Before Elias had a chance to react, a large, stone arm reached from the doorway and grabbed his entire body, pulling him into the building.
“Aghh!” Elias shouted as the Stonemar held him upside down. The secret lair was somewhat underwhelming. There was only a table, several boxes stacked up in the corner and a fireplace with a kiln on it. There were no weapons, no doors leading anywhere else. This was less of a headquarters and more of a closet.
“Hey!” a tall, red robed man shouted as he stormed up to Elias. “What are you doing poking around here?”
Before he could reply, another man, shorter and more pale, with blonde, almost white hair, spoke up. “Relax, he could be a customer.”
“I would much prefer to speak without being crushed to death,” Elias grunted. The Stonemar was not squeezing him, but the strength of the creature was enough to make Elias feel like his legs were about to snap.
“Let him go,” the tall one said. “I don’t think he’ll put up any kind of a fight.”
“An excellent surmisement,” Elias said as he fell to the ground. “My name is Elias Copperson, and you would be Samuel, I assume.”
Samuel frowned. “How do you know me?”
“It’s not hard when a gentleman like yourself seems to be going around town, introducing yourself to anyone and everyone so you can peddle your wares,” Elias replied.
“I’m Cimir, and this is Groth,” the shorter human said, reaching out to shake Elias’ hand. The grasp wasn’t terribly firm and Cimir seemed to avoid eye contact with Elias.
“So, what do you want? Why are you sneaking around our headquarters?” Samuel asked. “You want to place an order?”
“On the contrary,” Elias said, “I want to know why you two would be so stupid to be caught so quickly.”
“Heh, don’t think we can’t defend ourselves,” Cimir growled. “Walking into this place is much more dangerous than you realize.”
“I’m not here to rob you, or to fight you,” Elias said. “Rather, I’m here to help you come to the painfully obvious conclusion that if I found you so quickly, imagine how fast the city guard will, once your little business catches their attention.”
“So, you’re with the guard then?” Samuel asked. “What’ll it take to make you keep your peace? Two hundred gold?”
“Bribes might work on the guards and the watchmen,” Elias replied, “but what about Commander Prax? What about the special unit that is here on orders of Kalimar?”
Cimir and Samuel exchanged glances. “We’re working on a solution.”
Elias chuckled at that. Truly these two were amateurs. He had been expecting to meet some kind of shadowy overlord, some clever men who were well prepared for the dangers that were to come. This was hardly a threat to the city of Glimmer, just some knuckleheads looking to make some quick coin.
“Fellas, I was hired by the city to investigate into your affairs,” Elias said. He could see the instant look of fear come across Cimir’s face. “And it barely took me three days to figure out where you were. With the Guild of Sworn Blades, the dead mercenary and reports of Samuel suddenly being far more generous at the tavern, tracking this place down was child’s play.”
“So, are you going to report us?” Samuel asked.
“Do I look like an idiot?” Elias asked as he pushed past Samuel and walked over to the table. There were a few crystals laying on the wooden surface. They seemed to glow, just a little, from the inside. “No, I’m here to ask how all of this works. How are you doing this?”
“Trade secret,” Samuel growled.
“It’s easy,” Cimir said as he walked next to Elias and placed his hand on one of the crystals. “I can create magic that ignores the big crystal up there. Then I fuse it with these little gems. All of the power of a spell can be unleashed in a second. A mere touch, a mere intention, and my powerful magic gives you strength. Maybe speed or celerity of thought.”
“Healing?” Elias asked. “Curing of illnesses?”
“Easily,” Cimir said with a chuckle. While he carried himself softly, refusing to stand up straight or make eye contact, Cimir spoke differently when talking about magic. His chest puffed out, his smile was wide, and Elias could see the love of the craft in his eyes.
“And weapons? Spells of destruction?”
“We don’t do that kind of stuff,” Samuel said. He walked around the table, put one foot on the chair and leaned forward. “Weapons aren’t good for anyone. We’re just selling stuff that helps regular folks out.”
Elias nodded. This was getting more interesting by the moment. “I can appreciate those ethics. Although, I fear you’ve been misapplying them.”
“We’re not selling to mercenaries anymore,” Samuel said. “Lesson learned.”
“Good, good,” Elias said. “And, I must know, how much have you pulled in for all of your efforts so far?”
“We haven’t had time to count all of it,” Cimir said, gesturing to the large stack of crates in the corner. There were about sixteen crates total.
“That’s quite a bit of money…silver? Copper?”
“All of it gold,” Samuel replied. “We’re doing quite well for ourselves. In a thirsty city, the men with water made a fortune.”
“And it would seem that Cimir here is the only person who has access to that water,” Elias said. He nodded to no one in particular and stood up straight. “Well, I’ve made my decision.”
“About what?” Cimir asked.
“About my role with you. It is clear that you have distribution potential and you have production abilities, but it would seem that you are lacking a critical role.”
“Oh yeah?” Samuel asked with a laugh. ” And what would that be?”
“Any level of brains behind this operation,” Elias said. “I’m going to be frank, I’ve listened to you two talk for a few minutes and the only thing that occurs to me is how brutally you will be crushed by either the inevitable competition or the Kalimar Hordes.”
Cimir scowled at that but said nothing. Elias continued. “If you want this to be a success, you’ll need to manage your affairs. Create networks of people you trust, create layers between you and your clients so that you can’t be traced. You need people in the Magistrate who can inform you of the Kalimar’s activities and most importantly, you need some method of getting organized. Gentlemen, this operation is extremely ramshackle. You won’t survive a month getting by like this.”
“How would you know? We’re doing just fine.” Samuel said. He crossed his arms. It was clear that even though he was agitated, he was listening.
“Believe it or not, but this isn’t’ the first time some enterprising band of criminals showed up in this town. There was a shadowy guild of thieves that ran in these parts long ago. Brilliant criminals who did everything carefully, methodically. Then they were all destroyed by the city guard in a raid. Why? Because a single man, a new recruit, drank a little too much and started yapping at the tavern,” Elias said. “You aren’t smarter than them. Not when a nobody like me can track you down without much effort.”
Cimir dropped his scowl. “So, you want a job?”
“I think I’m taking this as a job regardless of your opinions,” Elias said. “You don’t have much of a choice.”
“Is that so?” Samuel asked, nodding at the Stonemar. Groth had been standing so still and silently that Elias had almost forgotten he was here. The large stone man began to walk forward, toward Elias.
“You aren’t going to kill me,” Elias said. He turned his back to the Stonemar and continued to speak. “You made that perfectly clear when you said you had a no weapons policy. And if you aren’t murderers, it means your businessmen, and if you’re businessmen, that means you have to actually function like a business. And I will manage it. Handle the operational side.”
“Who the hell are you to be walking into our territory and telling us you’ll run the operation?” Samuel said, shaking his head. “You’re unbelievable.”
“I was once a member of the Magisterial Council. I was a bureaucrat. I have deep connections in the city, a list of men and women on the council who are susceptible to bribes and most importantly, a very good friend in the city watch.”
Samuel paused at that and exchanged a glance with Cimir. “How good of a friendship?”
Elias grinned. “Once we start funding his department, best friends.”
“Huh…” Samuel said. “So, you come in and…do what?”
“I handle the infrastructure of this business. I create the ledgers, track the payments, figure out where to store the gold, who owes us what, how much supplies we have.”
“Oh, all the lame stuff,” Samuel said. “Oh, man, I thought you wanted to be my boss.”
Elias had no words for Samuel. He merely looked at Cimir, who returned an equally empathetic look of exasperation.
“No, I want to be a partner. Believe it or not, but I am a Glimmerite through and through,” Elias said. “And I don’t want anyone else telling me what to do. To hell with the Magistrate and to hell with the magic ban. If we can make money, if we can give people what they need, I’m down for it.”
And most importantly, if Elias had control of healing supplies, he’d be able to set up a network to protect Glimmer from plagues. And…he’d be able to make sure that the right members of the council were insulated and the wrong ones? Well, they might be receiving some faulty products. He was no idiot. It was no coincidence that after Kalimar established control over a city, a few months later, a major plague would decimate the population. The only question was whether this was intentional or just a side effect of removing the life giving magic that every civilized nation required.
“If you want to help us organize this operation,” Cimir said, “I would like for you to be aboard. But we’re not just going to randomly hand you the reins.”
“Yeah, you’ll need to prove yourself,” Samuel said.
“Whatever would set your mind at ease,” Elias replied.
“In my culture, from eastern lands, we had a ritual. A truth ritual ensured that a deal could not simply be broken,” Cimir said as he cleared the table. Elias’ eyes grew a little wide as the young sorcerer produced a small dagger and stabbed it into the table. The dagger was of modest design, no gold or jewels on the handle. “This ritual will show your intent.”
Cimir sat on the opposite side of Elias and invited him to sit. He extended his hand and carefully placed it around the dagger blade, so that the edge was pressed against his thumb. Elias grimaced a little and sat across from the man.
“You simply shake my hand, grasping the dagger carefully as our hands meet. If the blade draws blood from either of us, it means we seek to harm the other or break our word. If there is no blood, despite how tightly we grip one another, then it means harmony will come.”
Despite it being a strange custom, Elias did not hesitate. He stretched his hand out and grabbed Cimir’s hand, shaking it vigorously. Cimir was mumbling words underneath his breath as the steel pushed against Elias’ skin. He could feel the sharpness of the blade, but it did not sting. After a moment, Cimir released his grasp and showed that his hand was free of injury. Elias did the same.
“Well, the dagger ritual doesn’t lie,” Cimir said. “Or else the Serpentines would have long fallen to betrayal and in-fighting.”
Elias had no clue what the hell Cimir was saying, but politely nodded. He was relieved that he passed their test. While his motives were certainly not set on serving anyone other than the city of Glimmer, he had no ill intent towards these two young men. They were clever enough to get a leg up on the rest of the world, and thanks to Cimir’s power, they would be able to make money in the process. He would help them as much as he could, while helping the city as well. He let out a breath of relief. Glimmer would be safe.
Chapter 15:
The guild hall was packed, almost completely full of men and women, all clamoring to be heard. A few hours ago, news had reached the Endless Legion that their fearless leader, Valkhorn was dead. Now, they were all gathered together in an abandoned warehouse, or the guildhall as Valkhorn had once called it.
“That’s it!” screamed one of the newer recruits, a street thug named Milin. He had a snaggle-tooth and a bashed in eye, an injury sustained in a needless fight long ago. Normally, a discerning guild would have refused him entry, but the Endless Legion held no such qualms. Getting into this new mercenary group was fairly easy for just about anyone. Valkhorn had accepted him with open arms, but now without their leader, no one had a clue of what to do. “We’re done for! Without Valkhorn, we might as well all just go home!”
“What are you, a moron?” Tadmin shouted. He waved his hand dismissively of Milin’s words and stood atop one of the tables to get everyone’s attention. “Valkhorn was a brute and a thug. The man barely spoke about anything other than getting into fights.”
“That’s easy for you to say, I heard you weren’t even a member of the Sworn Blades for more than a few weeks!” screamed a woman named Talma. She was an outsider to Glimmer, who had arrived just as magic had vanished. Having spent all of her gold to reach the city in the hopes of a better life, there was little she could do other than look for honest work. When that failed, she found Valkhorn’s group to be welcoming of anyone who would fight for pay.
“Calm yourselves,” Tadmin said, holding his hand up high. In his fist was a small gem, crackling with energy. “Valkhorn had two main strategies, purchase these gems and destroy other guilds. That was it. The reason we’re all here is because we wanted to make money, or am I wrong on that?”
A murmur of agreement came across the crowd. They began to settle down and listen to the one man in the room who seemed to have any modicum of confidence. Tadmin, by all rights, didn’t deserve to be listened to. He was young, brash and bold, having taken up arms for a mere six weeks before he decided to follow after Valkhorn’s leadership. Tadmin wasn’t terribly strong, he lacked the ability to fight as well as his compatriots, but he did know one big secret to leadership. As long as he pretended that he knew what he was doing, people would mistake his confidence for intelligence.
After all, Valkhorn was an idiot, plain and simple. But the ones who followed after him confused his bluster and overconfidence with leadership skills. Of course, those who followed were also either of low intelligence, undiscerning or like Tadmin, bored and looking for action. The equal split of loot and complete lack of rules and regulations were also a plus.
“Listen up,” Tadmin continued, once the crowd had calmed down. “Even without Valkhorn, we still had one of the greatest advantages in this city. We have access to magic. Now, our supplies may have dwindled, but let me assure you, I will personally remedy that. That is a matter for later. Right now, we need to talk about the new leadership structure.”
“Oh, let me guess,” cried an unfamiliar woman in the crowd. “You’re going to nominate yourself?”
A few of the men and women jeered at that. Tadmin shook his head.
“Absolutely not. As a Glimmerite from birth, there is one thing that I hold above all else, and that is my freedom.”
This got a cheer and roar of applause from most of the warriors. Those who were foreigners looked somewhat confused at the sentiment. Few nations outside of Glimmer held the principles of individuality and freedom as fiercely as the Glimmerite people. This was an easy sentiment for Tadmin to tap into.
“I propose that we select amongst ourselves, six or seven warriors who can bring something unique to the table. We shall form a council, and everyone here gets an equal vote.”
“Like the Magistrate?” Milin asked.
“Except this one will actually work as intended,” Tadmin replied. “We have a unique opportunity here, and we can’t squander it by squabbling over who’s next in charge. We don’t need one leader, we need many.”
There was silence among the warriors. The rabble simply nodded at Tadmin’s words, he could have been saying anything and they w
ould have agreed. The smarter ones, the ones that were recruited either through violence against their old guilds or through the promise of decent wages, seemed to be the most hesitant.
One woman, Erice of the Sunbiters, a survivor of the latest attack of the Endless Legion raised her hand.
“And what about those of us who have been conscripted? Valkhorn did not recruit as much as enslave us. I would very much so like to be free to return to the ruins of my guild hall and bury my dead.”
A few others, those with serious injuries on their arms and faces, let out a somber “yes” to her words. Tadmin looked at the woman. “Of course. But, and I am sorry to say this, your guild is long gone. The vultures have picked it over already, the dead taken by the priests. You have little else. You are free to go, anyone who doesn’t wish to stay, may leave. But…you have nothing outside of these walls.”
Theft, Murder, and Crystals Page 9