The lich's empty eye sockets drank in the sight of the digging effort.

Everywhere in the forest, hills, and townships of the Promise now stood these ramshackle scaffolds. Pulley systems to rake up buried wyrm shards.

Scratch had been very expedient in organizing the project. So much so that there could be no doubt that he had foreseen the situation.

"Let's get a move on. We need this thing on the pile before someone claims eminent domain." He turned to Ritter. "Technically, this isn't part of our barony."

"The adventurers' guild has made public the location of the second segment."

"Yes. I mean it'd look pretty suspicious if we had started digging before that, right?"

"How does it look now?"

"..."

"Humans will find a way to claim what they want regardless. Their 'laws' will adjust to suit their needs."

Scratch tapped the side of his nose. "We're talking about the Reddington nobility here. They've got power. Battalions of it. What they want isn't the shards, they just don't want anyone else to have them."

"Which means you must defend them. Your strategy of cooperating with the human regime must end, and you must prepare for war."

"No, I'm giving them away."

-

It hardly took an instance for the goblin patriarch to be dragged miles upward by the lich's magic, until the highest clouds were below them and floating islands could be seen dotting the stratosphere.

"What would you say to the kishin of death and undeath when he is to find out you stole his possessions?"

Scratch gasped for oxygen in the thin air. "I'm talking to him now, right? I just want to say... legal property... de facto property... it's not-" The long, circuitous justification he had prepared in his head choked on the mesosphere winds. "I'm not really, okay!? Not really!"

They were on the ground again and he fell to his feet.

"I am not among your sycophantic drove. Do not play games with me."

"Right," scratch panted, getting good air back in his lungs, "you got it boss."

"You will not rid yourself of this treasure?"

"If I claim these shards as my property, this whole country and the next one will come bearing down on me, you're right about that. So we're pledging them as a donation to the reconstruction of Heiligdom. I've already made the arrangements. The family that has donated the most money into rebuilding the holy city will be awarded the pile of dungeon cores once it's finished."

"I see. And it will never be finished."

"Not for a long time. This way, the wealthy houses become natural allies in making sure the prize isn't expropriated before its turn, you see? Their resources can go towards fighting each other over the contest."

It wasn't visible on his osseous face, but Ritter's attitude softened. Well, that's alright then! Very clever. Here I am threatening you when you've taken such good care of my lands and my apprentice. Spirits sure run high when it comes to the forbidden world, let's both take learning from it.

"...Right."

"And you can guarantee the servants of the gods will go along with your little arrangement?"

"It suits my image as a former monster trying to earn redemption in Benesant's eyes. As long as the pile stays in one place and nothing much happens to it..."

"Let's ensure nothing does. I am giving you my last death knight."

"You really don't have to-"

But the lich had already summoned forth his servant. "My tower is destroyed, and so were most of its creatures. I'm taking your example and focusing on stealth over defensibility from now on. Adel here can guard the wyrm's remains."

The figure was one Scratch had spoken to days earlier. The reincarnated hero that had been with Beatrice's group. He was a pale, exsanguinated corpse with tense muscles clenching his batons as if he were enraged.

The edelweiss hero. He was the only one of them I could kill before they fled. He should be more powerful now that he is undead."

"...Lovely."

----------------------------------------

Adel was a famous face and clearly undead, so to properly guard the public treasure he had to be disguised.

'One of captain Beauregarde's men, lent to us for security' Scratch had said.

The knight family was under his thumb and their home far enough away that nobody visiting would have any expectation of recognizing the guard.

With his face covered and weapons drawn, he stood as a statue in front of the jagged crystal. All the more like a religious idol with the cathedral-esque dome now erected over the tall pile.

An oblong vertical tent of wood and straw had gone up to protect them both from the rain, the man and the treasure, and the wide open arches that let in the light made it seem like a public place of worship.

And suitably, too, the thing gained pilgrims.

-

"Your highness. duke Dichtershire." Constable Harkness quickly bowed in shock.

"Don't- I am incognito." The man said.

He was a tall and broad man, elevated among mortal men by a superior bloodline and a mighty mustache. It seemed rather silly to expect the public not to recognize him, but there he was in civilian clothes.

Really, incognito meant the pomp and circumstance was dialed down today.

"I have come to marvel at your generous collection!" He wiggled his mustache jovially. "I heard that the very day my daughter and her friends uncovered the location of these dungeon cores, the baronet of the Promise had dug them up. Isn't that quick thinking?"

"The baronet would have sold tickets. Just to see the pile. If I hadn't weighed in."

The duke's mood somewhat soured. "Lesser nobles have a fondness for gold. My barons that were so desperate and cloying for more stipend now spend hand over fist on extravagance. Suddenly, this goblin nest finds defenders among the men of influence in this realm. Can you explain that?"

Harkness looked at him in shock. "If the Baronet is spending bribes. Your highness. I swear I will stop at nothing. To find-"

"Save your energy, save it. I'm sure if you were capable of such you already would have."

The masked defender moved its head looking around the hall, sending on of the visiting parties into nervous giggles.

"The house of Dichtershire has no voice at the royal court... We are in decline. My only heir has lost her marriage prospects and now wanders the realms as an adventurer. Everywhere new fonts of power are appearing, money lenders and their paper, criminal syndicates as populous as mine own capitol... do you have any idea what your master's scheme will bring about?"

"I..."

The duke looked off into the distance. "It's already happening, ambitious houses spending fortunes on the new holy city. They consider the money an investment, and if their donations don't measure up, they must spend more not to lose that investment. Do you understand? What choice does a man have between spending an additional 500 gold to make up the difference and losing the 500,000 he has already committed? And so they will bid against each other, more and more, in great excess of even the value of this... monstrosity. Eventually, all the pious houses will be impoverished or gone. What will be the levers of power then? Huh?"

The constable straightened himself out and put on a dutiful expression. "Your highness. If I may... My own family has lost prestige as well. After I'm gone it may be disbanded all together. However. I believe that our honor outlives us. Order and justice will be victorious. In the end."

The duke laughed. "Look at you. You have no idea what goes into the making of a nation, do you? Old fool." He clenched his fists, and fire came out. "Even now I could reduce this town to char until six meters down into the soil. It is power that will be victorious in the end."

"...You would destroy the Promise?"

"The current politics do not permit it. But that is all the power he has... politics, gold, secrets. These are mere illusions held up by might and magic. A king that can see the threat he poses will strip him naked of his garbs of title and property. That is why he will seek to control the levers of true power before he reveals himself."

"Then you agree with me. That this 'day goblin' is just another monster. No different-"

"Pay attention constable!"

All around could hear him, and the guard fixed his masked gaze upon them.

"This mercenary is only the beginning. The baronet will soon try to use his resource and influence to obtain a real military force, loyal to him over the realm. This must be stopped. Do not let him build up true power before his nature is revealed. Do I have your cooperation on this."

"I- you have."

"Good. You will be our man on the inside. My men will be in contact with you."

"Yes, sir."

-

The doppelganger didn't break character until he was miles away from the goblin town.

Then he let out a manic cackling.

"Who would have thought that the best use of this august form would be not within the royal walls, but among the chattering streets of this faraway business?"

"Most delightful as well..." he shadow chuckled, "that Severus Harkness, who is so in love with justice, will be our accomplice in acquiring all those shards for the forces of evil."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"Come then." The doppelganger said. "Let us report our dastardly doings to lord Abyss."

"He will be most pleased!"

----------------------------------------

The doppelgangers had not escaped the notice of Lydia's spies however, and she was soon able to whisper it in Scratch ear.

"I see..." he said, keeping one eye on his guest, "no... let's keep this on the down low for now." He touched her wolven hair as she stepped back.

"A verevolf." The countess held up her nose. "I zhought I smelled vitchbeasts."

"Miss Fleder, how can I help you?" Scratch said in a placable tone. "I would offer stabling, but most visitors are... differently mobile."

Since the end of the war, with the breaking down of legitimate business, the smuggling node that was the dungeon's cavern had exploded in size and activity. Besides ships and warping mages, there was now a tall, long platform casting a shadow from the forge's orange light.

Bandit kings and corrupt nobles landed their wyverns there to trade stock or forbidden artifacts, but countess Fleder had brought a flying carriage. A black thing with leathery wings, pulled by black steeds with evil red eyes and bat wings of their own.

"What are these? Vampire horses?"

"Zhere's no need. I vill not be here for long, I vill simply retrieve mine son and ve vill leave togezher."

She stepped out onto the flight deck and paused for a moment, taking in the scale of the industry further on in the cavern. The clanging of metal reverberated strongly through the cave's mouth, and the platform workshops and machines towered high stacked on top of each other as they were. The hive of heat, noise, and light had grown larger than any count's castle.

A hint of a frown formed on her pale white face.

"This son of yours... would be another vampire?"

Whatever pondrance she had had sprung from her mind as she fell out at him. "Don't play stupid, dungeon master. I have my informants. Noss Fleder is a known figure in these parts. Now that his father has been ousted, he and I can return to Fleder castle and be a family again. Would you try to stop me? Where are you keeping him?"

Scratch sighed. He gestured at his retinue to move the carriage to the side. "Ma'am, you are free to look around the premises, I will not close my doors to any friend of the guild. But I can not guarantee your son will be there." He showed her the stairs, but she leaped off the flight deck and transformed into a monstrous bat.

-

Roaming around the dark shadows of the stalactites, casting her beaming vision upon the forge and market and shore, countess Fleder terrorized the people and dragon bats for hours afterwards.

Lydia and Scratch sat on the drapes of the devil altar observing her until deep into the night.

Even when day broke, she folded herself between the stone rather than come down, planning to resume her search the next night.

"Is Noss hiding?" Lydia asked.

"He's having a sleepover in Eston." Scratch said. "The countess invested a lot of money into being a thieves' guild confidante, I'm sure he'd understand if he knew the value of money."

"But why? I mean... she may be an arrogant snob, but so is he."

He looked at her, staring wistfully into the the dark cracks of the cave's ceiling.

Lydia had been denied the support of a family, Noss had thrown it away.

"I can't speak for Noss, but the lich told me vampires almost never turn someone of the same breeding as them." Scratch said. "They live on hierarchy. If one isn't stronger than the other, it turns to fighting. The Fleders were both from Count families, so..."

"A loveless home, huh?" She yawned. "You wouldn't expect it from a highborn family."

"It's love that sparked the trouble," he said, "the count wanted his wife to share eternity with him. But making her a vampire made her his enemy. Since Noss is spawned from the both of them, I'm sure he expects the same thing to happen."

"That's tragic... hey Scratchie?"

"Hey?"

"I think we'd make a great vampire couple."

"You say that because you'd be top of the hierarchy, don't you!?"

She laughed and tumbled on top of him. Pinning him. "I'm tired."

"Let's not go to sleep here. A devil altar can do nasty things."

"Scratchie I'm tiiiired." She pouted. "We've been up all night."

"We'll cozy up in Lacrima's old hut, it's close by, and Alpheba's out."

"Yeah~"

----------------------------------------

Lacrima had had a hideaway on the Promise's underground docks in her time in exile while she still had her human form.

The surrounding boardwalks were still busy day and night with goblins loading and unloading sloops of forbidden and stolen wares. Mundane smuggling goods that still fared from over the muddy

smuggling routes through the dungeon and onto the merchants vessels of Eston.

With the shadow banks and high priced warp smuggling, one would almost have forgotten about the enterprise. But Barbara's children were still there, forgotten or not, and they continued on with the only life they had ever known.

"Who's in charge of these boys?" Scratch said. "I haven't been here in ages, who's the broodmother?"

"Lucky keeps an eye out," Lydia said.

"Lucky? Oh the alchemist. They take that?"

"Why not?"

"As an apprentice he spent a lot of time helping his master abort goblin births. You can kinda smell it on him as a goblin. You know they'd feed the woman something and then they'd cut up-"

"Hey shush, you're wasting the mood." She quickly opened up the cabin to rush him in, but it wasn't empty.

-

The hut was creaky, quickly deteriorating, and made of wood.

There was one large open space, normally somewhat divided into sections by carpets and furniture. All of that was cleared out of the way now for a runic circle sprawled in blood.

A bare-chested woman was bound to a pole in the middle, her eyes rolling madly, and hooded figures encircled her, chanting a soft solemn hymn.

As the two burst in all looked up.

"Ai. Sorry." Lydia closed the door. Then, less than a second later, opened it up again. "Wait just one minute. What is going on here?"

"Youthere." Scratch said, "you better have a damn good explanation for this."

One of the smaller figures threw off his hood, revealing the incubus Scratch had formed from Lydia's mind. His eyes still covered by his bangs but his mouth a wicked grin. "Master! As always I am your humble servant. This service... a surprise! Nothing that you wouldn't approve of... I..." the familiar began to hesitate as Scratch took control over his arm and brought the nail of his thumb directly over his eye ball.

"Go on..." Scratch said, "you got Cyclophan not to tell me about it, how and what for?"

"Don't bully your little friend so much honey." A voice said.

It was the bound woman, but she spoke with a voice not her own.

"After all, we took away their goddess of indulgence. It's only fair we... give them something in return."

"Dither." Scratch said.

"It is me. And I owe you more than I believed. My power grows with every addict, with every doped up junkie, every gambler, every flash-crazed John. Your guild, Scratch, grants my this extasy. In return I will gladly store and distribute the stolen power of the succubi."

"Not... the goddess of love?" Lydia gasped.

"The goddess of lust! And sweet crimson!"

"You see, master?" Youthere said, now more confident. "This was your plan! To bring human beings under your power using addiction. This power becomes more tangible with a cult to the goddess.

Possessed thralls can receive the power of incubi, birth goblin spawn, and do it all with eager devotion! This is what we need to grow your power and legend!"

The incubus' hand moved away from his retina but then slapped him across the cheek. After that, Scratch released control.

"If it were my plan, I would have known about it. Who are all these people?"

They began taking off their hoods.

"My name is Reddan, and this is-"

"Don't- don't go all introducing yourselves."

"These are the acolytes to our new religion." Youthere summarized.

"They shall bring me the vessels for- hey!" Dither's explanation was cut short by Lydia cutting short her bindings.

"W-what happened? Where am I?" The girl was emptied of divine presence and came her senses dazed and fearful.

"It's going to be alright, I'm taking you away from these people."

"Master..." Youthere maintained his grin, "surely you agree that-"

"You come with me."

-

They found a corner to speak.

The eyes of the entire cult were on their backs, but they conjured up some illusion of a private conversation nonetheless.

"Don't you think if we give one god a creepy cult, they'll all want one?" Scratch said.

Youthere's grin closed into a dark smile. "Is that your concern?"

"No, my concern is you. I don't know why I keep you around anymore. Every time I am about to have you killed you somehow talk circles around me."

"Master, I assure you, I..."

"And talk normal. Goddamnit. Nobody else sticks to the fantasy theme as hard as you do, they all grew up here but they can speak normally."

"Excuse me?"

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just... tell me you can help yourself. Tell me you can stick around and advise me without trying to teach my kids how to bully each other, without putting the broodmothers against each other, and now... whatever all of this is?"

"Your will is law, master. I shall keep no secrets."

"And...?"

".... And only according to your will. I do know your will, I know you have the will to power master. You are not moved by petty concern for these pawns, you know how to use them for your ambition."

Scratch licked his teeth underneath his lips. Youthere had fallen back on his favorite trick.

At this point, he'd see him do it enough with Lydia and her countrymen. He'd even spelled it out for his master to copy.

Know what their source of pride is, and appeal to it.

Suddenly he saw the fun house mirror reflection of what his minion thought of him.

Fun house...? No, it was accurate. But at an ugly angle he'd never seen before.

"Okay..." he nodded, "okay. I suppose you still do have some use to me..."

"Master?"

"I was just thinking you're a virus. But a virus I can use. Instead of you infecting all my institutions, you can go stink up the enemy's camp."

"Then, in Blurich..."

"Blurich is out of the picture for the time being. Reddington belongs to me already. I'm sending you to Grienich." He looked at the cultists. "All of you've seen to much. Go outside, tell one of the trolls I send you to 'meet the dragon'. That'll sort things out."

----------------------------------------

The demon was already banished and the cultists already fed to the dragon in the underworld desert when Noss finally arrived back at the Harkness manor.

"Your mum's still here." Scratch said.

"...Here?"

"Down. In the cavern. Flapping about."

"Vhat is vrong vith him?" The vampire asked.

"Drunk." Quiet whispered.

Scratch tried to find the last drip of wine at the bottom of his flask but he'd already found it a few minutes before. "Well my wife hates me after I didn't execute the demon, again. This time after he kidnapped an Eston girl for mindrape. What's your excuse?"

The room was dark, all the hobgoblins were asleep either upstairs or in the underworld so only Quiet and Noss were there, neither drinking nor drunk.

"I said what's your excuse!?"

"I must be downstairs," Noss said, "before zhe sunrise."

"Stay here. I'm not thaaaat drunk." Scratch slurred as he slouched onto the couch. "Tell me... tell me about the kind of person you're trying to be."

Noss looked around. Quiet was adjusting the drapes for him.

The room faced the west so they had time.

"I do not know you for existential questions."

"I just wanna know. Did you always want to be a sorcerer, or was that Ritter's idea?"

He decided to humor the goblin lord and sat down next to him. "Alvays? I don't know. I knew I never vanted to be like my father, so captivated by vampirism zhat he forgot all ozher channels of power.

Ritter... I suppose he vere my example on how to be more zhan ones' birth."

"Yeah, you got an example. People are telling me everybody is just trying to be like a hero. Like that's everybody."

"...I zhink zhat's true. If not a real hero, zhen a vision of heroism at least. Zhis is a fun anecdote; in my home country all zhe little mortals vant to become inquisitors, but here in Reddington, zhey all vant to be dragon-slayers. Vhy? Different stories, different heroes, different ideals to live up to, huh? You must have a person you're try to be as vell, don't you Scratch?"

Scratch looked at Quiet. "How 'bout you?"

Quiet looked at the floor.

"Folks like us, we don't need to be anyone. We can just be." Scratch concluded. "Be whatever we need to be to get what we want, that's our power."

"Only tools are good or bad," Quiet quoted him, "a goblin doesn't exist for a purpose."

Noss gave a little befuddled laugh, briefly looking his age in dignity, "your goblins are birthed as slaves to your broodmothers. Zhat is hardly their creed."

Scratch closed his eyes. "I can be a hypocrite if I want as well. That's part of it."

He dozed off, leaving Quiet and Noss to stare awkwardly at each other.

-

After a moment, Noss got up to leave.

"Miss Vampire is still in the cave."

"I vill stay at zhe basement level. Zhe rock vill insulate my life-force."

He nodded.

He nodded back.

They had both nod.

"...Anyzhing else I should know?"

"Only... maybe it's a secret."

"Vhat is?"

"Scratch told me... a guard on our payroll overheard... the crown will soon demand the money printers for themselves."

"Oh.... Zhat's it? Zhe fake money scam? Vell... you have enough money."

"No. It's not just about seignorage. The royal court has no concept of monetarism, they will print money to appease the agitated peasants and they'll stoke hyperinflation worse than gold. If that happens, the entire thieves' guild will collapse. Our fiat currency is their main store of value."

"Do you understand any of zhe words you just said?"

"... a little."

"I'll tell you vhat I know," Noss said as he moved to the door, "in zhis vorld, zhe title of ownership is meaningless unless you are able to defend it. You vant to protect zhose machines, you need to be villing to protect it vith force. Some hobgoblins are not enough."

Quiet nodded enthusiastically. "I will have Puella fall in love with me. She's a powerful mage, our children will be strong."

"From zhe adventurers' guild? She's countess level, so zhe children vould be..."

"Ogres."

"Vell... good luck."

"Yeah," Scratch mumbled in his sleep, "good luck, hah."

----------------------------------------

Thracian Horse

Family: demon

Threat Level: D

Reward: 1 silver piece 2 gold pieces

Thracian horses are the flying mounts of death knights, dark sorcerers, and other evil demihumans.

You may recognize a thracian horse by its superficial similarity to the pegasus, as it possesses wings on its back. However, where the pegasus sports feathery wings, the thracian horse is all-black with leathery bat wings.

The thracian horse feeds off raw meat, and will snap at the throat of the mount of its rider's enemies. It seems that only the demonic master that summoned this horse is able to touch it without it trying to eat them, however, thracian horses have been observed turning on their master after being denied an outlet for their bloodlust for too long.

Thracian horses can not be found in the wild, as they are demons summoned to serve a master. Adventurers that find an isolated thracian horse must be wary of its master returning to it, and should not linger around its corpse unless they desire a greater challenge.

The canine teeth of the thracian horse are an alchemical ingredient and can be sold to licensed tradesmen at the adventurers' guild.