by G. R. Cooper
“Ready when you are, captain!”
Catcher brought the carpet in over the town, having skirted down the eastern side of the mountains, just so that Wulfgar could ensure that it was indeed an unbroken chain that circled back to the north and then to the west until the elven wood. The flight back had taken thirty minutes, and had shown nothing of further interest on either the lake or the shoreline, which suited Wulfgar. Now that he knew that his realm was indeed encircled by high mountains except for two entry points, one of which was currently being fortified, he was a little more relaxed.
But only a little. There still remained the elves to the northwest. That was next on his list.
He stood, hopped off the carpet and turned.
“Thanks Catcher, that was wonderful.”
“You’re welcome. And thank you, again, for the scroll.” She smiled as the carpet rose again, bringing her face level with his own, “And you don’t have to tell me. I need to go back to my tower and get back to preparing the plane travel spell, right?” she grinned.
“Only if you want to try for a familiar before res is turned off,” he laughed.
Catcher turned the carpet and sped off. He watched as she leaned forward, foregoing meditation for speed, and rocketed away through the town and over the bridge. She was soon lost behind the buildings, moving much faster than she had with a passenger.
Well, thought Wulfgar, at least I don’t have to worry about whether or not she’ll be able to get word to us in case of attack. We’ll probably know within a few minutes of her knowing.
He turned back to the inn, working through possible uses a flying carpet had for the coming fight. He wondered if he could turn it into some sort of medieval B-52, dropping reams of nasty things on the invading army far below. That was one more thing to think about.
He pushed through the door and entered the tavern, and was unsurprised to see everyone waiting for him.
“Well,” asked Lauren, “how did it go?”
“Amazingly well,” he then gave them a complete rundown of the flight and the reconnaissance of the entire land. He brought them up to speed on his thinking and his plans, even mentioning the village by the lake.
“I mention that, because, I’ve decided that what I’m going to do is setup a bunch of quests through the town management system. The quest will be win the war or something like that. The reward will be a plot of land. I’m telling you that now, so that you guys can sign up first. To make sure that you each get the land that you want.”
Lauren turned and stuck out her tongue at the group, “I’ve already got mine!”
Wulfgar laughed, “You do, but that’s a different matter. That’s your shop. It’s what you get for running your business. You deserve that for outfitting our army with weapons and armor. You can also sign up for your own land. So you can build your own home. Whatever you want.” He remembered when they had first walked through Edonis together and she had expressed a wish to someday have one of the townhouse mansions that lined the walls on the caves of Edonis between the landward and seaward sides. He wondered if a similar house, but on the shore of the lake, would be just as good.
Assuming she’s just not living with me in the island palace, that is.
In any case, whether they became a long term couple or not, she deserved to have some land and her dream home.
“Speaking of shops,” he continued, still looking at Lauren, “can you setup two of the shops on the square for a couple of new arrivals I hope will be here in the next week?”
“For sure. Who’s coming?”
“The first is Heather the herbalist. I convinced her to leave Edonis and setup a store here.”
“Sweet!” whistled Galad.
“And the second is Enquire Arenis.”
“You’re kidding,” gushed Snorri. “He’s moving here?” The big viking sat back and rubbed his belly in anticipation.
“I hope so. I asked him and he seemed interested. I asked him to function as mayor,” he looked around the table, nobody seemed bothered by it, “since he’s pretty much committed to staying in one place. That will allow us to go off and adventure while leaving a player here, in charge and in control.”
“That’s a lot of trust to put in one person,” said Corwin, “are you sure you can trust him?”
“No. Not yet anyway,” admitted Wulfgar. “I’m not going to be giving him the keys to the kingdom any time soon. And he already understands that his first role is to define his role. What he can and can’t do. And that we all have to agree on it.”
“So this is a democracy?” asked Connor.
“To an extent.” Wulfgar smiled, “I am king, and, ultimately, what I say goes. This is my kingdom. You will all have ownership and input. I’m not going to be a dick about it,” he laughed, “well, I’m going to try to not be a dick about it.”
He paused, “I mean, I know that nothing is preventing any of you from leaving. From giving me the bird, telling me to fuck-off, and going about your business elsewhere. That’s one of the reasons you get ownership. It’s how I pay you for helping me create, defend, and develop this kingdom.”
“So, to sum up. I’m the king. You guys are not my subjects, but ultimately what I say, goes. For any major decisions, I’ll seek your input. I may agree with it, I may disagree with it, but I promise I’ll always listen to it and consider it. If I disagree with it, I’ll do my best to explain why, but, in the end, I have to do what I think is right. If that’s not acceptable, I understand. You don’t have to sign up for the quest.”
“Seems fair enough,” said Corwin.
Wulfgar thought that he didn’t seem enthusiastic, but was accepting. That was understandable; Corwin and his friends were here trying to capture the march stone and take the town for themselves when they had first met. At least they understood that the likelihood of them succeeding in that particular quest was never going to be anything other than extremely unlikely; the only way that Wulfgar had managed to get the stone from the snake was that his Cowl of the Wolf provided infra-red camouflage, rendering him invisible to the gargantuan serpent. When they had attempted the snake room, Corwin, Connor, Catcher, and Galad had been wiped out. Quickly.
He looked around the table. Nobody else seemed like they wanted to add anything. Wulfgar hoped that meant that they would all be staying, that they would all accept his terms.
Well, I’ll know as soon as I get those quests setup.
“While I’m thinking of it, Snorri,” he looked to the viking, “we should probably do some of our archery training on the wall. To give our people, and you, an idea of how far away we can shoot and hit anything.” He scratched his beard, “And while you’re there, get Catcher to do some experimenting. I want to know how many people she can take on her carpet at once.”
Snorri nodded, “When she’s not preparing the plane travel spell, that is, right?” He grinned mischievously at Wulfgar.
Wulfgar smiled, I guess I can stop telling people that’s her highest priority now.
He looked to Galad. “Can you stay and help to prepare for the fights to come? I assume that among your skills are the ability to make healing poultices and potions.”
Galad nodded.
“Great! Can you sort of turn out as many as possible in the time we have? Heather the herbalist should be here within the next day or two. Get all the supplies you need from her. Tell her I’ll pay whatever you owe.”
“No problem,” said the hippy-looking mage.
Wulfgar stood from the table, “I need you three,” he looked at Connor, Corwin, and Bael, “to make whatever preparations you need for the trip to the elves. I’d like to leave in about two hours.” He looked at Snorri then Lauren, “You two, I’d like to speak with further, in the tower.”
He walked to Shannon, “And RaNay, I don’t have an specific requests for you, but I’d really appreciate it if you could stay in town this week. When Tim makes his little attack, I think you and Schwartz, and even old Bear, would be hugely v
aluable in the defense.”
She grinned up at him and nodded, “I’m not going anywhere.”
He smiled down at his old friend in thanks, then turned to the door. Snorri and Lauren rose to follow him. He waved to the rest then stepped out into the light of the day.
His head jerked back in reflex. A swish through the air was instantly followed by a thump into the wood of the door frame. The quivering shaft of an arrow fluttered a centimeter from his face.
“TRAITOR!” screamed an over-armored archer on the far side of the fountain. He grabbed another arrow from his quiver, pulled the bow and let fly another shot. This arrow wasn’t as well aimed as the first, and it embedded itself in the plastered wall above the tavern door.
Wulfgar recoiled in shock, frozen at the suddenness of the attack. He felt a strong arm on his shoulder that pulled him back into the tavern and saw Snorri leap past him toward the fountain. The viking pulled his brand new axe and sprinted toward the center of the square.
The archer fumbled another arrow and screamed in terror as Snorri rounded the fountain. He started sprinting himself, in an effort to gain some distance from the large, grinning, blond madman. The archer screamed again as they rounded the tavern side of the fountain.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Lauren, joining Wulfgar in the doorway.
“What?” asked Wulfgar.
“Look at his character sheet.”
Wulfgar pulled it up and nearly choked.
Leeroy Jenkins. Level 1 Warrior.
Wulfgar looked up as the pair made a second circuit of the fountain, and he and Lauren moved into the square, making room for the other players who had been drawn by the constant high-pitched screaming of Leeroy Jenkins.
As he came to bear on the left side of the fountain for the third time, Jenkins pulled another arrow and, nocking the bow on the run, let loose from the hip. Wulfgar watched in horror as the arrow sped between his knees and embedded into the tavern wall behind him.
He looked at Lauren and raised his eyebrows, “Nice shot, all things considered.”
Lauren shrugged and snorted derisively, “Beginner’s luck.”
Wulfgar looked back to the fountain. Leeroy had resumed screaming incoherently and running at full speed, but slowing to fire the arrow had given Snorri all of the opportunity he needed; he caught Jenkins and brought his new axe down on the hapless archer, splitting through the skull.
A bolt of lightning accompanied the hit and Jenkins dropped to his knees, then fell over onto his face into the dust, dead. Smoke rose from the shattered skull as Leeroy’s legs twitched twice and then lay still. Bear walked up to the corpse, sniffed it once, then raised his leg over the body’s head.
Snorri shooed the dog aside, put his right foot on Jenkin’s back, and pulled his axe out of the cloven skull with a sickening thwack. He looked up at Wulfgar and grinned like a maniac, shaking the blood spattered axe over his head.
“I LOVE THIS THING!” he screamed.
Chapter 3
While Connor, Corwin, and Bael all left to prepare for the trip to visit the elves, Wulfgar led Snorri and Lauren into the keep. As they climbed the tower stairs, they stopped in the barracks and did a quick inventory of the weapons. A large number of pole-arms and bows, with perhaps a thousand arrows.
“These are a good start,” said Lauren, looking over the weapons, “but they’re not the best quality. Store bought type stuff,” she scrunched her nose. “I mean, I know these are better than nothing, but the stuff I’m making will be more effective.”
“How?” asked Wulfgar. The weapons looked alright to him.
“My arrows will be straighter. They’ll fly further, do more damage. My bows will have a greater pull, so, again, more range and damage. My pole-arms will be stronger. They’ll take and deal more damage.”
She shrugged, “Don’t get me wrong, this stuff is a great start and will take a little pressure off of me to get enough weapons for everyone.” She thought for a moment, “Do you want me to move up the armor a bit in priority? That takes longer, and it seems there’s not a whole lot of it here.”
He nodded, “Quick and dirty. Helmets and upper body protection.” He looked to her and smiled, “Oh, do not use this on any of it.” He reached into his inventory and pulled out her Imbuing hammer.
She squealed, “Oh my god! Thanks! I meant to ask you to pick that up for me, but it totally slipped my mind.” She laughed, “And, yeah, I’m not going to waste this on any armor.”
The three continued past the barracks and up the circular staircase. They came out into the bedroom. Wulfgar smiled. He had already slept in the bed here, but it wasn’t until now that he really began thinking of it as his bedroom. He looked around again. A huge four-poster bed jutted from the outer wall in between one of the four large arched windows that arrayed around the room like the cardinal points on a compass. Along the wall on the other three pie-portions of the room were a thick, wide, leather couch, a large wardrobe, and a deep mahogany desk. On each portion of the wall was a lit torch.
He and Snorri sat on the couch and Lauren plopped onto the bed, sitting cross-legged.
“Thoughts?” Wulfgar asked.
“About?” replied Snorri.
“Anything really. About what’s happening. About what’s going to happen. Anything I’m missing.”
“We’re probably all missing a lot,” shrugged Lauren. “I mean, I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve certainly never rebelled against a kingdom before. Never setup a new kingdom. Never had to do any of this.” She laughed, “I’m just a humble blacksmith.”
“Yeah,” laughed Snorri, “I’m with her. I’m just a big, dumb, blond.”
“And I’m all out of blond jokes,” sighed Wulfgar. He closed his eyes, squeezed his nose between his fingers, “I just can’t help feeling like I’m overlooking something important.”
“You probably always will,” smiled Lauren. “And that’s OK. I don’t expect you to be perfect.”
“And she’s slept with you!” chortled Snorri.
Lauren threw a pillow across the room, hitting Snorri in the head. He feigned injury and fell back against the couch.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Snorri, hugging the pillow. “What’s the worst that can happen? We get defeated and lose the town.”
“That’s pretty damn bad,” said Wulfgar.
He nodded, “It is, isn’t it? Well,” shrugged Snorri, throwing the pillow back at Lauren, “you’d better not fuck it up then, right?”
Wulfgar stood, “Better not,” he agreed. He walked to the desk and sat in the plush chair. He brought up the town management screen and added Snorri and Lauren as partial owners.
“I’m going to have to be away from town. Probably for several days. I’m going to try my hardest to make sure that I’m back by the end of the week, but you never know.”
He turned in the chair, “I’m going to leave you guys in charge. But, honestly, all I want you to focus on is training the army,” he looked at Snorri, “and equipping them,” he looked at Lauren. “I’m going to transfer twenty-five gold pieces to each of you. If you have any expenses, anything you need to help you in those two goals, go ahead and get it.”
Lauren and Snorri looked at each other in wonder, then back at Wulfgar.
“You win the lottery or something?” asked Snorri.
“Or something,” agreed Wulfgar. “The treasure room didn’t just have epic weapons. Rydra got us about two hundred gold.”
“Shit!” whistled Lauren, “That’s more than I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah, well don’t go on any shopping spree,” smiled Wulfgar. “That’s just for getting the town ready.”
Wulfgar’s gaze glazed as he focused back on the management screen. After giving gold to Snorri and Lauren, he still had about ninety gold in the account he’d setup at the King’s Bank before leaving Edonis. He looked quickly down through the options available to him.
One stood out immediately.
/> Hire a mercenary band. Twenty-five (25) light horse archers, including one (1) Lieutenant. Dark Elves. Terms, twenty-five (25) gold pieces for three (3) months service.
He sat back. Twenty-five elven archers would be a huge benefit - he wasn’t sure he had much more than that as far as NPCs went in this town, and they were highly unlikely to be anywhere near as good with a bow as elven mercenaries.
He nodded, selecting the option and pushing through the warning dialogs.
Twenty-five gold has been transferred to Lieutenant Rielle. Their estimated time of arrival is three to six days.
“Shit,” muttered Wulfgar, “I kind of hoped they’d just magically appear.”
“Who?” asked Lauren.
“Huh? Oh,” he looked to his friends, “I just hired twenty-five elvish horse archers. They should be here within several days.”
“That’ll help,” added Snorri. “How long do we have them?”
“Three months. And, I’m assuming, we can extend their contract. Providing,” he smiled, “we have any gold left. They were twenty-five gold.”
Snorri whistled, “You’re going through the money fast.”
“Takes money to make money, as they say. Besides, I can hoard the money now and lose the kingdom or I can spend it.” He smiled, “Is a kingdom worth two hundred gold pieces?”
Lauren and Snorri nodded.
“I think so too. I just hope I’m spending it wisely.”
“How much to hire you a bodyguard?” asked Lauren.
“To protect me from the next Leeroy Jenkins? I don’t know. I wish I knew if he was just some random kook trying to get in good with Clive or if Clive has been setting up quests to assassinate me.”
Snorri laughed, “Not really a major concern. At least as long as res is turned on.”
“True,” sighed Wulfgar, then looked at his friend, his mien serious, “But how do we know if anyone coming into the town, claiming to be on our side, is really just here to kill me?” They had all laughed at the attack in the town square, but it had bothered Wulfgar more than he let on. Whether or not he could simply resurrect on the other side of the town square wasn’t as important as the fact that other players were now trying to kill him. He knew, intellectually, that such was the case in the coming PVP war, but lone assailants trying to get at him before that had never occurred to him.
