The three cloaked figures were somewhat surprised at the fact that Caesar was already present. Their eyes dilated in shock as they moved a few steps back, scrutinizing him closely. The strange fox-like mask and thick robes brought upon a more mysterious aura.
It took a few moments for the cloaked figures to recollect themselves and calm their labored breathing. The one in the middle, the tallest of the three, took a step forward while clearing his throat.
"Ahem, the three of us are here on behalf of our organization. If you wouldn"t mind, could you please identify yourself." the man said straightforwardly. Even under the robes, the man"s compact muscles could be seen.
Caesar smiled, "Is there really a need to prove my ident.i.ty? Surely the three of you are quite aware of who I am, whether or not I introduce myself makes no difference." he said with a graceful half-bow, masking his voice.
The three figures glanced at each other before nodding their heads in hesitation. "Very well, however, we still require the letter that we sent to you as proof." the man in the middle relented, but still wanted some clarification.
Caesar wasn"t too fond of bullying complete strangers, so he took out the "Requiem" letter from his breast pocket and handed it to the man. It"s beautiful and sophisticated appearance could not be duplicated anywhere. Thus, the three heaved a sigh of relief.
"Sir, I apologize for my previous rude behavior. However, you must understand our predicament," the man paused as he reached forward, "it"s a pleasure to meet you, now, let"s talk business."
Caesar grasped the man"s hand and shook it elegantly before taking his hand back. "Well, I have already read the contents of the letter, so I understand the just of your offer."
The three men nodded in unison as Caesar continued, "I agree to most of your terms. However, I presume that we would need to establish some sort of long-distance communication procedures and deals."
"Very well, we"ll establish code-names," one of the three men said, "please refer to me as "wolf," and we"ll refer to you as "fox," Does that sound good?"
Caesar nodded and leaned in closer to the trio, "it has been great talking with the three of you, but at the same time, rather unproductive," he paused as he put his hands on their shoulders, "I"d like to speak with your superior."
Two of the three men could feel their shoulders creak from the force that Caesar exerted. Their expressions warped as they tried to retreat. His hands were metal clamps, and no matter how hard they tried, they could not escape.
Caesar smiled behind the mask. It was important to show his strength so that they would fear him. It was much harder to dupe someone you were scared of; in fact, they would most certainly treat him with even more respect.
Suddenly, Caesar loosened his grip and took a few steps back, easing the tense atmosphere. "My apologies, my strength sporadically gets the better of me… it"s too hard to control sometimes," he said through m.u.f.fled laughter, causing the group of three to look on in horror.
They glanced at each other worriedly and shared a tacit understanding. None of them could be considered push-overs in the martial world, but they were easily overpowered. It was a simple show of strength, and they were left thoroughly impressed.
After a few moments of consideration, the three decided to lead Caesar toward their boss. According to the information they were told, the man in front of them was going to become an essential a.s.set in the future anyway. Thus, they were not embarra.s.sed by playing the fool.
Caesar knew that meeting the boss tonight was not likely, so he decided to set another meeting. "I won"t make life too hard for you gentlemen, so, I would like to set up another meeting in the same area, one day after the royal wedding," he explained calmly, to which the group of three nodded like bobbleheads.
They weren"t very talkative, nor interesting. The two men on the sides still hadn"t even opened their mouths yet. They conversed for a few more minutes, exchanging some pleasantries and letters. Caesar was not interested in talking to hooligans; he was much more intrigued as to who the one at the top was.
A plan formulated in Caesar"s head that would surely help out Rahvin kingdom in the long run. Since the royal wedding was taking place, all sorts of different royals would be present. The best way to remove face was to embarra.s.s them in front of their peers.
A chuckle once again escaped from his lips as he bade the group of three farewell. If their boss accepted his conditions, they would write the letter "O" on a popular taverns sign. In contrast, if he declined, they would etch the letter "X."
It was an elementary system, and Caesar couldn"t complain. Once he made sure that the trio was a fair distance away, he returned to the cat. He wrapped his arms around its skinny body and heaved it over his shoulder.
Caesar removed the robes and mask from his body and placed them back in his storage ring before heading back to the Inn. His white hair was finally released after an entire day of being stashed inside of a hood.
It flowed behind his shoulders like a coursing river and cascaded into the most serene of lakes. It glistened within the moon-light and further accentuated his perfect facial features. A small, and sly smile played on his lips as he walked back.
The cat that sat his shoulders meowed quietly along the way until finally, they reached the tavern doors. They were slightly creaked open, and Caesar didn"t bother knocking. All of the candles were already blown out, and not a single drunkard was in sight.
"Hmm, what has that silly dwarf done now?"