"Lothar Mountain, huh?" Tyrion sets a salad down on the table in the party's room. A bed of lettuce supports bits of tomato, finely chopped bacon, shredded cheese, and chopped fried chicken with a sprinkling of creamy dressing.

"Yeah. Five hundred crowns is a weighty price, but I dunno." Amadeo sits back, gulping from his mug of water. "Lothar. It could be extremely dangerous. I'm not sure if the price is worth it."

"Just our luck, it'll be completely riddled with gods know what. Dragons, hydras, puddings." Hope sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose before digging into the food.

"Pudding? Why would food just be laying around?" Anna tilts her head, the confusion evident upon her face.

"Trust me, you don't eat these puddings. They eat you."

"Oh...Well, what do we know about this Lothar place, then?"

Amadeo shakes his head. "It was named after the dwarf kingdom of Lothar. For three hundred years, they were a trade and mining empire, as most dwarf kingdoms are. But then about a century ago, in the span of a single night, the kingdom went quiet. Nobody seems to know what happened, not even people who were alive during that time. All we know is that the gates are barred from the inside, and Lothar Mountain has sat untouched ever since. Nobody knows where the scar upon its surface comes from either. The working theory, since nobody has ever gone, is that the dwarves awoke something deep beneath the surface and it destroyed them from within. Many followers of The Master of Scales determined it to be a lesson about greed."

"And what do you think it is?" Hope folds her arms as the wizard shrugs.

"Don't have enough information, and I never really studied the mountain."

"But you do have an idea, right?"

Amadeo chuckles and nods. "I think there's the alternate possibility that they were attacked by something, hence the scar. It's plausible that a dragon came and decided their massive hoard belonged to it; dragons are pretty greedy like that, even the nice ones."

"There's such a thing as 'nice' dragons?" Tyrion sits forward, a bit curious. Anna leans in to listen as well.

"There's no single kind of dragon. Like most other creatures, there are varieties. The ones most people know of are those that tend to swoop down and attack unprotected caravans or farmlands, and dabble in some pretty horrible tendencies. Then there's other kinds. Dragons that hold themselves to a higher standard. They're still a force to be wary of, mind you. They may not drag off maidens, but they still have that natural desire for shiny things. Equally, they won't burn down your farm out of spite, but they will display their power when necessary to deter threats. Some of them even take humanoid form just to be able to enjoy conversation with others."

"The point is, dragons are dangerous overall, but some are a legitimate menace when they want to be, whereas others might spare you if you're nice to them."

"So avoid dragons at all costs, then. Best not take the chance, eh?" Tyrion chugs his mead and chuckles. "So are we taking the job or not then?"

Amadeo strokes his chin thoughtfully and nods, taking a bite of chicken. "I don't feel comfortable with the pros and cons. Five hundred crowns would set us each up for a good while. It's a good payment considering whatever we find will be donated to the Zorhana Loremasters for preservation, so we can't keep any artifacts or what have you. But on the other hand, the possibility of an unknown threat lurking, waiting to attack us..."

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"I understand, lad, I really do. But the money! You could send some of it back home. We could see to outfitting ourselves with decent gear. Maybe get some actually decent spells in your book." Tyrion teases gently, and the wizard spits some of his water at him in response.

As Tyrion wipes his face, Hope chuckles. "He's got a point, Amadeo. We could really use the coin. I think we've come far together, and this will be a chance to be in on a historical event. Not to mention, if there is any ancient gobble monster lurking in the dark, I doubt it'll just be the four of us and some musicians. Together, we could prove a significant enough threat that only something truly stupid would pick a fight with us."

"Yeah, I think we should go. It might be fun to explore, even if something spooky shows up. And we could find some really shiny things to keep when no one's looking." Anna grins wide through a mouthful of food and the halfling shakes his head. "I'm a bad influence on you."

"So that's three in favor. Strong arm me, why don't you?" The wizard folds his arms and sighs. "I don't like it. But you are right. The chance to participate in a historical discovery and earn some real money. It may even be a chance to put our name out there and earn more work..." He chuckles, sitting forward and looking over each of them. "It's a plateauing effect, this life we lead. You rise and fall based on your willingness to weigh the pros and cons and see that sometimes the reward is worth the risk."

"So we're going then?" Tyrion smirks.

"Yeah. We'll go. It's in a week though, so we should look for other work until then. We didn't exactly get paid for handling my issues back home."

"But now you don't have to worry about that anymore. The future's open to you now." Hope smiles, sipping her water.

"It's open to anyone who can find it in themselves to move beyond the past." Tyrion holds a finger up as though correcting the devilkin.

"And have you moved on, little man?" Hope eyes the halfling, a glint in her gaze.

"Haven't we all, Red?" He retorts with a sigh, closing his eyes tightly as if to block out the world.

"I struck a nerve. I'm sorry." Hope lets her joviality fade, replaced with a gentle sincerity as she squeezes her companion's shoulder.

"No, it's not you." He returns the gesture with a soft smile. "It's just the growing realization that I, too, will have to go home one day and face the fact that I haven't actually moved on."

"From your lady, you mean? The woman you loved?" Anna tilts her head even as she rests it on Tyrion's. He sighs, but before he can speak, the door is gently but firmly knocked upon.

Each party member looks at the others. When none of them react, Amadeo stands and approaches the door. "Who is it?"

"Is this the room of the adventuring party going by the name 'Leur'?" A voice calls out, stern and pompous in its tone.

"...It is. Who are you?" Amadeo turns back to the group, shrugging.

"Margrave Gillian Vessar requests your presence at her home. I'm to escort you at your earliest convenience."

The wizard thinks for a moment, opening the door. There stands the same half-orc from before, wearing fine velvet clothes with the left side of his head shaved clean. "And if we say no?"

"The Margrave said you were interested in the expedition taking place in one week's time. Due to your work not only the last time you were in town, but also in Kaina, she has deemed it necessary to invite you to a meeting with the leaders of the expedition. In the Margrave's words, 'despite being inexperienced, you've proven yourselves to be tough and skilled. We will need people with that kind of balls to assist in our coming endeavor'. She believes you have what it takes to move this job from potentially hazardous territory to safer ground."

"That's some endorsement." Tyrion responds, and Amadeo rubs his chin thoughtfully. "Would you excuse us for a moment?"

"Certainly." The half-orc bows and steps aside as Amadeo closes the door.

"Alright, what do we think?" He turns to the party, leaning against the wooden frame.

"I think it wouldn't be a bad idea, considering how appreciated we were last time." Hope sits back and shrugs.

Tyrion nods in turn. "Red's right. It could be a chance to increase our standing, maybe even negotiate for the right to keep a few things."

Anna sets her fork down and stands, letting go of the rod at her hip. "I'll go if you guys think we should. That Margrave lady seemed alright. And this salad isn't filling me up."

"Agreed..." The wizard opens the door to find the half-orc, hands clasped behind his back as he looks over the railing at the people below. He turns, and Amadeo nods his head. "We'll go. Give us a moment to get ready."

"Of course. Do be aware of the Margrave's precious time, however; don't dawdle." The half-orc steps downstairs to the front door, waiting on the party just outside.

Amadeo rolls his eyes. "Right. Let's get going then. It'll be good to know who we're dealing with."