I took the letter and broke the seal with my dagger. As I started to read, Millicent, Tristus, and Patience returned to the room.

Good day Cor of Elfland,

I am Dominus Curio, I’m sure you’ve heard of me since you’ve been in Heracleum for more than an hour. I was very impressed by your showing at the recent triples tournament, and requested that you join me for supper. I have a very lucrative opportunity in mind for you.

I shall send for you at dinnertime,

- Dominus Curio

It was a simple message that left me curious. I took a glance out the nearest window to gauge the time and found that dinner likely wouldn’t be too far off. I looked back and found Tib looking at me in askance. I could tell he was doing his best not to be rude and questions me directly as to its contents, but he was clearly desperate to know. “He invited me to dinner. Apparently he was impressed with my performance at the arena.”

Patience sat on a nearby couch, flinging one leg over the arm of it. “Who invited you to dinner?”

“Dominus Curio. A patrician of some kind.”

Tristus frowned. “I’d be careful of that one. I’ve heard more than a few rumors about people invited over to dine with him.”

Tib sighed. “You’re just upset he’s never invited you.”

“...maybe so. Though I do know that the man has a number of enemies.”

“He says he has a lucrative opportunity to offer me. I may as well hear him out.”

“An invitation to a noble's house is always lucrative. Just be sure to arrive with empty pockets and leave with full ones,” said Patience, balancing one of her daggers on the tip of her finger.

“Even a free dinner makes it worth turning up to,” said Milllicent with a shrug.

I looked at Millicent. “Now that’s the best point I’ve heard so far. I’ll hear him out, eat his food, and go from there.” I looked down at my outfit. I was still covered in blood and sand. “I should probably clean up first.”

…

Shortly after I’d finished cleaning myself up, and changing into my favorite black outfit, my ride arrived. It was a small carriage, but ornate. With gold filigree running all throughout a white frame. I hopped in, and found the cushioning inside almost overly soft. I watched the streets go by out the window. The city buildings slowly thinned out until I found myself looking out at rows of vineyards, and large estates built out in the center of them. I’d thought Tib and Tristus’ apartments were quite nice, but clearly the distance between a well off plebeian and a patrician was a large one.

The carriage rolled right up to the front of one of the estates, and the driver opened the door for me. The smell of fresh flowers filled my senses as I stepped out, and looked around. There were four other carriages arriving, and from each of them stepped one person. Out of the nearest came an orcish man wearing a black toga with a heavy axe on his back, next to him was a human woman in priestly vestments, beyond her were a gnome in black dyed leather with two shortswords, and a woman in shining silver armor with a cape falling across her back. We all regarded each other for a few moments before a group of servants led us inside.

Waiting for us was a portly man wearing a loose fitting toga. He was covered in jewelry from head to toe, with gilded laurels, gold bengals, and even toe rings. “Welcome adventurers, to the Curio estate.” He gestured with his hands around the atrium and I took a moment to look around.

It was beautiful, but gaudy. Covered in art, tapestries, rugs, and porcelain that I sensed immediately was likely worth more than just about anything I’d seen so far in Tu’reyne. “You have a lovely home.” I managed to say.

His eye twitched a bit, and I saw the servants exchange a quick glance, and the woman in the silver armor chuckled a bit.

“Home? Well, perhaps such a place as this would count as only a home in Elfland.”

Excellent. I had already managed to start stepping on toes. In my defense though, that was a very minor thing to be bothered by. In spite of that, the orc was scowling at me.

Dominus corrected his expression back to a lofty smile. “I hope you’re all prepared to eat?”

The orc gave a hearty yes, while everyone else just nodded.

Dominus nodded, and he and his servants led us through a few more opulent rooms and into a large formal dining room. It was different to what I was used to, with a circle of couches surrounding high tables, but I’d luckily already learned from Tristus and Tib that this was their traditional way of dining. I laid down, and was served a cup of wine, then plate after plate of delicious food. I had expected to talk business right away, but Dominus and the other’s were tucking in, so I followed suit. By the time I was feeling full to the point of bursting, Dominus was only about halfway done eating, so I sat and sipped my wine as he finished. I drank sparingly, wanting to keep my wits about me. I attempted to start polite conversation with both the gnome and the priestess that flanked me, but I got nothing but glares. The knight may have been more amenable to conversation, but she was seated too far away.

Dominus finished eating and spent an uncomfortably long time licking his fingers clean. Once he was done, he turned his attention to the rest of us. “Was the meal to your liking?”

I nodded. “It’s the best I’ve had since arriving.” That wasn’t even flattery, it may have even been better than anything I’d ever had on Earth.

The others all nodded, or gave their own praise.

“Excellent.” He swung his legs over so that he was sitting straight up on the couch. “I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve asked you here, and what the ‘lucrative opportunity’ I have to offer you is?”

We all gave the affirmative.

He frowned a little. “Well, I have recently lost all three of the adventuring parties I sponsored.”

I raised my eyebrows. That was interesting. Guess that’s what could happen when you got sent against a dragon.

“As such, I’m in the market to sponsor some new people. Several groups worth eventually, but I was thinking I would start with all of you.”

“Why us?” asked the woman in armor.

He turned his attention to her. “Well, in your case Diana I received a recommendation from Gaius Titus, who is still thankful for you clearing out his ghost problem.” He looked to the Orc, “For Druk, I heard of his single handed clearing of boar-men from a nearby village”. He turned to the priestess, “Claudia was on the front lines with the beastmen working as a healer.” He looked at the gnome, “It’s best I don’t mention what you’ve been up to eh?”

The gnome nodded.

“Why me?” I asked.

“I saw your performance at the tournament. You’re an excellent showman. Little merciful for my tastes, but the crowd loved it. I also rather like elves, I always find myself adding them to my roster when I can,” his eyes worked their way across me and I resisted the immediate urge I had to strike him.

“Can I ask what exactly happened with your other adventuring parties?” I asked.

“Well, I sent them after that dragon that destroyed Elm. The payout for the job was massive, and I greased the right palms to make it happen. There are many benefits to working with a man like me.”

“Did they die?” I asked. If I was going to have to suffer through listening to this creep I at least wanted to get all the useful information I could out of him.

He shook his head. “No. That’s the strange thing. Only one of them returned. He said the others were all teleported to distant lands, transformed into toads for a year, or simply sealed into stone, but not lethally. None were killed, but at the same time, there’s no way they’ll be adventuring again any time soon.” He sighed. “Such a waste.”

I ran a finger along the point of my right ear. Once again this dragon had chosen not to kill. This time the punishments were more severe, but that made sense. Those adventurers had specifically gone to kill it after all.

“Actually, because they all failed, the consuls themselves have put forward a mighty bounty of 50,000 gold to end the threat, no need to go through the bureaucracy for a quest or anything.” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter how much you offer though. If my adventurers couldn’t do it, then it can’t be done.”

50,000 gold pieces? That bounty would make everything I wanted to accomplish infinitely more feasible, not to mention the reputation that I’d earn from collecting such a prize. I could practically feel my eyes turn to coins at hearing that amount.

Dominus kept talking a bit longer, going into the benefits of working for someone like him. The pay, the access to the best quests, his tremendous ability as a lover. It was all wasted on me, of course, I wasn’t going to earn the trust of the adventurers I wanted for my guild if I was working for a fop like him. The other adventurers in the room seemed to be eating from the palm of his hand as he spoke though. Although, even they were exchanging glances at the mentions of his abilities in bed.

I frowned, I realized I had another question. “Why did you ask only for me out of my group in the triples tournament? Both Tiberius and Zevrack performed just as ably as I did, if not more so.”

Dominus’ face contorted into a look of mild disgust. “The plebian that can’t even complete a quest to remove skitterlings, and the giant lizard?” He shook his head. “I couldn’t possibly be seen to work with such… things.”

It was at this point, I decked him.