The back of Arwin’s neck prickled and his shoulders tensed. If someone had bought the street out from under them…

“What does that mean?”

“Well, normally, it would have gone into a bidding war,” Jake said. “I’m not at liberty to say who made the bids, but I can say the price probably would have gone easily to twenty or thirty thousand gold. Can’t imagine why people would be this interested in this particular share of land for any reason other than to inconvenience you.”

The way Jake spoke gave Arwin a second of pause. If someone had managed to buy the street, then everything would have been over and they’d be completely screwed. That didn’t sound like the case.

“The way you’ve phrased this makes it sound like said war never happened,” Arwin said.

“You’d be correct, though it should have.” Jake cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “I… may have put in an order for the land under the Merchant’s Guild’s name when you asked me to hold it for you. I planned to remove the order when you brought the gold since you promised to get it soon.”

“What does that mean?” Arwin asked tersely, hope coloring his words. “They weren’t able to buy it?”

“They weren’t, but the guild was forced to,” Jake replied. “The Merchant’s Guild — and all major guilds under the Adventurer’s Guild — have provisions that stop bidding wars over unimportant pieces of land. As long as we put in our order first, the price can only raise by one hundred percent before it caps out.”

Arwin’s brow furrowed. “It was 5 thousand when you mentioned it before. That means…”

“I paid 10 thousand for it,” Jake said with a weary nod. He picked his tankard back up and took a long drink from it. “Upper management definitely noticed me making a purchase that big, so I fear we may both be in shit. I can’t justify spending ten thousand gold for a worthless street and unless you’ve got ten thousand gold lying around—”

“I do.”

Jake froze. “What?”

“I should have made ten thousand between my sales today and the ones coming tomorrow,” Arwin said. A flicker of hope sparked in Jake’s eyes and he straightened up in his chair.

“Seriously? You made that much so quickly?”

“I should have,” Arwin said with a nod. “Is tomorrow fast enough?”

“Depends. Are you officially recognized as a guild?”

“Not yet, but I imagine we will be soon enough. The request was already put in.”

Jake started to laugh. “Oh, thank the gods. Yes, that’s fine. It takes time for the pay to go through. Even if anyone notices, the transaction will be fine and I can just say I knew you were good for it.”

Arwin blew out a breath of relief. They’d come so close to being completely screwed but had managed to dodge the bullet by a hair’s width.

Jake really stuck his neck out for us, didn’t he? Ten thousand gold is steep, but the alternative is inconsiderable. We’d have to literally go to war with Milten to keep the street under our control.

“Perfect,” Arwin said. Even with the large hit to their coffers, they’d still have quite a bit of gold left over — and as more people talked about his work and Lillia’s tavern, they’d have more and more sources to earn income from. “We appreciate you taking a risk for us. You didn’t have to do that, and I won’t forget it.”

Jake gave him a weary nod and took another sip from his drink. “The Merchant’s Guild isn’t just about earning money. It’s also about making sure people get the chance to earn money. A lot of people forget that, but I do my best. It’s easier when nobody really gives a shit about Milten. Just don’t forget to pay your dues — including the costs of keeping the street. It’s not cheap.”

“How much?”

“As it is right now? You’ve got two operating sales locations. The other buildings on the street aren’t operating yet, so I won’t count them against you. I’ll cut you a deal and say give hundred a month, so long as the other buildings aren’t operating.”

The price is certainly starting to stack up. Just a day ago, that number would have been impossible. It’s ironic. If the Secret Eye and the Ardent Guild hadn’t inadvertently created a Ranked Dungeon, we never would have been able to afford the street.

“So that’s ten thousand five hundred total to cover the month and the cost of the street, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Arwin held a hand out. “Then it sounds like we have a deal.”

Jake shook it with a grin. “That we do. Saved both of our hides there, it looks like.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I just hope you get a commission from sales,” Arwin said dryly. “You just wrung more money out of me than I’ve ever handled in my life.”

That is, so long as we’re only counting literal money and not things worth money. I’m pretty sure I could have bought Milten ten times over with some of the rings I used to have and still had money to spare.

Jake flashed Arwin a quick grin. “Let’s just say I’ll be eating nicer these next few weeks. And, speaking of which, I should get moving. I’m technically on the job. Lillia just made a very convincing augment.”

He downed the rest of his drink and mowed through the rest of his Wyrm steak with impressive speed before dabbing at his mouth politely with his napkin. The guildsman gave Arwin one last nod before sweeping out of the emptying room.

Arwin pressed a hand to his chest and blew out a breath. That had been too close for comfort. Far, far too close for comfort. There were so many moving pieces on the game board. Things were going better now, but a single severe misstep could still spell their end.

He headed over to the kitchen. As he stepped past the lantern and inside, he nearly walked straight into Lillia.

“Whoa,” Arwin said, jerking to a stop at the last second. “Sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“It’s fine,” Lillia said with a weary smile. “I overheard your conversation with Jake. He’s a good man.”

“He definitely saved our asses.” Arwin leaned against the wall as the weight of the day reminded him of just how tired he was. “How did running a busy tavern for the first time go? Any trouble?”

“One small incident, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“An incident?” Arwin’s eyes narrowed. “What happened?”

“Nothing that bothersome. Some idiots nearly started a fight. I threw them out of the tavern.”

“A whole group? That’s impressive. Is your shadow magic that much stronger in the darkness? I suppose that’s a dumb question.”

“It is stronger, but no. That had nothing to do with it,” Lillia said. She hesitated for a second as worry creased her brow. “I… have other powers. When people stay at my inn.”

Arwin tilted his head to the side. “You mean the buffs you get when more people stay over or eat?”

Her shoulders tensed and she looked away, studying the wall intently. It was a second more before she responded. “Not those. Anyone that stays or eats at my tavern is beholden to any command I give them as long as they’re in it.”

“You’re kidding. That’s one powerful ability. No limits?”

Lillia blinked. “I — no, there are. It doesn’t work as effectively on people stronger than me. I hadn’t had the chance or desire to test it out before today. It’s vile.”

“It’s a tool,” Arwin corrected. “And it’s a limited one.”

“Don’t say that as if mind magic isn’t the most wretched form of power there is in this world,” Lillia said. Her hands tightened at her sides. “I don’t know why the Mesh forced it upon me. It makes me sick. I wasn’t even planning on using it today. It just… happened.”

“It’s a tool, and a tool is only as evil or good as the one wielding it,” Arwin said, his tone softening as he put a hand on Lillia’s shoulder. “I take it you just told the offending adventurers to leave?”

“Yeah.”

“Then it’s fine. Your influence ended the moment they left. Anyone eating or staying at your tavern is agreeing to abide by the rules anyway, and you aren’t going to make them do anything they don’t want to as long as they behave.”

“How do you know? What if I decided someone pissed me off enough to do something worse?” Lillia asked. She met Arwin’s gaze again. “I’d just prove that I am evil. I’ve already used the power once on accident. It could happen again.”

“You won’t use it for anything like that.” There wasn’t a speck of doubt in Arwin’s voice. “We’ve been pawns before, Lillia. I may not know your thoughts, but I know what I’ve felt — and I know that the absolute last thing I would ever do is ever use someone the way I was used. You’d do no different.”

Lillia huffed. “I know that. I wouldn’t choose to, but what if it happens anyway?”

“It won’t. And if it does, we won’t let you. The Mesh wouldn’t give you an ability that’s so ridiculously powerful that nobody could possibly compete with it. You’re overestimating the control it gives.”

“How do you know?” Lillia challenged.

“I suppose I don’t. Let’s find out. Use it on me.”

Lillia paled and took a step back. “No.”

“I’m not telling you to have me throw myself into the wall,” Arwin said. “Just order me to do something simple. The effect probably won’t even be as strong since I didn’t sleep or eat in the inn yesterday. Your power is just a weapon, but an unused weapon is a danger to its wielder and foe alike.”

“Godspit. I know you’re right, but why do you have to look at it so logically? It’s frustrating.”

“It’s easier when it isn’t my problem,” Arwin said with a chuckle. “Just give me a simple command.”

Lillia nodded. Her brow furrowed for a moment and she swallowed. Then her eyes sharpened. “Raise your arms to shoulder level.”

Her words came out different to her normal voice, wreathed in a sharp, biting tone of command that dug into Arwin’s mind like barbs. A compulsion gripped him and his arms twitched, nearly moving but stopping before they could.

They stared at each other.

“Huh?” Lillia blinked. “That’s odd.”

“I… right. I’ve got a Title called Indomitable that stops mental effects,” Arwin said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry. I suppose that was a bit of a lackluster test.”

Lillia let out a relieved laugh and the tension tightening her back loosened, letting her shoulders drop. “Are you joking? This is perfect. It means I can’t actually control you as long as we’re close in level. If I ever start doing something I shouldn’t, you’re a guaranteed way to stop me.”

“I don’t think it’ll ever come to that.”

“Just knowing that it can’t is a relief. It’s like holding a ball of raging fire but having a lake right next to me.”

“Well, I’m glad to be of help, even though I don’t think I’m really doing anything.” Arwin’s stomach rumbled and he coughed into a fist. It hadn’t been long since he’d eaten metal, but the smells in the tavern weren’t helping.

“Hungry?”

“I have to make some more metal soon, but I should be fine. Now, if you’ve got a sandwich lying around somewhere, I certainly wouldn’t object. I missed mine yesterday.”

“I think I’ve got something better. You aren’t the only one that got something out of today,” Lillia said. She turned back to the stove and started gathering ingredients. “All those customers netted me quite a bit of magical energy as well as some rewards for having such a successful launch day.”

“Rewards?” Arwin raised an eyebrow. “What kind of rewards?”

Lillia set a chunk of marinated Wyrmling meat from her icebox onto the pan and it started to sizzle. She looked over her shoulder at him, a devious grin playing across her lips. “Instead of being boring and just saying, how about I show you instead?”