Relic nodded, "Worth your while, trust me. Everything is going through a third party, I'm simply the procurer, for both sides. You produce the supplies, they produce the money, I'm the middle man." Leaning back in his chair in turn, he allowed his words to be a bit louder, "There will need to be some initial trust, of course. They will need at least the first shipment before they can pay, but you need only place that trust in me."
"I have no reason not to trust you. How are the shipments to be made?"
"We will provide the transportation and the locations for pickup and delivery. As always, we will need to be discrete with this so-" Tim lifted a hand to stop his words, and replace them with his own. "Relic, how long have we been in business? You needn't worry about discovery."
Relic nodded, satisfied. "That's why I came to you. Unfortunately, I have other's I need to visit as well. Scrolls and wands are barely scratching the surface."
"Of course, my friend. I-" A look of recognition came across Tim's face in mid-sentence. "Oh dear, you're going to Torregiano, aren't you?"
Relic smirked in agreement, "I most certainly am. In the morning." He pushed his chair back, standing up, "You can't talk me out of it."
Tim stood up as well, a look of exasperation on his face. "Just don't kill the kid. He was never in the right state of mind to begin, now he's paranoid to the point of being delusional."
Relic laughed, "As long as he can still get me what I want. And I don't expect that's changed." he smiled and extended his hand. Tim sighed and reached across the table, a receipt of their deal. Relic smiled and lifted his hood, "A pleasure doing business, old friend."
"As always, Relic."
At that, Relic turned and left the office, a few seconds later the main entrance to the shop could be heard. Tim sat back down and refilled his glass. He pushed the original scroll he had been writing on off to the side and pulled out a blank parchment. There was work to be done, and lots of it.
Getting Started.
"Sir, there's someone here to see you."
The old wizard looked up from a scroll he was scribbling on and looked over his rectangular glasses at the boy in his doorway. He was a good boy, though a bit dense at times. Pushing a lock of his wispy, unkempt white hair out of his face he scowled in response. "Don't you know what time it is, boy? We're closed, tell him to come back tomorrow! And don't bother me again! I may be old, but I still have to work for a living." At that, the old man dropped his head, returning to his work. He lifted a hand and waived the boy off. "Shoo now."
"S-Sorry, sir", the boy stammered. "H-He told me to tell you, 'Y-You'd look better if you'd just keep the damn mask on. ' Sir."
The old man looked up immediately, dropping his quill on the parchment, causing some of the ink to splash over his words. "Did he now..." he replied. "Well this is unexpected indeed. Come," meekly pushing himself out of his chair, he raised a hand towards the doorway that the young boy was still standing in, "We musn't keep him waiting."
The boy nodded and turned around, walking through the door only slightly ahead of his master. The two left the small office, walking into the store that lay beyond. Only a single lantern on the counter was illuminated, casting it's faint light on the many bookshelves lining the walls. The shadows from the scrolls which inhabited them stretched back into the darkness of the shop. Standing in the doorway was an uncharacteristically muscular Dark Elf, wearing a long, black cloak, its hood down and still dripping from the rain outside.
After only a moment's pause, the old wizard threw his hands in the air and walked towards the elf. "Relic!!" He exclaimed loudly, startling his store hand into a slight jump.
Chuckling, Relic extended his arms and embraced the old man. "Tim, it's good to see you." The two patted each other's shoulder as they pulled apart. "Still old, I see."
Tim threw a hand up in the air, "Pah! Still as pleasant as ever." He turned around towards the kid still standing near the office door. "Boy, fetch us some water." Tim motioned Relic with a hand over his shoulder,
"Come, let's get out of this drafty doorway."
Relic obliged and followed the man into his office. Tim walked around the table and sat down in his seat, motioning to the chair opposite him indicating his guest to take it. "Sit, sit."
As he took the chair, Tim's store hand walked in the room with two glasses and a pitcher of water. He set them on the table between the two men then scuttled back out of the room, knocking a glass over in his haste. "Grow a pair!" Tim yelled at his back as he picked the glass up, scowling all the while.
Relic chuckled his amusement, "You always had a way with them, didn't you?"
Tim rolled his eyes and filled the two glasses, "They come dumber each time. Hopeless twits." He handed one glass to Relic and lifted the other in cheers, to which Relic returned the gesture. Setting his glass down,
Tim looked up and smiled. "It is good to see you my dear friend. It has been a long time."
Nodding in agreement Relic responded, "Indeed it has. I regret that this isn't merely a visit without purpose."
Tim looked at the Drow scrupulously. "No, I don't suppose you've ever been much the time to stop by and chat about the weather, have you?" He shook his head at his own query and took another sip of water. "What business brings you here, then?"
"Certainly you know of the state of things in this disaster of a city," Tim scoffed in response. "Too well." Relic nodded. "I can't divulge all that I know, the wrong ears could hear the right information." Relic leaned in slightly. "However, what you need to know is that there's money to be made. And in no short supply."
Tim raised an eyebrow, "Go on..."
"I need supplies. A lot... Of supplies. Scrolls, wands, staves, enchantments. Of all sorts too, curative, destructive, creation." Relic lowered his voice, "Enough for an army, and I need it delivered to one."
Tim leaned back in his chair, glancing at the door to his office, still closed tightly. "And the payment?"
The old wizard looked up from a scroll he was scribbling on and looked over his rectangular glasses at the boy in his doorway. He was a good boy, though a bit dense at times. Pushing a lock of his wispy, unkempt white hair out of his face he scowled in response. "Don't you know what time it is, boy? We're closed, tell him to come back tomorrow! And don't bother me again! I may be old, but I still have to work for a living." At that, the old man dropped his head, returning to his work. He lifted a hand and waived the boy off. "Shoo now."
"S-Sorry, sir", the boy stammered. "H-He told me to tell you, 'Y-You'd look better if you'd just keep the damn mask on. ' Sir."
The old man looked up immediately, dropping his quill on the parchment, causing some of the ink to splash over his words. "Did he now..." he replied. "Well this is unexpected indeed. Come," meekly pushing himself out of his chair, he raised a hand towards the doorway that the young boy was still standing in, "We musn't keep him waiting."
The boy nodded and turned around, walking through the door only slightly ahead of his master. The two left the small office, walking into the store that lay beyond. Only a single lantern on the counter was illuminated, casting it's faint light on the many bookshelves lining the walls. The shadows from the scrolls which inhabited them stretched back into the darkness of the shop. Standing in the doorway was an uncharacteristically muscular Dark Elf, wearing a long, black cloak, its hood down and still dripping from the rain outside.
After only a moment's pause, the old wizard threw his hands in the air and walked towards the elf. "Relic!!" He exclaimed loudly, startling his store hand into a slight jump.
Chuckling, Relic extended his arms and embraced the old man. "Tim, it's good to see you." The two patted each other's shoulder as they pulled apart. "Still old, I see."
Tim threw a hand up in the air, "Pah! Still as pleasant as ever." He turned around towards the kid still standing near the office door. "Boy, fetch us some water." Tim motioned Relic with a hand over his shoulder,
"Come, let's get out of this drafty doorway."
Relic obliged and followed the man into his office. Tim walked around the table and sat down in his seat, motioning to the chair opposite him indicating his guest to take it. "Sit, sit."
As he took the chair, Tim's store hand walked in the room with two glasses and a pitcher of water. He set them on the table between the two men then scuttled back out of the room, knocking a glass over in his haste. "Grow a pair!" Tim yelled at his back as he picked the glass up, scowling all the while.
Relic chuckled his amusement, "You always had a way with them, didn't you?"
Tim rolled his eyes and filled the two glasses, "They come dumber each time. Hopeless twits." He handed one glass to Relic and lifted the other in cheers, to which Relic returned the gesture. Setting his glass down,
Tim looked up and smiled. "It is good to see you my dear friend. It has been a long time."
Nodding in agreement Relic responded, "Indeed it has. I regret that this isn't merely a visit without purpose."
Tim looked at the Drow scrupulously. "No, I don't suppose you've ever been much the time to stop by and chat about the weather, have you?" He shook his head at his own query and took another sip of water. "What business brings you here, then?"
"Certainly you know of the state of things in this disaster of a city," Tim scoffed in response. "Too well." Relic nodded. "I can't divulge all that I know, the wrong ears could hear the right information." Relic leaned in slightly. "However, what you need to know is that there's money to be made. And in no short supply."
Tim raised an eyebrow, "Go on..."
"I need supplies. A lot... Of supplies. Scrolls, wands, staves, enchantments. Of all sorts too, curative, destructive, creation." Relic lowered his voice, "Enough for an army, and I need it delivered to one."
Tim leaned back in his chair, glancing at the door to his office, still closed tightly. "And the payment?"
Cleanup Crew
Two thralls dressed head to toe in magenta swept their brooms along the cobbled streets. Most of the wreckage had been cleared away and the strange words that had taunted the citizens of of the city had not long been paved over. "Did you hear that something was found out of all this?" One of the thralls said to the other who shook his head. "Yeah some guy named Vorcet managed to pull something out of this clusterfuck. A few of the local legends went at it as well." The second thrall shrugged and continued his sweeping. "So was it anything decent?" The first thrall kicked aside a broken chunk of sidewalk and shook his head. "Time will tell, time will tell."
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