2 Days Earlier,

Rine's Bar,

Meilfour.

27 th Mazem 1092.

The sun had fallen, and weary citizens of Meilflour flocked to the bar to drown their sorrows in hard, bitter, alcohol. A golden ches c h sat at the counter, listening to the conversations and watching them out the corners of his eyes.

Miote took a sip from the mug he held in his hand. He scrunched his nose and smacked his lips at the horrible taste. The foul drink almost made him miss the stale bread he ate at level 1. Nothing he could do about it, though. It was either that or suffer adverse stat effects from hunger. Though the drink might kill him regardless.

Miote twirled the glass, idly watching the murky liquid. Bang! Suddenly, a man burst into the bar screaming at the top of his lungs . In his panic, Miote almost drop ped his drink.

The man grabbed a nearby mug and downed its contents in a jiff as he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Spit it out, man! What's the matter?" a wisben shouted, having lost his patience.

The messenger coughed and panted as he managed to squeeze out."Rhi- ha- Rhinos! War Rhinos! The Order's coming!"

Whoosh.

The bar was deserted in mere seconds.

Miote marveled at the organized way in which the residents panicked. Within mere minutes, they had all returned to their respective homes and locked their doors and windows. It was like a scene from old wild west movies. He could swear he even saw a bramble branch roll past.

Miote downed the contents of his mug in one swift gulp. He paid the barkeep and made his way to the door.

"I wouldn't do that," the barkeep advised. "You seem like a nice quiet guy. You don't want to get caught up with the Order."

"Thanks for the advice," Miote said. "But why is it only your establishment is still open?"

"Soldiers need a place to stock up on food and water. Unfortunately, I'm the only functioning bar in this town. If I close, the entire town would be in trouble."

"Is that so?" Miote flashed an appreciative smile. "Well then, I'd like to see these Order members for myself."

"Your funeral."

"Not today," the merchant said as he placed two silver coins on the counter. He exited the bar, intrigued by what could cause so much fear.

Elsewhere, Zaram led her charges into Meilflour, her skin flushed from embarrassment and rage. Her men, though conscious, were bound and plopped on the Rhinos like pieces of luggage. Meanwhile, her captor had been asleep ever since they began their journey. The daeben clearly did not view her as a threat. That or he trusted the demon beast that guarded him that much. For the sake of her pride, Zaram preferred to believe the latter as s he brought the Rhinos to a halt in front of Rine's Bar. "We're here."

"Finally!" Hektor jumped off the mount and stretched, clearly relieved the journey had come to an end. "Couldn't feel my ass for a while there."

Kira swiped at her companion, and he shot up, holding his face in pain.

Kashi massaged his face as he glared at her. "Can't you be cuter and wake me with a lick or something?"

"In your dreams," she rebuked as she jumped down from the rhino.

"Thankfully, you're not in my dreams," Kashi muttered. "Some nightmares should stay in reality only."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Kashi replied as he too jumped down from the beast. He walked up to the lead Rhino, where Zaram sat. "You kept up your end of the bargain. You could have easily taken us to a trap. After all, we are not familiar with the lay of the land." He smiled as he raised his hand. "It is always pleasing to see honorable characters, even if they are of the enemy."

"Think nothing of it." Zaram refused his shake with a scowl. "The next time we meet, I will end you."

"You made some friends," Miote called as he stepped out of the bar. He looked up at Zaram. "And she's quite the looker too."

"We are not friends," she refuted.

"It's a work in process," Kashi said. He motioned at Hektor. "You can untie them."

While the warrior set about freeing the soldiers, the daeben turned his attention back to Zaram. "Is there no chance you will join my guild now? I could really use someone like you."

"None."

Kashi raised his shoulders in surrender. "Well, you wouldn't be trustworthy if you switched camps so easily. Till we meet again."

Without so much as a backward glance, Zaram and her warriors sped off, no doubt rushing to report the event to her superiors.

The daeben himself only watched them for a few seconds, then turned his attention to Miote . "I must apologize. I asked you to come with me, yet abandoned you to fend for yourself. I hope you didn't face too much trouble?"

Miote shook his head. "No complaints on my part. Aside from the foul drink served at this bar, it's been a nice experience. I assume you'd like to get to work immediately."

"Yes, I would." Kashi scanned the area. "Where's Drixlia?"

"No need to worry. He's tethered at the inn."

"Good." Kashi wiped the sweat from his brow. "Let's head in first. This infernal heat hasn't improved one bit."

"Sure, but." Miote pointed at his bare chest, lips curled in amusement. "I think it's a no shirt, no shoe, no service establishment."

Kashi shook his head as he equipped a sleeveless shirt with a cowl attached. He then handed Hektor some comfortable leather gear to wear in the meantime.

Hektor thanked the daeben , then walked away to find somewhere he could change (Residents could not equip clothes like players could.)

Miote led Kashi and Kira into the bar, where they were greeted almost immediately by the clearly shaken barkeep. He nervously wiped a glass over and over again as he waited for the gentlemen to take their seats.

The men sat next to each other at the counter. After giving it some thought, Kira hopped onto a stool at Kashi's right.

The daeben regarded his partner with a raised brow. She replied with a glare that seemed to dare him to say anything.

Kashi signaled the quaking barkeep. "Two of your finest drinks for my friend and I, and a gallon of milk for her."

The barkeep placed a huge bowl in front of Kira and filled it to the brink with his freshest milk. He ran to the backrooms, returning later with two identical bottles in his hands.

Miote shook his head. "Don't bother. The drinks here are beyond terr-"

"Our finest non-alcoholic drink, the Yarcon Juice, made from freshly squeezed Yacorn fruits," the barkeep called as he popped a bottle. He filled two mugs and slid them over to his customers.

Miote took a sip. "Well, I'll be," he muttered as he set the cup on the counter.

"M-my apologies sir, if I had known you were acquainted with the Order, I-"

"We are not acquainted," Kashi interrupted.

"P-pardon?"

Not one to prolong the inevitable, Kashi finished his entire mug in one go. "I said we are not acquainted."

"B-but the Theriums... they even left two behind for you."

"We forced their hands." Kashi had no desire to play twenty questions. He placed seven silver coins on the counter.

The barkeep shook his head. "This is too much!"

Kashi's voice lowered. "I know."

The barkeep's eyes lit up as understanding dawned. He accepted the money and addressed his customers with apt interest. "What would you like to know?"

"I desire an audience with the mayor."

The barkeep shook his head. "Impossible. The mayor hardly receives visitors. The only time he comes out of his mansion is during the monthly inspection."

"Inspection?"

The barkeep visibly relaxed upon realizing his life was not in any immediate danger. "Yeah, the Order comes once a month to make sure no one's hiding any art-related objects."

"When's the next inspection?"

"We just had one a few days ago, so a month from now, I suppose."

Kashi shook his head. "Not good enough. I need to see him now."

The barkeep raised his hands. "I can't help you with that."

"Why don't we just bust in?" Hektor said as he took a seat next to Miote. He accepted a mug from the keep, downed it, then held it out for a refill.

Miote laughed. "We can't break into the mayor's mansion. It'll be seen as a declaration of war."

"So?" Hektor groaned. "It ain't like we got time."

"True enough. However, a hasty act of aggression could see us lose all chances of future negotiations in this land. What do you think?" Miote directed his question at the daeben.

While mulling over the matter, Kashi distracted himself by trying to identify the ingredients and recipe used in making the juice – a perk he gained from advancing his cooking skill to the Expert Level. Using taste, smell, and sight, he could discern the contents of most foods. The ability extended to other items also.

"You are both correct," Kashi said as a prompt only he could see appeared on the mug. "We do not have the time to wait for an official audienc e. H owever, it would be foolhardy to appear as a hostile force to all of Rosenheim..."

Miote nodded. "Yes, I th-"

"Is what I would normally say." Kashi waved the prompt and got to his feet. "But our partners are on a B + Quest, and I have a bad feeling about it. If we make future proceedings more difficult by appearing hostile, then so be it." He placed a gold coin on the counter. "You can point us to the Mayor's, can you not?"

"I'll do you one better," the barkeep said as he accepted the coin. "I'll take you there."

Kashi frowned. "Would you not be endangered by revealing yourself like that?"

"A lot of us have no love for the mayor. If you're really going to cause trouble for him, I won't miss it for the world."

"Why's that?" Miote asked.

"It's better, I show you."

"If you insist, then I suppose I have no reason to stop you," Kashi conceded. He held out his hand. "I am Kashi of the daeben . I do not believe I have had the pleasure of your name."

"Muko, sir . T he name's Muko."

"Okay, Muko, lead the way. We'll follow."

"You might want to get your horses first. It's quite a way from the town."

"A mayor that doesn't live in town," Hektor smirked. "Now, this I got to see."

30 Minutes Later,

Aside from Drixlia trying to chew Kashi's head off, the reunion of rider and steed was quite uneventful. They rode alongside Hektor, Miote, and Kira while Muko led the way ahead of them.

The barkeep had not been kidding when he said the mayor's house was a ways off. It was well removed from the town, and they'd had to traverse a vast expanse of wasteland to reach their destination.

"There it is," Muko said a rough outline mansion lit up by hundreds of magelights came into view on the horizon.

Being an archer, Kashi had much better vision and range compared to his comrades, second only to Kira. As he focused in on the building, a shadow crossed his face, and his brows furrowed. "Remember what I said about not being hostile?"

Hektor and Miote turned to him.

"Forget it!" He spurred Drixlia to a full sprint , eyes set on the target rising above the horizon.

Kira, Miote, and Hektor raced alongside the mage, each with their own thoughts about his sudden change.

However, the reason for his sudden shift became more apparent as they drew closer to the mayor's home. No, to call it a home would be a gross understatement. It was a mansion lavish enough to be called a castle. Unlike the barren wasteland that surrounded, its yards were filled with luscious plants that drank from numerous fountains placed around them.

True, any warrior of real honor would find such a sight disgusting. A mayor who would hide away in such lavi sh splendor miles away from his suffering people would certainly cause ire in any pure warrior's heart.

But, that's not why you changed your stance, is it, Kashi-dono ? Miote watched the daeben's expression with awe. ‘ Rather than for some righteous cause, the reason you chose to attack was for something far more straightforward. ’

Once they were within 200 meters of the front gates, Kashi nocked two arrows onto his bow. However, th ese were quite different from his traditional arrows. Ever since the siege on Riven, the daeben always kept some of those special rods he used for infiltration in case he needed to break through something similar.

Kashi drew the string to full length, "Fly." then released. With a loud bang and an explosion of wind, the 'arrow' tore through the wasteland. They emitted a shrill whistle as they tore through the gatemen and blew the gate open.

Kashi led his party thr ough the smoke , ignoring the guards’ plight .

Miote, on the other hand, took a good long look at the guardsmen. ‘ Yes, you are not a righteous man who will raise his bow for the weak and down-trodden. You calmly look at the circumstances and objectively decide the best solution. ’

Grunt s and soldiers poured out of the mansion and, like a pack of rats, charged at the party.

"Kashi!" Hektor yelled.

The daeben retrieved the Obsidian ax from his inventory and then flung it in an arc ahead of them.

Hektor spurred his steed ahead, jumped off, and grabbed the weapon midair. The ax glowed red as he slammed it against the earth. The ground ruptured for several meters around him, but none of his party's steeds lost their footing as they quickly raced across.

Hektor placed the weapon on the earth as he called out to all Laites and Warriors present. "The name's Hektor! Remember it well! It's the name of the man who'll be known as the God of War in years to come! Now, come, sacrifices to my path!" He kicked up the weapon, caught it, then rested its shaft on his shoulder. A crazed grin twisted his features as he challenged, "Your deaths will become songs for my legend." WIth a madly joyous roar, he charged the mass of enemies, ax raised high.

Kashi destroyed the entrance once he, Kira, and Miote made it through, leaving Hektor to fend for himself. The daeben dismounted and scanned his surroundings. The inside of the building was even more extravagant than the outside. The walls held the finest of paintings with jewels scattered all over the building as decorations.

The entrance was immense , large enough to hold a ball. Above, a chandelier made from several precious stones reflected its beautiful lights on the intruder. The daeben averted his eyes from the splendor. A staircase ran up the middle of the room, then split into two, leading to the East and West wings. The daeben could feel nothing from the bottom floor, so he chose not to expend energy searching there.

"Are you sure it's wise to leave Hektor on his own out there?" Miote asked. "There seemed to be over thirty of those soldiers."

Kashi nodded. "Two weeks ago, he might not have survived. But after what he faced in Suvron's Pass, fighting those guys will be a piece of cake."

The trio climbed the staircase to the landing. Kira shut her eyes as she forcefully enhanced all of her other senses. A few seconds passed, then she opened them. "Both hallways eventually meet up at the north. However, I can sense a good number of soldiers in both."

Kashi nodded and then said, "Kira, you take the east. Miote and I will take the west."

Kashi led Miote up the stairs to a wooden door. He made to open it but froze when he sense d enemies directly behind the door waiting to attack. Chuckling inwardly, he nocked a si e ge arrow , drew his bowstring, and then fired the missile.

BANG!

It burst through the door and tore through several soldiers.

Kashi burst through the door without giving the warriors a moment to recover from the shock. He fired off arrow after arrow, the narrow hallway working perfectly to his advantage. Their superior numbers and tightness of space limited their options, and they could only cry and curse as they were mowed down without mercy.

Miote walked beside Kashi, marve ling at the speed of the daeben's hands. Kashi could release four arrows in the time it took a normal man to release one. And those did not count the times he fired off four to seven at once to stop a charging group.

Not once did the daeben stop or retreat. Kashi kept a steady pace as he advanced, killing all before they reached a meter of him. On their way, they passed many doors, but the daeben opened none as he was not interested in their contents.

Eventually, they rounded two corners, leaving a nasty trail of blood and loot. Kashi was impressed to see Kira waiting by a huge double-door, her fur coated red with blood.

"How many?" Kashi asked as he placed his hand on the door.

"Three."

Kashi nodded, then pushed the doors open.

They entered what looked like a throne room. A long dining table was situated close to the door, while a large, well-decorated chair sat at the opposite wall, elevated above the room by a raised platform accessed by a few steps.

Kashi looked at the life bar of the man on the throne and his two bodyguards. The man's name was Mayor Tedril, but the bodyguards just had 'bodyguard' as their identifiers. Which meant they either kept their identities hidden or the game deemed them irrelevant to have real names. Kashi believed it was the former.

"What do you intruders want!?" Tedril demanded. He was a man of considerable size, and his vast voice reflected his size very well.

Kashi placed his hand on his chest and bowed. "Forgive our impertinence. I am Kashi of the daebens. My partners are Kira and Miote. W-"

"I didn't ask for your names, brat! I command you to speak your purpose!"

Kashi's lips twitched, but he held his composure. "My apologies. We are here to negotiate some lucrative business."

"Liar! Then why did you attack my mansion? Do you know how much it will cost me to repair all the damages you've caused?"

"I pray, only listen to our offer, and you will find yourself rich enough to buy another mansion."

"Bwahahaha!" Tedril guffawed. "That you will say such a stupid thing shows you know nothing." His eyes narrowed. "Kill them!"

His bodyguards dashed forward, blades at the ready.

To everybody's surprise, Kashi calmly pointed at Tedril. "If you want your boss to die, continue your attack."

The bodyguards stopped and whirled around. Their eyes widened in fright at the arrows that hovered above Tedril. The arrows descended, then formed a dome around the mayor, cutting off all avenues of escape.

"Coward!" A bodyguard yelled. "You would take a hostage!?"

Kashi shrugged. "Now, Ted, order your men to choose one. Slay each other or jump out the window."

Tedril gritted his teeth. "And if I refuse?"

"I have very little control over those arrows. If I am even the least bit distracted, they will all pierce through you. As such, it would be wise for you to remove all distractions, no?" This was not a bluff. The daeben was still trying to learn how to control the arrows independently of each other when summoning [Gilgamesh] . However, while he had gained some control, he could only control them as a single entity.

Tedril's face reddened with rage, but he waved them off anyway. The bodyguards nodded and jumped out through the windows.

"Now that we are alone, W-" Kashi started.

"Won't you take these away?" Tedril yelled, pointing at the floating death arrows.

"Of course not," Kashi refused. "They are insurance you do not try anything funny."

"I thought you wanted to do business."

"Yes, we do," Kashi said. "Just forget they are there. If you do not try any underhanded tricks, like summoning your soldiers or something, then you won't have to worry about them."

"And when the business is concluded. Will you free me?"

"Yes, I will. Knight's pledge."

Though still shaken, Tedril faced the daeben with a cold glare in his eyes. "Very well. State your business."

"I am pleased you saw to reason. There are two main propositions I have for you. The first is the matter of where you have stored all the seized musical equipment over the past two years. I wish to obtain these items," Kashi said.

"For what purpose ?"

"I do not believe you need to be privy to those details. Do you have these items or not? Oh, and do not bother lying." Kashi motioned to Miote. "My partner here can read you like an open book. Lies are a waste of both our times."

Tedril frowned as he nodded. "Yes, I did keep the seized items in storage. There are quite a good number of them. I will sell them for 10000 gold."

Miote laughed. "You're definitely joking."

"What do you mean, cat?"

"10 , 000 gold? No Merchant would pay 1000 gold. If I was feeling generous, I might consider 500 gold."

Miote's words were like a slap to the mayor's face. He slammed the armrest as he sat upright. "Surely you jest. Some of those materials are top class-"

"Items which have been locked away for two years without maintenance," Miote interrupted. "Can you imagine how much it would be to restore them, not to talk of those that have been damaged or rusted beyond repair. There is also the fact that you are not the legal owner of these materials. You 'obtained' them from your own citizens, thereby they could even be considered stolen goods which would further drop their value."

Tedril stiffened, gripping the armrest tight. His eyes narrowed as he considered Miote's offer. Unbeknown to him, he was under the effects of Miote's 'Charm.' A skill that enticed him to the chesch's words and will. The merchant's high 'Bargain' skill also granted a bonus effect of manipulating rates during business deals to suit his needs. "5000."

"1000," Miote counter-offered.

"4000."

"1200."

"3000."

"1500"

"2500, and that's as low as I'll go."

"15-"

Kashi raised his hand. "We'll take it."

"I could have gotten him down to 1000," Miote whispered.

"I know. But we need to spare him some dignity, or it will jeopardize the next deal," Kashi replied.

Miote's pupils narrowed ever so slightly, just enough that Tedril did not notice. He was stunned by the depth of Kashi's vision and mentally kicked himself for not following sooner. It seemed like the assignment might prove to be worthwhile after all.

The chesch returned his attention to Tedril as he took out a parchment, quill, and ink from his inventory. He sat on the floor and placed the ink beside him. He dipped the feather in the ink, then proceeded to write on the contract.

This was Kashi's first time watching another user ply his trade with the assistance of the auto-skill system. Miote's hand moved with incredible speed as it wrote out all the information in the c hesch's mind, then modif ied it accordingly to produce an even better contract. The quality of the contract produced depended heavily on several different merchant skills, most of which Miote was already an expert in.

With a final flick , Miote finished writing . A prompt appeared on the parchment detailing its quality and a summary of its contents.

Kashi browsed through the contract. Shortly after, he smiled and then nodded, satisfied with the contract . He handed it back to Miote and then turned to Tedril. "On to the second order of business, then?"

"What is it?" The irritation in Tedril's voice was evident . Despite his predicament, the corrupt mayor refused to appear weak to the intruders.

"My guild is looking to expand into this region. We-"

"A fool's folly," Tedril interrupted. "There is nothing to be had in these dead lands."

"That is for me to decide, is it not?"

"Whatever. So what? You want to buy some land from me?"

A smile played on Kashi’s lips. "I am glad to see you understand my intentions. It should expedite the process."

"What land are you interested in?"

"West of Meilfour, there is an abandoned mining town: Lib Tahos it is called, I believe."

Taken aback, Tedril froze as he considered the daeben's words. "D-Did you say Lib Tahos?"

"Yes, I did."

"How did you come to know of that town ?"

"No offense, but you are not qualified to be privy to such information."

Tedril reddened but held his composure. "Then, can I, at the very least, ask why it is you are interested in that particular town."

"That I can tell." Kashi strolled over to a window as he spoke. "My guild needs a base of operation in Merriheim. An ideal location would be a town of minimal distance from Suvron's pass."

"You never asked for land in Meilfour."

Kashi shook his head. "A splendid location I agree, but already too populated. We can have a building or two, but it will never truly be 'our' town."

"And you think you can make Lib Tahos into your town?"

Kashi turned to face him and rested against the window. "Yes, I do believe so ."

Tedril tapped his chin. "It is true that a lot of the property deeds went missing or were damaged during the war. If you stake a claim to a lot of the land, very few will be able to dispute."

Kashi's eyes twinkled. "Thanks for that information. I actually was not aware of that fact."

Realizing the folly of his words, Tedril quickly made to rectify the issue. "H-however, no matter how much land you stake claim to, it'll never be legitimate. I actually have some property deeds I obtained, and the mine is one of them. Without that mine, there will be no reason for anybody to travel to that forsaken town."

Kashi pushed off the wall with a fervor, a massive grin on his face. "Which brings us to our second order of business: I wish to purchase that mine."

Tedril whitened, his knuckles rattling against the throne. He realized much too late that he had fallen right into the daeben's trap. Without his claim, he could have easily denied having the mine's deed. However, he had been cajoled into boasting about the mine to save face.

Tedril’s composure crumbled. Sweat drenched his clothes as he fought to find a way out of the hole he'd dug himself into. "N-no, please. That mine is not for sale."

Kashi's expression soured. "Do not insult me, mayor. I know you have the deed." He made his way towards Tedril. "In fact, I would say it is the reason you are so highly protected by the Order." Tedril's sudden fit of cough answered the daeben's suspicions. "As to where you'd keep it for safekeeping, a coward like you would keep it close." He stopped in front of the throne. "Not on your person, of course, as they could easily murder you and take it for themselves." His eyes narrowed as they focused on Tedril's. "You keep it somewhere very close. Very Very close..."

"IIHII!" Tedril shrieked. Kashi's overbearing presence had chipped continuously into the mayor's confidence until he was almost shriveled. This was as a result of the daeben periodically hitting the unsuspecting man with minor waves of bloodlust and fighting spirit; not so much that he consciously felt it, but enough that his subconscious slowly broke down. "P-please, I can't just give it to you."

"What do you take us for?" Kashi asked, incredulous. "We wish to purchase the land legally, not criminally. We are also ready to pay."

The smell of money restored the mayor's confidence somewhat. "P-pay?"

"Yes, pay."

"How much?"

Kashi folded his arms. "Name your price."

Tedri l mulled over the issue. "1000000 gold."

"Do you even think before you come up with these prices?" Miote asked.

"Wh-what do you mean? It's a mine!? Do you know how much the mine-"

"But the mine's run out, isn't it?" Kashi asked. "Or is there a different side to the story that would warrant such a payment."

Tedril slumped in his seat and shook his head. "No, no, there is none." He could not believe it. How much information did this man already have? He could not have entered Merriheim more than a few days ago, yet he already knew this much. From the beginning, there was no hope to cheat him off a deal. "Fine. You win. How much do you want to pay? It is basically an overgrown basement at this point.

"Considering we'll have to clear out the monsters and cultists, map the mine and perform safety checks ourselves, I say 15000 gold is a fair price."

"Please, if I sell the mine, then my own life will be in danger. I need more money before I can agree to anything."

"17000."

"25000."

"We'll give you 50,000," Kashi interrupted. "And take this house as an added bonus."

Tedril's eyes lit up. With 50000, he could flee to Jatakem and live in luxury for the rest of his life. "I will accept your deal once you remove this damned arrows."

Kashi nodded, and the arrows fell out of the air.

Miote made some revisions to the contract then handed it to the mayor.

Tedril accepted the parchment then scanned through it. Satisfied with its contents, he took the quill and signed his signature.

Kashi took out a huge sack filled with gold coins and dropped it in front of the mayor. "50000 gold coins as promised."

Tedril confirmed the contents of the sack then nodded his approval, allowing Kashi to sign his own end. Hel double-tapped his armrest, and a secret drawer slid open. He took out a document and handed it to Miote, who grinned from ear to ear after reading it. "It's legit."

Kashi smiled. "I guess that concludes our business."

"I suppose so." Tendril shot off his throne, sack in hand, and headed to the door. "It was a pleasure doing business, but-"

Thwack!

Tedril fell forward as an arrow tore through his brain.

Kashi walked over to the body and withdrew his money. "Thank you for being who you are." Returning the bag to his inventory, he spat, "If you were a half-decent person, I would have been forced to really pay you."

Negotiations S uccessful !