CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT: GEARING UP 

 

Arriving back in town, Gabriel unloaded the supplies he bought from the Market District with Minoko. Walking around the still ramshackle village, Gabriel introduced Minoko to most things and current plans. The small black haired Reaver’s eyes never stopped roaming, as she kept quiet during majority of Gabriel’s tour. Asking very few questions, Minoko’s sharp eyes appeared to be capturing every little detail in sight. The pair arrived at the construction area for the new homes. Gabriel told the workers about the delivery of materials coming soon, while also introducing Minoko as his head steward and that they could go to her for any questions or problems in the future.  

 

The pair spent an hour walking around before finally ending the tour back at the multi-floored mansion on top of Eagle Peak. Once they exited the tunnel that led toward the top of the small mountain, Gabriel finally saw a small smile creep up on Minoko’s usually stalwart face. Eyes that usually held a deep abyss like darkness, suddenly flashed with an appreciative light at the sight of the Japanese style manor. Minoko’s slight upturned lips turned back into a straight line, once they entered through the main gates and onto the narrow path leading to the front door. Minoko frowned at the site of the narrow path that was still lined with hideous depictions of the [Horned One] and his harem.  

 

 

Gabriel’s eyes tightened at the sight of the statues, after his actual confrontation with the [Horned One], these wacky depictions of a smiling Faun in various sexual positions, didn’t do justice to the powerful demi-god of the corrupted Wicca Witches. Minoko walked past the statues like they were nothing but air, arriving at the front door she slid it open and stood to the side, waiting for Gabriel to catch up so he could enter first. Gabriel received a small bow and responded with one of his own as he entered the manor first. Minoko followed behind him and started walking around the bottom floor. As Minoko was inspecting this and that, she didn’t notice Irene enter through the back sliding-door that led from the dried-up garden out back. Due to Irene’s Elven heritage, she made next to no noise as she walked, her steps as graceful and soft as a dancer, appearing as if she was gliding across the ground. 

 

The noise of the sliding door opening was what caught Minoko’s attention. Her back was facing the now open door and when she heard the sound, she whipped around while unsheathing her two curved swords in a flash. Gabriel eyes widened slightly at the sight of how smooth and practiced Minoko looked when wielding her blades.  

 

“Who are you? State your business in the Baron’s manor?” Minoko ordered, her two swords pointing straight at Irene.  

 

“How dare you ask me what I am doing in my own Lord’s manor! I order you to tell me your name and reason for bringing your weapons into the Baron’s home!” Irene ordered right back, not giving up an inch.  

 

Gabriel didn’t know exactly when, but at almost the same time Minoko pulled out her swords, he noticed a flash of light come from Irene’s hands and a short wooden bow came into existence, accompanied with a green arrow already knocked.  

 

“Hey ladies, calm down. This is my fault. I’m sorry, I forgot to tell Minoko about you Irene.” Gabriel quickly interrupted, trying to diffuse the sudden Mexican standoff.  

 

Minoko looked over at Gabriel after his words, giving him a raised brow and a searching look. Accompanied by the ‘shwick’ sound of Minoko sheathing her scimitars, Irene’s hand flashed again and her bow disappeared into thin air.  

 

“I apologise, I didn’t know you had a mistress in this world. I won’t pry into your personal affairs but I recommend keeping it a secret, as any weakness could be used against you at some point, especially a sexual weakness.” Minoko replied, in her normal emotionless tone.  

 

Gabriel began to chuckle, thinking Minoko was giving him a joking jab but cut off short when he looked into her deadpan face. Spluttering for a moment, Gabriel looked over to Irene for her to quickly answer but she just gave him a small smile with a wink for good measure. ‘And here I was thinking I was taking in a demure and downtrodden rural lass but I’m beginning to wonder if she isn’t a mischievous fox in disguise’. Gabriel thought to himself.  

 

“That’s not what I mean at all Minoko. Irene has become my retainer, for reasons I will tell you about later. Her role in my new house hold will be two-fold. First one being to run everything involving the home and guests. The other will be assisting you with administrative duties. Irene knows majority of the villagers here and can help with many things, she has also received formal training as a stewardess.” Gabriel explained, with Minoko nodding along while she re-inspected the now calmly standing Irene.  

 

“Okay then. Makes sense, I imagine I could use the help. There will be many things I don’t know about around here. There is only so much you can research online at the moment. With everyone trying to get into the higher paying guilds right now, people are using their current new found knowledge and secrets they’ve learned about the world as bargaining chips for better positions. A lot of previous posts that people posted in the forums have been taken down.” Minoko explained, not addressing the mistake that she made of Gabriel having a mistress.  

 

Once Minoko started talking about subjects in the real world, like forums on the internet, Irene had a slight glazed look on her face for the briefest of moments. It was as if the sentence didn’t make sense to her or was spoken in a foreign language, but she also didn’t seem to remember the sentence happened either and skirted over it.  

 

“I’m Irene, it is nice to meet you Mistress [Mino]. Lord [Osiris] has told me about you, however he didn’t say that you were such a refined looking beauty. I think if he was to choose out of either of us, you would be his obvious choice for secret lover.” Irene proclaimed, while walking over to Minoko and offering a small curtsy.  

 

To Gabriel’s surprise, Minoko let out a soft chuckle at Irene’s comment, that sounded rich and light to his ears.  

 

“Thank you, Irene. You are quite the beauty yourself. I can’t help but notice the parchments in your hand, are you taking inventory of the manor or writing down a list of items needed?” Minoko asked.  

 

“Honestly the manor is so empty, it took me only a little time to write the small inventory of items. The rest of the two parchments are full of items needed, a lot of it being furniture but I also wrote down a couple of people we could use as staff. For instance, a cook and gardener. I also wanted to bring up the fact that I don’t like the Lord’s personal abode having not one guard. Any old person or thief could just waltz in and take whatever they wan...” Irene began to explain to Minoko, as the two ladies walked off together towards the stairs.  

 

Gabriel raised his hand to offer an opinion but left it hanging there, as the ladies eventually left his sight, entering the second floor.  

 

 

“Well, I can’t complain at being ignored or forgotten I suppose... I did tell Minoko that I needed her to take over here for me. But damn, it was a tad quick.” Gabriel muttered to himself with chagrin as began to follow the ladies.  

 

The pair of stewards were in deep conversation when Gabriel caught up to them, they were gesturing around the manor’s second floor with their arms pointing out at various things. Gabriel heard the end of a conversation, it appeared to be about racking and storage.  

 

“Ladies, I am going to head to the study, I will meet you there.” Gabriel interjected, both women waved their hands in acknowledgement but didn’t pause their conversation.  

 

Gabriel trudged up the stairs by himself and entered his study. Looking over the Territory Map and accessing the functions. There weren't many changes to the overall scheme of things, as the people had just stated building. The overall public order had risen by +10. Due to his successful rescue of Sarah and the distribution of food to the starving villagers, their trust in him had grown. The small increase bought a smile to Gabriel’s face, as he had heard once in his past, that for every positive increment of twenty-five in overall public order, it gave the territory bonuses. However, Gabriel wasn’t sure what exactly those bonuses were, he guessed it was things along the lines of increases to the speed of production or crop yield but would have to wait until he hit his first 25 in the positives.  

 

Not needing to do anything to the Territory settings for now, Gabriel walked over to the high-backed chair behind the desk and sat down. Accessing his inbox, Gabriel opened the message he received from [SuperDad], that he only briefly looked over on the ride back to town.  

 

[Hey Gab, I have just entered the novice village and you were right. This world is incredible. I just stubbed my toe and it literally felt like I had stubbed my toe, like in real life. As you said you were online, you might not have received my early email on the server Minoko made for us. I just thought I would let you know there is a team of three looking after your family right now. We have also implemented a camera system that covers everywhere in a four block radius. One thing to note though is, one of the men guarding your folks, code named: Sven, has reported that he believes your father Kristof has already noticed their presence. I don’t care that your old man is in a wheel chair, I wouldn’t put it past the tiger to find a way to inflict harm on them, last thing we need on the first day of ops is friendly fire. Please tell me you talked to your father, at least somewhat?   

 

I have to head off soon if I am to make quick work of this rookie village place and get to you as quick as I can. I have all your previous advice remembered, so I believe I should be good. The main reason for this message is to notify you that two others have joined the Deliverance Online team as well. Haruto and Akio are currently working their way through the Novice Village too. You remember them I hope, they helped train you for a couple of months at the training centre. 

 

Anyways, best be moving and slaying these rabid rabbits, SuperDad signing pff.] 

 

 

A small chuckle escaped Gabriel’s lips as he read over the message, that felt more like a letter. ‘I need to show him how to enter voice chat conversation next time. Would be a lot quicker.’ Gabriel mused to himself, noting it as something to talk about later. Writing an equally long reply, Gabriel also added [SuperDad] to his friends list so that they could use all the voice functions. After two unsuccessful attempts at trying to contact Tom for a voice chat, Gabriel also sent him a message, asking for an update on his Profession quest and if he should start building a smithery for him yet.  

 

Gabriel also spent some time looking for a name of someone he met near the start of his second entry into Deliverance Online. Once finding the man’s name, Gabriel sent him a PM asking to meet up tomorrow morning before he was scheduled to muster at the Legionnaire camp. The sound of a knock on the study door, brought Gabriel to look towards the entrance and let out a shout of “Come in!” Originally thinking it would be the two ladies, Gabriel was slightly surprised to see a smiling Sarah and a nervous looking Billy enter in. 

 

“Hey guys, what brings you here? Is everything okay?” Gabriel queried; the sight of the sweating Billy was making him a little nervous too.  

 

“It’s nothing serious my Lord. The construction has restarted and the woodcutter brothers plus one or two men from the village are helping the laborers, so the first home is coming along quickly.” Sarah reported.  

 

“Thanks for the update, Sarah. So, what is the reason for your visit then? Why does Billy look like he has stolen something from me and is about to catch a beating?” Gabriel asked, giving Billy his best disarming smile along with a wink.  

 

The comforting gesture didn’t appear to have worked, as Billy appeared even more nervous. Even with Sarah being the younger and smaller of the pair. A look of maturity could be found on her face, as she gave Billy a stare, with her head tilting towards Gabriel. Gabriel could even hear her whisper “go ahead, his not going to bite”, to the older boy. Billy nodded and like a man confessing a sin, he took a step forward and got down on one knee.  

 

“Baron [Osiris], I humb... humbly request you to take me into your service. I don’t really have any skills or formal education. My parents passed away a year ago and I do odd jobs around the village for the people, like repairs, picking herbs and such. I don’t want to just become a laborer though. Before my father passed, he trained me in the spear and bow a little. He was a good hunter and always said I was a fast learner.” Billy said in a rush, before taking a breath to compose himself for a moment. “I want to become a warrior like you my Lord, I believe I have what it takes. Please, give me a chance.” Billy implored with head bowed.   

 

[William has requested to become your retainer and join your household. Do you accept his eternal service. Yes or No?] 

 

With face bare of much emotion, Gabriel stared down at the now kneeling Billy. ‘Now how the hell did this happen. I don’t want to be cruel but what am I to do with a retainer with no skills, that I’ll basically have to train from scratch.’ Gabriel mulled over the sudden request. Trying his best to be analytical about the subject, Gabriel opened his mouth to reject Billy but closed it after the much stronger, emotional part of his brain took over. ‘I suppose it could be alright to sculpt a retainer into a warrior of my choice.’  

 

“Alright Billy, I hereby accept to take William into my household. By his Patron God, I swear.” Gabriel intoned.  

 

“I, William, swear to serve Baron [Osiris] faithfully and deliver any and all orders given with his honor in mind. I swear it in the name of my patron god, Mars.” William vowed.  

 

A deep, rumbling chuckle could be heard coming from the sky after Billy said the name Mars. Billy looked up towards the roof, eyes shining with reverence. Gabriel didn’t bother to give the reverberating laugh two seconds of attention; he had heard many of such signs in acknowledgement of certain deeds in his past.  

 

“Rise up Billy.” Gabriel ordered, as he sat back down in his office chair and continued. “I should have known your chosen God would have been Mars, I'm guessing you have been wanting to be a warrior for a long time, right?” Gabriel asked.  

 

“That’s right my Lord. Since I was little, I was actually captured by the previous owners of this land because I tried to slay a couple of the Witches. I knew they were on their way down the mountain to take Sarah away and I tried to ambush them. I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing. It was foolish though; I was knocked out and captured after only a few seconds of fighting.” Billy explained, his eyes downcast in remembrance and shame. 

 

“True, it was foolish Billy. Luckily my companions managed to clear out the Witches and get to you in time. You must always remember that haste makes waste. Charging in without any plan doesn’t make you brave, and could bring more harm than good. Hopefully there won’t be a need to rescue you the next time, because you will at least be skilled enough to handle escaping on your own.” Gabriel admonished with a soft voice, carrying no real heat.  

 

Checking the clock, Gabriel decided he had some time to kill and he would only need to take a short nap before heading into Roma at dawn. Slapping his armoured thighs, Gabriel rose again and headed towards to door.  

 

“Now, seeing how the ladies still seem busy, let’s head out the back and get your training started. I plan to eventually have you train with the Soldiers from the Legionnaire camp, once the Barracks is set up for them. Until then though, I will do some training with you.” Gabriel ex plained, while holding the door open for Billy and Sarah to exit.  

 

After Minoko and Irene finished the tour of the mansion and making what appeared to be multiple lists, that filled their hands. The two Stewards of Baron [Osiris] headed out the backdoor, after being notified of their Lord/Boss’s position, by the sounds of metal clashing against each other in the back garden. 

 

Billy was in the process of trying to get through Gabriel’s guard, when the two ladies entered. Billy was equipped with a long spear in one hand and a rounded shield in the other, while Gabriel had the same, his spear was the much better quality, [Spear of Sparta] however. The sound of Billy’s spear tip screeching off of Gabriel’s shield was suddenly cut short by a pained groan escaping the young retainer's lips, as the butt end of Gabriel’s spear had found its way into his stomach and sent him back a couple of steps.  

 

“Remember William, if your spear is deflected after a straight thrust like that, you must be ready with your shield to defend a counter attack. Until we increase your levels so that your fast enough to bring your long spear back in time for other moves, you need to heavily focus on your defence. Understood?” Gabriel ordered, doing his best impression of his dad’s stern instructor voice.  

 

Gabriel noticed the ladies making their way towards him after they saw he had stopped the current spar. Checking the time again, Gabriel realized he had been sparring for close to two hours.  

 

“Good start Billy. I have some things to do now, so we will stop here. I will get the woodcutters to bring up some thick logs for you to use as training dummies. I will be gone for majority of tomorrow and might not be back until the day after. Focus on the strike and defense positions I taught you for now, okay?” Gabriel instructed.  

 

Receiving only a nod in confirmation from his new, slightly flustered and out of breath, retainer, Gabriel threw him a flask of water before he turned to the ladies.  

 

“We are all done for now my Lord, Mistress [Mino] will make a very fine addition to this budding territory of yours. You are very lucky. I have a few things to do now as well and will take my leave. I was just notified that the delivery of supplies you ordered is not far and I will take inventory before it is distributed. I will also take it upon myself to carry your request to the woodcutters for you. Good day my Lord, Mistress [Mino].” Irene explained before saying goodbye with a curtsy as she turned and headed swiftly towards the front door. 

 

“I like her. Intelligent, personable and inquisitive but knows when to ask a question and when not too. I agree with Irene, you are very lucky, to be able to find someone of her caliber in this backwater tiny village.” Minoko informed Gabriel.  

 

Gabriel nodded in agreement with the women’s statement, he was very lucky, almost too lucky. It was something that he had taken note of but didn’t want to focus on because he couldn’t figure out where to start. Gabriel knew in his past life that he was the furthest from lucky, every one of his choices only led him further down a deep abyss of despair. Nothing truly went right for him. However, at his second attempt at life, it felt to Gabriel that an invisible hand was setting up almost perfect, or at the very least most desired, situations for him. Where all had to do was walk into them and they would play out exactly how he wanted. ‘Well except for the problem with the A.I. in the gods going haywire. I don’t really have any good ideas for that yet’ Gabriel thought to himself.  

 

Gabriel escorted Minoko to the study, where the two chatted for multiple hours about the plans Irene and Minoko had cooked up. As well as the ones Gabriel wanted implemented soon. Such as certain items that he wanted to be bought in bulk as he knew the demand for them would rise dramatically, also there were items only someone with a Noble title could obtain, and as Gabriel’s Head Steward, Minoko could purchase them in his place. Once the Players stared finding some of the more environmental dungeons, certain potions for fire or poison resistance will become very hot items and current market wouldn’t be able to satisfy the demand. Gabriel knew a couple of recipes and where to find them, all he needed was a trusted alchemist to brew them for him. Preferably someone that was a permanent member of their soon to be created Guild.  

 

Once it was truly night in Deliverance Online, the pair finished up their planning. Minoko left to log off and go to sleep, as she planned to log on at around mid-day tomorrow to complete the many tasks Gabriel had given her. Gabriel however, decided to only have a brief nap in his chair. A Player could sleep in Deliverance Online, the FIVR capsule helped to put your mind to sleep but it wasn’t a full, deep sleep and one couldn’t wash away true fatigue. Gabriel woke up a couple of hours before dawn and stretched his tight muscles, while looking out his balcony. Deciding to head down the mountain his new favorite way, Gabriel took a small run up and flung himself off the balcony. Freefalling only for a moment before activating [Glide] and soared down the mountain. 

 

Once on the ground, Gabriel summoned his mount and headed towards Roma. [Alastor] must have felt his master’s excitement, as he began to get a little jittery and took off at a gallop straight away.  

 

“Haha. I'm sure you can feel it buddy. Today will be my first battle since returning. Even if it's a minor conflict, two armies will clash. It's as if my blood is boiling with excitement!" Gabriel yelled to his Mount, and the joy on his face spoke volumes about the reasons for his previous life nickname and the new one, which after that day, would become even more famous than the old.