He stood outside the small town’s guildhall and took it all in. It almost looked like they’d renovated an old inn instead of building it from the ground up. The exterior paint was peeling off wooden walls and there were a few glaring holes in the ceiling. Merlin didn’t much care about the appearance of the place. He and Marvin had been to two small towns along the capital road already. Twice he’d turned up empty. Twice he’d been forced to keep looking.
He was really hoping things panned out this time.
The first thing Merlin noticed upon entering was the bar. Of everything in the room, it seemed the newest. A handful of half-empty bottles lined the walls. There were only a few stools in front of it. One was missing a leg. He wondered if the bar had been part of the inn originally, or if the guild had added it later. The first floor was barren. Not a single person sat at any of the wooden tables sprawled around. At the far end of the long room, there was a staircase that led to the second floor. The second floor was basically just a walkway and railings, with a series of doors leading to various rooms. It confirmed his earlier suspicion that this had originally been an inn.
Merlin turned his attention to the only other person in the room. The bartender. “Hello?” he called out. “Hello?” he repeated when the man didn’t notice him.
The second greeting got the stranger’s attention. The bartender perked up. “Huh? Oh. That’s a new face. How can I help you? Come here for a drink?” he said. He had dark hair, and his face was covered in a light stubble.
Merlin turned to look back at the door. “The sign outside indicated this was a guild. Did I read that wrong or…”
The man seemed surprised. “Oh. No, you read it right. Technically, this is a guild. Lately though, it’s more of a tavern. We don’t get a lot of guild work, so we had to find ways to bring in money. So yeah, you read the sign right. I’m the guild master, Darren. You here to post a job or something?” he asked.
Merlin shouldn’t be surprised. It was rare for small towns like these to even have guilds. The fact that they’d had to open a bar to make ends meet told him everything he needed to know. If he did have a job to post, he certainly wouldn’t have done it here. “A guild master and a bartender?” he asked.
Darren shrugged. “Like I said, we’ve gotta bring in money somehow.”
Merlin nodded. He shouldn’t have said anything. “Actually, no, I’m not here to post a job. I’m here because I’ve heard rumors that certain parties were searching for information pertaining to dungeons in the area. There was a rumor that some of the guilds along the capital road had taken contracts and were paying good money for info. Do you know anything about that?” Merlin asked. He studied the man’s reaction. Most people would be hesitant to admit they took a contract with the Cult of Cendra. But a guild like this probably couldn’t afford to pass up on any opportunity that fell into their laps.
Darren’s face hardened. “If we had taken a contract like that, would you have a lead for us?” he asked. He was being careful. Either he was fishing for information, or he had been in contact with the cult. Merlin couldn’t blame the man for being cautious. When strangers suddenly show up in a small-town asking questions, it’s easy to imagine they don’t have your best interest in mind.
Still, the fact he hadn’t outright denied the question was a good sign. Merlin just needed to navigate this carefully. If he aroused suspicion, he might end up dead in a ditch somewhere. “I normally wouldn’t involve myself in things like this. But I had run into a dungeon recently. As far as I know, I’m the only one who knows about it. I’ve stopped by a few towns already, but they either didn’t have guilds, or didn’t know what I was talking about. I’m just here to make money, plain and simple. So, we can sit here and dance around the subject, or we can talk business. Will you pay me for the information or not?” Merlin asked.
Darren studied him for a moment, then turned to look at the empty tables all around them. He glanced at the entrance to make the door was closed and then turned back to Merlin. “Alright, keep your voice down. I’ll admit I wasn’t sure about taking the contract, but it paid well. I’ll need to verify whatever information you have, of course. If it checks out, then yeah, I’ll pay you. Where about is this dungeon? I’ve had my boys looking around for weeks, but nothing had turned up.”
“Towards Jeca forests. Not quite all the way, but close enough. I was on my way to Lucer and had stopped to make camp for the night. I found it while collecting firewood,” Merlin said. Little details like that would make it even more convincing. He could already see the gold coins in Darren’s eyes. He wanted to believe Merlin’s story.
“Jeca?” Darren reached under the bar and pulled a map from under it. He studied it for a moment. “I’ve sent a team that way. That’s well within their search zone, but that group had the largest area to cover, so it’s not completely surprising that they missed it. Alright, I’ll fill out the contract now. We’ll verify it and then pay you in full. What’s your name?” he asked.
Merlin folded his lips. “Actually, I’d prefer if we could keep this anonymous.”
The man paused, eyeing him. “Listen, there’s more than money on the line if we waste the client’s time. You could get us all killed if you’re up to something. I’m only going to ask this once. You aren’t up to anything weird, are you?”
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Merlin almost felt bad for the man. He might not be the best fighter, but when it came to lying, Merlin was something of an expert. “In my line of work, privacy is everything. I’ll tell you what, you keep things anonymous, and I’ll give you 20% of the reward. Between that, the contract fee they’ve undoubtedly already paid, and the finder’s fee, you’ll make a killing on this. All you have to do is leave my name out of it,” Merlin said.
Darren stared at him for a moment. Finally, he sighed and looked down. “Make it 25% and you’ve got a deal.”
Merlin shook his head. “Nope. Now it’s 18%.”
The guild master scoffed. “22% and your first name.”
“18% and a single initial. Take it or leave it.” Merlin crossed his arms. He knew the guild needed the money. Darren wouldn’t blow up the deal over something like this. At this point, Merlin was just having fun.
“A signal initial?” Darren laughed. “Fine. I’ll send two of my guys with you to verify the dungeon. Once they do, they’ll pay you on the spot. I recommend getting far away from that dungeon after that. I don’t know what these cult guys are up to, but it’s best not to get involved. They aren’t anything but trouble. I’ll be glad to have this mess behind us.”
Merlin nodded. The men shook hands. “How soon can we leave? I’m eager to get back on the road.”
Darren rubbed the back of his neck. “Take a seat. I’ll go wake some of the boys up. Shouldn’t be too long. Oh, by the way, what’s that initial?”
Merlin smirked. “M.”
***
Their horses ran with the excitement of horses that had been cooped up in stables for too long. Marvin was enjoying the company. He didn’t get to spend much time with other horses. Heck, he was probably just happy to be free of the wagon for once. Merlin laughed. It was nice seeing Marvin in such good spirits.
The men the guild master sent with Merlin were about what he expected from a small-town guild. One looked like he could easily be a grandfather. The other was sporting armor that clearly didn’t fit anymore. If the man let out too deep of a breath, his leather armor threatened to pop. Still, they were armed with a very full coin purse that would make Merlin feel much better once he acquired it. He wondered how exactly the cult could afford such a bounty, but he figured it was better not to think too hard about it. It might give him qualms about taking it. After searching for a lead all day, he deserved a little treat. Well, maybe a lot of treats. The amount of gold in that coin purse would cover all that and more.
“How much further?” the heavyset man asked.
Merlin eyed the horizon. The forest was finally coming into view now. “Not much, we placed it…I mean found it not far from here. It’s hard to miss.” He knew Vetica was watching for his arrival. The truth was, Charlie wasn’t going to place the dungeon’s entrance until the last minute. They hadn’t wanted to risk someone else stumbling upon it, since they didn’t know how long it would take Merlin to return.
As they galloped through the tree line, he saw it waiting for them ahead. He signaled the others and pulled back on Marvin’s reins. The other horses stopped as well. There it was, in a clearing. A massive cave like entrance leading deep into the ground.
The entrance to Charlie’s dungeon.
Merlin took a deep breath. It was all in motion now. Soon, their preparations would be put to the test.
“I really hope we aren’t making a huge mistake,” he thought to himself.
Arroane
His nose wrinkled at the scent of smoke. He turned and noticed one of the candles had gone out. In hindsight, he probably should’ve closed his window when the breeze picked up, but he enjoyed listening to the birds chirping outside.
So full of life. So normal.
So unlike he was.
There was a knock on the door. He looked up as it opened. A man in red robes walked in. A lowly acolyte of the cult. Arroane detested his association with them.
“What is it?” Arroane asked.
“We’ve received word, sir. A dungeon was found near the forest of Jeca. It was verified by the guild and the bounty paid. What are your orders?” The cultist bowed in front of his desk.
Arroane ran his hand along the smooth wooden desk he’d come to favor of late. He hadn’t been all that fond of it at first, but it was growing on him. “Well, now is no time to hesitate. We’ve paid good money for this information, so we best take advantage of it before someone beats us there. Go and ready the others. We’ll leave in the morning.”
“Yes sir, I’ll go right away!” The cultist hurried out of the room so fast he nearly tripped on his robe.
Arroane shook his head. “Oh. One more thing,” he said before the cultist left his sight.
The red-robed man spun around and waited for further instructions.
“Have them bring the cage as well.”
The cultist swallowed. “You’re bringing that…thing with us? Is it really safe to take such a creature along for this? What if it escapes?” he asked.
Arroane didn’t say a word. He thought about how many different ways he could kill the man in front of him. But if he did that, he’d have to repeat his instructions, and he hated repeating himself.
The cultist took the hint. “Right, my apologies, sir. I’ll see it done at once!” He hurried off.
Arroane stood and placed both his hands on his desk. “That thing. A creature,” he whispered to himself.
He gritted his teeth and brushed the contents of his desk onto the floor in anger.
His nostrils flared.
That thing was the only reason he was doing any of this.
And soon, if this lead panned out, he’d be free of it.