Meeting of the Minions

[AN]: Well I got it done in time, but just barely. It is not the longest or most interesting chapter, but it is better than nothing hopefully. Next chapters may have some more action.

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"And so, this first official meeting of the Minions shall come to order."

A small gavel smacked against the wood at the conclusion of Rictus's words. All his Minions sat around a large, rounded table as the meeting officially started. This would be the first time all of them had gathered in one place. Everyone had been too busy off doing their own thing, but Rictus decided it would be worth it to start having more regular meetings, maybe monthly, with everyone, even if it just gave them all a moment to relax among likeminded people.

"First order of business is to get updates on what each of us has been doing recently and the progress of any experiments they may be working on. If anyone is stuck on something, then we can bounce ideas off each other."

Everyone agreed with the request. Their knowledge covered a wide variety of topics so there was a good chance someone would know something which could help them in their own research.

Danica was the first one to speak up.

"The clinics and our healers have been getting plenty of practice recently. Patients range from members of the Restored, soldiers on both sides, guardsmen, adventurers, and simple citizens. Healing everyone who shows up caused a little tension at first, but now it is commonly accepted that our clinics are a safe space for anyone. This has garnered a lot of goodwill for us from the populace."

Setting up and managing the clinics had been Danica's personal project. Despite no longer being part of the Temple of Kynareth, she was still dedicated to the healing arts and wanted a way to spread Kynareth's message. The clinics were her outlet and gave her a broader stage for what she wanted. She took a glance at a paper before her before speaking again.

"The Enhanced project has also been going extremely well and basic enhancements to muscle mass and eyesight have been done for basically all our core fighting forces. Project Chimera has also shown great promise. Only our most loyal and elite fighters have gone through the process so far, and it gets more efficient after each one. Troll regeneration and sabre cat musculature are the current focus with hawk eyes being the next on the list for some of our archers."

Project Chimera was one of the more interesting ongoing projects. Rictus had started it but soon passed it off to Danica. The enhancements were not quite as good as the real deal, but it still greatly improved their elite forces. A smile crept on his face as he took a look at his own rippling muscles. The gains spoke for themself.

Rev looked around the table a bit nervously before he started speaking.

"The upgrades to our goat cavalry have also been going extremely well. We still do not have a lot, but it is a solid raiding force. Reports show that the horses still hold the speed bonus over long flat distances, but the goats are much better on uneven terrain. Their horns also provide another weapon and even shield the rider. Overall, the soldiers aver very pleased by their new mounts despite some of their more unpredictable tendencies. Chasing down bandits in mountainous areas has never been easier."

The necromancer's face turned graver when he next spoke.

"Also, I don't know the exact reasoning, but reports of necromancers have been greatly decreasing recently. We have convinced a few to join us, but that doesn't account for what has been reported."

Faralda was the one to speak all their thoughts.

"Isn't it a good thing that there are less incidents involving necromancers? I mean, some of them are good and just practicing magic, but most I've encountered have not been like you or Phinis. Besides, the College has really cracked down on necromancers recently."

Rev scrunched his face up as he tried to convey his feelings.

"It is good there have been less crimes by necromancers, and the College's actions could definitely explain some of it. Necromancers are not the sanest people so attacks against others does not tend to influence their decision much. That just means one less person to use up their resources. Also, the College doesn't have a large enough presence in the other holds to explain the lack of reports there. Combining the previous incidents between the Restored and necromancers, and the fact we are going against vampires which many consider are the pinnacle of undead, I just think we should be wary."

The atmosphere of the room darkened at his words. If necromancers were gathering, it was not for anything good. Solitary necromancers were dangerous enough. No one wanted to consider a huge group of them working together. Rictus couldn't help but wonder if the Ideal Masters had anything to do with this. He shivered at the thought of it.

Faralda let out a loud sigh before smiling at everyone.

"Well now that we are done with those worrying thoughts, I have some more lighthearted news to share."

They all shook off the previous gloomy mood as the ex-College mage spoke.

"Winterhold is flourishing right now. The refugees from Windhelm have settled in and are getting along with the original residents. Some minor altercations have happened, but nothing that wasn't quickly resolved. I don't think the city has seen this much activity since before the Great Collapse. The mines are prosperous, and the underground greenhouses and farms are performing above expectations. Many of the refugees have been writing to others they know in Windhelm and other locations telling them of the plentiful amount of work and fair conditions."

She then turned her eyes towards Rictus and smiled.

"Korir also mentioned how he hasn't seen you in quite a while and would love for you to visit for a drink once you have some free time. He even said the first round was on him. I think he could use the break as much as you could."

He smiled thinking about the offer. Sharing a drink with a friend before things really ramped up against the vampires was a good idea. Illia looked over at Faralda with a slight smirk on her face.

"Hmm just Korir and not Jarl Korir huh?"

A slight blush appeared on the Altmer's face at the question. Seeing the blush, the women at the table all gave her knowing smiles. Before they could ask more questions, Rictus spoke up.

"Maes, how goes our mining ventures?"

Faralda gave him a nod of appreciation at the subject change. Maes looked at Faralda with a smile.

"I wish you luck in your pursuit. I am sure my wife Gracia will be more than happy to bring our little bundle of joy for a play date with yours."

The normal pale-yellow skin turned a deep shade of red as everyone chuckled at the statement. Faralda would have snapped at him, but she could see Maes was being completely serious with his words and wasn't trying to tease her at all. She wasn't sure if that made it better or worse. Maes just continued with his report as if nothing had happened.

"Well, we are currently exceeding our projections for iron. It is one of the most common metals so that is not too big a surprise. It is also a good thing for our finances since it can easily be sold to both sides of the war or transmuted into more precious metals. We still lack steady supplies and mines for the more uncommon ores. I have received a report from Dimhollow Crypt about finding malachite, but mining has just begun there so we don't know the quantity or quality yet. Initial estimates are promising, and our smiths look forward to working with the new material. Finally, we still have a decent cache of ebony obtained from the East Empire Company."

Reysera spoke up before Rictus had a chance.

"Any luck on transmuting beyond iron, silver, and gold?"

Maes scratched the back of his head as he let out a frustrated breath.

"Minimal. I have had some minor successes, but nothing groundbreaking. Creating steel has gotten easier, but none of the mages under me have been able to do it consistently. I have been experimenting with some of the dwarven metal with some promising results, still a bit away from a full transmutation though."

Rictus nodded at that. It was a shame more hadn't been done, but this was as much an art as a science.

"Keep up the good work. Dravynea, how are our construction efforts going?"

The mature dark elf gave him a nod before talking in a professional manner.

"Good. Your earth spells have been a major boon for us in this regard. If I had some more people compatible with it, we would have everything finished in a matter of days. We have finally finished all requests from the East Empire Company for Japhet's Folly. It is now a strong, defensible harbor for their ships, and they were quite pleased by our work. They dropped quite a few hints to me and my workers about working for them full time."

He thought about her words for a moment before speaking.

"It may not be a bad idea for some of the nonessential personnel to join them. I am sure there is much we could learn. Has everything finished up in Dawnguard?"

She shook her head in response.

"There are still a few requests for new or improved buildings. All the most important requests have been completed while the work on expanding the dock is still ongoing. All my work is done there, and I will be headed to the Hall of the Vigilant to expedite our construction there."

After she finished speaking, Reysera started talking and moving the meeting along.

"Recruitment is still going strong, but it has been slowing down recently. We will soon reach our capacity of recruits. Focus has begun shifting towards increasing the quality of what we do have. This conflict with the vampires could be difficult since many are inexperienced, especially facing that kind of enemy. Some of the Vigilants we saved from being ambushed have agreed to teach our people more about how best to combat vampires and other undead."

She looked down at some of her notes before she continued.

"Also, our classes on basic magics have been well received by the average Restored. Being able to heal small wounds and start fires without needing anything extra is quite convenient. Unfortunately, we still are lacking independence in the alchemy department. I would gladly review any recommendations any one here has."

Murmurs and small talk broke out for a moment as they tried thinking of people. The Restored had a few contracts with apothecaries which supplied them potions, but there were only a couple members who actually knew anything about it. Rictus had been tempted to work on it more himself but had eventually dismissed the idea. Alchemy was a very time intensive and expensive field of study. It wasn't like he could just mix a couple ingredients and instantly make a potion. 'Too bad alchemy isn't like the game still. That would have been really convenient right now.' He did have an idea for a potential recruit though.

"Hmm. Maybe Ignun Black-Briar could be a good fit for us."

Stalleo perked up after hearing the Black-Briars mentioned.

"Excuse me my lord, but I actually have some interesting news regarding the Black-Briars."

Everyone focused on him at that. There had been little news of the family after the assassination of Hemming Black-Briar. A private funeral had been held for him, but that was about all. Everyone had expected Maven to go on a warpath after the assassination, but she had not. It was extremely strange and hinted that there may be more going on than meets the eye.

"A courier bringing a verbal message from Maven arrived at the Watch right before I left for here. With this meeting already being scheduled, I figured it would be the best time to bring it."

Rictus studied his newest follower for a moment before motioning him to continue with the message.

"The essence of the request was about Maven desiring a meeting with the Restored, you in particular my lord. A 'mutually profitable arrangement' was mentioned. The courier didn't know the exact details but guessed it would have to do with some kind of guard contract since things have gotten more unpredictable in Riften as of late."

Ma'randru-jo quickly spoke up.

"This one advises caution. The Black-Briars have been synonymous with the thieves guild for years. Maven is known for being particularly ruthless."

Rictus looked around to see everyone nod in agreement. Faralda was the next to speak her mind.

"I do not know if she actually is in the good graces of the thieves guild anymore honestly.

Reysera looked at her inquisitively.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, it isn't common knowledge, but each of the major factions or guilds have a kind of unspoken agreement not to interfere with each other. Like Ma'randru-jo mention, the Black-Briars are basically members of the thieves guild for all intents and purposes. The fact the brotherhood assassinated one of them is very worrying. There could have been a major change in leadership and dogma for the brotherhood or the thieves guild. Neither option is very pleasant to think about, especially if they are no longer upholding tradition."

The guilds having that kind of agreement didn't really surprise Rictus. It only made sense that the more powerful groups in Skyrim decided not to interfere with one another. Faralda's thoughts mirrored what him and Ken had already considered regarding the assassination. There was more going on than meets the eye. It was very likely one of the Skilled had taken over for one if not both factions.

"Hmm. I think I may just have to listen to her request. It could prove enlightening."

The meeting continued in a more relaxed atmosphere after that. No other major topics were brought up as each of them grew more familiar with each other. After having dinner together, they all went back to their rooms to rest.

Rictus stayed back in the room for just a moment longer as he sat contently after a successful first meeting. A sigh escaped him as he thought about the upcoming meeting with Maven. He was a little uneasy about it, but it wasn't something he should ignore.

"Guess I will be going to Riften after all."