by Sean Oswald
The smile on her face was all the payment that he needed for enduring this meeting, but then he heard the sound of someone running up behind them, and he immediately slid around Emily to put himself between her and whatever was coming. He drew his sword in the same motion, and a spell was on his lips before he realized that it was Steffen’s bodyguard, Ernst.
“Pardon me, Baron Murkwood, but my Lord and the royal mage are both behind me, and my Lord sent me running ahead to ask if it would be okay for them to attend this meeting. My Lord would also like your permission to leave his son at your home for safeguarding.”
Dave looked at Emily briefly just to make sure she didn’t have any objection and received the slightest of nods. He said, “Please tell Baron Eikhorn that we would be delighted for him to join us and that the royal mage may accompany him as his guest.”
They then stood waiting for the others to join them as Ernst ran back to tell his lord. “Did you have to say it quite like that?” Emily asked.
Dave adopted his, ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ mischievous grin as he replied, “What do you mean?”
Emily crossed her arms and just stood there tapping her foot with that mock scowl. Dave just loved it when they were clicking like this. “Gunidar just gets under my skin. You can tell he is always thinking about how he is the most important person in the room, that is except around King Harold. So, I invited him but wanted to get my dig in at the same time.”
“What’s next, a contest to see who can pee the farthest?”
“Nope, I’m done,” Dave said as they saw the other three men approaching.
“Thank you for allowing us to witness this. I have a feeling that this meeting will be important for the future of not only Eris’ Rise but also for all Albia.” Steffen said.
“So, what you are saying is, no pressure, right?” Emily said half in jest and half worried.
A little banter followed as they walked the rest of the distance to the town hall. The building wasn’t finished, so they could see the floating globes of light which took the place of torches inside. Dave, for one, was glad. He didn’t ever realize how hard it was to read by torchlight before arriving in Eloria.
As they got closer, it was obvious that there were two distinct groups of people. The human group was about twice the size of the elven group, but that wasn’t surprising as humans still greatly outnumbered elves in Eris’ Rise. The human group was composed of every priest or priestess and paladin in town along with Talvenicus and Sir Morganthal. The elven group consisted of Eisuke, Daichi, Ozakai, and six druids. Dave started to think about the best way to control the room in case violence erupted but as he was running through scenarios in his head. He realized that he counted six druids.
“Hmm, either Fumihero is back or we have a new druid in town,” he said quietly to Emily, confident that her elven hearing would pick it up even if the others in their group didn’t.
“Yes, I saw the same thing,” Emily responded slightly louder so Dave could hear.
“I trust most all of them, but a few I don’t know, and Mun Hagen seems too much like a zealot sometimes for my liking, so just be ready for anything. And if things go sideways, try to get behind me,” Dave whispered.
“It’s not going to come to that, but I will keep my eyes open,” Emily assured him.
Moments later as they walked into the town hall, the hushed conversations being held by each group turned to total silence. Once Dave and Emily sat down, things got even more complicated as Daichi and Jaselm came to stand behind Emily and Sir Morganthal came to stand behind Dave, who was busy laying out the rules of the meeting.
Each side of the dispute would only be allowed to have one spokesperson. This caused a minor eruption of complaints, but after all the emotion of his day, Dave simply wasn’t in the mood. “Look, you may not even know what a democracy is, and you may not know that is our eventual goal, but you do know one thing. You know that we are fair. If you don’t see that, then you are blind. Yet, do not mistake our kindness for weakness or our compassion for an unwillingness to act. This is our land. We rule here by the decree of both a human king and the moon elf Throne. And we rule here because of our own might.”
The room quieted, and everyone looked around within their own groups and then back at Dave and Emily. Emily hadn’t been happy when Dave told her he was going to give this speech, but he had finally been able to convince her that it was necessary. If they didn’t have firm control of their lands, then they would never be able to give up that control, and instead, someone else would wrench it away from them.
Dave continued, “We are, as of this moment, at a state of war. There is an impending attack by a goblin army which is much larger than what attacked us before. I saw a portion of this army with my own eyes. Fumihero, you can confirm this.” Dave paused for a moment to allow the druid to nod in acquiescence. “This means sacrifices will be asked of all.”
“Pardon my lord, but what does this have to do with the religious matter before us? This really is a clerical matter that should be determined by the assembled priests and paladins with your wife.” Sir Mun Hagen spoke brusquely as he interrupted.
Dave had warned Emily that this might happen. She had been strongly opposed but again conceded. Without a single word, Dave stood from his chair and leapt over the table in front of them. He moved across the room to where Mun Hagen stood in front of the other humans. While mid-air, he quick cast Minor Enlarge, and so when he landed in front of the paladin, it was as a nine foot mountain of a man.
The paladin didn’t flinch. “This show is not necessary …” but he never finished what he was saying because a backhand struck his face and sent him flying back four feet.
Before the holy warrior could draw his sword, Dave was upon him, casting Minor Binding to ensure his sword couldn’t be drawn. Dave’s left hand shot out, caught the paladin by the throat, and lifted him from the floor. No doubt Mun Hagen was a skilled warrior, but his unarmed combat couldn’t compete with Dave’s skill level of 50, nor could he compete with the massive strength holding him mid-air. Enlarged and enhanced by his rulership bonus, Dave’s Strength was 144 and made him the strongest in the room other than Rak’kar.
The paladin quickly gave up trying to strike at Dave and instead focused his blows on trying to smash the hand which was choking the life out of him. His face turned redder by the moment as he struggled and kicked his legs. Dave bore the pain of the blows to his arm and was grateful the man wasn’t wearing his armored gauntlets. The struggles became weaker and weaker until finally Dave dropped the man.
“Do not test me. Not ever–and especially not in my own town. This should have been obvious to you,” Dave said callously. He walked back to the table where he waited for his spell to end before sitting down again. In their discussions beforehand, it had been obvious that someone was going to test his limits, and Dave was gratified to be proven right about who it was.
He had shown them the stick. Now it was time for Emily to show the carrot. “My husband is correct. As much as I want to establish schools to teach the children, hospitals to train healers and treat the sick, and a council chosen by the people to rule over daily matters in Eris’ Rise, that time is not now. We face a great evil coming our way, and it is time for us to unite in dealing with that. To that end, I will use any resource given to us.”
“You mean that you intend to use the power of the sacred ash to strengthen your town, Lady Emiri?” Aoi asked.
“First, it is not only my town, but also your town. You have chosen to make this your home, and you have freely chosen to serve me as your Lady. Second, it is already strengthening us. You may not be feeling it yet, but the interface we control as rulers tells us of the benefits we are already reaping from a tree that was only planted a few hours ago.” Emily paused so that her words could sink in.
Then she continued, “It is growing faster than anything I could have hoped for. With only one sapling, we are growing nine units of wood in
the first day, and I believe as we plant more of the saplings, which spring forth from this one elder root, that we will soon be able to provide a wood superior in every way to the wood being harvested by our lumberjacks. It is a wood which is stronger, more pliable, and will be able to hold enchantments far better. We will likely be able to gain many benefits from this wood that we are only learning of. You druids should well know the value of this tree.”
Dave was proud of how calm Emily appeared. She projected extreme confidence.
“We of the circle are glad for Eris’ Rise to benefit from the treant’s gift, and we mean this for our human neighbors as much as for our fellow elves. Yet, the tree will become an important site in the future, and many elves will wish to spend time meditating beneath its branches. Yet, that peace is compromised by its placement next to the church of one who is forgotten to our people. I mean no disrespect Lady Emiri, but you may be able to straddle the fence, so to speak, between being of the Circle and still serving your patron, but this is not a position most of our kind can be comfortable with.” Aoi spoke slowly and respectfully.
Emily smiled, and everyone in the room appeared to be surprised by her reaction to the druid’s speech–everyone except Dave, who knew what was coming next. He knew they had all played into the Nelson’s hands.
“Allow me to project for you all to see a portion of our Land Ruler Interface.” Then willing it so, Emily was able to make a screen appear in the air.
Sacred Ashwood Production: still optimizing - at 53% capacity - single tree 9 units/day (base 5 at current capacity- modified by elder root, zone and optimal placement bonuses) First units available approximately 24 hours after planting.
“You see first that the tree is still growing stronger but also that Eloria itself has determined that the placement of the tree is optimal.”
A buzz of communication went through the room, even amongst those standing with Dave and Emily.
As they had planned, Emily gave them a moment to look on but then continued so as not to lose momentum. “Why is it optimal? You can decide in your own mind, but the indisputable truth is laid out before your eyes. The placement next to the church plot is helping the tree. This is proof that our people are stronger together than apart.”
On cue, Dave stood up again and projected his best commanding voice. “Now you all have a decision to make. You may choose to accept this decision. Willingly. Without further complaint. Not in public or private. You may choose to be part of this community with the understanding that we are going to create something better by merging our two peoples. Or ...” He paused for effect. “You may be gone before the first sun hits its apex tomorrow. So far only my knights have offered oaths of fealty to me, but for any of you leaders who remain, we will demand an oath of faithfulness tomorrow. Not an oath to us as individuals but an oath to our vision of Eris’ Rise.
The decision is yours. Do not make it lightly. For once you make it, we will expect you to keep it.”
“You have our thanks for meeting with us,” Emily said, “but now you may all leave, except that we wish to speak with Jaselm and Fumihero.”
Everyone filed out of the room, and Dave noted that anyone who felt like grumbling displayed self-discipline and didn’t reveal it to his eyes. Once they had the room to themselves, or as much as was possible with all the guards around, Dave walked over and greeted the druid with a short bow. “I am so glad that you made it back safely, Fumihero.”
The elf replied, “You honor me, Con … Baron Murkwood.”
“Hopefully your journey south was far less adventurous than the trip north.”
“Very much so, but I was able to fly over most of the worst of it. As exciting as that was, it was horrifying to see goblins crawling through the forest like maggots in rancid meat.” The druid was practically spitting as he spoke.
“So it really is that bad?” Emily asked.
Bowing much deeper, Fumihero replied, “I regret to report that it is, Lady Emiri. Worse, their army seems to have split in two with one front headed this way and another front approaching Tsukishiti. I fear that we will not be able to count on much help from the Throne as they will be tied up for a while.”
“Is there any risk that our kin will be overwhelmed?” Emily asked, her words tinged with worry.
“I met with the Archdruid and even Saisho Yua. They assure me that the elves will be victorious, but winter is already descending upon them, and so it is not likely that the matter will be resolved for months yet. Mostly, the goblins just seem to be digging in. They have numbers but cannot compete either with our archers or our casters.” The druid’s words carried more confidence this time. “Oh, and I almost forgot in my excitement to see all of you here, Saisho Yua bid me give you the quest rewards promised for the completion of the tree sapper quest and even more.”
With those words, all the stress about Jackson, awkward conversations with Emily, petty faction disputes in town, and even the prospect of another goblin attack faded. Dave’s eyes lit up, and all he could think about was Loot.”
He felt Emily’s not so gentle elbow hit his side and turned to look at her with a face that said, “What did I do now?”
“Stop drooling on the man, or he will think you are going to eat him,” Emily said with a laugh.
“Oops, sorry. I really am glad to see that you made it back safely, but the quest reward is important. The 400 gold will go a long way to helping equip us for the possible assault, and well … loot is fun,” Dave said.
“No need to apologize, Baron Murkwood. All children love presents, but this is something that you earned, and Saisho Yua bid me tell you that she hopes these items will not only properly reward you for completing the quest but also help to protect Eris’ Rise even if the elven forces are unable to come to the town’s aid.” Fumihero spoke with his usual solemnness.
“Please come and sit at the table, and we can decide how best to use the bounty sent by the Throne,” Emily said as she beckoned to the druid.
“Thank you, Lady Emiri. I should tell you that another druid was sent along with me because of her access to flying magic. Her name is Deoca, and she will be permanently reassigned to your district. I am sure you will want to meet her. She has already dropped the gold off at your home and is waiting there for you to take possession of it.”
That is good. We can always use another caster, and flying magic is useful, I’m sure. I would imagine that there are other casters in town who would like to try and learn it if they can.” Emily ignored the grin on Dave’s face.
Dave was playing finger drums on the table to the tune of Wipe Out.
Fumihero pulled a bag the size of a basketball from his waist and set it on the table. Despite appearing full, it didn’t make a sound.
The druid first said, “The Throne was quite insistent that you needed a spatial bag, Lady Emiri. She said something about no well-dressed lady going without one, so this bag is intended for you directly, although how you divide up the items is not something I can control.”
“I am sure that my husband would agree since he has been carrying the other spatial bag, or I think he calls it a bag of holding,” Emily said without even checking to see that Dave was nodding along with her words.
The druid then proceeded to pull out a dozen slender long swords. They were clearly well crafted, but Dave didn’t cast Identify. Instead, he waited for a description.
“Since they can’t send warriors, the Throne wanted to send you magical weapons with which to equip some of your finer warriors. These may be slenderer than the blades that many of your human warriors are accustomed to, but they are all enchanted to make them more durable and to have razor sharp edges.” With that, Fumihero pulled up a description of the blades for all to see.
Elven Long Sword of Sharpness: Quality- Excellent
Base Dmg: 12. Attack Speed: 6. Weight: 1.5.
Passive Effect 1: +25% chance of critical strike
Passive Effect 2: Weapon’s Durability increas
ed by 200%
Dave picked one of the blades up, handed it to Sir Morganthal, and asked him to try it out. “Tell me if you think your men will be able to make use of them.” Then looking at Emily, he said, “These swords alone are more than worth the quest. These do less base damage and don’t increase the amount of damage done by a critical blow, but their chance of causing a critical blow is much higher than the sword we found in the mine dungeon. Beyond that, they are faster and only weigh half as much, which will make prolonged fighting easier.”
“Wait, there is more,” Fumihero was quick to say even as the humans were taking turns to see if the feel of the blades was something they could get accustomed to. “The Throne didn’t want to forget your loyal elven archers, so they sent twelve bows. There are three different variants. They are all enchanted and have the same base stats, and there are four of each different enchantment.”
He then pulled out the twelve bows one at a time from the magical bag.
Lesser Elven Rune Bow:
Quality: Excellent
Base Dmg: 8
Attack Speed: 4
Weight: 1.5
* * *
The different effects on the bows included:
* * *
Active Effect: 3/moonrise- Rapid Fire- the archer’s natural firing rate doubles for 3 ticks without any loss of accuracy
Active Effect: 3/moonrise- Impact Fire- any arrow launched from the bow does triple damage and has a chance of knocking target prone.
Passive Effect: Range of all arrows fired from this bow is increased by 100% without any loss of accuracy.
These bows would go a long way towards helping with the defense if they were kept with the best archers on the wall, which Dave knew still needed to be built. They could turn a few elves into a wrecking crew … He was especially impressed by the Impact Fire bows as he thought those might be useful against larger targets, and knocking down a creature like an ogre would make it vulnerable to melee attacks.