Delvers LLC: Obligations Incurred

by Blaise Corvin

  Aodh looked forward to rest stops. The novelty of traveling quickly and smoothly over long stretches of land had worn off long ago. Now Aodh couldn’t wait to take breaks and stretch. He usually most looked forward to training with his staff or practicing other adventuring skills.

  This break, after the caravan was ready to get going again, Jason called a meeting. The group gathered facing one side of the Battlewagon. Jason stood in front of everyone while Henry sat on the side of the turret keeping watch, his rifle slung over his shoulder.

  “Okay, folks,” said Jason. “I know this is sudden, but Henry and I have been talking about our route. I’ve been thinking about it, and now that I’ve made up my mind, there’s no point in continuing this direction.”

  Aodh wasn’t sure what Jason was talking about. He looked around quickly and noticed the rest of the group looked as confused as he felt. Jason held up a hand to keep anyone else from speaking yet. “Look, I know this is sudden. Please hear me out until you start asking questions. Give me a chance to explain myself, okay?

  “Basically, we’ve been making terrible time. We keep going around entire wooded areas because the Battlewagon is so big. Driving through the wilderness should have been quicker to get to the Stem River than any roads because there’s a lot less distance to cover.

  “Instead, not only is it slower, we’ve been dealing with an increasing number of monster attacks, too. We can bypass most monsters while travelling, but clearing them out in the evening before we camp is starting to take its toll on our resources.

  “Which is the last point: we need to restock. We’re running low on supplies that we’ll need later. Plus, winter is coming soon, so we need to get some warmer clothing. Well, that’s what Mareen said, and I have no reason to doubt her.”

  “What does this mean?” asked Yanno-ibbi. “We are still heading to Berber, correct?”

  “I am curious as well,” stated Gonzo.

  From above them, Keeja startled most of the group when she spoke. She mused, “He’s talking about heading back to the road between Mirana and Taretha. If you travel the longer, safer route, you’ll be able to resupply more often, travel faster, and avoid monsters.”

  Jason nodded up at Keeja and said, “Precisely.”

  A few members of the group asked Jason more questions. Henry looked extra grumpy, frowning everywhere. Thirsty seemed to start getting bored. The tall, black man began noisily complaining about bugs and “dirty-ass shoes.”

  Aodh just shrugged and accepted the decision. There was no point in arguing even if he disagreed, which he didn’t. The decision had been made.

  He was secretly happy that the caravan was setting a new course. He had been getting really tired of trail rations and eating vegetables in the wilderness. Henry was right about how they tasted. There was a reason farmers grew crops. Edible, wild Ludan plants were all over the place, but Aodh would be happy to never eat them again in his life.

  He decided in that moment that he wanted to be rich one day just to avoid eating wild vegetables ever again. With a big house and guards, maybe he could also keep Vitaliya from bothering him. He could give his aunt and his uncle some money for taking care of him after his parents died, too. If he were rich, maybe a girl would give him a chance despite his appearance and be willing to learn who he was as a person. He wasn’t scary or mean like a Fideli, just awkward.

  Aodh daydreamed as Thirsty began imbuing magic power into the wavy-bladed dagger, the countryside flashing by again as the group headed back towards the road.

  * * *

  Liangyu held out a hand to accept the note from Raquel, the leader of her four mercenaries. The average-looking woman would not have made an impression on most, but Liangyu noticed the sharp glint of ambition in the other woman’s eyes. I must be careful around this one, she thought.

  She opened up the note, skimmed it, and grunted. “Where did you find this?” she demanded. The look in Raquel’s eyes was replaced by fear when their met gazes. Good, thought Liangyu.

  “My lady, a priestess of Dolos delivered it to me and said it was for you.”

  “Just a priestess, not a High Priestess like Biivan?”

  “Yes, my lady.”

  “Was she anyone notable, any name I would recognize?”

  “No, my lady. I believe she was a lower-level official,” replied Raquel.

  Liangyu frowned and tapped her chin. She ordered, “Go find Ghinsja and bring her to me. See if you can find Biivan, too.”

  “Yes my lady.”

  After Raquel scampered off, Liangyu settled in to wait. She was good at waiting; it came more naturally the older she got, too.

  She decided it probably wouldn’t be very long before her second-in-command and the High Priestess were found. Despite keeping a low profile in Tolstey’s capital, Taretha, most of Liangyu’s team would probably be nearby. Old habits died hard, and she managed her group like an adventuring company, just like she’d led long ago.

  Of course, these days they hunted people, not monsters.

  She smiled ruefully through her veil, the fabric obscuring her face enough to keep strangers from identifying her as orb-Bonded. For her, the mask was a necessity. Luckily, the mewling cattle of Taretha had no idea how serious the struggle between orb-Bonded could be right now. Some of the masses had even taken to covering their own face as a fashion statement. It was considered very stylish and daring. Some adventurers thought it made their group look stronger.

  Fools, the lot of them. It served her purpose, though.

  As she waited on the arrival of her subordinate and her advisor, she was thankful that her surroundings were pleasant. The owner of the tea shop had been kind enough to let her entire party stay in the back rooms, rent free. They were provided with tea and basic food every day as well. Of course, the shop owner hadn’t had much of a choice. If the foolish woman had refused, Liangyu would have killed her.

  It was not her fault for being ruthless; Ludus had made her that way.

  She’d come a long way from being a scared farmgirl deposited in the middle of nowhere by a peacock-dressed god. Dolos…she tapped the letter and smiled, the expression was not friendly.

  Liangyu had missed her native China for the first 50 years she was on Ludus. She’d had a different name back then, too. That was also before she had begun to do what she had to, before she had begun to kill. She’d been naive in the past. It had taken a long time for her to realize that only the strong survived, only the cold-blooded prospered.

  Now she had a very simple goal. She had family in Berber, several generations removed from her only child, long dead. Liangyu had massive amounts of blood on her hands already; what was a bit more in order to secure the future of her descendants? Of course, buying a noble house would be very expensive, especially for the several families she wanted to elevate, but she had time, and she had power.

  Her musings were cut short as Ghinsja and Biivan arrived. High Priestess Biivan looked as haughty and frumpy as usual, her slight Areva frame draped in a shapeless, hooded jacket that covered her golden necklace. She walked in like she owned the place, secure in her power. Liangyu was glad she had a way to control the demigoddess, otherwise there would be a problem.

  Her second-in-command, Ghinsja, was as fair as Biivan was dark. She dyed her light blonde hair into pink stripes and wore heavy pink eyeshadow. Liangyu thought it looked hideous, but she’d never say so. Ghinsja had also been in love with her for 20 years, and Liangyu pretended not to notice. She took care not to offend the other woman, nor let slip she was not interested in other women. Love was a very powerful tool…if used correctly.

  Ghinsja also wore a veil, the grey of the fabric matching her dress. Liangyu thought it was overly dramatic for the woman to always dress in grey, but she was extremely competent. It was useful to humor her, despite Liangyu not being one to usually keep her opinions to herself.

  Both powerful women came to a stop before Liangyu, who continued to calmly sip her tea. Ghinsja me
rely stood by patiently, but Biivan was not accustomed to waiting on a mere orb-Bonded. “What is this about? My time is my own. You will not waste it.”

  Ghinsja arched an eyebrow. “I will do as I please. Do not forget our relationship. Due to the rules you live under, you cannot procure your own…toys. As distasteful as it is, I will continue to provide you with what you so obviously desire as long as you continue to assist my team in every way you can.”

  Biivan scowled and growled, “You’d best watch yourself, orb-Bonded. You are just one of many that Dolos has blessed with a High Priestess overseer, but my patience will not last forever. I will live a long time, and my memory will not fade.”

  Liangyu took a sip of tea. Slowly. Biivan gritted her teeth and crossed her arms. Liangyu finally mused, “You have a long memory? So do I. So, are we going to continue sparring with words? A word spoken can never be taken back.”

  “No, get on with it, Death Witch. Why did you call us here?” Biivan huffed. Ghinsja remained silent. Liangyu approved; her second-in-command had learned some wisdom over the years.

  Liangyu smiled lightly. “I called you because I got a message from Dolos.” She tapped the letter.

  “From Dolos? Are you sure?” Biivan’s haughty manner had disappeared.

  “Yes. I received a note from Dolos once before about two hundred ten years ago. I would immediately recognize another. This one was addressed directly to me.”

  Ghinsja’s eyes were full of awe, her mouth open. Biivan merely snorted and asked, “Why didn’t he send the communication through me?”

  “I do not know. However, we have been gifted with a couple facts. As we all know, Dolos is encouraging orb-Bonded and Heroes to fight each other. In fact, we have been profiting from this very state of affairs.” Liangyu briefly thought about the box that she kept in a safe place, holding spirit stones and Dolos orbs, each worth a fortune.

  “This letter,” she said, holding the note up for them to see, “describes a group of adventurers that will be heading this direction soon on the Mirana road. We can catch up to them and assess their strength outside Harmly if we spend some magic stones to buy a rail car.”

  “There is more to it, right, my lady?” Ghinsja’s tone was respectful.

  “Of course. We know for sure that one of their number is orb-Bonded, a young man named Aodh Antonni O’Breen. The letter is worded such that there could be other orb-Bonded with him as well. We will need to do surveillance before making a move.

  “This is an opportune time for us to act on this information since we need to leave this city anyway. Coming from Berber to Tolstey to hunt weaker orb-Bonded was a great idea, but our time here is done.

  “It’s too dangerous to hunt in Taretha anymore. Plus, if this Aodh Antonni O’Breen has another orb-Bonded in his group, and we kill them both, we can head back to Berber once Dolos gives us our reward. We will have to be careful. I am guessing that Aodh is probably crafty and dangerous. I can’t imagine why else Dolos would have specifically named him.”

  Biivan narrowed her eyes, thinking. She slowly said, “I can’t fault your logic.”

  “That’s great, but it wasn’t your decision anyway. To be clear, I expect you to help as much as you can without breaking your rules.”

  The hooded demigoddess curled her lip. “Fine, but you will supply my payment.”

  “Yes, one more child for you to experiment on.” Liangyu frowned; their arrangement was distasteful, even for her. She didn’t understand what prevented the ancient woman from stealing her own children to butcher, but the deal benefited Liangyu…for the moment. As long as the twisted demigoddess desired her sacrifices, and as long as Liangyu could provide them as gifts, she maintained a powerful ally, even in such a diminished capacity.

  “Are there any other questions?” The other women were staring off into the distance, probably mentally listing what they needed to do in order to get the group on the road again. Liangyu smiled and said, “Good. Please begin preparations at once. The sooner we arrive at the ambush point, the sooner I can prepare my tools.”

  Ghinsja shuddered slightly. She still did that whenever Liangyu mentioned her power, even after all these years.

  The Death Witch smiled and poured more tea for herself. She smoothed her robes as she watched the other two women leave, intent on their tasks. It would feel good to hunt again, especially since another bounty orb or two meant she could go back to Berber. She might finally be able to give her surviving family a legacy, a chance she’d never had.

  Necessary Input

  Mareen was glad she had gotten to sleep in a real bed the night before, but she was still irritated with her hard-headed husband. The obstinate man refused to listen to reason about needing to protect his image. He wasn’t famous yet, but he soon would be; either as an adventurer, or a noble. Well, actually he already was a noble, technically.

  Even after Gonzo had officially sworn Henry and Jason into the Berber aristocracy, gave them deeds detailing the land they owned, maps of their holdings, and a quick rundown on etiquette, it still didn’t feel real to Mareen. If Henry was a noble, she was a noble now too through marriage.

  It wasn’t something she could wrap her mind around yet.

  Mareen was in a small park in the town of Pilk, practicing with the hammer Henry had made for her. She’d needed to get some air. The rest of the group was resting or training outside of town.

  Pilk was a large town, almost a city in its own right. The group hadn’t really spent much time in the town proper, just laid low to rest while taking advantage of how spread out Pilk was. They’d been able to get rooms in an inn and resupply after parking the Battlewagons almost a half mile away.

  Mareen had a lot on her mind, and she was still frustrated with Henry. The fact she knew she shouldn’t be so irritated with him, and that it was her own discomfort around Thirsty that was causing problems in the first place, only increased her frustration. She savagely swung her heavy hammer down again, practicing the forms Henry had taught her.

  She knew swinging around a hardened bronze hammer, so heavy a normal person could barely lift it, was probably not the best way to hide she was orb-Bonded, but she desperately needed to work out some frustration.

  Suddenly, she spotted a glowing figure descending straight towards her and sighed. Ever since Henry and Jason had learned how to use MMBs, they’d started summoning them every time they needed to gather the group together. Magic messenger birds were paid in gold, and Henry could very easily find or produce gold from the land.

  The MMB slowed and Mareen held her hand open in front of her. The creature gently alighted on her palm as Mareen waited patiently to hear its message. MMBs could carry notes, but most often, they just repeated simple messages.

  The small, benign demon was bipedal, standing about ten inches tall with two sets of wings; one on its back, and one where its arms should have been. Its avian head was small, but its eyes were intelligent. This one was mostly blue with white trim.

  It spoke, its voice strangely gravelly, “Seeking Mareen Jacobs.”

  Mareen sighed and responded, “That is me.”

  The little creature said, “Price has been paid. Message follows: Mareen, come to the inn we are staying at. We have business and need everyone here.

  “From Henry.”

  Its message complete, the little creature shifted and said, “Please respond to indicate you have received the message.”

  “Yes, I got it,” said Mareen irritably. The creature dipped its upper body and took off, accelerating almost instantly out of sight.

  Mareen grumbled, her mood still sour. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, barely avoided pouting, and began walking. Seriously, what had gotten into her lately? She knew her discomfort around homosexuals was only part of it. Henry had asked her why she was comfortable with homosexual women, but not with homosexual men.

  She didn’t know. She didn’t have an answer. She felt like she had spent her entire life in study and self-ref
lection, but her aggravating husband was pointing out things she’d never even thought of before.

  Mareen didn’t hate anyone. She definitely didn’t hate Thirsty, but she wished the man would hurry up and leave the group. She felt like he was taking advantage of her husband’s good nature. On the other hand, she wanted to help people in need.

  Deeply conflicted within herself, Mareen stomped into the inn and up the stairs to the private meeting room their group had booked. Once she entered the room, she saw the rest of the group sitting around the U-shaped table. Thirsty was working on enchanting something while softly chatting with Aodh and Bezzi-ibbi, as usual. Yanno-ibbi was discussing something with Gonzo, but the rest of the room was quiet and apparently waiting for her; she was the last person to arrive.

  For some reason, this annoyed her too. Uluula caught her eye and smiled thinly. Mareen appreciated the support, but her friend had her own problems to deal with. Especially now that they were suddenly nobles, their fool husbands needed to take the task of growing their households seriously. Unfortunately, Uluula said that Jason still refused to even talk about it. Meanwhile, every time Mareen trying to bring up the matter with Henry, he just listed every type of woman he found attractive. Apparently he liked most types, and it was obvious he found her irritation with him to be hilarious. The fool man refused to take the subject seriously, and just ignored her when she told him the initial choice wasn’t really his to make in the first place.

  Mareen knew he was just teasing her, and normally she wouldn’t mind, but it was driving her crazy that he either couldn’t or wouldn’t understand how serious family units were on Ludus. Finding a sister wife was about building the strength of their family, but Henry didn’t get it. She kept trying to explain it to him, but she was starting to understand he had no cultural foundation to understand any of it at all.

  Where he was from, small families were commonplace. There was very little danger where Henry came from, and people got married and divorced all the time. She kept trying to explain to him that divorce was extremely rare on Ludus, and family was a sign of a person’s power and wealth, but he didn’t get it. She had to concede it wasn’t that he was trying to ignore her—he literally didn’t understand. So when she got frustrated, she felt guilty about that too.