Life Reset- Hobnobbing, page 23
part #3 of New Era Online Series
“You’re up, kitty,” Misa said brightly. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Raystia nodded reluctantly and joined the crowd of people marching toward the city. The local NPCs gave her and her friends a wide berth, throwing suspicious glances their way, but no one tried to stop them.
“Halt, you four!” a guard with a flowing red cape called loudly, pulling them out of the crowd. The guard’s face was lined and weather-beaten, but the gaze he gave them was sharp and alert. “What are you miscreants doing in my city?”
Raystia cleared her throat. “Ahem, uh … I’m sorry, er … mister guardsman. My friends and I are just passing by. We heard Everance was tolerant to … ahem … a wider range of races.” She smiled weakly. “And, er … oh yes – we’re adventurers! We’re not looking for trouble, mister guardsman. In fact, we spent the last day helping Cornelius, doing chores around his farm. And he said it’s okay if we go to the city. And, ahem … have I mentioned we’re tired?” She gave the severe-looking guard a big-eyed pleading look.
The man was no match for the power of those eyes. His shoulders eased, and he said reluctantly, “Very well. You may go inside. Make sure not to cause any trouble. I’ll let the city watch know to keep an eye on you. If either of you are found to be involved in any sort of a conflict or criminal activity, there will be no questions asked – you will all be thrown to the city’s dungeon, and I will personally throw away the key. Do I make myself clear?”
Impossibly, Raystia’s eyes widened even more. “The dungeon? Oh wow, we’ll … we’ll be good. I promise.” Her companions nodded at her words.
“Move along now,” the guard said gruffly. “You’re blocking the way. If you’re not out of my sight in 10 seconds, you’ll be charged with disorderly conduct, and you know where that’ll land you.”
The four hurried along through the gates.
“We made it! I knew you could do it, kitty,” Misa said brightly. “Those big eyes of yours should be licensed as weapons of mass distraction.”
Raystia chuckled with embarrassment. “I did gain 2 points in my Charming skills.”
“Good for you,” Fox said. “Where to now?”
“Well, mister grim-and-green wanted us to reach the Manapulators guild and spy on them,” Misa said.
Raystia clutched the crystal Oren had given her. She still hadn’t revealed the real purpose of their journey to them. Oren insisted the information was too sensitive to share around.
“But,” the elf woman continued, “it’s been ages since we’ve been in any sort of civilized place. You know what that means?”
Her three companions looked at each other, bewildered.
“It’s shopping time!”
15 – Afterparty
I woke with a splitting headache. The cathedral’s floor was littered with comatose goblins and hobgoblins. I touched my temple and groaned. For some reason, my Mind Over Body trait’s 50 percent pain reduction seemed to have taken a day off. I vaguely remembered last night’s reveling – everyone drunk and the goblin band’s cacophony, which I somehow found appealing. There was food, shouting, and … I frowned. Did the hobs play ‘goblin basketball?’
But as far as my aching brain could recall, the airborne goblins squealed with delight at being tossed around.
A system notification icon flashed at the edge of my view.
Governor skill level increased to 11.
New rank: Apprentice
As an apprentice governor, you may assign up to three officials. Officials carry limited authority and can lead smaller communities of their own. The selected officials will always remain your loyal subjects.
This skill was not exactly the goblin way of doing things, but then again, I wasn’t your run-of-the-mill goblin either. The bonus would likely allow me to jump-start smaller clans and assign leaders that would answer to me, like having a fiefdom. It was more akin to the human way of doing things, but if my goblin empire was to grow, taking a page out of the human empire-building book was not a bad idea.
Reiner approached me, rubbing his forehead. The bearded goblin’s eyes were bloodshot and he looked almost as bad as I felt. Seeing him jolted something in my memory.
“Did you nail a hob to the wall with your pitchfork last night?” I asked in horror.
The goblin squinted in pain then smiled broadly. “Yes. The stupid long-leg challenged me to a bet. He said there’s no way I could throw a pitchfork and hit a pie on top of his head. As it turned out, he was right!”
“Oh, god.” I planted my face in my palms. “Tell me you didn’t kill him.” A quick glance at the temple’s worshiper count assured me we still had the same amount.
“Na, nothing like that. You came along, shouting about squishy hobgoblins and healed him. Then you rode on his shoulder claiming he was your hob-steed.”
I suddenly had a vivid flashback of the scene. I shuddered and covered my face again. “Oh no …”
“It was quite a party,” Reiner said brightly. “It’s not a good one unless someone bleeds, you know. Everyone had a lot of fun, even the hobs. The workers are happy and will work extra hard today. You’ll see.”
As if to affirm his words, another system message popped up.
Buff gained: Wild Party
Effect: +100 morale for 24 hours
Not bad! That meant a 10 percent increase in the workers’ efficiency. I checked the temple’s interface. We had reached 400 build points of the required 2,000. We’d also almost reached the 200 worshippers quota. That meant construction was now the bottleneck. “Where are Yulli and Bob?”
“Your companions are sleeping in the back rooms, Dread Totem,” Reiner answered, all businesslike. “Would you like me to get them for you?”
“Err … yes, please do.”
Reiner whistled sharply and a sleepy goblin jumped up. “You go backsy, bring big hob-hobs here,” the bearded goblin commanded.
The worker immediately hurried toward the back of the temple.
I snickered. Don’t you mean puppetese?
Yulli and Bob approached, both looking in better shape than me.
Bob nodded. “Dread Totem.”
“Where’s Tenragan?” I looked around.
“Right here.” The old hob came walking in through the main entrance. “I had to go retrieve an item I’d stashed away.” He still wore the magical gauntlet, and in his newly regrown arm, he held a round silver shield which radiated powerful magic.
“Is that …”
“Yes,” he said proudly. “The Gladiator’s Aegis. I put it away for safekeeping after I lost my hand. Now that I have both arms, I can wield the full set again. I pledge myself and my weapon to your service … Chief.”
“I understand this means they filled you in?”
“Yes. I spent over a decade fighting for glory, honor, and my people. But I’m tired of this life. Now, I will follow you, Chief. My strength and my life are yours to command.”
“I appreciate it. But you just said you were tired of a life of fighting.”
“I will fight if you–”
I raised my hand. “There’s no need. You’re a strong fighter, yes, but there’s something else I need you to do that no one else can. It won’t require you to fight, but it is still an honorable position among your people.”
He grinned at me. “An honorable position without having to fight? Now that would be something. Everything in Akzar is rigged toward war.”
“You’re not that far off,” I said. “There’s a Minotaur named Duladeen in the inner ring. She’s an excellent smith, but Akzar’s laws prohibit her forging weapons and armor. That’s where you come in. If she approves of you, the two of you will go into partnership. You will represent her shop as an acting owner, which will allow her to focus on her craft. So you will still be in the ‘war trade,’ without having to fight yourself.”
The old hob stroked his chin. “A non-hob citizen would find it difficult to operate under Akzar’s laws.”
“We’ll go meet her soon,” I said. “But first I want to hire more builders to help with the temple’s renovations. So … uh … where do we find those?”
“There’s a builders guild in District Three, Dread Totem,” Bob said.
Tenragan nodded. “They are an independent faction within the city. They focus primarily on strengthening Akzar’s fortifications but can be hired for personal projects as well.”
“Great, let’s go there.” My headache was subsiding to a more manageable level.
Vic chuckled.
“It won’t be cheap, so be sure to bring a lot of gold,” Bob cautioned.
I had a bit over a thousand. I hoped it would be enough.
The four of us left the temple and walked down the outer ring’s main boulevard toward the adjacent district. Bob led the way confidently, and we soon approached a complex of three-story buildings interconnected with bridges and walkways.
“This way, Dread Totem.” Bob took us to the largest building. I couldn’t help but stare in wonder at the level of architecture the hobs had achieved. This was above and beyond anything my clan could create.
A colorfully dressed hob greeted us as we entered. “Welcome to the builders guild. My name is Gravell; I’m an apprentice constructor. How may I help you?”
The hob was giving away easy-to-read whiffs of information. He was level 30 with a level 42 Construction skill. That was higher than Zuban.
I was still wearing my priest’s robes, so I felt confident speaking up. “I’m from the new temple. We could use some help getting the place into shape.”
Gravell said, “I know the place. The cost of materials alone is substantial, it will take us time to collect every–”
“Actually,” I interrupted. “It’s already been taken care of. We only need the manpower for the actual build work.”
“A pity,” the flashy hob said. “If you had come to us from the start, we could have arranged for a significant discount on materials. But no point in dwelling on the past. How many workers do you need?”
“Well …” I wasn’t sure how to answer. “We’ve already cleared up 400 out of the required 2,000 BP, and I’d like to complete the rest as quickly as possible.”
“So you need a team to produce an additional 1,600 BP,” the hob concluded. “You can hire me, or one of the other junior associates. Any of us can manage six builders. Or you can try one of the higher-ranked constructors. They’ll be able to do the work quicker, but they charge more.“
“How long will it take your team to do the work?” I asked.
He considered my question for a moment. “Eight days. And we charge 110 gold per day.”
That was too long. “What about one of the higher-ranked ones?”
“We have several Expert constructors. Each can manage 20 workers. They can finish everything within two days. The price to hire an Expert with a full team is 600 gold per day.”
Hiring an Expert would be best. I could have the temple up and running the day after tomorrow, but I was 140 gold short. It wasn’t a big deal, I had enough to pay for the first day, and I could earn enough in time to pay for the second one. “I’d like an Expert, please,” I said.
“I’ll make sure to send one to the temple shortly,” Gravell said. “You will have to pay him up front.”
“Is the price negotiable?”
“You’ll have to take it up with whoever is sent to you.”
“Alright.”
We exited the extravagant building complex and made our way toward the inner quarter.
“Well, that was easier than usual,” Yulli remarked. “I didn’t have to draw my bow on anyone even once.”
Tenragan chuckled. “Didn’t you see how that multicolored constructor blanched when he saw you? He recognized you as one of the champions. Those builder types are usually so arrogant you have to stab them a few times to deflate them.”
“Efficient.” Yulli nodded in approval.
We passed through the gate leading to the inner ring. The guards glanced at my robes, then their eyes widened when they spotted Yulli. They scrambled out of the way in their haste to let us through.
“You know, I can get used to this,” Yulli said, obviously enjoying herself. “I usually have to use a knife to get this kind of attention.”
“Don’t ever harm the guards!” Bob cautioned. “No matter your status, attacking city guards is a capital offense.”
“Relax, Bob, she was just kidding,” I said then glanced at the warmongering scout. “Right?”
Yulli just smirked.
“This is the place,” I said when we reached Duladeen’s shop.
Tenragan eyed the tall structure carefully. “Robust.”
“You’re back!” the Minotaur said as we entered her shop. “The items you ordered are ready. Who’s this?” She looked curiously at Tenragan.
“Duladeen, meet Tenragan,” I said. “I think you two will hit it off.”
“Wait, I know you,” the smith said. “Aren’t you one of the arena’s gladiators?”
The old hob bowed his head. “Retired, now.” He gestured at me. “Thanks to our mutual friend here, I have regained my lost arm and can finally find other ways of earning honor.”
The Minotaur rolled her eyes. “You hobs, all you care about is honor. Well, I need a partner, someone to represent my shop with the city officials. Then I’ll be free to resume making weapons and armor. Does that sounds honorable enough to you?”
“It does.” The ex-gladiator smiled at her. “I’ve been a fighter for too long and my strength is not what it used to be. Helping you would allow me to stay in the war effort. There’s honor enough in that.”
“Good.” Duladeen beamed. “Then it’s agreed, I’ll take you in as my partner. We’ll discuss the fine details in private.” She turned to me and inclined her head. “Thank you for your help, I will keep my word and sponsor your entry to the upper ring.”
Quest Completed: Proxy for Duladeen
The Minotaur woman has agreed to accept Tenragan as her partner.
Quest Type: Advanced
Reward: 500 XP, Duladeen sponsorship.
Quest Updated: Akzar Access III
Influential citizen sponsors: 2/2
Temple blessing: 0/1
Quest Type: Advanced, chain
Reward: 2,000 XP, access to Akzar’s upper ring
I was getting close to my end goal. At this rate, in two or three days, I’d fulfill all the requirements to enter the upper ring. Then I’d have to meet up with Bartun and see what he wanted. After that, I’d finally be able to get my hands on the city’s stock of Viridium and could look for ways to get my shadow back.
“And here are the items you ordered.” Duladeen placed several pinkish pieces on the counter; two Viridium spheres, two rods, and a large hollow ball that looked like a spherical jigsaw puzzle.
“This is great,” I said, examining the large sphere. The seams on the connected parts were clearly visible and six round openings gave a clear view into its center. Just what I needed for my golem experiment. I shoved all the pieces into a spatial satchel. “Thanks again, Duladeen. I’m really–”
New Era Online [Internal messaging service]
From: Raystia
Subject: We made it into Everance!
Hi Oren,
We finally entered the city. We’re trying to blend in, but it’s hard. Almost everyone is looking at us funny. We’re using the opportunity to shop and snoop around since there’s no telling if we’ll be able to do so later on.
From what I’ve discovered so far, it sounds like the Manapulators are mobilizing their entire guild. No one knows what for, but I think we can safely assume my dear uncle intends to throw everyone in the guild at you.
I’ll let you know once we’re ready to move in.
Penelope Katie Britt
“Shadow-crap!” I cried, drawing the gazes of everyone in the shop.
Vatras was moving faster than I expected. I’d assumed that with the time difference, I would have a couple of weeks to make preparations, but it had only been several days and the Manapulators were already mobilizing to move out. I had to work faster.
I hit the reply button and composed a short response: ‘Raystia, try to find out the exact time of the attack. We’re not ready yet.’
I hit send and called out, “Yulli, Bob, let’s go back to the temple.”
We left the shop and were walking away when the door opened again. “Wait, Chief.” Tenragan hurried after us.
I scowled. “What is it?” Raystia’s message had soured my mood.
“I talked Duladeen into giving me a down payment on our future shared profits. She didn’t like it very much, but, well … here you go.” The ex-gladiator handed me 150 gold.
“Thanks!” My mood picked up at the unexpected gift. I could now afford the constructor’s rates without having to worry where to get the rest of the money to pay him.
“My pleasure. Anything for the head priest.” The old hob bowed respectfully.
With a much lighter spring in my step, I left the inner ring and returned to the temple.
***
A small crowd of hobs was waiting for me when we arrived.
“It’s about time you showed up,” said a female hob wearing brown leathers and a no-nonsense expression. “You’re the head priest, right?”
“Yes …” I answered carefully.
“I’m Qela. We’re the construction crew you ordered. You’ve already wasted 10 minutes of my valuable time. Let’s not waste any more. This ruin is yours?” She pointed her thumb at the cathedral.
