“Okay, thank you, Fitz. Do you want to join us in Stormforge? Maybe check in with the king?”
“No, I am heading to Broken Mountain. I want to speak with Tomebinder about that cave system under the lake,” the wizard answered.
Alexander opened the portal to Broken Mountain, first. “There you go, sir wizard. Please give Tomebinder my regards.”
Fitz snorted as he walked through the portal. Alexander said, “Watch this,” to Plowright, leaving the portal open for a moment.
The guards noted the arrival of the wizard, and sent the same unfortunate boy as last time to run and alert the king. Fitz waited until the boy exited the courtyard, then teleported away. Chuckling, Alexander closed the portal. Plowright just looked at him, not understanding.
“They send that poor boy running about a mile into the citadel to the Great Hall to alert the king he has visitors. Fitz teleports himself there, and will be there waiting when the boy arrives. He and King Thalgrin get a good laugh out of it,” Alexander explained. This got a smile from farmer. Everyone understood ‘torturing’ the boy for amusement.
Alexander opened the portal to the Greystone compound, and the two of them stepped through. They made their way across town to the slaughterhouse belonging to butcher they’d made an agreement with. Because of the smell and the noise, the building was actually located outside the walls, near a creek that ran down to the nearby sea.
Plowright and the butcher already knew each other, so they got right down to business. Alexander followed them out to an area with several paddocks containing a variety of cows, bulls, goats, sheep, and other livestock.
As they walked toward the first paddock, Alexander held Plowright back a bit. “Don’t concern yourself with price. I want the best quality animals you can get. We’ll be using these as a base for breeding larger herds of our own.”
Plowright nodded his head, smiling.
Alexander spent the next hour watching the two men inspecting animals, negotiating prices, and insulting each other’s heritage. They both seemed to be enjoying the interaction, so Alexander decided not to worry.
In the end, Plowright had chosen more than a hundred and fifty animals of various shapes and sizes. The butcher began to round up employees to herd the animals through town to Greystone manor. The majority were cows, goats, chickens, and pigs. When Alexander asked about the choices, Plowright explained, “Cows are a good source of meat, but they reproduce slowly. One calf per year, if that. Sheep sometimes have two. Pigs have litters of six to ten, twice a year. Goats generally have two, or sometimes three kids at a time. Also, twice per year. For the first few years, we’ll be eating more goat and pork than beef.”
Alexander looked at the mass of animals being herded together. “I may be wrong, but I don’t think there’s enough room to graze all these inside the walls.”
Plowright laughed. “No, you’re right. Not without them eating some of the crops we’ll be raising. In an emergency, we could keep them all inside for a few weeks, and be able to feed them. But then, we’d be thinning the herds for food, anyway. But for now, we’ll build them paddocks inside the wall, and take them outside to graze each day. We can also harvest hay and other feed to stockpile. And the pigs are omnivores, we can feed them the remains of butchered stock, meal leftovers, over-ripe fruit and vegetables, the bodies of dead enemies…” The farmer grinned at that.
Alexander and Plowright went ahead to warn the guards at the gate that a large herd was coming through. The guards, in turn, sent a couple men to clear the street in order to prevent any complications. Apparently, this all happened regularly, and folks knew what to do. There was even a cart following the herd, and a boy with a flat shovel, to scoop up any droppings left on the street. It was all very well organized.
As they passed the palace gate, Alexander recruited a guard to stand at the compound gate and make sure none but the butcher’s people entered while the wards were down. Upon reaching the compound, he turned off the wards and moved ahead of the herd to open the portal. Then he moved back within sight of the gate. When the last of the animals was through, he waited for the herd to move through the portal, and for the butcher’s men to return through the compound gate. He tipped each of them, including the guard, five gold. Thanking them for their help as he turned the wards back on. Then he followed the herd through the portal.
He hadn’t taken more than five steps into the courtyard, and had just shut off the portal, when he heard voices cry out, both inside his head and from above.
“Intruders, master,” Jeeves spoke in his head. At the same time, the guards on the wall began shouting.
Turning to look behind him, he saw two rogues. One a human, and level 50. The other a halfling, level 58. Both wore surprised looks on their faces, and were paralyzed. They had snuck through the portal right behind him, and been stunned by the magic of the consecrated ground. They both had daggers in each hand, and the Halfling had a hand raised as if about to attack Alexander.
The guards surrounded the two rogues, instantly stripping them of their weapons, gear, and inventory bags. Alexander pronounced, “I place you both under arrest for espionage, attempted murder, and trespassing.” A flash of light briefly surrounded both rogues. Alexander, looking around, spotted Caleb grinning at him. It seemed the former guard new the same spell Captain Redmond used.
Now properly arrested and bound, the magic of the keep’s blessing released the two rogues. Both of them uttered a string of curses that made Alexander glad there were no children about.
“Who sent you here?” he asked.
“Nobody sent us. We heard you had mithril here. We came to steal it,” the halfling said.
“And where would you have heard a thing like that?” Alexander asked.
“Everybody knows it. Some dude posted in the forums. Said you found it in a mine. Was bummed that he didn’t get his share because he was offline,” the human replied.
“So, you just thought you’d walk in here and steal it?” Caleb asked.
“Yup!” the halfling sounded cheerful.
“And how were you going to steal it after you stabbed me in the back and alerted all the guards?” Alexander’s face adopted a cold look as he spoke.
“I uhh…” The halfling hesitated.
“You’re both full of shit. Who do you work for? If you want to have even a chance of seeing all your gear again, answer me!” he shouted.
The human looked at the halfling. “He’s going to find out soon enough anyway. Why should we lose our gear for nothing?” Turning to Alexander he said, “Chaos Nation put a bounty on you. Five thousand gold for anyone who can kill you and post a video.”
“So, you admit you came here to kill the Knight-Advisor to King Charles and the Baron of Dire Keep?” Caleb interjected again.
“Yeah, so what?” the human rogue responded.
“Tell me more about this bounty. Who specifically put it up?” Alexander changed the subject.
“It was posted by the city guards in Antalia. I watched ‘em put it up on the board in the city square.” the halfling said.
“Well, it was stupid of you to come here. Chaos Nation would never have paid you. They’re a PK guild and under the control of a terrorist cell. You dumbasses just got sacrificed.” Alexander waved a hand, teleporting the two rogues to the palace in Stormforge, where they’d be arrested. Since he’d formally charged them, Captain Redmond would be able to see their crimes.
Pulling up guild chat, he said, “All adventurer members to the keep gate. Now.”
Moving into the tunnel between the inner and outer gates, he waited for the others to join him. Checking his UI, he saw that Dirk was still offline. The rest, Lugs’ group, Dayle’s group, and his own, filtered into the tunnel over the next couple minutes.
Leading them out the gate, he stopped at the benches he’d raised when they’d met Dayle’s group. Raising a third bench to make room for everyone, and a large block for Lugs to sit on, he waited for them all to b
e seated.
“Two rogues just snuck into the keep by following me through the portal from the city. They claimed to be after mithril that we found in the mine.”
There were murmurs among the gathered players. “They said they knew about this mithril from a forum post. I need to know right now, did one of you write that post?” Alexander looked at Lugs, Helga, Beatrix, and Benny. He knew that Dayle’s group hadn’t been offline. And it wasn’t possible to post to the internet directly from within the game.
He waited, but none of them said anything. After a full minute, he said, “Which of you has talked to Dirk since he logged off?”
Helga raised her hand.
“And did you tell him about the mithril in the mine?” Alexander asked. When the large barbarian hesitated, he said, “It’s alright. You did nothing wrong if you told him. He’s a guild member. You had no reason not to tell him.”
“Yeah, we talked about it.” Helga hung her head. “I was excited about earning so much money. I can pay off all my bills and actually have some money in the bank for once.”
“And what was his reaction?” It was Max asking this time.
“He was jealous. Said he couldn’t believe he’d missed out because he had to work his crappy job,” she answered.
“I want you all to be very clear on something. Those two rogues told me they were here to steal the mithril that ‘some guy’ was bitching about in the forums. That painted a giant red treasure map X on our little keep here. So now, not only are we dealing with the minions of the Dark One, but we’ll have every dumbass rogue trying to sneak in. Or a guild trying to take the keep for the cash. Or constant attacks on the mine, trying to get the resources out of it.” Alexander looked at all of them.
“The person who posted in the forums will be ejected from Greystone. I’ll find out soon enough who made the post. If it was one of you, confess now. You can forfeit your membership and your dragon pin and walk away. If you lie to me now, you’ll be killed, blacklisted, and I’ll personally make sure you’re spawn camped back to level one.”
Still nobody spoke. And nobody looked particularly guilty, other than Helga. She spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Alexander. I didn’t mean to cause harm to the guild. It never occurred to me that Dirk would be so stupid.”
“It’s not your fault, Helga. As I said, discussing guild business with a guild member is no crime. However, from this point forward, anyone discussing guild business in any form with any non-member without specific permission, most ESPECIALLY in the fucking forums, will be removed. You’ve taken oaths to this guild. Life oaths sworn to a dragon prince. Those have consequences when broken,” he reminded them.
When none of them had anything to say, Alexander waved a hand. “Alright. I’m going to assume it was Dirk that wrote the post. Helga, any idea when he’ll be back in the game?”
“Tonight,” she said sadly.
“Then I will speak to him then. I’d appreciate it if none of you spoke to him before I can. Also, the rogues informed me that Chaos Nation has put a bounty on my head. It may not be true. But if it is, there may also be bounties on some of you. So keep your heads about you. Literally.” He grinned at his own bad joke.
Sending them all back inside the keep, he went to check on the progress on the drawbridge. Brick tagged along.
The masons were busily installing gears and sprockets inside the gatehouse. And one was attaching hinges to the base of the drawbridge stone, where it joined with the floor of the gatehouse. There were three hinges, each of them about four feet wide. They were being fastened to the stone with bolts the size of Alexander’s arm.
Seeing the hinges, he was reminded that they still needed some other way to secure the gate. For when an enemy surprised them, and attacked before the drawbridge could be raised. Brick and the smiths were working on an iron portcullis that could be dropped quickly to block the tunnel. Part of the machinery the dwarves were installing would operate that, as well.
But in the short term, Alexander decided to raise a couple doors like those they’d found sealed at the Keep’s inner gate.
“Brick, if I pull up two doors for an inner gate here, can you shape stone hinges strong enough to secure them?” he asked his friend.
“Aye, that be no problem,” the dwarf said. “But let’s check with Breakstone first. I’d not be wantin’ to get in his way.”
Nodding, Alexander followed Brick in search of the master mason. A quick check, and they confirmed that interior doors would not interfere with the drawbridge works.
Heading back outside, Alexander pulled a massive slab of granite up from the earth below. He made it two feet thick, and large enough to fill in the entire gap below the gatehouse tunnel arch. To begin with, he only pulled it up three feet above ground, allowing Brick to shape the top of the slab to fit the curve of the arch above. When the dwarf was finished, Alexander continued to raise the slab until it was nearly flush with the roof of the tunnel. Stepping back, he let Brick shape stone hinges along each side. He used three per door, and they were nearly as large as the ones used on the drawbridge.
Once the hinges and pins were secured, Brick moved to the center of the slab, and parted it at the middle slightly. Just enough to separate the single slab into two doors. Then Alexander snapped the stone at the base of the doors, allowing them to swing free a fraction of an inch above the floor. And just like that, they had an inner gate. Both players were getting better at their respective skills. The whole thing had only taken about twenty minutes.
“Let’s go have some dinner,” Alexander said to his dwarf buddy. “We’ll leave it to Breakstone or Brogin to figure out a locking mechanism.”
Arriving at the courtyard, the friends found Dirk had logged in. He was seated at a table with Helga, who looked very uncomfortable as he spoke to her.
Grabbing a seat at an otherwise empty table, Alexander called out, “Dirk, can I speak to you for a moment?”
The warrior rose from his seat to join Alexander and Brick at their table.
“Dirk, I’ll get right to the point. Where have you been the last few days?” Alexander asked.
“I had to work. I have a job working security at a power plant. I do three twelve-hour shifts per week, then I have the rest of the week to log into the game,” Dirk answered.
“And while you were offline, did you happen to post in the forums about missing out on clearing the mine?” Alexander asked, trying to keep his voice neutral.
Dirk suddenly looked guilty. “I didn’t mean any offense. I know you couldn’t wait for me to get back in game. I was just bitching about the missed opportunity.”
“It’s not about me being offended, Dirk. This afternoon two rogues snuck in here through the portal. When they were caught, they claimed to be here looking for the mithril you posted about.”
Dirk’s reaction was not what Alexander expected. “Did you kill them? That’s like, free xp!” He chuckled.
“Be ye really that stupid?” Brick growled at the warrior. His voice had carried enough that the tables around them quieted down.
“Ye post about mithril in the forums, whinin’ like a lil bitch. And now we’ll be havin’ to deal with all the thieves and other guilds attackin’ us to get it!”
Dirk rose from his seat, a hand on his sword. “So what? That’s what the game is about! You fight. If you’re strong enough to defend what you have, you keep it. You level up by killing those who try to take it. And watch who you call a bitch, short stuff!” he yelled at the dwarf.
Alexander and Brick both rose to their feet. So did Helga, Lugs, and several of the guards who’d been eating their suppers.
“Dirk, I was trying to be polite about this. But you clearly don’t get it. Your selfish, moronic post has caused significant harm to this guild. This place is already under threat. By painting an even larger target on our backs, you’ve needlessly endangered the lives of all the citizens here. You are hereby discharged from the guild. You are free to go, and
are no longer welcome in our lands. I’ll teleport you back to Stormforge so you don’t have to travel the forest alone. Please hand me your dragon pin,” Alexander said, reaching out a hand.
“SCREW YOU!” Dirk drew his sword and sliced it across in one quick motion. Alexander’s wrist was severed, his hand falling to the table.
Alexander screamed as the pain from the severed nerves reached his brain. Dirk raised his sword and began a horizontal slash, intending to finish Alexander by removing his head. Before his swing built up any momentum, Lugs’ hammer came crashing down, pulverizing the warrior’s head.
Alexander was gripping his stump as tightly as he could with his other hand, trying to stop the flow of blood. The cries of the players and citizens around him brought Sasha running from the kitchen. Seeing the dead warrior, then Alexander’s severed hand, she rushed over to him. “I can stop the bleeding!” she gasped. She raised a hand to cast a heal.
The Greystone Chronicles Book Two: The Dire Lands Page 36
