Sworded Affair

Chapter 133: Call Me, Beep Me

[Irregular System broadcast incoming, by order of Overmind.

Please stand by.]

Emma stiffened as the announcement came through; just two lines for the time being, but these, unlike most notifications, refused to be dismissed. Noah, likewise, had stopped eating, his fork clattering to the floor in a moment of inattention.

[The Empire is under threat by enemies most foul!

Saboteurs have struck, damaging critical infrastructure for long distance transit.

All practitioners are called to play their part in the defence of the realm.

Mandatory Quest issued.

Vae Victis (Fails unless completed by the Summer Solstice)

Objective: Reclaim control of Blenheim Palace for the Empire.

Objective: Assess the condition of the teleportation gateway in the catacombs beneath the Palace.

Bonus Objective: Find and capture the saboteur.

Bonus Objective: Restore the connection to the mainland.

Rewards: 5000 Thrones, 500 EXP

Bonus Rewards: Commendation (Order of the Empire, Third Class), 1x Ticket to Ride (The Ghost Train)

Penalties for Failure: 1000 Thrones, Named and shamed for incompetence by imperial newsletters.]

Blenheim Palace? The name stood out for Emma, being both a familiar landmark and not very far at all.

[Coincidentally, a convoy is already preparing to head to Woodstock. How fortunate.]

Because you asked them to change their route, Emma retorted, not believing it a coincidence in the slightest.

“You got a mission too?” Noah asked, returning Emma’s attention to the table, his face a shade paler than before.

“There’s trouble over at Woodstock that I need to deal with,” Emma confirmed. “Did you get something different?”

“You could say that,” Noah replied, forcing a strained laugh that sounded more like a wheeze. “Apparently, some folks aren’t happy about the big tower next door. My quest is to have the town survive until the Solstice.”

“Same deadline then,” Emma murmured, her thoughts already on the calendar. “When will the supply run to Woodstock be ready? I can hitch a ride again, and provide some extra protection to them on the road there. A win-win, really.”

“Three days from now. We could push for earlier, but you’d be going with a lighter convoy in that case. We don’t have enough guards to spare extra bodies if you leave during their days off.”

“Better to wait then,” Emma was quick to decide. “More firepower can never be a bad thing, after how my last patrol went.”

“Right, right.”

Noah resumed eating, shaking off his momentary jitters to refill his place. Emma followed suit, seeing as there was nothing truly urgent on her side, and Elizabeth… Elizabeth had Mr. Fox in a headlock, stopping him from diving headfirst into the coleslaw.

[Mr. Fox - Level 2 Thief]

Guffawing, Emma attempted to return him to Eden’s Echo, only for nothing to happen. A second and third attempt had the same result, the only difference being Mr. Fox, who stuck his tongue out at her.

[He’s accumulated enough magic to resist being absorbed involuntarily, but not yet enough to talk coherently. Unfortunate.]

“Experience from what?”

[Stealing from people’s plates, mostly.]

Emma looked down and found her potatoes missing, whilst boiled carrots vanished one at a time to parts unknown. Looking back at Mr. Fox, it wasn’t apparent where any of the contraband was going; since he wasn’t chewing, nor was he within reach of the goods.

“Stop that, or I’ll have Sir Bearington sit on you.”

He stopped.

—

Dinner ended on a peaceful note, with most of everything finished off, except some leftover vegetables that Dad went to put in the fridge. Elizabeth headed straight for bed, while Mr. Fox ran off the moment she loosened her hold on him. Emma had just finished clearing the table, and was trying to get Saint out from under it, when another notification popped up, this time bringing good news for a change.

[For eating a home-cooked meal, you receive 100% increased EXP for 1 hour.]

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” Emma grinned, waving Noah down as he headed to the living room. “Quick question Dad, which of these Classes does the town need most? I’ve got options for body number two.”

[Select one Class from the following:

Chandler: May your fortunes wax and wane.

Chef: Hello, delicious friends.

Farmer: Good, honest work.

Glassblower: For those prone to self-reflection.

Medic: A finger on the pulse of life and death.

Runesmith: Your hammer, upon the anvil of creation.]

“How much medical knowledge do you have?” He asked, after a moment studying the list Emma showed him.

“One year of first aid with the scouts. It was never a priority, levelling up, because I have built-in regeneration.”

“Medic is a bad idea then,” Noah advised seriously. “We could use more healers, but that takes a long time to learn, and going in half-baked will do more harm than good. We’ve got plenty of Farmers and Chefs as well, and they’re relatively easy to find more of, so no need to double up on those. Of the remaining three choices: candles and glassware are both in demand, now that electricity and Amazon are a thing of the past. The former are consumables so need to be replenished periodically, the latter are fragile and often replaced. Runesmithing, admittedly, I don’t know enough about to make a judgement either way.”

[It’s a discipline adjacent to blacksmithing. You need a forge, but instead of making the product, you’re adding magical properties to complete items: weapons, armour, or trinkets once you’ve progressed some. The smaller the item, the harder it is to work, generally speaking.]

“Ah. Probably not the best choice then,” Noah demurred. “We only have a pair of anvils, and they’re both needed full-time to maintain the tools we have. Getting time on one of them, or making accommodations for a third both have difficulties.”

“Chandler or Glassblower then,” Emma confirmed, initially unsure what to pick until she took a look at her inventory.

The Black Candle sat there; still mostly whole, but Noah was right when he said candles were ultimately consumable. It would burn out eventually; so why not learn how to make more?

[Class selected!

Half-Demon Homunculus: Level 1 Chandler]