Lanek ascended to the meeting chamber to collect the bottles that Caelis had asked Talwarg to set aside. Peering at them, he couldn’t quite make out what they were, but decided to carry them back to his quarters where he could ask her about them directly. As he entered the office portion of his quarters, he found Caelis already waiting for him.
“Hi, Caelis. Before we start, can I ask you why you had these bottles set aside for me?”
“Oh, those. Those bottles are some of the finer liquors and spirits that were produced in the city.”
Lanek’s eyes lit up. “The labels are pretty worn, could you tell me what I have here?”
“Sure.” Caelis began naming the type of drink as she gestured at each individual bottle. “You’ve got whiskey in those two. Those four are wine, two each of red and white. The last two bottles are a spiced rum.”
“Holy shit, I think you just made my week!”
Caelis laughed at his reaction. “Well, I wasn’t sure if you would enjoy drinking them, but I did think they would make a fine option if you were to ever entertain prospective allies or were trying to get people to join us.”
“Yeah, that would work. Not sure they’ll make it that long.” Seeing Caelis’ concerned look, he laughed. “Don’t worry, I hate the feeling of being drunk. I won’t drink to excess.”
“I’m happy to hear it.” She said with no small amount of relief in her voice. “So, may I ask why you called me here? I’m sure it wasn’t just about the drinks.”
“It wasn’t. I wanted to ask you once again if you would like to try and form a contract with me and potentially get a body when I get my next slot. I know that you said that you would be of more use as you are due to being able to manage the monastery through your nodes, but Ivan is more than capable of doing that and is very comfortable doing so. Also, you did mention wanting a more hands-on approach to defending this place.”
“I… I am not sure. It’s been so long since I’ve had a body that I don’t know if I want to get my hopes up. What if your skill doesn’t work on people? What if you don’t get another slot? Also, wouldn’t I lose all of my levels?”
“I understand your hesitation, but I can reassure you on two of those points. I’m positive that I will get another slot, it seems to be what my entire class is built for. As for losing your levels, yes, you will have to start over. However, you can’t tell me that it would be all that difficult for you with your centuries of knowledge and experience. Really, the only concern is that it might not work on you.”
“You’re right about getting my levels back and I’m relieved to hear that you are sure about getting another slot, but I’m still worried it won’t work on me and that would be devastating.”
“Well, you don’t have to make a decision now, I just wanted to let you know that the next slot is yours if you want to try. Regardless, I’m going to head out with Liv and Ograch to recover more of your nodes as we discussed. That’s all I really had, just please consider my offer.”
“I will, but can I ask why you keep offering?”
“I just don’t like the idea of you being trapped here under the control of the dungeon. I didn’t like it when it happened to Kazuma or Idril and her child. You deserve better and I want to help if I can.”
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“Thank you.” Caelis whispered before excusing herself quickly. Lanek could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes as she left. Damn it all, I wish I could contact Eldros and ask him if it would work. I really want to release her from this city and give her the option to explore the world freely again.
Shaking his head, Lanek returned to the meeting room to get his barrel of ale. Once back in his quarters, he locked the doors and retrieved a glass he found in the desk. He washed the glass and filled it with whiskey before heading into the bathroom. This felt like a good night to have a drink and a nice hot bath before going to bed.
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The next morning found a refreshed Lanek meeting with the usual people as they discussed their plans for the day. He filled them in on his plans to head out with Liv and Ograch to find other nodes for Caelis, specifically at the merchant’s guild. Caelis didn’t know if anything had set up shop there, but it wasn’t as fortified as the guard headquarters had been, so it was less likely to have picked up residents.
Talwarg was going to continue training their warriors and trying to get the stairs up to the stable walls built while Nerek was busy preparing totems that he and his shamans were pumping full of mana. These totems would be placed in the main hall where each of them would be focused on providing a different buffing effect. One would boost stamina level, another would provide a basic regenerative effect, and the last would be focused on boosting morale. They would still need time to complete as they required a lot of mana, but they sounded like they would be worth it to Lanek.
Meanwhile, Ivan would continue work on improving the defense system with Khurzag’s cores. It was at this point that Lanek got some exciting news from the orc.
“My khan, I’m glad to see you back safely. I have news that I haven’t been able to pass on to Talwarg yet, but several of my hunters have acquired harvester subclasses. Two have received the subclass core seeker while another three have achieved the butcher subclass. The core seekers can acquire cores with a 100% success rate if they achieve the killing blow while the butchers will prevent the bodies of those slain by their parties from disappearing until they are done harvesting all of the meat and other useful bits. Outside of the dungeon, the butchers will get more useful materials and meat from their kills than anyone else, so I recommend that they be a part of every hunting party we send out, especially now that the preservation system is active.”
“That’s fantastic news, Khurzag! With an increased supply of cores, we can make sure that the wards stay strong and we can keep a large surplus around for anyone that needs them when evolving. Are the core seekers capable fighters?”
“I’d say so, my khan. They are both orc fighters working their way toward berserker classes. The butchers are all ideally situated for being hunters as they all have some variant of the ranger or archer class and fight from long distance.”
“That’s a good combination of classes. I would say send the hunters out of the west gate today with some backup so we can start stocking up on hides and food before the winter. As for the core seekers, send them where you think best. Also, let the warriors know that they are free to pick whatever subclass they like, we are good to go now that we have some core seekers and butchers. However, if they still want to take those subclasses, I certainly won’t complain.”
“I’m pretty sure that we will have some people continue to take those subclasses since they are quite useful for personal use as well as for the group as a whole, my khan.”
Lanek eyed the orc grumpily. “You know, I would get on your case about the whole ‘my khan’ business, but I’m pretty sure that bastard Talwarg is putting you up to it.”
“Me, my khan? Never!” Talwarg said before ducking out of the room when he saw Lanek reach for one of his throwing daggers. “Okay, okay, sorry. The last thing I need is a dagger in the ass.” Talwarg yelled from the safety of the hallway.
Khurzag held his hands out before him while laughing. “Sorry, sorry. Yeah, Talwarg put me up to it. Said it would be hilarious.”
“Yeah. Hilarious.” Lanek growled, but laughed a moment later to show that he wasn’t actually angry. “It’s fine, I don’t care what you call me as long as you know that the title isn’t necessary.”
“Yep, I know. And I’m still happy to know that you aren’t some dictator. I’m going to have to take off now, lots of work to do and I want to put those core seekers and butchers to work.”
“Well, in that case, are you guys ready to go raid a merchant’s guild?” He asked Liv and Ograch.
Liv’s eyes glittered with avarice as her inner raider showed and she bore a predatory grin. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for someone to ask me that.”