After processing Beleg’s words, the lunch that Kre had eaten a bit ago threatened to make a reappearance. Luckily, with some deep breathing, he managed to keep it all down.
“That’s terrible,” he said finally through clenched teeth. “How can people be so… so…”
“Evil?” Dain said, not bothering to look up. “It’s far easier than you think.”
Beleg nodded, “The bookworm is right. Evil seems to be more the default nowadays, but thankfully there are still good people in the land working to make things right.”
“Like the Red Feather Adventuring Company?” Kre offered, hoping.
The big man shrugged, “Honestly? We’re not saints, but we do try to leave things a little better than we found them. We still need to make money and survive like everyone else, which sometimes means taking morally questionable jobs, but by and large, I think we do a good job of putting more stones on the good side of the scale than on the other.”
“Ridding the land of the foul presence of Rakshasa would be like dropping a boulder on the scale,” Dain added, still scribbling in his book. “If we have the opportunity, winning the tournament and keeping some of the black-market arms from being dispersed amongst the denizens of Yahaestra would be a lesser weight, but still on the good side of the scale.”
Beleg grinned and slapped his upper arms as he flexed. “I’ve been itching for a good workout. This couldn’t be better timed.”
Kre was about to ask about Barry, and how his presence might derail the grand plan of winning the tournament, but figured Beleg would just dismiss the concerns again. Instead, he focused on what he knew to be the next topic of discussion, “So where do Talimar and Kersath fit into this?”
“Being Ylveryan, those two aren’t unwelcome in Yahaestra,” Beleg said, “but they aren’t exactly seen as first-class patrons either. Still, Kersath will be in no condition to fight in a tournament, even if Ylveryan are able to participate. Talimar is no arena fighter either, so the likelihood is that we’ll rely on them to break Ortho and Gnore out of whatever cell they’re trapped in while we keep the distraction going and provide backup should they need it.”
“Did he say that?” Kre asked, wondering if Dain had already received a reply through their arcane messaging system.
Dain shrugged, “He will. It’s the only logical move for us right now. The only other thing that we might do is call up our other party members and have them help, but that’s going to be incredibly risky given the host of unknowns that we’re facing. The way I figure, if Talimar and Kersath can’t easily get Ortho and Gnore out during the tournament, we’ll have to get to them after they’ve been bought and are on the move to their new home.”
“Makes sense,” Beleg agreed. “Well, we can jabber here all night but, in the end, Talimar will be the one to make the call. Best we save the rest of that light, and we can get some things ready for the tournament. I’m not keen on using some salesman’s wares instead of my old trusty, but I guess if everyone is equally equipped, it’ll make up the fairness of the fights.”
“Hopefully he’ll write back before nightfall,” Dain said, snuffing the candle which had burned down to just a bit over half. Watching, Kre patted his pocket where the remains of the last candle was sitting, just to reassure himself that he still had it.
“Let’s go boy,” Beleg rumbled. “Time to get some food and then a workout. For both of us.”