Chapter 8
The day had passed oddly after Narin left.
No one had come to his building other than wagon teams, which was very strange.
He had genuinely expected people to show up asking him about employment.
Yet no one had.
Nor had Narin, Saba, or Morgan reappeared.
Only teams of wagoners, wagons, and laborers.
In the end, Narin had agreed to a wagon of iron, a wagon of linen, a wagon of wool, and two wagons of unworked logs. All for ten wagons of fresh vegetables, beans, and some fruit.
Those five wagon-loads he’d received had all been loaded straight into the main lobby of the apartment building.
Which was also where the mounds of food had been set down. All of it in sorted piles.
Apparently the wagoners had come prepared as they’d brought sacks to load everything into.
Not that Ben could blame them. Wagons of food wandering through the street would invite hands for a handful.
Sacks less so.
Yet Ben felt almost immediately lost after the ten wagons left. Filled with their foodstuffs and leaving behind the price.
Because in the end, Ben wasn’t ready for this.
Wasn’t ready to receive goods.
Wasn’t ready to hire people on.
He just… wasn’t ready.
He’d looked outward, well before he should have, as he hadn’t even looked inward.
The rest of the day had been spent clearing apartments. Moving goods, resources, furniture, and appliances into the storage room in the basement.
It’d gone much easier than he’d originally expected it would after Stacy told him where the freight elevator was and that it actually went to the basement.
He only needed the key for that and Stacy had told him where that was.
On top of that, she’d helped him understand that the Gateway could be used to simply move specific things, like stoves, fridges, and microwaves, directly to the storage basement.
In using the Gateway for that, he’d also made sure each apartment was completely empty of anything of use before moving on. It’d even helped him find all the trash and identified problems.
After doing that for hours, he’d shifted to the goods he’d received in trade and moving those down to the basement as well.
While the storage room was large, massive even, Ben realized it wouldn’t be long before he ran out of room. Especially if he continued to move things from other apartments into it.
Throughout the day, he had paused only to eat, take breaks for water, and to see if anyone had come to see him.
In the end, he’d dropped into bed and passed out almost immediately after eating dinner. He’d barely finished two floors of apartments and there were so many more to go.
There was a brief moment, a single flickering thought, that maybe he didn’t have to clear every damn apartment by himself.
Yet another mistake that he’d have to correct for.
When the next morning arrived it found Ben not feeling that great. That he wasn’t in a good place and the morning was an enemy.
He felt genuinely sick and like the world was spinning. Moving his eyes at all in any direction almost immediately made him go still with how it made him feel.
A wave of absolute nausea and vertigo that left him feeling so ill he wished he was unconscious. To the point that he just laid there, focusing on breathing, and nothing else.
At some point, he’d fallen back asleep.
Or passed out.
When he woke back up, he feared the same sick feeling.
This time, he tested it slowly. He opened his eyes a smidgen.
Just a bit.
Nothing more than a slit large enough that he could see light between his eyelids.
The vertigo didn’t knock his mind flat and he didn’t feel like he was going to throw up. He felt rather normal.
At least so far.
Opening his eyes a bit wider, Ben took in his bedroom wall in front of him.
The TV was off, nothing seemed the matter, and he didn’t feel any sicker.
Everything was fine.
Ben let his eyes open naturally. Then tried moving his eyes around, only to find this didn’t bother him either.
Feeling a hint of courage, he turned his head slowly to the side.
A faint feeling of vertigo reached out to him, but it was minimal. As if he had just stepped out of a fast moving elevator.
It faded quickly.
Slowly, tentatively, Ben levered himself up.
Once more there was a hint of dizziness that came and went. It didn’t linger or last.
Getting up, Ben found it felt strange but not wholly wrong, either.
Grabbing the Gateway he began slowly moving toward the dinning room.
He wanted to sit down at the table and have a chat with Stacy, but didn’t want to do it in person.
He’d rather have it in text so he could review it later.
Text felt safer and more clean to him.
Before he even sat down, he saw a string of messages from Stacy.
“The transfer of the Magical Engineering inheritance was complete, though not without issues. None of the advanced formula was properly absorbed.
“Though the information isn’t lost, it just isn’t something that you can access at this time. It’s likely due to the fact that you only just were given the basic elemental knowledge and the simple formula.
“I suspect that as you grow proficient with the ability, you will be able to access to the advanced formulas.”
Ben blinked as he re-read that message.
His first thought was that it was this transfer that’d made him sick.
He’d gone to bed so quickly last night that he’d genuinely forgotten that Stacy had told him he’d absorb the information overnight.
His inheritance, gifted to him by Mr. Leery, performed by Stacy, and part of his contract with said demonic spirit.
Ben looked to the following messages, one after another.
“You feel sick as part of the inheritance failed and some of it didn’t. You’ll be fine in a few hours.”
“When you wake back up, you’ll likely find you feel almost completely normal. Anything lingering will fade by noon.”
“I believe I’ve figured out why no one came near the building yesterday. Narin put down a redirection spell so that there were very few people who could even approach.
“I apologize for not noticing it. I noticed it as it faded away and people began heading toward the building. My only excuse is that I was more concerned with making sure the inheritance went well, rather than our surrounding situation since it doesn’t impact us. We’re safe.”
“Welcome to late breakfast, I’ll prepare what you had the day previous, though if you agree to provide an additional three zombies per month, to a total of six, I can begin providing meat as well. Today would be bacon.
“This is the price I feel most comfortable with to enable meat to be a deliverable to yourself, others, and tenants.”
Ben let out a long slow sigh as he caught up.
“You’re offering bacon because that’s-I haven’t had bacon since the apocalypse started,” he hissed. “This is like asking for something mid blowjob. You did this on purpose.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m not a material being, never have been, and never will be. From what I’ve been able to see of humans, your statement isn’t incorrect however. Yes. I’m offering bacon because I believe you’ll be more likely to accept. Do you accept?”
“Yes, I fucking accept, damnit Stacy,” he growled and felt his next words die in his throat.
In front of him appeared yesterday’s breakfast, though a peach was added, and a generous portion of bacon that had steam wafting off of it.
Even at a glance, he could tell it was crispy.
Perfectly so.
With a groan, Ben snatched a piece of bacon and immediately began eating.
The taste was exquisite.
Memories of easy-mornings with his mom at the breakfast table before school flooded him. She had often been fond of making bacon almost every morning.
A message popped up on the Gateway.
“I assume it is pleasing. I’m glad. Also, we have… many… people out front. I believe they are all waiting to discuss food, or other things, with you. I apologize. It does not seem we’ll get to have a lesson on your Magical Engineering yet. We will have it after you’ve settled some of this. Then we can spend a few days learning all that we can.
“I believe you will find it a lot like electrical work, as well as physics. Given you had a modicum of understanding of electronics and electrical work, this will not be too terrible for you.”
Ben frowned as he stuffed another piece of bacon in his mouth wholly.
People out front.
Did Narin send people?
Or… the woman with her brother?
Did she give me her name? Fuck.
I’m not even sure I gave her my name, let alone asked her for hers.
With a mental shove, Ben put all that out of his mind. He was going to eat his breakfast in peace.
“Anything you need, Stacy?” he asked.
“Power,” came the immediate reply.
Suppose it’s time I offered zombie cremations for free as a ‘service’ to the city.
Maybe curing people with bites for a minimal price. Maybe help cleaning up the building a bit or the parking lot?
Because the longer the city holds, the more I can get resources out of them. The fewer the people, the fewer the trade partners.
Working through his food quickly, Ben made his way out front, Gateway in hand.
Stacy had said there was ‘many’ people out front.
Many was an understatement.
The street in front of the apartment building was full.
They weren’t quite shoulder to shoulder, but nearly so.
Everyone had managed to somehow crowd together, without touching one another. Fear of someone being a zombie was prevalent even in a situation where the city was likely jam-packed with refugees and citizens alike.
Near the front of the press of people was the woman he’d seen from the other day.
Beside her was a man that was older than her as well as two children.
The man had a large toolbox in front of his feet and had a pack across his back. The sister and children also had packs.
A grimace spread across Ben’s face at the idea that he couldn’t just use the Gateway to allow people in with it. It’d be a lot easier that way, but that wasn’t how this worked.
There needed to be a formal invitation.
“Uh, you, your brother, and the kids, may enter,” Ben said and gestured at the woman.
No sooner than he spoke, than the brother, sister, and children, rushed across the boundary line. Others attempted to push forward as if they could slip through an open door before it closed.
Only to run up against the barrier.
“The carpenter, right?” Ben asked, looking at the man, then the sister. Then he lifted the Gateway and looked to it.
Here, in the small front courtyard, he had control and dominion. On the Gateway was four people and their names were listed.
Henri and Alasa were the brother and sister. Tod and Mary were the children.
Looking at the Gateway, Ben considered what to do. Only now remembering she had indeed given him her name.
“Yes! I’m a carpenter! I’m-I’m a master in the guild and a master of my craft. I know I look young, but I am,” said the man.
Ben had tapped the name ‘Henri’ and a paper doll had sprung up.
His stats, inventory, ailments, and titles were all listed. One of those titles was indeed ‘Master Carpenter’.
Tapping into the stats, Ben saw that it also included skills. Woodworking was listed as ‘mastery’. Toolcraft was a ‘journeyman’.
“You’ll be living on the second floor, apartment one, Henri,” Ben said as he moved out of Henri’s information. Then tapped at the building, rotated the view, and focused on apartment one on the first floor. Also written as apartment two-oh-one.
It was large enough to fit a family their size.
Ben clicked it, then touched ‘assign tenant’ in the popup window that came with it. Henri, Alasa, Tod, and Mary were all quickly selected, and then Ben hit ‘confirm’ and looked to the family.
“Feel free to go make yourself at home,” Ben said as he watched an entire family blossom with smiles. “We’ll talk details later because… uh… I clearly need to… to hire an entire household, I guess.”
“Thank you, master Wizard!” Henri said, his eyes wide. “Thank you. Uhm… though… I’m sorry to trouble you, my lord, but… the kids haven’t eaten in a day and…”
With a frown, Ben looked to the Gateway.
Clicking into the apartment again, Ben read through what options were available.
‘Gift’ was an option there.
Clicking that he found an option that fit exactly what he needed amongst the listed gifts. In four quick clicks, Ben gifted them with a ‘meal’.
He’d have to figure out how to get everyone more regularly fed, but that was a worry for tonight Ben.
Right now Ben had other worries.
“I’ve put four meals into your room,” Ben said and looked back to the family. “Is there anything else immediately needed?”
“No, not at this time. Thank you, lord Wizard,” Alasa said firmly, ushering both the children and her brother away toward the building.
For a moment it looked as if Henri was going to ask a question before Alasa had jumped into it and kept him from speaking.
Looking to the crowd and away from the family Ben went cold.
There were simply too many people and he had no idea where to start. It was just too much for him to handle.
“Master Bernard,” called a voice from the crowd. “If I may entreat with you?”
Narin appeared at the front of the building. She had several young men and women with her.
Whom were all stopped at the barrier as Narin crossed it without an issue.
“I allow you six to enter,” Ben said with a wave of his hand even as Narin looked back at the six people who weren’t able to cross. She seemed surprised at the situation.
She’d clearly forgotten that while she had open access, others did not.
Before she could say something, all six people quickly crossed the barrier.
“I… brought those I would vouch for, master Bernard,” Narin stated with a firm though oddly tight voice. “Also, the king sends his thanks as everything you provided was-was without issue. There was no rot, no need to process, nor any blemishes.”
Ben frowned, watching Narin.
Her entire way of speaking to him had suddenly changed. As if she had gone from speaking to a lesser or an equal, to someone who she had to respect.
Ben lifted up the Gateway and looked to the six new names.
Slowly, Ben clicked through each one, reading their stats, skills, and abilities. As well as their clothes and health.
The individuals present were all somewhat talented, but one stood out head and shoulders above the others. With a high intelligence, high wisdom, perfect health, and a passive buff that had given Ben pause.
He’d read the name several times and clicked on it to get a feel for what it meant.
Child of the snow. A descendent of the Winter Sprites.
“Rowan?” Ben asked, looking up from the Gatway. “Rowan Eirasdottir? Which one of you is that?”
All seven people in front of him turned a white color after he spoke.
“I’m… Rowan,” whispered a young woman who looked about twenty. She was pale, with blonde hair that leaned toward being platinum, and had pale blue eyes. Attractive, dressed in some type of house-uniform, and wearing well made shoes, she looked like someone who had a modicum of importance. “Rowan Eira.”
All her attributes were clearly reflected in the fact Narin had called them forward and vouched for them in a way. It wasn’t surprising.
“Great,” Ben said and smiled at her. “I’ll hire you. What’s the term for someone who organizes a household here? Cause that’s what I need. I need someone to run a household for me on my behalf and be my person. Not the king’s person on loan, but my person.
“I’m new here, I have no-one to assist me, and I’m hiring for the ground floor. So what’s the title of that person?”
“Steward. It’s a Steward,” Rowan answered immediately, her chin lifting up. “And-and yes, I’ll be your person. Your person, your Steward. My pay is room, board, and six-six pound sterling in equivalent barter.”
“Fine. All of that is fine. You’re hired,” Ben muttered and looked at the Gateway. He clicked into Rowan.
He quickly found the ‘permissions’ setting in the list and gave her the ability to hire people temporarily for jobs, establish work, assign duties, and assigned her to apartment one on the main floor. It was the apartment directly above his own and was technically the super’s apartment.
Additionally, he gave her visitor rights to come into his own apartment. That way she could reach him if she needed him. Though he limited how far she could go. He gave her access to the entry stairs, dinning room, kitchen, and living room.
Yet no further.
He also limited everyone to the rooms they were assigned, the hallways, lobbies, but no access to other apartments. He’d need to sort through furniture at some port and get people squared away.
As if I’d allow someone complete free reign.
Like hell.
OPSEC is a thing.
Lastly, he assigned her as receiving three meals a day delivered to her room. If they needed to work out details later they could.
Once more he realized he’d have to figure out communal eating, yet again it was a problem for later tonight Ben.
“I charge you to begin making arrangements for a household for me,” Ben began. “I already hired a carpenter. If you need resources, you can ask me for them. Don’t go wandering around looking for them.
“You’ll be living in room one-oh-one. It’s directly inside the building and on the left. It’s the second door. The first door is my own home. You’ll be living directly above me.”
“You… live in the basement?” asked one of the others.
“Damn right I do,” Ben replied with a chuckle. “Elevator or not, I’d rather be able to squirm out a small window, then contemplate jumping out a glass window.”
I wonder if they know what an elevator is.
Shit.
There’s so much to teach her but I… I need to learn first.
Too much to do.
As if the words triggered a group thought while Ben pondered elevators, all seven pairs of eyes looked up to the rather large apartment building above them.
“Glass,” whispered one of the women. “It’s glass.”
“Okay, Rowan,” Ben said and tucked the Gateway under his armpit. “Lady Narin will be picking up ten wagons of foodstuffs today. I’ll have the loads ready in the lobby. Resources can be left there as well and we’ll bring them into the storage later, you and I.
“What do you need from me right now before I attend my studies?”
“I… is there… a family I should care for?” Rowan asked, looking as if she wasn’t quite up to speed yet. “A household?”
“No, just me. Me and you, now, I guess, Rowan. We’re the starting point. We’ll be hiring for a house-hold and everything we’ll need as a self-sufficient community. Blacksmith, tailor, things of that nature.
“I genuinely don’t know what we’ll need for a house hold, though. Just… start with the must-haves. We can go from there after that.
“As to limits… well, we’ve got roughly three hundred and twenty homes. Give or take one or two. Some are larger, some are smaller. Hire on who you feel is good for us and we can assign them homes together later and I’ll show you more of the-the tower.
“If I disagree with who you hired, we’ll chat it out and see if I’m on the wrong page or you are.”
He had paused on the word ‘tower’ as he realized that they would think it a wizard’s tower rather than an apartment building.
That and leaning into being a wizard was better than a nobody with a magic house.
“First order of business for today is business,” he continued. “We owe Narin ten wagons of food. I’m sure she’ll be bringing them around once you clear the street of people.
“Additionally. We’re selling food as well. If people are wanting to buy food, tell them to come back around noon. That way you can clear out people who want to work with those who want to purchase things.
“It’ll give Narin a chance to get those wagons in, too. I’m sure she’d prefer the street to be shoudler to shoulder for that.”
Standing there, Ben thought on everything he could.
He didn’t trust Rowan.
Yet he didn’t have a choice.
He wanted to be able to go learn how to be a magical engineer. That meant he needed time, space, and privacy.
Which meant he couldn’t sit here and play grocer or HR manager.
“Err… any other questions?” Ben asked. “Anything you need from me?”
“No, my lord. Not at this time,” Rowan said, still gazing at him.
“Great. I’ll be in my home. Come get me if you need me,” Ben said, nodded his head, and left. Keeping Gateway tucked under his armpit. He paused and looked back at them. “Oh, free corpse destruction at no charge. Doesn’t have to be unmoving, happy to take zombies in, too. Not a concern. Starting tomorrow morning.”
That said, he headed down into his apartment, closed the door behind himself, and went straight to the magic work room.
He was going to hole himself up here for as long as he could and figure out his new powers.
Because realistically speaking, despite the fact that he now ‘had all the knowledge’ to begin, he had no idea of it’s application.
Like learning to read all over again.
I know the alphabet, how they fit into words, but not how to read them as a sentence.
Well.
Here we go.