As always I appreciate feedback and input. It's taking me some time to plan out future chapters, but issuing time should speed up as I clear setting details. I was going to run this a bit longer, but thought it better to break it up into two chapters.
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I received a large number of awkward looks as I moved through the streets with Charles at my side. At one point he provided me with a rag to wipe the blood off my face before it dried on, but I otherwise had to make my way through public soaked in the blood of my enemies. I don't care what they say or show in the movies, it feels utterly gross. I might have gotten approached by the city guard, but Charles was keeping people at a distance from me. Not that many were approaching a veiled woman covered in bloody clothes...though it might have been the pants. I didn't see any other women wearing pants, so it could have been a social faux pas.
We moved into a three story brick and wood building with a fountain out front. People were staring at me when I came in with Charles, and we moved into a plush looking entry hall. A couple of men approached wearing lean black suits, but Charles intercepted them. I found myself staring off into the distance, not quite hearing what was being said. There was an odd ringing in my ears, and every time I closed my eyes I kept seeing the men I was fighting in the alleyway. There was some chatter nearby, which distracted me from my contemplation, and caused me to look up.
“What?” I asked looking wearily to my side. Charles was staring at me strangely, though at least his stupid grin had faded at one point. Charles cleared his throat and pulled a few silver out and handed it to one of the men in black suits.
“We're in a bath house.” Charles said, leaning in to look me in the eyes. “I've sent for a friend a the Blackfield's Bank, she should be here in a few minutes. In the meantime you need to go with this attendant to get cleaned up.” he said to me, snapping his fingers once to get my attention. I grumbled in irritation as a woman in a simple white dress approached me. She was muttering something to Charles, as I stood there looking around the room at the people who were eyeing us strangely. I smelled something strange, as I breathed in deeply, trying to catch my breath. Charles put his hand on my shoulder and said something, but I wasn't paying attention. The smell was getting more pungent, and I could taste it. It was like old pennies and bile...
Charles had a metal bucket in front of me as I suddenly bent over, retching as I grabbed my center. Someone was holding my hair while I continued to vomit out the sparse contents of my stomach. My hat fell off, which I numbly grabbed at, but Charles had it in his hands before I could get it. Someone took the bucket away from my face, and I looked up to see the attendant staring at me strangely with the bucket in hand. She smiled weakly as she handed it to one of the men in black suits, and stared at me expectantly for some reason.
“...Oh, sorry.” I said fishing in my pockets for a moment, pulling a few gold coins out and numbly putting them in her hands. She gasped as I moved toward a hallway that Charles was pointing to, and started following behind me.
I wasn't paying much attention over the next few minutes, but I was lead to small water closet with tiled walls and warmed wood floors. The attendant pulled the bloodied clothes off of my body, and as the layers were removed I noticed that some of the blood was still pooled next to my skin. There was blood in my boots...I had wondered why my feet felt squishy. As my long coat dropped, onto the floor it landed with a heavy thunk, the sound of metal shifting. A few coins spilled out onto the floor, but I didn't feel like picking them up. It was just silver and gold after all.
The attendant bent over to gather the coins in any case, putting them on top of the bloody clothes while I sat naked on a small stool. She said something to me, but I closed my eyes, trying to focus...I just kept seeing the fight again, and someone's arm being ripped off as I twisted it and kicked his chest. There had been a geyser of blood...a lot of them, but everything had moved so slow at times. It was probably that slow time ability. I pushed someone away sharply as they touched my bare skin, and cringed. My stomach turned and I bent over again, finding another bucket in front of me. As I stood up, Charles was standing in front of me with the bucket, while the attendant looked at me a bit frightened. One of the two doors to the water closet were opened, and there was a small group of attendants outside.
“Sorry...I guess I'm not feeling well.” I said, looking at Charles who stared down at my clothes and sighed. “I'm assuming this was a first for you.” Charles said, causing me to nod wearily. “Alright.” he said, snapping his fingers at someone. A woman came in with a small wood chest, and Charles started emptying the Cintas and Bak into the box, eliciting gasps from the attendants. I just stared forward numbly as one of them began scrubbing the blood off of my body, another getting it out of my hair. It occurred to me that I probably looked a lot like Carrie in the prom scene, causing me to laugh. Strangely, no one else thought it was funny...oh right, no Carrie here; Might have helped if I said why I was laughing.
A dark haired woman with a wide brimmed hat and a black and brown corseted dress came in and looked around at the scene. She said something to Charles, who held up the chest and looked like he explaining something to her. I wasn't listening, just remembering the names of the men I had been fighting. I could see the stats of a lot of them during the fight. The youngest was sixteen or seventeen...I think he'd been one who had stabbed me while I was against the wall. The attendants continued to scrub my body while the woman in black and brown forced other people outside. I saw glimpses of armed and armored men in the hallway now, and two came forward as the woman talking to Charles was counting or something while rummaging through the chest of coins. The chest was closed and locked, as the woman brought out a small book and began writing something.
As I looked at the faces of the men in the hallway, I noticed they were leering at me, and I realized I was effectively sitting naked in front of a room full of people. I reached for one of the tattered articles of clothes on the floor, but Charles stopped me and handed me a towel, before ushering people out of view. Another attendant came into the room, and removed the blood soaked clothes from the floor, putting them into a box. I grasped at my leather satchel, and the sword handle that was hanging from my belt. The woman wearing the wide brimmed hat pulled up a chair adjacent from me and smiled.
“My name is Antoinette Bastier, and I will be serving as your liaison with the Blackfield Bank. My cousin Charles tells me that you've recently run into some violent altercations stemming from carrying rather large sums of money on your person. For your safety your assets will be stored in one of our high security vaults. By my tally that is thirty nine Platinum Bak, eighty-five gold Cintas, a hundred and forty silver Cintas, and... roughly five hundred pounds of naturally formed Orichalcum, with a market value of roughly forty four thousand platinum Bak, though you'll have to accept that as a rough estimate. I've never seen that much naturally formed Orichalcum in one place, as only a few ounces have ever been held at one time in Blackfield's walls. The mercantile guild tends to keep the bulk of their reserves in secure locations.” Antoinette said as she motioned to one of the attendants.
Antoinette undressed as the other women in the room finished getting me cleaned off and helped me to my feet. I stared at Antionette confused as I tried to process what I was hearing. The Orichalcum bricks weren't that heavy to me, though now that I thought about it, each of those platinum Bak must have weighed three or four pounds. Everything felt so light really, even the people I was tearing apart.
I swallowed deeply as one of the attendants brought a fresh bucket out, but I didn't feel like I had anything in my stomach. Instead the simply felt anxiety and nausea as I gasped for air. I felt someone supporting me as I looked up to see Antionette looking into my eyes. She had disrobed and it looked like her hair was wet. She had a towel wrapped around her chest, and looked to be waiting for me to respond. “I'm sorry...what?” I asked confused, pulling my mind back to the present. There was something like a look of concern on her face as she took my hand.
The two of passed through the other door in the wash room, into a large steam filled room. There place looked like a roman baths, and there were perhaps a dozen other women in the room drinking and chatting in different groups, while half submerged in shallow pools. Antionette guided me toward a set of steps leading down into one of the baths. There was a narrow ledge in the pool to sit on, with cushions on the back and seat to rest. I took a seat opposite of three human women, two of which were in their late teens to early twenties, the third was perhaps in her mid thirties at the oldest. Antoinette requested drinks from one of the attendants, causing her to scurry off.
The warm water seemed to be helping as I stared at the ceiling, though all of the steam was causing my eyes to water. “My cousin said you ran into some altercations...though I can't imagine what would had to have happened for you to show up in such a state.” Antoinette said placing an arm on my shoulder. I wiped at my eyes trying to see clearly, pulling my legs up into my chest. Curling up seemed to help with the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“...They wouldn't stop...I kept fighting.” I said feeling drained. Antionette pulled up closer and gave me a hug. She didn't press long, but backed away to give me some space. As the attendant returned she set down a small tray with a bottle of something, an ice bucket, and some glasses. The attendant poured out some drinks, one of which Antionette handed to me. “Here, drink this. You'll feel better.” she said, smiling. As I looked around I noticed I was being stared at again, though I couldn't tell if it was me acting strangely, being new, or that damned Divine Beauty 'Blessing'.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Whatever was in the glass went down smooth, and had her relaxed enough to breath easily. Antionette noticed my change in demeanor and slid back a bit so I could breath. “Well, I suppose we should discuss a few things...Ms...?” Antionette asked, letting her voice trail questioningly. I considered my response for a moment, but I realized I didn't know Faith's last name. “Faith Lusatra, though I prefer just to be called Faith.” I said, moving to take another sip but finding the glass empty.
Antionette smiled as she poured me another glass, the attendant hanging back and watching us from an alcove that looked to have more airflow than the rest of the baths. “Thank you.” I said drinking again. “Would you mind if I asked you why you were travelling with such a vast sum of wealth on you?” Antionette inquired, looking at me with a smile on her face. I took a moment to stare down at the curves of her body beneath the water, noting she seemed rather well endowed, and physically fit. I could see the dense muscle along her legs and arms. Something about her screamed swordswoman to me, though it was easy enough to simply check.
Name: Lady Antoinette Bastier
Race: High Human
Age: 58
Sex: Female
Classes: Wizard 20, Knight 15, Noble 25
Subclass: Arithmancer 20, Cyphermage 15
Profession: Banker 50, Alchemist 15
Strength: 50
Dexterity: 125
Endurance: 75
Intelligence: 220
Power: 75
Luck: 220
Health: 1200 HP Health Regen: 7.5 HP/day
Mana: 4200 MP Mana Regen: 15 MP/Day
Skills:
Alchemy: 185/400
Appraisal: 130/400
Athletics: 180/400
Climbing: 135/400
Commerce: 220/400
Lore: 212/400
Mathematics: 300/400
Occult: 255/400
Persuasion: 320/400
Survival: 20/400
Swimming: 35/400
Combat Skills:
Rapier: 250/400
Armor: 25/400
Blessings: Blessed of Plutus
Traits: Innate Numeracy, Numerologic Sight, Quick Mind, Superior Health, Superior Magic Regeneration
“Arithmancer?” I asked out loud confused, causing Antionette to cough as she tried to force down whatever she was drinking. She looked at me, clearing her throat. “I beg your pardon...how did you...” Antionette asked and then paused. “How did you know about Arithmancy?” she asked in a low voice, glancing toward the other women who seemed caught up in their own conversation, only glancing in our direction to stare at me. I think one of the daughters was gawking, or maybe leering. I got the impression that there was interest there.
“Sorry, I can...Um, read people I guess.” I said with a frown, causing her to lean back and look me up and down appraisingly. “What a unique...skill.” Antoinette said with a sigh.
“So...what's Arithmancy?” I asked curiously, taking another sip only to find the glass empty again; The attendant refilled it this time.
“Well, it's a class that deals with divination through numerology. In this case it assists in predicting market changes, and identifying commodity price projections. Blackfield's Bank has a few of us on staff, though we mostly deal with asset reinvestment, bonding, and liability assessment. All work quite valuable to our clients. The specific capabilities of the Arithmancers are among those kept a closely guarded secret by the Mercantile Guild and banking associations. There are few who are even familiar with the class's existence.” Antoinette said with a shrug, “And I would appreciate if you kept it to yourself.” she said, pouring herself another drink.
“So, Ms...Faith. I'm curious as to why you were wandering around with so much money on you. The sum you had on hand could have attracted every thief or mugger in the city. Those types of assets are normally transferred under heavily armed guards, and often through Gates.” Antoinette said, as I took another drink. The attendant arrived with another bottle, and took the old one away. “I can assure you your assets will be safe within our walls, however.” she added as the cork was popped.
“Oh...I guess I wasn't sure how much things would cost me. I might have overshot.” I explained a bit embarrassed. I noticed the sense of anxiety was fading slightly, though I still felt mentally exhausted. Antionette just stared at me like I had two heads. “Well...I suppose that sounds reasonable.” she said, though her voice told me she didn't find it 'reasonable' at all. “Though that just means you're in dire need of our assistance. I'd ask if you had stolen your funds, but frankly I haven't heard of any specific nation being robbed blind lately.” she said with a grin.
“Alright, well I've had to explain this type of thing before, usually to sheltered young nobles. I suppose the easiest way would be to describe things in terms of average earning power. The range of income for most of the populace is generally between six and twenty five gold per year, with a daily earning tending between two to seven silver cintas. Commodities fluctuate in value seasonally, if not monthly, though the most common measurement is based on salt, sugar, or grain abundance. The Mercantile Guild tends to act to 'balance' things so that precious metals and currency values don't fluctuate that drastically. Mostly it's unnecessary, but when certain nations institute tariffs, or commodity specific taxes, it can affect distribution rates and lead to stockpiles going bad..or shortages....” Antoinette said then saw me gaze wandering.
“In any case, you were carrying around about eighty percent of Kisk's annual operating budget in Platinum Bak. As for the Orichalcum...let's just say that the gross domestic product of Kisk is about ten thousand platinum Bak per year, and Kisk is a major trade hub. That national gross is estimated to be around twenty times that...” Antionette said, before pausing again, as I gave her a blank look. “For the near future, perhaps you should allow me to act as your agent in making purchases. That is if you wish for Blackfield's Bank to represent you...” she said, her voice trailing off.
I took a deep breath and shrugged. Money was easy for me to create, so it really didn't matter to me. At the moment I was just restless, and numb. “Sure.” I said, getting a smile from Antionette. “Well, I'll draft up the paperwork when we finish here. Though I do want to ask, how you wish to deal with your Orichalcum. I would advise selling small quantities.” she said as she refilled my glass. I stared at her weakly, taking another drink.
“Whatever you feel is best. I'm not concerned with it.” I said with a shrug. Antionette looked at me for a moment, frowning. “I'm sorry to ask, but how old are you?” she asked. I looked distantly, and shrugged. This was a difficult question to answer, but given that I'd at least provided Faith's age to the Adventurer's Guild, I imagined it wouldn't be difficult for someone to find out. That is if there wasn't some magic that could tell them. After all, I could 'divine' what people's stats were. There was no reason to think someone else couldn't.
“Thirteen.” I responded, causing Antionette to cough as she gently took the glass from my hand. “Well, that raises a few questions, and some issues, but the Empire recognizes property rights as of age twelve, mostly for inheritance issues. It might help to discuss certain contracts with your parents present, or major purchases...are your parents nearby? Do they own an estate in Kisk?” she asked.
“My mother is, though we don't have an estate...Could you arrange to purchase one?” I asked after a moment. Antionette smiled and nodded, “Blackfield can accommodate. I'll arrange a tour of available estates. I don't think cost will be an issue, so I'll extend the range of my search. Did you have any preferences?” she asked as I sat up a bit more.
“I guess I'd like somewhere quiet. Maybe with some land.” I said, not quite sure how to specify, given I knew little about the city and surrounding territory. Antionette nodded, and stood up. “Why don't you rest in here for a while. Your replacement clothes haven't arrived yet, I'm sure. And you look like you need to relax.” Antoinette said as she reached out, brushing the golden strands of my hair from my face. “When I return, perhaps we can arrange to meet with your mother.” she said before wading out of the bath.