DD2 CH27: This is the Way

The anima culminated in the palm of Rhen’s hand as he prepared to send himself for respawn.

“Wait, my friend. This is not over yet.”

Rhen looked over his shoulder to Aki. “You should go now.”

“Just wait,” Aki whispered urgently.

Tansi stood in Rhen’s periphery. He looked to her, confused. She gave him a smile so slight, Rhen wondered if he imagined it.

“I do not agree with the sentencing.”

The room burst again with chatter. Smithen allowed the room to come to silence on its own, everyone eager to hear what Tansi had to say. Rhen’s stomach knotted with anticipation.

“I would like to absolve Rhen of all wrongdoing against the Zephitz family.”

“His debt must be paid!” Gorreck yelled, his face red with fury.

Smithen clocked his gavel. “This is true. While his sentence may no be reduced to nothing, we can agree that the marks may be reduced by half, and his sentence may be carried out elsewhere, but the fees must be paid for damages against the school, and costs incurred here for the trial.”

Arannet jumped to her feet. “May I counsel the defendant?”

Smithen scowled. “You are?”

“Arannet Jones, your honor. I am Mr. Zephitz dungeon assistant. I have information on the income and profitability of the dungeon that may be of help.”

“You may approach,” Smithen gestured with his gavel.

Arannet hopped over the people next to her on the bench and clip-clopped her way down the stairs. Rhen let the anima drain from his hand, his heart giving a little leap of hope.

She crouched next to him with a smile. “Orbeyes!”

“What?”

“Orbeyes can broadcast live visual and audio data over fair distances. If you set up a relay hub outside the dungeon, we can broadcast all the goings on inside.”

Rhen scowled. “How will that help us?”

Her smile went giddy. “We charge them for it! We haven’t had a new realm open up in fifty years, and people are eager to know what’s going on! If we broadcast everything happening, people who have receivers in their homes can be charged to access it. We can even make deals with inns and taverns for this sort of thing. Charge them daily or weekly—up front!”

“How much do you think we could charge?”

Arannet stared off toward the wall. She tapped a finger to her chin and mumbled, “Two-hundred-thousand, plus renting orbeyes, initial setup of broadcast facility, population reports from the realms, carry the five… We should charge individuals about a mark a day—not too bad—and taverns thirty.”

Rhen’s head was swimming. “How would we even coordinate that?”

Her grin broadened even more. “I know a few people who can help, for a small fee, of course.”

He could keep his dungeon, his life…

Rhen sighed heavily, the weight of everything pressing down a little less hard than it was before. “Let’s try it.”

Arannet stood up and whirled toward the deliberators. “Your honors, we would like to propose another solution. We would like to pay the debt in increments over the next two and half months on a weekly basis. To accomplish this, we will be broadcasting the live events of the dungeon business, every second of every day, for the next two months, and charging a very reasonable fee of one mark per individual household, and thirty marks per inn or tavern establishment.”

The room buzzed with excitement. Free advertising… smart woman.

Smithen blasted the overhead horn. “Allow us a moment’s deliberation.”

They retreated into the back room and the crowd chatted again. Rhen caught sight of Sen in the corner, arguing quietly with what he assumed was his wife—the Desedra by blood.

Rhen needed something to keep his mind off it, so he turned to Arannet. “Hey, not that I’m complaining, but why was it they didn’t revoke my dungeon owner license?”

Arannet shrugged. “None of your offenses were against the dungeon owner’s guild, just the Zephitz family and the delver’s school.”

“And so Welsh had his revoked because he damaged dungeon infrastructure?”

“Exactly. It was an offense against you and also the dungeon, since that can pass to anyone at any time.”

“Interesting.” Rhen appreciated that the punishments weren’t arbitrary, and was immensely grateful that he hadn’t offended the dungeon owner’s guild in some way.

The door to the deliberator’s back room opened and Rhen’s heart thudded away again. Please, gods, let them agree.

Smithen took his seat and though the crowd had instantly quieted at their approach, he clocked his gavel. “It is our decision that this is an acceptable agreement. If any payment is missed, or late, additional fees will be incurred. If the fees cannot be paid by the end of the two and a half months, coincidentally the day we are to begin inspection of the Zephitz nexus node, the sentence must be carried out by other means.”

“I will pay whatever balance remains at the end,” Tansi shouted.

“Really?” Rhen blurted.

She shrugged, smirking. “I feel like you’re good for it, eventually. Plus, I’ve been thinking about expanding the dungeons I work with, so I can keep an eye on you.”

Work… with?

Right! Tansi’s family owned a dungeon, and Tansi was a strategic delve manager, which was how she met Rhen senior in the first place.

“We find this highly unorthodox, but accept,” Smithen said with finality, then clocked his gavel.

The room erupted in cheers and clapping, and a few “boos” Rhen noticed.

Aki splashed over the retaining wall and into the dais. He wrapped around Rhen’s neck and squeezed. Arannet brought it in too. Rhen tried to raise his arms to hug them back, but he was still pinned to the chair.

The black-armored guards appeared from the side doors and unhooked Rhen from the chair. He jumped up and embraced Arannet. Tansi appeared at his side, watching with a happy smile. He and Arannet pulled her into the hug, too. She yelped, tensing at the touch at first, but after a few stiff seconds, squeezed them back.

Rhen wasn’t sure if the gods had anything to do with it, but he’d have to leave some kind of offering out for them tonight. Tears tried to come to his eyes but he breathed through them. He pulled back from the women who had just saved his hide from spending the rest of his life in Everest II. Aki slid around Rhen’s side and slipped back into his own watery mannequin body.

“Thank you,” Rhen said, looking between them.

“Glad I could help! It’s literally why I took this job,” Arannet said with a brilliant smile.

Tansi cleared her throat and straightened. “You better make the broadcasts interesting. I expect to not have to pay a single mark at the end of these few months.”

Rhen nodded. They’d get a raid cycle going on so everyone was doing somethingat all times.

He took a deep breath. “Okay, Arannet we’re going to need to meet with these friend contacts immediately. I need you to stay in town with me to get that all set up. Aki, I’ll need you to go home to talk with Wyland, Rend, and Lowt about that broadcast station—oh and tell everyone I’m not doomed… yet.”

“Tansi, do you just want progress reports?” Rhen asked, shrugging.

“I’ll be eagerly watching from home.”

Rhen’s hands balled into fists, and he grinned. The secret was out, the sneaking around was over. He could keep the life he’d built, if he worked hard enough to earn it.

The excitement couldn’t be contained any longer. He gave a howling, “Woo, yes!”

The crowd responded with a round of applause—some of them, at least. Rhen didn’t spare the Desedras a glance. He knew what their faces looked like. They would be trying to sabotage them, he knew, but he’d find a way around them. They always did, together.

Aki took a step back. “I will take my leave. I am so happy for you, Rhen.”

“See you soon, buddy.”

Tansi excused herself as well, and then it was just Rhen and Arannet.

“Let’s go meet these friends of yours.”

“Mr. Zephitz,” a voice called from behind. He turned to see the Sephine deliberator, Ms. Kiril, approaching from the side door where the guards had been.

Rhen dipped his head. “Your honor,” he said, mimicking what he’d heard from Arannet.

She chuckled. “You don’t have to call me that outside of deliberation hours, just Suan’yu, or if you must, Ms. Kiril.” None of her “s” sounds were elongated like so many other Sephine’s he’d talked to. She must’ve practiced the common language with dedication.

“Suan’yu, what can I do for you?” Rhen asked with a smile.

“I wanted to talk more about your experience in the delver school.”

Rhen blanched. “To what end?”

Suan’yu clasped all four of her hands together at her stomach, and hips respectively. “It has been a civil issue on my mind for some time. Orphans, that is. While the school guild has authority over their curriculum and prices, the civil affairs guild may have a say in the treatment of the children, including their debt and personhood transference when they come of age.”

Rhen stammered. “Yes, of course. I would love to help.”

She smiled. “Perhaps in two and a half months? I can come by your dungeon for an interview.”

“Perfect.”

Suan’yu bowed, and so did Rhen. She turned away, disappearing through the door at the back.

Tears filled Arannet’s eyes as she looked at Rhen with admiration. “You’re going to help the orphans,” she squeaked.

He crossed his arms. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s not like I’m doing anything heroic.”

“But—”

“Ah ah,” Rhen interrupted. “Not another word, or I won’t help the orphans.”

Arannet sighed, hands on her hips with playful frustration. “Fine. I’m going to go round up the people who can help us, and I’ll meet you at the Silver Mark in three hours.”

“Are we set on those prices you said?”

“I think so… it’ll be a little slower the first two weeks as word spreads, but I think after that we can stop dipping into the savings and pay out straight from the income. Then, by the end of the first month, we can start paying off the debt we’ll accrue to get the broadcast off the ground.”

Rhen rested his hand on her shoulder. “You’re great.”

She beamed and slapped a hand on his shoulder in return. “You too.”

“All right, get out of here. We have stuff to do.” He gave her shoulder a little shove and turned her toward the exit.

“Don’t be late!” She clip-clopped her way up the stairs and out of sight.

Rhen’s mind was whirling. There was so much to do, but there was hope. He could do this.

He would show the realms what he was made of.