Valkyrie's Shadow

Winter's Crown: Act 7, Chapter 5

Winter's Crown: Act 7, Chapter 5

Chapter 5

“…bodies, you say?”

Across the counter, the Merchant Guild clerk furrowed her brow at Ilyshn’ish.

“D-did I say something wrong?” Ilyshn’ish’s fingers played across the counter nervously, “I recently came into the possession of a corpse, and I’d like to sell it. Um…Adventurers do that sort of thing, don’t they? Selling bodies.”

With her explanation, the other clients and clerks turned back to their business. Humans just stared at her no matter what she did, for some reason.

“In that case,” the clerk said, “you’ve come to the right place. The Adventurer Guild once performed appraisals for hunted and foraged materials, but, with their restructuring, this type of query is now processed by the Merchant Guild. We will be more than happy to direct you to the appropriate affiliate businesses. What is it that you’re offering?”

“A Winter Wolf.”

“A Winter Wolf, you say…so a pelt…or perhaps claws and teeth?”

“The whole Wolf.”

The clerk leaned forward to look at the floor, her blonde hair sweeping over the countertop.

“Do you mean to say that it hasn’t been dismantled yet?” She asked.

“That’s right,” Ilyshn’ish nodded.

“Hm…hunters usually dress their kills on the field, so this is a bit irregular…” The clerk scratched the corner of her lip, “It might be best to see a butcher outside of the city.”

“Are there none in the city?” Ilyshn’ish asked.

“There are,” the clerk answered, “but those ones work at shops that prepare meat imported from outside facilities. There are no dedicated facilities for slaughtering livestock in the city.”

“Why is that?”

“Various reasons,” the clerk told her, “as cited by the new government. Traffic, health and space concerns, primarily. The closest shops are not an hour beyond the city walls, in Gagnier Barony. They should be able to separate all the parts that you’ll be able to sell around the city.”

Ilyshn’ish frowned. This was becoming too complicated for her to understand through words alone.

“There’s more to do after that?”

“Of course. There’s the Furrier, Alchemists…” the clerk’s voice trailed off, “Shall I pen this out for you?”

“Yes…yes, please.”

Ilyshn’ish looked down at the counter as the clerk penned out the long list of tradespeople she would have to interact with. She didn’t even know what most of them were, never mind where to find them. Taking the list in hand, she furrowed her brow in worry and turned her attention back to the clerk.

“The Merchant Guild assumes that you wish to maximize the gains from your work,” the clerk seemed to sense Ilyshn’ish’s mounting distress, “but if you would like us to handle the process…”

“Yes, I would like that.”

Ilyshn’ish breathed a sigh of relief, then her breath seized up at what followed.

“We can commission an apprentice Merchant to do this work for you, but there will be a small surcharge for their services.”

A small surcharge? Did she just go from making some coin to losing it? She wanted everything she could get.

“H-how does that work?”

“They do everything involved in arranging for the processing and sale of your goods,” the clerk told her, “ten per cent of the sales will go to the agent that you hire.”

Ten per cent? Did that mean she would be giving away a whole Winter Wolf for every ten she brought in? She looked the clerk in the eye, and a slight flush appeared over the woman’s cheeks.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” Ilyshn’ish asked.

“It would depend on what you believe your time is worth,” the clerk answered. “You appear to be a Bard of some sort, so I would frame it along the lines of how much you could make doing your regular work for the time it would take for you to go around doing everything listed yourself. Some people hire agents to free up time for themselves and don’t mind the commissions. Of course, this works best when one deals with a large volume of goods.”

“So I would be purchasing someone for their time…and labour?”

It was a bit different from the slavery that she was familiar with, but she had read that people purchased slaves in other countries. This was something like the temporary purchase of a slave…or something like that. Slavery was illegal in the Sorcerous Kingdom, but was it actually referring to perpetual slavery? Could she purchase scores of temporary slaves?

“Rather than that,” the clerk said, “you are hiring someone for their time and skills. The merchant will do their best to earn the most for you, as the amount that they themselves earn is a percentage of that. It is an arrangement of mutual self-interest.”

“Would you happen to know how much time this would take, and how much they will earn?”

“Including the time for processing, and if they’re allowed the chance to work up the best prices, I would estimate about a week. As for the earnings…just one moment, please.”

The clerk left the counter, disappearing into the office in the back. Ilyshn’ish glanced to either side of her. In the time she had been standing there, at least eight Humans had come and gone. The ones currently looking in her direction didn’t seem angry for her taking so long. The clerk returned with a slip of paper, sliding it across the counter towards her.

“What does ‘last ten sales’ mean?” Ilyshn’ish frowned down at the row of items and prices.

“It’s the last ten trades made of that item in our records. Prices fluctuate based on supply and demand, but the volume of the goods that you’re offering is understandably low given the distance of our location relative to its source. If you plan on becoming a regular supplier of commodities to our city, we would be most happy for your patronage.”

If it was a week – no, even a day – she could make much more than the total cost of this ‘commission’ by doing other things. She thought that something tantalizing lingered just beyond her ability to imagine concerning the whole idea, but decided that she could wait for it to become apparent with time and experience. For now, what she needed was to see if the information presented to her by this clerk was true.

“I would like to give this a try, then,” Ilyshn’ish said.

“Understood,” the clerk smiled and nodded. “Do you have a membership with the Merchant Guild?”

She recalled something like that when she had first wandered around with Pam in the early weeks of her exploration. They used the Human girl’s membership at that time…

“I don’t,” Ilyshn’ish replied. “Will that be a problem?”

“Not at all. Registering with the Merchant Guild is a quick and easy process. Once you’ve registered, you’ll have access to all of our member services.”

“Um, I’m registered with the Adventurer Guild at the moment. Will that be a problem?”

The clerk’s smile faltered just barely.

“Membership with the Merchant Guild has no relation to the Adventurer Guild,” she said. “There won’t be a problem.”

Twelve more Humans came and went as the clerk guided her through the registration process. When they finished, she was handed a small black booklet filled with blank pages.

“That’s to reference your account balance with the Merchant Guild, should you need to,” the clerk told her. “Please bring your cargo to the street behind our office here – I will meet you there.”

A new clerk replaced the old, and Ilyshn’ish walked out into the glare of the sun sinking towards the western walls. The magical lighting of the main plaza was coming to life, along with the evening crowds. Reminding herself that gold coins awaited her, she forced herself to turn away from the many distractions and head to where the clerk said she would meet her. The woman had a perplexed expression as Ilyshn’ish approached.

“Is your wagon somewhere behind you…?”

“I don’t have one,” Ilyshn’ish replied carefully.

“You do have what you’ve commissioned for us to sell, yes?”

“Ah, yes,” Ilyshn’ish brightened as she realized the cause of her confusion, “I’ve been carrying it around with me the entire time.”

The clerk’s pen dropped to the street and she goggled as Ilyshn’ish pulled the Winter Wolf out of her Infinite Haversack. Several passers-by slowed to stare at the large Magical Beast.

“Is something the matter?” Ilyshn’ish asked the clerk.

“Hm? Ah, no – I was just a bit surprised…if it’s not a bother, could you please move this onto the wagon in the bay here?”

Ilyshn’ish went over to do as the clerk had requested, listening to the continued explanation of the clerk about how things worked. Truthfully, she didn’t understand most of it. To her, all that mattered was that she could come to the Merchant Guild, ‘hire’ a merchant on a temporary basis, and this temporary slave would work hard to earn her wealth. A concerning detail at the end caught her attention.

“What do you mean the earnings ‘will be deposited into my account’? Does that mean I won’t receive any coins?”

“The amount will be deposited for safekeeping under your name after your transactions have been settled,” the clerk replied. “You may withdraw the amount at your leisure. Most of our members keep their liquid assets with us for convenience and security, though I suppose you might not have any issues with personal security given how powerful you appear to be…”

“I see,” Ilyshn’ish thought she understood. “I will be withdrawing the whole amount. I prefer lyin–erm, keeping my coinage on my person.”

“Of course,” the clerk lowered her head. “Thank you for using the Merchant Guild. Was there anything else I might assist you with, Miss Shiver?”

“As a matter of fact,” Ilyshn’ish said. “I have something else to sell.”

The clerk raised her head, blinking blankly at Ilyshn’ish.

“W-what might that be.”

“Eggs.”

“Eggs? Ah, you mean rare eggs from Magical Beasts?”

“Not exactly,” Ilyshn’ish frowned internally at being categorized as a ‘Magical Beast’, “but I suppose you might be able to say that. Where does one go to sell them?”

“I believe the Magician Guild will be able to discern where to best sell something of that nature,” the clerk replied.

“In that case, I should head there next. Thank you for your assistance.”

“Have a pleasant evening, Miss Shiver.”

Ilyshn’ish made her way back to the main plaza, slipping into the flow of the crowd to make her way over to the Magician Guild. Like most of the buildings around the bustling space, it looked decidedly nondescript compared to the brightly lit and colourful market stands nearby. The door to the office was closed, and the windows shuttered. She snuck into an alley beside the building and poked her head around the corner to see how one might enter the place safely.

After watching a small number of people enter and exit, she decided that there were no hidden countermeasures. There were no special items used, nor did they cast any spells or say anything before entering. Ilyshn’ish walked up to gingerly turn the doorknob and open the entrance. The odours of vellichor and dried herbs washed over her.

Within was a modestly-sized open lobby, illuminated by several magical lights. A polished wooden counter stood at the end of a dark carpet that stretched all the way from the entrance. Ilyshn’ish nervously made her way in. The space was strangely bare in general, as if someone had forgotten to furnish it with anything that might suggest that it was an organization for arcane casters.

“Why is this place so empty…” she murmured.

“Please forgive the appearance, miss,” the man at the counter said. “Most of our possessions were relocated to other Magician Guilds in Re-Estize shortly after the battle of Katze Plains. Replacing everything is a long and expensive process, but we are available to serve the city in what capacity that we can nonetheless. Ah, welcome to the Magician Guild, Miss…?”

“Shiver.”

Ilyshn’ish smiled the smile that seemed to work so well on Human males. It worked here too. The man in dark brown robes swallowed, and a longing gaze flickered over her body. She tilted her head with a curious expression.

“If you’ve relocated your belongings,” Ilyshn’ish asked, “then why not relocate them back?”

“One would think that,” he sighed, “but the way it happened created many difficulties. We moved everything under the misguided assumption that Undead would overrun the city and the guild would be plundered of its valuables. Any request we send to get our inventories back is currently treated with utmost suspicion by the guild branches in Re-Estize.”

It sounded like a weak excuse. The other guild branches probably just wanted to keep their stuff. Could one guild branch raid another to take their things back? It seemed only right.

“At any rate,” the man cleared his throat. “Was there something we might assist you with, Miss Shiver? You have the appearance and charm of a Sorcerer…was there a spell that we might be able to provide reference for through one of our members?”

The thought that she could learn arcane magic from the Magician Guild was something that had never occurred to her. Dragons were arcane casters that functioned in a manner that one might consider similar to mortal Sorcerers, though Frost Dragons were far from prodigious casters. Still, as an Adult Frost Dragon, she was capable of casting First Tier magic…except she didn’t know a single spell. All of her efforts for the past century had been invested into cultivating her talent as a Bard. Now that that was well on its way, however, she could probably pick up a few arcane spells…

“Does this require a membership?” She asked.

“Not as such,” the man replied, “but if you are an arcane caster, it is highly encouraged that you join. Membership with the Magician Guild is not mutually exclusive with other Guilds – Adventurers, Apothecaries and members of other magical trade guilds affiliated with the Merchant Guild are also members of the Magician Guild. As a registered guild member, you will gain access to our exclusive services and may also be informed of opportunities, depending on your vocation and preferences.”

Ilyshn’ish nodded at the man’s words. As she thought, Human males were more useful to her than Human females.

“Then I would like to register,” she said.

“Truly?” The man’s voice rose in surprise for some reason, “One moment, please.”

He went through the curtained entrance to the side of the counter, disappearing into the hallway. Ilyshn’ish continued to monitor him through her Blindsight while musing over what sort of magic she could learn. Since they were not inherently strong casters relative to their physical strength, Frost Dragons chose spells for their utility rather than their offensive power. She couldn’t bring any spells to mind, however: Frost Dragon was effectively a rival with all others of their kind, so everyone in her family was secretive about their own magic. Each Dragon was left to their own devices when it came to learning new spells – or anything that could lead to an advantage over their fellows, really.

The man returned, and she quickly completed the Magician Guild registration. He smiled lightly as he reviewed her forms.

“Does something please you?” Ilyshn’ish asked.

“New members are rare,” his smile did not fade as he answered, “especially in E-Rantel. Furnishings and items aren’t the only things that the guild is lacking – most of our members fled before or during the annexation of the duchy, as well. Those that remain are mostly tradespeople whose livelihoods are tied to this city. There are a handful of Adventurers, I suppose, but we have almost no purely academic mages: the type who research and innovate new magics.”

He laughed, and the smile turned rueful.

“It’s preposterous, really,” he said. “The most powerful magic caster to ever exist has come to reign over us, bringing magic-casting servants beyond the reckoning of Humanity, and we have next to no one to make a study of it. Not something you’d expect from the Magician Guild of the Sorcerous Kingdom.”

It did have a sort of amusing irony when he put it that way. Actually, why wasn’t she making a study of them? Ilyshn’ish withdrew her memo pad and made a note of it.

“Is there a catalogue of spells available for members at this Magician Guild branch?”

“We have copies for use within the guild building,” the man said, “so you may peruse their contents whenever you visit. If you have any questions about a spell, I’ll be more than happy to assist you. Is that something you’d like to do now? As you might have guessed, we’re not too busy at the moment.”

Unlike the Merchant Guild, with its never-ending queues, the Magician Guild felt abandoned by comparison. Well, the man did say something along those lines. She could sense others moving around occasionally in the building, but there were only a handful of people present. It would be good to at least get an idea of what she might be able to learn.

“I’d like that,” she said, “but first, I have something to sell…”

“You require an appraisal?”

“Yes, please.”

“Hm…the person that performs appraisals has gone home for the day, but I believe the guildmaster can help you out with that.”

“T-the Guildmaster?” Ilyshn’ish swallowed, “Are you sure?”

The man laughed lightly, opening the waist-high gate that blocked the way between the desk and the wall. He gestured for her to follow him.

“The Guildmaster always holes himself up doing one thing or another,” he said. “The only way to get him to take anything like a break is to distract him with some reagent or item. I hope you don’t mind my using you as an excuse to get him out of his office.”

He led her into what appeared to be a small room for entertaining guests, and bid her take a seat at a polished stone table. After what must have been at least fifteen minutes, the man returned with a sour-looking, middle-aged human. The Guildmaster wore the same loose brown robes as the other Human, but there he was somehow even skinnier than the man from the front desk. His garb, items and pouches all hung off of him in a manner that brought to mind marketplace streamers attached to a lamppost.

A loud harrumph sounded from him as his gaze fell across Ilyshn’ish, and he waved the other man away. The door shut silently behind him, and he shuffled over to the table.

“Theo Raksheer,” his voice came out, thin and neurotic, “Guildmaster. The boy says you’ve something important for me to look at, but I wager you’ve been distracting him with something else to look at.”

He wasn’t wrong, on either account. Rather than attempting to refute him, Ilyshn’ish went straight to the business at hand.

“I have several items to sell,” she said. “I understand that, as a member of the Magician Guild, I can have an appraisal done for them.”

“You’re an arcane caster?” Guildmaster Raksheer eyed her suspiciously, “A Sorceress, then?”

“Yes.”

The Guildmaster harrumphed again. Did her mere existence displease him somehow? This was very much the opposite of how most Human males acted towards her.

She produced a single egg, encased in a thick layer of crystal ice, and placed it on the table. Wisps of cool air flowed off of it and over the stone surface. The egg itself was longer than her forearm and half as wide – just how did she manage to lay five of the things? The Guildmaster leaned forward, touching it experimentally with his twig-like fingers. She resisted the urge to give him a whack.

“What is it?”

“It’s a Dragon Egg.”

The fingers stopped.

“A Dragon Egg, you say? What sort of Dragon did this egg come from?”

Ilyshn’ish’s brow furrowed. What did it look like? She was fairly certain that only Frost Dragon eggs looked like that, even if she hadn’t seen any other sorts of Dragon eggs before.

“They’re Frost Dragon eggs.”

“Frost Dragon eggs? As in the ones brought here by His Majesty?”

She hadn’t exactly been ‘brought in’, but it was close enough.

“That’s right. You have my personal guarantee that they’re recently-laid Frost Dragon eggs. Within the last month, at least. They’re all in the same condition – top quality Frost Dragon eggs from an excellent Frost Dragon.”

“You’re certain of this?”

“I am.”

Guildmaster Raksheer returned to inspect the egg, casting several spells upon it. The action caught her off guard, and she didn’t have time to open her senses to the magic.

“How many do you have?” He asked.

“Five in total,” she answered.

“Just one moment, please.”

The Guildmaster left the room, closing the door behind him. Ilyshn’ish decided that she didn’t like him at all. What was his problem with her, anyway?

Her Blindsight detected a distant tremor that grew as the seconds passed. Many booted feet stomped over the floor, and the door was violently thrown open. Ilyshn’ish rose in alarm as six Death Knights spilt into the room, joined by three Elder Liches and Guildmaster Raksheer.

“That’s the one!” He pointed a trembling finger at her, “The one that’s selling eggs from His Majesty’s Frost Dragons!”