The Land_Alliances

by Aleron Kong

  “Wellll, I did have to pay off their debt to their guild, The White Quill.”

  “Debt!” Richter said his voice rising. “What debt?” He was getting actually irritated now. Basil’s story seemed to be yo-yoing between great news and expensive realizations. Richter would have much preferred to just eat all of his veggies at once then focus on the pudding. Nobody wanted to eat spinach after they had had chocolate cake! Alma had been resting on the table in front of him, but she rose up on her haunches at feeling her master’s consternation. The dragonling stared at Basil who regarded her warily.

  “Wellll, for their training, they had to follow their guild’s orders until they paid back a certain amount. I can promise you though, my Lord, that you can’t put a price on their kind of expertise!” Basil assured him.

  “Well you better PUT a fucking price on it,” Richter said rising from his chair. “How much?” he asked again, definitely louder this time. “And I hope you didn’t agree to pay all of these new villagers the same wage that I agreed to pay our current villagers. I’m not made of money you know?!” Alma’s wings unfurled and she hissed at Basil, who was definitely starting to look a bit fearful. Richter kept his hand on her back so she didn’t actually attack the man.

  Randolphus came to the beleaguered trader’s aid. That was good, because everyone else around the table was just looking at Basil with expressions that said, ‘Sucks to be you man!’

  “I promise you the scribes were well worth the initial price, my Lord,” the chamberlain stated. “They also agreed to providing their services as much as we needed for only six silvers per month. As for everyone else that was brought back with Basil, they are here to work for their keep. They understand that no payment has been promised to them. I have a detailed list of all expenditures for your perusal, my Lord, if you would like to view it later.”

  Richter looked back and forth between Basil and Randolphus. He knew he was being managed, but he also knew his inner ‘thriftiness’ had reared its ugly head for a second. He took his seat again and said in a measured voice, “So we have two hundred and forty-five new villagers plus two scribes. You also had to pay a ‘reasonable’ amount for the scribes to come. Is, there, anything, else?” Richter stared intensely at Basil.

  “Wellll…”

  “Spit it out Basil!”

  “Yes, my Lord! Caulder told me that since the new King took power in Yves, the guard’s salaries had only been paid sporadically. When he saw that I was willing to pay off the scribes’ debts, he approached me saying that he was willing to relocate for the right price. Other guards were as well. Ultimately, eighteen guards offered to come. I believed we could use the extra help and defense.”

  “So another eighteen people?” Richter asked. “And if you say ‘wellll’ one more fucking time, I WILL let Alma attack you.”

  Basil’s mouth snapped shut to keep himself from doing just that. He stared at the dragonling whose tail was swishing back and forth as she stared back at him. “Yes, my Lord. Several of the guards had small families that have agreed to come. I also bought the food and animals from Leaf’s Crossing.”

  “How many food and animals?”

  “Everything I could buy within a day, my Lord.”

  Well, between the people and the livestock, that easily explained the extra ships, Richter thought. Basil would have needed more transport capacity. “The extra guards I agree with. Defense is definitely a priority.” He looked at Randolphus, “How much am I paying everyone per month now?”

  Randolphus had the answer prepared, “The original compliment of the village was two hundred and ninety yourself included. Of that number seventy-three were children, sixteen were elders too old to contribute and another eighteen men and women did not actively work for various reasons. That left one hundred and eighty-one workers. Twenty-one villagers were lost in the bugbear attack, eighteen of which were workers, and another was killed when you saved the patrol. That leaves one hundred and sixty-two villagers earning a wage. At four silvers per fortnight, that amounted to one hundred and twenty-nine gold and six silver each month. Of the nineteen workers who died, twelve left behind families. As you instructed, their full year’s wages were paid in a lump sum to their loved ones. That amounted to one hundred and five gold and six silver. I am assuming you wish for a lump sum to be paid to Barden’s family as well?” Richter nodded and the chamberlain made a notation.

  Randolphus consulted another page and then continued, “With this new influx of people, the scribes will cost twelve silvers per month. The guards agreed to work for four silvers per month and ten had wives or husbands that are also willing to work. If you decide to extend the same terms to the new villagers, which are comprised of one hundred and seventy-eight workers, the final tally would be two hundred and ninety-six gold and eight silver per month.”

  Richter’s head started to hurt while his chamberlain was talking and by the end, he was rubbing his hands against both temples. That mean that his expenses each year, just for wages, was about 3,562 gold pieces, or to put it another way, 356,200 bucks! Richter felt a scream building inside of him! All he wanted to do was to become the Lord and Master of a fledgling country with no infrastructure or industry to speak of! Why did that have to be so expensive?!? All he could think to say was, “Do we have enough food?”

  Randolphus nodded, “With the new stores that Basil bought, we can feed our entire populace for six months without needing to slaughter our livestock. With what the hunters bring in, that number could be stretched to nine months. Since the crops have been replanted after the attack, they are growing faster than expected. Some of the Air mages have been able to help with that by supplying the perfect amount of rain. If we allocate enough villagers to be farmers, the village should have more than enough food to last through the winter.”

  Richter put his hand down on the table and started stroking Alma’s scales. “I am okay with all of this. In the future though Basil, Randolphus is going to lay down some strict guidelines for what you are and are NOT authorized to do. Understood?”

  “Yes, my Lord,” Randolphus said.

  “Yes, my Lord,” Basil said.

  “Okay then. What else do I need to know?”

  “Well, I want to know what happened to you after you left on the okami!” Sion shouted.

  “I heard what you did on my behalf, my friend,” Richter said with a smile. “Thank you. That reminds though, I think this belongs to you.” Richter handed back the Bracelet of Health which Sion took graciously. Then Richter gave everyone an abbreviated version of the events since chasing after Terrod. They cheered after hearing of his victory over Sonirae and Orvin. Sion exclaimed in understanding when he heard that it had been a rock giant that had chased him through the forest afterwards. Everyone got quiet when they heard how he had been trapped in the kobold’s warren. They all knew full well how dangerous those creatures were on their home turf. The kobolds penchant for deadly traps was famous. More cheers went around when he told everyone how he had led the kobolds into a trap of his own, however. Sumiko smiled at hearing how Richter praised her people.

  Richter’s mood turned sober as he discussed the fight to save the patrol from the bugbears. He turned to Terrod, “I am extremely grateful for how you have organized our people. I believe they need stricter guidelines and discipline. I can do this myself, but I heard one of the patrol call you ‘captain.’ Is that a role you’re comfortable taking on? Will you assume responsibility for the safety of our people?”

  Terrod looked at Richter gravely and didn’t speak for long moments. Then he got up and walked over to his Companion who stood to meet him. Once he was standing in front of Richter, he bent the knee. “I had planned to do this later, but now is just as good. You have stood by me and have saved my precious Isabel twice, once from Count Stonuk and once from her own hand. I am with you, my Lord. I formally swear allegiance and loyalty to you, my Lord Richter. From now, unto my very death, I will protect you and your interests, to t
he best of my ability and without deceit.”

  Richter reached out his hand and rested it upon his Companion’s shoulder. “I accept your oath of fealty, and swear to honor your pledge with the same gravity in which it was given.” As he helped Terrod to his feet, a prompt filled his vision.

  Congratulations! You have uncovered another Job of your Village. You have filled the position of: Captain of the Guard. Your village will benefit proportionally to the skill of whomever you have chosen. Your Companion Terrod is granted the skill, War Leader. His highest martial skill is still the rank of: Novice. The attack and defense of all villagers within the boundaries of the village is 3% more effective. Your choice has a special ability: Comradery. This ability will make your choice highly effective in training and motivating your people. Attack and defense bonus increased by another 5% to a total of 8%.

  Richter looked around at the table of villager leaders and said, “Everyone welcome the new Captain of the Guard!”

  The entire table got to its feet and clapped for Terrod. As he walked back to his seat, Krom slapped him on the back. Terrod stumbled but chuckled as he retook his seat. With that over, Richter felt better about the entire affair of saving the patrol. He had no doubt, Terrod would be instilling some serious discipline into his people ASAP!

  Sion leaned forward and got the discussion back on track, “One thing I don’t understand is how the Assassin fooled your Analyze skill? Or Zarr’s spell?”

  “I still don’t know,” Richter said with some bitterness as he remembered what the woman had taken from him. Zarr hung his head in shame. The dwarf spoke up and began to apologize profusely. Richter didn’t blame him for what had happened though, and expressed that. Too much had occurred since, and what they needed now were answers, not recriminations.

  “I believe I can answer that,” Basil said. “I have heard that Professed Rogues can have a Hidden Identity Talent. It hides their true name and information from skills like Analyze.”

  “Did you know about this?” Richter asked Randolphus.

  The chamberlain took a moment before answering, “I have heard of this Talent, my Lord. If your Analysis skill were higher, you might have pierced her protection depending on how heavily the Assassin had invested in the Talent.”

  “Then how can we know that there aren’t more killers in the group that just came in?” Richter asked in consternation.

  “For every problem, there is a solution, Master Richter,” Sumiko said. “At your chamberlain’s request, I have spent the last several days interviewing everyone that has come on the ships and everyone already here. With each, I cast Soul’s Window. It is an adept level spell that allows me to discover nearly any subterfuge. While it is not foolproof, it would take much more than a rogue’s Talent to defeat it. As far as I could tell, everyone here has come for honest reasons.”

  “Maybe we should have you do the same thing with all of the existing villagers, Sumiko,” Sion said.

  Richter nodded, “I don’t want our people to feel like I don’t trust them, but maybe if we explain that this is being done for the safety of the village as a whole, they would be okay with it. Sumiko are you willing to help?”

  “Of course, Lord Richter. I would still need to know which questions to ask, however. The spell makes people answer honestly any questioned posed and also lets me sense any ill intent, but the more concise the questions the better.”

  “I can help with forming those questions, my Lord,” Randolphus said. “I have already worked with Lady Sumiko in the first round of interviews.”

  “Very good then,” Richter said. “To be clear, everyone at this table will be included as well. In fact, we will go first as an example to the other villagers. I trust no one has a problem with that?” A round of agreements circled the table though not everyone looked happy.

  Richter took that with a grain of salt, but he did feel a bit better. “Okay then, I think we are all up to speed about what has happened. Now I need to tell you what is about to happen.”

  He addressed Shivona first and made clear that he needed the ship completed as soon as possible, but that he also needed it to have offensive and defensive capabilities. She tried to flirt like she had in the past, but Richter held up his hand to stop her. The recent events in his life had shown him the importance of a proactive defense. His primary goal was to make the village both safe and prosperous and he wouldn’t allow anything to distract from that, including getting involved with any of his villagers in the near future. He communicated that clearly with a few sentences. She nodded with a serious expression, and just told Richter that she would need more jewels, materials and smiths to make mountable weapons for the boat. Richter told Randolphus to allocate what she needed and Krom to start making what she requested, then he asked her to get back to work. The ship builder left the room.

  Next, he spoke to Sumiko, “I have advanced in my Life magic skill. I know I have much farther I have to go before I reach your level, but are there any more spells that you can teach me?”

  “That I can do,” she said with a smile. “It will cost you, however. I have spent time in the human lands, and I know how much spells sell for. As you are the ally of the Wood Sprites, I will only charge you half. What level are you exactly now and what spells do you already know?”

  Richter checked his status page quickly and told her his spells and that he was level seven.

  “I know three other spells I can teach you. Two are level six and will cost you three gold each. The third is level four and will cost you two gold.”

  “What the hell?” he exclaimed in surprise. “I thought all you sprites were just about peace and harmony.”

  She smiled wolfishly, “Like I said, I have lived among humans. I must have been corrupted. Besides, I have the feeling that trade is about to come to the Forest and having hard currency will most likely be useful.”

  Richter grumbled, but took the money from his Bag. Another $800 dollars gone in a blink. If that was the family deal, then he wasn’t surprised that teaching his people magic for free had been such a shock. Most people only earned the equivalent of eighty dollars per month if they were lucky. Richter had given them the equivalent of a year’s wages when he awakened their power and taught them spells. “I definitely see the relation between you and Fumiko now. She says hello by the way and to tell you that she is doing well.”

  Sumiko smiled at the mention of her sister, “That’s nice. Do you wish to know what the spells are first?”

  He shook his head, “Knowledge is power. I’ll take them.”

  The older sprite took the coins, then made a show of counting them with a wink before making them disappear into her robes. Then she placed on hand on Richter’s head and another on his heart. His breath sucked in, his pupils widened and he KNEW!

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Banish Undead! If successful, you will dissipate the energy allowing a Death creature to exist in this plane. This is a spell of Life. Cost: 40 mana. Duration: instant. Range: 40 feet. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Minor Stabilize! If a target is stricken with a ‘Bleeding’ status, this spell will decrease the over rate of bleeding and total bleeding time. Effects will vary based on extent of the injuries. This is a spell of Life. Cost: 27 mana. Duration: instant. Range: Touch. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 1 minute.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Life Bolt! Fire a bolt of concentrated Life energy. Damage 5-10. Increased damage against Death Creatures. This is a spell of Life. Cost: 22 mana. Duration: instant. Range: 30 feet. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 2 minutes.

  Richter smiled. It was good to finally have another offensive spell. It wasn’t the strongest, but if he ran up against any more fades he was sure it would come in handy. He walked over to where Zarr and Quasea were sitting. “I don’t suppose ya’ll would give me a discount too?”

  Quasea stood and faced him. Then she patted him on the cheek, and s
aid, “You’re so pretty.”

  Richter rolled his eyes and chuckled, “Okay. I’m level six in Earth magic and level eight in Dark magic. What do you have for me?”

  Zarr knew two spells that fit Richter’s spell level and Quasea knew another three. Eighteen gold pieces later, Richter had his new spells.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Summon Saproling! Summons a level five forest creature to do your bidding. You can only have one summoned creature at a time. This is a spell of Earth. Cost: 39 mana. Duration: Five minutes. Range: Five feet. Cast Time: 3 seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Acid sphere. Creates a ball of acid that can be thrown at your target. Damage 4-6 per second. This is a spell of Earth. Cost: 22 mana. Duration 10 seconds. Range: Throwing range of caster. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: N/A.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Flood of Darkness. Blankets an area 25 yards around you in darkness. Effect banished by direct sunlight. Blocks out all light based sight. This is a spell of Dark. Cost: 46 mana. Duration: 1 minute. Range: self. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 45 minutes.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Dark Bolts. Fires a bolt of concentrated Dark energy at your target. For every three skill levels the caster has in Dark magic, the spell will fire another bolt (Max 10). Damage 7-9. This is a spell of Dark. Cost: 31 mana. Duration: instant. Range: 40 feet. Cast Time: 2 seconds. Cooldown: 30 minutes.

  Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Darkvision. Provides Darkvision for 25 yards. This is a spell of Dark. Cost: 43 mana. Duration: 20 minutes. Range: Self. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

  Richter couldn’t wait to try his new spells, but there was still work to be done. He walked back to the head of the table. This was the time for the announcement that he knew some people might have a problem with. “Everyone in the village is about to be given a choice. To swear fealty or not.” Quasea and Zarr both opened their mouths, but he held up a hand to forestall them. “Any who do not wish to do so will be able to live here for the rest of their year. They will receive the same treatment as before, and the same pay. At the end of that year, we will reevaluate their place in the village. I am going to repeat this to the entire village, but I want to make clear that no punitive measures will be taken against those who do not wish to bend the knee. I also want to make clear however, that only those who swear fealty will be able to take advantage of the special benefits of living here. Namely weapons and armor from the Forge of Heavens, fruit from the Quickening, my ability to waken dormant power and any other special resources that may become available.”