Riya caught up with Glade as he stormed up the steps to the auction house.
“We need to talk,” she said, matching his stride.
“Not now,” he growled, his mind already working through half a dozen scenarios on how best to approach his upcoming discussion with Helmund. The unfortunate reality was he didn’t understand what he was up against. He was completely blind to the intricacies of Asylum’s political landscape and behind the scenes power struggles, information that would be essential in developing a feasible course of action in freeing Vlad.
If he had a team of professionals and expert analysts at his beck and call like he did back on Earth then he could come up with a plan in a relatively short amount of time. Instead, he would have to rely on gathering information from the only source he had available. Helmund. A money hungry businessman who was only interested in his own success.
Glade knew that going through Helmund was going to cost him, but what choice did he have? He wasn’t going to leave his friend to rot as a slave, going through a daily grind of combat that would eventually cost him his life.
He wasn’t fooled by the outcome of that last fight. On the outside, it looked like a resounding defeat. But from Glade’s perspective it had been too close. Vlad and his companion’s entire plan had hinged on separating Kirkash from his swords. If they had failed, the Gnoll body mage would have painted the arena sands with their blood.
“No, you will listen to me now,” Riya said with steel in her voice as she purposefully stepped in front of him.
“I don’t have time for this,” he said, grinding his teeth in frustration as he tried side step her.
“You need to make the time,” Riya said, moving to stay in front of him.
“Don’t worry, I’m planning on getting your friend out of a collar as well,” Glade said, making another attempt to walk past her.
“Rem,” Riya said.
“Pardon?”
“His name is Rem,” Riya said, before elaborating further. “Actually, his full name is Na’Erembour, but that isn’t why I need to talk with you. If you’re doing what I think you’re doing, then you need to stop and reconsider.”
“And what is that you think I’m doing?” Glade asked defensively..
‘You’re about to march into Helmund’s office and demand he help us release both your friend and Rem.”
“You’re right, I am,” he said.
“While I applaud the effort, that would be disastrous,” Riya said with a warning tone.”
“You don’t know that…” Glade began, but was interrupted.
“Since I have known you, I have come to learn both your incredible strengths and glaring weaknesses. If you approach Helmund as you are right now he will rob you of every shred of negotiating power and wealth you have to offer and give you next to nothing in return.”
“You think you know me so well after a few short weeks?” Glade asked with a raised eyebrow, inwardly seething at the delay. He had finally found a member of his team and he needed to act before something disastrous happened.
“Yes,” Riya said gently, placing a calming hand on his arm. “You are one of the most brave and capable men I know. Valiant and genuine to fault. But you are blind and reckless when someone you care about is in danger. You want to act, which is good. However, you of all people know that acting rashly only gets people hurt.”
Glade ground his teeth as Riya’s words sank in. Everything she said made sense, but what did that matter? His intensity and drive was the only thing they had going for them in this scenario. Yes, Helmund would take advantage of them, but what choice did they have?
“Are you suggesting we leave Vlad and this Rem fellow waste away with collars on their necks? I can’t accept that,” he said in a harsh whisper.
“Neither can I,” she replied, matching his intensity. “I have no idea how Rem could even be here, but the fact that he is means my people are suffering more than I thought possible.”
“So, what are you suggesting?” Glade snapped, his frustration threatening to boil over. “Because I can’t think of any other way to go about this. Helmund is the only person I know who has the means and the connections to make this happen.”
“I agree,” she said, forcibly taking a measured breath. “But, like I said, if you approach him in the state you are in he will rob us blind.”
Glade pinned her to the wall with his gaze, tired of waiting for her to get to the point.
“My father told me that in order to get the upper hand with people like Helmund, you need to have leverage.”
“And how, pray tell, do we get leverage over someone like Helmund?” He asked.
Riya smiled, then whispered something in his ear.
Glade paused, his eyes widening in surprise.
“That might just work,” he said, relaxing his stance.
“That might not be the only leverage we can bring to bear,” Riya said with a sigh of relief. “Might I suggest we take a few minutes and bring the others in on this discussion? While I personally think that Bragdon’s scholarly biases and general lack of hygiene make him a liability, he has been known to come up with a good idea every once in a while.”
Glade took a deep breath, banking his drive to free Vlad for the time being. Riya was right. He had been about to hand over all their wealth without even consulting the others. Even if he had been successful in negotiating terms of release for his friend he would have sacrificed the future of his new settlement.
Congratulations! You have progressed to skill level 6 in the skill Reflection. +12% skill advancement to any skill when actively using the Reflection skill.
Glade snorted at the notification. There was a great deal more he needed to unpack from this conversation, but that was for later.
“I’ll make sure Helmund knows we want to meet with him later today,” he said, reaching around Riya to open the door to the auction house. “See if you can drag the others away from the arena so we can discuss our options. I’ll be there shortly.”
With any luck, they should be able to come up with a compelling argument to garner Helmund’s assistance.
----------------------------------------
“I’m sorry, there's simply nothing I can do,” Helmund said, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. “House Lensher has flat out denied any and all inquiries into the purchase of Russki Soldat and Shadow Striker. They are simply too valuable a commodity.”
After coordinating a meeting through Helmund’s Chief Steward, Avery, Glade had returned to their lodgings to find that Riya had indeed gathered everyone together. The group had discussed several strategies that Glade hadn’t considered and he was grateful for their input.
Now they were all sitting in Helmund’s personal office, an overly opulent room with overstuffed chairs, two fireplaces, an ornate desk that looked to be grown rather than built, and plenty of enchanted windows that dimmed the bright light of the sun to comfortable levels.
“There be nothing ye can do, or there be nothing ye can do without the right incentive?” Bragden asked. Out of all of them, Glade had thought the surly dwarf would have been bothered by this plan. Much to his surprise, their bald headed friend had been the most passionate about Vlad and Rem’s circumstances.
“I have found that any door can be opened when the one knocking has means and circumstance on their side. Sadly, you have neither,” Helmund said with an apologetic smile.
“Not even with what we have put up for auction?” Kedryn asked. They had decided to let the Kid ask that question. Not only was he young, but the fact that he was an elf might help Helmund open up a bit more.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Alas, it does not,” Helmund sighed. “I wish that it did. I truly do. I have it on good authority that House Fellu has offered upwards to 2,500 gold each to purchase both slaves and were turned down. As you can see in this report that Avery has put together, we don’t expect your goods, considerable though they may be, to come close to that mark.”
Avery handed out several sheets of paper that listed out the recommended minimum bids on their items as well as what their estimated purchase price would be. Glade couldn’t help but be impressed as he scanned through the several page document. It was thorough to the extreme, even going so far as to list out historical purchases of similar items and who might be interested in said goods.
Most everything was well within his expectations. The skill scrolls would start at 8 silver each and were expected to get as high as 2 gold apiece. Even the mana gems were priced according to what Bragden had projected at a few gold for the lower gems and upwards to 20 gold for the higher end ones.
But what really grabbed his attention were the unmixed mana shards. Instead of labeling them individually like he had assumed they would, the auction house was planning to sell them in groups that totaled 100 charges. When asked, Avery explained that it was more lucrative to sell them this way as mages looking to advance their mana channels would pay extra for a complete set of resources.
It was only after Bragden reminded him that Glade remembered that 100 charges was the exact number needed to increase one's mana channels to level 2.
Shadow Attuned Shards (Dusk Rats)
2 x bags of 100 charges each
Minimum Bid: 15 Gold each
Estimated Return: 22 Gold 4 Silver
Astral Attuned Shards (Astral Spiders)
5 x bags of 100 charges each
Minimum Bid: 20 Gold each
Estimated Return: 33 Gold 2 Silver
Pure Attuned Shards (Unspecified)
21 x bags of 100 charges each
Minimum Bid: 25 Gold each
Estimated Return: 48 Gold 8 Silver
“The excess shards we recommend selling in silent auctions,” Avery explained, answering one of the unspoken questions Glade had. No matter how you totaled the number of mana shards they had brought with them, they wouldn’t have added up to those exact numbers. “Crafters, individual mages, and the like tend to spend more for the better shards than a cumulative pouch. They also tend to be more direct in their purchasing budget, offering their maximums for something that they want.”
Glade nodded along, doing a quick tally of everything they had pushed forward. If they went by the minimum bids, they would get a grand total of 1,967 gold after their 10% cut to the auction house as well as Holo’s cut. An incredible amount to be sure. Not nearly enough to tempt House Lensher into selling Vlad and Rem, but that wasn’t their plan. They needed those funds to establish their new home.
“I be curious about the unknown coins,” Bragden chimed in.
Glade quickly looked down the list and found that the coins had already been sold for a flat 50 gold.
“Yes, about that,” Helmund winced. “We brought them to the Elvish Embassy for evaluation this morning. It is a standard practice to validate authenticity when dealing with ancient elvish currency. When they looked at the coins the assessor invoked a clause in my charter that grants the empire the right of first refusal. In other words, they bought the coins from me with no questions asked or answered. In all my years of running the auction house that has only happened twice before.”
Glade and the others looked at each other in surprise.
“Needless to say,” Helmund said, leaning forward with a wide smile. “I am very interested in any information you might provide me surrounding the circumstances of finding those coins.”
Glade silently added that to their list of things to use as leverage to get Helmund’s help in freeing their friends.
“We might be able to provide you with some details depending on how the remainder of our conversation goes,” Glade jumped in for the first time. He knew he wasn’t the best negotiator, preferring straight forward fights than this back and forth haggling, but he refused to sit back and let others handle the potential future of his friend. “Your recommendations are in line with our expectations. You have no objections from us there. But if we could go back to our original discussion. Why are Vlad and Rem worth so much? I get that they’re good in a fight, but there have to be others who are stronger and better than them.”
“You are absolutely correct, but that isn’t your immediate problem,” Helmund said, leaning back with an apologetic smile.
“And what might be our immediate problem?” Glade asked.
“The fact of the matter is that I don’t see how moving this conversation forward profits me,” he said with a shrug. “Unless, of course, you are willing to either part with an additional 5% of your earnings or provide me with something of commensurate value?”
And there it was. Helmund’s true colors. At that moment, Glade wanted nothing more than to reach out and give Riya a hug for stopping him from barging in earlier. He could easily see how that scenario would have likely played out. Namely, with him trading their future for information that wouldn’t be worth a bent penny in the long run.
It was a sobering reminder that their current relationship with Holo and Helmund was nothing more than transactional. Unfortunately, he couldn’t outright bully the businessman into giving him what he wanted. Not only would that sour their relationship and force Helmund to call his guards, but it would jeopardize his settlement’s economic future.
In order to avoid either outcome, Glade had to employ his least favorite tactic. Subtle negotiation. He hated the fine art of dancing around subjects and interpreting hidden meanings. Not only was it a monumental waste of time, but it was frustrating when a single misplaced comment could undermine everything.
For a person like him, subtlety usually meant attaching a suppressor on his rifle. Unfortunately, in scenarios such as this the war of words was the preferred weapon of choice.
“As tempting as that offer is, it would be counter-productive to jeopardize my people’s future for information I could learn on my own,” Glade said, hiding his desire to put Helmund’s head through a wall behind a gentle smile. “One of the reasons Holo recommended you so highly to us is your ability to keep the sources of your acquisitions private. In fact, Riya was just explaining to me how lucrative the relationship between you and her people has been because of your ongoing… discretion. I can only imagine the consequences if information of said business dealings were to ever become public knowledge.”
He let that statement sink in for a moment. Riya had been the one to point out that Helmund’s business relationship with the Banished Elves was kept private. So private in fact, that only Helmund and his personal bodyguard, Cirea’s mute sister, were the only ones to have ever visited her home. If word came to light that the Auction House was peddling goods from a disgraced elvish house the consequences would be catastrophic.
Helmund’s eyes narrowed, but it was his chief steward’s reaction that confirmed Glade’s suspicions. Avery glanced between him, Riya, and his boss with a look of utter confusion. That meant Helmund hadn’t even shared his source with his right hand man.
As Helmund opened his mouth to respond to the not so subtle threat, Glade spoke up.
“Yes, I am certain our anonymity and future relationship is secure in your capable hands. But I digress. You mentioned that you see no profit in expounding on our friends’ predicament. I disagree. Business relationships are built on trust. If you are willing to extend us trust by telling us what we want to know, we would be inclined to reveal some of our more… lucrative secrets.”
Helmund stared at Glade with hard eyes for several minutes, silently weighing everything that had been said as well as that which had been left unspoken.
“Sir,” Avery said, disrupting the quiet. “I believe I should inform the staff that master Glade has accepted the terms we have offered for the upcoming auction. Before I depart, would you like me to send in Jirea?”
Helmund kept quiet for a few more seconds before nodding slowly.
“Yes, Avery, I do believe that Jirea would enjoy seeing Riya again. They haven’t seen each other for well over a year.”
“Very well sir,” Avery said, bowing himself out.
“He’s a perceptive one,” Glade said, keeping his tone light.
“The best,” Helmund responded, still studying Glade. “He knows I have certain dealings that he doesn’t need to be privy to. Though I feel I must warn you that having Jirea join us means he will also post additional guards outside the door.”
“They won’t be needed,” Glade sighed, deciding it was time to drop his attempts at subtly. Even that little bit was wearing on him. “You have nothing to fear from us.”
“Unless I refuse to divulge the information you are asking for,” Helmund said, his voice hardening. “I really don’t appreciate being threatened.”
“No one ever does,” Glade responded, his voice just as hard. “Much like I don’t appreciate being taken advantage of.”
Helmund was about to say more when the doors burst open. A large woman that looked remarkably like an older version of Cirea stormed in. She took one look around the room, her eyes landing on Riya.
Before anyone could say anything, the woman strode forward and swept the elf up into a massive hug.
“I’ve missed you too Jirea!” Riya laughed, hugging the woman back as she was spun around.
“Jirea, dear,” Helmund sighed. “You forgot to close the door behind you.”
The woman ignored him, setting Riya back down. She then casually pulled Kedryn out of his seat in a stunning display of strength, pointed at him then at the door, before sitting in Kedryn’s seat.
Everyone watched dumbstruck as the woman pulled out a small black slate and chalk, where she started writing out a question.
“I guess I’ll close the door then,” Kedryn stammered.
“Gentlemen,” Helmund sighed, leaning back in his chair. “May I introduce Jirea. Four time arena champion, a former member of the Free Cities Guardians, the senior member of the path of Titan’s Strength, and my personal bodyguard.”
Jirea waved a hand over her shoulder like she couldn’t be bothered with introductions before showing her slate to Riya.
“You want to know what happened to me since last we saw each other?” Riya asked.
Jirea nodded, intently focused on Riya.
“Well, that's a rather long story. How about I tell you after we’re done here?” Riya replied.
Jirea quickly wrote something else on her slate.
Riya laughed after she read the next question, a crafty gleam settling in her eyes as she glanced at Helmund..
“If you must know why we’re bothering uncle Helmund, it's because we’re negotiating with him so he will share with us the best way to free Rem.”
Jirea snapped her head toward Helmund, pinning him to his chair with a look. She then erased the slate and wrote a one word question. This time, she held it out toward her boss for everyone to see.
It read - Negotiating?
Helmund sighed, slumping in his seat.
“Here’s what I can tell you…”