"I know exactly where the dragon is." Belboz explains. "I have been given the duty to protect the inner sanctums of the cave, and as such I know the layout quite well." Fred would rather be on his way, but he pretended to be interested."Why does the Dragon's sanctum need protection? And why is it protected by a necromancer of all people?" He asked. "Mages of all kinds are accepted into the Protectors of M-, of Sacred Ground such as the Dragon's Sanctum. The Dragon is more important than you may think, Sir... Fred, was it?" Belboz explained. "I don't expect uncouth types like you to understand, but sacred ground like this needs to be protected. I can't just let you run around here unsupervised." "Are you threatening me?" Fred growled, his quick temper flaring. Belboz was not intimated, and continued, "I don't have to be. There are alternatives, my good man. I can come with you, and lead you to the Dragon- but if I find your 'poker' story is a lie, there will be severe consequences. Or you could pay me, say, 900 gold medallions." Fred had taken exactly 800 gold medallions in preparation for the trip- a generous amount, provided for Lord Fred on his journey, but already he did not have enough. Bartering was a possibility, but Fred did not want to waste such a large amount of money so early on in his journey. "But of course, I'm not stopping you from finding your own way. In a cave system as large as this I highly doubt you'll be able to get anywhere useful without instructions anyway." Belboz teased. Fred thought for a moment. Accepting Belboz as a guide seemed like the best option, but there could be trouble when Belboz finds out Fred had lied to him. He eventually decided to:
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8/24/2008 3:37:09 AM
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