Chapter 277: A morning of friendly negotiations
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Chapter 277: A morning of friendly negotiations
Late night in Gadobhra. A large and rotted squash was launched towards the head of the demonic statue sitting in the middle of the open square at the city's heart. Metal creaked, and a clawed hand intercepted the squash.
I've killed men for far less.
"Yeah, well, I'm disappointed. I'd hope that you would kill people for no reason at all. Humans will kill for the last piece of the pie. Squash to the face is a death penalty nearly everywhere."
And yet you risk it? And thank you for the information. I have upgraded rotten fruit to 'Torture for a week and then kill.'
"Testing your reflexes and seeing if you're always awake."
And what is it my Baron needs from me now?
"I need a teleport stone. A big one. Or I need to know how to make one or where to steal one."
And why should I help? What is that to me?
"Because they're screwing with me and screwing with my city. I don't let anyone do that. I'm about to start hitting back hard, and that would help."
And what are you going to do to them?L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.
"Drive them to bankruptcy and crush their souls. Show them they are ants compared to me. Make them grovel and be forgiveness."
OK, now those are things I approve of. Vengeance and the crushing of souls. Very nice. You should dig down about ten feet North from where you're standing now.
"Dammit! Are you saying there is a teleport stone buried here?"
Not quite. When the city was defeated, they shattered the stone, dug a hole, and buried the pieces. That is the best I can do. I hope you like putting together large puzzles.
Theordis puffed out his chest. "He wouldn't dare touch a hair on our heads."
"Oh please, tell that to our scribes."
The Baron and his people were in attendance. Stone-faced and unhappy. The taxmen sat at their end of the table. By agreement, Manfred went first. He handed a letter to Suzette. "As agreed to by the Baron, you are charged with paying the sum of 32,000 gold pieces in taxes by the end of the month. If you cannot pay, you will be turned over to the Legion to serve a term of not less than 20 years, and your goods will be used to pay the taxes. Please sign all four copies. One for your records, one for the Baron, one my records, and a fourth to be submitted to the imperial tax collection office." The cowering young lady signed, and Manfred countersigned, witnessed by the Courier and Theordis.
That done, Manfred leaned back in his chair to watch Theordis put on his show.
"Here, your excellency is a notification that I have deemed it necessary for you to install and pay for an upgrade to the teleport stone at Rowan Keep. After all, the number of troops it can house will be increased, and so must its ability to move those troops or bring more in. We must ensure the area is safe, and I'm sure you agree. If you don't agree, you can appeal to Duke Carl or the Emperor. Appeals are running a few years behind, but that's your problem, not mine." Again, all parties signed, and the signatures were witnessed. When it was done, Theordis smiled like a cat with a bowl of cream.
"And now we can talk about what it would take to make those pieces of paper disappear."
The Baron looked at his tax advisor. The man's eyes were not human this morning, and to the taxmen's horror, a large spider, the size of a dinner plate, descended from the ceiling to sit on his shoulder. He stroked its hairy body a few times before glaring across the table. "I don't think so. The Baron is tired of your games and your insults."
"Last night, you sent three underlings to spy upon the Summer Lord. That is between you and him. The young men have learned a lesson about dealing with a Fae Lord. They are alive but owe him service. The Baron is upset that you interfered in a delicate matter of trade."
"And, it wasn't the only matter. You interfered with the Baron's arrangement with Captain Windrider, Captain Shipbreaker, and Captain Woodrat. They informed the Baron that they were off to, as they put it, 'Drink some different rum in a different port.' The ramifications of this are unknown, but we will be protesting sternly to your superiors. Very sternly."
"And finally, a local sow has filed a grievance against you for disturbing her sleep and trying to seduce one of her daughters. Such behavior will not be tolerated in Sedgewick, sirs. You will be leaving now! Good day!"
The room grew quiet. Theordis cleared his throat. "I'm sure we can discuss matters. The Baron is very close to defaulting on..."
The tax advisor cut him off. "I said Good Day! And I meant Good Day! Do not make me raise my voice again, or I will feed you to my spider!"
An overwhelming fear hit the two men as the Baron and Baroness glared at them. They were out of the room, and out of Sedgewick, within minutes.
Billy turned to Ben. "You have a copy of each of those agreements?"
Ben winked at him. "They said they were the official copies that had to go to the office of taxation. I'm sure I can deliver the documents more reliably than those two. Just doing my duty to the emperor."
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Chapter 277: A morning of friendly negotiations
Late night in Gadobhra. A large and rotted squash was launched towards the head of the demonic statue sitting in the middle of the open square at the city's heart. Metal creaked, and a clawed hand intercepted the squash.
I've killed men for far less.
"Yeah, well, I'm disappointed. I'd hope that you would kill people for no reason at all. Humans will kill for the last piece of the pie. Squash to the face is a death penalty nearly everywhere."
And yet you risk it? And thank you for the information. I have upgraded rotten fruit to 'Torture for a week and then kill.'
"Testing your reflexes and seeing if you're always awake."
And what is it my Baron needs from me now?
"I need a teleport stone. A big one. Or I need to know how to make one or where to steal one."
And why should I help? What is that to me?
"Because they're screwing with me and screwing with my city. I don't let anyone do that. I'm about to start hitting back hard, and that would help."
And what are you going to do to them?L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Ñøv€l--B1n.
"Drive them to bankruptcy and crush their souls. Show them they are ants compared to me. Make them grovel and be forgiveness."
OK, now those are things I approve of. Vengeance and the crushing of souls. Very nice. You should dig down about ten feet North from where you're standing now.
"Dammit! Are you saying there is a teleport stone buried here?"
Not quite. When the city was defeated, they shattered the stone, dug a hole, and buried the pieces. That is the best I can do. I hope you like putting together large puzzles.
Theordis puffed out his chest. "He wouldn't dare touch a hair on our heads."
"Oh please, tell that to our scribes."
The Baron and his people were in attendance. Stone-faced and unhappy. The taxmen sat at their end of the table. By agreement, Manfred went first. He handed a letter to Suzette. "As agreed to by the Baron, you are charged with paying the sum of 32,000 gold pieces in taxes by the end of the month. If you cannot pay, you will be turned over to the Legion to serve a term of not less than 20 years, and your goods will be used to pay the taxes. Please sign all four copies. One for your records, one for the Baron, one my records, and a fourth to be submitted to the imperial tax collection office." The cowering young lady signed, and Manfred countersigned, witnessed by the Courier and Theordis.
That done, Manfred leaned back in his chair to watch Theordis put on his show.
"Here, your excellency is a notification that I have deemed it necessary for you to install and pay for an upgrade to the teleport stone at Rowan Keep. After all, the number of troops it can house will be increased, and so must its ability to move those troops or bring more in. We must ensure the area is safe, and I'm sure you agree. If you don't agree, you can appeal to Duke Carl or the Emperor. Appeals are running a few years behind, but that's your problem, not mine." Again, all parties signed, and the signatures were witnessed. When it was done, Theordis smiled like a cat with a bowl of cream.
"And now we can talk about what it would take to make those pieces of paper disappear."
The Baron looked at his tax advisor. The man's eyes were not human this morning, and to the taxmen's horror, a large spider, the size of a dinner plate, descended from the ceiling to sit on his shoulder. He stroked its hairy body a few times before glaring across the table. "I don't think so. The Baron is tired of your games and your insults."
"Last night, you sent three underlings to spy upon the Summer Lord. That is between you and him. The young men have learned a lesson about dealing with a Fae Lord. They are alive but owe him service. The Baron is upset that you interfered in a delicate matter of trade."
"And, it wasn't the only matter. You interfered with the Baron's arrangement with Captain Windrider, Captain Shipbreaker, and Captain Woodrat. They informed the Baron that they were off to, as they put it, 'Drink some different rum in a different port.' The ramifications of this are unknown, but we will be protesting sternly to your superiors. Very sternly."
"And finally, a local sow has filed a grievance against you for disturbing her sleep and trying to seduce one of her daughters. Such behavior will not be tolerated in Sedgewick, sirs. You will be leaving now! Good day!"
The room grew quiet. Theordis cleared his throat. "I'm sure we can discuss matters. The Baron is very close to defaulting on..."
The tax advisor cut him off. "I said Good Day! And I meant Good Day! Do not make me raise my voice again, or I will feed you to my spider!"
An overwhelming fear hit the two men as the Baron and Baroness glared at them. They were out of the room, and out of Sedgewick, within minutes.
Billy turned to Ben. "You have a copy of each of those agreements?"
Ben winked at him. "They said they were the official copies that had to go to the office of taxation. I'm sure I can deliver the documents more reliably than those two. Just doing my duty to the emperor."
Chapter 277: A morning of friendly negotiationsLate night in Gadobhra. A large and rotted squash was launched towards the head of the demonic statue sitting in the middle of the open square at the city's heart. Metal creaked, and a clawed hand intercepted the squash. I've killed men for far less."Yeah, well, I'm disappointed. I'd hope that you would kill people for no reason at all. Humans will kill for the last piece of the pie. Squash to the face is a death penalty nearly everywhere."And yet you risk it? And thank you for the information. I have upgraded rotten fruit to 'Torture for a week and then kill.'"Testing your reflexes and seeing if you're always awake." And what is it my Baron needs from me now?"I need a teleport stone. A big one. Or I need to know how to make one or where to steal one."And why should I help? What is that to me?"Because they're screwing with me and screwing with my city. I don't let anyone do that. I'm about to start hitting back hard, and that would help."And what are you going to do to them?L1tLagoon witnessed the first publication of this chapter on Nvl--B1n."Drive them to bankruptcy and crush their souls. Show them they are ants compared to me. Make them grovel and be forgiveness."OK, now those are things I approve of. Vengeance and the crushing of souls. Very nice. You should dig down about ten feet North from where you're standing now."Dammit! Are you saying there is a teleport stone buried here?"Not quite. When the city was defeated, they shattered the stone, dug a hole, and buried the pieces. That is the best I can do. I hope you like putting together large puzzles.Theordis puffed out his chest. "He wouldn't dare touch a hair on our heads.""Oh please, tell that to our scribes."The Baron and his people were in attendance. Stone-faced and unhappy. The taxmen sat at their end of the table. By agreement, Manfred went first. He handed a letter to Suzette. "As agreed to by the Baron, you are charged with paying the sum of 32,000 gold pieces in taxes by the end of the month. If you cannot pay, you will be turned over to the Legion to serve a term of not less than 20 years, and your goods will be used to pay the taxes. Please sign all four copies. One for your records, one for the Baron, one my records, and a fourth to be submitted to the imperial tax collection office." The cowering young lady signed, and Manfred countersigned, witnessed by the Courier and Theordis.That done, Manfred leaned back in his chair to watch Theordis put on his show. "Here, your excellency is a notification that I have deemed it necessary for you to install and pay for an upgrade to the teleport stone at Rowan Keep. After all, the number of troops it can house will be increased, and so must its ability to move those troops or bring more in. We must ensure the area is safe, and I'm sure you agree. If you don't agree, you can appeal to Duke Carl or the Emperor. Appeals are running a few years behind, but that's your problem, not mine." Again, all parties signed, and the signatures were witnessed. When it was done, Theordis smiled like a cat with a bowl of cream."And now we can talk about what it would take to make those pieces of paper disappear."The Baron looked at his tax advisor. The man's eyes were not human this morning, and to the taxmen's horror, a large spider, the size of a dinner plate, descended from the ceiling to sit on his shoulder. He stroked its hairy body a few times before glaring across the table. "I don't think so. The Baron is tired of your games and your insults.""Last night, you sent three underlings to spy upon the Summer Lord. That is between you and him. The young men have learned a lesson about dealing with a Fae Lord. They are alive but owe him service. The Baron is upset that you interfered in a delicate matter of trade.""And, it wasn't the only matter. You interfered with the Baron's arrangement with Captain Windrider, Captain Shipbreaker, and Captain Woodrat. They informed the Baron that they were off to, as they put it, 'Drink some different rum in a different port.' The ramifications of this are unknown, but we will be protesting sternly to your superiors. Very sternly.""And finally, a local sow has filed a grievance against you for disturbing her sleep and trying to seduce one of her daughters. Such behavior will not be tolerated in Sedgewick, sirs. You will be leaving now! Good day!"The room grew quiet. Theordis cleared his throat. "I'm sure we can discuss matters. The Baron is very close to defaulting on..."The tax advisor cut him off. "I said Good Day! And I meant Good Day! Do not make me raise my voice again, or I will feed you to my spider!"An overwhelming fear hit the two men as the Baron and Baroness glared at them. They were out of the room, and out of Sedgewick, within minutes.Billy turned to Ben. "You have a copy of each of those agreements?"Ben winked at him. "They said they were the official copies that had to go to the office of taxation. I'm sure I can deliver the documents more reliably than those two. Just doing my duty to the emperor."
