THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING

It was at a run that Conrad and Karno approached the homestead of Great Pines. Behind them what must have been over a dozen massive spiders scurried in their wake. They had killed several already but it quickly became clear that fighting their way through, as adventurers was not the play here. When the crews returned, Karno had said, they didn’t fight, they ran to the relative safety provided by Barrett’s men.

“You had to pick,” Conrad gasped out, breath coming in ragged gulps, “The spider path?”

Karno only growled in reply, the running pushing the big man’s endurance even harder than Conrad’s.

Suddenly, a peculiar sensation of calm and rightness entered Conrad and he exchanged a puzzled look with Karno.

That was what it felt like when you crossed into a Node of Order.

Still running, Conrad looked over his shoulder and saw that, yes, the spiders had plowed into an invisible barrier and scrabbled against it just long enough to get their bearings before skittering back into the woods. He turned, slowed to a stop and whooped in relief and triumph. Karno stopped next to him, bent over and heaving.

“Node?” Conrad asked, “Out here?”

“News” Karno gasped, “to me.”

A voice called out from the cluster of buildings closest to them, lit with torch light and even a few magical lamps, “A man that big has got to be The Tower himself! Returned once again from his non-violent reign of inconvenience!”

Karno straightened to his full height, chest still heaving, “Mitch.”

A man in half-plate approached. In one hand he carried a lit torch, and at his side was sheathed a sword that, from the make of the pommel and guard, was likely of excellent quality. He was flanked by two others, similarly armed and armored, and Conrad noted that they all wore a tunic beneath their armored chests of the same deep red.

The level of uniformity in their clothing and demeanor was a shock. Conrad had expected men of varying equipment, much like typical adventuring bands. But it seemed that this Barrett had some intention of organization beyond simply looting the countryside.

“Where’re Paul and Dirk? And who’s this?” Mitch asked, tone exactly that of a suspicious town guard.

“Dead,” Karno said, “Need to see Barrett.”

Mitch nodded, eying Conrad, “That’s true enough. Wanted us to send you to him.”

Karno started walking past the man but he held out a hand, planting it in Karno’s chest to stop him going further. Bold move, Conrad thought. Karno’s strength stat had to be pushing 50, maybe higher.

“Who’s the new face?” Mitch asked, inclining his head toward Conrad.

“Recruit,” Karno said.

“Just that?” Mitch asked, and Karno just grunted again. Mitch gave a small smile and gestured for them to follow, “We’ll take you in.”

His two companions fell in behind Conrad and the whole group of them entered Great Pines proper.

It wasn’t at all what Conrad had been expecting. Out here, homesteads consisted of a few buildings, sometimes people even congregated in a single long house with some outbuildings, sheds or a privy, but Great Pines had every appearance of a city on the rise. Everything was under construction. Houses being expanded, roads planed and partially cobbled, even the beginnings of a wall around the large, innermost buildings.

There were long buildings with multiple entries, levels, even windows of glass, all formed entirely in the trunk of massive, felled great pines from which the - Conrad supposed it was no longer a homestead, but a town - was named. Buildings climbed up the outsides of others of the massive trees, and it was up the stairs around one of these that their escort was taking them.

Conrad breathed deep as they climbed the stairs spiraling the outside of the enormous tree and the scent of freshly cut lumber filled his nose. He didn’t know exactly what was going on in this town, but one thing was for certain - whoever Barrett was, he had big plans.

Mitch led them up dozens of steps, slowly spiraling around the tree, and as they made a full circuit and reached a large wooden platform, Conrad got his first sight of the Arena Dungeon.

Were he to see it in Edge, placed as just one more of countless great brick buildings, the result of decades of construction, change, and growth, he might have thought it unremarkable. But out here, nestled among the smallest of the great pines and compared to the smaller structures of the town, it seemed a huge structure indeed.

Constructed both of wood and stone, it had a roughly oval shape of tiered seats, multiple entrances and stairs surrounding it making for easy access to the kind of spectacle few outside the ranks of those who called themselves adventurers had ever witnessed in person. Pit fights against monsters were not unheard of, but the challenge and expense of procuring creatures worth exhibiting was prohibitive enough to make it a novelty. But this dungeon seemed to have taken that concept and made it the centerpiece of its design. A fighting field of dirt and sand dominated the space, a stage on which the violence of the adventurer’s arts would be showcased in full view.

Adventurers would not travel unobserved into its depths to emerge later, laden with treasure and stories - here in the Arena, their every act could be witnessed by cheering crowds. The possibilities of such a place were dizzying, but before Conrad had time to fully consider it he and Karno were ushered through a door and into a suite cut directly into the trunk of the living great pine.

The suite was comfortably furnished but lacked the sort of opulence a similar accommodation might have in one of the larger cities. The space itself followed the curve of the tree and so it was to their left, in front of grand windows overlooking the Arena and the growing town below, that Conrad first came to lay eyes on the man named Barrett.

He could see Karno stiffen, movement becoming awkward in the presence of the man he saw as his enemy, but what Conrad saw was a contradiction of everything he had imagined.

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Barrett was older, not old but his white beard, cropped short, and full head of carefully manicured hair seemed to mark the man as nobility. The look was completed by his perfectly tailored suit over a body that had never seen a day without physical strain. But the most visible nod to his former life as an adventurer was a long, vicious scar that ran across his neck from ear to ear. Surviving such an attack had either required healing of incredible power and timeliness, or a Toughness level that made Conrad’s own 23 look cute by comparison.

The man was in the process of signing some sort of documents and hadn’t looked up at their entrance. A few moments passed before Karno said, “Barrett, I-” but Barrett silenced him with a quick gesture, maintaining focus on his task. A few moments later he signed with a flourish and looked up, his hard brown eyes carried with them the gravitas of a man who had made facing down death a matter of routine inconvenience.

He was about to speak when he noticed Conrad, standing silent, posture and bearing entirely the Merchant he had originally been trained to be.

His eyes softened slightly as he spoke, accent crisp and melodic, giving away his birth origin instantly - the great city of Confluence.

“I thought The Tower was too imposing a persona to make friends,” Barrett said, “But here you stand with a guest.”

In going over the plan, Karno had insisted that this meeting would be necessary and that Conrad should just follow his lead. He didn’t elaborate on what that meant, but being totally unfamiliar with the people, the city, and pretty much the entire situation Conrad decided giving Karno the lead wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

“He showed some interest in seeing Great Pines,” Karno said simply.

Barrett looked Conrad over, “An adventurer? Interested in Great Pines? Frankly, Karno, I’m surprised he’s even heard of it. Though soon enough it will be the talk of the country. Where are your companions?”

“Dead,” Karno said, “We have their inventories.”

Barrett leaned back, face expressionless as he considered the news, then suddenly his eyes brightened in understanding, “A mercenary. He’s tracked down The Tower and you managed to get him to come with you here? You’re a capable man, Karno, but you’ve impressed me this time,” he paused another moment, looking pensive, “Or is it that he has extorted the location of this place from you?”

Karno grimaced, evidently not having expected Conrad’s presence to be so obvious, “We…met at Eloise’s place,” Karno said, and then, some anger showing through his mask of politeness, “Where is she?”

“She’s here,” Barrett said simply, “Came herself.”

Karno’s face screwed up in confusion and Barrett continued, “She no longer felt safe, Karno. A young woman all by herself in the Chaos Lands? The only thing that surprises me more than her choice to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps and live all the way out there is that she didn’t come back sooner.”

“By herself? Without telling me? She just walked here?” Karno said, incredulous.

“Far be it from me to accuse a woman of her talents of being incapable of such heroics as walking,” Barrett said, tone even, “But her node root, a wondrous thing, was no doubt instrumental in her success.”

“You want me to believe she just left?” Karno said, taking a menacing step forward. One of Barrett’s guard’s stepped up in response but Barrett waved him off as Karno continued, “She had a responsibility to the people of that area!”

“Responsibility foisted on her by tradition and… you, I exp-”

“Her garden was ransacked!” Karno yelled.

The former adventurer’s eyes narrowed at what was clearly an unusual breach of protocol.

“It’s a terrible shortcoming shared by many with your intelligence, my dear friend,” Barrett said patiently, “to not be able to inhabit the mind of a man not gifted with your competence. I ordered my crews to collect what herbs they could from her garden, root and stem, so that Eloise could make use of them here. What you no doubt saw was the result of a, shall we say, less capable hand attempting to follow orders.”

Karno’s huge hands balled into fists as he growled, “You’re lying.”

“Ease down,” Conrad whispered, “Make nice, remember?”

“You can ask her yourself,” Barrett said, “In fact, please do. I’d like to speak with your friend. Oh and your shipment,” he signaled to one of his men, “Get those inventories cracked and processed, and show Conrad to the Horticulturalist.”

The look on Karno’s face ran the gamut from anger to disbelief, finally settling on a resigned frustration.

Karno stood in front of Conrad and held out his hands, face a mask. Understanding what was being asked, Conrad pulled Paul the Miller’s body from his inventory, landing it gently in Karno’s arms.

The attendant gestured out the door for Karno to follow. The huge man turned and strode out, ducking his head as he exited and leaving Conrad alone and totally confused about what he was supposed to do now.

The two regarded each other in silence, and for Conrad’s part, he invoked Silver Tongue and let the sensation of calm surety wash over him, taking with it his nerves. Every interaction was a chance at negotiation, and negotiation was something he knew how to handle.

“We don’t get many adventurer’s out here. Refugees of the Chaos Lands, homesteaders yes, but not adventurers - no profit in it, and frankly we don’t want them. Not the usual type at least. But here you are, armed and armored for battle,” Barret said, “So you’ve intrigued me!”

“Am I not the usual type?” Conrad asked.

Barrett held out a hand, weighing the question, “Let’s find out together. A man’s capacity is often apparent in his ability to ask the right questions. And Karno said you’re curious, so?” the older man said, “Ask. ”

Conrad cleared his throat, “He may have misrepresented our relationship.”

“Oh I think he was clear enough in his report, brief though it may have been,” Barrett said, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, “But where are my manners? When adventurer’s meet they exchange names and classes. The people here call me Barrett. Vanguard.”

The class was not one Conrad was familiar with, but Order spun out paths in countless directions.

“Conrad Dren. Officer.”

“And from Edge I take it,” Barrett said, “A tier two, not bad. Adventurer’s guild must have put plenty of contracts on our friend, though with the Warren to run it's a rare man who takes mercenary quests. Is it personal, what Karno did to you?”

Once again Conrad was struck by the intelligence of the man before him. He had imagined a brute ruling over a tiny hamlet by sheer weight of overwhelming violence but the man before him was… not that. At all.

“To my family,” Conrad said.

“And so you came alone? A solo chasing down a notorious bandit for what? Revenge?” Barrett laughed, “It can’t be for gold, homesteaders rarely offer much. If you were older I’d label you stupid and be done with it, but you’re young so let’s call it inexperience.”

A flush crept onto Conrad’s face. When you put it like that his refusal to follow the advice of the more experienced adventurers and to come out solo had been… Well, he preferred the term bold.

“Should I be insulted?” Conrad asked, trying to gain back some portion of the ground he felt was slipping away from him.

“By your own actions, yes,” Barret’s voice held the tone of an experienced lecturer, “You must know by now that it was on my orders that The Tower has done everything that brought you here, which makes this,” he gestured grandly at the office, “the monster’s den. So here is your first real test - what now, Officer? Will you continue to play the role of the hunter and strike down your true enemy?”

The original plan had been to get in, make nice, and get the people Karno was trying to protect out. Conrad had wanted to be ready for a fight, but to jump into one simply because that was the next logical conclusion? Killing your way through every problem felt like the sort of code Karina would have followed, and that wasn’t who Conrad wanted to be.

And now without Karno here to give credence to the original mission, the whole thing seemed to have fizzled out. What killing had to be done was done already and the waste of it still weighed on Conrad. Whether the people here still needed his help, though, and whether he would still offer it, remained to be seen.

Fuck it, we live.

Conrad would have to roll with the punches, but to throw any of his own would be suicide. He wasn’t that reckless.

He shook his head in answer to Barrett’s question.

“Excellent,” Barrett said, indicating a chair into which Conrad seated himself.

If the new lord of Great Pines wanted to talk, he was always willing to step up to the bargaining table. It was, at last, time to see what was really going on out here.