Chapter 11

We managed to skirt the hullabaloo that had sprung up around the guild and made our way back to Lord Bauhaus’s manor.

“What do you suppose the reward is?” Nathan said, frowning.

“I reckon a bit of money, this is just a rank F quest, after all,” I replied, as the sturdy gates came into view.

“I dunno,” Laurel started, “It said the parameters changed, and I really feel like it suddenly got more…”

“more?” Nate interjected.

“…Just more! You know, this seems more impactful to the overall storyline than a simple ‘kill x baddies’ quest.”

He nodded. “You’re not wrong.I think we may have just gotten I good with the lord.”

“And that’s rarely a bad thing” I reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze.

“And here we are, ladies and gentlemen,” Nathan said, waving to the guard who was posted at the gate.

The guard snapped to attention, “Lord Bauhaus is expecting you,” He opened the gate and ushered us inside.

A butler met us at the front door, and quickly buttled us inside. (is that even a word?) As we were quickly and efficiently guided though the opulent and richly decorated hallways, we found ourselves in a study filled with leather-bound tomes and racks of scrolls. Behind a large, beautifully carved desk, sat Lord Bauhaus and Chief Ragweed, who had pulled up a chair beside him. They were staring at a map on the desk, which upon further inspection, proved to be a map of the province.

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Lord Bauhaus stood and smiled, “Welcome to my manor. I suppose you’re here to claim your reward?”

“Were it not for the need of common adventurers such as ourselves, we would just do it out of loyalty for the state,” Laurel uttered with a slight curtsey.

Lord Bauhaus smiled and waved dismissively, “No-one should ever work without gain.”

I quickly accepted the hand that the lord extended, and gave it a solid pump, “We gratefully accept your generosity.”

“Nonsense, you earned every bit of this,” He withdrew a bulging pouch of coins and let it drop to the desk with a satisfying clink.

He also pulled a small sheaf of wrapped documents from his desk and handed it to me, “Since the guild is, ah, indisposed for the time being, I’d like to offer you this as well, considering the aplomb you showed when completing the request, as well as the ingenuity to bring these new citizens to me, He smiled at the Chieftain who winked at me cheekily and took a sip of tea.

“Well Gentlemen, --and lady, We need to discus how we can enhance the infrastructure of the town to accommodate everyone…”

“Ah! This is my stage!” Nathan perked up.

“Beg pardon?” The lord asked with anintrigued look.

“Oh! I’m a civil engineer. It’s my specialty.”

Chieftain Ragweed’s eyes opened wide, “I’m an engineer too! What a coincidence!”

It was my turn to be surprised, as I had not a single clue that the Goblins were at all technically inclined. In fact, I had assumed that they were rather primitive, based on their clothing. I guess I didn’t look too close at the things the villagers had brought along with them.

“OK Nate, why don’t you hang around and help these guys. The two of us will go back to that Inn with the bird on the sign we saw on the way here,” I bowed respectfully, and left, with Laurel in tow.

Nathan nodded, "I got this, guys. See you tonight."

As we closed the door behind us, leaving Nate to flex his brain at the situation, Laurel whispered, “What was the paperwork?”

I had been wondering that myself, so I untied the string that held it together, and gasped. The paperwork had tuned out to be nothing less than…