I'll keep this brief for both of our sakes.
Are you of noble birth and can we expect a ransom from you?
In other words...
Does someone care if you die here?
Said the man in full plate as he began to remove his gauntlets.
He didn't want to be here.
His face said so.
His aura spoke of it.
And his words confirmed it.
No one told you of the trivialities that came with leadership.
Of the paperwork.
Of the headache
Of the bullshit.
Of this.
I nodded no.
Do you have any worth in another city or state that could buy your freedom?
I nodded no once again.
Hmmpf. Is there anything you can offer us that would deter us from selling you to slavers…
His body slouched and his eyes told me that he was prepared for the same nodding of my head.
He tapped one finger on his skull.
Agitation spread across his face.
I had to act...
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I have information and knowledge that will prove useful to your endeavors. To the degree that gold or resources wouldn't compare
I quipped.
Unbelieving, he responded, "And just what is that?"
I've studied raids and their mechanics since I was a boy. From the times in which they were nothing more than glorified expanded dungeons. From the times of Ice and Fire*, when Rayleigh's Reach* was a raid and not an expedition. My knowledge moves into Cataclysm*, and now into The Shifting Winds*.
I know in that lies your goal.
Why else for the stockpiles of potions and rations?
News from the Northern State that not one guild has been able to clear the newest raid.
And it has been 2 whole years since its release. The world is quaking in a disappointment that is spreading across the land.
It's making weak monsters powerful in some Darwinistic impetus.
Something beyond our understanding.
Areas once safe are now bathed in red.
People who were once certain are now unsure.
Doubt is the true killer
We must grow.
If not, the realm will force our hand.
….
The man looked at me closely, clearly intrigued, so I continued.
I could tell by the movements of your leader, the way they danced onto the battlefield, no doubt being the one who slayed the Baldwin brothers.
Interrupting me as he curled his fist into the other, he added.
They still live.
Given their connections, it would have been a waste to let them die in the dirt.
Caught off guard, I fumbled to continue.
Well, anyway.
Your leader fights like a demon unleashed from hell.
That's what we need, that's what we need to become if we wish to continue with the future challenges of our realm
Inserting myself in with them with the use of "we".
I hoped it was felt and not deciphered.
The captain began rubbing his bare hands in a cathartic exercise.
His expression revealed a curiosity, but also a caution.
Men of his caliber don't fall into their positions of power.
They earn them.
Biting the inside of my lip, I waited and hoped that it had been enough.
Finally, he said.
I don't make the final decisions around here.
But for me, you've shown something worth delving into.
For now, I want you to follow me.
I want to show you that demon you call our leader in action.
With that, he smiled
And I returned the gesture
And followed him out of the tent and back into the Basin of the Bandits.
One step closer.
One step away from death
Or one step in its direction
Whatever the case may be…
I would move forward without stopping.