Rise of the Grandmaster

by Bradford Bates

  He knew the full amount of the reward was too good to be true. Fifteen percent of priceless would be enough money to buy the entirety of the slums and then some. He wanted to be mad and rage, but calm washed over him. This quest had been vital to his progression. He’d survived his first real fight, and spent the night in the arms of the woman he was falling for. His life felt like the first sip of ice-cold lemonade on a hot summer’s day.

  But he still wanted to get paid.

  Lady Briarthorn wrote a number on a piece of paper and pushed it toward him. Tim picked up the thick piece of parchment and looked at the writing. The number one thousand had been hastily scribbled on it. But one thousand what? A thousand copper coins were a hundred silver and ten gold. A thousand silver coins would be a hundred gold, which was much, much better. With a hundred gold, he could do a lot of good.

  Tim didn’t even contemplate the fact that the number could mean a thousand gold. The number seemed too ridiculous to fathom. “Copper, silver, or gold?” He tried to play the part by looking at the sheet with skepticism.

  While taking a sip from a glass of wine, Lady Briarthorn eyed him over the rim. “I hope you don’t think so little of me that you would assume I meant anything but gold.”

  If he’d been drinking, Tim would have sprayed the liquid all over her stunning dress. Instead, he managed to gulp once, before sitting back in his chair and pretending that he hadn’t just won the lottery. “A thousand gold will suffice. I’m sorry if my question offended you. I’m not used to working so closely with a woman of your stature.”

  His brain raced as he thought about everything he could do with a thousand gold. Maybe he could even cobble the street from the archway to the inn. No more muddy boots would be a hell of a nice start. With dry boots, he might even be inclined to meet with a few of the locals and come up with a realistic plan for several of the ideas he’d been bouncing around in his head.

  Not to mention an upgrade for the healing shack. He could paint it and get a real table for his patients to sit on. He’d make everyone feel like they were getting the same service they would if they stepped into the temple. When it came to healing, everyone deserved the best care possible.

  Lady Briathorn let out a most unladylike giggle. “What you mean is, you’ve never worked with anyone as filthy rich as I am.” Her smile remained in place as she watched the fidgeting youth in front of her. “No insult was given if none was intended. Your funds have been deposited in the bank.” She passed him a sealed envelope. “This is everything you will need to access them.”

  She rose from her seat, dress swishing slightly as she moved to the corner of the room. After picking up a gnarled staff, she headed back toward Tim. “Paul thought this might be an appropriate weapon for you.”

  Tim took the staff from her. It didn’t look like much, but some of the best items didn’t. Moses had an old walking stick, and he parted the Red Sea. It only took a few seconds for Tim to put the staff in his inventory so he could examine it properly.

  Staff of the Life Tree: Thousands of years ago there was a tree that could heal anyone who ate from its fruit. Sadly, these staves are all that are left of the once glorious tree.

  Intelligence +1 Wisdom +2

  Special Ability: Gift of the forest.

  While in combat, you will regain 1% of your available mana every five seconds.

  Fuck, yeah!

  This staff was some next-level shit, not because of the stat boost, but because of the special ability. Getting mana back meant Tim could cast more spells. More healing made life easier for the entire group. This was fucking epic.

  Lady Briarthorn nodded to him with approval. “And your final reward.”

  Quest Completed: Fleecing The Righteous

  You successful put an end to Dapper Don Diego and his nefarious activities. The Goddess Eternia is grateful for your assistance and has upgraded the rewards you received for this quest.

  One Thousand Gold

  Staff of the Life Tree

  A notification popped up in his lower right-hand vision. Lady Briarthorn was moving back to her desk, so Tim opened it.

  3x Level Up: Somehow, you did it again. While other people toil endlessly killing monsters, you take four lives and seemingly level at will.

  You have reached level seven and have three undistributed skill points.

  Tim leaned back in his chair, almost unable to process how lucky he was. He knew what he did in service of the goddess was important, but this seemed like a bounty for a king or a knight. His mind wandered toward the skill points, but he couldn’t go down that rabbit hole right now. Lady Briarthorn probably had other things to do besides watching him sit there and zone out.

  Plus, with ShadowLily in the mix, he’d probably be doing more healing than fighting. If his friends could only see him now, hiding behind his girlfriend, leeching all of her experience while tossing out the occasional heal. Who knew when he went to sleep last night that he would wake up a lion? All he needed now was three more ladies, and he’d have his own pride.

  He started grinning before realizing he was an idiot. Keeping up with one woman was enough. He didn’t know how a man could deal with more than one relationship at a time; it’d be too complicated. Life was so much easier when you focused on and were grateful for what you have instead of always reaching for the next best thing.

  The grass isn’t always greener.

  Lady Briarthorn cleared her throat to reclaim Tim’s attention. “I also have a matter of some importance I’d like to discuss with you.”

  So far, his quests had gone well, and he was ready for his next one. Who knew what kind of rewards were on the horizon this time? “I’m listening.”

  “It has come to our attention that several of the men Cardinal Jepsom appointed to stations inside of the temple are less than holy. We’d like you to make an example of these men, so the righteous can flourish while the wicked wither and fade to dust.”

  Quest Received: Lancing the Corruption

  Three of Cardinal Jepsom’s top staff have been very naughty boys. Your job is to seek them out and eliminate them for the threat they pose to the goddess’ reputation. See the indicated locations on your map.

  Jonathan Duncan can be found at his mistress’ estate

  Steven Silvester will be at the Lamppost Inn with his favorite working girl

  Frederick Bohanna can be found at the Stiff Tart, being punished by his lover

  Success: Eliminate all three targets

  Failure: Fail to kill any of Cardinal Jepsom’s henchman

  Reward: A new robe

  Accept Quest

  Tim accepted the quest. He was too far into this chain to give up on it now. If the robe he received was anything like the staff, the quest would be worth it, even if it took him a few days. Completing this quest might also be the thing that pushed him to level ten. Then he could use his reward to select his first advanced class.

  Lady Briarthorn stood up and extended her hand. “If there is nothing else, I do have other business to attend to today.”

  Jumping to his feet, Tim hurriedly grabbed her hand, giving it the briefest of shakes. “Of course. I’ll be back when the job is done.”

  “May the goddess shine her light upon you,” Lady Briarthorn intoned.

  “And on you,” Tim replied.

  She pointed toward the door as she took her seat. “Reginald will escort you out.”

  Tim stepped out the door and waited for Reginald to lead the way. He could have found his own way back to the front door, but it seemed more proper to wait and follow the man. Reginald opened the front door, and Tim stepped out. He quickly descended the steps, trying to build enthusiasm for his long walk home.

  “Happy hunting,” Reginald called before slamming the door shut.

  He wasn’t exactly going hunting, though, was he? Maybe it would be easier if he thought about it like that, but he didn’t want to become detached from what he was doing. If he had to kill people i
nstead of monsters, he was determined to make sure he felt it. It should never be easy to take a life, even if you thought the person deserved it.

  Maybe especially when you thought they deserved it.

  People tended to spend a lot of time being shitty to others because they feel like they have the moral high ground. Tim shook his head as he thought about how funny it was. If the only way you can prove your point is by attacking someone on a personal level, you’ve already lost. Anything you say after calling someone a name or calling out their lifestyle or making fun of them for being fat falls on deaf ears.

  Why did cults convert so many people? It was because they pretended to care about them. They tell them it’s the outside world that doesn’t understand, but they do. Some people have never been validated in their entire lives. Having someone make them feel like they matter is enough to lure them in and keep them there.

  Sure, later the cult might make you drink the Kool-Aid or send you to murder a movie star, but in the beginning, they make you feel wanted. Tim wondered how Jepsom inspired his men. Did he make them feel wanted, or did he find out what their true desires were and blackmail the shit out of them?

  Tim’s gold was on option number two.

  It wouldn’t be much longer before they wouldn’t have to worry about Jepsom anymore. Tim could feel the momentum building like the crescendo of a symphony. Eventually, he’d have to face the man himself. Would he be strong enough? Could he bring friends? Tim didn’t know the answers now, but he did know that it would be one hell of a boss fight.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  “Give that back, you little shit!”

  Ernie yanked an iron skillet out of the hands of a small reptilian creature standing on two legs. The thing hissed at Ernie, then let go of the pan and pulled a dagger from its belt.

  “Mineeee.” The creature almost sounded fierce.

  Ernie took a step back, raising the pan in front of him like a shield. He’d be able to swing it, and with a little force, he might be able to crush the thing’s skull with one hit. Tim would be able to heal the innkeeper if he got injured, so they should come out of this encounter relatively unscathed.

  Tim started to call out to Ernie but stopped as another of the creatures slunk out of the kitchen with a bag over its shoulder. Seeing his friend with a knife out, the other lizardman dropped the sack and pulled its own dagger free as it snuck up on Ernie from behind.

  There was no way to know if the master of poisons could fight like Gaston, so Tim had to act quickly. The only thing he had going for him was that no one in the room had noticed him yet. Tim wanted to keep hidden as long as he could. There weren’t exactly shadows inside of the inn, but there were a lot of tables and chairs to use for cover.

  Ducking low, Tim started to close the distance to the lizard thing creeping up behind Ernie. He pulled one of his throwing knives from the bandolier. He wasn’t sure if he could hit the creature from twenty feet away; he’d never tried a throw from that distance before. Instead, he kept quiet to get a little closer, but the lizard man had other plans.

  The first creature must have received some kind of signal from his companion because it started herding Ernie toward the other one. Whenever Ernie tried to look away, the creature would slash at him with his dagger making sure the innkeeper’s attention was fixed on his attacks.

  The bastard was setting Ernie up to get stabbed in the back.

  There wasn’t time to get closer. Tim fought off the rush of panic that swelled. He knew he could do this; all he had to do was be logical about the throw. He shifted the knife in his hand, slowed his breathing, and stood up. His feet slipped into the perfect position for the throw without his even thinking about it

  He exhaled and threw the knife for all he was worth.

  The blade sailed through the air. The creature was far enough away that it gave Tim time to worry that he’d totally fucked up. At the last second, the blade dipped in the air before it slammed into the creature’s chest. The reptilian man-thing fell to the ground and let out a strangled cry.

  Ernie spared a quick glance over his shoulder, turning back in time to get his pan up to block a stab aimed at his belly. “What in the fuck are you waiting for?” the innkeeper roared.

  Tim hadn’t even thought about throwing a knife at the other creature. In his mind’s eye, he could see Ernie braining it over the head with the pan. He grabbed another knife from his bandolier. The confidence of knowing he could make the throw settled his nerves.

  This time, he let it rip.

  The knife flew across the room and sank into the lizard man’s side. Ernie brought his pan down on the thing’s skull, cutting off its cries. The innkeeper sat heavily on the ground, the pan falling from his limp fingers. He looked completely exhausted and more than a little defeated.

  “Fucking kobolds almost had me. I’m getting too old for this shit.” With a weary sigh, he climbed back to his feet. He looked at the pan on the ground with the expression of a man who was staring at a vast gulf, wondering how he’d ever get across.

  Tim knew how Ernie felt. Sometimes he didn’t even want to get up from bed to retrieve something on his desk, which was four feet away. He’d toy with the idea for hours, torturing himself about how lazy he was being, but at the same time, not caring enough to get up. Until he did. That was the thing about Tim: he always came through in the clutch.

  Sometimes it took a little prodding.

  Ernie looked past Tim toward the front door. “Gaston, what took you so long? I’ve been dealing with these things for an hour.”

  Tim ignored Ernie’s bitching and didn’t acknowledge the assassin. Ernie had called these creatures kobolds, and that meant something to him. It was hidden in his videogame-soaked youth, waiting to come out, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

  Bending down, Tim looked at the lizard-man. Well, it wasn’t a lizard-man, not exactly. The things stood on two legs and didn’t use their tails to help them move. Their faces didn’t remind him so much of a lizard as a… Oh, fuck, it couldn’t be. But with the scales and the face, the kobold couldn’t be anything else.

  The creature in front of him wasn’t a lizard-man or any other kind of hybrid. He remembered them now from damn near every dungeon-crawler and fantasy RPG he ever played.

  Kobolds were fucking dragons.

  At least they could be if they lived long enough. What Tim remembered most from the games he played was that kobolds hoarded gold and trinkets in preparation for the return of their god or another dragon. Did that mean there was an actual dragon somewhere? Tim looked at the innkeeper as he pulled his blade out of the kobold's chest. “Someone’s got some ‘splaining to do.”

  Ernie sat in one of the chairs while looking at the two kobolds. “I guess we can’t keep it secret much longer anyway.” Ernie looked around as if he wished he could be anywhere but where he was. “There’s a dungeon under the inn.”

  “No fucking way,” Tim exclaimed. His first dungeon and he didn’t even have to leave the inn.

  “Way,” Ernie said with a chortle. “Problem is, we can’t get to it. The tunnels are infested with these little fuckers. We’ve been slaughtering them for weeks.”

  He looked at the kitchen and the bag of items on the ground. “But now they’re getting bolder. We have to do something, or the slums will be overrun.”

  Tim’s first instinct was to jump in and help. The slums were his home now, and he was making plans for their future already. He couldn’t let anything happen to this area or the people living here. Ernie knew that, and he was willing to use the potential destruction to get his help. This might be his only chance to get to the bottom of what was going on here and complete his quest. In the end, Tim knew he’d help even if he didn’t get the information, but he was willing to make Ernie squirm for a while as he tried to finish the quest.

  “I kind of liked this place, but I can always find another inn,” Tim said with a bit too much nonchalance. He moved to the other kobold and pul
led his knife free. After standing, he cleaned the blades by putting them in his inventory and taking them back out, then replaced them in his bandolier before heading toward the door.

  “Let me know how things work out.” He waved casually over his shoulder to the two men and continued walking.

  “You wouldn’t just leave.” Ernie was flabbergasted. “We need your help.”

  This was his chance to find out what was happening here. He hated having to play this game to get the innkeeper to fess up, but sometimes you had to be ruthless if you wanted the truth. He was starting to think of Ernie as a friend, and the only thing standing between them now was how much the man was willing to tell him. If Ernie wanted his help, he needed to tell Tim the truth.

  “Actually, I can just leave. ShadowLily has her own place. I can crash there until this blows over.” He watched the innkeeper for a moment. “I’m learning it’s best not to get involved in things I don’t fully understand.”

  Tim glared at the Ernie. “And I don’t understand why this is happening, so I refuse to get involved.”

  Ernie cradled his head in his hands. His shoulders slumped, and when he spoke, his voice came out ragged and broken. “It’s hard for a man to admit he’s made a mistake, especially when he’s ashamed.” Sobs shook him. “Shame is a tricky thing. It can drive a man to the brink of madness.”

  He looked up at Tim, his eyes red from where he rubbed the tears away. “A few years ago, I had a bit of a drinking problem and a fondness for dice.”

  Ernie was doing his best to sink into the chair and disappear. No one liked talking about their biggest failures, and drinking mixed with gambling didn’t lead to a happy ending. “I won’t recount all the sordid details. Let’s just say I ended up owing money to the wrong person.”

  Tim watched Ernie, and a mixture of feelings rushed through him. Part of him felt bad for the man, and the other part wondered why the innkeeper would do something so stupid. “Let me guess: the man you owe money to is this boss you and Gaston keep referring to.”