Haven's Addiction

I sat in Ferdinand’s giant red chair under the cover of a magical shroud, patiently waiting for his arrival. Ferdinand eventually entered the room and made his way to the desk, unaware that I was there.

I lifted the Shroud and let out my best Kermit the Frog, “Hi-ho”.

He lurched in his seat, drawing a knife faster than I would have thought possible from someone of his bulk. He took a good look at me, stared me down, and then set the weapon on his desk. To him it was a knife, but it was more like a small sword to me. I wasn’t even sure where he had been hiding it.

“Sneaking up on someone like that will get you killed,” he growled.

“Possibly,” I chuckled. “But the look on your face was priceless.” He still grumbled and looked pissed. “I’m sorry for barging in like this, but I come bearing gifts.”

I tossed him the weapon I took from the Carnivex spy. He caught it with ease and examined it.

“Thank you,” he accepted it graciously, putting it in a desk drawer “If I knew you were coming I would have prepared a feast. I take it you found what you were looking for?”

“Yep, and then some. I’ve most definitely made an enemy of the Carnivex now. I killed at least two of them, possibly more, it’s hard to be certain. You weren’t exaggerating about how sneaky they are.”

“Ah, so you were responsible for the light show past few nights,” he stroked his massive chin.

“I had a hand in it, but it was more Placidious’s doing than mine.”

“So what do you want from me? You are obviously not here to kill me.”

He was right. If I came to assassinate him I would have done it already before he was aware of my presence in the room. Getting in wasn’t easy. He had some first class wards to keep people out. It took Barthandolous nearly half an hour to bypass them enough for me to sneak in.

“You mentioned before about a partnership, but one that was dependent upon us staying away from each other. I want to make good on that, but with a Real partnership.”

He sat stoically, difficult to read. “I’m listening.”

“I have a goal in mind that is going to upset a lot of powerful people in Haven, and I can’t do it alone. I need to recruit some help. I need professionals who are willing to earn some coin, and aren’t afraid to take orders without asking questions.”

“I can think of a few people matching that description,” he mused, nodding. I could tell that he was already calculating in his head everyone he could call upon for service. From the long silence that followed it must have been a large directory.

“I want the best loyalty money can buy, and I have plenty of it to spend,” I grinned wide enough to make the Cheshire Cat proud. “I can’t afford to have anyone who is a waste of my time. Only the best will do.”

“Of course. We are males of quality as much as we are males of action.”

“I figured out how these things work too,” I gestured to the Carnivex weapon in his desk drawer. Now he was definitely intrigued.

“Go on,” was all he said calmly, but his body language showed him to be giddy with excitement. He leaned forward on the desk, eager to learn more.

“There is a crystal set deep inside the shaft of the weapon. I’m not sure where it originates. They probably have exclusive rights to it, and keep that closely guarded.”

“Hmph,” he grunted. “Much like the Djedois and their weapons.”

“Exactly. In fact, it is likely they took a lesson from the Djedois in keeping the origins of their weapons a secret. This particular crystal is a form of energy amplifier. When energy is absorbed into it, it is released again all throughout the crystal in all directions like an explosion. Since it is encased in the barrel, all that energy goes the only place it can, out the barrel in a burst of fire. A small battery is housed inside that pumps energy into the crystal. When the right trigger combination is pressed, you get a powerful burst of energy without using any magic whatsoever.”

“Interesting,” he mused, rubbing one of his horns in thought. “What would you like for this information?” He was a businessman at heart in a tough land where everything came with a price. Nothing came for free unless it was a knife in your back.

“Consider it an earnest payment to persuade you to assist me in what I need. Personally, it’s information I don’t really need, and nobody else would want it, so you might as well have it.”

“A product that you can’t move anywhere else,” he laughed. “I understand. The Carnivex have done such a thorough job of convincing the realm that they don’t exist, that knowledge of their weapons is useless.”

“Precisely, but it is valuable to us.”

“How so? We can’t replicate it to use against them without the crystals, and the heat they produce makes them too volatile.”

“Because of the unique nature of the crystals it will be relatively easy to track and identify Carnivex by the weapons they carry.” I tossed him a scroll of paper rolled up into a tube. He unrolled the paper and took a look at it. “Those are the specs on a tracking spell specifically for this mineral. A new friend of mine helped me put it together,” I said, not yet willing to reveal Barthandolous. “Feel free to modify it however you need. If the Carnivex really do carry these weapons with them everywhere, they will be easy to track without knowing how you are finding them.”

He belted out a laugh that sounded like something between a cow mooing and the braying of a horse. The bizarre bovine laughter continued for a couple minutes before he finally regained his composure. “I have been dealing with the Carnivex for over three decades, and this is the closest anyone has ever come in finding a way to thwart them.”

“Thanks,” I said. “The pleasure was all mine,” I grinned as I rubbed the red leather of the chair I sat on. “I’m hoping to get a complete matching furniture set like this one when this is over.”

“Consider it done,” he said in a formal tone, as if to make the transaction binding. I got the feeling that, if we survived this, there would be a full set of new leather furniture in my future.

“It is satisfying to kill a Carnivex, isn’t it? There are no other quarries out there, short of the dragons themselves, that can compare. If you are seeking to irritate and disrupt the Carnivex, then you already have my assistance. A mortal enemy of the Carnivex is an ally of mine. What about your Gold Clan friends?”

“We had a bit of a falling out. They definitely know that the Carnivex exist now, though. I don’t know if they will continue to be allies or not. I think it’s safe to assume they won’t, and see where it goes from there.”

“Cynicism looks good on you. You’re a natural at it.”

“It turns out I’m a natural at a lot of things lately that I didn’t know about.”

“I can see that. You have an air of power and confidence about you that wasn’t there a week ago. It is amazing how much killing a man changes your perspective on the world. Don’t you agree?”

I nodded in agreement. I knew exactly what he meant. Training scenarios in the Danger Room were one thing because they were simulated. When shooting at the werewolves, I was in a struggle for my life, and I didn’t actually kill any of them. When I started killing the Carnivex, I had officially committed murder, especially with the one who impersonated Edic. Out of all the people and creatures I killed over the last week, that is the one that could have been avoided.

“Did you look into their eyes as they died?” He asked, watching me intently.

There was no denying that when I looked into the eyes of Edic’s imposter as I shot him in the head, it had changed me. I was too caught up in the moment to realize it, but I liked it. I think I actually grinning a bit when I answered, “Yes. Yes I did.”

“Very good,” he seemed satisfied with the response, as if the question was a test as to whether or not he could trust me. “I will set out recruiting. What exactly do you need people for?”

After swearing by our magic to keep a code of secrecy I told him about the Orbs and my goal of releasing The Twelve.

He laughed as boisterous as ever for the longest time. I thought for a moment he was going to hyperventilate he was laughing so hard. The glass from the display cases in the room rattled so much from the booming laughter that I braced myself for their eventual shattering, but it never came. “You are not short of ambitions, I will give you that much. I have no love for dragons, but I have even less taste for what Haven has become in their absence. At least the dragons were respectful of all life and brought order the to realm. Those who were evil and malicious were up front about their nature, instead of hiding behind policies and laws.”

Ferdinand agreed to start recruiting. He already had a small army at his command in Basin City. He suggested that I come up with a different cover story for retrieving the Orbs than releasing The Twelve.

“Everyone loves to have power,” he told me, “which is why there are relatively few who would look forward to seeing the return of The Twelve. They have had the freedom to do as they please for far too long to let that happen.”

I left him with a bag of coins as a deposit to insure I had the currency to back it up.

“There’s plenty more where that came from,” I told him.

“Good, it will take lots to pay and equip them. With the right amount of funding you can get the proper equipment to make a small group of bandits more formidable than an army. Where are you headed to first?”

“New Haven City, to speak to a man about securing some more funds,” I said. “I’ll be back in a few days. You might want to keep an eye out. A few of my old friends may be coming back through here soon.”

“Would you like me to dispose of them for you?” He grinned.

“No. They may be my only way back into castle Gold, so I don’t want them dead yet.”

I left Basin City through the Mage Guild the same way I entered, but under the guise of Gerald. The attendant waved me through to the teleportation room without hardly giving me a glance. In no time at all I was in New Haven City. I made my way through the city under disguise. I didn’t dare travel under cover of a Shroud, although I could have. A proper Shroud that left me completely concealed took a great deal of energy to maintain, but I also had a nearly limitless resource at my disposal. Barthandolous informed me that, while the Shroud could completely conceal me from almost everyone, it was also suspicious behavior. Some creatures scan the streets of the city specifically looking for Shrouds. Since most anyone going to these lengths to remain concealed had something to hide, it made them the perfect candidates for blackmailing by whose who could detect Shrouds. Instead I went with the illusion of looking like someone so plain and average that no one would pay any mind.

I pounded the pavement towards Fenton’s shop to pay him another visit. I entered the store and perused his goods while he attended to other customers. I was surprised to see that everything was still pretty much exactly the same as when I first walked into the place about a month before. With all the money he made from me, both through the commission of the currency exchange and the mass of expensive items I purchased, I half expected him to have already closed up shop and retired.

After all the customers finally left, I came up to the counter. “Do you happen to have any enchanted cloaks in stock?” I asked, still in my average-joe disguise.

“That I do, Mister Bailey, but not nearly as nice as the one you are already wearing,” he responded without skipping a beat.

I dismissed the illusion and looked at him curiously. “How did you know?”

He tapped the enchanted spectacles on his nose with his index finger. “In my line of work you can’t be too careful in knowing who walks through your door.”

“True enough,” I frowned. “I learned that myself very recently.”

“What can I help you with today Mister Bailey? Have the tools I provided you with been treating you well?”

“They have worked fantastic, above reproach,” I said with all sincerity. In all honesty I couldn’t have been more pleased with all the magical equipment I purchased from Fenton. “Has anything else come in that I might be interested in since I was here last?”

“Not of particular note, sir. You’ve already bought me out of the best I have to offer,” he beamed with pride.

“That’s fine. I do have a few requests if you don’t mind.” I took out a folded piece of paper with a requisition list of supplies I hoped to get. He looked the paper over thoroughly, double and triple checking it. His spectacles apparently had the ability to read my handwriting as well. While he looked it over I mentally drew dollar signs on his eyeballs. I didn’t need a mind reading spell to tell what he was thinking.

“Ay, I already have most of these in stock. In particular I have the potions and some of the weapons. Some of these others I’m not so sure about, but I can get them for you within a day at the least.”

“Fantastic. I’ll be here tomorrow to pick them all up.”

“Is there anything else I can assist you with today Mister Bailey?” He asked as he slipped the paper into his pocket.

“As a matter of fact there is. I need to get in touch with the man who bought my pieces of currency. I have an offer to make that I’m sure he will be interested in.”

“I can make an offer to him,” he said without any hesitation, “but I’m afraid that I can’t arrange for you to do so directly.”

“Shrewd,” I replied, nodding my head, my eyes narrowing. It wasn’t that he couldn’t, but that he didn’t want to. If I met with the man directly, Fenton would miss out on his commission. “I need to meet with him in person, and you are the only connection I have. Name your price.”

His eyes went so wide that I thought he was going to pee himself in excitement. “I’m sorry Mister Bailey, but I can’t simply release the names of my contacts. That would be bad business.”

Barthandolous whispered sweet nothings into my brain.

“Of course you can’t,” I replied, smirking “because he already told you I would be coming and to prepare a meeting. You have already been paid to do just that, and are trying to capitalize on it.”

I found a bit of humor in the fact that Fenton tried to double bill, but was also annoyed by it. He already made enough to retire off of from one deal, and was about to be wealthier from another large transaction. It would likely take all of the money I had, and then some, to raise the kind of army I would need to acquire the Orbs. If I spent too much of it on his fees I would lose valuable resources just to serve his greedy ass. I began to get angry with him, wondering if Fenton was worth the hassle, of if I should have Barthandolous force the information out of him.

Something about what I said struck a cord with him and he even seemed to cower away a little. “Of course, Mister Bailey. As I’m sure you already know, he has already been expecting you to seek him out.” He eyed me suspiciously, nervous. “He is waiting for you at the Red Dragon lounge.”

“Of course he is,” I chuckled. I wasn’t sure if I actually said that out loud or not. Either way he looked nervous, and possibly even scared. “Thank you Fenton,” I tossed a small pouch of coins onto the counter and left the store. I heard the door lock behind me as I left.

‘He was scared of you,’ Barthandolous told me as I hailed a cab. ‘He is a loyal operative of the Gold Clan.’

‘I figured as much. Drognaus referred me to him when I first arrived here, which means that he probably already informed everyone I have been in contact with that I have the Orb and am considered to be the enemy. Do you think this meeting is a trap?’

‘Doubtful. People like Fenton cater to the highest bidder. He was more afraid of this man than he was of Drognaus.’

That made sense. Fenton was a businessman through and through. His loyalties were to his pocketbook. Greed is easy to predict in people when you see it. That’s why my list of purchases was so large. I could have very easily acquired them elsewhere, probably cheaper and more powerful. By making the transaction large enough, he wouldn’t dare betray me to the Gold Clan until after he got paid. Drognaus would be seeking the Orb, but he wouldn’t have put in that high of a bid to a lowly informant like Fenton. My biggest concern for now was where I headed next.

‘Do you have any idea who I’m meeting with?’ I asked, trying not to gag. The driver of the carriage was a humanoid so hairy that he reminded me of Cousin It, and his hygiene was as bad as any other cabbie I experienced in New York. It freaks me out how some things are so universal.

‘I have been out of the connection to the realm for some time. Entire generations have come and gone since my imprisonment,’ he told me. ‘But I know his type. He already seems to know quite a lot about you, but he has also gone to great lengths to help you. He may be a potential ally.’

‘Do you think that he could be?’

‘I do not know. He is a wild card. He serves his own agenda, and he is the only one who knows what that agenda is. That makes him very dangerous, but at the same time, a very valuable ally. Especially if his agenda coincides with yours.’

I rode the cart in silence while having a mental conversation with Barthandolous about a few more spells that might prove useful, mostly to distract me from the odor. I got spoiled on my previous visit to New Have City with a the carriage driver who knew what soap was.

The Red Dragon Lounge was more of a posh hotel with all the fixings. The lounge was just part of the larger hotel, which looked to be just as elaborate, if not more so, than the quarters Fenton put me up in a few weeks prior. A bouncer at the door let me in because I was apparently on the list. The big scary ape of a guy with four arms stood with all of them crossed as I approached, checked the list when I gave him my name, let me in, and then resumed his formidable position. I didn’t doubt that he would have no hesitations at throw me out if I misbehaved; literally. I also had no doubt that I would have to seriously hurt him if he tried it. I didn’t want to have to do it, but wasn’t afraid to if it came to it. If I had ran into him a few days earlier, I would have coward away and let him escort me out while I tried to find a way to sneak in. It amazed me how much I changed in just a few short days.

I was directed to the VIP room in the back of the lounge by a beautiful female attendant of a feline species who could double as a stripper, and probably did. She sensuously asked if there was anything I would like. I assumed she meant to offer a drink, but could tell that she was also one of the menu options. I had no idea of knowing who would be after me to steal the Orb, so I wasn’t about to take any chances and declined on both.

Inside the private chambers was something out of an old penthouse party scene. A man sat in an elaborately decorative chair wearing a velvet robe with a cigar smoking in one hand and a glass of expensive liqueur in the other. I knew immediately that he was the person I sought because of the powerful energy force drawing me towards him that reminded me of meeting Nasgoth Djedous. He was a black man of average height and build, his head shaved completely bald. Intelligence burned in his eyes like an inferno, as well as a recognition, but I was certain that I had never met the man before.

“Ah, there you are Bailey. I was expecting you sooner,” he stood up and spoke as if we were long time friends, offering his hand.

“Do I know you from somewhere?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“What did one snow man say to the other snow man?” He asked. He articulated his words like the most dignified and proper person I ever met. I was thoroughly confused by the question, not because I didn’t know the answer, but because I actually did. The fact that he was so polite, brimming with confidence, and seemed absolutely certain that he knew me, threw me even further off.

“Um, smells like carrots?” I answered with it coming out more like a question.

He burst out laughing until he turned red in the face like it was the funniest thing he ever heard. Even his laugh sounded prim and proper.

“Now I get it,” he said between laughs, wiping away the tears that had formed.

“Unfortunately I don’t,” I said, still equally confused.

“Don’t worry, you will some day. I was told once that by asking that question I would learn great understanding.”

“Did you?”

“Yes,” he said, taking a puff from his cigar, “and some day you will when you ask that very same question.” I looked at him, thoroughly confused, which resulted in him belting out an even louder bought of laughter.

He finally stopped laughing to get his breath back. “My apologies, I have gotten so wrapped up in nostalgia that I have forgotten to introduce myself. I’m...”

“... Droclin Lar,” I interrupted him. “I know exactly who you are. You are the head of the Merchants Guild in Haven, and the owner of the Orb of the Cloud Dragon.”