The Butcher of Gadobhra

Chapter 405: Vultures at Bay

Baron William and Baroness Layla enjoyed a lovely day of refined gloating after a tour of the new fortress with General Themis and the newly promoted Prefect. They'd set aside time to devote to the tour, knowing that the General had the ear of the Emperor as well as the commanders of the Legion. While Themis preferred to stay in the field and out of politics, her opinion was sought by many. After the General and all her troops had come through, Billy made a request of Prefect Marcus. "Think you can have your people hold off letting anyone else in while we speak with General Themis? I'd hate to have our talk interrupted."

Marcus signaled to the optio handling teleport duties today. "Certainly. I can guess what's coming and see the need for some uninterrupted time. The stone will be shut down until the three of you are finished."

As the tour progressed, she became thoughtful and then agitated by something. Marcus caught it first, but when he went to speak, she waved him off. Finally, as they stood on the top of the main tower, she voiced her concerns. "I'm impressed. I'd loved to have a dozen more of these."

Billy smiled, "Well, I'm sure that I and ACME can make that happen."

She shook her head. "I'm not going to get what I want. You did too good of a job. I'll never get the funding to build more of these, and we damned well need them, along with the improved war machines. This fortress alone could hold another four dozen ballistae and another full century of troops. And it will if I get my way. With that stone, I can send troops anywhere in the Empire. But they aren't going to give me the gold to build another fortress like this."

Billy wasn't shy about voicing his opinion. "Too good? Holy shit! Why do I get slapped every time I do a good job? Produce more food? Complaints about hurting the markets. Build roads? They tear up all the rest and complain mine take too long to build. Find homes for hundreds of homeless refugees, and I'm accused of stealing from another Baron. And now this? The damned paper pushers did everything they could to stop me and enlisted the aid of mercenaries and another corporation. Now you tell me I did too good of a job? TOO GOOD?! Dammit, when are you people going to understand that 'Good' is good and half-assed is crap? This is ACME you're dealing with, and we don't produce crap."

Layla added, "And if Baron Williams's opinion isn't enough, maybe consult the Priests of Ares for the War God's opinion."

Themis looked at the two of them. "Let's start over. I'm not upset at you, and I share your frustration with the paper pushers, taxmen, bureaucrats, and the rest of the leeches that get in my way of protecting the Empire. And for the record, I don't need to talk to a priest if I need Ares's opinion. He showed up while I was drilling the new recruits, scared the living shit out of them, and then mentioned an exact time I should travel here to see this beautiful pile of stone. He was genuinely pleased with the idea of building permanent places for our veterans who need a hearth to call home."

She spread her hands wide and looked at the fortress below, "I need one of these in two places in the South, and Northguard is a pile of rubble barely maintained by the Miser Baron. And seven other key points in the Empire need reinforcing. Ares isn't known for subtle hints. When he says, "War is coming, prepare wisely." I damn well take him seriously. At least that will loosen the purse strings. Nothing makes people spend money like the threat of a horde of invaders burning their lands."

Themis nodded, "Always been that way. I don't suppose I could appeal to your sense of loyalty to the Emperor and have the work done and then wait for payment?"

Billy scoffed. Layla looked thoughtful. "Maybe, if you put up collateral. I want more land. Specifically, I want valuable land. We could cut a deal if payment were promised in a year, with some prime real estate as collateral, and it becomes ours if we don't get our gold in the agreed-upon time."

"What land, and where?"

"Where land is expensive, of course. The Ducal and Imperial capitals. I'm thinking of embassies and vacation homes. Maybe a small shop or two to sell goods from my city, nothing pretentious, just a city block or two. We've been blocked from buying land in any of the cities, so land is better than gold in some ways. "

Themis looked at her, then decided to say nothing about a certain land transaction she had heard of. It was better to stay our the Butcher's business. She might need him soon. "Not something I delve into. When I take real estate, it's with an army, not gold. Buying land in the cities is difficult; no one sells. And there are specific laws limiting the land Nobles can purchase, which extends to a moratorium on corporate purchases. Don't blame me for that, I don't make the rules, just enforce them. You might have a loophole using the 'collateral' idea, but still tricky. That will take an agreement with the Dukes or the Emperor and be ratified by city councils and the nobles. But I'll put the idea into a few ears.

Meanwhile, I plan to increase troops and make this the strongest fortress in the North. It has an outstanding teleport stone and lots of space for the troops I may need elsewhere at a moment's notice, and I would just love to see an army try to take this away from me. Any problems with that?"

Billy smiled, "Hell no. My people are thriving, and I appreciate the protection of the Legion. And more soldiers means you'll need more beef, grain, beer, sausage, and leather. Save yourself some money and hassle by shifting more purchasing to my Barony."

Themis nodded. "That's true. I'll need to see your fields and stockyards with my own eyes to justify changes, and I want a look at your city. I'll be up this week to modify our purchase orders and at least double them." She gazed southward. "And I want to talk about roads."

Billy smiled. "Happy to do business and give a tour. Wear your armor; things get exciting sometimes. Oh, and there was something I'd like to talk to you about concerning the unique way we are powering the Hermetic Shield that protects this fortress. Tell your soldiers that every purchase from the vendors in the courtyard will add to their protection."

The first group to appear when the Teleport stone was opened again were three Imperial Bureaucrats and two members of the Mage's guild. Copulcius looked down at his feet, surprised to see the new stone where he had expected the old. Orlan did as well, exclaiming, "What the hell have they done? The guild didn't approve of this!"

Copulcius was growing angrier by the second. "This stinks like week-old fish laying in the hot sun. Who in the Mage's Guild would help the Baron make some jury-rigged stone? And for how much? Everyone knew how much was riding on the default. Someone lined their pocket."

Orlan was staring at the unfamiliar runic script. "It's not been done to code. I bet that the Baron has no approvals or documentation. Someone took his gold, but no one would be bold enough to sign off on this work. They expect us not to approve the work, seize his lands, and benefit both ways."

Copulcius considered that. "Then we need to turn up the heat, find out who it was, and demand our cut. It's a bold scheme, but not cutting us in was a big mistake."

"Ah, but consider. We knew nothing, and we haven't benefitted from the scheme. Our path is straight, and our conscience is clear. Any inquiry or appeal will show that. But later...

Copulcius smiled. "Later, we can expect an anonymous gift from some unknown party, which will keep us from starting a formal investigation. Yes, that fits better. Let us proceed now with our appraisal of this monstrosity. And here comes the Baron and Baroness now, smiling as if they've won. Bow, smile, and then enjoy the view as I give him the bad news."

Billy walked up to the two mages and acknowledged their bows with a nod of his head. Layla was ignoring them completely, giving them the impression that they were beneath her notice. "I see you're admiring this beauty. They did a great job on it. Tier 5, from what I'm told, although I can't tell one rock from another. A revolutionary new system and working perfectly. I have to thank you, gentlemen. If the Mage's guild hadn't been a total pain in the ass to deal with, I'd have never pushed my people so hard. But you were, and I did. The results speak for themselves. One working Tier 5 teleportation system and the last piece of the puzzle to finish Rowan Keep. On-time, might I add, documented by Prefect Abraitus and a member of the Inquisition."

Copulcius was mulling over the Baron's words. Orlan was studying the round stone. Why would someone do a round teleportation stone? That would throw off so many of the runic patterns. Not that this one was normal at all. There were two distinct sets: One script around the edge of the stone and a more complex set of runes in the center. They looked elvish but not quite. Whoever had cut them was a master of his craft, and the metal used to fill the channels gleamed brightly as mana moved through the runes. He was glad Master Copulcius was here; this work was beyond him to understand.

"Oh, this certainly is an interesting setup, and I'd agree, no one has ever remotely tried to pass something like this off as a teleportation array. I'm astounded my parts aren't scattered over the countryside. In any case, I will not give my stamp of approval to this jury-rigged monstrosity. It may have been finished on time, but it does not meet the strict standards of the Mage's guild. This means you have not finished the work here at Rowan Keep on time, and are in default of your taxes. I'm sure the three gentlemen from the Office of Taxation are salivating at the thought of their conversation with you." He drew himself up to his full height and stared down his nose at Baron William, wanting to relish the moment.

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Billy looked up at him and casually said, "Piss off."

"Excuse me?!"

Billy sneered at him. "You heard me. Piss off. I don't need your approval; the job is finished, and I'm tired of pretending to be polite. I don't feel like listening to your pompous arguments and knocking them down one by one. You can sod off back to where you came from and take your tax flunkies with you. I'd do it quickly before my tax advisor gets wind of someone coming into his hunting grounds without permission."

"Well, I can see you are laboring under incorrect beliefs and have been given poor advice about this project. This stone does not pass inspection and you are in default."

Billy laughed softly and, to their astonishment, turned and walked away. Layla was still ignoring all of them as if they didn't exist.

"Orlan, did you see that? The man is mad. It's as if he doesn't recognize my authority at all."

A low chuckling alerted them to a person behind them. The man was ancient, bald, and wearing only a threadbare monk's robe tied with a white cord. He leaned heavily on his walking stick and looked at the two mages, amused by something. "Perhaps because you don't have authority here? The Baron and Baroness rule these lands with authority from Duke Carl and the Emperor. Granted, how he inherited the title is unorthodox, but his rank cannot be denied. Trust me, when it came to certain people's ears that he was claiming the title of Baron, there was much debate. But the law was clear."

"I don't need a history lesson from one of William's peasants. Off with you and leave my associate and I to pry into the workings of this contraption."

Another chuckle. "I'd be careful. You never know what you'll find if you dig into mysteries." The old man walked slowly toward a bench in the next courtyard and sat, observing them with his eyes half closed, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. They didn't notice when a decurion brought him a mug of tea, too enthralled with trying to copy the rune work on the stone and understand what had been done. Their report would be negative, that was clear, but they needed enough details to back up their claims about the non-standard array. And, perhaps a few crystals in the array might come loose when they inspected it? Things like that were known to happen.

Orlan began the Destablization cantrip so he could raise the stone and observe its inner workings while his companion chanted the Inspection cantrip. Neither cantrip worked on the stubborn stone other than to trigger some sort of magical protection. A mild blast of force knocked them away from the stone and onto their backs. The old man chuckled again.

"The Engineers who worked on the stone were annoyed at the thought of people like you messing up their work, so they added some small defenses. The Baron's people will be handling all maintenance of this stone and training the Legion mages in its workings. I was skeptical at first, but Benjamin was right. The Baron brought in some top minds from many places and put them to work."

Copulcius suspected the peasant was more than he appeared to be. Some minion of the Baron's, perhaps, left here to spy on them. "Who did he hire?"

Inquisitor Diego sipped his tea, then replied, "Top minds."

Before they could argue further, the air was split by the sound of a wyvern hunting prey, causing both men to freeze in place, quivering. Instead of a large, winged reptile, it was a man who dropped to the ground in front of the three tax collectors. He was wearing a pin-striped suit with polished shoes in the fashion of a lawyer or infernal accountant. He smiled, but the smile didn't go as far as his reptilian yellow eyes. In one hand, he held a baby basket with pink blankets covering his precious cargo. In his other hand, he held one of the sacred volumes of Taxation.

"You didn't make an appointment, and you're interrupting nap time. My precious one needs her sleep. Now be quick, and tell me what this is about, or I'll have your tongues!"

The three had heard the Baron had his own advisor, but seeing the demonic entity in the flesh was another thing entirely. Somehow, Baron William had acquired the services of one of Hade's demons. He was a fearsome foe but would still have to abide by the sacred rules.

"Back, terrible one. We invoke our right to a Surprise Meeting, allowed because of the default status of the Baron's account."

The advisor hissed. "Oh, this again. Show me your work. I want to know which judge signed off on this, who is leading the investigation, and who filed a complaint. No ambiguous documents. Someone has to stick out their necks, and if you are wrong, I get to lop off heads!" He was screaming by the time he was finished but calmed immediately, throwing them off balance. "Not actually lopping heads, of course, too merciful. But I will be filing complaints of false accusations, harassment, interference with a contractual obligation with the intent to levy false taxes, and engineering a plot to bring harm to the Barony of Gadobhra and the peaceful people living here."

He looked each in the eye. "So what do you have?"

"Ah, well, this contract, signed by the Baron. He asked for one year to complete this keep instead of paying his taxes. Neither taxes nor completed keep have been presented. Therefore, default."

Rolly sighed theatrically, "Goodness, you have me in a real pickle. Only one thing can save me." He handed over a piece of parchment with many signatures on it. "This certifies this keep has been completed to the satisfaction of the people signing the document. You will notice that I was quite thorough in preparing this document, anticipating just such a vile attack as you intended. Please notice the signature of not only the local Prefect but also General Themis. Down lower are the signatures of the Priestess of Hermes and the Priests of Ares who blessed the work. The Baron and Baroness attest that the job is finished and are even willing to make small alterations to accommodate the Legion for the next month. Your move."

"Well, of course, the Baron will say it's done; that hardly matters. And while good soldiers, I readily doubt that either the Prefect or the General are well informed in matters of Engineering."

Rolly handed over another piece of paper. "An independent study of the work, by Senior Engineer Milo of the Deep Rock Engineering Facility. This is just the summary; his full report runs to 474 pages. It took him hours to put it together; luckily, we had coffee to keep him going. His main complaint was insufficient cheese storage. We are constructing a cooled room in a sub-basement to fix that glaring error."

One of the taxmen strode forward, "Priests are a dime a dozen. Pay them for enough 'prayers' and they say anything. Don't mix other religions with taxation, that's blasphemous. By code 783, book 17, section 4 and paragraph 7, it clearly states that blessings by Priests or Priestesses are not proof of anything other than their faith in the person or object being blessed."

Rolly countered, "Book one, chapter 2, top of the page. "Gods will be Gods. Their seal is not to be discounted except by Lord Hades himself." Please hold the paper up to the light; the seals are very subtle."

"Oh, hell..." Two of the taxmen put away their papers and headed for the teleport stone. The third stood his ground. "Your document of completion holds for now unless that teleport array is judged insufficient. You'll lose on appeal and I'm waiting around until those two learned scholars make their decision."

It didn't take long. A priestess of Hermes walked to the two mages. "Hi, I'm Suzette. The Baron said you might have some questions for me."

"Indeed we do. We recognize the outer ring of glyphs as a Hermetic Seal of Protection. Explain why that is on this stone. "

"Why, to link the stone to the Shield protecting the Fortress. All of the perimeter walls carry an intricate array of Hermetic runes in layers of the stone. When activated, it protects the walls and the area inside the Fortress from malignant magic. It was delightful to see the fireballs bouncing off and exploding during the last attack." She snapped her fingers, and a faintly glowing dome could be seen protecting the entire Fortress. "The Shield has a very large mana capacity and, when not in use, serves as a reservoir for the teleportation system. This is essential in any emergency when the troops here must be sent to fight somewhere else. Anyone offering prayers to Lord Hermes creates a small amount of magic that charges the Shield. Over time, this will amount to a great deal of stored mana."

The two mages were staring at her, then at the Shield.

She continued. "The Law of Sympathy stipulates that since the Fortress is the shape of a star inscribed within the circle of the Shield, a round stone provides a better link to the shield. Mana is stored more easily and, when needed for a teleport, transferred from storage to the stone instantaneously."

Orlan shook his finger at her, "That's not enough to satisfy me, young lady. What group of madmen came up with such an idea?"

She handed him a document. "I thought you might ask. My signature is there since the original theory of the Shield was mine, assisted by Lord Hermes. Can you see the cool little Ibis he drew in the corner for his signature? So cute! Then, I have the signatures of a Senior Engineer and the Professors from the Experimental College. They did the work, assisted by Benjamin of the House of Franklin, an expert in magi-technical engineering. Finally, you will find the signature of Inquisitor Diego and the sigil of Ares, God of War. They're satisfied that the system works. If you want to challenge the design, you'll have to do more than just show up and scowl."

Furious but outgunned, the two mages retreated, joined by the three tax men. As they stood on the teleportation stone, the skies darkened, and a storm could be seen over Gadobhra. Lightning struck and struck again. The Shield of Hermes brightened perceptively as more mana poured into it.

"And did I mention we are constantly looking for new ways to supply power to the Shield? I'm sure that will come in handy when you come begging for energy to run your teleportation system. Have a nice trip."