He walked past the seal and into one of the side tunnels. A few seconds later, he was standing in front of Randolphus’ office. The chamberlain was bent over his desk, furiously scribbling on a piece of paper. It was a scene that had become as familiar and comforting to him as seeing a father sitting in his favorite chair. Richter smiled at seeing the oblivious man. He ultimately had to rap his knuckles against the door frame more than once to announce his presence.
Randolphus looked up in surprise. The man was a marvel of organization, but it wasn’t uncommon for him to get lost in a world of documents and papers. Randolphus recovered quickly and stood up with a smile on his face, “Welcome back, my lord. The retrieval of the sprite took longer than expected. I trust…” The chamberlain’s voice trailed off as he saw the weary look on Richter’s face.
“Sit down, my friend,” the chaos seed said. “We need to talk.” Once they were both settled, Richter clued his chamberlain into everything that had happened that day. He started with the deaths of the three guards and then spoke about the two guards that had been injured in the lugash attack.
Randolphus sighed heavily, “I can see that the deaths of the guards are weighing on you.” Richter nodded, and the chamberlain just sat in silence with him for a minute. When he continued, his tone was understanding but educational. “These things will happen, though, my lord. They will continue to happen. The wilds are dangerous. From what you have told me, the fact that we live upon a Place of Power means that monsters will continue to be attracted to our settlement. I am honestly surprised that we have not had more fatalities.”
Richter understood what Randolphus was trying to do, but it didn’t make him feel any better. “I cannot keep losing people,” he said quietly. “It was my fault that the bugbears got into the village.”
“But it is not your fault that these three guards died,” Randolphus said, cutting him off. His voice was gentle but firm. “I do not know where you are from, my lord, but I have been able to tell that you are new to this part of the world.” He paused for a moment, allowing Richter to respond. The chaos seed kept quiet, though, and after a few second Randolphus continued. “The truth of the matter is that The Land is a world of violence. Death has always come on swift wings. You have come far since the night of the attack, my lord, both as a man and as a leader. Still, no matter how far you progress, you cannot change reality. It reflects well on you that the deaths of your men weigh upon you, but losses are inevitable.”
The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes while Richter digested his chamberlain’s words. The man’s counsel didn’t make the chaos seed feel any better, but it did remind him of his duty. Ultimately, he realized that Randolphus was correct. Richter had always known that building his village would require sacrifices. All he could do now was to work hard to minimize future losses and honor those who had fallen.
“I want a ceremony tonight,” Richter said. “Everyone should be gathered in front of the memorial wall, and we will add the names of the dead. We will honor those who have fallen. I also wish to speak with their families before the ceremony. Make sure you let Terrod know as well.”
“It will be done, my lord,” Randolphus said with a bow of his head. He picked up a pen, “What were their names?”
“Gregane, Amara, and Nitol,” Richter replied. He said each name slowly, tasting them as he spoke.
Randolphus began to consult his notes, “Gregane was single. Amara was among the group of guards that came to the village with Sergeant Caulder. She has a husband here, but no children. Nitol…” Randolphus sighed heavily, “Nitol has a wife, my lord. She is pregnant.”
Richter felt his heart drop. It took a moment for him to collect his thought and emotions. Once he had control again, he said, “The families of the dead will receive the entire stipend for the year of work their loved ones agreed to. If any family of Gregane ever show up, they will be given his stipend as well. I also want it made clear that Amara and Nitol’s families will be well provided for, so long as I lead this village.”
“It will be done, my lord,” Randolphus repeated with another short bow of his head. “You can rely on me.”
“I know that I can,” Richter said without hesitation, “but now I need to tell you the rest.” He went over the attack by the lugash and Liddle’s report about the goblin settlement. The chaos seed then shared his suspicions that the Dark portal leading to the necromancer’s lair might be behind the increase in undead monsters in the area. He finished by saying, “I need a war council put together tonight. Have everyone meet in the conference room after the ceremony. Assemble the usual people. I will need their council.”
“Who, exactly,” Randolphus said delicately, “would you like me to gather?”
Richter was confused for a moment by the question. Obviously, he would want Krom, Sumiko, Quasea… Then it came flashing back to him that almost all of the village leaders had been taken by Nexus in one fell swoop, just that morning. With everything that had happened, it seemed like months ago. The chamberlain was right, though, some of his best people would be gone for up to a week. He slammed his fist down on the table in frustration and cursed Nexus’s name.
“I’m sorry, Randy. I forgot for a moment. Just bring Terrod, Caulder, Hisako, Yoshi, Sion and Tabia. Also, include the hill sprite Liddle. He will be undergoing the meidon later. You will most likely find him by the Quickening.”
“Not the elders?” the chamberlain asked.
Each of the races represented in the village had an informal leader. The elders frequently represented them and brought concerns to Randolphus. In the past, their aid had been invaluable, but Richter just couldn’t get past the feeling that letting them take a more active role in village affairs might lead to problems down the road.
Richter shook his head, “We have things to get done, and I don’t want this to turn into a town hall meeting. There are decisions to be made. It is clear that we need to take care of the goblin settlement. The undead attacks must be dealt with as well. Those lugash were horrible. If I didn’t have my elementum blades, they might have killed us all.”
“I understand, my lord. Is there anything else that I can do to help now?”
Richter shook his head, “No. Alma is doing reconnaissance, and she is still beyond the range of being able to communicate with me. She should return in the next few hours, though. There is no point in any further planning until I can provide accurate and up to date information on the goblin camp. That does remind me, though. Have Bea here after the ceremony as well. I need him to upload the latest map data into the Knowledge Table.”
“It will be done, my lord.”
Richter thanked his chamberlain and then left the catacombs. There were still many things that needed to be done, but one was at the front of his mind. He needed a new weapon.
CHAPTER 10 – Day 140 – Kuborn 30, 15,386 EBG
Futen found him before he left the catacombs. The orb started floating along beside him.
“Greetings, my lord,” the remnant said in his monotone voice.