Chapter 14-393: Quests and Agreements (2/2)
“
” he wheedled sibilantly.
“”
“” he agreed without a hint of shame.
“<This would require you to work fairly closely with the Church of Harse, Master Gilcruks. Will you be able to stomach such a relationship?>”
“<We are somewhat infamous among the living for what we can stomach, Lady Traveler,>” he noted drily. Bowing and scraping obeisantly and then getting away with whatever they could would all be a part of the deal.
“”
“<An interesting idea, Lady Traveler. I shall pass it by several of my peers and see what they think of it.>”
“”
“<Oh, my.>” I could tell the thought absolutely delighted him. “<We shall definitely have to discuss this matter more in-depth, Lady Traveler!>”
“<Indeed! I shall agree to make the initial Ring for you, but Infusing it beyond that I shall leave to you. I believe you are capable of doing so?>” And he’d be out the goldweight, not us.
“<Most assuredly, Moon-daughter.>” It was a back-handed title, as it was usually applied to werewolves, who didn’t get along with ghouls at all. “
”
“”
There was a slight hiss. “<That is not a true dark secret, Lady Traveler. I will confirm that it is true, and that we have not dared contact those we know within that place, lest the Shroud reach out and take us.>”
“<We will have to completely wipe them out to bring down the Shroud, Master Gilcruks.>”
“” he replied pitilessly.
“<Then what I truly am asking for is any and all information about the kingdom, its inhabitants, treasures, defenses, and the like that you can provide us. I also assume there are things there, in both lore and items, that are not fit for the mortal world, but are not so horrid that they should not just be destroyed, and may be sent off to Leng... or they might find an appropriate caretaker here.>”
If he was alive he’d probably be choking on his tongue at the opportunity that had just fallen into his lap. Even if he had to share it later to extract more information from his colleagues now, it was the meatiest of meat pies to the lore-obsessed ghouls of Leng, who filled their endless years with all the knowledge that they could.
“” he finally managed to say, having shut off his microphone for a time, and still letting a quiver of dark excitement show through.
“<Harse is, above all, fair, Master Gilcruks, as foul an idea as that may seem at times. What you provide us will be Assessed, and you will be compensated for its proper value.>”
He could not help a slow and sinister laugh escaping him at this. “<Lady Traveler, you are enjoying tempting me, are you not?>”
“<Master Gilcruks, horrid as they may be, the fact is that those of the Silver will live up to the spirit AND the letter of their agreements, and that makes them both ungodly predictable and impossibly valuable to someone of your kind. As someone with a far more flexible mindset, if you can learn to accommodate them, the rewards you can gain will naturally be far, far greater than those dealing with less stiff-necked and morally upright sorts, who will naturally seek all ways and means to exploit you and seek their own advantages... or simply break such agreements on a whim, if the situation calls for it.>
“ven if you do not seek to undercut an agreement with them and go around it, the benefits you will gain from legitimacy and recognition from the living, and the unseen shield they will draw about you, are most likely rewards far, far beyond what you can gain otherwise, save for some instance of supreme treachery against the unsuspecting, foolish, and very powerful, traits you are unlikely to find together.>
“
“<So, in all that loathsome concept of fairness, who is it actually better to reach an agreement with: us, or one of your similarly-minded compatriots, assuming the matter is equally palatable?>”
“<It is all those unpalatable matters which are the problem, Lady Traveler,>” he pointed out, still snickering softly.
“<So you avoid them for a time. What is time, to you?>”
That did make him withhold a snippy reply. “<Indeed. This merely calls for some extra patience, for some very sweet rewards, indeed!>”
Protracted negotiations were a given, but my Law was at twelve Ranks, Diplomacy and Intimidate the same, and if I couldn’t lie to fool a child, my Insight was cranked so high that he couldn’t successfully lie to me, either. It was merely a test of patience, ironing the details out, getting advice from the appropriate parties who would sign off on it to approve, and negotiating world-wide contracts with Ghoul Sages without the approval of secular governments...