Is there a Doctor on the ship?
Ah, I knew we'd find one. Throw him overboard.
-Basen Koh, recipient of the first lifetime ban from the Avennish Medical Society
Reid stepped off the lift into a small room with an unoccupied desk on one side and a row of chairs opposite it. The person who'd rode the lift up with him took a seat in one of the empty chairs in the room. The merchant's guild's fifth floor looked like a waiting area attached to a long corridor. Unlike the tile floors of the rest of the building, this floor had carpet with a repeating pattern of blue and white lines. Carpet was a new fascination of Reid's, as they didn't have carpeted floors in Glarrus. The best someone in his hometown could hope for was a rug of processed swamp reeds. Dry days were a rarity in the lands surrounding the Broken Swamp.
Reid resisted the urge to slip his shoes off and feel the plush carpet under his feet. Instead, he turned his attention to the empty desk that filled half of the small room. A small board propped up on the desk facing the lift listed information about the day's meetings. Reid scanned the list and found his own name. The meeting time and room number were listed along with the name of his potential buyer—Niles Limen, Avennish Mage's Society.
Reid took the sign for what it was and made his way down the corridor, leaving the waiting room and the other person behind. Room nine was a small conference room with comfortable chairs on either side of a long table. Reid sat in front of a place card with his name neatly printed on the front. There were four chairs on either side of the table and one at the head. The place card at the head of the table read Claire Corin. Apparently, Claire did more than occasionally fill in at the front desk.
Reid checked his pocket for the twelfth time since he'd left the shop and found the Greater Magic Necklace of Binding Potential right where he'd left it. He tried to relax. He'd figured out some final numbers before he'd left the shop, and things were looking considerably better than they had just a few days ago.
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Immaculate Collection - Quick Accounting View
* Ongoing Monthly Expenses
* Includes staffing, rent, regular bills, interest, and fees
* 15 gold, 70 silver
* Upcoming expenses
* Includes identification certification and safety inspection
* 205 gold (estimate based on current inventory, Due before Monday)
* Crystal Tears Delivery
* 30 gold
* Current Funds
* 62 gold
* Current debt
* Greymoon Shadows Loan
* 210 gold, 50 silver, 50 copper (Good Standing)
* Back Lease Payments and Fees
* 125 gold, 87 silver, 23 copper (Due Monday)
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Looking at everything they had going on and accounting for this month's rent and payment for himself and Kris, Reid wouldn't feel comfortable until they had either 346 gold to cover back lease payments, current lease payments, and identification costs or until they had enough to cover the lease debt, and a way to get the entire collection inspected and certified for a lot less gold.
Reid hoped he could cover one of those scenarios today. The buyer, he had guessed and now verified, was a mage's society official. The mage's society had control over a number of certified identifiers and magical safety inspectors, as it happened. There might be more room to negotiate than he had initially assumed.
The door to the conference room opened, and Claire stepped inside, followed by a man with long grey hair and an intricately carved cane and a younger man in a soft blue robe holding a clipboard. Reid stood up to greet them.
"Mr. Aveno, it's a pleasure to see you again," Claire said, shaking his hand. "This is Niles Limen, Assistant Director of the Royal Avennish Mage's Society, and his assistant, Wesley Threp. Mr. Limen, Mr. Threp, this is Reid Aveno, a member of the merchant's guild representing the Immaculate Collection."
Reid shook hands with both men. Niles Limen had keen eyes and a firm handshake. He smiled and nodded at Reid. Wesley Threp, by contrast, had sweaty hands and didn't make eye contact. Reid still smiled at the man before they took their seats on either side of the table.
"You've all met me before, but in the interest of professionalism, I am Claire Corin, Royal Avennish Merchant's Guild official and mediator. I'm here as an official witness to any transaction to ensure fair dealings and record outcomes. If you would present the item, Mr. Aveno, I will verify it again, and then you can begin your negotiation."
Reid set the pearl necklace on a tray in the middle of the table, and Claire touched it. She didn't seem concerned about his mark and the information it must have provided. Instead, Reid caught just a wisp of magic flow from the woman as she identified it herself.
"Very good. The item has been accurately described, and this is the item that was offered for sale."
Reid wasn't sure how to begin the negotiation, but Niles reached out a hand.
"May I?"
"Of course. I've marked it with my own ability, so you will see the identification information we provided earlier."
"Interesting," Niles said, then gently picked up the chain of pearls. "Very interesting."
Wesley was already scribbling notes on his paper when Niles offered the man the necklace. Wesley touched it and nodded once, returning to his note taking. Niles set down the necklace.
"You represent Basen Koh?" Niles asked.
"I do," Reid said, resisting the urge to explain himself. He didn't want to look like he might be in a weaker negotiating position since he wasn't. Basen had given him complete control of the sale of this and any other item. Within reason, of course—Reid didn't think he'd be selling any of the six star items without Basen present or at least thoroughly informed.
"Well then, I suppose we don't need to drag this out. We're prepared to offer one hundred and seventy-five gold for the necklace."
Reid could practically smell the metaphorical blood in the water. That was a higher opening offer than he'd dare hope for. He had two things he wanted to get out of the deal, and starting high would only give him room to work.
"One seventy-five is a generous opening offer, but Basen and I hoped to get two hundred and fifty gold for the necklace. This is a Greater Magic item of incredible utility."
Wesley stopped writing and looked up at Reid with an arched eyebrow. It seemed he didn't like the ask. Niles leaned over and whispered something to the man, and Wesley wrote something on his board and circled it. Niles glanced down and nodded.
"I can't disagree with your assessment, but we simply do not have the budget for that much gold. One hundred and ninety-five gold is what I can offer you."
Reid tapped his chin and considered. Unlike some other times he'd done the same thing, he was really considering the offer this time. That would cover their debt and put them in a position to meet the Greymoon Shadows deadlines, assuming business kept up. But it wasn't a perfect solution.
"I respect your offer, and I wonder if we could bridge this gap with an exchange of services."
Niles tapped his fingers against the table. "Go on."
"To cut to the heart of it, we need a fair number of item certifications within the next few days. Is that something you can help with?"
Niles glanced at his assistant, who reached into the air and opened a small door from nothing. It appeared in midair and was roughly the size of his torso, made from shoddy boards and quite plain. It led to a cupboard filled with small items and books. Wesley pulled out a book and closed the door, which vanished as though it had never been there. Wesley flipped through the pages and spoke for the first time.
"We have a second grade certified identifier available on Sunday."
Reid didn't know what to make of that.
"How many items do you need certified?" Niles asked.
"I don't have the exact number, but probably close to four hundred items."
Wesley stared at him with an open mouth and dropped his pencil. Niles simply shook his head.
"Ah yes, I'd forgotten who we're dealing with. Unfortunately, that will simply not be possible in any kind of short timeline. A second grade certified identifier will simply be unable to identify that many items and write up the certifications in one day. They could do perhaps one hundred, but it would be taxing."
Reid remembered a slight headache from his essence overuse, but he didn't know if that was the real issue. How other identification worked was a mystery to him. The news didn't discourage him, though. Instead, it made his next request that much more reasonable.
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"I understand. Might I ask, you've seen my identification skill—what would it take to become a certified identifier?"
The question made both men pause. They shared a look that conveyed an unspoken discussion between them. After a long moment, Wesley nodded.
"Becoming a certified identifier is something typically offered only to members of the society, and becoming a member requires the applicant to be a full Mage. We could potentially waive this requirement, but there are two issues. The first is that you need a sponsor, and the second is that your identification skill would, unfortunately, break our assessment."
Reid saw the problem immediately. It was one issue he often considered regarding his ability. If he identified items used for assessing identifiers, then anyone would be able to identify them on touch.
"Who can sponsor me?"
Wesley answered the question. "Any current certified identifiers or any rank three or four mage's society members."
"Is Basen a member?" Reid remembered Arvind saying anyone with at least a three star item bound needed to become a member of the mage's guild. He didn't know if that applied to Basen.
Niles grimaced. "Technically."
"The kingdom's True Mages are automatic members of the Royal Avennish Mage's Society oversight committee and are technically rank four members in that capacity," Wesley said.
That confused Reid. Basen was at least partially responsible for running the society, but he was also selling an item to them. It seemed like a conflict of interest, or at least it would have been if Basen had cared about overseeing the mage's society in any capacity. Either way, he was sure he could get Basen to sponsor him.
"Perfect. I have no doubt Basen will sponsor me. Is there a way I could procure new items for your assessment?"
If they had to trade identified items for some that hadn't been marked yet, Reid could make that happen.
"The items have specific traits that test the full identification ability of the candidate. It is not so simple to just swap them out."
"Well, I would invite the assessor to come to the Immaculate Collection and check my identification of hundreds of items in the shop. I'm sure I've demonstrated everything you might be looking for between all of them."
It was a hard thing to argue with.
"All of your items have already been, what did you say, marked?" Niles asked.
They hadn't been, but Reid could mark everything in the Archives tonight if needed.
"They have."
Niles rubbed his chin.
"If we can come to an agreement here, I will send an assessor to your establishment and see what we can do. If he finds the requisite items and can verify your identification ability has captured the requisite properties, I will allow you to become a certified identifier."
"I really appreciate that, Mr. Limen."
"Don't thank me quite yet. Though our agreement is to allow for a special assessment and waive the three star Mage requirements, as a certified identifier, you will be enrolled as a member of the Avennish Mage's Society and be required to fulfill assigned notices. Notices are not assigned frequently, even less frequently if you complete notices of your own volition. Still, it is a responsibility you should consider."
Reid nodded. He didn't mind doing the occasional notice. A mage's society notice had led Arvind to lead him to the capital, after all.
Niles spoke again before he could accept the condition.
"You should also know that becoming a certified identifier does not mean your certifications will be free. Certified identifications are recorded and sent to our central repository, along with a bookkeeping fee. You will be required to produce the paperwork and the fee for each certification."
Wesley pulled a paper from this stack and wrote some things. He slid the paper to Reid.
Certification Bookkeeping Costs:
1 Star - 1 Silver
2 Star - 5 Silver
3 Star - 10 Silver
4 Star - 20 Silver
5 Star - 30 Silver
6 Star - 40 Silver
7+ Star - See Royal Avennish Mage's Society Official
The costs were significantly lower than hiring a certified identifier, but not free. With the prices in hand, Reid could make his Ledger do some simple math with the shop's inventory.
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Immaculate Collection, Inventory View
* Items On Hand - Certification cost
* 308 Total Items - 28 gold, 98 silver Total Certification Cost
* 83 One Star - 83 silver
* 69 Two Star - 3 gold, 45 silver
* 98 Three Star - 9 gold, 80 silver
* 32 Four Star - 6 gold, 40 silver
* 19 Five Star - 5 gold, 70 silver
* 7 Six Star - 2 gold, 80 silver
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Thirty gold was manageable. Reid guessed another ten gold for the remaining items in the Archives, so forty gold total. That gave them all the room they needed. But Reid still wanted more. He had an idea and didn't think trying it would drive his potential buyers away.
"I understand. Given that, I'd be willing to drop our ask for the necklace down to two hundred and ten gold."
He knew they were firm on their price. He thought if push came to shove, they'd come up to two hundred, but any higher would require something from him.
As expected, Niles shook his head.
"We're firm at 195. I appreciate your negotiating, but the item subsidy for unlocking potential isn't quite that high."
"Sure. What if I could offer you something else that I think you might be interested in?"
Niles spread his hands in an inviting gesture. "We have many needs as an organization. If you wish to sell us something else, I'm happy to hear what you have to offer."
"It's not exactly what I have to offer. Would you excuse me for just a moment?"
Everyone in the room looked confused, but Niles nodded.
Reid returned a moment later with his guest, the woman he'd left in the waiting room when he arrived. Ebre looked nervous as she stepped into the room.
"This is Ebre," he said, introducing everyone at the table.
"Ebre is an interesting person, not just for her story, but also for her magical potential. Ebre has never bound an item, but she has five stars of innate potential."
Wesley looked up sharply, and Niles rubbed his chin again.
"Here's my offer between our three parties. The mage's society pays two hundred gold and sends out an assessor for my induction as a member of the society and enrollment as a certified identifier in exchange for the Greater Magic Necklace of Binding Potential. The society then pays the Immaculate Collection ten gold as a goodwill finder's fee for bringing you and Ebre together. Ebre agrees to help the mage's society learn about her natural talents in any non-invasive ways she agrees to, and the Immaculate Collection will consider any potential debt between Ebre and ourselves paid in full. Does everyone agree?"
Ebre nodded. They'd already worked out all the details of the agreement, and Basen had assured her that the mage's society wouldn't do anything that might hurt or harm her in any way.
Niles didn't look convinced, but when he glanced at Wesley, the man was nodding with enthusiasm. He was clearly a researcher at heart.
The assistant director sighed and held out a hand. He shook hands with Ebre and then with Reid.
"You drive a hard bargain, young man, but we agree."
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Merchant's Mark Growth Conditions
* Sell 200 unique marked items
* 9/200 Items sold
* Seal deals between three or more parties
* 2/20 Deals completed
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An hour later, Reid rushed into the shop. It was still busy, with four people browsing and Basen speaking with a broad bearded man at the counter. Basen waved but continued his conversation with the man in front of the counter. Reid ducked behind the counter and opened the small safe. He dropped his hefty bag of gold in the safe and closed it, spinning the dial to ensure it was locked.
With that literal weight off of him, he stood up and nodded to Basen, who turned to introduce him.
"Ramsey, please allow me to introduce my new shop manager, Reid! Reid, this is my good friend Ramsey."
Reid's hand resembled that of a small child inside the slab that was Ramsey's hand. The man shook with a restrained strength.
"Ramsey is a treasure hunter. He's been to your hometown many times."
"Oh?" Ramsey asked with a deep, rumbling voice.
"Glarrus, by the Broken Swamp," Reid said.
"A child of the Broken Swamp. How interesting. That is a dangerous place, no doubt. Many of my stops are near places that are infested with monsters. The magical beasts tend to leave a fair bit of magic behind, but the Broken Swamp is unique, isn't it?"
Reid nodded. Bog lurkers were just natural creatures with no magic to speak of. He'd never heard of any monsters in the swamp.
"No monsters."
"No monsters!" Ramsey agreed. "But filled with magic and treasure nonetheless. I'll tell you—I enjoy my trips there, but I always feel like death is never far away. Do your people still traipse around the swamp for fun?"
Reid didn't know if it was fun, per se, but it was something to do.
"Yeah. We're careful, but even kids get around the swamp. We just had a quake a few months ago, actually. Emptied out the whole village."
"A quake, eh? Did you find anything good?"
Reid always carried his small bag and rarely left without most of his possessions besides the clothes he left in his room. He pulled out his goblet.
"Oooh," Ramsey said. "Do yeh mind?"
Reid handed him the cup.
"This is your ability, right? The identification? Basen wasn't very forthcoming about it."
"It's not my ability to tell people about," Basen said.
"Doesn't stop you from sharing everything about my abilities."
"We were working as a group, Ramsey. You shouldn't keep secrets on a job like that."
Ramsey gave Basen a flat look.
"I told everyone everything they needed to know."
Reid watched the pair talk. Basen felt relaxed in the man's presence and a little less chaotic, too. Perhaps it was just the comfort of being around a long time friend.
"Sure, sure. This goblet is nice. I'll give you three gold for it."
Reid hadn't expected the offer, which caught him a little flat footed. It was a good offer for an unbindable aspected one star.
"You don't have to sell it to him if you don't want to, Reid."
Reid nodded, but he was curious.
"Why do you want it? It's not especially useful."
Ramsey shook his head. "Not useful? It's an aspected one star. They don't get much more useful than that to someone like myself."
"Why?"
"Well, Basen introduced me as a treasure hunter, and that is true, but I'm also a magic smith. I make magic items and break them down for their abilities. Basen mentioned he had a batch of crystal tears arriving soon, and I told him I'd be willing to buy a handful of them."
Reid was intrigued.
"I've never seen magic item creation. I'll tell you what, I'll sell you the goblet if you agree to let me watch you use it to create something."
"Ha! I like this one, Basen. A curious mind will get you far, lad. Deal."
The man fished out three gold coins and passed them to Reid.
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Merchant's Mark Growth Conditions
* Sell 200 unique marked items
* 10/200 Items sold
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"Thank you, Ramsey."
"No, thank you, Reid. I'll let you know once I have a plan for the cup. I'll probably wait until those tears come in."
"I look forward to it."
"Great. Well, I best have a look around your shop, Basen. Anything you won't sell me?"
"I won't sell you anything above three stars you plan to destroy. Other than that, my shop is open to you."
Ramsey nodded and began browsing.
Basen turned to Reid. "How did negotiations go?"
"Better than I'd even hoped. The society agreed to let me become a certified identifier as long as the official who comes by can verify my mark identifies things well enough. If that goes well, we have more than enough to cover the debt due and the certification costs. I just need to finish marking everything in the Archives. Oh, and you need to sponsor me to become a certified identifier. They said you were on some oversight committee."
"Hmm. I guess I am, now that you mention it. I don't think I've been to a meeting in years, but it's not like they can rescind my position. Sure, just let me know what you need."
"Great. How was business while I was gone? Did you sell anything?"
Reid was curious about whether or not Basen selling the marked items would count toward his growth condition or if he had to do the selling himself.
"As a matter of fact, I did."