Engaged in every word as if they carried a weight that held him down in his very chair. Chained to the conversation with a glare that pierced and unsettled.
Enrich listened like a man searching for a code within the words.
Council members were at first taken aback by the boy's bright eyes and eager expression.
It wasn't until his talk became action that his presence at the meetings was no longer questioned.
Today's meeting had been a sudden but expected one.
Nothing ever goes as planned.
Plans are ever changing when the winds of a realm are unknown.
Capricious times make it so adaptability is the greatest trait on can have.
Most of our talk was to kill the downtime.
Frivolous phrases, cordial passing by, nothing of substance.
We were all waiting for that man.
Just as the room became settled and lethargy was brewing in the air, eyelids began to droop; the tent flaps opened and the big man walked in
Fredrick looked no part ashamed or apologetic for his tardiness.
He didn't care.
I grinned at that bastard.
How I wished I could simply not care.
Clearing his throat.
Not even reaching for the special oak chair we had specially built just for the rare occasion he showed up to the meetings, he began his monologue.
We can't trade for the necessary crafting materials.
Hell, we can't even sell what we currently have.
The markets have hit an impasse.
Blocking the trade and selling of materials until the guilds of City Major deal with the growing strikes and worker riots.
Everything is in shambles.
Silence filled the once chattering room
Bad news broke
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Enrich chirped in as nothing surprised the boy wonder.
Then we'll go the other way.
Everyone was confused.
Fredrick being the only one who hadn't seemed dazed.
What do you mean by that? I added in.
Eyeing one another, as if asking each other which one should say it.
Fredrick finally shrugged and added.
In a few miles we will reach a fork in the road.
Our path towards the new raids, would be at the left.
But, if we venture right we can hit Ragmos Crater.
Here, we can set up a camp on a specific spot which holds 3 dungeons within walking distance.
If we farm the area, we can supply ourselves with molten scales, fiery cores, and if lucky, extremely lucky- even a Heart of a Burning Beast…
The name brought a spark of pain.
A memory that I wish could be forgotten.
The council muttered within itself.
Some against, some for, no one side completely in control.
How politics usually rides.
Never decisive but always divisive.
Fredrick continued:
Now, this would be a detour.
A timely one at that.
But the market's opening back up is who knows when.
Someone barked in
It can't be for too long.
For Christ-sake, no more than a week.
Fredrick did not stumble in his retort.
Adjusting his small framed lenses with hands calm and steady.
He continued.
You are completely correct.
But who knows what changes when they open up?
How will the prices be?
Will there be an adjustment?
Are the tax percentages the same?
Are the prices to be fluid or concrete?
It's a risk I don't think we can afford.
No.
I know we can't afford.
Nice ending... I thought with a smile plastered on my face.
The council began to sway towards Fredrick and Enrich perspectives.
And so, he finished his take.
Coughing a dainty little thing meant to bring back attention to a man that only needed to raise a monstrous hand, Fredrick continued:
There are downfalls.
We will be stationed in an area that was once popular for at least a week's time. This means news of our guild might spread.
Our timeframe will be shifted, meaning our plans and bankroll must be adjusted properly.
And the final one…
He stopped.
The air grew cold and unsettling.
No one, not even Fredrick, wanted to utter the words that were on everyone's minds.
Continuing he added
As we all know…as you reach closer to the territories of the North…there is a spike in…umm…"
No one moved to finish the sentence.
The feeling was mutual.
The air had turned to ice.
Naturally, she broke the tension.
Shelly, with words that cut and sliced, said:
"Player killers…."
Lore: READ:
Player Killers is an old term which is derived from the past generations.
When it is said that the first adventurers arrived from the sky like a bolt of lightning.
One day they were not
And the next they were.
This was hundreds of years ago.
From those times the term player killer originates.
An ancient word that carries a sinister meaning.
Those who kill other adventurers not out of self defense, but for glory, for experience, for loot, for fun.