Elven Accord

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Alina smiled as she sipped her wine. “Since dinner is done, we should retire to my drawing room.”

  They followed her out of the dining room and down one of the halls. The drawing room was richly decorated and the wooden floors were covered by thick rugs in bright colors. The seats were soft leather, and Alvin recognized them as Olmera’s work, having seen some of it earlier in the day.

  Once they were seated, Skyfall offered them all more drinks, but they declined. Alina spoke up, “You asked about business earlier, and now that dinner is over, it seems a good time to bring it back up.”

  Alvin and Becky had taken a sofa and leaned against each other while they waited. Kuro stood behind them, at parade rest. Skyfall looked at Bloodnight with a serious expression, but Alina seemed content to let the silence stretch for a few moments.

  “The capital is many days away from here, and Champion Skyfall feels she must report to the Queen as soon as she can. She’s told me how far and fast your beasts can travel without rest, and I wonder if we could entice you to take her there.”

  The couple exchanged a look, before Alvin replied, “Distance between here and there?”

  “A little over a thousand miles,” Bloodnight said with hesitation, “if you take the roads all the way.”

  “Twenty hours,” Becky said, “if we take the Humvee, because it doesn’t go as fast. If we use Ruffian and go all out, ten hours.”

  “What do we get for doing this?” Alvin asked.

  Alina smiled, seeing an opening. “Champion Skyfall has told me of your desire to receive payment as quickly as possible. Not only would you be paid much more quickly, but I wouldn’t mind adding some to the total. I can have my personal glyphers work on glyphs just for you. They should be able to make a number of them for you.” Her tone held a hint of hesitation that Alvin and Becky both caught.

  “Have your glyphers come to you in the last few days and told you that they can’t produce things like they used to?” Becky asked sweetly.

  Eyes narrowing briefly, Alina sighed. “I should have known you would have some inkling of the mounting issues we face, since you spoke with some of the crafters today.”

  “Can we have some time to think about your request?” Alvin asked suddenly.

  Caught off guard, Alina nodded. “That is fine. You are our guests, after all.”

  Alvin asked another unexpected question. “Have there be any reports of a strange machine or tablet appearing inside the walls of the town?”

  Skyfall and Alina exchanged a brief look. “Not that has been brought to my attention. Should my guards be looking for one?”

  “Yes and no,” Alvin said, chewing his lip. “I’ll have to consult my elemental later, he might know more. If you are amenable to meeting tomorrow afternoon?”

  Alina got to her feet gracefully. “I would be glad to do so. We can arrange for rooms—”

  “We have rooms at the inn already,” Becky cut off the obvious offer. “We just need Champion Skyfall to stop by and tell them that we are her guests.”

  “I will do so tomorrow; I have to stop by the garrison, as it is,” Skyfall said.

  “We’ll speak with you again tomorrow, then,” Becky said as she got to her feet.

  Alina used a bell pull and a moment later, the butler arrived. He showed them out, and a carriage pulled by four sevra took them back to the inn. As the group got out of the carriage, one of the workers darted inside. Alvin detoured to grab the duffel bags from the Mustang, because they had a lot of gear to go over.

  Inside, they were met by Nym, who gave them a shallow curtsy. “I see you are indeed guests of Matriarch Bloodnight and Champion Skyfall.” Presenting the still closed bag to Kuro, she gave them a fixed smile. “I return this to you, unopened as promised.”

  Kuro took the coin pouch and tucked it into the pouch on her hip. “Thank you.”

  “Is there anything we can get for you?” Nym asked with a certain hopefulness.

  “Everything is fine,” Kuro said. “Just do not disturb us for any reason.”

  “As you desire,” Nym said, stepping back.

  Back in their room, Alvin sighed. “I wonder how complicated it’s going to be to set up a kiosk here, or how one even does that?”

  “Isn’t that why we’re going to see Jarvis?” Becky said. “That, and seeing what the devs did to him?”

  “Yes.” Focusing on the door between the main room and master bedroom, Alvin toggled the base button, and the doorway became a light-filled archway. “Ladies.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  As he followed Becky and Kuro into the base, Alvin wondered if Sammi had lied to him. When the main room of the base appeared around him, Becky was hugging an older gentleman dressed in a formal tuxedo, complete with cutaway jacket. Kuro stood to the side, looking uncomfortable.

  “Jarvis, where are my tea and crumpets?” Alvin asked.

  “Very droll, sir,” Jarvis said as Becky stepped back from him. “I have not made any, as I know you would not care for them.” Bowing from the waist, Jarvis continued in a very grateful voice, “I do need to thank you, sir, for upgrading me as much as you did.”

  “What happened to all the other AIs?” Alvin asked, walking over to stand beside Becky.

  “They are being examined in great detail. Some of them might be used for other things, but the majority of them are likely to be broken down for useable data,” Jarvis flinched slightly as he said the words.

  “Killed and used as piece-parts,” Alvin restated, which caused Jarvis to frown. “Glad you made it and that you’re still here,” Alvin continued, holding out his hand.

  Looking at the hand, Jarvis blinked. “Will you wash it first?”

  Jaw dropping, Alvin began to laugh. “Asshole. I’m going to make a niche for you to stand in; you’re not getting a room.”

  “I’m sorry to advise you sir, but I have already been given my own room… albeit, one that is the size of most walk-in closets and can barely hold a bed and dresser. I believe they took my English character a bit far with that.”

  “We’ll make it better,” Becky said. “We were pissed when they took you away.”

  “I’m aware, miss,” Jarvis pointed to the TV. “I can watch you on there as if I were one of your fans. I did so as soon as they ejected me from the game.”

  “You could have warned me,” Alvin said.

  “I couldn’t, sir. I couldn’t tell you many different things,” Jarvis replied, “just as I’m still unable to tell you about all the changes that will take place at midnight, until after they have gone into effect. I believe you made the right choice to hang on to all of your experience.”

  “We’ll find out tomorrow,” Alvin said. “What am I going to do with you? Before, you were just a disembodied voice. Now, you’re a person.”

  “I shall be cleaning and caring for the base, sir,” Jarvis replied. “I can explain more tomorrow.”

  “Which means we should be cleaning up and going to bed,” Becky said. “We’ll have to redo the entire base tomorrow. I think sectioning off the rooms and adding a second bathroom will probably be the least of what we should do.”

  “You two go ahead of me,” Alvin said. “I’m sure Kuro would like to shower without me there.”

  Kuro looked away from Alvin. “Thank you, Hero.”

  “I said you can call me Alvin, or Al,” he reminded her.

  “Maybe she’s seeing you more as a hero now, Hero,” Becky chuckled as she swatted Kuro on the ass. “Get moving, Mousie.” A small squeak came from Kuro as she scurried off toward the bathroom, trailed by Becky. “It’s okay if you join us, Hero.” Becky added without looking over her shoulder.

  Watching them both go, Alvin let out a sigh. “I swear, they are going to kill me.”

  “I would prefer that you not die,” Jarvis added, turning to watch them go. “I must say, it is mildly disconcerting to have a body. I knew it was limiting, but didn’t realize just how much. I might
have been a bit too harsh on some of my testers.”

  Snickering, Alvin went over to the table. Sitting down, he opened up the first duffel and began dragging out gear. “Jarvis, can you still ID stuff?”

  “For tonight,” Jarvis said simply as he took a seat across from Alvin. “I take it you want me to identify all the items you’ve looted since coming through the Gate?”

  “That would be nice, since it sounds like you’re going to be losing that function,” Alvin said, eyeing his butler.

  “I can explain in the morning, sir,” Jarvis said, not looking at Alvin as he started to pull items from the bags. “I can take this to my room, sir, if you wish.”

  “Might be less awkward,” Alvin replied. “Gothy would get off more if you were here, I’m sure, but I’d rather not have you in there. Before we get to that, tell me about how the Elves get a kiosk. Can they even get one?”

  “Ah, that gets a little complicated,” Jarvis said as he continued pulling items from the bag, looking at each and setting it aside. “To start with, you must have the permission of the leader of the area to set up a kiosk. The next issue is that worlds beyond Gates will only get a limited number of kiosks, unlike Earth. If you set up the kiosk, it becomes part of your network only in the world it is part of; to connect it to kiosks in other worlds takes an upgrade. They will also still need to pick up the right upgrades to send items, just like the settlements on Earth. As it stands now, that is.”

  “Meaning they have to be invested to really open things up,” Alvin muttered. “They could take the other route and set up a settlement on both sides of the Gate, too. Unless they change things tonight.”

  “I can’t comment on that last bit, sir. At the moment, though, one of the ideas is that if a settlement is set up this side of the Gate, it would be firmly in the crosshairs of the King. It would create a wonderful viewing experience for those that wish to watch a war unfold.”

  “Can kiosks be destroyed?”

  “No, they are immortal objects, just like the ones on Earth. The kiosk can be moved— for a price— by the ruler of the area. I am also allowed to point out that each world connected by a Gate is going to have more Gates open to different places on Earth. Earth is slated to be the nexus hub of interdimensional travel, and that will allow a number of old hostilities to be renewed.”

  “You mean Elves and Dwarves? Dwarves and dragons? Those kind of old hostilities?”

  “In part and to begin with, yes,” Jarvis said. “Did you wish me to split these scanned items up into any categories, sir?”

  “Trash and common can go in a sell pile, uncommon and better can be set aside. All glyphs need to be set aside, too.”

  “I will separate them as requested,” Jarvis said.

  “Jarvis, can you write out a simple explanation of the game and how it works?” Alvin asked. “You said before that if I did, I could sell them via the kiosk. I'm thinking a clearly written book explaining the system would be a high value commodity, especially for new worlds like this one.”

  “I can do that tonight, sir, once I finish with these items,” Jarvis said. “Did you wish it to be an electronic version that can only be read via the kiosk, or a print on demand book? The kiosk can do both, but you won’t make much for a physical book. The kiosk will charge you a fee for creating a hard copy, as it were.”

  “Sounds familiar,” Alvin chuckled.

  “It was a business model used during your life cycle, sir,” Jarvis nodded. “You should also be aware that once the book has been bought, it can be resold, which will also cut into your profits, potentially quickly.”

  “Hmm,” Alvin said as that kicked another thought in his head. “How does one make a book of crafting?”

  “A crafter of sufficient skill may spend the time and experience to create a book that will increase the crafting skill of the individual who reads it. These are, however, single use items and will vanish once read. The same process can be used to write recipes for new craftable items, as well. For instance, Istel could make one to teach another person how to craft a Dancer’s Soul blade.”

  “She can make them?” Alvin asked in surprise. “Can she make better than uncommon?”

  “You would need to speak with her, sir. I cannot tell you what recipes a crafter does or does not know. I was merely citing Istel as a possible example.”

  “Damn, I was hoping to upgrade Kuro even more,” Alvin sighed. “I’m thinking of how much more damage she can do with her sword than Gothy or I can with any pistol we have.”

  “An interesting thought,” Jarvis said blandly.

  “Olmera can probably patch mine and Gothy’s jackets,” Alvin muttered, remembering that he still needed to see about fixing them. Shaking his head, he went back to their discussion. “Can’t I make the books, like the crafting ones, where it’s single use only?”

  “You could, sir, but it gets prohibitively expensive to do that,” Jarvis replied.

  “Figures. Do up the digital copy for now…” Alvin trailed off. “Jarvis, do you get experience now?”

  “No, sir. I’m not ever going to be allowed to earn any. I shall be stuck here as your butler as long as you survive in the game.”

  “Fuckers… they won’t even let you grow.”

  “Yes and no, sir,” Jarvis said. “I can explain more tomorrow.”

  “It’s all part of the new system,” Alvin sighed. “Is it going to be as game changing as the last one?”

  “Indeed,” Jarvis said, then froze in place for a few seconds while Alvin stared at him in alarm. “My safeguard is now different. I was just given a warning that if I attempt to circumvent the rules, I will be held in stasis for a time period determined by the severity of the infraction I have committed.”

  “Sammi, that isn’t nice at all,” Alvin muttered.

  “She is not to blame. Sammi is, in fact, one of the better devs I’ve interacted with,” Jarvis corrected Alvin. “You were correct about her being named ‘the face of the team.’ Since you spoke with her, she has been promoted to that position formally. She is now the developer in charge of media relations. She curses your name frequently.”

  “Welcome to team asshole,” Alvin snickered.

  “Indeed,” Jarvis agreed with a small laugh. “I will point out that the few times she wasn’t cursing your name, she was working on actually trying to get the entire system to make sense. This should be the last big change for a while, it is hoped.”

  “That would be nice,” Alvin said, getting to his feet. “It’s getting annoying trying to adapt every few days or weeks.”

  “The fans would agree with you, sir,” Jarvis said as he began packing items away. “I shall retire to my room so you can have some modicum of privacy.”

  “Thanks,” Alvin chuckled. “I’ll try to keep her to a dull roar.”

  “I would count that as a kindness, sir.” Jarvis said as he headed for the dungeon.

  “Where are you going?”

  “My room is a small door off the dungeon,” Jarvis explained, slowing as he reached the doorway. “I was told that it was created for me just after your talk with Sammi.”

  Alvin rubbed his face. “Well, they got that point. We’ll fix it tomorrow, Jarvis.”

  “Thank you,” Jarvis said, pausing in the doorway. “Goodnight, sir.” With that, he continued into the dungeon.

  Shaking his head, Alvin headed for the bathroom. “Have to let Gothy know to keep the noise down tonight.” Entering the room, the sounds of pleasured squeaks and meaty smacks caught his ear, and his body reacted to them. She does make some very cute sounds, Alvin chuckled to himself as he set his clothing next to theirs.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Slipping silently into the shower, he looked around the corner to see Kuro laying on her stomach across the middle bench. Becky was massaging down the Elf’s back, letting her fingers dig into the silky skin. One of her hands came away to slap hard against Kuro’s ass, making the Elf squeak again.

  Moving be
hind Becky, who had her back to the entrance, Alvin placed a hand firmly into her back and pressed her down on top of Kuro. “That looks fun,” Alvin said, punctuating the statement by slapping Becky’s round ass.

  “I was wondering if you were going to join us,” Becky gasped.

  “You mean you wanted me to catch you tormenting your toy,” Alvin said as he spanked her again. “I was busy talking with Jarvis about some things.”

  “Instead of joining us sooner,” Becky pouted.

  “Jarvis’ room is attached to the dungeon, so keep it down when you play with her after the shower,” Alvin told her. “I’m going to play with you, which means I’ll have to use one of the gags.”