“We’ve repurposed much of what the kobalds had been using for their defenses. Their temporary walls have been reinforced and the main entryway is now riddled with kill zones in case they breach the perimeter. Although even with how well dug in we are, there isn’t much we can do about spell fire other than rely on our mages if it comes down to us needing a shield. We don’t have any shield generators, or any other support equipment we’d need for a prolonged siege defense,” the group leader said with a sigh.
Cathleen merely nodded in understanding without bothering to look at the woman while doing her best to radiate both confidence and resolve. She knew that in times like these, it was imperative that she be seen as a source of strength for the troops under her command. In many ways, her time serving in the center had prepared her well for the role of Battle Leader.
When she’d ruled the dorms, she’d learned how to project authority and command. Her position had also allowed her to hone her skills at not being seen when she didn’t want to be in order to catch people who weren’t where they were supposed to be. Her father had once told her that any job could serve as training for war, and he’d been right.
“Of course we don’t. The plan was for us to make our way back through the tunnels while enduring a fighting retreat. No one expected us to have the option of waiting for a rescue. However, that doesn’t mean we won’t take advantage of the situation now that we do,” she replied.
Gesturing toward the walls of the chamber, Cathleen asked, “Have all of the side tunnels been sealed?”
The group leader nodded, “The mage teams saw to that before anything else. According to them, the plugs should hold long enough for us to realize if the kobalds are trying to reopen them. And even if little monsters do, we have people watching for it,” she said before awkwardly changing the subject. “How long do you expect us to have to hold out?”
Cathleen continued to look over the encampment the Wackos had set up while still not meeting the group leader’s eyeline. She knew that while many of the Wackos and troops who’d signed up for this mission had been ready to die, now that they’d succeeded and would be returning to the city as heroes, they were all looking forward to their continued living.
Keeping her tone calm but firm, she replied, “Three or four days at most, I’d wager. We’re in contact with the city through communication orbs, and they’re still keeping most of the kobalds contained at their forward encampments. So, we likely won’t be seeing too many heavy assaults. That being said, there is no reason for us not to prepare as best we can for the possibility that the kobalds might surprise us.”
Sensing Knight Angelton approaching with Blackwood, Cathleen turned around and greeted him with a nod. “What’s the final tally?” she asked calmly.
While Knight Angelton remained silent, Blackwood spoke up, “48 dead. 27 still in need of more healing before they’re combat-ready.”
Unable to stop herself from sighing, Cathleen replied, “How are the healers holding up?”
This time it was Knight Angelton who was the one to answer her question. “About as well as can be expected. 11 of the deaths were healers. The ones who’d made it through the battle had more to do than they could manage. It may be a while until they’ve recovered enough to be useful. Regrowing limbs isn’t easy even if they hadn’t just spent the last few hours draining their centers healing people.”
Cathleen nodded in understanding before turning to the group leader and saying, “Get with our scouting teams and coordinate with them over what they’ve found remaining in the encampment outside the throne room. See if the dwarves and Populators left anything useful standing after they wiped out its former residents. Also, set up relay points on all the tunnel systems out of the central hallway. One or two scouts at each entrance should suffice. We don’t need to defend them, just have people watching them to provide us an early warning if we should be expecting an attack.”
The group leader offered a quick nod of understanding before walking away. She recognized a dismal when she heard it.
Cathleen met Knight Angelton’s eyes, indicating that she wanted a private word with him.
Knight Angelton turned to Blackwood and said, “Check in with Harrison and Dresden. I want to know how our supplies are doing. Food, water, spare weapons… all of it.”
Blackwood offered both Cathleen and Angelton a quick fist to his chest in salute before stepping away and leaving them alone to talk. His time in the army likely made it a reflex for him by now.
Keeping her voice quiet, she asked, “What are the troops saying? How’s morale?”
Surprising her with what might have been his version of a chuckle, Knight Angelton replied, “If you’d asked me that an hour ago, I’d have told you that nobody knows how to feel about what happened. But, now, the story being told is quickly becoming more legendary by the minute.”
Frowning in confusion, Cathleen waited for him to elaborate.
Tilting his jaw to call attention to a section of the camp behind her, he said, “Ms. Keening has been collecting interviews for her House Walker’s Link broadcast. She’s good at her job, I’ll give her that.”
Cathleen turned to look over at where Knight Angelon was staring. She could see Ms. Keening had taken over the area in front of the pile of dead kobalds. The smell must have been worth putting up with to add the ambiance she was looking for. Cathleen had to stifle a laugh at the line of Wackos waiting for their turn to present their heroic recollections of the battle for posterity.
Not turning away from the sight, Cathleen asked, “How has she been presenting the facts?”
Knight Angelton took a step forward to watch the spectacle alongside her. “Exactly how you’d expect. Lord Walker’s sacrifice to close the portal along with his self-resuscitation. Considering how nobody can offer any explanation as to how he did it, she’s making sure to highlight how impressive it was. The story she’s telling has everything; dwarves, Populators, astral invaders, anything and everything a legend needs to take root. While part of me wants to condemn her for playing politics, I also can’t deny that she’s relaying exactly what happened. I can’t even question her motivations as she truly believes everything she’s saying.”
Cathleen allowed herself a small smirk. “That’s the wonderful thing about fighting alongside a legendary figure before they become legends. We’re now part of that legend, every one of us. What we accomplished here shouldn’t have been possible. But, we did it. Having dwarven Battleborns show up alongside the Populators after it was all over was just validation for how incredible it was.”
Turning to stare up at Knight Angelton, she added, “You should feel proud. We saved not just the city, but a large portion of the Strates itself. We’ll be remembered as heroes. Isn’t this exactly the reason you signed up with House Walker? To fight the fights that need fighting, and to push yourself to your limits to advance your path?”
Ever the pragmatist, Knight Angelton replied, “I’m sure I’ll be sufficiently impressed with myself if and when we make it out of this mountain alive.”
—--
After making their way through the unfamiliar hallways and floors, Vera led their group through the front doors of the Center into an area of the city Nero didn’t recognize in the least. While much like the other Gates he’d been in before, this one had its own style of architecture that made him feel like he’d arrived in another country. Sure, there were similarities to what he’d already seen, but it was definitely more ‘rounded’ than the other Gates he’d visited.
Almost every building was topped with a dome of some kind, and there were entirely too many arches in Nero’s opinion. It’s like whoever had been the architect for the area had been hell-bent on seeing exactly how many variations of a circle could be expressed before the people living here lost their minds.
Nero considered asking about why the different areas of the city, which for some reason he still didn’t fully understand were referred to as Gates, all looked so different. He might have heard why before, but he probably hadn’t been listening at the time. Unfortunately, his typical source of information was currently in a heated debate with Jennings about ethereal waveforms or something.
It also didn’t help that the moment their little group left the Center there were carriages already waiting for them at the entrance. Only after being shuffled into his seat alongside Vera, with Jennings and Nick taking the opposite seats, did Nero make the logical leap of realizing that someone must have used their link to call for them.
Looking across the carriage at Jennings and Nick, Nero wondered why he was feeling so annoyed at hearing them bickering so animatedly. He normally didn’t mind hearing either of them discussing sciency stuff, or at least it didn’t grate on him as much as it currently was. But something about the way they were so focussed on each other was pissing him off.
‘Why hasn’t the old man teleported off back to his tower? Jennings usually disappears when he’s finished doing whatever he’s shown up out of nowhere to do,’ Nero thought to himself.
In a rare bout of self-awareness, he recognized what the problem was. Nick was in many ways his best friend, and Jennings was something along the lines of a mentor for him. Seeing the two getting along without the focus of the conversation being about him… he found it weird. Jennings was basically a work friend, while Nero and Nick’s relationship was more personal. In the great words of the philosopher Costanza, ‘Worlds were colliding’.
Turning his attention to Vera who was sitting alongside him, Nero thought about starting up a conversation of his own to distract himself. Unfortunately, she was currently staring out the window at the city. The link on her temple made it obvious she was currently in the middle of something.
She also had that look on her face that women get after they’ve successfully won some sort of social conflict. The same one he recognized from the time he and the girl he’d been dating at the time ran into her ex. Specifically, the one she’d had after remarking to him that her ex’s new fiance was a bit on the chubby side. Or when his mom had returned in victory from meeting with the various clubs she used to run. It was the same look guys got after they triumphed over their friends in their community softball league. He’d even used to see it in the mirror after he’d spent an evening enjoying a winning streak on whatever favorite competitive console game he was into that month. Vera was obviously feeling quite happy with herself over how well she’d played the Tower of Law, the military, and who knew how many other people Nero had no idea about.
‘Good for her,’ thought Nero before deciding to let her be.
Turning his head to look out his own window, he let Nick and Jennings’ conversation fade into the background as he took a moment to enjoy watching the city he’d just saved from annihilation. It was hard for him to imagine that all these people had been at risk from what the kobalds had been doing. The mountain seemed so far away. In fact, everywhere he’d been since he’d arrived in this world seemed so far away.
Back home, on Earth, it took leaving on vacation to get the feeling of being someplace else. He’d go years experiencing almost the same things wherever he’d gone. No matter where he was, he’d see the same fast food chains he’d recognized along with the same streetlights and the same convenience stores. Everything always looked pretty much the same wherever he was.
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But here, everything was always so different. He’d spent time in completely different environments, one day right after another. It was jarring.
Here he was, riding in a carriage of all things through the middle of an unrecognizable part of the city, while just a few hours ago he was in the middle of a dark and dangerous mountain fighting lizard people. Had he been a lesser man, he’d probably have lost his mind by now. The thought caused him to chuckle to himself silently as he watched people go about their day out through his window.
Despite how much private contemplation he was indulging in, the trip to the teleporters was still faster than he’d expected, and he soon found himself hopping down from the carriage along with everyone else.
“You shouldn’t have any problems with anyone bothering you for a few days. So, feel free to enjoy your time at your estate. I’ll check in with you when I have a better idea of what our next steps should be,” Vera said to Nero while dismissing all the people who’d tagged along with her for support.
Hearing what she’d said, Nick chimed in to say, “I’ll contact you tomorrow to let you know when the testing facility will be ready for you. There are still a few things we need to analyze about your newfound condition. Be sure to note any abnormalities with your magic or anything of interest that stands out to you concerning your physical body.”
Jennings, looking every bit the archmage he was, stared down at Nero imperiously while adding, “And I’ll be visiting your estate tomorrow to discuss a few things with you. Be sure to rest while you can, because there are quite a few meetings you won’t be able to avoid in the near future.”
After that, they sent him off through the teleporter to his estate, and Nero found himself arriving at the familiar pagoda entrenched teleporter pad he recognized from the last time he’d been here.
He didn’t know how she knew he was coming, but that woman who’d claimed to be his personal maid or something was waiting for him.
Blinking away the last of the teleporter lights, Nero looked over at her and asked, “Mrs. Davidson?”
She replied quickly, “Just ‘Ms.’, my lord. And it’s ‘Davis’, not ‘Davidson.’”
Nodding in confusion, Nero allowed himself to be ushered through the front gardens and into his estate. He listened quietly as she gave him an update on how his estate had been running, referring to several people he only half-remembered having met.
Apparently, Mrs. Warren, who was his estate manager had successfully rehired enough people to get the estate back to full staff. She also said something about the kitchens that Nero didn’t quite get. Meanwhile, Mr. Cochran, who Nero thought he remembered as being the guy who’d been introduced to him as his butler, had finally finished acquiring Nero’s new wardrobe. She also mentioned a few things about his training grounds and his household guard… whatever that was.
Nero felt like he’d stepped into a period piece about 18th-century British nobility, and the feeling he’d been having about being somewhere unfamiliar only grew worse.
The moment he recognized the master bedchambers, he quickly stopped her from following him into the room, claiming that he needed a shower and a nap and that he’d continue with whatever she was saying ‘soonish’.
“Will you be requiring anything special for your evening repaste, my lord?” she asked with a small smile.
“Uh… No. Anything is fine. You can just bring it here. I’ll be eating in my room tonight. Just wait like… an hour. Yeah, an hour should be good. As I said, I’ll be in the shower,” he replied while slowly closing the door in her face.
Sighing in relief, he held the door closed with both hands while leaning against it and staring at the floor. As cool as it was to have a personal maid or whatever Ms. Davis was, it was also kind of exhausting. It was weird to come home from his adventure only to immediately receive an update on everything that had been happening while he’d been gone. He felt like he finally understood that old trope about 1950s husbands getting pissed at their wives for bothering them right after having gotten home from the office.
Even when he’d lived with a woman or roommates, he’d never experienced anything like this. Hell, the closest he’d come was when he’d lived with Sarah. She used to pelt him with updates about how her day had gone from the moment he walked in the door. But that wasn’t all that different than how most of his male roommates had been either. The best roommate he’d ever had was a guy named Patrick whom he’d rarely ever spoken to. That dude knew how to give people space.
Having finally recomposed himself, he walked off through the ridiculously large room toward the shower. He once again noted to himself how stupid it was to have so many couches all over the place.
Muttering to himself, he said, “At least Ms. Davis was talking about stuff that was remotely relevant to me. I probably should try and remember to listen more closely to her when she goes on like that.”
Stripping off his clothes, he dropped them on the floor near the bathroom in a pile. He’d also have to remember to ask her where he should leave them. While he normally wouldn’t care, she’d been so ‘on the ball’ with everything that he felt like he was living in a hotel. One that he not only owned, but was responsible for. He felt like he’d be embarrassing himself by looking like a savage in front of the prim and proper woman.
Shaking off the weird energy he was feeling, he took his time in the bathroom, enjoying his shower as best he could.
By the time he finally walked back out into his bedchambers, he felt like all the stress he’d been under had vanished into the ether. Rain showers were just as amazing as he’d remembered, and the fluffy robe that had been waiting for him was worth all the pain and confusing nonsense he’d had to put up with in order to earn it.
Nearly jumping out of his skin, he was caught off guard by the sight of several people moving around the couches setting up something on one of the tables. Behind them stood Ms. Davis along with two other people he sort of recognized. They stood in a line and watched as the people arranged his meal before quickly shuffling off to the side of the room to arrange themselves in a line along the walls.
Nero had no idea how he should be reacting, as he was still in nothing more than a robe and currently had a towel wrapped around his head because he’d thought it looked like fun when he’d seen it in the movies.
Their well-coordinated dance had completed itself in no time, and he was left standing there in confusion not knowing how to proceed.
The man to Ms. Davis' right stepped forward, politely asking, “Would my lord prefer to dine first, or get dressed?”
Nero looked around the room at all the people who were patiently waiting for his answer.
Several uncomfortable seconds passed before he said, “Yeah… this isn’t going to work.”
Various expressions of confusion flashed among everyone’s faces as they tried to interpret what he’d just said.
Calmly pulling off the towel from his head and laying it gently over one of the wooden chairs, Nero walked over to the couch which must have arbitrarily chosen as the one where he’d eat his meal for the day. “You all must know that I have no idea how nobility is supposed to act here, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ll have my own way of doing things. And for one, I’m not going to be getting dressed every day surrounded by people watching me. Sure, I’ve pretty much gotten over any hangups I’ve had about being seen naked by people, but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it. This is my bedroom for God’s sake!”
Nero did his best to explain to them that he didn’t need all of this pomp and circumstance and instead preferred privacy over efficiency. Surprisingly, it was the buttler guy who’d caught on the quickest. He dismissed the staff and ushered them all out while Ms. Davis explained to Nero where he should place his ‘soiled clothes’ after he was finished with them. Which she took great pains to explain was ‘anywhere’. She did, however, offer him a side-eye while removing the wet towel from the back of the wooden chair where he’d left it.
All the while, the final lady in their group watched over everything with a look of amusement on her face. After a few awkward glances, Nero remembered that she must be Mrs. Warren, his estate manager.
Despite not wanting to get dressed in front of everyone, he still ended up having to do so after Mr. Cochran took the time to show him where his closets were. All three of them got a good look at his naughty bits as he put on what could only be described as enchanted silk pajamas before he finally sat down to eat.
Rather than allow them all to just stand there watching him eat, he ordered them to sit down and join him.
Even with how tired he was, and how much he just wanted to eat and go to bed, he couldn’t stop himself from trying to live up to their overly obvious expectations. So, while chewing on what he thought might be some variation of a club sandwich, he asked, “Alright, so the estate is now up and running, and things are going well?”
Luckily that was all it took for the tension he was feeling in the ether to dissipate and for them to return to normal. One by one, they made their reports with Nero trying his best to follow along. Nothing to him stood out as all that important, but he did his best to still look interested. However, in the back of his mind, he couldn’t help wondering how much all of what they were talking about was costing him. He could only hope that his finances could afford their professionalism.
When he was finished with his meal, they dismissed themselves faster than he would have expected them to. They must have used their links, because the moment he set aside his plate, the servants reentered the room and began clearing everything. They even collected his robes from where he’d left them.
Suddenly, he was alone in his room, feeling somewhat caught off guard by the overwhelming silence. This being a noble thing was definitely going to take some getting used to. He felt like what he assumed Lara Croft must feel like after coming back from whatever adventure she’d been on to her own estate.
The last meal he’d had was a ration bar from his personal space, and now he was retiring to his harem-sized bed wearing these ridiculous teal pajamas.
Luckily, sleep came easy to him after he was able to remember how to turn off the lights with his link.
Who knew how many hours later, Nero woke up feeling refreshed. And whatever dreams he had mustn’t have been all that important, because for once he couldn’t remember them. A thought did occur to him that Ms. Davis might have been waiting in the room for him to wake up, causing him to shoot up into a sitting position to scan around the room for her.
But, happily, he was still refreshingly alone.
After taking another shower and enjoying his bathroom again, Nero got dressed in the new robes Mr. Cochran had acquired for him. He could tell that they were enchanted in the same way the ones Nick had lent him had been. Through his senses, he took a moment to probe them while wondering why he now had so many sets of them. If they were so easily cleaned, and able to change colors with just a little flex of his will, then why did he need more than one or two? Was it because of the different styles of cuts or whatever?
After looking at himself in the mirror and nodding in appreciation of his reflection, he felt the door open across the room without warning. He didn’t know for sure, but he expected Ms. Davis had probably been scrying him or something to know exactly when she should come in with his breakfast. Behind her came the servants, carrying his food on trays like they were performing a play. But, this time they simply dropped it all off before rushing off back through the door like good little minions.
Nero couldn’t help but feel a little conflicted. As a former minion himself, he didn’t know whether or not he should have gone out of his way to find out their names and get to know them. He also really didn’t want to, as he had a limited amount of power in his social batteries, and he knew it would be a waste of time. But, on the other hand, he didn’t want to turn into one of those assholes who treated the staff like they didn’t exist. There had to be a comfortable middle ground somewhere that he’d end up finding eventually.
He was brought out of his thoughts by Ms. Davis saying, “Breakfast is served, my lord. You should know that Archmage Jennings is waiting for you in your study. He was not happy to hear that you were still sleeping. It also seems that the teleportation redirection wards Lady Verena had installed worked as intended and delivered him to the front foyer when he’d arrived.”
Nero couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of Jennings showing up somewhere he hadn’t expected. While he hadn’t known Vera had done that with the wards, he also wasn’t surprised. Even a guy like Jennings would have trouble trying to outthink her.
As he took his seat and dug into what seemed to him to be some sort of lime-green oatmeal, he listened as Ms. Davis continued talking. Without pausing to take a breath, she took her seat across from him after he silently gestured for her to join him.
“You should know though, that while the wards worked as intended, the archmage made it clear that he wouldn’t be fooled by them again. He made a point to explain, in great detail, to Mrs. Warren that they had been a massive waste of valens. He further recommended something he referred to as a spell-bunker. When I left, Mrs. Warren and he were still in discussion over what creating one would entail,” she said while Nero ate his meal.
She went on to rehash much of what Nero had already heard the day before, likely expecting him not to have been listening when she’d told him. She had, of course, been right in that assumption. Although he had been listening, most of what she’d said had gone in one ear and out the other without being recorded. That being said, Nero was lucky enough to recognize a few familiar topics to realize what she was doing. He didn’t bust her on it though, as hearing it all again highlighted the importance of what she was saying. Instead, he just listened and did his best to understand how his estate actually functioned.
All too soon, his meal was over and he was on his way to meet with Jennings.
He did however get to enjoy the looks on the faces of his personal servants as held the door open for them when they came in to clear the table. It had taken him specifically asking Ms. Davis to wait until he was ready to summon them along with suffering the confused look on her face which seemed to be judging him, but it had been more than worth it. Seeing his personal staff’s uncomfortable expressions brought a smile to his face, and he’d gone out of his way to offer each of them an exaggerated nod of thanks as they passed him by out the door with his dishes.
Chuckling to himself, he enjoyed the feeling of exasperation Ms. Davis was putting off into the ether as she led him through the halls to wherever Jennings was.
