Gray's first impression on the n.o.bleman, well, Stephen's hooded long jacket-like outfit to be more precise, is that the n.o.ble kind of looked like an a.s.sa.s.sin of some sort from one of the a.s.sa.s.sin's Creed game franchise. To be honest, the elf thought that Stephen looked cool and dope in the said attire.

Of course, Stephen's clothing acted both as a luxury and practicality where one may use during both combat and social interactions. Gray also thought along the lines that there must be some kind of hidden blade underneath that jacket of his, but that's just wishful thinking. a.s.sa.s.sin's Creed is also one of his all-time favorite games, after all.

Anyways, Gray decided to snap out of his surprised state and started conversing with Stephen. "So, you're the emissary of this Dark ent.i.ty, G.o.d, or whatever."

Stephen chuckled at Gray's wording regarding the matter and corrected it. "Our lords.h.i.+p is a G.o.d. To put it simply, he is not one of the Divines, more like clinging to the darker side."

"A Demonic G.o.d, then?" Isamu intervened with a frown on his face. Everyone knows of the common knowledge that two types of G.o.ds govern each of their own aspects of nature and delivered their will through the actions of the mortals who revere them. There's the Divines, the G.o.ds a.s.sociated with justice, benevolence, and virtue, and there are the Demonic G.o.ds who are correlated mostly with evil, malevolence, and deception. Although the truth, if a reasonable and logical individual would say, is more complicated than what most of the populace believe in their black and white perception of things.

"Not exactly," Stephen responded while still retaining his smirk. "Lord Choros harbors no love for both Divine and Demonic, so you could say that he's merely one of the Neutral G.o.ds. Although I won't blame you if you do think that Lord Choros is affiliated with the Demons, given his dark and chaotic nature. Even if it's true, our lords.h.i.+p expressed his disdain in being affiliated with his demonic brethren and prefers to mind his own business."

"Choros, huh." Gray rubbed his chin in pondering. "What can you tell me about him?"

"Lord Choros has many t.i.tles; The Chaotic Reveler, The Blade of Disorder, The Lawless Being, and many more," Stephen answered with pride in his every tone. "Our lords.h.i.+p delights in Chaos and Disorder as he grants rewards and fortunes to anyone who revels in it. Although one may argue that he's an Evil G.o.d just because of his demonic nature, even Chaos can be a tool for advancing yourself to the path of good. As a matter of fact, my sacred pact with Lord Choros is also one of the reasons why my beloved little sister was saved two nights ago by you."

"Really now?" Gray was a bit intrigued by Stephen's last statement. "How so?"

"Every day, I perform an act of chaos as a prayer to our Lord, wis.h.i.+ng that my family is constantly safe from any harm and Lord Choros indeed was true to his words when he spoke to you on the night of Stephania's attempted kidnapping," Stephen replied. "Every now and then, Lord Choros would give me his subtle whispers, tasking me to whatever his bidding, thus strengthening my covenant and bond with him." 

"So, you're a member of some sort of cult, huh." Gray made his own conclusions. "Does your family know about this?"

"No, and I prefer that it will be that way." Stephen a.s.sumed a serious demeanor, in very contrast to the cheerful persona that he displayed earlier. "My dealings are my own and it would be best if little people knew of my endeavors. Of course, if you plan on ratting me out to the authorities, then you'll see that your efforts are going to be a failure. After all, I'm a n.o.ble with many connections in this town, and you would want me as a friend more than an enemy." 

"Hmm, is that a threat?" Gray definitely does not like the current way of Stephen's talking to him. 

"Of course not." Stephen instantly went back to his merry persona, grinning with utmost delight. "Just simply stating the facts and consequences."

Gray nevertheless did not let his guard down despite Stephen's remarks that are coupled with his seemingly happy go lucky image. "If you say so. Anyways, what does your G.o.d want with me?"

"Heh, I'll let your disrespect slide, given that my G.o.d sees no purpose to amuse himself in such insignificant matters of respectful words." Stephen nodded in understanding. "Before we get down to business, tell me, Baron Gray Allister, what do you think of slavery as a whole?"

"Slavery?" Gray uttered the word with slight distaste. "If good and innocent people are involved, then I abhor such a notion. I find the idea of unpaid and an extremely one-sided service to be a sick concept in my opinion. Workers should always be granted proper payment and incentives for their services. Why do you ask?"

[+1 GOOD]

Of course, Gray's reasoning only applied to who he deemed to be worthy of freedom, to the good people who don't deserve such unruly fate. Although the same can't be said about the sc.u.m and villains of society that preyed to the weak and innocent. They can all rot to h.e.l.las for all the elf cared. A big emphasis on this insight is his spell of u003cMana Slaveu003e, allowing Gray to enslave the victim with the use of his volatile Arcane magic to force his enemies to his very will. Such is the reason why Gray only used the said spell to malicious individuals like bandits and other criminal figures.

"Ah, then as an emissary of Lord Choros, I believe that you are up for the task that I have in mind for you." Stephen was pleased with Gray's response as he began telling the task at hand. "My contracts have informed me that there's a slave den situated underground at a gambling establishment called the Joker's Enterprise here in this district. You probably know this, but Slavery is illegal in every part of Whitemoor, and the jack-a.s.s of a proprietor decided to take matters into his own hands and succ.u.mb to his greed for coin. I want you to go to the said place and disrupt the operation by freeing the slaves and causing mayhem before the poor souls will be transported to the Black Market."

"I see," Gray said in response. "If that's the case, shouldn't it be a lot easier to report this matter to the authorities? Not that I disagree, and I want nothing more than to save some people from such dark fate and let those slavers pay for their transgressions, but it is going to save a whole lot of trouble if you get my point. This kind of task is definitely not easy and poses a lot of unnecessary risks if we act too rashly."

[+1 ORDER], [+3 GOOD]

"Yes, and I already tipped the Guard Captain herself of this." Stephen's expression turned grim. "Although I have something other in mind of the owner himself, something that's considered unethical and out of the law, if you catch my meaning."

"Out of the law, huh." Gray crossed his arm with a grave look. "You mean killing the b.a.s.t.a.r.d instead of imprisoning him?"

[+2 CHAOS]

"Close," Stephen smirked at Gray's answer. "You are to bring the rascal to me alive first though. I still have some business with him before eventually ending his pathetic insignificant life. We are doing this world a favor with this act. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d proved to be quite elusive and paranoid, always being in the presence of his mercenary guards and mages, thus capturing him in the open without any shreds of evidence is quite a huge risk. The a.s.sistance provided by the Guard Captain and her subordinates is simply a means to an end. True and efficient justice is swift and b.l.o.o.d.y, in contrast to some of the laws that offered some form of mercy and rights to these vile scoundrels of society. And I know very well that honor and mercy are not enough to cleanse this rotten world from foul corruption. How else did the Paragons fulfill their respective destinies in the first place? Sparing their demonic adversaries and calling all goods and quits? How utterly comedic."

Stephen continued with a sly grin. "I was about to hire someone to do this dirty task, maybe someone from the Guild of Shadows, but Lord Choros insisted, saying that you should be the one with the honors to perform it instead. I've also heard your exploits on how you were able to catch the kidnapper with the use of your magic from the village courier who my sister sent, meaning you have quite the deadly set of useful skills in your a.r.s.enal that will be helpful in this quest of yours, Lord Arcanist."

Gray solely uttered not a single word upon hearing Stephen's spot-on deduction about his cla.s.s. Although he was definitely shocked, Gray tried not to expressed it too much and opted to remain a pa.s.sive face. 

"Your stoic look is indeed a wonder, but I can't be fooled. If you are wondering how I know, u003cMana Slaveu003e is a spell that I'm quite aware of." Stephen answered. "The letter from the courier also described in detail about the kidnapper's condition before he was eventually captured by the village guards. Headache before a.s.suming violet glowing eyes, and a state of unintelligent daze, I've witnessed some of your fellow Arcanists demonstrating that particular spell during my tour at Arkanos University in Everfall, for the people to know its clear symptoms and signs and how to deal with it."

"Huh, I guess the cat is out of the bag." Gray shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Stephen only nodded with a smile and finally asked Gray what his decision is. "So, Baron Allister, will you accept this one of a kind task offered by none other than the G.o.d of Chaos and Entropy. Should you be successful, a reward of ma.s.sive proportion will be waiting for you at the end, in the form of unequal luck that even the devil himself would pale in comparison." 

Gray then rubbed his chin for a moment if he should be accepting this kind of quest or not. If he refused, the slaver would still be caught most likely and will be behind bars inside the dungeon, so it's still all good. On the other hand, Stephen does have a point when the punishment of someone who indulges in the toying of other good people's lives is simply enough in him being chained. The slaves would most likely demand retribution, and being imprisoned is definitely not enough to satiate the slaves' thirst for justice. Choros did mention that the ring will show its true power if he did G.o.d's bidding, so yeah, G.o.dly artifacts are definitely a big YES in the elf's book.

In the end, Gray's drive for power and ambition pushed him to agree with Stephen, resulting in the latter nod favorably. That, and getting rid of the slaver permanently is also a motivating factor. Stephen then told Gray more information about the task that will aid in its success.

[+2 CHAOS], [+1 GOOD]