Gryff Boxset

by Sloss, Marcus

  “By the creator Cyrene why are you bringing me freshies?” The ogre grunted in agitation. “I will admit Cyrene and that Shala banker lady got you a sit down. I am currently freelancing my services to earn extra coins. Got a sick grandma and us ogres take extra potions.”

  “We can do a ‘by the day’ fee. That way you win regardless. I would take the cut though.” Cyrene said and this caused Desmond to shift to stare at her. “No overhead yet. That one is not going so seven of us split equally.”

  “I want twenty silver a day if the split ends up less,” Desmond said with a grumble and his tusks jutted from his lower jaw.

  “Ah, come off that Dessie…” The ogre shot her a glare. “Yeah, we served a few months as fellow guards. No one else calls him that. Desmond, you spent too long in a safe posting. You never even passed a hundred, show me your floor. Eighty-two… Exactly my point. You need coins, we need a tank, and most importantly you need flooring.”

  “I got a better counter. Twenty a day, you get me and Ossa. If our split is over twenty we take an equal split and count as one person,” Desmond said and I grew confused. He glanced at my expression and he knew that he needed to clarify his statement. “Ossa is an expert butcher and skinner. I keep a blue familiar wagon empty to load up, it is also a wagon built for us ogres to travel in and it helps to keep us a duo. She cleans I carry. Ossa is no good in a fight so don’t bother with that. She sure can be a great support trooper. I mean it. Stick her in with the rear lines and she will spawn a defensive golem and a shield if things go bad. Beyond that expect her to flee and don’t be upset about it. You are paying her to do grunt work, not fight. The ogre has a great family she wants to come home to.”

  “Sold. I assume Ossa will cast some AOE to get experience,” I said while hashing out a curiosity.

  “Misting rain. Only hurts fire-based creatures which there are zero of here on Thur,” Cyrene said with a sigh. “You are so not in charge of finances or recruiting. Or negotiating.”

  Barq let rip a mad laughter. “My first question to him was if he hated coins. Or something along those lines.”

  “You overpaid,” Desmond’s deep voice confirmed. He gave me a happy toothy grin in thanks at least. “Still I thank you and so does my grandma. That was not a made up pity story. Twas the truth.”

  “Give him a week of payment upfront,” I told Shala and she nodded.

  “You some rich noble?”

  “I will disclose more later. We have a lot of shopping to do today. Where shall we meet him to adventure tomorrow?” I asked Cyrene.

  I noticed the elvath watching the orcs spar, obviously finding our conversation boring. We would be training later I hoped. There was much to do to prepare and I did not even know where we are going yet.

  “I guess you can only use one night to give me a daughter. Outside the Adventuring Quarters work Desmond?” Cyrene asked while eyeing me hungrily. “Ossa too?”

  “Yup be at the gathering pit tomorrow and an hour after sunrise,” Desmond rose from his seat. Shala handed me a paper that I signed and Desmond gingerly accepted it with his big ogre hand. “Thank you, sir.”

  There were some light thuds as he left.

  “Daughter?” Zoey asked with a raised brow and her black brows furled over her red eyes. Those eyes got me every time and I wanted to lunge across the table and bend her over. I think she figured out what was running through my mind when she lightly said. “Yes please... Master.”

  Cyrene did not catch on and broke our connection. “Most certainly sister Zoey. A dryad life is defined by having a satisfactory occupation while having our allotted offspring. We wait hundreds of painstaking years…”

  The elvath scoffed as one and folded arms under their chests.

  “No catfights. Tuck them claws in. You will all get a good dicking down. I promise,” I said and four mischievous grins crept on the lady’s faces. Then Shala raised her hand with concerned trepidation. “Well, not you. These are my wives. Yes, you four are my master verse wives. No infighting or so help me I will rain holy hell and exile you into time out with warning. One mistake that is it and I better not even experience that. Say ‘yes’ master.”

  I was stern and harsh but the ladies nodded in submission to my dominance. There were four “Yes Master” comments and we moved on.

  “So I overpaid. Why did we need him anyway?” I asked with a smidge of curiosity. “Is an ogre the best tank?”

  “You do more damage than me probably,” Cyrene said and I tilted my head in confusion. “Trust me. Desmond will help speed up the flooring or leveling as you call it and Ossa will help us clean up the field quicker. If we do well, which I expect to, then you actually underpaid by a lot. Is he the best tank…? Hell no. He is an eighty two. Also, rhinorcs are better tanks. They have thicker hides and are more maneuverable. They also fit in most dungeons at only eleven to twelve feet tall at the most. You will know what I am talking about when you see one but they stand on two hooved legs, have two burly arms, and an orc face mixed with a rhino horn. They are fairly rare to find as most companies scoop them up quickly and they reproduce slowly while dying often in battle or adventuring. We can keep an eye out or add an advert.”

  “Should we consider more support staff? Ugh and I need new gear, we all do. I didn’t even think about gear,” I said in frustration while dancing my fingertips over the top of the table. Even I found the tapping noise annoying and stopped. “You mentioned a frost staff for Barq.”

  “Because he has defined his role and his orbs. Which you and your elvath have not. Well, you sort of have. You are going to distract me. Now that you have one way to haul and ride it may be better to not get a familiar for Mysti for instance. Then again ogre wagons are shit for comfort and well, they rarely clean the blood out. We should still look and let you learn while deciding there,” Cyrene said and Barq raised his hand. “No need to do that, just ask.”

  “If I load up my cabin filled with stones can it break?” The gnome asked and got an ‘are you stupid glare’. I felt bad for him because it seemed like a logical question.

  “No, wait, I guess that was not a bad question. Yes. It depends. You load up your cabin with such a weight you may not be able to summon it again. That amount is irrationally high and I have never heard of that happening but in theory, it can. Then your cabin is broken until you level high enough to have enough mana to summon it.”

  “So take my testing slow and observe how much mana is consumed. If the drain on my mana is a lot, stop adding stuff,” Barq said with a smile. You could see he was excited to get a bigger cabin. Leveling was addictive.

  “Undoubtedly,” Cyrene said and the dryad’s hair shriveled with impatience. “Follow me.”

  After leaving the table we stopped at a bulletin board where individuals could post work wanted ads. Cyrene did a quick inspection and left. I saw hiring posts for cooks, note-takers, custom alchemists, and more. We walked back out of the Adventuring Quarter while bypassing all the stalls and vendors. I found the whole section inside interesting and wanted to spend more time browsing and conversing but did understand there was a lot to accomplish.

  To me, it seemed that as the day progressed the traffic increased. We flowed with the mass of people until we turned off into a business district. I saw Zoey snatch a kid by the hand that had stolen one of her blades. A guard approached and she yanked her stolen dagger out of the hands of the young orc. When she dropped the kid - he bolted. The guard saw the situation defuse and walked away. I did not blame him for not chasing either.

  I gave a big exhale at the cooling tensions and eagerly anticipating the moment we were free off the crowded traffic.

  CHAPTER 8

  We walked until we arrive at an area where it was all general stores and merchants. There were no specific shops and each one was at least a hundred feet wide and a few hundred feet deep. Some even went to the second floor. I realized something I should have comprehended earlier. We were in the
upper echelon of the city. There were smaller, dirtier, and maybe cheaper stores down in the main city. I smiled at not getting stabbed for my purse and happily followed Cyrene down the clean busy road.

  The dryad turned right at a single-story extra wide store. Zaphines Zany Zemporium was over the double doors that were open wide. Dual guards stood inspecting people coming in and out.

  “Bags must be checked and cloaks as well,” the guard said. We handed all our bags to the cyclops and he tossed them into a bin. “Here ya go Cyrene. Ensure your friends behave.”

  She waved us forward while accepting a token for our bags.

  “Zaphine does not exist. Well, she did, but sold this to a friend of mine ages ago. We dryads stick together. Francine runs the place. Her daughters are all grown up. I love to sell her my stuff I get out in the fields instead of trying to sit behind a booth vendoring it, as do others. She pays top to adventurers, sells the lowest price she can, and relies on volume to survive,” Cyrene said and based on the number of shoppers I agreed. The store was insanely vast with hundreds of aisles of shelving with what looked like millions of products. There were signs to help guide you but it was overwhelming. Cyrene snapped to collect our attention. “Could we spend a few days hunting for super deals and save some coins? Sure. Not worth it in my opinion and again, I love Francine.”

  “I hear you talking about me from over here Cyrene,” a feminine voice said from deeper in the store. We had been passing weapons and armor I barely glanced at when she spoke. I let my eyes focus on a much uglier version of a dryad. The dad was a cyclops and I held back my reaction. After all, there were many ugly aliens. “You seem to be glowing Cyrene. What is the occasion and shouldn’t you be on duty at the bank?”

  “Got me a husband, and screw the bank! Back to slaying monsters and looting the corpses,” Cyrene said and I heard Zoey chuckling. Cyrene put a palm up high and Mysti smashed it. “These are my sister wives Zoey, Mysti, and the frowning one is Nicole. This is my hunka hubby Red. Oh, Francine, I am so sorry.”

  When we got closer I realized Francine was pregnant. Which meant one of her grown up daughters passed. Zoey did not cue into the situation and when she opened her mouth Nicole stopped her by placing a hand on her shoulder. The shelves faded behind us as we were at the counter and a sobbing Francine was embraced by Cyrene.

  “Babi lived a long and full life. I told her never to get into hooking work. She loved the attention and would try to send her sisters money. Anyway, enough of these sad tears. A new baby is on the way in a month or two and I will be done grieving,” Francine said while drying her tears and sticking a fake pitiful smile on her face. A few breaths later and she was collected and looking like a professional. “What can I help you with and my goodness this man is big. Almost two feet taller than the others and not skin and bones.”

  “Thanks,” I said with a genuine smile. “Familiars is what we came to view but we need to do a lot of shopping. Cyrene says we can trust you and I reckon we can.”

  “I keep lots in stock at great prices. If you find that you need something and I don't have it I can send a daughter to get it. Or a granddaughter. Zari, come mind the counter. Taking some friends shopping,” the dryad hollered and another younger dryad slid up to the counter while Francine wobbled to us. “Ugh… Legs are stiff from standing for so long. Cyrene if your husband is about to throw away his money then you married him for something else.”

  The comment was ignored as we walked by some potions and then rows upon rows of wooden, metal, and glass staffs. The rows were organized, neat, and everything clearly labeled. I noticed that there were signs everywhere that repeated two themes. Stealers with sad stories go to the brig. No haggling, bartering, or attempting to convince us the price is too high. I could understand both those notes if she was indeed operating on slim margins.

  There was a cutout room with a sign that read familiars that arched over the entrance. I walked into the section and saw rows upon rows of boxy containers upon organized shelves. A familiar box was only a few inches long and tall. There were easily ten thousand here. These were one-use items too, which gave me pause. The number of monsters that had to die to drop all these would have been staggering and I wondered how so many were on sale in one store. Then I realized there were dozens of stores just outside this one with many more throughout the city.

  “You alright there?” Francine asked.

  “Yeah, I zone out in thought. I was thinking of how many creatures died to fill this room.”

  “A hell of a lot, because familiars are rare drops. You think this is crazy, wait until you get to the orb sections. Anything in particular that you are you looking for?” Francine asked with a friendly smile.

  “Well, Mysti there is our archer. We want to pick us a few high-quality items if we can. We need something to move around with and that can store the spoils of war. I happen to have a really awesome aquatic spawn so hearing about boats for later would be nice.”

  “May I see your balance sheet and how much do you want to leave behind?” Francine asked and I turned to Cyrene.

  “I recommend you show her and keep ten percent in reserve,” Cyrene said and Barq had his eyes shoot up.

  “How big is the budget?” Barq asked while showing his inner merchant curiosity.

  “Not enough,” I said as I eyed a legendary battleship. Ten berium for the familiar was about ten times more than I had. I let my eyes settle on what I could afford. A sleek cruiser made of white wood and with no cannons on the sides. Not that it could fire cannons like the battleship. “Hey why does this battleship have cannons?”

  “Good catch Red. One word, deterrence. That battleship you were eyeing is a fantastic trading ship. You sail around with a full hold and no one will mess with you. So what if the cannons are only for show. There are some major benefits. You pay no berthing or docking fees when you arrive at port and return it to your core. And… If you have a landmass in the way you want to trade with, you wagon across land and assuming you have enough mana respawn your ship with your goods on the other side. Some cities like Remi, for example, built a big retention lake for this exact reason. Sailors arrive a week away on our coast and pack up their ship. They wagon here and then spawn the ship in the lake for an easy offload. Now if you are at sea and you do get hit by pirates try to swim away and then respawn your ship. Even if they capture you; they will never get your inventory as your familiar dies if they kill you.”

  “Francine, I never want to sail around the world and trade goods by boat. Ever… But you almost sold me on that ship. I guess if I go sea hunting I need a real boat,” I said and Francine agreed.

  “That or a blimp, but those are pricier than that battleship,” Francine replied.

  Nicole stepped up to my side. “Mysti found something. Francine what is the cheapest throw-away item that can store the most. The rest of us want something to help haul loot in for now while we accumulate more wealth.”

  “You would think a tent but everyone buys the tents for the dual purpose of a covered bed and nice storage. Get a nice chest. Cheaper and more actual storage space. They are easier to stomach destroying and I will be honest. I have slept in a chest on a rainy night. There is a wonderful selection over there,” Francine said while pointing to a different section on the wall. “One silver for the smallest, ten for a bigger one. The goblin dungeon down the road drops them on the regular. Remi is overflowing with chests of all rarities. There is an epic deluxe model that is twice the chest size but three times the space. We’re talking thirty silver for about a quarter of a wagon load of space.”

  “Everyone loves large chests!” Mysti giggled out and then clapped her hands while breaking into a roaring laughter. Her large tits bounced rapidly as she gleefully celebrated her joke.

  “Get those, times three,” Cyrene said as Nicole hauled me over to where the wagons were kept. “They are a common drop from the dungeon we possibly may visit. Thirty silver for a big chest is great
. Especially an epic that will level quickly. You will find most planets will have an overstock of certain items cheap. This means that area is farmed a lot while also meaning you can flip stuff later for me. See the way Barq’s eyes glazed over. He is crunching trade numbers. I bet these sell for far more on his home planet.”

  “Aye forest lady. Like five to ten times more.” Barq said while tilting his head in thought. He was fidgeting with his robes as he contemplated. “I always wanted to be a world to world merchant. I really thought that would be fun. Just need the elusive portal orb that costs a trillion platinum.”

  The way he said it made it clear he was exaggerating. Francine didn’t comment so I shifted my focus on the shelf in front of me. I saw the expensive stuff was eye level while the cheap stuff was down low. Made sense from a selling perspective. The row we were looking at was one to ninety nine orite or one to ninety nine million silver. And above that was one to one hundred berium which was an extra two zeros at the end causing me to balk at the price. Then again if you thought of companies like Justicars that price was probably nothing. My eyes went to the top row where there was only one wagon on the platinum line.

  “Why is this one so much?” I asked looking at it.

  “Limited edition divine spawn. It is a collector’s item. You will find many wealthy merchants, bankers, contract lawyers, nobles, and such love to show off wealth by displaying rare trinkets. What better art is there than a wagon that only dropped a thousand times in the universe,” Francine said from behind us. I bobbed my head in understanding. Francine walked past me and between Mysti and Nicole. “Want my opinion? Put that one down ladies.”

  I looked at the box Mysti was holding. The wagon was being hauled by four horses and had a lot of storage space with a wide flatbed. There was a nice driver’s bench and a perch up top. To me, the vehicle checked all the boxes of what we needed.

  “Big storage, comfy bench seat, fast ride, and a lookout spot,” Nicole scoffed and then saw the price. “And only eats up ten percent of our budget.”