"Freeing the city, huh? Wouldn't that be wonderful? Business has been awfully slow lately, perhaps things will soon change for us, isn't that right girls?" the woman asked, her tone somewhat mocking.
She clearly didn't believe in Edric's plan, though who could blame her? Right now he sounded half-assed at best, and with them being stronger than him, their faith was probably even lower.
"You're a businesswoman, so you must understand the importance of good connections," Edric said with a smile, before moving a little closer.
The woman lifted her hand in a pausing gesture, however, it wasn't aimed at him. In that instant, he felt a small gust of wind come from his left.
He looked to his side and found that Irene had two knives in her hands, and was already within arm's reach of him.
~I didn't even hear her draw them out,~ he thought to himself, before slowly moving to sit beside the woman on the desk.
She gave him a curious look, before scooting a little closer.
Edric could tell that the woman was somewhat interested in him, and even if it was just in the way that a person was interested in a cute dog, he was going to use that to his advantage.
"What sort of connections?" she whispered hotly.
Her breath smelled sweet.
"The kind that can make you a lot of money. The kind that can give you more power than you've ever dreamed of. The kind that only requires a small investment," he whispered back.
"You want me to be your benefactor?" she asked, no longer playing her little game with him.
She thought about it for a moment, before looking back at him.
"What exactly is your plan? What do you want from me?"
"I need help getting to the surface, and then after that, maybe even a little more," he replied.
"A difficult request. It'll cost you," she said with a smile, before running a finger down his neck, to his chest.
"An arm, a leg... maybe even a heart," she whispered in his ear.
"But if you're serious, there is a job that I need finished. If you can do that for me, I might consider," she continued.
It felt odd to be on the shorter end of the stick, however these terms were better than nothing. Besides, he had a feeling that this partnership would take him a long way towards his goals.
*
After discussing the specifics of his new job with the boss lady, he was led back to his room, where he found Afina waiting for him.
"What happened?" she asked the moment he walked through the door.
"There's been a change of plans, we won't be going to the ferryman anymore," Edric replied, before walking towards the closet to his right.
This room was nothing special. It had a double bed, that he doubted he could even fit on comfortably, plain brown flooring, and a single closet. It was probably one of the cheapest rooms in the entire establishment, however he wasn't complaining.
Luxury would come with time and money.
Once he opened the closet, he found the white cloak the boss lady had sent him. It was the official 'Siren's Bordello' uniform of their security force, the branch that he would be working within.
"Then how are we going to get to meet papa?" Afina asked, as Edric put the new cloak on.
The material was soft, well... softer than the rags he had been wearing. And they were large enough to comfortably fit his massive frame, which made him wonder whether they just had extra-extra-large cloaks lying around.
"There's a woman here who's agreed to help us. I just need to complete a small task for her, and she'll take us to the surface," he replied, looking at himself in the closet's mirror.
The cloak was nothing lavish, however it was a start. He was beginning to look a little proper again. Though he wished he could've asked the builder employee for the suit he was wearing.
"Task?" Afina asked.
"It won't take too long, and you'll be fed and taken care of while I'm away, so you don't need to worry," he replied.
Though he felt a little irresponsible leaving a child in the brothel, the boss lady had mentioned that they weren't getting many patrons these days due to the current crisis the city was facing.
"Where will you be off to?" Afina asked, worry fraught in her tone.
"To the 'Dark Depths', there's a plant I'm supposed to collect there," he replied, before tying two reaper scythes to his back.
The boss lady had given him a sword, however, it felt tiny in his hands, and he had gotten quite comfortable using the scythes anyway.
"St-stay safe Mister Edric... don't die," Afina replied after some silence. She seemed conflicted, and Edric could understand why.
She had recently seen more deaths than anyone her age should've, so it was no surprise she was worried about him going to such a dangerous-sounding place.
*
Before heading to the 'Dark Depths' Edric had to pick up a contraption from a 'tinkerer' on one of the lower floors.
Luckily he didn't have to worry about running into any members from Deadly Shoals again, since this floor and the five floors below it, were all within 'Siren's Bordello' territory.
Apparently, there wouldn't even be a lot of backlash for all the members Selene had killed. Deadly shoals wouldn't be willing to go to war with them, considering 'Siren's Bordello' were one of the most powerful syndicates within the undercity.
~Well, with members that powerful, I wouldn't be going to war with them either,~ he thought to himself, as he walked down the bridge towards a lower floor.
He noticed that all the denizens seemed to avert their gaze whenever they saw him. He wasn't sure if it was due to his massive frame, the reaping scythes on his back, or the fishtail symbol on his cloak, either way, they were clearly weary of him.
It was a different sort of power, though he loved it all the same.
*
After travelling for half an hour, he finally made it to his destination.