《The God in the Grove》Book 2 Chapter 32: The Merchant Confederation
Advertisement
Book 2 Chapter 32
Torvus led them through the dark and empty alleys until they reached a street with buildings packed so tightly together they hung over the road. He walked lightly humming in stark contrast to the hostile quiet radiating from those following him. They had followed him reluctantly, needing answers that it seemed only the strange young man could provide. He turned suddenly, entering a building as if he had chosen at random, and climbed the stairs to the 3rd floor.
“And here we are!” Torvus said proudly as he reached out to hold a door open. Confusion crossed the faces of his guests as he ushered them inside with a grin. Tirr entered the room with Maria and Nerida following as their guide went about lighting candles. As the young god reached the center of the room, he heard a soft squelch come from underfoot.
He looked down, just as Torvus lit another set of candles, bathing the room in an eerie light. Tirr found himself standing on a simple rug, the kind you might find in any normal household. Yet near its center where Tirr had just set foot was a deep and dark stain, tinted in a reddish black.
“Don’t worry about that!” Torvus called happily as he noticed they had stopped. “Didn’t have enough time to clean up everything earlier…”
“You…” Tirr started, his tone stiff. “Did you kill the people who lived here?”
“Had to or else they wouldn’t let me stay right? He asked still smiling as he waved towards a nearby table, “Come on! Have a seat I’m sure you have questions, right? Reminds me of the first time we met eh?”
When he turned and saw they hadn’t moved, and noticing Tirr’s clenched fist, his eye’s widened in realization, “Ah! The people here weren’t good people or anything. This was one of the Assassin’s Guild’s safe houses here in Lutel, more of the people who attacked you earlier…”
Advertisement
“Safehouses?” Nerida cut in, alarm showing on her face, “As in more than one?”
“Yeah, there’s a few…” He turned towards the kitchen area grabbing an apple and raising it towards them questioningly.
Tirr shook his head, taking a seat at the table. “Who are the Assassin’s Guild? And how do we find them?”
“Right to the questions, but probably better to start at the basics, right? Torvus put the apple down as he leaned against a counter. Still smiling as he faced them. “What do you know about the Merchant’s Confederation?”
Tirr turned to Maria, his face blank. He had barely had time to learn about Rasor and Lutel, let alone other countries that had risen since he had slept.
“Uh, it a country to the west right?” Maria stated hesitantly. Though she had heard stories from some of the merchants that had passed through Road’s End, she hadn’t paid much attention, thinking she would spend the rest of her life in the village.
“It’s hardly a country…” Nerida added, her eyes dark as she frowned at the assassin. “It’s one city and some farmland started by some merchants and craftsmen. They don’t produce enough food to feed themselves so they’re constantly importing and don’t control any natural resources for exports of their own beyond the work of their craftsmen. It doesn’t have an army, so it still exists mostly to the good graces of the countries near it.”
“Not really wrong but not really right either…” Torvus said meeting Nerida’s glare with a smile. “It was started by merchants and craftsmen a century or so ago. They placed themselves in the middle of the continent in order to be a central point for trade and commerce. They organized themselves into guilds based on their trades and crafts and voted in leaders from the biggest of those guilds to participate in the council that rules them.”
Advertisement
“They don’t have a King or Queen?” Maria asked.
“Nope, the council runs the city and government. Since they don’t control a lot of land, they do rely on imports, but they’ve grown wealthy off of trade due to their location and the skill of the craftsmen there. That one city probably controls more wealth than both Lutel and Rasor combined, especially after the years of war they’ve gone through.”
“I don’t see how any of what you said means I was wrong?” Nerida cut in, irritated at having been shown up in front of her god.
“Ah, well the part about countries letting them live. Even if they wanted to swallow that city, they might find it much harder than they thought. There’s a reason a city without any military of its own has lasted so long.”
“What does any of this have to do with the attack and kidnapping?” Tirr asked, not seeing where this conversation was going.
“I was getting to that.” Torvus said patiently grabbing the apple again. “The main reasons that the Merchant’s Confederation has lasted as long as it has is the Assassin’s Guild and the Information Guild. They started them by buying orphans from other countries and training them from a young age, making them into the perfect tools”
Torvus bit into the apple again chewing with a happy expression that once more left his eyes empty. “It's impossible to find out anything about them normally. Only the council knows about them and they do a good job of cleaning up any leaks. They act as the Confederation’s arms and eyes keeping watch for any dangers and ending them before they can become a threat.”
“They’re still a small group, right?” Maria asked, “How would they stop an army?”
“By making sure that army was too busy to do anything… If you’re a small and weak person surrounded by people stronger then you. How do you protect yourself while keeping your independence? For the mostly friendly ones or the ones that aren’t so scary, you could just show how you’re useful, that it’s better to keep you around then to take you out… “
Torvus smiled again looking directly at Tirr as he spoke. “But for the scarier guys, well, they won’t have time to look at you if they’re too busy dealing with each other, right?”
Tirr’s eyes widened as he whispered, “Rasor and Lutel?”
Torvus answered with a grin, taking another large bite as he watched them…
Advertisement
- In Serial419 Chapters
The Last Science [SE]
[SE has the same content as the original story, split into smaller chunks for easier reading. This story is on a temporary hiatus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I work in healthcare and unfortunately no longer have the freetime to continue posting on a regular basis. As soon as our workload decreases, I will return. Thanks for reading! 💙] No one ever knows the whole story. Deep in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, the fading town of Rallsburg stumbles upon an amazing discovery—magic itself. Faced with potentially world-shattering power, the people of Rallsburg keep the secret for themselves. Led by Rachel DuValle, a perpetually underestimated college student with grand ambitions, they seek to found a new society. The world beyond suspects nothing, but magic cannot stay hidden forever. A train arrives in Rallsburg carrying Alden Bensen, a directionless high school graduate. To him, magic could represent meaning for his life, an explanation for his empty existence. This potent force offers anyone the power to change humanity forever—or send it cascading into swift and total annihilation. The Last Science is an ongoing science-fiction / low-fantasy web novel series, focused on the modern world with a twist. New societies bud and grow, but the people who make them up are imperfect and flawed. The story includes elements of mystery, action, crime, interpersonal drama, relationships, philosophy, sociology, politics, and much more, all centered on the perspective characters driving the tale. This is the "Scraps Edition" of the story, where the chapters have been split up into bite-size chunks (roughly 1500-3000 words), for your convenience. The prose has been edited from its original form, with some improvements, but there are no content differences from the original. New chapters will be posted throughout each week starting on Friday and appearing on multiple days thereafter, depending on the length of the chapter. Content Warning (by request): This series delves into some topics and situations which may be upsetting for some readers. In American rating parlance, the narrative would be rated PG-13 (except for language), but some have noted the story can get pretty dark on occasion. Please use your best judgment, and don't be afraid to take breaks and come back later. I'll still be here! [Discord] - come hang out and chat! [Patreon] - writing blog, epub copies, advance chapters and other goodies Need more to read? Check out my finished novel, Epilogue — a post-fantasy psychodrama.
8 122 - In Serial21 Chapters
Over Sea Under Star
The Sasha Erdos Institute of Dimensional Research is a wonderful place to work, if you enjoy damp, half-drowned caves, the smell of mildew, cold drafts, crocodiles, and the occasional hole in reality. There is a slight chance you will vanish from past, present, and future in one fell swoop, but that's terribly unlikely. Please sign all the waivers. The Institute hires Isaac Skinner when his doppelganger robs their museum, murders one of their employees, and escapes into thin air. They offer Isaac something he’s wanted for seven years: a chance to go sailing across the fabric of reality. In exchange, they expect him to catch his elusive doppelganger. As he descends into the caverns, Isaac blunders into a web of secrets and must choose between his job as a wizard, his search for the truth, and the alien ocean on the other side of the universe. Alongside an arrogant weaver and a soft-spoken pirate, he strives to escape SEIDR's labyrinth.
8 127 - In Serial6 Chapters
Lore and Legend - The Werewolf
Set in the world of Chronicles of Elyria, a young woman struggles to support her family after her husband's wartime injury keeps him at home. Without enough food for the coming winter, she's forced to make risky decisions in the hopes of survival.Author's note: I initially started writing this for another community but it was suggested that I should post it for this site too, so I hope you enjoy! The world it's set in is from the video game Chronicles of Elyria, which is being developed right now. You can check it out at www.ChroniclesOfElyria.com. If you do head that way, I'd appreciate it if you entered my friend code of 51E750 into your account to show the referral. If not, that's fine as well.
8 119 - In Serial72 Chapters
MAD Wendigo
Eternal youth, the eradication of disease. Researchers believed humanity could ascend to another level of existence with the help of a unique condition. Megalemic Autoimmune Diplioma. But, not long after the MAD-Pathogen was discovered, a mysterious new virus appeared in the general public and began taking lives. With those first deaths, the virus evolved and mutated the recently deceased. It made wendigos. MAD Wendigo chronicles the struggles of those trying to survive amidst the reanimated, man-eating creatures in a harsh changed world.
8 184 - In Serial19 Chapters
I don't own characters and one monster too."IN 1998 LONG TIME AGO AT NEW YORK THE REAL ORIGINAL GODZILLA WAS DESTROYED BY THE U.S ARMY JET. THE CREATURE WANTING HIS REVENGE FOR HIS CHILDREN AND HE FAILED HIS BEST...BUT THERE WERE 4 SURVIVORS/ (Y/N) (L/N) CONSTANCE A BOY SCIENTIEST THAT HE STILL THINKING ABOUT THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH OF EGG FROM GODZILLA. THE ZILLA. JR TILL (Y/N) AND MAJOR'S MEN WERE SEARCHING IN THE ATTIC OF CAVE FROM GODZILLA HIDING SOME EGGS IN THERE...WHEN (Y/N) WAS LOST HIS WAY TO FINDING THE WAY OUT OF HERE BUT HE FOUNDING THE EGG OF GODZILLA. UNTIL THE EGG HATCHED WAS OPEN AND REVEALED BABY GODZILLA. JR.THE BABY WAS SEARCHING FOR HIS PARENT. THEN HE FOUND HIS ADOPTED FATHER WHAT HE WAS LICKING AT (Y/N) UNTIL THAT SOMETHING ELSE WAS ZILLA. JR DIFFERENT THAN ORIGINAL GODZILLA. RIGHT NOW (Y/N) HAVE ALONE BY HIMSELF TO DOING HIS WORK WITH GODZILLA, ZILLA. JR BECOME GROWN UP TO ADULT REAL GODZILLA.YEP THE KING OF MONSTERS.(Y/N) WAS WORKING ALONE WITH GODZILLA TO DEFENDING AND PROTECTING HUMANITIES AWAY FROM THOSE CREATURES MUTATION OF GODZILLA. ALSO MONSTER WARS HAVING ALIENS TECHNOLOGY...BUT (Y/N) DONE HIS WORK THAT HE NEED HIS VACATION TO GOING THAT ISLA NUBLAR...ORIGINAL JURASSIC PARK. SOMETIMES (Y/N) WAS STILL A YOUNG MAN THEN ZILLA. JR FOLLOW HIS FATHER TO GOING."
8 226 - In Serial29 Chapters
2 Weeks | Shim Jake | Enhypen
"i dare you guys to date each other for 2 weeks" "you have to do three things" "1. Go on a date""2. Have a sleepover" "3. Fall for eachother"
8 171
Prev Chap
Next Chap
Chap List
Boy
Girl
