Chapter 366: What do we want and how do we get it?
"I'm a simple man with simple desires." Ben paused to see if anyone laughed outright at him but saw only curiosity. Disappointed, he continued on. "I'd like to have a small mansion with a hidden laboratory, something that reminds me of Franklin House. With a wine cellar, of course. Sneaking in and raiding Billy's booze is fun, but I'd like a larger collection and some of the bottles he buys are below even my standards. And I want enough time off for travel and exploration. I have a fast horse, but I'd like to add a sleek ship to my transport option. A bonus if she sails the clouds and can go to other realms. And clothes. I want a closet full of fine clothes for when I enter society at the capital."
Ozzy snorted loudly. "Is that a not-too-subtle hint about my ship-in-a-box? Been damn little time for side projects, and I want to make sure Billy and ACME can't get their hooks into her. But I agree. I'd love a fast little smokejammer to make travel and exploration easy. But, about enough time off to explore? Why waste vacation time when we can get paid to do it? We need to make Billy assign us those tasks."
Suzette thought for a moment, her eyes gaining a slight glow in their depths as she reached out to something inside of her. "I give Captain Ozzy leave to build his ship in my realm and grant him a trade agreement with Silverthorn Vale. You may select land to build a shipyard big enough to construct a Smokejammer of your design." Her voice held a note of authority as she said it. Then she slumped and reached for her drink. "Such an odd feeling, and strangely tiring."
Ozzy nodded slowly as a blue system box appeared in front of him. "I accept."
Ben drank down his beer and smiled widely. "A secret pirate cove in another dimension? An excellent start. Might even be a nice place for a not-so-secret laboratory near the shipyard. If the place is already a mess, you won't be upset if I blow something up. A few craters in the landscape will add some character. Some magic in this world is messy. I want to explore more of the runic magic I've dabbled with and the magi-tech stuff, mixing science and magic. I've got an option to steer my legend that way."
The tavern keeper brought another jug of beer and refilled the pitcher to much thanks. Rolly took his mug, adding in a deadpan voice, "I'm sure you'll find a nice poisoned lake full of rippy fish to serve as a harbor."
Ben looked at Suzette, hoping that Rolly was joking. She shrugged and said, "Sorry, my kingdom is a fixer-upper, and the available water has some problems. But the rent is cheap. And I hear from Ozzy that Squirmie loves the taste of the rippy fish."
The mention of Squirmie brought her to the other's attention. She was sitting on Rolly's shoulder, very quiet. Ozzy quirked an eyebrow at Rolly, and he carefully patted her head. "She went to sleep as soon as we arrived. I think it's part of the privacy magic. I'll fill her in when we leave; there aren't secrets between us anymore. She's fully on team Sedgewick. We're working to shake things up a bit in Tartarus and make some changes in her family, but that's a long-term goal. We'll need to hit Tier Five before I drag you into those plans. Our current goals are helping the rest of you, grinding levels, and eating well. I'm steering my Mom and I had a very encouraging talk. She's a little grumpy, but I'm winning her over."
"When you say Mom...?" Ben had hesitated even to ask. Sometimes, you didn't want to know with Rolly.
"Squirmie's Mom, the Hive Queen. She's not bad for an Ancient-Apocryphal-Harbinger-of-Doom-for-everything-that-lives. She's old and stuck in a rut, but I'm winning her over. We had a good talk while Squirmie caught up on things with her sister. Good times. But I'm jealous of Suzy getting a look at the Desolation. I want to visit and see that huge snake and all the other neat critters there."
She shuddered a little bit, thinking of the snake she'd seen. "I'll tell Hermes you want to visit, but good luck getting him to go back. He seemed spooked."
"Awesome, thanks. And when Ben and Ozzy finish their ship, maybe we can fly over for a visit."
"Nope."
"Negative on that. Allergic to giant snakes.
Rolly grinned. "I'll remind you about it later."
Ozzy changed the subject. "Ben and Rolly know their goals. What about you, Suzy? And how are you steering your legend?"
She sipped her beer, wishing she could brew something this tasty. "I've thought about it. Thought about a lot of things, actually, while that bitch had me trapped. If we're here for a long time, I want to start being more proactive and build for the future. We've gotten some good breaks and taken advantage of them. We're partially in control of things and working with Billy and Layla, but they're management, and we're labor. Push comes to shove; Billy might toss us under the bus. Or Vern takes over, or some other asshole from ACME replaces Billy. We could lose a lot of what we've worked hard to get. Any agreement we have isn't written down and only with Billy. I want more, so let's play harder and sneakier."
She looked at the three of them. "I want Sedgewick. Not as a job. Not as a position like Mayor, subject to Billy's whim. I want us to own it. The workers built it with love and sweat. I want us to own it and make it a place where anyone who wants to go past their five years can stay and live a good life. Billy can have Gadobhra. That's where his focus is and where he thinks the big bucks are and promotions inside of ACME. We'll have an opportunity at some point to get Sedgewick, and I want to be ready for it."
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Ben laughed. "Oh, you know I'm in. I love a good scheme, and I've never stolen a village."
Rolly gave a thumbs up. "We're in."
Ozzy was stroking his chin and thinking. "Sounds fun, and I like the idea If Billy has a weakness, it's money. He stays in control as long as he stays ahead of Vern and other corporations, but in the end, it's all about money. Game money and real-world money. I've got some ideas on how we can get both. Between the Gnomish Bank and our new trust funds, we can hide wealth where ACME can't get it. And I know what my Legend will be: I'm going to make the sausage. It has the least downside and will bring in the gold. Along with a lot of bruises, my advisor gave some strangely insightful advice. We each need to have a firm grasp of who we are, and where we're going so our Legends work for us Ben, you mentioned doing rune magic or something? Will that help with getting Billy his teleport stone?"
"Yes, I think it's Mad Science and dangerous magic for me. The mage's guild has a monopoly on teleportation. That gives them too much power over economics. If you're going to create a sausage empire, we need to break their stranglehold. And hell, my family is known for causing trouble. I have to live up to my heritage."
"I'll be doing simple Shepherd stuff and leave all the trouble to Ben."
The Courier looked at him. "That statement worries me more than you will ever know." Rolly smiled innocently.
Ozzy looked at Suzette, "You're turn, or are you going to make us guess?"
She shook her head. "Nope. Cards are on the table this time; no one is listening in but us. I had secrets I needed to keep before, so I wouldn't lose new abilities. I've slowly picked up some stealth skills and I know where the Thieves Guild is in Gadobhra now to maybe pick up more. But for my Legend, I need the freedom that I get from having three shadows. It gives me a chance to gain more control over Sedgewick and not let ACME or anyone else get their hooks into my little Fae realm."
Rolly leaned forward. "Good, that's settled. What about adventuring? We need to keep clearing the stockyards, but neither that nor the Beast Woods is going to be efficient for that. The Menagerie is getting cleaned out by the Fae regularly, and there will be adventuring guilds coming to Gadobhra. I wouldn't mind sneaking in on a week there isn't competition, but we shouldn't mess with Billy's cash-cow. Where are we going to grind some levels? Ghoul slaying?"
Ozzy blew out a smoke ring. It floated quickly up to the rafters and dodged around the carved wooden supports. "I say we hit the Pit of the Butcher and hit it hard. Do it every chance we get. Right now, the few groups that went in are scared of it. But I think some of our specialized butchering skills will help out, and in a straight-up fight, our extra stats give a big edge. The players have a ton of options, special moves, and fancy spells. But the Pit is a brutal fight where our extra health, stamina, and mana could be more useful. Plus, we may be able to get some inside information from my assistant Butcher. I'll continue to take on the tank role."
Suzette thought for a moment. "More mana and I have access to more spells now."
"Extra damage for me and Squirmie. And don't neglect those spiffy levels in Pack Hunting from the Hunter's Shrine. If we're going into the Pit, then getting an extra 60 damage a hit on elites will help take them down faster. If you have points in the Hunter's Guild, use those first, the Enhancement points. The group is nicely balanced now. Ozzy tanks, and we'll slice and dice. Our healing is slower than Ben's, so Squirmie and I will go DPS, we'll back Ben up on healing."
Ben was surprised, then scowled. "Wait! How did I get stuck as the healer? Suzy has potions and a healing spell and you can heal wounds."
Rolly spread his hands. "Sorry, Ben. But none of us can call down a huge fire strike that's also a band-aid. We have a mage, a tank, and two DPS; that means you're the healer."
"Alright, but only in the dungeon! I have a reputation to uphold as a dashing pirate and troublemaker. I don't want to give Diego more ideas about pushing me into Paladin."
The discussion continued, but eventually, they were ready to leave. They waved to their host and Suzette went to thank him personally. "I know you won't take a coin, but I want to thank you for letting us visit. Just the feel of the place inspires me. I want to make my little tavern better."
He nodded. "Men and women have met to drink and talk since the dawn of time, and there will always be taverns. I look forward to visiting yours someday. But some advice, if you will accept it?"
"Yes, of course."
"Do not neglect your brewing. You have the spark for it. The Bludgeon beer is an atrocity that needs to be purged from every tavern, but your brews enhanced with alchemy are interesting. Continue on the path. Nothing bad ever came from brewing good beer. And I have a gift, if you will accept it. These are from my garden and fields."
He passed over two small sacks, one of barley and one of hops seed. "I travel and collect recipes. When you have something new, I will let my sons care for my tavern and drink a mug at yours."
The four travelers left by the door, shutting it behind them. Ahead of them was a path that led to home.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢