by Aleron Kong
CHAPTER 74 – Day 144 – Kuborn 34, 0 AoC
Fifteen minutes later, Richter was standing outside with his men. Flit had agreed to come to the village sometime in the next week. Thinking they had lost enough time, Richter ordered his group to gather around him, including the mist worker holding the ghast’s body. He figured either Hisako or Beyan might want to take a look at the Death Knight’s corpse, albeit for very different reasons.
Richter had rested with the kindir until the hour timer on the Shadow Shock debuff had elapsed. His headache was gone, thankfully, and casting spells was easy again. With a final nod towards the smiling kindir, Richter began to cast Dungeon Transport. Tendrils of mist rose from the ground, wrapping around everyone within five yards of him. A map of the Nodes he’d found so far appeared as an overlay over the portions of the Dungeon he’d explored. He chose the one outside the snake’s head. Eight seconds after the casting began, he and everyone in his party had traveled miles and could see the beautiful sight of the Mist Village’s walls.
The guards posted at the entrance to the Dungeon let out surprised shouts at the armed warband appearing before them. They quickly quieted when Caulder shouted that if they wanted to wiggle and squeal like bunch of pigs, then they could muck out the livestock pens. Like soldiers in every reality, the clipped tones of a sergeant’s threats commanded instant obedience. The two guards snapped to attention, fists on their chests, “Sir!”
With a fierce look on his face, Caulder turned away, but flashed Richter a quick wink. A smile ghosted across Richter’s face; he loved seeing the sergeant work. Then Richter got back down to business. He sent a mental call for Futen and asked Alma to find Hisako. He gave her instructions to describe the wounds his warband had suffered and to ask if the Hearth Mother would come to the Healer’s Hut as quickly as possible. The dragonling flew off.
After that, Richter sent all of his warband to the Healer’s Hut, even those who were still hale. Caulder tried to beg his way out of it. The sergeant was still a bit shell-shocked from a previous three-day marathon of being poked and prodded by the village’s junior healers, but Richter was adamant. He thought it was a good idea for everyone to be checked over after a dungeon dive and planned to have Randy institute that protocol. He sent the mist worker carrying the body of the Death Knight with them. Best to have Hisako examine it as quickly as possible.
He disbanded the war party as they walked off. Watching his men depart, he shook his head, marveling that the day’s adventuring hadn’t claimed any lives. There had been touch-and-go moments, and obviously his warband hadn’t escaped unscathed, but they were all alive. Even the guard’s eye could be restored, based on what he had seen Life masters do in the past.
It wasn’t by accident though. Without the strong armor that Krom had made, augmented by the enchantments Richter had added himself, the damage they received would have been exponentially higher. Without the health, mana and stamina potions they had burned through, the warband would not have been able to press through battle after battle and some would definitely have died. Without the enhanced magic of the sprites, the healing magic of the Life mage and the advanced magics that Richter could employ, the entire party might have been overwhelmed in that first skirmish with the bodaks. All of those factors made Richter’s fighters a force to be reckoned with, but even with all of those advantages, if not for the nearly god level magic Hisako could employ, a third of his force might stay crippled for life.
The day was a potent reminder that the village needed to grow stronger. As he watched his men move away, Richter promised himself that he wouldn’t stop striving. He stood there for a moment, completely centered and focused on his profound duties as a lord.
A gust of wind blew by, bringing to his nose the scent of his own body. It was a horrible potpourri of gore, sweat and blood-stained armor. Wrinkling his nose against the brain-stinging scent, he decided that his pursuit of power could wait fifteen minutes until he washed the worst of his stank off. Richter jogged down the hill after his men, heading for the river.
Thirty minutes later, he felt worlds better. Getting his armor off by himself was always a pain, but being able to scrub away most of the grit and grossness made him feel like a new man. With his new Water spell, he even felt relatively safe in the river, the aether carp swimming around him as a guard. Once he was done he lay on the bank, basking in the warmth of one of the day’s last rays of sunshine.
Futen had floated up while he rested, greeting him with his customary deadpan voice. The remnant gave Richter a recap of what had happened during the day. Two more villagers had returned from their trials, a Soaper and a Chandler. Richter had to ask for some clarification, but apparently the first Profession was just what it sounded like, a person who made soap. Richter wasn’t going to object to that.
He’d become accustomed to a certain level of funk on people since coming to The Land, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed it. The hygiene level in the village was way better than in Law thanks to Sumiko stressing people needed to bathe regularly, but it still wasn’t the best. You might think that, given enough time, you’d stop noticing the scent of baked ass, but you’d be wrong.
The Chandler was apparently a Professional candlemaker. That seemed a bit superfluous considering there were mist lights everywhere, but still, maybe the guy could make a nice scented candle. The longhouses had a way of concentrating scents if enough people were sleeping in them, even with the windows open. Again, baked ass was no picnic and Richter didn’t want to put all his hopes in the “medieval soap” basket.
Richter was also treated to a beautiful sight when Elora and all her children found him. He was initially self-conscious at being naked but, truth be told, very few people seemed concerned about nakedness in his village. The queen completely ignored it when she swooped down and grabbed his nose in both hands before placing a kiss on the tip. Then she giggled and drew back, hovering in the air. “Thank you for returning my child, my lord.” She performed a perfect curtsy in midair.
“Thank you, Unca Wichter!” her children screamed in unison, then they all spun in the air about him, laughing and causing general mayhem. Richter lay his head back down on the grass and looked up at the beautiful kaleidoscope of colored wings flying above him. Then he closed his eyes again, surrounded by the sound of nearly a hundred children laughing.
The remnant hadn’t had much to tell him, so Richter sent Futen to find his Chamberlain and bring him to the Healer’s Hut. Donning a clean set of clothes from his bag, he summoned a pair of mist workers. One construct carried his soiled clothes to the area of the village where the washing was done, and the other carried his battered armor to the Forge of Heavens. Richter knew everything would be cleaned and repaired by morning. He chuckled to himself while he thought, it’s good to be the chief.
Richter took off at an easy jog and passed through the village walls a minute later. He returned his guards’ salutes and made his way east towards the Healer’s Hut. His people passed him with smiles on their faces. Now that he was back in the village, he was notified of a change in the village’s stats.
+400 Morale Points for boosting the Luck of the entire village by +20, albeit for only one week. This bonus will decrease to +80 to reflect the +4 baseline Luck boost when the perk bonus fades. Your people are in awe of how you have improved their lives!
Base Morale: +1592 x 1.55 (+25% Undefeated x +12% Administrator x +10% Health x -2% Crime x +10% Vassal State)
Total Morale Points: +2,468
+400 Relationship Points with each villager for increasing the settlement’s Luck. This increase is permanent.
Cha-ching! His new vassal was already paying off. He was only thirty-two points shy of reaching the fourth rank. That would increase the boosts to Productivity, Fighting Spirit and Population Growth from 20% up to 35%. Determined to make his people as happy as possible within reason, no handies, he jogged over to the Healer’s Hut.
Moving inside, he smiled at what he saw. Hisako
was already there, golden light surrounding her hands as she chanted. Richter walked over and watched as, before his very eyes, she restored the sight of one of his guards. The man sat up right afterwards, blinking in wonder.
“Thank you, Lady Hisako! Thank you!” The guard fell to his knees and hugged the smaller sprite as if she were his actual mother.
“You are welcome,” she said gently, with a warm smile. “Your vision may be blurry for the next day, but you will recover fully.” She detached the man, who stood, albeit on wobbly legs. She told him to rest, as the healing had sapped his strength. The man thanked her again, tears flowing from both of his perfect eyes.
Hisako walked over to Richter. “I have already healed your other two men. One had a moderate concussion and needed little help. The other’s leg was broken in three places, but I have healed the damage. They will both be back at full strength by morning.”
Richter breathed a sigh of relief. The guards and all his people were like his family. He’d been pretty sure that Hisako could heal them, but a knot of tension eased at knowing they were healthy again.
“I see you once again have had an eventful day,” she commented wryly.
He heaved a great sigh, “You could say that.” Then he filled her in on all that had happened. Speaking to the kindir elders, clearing the dungeon, finding out it was a long lost burial chamber for the kindirs’ ancestors, the fight with the ghast and finally the fact that they were now his vassals. He left out a few details, like the Heart Crystal, because he wanted to discuss that with her in private, but otherwise shared the whole story.
She listened with complete attention, never interrupting. At the end, she merely said, “Eventful indeed… Chief Richter.” She put special emphasis on his title.
There was a time when he would have corrected her. When he would have felt embarrassed to be addressed in such a fashion. A small twinge of that still existed, but he now understood the title was not just an affectation. It was a responsibility. He took his dedication to the kindir of Verget Kunig as seriously as his dedication to his own villagers. That was why he just bowed his head respectfully towards Hisako and intoned, “We have much more to discuss, my Lady Hearth Mother.”
The two of them were joined by Randolphus at that point. The man strode into the Healer’s Hut in his robes, holding his ever-present clipboard. Richter shook his head. It was strange seeing his new Companion back in this role since he knew the man was a deadly spymaster. Despite his covert alter ego, the noble was the height of propriety, bowing to Hisako and clapping a fist to his chest in salute to Richter. Sighing slightly but seeing no way around it, Richter repeated the rundown of the events. Randolphus’s response was the same as Hisako’s but more pronounced. He went down on one knee and reverently said, “My chief.”
Seeing the chamberlain kneel, every villager nearby and not a few of the freed slaves did the same. A chorus of “Chief Richter” “Chief Mist” and “My chief,” rang out. While Richter was fine with Hisako and Randy saying it privately, seeing the obeisance of everyone within eyeshot creeped him out a bit.
“Get up, get up!” he shouted, motioning with both of his hands. Richter sighed, knowing the story of this would travel like wildfire through the village. He turned towards his chamberlain who was now back on his feet, “Please issue a village-wide announcement that kneeling is not required or even especially wanted. A simple salute with their hands over their hearts is more than good enough.”
“As you say, my chief!” Randolphus responded with a snap in his voice.
Richter started to glare at the man, but he saw the hint of a smile making one side of the man’s lips twitch up. “Ha ha. You’re a riot. Now look, we have other things to discuss.” Leading them outside, he walked up to the mist worker holding the body of the Death Knight. “This is the body of the ghast. I don’t know if you’ll be able to learn anything from it, but I thought I’d bring it back just in case.”
“I am surprised you were able to overcome such a foe,” Hisako remarked consideringly, “or that he would engage you in single combat. Death Knights often surround themselves with strong minions.” Her tone was questioning at the end, but Richter still didn’t want to discuss the Duel or the fact that he had gained another Heart Crystal until he was sure there were no prying eyes and ears around.
When he didn’t say anything else, Hisako told him that she would examine the body in detail later and they walked back inside the Healer’s Hut. She added that it was a shame that Sumiko wasn’t back. The other Life master had apparently made a study of the undead, fueled by her hatred for them. It had made her something of an expert.
At that exact moment, a black disc opened in the air next to them. Many exclaimed in surprise, but Richter had seen this before and knew what it meant. He and Hisako shared a smile when Sumiko stepped through the portal in all of her Professional glory.
“Did you do this?” Richter asked the Hearth Mother with wonder in his voice.
“I do not have the power to affect the Trials of another. No one does,” she responded with wonder of her own.
Sumiko looked radiant. The sprite had seen a good number of years, but ever since bonding with her meitu’meidon, her grey hair had become a shining silver and youth and vitality had returned to her skin. Basically, she was rocking a serious GILF vibe.
The newly returned village Healer stepped out into a shaft of sunlight and shook her head back and forth like a model in a shampoo commercial. For a second, Richter was transfixed looking at the short but beautiful woman. She looked back with a smile on her face upon seeing Hisako and Richter.
Then she looked around and her gaze fell on the three newly healed guards. She looked back at Richter with the fierceness of a she-wolf, “What trouble have you brought to my door now? I have not been back more than ten seconds and you have already brought more men that need tending? Did you convince them to attack an army of trolls? Storm the gates of a necropolis? I suppose I should be happy that the village is even still standing! I…”
Richter leaned back from the hurricane-force winds coming from her mouth. He looked at Hisako for help, but if there were two ubiquitous sprite characteristics, it was their connection with nature and their love of fucking with people. Hisako just stepped back with a smarmy grin on her face and let Sumiko enjoy herself.
About five minutes later, the village Healer finally stopped her rant. She had already checked on the status of the three men who had wisely feigned unconsciousness the whole time, letting their liege bear the brunt of the verbal attack. Sergeant Caulder had previously warned every guard not to challenge the Healer. In the man’s own words, “She may have hair like moonlight, but her soul is pure fire.” Richter had hoped that her ministrations to the patients might slow down her verbal assault on him, but the accomplished sprite was clearly able to bring life with her hands and deliver death with her tongue at the same time.
When he finally got a word in edgewise, he congratulated her on becoming a Mage, for that was exactly what she was now, a Professed Mage. She thanked him sourly, but he still saw the hint of a smile peek through. Her meitu’pixie was buzzing around her head, delighted that Sumiko had returned. The sprite had wanted to gain a Profession for countless years, and now had finally achieved her goal. When she saw him notice the crack in her hard exterior though she scowled at him anew, and Richter was sure that if she still used a cane she would have been shaking it at him.
“Well?” Sumiko asked sharply. “Despite your best efforts, all three of these men are on the mend, most likely thanks to the Hearth Mother. I know the three of you are not just standing around for fun. What else do I need to know?”
Richter told the story for a third time, then led her outside to see the body of the ghast. Sumiko’s hate for the undead was well known, so he wasn’t overly surprised when she spit at the sight of it.
“I want to review the memories that I was able to steal from the ghast and I’m asking that all three of you be present. Las
t time I delved into a memory involving the eldritch lord, he was able to detect me. My mental defenses are much stronger than they were before, but I still don’t want to take any chances. In case something goes wrong, I’d like my strongest comrades around me,” Richter told them. They nodded in solidarity.
He focused on Sumiko, “I’m sorry to put you right back to work, but we desperately need your help. Before I access the memory, I’d like you to inspect the body. More info about the ghast could only help and might give me a frame of reference for whatever I see in the memory. I also need all the freed prisoners tested with your Soul’s Window spell to see if they harbor any ill intentions. As dinner is only an hour away, I was thinking we could have a meal with all the freed prisoners and they could come up to be interviewed one at a time. Tomorrow, with all of you there, I will review the memories. Can you do that?”
The Healer’s face was still wrinkled in disgust from seeing Nien’s decapitated corpse, but she nodded, “I will examine the body. I should be done by the time dinner is served. Why are you waiting until tomorrow to review the memories, however?”
Richter looked up at Alma flying above his head. He also hadn’t told any of them about his ability to bond with Alma and assume dragonform. That wasn’t because he felt uncomfortable sharing the information, it was more because Richter loved a big reveal. “I have my reasons,” he responded enigmatically with a faint smile.
It was quiet for a moment, before Sumiko spoke with a snap in her voice, “Fine. If you are not going to tell me then at least stop grinning like an idiot and let me get to work. Now shoo!”
Sumiko practically forced Richter away from the Healer’s Hut. Hisako and Randolphus walked with him. The Hearth Mother offered her help, “I also know the Soul’s Window spell, of course. I could help Sumiko test your new people if you will trust my judgment.”
Richter smiled wryly at the Hearth Mother, “I trust you with my life and the secret of my Chaotic nature,” he replied. “I would be honored to have you help test the men and women I’m considering adding to my village.”