The Land_Alliances

by Aleron Kong

  Richter felt completely vindicated about his decision after Ardrim’s reaction. “Do you need me to do anything about this,” he asked Krom.

  The burly dwarf gave a laugh, “Naw, I can handle a Bone Crusher. I be a Red Stone, and there is no dwarf above or below the mountain tougher than us!”

  Richter laughed back, “That’s what I want to hear!”

  Krom looked Richter over, “I hope you don’t mind me saying, yer Lordship, but some of your arms and armor are looking the worse for wear,”

  Richter had been about to ask Krom more about the dwarf culture. Hisako had been clear that he needed to enlist their aid. Perhaps now was not the best time though, he did have other things to do. Richter looked down at his armor and couldn’t deny the dwarf’s words. “I know. That dungeon was not easy. I’ll have to talk to Hisako about repairing the armor when she comes back.”

  “Or you could just give it to me now,” Krom said in an offhand manner.

  Richter looked at him confused, “I thought you couldn’t repair this type of armor.”

  Krom laughed again, “That was then! We have the Forge of Heavens now! Do ye really think that some little woodsfolk could do more with armor than a dwarf with a Magic Forge?! Leave the armor with me and I’ll have it back good as new.”

  Well that’s certainly convenient, Richter thought. He had Krom help him while he removed his armor, and stood in just his clothes for the first time in what felt like forever. Taking off the green sprite armor seemed to free all of the accumulated funk that had been percolating underneath. Even Krom wrinkled his nose.

  “That bad, huh?” Richter asked.

  “Well the good news is, we could use that stink to burn some warts off the pigs.”

  “Har-de-har-har,” Richter said. A bath was now on his list of errands now though. He handed over his high steel longsword along with the armor.

  Krom took the sword, but shook his head when Richter asked about repairing the glass dagger. Apparently the secret for working that material was closely guarded by islanders who lived south of the forest, and the Forge, though wondrous, could not teach Krom new smelting techniques. Richter looked at the dagger in regret. It had served him well and the high durability had come in handy. After all the wear and tear though, it had barely half its original damage potential. He would need a replacement.

  “Krom I need a short sword. The best you can make. There is more moonstone, cobalt, quicksilver, and a few bars of elementum in the treasury. Let me know what you need and I will get it to you. Feel free to make use of it. Learn the enchantments and start making weapons. The elementum is for my use only until I say otherwise, though.”

  “I understand, milord. It will be done. That does remind me of something. Like I said, most of the weapons in the armory were beyond saving. In the far back though, I found three metal boxes that had a clear circle on them, like on the doors. I couldn’t open them, but yer Lordship should be able to with that fancy Mark of yours.”

  “I’ll take a look at it.” Richter put his glass dagger back into his Bag and handed over most of the filled soul stones he had collected. He kept the resplendent level stone that held the crypt mistress’s soul to himself though. He didn’t want Krom using it until the dwarf had a better grasp on the Forge’s abilities.

  While accessing his inventory, Richter did see something he had forgotten about. “Krom, what do you think of this?” Richter handed him one of the palm sized scales from the giant skeeling he and Sion had killed.

  “Hmm,” Krom said turning the thin scale over. He kept looking and then let out a more interested, “hmmmmm. Lightweight, but strong.” Krom drew an awl from belt. He scratched the scale, then did it again harder. Then he laid it down on the anvil and drew the awl down it with all of his force and barely left a scratch.

  “What is this,” the dwarf asked with a bit of awe in his voice.

  “They are the scales of a large monster Sion and I killed not too long ago,” Richter answered.

  “How did you manage it? These scales are as tough as me first wife!”

  Richter chuckled, “It wasn’t easy. Well do you think you can do something with it?”

  “I might have an idea or two,” Krom said. “Do me a favor and stand still for a second.”

  Krom took a length of string from one of his pockets and took a quick series of measurements from Richter. He was quick and industrious, making notations in a small leather bound book. He was a touch rough when measuring the inseam, prompting Richter to tell him to, “watch the monster,” but that moment passed quickly. When he was done, Krom handed Richter a high steel short sword that the smith had made while he was gone. It was nothing special, but it was at least a weapon.

  You have been given: High steel short sword. Damage 11-15. Durability 35/35. Item class: Common. Quality: Above Average. Weight 1.8 kg.

  “Thank you Krom,” Richter said. “It seems like what you make is normally high steel. Why would anyone make something out of steel or plain iron?”

  “Well milord, there be a few reasons. Ye must be at least an Apprentice rank smith. Ye also must know how to make xanthite. It not be hard, but ye still must know the trick of it. Also because it be a higher grade material smiths do charge more and it takes longer to forge. It be much cheaper for a noble to outfit most of his guards with iron or simple steel.”

  “So if we make only high steel weapons and armor, then we will be better equipped than most people out there?” Richter asked.

  Krom scratched his salt and pepper beard, “I can guarantee we will have an edge over any goblin tribal scum or even most of them bugbears. I wouldn’t hang yer hat on having better gear in general. Mercenary guilds will have many members with specialty armor, and the higher ranked soldiers in Yves may even have magic arms and armor. We have a long way to go if ye want to go head to head with groups like that!”

  After that Krom had no more time for his liege apparently. He took the rest of the scales and then said absently that he would work on them, but his focus was obviously on the Forge. The other dwarves had started stoking the fires near the central anvil while the smith was taking Richter’s measurements and now they started heating a high steel ingot. The dwarves got to work with a single minded obsession and not even a ‘goodbye milord’ was thrown in Richter’s direction as he walked out.

  Richter realized that recently he hadn’t been correcting people to just call him Richter anymore. The ‘milords’ and ‘your Lordships’ had started to feel natural. He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. It was true that he definitely didn’t want to become an elitist a-hole that didn’t value others. On the other hand, if he was going to lead his people, then he needed to be a leader. Back in Georgia he had been raised to say ‘Yessir’ and ‘No ma’am.’ That wasn’t to be a kiss-ass. That had been because showing the proper respect was a social convention that made society run smoother. To be sure he had also said some ‘less nice’ things to people when the situation required it, and their age be damned, but that was the exception, not the rule. Whatever his thought process behind it, he had to admit that it felt comfortable to be given respect as a matter of course. He was the Master of the village, so he would just need to live up to it.

  As if the Universe wanted to stress the point, Richter was again reminded of his responsibility to his people and his earlier mistakes. When he looked around after leaving the Forge he saw three people, two men and a woman standing off to the side. They had a melancholy air, and when they saw Richter, there was no smile or happy greeting. They merely bobbed their heads and then dispersed.

  Randolphus had remained at Richter’s side through the entire transformation of the Forge and walked out with him. Richter spoke to his chamberlain, “I feel bad about this, but I don’t remember their names,” he said indicating the three.

  “They are farmers, my Lord. The woman is Parul, the taller man was Wuren and the shorter is Lenric.”

  “Why did it seem like they were avoiding m
e?” Richter asked.

  “They all lost loved ones during the bugbear attack,” Randolphus said gently.

  Richter’s chest clamped up. Over the past several weeks in the dungeon, he had been focused on just surviving. When he had come back to the village, there had been another flurry of activity with Hisako’s response to the eaters being back in the Forest. The fact was he hadn’t really wanted to dwell on the lives that had been lost during the attack, an attack that had happened because of his poor judgement. Seeing the sadness that his people were still living with every day, brought it all flooding back. He watched them walk off and then asked, “Is the project I asked to be completed ready?”

  “Yes, my Lord. It was finished several days before you returned. As you requested, it has remained covered. I was told by Gloran that it will only require one basic soul stone.”

  “Good,” Richter said. He handed over one of the soul stones. “Gather everyone tonight under the Quickening. Let’s say right after the evening meal. We will unveil it then. I need everyone together anyway.”

  “It will be done, my Lord.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Richter and Randolphus continued walking through the village, talking about this or that. At some point, Alma flew up and took her customary perch on top of Richter’s shoulders. As they walked, Richter greeted everyone that he could. He wanted his people to feel comfortable coming and speaking to him. The best way he could figure out to accomplish that was to go speak to them first.

  It also let him get an overall feel of his people’s mood. It was true that the village interface had a Loyalty and Morale bar. It showed Richter that the overall Morale of the villagers was ‘Happy’ and their Loyalty as a whole was ‘Dependable,’ but it wasn’t enough for him to hang his hat on. The interface didn’t show him an individual’s Morale or Loyalty. He also didn’t know how his city screen was updated. He knew he had to spend some time really investigating it, but now was not the time. The truth was, Richter put more stock in actual physical interaction than some mythical mood rock.

  He was pleased to see that most of his villagers greeted him with smiles. Actually, many were excited about the Forge having been built and tried to pester him with questions. Randolphus was able to effectively shoo most away. Richter was pleased to see that his chamberlain and the other villagers had a positive rapport. Though they left without the answers they sought, they still left with smiles on their faces and easily accepted the chamberlain’s authority.

  Even more important than the one on one interactions, was the fact that Richter often heard laughter as he walked. Children ran around playing and his people smiled at one another. Overall, the village had a bucolic feel, and other than the three villagers he had seen upon leaving the Forge, his people seemed to be recovering well after the attack.

  The two men walked to the meadow leading up to the hill, because Richter wanted to check on the project with his own two eyes. To be honest, he also missed the calming influence of the Quickening. As they walked he took the opportunity to check his status page. Some of his stats were lower without the perks of his enhanced sprite armor, his Dexterity especially looked lower without his bow equipped, but he still had a respectable build.

  Name: Richter

  Age: 24

  Level: 18, 81%

  Health: 430 Mana: 390 Stamina: 210

  Strength: 21

  Agility: 24

  Dexterity: 19

  Constitution: 25

  Endurance: 21

  Intelligence: 37

  Wisdom: 21

  Charisma: 24

  Luck: 15

  Abilities:

  Limitless

  Gift of Tongues

  Fast Learner

  Bounty of Life

  Psi Bond

  Skills:

  Herb Lore Lvl 39; 22% to next level

  Alchemy Lvl 1; 0% to next level

  Enchantment Lvl 29; 44% to next level

  Crafting Lvl 1; 0% to next level

  Smithing Lvl 1; 0% to next level

  Analyze Lvl 6; 7% to next level

  Pierce the Veil Lvl 23; 45% to next level

  Stealth Lvl 6; 14% to next level

  Traps Lvl 21; 87% to next level

  Trap Disarm Lvl 21; 99% to next level

  Archery Lvl 10; 24% to next level

  Imbue Arrow Lvl 5; 18% to next level

  Focus Lvl 3; 78% to next level

  Double Shot Lvl 3; 31% to next level,

  Drill Shot Lvl 2; 40% to next level

  Swordsmanship Lvl 2; 15% to next level

  Small Blades Lvl 4; 43% to next level

  Unarmed Combat Lvl 1; 10% to next level

  Pressure Points Lvl 1; 15% to next level

  Dual Wield Lvl 1; 37% to next level

  Light Armor Lvl 8; 18% to next level

  Grace in Combat Lvl 5; 38% to next level

  Air Magic Lvl 6; 37% to next level

  Life Magic Lvl 5; 82% to next level

  Earth Magic Lvl 4; 92% to next level

  Water Magic Lvl 5; 47% to next level

  Dark Magic Lvl 5; 22% to next level

  Light Magic Lvl 4; 48% to next level

  Fire Magic Lvl 5; 9% to next level

  Map Making Lvl MAX

  Trade Lvl 14; 86% to next level

  War Leader Lvl 2, 43% to next level

  Portal Construction Apprentice

  Lore Lvl 1

  Marks:

  Master of Mist Village

  Blood Oath

  Forge of Heavens

  Resistances:

  Air 50%

  Life 50%

  Mental 15%

  Spiritual 15%

  Race: Human (Chaos Seed)

  Reputation: Lvl 3 “You seem like someone worthy of my attention.”

  Alignment: Neutral

  Language: All

  When they got to the top of the hill, he was greeted by the beautiful sight of his celestial tree. The thick, hand sized leaves were velvety in appearance. Softly swaying in the wind, the tree looked like a lake of cream with gentle moving waves. He couldn’t see much of the trunk from the distance he was standing at because the limbs bent down gracefully like a willow, but what he could see was the same smooth silver that he remembered. Apparently the trunk only glowed at night, because now it only simply reflected the sunlight that occasionally pierced the thick canopy of its white leaves.

  They walked closer and Richter saw that a portion of the meadow had been cultivated for the herb garden. Well circumscribed lines of earth had been tilled and plants of all colors were beginning to sprout. Most of the herbs had been found in his secret glen and, according to Sion, all were valuable. He was somewhat surprised by the large amount of growth in what couldn’t have been more than two or three weeks. He wondered if the herbs would be considered a resource and so would benefit from his Bounty of Life ability. He examined a few as he walked.

  You have found: Green Spriggan’s Breath. You feel that this herb could make a sneezing powder, could lower a fever and could be a component of a tracking potion.

  You have found: Yiren’s Thorn. You feel that the roots of this herb would cause indigestion, the thorns would be hollow and could be used for poison darts, and the leaves will make your tongue orange.

  You have found Supple Ivy. You feel that this herb could make a paste to moisturize the skin. It could also be used to make a strong adhesive or relieve headaches.

  You have found Star Zenia. Eating this will increase sexual performance. It will also make impregnation impossible for twelve hours. You also feel that this could be used to polish wood.

  Well, Richter thought, Viagra, birth control AND it could bring a shine to a nice desk??? Star Zenia really was the triple threat! He made a mental note to have more of that particular herb planted ASAP. He didn’t want it being used by everybody. The faster his population grew at this point, the better, after all. For his personal use though… let’s just say he could think of a nice young lady o
r two in the village that he wouldn’t mind Netflix and chilling with! It had been a long few weeks since his time at the Whistling Hen, he thought sadly.

  He pointed out the herb to Randolphus and told him to ensure a good amount more was planted. Randolphus raised his eyebrows, not understanding, but jotted the note down all the same.

  When they were closer to the tree, two sprites seemed to materialize out of thin air. Richter was well familiar with the sprites’ wood craft and concealment abilities, but it still took him by surprise. “I thought you all left with Hisako to hunt the eater queen,” he said.

  One of the sprites bowed his head respectfully, “The Hearth Mother did not feel comfortable leaving Queen Elora without protection. She has bonded with the Quickening and is vulnerable until she finishes the current life cycle.”

  Richter nodded. He had been wondering why he hadn’t seen the pixie queen since coming back to the village. “Do we know how long until the… life cycle, is complete?” he asked.

  “Queen Elora seemed to think that it would take two months, but she admitted that she had never heard of a pixie bonding to a celestial tree before,” the same sprite answered.

  “So really we have no idea then,” Richter said. “Where is she physically?”

  The other sprite gestured with one hand, “This way, Lord Richter.”

  Richter was led right up to the helical trunk of the Quickening. The sprite pointed up within the core of the tree. He could see a delicate cocoon of spun silver, matching the trunk. His gaze continued upward, past the trunk, and into the canopy above. He could see smaller silver cocoons hanging from all of the branches. There were also small hanging fruit. They were round like pomegranates, but were green in color. When Richter focused on one he received a prompt.