Order Planning

"You certainly don't do things in half measures," Mason expressed with a laugh as he picked up two boxes of food from his van, the smaller one stacked atop the other.

"I think it's karma for spending my high school years as a modern day hermit," John replied, following his example and grabbing the last two in the same fashion. A part of him wondered just how hard he would have dealt with it before increasing his Strength and Agility. "Only swap in video games for religious contemplations."

Mason gently poked John’s arm with his elbow. "At the very least you aren't living the solitary life."

"Guess gaining friends and girlfriends in exchange for finding myself at the center of some conspiracy to gain access to a dark and terrible power is an okay trade," John half joked.

"It's good to focus on the good things over the bad," Mason sagely said. "You saved Aeolia, saved Teri and got Kiera out of their grasp. Those aren't things you can casually dismiss."

"Guess I have been something of a hero," John mused as they reached the entrance to the Kingdom. A second later, they were in the grove.

"Certainly a beautiful place," Mason remarked. "Mind if I bring Cammie for a picnic here at some point?"

"Not at all," John answered as he led the way to the meeting hall. "We might have to wait a few days. I don't think you want to have it interrupted by some wild animal attack."

"Fending them off would sour the mood a bit." Mason laughed. "I only got the cliff notes version from Lynn, but you handled things well it seems."

"We were until the Order stepped in," John said, a slight bitter note in his voice. “We might have been hard pressed with the intended fifth round, but if things got hairy, we could have just let things get to the tree and deal with the consequences later.”

“A shame that happened, but given how things have transpired, I don’t think you could have avoided them forever,” the large man noted. “They were already looking for you on Monday.”

“I know,” John sighed. “They just picked the worst time to show up. They just couldn’t wait another ten minutes. Hell, I’d settle for just a minute. The round would have started by then, and we wouldn’t have had to deal with those twisted monsters.”

“At least things turned out well.” Mason chuckled. “More than fine some would say, seeing as how you’ve got a godly patron now.”

“More evidence of my karma.” John grinned slightly. “Though, if I’m being honest, having Verida on our side seems to make things way more complicated and we’re already neck deep in shit.”

“Sounds more like she’s just the cherry on top,” Mason said. “There already was that thing that happened on Sunday, which was just the latest domino from Monday’s events. Best to focus on the good that can come from it. For example, having her on your side means the Order can’t just try and roll over you and take this place. They have to operate in good faith.”

“That’s a fair point,” John admitted. He let out a sigh. “Guess I’m just not used to being in the center of things. Life was easier hiding off to the side. More boring, and a hell of a lot lonelier, but safer.”

They reached the hall, entering right as Vivian and Beth were coming down the stairs.

“Any more stuff?” Beth asked as the girls reached the bottom.

“Nope, this is the last of it,” Mason answered. “Hope it’s all to your liking.”

“You haven’t made us anything bad yet,” Vivian said with a smile. “Now, let us take some of those off your hands. Probably not the wisest thing to try and climb the stairs with everything.”

“I think we’re fine,” John remarked.

“And I think it's a bit rude to not offer help,” Vivian firmly replied. “Honestly, it’s the least I can do after not really being much use during the fights.”

“You were super helpful,” John vehemently countered. “You kept one of those monsters from accurately hitting us. And you pointed out when dangerous looking creatures were going to get past us.”

“Still, you guys were up close and personal with everything,” Vivian quietly said. “I don’t like feeling like dead weight.”

“You’re not,” Beth interjected, throwing her arm around Vivian’s shoulders. “Those rat things from round three would have got past me if you hadn’t picked them out.”

“We’d be a pretty ineffective team if we didn’t have any brains behind our ability to hit things,” John said.

“None of you are dumb,” Vivian retorted.

“And you’re not worth any less for not smashing things,” John softly murmured.

“I hate to break up this touching moment, but I can’t keep the food hot forever,” Mason said before lightly elbowing John’s arm. “And if the ladies want to pitch in, I’ve learned to not question it.”

John felt his ear heat up in time with flushes blossoming across Vivian and Beth’s faces. He jiggled his payload of food boxes. “So, want to help?”

Vivian smiled and took the top box before pecking his cheek and heading back up the stairs. Beth smirked, her face still a bit pink before she darted in and kissed John’s other cheek. Then she grabbed the other box of food and hurried after Vivian.

“Looks like you’ve got a free hand now,” Mason laughed. “I wouldn’t mind a little less to carry. They have a point about the stairs.”

Mason let the top box slide slightly, waiting for John to be ready.

“No need to drop it,” John said and picked it up.

Mason let out another chuckle as they made their way to the stairs. “You mentioned something about a new development with your spirit skill?”

John was somewhat grateful that Mason was changing the topic. “Yeah, I can sort of fuse with the weak ones. Hang on a sec, I’ll show you.”

With a thought, John went into Overlay with his wind spirit, holding back a slight shiver as his body wanted to surge into motion. Out of the corner of his eyes, John could see Mason’s brow furrow.

“That’s certainly something,” he muttered. “Your aura’s taken on the feel of a spirit. Not enough for you to hide from people unaccustomed to sensing spirits, but anyone who can will know you’re doing something with one.”

“Had a feeling that would be the case,” John said.

“Are you feeling any side effects?” Mason asked.

“I’m a little more energized, I guess you could say,” John explained. “Like I want to just keep moving. Made falling asleep a little difficult when I kept it up to level it over the night.”

Mason nodded. “Makes sense that you’d feel the spirit’s innate core desire. And that one was born out of play. What sort of benefits does this mode provide?”

“I get a boost to my Agility and can fire off air blasts,” John explained. “Costs me sixteen percent of my mana to keep up and it lets me power up my spirits over time. We haven’t really tested everything. Figured doing that during the quest might not be the best idea.”

“A reasonable line of thought,” Mason remarked as they reached the top of the stairs. “I see you found a second spirit. Well, third, I suppose, if we count Senka.”

“Yeah, found it in a hot spring,” John detailed. “Has some healing ability, which I guess came from the springs themselves. Didn’t get a chance to use it either.”

“Well, if things calm down after tomorrow, give me and Cammie a call. We’ll be happy to help you figure out the bells and whistles,” Mason offered.

“I hope things will be that easy,” John said as they reached the meeting room, the earlier delivered boxes of food cracked open, some dishes already divvied out.

“Looks like everything’s set for your working lunch.” Mason chuckled and John felt several motes of heat float away from the food and back into him, his warming spirits no longer needed.

“I thank you for your service,” Verida said, tilting her head slightly.

“Ah, there’s no need for that.” Mason blushed. “Just doing what I love. And for my friends, it’s never a chore. Now, dig in, dig in. I can see myself out, no need for an escort. You’ve got enough on your plates you have to get to.”

Laughing at his own word play, Mason beat a quick exit, followed by various goodbyes. With their chef friend gone, everyone began to unbox the food in earnest.

“So, are we going to just dig in or will we be talking about our plans between bites?” Martius asked as he pierced a piece of chicken with his fork.

“As much as I would prefer a quiet meal, we have a lot that needs to get squared away,” Harker said. “I think it’d be best to work things out now. Gives us more time to gather any needed supplies or come up with alternate plans. So, I think the first thing we need to establish is, what do we hope to achieve with the Order?”

“Getting them off our backs would be nice,” Aeolia remarked.

“That goes without saying,” Harker said. “However, achieving that goal won’t be easy. The Order isn’t going to be happy with us setting up on their doorstep. Not without some kind assurance that we’re on their side.”

“More like under their control,” Beth muttered into her drink, still loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Not an untrue concern,” Harker admitted, before nodding his head towards Verida. “Thankfully, we have a counterweight to their demands.”

“I believe we can reach an accord that will satisfy everyone, at least to an extent,” the goddess explained. “They are already on the trail of our mutual enemy, in part thanks to your efforts. A shared goal gives us a starting point for negotiations.”

“So we offer what we know in exchange for them not trying to dictate how we go about our business,” John said.

“That and offer our aid,” Verida added. “I imagine the Order has many things they have to keep on top of. Obligations they can’t ignore to put their whole effort against Phantom Reach.”

“That might put them in the mindset of using us as their weapon,” Lynn muttered into her sandwich.

“To be fair, we already were on that path,” Vivian noted. “But they might decide they want to actively direct us, which is not something any of us want.”

“Yeah, that won’t fly,” Aeolia said darkly.

“I have no desire to be under their thumb,” Verida remarked. “Even if I am currently limited in how I can affect things beyond the Kingdom, I do not wish to have my reach held back beyond that.”

“I’m sure you being a god will go a long way to ensuring they treat you as you deserve,” Teri said.

“Let’s not assume they’re going to bend over backwards to appease me,” Verida cautioned. “While it’s true that the Warden spoke to me with respect, they serve a power greater than I could ever reach. It could give them a sense of superiority. That as blessed by the Highest Star, they speak with her authority on all matters.”

“Which we won’t know until we actually see their leader,” Harker noted. “The Warden’s father will have the experience to know how to steer negotiations. Swaying him on whatever his strong points are will likely be difficult.”

“This is starting to sound like a raid we’re all way too low level to be trying,” John lamented into his burger. “Which is kind of funny since we have a literal god on our team.”

“Don’t count my nature towards my power level,” Verida warned. “A lot of my power is tied up in the Kingdom. I cannot exercise the full breadth of my strength at the moment.”

“Let’s hope that fact isn’t picked up by them,” Harker said. “If they knew how limited you are, it’ll give them far too much of an upper hand.”

“I doubt they suspect that with the show you gave them,” Beth mumbled through her food.

Verida smiled. “I did hope that my little display would cow them. But we can’t go about without keeping in mind the Order might see through it.”

“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” Lynn chimed in. “And in this case, the worst is likely us ending up absorbed into the Order or under siege.”

“We won’t get anywhere by hyper focusing on the negative outcomes,” Verida warned. “For now, we should establish what we want from the Order and what we’ll tell them about Phantom Reach and Amarlis.”

“Obviously we want the Order to not assume they can command us,” Harker remarked. “But, as much as this is a bitter pill to swallow, I think they should take the lead against our enemies.”

That elicited interjections of outrage but Harker silenced them with a raised hand. “I know it’s not the preferable course of action, but the Order is better manned, better equipped and better trained for this sort of thing. As much as I don’t want to have any more people involved in this, it’s far too big now. I’m not going to let my pride cost more lives.”

Harker’s words weighed heavily over everyone. John saw Kiera partially fold in on herself and he felt a sick pang of sympathy for the guilt ridden girl. Senka, who sat beside her, placed a comforting hand on her knee.

John’s gaze turned to Aeolia, whose expression was stoney. “Yeah,” she said in a quiet voice. “If the Order wants to take them on, let them. I’m not going to **** us into a fight we can’t win. Not when there are other options.”

Harker nodded. “Hopefully, pragmatism will win out over dogmatism, but we have to be ready for them to adhere to their religious viewpoint.”

“And what if they wish to inter you over your connection to the sword?” Martius asked. “From what I’ve gathered about the Order, they likely aren’t going to be too pleased to learn about that.”

“We will have to take that as it comes,” Harker answered. “Thankfully, since all my family did was keep it locked away, I don’t think they’ll be as zealous as they could be if I actually used it.”

Martius hummed and nodded. “My efforts in tracking the sword should also go a long way into at least giving them the impression that we were working on cleaning up the mess.”

“We do have that in our favor,” Harker said. “The Order may be able to recreate your work. Or failing that, we retrieve what we can from the lab."

"Let's hope they can help me recreate things," Martius muttered. "Moving the equipment is likely to be an impossible task, if I'm being honest."

"If we impress upon them that we could track them, then I can't imagine they would object to recreating your devices," Vivian added. "Especially if you imply that it can be retooled to track other things once this is all done."

"Not sure I'm comfortable with that," Martius remarked. "Not letting Order gain a tracking device, but implying what I've built can easily be reworked. It's something of a specialized device."

"But you could offer to help them build something more generalized, right?" John asked. "I'm not saying we put that down in our first offer, but it can't hurt to have something like that in our back pocket."

"True," Martius nodded, "I could easily develop a simpler version easily enough. One that won’t need the mana reactive compounds.”

“I’ve got no desire to work for them,” Lynn muttered.

“I thought you wouldn’t,” Martius said with a smirk.

“So we have that in reserve if we need it. Any other aces we should keep in mind?” Harker asked.

“Less of an ace, and more an idea,” Verida began, turning to look at Teri. “I believe part of the plan was to offer you and your people a place to settle down?”

“We did discuss that,” Vivian noted while Teri looked between the redhead and the goddess.

“You, I,” the goblin sputtered. “You’ve got more to worry about than us.”

“Is it wrong to abide by a deal made?” Verida asked. “And this can help. My idea was that, with my powers and perhaps John’s, we could offer the Order produce or other goods. I have an inkling that we could have a good yield of things.”

“Games do let you grow food and mine resources super quick,” John said. “I can see having some accelerated stuff. But I doubt we’ll be able to find out or have a way to prove it by tomorrow. But we could still say we plan to develop some farmland. Just have to let them know they’ll have to negotiate with the owners too.”

Teri tried to form an argument against them, gaping like a fish for a few moments before tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Dammit, you guys aren’t going to stop offering, are you?” she asked through some sniffles.

“What sort of friends would we be if we didn’t offer you a place to stay?” John asked.

“Most don’t have a whole ass separate dimension to offer, but I guess that makes us the best friends in the Abyss.” Beth grinned.

Teri nodded. “Yeah. Thanks, guys. Still have to bring all this up with the elders, but like you said, they really can’t argue with getting a safe place not a lot of people know about.”

“I think we’re avoiding something here,” Harker cut in, his voice utterly serious. “Will the Order be alright with what I assume to be a sizable clan of goblins moving in? I’m not too up to date on their views, but I have heard some, unsavory, tales of their exploits over the centuries.”

“They’re going to have to be,” Verida said firmly. “After all, I plan to have Teri as one of our seven, as a representative of the first settlers to call this Kingdom home.”

Thanks again for reading this little story. If you liked the chapter, please hit that thumbs up, and if you want to support my writing, check out my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/ScrapCrow. Get access to my chapters before they’re published here and join my private Discord.