rone | e&tg 52 (Reply)

I chuckled. "As i was saying, your men are pathetic." He groaned, although i wasn't sure if he meant it as a response. Then i heard the sound of fisticuffs and ran back into the room, only to find Kortra smacking Ĥavar on the head and cursing at him. "Er... that's not a dwarven mating ritual, is it?" i lamely gibed.

"If it is, biggun, is what yez did t'me foreplay?" Néfilo had his two ex-captors face down on the floor.

"I apologize, Master Néfilo, but—"

"Yeah, yeah. Yez got the job done. C'mon, let's get these vicious criminals upstairs and get a hold a the Constables."

"Here, these are yars." Néfilo handed me the arches. "Yez earned them. Frankly, i still owe yez."

"Thank you, Master Néfilo." I walked over to the mirror and put them in. "So, when you say you still owe me, do you, ah..." I let the sentence trail off.

"I swear, biggun, yez ought t'have that speech impediment checked." He grunted. "Look, i'll be explicit. I could use yar help."

"I'm listening."

"Here's the thing: the Mafia is right. There are legends about something that happened here in the city, about 150 years ago, that had been suppressed somehow, not only in Kromalir but also in Tashpar. Things started bubbling up in the last year or two."

I finished with the arches and turned to look at him. "So, what is it?"

"The upshot is that there is something powerful under the city, and the Mafia wants it. The Thieves' Guild wants it. The orcs want it. We want t'find it and keep it away from them; if either criminal group gets their hands on it, they'll use it t'consolidate their power in the city, and if the orcs get it, well, who knows what they'll do t'the city after they overrun it."

I started to speak but he waved me off. "We need more muscle. I want you and the beastie t'be part a our group. I don't expect yez t'hold off the Mafia and the Guild and the orcs by yarselves, but wherever and however we can deploy you, we will. I can't pay yez Merc rates, though," he said as he spread his hands.

I crossed my arms. "Well, i'm not about to find any jobs at Merc rates right now." I turned to Kohasadi. "What do you think?"

"It sounds exciting. Those little ones taste awful, though."

I laughed and turned to Néfilo. "Talk to my agent."

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