37 Chapter 37 - Almanac and the grey goo (1/2)
”Explain this to me if you would,” Jack gestured to the man at his right, the crusader hefing a vat of grey goo onto Almanac's desk.
”It appears to be forged from locally sourced clay, designed to house material and would shatter easily upon impact with a hammer,” Almanac drawled, barely having flittered his eyes up despite Jack's sudden intrusion. Peering around, Jack felt uneasy in the wizard's lair. Golden mist puffed from the carpet, arcane machinery whirred on a table and the paintings would shift to different postures when Jack looked away.
Then again, Jack had spent years in the criminal magic division. Perhaps all those years hunting rogue mages had made him jumpy.
”Take a seat, Captain,” Almanac whispered as he pulled out a gleaming monocle to decipher the scrawl of a particularly chaotically written book. With a wag of his finger, air pushed a chair in from another room to be positioned at Jack's backside.
”You are ordered to tell me what this material is. Anything that would aid our quest to contain an incredible dangerous demon. These are orders from the One himself!”
”And my response is backed up by the Adventurer League. We are guaranteed protection by King Thunberad from both the church and the nobility as long as we abstain from internal affairs. So, Captain, that is what I choose to do in this matter. Abstain.”
Jack started to grind his teeth. How could such a wizard who lived in such luxury while his Guildhall crumbled possibly understand honour and duty? Jack had half a mind to bend him over and slap his rear end until the pretty boy saw sense. Instead, Jack swallowed his pride and pulled out a gold coin.
”A quest then. Identify everthing you can about the material contained within the clay vat and this coin is yours.” Jack flicked the coin into the air, Almanac's wind whizzing it around and into his waiting palm.
”Accepted,” Almanac said with a sudden bright smile as he lifted his piercing blue eyes that stared at Jack with an intencity that unnerved him. ”Won't take but a moment, please feel free to visit the bar and get a refreshment while you wait-”
”Unneccessary, my forces are waiting before we enter the forest in search. This is the last matter to attend to before then.”
At mention that the Warden Company was preparing to leave, Almanac's grin only widened.
”Of course, but you'll have to pay the other fee first.”
”Other fee?”
”Fees to be precise. I have the list here, the items your men desroyed in their raid and a cumaltive list of mental suffering that came at the cause of your warriors. Pay this price in full, and we can begin.”
Snatching the sheet filled with neat writing, Jack grumbled to himself as he scanned the cost of the venture. The price demanded was outrageous, and would be a heavy blow to their lavish funds provided by the church.
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Still...a part of Jack's heart filled with relief. As long as this Wizard didn't keep it all for himself to buy more fancy gizmo's, Jack would be sated. He too hoped that some of this coin would go towards helping the common people of Tariak, or at least in better arming the adventurers that defended them.
”I'll pay, but I'm announcing this to your Guild, understand? Try and withold payment to them, or on spending it in helping the townsfolk, and you'll be thrown out on your pampered arse.”
”Agreed,” Grinning, Almanac accepted a rather hefty bag of gold, before he opened the vat lid with great interest. Scowling, Jack realised he had been played for a fool and that the wizard must have been hiding his fascination all along.
Dabbing in two fingers, Almanac withdrew them now coated grey and lightly sniffed.