Chapter 83: GoalsDay 95

  “We’ll go back to working on Nordselm’s Labyrinth today. This will be our main target over the next several weeks. I hope to finish it before the end of Summer.”

  Roxanne responds enthusiastically, “That’s wonderful, Master.”

  Sherry asks, “David, can you really tell how many floors a byrinth has?”

  “Maybe. I guess we’ll see.”

  “Is this one of your special skills?”

  “Not if I’m wrong. Anyway, I promised to visit the weird baron at lunch today.”

  Alina asks, “Should you take guards this time?”

  “No, we’ll meet at Bode’s Castle so armor should be enough. Sherry, Nordselm’s 23rd floor has dragons, right?”

  “Yes, Drive Dragons, which resist and can use all elemental magic. We’ll also face Mabreams and Pig Hogs.”

  “Right, let’s get ready to go.”

  ────────────────────────

  “This is only the 23rd floor, but we still need to be careful. I’ll hit everything at a distance with lightning and switch to other magic when needed. Sherry will call out the turns.”

  Dragons are no match for our solid vanguard. It’s good that dragon-kin don’t seem to mind fighting dragons. It’s just a name anyway. The double zaps from Errant and Wizard make a big difference. We’re able to fight a few at a time this way. My Assassin job seems to increase my stun rate. I can’t tell without a proper test. Right, almost forgot.

  “Let’s stop for a moment. I need to check something.”

  Nordselm’s Labyrinth

  First Job

  Max Floor

  Champion

  60

  Hero

  60

  Mage

  unknown

  “Alright, all done. Let’s continue. Oh, wait. It’s time for lunch, right?”

  Sherry responds, “Yes, almost.”

  “Let’s break here.”

  At home, Alina quickly prepares a sandwich for me and Roxanne fetches a cloth so I can wipe off. Sherry empties her Item Box so I can switch her to Runesmith. Zara and Sima go outside for sunlight since the weather is good. It’s nice that Alina mainly assigns outdoor chores to them.

  I warp to Bode and greet the guard. I’m allowed to walk to the duke’s office alone while armed and armored. OK, it’s a rod and a robe, but still. Ester, Gosr, and the duke are here.

  “Welcome, David. Baron Ester tells me you have some concerns.”

  “Yes, My Lord. You asked me not to discuss a certain matter involving Baron Ester.”

  “That restriction wasn’t intended to apply to Baron Ester himself.”

  “I understand, My Lord. Regarding the organization in question, is it something I’m likely to support or oppose?”

  “I’m confident that you will favor it.”

  “Thank you for your time, My Lord.”

  “Any time, David. Thanks for being careful, even if perhaps a bit too much this time.”

  Gosr eyes me suspiciously, but doesn’t even spare a gnce at Ester. This isn’t disregard, it’s trust. The duke called Ester above suspicion. Who gets described like that? Not a mere baron. Maybe Ester has some sort of royal appointment. I’ve been treating a possible Imperial Knight like gum stuck to my shoe. I should take the duke’s advice and be more polite.

  “Baron Ester, I’m ready to listen. Shall we go find a pce to talk?”

  “Yes, Lord Moreau. A room has been prepared.”

  Ester leads me to a small, enclosed conference room. No guards or spies in sight.

  ────────────────────────

  “Thank you for coming, Lord Moreau.”

  “If we are going to speak honestly, please just call me David.”

  “Thanks, David. You can call me Ester.”

  “Alright, Ester, please tell me about your pn to liberate the empire.”

  “The Imperial Liberation Society is dedicated to liberating the empire from the scourge of the byrinths.” [1]

  “Why give it a name that sounds like it’s the empire you wish to destroy?”

  “I doubt anyone else would make that assumption.”

  “Have other people declined for unspecified reasons? Maybe they didn’t run off to a duke to turn you in. Maybe some were attracted by the creepy name.”

  “Um, well, we’ll take it under advisement. Anyway, now that you know our actual goal, is this something you could support?”

  “Yes, at least in theory. I would need to know more before signing anything.”

  “Of course, David. But first, I’m interested in what you said about Curatar’s Labyrinth.”

  “I was oversimplifying. Curatar’s Labyrinth already has too many floors to be subjugated without concerted effort. Allowing it to continue for centuries more will make it impossible to conquer, if it isn’t already. Protecting commerce in the short term risks turning Curatar into a wastend. Eventually, the hungry byrinth will send out waves of monsters to threaten the entire empire.”

  “David, we are in complete agreement. That’s exactly in line with our core principles.”

  “Your group sounds a bit paranoid. This is good. I like it.”

  “David, it’s not easy to tell when you’re serious.”

  “Aside from saving the empire, why should I join your social club? What’s in it for me?”

  “Information, access, and support. Our library includes locations, maps, and advice. Membership eases access to byrinths and registration of subjugation. Support includes selling and buying of special equipment.”

  “Those are some impressive benefits, Ester. What will all this cost me? My undying loyalty? First-born child? Tell me everything. Don’t hold anything back.”

  “No, David, nothing like that. All we expect is for members to diligently fight the byrinths.”

  “Yes, that should be obvious. What else?”

  “You must maintain strict secrecy, that shouldn’t be a problem for you, and be willing to assist fellow members when possible.”

  “Is that st point a loophole? I won’t become someone’s vassal just because they need help.”

  “No, David. It just means to introduce a floor, give emergency aid, simple things like that.”

  “I’d do that anyway. If that really is all, how do I join?”

  “Great. All that remains is the practical exam. You will need to be able to reach the 34th floor of Curatar’s Labyrinth. We will observe your party fight on the 33rd floor and enter the boss room.”

  “I don’t mind the floor boss test, but I don’t like being watched.”

  “David, I thought we were past the excessive secrecy.”

  “That wasn’t absolute refusal, just something I need to consider.”

  “You will also need the recommendation of a current member.”

  “Is it possible to join without a recommendation?”

  “Yes, but that’s completely unreasonable at your age.”

  “So, there’s an age requirement.”

  “No, that’s not it. The sooner you join, the greater the benefit.”

  “Of course, but I’m not interested in joining the junior division.”

  “No, David, you would be a full member.”

  “Alright. How old do I need to be to join without a sponsor?”

  “That’s not the issue. Without a recommendation, you would need to reach the 45th floor.”

  “No problem. We cleared Curatar’s 45th yesterday.”

  “Very funny, David. Let’s keep this serious. When do you think you might be able to reach the 34th floor?”

  “Ester, you pushed hard for this meeting. Why would you doubt me now?”

  “Because your cim is completely unreasonable.”

  “That doesn’t make it wrong.”

  “The Duke of Harz is willing to recommend you. Let’s start there.”

  “No thank you. I have no wish to accumute more debt.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Not relevant. Will you allow me to join without a sponsor?”

  “No, David, I cannot in good conscience test you for the 45th floor.”

  “Alright, I’ll just clear byrinths on my own.”

  “Now you’re just being ridiculous. Why wait another 10 to 20 years to join?”

  “Years? It won’t even take that many weeks.”

  “Alright, David, we seem to be done here. Maybe when you feel ready, we’ll talk again.”

  “That would require trust.”

  “Exactly. Goodbye, David.”

  “Goodbye, Ester. Good luck with recruiting.”

  ────────────────────────

  Rather than wander around aimlessly, I backtrack past the duke’s office to find my way out. Unfortunately, I get caught.

  “David! Please come in. How did it go?”

  “The organization sounds very interesting. I agreed to join, but Baron Ester won’t allow me to be tested.”

  “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It’s basically a ck of trust. As you know, I ck credibility.”

  “How bad did the argument get?”

  “No yelling and I stayed until Baron Ester ended the meeting.”

  “Ah, that’s good news.”

  “Speaking of, my engagement to Lady Mirabel has been approved.”

  “Congratutions, David.”

  “Thank you, My Lord. Your letter was a significant factor. I deeply appreciate it.”

  “Good to hear, David. Do you pn to move to Valois Territory?”

  “Possibly. I have some work to finish up closer to home.”

  “Work?”

  “Mind if I expin ter? My party is waiting for me.”

  “Fine, David. Stop by again soon, so we can continue this discussion.”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  ────────────────────────

  Free at st, I take my usual path home through Vale. My party is gathered in the main room, waiting for me.

  “Hello, everyone. Sorry to make you wait.”

  Alina asks, “How did it go?”

  “The baron wants me to join a secret organization to subjugate byrinths.”

  Sherry responds, “The Imperial Liberation Society? That’s wonderful, David.” [2]

  “Yes, it seems to have some nice benefits. We’ll probably need to finish Nordselm’s Labyrinth before I can be admitted.”

  Roxanne jumps in, “Yes, Master, let’s get started.”

  “Yes, at a safe pace. Let’s get back to work.”

  ────────────────────────

  Zap, zap, fme. Zap, zap, whack.

  Fighting dragons is so much easier than dealing with nobles and administrators. I wish he would have answered my question about monitoring. Asking again would have looked suspicious, which it is. Restricting myself to Mage spells with chants would expose my party to injury. Even minor injuries would need someone to be a Priest while we’re being watched. No, that’s too much bother. Either I expose some secrets or I refuse to join.

  Refusing to join makes me look nonconformist, which is true, and exposing secrets makes me look dangerous, which is also true. If I’m damned either way, honesty wins. Well, limited honesty. According to Rutina, chant omission is at least believable. It’s also something that others should understand why I keep it confidential.

  Zap, zap, whack. Zap, zap, whack, whack, whack.

  How about my Wizard job? I could practice the 44th floor with just fire magic. Should I? No. As soon as it’s known that we can subjugate a byrinth, it’d actually be better to show that I have the Wizard job. In fact, I don’t really need Mage so much anymore. Triple spell casting is too costly to use continuously and I can always equip Mage again if needed, like Durandal. As long as I don’t mix spell types while being watched, I could probably use Wizard and Errant together.

  There’s a tug on my sleeve.

  “Huh? Oh, boss room already? Great. Let’s go with the usual attack pattern.” (Whatever that is.)

  Zap, zap, many whacks, and a few poofs.

  “Alina, see any crystals?”

  “Sorry, David, not this time. We did get some meat, though.”

  “Nice. Let’s go home.”

  At home, Sherry enchants Sima’s gauntlets with a Coral Crystal, just as she did for Zara yesterday. I feel bad to dey Sherry’s progression to the advanced version of Runesmith, but I’m getting tired of being the only one who can teleport.

  We sit down to a fantastic meal of dragon meat and pork spiced with dragon skin. Nothing could possibly taste this good. It’s probably some sort of charm effect. I just barely break out of it to see everyone else caught in the same spell. Sima is the next to break free when she urges me to heat the baths.

  We spend a nice, peaceful evening together.

  ────────────────────────

  Day 96

  “Good morning, everyone. I’ll make a quick trip to the merchant guild at lunch today. Otherwise, we’ll work on Nordselm’s as scheduled. Sherry, what will we face?”

  “Non-REM Golems are the new monster for the 24th floor. They resist and use earth magic.”

  “Golems hit pretty hard so be careful on the vanguard.”

  Zara responds, “Understood, Boss.”

  Last time we fought golems, Marcus had no trouble blocking alone with Theo mainly rushing forward. Now, with double the coverage, it’s a bit silly to give warnings. Eventually, Sherry gets my attention.

  “Good work, everyone.” (I assume.) “Time for lunch.”

  Sherry unloads some fish and other junk to me before I switch her to her real job and I zip off to the merchant guild.

  I ask for Luke and sell our extras while waiting. I brought two rge sacks so I wouldn’t have to use my Item Box in public. Luke comes out as soon as the guild clerk stops gring at me for selling so many low-value items at once.

  “Hello, Mr. Moreau, did you enjoy the holiday?”

  “Yes indeed, Luke. I visited a nice countryside fair. How about you?”

  “I helped out at the sve auction. Not so much fun, but I was paid well.”

  “That’s always good. So, let’s give you some more money today.”

  “Excellent, Sir. I won bids on one Bee, three Caterpilrs, two Corals, three Kobolds, and one Rabbit.”

  “Good. Any special weapons or armor to show me?”

  “Sorry, but I’m here if you have a particur request.”

  “Yes, I would like to get another tower shield made of Damascus steel or better.”

  I fork over almost 47k for the crystals and bids. I got over 6k for the junk I unloaded earlier so it’s not quite so bad. Of course, just selling a single item using one of these crystals will cover the cost of all of them.

  “See you next week, Luke.”

  I get home in time to eat lunch.

  Back at work, we follow the map and reach the boss room without difficulty. The boss is nice enough to drop an ingot of Damascus steel.

  ────────────────────────

  At home, Sherry seems to think I’m overly distracted so she just makes a Cord of Substitution. How can she know what I’m thinking?

  I hand Zasi their shell rations, which they gratefully accept. Alina convinced me earlier that it would be more meaningful if I gave out the shells personally rather than just leaving the sack in the kitchen. I appreciate that Alina respected my wishes by not pushing Zara and Sima to my bed. But, now that they came to me voluntarily, Alina will manage them like everyone else.

  “Zara, Sima, since today is shell day, would you like to join me in the bath?”

  Sima jumps up to hug me. “Yes, yes, Boss. I want this.”

  More calmly, Zara nods and says, “I agree. It is good to share heat for shell day.”

  Sima retorts, “Zara, it is always good to share heat.”

  Alina, Sherry, and Roxanne use a smaller tub and I prepare the big one for me and Zasi. The water is a bit warmer than I like, but tolerable.

  Under these circumstances, even Zara is rather affectionate. It’s just been a week and they already fit in so well. Of course, I may be a bit biased at the moment.

  ────────────────────────

  [1] In the LN, the duke recommends the MC to this organization, though not completely unselfishly (v11 c2).[2] In the LN, Sherry describes the organization in detail from the name alone (v11 c2).