The morning came, finding Lucas already awake and ready to head out to Bruce. His altercation with Rosenborg from last night made him forget his distaste for politics and even more, made it personal. It even made him forget about his planning to leave Camp Hearth, definitely pushing that back until the matter with Adventurer’s guild is settled. In that name, he decided he was going to attend the meeting with Rose Leon and get an agreement with her. She will get all tax deduction she wants, but the guild will not give any protection to people like Rosenborg. And so, with the early morning sun, he set the direction towards the Bruce office, hoping to catch the man before his second meeting with Rose starts. Unsurprisingly, he found the old Loremaster already in his office, reading some report or another.

“Ah, just the man I wanted to see. We made good progress with the Leon girl yesterday, today we should iron out all the little details and sign the deal of cooperation. I even managed to convince her to find some space in her administration for the other two candidates, so they withdraw from the race.”

“I’m sorry, Bruce, but things had changed. I had an argument with Rosenborg yesterday” Lucas opened the conversation.

“What? Why?” Bruce said, confused.

“I certainly hadn’t meant it, but he pursued me as I went with the gang. We almost came to blows, but he retreated in the last moment” Lucas said and then he recounted the tale from the last night, not leaving anything out. It was only fair to Bruce to be in the loop as Lucas planned to blow up months of his work and dealings.

“Well, that certainly complicates things. The man did his homework and knew how to provoke you. The restrain you showed is admirable, but those terms will cost us” Bruce said, every word carefully measured.

“I know, but I do hope there is a chance that Leon would jump at the chance to rid herself of the man. He is bound to be pain in her ass also” Lucas hopefully said.

“Certainly and we can probably push that in perpetuity, in case another Rosenborg crop up. But she would certainly want to make herself the final authority on the matter and that can lead to problems down the line. We haven’t made such missteps until now and I would urge you to reconsider. There are ways to deal with Rosenborg without involving the guild”

“Like skulking in the darkness, waiting for him to take a job and then killing him so he can be labeled as “killed in action”? No, I want to do it fairly and to make an example to everyone, including the Adventurer’s guild” Lucas said with steely resolve. Me made an oath and he planned to keep it.

“Foolish young, so mired in some perceived honor. The man played you all like a fiddle. I would be damned if he doesn’t already have an escape plan if he fails to win” Bruce said.

“That would play nicely in my plan as I already plan to go out and explore a bit. If he runs, I would get some extra incentive and some direction where to go”

“I guessed you are close to that decision. It would do you good, but I now ask you for your trust. You told me of your intentions and I will handle it. Even if Rosenborg don’t plan to run, I will make it so it is his only option. That eliminates the need for getting the guild involved and we don’t have to give Leon girl more authority that already agreed” Bruce pleaded and Lucas nodded. The old Loremaster hadn’t led him astray nor did he ever betray his trust. Furthermore, he hadn’t forgotten his conversation with Margaret and subsequent promise he made about trusting people. Bruce looked relived and when he spoke next, his voice betrayed this.

“So, are you really staying or are we finished here?” Bruce asked him.

“I don’t see the point in staying. I trust you and have no doubt you will do what you have promised” Lucas said and he got up to leave. Bruce escorted him to the door and waved him goodbye. This unexpected ending emptied his morning as he expected to lose half a day in meetings. He decided to fill his time by visiting the tavern to discuss the matter of Rosenborg’s source of information. His pace was quick and he arrived at his destination in ten minutes. Entering, he spotted the frown on innkeeper face, signaling he was not pleased with how the last night has ended. He approached the old man, intent on apologizing for the matter.

“So are you here on business or you plan to go into another fight?” the man asked him.

“I’m sorry for last night, but I’m afraid it won’t be the last time something like that happens. I did give you a fair warning when I came to you with the offer” Lucas reminded the innkeeper.

“Aye, that you did. And I remember you saying all the damage will be reimbursed” innkeeper said.

“The door, I guess. I felt they are a little loose when I entered” Lucas asked and innkeeper nodded. Lucas shrugged and transferred a thousand credits to the man, deciding not to make a big fuss about the extortion. The innkeeper would get used to events or a new location for his tavern would have to be found. Either of those suited Lucas just fine and money wasn’t an issue as both he and the settlement were moderately well – endowed, at least for now.

“Keep the rest as an apology. Now tell me, where is the leader of our merry band?” he asked and the innkeeper dropped his glass. When he crouched to pick it up, a soft clinking of the mechanism could be heard somewhere behind the counter. Getting the hint, Lucas waited for the innkeeper to come back, a glass in hand, and then slipped towards the door that were far in the back. Opening it, he found the stairs already descending into the darkness below.

“Such a flair for dramatic” Lucas chuckled as he descended, every step bringing some more light, the stairs having some mechanism to turn it on as someone descended and automatically turning them off after some time.

“Welcome to our little pit” the same man who already spoke to Lucas after assassination attempt greeted him.

“I’m glad to see your funding is adequate” Lucas said, looking all over the room. Maps were plastered on every centimeter of the wall, except for the space occupied by a large cabinet where Lucas guess reports were being stored. He was confused about using paper when the System logged everything for you after first seeing a report, but Bruce had one time explained to him that looking at the logs can be distracting and more importantly, a lot of Spy family of classes had some kind of skill related to instantly memorizing something read from the paper.

“One day I have to learn about the mechanisms of classes” Lucas thought to himself for a moment before refocusing on the man in front of him.

“What can I do for you today?” the man asked, although Lucas knew he was feigning ignorance. He must have guessed it would be related to the events from the last night as he was the one that sent the warning.

“As you are well aware, I had an unpleasant meeting with Rosenborg last night. What I’m wondering, however, is how he knew what buttons to push?” Lucas said, getting straight to the business.

“Are you implying we have a mole?” the man asked him, his anger flaring up. Lucas decided it would be better to backpedal a bit, no point in antagonizing the man needlessly.

“That wasn’t my intention. I just wanted to see what you knew about that”

“You are famous, you know? And you lived hr your whole life. People talk, Lucas” the man simply said.

“And what about my party members? Last I checked, they weren’t from here and yet, Rosenborg targeted exactly the right person for maximum outrage”

“The siblings are living here for seven months and they bear a family resemblance. You certainly don’t expect they didn’t tell anybody for seven months that they are siblings. From there, it was just simple logic that guided Rosenborg” the man responded.

“So there is nothing we can do about it?” Lucas asked, defeat in his voice.

“Unfortunately, you are correct. We can’t even make some myths about you, since you are a local” the man confirmed Lucas’s worries. Lucas thanked the man and went toward the exit, before turning back.

“Before I forget, what is your name? It wouldn’t do to not know a name of my head of spies” Lucas said, angry at himself for neglecting asking Bruce that information.

“You can call me Deer. And I’m not the big boss, just the chief of operation. I’m amazed you still haven’t met her, she is almost regularly at the old Loremaster’s place, handing reports and plotting with that old weasel” the man said, laughing. Lucas was caught by surprise, his mind drawing blank. He was convinced the man in front of him was his head of spies, but now he managed to make an idiot out of himself. The habit of him ignorant about important stuff is certainly hard to die.

“Don’t worry, this will stay between us. Just be sure to talk to the boss at some point” Deer said through his laughter. Lucas thanked the man and quickly went up the stairs, his Agility only thing preventing him from stumbling. When he got up, he spotted Maggie sitting at one of the tables. She waved and Lucas got to her table.

“I hoped I would find you here. I want to apologize for Ted’s behavior last night. He asked the impossible” she opened the conversation.

“He wasn’t in the wrong. You are his sister” Lucas retorted.

“And I’m perfectly capable of speaking my mind. I don’t need protectors” she said, her voice hard.

“I know that, but still. He cares for you and he of course we was furious about the insinuations Rosenborg made”

“And yet, his frustration doesn’t give him the right to torture you. He knows Rosenborg is currently untouchable” Maggie said.

“He didn’t ask the impossible. I meant what I said, Rosenborg is a dead man, we just need to make sure he loses this election” Lucas reiterated.

“Now you act like him. I don’t need protectors” Maggie repeated herself, anger flowing freely both through her voice and in her body language.

“And that is why you will be the one to kill him. I will just make sure he loses his untouchable status”

“If I killed every asshole that made comment like that, I would have mountain of bodies behind me” Maggie said, but Lucas could see she was also hurt and angered by the man’s comment. When the time comes, she wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

“And just to be sure, Ted is not the only one who care about you, you can count on rest of us” Lucas said.

“I know. Thank you” she said. They spend the rest of the late morning hours chatting, Lucas having hard time focusing on the conversation with her so close. His mind went back to the conversation he had with Margaret, but ultimately, he decided against saying anything. She was vulnerable and Lucas felt he would be taking advantage. There would be time for that conversation later. The noon had passed when they finally went their own way, Lucas reinvigorated by the meeting.