Feeling refreshed after his shower, Nick walked out of the bathroom while using a towel to dry his hair. He looked over to see Vera doing her nightly routine in front of her mirror. As usual, he could tell by the expression on her face that something was once again bothering her.
After hanging up his towel on the drying rack, he asked over his shoulder, “What’s on your mind, dear?”
Vera replied testily, “Nothing of consequence.” Trying to change the subject she asked, “Have you finished the paperwork I sent you?”
Nick rolled his eyes. The moment he’d finished the paperwork validating him as a noble, he’d sent her the confirmation. Furthermore, considering that the only reason the transfer of House Walker’s assets went through was because his house was successfully registered as a branch house. So, obviously, she already knew about it.
Not taking the bait, he replied, “Yes, dear. It’s all been filed and approved. Now, stop stalling and tell me what’s bothering you.”
Slamming the brush she was using for her hair down on the table, she spun around to glare at him. “Did you see how Nero ran his acceptance ceremony!”
Nick, trying to keep himself from laughing, replied, “Yes, dear. I was sitting right next to you.”
Continuing on as if Nick hadn’t said anything, Vera hissed, “That young man needs to learn some etiquette. He didn’t even ask anyone about their levels, skills, abilities, or even their focus! All he seemed to care about was their personal lives! That kind of lazy leadership is going to end up getting him killed. They are not his friends, and a retinue is not a social club. Can you believe he had them eating with him!”
Nick, nodding along with a smile on his face, replied evenly, “Yes, dear. It was quite something.”
Vera spun back around and roughly picked up her brush, angrily returned to brushing her hair while hissing, “‘Quite something’, he says! Yes, it was most definitely ‘quite something’. He needs to learn how to act in a manner more reflective of his position. People won’t respect him, and they certainly won’t follow him if he doesn’t start taking things seriously.”
Nick, not bothering to argue, replied, “Of course, dear.”
Slamming down her brush again, she angrily started dabbing some lotion into her hand before harshly spreading it over her legs. “And I don’t know how I feel about stepping back and letting those evaluators take over his mentorship! It may have been a mistake to let Academian Quincy present himself as Nero’s hand. We don’t know enough about them to trust them with Nero’s life and house,” she barked.
Nick didn’t bother to point out that it was Vera who’d determined that since they weren’t going to be joining Nero as his adherents, and would be remaining in Dorchester, they needed to step back and let others take up supporting positions at Nero’s side. Instead, he nodded along and replied, “I couldn’t agree more.”
Huffing as if she expected nothing less, Vera continued, “And don’t even get me started on the fact that the young idiot is trying to turn his retinue into some ridiculous adventuring guild! As if this was the Northern Reaches and there were necromancers, wraiths, and warlords filling the wilds with castles to be stormed and maidens to be saved. For the sake of all the heavens above, the W.A.C.? Really?”
No longer being able to contain his chuckle, Nick laughed while mumbling, “Yeah, that was something all right.”
Vera glared at him over her shoulder through the mirror and continued on as if she hadn’t heard him. “That young man doesn’t know what he’s getting into. At least here in Dorchester, as a noble, he had the protection of the system to fall back on. Now, if he goes through with this madness, he’ll be throwing himself and those foolish enough to follow him into whatever idiocy he finds ‘fun’ or ‘interesting’. I won’t have it, Nicholas… I simply will not have it. We have to do something.”
Nick, seeing that his wife’s wrath was getting a little out of hand, walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. Looking her in the eye with an expression filled with as much compassion as he could muster, he asked, “Are you sure this isn’t a little more about ‘you’ than it is ‘him’?”
Glaring at him in the reflection, she asked, “And what exactly do you mean by that?”
Nick’s gentle smile didn’t waver. “I understand that you’re worried about people you don’t trust gaining influence over him. Not to mention his ignorance of how he should be leading his house. However, nothing is stopping you from offering your aid other than your strict adherence to social protocols that Nero isn’t even aware of. Just because you are now in a subservient position as a branch lord, doesn’t mean he will no longer listen to your counsel. The fact of the matter is that you refused to give it.”
Vera sighed heavily. “Nicholas, it’s not that simple. Nero is a unique now. He’s only been in this world for a few months, and he’s already beyond our help. We can’t follow him where he is going without abandoning everything we’ve worked for. Decades of painstaking effort would be wasted if we gave up our lives and followed him. He needs someone to manage his holdings. Without that income, it would take him years to build up his personal house.”
Nick nodded, agreeing with her easily. “And that’s why we’re staying here in Dorchester.” Leaning down, he kissed the top of her head before walking away.
Over his shoulder, he added, “For the record, I don’t think you’re giving Quincy enough credit. That man is dedicated to Nero in a way that could only be defined as fanatical. I wouldn’t be surprised if those evaluators formed a personality cult around him.”
Vera, shocked, whipped her head around to stare at Nick. “You can not be serious?!?”
Nick sat down on his side of the bed while placing his link on the nightstand. Shrugging, he replied, “It’s just a feeling I get when they talk about him. But, think about it. Why are they being so helpful? Why did they choose to take on such a complicated case? And you weren’t there for the evaluation they did at Center Research. They all looked at Nero like he was a divine being gracing this plane with his presence.”
Vera, not taking Nick’s word for it, replied, “Well… we’ll just have to see about that.”
—--
Nero woke up the next morning without issue. Aside from a few uncomfortable dreams filled with kobald chiefs meeting in smoke-filled caves, and endless fields of lizards organizing their invasion, Nero had slept surprisingly well.
His breakfast was a simple pancake equivalent along with some blue liquid that tasted remarkably like apple juice, which he shared with Nick, Vera, Academian Quincy, and a few of his new adherents. The conversation was light, and the only thing of note was that Academian Quincy had somehow accepted a meeting with General Branson on his behalf. Considering Nero wanted to get the quest situation sorted out, he didn’t bother complaining about it.
That naturally led to his current situation… getting out of a cab in front of Gate 20’s command center.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw Academian Quincy, Scholar Idrius, Cathleen, and Natalie Keening organizing themselves behind him. Nero was, of course, conflicted. One on hand, he was rolling up to the keep with a full-on posse. But, on the other, Nick and Vera had decided not to come along. Nick had begged off, claiming that he needed to look into the current research progress concerning the war, and Vera was busy dealing with the various businesses and interests she was in charge of.
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Nero, frowning at the feeling of not being able to rely on Vera’s guidance, squared his shoulders and started walking. It wasn’t as if he didn’t realize what they were doing, it was just that he didn’t like it. He knew they were trying to get him to learn to stand on his own. As if him now being a unique had somehow pushed up whatever imaginary time frame they had been following concerning his development. ‘No matter what world I’m in, people always equate titles with competence. Stupidity must be one of those universal constants or something,’ he thought to himself.
Before long, he found himself being escorted into a conference room. At the head of the table sat the general, along with two aides Nero vaguely recognized. The room was nothing special for Dorchester. Intricately carved wooden walls, fancy paintings of nature scenes, and sunset training tableaus filled the walls. The overhead essence lighting made the room look like it could have been in any number of buildings he’d been in.
Not knowing the protocol, and not really caring, Nero took a seat next to one of the aides and said, “General, good to see you. As you no doubt remember, this is Academian Quincy, Scholar Idrius, his second in command, and of course, you remember Cathleen Averett, my bodyguard who doesn’t guard my body.”
Leaning forward a little, Nero pointed to Natalie Keening who was just sitting down. “And that is Natalie Keening. I don’t have a title for her just yet, but she is one of my new adherents. She was chosen by the other recent recruits of the W.A.C. to act as their representative for these talks.”
The general, caught off guard by Nero acting remotely serious, replied without thinking, “The W.A.C.?”
Nero smiled widely and replied, “The Walker Adventuring Company! I intend to use my status as a unique to go around and see the sights while learning magic and killing things that go bump in the night. A few people have opted to join me in my adventures, hence the Walker Adventuring Company!”
The general sat in stunned silence. His overly large presence at the head of the table seemed to hold the air in the room hostage as he thought through what Nero had just said.
Shaking his head quickly, as if he were refusing to contemplate Nero’s antics, the general started speaking as if Nero hadn’t said anything. “I called you hear to express Dorchester’s thanks for agreeing to take up quests in defense of her walls. While you are no longer bound by your oaths of citizenship, it speaks to your character that you are willing to defend the cause of humanity while the wilds assault our walls and threaten all that we’ve built.”
Nero nodded along, perfectly happy to let the general get through his prepared speech and politicking.
The general’s rumbling voice carried on, “As your house requested, we’ve compiled some quests for you to choose from. However you’d be willing to help us, we’d be more than happy to accept. If you have any requests for materials or support, please don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll do what we can to see you and your companions aptly prepared to face whatever perils you choose to confront on our behalf. Please look through these quests and let me know what you decide on. Feel free to take your time, as I’ve cleared my schedule for you.”
One of Nero’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The general’s entire demeanor had changed now that Nero was a unique. Compared to before, when the general acted like every moment he graced Nero with his presence was a gift, seeing him act like a sycophant was a little off-putting.
The aide on the right of the general started handing out little informational packets to Nero and his companions. While the room sat in silence, each of them started to look over what they’d been given.
Nero felt a delicate probe on his mind, and he turned to see Academian Quincy looking at him from the seat on his left.
Accepting the mental connection, Nero was surprised to feel the man’s calm and collected mind. It felt markedly different than Nick’s, who was the only other person he’d made this kind of connection with.
“What’s up?” he asked.
Academian Quincy replied, “You looked a little surprised to see the general acting so deferential. I wanted to explain what is happening.”
Nero interrupted him before he could continue, “Don’t bother, I can guess. Me being a unique puts me outside of his control, and elevates me to a social position above him. I’m guessing that’s why he’s pretending to be so helpful all of a sudden.”
While Nero and Academian Quincy were speaking, neither allowed their expressions to hint that they were having a private conversation. Nero was staring at his packet, pretending to read through the quests he’d been given. Yet, Academian Quincy had no problems multitasking. He could converse with Nero while simultaneously evaluating the quests the general had given them.
The academian replied, “It’s not just that Nero. As you know, you were treated rather poorly by the local nobility here in Dorchester. Between their flouting of the royal protections you were given and their strict adherence to the noble trials, they wronged you terribly. By allowing constant threats on your life, they failed in their duty as protectors of their citizenry. Had you been so inclined, you could have asked for my assistance, on behalf of the kingdom, to redress the slights you’ve been forced to accept. In fact, you still could if that’s what you want. It’s for that reason that he, and most likely the rest of the local nobility, will be treating you with the utmost respect going forward.”
Nero felt his stomach lurch. He had once again underestimated how much his new position had changed the game.
Replying quickly, he said, “Um… that’s not necessary. I came out alright after it was all said and done. Kicking them when their down is not really my style. I mean, the city lord killed her kids for God’s sake. I think she’s paid her dues. And the general not acting like a dickhead is just weird. Let’s just choose a quest and get ourselves a job.”
Feeling Academian Quincy’s amusement and pride through the mental connection, Nero felt like the man was misreading something from what Nero was saying. But before he could clarify what he had meant, the man replied, “Very well, my lord.” Then he closed the connection.
Speaking out loud, Academian Quincy looked across the table and asked, “Scholar Idrius, what do you think about the Dorchester council’s proposals?”
Not looking up from the packet she was reading, the stern-faced woman replied, “The quests are well made. The compensation is more than fair, and the level of danger is completely up to Lord Walker’s discretion. He could spend the entire war behind the safety of Dorchester’s walls if he so wished. Or he could be on the front lines, facing the enemy with the full support of the local army behind him.”
Nero glanced over to see the general smiling with pride, as if Scholar Idrius’ words were some kind of validation for him.
Nero tried speedreading the quests, but they were filled with overly complicated jargon that made incredibly little sense to him. Figuring he’d get a second opinion, or at least an opinion from someone he trusted, he looked past Academian Quincy and asked, “What do you think Cathleen?”
The short woman had somehow already finished reading everything and was now sitting back in her chair as if the proceedings meant nothing to her. Turning her head to look at Nero, she replied, “Choose the third option. You and your party can act as the spearhead of the miliary’s thrust into the mountain. With your ability to disrupt their portals, you can systematically shut down their incursion while leading Dorchester’s forces to victory. Wasting time pointing out the kobald’s exit tunnels is pointless, and regardless of what forces they have below ground won’t stop us from having to go down there and wipe them out.”
Nero, not surprised to hear Cathleen advocating for the most violent approach she could find, looked across the table to Natalie. He saw her staring at the packet in her hands with a pronounced frown on her face.
“Natalie? What do you think?” he asked. After all, she was going to be risking her life with whatever quest he ended up taking. It was only fair to ask for her opinion on what he should do.
Sighing loudly, she replied, “I…um… I think it might be a little reckless to just have us go storming the mountain without having a single engagement under our belt. I’m not saying that the members we gathered aren’t up for it, but neither I nor them have ever been in a battle like this before.”
Nero could see that the woman was shaken at the idea of participating in a full-blown war with the kobalds. It made sense as she had spent most of her life as a glorified bandit deterrent. Therefore, he thought there was some wisdom in working up to the endgame quest Cathleen was advocating.
Nodding at the decision he’d come to, he said, “OK. So, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to join in the battle that’s currently going on outside the walls. The general here can add us to his forces as an independent unit, and Cathleen can lead us into getting some experience with actual combat. Afterward, depending on how we do, we can decide where we go from there.”
The general frowned, apparently unhappy with Nero’s decision. “Lord Walker, we don’t currently have a quest that allows for that. Perhaps we could…”
Academian Quincy interrupted the general, his voice calm but edged with steel. “Then you can make one. I’ll be more than happy to fill one out for your council to accept. A series of quests is just as likely to save your city as a singular one. You wouldn’t want Lord Walker and his forces to get in over their heads, would you?”
The general’s overbearing presence shrank, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “Of course not Academian Quincy. Lord Walker’s help will be appreciated in whatever form it is offered.”
Nodding quickly, Academian Quincy stood up and replied, “Very good, general. Then, We’ll be in touch.” Looking down at Nero, he waited patiently for him to stand up and lead them out.
Nero, smirking with amusement at the academian’s attitude, stood up and said, “Thank you for your understanding general. The W.A.C. will do everything in its power to aid Dorchester in its time of need.”
Giving each of his companions a glance, he gestured for everyone to follow him out. Without even looking back, he led them out of the room and through the command center’s halls.
By the time they got to the front of the building, Nero had processed everything that had happened during the short, but intense, meeting.
Looking over at Academian Quincy, he said, “Thank you for your help. I don’t think that would have gone nearly as smoothly if it weren’t for your presence acting as a subtle threat to the man.”
Academian Quincy smiled, seemingly pleased with himself. “Not a problem, my lord. It shows a great deal of wisdom to refrain from rushing recklessly into combat without the requisite experience behind you. I’m sure that you and the members of the W.A.C. will perform admirably during your first foray into combat.”
Nero thought for a moment, then replied, “Wackos… we’re going to be calling ourselves wackos. You know, likey wacky… but like a person. It takes a certain level of insanity to go out looking for trouble, and that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing.”
Academian Quincy looked down at Nero with a befuddled, but intense expression on his face. “Yes, I suppose it does. Forcing yourself to face uncomfortable situations and stress is contrary to the peace that everyone strives for in their heart. To face the unknown without fear. To stride courageously into battle and force yourself to become more than you were to survive. To set aside the desire for safety and stability for the rush of combat and uncertainty, and the rewards that come along with it… That is both insane and necessary to progress further along the path.” By the time he was done speaking, he’d turned to stare off glassily into the horizon, as if he were declaring something profound into the heavens.
Nero looked up at him while they were waiting for their cab to show up. “Uh-huh. Not to change the subject or anything, but have you ever given any thought to public speaking? I think you’d be great at it. You’ve got a whole ‘vibe’ about you that just screams self-help guru.”
Academian Quincy came out of the trance his words had caused him to suffer, and looked back at Nero with a confused expression on his face. “Self-help guru?”