Libriohexer (Wolfman Warlock Book 2) - Chapter Thirty-Five

“Can you believe all this stuff?” Dizzy asked, holding up a metal breastplate with silver filagree. The Keeper of the Forge hadn’t dropped any loot to speak of, other than a hefty Beast Core, but the Armory was near to bursting with goodies.

“Nope, I literally can’t believe it,” Arrow said, sprawled out on a pile of coins. He flapped his arms and legs, making snow angels in the pile of loot. “I always wanted to be Scrooge McDuck rich. Backstroke through a pile of gold.”

“I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” Sam laughed.

“Maybe not,” the Ranger said, grabbing a handful of coins and letting them rain from his fingers. “But it’s more than I’ll probably see in five years. Working as an intern for a tech company doesn’t exactly pay a premium wage. This is a lot.”

“It’s hard to say for certain how much there is without a proper count,” Finn said, “but we of the House of Lausten are perpetually broke, and as a result we are keenlyaware of coinage and prices. The other houses joke that a Lausten can spot a copper at a thousand paces. Sadly, they aren’t wrong. I’d say we have at least three thousand in gold there and probably twice that in silver marks. It’s a tidy sum to be sure. Not enough to put us on equal footing with even the minor-ist of Noble House, but I’d wager it’s far more than almost any Human Guild has at this point—unless they are funded by the Crown itself.”

“And that’s not factoring in all this gear,” Dizzy said, sweeping a hand toward the weapon rack lining one wall. There was an armor rack neatly lining the other. The craftsmanship is out of this world,” she said, sound a little awed. “I can’t believe the Keeper of the Forge made all this stuff.”

“You sure can say that again,” Sphinx said turning over a finely polished dagger with a fat ruby set into the hilt. “This stuff would fetch a gosh-darn fortune on the black market. We won’t get premium rates from the Upright Men, but I have to imagine all of this gear would add another ten thousand gold to the total. Some of this stuff is even enchanted.” She flipped the dagger and caught it with a flourish. “This little sucker right here has plus three to dexterity, a Stealth bonus, and it secretes a neurotoxic that can be used to poison a target once per day.”

“No,” Dizzy said sharply. “We’re not selling any of it. Not a single thing.”

That earned her a confused look from Arrow.

“We don’t need to money.” She waved at the pile. “If we ration this wisely it’ll last for a month or more, and with Sam’s Chicken business in full swing, we’re going to be making money faster than we can spend it. Besides, I refuse to supply the human-aligned players with gear like this. We’re at war. Even if we sell this stuff to the Upright Men, it’s eventually going to make its way back into circulation where it will be used against us.”

“Not to mention,” Bill said, “we’re going to need supplies to equip our new recruits. The fact is, the players that are already doing well with the humans aren’t gonna want to leave a sweat gig to join up with the Wolfmen. And that means we’re gonna get the losers. The washouts. The people at the bottom of the barrel who are struggling to move up the ranks inside the Guilds. People like that aren’t going to be coming with full purses or the best gear. We’re going to have to equip them. This stuff will help, but so will the fact that me and Legs can now place some limited enchantments on items.”

“Spoken like true Wolfmen,” barked a gruff voice. Sam turned to see Velkan padding into the armory along with another Wolfman. And not just any Woldman. Their handler, Yurij Brightblood. He stood with his hands folded behind his back. That was a shock. A pose like that—open and exposed—was a sign of ease, only used between equals. “It is good to see you again, Wolf Pups. Though Pups you are no longer, I suppose.” He paused glancing around the vault. “What you did, at the College, it was impressive. A big win for the People, though, still not enough to convince me of your worth. Unlike most of the People, unfamiliar with the ways of magic, I know exactly who the Trustees are.

“To the uninitiated, killing a room full of high levelled Mages sounds impressive,” he continued, “but we all know that you targeted them precisely because they were so weak and easy to dispatch. It was a victory, but not a sign of strength. Not to me. Killing a bear cub is not the same as killing a full-grown bear matriarch, even if the experience points are the same. But this…” His nostrils flared as he took in the armory. “This is a different thing entirely. The Irondowns are a brutal testing ground. There is a reason these ruins have stood untouched for five hundred years or more. Because this place is a clockwork machine, built to murder.”

He nodded in grim appreciation.

“Yet you have subdued it.” He stalked forward and traced his claws over the surface of a steel breastplate. “Now that. That is strength. You have won the trust of the O’Babba. You have earned the trust of the clan leaders. You have even earned the trust of our most elevated Shaman. But this day, you have finally earned my trust. The truth is, I am more than I seem. I am known as the Wolfbane Tribune. Few save the O’Babba truly know who I am or what I do. It is a job without pomp. A thankless task performed from the shadows. It is my role to watch and evaluate. To root out traitors and see all secret threats, lying in wait for the People.”

“You’re like the O’Babba’s spymaster,” Bill said.

“No,” Yurij Brightblood replied sternly. “I work with her, but my authority is my own. Given to me to be a check and balance against all our kind, even her. I warned her against you. Told her that bringing you into our fold was dangerous and that should you fail there would be… consequences. Yet, I have watched you. Time and time again you have risen to every challenge. Faced every obstacle. Accomplished the seemingly impossible. And this.” He nodded at the armory. “This is the pinnacle of your achievements. You have earned my respect.”

Quest Updated III! A Den to Call our Own. You have claimed the Irondown Burrows as your Guild Den and by doing so have earned the begrudging respect of your Wolfman handler, Yurji BrightBlood. Which is good news for you, since Yurji BrightBlood is none other the Wolfbane Tribune—an independent agent who can act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner among the People. He also happens to be the one who holds your fate in his hands, so good job winning him over. Reward: His approval, which is more than enough reward, believe you me.

“And because you have earned my respect,” Yurij continued, “I have decided to grant you the right to act as emissaries for the People. You may now recruit human allies on our behalf. I trust in your judgement and believe you have the best of intentions for our people, so any human you accept will become one of our blood. You also can form treaties and alliances as any other Clan Leader would, and such compacts will be honored by all of our People. It is a great honor and one that I never thought to bestow on a human.” He turned to go, then paused. “I am glad to be proven wrong,” he said glancing over one should, “but don’t make me regret it. Now, go. Recruit. Build. We have a war to win and the conflict will be upon us much sooner than anyone thinks…”