Butcher of Gadobhra Chapter 366 (Patreon)

"I'm a simple man with simple desires." Ben paused to see if anyone laughed outright at him but saw only curiosity. "A small mansion with a hidden laboratory, something that reminds me of Franklin House. A wine cellar, of course. Sneaking in and raiding Billy is fun, but I'd like a larger collection—time off for travel and exploration. I have a fast horse, but I'd like to add a sleek ship to my transport option. A bonus if she sails the clouds and can go to other realms. And clothes. I want a closet full of fine clothes for when I enter society at the capital."

Ozzy snorted loudly. "Is that a not-too-subtle hint about by ship-in-a-box? Been damn little time for side projects, and I want to make sure Billy and ACME can't get their hands into her. But I agree. I'd love a fast little smokejammer to make travel and exploration easy."

Suzette thought for a moment, her eyes gaining a slight glow in their depths as she reached out to something inside of her. "I give leave to build your ship in my realm and grant you a trade agreement with Silverthorn Vale." Her voice held a note of authority as she said it.

Ozzy nodded slowly. "I accept."

Ben drank down his beer and smiled widely. "A secret pirate cove in another dimension? An excellent start."

The tavern keeper brought another jug of beer and refilled the pitcher to much thanks. Rolly took his mug, adding in a deadpan voice, "I'm sure you'll find a nice poisoned lake full of rippy fish to serve as a harbor."

Ben looked at Suzette, who shrugged and said, "Sorry, my kingdom is a fixer-upper. But the rent is cheap. And I hear from Ozzy that Squirmie loves the taste of the fish."

The mention of Squirmie brought her to the other's attention. She was sitting on Rolly's shoulder, very quiet. Ozzy quirked an eyebrow at him, and Rolly carefully patted her head. "She went to sleep as soon as we arrived. I think it's part of the privacy magic. I'll fill her in when we leave; there aren't any secrets between us anymore. She's fully on team Sedgewick. We're working to shake things up a bit in Tartarus and make some changes in her family, but that's a long-term goal. We all need to hit Tier Five before I drag you into those plans. Our goals are helping the rest of you, grinding levels, and eating well. Mom and I had a very encouraging talk. She's a little grumpy, but I'm winning her over."

"When you say Mom...?" Ben had hesitated even to ask. Sometimes, you didn't want to know with Rolly.

"Squirmie's Mom, the Hive Queen. She's not bad for an ancient apocryphal harbinger of doom for everything that lives. She's old and stuck in a rut, but I'm winning her over. We had a good talk while Squirmie caught up on things with her sister. Good times. But I'm jealous of Suzy getting a look at the Desolation."

She shuddered a little bit, thinking of the snake she'd seen. "I'll tell Hermes you want to visit."

"Awesome, thanks. And when Ben and Ozzy finish their ship, maybe we can fly over for a visit."

"Nope."
"Negative on that. Allergic to giant snakes.

Rolly grinned. "I'll remind you about it later."

Ozzy changed the subject. "Ben and Rolly know their goals. What about you, Suzy? And how are you steering your legend?"

She sipped her beer, wishing she could brew something this tasty. "I've thought about it. Thought about a lot of things while that bitch had me trapped. If we're here for a long time, I want to start being more proactive and build for the future. We've gotten some good breaks and taken advantage of them. We're partially in control of things and working with Billy and Layla, but they're management, and we're labor. Push comes to shove; Billy might toss us under the bus. Or Vern takes over, or some other asshole from ACME replaces Billy, and we lose anything we don't have in writing. So let's play harder and sneakier."

She looked at the three of them. "I want Sedgewick. Not as a job. Not as a position like Mayor, subject to Billy's whim. I want us to own it. The workers built it with love and sweat. I want us to own it and make it a place where anyone who wants to go past their five years can stay here. Billy can have Gadobhra, and that's where his focus is. We'll have an opportunity at some point, and I want to be ready for it."

Ben laughed. "Oh, you know I'm in. I love a good scheme, and I've never stolen a village."

Rolly gave a thumbs up. "We're in."

Ozzy was stroking his chin and thinking. "If Billy has a weakness, it's money. He stays in control as long as he stays ahead of Vern and other corporations, but in the end, it's all about money. Game money and real-world money. I've got some ideas on how we can get both. Between the Gnomish Bank and our new trust funds, we can hide wealth where ACME can't get it. And I know what my Legend will be: I'm going to make the sausage. It has the least downside and will bring in the gold. Along with a lot of bruises, my advisor gave some strangely insightful advice. What about you, Ben? Some sort of dashing hero?"

"No, I think it's Mad Science for me. The mage's guild has a monopoly on teleportation. That gives them too much power over economics. If you're going to create a sausage empire, we need to break their stranglehold. And hell, my family is known for causing trouble. I have to live up to my heritage."

"I'll be doing simple Shepherd stuff and leave all the trouble to Ben."

The courier looked at him. "That statement worries me more than you will ever know." Rolly smiled innocently.

Ozzy looked at Suzette, "You're turn, or are you going to make us guess?"

She shook her head. "Nope. Cards are on the table this time; no one is listening. I need the freedom that I get from Three Shadows. It gives me a chance to gain more control over Sedgewick and not let ACME or anyone else get their hooks into my little fae realm."

Rolly leaned forward. "Good, that's settled. What about adventuring? We need to keep moving up and clearing the stockyards, and the Beast Woods isn't going to be efficient for that. The Menagerie is getting cleaned out by the Fae regularly, and there will be adventuring guilds coming to Gadobhra. Where are we going to grind some levels? Ghoul slaying?"

Ozzy blew out a smoke ring. "I say we hit the Pit of the Butcher, and hit it hard. Right now, the few groups that went in are scared of it. But I think some of our butcher skills will help out, and in a straight-up fight, our extra stats give a big edge. The players have a ton of options, special moves, and fancy spells. But the Pit is a brutal fight where our extra health and stamina give us an edge. Plus, we may be able to get some inside information from my assistant Butcher. I'm going to toss those extra points into health and armor."

Suzette thought for a moment. "More mana and I have access to more spells now."

"Extra damage for me and Squirmie. Ozzy tanks and we'll slice and dice. Our healing is slower than Ben's, so we'll back him up on that."

Ben scowled. "Wait! How did I get stuck as a healer? Suzy has potions; you can heal wounds."

Rolly spread his hands. "Sorry, Ben. But none of us can call down a huge fire strike that's also a band-aid. We have a mage, a tank, and two DPS; that means you're the healer."

"Alright, but only in the dungeon! I have a reputation to uphold as a dashing pirate and troublemaker. I don't want to give Diego more ideas about pushing me into Paladin."

The discussion continued, but eventually, they were ready to leave. They waved to their host and Suzette went to thank him personally.

"I know you won't take a coin, but I want to thank you for letting us visit. Just the feel of the place inspires me. I want to make my little tavern better."

He nodded. "Men and women have met to drink and talk since the dawn of time, and there will always be taverns. I look forward to visiting yours someday. But some advice, if you will accept it?"

"Yes, of course."

"Do not neglect your brewing. You have the spark for it. The Bludgeon beer is an atrocity that needs to be purged from every tavern, but your brews enhanced with alchemy are interesting. Continue on the path. Nothing bad ever came from brewing good beer. This is for you, from my garden and fields."

He passed over two small sacks, one of barley and one of hops seed. "I travel and collect recipes. When you have something new, I will let my sons care for the tavern and drink a mug."

The four travelers left by the door, shutting it behind them. Ahead of them was a path that led to home.