Chapter 380: Brownies, Knights, and Stinky Cheese.

Chapter 380: Brownies, Knights, and Stinky Cheese.

The Silver Sorceress nodded respectfully to the Baron and Baroness, then turned to Ben. "My service to you is you is now finished. When I think of a suitable favor your Baron can do me in return, I will inform you." Without waiting for a response, she stepped from the open window, eight stories above the cobblestones of the courtyard, and dropped out of sight.

Billy turned to Ben, "What's this about a favor?"

Ben shrugged. "She had the skills I needed for this adventure. She didn't want gold, just an owed favor. The Fae are odd that way. She'll probably want a pillow made from owl feathers or something silly. The main thing is we have the experts we need to get the job done."

Billy nodded his head. "Yeah, that works. Consider it your job to introduce our new experts to our crazy professors and ensure they finish that teleporter. Work with Georges and Suzette; they're both up at the keep now, working on things. Ozzy is off of butchering and can go with you. I don't care how we do it, I want that keep finished."

"Speaking of which," Ben said, "A small wrinkle has popped up. All the other Legion Keeps have a shrine to Ares in them. But Rowan will have a larger shine to Hermes because of the shielding on the walls. I've been contacted by a priest who told me the war god might be a bit peeved about that."

Billy was waiting for the punchline or explanation, then said, "Seriously? I know the gods are real people in this game, but we have to worry about who gets their nose bent out of shape over the size of their shrines in one keep?"

Ben nodded, "It's all about pride and respect. Giving too much to Hermes in a place normally reserved for Ares could cause problems. The obvious answer is a huge shine, an 80-foot tall statue of Ares, or something else impressive, but I'm not sure we have time."

Billy lit a cigar and puffed for a moment, thinking, but Layla had the first idea. "Boys and their pride! It sounds like people on ACME's board of directors arguing about who gets a chair closer to the head of the table. It's all about what they like and how you appeal to them. I think I know how to handle this."

Suzette was glad to get back to her tavern. She'd barely been there a day when Ben had grabbed her for his secret mission. As she'd walked from Gadobhra to Sedgewick, she shifted her glamour back to the Lonely Barmaid and overworked mayor of Sedgewick. She needed a large cup of coffee, so she decided to talk to Rory first. The brownie clan had been hard at work with little direction from her.

She waved to the people in the tavern and gestured to Rory to meet her in the kitchen. When she entered, he was kneeling, hat in hand and eyes down. That was the first thing she had better address. "Rory of Clan Brindleberry, know and understand that I am pleased with you and your clan, and you are a welcome part of my household. Please attend my words and use all the cunning I know you have in abundance."

Rory had barely taken a breath in relief when she continued. "Stand up and cease your bowing, scraping, or treating me as my station in the Fae Realms demand. Simple courtesy will suffice when I use this glamour, and we are in my lands in the mortal world."

He stood nervously and nodded, eyes still on the floor.

"Rory, you are to treat me as if I was a mortal and you were in my employ. That means you look me in the eye."The source of this content nov(el)bi((n))

He looked up, one eye open, the other closed, obviously nervous. "Not to go against the countess's wishes, but it don't seem right, your grace."

"None of that; call me Suzette or Miss. I have a role in this town, two, actually. I am its mayor, but I am also the tavern keeper here. You may also hear stories about a lonely barmaid. All of that is me, and I walk as a mortal in this town. So, serving me properly and obeying my wishes means treating me differently while we are here. And that goes for all of Clan Brindleberry. That starts with you."

He sighed and then looked her in the eye. "It's hard, miss, I will tell you that. But I can see the point. Part of a masquerade. I'll spread the word that we need to fool the mortals and act accordingly."

"Good, grab a seat then, and let's talk about your clan. We'll start with your living quarters. What can I do to help?"

Suzette smiled and bowed. "Sure. I'll pack up your lunches, and you can be on your way. And yes, there are a few quests. I have a rat problem in my cellar that I need help with, and Bettys needs some help making a special kind of cheese."

Both the Squire and his Knight leaned forward eagerly. "What kind of cheese?"

Suzette leaned towards them and whispered. "A special kind of very stinky cheese. The most stinkiest cheese, ever!"

The Squire's eyes narrowed, not quite believing her. "I'll have you know that Sir Larry and I are experts in Stinky Cheese. We'll take both quests, but I'll be the judge of how stinky this cheese is." He looked to his knight for confirmation.

"Quests are fun. Larry likes Stinky Cheese."

The lizard barked loudly, excited to start the adventure.

The Fae Knight and Squire Squeak took their bag of lunches, minus the pickled onions, and started down the stairs to the basement. A teenage boy with a peg leg was eating his lunch at the next table. "You sure that's a good idea, letting one of the you-know-who wander around down there? They don't think like normal people."

Suzette wasn't worried. "They seem pretty tame as far as I can tell. Maybe a little lost. They can kill some rats for me, and then I can help them with their quest. That keeps it even. You can't just do favors for the fae. Either they decide you offended them, or you owe them."

Runt shrugged. "None of my business, and you know them the best. I was getting my weird feeling again, the one I get before shit hits the fan. Is there any more pie? I can smell a fresh pie coming out of the oven."

A group of adventurers entered the tavern, looking the worse for wear and claiming a band of outlaw squirrels and a rabid woodchuck had assaulted them. Suzette got them large mugs of beer to calm their nerves and then was busy serving food and beer non-stop until the announcements appeared before her.

The Quest: Rats in the Cellar has been permanently completed by Sir Larry, Knight of the Jackalope. All the rats have gone home and promise to be good.

The Quest: Rats in the Cellar Part 2 has been permanently completed by Squire Squeak. The 'Large Rats' have pledged not to attack players until they enter the dungeon.

The Quest: Rats in the Cellar Part 3 has been permanently completed by Clan Hopping Hamster. The name of the Dungeon, formerly known as 'The Bunny Barrow,' has been changed to 'Happy Hamster Hollow.'

The Knight of the Jackalope bounded into the room, his ears bending to negotiate the ceiling. "We are ready for the Stinky Cheese quest. Questing is easy!"

Suzette smiled nervously at the two of them, then whispered to Runt. "Run out to the field and tell Rolly that a couple of 'special customers' are on their way to milk sedge beasts for the start of the quest. Then, warn Betty that they'll be coming to help her make cheese. Help me out, and I'll have two whole pies ready for you at dinner."

Runt was out the door, running hard to the pastures in search of a Shepherd as Suzette explained the next quest to Squire Squeak. "To make stinky cheese, you must start with stinky milk; take this bucket and find the shepherd to help you milk a stinky cow."

The Knight and Squire left the tavern, the Knight asking his squire, "What is a cow? Don't you get milk from moles?"