studiobondurri Before the Storm: Act 8, Chapter 10
Before the Storm: Act 8, Chapter 10
Before the Storm: Act 8, Chapter 10
Chapter 10
What the...
Standing on the westernmost berth of Corelyn Harbour, Liane watched as a motley assortment of passengers disembarked from the recently arrived barge from Warden’s Vale. They were a provincial-looking lot...at least if ‘provincial’ included counting Orcs, Lizardmen, and Goblins amongst their number. Even more strange was that they were all adorned in the same fashion, which consisted of simple, serviceable clothing, thick-soled boots, and a plain leather satchel slung over the shoulder. Depending on their profession, shawls, headscarves, or wide-brimmed straw hats covered each passenger’s head.
Bringing up the rear of the procession coming down the boarding ladder was Ludmila, who wore the usual equestrian outfit that had been granted to her by Lady Shalltear. She walked toward Liane and Clara in an imperceptibly menacing way, her face an unreadable mask. Liane took a step back as Ludmila closed on them, which annoyed Liane far more than she expected.
“Is this an invasion?” Liane asked, “A...uh, frog attack?”
“An amphibious assault,” Ludmila corrected her. “And no. There would be far more Lizardmen with me if it was.”
“Then why all the people? They just visiting town?”
“No,” Ludmila replied. “We are bringing them with us.”
“Wha?”
“I may have done a...thing that led to another thing that led to this being necessary,” the towering Martial Noble said.
“Alright,” Liane said. “When you kinda start sounding like me, I know you did a thing.”
“What happened?” Clara asked.
Ludmila’s gaze wandered their surroundings as if scanning for unseen threats. Then, she took a step closer.
『When I got home last night, Miss Hoffman was in the village square.』
『Y’know, if you were going to use this, what was the point of all that just now?』
『Why was she in Warden’s Vale?』
『The Guilds discovered what I was doing and they did not like any of it. Miss Hoffman delivered a list of unreasonable demands, which I naturally refused.』
Liane exchanged a look with Clara. Given how Ludmila interpreted the world around her, ‘unreasonable demands’ could have meant anything.
『Could you be a little more specific?』
『The industries in Warden’s Vale have grown significant enough for them to decide that the Guilds should determine how things work. They seem to especially dislike the threat that our industrial production poses to their members and want to regulate everything from marriage to education.』
『That’s pretty normal as far as the Guilds go.』
『Yes, well, they see fit to apply their ‘normal’ to just me and not you two.』
『Probably because you stink at negotiating. I bet you listened to Miss Hoffman rattle off their demands, said ‘I see’, and then kicked her into the river.』
Ludmila silently glowered at Liane in response. She had probably hit the mark.
“Well,” Clara said, “even if that is the case, it should hardly affect your territory. If anything, it hurts the rest of the Duchy as you are by far a net exporter of raw materials.”
“The other Nobles will be happy about some of their competition being knocked out for now,” Liane said. “They probably won’t be in a couple of years, though.”
“That depends,” Clara said. “How do you plan on fighting the Guilds?”
“By removing them from existence, preferably,” Ludmila replied. “Your plan to transition the guilds out of their self-declared position of authority has clearly not had any effect on how they operate presently. Since they picked a fight with me, I intend to get the most out of it.”
“I dunno if the Royal Court’ll be happy about Merchants being barred from using the Abelion Highway,” Liane said. “Wait a minute, don’t tell me you’re going to bar our Merchants, too.”
An evil smile broke out on the evil Frontier Noble’s evil face.
“I hate you,” Liane muttered.
“We will have plenty of time to discuss this later,” Clara said. “For now, we need to sort out all of these passengers. Florine should be arriving soon, as well.”
“My people already have leaders organising their respective groups,” Ludmila said. “The both of you have already met Chief Esess. Dyel Gan Zu is the Chief of the Orc clan living in my territory – he’s the tallest one standing over there. Miss Gran is with the Goblins.”
Liane’s gaze went to the blonde imperial scion standing in front of a column of the little green Demihumans. They looked more like a Captain with her company than members of a trade delegation.
“Doesn’t Nemel have a buncha Human settlers to represent?” Liane asked.
“Warden’s Vale’s industries are more than enough to fulfil their needs,” Ludmila answered. “I had Miss Gran come along for the experience. She is quite adept when it comes to relations with other races. The Goblins living under her management insisted on providing her with an escort.”
“She’d’ve done better with some household staff. Goblin Maids? Hm...”
There was money to be made in that idea somewhere, but she couldn’t think of anything offhand.
“I just hope we can secure accommodations for everyone,” Clara said. “Florine said that she will be bringing a few people, as well.”
“And here I was hoping it would be just us going,” Liane grumbled. “When’s the last time it’s been just us?”
“The last time Lady Shalltear–”
“AHH! Forget I asked!”
“Do you not think that having more than just us in the delegation would better represent the Sorcerous Kingdom as a whole?” Clara asked, “If we continued as we have, people would start wondering if Humans ruled here.”
“We certainly pull more weight on this end of things,” Liane said.
“Which must change eventually,” Clara told her. “It is unreasonable to think otherwise.”
A strange bird call drew their attention to the familiar void of a Gate spell opening over the pavement a dozen metres away. Florine emerged from the portal cradling her nasty little Beastman cub. Accompanying her was what appeared to be a cross between a slug and a bug. Lady Shalltear and a pair of Vampire Brides emerged behind them. Their liege bore a pleased expression as her gaze lingered on Liane and her friends.
“Good Morning, Lady Shalltear,” Clara said as they curtseyed in unison, “I hope the morning finds you well.”
“It would have been much better if that gorilla hadn’t decided to send you away the very moment I had some time to enjoy myself,” Lady Shalltear sighed.
Their liege perked up slightly as Ludmila produced a preservation bottle from her Infinite Haversack.
“You will have to make do with this until we can attend to you properly, my lady,” Ludmila said as she offered her blood to the Vampire. “Hopefully, things will proceed smoothly.”
Liane absently rummaged around in her bag for the blood that she had collected over the past few weeks. As she did, she frowned up at the top of Florine’s head.
“What happened to your hair?” Liane asked, “Do you wrestle with Demihumans on an hourly basis? Wait, did it just move on its own?”
“Something is foraging for parasites in her hair,” Ludmila offered helpfully.
Clara rushed over to hide behind Ludmila. Liane leapt back several metres, brushing off her dress in a panic.
“I don’t have any parasites!” Florine protested, “This is Liolio: one of the people I said I’d be bringing along.”
“Pip!”
“So,” the Orc Chief said, “this, erm, Armatt...?”
“Quagoa.”
“This Quagoa must conduct trade to provide for his people. But my people are not in the same situation. Our land is more than enough to comfortably sustain us.”
“We are in the same position,” Chief Esess said. “The territory granted to my tribe is enough to support many generations of growth. Lady Zahradnik encourages us to participate in trade, but our war with the Guilds seems to mean that our Merchants will stick to local operations.”
“War with whom?” Florine frowned.
“It is a long story,” Ludmila said. “Well, maybe not so long. The Guilds tried to impose its ‘authority’ on Warden’s Vale. I rejected their demands.”
“That’s quite the shock,” Florine blinked. “Given your reputation, I figured they would leave well enough alone. Why would they risk so much for so little?”
“I suppose they thought they could play the same game that they do in every urban centre.”
“That is not the only reason,” Clara said. “The Guilds are confident that their champion will protect them.”
“Their champion?”
“Momon the Black,” Clara said.
Ludmila scoffed.
“That is ridiculous. A seated member of the Royal Court defending the Guilds from a servant of the Crown?”
Clara shrugged in response.
“To the people of E-Rantel, Momon is what keeps the Sorcerer King from razing the city to the ground and slaughtering its citizens. You should see how much they panic whenever they discover or even suspect that he is absent. As members of the aristocratic establishment govern on behalf of His Majesty, the Guilds would reason that Momon will also protect them from you.”
“They should ask the people of Fassett County how that worked out for them,” Liane said.
“We all saw how it was there,” Clara said. “No one was very fond of House Fassett or its subjects. Most were fine with interpreting what happened there as evil turning upon evil.”
“Unlike their entirely innocent selves,” Ludmila grumbled.
“That’s just how it is,” Florine said. “In the city, the Guilds dictate right and wrong just as much as the Temples do. They consider themselves the keepers of civilised society, after all.”
She wasn’t wrong. The Guilds truly believed that everything that they did was in the best interests of civilisation. They established their seats of power in every major economic centre, which gave them a disproportionate amount of de facto influence. What Ludmila saw as illegitimate interference in her fief’s affairs, the Guilds considered their rightful duty to urban society. Historically, no one messed with the Guilds because they could hold an entire country’s economy hostage.
“I’m pretty sure the Guilds just think they’ll flat-out win,” Liane said. “In their minds, Momon’s on their side if you try resorting to violence. You’re pretty much a non-factor in everything else.”
“That’s right,” Florine said. “From their standpoint, your territory is just a source of raw resources with minimal economic clout. I wouldn’t be surprised if they also believe that the Royal Court will back them since the only thing they seem to want the citizens to do is follow the rules and generate revenue.”
“Yeah,” Liane nodded. “You’re basically a puppy waiting to be kicked...hey, where are you going?”
Ludmila looked over her shoulder with a pout.
“Finding an empty container to sulk in,” she said.
Clara went and brought Ludmila back to their place in the circle.
“Your fief is literally designed to withstand sieges,” Clara told her. “Trade embargoes do not do nearly as much to Warden’s Vale as they believe it will. The Guilds frame this conflict as a rural aristocrat trying to infringe on their jurisdiction by chartering a new urban centre without their blessing. Since you never communicate with the Guilds beyond official paperwork, they have no clue that you have an entirely different worldview from theirs. You mentioned that you plan to take full advantage of this. What are you going to do?”
“Accelerate our society’s transition away from the Guild System, I suppose,” Ludmila replied. “Just as importantly, what I do will hopefully shift the Sorcerous Kingdom away from its Human-centric starting point.”
“Just in case you didn’t notice,” Liane said, “that’s already something we’ve been doing.”
“I know,” Ludmila said, “but some highly problematic issues have been evolving while that happens.”
“Such as the economic and social marginalisation of the vast majority of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s population?” Clara said.
“...you have no idea how annoying your ability to instantly figure out things that take me forever to realise is,” Ludmila muttered.
“Well,” Clara smiled, “you said ‘evolved’, so it was easy to deduce from there.”
“Easy my ass,” Liane said. “Also, things have always been like that. Why make a huge fuss out of it now?”
“Because of the ‘evolution’ that I mentioned,” Ludmila told her. “Human society tends to order itself by wealth and vocation. The Sorcerous Kingdom is undergoing a transition wherein Human labour is making the shift towards artisanal professions. At the same time, Human perceptions of the local tribes categorise them as savage brutes with little value beyond their use as menial labour or a way to deliver previously untapped resources to the cities.”
“I see,” Florine said. “So you’re saying that if things are allowed to remain as they are, non-Humans will be relegated to the lowest rungs of society.”
“But do they even care?” Liane said, “Just going by what your two Chiefs said, they’re content with what they have. They have no need for the rest of society.”
“You misunderstand us,” Chief Esess took a step forward. “What we said is that our lands are sufficient to sustain our people, so we do not need to trade for our survival. That does not mean we wish to live in isolation.”
“That’s right,” Chief Gan Zu said. “Baroness Zahradnik told us that she wishes to have all of her subjects become members of the greater community that she is building in her territory and nothing my people have witnessed suggests that she does not mean what she says. By comparison, these ‘guilds’ insist on forcing everyone to become one of them. Those who do not are targets to be exploited according to rules that the Guilds fashion for their own benefit. In our opinion, this is worse than being raided: at least those being raided are allowed to defend themselves.”
Liane raised her hands disarmingly.
“Fine, I get it, I get it. But what’s your strategy here? The Guilds’ve practically locked you into your territory.”
“That is what they believe,” Ludmila said. “In reality, the way that they weigh and measure the world around them has left them blind to reality. Gagnier, have the Guilds sent any representatives to the Abelion Hills?”
“No.”
“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding m–”
“Why is that?” Ludmila asked, “More of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s citizens dwell there than in the Duchy of E-Rantel.”
Florine sighed.
“Because the Abelion Hills have no economic significance.”
“If things are left as they are, how long do you think it will take for the Guilds to ‘spread civilisation’ to the Abelion Hills?”
“Even if our citizens want it, I can’t see it ever happening unless someone forces the issue. Our history suggests that the tribes living there are a threat to Human civilisation and the Guilds will base their assessments on that. The Abelion Highway will only be recognised for the economic potential that direct access to the western ocean represents.”
“So your plan is to create an adjacent economy,” Clara said.
“Yes,” Ludmila replied. “Not only with the people of the Abelion Hills, but also with any population being overlooked by the Guilds. His Majesty desires prosperity for all of his subjects. The machinations of the Guilds only lead to the creation of a class of urban elites who consider the world beyond their walls as a source of resources to be exploited. It is clear to me that the Guilds must be ousted as quickly as is reasonable.”
“I agree,” Florine said. “There is no reason why any of the Sorcerous Kingdom’s citizens should suffer this sort of treatment. The beneficial aspects of the Guild System are not necessarily exclusive to the Guilds. In fact, regulation and representation are much better handled by our officials.”
Liane’s gaze moved back and forth between her friends as they discussed their new ‘war plan’. She didn’t care how things played out either way, but...
“Don’t you think you’re trying to move things a little too fast?” Liane asked, “How about letting the Guilds know what they’re doing wrong and let them correct the problem?”
Ludmila tilted her head, bestowing a confused look upon Liane.
“I believe that is the silliest thing I have ever heard from you, my dear Lady Wagner,” she said. “Why would I interrupt an enemy who is in the midst of making a mistake?”