Our little group split up the next morning. Jane went to the church to meet the Cleric again and Cerberos decided to join her. The rest of us decided to explore a little. This was a rather large city after all.

I returned to riding Circe’s arm while Hera always stuck close to Alex. I was a little confused since I had not spoken much with her but Alex mostly ignored her antics. It was quite interesting how the young woman always managed to have everything ready. With her simple two-layered dress, she almost looked like a maid. I eventually decided to simply ask her.

“Ah, yes, Miss Fio. I’m a [Fortress Maid]. I unlocked the Class when Lady Alexandra decided to employ me and have been studiously levelling it since.”

“Lady?”, I asked.

“It’s a thing she does. Helps her Class level if she addresses me ‘properly’ or whatever.”

Hera smiled.

“I think it’s cool!”, Circe grinned.

“Thank you”, Hera inclined her head.

“I don’t really mind”, Alex said, “I know she’s my friend and if it helps her level, I won’t hold her back.”

“I see”, I said, “Well, where are we going, anyway? Do you know about something interesting?”

“Not really? I’m just wandering aimlessly. Maybe something’ll catch our attention.”

“Like that!”, Circe said.

We followed her outstretched hand to spot a café on the corner of the marketplace we were on. This was the inner ring so the establishment looked pretty decent and there were some huge cakes showcased in the window.

“I’m not much for cake”, I said.

“But I am!”, Circe said.

“Have you ever had one?”

“Yep! Mum made one for my tenth birthday!”

“Well, I don’t mind. You want some too, Hera?”

“I… would like to. Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

We entered the building and were immediately greeted by an energetic waitress in a simple dress-and-apron combo. She guided us to a free table after hearing we had not made any reservations and asked us what we would like. I had expected a menu but it seemed like paper was too expensive. Everyone ordered a piece of cake, which I paid little attention to. When it came to drinks, though, I perked up.

“Do you have coffee?”, Alex asked.

“Yes. It is a rarity but we can serve it.”

“I’d like a cup, then. With milk and sugar. What about you, Hera?”

“Oh, uhm… I don’t know…”

“She’ll have a coffee as well.”

“But…”

“No buts!”

“What about tea? What do you have?”

“Ah, yes. We have green and black tea imported from the Dwarven Hills. What would you like?”

“Hmm… Fio, do you…?”

She glanced at me. I nodded.

The next moment, I opened my storage and dropped a bag of berry blend on top of the table.

“We’ll have this”, I said, “Prepare it like green tea with slightly hotter water. I’ll have it in a bowl.”

The waitress blinked and I realized how most conversations had quieted down.

“Okay? I’ll ask the chef.”

“Please do.”

The girl returned a few minutes later with a glass of water for everyone. Well, a bowl for me.

“The chef asks if he can try your tea. Would that be alright?”

“Sure. You can keep the rest. It’s only a small bag.”

“Oh, thank you”, she put a hand on her heart, “That is wonderful.”

We watched her return to the kitchen with a skip in her step.

“… what happened?”, Hera asked.

“Fio things. She had the dwarves make a few new blends of tea. That’s one of them. I don’t think it’s being exported quite yet.”

“It wasn’t last I checked”, I said, “But I have a ton.”

“I see… And coffee? What’s that?”

“You don’t know about coffee?”, Alex turned to her, “Oh, I have a lot to teach you! Though I wonder where they get it… They didn’t have any in Serrington.”

Soon after, the waitress returned with our cake and steaming beverages. Alex removed her mask after the girl was gone again, careful to keep her face in the shadows. Soon we were digging in.

The chef had prepared the tea beautifully. It was brewed at just the right temperature to bring out all the fruity aroma while not turning acidic or bitter. Circe almost enjoyed it more than her cake. The slices they served were big and very fancy. Alexandra eventually had to eat the leftovers of the other two who simply could not fit all the calories. Even though there was no chocolate. The cakes were mostly fruits and pudding or cream.

We left an hour later with satisfied bellies and a slightly lighter purse. Alex had footed the bill of three gold coins. Cathedral gold. We had even saved two more gold by giving away the bag of tea. Granted, I could have probably negotiated to get the food for free but we had the money. And the café would not sell it anyway. The waitress excitedly told us they would share it during their break later.

On the way out, some merchant-looking sort tried to approach me with questions about it but I deflected and we quickly retreated.

“Ahh, that was nice!”, Alex said, “Haven’t had coffee in a while. I could really get used to that.”

“It was… alright?”, Hera tried, “I can not see why you would be so obsessed with it, Lady Alexandra.”

“You’ll figure it out. Just try it again. We should look for a shop that sells beans.”

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat close behind us. I turned my head to look at a very average but fit man in his mid-thirties. We were standing next to a small alley at the edge of the plaza and he had approached us from behind.

“Sorry about that”, I said, “Circe, move out of the way.”

“Oh, don’t you worry”, the man said. He had a slightly raspy voice as if he was smoking too much. Or shouting.

“I’m looking for you, in fact. Unless my sources are wrong.”

I blinked.

“Which sources?”

“The guard captain, yes. That would be it. Fio Catori, correct? Would you follow me for a bit?”

He glanced at the others.

“Your friends?”

I nodded.

“They can come along.”

We exchanged a glance as he started to walk down the alley. Alex shrugged and motioned to follow.

After a few minutes of making our way through the dark corners of the inner ring and the man entered a building. I could hear a larger street or plaza not too far away so I decided it would be fine to follow him.

Inside, we found a dark hallway with a few open doors. To the right was what appeared to be a restaurant kitchen. To the left were a few offices. From further down the hallway, a full dining hall could be heard with telltale clanging of cutlery and casual conversation. We took the only door that was closed which lead down into a cellar. It was filled with shelves holding all kinds of non-perishable food near the stairs. Further down were a lot of large barrels for beer or wine, neatly marked with a nameplate. We found ourselves standing behind a few rows of those in a small space.

The man took a moment to light up a vis lantern before having us sit around a simple table. There was a small cupboard from which he produced some paper and a quill before facing us.

“I apologize for the long walk. And the dark locale. Some things simply require secrecy.”

“What’s this all about?”, I asked.

“That is very simple. I have been informed of your Class. As the [Spymaster] of Eterios, an [Assassin] like you is of great importance to me. Would you mind answering a few questions for me?”

That was the [Spymaster]? Did that mean he was high-level? Probably.

“I am more of a believer in exchanging information than simply giving it away”, I said.

Circe squealed. I could barely make out the whispered, “Soo cool!”, right after.

“That is fair”, the Spymaster said, “For now, you may call me Gregor. That is not my real name, and this face is not my real face. Please keep that in mind.”

“Would it be alright to [Identify] you?”, I asked.

He smirked.

“Please try.”

The smugness radiating from him annoyed me a little so I decided to go all out and use [Hidden Identify]. I quickly felt a weird shift around the Skill and the system returned a very strange message.

~ding~ [Identify] failed. Target is obfuscated. Please try again.

Gregor kept his facial expression steady. I narrowed my eyes and did just what the system asked of me. This time, I found some purchase. Instead of simply letting the Skill run its course, I decided to carefully hold it in position so it would not slide off again. That seemed to be all I needed to do, luckily.

[Identify]

Species: Human (Adult)

Age: 54

Name: Dolos

Gender: male

Status: healthy, sapient, vis enriched (medium)

Level: 66

Class: [Spymaster], -

It was my time to smirk. Gregor, or Dolos, had not been able to hide from my Skill. And even my [Hidden Identify] appeared undetected. I decided to keep my emotions in check and sighed instead as I used a normal [Identify] and let it slide off.

“Fine, then. Keep your secrets”, I said, “What did you want to know?”

Gregor schooled his face.

“Right. Your Class is at a decently high level for what it is. The best I have seen was in the mid-one-hundreds. It is difficult to level with only undetected killing, after all. I want to know how you gained those levels. What species were you targeting most of the time?”

“Ah, that’s easy. Wildlife, for food, or orks.”

“Interesting. I suppose that has something to do with your species… Very well. Do you plan to target a human during your stay in the plains?”

“The whole plains, huh? No. I don’t. Unless I find a reason to.”

“A reason like what?”

“Someone asking the wrong questions.”

He narrowed his eyes. Circe squealed again making both of us turn to her.

“Sorry!”, she said, “This is just so cool!”

“Yup”, Alex said, “Doing good, Fio.”

That made Gregor suspicious. He carefully eyed me as I pulled my facial feathers into a grin.

“Any more questions?”, I asked.

“Yes. I have been informed that the Crimson Church values your existence. Otherwise, I would never ask this. Would you be willing to take a contract from me?”

I blinked. Hera flinched, making her chair screech along the stone.

“You want me to kill someone?”, I asked.

“Yes.”

“… why and what do I get out of it?”

“There are a few merchants and nobles working together to enrich themselves on royal funds. I would have you take out their figurehead. And if it’s not enough, the mastermind as well. As for a reward, 150 Cathedral gold.”

Hera breathed in sharply.

“That’s a good bit of money”, I noted, “But not enough to pay for my Skills.”

He raised one eyebrow.

“What would you want then?”

“Can we see the palace?”, Circe asked out of the blue.

Both of us looked at her.

“Really?”, Gregor slapped his face, “Why did I not talk to you in private?”

“Because I would not have followed you”, I said.

He nodded.

“Well, I am sure we could arrange something. Maybe his majesty would like to thank you for your contributions…”

“We’re both citizens of the Dwarven Hills”, Alex said, “He could receive us as ambassadors.”

Gregor nodded.

“That could work.”

“And 200 gold on top of that. Per kill, of course.”

“I am not so sure you are worth that much.”

“You are asking me to do your dirty work. That means you have no [Assassin] capable of doing it. Or you simply don’t want to risk them.”

“Eterios employs no [Assassin]”, he said, “But I see you understand. And yet, I could hire the illegal guilds to do it for half the price. I already added 50 gold since I believe I can trust you.”

“Oh, can you, Dolos?”, I asked.

His eyes widened just for the tiniest fraction. Then he frantically looked at the others.

“This will stay a secret”, he said.

“Of course”, I agreed.

Circe made a shushing motion while Alex gave him a thumbs-up.

“I simply believe my Skills are worth a little more.”

“I see…”, he nodded, “Yes. It will be possible. I will contact you with the details. The necessary information will be made available at a later date.”

“Wonderful”, I said, “Pleasure doing business with you, Gregor.”

“Oh, but what are you talking about? I simply invited you and your friends for some wine tasting.”

He waved one hand and two people in simple servant uniforms stepped out of the shadows. I had not noticed them but managed to avoid flinching. Hera and Circe only barely held back their screams. Alex was completely relaxed.

In the end, we spent a full two hours trying all kinds of wines and beers. Well, Alex and Hera did. Circe and I were presented with a few juices instead. There were even snacks. Somehow, the sightseeing had turned into a food tour. And a job for me. I was a little on the fence about it but I would make my decision once I had more information. I could always pull out of the deal.