The Dragon's Wrath: Ashes of the Fallen (23 page)

"Yes, do you have proof of identity?" she questioned back with a slight smile.

Handing her the inn key that was registered to my name, the process was completed in a matter of seconds. All that was left, was to get a refund on my deposit and to pack.

Then, the nearly hundred mile journey would have to commence.

At least this time, I wouldn't need to carry all of my gear by myself, or use that makeshift sled to drag all of the hides that I was bound to collect on the way. Also, there was no reason to wear a live-kitty bandolier.

They could sit atop the cows.

Or something like that.

Chapter 53: Welcome Home

(Monday, July 19th Game Day / Monday, March 8th Real Day)

A week had passed, a real week, by the time I finally came within viewing distance of Dragon's Breach. It had been a long journey despite the short distance of it all, a hundred miles shouldn't have taken me more than ten hours by myself… the problem, were the bovines. They were slow, unbearably so.

Stopping to rest every so often plus their slow walking pace made for an arduous journey, thankfully it was finally over. In between the rest breaks I hunted small game here and there, but for the most part it was mindless walking, daydreaming or reading the news. Heck, I even had the time to watch videos with the in-game browser… a truly uneventful trip by all accounts.

I had finally reached my destination, and well, it was good to be home.

Opening up my friend's list, there was a secondary window that contained my companions that I could communicate with, as long as a Soul Link had been achieved. Thus far I had only met those requirements with Selene, which left the list rather empty. My friend's list was fairly empty too though, with Ellieby, Barik, Alan, and Ethan the only ones on it. A short list sure, but a quality one.

I preferred quality over quantity, anyhow.

"Hey Selene, are you free to lend a hand?" I messaged telepathically, as it differed slightly from communicating with actual players. "I'm just south of the village now."

A few seconds passed before I heard Selene's voice, as she asked with slight hesitation, "ah, Sigurd is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me," I replied out loud, despite not needing to.

"Um, do you require significant assistance?" she questioned almost immediately.

"A hand or two would suffice," I said, realizing that I didn't actually need a hand after all. "I can manage if you're busy, it would just speed things up."

Nothing but silence came from her end as the birds continued to chirp off to the side and slightly above me in the trees. The sounds of the river were quite loud at this time of the year, no doubt related to the rising temperatures and recent rain fall, yet even if that was all I could hear, it was a pleasant thing.

I missed these moments, out here in nature.

Peace and quiet, free of human interference as far as the eye could see… well, so long as you weren't looking at Dragon's Breach. But, that was my territory, and since that was the case, it didn't quite count, it wasn't the same.

Yeah, this was home.

"I'll be right there," replied Selene after a minute or two had passed, much to my surprise. For a moment, I figured she was ignoring me… I had been gone for a while after all, it wouldn't be unheard of for her and Katherine to be upset with me. Leaving them in charge of managing the village while I played at being an adventurer wasn't exactly fair to them, but I was the one in charge!

So, hah!

About half a mile out from the village, the figure of a woman started to develop on my visual horizon. A few minutes later, and Selene was not only fully visible but within shouting distance as well.

Raising my voice a bit, I yelled out, "Selene! Come to welcome me, have you?"

She continued to walk in silence as her hips sashayed from side to side, a feminine walk, clearly practiced to perfection yet one that didn't help her lack of curves. That wasn't to say that Selene had no sex appeal, but flaunting nonexistent curves wasn't the way to do it. Well, that's why I bought her a nice little gift.

I could help her out in that regard.

"Sir Sigurd… to welcome you, you say," she said with a bit of attitude. Tilting her head slightly to the side as she placed her hands on her hips, she offered her rebuttal.

"You were the one that requested assistance, lest you've forgotten, so soon."

As she continued to meander on over, I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true," I said with a grin.

As she stopped in front of me, I reciprocated and slowed my pace to a halt.

She stared at me in an odd way, as if she were expecting something.

Standing there silently, waiting for me to do something.

Ah, maybe.

Taking a step forward and leaning in slightly, I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in, embracing her quickly and planting my lips on hers with a swiftness that denied the possibility of retreat. She had no intention of retreating or pulling back anyway, as she relaxed in my arms and succumbed to my advance.

After breaking off for a chance to breathe, she nudged me as she returned a hug.

She whispered softly, "you sure know how to make a girl wait."

"I'm worth the wait," I replied with a coy smile.

Pushing me slightly, she stepped back and turned to look over the caravan that was in tow. Three cows and a bull, plus seven curious looking fuzz balls of liveliness that could melt any sentient creature's heart. There was also a mound of furs and hides piled high on top of my make-shift sled, though I figured that wasn't very important to her.

The kittens were of course, the singular focus, as they instantly caught her eye. As she focused her gaze on them and forgot all about me, I felt a little jealous.

I wanted to continue where we had left off, but the kittens were winning.

Pulling her back in, I put my arms around her waist and tried to get her attention, but she wasn't having any of it. She didn't break her gaze from the forest cats that were perched on the back of the cows, clearly more interested in what I brought, than me, myself. That was a little depressing, in itself.

"You can wait," she said after pushing me aside. "I'm more than worth it."

Ah, I guess my attempt to be coy, backfired.

I laughed, silently in my head, so as to ensure that I wouldn't earn her wrath or dig myself into a deeper hole. The last thing I wanted, was for the gifts to become apologetic in nature rather than as a reward and out of good faith. They were the best companions I could have asked for, and Selene was a little special at the moment.

Even if she was an NPC with an Artificial Intelligence, she was special.

They had grown on me, both of them really.

"What are these things?" she asked as she picked one up and held it in her arms.

"They're Northern Forest Cats, barely a few months old now," I answered without restraint. "Pick one, they're for you and Katherine, and the rest I'll probably breed and give out as gifts, or sell if the price is right."   

Selene had started to giggle as the kitten mewed and pawed at her finger, clearly enjoying each other's company. There were a lot of ways to soften a woman's heart, and a cute and cuddly animal was one of them.

The mission, was a success.

"I get to pick one?" she asked, somewhat dubious of me as she raised an eyebrow.

"Did you want to pick two?" I countered with a grin.

"No, no… one is enough," she replied as she turned around and started to walk towards the village. "I think I'll keep him, I'll name him Mewers."

"Ah, Barkley and Mewers," I mumbled a bit as I ushered the bovines to follow. "I think, I'm beginning to understand your naming scheme now."

"Is there a problem, Sir Sigurd?"

"Ah, no, not at all Miss Selene," I said with a bit of a concealed laugh.

Yeah, there was no problem here.

Silence filled the air once more as we began to head towards the village.

"Walk slowly if you will," she said after a minute had passed. "Katherine's request, she wishes for me to slow your advance, so she can tidy up, to be presentable and what have you. It wouldn't do if you arrived too soon now."

"Is that so?" I asked with a feigned innocence. "What is that silly woman thinking."

"You very well know the answer to that," Selene replied, somewhat seriously.

"Quite right you are… I'm not really sure what to do about it."

She stopped for a second as she turned to face me, clearly wanting to make sure I heard her correctly. "If you keep pushing Kate away, I'm afraid she will lose all confidence in herself… the least you could do, well, I think you know what I mean."

What, was that supposed to mean.

Elaborate, please.

I wanted to ask, but the gist of it sounded like I should not turn her advances away and actually accept them… that, didn't sound right. Was she encouraging a harem? Was she in league with these developers, or did they code that into their personalities as a way to free up the polygamist route for players to pursue.

This was all insane to me.

As much as I wanted to though, I wouldn't dare ask her to describe to me in detail what she was requesting. She didn't seem to enjoy saying it as her face wore a complicated expression, one that seemed torn by her decision. If my intuition was right, Selene was stuck between being a good friend and wanting to monopolize me for herself, the latter of which was perfectly reasonable.

I was on the same page, until now.

Now, I was confused.

As I was busy thinking, I didn't even notice that Selene had crept up beside me.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Selene said with a devilish grin.

With the kitten in one arm, she twisted to the side and put the other arm around my neck, hooking me forward and down into her. A deep, passionate kiss followed as she took the initiative and left me speechless. Then just as quickly, with her lips near my ear, she whispered seductively, "welcome home."

I think my heart skipped a beat.

Yeah, it was good to be home.

Chapter 54: A Simple Village

(Wednesday, July 28th Game Day / Thursday, March 11th Real Day)

A man could get used to days like these.

Lying out on the river bank with Selene by my side, Katherine was a ways away, asleep in the warmth and comfort of the cabin with the kittens and Barkley for company.

Selene and I had snuck out for a little fresh air and privacy, wanting to enjoy the late night skyline before it turned to day. A few days had passed since I returned, and I had been strangely pushed into accepting Katherine's flirtatious advances as if it were a normal thing while Selene and I continued on.

It was a weird situation, but it made both parties happy.

Happy for now, at least… there was no telling when this silly plan of Selene's would backfire. But, so long as things continued as they were, I wouldn't mind it.

Yeah, as long as they were happy, I could bear with it.

Lying on my back, I stared up at the partial moon peeking through.

The moon was barely visible behind the clouds out here, which was a bit disappointing as the aurora was obscured as well, but it wasn't all that bad. If every night was a great night for stargazing then it probably wouldn't be quite as special.

So in a way, I guess there was a silver lining for future evenings. 

Well, not everything was a waste actually.

It was a cold summer night out, which meant Selene was snuggled up to me, nice and tight, in order to keep warm. She wasn't exactly a soft girl, seeing how in-shape and athletic she was, nor did she have the curves to flaunt either, but she was still feminine.

Having her next to me, was a comforting thing.

Holding her, was a simple pleasure.

Something I had been missing in my real life.

There was a chance, that I might have broken my own rule.

I was starting to get attached to an Artificial Intelligence. There weren’t any real feelings, but I could tell that I enjoyed her presence more than normal… what worried me, were that future feelings might be seriously developing.

An emotional connection with a Non-Player Character… was odd.

A few years ago, I might have even called someone who fell for that sick.

Now, I was falling into that trap.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked, calmly and quietly as she stared up at me. Keeping her hands on my chest, she played with her fingertips and ran them up and down, teasing me as she waited for a reply.

"Nothing important," I replied, somewhat a lie; mostly to myself.

Leaning in and giving her a kiss on her forehead, I looked up at the sky once more as the darkness began to fade. The sun would rise any minute now, as light began to cross over the edge. Soon, it would be a bright sunny day.

I wasn't used to it, and it came faster than expected.

Yeah, that was life, though.

"Long day ahead," I mumbled to myself.

"Again?" asked Selene as she buried her face into my arm. "Do you never take a day off… you've been working all day, every day, since you returned from your journey."

No, I couldn't take a day off.

Not when I was behind schedule, with a lot of work needing to be completed.

As the sun finally broke past the mountain tops and shined light onto my world, I knew it was time to get started. There were plans and I intended to carry them out, without fail. My village was going to become a town, soon enough.

Standing up slowly, Selene tugged at my arm and brought me back to the ground, giving me a quick peck before finally releasing me. She was dangerous… if this continued, I would be falling for an NPC.

Maybe it was already too late.

I gave her a smile, a fake one though, as I worried over how realistic her AI was.

Ah, nothing was ever easy with me.

Oh well.

By the time I made it back to the village the majority of the NPCs were already awake and hard at work. My first stop, was going to be the blacksmith. There were two of them, but I heard they picked up another one, a child that showed some aptitude.

It was interesting, how it worked, really.

Through the NPC-Recruiter, I was able to draft numerous Non-Player Characters for  a relatively low cost but in order to get the best available, I took on some baggage in the form of tag-along NPCs such as spouses and children. It didn't bother me too much, as it filled out the village. I also figured most of them would be dead weight in the scheme of things. I mean, a child couldn't be expected to produce.

That's what I thought.

And I was completely wrong there.

Everyone ended up carrying their own weight quite well, far beyond my expectations. To the point, honestly, that I felt guilty about doubting their self-responsibility and efficacy.

The children surprised me the most.

If they were old enough, they helped with the farm work on the two parcels of land across the river, helping to set up and maintain the crops. For those that weren't quite up to par in physical ability yet, they spent their time with the fishermen on the river banks, helping pull nets and other such minor work that mostly kept them busy.

Sure, they brought in some fish too, but mostly, they weren't in the way.

A select few children though, were picked up as apprentices.

When I recruited the NPCs originally, I focused on the best available, ensuring that their potential ratings were the highest along with good personality quirks. Maybe through transference, those positive thoughts were passed along to the children, along with the ability to seemingly fetch out the most-skilled children out of the bunch.

I couldn't tell the children apart, let alone see which one had potential.

Yet, they could.

The NPCs were doing the work for me.

They were building up Dragon's Breach without my guidance, and the results weren't disagreeable, not in the least. Yeah, I was quite happy with what had transpired.

When I left, all of the minor buildings had been completed, and a few others were constructed while I was gone. They all fit the same style, so the village still looked aesthetically pleasing to my eyes.

A shipyard with a nearly complete Longship was at the edge of the river, while a palisade had been erected around the entirety of the village, along with a rampart just behind the walls to allow some of the warriors to patrol the edge in relatively safety and with improved vision. The blacksmith's shop had long been completed and was expanded while I was gone, along with  a small shop for the leatherworker and weaver too. There was also a tavern now, with imported ale that was brought by the trade master who ran a small trade post attached to the tavern.

The fishermen had a small dock by the shipyard as well, with a small row boat that doubled as a fishing boat and a transport to cross the river and reach the farm on the other side. All in all, everyone was settled in quite nicely. I almost forgot about the herbalist slash apothecary, but her craft was a mystery to me. Supposedly, she could make tonics, potions and such, but she lacked ingredients and experience.

I wanted to help her out… but yeah.

Her profession was unknown to me, and there was little I could do to help her without having to invest considerable time to learn the ins and outs. She would have to find her own way, unfortunately.

Although I couldn't help the apothecary, I could help the others.

Standing outside of the blacksmith's workshop while peering through a window cutout, I could see the two NPCs that I had recruited plying their trade. With their apprentice off to the side, handing them materials as needed, the extra hand was learning on the job.

Entering the shop, I knocked lightly as I came in.

"How is it coming along?" I asked somewhat enthusiastically as I entered through the doorway. "Looks like you're making some steady progress."

"Ah my liege, welcome," replied Ansgar with a slight bow.

"Eh, Sigurd is fine," I interjected before he could continue, wanting to get rid of all the odd titles that the NPCs had been calling me. Even with Katherine, it was my liege and my lord, then it turned into master… after a while, I gave up. But with these new NPCs, I wanted to iron out the practice before it caught on.

"Ah, yes, my apologies," he said, followed by another slight bow. "We have made some progress, as you have noticed. At first we had some issue with melting down the swords, but your assistance with the bloomery has proved quite fortuitous."

"And what of the crucible, has there been any progress there?"

To this, Enok replied, "um no Sir, it has thus far proven too difficult for my skills."

"Is that so," I said with a frown. "That's alright, in time."

Ansgar was the 9.4/10 potential, twenty-four year old level four NPC that I recruited, the one that came with two children and a young wife. He was now level six, but was progressing rather slowly. Without the materials to practice his craft, he was limited to menial tasks such as providing iron nails for the Longship.

The other blacksmith that I recruited was Enok the eighteen year old male. He was the 9.1/10 potential, lowly level zero with no tag-along NPCs. I considered him an amazing steal at first, with his only negative aspect being his level. Now after some time, I have come to realize that there were little to no drawbacks to having a family. At least out here in the wilderness with plenty of space and food.

Perhaps, in a crowded town, those were larger negatives.

Not here though… out here, it was inconsequential.   

The two of them had been working together but I decided to have Enok spend extra time on the crucible. It was possibly the most important aspect to this blacksmith workshop going into the future, seeing as it allowed for the possibility of high-grade steel. In the past, there was such a thing as Damascus steel, by far the greatest steel of the timeframe, and there were a very select few who could utilize it properly to forge weapons of incredible strength and durability.

Historians roughly say that the Vikings had one sword maker, around the 900-1000 AD period that had perfected the work. Producing high-quality steel swords on par with weapons seen five hundred years in the future. With a manufacturing process lost to the ages, and not seen again until almost the 1700s, he or she, or them, were considered the very best the world over at the time.

A steel sword strong enough to withstand the rough nature of a battle without shattering or warping, keeping the user alive while his opponents' weapons broke mid-fight. Life or death could be decided not by skill but by quality of equipment.

I knew very little of how an ancient crucible worked, but I had an idea.

The process wasn't that difficult if generalized… of course in practice, that was an entirely different thing. I lacked the skills, to work metal.

I was no blacksmith.

They were, though.

No one in this game had true manufactured steel yet.

Not a single NPC or Player.

What was available, was accidental steel.

I was hedging my bets here, putting my faith into these two NPCs that they could figure it out if I gave them the right direction. They had the skills or would develop them overtime with due diligence, all I needed to do, was support them.

Building a bustling town or city with a strong agriculture and production industry was a goal, but there was no telling if I could actually corner any market share. There were bound to be hundreds if not thousands of other players thinking the same way.

My situation was slightly better due to my location.

Out here in the desolate
wastelands
, where my competition wasn't nearly as fierce and my resources were seemingly endless, I was sitting pretty. Yet even so, I needed a fallback plan, something that could be a homerun if pulled off.

Letting Enok experiment with the crucible while Ansgar toiled away with the more basic forge works, allowed me some flexibility going forward. If Enok failed, Ansgar would be well on his way to becoming an excellent smith. If Enok was successful though, Ansgar could be brought up to speed and the possibility of controlling all of the steel in-game would make me incredibly rich for a time.

Sure, all things come to an end, and the riches would only be temporary, as the cash flow would eventually slow and cease as others caught on, but for a time, I could make a fortune. The principle was the same as the masks by the dungeon town, capitalizing on a booming market before others are aware or able, and pulling out before any loss is incurred.

"Keep at it Enok, you'll get the hang of it," I said after some time, intending to bolster the young man's self-esteem rather than disparage and discourage. "Though, when do you believe you can start producing weapons, Ansgar?"

"Ahh I don't know, maybe after a few more days of practice here."

"Instead of a sword, do you think you can make an axe now?" I asked calmly.

Ansgar started to scratch his beard as he looked over the shop, trying to gather his thoughts. Eventually, he started nodding to himself as if he were starting to piece things together, then he finally replied, "I believe I can start crafting axes within a day."