Chapter-5

The road to Castletown was a poorly crafted dirt road that zigged all over the place to accommodate the natural terrain. Just looking at it gave me a headache. It did nothing but cause problems for anyone trying to traverse it.

Griss has said that the towns Mayor had purposely made the road this way to deter Barbarian attacks. I had snorted at him when he said that and then explained that they would probably just go through the forest. If they had large numbers little would be able to stop them.

He went quiet for a time after that, his face somewhat pale as he realized the implications behind my statement. More like common sense. Castletown was in the opposite direction from the battle. Apparently it would have no traffic aside from the Cleaner Crews that looted the dead and reinforcements from towns and cities that lay deeper within the Grenadia Kingdom.

The fact the town was five hours away from where I was reborn gave me time to plan my next move and continue pumping Griss for information that would make my transition into this town simpler.

"The Contract Ring, where can more be acquired?" I asked after an hour of walking and verifying a few things pertaining to these stat windows. My Mana did indeed regenerate at one every half hour, and Rose had her own point counter increase by one. Since she had been active for about three hours, a little over perhaps, that meant simply being summoned would let her grow in Ring grades. I also learned that the bone mending took a lot more Mana than I originally thought. It took eight in total, and only provided minor treatment for my broken limbs. That could be a factor of mending my own wounds as I walked as well though. More testing would be required.

"They are very rare, and very expensive. I obtained the one by chance." He answered me in a mumble. He wasn't happy with our current affair and I hardly cared. I just needed a place to start, someone this weak willed would be the best place. Easily conquered, easily controlled. The contract, if it stuck, would handle the betrayal issue fairly well as well.

Regardless, I'd need more of those Rings to begin growing my power in this border town and beyond. Finding out how they get made would be a good start as well. I eyed Griss as he led the way, Rose walking beside him. Would he know? Would it reveal more than I was ready to reveal to ask? It made me want to strangle something. I had always hated these choices, but it was life. I'd need to begin controlling what information was revealed now, rather than it coming out later and somehow biting me in the ass.

"We'll come back to that later then. You mentioned only women can actually help remove a child's Slave Mark. What kind of woman, and how much will it cost me?" He paused a second, almost a flinch before turning his head toward Rose in a nervous gesture. I couldn't see his face, but I imagined he was worried she'd lash out at him. She wouldn't, but he didn't need to know that.

"The whore house women. The Madam runs the Cleaner Crew I was apart of and likes adding to her numbers. I don't know what she would charge you. A time of service, becoming a male prostitute. Anything is possible."

That one had me frowning. She was probably a power in the small towns underworld. Ran the Brothels, obtained secrets and information that idiots whispered in the throws of false bliss. Could I turn her into a tool? It would take time. Information.

"What are her own...preferences? Women, men, little girls, little boys?" The question shocked him enough he actually stopped and turned to look at me aghast. I wasn't sure why, it should be fairly simple to answer.

"I don't know. She keeps her bedroom locked and quiet. No one has seen or heard of her taking clients or others to her bed since she became a Madam."

I see, a secret lover among her guard or something else. I'd need another way to get her alone with me, or at least to begin trusting me. Since I couldn't become a sexual outlet, that I knew of, I'd try through might.

That had me eyeing Rose who has stopped alongside Griss and was looking at him , a hand on her sword. "How are the rules about Guardian Rings?"

Griss sidestepped away from Rose, realizing she had stopped next to him and looked nervous again. He licked his lips, likely to moisten them a bit before answering me. " They are treated as a part of the Ring Bearers person. I'd still put her away before going into town though. The Guard are under Brits rule, they will try to take it."

He continued without the prompt. "Brit is the local Thief Guilds liaison. He bribes the Guard and ensures anything of value is reported to him, or stolen for him at the gates."

Another pawn, or someone to remove. I'd likely remove him and alleviate someone below that I twist to my will. All for the future though. First I needed that fucking foothold. The whores were my best bet with that. No matter how jaded a woman, unless they were truly sick, they would show some form of compassion for an injured child that has been as abused as this new body has been. I'd use that and find someone that had the...preferences I needed to turn into a willing accomplice in taking over the Brothels. Thankfully, I did indeed have ten years for this. I mentally set the goal for a maximum of one year to rule the underworld of this town.

We moved in silence from that point on. I had a lot to begin planning and the little information Griss had to tell me afterwards was worth nothing. The town had one Ring Maker, apparently graded as an F Ring Maker who was controlled by the Mayor. A single armorer and weapon smith. Apothecary and what could be called a Mercenary Guild. Which happened to be the third part in the town's little underworld triumvirate. I knew how to handle that one though. Mercs always followed the strongest. That one was a matter of me healing my battered and bruised body while putting on some weight and making Rose more powerful than she was.

About half-way through or jaunt on this ridiculous road we encountered a minor issue. Said issue was a group of little squat green men with large pointy ears, bulbous eyes, and narrow hooked noses. They looked like the freakiest combination of a modern day midget and a frog that were melded together and starved. They also had an annoyingly high pitched cackle. Were they pretending to be witches of some sort?

"Goblins!" Griss saved me more guess at the odd little things and called them Goblins. The name sounded familiar, had the munchkin mentioned them before? The fact they were actually moving toward us shouting out 'Woman! Woman! Woman!' led me to believe they were hardly friendly. That and the fact Griss was pissing himself. That part was just nasty.

"Rose, be a dear?" she moved moved forward at my behest, drawing her blade and readying her shield. This seemed like a good time to test a few things out with Rose. Could I actively direct her in combat?

The Goblins came in faster, moving toward a trot and shouting 'Woman!' again while I had Rose adopt a basic stance based on a mental image. She did it almost perfectly with her buckler out and sword blade resting on the top of the piece of wood. The minor delay would prove fatal in more serious conflicts but aside from their speed these three Goblins seemed incredibly weak.

One tried to flank her, I told her to ignore him and lash out at the one on the left in front of her with her buckler and thrust at the second with her blade. Mental commands, mind you. I made sure the image matched the directions and again she parroted the move nearly perfectly. A benefit of being undead and having no real pain sensors to keep her body from making odd motions, or being a Guardian? It could even be a bonus of what she is, a Death Knight. More to learn.

I sighed at the distraction that thought process gave me when the little green thing flanking her landed on her back, trying to bring her to the ground no doubt. I could imagine the look on his face when Rose didn't fall down, but in fact grabbed the little green fuck by the back of his neck, her sword currently in the chest of a dying Goblin and whipped him off her, ignoring the blade that dug a large gouge down her cheek. I think they caught on when she didn't actually bleed.

"Undead! Undead! Ick! No mate! Kill!!!" At least I think that's what the one in her grasp was screaming. The fact she actually cut him off after the second 'undead' by biting into his neck, causing the rest of his words to be a gurgling mess made it difficult.

She dropped that Goblin and picked up her sword like I told her to do, though I felt a reluctance in releasing her little meal. It made me narrow my eyes a bit, but I ignored it for the time being. I sent her after the little green prick that was trying to run away. It was comical, really, watching it stumble backwards and scream in a high pitched voice while Rose moved toward him at a quick trot. She had no need to run after the thing, he was tangling himself up in fear.

I had her only slit that one's throat, I wanted to test a theory again before anything else was done. "Good, you can eat the one you bit. Griss, bring the first one over toward me. I'll have Rose bring the last one."

Rose seemed to enjoy the concept of eating the little Goblin. Something to deal with her being undead? The fact that one bite actually seemed to have healed her made me think she had a form of regenerative ability based on devouring flesh. A very useful ability.

Griss did his best to ignore the sight of the lovely looking Death Knight bent over the Goblin corpse, devouring it in a very noisy manner, and instead focused on me. He still flinched at every sound she made, be it sucking marrow from a bone or cracking the bones to get at the marrow. I'd work on her eating habits another day. It really did sound grotesque.

I pulled up the Corpse stat on the first Goblin with a thought and got what I wanted.

{Goblin Corpse

Condition - Decent

Grade - G

A weak creatures corpse. }

{Goblin Corpse

Condition - Decent

Grade - G

A weak creatures corpse.}

They were both the exact same in terms of information. The lowest grade and pathetic. It made me smile a bit, that didn't matter with my own abilities. I went over a few options I wanted to test out. One being what would happen if I fussed two Goblin Corpse' together? I mentally did that and received an interesting message in return.

Fusion of two Corpses will have unique Results, continue?

Interesting. I looked over at Griss who was looking confused and distinctly green around the gills from the sounds, and now stench, of Rose enjoying her meal. Would it be a good enough time to start revealing a small bit to him? He was my font of information and tied to me. Knowing I could create Rings would only let him better plan until I obtained the needed knowledge to do it myself.

"Griss" he jumped slightly at being addressed and focused on me again. "I'm about to do something, it cannot be revealed. Before that though, do you happen to have any herbs related to healing?" May as well test another theory about the flexibility of this odd system I seem to have acquired.

"I, um, that is...yes. I have a few. Wh-what are you going to do my Lord?" I sighed a bit at that. Rose called me it regardless but I suppose this idiot picked it up from her. "Crispin, Griss, call me by my name for now. As for what I plan to do, I'm going to create a Ring for you."

I snatched the little herb he had brought to me and ignored his flabbergasted appearance. He started saying something but I was focused on what the 'Forge' would do with the new addition. I mentally added the two Goblins again and then the little healing herb while ignoring the prompt about fusing two corpses in the process. When I mentally accepted the prompt the Ring came up in the strange viewing platform and told me it would be a kind of Guardian as well.

I smiled, it truly was flexible and accommodated multiple options. I mentally forged the Ring and the two Corpses began glowing and revolving around the little healing herb before fusing into one bright light.

What fell to the ground was a single Ring stylized in the shape of a Goblins head, though a bit more robust looking. I picked it up, and could only be pleased with the theory working. I'd managed to create something that would be very, very useful as time went on.

{Hob-Goblin - Healer

Grade - G

Durability -10/10

Type - Summoned Guardian, Growth.

0/6,000}