Our meeting didn’t last long after Baron Wilchrest’s response. I reminded Baroness Lark that Mirm Fenn was a landless noble trying to escape justice for banditry with his sweet words. For the [Bandit Lord]’s part, he silently brooded. We paused our conversation for a few minutes when Chelsea arrived with some tea and delectable honeyed rolls with jam. After the snack, I apologized for not preparing more because I hadn’t known they were coming. Then I discussed the upcoming war against Mirkdal. A topic I raised so that I could hammer how much the army needed good officers into Baron Wilchrest’s head. I bribed the man with compliments concerning how the northern villages and towns needed his sword arm. Of course, when the Baroness realized I wouldn’t be returning to her preferred topic of conversation, she’d made excuses and they left soon after. I could tell by her look that she wasn’t pleased with my solution to the problem she brought before me. I was though. If she hadn’t come to me with the nonsense, she would likely still be reveling in whatever she felt from having three suitors. More than that satisfaction, I was extremely pleased with the table my students created. It would need some ornamentation, of course, but the stone benches! They were just perfectly uncomfortable. I could tell by the way my guests had shifted in their seats that the longer they sat the more their hindquarters were growing numb. That was the impression I wanted to give guests. I could picture the future now, the uncomfortable faces anyone would have when they visited. The way they would frown or grimace the longer they stayed. I would be able to repay the irritation caused by their intrusion with irritation of my own equal measure. And should they be rude enough to inquire as to why I have uncomfortable furniture? I’ll blame the Laxtoni for their monopoly on couches! After seeing my intrusive guests out to their waiting carriage and watching just long enough to ensure they departed, I went to search out my assistants. Unfortunately, they had both gone on patrol with Eni and Mena. Lilly was studying, which I wholeheartedly approved of. Tond and Chelsea were busy reorganizing the cellar by the sound of them, and Meathead and Rolf were swimming again. Which meant I was free for the time being. This day was getting better and better! I returned to my first-floor room and began working on the table and benches. The general shape of them was fine, but they looked too plain. From my bag of holding, I withdrew the large amethyst, the purple crystal maybe a finger or two larger than my head. Amethyst, the useless gem. First, I etched another ornate geometric shape onto the table-top. I made sure it matched the fireplace, but not identically. Then, I melded the amethyst into the grooves until the etching was smooth against the stone top. Perfectly seamless to the touch. Then, I touched up the corners and legs of the table and benches, ensuring they were smooth. Sturdy enough to support almost anything. I’d trusted my assistants during the meeting, but that didn’t mean I thought their work was infallible. They must have rushed to make the furniture before the nobles came in, and I didn’t want to risk something unforeseen occurring later. I checked that all the pieces were melded with the floor, catching only one chair leg that needed touching up. The last piece I did was to add more etchings to the tops of the benches. If they were uncomfortable before, they’d be even more uncomfortable now! I only filled the etchings on my chair with gems, altering the stone to a slight curve that was a more comfortable seat. I also raised the seat an inch or two so that I would sit a smidgen higher. I didn’t want to look down on any guests like a lord might. I only wanted them to think I could. An implication. Arrogant? Maybe. But this was my tower. I should be allowed to freely condescend here. Now, as I considered how the diamond-shaped cutout of my chair looked after I’d filled it with melded amethyst, I wondered if I had overdone it. Kine and Walker returned as I considered the matter. I hadn’t realized how long I spent getting lost in the design until they arrived. They both greeted me before heading upstairs to bathe, muck and monster splatter dripping along the way. They had nothing important to report. Mena stayed outside to guard the front gate, and Eni, with his owl, was out there as well. It was his turn to feed my beast experiments today. I cast a quick cleaning spell on a monster claw, some type of insect leg, that had fallen off when they departed. It made me consider their appearance for a moment. I sent them out patrolling as a way for them to learn through activity. At their age, studying all day long would be torture. I wanted to get them to the point their skills would be able to assist me with my experiments. I also didn’t want them to leave in two years without fully earning the right to be able to say they were my assistants. But I didn’t consider what might lay deep within the bog. Here in the hinterlands, it could be almost anything. I tapped my finger against my chin as I considered now. I made a few assumptions. I assumed that, if there were something powerful out there, someone would have issued a quest to slay it already. That because Baron Llal's lands lay west, closer to untamed wilds, these lands were tamer. That if my assistants crossed paths with a powerful beast or monster, they would retreat and inform me. While all these may be true, we were still close to untamed wilds. Predators ambushed adventurers often enough to warrant more action on my part. I didn’t want to risk losing an assistant to something as stupid as an errant beast. Or my guards. Well, that’s what my guards’ job was. If they felt the call of duty so greatly as to fall in defense of the tower, I wouldn’t stop them. That didn’t mean I liked the idea. My assistants were under no such obligation. No, I needed to survey the bog for anything third-tier or above. Not that they wouldn’t be able to handle a third-tier beast. Just that if it were part of a pack or swarm, then it may give them trouble. Anything above fourth-tier nearby, I should be fully aware of. Making the decision was easy after I thought it through. First, I went to the top of my tower and communed with the wind elementals there. I kept two, which is all I needed to defend against tier-one beasts. The rest soared across the bog with orders to report back on any creature found at the third tier or above. I could have cast some scrying spells first, but why should I bother when my elementals would work better? The few hours more they would take I spent fashioning stone rings. Stone rings enchanted with the rock armor spell. Normally, enchantments required a metal band to hold. The exception being stone, which could hold earth magic enchantments. I suppose green magic enchantments would hold on a wooden band as well, but I hadn’t yet tested the theory. Even then, these stone rings could only hold enough of the enchantment to supply three uses of the spell. Which should be stable for a couple of years. As they only took a few hours to make eight of them, I could always make more later if needed. By the time I had finished with the rings, the wind elementals returned with their findings. A third-tier snake, black with yellow stripes, to the west. A third-tier lamprey in another muddy crevasse to the south, surrounded by lower-tier versions of its kind. And to the southwest, a fourth-tier giant spider. It made its home inside a rocky pillar that jutted out from another crevasse, this one also filled with lampreys. Brown, and large enough to stretch its legs from one side of my tower to the other. A sticky mound of spider eggs taller than a man lay behind it. I wasn’t worried about the snake or the lamprey. The snake was solitary, and my assistants smart enough to not jump down into a crevasse filled with squirming monsters. The spider surprised me. While I considered there might be such a beast, I didn’t put enough thought into what kind of beast it might be. Giant spiders seemed likely to be the apex hunters in the bog. A fourth-tier one was the kind of beast that could demolish a village and threaten a town. I sat on the stone bench, to consider it more in-depth. Did I want to do something about the spider? If so, what did I want to do? I could easily warn Kine and Walker away from it. Submit a notice to the Adventurer’s Guild. But who knew when adventurers with the right skills would come along to slay it? And the way this monster established its home, surrounded by a muddy chasm filled with those disgusting things... that was the kind of place adventurers often met their deaths. Treacherous, slippery grounds. No civilization for miles. I could send notice to Baron Llal. He’d practically begged for something tough to slay, and this might interest him. Though, if he died in battle against it, then it would appear as though I were the cause of his death. I pushed a simple thought to one of the air elementals, increasing the breeze. The full sun of the day was making me a little too warm. Certainly, I could slay it myself. It wouldn’t take but a day to do. I could even wipe away the lamprey pit while I was at it. Who knew if the spiders were responsible for keeping the lamprey population in check? Killing the spider might lead to the bog swarmed with the filthy things. I shuddered at the thought. But, on the other hand, that would be a whole day I couldn’t spend experimenting. I would have to pack a lunch! No. That wasn’t a good option. The spider hasn’t bothered me enough yet for that. I immediately regretted the thought. Who knows if it killed people yet? I couldn’t help but believe it had. And who knows if it has enough food in the lampreys to meet its hunger? I had no idea what its hunting range was. If the Scouts were aware of it, they would know. But if they were aware of it, would they have let it be? I wasn’t sure. The scout commander seemed more focused on political threats than environmental ones. Truthfully, I didn’t know if the Scouts already were aware of the threat. Nor did I know if the adventurers’ guild already had a posting for it. In fact, now that I thought about it, I didn’t know how much of the bog was my territory. Not that it mattered for Kine and Walker’s training, but if I were to slay the monster, I would need to know who owns those lands. Unleashing my magics on it only to find it some nobleman's pet would be an annoyance. With a new trail to follow, I went to my library and pulled the scroll that granted me my title and lands. I chuckled to myself as I realized the wax was still unbroken. I’d never even read it. For all I knew, it could be blank. I doubted it, but it wasn’t like me to overlook such an important detail. I couldn’t help but frown after it opened. She didn’t just grant me the tower. Or the bog. She had granted me a great swath of undeveloped land right in the center of her barony. The implications of that didn’t sit well with me at all. Quickly, I rolled it back up and returned it to its place on the shelf. I may have cursed. Only once or twice, if I did—I’m not some heathen. Small curse words, not the really vulgar ones. I wasn’t that upset by it. Only mildly annoyed. There were several plausible reasons she granted additional lands to me that didn’t have to do with some scheme to tie me closer to the local politics. Some far less likely than others, but it would make for a good discussion between my pupils. Especially so for Lilly. I’d recently directed her studies more towards nature and reduced her required reading in politics. Also, I smelled freshly baked bread coming from downstairs and it was almost time for dinner. I arrived downstairs to a magnificent dinner of baked chicken, rice with chicken gravy, and a side of soft, buttery rolls. Rolf was the first to finish, having the smallest portion and the greatest desire to go play. After he left, though, I caught everyone’s attention. “Good evening, I have some news to share. First, let me begin by allowing everyone to take one of these,” I spoke between bites, after dabbing my mouth with my napkin. With my other hand, I placed the stone rings on the table. “Please, there are enough for everyone. If you would take one, and pass the rings to the others. If they don’t fit a finger now, I will adjust the size after dinner. These rings are enchanted with a spell called Rock Armor, and—” “Rock Armor?” Meathead asked, only for his body to be encased in solid plates of grey stone. It, unfortunately, included the chair he was sitting in. When he found himself stuck to the seat, able to move his arms but not his legs, he started to panic. I quickly dispelled his enchantment, for fear of him breaking my chair. I continued as soon as he stopped panicking, “As you have seen, the rings activate by speaking the name of the enchantment. Now, these rings only hold three—” “Rock Armor!” Meathead shouted, now from a standing position. “—three uses of the enchantment. I made these for you, should you find your lives be in danger. Which brings me to my next piece of news—” “Aha ha ha ha!” Meathead laughed as he punched the stone wall with his rock-covered fist. Both the sound and his laughter interrupted me once again. “Sleep!” I cast with a waved hand. We all quietly watched as he fell backward like a tree and landed with a heavy thud. His eyes closed and he softly snored. Everyone else’s eyes turned back to me immediately after. “I have found a tier four monster in the southwestern part of the bog. Until it has been dealt with, all scouting and surveying should avoid the area. If you see the beast, or any beast of that power, you should flee and report back to me. Understood?” Most nodded their heads, but Chelsea held up the ring pinched between her thumb and forefinger, “Now why do I get one? I’ll not be going out there.” “Neither will Lilly. That doesn’t mean it isn’t part of my responsibilities to protect you. Now, any other questions?” I asked, while also gesturing to the sleeping Meathead. I greatly appreciated that they understood the implications of that motion and decided not to ask anything else. We finished eating our dinner in a silence that I quite enjoyed. I broke it only once I finished eating, “Lilly, Walker, Kine, please join me on the roof when you are done eating.” I waited long enough to hear three ‘yes, masters’ before departing to watch the sunset. I stopped by my study on the way up to grab the grant of land and title, as well as a simple map of the western duchy. I also poured myself a glass of pale berry wine, the kind that was right on the verge of being too sweet. From my bench, the sun’s normal yellow light changed to beautiful oranges and reds. A hint of purple along the thin clouds hanging above the mountains. The reflection of the scene in my waters was amazing. It was the type of view that no artist could ever paint, though many tried. My pupils joined me but didn’t break the silence until the sun was in its final moments of setting. It was very considerate of them. They sat on the other benches around the rooftop, and Eni, the guard on duty, took himself and his owl to a corner to inspect something in that direction. Or at least tactfully pretend to. “Master, you wished to see us?” Walker asked tentatively. I would have thought Lilly would break the silence first. When I turned to look at the three, I noticed she seemed preoccupied with a tome she was writing in. Ah. That must be the tome for cataloging the dungeon creatures and plants. Her focus on that task was warming to see. “Yes, I have a few things to discuss with you all. But first, a lesson. Attend me,” I unrolled the map of Eistoni and placed it on the ground facing them. A quick use of [Earth Manipulation] brought the stonework over the edges to hold it in place against the breeze. The map was older, at least a hundred years old. While it showed the barony of Lark, that’s where the borders ended. Again, I used [Earth Manipulation], this time etching a rough copy of the outline of the barony and the city of Lark. I didn’t mark any of the villages, as who knew if they were still the same? Instead, I marked roughly where my tower stood, the basic outline of the bog, and then the area granted to me under the Baroness’s orders. I slid the grant and title into the sleeve of my robe, seeing as I didn’t need it at the moment. “What you see here is the map of the Barony of Lark. If this is the town of Lark, this would be about where Woodhoot rests. Here is where my tower stands, and this border is the wetlands.” My students stood from their seats and walked closer, each moving to get a good look. “This area outlined here is what the Baroness gifted me,” I said pointing with my finger. “More than I wanted or needed. And she granted me this holding not upon purchase, though I would have paid a fair sum. She granted it to me as a gift, calling the lands worthless.” I paused a moment to let them take in my words, before continuing, “My question, to you my pupils, is why? I want you each to take a moment to consider this question before you answer.” I took a sip of my wine as I watched them think. Lilly bit her bottom lip and furrowed her brows, her hand absently twirling a strand of her blonde hair. Walker appeared to be doing some sort of calculation in his mind, with his tanned eyes looking upwards and his head tilting from side to side. Kine returned to his seat on the bench and crossed his legs at the ankle, his eyes gazed absently at the map. With his experience as an adventurer, I considered him the most likely to consider all the factors and arrive at a similar answer to the one I did. I would call on him last. Walker, having an education from the Arcanum, could arrive close as well. Though he was concentrating much too hard if that were the case. Lilly, I only hoped she had a thoughtful answer and learned something from the discourse. I would call on her first, unless she appeared to be still considering the question when Walker finished. When I finished my wine, I set the glass down, “Now who is prepared with an answer?” My gaze drifted from pupil to pupil. Kine gave me a firm nod. Lilly gave me an uncertain one. Walker didn’t respond at all. “Very well, Lilly, what are your thoughts?” I asked. “Well…” she began, her palms came together before her, and she did some kind of hand swinging thing as she started to speak, but I raised my empty hand to stop her. “You will speak to me properly, young lady,” I scolded her, my voice firm. “Yes, master!” She immediately dropped her hands, straightened her back, and lifted her chin. Her voice started as an imitation of my own, but she lost focus on the impression soon after she started speaking, “You see, I suspect Baroness Lark wanted to tie you to her house and the lands were a bribe. I think if she said that they were worthless, then they were. And she lost nothing with the offer. That’s… what she wants. If you didn’t want them, she wouldn’t be seen poorly for having offered them either way.” Lilly finished with a definitive nod. I could see Kine itching to respond, and that Walker was still thinking, though he was partly paying attention. I motioned for Kine next. “Master, I believe this a trap. Should you not clear the lands of monsters, she will say you failed in your charge and retract them. Should you clear them, she will find some other reason to retract the lands. She wants to use you to make the lands habitable, and then sell them to someone else.” Kine turned to look at Lilly, “She did not grant him the lands out of generosity. Nobles don’t do that.” “How do you know nobles don’t? Do you know them all? Why would she lie and trick master?” Lilly argued back. Soon the two were going back and forth, with Walker chiming in here and there. Walker seemed to express a middle ground between the two points. Though whether he did so because that was his opinion, or because he felt the need to mediate was uncertain. I let them discuss it for an hour until night fully set. When I felt the arguments repeating, I dismissed them for the evening. These past few days, I’d felt steadily more cheerful. Not joy, but mild happiness. Some playfulness. I felt guilty about it, as if I were dishonoring Ram’s memory by not grieving enough. Another part of me felt that grabbing hold and enjoying happiness was important because I wouldn’t know when I would feel this way again. Both feelings were irrational, and I understood that. Mental justifications to permit myself to feel one way or another. And that rankled. I wasn’t used to strong irrational feelings. I compressed them all to focus on my magic experiments. Putting my feelings in barrels and stacking them in the corner of my mind. Deal with it later, do this now. That mentality was what I’d grown accustomed to. That I felt strongly now was yet another reason I needed to deal with all my small concerns so that I could experiment in peace. So, I put the documents back in the library and took myself to bed. I would make a decision on the giant spider tomorrow.