Chapter 81: Aggressive Negotiations

“There’s a good reward for a proper specimen,” Kyle agreed, his poker face returning rather quickly, albeit too late for it to really matter. “But that comes with strings attached. If you turn it in, expect a lot of scrutiny from higher up for being the one to make the kill, not to mention all the people who’ll come after you for a piece of the reward.”

“I wonder what that would be like,” I deadpanned, drawing a sheepish laugh from Kyle. “Sounds to me like I have a payday coming in the near future. Not sure why you’re still here though.”

It wasn’t as if I’d be the one publicly turning the Changeling in; I wasn’t stupid. Harvey had hinted at back channel arrangements with the authorities, so let them deal with the rabble; I hadn’t worked a customer-facing position for many decades now, and I had absolutely no desire to return to that kind of scrutiny.

“I’m just a poor adventurer, looking to hitch my wagon to some good times,” Kyle laughed shamelessly. “I have to say though, you’re handling this well. Most young lads would’ve charged at me by now for daring to interfere, or thrown the corpse at me and ran away, depending on their attitude. Aren’t you afraid I’d force the issue?”

“For what exactly? A murder charge and the clothes on my back?” I raised an eyebrow. “Unless you have a way to access my inventory in death, there are no benefits down that path. In any case, I fear you’re putting the cart before the horse here, because before we can even think about splitting any profits, we’ll first have to survive the night. No easy feat, if I’m understanding the situation correctly”

“Explain,” Kyle demanded, his bluster fading at my grim declaration.

“I didn’t just trip over that Changeling by chance,” I scoffed. “Nor can I claim full credit for making the discovery. I was warned by a colleague, shortly before the Changeling arrived at my door wearing his appearance. I’d like to think it would’ve worked out regardless, but the warning made it simple to turn the tables.”

“I see,” Kyle straightened up at that moment, suddenly looking like the adventurer he was, rather than the gold diggers he’d been reminding me of until then. “My condolences for your loss.”

“He’d appreciate that,” I replied honestly, because I was pretty sure he was still alive.

[Contacts

* Amelia Dawn - Level 30 Necromancer

* Harvey Miller - Level 10 Thief of Souls

* Pumpkin - Level 3 Cat]

The System thought so, after all, and he’d even gained a level in the interim, possibly by fighting some Changelings of his own. I tried to place another call to Pumpkin on a whim, only to find it cutting out like before, which confirmed that whatever was causing the interference couldn’t halt the System as a whole, only the chat functionality.

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“More importantly, I still have living companions who might be stuck in the thick of things. Come help me find them, and you’re certain to earn your share of any reward to come. What do you say?”

While I was loath to share anything on principle, I hadn’t climbed to the top of the corporate ladder without learning how to see the bigger picture. The Dead Hand as a whole was not lacking in money, so I didn’t hesitate to splurge, not if it meant getting some high level backup for whatever was coming. Since this was all to go rescue Harvey, he’d be in no position to complain when the time came to open his coin pouch for Kyle, while I remained in the background in a purely facilitatory role.

“Deal,” Kyle agreed easily enough, the veteran adventurer seeing the logic in my words. “We’ll keep the details between us for the time being. No point causing a panic and tipping off the enemy. If anyone asks, you dropped a vial of Banshee’s Wail, and that was the source of the scream.”

“Is that a commonplace incident?” I couldn’t help asking, because it seemed like a very specific solution to the current problem.

“Common enough,” Kyle agreed, reaching into the utility belt at his waist and pulling out a vial of pitch black smoke.

[Banshee’s Wail: Emits a loud, feminine wail when shattered.]

“Having a distraction on hand can be a matter of life and death in the field. This is one of the more common ones, as the ingredients required are easy to harvest and transport.”

“Fascinating,” I murmured, feeling a familiar hint of avarice that told me to grab that vial and plunder its secrets, before reason reasserted itself; I was no Alchemist, so there was no scope to explore such matters, not before I got more established and began to hire some staff of my own.

“Alright, let’s go with that. What about the skeleton? I'm pretty sure both the innkeeper and the other adventurer saw it."

"Just a harmless prank between friends," Kyle replied, winking at me. "Don't worry, I'll make sure Jacob plays along. The innkeep didn't even recognise it, even before he took one to the head. Nothing to worry about."

Personally, I thought the coverup was a bit flimsy, that it would probably be enough. It wasn't intended to last forever, after all, just long enough to find Harvey and figure out how best to profit from the havoc to come. With the overarching plan now in place, all that was left was to give Kyle a quick overview of Harvey and Pumpkin’s respective appearances, and then we were ready to head on out. I did spot the other adventurer on the ground floor of the inn, but he paid me no heed, only exchanging a few words with Kyle.

I couldn’t quite hear their whispers in the din of the bar, but judging by Kyle’s expressive hand gestures and the young man’s laughter, he’d bought the Banshee explanation hook, link and sinker. They didn’t sit together for long before Kyle rejoined me, while the young man stayed at the bar, flashing the cash and showing no intent of doing anything except for drinking the night away. The innkeeper was absent, which was good, because it would ‘ve been awkward to talk to him after decking him in the face, even if it was clearly in self defence. That was a conversation for later, assuming we survived, and on that lovely thought, I led the two of us out of the inn and into the cold autumn night.