Wild Era 3, Ch 9: Legal Ploy

When Kelin arrived at the guild desk, he found the three mercenary captains waiting there with Jesra.

There was also Telos at Level 172, Olesa at Level 165, and Plato at Level 148. Respectively, they were a warrior, a mage, and a scout. 

If they had a healer and another melee class, they would make a good team.

“They’re planning to take it to the courts tomorrow,” Telos said after the formalities were out of the way. “We heard about their meeting tonight from some of their adventurers. Word passes quickly and they aren’t keeping it a secret, since they want more nobles to join them.”

“What’s the law they’re using?” Kelin asked.

“They’re arguing that the Verasun family has been corrupted by its association with foreigners,” Olesa, the female captain, explained, “and that your victory at the duel was a sign that it’s fallen even farther. They’re also suggesting that the entire duel was a plot to bring down the family and that since you won, it’s clear it no longer deserves its place among the nobility, or at least not the right to tax others for dungeons.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Plato said scornfully, “but it wouldn’t be the first time the nobles have made things go their way. Jesra can tell you about the law itself. She was just looking it up in the guild archive.”

He glanced over at Jesra, who tilted her hand from side to side with a frown.

“There’s an old law in Celadon that fits,” she agreed. “A noble family has to maintain a high reputation and the credibility of its peers or it can lose its rank and authority. But the enforcement of it and what grounds constitute enough reason...it’s very vague. 

“It seems like it was meant to allow a group of nobles to band together to suppress an outlier. It hasn’t been used in thirty years. The last time was in Stormhill when a noble family refused to defend their lands from a dungeon break and dozens of people died. They lost their right to manage dungeons and the family fell apart soon after.”

“I see,” Kelin said thoughtfully. “Laws depend on the courts and the judges. I imagine the families involved have been busy bribing people and recruiting others, but since it hasn’t happened yet, it’s fine. There’s still time.”

He didn’t care that much about the dungeons personally, but there was a big difference between releasing them himself and allowing the other nobles to grab them.

For now, they were part of the funding for his plans, and only the nobles had to pay to run them, so he had no intention of letting them go.

He turned to the three adventurers. 

“You’ve been loyal,” he said, “more than I expected. I will remember that. Continue to do the same and I’ll make sure you have what you need.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Telos replied, his expression turning bright. 

His words were immediately echoed by the other two, who also bowed. When they stood back up, their backs were straight and they looked around with more confidence.

Kelin knew why they were being so helpful, but it was still worth recognizing. 

After Crest’s death, they’d lost their backer, so they were clinging to him and hoping that he would be their tall tree to shield them from the storms of politics in the city. 

Otherwise, they might wind up dead soon.

They had already been well-known as Crest’s people and they had no doubt made a few enemies working for him. Unless they planned to flee Highmist, which might be difficult if they had families with them, they didn’t have much of a choice. 

His brief search of their guild records and his analysis of their information from the Path hadn’t turned up anything notable, so he didn’t ask about anything else.

They didn’t seem to have been involved in Crest’s dungeon creation, just in running the ones he owned, and that was good enough.

The primary duty of a lord was to take care of his people. It had been true on Irian and it was true here.

As long as they remained honest and loyal, he would see it done.

“You said they’re gathering somewhere?” he asked. “Show me the way.”

“Yes, my lord,” Telos said, bowing his head. “We are your people.”

The three of them moved with purpose, forming up behind Kelin.

“It’s in the noble’s district, my lord,” Telos said, his hand falling to the sword at his hip. “Should we prepare to fight?”

“Leave it to me,” Kelin said as flames flickered around him. “You won’t need to accompany me inside.”

It would be better for them that way, so that they didn’t create even more enemies.  

He would be enough.

“Do you want to take some guild enforcers with you?” Jesra asked quickly. “I can call the captain and she can bring some people, really drive it home that the guild is behind you.”

“They can catch up,” Kelin said, “but have them wait outside.”

With that, he headed for the door. Telos and the other two followed behind him, pointing out the direction. 

The path cut through the merchant district and then into the noble’s quarter, which was the closest to the city lord’s palace. 

The bustle and debris of the lower sections of the city didn’t intrude here. The streets were well lit and warm, maintained by enchantments that also warded off insects and repaired the stones.

It was a peaceful and pleasant district, but the guards lingering on street corners, especially near the areas where it joined the rest of the city, made it clear who was welcome and who was not.

They glanced at Kelin and he felt the scans as they identified him, but as soon as his title as Baron of Highmist registered in their minds, they snapped to attention and looked away.

The contrast between this area and the slums where the current orphanage was located was stark. 

It only reaffirmed Kelin’s intent to take the orphanage completely out of the city lord’s control. Children shouldn’t have to suffer while others lived like this a few steps away.

The basics of life didn’t require much, barely a handful of gold. It was nothing to the nobles or the city lord, but they still couldn’t handle it. 

Most of the orphanage’s education and funding already came from the guild. He shook his head at the thought. He’d have to look into why the guild hadn’t funded it better too, but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

It didn’t take him long to reach his destination.

Once he caught sight of it, he turned to the three adventurers.

“Wait for me back at the guild,” he said.

“Understood, my lord,” Telos said, bowing again. 

The three turned and swiftly disappeared, heading out of the noble’s district.

Kelin turned his attention to the location they’d pointed out. 

It wasn’t Kean or Delamere’s mansion, but one that belonged to another noble who usually kept away from public sight, Baron Hill. Like most of the others, he’d been at the banquet, so Kelin had a basic familiarity with him.

His businesses had to do with construction and the maintenance of roads throughout Celadon, with quite a few contracts for shipping and protecting large caravans. He was one of the quietier but wealthier nobles.

It wasn’t clear if he was part of the dozen that had been allied with Verasun and who were represented on the amulet, but it seemed likely.

The mansion was an elegant one with a large grounds and a few smaller buildings inside the walls, which stretched out for two city blocks. 

At the front, an ornate iron gate faced the road, and it was currently open, showing a neat and winding cobbled path that led up to the mansion’s entrance.

Two guards were on the inside of the gate, each of them holding an enchanted halberd.

Kelin only glanced at them before he stopped at the gate.

He didn’t bother to enter.

“Halt!” One of the guards shouted as he stepped forward. “By order of Baron Hill, show your invitation!”

Kelin felt the guards’ identifying him, but he ignored it.

“Tell Hill and the others to get out here,” he said calmly. “They’re not worthy of me entering their house. They have two minutes.”

Nobles liked to do things in private and with elaborate manners, as well as with plenty of time, so he was going to deny them all of those things.

The guards’ had finished assessing him and their knuckles tightened on their weapons as they glanced at each other. They knew who he was and they were only around Level 100. Perhaps they’d even seen the duel. 

They didn’t have the ability to stop him, so their choices were limited.

“My lord,” one of them said with careful politeness, “please come inside and be at ease. I will send for the master at once. Have you come alone? I will call some servants to attend to you.”

“Not tonight,” Kelin replied. “Your master knows why I’m here and he also knows that he’s offended me, or he should. This is beyond you. The time I’ve given you is running out. I suggest you pass my message on.”

The guards turned pale as they looked at one another again. Then the second one bowed before he began running toward the mansion.
They probably had some ability to communicate with the mansion through an artifact, but going in person was better.

***

Inside Baron Hill’s Mansion

A group of nobles were gathered around a richly polished table in a well-appointed room. Crystal mana lights illuminated the area, infusing everything with a touch of brilliance and removing shadows.

Decanters of wine and harder spirits were set around the table, while servants carried silver platters of finger food and stopped to pour drinks.

“We came up with this plan for Verasun,” Baron Kean said, his lips twisting. He was a lean man with a cruel cast to his features. “Who would have thought we’d use it against this new fool?”

He raised his goblet to Baron Delamere.

“I wouldn’t have thought of it without your suggestion,” he said. “You should get first pick of his dungeons.”

“Silas Crest was too powerful for this to work,” Delamere replied with a short laugh, “both in terms of his connections and the leverage he had on us, but his death solved that problem. We never could have pushed a vote through. He would have ruined half of us. But that’s neither here nor there. I’ll take that first pick of three dungeons at least.”

“Three is pushing it, don’t you think?” Baron Hill interrupted, scowling. “The top three are worth an enormous amount. Two at most. You’re only doing the same amount of work for this as the rest of us, even if you kicked it off. Besides, can you even handle that many? Your teams are nothing special.”

There were a dozen gathered in the hall, but the three of them were the main speakers, while the rest kept their peace and only nodded or shook their heads occasionally.

It was clear who held the most influence.

“Crest had connections in Sarathia, Baralis...half a dozen places,” Hill added, his voice low and gruff. “And he never hesitated to return a blow. This new baron, he’s too wet behind the ears.”

“Maybe in a decade, he’ll be able to enter the game,” Kean agreed, smiling, “if he survives long enough, but until then he has to pay his due. Starting with most of what he owns. If we’re feeling merciful, I suppose we can leave him with his title. That is more than enough for a new brat.”

“He might be powerful in a duel,” Hill said, “but what does that matter with all of us together against him?”

“It’s just business,” Delamere agreed blandly. “Crest certainly left a mess for this new inheritor. We even found a few more charges to throw into the mix. Isn’t that an amusing revenge for his death? It’s at least ironic. I suppose we’re helping him out by punishing the one who killed him.”

“As if we care about that,” Hill snorted. “None of us even liked Crest. I wonder if this Kelin even knows how much trouble the old Verasun left behind and how much everyone hated him. He did us a favor by killing him.”

“A favor for us, but not for himself,” Kean agreed, smirking. “Now we take what we want and if he survives, it will be a good lesson for him.”
“Power rules,” Hill agreed, his voice rumbling with amusement. “It’s the only truth in business and in life.”

“It’s time for a toast,” Delamere said, raising his glass. “This never would have been possible without all of us gathered together. Who would have thought that such an opportunity would appear today?”

“Things change when you least expect it,” Kean said, raising his glass in a salute. “To our alliance and to good profit in the future. Crest would be rolling in his grave to realize he left his dungeons free for the taking.”

“Good riddance,” Hill said, his laugh as wide as his smile, “that man was a snake and a cold one. We’re better off without him. But we do have to thank him for the opening. Who would have thought he’d leave so much behind for us?” 

At that moment, a sharp knock sounded on the door, followed a moment later by an annoyed butler and the arrival of a pale-faced guard.

“What is it?” Hill snapped, his laugh turning to a snarl. “You know better than to interrupt.”

“Baron Verasun, my lord,” the guard said, forcing the words out. “He’s at the gate.”

His pale expression and voice made it seem like he’d been terrified, and for a moment, Hill froze. Then reality caught up with him.

“Wait, the new one?” he said, shaking his head as he let out a laugh. “What do you look so frightened for? I thought you’d seen a ghost and the old one was back from the dead. That would have been an actual cause for concern.”

He glanced around the room, assessing the power of everyone there. His smile stretched wider.

“Well, he wasn’t invited,” he said, “but who am I to deny him the opportunity to learn his place?”

He let out a booming laugh as he stood up. 

“We were going to vote tomorrow, but there’s no reason we can’t make him beg first, once he realizes what’s about to happen. I’ll go drag him in.”

***

Kelin’s Perspective

It was five minutes later that Baron Hill came out of his mansion, followed by a handful of other people. 

He marched down the path, laughing loudly enough that Kelin could hear him before he’d crossed even half the distance. He was a large and red-faced man, thick in body and broad in shoulder. 

“Verasun!” Hill’s voice rang out as he stopped in front of Kelin. “You’re early! I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow in a more official setting. What a surprise!”

“And you are late,” Kelin replied as the man stopped in front of him. “In more than one way.”

He’d deliberately chosen a short time window, since he knew Hill wouldn’t be here in time. It was just a way to make things difficult for him. 

“What do you mean late?” Hill’s laugh stopped as he looked at Kelin with consternation and a rising anger. “Who are you to tell me I am late at the gate of my own home?”

“I’m going to offer you a choice, Baron Hill,” Kelin said easily as he pulled a talisman out of his storage and spun it between his fingers. Flickers of golden flame and rainbow light flowed around it. 

“Continue with your plan and you’ll find everything you love disappearing one by one. Or switch to supporting me and you can keep your status and your dungeons.”

Hill’s expression turned as red as a heated coal and an aura of power rolled out from him as his mana field pressed heavily on the air.

It had no effect on Kelin, who stood there flipping the talisman between his fingers. Hill’s eyes were locked on it and on the threat it represented. 

Despite being at Level 210, he had no confidence in facing Kelin, so he didn’t try to attack. He’d seen the duel and what happened to Verasun.

“What are you talking about?” he snapped, taking a step back as he chose words instead of fighting. “You come to my home and threaten me and issue demands? You don’t know the first thing about who you’re dealing with! Or who else is behind me.”

“The same could be said of you, baron,” Kelin replied, shaking his head. “It’s not that you lacked the eyes, but still you couldn’t see.”

He glanced at the others behind Hill, noting Kean and Delamere among them, as well as a number of others who’d come to the banquet.

He had received a number of messages from Jesra on the way here, including several legal points that were relevant to the situation. 

At his command, she’d also contacted Sandren and the other guild captains and set a series of events into motion, none of which would favor Hill or the others.

“First, do you think the city lord is ignorant of your plan?” Kelin asked, shaking his head. “When you go to vote tomorrow, do you think he is going to support you? He has the legal right to override your vote. He has already chosen my side.”

The barons here thought they could overlook the guild, since they’d been raised in a world where its power was thin, but Arcolen knew better. A single message had been enough to make him assure Kelin the nobles would never get this plot off the ground. 

His promises had been effusive.

“None of your votes will matter tomorrow,” Kelin continued, “but I will not forget the attempt.” 

He glanced at the nobles behind Hill and shook his head. Their murmurs were low and increasingly uncertain as they looked at one another

Kelin had never seen the nobles here as much of a threat, and it was time they learned why.

“You’ve forgotten that this city and all of Celadon are small things in the greater picture,” he added. “It’s time for you to realize that. Tomorrow, you’ll see the guild open its shops to the public, specifically offering artifacts and dungeon materials that are the same as what come from all of your dungeons, but the price will be lower and the quality higher.”

He gave them a moment to process what that meant for their businesses and income, and then he continued.

“It will last for two weeks. After that, you can either fall in line or the guild will step up its enforcement efforts. The dungeons you call your own will be marked for guild inspection. Your forces will be removed, as will the checkpoints you’ve erected to deter those who enter. The guild will dispatch adventurers to run them fairly. There will be no taxes on the runs.”

“The guild doesn’t have the forces to do that.” Kean snarled as he stepped forward, his fists clenched. He was also just over Level 200 and his mana field clashed with Hill’s, creating mana sparks in the air. 

“Not in Celadon,” Kelin agreed, “but do you know how large the guild actually is? As a Knight of the Path, I am well within my rights to request reinforcements from other worlds, especially if there is an issue with dungeons. That request will go completely around the guild council here. To drive this lesson home, it won’t be humans I request, but a wave of Silver Nagas in training.”

He was confident that Sleset would fulfill that request with delight. 

Young nagas were a chaotic and proud bunch. Unleashing them on Celadon would leave a lasting impression, especially if Kelin told them that the nobles here were rebellious and challenging the authority of the Silver Lord.

Which they were, since he had created the dungeons and established the rules that the Path maintained.

He saw the looks of worry as their expressions changed, turning from confidence to uncertainty and regret.

“If you want to avoid that fate,” he said, “I’ll give you a path of survival. Heaven always leaves a door. After the two weeks of guild sales are finished, we’ll announce that it was a special occasion to celebrate the Herald’s arrival and to support Celadon. Things will go back to normal and you can even keep your current dungeons.”

He glanced around the area.

“If,” he added, emphasizing the word, “you support the orphanage and academy I’m building. You will all become backers for it. The richest of you will pay 5,000 gold a year. The others, 3,000 or 1,000 gold, depending on your income. You’ll each get a series of slots for students of your own each year, one per 1,000 gold, with an option to purchase one or two more as needed at the same price.”

He’d considered forbidding the nobles from sending anyone to the academy, but it wouldn’t have worked in the long term, so it was better to lay out a controlled path.

“You’ll get the advantage of donating to the city and contributing to the power of Highmist, which will rise swiftly in the following years,” he said. “Some of the students who graduate will no doubt be grateful to you and willing to become your followers, which will increase the strength of your personal forces.

“But they will also be registered guild adventurers. You will never interfere with their choices of what dungeons to run. Nor will you interfere with the operation of the academy itself. The guild will be observing, and at any moment, we will take your dungeons away.”

If necessary, he would break the entire system of power of Celadon and establish a new system of laws, but he didn’t say that since he didn’t have the strength to do it yet.

Soon enough, he would.

Until then, the threat would be enough, but if it wasn’t, he’d ask Sleset to lend a hand.

He sealed the talisman in his hand with a rune, rendering its basic structure inert, and then he flicked it at Hill, who caught it out of habit. 

The man looked down at his hand and blanched as he realized what he’d just grabbed.

“Send your promises of support and payments to the guild desk,” Kelin said. “Otherwise, wait and see what happens.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Behind him, he could sense the soul marks he’d left on each of the nobles as insurance.

His patience was limited.

If they didn’t take his offer, they wouldn’t be around to trouble him a second time.

Behind him, he heard the curses and arguments beginning, but he tuned it out as he went on his way, whistling an old and haunting tune.