Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 188 188 - Tipping with scales

My thoughts wander while I'm on my way back to town. These strangers and how they apparently made off with the wyvern and its eggs, it all rubs me wrong. If captured alive, the scaled beast and its offspring would be a worthwhile bounty for just about any city's lord here on the frontier and possibly beyond. Such a wyvern would make an impressive mount for any other noble with ambitions too though. And members of Riverrun's thieves guild have hinted at having to take care of this problem too.

This leaves me with a list of potential suspects who could be behind this operation. In fact that list is long enough, it might as well be endless. There is no easy way to figure out who is behind it. Not with any certainty anyway. Where should I even begin with an investigation? Especially if I want to avoid accidentally tipping off the wrong people? That isn't a trivial question. Whoever is behind this probably doesn't want to be found out until it's essentially all over. That's reasonable enough. I would do it the same way.

My brows furrow. I am doing it the same way! Except, none of my plans involve living wyverns or other highly dangerous creatures as flying mounts. Not right now anyway. Or rather, now that I'm actually thinking about it, I'd rather forego mounts that are dangerous at both ends and crafty in the middle completely. Yes, that sounds sensible enough. As far as I'm concerned horses are already toeing the line I'd rather not cross.

I manage to drive these still very hypothetical thoughts from my mind for a while at least. During that time I go for the best speed I can maintain over long distances. I still have business to attend to in town after all thus arriving too late won't do. I even neglect my stealth a little for this reason. At the same time I do not stop to pay close attention to my surroundings though. In the end this earns me some progress for my [Running] and my [Perception] skill.

I make only one brief break before I get within sight of the town's outlying homesteads. I take a little time to rearrange the contents of my pack. My first stop will be the guildhall of the adventurers' guild, thus the quest papers and the sack with the dried Black Caps go on top, the wyvern scales which I'll need later wander a little further down in my pack in turn. Satisfied I resume my journey.

The town at least has not changed during my brief absence, as far as I can tell at a glance anyway. Sezemat's caravan is still camped there at the outskirts and people are coming and going. That much is already good. For a moment I pondering taking the route through the gate, but I decide against it. Today of all days a guard might rightfully tax me due to all the wyvern scales I carry. Thus I abandon that Idea and settle on taking the rooftop highway instead.

Thus, once past the night market and theater of Sezemat's caravan I quickly take to the rooftops. I use a flight of stairs situated in a quiet side alley to get up most of the way this time around though. My pack is not terribly heavy, but it's heavy enough to be a bother for sure.

Atop the first roof I first slip behind a chimney to obscure my presence up here and to get a good look at the surroundings. I'm already quite familiar with the town's rooftops. Thus it doesn't take me long to pick a path that will provide me with ample cover through chimneys. I'm in luck as I can time my approach perfectly to avoid one of the guard patrols on the wall too. In the end my run earns me some progress for my [Stealth], [Running], [Jumping] and [Balance] skills. Those are pretty good gains. I'm satisfied anyway, despite the lack of actual level up notice. I don't need to waste any Mana on one of my new skills to avoid notice either. That too is good, although that might have probably earned me one of those rare by now notifications.

Well, never mind. I return back to street level in a alley that sees little traffic, on foot or otherwise, using another narrow flight of stairs. Afterwards I head straight to the guildhall.

The guildhall is never actually quiet, there is always someone coming or going, or at least someone who needs something or other from the clerks. It's not exactly busy right now either though, thus it's my turn at the counter soon enough. In fact my wait in line is just long enough to grab my quest papers and the dried mushrooms from my pack.

The clerk behind the counter, another retired adventurer by his looks, sure seems to appreciate that I have everything ready. He glances at my paperwork before he shifts his attention to the dried mushrooms I brought. He analyzes them using a skill, before depositing them in a container provided by the guild. I can keep my recently purchased bag. Just as well. I wouldn't want purchases like this to eat into my already meager profits regularly. Only then does he really process the paperwork. He is professional and quick about it though, thus I soon have six more pennies to my name.

I stuff the coins in my currently rather full purse before I take my leave again. I'm richer right now than I have ever been since arriving here for sure. Which, of course, doesn't mean that I'm actually rich. I'm most certainly not even moderately well off. I have no illusions in that regard. But I'm making progress. That has to count for something, right?

That line of thought certainly is a potent distraction. Enough so that I almost forget about the other important topic I need to address with the guild. Not with the clerk responsible for quests though. It's funny how that allows me to cover that temporary lapse of mine. I change direction ever so slightly to approach the clerk responsible for general guild business. Even better, that one isn't busy at the moment. I pull the four tags I gathered from my pack and place them on the counter.

"I ran into some potent trouble out there while searching for those strange mushrooms. The kind that has skeletons in their storage shed. Quite literal in this case."

The clerk takes the tags and studies them for a moment.

"Some of those are old. Never mind. You mentioned skeletons … the bodies?"

It's heartening that he has his priorities.

"They already were in urns, essentially. I built a grave for them, marker and all, and consecrated it."

He nods and licks his lips. This, it seems, is not an every day occurrence, which is rather reassuring if you come to think of it. It certainly would be more troublesome the other way around. He stops me before I can turn to leave though.

"There might be some more questions that need to be answered. Not right now, but if you were available for an interview later the guild would appreciate it."

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

That seems to be all now. I nod and turn to leave. My next destination is the temple just across the central square. This time I don't have to deal with a young priest unfamiliar with me or the hidden shrines up top. The one on duty today is Daria. I have talked with her in the past. She only nods in greeting, a gesture I mirror as I head to the stairs leading up to the rooftop.

A little later I already heave myself through the window that is the only entrance to Fox's hidden shrine. That stuffed pack really does get in the way at times. I drop it by the window and approach the altar and the offering box without it. I kneel, lower my head and drop the coins I just received at the adventurers' guild into the offering box.

"Fox, divine guardian of many masks. God of making mischief and Goddess of having fun. It's been an exciting few days. I have grown quite a bit. One of my classes evolved even. Please accept my offering as a sign of gratitude for always watching out for me."

[*Ding!* Your Karma increased by 6!]

Fox doesn't reply verbally beyond that notification. They don't manifest an avatar either, but I still have the feeling that my words reached my divine sponsor. This feeling goes well beyond the divine favor I earned or even the slight increase in my [Prayer] and [Sacrifice] skills.

With a little sigh I get up again. I wouldn't mind staying a little longer, but I still have things to do, people to meet and maybe even mysteries to solve. I'm sure Fox will understand.

With one last wave in the direction of the altar I pick my pack back up to be off again. Out the window, but not back down the stairs. I still don't want to risk going through the gate right now. Thus I'm off across the rooftops again.

My next destination is close to the downstream waterfront, thus that is the general direction I'm heading in too. My dash across rooftops and the wall earns me some more skill progress. My [Running], [Jumping] and [Balance] skills all benefit, as does my [Stealth] skill, as I still make sure to use whatever cover is available to my advantage. I may have grown a lot out there in the woods during the last few days, but it still feels good to be back in town.

Eventually I reach my goal. It's not the shop of Rysia and Brygida though. No, right now I descend back to street level right behind the shop of Marla's parents. She is one of the troublemakers that were bothering Brygida until I put an end to that, hopefully instilling some sense into them. Right now though, I hope I left enough of an impression with her to persuade her, and her parents, to fashion a very special piece of clothing or rather armor for me.

I don't bother with heading around to the front entrance. Instead I slip in through the backdoor. Thankfully it's not locked. No surprise really. The shop isn't closed for the night yet either. My [Stealth] improves some more, as I slip in quietly. Neither the girl nor her father look up from their work, still oblivious to my presence.

The man is busy with the metal fittings for a rather decorative belt. And watching him work drives home the fact that a good belt is so much more than just a strip of leather. His daughter Marla on the other hand is working on something even more demanding. It's a rather complex bodice of soft leather. The mother in turn seems to be in the shop out front talking with a customer. Good. It'll be easier to just smooth talk these two into accepting my order. They can then sort things out with the girl's mother.

For the briefest of moments I entertain the idea of using my new shadow shroud skill, but that would be total overkill. They still haven't noticed me as is, to absorbed by their work and used to the sounds of the city around them. Thus, in the end, I simply clear my throat. Both look up and both are surprised to see me. Their reaction is quite different though. Marla's father simply furrows his brows at first, obviously not too thrilled about me invading their privacy like this. It's only when he takes not of just how badly his daughter blanches, that that frown gets really pronounced. His voice is quite firm, but not loud, as he addresses her.

"What did you do now?"

I wave his words away casually.

"She didn't do anything. Not right now anyway. What she did, was to catch my attention a while ago, but do not fret. What really matters is what she, and probably you and your wife, can do for me in the near future."

My words for some reason do not lessen his worries at all, that much is obvious. His daughter on the other hand relaxes a little. She seems well enough aware that this is heading in the direction of a normal enough business transaction. I want something they can make. The only question in her eyes probably is how much I'm going to haggle down the price due to her past with me.

I play along with her expectations for now and flash the duo at their respective work places a toothy smile.

"I know it's not quite what you usually make, but say, are you familiar with the concept of brigandine armor? Plates, usually overlapping for maximum protection, sewn or riveted in between layers of leather or sturdy cloth."

The father, at first deeply uncomfortable with my smile, looks down at the belt he is currently attaching decorative metal fittings. He nods.

"I can see why you would ask us. Leather and metal, we work with both. What you want is not just a bodice or a set of belts though. You may think that you can haggle us down due to my daughter's past misdeeds, but it still won't be cheap, you know?"

The girl looks like she wants to speak up, but I cut her off before she can actually say anything.

"Of course. Good craftsmanship is always worth its price. I'm not quite done yet though. There is something special I'd like to ask of you. Regarding the materials used. Say, have you ever worked with monster materials?"

The frown is back, but he nods anyway.

"Not often. The biggest project was my own masterpiece quite a while ago. You are aware, a request like that won't lower the price. Getting your hands on things like sandshark scales or the amount of minotaur horn necessary for any suit of armor, its neither easy nor do such things come cheap."

Sandsharks? How curious. What is important though is, that he just spelled it out for me that monster materials are worth a small fortune. That's what really matters. The mother is by now standing in the door connecting workshop and shop, listening in. A fact of which I'm well aware thanks due to my [Perception] skill, which in turn makes a little progress towards the next level up. I'm still grinning as I speak up again.

"How about wyvern scales? How many would you need?"

The wife does a spit take with the tea she is sipping, while the daughter is staring at me wide eyed and pale. The man apparently thinks that I can't possibly be serious.

"Ha, very funny. You might as well ask for gold plating."

I just keep smiling.

"Well, but gold plating would be so heavy and cumbersome, while wyvern scales are pretty light and a little flexible. So, how many? About this size."

I hold up my hand as I finish speaking to indicate the size I have in mind.

Marla is patting her coughing mother's back, while the man finally considers the request seriously.

"Twenty four at least. Front and back. About thirty would be better, maybe a few more. Overlap, as you mentioned. I'd rather take proper measurements though to make sure. I really don't like basing my work on guesses."

That sounds sensible enough. I pull my pack of my back and start to pile the scales on his worktable.

"Say, how about you use as many as you need and keep the rest as payment?"

My [Haggling] skill, used not nearly often enough, makes a little progress and across the workbench the mother faints. Marla barely manages to catch her while the father stares at me open mouthed.

"And of course, I'd really appreciate it, if you keep rather quiet about this. Can we agree on that?"