[Invitation | PM to enter] And What the Hell Was That?![M]

[Demetri Malius]

The sudden appearance of the sword that he saw in the memories of Ezzy caused a tinge of worry in the thief’s mind. IRIS has already managed to analyze the weapon in its entirety, however as she was doing so the woman suddenly clung to his arm. A warning suddenly appeared on his screen as he was taken aback, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Ezzy took on a more joyful and flirtatious tone as she took to agreeing with IRIS and questioning where exactly we would establish the guild at. IRIS was busy flashing large red letters at him as he spent a moment gathering his thoughts. Numerous factors and possibilities ran through his mind in a single moment as he examined the situation and best route of action.

“Although having a hideout set up in the dense forests would allow for great secrecy and cover, I believe it would prove a hindrance in business, as we would have to travel to the nearest tone in order to complete a run or scout for information. As long as we stay in a small town, we can be relatively safe in the sense of being able to keep hidden and yet keep business plentiful. I believe we should purchase a tavern.” the thief raised his free arm to give multiple motions as he spoke, subconsciously leaning against Ezzy and returning her flirtatious affection.

“Hmm… a tavern? And what purpose will it serve?” she continued to question in her tone.

“A disguise of sorts. We will be hidden in plain sight, and we shall serve the common-folk and guards as if we were so, yet beneath the hospitality and ruse will be an underlying network of thieves that will be resting under their noses, yet they will not even catch a whiff of our scheme. I shall make sure of that. “ The thief spoke proudly in his vision of the guild, his fist clenched as he could picture the times ahead.

“And what of newcomers? How will we build this army of thieves?” she cooed, probing him innocently.

“As they say, it takes a thief to know one, and the way shall find others is by simply catching them in the act, or discovering their skills. Those that refuse our offering will be warned, and should it so happen we catch them again, they will find themselves in the dungeon below the tavern, having lost the privilege to see the light of day. A waste of talent of course, but it is well known that this world is unforgiving, though I wish to keep this guild as civil as possible. We are thieves, not executioners.”

During their whole conversation the trio managed to make their way to town. As they walked in Demetri could not help but notice the dwindling of Ezzy’s presence, and suddenly not being to to fully detect her. IRIS immediately reacted, words showing up on her HUD to prevent Ezzy from noticing it.

It appears that her power has grown to prevent detection creator. The succubus is no longer as susceptible to our analysis and now you have further reason to distrust her and do something like a one night stand and goodbye.

The thief nodded until the last part raising an eyebrow.

Creator you really need to get with the times, these jokes are going over your head like airplanes.

He gave the same reaction with a roll of his eyes, returning his focus to the town before them. It was largely sized with enough economical differentiation to house a noble or two. They would have to find out more information, perhaps ask a local about--

"The name of this town is called Ozryn, with a few other towns north and further west, the city of Anchorbourne to the east, there are a few rivers nearby."

IRIS spoke aloud, causing both primes to halt.

“IRIS how did you know all of this?”

“Simple, OmniMaps! It’s this really cool app on the dataverse. On the OmniZillow it shows a tavern for sale nearby, two stories and has a cellar,  just what we would need to start off.”

Ezzy and Demetri gave each other a glance before speaking. 

“Thanks IRIS…” he said while she gave a positive beep in reply.

They made their way through the town, gathering a few glances from the townsfolk, though they seemed rather similarly dressed in comparison to those in other verses. It was quite average for a town, and being midday, folk were bustling about their business and bartered shopkeepers for low prices, as well as children running about and playing. At the edge of his senses, Demetri picked up some conversation.

“...came right out of the night sky, I was over in the main city and there are rumors of a men attempting to find it. Some astronomer came about asking for anyone interested in aiding his research about it, but not many have been able to find out a thing about it… at least outside of the king’s court...”

Demetri took a mental note of this rumor as he continued about, looking for the marketed tavern ,and it wasn't long until they found the tavern in question, looking a bit run-down but still in an overall decent condition as they walked inside, Demetri still having his arm around Ezzy as he greeted the bartender.

“Greetings, I see that this tavern is on the market for acquisition. “

The bartender nodded and gestured towards his right, where a short and scruffy dwarf came out with a scowl.

“Ye? And what coin ‘ave ye brought? Wee copper coins, eh? I hope ye didn't spend it all on yer lass there.” 

Demetri returned the comment with narrowed eyes as he raised his hand a chain shooting out in front of him to wrap around the chunky bastard’s neck as he pulled him into his grasp. 

“If you so wish, perhaps I may knock each and every one of your teeth out and in each one’s place supply you with a golden one? Sounds like a deal both of us can certainly agree to, you receive your worth and I am allowed to legally shove your wretched face into the very floor I am buying from you.”

The two stared into each other’s eyes, unblinking before the dwarf turned away and scoffed.

“10,000 gold pieces an’ tha place is yers.”

With a nod the thief took his arm off of Ezzy and produced a pouch with the amount requested, shoving it into the dwarfs sweaty chest. “Aye, yer be a prime, no wond’r you got all ‘em fancy tricks. I’ll be off lad, and keep tha bartender, i has got no use for ‘im now.” 

Demetri lets go of the dwarf as he lands and stumbles on the floor, jingling his fresh loot as he scurries off.

“Deed’s in tha vault ya blasted knave!”

Demetri rolled his eyes as before looking at the bartender and Ezzy.  The others at the bar were silent during the whole charade and 

“Aye, it seems that we now own this tavern. How about a free ale for everyone on their way out as we commit to a bout of renovation?”

A few groans were heard as some left their warm seats and wandered to the bar, the bartender readying a steady supply of mugs as they all walked out, one by one.

The thief took a few steps as he examined his new home. Most of the furniture was made of splintered wood,  bits and pieces missing and those with metal were rusted out. On the left upon entering g was the seating and tables, as well as a theater area for performance. Directly i front against the wall and rounding the corner towards the theater was the bar, with the barkeep cleaning fogged and scratched mugs. On the right was the staircase that led to the second floor, with six basic rooms meant for a pair of weary travelers. The cellar was located behind the bar, in a rear room that held some storage as well as the entrance to the cellar below.

“What shall we start with?” Demetri asked aloud.