章 27: Negotiation
Atrox nearly flinched, but he controlled himself enough to only still. He tilted his head, his heart racing fast. "The forbidden mark?"
"Yes. But that's not the only mark we saw. There were also symbols... the ancient symbols for Alchemist, forge, and darkness! It's written in Karthaniss, the ancient language that was said to be made up of words fallen from the gods' mouths..."
"But we don't have gods." Atrox raised his brows. Even the Holy Order, which had something like a church, focused on worshiping one's self.
Kren got more excited and leaned forward, hastily pushing his glasses up his nose. "Maybe not now! A lot of people, before the disappearance of the Arcane Wizards, believed in gods and even worshiped some Arcane Wizards directly. Even until now, some organizations..."
"Stop it, Kren! Just talk about the operation!" Arvas hissed.
Kren flinched back and laughed in embarrassment. "Sorry, I get carried away with history."
Atrox smiled politely but wished he had continued. His head was a whirlwind. 'So is the forbidden mark linked to before the... disappearance of the Arcane Wizards...? Wait, Arcane Wizards? Those that were rumored to create the Knights? And what is Karthaniss?'
He wanted to ask more questions but held himself back. *I will only bring suspicion on myself if I ask questions like that.*
"Anyway, those marks point to us very likely finding good enchanted tools, techniques, and resources inside," Kren said. "We also think we've found a way to get in."
Atrox nodded. "Then why aren't the Steelclaw Alliance Flagbearers already in there trying to get at the resources? They own the ruin, right?"
Kren smiled like a satisfied cat. "Not anymore. We bought it from them after they spent years trying to get in and deemed it worthless. We priced it as something that might interest scholars and gave reasonable payment in potions and pills. They thought they scored one over us, and until recently, it looked like they did, but now, we finally have a way to get in."
'Good! I also want to go in and see if I'll come across anything related to the forbidden mark!'
He replied slowly, "But it seems to me that you should be partnering with the Steelclaw Alliance to explore it together because of the dangers. What will a bunch of Squires and normal humans do in a ruin?"
Kren adjusted his glasses. "I understand you, but we don't want to share the resources. At all. Besides, we've estimated the dangers, and it's something we can handle."
Atrox nodded. "Then the Squires and the ordinary humans? Why bring us along if you're going to end up protecting us?" That was one thing he didn't understand about all this. Even though he wanted to visit the ruin now that he had learned it might be connected to his mark, it didn't mean he'd just go blindly.
Kren looked at him and sighed. "The Squires and normal humans are easy to employ for labor. We might need to dig things and..." He gave him a look. "Those humans are going to join us later. What? Do you think we'll just give them constructs for free? They'll end up working for our organization, so it's better they tag along now."
Atrox wasn't entirely convinced but was determined to go anyway, so he warned, "I'm not going to join you."
Kren shrugged. "Since you're not collecting a construct from us, then it matters not. But if you ever change your mind, you can come here. So, what do you want as payment?"
Atrox took a deep breath and thought about it. "What's the usual payment?"
"Enchanted tools of your rank or a technique of the same value. You can also collect potions or pills, all of the same value. Or you might want gold. Of course, these are all payments for employing you. We will also give you some resources from the ruin after we are back, according to your contribution."
"Then what do you want from me?" Atrox asked. He needed to know before committing to anything.
It was Arvas who spoke in his cold voice. "Your service is like that of a soldier in the ruin. You will obey commands and do as you are told. Of course, there'll be monsters to fight, but mostly you Squire ranks will supervise the workers. You'll assist when called upon. Also, don't forget to keep all this private."
Atrox thought about it and weighed his options. It was really a generous offer, so he'd be doing bodyguard work. Then he shook his head. "What I want is half the gold. Then I want your time, Captain Kren."
The man didn't hide his surprise. "My time?"
"Yes. You will teach me. I want to learn about the language you talked about—the ancient one on the door. And I want to know about Knighthood, everything you know. And history too." Atrox threw the last one in.
Kade and Arvas gave him surprised looks, but Kren looked rather pleased with himself. Before he could say anything, Atrox hurriedly added, "Food too. Your organization will feed me daily until we go for the operation."
Kren tapped his finger on the table before he spoke. "Well, I think it's worth the value of your service. Of course, I won't be able to teach you every day, only three times a week in the evenings. You can come here in the morning and evening for food. You can take the side door to the kitchen.
"And what I teach you will be general knowledge. If you want anything more, you can pay for it with something of equal value."
Arvas nodded. "Acceptable."
Atrox also nodded. "Very well. Then it's nice meeting you, Captains. Oh, I'd like to eat now."
Arvas gestured at Kade, who snapped to attention and led him out of the room and down the stairs, all the while shooting him looks.
"What?" Atrox finally asked.
"You're insane. I've never seen anyone negotiate like that before!"
Atrox just shrugged. To him, the negotiation went even better than he thought. But then again, it seemed everyone got what they wanted.
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