The Chronicle of Heroes ~ Of Fiends and Shadows

[Aaronock]

"We sent the king of Rune-Midgard three viable choices for this little excursion into Mystra's castle. And...well, he has picked you for several reasons." A burly man with a long pipe smoked behind his desk. "You are given a good bit of free reign for the mission in how you decide to dispatch the monsters and spirits lurking around that castle.

Another man, more lithe and tanned, took a heavy huff from his own oaken pipe. "I see, did he tell you why he chose me in the end? I am not exactly the most skilled in dispatching spirits and monsters..."

The burly man grinned wide, pipe still clutched between his teeth. "Ah Ezekiel, his majesty says that you know the lay of the castle probably better than anyone." Here, the master rogue being given this information shuffled a little in the chair. It was true he had gone in and helped Lucretia approximately a year ago within its halls. His eyes gazed away momentarily to the grey stone walls at the side of the office, his mind lost, and missing the fae princess.

"...And, he hopes you may find out something about the potential...nastier...connections, and the hush hush stance Lord Matthew and the Dark Allegiance has chosen to take surrounding the situation." Ezekiel snapped back to reality then, and considered the offer before him.

"What if I am uninterested?" Ezekiel sighed and breathed out a heavy cloud of smoke from his pipe.

"Would be ill advised in this case master rogue. Unfortunate as it is, seems he recognized your face from some work you did a few years back, in your, uh, other life?" The burly man was referring to Ezekiel's time living back in Alberta, taking care of much of the family business with interior decorating. Upgrades were performed on many of the castle's lights and chandeliers then, and that must have been the work Ernst referred to.

"Sunnava bitch, you have to be kidding?"

"The longer hair, and uh, different attire didn't fool him. In fact, he came here personally to deliver word with the most sincere smile on his face, 'I hire, no, command, Fazil Reis to handle this job as a citizen of Rune Midgard taking orders from his king.' But if it means much, he spoke well of your reputation, as a man who will do as asked, and stands with some level of conviction. And he felt that mattered more despite the other candidates' experiences."

Ezekiel was secretly fuming, and bit hard at the tip of the pipe in his mouth. "Fine, how much is it he pays? This is no short task, I already know it will entail more than simply whatever occurs a few days from now."

The burly man shrugged and blew out a couple of puffs of smoke. "This is too true, but for now your orders are already sealed. King Ernst will pay you accordingly to each task." A few pages of paper were passed to Ezekiel across the desk.

As the rogue glanced at the words in the contract, he read off the payment for the original orders and nearly fell out of his chair. The burly man folded his fingers and propped his elbows over the desk. "Your reputation is getting a little bigger than you expected, hm? But the rate the Midgardian King pays is more than proper for a seasoned master rogue like yourself."

"Th-th-this is insane. I...do not even have words."

"Welcome to the big leagues, no more need for the mercenary life. If you take this job you could potentially have more Zeny than the whole of your parents' estate before the end of it. Do better with that wealth, screw your parents who turn their noses up at anyone they deem lesser."

Ezekiel briefly pondered it, taking a piece of the King's wealth seemed tempting, and it would open the doors to opportunities he could not even currently fathom. With a nod, he shook the burly man's hands. How much did it matter that Ernst knew who he was, perhaps it was more convenient than he could currently read? It did fit into a grander scheme, to make way and merge his dual lives into one.