I did my best to remain upbeat over the next couple of weeks. Upbeat, not chipper, no one likes that over-eager intern before their morning coffee. It was hard at first because of my blistering fingers and aching muscles. It only grew harder as one week lapsed into the next with no sign of land. We stopped once to resupply our stores but that only took a few hours and then we were on our way again.

After three weeks of sailing north we came to our first destination, and the first city I had gotten a good look at. A stone wall, studded with round towers enclosed the city on three sides and ran forty feet into the sea at each end. The harbor was protected by a long breakwater which ended in a squat but sturdy-looking lighthouse. Instead of a rotating spotlight, the lighthouse was capped with a stone platform loaded with firewood.

Once we passed the breakwater we could see into the harbor proper. Stone footed and timber-framed warehouses crowded the water. A steeple that reminded me of a church rose out of the skyline and woodsmoke hung over the city like smog. A score of the viking-esque longships that had been growing more common as we traveled north were anchored in the harbor with only a few of the larger trading ships which were common near Navarone.

We pulled up to the dock and after the cargo was loaded onto a few carts, we were off. This time we were more interested in selling booze than buying it. Jerry led us through the twisting streets. There was a lot less drunken revelry and a lot more military patrols here. The whole city looked like it was on lockdown. We had to step aside to let ranks of bearded men with bearded axes and iron-rimmed shields march by more than once.

We finally pulled up to a well-guarded stone warehouse. Jerry waved some papers around and we were let in. The quartermaster was pleased to see us ahead of schedule and accepted the rum happily. He opened the mysterious chest and I got a glimpse at racks and racks of what could only have been magic wands. He finally took the bolts of cloth and handed Jerry a slip of paper. It was the first time I had seen an exchange of credit rather than coin but Jerry tucked away the paper without comment.

After that, we took our carts back to the docks. A huge mound of stone blocks, each the size of a loaf of bread were waiting for us. Luckily, the tide was against us by the time we loaded the masonry into the ship and Duncan gave us leave for the next seven hours. Jerry tried to tempt me to a local bar but I begged off.

It wasn’t just that I was still bearing a grudge for the way he duped me into a contract. I had some business to take care of and my plan had already hit a snag. The quartermaster was behind some very unfriendly looking guards and I didn’t have any papers or official business to wave in their faces.

I did manage to overhear that he was buying the rum for 30 coppers a bottle. That gave me a starting price point for the region at least. It didn’t take me too much wandering to find what I was looking for.

The soldiers lounging in the afternoon sun looked cocky and self-assured. They shouted and laughed with no regard to the people around them. If I had to make a comparison, they were like a biker gang. Loud, well-armed, and intimidating. I walked right up to the biggest and loudest one.

“Good Day gentlemen!” I said as I swept my cap off in an exaggerated bow. “You seem to be in fine spirits this afternoon. Could I interest you in a song or a tale?”

“Get lost bard.” One of the soldiers jeered “If I have to listen to March for the Glory of the Empire one more time I’m going to cut my damned ears off.” Not exactly the response I was hoping for but I could work with it. Sticks and Stones and all that...

“I’m not familiar with that song.” I admitted which earned me some curiosity “I have just arrived from the south and my repertoire consists almost entirely of original songs and a few sailing shanties I picked up along the way.”

“So you’re not here to tell us that the emperor shites gold and that we should feel honored just to be his spear-fodder?”

“Not in particular, no.” I said then took a gamble “I’m here to tell you that the emperor’s golden spear is as soft and stubby as shite.” The men stiffened and I thought I overplayed my hand. The next moment they burst out laughing, slapping me on the back and I even gained a level in Jester.

After that, I played a couple of songs, told a few ribald jokes and basically put the soldiers in a friendly and receptive mood. When they started running low on ale and the conversation turned to the unreasonable rations I made my move.

“Gentlemen” I addressed the ruffians “While this has been a pleasant diversion, I can’t help but feel that something is missing.”

“What’s that Pat?” asked Tom obligingly. I faked a thoughtful expression for a moment before snapping my fingers.

“I’ve entirely forgotten to perform any magic!” I announced

“You don’t look like a mage” Accused Salvatore with a squint. I gulped, was there some way to identify a mage by sight?

“Nope,” Salvatore concluded, “You clearly don’t have a broom handle rammed up your arse so you can’t be a mage.”

I laughed along with the soldiers in my relief.

“Maybe I avoided that bit of formal training but I have one or two tricks up my sleeve that might interest you all.”

I waved my hand over the table and a bottle of rum thunked solidly onto the wood.

“Abra-cadabra!” The soldiers were slack-jawed for only a second before they burst into cheers.

“Hocus-Pocus” Another wave caused the rum and the cheers to disappear. It felt a little like teasing a pack of dogs with a tennis ball. I raised a hand to my head and swayed, holding on to the table for dramatic effect.

“Woah. That spell takes a lot out of me. Though if I think about it, only the second part is all that draining. I suppose I could be convinced to perform the first half of that trick a few more times, for a meager compensation…”

I offloaded all of my rum for 40 coppers each. Avoiding taxes and middle-men let me double my original investment! It took a little work to find customers this way but It was a lot more fun than just dropping the bottles at a warehouse.

I spent another couple of hours drinking with the soldiers. They were friendly, if a bit rough around the edges. They were also happy to share all kinds of information with me and I learned how this fort was built to defend strategic iron mines and only expanded as the area developed. Unfortunately, the army-town didn’t produce much else and the iron wasn’t for sale. That left me with few options. I could buy stones, mimicking Duncan’s purchases but I would only be able to carry one or two before the weight got to be too much.

The soldiers were getting more and more rowdy and I was about to duck out when Tom took my arm and pulled my ear in close.

“You strike me as the sort of man who can recognize many and diverse business opportunities. Even better, you seem clever enough not to ask too many questions when they come ‘round.”

I couldn’t have asked for a more overt cue.

“You could say that… Can I assume that you have a particular opportunity in mind?”

“Well you see, being soldiers, we often find ourselves assigned the unfortunate task of clearing battlefields. On occasion, we find the odd trinket, just lyin’ about. Problem is, there aren’t any merchants in town who trade in such sensitive oddities.”

“I see. That is a thorny problem.” I commiserated just long enough before pretending to come to a sudden realization.

“Seeing as we have become such fast friends it’s only right that I help you with this problem. I’m sure to meet a discrete collector willing to give these trinkets a home on my travels. Why don’t I take them off of your hands for you? No questions asked, of course.”

Tom grinned and toasted the good fortune that brought us together.

I ended up buying a handful of silver buttons, a few silver rings, and a handsome crest with some kind of seabird engraved into it. The bird’s snakelike neck doubled back on itself before ending in a long straight beak After a little haggling we settled on 85 copper. I had no idea what value the silver jewelry really had or who I could even sell it to but I was walking away with a good amount of the precious metal. More than I would find in a few silver coins anyways.

Tom wasn’t ecstatic about the low price. I didn’t particularly care. Frankie taught me all about the power inherent in being the only buyer around and it felt pretty good to be on the other side of that power dynamic for a change. Besides, he managed to offload some obviously incriminating evidence for a tidy profit. He even got a bottle of rum in the bargain. I must have heard at least 4 different soldiers grumble about the injustice of officers getting all the good hooch when they don’t do any of the real fighting.

While the business was productive, the last few rounds of haggling were a little less than friendly. I thanked them for the pleasant company and took my leave.

Silver and Copper weren’t the only things I gained. I also picked up a useful skill.

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Skill: Trade

Level: 1

Increased baseline reputation

Decreased reputation-loss from haggling

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