Wasting no time, they set back to prepare for Tamarak’s arrival. Should Hunter be able to convince them to journey out to Millstone, they had only a week or so of preparation. Safety was key in their travel as the worn down settlers were assisted by Hunter’s pack of undead beasts. Other mundane creatures refused to get near for this simple fact alone. However, across the ways, a battle was had in the realms of fashion.

With his arms flexing back and forth, Volodar looked at his new clothing that was pilfered from Boar’s lands. There was no doubt that the clothes were fancy as he wore some of the brighter colors that Boar owned. “Are you sure about this,” he asked as he wriggled around in the ill-fitting clothes.

Adelia laughed, “You look like a fine noble waiting to receive his guests, my lord.”

A deep voice reverberated as Doppel complimented the attire as well. “For most, my lord, it would be a tough sell. But, you pull it off well.”

Why does Doppel have a better fashion sense than me, Volodar thought as he looked over the naked giant mass of flesh. He seemed to tower over Adelia and himself even more than normal. “Have you grown a few inches? Seems that the jotun’s power is serving you quite well at the moment.”

“I feel strong.” He made a testament to his strength as he lifted a nearby log and tossed it a few feet away with a single arm, “Testing it on the bones of Lucas would be a treat.”

“By all means,” Volodar said full of spite, “do what you want when you see him next. He is no ally of mine.” Examining Doppel’s body structure and his animating energies, he thought about that fight Stokrar wanted. A sparring match between the two of them. As much as I hate the idea of Doppel being injured, he would learn much from a foe that formidable.

A familiar face appeared as the ghoul under Hunter’s control knelt before them. “The townspeople of Tamarak will be arriving any minute now.”

“Very good,” Volodar said, “send them in. The town is ready to be lived in.” Some would argue that the town even looked better than it did before the tragedy befell the town. Under the guidance of Doppel, they built a wooden palisade around Millstone and repaired the buildings that were damaged by Gratia’s coven. He even allowed for expansion as this once hamlet was built up to sustain tenfold of its people during the time. At least, the palisades allowed for the expansion. As for the housing, it would have to be built in due time. Undead labor and the ingenuity of mankind, Volodar thought. It truly will become my legacy.

People started to pour into the gates of Millstone as Hunter sought out his master. Alongside him, the elder Will followed as they both knelt before the trio. “Master Volodar, the people of Tamarak wish to declare their fealty to you.”

The elder didn’t miss a beat as he continued, “We wish to be your subjects, sire.”

“I made a promise,” Volodar said, “and my word means much to me. You will all prosper under my supervision. Doppel can assist you should you need the help of the undead laborers.”

“That is most kind of you, thank you.”

Volodar accepted his vow of loyalty for his people as he adjourned that meeting. “Get settled in as you see fit. However, I have work that I must attend to.” With that, he shuffled the work onto Doppel as he walked back towards the keep. “We have a lot to do, Adelia. We need to fortify the walls of the manor and make sure that the villagers have the supplies that they need.” Stopping for a second, Volodar looked around towards Adelia almost confused in his mannerisms. “What did these people used to do for money? How did they pay off the bandits or their liege-lord?”

“They would sell off spare livestock and tools towards other settlements. Although it was bartering for goods most of the time.”

“I see,” he spoke slowly, “we’ll need to find a way to produce our own equipment.” Some tasks such as moving a settlement seemed so easy, but the following days proved to be quite the logistical nightmare. Hunter needed to go further out for his hunts and Doppel spent most of his time micromanaging the actions of the skeletons. Clothing, food, tools and now an ever increasing demand for arms and armor were needed for the growth of Millstone.

Crime was a nonissue as the undead guards stopped most fights before they even began. It would appear that they still feared the undead although they lived amongst them for a bit. Thinking about Hunter’s reward, his discontentment grew as he needed more time to finish the ritual. The process to upgrade any undead’s race was to provide enough similar creatures under their command. He had enough skeletons to test the theory with another skeleton, however, no one of exceptional skill stood out between his skeletal minions.

Whispering under his breath, he realized the issue that he needed to solve. As long as he found more undead and raised them, he could sustain this lifestyle. The ghoul under Hunter’s command was quite useful as tasks were delegated to him and created a chain of authority. It also wouldn’t take long at all before someone was upset by the abandoned settlement of Tamarak. He would need a group of undead to manage the operations in an effective manner.

Volodar sought out Adelia as he thought about the list of tasks that they had in store for them. She was outside, training her magic through the repetition of casting. He asked, “Expanding our mana pool, are we?”

“Yes,” she was out of breath from her exercises. “I’ve gotten a firm grasp on my flame cantrip. I can manipulate it in a few different ways.” She put on a demonstration as a small fire danced at the edge of her hand and was flung away towards the target. Upon reaching its destination, the wreaths of flame pointed in different directions before dissipating.

Volodar noted her progress, “you no longer need to be close to your target and the flame is stronger. That’s good progress.” Volodar thought, Although, she would proceed faster should she have devices to assist her mana pool. “We may need to get you a focus for your magic. They are useful tools to help channel your mana when you first start out. However, I didn’t come down here so we could talk about magic.”

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“Oh?”

“We need more personnel and I refuse to raid innocent territories. We can return to adventuring with our allies of the past or I could form a warparty to conquer one of the tribals nearby.” Ogres, goblins, trolls, or whatever else could be found near Tulnan’s pass before must surely be nearby again. There was simply no way that a mere troll like that led those goblins to his tower. They were spurred on by a chieftain or something similar.

See seemed confident in her response, “I would argue that we cannot see the forest for the trees, my lord.”

“I’m awfully bad at riddles, what does that mean?”

“Your quest is twofold, you would like to enhance your army while also looking good in the public eye. This would make nobles think twice before striking your lands. To do so, we should return to Gaulk’s group and help them with their personal problems.”

Volodar shook his head, “Getting into a dwarven hold or finding the homeland of the aquentis would be tough to do in either aspect. I respect that group, but this would be a lengthy journey.”

“Legends have it that the dwarves are locked in eternal conflict within their holds.” Adelia thought about it as a magical thing as she remembered the stories her father used to tell her. She layered on the pressure even more with the benefits they could provide. “They also create some of the best weapons known in the world.”

Looking at his sheathe, he examined the dwarven dagger once more as he waved it around. “I haven’t used this to any serious capacity, but it is finely crafted. As an apology for not accepting your beliefs on Lucas, I’ll trust in your judgment this time.”

She gave a friendly nod as they made their way towards Doppel. I’ll probably need Hunter to watch over the town if I go out with that group, Volodar thought. Both Doppel and Hunter seemed to be enjoying each other’s company.

“Master Volodar,” Hunter said, “how can I help you this fine day?”

“I will be leaving Millstone for the time being. We need to expand our resources that we have. You will be in charge of watching over Millstone in my absence.”

“Sire,” he protested, “I would surely be more useful as a guide than sitting here.”

Volodar tapped the shoulder of Hunter as he looked out to the village, “You are correct about that. As a guide, you would be more than capable and your scouting abilities are second to none.” He continued speaking as Hunter tried to interject, “However, Nokken will be able to cover that role for us while I am adventuring. Doppel will come along as my bodyguard during this time. It will be a training exercise for him. I trust that you can convey my feelings accurately to the elders of the village should any problem arise.”

“As you wish,” Hunter bowed deeply as the others prepared to leave.

“One last thing, Hunter, I’ll send a message periodically. I hope to hear some good news.” Hunter remained bowing until Volodar and the others were out of earshot.

A ghoul walked up to him, “Boss, Will is looking for more hands to help on the housing.”

Sighing, Hunter picked up his bow from the table and gave the assistant a grin. “Let’s go see what we can do. Afterall, I am the lordship’s mouthpiece.”

Casual conversation with an undead was interesting. Everything always cycled around to a task at hand or about their creator. Other topics could be explored, but these subjects just happened to be more common. Adelia enjoyed the time she spent in the past with Hunter as he seemed different from the other undead that Volodar had. Even Doppel had this strange seriousness about him when he was cordial with her. Perhaps she just needed to speak with him more.

She stared at him for a while thinking about conversation starters, but gave up as it wasn’t something she could force. “Are you tired,” Doppel’s voice rang out. Volodar glanced back to see them talking to one another.

“Slightly, Sir Doppel, but we can keep going.” Adelia played it off as they continued to Strosa. The extravagance of their city walls became less exciting each time they entered the city. All of the wonder about the sheer scale of this wall became envy of the craftsmanship for Volodar. While it was still a feat to behold, he wondered how he could defend Millstone with that knowledge more than anything. Doppel shapeshifted into Volodar’s body double and covered his face with a mask.

On such short notice, it was the best that could be done to disguise him. Wasting no time, they searched for Gaulk’s group and made their way to the adventurer’s guild. As long as their adventure wasn’t underway, this is where they would be. Back inside the guild, the smell was exactly how Volodar remembered. Such a den of debauchery and self-indulgence. Gaulk sat alone at the table drinking. A few bounties were strewn across the table as he looked over and flagged down the group.

Boisterously he continued to holler at the group, “Come, sit friends. Sit. What in the gods are you doing back at Strosa?”

Adelia and Volodar took a seat while Doppel seemed awkward and didn’t do anything besides stand next to them. “Well,” Volodar cleared his throat, “we are here to pay you and the others a visit. Where are they right now?”

“Drake and Nokken went to go get a fishing license. They’re getting it from the merchants at the other end of town.”

“Oh, okay.” Volodar thought about how to continue this conversation, “Adelia and I came back to make good on our promises.”

Gaulk gulped down his glass in quick fashion, “Nope. Don’t remember any promises. What did you have in mind?”

“We want you to be able to return to your hold. There are resources we need from the worldroots.”

Slowly, Gaulk placed his drink back onto the table as he stared at them. His eyes seemed tired as he glanced over the new face at the table. “That’s kind of you all. But, home is a distant memory of Desmond and I. We would need to conquer a titan to return home or get some extraordinary amount of cash.” He gave a weak laugh as he poured more ale into his cup.

Doppel wordlessly walked over to the bounty board and stared at it for a moment. Tearing a page of the blade holding it to the board, he placed it upon the desk and locked Gaulk in the eyes.

“I don’t read, mummy, if that’s what you’re after. No one’s ever taught me how to.”

Adelia picked up the paper and read its content aloud. “Terrorizer of Tulnan’s mountain range. Activity of the creatures known as goblinoids had increased for the last few months. It is known through our scouts that they are subservient to a group of frost giants who have taken root at the peak of the mountain. The reward for ridding the world of this menace is two thousand gold pieces and a visit to the capital.”

Gaulk’s jaw seemed to slack a bit, “I’ve got a death wish in combat, people say. But, something like that? That’s ridiculous.”

“No,” Volodar said, “we won’t be doing it alone. I know of a few other adventurers in a nearby town who may help if the coin is good and the side is righteous.”