The big man locked the door behind them and set his daggers down on the dining room table before rounding on Wulfric. "Alright, now I'm not blind to what happened back there lad, I know you saved my life and put yourself at risk ta do it, but I think I'm owed an explanation as to how you turned into a great fanged beast."

Wulfric removed his coat, stretching and letting himself relax a little. "It's still surprising to me that you people are so surprised by this, back among my people this is all well known." He shrugged.

"So this is... something to do with you being a, what did you call it, a Valdyrkin? Can all your people turn into that?" Ben asked.

He shrugged again. "Not all, but some. Valdyrkin are the family of the wolf, some of us are more close to our wolf kin than others. We are called the Varulfur, in your tongue I think the closest word is werewolf. We have the power to change our shape, to take on the form of wolves, of men, and of something in between. That third form was the one you saw back there. We're a minority among the Valdyrkin but well respected, everyone in my homeland knows what we are and how our powers work. I guess that knowledge hasn't traveled very far."

Ben thought about it. "I mean, all I've heard are stories, but they sounded too outlandish to be true. All I've heard about your people is that you're a bunch of snow dwelling barbarians who worship wolves, I think I heard one trader telling me about shapeshifting wolf beasts but I thought he was just spinning drunken tales."

Wulfric cocked his head. "Not... entirely wrong. We worship one wolf, singular, the goddess who is our mother, and the patron of the north. Our father is the human war god, if you must know, so we're half way in between. And we're not beasts, at least no more so in any of our forms."

"And how exactly did you gain this power?" Ben asked.

"It is my birthright. I was born this way, most Varulfur are."

Nodding slowly, Ben seemed to be catching on now, giving Wulfric another look over. "And what about your clothes? They just vanished and then appeared again."

Wulfric shrugged. "It's just how it works. My clothes and things I wish to keep with me are taken with this form in the change, when the other form replaces it, and then returned when I change back."

Ben shook his head, running his hand through his hair. "Well, you're certainly very powerful in that form, and you wiped the floor with those thugs back at the warehouse."

The Valdyrkin held up a hand. "I'm not invincible in any of my forms, Ben. I can heal much faster than most but if you cut me, I bleed, fur or no fur. I'm hardly some unstoppable beast no matter what your legends say."

Ben nodded quickly. "Right, right, I wasn't meaning to say... ah hell, look I was just a bit hopeful is all, that maybe together we could put these bastards out of business for good."

He gave his friend a reassuring nod. "It's alright Ben, I know you want this. But this hideout of theirs... I don't want to go charging in there blindly. If we can find it, well maybe we could have a better idea of what we're dealing with. Who knows maybe we can spy on them or something, at least have some idea of where it is."

The big man agreed. "Right, best not ta run off without knowing what you're doing. Even if they are spineless curs, they're dangerous in numbers. Let's just get down there and have a look around. I'm pretty sure that between the two of us we can find this hidey hole of theirs, at the very least."

Wulfric grinned, fang like teeth gleaming in the light. "Yes, I think we can." It felt good to have a packmate again.

They waited until the cover of night for their next excursion, licking their wounds and recovering. The plan was simple enough, though that was more because of the number of unknowns in it than any elegance of planning. Based on the papers that Ben had pulled from the man's pockets, he had narrowed down the rough location of the hideout. But that was still a decently large stretch of sewer and abandoned tunnel that wasn't on any map. Once they got down there, they would rely on Wulfric's nose to try and get them closer. Once they found the hideout they would have to see if they could snoop on the smugglers somehow. He didn't much like the idea of marching into his enemy's den, but they had to move sooner than later. Before long the smugglers would find out what had happened to their friends at the warehouse, and they might get spooked. They could move shop, or go silent and undetectable down in the labyrinth of tunnels. If they did that, the trail might go cold for good.

The sewers were not exactly pleasant for Wulfric, the stench down here was overpowering. But he pushed through it, sniffing the fetid air as they crept along the stone walkways that ran on each side of the waterway. His amber eyes shone in the low light, cutting through the haze, there was little illumination down here except for the light filtering in from drain grates up to the street above. They had brought a lantern but didn't dare use it just yet, for fear the light would give them away to some hidden sentry.

"Anything yet?" Ben asked for the third time.

Wulfric growled softly, lifting his nose and sniffing again. There was something, just on the edge of recognition, but he couldn't quite home in on it. "There's something down here. But I can't quite... hush." He held up a hand, silencing Ben's follow up question.

Over the low rumbling of flowing water and the muted noise of the street above, there were footsteps scuffing along the old stone of the sewer tunnels. Wulfric focused on the sound, ears trembling slightly, twitching a bit as he searched down different tunnels.

He heard an intake of breath over his shoulder, Ben about to say something, and he waved at him to be quiet. The sound resolved itself as it drew a bit closer. Footsteps, two sets, on another tunnel moving near to their own, and about to pass by it. There were voices too, speaking in hushed tones, but he couldn't quite make it out. Ben looked up, seeing the two figures for himself as they turned out of a side tunnel and started walking down the same tunnel they were in, out ahead of them. The two of them crouched in silence, watching the two up ahead of them by the candle they carried with them, the light slowly fading with distance.

"Alright... I have an idea." Wulfric said, voice soft as he looked back to Ben. "I'll go along and follow them, they're probably going back to the hideout."

"How do you know they're smugglers and not someone else?" Ben asked.

Wulfric shrugged. "I can smell that herb on them, it must just get stuck on them after a while."

Ben nodded. "Alright, fair enough. How are you going to follow them?"

Wulfric grinned. "I have a few tricks, and if they're ignorant of my kind..." He smirked. "No offense but you're a little too noisy for this, I think you should turn back."

Ben was about to protest but Wulfric held up a hand. "I'll be fine, I can outrun any of them if I have to." He looked back up, seeing the candlelight fading into the distance. "No time to argue, just go, please."

Ben nodded. "Good luck." He grunted, and turned back.

Wulfric nodded, then turned towards his quarry again. He got down on his haunches, letting his natural power flow again, and leaned down, reaching out towards the stone. By the time his hands hit the stone, they had become canine paws. Wulfric shook himself from head to tail, now fully embodied as a large timber wolf. His hearing even more acute in this form than in his human guise, he was easily able to catch up with the two men and listen in on their conversation.

"The way I hear it there's been some kind of shakeup topside." One of the men said to the other, voice hushed and conspiratorial, even in the lone tunnel.

"What kind of shakeup? What do you mean?" Said the other.

"I mean that there could be a change in leadership before too long. There's a new player on the board." Replied the first.

His companion scratched his head. "Board? What board? Just talk straight damnit."

The first man sighed. "Bloody thickheaded... I mean there's someone new in the city. A recent development, if you will."

The second man grunted. "What, just going to walk in and take over? Not likely."

The first shrugged. "Money is power, and this newcomer seems to have a lot of it. Money like that, might be enough to buy out some of the lower rankers, offer them a better deal if they jump ship."

"And what does the boss think of this?"

Another shrug. "Dunno. I know he's met already, but won't talk about who he met with. Whoever it is has got his trap shut, and that probably means he's on board with 'em. Which probably means..."

"That we're all in for a pay raise." Finished the second, laughing as they walked along.

Wulfric's ears perked up as he listened to all of this, padding along silently in the tunnels behind the two men. This job seemed to be getting more complicated by the minute, now there was a power struggle inside these criminals ranks? As he thought about it though, pieces started falling into place in his mind. The kidnapping was part of this, not just a random coincidence that happened at the same time. More than the kidnapping, there had been a lot of money stolen as well. But if these bond notes needed the right person to cash them in then she may have been kidnapped so they could force her to do that. Then probably ransom her back for even more.

Now more than ever, Wulfric knew he had to get inside the hideout. The man at the warehouse had told them that the lady had been in the hideout, she might still be there. If not, then the local boss could well have a lead on her location. Wulfric cocked his head, an idea occurring to him. He trotted through the tunnels, getting up fairly close behind the men, and let out a low 'wurf' to get their attention.

The two men turned around quickly, jumping a bit at the sight of him. "The hell?" Said the shorter man, looking over at him. "Is that..."

"It's a wolf, yeah." Said his taller companion. The two men just stood there for a second, looking at him. "He's... not attacking."

"And he's not running away." The men looked at each other for a moment, edging a bit closer. "How do you think he got himself down here?"

Wulfric let out another 'wurf' and walked closer, wagging his tail a little.

The taller man scratched his head. "He seems friendly enough, tame even. No collar on him but... I bet he's a pet of some rich trader or noble or something, come for the festival. Must have gotten loose."

The shorter man held up a finger, waggling it as an idea occurred to him. "You know, I bet a lot of those fools up top would pay good money for a wolf like that. Come on, let's get him back to the hole, boss'll probably give us a finder's fee."

"Yeah, that'd be nice. But the story goes we stole him, real skillfully, right?"

"Right." Said the taller man. "Now come on, come on with us, we'll give you a nice big bone if you just follow us now." He said in a singsong voice, beckoning Wulfric to follow him with waving hands.

Wulfric rolled his eyes a little and followed the two along, it was almost too easy. Then again, who could possibly resist his charms? He trotted along with the two thugs, listening to them debate about how much money they were likely to get or which of their various vices they would like to spend it on, until they arrived at a seemingly random stretch of wall. Looking closer, Wulfric realized he could see one of the bricks had a funny little symbol carved in it. It was this brick that one of the men pushed on, the brick sinking back into the wall until it clicked. Soon the entire wall swung backwards, making a narrow doorway into a corridor lit by lamplight.

Distracted by the odd door, Wulfric gave it a look before he was pushed inside, giving the two men a glare as he walked in, the door swinging shut behind him with a click. There was a fairly ordinary looking handle on the inside, so getting back out shouldn't be that much of a problem. The two men herded him down the long stone corridor, the bricks here old and worn with age. There was a little nook in the wall with a lookout sitting on a stool, glancing up from the deck of cards he was playing against himself.

"Hey Carl, Gregor, anything interesting? Oh hell, what's that?"

The tall one, Carl evidently, grinned at him. "Our catch of the day! Some rich boff up topside lost track of their pet, he's quite tame."

The lookout whistled. "Wow, he's a beauty, boss will be happy to see this I bet."

Carl chuckled. "Oh I bet. Come on." He waved, Wulfric following him on further.

There were no more lookouts or deviations in the tunnel, and soon enough they passed through a cloth doorway into a larger room. It was hard to say what purpose it may once have served, but right now it looked like it had been renovated into a pub. Albeit a rather dingy pub, even compared to some of the dives Wulfric had visited. The furniture here was mismatched and battered, the bar was a little lopsided and rough, the booze smelled like some of the cheapest rotgut you could find. The little pub was occupied by a half a dozen or so men who were occupying themselves in various ways, playing cards or dice games was the popular pastime it seemed. Most looked up when they walked in, eyes lingering on Wulfric. There were a few other doors leading off from this one, stone arches hanging open and leading off who knows where.

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Wulfric raised his nose and sniffed, the scent of that herb was powerful here, they must keep a decent amount around. There was another smell as well though, the strong and sweet scent of a lady's perfume lingered in the air. She was here, somewhere, or at least had been recently. Carl looked over to the man at the bar, waving him down.

"Hey, the boss back?" He asked.

The man nodded, cleaning a glass. "Yeah, up there." He pointed with a thumb over to a staircase that led up to another room, this one having an actual door.

Carl took a deep breath and climbed the stairs, knocking on the door. "Er, boss, you in there?"

There was silence, and after a moment Carl knocked again. "What?" Came a rather irritated voice from the other side of the door.

"Ah... how'd the meeting go boss?" Carl asked, putting on his best impression of a supportive sycophant.

"Fine." The voice said flatly.

Carl waited for a moment, wringing his hands. When it became evident that the boss wasn't going to say any more, he spoke up again. "That's... nice to hear boss. Good news then?"

There was nothing from the other side for a moment, then a loud click as the door was unlocked, Carl recoiling a little as it swung inward. The boss of this little hideout was a black haired man with sharp blue eyes, glaring at Carl for a moment before his expression suddenly softened. "Yes actually." He said, his voice suddenly as smooth as silk, with just the barest hint of its previous roughness. "Very well, we're all about to move up in the world."

Wulfric's eyes wandered over the man's form, looking for anything significant. His eyes lingered on a key that hung at his belt, probably to his office. He could barely see past the man, but the smell of perfume was stronger from that room. Had she been held captive right there under the boss' watchful eyes?

Carl nodded eagerly. "That's real nice to hear boss! I'm sure the boys will all be real happy."

The boss nodded absently again, looking off into space. "Yes... that's great."

Carl waited for a moment, but the boss didn't say anything further. "Uh... hey boss, something I wanted to ask you about. Me and Greg see we were out topside, and we happened to help one of the fools with more money than sense misplace their pet wolf, and we have him here now and we were thinking you could make a nice bit of cash by selling him-"

The boss' eyes immediately snapped back down and focused on his underling, giving him a strong glare. "Like I care about some stupid mutt, that's nothing compared to what we're going to be earning after we pull this deal off. Don't waste my time with something like this again or I'll have you scraping fish guts out of the barrels for the next five years!" With that he stepped back and slammed the door.

Carl held his pose for a moment longer, before he nodded to himself. "Right... good talk boss." He said quietly. "We'll pick this up later." He looked back to where Wulfric was waiting, but the wolf had turned away, vanishing out of sight around a corner.

Wulfric decided to explore the little underground hideout a little more, getting a feel for the place and seeing if there was anything interesting down here. Carl came looking for him, trying to catch him again but after Wulfric led him on a merry chase for an hour or so the man seemed to just give up and go sit down for a drink. There was only one way out and the lookout was hardly going to open the door for the captured wolf, was he? So Wulfric was free to roam the hideout.

There was indeed only the one door, there might have been more at some point but they'd been bricked up if they were ever there at all. There was a storehouse for the red, leafy herb they liked to smuggle as well as various other goods, most of which were unfamiliar to Wulfric. There was no holding cell down here though, and the longshot that he might find Idrenne down here was dashed. Apart from that there was little aside from a sleeping area and the tavern, with the boss having his own bedroom. Judging by how mixed up the scents in the sleeping commons were, the smugglers didn't generally stay down here full time, as much as this was a halfway house when they needed a place to crash between excursions. Only the boss seemed to keep himself hidden down here longer term, his scent was well established as it wafted out from under the locked bedroom door.

Unfortunately, there was nothing really useful to him through the rest of the hideout. But there would probably be something useful in the office up there. But getting in would mean getting the key off of the boss down here. Wulfric could be patient though, laying down in the corner of the common room, keeping a steady gaze on the doorway and listening in to the chatter in the room.

He didn't learn much more than he already did, listening in to their idle talk. The harvest time was a time of big profits for the smugglers as well as the legitimate traders up top. Property owners were willing to pay higher protection fees to ensure that nothing went wrong in this critical time, and the increased legal activity offered a good cover for a surge in illicit trading as well. Apart from that there was just more speculation as to exactly what their boss was getting up to, how it would turn out for them, and if they were going to change their allegiance to the up and coming newcomer or not.

Some hours passed until the door to the office finally opened again, the boss stepping out onto the landing before he turned to lock up. Wulfric had been right, they key at his belt was for the office door, dangling from a little strip of leather by his right hand. Wulfric stood up, seeing the boss making a beeline for his bedroom door. The wolf got up and padded over, taking the direct approach. The door was unlocked, swinging open, and Wulfric simply walked through, bumping the man's legs to walk in.

The man swore at him as he passed, but Wulfric ignored him, walking in and sitting down inside the brick walled bedroom. He gave the man a look that said, quite simply, that this was where he'd chosen to sit, and you should just accept this human. It was a bold move but Wulfric had found that most humans wouldn't have much fight in them when face with a passive aggressive wolf that was about as big as they were.

The smuggler boss put his hands on his hips, fixing Wulfric with a stern, bloodshot glare. "Get out." He ordered, pointing back out the door.

Wulfric followed his gaze, then looked back to him, keeping his gaze level, not moving an inch.

The man swore again, taking a step closer. "Get out!" He commanded once more. Again Wulfric didn't move, cocking his head slightly.

Eventually, as predicted, the man just gave up and went to pour himself a goblet of wine from his personal stash. Wasn't that surprising really. The alternative would be to try and force him out, and risk the bone crushing bite of a wolf. Wulfric stayed as inconspicuous as possible after that, curling up silently in the corner and letting the man drink for a while, look over some papers, and then went over to the bed. The key, much to Wulfric's frustration, ended up underneath the man's pillow, the boss passing out more or less instantly. After he was effectively alone in the small room, Wulfric got up, stretched, and started looking around.

The bedroom wasn't anything spectacular. There was a cabinet, some drawers, a table with some papers scattered on it. Wulfric put his front paws up on the table and started looking over the papers there, reading whatever was on top. There was a map of the undercity tunnels spread out over half the table, divided up into grids. Wulfric saw their hideout marked out, as well as some other seemingly important locations. Waterworks facilities, entry and exit points. Most interesting were the various places that the tunnels were connected to the surface. In addition to the already existing access points, it seemed that the smugglers had dug their own entrances and tunnels under the city. Some of them went up into warehouses or businesses, or even into the estates of the city's wealthy up above, probably the ones who had a major stake in the smuggling operation. He noted that even the warehouse that he and Ben had raided was marked with a tunnel. No wonder they were running rings around the city watch.

The sleeping man snorted and rolled a little, tossing and turning on the bed and starting to mumble in his sleep, evidently quite gone by now. Wulfric turned his attention to the man, walking over and watching him.

The man's sleep did not seem to be a pleasant one, turning this way and that and mumbling to himself. Wulfric watched his movements, eyes locked on the pillow hiding the key. The man's sleep talking was more or less incoherent, but a few terms stuck out now and again. Mostly he seemed to be rambling about how he would be getting rich soon, and that he was promised some kind of reward for what he was doing. Finally he rolled onto his side and Wulfric darted in, head slipping under the pillow and jaws closing on the key, before he pulled back just as fast. The man grunted and twitched again, but soon enough fell back into his restless sleep, muttering to himself again as Wulfric turned and left him where he lay.

He opened the door with a paw and slipped out, carefully closing it behind him. The hideout was quiet now, save for the snoring of the men in the bunks. The tavern area was empty now, save for one man who'd fallen asleep at his table. Smirking, Wulfric ascended the stairs and put the key into the lock with his mouth, twisting his head to the side. He was rewarded with a little click, and pulled the door open quickly enough. The wolf jumped into the room, and his heart sank a little. It had been a longshot hope, but the girl wasn't in here either. Her scent was most strong though, she must have been here. Wulfric sighed, closing the door behind him and reverting to his human shape to better search the room.

His time here was limited, he knew, and he had no plans to still be here by morning. Any moment now the men could discover the charnel house he'd left at the meeting site, especially if their tunnels connected directly to it. He locked the door behind him and began rifling through papers in the desk, turning them out onto the desktop and quickly reading through them. A lot of it was old records, progress reports and transaction records, nothing that really interested him. He kept looking, opening up a folder that contained some letters, spilling them out onto the desk. He pushed the older ones aside until he found something that stood out to him.

It was a recent letter, marked simply and in a different style to the others. The rest of the letters all followed roughly the same style and format, but this one lacked a return name or a sender. Also, instead of the barely legible scrawl that most of the letters were made out in, this one had rather elegant handwriting. He opened the letter and began to read.

To whom it may concern.

You and your group have gained my attention, and my interest. I am informed that you conduct business efficiently and can keep a secret if money is involved. Further, I am aware that your skills include not only the smuggling of property, but of people, it is this talent that I am willing to pay most handsomely for. I wish to meet with you to discuss business, something mutually rewarding. Come to the markets at Bower street, I will find you there.

M

With how fresh Idrenne's perfume hung in the air, Wulfric doubted this was about some other kidnapping job. So the kidnappers hadn't simply run to this city, they had been from this city in the first place, but the reason behind the kidnapping was still unknown. Wulfric's eyes lingered on the 'M' written at the bottom of the page, the letter written in a curly way that reminded him of crawling vines. The letter wasn't the newest one either, there was another after that, from the same unknown contact. He pulled that one out next and began to read.

You have done well, and I am pleased. Your payment has been made in full, and your previous coordinator is none the wiser. You have another part to play in the festival tonight. I will be there in person, and will be meeting with your previous employer, who still believes you to be his loyal servant. He believes that this will be a simple ransom affair. If you play your part right, he will suspect nothing until it is too late. Your men will be the only guards with the target during the prisoner transfer, when the time is right, we strike. With this move, the balance of power in this city will shift, and you will find your new place to be much more agreeable than your current posting.

Also, remember that this is a noble affair, so dress nicely.

M

Wulfric's eyes narrowed. The prisoner had to be the Lady Idrenne, but where was she? What party? There were so many going on during this damned festival time. He started rifling through the desk some more, hearing a sudden commotion outside. The outer door had opened and there was a raised voice, but about what exactly he couldn't hear. Wulfric searched some more until something jumped out at him. Among all the crumpled up and messy pieces of paper there was one that was different, a clean white rectangle with some writing on it. The paper was different as well, stiff and thick. He flipped it around and quickly read what was on the card before he slipped it into his pocket.

The commotion outside had grown louder, and he knew it was time to leave. The boss had woken up, swearing loudly and shouting at whoever was making the racket. Would he notice the missing key? Wulfric dropped down and shifted into his wolf form again, padding over to the door and pressing his ear against it.

"What? Dead? All of them?" The boss was asking, incredulous.

"Dead and ripped apart boss!" Someone was saying. "Some of them looked like something was gnawing on them! And the others were all stabbed and hacked up. And the money was gone too!"

The boss swore loudly and started marching out, Wulfric backed away from the door, bracing himself. He heard footsteps on the stairwell. "Alright, we'll go clean the mess up, let me get my..." The footsteps stopped right outside the door.

"Everything alright boss?" Someone asked.

The footsteps rapidly reversed back down the stairs, and that's when the swearing got truly inventive. Well, that would be him noticing his key was missing, now it was really time to leave. Wulfric threw the latch with a paw and slammed the door open, bounding out and racing down the stairs. A figure jumped into the doorway, reaching out to try and stop him. He dived low, slipping between the man's legs and making a beeline for the door at a full sprint.

The room was full of confusion, and by the time anyone realized what had happened, he'd gone racing off down the tunnel towards the hidden door, racing past the confused looking lookout. He grabbed the door handle with his teeth and pulled, dragging the door open. He felt hands clamp down on his sides and Wulfric began wriggling to get free, kicking and snarling. He reached back and bit, sinking his fangs into the man's leg and making him yell and release him. The wolf shook free and squeezed through the open door, racing off into the tunnels as he heard shouts of confusion and cursing fill the corridor behind him. He wasn't afraid though, none of them could catch him at a flat run, there were few things that could.

He found his way out of the sewers and back to Ben's house soon enough. He assumed his human form in the backyard and knocked. The door flew open almost instantly and he found himself yanked inside the house and pulled into a bone crushing hug by Ben.

"I didn't think you'd make it out alive!" Ben said, squeezing Wulfric so hard he could barely breathe.

"Ben... Ben!" Wulfric wheezed, patting his back to try and get his attention.

"I was afraid, if you got killed helping me, on my watch, what was I supposed to do?"

"Ben!" Wulfric gasped, flailing a little, his feet kicking impotently as they were clear off the ground.

Ben leaned back a bit. "What?"

Wulfric was red in the face, gasping for air. "Crushing... Me." He managed to wheeze.

Ben's eyes went wide and he released the smaller man at once. "Er... sorry."

Panting and doubled over, Wulfric waved a hand. "I'm fine..." He managed to cough out. "Nice to see you too."

After he had regained his composure, the two sat down around the dinner table to discuss what Wulfric had managed to find. He laid it all out, that there was a new boss muscling into the city's illicit business, known only by the signature of M. This M character was the one who had ordered the kidnapping for unknown reasons, but the prisoner was being ransomed tonight, at some gathering of nobility.

"And..." He finished. "I know what party this is. And I have a way in."

Ben raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And just how do you have all that exactly?"

Wulfric smiled, pulling the little rectangular card out of his pocket and showing it to Ben. On the card, in blocky text, was printed a simple message.

"You are cordially invited to the harvest festival of the honorable Hasven family. Admit one."

"I assume that this is how the smuggler was going to get in, somehow our mystery client got an invitation."

Ben took the invitation, reading it himself. "Aye, I know where this is. So you're just going to walk through the front door and try to find her?"

Wulfric nodded. "If I'm on the same grounds as her, I'm sure I can track her scent."

Ben gave him a more unsure look. "So just... until then you're going to mingle with the idle rich and high society."

Wulfric nodded again, a little more slowly. "Yes... that was the plan."

He cocked his head in confusion as Ben's eyes glanced down to his coat then up again.

"Dressed like that?" He asked, dubiously.

The Valdyrkin looked down at his clothes, frowning. "What's wrong with how I dress?"

Ben sighed and put his hand on his face, massaging his temples. "Look... you can't just march in there dressed like a common mercenary, you'll never make it past the front gates, invitation be damned. I don't know how..." He trailed off, lowering his hand and raising his eyes. Ben was smiling, a look of inspiration lighting up his eyes.

"Ben..." Wulfric asked cautiously. He wasn't sure why exactly, but something about that look made him distinctly uncomfortable.

"Actually." The big man said, nodding to himself. "I think I have just the solution."

Wulfric gulped, but he nodded, if this was the only way to complete his assignment, then he would do it.