“Get to the point,” she said without turning to look at me. She was still inspecting the flower before her, carefully pulling dead leaves off of it with her fingers. The Lady sounded quite annoyed with me.
“Of course,” I stammered. “I have recently inherited my uncle’s estate. Blake Manor, as I’m sure you’re aware—”
“I’ve never heard of it,” she replied, still not paying any mind to me. She was trying to unnerve me, I was sure of it. But I had to keep my cool here.
“Well, long story short, my uncle was never much for action. He refused to enter our household in the Great Game, as it were. And well…I am not my uncle. I have taken upon our family Signet and have entered this competition.”
Those words were enough to get her to stop plucking at the flower. Lady Efera turned to face me, and I took a half step back to give her room. She was shockingly young, much younger than I expected. Hearing of her exploits, I would have assumed she was in her forties at the most, but she was clearly in her mid-twenties. Perhaps even my age.
Her deep blue eyes seemed to pierce right through my soul as she stared at me, a deep frown upon her cherry red lips. She seemed so bored. So displeased with me or perhaps just with life itself. “This is no competition. It is a fight for survival. You would do best to remember that, Mr…”
“Richard,” I said, bowing to her. “Richard Blake.”
“Mr. Blake,” Efera repeated. She made no respond to my bow, nor attempted to introduce herself. “So why are you here? Your letters indicated you wished to trade?”
“Indeed. I am a possessor of a great Fire Spice mine, as well as two vineyards that produce an excellent annual income,” I said, scrutinizing her face. She made no expression one way or the other indicating how she felt about those words. I continued, trying not to be intimated by her (though failing miserably!) “Erm, and I wish to negotiate a trade in exchange for mana crystals. I know by reputation that you have a great deal of crystals in your possession and—”
“What is my reputed nickname?” she demanded.
“Ma’am?” I asked.
“What do they call me, that would tell you that I have many crystals?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips, her frown only deepening.
“I assure you, I… er, don’t…” I trailed off, certainly not wanting to say such a vulgar thing to her face.
“They call me the Crystal Bitch,” she said with a scowl. “A most unflattering nickname. Did you hear that name and think that you wanted to do business with a woman with such a reputation?”
“Well, nicknames are usually marketing campaigns by the enemy, right? I mean, they called Queen Licesi the Madwoman of Elgot, but her only crime was lowering taxes on the peasantry and raising them on the rich,” I said, unsure of where I was going here. I suppose changing the subject was probably a good strategy.
Lady Efera’s expression slightly changed from a frown to almost a smirk. “So you don’t believe me to be cruel? A most foul woman?”
“I believe that the papers print only what sells and the things that sell the most are lies,” I said. “Until I meet a person, I try not to form opinions.”
She shrugged at this. “Not the most prudent way of looking at the world. But there’s a kindness in that outlook, I suppose. You should know that I see people in one of two categories, Mr. Blake. Enemies and allies. One or the other. I do not tolerate those who are neutral. If you wish to join the Gentleman’s War, you must declare your intentions with my house.”
“Ally, of course!” I said, perhaps a little too quickly. “I am here to open a trade route and friendly relations.”
The Lady nodded, slowly looking me up and down. I felt slightly uncomfortable with how intensely she scrutinized me. “I know little about the Blakes. Your family history is of no consequence to me, so that is a good sign. But how can I trust you? Hmm?”
I opened my mouth to make a pitch, but she was quick to interrupt, answering her own question. “The truth is, I can’t. Your friends can betray you; your enemies may surprise you by showing mercy. I have been in this war long enough to know that word, bond, trust, all of those things are meaningless, really. At the drop of a hat, a man’s loyalties may change any way he pleases. So I don’t see much reason to build a relationship up on trust.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I merely nodded.
“100 units of Fire Spice,” she said. “In exchange for 200 mana crystals. Repairs are more expensive than units, so I think that’s only fair.”
She was willing to trade? Though I didn’t quite understand what she meant about not building relationships on trust, what did that matter? That exchange rate was more than a fair deal. Most basic units only cost 20 crystals. At the very least, we could secure the Manor this way.
“That sounds more than fair,” I said, bowing once more. “You honor me with such an arrangement.”
The Lady made a guttural sound of disgust at my words. “Flattery means nothing to me.”
“So trust means nothing, flattery means nothing… If I may ask, my Lady, what matters to you?”
This question took her aback for a moment. She seemed legitimately surprised at my question and paused to think it over. After a moment of thought, she confessed. “Power means the most to me. What makes a man trust you is power. And what makes you trust a man is the power to crush him should he fall out of line.”
One could call this viewpoint cynical or jaded, but there was something in the woman’s eyes that made me think these thoughts came from experience. “I suppose you are correct there,” I agreed.
“Well, Mr. Blake, let’s leave the actual trade to the servants,” the Lady said. “I wish you a pleasant voyage home. Now leave me, I am done talking to you.”
And with that, she turned to face her plant and resumed her work, paying me no more mind. I didn’t dare say another word. This woman was eccentric and known to be temperamental. If she said she was done talking to me, then so be it. I had gotten exactly what I wanted out of the deal. It was time to go home and ready my defenses. Things were starting to finally look up for the Blake Estate.
Chapter 5
I climbed back into our carriage beaming, full of pride for my first accomplishment as Gentleman of the House.
“I should say that you were successful in your dealings?” Sigmund asked as I sat beside him, my grin so wide I looked like a fool with a secret.
“Indeed! 200 mana crystals in exchange for a paltry 100 Fire Spice! More than enough to get our Manor secure!”
“Quite excellent!” the old man said, slapping me on the back. “You’ve done us a great service. That should at the very least give us a fighting chance against our enemy, whoever that may be. Now, you must—”
There came a rapping on the window of the carriage, startling us both. I turned to see that a young servant girl, not old enough to be a maid yet, was standing outside, letter in hand. I was quick to pull the window lever, lowering the glass down so that she may speak.
“The Mistress wishes you to have this letter,” the girl said, thrusting an envelope into the carriage. Sigmund was quick to take it.
“Thank you, dearie,” he said. The girl said nothing more and merely departed off to do more of her daily chores.
We both looked at the white envelope at once. It was clearly marked with the seal of House Efera, a red wax imprint of a wicked dagger.
“What an odd thing to do, give a letter while still in her company,” Sigmund said as he produced a letter opener. Somehow, he always had the right tool for whatever job in his pouch. He was handy that way.
“She was an oddball, I’ll tell you that much. And I thought Malphius was a strange one,” I said. “Read it as we ride,” I said, nestling into my seat, stretching out my legs. “It’s probably some kind of contract.”
“Dear Richard, I hope you are opening this quickly,” Sigmund read aloud as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. “For this info
rmation is of the utmost importance. I intend to invade your mines within the week. My effort shall be as strenuous as any other invader’s attempt would be, though I am not striking out of malice but curiosity. It is rare to meet a first generation participant in the game, for usually they are wiped out within weeks of entering the Gentleman’s War.”
“What?” I gasped, sitting up immediately. Sigmund, frowning deeply, held a hand up to settle me as he continued to read the missive.
“It is my general habit to test worthy allies. As I said before in our conversation, I only trust power. So, if you can weather the storm I’m about to send your way, I would be happy to continue dealing honestly and favorably with you. We could even set up a weekly trade for our resources. And if I take the mine? Well, we will both know you don’t have a chance in hell of keeping your land from any real threat. I’d offer my dear cousin Imius’ hand in marriage to you and you can let me take control of your estate. You keep your home, but not your family name, of course, and everyone stays employed. No need to thank me for such kindness. Sincerely, Lady Efera.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” I said, shaking my head.
“What manner of madness is this, Richard?” Sigmund asked. “What kind of woman makes a trade deal and then announces a pending attack?”
I paused to reflect on the nature of the offer. While I was still new to the ways of warfare and knew little about the 10 rules, I did know that families were forbidden by the Crown from fighting one another in this war. Blood may not strike Blood, was the rule. Other than that, there were no rules against deception, lies and betrayals. This meant that the only way to truly cement an alliance between houses was through marriage. And oftentimes, when a household married into one another, the stronger title would absorb the smaller, unless there were explicit agreements otherwise.
In a way, it would seem that the Lady was offering a kind of mercy. Perhaps she knew of the assassinations or simply saw through my meager attempts to appear excited about joining the war. Marrying her cousin would grant the Lady the right to take my estate as her own and my property would become hers. The Blake name would perish here, for we would be forced to change our family name and whatever children my wife would produce would be of Efera descent, not Blake. Such was the pitfall of marrying into a station higher or stronger than oneself.
“I think it’s a worthy test,” I said after a period of silence.
“You can’t be serious. She has betrayed us! We must attempt to find her enemies and get them to bring us aid!” Sigmund said.
“No…she’s right. I think. Perhaps it is a very violent way to make a point, but she is right. Our family is new to the Great Game. If we can’t fight off a potential ally, how the hell can we defend against an enemy? If she wins, well, we all keep the Manor and our livelihoods. And our lives. And hey, I get a wife, so that’s not so bad. And if we win, we’ll have an ally.”
“You would ally with a madwoman?” Sigmund said. “Forgive me for being so outspoken here, sir, but this is not how one conducts business.”
“No,” I said. “But it is how one wins the war. She gets stronger either way. An admirable move.”
“If you find such treachery admirable, I weep for what you see as unfair,” Sigmund grumbled. “But it is your decision. However you navigate these waters is up to you. I’m just here to advise you in the technical matter and in managing the household.”
“Your opinion does mean a lot to me,” I said, trying to mend the wound I had inadvertently caused. But he held up his hand.
“Listen to an old man in matters of experience, but ignore them in matters of progress,” Sigmund said. “I have never been involved in the Gentleman’s Wars. I can say nothing from experience here.”
“But you know so much,” I protested.
The old man laughed. “I know as much as what my Butler’s Guide to Gentlemanly Warfare says. And that was printed twenty years ago!”
“A lot can change in twenty years,” I mused. I took a deep breath. I don’t know if my instincts were something to be trusted here, but I had a good feeling about the Lady. She was eccentric, yes, but as an alchemist, I was surrounded by folks like her. Beneath the madness was usually some kind of method. I would take her test and pass with flying colors.
“So then…” I said, changing the subject after a few minutes of pondering. “I suppose we need to protect the mines first.”
“Access the Grid then,” Sigmund said. “We’ve nothing but time right now anyway. Best make good use of it.”
I could use the Grid when away from home? How novel! As soon as I began to think of doing so, I felt my amulet buzz and within a second, my eyes were once again high above the sky, gazing down at my land.
200 Mana Crystals Acquired! -100 Fire Spice appeared in my vision instantly and the numbers quickly adjusted themselves in the right-hand corner. Even though we had just made the trade, it seemed the transfer was instantaneous. Quite excellent!
I was quick to open up the Units tab on the Grid, my intention being enough to activate this curious form of mystic sight. At once, I was greeted by a great deal of Units, all of which I could afford. Eagerly, I read through each description.
Basic Golems
Stone Golems
Cost Per Unit: 10 Mana Crystals
The Stone Golem is considered the most basic field unit. Strong, sturdy and capable of absorbing both magical and physical attacks, these soldiers will easily break through any standard form of defense.
Strengths:
- Melee Combat: Stone Golems are capable of dealing significant damage in melee combat.
- Building Destruction: Stone Golems can apply their melee damage to buildings.
Weaknesses:
- Slow moving: These units move incredibly slowly and do not react quickly to traps, attacks or other units. However, their sturdiness usually ensures they don’t need to worry about most of these problems.
- Unintelligent: Stone Golems are basic units who respond to threats or enemy buildings. They cannot be directed in battle, nor can they make efficient decisions. This makes them useful for general combat, but unreliable when attempting to pull off specialized actions.
Shield Golems
Cost Per Unit: 20 Mana Crystals
The Shield Golem is the quintessential defensive unit. With a wide body in the shape of a shield, this unit can be ordered to protect buildings, units or areas, blocking off passage of advancing forces until they are destroyed.
Strengths:
- Damage Reduction: Shield Golems reduce 90% of all incoming damage from any physical source. They take only 50% damage from magical attacks.
- Immovable: Shield Golems, once ordered to defend an area, cannot be moved by conventional means.
Weaknesses:
- Harmless: Shield Golems cannot attack.
Karrack Golems
Cost Per Unit: 25 Mana Crystals
The Karrack Golem is outfitted with the crystal technology that powers Karrack rifles, granting them a high-powered energy attack. Outfitted with range and high damage output, Karrack Golems make for excellent anti-personnel soldiers.
Strengths:
- Karrack Beam: The Karrack Beam is a highly concentrated blast of mystic energy that deals considerable damage to enemy Golems.
- Intelligent: Karrack Golems can be directed to perform complex maneuvers, target specific units on the battlefield and hold positions.
- Collective Blast: When multiple Karrack Beams strike the same enemy golem, the damage is increased exponentially.
Weaknesses:
- Golem Targeting: Karrack Golems cannot attack buildings.
- Crystal Cooldown: After striking with their beams, a Karrack Golem must wait 30 seconds before firing again.
Siege Golems
Cost Per Unit: 50 Mana Crystals
The immense Siege Golem might move slowly but packs a major punch to buildings.
A single Siege Golem is usually enough to destroy a building in a matter of seconds.
Strengths:
- Building Breaker: Siege Golems deal significant damage to buildings, Shield Golems and towers.
- Reinforced Body: Siege Golems can take high levels of damage before falling apart.
- Knockback: Attacks against enemy units by the Siege Golem cause significant knockback.
Weaknesses:
- Warm-Up: Siege Golems require a 2 minute warm-up time before they are able to move on the battlefield. They are vulnerable to attacks while arming up, but cannot move, attack or defend until the period is over.
- Distracted: Siege Golems will only attack the nearest building or Shield Golem. If the building or Shield Golem moves, they will follow.
Wrench Golems
Cost Per Unit: 25 Mana Crystals
The Wrench Golem is a building maintenance unit, able to rapidly repair broken down buildings within a matter of minutes.
Strengths:
- Nimble: Wrench Golems are exceptionally quick and able to cover the battlefield within a matter of seconds, allowing them to reach buildings in need of repairs.
- Structure Repairs: A Wrench Golem can repair a structure as long as it has at least 1 hit point remaining. They repair at a rate of 25 hit points per second, up to half of the building’s original strength.
- Small Target: Wrench Golems are small by design, giving them bonus reflexes against larger enemies who try to strike them.
Weaknesses:
- Dedicated: A Wrench Golem cannot leave a building until it has finished repairing. If the building is being actively damaged, the Wrench Golem will remain until the building or the attacker is destroyed.
- Fragile: A single hit from a melee or ranged attack is enough to destroy a Wrench Golem.
Gentleman's Wars: The Rules of Engagement: A Tower Defense LitRPG Series (The Great Game Book 1) Page 3