[center]Date: 74th of Zieliah, Year 698[/center]

"Where did the letter say to go, again?" James asked, looking around the darkened city.

"One of the abandoned temples to Kammeth. It's a brothel nowadays." Kenten said, nonchalantly passing the beggars to his side. The city was unchanged in the darkness of night, only because of the depravity it faced during the day. The two were going deep into the heart of the city, where it progressively got worse and worse towards the center. 

Although not wearing the colors of their flags or carrying any banners, the two were still fairly extravagantly dressed -- James had his fine cloths and lordly gait, and Kenten had his odd bits of jewelry, and newly-returned Makitherin sword to his side. They were moving targets in the alleys of Stonereach City, and it was far from unnoticed. As they ducked into a wider alley, James paused.

"Do you hear something, Kenten?" He asked, suspiciously.

"Aye, I do. It's a city, after all." He chortled in reply. He didn't fear the criminals. The important ones were under his pay, and the rest usually answered to them. However, every now and then, one of Stonereach City's lesser-known vagabonds would try to climb the ladder of the underworld. Lenn was just such a man.

He moved in from the shadows, quicker than lightning could've struck. Within an instant, he was holding Kenten from behind, pressing a knife to his throat. His thick accent rumbled in the lord's ears. "You reach for tha' sword, 'yer a fookin' dead man, understan'?" He said in a low, hoarse voice.

"Aye." Kenten said, gritting his teeth.

Lenn took the knife from his throat, and turned Kenten to meet him face-to-face, in the hopes that he could quickly stab him through the heart to avoid the chance of his unsharpened blade only glancing off his throat, and take what coins the well-dressed lord would have. It would be Lenn's first, and last mistake. 

Kenten leapt forward, pressing his face into the man's throat. Just as soon as the attack started, it ended. With a soft crunch muffling Lenn's weak scream, the would-be mugger's body hit the floor. Kenten turned, wiping blood from his mouth, spitting on to the ground.

"Wasn't the first time I've bit out a man's throat, and it won't be the last." His solemn face quickly became a sinister chuckle, and his blood-drenched yellow teeth shone almost orange in the moonlight. For a man who spoke of his ability to hide his emotions, James's face was one of fear.

"C'mon mate, just around this corner." He said with a laugh, spitting more blood from his mouth.

True to his word, around the corner, stood a short, squat building, filled with short, squat whores. It had no quaint sign like "The Screaming Goose", just a single, strange sounding name that brought surreal scenes to mind with sheer imagination.

"Madam Zell's Emporium"

The two stepped into Madam Zell's Emporium, and were immediately hit with a wave of intense perfumes. Ignoring the women who laid about on carpets and pillows, they followed the letter's instructions, and quickly went downstairs.

There was barely any light, only a single torch along the wall. There was a circular table, and uncoincidentally, three empty chairs for the both of them, plus one. They sat down, unsure of what would happen next.

"Please sit," a hollowed growling voice called out as the monster of a man slumped out of the shadows, a ribbon tied scroll in his hand, "I have some new for you."

The beast didn't wait for his company to sit first and plopped himself down heavily into the far side chair, almost knocking it backwards onto the cheap stained rug.

The two complied, sitting down in silence, until it was broken by Lord Conrad.

"What is the news?" He said in a low voice.

"Lord Flint Whiteshorn lives," The ugly snarled face glared two hot coal-like eyes at the men. A silent smirk began to form on his toothy mouth, and a tiny ripple starting in the deep of his throat.

Kenten chewed his beard nervously. If what the half-gnoll said was true, his plans were in jeopardy.

"I kid, he is as alive as the dirt on my boot," A rippling laughter casually bounced out of the half-gnoll, "however, I suppose you may or may not have any questions?" Cassewah lifted a greasy brow at the recentlly paled men. 

"Good." Kenten said, with a sigh of relief. "I've no questions. What about you, Conrad?" He said, turning to his companion.

"How soon till shamgar and Roman lay dead?" Jame's said with a deep low voice.

"Soon enough," replied Cassewah, his voice sounded distant as if in a thought, " by the way, I expect you have a third of the payment? And perhaps a third of my lordship?" His coal eyes rested impatiently upon the pair as he folded his clawed fingers on the table, leaning in. 

"I'm not paying in thirds I will pay for the whole deal. As for the lordships those will only come if you support us in rebellion." James said looking into cassewah's eyes.

"Oh dear," Cassewah said harshly while scratching his chin. The beastly man became silent as he continued to scratch, leaning back in his chair carelessly. His eyes scanned the room quickly as if looking for something. Eventually his eyes floated down from the ceiling and rested on Kenten, pupils narrowing. 

The monster gave a sickly forced smile to the goat Lord as if reassuring a past conversation. With his smile unyeilding he stood up and casually walked over to a rickity cupboard that hung over a rotted countertop, throwing it open roughly, causing the wood to make a snapping sound. Cassewah retrieved a dusty bottle of red wine and two wooden cups, flashing a friendly toothy grin at the lords as he walked back over and collapsed back into his seat and slamming the cups in front of the Lords. The half-gnoll lifted the old wine and pulled the cork off effortlessly, lifting the vessel to show a faded label that hung off the neck of the old bottle. A sickly chuckle rumbled in Cassewahs throat as he made his offer, "Care for a drink?" 

"No thanks, I'm fine as for your money." James pulled out a smaller sack yet heavier then the last. "Here should be enough for Flint. Now Kenten perhaps we should get back before Ben and Luke begin to worry." Jame's said as he stood up.

Cassewah looked insulted, eyeing the bag and then Kenten, "Open the bag, if you may, and pour its contents on the table." 

The beast leaned back in his chair, shoving one hand deep into a pocket.

James did as the associate asked and poured out the bag of tricrowns.

Cassewag nodded approvingly, motioning for Janes to retake his seat. 
"You see gentlemen," Cassewag began as he started to sort out the coins, "we have a bit of a problem," the coins scratched against the rough surface as Cassewah spoke. 

"We usually get paid upfront completely, provide excellent service, then leave until calles upon again," he slid a singke tricrown away from the rest, "hile personally I see these bags as lovely gifts, Loru remains skeptical," Cassewah looked up from the table, " he questions the reliability of the transaction, and what if you don't win your little politic game? Where does that leave us?

Cassewah began to play with the coin, "There is little trust among us currently, as I witnessed at the refusal of a drink, that is no way for business associates to act."

He shook his head in dissapointment, " What should I tell Lori? How will Conrad pay the Scorpions during an embargo, and how will he pay us If he loses such a game of knights, rooks, pawns, and what have you."

Cassewahs voice began to rise, spinning the coin, " And if I find out I can trust Conrad, how can I know to trust Kenten, and how can Kenten trust Conrad, and Conrad to Kenten!"

He grabbed the coin quickly as it spun and buried it in his balling fist, his eyes sharply observed the two, "you see the dillema?"

Kenten nodded, with a raised brow. "But I do not see the solution to such a dillema."

"Aye, we have a relationship based on trust. If we don't have trust we're no better then those damned things from the black contient. Come Cassewah I'm sure we can trust eachother. I've been a man of my word in the past and I've given you a large amount of gold." Jame's said as he sat down again seeing as this may take awhile.

" I see," Cassewah thought briefly, "well, Kenten, do you trust Conrad, and Conrad, do you trust Kenten?"

"Aye." Kenten said. Conrad was one of the few Non-Gullish men he had boasted of killing his brother to, and all things considered, was a man who just witnessed him biting out the throat of a commoner. He trusted Conrad to the fullest extent.

"Well," Jame's said with a sigh "To be honest no. But I don't trust anyone aside from family. It's my personel rule. Altough Kenten has been one of the few people I can count on to help me. As I'm sure you will do the same." Jame's said with a sign looking at cassewah in the eyes.

Cassewah nodded sympathetically at James' story, " May I propose then, a trust building exercise, I need to make sure I can trust you two, and from the sounds of it, Conrad needs some convincing too." 
The beast began to divide up the tricrowns, winking at Kenten with a toothy grin.

Kenten nodded slowly. "You have my attention."

Jame's saw the wink Cassewah gave to kenten but pretended not to notice he nodded and said "So what are we doing?" James said with an exhale.

The door slowly opened and in stepped a dark hooded man, and behind him too more stepped in, exactly identical to the first, minus the firsts large belt of various knives. The group leaned against the wall by the door. Cassewah nodded at them, "Trust me my new friends," he said looking at James, and then Kenten. 

"Alright," Cassewah said softly, then after a pauss suddenly his voice turned into a growl, " A simple game of come the hell back here tomorrow with something I can give Lori to prove to him he will get what he was promised, be it land or anything to gesture in the right direction."

"You may leave, but the fear of an idle promise puts me in an awkward position, namely the fear that Conrad, and Cragmore will not be able to pay the lordship by the end of this," Cassewah waved a dismissive hand and the other three scorpions approached the table. 

"If you will excuse me gentlemen, I have one last appointment," Cassewah barked as politely as he could to the Lords.

The ashen skinned man carrying the assortment of knives smirked devilishly at Kenten and gave him a acknowledging nod as he approached Cassewah, his beady blue eyes meeting with the furious coals that burned in Cassewahs skull as they began a harsh whispering conversation while Cassewah made a hand gesture idly as if to shoo the Lords away. 

Jame's nodded and said "I'll look forward to our next visit. You'll get your value and perhaps I'll get another head." He then stood up and began to walk out with Kenten.

Kenten took a quick bow, and followed James to the door. "And a good evening to you too, Master Cassewah."