“Swear to the Deities, but some people seem like they live just to haggle. Ain’t no way us normal folk going to out-haggle those deviants.” - Amber Bauer, small-time farmer and vendor from Elmaiya.

In the end, the haggling and negotiations between Reinhardt and Bernd took hours before the two agreed upon a mutually satisfactory deal. The remuneration negotiated was slightly below what Reinhardt would have preferred, but it was enough to pay the Company’s members assuming they were to idle through the planned three-year contract. On the other hand, Reinhardt successfully secured full salvage rights should his company be involved in combat during the contract’s duration.

Employers that offered or agreed to full salvage rights usually were in one of three situations: Either they had no lack of equipment and thus truly did not care for a bit of salvage, they did not expect there to be occasions where their hired mercenaries could make use of those rights, or they were relying on offering full salvage to negotiate for a lower base pay.

There was a fourth possibility, namely that the employer expected their hired mercenaries to not survive combat, and thus naturally unable to claim their right, but Reinhardt had naturally kept a lookout for any signs of that behavior. Besides, employers who made a habit of doing that tend to get blacklisted by the guild sooner or later.

The haggling itself had been a display that suitably impressed those watching. Neither Elfriede, Salicia, nor Grünhildr had seen two people negotiate like two wild animals attempting to devour each other, yet at the same time without ever lifting the veneer of civilized behavior they both flawlessly kept intact. Elfriede had been present on many contract negotiations, so she was used to it, but the other two were not as acclimated.

It was already evening by the time they adjourned, with the agreement mostly established, pending only a few things. Salicia’s father excused himself to take a bath and refresh himself since Reinhardt invited the man for dinner, and the four mercenaries used that brief period to talk amongst themselves.

“So, Sal, how did you know that your father was in town?” asked Reinhardt openly. Saliia usually had nothing to do with the contracts so it was rather odd that she was the one that brought the news in the first place.

“Oh, Lars came and asked about pops,” replied Salicia openly. “He was checking the contract offers earlier today and saw the offer pops made, then noticed our family name and asked me if we were related, just in case.”

“Ah, good initiative from his side,” noted Reinhardt, who believed the explanation. He could always double check it with Lars anyway, and doubted that there was foul play involved either way. Salicia had been with the mercenaries for nearly two decades now, and was clearly content with her position and situation. “Anything you can add about your father?”

“Only that your guess likely missed his age by a good bit, boss. How old did you think pops was?”

“You’re forty this year, so I’m assuming he’s in his sixties? Maybe sixty-five or so? Sure maintained himself well, though.”

“Hah! Damn, Sal, you win that bet all right! Cap went way off!” said Grünhildr with a bark of harsh laughter from beside Salicia. “Sorry, Cap, but the Lord should be ninety-three this year.”

“Ninety-three?” asked Reinhardt with some obvious incredulity in his voice. Salicia’s father had not looked a hair over forty, other than his graying hair.

“Our family has some elven lineage going, Boss. Something like one-eighth or so in my father’s generation? Either way it meant that he’ll likely live to see two hundred, while I likely got till one fifty or thereabouts before I croak of old age,” explained Salicia. To further illustrate the point, she raised the hair over her ear and showed the pointed tip on her otherwise normal ear.

That explanation clarified Reinhardt’s doubts, as elven lineages of such a diluted degree were often hard to spot indeed, other than for the obvious effect on the longevity of the people involved. It also somewhat explained where the hell Salicia got her heirloom Yew Heartwood bow from. Heartwood was a material typically only found in elven groves, after all.

“Anyway, boss, what do you have in mind after the dinner?” asked Salicia. The agreement Reinhardt hashed out with her father was contingent on several things that would have to wait until the next day, so they planned to rest in the city itself that night and accompany the nobleman the next day. “Anything Grün and I should do?”

“Nah, you two can take your time catching up with him after dinner. Friede and I will just visit Varsha and borrow a room off her,” said Reinhardt with a shake of his head. “If he volunteers any information that you feel might be something I need to know, then you can inform me tomorrow, but otherwise we’ll just rest here tonight and bring him to camp at dawn, so he can get a good look at the kids working out.”

One of the conditions Bernd Adenauer had requested was that he be allowed to watch how the mercenaries train their recruits, which was the reason Reinhardt chose to spend the night in the city. The daily training undertaken by both the mercenaries and their trainees started at the crack of dawn, so they needed to be present to wake up the nobleman and bring him to their camp in time.

As for Salicia and Grünhildr, Reinhardt meant what he said when he told the two to “catch up” with the nobleman. They had not seen each other for over two decades, which was a long time even if they were of elven descent. He was certain that they would have plenty to talk about, and if some things inadvertently slip out during that familial chat, all the better.

They brought the nobleman to a lavish dinner in the best restaurant in Zephirous before they split up, Salicia and Grünhildr following Bernd Adenauer to his inn, while Reinhardt and Elfriede headed for Varsha’s place. The next morning, before the sun had even risen, Reinhardt took some pleasure in waking up the surprised noble, as it was time to lead him to their camp.