Chương 24: City Council Meeting

By the time Jacob arrived at the council chambers, the meeting was already well under way. He grabbed a copy of the agenda from the sergeant-at-arms and then slipped into the spectators' area, where about a dozen other people had shown up to watch the proceedings. This was typical of routine meetings where nothing of interest was expected to be discussed. The largest turn-out he'd ever seen at one of these was two hundred people who showed up to a session last year to protest the proposed ban on pet alligators.

A craze had spread through the city at the time, and every child was begging their parents for a baby alligator. Despite a public-awareness campaign trying to get residents to understand that alligators didn't stay cute or babies for long, you couldn't pop down to the local blacksmith without crossing paths with someone taking their alligator for a walk. It also didn't help that there were many irresponsible owners who refused to put their alligator on a leash.

In the end the ban was passed and the city spent a lot of money rehoming all the illegal alligators to the swamps of Ardark, though rumors persisted that they hadn't managed to round up every single one. Jacob skimmed through the agenda and saw that the topic of Restford was up next. The sponsor was a man named Hughston, the captain of the city watch. As a senior public official, Hughston had a seat at the council table. Beside him was Guildmaster Gil of the adventurers guild. The two were known to be good friends.

The seat for Archmage Eediyu was empty because she'd answered the governor's call to attend to a crisis at Ygg Latten Bay. Normally Gil, being an adventurer, would have been expected to answer the call too, except he was retired. Having a seat didn't mean that they got a vote. The public officials were only there in an advisory capacity, and all the decisions rested with a small group of nobles. The chair of the council happened to Jacob's father, Lord Wanderbilt.

"Is there really nothing we can do about the bandits on the northern road?" Lord Wanderbilt asked Captain Hughston.

"We already have our best available forces stationed at strategic points," the captain replied. It was understood by everyone present that these forces referred to militia with limited combat experience rather than trained knights.

"Unfortunately the hills and forests in the area give the bandits too many places to hide. Even once our knights return from Ygg Latten Bay, it's going to be a long and expensive undertaking to flush them all out."

"There are also monsters in those hills," Guildmaster Gil added.

"Anyone who can survive out there is going to be tougher than your run-of-the-mill street thug."

"Any word on when the trouble at Ygg Latten Bay is going to be resolved?" another noble asked. Lord Wanderbilt shook his head.

"Still no word from the governor. I sent a messenger over there, but he returned saying that he couldn't get into the city proper. They aren't allowing anyone in or out."

"Seriously? And they refused to tell him what's going on?"

"He tried to find a vantage point that would allow him to see over the city walls, but that entire area is too flat."

"So he's got nothing?" the noble said.

"There is one thing. He said that after the sun set, there were faint noises carried on the wind. They were too soft for him to be sure, but he thinks it was wailing."

"Wailing?"

"Like a thousand voices crying out in despair," Lord Wanderbilt said. There was a moment of silence around the table.

"Maybe the bandits aren't so bad," the noble said. Everyone nodded and Lord Wanderbilt said, "We'll deal with it however we can until the governor releases our forces." At last they moved on to the topic Jacob had come here for. Once the demon girl was assured that Restford would be safe, she'd be able to travel to Ardark and rescue the other kidnapping victims.

"Tell us, captain, about this extra patrol you want to send out Restford way," Lord Wanderbilt said.

"Why does such a safe village require extra attention when we've got bandits loose up north?" Captain Hughston placed something on the conference table. At first Jacob thought it was a collection of preserved hammer-tail slugs. But when the objects were passed along to the councillors and reflected the light with a striking metallic iridescence, he realized that they had the quality of a high-grade material.

But that didn't explain why they were shaped like an incompetent blacksmith had given up halfway into trying to hammer them into fat, lumpy nails. Lord Wanderbilt held up one of the specimens.

"What am I looking at here?"

"They're troll's teeth, Your Lordship," Captain Hughston replied.

"From a rock troll." His father's eyes widened.

"A troll attacked Restford?"

"It was found in the Restwood, sir. Which as you know is our main source of alchemical herbs." This was news to Jacob too, but it would explain why the demon girl was so worried about that village.

"We don't know what killed it," the captain continued, "but it would be wise to establish a permanent patrol in the area to provide the villagers with forewarning of monster encroachment."

"Encroachment from where?" Lord Wanderbilt demanded.

"There shouldn't be any high-level spawn points in the area."

"The Restwood does brush up against the Moonfoot Mountains, sir," Captain Hughston pointed out.

"But monsters never leave that zone." The captain remained silent. Jacob had an idea who might have killed the troll, but he too kept his mouth shut.

"If monsters are coming down from the Moonfoot Mountains, a patrol won't do anything," Lord Wanderbilt said.

"The entire Restwood will become a high-danger zone. Our resources will be better focused on what we can something about. Like the bandits. And if this turns out to be a one-off incident, then the patrol will be a needless waste." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"It'll put the villagers at ease, sir."

"They live there, they know the forest better than anyone. I can't imagine that a patrol will spot any danger before they can." Jacob knew his father well enough to understand what he was thinking. It wasn't that his old man didn't care, it was that leadership was about making hard decisions. There were always more problems than one had the manpower to deal with, and it wasn't possible to provide coverage for every corner of the land. Without the knights, Lorelark itself had a bare-bones garrison.

Every officer sent away to an outlying village put the city itself at risk.

"There is something else you should know, sir," Captain Hughston said.

"I'm still drafting up my report on this matter, but there has been an archmage passing through Lorelark, who has done our city a great service, and they have impressed upon me their desire to see us make efforts to secure the safety of Restford." Lord Wanderbilt looked confused.

"Why would an archmage care about a sleepy little village?"

"I may be able to answer that, sir," Guildmaster Gil cut in.

"I believe they have formed close ties there." Lord Wanderbilt looked over at the guildmaster.

"He's made contact with you too?"

"They've made a very strong impression on me," Guildmaster Gil confirmed. Lord Wanderbilt sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"If I'm understanding this correctly, you want the city to make a permanent allocation of resources to appease an anonymous archmage who happened to be passing through?"

"I believe they're a crystal-ranker, sir," Captain Hughston replied.

"You believe? So there was no proof?"

"Well..." Captain Hughston looked at a loss for words. Lord Wanderbilt turned to Guildmaster Gil.

"You must have accessed their guild records. Can you confirm that this individual was crystal-rank?"

"I..." Guildmaster Gil also couldn't find what to say.

"It's a simple question, guildmaster. Did you look at their records?"

"Yes, sir."

"And did it show that they were crystal-rank?"

"Well, no. But with their capabilities, I think we can regard them as one."

"They're definitely crystal-rank in strength, sir." Captain Hughston found his words again.

"I fear that if we allow anything to happen to Restford, they'll be very upset with us. They may choose never to assist us again." Lord Wanderbilt sat back in his chair.

"I should like to know, what assistance have they rendered to warrant such deference from you?"

"They've solved the missing-persons case and captured the criminals behind it, sir. We have them all in custody except for the ringleader, who died during last night's events. The details will all be in my report." This caused a stir among all the council members and the spectators too. The lady next to Jacob caught his eye and made a remark, and he had to suppress a knowing smile.

"That's a very commendable service they've done for us," Lord Wanderbilt said.

"But I am sure that your officers would have cracked the case eventually. That level of service doesn't merit the special treatment of a crystal-ranker." Captain Hughston fidgeted in his seat.

"Well, sir, the thing is, the ringleader that they defeated was a third-circle mage and a demon." This caused an even bigger stir. Defeating a third-circle mage all but guaranteed that they were dealing with an archmage. Jacob was close enough to overhear when Guildmaster Gil leaned into Captain Hughston and whispered, "You mean the demon summoning was successful?" Captain Hughston gave him a confused look, but Lord Wanderbilt was already speaking again.

"Maybe some special consideration for this archmage would be justified. Before we make our decision, we should gather all the facts. So I turn to you, Guildmaster Gil. What service did this archmage render our city that has impressed you so?" Guildmaster Gil looked like he'd been put on the spot.

"Uh, well, Your Lordship, I was going to say that they completed the missing-persons quest—""So it was the same accomplishment?" Lord Wanderbilt looked disappointed.

"For a moment there I thought that two separate great deeds had been done for Lorelark, one that had impressed each of you individually. Instead I find out that you both came to bring up the same event." The captain and the guildmaster glanced at each other. It was clear from their faces that both had realized the way this discussion was turning. Lord Wanderbilt sighed.

"Listen, gentlemen. I appreciate that you both used to be adventurers and as a result possess unquestioning respect for anyone professing to be in the crystal ranks. But as someone who has been in a position of authority all my life, I have seen all the different tricks that people pull. You won't believe the legnths they'll go to, and the creativity they can exhibit, if it will get them what they want. Now, I bet this archmage approached both of you separately, am I right?" They both nodded silently.

"It's a common trick. By getting two separate people to approach me, they hope to create the illusion that they've done the city two favors instead of one. This suggests to me that they already understood that their deed wasn't great enough to warrant their request. And because they resorted to this tactic, I am also cautious about whether their being an archmage was also some kind of deception." It was just the sort of trick Jacob would expect from a demon girl.

"Your Lordship," Captain Hughston said unsteadily, "would it change your mind if this archmage was an elf with a beard?" Lord Wanderbilt narrowed his eyes.

"You're suggesting that this request came from the Amber Mage himself?"

"Well... no, but—""If it's a request from the Amber Mage, I would grant it. So tell me honestly. Did this elf have a beard?"

"N-no..." Captain Hughston looked like he wanted the earth to swallow him alive.

"Then I consider this matter settled," Lord Wanderbilt declared.

"Wait!" All eyes turned to Jacob, who approached the conference table and took Archmage Eediyu's seat.

"I have something to say." Everyone turned nervously to Lord Wanderbilt, who was glaring at him with great fury.

"You can begin with an explanation for why you didn't come home last night," Lord Wanderbilt said.

"After you promised your mother and me that you wouldn't continue visiting—" His father cut his own words off when he realized that perhaps this topic was better discussed behind closed doors.

"I wasn't messing around last night, Father. I was taken by the kidnappers." This caused murmurs all around the room. Beside him Captain Hughston whispered to Guildmaster Gil, "Did you know about this? I didn't know about this." Guildmaster Gil whispered back, "No one mentioned this to me. Anyone would have recognized Lord Wanderbilt's son, right?"

"I saw this individual's magic with my own eyes," Jacob declared.

"They're definitely the most talented mage I've ever seen."

"You'd better not be lying to get yourself out of trouble, young man," Lord Wanderbilt said, though some of his anger had turned into concern.

"So that counts as two great deeds that they've done for us, right, Father?"

"Don't tell me you want a patrol sent to Restford too?" his father said.

"I don't think a patrol will be enough," he replied.

"If this individual really cares about that little village, and someone there gets hurt, do you think they will care that we sent a patrol?"

"Then what are you suggesting?"

"We build a watchtower that can see danger coming from miles away. We man it permanently. Even at night. Especially at night."

"That's going to be even more expensive," Lord Wanderbilt said.

"All that lumber doesn't grow on trees."

"This archmage is going to Ardark," he said.

"That's where the rest of the missing persons have been taken. They're going to save everyone they can. But only once they're sure that Restford will be safe."

"How did you—" Captain Hughston turned to his father.

"He's right, Your Lordship. We only learned this morning that these bandits have operations in Ardark. I believe that Master Wanderbilt must have been in contact with the archmage."

"And they'll be taking the northern road," Jacob continued.

"Imagine how convenient it would be if they happen to run into some bandits on the way and deal with that problem for us?" This really caught the interest of the other council members, who turned to Lord Wanderbilt. One of them said, "Perhaps a show of faith is in order."

After the Restford vote, Jacob excitedly rushed home to pen a letter to his uncle in Ardark. It was a hasty job, he needed to get it to the mail carrier before they closed so that it would be loaded onto tomorrow morning's caravan, and he had a feeling that he wouldn't have a chance to leave the house again once his father got home. He understood that the demon girl didn't want to hear from him again, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to open as many doors for her as he could.

Once his uncle received the letter, he would surely lend her his full support, and that would allow her to save as many people as possible.