113 Emissary Walco (2/2)
[+1 GOOD]
Of course, Gray's reasoning only applied to who he deemed to be worthy of freedom, to the good people who don't deserve such unruly fate. Although the same can't be said about the scum and villains of society that preyed to the weak and innocent. They can all rot to Hellas for all the elf cared. A big emphasis on this insight is his spell of \u003cMana Slave\u003e, allowing Gray to enslave the victim with the use of his volatile Arcane magic to force his enemies to his very will. Such is the reason why Gray only used the said spell to malicious individuals like bandits and other criminal figures.
”Ah, then as an emissary of Lord Choros, I believe that you are up for the task that I have in mind for you.” Stephen was pleased with Gray's response as he began telling the task at hand. ”My contracts have informed me that there's a slave den situated underground at a gambling establishment called the Joker's Enterprise here in this district. You probably know this, but Slavery is illegal in every part of Whitemoor, and the jack-ass of a proprietor decided to take matters into his own hands and succumb to his greed for coin. I want you to go to the said place and disrupt the operation by freeing the slaves and causing mayhem before the poor souls will be transported to the Black Market.”
”I see,” Gray said in response. ”If that's the case, shouldn't it be a lot easier to report this matter to the authorities? Not that I disagree, and I want nothing more than to save some people from such dark fate and let those slavers pay for their transgressions, but it is going to save a whole lot of trouble if you get my point. This kind of task is definitely not easy and poses a lot of unnecessary risks if we act too rashly.”
[+1 ORDER], [+3 GOOD]
”Yes, and I already tipped the Guard Captain herself of this.” Stephen's expression turned grim. ”Although I have something other in mind of the owner himself, something that's considered unethical and out of the law, if you catch my meaning.”
”Out of the law, huh.” Gray crossed his arm with a grave look. ”You mean killing the bastard instead of imprisoning him?”
[+2 CHAOS]
”Close,” Stephen smirked at Gray's answer. ”You are to bring the rascal to me alive first though. I still have some business with him before eventually ending his pathetic insignificant life. We are doing this world a favor with this act. The bastard proved to be quite elusive and paranoid, always being in the presence of his mercenary guards and mages, thus capturing him in the open without any shreds of evidence is quite a huge risk. The assistance provided by the Guard Captain and her subordinates is simply a means to an end. True and efficient justice is swift and bloody, in contrast to some of the laws that offered some form of mercy and rights to these vile scoundrels of society. And I know very well that honor and mercy are not enough to cleanse this rotten world from foul corruption. How else did the Paragons fulfill their respective destinies in the first place? Sparing their demonic adversaries and calling all goods and quits? How utterly comedic.”
Stephen continued with a sly grin. ”I was about to hire someone to do this dirty task, maybe someone from the Guild of Shadows, but Lord Choros insisted, saying that you should be the one with the honors to perform it instead. I've also heard your exploits on how you were able to catch the kidnapper with the use of your magic from the village courier who my sister sent, meaning you have quite the deadly set of useful skills in your arsenal that will be helpful in this quest of yours, Lord Arcanist.”
Gray solely uttered not a single word upon hearing Stephen's spot-on deduction about his class. Although he was definitely shocked, Gray tried not to expressed it too much and opted to remain a passive face.
”Your stoic look is indeed a wonder, but I can't be fooled. If you are wondering how I know, \u003cMana Slave\u003e is a spell that I'm quite aware of.” Stephen answered. ”The letter from the courier also described in detail about the kidnapper's condition before he was eventually captured by the village guards. Headache before assuming violet glowing eyes, and a state of unintelligent daze, I've witnessed some of your fellow Arcanists demonstrating that particular spell during my tour at Arkanos University in Everfall, for the people to know its clear symptoms and signs and how to deal with it.”
”Huh, I guess the cat is out of the bag.” Gray shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
Stephen only nodded with a smile and finally asked Gray what his decision is. ”So, Baron Allister, will you accept this one of a kind task offered by none other than the God of Chaos and Entropy. Should you be successful, a reward of massive proportion will be waiting for you at the end, in the form of unequal luck that even the devil himself would pale in comparison.”
Gray then rubbed his chin for a moment if he should be accepting this kind of quest or not. If he refused, the slaver would still be caught most likely and will be behind bars inside the dungeon, so it's still all good. On the other hand, Stephen does have a point when the punishment of someone who indulges in the toying of other good people's lives is simply enough in him being chained. The slaves would most likely demand retribution, and being imprisoned is definitely not enough to satiate the slaves' thirst for justice. Choros did mention that the ring will show its true power if he did God's bidding, so yeah, Godly artifacts are definitely a big YES in the elf's book.
In the end, Gray's drive for power and ambition pushed him to agree with Stephen, resulting in the latter nod favorably. That, and getting rid of the slaver permanently is also a motivating factor. Stephen then told Gray more information about the task that will aid in its success.
[+2 CHAOS], [+1 GOOD]