It was noon of the next day when Syntinnial and Cypher were set to depart Dungor. The mayor wished for them to stay and help with the restoration efforts, but the two politely declined. Cypher indeed felt somewhat obligated to stay and help with the rebuilding efforts, but he also knew that his training needed to come first.
Despite his recent breakthroughs, he was in dire need of advancing to the next rank in full. To do that, he would have to finish training his Orrium, as well as his mind, and push them into the second rank. Furthermore, he realized all too quickly that if the Order were tracking him, they wouldn't hesitate to destroy anything that stood in their path, and as such staying anywhere for too long posed a threat to anyone who couldn't resist them.
So it was that the two had decided to depart and return to Syntinnial's cottage. However, on their way out, they were stopped by a small company of guards adorned in silvery chainmail.
"Halt there Wizard!" said one of the guards as he stepped forward. His silver mail shone in the light and made a soft clinking noise as he moved. Cypher sized him up carefully. He was nothing more than an enhanced human with a body in the third rank's early stages. The other guards didn't seem to be much stronger either, and Cypher was certain that if a fight broke out, he could handle this independently with his spells.
However, he had no desire to cause a scene in this town right after his battle against Gaizeal, and he decided to see what this guard wanted from him. The man pulled up the vizor of his rippled helm and offered Cypher a curt bow. Cypher returned the gesture, and the man seemed to respond to it with a feeling of respect.
"Forgive me for stopping you in your tracks Hero of Dungor. I am Vice-Guardsman Lent, of the house of Fayaldin. My Lord wishes to speak with you in private," said Lent.
Cypher looked him over and then politely said, "There is no need for forgiveness, it is fine. However, I'm afraid I cannot spare the time to speak to the gracious Lord. I have matters that I must attend to as quickly as possible, and so I must depart just as swiftly. I send my tidings and pray that the gracious Lord Fayaldin accepts my apologies," Cypher replied.
He hated speaking in such a formal and boring tone and found it tiresome to deal with nobles. However, he hadn't forgotten the manners taught to him during his time in the Galvan household. Where nobles were concerned, it was always best to show the appropriate level of respect if one wished to avoid making an enemy.
The Vice-Guardsman, Lent, looked upset at these words and frowned. He bowed again, then said, "Please, noble Wizard, this matter is such that only one as powerful as yourself can handle. Most of the Wizards in Dungor were slaughtered by Gaizeal and his men, while the others were gravely injured. At present, you are the only one who can take up this request."
Cypher didn't like that he was being called a Wizard. It was one thing when he hadn't known that "Conductor" was the proper title, but now that he did and was no longer in his youth, he preferred to be called as such. It just seemed less...silly. Still, it was the custom in Farnor to refer to Conductors this way, and he took no offense to it. It just annoyed him.
"Once again, Vice Guardsman, you have my apologies. I really must be going on my way." Cypher's reply hadn't changed. He only looked to Syntinnial who nodded, and the two began walking towards the city gates once more.
Lent stopped bowing at that point and turned to face them as they walked away. He threw himself into the dirt and kowtowed before the two departing Conductors. "Please, sir, my lord is prepared to offer you great recompense for completing this task. He has authorized me to offer you special drugs that enhance the mental zones of Wizards, as well as those for the body and Orrium. He is willing to pay any price you desire if you will but hear him out!"
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
At this, Cypher turned to see the man kowtowing before him. The offer of these drugs was quite tempting, and in truth, it was hard to resist such an offer. The backing of nobility could certainly help him on his path, and if this offer was genuine, he felt he had to explore it at least.
He turned to Syntinnial and asked with his mind, 'Syntinnial, is this for real? Does this lord really have such resources?'
Syntinnial replied quickly, 'I am not completely certain. Lord Fayaldin is a low ranking noble in the land of Farnor. He is certainly the highest of political standing in this area, but he is still fairly low on the ladder. Still, he might have the drugs he claims he does. As a low ranking noble, he would only have access to Rank-One and Two materials. Given that you fall right into that level of power, this could be quite the boon. Such goods could certainly help you if strength is your goal.'
With that, Cypher made up his mind and nodded to the bowing man. "Very well, I shall hear what your lord has to say. But I make no promises on the matter of actually accepting his tasks," said Cypher.
The man rose up and quickly bowed again as he heard Cypher's words. He then held out his hand and spoke eagerly, "If you’ll just come this way, I shall lead you straight to our encampment just beyond the city gates!"
Cypher nodded, and he and Syntinnial followed behind the Vice-Guardsman. He led them out of the City and down the road for about two kilometers before seeing the pure white of several tents set up in the distance. The group quickly headed for the largest of the tents, and when they arrived they were met with more guards blocking the way.
The Vice-Guardsman ran into the tent and all was quiet for a few moments as Cypher stared down the two guards blocking the way. After another few minutes had passed, Lent reappeared and ushered Cypher and Syntinnial inside.
As soon as they passed the curtains at the entrance, they were met with a cool breeze and fresh air. Lanterns were hung all around and it was clear that some kind of Magick was at work, because the inside of this tent seemed much larger than the outside. This was quite the common spell, but it was still unexpected at times.
Sitting before a desk with a quill in his hand, Lord Fayaldin wrote quickly into a sheet of parchment and paused as his two guests arrived. He spread his arms and, with a wide smile, welcomed them into his presence.
"Welcome! Welcome brave Cypher, Hero of Dungor himself! As well as his mighty companion! I was hoping that you would accept my offer to come and speak with me! Please, have a seat anywhere you'd like! Can I offer you anything? Drinks? Food? Perhaps a nice woman to warm your lap as we speak?"
Syntinnial plopped down happily on one of the large pillows spread about the floor and Cypher chose to remain standing. To him, this was the optimal place to be since it was Lord Fayaldin who asked him to come in the first place. As a rule in Dellorim, those who were summoned by other nobles would either sit or stand according to their needs. If one was there to ask a favor they would sit and drink the wine offered or otherwise indulge in the hospitality of the host.
However, if the host was the one who had the favor to ask, one would typically abstain from the luxuries offered. Normally it was difficult to determine which position one found themselves in, as nobles of Dellorim often spoke in a way that revealed nothing of their true desires. But in this, Cypher knew exactly where he stood and what the situation was.
"No thank you, I am fine. However, I thank you for your hospitality, my Lord," replied Cypher. Syntinnial on the other hand was quite pleased to be offered something to drink and quickly took a goblet of wine and emptied it in a single gulp before asking for another.
"As you wish Hero of Dungor," answered Lord Fayaldin. "I am no stranger to the mannerisms of your family, young Cypher. Your father acted in much the same way. Though it pleases me to see that his son has grown into his power at such a young age. Let us then get right down to business, shall we? I won't waste too much of your time."
"As you must be aware, there is a task that I would ask of you, and I fear that you might be the only one to whom I can seek assistance." Lord Fayaldin had dropped his smile and his face carried a look of seriousness that interested Cypher.
It seemed like the stakes for this task might be quite high.