Chapter 12

The Baron was sitting in a lavish carriage right out of a fairytale. The seats were padded, the windows were glass, the only blurriness that could be seen through then was because of the beautifully ornate etching done in the glass itself. Through the glass he could see a beautiful forest. It was late autumn, the leaves had fully changed into beautiful auburn and yellow hues all around him. The sunlight was trickling through the leaves, he could see a deer running in the forest, a squirrel climbing a tree. It was the most peaceful scene he had ever seen in his life. To his left he could feel something. A peaceful presence, leaning against his arm. He tried to look and see what it was, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the scenery. Suddenly, something splashed against the glass. It was a deep red, far darker than any of the leaves he had seen as of late. Strange, He thought, What’s that doing there? Suddenly he saw another burst of red impact the glass. Then another. Soon, there was a veritable tidal wave of red coming toward his carriage, quickly followed by a literal tidal wave. It impacted the glass, sending razor sharp shards and wood splinters flying into his face. He fell backwards as the wave of red and debris hit him, knocking him out of the cart. To his left he could hear a woman screaming, and he soon realized he was screaming as well. Some red washed over his eyes and he tried to wipe it with his sleeve, but his arm felt restrained. He opened his eyes and saw only dirt and leaves. Lifting his head, he was greeted by a pack of unwashed bandits, holding down a screaming woman. He tried to make out her face, but he couldn’t quite put the details together. He knew nothing about her, only that he loved her with all his heart. Suddenly, the Bandit hefted his axe over his head, and began to swing in a great arc. The Baron tried to yell, tried to warn her to move, tried to say anything, but nothing would come out. It was as if he had been muzzled. All he wanted to do was scream her name, he needed to say her name or this would never end! It was on the tip of his tongue, he knew he was close, but he just couldn’t quite conjure her name. Just as the axe was about to impact, he was shaken awake, his visage filled with a mass of messy auburn hair. He opened his eyes wider and was greeted with the worried face of Fergus, his mouth was moving but he couldn’t quite make out what he was saying.

“Baron! Baron wake up! Aye think yer havin’ a nightmare! Wake up Baron!” Suddenly, his dream was gone, replaced by a worried scotsman and the inside of a tent. That’s not quite right, Scotland doesn’t exist in this world. The Baron sat up in his bed and looked at Fergus. His cheeks felt wet and his eyes felt sore.

“Baron! Are ya ok? Aye came in when aye hard ya yelling in yer sleep!” The Baron rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, they felt wet.

“Baron…’ave ya been cryin’? Are ya alright?”

The Baron looked at his hands for a moment. A drop of water hit his palm. Suddenly the reality of his situation came back to him, he remembered who he was and where he was.

“Uh, no, I simply...have something...in my eye.” He wiped his eyes, remembering that one of them was missing as his fingers brushed against the empty socket, and gave Fergus a bright smile.

“Nothing to worry about, my friend!”

Fergus sat down next to him and patted his shoulder.

“Aye ken ya Empiremen ‘ave a thing about cryin’, ya think it make ya less o’ a’ man or somethin’, but bein’ man involves bein’ weak, ya ken?”

The Baron sniffled and looked down at Fergus. His eyes were filled with worry.

“Cryin’ donnae make ya weak er whatever ya Empire freaks believe, it makes ya strong. Ya cannae get stronger if yanae ken yer weakness. Cryin’ is a part’o life, it shows ya where yer weak, an’ allows ya tae get strong!”

The Baron wiped his tears with his sleeve.

“Thank you Fergus, I am truly glad to have you as a comrade.”

“Donnae mention it Baron. If ya ever need tae talk, talk tae me or Ludwin, we’ll help ya with yer worries!”

The Baron tilted his head to the side.

“Why Ludwin?”

Fergus got up and made to leave the tent.

“Oh ya! We’ve got tae pack up our stuff an ‘ead ta Holenstadt! Tha men need yer direction Baron!” He ran out the tent before the Baron could stop him. Whatever, another issue for another time.

After getting dressed the Baron went out to the camp. It was mostly packed up and put into carts, but there was still work to be done. His men didn’t know exactly where they were going, they just knew that they needed to pack up and get ready to march. The Baron found Udo and walked over to him.

“Rally the men around that platform overthere.” He pointed to the stage the Empress built to give a speech before the siege.

“I will inform them of what we are doing.” Udo saluted lazily and started shouting.

“GUUUUUYS! THE BARON HAS OOOORRDEEEERRRRRSSSS!”

After informing everyone of their next mission, they packed up the camp quickly and made their way to Holenstadt. It took them about a week to reach the capital city of Holenstadt, Holensburg. When they arrived it was the 23rd of september, 1659. Apparently the capital city had risen up in revolt and was put down harshly. The men the Empress hired to stop the revolt in Holensburg had sacked the city, Killing a good number of people and destroying much of the infrastructure required to keep the city running. When they arrived outside of the gates, the Baron stopped and addressed his men, informing them of more of the specifics of their mission.

“First order of business! We need to build lodging for us. The people of Holensburg have lost much of their infrastructure, and many have lost their homes, meaning there is not enough housing to house the populous itself, let alone house an additional 300 men, so we will start building temporary housing for us to stay in before we start on fixing up Holensburg! You will be doing that while I discuss what needs to be done with the governor. Avoid conflict with the native Holensburgers at all costs! Understood?”

The men raised their voices in agreement.

“Then get to it!”

The Baron walked into the foyer of a large mansion. Even this place didn’t get out of the battle unscathed. There was broken furniture everywhere, wood splinters littered the floor, bloodstains covered the carpet and the walls. There were many spots of blackened soot where people haphazardly shot off fireballs, and not a single window was still intact. He was greeted by a soldier wearing the standard issue armor of the Grand Imperial Army, a purple gambeson, jackchains, and a kettle helm. He saluted the Baron and pointed to the stairs.

“The newly appointed governor is up the stairs to the right. You can tell which room he is in by the guards posted outside the door. They are imperial knights, very distinctive.”

“Thank you, stay safe my friend.”

The Baron walked up the stairs and entered the room guarded by the Imperial Knights. The guard downstairs was right, they are very distinctive. Their plate armor was covered in incredibly detailed etching and their helmets had purple plooms coming out of them.

The governor was sitting at his desk, furiously filling out documents. As far as the Baron could tell while he was sitting down, the man was of average build. He had a long bushy beard and the sides of his head were shaven. He was wearing a red kontusz common to medieval polish nobility. He looked up from his work and acknowledged the Baron.

“Are you the Baron? I hear the Empress will be giving you power over our province soon.”

His voice was deep and rich.

“Yes, I am Johan Bleichroder Bickenstadt, the Baron von Bickenstadt. I am here to discuss with you what needs to be done to restore order to Holensburg.”

The man rose from his desk and grabbed a file from a cabinet nearby.

“This is a brief summary of what needs to be done immediately. It has all of the information on what infrastructure needs to be either repaired or completely rebuilt, as well as a general number of how many people need homes and how much food we need to feed all of them. Additionally, we need to deal with the major factions within Holensburg, there are a couple of pages in there about the powerful families and groups in Holensburg. Just for future reference, I am part of the Aleksandrowicz family, Wojtek Aleksandrowicz, the Empress assigned me to be governor because she thinks I am a moderate, but I want you to know, if you are just another Imperial goon you will not last long, they never do.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, it is a statement of fact. We Bzerci are a stubborn people. I am willing to cooperate with the Empress to an extent, far more than many of my countrymen would like, but I will preserve our culture at all costs. I hope you are far more lenient than the Empress, or else your reign will be far more eventful than you might wish.”

The Baron walked over and took the folder purposefully.

“I think you will find that I am fairly different from the Empress. Have no doubt, I do plan on whipping this province into shape, but I am no Empire stooge. I wish to preserve your ways, your language, your culture, your everything. I just need you to trust and work with me.”

Wojtek smiled slightly and returned to his paperwork.

“You have much to prove, Baron von Bickenstadt, both to me and my people. Let us hope you live up to your words, for both your sake and the sake of my people.”

The Baron performed an exaggerated bow and left, finding the war tent that they had put up. They were using it as a base of operations because it was the safest place to keep all of their information at the moment. He entered the tent and addressed his lieutenants who were waiting for him to get back.

“Alright everyone, we have a very busy time ahead of us. We need to work on fixing the infrastructure around Holensburg, the roads, the buildings, the wells, all of the important things for a city of this size. Next, we need a steady source of food both for us and the current inhabitants. Lastly, we need to talk to and appease the ruling families and guilds that run Holensburg. Now, who will be undertaking the construction effort? I will allow you to choose your own assignments, for the most part.”

Helmut raised his hand.

“I would like to work on infrastructure.”

Fergus nodded his head and crossed his arms.

“Aye, aye’ll also do tha’. Aye bet aye’ll be more helpful with buildin’, carryin’ ‘eavy things is a speciality a’ mine.”

Ludwin shot up as soon as Fergus stopped speaking.

“Then I’ll work infrastructure too!”

The Baron took out some papers from his folder and handed them to Helmut.

“Sounds good, Helmut will be the head of construction, you two will defer to him. Additionally Helmut, I would like for you to consult with the governor, Wojtek Aleksandrowicz, and run any plans for new buildings and infrastructure past him. Think of it as a sign of good will to the denizens of Holenstadt. For the most part I want you to be respectful of their opinions.”

“Understood.” Helmut nodded his head and left the tent, followed by Fergus and Ludwin.

“I suppose I can handle supply lines, it is what I did last time after all.” Said Hans as he walked over to the Baron.

“I assume you can handle this by yourself? Because I will be needing Udo to work with me.”

Hans nodded and took the papers from the Baron. Udo took his feet off the table and stood up.

“So Baron, why are you requesting me specifically?”

“Well, besides Fergus, you are the best at hand to hand combat. And I would prefer to not kill anyone who attacks us, it would most likely just anger the inhabitants.”

“Ah, I see. And my charming good looks ought to soften them up and make them easier to deal with, right?”

“I mean, I didn’t originally plan that, but it could work. You are quite handsome.” Udo covered his mouth in mock embarrassment.

“Awww, you think I’m handsome!”

“Of course I think you’re handsome, now listen up! I am going to give you a rough breakdown of the power structures we will be dealing with. Do your best to memorize these names and relationships, and keep in mind that your rank will be lower than many of the people we are dealing with, try to be more formal and less confrontational than usual.”

Udo put his feet back on the table.

“No problem! You can trust me Baron!”

The Baron shook his head and started reading off the papers

“There are four ruling families within Holensburg, as well as three powerful guilds that run everything. The families in order of most to least powerful are the Aleksandrowicz family,

the Badeni family, the Komorowski family, and the Gatold family. The Badeni and Komorowski family are roughly equal in power, the Gatold family is the youngest and poorest family, they don’t have very much influence around town yet, but they still have influence.”

“Baron, I hope this won’t be a problem, but I don’t think I can pronounce those.” The Baron rolled his eyes and rolled a pencil over to Udo.

“Write them down and practice if you need to, if you at least make a good faith effort they should respect you for it, the previous Empiresmen they have dealt with refused to treat them as equals and respect their culture, I want them to see we are different.”

“Fine, I’ll work on it.”

“Next are the big guilds. There are three of them, the Merchants Guild, controlled by the Aleksandrowicz family, is the most powerful guild, because they almost have a monopoly on commerce coming in and out of Holensburg. Anyone hoping to set up shop in Holensburg has to get their approval first. Next is the Soldiers Guild, controlled by the Badeni family, powerful because they control much of the soldiery. They often act as a private security force, so I have a feeling they will be less than thrilled about my plan to create a police system.”

“A what?”

“Think of it as a city militia but better trained and focused more on apprehension so that criminals will face the wrath of the court instead of the sharp end of a sword. I have requested someone come to assist from the Grossenstadt, they will give you more details when they get here.”

“Alright…” Udo was writing down most of what the Baron was saying. His handwriting was rushed and sloppy.

“Last of the three great guilds is the Ironworkers Guild. From what I hear, they are a cooperative company, every member owns the company to an extent. Their organization is built off of collective bargaining, and since it has the most members, they have substantial manpower. If they decide that their members will strike, to refuse to work for an extended period of time, then all of Holensburg will grind to a halt. It has happened once before, nearly bankrupted the Merchant Guild and severely hurt the Soldiers Guild. It may sound as though they are the most powerful from that explanation, but they have been waning in power in recent years, mostly due to the Empress's meddling, something about it reminding her of ‘elven ideology’. But don’t be fooled, they are still a force to be reckoned with able to mobilize nearly a third of the city’s population if they needed to. Oh, and they deal with almost every industry, not just ironworking. They haven't gotten around to changing the name yet.”

“Alright then, I guess I can probably remember all that. So, what family are we gonna hit up first?”

“Well I was planning on calling together a council of representatives to talk to. I will deal with the four great families and the Ironworkers Guild separately. Your job would be to stand around looking pretty and intimidating. If a fight breaks out I wish for you to join it with no hesitation, just make sure to not kill anybody. Are we clear as to what we are going to do?”

Udo looked up from his papers with a dumb smile.

“Crystal!”

The Baron asked the governor to call a meeting of the four great families and he agreed, setting the meeting place in the receipton hall of the mansion. It was trashed, like every other room in the mansion, but the table was replaced, it had a nice white table cloth and some food, mostly fruits, cold cuts and bread. There were five people at the table, including the Baron.

“I am sure you all know me, but I will introduce myself regardless. I am the new baron of Holenstadt and current baron of Bickenstadt, Baron Johan von Bickenstadt.”

A short and stout fellow wearing a red kontusz and a fur hat with jewels in the center and a peacock’s feather sticking out of it stood up and bowed in the Bzerci fashion, putting his left arm behind his back and making a small circle with his right. His voice was deep and boisterous.

“I am the representative of the Gasztold family, Bartosz Gasztold. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Baron von Bickenstadt.”

Next was a tall and broad woman. She wore a red and yellow delia, beautifully embroidered with bright reds and greens. The handle of a saber could be seen poking out from underneath her coat. Her face was tanned and leathery and had a scar on her lip. She wore her hair back in a short ponytail. She bowed slightly as she introduced herself, her voice gruff and gravely.

“I am Krysia Badeni, representative of Badeni family and Soldiers Guild. I hope to end this quickly, you Empiresmen do not impress me.” She spoke with a slight accent that made her sound more intimidating. After her was a lanky man wearing a red kontusz. His hair was slicked back and graying. His face was beginning to wrinkle and he wore thick circular glasses.

“I am the representative of the Aleksandrowicz family, Aleczandr Aleksandrowicz. I will also be representing the Merchants Guild as its head.” Lastly was a man of medium height and build. He was wearing the large poofy shirts and pants that was currently popular in the Empire at large. His hair was medium length and black, slicked back in a style common to Empire aristocrats. As soon as he started talking the rest of the representatives scowled.

“I am Erwin Komorowski, representative of the Komorowski family and loyal son of the Empire. I am sure that my fellow Holenstadters feel differently, but I and the Komorowski family welcome you, Baron. You truly exemplify the qualities of a true Empiresman, we would be honored to work with you.”

Krysia’s grip on her saber tightened dangerously.

“You disgust me, Podlizuch.”

“You call me names simply because I am loyal to my country?”

“You should be ashamed to call yourself a Bzerci.”

“I am a Holenstadter, not a Bzerci.”

“That’s it! Come here Podlizuch, I will give you new boot to lick!”

Krysia raised her arms and started inching toward Erwin, who squared up as well.

The Baron slammed his fist on the table.

“You disgrace yourselves! You lose sight of what we are here to accomplish! We can resolve your petty squabbles when your city is not falling apart!”

“But she questioned my honor and defamed the Empire!”

“Your homeland is currently burning to the ground! The honor of the Empire comes second to its people, who are currently starving to death and dying of exposure. Now compose yourselves! This is not about you, this is about Holensburg and her people. Now sit down and discuss what needs to be done!”

Both of them stared at each other for a moment, absorbing what the Baron said. They slowly lowered their hands and sat back down in their chairs.

“Thank you. Now, let us discuss what needs to be done. Firstly, we need food to feed the populous. If we cannot feed them it could end in a riot, which could lead to even more property damage and loss of life. Who here has the highest capability to bring food in and distribute it.” Aleczandr squared his shoulders and spoke up immediately.

“I believe that the Aleksandrowicz family is in the best position to acquire food and anything else we need.”

“Do you have the resources to protect your caravans at the moment? This province is currently swamped with bandits.”

Aleczandr checked a paper in his folder.

“I believe we have about half of the men we would need for protecting our caravans. Many of our men were killed during the attack, those bastards focused a lot of attention on our storehouses and headquarters.”

“Krysia, do you think the Soldiers Guild would be willing to provide protection for their caravans?”

“If they paid us properly, yes I believe so.” Aleczandr scoffed and pushed up his glasses smugly.

“I am not sure if we have enough remaining capital to pay your extortionist rates.”

“It is not extortion! Our men practice day and night to perfect their craft! They may cost very much, but you are getting what you pay for, the best men require the best pay.”

“That may be true, but these are trying times. Our warehouses and safes were ransacked, we are running low on capital, we may not have enough to pay for our goods in addition your men.”

“Fraulein Badeni, are you sure your men would not be willing to take payment below market standard? We are currently attempting to save their city, their homeland. Can they not find it in their heart to do this for the greater good? Out of a sense of civic nationalism? Or perhaps just regular nationalism?”

“Some of the men may accept such a thing, but many of them are far more mercenary in their thought.”

The Baron scratched his beard in thought.

“I suppose I could lend some men from my company to the protection of caravans, but I would rather not. Our rates are lesser than that of the Badeni family and our skill is excellent, but I will not spare many, they are going to be doing much of the construction.”

Aleczandr scratched his head in thought.

“Krysia, would your men accept an IOU?”

“A what?”

“It is an idea pioneered by the Dwarves which I was made aware of by my time in their capital. Think of it as a note that is worth a certain amount of money. If they bring the IOU to our headquarters it could be exchanged for however much is written on said IOU. We could give them an amount of their payment immediately and they could receive the rest of it at a later date.”

“Well, I think the men would be a little more receptive to that. We would just have to announce the rates and explain the IOU to the men and see who accepts the job, but you will most likely have to appeal to the Baron's men for the rest.”

“The Klarwasser Mercenary Company is willing to provide about 50 men in total, 30 men with sword and shield, 10 men with flintlock, and 10 men with bows. They would require about 60% their monthly pay for this job, about 60 Gelden per round trip.”

“Yes, we can afford that. We will need about 150 additional men for our caravans, Krysia, do you think we will get that many men from the Guild?”

“I believe you will get half of that, many men want to stay here to make sure their families stay safe, I am afraid we will have to look elsewhere.”

“Can the other great families offer anything?”

The short and stout man stroked his long drooping moustache.

“I believe the Gasztold family could find some mercenaries to assist, but we are mostly focused on rebuilding our homes, so do not expect too much.”

“Any little bit helps, now, can the Komorowoski offer us?”

“I believe we can offer enough men to cover the caravans, we have connections to many different groups in the Empire, it may take longer than the rest of you, but our men will get here in due time.”

Aleczandr sighed heavily.

“While it pains me to accept help from a man such as you, we will accept your help.”

“We used to be barbarians, but now we have been civilized by the Empire. You may not accept it, but the Empire will bring us prosperity. You may treat me as an outsider, but I am a Holenstadter, born and raised. I want our homeland to prosper just the same as you. You lot simply refuse to accept that the Empire has civilized us.”

The Baron waved his hand to prevent everyone from speaking up.

“Now is not the time to discuss the finer points of the Empire’s influence here. We can discuss this after peace has been brought to Holensburg. I ask that you all get to work immediately, the faster we can feed our people the better. Aleksandrowicz, please seek out four of my lieutenants, Hans Volkner will assist you with procuring food and materials, Fergus Ulpaghin, Ludwin Albrecht, and Helmut Freier are the leaders of the construction efforts, consult with them to get a general idea of what materials are needed. Understood?”

“Do we have to go through them for everything?”

“For Fergus and Ludwin you will just be asking them for ballpark estimates of what materials are required, and Helmut will give you more detailed information such as measurements and types of building materials. As for Hans I want you to work closely with him, think of him as an equal instead of your boss. He is a very serious lad, and very dependable for this kind of thing.”

“Alright then, we will get on that immediately.”

“Oh, one last thing for all of you, if you have anyone to contribute to the construction effort do not hesitate to send them over to Helmut. If we have anything else to discuss after this, send a messenger to my tent outside the city, or I will send a messenger to you personally. We will meet at our earliest convenience.”

The representatives all stood and left to do what they needed to do.

After the meeting with the families ended, the Baron immediately headed to the headquarters of the Ironworks Guild. The building was in disrepair, as was every building in Holensburg currently, but it was in far better shape than the mansion. He stepped inside and was greeted by a man wearing ironworker’s clothes.

“Are you the Baron von Bickenstadt? We’ve been wanting to meet with you about the construction effort.”

“Yes I am, are you a representative of the Ironworkers Guild?”

“Yes, one of many, please follow me to our meeting room, there are three of us for you to talk to, me included. You may bring your follower if you please.”

He led them into a back room with a round table. The room was clean, clear of any debris and anything else that would suggest that the city had been recently sacked. At the table were two men, both wearing leather aprons and gloves. One of them poured a clear liquid into a glass and set it in the spot meant for the Baron.

“Vodka, it’s good for negotiation! Puts a fire in your belly!”

The Baron grabbed the glass and made a gesture of thanks, breathing in slightly and exhaling sharply before downing it in a single gulp.

“OPAA! The Baron drinks like a proper man! The last Baron could barely make it through half a glass of Vodka, bless his heart.”

“Did he treat you men well?”

“Aye, that man was appointed here to keep us in check, but he slowly began to appreciate Bzerci culture as he lived here! Shame he was killed for treason, but it served the Empire right having a turncoat! Tryna destroy our culture and shit. I hope you ain’t gonna be the same way.”

The Baron lifted the glass and asked for more Vodka, again breathing and exhaling sharply, downing the whole glass in a single gulp.

“I assure you, if there is anyone in the Empire to make your ally, it is me. Also it looks like my compariot here would like some Vodka, do you mind?”

They produced another glass and filled it to the top.

“Aye, no problem! If there’s one thing we have in great supply, it’s Vodka!”

He handed the glass to Udo and sat back down. Udo gulped down the clear liquid and coughed heavily, provoking a laugh from the ironworkers men.

“We’ll teach you the technique for downin’ Vodka after we finish up with our talks, but for now, help yourself!”

They passed the bottle to Udo.

“Udo, make sure not to drink too much, we have a lot of work to do.”

“Why are you treating me like a child? I know what I’m doing…”

Everyone settled down and sat straight up in their chairs, getting in work mode.

“So, I hear the Ironworkers Guild wanted to speak with me?”

“Aye Baron, we want your full endorsement to work on the reconstruction.”

“Is that why your men haven’t been working on rebuilding everything? You were waiting to talk to me first?”

“Well, as much as we want our city to be fixed, our people need to eat. We needed to work out a contract with either you or the great families before we begin working. We’re sure that some of our guys will help for free, but we need money to keep everything running, and we need money for materials. The sacking of our great city has left many of us completely broke, and they burned much of our wood stores, so we couldn't even begin rebuilding if we wanted to. We have to think of us and our members first before we can think of everyone else. The great families hate us because we are not under their control, they want our labor, but they refuse to compensate us fairly, so we do not work for them. They begrudgingly work with us when they need to, but they try to avoid it when they can. And so, even when our city is falling apart, they are hoping to use it as an opportunity to be rid of us. If they can rebuild the city without our involvement, they could possibly outlast us. That is why we need to work out a work contract with you, to fill our coffers and keep the Ironworkers Guild alive. We represent a whole third of the workforce in Holensburg, if you work with us, you work with the people.”

“Then you will have your contract, I was planning on working with you from the beginning. A third of the workforce is a significant number of people. If your people refused to work, I don’t think my projects would progress on time, if at all.”

“Yes, that’s the idea behind the Ironworkers Guild. We were founded by an Innyświatz, uh, I forget the word in Reikers…”

“I believe the term is Otherworlder.”

“Oh. Baron, Czy mówisz Bzercini?”

“Dam radę.”

“Wow! Never woulda thought an Empiresman would bother learnin’ Bzercini!”

“I pride myself on my education. Anyways, continue.”

“Alright then. We were founded by an Otherworlder by the name of Will Wortezcki about 60 years ago. I believe when he founded it he called it a Union, meaning it represents its members by using collective bargaining, its power comes from the people, and therefore we all own it. If you make a deal with us, you make a deal with 300,000 people. You cannot do such a thing lightly.”

The Baron couldn’t hide his surprise.

“300,00?! I knew Holenstadt was our most populous province, but hearing the actual number is still surprising.”

“Holensburg is close to the most populous city in the world, we have over one million inhabitants. Did you think the size of our city was just for show?”

“Well, I’ve only been to the governor's mansion and to here, my men are camped outside the city so we don’t take up space that could be filled by the civilian population.”

“Well, you should take a tour around our lovely city sometime. We’ll send people to act as a tour guide, if you ask the four families they will neglect to show you the whole city, leaving out the slums and middleclass housing.”

“Perhaps we can do that after we have gotten the city back to working order. If we are going to be working together I wish for you to send some representatives to my lieutenants Fergus Ulpaghin, Ludwin Albrecht, and Helmut Freier, they are currently leading the construction efforts. Consult with them about what needs to be fixed and how many men they need, then we will properly work out our contract. We will be working alongside the four families, but I assure you they will treat you properly, and if they don’t, come straight to me and I will work things out. Does that sound good?”

The three men huddled together and spoke in hushed whispers. After a small amount of time discussing, they popped their heads up.

“We accept your terms. We’ll send a representative to live in your camp, and if you wish you can send someone to be a representative in our headquarters. Now, we will share another toast!”

They produced another bottle, it was short and stout, the neck was very thin but the body was very wide. It was dark brown and had a diamond pattern forged into it. The label on it read ‘Eyjarnar Fínustu Scotch.’

“Scotch all the way from Orkney! This stuff is smooth as ice but kicks like a horse! Of course Vodka kicks harder but I hear this stuff is way more popular in the Empire. So here, drink up!”

He poured five glasses and passed them to everyone in the room. Everyone raised their glasses in a toast.

“To the men of the Ironworkers Guild!”

“To cultural exchanges!”

“To Holenstadt!”

They cheered and downed their drinks. The scotch was exactly as they described, it was smooth as ice but it kicked like a horse.

A couple of days after their initial negotiation, things were progressing smoothly. Most of the caravans had been outfitted with what they needed, guards, provisions, money, and had set out to provide the city with what it needed. It would take about a week and a half for most of them to get supplies and get back. In the meantime, the Baron gathered up as much food as he could find and set about rationing. He worked with doctors and merchants to figure out how much food they absolutely needed to feed the people and how much they could afford to use until the caravans got back. Fergus, Ludwin and Helmut had nothing left to do, the city had used up all the remaining usable wood and stone for construction long before the Baron arrived. The Baron called a meeting of all the important people around Holenstadt, the representatives of the four great families, the representatives of the Ironworkers Guild, and his Lieutenants, minus Hans who was riding with a caravan.

“Right now, our biggest problem is public order. Crime is rampant, we are catching more and more thieves every day. I am proposing a solution to this, for the most part it would require the help of the Badeni family and the Gaztold family. You two have the most martial power in the city.”

Krysia leaned against her elbows on the table.

“So, what exactly are you proposing?”

“He is proposing creating a police force.”

A deep voice projected from the doorway. It had a slight russian accent to it.

“Who are you? This is an official meeting of the ruling families of Holenstadt, who dares simply walk in?” Krysia stood up and gripped her saber.

The figure walked out of the shadows and revealed himself, falling into a parade rest as he spoke.

“I am Spymaster Brusilov. I have come to assist the Baron with his police force.”

The Baron walked over to Brusilov and patted his shoulder.

“Brusilov, eh? The Empress decided to send you to help me?”

“No, I heard what you were trying to do and decided to come personally. She was going to choose some incompetet bureaucrat instead of the man who has already implemented such a system in Grossenburg.”

“Well then, I thank you for the help. Since you are most likely far more well versed in the topic of a police force than I, would you please explain to them what it is.”

Krysia drew her saber and fell into a fighting stance. The rest of the representatives did something similar with their various weapons, a flanged mace, another saber, and a letter opener.

Brusilov looked briefly Aleczandr, who was holding the letter opener and chuckled.

Krysia pointed her saber at Brusilov.

“You dare show your face here? After masterminding the murders of my kin?!”

Aleczandr pointed his letter opener at Brusilov, eliciting another chuckle from him.

“And after you have raided our caravans for years!”

Bartosz raised his mace above his head.

“And after you killed my brother!”

Brusilov waited for a moment and looked at Erwin.

“What is your grievance?”

Erwin sheepishly put his saber back in its scabbard and sat down.

“I got caught up in the excitement.”

Krysia scoffs.

“Useless as always.”

The Baron stepped in between the representatives and Brusilov.

“Listen, we cannot be fighting now! The fate of Holensburg is more impor-”

Brusilov put a hand on the Baron's shoulder and moved him aside.

“Yes, I have done all of those things, and no, I will not apologise. You will be working with me, so I advise you set aside your feeling.”

Bartosz looks like he’s about to burst a blood vessel.

“Now, we need to forget about the past. What’s done is done, what happened in the past happened in the past, and what is important now is that I am here to help.”

Katya fell back into her fighting stance.

“We need no help from a dog like you!”

She leapt forward with her blade held high, slashing at Brusilov. Before she could connect, the Baron parried her strike, twisting the saber around in her hand and launching it into the ceiling. She turned to punch at the foe who disarmed her, but as her punch flew she could feel her fist being grabbed. She was flipped upside down, slamming into the floor hard enough to crack the boards. She attempted to sit up but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her neck. She looked at the source and there was a needle sticking into her neck. She tried to reach over and grab the needle, but her arm wouldn’t move. She looked up and saw Brusilov standing over her arguing with the Baron.

“The drugging wasn’t necessary!” Brusilov shrugged nonchalantly.

“I needed to restrain her.”

“You didn’t need to drug her!”

“Don’t worry, the dosage was very small. The paralysis effect will wear off in five minutes, more or less.”

“That’s not exactly the problem here. My problem isn't that you might give her too much, it's that you fucking drugged her!”

“You try to calm down a woman as she is actively trying to kill you.”

The Baron shook his head and returned his saber to it’s scabbard, turning to the other representatives.

“I understand how you feel, but we need Brusilov to help bring order to Holensburg. I will not deny he is a horrible person, but he is also extremely useful. You have a duty to your people, will you allow petty grievances to get in the way of law and order returning to Holensburg?”

“Petty grievances? He killed my kin.”

Krysia muttered weakly from the floor.

The Baron and Brusilov helped Krysia into her chair.

“I have killed nobody, eh...that is not quite true, I did kill his brother personally, but I only ordered men to kill your kin and raid your caravans on the orders of the Empress. If you are angry, take your grievances to Grossenstadt.”

“Brusilov that is quite possibly the worst thing you could have said in this situation.”

“I know, but it is true. All of your anger should be directed toward the Empress. She is the one who ordered me to weaken your standing, and if it makes you feel any better, I argued against the sacking of this fine city. And now I am here to help you, you remind me of people from my old world, you could say that you Bzerci are the closest thing I have to kin in this world. I will not apologise for everything I have done, but I will do my best to strengthen your position within the Empire.”

The representatives looked at each other. Aleczandr put down his letter opener, causing Brusilov to chuckle again.

“If you laugh at my letter opener one more time I will have you fucking killed!”

Aleczandr slicked his hair back and composed himself, taking a deep breath before speaking again.

“Sorry for the language. I am choosing to believe you, for now. Do not make me regret this.”

When Aleczandr put away his weapon, everyone reluctantly followed suit.

“Good. Now let us all sit down and discuss what needs to be discussed.”

Another chair was brought in for Brusilov and he sat down at the spot farthest away from the native Holenstadters.

“Firstly, for our police force we will not be recruiting the best and brightest. Their services are too expensive and their loyalties are usually bought by another power already. We will be recruiting average people for the police force, and they will be managed by an outsider to Holenstadt so as to avoid any favoritism.”

Krysia spit on the floor.

“Why are you not leaving this up to us? The Badeni family and the Soldiers Guild have been in charge of keeping the peace for generations! Are you attempting to steal away our power for your own machinations?”

“Hmm, you are quite hardy, the drugs should not have worn off fully yet.”

She threw a mug at him, which he deftly plucked out of the air and gently set it down on the table, filling it with water as he spoke.

“Well, you could say we are doing it to limit your power, yes, but it is not just that, and it is not for my machinations personally.”

That's not very inspiring, Brusilov, Thought the Baron mournfully.

“And why should we accept a deal that limits our power?”

Brusilov pointed at the Baron with a deadpan expression.

“Because you have no choice, and because it is the only way to preserve your kin. You may think you can strongarm the Baron, or simply kill him like you have to many previous rulers, but that will not work this time, not on the Baron at least.”

Aleczandr sat back in his chair and smiled smugly.

“That is not very convincing, I heard you were one of the smartest people in the Empire, either your intelligence has been highly exaggerated, or the state of the Empire is worse than we thought.”

Brusilov looked at him, his eyes old as ice, making Aleczandr shudder.

“Anna.”

Aleczandr stared at him, confused.

“What are you-”

“Marysia, Kasia, Olga, Ela, Jadwiga, Krystina.”

Aleczandr’s eyes widened as Brusilov kept listing off names.

“Alexandra, Basia, Samanta, Sofia. Need I continue? Or do you get my point?”

Everyone stared at Aleczandr in confusion. He looked as though he saw a ghost.

“No...no need to continue...I understand. I…”

“Good, now settle down and allow me to speak.”

The Baron eyed Aleczandr dangerously.

“Brusilov, what was that list of names? And how do they relate to Aleczandr?”

“Nothing for you all to concern yourselves with, as I stated earlier, the past is in the past, and those names concern the Aleksandrowicz family more than Aleczandr specifically. All you need to know is that I know what it means, and so does he.”

Krysia eyed Aleczandr like he was trash.

“Aleczandr, what is that list of names?! Answer me now or I will-”

“Miedzianka village.”

Krysia stared at Brusilov, her expression cold and unreadable.

“I assume I need not go on?”

Krysia sat back in her chair slowly, folding her arms and closing her eyes.

“Good. Now, should I start in on the Gasztold and Komorowski families, or may I continue my explanation of what needs to be done for our police force?”

Bartosz nodded slowly, and Erwin slowly closed his eyes.

“Perfect, I assume there will be no more complaints from now on?”

The representatives were dead silent, all avoiding eye contact with each other and Brusilov.

“Then I will continue on with my explanation.”

Brusilov smiled smugly and gestured to a servant for refreshments.

After telling them what Brusilov needed from each of the families, everyone left to carry out his orders. Brusilov sat with the Baron in his tent. The Baron was doing the paperwork needed to start their official police work. Brusilov was there to talk.

“Brusilov, be honest with me, what were those names you said to Aleczandr? And that village you mentioned to Krysia.”

Brusilov took a sip of his drink and sighed contentedly. It was a pale yellow and bubbled aggressively.

“You know, Weinstadt has roughly the same climate of France, the Champagne region specifically. The wine coming from there tastes just like a real French vintage! Though of course, It doesn’t exactly match up to the elves' wine, they have a little something special.”

Brusilov had elected to speak in a midwestern accent, saying something about how it might be ‘nice for you to hear a familiar voice from time to time.’

“Brusilov.”

“Did you know that champagne is the one of only a few drinks that has a different name in Reikers? Strange right? They call it Siegersbrauen, Victor’s Brew. A fitting name is you ask me.”

“Brusilov, why are you avoiding telling me what the lists are.”

“I’m not avoiding it, I just want some downtime. Even I need a break from work from time to time.”

“You may have your break when you tell me what my colleagues have done.”

Brusilov raised an eyebrow.

“Colleagues? They are your subordinates. Some people may appreciate that you don’t act like you’re above everyone, but never forget that ultimately you are a baron, you are THE Baron. You have a reputation to uphold, at least try to act like it.”

The Baron set down his pen and looked him in the eye.

“Brusilov.”

“Fine fine, I’ll tell you.” He raised his hands in mock surrender. Brusilov set down his glass and assumed a serious posture.

“No family is without dark secrets, not when you get that power level at least. The Aleksandrowicz family has been the head of a human trafficking network for decades now. If that dirty secret got out, it may ruin them. Technically that sort of business is illegal, you are only allowed slaves of noncitizens, with the exception of the Orkney Isles of course, wouldn’t want to anger our ‘strategic allies’ would we? But many nobles want domestic products, so to speak, and they will pay a premium for such products.”

“I would appreciate if you would refer to them as people, Brusilov.”

“Whatever, you get my point. Now for the Badeni. That name I shared was the name of a village that the Badeni family wiped off the map. There are far more of those I could talk about, but all she needed was a single name to shut her mouth. The Empress does not approve of such a thing, at least when it comes to humans and denizens of the Empire, she prefers to keep them alive so they pay tax revenue. Flattening entire villages and slaughtering the inhabitants will get you and your entire family executed. They know this, but the Badeni are a stubborn people, and their soldiers can be quite cruel when they want to. So when a village defies them, they wipe it out. The Empress knows this happens, but as of yet she has no proof.”

“What do you mean she has no proof? If you know enough to use it as blackmail, doesn’t that mean you have proof of their actions?”

Brusilov smiled slyly.

“I said that she doesn’t have evidence. The Badeni are good enough to stump her men, but not mine. The Empress’s men are good, don’t get me wrong, but they are no match for modern forensic techniques.”

“Wait, but, aren't you the Empress’s Spymaster? Don’t you work for her?”

Brusilov chuckled quietly.

“The Empress and I have had some...disagreements...in recent years. I feel I am losing her trust, and of course she is losing mine. She is relying on me less to carry out important missions, and she has created another Spymaster group. She has done an excellent job of hiding it, even I am not aware of the full extent of it, but we do catch her spies sometimes, so we do know a good amount.”

Well well well. The Empress and Brusilov are having a falling out. That could be quite useful.

“Though of course, I am still more or less loyal to the Empress.”

“Yes of course, as am I.”

Brusilov stared hard at the Baron’s eyes, searching them for any sign of sarcasm.

“Well, what about the other two families? You mentioned something about them.”

“Oh, that was a bluff.”

The Baron stared at Brusilov, mouth agape.

“...Really?”

“Of course. We have no evidence of their wrongdoing, but they definitely get up to some. Because of how thick I laid it on the other two, they both assumed I knew everything.”

Brusilov stood up from his chair and poured himself more champagne.

“We are not omnipotent, Baron. The only thing more important than having information is acting like you have information. Confidence is key, if you can convince people you have dirt on them, it could be as good as actually having dirt on them.”

“Do you have any dirt on me?”

Brusilov poured another glass of champagne and handed it to the Baron, smiling mischievously.

“Who knows?”