Butcher of Gadobhra Chapter 592

They forced the "combine your accounts changes". Rejoice, I can now 'quip' and have access to an 'app' and other things I'll never use. Hopefully there are no hidden problems.================================================

Billy looked at Jarl Cragstone and the crowd of people behind him. When he'd first come to Genesis, he would have dismissed them all as fuzzy farmers who didn't have a dime to their name and spent all their money on fancy axes. He knew better now. His ability to interact with sentient magical items feeding him information. The pelts they wore held the the spirits of the great beasts they'd slain. Several snarled at him and one snakeskin belt was trying to cut a deal with him. And all of the magical axes were ready to fight. One in particular was staring off at the wagons, focused on Jon and Cham, drooling like they were a choice cut of prime rib. And the people themselves were a lot like the Sedgewick crowd, even the children felt powerful. All of this made Billy happy. Competent, powerful people made better customers. The people in the Hamlets were becoming rich, and most of that money was flowing into the merchants of Sedgewick and Gadobhra. While Ben did a good job of warming up the crowd, he came to a decision. He took a few steps toward the guy in charge, noting that the man was nearly two feet taller than him. If it came to a fight, he'd go for the legs, easier to reach. But he didn't think it would come to that. He could see a deal in his mind. He just had to sell it. "Jarl Benjamin has a good idea. How about I bring my Baroness and a four other people, and you bring your top advisors and warriors, and we sit somewhere and talk about things over a drink or two."Cragstone looked at the machine warrior and the fearsome lizardmen, "You don't wish to bring your bodyguards?"Billy shook his head, "If the shit hits the fan, it's not going to be a quick fight and they'll be there for round two. We don't have a lot of time, so let's cut to the chase with a smaller group and come to some agreement."Cragstone looked to his Jarls, who all nodded in agreement. "Wise words. Food and drink pave the way to friendship. We'll meet in the great lodge. Please follow me." Billy pointed at Ozzy, Suzette, Rolly, and Ben. "You four, come with me." All but Rolly did so. The Shepherd suddenly went still, then turned and pointed at the skies, a smile on his face. "BEHOLD! The Great Owl Spirit returns!" Sliding down on silent wings from on high was the largest owl the tribes had ever seen, reminiscent of the one ridden by Gillihowlet. But where she was old, this creature was young and in her prime. And she had seen battle recently. There were raw wounds on her torso, half her tailfeathers were broken or gone, and she was covered in mud and the blood of her enemies.The man on her back was worse. Gunnar was only on her back because of a strand of twisted rope tied to both feet and looping beneath the owl. Every inch of him was bruised and bloody. One eye was swollen shut and his left arm was twisted and broken in two places. But he raised his other arm in above his head, holding the severed head of a giant. He tossed it to the ground, cut the cords on his ankles, and slid to the ground. Gudrun was there before he could fall to the ground."He's hurt badly. His ribs are cracked and he can barely breath. I need healers. NOW!" The last word was said with power that literally dragged Ben, Suzette, and a very surprised shaman to the injured boy. Between the three of them, Gunnar's bones were healed in moments, and he could walk on his own to where his father waited for him. Both were trying not to smile. Gunnar dropped the head he'd dragged along at his fathers feet. It was over three feet in diameter."I brought you a skull to turn into a drinking cup, Father."Cragstone looked at the skull and chuckled. Redhoof said, "Convenient, you only have to fill it up once each night."Gunnar looked around at the circle of people. "We have a day and half, and they will be upon us, coming down from the larger pass. We killed half the Bumbles, but over a score remain. I saw other creatures joining them. Yeti, Forest Stalkers, the Hairy Men, and many other creatures. They move slowly, argue and fight. A horde and not an army. But behind them march the Jotun, and further back comes Bronk, with an army of Ogres, dressed in iron and armed with mighty clubs."Cragstone put his hand on his son's shoulder. "You did well. Come and drink with us, Gunnar, warrior of the tribes. You have earned you place in our circle."The owl had decided it was time to leave. She leaped into the air, then stooped down at a herd of cattle, each talon grabbing a terrified animal, before she few away. The shamans began to argue about the portent. One went off to find a ship to kill and see what wisdom he could find in its entrails. The other two, older and wiser, followed the Jarls to get something to drink to steady their nerves. All of them had tried to read the aura of the spirit and it had terrified them.Billy watched the people as they reacted to the new hero's return. It went beyond the relief of a father and friends. All of the Jarl's took Gunnar's heroic mission and survival as a good omen and a blessing of the great spirits, something they'd had little of in the last year. They weren't a beaten people, but they were in a rough spot, and they knew it. If he'd been in a conference room negotiating with a failing corporation, he'd have gone hard and put as much pressure on them as he could. But that wouldn't work here. For one thing, he never had to work with the businesses he bought out or crushed. They settled inside the half built great lodge around a small cooking fire where a haunch of meat was cooking. Billy brought out a box of cigars and handled them around. The Jarl's appreciated the gesture. Tobacco was expensive in the frozen north and what the few merchants brought them was not nearly so fine. After they all had food, beer, and a lit cigar, Billy decided to get started."Ben says you have some problems. Why don't you tell me what you think they are, and I'll listen."Redhoof grimaced, "Isn't it obvious? We have been thrown from our lands, the monsters of the north want us dead, the council has betrayed us with their incompetence and the Empire seeks vengeance and has no one else to take it out on. And my Yak is dead. The stupid things only breed in the north." Everyone echoed his thoughts, except for the part about his murderous mutant deer. Cragstone let the others talk. It was important that they all have their say. Layla listened, but recognized when Billy had a plan and was lining things up. She'd spend a couple of decades learning to read him.The Baron took a deep breath and blew out an impressive set of smoke rings. Ozzy refrained from outdoing him, sitting quietly behind Billy. Then the Baron spoke, in a firm yet friendly manner. "Definitely some serious problems, but not the things you should be worried about."The jarls began talking, loud and sometimes angry. Cragstone held up a hand and they settled down. "You listened to us. I'll hear you out. What problems do we have more pressing than surviving past the next battle?"Billy said, "You've got some nice land here. Let's say we find a way to kill the stuff coming this way, or send them home with their tails between their legs like beaten dogs. Hell, let's assume I convince the Duchess she'd do better taking her army home. The Empire has trouble with orcs and lizardmen in the south, and everyman counts. That's when your real problems begin."Cragstone held his fist in the air to stop any talk. "Continue."Billy did so. "You're on my lands. Given to me by the Emperor to protect, hold, and improve. Granted, this little corner wasn't much at the time, but it is now. Even if I walked away and gave it to you, the Empire still thinks it's theirs. Every Noble who could raise a group of mercenaries would head this way to colonize it the way you are and work against you at every turn. And the tax men would show up, demanding you bend a knee to them and pay through the nose. When you didn't, there would be pressure on the Emperor to send in the Legion just as soon as things down south settled down. And if that wasn't bad enough, whoever it is up north that wants you dead now, will still be trying to wipe you out. You'll be raided constantly from all sides and forced to constantly fight."Redhoof stood up, his faced flushed, "We are not afraid to fight for our land. We will fight until the last man to keep it." There were several that agreed with him. But not the older woman cooking near by who had carved the roast and served them food. She walked into the ring and stood in front of Redhoof. "And where the hell were you when those monsters raided my village? Fighting to the last man sounds good with a mug of mead in your belly, but we bore the brunt of that attack. The older men and young boys and girls raced to fight, and they died giving us time to pack what we could and get away. There was no glory in that battle besides what Yuri gained for us in the end. They stomped us and chewed us up. Are you going to be here, ready to make sure that never happens again, with raids coming from all directions?"Redhoof sputtered and tried to speak. She glared at him, "Fighting is easy. Living is harder." She stalked off to stir her pots.Cragstone said, his face not showing his mirth, "We have now heard from Luthren Yuri'sdotter. If you want to argue with her, go ahead, but your dinner will be a cruel and think porridge. Now, Baron and Baroness of Gadobhra. You've found new problems for us. What do you offer to fix them. A man like you does come here on a whim, that is obvious. Your reputation of you and your city reached us in the North and precedes you."Billy stubbed out his cigar. "I've done a lot of thinking on it. I've got my own problems, you see. This may be my land by a decree of the Emperor and a fancy piece of paper, but we have a saying that possession is nine tenths of the law. If I let you have the land, I'll look weak in the eyes of the Empire and they'll take back my grants. A day doesn't go by that I'm not fighting with the paper pushers in the capitol, and that would make it worse. Then there's the problem of the greedy bastards down south coming up here. Doesn't matter if you're here, or the giants wipe you out, they'll come. I need my people here, defending my lands. The best solution to all of our problems is that you swear allegiance to me, my Baroness, and my city."Cragstone said slowly, "You want my people to bow and bend a knee, and call you lord. Even Luthren would rather fight you."The Baron shook his head, "And I know that, so I'm not asking for any of that.""Then what are you asking for?""I'm asking that you acknowledge that these lands belong to me, first off. I have a reputation to uphold, and that reputation will help me fight for you against both giants and taxmen. Armies have come to my lands and died. The paper pushers came, and a lot of bad things happened. I don't need bowing and scraping or any of that shit. I need you to prosper and grow, and together we keep anyone out of these lands that we don't want whether from the north or the south."Cragstone drummed his fingers on the ground. Then turned to his right. Gudrun, what do you see?"The girl had been leaning very close to Gunnar, who wasn't pulling away. She stood and walked to the center. "I see many paths littered with skulls and brambles. I see you and the Baron at war, the last alive as the giants walk over corpses. I see our people surviving, but surrounded and hemmed in by farms and soldiers, our people slowly drifting elsewhere as there is no place to ride freely. I see the monsters of the north coming again and gain, like waves on the beach of the great sea. I see only one path leading forward where we survive to when my grandchild becomes Jarl of a fell people. And even that path is shadowy and fraught with unknowns. To take that path, we must live past the next battle and tie ourselves to strong allies."She wilted, and walked back to Gunnar, collapsing in his lap. Cragstone turned to his left and looked at Ben. "Jarl Benjamin, tell me truly of how this man treats his people."Ben took a breath, he'd suspected that question was coming. "Baron William likes to win. He likes to make money. He's a right bastard to deal with sometimes. But he works hard and isn't afraid to get his hands bloody. His people work hard. Oh, do we work. But we also have time to live, and to grow, and to make our own destinies. The best example of this I can give are our Hamlets. Five hundred refugees came to us with nothing. The Baron and Baroness built them homes and provided them with seeds and tools to start over. They are not restricted like other peasants and serfs of the empire. He taxes them lightly or not at all. When greedy merchants come to Gadobhra, they pay a fair price for the goods. When the taxmen come, they are sent away. When armies of creatures attack, they are killed and turned into sausage. Those five hundred refugees are now rich farmers, and their children are warriors, fighting in dungeons and the dark forests. They make Gadobhra strong, and the Baron's Iron Hand protects them from the men of the southern cities."Cragstone drank his mead to the last drop. Then he looked at Billy, "In plain words, what do you propose?"Billy was ready, "You agree this is my land. I agree your people can live here forever, as long as you help me hold it. You agree I have the right to tax you. I agree to not tax you for five years, and all tax money is used to improve these lands. The land is huge, and I have people that will want to farm it and raise animals. You'll welcome them and they'll support you. Together, we'll plan out the best use of the land and keep it all for ourselves. And we'll talk any problem out between us."Cragstone nodded. "Who rules here?"Layla took that question. "You do, of course. Until that strapping young hero is ready to take over. You know the people and from the look of it, how to do a lot with the land. Last thing I need is another place to think about. We have enough to do, with Gadobhra. The Hamlets have their own ruler, and this woman beside me rules the village of Sedgewick."Tamiq dropped from above where she had been sitting in the rafters. She might not be a bat anymore, but some habits were hard to break. She grabbed a surprised Suzette in a hug. "You do? Oh, that's awesome. I love the place. Never been. But your champion killed my sister and I'm so happy now. Thankyouthankyouthankyou."Cragstone shook his head and sighed. "This is Tamiq, formerly a wizard of the White Council, now...oh hell, I don't know what she is. But she's powerful enough no one cares. Tamiq, we need to decide important things here."Suzette said, "Love the hat." Tamiq broke out in a smile, "It's my best hat. Well, only hat. But I love it." She turned to Cragstone. "Nope, you already know what you have to do. Gudrun told you, and so did Luthren. And I agree. Why fight fate when we can fight giants together and play with fluffy puppies."Cragstone stood and offered his hand to Billy, and the other to Layla. Billy said, "Welcome to the Barony of Gadobhra, now let's get to another mug and I'll show you all the nifty toys I brought along."Cragstone grimaced, "I have faced your machines of war. They are fiendish, and we will need them against the Jotun."Billy smiled, "Well, now that we have our agreement in place, I'll bring you up to date on some recent developments. Ever had churn milk? Very tasty. And that's where this small story starts."