by ForestRage
The clerk on the other hand saw the simpleton standing before him, and immediately turned into a wolf.
"Humm....Yes yes, that’s true kid. But I don’t know kid. Griz might not want her so late. He may even take back your money. Tsk! Tsk! I'll tell you what...."
Looking at the expected reaction of the cascading waterfall on the stupid face, the clerk continued
"I'll help you, but you have to keep it a secret or if Griz finds out it would be the last time he would deal with you. He hates rumors."
'Oh god, look at this sucker being played.'
Of course, there were two humans thinking the same thought.
"Yes, yes please help us, I will do anything you say my lord!"
The clerk turned up his head, then gave a sigh, shook his head and continued. He was like a man going out of his way to do a favor.
"I will carry her now, and make sure that Griz always calls on her. Since I will ensure you have a steady income for the winter, how about you give me half your money. Bring her to me for a few days during the winter, I will feed her. "
"Thank you... thank you lord... please take what you need, I cannot count so if your lordship may."
The clerk hurriedly took three quarters of the money, and threw back the near empty pouch. Seeing the kid pocket it without hesitation, reinforced the boy’s character as a bumpkin.
With the transaction complete, the clerk hurried of with Lucy in tow towards the village. Griz would naturally have his sleeping quarters in the Trading Post lodge, within the village. The huge building served as a storeroom, and as resting places for merchants and their guards.
Seeing off the girl at the lodge, the man returned in high spirits. Tonight, was a very profitable night for him. This winter was shaping up to be wonderful. He had secured a good job, had enough food and likewise had the bonus of free entertainment.
This move from the town to this backward village, was eventually shaping up to be one of his best decisions. Ever!
When the clerk returned, Chu was waiting in the collection area.
"What are you doing here brat? Don't hang around here! You want me to get a guard to chase you away?"
The clerk shooed him away.
Chu looked at him with an awkward expression. To avoid trouble, he simply moved away from the clerk's sight. It should be noted that their conversation didn't take longer than fifteen minutes, with Lucy being delivered. His goal achieved, Chu loitered in the shadows.
Waiting…
His very future depended on the actions of a stranger.
Chapter 14
Negotiation
Lucy carried less of a burden than Chu. Sold like a goat, she followed the instructions, as strange men herded her towards an unknown destination.
The clerk from the Trading Post brought her to the entrance of the lodge, a forbidden place where only merchants and the rich entered. Leaving her in a flourish after speaking to the guard, the clerk departed. A puzzled guard led her inside towards a well-maintained building at the far end.
The lodge compound occupied an area second only to the Garrison. They had their own hired guards, who oversaw the protection of the compound, and escorting the caravans. Merchants paid a fee to use the quarters, when travelling to villages and towns.
These guards originated from the towns, and served their terms while rotating out in the villages. As such, publicly soliciting women of the night was frowned upon, since it would tarnish the business reputation. Vices like these were conducted in secret.
Hence it came as a shock, when this little bumpkin clerk flaunted such vulgar actions in public.
When the guard entered the building, and made his way to the room he respectfully knocked. On the outside, seated behind a desk an old man snored. The interruption caused the old man to open one eye, unnoticed while awaiting a good show.
"What is it?"
Came a sleepy, but low voice from the room.
"Pardon Master, but the night clerk brought a young girl here for you. He said the brother dropped her off as you requested."
The guard shot an embarrassed look, as his face turned red on that statement.
The long silence smothered him, as sweat trickled down his neck.
The guard wondered if he had to repeat the statement when he heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. The door creaked open.
A huge hairy hand shot out, lifting the guard by his collar.
"What the heck did you say?!"
Griz growled.
"The clerk... the clerk. He said it, to bring the girl."
The guard stuttered in shock at the sudden attack.
What the hell is this, he thought. I am just the messenger don't kill me.
I knew something was strange when that guy came around, see if I don't dish out a beating for this trouble.
Facing the angry red face of his boss, all the guard could do was resign himself for a beating. As the two men competed to see who would turn the deepest shade of red, a young voice broke the tension.
"Mr Griz, please excuse your guard, this was the only way to meet you in a hurry. My brother Chu needs to see you."
Griz stepped out of the room covered in a robe. He finally noticed the little girl standing on the side. Peering down, he recognized her. She was part of a crazy trio that appeared out of nowhere, to conduct trade in pelts.
Everything screamed wrong about them. They were malnourished, and weak so that even a fox might kill them, yet they brought in not hares, or foxes but wolf carcasses. They appeared illiterate, but could count every copper.
Worse yet, they came from the slums, and should be timid and shy in front of power. But they moved like calculating old crows and misers, who scratched out gold from hard stone.
Griz looked at the girl.
"What does he want at this time of night?"
Griz was no kind-hearted soul, he was not one for helping every soul in need. His family groomed him from birth as a merchant. This village merely served as a practice, and stepping stone to a higher position.
"He said to tell you this... when opportunity knocks, only fools shy away."
She looked at him a little confused.
"He said you would know. You have the eyes of a merchant."
Griz dropped the guard still swaying in the air, and looked at the girl.
"Please hurry, time is... my other friend... you need to hurry."
Lucy stuttered, while wiping away the trickling tears.
Griz shook his head and sighed. Looking across at the old man, who was half choking with laughter since the beginning, he commanded.
"Let’s go."
Chu was washing his face at the well, when he saw Griz rumbling across to the Trading Post. Before he could move he heard the shouts.
"Johnnn! Come out here."
The clerk who sat rejoicing in having earned some free cash, tumbled off his stool and rushed out stumbling as if on fire.
'Mr Griz, Sir?"
Bap, bap, bap.
"What the hell are you sending girls to my room for, in the middle of the night?"
Bap, bap, bap.
"You want to damage my reputation?"
Bap, bap, bap.
"Just because you have a little education in this village you want to belittle me?"
Bap, bap, bap.
Just then the beating stopped, as Griz spotted Chu walking towards him. This kid is different he thought, he showed no fear seeing me in a rage, and instead walked up in an unconcerned manner.
The clerk who received the pummeling, finally saw him through his beady eyes. Squinting through his swollen face that puffed bigger by the second, he recognized the person responsible for his predicament.
"That's him, that's the kid... seize him"
"What do you have for me."
Griz asked Chu.
"A bargain, that gets more expensive the longer you wait."
"Oh… let’s go inside the store."
Griz knew that Chu was a person wh
o preferred discretion. They both walked off with Lucy trailing behind. Of course, both of them were oblivious to the shouts coming from the clerk.
"Hey! I said that's the kid, hold the bastard."
The guards who had gathered with the commotion, simply looked as if they saw an idiot.
'You want me to grab the kid who the Master just invited into the store? Are you freaking crazy?'
'You lunatic. I have to pay you back for nearly getting beaten by the Master, just wait until you finish work'
Suddenly Chu stopped his steps, and turned towards the raving clerk.
"Hey! Those eighty-one coppers you took from me. I want it, when I return."
With that Chu left the red-faced man, and went into the store. With every second precious, Chu began
"Mr Griz, time is of the essence. I need a bear and deer to be extracted from the forest right now. We can discuss the fees afterwards, but we need to move now."
Griz knees nearly buckled, as he leaned on the counter. The only thing called bear in these parts, was something even an entire village would not tamper with.
"What... what did you say?"
"I see, ok then if you do not want to help, I guess my other option is the garrison. I only came because I promised to give you a bargain."
Chu turned to leave. Griz scrambled on the counter and grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned him and lifted him up, so they were staring at each other eye to eye.
"Bear and a Deer?"
"Yes, but I am only selling the bear, the deer pelt is yours, but all the meat is mine."
"How far?"
"About same distance from here to edge of forest and back. Only I know the location."
"How?"
"The longer you take, the quicker some stray wolf or hunter will find it. Time is of the essence.”
Griz dropped him to the ground, and held his hair screaming.
"Brat, this better be real, or I will skin you alive. "
A few minutes passed, and a squad of five guards left the post on horseback towards the forest. A horse-drawn cart accompanied them, as they set out in the darkness.
When they reached the lumber camp, Chu jumped off the wagon and pointed the way. The guards followed the boy’s direction, while choosing a suitable path for the wagon. The group scanned the surroundings, before each step of the horses.
Cautiously, they burst out into the familiar clearing. Under the moon, the two carcasses lay untouched on the snow. Chu breathed a sigh of relief before informing the anxious guard of Ming. He didn’t want the boy to turn into a hedgehog, by trigger happy crossbowmen.
"Ming! It’s safe, get down."
The old guard at the lodge had accompanied them, while Lucy had remained with the tense Griz at the shop. The old man walked up to the bear, surveying the area before shaking his head at the two chatting teens.
For nearly an entire night, the group cursed with sweat dripping down their clothes in the cold forest. In the end, the old guard sent for help and another wagon. In the early hours before dawn, the covered wagons rolled into the private yard, at the rear of the collections bay.
The two boys jumped out of the wagon near the path to the slums. Ming left in order to retrieve a small bag from his shack, while Chu walked towards the shop unnoticed.
Griz rushed out in full business attire, when the cart came in. Seeing the carcasses, he nearly fainted. He had spent nearly half the night biting his nails. His mind was only swinging from doubt to belief of the story.
His only comfort for the night, came from the little girl sitting patiently on the chair he provided. Griz repeatedly questioned the girl, who always answered clearly. Like him she also showed signs of worry, but for her companions.
Now within the courtyard, the welcome sight washed all doubts from his mind.
"By the Nord Pass! A Snow Bear… a snow bear. And a Great Horned deer."
As the escorting guards dropped to the ground, weary to even draw breath, Griz paced around the wagon inspecting the beast, while holding a torch.
"Hmmn... the bear has its fur punctured by a rib on its belly. The rest is in perfect condition. The deer is even better, with the only fracture being on the neck. Even the horns, have remained undamaged."
Griz continued his muttering, amidst the astonished guards looking on.
The Great horned deer roams the north forest, and migrates south within it, for the winter. In small herds they can decimate hunting parties, attempting to capture them. With speed and agility, they wreak havoc on predators, before escaping in flight.
Finding one, without the expected arrows or bolts piercing the hide—next to impossible. Griz moved on to the next creature in anticipation.
The Snow Bear is one of the most dangerous predators, that wanders south in the forest during winter. With its defensive capabilities rivaling soldiers in full armor, and wielding a strength beyond belief, it is a lumbering terror.
Encountering a beast like this in the forest, then even the most skilled adventurers know to give it a wide berth. This beast has been known to chase and wipe out parties of hunters, without sustaining injuries.
The pelt is also near impervious to arrows and swords. Only heavy crossbows fired at point-blank range can kill it, after wearing it down under numerous fatalities.
This is the predator that can match a hundred hunters in the forest, and still emerge victorious.
The bear being inspected may not be one of the old, battle-hardened ones, but was still a mature Snow Bear. As for the hunters of these dangerous beast, nobody said a word. The old guard had sworn the participants in the forest to secrecy.
The three kids presently sitting inside the store, had nothing to do with this incident.
Griz sighed as he finished his examinations. The old man waited patiently on the side, with the bearing of a personal guard. He finally asked the question most of them wanted to know.
"Who are they?"
Griz looked towards the store knowing exactly what he would soon be facing. His face began to contort, as if in pain. The type of heart wrenching pain a miser feels, when his stash of gold is taken away in front of his eyes.
With something this huge, that kid was certainly going to milk every drop he could get. Killing him wasn't an option, because the brat delivered like a golden goose.
Who kills a goose that provides the golden egg?
Especially the goose whose eggs keep getting bigger and bigger…
Griz felt a major headache coming on.
With a depressed face he gave a reply.
"They are the meanest, cold-blooded misers, around these parts."
Chapter 15
Ready to Expand
Griz entered the store, and sat down by the counter. On the other side Lucy and Ming dozed on a bench in the corner. Unfortunately for the merchant, the most troublesome of this trio perched on the stool opposite him.
He twisted his face in frustration, as the kid grinned with eyes brimming with liveliness.
"I'm taking those pelts, no deal here, kid."
Griz spoke in a commanding tone, while scrunching up the best intimidating face in his life. If the clerk called John walked in now, the guy would scamper away in fear. Against a weakling from the slums, this kid should be beating the road with his bony feet, halfway to the slums.
The grinning face however, remained on a motionless body. The face turned red on hearing Griz words, as it stifled the laughter. It then burst in a fit, exploding like a volcano.
Sounds of coughing and wheezing filled the store.
Not phased in the least, the boy broke out into a laugh as if he heard the best joke in ages. His palms slapped the counter like a drunkard, enjoying the best joke of the night in a bar. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he looked at the still menacing face across the counter.
"Ahem, Ahem. Pardon my rude behavior, Mr Griz. That made a good joke after the troubles we had. Please accept my apology, for displaying such an improper conduct."
The boy's countenance changed slowly into a blank unreadable face. The serious face, like a businessman giving his all into sealing a deal. It matched the deadly gaze that stared down on a first-time job applicant, from the interviewing panel.
It was something they both had experienced, just in totally different worlds and situations. Able to relate on the same level, was one of the reasons why they both understood the ploys of the other party.
"You think I won't do it?"
"If you were the lone merchant in this village, you would have already killed us to claim that prize. For a person whose hands extend out into the empire, that bear is not the first, and not the last you've seen. Why take advantage of us little slum children, who gratefully fill your coffers."
The boy stretched his stiff muscles and continued,
"We may be worthless to others, but to you we are more useful than those guards outside. Why? It's because we have no fear to risk our lives, to make you money. The best thing is that we have no choice, since we depend on you to survive. Now who in their right mind would cut out of a sweet deal like this. High profit, low maintenance."
The stout man shook his head, and breathed out a long sigh...
A merchant main driving force is greed. But the most successful merchants know when to unleash it.
A prime example is of a hen laying eggs. Knowing when to cut the neck, after all the eggs that can be laid is important. Too soon, and you risk losing out on more eggs. Too late, and you’re just feeding a barren bird.
It was an analogy understood in both worlds.
The burly man sighed again. Intimidation, blackmail, death and all other scare tactics, proved useless in the face of this opponent. They both sailed past such actions and now bargained close to their bottom line.
"You promised a bargain. Considering that I had to risk the lives of my guards for transport especially at night in the forest. I think more than half of the price should be deducted." Also, we ha......"
Chu interrupted the man with a raised palm.
"Wait, wait, wait. First things first. I want to know how much you're offering for the total price of the bear, before we start deductions. In a few hours hunters and adventurers are going to be returning or heading out to the forest.