The Mountain Valley War

by M. A. Carlson

  “Shh,” Ash hissed, glancing behind me.

  “Ash, I don’t-” I started to say.

  “I said ‘shh’,” Ash hissed, shocking me. The Dwarf I thought was mute, was not.

  “What is going on?” I demanded, gripping Ash’s wrists, preparing to break free of his grip.

  “I need to know if I can trust you,” Ash stated softly, though his grip was anything but.

  “You’re not doing much to get me to trust you right now,” I said, trying to break his grip.

  “Listen, I am risking everything by talking to you. I need to know if I can trust you,” Ash repeated, pulling me closer to his face, his blue eyes glowing slightly against his darker skin tone. “Your companions mentioned you work for the Goddess Issara, is it true?”

  I was tempted to stun him with ‘Lesser Holy Shock’ but given he was in contact with me, I didn’t want to risk also stunning myself. “Yes, it’s true, I am in service to the Goddess Issara, but trust me with what?” I asked, accepting I was not breaking Ash’s grip anytime soon and stunning him wasn’t a good option at the moment, though I held the option in reserve . . . just in case. And given he had just used the name of my patron Goddess, I figured I should at least hear him out.

  “Saving Anvilton and Hammerton from destroying each other,” Ash answered, stunning me once again.

  “Okay, I’m listening,” I replied.

  Chapter 6

  I wasn’t sure why Ash remained silent after telling me he needed my help to save both Anvilton and Hammerton. He showed he could talk and yet now, he was silent once more.

  Ash released his grip on my jerkin, letting me sink back away from him. Ash motioned for me to follow him again. I wanted to demand answers. I wanted my confusion caused by the grey skinned Dwarf to disappear. Instead, I followed him, this time we actually went to the boars.

  Once again, Ash went to work, but this time, he said softly, “Watch.”

  The process of preparing the boars was different from the bears. He gutted the pig, digging out the offal same as the bears but he didn’t skin them. He cut the intestines free of the other organs then squeezed them between two fingers, like a tube of toothpaste, pushing anything inside, out. It was disgusting. Then he stuffed the cleaned-out intestines back into the boar carcass. “Done,” he said, wiping his hands on the boar’s bristly hair before he incinerated the offal.

  “Why not skin it?” I asked.

  “Butcher,” Ash answered with a single word, then he motioned for me to process the other two pigs the same way.

  I followed Ash’s instruction. Cleaning out the intestines was worse than I thought . . . so . . . so much worse. Did I mention the smell? If I didn’t, then you’re lucky, it was horrendous. You could weaponize it . . . maybe I should collect some for Baby’s ‘Alchemist’ profession or Heath’s poisons. I was about to do just that when the wind shifted slightly . . . never mind.

  With the weight reduced, the boars were much lighter, I could easily carry two of them while Ash carried the third.

  When we were almost halfway back to the wagon, Ash finally talked. “I . . .” he started, sounding unsure of what he should say. “I need you to work for me.”

  “What do you mean you need me to work for you? You said you wanted to save Hammerton and Anvilton, how?” I asked, confused by his statement. He wasn’t asking for help but for me to work for him, why?

  “I do not know how to save them . . . not exactly. But I know . . . I know for certain . . . the Duke must die. If he dies, the adventurers cannot be paid. If they cannot be paid, they will leave before they kill more of the Shale Dwarves and the Bronze Dwarves,” said Ash, it was the most he had ever said at once.

  Quest Alert: Not Quite Regicide (Recommended Level 12-14)

  Ash needs your help to save both Anvilton and Hammerton. His solution is the assassination of the Duke of Anvilton to start with.

  Reward: Experience, Hidden, Hidden

  Do you accept this quest?

  Yes

  No

  Was Ash really asking me to assassinate the Duke of Anvilton? There would be no justice in that. It also didn’t address how the Duke’s death would lead to saving both cities. Additionally, if the players source of income and quests was cutoff, it was entirely possible they would find other ways to entertain themselves and earn money, usually by robbing and killing. With that in mind, I knew that I could not . . . would not take part in this quest.

  “No,” I said, declining the quest. “I’m not an Assassin and killing the Duke is not justice. It does nothing for making peace either, it just makes it easier for Hammerton to destroy Anvilton in the chaos that would follow. And there is no guarantee the adventurers would leave if the money was suddenly cutoff.” Saying the word ‘Chaos’ aloud, sparked something in my mind. Was it possible that Ash was Chaos? Or at least an agent of Chaos?

  Ash smirked. “Good, you are trustworthy. I would not trust an Assassin. And maybe . . . just maybe, you have a point about the adventurers.”

  “A test?” I asked, not appreciating having a quest dangled before me as a test. I was starting to trust Ash less and less. If I thought about it, if I accepted the offered quest, he probably would have said ‘Welcome to team Duke Killers’. That was an exaggeration, but the point held.

  “Life is full of tests. That was just one,” Ash answered.

  “And if I accepted the quest?” I asked.

  “I would have honored the terms but not trusted you,” Ash answered plainly. Thus, my point was upheld.

  “Okay, so, I’ve passed your test. Now what?” I asked.

  “I am Gras du Anvil, 2nd son of the Mad Duke, Shrove du Anvil, the only surviving heir to Anvilton. And as far as the Duke, my father, knows, I am dead,” Ash, no Gras reintroduced himself. “I should also mention I am also the hidden leader of the Anvilton rebellion.”

  Well this was just great. Our guide was a rebel leader and the son of the Duke of Anvilton. What kind of mess had I gotten us into now?

  “Wait, you can’t just drop a bomb like that on me. How did you come to be taken in by Hammerton? Why does your father think you’re dead? What rebellion?” I asked.

  Gras sighed. “My story is simple enough. When my brother failed to become a God and entice the then Goddess Mardi to fall, my father ordered my mother and I both to be killed, saying my mother’s blood tainted his line, made his children weak failures. I was barely 35 years old then, because we are a long-lived race, I was really no more than 7 years old in Human terms despite the years of experience. Anyway, I was smuggled outside the city. Rumor has it my father was presented a mutilated piglet in my stead. Krangle found me wandering the mountainside a few days later. I think I was in shock as you Humans call it, did not speak for days. I knew my mother was dead, so was my brother and my father wanted me dead. I may have been young of mind, but I had the finest tutors while I lived in my father’s home. I had enough lessons in political intrigue even at such a young age to know how dangerous my situation was. If I ever spoke, I would have been returned to Anvilton where I would have been recognized instantly and put to death. However, if I played the part of a mute, the Hammerton Dwarves would believe me an outcast.”

  There was nothing simple about Gras’s story, it was downright twisted. I wanted to ask a dozen more questions about his situation and Gras seemed to notice my eagerness to interrogate him, but he held up a hand to forestall any questions.

  “That is enough about me, you do not need to know any more about me to do what I need you to do. Hopefully, in the near future, the rebellion will defeat my father and install me to replace him. At which point, I intend to sue for peace with Hammerton,” Gras continued. “But that will not happen if Hammerton and Anvilton go to war before we can put a stop to it.”

  “Okay, so why do you need my help?” I asked.

  “To start, the dastardly undying adventurers, it takes an adventurer to kill an adventurer. Or at least it will prevent good Dwarven lads and lasses fr
om losing their lives,” Gras replied, emphasizing the word ‘adventurer’ as if it was a foul word.

  “You do know, I’m one of those adventurers, right? So are Rose, Baby, Olaf, Micaela, and Heath. They are my friends and the ones I trust most in this world,” I told him plainly. “Whatever you share with me, I will share with them.”

  “Unless you have a compelling reason not to,” Gras replied, smirking.

  “It would have to be one hell of a reason,” I said, not liking the sinking feeling that was starting to build in my gut.

  “Let’s say, I have a highly placed spy. One, who will kill the Duchess on my command. If you kill me, she dies. If the Duchess or any of her forces kill me, she dies. You tell your friends about me, she dies,” Gras explained with ruthless finality.

  What a little toad! I wanted to kill him. Everything in me screamed he deserved to die. Not even a minute ago I was sympathetic to his plight, but now . . . oh if I could kill him, I would. But Mardi needed to live for my quests to succeed. And now, I was at the mercy of this little bastard. “So, what exactly do you expect me to do?”

  “For now, nothing. You keep my secrets. You already have the trust of the Duchess . . . to a certain extent at least. Continue to earn the trust of the military. Do whatever it takes to fight the other adventurers off. If rumors are true, you have the ability to destroy and banish the most dangerous of them. Just to reiterate, you tell your companions nothing about me or the Duchess dies,” Gras ordered harshly.

  Quest Alert: A Spy’s Instrument 1 (Recommended Level 10-12)

  Gras has leverage and clearly knows how to apply it where it hurts most. Can you get out from under it? Can you protect the Duchess from the hidden Assassin? Your first task, prove yourself to the Hammerton Military and earn their trust and respect.

  Reward: Experience, Hidden, Hidden

  Do you accept this quest?

  Yes

  No

  “But why kill the Duchess? If she dies there will be no chance of peace,” I tried one last time to argue against his current plan of action. I needed to try to convince Gras against this course of action.

  “If my secret is revealed, I will most likely be killed, either by the Duchess or by the Duke. The best thing that can happen in the event of my death, is the death of the Duchess and the death of my father. Better for all the Dwarves if there is no Duke or Duchess to fight over the two cities, maybe then the people can find peace,” Gras answered.

  “But why not at least inform my friends. I told you, you can trust them, if you trust me at all, trust that,” I protested his need for secrecy. I needed my friends to trust me and keeping secrets was a quick way to destroy that trust.

  “If they prove themselves, I will consider it,” said Gras, clearly not willing to budge.

  “And what will it take to trust them?” I asked, it was more than frustrating.

  Gras shrugged. “Oh, and do not forget to call me Ash in front of them. One slip is all it will take,” he added, the implied threat was clear. “And stop glaring, you do not want to make your friends suspicious, do you?”

  The short answer was ‘yes, I want them to be suspicious’, but he was right, I needed to keep up appearances.

  I plastered an excited smile on my face as we returned to my waiting friends. It seemed Olaf was back up and getting a tongue lashing from his wife.

  “How could you be so stupid? Your temper gets you into more trouble,” Micaela snapped at him.

  “I’m sorry, I thought you were in danger,” said Olaf, trying to defend his loss of control. “I didn’t know that could happen.”

  “I understand that, but it was still your temper that caused it,” Micaela replied, hands on her hips, glaring at her husband. “I know they threatened to kill me, but Olaf, this is a game. Worst case scenario, I would have been sent for respawn.”

  “I didn’t think about that at the time,” Olaf replied, “I just heard a threat to my wife’s life, and everything went red.”

  “Obviously,” said Micaela heatedly. “Next time, use your brain a little.” Micaela then looked to the rest of us. “If he loses control like that again, kill him. Maybe that’ll get the message to sink in.”

  Rose and Baby were staring wide-eyed at the husband and wife Minotaur duo.

  “What did I miss?” I asked, trying to break the tension.

  “Bye-bye is back!” Micaela cheered, her previous furor all but forgotten. “I see you found the pigs, but what took you so long?”

  “You guys will not believe what happened to me,” I said, I could feel the glare from Gras on the back of my neck. I didn’t care about his glare. My friends needed to know everything, and that started with telling them the truth. I used the system menus to change my title from ‘Hunter’ to ‘Local Hero’.

  Hunter (Increases Tracking skills effects by 15%, increases damage against beasts by 5%)

  Local Hero (Reduces cost of all goods and services in Hurligville and Hammerton by 20%. Effective Charisma tripled with Citizens of Hurligville and Hammerton)

  My hope was that Gras was considered a citizen of Hammerton, if so, then the boost to my Charisma would make this next part much easier to deal with.

  I turned swiftly, casting ‘Lesser Holy Shock’ on Gras stunning the unprepared Dwarf and earning a few cries of shock from my friends, but I couldn’t stop now. I threw my net at Gras, it opened wide and quickly wrapped around him whereupon I yanked hard on the tether, closing the net around him and pulling him off his feet.

  Net

  Level: 3

  Experience: 88.79%

  Subskill: Net Toss

  Capture Target: Below 25% HP

  Skill Stamina Cost: 53

  Preparation Time: 4 minutes 58 seconds

  Skill Effect: Slow netted target by 50% for 30 Seconds

  I was even more pleased when Gras reflected a ‘Captured’ debuff under his nameplate, it was beyond lucky. The flashing icon in the peripheral of my vision suggested I might have learned a new subskill but that would need to wait for later.

  “Jack, what are you doing?” Rose shouted, clearly as confused as the rest of my friends.

  “Trust me,” I said, walking with purpose toward the netted and struggling Dwarf, the stun effect having worn off. “Now, Gras, I think we got off on the wrong foot. Let’s start again. I think we need to renegotiate your terms,” I said, mentally activating my ‘Order: Negotiate’ spell.

  Order: Negotiate

  Level: N/A

  Experience: N/A

  Spell Duration: 30 seconds

  Spell Cast Speed: Instant

  Spell Mana Cost: 100

  Spell Effect (Active): You have an additional 40% chance to cause a moment of doubt, encouraging enemies to consider negotiating.

  Gras glared at me through the holes in the net but his struggling calmed.

  “Good, seems you’re ready to chat,” I said, hopeful that Gras could be reasoned with when he was no longer holding all the cards. “Now, you asked me for help then proceeded to threaten the Duchess Mardi, someone I consider a friend. The biggest mistake in your plan was thinking I would stand for such an injustice for a second. My Goddess would probably break me in half if I did. Your second mistake was thinking I would ever lie to my friends or keep such an important secret. They wouldn’t remain my friends very long if I did.”

  “Your third mistake was telling me in the middle of nowhere. A place where you can’t send messages or inform your Assassin to kill the Duchess. So, are you ready to negotiate?” I asked, triggering my spell again, I wanted to put as much as I could into ensuring he would actually go through with it.

  Gras tugged at the net again before finally huffing. “Fine, just let me out of this damned net,” he growled.

  “Holy . . . he can talk?” Micaela asked, voicing the question and surprise I had no doubt my other friends felt.

  “He can. Now, Gras, how about you reintroduce yourself to my friends?” I suggested.

  “You
are playing with the Duchess’s life, you know that, right?” Gras asked.

  “No, I’m not,” I replied. “Vision, can you ghost into town and give Heath a message without being seen?”

  Vision appeared next to me with his teeth bared at the Dwarf. “I sure can, I heard everything Gras had to say,” he growled, snapping at the Dwarf. Then, looking up at me he added, “Sorry for following you, I wanted to make sure the bacon was safe.”

  I felt a little grin coming to my face. I hoped Vision followed me to the pigs, greedy little glut. But this time it definitely worked in our favor.

  “So, let’s see, that’s the Duchess safe, you’re caught. Anything else?” I asked.

  Gras huffed and struggled with the net again. “Fine,” he finally growled. “You win. I am Gras du Anvil, 2nd son of the Mad Duke, Shrove du Anvil.”

  “Wow, I totally didn’t see that coming,” said Rose, sounding impressed. “I mean, I know Jack gets us into all kinds of adventures but this one really takes it up a notch.”

  “That’s our Bye-bye,” said Micaela cheerfully. “So, now what? Do we turn him over to Hammerton?”

  I shook my head. As much as Gras had really pissed me off, we needed him. “Gras left it off, but he’s also the leader of the Anvilton rebellion.”

  “And the hits just keep on coming,” said Rose, smiling brightly. “Jack, you really do bring us the best gifts.”

  “I try,” I quipped back, matching her smile.

  “Ugh, get a room,” complained Baby, rolling her eyes. Once again, the effect was completely lost due to her childlike appearance.

  “I actually agree with the Fairy,” groused Gras.