Epic Of The Demonic Sage

Lucius and Kiana entered the passageway that took them to the secret area built below the tavern. The passageway was dark and only a faint light could be seen at the end of it which served as a guide.

The two of them carefully walked to the end, watching for any dangers or problems in the passageway. Thankfully, while the passageway was dark, it didn't really have anything that could serve as an obstacle to them or make them trip.

The floor of the passageway was made out of stones that had been cut to fit the width of the path. Lucius could tell that something like this could not have been done easily and probably wasn't done any time recently.

~clack~clack~clack~

The sound of their footsteps echoed across the passageway until they finally reached the other end. Here a small lamp hung in which a flickering flame burned. With the light from the lamp, Lucius and Kiana could see the door beside it.

"Is this it?" Lucius questioned.

"Yes." Kiana nodded her head.

"Go ahead then." Lucius replied.

~knock~knock~knock~knock~knock~

Kiana then knocked on the door five times in a specific rhythm, with each knock being one second longer than the previous one.

~kacha~

A small slot on the door opened up, and a pair of eyes peeked from it. After staring at them for a second, the slot closed up and the sound of latches opening behind the door could be heard.

~kacha~ kacha~

~Creak~

The door finally opened, and Lucius and Kiana could see inside. In there, three masked men were sitting while one stood at the side of the door. The one at the side of the door was none other than the one who had opened it.

This was the only man who didn't wear a mask and had his face bare. Lucius didn't know who he was but it seemed like Kiana did.

"Thank you, Leif." Kiana spoke.

"Finish your business quickly. Only those that have an established reputation are allowed here for long." The man named Leif said before leaving through another door in the room.

Lucius noted this as it was the only other door here. He reckoned that it probably led to the tavern above them. Surprisingly though, Lucius couldn't hear any sounds of noise from the top, which made him wonder just how thick the floor above was.

'Rather than that… they must have used some kind of an insulation…' Lucius thought to himself. 

He then focused on the three men who were also masked. All of them were wearing similar masks and the only way to tell them apart was their bodies. One man was taller than the other two, while one of them was fatter than the others.

"So… what is it that we were called here for?" The fatter man among the three masked men questioned.

"Ah, it will explain it all to you shortly. But before that, I believe introductions are in order." Lucius spoke.

"I'll start first. I am Lucius." Lucius said, using his past life's name as a fake name now.

Kiana didn't seem surprised by this, as it had already been something Lucius discussed with her beforehand. She didn't speak anything though and kept her silence.

The fat man looked at the tall man and nodded.

"If you managed to invite us, I believe you should already know who we are." The tall man stated. "Then there is no use for this, is there?" he asked.

"Well, I do know. But I also believe a proper introduction is a good start to a lasting relationship, whether it be business or otherwise." Lucius stated.

The three men looked at Lucius for a few seconds before speaking, "fine, we'll play your game." The slimmer man said.

"I am Cohen." The fat man stated.

"I am Arius." The Slim man said.

"And I am Carlyle." The tall man added.

"Ah, no need to be humble. Why don't you use your titles? Cohen the Fang, Arius the Fierce Fist and Carlyle the Blood hammer." Lucius revealed.

Hearing their titles being called out openly, the three men felt a bit upset, but seeing as how freely Lucius acted, they didn't think he was someone to be easily dealt with. 

"Well, normally these titles would cause us problems, thus it's better we avoid them." Cohen spoke.

"Of course, of course. But we are in a private setting and I believe in offering respect where it is due. All three of you have significant accomplishments in criminal endeavors and I am quite interested in you." Lucius said with a noble flair.

"You are one strange man… Lucius. Normally people would fear us and won't dare to meet us like this… at least not without security." Carlyle stated.

"Yes, but the difference is that I do not fear." Lucius said freely.

"I see… and what is it that you invited us here for? That too with thousands of gold coins?" Arius questioned.

"Well you see… I am a nobleman myself, but I cannot reveal my identity, of course. There are many business endeavors and deals that require a certain set of skills that you three have. Whether it be assassination, intimidation or sabotage… you got it all." Lucius answered.

Hearing this, the three men were a bit surprised. To them, the price Lucius had paid to invite them was already several times more than what they took as fees for their services. This had now interested them and they looked on in anticipation.

"So from your words, I get that you want to hire us to take care of your business opponents?" Carlyle questioned directly.

"Indeed… but that is not all. While I believe you three are used to job commission, which are one time services, I am offering something else." Lucius answered.

"Oh? And what is it that you are offering?" Arius asked with interest.

"I am offering you to be part of something bigger than yourself, bigger than this entire kingdom, perhaps.. Something that will make you rich, very rich!" Lucius said with a smile.