by Andur
I take it and store it away again. “Then who tells me that you guys aren't the pushovers here?”
“Drink up and leave before I throw you out. The Icewolfs aren't working for high and mighty nobles. Solve your problems yourself with your spells.” Den answers with despise in his voice.
I shake my head. “I doubt that some weak commoners would be able to throw the high and mighty Ascathon out of their house.”
Den grabs me by the collar and I crush my bottle on his head in response. He doesn't even blink as he pulls me over to his side of the bar with one arm.
The next thing I know is that the world is turning wildly around me and with a hard impact I find myself between the remnants of a broken table. Hadn't I buffed myself by infusing mana into my body I wouldn't be able to get back to my knees so fast.
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
The group of burly men around me starts to scream and cheer.
Den is already in front of me when I look up and his foot places itself perfectly on my chin. I feel the impact even though I strengthened myself.
Being lifted to my feet by the impact, I try to steady myself. The burly men start to form a tight circle around us and Den starts to shower me with a series of kicks and punches. Den is clearly using mana to enhance himself.
When I finally manage a counter-attack Den evades and I hit one of his followers instead. After taking the blow directly to his chin, the burly man falls to the ground like a felled tree.
The room becomes silent.
“Ups. I may have put a little too much force into that one.” I scratch my cheek. “Maybe I should really find some other mercenaries. I need some really good people. Someone who can be hit unconscious by a weak magician like me isn't what I need.”
Den points a finger at me. “Get that self righteous bastard! We will show him what the Icewolfs are made of!”
Then I am grabbed by a horde of burly men who move much faster than I had them imagined to be able to.
…..
…...
…....
“So have you learned you lesson now?” Den stands with crossed hands in front of me.
I am bound to a chair with my hands behind my back. They took their time to give me a proper beating. My face feels like mush and must be twice the size as normal.
“Ii...th thhink... th...so...”
“Can we throw him out now, boss?” One of the burly men turns towards Den.
“Take his money first!” Another calls out.
“Thh .. Thh.. … iefff”
“What did you call us?” Another one shoots a deadly glance into my direction.
“Thh... hh... thhhug....”
“He doesn't learn it boss! Should we continue the beating?” -Thief
“I don't know. My hands are sore. That guy has unbelievable endurance. It's like hitting rock. Look. All my knuckles are swollen and bloody.” -Thug
“They aren't just swollen Tony. I think they are broken. Your hands look strange.” -Thief
“Oh really? Hmm. Yeah, you might be right.” Tony starts to set the broken bones in his hand with unpleasant crunching sounds.
“You always amaze me! Try to find a doctor and lift that curse to feel no pain. It's dangerous I tell ya.” Den shakes his head at Tony.
“But so far it was a really helpful curse.” Tony continues to set his bones while all burly men look with pity at him.
I better keep my mouth shut. Just trying to speak already hurts like hell. To imagine that this guy kept hitting me despite my use of stone-skin is quite remarkable. The other mercenaries just took a few blows at me and stopped.
Aaaah.... I should have tried the quantity over quality approach. It looks like the Icewolfs have a deep grudge against nobles.
*Crush*
A window is broken and someone jumps into the big room. At the same moment the door flies open and several hooded figures storm into the room. Whoho... are those assassins? They are fast! The day didn't even come to its end and they are already starting the first try.
“mmh.... rom..m... rope!”
Unbind me you burly men! I need my hands free! There are about ten assassins who are staring at the burly men.
“There he is!”
One of the hooded figures throws a knife at me but it gets blocked by one of the burly men. F... Fast! Are they on drugs? How can a muscle monster like that move so fast.
“Stop that! And you will pay for that window!” Den screams at the hooded figures and everything begins to move!
All hooded figures start to throw fireballs at us while the burly men begin to move. A few of them change into grotesque hairy humanoids with fur and sharp teeth! Werewolf!
The werewolf-curse is very old and was used during a past war to create common soldiers which are able to stand up against magicians. It grants high resistance against all kinds of magic while enhancing the body.
A downside is the bad smell and the hairy body. On top comes that many people aren't able to control the curse and turn into rabid animals.
Den grabs me together with the chair and carries me outside while the whole building starts to catch fire. His men are tearing the assassins apart in the meantime. A hundred werewolfs against ten assassins can't be called a fair fight.
Once outside I get thrown to the ground while Den watches in horror as his guild goes up into flames. Slowly his men start to leave the building. Some are gnawing at the parts of dead assassins.
Then I get grabbed and pulled upright while a hundred angry werewolfs are looking at me like I would be the next meal. “Look at that! Our hideout! Who do you think will pay for that! And which bastard is after you! Can't they wait for you to be alone and slice your throat in a dark alley!”
“mhm.. I... hire...”
Den shakes me like a doll. “Hire? Us? Didn't you just see what we are?” He snaps the ropes which bound me to the chair like nothing to prove his point and starts another round of shaking.
“Ffine....perffect....hire... aalll....”
The burly men around me start to laugh and Den shakes his head. “I can't take this any more. Is this guy really serious?” He grabs a small vial out his pocket and throws it into my lap.
A high grade healing potion! Thank the gods! I unplug it and down the content. A few seconds later I feel my jaw snap into the right position which makes speaking much easier.
“I will hire all of you as bodyguards. I don't care if you are werewolfs or not. Actually I ~love~ it! That's a wonderful bonus!” I grin at Den. At least as much as it is possible in my state.
“Just who is after you to be that desperate?” Den crosses his arms.
“Just the whole House of Arenzien. And maybe the House of Jasmine.... And the enemies of the Jarl. Did I forget someone? Hmm. Those should be the most important ones for the moment.” I scratch my cheek while grinning at Den.
Den covers his face with his hands and sighs. “How long do you think you can pay us? We aren't exactly cheap you know? Being a werewolf and immortal doesn't exactly cause us troubles with money you know?”
I grab the pouch out of my coat and pour a few coins into my open palm. Then I hold the coins and the pouch towards Den.
“Like I said. I hire all of you. For as long as I live. Are a thousand platinum coins enough for a hundred immortal werewolfs? I don't plan to live forever you know? It should be enough if you keep me alive until I die of old age.”
That night I acquired a hundred big, burly, hairy ~watchdogs~ to guard my property.
4 - New Home? ....and a chair.
Norfolk, Sarn-Valley
So this is my new home! A collection of old wood-houses at a river which comes from the mountains. There are about ten thousand inhabitants in the City of Sarn. It's the biggest city... hrm... village on my land.
The Sarn-Village is the only bigger one because it has access to the sea.
Actually Sarn isn't just a single valley. It's a fjord which was created by a glacier. The following e
rosion of the mountains created a small maze of valleys which lead towards Sarn-Village.
There is a single river that comes from the mountain-range which encloses the main-valley. To enter the valley you either have to use one of the four pass-streets which lead over the mountain-range. Or you come over the river by ship.
Besides Sarn-Village there are quite a few small settlements throughout the whole valley. But none of them are worth mentioning.
Altogether there should be about a hundred thousand commoners here. Including women, children and old people. So less than fifty thousand who can really do some work. This will be a bother. Probably I should think of even less. Twenty or ten thousand workers in the whole valley should come closer to reality.
The others are either too young, too old or occupied with keeping the infrastructure running. First I will have to shut down this place against the outside world. That means taking over the local guards and enforcing strict security on the pass-streets.
I ponder above the problems while I am followed by a hundred burly men and Den. Walking down a street, I am heading towards the town hall.
Until now the people here governed themselves because the Jarl didn't bother to waste his time. But that will have to end.
Further forward is something like a central plaza with a big building. Of course it is made of wood. I snicker while I think about the villager who called this a town-hall.
A few steps take me across the plaza and I enter the town-hall, followed by Den and his burly men. A cute little female secretary is trying to stop me from entering through another door but one of Den's men blocks her.
Beyond the next door, I find ten old and middle aged men in a round room with a moderate size. They are sitting at a round table and an old geezer is in a big and comfortable chair. He looks like the leader.
~I always wanted a chair like that!~
“Who are you to disturb an important meeting of the elders.” The old white haired wobbly geezer sneers at me.
“What are elders?” I arch an eyebrow at the group.
“We are governing Sarn in place of the Jarl. And we have some important matters to discuss, so get out. Sarah! Why did you let those men inside.” The geezer wails at the secretary who is looking frightened around the corner.
He didn't see the hundred burly men with full armour and weapons in front of the building yet.
I sigh. “If you don't change your tone towards me, I will burn you to a crisp. And for who I am. I am the one who owns your asses! The Jarl sold me this whole desolate place. Call me Ascathon Asceron.”
The expressions of the group turn sour and the old geezer jumps out of my chair to wobble in front of me. “We have a democracy in this valley for over a hundred years now. I will be damned if suddenly someone from outside barges in and turns our society upside down.”
“Who are you?” I hate that guy already. He didn't introduce himself and I want his chair! Correction! He was sitting on ~my~ chair!
“I am the first elder! I governed this valley for half of my life!” The geezer snaps back.
“What are your qualifications besides being old?” I scratch my chest while I think about the situation.
“Huh? What qualifications? I was voted into my office by majority!” The geezer starts a tantrum in front of me.
“So all you can do is talking big and waste the time of people who are stupid enough to listen to you. ~Not needed.~” I wave my hand at one of my burly men and the old geezer is picked up at his collar and carried outside.
Hah. ~Nice~. I walk towards the big chairs and let myself fall into it. Then I take a look at the remaining nine men in front of me and fold my hands in front of my chest. “So what are ~your~ qualifications.” I look at the first guy to my left.
A short game of questions and answers follows. Several guys are carried out of the town hall by burly men and in the end just three persons sit in front of me.
“Randuin. I speak for all fishermen, dockworkers and merchants. I studied economics at the merchant university in Westerhagen. I also manage the taxes and their use.” Randuin strokes his white hair. He has a small figure and looks like he isn't eating properly.
I nod and look towards the next guy.
“Sammael. I am in charge of the city guards and the customs offices. I got my knighthood at the Norfolk Capital. Then I was charged with keeping order here and never left my post since.” Sammael is in his best years and looks like a competent city guard. His hair is blue and he looks healthy.
Then for the third guy.
“My name is Rostock. I studied architecture and management in the Academy. Unfortunately my magic talent isn't that big, so I went back to my birthplace after I was done. I am in charge of the towns affairs, from waste-management to city planning.” Rostock is a middle aged guy with a big belly. He has to be a very healthy eater. But I hope he won't share the same fate as the Jarl.
I frown at those words. “You guys did everything on your own? What's with the other seven grandfathers. This town looks so desolate. I already thought that I would find nobody in the least bit capable here.”
“All they ever did was talking and postpone decisions.” Randuin mumbles towards himself.
“It's not like they ever understood what they were talking about. I am just sitting here because I have to.” Sammael shakes his head.
“There isn't much I can do about the city without money......” Rostock looks at the desk in front of him with an unhappy expression.
I sigh. “How much are the taxes?” I take a look at Randuin.
“Ehhm. We take just enough to pay the Jarl and keep the city going. The small rest went into the pockets of us elders for their administrative work.” The former elder becomes a little smaller under my eyes.
“You are a studied man.” I smile at him. “From now on the taxes will be high enough to satisfy the Jarl, plus keeping the city going, plus having a bonus for new projects. And no more pocket money besides what you deserve for a days work.”
I grab my last pouch and count two hundred platinum coins onto the table. The eyes of the three former elders almost pop out of their heads.
Then I shove the money towards Randuin. “Add that to the city's capital. I want that money used for infrastructure. And ~only~ infrastructure. If it's used for something else, I will ~nail~ you onto the roof of this building for everyone to see until you are frozen.”
Rostock is the next. “From now on you have money. You heard me. Infrastructure! And I want schools! Enough for every child and young citizen who is willing to learn something new. Hire teachers. Get Blacksmiths. Alchemists. I want a functioning city. And every child between six and twelve has to go to school from now on. Get some capable people to help you.”
I look at Sammael. “If I see a child on the street or working somewhere I will ~nail~ you to the roof. Then for the pass-streets. I want a firmer grip on them. Build some control stations there and take taxes for using them. There are some filthy rich regions behind the mountains. They are walking in and out of our valley to use the port while paying nothing. I want two percent in taxes for everything that enters or leaves the valley.”
“I don't have enough trained men for that.” Sammael shakes his head.
“Then hire and train them. Den and his men will help as teachers if necessary.” I wave to Den and he nods.
“Then there are some minor issues and orders. New laws and so on.” I take a stash of papers out of my folder with documents and separate it into three piles. Each of my new subordinates gets a pile. “I want that done. Ah, and before I forget it. Improve this town-hall. I want personal quarters here. Buy and demolish those run down shacks around it if necessary.”
I wave my hand to dismiss the three men and soon I am alone with Den.
The burly werewolf just arches an eyebrow at me. “You go for the whole hog. A hundred and forty years I've been in this world and I can tell you this. The thing you are trying to do will create a lot of enemies. More en
emies than you have now. I find it hard to believe that someone as young as you would throw away his life that easily.”
I grin at Den and fold my hands in front of me. “Would you believe me if I told you that my soul is immortal? I just decided that I would always do what I want. And if I die, I will simply start anew! ~Hahahahaha!~ Living is no fun if you do what others want from you.”
I lean back and enjoy my ~chair~.
5 - Nightmares.
Norfolk, Sarn-Valley
It has been a few weeks since I started to take care of Sarn's affairs. The work on my new property is in progress and I took a room in one of the better hotels. To be exact, I booked the whole building to have my watchdogs nearby.
Another point on my list was the letter for Kane. I hope he will lend me a little of his expertise to get this village running faster. His family has good connections on top of that. Having connections is never bad. And if this place gets known to a lot of people it's even better.
There are quite a few things I want for this valley. But first I need money and power. Enough power to do whatever I want. The others shall scream and throw their sticks at me. As long as I can step over them it shouldn't concern me.
It's night and the bed is quite comfortable. Maybe I should take it with me when my new house is finished? I instructed them to build quite a large basement too. So it could take a while.
I need a place to conduct my experiments and start my research.
Of course the citizen were a little confused about the sudden change of government. The elders made quite an uproar. That wasn't helpful in the least. In the end I had them arrested for causing civil disturbances.
Well. I had expected that they wouldn't act smart and keep their mouths shut.
At least the people calmed down after a few days when it became clear that my arrival would bring new life to the city. The three former elders which I kept in their offices are doing acceptable work. It's becoming clear to the citizens that things will change for the better.
And I kept the secretary which is called Sarah too. She is such a shy, little thing. Just right to vent my frustations by teasing her. The guards frighten her and she is sneaking around like a shadow all the time. If you surprise her from behind she jumps half a meter into the air.
