Nero Walker, Book 3 Ch.63 (178) (Patreon)

Seeing how the little lord would be stuck dealing with paperwork and the trappings of nobility for the foreseeable future, Cathleen decided to get some of her questions answered. With Nick, Vera, and the evaluator Quincy all occupied with bothering Lord Walker, Cathleen took Rose to the basement for a little training.

Swatting Rose’s sword away with the palm of her hand, Cathleen watched as the young woman stumbled into an awkward roll. Forcibly maintaining the dispassionate look on her face, Cathleen sauntered toward Rose slowly, as if she wanted her to know that she wasn’t even remotely taking the spar seriously.

Struggling to her feet, Rose was clearly out of breath and shaken. Her appearance was a stark contrast to Cathleen’s domineering attitude and imperious demeanor. They’d been at this for hours, and Cathleen decided that the young woman was finally ready to be questioned.

With her tone remaining carefully subdued, Cathleen quietly asked, “So, why are you really here Vikander?”

Hearing Cathleen’s question, Rose felt like the past few hours had finally started making sense, Taking a few big gulps of air, she tried to catch her breath.

Not surprised that a person like Cathleen Averett would question her motives, and fearing what would happen if she didn’t manage to alleviate her concerns, Rose tried to answer as quickly as possible. “I just want a fresh start, a real one. Weeks ago, Lord Walker said he’d let me join him and offered me protection. I’m just now deciding to take him up on it,” she said, her words coming out in struggling breaths.

Cathleen paused, setting the butt of her spear on the ground. Her hawklike gaze froze Rose in her place. The young woman felt like she was being stripped bare under the warrior woman’s scrutiny.

Giving up all pretense of putting up a fight, Rose let her arms go limp, and the tip of her sword dropped to the ground. Making sure to look the older, wiser woman in the eye, she said, “Ms. Averett. I understand your caution. I was placed with you and your lord at the behest of his enemies… or at the very least by people who may not have had his best interests in mind. But, I never wanted to be a spy. And I have no desire to be an assassin. At heart, I’m a hunter. Please believe me when I say that all I want is to cut ties with Dorchester and move on with my life. I just want to regain control of my path.”

Cathleen’s expression didn’t falter one bit in the face of the young woman’s confession. “And you think joining Lord Walker’s house will allow you the freedom to do so?” she asked, her tone, while soft, was full of judgment and sarcasm.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Rose found herself snickering. “Ms. Averett. I’ve been with Lord Walker for more than a month. I’ve seen him effortlessly outwit the most powerful nobles in Dorchester, slay monsters as if he were 3 times his actual level, learn magic like he was born for it, defeat an entire assassination squad while capturing their leader, and obliterate kobalds by the hundreds. It’s not a question of him letting me do what I want, it’s me wanting to do what he asks. If I can get away from my past while following him to his future, then my path will finally be wide and clear,” she said, trying with all of her heart to sound as genuine as possible.

Cathleen stood silent for a few seconds, considering the young woman’s words. Then, she offered Rose a single nod of acceptance before turning around and walking away.

Heading out of the training room, Cathleen shouted over her shoulder, “You’d better spend a few more hours on your footwork. You looked like an idiot rolling around in the dirt like that.”

Despite the parting insult, Rose found herself smiling after the warrior woman left. Collapsing onto the ground with a huff of satisfaction, she quietly declared, “Step one of ‘avoid being implicated with the nobles’… check!”

Meanwhile, while Cathleen left the young woman to her training, she was busy putting together a threat assessment for the former assassin’s apprentice. As much as she would have liked to believe Rose’s claims, she would reserve judgment for the time being.

For now, she had more pressing matters to deal with.

Like usual, she’d connected her link to the local security system. It was a habit she’d developed after long years of living in the city. In this case, as she was currently in the Verena estate, she was extremely limited in what she had access to. Nevertheless, she’d seen the notification that a group of mercenaries were waiting for Lord Walker in the living room, and she wanted to be there in case her spear was needed.

Quickening her steps, she made her way up the stairs and across the grounds. When she finally walked into the living room they’d been meeting in, she felt more than a little confused at what she was seeing. She recognized quite a few of the mercenaries. Were they here to pledge to his house?

Cathleen’s usual blank expression cracked a little when she saw how many armed men and women were waiting to meet with the little lord. She’d known Vera had started putting together a core group of fighters to fill the ranks of House Walker, but she hadn’t expected so many of them to already feel this kind of loyalty.

Striding into the room, she saw groups of the mercenaries all broken up into twos and threes, enjoying themselves while being attended to by the Verena’s servants.

Off in the corner, she could see Lord Salvatore-Verena and Academian Quincy debating in private over what was probably some noble nonsense she couldn’t be bothered to care about. She wasn’t surprised at all to see Nick ignoring his responsibility to deal with his guests.

Approaching the leader of the twenty or so mercenaries, she carefully kept her tone devoid of any judgment. “I remember you from when Lord Walker returned from his most recent assassination attempt. You were leading the guards Lady Verena dispatched.”

The mercenary leader turned away from the three comrades she’d been speaking with and looked at Cathleen with an enthusiastic smile. “Yes, ma’am. I’m Natalie Keening. I’m honored that you remember me. Many of us here were there that day.”

Cathleen’s gaze swept the room, noticing that all of the mercenaries were now paying close attention to the conversation she was having with their leader.

“I’m assuming you’re all here in person to find out what will happen to you now that Lord Walker is being raised to a unique, and Dorchester’s House Walker is being disbanded?” she asked. Her tone carried with it a subtle question as to why they didn’t just send a ping.

Shaking her head quickly, Natalie replied, “Not at all. I admit, that when we’d received the formal termination notice from Lady Verena, we were shocked that our new corps was already being disbanded. But, when we found out that the little lord was being raised to a unique, every one of us decided that we’d follow him anyway. After all, we signed up to serve Lord Walker, and that’s what we’re going to do. If he’ll have us that is.”

Cathleen’s face remained impassive, but on the inside, she was reeling in shock. It was one thing for an established guard force to foster a sense of loyalty to their masters but for weak-willed Southerners - this was just too much. Had they even met Lord Walker aside from when they escorted him to the Tower of Law?

One of the mercenaries that Natatlie had been talking to stepped forward, joining the conversation. He was a large man, but despite his size, he looked small when confronted by Cathleen’s presence. Barely mustering up the courage to square his shoulders, he said, “We’ve all heard what Lord Walker has done for the people of Dorchester. Hells, everyone knows what the little lord has done for us. Between the rumors and link reports, we knew what we were getting into when we signed up to join House Walker. We’re here because we recognize that we are witnessing the birth of a legend. Every one of us believes that he is meant for great things. Now that his path might lead him away from Dorchester, we still want to help him walk it. All of us intend to fight alongside him. None of us have family ties we’ll be missing, and the opportunity to be an adherent to a man like Lord Walker is something none of us want to miss out on. With him leading us, our paths will go further than if we go it alone.”

Natalie nodded at her companion’s words, and so did many of the mercenaries in the room.

Looking Cathleen in the eye, Natalie said, “We all know you’re his chosen protector, and none of us mean to challenge you for that right. We just want to join you. We’ll swear whatever oaths to Lord Walker you want. Where he goes, we’ll follow.” She held up her arms, as if gesturing that everyone behind her was of the same opinion.

As a group, the mercenaries declared in one voice, “For The Walker.”

Cathleen was speechless. But after a few seconds of thought, her expression developed a slight smile. She couldn’t wait to hear what the little lord had to say about this interesting development.

—--

Nero was lost in his thoughts as he made his way through the hallways of Gate 7’s Center-Research. While he should have been feeling nostalgic at being back here, he was instead trying to decide what to do about Cathleen and the mercenaries waiting for him back at the estate.

Upon hearing their heartfelt pleas to join him as adherents, which he’d interpreted as some sort of follower, he had immediately bailed. He’d told Cathleen to interview them, and he’d promised to give them his decision ‘soonish’.

Now, he was stuck heading toward the labs with a bunch of dorks with lights on their heads, trying to ignore Nick’s overzealous impression of a tour-guide, all while struggling to get his thoughts in order.

Meanwhile, the entirety of the evaluation team was eagerly listening to Nick describe the work being done at his former stomping grounds.

With a proud smile on his face, Nick gestured off to one of the hallways, saying, “Down there are the agricultural research sectors. During the last review, we managed to rate 17% above the standard for cities of our technology level. Since, historically, we haven’t had the availability of essence events of any significance, we’ve been focusing on our material sciences and flow tracking. While I haven’t been keeping up to date, I’m sure a great deal of resources are being diverted to new fields of study.”

Nero wasn’t really comprehending much of what was being said, but he could feel that the evaluators all seemed impressed with what they were hearing.

Academian Quincy, with his signature smile in full effect, patted Nick on the back. “I must say, Lord Verena, you’re city is doing very well with what little you’ve had to work with. Even after reviewing how you’ve handled the recent density shift, I have to say I’m more than a little impressed. I’m sure that even without Lord Walker’s presence, Dorchester will continue to stand proud as one of Oglivarch’s most promising cities,” he said, his tone both complimentary and full of implications.

Nero cocked his head, unsure if he was reading too much into Academian Quincy’s words. ‘Is he really expecting me to just abandon everyone? Do I really come off as that big of a dick?’ he wondered.

Nick continued to show off the research sectors, but Nero could tell the man now seemed a little preoccupied. His enthusiasm was starting to look a little forced, and Nero couldn’t help but wonder why.

Eventually, they made their way to the lab Nick had reserved, and the evaluators descended on the lab equipment like a pack of jackals. Some of them were so eager to get to the equipment before their co-workers that they nearly shoved Nero to the ground in their enthusiasm.

Instead of following them, Nero walked off to the side of the lab where the kitchenette and table were located. He figured that when they got everything up and running, they’d eventually track him down. He didn’t have time for a series of pointless lectures on what they were doing. He still had to figure out what to tell Cathleen and his potential grunts.

Minutes passed as Nero tried to figure out the coffee maker with the help of an instructional video he’d found through his link. ‘I really need to spend some time seeing what’s all on here. I doubt it’s all cat videos and cooking shows. Their society of nerds probably regulates the hell out of their internet,’ he thought to himself, before shelving the subject in the back of his mind.

He soon found himself sitting at the small table, sipping his freshly brewed coffee and watching the evaluators move around like a colony of bees attending to their metal garden.

In the middle of it all, Nick stood like a conductor, coordinating their work as if he were finally back in his element.

Nero couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It was good to see his friend doing what he loved again. The man had never looked comfortable in the training compound, let alone in the wilds. This was what he was meant for, the lab.

He could still remember the look on Nick’s face as he’d held his arms in the air and shouted, “For Science!”

“So, do you plan to ask him to be one of your adherents?” asked Academian Quincy.

Nearly spilling his coffee in surprise, Nero turned his head to glare up at the man who’d startled him by sneaking up on him from out of nowhere.

Annoyed at seeing Quincy standing there, smiling as if he hadn’t just nearly given him a heart attack, Nero griped, “Shouldn’t you be with the other light-hats, preparing those torture machines for my imminent testing?”

Chuckling, Academian Quincy took a seat next to Nero at the table. “They know what they’re doing. You have nothing to worry about, as I’m sure you’ll find the exams painless. We only have to confirm your ability to interpret and observe individual essence flows without the aid of any sensory equipment. But, right now, I’m more interested in what you’re thinking about. When those people applied to join your personal house, you fled the room without even finishing your dinner. I’m curious as to what that was all about?” he asked, his voice actually managing to sound interested, and not at all judgemental.

Nero side-eyed the man while sipping his coffee. And after a few seconds of silent consideration, he sighed and set down his cup.

Locking eyes with the man, he said, “I just don’t understand the whole adherent thing. The way those people were looking at me, it was like they were begging me for permission to join my cult or something. I don’t even know them! It was bad enough when Cathleen was professing her intentions to follow me wherever ‘my path’ might lead. But, now Rose and these other fools are asking to sign up for whatever trouble I’ll be getting into? How is that supposed to work? Do I have to pay them? Are they expecting me to start a guild or something?”

Academian Quincy leaned back in his chair and laughed. It was a rich and full-bodied laugh that Nero felt was entirely devoid of any malice. Seeing the man react in such a sincere manner, Nero felt the tension in his shoulders release and he found himself unconsciously smiling a little.

Looking at Nero with an expression full of support and understanding, Academian Quincy said, “Nero, may I call you Nero?” He paused as if he were actually waiting for Nero’s verbal permission.

Nero nodded with an eye-roll and picked his coffee back up.

Smiling widely, Academian Quincy continued, “Nero, I think you might be misunderstanding what being an adherent means. As a unique, you’re like a private house that isn’t tied to anywhere but the kingdom. You’re essentially a citizen of the Oglivarch rather than one of its cities, and as such you can be considered a mobile house, or more like a mobile guild, all on your own. People who join you will do so for any number of reasons. Whether it’s to see the kingdom, remove themselves from the strictures of the system, or follow you because they believe in your cause, people will flock to your banner. It’s even worse for you, as the local rumors and recent events have painted you as something of a wandering hero, a divinely sent champion of the people who foils noble plots with one hand and defends the walls of civilization with the other. If you’d like, you can think of adherents as your subjects. Just like adherents to any tower or faith follow their purpose, your adherents will follow yours.”

Nero was frozen as he held his coffee in a shaking hand. ‘Well, that got real awfully damn quick,’ he thought to himself.

Shaking off the serious implications of what the man was saying, Nero replied, “OK. While that was super helpful and everything. That doesn’t explain what an adherent actually is. Like, what are my responsibilities to them? Is it a lifetime appointment? If they end up breaking some law or something, am I legally liable? If they are supposed to follow me around, then do I have to pay for their lodgings and food and stuff? What about their medical care? Do they pay taxes to the kingdom or the city they came from? Do you understand what I’m asking? Cause despite how everyone here tends to answer my questions as if they were some kind of deep philosophical inquiry, I’m usually very literal with what I’m trying to find out. Seriously, can’t you people even answer a simple question without turning it into a God damn sociology lecture!?!”

Just as Nero was beginning to work himself into a lather, Nick walked over and joined the conversation, taking a seat with a gentle smile on his face. Nick looked much more at ease now that he was back in a lab.

“Nero, calm down. Academian Quincy just isn’t used to speaking with someone who is as pathetically uninformed as you are. To answer some of your questions, I’ll first have to explain a little about how a typical citizen lives their life. Despite being here for a few months, you’ve led a pretty sheltered life.” he said while keeping his tone light and trying to calm Nero down.

Keeping his voice steady, his tone easily slipped back into his lecture mode. “People are citizens of their city first. Their educational limits and prospects are dictated by the local conditions they find themselves in. If they manage to climb the ranks and feel the need for more, they have to leave their city and start over in a new one from the very beginning. For most people, it’s a very big deal to travel and try and advance their path. But for nobles, it’s even more arduous. For them, leaving the city means leaving behind their titles and progress on the ladder. In a new city, they will once again be a simple commoner, even though they have a noble background. The only advantage they have is that they’re able to apply for the noble trials, though only their local achievements will count toward their completion. And then, even if they succeed, they’ll still start at the bottom of their new city’s local ladder. So, most people tend to take advantage of the exceptions, and that is through joining a tower, or a guild that operates throughout the kingdom. But even then, they are then tied to their job, and their progression is on the ladder associated with whatever organization they’ve joined.”

Nero interrupted, as he immediately recognized a flaw in that system. “Hold up. What about their assets and savings and stuff? It’s not like they’d have to leave everything behind, right? Having a big ass bank account would set them up pretty well in the new city regardless of whether or not they were still a noble,” he said, not believing for a second that coming from money didn’t offer someone an inherent advantage.

Academian Quincy, now with a better idea of what Nero had been asking, joined in. “The only universal currency in the kingdom is essence crystals. Everything else is defined locally. Even trade between cities is filtered through a weighted average of how much an essence crystal costs in the cities in question. It’s why there aren’t too many advanced enchanted items or technologies in places like Dorchester. Cities are intended to be self sufficient. And even if the law allowed it, It would simply cost too much to acquire anything useful from outside the walls.”

Nero frowned in confusion, as he struggle to understand what they were saying. If anything, the lack of local essence crystals should make them worth more here. Suddenly, understanding blossomed, as he asked, “Essence crystals don’t always have the same density or something, am I right?”

Both Nick and Quincy exchanged looks of surprise.

Academian Quincy leaned forward and asked, “And how did you come to that conclusion?”

Nero replied quickly, “Because if they were, then someone with an enchanted mirror from some fancy place could come here and buy a mansion after selling it to some local merchant. Even if it were illegal, I’m sure there must be some sort of black market or something.”

Nick smiled and said, “It’s not just that essence crystals have different levels. It’s also what the local essence densities can support for enchantments and the like.”

Pointing at the satchel Nero was carrying, the one Arch-mage Jennings had given him, Nick said, “Remember when I tried to explain how much that bag cost? It’s because it’s a planar item that powers itself off through an isolated inter-planar connection. Someone could sell that here in Dorchester and acquire enough money to purchase anything they’d want. However, selling it would set off so many flags in the Hall of Trade that everyone involved would find themselves in front of a tribunal before they could spend a single valen.”

Nodding along, Academian Quincy added, “Our society is segregated strictly by city. Trade is almost entirely limited to essence crystals and raw resources. Otherwise, nobody would bother living anywhere else than in one of the more powerful cities. Which would be a massive problem due to the fact that it is so difficult to level there. Most people in the capital or any other powerful city aren’t actually from there. And if they are, they are most likely part of a great house with ties to feeder cities which allow them to raise their children in environments more suited to leveling and progression.”

Nick added, “There are in fact many ways to move between cities, but most of those are considered rare and specialized. There are loremasters and singers, who move about the villages and the larger cities to spread legends and insight into the larger world. Heroes, who are nominated by local leaders due to their achievements and followers. Traders, who travel in caravans and carry kingdom-wide authority to trade with whoever they want. They more or less run what you’d call the black market. All of these are titles that fall under the same economic structure that you will as a unique. They are people outside of the cities' economies, their wealth is instead backed by the kingdom itself.”

Nero’s mind was blown. Although they’d gotten completely off the topic of what the hell an adherent was, he’d found out a few things that changed the way he thought about the kingdom’s organization at a fundamental level, and he felt like he’d been an idiot for not having realized it.

His expression utterly serious, he said, “Let me get this straight. Do you mean to tell me that I’ve been living in a starter zone? And the density shift is like the local level range is being raised? But for the average Joe, whenever he moves to a new city, he has to start farming local reputation points and currencies all over again? However, there are specialized units, like uniques and heroes, who aren’t tethered to a particular city, and can go wherever they want? How do you all not realize that everything here is like a real-life game?”

Once again, the two older men shared a look, but this time it was one of confusion.

Nick replied, “Of course we realize that life is a game. Haven’t you heard us talking about the game from the moment you’ve arrived here?”

Nero didn’t know what to say. He still didn’t understand what he needed to know about adherents, what being a unique actually meant, or what he was going to be doing for a living, but he at least felt like he was finally able to see the board he’d been playing on.