Mab led the way out of his office while picking up two Dark Fairy escorts. Moving out of the cavern, the Fairy Queen led them through the main floor and up the tunnel to the surface.
“Lawyers or not, I am not about to let them inside the main building without an army backing them up,” she practically snarled. “And even then they may be hard-pressed to gain access. I have a few Saurians and several of my Fairies keeping them company. No doubt if they try something we will only end up getting sued.”
Matthias shivered. He had heard of the brutality some lawyers were capable of. They all wanted to be your friend if there was a good payout in NEX or rare materials, but the moment you were no longer useful they were only too happy to change sides. They used System Law as a weapon of mass destruction. He had even heard of an entire world going bankrupt and several races dying off as the System forced them to pay reparations for scuffing some high-powered Lawyers' boots. He had doubts that the story was entirely rooted in fact, but it still spread far and wide.
The group exited the tunnel into the sunlight, and he got his first look at the trio of lawyers that had shown up to speak with him. Dressed in immaculate grey pinstripe suites, the tall and narrow-shouldered beings were of no race Matthias had ever seen before. Long grey faces, small beady black eyes, large spectacles, grey skin, and five long grey fingers that looked more akin to spider legs than something that belonged on a hand.
The trio stepped forward the moment they saw him and then were actively blocked by Saurians and Fairies.
“Step aside so that we may speak with the opposing council,” the one in the middle said as he held a black briefcase in one hand. “Any additional attempts to prevent access to the opposing council will be met with suits from System Status one four six point three seven through one point nine three five.”
Matthias nodded to the large Saurian warriors as they stepped aside, letting him move almost within touching distance of the legal-based beings. “They have shown no overt hostility and are only preventing you from going into an area you are not authorized to be. No System law will penalize them for that, and you know it,” he said harshly.
None of the three showed even a minute reaction to his statement.
“You are Matthias R. Mob, correct?” the center one asked.
Matthias nodded in acknowledgment but the being continued as if, “I am the primary Attorney at System Law from Gremlin and Greyman representing All Creatures Incorporated for copy-creature infringement.”
Mab swore, the Fairies facepalmed, and Matthias was utterly confused. He recognized the company name from one of those who had bought Lizard-Kin eggs but was unsure why exactly they were suing them.
“I need more than that. How, exactly, am I infringing on a copy-creature filing?” he wondered aloud.
He knew exactly what the lawyers were talking about, but needed more information. Much like a copy-right, a copy-creature was a patent filed for a designed construct or creature that was created without System input and then registered with the System itself. The System was responsible for creating many things, but more often than not everything it did create was the most basic forms of what could be achieved with ingenuity, levels, and dedication to craft. You may find an enchanted sword or a gauss rifle that meets your needs, but somewhere there is a crafter who has made something multiple times more effective. For a price.
“The creature templates you have listed on the {BAZAAR}, one Lizard-Kin, meet and match the base template that was purchased by All Creatures Incorporated from one Trion Incorporated,” the lawyer drawled. “As we were unable to find any purchase agreement between Mob Incorporated and Trion Incorporated for the legal use of these templates, you are in violation of the agreement between Trion Incorporated and All Creatures Incorporated.”
Mab looked pissed and the lawyers smug, which is why everyone stared at Matthias as he started laughing. He, in fact, began laughing so hard, that his leg began to hurt again and he was forced to lean against Mab to remain standing. Eventually, he got his mirth under control and, wiping away tears, turned his smile on the now uncertain legal team.
“I have in my possession, by Right of Granting, a master template,” he said simply.
The lawyer went from grey to pale.
“You having come here has not only violated that Right of Granting, but also placed my company, my employees, and my profits in danger. Grave danger,” Matthias said, dropping the smile. “I will have no recourse but to retain council from my Sponsor in order to pursue reparations for the immense and near irreparable damages you have caused.”
The pale skin of the attorney was now clammy, sweat having built up across its skin. It pulled a handkerchief from… somewhere and dabbed away at its face and neck.
Seeing that he had them where he wanted them, Matthias dropped them an obvious exit. “Unless, of course, we can come to an amicable resolution that would resolve my concerns?”
“That is most doable. Please, allow us to inquire into what your needs may be?” the lawyer from Goblin and Greyman said, latching onto the very obviously placed exit from their quickly reversed situation.
Matthias nodded while Mab looked at him with a combination of confusion and startlement plastered across her face. “This meeting never happened. You were never here. The complaint was never lodged. The record was never made. The coordinates of this world are forgotten. Your client’s memory of the infraction was corrected. That is worth any level of reparations that you may provide in NEX,” he explained. “First, last, and final offer. In triplicate.”
“Accepted. Good day to you,” the lawyer stated. Then, tapping his ring twice, the trio vanished without fanfare or portal.
Matthias breathed out deeply as the stress practically rolled off of him. Mab draped an arm around him to hold him up while Bellator appeared from wherever he had been lurking with a glass of water.
“What, pray tell Matthias, in the seven names of the gods, pantheons, and Administrator did you just do?” Mab asked in bewilderment. “And what is a Right of Granting?”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Matthias laughed, almost choking on the water as he handed the cup back to Bellator with thanks. “We are safe now, at least from being sued over any templates inside of the master template. You see, that All Creatures Incorporated bought the template for the Lizard-Kin giving them rights for distribution. It probably isn’t a very lucrative market, as they don’t have the manufacturing capabilities I do, so suing me over the rights was a good opportunity to recoup their losses. I expected it to happen at some point, but not with the first template I used.”
“And the Right of Granting?” prodded Mab.
He sighed, “A Right of Granting is a System protected right that allows for the free giving of a resource, template, or anything registered with the System by the… owner…” he trailed off, his eyes going wide as he connected to very, very, important facts into an epiphany. “Unholy demon riding fuck.”
The Fairies around him chuckled at his use of profanity, but Mab just nudged him. So he explained.
“A Right of Granting can only be given to someone directly by the owner of whatever is being granted. The permission is not constrained, in any way, by previous agreements and is usually given out at a massive loss by whatever company or individual does it,” Matthias began. “I was given it to someone I found in the Trion Human Resources department, but Trion is owned entirely by one Argyle S. Hellfyre. An HR rep wouldn’t be able to grant me what he did. That… that means that the skinny demon I met was Argyle himself.”
Mab’s eyes went wide. She had never met Argyle in person, but she had heard the stories and knew well of the power of Trion Incorporated. They were, by far, the single most powerful Corporate entity in existence that anyone was aware of in any of the twelve realms or sub-universes. They made the Inferno Realms look like children by comparison with their savagery. They were cold hearted, quite literally had no souls, cared solely for profit and power, and were controlled by arguably the single most powerful True Demon in existence. One Mr. Argyle.
And Matthias had met him.
And made him laugh.
“I had no idea. No clue. He never gave an indication, even when I called him the wrong title,” he said quietly. “He was calm and collected, and let me make my mistakes even as he let me go. With everything I asked for and more. It really makes me wonder if he planned on me doing something in particular.”
Mab nodded, “Argyle is ancient beyond belief. Some believe him to have been the first demon, even before Samuel,” she said. “My personal belief is that he isn’t a Demon, nor a True Demon. Not as we know them. I believe he was here before them, before us all, and will be here long after this universe and reality have crumbled into entropic nothing.”
Matthias shivered at the certainty in the Fairy Queen's voice. Most beings were weak, never really tasting true power. Even with his abilities, he was only right on the fringes of understanding what he could truly do. There were more than a few beings out there, however, who wielded abilities that simply couldn’t be defined. That could alter reality, affect the System at will, or even end all life with a thought. Argyle may be one of them, and if so he could very well be on par with the Administrator.
That was a terrifying thought.
“Let’s… let’s not think about things we can’t fathom. I have had enough of that for one day,” he said with a chuckle. “Now, you said something about a Golem in the River Styx?”
The group moved over to the side of the reinforced channel that the wide moat had turned into. Matthias was happy to see a strong sturdy bridge, with a gatehouse and arching portcullis of stone that could be dropped into place, guarding the path. Leading them out onto the center of the bridge, Mab pointed downward into the water at the still form of the Golem.
“Oh yeah, I see it now. What can we do to… is it glowing?” Matthias began but stopped and shifted what he was saying as he noticed a deep blue glow around the construct. “It’s glowing, isn’t it? Is that bad? I feel like that can be really, really bad.”
Mab shrugged, “I have no idea. Usually, when something touches the water it just ceases to be. I have no idea why that Golem is starting to glow. It could be good, revealing a new production method or use for the Water of Styx. Or it could be bad, and the thing could come alive and be so powerful it annihilates everything on the island. Either way, we don’t really have a way of getting down there to check.”
“That’s not reassuring,” Matthias pointed out.
“I know,” Mab replied.
Sighing, he leaned against the railing, and they watched the Golem in silence. “Well,” he said eventually, “sitting here isn’t going to help us at all. Let's get back to our tasks at hand. Bellator, keep an eye on our friend at the bottom of the moat here. Let me know if it so much as twitches.”
“Of course Master,” the sentient construct replied. “Would you like a messenger or a report directly from me?”
Matthias thought about it then shrugged. “Either is fine. Whatever is more expedient. Use your own judgment.” Bellator nodded but remained silent. “Hmm. Did the Golems bring back any minerals? Iron would be ideal. I need to begin working out some more advanced tools, weapons, and armor.”
“Yeah. I think we have about a ton or so of iron and copper. Apparently there was quite a bit of variance in the node,” Mab said. She turned to a Fairy who held out a clipboard. “Hmm, that’s odd. Apparently the layering of the mineral type changed as they dug. Iron, copper, silicon, and small amounts of tin. Then it repeated as they widened the mine and dug outward. Very odd. Those minerals usually aren’t found layered like that.”
Matthias nodded at the information. He was beginning to suspect that this place wasn’t what they all suspected it was. But for now, he would set aside his suspicions and focus on what he could accomplish.
“Bring five hundred kilos of each material, or what we have if it is less than that, to the Assembler room,” he instructed. “Print up a few more Golems as well. I have the Assemblers being built right now to expand production, but we will need more labor. We are getting a bit stretched thin with the villages. The Lizard-Kin also need additional labor out there. I think another two hundred constructs should be adequate.”
Thinking about the Lizard-Kin suddenly made him stop in his tracks. There was one very important thing that he kept meaning to do but hadn’t yet. He needed to go talk with the Lizard-Kin Queen. Once she had hatched she had immediately gone into the hatchery and begun to lay eggs. With all the issues that kept popping up, he hadn’t had any time to actually stop and speak with her. Make sure things are going well.
Matthias made the quick decision to do that now while the material was being moved.
“I’m going to go see the Lizard-Kin Queen,” he told Mab and was concerned to see her wince. “Why. What’s wrong?”
Mab took her time formulating a response. “She is… less than amicable,” the Fairy Queen said eventually. “Even to another Queen.”
“She’s a stuck-up bitch,” muttered the first Fairy floating next to Mab.
“A complete see you next Tuesday,” complained the other.
He sighed. “Grand. So, this is going to be a hard conversation then. Any tips or pointers?” he asked, fully aware that this was going to be difficult at best.
“Don’t let her eat your head, even if she demands it,” said one Fairy. Mab glared at her pointedly as the tiny winged woman shrugged, “What? He asked.”
He made his way away from the group, leaving Bellator to his observations and Mab to her discussions with the other Fairies. He was safe in his own Headquarters, and hardly needed an escort to check on one of his own mobs.
Descending the ramp, he stepped through a doorway and into the Lizard-Kin hatchery. Immediately he was hit with a pungent smell of water and aquatic life, a slight fragrance of decay, and the sight of hundreds of eggs in various stages of hatching or being cleaned up by the Lizard-Kin caretakers.
Walking through the water, he waved at the caretakers, getting enthusiastic waves back. The little white Lizard-Kin were variants focused on nest and egg caretaking to support the Queen. As he walked through the hatchery, he noticed fewer and fewer of them present. Confused, as there should have been many more of them present, he stepped through the final door arch into the main hatching chamber just in time to see the massive Lizard-Kin Queen bite down on and finish swallowing a smaller caretaker.
“Fuck.”