“Good, good. I see you have cleaned yourself and gotten some rest. I'm also told you took my advice to heart and enjoyed yourself.” Ekurzakir, Commander of the Adventurers guild in the Free Cities rift settlement and the all-around person you didn't want smiling at you with a too-happy glint in the eyes said.
Ambros nodded while wondering what fresh hell he was about to be put through. It took him a moment before he remembered to use his words. “Yeah, It was very nice.”
“I'm glad. It is probably the last time in a while any of us will have it very nice. Now tell me about the things I don't know. What happened once you entered the tunnel. I'm told it was blocked when the Adventurer group tried gaining access, and now the entire plaza has turned into rubble.” Eku said, so Ambros did, even if he didn't reveal much about the Sanctum and just gave a redacted version of what was in the letter.
Eku didn't say a word the entire time Ambros recounted the trip into the temple. When he was done, Eku stayed silent for a while, as in absolutely still, before he suddenly asked, “The being in the room with you when you destroyed the altar, the benevolent one that chased the first one away. Do you think you would recognize it if you encountered it again?”
Ambros didn't have to think long about that before answering, “There was a noticeable personality there. It was more than a power like a greater elemental.”
“We will be running some experiments on that at a later time. Show me one of the books you have set in stasis. While I am familiar with the enchantments that do something similar, I have yet to see an implementation like you described.” Eku patted his desk while he said it, so Ambros summoned a closed book, the open book, and a scroll for good measure and said. “The intent is for the shell to stop any particles from passing through. The books should be completely safe unless interfered with for about one and a half to two months.”
Eku summoned a pencil and slowly cut it in half on the side of a sheet. “Good. It is a clever application that will greatly reduce the passage of time on the books for its duration. I had initially thought it would freeze time itself, but I see this would kill a living being. You should find a way to utilize this in an offensive capacity, and I will send and inquire to the Archives about possible solutions for the books. I do find it worrying that you found a temple entrance in the rift.” Eku said, holding up the pencil he had split in two. “Your training will also incorporate time for you to compact your mana. Not utilizing such a big advantage is foolish. While I can not directly help you, I will be looking for instructions about it. There is seldom anything new under heaven in the end.”
“There is also the matter of the Mordechai vials. I will be taking them. While it is indeed used for potion making, it is also heavily restricted. The description you provided lacks an important detail. The reason it is so addictive is the euphoria inhibiting the essence gives someone. It is elating, but at the same time, it removes the feeling of guilt. Imagine someone without empathy that can travel from shadow to shadow without any moral qualms. The effect only worsens with each use, and in the end, it creates a monster. The guild will compensate you at fifty percent over the value in merit points or a trade-in at double the meri point value at the guild armory. I suggest you take a weapon. You will find yourself in need of it soon. And for the love of all that is good. Please find another tailor. Whoever told you that cream-colored shirts and pants suit you lied.” Eku finished. Ambros didn't see a need to argue that point about the weapon. He did want a new one, so he transferred the request to Eku, that promptly accepted. The clothes were staying, however. It was the most comfortable thing he had ever had on. He didn't care if he looked like a circus clown if the clothes felt like that.
“Good. Go to the armory later and see if they have anything that suits you. I have put you up for a hundred and eighty-two thousand in item exchange or a hundred and thirty-six thousand five hundred to be transferred to your account if you can't find anything.”
Ambros was a bit stumped. One merit point was worth ten copper coins in spending if used at guild-affiliated stores or guild services. You could exchange them for seven copper coins. He thought it was a clever system the Guild used to control adventurers. That aside. He could buy a weapon for close to two platinum in value, and that was at the Guild discounted rates. He had to stop himself from rubbing his hands together but remember to say thanks. “Thank you, Eku. That was quite a bit more than I had expected to get for them.” Eku just waved with a hand and said, “Just making sure something bad doesn't happen. Now to the rest of the things you found.”
The five double-sized silver coins were something he hadn't seen before but wanted to borrow one so he could look into it. He suspected they weren't silver. Some metal he hadn't come across yet. The vials were Blood Reaver Ichor. It was always in demand to create potions, so he suggested Ambros take it to an alchemist when he left the rift one day. The scimitar's only value was the enchantment of Inflict Pain. Not very useful against anyone with much willpower and self-control, but it should be good against living beasts and monsters. The steel was of good quality but still steel, so not very valuable. The horn was a Horn of the Sons of Meloch. Good trophy to trade in for fifteen thousand merit points or hang on your wall. Collectors paid a premium if you had a fitting pair, but they mostly only dropped the left horn.
Ambros was disappointed to learn that the plate armor wasn't enchanted. Eku explained that it was very unlikely to find passive enchantments for someone who had not reached at least Adept. At best, you could hope to find a cleaning enchantment or something similar. Anything more powerful than that would put too much strain on the user's Energy and stop working when their meager amounts were spent, unlike instance or on hit enchantments like Deep Strike that only used Energy when it activated. Even an Adept would need to carefully select one or two passive enchantments of any real power or be overwhelmed by the Energy drain.
The great sword was nice but not exceptional. Eku offered to store it for a while together with the plate armor, and if an adventurer checked in at any Guild with the Briarhill name and could be connected to the items, they would get a request for ransom on the items from the Guild at item value plus ten percent. That then would be transferred to Ambros account minus the ten percent. He would not be involved, and his name would not be disclosed. Ambros was fine with that and handed them over.
“Now, what I'm about to tell you is do not leave this room, do you understand?” Eku told him, his eyes piercing. He nodded as he answered with a confirmation. “Good. We have close to two months before the horde is at our walls. In that time, I want you to work on compressing your mana as much as training with weapons. I will start training you to use the Energy to fight. Even if you can't reach the point where you can use it now, it will serve you well later. Take this.” Eku threw a golden medallion to him.
It had a red gem in the center. Going through the medallion, Ambros thought it might be a rubi. He saw his name on one side and Eku`s on the other side. Ambros tried a “Thank you?”
“That is proof that you are my disciple.” Holding up a hand, he continued, “If you try to serve me tea and kowtow, I'll kick you in the face. The real reason you have it is that you can enter the inner ring with it. While it does give you some authority if I find out you have abused that too much, we will be spending a week where I rip out a kidney and watch you grow it back. Over and over. Now. The medallion will allow you to bypass the line to enter the inner ring in an emergency. More than that, It gives you access to the rift at the guild's expense. Do you understand what I'm telling you?”
Damn, Eku didn't think the settlement would hold. He was preparing to evacuate. Ambros was almost touched by the gesture until he remembered how ornery the old dragon man could be. He could leave today with this if he wanted… Did he really want to though? In the end, he simply said, “Thank you, Eku. I will try not to misuse it too much.” Eku just snorted before he said, “Go pick up a weapon or something. Afterward, go book an Energy circling room. While you can't use it yet, the large amount of Energy may help you compact your mana. Hopefully.”
Ambros nodded his thanks and bid Eku goodbye. This was big. He wasn't sure what the full implications were of the settlement falling, but he imagined the economic instability it would bring to Lemadis, not to speak of the civilian deaths. Outbreaks would start up again in the region. Not much good, in other words.
The dwarf sitting at the Armory counter gave him a once over and whistled before saying, “Aren't you a big boy. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you're not here to deliver my fried lurker and ale. I'm Nestor. Badge?”
“Sadly, I'm here to inform you that every food stall and restaurant in the settlement has been forbidden to serve you any food on the pain of dwarfess with an axe to the face. Something about you putting on too much weight.” He delivered back in a deadpan voice he could manage. Nesors eyes shot open for a second before he started laughing. “Ass. She could have done it too.” Ambros chuckled as he handed over his badge.
“Well, aren't you just full of surprises. Alright, in we go.” Leading Ambros past the barred door and into a room, well more of a large cage. There was an exit and bars across the room dividing it. On the other side of the bars were fist-sized boxes stacked wall to wall. Looking around for the weapons, the dwarf caught him looking and said, “The boxes, you numbnuts, why would we keep weapons and armor out in the open when we can just stuff them in dimensional bags? Every time there's a newcomer… Alright, let's have a look at you.”
The dwarf then proceeded to look at Ambros from every angle, slap his hands, make him take a different stance, and in general, pester him to the extent of his limited martial knowledge. Something Nestor agreed was limited.
“Alright, I'm guessing a great axe or a polearm with some swinging power by your stance and reach. Anything else would be stupid at your power level.” Ambros answered, “I have some experience with a spear, so polearm. If there is anything left, I also need a one-handed sword and a shield, preferably something that won't break when I look at it the wrong way.”
Nestor nodded. “Alright, you stay here. I'm going in to get a few things. If you try going past the bars, I will kill you. Understood?” Ambros nodded.”Go behind bars equals getting ankles bit.” Nestor snorted. “Har har. Just stand there and don't fall on anything.” Ambros believed him. Going by the aura the dwarf had and the Energy he could sense in him, he was at least at the third Circle. Ambros gave himself somewhere between zero and nothing chance in a fight against the dwarf.
“Here we are. Give her a few test thrusts and tell me how she feels. She's a bit Energy costly, but she's a good bridge for a neophyte.” Ambros wasn't sure what he should answer to that, so he just accepted the poleaxe? Standing it beside him, it reached his shoulder. Trying to use Analyze on it didn't work, but Nestor handed him a lens on a chain, and when he looked through it.
Item: Ogre Slayer, Rare ( D )
Enchantment: Armor Piercing, Deep Impact, Hardening, Multi Length
One hundred of these poleaxes were commissioned by the Green Fields mercenary company. They were created to give the mercenaries the ability to fight a particularly fierce species of ogres that infested the land of Talnoon. Many of the poleaxes have been lost with time. This is one of three known to be in circulation. The shaft is made of laminated Barrow Ogre bone around a twisted core of mithril and high-grade steel. The Axe blade and the spikes are made of exceptional steel sourced from star iron.
Ambros felt it in his hand, it was light, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it would tear apart the floor if he struck it. Giving it a twirl, he suddenly stopped it mid-swing, turned so his right side was forward, followed by an overhead chop, step forward into a stab, hook the leg of an opponent with the back claw, and stabbed with the butt spike as he brought it up to protect his face again. It felt so natural. The flow from stance to stance felt like the poleaxe wanted to be wielded.
Turning to the dwarf, who was looking at him with a big smile, he asked, “How much?” The dwarf pretended to buff his nails and look at them in satisfaction before he asked, “I'm good, right?” Ambros nodded. “Don't I know it. Let's say it's what you came with for a trade, and I'll throw in a shield on the deal. You probably won't want to bother with a one-handed sword after you try out her Multi Length enchantment. It's a bit misleading since she only has two sizes, but it should suit you just fine.” The dwarf finished.
Ambros was almost positive Nestor was doing him a favor. When he was looking at weapons around the settlement, he had not seen many weapons on display in the D grade, and the few that were cost a lot more than a couple of platinum. “If you are sure?” He had to make it a question. It was just too good to be true, so Ambros needed to be careful that he didn't get caught up in anything more.
“Excellent, just remember to tell old grumpy tail to order more dwarven spirits. We are nearly out. Be off now. I feel like doin' an inventory.” Muttering under his breath, Ambros heard him say, “It's not like we got that long left here anyway. May as well get hammered.” As he threw a big round steel shield at Ambros and waved him off, Ambros realized the secret probably wasn't much of a secret.
Making his way up the four stories to the reception area of the Guild was done in silence. He didn't even pass an attendant. When he got there, he noticed even fewer counters were open. He was seeing the Guild closing down and leaving slowly before the horde even got there. The entire thing seemed almost dishonest. Not that he wouldn't be out of the rift the moment he thought he needed to, but while he had met a few people he liked here, and he would even call some friends, in the end, this wasn't his home or even a place he considered spending a more time then he needed to in. The thing was, he was almost looking forward to testing his mettle against these hordes. It was an idea he would need to beat down and fast.
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Getting instruction on obtaining an Energy cycling room was easy, especially now that no one was using them. He started with a mid-level one, so he could test the effect it would have on his mana channels.
The room was surprisingly small, he could have lain down in any direction comfortably, but that was about it. There was a mat in the middle of the room. Once he closed the door, the room started doing his thing. The mat was supposed to help him focus and not fall asleep over longer cycling stretches.
Deciding there was nothing else to it, he slid the door in place and twisted the handle. Immediately he felt the Energy in the room rising and rising. It kept rising to the point where he felt his body was buzzing, and his mana channels were vibrating in response. It tickled. Yeah, Ambros thought he could handle this.
He tried different meditation positions he had been taught. Still, he had never managed the art of not wiggling around after a couple of minutes, so in the end he plopped a mattress down and a couple of pillows and lay down in what he called starfish formation number one. Ambros had his own mysterious ways too…
Going by what he had experienced in his Sanctum, he started trying to force mana together. While the area he was forcing together was saturated in more mana that came from the room, the moment he let go, the extra mana got expelled. Over and over, he tried different variations of squeezing, mushing, forcing, shouting, begging, coaxing, and leading without any form of success. The moment he removed his will from the equation, the excess mana would be expelled, and his mana was still in the same state.
Deciding he needed a break, he left for the training hall. He wanted to see what the poleaxe could do. Stopping in his tracks, Ambros was in shock. When had training his body in any shape or form been something he considered a break before. He wasn't sure if he was horrified or proud.
Ambros decided it was awesome. With a thought, it would extend into a polearm or down to a one-handed axe with a very big axe head and spikes. The Armor Piercing enchantment was pretty standard. It simply expanded on the weapon's already existing armor-piercing capabilities. The Deep Impact was very nice. A small portion of the damage dealt would continue past the protection and give whatever was under there a good tenderizing. Hardening made the weapon, as the name said, harder. The weapon would become a tiny bit harder for each strike at an opponent. If you couldn't get through the armor at first, keep hitting, and it eventually would. The effect lasted for the duration of the battle, so in a long battle, this would be immense. Finally, as Nestor had said, Multi Length only had two options, but that was enough for Ambros. One size as a polearm and one as a battleaxe. It just works…
Unlike the spear he had come to love, the poleaxe worked better when extended as a staff, he thought. The number of places he could slice and stab with was much higher, so it offered him more options in a fight to use it like a staff. In the short version, he equipped his new shield. It didn't have any enchantments but was a big circle of thick good steel. He wouldn't even have been able to budge this thing before he came here. Now he wielded it one handed and easily so. The style was different than with a sword, but he would get used to it easily enough. Moving with weapons in his hands felt natural now. He had begun to understand what he was doing. For some reason, it felt profound.
The next day Eku started teaching him to use Energy while fighting. It was an eye-opener for Ambros. He had imagined he would be learning offensive and defensive skills, and when he asked about it, Eku said, “Unless you are going down the path of a martial artist, stick to skills that will improve your spells. Already your spell ranks are lagging behind because you can not practice them properly, but to add to the work needed to level up offensive weapon skills on top of that. You will be walking the road of a middling. You will find yourself always outclassed by those that specialize. Remember, you have barely begun walking on your path to power. Ultimately, it will serve you well to know how to fight with many weapons. It will teach you to be a fighter and have the right mindset to oppose the heavens. It will help mold you into a worthy opponent. Your highest reach, however, is to fight with your main weapons, the mind, and your spells.”
What he did learn was how to use Energy to lock his body to surfaces either to make his blows more powerful or reach his top running speed instantly. He could climb walls with his hands and feet. He learned not to have traction so he could slide along the floor or walls. He even managed to slide along the sealing for short stretches when he combined pulses of anchoring with it. It was the most fun he had had outside of the Peacock lately.
Eku didn't understand why Ambros was enjoying it so much, but he did find it funny. Especially when Ambros miscalculated and went careening into a wall or the floor. Ambros didn't care. For a short while, he was Spiderman.
His meager amount of Energy kept the sessions short, sadly. Mana didn't work in the same way as Energy when he tried using it. It was like using petrol instead of diesel. He was sure he could make spells with the same effects, though.
So the days went by in training with the few instructors that were left in the guild, learning to use Energy with Eku, trying to force his mana to compress, spending time with the few friends he had left. He had a new chain armor commissioned this time, spending quite a bit more on it. It came with a breastplate and a bascinet to put over his coif. Hopefully, it will stop anything stronger than a light breeze this time. He even went back to the Peacock a few times. Those visits gained him some notoriety.
Eventually, the day came when adventurers started streaming back into the settlement. Far fewer than had left, sadly. The civilians left the settlement at an increased rate as rumors of what they were facing spread.
Ambros was enjoying his dinner at The Golden Razor Boar when there was a knock at his private room. A flustered Frank stuck his head in through the opening as if blocking someone. “Good Ambros, my apologies for disturbing your meal, but a very insistent gentleman is here with wishes to see you. He seems to think you will agree to see him, but I thought it best to ask before letting the gentleman barge in. He says his name is Marcus and claims you met him on the day you entered the settlement for the first time.”
Ambros had to think for a moment. Then it struck him. The Gate Captain. “You are, as always, the best of hosts. Yes, I will see the Captain. Thank you, my friend.” Ambros then motioned to his ears, and Frank smiled with a nod, and as his head disappeared, a bedraggled-looking captain Marcus entered.
Marcus paused when he saw Ambros. “You have been busy too, I see.” The Captain said. Ambros was shocked at how haggard Marcus looked. The bags under the man's eyes and his gaunt face told tales of a man on his last leg. He also noted how little he was affected by the man's aura. Sending a feeler out, he guessed the man to be at the fifth step or having all enchantments done but still a neophyte. The Captain's aura felt more refined than his own. Sharp and precise. His was wild and aggressive. He wasn't sure he could beat the Captian in a fight yet, he was much more experienced with his weapon, but he was sure he would make it close with all of his cheats. Sure, he could kill him, but in a duel… Not yet.
“Marcus, do you mind if I call you Marcus?” At his confirmation, Ambros continued. “I imagine there are about a hundred things you would rather do than be speaking to me. Getting some sleep is probably high on that list, so just tell me what has happened. I imagine it has something to do with Whisper since she is the only connection we have.” Marcus almost let out a breath of relief before he said, “Yeah, it's been a difficult time, and you are right. It has to do with Whisper.” Ambros could see he was gathering his thoughts since the meeting hadn't started the way he thought it would, so Ambros got another glass from the content shelf and filled it for the captain, and told him he might as well eat and have a drink while they talked.
Between bites, Marcus started talking. “Whisper, your friend? She has been taken for breaching the terms of her service to the Garrison.” Ambros suspected she was here as some form of punishment, even a slave, from things she had said. What implications breaching the terms of her service amounted to, he didn't know, so he asked. “It means she has lost her contract with the rift Garrison and is now a regular slave again. Normally they would ship her out to sell her at auction. Young female elf slaves are very popular as playthings in the northern kingdoms. They consider them exotic. They can go as high as four or five gold there, double of what they do here by the inner sea. The gold would go to the state or the offended party, depending on the ruling and circumstances. It would be to the state in Whisper's case. This time though, Stefan, a fellow Guard Captain, has managed to convince the Steward to hold an auction here in the inner ring to entertain his fellow aristocrats. Whisper will be among the offered slaves. He has been after Whisper like a dog in heat since he came here, and now he has his chance as she is no longer under Garrison law and protection.”
Ambros could see the man's face scrunching up at the name Stefan. What he didn't know was why Marcus was telling him this or why Marcus cared. The question was what could he do about it, or more precisely, what should Ambros do about it. Deciding to give the matter some more thought, he asked, “When is this auction?” Marcus had a defeated look on his face. “This evening, right before sundown. In honor of the Castellan's sons naming day, there will be entertainment in the inner ring. The slave auction was a late addition that the Steward readily agreed with when the Castallan's lackey Sir Stefan Candera suggested such a novel idea. There have apparently been quite a few civilians that have been unable to pay down their loans over the last few months. Some less generous people might suggest that it was deliberate to lure away most of the adventurers for a longer period of time when they were the major customers of the settlement, and the Castellan recently acquired a rather large stretch of land and villages in the better inland valleys of Lemadis. More precisely, the Restock region that is known for its exceptional loam and is sparsely populated towns and villages after the last war. This is, of course, just conjecture by certain individuals and not at all based on previous incidents…” The sarcasm delivered in the Captain's last words left little doubt about what side of the fence he was on.
To Ambros, it sounded like another convoluted mess. “So why come to me? While I wish Whisper well and consider her a friend, I'm unsure what an adventurer like me can do to remedy the situation.” Unless the Macus was much more informed than Ambros thought possible, there was no reason for him to approach him. In Marcus's eyes, Ambros would be useless to solve this problem, and it made him suspicious.
“I no longer have access to the inner ring on grounds of being under investigation for dereliction of duty. I am on leave without privileges until further notice. I failed to apprehend an escaped slave. That makes me just another commoner in the eyes of the Garrison. Whisper spoke about you often when we were screening the horde… I don't think she really knew that many people here.” Marcus said in a tired voice. He continued, “There is a rumor you have a connection with Lord Ekurzakir. I thought maybe if you asked him, there is a chance he would choose to intervene and somehow get me into the inner ring. I may not have the gold to match Stefan for her, but I can challenge him so she doesn't suffer that fate, at least.”
Ambros thought it was nice that the man was invested in Whisper`s well-being, but he didn't understand why he was willing to go as far as dueling for her. From what Ambros had seen, there was no romantic inclination there. To be fair, Ambros had trouble imagining anyone having romantic feelings toward the little red-headed tyrant in the making. She would probably be dominating any relationship she was in during the first five minutes. He liked her well enough, she was smart and very helpful, but that was because she felt she owed him something. If that wasn't the case, he doubted she would have spat on him if he was dying of thirst. Looking Marcus in his eyes, Ambros asked, “Why are you so invested in this, there are too many pieces that don't make sense to me here, and that is a major one… Wait, you said Lord Ekurzakir? Eku is a lord?” He was going to have so much fun with this. If nothing else, he had one over Eku? Kick him in the face if he kowtowed indeed. Ambros had to stop himself from grinning, considering how serious the situation was for Whisper, and Marcus would probably stab him. He didn't want another ruined shirt.
Marcus looked perplexed for a moment. “Lord Ekurzakir is one of Lemadi's most venerated heroes. He was part of the army that cast out the Imperials from the Free City during their last occupation and was pivotal in driving them off on their last two attempts at retaking it. He could turn the Senate on even the Burgomeister if he wanted. You truly didn't know?” Ambros just shook his head. This was too much. He was going to poke fun at the old dragon man later. “It never came up, and after getting to know him, I don't think he cares.”
Ambros was still waiting on his question, however. Marcus just sat there sipping at his wine, looking uncomfortable. When he finally spoke, he startled Ambros enough to almost spill his own wine. It was a good vintage, too. “I was there. I was in charge of the unit that raided their village. It was my first command alone, and I lost control over the troops when they pillaged it… I came on the scene afterward, but what they had done to those two girls was unspeakable. I can still see it when I close my eyes today. They were beaten almost to death. The soldiers had used an iron poker to…” Ambros held up a hand and said, “I know. I healed her. So that was your guys? I'm surprised she even speaks to you,”
Another silence. Ambros wasn't sure how he felt about the entire thing. Soldiers on a rampage weren't anything new. On the other hand, he personally knew one of the people hurt by it. Should he be merciful and end Marcuses life. Cover his head in Stasis and watch as the man suffocated while slicing his own neck open with the edge of the spell, or let Whisper deal with the man. She would probably be creative about it. Marcus spoke again, almost in a whisper. “She doesn't know. She was lost to the world for the entire trip back to base. I couldn't do anything for her sister. She was sold to a slave trader from the northern kingdoms. Whisper, however, had a class that was needed by the Garrison. I suggested to the command that she would have more value as a scout than a pleasure slave, and since the raid had been mine, they agreed to follow my advice. Even slave soldiers are paid in the rift, so she would eventually have been able to work her way free, unlike her sister.”
“Well, come on. No reason to wait around here then.” Ambros said as he emptied the last of the wine, left three gold on the table, and walked to the door. Marcus was staring at the gold for a moment and quickly stood. “You just left two years of my wages for… lunch?”
Turning his head, Ambros said, “Adventurer remember?” while opening the door. He noted the enchantment break he had asked Fredrik to turn on earlier. It would have stopped anyone from listening in. Ambros found it very interesting, but it was too intricate for him to recreate from the few parts he had found. “That's still a vast amount for a neophyte adventurer Ambros. I know how much is spent on potions and maintenance.” Marcus said.
Ambros didn't bother answering, he considered the former captain more of a liability now than an asset, and he didn't really like him that much. Still, he would be of some help for his coming plan.
Frank threw out his arms in a dramatic fashion when he saw them. “Ambros, my friend. Are you leaving me already? Was something not to your satisfaction? Who do I need to flog?” Ambros couldn't help but smile. Frank treated his staff like his own children, everyone from the scullery maids to the head chef. They were probably the most pampered employees in the settlement.
“Everything was, as always, to the utmost satisfaction. How anyone could ever complain about your hospitality or the wonders you create here is beyond my intellect. Sadly something has come up that needs my immediate attention.” He said as he drew close to the overly dramatic proprietor. “That soothes my heart, Ambros. Truly your words are a balm to someone as sensitive as myself. The mistress sends her best wishes and still marvels at your gift.” Ambros had gifted the horn he looted from the Son of Moloch to Frank's mistress on her naming day. The party had been incredible. She apparently had quite the collection of trophies at their home hanging inside her sewing room.
When he got close enough to Frank, he whispered. “Have everything ready to leave in a weak, my friend. It is serious.” Frank mouthed thank you as he waved goodbye.