Chapter 211: Feeling Spirited (1/2)
After discarding his disguise, Mike continued on with his other business. Preparing for battle had consumed most of his time for the last few days, and now that the Tenundians had been beaten back, there were a few errands he wanted to get done before the next assault. Thankfully, it seemed like most of the city's institutions were still functioning despite the siege, which gave him the opportunity to replenish his stocks.
In his limited free time, Mike had been working almost exclusively on his Artifice skill, hoping to bring it up to a high enough level to help his party members. While he'd made a fair amount of progress so far, there was still a long way to go before he was satisfied. He'd hit a bit of a stumbling block when it came to the base materials. The few items he'd been able to acquire from the market had been mostly low quality, and he'd started to reach the point where he would need more valuable resources to make progress in his skill.
Feeling that it might be a good time to take care of some other business in the process, he headed to the Adventurer's Guild and checked with the receptionist for messages. Unsurprisingly, he had one informing him of a place where he could meet with a representative of the shadowy organization that had sold him books. He'd nearly forgotten about the letter he'd sent them a few days ago. Hopefully, they wouldn't hold a grudge.
Following the attached directions, he found himself in a little used section of the piers under the Span. A few abandoned warehouses occupied the narrow stretch of land between the base of the titanic bridge and the waters of the bay. Judging from the general state of disrepair, the deserted appearance of the area was not just a product of the ongoing siege.
Mike wasn't sure if this effort would bear fruit, since the messenger was probably no longer waiting for him. However, he figured that it couldn't hurt to try. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry.
”You've keep me waiting.” A gruff, irritated voice issued from a nearby warehouse.
A thin, dirty man dressed in dark colored rags stepped into view. He wore a frown that could be seen underneath his tangled beard.
Mike used Appraise while phrasing his response.
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Roger
Age: 36
Race: Human
Class: Agent
Title: Silenced
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[...I feel like this guy should be some kind of international spy.]
”Sorry about that, I've been a bit tied up with the invasion and fighting to defend the city.” Mike replied drily.
”I'm aware. That's why we are having this conversation at all. Now, what is it you are looking for?”
Mike noted that the man named Roger didn't specify a type of goods. ”Primarily, I'm looking for materials used for item crafting through Artifice, specifically ones of high value and rarity. I'm assuming you have a branch that handles that kind of thing, right? Secondly, does your organization deal in information?”
The man frowned noticeably, but nodded. ”The first request won't be an issue, since we do indeed have a section that handles magic materials. The second will depend greatly on what kind of information you are looking for.” He sighed. ”Nevertheless, I will set up a meeting for you to speak with our brokers.”
He took out a scrap of parchment and quickly wrote down two sets of times and places. ”Here are your appointments. I recommend that you not be late to them this time, since the other parties are a lot less forgiving than me.”
Mike looked over the sheet, noting that both events were scheduled for the following day. Squinting, he took a moment to contemplate the meanings behind such a move. They were essentially stating that there was no need to fear additional confrontation with the Tenundians until after tomorrow. Something that was in line with the intelligence Emmanuel had passed to him earlier.
[Seems like they have some decent sources at the very least.]
”Thank you.” He said with genuine appreciation.
Roger shrugged in response. ”All part of the job. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take a well earned break. This place gets creepy at night, and I haven't slept well since I was posted here.”
”Sorry.”