The Art of The Deal

"I do appreciate you coming here so shortly after waking up, my dear boy. I know it wasn't easy to get all the way up here when you're still injured. Now, I'm sure my servants have already seen to it that you got your reward for the request you've already done for me. I wasn't quite sure how a guild so dubiously called "The Rogue's Association" would handle such a request, but when I heard of you, I was certain you'd be the right man for the job. And right I was! Even with such perilous circumstances, you managed to deliver my daughter safely back to me, and for that, I humbly thank you," The Baron said, standing from his chair to give a light bow to me. It was strange, because the area we were in now was clearly of western design. Why would someone from a western country bow as a form of thanks? Talk about inconsistent design.

I continued to listen to Baron Morgery, as he rattled on about how grateful he is, and how wonderful I am, etc, etc. Eventually, he stopped the constant praising (which I did enjoy quite a bit), and got to the meat and potatoes of the conversation, so to say.

"Another, I have a favor to ask of you. I know you must be tired from your long journey but, I would like you to escort myself and a convoy of mine to the capital city of Versailyn, where we will be making a very important business trade. Although I'm sure I could find another mercenary group to escort me, you are the best and easiest option for me. You don't have to decide immediately, but if you are willing to accept the request, we'll leave in three days time," The Baron said, looking deep into my eyes, piercing my soul.

I pondered my options for a moment, and decided to stall for a bit. I needed more time to think about it. Perhaps most people would jump at the opportunity to do such a request, but I had a lot to consider, for there were other things that needed tending to. "I'll consider it, but give me a day or two to think over my options. I'll come back to you with my answer then," I said in a rather composed manner.

"Very well then, I will wait until then for your response. You may explore the manor as you wish and make yourself at home until then. I do hope you'll accept the request, it'll be hard to find a replacement," The Baron said, still somewhat composed, but obviously a little nervous about my response, and that was to be expected.

I gave Baron Morgery a cordial bow, and returned back to the room I had woken up in. I sat down in a chair in the corner of the room, next to it a small table with a flower pot. Damn, manors are boring. I immediately got up from the chair and decided to look around the manor. From what I could tell, it was a pretty large building. Five stories tall and spanning 2 acres in width, it was a truly monolithic building, especially for someone who was just a baron. I thought that perhaps there was more to the building than what I had first observed, but getting into possible political plots and conspiracies is not exactly on my to do list.

Throughout the Manor, I saw many servants working away at various different jobs, many of whom spent their days doing menial chores. It was a simple life, but I respected it. One could deem it far harder work than what I did.

After exploring the manor for a bit, I decided to head back to my bedroom, and log out for the day. I had done a lot, after all, and even if gaming was my hobby, I needed to take a break. I took off my Skyvisor and laid on my bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

"I need a hobby," I thought to myself. Sure, gaming was a hobby, but I wanted something else to take up my time. I spent a few hours looking through articles and forums on what kind of hobbies people did, and most of them didn't really catch my fancy. However, I came across a long thread on a hobby forum on whittling, and it looked like fun. I had some extra pieces of wood lying around, and a pocket knife that my Grandfather gave to me as a gift, so I had all the necessary pieces to start out.

With a knife in hand, and wood in the other, I began to whittle.

The next couple days of mine were spent idly whittling away at wood. I had made some small… creatures, I wasn't really quite sure what they were, but it was a start, at the least. I put away my whittling stuff and grabbed my Skyvisor off of its stand. This was always the worst part of logging in, since using the Skyvisor made me a little nauseous when it started up.

I woke up in bed, two days after I had laid down. I'm sure the Baron and his family thought nothing of it, but I'm sure most would be slightly concerned. I hastily got myself out of bed, dressed, and properly groomed, before heading to the Baron's office on the fifth floor of the manor.

It was a rather stormy day today. The large window that usually illuminated the Baron's office was now closed and curtains covering the view. Now, only candles illuminated this otherwise dark room.

"So you've come, Mr. ANOTHER. Have you made your decision?" The Baron said, in a somewhat sinister tone. His back was turned to me, staring at the curtain that separated him and the outside world. It was creepy… really creepy.

"Yes, I've made my decision. I have decided to accept your request and go with you," I said, my voice not wavering. I'd always been good at hiding my emotions, but The Baron had me just about wetting my pants about now. The guy wasn't terribly scary most of the time, but there was something about the atmosphere that made him much more intimidating.

"Wonderful. We leave later today. I have 3 other members joining us on this journey, I hope you do not mind," The Baron continued, ushering me out the door. I thought it strange, considering he didn't want to hire a mercenary group, but perhaps he thought I took too long and decided to be careful, who knows!

The two of us walked down the corridors and stairwells til we eventually got to the bottom floor. As we walked out to the carriage, I noticed 3 familiar faces…