Chapter 92: Victory

Chapter 92: Victory

Suzette smiled as she poured two more ales from the keg, "Who needs a refill?" Two players who had just entered the tavern reached for them.

"We heard this is on the house."

"Well of course it is! It's Mr. Brandon's tavern and I hear you are all celebrating a big victory! I'll keep serving up the ale as long as it lasts. Does anyone else need a refill?" Suzette had been pouring ale for the remaining people fighting for Momco since they returned from the fight.

Those left here to guard were a bit miffed over missing out. Two Tier 2 daemons gave out a nice chunk of CSP and EP, along with some nice bits of treasure. Brandon had quelled the grumbling, pointing out they were here to win a war, not kill daemons. He also pointed out that ten people had died fighting the daemons. "The people that stayed here did their job. You guarded the objectives and didn't go galivanting around town. Trust me, there’ll be a little something extra for you after we win. Momco rewards loyalty. That mollified them, as did the cute barmaid who started making the rounds handing out beer and food.

Brandon grabbed one of the little meat pies off the tray and urged the rest of the tavern and dungeon guards to get food. "Eat up, have some beer, then this crew will get some rest. The 'Daemonslayers' can take the next eight hours while all of us get some shut-eye." A reckoning was coming with 'Sir Timothy' and Brandon wanted people to remember who was handing out the cash at the end of the war.

Timmy was celebrating killing a daemon, finishing a special Paladin quest, and having two arms again. He went up to get another tankard of ale from Suzette and talk to her. He still felt a bit bad about what had happened.

"Oh, Sir Timothy, your tankard is empty again. We can't have that! You were so brave tonight!" The barmaid's smile was the same, but something about her eyes was different. Like she wasn't really there.

"Thank you, Suzette. Are you...are you feeling ok? I know this is a lot of work, and you're really taking care of us after this fight."

She smiled the same smile as before, "Oh, I feel great. It's a lot of work, but this is my job now, and I love it. I want to make sure everyone is taken care of. Especially you and Mr. Brandon. After all, you're the people keeping the town safe now. I heard you killed both of those horrible daemons."

She paused and looked a bit puzzled, "I don't think I like daemons. I remember one killed me once."

"But I got better and now it's all fine!" Her smile was back, "Would you like another meat muffin? I made them special!"Emerging from the sanctum of Nøv€lß¡n☆, this essence holds secrets untold.

Timmy was a little sad. She'd been different before. He patted her hand, "Sure, they're really tasty. Glad you're here keeping us fed."

"Oh, I'll always be here, Sir Timothy. Forever." She handed him a meat muffin and refilled his ale. Then called out again to see who else needed a refill.

It was good ale. Pretty potent stuff, and very tasty. There were hints of berry and mint in the flavor.

=*=

General Themis had taken off her armor and her boots, and was sitting next to the roaring fire in the basement bar of the little fortress where the workers lived. She was impressed as hell. She knew when ACME had taken over this town and hadn't expected much beyond a wall around some huts.

What she found was a small functional keep. The walls were thick and buttressed. They had their own water source and the basement was heaped with food. Mostly groats, vegetables, honey, and barrels of smoked meat, but they took things seriously. They could last out a siege in this place.

The bar was delightful. Simple and homey, like an old army outpost. The old stonework was cleaned up and the woodwork was polished. Thick rafters over head held braziers with candles. They had several kegs on tap behind a bar that had been carved from a single tree. A couple dozen of the local workers were down here drinking, playing darts, or gambling for copper pieces. It was a nice place to relax after a fight.

She expected it wouldn’t last; not in this town. For tonight though, she planned to relax - and to talk to Jorges about his siege machines. She had been quite surprised when they walked past three bolt throwers and two catapults. He happily showed her how he had adapted plans from old Roman versions and made some improvements on them. She was going to test them against what the Legion was currently using. His versions might just be a bit better.

=*=

Bennie the Necrobunny surveyed his troops. He had raised every corpse in the bunny meadow that he could reach. Some were just too decayed or buried too deep. The flowing river of dark mana invigorated him, and he wanted to take advantage of it, "Come, my lapine horde! We march to the source of the power and we will drink deeply!"

Suzette handed him a note, "This was sitting here. Wasn't that nice of someone?"

'Viktry Brue. Good stuff. Selebrate Viktry.'

Timmy felt very ill for several reasons. He had to find Brandon. He staggered down the room outiside the dungeon where he thought he was sleeping. He didn't notice Suzette walk back up the stairs, spring out the door of the tavern, and skip all the way to the barracks.

The sun was coming up, good things were happening, and she felt pretty!

Local Event: Dungeon Break!

The dungeon keeper has been asleep and the Under Rodent will make him weep!

The town of Sedgewick has been invaded by all manner of rats, weasels, and bunny-themed monsters! There are EP, Treasure, and horrible deaths for everyone!

Come join in the fun!

Success: Special Prizes! T-shirts! EP! The dungeon is pushed back where it belongs.

Failure: The Under Rodent takes control of the town and Rat-kin becomes a playable race. (And anyone on the losing side will be playing one. Hope you like cheese.)

The Lair of the Under Rodent sponsored by Bludgeon Dark has grown and is now a Level 2 Dungeon.

Momco. Casulties Report

Killed in battle with a Daemon: 4

Killed while in battle with a Daemon in friendly fire accident: 6

Died from alcohol poisoning: 4

Obviously succumbed to injuries from fighting Daemons: 2

Fell down and hit head: 3

Ate too much pie while drinking: 4

Big Penalty: Failure as a Dungeon Keeper, which allowed the dungeon to over-flow, triggering a dungeon break, dungeon level up, and invasion of town....and got caught. If you are going to do things that lead to monsters invading a town, you don't want to get caught.

Current Momco. forces: 13

ACME Report

Quiet night, no deaths. One bruised butterfly. (Very painful, don't laugh, this is serious!)