Vol. 2 – Chapter 60 - The Stonemason Guild
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The following day they visited the place again but under the cover of the sunlight instead of night.
Last night was a time where they spent time with Pliny and conversing with him, finding his life story. Mathias and Fayrene found more about the old man, and his former occupation as a horse breeder which explained the stable in his estate, making Mathias's mind be filled with all sorts of thoughts.
Before leaving the old man, Mathias took out some candles that could be used to light his house, along with some food, apart from the cooked one done by Fayrene. In general, he was satisfied to see old Pliny open up, instead of being skeptical about his intentions.
On the way back, Fayrene and Mathias looked at one another, and both with some confusion on what the next step was, the young woman asked him.
"Does this mean we don't have to spend an exorbitant price to rent a place? I feel bad about old Pliny, even after we gave him that food and cleaned his house."
"Dear, we have to buy materials to build the workshop, and by doing so also rebuilding Pliny's house. Haven't you read the quest? We have to assist Pliny in meeting his son, the Red Knight, and it doesn't exclude any steps we might think of."
"It felt so weird getting such a message in my face." remarked Fayrene holding Mathias's hand as they approached back Wallmort District, where the couple followed their discussion about the old man later on in the following morning.
With morning welcoming them, Mathias went to pick Jeanne from her home and when she heard about the new events that were brought upon to Fayrene and himself, she could only sigh.
"I will also come with you guys, so I can give some of my blessings to the old sir. However, I have to go to the Cathedral and do some reporting for dad, and only when I finish will I be available to help you."
Mathias patted her hands while sitting next to her on a couch, and told her jokingly.
"Should I recommend you to stay home or come with us? It is really a mystery for me since we have a lot of work to do in that place."
"It is fine, I am not afraid of some dirt. I'll take some clothes that I can part with the idea they have been ruined."
"Haha, the stable isn't as dirty as you imagine, but nevertheless, we got work to do, Fayrene and myself."
"Don't forget me. How is it, do I get some part of the workshop for the cleaning?"
"No clue." chuckled Mathias, holding Jeanne closer to him, as they changed the subject into discussing the events that happened in her life, at work or outside, to which the lady in question didn't shy at all to open about some funny incidents in the Cathedral, about Gabrils who returned back to Titan in a messy way, as if he was some beggar.
"Ohh, brother Gabrils didn't get hurt by the encounter with the Yatan Servants?" asked Mathias, surprised by the news about Gabrils who returned from his mission targeting the Lich attacking Toulmount Duchy.
"Yes he is fine, the things he mentioned about the fight with the Lich was that he saw a vision of how the fight might have turned and foresaw the possibility of the Yatan servants attacking him, thus he went all-out to take out the Lich and return home without fighting them."
Hearing that, Mathias seemed surprised, and Jeanne noticed that remarking with a sad tone.
"Brother still doesn't remember you darling, however he heard from the guys at the church that I am seeing someone, so you should be careful since he is rather protective."
"At worst I will get beaten, but I don't mind." said Mathias in a joking way, spending his time with Jeanne before she had to go to the church, point where he went back to the Wallmor District planning his next steps, while the route was foggy.
It was then while strolling on the streets contemplating those new changes that he felt something wet touch his face, making him stop in place and glanced around not sure what just happened.
'It is about to rain or what?'
{I think it is snowing, lad.}
Focusing more he began noticing the snowflakes drifting slowly to the ground, making it the first snow he saw since entering Satisfy. Around him the people either being citizens or players stopped from what they were doing at the sight of the snow.
The children were excited of this appearance, among with some players who laughed, making fun and cracking jokes about snowball fighting against one another. Yet, Mathias resumed on his journey back to Wallmor District, and once he arrived back the first thing he saw was Vek in the courtyard holding his hand extended trying to catch the snowflakes.
Beside the little kobold was Fayrene who watched with a smile on her faces as the snow was spreading on the greenfield.
"You came early. Isn't the weather nice, I was expecting it to snow at the end of the month."
"It's not much right now, so it wouldn't last long since the temperature hasn't dropped to the point the snow would remain, turning the surrounding area quite floppy, like a bad rain." commented Mathias who arrived back home, and taking Fayrene's back, glancing at Vek who was fully focused on the snow.
"Little guy, do you want to come with so we look for some equipment to buy in order to clean the new location?"
"Right now? Sure, I don't mind it."
"I will tag along too, since I'll rather place a break from your spendings." mentioned Fayrene, who was quick to tag along, with Mathias and Vek.
Mathias simply shrugged, and without having to change his clothes, also with Fayrene prepared, the couple accompanied by Vek walked toward the Grand Market to buy the materials required for renovating the rundown stable. While the snow was starting to settle on Titan, the merchants and sellers started shifting around their stalls to cover their goods from the snow, but stall by stall Mathias began striking deals left and right, making the merchants in the Grand Market try to capture his attention with their goods.
"Sorry, but I am interested in construction materials."
While he was on this shopping trend, he was talking with his guild friends, about his project and about the fact he had no idea how to renovate and reinforce a building, and everyone in the guild also had no idea, with the exception of Louis, Maple Mist, that give a surprising answer to Mathias.
@Maple Mist: My dad is an architect, maybe I could have him help you?
@Malakai: Wait, little Louis, don't get yourself worked up that much. Matei, just go to the Masson Guilds and find a professional to help you out. You got all the resources you need inside, and especially in Titan, don't ask us, I barely know how to use the paint rollers.
@Mathias: To be honest, I didn't think about it. Thanks a lot, I will charge you twice if you step foot into my workshop.
@Malakai: I'll steal all your goods if you dare.
@Mathias: Good to know you will try this. Nice of you telling me that.
Ending what could be foreseen an escalation of words between the two friends, Mathias turned toward Fayrene and with slight embarrassment in his voice, he asked her.
"Fay, where can we find the Stonemason Guild? Or if there's any such guild that deals with building in this city? Do you have an idea?"
"Stonemason Guild? Do you mean the Constructors Guild? They are a group generalized in anything that one could craft, but they aren't that popular, and since it is hard to find jobs inside Titan, I never heard much about them. Ahem, I also don't know where to find them." ended Fayrene saying, with embarrassments, leaving the two stare at one another, and laugh it off, turning to the most basic thing, asking others who might know.
It didn't take long for the couple to find someone who knew the exact location of the guild, and that person's response stuck with them, as they journeyed out toward their new location, arriving first at the Docks Area, where the mighty Saharan River was used like a transport canal of the city, and by then with the help of others, they kept on distancing far away from the Docks.
"Those petty and arrogant bastards? They should probably starve in the Merbar District, that district is placed rather close to the Docks."
Mathias who recalled that comment from the person in the Grand Market, frowned a little bit knowing that he received false information, but Fayrene just patted his hand, remarking with small amusement.
"Don't be angry, darling. Take this as a chance to learn more about Titan. We didn't move that much in the Northern Sector of the city."
Mathias's annoyance still didn't disperse, especially when two guys that looked to be NPC's pushed him intentionally, and attempted to steal Fayrene's purse.
"Stop resisting woman, if you don't wish to get stabbed. Give us your belongings and nothing will happen to you."
The thieves, that looked similar to some syndicate fools, were level 40-45 NPC's, while Fayrene was level 35, she couldn't outpower the thieves who managed to snatch her purse.
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"My purse! That's something I built with Mathias, how dare you! Arcane Missile!"
Fayrene didn't delay her reactions, and instead of being panic-stricken, she confronted the thieves on her own, by sending out two arcane missiles which took 15% of their HP, dropping them down on the snowy floor which started being painted in red.
On another hand, Mathias who one could say had a so-so day, after being fed wrong information and stumbling in this place, just to find the Stonemasons he required to rebuild the stable, doing the entire estate a rebuilding.
Using his 'Raven's Movement' to the dislike of a certain old man inside his mind, he appeared before the two thieves who began getting on their feet, and swiftly feeling their breaths captured by a devil with blood-red eyes.
"We only wanted some money to feed ourselves." uttered one of the guys, who wasted all his oxygen resources to say that.
Mathias didn't rush to kill them since it wasn't his style of rushing to conclusions, and instead, he asked the two thieves a rather simple question while lowering his Titanic Grip.
"Is this district the home of the Stonemasons?"
"The Stonemasons? … Ahh, yes, yes. This is the right place, master." replied the second person, without showing resistance, especially when he felt Mathias's strength that was insane compared to his own.
"The reason you attempted to steal my wife's purse is?"
"We don't have any place to work since our trade is useless here, and we saw you as outsiders who had plenty of money."
"Arghh, it is to feed ourselves and our family. That's the reason." responded the second guy who felt Mathias increasing the strength in his grip, before once again giving him a breather.
"Are you a stone worker?"
"Yes, master."
"I see, then guide me to your leaders. I want to offer them a contract." responded Mathias while releasing both guys, who touched their necks without feeling themselves bruised even when they knew they only had seconds before dying.
"Lord, are you serious? Are you going to offer us some work?"
"You don't want it?"
"We want it." responded both guys, who noticed a small creature with two wings behind its back appear in the spot the raven-haired lady's purse dropped after being thrown to the ground.
"Now stop wasting my time, and guide me there. Ohh, you'll feel a burning sensation soon in the place you got hit by the purple projectile, just bare it."
"Yes."
Ending that, while Vek gave Fayrene's purse back, the two thieves or what they implied to be members of the Stonemasons Guild, began gritting their teeth in the face of the pain they suffered. Nevertheless, they continue guiding Mathias while on the streets the curious kids began staring from some hiding places at the newcomers.
In due time, they arrived in front of a normal-sized house, where one of the guys leading knocked on it, before entering and yelling as if a flood was about to hit.
"Sir Edwin, we finally got a customer!!!!"
"Motherfucker, didn't I tell you not to disturb me with such hopeful lies." shouted another man, who from tonality seemed to be a middle-aged man.
"We are serious, Guild Master!"
Mathias remained outside with Fayrene and Vek, and could hear with his keen senses, that the commotion died down, with more people voices making their presence felt. He waited until the voice of the one called Edwin told angrily.
"Why keep our customer at the door you fool! Welcome them inside, let me see what they want. I hope it isn't a scam like the last noble that bankrupted our guild with that stupid Castle of his and empty promises of pay."
Swiftly the two thieves exited the house and bowed their heads at the couple, embarrassed, before welcoming them inside, and leading them toward the main room, where the exact amount of people Mathias noticed by voice resided, in total being 4 guys, sitting on some cheap chairs.
Edwin, was at the center, followed by Gallen, Adon, and Rafak, who stood around the leader, Edwin.
The middle-aged man who had short black hair, brown eyes, with a rough appearance, went on his feet walking toward Mathias while extending his hands for a greeting, where the latter could notice the calluses on his hand.
"My greetings to you, young sir, I am Edwin Cleef. I apologize for my people's skeptical antics, but they didn't intend to hurt you. If you want to punish them, I will be more than welcome to facilitate this opportunity."
"Guild Master, what are you saying?" asked one of the thieves, glancing at Mathias with scared eyes.
Meanwhile, Mathias took the hand of the mason and could feel his strength in doing that, which was enough to outpower him in strength. With a professional smile acquired by the accumulation of experience in one year of being a housekeeping staff member and having plenty of runs with wierd customers, he told Edwin calmly.
"They have been punished already, so I will not be petty about it. You have my greetings. I am Mathias. Should I get direct without wasting time with pleasantry?" inquired Mathias who shook the hands of the Guildmaster.
"Please, first have a seat. Unfortunately, I don't have fancy items to serve you, since my financial situation is let's say in mild terms, terrible." explained Edwin, with a deep expression on his face.
"No need to serve us with anything."
"I see, then that's good by me. How may the Stonemasons Guild be of assistance to you, young lord?"
"I want to renovate a building, and as such I require some professionals to do the job because I don't have such skills."
"Understood, what building are we talking about here? Do you have the building plan or can give us specific details from the building proportion, state and so on?"
The more he heard Edwin ask him those questions that were centered on his job, the more his guts told him he found his man to do the job he required. As such, being prepared he took a piece of dried leather that he used to sketch in details Pliny's stable, from an inside view, to an outside view with quite accurate lines, which made the four guys who were blood brothers to comment on Mathias drawing skills.
"Lord, you have talent at drawing without a doubt. If I may, what profession do you profess?"
"The two of us are tailors."
"Ohhh, you are a crafter, one of us. That's nice, very nice. Tell us what do you want to renovate with what I can tell is a stable?" asked Galen one of the Cleef Brothers, before getting cut short by Edwin, who told him to stay quiet.
"Are those lines you did on the draw, the areas you want to rebuild? Or I am wrong?"
"Yes and now, I did those observations on the fly, so don't be concerned by them. However, the way I want to rebuild that place is to accommodate people, making it like an administrative building, just like this sketch."
Saying that, Mathias handed another piece he drew together with Fayrene about what their workshop should look like, and after many attempts, since he returned to Titan, it was a building that was reminiscent of an Austrian Styled Architecture building of the 17-18th century, which was rather challenging to build.
"Wow, that's a unique building you got, young sir, but this seems far sketched. Brother, does this sketch even has logic?"
'What the? That piece is copied straight from the builder's plan for a stylish 18th-century building. The sizes might not match with the stable, but they can be rectified.'
"You are wrong, it has plenty of logic, and all the small details make it even more worthed for a try. Please tell me, sir, do you intend of turnings that stable into the second sketch?"
"More or less, but can you leave out a small percentage of the stable for the carriages that might come to deliver and pick the goods we will make if you would start working at building this?"
"If I take a look at the building itself, I might plan something out which could envelop the two concepts, for example like this."
Walking out from the main room, and returning with a sheet of paper and something similar to a pencil, he later sketched in front of Fayrene and Mathias what idea he had to encompass the two stable and building serving their need.
"This is just a concept from what you described to me, but the structure most likely will hold strong without breaking. Overall, it means that we can achieve the idea you had, mister Mathias. The only problem now is the price. Since the last business endeavor I had, left me scarred for good, my approach at taking commissions has changed. I want money upfront for the materials, for the workers, and for unforeseen circumstances."
"I have no problem or qualms about this. I just want a fair price for this rebuilding without feeling that you guys are inflating the prices. Which I hope you will not, since I might get curious at one point about something, and you'll soon start regretting scamming me."
"This is excluded from the start, mister. My Guild, since my ancestors who built this grand city, never cheated one customer. Instead I could place my hand in a stream of lava, and swear that it was us the Van Cleefs that got cheated by our customers, by believing in their guarantees and promises."
"Okay, you will have time to tell me about your misfortunes in business, but for now, if you could appreciate a starting price for this rebuilding? I am not a professional, so I have no clue."
Edwin glanced at Mathias ruby eyes and his hat which covered his hair, and without avoiding eye contact, he told him as he pointed at the second sketch.
"The size of the buildings is rather balanced, a two-story high. Give me some time to calculate everything I should worry about."
"Please do so. Do you guys want to drink or eat some food?" asked Mathias who took a bit of pity seeing those guys all skinny, visibly affected by their financial situation.
"Really?? Yes, master!" called out the two thieves who got closer to Mathias and acted as servile as possible, making Mathias shrug his shoulder and take out some of the last night leftovers that he shared with the guys, even Edwin didn't miss out on this chance while calculating with a serious expression.
After a couple of minutes, Mathias got his price tag.
"Mister Mathias, from my estimates, the total cost will be something around 70.000-135.000 gold, but if you want more expensive materials, we can raise the price a bit more. It is up to you. We can also craft decorations, stone decorations such as statues, or ornaments on the building, or wooden ornaments."
"Interesting, we'll see about future options when the building stands proud. As for the price, it sounds reasonable for what I want to build."
"I am glad to hear you don't find the price too high." mentioned Edwin, taking a breath of relief when Mathias agreed with his price.
"Let's signs a contract, and whenever you guys can start picking your work, to begin. Right, can you add in that cost, the tax of cleaning out the stable?"
"Don't bother, sir, we'll do it for free. How can we charge you for something so insignificant when we finally get to work after barely surviving the deadline of the loans we took."
"I see, well you have my thanks in advance. You should also send someone to come with me, and get the location down, so there are no misunderstandings."
"It will be on the contract, mister Mathias." responded Edwin while munching on some food, with a large appetite.
Then, ending their food, Edwin took another piece of paper where he began writing the conditions, and everything that ensued in doing a contract between two parties, and as Mathias was concerned, he stopped when he was required to write his name.
'This is a contract, I shouldn't take it easy, simply placing my given name wouldn't do it. What surname to use? Using my name is simply too stupid, what if the contract gets stolen from the masons and people start harassing me and my family? So this is excluded from the start.'
{Come on child, aren't you a Saharan? You are my Successor, why be scared of using what should be rightfully yours with the process of succeeding me happening?} commented Haycien, telling a side of his truth, to Mathias, which made him shake his head quite alerted.
'That would be suicide. No person other than the Imperial Family is allowed to hold the Saharan name. I researched this problem, and believe me is messed up, how bad the Imperials have turned.'
{Then, I don't know… Why bother anyway? Just give them their money to work, and watch from the side?}
'I am not used to bullshiting while writing contracts. One should take a contract with seriousness since they hold a lot of meaning in our lives. Right, I got it. I'll use Fay's family name since one might consider me almost part of the family. We only need to hold the marriage.'
{You still didn't propose to her. What if she says, no? Have you thought about it?}
'That's really a question that had no meaning being asked. If she isn't prepared yet, I will not force anything. And with a big 'IF' in the case, she rejects it and no longer loves me, I will not hold a grudge and separate amiable.'
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Returning back to the piece of paper in front of him, he signed himself as Mathias Arundell, and later on, did his real-life signature, and stamped the contract with his seal on a candle wax, something that Edwin did the same for both contracts that got drafted, one for each side.
"Master Arundell, it must be a bit awkward, but we didn't joke about the upfront payment. I will visit myself this location you want to build, to make sure nothing is messed by some incompetent newbies."
Nodding his head, at the mason, Mathias took from his pocket, while opening his inventory a bag filled with half the maximum amount of the building appreciation, of 135.000 gold, that when received made the brothers shocked.
"Master Arundell, I was thinking maybe 20% of the starting cost, not really half. Aren't you afraid we will run with your money?"
"I'm just showing some faith in you guys since you seem quite capable. Just that you reached a steep slope in your business and reached a delicate situation. But, even if you would have run with my money, don't forget, someone up there is watching us." remarked Mathias while pointing at the roof, and visible at the sky, making the masons nod their heads.
"The Goddess of the Deals, Venice, has been part of the contract we signed, if we would renege on this, may she smitten us."