The Good Guys Chronicles Box Set

by Eric Ugland

  Léon helped me to my feet, and did something I presume was congratulatory. I nodded in response to him. He didn’t seem to notice that I was totally out of it. He just turned back to Cleeve and began chatting with his friend.

  I felt like garbage. When I glanced at my HP, I realized why. I was down nearly 3/4 of my health. That donation to the Royal Bloodline had really done a number on me. My red health bar filled up ever so slightly as I followed Cleeve out of the room. My heart thudded in my ears, and I was having trouble paying attention to my surroundings. I knew Léon was making small talk with Cleeve, going over the gossip, his thoughts on the succession, and Osterstadt’s problems, but I couldn’t follow the details. There was also something about the monsters coming out of the Emerald Sea, how it just seemed to be getting worse.

  Finally, it was time for us to part. There were hearty handshakes all around before we were out in front of the building, the city bustling around us as if we weren’t the least bit important. Which, to these Osterstadtians, we probably weren’t.

  Cleeve looked up into the sunlight, closed his eyes, and smiled. I couldn’t help but smile too, watching him take a minute to enjoy what he had accomplished.

  “Where are we meeting Nikolai and Lee?” I asked.

  “We have one more stop to make,” Cleeve said, shaking off his smile and clapping me on the shoulder. “Follow.”

  He hopped into the flow of humanity (and, well, elfmanity, dwarfmanity, and otherwise, though pretty much only humans) and guided us deeper into the city, closer to the Emerald Sea. I longed to smell the salt in the air, let the waves run over my feet. I’d only seen the Pacific Ocean once, and it had been remarkable. Just the sheer size of it brought my sense of self into focus for a while. I was looking forward to this, thinking maybe it’d be a similar feeling, even if it was smaller and a sea instead of an ocean. Also, I wanted to get the giant pack off my back. I’d had it on for what seemed like weeks, and I was sick of it.

  The city streets opened up as we got closer to the sea, but we didn’t make it all the way there. I saw lots of blue sky above the buildings, at least in one direction. On the north and south sides of the city, steep cliff faces became mountains, and then, ultimately, snow. Kind of ominous. I wondered if there were avalanche problems in the city.

  We turned away from the direction of the sea and the blue skies, and instead headed south, right towards a mountain. The guards gave us the once over as we went through the gates, but decided we weren’t worth their time. As soon as we got through, I realized we were in a rich neighborhood. It was all large gated estates with very fancy homes. Snooty-looking servants and insufferable rich people every way I looked. Cleeve seemed to know exactly where he was going, which turned out to be a beautiful brick building tucked up against the massive cliff. It had four floors, lots of big columns outside, and a bevy of footmen milling about. A brass plaque sat on the front of the building, just above the big double doors, big enough that I could see it from the road, small enough that I couldn’t read it until we got closer.

  ‘The Explorer’s Club.’

  Cleeve looked over me and at the two Lutra.

  “Afraid you two better wait out here,” Cleeve said.

  “Hey—” I started.

  “This is purely a performance for money. If we are to start our dukedom right, we need coin. Coin is in there. And those fools have stupid prejudices. We can change their minds later. After we take their money.”

  “Look, I probably should have told you this prior to, you know, now, but I have like, a ton of gold in my bag.”

  “An actual ton or just a lot?” he asked.

  “No idea how much, really.”

  “That might be something you should pay attention to.”

  “I haven’t exactly had a bunch of free time on this little trip of ours.”

  “That is my fault. We have been under quite the time crunch, but that is almost at an end. We will hopefully be able to rest on our own land soon, and at that time—”

  “It’s just, I don’t feel right—”

  “However much money you might have, it is yours. It would not be my place to ask you to give it to me to use as I wish. Should you wish—”

  “But I’m your son.”

  “Yes. And so my funds are to go to you. Not yours to me.”

  “But—“

  “Montana,” he said. “This new land of ours will require gold and sweat to build. Blood to protect. Spirit to maintain. We will likely need more of all those things than we can possibly plan for. I appreciate that you have gold, and that you are willing to put it to use for us. But we still have things to do before we can get to that. And, should we find we have too much money, we can be frivolous with it then.”

  He gave me a clap on the shoulder, and looked over at the Lutra.

  Skeld shrugged, then leaned against a gas lamp.

  Ragnar scowled, but did the same.

  Cleeve walked up to the doorman, a rather grumpy-looking fellow with chainmail under his nice frock, and a heavy sword at his side.

  “Members only, sir,” the doorman said.

  Cleeve nodded, smiled, and passed over a small card.

  The doorman read the card, then pulled on a ribbon that was hanging down next to his station. From the look of it, I had the feeling the other end was attached to a bell somewhere inside.

  “One moment,” the doorman said.

  A heartbeat later, an arm extended through a cleverly hidden hole in the door. At the end of the arm, a hand held out a silver tray. The doorman gently placed the card on the tray. Then, the tray and arm disappeared back into the hole. A moment later, and the door opened. A man dressed in finery bowed ever so slightly, then gestured for us to follow him.

  I’m not sure why it didn’t register before, like when we were in the Imperial House, but here, in these posh surroundings, it hit me how disgusting we were. This place had plush carpeting over all the floors, luxurious dark wood paneling on all the walls. It was a gorgeous space holding plenty of wonders, and Cleeve and I hadn’t bathed in days. Had spent the last few days running, in fact. Wearing the same clothes for the entire time. Not to mention, I still had someone else’s blood on me. Quite a bit, actually. I think I had managed to reach as close to peak gross as possible. And now, I was in one of the most richly-appointed buildings I’d ever walked through.

  Good job, me.

  The footman guided us through several halls, up some stairwells, and finally brought us to a set of doors.

  He knocked twice at the doors, hard taps.

  “Enter,” boomed a voice on the other side.

  The footman pushed the doors open, and announced, “Cleeve Dye and associate.”

  Like everything else in the place, the room was opulent and amazing. Very large with a high ceiling, there were big comfy chairs, huge fireplaces, big windows, a snooker table, and a few chairs and tables set up for other games. An entire wall was covered with various hunting trophies, mounted heads of all varieties. There was one that looked an awful lot like the wyrm I’d seen, and a massive humanoid sort, which I bet had to be a giant.

  Posh men and women busied themselves with, drinking, smoking, and well, leisuring.

  A man in a uniform had a tray with drinks and was delivering them about the room.

  As soon as we were announced, all eyes were on us. Cleeve, however, saw his target immediately, and strode over, a huge smile on his face.

  The target in question was a very large man who’d spread himself all over an armchair. Multiple plates were in reach of his pudgy hands, though there were only the remains of small delicacies on each one. He held a crystal goblet in one hand, fingers delicately holding onto the bottom rim.

  “Theun Bottes,” Cleeve said, striding towards the man, “I am here to fulfill your request.”

  “You have it?” the large man said, sitting up. His eyes went wide with happy surprise.

  “That I do.”

  “And it is not rotten?”
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  “It is not.”

  “I have been approached by plenty who claim to have done the impossible. They have all failed and paid a price. My time is valuable, Mister Dye, so gone are the days where anyone can just offer me fruit and say it is what I have asked for. I know—”

  “I have what you want,” Dye said. “What none have been able to bring you. I have braved dangers and gone through deepest wilderness and darkest forest to bring you this. It is a unique moment, sir.”

  “If you do not succeed, you and your man here must agree to work my contracts for thirty days.”

  “Understood. But if it is as you asked—”

  “You will get your reward. If it is what I have asked for.”

  Cleeve gestured to me. He helped get the pack off my back. A little work, and he revealed a heavy wooden case. The case came open in two pieces, revealing a large rectangle wrapped in layers of burlap. Those came off and revealed another wooden box. Cleeve pulled the top of the box off, and the sides fell away to reveal a glowing glass box, holding another glass box, with a small potted tree inside. It was heavy with fruit.

  There were gasps about the room, and Bottes was excited enough he almost got out of his chair. I wondered if he was physically able to do so. Every other person in the place came over, all circling around Bottes and Cleeve.

  Carefully, Cleeve pulled the glass box up. There was a hiss as gas released. I felt cool air rush over my legs. The inner box’s glow increased, like the escaping gas had been keeping the light in somehow.

  The final box came off, and the plant was revealed. The tree itself wasn’t a whole lot to look at. Somewhat spindly, with wide dark green leaves. There were three fruits, though, hanging heavy off the small branches. Each fruit was the size of a fist, and an almost iridescent blue. They didn’t glow, but they really reflected the light something special.

  “I cannot believe it,” Bottes said. “It is as I have read, as I have heard, but I have never seen it myself. That is the Wishberry?”

  Cleeve nodded, and plucked a berry from the tree, ever so carefully. “A ripe Wishberry.”

  Bottes reached his fingers out and took the berry. The room was completely still, watching the man hold the fruit.

  He took a bite, and the juices exploded around his mouth, running down his chins. Bottes closed his eyes, and a sensuous moan escaped his lips.

  “Perfection,” he whispered.

  In the barest of moments, Bottes had eaten the entire fruit, and went so far as to lick his hands clean before leaning back in the chair. He kept his eyes closed for a spell, silence still reigning over the rest of us.

  “Thank you, Mister Dye,” Bottes said. “You have made a dream of an old man come true.”

  Bottes lifted his hand and pulled a small bell from his sleeve. He rang it twice, and before the sound had finished, a footman was at his side.

  “Please bring the wishberry reward chest to Mister Dye here,” Bottes said.

  “At once, sir,” the footman replied, bowing and retreating with impressive swiftness.

  “I notice you have another fruit there,” one of the other men in the room said.

  “So I do,” Cleeve replied. “Looks to be two of them.”

  “I do not suppose you could be persuaded to part with one of them.”

  “I might be persuaded.”

  “A hundred gold.”

  I raised an eyebrow as the bidding began and the group of wealthy assholes all dipped into their pockets to overspend on fruit. Though I have to admit, the whole thing made me curious.

  The bidding finished at two hundred and fifteen platinum for one of the extra wishberries. The second went for a hundred horses. Not a bad haul.

  Cleeve passed the berries off to their new owners, then handed the plant, still in its tiny pot, to Bottes.

  “A small gift, sir,” Cleeve said. “Perhaps there is a herbalist you know who might get another berry from it.”

  Bottes bowed his head deeply. “I am moved by your generosity, Mister Dye. I shall endeavor to grow this, and I am indebted to you. A favor.” Bottes reached into his pocket, pulled out a small token, and pressed it into Cleeve’s hand.

  Cleeve bowed his head, and took the token.

  A moment later, the footman reappeared, pulling a chest on wheels.

  “As stated,” Bottes said, Vanna White-ing the chest from his seat, “my weight in gold.”

  There was some polite laughter, and one of the footmen opened the chest. It was nearly overflowing with golden coins. Cleeve went over, looked at it, and nodded at Bottes.

  We put the pack back together. I noticed there was a second box that hadn’t been pulled out . I shouldered the pack, and stood waiting.

  “Montana,” Cleeve said, “the chest.”

  I walked over, lifted the chest off the the cart, and headed to the exit. It was heavy, which made me smile, because that meant there was plenty of money there.

  There were a few surprised gasps from those in the room, but I ignored them, walking out in front of Cleeve.

  Chapter 93

  As soon as we stepped into the hallway, I slid the chest of gold into the bag of holding. Not that carrying it would have been that big of a deal, but it was bulky and I was worried I’d wind up leaving a giant scratch in their pristine walls. Cleeve stepped around me, and walked as if he knew where he was going. He led the two of us out of the building.

  Ragnar and Skeld were still leaning against a lamppost, but there was a young man who was haranguing the duo. Amusingly, as soon as Cleeve and I walked over, the young man quieted right up, and found that he suddenly had other events to attend.

  “Sorry gents,” I said.

  “Just another day in the hirð,” Ragnar replied.

  A deep bell rang out over the city.

  “Problem?” I asked.

  “Just telling us the time,” Cleeve replied. “But it means we need to move. Right now we are at risk of being late.”

  Cleeve started off, and I had little recourse but to follow the man. I was completely lost. The city had no grid pattern whatsoever. Like most mediaeval cities I’d taken a gander at over the years, it had clearly grown organically so the roads were often just the most convenient path between two important things until another stupid building got in the way. There were a ton of people out and about, and as we left the posh district and headed back into the commercial area, everything got loud and boisterous.

  I felt a tug at my belt, and looked down to see a small boy with a knife, trying to slice through a drawstring holding a purse. I grabbed him by the shirt, picking him all the way up until I could look into his eyes.

  Eyes that were now very very wide.

  “Do you mind?” I asked.

  “Not very much, no,” came the boy’s tiny reply.

  Gently, I deposited the lad on a bench, reached into the pouch, and pulled a gold coin from it. I flipped it towards the kid and left him there.

  Cleeve hadn’t stopped, and I was barely able to keep sight of the man as he slipped through the crowd. Thankfully, I had some help from the two Lutra, who elicited plenty of dirty looks from the native Osterstadters. But we caught up to Cleeve.

  He led us further west, to an inn that wasn’t particularly far from the Emerald Sea. A sea I had yet to see. Something that bothered me increasingly. I wanted to see the damn sea! I wanted to swim, and I wanted to fucking fish.

  I took a breath.

  The inn, the Sea’s Maid, was a more professional place than any of the various inns or taverns I’d been so far. The foyer was wide and welcoming. There was a seating area off to one side, and a desk in front of a host of mailboxes on the other. Through an archway, I could see a bar, and, further along, a restaurant.

  Cleeve spoke to a young man at the desk, and got us five rooms. Then we went upstairs.

  The rooms were nice, with decent-sized beds, large windows with views of the city, and a small desk opposite the bed.

  Underneath the bed was a ring mo
unted to the floor with a length of chain attached to it. Seemed like an interesting way to make a hotel room safe.

  I went to Cleeve’s room and took off the pack, figuring he’d want to keep an eye on it.

  “Is it, I mean,” I stammered, “do you think there will be a time I can go see the Emerald Sea?”

  “I am sure of it,” Cleeve said. “And I will make sure of it. Perhaps not this evening, however.”

  “What is going on?”

  He just smiled and shook his head. “You will see.”

  There was a gentle knock on the door, and before I could open it, Nikolai strolled in with Lee right behind him. They looked a bit haggard, but mostly well otherwise.

  “All go as hoped?” Nikolai asked.

  Cleeve nodded, letting out a long breath. “We are finished.”

  Nikolai nodded.

  Chapter 94

  We all stood around the room being awkward for a minute, no one really knowing how to feel about our accomplishment.

  “Get out of here,” Nikolai said. “Cleeve and I need to talk.”

  Cleeve shrugged.

  The four of us left and we all went to my room.

  I walked to the window as the two Lutra fought briefly over the prime spot on the bed. Skeld won, and Ragnar tumbled onto the floor.

  My room looked over the city. Excited, I leaned out so I could try to get a view of the Emerald Sea, but there was a fucking building in the way. I noticed that here, closer to the sea, more of the buildings were built of brick or stone. They were robust, lacking the finery and filigree of the center city. Things were thicker, built stronger, and it looked as if there were numerous defensive points, murder holes and the like. There was a much denser military presence out here as well, with Legionaries all about, marching along the road, stationed on corners, and eating in cages. Always armored, always armed.

  Lee leaned against the desk, Skeld stretched out on the bed, and Ragnar tried to get comfortable in the desk chair. Lee’s eyes were a little vacant, a look I was starting to recognize. He was reading something. The Lutra had their eyes closed, which could mean they were also going over notifications, or that they were actually sleeping. I never really knew, especially with Ragnar. I took it a sign, though, and I popped into the world of notifications. Text bubbles were everywhere, telling me all the things I’d accomplished. I’d killed some lowly farmers, and got a pittance of XP for them. I’d completed Cleeve’s big quest, getting him to Osterstadt on time. For that, I’d gotten a pretty solid amount of XP, but I assumed the other rewards would be coming later. You know, the land and the gold. I hadn’t gotten enough XP to hit level 12, but I figured I had to be close.