Monroe

Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-One. Thidwell is not evil.

Thidwell was dangerously close to smiling. Events had proceeded even better than he had hoped. Being a pessimist, the bar wasn't awfully high, but still.

He had bled Harbordeep. Bob's pamphlets combined with his own knowledge and access to his Dungeon, freely offered, had emptied Harbordeep of the people who were the most vulnerable to the predations of the Noble Houses.

Holmstead now played host to over four thousand refugees, a number that was double its previous population. Tripling the citizens of his city had been trying, but his homegrown nobles, House Meer and Crenshaw, were good people who understood that their Nobility carried obligations, not privileges. They'd each stepped up in their own way. The apartment buildings were nearly full now, but the influx from Harbordeep was slowing to a trickle.

He was aware that Everwood had received its own influx, and the reports from the Adventurers Guilds indicated the Crystal Falls, Quartz River, and Three Oaks had all seen refugees of their own.

It warmed his heart to know that the Nobles of Harbordeep would have to do their work without the benefit of their servants.

He was coming up from the Dungeon when he paused, his keen ears catching loud voices from above.

"I'll wait," a woman's voice said firmly.

It was a young voice, but with everyone from Harbordeep reincarnating, that meant little. It could belong to a teenager who had recently been a grandmother.

"This is your scheduled delve, and these are the shepherds assigned to it," Thidwell recognized Kelli's voice, which was odd. The man rarely left the Guild these days, save for his own delves. He made a mental note that Kelli was past due for being assigned an assistant. Possibly two.

"You see?" An exasperated male voice asked, "They don't want to be shepherded by us, despite our having never lost a fresher, we're not good enough."

"What exactly are you waiting for?" Kelli asked. "You've reincarnated, you have your Affinity Crystals, and to be quite frank, all of you are armed and armored."

"These two might be shepherds," The woman allowed, "but they aren't Bob trained. We're getting a fresh start," other voices murmured their agreement, "and this time we're doing it right. We aren't rushing things, taking skills because we need them in the short term. We're planning long-term. You could be great shepherds, but you aren't Bob trained, so we'll wait till there is a Bob trained shepherd available."

"Stars and stones," Thidwell heard Kelli mumble, and he decided it was time to put in an appearance.

He lumbered up the stairs, deliberately allowing his feet to fall heavily on the steps. As he reached the top, he looked over the small group that had gathered at the entrance. He recognized Kelli, of course, and Braki and Joam were known to him as well, as they'd been delving the Dungeon in Holmstead for years. They'd occasionally picked up freshers to shepherd when Harv and Elli were swamped and were good men, even if they'd leveled slowly.

Two young women and two young men stood together, one of the young women slightly ahead of the others. Thidwell didn't recognize them, which wasn't surprising.

"What seems to be the trouble here?" He rumbled, projecting his voice, so it filled the mausoleum.

He'd read something in the novels Bob had brought from Earth. 'Never ask a question you don't know the answer to.'

He rather liked that, as it served to maintain his image when he appeared to instantly grasp the situation and provide a solution for any problems that might arise.

"This group of freshers is requesting a different shepherd," Kelli explained, "apparently, Braki and Joam aren't suitable. They want someone who is 'Bob trained.'"

"It would be rather difficult for Braki and Joam to have been trained by Bob when they were already shepherds here in Holmstead when Bob came here at level zero," Thidwell replied drily.

"We're happy to wait," the young woman said firmly, tucking a strand of raven black hair behind her ear. "People who are shepherded by those who are Bob trained end up being more successful, and they never die in the Dungeon."

"You do understand that by refusing these shepherds, you'll be placed back on the bottom of the list?" Thidwell asked.

All four of the freshers winced, but the woman nodded resolutely.

"So be it," Thidwell grumbled, "Kelli, get the next group in here, you for clear out."

"Thanks," Kelli said quietly as the group left. "I've heard about some freshers wanting shepherds who'd been shepherded themselves by Bob, but this is the first time I've seen a group refuse."

"We've had a few grumblers," Joam said, "whining about how we weren't teaching them the rules." He shook his head. "We've never lost a fresher, not one."

"Nothing against Bob," Braki added, "he's a good sort, and he's done a lot of good for Holmstead. We've been shepherding for years, though, and we know our business."

"I'm well aware of the fine work you've done for Holmstead yourselves," Thidwell rumbled, "I've leaned on you two heavily over the years. I was actually hoping that you two might be considering reincarnation yourselves."

Braki and Joam exchanged a look that spoke of confusion, and Thidwell restrained a sigh. "You are both valuable members of the Adventurers Guild here in Holmstead, but I'm worried that without taking advantage of an Affinity Crystal, you'll be eclipsed by those who have," he began. "I could see both of you taking up senior positions in the Guild, delegating the shepherding while you apply your hard-earned skills towards more broad objectives."

"We thought about it," Joam admitted, looking at Braki, who nodded in support, "but we didn't want to end up cooling our heels with the rest of the freshers."

"It's settled then," Thidwell smiled, "I'll ensure that your names are at the front of the list. What Affinity Crystals would you prefer?"

"Well, we were both thinking about the dimensionalist path," Braki said, "figured we'd need dimensionalist more than ever, and if I used an Abjuration Crystal, and Joam used a Conjuration Crystal, we'd still be well set up for delving, or even shepherding."

Thidwell nodded, his smile broadening. Braki and Joam were part of his program that offered free shepherding to any child who lost a parent in a wave. They'd been orphaned in the same wave at the age of four and five, respectively, and they'd grown up in the Guild. They'd been taught and trained for loyalty to the Guild and its members above all else. It was a large part of the reason they'd become shepherds and the reason they were good at it.

His plans continued to pay dividends, as a pair of dedicated dimensionalists would be a welcome addition.

He pulled out a pair of Dimension Affinity Crystals, as well as a Conjuration and an Abjuration Affinity Crystal, and passed them over.

"Head to the church and reincarnate," Thidwell instructed them, following up the Affinity Crystals with a pouch filled with mana crystals. "There's a thousand mana crystals in there, it'll cover the cost of reincarnation as well as your first five levels."

He leveled a stern gaze at the pair, his smile fading. "You'll need to advance quickly," he warned them, "which will mean some long delves. I know you two play it safe and cautious, but you'll need to put in the hours to get to where I'll need you." He scratched his chin.

"Four months," he said sternly. "I want you at the level cap in four months, understand?"

Braki and Joam nodded solemnly.

"Vi'Radia light your paths," Thidwell intoned, making a dismissive gesture.

He turned to Kelli as Braki and Joam hurried out of the mausoleum.

"Well, that's sorted," he sighed. "What are you doing here?"

"Covering for Austan," Kelli replied with a sigh. "He's taking a day off to help Bob with some project or another, and being as I can swap in the necessary skills..." He shrugged.

Thidwelll grimaced. Austan was another valuable resource he'd cultivated. His allegiance, however, was ultimately to the Church, although outside of any conflicts, he always sided with the Guild.

"I understand," Thidwell smiled at Kelli. "I've been remiss in not recognizing just how heavy your workload has become," he shook his head, "so I'd like you to pick out a pair of assistants, people who can be trusted to handle some of the tedious work that doesn't necessarily require your expertise."

"Who?" Kelli asked in surprise.

"Any member of the Adventurers Guild that is willing," Thidwell replied, "I'm certain that you'll find skilled clerks amongst the refugees who reincarnated. You can offer them immediate placement into the Dungeon in exchange for a year's worth of work on their parts. If they have a group, we'll find work for the rest of them."

"Right," Kelli muttered, his eyes alight. Thidwell knew he was mentally reviewing candidates already.

"Good man," Thidwell gave Kelli another smile and a gentle pat on the shoulder before making his way out of the mausoleum.

As he crossed the plaza, he nodded to the people who scurried out his way, his mind rolling around an idea.

'Bob trained.'

It wasn't surprising, not really. Despite his lack of social graces, the man had a way about him, an open honesty of sorts. It pulled people in, and they bonded to the man because of his flaws, rather than in spite of them. He needed only look at the Endless to see the depth of the friendships Bob had built.

He walked through the tavern and up the stairs to his office, still lost in thought. He waved a hand over his desk, and a miniature of Holmstead's valley grew out of the top of it. He gestured, and a point towards the south took primacy, enlarging to take over the top of the desk.

It was a gorge that ran half a mile into the mountains before opening up to a small bowl, perhaps two hundred feet across. It was outside of the draw from Holmstead's Dungeon, and over the years, several small, naturally occurring Dungeons had appeared there.

Leaving the miniature in place, he moved to a shelf and pulled out a sheaf of papers from a stack. He leafed through them, selected one, and placed the rest back where they belonged. He walked back over to the desk and compared the bowl with a sketch on the paper.

He'd had an idea, years ago when he'd first arrived, of building a smaller Dungeon on the edge of Holmstead, where he could employ servants to toil for long shifts, gathering low-level crystals. He'd planned to purchase their contracts from the Noble bastards in Harbordeep and then allow them to buy themselves out, leveling up in the process, at which point they would become loyal citizens of Holmstead.

That particular plan hadn't ever come to fruition. He'd grossly underestimated the cost of buying out a contract in Harbordeep, and he would have ended up working them for years just to recoup the loss. Considering the likely rate of casualties over that time period, they were marginally better off where they were.

He'd gotten to the point of planning out the Dungeon, though.

While he and Bob were effectively even, he'd heard enough about Bob's antics as a shepherd to assume, from his knowledge of the man, that Bob had enjoyed it.

It wouldn't take him but a week to build out a small Dungeon down to the tenth or eleventh floor, especially if he kept it sized for a single group. He would need to consider what to offer him.

'Bob's Shepherding Academy' had a nice ring to it. A small structure atop the entrance of the Dungeon, similar to what Bob had done in Glacier Valley, with a tavern and rooms. A statue of Thidwell's father at the entrance, dedicating the endeavor to his memory, should serve as a subtle reminder as to who they really had to thank for the opportunity. Hopefully, it would also serve to spark the students' curiosity, leading them to discover the tragedy of his father's death and the treacherous nature of the Nobles of Harbordeep.

He'd announce the founding of the facility quietly, but he'd make sure to do so with a pamphlet, as those tended to endure. It would be best if, in the years to come, Thidwell's name was linked firmly with the Academy.

Thidwell was certain that the Endless would be more than happy to handle the construction of the tavern above. They'd probably even build it in the same style as their towers, which would serve as another positive association. If he gave them free enough reign and approached the correct individuals, they'd likely outfit the inside for free as well, although that might result in an alcove dedicated to 'He Who Walks Before.'

He was not unaware of the small group of people within the Endless who seemed to be determined to deify Bob. He was also rather certain that Bob was entirely unware of those efforts and sincerely hoped he was present when he found out, as that particular event held the potential for vast entertainment.

Carefully pulling out his cellular phone, he tapped on his contact list. Granting Jack the privilege of erecting that eyesore of a tower atop his Guild had turned out to be a blessing beyond his expectations. Financially, it was even more lucrative than he'd expected, as it seemed that everyone wanted one of the devices. Parents even bought them for their children as a way of ensuring they could get them to come home for dinner or just to check up on them.

Personally, he was enamored with the simple fact that each phone showed the time and that every one of them showed the same time. He'd never even realized how accepting he'd been of people wasting his time by being late. With the advent and adoption of cellular phones, people were punctual, and if they were going to be late, they called to let him know.

Thidwell smiled as he carefully tapped the contact labeled Endless - Anni.

The Academy would serve to train excellent Shepherds and bring even more prestige to Holmstead, and by association, Thidwell. It would solve the issue of too few shepherds while ensuring those who were trained there met a stringent standard of excellence. Those who graduated would be given preferential treatment within the Guild, at least at Holmstead. He was certain the other Guilds would do so as well, pressured by their members as word spread.

He smiled as he heard Anni's voice.

There was nothing like a plan that served a multitude of purposes, especially when they ultimately served his.