Securing The Mark
16th of Summer
16th of Summer
A Little ExplanationI checked with Anarkhos, before I threw these npcs together. We're all good on that front. As for the hefty amount of money I mentioned, it'll be coming from job threads from the story arc that this sets off. Pretty much, this is how Harman is getting his seasonal wages this Summer. Still, everything has been paid for out of pocket by him, until he gets the money from the job's completion. I.E, it's been subtracted from my ledger.
Harman sat across from Byron. The teenager was wearing a set of leather armor for the first time in his life; it was brown in color, with a white cowl affixed to its collar. The boxer had smeared and then washed off mud, dirt, and even blood from a chicken onto the new suit multiple times - to give it the look of being well worn. In actuality, it was stiff and freshly created.
"So, what are you transporting, sir?" Harman inquired.
The ginger across from him smiled.
"The only thing I can get, that pays for a season worth of travel - slaves, lad," he said. "From here, to Kenash."
Kenash, I wonder what it's like there, Harman though to himself. He held back his questions, however - as to not look naive.
"Makes sense. In your add, you said you needed a hired fist. I wouldn't go out of my way to pay a man for that, if the thing he'd be guarding wasn't worth its weight in coin," Harman mused.
"Well," the teen stretched his hand out for the ale Byron had provided, and took a drink, before putting the mug back down, "you've got your man. Cargo is cargo, if you'd payed me I'd watch a wagon full of nothing for you."
Byron nodded.
"If everything you've told me is true, I don't think we'll have to worry about anything between here and Zeltiva, with you and the other boys I've brought on," the man said.
Harman smiled and tipped his head, appearing as if he was humbly confirming Byron's words. He'd been talking with Byron for some time, and had lied about everything from his age, to how many times he'd been outside Sunberth.
Thanks the gods I look like I could grow a beard, Harman thought to himself, as he stood up and shook Byron's hand from across the table.
"We leave in three days, get everything you need and meet up with us where I told ya," Byron directed, over the handshake.
"Shouldn't be a problem," Harman said curtly. "I appreciate the work."
Byron loosed his grip on the boy's hand.
"And I appreciate your sword," the man said. "The slaves ain't worth nothing if somebody poaches them from us, or if we don't make it to the market with them."
The teenager began to move towards the door.
"You have a good one, sir," he said while opening it.
Right before walking out into the dangerous alleyways of the city, Harman stalled for a moment.
"I hate to keep you, but one more things on my mind. How'd you feel about having a guard dog along? He's gotten me and my clients out of a few tough spots before," the boxer offered.
"He trained?" Byron asked.
"Yes, sir," Harman said with a smile.
When he wants to be, the boxer thought, secretly.
"Then bring him, if you're willing to take the same amount of coin with him coming, as if he wasn't. I don't mind the extra teeth, but I've got a budget I can't budge from to be paying for an animal," Byron explained.
Harman nodded. In reality he just didn't have anyone to watch Champion, his Deerstalker. As for gold, well, Byron was effectively paying for the trip and the gear the boy would need to carry out jobs after he finished the ginger's - Harman was okay with the arrangement.
"I wouldn't dream of asking for another coin. We shook hands, Byron. I'm a man of my word - in this business, you don't get any work that's not dirty, if you're not," Harman promised.
Gods, I'm talking out of my ass, the boy thought to himself. He'd never worked as a hired sword before - not even once. He didn't have the notches on his belt to talk about the line of work - he'd never walked along that line.
Expenses:Tent: 2 gm
Hen: .02 gm
Leather Armor: 10 gm
Boots, High: .5 gm
Headwear, Thin Cowl: .2 gm
Bedroll: .1 gm
Buckler: 15 gm
Light Gauntlets, Studded: 5 gm
63 Days of Rations: 31.5 gm
Total: 95.82 GM
