Bob sat down outside the tavern in Holmstead and checked his messages.

Despite the range on the cell tower being limited, the messaging system had proven wildly popular. People would simply send their messages without the expectation of an immediate response. It was definitely a more relaxed attitude and one that he appreciated.

He had half a dozen messages, one each from Dave and Amanda, asking him to pop by and say hello, similar requests from Eddi, Bailli, and Austan. Finally, he had a message from Thidwell, which was a request to come see him as soon as possible.

Bob considered just how urgent it could possibly be, then sighed. Thidwell wouldn't have said it important if it wasn't. He didn't have a lot of time, he was only in Holmstead to pick up some prepared meals from the tavern. Kevin had done a bit of delving and had stepped up his cooking significantly. It had been good before, but now it was amazing. So amazing that it provided bonuses to attributes. The end result was that Bob was burning an hour of sleep to pick up a week's worth of meals for both himself and his feline overlord, for whom Kevin had promised to deliver kitty-appropriate dishes worthy of Monroe's magnificence.

Well, he hadn't said it quite that way, but Bob felt it was implied.

He rose and headed through the tavern, through the back, and up the stairs to Thidwell's office, where his assistant waved Bob through.

"I see you got my message," Thidwell boomed as he stood up from his desk.

"Just got it," Bob confirmed.

"These things," Thidwell gestured towards the cellphone on his desk, "are damned useful, although I'll admit that Jack's description of nationwide coverage is enticing, if not particularly practical for Greenwold, at least not at the moment."

Thidwell motioned for Bob to take a seat. "How many elemental affinity crystals do you have, and how many can you get in the next two weeks?" Thidwell asked bluntly.

Bob frowned and pulled four sacks out of his inventory. The Elemental Affinity Crystals weren't in nearly as high demand as the Summoning or Conjuration crystals. He dumped the bags on Thidwells desk and started counting Elemental Earth Affinity Crystals, while Thidwell started with Fire.

It was a matter of moments to tally them. "Twenty-eight Earth and Water, thirty Fire, and thirty-two Air," Thidwell rumbled his expression one that almost, but didn't entirely, fail to convey happiness.

"I'm guessing you seeded a Dungeon somewhere," he continued, "as I haven't had any reports that you've been in Harbordeep."

"I've got my own Dungeon hidden away," Bob agreed.

"Good," Thidwell grunted, "that's likely for the best. I did my best to try and keep you out of the spotlight, at least for the paths and crystals." He let out a loud sigh and shook his head. "The King appointing you as his liaison to your people has cast you in the light, though, and there are any number of greedy fuckers who feel that they ought to be the one levying the King's tax on your people and scraping a bit off the top for themselves."

"That was absolutely not my idea, and he didn't give me a chance to object," Bob replied, then grimaced. "Not that I would have, mind you," he shook his head. "I'm not about to argue with a goddamn Dragon."

"A wise position," Thidwell agreed with a dark chuckle. "Still, thirty-four million mana crystals," he shook his head, "the potential for graft has every noble in Harbordeep salivating greedily while simultaneously cursing your name. So, a friendly warning to watch your back." Thidwell's grin was definitely wandering into villain territory as he continued, "they've killed important people for a whole lot less."

Bob nodded. He was doing his best to suppress a panic attack. He knew that Thidwell had issues with the Nobles of Harbordeep, but he also knew that the man wasn't prone to flights of fancy. If Thidwell thought he might be in danger, then he probably was.

"Back to the crystals," Thidwell rumbled, "I need twenty-five of each."

Shrugging, Bob stuffed the leftovers into their sacks and sent them back into his inventory. He would need to start keeping a persistent effect Eldritch Shield spell up at all times. He'd done so before going back to Earth, but the mana regeneration issues over there had caused him to fall out of that habit.

"That's one of the things I like about you," Thidwell's voice cut through his musing. "You didn't ask why I needed them, you didn't ask for anything in return. You just accepted that I wouldn't have asked for them unless it was important, and you trusted me to make good use of them."

"Not like I can't dig up more," Bob replied, "and it's not like I won't have ample opportunity to do so as I gather the mana crystals necessary to hit tier seven."

Thidwell nodded. "Since you didn't ask, I'll tell you," he began, "I've got a dozen people from House Meer and another dozen from House Crenshaw who have agreed to reincarnate as curators. They'll be using all those stones, save for the set I'm going to use to seed the next four floors of the Dungeon here in Holmstead."

Bob blinked. "What do you need two dozen curators for?" He asked.

"As you may be aware, Jack is building a brand new city near the southern coast," Thidwell shook his head. "I know he was told that the snowfall that far south is measured in yards, not inches, but he claims to have a solution. He plans to have four Dungeons in the city, each thirty-seven floors deep, and then another twenty Dungeons outside of it, with one being twenty-six floors deep, then two on either side of it being eleven floors deep, then one on either side of those being six floors deep."

Thidwell shook his head. "He's going to have those arranged in a circle around the city, effectively pacifying the wilderness, allowing for a 'nature preserve,' with a system of parks, campgrounds, and 'rustic retreats.'"

"Why the difference in Dungeon depth?" Bob asked curiously. "Wouldn't four Dungeons at thirty-seven floors deep do the same job, more or less?"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Jack said something about 'themes,' and went on about having different Dungeons designed along certain expectations, how it would keep people engaged and ensure that the people who were employed as low-level delvers would be able to rotate through different Dungeons, which would prevent them from burning out," Thidwell grumbled.

"House Meer and House Crenshaw are examples of what noble houses should be, but the truth is that since my arrival, they've been overshadowed," Thidwell's smile was sharp. "They've never raised a fuss, but I know many of their members would like to have a more active role in protecting and guiding Holmstead. By sending their delegations to the new city, they're positioning themselves to be the noble houses responsible for it, which means they'll be responsible for collecting the tithe and sending it on to you."

"I can see that," Bob said slowly, idly musing that he was well aware of just how overbearing Thidwell could be. "But why both of them?"

"Truthfully, the only reason the houses are separate is out of respect for their ancestors," Thidwell grunted. "They've intermarried so thoroughly that their kids are taught who and how closely they're related to from the time they're five. It keeps them from developing an attraction to someone they shouldn't," he explained. "The long and short of it is that they've worked together seamlessly for generations, and it probably didn't even occur to them that they wouldn't embark on this project together."

"I hadn't realized that Jack's project was so far along," Bob frowned, trying to remember the last time he'd spoken to Jack or even heard what he was up to second hand.

"I'll admit that I'd thought he was just a profiteering bastard," Thidwell allowed, "but he's been pouring every crystal he's made from the theatres and the cell phones into that city. Stavin has been summoning stone blocks non-stop for a month and change now."

"I honestly don't recall anything about his plans beyond that he was looking to build a town from the ground up," Bob admitted. "I knew he had some of the expertise, but I didn't know if he was going to do it or if he was just talking to hear his own voice."

"Well, with these crystals, he'll have his Curators on time," Thidwell stood up and stretched for a moment. "I'll get these back to you in a couple of months," he nodded to the Affinity Crystals. "In the meantime, watch your back."

Bob knew a dismissal from Thidwell when he heard one, so he nodded and left the big man's office, putting up an Eldritch Shield as he went. He needed some time to think, but he could let his thoughts run free while he was delving.

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

Dave frowned as he reread Bob's message. "Hey, Babe," he called across the apartment, "did you get a message from Bob?"

"I haven't checked my Thayland cell, give me a sec," Amanda's voice floated out from their bedroom.

A few moments later, she hurried into the living room and sank into the couch next to him. "Would the Nobles from Harbordeep really hurt him? It's not like he asked to be in charge of delivering the Mana Crystals, and even if they got rid of Bob, it doesn't seem like the King is likely to assign the task to one of them," she murmured as she burrowed her ice-cold toes under his leg.

"I think we should bring this to Mike," Dave suggested. "He's still got an in with the military, and through them, the government. They might be able to arrange for a security detail?"

Amanda nodded thoughtfully. "It would probably help if we actually knew where he was," she agreed.

"Well, he lives in his inventory, which in retrospect is a rather brilliant security measure," Dave said, "I'm guessing he's only vulnerable in whatever Dungeon he is delving, and when he visits his friends."

Dave had once asked Bob how big of a difference, in terms of power, going from tier five to tier six made. Bob had given him the math, which Dave had double-checked. The results were frightening. Bob had called it the Hierarchy of Tiers, but Dave had mentally rebranded it the Tyranny of Tiers. If someone who was tier eight came after you, your only chance was to run. If you were specialized, with a path and an Affinity Crystal, you could almost, for that one thing, punch in that weight class.

It was still a dicey proposition. The best choice would be for Bob to drop into his inventory, which meant that he needed just a second of warning.

"You're thinking about how bad it would be if someone came after him, aren't you," Amanda asked as she snuggled into his side.

"It does serve as a reminder," Dave sighed. "We have to keep leveling, tier up, then repeat the process. Because if we don't, someone else will, and once someone gets far enough ahead, they can set themselves up as a dictator and suppress any challenges to their power."

"That's always been the case, though," Amanda replied as she stealthily snuck her hands under his shirt.

"Gah!" Dave twitched. "Cold hands!"

"I know," Amanda agreed sweetly, "that's why I put them on the Dave furnace, to warm them up."

"I'm just a space heater to you," Dave muttered. "But, you aren't wrong, about the world already being based on the strength of arms. The difference that I see is that even the most draconian of warlords may find that he's pushed his troops too far, whereas when all the power is concentrated in a single person, there is no one but themselves to check their worst impulses."

Amanda nodded. "If the King of Greenwold wanted to, he could have basically enslaved all of us."

"I don't know if he's good or if he simply sees more value in having us level up to increase the rate at which we gather crystals," Dave suggested. "I don't think we'll know the answer until the time comes for the people from Earth who want to head back to do so."

"I feel fairly certain that enticing and incentivizing as many people from Earth to stay here is his ultimate goal," Amanda mused. "I don't know why he allowed his nobles to treat people so badly, for so long, and that worries me."

"Do we know how bad it was?" Dave asked. "I know Bob told us they were mistreating people, but he didn't go into specifics, aside from warning us about the Adventurers Guild in Harbordeep."

"People tell me things," Amanda replied smugly. "I spoke to a few of the people in Holmstead who had fled Harbordeep and their service to one of the Noble houses," she shook her head. "It was bad," she shook her head, "sixteen-hour days working to clean the sewers, by hand, in near darkness. Two meal breaks, but you had to carry your meal with you, and chances were pretty good you were wiping it clean before eating it," she shuddered.

"Ugh," Dave agreed. "So I guess the question is, why did the King let it happen?"

"More importantly, is he going to let it happen again," Amanda suggested. "I know we're on the fence a bit, but the truth is that the King's plan is working. The longer we stay here, the more work we put into building a life, the less likely we are to go back home, at least not to live."

"He's a devious Dragon," Dave agreed. "His only laws appear to be the big three; Don't kill or hurt each other, don't steal, and pay your taxes." He shook his head and chuckled, "can you imagine what the laws back home are going to look like after integration? What do you want to wager that there will be restrictions on having certain spells and skills?"

"I think they'll restrict access to Dungeons," Amanda disagreed. "They aren't going to let people level freely, that would allow them to challenge the government's power. I think they'll restrict leveling while at the same time requiring members of the government to push to a certain level to hold their position."

"Hard to argue with the police when you're level ten, and they're level twenty-five," Dave said, a dark edge to his voice.

"And if we're following the idea that far, you can bet a lot of other people are as well," Amanda frowned. "We're hardly wide-eyed revolutionaries."

"Makes Thayland look better and better," Dave agreed.

"But only if we keep up with grind," Amanda sighed, and Dave could feel her wiggling her now warm toes.

"That's right," Dave agreed with a grin, "so let's shoot Bob and Mike a message, and then you can take those little ice elementals you call toes and get dressed for delving."

Amanda gave him a little pout, then kissed his cheek before bounding back to the bedroom, calling over her shoulder, "Dib's on the shower!"

He grinned and lurched up off the couch, racing after her. "We can share!"