ALL NOVEL Chapter 86 – Floor 9: Part 7
Chapter 86 – Floor 9: Part 7
Ding!
The notification from his wristband rang out, audible to only Mathew’s ears. With it came the burning letters he had come to expect.
“Finally.” Mathew said, the noise interrupting his musings on what else he would need to do to accomplish his goal of conquering Reesh. If it had been any longer, he would have started to consider more drastic measures.
The burning letters revealed Mathew’s next steps.
Congratulations on completing your objective. Reesh is now entirely under your control. The god of Mischievous Depravity has granted you a boon as a reward. A surprise is waiting for you in the town square.
The god of Mischievous Depravity hopes that you are pleased with their gift.
Mathew snorted out loud when he read that. A gift from this particular god was unlikely to be something he would want.
“I should be able to see the town square from here.” Mathew muttered as he walked to one of the large windows toward the front of the hall. Peering through a section of uncolored glass, he soon spotted the ‘gift.’
It was a statue of him. Even from this distance, he could see that it towered over the buildings around it. A cluster of Townspeople were gathered around in, pointing and staring at the sudden appearance of the magnificent work of art.
The ‘Demon Lord Mathew’ that was depicted on the statue was over twenty feet tall and wore long, flowing robes with a high collar and cloak that spread outwards as if he were in a breeze.
In his right hand was a long sword; its handle was spiked at the end, and the blade was serrated and savage looking. His left palm was raised toward the sky, and a large, black flame burned there. Mathew watched as streaks of energy shot from the flames and exploded silently in the sky above.
“I like it.” Mathew whispered, knowing his feeling of satisfaction from watching the statue came from his Discipline.
The god of Mischievous Depravity is satisfied with its work.
The words faded, and Mathew let out a chuckle. Perhaps this god wouldn’t be so terrible of a patron. Turning away from the window and its view of the gift, Mathew returned to his throne to peruse the next objective summary.
Floor 9: Every Hero Needs a Villain
Summary: You have drawn the attention of the Lords and Ladies of this land. But you are still only a small figure in their eyes, without renown or notoriety. A villain must be infamous, a Demon Lord dreaded.
Objective:
Conquer the town of Reesh.
Gain sufficient Reputation.
Current Reputation: (1/5000)
Reputation can be earned through expanding the territory you hold, the population you rule, acts of violence/malevolence or tales of the same, or inspiring terror in humanity.
Mathew closed the screen. He had no intention of terrorizing the populace of Reesh for an objective, nor did he intend to wage war against his neighbours to expand his borders. He may have the ‘Villain’ discipline, but he wasn’t a monster.
Unless…
“Mayor Goodwin.” Mathew called, using a small bit of his mana to carry his voice. It was a subtle trick he had learned on the battlefield against the fiends. It could cut through the din of war but was less effective when others surrounded him with mana. Still, it was useful for getting others' attention without shouting himself hoarse.
The Mayor quickly reentered the room. While she seemed composed on the outside, Mathew spotted traces of her unease in her movements and a slight shaking of her hands. The Mayor was still terrified of him, and despite his efforts to put her at ease, she still expected the worst from him.
“Mayor Goodwin, tell me about the surrounding lands. I know of several other settlements nearby, but are there any other areas of interest?” Mathew asked, leaning back on his throne and crossing his legs comfortably.
He had to admit, the items purchased from the shop were terrific. This throne wasn’t magical and only cost a few thousand Aether, but the cushions were comfortable enough for him to spend hours without an issue.
Mathew had outfitted the entire mansion with his remaining Aether from the cube he had crushed. It hadn’t been enough for him to purchase a level, and the shop hadn’t had any magical items or Blessings of interest, so it hadn’t felt like a waste.
Mayor Goodwin licked her lips nervously, a brief action that spoke of her discomfort at being asked about the area.
‘She likely thinks I’m about to enslave or destroy the neighbouring settlements.’ Mathew thought.
“Eastridge and Beverly are the two closest villages. I’m sure they can be convinced to join you, Demon Lord Mathew if I can have an opportunity to speak with their Mayors. There is no need for you to take action against them.” Mayor Goodwin explained a note of desperation in her tone.
Mathew waved away the statement.
“Very well. What else exists aside from those villages.” Mayor Goodwin let out a sigh of relief, no doubt thinking that she had just saved the people in those towns from the Demon Lord’s visit. Little did she know that Mathew had no intention of forcing anyone to join his territory.
They would come on their own.
Mayor Goodwin thought for a moment. A frown creased her forward as she contemplated.
“There are the old mines to the north. My husband used to trade silver from those mines before it closed, and he passed. We had petitioned Lord Algrond to clear them out so we could reopen them, but it's been a few decades and nothing has come of it.” Mayor Goodwin clarified.
“Clear them out?” Mathew asked, curious.
“They are infested by spiders. Giant monsters the size of horses.” Goodwin responded, shivering at the thought of the creatures.
“Interesting. A silver mine could bring renewed prosperity to Reesh.” Mathew’s voice trailed off.
“There are also the fishing grounds downriver, where it meets the sea. We used to be able to fish it freely before a group of vagabonds moved in and started to charge a tax.” Goodwin added.
“And the Reeve didn’t remove them?” Mathew asked.
“No, he received part of the payments. It got to be too much, but I know Eastridge and Beverly still pay it.”
“Very well. I’ll see to clearing out the mines and driving off these ‘vagabonds.’ Make inroads with those villages; inform them of how happy you are with me protecting Reesh.” Mathew jested, although his tone made him seem serious to the Mayor.
Mathew had no doubts that the villagers were terrified of him.
“You will?” Mayor Goodwin asked, shocked as the Demon Lords orders. The young man was getting off his throne and walking toward the door of the mansion before she had recovered enough to speak.
“It won’t take long. You can tell them that I have taken care of it. Let me know how they respond; I’ll be back by nightfall.” Mathew said, waving his hand in dismissal as he left.
Page Break
The area smelled like burnt hair and smoke as the fires slowly died down. Mathew kicked away one of the large corpses of the giant spiders that were infesting the mine. His enhanced body stat let him easily flick away the body, and it landed on its back with its legs curled.
“Disgusting.” Mathew grumbled.
The ground was littered with bones and the remnants of humans and animals that had been taken to feed the colony of spiders. He hadn’t even entered the mines yet, only the surface where the trees broke, and the ground sloped upwards towards a large hill.
A track had been worn into the ground, but years of growth had meant that it was mostly obscured. With his ' Summon Flames ' Blessing, he had been forced to burn away the webbing that blocked the trail, and the spiders that were hiding there.
After his time with the Fiends, he had forgotten how effective it was. The Fiends had unfortunately been immune to fire and heat, relegating that Blessing to uselessness.
The opening to the mine was in front of him now, the turning path twisted downwards into darkness. He could hear a clicking noise from within, a telltale sign that something was still alive in there.
‘Well, not for long.’ Mathew thought. Snapping his fingers, he created another bonfire, this one so large that it filled the entrance to the mine. Mathew could see dim shadows moving through the roaring flames, fearful of the flames but ready to fight to keep him out of the mine.
Pulling out a large jar of oil from his inventory, a remnant from one of the first Floors he had been on, Mathew catapulted through the fire and into the mine and waited for the resulting ‘whoosh’ of its ignition.
He wasn’t disappointed.