Malakaus snorted as someone jokingly commanded him to attack trees and jump off cliffs. Perhaps he could shoot down a nearby tree to demonstrate his power, but before he could draw his weapon three strangers arrived. Apparently these were the ones who would tell them their quest. Elijah Hopkins, a royal adviser, gave each money to as an early payment to buy supplies, as well as maps and even horses. Not to mention he was delightfully to the point about what they'd be doing, which was a refreshing change of pace for Malakaus. Some people just can't simplify things to "Find this here" or "Kill that person". Still, more information was always handy.
The money was really good though. 5000 gold was no small fortune. Sure it might not be a lot for a kingdom, but for a commoner 5000 gold could buy him a great amount of land, hire workers, feed his family well for many years to come, and maybe even have some money left over for luxuries. Granted, 5000 was hardly enough for say, a powerful magic sword. Still 5000 gold could help Malakaus make more ammunition, perhaps even some experimental ones, and buy himself some much needed armor. As for questions, Malakaus had a few, but most everyone else were already asking them. Though he couldn't help but to come up with his own responds to them.
The first was the demon lord Astiroth, who asked them what sort of trobule they'd face. "I doubt they'd know unless they already know of a cure to find. After all, that's what we've been hired to do: find a cure. What sort of danger we'd meet would depend on were we seek the cure." That and it was impossibly to truly tell what sort of danger's one could find. Sure it's simply enough if they were going to say, fight bandits, but for something like this they could face anything from demons to dragons to an entire kingdom, if need be.
Next was the rotting wolf, who asked some fairly obvious questions. Still, one couldn't be too careful. "Obviously this is a large reward because we're seeking to cure the king. No expense shall be spared to save his life. If the kingdom's best healers and wizards couldn't cure him, then whatever afflicts him is far more deadlier than any disease anyone has faced before. Illistrianna may even be correct that this is no mere illness, but a curse. As for what threats we face, I'm sure if this was an easy job, they wouldn't need to hire outsiders like us to do it for them. What we face is a threat more dangerous than dragons or magical, for we face the unknown. An enemy we cannot anticipate for until we meet face-to-face. Though it helps to be prepared, and the money would certainly help."
And of course, there was one last order of business that Malakaus wanted to attend before they lost track. He spoke clearly and looked directly at Illistrianna when he said this. "As for leaders, I vote for Illistrianna. With these many personalities clashing, we need someone who can remain impartial as our final arbiter. She would not betray us and throw our lives away for the sake of an objective, and I trust that she can make difficult decisions without hesitation." Though Malakaus had his own reasons to vote her as the leader. In the event that she can't make a decision, Malakaus hoped that perhaps she would consult him. Malakaus himself disliked the position of leadership for all the responsibilities it brought, but he would be more than happy to utilize it's power, even by proxy. "That's not to say we shouldn't rely on the knowledge of those with proper expertise. Let's not have our passion and whims lead us to ruin, yes?"
