Nero Walker, Book 3 Ch.28 (143) (Patreon)

Victoria Blackwood walked into the director’s office at the main branch of Blackwood Works. The moment the door closed behind her, she allowed an almost imperceptible smirk to appear on her face.

Across the room, behind the office’s desk sat her uncle, Colin Ebonwood. She saw him look up at her expectantly, trying to discern what had happened by her demeanor. ‘He should know better,’ she thought with some amusement. He was one of the few to know how much effort she had put into perfecting the art of being inscrutable.

Giving up on trying to guess how the meeting had gone, he asked, “My lord, how did it go?”

Victoria walked across the room to pour herself something to drink from the wet-bar. She let the moment fill with silence as she treated the office as if it were her own. It was a subtle power play, and an unnecessary one, but she did it anyway. Her uncle was one of her most ardent supporters, and it amused her to feel his nervous anticipation of her answer.

Turning around to face him, she let her smile bloom while lifting a glass of wine as if she were toasting the moment.

“She bought it,’ said Victoria, her voice full of both relief and pride.

Nearly jumping up and down in excitement, Colin bolted around the desk to join her in celebrating their success.

“So she agreed to be bought off with a 20% stake in company? No preferential contracts at all?!?” he asked while pouring himself a glass of his favorite fruit-wine.

Victoria’s smile dimmed as she recalled the terms she had been forced to agree to.

“Unfortunately we weren’t nearly that lucky. The woman was good. The best I’ve ever faced. Luckily the plan worked, and I was able to convince her that I was only trying to limit the financial burdens the contracts would cause. She would have had us turning our entire manufacturing capabilities over to House Walker if I hadn’t been careful,” she said, her voice wavering a little as she remembered how difficult the negotiations had been.

Colin frowned and asked, “So what terms did you reach, and are you actually happy with them?”

Nodding easily, Victoria walked over to one of the couches to take a seat. Easing into the cushions, she sighed in contentment, letting the stress of the day fall off her shoulders.

“She agreed to be paid off with a stake in the company, but she ended up requiring 40% ownership if there weren’t going to be any preferred contracts. Even worse, 3 of our 7 facilities will be solely dedicated to servicing the needs of House Walker and his interests concerning Precision Shipping. While they won’t have controlling interest of the company, the contract is ironclad and if we don’t fulfill our end of the deal, then those facilities will be forfeit and we would need to buy House Walker’s position out at market value. To say that Blackwood Works is now inextricably tied to House Walker’s interests would be a massive understatement,” she finished with a small smile, while shaking her head at how badly what she had just said sounded.

Shocked, Colin replied, “I don’t understand. That doesn’t sound good at all. In fact, it sounds like we just suffered a massive defeat.”

Victoria looked up at her uncle with a smile, and replied, “It does, doesn’t it. But that’s how we expected it to look. Perhaps I was forced to give up more than I thought I would, but in the end it doesn’t matter. House Walker has acquired more than 20% of the business, therefore, according to the law, he is now a part owner. So, my plan can move forward.”

Not understanding, Colin asked for clarification, “I thought the point was to reduce the cost of fulfilling the preferred contracts?”

Shaking her head quickly, she replied, “Not at all. What we needed to do was to remove Blackwood Works from House Blackwood’s profit ledger. If we had retained over 80% ownership of the company, then any losses would have affected us in the political ladder standings. This way, due to House Walker’s royal exceptions, any losses or profits concerning Blackwood Works are now entirely separate from us. Furthermore, as partners with House Walker, we can now apply to use the same clever manipulations that House Salvatore-Verena is currently abusing to reduce our overall tax load. Although that only applies to Blackwood Works, that still saves us from losing our ranking. And, with those profits not affecting our tax burden to the city, we’ll be able to use that capital to open new businesses and take advantage of the increase in resources coming in due to the density shift.”

Colin began working through what she was saying, then paled at the realization of the consequences. “My lord, but that would mean that my house won’t be able to gain any points in the ladder by running Blackwood Works for you. Is my branch to bear this burden alone?” he asked in fear.

Shaking her head, she replied with a tone of compassion, “Don’t worry uncle. I’ll make sure to put your house in charge of our new trading house initiative. If Vera Salvatore-Verena can do it, so can I. After all, as an ally of House Walker, it would be a waste to miss out on this kind of opportunity.”

As Colin’s face showed his confusion, he asked, “What trading house initiative?”

Lord Victoria Blackwood didn’t respond, but merely sipped her wine with a calculating smile adorning her face.

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Nero wasn’t lucky enough to be in the first row of the assembled elites, so all he could see was once again the backpack of the person standing in front of him. ‘This is getting a little annoying,’ he thought.

Luckily, his perception field made up for his visual shortcomings.

He saw the sergeants standing at attention in front of the assembled soldiers, each of them eagerly waiting to hear what Captain Angelton had to say.

“We’ve been tasked with making sure the mountain-side exits are not used to funnel enemy troops outside our walls. While the main spear of our forces makes its way into the mountain gate, we’ll be in charge of maintaining control of our assigned area, and reporting any attempts the enemy makes to break out of their confinement,” said Captain Angelton, his voice hard as stone, and surprisingly loud.

“Today, after stopping by Gate 20’s army compound for resupply, we’ll be heading directly toward our area of operations. By nightfall, we’ll have our forward base up and running, and the initial defenses in place. In the coming days, we’ll be patrolling the area, marking any possible egress points out of the mountain, and wiping out any kobalds that dare to show their ugly faces above ground,” he finished, nearly growling with promised violence.

Nero could feel the excitement of the men and women all around him. The essence in the ether was doing a wonderful job transmitting their urge to kill the enemy as if there was some kind of feed-back loop at play. It was like mob-mentality on steroids.

He felt his heart-rate rising, and his emotions started to mirror what he was feeling from his fellow elites. It took some effort, but he was able to disassociate from the experience. While he could feel it still happening all around him, he managed to keep his own emotions untethered from the group.

“Many of you have years of service and experience to call upon, but others are new to this type of active engagement. While we had intended to slowly grow your skills through carefully monitored and measured battles, each chosen for their slowly increasing difficulty, that is no longer an option. As elites, you agreed to give your all to the service of Dorchester, and now you’ll be getting that chance a little earlier than you might like. However, if you all work together, watch each other’s backs, share your skills, and trust each other, the kobalds will serve as a perfect whetstone to hone your identities against,” promised the Captain, now starting to pace back and forth in front of the assembled elites.

Nero had to admit, this was a much better speech than the Captain’s last one. At least this one touched on the good ‘ole ‘spirit of teamwork’. Yet, he still felt like it was rather bland. If Nero had been giving it, then there would have been a lot more hate-mongering against the kobalds, and definitely something about how everyone here ‘carries the hopes and dreams of the common man’ or some other bull-shit like that.

“You’ll all still be in your teams, so you won’t have to relearn the combat tactics that you’ve grown used to. However, we don’t know exactly what you’ll be facing. With so much ground to cover, intelligence from the mage tower will be minimal. We shouldn’t have any trouble locating the essence events that you’ll be tasked with handling, but it is possible that kobald scouting parties have already made their way to the surface. So, keep your head on a swivel, and maintain your vigilance,” he warned.

Nero nearly snorted at the classic fantasy quote.

“Our support forces won’t be coming along this time, and we’ll be on our own for the most part. Depending on how long we’re in the field, we’ll be receiving resupply from our forces within the walls. However, our focus will be on fighting, not training. At no point are you to over-exert your centers. We will need to be ready to fight at all times, and at the very least hold out until reinforcements can reach our position. We are going to be the forward intelligence arm of command, and we need to make sure that our area of responsibility is covered at all times,” he emphasized the mission, and his eyes promised that anyone not meeting his expectations would regret it.

There really was too much Nero didn’t understand. Why couldn’t the mages scry the area? If they were worried about kobalds crawling out of their holes, then why didn’t they just bomb the hell out them? They could at least collapse the tunnels, it wouldn’t be that hard. And why were there going to be more essence events? Did the density shift affect the mountain too? Thinking about it, he realized how stupid a question that was. Why wouldn’t it? Yet, seeing their former primary responsibility relegated to an after-thought still seemed a little weird.

“Depending on the magnitude of the ether waves, we may not have contact with Dorchester’s Thought-hub. At best, our ability to use our links will be limited. Therefore, when we set up our forward operating base, we’ll be getting a communication tower up and running as soon as possible. There should be plenty of lumber, as we won’t be heading too high into the mountains. However, expect there to be a lot of plateaus and ridges that you’ll have to deal with. If you haven’t worked on your climbing skills, then expect to have them get a workout,” he said, his happiness at the prospect of their discomfort clearly coming across through his tone.

“Team leaders will have the mission packets for the current assignment, so make sure to read them at your first opportunity. For now, collect your things, say your good-byes, and use the facilities while you still have the chance. We’ll be leaving in thirty minutes. Be back here on time, as you don’t want me sending someone to find you. Dismissed,” he finished, then promptly turned away to converse with some of his aides and sergeants who’d been watching his speech.

Nero watched as everyone dispersed to go about their business. The was so much excitement and determination in the ether that he felt like he was at a motivational event or something.

Looking around, he found Nick staring off into the distance with a smile on his face. Based on the vacant look in the man’s eyes, he was using his link, probably to say goodbye to Vera.

Figuring that he should do the same, Nero sent her a short ping in message format.

Hey Vera,

I’m heading off to go kill kobalds, or maybe just monitor some holes in the big mountain full of baddies. I don’t think it’s ‘top secret’ or anything, but you’d know better than I would.

I’m sure the business’s are doing great. I have absolutely nothing to contribute on that front. I’m still carrying around a bag full of essence crystals, and I’ll probably have a shit load more by the time I get back. I have no idea how much they’re worth, but people seem to want them, so I’m guessing they’re a good seller.

Anyway, thanks for all your help with the noble assholes. Hopefully no one is interested in killing me at the moment. In fact, from what I can tell, I’m feeling a little forgotten about all of the sudden. The constant feeling of being watched has lightened up a little. I know someone is still watching, but it isn’t nearly as annoying as it was just a few days ago. But if you hear anything, send me a ping. We might be able to get link-service out where we’re going, so I should be able to check my messages.

Anyways, hopefully you are handling the new Lord Blackwood lady. Be sure not to trust her, she’s a slippery one. That chick totally reminds me of a public relations director. She’s all image, so don’t get fooled. I’m probably overthinking it, I’m sure you’ll handle it.

By the way, I’m rich, right? So, when I get back, I’d like to finally see my big ass house. If there isn’t a pool, could you maybe have someone build me one. I’ve always wanted a pool, so if it isn’t too much trouble, could you have someone install one. One of those indoor pools with an attached sauna would be sweet. And a hot-tub. I don’t know if you guys have those here, but I used to see rich people with those on what you’d call ‘memory engrams’ all the time. They were awesome, and essential for my baller mentality to really blossom.

Also a library. Gotta have a bunch of books about magic.

Anyways, thanks for everything. Stay safe,

Nero

He finished up his message quickly, as his perception field showed Rose approaching from behind him. Turning around, he offered the young woman a grin.

Rose’s smile looked a little forced, and Nero could feel her anxiety through his essence field. Usually, he could barely feel her at all, so she must really be worried about something.

“What’s up pretty lady?” he asked, trying to cheer her up.

Rose’s smile became a little more real, and she replied, “Lord Walker, I wanted to thank you for looking out for me during our time in the wilds. I know that we were placed on the same team for several reasons, some of which aren’t too honorable. However, we are also both the youngest elites currently in training. Your talents are quickly leaving me behind, and I’d just like to assure you that I’ll do my best to keep up.”

Nero’s eyebrows rose in surprise. He could almost hear her subtext screaming at him, ‘Please don’t let me die out there. This was just supposed to be training. I’m not ready to fight a war!’

Looking up at the young woman who’d been sent to spy on him for the military, he could only assume the general had made it clear that her mission was no longer a priority. She must be worried that she’d be left out to dry and forgotten about.

Trying to impart some reassurance through his smile, Nero said, “Don’t worry Rose. Despite our weird spy vs. spy relationship, you’re still part of the team. I promised you weeks ago that I’d look out for you, and I’m a man… lord of my word. Just stay close to the group, and keep your head down. I’m sure Cathleen will probably kill off everything before it becomes much of a threat. And if something does happen, I’ll just resuscitate you. You’ve really got nothing to worry about, when you think about it,” he promised her.

“Fighting a sentient foe is entirely different than fighting a monster,” said a voice from right behind him.

The surprise caused an involuntary jump, and his heart started pounding while pumping obscene amounts of adrenaline into his body.

Holding a hand to his chest in shock, he spun around to glare at the woman standing behind him. She stood there as if everything were perfectly normal, her spear casually leaning against her shoulder. Now that he knew she was there, he could clearly see and feel her within his essence field. Yet, seconds ago, he could have sworn there was no one there.

“How in the fuck do you keep doing that! It’s really starting to freak me out. Seriously, you’re going to make me paranoid,” he glared at Cathleen, not at all happy that she could so easily evade his senses.

Nero heard Rose giggle a little, then cough to cover her involuntary girl-moment.

Cathleen just looked at Nero with a slight hint of confusion on her face. Her tone was calm, but he could feel some worry underscoring her words, “Mingling one’s essence field into the surrounding ether is an essential skill even beginning mages should be taught. Has the war-mage that has been teaching you not covered this?”

Nero replied, “You mean the essence diffusion thing so people can’t track me? Yeah, I learned that. But I have no idea how to hide my essence field like you do. No one does. I can see everyone but you really. In fact, I’m not exactly sure what it is that you’re doing. It’s like I just don’t notice you until you say something.”

Pausing, Nero took a step back so that both Rose and Cathleen were standing next to each other, and he could see them both at the same time. His eyes furrowed and he took a good look at them with all of his senses.

“You know, you both are kinda like that. I tend to forget you’re there. That sounds bad… But it’s not like I’m ignoring you, it’s just… I don’t know how to say it. What I mean to say is that my senses seem to just skip you, as if you weren’t worth paying attention to,” he said, failing miserably to explain the phenomenon that he was experiencing.

While Rose seemed a little offended, Cathleen showed one of her rare smiles. “We’re both just good at hiding. That intention to fade into the background comes across in our essence fields. To see that which wants to be hidden, you must train yourself to look at what isn’t there,” she said, her smile hinting at some deep revelation that he should be gleaning from her bullshit.

Nero stared at her, his face blank of any emotion. There were many things that he could put up with. Insults were fine. Stupid questions and statements were expected. Opinions that he disagreed with wouldn’t faze him. Even recriminations for his behavior weren’t a problem. However, if there was one thing he was increasingly unable to stand… it was the fact that so many people here were incapable of saying something without sounding like they were auditioning for an episode of Kung-Fu the legendary… something or another.

While his inner troll was clawing at the walls, begging to be unleashed on the well-meaning warrior woman, Nero maintained his composure.

“If you’ll both excuse me, I’m going to go steal as much coffee and donuts as I can by abusing my personal space. Good day,” he said, then started to walk off.

Cathleen watched him leave with a smile, but Rose asked, “How much coffee could you po-”

“I said good day!” he barked over his shoulder, then continued on his way.

His mood was completely restored, as in this life and the one before, he’d NEVER actually had a chance to say that to someone in a real conversation. One of his fantasies had finally come true. Even better, he was soon heading off into the magical mountains to defend humanity from fantasy creatures hell-bent on taking over the world.

No matter how much he didn’t want to go off and fight a war, or how many of his personal insecurities were screaming at him that this was an incredibly bad idea. He had to admit, he was really enjoying his time in this fantasy world.