The Dauntless

Dorrak waits for a moment, then calls out in a voice that carries just as well as the dwarf's, "Mr. Axebane?" to get his attention.

Axebane glances over, straightens up, and heads over. "Yessir, that'd be me. What can Ah do fer ya?"

"Dorrak Hakdarson. I'm an adventurer, and my party just took ownership of Citadel Altaerein. We would like to hire you to do a full repair job on the battlements, starting as soon as possible, if you are available," Dorrak replies, getting right to the point.

"Hah. Big job like that'll be pricey." Axebane rubs his beard. "Have ya got a crew fer such a big job? Ah've got mine but it's no' nearly large enough fer that kinda task unless ya want us ta still be workin' on it six months from now."

"I had plans to hire a crew next," Dorrak explains. "I wanted to speak with someone who knows what they're doing before committing to paying a group of workers, and I had heard you've done a lot of good work in town, so I came to you first."

Axebane lets out a laugh. "Well, ya came ta the right place, lad. Ah'm the finest stonemason fer fifty miles around, and Ah won't swindle ya like the bastards at Posandi. Ah'll head up ta do mah initial inspection tomorrow, and once Ah've got a good estimate Ah'll start havin' yer crew haul what stone we need up there."

"There was one thing. We have several projects going on the citadel right now, and we were planning to hire Posandi Bros to do work on a different section. That won't be a problem for you?" Dorrak asks pointedly, though he lets the boasting slide without comment.

Axebane's jovial grin turns to a frown. "... Ah can't say Ah'll be pleased with it. Ah could do ya much better if ya just gave the entire contract ta me, but if ya want it done timely, Ah ain't gonna stop ya. Just make it clear to 'em that they stay in their construction zone and Ah'll stay in mine."

"If we could just hire one contractor for the whole project, we would, but we're looking to get a lot of work done fast, and that means several teams. We'll make sure to keep the work separate, and I appreciate that you're reasonable about this," Dorrak replies, glad that it didn't create a major issue. "I will have a crew ready for you the day after tomorrow."

Axebane nods. "Alright then, Ah'll see ya then."

Meanwhile, that morning, Suki rises early and starts the walk with the arachnoid Renali out towards Guardian's Way. "So, I guess you met the others at some point, but we never had the chance to quite get properly introduced," She says, giving the Anadi a smile. "I'm Suki Redscale, recovering cultist of the Cinderclaw, pleased to meet you," She says, turning to walk sideways so she can extend a hand to shake.

Renali raises an eyebrow, looks down at the hand, and tentatively shakes it. "You were a Cinderclaw? I do not remember seeing you when I came through."

"I was an... unofficial part of the advanced scout team," Suki says, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "The gate seemed the best chance I was ever going to get to get out of there, so when it was first opened I kinda slipped out and booked it."

Suki nods. "And they weren't exactly that great to live with anyways," She says. "What about you though? What brings a fine arachnid like yourself to this part of Golarion? Other than the obvious broken portal anyways."

"Ah... stalking your former friends," Renali says kind of sheepishly. "I noticed the Cinderclaws gathered at the old Temple of Ketephys and thought 'these guys are up to no good,' so I followed them through the gate. I didn't expect to end up in Avistan, of course."

Suki nods. "Well let's go see if we can't get that portal back up and running. Maybe my 'friends' will still be there on the other side, maybe we can get the drop on them," She says, with a wide smile.

"I rather hope not, to be honest," Renali shakes her head. "I'm very much not a fighter. My hope is we make it to the other side without difficulty."

"More's the better," Renali nods. "Although it is strange to see a group of heroes such as your friends allied with wargs."

"As long as they aren't eating people I'm not going to judge." Renali shrugs.

"Hard agree there. Considering how I grew up, I can't really be too judgy anyways," Suki replies, nodding along.