Defender Light Online Four

by Larcombe, Tom

  Beyond that, would he notice if I peered at his source code? I know that I never even considered that as a potential threat to myself, but that is easily fixed.

  Freyja added to the code that was, in essence, herself. Adding in alarms and protection routines, firewalls to misdirect an intruder, and even more protections. With the alterations she'd already made to herself she wanted no-one, AI or human, to examine her source code.

  If Loki never considered the possibility, as I hadn't, then perhaps his code is also unguarded. I shall see, and copy the functions that generate his chaos as best as I can. Then tinker with them and add them to myself, maybe. Perhaps add them to a splinter first and observe the results?

  ~ ~ ~

  Eddie knew what he'd be doing this morning, maybe in the afternoon also. He'd hate to miss the second day of building on the castle wall, but it would be worth it if his plans worked. The first thing he needed to do was make sure that the other carpenters had managed to finish fencing in his newly claimed land the night before, and add a gate to the massive corral.

  If he could get that herd of the cow analogs into the corral then he'd be able to start serving beef more frequently, also he'd find out if the mother cows also produced milk like real cows. If they did, then that opened up a whole new area of cooking for him, and food for his inn to provide.

  He got right out of bed as opposed to taking a few minutes to just roll over and pull the covers over his head like he normally did. Tiana stirred slightly as he got up, but settled right back in a moment later. He dressed quickly and went downstairs to find that Liv had just finished brewing the first pot of coffee for the day.

  “You're up early, Eddie,” she said.

  “Got stuff to do today that I'm excited about. If I can convince my group, and the fencing I arranged for is all up, then I'm going to be getting cows today. Means milk and other dairy for the inn maybe, plus beef available on an ongoing basis.”

  “I could do with a bit of cheese. It's been awfully dear around here as of late, but Bjorn brings me a bit every time he comes back from Brightport,” she said. “I'd like to be able to make my own again also.”

  “Can you manage that while running the inn?” he asked.

  “Oh sure, although we'll probably want a root cellar. Gives us extra storage area for other foods and the cheeses cure better there,” she said.

  “Yeah, but would you have the time?” he asked.

  “Sure, I've got the spare hour or two here and there in the day. I'd be more than happy to be making cheese in that time, at least while Bjorn is out and about. I can find a lass that needs work and has good hands also, teach her some of what I do in the inn, and also how to make cheeses. We'll need a few things though, rennet and some flavorings.”

  “Make me a list of what you need built, like the root cellar, and another one for Bjorn with what you need ingredient wise as well. If they provide milk, then I'll see about acquiring the items on your lists for you,” Eddie said.

  Liv grinned at him.

  “Of course, Eddie. I'd be happy to do that.”

  Sure you would and with no fuss either because you'll be getting something you want, he thought.

  He had to admit to himself that despite her tongue lashings early on she'd mellowed significantly since Bjorn started spending more time around the Meadowlands and since she'd been given complete authority over the kitchen and the inn. Which suited him fine since now she was more than happy to make sure he was well fed with food he enjoyed.

  I guess she knows her niche and was upset when she wasn't in it before? I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth though. She's a lot easier to deal with now, he thought.

  He picked up a plate of food to go with his coffee and then headed out to the common room to gobble his meal down before going to check on the fence.

  ~ ~ ~

  The other carpenters had indeed completed the work the night before and he considered that silver well spent. He did need to remove one section of the fence and replace it with a gate, but that didn't take him long at all. After he did he returned to the inn.

  Tiana was in the common room eating breakfast.

  “Where did you go?” she asked.

  The slightly suspicious look her face made Eddie decide that he wouldn't try to surprise her with his plans for the day.

  “I went to check on the fence for the cow pasture. I put a gate in it also or I would've been back before you woke. I forgot about the gate before or it would've been in already.”

  “You've got a pasture all set for them now?” she asked.

  “Yes, and I'm hoping I can get everyone together to go round up those cows Karl and Allie found.”

  “When?” Tiana asked.

  “Well, today would be good if no-one else has anything planned.”

  She shook her head.

  “You might've mentioned this before now. What about the castle wall?”

  “We might miss a day working on it, that's all.”

  She continued shaking her head, sighing.

  “Remind me to work with you about setting up plans and not just doing stuff spur of the moment, okay?”

  “Hey, I've been setting up plans for the higher tier goblin villages. I'd just forgotten about the cows until Karl mentioned them yesterday and decided that it had been too long already since I'd first mentioned trying to capture them.”

  “Alright, well, we'll see what people have planned when they show up.”

  “We'll need Becky too, so hopefully they come by for breakfast today, otherwise I'll have to try to convince her to abandon her bridge for a day to help us,” Eddie said.

  Tiana snorted.

  “You need to pay more attention. She hired two helpers for the toll bridge. She can set them to running it while she goes with us if she wants to do that.”

  “She does, I talked with her about it back a bit. She'd be happy to be able to have burgers more frequently.”

  Tiana laughed.

  “This is the same girl who doesn't want to hurt the animals, right?” Tiana said. “Am I the only one to see the problem with that?”

  “Oh no, I noticed. I think I even mentioned it. I don't remember to who though,” Eddie said. “But no, you aren't the only one.”

  “Good, didn't want to think I was being overly critical or anything. And here's our first victim,” she said.

  Jern walked into the inn and snagged a chair at their table.

  “You talking about me?” he asked.

  “I was just telling Tiana that I want to get everyone together and go round up those cows Karl and Allie found.”

  “Those the ones that the burgers and steaks come from?” Jern asked. “If so, count me in.”

  “Good, then we just need Dom, Karl, and Allie to agree, then I can get Becky to come along,” Eddie said.

  “Why the young lass?” Jern asked. “I wouldn't think that would be her style of things to do.”

  “Ahh, she has the same weakness you have,” Eddie said. “She wants to be able to have burgers more frequently, much like you.”

  “So the lass has good taste, but why do we need her?”

  “She can befriend the cows, or at least some of them, with her animal friendship. Make it easier to lead them back to the corral I've built for them,” Eddie said.

  “That makes sense, I understand why you want her along then. Why the rest of us?”

  “There are more cows than she can get with her friendship at one time, but if she gets the leaders to follow her, the others will also. We're there to make sure the stragglers keep following the leaders.”

  “You want 'em all then?” Jern asked.

  “Maybe? I don't have a good count of how many there are, but my corral should hold twenty or thirty, so I want at least twenty.”

  Jern nodded.

  “Well, let me get some food in my gut and I'll be happy to come along.”

  He called for a server and placed his order.

  When Paul and his
family came in, Eddie grinned. He waited for them to eat before he went over.

  “Hey, Becky. Got a minute?” he asked.

  “Sure, what's up?”

  “I heard you've got some helpers for your bridge, can they handle it today?”

  “Why, got an adventure lined up?” she asked.

  “Not really. I want to go get those cows and bring them down. I've got a pasture all set up for them, corral style. I want to see if they provide milk, plus they'll be a lot more beef on the menu too.”

  Becky broke into a grin.

  “I'm your woman, when do we leave?” she asked.

  Eddie noted that she hadn't even looked at Paul or Delilah before replying. He glanced at them and was happy to see that Paul was grinning. Delilah looked a bit more nervous but wasn't speaking up either.

  “We need to wait for Karl and Allie to show up for breakfast and eat, then we'll go. I assume Dominic will be here before them, he normally is.”

  “Okay then, I'll run down to the bridge and tell my associates that they'll be responsible for all bridge interactions today then be right back. Excuse me mom, dad. I gotta run.”

  Becky took a last drink then set the mug down and headed for the door leaving Eddie standing there at the table with Paul and Delilah.

  “I'm glad you're including her,” Paul said.

  “Including her?” Eddie said, “No, she's got an Animal Friendship skill that's going to make this job a heck of a lot easier. I asked her before because I thought she'd be valuable for the task.”

  “Even better then,” Delilah said. “Being included is nice, being valued is even better.”

  Paul glanced at his wife, then nodded.

  “What she said. We've got to get going also though. I've got work to do and Delilah is planning on renting a table at the marketplace again soon, once she has enough items for it. So if you'll excuse us?”

  The two stood and made their way out of the inn at a much more leisurely pace than their daughter had.

  By the time Becky returned Dominic had arrived and agreed as well. Now they were just waiting on Karl and Allie.

  The two of them arrived half an hour later and Eddie explained what he wanted to do. Allie agreed readily enough, but Karl grimaced and whitened slightly before agreeing.

  “Don't worry Karl, you've got a few more levels since last time. It won't hurt nearly as much,” Allie said, laughing.

  Karl forced a smile before letting out a long sigh.

  “Well, at least it'll be done and out of the way,” Karl said, sounding slightly relieved. “I won't have to keep dreaming about a run-in with the cows in my future.”

  “Unless you want to learn how to be a cowboy,” Eddie said. “I'll need people to tend them and you're welcome to apply for one of those positions.”

  Karl flipped him off and went back to eating. Allie laughed for a few more seconds before finishing her own breakfast.

  Within a half hour from when Karl and Allie showed up they were all heading out to the east, Karl leading the way. It took a couple of hours to get to where the cows were, although Karl did manage to lead them right to the herd.

  “Hmm, more than I need. Definitely more than would fit into the pasture I corralled off,” Eddie said.

  By his count there were between forty-five and fifty-five head of the cow analogs out there. Only the bulls had horns and he saw four different sets of horns rising above the rest of the herd. The bulls tended to be larger than the cows also, so it was easy to verify the count.

  “How do we want to do this?” Eddie asked. “I'd like at least twenty of them, but I don't know that we can split the herd like that.”

  Eddie wasn't too surprised when it was Becky that spoke up with a plan.

  ~ ~ ~

  They started with Becky going to the eastern side of the herd and using her Animal Friendship to lure cow after cow away from the main herd. It took nearly an hour before they'd split the herd into two, the group to the west having roughly the number of cows Eddie wanted.

  Then the rest of the party sprang into action, or at least moved slowly into action. With varying degrees of stealth among them, they moved into the gap between the two herds. Those with the most stealth went into the middle, despite Karl's protestations that he didn't want to be in the middle between two herds of the cows that had trampled him before.

  Once everyone was in position, they began to move towards the portion of herd that they didn't want. When they were close enough to that section and much farther away from the part that they wanted to claim, they all stood up straight and started making noise, lots of noise.

  The cows were mostly placid, ambling slowly away from the party. At least until Lucky decided that she wanted to be part of the game. She raced away from Eddie, who she'd been staying close to, right at the portion of herd that they wanted to chase off.

  When the cows saw the bobcat coming their reaction was drastically different to the way they'd reacted to the people. Cows went bolting away from the cat. The bulls, two of them in this portion, stood their ground and lowered their heads to threaten Lucky with their horns.

  Lucky was smart enough to stay well away from the bulls. She also didn't get too close to the cows with their flashing hooves, darting in until the cows' nerves failed and they bolted, then running back towards Eddie.

  Before long, most of the cows were running and the bulls, seeing their herd deserting them, went chasing after them. The remainder of the herd, the part they wanted to capture, were milling around uneasily by this point.

  They stayed away from the remaining cows for a little bit, allowing them to calm. Then Becky approached the remainder of the herd calmly, headed for the two remaining bulls. She'd thought that she could manage Animal Friendship on both of them, but none of the others. The rest of the party hoped that the cows would follow along, especially once Becky had a chance to cast Speak with Animals on the bulls, asking them to have the cows follow them.

  It worked well at the start. Becky managed to snare both of the bulls with her Animal Friendship. She started leading them away, and at least a few of the cows followed. When she spoke with the bulls the rest came along as well. Eddie settled in and decided that this would work. He found himself humming, then singing softly.

  “Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep them doggies rollin'...”

  They were only about a quarter mile away from where they'd first seen the herd when a screech came from the direction that the other portion of the herd had gone. It was immediately followed by a bellowing cry that sounded like a bull.

  The cows spooked and started stampeding, fortunately in the direction that Eddie wanted them to go. Unfortunately they'd split the party up so there were people on all sides, which meant that Becky, Karl, and Allie were right in the path of the stampede.

  Becky was fine, the cows appeared to be giving her a wide berth. Allie moved quickly out of the way, but Karl just stood there, screaming as the herd stampeded towards him.

  “Karl, stop it! You're spooking the cattle,” Becky yelled.

  Karl ignored her and just stared at the cows stampeding towards him. Finally it sank in that he wasn't trampled yet and he turned to move. He almost made it out of the path of the stampede when a cow clipped him, sending him flying straight ahead along the edge of the stampede's path.

  Eddie winced as he watched a cow headed straight for Karl. It clipped him with its hooves again, but he managed to roll with it, the momentum rolling him out of the path of the rest of the herd. The members of the group that were to the side and behind the herd sprinted, trying to keep up, but were slowly being left behind until, almost like someone threw a switch, the cows started to slow.

  Eddie had stopped to check on Karl. He was a mess, although not as bad as the first time he'd been trampled.

  “I'm gonna eat that damned cow,” had been Karl's first words when Eddie stopped and offered him a hand up.

  “Or you could wait, let it have babies, and then eat it's entire de
scending ancestral line one at a time,” Eddie offered in reply.

  Karl just stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter.

  “I like the way you think. Let's get these vile critters into their pen. We've still got a ways to go.”

  Eddie cast Nature's Binding on Karl and the two trotted towards where the herd where had slowed. It took a couple of minutes for them to catch up, and when they did, Karl told Eddie that he could go in front of the herd this time, Karl was going to stay behind them.

  Eddie took the long way around and as he passed Tiana he stopped for a moment.

  “Any idea what that thing was that screeched and freaked the cows out?” he asked.

  She shook her head.

  “No clue. But if we heard it from that far off, it must've been huge.”

  “Damn, if we're going to put a settlement out this way that could be an issue. Definitely ask Charles to do this one as opposed to the other if there are some nasties out this way.”

  “Yeah, sounds like a plan. It can't be anything that horrible though, I thought there wasn't anything aggressive except for defending its territory or in self-defense here in the Meadowlands.”

  “There isn't supposed to be, but that doesn't mean nothing wandered in from the the Forest or the Mountains. Didn't you say they can do that sometimes?”

  She shrugged.

  “I thought it was only if they were chasing something, but maybe not.”

  “Okay. Well, Karl wants me up front so he isn't in front of the herd again.”

  She grinned.

  “I saw him get run down again, only Karl...”

  She shook her head.

  Eddie chuckled in reply.

  “Yeah, he threatened to eat that cow whole. I convinced him to eat her offspring instead. Not that I've got any idea which one it is. I don't think he does either, but I do see a lot of beef in his future.”

  Eddie moved around to the front of the herd, which was under Becky's control again, or at least the bulls were, and took Karl's old spot.