Fool's Gold

The caravan arrived at Oldtown after 7 days.

The city was crawling with so many people of different races. In the market district, Remus saw Lizardmen, Orcs, Beast people, Centaurs, Elves and Dwarves.

Julius sold the grain to a half-Elf merchant named Nimir and got a deal for 4 silver coins per unit. Apparently, the grain shortage was more severe than first thought. The total amount they got was 32,000 silver coins which they converted to 3,200 gold coins for easy transport. They asked around for Annabelle at the Oldtown Merchant's guild building but couldn't find her.

"I should hire some adventurers to escort me back to Linden," Julius said. "It's not safe to be walking around with this much gold."

At the guild, there were mostly human adventurers with a few other races sprinkled in between. The walls were littered with job requests in a strange language. Remus got distracted trying to read the unfamiliar characters on one of the posters when he tripped on a female janitor trying to clean.

"I'm so sorry, I-"

He stopped short when he noticed who it was.

"Remus, what are you doing here?" Annabelle asked.

"I should be asking you that," he said. "I thought you worked at Merchant's guild?"

"It's a long story," she said embarrassed.

After taking him outside she started to tell him.

"My boyfriend dumped me and none of the trading companies will hire a woman," she said.

"I'm sorry," Remus said. "What about Gregory?"

That night, they waited at a rundown apartment in a bad part of town when Gregory came back. He was wearing an oil-stained frock. He entered the apartment, took of the frock and tried to hang it on a nail beside the door.

"Gregory?" Remus said.

He turned around with a surprised expression.

"What happened to you?" Remus asked.

Once he mustered up the courage, he began to explain.

"I tried to take missions on my own at first but I lost more money on jobs than the jobs paid me and the guild only gives good-paying jobs to adventuring companies rather than ordinary adventurers," he said.

"Why didn't you join an adventuring company then?" Remus asked again.

"I did," he said. "They took all the money that I had and kicked me out because I'm a Southlander. I had to find work at a struggling bladesmith's workshop as an apprentice."

Remus was disappointed in what he heard.

"If there's one thing I hate is being told I can't do something because of where I came from," he said. "I'm going to fix this."

The next day Remus went with Gregory to the bladesmith's workshop.

"Mr Dinolfo, this is my brother Remus," Gregory said.

"Nice to meet you, kid," the balding man said. "Your brother is a hard worker."

"I hope I'm not inconveniencing you during your business hours," Remus said.

"Kid, I don't know if your brother has told you this but business isn't going so great," he said.

"Why? What's the problem?" Remus asked.

"Take a look," he said while pointing across the road. "Ever since that other shop opened across the street, I've been bleeding customers."

"Can't you just lower your prices and undercut him," Remus asked.

"The problem is that I can't make magic swords," he said. "Even the market for non-magic swords has suffered. We usually have a competition among bladesmiths to see who's the best but they only ask for magic swords these days. Maybe I just won't go this year."

"When is it?" Remus asked.

"It's in two weeks," the bladesmith replied.

"What if I went on your behalf?" Remus asked.

"Knock yourself out," he said.

"Since when can you make magic swords?" Gregory asked.

"I can make anything as long as I have the right design and materials," he said.

"I could never afford a magic sword," Gregory said. "Maybe you can make one for me. Maybe an adventuring company will accept me if I show up with a badass sword."

"You won't have to join a guild," Remus said. "We'll create our own company that accepts Southlanders."

"How??" Gregory asked.

"Leave that to me, I can always go and study with the Maesters another time," Remus replied. "Where can I find the process for creating a magic sword?"

"Probably from a Maester at the Citadel," Gregory replied.

"First I need to form a contract with Mr Dinolfo," Remus said. "I want 80% of the proceeds for all blades that I make."

"You've got yourself a deal."

</Contract formed! />

Remus got up at first light and went to the Citadel the next day.

"I'm here to see Maester Leo," he said to the guard.

"There's no Maester by that name," one guard said.

"Wait, are you talking about Leo the drunk?" a second guard said. "He's not a Maester, he's just an old apprentice that never seems to graduate."

"That doesn't sound right but where can I find him?" Remus asked.

"I thought they sent him away to the armpit of the Kingdom they call the Southlands. If he's here then he's probably passed out drunk in the alley behind McBeans," he replied. "Just go down the street and take a left after the clothing store. Follow the smell of piss."

Remus followed their directions and found Leo passed out behind the bar. Remus poked him trying to get him to wake up when some rough-looking characters appeared at the entrance of the alley. One was short and the other was huge. They both had knives drawn.

"Hand over your valuables," the short one said.

Remus obediently threw his purse at the men. The tall one picked it up and weighed it in his palm.

"You must be the servant of a rich noble," he said. "Why would someone dressed like that have this much coin."

Remus became self-conscious about the plain attire that he had been wearing for days.

"Let's skin him," the short man said.

"I dunno boss," the taller one said. "We already have his stuff."

"Don't argue with me, idiot," the shorter one snapped.

"Sorry, boss."

They started a slow manacing approach when suddenly there was a cut on the two men's cheeks just under their eyes. Behind them stood Andrea.

She licked some blood off a short black blade that she held and smiled at the men.

"Who the hell are you?" the tall one asked.

"Drop the purse and run," she said calmly.

"Like hell," the short one said before charging her with a knife.

He stabbed her in her belly but blood dripped from the side of the taller man's mouth. Soon, he fell to the ground clutching his mid-torso.

The short robber looked on with fear before throwing the purse back at Remus, slowly moving around Andrea and running away.