Turns out, Mayer was basically the talk of the town all the time. He was the mysterious figure that was obviously hiding something. Not that I think Mayer was hiding anything intentionally, just living way below his means. It was just so apparent that he was different than those that surrounded him that it was like white on black. His house was better—better built, made out of better things. He constantly seemed to show a disinterest in glamour and decadence but seemed to strategically use large amounts of money when he felt like it.

Gram told stories of Mayer that made him out to be some rich noble that got sick of high society and came out here—to live in peace away from all the squabbling. I couldn’t disagree more. The way that he talked and his presence felt was obviously more like a warrior. I think that my favourite story that Gram told me was when ‘something’ had blown a massive hole out of the side of Mayer’s home—then summarily contracting the family of carpenters that had happened to fall on bad times not a few weeks before.

Apparently, Mayer would have nothing but the absolute best, and so he paid for the best possible wood and the best craftsmanship that they had to offer. Gram says that the carpenters worked around the clock for almost two months to get it up to Mayer’s standards, before he hit them with a large sack of iron ruhk—which I think is fifty iron hum in one coin. Still trying to wrap my head around that. Regardless, it was a huge sum of money and Mayer forced them to accept it gratefully—so they did and their issues were washed away, well and truly able to coast through the year without lifting a finger.

“Master Mayer seems like a really nice guy!” Rethi said, his eyes just about radiating his mix of excitement and wonder. Gram nodded at Rethi and opened his mouth so say his piece.

“I think so. However, there is a reason that many respect Mayer so much around here, Rethi.” Gram looked at Rethi, a small quirk of the lips followed when he saw a suitably confused reaction.

“People around these parts—maybe over the entirety of this god forsaken planet—are prideful. Prideful and stubborn to a fault. People around here won’t just accept your money for nothing, they would be incredibly insulted. They would take it as being treated like a beggar, something that so many despise.” Gram looked pointedly at Rethi, “He makes anyone who needs money work to the bone to earn their part. He gives them a task that might even seem impossible, but those who push through—no matter how hard it is—are the ones who succeed in the end. In this way, Mayer makes them earn the rights to his charity. Not that it could be called that by the time Mayer is done.” Gram smiled softly at Rethi, who had gone quiet. Rethi’s face had gone dark—his jaw clenched tightly and hands curled into fists. I could see a quiet pain on his face.

Something Gram had said rang true, far too true for polite company. I don’t know exactly what it was that Gram had said exactly, and I honestly couldn’t tell if it was malicious or not. I had assumed that Rethi—if not his entire family—was in a bad way. Maybe that was why Mayer was such a big deal to Rethi, but I couldn’t really know for sure at the moment. So instead I decided to change tact completely.

“Alright Rethi,” I said, getting up from my chair with a little more exaggeratedly than I would have liked, “Time to get going, we have other people to go see!” Gram looked a little surprised, but hid it well, and Rethi broke from his state and quietly got up after a moment of hesitation.

As we were leaving the store, I watched Rethi closely as he walked out of the door behind me and I started to walk in a random direction, buying me time to observe him.

Rethi followed me quietly, head down and looking at his feet. His entire demeanour had gone from ‘happy, excitable child’ to somewhere in between prideful indignation and depressed.

Strange. I looked forward towards the random direction in which we were walking. I’m sure that we were going towards the pub, if my memory served me right.

“What was that?” I asked, keeping my voice as straight as possible.

“Nothing.” He didn’t even bother to look up. I raised my eyebrow at that, and I think Rethi must have felt me do so.

“My mother isn’t doing so well. We don’t have any money. I...” he paused painfully, “I am a beggar.” Rethi went silent after that, so I just gave him a nod. It gave my brain just that little bit of leverage to put the pieces together.

If Rethi was a beggar, and Gram said that people despise beggars around these parts, then Rethi was in pretty dire need of money. If this society is just as prideful as I think it is, then being a beggar is one of the deepest depravities—effectively the same as being a whore, but probably worse. At least then you could claim that you were earning your money.

Imagine, as small child who has to lower himself to being a beggar to ensure the survival of him and his family—they heard word of a man who would give money to those that were down on their luck. A man of honour and virtue. Would you not be enamoured by that prospect? That maybe one day that man would pick you to do a job for him, and once you have completed the hardest task in your life, you were given a ridiculous sum of money as a reward.

It was a real opportunity for a kid like him. An opportunity to find a new lease on life.

“Hey,” I said softly, “Do you mind if your home, instead of the pub or another store?”

I knew how it sounded and it sounded absolutely horrible. I intended to go around all day and meet new people and see new faces, but when you have something like that shoved into your face… I can’t help but feel like I have a responsibility to see the reality of the world I’ve been plopped into.

Rethi looked at me, his face more noticeably sullen now. His eyes asked me ‘Why?’, but I just continued to look at him, unswervingly. He sighed and as the breath of air left him, it felt like someone had collapsed something inside of him, making him look even smaller than he already was.

He nodded, his small, hunched form walking forward quickly, without caring for any complain I would have previously had. I followed diligently, even as he skipped between houses like it was nothing, avoiding main streets like the plague. We moved out now—out towards where it became more wilderness than a residential district. The houses became more decrepit, to the point where most of the houses were obviously abandoned, and not a soul lived in them. Most were partly, if not mostly, destroyed or deteriorating. Some were burned, some were smashed. That this wasn’t something that was done by pure neglect.

The only real explanation would be monsters, or maybe pillaging from bandits.

We walked on and on until it became obvious that it was going to get worse from here. The houses were all basically gone, bits and pieces of old charcoal left buried in the dirt. When we came upon a house that was only slightly destroyed, it was obvious that this was Rethi’s home. It was a house that would never exist further into the town, but out here it was probably the best house in the area for a five-minute walk.

It was far away from any of the other houses, or the rubble of—possibly the reason that it wasn’t just charcoal buried in the dirt like the rest of them. We walked up to the door, which had obviously been broken at some point and had been hastily put together again with extra bits of wood and some nails. Rethi got to the door and opened it slowly, the door creaking dangerously, threatening to fall apart if provoked.

I looked into the home—or tried to, as it was almost entirely pitch black. Were candles expensive? I honestly couldn’t tell you. Rethi walked in quietly and I stood outside, not sure if I was allowed to go inside or not. A moment later a small light sparked in the darkness through the doorway. Rethi appeared at the doorway, the light playing tricks on his face, making him look something like a grim reaper. He gestured me in, letting me through the doorway into a small, barren room that looked to be the living room. There was a table and a hole in the ground that an old pot sat over, propped up by a metal stand.

It looked and smelled like poverty. There was no way that this house had been properly cleaned in years, and if it had then it was probably so grimy that it couldn’t be fixed.

I coughed lightly, trying desperately to make it not look like I was choking on the air. Rethi gave me a small, sad smile before turning to open a door on the right side of the room just a crack, and then peer through it. He then opened the door just enough to put his head through.

“Mum, are you okay?” Rethi said, his voice soft and without edges. There was a mumble from the behind the door that was vaguely female. There was some rustling and from the other side of the door and another mumble, this time from Rethi. His voice too low for me to hear properly.

Then there was silence for a few moments before there was the sound of a foot hitting the wood flooring. Then a few steps before Rethi moved out of the way of the door and the pale, malnourished face of who I assumed to be Rethi’s mother appeared. At first looked like her head was floating, because of the lack of light, but as she moved out of the doorway and into the living room it became obvious that she was just wrapped in blankets and robes from head to toe.

She looked sickly, horrifically so. She was sweating heavily but was shivering noticeably. Fever of some sort maybe. If her surroundings were anything to go by, it was obvious why she was sick—or at least wasn’t helping her in getting better. The house was in a horrific state, the germs alone would probably make any kid from Earth so sick they would die. She likely didn’t bathe enough and most likely had no medicines to take to help her. It was unlikely that she would get better in her current state and I could only really see a long road of pain and then eventual death.

“Hello.” She said, her voice papery thin and weak to the point that I could barely hear it across the room. I nodded deeply at her, a bow of sorts. I wasn’t sure that they recognised this gesture, but I did it without thinking.

“Nice to meet you Ma’am. My name Is Maximilian Avenforth.” I tried to keep my voice soft, but in the silent room it was difficult. I’d swear my voice bounced around the room seven times before she smiled weakly and moved over to the table. Each step was supported using the wall to prop up herself up. Rethi slowly moved alongside her, not touching her but obviously ready to catch her if she were to fall. If the stereotype Gram had espoused held any truth, then she was too prideful to use her son’s arm for support—even in the state she was in. Admirable in a sad, depressing way.

I walked over slowly to the table—being as courteous as I knew how—and a took a seat at their table. The seats and chairs were ramshackle at best, and almost scary to sit on at worst, but I sat anyway—making sure that not a hint of reproach or other such emotions touched my face. They didn’t need to see that. It would just be cruel. She sat down gently and sat as straight as a ruler. It was obviously uncomfortable for her, but I didn’t make a comment.

“So why have you come, Mister Maximilian.” She asked plainly. She didn’t play around or mince words, she was not in the right place to have a long drawn out conversation. Rethi simply stood, as there were no seats other than the two at the table—though not because they didn’t need more like Master Gram. I, however, was at a loss for words. I didn’t know why I had come here exactly. She eyed me coolly, despite her profuse sweating. I had to say something and fast, otherwise I was just going to make a fool of myself by default.

“To learn, Ma’am.” I said quietly. Her eyes narrowed slightly, unsure of how to take my remark. I stayed silent while she contemplated what I had said. I flushed a little—being under the microscope wasn’t exactly my first pick of enjoyable activities, but still, I remained silent. After a moment she looked back to me, her grey eyes so different to that of her son’s bright green.

“What do you mean ‘learn’?” She said, her voice still cool but with a noticeable undertone of reproach. She hadn’t liked that answer, but a bad answer that was truthful could potentially be better than a good answer that was a lie, I guessed. I thought on her question for a moment, not for long, but enough to show her that the answer wasn’t easy to put into words.

“Well…” I started, my voice full of thoughtful contemplation, “where I come from is much different to this small road town. The culture is much different here, the way of life is much different here.” I said I didn’t reveal my opinion on their honour, it just wasn’t worth it.

“Where do you come from?” Rethi’s mother asked. The question caught me off guard of just a second until I got my face under control. I thought about the places I knew on this planet, which was none. I didn’t even know the name of a country close by, let alone any others further away. I knew the names of the planets, Orisis and Virsdis, but that didn’t help me much. So, I decided to go with the super safe route and looked to her…

And smiled a wide smile. Not smug, but a sort of smile that said, ‘I can’t tell you’. I shrugged my shoulders slightly before looking at her in the eyes and seeing a little bit of surprise there. I sat there staring at her with what I hoped was a smile of sincere honesty on my face. The surprised look in her eyes faded quickly before slowly, then words began to seem to flow through her head, but never leave her mouth, leaving it hanging slightly ajar. I let it continue for a little while before I offered her a lifeline.

“I have met your son, Rethi. He is quite a diligent young man.” I said, keeping our interaction intentionally vague whilst giving Rethi a little bit of a status boost while I was at it. From what I knew, Rethi was a beggar, and meeting his mother made it obvious that she was a proud person. I looked to Rethi quickly, seeing a somewhat worried look in his eyes. I think he was nervous that I might spill something of my impression of him, leading to her finding out that her son was begging to keep her alive. One of the greatest debasements that a person can face in this culture.

“Oh?” Rethi’s mother said—broken from her cycle of not finding the right words, I could almost see the relief in her eyes. I wasn’t actually sure if it was just relief at me moving the conversation away from where it had been, but when a smile spread out on her face, it was obvious that it was because of her son.

“Yes, he has helped me out a little bit so far, and I was hoping for your blessing to let me employ him in a sense.” I said, a smile on my face. I tried not to sound too salesman-like, but the concerned look that hit her face made it obvious that I didn’t do such a good job.

“And what is it that he will be doing for you, Mister Maximillian?” She said, cautiousness readily obvious in her voice, using the title as a sharp implement. She was obviously becoming weaker thought our conversation, so I tried to keep it short and sweet, ignoring the wild looks and subtle gestures from Rethi over his mother’s shoulder.

“I am intending to train with Master Mayer, and I hope to have your son help me both during training and during interactions within the town.” I said, sounding surer than I actually was. I actually had no damn idea what I was going to do with Rethi, but I couldn’t stand around and let him beg and scrape for his sick mother without doing anything—or let him do something so tortuous as whatever had given him the welts on his back that he had tactically hidden from his mother.

“Employment?” She asked wistfully, a hesitant smile spreading on her face when she slowly looked over her shoulder at Rethi, who looked stunned, but tried to put on a smile for his mother.

“Yes, employment. I do not have the details of payment just yet, but he will be fed as much as he needs plus some, given proper facilities to do his job, and space to sleep if required. I cannot promise that anything other than that will be given, aside from a payrate that will be decided upon at a later date.” I said punctually, as if I had done so a million times. Of course I hadn’t, I hadn’t even thought of hiring someone for anything—ever.

“R-really?” Rethi spoke now, his voice louder than he had meant to be—he looked worryingly towards his mother, before turning back with restrained enthusiasm. I nodded to him, as well as to his mother.

“I promise to you, upon my name that I will do whatever I can to pay you well. For the sake of you and your family.” I said to Rethi, before turning to his mother. I looked at her with absolute honesty.

“I cannot guarantee that this job will be easy or risk free, but I hope to make a good impression on you and your son. I hope that would accept this—if you intend to allow me to employ your son.” I smoothly reached into my pocket and pulled out the two iron smah Mayer had given me, and placed them gently onto the table—sliding them over to within the easy reach of Rethi’s mother. Rethi and his Mother looked at the coins with wide, disbelieving eyes. I don’t know how much money that was, but it was obviously enough to be important to them.

“We cannot accept this money. Rethi has not earned this money.” I had expected this response, to be honest. All I had to do was give her good cause. I made a good effort to look somewhat offended, in a way that didn’t reflect badly on her all too much but was supposed to be a culture difference situation. All I had to do was make it my honour that a worker be payed a ‘signing deal’ as such. If that doesn’t convince her, then there isn’t much that I could do.

Rethi looked about to argue with his mother, but I quickly interjected with a tone that showed a little bit of hurt, but stubbornness.

“Ma’am. I understand that in your culture, taking money from others without sufficient work being done is frowned upon, but in my culture we having something that we call a ‘signing bonus’,” I looked at her, allowing her to process my words and become curious, then continued, “A signing bonus is something that an employer gives an employee to guarantee that they will come to work for them, an upfront investment. Many years ago, this was just used to capture the interest of high value prospective employees, but it slowly evolved into a show of respect and a burden of responsibility. To be given a signing bonus by an employer is a sign of respect, and if accepted by the employee, it means that they bear the responsibility of what that money means.” I stopped, letting the weight of my words sink in. I was obviously playing this up, this wasn’t something that was so culturally significant back on Earth, but I feel like this was the best way to sell them on this idea.

“If you are to accept this signing bonus, then you are putting my pride as an employer and your name on the line. This money is to show my interest in you, and to show you that I am betting on my instincts.” I stopped.

I hope I hadn’t oversold it. I had totally been bullshitting for the entirety of that, so I wasn’t sure how convincing I had been. I had tried to keep a smile on my face, but I also wanted to make them aware of the gravity of my fake cultural meaning of that money. In reality it was just money that I wanted to give them because I wanted them to eat properly for what had to be the first time in weeks, if not months.

I looked the mother dead in the eye, clearly stating that I was expecting someone to accept that money. I waited while the mother thought about it. After a moment she nodded, almost to herself, before looking towards Rethi, silently giving him the go ahead to make his choice, leaving it totally to him.

Silence followed. I looked at Rethi intently, smile gone from my face, left with pure gravitas. I realised that while I was conjuring up that story about the signing bonus, I had legitimately become serious about this. This actually meant something to me now. So, I looked at him with all the weight that I could muster behind my eyes, making it know just how important this could be to him and to his Mother, and also to me.

Rethi reached out his hand, slowly moving to pick up the two iron smah off of the table, but hesitated just before he touched them, and glanced towards his mother, seeking for her affirmation. But none came. Rethi’s Mother remained entirely impassive, giving him nothing to work with but his own instincts and pride.

He swallowed deeply, looked to me, and with a bowed head he picked up the two iron smah off of the rickety old table.

I couldn’t help but let my face break into a grin so wide I would have sworn I looked like a lunatic. I looked to the mother again and put out my hand, letting it hang in the air for just a moment before I spoke.

“Maximilian Avenforth.” I said softly to her. She looked at me a long moment before giving a small grin and placing a weak, sweaty hand into mine and shaking it.

“Shae Orsen.” She said, happiness evident in her voice as she spoke. When she smiled, I realised that she wasn’t really all that old. Maybe early thirties. Regardless, I looked towards Rethi and held out my hand and he grabbed it quickly, and shook my hand vigorously. He was just about crying, I don’t know if it was the money, or being given a job, but it didn’t really matter.

“Rethi Orsen,” He said, his voice cracking right in the middle of saying his last name, “I hope to work well for you Master Maximilian.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a deep, hearty laugh before standing up from my seat. I had never been called ‘Master’ before. I would have to try and convince him to call me Max at some point.

I sighed happily and bowed deeply towards Shae.

“I feel as if your son will be a good worker of mine. I have to leave to tend to other things, but I believe that I will be seeing you on occasion from now on.” She nodded happily at this. Although I she looked just about ready to jump out of her chair and dance about, I could see all this excitement wearing her thin and, to save her the pride of having to dismiss me before she collapsed, I decided to make a tactical exit.

Before I walked through the front door, I turned to Rethi.

“I expect you to be in front of Mayer’s home by 10 o’clock tomorrow morning. Do you have any other engagements that I need to be aware of to make adjustments?” Rethi shook his head vigorously and I nodded.

“See you tomorrow then!” I said then I left. Then suddenly, as I was walking up the street of ruined houses, I realised something incredibly important that I had forgotten entirely.

“…How do I get home from here.”

[Skilled Salesman: You masterfully sold someone on an idea (that they might’ve have killed you for) in a really inventive way! Or you just got lucky—regardless, a reward for a feat. +4 Mind]

[Might: 15]

[Mind: 15 (+4)]

[Agility: 6]