Book 3, Chapter 17

17. One Last Thing

Marquis Peori was ready for us, of course.  Two honor guards were waiting with two valets to welcome us into his home, and the moment I showed him the core I had reclaimed, he showed me the documents that he had prepared formalizing our alliance.  The bones of the agreement was that he would purge any of the bandits which escaped my lands into his, and he would back the legitimacy of any use of battlegrounds that I employed while on my land as my temporary liege until a new king was crowned.

He informed me that his sons, including Captain Keithan, were already moving his armies into position.  In fact, their actions were sure to draw a bit of attention, and perhaps even inspire a bit of fear that he was preparing for a civil war, but it would be nothing to my own actions in putting down the Northridge Freelancers insurrection.

Our treaty was signed in triplicate, and witnessed by the same judge from the royal army who had witnessed my duel with Keithan.  All three of us enchanted our own ink for our signatures, and all three of us possessed the skill required to stamp our personal crests onto the documents.  I kept one set, Peori another, and the third the captain pledged to bring to the army’s archives for preservation.

I had blushed a little bit when I had read the addendum that specified that the allegiance of our families could be solidified through marriage at a later date.  That was not a condition of the treaty, butI knew for a fact that Jorva Peori had several daughters whom he wouldn’t mind marrying off.  I certainly was in no rush to say any wedding vows!  But I knew from my early lessons that such provisions are common in formal allegiance contracts between families of our stature, so I didn’t raise a voice in protest.

The provision couldn’t be enforced unless I willed it, after all.

With that done, I pulled up my contacts list – another feature of the interface I had only recently learned to use properly – and sought out the name of the person I was looking for.  Finally, I found him.  Zimmer.

Zimmer was one of the messengers who had been arrested for bearing letters for me by the minions of Uncle Auroras, before he had kidnapped me.  He was also one of the travelers who had discovered a way to take that disadvantage and turn it into an opportunity to farm Reputation with the elusive faction known as The Beggar Court.

A lot of rumors and myth surrounded The Beggar Court, and in fact I had honestly believed that it didn’t exist until my friends informed me that it was a known faction that Travelers could gather Reputation with.  When we had returned to Zhesa city together, Zimmer and I had separated so that I could contact the Marquise, and Zimmer could track down his contacts in The Beggar Court.  Now that I had succeeded, it was time to check on his success as well.

Hail

Zimmer?  Can you see this?

Zimmer

Yes Hail, I’m not the one who constantly ignores all chat messages directed at them.

Hail

It’s not my fault that nobody screens them and I get tells from anyone who’s ever heard of me.

Zimmer

How did it go with the Marquise?

Hail

Full success.  Your task?

Zimmer

They want to meet you.  They’re very insistent on it.  I don’t know if it’s a good sign or a bad one.

Hail

Do you trust them?

Zimmer

They openly call me an ‘asset.’   They treat me like they’re the freaking alphabet agencies.  So no, I don’t trust them.

Hail

We still need them.  Set up a meet and tell me where to go.

As Zimmer got to work, I checked in with my other friends to see how their respective missions were going.  Tarisha and her small band of fliers were spreading the word to the natives of the incoming trouble still, facilitating the evacuation when it was practical for her to do so.

Phil and Laurant had reached the borders of my land and activated their mass summons abilities.  The influx of players had again triggered a notice that our actions were rippling out into the near future, but we were ignoring those now.  From the border, the posse of deputees were rushing and encircling known bandit strongholds.  They weren’t focused on clearing them, simply setting up the siege.

Laurant’s army, meanwhile, was rushing to create forts and encampments, and to reinforce key sites like Ebbyvale and the other larger villages.  Those would, hopefully, be the counter targets that would be drawn into the battle grounds I intended to create, targets which the bandits could destroy to give them a chance of victory.

A short lived victory, because the encampments were designed to be cheap and disposable.  Randal had brought to our attention some of the practices of the ancient roman legions, and their propensity for building defensible camps while on the march.  The army Travelers had purchased all of the tools they would need for the task in The Near Future before recursing.  With the addition of Earth and Nature mages, they were swiftly turning out fortress after fortress to be used and then abandoned during the oncoming purge.

As for everyone else, they were spread about, carrying missives for me to various Natives of note, informing them of the situation and requesting that they not panic should a rush of battlegrounds begin.  Or at least they were now that I had the backing of Marquise Peori.  Before that, I wouldn’t have had the political capital to use so many battlegrounds in a row.  Someone would have tried to stop me, or seize my cores for themselves (or for the crown, ostensibly, in the absence of a true ruler).

It was the largest undertaking I had ever orchestrated, and I was surprised that everything was going so well.  After all, the majority of these Travelers were simple hobbyists, more like Laurant and his team when I had met them, than Tarisha, who had been fighting to turn professional full time since before I’d known her.  I decided to give them the recognition they deserve.

Guild MotD

Reminder that all messages and knowledge from the future past are to be considered guild strategic secrets! Little Brother is working hard, keep your lips shut so that you don’t spoil his efforts!

Hail

Hello everyone.

Sellamander

Hail!  How long until everyone recurses with you?  We’re all chomping at the bit?

Melanie

How long?  How long?

Zebras

This is going to be epic.  Looking forward to helping you Hail

Hail

Thanks everyone.  I just wanted to say how much I appreciate that you’re all helping me with this.  I know some of you are getting shoved into roles you’re not used to for reasons your not told, and that’s not how you’re used to playing in this world.  But ultimately I’m just the figurehead here.

Klarisha - GL

No, Hail, I’m the figurehead.  You’re the general.  Your lieutenants are the ones who are doing the shoehorning that you’re talking about, and you don’t have to worry.  Everyone who’s in the guild from the old days is 100% here for you now.  The rest have been carefully screened to help you on your path to the top.

Dimple - O

Yeah, what she said.  Hail, <Nethersong Mavericks> has changed since you joined it.  You don’t have to worry about using us.  We want to be part of this recursion event.  We’re going to be a part of the history of this world

Potatoad

You realize how much cred I get for having been in the party that brought you to your first dungeon, Hail?  Seriously, we want this. You’re not a taskmaster, you’re the golden goose who lays the epic quests.

Klarisha – GL

New rule.  Potatoad is not allowed to wax poetic.

Potatoad

Hey!

Moderator

Chat rules have been updated.  Please review at your soonest opportunity.

Hail

Thanks everyone.  There’s just one thing left to do before I use [Summon Karmic Warriors].  Be ready when that happens.  I’m not certain how many people that spell will affect this time, or if it will be balanced by the system like it was the last time I used it.  Everyone who has [Mark of Karma] should be ready for an incoming summon to The Recent Past.

Peafowlet

We’ll be standing ready, Hail.  Even the non pvpers are ready to do their part.

Hail

Thanks guys.  I’m really glad you all found me.  Looks like it’s time to meet with the Beggar Court, so I’m going to go.  Watch for the summons, and good luck!

I said that, because I had a blinking icon from Zimmer indicating that he was trying to get in touch with me again, so I closed the guild chat window and reopened his.

Zimmer

So this is weird.  They want you to come to Mooncrest Manor.

Hail

Mooncrest Manor is a dungeon now.  One that I’m too low level to complete

Zimmer

Not that one.  The one in Zhesa city.  I guess the bank owns it now, but they still call it Mooncrest Manor.  And they want you to come alone.

Hail

Okay.  That doesn’t sound like a trap at all.  Where is it?

Zimmer

I’ll ping your map, you know how to do that now right?

Hail

Yeah.  Okay, got it.  I’ll be there.   But tell them that I’m bringing a party of Travelers as an honor guard, and if they have a problem with that, well, I don’t really need them anyway.

Zimmer

Yeah.  I’m not going to put it in those words.  They’re fussy.  But I’ll let them know you won’t be alone.

I waited for the others to get back from taking care of their physical bodies before announcing the new plan.  None of them had Beggar Court Reputation, but they were excited to see what this was all about, and were therefore happy to serve as my bodyguards.

We made our way to the building in question, a dilapidated townhouse which had seen decades of neglect, but had once been a fine building.  A young child dressed as a valet was waiting for us, and he bowed deeply.  I suddenly did a double take as I realized that he was, in fact, around ten years old.  The same as I would still be had Thedum not altered my status sheet and body.

“Lord Earl Jeoran,” he said.  “We have been expecting you.  My mother is -”

“I am Earl HailJeoran,” I corrected.  While I was a lord by right of being an earl, and therefore his address was not entirely incorrect, the way he had said it made it sound like my name was Earl, and that I was a rank lower in the nobility than I really was.  Taken the wrong way, it could be a serious insult.

The boy saw his blunder and blushed brightly.  “I meant no disrespect, Lord.  I’m sorry.  Mother is still training me in courtly manners.  Please don’t take offense.”

“I haven’t,” I said.  “I apologize if my correction sounded harsher than I’d intended, but I wanted to nip your mistake in the bud.  No offense has been taken.”

The boy bowed deeper, and I saw the faintest lines of tears on his face.  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell mother.”

“Tell you’re mother what?” I asked.  “I’ve already forgotten.”

He looked up, smiled, and wiped away his tears.  “Thank you, My Lord.  I was sent to greet you by my mother.  She would be the Lady Mooncrest, and your lands would be hers, if history had taken another turn.”

I nodded.  “And how exactly does she see the nature of our relationship?  Should I consider her hostile to myself?”

“She wouldn’t have sent me to greet you if she didn’t want to be your friend, Lord,” the child assured me.  “She certainly doesn’t blame you for all that happened before you were even born.  She wishes to give you perspective on what has happened in the past.  And she wishes to help you %*#& over the %*$*& damn banks.”

It was curious that the words simply wouldn’t come out of the child’s mouth, despite the fact that he was clearly quoting something his mother had told him.  I nodded my acceptance of the gesture.

“So then, the Beggar’s Court is not openly hostile to me, despite my royal blood?” I asked.

“Half the court sees you as a hero, My Lord,” the child assured me.  “A bastard made good is a source of inspiration for all of us.  The other half is waiting for you to distinguish yourself more on your own merits, rather than what was simply handed to by King Rain Teoran.  However, unless you were to renounce your title, you are ineligible to join the court yourself.  The beggar’s court is for former nobles and landholders, you see.  You simply do not qualify.”

I nodded.  “Thank you.  What is your name?”

“Port,” the boy answered.  “Port Mooncrest.”

I tossed him one of my remaining [Wind Up Sir William Von Barutasburg] items and nodded.  Daemon had sold ten of them while I had been on Earth, which left me with 39, as I had also given one to Min Benarth.  “A gift for your service.  It is just a toy, fit for a boy your age I think.  You may [Use] it to summon a vanity pet.”

“I know how vanity pets work,” the boy said proudly.  “Thank you!  I’ll keep him with me all of the time!”

He promptly activated the item, which followed us both as he showed us inside the townhouse.

It was very clear that the building had been condemned.  Not due to damage or unsuitability, however.  All the doors were nailed shut, except for the ones we passed through, and all of the decorations had been sold off.

Port noticed me looking around, and he nodded.  “The bank took everything when grandfather died.  Said there was no way that Mother could ever pay them back, so it was theirs.  They tried to take the land too, but the crown stepped in.  That’s what Mother needs to talk to you about.”

“Your squatting here, aren’t you?” I asked, curious.  The boy guffawed.

“Oh no, of course not!  We don’t actually livein places like this.  We live normal lives like peasants now,” he explained.  “We just pull out the old clothes and go to the old places to hold The Beggar’s Court now and then.  This is one of the old places, and the clothes I’m wearing are the old clothes.  Most of the time, I’m just a scamp in the street.”

“I see,” I said.

“I saw you once, you know.  When you were my age.  Before your grandfather died and you went off between worlds and came back changed,” Port declared.  “I was going to come up and say hello, but you were with your Traveler friends and I was nervous, because they didn’t have any reputation with The Beggar’s Court and I wasn’t certain it was within the rules that I could start giving them any.  But then another Traveler blew you up and got the [Mark of Cain].”

“Oh,” I said, recalling that day from so long ago.  “It would have been nice to have a Native friend my age back then.  One who hadn’t grown up in the castle.”

“Yeah.  I was just about to get permission when Severus did what he did.  And after that, I couldn’t find you again.  I mean, <<I could find you>> but I couldn’t find you.”

I blinked in surprise as the boy said the same words in two different ways.  None of my Traveler friends, who were listening to the conversation, seemed to notice the second method of communication.  It was the same way that Rain had spoken to me.  The same as the Dungeon Core I had reclaimed from The Rozen Guardian.  The same as when the world itself had spoken to me before I had been removed from it, before I had gotten trapped on Earth.

I wondered if it was something that everyone could do.  No, I decided.  Not Travelers, at least.  If they could do that, then I would have been getting inundated with messages like that since I’d started interacting with them.  Perhaps it was a Native thing?

I pushed it out of my head, and followed Port Mooncrest into the parlor of his ancestral home.