Dungeon Annihilation 3 - 2

Good morning everyone! I hope the week has been treating everyone well.

Louella

Watching the woman storm away, I turned to Valamar. “Are you sure this was the right idea?”

Even if this was a charade to get out of marriage to the woman, it seemed like an incredibly rude way to do so. Helicilia was well within her rights to be upset. I knew I would be if my fiancé told me they didn’t even want to give it a chance.

Marquis Valamar just waved his hand with a lazy motion. “She’ll get over it. If I’ve heard anything about her, its that she is extremely resourceful and resilient.”

I just shook my head and leaned back in the throne like chair. Regret from agreeing to this filling me. Not only had I successfully pissed off an up and coming noble in Thonaca, but one of Valamar’s own guards couldn’t suppress the glare she was sending my way. Apparently, the man was dense to anything he didn’t wish to see. Or he was fully aware and kept her around for that reason.

“Will there anything else?” I asked, standing up. “I have a considerable amount of work to attend to.”

Valamar stood up as well and grabbed my hands before I could react. “Yes. Though, I would be pleased if you joined me for dinner tonight.” I caught the no argument in his eyes and sighed before putting on a smile for the audience. We had to keep up appearances.

“As you wish.”

He released me with just a kiss on the hand. I had to restrain myself from running as I left the room. Relief filled me when I found Ezal and Raven out in the hall.

“What’d you guys do to that woman?” Raven asked with a thumb pointing down the hallway. “I’m worried she’s going to murder anyone that gets in her way.”

“Viscountess Helicilia. The marquis’ fiancé, former fiancé I mean,” I explained, shaking my head. “She was just informed that I had taken her place.”

“Wow! Actually introducing your new lover to your former lover. That takes guts,” Raven said laughing.

“Welcome to high society,” I replied with a grimace. “Come. We have other people that we need to meet today.” I rubbed my face with my hands to try and remove some of the stress. “I just hope they go better than this façade.”

We made our way through the marquis’ airship and were soon back outside. Taking in the airdock, there were several new ships. Three had shown up this morning carrying nobles, supplies, workers, slaves, and all manner of other content. More than a few merchants had gotten wind of the commercial opportunities the valley and dungeon were offering.

The mine alone was already out producing most of the mines in the north of Thonaca. No only were the ores of a high concentration, but the Rakshasa bodies could be broken down to minerals and their body parts made for good materials. Not to mention the mountain of gold that Greed had been sitting on. Once harvested, it had been estimated to equal close to a million gold coins.

I wondered how the next set of floors would go over with the merchants. A race of monster never seen before had greeted the divers. They possessed a few straight horns coming from their heads and resembled goblins with colored hides. Of the few that had been seen, there were red, green, and black so far.

The oni as they called themselves appeared to be craftsmen. They had hundreds of workshops that all ranged in size. The better they were at crafting, the bigger the shop they had. Even the smallest shop that had been found made gear that was levels above what was being made by the blacksmiths in town or the neighboring towns for that matter.

Tightening my grip on my staff, I couldn’t help but worry about what we found next in the dungeon. Glancing at the weapon, it was something I had bought from the oni. I wasn’t sure how it was crafted, but I’d never felt my lightning work with a weapon as well as this staff. Only the center was made from metal, the bottom and top were made from a clear white crystal.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized that we were still standing in front of the marquis’ airship. “What are we waiting for?”

“I ordered it since the nobles were set to arrive today. Should be here any minute,” Ezal said cryptically. I looked at her with questions in my eyes but decided to wait. A few minutes later, a carriage pulled by two tier two horses was onloaded from one of the nearby airships. A Golden Dawn member soon had it on its way over to us. “My lady. Your chariot awaits.”

“This is a surprise, but an ever welcome one.”

We climbed in and I was pleased to see that this was a decently high-end model. There were several magic engrams that controlled the temperature, comfort of the ride, and there was even a barrier spell that could be activated in the presence of danger. It was the middle of summer and the valley, while cooler than the rest of the continent was still hot enough to cause a sweat. Being able to get out of the sun was a blessing.

“How much did you have to spend for this beauty?” Raven asked what I was dreading though equally curious about.

“Don’t tell our dwarf friends, but there was some mithril acquired from the Greed raid. I used just over an ounce to acquire this beauty,” Ezal said with a smirk.

“Are you sure that was wise?” Mithril wasn’t just found lying around. People were often found dead due to the mineral.

“I might not technically be a noble, but I’ve had my share of dealings with them. I covered my tracks.” When we just stared at her, she finally sighed and continued. “I went through a Thonacan merchant by the name of Elder Sky. He is an elf that always keeps his word, and few people would think about double-crossing.”

“Elder Sky. Is he one of the merchants coming to the valley?”

“No. Not that I’ve heard at least. From what the merchants that have arrived tell me, the council plans to keep using the central pass.”

“That’s a pity. Let’s plan for that to change next year.”

I leaned back into the cushions and enjoyed the ride back to town. Other than the marquis’ future bride, I planned to meet the rest on my terms. As we passed the future noble’s district, I couldn’t help looking at the beautiful cathedral. Even with the temperature being as high as it was, it was as cool as fall day on the grounds of the cathedral.

“How many people have joined Nyx?” I asked glancing back to the two.

“Our last report stated close to two thousand.” Before I could ask, she continued, “Of that number fifteen hundred are slaves. The rest are people disillusioned by Lelune.”

“When had that many slaves managed to get to the valley?”

“Several people that came here to sell their slaves sold their entire stock to the church, while former slaves went to nearby towns and villages to buy every slave they could. The resources of the church of Nyx are deep.”

“What is the town population at?” I asked. Last time I checked was before the tournament. We were sitting at six or seven thousand. It was hard to get an accurate count with people coming in every day. Sometimes in less than legal ways.

“With the recent uptick in newcomers… somewhere in the area of twenty thousand.”

“So, almost ten percent of the town are followers of Nyx now,” I mumbled more to myself then meaning to say out loud. “Keep an eye on the situation as best you can. The last thing we need is for their to be a religious purge by Lelune on our doorstep.”

~~~

“Welcome to Robia Valley. I have already contacted the Wandering Elf to give you their best room during your stay.”

“Good. I’m glad to see you know how to treat your betters.”

My eye twitched but I suppressed it. I decided to play my newest and quite powerful card. “I see. I will be sure to tell the marquis that I am unworthy of him later tonight during dinner. You know how Valamar likes to hear everyone’s opinion.”

The fat man choked before he waved his hands quickly. “Wait! You didn’t let me finish. I was trying to say that you know how to treat your betters as in I was hoping there was a place that I could gamble a little.”

“I see. I know that a few of the brothels have embraced the sport. You should check those locations when you get the chance.”

The man wiped the sweat from his head as he sighed. “Yes. I will do just that. Thank you for welcoming me to your town, but I think I’ll retire for the afternoon.” He quickly made his way out of my office. I pushed the item, nothing more than a paperweight, to the side knocking it off the table into the box of others with a quill.

“If its not worthless, its cursed.”

“Missed noble life, my lady?” Ezal asked with a chuckle.

“Not in the slightest. Annoying pricks, the lot of them.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Just go get the next one.” Once she left, I turned to Raven. “Earle back yet?”

“He will be a few more days. Just like I told you this morning,” she answered not removing the book that rested on her face as she laid on the sofa.

I groaned but didn’t press the issue. It had only been a week or so but it felt like it was starting to physically hurt not being able to see him. Was that normal? How did people that sent their lover off to war survive for months or even years at a time without each other? I just moaned in discomfort and turned to the door as the next noble made their way in.

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