The Land_Alliances

by Aleron Kong

  Terrod told Richter that almost everyone who had had their magic awakened had agreed to serve. None of the children were allowed to join the scout groups of course, magic or no. As it was, the adult Air mages were too numerous to be in the scout groups all at once. Terrod’s solution was to cycle them out. Each was mostly in the groups for support, seeing as how they had almost no offensive spells. Terrod also told him that everyone in the militia trained for a portion of each day, whether they were scouting, guarding or fulfilling other duties.

  Apparently, Isabella had been contributing as well. Terrod being kidnapped had snapped her out of the well of misery she had been in. He told Richter that the fear she experienced proved stronger than the emotional pain her sexual enslavement had caused. Randolphus had had to have her physically restrained to stop her from running after Terrod on her own after Richter left.

  She had taken charge of the herb garden near the Quickening with a vengeance. In the last week, it had tripled in size. She had a natural ability with plants apparently and an advanced Herb Lore skill. She has also organized groups to scour the forest for useful plants. Terrod reported that Isabel was requesting that an herb shed be constructed. The building would apparently allow her to dry and treat harvested herbs, increasing their potency and longevity. Richter nodded to Randolphus who made a notation.

  Basil, Zarr, and Sumiko filtered in. Richter greeted each in turn. Randolphus was about to start on the next item, but Richter asked about the ships anchored outside of the village.

  “That actually ties into what we needed to discuss next, my Lord,” Randolphus said. “I will let Basil describe what transpired.”

  “It was an… interesting trip, my Lord,” the man said. Then he told his story.

  Outside of navigating a section of turbulent river, the trip back to Leaf’s Crossing had been uneventful for Richter’s emissary. The sailors had apparently been happy to be gone from the village. Though they had not been in any direct danger, they too had seen dangerous animals and monsters the closer they got to the mists.

  The ship had eased into the harbor at Leaf’s Crossing and Basil had carried his precious cargo of Potions of Clarity amidst a few other boxes of trade goods. Basil recounted that the idea of having hundreds of pieces of gold hidden on his body while he also carried items worth hundreds more had stressed him out to know end. He knew that he had been any thief’s wet dream, and so he had paid ten tough looking sailors to accompany him while he was in Leaf’s Crossing. Basil had considered it a worthwhile expense to put the sailors up in the inn as well. With such a guard detail, Basil told him that he had arrived at the Whistling Hen with no difficulty. Basil gave a wide smile at that point, and thanked Richter profusely for recommending that particular inn. Richter smiled back knowingly, remembering exactly how friendly the women there could be.

  Basil continued his story. Rosy, the proprietor of the inn, had told Basil that no one resembling the contact Richter had described had been to the bar. He then said that he planned to simply wait as long as necessary and in the meantime, spend the time relaxing and buying supplies. Rosy had apparently had other ideas.

  The tough woman had pulled Basil to the side almost immediately. Rosy had not forgotten the ships of nonhumans that had stopped in Leaf’s Crossing before sailing to a better life with Richter. Apparently neither had many of the townsfolk. Since Richter had left almost a month before, a long line of hopeful people of all races had formed. They all wanted to immigrate to the Mist Village. To be exact, another one hundred and sixty-three people wanted to join.

  Richter looked at the man sharply, but let him continue. When Basil saw he wasn’t going to be interrupted, he explained that his initial feeling had been one of caution and alarm as well. Before he left for Leaf’s Crossing though, Richter had told him that Rosy could be trusted. In light of that, Basil agreed to at least speak to each of the potential immigrants. Rosy had helped him to coordinate the interviews.

  Over the next several days, Basil had conducted interviews. To make the process easier, he had hired the services of two Professed Scholars. He apologized to Richter that their services hadn’t come cheap. Richter didn’t mind or care about a little overhead cost, but he was confused about what a Scholar did or was. Seeing his Lord’s questioning expression, Basil explained that the two Scholars had various administrative Talents. Between the two of them, the men he had hired possessed the Talents of Association, Perfect Scribing, Still Image, Knowledge Tablet, Copying and most importantly Confidential.

  Seeing that Richter looked even more confused and was also starting to look a bit annoyed, Basil quickly explained further. Association let the Scholar recognize patterns and then organize large amounts of data in the most efficient manner. The Perfect Scribing Talent was just as it sounded. The Scholar could write with perfect penmanship such that anyone who read his work would know exactly what he was trying to impart. Richter was about to ask why a Talent like that would matter, but then he remembered how a lot of doctors wrote. The chicken scratch that health professionals called handwriting was a travesty. Richter was convinced that people died in hospitals because of it. When you factored in that many people in The Land were illiterate, the few who could write most likely had a wide variability in how they formed their words. Being able to KNOW what someone had meant to say when you read it would actually be worth quite a bit.

  Basil continued to explain that the Copying Talent let a scribe fully duplicate a letter or parchment in every detail. As long as they had enough parchment and ink, they could use their mana to immediately make another copy of what they had in front of them, down to the last ink blotch. Basil added that he had heard the Talent could be leveled to be able to copy scrolls, skill books or spell books, but that was beyond the abilities of the scribes in Leaf’s Crossing. Those advanced talents were also apparently prohibitively expensive.

  Basil didn’t even try to explain the Still Image and Knowledge Tablet Talents, but instead just handed over a heavy piece of wood with a smile. The wood was about a two feet in height and width and one inch thick. It was sanded smooth and then lacquered brown except for a white circle in one corner. When Richter pressed the circle, a picture of a gruff looking gnome appeared in the corner of the wood and a list of information was written in the Common Tongue right next it.

  Richter almost dropped the item in shock. He suddenly felt like he was looking at an iPad. He stared at the Knowledge Tablet in wonder. Once again, he had to remind himself to abandon his preconceptions. He often thought of the people in The Land as medieval yokels with their kings and swords, yet in his hand he held proof that his perception was at least not universally true. Through magic, these people had achieved a result that had taken thousands of years of Earth’s science to create.

  Richter ran his hand over the wood and the picture and information changed. He realized he was holding the equivalent of a PowerPoint presentation that showed detailed information regarding each of the people Basil had interviewed.

  “You have reviewed this I assume?” Richter asked Randolphus.

  “I have, my Lord. The Knowledge Tablet is a valuable tool and the information gathered upon it was most informative.”

  “Can you add more information to it?” he asked Basil.

  “I cannot, but a Scholar with the Talent could.”

  Richter nodded, still enthralled by what he was holding, “And what about the last Talent? Confidential?”

  “That is what makes Scholars truly invaluable, my Lord. Every guild Scholar takes the Confidential Talent first. It makes it literally impossible for them to betray the confidence of their employer. Even in the face of torture, a Scholar cannot in any way violate the terms of their contract. So if you tell them to never reveal the information they have been given access to, the magic of their Profession ensures that your secrets remain safe.”

  “Man!” Richter exclaimed. “I wish you could have brought one of those scholars back with you!”

  Basil exhal
ed a loud sigh of relief, “I am so happy you feel that way, my Lord!”

  Richter’s eyes narrowed a bit, suddenly feeling like the other shoe was about to drop, “Why? Why are you so relieved?”

  “Ahhh, it might be best if I just finish telling you about what happened in Leaf’s Crossing, my Lord.”

  Richter looked at him side eyed for a second, then just slowly said “Uh huh. Go ahead.”

  “Ahem, yes, well, as I was saying…”

  Basil talked about how he commandeered a table in the corner of the Whistling Hen over the next few days. Prospective villagers would come up singly or as a family and then he would interview them. One scribe would take down all of their info and the other would record their image and then compile all of the information on the Knowledge Tablet. Basil said that all of the people he had spoken to seemed to be honest and were simply looking for a better life. Most were nonhuman, but there were humans that just wanted a change. One thing that had surprised Basil was that not all of them were from Leaf’s Crossing. Richter’s name was now becoming known.

  Richter wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The more attention he brought on himself and the Mist Village, the more vulnerable they were in certain ways. He supposed it was also an opportunity, though. He did want things to be built faster after all, and an influx of villagers could mean a boost to productivity. It was also inevitable, he realized. The villagers who had chosen to come with Richter from Law had left behind friends and family. Those friends and family would have spread the story of a safe haven for nonhumans that existed in Forest of Nadria. Basil told him that this was in fact how many of the people he interviewed had heard about the village. Many in fact had had friends and relatives among the already existing mist villagers. The people Basil interviewed had come from towns neighboring Leaf’s Crossing, and more than a few had walked from Law.

  Richter interjected, “So while you were doing these interviews, the authorities had no problem with having so many nonhumans congregating in and around the inn? Especially considering why they were there?”

  Basil’s lips twisted in irritated remembrance, “My Lord is most astute. In fact, the authorities did come to the inn the second day. A group of five guards wearing Yves livery walked right up to me. I thought I was going to be arrested or beaten at the very least. Then Rosy came up and told the lead guard I was there on your behalf. After that he smiled at me, and I remember this part quite clearly my Lord! He said, ‘I’m sure you didn’t mean to flout the King’s laws now did you?’”

  Richter laughed out loud, having a strong idea of where this story was heading, “And you said that you would never do something like that, right?”

  “Of course, my Lord! Well then the irritating man told me that I had to have the proper permit to conduct interviews like I was doing. Then he told me that he just so happened to have a cousin that could issue the proper documents, and he would be MORE than happy to take the money for permits to him. THEN he added that OF COURSE, there were also the penalties for late registration, the surcharge for expedited processing, the mandatory overtime for his guards to monitor a sanctioned interview, the new tax on…”

  Richter waved for the irritated trader to stop talking, as his own laughter was threatening to drown Basil out anyway, “The guard’s name wasn’t Caulder, was it?”

  “You know the rogue, my Lord?!”

  Richter smiled and just asked, “How much did he shake you down for?”

  Basil’s expression looked like the man had just swished with vinegar, but he ultimately said, “Seven gold and four silver, my Lord.”

  The somewhat steep price helped Richter get his chuckling under control. He wasn’t too bothered though and said, “Just the cost of doing business Basil, now tell the rest of your story.”

  “Yes, my Lord. Well, the annoying smiling man got the money for his quote unquote ‘permits’ and then I got back to the interviews. On the afternoon of my third day there, a tall muscular man wearing loose fitting clothing came up to the table. I recognized him by your description of Hafiz’s emissary and he knew that strange passcode you told me.”

  Excitedly, Richter asked, “What did he say?”

  “He said ‘Rick,’ my Lord.”

  Even more excited, Richter asked, “And what did you say in response?”

  “‘Morty,’ my Lord!”

  “YES!” Richter shouted happily. “Wubbalubbadubdub!”

  Everyone around the table stared at him. He waved them off, “Meh, you guys wouldn’t get it. Trust me though, I’m awesome. Continue with your story, Basil.”

  Basil coughed, totally confused, “Uhhh, yes, my Lord. Well the emissary from Hafiz was with four other men who were obviously his brothers. I paused the interviews and retired back to a secure room Rosy had prepared for the meeting. The men Hafiz had sent were actually his sons and I am happy to report that they acted honorably. I am even more delighted to tell you that the price was even better than expected. The nobles of Yves are apparently very interested in increasing the level of their warriors. Each vial sold for three gold, one silver and seven coppers!”

  Richter started doing some fast math in his head, “So for the two hundred Potions of Clarity I gave you…”

  “We made six hundred and thirty-four gold, my Lord!”

  Richter gave a whoop and stood up with his hand raised. Basil looked at him and then looked at the hand as if he was unsure if Richter was about to strike him. Richter laughed and pulled the man to his feet. Then he had Basil extend his arm with his hand flat. Richter gave him a resounding high five and said, “Fuck yeah, man! Make that cheddar!”

  Basil sat back down with an amused smile, apparently liking the show of exuberance, “Errr, fuk yah indeed, my Lord! I did not buy any cheese, however.”

  Richter laughed again and told him, “That’s okay. So what happened with all the people you interviewed? Are they waiting in Leaf’s Crossing for my decision?”

  Basil opened his mouth and then closed it again before speaking, “Well, my Lord. That is an interesting part of the story.”

  Here comes the other shoe, Richter thought.

  “Well after the initial trade with Hafiz’s sons, I also gave them the list of items we needed that I had not been able to find in Leaf’s Crossing. They told me their father was eager to continue the trade relationship. They had even anticipated some of our requests and had brought food and livestock to sell. They were also quite clear that their father, Hafiz, would take more Potions of Clarity as quickly as possible, but there was a complication. They had sailed to Leaf’s Crossing from Yves, but before they had left, there were rumors that a Count that was close to the King had noticed that some nonhumans were attempting to escape the Kingdom. They had also heard that a military force was going to be sent to curtail this. They didn’t know if the soldiers would come overland or by boat, but they had recommended Basil leave as soon as possible.

  “So you see, my Lord, I had a dilemma.”

  Richter looked back at him, “I’m guessing the solution to that dilemma has something to do with those ships in the harbor?”

  Basil let out a heavy sigh, “Yes, my Lord. You empowered me to make decisions on behalf of the village. I know that we need more people, so I just asked myself what you would do. I could have left them all there to the mercies of the Yves military, but I decided to bring them with me.”

  “So the, I guess we will call them refugees, are all on the ships?”

  The rest of the people Richter had sent Futen to fetch had joined the table while Basil was talking. Futen now floated in the center of the table casting his light on everyone. Roswan, the elf who led the building crew, spoke up, “Well, we were already making a second longhouse. When the ships showed up, I had all the other projects stopped so we could finish it faster. Most of them are in the second longhouse now. Some are still on the ships.”

  “That was good work, Roswan,” Richter said nodding in appreciation.

  Grrrmmm was the only
response Richter got from the mustached elf.

  “We also unloaded the supplies and animals that Hafiz’s sons brought with them,” Basil said. “I paid them a fair price for all of it. They agreed to wait for you to return before leaving because they would like to meet with you, my Lord.”

  Richter looked at Basil for a long moment, but ultimately nodded, “I agree with your decision and you’re right, I do need more people. Let’s just not make a habit of increasing the population of the village by more than 50% in one day, okay?”

  Basil gave a relieved laugh, “I will restrain myself in the future, my Lord.”

  “So we have another one hundred and sixty-three new villagers?” Richter asked.

  Basil opened and closed his mouth again. Richter nailed him to his seat with this gaze, wondering what was coming next.

  “Well, my Lord. While I was doing the interviews, a few more people came to town as well,” Basil said innocently.

  “How many more?” Richter asked impatiently.

  “Just eighty-two, my Lord.”

  “Just EIGHTY-TWO?!”

  “Plus, the two scribes.”

  “The scribes agreed to come?” Richter asked somewhat surprised. It sounded like they were already doing okay in Leaf’s Crossing. He knew Basil had thrown that in to soften the shock of an extra eighty-two people he hadn’t told Richter about yet, but it did sound like the scribes would be quite a boon to the village.