Chapter 8

The City of Nexus lived and died off trade. Salt and Horses from Marukan, Spices and Jade from Lookshy, Artifacts and Ivory from Sijian, Grain, Wool, Leather, and Tallow from Puyo, Wine, Copper, Tin, and Iron from Varsi, Fish from the communities along the rivers, Wood and Stone from the East, and so much more all came through the single crossroads that was Nexus. Accordingly, the City had a large number of markets, both legitimate and illegitimate, along with the largest forges in Creation outside the Factory Cathedrals of the Realm and Lookshy and multiple, large, harbors.

Fittingly, Nexus was also home to a number of banks, monetary exchanges, mercenary companies, and other, less tangible goods. Slavery was, technically speaking, prohibited in Nexus, but like anything else, you could find all manner of 'indentured' up for auction at the Coffeeblack Market. The legal fiction that you were purchasing Labor Contracts rather than people would hold, provided you pay the Clerks the correct bribes. The actual purchase of labor contracts took place at the Great Forks Bazaar.

For Shi Hou, however, the destination that he and Evening Rabbit headed to first was the Little Market of Nexus. This was where merchants who dealt in smaller volumes of goods than would be necessary to fill a caravan or the hold of a ship set up their stalls. It was here where with a little help from essence and the usage of the Insightful Buyer's Technique to sharpen her haggling skills, Evening Rabbit managed to sell off their shares of the Pirate Loot for a grand total of Seven-Thousand-five-hundred-seventy-six Dinars. Fifteen percent above what they had thought they would get.

She also managed to wheedle out the name of a Bespoke Dealer in Thaumaturgical Items and some minor artifacts from Dong Jiao of Dong's Equipment Emporium through the use of the Mastery of Small Manners to flatter and flirt the name out of Dong Jiao by turns. Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit were directed toward a small, stone, smithy at the end of Mystic Alley, a relatively deserted side street that ran most of the length between the Big and Small Markets of Nexus.

There they would find the shop of Hreidmar of Gethamane, one of the Legendary Mage-Wrights of that Northern City who eschewed the isolationism of his home in favor of potential fortunes to be made elsewhere. As Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit made their way through Mystic Alley, they almost immediately honed in on Hreidmar's Smithy, thanks to the low, squat, stone construction and the chimney belching essence-tinged soot.

As they entered, what they found was a low-ceilinged, shop packed with all sorts of weapons, armor, and other miscellaneous equipment, all of which fairly glowed with essence. That wasn't the primary thing of note, however. No, that would be the smith currently pounding a piece of steel out with his bare hands upon the anvil. His hair was the color of burnished bronze, pulled up into a loose tail in the fashion of the North, but it was his skin that gave away what he was, white and lustrous like marble.

Hreidmar of Gethaman, Mage-Smith of Mystic Alley was clearly an Earth Caste Dragonblood. It was not unheard of for such Outcastes or Lost Eggs to crop up outside the holdings of the Realm or the Lands under the Sway of the Seventh Legion of Lookshy. In fact, Shi Hou had known several to crop up in areas as far afield as Nechara on the Maruto River near the Arczeckhi Horde and the Highland Keeps of Alom Vilag just east of Chiaroscuro. It was still a shock to see a Dragonblood slumming it by running a shop.

"I'll be with you in just a moment." Intoned Hreidmar, slapping both palms on the steel one last time to flatten the billet. Shi Hou could see the essence expenditure as Hreidmar used his fingers to begin pinching the edge of the flattened steel billet into a blade-like wedge, pinching the edge and running his thumb and forefinger along the sides of the billet to make a blade.

With a grunt of effort and an expenditure of essence, Hreidmar shaped the billet into a single, seamless, flawless, Khopesh Blade before he quenched the heated blade in a barrel of what appeared to be Claw Strider blood, before etching several runes into the blade with his fingers and sprinkling some unknown powder over them. Nodding, there was a burst of essence as he struck the blade one more time, before he fit the tang into a hilt of Claw Strider Ivory, wrapped the hilt in leather, then set the blade down.

Turning to Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit, Hreidmar said, "Thanks for waiting. You're more patient than most would be."

"I take it there's a story there?" Questioned Evening Rabbit.

"Just some bright spark from Sijian needing his blade finished today. I tried to tell the lad that I'd get to his commission after I finished my backlog of commissions, but the fool seems to have had more bollocks than sense and had gotten himself into a duel he couldn't possibly win last night." Groused Hreidmar.

"There's something about Sijian that tends to have that effect. Too many Scholars coupled up in their libraries. Give them a night away from their dusty tomes and ancient wisdom and they suddenly forget how to pace themselves." Smirked Shi Hou.

"So it would seem. I stopped there briefly on my way South. The rudeness of those people, to belittle my craft as parlor tricks compared to the long-dead Ancestors mouldering in their tombs, kept fat and happy by the Mortician's Order. I don't much care for the Sijianese and only took this one's silver because there was a lot of it." Scoffed Hreidmar.

"I'm sure he stands a better chance in his duel with a blade such as that in his hands than without. I'm no enchanter, but I do know something of the Artisan's life, being an Alchemist myself. Was that blue jade dust and Claw Strider Blood I spied? An enchantment for speed, perhaps?" Queried Evening Rabbit.

"Aye. Sharp eye on you, lass. It's an Alacrity Enchantment, meant to make the lad swift enough on the draw to get the first strike in. Mind you, this one's daft enough to waste it, but better a chance to win he throws away of his own accord than no chance at all, aye?" Grinned Hreidmar.

"Of course." Nodded Evening Rabbit.

"Pleasant as talking shop is, I hope you didn't come here looking for a commission. Having to finish Lord Fuckwit of the Dusty Library's sword as a priority job has me backed up all to shite. I won't be able to take your commission any time soon." Frowned Hreidmar.

"Nothing like that. We came here to sell a few pieces, actually." Answered Evening Rabbit.

"Aye? I suppose they're out in the alleyway? Well, we'd best go fetch them before whoever you left them with decides they feel like making off with the goods. It happens more often than you might think in this town." Nodded Hreidmar.

"There's no real danger of that. The one we left watching them owes me his life." Intoned Shi Hou.

"Even still, best get on with it." Huffed Hreidmar.

Shi Hou led Hreidmar out into the Alley where one of the Sailors from the Playful Yeddim was standing watch over a number of artifacts and thaumaturgical creations. The Arczeckhi Warlord's Goremaul, Peleps Ling's Black Jade Chain Shirt, the Thaumaturgical Seven-League Striding Chariot, and Sander the Beastman Pirate Captain's Bone Tetsubo. Hreidmar gave them all an appraising look, burning essence to do so before he nodded.

"Given how much you've got piled up here, I don't have enough cash on hand to pay for all this. Would you take artifacts in trade?" Asked Hreidmar.

"What would you be willing to put up?" Questioned Evening Rabbit.

"I've a commission whose owner wound up dead before he could collect. A suit of Lamellar with Green Jade, Orichalchum, Starmetal, Moonsilver, and Soulsteel. The Five-Metal Armor allows the bearer to attune to each of the metals in its construction as if they were an Exalt of that type for a mere six motes. Plus it has a hearthstone socket, as per usual." Answered Hreidmar.

"You want us to take your castoffs? I'll need that and at least one more artifact to even consider that deal." Haggled Evening Rabbit.

"No, I can perhaps offer you money. The equivalent of one realm talent? Or perhaps favors are more your speed? Old Man Gao at Gao's Grimoires owes me a sizable boon for helping him figure out the Enchantment to literally scribe knowledge onto paper. If you'll take my mark over to him, he might be persuaded to part with some knowledge-encompassing scrolls." Countered Hreidmar.

"We'll take the favor. But you'll have to throw in five-hundred Dinars to sweeten the pot." Retorted Evening Rabbit.

"In the interest of closing this deal so that I can get back to my backlog of commissions? Aye, I'll make that Bargain and gladly." Nodded Hreidmar.

Soon, Shi Hou found himself equipped with a new suit of Five-Metal Armor, while Evening Rabbit carried a Feathersteel Token inscribed with Hreidmar's Personal Rune. The pair made their way back down Mystic Alley to where a side street let out onto Paper Lane, the home street of several cartographers, writers, poets, scribes, and bookshops. Gao's Grimoires was a small, wooden, shop on the corner near the entry to Paper Lane.

Inside the walls were filled with honeycomb cubbies where scrolls on all sorts of topics made their homes. Behind the counter, an older man with salt and pepper hair, a mustache, and a pair of wire spectacles that seemed made of blue jade alloy sat hunched over a scroll, scribbling something with ink and brush and murmuring ritualistically as he did so as if in a trance. The ink smelled faintly of the kinds of Herbs that Shi Hou associated with medicine.

"It's part Alchemy and part Enchantment. The Ink seems to be an alchemical mixture, but the ritualistic speaking of knowledge onto the page is all Enchantment. That's very interesting." Remarked Evening Rabbit.

Soon, however, there was a flash of essence and the old man came back to himself, straightening up and wiping off his ink-stained fingers on a nearby cloth before spotting the pair. He broke out into an ingratiating smile and was about to ask what he could do for them when Evening Rabbit held up Hreidmar's Token and his face fell.

"I see. So he's calling in the favors, then? Very well, how may I help the most esteemed Prince of the Earth?" Queried Gao.

"He has traded his mark to us to cash in as we please. I would very much like to know the process you use to scribe your knowledge into scrolls." Answered Evening Rabbit.

"That I cannot give away. It is my livelihood, after all. Besides, had Hreidmar wanted you to know, he could have taught you himself. What about four of my Knowledge Scrolls of your choosing?" Demurred Gao.

"Six. You are repaying him for your livelihood, as you put it, after all." Shot Back Evening Rabbit.

"Six is too much even for that. I could yet make a comfortable living selling grimoires that don't just speak the knowledge into the reader's mind. Five perhaps?" Haggled Gao.

"Five then." Agreed Evening Rabbit.

"What were you looking for?" Asked Gao.

"If you have it, the instructions to initiate oneself into Emerald Sorcery." Intoned Evening Rabbit.

"Ah, no small favors eh? That would normally not be something that I would have access to, save for the fact that I recently happened to bargain with a passing Lookshyan Sorcerer. He wished for instruction on the basics of a rare style of Martial Arts not often taught these days, Terrestrial Hero Style. It just so happened that I know that style thanks to another bargain. I swapped a copy of that for his knowledge of Emerald Circle Sorcery. I will warn you that initiation will cost one of your slots. Any spells you wish for will cost extra." Informed Gao.

"I wouldn't mind learning this Terrestrial Hero Style. I can swap knowledge of the Even Blade Style up to the Form Charm if you will permit me to take the same amount of scrolls for Terrestrial Hero Style." Offered Shi Hou.

"Even Blade is quite a nice style. I think I should be able to do a decent business with those scrolls with the local Mercenary Companies. I should think we have a deal on that." Agreed Gao.

"In that case, I'll take the Initiation, Spirit of Might, Flying Guillotine, the Horse That Travels Earth and Water, and Emerald Countermagic for my five Scrolls." Decided Evening Rabbit.

"Done." Nodded Gao, pulling five scrolls off the shelf and handing them over to Evening Rabbit in exchange for Hreidmar's Token. Once the exchange was made, however, the rune on Hreidmar's Token flashed once and the Feathersteel dissolved into a lifeless gray sand.

"Now for your companion's bargain, I shall need to see the techniques of the Even Blade Style demonstrated in full, up to the Form Charm, one after the other. That is the only way I shall be able to scribe scrolls with the appropriate knowledge. I'm afraid that fulfilling such a bargain will likely take the rest of the day." Pointed out Gao.

Shi Hou nodded and together, the three of them went into the back room where Gao had a ledger, brush, and ink prepared already. Shi Hou proceeded to demonstrate each charm he had offered in full for Gao, who observed with some sort of arcane set of lenses that allowed him to see the way the essence moved in each technique. Shi Hou wound up demonstrating each of the techniques multiple times before Gao was satisfied and handed him the scrolls he had bargained for. Then Gao ushered them both out of his shop so he could scribe the Even Blade Scrolls.

By this point, the sun was almost finished setting. Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit decided to retire to an Inn for the evening and go to see Senior Clerk Jerec Sokindo in the Cinnabar District tomorrow to finally complete this job and part ways. In the meantime, they studied their newly gained scrolls, information downloading itself mystically from the page directly to their brains. Both passed out shortly after absorbing their last scrolls, sleeping off the psychic and mystical backlash from using such a new method of Enchanted Communication.

When they awoke, it was thirty-six hours later and they had to hurriedly make themselves presentable and head to the Cinnabar District if they wished to catch Senior Clerk Jerec Sokindo before it would be too late to call on him at home once again.

When they arrived at the Senior Clerk's relatively lavish manor, however, they would wind up finding more than they had bargained for. The door into the Manor was oddly unlocked. Shi Hou and Evening Rabbit entered the house to find Senior Clerk Jerec Sokindo lying unmoving on a divan in the receiving room.

His throat had been cut by persons unknown. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here we get a bit of stuff with how the two principal characters are progressing. They earned a shitload of XP getting here, it was time to use it, hence the Thaumaturgical Grimoires. Shi Hou got a fancy new Artifact and a fancy Martial Arts Style, which is a conversion of Terrestrial Brawl from First Edition. Meanwhile, Evening Rabbit finally picked up some proper Sorcery.

Unfortunately, not listening to Marilka the Red also means that they're about to get caught up in a game of Dueling Conspiracies. Said game already cost the person who was supposed to take Evening Rabbit in and pay Shi Hou his life. Our heroes are going to have to think quickly to get out of this jam, after all, the Assassin could still be on the premises.

At any rate, the next chapter will cover said getting caught in the dueling conspiracies.

Stay tuned. . .