by Tao Wong
“Now what?” Carlos says, looking around.
I shrug. “Now we do it again in a few days when the dungeon resets. And we write up a guide for our people so that they can do it too. Once we clear it enough, the System should have dispersed enough Mana that the dungeon will stop coming back.” I mentally send a request to Ali to get an estimate on how many times. “In the meantime, the UBC dungeon needs more checking, which I’m going to leave to you guys.”
“Oh…” Carlos frowns, looking about as everyone else nods, Sam looking sad as he picks up the pieces of his drones. I guess that last Skill destroyed his drones. “And you?”
“I’ve got a trip to plan.”
Chapter 6
As much as I’d love to get on Sabre and go, there are things I need to settle. Perhaps most importantly, I need to speak with the Guilds. The first meeting—a video call, aided by the System since we still don’t have our communication array up—is to Labashi.
“Major,” I say when he finally appears.
“Redeemer. I hope this call is good news,” Labashi says.
“It is. I’m willing to offer your Mercenary Company a base. It won’t be in Vancouver, but in Burnaby,” I say.
“Really. I do not believe that location is able to host our base,” Labashi says.
“Not yet. But the ownership requirements aren’t too far away. There’s a university where a dungeon is formed. We just cleared it; it’s easily doable. From what Ali says, we’ve got about three clears left before it dissipates,” I say. “We’re willing to let you purchase the land in its entirety.”
“Purchase?” Labashi says slowly, rubbing his chin.
It’s a much better offer than normal—most contracts are only set up to be leased for a specific number of years. It’s one of the important parts about the System now that we’re fully integrated—by keeping everything on a lease basis, the chances of a settlement being taken over is reduced. That we were able to purchase land outright during the set up period was one of the few advantages that we, being on Earth, had.
“That is reasonable. After all, we are putting the Credits down for it. And it is a significant amount of land.”
I snort, and Labashi flashes me a grin, knowing that his attempt at negotiation isn’t getting him anywhere. While he has a point that picking up all that land will help the city, it’s still not worth the permanent removal of the land from our control. With the initial probing done, we get down to the brass tacks and negotiating.
We’re working on broad strokes of course. Katherine, Lana, Kim, and the rest of them will get the details hammered down later. But at the end, we have an agreement of sorts.
Labashi nods, scanning the notification in front of him as he summarizes our long discussion. “Our headquarters will be in your university, this SFU. In return, we provide a permanent guard for the city and will, on attack of the Lower Mainland, deploy all available forces from our base. In addition, we will provide a company’s worth of help twice in assaults. Or an equivalent number of aid split across multiple assaults or defenses. These assaults or additional defenses will take no longer than a month in total of deployment. We do, of course, reserve the right to refuse such attacks as per our usual agreements.” Which, from what I recall, mostly amount to “we don’t do suicidal attacks.” “In return, we will have the land in perpetuity and two years’ worth of rent waived.”
“And miscellaneous additions about training, resale of your equipment, and on-going use of your engineering division for upgrade,” I add. “But that’s for the eggheads.”
“Egg. Heads?” Labashi raises an eyebrow.
“Never mind. Human terminology. Don’t worry about it.”
“IT IS DEMEANING TO BE COMPARED TO A NASCENT ORGANIC LIFEFORM.”
“Sorry, Kim. Does it help that I’m technically an egghead?”
“NO.”
“Redeemer?” Labashi says as I have my quick side conversation.
“If we’re agreed, I’ve got another call,” I say, well aware of how expensive this entire conversation is.
“We will let the eggheads finish this agreement. In the meantime, I will begin the process of arranging our presence in your city,” Labashi says with a smile. “I look forward to working with you once again.”
“Thanks.” I watch Labashi fade away before I glance at Katherine. “Who’s next?”
“The Crystal Clans,” Katherine says with a smile. “Their representative is waiting.”
“Sorry, took longer than I expected.”
“It is fine. I arranged for a crafting station to be moved in.”
“Umm…” I consider then shrug. Ah hell, it worked, didn’t it? “Send them in.”
***
This negotiation, thankfully, is a lot simpler. The Crystal Clans are mostly an Artisan Guild, so beyond getting a small force added to the rotation for safeguarding the city of Kelowna, we just need to work out their rent, training, and the percentage discount for purchases from the settlement. They aren’t looking for anything special and we don’t need anything special—just help and a place that’s willing to farm out quests on a regular basis. With a transportation system in place and Kim handling the administration, we could even extend some of their quests to people in other settlements.
“Next,” I say to Katherine when the door closes.
“That, I believe, would be me,” a voice calls from the door.
I look up, blinking as I see a very pretty elf. Long blond hair is swept backward to uncover pointed ears, startlingly blue eyes, and an easy smile. Lean and thin, he lounges against the door in a relaxed manner. Boy next door charm crossed with male model looks.
“And who are you?” As if I couldn’t guess.
“Wynn a Maro. I represent the Burning Leaves,” Wynn says with a bow, smiling slightly. “I hope I’m not intruding by entering.”
“No.” I wave him forward. I could get grumpy about him coming in before we asked for it, but that kind of pettiness isn’t my thing. Anyway, I’ve got enough reasons to be grumpy with the Burning Leaves, including the use of an aura the last time round.
Wynn a Maro, Spider Slayer (Level 38 Fell Ranger)
HP: 2110/2110
MP: 2080/2080
Conditions: None
“That’s an Advanced Class, isn’t it?” I send to Ali.
“Yup. Be careful, boy-o. I don’t think he’s here to kill you, but he hasn’t talked to you yet.”
“Funny.”
“Good. Otherwise I’d have to get another present as an apology,” Wynn says as he walks forward then stops, a hand twitching as he pulls something from his inventory.
A moment later, he’s holding a simple, silver-looking box with a crest made of stylized glyphs I can’t read. The glyphs are closer to Egyptian hierographics than Arabic letters, which makes it all kinds of pretty and unintelligible. The sudden, indrawn breath from Ali, on the other hand, is quite interesting.
“What’s that?” I say, eyes narrow. Automatic manners have me standing up since he’s neared me, which also means I’m more mobile in case that case is something dangerous.
“An apology for my predecessor’s actions,” Wynn says, bowing his head slightly.
“Take it.”
I use both hands to take hold of the gift, flip it open with a thumb, and am surprised to see a simple chain necklace inside. On closer inspection, each ring on the chain seems to be inscribed with many of the same glyphs as the box. Frowning, I pick up the necklace and wait for Ali to provide me the information.
Brumwell Necklace of Shadow Intent
The Brumwell necklace of shadow intent is the hallmark item of the Brumwell Clan. Enchanted by a Master Crafter, this necklace layers shadowy intents over your actions, ensuring that information about your actions is more difficult to ascertain. Ownership of such an item is both a necessity and a mark of prestige among settlement owners and other individuals of power.
Effect: Persistent effect of Shadow Intent (Level
4) results in significantly increased cost of purchasing information from the System about wearer. Effect is persistent for all actions taken while necklace is worn.
“Those things are rare. We’re talking tens of millions of Credits to purchase one, and this is a Level 4 enchantment. Not the rarest, but not cheap.”
“Thank you,” I say. Even if Wynn says this is a gift of apology, I know there are strings attached to such an expensive and overt gift. But like the elf—sorry, the Movana—probably knew, this is a gift I can’t turn down.
“Not at all. My predecessor’s actions were unaccountably rude. To use his abilities in a negotiation is not how our Guild would want this matter handled,” Wynn says.
“True. Why was he allowed to conduct such discussions anyway?” I ask.
“Ah. Politics. His family has certain pull in our Guild.”
“Har. And you?”
“I’m one too. But I’m competent,” Wynn says, eyes dancing with humor.
“Even so. This is an expensive gift,” I say as I close the box. As much as I want to put it on now, I can wait till I have it properly identified by the Shop. He might seem nice, but I won’t trust him off the bat just because he’s tall and pretty. Also, I’d like to see if I can get it altered so that I don’t have to wear a necklace. I hate having things around my neck. “Seems a little much for a Guild building in a small town.”
“How much do you know of my Guild?” Wynn asks instead of answering my unasked question.
“Not much.”
“Well then, perhaps I can be allowed to enlighten you a bit,” Wynn says whilst inclining his head toward the chairs.
I take the hint and sit down, gesturing for him to do so. Once we’re comfortably seated, he continues while Katherine goes to get us a fresh pot of tea.
“The Burning Leaves are a Tier II guild. While we accept most applications to join the Guild, we started and are mainly based in Movana territory. In fact, many of our members are closely related to members within the Movana royalty,” Wynn says.
“Good for you,” I mutter, still unsure what’s the point of this discussion.
“At the same time, your previous dealings and relationship with the Truinnar are known. Few have fought the Weapon Master and lived to tell the tale,” Wynn continues. “But it is in consideration of those matters that we are interested in yourself.”
“Like your stories, the Truinnar and Movana are differing portions of the same race, split when the groups left for the stars. The actual shade of skin of the Truinnar is due to a genetic modification to separate themselves from their cousins. Earth itself is in Truinnar space, which is the larger of the pair of empires,” Ali fills in for me.
“Let me get this straight. You gave me a really nice gift because you want to establish relations with me. Because you’re jealous of Roxley?” I frown. Such a line of reasoning seems just short of insane to me. Which is why I’m probably missing the point.
“Not jealousy. A maneuver to curtail Truinnar influence on this world. Your lands are the closest to the Duchess’s, which makes them strategically important. And then there’s you, Redeemer. Or is it Monster Bane? Or Duelist?” I frown again, and Wynn smiles. “Few have managed to gain so many titles without a higher Class. Even fewer are thrice-titled, especially in such a short timeframe.”
I grunt, shaking my head. A lot of my titles—Monster Bane and Duelist—are cheats. Since I was still progressing from one tier to the next, the System registered me as only having forty-three Levels, instead of what should be about double that. It means that those titles, while earned through blood, are nowhere as “true” as someone else’s. But I’m sure Wynn knows that, which makes his interest puzzling in a way.
“If you’re looking at hindering the Truinnar, won’t owning settlements be better?” I ask.
“Ugh, you’re embarrassing me, boy-o.”
“THERE ARE CURRENTLY TWENTY-THREE MOVANA SETTLEMENTS IN AFRICA, CENTERED AROUND EAST AFRICA. A MAP OF SUCH SETTLEMENTS HAS BEEN UPLOADED TO YOUR DATA FILES.”
“Well, the Guild is not part of the Kingdom,” Wynn says. “And as you know, we are not allowed to own settlements.”
“But you’re allowed to have Guild Buildings in other settlements,” I say slowly, realizing what he is alluding to. The Guild is as “independent” as a twenty-year-old who still lives at home and doesn’t pay rent to his parents. They’re still going to dictate a portion of his life, whether he likes it or not. So accepting the Guild into my settlements is a double-edged sword. It’ll piss off Roxley and the Truinnar, but potentially put me in the good graces of the Movanna. Or at the least, give them a direct and obvious way to spy on me. I tap the box after a second. “I take it your Guild didn’t pay for this then.”
“No.”
“Ah…” I sigh, tapping the gift. Then there are a lot more strings to this gift than I assumed. “Why tell me all this?”
“Because I feel it’s better to be clear about our objectives before we begin negotiation.”
“Don’t think it’d help your cause to hide it?”
“Not in the long run. And I—we—wish to ensure that this is a long-term relationship.”
I grunt, leaning back. Ah hell. For all the potential problems, they’re the only Tier II guild to make an offer, one that has significant enough reserves to make full use of our dungeon. We need them—their people, their Credits. If we can get a good deal…
“All right, talk.”
***
“Are you certain that Ms. Pearson and the AI will be sufficient for this negotiation?” Katherine says when we’ve shown Wynn out.
“Lana will be fine. They’ve got a framework of what we want in place.” In fact, I’ve mentioned to Lana that I’m willing to let them have both North Vancouver and Kamloops, if the price is right. “Who’s next?”
“Damian.”
“Show him in.” I sigh. This should be fun.
“You know, boy-o, you’ve gotten nearly as boring as my former Companion. And all he did was sit around reading all day.”
“Trust me, I’m not impressed either.”
Our mutual bitching about my life of meetings and talking comes to an end as Damian walks in. The ex-scavenger, ex-rebel, now bureaucrat leader like me seems slightly more harried than the last time I saw him. After a few quick greetings and pleasantries, we get down to business.
“My people are growing concerned about their safety. They’ve been having to deal with more and more monster attacks recently,” Damian says. “They’re also complaining about a significant drop in their income.”
“THOSE EARMARKED AS SCAVENGERS HAVE SEEN A TOTAL LOSS OF REVENUE OF 9% IN THE LAST MONTH WITH AN AVERAGE DECREASE OF 318.64 CREDITS PER INDIVIDUAL. THIS IS BASED OFF A DECREASE IN TRANSACTION VOLUME OF 2.81%.”
I stare at the notification, processing the data. “And what do you want from me?”
“More guards. We also want a timeline of when we can expect the other suburbs to be transformed into full-fledged towns.”
“Well…” I shake my head. I’m so not answering that one since I don’t have a good idea myself. “From the information I’ve got, it doesn’t look like it’s an issue of monsters or what you’re bringing back so much as a drop in your selling prices.” As Damian opens his mouth, I raise my hand. “Let me see if I have this right. Your men—sorry, people—are bringing in the same number of items, but demand’s fallen off. At the same time, they’ve had to go farther and farther out because nearby residences have all been hit.”
Damian shuts his mouth before nodding slightly.
“Right. Well, here’s the thing. You guys are either going to have accept it or change your occupation,” I say. “As more and more people Level and get Credits through their Skills and occupations, the demand for scavenged items is going to continue dropping. It won’t take long before inter-galactic tradeliners arrive, and then your market is really going to crash. Change now or change later, but you’re in a losing game.”
“Did you tell me and my people to suck it up and deal?” Damian’s eyes bulge, a little heat appearing in his voice.
“Yes,” I say, then consider. “What we can do is provide career counseling and advice. Purchasing the AI with the skills necessary to do the analysis isn’t that expensive. If we pick out a few buildings, we can spread the locations around the city.”
“Job retraining,” Damian says, disgust in his voice.
“Counseling. No one’s going to hold their hands,” I say, leaning forward. “Your people aren’t cowards, but they’ve gotten used to an easy way of life, of low risk and a decent amount of Credits. But things change, and they’re going to have to change.”
“And that’s it? That’s what you want me to go back to them with?” Damian says, anger thrumming through his voice.
“Yes. They can either change now and be ready for the future, or we can prop them up for a few months, maybe a year or two, and then have it all pulled out from under them. This world of Levels, it gives us a ton of options. But you have to be willing to take them.”
“So you want them to fight? Be like your Hakarta and Yerrick friends? Run your dungeon like everyone else?”
I sigh, shaking my head. “I don’t want anything from them. I’m just telling you how things are. They can decide to delve or change their Classes or hell, keep doing what they’re doing. It’s up to them. I’m just saying we’re not going to subsidize them or provide anything else.”
“This is unacceptable.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding. “Anything else?”
“We’re not done speaking about this yet!” Damian almost shouts, fist hammering into the table so hard he cracks it.
“Yes, we are. Now you can move on to another topic or you can leave.”
When Damian gets out a short while later, Katherine is giving me the stink-eye.
