Milo
The next day, as I'm eating Gertrude rushes up to me, her gnarled hands holding a quill like a knife, and her wrinkled face carries a snarl.
She begins to snake, and speak, throwing globs of spittle over my face, and food. “The coal miners arrived with the first load. A cart load. And they dropped it in my office…”
I grimace. “Sorry, I'll get it out of there. Did you give them their paychecks?”
She snarls once again. “Yes, I did, hurry up, and rent the carts, you're going to want to take it to the capital, and sell it to the southern merchants, in the port. You might even want to go to negotiate with the merchants.”
I cringe, is there someone we could hire to go with and negotiate with them?
She nods, “Yes, I know one we can pick up in Brindle, she works on commission as well as salary though, but you will never find a better negotiator.”
I nod, “Go ahead, sounds good.”
Alistair bursts into the scene followed shortly by Eli. “Hey! I heard you were looking for something to transport, and guard your coal on the way to the capital!”
I eye him with mock suspicion. “How did you hear that, that fast?”
Alistair laughs. “I have really good hearing.”
I sigh, and shrug. “Fine, I'll pay you and everything but any coal that goes missing you are going to be paying for it, because I know for a fact that you should have no problem defending it.”
Alistair smiles. “Perfect! And the perfect chance to show my apprentice the capital, and meet some of my associates.”
I shrug, and point him in the direction of Gertrudes office, and tell him to load it up, and take off whenever he’s ready. He agrees, and says he will leave today, and be back in a month or so.
I wave him off, and he disappears, off to collect his coal, and leave.
Gertrude begins talking. “Also… The miners say a bunch of animals have appeared on the seventh floor. Not mobs, like actual animals, that they can eat.”
I shrug. “That's new.”
She pushes on. “It's more than weird, it's new. Like, I've never heard of a dungeon doing that.”
I sigh. “To be blunt, I don't care, and it should solve a lot of food problems.”
She sighs, but it also means that people could enter that dungeon, and never need to leave again. They have food, water, clothing, everything really. You could create a completely in-dependant, dungeon city within their.
I laugh. “It's way too small!”
She urges me to understand. “But it will grow! I'm just saying this will invite attention from… Others.”
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I sigh. “Ok. I don't know what you want me to do about it though.”
She heaves a deep breath out, and wrings her hand. “Neither do I. I just want you to be aware of it, and the potential reactions.”
I put a thumbs up, “Okie, dokey.”
As she is leaving Ivan walks up, and begins to speak. “So… Remember the portal inside the tower.”
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Well…” He continues. “The kingdom officials have finished negotiating with them, and now, its pretty much open for people to come in, and out. From my understanding of the situation, they aren't going to really announce it, but they aren't going to try to hide its existence either, and the people on the other side, are… Pretty much doing the same thing. Apparently the portal opened in the middle of a large city, so large, they couldn't possibly cover it up.”
I shrug. “So.”
He continues speaking. “So…” He rubs two fingers together. “We might have a bit of a tourism industry going on here soon enough.”
I turn my head to him in awe. “You’re right!”
He laughs at my enthusiasm. “Yeah, but also a lot of new people causing trouble, so you are probably going to want to hire more guards.”
I nod. “But, Eli said they don't have magic in their world, so we shouldn’t have to hire high ranking guards.”
He nods as well. “Good point. So just quite a few D or F ranking guards.”
I respond with. “If you want to lease out some of your guild members for some coin, and a steady job I'd appreciate it.”
He sighs. “Well, the thing is most people who join a adventurers guild usually join because they want to adventure, so you’d be better off traveling to Brindle, and hiring some mercenaries from one of the mercenaries guilds there, or even just getting some freelancers, for like a long job. You can basically write leases for jobs so when people are hired they have to perform that job for as long as their little lease agreement lasts.”
I agree with him, and jog off to find Gertrude, and Alistair, so I can go with them to Brindle.
I find Alistair directing a group of skeletons who are loading all the Coal into the back of a gargantuan cart which does appear to be causing damage to the dirt, and gravel roads, so for future reference dont allow these big ass carts on any roads we don't want serious damage on.
I ask if I can accompany them to Brindle, and they agree quickly, but tell me they are leaving soon, so be ready. I run off, and return with a pack, with a tent, rations, blankets, contracts, and anything I would need really, as well as a horse to ride, and follow them on, as well as return to Questford on.
They are done packing quickly, and we leave with two of the gargantuan carts pulled by two undead abominations each, as well as two flesh golems, an undead Ogre, an undead Bear, and an undead giant praying mantis. As well as a large force of 50 or so undead skeletons walking along with us.
One of the carts is filled with coal as well as some other miscellaneous things. We have to camp out for maybe 3 nights. I was expecting to have to sleep outside in my tent but they invited me to sleep in the wagons which apparently had loft beds you could climb up into. I thought this was absurd but neither of them thought it was weird.
After our short trip of a couple days we arrived at Brindle. Alistair, and eli disappeared off to find the young lady Gertrude said to recruit.
I, on the other hand, first put up job recruitment messages on the various message boards throughout town, speaking of looking for low ranking cultivators, looking for steady pay as guards. I also put in the location of Gertrudes office within the town.
I then travelled to a mercenaries guild in the area called the “Gold Munchaz” Yes that is how they spelled it on the sign outside.
When I entered I was surprised to find it packed with not only humans but a variety of other races, including a trio of Ogres in the center of the room, so as to avoid the low balconies around the edges of the room, literally eating gold coins. Maybe that's where they got their name from.
When I wandered to the desk where there was a grizzled mountain of a man sitting in a chair behind the counter. If I didn't know better I would have thought he was an Ogre.
“Hey, I own a town off to the South-East called Questford, and I'm looking to recruit long term guards who are competent, have good morale, and can work with other people as a team, and actually have decent prices as well.”