The man’s eyes flashed with reddish light, and a mountain of an aura fell down onto their shoulders, filled with the power of Earth, mixed with the implacable will of a man who had grown old in a world as dangerous as this. However, compared to Granath’s aura, it was nothing. Jonathan crossed his arms, and extended his own aura to its fullest, pushing the aura backwards. The Guildmaster’s eyes widened as the swirling dome of purple light pushed his own aura back, enveloping the room. Because of his different power sets, Jonathan was very adept at using his aura. It was imbued with all of the things that made him so powerful, from his Titles to his Divinity. As a result, the aura of a man only a few dozen levels his senior could not compare. Eventually, the Guildmaster retracted his aura, seeming shaken.

“You… You are not what I expected. Perhaps we do have a shot at this after all. I am Guildmaster Zakarios, leader of this city’s Thieves’ Guild. Here however, we have a more open line of work. The city lord is a blustering tyrant, who we are trying to remove. However, as you might be able to tell, we have had little success with that.”

“I know. We are willing to help, if you can make it worth our while,” Edgar replied. They would have taken it anyway, simply for the essence opportunities, but it would be better to get something else out of it.

“We can offer you a wealth of riches if you so desire, straight out of our treasury, and out of the treasury of the city. Will that suffice?”

“Depends. I believe it is time for a little bit of negotiation,” Edgar replied.

He sat down at a nearby table, and the Guildmaster did the same. What Jonathan witnessed next was akin to a massacre. With his Politician skill, Edgar was far more adept than Zakarios at this sort of thing. Over the next half hour, he slowly whittled the Uthraki’s will down to a nub, and then broke it. By the end, he had managed to gain a king’s ransom in terms of value. As the agreement was finalized, he was met with a quest notification.

You have gained a new quest!

Wolf Among The Lambs: A

You are a being far more cunning and vicious than any of the Uthraki, despite their higher level. None of them have achieved the things that you have. Despite this, they still underestimate you. In exchange for killing the ruler of this city, the local Thieves’ Guild has offered you an embarrassment of riches in return, not realizing that you could wipe them out if you truly went all out.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Rewards: One ton of Tier 2 Iron, three natural treasures of your choice, and pick of one item from the city treasury.

Accept?

Y/N

The quest description was a bit strange, but Jonathan could roll with it. He doubted that it was true, that he could in fact wipe everyone here out. Maybe he could if he disregarded his own safety, but that was besides the point. However, it was almost like the System was trying to make him cocky enough to make a mistake. Maybe he was just getting paranoid.

In any case, the rewards were more than enough to satisfy him. It would be enough ore to make him rich in terms of Leviathan Marks, once he got it through the Trading Hub. In addition, the natural treasures were enticing as well. He suspected that the treasures from a world so focused on martial strength would be perfect for his path. Finally, there was the single item from the treasury. He had no idea what he would end up picking, but he would probably choose something that would be useful for his faction as a whole. He quickly accepted the quest, and rubbed his hands together. The Guildmaster looked mildly despondent as Edgar flounced over towards Jonathan, smirking widely.

“Well, I believe it is time that you shared your plan with us,” Jonathan called out.

“Yes,” Zakarios said, seeming a little bit distracted by his experience a few moments ago. “As the letter that you read said, the compound that the ruler of this city lives in is warded against Uthraki. However, we believe that you two will be able to enter. Once there, you will need to turn off the warding, which should be easy enough. All you have to do is to smash the large crystal standing in the hallway. It should be visible from the outside. It’s almost as if we are being taunted.”

“Then what?” Edgar pressured.

“Then you two will head into the building and distract the guards until we can enter. Afterwards, our combined might will come crashing down on the head of the tyrant, freeing this city once and for all.”

“I assume that you desire to take the throne for yourself?” Edgar asked, raising one eyebrow.

Zakarios nodded instantly, without any sort of shame.

“Strength begets strength, and you two are being paid richly.”

“Very well,” Jonathan replied. “When does this start?”

“Now. We have been waiting for this moment for the better part of a year.”

As soon as the man said this, the other Uthraki began to prepare, grabbing weapons and armor from racks on the side of the building. They started to line up in the center of the room, their faces placid. A few mages began to cast buffing spells on the group, some of which affected Jonathan as well. He felt his durability increasing, as well as his strength. The boosts were small, compared to his level, but were still welcome. Unlike Edgar’s buffing skill, these ones were diluted in strength so that they could target multiple people at once.

As soon as the buffs were applied, Jonathan and Edgar raced up towards the door. They needed to hurry up. They exited a moment later, and ran down the street, heading towards the center of the city. Even from here, the castle-like building that the city lord dwelled in was visible.