“Anything you want, you can have. The lumber will be free, because that’s the cost of keeping you off my back, but you’ll have to pay for the rest.”
“We have plenty of gold,” Harold said. “What else is Savannah ordering?”
“Nothing,” I replied. “At least, not for now.”
“What would it take to get you to agree not to provide her with anything else?”
“I’m afraid that isn’t something I can do. She’s an exclusive trade partner,” I explained. “But…if you want, I could make a similar deal with you. That way, whoever wins, my trade route remains uninterrupted.”
Harold seemed intrigued by what I meant. I was quick to explain the details of the contract and, fortunately, most of the ideas were lost on him. He only understood that he’d be able to order whatever he wanted from me, and I’d be contractually obligated to provide it for him, even if I didn’t possess the resources myself. This was a quick way to end the war, in his mind, for if he ordered more supplies than Savannah from the beginning, he’d be able to overpower her with superior resources.
I explained how we would need to build another road, one that led out of his own town around her borders. This road would eventually join the main road that led to Tine, creating a split that led to both cities. Since I alone controlled who was trading what with both Euthos and Authos, I could provide him with all the information he wanted about what was coming in and out of Authos. This was another term to our agreement.
By the end of our conversation, I had a very large list of things to provide Euthos with. He wanted lumber, beer for his men, large rocks for his siege weapons, and a litany of other smaller resources that would help his specialized units in one way or another. It would be enough, he was convinced, to defeat his wife and finally get her to admit defeat. But before I could fully agree to these terms, I needed to know one thing.
“What are you planning to do, after you take control of the city?” I asked. “After she is captured?”
Harold frowned at that question. “I intend to make her my vassal. She’ll have to put away all her silly magic and focus on managing our dynasty here.”
“And if she refuses?”
Harold shrugged. “She won’t. If I beat her fair and square, she’ll have to see things my way.”
It wasn’t the best answer, but at least he wasn’t dead set on having her executed or imprisoned. I wondered if there would ever be a peaceful way to solve this war between the two. They both seemed like such reasonable people, but such violence and war, and for what? Was it because he wanted her to stay in this world, but she wanted to leave? He had mentioned wanting her to put away her silly magics. What an odd reason to start a twenty year long war.
Still, satisfied with the fact that he wouldn’t be trying to execute my trade partner, I signed an agreement of the exact same deal as I made with his wife—albeit at a slightly higher percentage in my favor. Either way the war went, I’d come out on top. At least, so I hoped.
Chapter 24
“You sold the rights to the iron ore?” I shouted at Peters, who was showing me the brand new construction over his land. I was seeing a massive Iron Mine, with dozens of men coming in and out of the shaft, carrying wheelbarrows full of iron ore. The stop to Cornet was along the way home, and I felt it better to talk to Peters in person, rather than to just send him a messenger.
Peters, who mistook my outcry as one of enthusiasm, nodded vigorously. “I absolutely did! After our big meet, I went home a little dejected, you know? Cause I know that Liza was a major contributor to your crisis, but I couldn’t really help much. Then I remembered, you bought the rights to a few of those resources, but not the iron. So, I went out and I found a guy, some land Baron who bought the rights and then immediately started construction! Isn’t it great? I’ll have plenty of iron to sell which can then help pay for the mercenaries!”
I gritted my teeth at this revelation. In any other case, I would have been impressed with his tenacity and willingness to contribute to his friends’ situation, but his actions had completely screwed me over. I took a moment to breathe deep, calming down from my clear frustration. He had no way of knowing what I had been planning.
“I was actually here to purchase that iron myself,” I said, as slowly as possible. Savannah had a lot of resources to trade, and without her business, I’d only be earning half of what I could be. Having the trade of both Euthos and Authos was extremely important. Without one or the other, I wouldn’t be able to pay for the upgrades necessary to protect us from the Tradies. The panic was beginning to set in with this new development.
“Oh, whoops!” Peters said, with a laugh. “No problem, I’ll just sell you the percentage that I’m taking.”
“How much do you have?” I asked. I had a list order to provide 100 units of iron to her. An Iron Mine produced 50 units per week when fully upgraded.
“He was a little tougher to negotiate with than you, Baron Sorvos, that is. He talked me down to 10 percent. But he did pay me a bunch more gold, so it evens out,” Peters said. “I’m getting one unit per week. That’s worth about 50 gold on the market, not bad, really. Not bad for doing nothing.”
“How…how much do you have right now?” I asked, hoping somehow he had an incredible pile of ore just laying around.
“Five!” Peters said. “More than enough to build some upgrades for most science buildings. I sold the rest.”
I let out a long sigh. I didn’t have time to fuss with the man over his decision. It had been, after all, the right choice in the sense that he was now able to pay for improving his village with the income that came with selling the excess ore. The timing of the whole situation was the real problem.
“Right now, I need a lot more. Can you take me to Baron Sorvos?” I asked. “I’d need to order the rest from him.”
Peters shifted a little. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The Baron was kind of a really scary guy. Like, I went there not really knowing his reputation, but now I realize that I’m very lucky to have gotten out of there alive.”
“I’m not worried about that,” I said. “Just take me to him, please.”
Peters shrugged. “Sure thing, boss.”
I sent Teresa on her way home, figuring that one dangerous encounter had been more than enough for her in one trip. She had no information about Baron Sorvos, since her knowledge only extended to villages and champions. Her level would need to increase by doing diplomatic missions in order to access new information about other factions.
Peters took me through the Amber Forest, but after a few miles, quickly diverted off the main path. “The Baron needs to keep himself hidden from the rest of the world,” he said, waving for me to follow his horse into the darker parts of the woods.
“And why is that?”
“Well, a lot of people want him dead. He’s a monster,” Peters said.
“What makes him a monster?” I asked, wondering what in the hell I was getting myself into.
Peters looked back at me. “I mean he’s an actual, legitimate monster. They’re called Ligafens, and they’re not too different from our vampires.”
“A vampire?” I repeated. “You’re taking me to see a vampire?”
“I told you he was a scary guy,” Peters replied. “But you were very adamant about going to see him. Do you want to turn around?”
I sighed at that question. Even if I had known that I was going to meet with a vampire, I would have still agreed to go.
“How did you find him in the first place?” I asked as I continued along behind him, showing no signs of wanting to turn around.
“It’s a funny story, but one of my scouting parties a while back had located his castle, but there was no contact listed in the overlay. So I realized I didn’t introduce myself. Figured that whoever owned the castle would be interested in iron, cause they might want knights or something like that.”
“And I’m guessing the Baron let
you live because of the iron?”
“Yeah, mostly that. I really had to talk him into it though. You’d be proud of me, the way I was spinning deals to stay alive.”
“That’s what it’s all about,” I replied. “Say whatever it takes to close the deal. Turns out we can become incredible salesmen when our lives are on the line.”
“Agreed!” Peters said. He raised a hand to caution me as we drew closer to the darkest part of the forest. The trees in this area seemed to grow supernaturally longer, casting an eternal shadow over us, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day.
I took out a lantern and lit it, holding it high to see that the Baron’s castle wasn’t too far from us. “I guess this is it,” I said. “Thanks for guiding me here.”
“I can’t let you go in there alone,” Peters said. “The Baron knows me. You’ll have a better chance if I’m with you.”
“I’m not going to ask you to risk your life for me, “I replied, dismounting Smiles.
“You don’t need to ask. We’re friends and this is what a friend does,” Peters replied, hopping off his own horse. “But uh, we shouldn’t tie our horses up. I don’t know what will happen to them if we don’t come back.”
I looked at Smiles, who seemed to frown at me even more than usual. “You hear that? If we don’t come back, you’re on your own.”
Smiles said nothing and instead began to munch on some grass. So much for tearful goodbyes.
I followed Peters to the large, foreboding castle. There were many gargoyles on the corners of the fortress, staring down at us with horrifying expressions. Would they come alive, I wondered? While there was a great deal of concern in me, at the prospect of meeting with a bloodthirsty monster, I was also a bit thrilled. I had yet to meet anything other than humans and horses in this land. Seeing an actual fantasy creature? I had never imagined such a thing would ever happen. I don’t think trying to do business with a vampire was ever in my wildest dreams.
As we approached the thick, red gates of the castle, there came a terrible, deep voice from within the building.
“Was my gold not enough for you?” the entire building seemed to cry out. “Leave me, mortal. I find you insufferable as it is. Unless the flesh you bring alongside you is tribute for me to feed.”
“No, sir, uh Great Baron!” Peters said. “This is my ally and friend. He wishes to purchase the iron you have in your possession.”
The doors slightly opened up at the sound. “Then by all means, please enter. There is nothing more that I enjoy than to sit with mortals who wish to endlessly prattle on about their business arrangements.”
“I’m not sure,” Peters whispered to me, “but I think that was sarcasm.”
I looked at the open door and back at Tomas. “You can still leave if you want,” I replied, taking a step forward to enter the building.
“No, I’m good,” Peters said, pushing in front of me. He shoved the creaky wooden doors open and marched forward, leading the way through the dimly lit castle. There was no light, save for the lantern I held in my hand, illuminating the darkness that surrounded us. The voice began to speak again, from all directions this time.
“Are you an idiot, or brave?” the Baron asked, wind rushing all around me as he spoke. “For Peters is certainly brave, a man on a mission to aid his allies. And brave to return once again, in spite of my temperaments. But what about you?”
“I suppose the answer to your question can only be found after you decide my fate,” I said. “If you let me live, I was brave, and if I died, then I was foolish. At least, that’s what the other people will say about me.”
This elicited a great laugh from the Ligafen. “Well said. Tell me why I shouldn’t consume your blood and send your companion home alone?”
I shrugged at that question. “I have had quite a week, really. I’ve traveled a long way to make business arrangements for the survival of my own people. I’ve already dealt with the danger of being killed twice, from two separate entities. I really hope that my weariness at this dance doesn’t offend you, but the fear begins to wear off when you’re in danger multiple times in the same week.”
There was a dead silence on the Baron’s part. The darkness around me began to slowly swirl, giving way to the light from my lantern, until finally, the writhing darkness formed into a physical being in front of me. The lantern could now illuminate everything in the immediate area, showing me a room full of skeletons and animal corpses.
The darkness formed into a tall, pale being, who, just as Peters had said, looked quite like Earth’s depiction of Dracula—with the exception being that the Baron’s fangs were much longer. Now fully formed, he spoke without the booming intensity from before.
“I see. Speak your business then,” he grumbled. The theatrics were as I had guessed, simply meant to scare me. By refusing to show fear or respect for them, it would force him to reveal his true intentions. If he were going to attack us, he would have done so when I refused to continue to play his game.
“I’m here to purchase that Iron Mine, the whole thing,” I said.
“Is that so?” the Baron replied, shaking his head. “I fear that is something that cannot be done. I have purchased this mine for my own purposes and see no reason to give it up so quickly.”
“What would it take for you to change your mind then?” I asked.
Sorvos laughed at that. “You cannot change my mind. I have unfortunately become…obsessed with iron. When Mr. Peters here arrived, talking about the value of it, my imagination was captured by it. I’m sure you are aware of the effects of such obsession, are you not?”
I shook my head. “Forgive my ignorance, but I know little of your kind.”
“We are a greedy and jealous race who lusts after that which man wants. Some men want to live, and so some of us seek to drink their life force, their blood. Others want to be beautiful, so we steal their age with clever secrets, sapping their own beauty for our own. We cannot control the obsession, but when it comes, we must, for a great while, indulge.”
“And there is no way to break this obsession?” I asked.
The Baron grinned a wide grin at that question. “If I knew that, why would I be so enslaved? Why would our people be so hated? You should just be glad that my current obsession is something tame, such as metals from the earth.”
This was a serious problem. But there had to be a solution. “Would you be willing to at least sell me the ore that you have?”
“No,” the Baron replied. “I must own it, I must count it. Day by day, hour by hour.”
Like something from a fairy tale, I realized. This whole situation was like the old stories we had in our world, of creatures forced to become obsessed with something so badly that it consumed them entirely. Was this something to be pitied? Or was it no different than my own need to eat and drink?
“The intensity will wane,” the Baron said. “And when it diminishes, weakening after who knows how long, I will begin to seek something new to amuse myself. I prefer to keep within these walls, to avoid my desires from becoming cruel and violent. You should not return, even if that desire were to wane. It is fortunate that Peters was able to so excitedly speak about iron as something of value. Most unfortunate souls plead for their lives and that…well, it greatly excites us to have what they have. Begone, and do not return.”
Chapter 25
There was little that could be done about the Baron. Upon returning home to Tine, I spoke with my resident wizard about such a creature. According to Alamander, Ligafens were rare monsters who often commanded tremendous power over the undead. With a snap of his finger, the Baron could summon a skeletal army to fight on his behalf. Most human villages were quick to eradicate them, as their obsessions often led them to commit many terrible crimes.
He then suggested that I do the same as countless other leaders. I should raise an army, fly the banner of a Monster Hunter and march towards the Baron’s castle. The banner,
it was explained, was a universal one that all villages had agreed to honor. A monster hunter force would be fed by any town, even one’s enemies would take care of them. For a monster to live in the region was to harm everyone.
Yet, such a suggestion did not sit quite right with me. The Baron had hidden himself away from the rest of the world and had been kind enough to leave us alive, despite his immense power. I did not believe that he wished to bring harm to anyone. If anything, it seemed that he was keenly aware of the dangers of his obsession, hence why he hid himself in a castle far from any human territory or road.
Still, at the same time, killing the Baron would solve my problem. I could capture the castle, claim it for myself and then take ownership of the iron ore. The world would be happy with my choice, as in their eyes, this was just one less monster to threaten them. But something about this seemed wrong. The Baron must have known that his secret would get out as long as he allowed us both to leave alive. But instead of killing us and preserving his hiding spot, he merely let us go. If his obsession had been with murder or blood-drinking, he would be powerless to stop himself from killing us. But since he only needed iron to be satiated, he brought us no harm. Would I be so cruel to take advantage of such a generosity and slay him? This was not the kind of situation they talked about in business ethics courses.
There had to be some other way to gain access to Iron. But as I checked all of my relationships, looking for trade opportunities, I could find none. There would only be one road to Iron and that was somehow dealing with this Ligafen creature. I ran through my options, thinking of any possible way to avoid severe, violent confrontation.
My first thought was in simply intercepting the shipments of Iron and taking them for myself. From what I could see from the Great Picture, the Baron had only his castle in the woods, which was a far way from Cornet. He was required to use caravans, just like any other village, in order to get the metal to his estate. It would be technically possible to send a group of my bandit cohorts to rob it. After all, it wasn’t like the Baron was using it for anything other than to own and to count.
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