B2 Ch 87 - The Prisoner in the Dark
Jester sat behind the desk in his study, a stack of documents and rolled maps spread out in front of him. Igrio stood on the other side of the desk.
"The breach itself has been fully sealed as of last night, Your Highness," Igrio said. "Permanent reconstruction is another matter entirely. Stone of that quality takes time to quarry and shape properly, and rushing the work risks a wall that looks whole but isn't."
Jester leaned back in his chair. "How much time are we talking about?"
"Three weeks for the outer face. Possibly five before the reinforced core meets the standard the city had before the attack."
"That's faster than I expected."
"We have an unusual advantage. A lot of players have taken an interest in the reconstruction effort. I've issued formal quests for it, material gathering, labor shifts, escort duty for the supply caravans. The response has been considerably more enthusiastic than I anticipated."
Jester smiled and let out a quiet breath. “Then that's good. It means the quest actually has some value now. Especially after what happened last time. It might turn out to be a blessing in disguise for us. Hopefully.”
There was another blessing in all of this too. At least he didn't have to wear someone else's face while sitting here. Not in front of Igrio, and not in front of the maids.
“Casualties,” Jester said. “Give me the real number this time.”
“Forty-one knights confirmed dead. Sixty-three more are currently recovering under the healers' care, twelve of them in serious condition. Civilian losses stand at seventy, though we are still accounting for a handful of missing persons in the eastern district.”
Jester fell silent for a moment.
“Make sure every family is compensated.”
“It has already been arranged, Your Highness.”
He drew another slow breath. Hearing the numbers made the scale of yesterday's attack feel heavier than before. For a city that had already been struggling to stay on its feet, losses like these were not something it could simply absorb. If they failed to recover quickly, the damage would follow Necroton for a long time.
“What about the Vesperion Guild? They're still here, aren't they?"
"They are. All six members who fought in the battle remain within the city. I understand they intend to stay until repairs are further along, given the role they played in the defense."
"I still haven't actually met them." Jester said.
"They have kept largely to themselves since the battle ended. From what my people report, several of them went out this morning to hunt in the surrounding area. Something about restocking supplies and clearing their heads after everything that happened."
"Hunt where, exactly?"
"The eastern woodland."
"That's Bullkin territory."
Igrio's brow lifted slightly. "You believe there's a risk of encounter?"
Jester rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If six high-level players go wandering through there hunting for materials, and the Bullkin think they're being hunted themselves, that's not going to end quietly."
"Shall I send a rider to warn Siki?"
“No. Send Koruk and Drina to warn the Bullkin, and...” He paused to think. “Have Pearl stay there too. If Vesperion does approach them, they'll be less likely to try anything once they realize Pearl is there.”
Igrio bowed. “I'll make sure everything is in order after this.”
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Jester nodded. “What about our finances?”
Igrio continued. “I won't pretend the numbers are pleasant, Your Highness. The battle drained the treasury significantly. Emergency healing supplies, repair materials, compensation payments, and the bounties issued for reconstruction quests have all come out of the same reserve at once.”
“How bad?”
“We are not in danger of insolvency. But our reserves have fallen below the level I would consider comfortable, and resource management across the city is, to put it plainly, in disarray. Warehouses were damaged, and several supply chains were interrupted in the middle of shipments.”
“Start with whatever is bleeding the most money right now.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Jester exhaled and pushed the ledger aside. There was a lot more to go through, more reports, more numbers, more decisions that needed his signature before the day was over. But none of that was the reason he'd asked Igrio to clear his schedule that morning.
He decided to check a few system notifications he hadn't had the chance to go through yesterday. Apparently, he'd earned an achievement as well.
[You stopped being carried and started being the one who carries. A prince is not born. He is decided in the teeth of a crisis.]
[Achievement Unlocked: The Prince's Gambit]
[Achievement Reward Granted.]
[Strength +5]
[Agility +2]
[Magic +1]
[Constitution +2]
[Stamina +3]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Delayed Catalyst]
[Active Skill: Delayed Catalyst]
[When using an ability, there is a chance to delay its activation for up to 5 seconds without canceling it. When released, the delayed ability deals 25% increased damage and applies the 'Opening' debuff to the target for 8 seconds, increasing their vulnerability to follow-up attacks from allies.]
Oh, interesting...
Delayed Catalyst.
Unfortunately, the activation wasn't guaranteed. It triggered randomly. That 25% damage increase was huge, sure, but if it activated at the wrong moment and delayed one of his skills for five whole seconds...
Yeah. That could be bad. In a critical fight, five seconds was more than enough time to get killed. Then again, it was called Delayed Catalyst for a reason.
There was a second achievement as well, though this one seemed tied to his authority over the city.
[They stand before you in ranks, waiting for your word. The seat was always yours to claim, and now the city knows it without pretense. You have twisted the threads of fate itself. No coronation needed when respect is written in their stance.]
[Achievement Unlocked: The Chair Awaits. No Bow Needed]
[Achievement Reward Granted.]
[Strength +2]
[Agility +1]
[Magic +4]
[Constitution +2]
[Stamina +3]
[Mana +75]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Unspoken Authority]
[Passive Skill: Unspoken Authority]
[NPCs and faction members gain +15% loyalty and obedience toward you. When giving direct orders in your territory, affected entities gain +20% effectiveness to their actions for 30 seconds. The clown wears no crown, yet all bend the knee.]
Jester paused for a moment as he read through it.
Was this related to the maids? Maybe it had something to do with the fact that they remained loyal to him even after learning he wasn't the real Caelan.
Interesting. The reward was pretty good too, and a passive skill was always welcome. And yes, there was one more achievement waiting for him. Three achievements at once, huh?
[You clawed your way onto a creature the size of a city block while it thrashed to dislodge you. That took more than luck. That took the kind of desperation only a clown understands.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Behemoth's Flank Breach]
[Achievement Reward Granted.]
[Strength +2]
[Agility +4]
[Constitution +2]
[New Passive Skill Acquired: Rider's Instinct]
[Passive Skill: Rider's Instinct]
[When mounted on a creature, you gain +15% dodge chance against incoming area attacks. Your mount becomes subtly more responsive to sudden directional shifts.]
This one granted another passive skill, though unlike the previous two, it was specifically related to mounted combat. Apparently, all that time he'd spent riding Fang through dangerous situations had finally counted for something.
Another passive skill was definitely welcome. Especially one he could make use of whenever he rode Fang.
With the achievements out of the way, Jester still wanted to check the loot dropped by the raid boss, but going through all of it properly would take more time than he wanted to spend right now. Besides, there was something else he was far more curious to check first.
He dismissed the system window and turned his attention back to Igrio.
"Take me down to the prisoner," he said.
They left the room together and made their way down the stairs. Igrio led him toward the rear of the building, where an unmarked door stood tucked away at the end of a narrow passage. Beyond it waited another staircase, this one descending deep underground.
This was Jester's first time coming down here.
By the time they reached the third basement level, the corridor had narrowed into bare rock, lit only by the occasional dim crystal fixed into the wall. Most remained dark, their light saved for when it was actually needed.
Jester walked in silence. As they approached the final stretch of the corridor, he activated Harvest Mask, letting Caelan's face settle over his own once again.
They stopped in front of a set of iron bars built directly into the rock. Igrio reached up and touched the crystal mounted above the cell, and cold blue light flooded the small space beyond.
A woman sat slumped against the wall, both wrists bound in front of her, her ankles secured together with another length of chain. Her hair was cut into a short bob, red as fresh blood even beneath the cold light, and her head lifted the moment the crystal came alive.