Anvilton military machine. Heath is going to have so much fun sabotaging them,” Micaela volunteered, getting a laugh from all of us.
“The other adventurers are coming to help Hammerton, I think we should set up some raids on Anvilton’s supply depots. Jack, we’ll need a map and a good one,” Rose added.
“We also need to make contact with the rebellion,” I said. “And get them talking with Mardi, assuming we can convince her to listen to reason. I might need to ask her dad for help with that.” I was resigned to the fact that I would ultimately be the go between for the Gods.
“Might be best if you don’t tell her about Gras,” suggested Baby. “I don’t think Mardi would take it well to find out she had someone related to the man that betrayed her so close to her.”
Baby had a point. Mardi had proven to be mercurial at best.
“And don’t forget your class quest,” Rose said, reminding me and the rest of us of my Goddess’s warning. “If Chaos is here, I would bet he or she is the one pulling the Duke’s strings.”
I assumed that was the case myself, but I couldn’t help but be a little suspicious of Gras even now. I shook that thought away as quickly as it came.
“Do you really think we can do all that in less than a month?” Olaf asked, grinning a little. “Oh, who am I kidding. With Bye-bye here we’ll finish it off and come out famous for it.”
“Assuming nothing goes wrong, which it will,” Baby added, raining on our parade a little.
“You are all insane,” said Gras softly. “I do not understand you. I threatened the life of your friend. I planned to use and manipulate you into being my unwilling pawns and possible scapegoats in the future. And yet . . . and yet, here you stand, planning to help me.”
“We’re not helping you,” said Micaela. “We’re helping Anvilton and Hammerton. Despite being a little rat, you are a necessary evil.”
“If I let you go, are you going to run?” I asked.
Gras’s eyebrows creased in thought. “No, I will not run.”
“And Mardi lives?” Rose asked, eyeballing the Dwarf through the netting.
“Aye, she lives . . . for now,” said Gras.
“See, it’s the ‘for now’ part that worries me,” said Olaf. “Anyone have a suggestion for keeping him honest that doesn’t require us to watch him 24-7?”
“Swear it,” I said. “Swear to the God Ivaldi that you will not harm his daughter.”
Gras frowned. “Fine. I swear to the Great God of Crafting, to the Hammer-swinger and to the Anvil-breaker. I swear to the God of all Dwarves. I swear to you, God Ivaldi, I will not harm your daughter, nor will I order her harmed, unless she aims to do me harm.” His oath was heard as thunder rumbled through the heavens above us.
“I suppose that will do,” said Olaf, moving to pick up the dropped boars and place them in the wagon with the other meat when he saw the three prisoners. “Great, and what are we supposed to do about them?” he asked, motioning to the three starry-eyed Dwarves.
“Set me free and I will see to them,” said Gras.
I did as he requested, though I was still cautious of him. I was even more on edge when the first thing he did was take out his hammer.
“Now, this skill took me years to master,” Gras said, approaching the three prisoners. “I know you look at me with hope, but under interrogation you are liable to tell them everything and that just will not do.”
“It is okay, your Lordship, we understand. Make our deaths quick,” requested one of the captured Dwarves.
Gras rolled his eyes. “I am not going to kill you, you daft bastard,” he said, before lashing out with his mallet, striking the back of the Dwarf’s head, causing the body to slump forward. “He’ll wake up in an hour with no memory of the last hour.”
“Nice, think you can teach me?” Olaf asked.
“I will consider it. But only if you can actually do what you say you can,” said Gras, performing the same attack on the other two captured Dwarves.
“Deal,” said Olaf, grinning.
“Okay, so, are we ready to head back to Hammerton?” I asked, looking around briefly. The Anvilton soldiers we captured were all unconscious. The boars and bears were loaded. All our quests were completed.
Quest Alert: A Spy’s Instrument 1 (Recommended Level 10-12) – Failed!
Gras has leverage and clearly knows how to apply it where it hurts most. Can you get out from under it? Can you protect the Duchess from the hidden Assassin? Your first task, prove yourself to the Hammerton Military and earn their trust and respect.
Penalty: None Reward: Increased Reputation with Gras
Well that was good . . . I think? I hated failing quests. It was strange to fail a quest and be rewarded for it. Still, I wasn’t about to complain.
Quest Alert: Welcome to the Rebellion 1 (Recommended Level 10-12)
Gras has leverage and clearly knows how to apply it where it hurts most. Or so he thought. Having successfully turned the tables on the would-be blackmailer, you have convinced him that working with you is a better idea. Your task remains the same, start by proving yourself to the Hammerton Military.
Reward: Experience, Hidden, Hidden
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
“Oh, we’re in,” said Olaf, accepting the quest for all of us.
“Good,” said Gras. “Now, remember, in front of everyone else, I’m Ash, the mute wagon driver.” He was quick to return to his driver’s seat, seemingly satisfied.
It was time to return to Hammerton.
Coming into the city was a nightmare. The Hammerton Guards were freaked out by the three prisoners, the Sergeant in charge of the gate tried to take the prisoners from us, which I thought was probably the right way to go, but Olaf thought differently.
“You can’t take our prisoners without giving us some kind of official bounty receipt,” Olaf protested.
“We do not have a bounty on Anvilton patrolmen, there is nothing to give,” the D
warven Sergeant protested.
“And I say bull,” Olaf protested louder. “If you aren’t going to help me, then I demand to see Captain Grandmite.”
The Dwarf blustered and made a lot of noise but finally sent a runner through the inner gates.
The twenty-minute wait was ridiculous, but when the runner returned, it was not only with Captain Grandmite, but another officer,
“Olaf,” I hissed to my large friend. “You must make the captures part of her orders.”
Olaf glanced at me then back to the Captain and Major before he looked back to me and nodded, seeming to understand my plan.
“Mr. Crushhammer, why did you feel it was necessary to have me come to the gates?” the Captain demanded.
“Ma’am,” Olaf began. “While completing the resource procurement mission you assigned us, we were attacked by an Anvilton patrol. Per your orders, in the event we were attacked by an Anvilton patrol, we sought to capture, not kill. Also, as ordered, we returned with three captured patrolmen to the city so that you might interrogate them for information on Anvilton’s current disposition and any changes to their patrol routes.”
“Well done, Captain Grandmite,” said the Major. “That is how you make good use of the resources available to you. Hopefully, these adventurers were successful in their procurement mission as well.”
“We were, sir,” Olaf answered.
“Well done. Captain, I’ll be keeping an eye on your progress with these adventurers. Keep up the good work,” the Major said, saluting the Captain.
Captain Grandmite returned the salute. “Sir, yes, sir,” she shouted.
“We can finish our discussion once you have sorted out the adventurers and the prisoners,” said the Major, looking over the prisoners and appearing quite satisfied with our accomplishment. He made a quick about-face and returned through the gates a moment later.
“Mind telling me what that was all about? Do not get me wrong, I appreciate what you just did, but I gave no such order,” Captain Grandmite asked, sounding bewildered for the first time since we had met her.
“I am sorry for taking such a liberty, ma’am. I saw you with the Major and assumed we might have gotten you in a spot of trouble. I thought it might be best to ensure you got the credit for the capture,” Olaf explained himself, it was mostly a lie but a good one.
“You adventurers really are insane,” the Captain muttered. “Nevertheless, you did just make me look good in front of my commanding officer. For that, I thank you.”
“We’re happy to help,” said Olaf. “I hope this also proves we can be more useful to you, for more than just ‘Resource Procurement’.”
Captain Grandmite shot Olaf a wry grin. “I say again, you lot are completely insane. Thank the God Ivaldi you are on our side.”
“So, care to see what we can really do for you?” Olaf asked, tempting her with the promise of glory that we could bring her in the future . . . if she trusted us.
Captain Grandmite took the bait. “Alright, I will give you a chance. Come see me tomorrow morning, same time as this morning,” she said.
“Consider it done,” Olaf replied, grinning.
“For now, Sergeant, take the prisoners down to interrogation. And starting now, any Anvilton soldiers brought in as prisoners, carries a 5-Silver bounty alive, 1-Silver dead,” Captain Grandmite ordered, prompting the Sergeant to move and also issuing a quest at the same time.
Quest Alert: Anvilton Bounty (Recommended Level 8-10)
Captain Grandmite has issued a standing bounty for all Anvilton soldiers, dead or alive.
Reward: Experience, 5-Silver per Anvilton Prisoner, 1-Silver per Anvilton Beard
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
“You can count on us, ma’am,” said Olaf, accepting the quest for all of us. I was a little surprised by the reward paid for an ‘Anvilton Beard’. It reminded me of the reward paid to Native Americans for scalps in the American Revolutionary War.
We were immediately notified of the same quest’s completion.
Quest Alert: Anvilton Bounty (Recommended Level 8-10)
Captain Grandmite has issued a standing bounty for all Anvilton soldiers, dead or alive.
Reward: +1500-Experience, 15-Silver
That was okay experience and the money wouldn’t hurt at all.
“We also collected 5 rock giant hearts,” I stepped up. I didn’t want them to be forgotten. I removed them from my bag and presented them to the Captain, completing the quest.
Quest Alert: Heartless Rock Bounty (Recommended Level 8-10)
Standing Hammerton Bounty for Rock Giants
Reward: +2,500-Experience,2-Gold, 5-Silver
Captain Grandmite took the hearts, putting them into her own bag before addressing us again. “Good work today, turn in the rest of that meat and I will see you tomorrow,” she said, turning away briskly, following the Sergeant and the prisoners.
“Well, that worked out nicely,” said Olaf, grinning.
“Now, let’s get the bears dropped off, the pigs to the bakery and the bear skins to the leatherworkers,” said Micaela excitedly.
Gras guided us easily to a loading door outside the barracks where he hopped down from the wagon and thumped his mallet on the angled door that connected from the street to the cellar of the barracks.
“Stop with the pounding already,” complained a voice from inside.
Gras hung his mallet from his belt again and went back to the wagon to wait. When the doors opened, and the head of a pig emerged, I thought someone was playing a prank at first, but the
“Great, back with the rest of the bear meat?” Jod asked.
I was still stuck on identifying what he was. Was he an overweight Orc or an actual Pigman? Jod was large, probably the roundest being I had encountered in the World Tree. He was definitely part Dwarf based on his height once he cleared the cellar doors, but he was twice the width of any Dwarf I’d ever met. He had a pig-like snout for a nose and two large tusks jutting up from his lower jaw. He had short bristly hair on his head connected to mutton chops and a mustache but not a hair on his chin. And his ears framed his face but were floppy at the top, much like a pig’s ears.
“Same as before, and don’t try to short us this time,” said Olaf, unloading the first bundle.
“I will have you know I was downright generous with you last time because of Ash there, see if you get the same treatment anywhere else,” Jod shot back.
Gras thumped the side of the wagon and stared down Jod.
“Pah, Ash, you are an old fuddy-duddy of a Dwarf. I swear, you are just no fun,” said Jod, taking the bundle from Olaf. He hefted in his arms a few times before nodding and passing the bundle down the cellar stair where an ‘Oof’ replied. “Empty that meat with the rest and bring back the skin,” Jod called down after it.
Olaf handed him the next bundle and the process repeated. It took about 10-minutes for the first skin to be returned to us.
“Must have fewer workers now, it was much faster turn around this morning,” Olaf commented.
“Most of my staff is working on dinner prep,” Jod explained. “When you first showed up, we were between meals.”
When the last skin was returned, Jod gave us our final tally. “Twelve bears of meat by my count, we agreed?”
Quest Alert: The Bear Essentials (Recommended Level 8-10) – Completed!
Captain Grandmite has tasked you with feeding the army, or at least providing the meat necessary to feed the army. Kill 10 bears in the wild and bring them to the Hammerton Quartermaster.
Reward: +2000-Experience, +800-Experience Bonus (2 Extra Bears)
“Agreed,” said Olaf, accepting the quest rewards for us.
They weren’t bad experience gains, but it still felt a little low for almost 10 hours of work. We’d still need to
see how much the boars were worth.
“You can bring back more bears anytime you like. The army always needs food,” Jod said as we were leaving.
Quest Alert: The Bear Essentials Bounty (Recommended Level 8-10)
Quartermaster Jod is offering a standing bounty on bear meat.
Reward: Experience per bear
Do you accept this quest?
Yes
No
“We’ll be sure to pick up any bears we come across,” promised Olaf.
“See you all later then,” said the Pigman, closing the cellar door behind him.
“On to Filina’s Bakery,” said Micaela excitedly. “Momma wants her cooking lessons.”
We all laughed at Micaela’s behavior. She was just too much fun.
“Hey Micaela,” said Rose. “You never told us if you got a new spirit earlier.”
“Oh yeah, I got a new bear spirit. His name is Paddington. He’s such a sweetheart that one, already giving me a damage shield that reduces all incoming damage. It pairs nicely with the damage and strength boost Kodiak gives me,” Micaela answered excitedly. “Not to mention the boost both of them give me to Endurance. I can’t wait until they both get stronger and level up. It won’t be long before I need to mine up some better stone or my spirits’ growth will halt.”
“Sounds great,” Olaf said. “I bet there are also mines nearby, we can go farm up some ore and stone tomorrow if you want.”
“We are reporting to Captain Grandmite in the morning, we might not have time tomorrow to go mining,” Micaela said.
“We’ll figure something out,” said Olaf, shrugging his shoulders.
Micaela mirrored Olaf’s shrug.
“Ash, perhaps we should get going,” I suggested, hoping to get us going again.
World Tree Online: The Mountain Valley War: 2nd Dive Concludes Page 11
