Four Horsemen: Chapter 28 Part 1 of 2

Chapter 28:

Petor re-read his notes on Speak with Plants.

“This should work.” He thought of a connection spreading between him and the plant, his mana fell, and he sensed something scratching at the back of his head.

“Can you understand me?”

“Creator. Spawner. Feeder.”

“Not very complex then. What do you want?”

“Survive. Grow. Feast.”

“Okay.”

“Creator Feed. Spawn Grow. Agreement.”

“If I keep you fed you’ll fight for me?”

“Agreement.”

Having a Sentient? Plant to fight for him? He could sense how much stronger it was than the others he’d harvested. They were strong but mostly they were large. There hadn’t been any part of them that would have made a deal with him.

Seeing the effectiveness of the brambles he was going to use them in the future again. What if it kept killing creatures and people. How strong would it get? What would a stronger bramble do?

“I will keep you fed if you promise to not harm my allies and you follow my every command. Don’t and I’ll harvest you.”

The bramble went still. Petor readied himself to draw a piece of stormvine and hurl it into the snake and bramble.

“Agreement.”

“Very well, I will store you away,” Petor reached out to the plant and stored it. The snake shifted as the mass of brambles disappeared.

“What just happened?” Desari asked.

“I think I just made an agreement with a somewhat sentient plant.” Petor put his hands on his belt. “The hell are we going to do with that?” He gestured at the snake with his head.

“Well, its got to be worth some coin,” Mya said, wandering forward. “Call Limos and sell it to him? I don’t think the traders here have the capacity for something that size.”

“I don’t like to waste the summon,” Desari said.

“Don’t have the room to store it,” Valter said. “I’d say we see what we can get for it, sell our items and see if we can’t get a few more than will aid us.”

“I agree with summoning him,” Petor said.

Mya held out the card between two fingers.

“Do it.” Desari crossed her arms.

Mya pushed her finger on the card, bringing up the Summon icon with a complicated rune behind it in shadow. She pressed the icon.

The gold lettering dimmed to grey and the rune behind the word flowed with golden power and flared once, returning to its shadowy state.

The card changed, an letter penned in an elegant  hand flowing across.

>Master Limos is indisposed. Master Trader Hedgewick will head to your location.

A spell circle, brilliant in its complexity appeared on the ground between them and the snake. It rose up from the ground, revealing a gnome wearing a fine suit. He adjusted his lapels and then this glasses.

“Ah, the four horsemen,” He gave them a brilliant smile and stepped forward holding out his hand, shaking Petor’s hand and then moving to the others.

“I see you’ve got a fine Nerthroth Serpent, there. Eyes are intact as well.” He adjusted his glasses. “Scales are in good condition for the most part and an Yellow flecked with green core. Quite impressive.” He turned back to them. “Well it would be if we didn’t have dozens of others and that likewise for the raw materials.”

His smile was still in place but there was a predatory shine to his eyes.

“Ah, my dear Hedgewick,” Mya sidled up to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Those eyes are the kind to see through any darkness and even through the ground itself. I am sure that there are some enterprising artificers that would love to create a tool for some miners? Or that you could loan out to said miners? For a portion of the proceeds of course.”

Hedgewick’s eyes narrowed, Mya’s smile widened.

“The beast’s in poor condition.” He rubbed his chin.

“Isn’t anything that’s dead? But its here, ready for use and we haven’t tried to butcher it and ruin the materials waiting within. We’d give you a discount to take care of that.”

Mya released him and pulled out a table and two chairs. “Something to fortify the mind or the body?”

“The mind.”

Mya pulled out a heater and a pot, adding in leaves and pouring in water.

“I was hoping to get some materials and sell gear,” Valter said.

“I was briefed before I left my outpost. I brought items that I thought each of you might be interested in,” He took out a table, and laid a purple material over it with a flourish. Then placed five metal plates on cushions. Light projected from them.

“Please,” He held his hand out to the table.

“Tea before business?” Mya asked.

Hedgewick quirked a smile. “Ah a true merchant.” He pressed his hand to his chest and tilted his head. He raised it and looked back to the others with a smile as pure as a mountain spring. “Peruse to your hearts content. Materials,” He held out his hand to two of the plates. “Up to the Uncommon grade,” He moved to the second plate. “And then the Rare grade.” His hand moved to the third. “Tools up to the Rare grade.” Then the fourth. “Armor and weapons up to the Rare. The last, information on various subjects.” He also pulled out a scroll and laid it upon the table carefully. “And then the VIP Menu. I am also able to sell information dependent on subject.” He gave them a smile and swept back towards the table Mya had sat up and sat across from her.

“Quite the operation you have running out here under the Baron’s nose. Several ingredient farmers and mines. I guess we now know how the caverns they use to raise their crop were created,” Mya gestured at the serpent.

“It’s a rather tidy operation that allows a great freedom within Aetheria. Everyone looks to the cities and what they have, but they don’t look at what feeds those cities.”

Mya laughed. “Isn’t that just the case, looking for the cold gold instead of the handfuls of coppers falling off the side.”

“Aptly said.”

Petor walked over the table, zoning out Mya and Hedgewick’s small talk.

The light showed the items within the plates and little placards with their cost next to them. Petor checked the ingredients up to the uncommon level for the brambles or something comparable.

“How much would the bramble be worth?” He muttered to Desari.

“Each of the patches you harvested? About eight to ten thousand gold, they were matured and fed on the blood of a foe.”

He’d harvested four patches, not including the more sentient one he’d stored. He checked the creature, it hadn’t moved in his storage. Can things move if they’re in there?

“Ten leaves of your emberbloom would be about six hundred gold. Seeds are worth about a thousand gold. The flowers about two hundred gold. The stalks, four hundred. With the storm vine Twenty leaves would be worth seven hundred gold, branches and seeds would be worth the same again.”

Petor’s head was rolling from the cost of the leaves.

“Umm, how much do I owe you for the seeds?” Petor’s mouth suddenly dry.

She waved him off. “I don’t need those ingredients much. You’ve already grown ingredients for me that have made up for the cost of them several times over.”

Petor nodded, his brain in a state of confused panic.

I’m throwing seven hundred gold sticks to use as grenades.

“Best to spend gold to stay alive than your blood,” Valter said.

The mild panic stilled, cracked and grounded. “That’s a fair point.”

“Best to spend your gold, hoarding it away will do little,” Valter said.

Petor nodded, mentally blocking himself off from selling the branches and stalks of the stormvine and emberbloom.

“Desari, could you help me pick out new seeds that would be stronger than the Emberbloom and Stormvine?”

She gave him a nod of approval. “Let me have a look and I’ll see what might help you.”

Petor stepped away from the plate and around Valter who scrolled through the listed tools.

“Delicious tea,” Hedgewick admired.

“Thank you, a special varietal of seaweed mixed with peel of several citrus fruits and flowers,” Mya breathed in the vapor from her own tea and sipped. He turned them back out and focused on the scroll Hedgewick had laid out.

[VIP Menu]

Orb of Storm Calling-Cost: 2,500 GP

Description: Summons a localized storm. Lightning strikes upon command.

Wings of the Fey-Cost: 3,000 GP

Description: Gossamer wings grant flight for 10 minutes daily.

Shield of Spell Reflection-Cost: 4,000 GP

Description: Reflects one spell back at caster, once per day.

Amulet of Planar Protection-Cost: 2,800 GP

Description: Resists banishment. Once per day, step between planes.

Ring of Invisibility-Cost: 5,000 GP

Description: Become invisible for up to 15 minutes daily.

Mirror of True Sight-Cost: 3,800 GP

Description: Reveals illusions and hidden beings for 1 minute.

Ethereal Chains-Cost: 30,000 GP

Description: Unbreakable chains shimmering with otherworldly energy. Bind any creature, preventing teleportation and planar travel.

Robes of the Archmage-Cost: 45,000 GP

Description: Boosts arcane power. Increases spell save DC, offers protection against magic, and can store 3 spells to cast without using a slot.

Chronos' Hourglass-Cost: 100,000 GP

Description: Control time. Rewind a short period once per week. Halt time for 10 seconds once per day.

Sword of the Celestials-Cost: 150,000 GP

Description: Infused with starlight. Critical hits unleash a radiant explosion. Can call down a starfall once per month.

He checked his card and flicked through the different ‘pages’ of it.

[Balance]

[Credit: 1,562GP, 50sp]

“Why has our balance gone up?” Petor asked. The others had blank looks.

“Trades with Sorelli,” Hedgewick said, having just lowered his cup from his lips. “They have only just put in their first, but we’ve had a promising return and there are talks of possibly extending the reach of Jaxus’ convoy to their city. I will have to talk to him on the details.”

“So you are staying for longer.”

“It seemed beneficial to take care of two tasks at the same time. I will join you on your journey to Aetheria as well. To negotiate on several sensitive trades, evaluate Jaxus and once you have completed your mission for the Duke to try and deepen our relationship.” He smiled and sipped from his tea.

“Ah, thanks,” Petor ducked his head.

“Altogether, sixty seven thousand, two hundred and thirty gold.” Mya’s word’s caught Petor’s attention.

“A fair accounting.” Hedgewick agreed. The piece of paper infront of Mya had several numbers crossed out and changed. The yelling and shouting, having calmed down. “As it is said, it is agreed.” A pen appeared in his hand.

Mya signed the document and turned it to him. He signed it, a ghostly copy appearing next to it, his signature appearing on both.

He picked up the ghostly copy, putting it and the pen away. Mya did the same with her paper and pen.

“Tea?” Mya held her hand out to the pot.

“Ah, please,” Hedgewick said, the two’s smiles spreading into something predatory.

Petor’s card in his pocket shuddered.

He drew it out.

[Balance]

[Credit: 18,370GP]

Coin did not seem like it would be the hardest thing to come across, though the cost of goods and the cost of information was high.

He flicked over to the information section again.

Information on Goddess Yaaseen- Cost: 1,000,000 GP

>Maps of regions that support her.

>Information on the resistances against her.

>Ways to kill a god.

>Rumors

Petor tapped the card with his thumb. Just how strong was Yaaseen herself? How many kingdoms fell under her control? How many followers did she have? How many were chosen?

There was a lot there, a lot to be done if he wanted to fight against it. She used her followers, used those around her. Though don’t all the gods do that?

Valter’s country was run by a god, a god he’d tried to kill. Desari and Mya both had issues with the gods meddling in the mortal plane. Jaxus had been creating a ritual to kill all of his people and the followers of other gods just to claim their power. It was only his chosen getting greedy that turned it on his head and then the horsemen breaking that to turn it on its head.

Just what had happened at Sorelli afterwards? He studied Hedgewick talking to Mya. They were able to trade with others so they weren’t under attack anymore? Even if they had peace now, would the gods leave them alone? I doubt it.

He hated Yaaseen and what she had done. Or is it frustration?

Petor stepped away, Yaaseen had never targeted him specifically. She was cold and callous using the death’s of innocents to increase her hold on the population. He had dedicated his life to her for some kind of absolution. That his service to her would wipe away the stains upon his honor.

I traded one master of horrors for another.

Something dark, something cold, something familiar crept up his spine as his steps slowed, facing the forest. The muscles in his face relaxing into impassivity, those in his body a state of readied tension. He breathed out, leaving the skin of Petor behind.

He hooked his thumbs into his belt, better to hold the dagger at his hip.

Yaaseen didn’t care about him, and he didn’t care about her. He’d given the people from the farm tools and ways to get away and hide from her. He didn’t owe anyone anything.

But she had taken her oath and betrayed it. Hairs rose up on his neck to the back of his head and down his spine as he gripped his dagger.

“One should pay attention to their oaths.” I’m coming for you Yaaseen. Killing a god was going to take strength, strength he didn’t yet have. Desari was right, he needed to learn how to use the tools he had. From his attribute-less mana. To chaining his spells together, to increasing his overall strength.

Leeching wasn’t something to be pushed to the side, he needed to understand it, and his connection to demons. Mya said she smelt it on me.

Demon summoning was looked down upon. Though removing the morals? Demon summoning allowed you to bring in a powerful subordinate that could fight for you and turn your singular strength into the strength of many.

It was just about making an oath and keeping to it.

The part of him that was Petor the farmer would be soft to others, but he would never again push down the other side, the trained killer.

He allowed the switch to flip and the low-level tension drained from his body. Yaaseen could wait, for now he needed to get stronger.