Lord Fayaldin looked nervous, but he kept his composure as he spoke, "I won't sugar coat things for you young Cypher, this task that I have is one that will require quite a bit of time as well as endanger your life. I would not think to ask this of you, were you not my only option. I owe your father much and to put his only heir in harm's way like this feels...disgraceful.
"Still, one must do what one must in situations like these. Ever since Gaizeal began his reign of terror over our fair land I have been unable to remain on my estate for fear of it being attacked or destroyed by that monster. However, in my haste to retreat to safety, I overlooked the possibility of it being taken by other, less desirable folks.
"As it stands, a group of powerful Wizards currently occupies my former estate, Windhowl Manor. I have sent a few men to scout the area, but only two have returned. They claim that the Wizards there are only in the middle of the second tier.
"I had sent my own court Wizard, Belgrad, along with them. However, he was quickly discovered and captured before he could return. Belgrad was only able to leave behind this sliver of information before hiding the two surviving scouts' presence. It would seem that these feral Wizards either kill or capture anyone who approaches, and luckily Belgrad was spared and only captured. My men were lucky to have escaped unharmed, but the fact remains that these Wizards are unlawfully occupying my residence.
"The task is this," continued Lord Fayaldin. "Reclaim my estate, save my court Wizard if possible, and drive these foul Wizards from my lands. In exchange, I will share with you a portion of my wealth. Surely one such as you could benefit from such backing. My vault is sealed up tightly, and those Wizards shouldn't be able to break inside. However, one can never underestimate those who use the power of Magick. Time is obviously of the essence."
"So wait, you don't have any of the items your guardsman promised?" asked Cypher.
"I was able to take with me a small fraction of my overall wealth when I departed for safety," replied the Lord as he ordered his attendant to pull out a medium-sized chest. The attendant opened it and inside Cypher could see several bottles of glittering liquid. He inspected it with his mental energy and found that all of the bottles contained liquids that could help train all three power centers.
It wasn't much in terms of how far it could improve his power, but it was certainly enough to pique his interest. These bottles were worth quite a bit to Conductors, and it made sense that the Lord had chosen to take these during his flight from his estate. If the lord had even more in his vault back at Windhowl Manor, Cypher could easily see his power centers reaching the second rank in full.
"You are welcome to take this entire stock as a down payment, and will receive more upon my return to my estate," stated Lord Fayaldin. "This chest is all that currently remains of my wealth that is not gold, jewels, or equipment. I am well aware, however, that such riches are somewhat useless to Wizards save the equipment."
"You would be right about that, my Lord. Most Conduct-" Cypher paused and corrected himself mid-sentence. "Most Wizards would find your offer of jewels and gold quite lacking, though depending on the equipment, they might accept your offer."
"Indeed, young Cypher. I am wary of other Wizards in this country. While I am away from my estate, I cannot properly present myself as the noble I truly am. I fear that they would take advantage of me. However, I offer this to you freely and in good faith."
"Your father was an honorable man, and I do not doubt that his son is of a similar make. Although, I am wary nonetheless. Should you fail to reclaim my lands or abandon this quest after you have taken this payment, I will be ruined, and my life as a noble will come to an end," finished Lord Fayaldin.
Cypher thought it over for a moment. This offer was certainly quite the temptation. With what was in the chest before him, he could probably push his mind into the second rank. After that, he would only need to advance his Orrium before becoming a proper Rank-Two Conductor.
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Given his special Orrium, advancing his mind would put him on the same level as true Rank-Two Conductors, and his power would finally be at a new plateau, while then advancing his Orrium would put him in a favorable position against similarly ranked opponents. He was also eager to begin his training with the first volume of the Rank-Three Architect's Draft.
After a small moment of consultation with Syntinnial, who was happily cuddling with one of the concubines Lord Fayaldin had offered earlier, Cypher made his decision.
"I will accept this task of yours, Lord Fayaldin. Provided I receive a proper reward once the job is complete. Speaking of which, I will want 35% of the contents of the vault, and all of it is to be chosen at my discretion." Cypher performed a small bow before the Lord as he stated his willingness to accept this task but had wisely stated his demands in the process.
Lord Fayaldin went a bit pale at Cypher's demand but swallowed hard and accepted his terms. The Lord clasped his hands together in celebration.
"I am grateful that you have accepted this task, young Cypher, but I must admit that your price is quite steep. Still, I am left with little option but to accept your terms. You will not regret this decision! I will have my men make the necessary preparations immediately!" Lord Fayaldin clapped his hands twice, and the Vice-Guardsman, Lent, entered the room only a moment later.
The Lord issued his commands, and the Vice-Guardsman nodded, leaving quickly to prepare things for their departure.
"With that, you will be ready to depart before the sun has set. However, I suggest you take the evening to rest and prepare an appropriate plan of action," added Lord Fayaldin. Cypher nodded and bowed again before leaving the large tent. Syntinnial, however, he had to force out by the ear, as the old man was too busy being lecherous to realize that a deal had been struck.
"Just what the hell was that Syntinnial?" asked Cypher. By then, they had moved away from the Lord's tent and approached the one in which they would be staying until the mission began. Syntinnial gave him a strange look and smiled.
"When you're as old as I am, you learn to take what you can get when you can get it! I live in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, Cypher. Sufficed to say, the action around that area is quite pitiful. I might be a Guardian Apprentice, but I'm still human. It's been more than a few hundred years since I last spent time with a beautiful woman and got a good piece of-"
"For fuck's sake, that'll be enough of that Syntinnial..." interrupted Cypher. He wasn't eager to hear about the sexual escapades of the old man, and he wasn't too keen on the idea of concubines either. Still, it wasn't his place to judge others and Syntinnial was a grown man after all. He couldn't expect everyone to have the same morals and ways of thinking that he did.
"If you must indulge yourself, will you please, for all things holy, do it far away from me?" asked Cypher, as an uncomfortable look spread across his face.
Syntinnial only offered a sheepish smile in return and nodded as he dashed back towards the Lord's tent to retrieve his lady-in-waiting. Cypher crawled inside his own tent and removed his tunic. He stretched out and laid back for a few moments on the bedroll and once again considered his battle with Gaizeal.
It had been a harrowing battle, and he was thankful that he had been able to pull through and achieve a victory. It was a close call, but that battle had been quite beneficial to him. Not only had he faced much stronger opponents, but multiple foes at once. He felt confident in his abilities and was glad that he had brought Spark along with him.
He retrieved the orb containing his Ceraunus and released his partner from his crystalline cage. Spark had a lot to say about the last battle, and while it was mostly only vague feelings and a few scattered words, Spark was happy that his master had survived.
The two cuddled up together, and Cypher offered Spark a large hunk of meat he had purchased back in Dungor. The Ceraunus devoured it and when he was done, curled tightly around Cypher before promptly falling asleep.
Cypher then opened his copy of the Architect's Draft and began to study the diagram inside. He had been told that these Conductors were only in the second rank, but he still wanted to be as prepared as possible just in case.
Besides, it had been a while since he trained like this, and was eager to see how far he could push himself without using the drugs he had just acquired. He would take this time to better himself and prepare for the next battle he was about to face.
Still, as he stared at the diagram inside the Architect's Draft, his mind couldn't help but wander to the fate of his friends. He hoped that they were doing alright and that wherever they were, they could handle themselves...