My mental preparations were nowhere near the level they needed to be in order to fully adjust to encountering the owner of this little bit of hell on earth. With my mind constantly wandering towards the future, it was difficult to focus on my conversations with the people in front of me. But I had a job to do, and it required that I gain as much information as I possibly could.
Still, I wasn’t having much luck with the average soldier who did grunt work. They only knew what was pertinent to their jobs, which usually wasn’t anything more than how to maintain security over their posts. While such knowledge might be useful for a stint of stealth around here, there wasn’t much else that could be done with the information. I needed someone with more intimate knowledge of the castle if I were going to find any weaknesses in its defenses. This is what made interactions with him both invaluable and dangerous.
As owner, my host would probably know everything there was about his castle. And talking with him would allow me to ask questions that veered away from the subject of trade and duties of post. But I wasn’t really comfortable with the situation at all; last time I was invited into a castle didn’t turn out all that well for me. So while it was unlikely that my disguise had been seen through in such a brief period of time, I was still going to take some precautions: chief among them, not accepting any drink stronger than water, so I could easily distinguish if something odd was in it.
We have been out here for several hours now, peddling wares and asking questions, and honestly, I think I got more done in the sales department than the spy one. The money wasn’t of much use beyond its potential use as a bribe or to extend our stay here, not that I actually wanted to spend more time than necessary in this place. Regardless, it was about time for us to pack up the shop for today.
Once everyone was back at the inn, I made the wonderful discovery of a bathing room. I probably smelled like the road, which was a combination of dirt, sweat, and horse’s ass, not at all pleasant to the senses. The large tub in the middle of the room was basically half a glorified giant barrel and had to be filled manually. It was a bit of work heating and transporting multiple pots of water, but the payoff was great, and I had my first warm bath in what seemed like forever.
There was no soap, unfortunately, but washing off all the grime from the road would still leave me markedly better-smelling. I was able to scrub and rinse most of my body before the water started to get cold. Sensing the change in heat, I rushed through the last bits of my little cleanup operation and jumped out of the bath to dry off and get dressed again.
There wasn’t much time left until sundown, and I wondered if Balidor would call for me tonight or not. Obviously, I wanted things to go as flawlessly as possible, with me getting some interesting information and getting out without any hassle. But there was always the odd chance that things would go sideways: cover gets blown, army descends upon us, death or imprisonment -- with a high chance of torture being utilized. All these things were in the non-zero range of possibility.
My concerns were interrupted by a knock at the door. With a quick breath to rally myself, I went to answer the door. The innkeeper was standing there looking slightly annoyed. “Some fancy man in a dress is asking for you. Rude little shit too, demanding that I ‘fetch’ you like some kind of dog.”
I gave the man a sympathetic smile. “Thanks for putting up with him for me, and wish me luck, I might be in his company for a while.”
“Who’d you piss off to come up with such a punishment? You have my sympathies, you poor bastard.”
I allowed a slight chuckle to escape me but quickly returned to my composed exterior as I went out to meet with my guide. The man was waiting for me with his hands behind his back in a resting position. He wasn’t, in fact, actually wearing a dress. It was a long frock coat in an aristocratic style that seemed quite useful for keeping any wind chill out. The man himself was prim and proper: clean-cut with only a slick mustache that curled slightly at the ends.
“Master Sothalis, I presume?” he asked in a very straight forward manner.
“You would assume correctly.”
He dipped his head a little in greeting. “I am here to extend an invitation to dinner with my Lord Balidor. He hopes that you are able to attend tonight to discuss business.”
He’s inviting me to dinner? That was unexpected. Am I ready for something like that? That was a question that needed answering urgently. Steeling myself, I decided to take the dive and hope for the best.
“Of course. I would be honored to attend dinner with Lord Balidor.”
He nodded approvingly. “Then I will be your assigned guide for the night. Please follow me, do not stray, and step lively. It would not do for us to be late, as Lord Kirthwain has taken time out of his day to arrange for this.” And without waiting for a response, he turned and started walking at a brisk pace.
Not one for pleasantries is my guess. I got the distinct feeling that this man would rather be doing anything else with his night. But orders are orders, and he was compelled to obey them. I sent some silent sympathies his way but still thought that he could stand to improve his attitude, at least a little.
Walking with purpose, we made our way through familiar parts of the city and to a checkpoint, from which I had been previously turned away. This time, with the presence of my fancy guide, I was not told politely to march my ass in the other direction. There was a brief moment where I felt like making some kind of snide remark about the situation having reversed, but that was out of character and seemed rather rude to the guards, who were just doing their jobs.
This upper-echelon area had all the hallmark signs of wealth that I had come to expect: Glass in the windows, larger presence of the crystal lanterns, and generally more effort being put into the décor. I wasn’t sure which of these houses we were going to, but my escort did not seem to be even looking at any of the houses as we went by. We were getting close to the end of the lane, and I was really starting to question where we were going. That was when I realized that he wasn’t looking towards any of the houses because he was looking at the main keep.
It was a revelation that was shocking for only a moment before I realized that it made sense for him to be there considering that he owned the place. Still, not exactly a location I was comfortable with as it would be significantly harder to escape from the keep than it would be to get out of the fancy houses should the need arise. I didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter, though, considering I was already neck-deep in this.
We passed by a few more soldiers stationed around the entrance to the keep grounds. They apparently recognized my escort and did not give us any hassle as we walked past them. The grounds surrounding the keep were well maintained. Short, trimmed bushes lined the walkway leading up to the front entrance. An actual well-kempt lawn and flower beds surrounded the exterior and likely wrapped all the way around.
The keep itself was still a mostly cold and imposing structure, though from what few places that allowed it, warm light seeped out and created small highlights across the ground. My guide walked right up to the front set of double doors without hesitation, opening it and waiting for me to enter. Crossing the threshold would put me literally in the heart of enemy territory. With some trepidation, I made my way inside.
There was a long carpet that greeted me upon entering, and it stretched through the foyer until it reached a set of stairs that went upwards before splitting into a ‘T’ shape. A chandelier hung just above the start of the stairway, casting its glow from the many little lights upon it across the room. Four doors were on the ground floor, two on each side of the room. The construction was almost wholly that of stone with some wooden support beams up above. There wasn’t much in the way of furniture around, but there were a few pictures on the walls that seemed to be portraits of some kind, most likely of the members of the Kirthwain household.
My inspection was cut short when one of the doors on the left opened. Out from this side room came a trio of Ulgor, two males and one female. Each one was smartly dressed in the equivalent of a butler's suit or maid outfit, though for their body types it didn’t quite have the same feel to it. The collars marked them as obvious slaves turned household servants.
They lined up just beside the entrance carpet and bowed their heads. “Welcome back, sir.” They said in unison. I had a brief moment of confusion before I realized that they were talking to my guide who walked past me to stand before the three who had shown up to greet him.
Ignoring the greeting, he launched into giving them orders. “Inform Lord Kirthwain that his guest has arrived and tell the kitchen to make final preparations for tonight's meal.”
They bowed a little lower before standing straight and splitting up to complete their assigned tasks. With the servants moving as instructed, he turned his attention back to me. “Please follow me to the dining hall.” True to form, he did not wait for his curt request to be acknowledged and simply started to walk up the stairs.
The path to the dining hall was rather bare of decoration. It seemed that the Kirthwains preferred their keep to be more functional than fashionable, though the crystal lanterns that lined the walls in intermittent spaces were covered in such a way that they turned the normally harsh lighting into a softer glow. If it weren’t for that, this place would probably appear to be quite cold and bleak, not something that you would consider a home.
I noticed that we were approaching a set of heavy looking double doors and figured that was our destination. My assumption proved to be correct as my guide, whose name I realized I still didn’t know but then figured he probably wasn’t the type of person I should bother getting close to, opened the door with a creaking sound.
The dining hall was long and narrow, though still had plenty of space to move around in. The table in the center of the room was designed to seat many people and could comfortably have a dozen around its length, more if you needed to cram people in a little closer. Two chandeliers hung above either end of the table which provided most of the light in the room and an unlit fireplace sat at the far end that was probably used in the winter. Narrow windows sat up higher on the wall, but right now they were closed and shuttered, probably to conserve some measure of warmth in the room lest it be lost to the night.
“Please wait in here, sir. Lord Kirthwain will join you in just a few minutes.”
I turned around to give some confirmation only to find the door closing in my face. Oh, well uhm... okay then. That guy has made this night a little more bizarre than I expected. This situation has turned into a hurry up and wait type of scenario. I wonder if I should be concerned about the lack of decorum?
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Thus far this hasn’t exactly felt like an invitation to a high-class dinner, and I didn’t know if that was just because of the extremely disinterested escort, or something deeper. I considered the plausibility of jumping out the windows while I meandered about the room for the next several minutes. In the midst of attempting to occupy my thoughts by inspecting the quality of the chairs, the door opened again.
The confident form of Balidor Kirthwain marched into the dining hall. His eyes quickly locked onto my position, and he gave me a friendly smile before walking over to me and presenting his hand. “I apologize for the wait, was in a personal situation when you arrived. Forgive me for calling you up here on such short notice, but I find that mealtimes are one of the few instances where I can have more than five minutes to myself.”
I took his hand and he grasped mine in a firm shake. “No need to apologize sir. Can’t fault you for having a life outside your work, and I understand that your position involves a lot of work.”
“Good man, I think I like you already. There is more to life than bookkeeping, profits, and expenditures. Those who only see these things and blindly chase after them miss the point of it all.” He let go of my hand and motioned for me to take a seat next to the head of the table.
We both sat down, and I decided to engage him in this conversation he had started. “And what is the point, sir?”
He flashed a smile. “That money is, and always will be, just a means to an end. Too often do I see the greedy fool falling for the allure and glitter of gold, as if it were in and of itself the destination. They covet wealth, hording it and refusing to part with even a single coin without it being pried from their grasp. Idiots the lot of them.”
I ventured to poke a hole in his argument, test how well he responds to being questioned. “You speak as if you care not for profit, yet I distinctly remember you offering me an almost insultingly low price for my wares.”
He raised a finger to augment his next talking point. “There is a difference between using money, and willfully throwing it away. I could have bought your crystals at a premium, just throwing my accumulated wealth at the problem until it was solved. But I prefer to play the game smart. It is both more efficient and more fun. I would nay be having such an engaging conversation had I done otherwise.”
“I am honored that you find my company to be engaging.”
He continued to grin at me. “The best part of a conversation is to have someone challenge your words. It is like the sharpening of a blade, grinding it until it is a honed edge that can fend off even the most ruthless of attacks. An unfortunate side effect of being one in a position of power is that most will tend to nod their heads and agree with every word that comes out of your mouth, even when in private they reject your ideals. I enjoy a real conversation, a chance to argue and convince another person in the truest sense, not these false words and platitudes that are spoken at parties and courts in order to gain favor.”
Balidor was certainly a smooth talker, never coming off as abrasive even when talking ill of others. “So, you enjoy honesty over flattery then?”
“Just so, but I feel I have occupied too much time with talk of myself and have failed at being a proper host. Might I get something for you to drink? Something from the wine cellar maybe?”
I put up a placating hand. “No need to go that far, sir. I make it a habit to not drink when there is business to discuss. A simple cup of water will be more than sufficient.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I can appreciate keeping a clear head.” With a snap of his fingers another slave, this one a Nactren, appeared from around the corner of the door. “Fetch my guest some water, and surprise me with something from the cellar.” With a bow, the Nactren disappeared to fulfill the order. “Now then, while we wait on our drink and food, why don’t we discuss some business.”
What followed was some back and forth haggling over the crystal’s price range. The conversation lasted long enough for our drinks to arrive. I brought the cup up to my lips, making sure to only taste the water with my tongue and smell it. Both senses came back as registering a normal cup of water with no additives, so that was reassuring at the very least. Eventually our conversation over the crystals came to a close with an agreed price of five gold coins and a dozen silvers.
While that was all well and good, I felt like I needed to be asking some of my own questions and directing the conversation a little more towards what I wanted to know. Unfortunately, it seemed like luck was turning against me on this. Just as I was about to open my mouth and begin probing for information, in through the door comes a cart laden with trays of food. The promised dinner arrived at a very inconvenient moment.
It all smelled wonderful though. Plates of hot meat fresh off the bone and seasoned with a variety of spices that filled the air with its pleasant scent. Colorful fruits and fresh vegetables accompanied the meat on the side as well as a fresh loaf of bread that could be cut at our leisure. The slaves who were escorting the cart divvied up the food appropriately and gave us each a set of silverware.
“Ahh, excellent, just when I thought that hunger might get the better of me.” Balidor exclaimed with some amusement. “Tell the kitchen they did a great job as usual.” With a bow they left the room to allow us to eat in peace. Once they were gone, he took a bite of the meat and apparently found it to be quite tasty. “It is always best to reward obedience in your slaves, it promotes further loyalty. Those who serve me in my house were amongst the most subservient of those who worked in the fields. They serve as an example of what good behavior might earn you.”
A manipulation tactic, and probably a scarily effective one at that. Those who remain defiant are most likely brutally punished while they watch those who obeyed reap the benefits. That would wear on anyone's resolve and is probably one of the major factors in mindless, drone-like behavior. This place revealed itself to be more frightening by the moment.
I decided to try and not dwell on that and start eating. I chewed slowly, trying to taste if there was something more medicinal than herbal in its flavors that would give away the presence of drugs. Nothing appeared overly obvious to my sense of taste, though the delicious taste of the well-prepared meat might be masking it expertly.
As the two of us enjoyed our meal, there were a few minutes of silence before Balidor struck up conversation again. “Now that we have some food in our bellies, would you be willing to hear my second offer for you?”
Swallowing my mouthful, I replied to him. “By all means, sir. What do you have in mind?”
“I take my work here seriously. We supply a large majority of the food that the cities need to operate. It is therefore natural that one in my position must be well connected, have an ear open to the rest of the world, so to speak. While unfortunately it is not often that I am able to leave my holdings here, I nonetheless have many friends and business partners across the country. The king himself has recognized the value of what we do the same as I recognize the importance of this war and his reasons for waging it. Unchecked armies sharing our borders, species whose raw strength alone can make them the match of ten men in combat. We may hold the military advantage currently, but who's to say what the situation would have looked like just a few generations down the road.”
“It would only have been a matter of time. Once the other races had developed their military infrastructure to be a parity of our own, someone would have seen that as an opportunity to attack us. Their numbers must be reduced, their threat nullified, and the future for our families secure. Did you know I have a daughter?” I shook my head, genuinely finding the information surprising. “Yes, guiding star of my life. She is the most beautiful thing to grace this world, in my obviously unbiased opinion.” He chuckled a little at his own joke.
“We spoke before of motivation, and she is mine. I want to protect my family and make sure she can grow up safe and happy to have a family of her own one day. To that end, I would like to utilize your profession’s unique travelling situation to its fullest extent. I would ask you to be my ears, to keep me informed of the happenings of the business world so that I may better serve our empire and move where I am most needed. You seem to be a well-connected man, if your wide variety of goods is any indication, and I would naturally make myself a frequent customer of yours for your services.”
That was a rather interesting proposal. The man really was a patriot and believer in this war, even if all its justifications are no more than paranoid delusions. I did my best to appear thoughtful of the offer before responding. “While your offer is intriguing, and I can’t say I'm not interested, might I have some time to consider it?”
He waved his hand in a placating gesture. “By all means, take a few days to decide, no need to rush to any conclusions. The offer will continue to stand, even if you decide you can’t oblige right now. Though I hope that you will see the benefits in us working together.”
This has all been just business talk in order to keep up my disguise. I needed to change something to get the conversation moving in a better direction. “Well, sir, I do have to say that you are very passionate about your service to the kingdom, though I noticed some signs of past misfortune upon your walls. Does your work tend to attract trouble?”
“Ahh, if you are concerned that you might be dragged into that, don’t be. Merchants under my employ come and go all the time, it’s the castle they want. The king isn’t the only one who sees value in what we do here, and it has attracted the occasional attack by the so-called coalition.”
“That sounds dangerous. Do you ever lose soldiers to this misfortune?”
“It is rarer than you might think, given the circumstances. My family has had a long military tradition dating back several generations. We became lords of this land due to our service to the kingdom long ago. In that time, we have become experts at defending our hold from all manner of outside forces, each generation improving upon the defensive capabilities present here. My own contributions have proven most useful in rebuking attacks.”
“You see, I commissioned, at no small expense, an extensive magical ward system to be constructed. The mages I had hired spent nearly three months perfecting the barrier and adapting the towers to becoming focal points. Once activated, no known spell will be able to do more than scratch the walls, forcing any would-be assailants to commit to a war of attrition, which we have always won. Some may die as a result of the fighting and siege warfare, but that is not a common occurrence.”
That was an extremely juicy bit of information he just shared with me. I guess he really doesn’t suspect anything of me if he is being so open about these things. Regardless, I now have something to investigate. If I can find a way to disrupt this barrier somehow it would open at least part of the walls to magical attacks. This could be the answer to my problem, though that all depends on how this barrier works or if I can even get access to it.
The rest of the meal was finished in relative silence, but I still had one more thing I needed from him. “Sir, I would like to propose another business deal if you would deign to hear it.”
“More than what we have already discussed? You certainly are an enterprising man, I'll give you that. What might you be seeking now?”
I quickly came up with a story that sounded plausible enough to work. “I have plans to establish places of business in the future, and as such, they will need workers. Considering the surplus of slaves at your disposal, I was wondering if you would be willing to allow me to examine your stock for potential acquisitions.”
He paused to consider for a moment. “I can see nothing objectionable about that. Tomorrow I could arrange for you to visit the holding cells. How does midday sound for that?”
“It sounds perfect, sir.”
“Excellent, I’ll have some men collect the crystals and bring by the agreed upon coins as well. Perhaps you might see fit to give some of them back to me upon seeing what we have to offer.”
“Maybe you might be so lucky.” I said while giving a friendly smile but feeling slimy about it considering that we were talking about the trading of lives.
“Are you alright, Mr. Sothalis? You had a strange look cross your face.”
Shit, control yourself. “Oh, it’s nothing. I suppose that being on the road for the last few days has made me rather weary.”
“Ahh, of course, and I have kept you up late to discuss such draining matters as business. I do hope you will forgive me for not considering how the road wears on a person. Perhaps we should call an end to the night before exhaustion takes you.”
“I too am sorry that my constitution seems has failed me tonight.” Nice, recovered from that and got a ticket out of here.
“Nonsense, I would not want you to sacrifice your health on my account. We will have other opportunities to speak, but for now I release you from your obligations to stay here. Please return to your lodgings and rest.”
“Thank you for your consideration, sir. I will do as you suggest.” I stood from the chair and gave a formal bow before offering a handshake. “It was a pleasure speaking to you tonight,” I said, lying through my teeth, “and the food was superb.” This night had been stressful in the extreme, but at least I came out of it with something interesting.
He shook my hand and wished me a good night while summoning the guide to escort me back to the inn. It was a relief to finally be out of the keep and into the open night air. It was like I could suddenly breathe again, and I looked forward to getting in bed and sleeping off the stress. There was more to do tomorrow after all, and I needed to keep going as steadily as possible.