One of the great reasons some merchants get into the magic item trade is the opportunity to restock their wares. They can do this by buying directly from other merchants, going to magic item auctions, or venturing into the world to find them personally. I participate in all three, but finding magic in the hidden corners of the world will always hold a special place in my heart.
-Basen Koh on sourcing his collection
Reid and Kris walked back out into the rain. Despite the weather and some less than great news about how much money they owed the Greymoon Shadows, Reid thought the information gathering meeting had gone well. The incident in the lobby was a hiccup, but that was before they'd mentioned why they were there and who they worked for. Maybe Basen's name smoothed out the rest of their interactions.
"That went pretty well. We owe more, but I think we'll be in a decent spot in a few weeks."
Kris shook his head. "Don't trust them, Reid. It went well because they wanted you to think it went well."
"You think they're that bad?"
"I know they are."
They took a more direct route back to the shop, bypassing the grand market. When they arrived, the sign in the window still said closed, and Basen wasn't back yet. One thing had changed.
A bright red sheet of paper was affixed to the front door.
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Attention: Immaculate Collection
Basen Koh, Proprietor
Reid Aveno, Shop Manager
FINAL NOTICE
Be aware that your debt with the Greymoon shadows is being called into collections. Your outstanding lease payments are due in full in seven days. Outstanding Inspection and Inventory Reports must be included with debt payment.
Defaulting on this debt will trigger collections on any secondary loans or leases with the Greymoon shadows.
- Chief Assessor Kiala
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"I don't understand," Reid said, staring at the notice.
"I told you. Can't trust them."
Reid cursed and unlocked the door. Kris grabbed the notice off the door and took up his place on a stool while Reid hung up his coat. He seemed to be on good terms with the coat rack, and it didn't try to avoid him like it did with Basen.
"She said she would work with us on repayments," Reid said, pacing at the front of the shop. "She explained how to pay off the debt and what we had to do to avoid more fines. Why send this now?"
Kris tossed the notice onto the desk. They'd somehow written it, waxed it to protect it from the rain, and posted it on their door before they returned.
"I hate to say it, Reid, but it's probably because we went to see them."
"Why?"
"They were happy to let Basen dig his hole as deep as possible. Once you walked in and showed signs of climbing out, they had to pull up the ladder."
Kris was right. Reid had wanted to go in there with the upper hand, to pay off that debt right away, if possible. Instead, he'd just handed them enough information to...what? Either they'd pay off their debt, or the Shadows would get to put Basen's other loan into collections status. At that point, they could probably petition the courts to allow some direct collections.
"So they don't think we can pay?" Reid asked. It was the only thing that made sense. If they could pay, the Shadows would want the repayment to be drawn out to add more fees.
Terrance had also mentioned to Reid that the Greymoon Shadows might not even care about the gold—they might want a chance to choose items from Basen's collection in payment.
Kris scratched his chin and narrowed his eyes. "That seems too simple. We could come up with the money somehow if pressed."
"Should we just borrow money from someone else to cover the debt? I'm sure a bunch of people would love to loan money to a True Mage."
"Won't work. Lenders never step on each other's toes. It's one of their unwritten rules. No one in the city is going to give us money, essentially stealing us from the Greymoon Shadows. I get the feeling they're not worried about whether or not we can pay."
Reid stopped pacing and looked back over the note. "The inventory certification and inspection..."
"I bet every certified identifier in the city is suddenly busy this week," Kris said with a dark expression.
"Kiala said she had a recommendation. It's probably a coin flip whether he'll be available or just charge us double. I still haven't worked out how much certifying the whole shop will cost."
Kris looked around at all the items. "A lot. I guess that means I should really get the back room together."
"Yeah. Do you want to start that? Just sort everything into boxes so they're easily accessible. We won't worry about bringing them out yet. We just want to make sure we can get everything certified. I'll open up the shop and crunch some numbers."
They split up and got to work.
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Immaculate Collection, Inventory View
* Items On Hand
* 313 Total
* 82 One Star
* 70 Two Star
* 101 Three Star
* 33 Four Star
* 19 Five Star
* 7 Six Star
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For pricing certifications, all Reid had to go on was that one merchant told him a four star item would cost around fifty silver to certify. He guessed each star would drop or increase by ten silver. That was enough to give him a rough estimate of the total cost.
"One hundred and ten gold and sixty silver. And that's just for what we have in the front of the shop."
Reid wasn't sure how they would pay on time between that and the lease charges. He thought it was unlikely he'd get another Garret Sands every morning to buy forty gold's worth of items.
Reid busied himself between coming up with plans and cleaning the store until Basen arrived. The True Mage walked in with his umbrella under his arm, and he propped open the door, letting the smell of fresh spring rain fill the shop. It always smelled better right after the rain stopped, Reid thought.
"Reid! You'll never guess who I saw on the way back!"
Reid craned to see Basen from where he'd been wiping dust off the top shelf with a rag.
"Uh, Veris?"
"Nope!"
Reid and Basen stared at each other for a long moment.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"That wouldn't be any fun, would it?"
"I guess not. Uh..." Reid didn't think he and Basen shared many acquaintances. "Leah?"
"Wrong again! A reasonable guess, though."
Reid didn't really want to guess anymore, so he ignored Basen's game.
"Did you get my residence pass sorted?"
Basen stopped at the desk and set down his umbrella and some papers. He tried to hang the brown patched robes he had been wearing on the coat rack, but the rack ignored his desires and dodged the garments.
"I see you've made a friend. Why take Reid's coat, but not my robes? Is this about the firewood joke?"
Reid climbed down from the stool Kris had brought him, and his presence reminded Basen of his existence. The man dropped his robes onto the floor and picked up a paper from the counter.
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"Allow me to be the first to welcome you as a permanent resident of New Avennia!"
Basen presented the paper, holding it out for Reid's inspection.
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The City of New Avennia hereby grants Reid Aveno Permanent Resident status by direct sponsorship pursuant to Royal Decree 214.11.01.
This Permanent Resident License falls under the aforementioned Royal Decree and cannot be rescinded for any reason except by the Authority of the King or the will of the sponsor, Basen Koh.
Signed: Magister Wallace
Witnessed: Gadrin Falls, Notary
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"Wow, it's so formal. How were you going to transform my old pass?"
"Yes, yes. The magisters and government functionaries love their documentation. Your old pass was connected to a specific scribe, and the magic inside would communicate certain things about you. Your location and whether or not you were carrying your pass, for example."
"They always knew where I was?"
"Oh, yes. Anyway. I can use that magic link to inform the scribe that I'm sponsoring you. They do some magic on their end, and you end up with a very similar notice. Or at least I could if I hadn't tired myself first."
Reid took the paper. This one didn't have any magic that he could sense.
"This one doesn't track me?"
"Nope. Residents aren't tracked, just visitors. They want to make sure people don't overstay their welcomes."
Reid thought he'd be happier with the residence pass in his hands, but he felt like he'd messed up enough today that it dampened any traces of excitement.
"Thanks, Basen. I really appreciate it."
"It's no trouble, my boy. I get some perks for my years of service. One of them is sponsoring anyone I want, no questions asked. Now, they won't kick you out if you commit any crimes, but I will have to answer to the King on your behalf if you do, so try to avoid that, yes?"
"Sure."
Basen clapped. "Wonderful. What have you and Kris been doing in my absence? Is he in back?"
Basen started toward the back, but Reid held up a hand. The man stopped.
"Reid? You seem uncharacteristically glum if you'll excuse me for saying so."
Reid took a deep breath. Time to come clean.
"While you were out, Kris and I went to the Greymoon Shadows."
Basen rubbed his beard. "Did you now? What did you think of them?"
"You're not mad?"
Basen looked confused. "Why would I be mad? If anything, you saved me a trip."
"Ah. I thought you might not be happy I went without you."
Basen nodded and guided Reid to the counter. He sat him down and sat across from him.
"I'll admit that I wouldn't have been thrilled had you gone alone, but you were smart enough to bring Kris. Otherwise, I meant what I told you when I brought you on board. You're free to do what you think you need to do to keep us in business. If you thought going without me was the right decision, I respect that. Going forward, perhaps it would be best if you kept me informed. Then we can avoid any doubt you may have, and I can ensure you don't stumble into any dangerous situations."
Reid pulled the red notice out of his pocket.
"Yeah. I can do that. We found out how much we owe, but they also sent this. It was on the door when we got back."
Basen took the notice and read it. He winced once.
"Certifying everything will not be cheap. This isn't so bad, though. What did you say we owed? Fifty gold or so?"
Reid shook his head.
"That's what I said, but they gave me the actual numbers. Quite a few fees are piling up. We owe around one hundred and twenty-five in lease payments and fees."
Basen nodded.
"So, all together, what do we need?"
"Well, I guessed the certification costs. I don't know how much a safety inspection will cost, either. I'm guessing around two hundred and forty gold in a week. Oh, plus certification of all the items in the Archive. I don't even know. Another fifty gold?"
Basen tilted his head back and forth.
"Something like that. Close to three hundred gold is going to be tricky. And if we don't pay, we owe another two hundred?"
"Two hundred and ten, yeah. I don't suppose you have money to handle this right now? Then the shop can pay you back later?"
Basen frowned and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, my liquid funds are quite low. It turns out, rebuilding an orphanage is an expensive endeavor."
It didn't seem like the time for jokes, and Basen seemed to understand that, which made what he'd just said even more ridiculous.
"Basen...just...why?"
"Well, the kids needed a new building. The old one was outdated, falling apart, and dangerous."
"So you burned it down?"
"I did. Now I'm paying for a new one and temporary housing for over a dozen orphans and the orphanage staff."
The genuine care for the well being of those children touched Reid's heart.
"You know, you could say you're building a new orphanage for the children instead of saying you burned down the old one. It comes off a little less...insane."
"That's true, and I would if any of my goals were remotely close to coming off as a sane person."
"So what are your goals then? Coming off as a crazy person?"
Basen laughed. "Almost! Let's just say I don't act chaotic purely because I think it's funny and have no attention span."
Basen perpetuated chaos. Reid had no idea why, but that's clearly what the man implied. That was perhaps a driving force, but it was the consequences that Reid needed to manage, regardless of their source. He pulled the conversation back on track.
"Okay. Let's set that aside for now. So, we don't have the money to pay for certification or overdue lease debt. What do we have?"
Basen emptied his pockets. He put six gold and a handful of silver onto the counter, along with a half eaten apple.
"You had that in your pocket?"
"I always carry around some pocket money. You never know when you'll find a deal!"
"The apple, Basen."
"Hmm, oh right. Yes, I was enjoying that this morning. Kris gave me a few. You should ask him for some. They're very good apples."
Reid shook his head. This was his life now.
"That's all the money you have? Didn't you say you had a few hundred put away?"
"I did say that, but my fortunes have changed. I now have six gold and...fourteen silver."
Reid pulled out his purse and counted out the money from the sale in the morning.
"So we have about fifty gold. I have another couple I could chip in, but we're nowhere near what we need."
Basen rubbed his chin. "Do you have a plan?"
"I don't know. I'll head to the merchant's guild, as planned, but I don't know if that will be enough. Can you earn some money as a True Mage?"
"Hmm. The problem is one of degrees. People need powerful mages for various things, but solving most problems doesn't require much power. There's little a Greater Mage can accomplish that a standard Mage cannot. The problems that require a True Mage do not pay money and come roughly once every five years. My services are simply not in high demand."
"What about teaching or giving mages lessons? Would a Greater Mage not pay for some secret knowledge about True Mage?"
"Perhaps, but most Greater Mages know they'll never be True Mages. They optimize themselves to the peak of Greater Magic. Any other lessons I could teach are available free at many educational institutions. Your magical knowledge gap is wider than most in the city, so you might assume it has more value than it really does."
Reid sighed. That all made sense. There wouldn't be a simple fix for this problem.
"So we need to sell things? Lots of things..."
"That does seem likely."
"I think I'll go join the merchant's guild. They have some resources that I think will help. I need some ideas. Are you a member of the merchant's guild?"
"I joined the Royal Adventurer's Guild because it was required of me. I will not join any other guilds or societies. As a True Mage, I need to manage my allegiances and memberships with care. I am loyal to none save the crown, the Kingdom, and New Avennia.
"That said, I think it's a good idea for you to join. I'll see about drumming up some business on my own. I have a few contacts in the city who might be interested in at least perusing my collection."
That was music to Reid's ears. If Basen had a few powerful friends who wanted five or six star items, their problems might not prove so bad.
"Great idea. I'll see what I can figure out. Should we regroup tomorrow morning? I doubt I'll be done at the guild before dusk."
"That works for me. I'll man the shop for a couple hours and write messages. Would you mind stopping by the messaging post in the Grand Market? Have them send a runner here so I can send out a few letters."
Reid agreed and, before leaving, discovered a safe inside the store for the gold they'd made this morning. He was happy to have it out of his hands and off his person. He departed, stopping at the messaging post in the market square. It wasn't much of a business. There was a man at a counter and four boys sitting on stools behind him. When Reid asked for a runner to be sent, the man woke one of the boys, and he took off with no questions asked.
That taken care of, Reid returned to the Royal Merchant's Guild.
"Reid, a pleasure. I assume you were able to get sponsorship, given your quick return?"
"Hey Kenagavis. Yep, Basen sponsored me. I'm a permanent resident now. Sign me up for the guild!"
Kenagavis took his residency paperwork and began filling out some forms.
"This is an interesting resident's license. The normal ones don't say anything about being rescinded. Not many are sponsored by True Mages, I suppose."
Reid shrugged. It was odd knowing that he was probably in one of the city's most unique positions. He was glad he'd started working for Basen without knowing anything about the man.
"There we are. I've updated your existing account with your new information and completed your membership application. There is a one time membership fee of fifty silver. I can deduct twenty-five merits from your account for payment if you would like."
Reid didn't remember the membership fee, but he trusted Kenagavis, and having it deducted from his hoard of merits reduced the sting of paying five weeks of rent just to join. He nodded, and Kenagavis entered the update. When he was done, the orkenna smiled at Reid and presented him with a small pin. The pin depicted stacks of coins and what Reid guessed was a tiny contract.
"Welcome to the Royal Merchant's Guild! We have five membership ranks, and you naturally start at rank one. Your rank determines merit exchange rates, posting costs, and priority access to new postings and requests. You will naturally rank up as you complete notices and fulfillments and otherwise do business with other Royal Merchant's Guild members. As always, I'll be here to answer any questions you may have."
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Membership Recorded
Royal Merchant's Guild
* Rank 1
* Access to Member's Only notices and information
* 2:1 Silver to Merit exchange rate
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"Do I need to wear the pin to access the Membership areas?"
"You do not. I recommend keeping it with you in case you are questioned, but we can always look you up. Otherwise, we rely on the honor system. Obviously, taking a notice will result in a membership check, but that's something you no longer need to worry about."
"Great!"
Reid was excited to check out the rest of the building but remembered his earlier conversation with the orkenna.
"When I was in this morning, I asked about advertising resources. Do you have something you can point me to?"
Kenagavis nodded. "There are many materials upstairs, but I can advise you directly. I am well versed in advertising and marketing."
"Great. Well, here's the deal. We owe a bunch of money to the Greymoon Shadows, and they've called it due in seven days. I need to sell a lot of things in the next week."
Kenagavis did not hide his disdain. "The Shadows are a deplorable group. It is a sad truth that they occupy a niche here in New Avennia, but it is one we would be better off not having."
"Agreed. I thought they were alright, but they kind of stabbed me in the back. So, how can I get people into the shop?"
Kenagavis rubbed his neck.
"Do you have some time? My shift is almost over, and I would be happy to discuss this further when Claire comes in to replace me."
"Sure. You can show me around, too."