Chapter 189. Multiple Offers.
“Those are very dangerous beings, but they will be bound by the confines of our agreement. I do have to say, their offer seemed a very generous one,” Tzes’zod said.
“What do you know about them? I watched that Gary slice his way through an entire kings guard, and then he killed me and my summoned minions with a swipe of his hand,” I asked.
“Their species goes by many names, the most used term for them, and one they don’t seem to mind, is Infernals. As you already know, they live on the lifeforce of others, sometimes even able to drain their very essence, what you would call a soul. Outside of the type of negotiation we’re engaged in, I recommend you never agree to a deal with them if you can at all help it. If you can’t help it, make sure you have someone like me at your side to assist you,” Tzes’zod said.
“How many of these types of negotiations have you dealt with in the past?” I asked him.
“Exactly like this, for a summoned being’s personal space? None, but this is like any other property negotiation. You have a piece of property that is valuable due to its location, and those that wish to use it will have to pay a substantial price to acquire it. It’s best to break these kinds of negotiations down into their base form,” Tzes’zod advised.
“I must admit, 600 gold and all the other compensation sounds rather nice. How long do you think until the next applicant arrives?” I asked.
“Right now, it appears,” Tzes’zod said as the doorway shifted into a portal once more. This time, green and blue energy swirled in the portal and five new figures emerged.
First out of the portal were a pair of tall, thin men in intricately carved plate armor. Their slender build, otherworldly perfect features, and pointed ears told me these were elves. They lowered their spears toward us, scrutinizing whatever threat we might present as the final three emerged from the portal.
Unlike the first pair, who were obviously warriors or guards, two of the newcomers were elvish women dressed in flowing gowns that shifted color as they moved. Both wore elaborate rings and necklaces with gems that changed shape and color to always perfectly accent their outfits. The final member of the group was a human woman dressed in a simple gown that had strange symbols and runes embroidered onto it.
The human wore no jewelry or fancy shoes, but she looked down upon me and Tzes’zod with the same distaste that the elves did. Their glare made me feel like I was a foul-smelling stray dog that had somehow wandered into a lady’s tea party. None of them spoke, they just stood there staring.
“Hello, I am Gimblewalt, an employee of Mr. Kline who owns this property. Who might you be?” Tzes’zod inquired, trying to break the ice.
“You have not treated House Yarnaes with the proper form and respect. My masters have deigned to deal with lowborn such as yourselves, but our offer will reflect the insult you have given this day,” the woman said.
“I think you misunderstand the situation you find yourselves in. You are in our abode and have not shown proper respect to Mr. Kline. Make your offer so we can compare it to the others we have received,” Tzes’zod said stiffly. He was throwing their rude behavior back into their faces, which I approved of. I didn’t think he was genuinely angry or annoyed, Tzes’zod was probably just using it as a negotiation tool.
The woman looked to the pair of elvish women, one of which whispered to her. While they whispered to each other, the elvish guards moved to place themselves in front of the chatting pair, to prevent us from watching them converse. My minions saw this move as a threat, especially since the warriors still had their spears lowered in our direction.
“Rico, hold back your team, this is not a fight we’ll win with swords and spells,” Tzes’zod whispered to me. I ordered my minions back, though Melvin was still up on the ceiling, ready to drop onto an unsuspecting elf if things went sideways.
“Despite your crude behavior, we shall still make an offer. We expect your reply and acceptance of our proposal to be received promptly,” the human woman said after finishing her conversation with elves, one of whom passed her a scroll.
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Unlike Gary’s scroll, this one wasn’t flaming and instead, it gave off golden sparks of light. She tossed the scroll onto the table and the whole group left without any further communication. The two warriors were the last to leave, still holding their spears ready, as if we were worried that I might attack them unexpectedly. Tzes’zod waited until the last elf warrior had backed into the portal before retrieving the scroll.
House Yarnaes has made the following offer in return for exclusive use of your personal space expansion.
1. Immediate payment of the sum of 10 gold pieces.
2. House Yarnaes will allow the entity known as Rico Kline the opportunity to become a servant of the house for a brief period once per week. While enjoying the honor of serving House Yarnaes, Rico will be sent to perform various tasks with appropriate rewards given based on his performance.
3. A magical item will be added to the armory.
4. The entity known as Rico Kline will be able to call upon 1 guard of a skill level not to exceed Tier 3, Rank 5 when his personal space is in danger.
In return for this offer, House Yarnaes requires the following.
1. The entity known as Rico Kline, and all his minions and servants will not attempt to interact with any member of House Yarnaes other than through the officially designated representative.
2. Complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space unless otherwise commanded.
3. The entity known as Rico Kline will not reveal that he is in an agreement or has had any association with House Yarnaes.
4. The servants of House Yarnaes may use the main personal space to await summoning by the house. Up to a maximum of 50 servants will be allowed inside the main personal space at any given time.
You may review this offer until you decide on who will occupy the expansion space. Once you have decided on the new resident, this offer will expire and will vanish from your memory.
“Not quite what I had hoped for,” Tzes’zod said, dropping the scroll to the table.
“It’s not even close to what the evil demon people offered,” I sadly admitted.
“Exactly, I don’t know what’s worse, the condescension from the elves and their paltry offer, or the fact that Gary might try to steal your soul.”
“Well, Tzes’zod, I’m pretty sure this option is a no-go for me, let’s wait and see who our last applicant turns out to be.”
It was only a few minutes after the elves had left before the doorway portal fired up again. The portal swirled with dark power this time, but nothing seemed to emerge from it. A few seconds later, a man in blackened leather armor, with a cloaked hood pulled up to conceal his face appeared in the chair across from me.
“Sorry for the dramatic entrance, I’m here to negotiate for the use of the expansion space,” the man said in a gruff voice that sounded like he was a five pack a day smoker.
“Very well, I am Gimblewalt, and I shall be handling the negotiations for Mr. Kline. You are the final applicant, and as I have recommended to all the other applicants, please make your best offer up front. After it is presented, a decision will be promptly forthcoming,” Tzes’zod explained.
“Here’s our offer, I look forward to your response,” the man said, passing over a stained scroll before disappearing from view once more. A moment later, the portal winked out of existence, telling us that he, and whoever else might have been lurking around, had left.
“That was all very covert, let’s see what the shifty fellow is offering. How quaint, the scroll is stained with blood,” Tzes’zod said, opening the scroll for us to read.
An organization that wishes to remain anonymous has made the following offer in exchange for exclusive use of your personal space expansion.
1. Immediate payment of the sum of 250 gold pieces.
2. Ongoing rental charge of 5 gold per standard month.
3. A collection of 10 weapon and armor selections for your armory.
4. A one-time chance to call upon this organization for the assassination of the target of your choice. The target’s power cannot exceed Tier 3, Rank 5, and there can only be a single target.
In return for this offer, the organization will require the following.
1. Complete privacy, and voluntary lockout of Rico Kline, his minions, and associates from the expansion space.
2. The entity known as Rico Kline, his minions, and associates will not attempt to find out any information on the organization.
You may review this offer until you decide on who will occupy the expansion space. Once you have decided on the new resident, this offer will expire and will vanish from your memory.
“That wasn’t a horrible offer, and there wasn’t much in the way of downside to this one,” I said.
“True, but their offer is considerably lower than Gary’s. I believe the infernals really want access to this expansion,” Tzes’zod said.
I had a tough decision to make. The elves were out, but did I go with a worse offer from some unknown group of assassins, or did I take the huge payout offered by Gary?