]”The Golden Goose, more like Obesity Goose if you ask me,”

“There is going to be an auction in Hargeon, a lot of customers come from Bosco, Midi and Minstrel” said Boris as he looked in his cup, when he said Minstrel, he looked into Amalia’s chestnut eyes. He knew Amalia was from Minstrel, her accent made that very clear.

”I see, and do you perhaps know the location of the auction within Hargeon?” asked the brunet. She placed her elbows on the table and rested her head on her hands.

“It’s always different building, they usually use a warehouse in the harbour. They are very exclusive… for obvious reasons. There is no way… of knowing where they are located unless you are invited,” said Boris his eyes twitched around, avoiding Amalia’s chestnut eyes.

”But you know they will have an auction? You know quite a lot for such an exclusive affair, I find it hard to believe that you don’t know the location,” said Amalia in a sharp tone and placed a dagger on the table. Her demeanour, besides her tone and the visible threat, stayed friendly. ”How can I get in, and when will the auction occurs?”

“I can’t…” stuttered the informant when Amalia interrupted him.

”I do not take no for an answer, you know it and got to pay me back for the last time you screwed me over,” Amalia jumped upright in the chair, narrowed her eyes and placed her on the blade’s hilt. ”I am not, whenever I will cut off your hand or cut out your tongue… I should probably tare that lying tongue of yours out.” She wrapped her fingers around the hilt and was about to stand up.

“Okay okay. I tell you, leave my dammed tongue alone… and my hand,” he looked with freighted eyes at Amalia’s hand that held the dagger.

”Go on, loosen that tongue or I will,” she was done with this slimy bastard.

Boris rubbed his forehead and sighed, “I go there on behave of a family from Minstrel, the von Sternberg. I acquire the artefacts that they want and make sure they are safely delivered to them in Minstrel.”

”Ow, well that makes things easy. I am going to take your place on this one,” said Amalia as she removed her hand from the blade but left it on the table.

“But you ain’t me, they will be suspicious.”

”Well, let them be suspicious. I am just going to watch and get some objects they desire for you. I could just tell them that the von Sternberg decided they wanted a new associate, next time you get back you can tell them that they were displeased with me and got you back. So, where is it and when?”

Boris shook his head and let out a sigh, “I don’t have a choice it seems. There is an old transport ship in the dock, Miss Anne is the name. They will convene there in a week, on Sunday around 8 pm. They look for swords, weapons, and armour. I have a budget of 10.000.000 Jewels. You don’t have to worry about transactions, that’s what the auction does for you. I’ll pick it up, I am a good smuggler.”

”Good boy,” Amalia stood up and took her blade back into its sheath, ”Be mindful though, if you screw me over. I will kill you.”

The driver of the luxurious car opened the door for Amalia. Stepped out of the car. She wore black shoes with long heels, an azure skirt full of frills and decorative motives. A light blue scarf with golden thread ornaments hung from her shoulder. Golden jewellery adorned her neck and waist. Her hair was loose and fluttered in the silty winds. She stood there for a moment on the docks, letting in the smells and the clotching sounds of waves breaking upon the pillars of the pier. It had been some ago since last she saw the sea. She then walked towards the entrance to the ship. The hull of the ship used to be painted red but now it was as much red from rust as it was from paint. Two men I black suits and sunglasses stood at the rampart. “ID,” the left one said.

”It is as if I am clubbing,” she opened her purse and took out a golden card, the one Boris had given her. It was not an ID but an invitation.

“Move along.”

They seemed to have little amusement. She passed them and entered the ship. Her heels made sharp sounds as the trotted over the metal deck, towards a door. She walked through the narrow hallway and entered the corridor before she came at the door. There were again two guards, but they let her pass without issue. The room was unlike the deteriorated appears of the ship from the outside. The room was like that of an expensive hotel or casino. Red velvet drapers and a crimson carpet adorned the walls and floors. There was a bar with countless beverages in stock. The furniture existed of elaborated stained woodwork with velvet seat in the same red colour as the draperies. They were arranged in pairs of fours around tables, but still facing towards a podium with a lectern. Some of the chairs were already filled. Guards were posted in corners and other locations, there had been at least eight of them in this very room. She walked to the bar with striding steps. ”Can you give me a daiquiri please,” she asked.

“one daiquiri coming up,” said the bartender as he turned around, looking for the ingredients to create the beverage. When he was done, he placed the drink on the counter, “this one is on the house.”

”Well, thank you,” Amalia smiled and winked. She picked up her glass and took a seat at a table. Sipping from her drink, waiting for the auction to begin. The room began to be filled slowly if all kinds of people. Men and women, human, dwarf, and elf. From shady looking characters to nobility and the famous. Once most of the chairs were filled, they came around to bring snacks and the auction bat. A speaker appeared at the lectern and opened the auction as the first object was rolled in. An armour from some ancient hero, its armour was to be magical. Shielding the wearer from Dragonfire. None betted, the price went down. It went lower and lower until Amalia raised her bat. She had to get something. A small bidding war ensued, and Amalia came on top. The evening continued with the coming and going to many strange and exotic artefacts. From magical hats, swords to cursed teapots and a spoon. But not artefact for which she had come here; the Golden Goose or the Brooding Goose as it was also known. The last artefact was rolled away. Amalia had bought two artefacts for the von Sternberg, the armour of the dragonslayer and a magical crossbow that had infinite ammunition.

She gritted her teeth, did she just waste time on this? She did not seem to be the only one, a big-bellied man stood up. “It is said you have the Golden Goose, why is it not for auction? That’s what I came here for,” there were hints of annoyance and anger in his voice, unhappy that he didn’t have the chance to acquire it.

“Sorry sir, but we do not have it. What the news says is wrong,” said the man at the lectern, he moved away from the lectern and walked to the bar. The questioner followed suit, he seemed not yet done.

Amalia watched it with curiosity, there was a short conversation and the man walked away a lot happier. Curious, perhaps they do go it, she thought. She strolled to the bar with her bat and asked the bartender. ”If you tell me where the toilets are, I will give you this” as she showed the auction bat.

The bartender could not help but grin, ”You can leave that here, the toilets are through that door, to the right. The doors ahead.”

”Well thank you,” said the brunet as she left the bat on the counter and strolled towards the door. She did not actually have to go to the toilet but wanted to use it to explore the ship. She entered the door and came into a hallway with three other doors. The one to the far end was the door meant by the bartender but there was one door with two security guards. Amalia decided that her best bet was to look behind it. She could not come back empty-handed to Silver Wolf anyways. She walked towards to toilet but once she was next to the security guard, she lashed out at the first. Punched his throat, then his nose and slammed against the check of the other. She summoned a mace and bashed their confused heads in with a tick that would knock them out for a very long time. Hopefully with a concussion that would make them forget she was ever here. She opened the door; the room was empty but there was another door. She dragged the bodies into the room and closed the door. The men were large, but Amalia was a strong woman and dragged them in with relative ease. She went into the next room. The door squawked. The hairs on Amalia’s arms raised, she gritted her teeth. Hopefully, no one was in there. But that was not the case. They all looked at her, ”Hello guys, I am lost.” she said in a girlish voice.

“Yeah right,” said the leader of four, pulling out a magical pistol, “will see what our boss thinks of that. Come here.”

Amalia froze, what would she do. Then her eyes by a glowing object, wrought in the shape of a goose. ”The Golden Goose, more like Obesity Goose if you ask me,” she had to smile about the little joke, or at least it sounded funny in her head.

The guards were not so fond of it, “Get on this chair.”

”You get in the chair,” said Amalia back in a stern voice. She summoned two revolvers, with silver metalwork and pristine ivory grips. She fired quickly before any of them could react. The sound was deafening in this confined space. But that was better as being gunned down whilst holding a sword. She walked to the object at a quick pace, her heels tapping on the metal floor. She looked at the object and tried to pick it up. It was too heavy. ”No problem,” she summoned a pocket space and dropped it on the Golden Goose, it disappeared from this reality. The gunfire had alerted the guards and Amalia decided to get off the ship. She rushed through the other door, came into a similar chamber as the chamber that leads up to the chamber of the golden goose. She decided to switch her right gun for her sword and quickly loaded two bullets in her remaining revolver before storming into the hallway. There she was met with one guard, whose heart she pierced with her rapier. He screamed without a sound and fell on it is back. Amalia stepped over him. Into a large hall like the one they held the auction in, the difference was that this hall was empty and rusted like the other hall should have been. She saw movement in the shadows, three guards. A shooting ensued. They traded fire but Amalia was the better of them. She quickly fired her revolver empty, dropped the gun which disappeared in a portal and summoned a grenade launcher which she launched at a door. It exploded open and she ran through the opening. Someone had stood behind the door and was now buried on the heavy metal. The victim grunted when she walked over it. Once she was back on the deck of the ship, she transformed her appearance into scuba gear and jumped straight into the sea without regard for the men that shot at her. She disappeared in the darkness of the water.