I was buzzing with excitement as we made our way back home towards the inn. I had so much to plan and think about. We needed to sort out our finances, find income, meet all these labor guilds and secure a workforce. It was all a bit overwhelming, but truthfully, I hadn’t felt this revved up about a project in years. The closest was probably the bridge development back home.

But that paled compared to what lay before me now.

Yunni and Phee crushed me with another double hug from behind, distracting me from my thoughts. The show of affection was both warming and a relief of sorts. I was worried for a moment that Phee might have fallen into some kind of catatonic funk from her fiery encounter, but her spirits seemed lifted after the meeting and it was like the whole thing of her freezing up had never occurred. A big part of me was glad for that, but I made a mental note to still ask her how she was feeling later on, perhaps when we were alone. But for right now, I was happy to see she was back to her normal self again.

“You just continue to impress me, Master Cole,” Yunni said, clutching my sleeve. “You handled that like a Holy Lord Master. Your balls must be huge!”

“Oh they are,” Phee said. “And quite lovely as well.”

I blushed as I laughed with them.

“Will you get your mind out of the gutter, Phee?” Devena chided. “We have serious work ahead of us now.”

“And will you lighten up, Devena?” the Half-ogress retorted sardonically. “You can at least spend a few minutes admiring our new boss for the amazing job he did back there.” She then ticked my ear from above. “Seriously, Cole, you must be a master of women. You had the Lady Celine herself, eating right out of your hand!”

I laughed again. “Well I wouldn’t go that far. I just enticed her with some juicy knowledge she wasn’t yet aware of. But she’s quite impressive herself really.”

“Indeed,” Phee said with a hint of coyness in her voice. “I noticed you admiring her.”

I blushed again, but Phee just laughed.

“Too bad she’s human and can’t be added to the guild, ‘eh Devena?” Phee said jokingly, nudging the dragoness. “Could you imagine the Lady Celine as one of our bond sisters?”

Devena rolled her eyes again. “Please. Like she’s all that anyway. She’s not even a mage. She just happens to be a Lady. Nothing more than a lucky human born with a holy spoon in her mouth.”

I chuckled at Devena. “Forever the hater, eh? Why can’t you give credit where credit is due?”

She didn’t respond right away, but I could see a smirk on her lips. “Look, I’m not one to kiss asses, especially high and mighty ones, like the Holy Lady Celine’s. But I’m big enough to…as you say…give credit where credit is due. So in that regard and in particular to our meeting with the Lady Celine, I do admit that some congratulations are in order.”

I straitened my shoulders, awaiting the oft so rare complement to come from the dragon lady.

“Good job, Yunni,” she said patting the Nymph on the back. “You managed to pick a good one. I guess we’ll go ahead and keep him around for a little while longer.”

My mouth fell open at Devena’s deadpan delivery, but thereafter I let loose with a belly laugh. We all did then and even Devena couldn’t help but chuckle at her own joke while giving me a wink.

I saw a jump in our relationship gauge and was shocked to see it had gone from -200 and was now sitting at 600. Holy crap. I guess I had been impressing her just as much as Lady Celine in that meeting.

“Anyway,” Devena said. “All jokes aside, we need to figure out what in the hells we’re going to do now. We’ve gained Lady Celine’s favor…or at least Cole has, but she didn’t give us the break we needed. How are we going to pay back all this money in only ten days?”

“Well,” I said. “If you need money, there’s always one place to find it. Let’s head to the bank.”

* * *

We made a detour for the market square and arrived at the Abe Lincoln memorial. Atop the roof I noticed a statue of the same winged Naga emblem that the Lady Celine was wearing. Below it were the words: Holy Imperial Bank and Contract Exchange.

“Is that the goddess Lythandra?” I asked.

“In all her splendor,” Yunni said smiling up at it. “At least that’s what the holy texts say she looks like. No one has ever seen her for real. Except for in the old, old days. Oh! And the Holy Emperor too. He communes with her. Or so they say.”

“Whose they?” I asked.

Yunni shrugged. “People I guess.”

“That’s not important,” Devena said. “What’s important is that you don’t need to see her to feel her laws. And this exchange is a prime example of it.”

“You mean the contracts?” I asked, recalling what Shareef had told me.

“Yes,” Yunni said. “Whatever we agree to will be binding under the penalty of sin.”

“That goes for our debts too,” Devena added. “So we can’t take what we owe in taxes lightly either. We need to get those paid no matter what.”

I remembered the 50 gold I still owned on that contract and wondered if maybe I should spend what remaining gold we had to pay it off. “What does the penalty of sin actually mean?”

Phee looked down at me and frowned. “You’ll probably see once we get inside.”

That had me filled with both curiosity and trepidation as we climbed the stairs towards the entrance of the exchange. I glanced around the place once we passed between the open columns and was welcomed by a cool change in air temperature. I wasn’t sure if it was magic or what, but it was pretty darn close to what I would consider air conditioning back home. I immediately looked for the source and spotted three chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, each holding a large chunk of raw crystal that looked like ice. Tendrils of smoky air dripped from them and spilled onto the floor, like what you’d see from coming from a freezer. I walked underneath one of them and it felt like I was in a blast chiller.

“Now this is cool,” I said, geeking out at the magical air conditioning. “Literally!”

“Yes, yes,” Devena said nonplussed. “Now what exactly did you bring us in here for? We already know our bank balance. And it’s not impressive, I might add.”

“True,” I said. “Which is why I want to add to it.”

“How?” Yunni asked.

“I want to look into getting us a loan.” The start of any business needed capital. And we needed quite a bit just to pay off debt. “Do we have any equity?”

“Any what?” Phee asked.

“Like stuff of value we could offer up as collateral,” I explained. “Ideally something like real estate.”

“What?” Devena asked.

“Like land.”

Phee chuckled. “You do see where we’re living, right?”

Damn…maybe this was going to be harder than I thought. “Well let’s just go inquire anyway. I need to understand how this system works.”

We ventured further into the building, which was open spaced and about the size of a basketball stadium, more or less. There were a good number of guards present who stood at the entrance. Others mingled with the patrons within, keeping watch on the proceedings. People of all races waited in queues in front of a series of teller booths, which I figured was the banking side of the operation. The opposite end of the room resembled more of a courthouse. There were three separate courts it seemed like, each dominated by a high seated judge that looked to be conducting hearings. The judges were all human as far as I could tell and wore the same royal blue as Lady Celine. I gravitated towards the area as the judges banged their gavels in quick succession after spouting quick oratory for the court to hear.

“Are those court cases?” I asked, marveling at the speed they were going. “Never seen adjudication happen that fast with anything.”

“They’re ruling on defaulted contracts,” Devena said. “If you want to see the penalty of sin, look no further.”

I still didn’t understand what she mean and stopped just outside of one of the courts to listen in. It was ringed off by a set of highly lacquered wooden banisters. Within the fenced in area, where the judge sat, were a couple more cubicles; again fenced off with their own wooden banisters. There was a male satyr in one box to the left, was reading from a book. Opposite him on the other side of the court was a larger gallery where a few official looking people were sat, looking rather bored for the most part. The rest were individuals who were being corralled by a small contingent of city guards.

“Contract 07412B,” the Satyr announced. “Loan default. 200 gold. One week overdue.”

“Is the defaulting party present?” the judge, a bald, dark skinned man, who looked in his sixties and kind of reminded me of Samuel L Jackson, said.

The satyr paused briefly to look about the court. “Doesn’t appear to be, your honor.”

Samuel L Jackson slammed the gavel, which went off with a magical blue flash. “Warrant hereby issued for imp collection with immediate incarceration. Clerk, reschedule arraignment once captured.”

“Very well, your honor,” the Satyr said, adjusting a set of glasses perched on his nose.

“Next!”

“Holy shit,” I said. “Talk about swift justice. And what are these imps? I remember that dude mentioning them before.”

“Oh they’re really scary,” Yunni said. “Or so people say. They can find you anywhere. They just appear and drag you back through the nether realm to face justice. They’re like Lythandra’s unholy angels.”

“You mean like demons?”

Yunni nodded. “Sorta, I guess. They’re invisible so no one knows what they really look like, but I imagine they must be pretty terrifying.”

I swallowed. “That is kind of scary.”

“Contract 07413A,” the satyr clerk said. “Failure to deliver on an obligation. Fence to be erected in three weeks, incomplete by deadline.”

“Is the defaulting party present?” the judge asked again.

“I am,” a broad shouldered orc bellowed out. “I wish to request more time for completion, your honor.”

“On what grounds?”

“Er…” the Orc faltered a bit. “The spring rains, your honor. I couldn’t get started till late.”

The judge perused a magical book of his own. “As I see no provision for weather, your default remains. How much time are you asking for?”

The orc shrugged. “Another week?”

“Are you sure?”

“I think so.”

“Well, Mr. I think so,” the judge said slamming his magical gavel again. “Your contract has been amended for a 1 week extension with a corresponding decrease in value. I warn you, if you appear before me again for incompletion, the contract will be enforced under penalty of sin.”

There was that term again. I watched as the orc slumped his shoulders, muttering a “thank you, your honor,” before leaving the court. Another case popped up and this time the guy was brought forward in shackles and chains by the cityguards.

“Your honor, the defaulter has failed to deliver on several contracts for the delivery of carrots, totaling 37 gold. He appeared for judgment one month ago and was granted a three week extension. Records show that he sold the contracts on the exchange after missing the delivery yet again. A warrant was issued for imp collection. He stands before you now for final judgment.”

Samuel L. didn’t even look at the guy. “Award full damages to the defrauded parties. Judgment for repayment of contract value under penalty of sin.”

The gavel flashed and the defaulter, a middle aged human who could pass for Hispanic began shouting. “No! Please your honor! Mercy! Mer­­—”

His words cut short as a brand suddenly appeared on his forehead, an Arabic looking symbol that flashing into existence in a flicker of flames. His pupils dilated and it seemed as if all life and emotion drained from his body.

The guards removed the shackles and the man stood there, swaying on his feet.

“I believe this one is yours, Sin Master,” the judge said, referring to one of the people sitting in the gallery. “Servitude shall be one month of hard labor for every gold owed.”

“Holy shit…” I whispered. “That dude just got three years of hard labor for friggin’ carrots?”

A portly orc, who looked more pig like than his kin who’d just left, grunted an acknowledgment. “We’s wills puts him to good use for the Empire, your honors. Glory to Lythandra.”

I watched horrified as the man who’d just been pleading for mercy, marched drone like to stand with the orc Sin Master, joining several other zombified slaves, who shared the same brands on their foreheads. My butthole instantly tightened as I remember the 50 gold I owed again.

50 gold. 50 months.

No way was I getting turned into a mind controlled zombie slave for 50 months! “Guys, I need to check when this contract I have is due.”

Yunni looked up at me nodding emphatically. “Good idea.”

We were about to leave, when the Clerk called out something that really caught my attention. “Defaulter is deceased, you honor. Outstanding bank debts and taxes come to a total of 1357 gold.”

The judge again looked to the gallery. “Any interest Guildmaster? Or shall this soul suffer absolution via divine judgment?”

“Divine judgment?” I asked Yunni bewildered.

“You pay your penance serving the great devils within the nine planes of Hell,” Yunni whispered back. “In return, the Goddess blesses the holy empire with favor equal to that penance. Or so they say.”

“Holy shit,” I said stupefied. “So death and taxes is totally literal here then.”

Devena gave me an odd look. “What do you mean?”

“Nevermind,” I said. “Just another saying from back home.”

I looked back to the gallery to see a pale skinned woman in dark robes step forward. Her hair was jet black and cut in a razor sharp bob. Her skin was so white I figured it had to be makeup, almost like a geisha, which only accentuated her ruby painted lips and jade eyes.

“House Thanatos always has use for fallen souls, your honor,” the woman said. “We would gladly buy the condemned for the debt price owned.”

“So be it, Guildmaster,” the judge said as the gavel flashed. “Soul of the condemned purchased by House Thanatos for 1357 gold.”

As the gavel fell, the women held out her palm and something like glittering sand fell into it, coalescing into a shimmering blue gem.

“What the fuck…” I said.

“Oh yeah,” Yunni said. “That’s the other outcome. The Death Guild can always buy your soul too if you die while under contract.”

“An actual soul?” My mind was reeling. “What the hell would they even do with it?”

“With black magic a soul has many uses,” Devena said. “The spell you wish me to cast, for example, will most likely require one.” She then pondered a bit “Thirteen hundred odd gold isn’t a bad price for one, to be honest.”

My stomach churned. Curing my cancer was going to cost someone else’s soul? “I’m not so sure I’m cool with that.”

“Well fear not,” Devena said with a tired sigh. “At the rate we’re going I won’t get anywhere near that level anyway, much less win this contest to even owe you such a thing. Now can we get on with why we’re here, Master Cole?”

“Yeah, right…” I said, still semi-distracted by the pale skinned woman, who was now examining the blue crystal like a jeweler. She then looked right at me, perhaps sensing my stare. Her gaze lingered, matching mine and then shifted downwards towards the amulet about my neck. She then smiled and gave a slight nod; a professional hello, I guessed—Guildmaster to Guildmaster.

I returned it and woman then looked away, paying attention to the next soul on sale. I was still having a hard time processing it all. Fire and water magic was one thing, those were easy to comprehend. But what the hell was death magic going to be like? Was it necromancy stuff? Zombies and plagues? I shuddered at just the thought of having to face off against the likes of her. Whoever she was.

“Master Cole,” Devena said again, startling me. “Are you there?”

“Right,” I said, snapping my attention away from the rival Guildmaster. “Let’s go see about our balance…and find out when I have to pay this contract off.”

* * *

Contract 08452A

Issuer: Yaya Shareef Eldeen

Terms and Details: Sale of 5 mana crystals for 10g each

Holder: Cole Jacobs

Status: Sold to Exchange for 43g

Time to Default: 14 days

I blinked at the figures as they appeared before my eyes.

“Will that be all?” the clerk, a tired looked man, with a receding hairline and thick mustache said.

“Any chance of a line of credit? Or maybe an overdraft facility?” I asked.

I had managed to link our bank account and contract exchange information with one of the plugins to my amulet. This meant I could basically see the same information Devena had in her book, but it wasn’t pretty. And when the clerk burst out laughing at my request, I completely understood why.

Account Balance

Imperial Back Taxes (8,227g)

Sebastian Tailors (2,000g)

Contract 08452A (50g)

The Squealing Pig Inn (755g)

Cash 87g

Balance (10,945g)

A sinking feeling filled the pit of my stomach as I looked at the negative figures in brackets. We were nearly eleven grand in the hole. Even the main contract we were vying for paid nearly that amount for every mile completed. And we were nowhere near being capable of making that kind of money.

“You could always try throwing your debt into a contract on the exchange,” the clerk said. “You could probably float it sub ten percent. But with a sum like that, unless you plan on getting some huge windfall in a month’s time, you’d basically be throwing your life away. I wouldn’t recommend it.”

“Yeah thanks,” I said, and walked away from the teller. I then looked to my Guildmates as we made our way out of the exchange building. “Okay guys, looks like it’s going to be pure sweat equity from here on. Besides fighting monsters, how else do guilds make money here?”

“Selling services mostly,” Devena said. “Like and Ice and water stones you seemed so impressed by. But you can forget us pulling off anything like that. Not at our levels anyway.”

“What about the skills you already have, Devena?” I asked. “You can heal people, right? That’s got to be worth a heck of a lot. Why don’t we open a clinic or something?”

Devena looked at me like I’d just asked her to suck a goblin’s cock or something. “You would dare peddle me, a Black Dragon like some common whore? Really, Cole! We’re in debt but I do have my limits.”

Oratory vs Devena: Failure

-400 to relationship

“Sheesh, okay!” I said. “Way to help the team, I guess.”

Devena turned her nose up with a harrumph.

“I could probably earn a few extra gold working within the local records department,” Yunni offered. “It wouldn’t be much, but it’d be guaranteed income.”

“How much?” I asked.

She shrugged. “A couple gold a day maybe?”

I smiled at her. “Thanks Yunni. If we can’t figure out something better for you to do with your time, then at least we’ll have that.”

She smile sweetly, pleased she could help in some way. A true gem she was, much unlike the dragon lady. I looked up at Phee and shrugged. “I guess it’s still mostly up to you then, Phee.”

The Half-ogress sighed. “Not a problem.” She then glared at Devena. “I’m used to pulling more than my fair share around here.”

Devena ignored the jab and kept her head straight as we walked through the marketplace.

“That might be,” I said, eyeing a particular stall. “But you won’t be doing it alone this time.”

I stopped at a weapons vendor and using my negotiating skills nabbed a straight sword and leather vest for about 10 gold and a new battle axe and shield for Phee for 25. I paid with the remaining crystals I had along with some gold from our account.

Phee was grateful for the new gear, but Devena nearly had a fit.

“You’re wasting the last of our gold on this?” she said flabbergasted. “Phee’s not going to be able to earn 10 thousand gold in ten days.”

“Hey it takes money to make money,” I said. “And until you’re ready to open up that clinic, this is the best we’ve got. And besides. She’s never had a Guildmaster before.”

I winked at Phee and the big blue amazon gave me a crafty smile. “I look forward to how you’ll advance me with your powers, master.”

Devena grunted. “This is ridiculous.”

I ignored the dragoness’s negativity and let out a laugh. It was time to go old school and make money the best way I knew how in any early game mmo.

It was time to kill a lot of fucking monsters.