CHAPTER 9 Ya'll! :)

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO WILSON SMITH! LOL

Now without further adieau!  

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CHAPTER 9 – Day 141 – Kuborn 31, 0 AoC

Of the four hundred and fifteen souls that had comprised the allied army, only three hundred and eight had returned. Forty-six Mist Village guards had died along with fifty-two of Hisako’s sprites. Nine meidon sprites had died as well. With a heavy sigh, Randolphus told him that the death of the bonded sprites had led to even further tragedy. Each death of a meidon sprite had harmed the pixie they were bonded to, something that the chamberlain called, sakeru.

“They died?” Richter asked in a leaden voice. Hearing about exactly how many families had been ripped asunder had been like a dagger to his heart. Knowing that the deaths of his men had also caused the literal decimation of an entire species that was under his protection was a hammer blow to the hilt of that dagger. He didn’t know how he could face his people. How he could face Elora. 

Randolphus sighed and put his papers down, “Some did die, but others… changed. Queen Elora was so distraught that she could not fully explain the concept to me. She has kept the all of her children close to the Quickening since this sakeru began. Which is honestly for the best. They began to sing and their racial ability, Celestial Pixie Song, activated. Their lament made a horrible melody, and anyone who heard it was struck with a debuff, Severe Depression. Some of our people sank right to the ground, unable to even muster the strength to move, while others just started to weep uncontrollably. We had to evacuate anyone that was within a hundred yards of the Quickening. Some of the men and women are still abed. I believe the singing has stopped and the debuff has slowly worn off, but some of those afflicted are still weeping uncontrollably.”

Richter nodded knowing this was something he would have to deal with personally and soon. In the meantime, there were other considerations, “Have all of the arrangements been made to put our dead to rest?”

“Yes, my lord. The various races have their own funeral rites and some families have requested certain conditions be met, but none object to the burial. They understand the necessity of laying the dead to rest quickly after a battle. Many would not even expect such treatment from a lord. Lady Hisako has also already enspelled the bodies to ensure they cannot rise again. Unfortunately,” he paused for a moment as if he was about to mention something delicate, “the size of the grave prohibits us from burying them inside of the walls. I have had hunters and guards sweeping the area however, and the immediate forest appears to be free of monsters and predators. The entire contingent of guards will also be well armed to ensure the safety of the villagers. I have had more mist lights from inside the village taken outside of the walls to ensure that hostile beasts cannot attack without being seen. Even with these precautions, we should not tarry outside of the walls long, however.”

“Great job as always man,” Richter told him. “I want a list of all who died before the funeral,” Randolphus handed him an already prepared document. The man truly was a wizard. “My own weapons and armor?” the chaos seed asked.

“They are being repaired now, my lord. I will have them brought to you as soon as possible.”

Richter nodded, “Thank you, Randy. I mean it. I couldn’t do this without you.”

The chamberlain bowed his head, “It is my honor to serve, my lord.”

“Is there anything else?”

“Yes, my lord. While you have been sleeping, I organized a search of the hill that has appeared outside of the village gates. No one seems to want to approach the cave that is shaped like a snake’s head for some reason…” He paused to see if Richter had anything to add about that particular topic, but the chaos seed didn’t want to derail the conversation by sharing info about the Dungeon yet.  

The chamberlain continued when Richter didn’t proffer any information, “In addition to the cave however, several buildings were transported with the hill. Most had collapsed, but two remained standing. They are damaged, but should be salvageable. One of the village builders examined them and told me that both are specific to the goblin race; a Bat Roost and a Goblinhold.”

Randolphus shuffled his papers, “A Bat Roost apparently attracts bats over time that can be easily domesticated. The type of bat would depend on what was available in the region and the level of the building. A Goblinhold functions much like a Town Hall for humans. It gives various perks to the goblins in an encampment or village. I wanted to know what you would like to have done with the buildings. We cannot benefit from the settlement bonuses that they provide as we are not goblins. We could salvage raw materials from them, however. The builders suggested we deconstruct them, but the decision is of course yours to make, my lord.” A moment later, he repeated, “My lord?”

Richter nodded absently. He had actually only been half listening to his chamberlain for the past minute or so. His attention was pretty fairly focused on the death report. It did not go unnoticed that Randy was trying to redirect him though, so he decided to go along with it. There would be more than enough focus on death as soon as the funeral started. For the first time in a while, he accessed the Building section of his village interface. 

The first buildings in the village had been built without any specific blueprints. In The Land, anything could be built by anyone, but just like in any other world, if you didn’t know what you were doing, the structure would most likely be garbage. The Land took it a step further though. Buildings could reach levels that gave bonuses to the building or maybe even the settlement as a whole. To build such structures, whomever was constructing it had to have either memorized a blueprint or have it in front of him. Otherwise, they were the same as any building on Earth. The ones that had been made without blueprints were deemed “level zero.” 

Richer went through the list.

ATTACHMENT 1

The next series of buildings were his Core buildings. More than anything else, they were the secret to this village’s power. The main reason every single one of his guards hadn’t been wiped out in the battle with the goblins was the fact that they had superior weapons and potions. Even with the sprites bolstering them and luring the goblins into traps, it had been the Forge of Heavens arms and armor that had kept his people alive. Hundreds more would still have died without Hisako using her one off magic from her Place of Power, to revive them without Thinking about that brought back to mind those men and women he hadn’t saved. To help stave off the guilt, he dove back into the interface. 

ATTACHMENT 2

Seeing the stats of the Core buildings spelled out in black and white, or black and gold rather, impressed even Richter. The enchantments the Forge of Heavens had been able to learn were really adding up. Enchantments were literally more precious than jewels and journeyman crafters normally had to devote ten to twenty years of their life to a master in order to learn even one. The fact that he had able to accumulate ten in the Forge was a treasure many would kill for. 

The list of abilities of the Dragon’s Cauldron was even more extensive. The potions the Cauldron could make had saved Richter’s life, and the lives of his people, time and again. The Potion of Gaseous Form, Red Foxfire and the Potion of Selak’s Luck were only a few of the recipes supplied by the Cauldron. Richter hadn’t understood the true power of a Core building at first, but if they could achieve so much even at level one, it was obvious why wars were fought over Magic Cores. 

As Richter scanned though the potion list of the Cauldron, he was extremely pleased. The list had grown quite extensive. It was obvious that Tabia had not been idle. Some of the potions were even surprises to Richter. There was one entry lower on the list called “Metal Decay” that he resolved to ask the mercenary elf maiden about as soon as possible. 

The next series of entries showed the level one buildings of the village. They had been built with a specific blueprint and had improved building bonuses.  At the bottom of the list were the goblin structures. 

 ATTACHEMENT 3

One thing was clear to Richter. He needed more blueprints. While the “Building Bonuses” might be modest, they certainly added up. Even the “Level 0” buildings, or “huts,” gave a definite bonus to the village. The +5% to recuperation after injury was something every guard would appreciate in the days to come. Before he could examine the interface any further, another prompt appeared in his vision. 

Know This! As Master of this Place of Power and village, you are bound to your settlement. As with all rulers; your character, abilities, and soul will affect your land and your people. Your Limitless ability applies to the buildings that your settlement can use. You are not limited by race, alignment or any other specifics in the buildings which you can pursue. Purchase and procure building schematics to construct better buildings. “We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” 

Richter read the prompt again. Silence reigned for a few moments with Randolphus looking at him. Then he looked up, “I want the buildings repaired.”  After a moment’s thought, he clarified, “I want them moved from the hill to the inside of the village, then I want them repaired.”

“Ahhh, I am not sure that is possible, my lord,” Randolphus said frowning.

“I also want them to be examined and blueprints to be made,” Richter said ignoring any possibility of his will not being done.  He looked at his chamberlain, and the pain that he had pushed down for a moment carried through, “I need this to be done, man. The goblin encampment had to be dealth with, but we paid a high price. If we can salvage this buildings, it gives a bit more meaning to our people’s sacrifice. Help me honor our fallen.” There was a quiet desperation in his voice.

Randolphus looked back at him, understanding something about what Richter was feeling that the chaos seed didn’t even grasp himself. His liege didn’t just need to protect himself and his people. Richter needed to make the battle, and the deaths that it had caused, mean something. So he said the only thing he could, “It will be done, my liege. It is my honor to serve.”

“Good,” Richter breathed out, nodding. “That’s good.” The relief in his voice was obvious and Randolphus was reminded just how much his liege cared about his people. After having served many callous men that had deigned to call themselves “lords,” it was almost too good to be true to once again serve a man who valued the lives of those beneath him. 

A prompt appeared in Richter’s vision.  

Your desire to serve your people, as well as rule them, has moved Randolphus. You have gained +731 Relationship Points. Total Relationship Points: +26,517

Congratulations! Your relationship with Randolphus has improved from Admiring (+10,000) to Steadfast (+20,000). “I know I can rely upon you.”

Richter’s eyes widened in surprise. Before he could speak, Randolphus went down on one knee and said, “Through service, ascendance.”

The chaos seed reached out and hand and laid it on his friend’s shoulder, finishing the motto of the village, “Through dedication, transcendence.”

Randolphus raised his head and looked Richter in the eye. There was an intensity to his gaze that the chaos seed had not seen before. The chamberlain’s voice was strong, “I am truly honored to serve you, my lord. I do not make promises that I cannot keep and I have learned that the future is promised to no man. Please know that today, I am thankful to be in your service. Long may you reign.”

Richter blinked, both flattered by Randolphus’ words and taken aback by his sincerity. “Thank you,” he said simply as the man stood.

They held each other’s gaze for another second, then Randolphus looked as if he had come to a decision. He started shuffling his papers. If Richter didn’t know better, he would think the unflappable man was nervous, but then Randolphus pulled a page off of the stack of papers. “There are a few other matters to address, my lord. We should have just enough time to cover them all before the ceremony.”

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