Chronicles of Metal: Chapter 15 – Beginning of the End

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A short time later, Beard and Isabella waited in a long dining hall inside the mansion. Isabella was oddly quiet, but Beard had a flood of questions. How was one relatively small city going to stand up to a whole country on its own? This Astra chick was either crazy, naive, or some combination of both. Then again, seeing him chasing off that asshole Viscount might've given her a dangerous amount of confidence. Reading people wasn't his strongest skill, so when he saw Astra and her bodyguard return, he felt like being a little confrontational. "For a free Hashigin?" He asked, crossing his arms with a grin. "Did you practice that speech, or where ya flying by the seat of your pants?"

The bodyguard shot him a vicious glair as she shut the door behind them, but Astra just giggled at his jab. "I needed to assure the people that I had their best interest in mind. Otherwise, they'd abandon the city in droves." She pulled out a chair and sat down, inviting him to do the same. "Please, join me."

Something about her already having an answer took the wind out of his sails. Forget naive, this woman was just nuts. "So... What did you want from us?" He said, sitting down across from her. "Besides destroying the country that you just disowned."

Still, Astra shook her head. "I was actually hoping for something far simpler." Beard had to commend her; for someone that'd seen his ghostly form, sitting across from him to converse like this, she spoke with an awfully calm tone. "I was hoping you could be a benefactor for Hashigin."

Benefactor? Like a sponsor? She was asking for money? "What makes you think we can afford that?" He asked, leaning back in his chair. "Big or small, a city state will be hell'a expensive. You'll need food, water, materials to rebuild your burned buildings. Not to mention some sort of army, if these Norn guys are anything like what I've heard."

"Food and resources won't be a problem." Astra cut in, slowly shaking her head. "Hashigin is a trading hub, accessible by both ships and land. So long as we pay slightly above market price, I merchants will come from all over. Even if Lazuli implements an economic blockade for merchants, we are too far out of the way for them to feasibly enforce them." She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "And I don't foresee any way we could simply rebuild the town guard, so I've already sent word out. Any mercenary that comes to Hashigin will be paid handsomely to maintain the peace and keep threats at bay. A couple gold coins a week to watch over a simple trading hub is an enticing offer, so long as we keep them on a tight leash."

Again, her being ready with an answer like this was a little off-putting. Not to mention well thought out. It's true, if people heard they could get paid more for selling in Hashigin, they'd definitely make the trek. And from what he'd seen, that would barely put a dent in the guild's funds. Mercenary's where an easy sell too, so long as they held some sort of skill standards. But that came with another set of issues. "Mercenary's can be bought and paid for. If someone makes them a better offer, they'll jump ship in an instant."

Astra's bodyguard shifted uncomfortably. Apparently, she knew that as well. All the same though, Astra tilted her head with a smile. "True, it will only be a temporary measure. But that is where I was hoping you'd be able to help us." Beard let out a sigh. This woman was making a lot of demands, but not many offers. "You can use magic, yes? If we where able to form a standing force of mages, then we-."

"Sorry, no chance." Beard cut her off. It looked like she was surprised that he'd interrupted her, but kept her smile all the same. "Not everyone can learn it. You need way too many prerequisites to just pick a group of random people and make them into a fighting force. And even then, all it'll take is one moron casting a fire spell in the wrong direction for your city to go up in flames all over again." He was talking from game experience of course. He'd delt with more than a few drunks in his old life. If drinking and driving was a recipe for disaster, drinking and casting magic everywhere was probably just as bad. That, and if someone out there was touting around World items, he didn't want to draw that much attention to the guild. "Not to mention the time it'd take. You'd be faster just training yourself a new army at that point."

This time, Astra was slower to respond. Beard took that as his earlier assessment had been correct; she had let her confidence go to her head a little. "That is... Disappointing to hear." She spoke slowly, glancing away for a moment. "But none the less we need some sort of advantage over the standard armed solder. Should a war brake out, either from Lazuli or an invasion from Norn, the simple fact is we do not possess the manpower to repel such a threat."

It was hard to disagree with that. Without the protection of a large country, Hashigin could become easy pickings for anyone brave enough. And he couldn't very well come out and declare the town as being under his guild's protection. Not only would it defeat the purpose of him trying to lay low, it would make Astra's declaration to make Hashigin a free city meaningless. Her idea of teaching the citizens magic may have been dead-on-arrival, but the concept was right on the money. Empowering her people to stand up to threats.

"Perhaps we can work on that another time." Beard realised he'd fallen silent when Astra spoke up. He looked up to see she'd relaxed somewhat, slumping back in her chair. "For now, I suggest our alliance be kept simple. The Viscount has-."

"Former Viscount." Isabella interrupted.

The room fell silent once more. Beard was surprised she's spoken up, seeing as how she'd spent most of the talk staring out the window. He assumed she'd been tuning them all out at this point. "Yes, my mistake." Astra said, lowering her gaze slightly. "The former Viscount left quite the fortune behind. In the coming weeks, we shall see how much it will cost to keep the city safe and operational, then we can negotiate how much you wish to contribute."

Again, Beard couldn't help but notice Astra hadn't mentioned how this would benefit him and the guild. In truth, he could probably pay for everything the city needed for decades with all the money the guild had saved up and not even bat an eye. But be that as it may, he couldn't believe she thought he'd do all this for free. "And what do we get in return?" He asked, leaning back and crossing his arms.

Her answer surprised him however. "What do you wish of me?" She said with a slight shrug.

That was a hard question to answer. Not because he didn't know what he wanted, but because he didn't know what he needed. Money? The guild had billions of gold coins from the old game just lying around. Even if it wasn't the right currency, the gold itself had to have its own innate value. Weapons or items? What he had on him at this table was likely more powerful than most anything in this city combined, so that was a bust too. Intel, maybe? That was likely the only thing he didn't have, but it wasn't exactly like it'd be a hard thing to obtain. She'd save him and the guild maybe a week's worth of work. Especially once Synth finishes that translation guide for him. But... having her do it for him would save him the trouble.

"I want information." He said after a few moments deliberating. "Anything coming through this city catches your eye, I want to know about it. Or if another country is gearing up for a war, you tell me." He rested his elbows on the table, trying to make it look like he was in control of the situation. "I want to be kept up to date on anything going on around here. I don't care how mundane it might be."

This time Astra was the one that looked surprised. "I-is that all...?" That was the first time he'd heard her slip up. Did she really not know what she could offer him, or was she just planning on saying yes to the first thing he said and running with it?

"Land." He said. "I want all the land around the cathedral. Draw a halfway point between this city and the edge of those falls, then draw a circle around us. All of it belongs to me now." His offer was two-fold. On one hand, keeping up to date on what entered the city would let him know if anything dangerous was headed the guild's way. And, while the land around the cathedral held no real use, it was a good way of getting people to steer clear. "Those are my terms."

Again, Astra looked stunned. He couldn't blame her. In return for basically financing her city, all he wanted was the empty land around the cathedral and to be kept up to date on the goings on. This was likely far easier than she'd assumed it would be going into this.

"Done." She said, her usual calm, innocent smile returned, and she rested her arms on the table. "I'm glad we could come to an arrangement." Beard nodded. He now had a foothold in this new world, and all it'd cost him is a little bit of exposure. He could live with that. And honestly, he wanted to see what this Astra chick would do next. "Now, if you'll excuse me..." Astra rose to her feet, bowing her head slightly. "I have a city to rebuild."

"Yeah sure, do what you gotta do." Beard stood up and offered a hand shake. "Looking forward to working with ya, Astra." She stopped just short of turning for the door, tilting her head slightly. Tyr's hand jumped to the sword hanging across her back the moment he reached out. Did they really not know what a handshake was? Then again, they'd both had seen what he really was. And seen him rot the Viscount’s skin with a touch. Talking was one thing, but maybe a handshake was expecting a little much right now. Isabella giggling under her breath told him that was the right assumption, and he slowly lowered his hand. "Uh... forget it. You're busy, I won't keep ya." Astra bowed again and Tyr, despite keeping a weary eye on the pair of them, slowly backed out after her. As the door shut behind them, Beard let out a huff and turned to his companion. "Ready to go home?"

Isabella's face fell, her smile fading away in moments. "Yes, of course..." She produced a small scroll from the pocket of her apron. It incinerated in a blue flash, and a teleportation circle appeared on the floor around them. "...Master."

The two women made their way down the hallway, but Tyr remained glairing at the door with her hand resting on her weapon. "You don't trust them?" Astra said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"No, my Lady." She responded, only taking her eyes off the door when the two rounded the corner. "Their timing is too convenient. And they are... Far too willing to help you." She grimaced once more, checking over her shoulder again like she expected their new guests to be pursuing them. "Not to mention they are far stronger than anything I've ever seen. If they wanted to they could-."

"Tyr." Astra stopped dead in her tracks. As did Tyr at the utterance of her name. "If they wanted to take the city, I don't think they'd have bothered to bargain with us. Or to rescue our citizens." Tyr averted her eyes, but Astra took her by the cheeks and forced her to make eye contact. "They're willing to work with us, despite us having barely anything to offer them in return. So long as the people here don't suffer for it, I'll gladly accept any help they're willing to give."

Tyr’s grimace slowly faded away, replaced by a worried frown. "Y-yes... My Lady." She mumbled, trying not to look her in the eye. "Just... Don't be reckless."

Astra's smile grew, and she poked Tyr on the nose. "Using my own words against me?" Tyr's face began to turn red, and Astra spun around to clasp her hands behind her back. "I'm happy you where listening to me, at least."

A small smile appeared on Tyr's face, but it was clear she was less than convinced. "Are you sure... We can trust them?"

Letting out a small sigh, Astra glanced back over her shoulder to speak. "Did you notice?" It was clear from her confused expression that Tyr had no idea what she was talking about, which made Astra chuckle. "He called me Astra. Not Lady Astra, or Lord Astra... Or Princess, or girl, or anything else anyone in this town calls me..." She trailed off, fighting to hide the growing smile on her face. "To him I'm... Just Astra."

"O-oh..." She tilted her head, partly because she didn't know where this was going, and partly because she hadn't answered her question.

"I think... From now on, that's what I want you to call me too." Astra spun to face her, leaning in slightly. "Just Astra."

Of everything that had happened today, this was the first thing her bodyguard had gotten flustered over. "B-but my La-."

"Astra." She cut her off, holding up a finger to silence her. "As-tr-a. It's not that hard a name to say, is it?"

Tyr shook her head. "But, it's not-."

"Tyr?" Her smile shrunk slightly, and she took her bodyguard's hands again. "I don't care about titles, or honorifics, or any of that. I can't even begin to tell you how sick I am of it all." Tyr hung her head, again finding it hard to look her in the eye. "We're friends. Not master and subordinate. As far as I'm concerned, you and I are equals." Still unable to look her in the eye, Tyr nodded her head slightly. "My friend's name is Tyr. And your friends name is...?"

She trailed off, hoping she'd get the hint. It took her a few moments, but she eventually did. "A-As... Astra..." She spoke meekly at first, but found her voice by the time she'd met her gaze again. "Astra. My friend's name is Astra."

For whatever reason, Astra felt her heart flutter. "You have no idea how happy it makes me to hear you say that." Tyr's face flushed bright red, but Astra broke contact with her and stepped away. "Which... Makes it all the harder to ask you this..."

"Ask me what?" Tyr patted her cheeks to regain some composure. "Whatever it is my La..." She stopped herself after Astra shot her an expecting glair. "A-Astra. Whatever I can do for you, I will. You know that."

"I do..." She nodded, clutching at her stomach. "I don't want to put you in danger, Tyr. But I don't know anyone else who can fill this role for me." Tyr stepped closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. Reacting to her touch, Astra spun abruptly and took her by the wrists. "I need you... To act as commander of Hashigin's mercenary force." To stay she was stunned would've been an understatement, but Astra persisted before she could protest. "You'll test their skills; ensure they get their payment; delegate as needed, keep them in line... They will answer to you, and only you."

"M-me?" Tyr stammered. "B-but you're the ruler in this city. They'd be answering your call." Despite her words, Astra remained firm. "They should answer to you. I'm just a-."

"Friend, Tyr." She interrupted. "You're not just an anything. You're my friend. And I trust you are far more capable of leading them than I am."

Tyr hugged her elbow. It was obvious she enjoyed the complement, but it hadn't done much to convince her. "Why... Me?"

Her sheepishness made Astra giggle. "Because, I am not a warrior." She said with a small shrug. "I can think, barter, take in information, make predictions, formulate a plan... But I don't know the first thing about combat. And I suspect that'd be obvious to anyone with even a modicum of experience." Tyr put on a grimace, finding it hard to argue with that despite very much wanting too. It was encouraging to see that at least she agreed, so Astra put on her usual smile. "Besides. If not you, then who?" She asked with a shrug. "I can hardly ask our new allies to do it. With their power, I fear none who show up will make the cut. And the elf, while his heart may be in the right place, clearly has some things to work out. You're the perfect choice for the job, not to mention one of the few I can trust to do it." Tyr's smile made a small reappearance. Though she didn't say anything, that was enough of an answer for Astra. "You understand then."

"Yes, my-." Tyr dropped to one knee, but caught herself before she could slip up again. "Astra... I will lead them to the best of my ability. And I will remain by your side as your protector for as long as I draw breath."

Though the corner of her mouth twitched, Astra forced that implication aside and took her pledge in stride. "I know you will." She muttered, glancing out the window overlooking the river. "Let the games begin."

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