Chapter 10

Hello my wonderful Patrons!  I'm editting all day every day, but I didn't forget about you :)

Please enjoy chapter 10!

****************************************************************

CHAPTER 10 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 0 AoC

The next thing Randy let him know was that more had been found on the hill than just the buildings. A large amount of weapons and armor had been transported from the goblins stores. Most of it was extremely low quality and had scant durability remaining unfortunately, but it might have still have utility as scrap. The chamberlain said he already arranged to have it taken to the Forge of Heavens for smelting. One building was thought to have been an armory though, because it had items of higher quality and even three enchanted weapons. The chamberlain handed Richter a sheet of paper with an inventory.

High Steel Goblin Cleaver +2 

Damage: 12-15 

Durability: 35/41

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Well Crafted

Weight: 1.2 kg

Traits: +2 to Damage

Orichalum Round Shield of Rust

Damage: 11 

Durability: 64/64

Item Class: Unusual

Quality: Well Crafted

Weight: 3.3 kg

Traits: Each charge released   from this shield will cause 0.3 points of Durability damage to the weapon   that struck it. Works only against   metal weapons.

Charges: 97/97

High Steel War Hammer of Soul   Trap

Damage: 16-20 

Durability: 38/44

Item Class: Uncommon

Quality: Above Average

Weight: 3.5 kg

Traits: Any creature   struck with this weapon is afflicted with the spell Soul Trap for 5 seconds.

The +2 damage enchantment was more than useful. It was a static enchantment. Static enchantments were superior to active in that they weren’t dependent on charges. There were inferior in other ways, of course. The magic on Richter’s elementum blade was far more powerful than just +2 damage, for instance. His weapon both imparted Sonic Damage with each strike and possessed the capability to Disarm his opponents. The downside was that every time the enchantment unleashed, it used up charges. If the charges depleted, the weapon was for all intents and purposes, unenchanted until they built back up or were restored with filled soul gems. Static enchantments never ran out. The attribute boosts on his armor were an example of powerful static enchantments. 

He hadn’t understood the real difference between static and active enchantments at first. It had helped a great deal though when Gloran had explained the difference between enchantment levels and enchantment ranks. Active enchantments could achieve higher ranks. It basically made the enchantment stronger. Reaching rank two for his Freeze enchantment had increased the base cold damage his weapon imparted from +1 to +2. It had also made it more likely for the weapon’s Freeze effect to trigger, something that could turn part or all of an enemy’s body to ice for a short time.

Another important factor regarding static enchantments was cost. Put simply, they coast more. Every enchantment Richter could add onto a piece of armor or a weapon had a base cost that had to be paid with captured souls. His Freeze enchantment, for example, had a base cost of three. So the first rank cost three soul points, the second rank six points, then twelve, then twenty-one, thirty-three, etc. The static enchantment, +1 damage, on the other hand cost more initially, requiring five soul points. So it added exactly the same damage to a weapon as the first rank of Freeze, but without the added effect of turning an opponent to ice. 

Another large difference between static and active enchantments were that the former were immune to one of the Forge of Heaven’s most prolific abilities. When most people learned an enchantment, they could only make the enchantment at that specific rank. If you were taught, Fire Damage rank three then you could only enchant weapons at rank three. The Forge allowed you to learn other ranks. Each time Richter learned a new enchantment, it was rank one, but the more he practiced it, there was a chance that he could learn the next rank. He was currently up to rank five with Freeze. 

The static enchantments, unfortunately, were not susceptible to the Forge’s ranking ability. The three that were known were +1 Damage, +10% Durability, and +2 Defense. The only way for the Forge to learn more was to find more enchanted gear, unless Richter found a way to gain more through his Specialty. Hopefully Hafiz’s sons would be back from their trading trip soon with more enchanted items. In the meantime, it was nice to have the option of adding another light to the elementum anvil. 

Enchantment levels were completely different than ranks. All of the enchantments he knew were level one, or weak. They apparently followed a similar progression to spells, weak, minor, inferior, improved, strong, potent, superior, powerful, and grand. He was currently investing mana into his Essence Specialty to unlock his first minor enchantment, the second level of sonic attack. Gloran, the other village enchanter, had told him that higher level enchantments could manifest in any number of ways, but they were almost always powerful. They also came with greater requirements, but it was worth the cost. 

While the cleaver would be useful, the Shield of Rust also piqued his interest. During the goblin raid, Caulder’s training of the guards had saved man lives. Forming a shieldwall had let them withstand a numerically superior force. Richter was already envisioning a line of shields enchanted with the Rust enchantment. If his people held out long enough, the weapons of their foes would literally fall apart. Even if the enemy’s swords and maces were not completely destroyed, a loss of durability would lower the damage they could inflict considerably. 

It was the third item that really caught his attention, though. Despite the fact that is was only uncommon rarity unlike the unsual rarity of the shield, it had an enchantment that he had wanted for a while. Soul Trap. As an Essence Enchanter, he could purchase the enchantment of any spell he knew. That cost precious Talent Points, though. Now, with any luck, he wouldn’t have to spend them! 

Randolphus told him that no other worthwhile object had been found, but this wasn’t a surprise. It was the understatement of the century, but they had left the field of battle in a hurry. Yoshi had laid claim to the gear of the goblin commander Radg-or as a prize, something that Richter didn’t begrudge him. The Warrior half-sprite had slain the Barbarian in single combat. 

It had been physically impossible to loot many of the goblins’ bodies as they had been still been cocooned in the web traps when the allied forces had quit the field. The second goblin army that had been rushing towards them had been even bigger than the first one they had defeated. The priority had also been to protect the freed prisoners, not to strip the dead of anything valuable.

Richter handed the weapons and armor summary back to Randolphus telling him to bring the enchanted items to the Forge in the morning. With any luck, the Forge of Heavens would learn three new enchantments. The chamberlain took the paper back and promptly handed Richter another. It had a list of sundry items that had been recovered. A few potions and trash jewelry had also been found on the hill, but none of it was noteworthy. The one saving grace was that a small chest had been found under a collapsed bit of wood. The thorough chamberlain had already counted and assessed the contents. Richter’s eyebrows rose, “Is this right?”

Randolphus’ sniffed as if affronted by the very possibility that his figures would be off, “Undoubtedly, my lord.”

Richter looked back down at the page, slightly amused at the chamberlain’s miffed attitude. It showed the actual contents of the chest and then converted them into gold pieces for ease of understanding. 

472 copper coins --> 4.72 gold

 305 silver coins --> 30.5 gold

 14 silver bands --> 14 gold

 2 silver weights --> 5 gold

 68 gold coins --> 68 gold

 4 gold weights -->  100 gold

Richter had only seen bands once before, when trading with Hafiz, the grandfatherly merchant in Law. He had later learned that the sweet old man act was, well, an act, and the the white bearded bastard was actually a Professed Trader. Richter had ground his teeth at the time. He’d thought he’d done well at the bargaining table, but the truth was that he’d probably been taken to the cleaners. What made it worse, was that he hadn’t even realized it. It was kind of like bragging about sleeping with a hot chick then realizing you were only her third stop of the night. 

He had asked Randolphus about it once, quoting the prices he had paid for certain items. Afterward, he had asked if the chamberlain thought those had been fair prices. The man had opened his mouth, then slowly closed it and after a bout of extremely fake sounding coughs, had walked away, claiming he had needed to get a glass of water.

Still, Richter had made his peace with it… mostly. The point was, the finger length strips of metal called “bars” were worth ten coins of the same amount. He hadn’t seen “weights” before, but Randy’s calculations let him deduce that each weight was worth… Richter looked up quickly, “A weight is worth twenty-five coins?”

“Yes, my lord,” Randolphus said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Then that means-” Richter said to himself as he looked back down at the paper. He flipped to the next page and whistled softly, “We gained two hundred and twenty-two gold?”

“And two silver and two coppers, my lord,” Randolphus corrected, exacting as ever.

Richter blinked. His village had just gained the equivalent of twenty-two thousand and two hundred dollars! That didn’t even include the value of the loot they had obtained. Most workers only earned four to five silvers every fortnight. Put another way, they only made fifty bucks every two weeks. That was if they were lucky. He had just gained a fortune! His heart started beating faster and his excitement soared! 

That was when he remembered that the money had not been free. It had been paid for in blood. More than a hundred lives had been spent to gain this wealth. His mood fell, but he didn’t fall into the trap of self-recrimination like he once might have. Richter just remined himself to never forget the “human” cost of progress. Alma nuzzled his hand, bring a faint smile to his face and a small lightening of his suddenly heavy heart. He focused back on Randolphus. He had responsibilities, and there was work to be done. With a somber voice, he asked, “What is the overall state of the treasury now.”

Randolphus handed over another sheet of paper. While Richter read, the chamberlain recited from memory, “Not including the spoils from the raid, the treasury now stands at four thousand one hundred and seventy-eight gold coins, two gold bands, two thousand eight hundred and sixty three silver pieces, three thousand four hundred and one copper coins, eighty-four iron bits-”

“Iron bits?” Richter interrupted.

“Yes, my lord,” Randolphus answered absently. When he saw his liege’s questioning glance though, he clarified, “Iron bits are a form of currency used by commoners. As most of your money came from selling jewels you would most likely not have come across them. The coins are too small a denomination to normally be seen out of rural areas or in the poorest ghettos of the cities. Ten iron bits are worth one copper coin.” 

Richter nodded in understanding and the chamberlain continued, “The treasury also contains five thousand and nine kobold silver. The kobold silver should be able to be traded at a one to one ratio for gold. With that, including the spoils from the raid, the Mist Village has the equivalent of nine thousand seven hundred and eighty-six gold, six silver, one copper and four iron bits in hard currency.”

The chaos seed’s eye widened at hearing how much wealth he had amassed. It was more than most workers would ever earn in a lifetime. Back in the game, it would have been the equivalent of almost a million dollars! He was sitting pretty, but he also knew how quickly that wealth could vanish. 

Even low level spell books could cost a dozen gold or more. The blood that had been used to make his Dragon’s Cauldron had cost him four hundred and fifty! Also, while the village was doing fine right now, there would be inevitable expenses as they grew. Richter would have to purchase resources that weren’t available in his area, buy devices that they couldn’t make themselves and, most likely, a hundred other costs would come up. The village economy wasn’t something he could ignore any longer.

Randolphus continued, “We have forty-seven pieces of Tefonim jewelry which should be able to be sold for fifteen and thirty thousand gold. We also have thirteen duplicate Dark Khan coins that could be sold, but I advise against it.”

Richter nodded in agreement. The Dark Khan coins were also kobold silver, but these were vastly more valuable due to the fact that they were part of a quest. Suppossedly, finding one of each Dark Khan coin would lead to an ancient kobold treasure or power. According to Randolphus, murder and torture were a common part of the history of such coins. Best not to reveal he them unless absolutely necessary. At least, best not to reveal it again¸ an error that the chamberlain had no problem reminding him of at that very moment.

“My lord, I know that you showed the coins to Abbas and his brothers, but I must remind you that wars have been fought for what is in this village. The Core buildings, the Quickening, the Dark Khan coins… we must be wary of others finding out about the treasures located here. I believe you will find that the five foot wall around the village is a poor defense indeed against a determined army. To that point,” Randolphus put his papers down and looked his liege in the eye, “is that a Dungeon on the hill?”

Richter didn’t really know why his chamberlain was being so intense, “It is. Is that a problem? Hisako told me that Dungeons were special, but surely it’s not as powerful as the Forge of Heaven’s or the Dragon’s Cauldron. And there’s was no way that it could be as special as a celestial tree like the Quickening, right?”

“You make valid point, my lord,” the chamberlain responded. The concern his voice belayed the content of what he was saying, though. “As I already said, this village has a quite frankly mind boggling amount of treasures. The Dungeon may bring us notoriety that these other wonders have not, however. Core buildings are mostly spoken of in the abstract. Everyone knows that they exist, but no commoner, and even most lords, would never imagine they could own one. The Quickening is even harder to believe in. It is a legend come to life. I doubt there is another such tree in all The Land, and I am almost completely certain there are no other celestial trees in the River Peninsula. 

Dungeons are something all together different, however. Every boy and girl is raised on stories of adventure and treasure. While they could never conceive of seeing, let alone owning a Core building, almost every denizen of The Land will fight and kill to reach a Dungeon. And, every Adventurer will have heard the Call.” 

With that pronouncement, Randolphus did something that caught Richter completely off guard. He stood and lifted the bottom of his shirt. Under the black tunic, the chamberlain was sporting washboard abs. Richter was about to awkwardly compliment him and then ask what the hell was going on, but after a moment, a silvery square appeared in the center of his chest. It was a maze, and as Richter stared at the symbol, the lines shifted as if he was seeing deeper and deeper into confusing network of tunnels without end. The chaos seed had seen a mark like it before on his own chest. Both he, and Randolphus, had the Mark of the Adventurer. There were slight differences to the chamberlain’s tattoo, but there was no mistaking the similarity. 

“You’re an Adventurer?” Richter asked. Over the past several month, it had become abundantly clear to him that his proper chamberlain was more than just a valet. He hadn’t forced the matter though, because… well honestly because Randolphus was invaluable and Richter doubted he could run the village without him.

Randy hesitated for a moment, but then answered strongly, “The Kingdom of Yves has more than one Dungeon. The strongest is in the middle of Law. I gained the Mark the first time I entered.”

“There is a Dungeon in the capital city?” Richter asked incredulously.

“Yes. The palace is built directly above it. The Dungeon being built atop the royal family’s Place of Power is one of the secrets to their longstanding power and success. For centuries, members of the royal family have delved risked the dangers of the Hall of Elemental Hunters to gain wealth and pwoer. It is made them strong, healthy and given their lives unnatural longevity. The King would disappear for days at a time occasionally. He required that I accompany him on occasion.”

Randolphus had been the personal advisor to the old King. The ruler asking him to stay by his side was a perfectly plausible explanation for having the Mark. Still, Richter looked at the man’s nonplussed face for a few moments, then just replied, “Uh huh.”

Randolphus didn’t so much as twitch an eyelid, “As such, I can provide valuable information about the inner workings of Dungeons. I would appreciate it if you would grant me access to the Dungeon, my lord. In that way, I will be able to serve you in the same way as the old King.”

“Not a bad idea,” Richter responded slowly, continuing to stare at the Randolphus’ almost remarkably passive face. “I am sure you know that Dungeons can be dangerous for a noncombatant, though.”

“I do have some skills defending myself, my lord,” Randolphus replied levelly. 

The two men continued to stare at one another and a feeling of disquiet began to grow in Richter’s chest. Questions that he had willfully ignored for months came flooding into his mind. He trusted Randolphus, or at least he always had, but hairs were raising on the back of his neck. Just what was it that the chamberlain was hiding? What was in his past that had given him skills like Code Breaking? As he stared into the chamberlain’s eyes, the weight of the battle, the deaths of his people and the responsibilities he had all made him feel like he had a boulder on his shoulders. 

His jaw began to clench. He needed to know. People lived and died based on his decisions every day. How could he make those decisions well if he didn’t even know the truth about the man he relied on most? Randolphus had been amazing and indispensable, but the time for blissful ignorance had passed. Alma picked up on his mood and stalked forward on the bed. Her tail switched back and forth as she looked at the chamberlain.

*Don’t do anything, my love,* he thought to her, *but be ready.*

When Richter finally spoke, it was in a slow and steady tone. His voice was weary, but sure. “Randolphus. I know that I could not have done all of this without you. I am thankful, but I also know you have secrets in you past. You have more power in this village than anyone save myself. To be clear, I have no complaints as to how you have used it, but I have the lives of hundreds of people in my hands. Men and women have died because of my orders. Our list of enemies is growing, and I cannot afford to keep giving you my trust, if you won’t give me yours in return.”

Randolphus’ jaw clenched, but Richter didn’t stop, “I have never really questioned you, but it’s obvious you were more than just a servant to the old King of Yves. You are more than just a valet. One thing has become clear to me since coming to The Land, the choices you make sculpt you in a very real way. After walking through halls of power, there is no way you remained untouched.” He said the next three words, slowly and deliberately, “Who are you?” His face remained impassive, but inside, he hoped and prayed that his newly risen relationship with Randolphus would keep this conversation from descending into violence. 

The chamberlain blinked twice. Then in a low voice replied, “I do trust you, my lord. If you truly want an answer, however, my words are for you and you alone.” His eye flickered to the guard standing just outside of the room. The meaning was clear. If Richter wanted an answer, the guard would have to leave.

It was Richter’s turn to blink and consider. Did he send away his only support in a potentially dangerous situation? Did he send away the only witness to what might turn into an… unpleasant situation? The chaos seed looked at the secretive man in front of him, and went with his gut. Secrets or no, Randolphus had been loyal and true to him. And he remembered his own words. How could he expect the man to trust him if he didn’t extend trust himself? Raising his voice, he called out, “Guard.”

The man stepped smartly into the room, and with a last glance at Randolphus, Richter gave an order, “Go check on my weapons and armor. Bring them if they are ready, but don’t have anyone replace you at your post. I need to speak to my chamberlain alone.”

His guard clapped a fist to his chest in salute, and moved off at a jog. His chainmail armor jingled as he moved and soon the sound faded away. While the two men waited for privacy, Richter’s hand inched towards his pillow. Ever since his murder and castration at the hands of the assassin Sonirae, he was never far from a weapon. A high steel dagger enchanted with Freeze lay sheathed under his pillow. As they looked at one another, Richter took a moment to Analyze the man sitting across from him.

Name: Randolphus Race:   Human  Disposition: Trusting
Humans are one of the shortest-lived,   but most prolific breeders in the Land. Humans have a broader affinity for   skills than other races. No special bonuses to race. Humans get four points   to distribute per level.
Level: 19
Health: 240 Mana: 210 Stamina:   230
  Strength: 15
  Agility: 22
  Dexterity: 23
Constitution: 24
  Endurance: 23
  Intelligence: 21
  Wisdom: 17

Charisma: 16
  Luck: 14
Active Effects: <<Present   and Unknown>>

Randolphus was only one level shy of gaining a Profession. Richter had checked in the past, but the man had come far since then. This wasn’t a surprise as everyone in the village had leveled with the growth of the Quickening and the reemergence of the Celestial Pixies. There was nothing to make Richter suspicious in what he saw. Even the chamberlain’s stat points seemed to have been distributed equally across all of his characteristics. 

Nothing in the profile raised any flags at all, except for the last line. Richter’s Analyze skill had leveled after examining the hundreds of prisoners released from the goblin encampment. Reaching skill level fifteen had added a new capability. He could now see buffs, debuffs and other active effects of those he used his skill on. The prisoners’ active effects had been a predictable mix of Exhaustion, Dehydration, Malnutrition and an assortment of diseases, injuries and other negative effects. Despite having used Analyze on thousands of people, he hadn’t seen anything like what he was seeing on Randolphus’ status page. When he focused on “Present and Unknown” a further explanation appeared.

Your skill in Analyze is insufficient to identify any current effects on Randolphus, but is sufficient to recognize the presence of one or more. 

“You may stop using your identification skill upon me, my lord. It will not truly work unless I allow it.” Randolphus said in his cultured, but tired, sounding voice. Richter tried to hide his surprise, but probably knew he’d probably failed. No one had ever detected him using his skill before. It didn’t require and incantation or any hand movements. So how did Randolphus know?

Before Richter could ask, one of the chamberlain’s eyes twitched, and then he said, “You will most likely have better luck now.”

Before Richter’s very eyes, Randolphus’ face… changed. He was the same man, but his features became rougher, his bearing was more dominant and his eyes…  His eyes were predatory in a way that Richter had never seen before. Randolphus seemed to exude an aura of danger that he had not been present just a moment ago. It was as if a sheer cloth had been removed from a statue, revealing the powerful visage beneath. Richter realized that all he had seen in the past was a mere shadow of the man that he was seeing now.  

His ears were slightly pointed. Not like an elf’s, with one sharp upward turned point, but instead like each formed a pentagon with curved angles. They sat somewhat flat against his head and at the right angle. To Richter they ooked like the graceful sweep of a fish’s side fins. Randolphus’ skin also had a slight bluish cast, most notable in his lips. 

Strangely, looking at the man without whatever illusion he had just shed, made Richter want to trust him even more than before. The energy coming off of him was both intoxicating and reassuring.

Randolphus spoke, and the voice had the same cultured tone, but was commanding in a way the chaos seed hadn’t heard it before. “Use your skill again now, Lord Richter.”

The chaos seed’s hand was now firmly clasped around the hilt of his hidden dagger, but he did as Randolphus suggested. Alma’s wings were flared now and the spines on her neck had risen. She started intensly at the chamberlain ready to unleash hell if he threatened her master. Richter’s eyes widened in shock at what he could now see.  

***************************************************

As always I hope you enjoyed it!  

Because of ya'll I made it to the semifinals of the Best Books of 2017!

Please do me a favor and vote for me :)

If you did a write in before, it doesn't count with the votes, and this time its just clicking the red Vote button

PLEASE take 30 seconds and Vote for my sixth book, The Land: Raiders

Step 1: Click this Link to get to the Goodreads Contest. Also below: 

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-fantasy-books-2017

Step 2: Sign in to Goodreads

Step 3: Click "Vote"

That's it!

Thank you so much! The Land: Predators will be here soon!

Thank you Mist Villagers :)

I can't say how much I appreciate your support!