Tobias

"I think this is the one. What do you think Sif?" Marcus asked as they were standing in the garden of the house they were looking at.

They'd arrived about half an hour ago, after looking around, they made their way out the back. The garden was larger than the house by the docks. It was forty by forty feet, with a large tree standing in the center. The tree provided shade at the hottest part of the day, but allowed sunlight during the others. Sif was currently up in the branches, exploring every nook and cranny. She hung her head out from behind the green leaves and gave Marcus a happy coo.

Marcus was happy with it as well, so all he had to do was start the paperwork and it would be his. Of course he'd have to borrow some money from Clair, but that wouldn't be a problem. The house was smaller than the other one. It was a two story as well, but only had one large bedroom on the second floor. It also didn't have an office on the lower floor. It only had a kitchen, receiving room, and a bathroom. All of that was more than enough for Marcus.

The location was a huge plus as well, it was centrally located, making it much faster to the main areas of the city. The neighborhood was well to do as well, with many merchants living on the same street. This made security very tight, so Marcus wouldn't have to worry about late night robberies.

"Are you ready to head back now Mark?" Clair said, coming up behind Marcus.

"Yeah. Come on Sif, it's time to head back."

Sif reluctantly slid down the tall tree, taking her spot on Marcus. They locked the place up and headed back to Clair's shop. She had closed down for the day in order to help Marcus look for a house. It was almost dusk, so the streets were thinning down as people made their way back to their own houses. In about forty-five minutes, they walked through the door to her shop.

"So, what're your plans for tomorrow?" Clair asked as she sat down at the kitchen table, rubbing her feet. They did a fair bit of walking that day and her feet were killing her.

"Well, after I see Terrance, I'll head over to the Association. I'll see if there's any work nearby."

Marcus sat down across from her, he took her feet into his hands and started massaging them. Clair let out a relaxed sigh, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling. Marcus had her small feet in his hands, kneading them from heel to toe.

"Mmmmmmm. Keep this up and I'll have to keep you locked up." Clair said, with her eyes still closed leaning her head back.

"That might not be such a bad thing, as long as you feed me."

"Oh, I'll feed you alright! Haha." She said with a giggle.

"Someone's thinking impure thoughts." Marcus said in mock condemnation.

"Where does it say that the gods care what we do or think huh?" Clair asked.

Marcus shrugged his shoulders. He really had no idea how religion worked in this world. So far it really hadn't come up, he did know that they worshiped many gods and goddesses. It was a lot like pagans back on earth. Without the human sacrifices.

"So I may need to borrow a bit more money. I won't get the other half of my reward for a few more days."

"That's not a problem. I'll just get it all out of the strongbox in the morning before you leave."

"You have that much money here? Aren't you worried someone would break in and take it? Why don't you use a bank?" Marcus asked, pausing his massage.

"What's a bank?"

"You know, where you give your money to someone and they hold onto it for you."

"Oh ok. I've never heard of that term before. The Merchant's Association provides that service, I just can't trust other people with my money, so I don't use them." Clair said, matter of factly.

"Ohhh, so you're one of those people huh." Marcus said, with a chuckle.

"What do you mean 'one of those people'!"

"Never mind, it was a bad joke." Marcus didn't expect her to find it as humorous as he did.

It was probably much more common in this world to not trust banks. To rather hide your money under your mattress. On Earth you pretty much didn't have a choice than to use a bank. You needed to have a checking account for just about any job. You couldn't rent an apartment without a credit rating, or get a car, or anything really. He much preferred the way it was here, if you had the money, you could get it. You didn't have to jump through hoops just to get a place to live.

"Uh huh, well anyways, Mr. Funnyman, what would you like for dinner tonight?"

"Just whatever is easy to make, I'm not very picky." Marcus told her. He really could just about eat anything.

"Alright, I think I have some vegetables from yesterday. How about a vegetable soup?"

Clair asked, standing back up to begin dinner.

"Sounds good to me, what about Sif? I don't think she'll like the vegetables."

"I have some salted pork in the larder. I hope she doesn't mind it."

"I'm sure she'll like it." Marcus said, also standing. He was going to help Clair make dinner. You just can't sit back and watch someone else do all the work.

........................….

It was the next day, Marcus and Sif had just left Clair's apothecary. They were heading over to the realtor, Terrance. They would make the payment and get the paperwork started for their new house. Marcus was pretty excited, he had never had a place to call his own. He always had to rent an apartment. The housing prices were extremely high where he lived, now he was able to afford a house in just a little under two months being in this world. Although he did get really lucky in being able to make so much money so far.

Terrance welcomed them with open arms. He offered Marcus a glass of wine as he took a seat. Marcus was buying a house, so naturally Terrance would get a commission for the sale. He made a flat ten percent for every sale, so he'd do his best on every one. He already had the paperwork ready to go, so the process was very quick. In only about an hour, Marcus was a homeowner.

He wouldn't be able to move in right away, Terrance said it would take a day to register with the city. After tomorrow Marcus could get the key and move in. He didn't really mind, he still had to get furniture and other necessities. Marcus asked Terrance where the nearest auction house was. He had the golden medallion that he wanted to sell. He was hoping to be able to get a good price for it. He had to pay Clair back a large amount, so any little bit helps. Terrance said the main auction house was only thirty minutes away by foot, so Marcus and Sif made that their next destination.

Marcus was glad that he took his time to polish his armor, he was looking at the highly polished floor of the auction house. You could almost see your reflection when looking down. There was the smell of incense in the air, it gave off a mystic atmosphere. A large counter was running the length of the room, it was about thirty feet long. Five people manned the counter, they were dressed in fine clothing and gave off a refined vibe.

A few patrons were standing at the counter, either asking questions or browsing through a list of what was available for purchase, or what was in the upcoming auction. Marcus, with Sif wrapped around him, walked up to the counter. The worker he walked up to was a middle aged woman, she had auburn waist length hair, her bangs were curled, almost like something out of an eighties movie. She was wearing what looked like a black business suit with a white blouse, but it fit her perfectly, emphasizing her curves. She had a slender waist with wide hips, her breasts were very large as well. Marcus couldn't help but think what she looked like without the business suit.

"Good Afternoon sir. How may I be of assistance today?" Said the woman in a husky, but feminine voice.

Marcus gave her a wide, friendly smile. "I was hoping to put something up for auction, if it's possible."

He brought out the gold medallion, placing it on the smooth, polished countertop. The woman nodded, picked up the medallion and looked it over. After a minute she handed back the medallion and said. "I haven't seen a piece such as this. If you don't mind, I can bring it to our appraiser. I'm sure he can set a good starting price."

"If you would please."

"Of course. It may take a few minutes, if you would please take a seat, I'll retrieve you when he has finished." She said holding out her hand for the medallion.

Marcus handed it over and went to take a seat with Sif. Marcus was tearing off pieces of jerky and feeding her while they waited. He'd bought a few pounds earlier in the day, jerky lasted a long while, and Sif seemed to really enjoy it. They both watched people as they would come and go, sometimes bringing in different things to sell. Sometimes what looked to be a magician would come in and leave with what looked like potions or even enchanted items, you could almost find anything you were looking for at the auction house.

After about half an hour, the woman finally came and got Marcus. Her heels were clicking on the hardwood floor. When she walked she would sway her hips in a sultry manner, making Marcus leave his eyes wonder for a little too long.

"Sir, Sir Tobias would like to speak with you about the item you brought in." The woman said with a smile. Marcus's wondering eyes didn't escape her detection.

Slightly embarrassed about being caught, Marcus cleared his throat and stood. He scratched the side of his face and replied. "Lead the way."

The woman nodded and turned around. As she headed to a door to the right of the long counter, she would sway her hips in what looked like in a more sensual way than before. Marcus didn't mind at all, he took delight in the view as they walked. Before he knew it, they were standing in front of a door, presumably the office of Sir Tobias. The woman knocked twice on the door, soon a voice came from the other side.

"Enter."

The woman opened the door and walked in, she stopped and introduced Marcus, bowed, then left the room.

"Go ahead and take a seat." Sir Tobias pointed over to an empty chair.

Sir Tobias was an elderly gentleman with gray hair and a large bald spot on the top of his head. He was wearing a well fitting black robe with gold embroidered on the cuffs and linings of the robe. He was average height at five foot four inches tall, and almost sickly thin. He was sitting at a desk with a large book in front of him and he was holding the golden medallion in his hand.

Marcus sat down, Sif slid off of him and found a spot on the floor that was the warmest and coiled up to take a nap. Sir Tobias looked up from the book and looked over to Sif, then down at the book again. He did this a few more times before finally speaking.

"It doesn't take a genius to connect the medallion to your companion here. Do you even realise what you're in possession of?"

Marcus felt his stomach drop. He didn't even think of what was on the medallion before he brought it here. It pictured a winged serpent, with lightning erupting from its body. The serpent looked just like Sif, he felt extremely stupid. Of course anyone could see that they were the same creature.

Marcus stood up, motioning for Sif. She was asleep though so he had to walk over to her. Before he made it to her though, Sir Tobias spoke again.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. If the auction house went around spilling secrets, no one would dare bring anything here. Your actions answer my question, I'm assuming you only wish to part with the medallion and not the creature, correct?"

Sir Tobias was actually almost shaking, he was in the presence of a dragon. Although it was just a baby, it was still a dragon, a legendary creature. He couldn't imagine how much such a creature would be worth, he didn't even think there was enough money in the whole city to buy it. He knew that the man in front of him was not just a normal person if he could have a baby dragon following him around like a pet. If he could make a good impression on him there was a good chance he could bring great profits to the auction house, and himself, he was obsessed with pieces such as these.

Hearing these words, Marcus calmed down. He didn't show it, but he was very nervous. He didn't want anyone causing trouble should the word get out. He could deal with them if they tried, but it would be very bothersome. Marcus sat back down on the chair.

"What do you want?" Marcus asked, he had a feeling that he'd either have to kill the man to keep the secret, or pay him off somehow.

"What do you mean? I don't want anything. Like I said, we pride ourselves in keeping our patron's anonymity. You do not need to worry about us divulging anything, our reputation as an auction house would crumble if we did." Sir Tobias said with a very serious face, his tone matching it.

"Alright, then, what about the medallion?" Marcus asked.

Sir Tobias really wanted to talk about the baby dragon, but he was a professional and if Marcus didn't want to tell him anything, he wouldn't press the issue. He let out a sigh in his head.

"The amount of gold in this piece alone prices it at twenty-five gold coins. The carvings add to it, plus the history behind it. We don't know much about the people who lived in these lands before us, so anything relating to them is very sought after. In all, I believe that this piece may fetch upwards of seventy-five gold pieces, maybe more." Tobias said this while placing the medallion down gently on the desk.

Marcus showed a wide smile, it was worth more than what he thought it would be. He may be able to pay Clair back in no time at all. He was about to say something when Tobias spoke once again.

"We're willing to outright buy this from you for fifty gold coins. That's guaranteed right now, no need to wait for the auction to finish."

"I think I'd rather wait for the auction." Marcus had a feeling he would get top dollar in the auction, there was no need to take the money now.

"I understand, the auction house is only willing to pay fifty gold coins, however, I am willing to give you one-hundred gold coins for this fine piece of history." Tobias said.

He was only authorized to pay half of the value of an appraised item. There was no rule against him buying anything, as long as he was fair in his appraisal. He was a collector of any history that he could find in the New World, so this was exactly the type of thing he was looking for. He made a very generous salary from the auction house, so it might be tight for a while, but he could afford it.

Marcus was taken aback, this was beyond his expectations. In just one stop he already had the funds to pay back the loan. He thought that if there really were gods and goddesses, they must be watching out for him. It was hard for him to hide the smile that was creeping on to his face.

"That is an acceptable price." Marcus said, trying his hardest to keep his voice even.

Tobias on the other hand didn't try to hide his emotions at all. With a pep in his step, he walked over to a cabinet and opened a drawer. He pulled out a highly decorated piece of paper. It was thick, with complex designs all over it, and was the size of an envelope. He began to write on the paper, after he was finished he handed it over to Marcus.

"This is an Emperor's Promise, take it to the Merchant's Association and they will get the coins out of my account."

Marcus had never seen one of these promises before. It was like a check in his old world, just much bigger. It had a faint glow around it, he thought that it must have some enchantment on it to prevent forgeries. After looking it over, Marcus slid the promise into his breast pocket.

"Please, if you ever find anything else like what you've brought today, come to me first. I'll make sure to give you a fair amount." Sir Tobias said very enthusiastically.

"I'll keep that in mind. It was a pleasure doing business with you Sir Tobias. Sif, time to go." Marcus said as he stood once again and went over to Sif.

Nudging her with his foot, she gave him a snort and slowly climbed him. She had just managed to fall asleep and was a little annoyed at being woken up. Marcus just rolled his eyes, Sif had the attitude of a small child sometimes, which made sense, she was really only a week old. Once she got into position, he gave her head a pat and walked to the door. Now he had another stop to make after the Mercenaries Association. Today was turning out to be a very good day.

He walked out of Sir Tobias's office and headed back to where the counter was. He was walking to the exit when someone called out to him. It was the beautiful woman from behind the counter.

"Sir, if you would wait a moment." She said as she walked up to Marcus and handed him a seal.

"This is the auction house's seal. Bring this to any auction and you'll have preferential seating. Sir Tobias forgot to give this to you."

"I just left his office. How did he tell you so quickly?" Marcus was curious, Tobias could not have made it to the counter before him. It was at least fifty feet and there was only one hallway.

"We have small communication crystals, they make our jobs much easier." She replied with a bright smile.

"My name is Tina by the way."

"Marcus, it's very nice to meet you Miss Tina." He replied, returning her bright smile.

A small blush covered her face as she averted her eyes from Marcus's. All of a sudden, Sif started to make a low growl. Apparently she didn't appreciate Marcus flirting with another woman who wasn't Clair. Tina took a step back when she heard Sif. Marcus quickly knocked her atop the head, which made the growl get stopped in her throat.

"I'm sorry about that. She's usually very well behaved." Marcus apologized.

"That's….alright. I must get back to work now, have a good day Mister Marcus." Tina said as she hurriedly went back behind the counter.

Marcus gave Tina an apologetic smile, before he turned around and started walking to the exit. He started to lecture Sif on proper manners. He told her what she did was very rude, and she should try harder not to in the future. Sif hung her head low, with her golden eyes turned upwards. He couldn't stay mad at a face like that, so he quickly forgave her. Although he was still a little upset that he had been cockblocked by a dragon.