In the morning, Vanguard found out that he was paying the price for using the charm; for one, he was dealing with bloat, and then there was the heartburn, and he found out that he was going to need to pay the Plumbers' Guild for a new toilet.
He managed to make it to the Station, where it seemed that everyone, including the people that they were dragging in, had heard about him beating the Scorcher Challenge, and were congratulating him, including the multiple murderer being dragged off to visit the Hangman. Still, Vanguard didn't feel very cheerful, especially when he heard the Commander yell out for him.
He managed to make it to the Commander's office, where he saw the Commander looking at a sheet of paper.
"I hear you bested the Fiery Dragon's Scorcher Challenge," said Rutabaga. "I'm guessing that it has something to do with the charm you were given yesterday."
Vanguard took the charm out, and placed it on the desk.
Rutabaga picked it up, and looked at it. "So, this thing let you beat that challenge, and thus you are 10,000 gold richer."
"Well, I'm going to need some of it to replace my toilet, and take care of some needed repairs around my home," said Vanguard.
"Yes, which is why I suggest that you donate most of your prize money to the Widows and Orphans Fund we have set up," said Rutabaga. "The Head Thief of the Thieves' Guild said that, since you won ten thousand in gold, you owe them a fee for Protection, and they want a thousand in gold. I told them that since you won the gold while on duty, said gold belongs to the Guard, and we've already paid our fee."
Vanguard sighed. "So, I don't even get to enjoy the money."
"You'll get to keep four thousand in gold, enough for your repairs, buy some nice clothes, and some fun," said Rutabaga. "Also, if Head Plumber tries to rip you off, do tell him that we know about his son's late night activities, and the Thieves' Guild would be interested in locating the fella who has been Illegally Breaking and Entering, for the purposes of messing with folks' plumbing, which is why the Plumber's Guild has been getting quite a lot of business. Granted, the Thieves' Guild could care less about the plumbing issues, but they don't like people breaking into places without a licence; the last fella they caught doing that ended up taking a job as a Royal Eunuch, which isn't really a job, as the Tyrant doesn't have a Harem of scantly clad women."
"Speaking of the Tyrant, someone told me that they believed that the Tyrant was a dragon," said Vanguard.
Rutabaga barked out a laugh. "The Tyrant, a dragon! Good one!" He then calmed down. "The Tyrant is far worse than that; he's a Human."
"Seriously?" Vanguard asked.
"That being said, the dragon clans will be coming here to bestow the title of Honorary Dragon upon him, which will give him high enough standing to talk to the Head Dragons, without the necessity of him talking to a lesser-ranked dragon first, just to work out some petty trade deal over coal, let alone something more important, like traveling through the Burning Lands to get spices," said Rutabaga.
"I see," said Vanguard. "And I take it that we'll be stepping up on security measures."
"Yes, the Thieves' Guild, the Assassins' Guild, the Magics' Guild, and the Guard will all be working together on this one," said Rutabaga. "We want no mistakes."
"I see," said Vanguard. He looked at the charm. "Do you want me to leave that here?"
"I recommend that you do, but I won't make you," said Rutabaga. "Of course, in light of this meeting, it is recommended to partner up with someone from one of the other groups. Your choices are Assassin Tetra Odon Tides, Thief Snatchem Grabum, and Mage Toooldforthis Taugh."
"And what do they do?" Vanguard asked.
"Tetra specializes in poison, especially when it's added to food, but she's good with knives as well," said Vanguard. "Thirty kills, and only one failure."
Vanguard looked at Rutabaga. "I'm going to guess that the one failure was you."
Rutabaga grinned. "Word of caution; make sure to search her hair when she lets it down - she carries a second hairpin, which has a needle laced with tetrodotoxin, which makes it really difficult to breath. Of course, dwarf cooking helps out with one there - dwarves make food out of anything, including poisonous fish."
"I see," said Vanguard. "And the others?"
"Snatchem specializes in stealth, and can rob you blind before you even know he's in the room," said Rutabaga. "He has stolen a hundred thousand gold worth of money, valuables, and items, plus Lord Thoroughbred's Prized Racing Stallion."
"That's one fast horse," said Vanguard. "I hear he's not allowed to race anymore."
"Yes, because he was such a sure thing to win, folks started placing bets on who would come in Second," said Rutabaga. "Now, as for Toooldforthis, he recently graduated from his classes, and is now a full-fledged wizard. Very smart, very skilled, thirty years old, but he looks like he's seventy due to a classmate's prank that went wrong, plus all the other issues that comes with being that old, but has stopped a few demons from wrecking the Guild whenever someone messes up a spell."
"This guy looks seventy, but is actually thirty?" Vanguard asked.
"The prankster had it worse," said Rutabaga. "His entire lifeforce, including everything he knew, was added to Toooldforthis's. Magic isn't kind to those who fail."
"I see," said Vanguard.
"Consider it a warning, if you use that charm," said Rutabaga. "Now, let me know your pick, so that I can tell their respective Masters."
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