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THE STORY WITH THE INSTIGATORS on the square was not over. Gallia’s secret chancery proved that they’re really worth their salt.
The next day, when the queen and I were alone discussing the details of our upcoming military campaign, we were interrupted by her Majesty’s personal secretary.
“Speak,” Gallia ordered the gnome curtly.
“You need to come down to the torture chamber,” he said with a colorless voice.
“Are the provocateurs talking?” the queen asked and winked at me.
Gallia was letting me know that her watchdogs had everything under control and the men shouting on the square were being observed.
“No one has said a thing, except one,” the secretary responded.
“Am I to assume he has agreed to break the oath he gave to his masters?” Gallia gave a sidelong smirk.
“Indeed, your Majesty!” the secretary nodded. “By all appearances, he wants to negotiate something for himself or his family.”
“Most likely the latter,” Gallia said as she stood up from the chair. “The Great System is not likely to let him keep his life after breaking an oath.”
Stretching out in satisfaction, the queen glanced at me then, making a predatory grin, she asked:
“Have you ever been to a torture chamber before...?”
I just snorted in response and was about to get out of my seat when a quiet but insistent knock came at the office door.
The secretary disappeared behind the door right away and, a minute later, appeared again.
“What’s out there?” the queen asked.
“You are no longer required in the torture chamber,” the secretary said calmly.
“You took care of it? That’s good. Brief me.”
I then gave an imperceptible sigh and stayed sitting. To be frank, I had no desire to visit her palace’s dungeon. I didn’t expect to see anything good there.
Meanwhile, the secretary cleared his throat and began the briefing.
“The Supreme Magister was right,” he said with a respectful bow to me. “It was an attempt to frame the Hunters. Right here in the capital, the bodies of several gnomes were found in one of their houses.”
“I see,” the queen chuckled. “As soon as the magister and his troops entered the city, the bodies were going to be blamed on them.”
“Seems too simple and sloppy...” I said.
The queen waved it off.
“Aw, you just wait and see what’s about to happen. It only takes one little spark to light the flame of rebellion! My subjects are in a panic. They haven’t gone to war with anyone in centuries. The once fearsome warriors have become a nation of traders and craftspeople.”
“That’s okay,” I shrugged. “Nobody wants war. I don’t want it either.”
“As if I do,” Gallia waved a hand.
Then she turned back to her secretary:
“What else?”
“I’m afraid you’re not gonna like this...” The secretary expressed a shade of emotion for the first time in the conversation.
“And the news was all so great until now!” the queen threw up her arms. “Dark creatures committing sabotage and conspiring right under my nose... My people on the brink of rebellion... Ugh! Get it over with! Tell me...”
“The Dark creatures had help from elves,” the secretary said with no prelude.
Gallia trained her cold gaze on the secretary.
“You sure?”
“Yes,” he answered. I could sense tension in his voice.
“Details,” the queen ordered shortly.
“We don’t have much info,” the secretary responded. “But it’s all coming together. The four highest houses are thought to be involved. And if you take that with the fact that their ambassadors left the capital just yesterday, then...”
“Who?!” barked the queen.
The secretary quickly rattled off the names of the highest elven families in a colorless voice.
I felt my fingers latch dead into my armrests. One of the clans listed was Clan Crimson Leaf. Had Tananth really decided to break our agreement?
I slowly raised my head and looked at Gallia. As if reading my thoughts, she said reassuringly:
“I do not believe Tananth is involved. Most likely, his vile grandfather stands behind this. He must have had help from the elven king, as well. Looks like the fact that you disregarded the Great Forest and did not give them seeds has offended them a great deal. And now they’ve decided to play dirty tricks in response. But the fact that they are in cahoots with Darkness ― I will never forgive them for that!”
The last sentence Gallia basically roared out.
“Then...” I said thoughtfully.
“Don’t wait for Tananth,” the queen interrupted me. “I’d bet my right hand his grandfather did everything in his power to slow his grandson down and prevent his plan from coming to fruition.”
“I thought the elves would be happy to see a new Heart of the Forest...”
“The majority of them are,” said Gallia. “Mainly commoners. The heads of the highest houses and their inner circles on the other hand are very uneasy. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn they didn’t even sense the Call. I mean, how else can you explain their actions? I think they lost their connection with the Forest long ago. As a matter of fact, when they found out the Heart was not calling to them, they probably only dug in their heels. Heh! And of course! Some poor suckers got called, but they were passed over. Even some filthy trolls heard the Call. That’s exactly the way they think, Rick! Believe you me.”
“But Tananth...”
“You’ll have to start without him,” Gallia sighed heavily. “And the sooner the better.”
“Our scouts in the Wastes are reporting that necromorphs have started coalescing into large packs,” the secretary tossed in his five copper.
“Looks like they’ve found plenty to eat,” the gnome said gloomily. “The puppet masters will bring them here soon. If you manage to close the Dark Gateway in the Stone Forest, their attack will fail. The necromancers will have no energy.”
“So, the time has come,” I said decisively and got up from the seat.
Gallia walked over to the table and picked up a few scrolls.
“Here,” she said and handed them to me. “The recipes, as promised. There are more here than I was planning on giving you at first. I hope they help you carry out your plan.”
I accepted the scrolls gingerly. I now had seven recipes in my hands. Three for making confinement crystals, two for mana and one each for life and energy.
I raised my head, and Gallia and I met eyes.
“Remember this,” she said. “You swore an oath not to harm my people.”
“And I intend to keep it,” I said firmly.
The queen, satisfied with my response, gave a short nod.
“As for the golems, the craftsmen have promised the first thousand troops will be ready in a month. Then they need to be brought to life.”
Gallia winced and breathed a heavy sigh.
“I haven’t even spoken with Gramner yet... So, you won’t be getting your golems any time soon.”
“That’s quite the long time to wait,” I winced.
“I know,” she shrugged her shoulders. “But don’t you worry. I think the craftsmen are just covering their bases. They’re purposely asking for longer than they need. In any case, I’m not going to be tough on them. The pace will pick up after they get the hang of it.”
“I really hope so,” I said. “We don’t have much time left...”
* * *
“THEY’RE READY,” MURK said and nodded at the door behind which seven aspiring hunters were waiting for me.
“Then let’s go,” I answered and opened the door first.
There were seven foxfolk in the reception room. Four foxmaidens and three foxmen. Levels over thirty. All jewelers. I ran a Reveal Essence on them all right away.
Hm... As Murk said, all of their main professions are beyond level two hundred fifty. In other words, they all hit the ceiling first with Clay at one hundred fifty, then from there used whatever they could get their hands on. And then their rise ground to a halt due to a lack of high-level materials.
Other than Jewelry Making, they all had approximately level-twenty stats and skills such as: Masonry, Mining, Crafting and Smithing. Overall, the four had worked pretty hard on their development. At the very least, that would save me a huge number of tablets.
When I came over, all seven of them stood up. I looked all of them in the eyes one after the next. Despite their respectable ages and positions in society, they were noticeably anxious, and a few looked like they were getting cold feet. And no wonder... If I were in their place, I’d be feeling weird, too. Murk got them all together in secret and, without a word, brought them to me.
“I know you’re surprised and alarmed,” I started. “No one has explained a thing to you but, believe you me, this was the way it had to be. For your own safety.”
They all gave a noticeable shudder. And started trading sheepish glances.
The most senior of them spoke up.
“Sir Magister, we understand darkness is already near. War is on our doorstep. But we are not warriors. If need be, we would all take up arms and stand on the walls, but...”
I raised a hand to stop him.
“Esteemed master craftspeople,” I said in a reassuring tone. “By all appearances, we’re having a misunderstanding. No one is planning to force you to take up arms. On the contrary... The safer you are, the better it will be for all of us. And by ‘us,’ I mean the whole Order and city.”
The craftspeople again exchanged glances. Based on their timid smiles, my words had reassured them a great deal.
“Then what do you need us for?” the red fox asked. “And why all this secrecy?”
“Patience,” I said. “You’ll learn everything very soon. But first I have something to show you... Come with me...”
As we went down the stairs into the treasury, I continued:
“As you know, our supply has grown stronger.”
The craftspeople responded with approving cries.
“It was a miracle!” said a short foxman who walked with a wooden cane. “I was shocked you pulled it off! I hadn’t stood up in many years. And now look at me ― walking around on my own two!”
I smiled. The additional thirty points of regeneration had put many back on their feet. Murk told me that the news of the wonder city that heals and refills supplies had spread like wildfire around the area. A few leaders of steppe tribes had asked to meet with me.
“Today you will learn the secret of why,” I smiled and opened the door to the treasury.
The craftsmen followed me cautiously. They turned their heads in a daze and stared at the mountains of crystal.
“Oh, forest spirits!” the oldest craftsman shouted out in astonishment. “But that’s...”
“Yes,” I smiled. “I think now you understand how we transformed the supply.”
“It’s an honest-to-gods miracle!” one of the foxmaidens said, her voice quavering.
“But you still haven’t said what you need us for.” The old man was first to come to his senses.
“I want you to start creating crystals of mana, life and energy. As well as confinement crystals. Those can be made of that black granite over there.”
The foxfolk were transfixed and turned their heads where I pointed.
“Sir Magister,” the old man said contritely. “Most likely, you were misinformed... From the bottom of our hearts, we would truly love to help you create these artifacts. But alas, our crafting skills are not high enough. The floor for working these stones is three hundred fifty. But that’s only half the trouble. Even if by some fantastic means we are suddenly able to get to that point, there’s still no way.”
“I know that,” I nodded calmly. “Because you need recipes.”
“Exactly right, sir Magister,” one of the foxmaidens said. “Finding such recipes is a great stroke of luck! It’s practically impossible!”
I smiled.
“Esteemed master craftspeople! I am perfectly aware of everything you are telling me. And believe you me, I would not have brought you here for nothing.”
The foxfolk again started trading glances, shifting from foot to foot.
“So then,” I continued. “Let’s start from the beginning. From this day forth, you will be inducted as magisters!”
In response came a joint sigh of astonishment.
“After that, you will all choose the path of Vanquisher of Darkness. That way you’ll be able to enchant items using dark orbs.”
I nodded to Murk standing not far away.
“I left a reserve of dark orbs behind for you, sir magister.”
The albino nodded to confirm.
“Other than that, you will all be unlocking magic supplies this very day. Murk already has the tablets.”
The craftspeople stared at me unblinking.
“Beyond Intellect tablets, you will be provided sufficient silver tablets to bring up your skills such as: Jewelry and Blacksmithing, Crafting, Masonry, and the Mind characteristic.”
The foxman with a cane cleared his throat loudly.
“But that isn’t all,” I said. “In order to lighten the load, I bought all the best tools in the gnomish capital and outfitted a number of workshops, which you’ll find in the next room over.”
Silence fell over the treasury.
“And to top it all off,” I smiled and took out seven scrolls. “Each of you will be receiving one recipe.”
The foxfolk stared wide-eyed at the scrolls in my hands.
“Esteemed masters of your trade!” I exclaimed triumphantly. “Mark this day! For today, your people shall ascend to a higher level of progress. Your masterful abilities will make our warriors even stronger. Make haste! Do as much as you can, regardless of if it’s possible. The enemy is already at the gates! Get to work as quickly as you can.”
“Excellent speech,” Murk said after we’d left the treasury and the craftspeople had gone home to prepare to absorb the tablets.
“I sincerely meant every word,” I answered gravely.
“I know,” Murk responded just as gravely.
“Get them all in one place to absorb,” I said. “Have Mee monitoring their condition.”
“Yes, sir,” the albino nodded.
“Where is he, by the way?” I asked. “I haven’t seen him much recently.”
After his inborn ability to heal plants was unlocked, the gremlin had been racing from one end of the city to the other.
“He’s performing magic on the vines right now,” Murk responded. “And he’s doing a great job.”
Woah! Praise from Murk himself. That doesn’t happen often.
“I’ll tell him what you said,” I chuckled.
The albino just shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “go ahead, what’s it to me?”
“Are the warriors ready?” I asked, changing the topic.
“Yes,” he nodded. “Five hundred of the best troops. Fully equipped. Fifty of them are trap masters.”
“Excellent,” I praised him. “I’ll be needing them very soon.”
“I’ll be going with them, as well,” Murk came like a broken record.
“No, my friend,” I shook my head. “I need you here. I cannot leave Foreston to anyone else. With you here, I feel at ease.”
The albino breathed a heavy sigh. The Fang chieftain was spoiling for a fight. It wasn’t the first time we’d had this conversation. Not even the twentieth.
I’m not gonna lie, a warrior as powerful as Murk would be nice to have out in the Stone Forest. Especially in light of the fact that Tananth still hadn’t shown up. And meanwhile, he promised to take a few dozen powerful mages with him. The Great Forest seems to be a more restless place than ever before.
Deep down in his soul, Murk knew that as well, but he kept asking to go fight.
Shifting away from the slippery topic, I said:
“Keep an eye on the jewelers at all times. They swore an oath, but someone is sure to take note of what they’re doing.”
“Don’t you worry,” Murk muttered. “I’ll take very good care of them.”
“That’s good,” I nodded. “What I need most is confinement crystals. I’m going to put my most powerful spells into them. We can hand them out to troops with mana supplies.”
The albino nodded in silence.
Seeing his mood, I sighed heavily, then gave him an approving pat on the shoulder.
“Don’t be mad, buddy. Very soon you’ll have to do a lot of fighting. Do you think all these flying freaks just came out of nowhere? There’s another dark portal in the mountains. The necromancers are using its power to forge another army. And guess where that army is headed?”
Murk sighed quietly again.
“And I don’t need company in the Stone Forest just yet,” I continued. “But you know that...”
“Agreed,” Murk answered.
Seemingly, he had snapped out of it.
“First I need to scout things out,” I said. “Then bring up the size of the fort’s supply. If the supply is even still ‘alive...’ Then activate the city blueprint. Grow a couple sequoias. Only then can we start transporting troops there.”
“What about the Heart of the Forest?” Murk asked.
“We’ll have to summon a new keeper,” I said, stroking my chin. “But that’s after we dig in. That forest is teeming with dark beasts, and a keeper will need time before the seed puts down roots. During that time, they will be particularly vulnerable.”
“I see,” Murk nodded. “It’s gonna be intense...”
“You can say that again...” I snorted and, smiling predatorily, added: ”But it’s all gonna work out for the best. It has to. At the very least, we will do everything we can. We’ll tear all these creeps limb from limb!”
Murk growled in approval and bared his teeth.
By the time we made it outside, the sun was already preparing to sink beneath the horizon. Feeling satisfied, I breathed in the fresh night air and, smiling, said:
“Buddy, let’s go see Aunty Agatha! We should get a bite of something tasty. Because tomorrow morning, I’m warping out to the Stone Forest. So, I want this evening to be relaxing.”