Chapter 107

The final group consisted of three men, each wearing a mask of a different race. From left to right, there was an Elf, a Dwarf, and an Orc mask. The Elven mask was silver, covering the man’s entire face, with long ears and narrow eye slits.

The Dwarven mask was constructed from bronze, its beard meticulously crafted and beautifully done. The Orc mask was made of forged steel, with two long tusks emerging from its mouth, slightly curved and sharp.

The three men were all of a similar height, each wearing well crafted armor, with unadorned shields on their backs and long swords on their hips. Aside from their different masks, Wil couldn’t find much to differentiate each from the others, they could have been triplets.

Wil waited patiently while the three conversed, their whispers a quiet murmur, until the man with the Elf mask stepped forward.

“How will he affect the shares? Three groups, three shares. Now we have a fourth?” He said, his tone harsh at the prospect of splitting the rewards further. Gold didn’t respond, waiting for Wil to react, while Tarlin gave him a small shrug, as if to say, ‘it’s your problem, you deal with it.’

“Four groups, four-way split. If you think I’m not the equal of the three of you…” Wil let the threat hang, his mana building around him. He expected more resistance from his joining at the last minute. The Triplets reaction was almost refreshing, in a way. The three were all Rank 6, weakest of all the groups present. As a Rank 10, Wil wouldn’t have any problems overcoming their challenge.

The Elf masked man was about to speak, when Wil cut him off by exuding his power, the pressure exploding around him. His golden, Rank 10 mana pressed down on their entire group, forcing the three men onto their knees. They resisted for a moment, their own strength matching his, before Wil easily crushed them.

“Well? Any more objections?” Wil asked, waiting for them to give in. Each moment he pressed them harder, forcing their knees deeper into the ground, his power a suffocating weight that made even breathing a struggle.

“No objection, no objection!” The elf masked man yelled, his head bowed as Wil let his power linger for a moment longer. Letting it go, the trio of men let out sighs of relief, slowly standing.

“Good.” Wil said, turning back to Gold. The richly dressed man smiled widely, a flash of greed in his eyes as he witnessed Wil easily cow the others. A Rank 10 could make the difference between success and failure on this trip.

“Excellent, truly excellent. I certainly hope that you all become the best of friends and companions. Now that we have the unpleasantness out of the way, we’ll discuss my needs.” Gold said, gesturing to Tarlin that he may leave.

The information broker patted Wil on the shoulder as he left, his eyes carrying a warning to be wary of those present. Nodding in understanding, Wil turned his attention back to Gold once Tarlin was gone.

“I need you all to travel to Blood Tree to collect a package. You are to deliver it to me without delay.” Gold said, looking around the warehouse to assess their reaction. His words set off a flurry of whispering, the groups talking amongst themselves. The only one not surprised or concerned was Wil.

Wil, having never been to the Wilds, had no idea what ‘Blood Tree’ was. He hadn’t heard anyone at the Branch speak of it before. Unfortunately, he couldn’t risk asking anything about it, not without giving away that he was woefully inexperienced adventuring into the Wilds.

He hoped his lack of reaction would be attributed to arrogance and confidence, rather than the ignorance that it was.

The trio led by the man with a Dragon’s mask looked at his companions briefly, a silent exchange occurring between them, but he remained silent. On the other side, ‘Elf’ mask scoffed, shaking his head.

“Impossible! With everything going to hell, we’d be lucky to even make it there, let anyone deal with the Kobolds. They may be weak, but there’s thousands of them in Blood Tree!” Elf said, Dwarf and Orc agreeing with him

‘So, Blood Tree is a Kobold community?’ Wil thought, desperately trying to gain as much information as possible. Kobolds were small creatures, supposedly descended from dragons, although they shared only a few similarities with their winged ancestors.

Two legged, they were only a few feet tall, and relatively weak. But they formed strong bonds with each other, and they bred like rabbits. A community of thousands would be something to worry about, especially deep in the Wilds where magic is unreliable.

“I have an agreement with the Kobolds. Show them this when you arrive, and they will hand the package over to you.” Gold said, holding up his hand. A necklace dangled from his grasp, a simple leather cord that held a beast fang, carved with runes and symbols.

Looking around briefly, he tossed the item to the masked mage ‘One’, who tucked it into her robes.

“Once you’ve secured the package, bring it back here, but do not allow anyone to open the container, or inspect what’s within. The guards on the North Gate have been…persuaded, to allow you passage without the usual permits and inspections.” Gold explained.

“And our payment?” The swordsman wearing the ‘Two’ mask questioned.

“Half now, half on completion.” Gold replied, gesturing for the groups to step forward. The woman with the phoenix mask, the swordman ‘Two’ and the Orc were each handed a small pouch by Gold. Last, Wil received his, the pouch lightweight and lacking the jingle of coins.

Opening it subtly as he walked back to his spot, Wil saw it was filled with small diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and other gemstones. The small pouch was likely worth nearly ten thousand gold coins, and another bag waited for them on their return.

‘What in the nine layers of hell are we transporting?’ Wil wondered silently, closing the pouch, and placing it in his bag of holding.

“What if the Kobolds renege on the deal?” Dragon mask asked.

“Kill them all. You will be further compensated for your troubles.” Gold answered. Not seeing any further questions, he left the warehouse, his expensive robes billowing around him as he walked.

“We need to name a leader, too many cooks spoil the broth. For some of you, this is our first-time meeting, while others have worked together before.” One stated, stepping forward to stand in the center of the warehouse.

“So what? You’re nominating yourself?” Elf questioned, stepping forward aggressively. Dwarf and Orc flanking him.

“The Numbers are the largest group amongst us, it would make sense for us to lead.” Two answered, while the others in their party squared off against Elf.

Before Elf could respond, Dragon’s voice cut through the din.

“I agree. The Numbers may lead, we’ll follow.” Dragon said, his two companions nodding their heads as well. Wil looked around the group, thinking for a moment, before nodding as well.

In their brief encounter, ‘One’ had only pushed him enough to test him, calling it off once he held the upper hand. If the other groups wanted them to lead, he would follow. Besides, he knew almost nothing about the Wilds, this would give him the opportunity to quietly observe.

“Agreed.” Wil said, giving only a simple response. Elf clenched his hands into fists, not speaking for a moment, before giving a grudging nod.

“Then we will meet back here in two days’ time. Be prepared to leave immediately at that time. Blood Tree will take us nearly a month’s travel to reach, so pack accordingly.” One ordered, briefly looking towards ‘Two.’ Whatever answer she was looking for, she apparently found, as she turned back to the others after only a moment.

“If there is nothing else, we should leave separately.”

The groups dispersed, with Wil being the first to leave. Out of sight of the warehouse, Wil let the mask he had conjured fade. Weaving his way through the side streets, he soon found himself back on the crowded main road.

Heading to the palace, he made a list in his head of the preparations he needed to make. The top of the list was convincing Astrid to let him leave Ur for two months without her, all while not telling her any of the details of where he was going, or why.