It is a rainy night in the Romania Kingdom, and on this night, two fine warriors were pushing the wheelbarrow loaded with animal carcasses, to be sold at the nearest butchery to help the warriors receive the money they need to pay their taxes because here if you do not pay the taxes, you will have to take your things and run into the prison or run away from the kingdom and having a hard life in the other ones.
Marcus and his squire Ron have been in that situation and right now, those two are trying to escape by selling their meat and later on, going to a building that could help them to sell the rock Ron has found it a few hours ago. While Ron is pushing the wheelbarrow, Marcus asked him.
"Are you curious about what happened to Fiona and Judah?"
"Yeah... But they are probably fine," says Ron to Marcus. "They are tough, man. They cannot be pushed back by a single and little war. But I am much more curious at Judah's case."
"Why?"
"Is it because that boy could make much more powerful speels than any wizards I have ever seen."
"Is it true at that? I am not an expert in wizard levels or any wizard spell, but knowing the fact that just an experienced wizard could heal much faster than a newbie."
"Oh, I see... But, I think he will be fine because he got some good teammates and Fiona by her side."
"Yeah... He will be just fine," says Marcus while he and Ron are stopping in the front of the Butcher shop which Diana was leading them to sell those goods. "We have arrived."
"Indeed," says Ron putting the wheelbarrow down and going with Marcus to the door.
The butchery is lit by the lamps inside, two of the windows are open and you can smell fresh meat being fried and followed by being delivered to the nobles who eat barbecue almost every night like this. Marcus has decided to knock on the door instead of Ron because Marcus will have to discuss it with that man. It is not because Ron is sometimes shy or terrified by some unknown people, it is the fact that Marcus is a good seller and he could get much more gold for the pile of meats there in the wheelbarrow.
A man, who was one of the disciples of the chief of that butcher shop, opens the door, he looks quite surprised at those two and asks them.
"What do you want? Right now we do not have meat."
"Not that, fine disciple," says Marcus to the disciples of the butcher shop. "We are here to sell the meat to your boss."
"Meat, huh?..." says the disciples taking a quick look at the meat at the wheelbarrow. "What kind of meat, you two got there?"
"We got rabbits, crows, bear meat, and squirrel."
"You got bear meat there?" asks the disciples feeling interested. "Wait here until I talk to my boss."
"Alright."
The disciples leave Marcus and Ron staying there and waiting for the disciples to come again but with his boss to talk about the price of those goods he is going to sell.
After a few minutes, the boss and his disciples come to the door. The boss looks at Marcus and Ron, and then he takes a quick look at the wheelbarrow and after he asks them.
"One hundred are enough?"
"One hundred gold coins?" says Marcus being quite surprised at this answer he did not expect, he thought he would ask for eighty gold coins.
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"Is it not enough? I could give you one hundred thirty-five coins." says the boss who was about to take the coin purse that is attached to the strap.
Marcus just caught at that offer because that one could help them leave from their taxes and debts, but the boss this was just a negotiation thing would make him upset, but the boss of the butcher shop, being desperate because a noble ordered a few hours ago a lump of entire bear meat for the morning, the boss has said his last offer.
"Alright then... My last offer is one hundred and eighty. You are accepting?"
"YES!" says Marcus being much happier than a child who has arrived in a candy shop for his first time in his entire life.
The boss, being happy, handed to Marcus two bags with coins who were attached at his belt and he ordered his disciples to take the wheelbarrow in the back and he also told Marcus, about the wheelbarrow.
"In the morning you could come and take the wheelbarrow."
"Y-Yes. Thank you so much, man!" says Marcus shaking the hand of the boss and after that, he and Ron are leaving the butcher shop and they are heading to a Forge shop where they could sell that elemental rock.
The boss entered the butcher shop, and he told the second disciples who were about to finish tying the meat and transforming into a lump of bear meat with the help of camouflage art.
"Zacuso! Forget about the camouflaging of the meat. We already got the bear meat we need it for that fat noble."
"How though?" asks Zacuso.
"Our God has answered the prayer and send us a saviour who could help us not be put in jail."
"Thank goodness," says Zacuso. "I thought we will be screwed if we will try again this trick."
***
Later on this night, the rain has stopped, and the warriors did not even notice that it has been raining this whole time because they got used to raining for a long time while they are going in mission or outside the kingdom to escort, deliver goods, or capturing people who have left the kingdom with their debt. Ron and Marcus have arrived at the Forge who is opened and there, they have to sell the elemental rock to one of the best blacksmiths in this Kingdom, Big Olaf.
"You two came here to sell me an elemental rock?" asks Big Olaf when he saw those two fine warriors who have come here in this night.
"Yes." says Marcus taking the elemental stone and handing to Big Olaf. "This is the elemental stone we wanted to sell it."
"Oh... Nice one, Axe-Man.��� says Big Olaf to Marcus while he takes the rock and he started to examine.
"Axe-Man?" says Ron to Marcus. "I never knew you have an alias."
"You know now." says Marcus to Ron.
Big Olaf put his glasses on and he looked carefully at that stone which contains fire elements and it could be used at making daggers, swords, spears, and even shields with fire abilities, and it could even be used in making armour with fire abilities, but work on armour with fire element need much more manpower and mana of a wizard who is in his thirty. After a few seconds of looking around at that little stone, Big Olaf feeling neutral about that stone, he puts it on the table who is on his left and he tells those two warriors.
"I wanted to buy your fire element stone. So, how much you wanted?"
"What is your offer, first?" says Marcus to Big Olaf because he doesn't want to fall into a trap of negotiation and he doesn't know much about elemental stones.
"Three hundred gold coins."
Marcus and Ron, after they have heard the offer, their heart almost skipped a beat. That offer was a good one, it could help them repay their debts with the taxes and even have a few more gold coins for their personal activities. So, Marcus has decided to ask Big Olaf.
"How about three hundred and twenty-five gold coins?"
"Sure!" says Big Olaf who is shaking the hand of Marcus and then he thought to himself: "What a dork, they don't even know I sell a stone like that at the price of six hundred gold coins."
After they have signed the papers which are the proof that the stone wasn't stolen or anything like that because the authorities could arrest someone for stealing such a rare item, took the money, and those two warriors have left the building and they are heading to their home, much more specifically, at Marcus home because those two have to stay there and calculate the money which will help them pays their taxes.
"We should do this thing more often." says Ron to Marcus.
"Yeah." says Marcus looking at the bag of coins the butcher and blacksmith have handed to them. "Just imagine how much we could get for the furs at Diana."
"Sweet... I just hope that money is enough to save us lives." then Ron comes to a realization. "Yeah... But the taxes weren't five hundred gold coins?"
"Yes they were... And now we have five hundred.
"Technically, we have... one hundred eighty plus three hundred twenty-five gold coins... We have... five hundred and five gold coins."
"So they are enough."
"Yeap... What don't we pay the tax tomorrow morning and then we sell those furs later on that day."
"Sounds good to me."
And those two, have escaped by being killed for not paying their taxes of living.