System Change

Derek left Bones, Ogre, and the others inside the Time Prison while he went out in search of Silvi. It didn’t take him long to find her, as she was just sitting off to the side of the camp, cooking. When he approached her, he waited for her to finish making her food.

After all, he didn’t like distracting crafters while they were in the middle of creating something, even if that something was food. All that he knew was that whatever it was that she was cooking, it was delicious. It was easy enough to know how delicious it was going to be based on the glances those in camp kept throwing her way.

Finally, after a few minutes, a portion of food that would have been enough for a single normal adult was prepared. That didn’t seem like much, and to be fair, it wasn’t, but it still looked like an extreme amount compared to the bunny’s size. And the reason it was so little was because she was being careful and rationing her newly gained ingredients, because she didn’t want to waste anything by using spoiled herbs or spices in the recipe.

“If you’re done here, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” Derek told Silvi as she was tidying up her cooking area.

‘What? I’m busy,’ she replied back via their link, seemingly annoyed that he was there, distracting her from the meal she was soon to be eating.

Since she seemed to be in a bit of a hurry to enjoy her food, Derek quickly explained everything that happened with Bones and Ogre while they were in the Time Prison. To Silvi’s credit, she seemed very interested when he began telling her about Ogre and his situation.

‘So, he’s going to be my personal taste tester?’ The murderbunny seemed oddly excited about having a taste tester. In fact, her excitement was enough to cause Derek to worry a little. But what could he do? It would be a good opportunity for Ogre, especially considering the predicament he found himself in. Still, he had a bad feeling about everything—Silvi had the same look in her eyes that Roman had gotten when Derek offered to test his potions.

“I mean, I guess you can look at it that way. Really, he just needs a lot of food to sustain himself and keep the hunger away. Whether or not it comes from taste testing food, I don’t think it matters,” Derek said. Honestly, he was having a little trouble focusing with Silvi tearing into the delicious smelling meat in front of him. It was everything he could do to not ask for his own portion.

Finally, Derek pulled himself away from Silvi and headed back to his Time Prison. He needed to see what decisions Bones and Ogre had made.

Surprisingly, when he entered the Time Prison, it was a bit different from how he had left it. Instead of the dark lobby that had only been illuminated by the small amount of light seeping through the entrance, it was actually well lit. It seemed that either Avery or Vanessa had felt it necessary to provide the place with proper lighting once again.

With the lobby illuminated, Derek was able to take everything in even better. It was hard not to laugh when his eyes fell on the massive form of Ogre. Derek had left some extra chairs with the group before going out to find Silvi, and the giant man had chosen to occupy one. Because of the man’s massive size, he looked like an adult sitting in a chair made for a child—a particularly small child, at that.

Derek couldn’t help but wonder about the strain that was currently being placed on the chair—he felt that if Ogre moved even slightly, the entire thing would splinter into thousands of pieces and the big man would crash to the ground. At least if that happened, he would probably be at the same eye level as everyone else sitting around the table.

When they saw Derek enter, Bones and Ogre both made to stand, but Derek hurriedly stopped them. The last thing he wanted was to see one of his precious chairs break because of formality. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just stay seated… especially you,” he directed the last part at Ogre, who gave Derek a confused… or is that just his normal look? He couldn’t help but think. “I would prefer it if all my chairs made it out of this raid alive.”

“Wait, raid?” Bones asked.

That’s right, Derek thought. He had yet to inform the two assassins that they were currently inside a dungeon—a raid dungeon, no less. Just more to put on the to do list.

Derek moved tot he head of the table and took his own seat—the seat he had prepared for him and him alone. Once situated, Derek went on to explain the current state of affairs to Bones and Ogre. He also mentioned that he had someone in mind that should be able to ease Ogre’s problems. Of course, he was talking about Silvi.

That seemed to be the only thing that drew the massive man’s attention. Any mention of food, and the giant was all ears. If they were talking about anything else… it was a long shot whether or not the man heard anything being said. He was kind of like Silvi in that regard. So, while waiting for the bunny to make her appearance, Derek decided to get down to business.

“So, Bones… have you decided yet? Will the two of you choose to make oaths of loyalty and join me?” he asked.

Bones hesitated for a moment before answering. “I believe that it is something that we can work out. Even though we are not in a position to negotiate terms, there are some that I would like to request—otherwise, neither Oggy nor myself would be willing to compromise. We are not afraid of death. After all, it comes for us all, eventually.”

“Of course.” Derek nodded. “Like I said, I don’t plan on this being a slave oath or contract. I would never do something like that. However, there are some things that I will not budge on, either.”

That elicited a smile from the skeletal man. “Very well,” he said. “Then, shall we discuss terms?”

Around the table, Avery’s ears perked up, and Vanessa leaned forward. It seemed like everyone wanted to know exactly what Derek had planned for the two former assassins. He didn’t make them wait long.

“As I said before, I want an oath of loyalty to me and those I designate as my people. That is non-negotiable,” he explained. “You will need to—to the best of your ability—protect those I designated and serve them to an extent. You will not knowingly work against or harm them purposefully. Of course, we will work out the specifics before the oath so you do not break it by accidentally. Though it seems that the system understands intentions quite well when it comes to oaths.”

“That is a basic oath of loyalty and expected. Neither I nor Oggy would have any qualms agreeing to such an oath.” Bones agreed.

“Good,” Derek said. “Now, for what I would like the two of you to do.”

From there, Derek went on to explain to Bones and Ogre about his shop back in Savannah. When Bones offered protest, citing that neither of the assassins would be allowed into the city, Derek calmed him by dropping the bombshell that he was a ‘good acquaintance’ of Natalie Savannah… the city lord.

After that, it didn’t take much convincing, and Bones seemed to even allow himself to get a somewhat excited at the prospects of working in such a city. Ogre’s only contribution to the conversation was his own excitement at the higher quality foods he would be able to easily find in a city like Savannah. It seemed that if the food was high enough in quality, the massive man actually needed less to abate his hunger, and he could even go longer periods of time without the hunger returning. Derek made a mental note of that.

Actually, with that being the case, he and Silvi should get along great. Though, with that look in her eyes when he mentioned a taste tester, he was still somewhat worried about the former assassin.

Next, it was time for Derek to explain the jobs he needed them to handle when they got back.

“I don’t need assassins,” he clarified before continuing. “When you begin working for me, that part of your lives is officially over. There will be no more contracted killings.”

“We do not have any problem with that,” Bones said. “Assassination was just a job—a way to make a living and grow in strength during the process. It was also very high risk.” He motioned to his surroundings—to the Time Prison. “We would actually much prefer it that way.”

“Great,” Derek said. “Bones, you seem well spoken and you are either more intelligent than the average person, or you are just really good at faking it.”

“I’ve picked up a few things during my years as an assassin,” the scrawny man replied.

“So, for that reason, I would like you to become a sort of… pseudo-butler. Actually, there is a man named Bronson who should currently be in the Capital of Cydaria if things are currently going well. I will try to set up a meet for the two of you and would like you to learn from him,” Derek explained. “If all goes well, after that, you will be working under a woman named Malorie. She is the manager of my shop and… everything else.”

“I can do that,” Bones agreed. “What about Oggy? I do not believe he would make for a great butler.”

“I think you’re right,” Derek chuckled as he shifted his eyes to the enormous giant of a man. “For someone with his… distinct qualities… I was thinking he could be the main guard for the shop. There wouldn’t be any extra training involved, and all he needs to do is stand there and look menacing.

“We currently only have one other guard, and he needs to spend a decent amount of time adventuring to raise his skills and levels. Having an extra guard on staff would allow for the two of them to rotate. Of course, I do not expect either of you to allow your growth to stagnate, so you will have plenty of time to grow yourselves.”

“That is fantastic.” Bones showed more emotion with a single smile than he had since being released from his cell—actually, he showed more emotion than Derek had ever seen from the man, even during their battle and capture. “That was going to be one of our main conditions.”

“I figured,” Derek smiled back.

“So, you need me to handle butlery duties and Ogre to guard your store. Is that it?” Bones asked.

“For the most part… yes,” Derek said. “I’m sure that there will be other times when you are needed, but for the majority of the time, that should be it. Of course, the both of you will also receive a proper wage…” Derek sighed. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t know the current state of my shop or my people right now because of this raid.” As he spoke, he let his thoughts drift to the others.

“Ogre gets food?” From the side, Ogre’s deep voice brought Derek back to the present.

“Yes, I am sure we can find some food for Ogre,” Derek chuckled, thinking about him being Silvi’s taste tester, before shifting his attention back to Bones. “For now, I only want the oath of loyalty that we discussed. We can handle everything else through contracts when we get back. I have a person who specializes in contracts back at the shop. His name is Rudy.”

Just as Derek quit speaking, the table shook slightly and a small purple-white furry creature appeared on the center of it. It seemed Silvi had finally finished her brunch and was ready to meet her new… employee.