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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BoldItalic" data-source="post: 6764926" data-attributes="member: 6777052">BoldItalic motioned for silence, then, while announcing in a loud voice "NO DOUBT HE IS LONG GONE AND FAR FROM HERE," made a complex twisting motion with his hand. Clotbert blanched and made a sign as if to ward off evil as BoldItalic's hand seemed to extend from his arm, reached across the room and flung open the small door that led to their private day-room. A diminutive figure was revealed, crouching as if caught in the act of listening through the keyhole, which indeed he had been. It was a halfling, clad in sombre clothes with a hooded jerkin and wearing soft boots over his hairy feet. He squealed involuntarily as BoldItalic's magic hand propelled him forward into the room and into the blue light that blazed suddenly forth as Rylnethaz drew his silvered sword, Gruesbane, from its scabbard."Speak, wretch!" demanded Rylnethaz, "Name yourself and account for your presence, or draw your last breath in silence!"The halfling gibbered. "I meant no harm, your lordships, please, I'm .. Bumble, yes, that's it, Bumble. I was just about to knock at your door. Room service. To lay the fires for the morning. I'll just be going now. Good Evening." and he moved as if to leave by the door to the stairs. But the door would not open, for all that he rattled the latch and pulled the bolt, for Rylnethaz had earlier taken the precaution of locking it and pocketing the key. The halfling looked around with a hunted look on his face, then sagged and, seeing the game was up, dropped his attempt at deception."I'm sorry, but I had to be sure," he said, "I am Fingers, son of Toes the son of Knuckles, of the Longfoots of Stealthside. I am at your service," and he bowed low with a flourish but all the while with a calculating look on one side of his face. "Nice sword," he continued, "I can get you at least 300 ducats for it come Friday, if you like. Blue on silver is very fashionable this year, for swords. Gold plated is better of course, at least double for a gold one. Ow!"This last exclamation was the result of BoldItalic cuffing his around the ears. "Well, Fingers son of Toes, it seems your impertinence knows no bounds," admonished the vizier. "You would seek to cheat the Coronal? A named sword is worth at least a thousand ducats in any market. But that is of no consequence. Gruesbane is not for sale. You can, however, return the two gold coins you took from the Coronal's pouch earlier.""But there weren't two, there was only one," protested Fingers. Then he realised what he had just said. "Oops," he added quietly."Quite."Fingers reached somewhere into the pockets of his jerkin and awkwardly handed Rylnethaz his gold coin. Then he handed a surprised BoldItalic the gold figurine of a horse, remarking that wizards really ought to take more care of their valuables, there being so many rogues in the world. Finally, he returned the belt from Clotbert's trousers to its rightful, if somewhat embarassed, owner. "Do I get the job?" he asked hopefully.Rylnethaz laughed. "I have need of a factotum," he decided. "You start immediately. But keep your thieving hands off our property in future or your headless corpse will feed the crows.""Thank you, your honour, I won't let you down.""He is telling the truth," declared Clotbert, removing his hat and doing something complicated with his own ears. "He will not deceive us again. He has been sent by Myrristra to aid us in our endeavours.""Thank you, Archpriest," said Rylnethaz graciously, "You have confirmed my intuition. Now, Fingers, since you have undoubtedly overheard all our planning, you will know that I need to raise an army of conquest. How would you propose we do it?"The halfling made a swift mental calculation. Then he made a slower calculation, using his eponymous digits. Finally, he shrugged. "The way I see it," he began, "is this ..."</blockquote>

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