Butcher of Gadobhra Chapter 457 (Patreon)

Gadobhra was empty of adventurers, all of them drawn off by the bright lights and interesting bargains of the Fairy Market. That was just fine with Billy and Layla, they had Building Points to spend. The Contract Workers had been told to take the entire day off and enjoy the fair. Notices were sent to the Bank and Collegium to beware of moving buildings and changing reality. The Bankers were happy to see the polite warning but knew nothing could penetrate the defenses of their bank. The Professors and Engineers took food, drink, and telescopes to the highest tower to observe the experiment.

The Noble's first stop was the tall towers of the Endless Dance. A pale messenger with piercing blue eyes had arrived late one night to deliver an invitation to the opening of the Dance and they had happily indicated their desire to attend. Billy had tried several times to enter the large castle and claim the dungeon rumored to exist below it, without any success. They had seen lights moving in the castle and heard the haunting music, but so far had found no way to communicate with those inside. This left them curious and anxious about the possibilities. Without knowing the appropriate dress, they went with their traditional black and red attire.

At the stroke of midnight as the lightning crashed down onto the ACME building, the imposing wooden doors of the Endless Dance opened and they were greeted by the remaining members of the Dance, arranged in a long receiving line. They had guessed correctly about their attire. Black and white with an occasional splash of red were in season, (and had been for the last millennia.) The Dancers were all tall, thin, and pale, with an unworldly grace. Billy didn't mind being the shortest person in the room. He'd learned that his height caused many people to underestimate him.

The evening passed slowly, with conversation taking place in a baroque parlor with endless rounds of wine and hor d'oeurves. People inquired about the Baron's health and his success on the battlefield. The ladies asked the Baroness about her needlepoint and preferred style of dance. Trying to talk about anything else went nowhere, so Billy and Layla waited, enjoying the fine food and wine. After two hours, a small bell rang and the ladies got up to leave as two servants began passing out cigars to the men. Layla stood up and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"New day, new rules. The ladies can stay if they like. Hand me a cigar and I'll take a refill of that wine."

The members of the Dance paused, looking at each other. It was traditional for the ladies to retire to another room and gossip about their love interests in private, while the men smoked in the parlor and did much the same. The two groups paused, looking at each other, and then each Lady took and lit a cigar, the wine was passed around again, and the conversation flowed into new channels.

Estevan took the seat across from the Baroness. "An intriguing change, and hopefully one that breaks the old gossip patterns. Does it signify more than a passing whim?"

"It signifies that during our youth I worked hard to earn my place based on my own merits and beat William's KPIs on as many months as he beat me. I'm not giving up my place because of vintage rules made by dead people. We work hard, and we work together. That means I get a cigar when I want one."

There were nods around the room. Estevan smiled, showing his slightly pointed teeth that matched those of the Baron and Baroness. "Indeed. New times, New dances, and New Rules." He spoke loudly and looked around the room. While a few of the men or women had been shocked by the Baroness's suggestion, now they each met his eyes and nodded, showing their support.

The Dancing Master continued, leaning forward and looking excited. "This is terribly forward, and I understand if you feel I overstep, but after the example set by the lovely Baroness, I wonder if we could speak candidly of your plans for the city and how the Dance figures into them. We have been secluded for many years, and yearn to invite new people into our social circles and balls."

Billy smiled, showing all his teeth, "I'd love to talk plainly. We plan to rebuild the city and turn it into a center of commerce, tourism, and a center of the arts and entertainment. As to how you fit in, you'll have to tell me what you want. I find that strong relationships are based on each of us wanting things, and working to make each other happy."

"I see. That is far more forward-looking than the last Baron and very intriguing. Conquering half the Empire brought much prestige to the city, but few people were willing to travel here since most of the nobility and wealthy merchants from the conquered cities had their heads on pikes at the city gates. By the time the Druids besieged the city and slowed time to a crawl we'd already become mired in the same old steps danced to the same old music. We need new people! New dances!"

Someone mumbled quietly, "And a ballroom with a roof."

Estevan winced as he saw that the sharp ears of his guests had caught that mumbled jest. He decided to press forward rather than ignore it. "Yes, we do have need of repairs to our main ballroom. The centuries were not kind to it. We have been holding small dances in the lesser ballroom, and hope to begin work on a new solarium soon."

The Baroness had a question, "That is the tall tower made of glass and lit with a dozen hanging crystal chandeliers? Even in its ruined state, it looks lovely. It would be a lovely addition to the city. How long to repair it, do you think?"

Estevan put forth his most ambitious guess, "I'd say no more than three to five years, assuming the hire of proper craftsmen."

Billy said, "Tell me about the dungeon."

"The dungeon? Oh, such an embarrassment. Layer after layer of history has gone there and doesn't want to fade away. The Mad Composer was recently chastised by a wandering Knight, but there are entire floors of creatures that don't want to leave, hungry musicians busking in the passageways, and full orchestras engaging in battle. It's truly a mess and needs a good cleaning out. But like good craftsmen, hearty adventurers are hard to come by. A few have shown up and done what they could. Most fail, even after we posted the warnings about taking proper ear protection."

The Baron took another cigar from the box and took his time lighting it. "So, you need a new solarium and roof for the ballroom. I need another dungeon to manage and a place to entertain visitors. I see a lot of room to make each other happy. Let the Baroness and I worry about getting the adventurers. We have ways of bringing them to your door. You may have to show them the advantages of the Dancing and Music Appreciation skills so they survive down there. Maybe start some beginning classes? I'm sure some of my people will be interested. It just so happens that the Baroness and I were touring the city today, and looking for ways to spend a few thousand Building Points. We could have your place fixed up in a day and ready for visitors. You'll want to stay out of the solarium and ballroom, things will get busy soon."

Estevan didn't even bother to consult anyone else about such a generous offer. No Baron had ever been so generous or appreciative of the Dance. Most of them seemed to only care about conquests and riches! After much shaking of hands and more wine, they made a short trip down to the Dungeon where the Baroness took on the responsibility of claiming it, everyone then everyone retired to the lesser ballroom to trip the light fantastic and celebrate their new acquaintances. The Baron and Baroness limped away in the wee hours of dawn, tired, and thankful they had worn comfortable shoes.

"Where to next, Layla dear?"

"What's on our schedule for tonight?"

"Sausage factory, larger Butcher's Guild Hall, a weapons factory, and several shops on the main courtyard. I want to sell items for dollars by tomorrow.

"Might as well start with the Butcher's Guild. The sausage factory next to it and the stockyards. Putting the new weapons factory beyond that would be good. We can test the new ballistae designs on the monsters they release from the pens and lure in from the Beast Woods."

"I like it. Testing under real battle conditions is better than shooting at targets. I wonder if there's some type of Hunter's skill for using a ballistae?" Layla paused, thinking. "If there is, we should make a man-portable version. Something small that one worker can carry while the other packs the ammunition and acts as a loader when they stop to shoot."

"I like it. We'll get it developed, and maybe sell a bunch to other corporations. Maybe train their workers? Have to be careful with that. I don't want to wake up to an army using them against us. Maybe we should think about some sort of self-destruct magic hidden in each weapon."

"Well, we sponsored that Collegium mainly as a research and development department. Let's turn them loose on the idea."

Their musings on weapons design were interrupted by the arrival of several squads of the grey-skinned Builders.

"Requests noted. Payment taken. Plans? Schematics? Much to accomplish."

Billy handed him a roll of drawings. "Here you go. And, of course, we trust your judgment on things."

The Foreman looked over the plans. "Fix ballroom roof and repair room. Trivial. Repair Solarium and increase size. Interesting project, lots of glass. Common job. Sausage Factory? Interesting. New building type for Gadobhra. Will consult other cities and adapt architectural style. Intriguing. Increase Butcher's Guild. No problem. Historical plans. Merchant shops with storage and living quarters, standard construction for Gadobhra. Jobs done in a day and a night."

The Foreman looked down to where a small brownie was standing next to him with a stone mug of strong coffee and a stack of sugar cookies."

The little grey men broke out in smiles, remembering the earlier job in Sedgewick. "To Work!"