It was toward evening when Captain Bernice finally made it back to Kallvek's Emporium. She was allowing her horse to walk slowly while she gathered her thoughts. It would not do to have dinner with Roderick Kallvek, or worse, his father, with slowed wits. The man heard everything that occurred in the Empire and had several employees who gathered the information for him. Not even spies, just normal scribes who asked questions about prices, new laws, monster attacks, or any of the thousands of bits of information that trickled into the capital.

And all he did with that information was find ways to move goods efficiently, buy low, sell high, and make money to take care of his growing clan. She wished she could bring him into her employ or even bribe him, but he was smart enough to stay independent and keep his nose out of politics. His offer of dinner and trading information showed his loyalty to her without actually taking sides. It would be a long meal; she had many questions.

She had visited all of the new Hamlets today and listened to the refugees. Former refugees, rather, as they were well settled in their new homes. They remembered her and the help her company had given them. There was no end to the offers of a cold beer or hot meal. Children offered to groom and pet her horse. She knew some of the faces, especially the children. Otherwise, she might have wondered if these were different people. They were still thin but didn't show the signs of poverty and malnutrition she had seen on their faces before. And while some were wary, she didn't see the deep fear that had afflicted them while on the run.

She considered how this baron had chosen to solve his refugee problem. He was making an effort to change lives—a roof over their heads and a place to work and call their own made all the difference. Safety and a full belly took away the worry about children. Circumstances had favored them. A baron willing to invest in the lives of refugees was rare—one who would settle them on his best land with good soil, even more rare. The farmers talked of getting six harvests a year and maybe more. Training in weapons meant they felt less threat from bandits and low-level monsters.

So either the man was a saint, or he had some plan to benefit from his investment in these people. That was the main question she hoped her old friend, Roderick, could answer. She had never believed in saints. Not in the nobility.

A corporal was waiting for her as she rode into town. "I've got some good deals pending to restock the unit, but I need your approval. The goods aren't standard."

"What did you find, and what are the problems? A bargain on cheap goods? You know that's never a bargain in the long run."

The corporal scratched his head. "Sort of the opposite. Firstly, I have some barrels of wine I want to buy. They have several alchemists in town and a lot of apples from those dryad orchards. They're using apple juice in the recipe for stamina potions and then fermenting it. They call it Apple Kick-Ass."

Bernice didn't like bringing alcohol with the troops. So many bad things could happen. "Reasons?"

"The alcohol content gets buried under the stamina potion resulting in a tasty cider that wakes you up in the morning like three cups of black tea, and it will keep the night watch from falling asleep. Too much is bad. The locals joked about people working for days and then sleeping for days. Several of us have tried it, and it really opens your eyes."

"Fine, pick some up. It's against my better judgment, but we'll test it. The worst that can happen is we dump it out. Next."

"I found some bacon." He paused and pulled out a small package wrapped in waxed paper. "Very good bacon. The local Butcher cures and smokes it and sells it in his shop. He'll even give us a deal if we buy it by the barrel. Give it a try."

Bernice looked at it, using her various skills:

Tasty-Trifecta Bacon

Made from the local boars found in the forests of Gadobhra and gathered into the slaughter pens, this bacon is given heat and flavor from a special recipe using honey, horse radish, and 11 herbs and spices. Heavy with mana, it provides benefits to Health, Stamina, and Mana for 12 hours. Up to three pieces may be eaten in 12 hours before bad things happen to your digestion.

+50 Health, +50 Stamina, +50 Mana. (Stackable: x3)

She stared at the corporal. "Sorry for doubting you. That has to be a Tier 3 recipe and he's not using normal pigs. How much does he want for the barrel?"

"He sells the slices for one gold each. A 150-pound barrel has 2400 slices. He'll sell the whole barrel for a thousand gold. He has an account at the bank." He pointed to the tall building with the clocks.

Now Bernice was in a quandary. Not only was that a decent offer, but it was for an easily stored and transportable magic food. Potions broke easily and took up a lot of space. Before a battle, a barrel of this stuff could save lives. She didn't like throwing around a lot of gold, but her husband would scold her if she didn't take the deal.

"He has a full barrel of the stuff?"

"He has three full barrels. Nice guy, too. He gave us 50 pieces to pass out to the company as a thank you for the help saving the refugees. Says he has a lot of friends out in the Hamlets."

Bernice snorted. She'd heard the exaggerated stories about the Butcher leading them to victory in a battle against gophers. He did seem to have a lot of friends. And he was probably picking up some merchant tricks from Kallvek. Free sample? More like baiting the hook fifty times over. Still, it would be nice to have on the road. Gold didn't help you when the orcs were attacking in the middle of the night.

"How much is the wine?"

"200 gold pieces for each tun. They use the big 252-gallon barrels, and we have room for all six tuns they have for sale. If we like it, they'll make it for us on a regular basis and set up a delivery."

Bernice took another bite of the bacon and considered. "Fine. But get me receipts for everything. I'll go over to the bank and transfer 1200 to the tavern and 3000 to the Butcher."

The corporal saluted and rode off. Bernice dismounted and headed to the bank. Standing before it, she was struck by the oddness of such a little town having a bank like this. It was smaller than the Royal Gnomish Bank in Wolfsburg, but not by much. A bank was a powerful tool if used correctly. Again, she wondered about Baron William's plans.

She entered the bank, and the gnome behind the counter bowed low. "How can the Royal Gnomish Bank of Sedgewick help you today?"

She hesitated a moment, but the discretion of gnomish bankers was legendary. "I have several accounts at The Royal Gnomish Bank in Wolfsburg. I'm assuming I can draw on those here. The account I need will be under 'The Company of the Red Banner.' Funds will need to be transferred from my other accounts."

The gnome nodded. "Of course, of course. I just need to see a certain signet ring and take a drop of blood with your signature to access that type of account."

She sighed but understood and pulled forth a ring hidden in a special pouch. The gnome pricked her finger, she signed, and it was done.

"Your accounts are linked now, your excellency, and thank you for shopping in Sedgewick. I am at your service for all your banking needs. Perhaps a small local account to pay bills from?"

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She thought for a moment. "That would be ideal. Let's set that up and have it drain money from the main account for the Red Banner. I'll send over two of my corporals and a sergeant who can act as buyers with a limit of up to 1000 gold per day, each."

Moments later, her banking was done, and she was on her way. She was still puzzled. What the hell did Baron William do to earn a gnomish bank? She'd probably never know unless he bragged about it. That done, she took another walk around town, looking for the small details that told a story.

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Roderick opened the door and ushered her inside. "Welcome to my humble establishment. What can I interest you in today?"

Bernice looked around the large shop, packed to the rafters with half-sorted goods. And if her appraisal ability was correct, a lot of high-end merchandise had been moved here from his other businesses. "How about something alcoholic, dinner, and lots of answers."

He smiled. "Such a shopping list! But I happen to have most of it, although the quality of the answers, while impeccable, might not be to your liking."

He led the way upstairs to the family's quarters and into a large dining room. The table was set for five. "We took the liberty of feeding the children early and sending them to the inn for dessert. I am sure that you remember my wife, Melissa. And these are my parents. Emilio, the Great Kallvek, and my mother, Aurelia. I'm sure all of you remember Captain Bernice."

Aurelia got up and bowed, as did the others. "Why don't you all enjoy your wine and talk? I'll be back with dinner." The small talk had just ended as she returned with a rolling cart filled with roasted lamb, two baked chickens, grilled sausages, and assorted side dishes.

Bernice took a bite of food and then dove in. "What is the Baron up to? Why did he take on nearly six hundred refugees?"

Roderick put an innocent look on his face, "Why, isn't that what any nobleman would do? Help out the less fortunate. I'm sure the north is filled with such men of power and wealth who would reach out a helping hand." He said it with such a straight face that she had to laugh.

"I wish that were true. Some will come to a neighbor's aid but they want a favor in return that's worth twice as much. And the times they act generously, they immediately run to the Duke for a handout to help them aid the poor. There have been no requests for aid from Baron William. Yet he is absorbing the poor of a neighboring Baron into his own lands. What is this man planning?"

"I think you just answered part of your question." As she looked puzzled, he continued. "This is a new Baron with little wealth or power, but he certainly desires both. I think you will find him quite driven to succeed. He sees these people as a way to achieve one or both objectives."

"How does taking in those people, giving them houses, food, and land make him any money? The loss in building points he put into those Hamlets was costly. And he has some strange ideas about crops. He has them growing herbs of all things. Cumin, fennel, thyme, peppercorn vines, sage, and whole fields of red peppers. I had no idea what most of those plants were to look at them and had to ask the farmers."

There was some laughter around the table. Emilio spoke, "Apologies, we should remember you are never in a kitchen. The red peppers will be ground for paprika. That and the other spices are ingredients in sausage."

"The Baron is making sausage? Why?"

"He has a Butcher. A very good Butcher. He can grind almost anything into sausage. It is not something pleasant to watch. But the end product is good. He has a contract with the Legion that he will soon be re-negotiating. The original contract was for cured beef of low quality. For over a year, he has been delivering barrels of meat worth far more, some of it enchanted. The enchanted food is in high demand in any army, as you well know."

She thought about the bacon and needed a long drink of wine. "Yes, I can't quite believe it, but I paid him 3000 gold pieces for bacon this evening. How good are the sausages?"

Aurelia passed a plate of them to her. "Why not find out for yourself?"

The smell was enticing. The taste was better. "Certainly, this isn't what he sells to the Legion?"

Sedgewick Sausage!

Made from locally sourced meat, mixed and ground by hand. Then we smoke and cured them with our special herbs, spices, and secret sauce for that sinfully dark, sweet flavor.

Restores 100 stamina and 100 mana. Have them with every meal!

"Yes, it actually is, and they buy every barrel. The 'secret sauce' is mostly imbued smoke and condensed dark mana. They should last in storage for a decade and still be good."

Bernice finished her sausage and put two more on her plate, already feeling less fatigued from the day. "You're right. I can see the Legion wanting as much of this as they can get, but the Legion wants many things. Getting the money from the accountants is the sticking point. I wish him luck in renegotiating his contract."

She thought for a moment. "What's he charging for a barrel of these?"

The merchants all smiled. "The Baron will offer the Legion a rate of 100 gold per barrel if they commit to 1000 barrels. If they don't take it, he will sell them to the mercenary companies for double or triple that amount."

The mercenary swore. "That's insane. How much meat does he have? He must be slaughtering whole herds of animals."

Emilio shared a look with Roderick. "This is Gadobhra we are talking about. Do you remember the old stories? The warnings about what lurks there?"

"...The City of Butchers...shit...the old books say the slaughter never stops..." Melissa refilled Bernice's wine and set the bottle down in front of her.

"While my husband and father-in-law will scold me for spoiling your fun, we have much to discuss. Gadobhra has dungeons that can supply the animals. The Baron already needs butchers to keep the worst Dungeon Lord complacent. He is training all of his people to be butchers, and each night the meat wagons roll from the city to the dungeon, and the leftovers go to that blasphemy of a smokehouse in the corner of the town. Sausage is something he can supply a great deal of. But frankly, I agree with you; he is too cheap. He wishes to create a market and later raise his price. Someone who buys in now will benefit later."

The Captain shook her head back and forth. It was too good of a deal to pass up, but she needed people between Wolfsburg and Gadobhra. "20% to act as brokers for me and see that the 1000 barrels arrive in Wolfsburg?"

Looks and smiles were passed around the table. Roderick was greatly enjoying this. "For a good friend such as yourself and your husband? 10% is sufficient. The Butcher will want the payment upfront, of course, these are difficult times, and I'm sure you don't want the Baron to ask too many questions about how a mercenary captain needs enough food for an army."

"Let's do it. Armies march on their stomachs." The wine was poured, glasses clinked, and 110,000 gold pieces were transferred from the Royal Gnomish Bank of Wolfsburg to a bank in Sedgewick and then into the account of the Kallvek merchant house.

"No, I really don't want to have anyone asking about why I'm putting so much money in Baron William's pocket. Politics are complicated right now. But I can consider it a thank you for what he did for those people." Bernice didn't regret the purchase but was still worried. "Carl will have so many questions for me when I finally make it home."

Emilio smiled. "Then let's give you some more stories to tell him."