“First, please allow me to offer my condolences for the loss of your master. Sundance was an honorable dwarf, and despite efforts to persuade him otherwise, he remained steadfast. He was a client, of course, but only as part of our protection plan. He refused to participate in any other effort, and we gave him his space.”
“He paid you protection money to ensure that he was not stolen from?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes, many do. It is a bit of a gray area ethically for many, but the rewards outweigh the risks. At least, that is normally the case.”
He reached into his robe and withdrew a sealed parchment with the same hand he had used to wield his dagger minutes ago. He rolled it across the table to me.
“Open it and verify that it is true.” He stated.
I did so. It was a protection contract, much like the brawler’s version ,although more expensive, and it had Sundance’s mark at the bottom.
As I read, he withdrew two sacks of coins and placed them on the table before us both. When I finished reading and had an idea what he was doing, I said, “And this is weregild?”
“It is. 250 platinum per the contract for failure to protect. I have also added an additional personal 250 platinum on top of that from my own reserves because the two bodies found on the scene and presumed to be perpetrators were members of my own guild.”
“Why the extra coins?” I asked.
“They broke guild law, and such an act ending as it did is unheard of. We failed to protect our client first, and we failed to protect him from ourselves second. This you would soon discover if you have not already done so, and I wanted to make very clear that the guild had nothing to do with your master’s death and that we will pursue all avenues to discover his murderer, no matter who it is.” And here he gave me a penetrating look.
“Ah, you have been talking to Sniffer,” I remarked.
He smirked. “Well, not directly, you understand.”
I sighed again. “Yes, he has been quite public with his questions.”
He stared at me. “Unless you are far more accomplished at deception than I gave you credit, you are not guilty and grieve your master’s parting.”
I grew angry but controlled myself.
“Yes, it is as I thought.” He said. “The marshall is using you to get at the guilty party.”
“That is my conclusion as well.” I agreed.
“Oh? You worked that much out. Good for you. But watch your back, there are daggers in the dark.”
“And cheese on the tray,” Bella said from behind the Gray Master despite his being only a yard from the wall.
He leapt off the chair again, but did not draw his blade this time. He returned to his seat as she served tea and snacks. She had a smirk on her face but said nothing more. She departed through the doorway once again, and Biff poked his head inside, surprised to see her exit without entering, shook his head, and then closed the door.
“I wish she would not do that.” He said, quietly.
“She does have a sense of the dramatic,” I admitted.
“And exceptional timing.” He agreed.
“Tea?” I offered.
He raised both hands, and I saw that one was missing its hand at the wrist.
“You did not have to reveal that to me,” I said. “I didn't even notice your handicap.”
“I am not handicapped.” He said, as if explaining a lesson to a student. “And I have gotten quite used to my situation and have compensated for it in many other ways. I share it with you because my second reason is to ask a personal favor, but first, let me complete the professional purpose.”
He took a sip of the tea, and his eyes widened. “This is very fresh and my favorite.”
“Perhaps Lady Bella likes you more than you first thought,” I said and sipped some myself.
“Hmm. I think that unnerves me even more.” He replied and then continued. “In addition to the weregild, you will have our protection for a year at no cost. Thereafter, you may discontinue without consequence or continue at a preferred rate. As a mage, you are immune to guild requests for protection. We do not wish to entangle ourselves with mage guilds. That error was made only once, centuries ago, and it nearly cost us our entire guild.”
“I see.”
He asked, “Do you agree to those terms in principle as we have discussed them?”
“I do.”
The Gray Master became very serious and stood before me. He stated in a formal tone, “The Gray Brotherhood asks that you accept our condolences at the loss of Master Sundance, a valued member of our city and community. The theft of merchandise by guild members broke both guild law and our customer protection policy. In reparation, guild protection will continue at no cost for the period of one year from the date of the incident. As a mage and current owner, you are under no compulsion or obligation to continue service with the Gray Brotherhood beyond that point. Should you wish to voluntarily continue some measure of protection, you are guaranteed maximum service at minimum rates for the period of five additional years. A guild representative will seek out your decision one year from today. May guild justice and righteous revenge prevail in this matter.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
And he sat back down. “It is done.”
He reached over and took another sip of the tea.
“And that brings us to your personal purpose?” I prompted.
“Yes. It comes in three parts: a request, a commission, and an offer.” He said.
“You have my interest and attention,” I said.
“I thought I might.” He said with a smile.
“First, the guild has as much to lose as any in this city if the horde succeeds. I would like to offer you a bright young journeyman burglar to help in whatever tasks lie ahead of you.”
“You want me to invite a known thief into my shoppe when we are working on secret and valuable magical projects?” I asked.
“Exactly.” He said.
“And why would I do this?” I asked in genuine surprise.
“And who is to say that I do not have an unknown thief in your midst?” He asked.
“Me,” Bella replied as she refilled his teacup.
He flinched, his cup rattling, but did not spill the tea. “Well, I certainly walked into that.” He said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.
“Yes, you did.” She said as she moved to fill my cup and then walked out the door a third time without ever entering through it.
Biff visibly sighed out loud as he shut the door for a third time behind Bella.
“Do you ever get used to that?” He asked.
I smiled but covered the need for a response by sipping my tea.
“Okay, so the guild may not have an agent inside your walls, but I am asking you to do this with a known agent, and one who will be loyal to you. Of that I am certain. She is highly talented, a little rough around the edges, not especially fond of our guild rules because of a streak of honesty, and she lost the only family she had to the undead invasion and is struggling to find herself.”
Was that sentiment and compassion I sensed from him?
“I will allow her to enter and interview first with Biff and Bella. If they approve, I will approve.”
“I would prefer she worked directly for you.” He said.
“She may. But that will be my decision. Unless you are asking for my input on how to run your guild. Maybe if I attended a meeting with Bella, we could-”
He sighed. “Point made. Hebel holds a place with me as my former apprentice, and I wanted to see her do well.”
“You opened the door. She will need to walk through it.” I said.
“Of course.” He said as he took another sip of tea, but not without first glancing behind him and shaking his head.
“That is your request,” I said, “do I need to drag out your other items?”
“I apologize. I rarely get the chance to just socialize without wearing some mask or identity, as you can probably imagine.”
“Then I apologize for rushing you, although I do have a busy schedule today, master,” I added the last to take some of the sting out of my words.
“Could you please expand and explain a little more about what you had disclosed at the Duke’s Council this morning?”
“So that was you in the back corner by the statues?” I asked.
“It was me, although sometimes it is a decoy or a double of me. It is a rare occasion that I make a public appearance. Today was important enough, and I had assurances that I would be treated with guest privileges by my host, the Duke.”
There are magical consequences to vows of hospitality that, if broken, intentionally or otherwise, can be dangerous for the vow breaker. The magical community and old noble families take these things seriously.
“Who was the other figure, the one in black?”
“The other figure was, unless a double, the guildmaster of the Hidden Hand, the guild master of assassins.”
“I am surprised and a little disappointed that they were invited to that meeting,” I stated.
He shrugged his shoulders. “The Duke has his reasons, but perhaps by openly inviting them, it was an invitation to join in the battle against the goblins. They have their own strange honor, and I can’t imagine that even a group that seems to thrive on death would want a city leveled and all people killed. What would be the value to them?”
“I wouldn’t know.” I agreed with the guildmaster. But I still had a feeling that working with them was wrong. Maybe it was the cold feeling I got from the letter from the guildmaster. It just seemed wrong.
Focusing on his question, I asked rhetorically, “Where to begin? Like I mentioned at council, I can look into gems and pull out desired powers from them. What ordinarily would be a random effect after it is placed into a socketed object can be an actual effect that I choose immediately, and it becomes usable as a gemstone itself without being placed in a socket. I also make magical rings, those with and without sockets. Those without sockets are no different than any other enchanter, although I make them myself and do not have to purchase them from an approved magical jeweler. I also can make jewelry out of Darven Copper, which has enriched magical properties too detailed to get into right now.”
“What about the costs?”
“Costs vary widely. What did you have in mind, specifically?”
He pointed to one of the Dwarven Copper 5-socket rings I was wearing. “What about something like the ring you are wearing on your left thumb?”
“Good eye, master, but then,” I said with a smile, “I imagine that you know a good bit more about the value of these things than I do.”
He shrugged. “Yes, and no. What I am asking is what is a typical commission for a ring like that?”
I held it up. “It is very rare to find a ring with more than one socket.”
“Indeed. It is what sparked my interest when I saw you wearing it at council.”
“You saw it from the back of that hall?”
He smiled and shrugged. “We all have our talents.”
“Yours must involve seeing like an eagle,” I said. “Well, if things were normal, a ring such as this could easily go for 5,000 gold.”
“I would say it would easily go for double that rate. Probably more.”
“As I said, you are a better read on that than I am.”
“And you will be making them for military officers?” He asked.
“I’m not sure yet who will get them, but maybe. Why?”
“It’s not a conversation for today, but you undervalue your skills a great deal. I may be able to offer you some guidance on that in the future.”
“For a price?” I asked.
“Everything has a price.” He agreed. “What would the price be for a ring like that for me if I provided the gems?”
“You provided the gems, but you wanted me to pull out the powers you desired?” I clarified.
“Yes.”
“Well, often an enchanter will request that two gems for each type used be offered, with the double gems serving as part of the price. This assumes that the enchanter might have to place and remove the gem dozens or scores of times before getting the desired result.
“The gems I have in mind to use do not necessarily have doubles.” He admitted.
“What do you have in mind for the commission, master?” I asked.
“I would like to have you make me a five socketed ring, made of Dwarven Copper, with five, 35pt gems that are to be inserted with an elemental of each type at my command.”
“I see.”
“Is this possible?” He asked.
I pulled out the smaller of my ring bags and withdrew one of the blank templates of a five socketed Dwarven Copper ring.
“It is. Do you have the gems with you?”
He withdrew a bag from the folds of his gray robe. “I do.”
“And you say that you are unable to offer matching gems as a part of the commission?”
“Even for the guildmaster of thieves, 35pt magical gems are not common.” He replied.
“That was not a denial,” I stated.
“What if I were to give you fifty, 7pt gems in place of the five, 35pt gems?”
“It is not an even trade. While they do add up to double the 175pts of the five gems, the deal is skewed highly in your favor.” I said with a shake of my head.
“What if the fifty gems, hypothetically, all came together in the same magical artifact. The artifact itself would have value, would it not?”
“Perhaps. What kind of artifact is it, hypothetically?” I asked.
He gave me a long, speculative look and paused before answering.
