A planned meeting

With some spare time until he would meet with the local ruler, Jay went into his own room together with Marley.

It wasn't like he had planned to have some private time with her, that was something he neither had gain from not time for, he simply wanted to know more about her background.

She was his property after all.

After entering the small room he had her tell him of her past and how she ended up as courier with her skills, what she willingly did. She apparently had been training to become a proper adventurer up to a certain point.

It was when her parents got disowned from the kingdom that her path diverted.

Marley told about her parents sending her away to train with their last money only to die starving in the time she was away.

She only learned of their ruin after she returned and found them dead in the slums after she got to their home that was locked down with a sign of closure.

The hatred she bore for the Kingdom did the rest and taking some more wrong turns she ended up with a debt and had to play courier. At first she was only working in Arathor and transferring messages and all kinds of items from the back alley and so on, but a few weeks ago she had been send to Westfield, or more precisely Millshire.

"I don't really have a plan for what to do with you… But I suppose you'd prefer getting a chance to work for me at AI7 rather than going jail and rot there to death." J.

"Not really a question, right? Though I have to admit I'd prefer servicing you directly even more…" M.

"Maybe sometime in the future, but I'll be out on my adventures for quite some time until then. And sorry to say this, but someone like you would only slow me down…" J.

"Hard to hear, but true non the less…" M.

"I will ask Kearnen for a way to have you enter AI7 as my direct contact or trainee. But no promises. If she denies or something better pops up, plans might change, okay?" J.

"Gladly. Now, want some… service?" M.

"No time. I'll be on my way to meet the duchess…" J.

"Then I'll check on the slums. Be careful… Master." M.

With her last word she blushed fiercely and turned around, rushing out of the room.

It seemed she still wanted to try calling him that way.

Doing the same after taking off his armor and storing it in his inventory, Jay left the inn only minutes later.

The way was not that long as he had the location he was going to in sight the moment he turned around the corner to the big plaza. Crossing it diagonally he walked directly towards the big gate with the following stairs behind.

The building was made of the same stone he had seen on the shores cliffs and wooden structures were mixed within. Numerous smaller windows were build in on the facade and even a small square tower on both front corners.

With two floors until the big roof with countless oriel windows, paired with the already elevated ground it was built on, the mansion towered over the whole city.

Jay didn't even have the chance to knock on the heavy wooden door when he reached the top of the stairs as a butler opened it from inside. Wishing him a good evening and asking how he could help him, the old man led Jay inside after latter stated his name and that the had an appointment.

Entering through a short hallway he followed the butler into a big lobby with stairs leading to the open next floor on both sides.

A few other guests looking to be waiting for an audience themselves could be seen sitting on the expensive looking couches. Others wearing less exclusive clothes were talking while standing at the other side of the room, displaying the discrepancy even more.

He was asked to wait a moment so the butler could announce him.

Instead of getting either seated with the nobles or sent to the normal citizens, Jay was simply left standing close to the entrance. It seemed to him the old man had no idea where to put him and simply left it to him.

Sitting down on a free place, the nobles around him looked totally confused. With Jay having more money in his inventory than probably all people else in the room would ever earn together, he had decided to not hold back.

That proved to be the right decision as the butler looked like he was easing up on seeing him sitting there. That short moment had been not that short and the old man hurried over to fetch Jay from the lobby.

From there he was guided to the right into an adjoining salon. It was a big and lascivious room with heavy curtains over the windows and even a small fountain in the middle. But the most outstanding thing there was not the room itself but the guests in there:

Some of them had either dark skin, while a good portion had a more olive taint, something Jay had already wondered why he hadn't seen it before.

All together there had been over twenty guests in that room and Jay got guided to the next one.

There he saw less people, only a noble looking pair getting served drinks by two darker skinned young men while talking to blonde woman.

He couldn't see her as she was facing the other side and talking to the couple.

Jay had no time to watch them further as another person came over from another room. Without analyzing or waiting the butler to announce it, he knew it was the duchess herself. Her noble attire and how she held herself was all that was necessary to know it, none the less the old man next to Jay introduced him to his Mistress and then announced Lady Brittany of Millshire to Jay.

The blonde woman herself eyed Jay top down with a slightly carnivorous look while Jay did the same to her, just way more decent.

She was a slightly tall woman of middle age and had a fine proportioned face with sharp dark blue eyes. Her figure looked slender in the burgundy dress she wore that seemingly amplified her massive bosom as well.

Jay thought just one word was befitting her if she ceased her haughty expression, and that was the definition of a MILF, even though he doubted she really had a child.

Giving her a bow and a soft handshake, he was guided into the next room that seemed to be her office.

At the side of his vision, Jay noticed Lady Brittany look over to where the blonde woman was still sitting together with the couple. After a questioning look on her face he only saw the duchess nod once before she got out of his sight and he heard the door close behind him.

"Have a seat please. I came to hear about your feats at Eldrin Forest and how you helped free it of those bandits. Is that true?" B.

"Yes my Lady, but what does that have to do with y…" J.

"Shhht! I wasn't done… As you probably had come to notice, we have a similar problem in Westfield as well, though I barely managed to keep them out of Millshire for now. I want you to work for me as well and help me get them out of my lands." B.

"Of course I'll be glad if I can help, but the army is already working hard on that, no? And couldn't you have requested help from the Adventurers Guild as well?" J.

"You really have no idea of politics, right? If word goes out Millshire is weak, others will flood in and the region is doomed. We have to keep this problem silent and take care of it soon.

I know very well that the army is openly defending Westfield and I support them as best as I can. Those cursed bandits rob my poor farmers of their hard worked lands and earnings, but we are facing an even bigger problem right now…" B.

"Oh, and what might that be?" J.

"I can only disclose more if you are willing to take the request. So, are you willing to? I promise it will pay out for you!" B.

"How could I ever decline such an offer?" J.

"Fine. Then let's get straight to the point.

A while ago the holy Church of light had sent someone to watch over Millshire and the close proximity. Of course they demand a corresponding pay for that but since a while their not so holy member they sent keeps rising the taxes.

I even had no other way but to rise the taxes for the farmers as well…" B.

"Then what do you want me to do, Ma'am? Get rid of that fellow?" J.

"Pretty much that! By now I bet she has connections to the bandits as well, or else there wouldn't be that many citizens go missing in this region. If you kill her we can finally take the next steps." B.

"Her? Do you by chance know who she it and do you have hints how I can find her?" J.

"All I know about her is that she is called Miss Stillwell. But we do know exactly where she resides:

she has taken over a small residence at the beach, close to the lighthouse in the west. It's not even a day's travel from here." B.

"If you know where she is, why hadn't you sent your guards? Wouldn't it have been best to suppress her directly, Lady Brittany?" J.

"Ha, as if it would be that easy.

Of course I tried that at first, but my men are measly guards and the moment they got to close to her they got slaughtered without any regard. I couldn't risk more of them to be killed by her. That's why I directly requested your aide when I heard such a skillful man was in my city…" B.

Accepting the request once again, Lady Brittany explained how to reach the location on a map. It really wasn't that far and Jay promised to travel there the next morning.

His reason of course was to report to Agent Kearnen and question her about that Miss Stillwell first without raising suspicion.

But before he would leave, Jay tried to get more information on the mines and the warehouses like he had planned beforehand with the women.

He still had to take a careful approach.

"Are your men all at the level of the city guards? I had the feeling I saw some stronger ones as I was strolling the city on my first visit." J.

"Unfortunately yes, though I have some very few stronger men, they are either in service of the royal army at this moment or guarding our mine as the last secure source of income. Could it may be have been there where you… strolled?" B.

"I have honestly no idea. My orientation isn't the best but as you are speaking of the mines, is it possible to visit them?

In my business, the only mines I'd ever have been in were those long abandoned and stuffed with monsters." J.

"There's no such thing as a tour or the likes. The vicinity of the mines is closed off to the public. But if you succeed in your task I will gladly ask to my security personnel if they can make an exemption for you." B.

"I'd love that my Lady." J.

A few words and a goodbye later, Jay was led out of the office. The adjoining room was empty by then and the butler guided him back to the front door.

Without taking any detours, Jay walked back to the Lamplighter Inn diagonally over the deserted plaza. Up to that point he seldom had seen any citizens there and thought it pretty abnormal.

Entering through the Inn's door, Jay already spotted Kearnen sitting at her usual place in the dining hall.

Marley was nowhere to be seen though. With most of the tables already occupied, Jay walked over and took the seat opposite to the agent.

Like he learned she just got there as well and both of them ordered dinner and some wine once the waiter came over. Without beating around the bush, both of them reported their findings one after the other.

To the name of Stillwell whom Jay was to kill, Kearnen got really surprised. She explained to Jay that it was a Name everyone in the military had heard at least once.

Daphne Stillwell had once been a Commander in the royal army and an aspirant to become a Paladin. Her feats and background were formidable and it had been quite some time ago that she suddenly retired from her service and got never seen in Arathor again.

The circumstances of her retirement were never made public, but most people thought it was simply of age.

If his target was from the same family or even the person she was thinking of, there was no way she would have ever done such a treason. Due to this and from the whole talk he had with the duchess they finally had the proof that she took part in what ever was going on there.

The Agent herself found nothing about the warehouses, nor could she find a way to enter. It was like Jay had stated, the vicinity was completely blocked off. When she promised to find something the next days while Jay would go to find and talk with Stillwell, he explained that he might have a way to enter the mines.

Totally irritated the black haired woman stared at him and inquired how he managed that.

As he narrated his talk with the duchess, a sly smirk appeared on her face and Jay had a hunch she was planning something again.

But he had no chance to ask what she had been planning.

"Hey, you didn't even wait for me with dinner?" M.

It was Marley that had come back to the Inn and was standing behind Jay.

Turning around he saw her fake pouting with crossed arms and couldn't help but chuckle himself.

After they welcomed her back and she took a seat, they ordered one more serving and went on with their talk.

To their surprise it was Marley that learned at least a little bit about the slaver. She had been scouting the slums and picked up some conversations there.

A small group of former millers told her the Slaver was a blonde woman that looked to be not even thirty years of age. Her dark skinned guards called her mistress and she wore very exclusive vestments and she was said to lodge at Lady Brittany's mansion since a while.

That was all Marley found out like she stated.

Kearnen and Jay looked at each other in disbelief.

Kearnen because the woman had found out more about her target over an afternoon than her since she came to Millshire, and Jay because of something else.

He suddenly had the intuition he had already seen the Slaver.

Telling the women of the dirty blonde haired woman in the hall next to Brittany's office, he remembered how it looked like latter got the okay to talk with him from the woman.

They finally had a lead to their target!

After discussing what to look for next and that they somehow had to enter the mines, the rest of their dinner went by pretty peaceful. That changed when the three of them went up to their rooms.

As Marley went after Jay to his room, Kearnen demanded her to stay with the Agent. The discussion became pretty loud as Marley seemed to really want to go with him while Kearnen wanted to keep an eye on her.

Jay simply left the arguing women and went to bed alone.

It wasn't like he had too much pent up stress, so he dozed off in no time.