The Land: Founding (Chaos Seeds Book 1) (22 page)

They woke the next morning to a
rapping on the door. “
Terrod
would like to see you
downstairs,” a feminine voice called out, and then footsteps could be heard
walking away from the door and moving downstairs. They both shouldered their
packs, and moved the beds away from the door to walk downstairs.

The common room smelled surprisingly
fresh. The windows had been opened up and a light rain was falling outside.
From the scent in the air, someone had either burned incense or thrown sweet
grass on the fire which still had smoldering embers from last night. And there
was
Terrod
, sitting at a table and drinking tea. When
he saw them he waved them over, gesturing that they should join him. As they
sat down he poured more tea from the pot into two ready cups.

“Well then,”
Terrod
said after they had joined him. “First I want to apologize about last night. I
had a few friends ask around and we found a courier who remembered seeing you
entering Leaf’s Crossing at the time you say. Luckily, a man and a sprite are
an uncommon enough sight to merit recall. He remembered you talking to a local
guard, and it seemed like you were being shook down.”

“The guard’s name was
Caulder
. He actually was not a bad guy in the end, and he’s
the reason we ended up at the Whistling Hen at all.”

“Well, sorry again,”
Terrod
said. “The situation in Law is worse than Rosy probably
knows. The regulations have grown stricter. Because of that, some nonhumans
have started to leave. For a while, that wasn’t a problem. The King didn’t
concern himself with the odd nonhuman that wanted to go elsewhere. When the
skilled craftsmen started to leave however, the humans who had been profiting
from their labor started to complain. I don’t know if Rosy explained, but all
actual business must be conducted through humans. The human, or representative
as they are called, is often allocated by the government. These have become
coveted positions. It is basically a way to make money with little effort. The
representatives shave off as much money as that they want. So when that income
was threatened by the nonhumans leaving, the representatives complained. Their
government cronies passed another law making it illegal to even leave the
kingdom without permission. Anyone caught in the attempt is either released
with all of their property confiscated, imprisoned or put back to work with
their loved ones ‘detained’ to ensure their cooperation.”

“That’s horrible,” Richter said
sincerely, “I had no idea things were that bad here.”

“I am a known opponent of the new
laws. I hope you can now understand my skepticism and caution when someone
walks up to me out of the blue asking about such a sensitive topic.”

Richter nodded, not willing to
completely forget the scene last night, but the explanation made
Terrod’s
actions understandable if not immediately
forgivable.

“The courier confirming your story
was a point for you. So I appreciate you accepting my apology. But despite the
fact that you seem like a likeable guy, if you want my help and trust, you need
to answer some questions and prove yourself. Now where is this village you need
help with?”

“It’s in the Forest of Nadria, I’m
not willing to give any specific directions for security reasons.”

“The forest isn’t a safe place. No
offense to you,”
Terrod
said looking at Sion, “but
even your people have been known to claim lives if your territory is infringed
upon. And the Wood Sprites are about the most benevolent force that I know of
in that region.”

Richter gave a small laugh, “That’s
actually how we met, me almost getting shot full of sprite arrows. The Wood
Sprites and I now have a good relationship. I won’t promise absolute safety. I
don’t think that exists in any world, but those who choose to come will be able
to be part of something potentially wonderful, and the defenses of my village
are strong.”

“Hmmm, I don’t like the lack of
information, but that brings us to the main point, trust. I don’t put much
faith in words, actions though, that is something I can believe in,”
Terrod
said, trailing off making it clear that there was
more to be said.

Sion leaned in, “Just tell us what
you want us to do. What is going to gain us you ever so valuable ‘trust’?”

Terrod
put a large smile on his face, “Why
all I want you to do is to help you help yourselves!”

Apparently
Terrod
and other sympathetic humans had started to ferry nonhumans out of the city.
They had to reach out to various groups to accomplish this, however. One of
them was a local thief group called the Night Blades. The plan was for the
nonhumans to make it to the sewers under the city and the Night Blades would
help them out of the city from there. Apparently the first half had gone
smoothly, but the Night Blades sent a message to
Terrod’s
compatriots that five coppers per head would have to be paid or they would send
the nonhumans to the King’s guard. A silver coin was apparently the standard
bounty for runaways. The Blades had said they were giving
Terrod
and his colleagues a bargain.

“We know where our people are being
held. There are many people who disagree with the King’s laws. They help how
they can, but not many are fighters. I have five good men that can hold their
own and seven more who are willing to fight. Basically what I’m saying is we
need a bit more muscle. If you help us, I will spread your request to the
nonhumans. I will also help you get anyone that wants to leave out of the city.
Will you fight?”

You have been offered a Quest: Fight
for those Who Cannot I. A group of nonhumans is being held for ransom.
Terrod
will help you, but only if you help him first. He
needs your aid to free the captured nonhumans from the thieves. Reward:
Increased reputation with nonhumans of Yves. Possible colonists to come live in
the Mist Village. Yes or No?

Richter looked at Sion who gave him a
nod. Looking back at
Terrod
he asked, “What’s the
plan?”

“I need to get some things together,
rally the troops as it were. Is there anything else you need to do in the
city?”

“I need to sell some gems. I also
have a magic staff to sell.”

“I know two reliable merchants. Is
there anything else?”

“This might be a long shot, but do
you know anyone that can teach me magic spells?”

“Mage guilds are sometimes willing to
sell lesser spells, but rarely anything stronger.”

“We are new to our magic, higher
level spells are most likely beyond us anyway.”

“Go to
Aldimah’s
Focus. It’s where I was going to send you to sell that staff anyway. Walk
uphill past two rows of buildings and then go left. Circle a quarter of the
city, and you’ll see a string of shops.
Aldimah’s
has
purple windows and a blue door. I only ask that you return by five bells after
midday.”

Richter and Sion assured him that
they would, and then they left. They decided to see the merchant first, in case
they needed more coin to buy whatever spells were available. His shop was only
a short walk from the inn. Walking in, they were greeted with a practiced
smile. “Gentlemen! Please come in! Whatever you are looking for I’m sure I can
help you find, and if not, I’m sure I can provide something even better,
hazaah
!”

The merchant wore a white turban with
a colorful feather coming from the front. He was older, and couldn’t have been an
inch or two over five feet. He carried more than a little weight around his
middle.  His clothes were loose silk, and he had a red sash tied around
his waist.

Amused by the round merchant’s
demeanor, Richter smiled and said, “
Terrod
sent us.
He said that you could be trusted to treat us fairly.”

The merchant’s eyes grew somewhat
large in alarm. “Yes of course! Please tell Master
Terrod
that as always, Hafiz is a humble servant and is happy to help. Any friends of
his are already friends of mine!”

Richter was somewhat surprised by the
reaction. Just what kind of rep did the innkeeper have? Richter decided that
since an honest merchant was most likely as rare and precious a sight as a
comet, he would not question his good fortune.

“I am actually here to sell some
jewels. They were, err, part of an inheritance.” Richter pulled out the small
chest from the Mist Village vault and opened it.

“Sir! Please be careful. That much
wealth would be worth all of our lives!” The portly man came from behind the
counter, and rushed past them to the door. He closed and locked it while
looking out the windows to make sure no one had been looking in. Satisfied they
had not been observed, the merchant walked back behind the counter, and drew
aside a curtain. Hafiz motioned for Richter and Sion to follow him.

“You seem to be showing us a great
deal of trust,” Richter said.

“Well you have been sent by
Terrod
which means a great deal. You also seem like a good
sort overall. Finally you walked in with a chest of jewels that is most likely
worth more than my shop. Not many thieves try to rob you with a golden blade
encrusted with diamonds.”

Richter smiled, “Those are some good
points. Either way, thank you for your trust, and I promise you that it’s not
misplaced.”

Hafiz walked over to a small table
with a stool. Several large lamps made the room well-lit despite the lack of
windows. “Please place the chest on the table, good sir.”

Richter laid the chest on the table,
and Hafiz began removing the gems one by one. He held each to his eye, looking
through a small eye piece that had a soft orange glow coming from it. He
examined each, and made notations on a small piece of paper. “This will take a
while sir. Please feel free to peruse my goods while you wait. There are many
different goods up front, but my elite stock is on these back shelves. I invite
your companion to stay with me. Always best to keep each other honest,
hazaah
!”

Smiling again at the strange little
man, Richter went back to the front of the shop. Sion decided to stay with the
merchant as suggested. Richter walked through the front and found several
useful items, rope, flint and steel, oil, and other sundry items. He gathered
them on the counter and then moved to the back again to see the merchant’s
“elite” items.

The lowest shelves held gems and
jewelry. Since he had come to sell jewels, those shelves did not keep his
interest. What he found above was much more interesting, however. The first
thing his eyes were drawn to was a glass display filled with arrow heads. They all
had a slight glow to them.

You have found: Arrowhead of
Dispelling. Will dispel active enchantments on target.

You have found: Arrowhead of Flame.
Will do additional 10-12 damage on impact. Chance to cause Burn.

You have found: Arrowhead of Stun.
Chance to stun target for 3-5 seconds.

You have found: Arrowhead of
Negation. Will ignore magical defenses.

You have found: Arrowhead of Poison.
Chance to poison target, doing additional 2-4 damage for 10 seconds.

You have found: Arrowhead of Freeze.
Will do additional 7-9 damage on impact. Chance to cause Freeze.

You have found: Arrowhead of
Piercing. Will ignore up to 33% of opponents armor.

You have found: Arrowhead of
Confusion. Target may attack anyone near, including possibly allies.

Jackpot! Richter moved the box of
arrowheads to the front counter.

He also found various other items
that would come in useful.

You have found: Ring of Health:
Durability 11/11. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Above Average. Weight: 0.1 kg.
Traits: Increase maximum Health by +30.

He found four of those.

You have found: Ring of Mana:
Durability 9/9. Item class: Uncommon. Quality: Average. Weight: 0.1 kg. Traits:
Increase maximum mana by +20.

You have found: Belt of Strength: Durability
40/40. Item class: Rare. Quality: Above Average. Weight 1.1 kg. Traits:
Increase Strength by +4.

The last item that caught his
attention was a black satchel sitting at the end of the shelf.

You have found: Bag of Holding. Durability
50/50. Item class: Epic. Quality: Exquisite. Weight 1.0 kg + 0.1 kg x total
weight of items. Traits: Can hold large amount of items. Contents of bag will
only be 10% of normal weight. Thinking of desired object will retrieve it from
bag. Item is Soul Bound, it cannot be lost or stolen. Can only be transferred
with an open heart.

At last! What Richter had been
missing more than anything else from his game days was the inventory that was
present in every
RPG.
Having to actually schlep
everything he wanted to carry was a real pain in the butt. Anyone who has had
to walk to the store for groceries would know what he was talking about. He
held the bag almost reverently as he placed it on the counter. By the time he
was done perusing, Hafiz was putting down his ledger, done cataloguing the
stones in the chest.

“Well good sir, you are truly blessed
to have found such a rich trove of jewels.”

“Are they really that good?”

“Oh yes! My monocle of identification
was made by the finest elvish glass smiths and then enchanted by one of the
Master Light mages of the Illuminator guild. I would stake my reputation by
this ledger,” then he sighed. “As I suspected I can only afford a portion of
these stones.”

The merchant pushed about a fifth of
the stones to the side, and they looked mostly to be only the semiprecious
stones. “These stones are worth roughly three hundred and ten gold.” Richter
coughed, his mouth opening in shock. That was thirty one thousand dollars! He
was hoping that the gems would cover his costs, but if Hafiz was correct his
chest was more than a hundred grand, maybe closer to two or even three!

Hafiz misunderstood Richter’s
expression. “I promise you sir that this is a fair price! I am an honest
merchant, and especially would not cheat of friend of Mr.
Terrod
!”
Richter closed his mouth and assured the man that he trusted his good
intentions, mollified Hafiz continued, “I have this in gold bands,” and he laid
two finger length rectangular bars of gold down on the table along a heavy bag
and ten gold coins. Seeing Richter’s questioning look, he explained. “Each of
these bars is the equivalent of one hundred gold coins. Now if you allow me, I
can see what you have picked from my stock, and we can do the rest in trade.”

The rotund man walked up to the counter,
making short oohs and
aahs
he lined up each item and
placed a stone next to each. The arrowheads equated to a thumbnail sized jade,
the rings a slightly smaller turquoise. The belt of strength, a square cut
emerald, and the basic items he piled together and equated to a small pearl.
When he came to the bag however, he looked at Richter for a moment and then
firmly placed two diamonds in front of it.

Richter coughed in shock. He knew
because of the bag’s stats, as well as its usefulness, it would be expensive,
but good god! Two diamonds that size probably meant he was paying as much for
that bag as he had for his first car. Suddenly an argument with an
ex-girlfriend came to mind where she criticized him for wasting money on video
games, and he threw her expensive purse collection back at her. She had of
course responded, “It’s an investment.” His response that maybe math wasn’t her
strong suit had NOT gone well. Sigh, live and learn. Maybe if the purse had
been able to fold space to make a pocket dimension, then she would have had a
point though.

Even though it was painful he looked
Hafiz in the eye and nodded his assent. The man grinned broadly, and clapped
his hands. “Praise to the lord of commerce, let us both profit from this day,
hazaah
!” Shaking hands they finished the deal. Richter was
surprised when Hafiz reached out with both hands and laid them on the bag. A
white light emanated from his hands, and when he removed them a clear gem sat
on the bag. At the merchant’s gesture, Richter picked up the gem and was
greeted with the prompt.

Would you like to take ownership of
this Bag of Holding? Yes or No?

Choosing “Yes” the gem disappeared,
and he found a new small icon in the corner of his vision which looked like the
black bag. Selecting it a 20x20 empty grid appeared. Unable to keep a look of
childlike glee from his face he began placing and removing items from the bag.
Just as described, as soon as he reached into the bag he simply had to focus on
the object he wanted and it would materialize in his hand ready to be pulled
out. He placed the magic staff in, and sure enough its entire length
disappeared into bag. The staff took up a 3x1 area of the grid. He then decided
to put a copper, silver and gold coin in the bag, and retrieved each in turn.
He might be excited, but he wasn’t about to throw all of his money into a black
hole without making sure he could get it back first! Seeing as it was a success
though, he placed the gold bands as well as his coins into the Bag of Holding.
Thieves had been a major concern but now he could rest relatively easier
needing only to keep track of the one bag. Each type of coin took up one slot
in the bag, and clearly displayed the amount of each. He placed the rest of the
gems back in the chest and placed it into the bag. Spending a few more moments
he transferred over the contents of his old pack. Each herb stacked, and made
it much easier to organize. Best of all it was Soul Bound! He finally didn’t
need to worry about losing all of his items if he died again.