CHAPTER 120 How Do You Have 407 Notifications?

CHAPTER 120

How Do You Have 407 Notifications?

Brownie

Brownie let Donna pull them along the Great Road toward the Black while she played her instrument and sang a lively song. Tammy’s Tavern.

She smokes like a dragon, poison in the flagon

She keeps all your change for a tip

She won’t wash the dishes, or debone the fish

She slaps ya for given her lip

So tonight is the night friend,

We’ll give her a fine end,

One long overdue, gather round!

By spell or the sword, if you’re in get on board

And we’ll burn the place down to the ground,

We’ll burn the place down to the ground.

They’d left the Hollow first thing in the morning. Gerda had teleported home the previous evening, and Henrietta had taken off at a run right after breakfast. Brownie had offered her a ride, but the queen had taken one look at Donna and adamantly refused. Granted, horses made Henrietta sneeze, so she wouldn’t have had a very fun ride.

The queen might not be there when Brownie and Rufus rolled in, since King Keith had plans to fly the two over to North Sumbria. They wanted to get there early to help with any last-minute wedding preparations.

Brownie had been hired to play at their wedding, and she was incredibly honored. Julia von Slyke was a widely acclaimed adventurer and a famous Paladin of Light. Her mother, Grand Duchess Calisto of North Sumbria, was regarded as one of the most brilliant minds in a hundred years. A visit to North Sumbria was like walking into a world of strange, useful inventions, from magical switch lights to self-driving carriages to rooms that lifted you into the sky between floors of her elaborate palace.

And this would be the second time in a year that Brownie was going to be able to play for the Grand Duchess … and hopefully, this time she wouldn’t be kidnapped midset.

She and Rufus were making good time, aided by the fact that in six hours of travel, they’d not had a single encounter . Brownie didn’t worry; she had a day or two between the Hollow and North Sumbria to figure it out.

Brownie did worry when they were approaching the turnoff for the Black Fortress. Even though she couldn’t see the turnoff, she knew it was there. How? Because suddenly, her beastman stiffened and closed his eyes like he was in pain. She plucked a calming background piece as, over the course of ten minutes, Rufus slowly relaxed.

When his tail started to wag again, she asked, “Is it a perk?”

“What?” He opened his eyes, breathing deep and blinking a few times.

“The reason you hate crowds so much?” She stopped playing and set Danielle aside.

“I mean.” He shrugged. “I just have a lot of notifications to process. It’s a bit of a hassle.”

“How much is a lot?” She leaned forward and grabbed Donna’s reins. She could see the turnoff now, and it was less conspicuous if she pretended to be driving.

“Four hundred and seven.”

Brownie’s eyebrows shot up as she leaned back to stare at the beastman.

“Four hundred and seven?”

“Yes.”

“ Four hundred and seven? ”

“Yes?” Rufus rubbed the back of his neck, rueful. “Why?”

“That’s disgusting.” Brownie crossed her arms. “No wonder you look like someone stabbed you in the kidney.”

“How do you know—”

“Knife training. I’ve seen a lot of things. Now, why do you have four hundred and seven notifications?”

Rufus shrugged. “I am the right hand of the king, and in charge of the security of the Black Fortress. That means my abilities keep track of the personnel within the castle. I have notifications about the movement of the army, the well-being of the citizens, follow-ups with the patients I’ve mediated before, and—”

He stopped, seeing the horror that played across Brownie’s face .

“And you process that many notifications … every day? ” She suddenly wanted to give her beastman a very big hug.

Rufus shrugged. “Give or take.”

“That’s … I don’t know what to say. Do you want a hug?”

He smiled and threw an arm around her, leaning in closer on the carriage front bench. “I would never say no to a hug from you .”

“Tease.” She poked him in the side with a finger, but then slid her hand behind his back and leaned into him. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

The Black Fortress loomed ahead. It was very black and very imposing, with a moat surrounding the tall black stone walls. The bridge was wide, leaving room for two large golems to guard either side of the gateway into the castle.

And standing in the middle of the path was a familiar lizardkin, looking incredibly pleased with himself.

Rufus leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Do you think Gerda is having to pay for him standing there, or does it only count if he decides to cross the bridge?”

“Cross the bridge, I think,” she replied. “He hasn’t technically stepped onto the bridge yet, so she might not be charged at—Spoke too soon.”

The lizardkin took a step forward to block their path. His hands were on his hips, as was his sword, and he announced with his usual grandeur, “Commander General Rufusss Triever, I challenge you to a duel!”

“Alright.”

“You can’t talk your way out of—What?” The lizardkin must have had no faith in Rufus’s promise, since he’d obviously expected the beastman to refuse.

“I accept your challenge.” Rufus hopped down from the wagon and walked over to Knolith. When he was within punching distance, the beastman raised one paw. Knolith flinched, but Rufus simply placed his hand on the lizardkin’s shoulder and smiled at him. “Let’s do it right now.”

“You’re seriousss?” General Knolith asked, eyeing Rufus suspiciously.

“Completely,” Rufus confirmed. “You defeat me, and I’ll step down from my position and not compete at the upcoming Winter Solstice Tourney.”

General Knolith purposefully shrugged off Rufus’s hand and took a step back. “You’re making light of my abilitiesss. Again . But we will see who has the last laugh!”

With that, the lizardkin turned on his heel and marched toward the training grounds of the castle.

Brownie jumped down to join Rufus as he followed Knolith. The lizardkin’s robes swooshed in a breeze reserved only for the swordsman.

“ That must be a perk, right?” Brownie whispered to Rufus. “Or a passive skill? ”

Donna snorted.

“Oh, that’s a perk. Definitely. A waste of one, in my opinion,” Rufus agreed, reaching out and taking her hand as they walked.

Behind them, news of the fight spread like mage fire. People closed up shop and gathered, and a single imp flying over the fortress saw the commotion and teleported away.