Everyone sat on logs under the shade by the treeline. The twenty-four members of the Blind Eye guild were tired from hauling wood the whole afternoon. Cless, Silverfang in werewolf form, and the boys carried the logs while the four girls had to gather and carry the bundles of cut-off tree limbs and branches. Cless felt she shouldn't leave all that drying wood in the forest. They could be used as kindling or even firewood for the bigger branches. After the logs were almost by the treeline, Silverfang shifted back to wolf form. The rest of the work was done by the boys and Cless while the girls organized a picnic for everyone.
"Rest up, folks. I am going back to town to call the cart from the sawmill. If you need more drinking water, visit Olson's farm and politely ask for some. Silverfang, let's go."
Cless felt she did a good exercise, but she was not as tired as the boys, even Arnold. She pondered for a while as she walked the road snaking around the farms back to town and decided it was because of her Health Stat. While she couldn't quantify by how much, the score of twenty-one greatly improved her stamina. If that's what it happened, she decided to try something.
"Silverfang, keep pace with me. I'm going to run!"
She giggled and shifted gears into a jog. The wolf ran at her side, clearly enjoying the exercise. Some farmers stopped to see the girl and wolf running across the street, covering their eyes and staring at the treeline to see if they were running from something. The girl's laughter made them dismiss it as just a kid playing around.
Cless returned to town and returned to a walking pace when she neared the gate. The guards didn't deserve the scare and happy guards were friendly guards.
"Good afternoon, gentleman," She greeted them, panting. "I'm just getting my wolf here some exercise. Silverfang is getting fat."
The wolf headbutted Cless and snorted with his head facing the other way, clearly offended.
"That's fine, guild master," The guard replied and, to Cless' surprise, saluted her. "Good job with the bandits. I lost a cousin to those guys last year."
The other guards nodded. Cless brought a fist to cover her hand as she felt a warm fuzz rush her body. Cless bowed and went on with her day.
Cless used her time to finish several errands. She got Silverfang's saddlebags first and wasted no time getting something in them. She bought enough bread for everyone and half a wheel of cheese. Five one-gallon wineskins with mead, thirty smoked sausages. She had to feed four to Silverfang or the wolf wouldn't agree to carry everything. The shopkeeper was going to wrap everything and Cless would pick up the food on the way back.
She finally reached the sawmill. After asking around, she was directed to the person responsible for the negotiations. Silverfang had to stay by the door.
"Guild master, Cless, pleased to finally meet you in person," The man greeted her. He was tall and too thin. He had a well-waxed mustache and too many wrinkles in his face. He didn't seem old, just wrinkled. "I am called Anders, and I'll be your liaison. How can I help you?"
"As I stated a few days ago, Mr. Anders, my guild is cutting hardwood in the north forest. We have some logs by the treeline ready to transport. I was told that the sawmill could send a oxen cart to carry the wood and that a price should be negotiated in-site."
Anders eyed Cless from the top of her head to her beaten shoes and she could tell he was suppressing a sneer.
"Yes. I will drive the cart there myself. Have a good day, guild master." Cless felt as if he said the last words with the same tone someone would say 'tasty sewage'.
She left the sawmill and decided to waste some time browsing the market. She needed to see the prices of common items to best evaluate goods and purchases. She usually never left the church, much less to shop at the market. The nuns never let her. It also helped keep her mind away from the terrifying dream that every now and then crept on her mind. She needed to talk to Karen or Balthus, but they were away. Probably having fun slaughtering orcs, she thought.
After browsing some shops and buying more clothes to be delivered at the inn, Cless passed by the stores she bought food from and loaded Silverfang. The wolf gained some extra meat scraps from the butcher and greedily devoured it before moving on. Then she went back to where the guild was.
Time to carry a lot more logs.
----------------------------------------
As agreed, the ox-pulled cart from the sawmill was waiting for them near the end of the road by Olson's farm. Cless and the guild members had already loaded the wooden logs on the cart while the sawmill representative, Mr. Anders, kept tallying the appraised value of each log. They split the remaining logs into two stacks near the end of the road so they would be able to load the cart easily for another two round trips. Cless saw him snickering several times when he thought nobody was paying attention. After they were done loading the wagon, he spoke.
"Well, I guess you are now eager to receive your well-earned coin, miss Cless."
She would keep civil, even though his attitude was condescending. "We sure do, Mr. Anders. What is your tally?"
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"Thirty-five ducats, miss." He answered with a victorious smile.
Cless scratched Silverfang's head while she wondered if he was counting his profits on his head. That guy needed a reality check. These logs were worth at least five crowns. It was all noble hardwood species for furniture and construction. She was sure most of the wood would be shipped off-town. With that smug weasel, she had only one option. She also noticed some guild members getting really angry at the quote.
"Arnold, please take everyone into the woods to gather the limbs we cut. Winter is coming and we need firewood for our hearths."
"Cless... Yes, guild master. It shall be done." Arnold read in her eyes what she intended to do and left with the rest of the guild.
"Is that your final price, Mr. Anders?" She contained her outrage and just asked as if imploring for more coin.
"As a token of goodwill, I think I could offer you fifty ducats."
Of course, raising his initial quote by almost half was a token of goodwill.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Anders. I have outstanding contracts for gear I have to pay using the money from these logs. I'm afraid I won't be able to sell them to you. Could I ask you how much it would be to rent your oxen for a week so we can take our logs to Glauchester?"
"Miss Cless, it is not advisable to take raw wood there. We usually ship the cut planks to them. It is lighter on the oxen."
He changed into a condescending 'these children don't know what they are doing' tone to make her change her mind. Cless wasn't going to let this guy go. No, sir.
"I promise I won't overwork your animals. I was just expecting to get a better price there myself, you see. I know you have two other ox-driven carts, so I was expecting you could spare one for us."
The man was outraged. He sniffed, "I think I can get you one crown for the whole lot, in the spirit that your guild will keep supplying us with wood. As you said, winter is coming and our hearths need fuel."
Cless smiled and patted Silverfang to calm down. Having the Lycan next to her granted her a deep sense of safety. She fought not to shake her head. Just because she threatened to get her business elsewhere he doubled his offer. And now he was trying to downplay the value of the logs by saying they would become just firewood. That was absurd. She would give him the biggest headache of his life.
"I don't know. Our guild members want to delve, you see? And maybe we will make a bonfire to celebrate our departure. As this wood is good for firewood."
"That's preposterous, miss Cless. That bonfire would be a hazard to our town."
Cless sighed. "It is fine, Mr. Anders. I won't do that, I was just musing. Say, did you know I am a Cleric?"
He was caught off-guard by the sudden subject change.
"Really? That is very good, using magic."
"Yes. The church recently received a donated cart. I thought about buying a pair of oxen for the guild and borrowing the cart to carry our wood. That would leave your three carts to ferry wood the other logging teams are bringing to town."
They weren't. Anders didn't know, but Cless visited the woodcutters yesterday and they were afraid of going into the woods because of the critters the orcs were scaring away from the deep forest.
"No. Miss Cless, the wood is already loaded, it is as good as sold. You can't back off our deal now."
She glared at him. "It is guild master Cless to you, Mr. Anders. And I didn't agree to anything."
He was not amused by Cless throwing around her title around. It is true that delver guild masters had a ton of respect but that was because they had a guild full of real delvers behind them. Cless only had a score of low-level kids. But she was still a guild master.
"Look, girl, I know you want some coin, but that is not how the world works."
Cless raised an eyebrow.
"No, Mr. Anders. This is not how the world works. In this shitty world, the strong take what they want. It is unfair. But you misjudged your evaluation."
Cless sighed. She focused on her Skill.
"I offer the logs currently in the cart plus those two piles over there for nine gold crowns to Mr. Anders, to be paid in full in no more than two days. The price is final and refusal means no other opportunities to do business between the parties."
> Offer made. Mr. Anders will either take the logs for Nine gold crowns within two days or forfeit the chance to buy the wood from guild The Blind Eye ever again.
Anders' eye went wide as he saw the notification pop up in front of him. His jaw slacked.
"Girl, you do not know who you threaten!" He raised a hand to hit her.
"Silverfang!" At Cless' command, the wolf growled and barked at the man.
"Rein in your beast!" He cried with fear.
"Mr. Anders," Cless called him out in a very businesslike manner. "It is you who don't know who you threaten. I am a guild master. My guild can be a rabble right now, but we are going places. Now fiddle with your notification as much as you like. Make your choice. But violence will end badly for you. I can heal myself, can you do the same to you?"
> Offer accepted. Ownership of the wood transferred to Mr. Anders' sawmill. Nine gold crowns are owned to Cless, guildmaster of The Blind Eye. Mr. Anders has two days to pay the gold in full.
Anders scowled as he confirmed his notification but Cless wasn't done. "I offer to discount two gold crowns from the owed amount if Mr. Anders keeps secrecy about the means of our deal."
He accepted.
> Contract amended.
"The wood is yours, Mr. Anders. We look forward to doing business with your sawmill." Cless offered her hand. He didn't take it. She saw the guild coming, arms full of cut tree limbs. "And just in time. It seems my guild has returned. Well, I'll leave you to look after your goods, Mr. Anders. If you can't find me, you can deliver payment at the Beaten Hare Inn. You know where."
Cless gathered her guild and walked away.
An enraged Anders shouted at the crowd of teenagers going off to have a feast by a bonfire, "Who will load these other logs on the cart?"
Cless turned around. "Not my business anymore Mr. Anders. Have a good day. I got a guild to feed."
She whirled and smiled at the befuddled man.
"Toodles!"
> Name: Cless (no surname)
>
> Race: Human.
>
> Level: 22 ( 234,135 / 253,000 Exp)
>
> Class: Cleric 5 (11,211 / 15,000 Exp)
>
> Profession: Warmaster 6 (18,066 / 21,000 Exp), Weaponmaster 6 (18,066 / 21,000 Exp)
>
> Base Stats: Strength: 12 — Agility: 14 — Health: 21 — Intellect: 21 — Magic: 32
>
> Available Status Points: 0
>
> Skills: [ Absolute Contract (S) ]
>
> Proficiencies:
>
> Appraisal — Status: 20
>
> Crafting — Crude Weapons: 5
>
> Magic, Cleric — Mending: 14 — Detoxify: 6 — Light: 2 — Turn Undead: 1 — Blessing: 4
>
> General — Prayer: 10 — Scribe: 2 — Houseworking: 3 — Math: 2 — Reading: 6 — Forestry: 9 — Skinning: 7 — Herbalism: 3
>
> Social, general — Negotiation: 12 (+1) — Persuasion 1
>
> Social, martial — Leadership: 16 — Intimidation: 15 (+1) — Tactics: 12
>
> Movement — Tumbling: 3
>
> Weapon — Long Blades: 4 — Short Blades: 2 — Unarmed: 7 — Archery: 12 — Spears: 3 — Maces: 17 — Staves: 4 — Axes: 9