Merrick walked into Harrold and Sons Traders thankful for the sudden coolness of the shop after the long walk from his farm with the last of his harvest being pulled along by his faithful donkeys Gray and Stripes.
As the doors swung closed behind him he called out “Hey Har that wife of yours managed to give you any sons yet?”.
Putting his hat down on the bar he sits down while he hears a deep voice call out from the back of the store “Not yet Merry, I may just need to get that sign changed after all”.
“Maybe I can get one of my boys to marry that daughter of yours when she gets back from the capital”.
At that remark he hears a chortling laugh coming closer before a large Blonde giant of a man comes out of the back room with a glass bottle and a couple of glasses. “Now now Merry how many times do I have to tell you my young Beth will be marrying a lords son not just a freeholder”.
Harrold places both glasses down on the bar in front of Merrick and starts pouring him a glass of ‘something’ he also uses to clean the enchanted glass windows at the front of the stoor the same ones responsible for the very hospitable temperatures inside his store.
With a slightly more apprehensive voice Merrick asks “Have you heard if old lord Warbrooke has sent the taxmen out yet?”
Harrold laughingly asks “What you trying to get another planting and harvest in before the end of summer again? I know your youngest has a talent with elemental magic but I can promise that it won’t be enough. The weather mages from the capital are proclaiming its going to be a drought for the next 2 months.”
Merrick scowls and grumbles “Nay nay the boy can’t keep up yet needs to grow further into his talent before we go there again. We are just trying to put a little bit more aside so we can open up the Fallow field to plant an Orchard of those new Macadamia nuts from the southern continent.”
Harrold nods his head knowingly and reaches under the bar for his ledger “No he hasn’t been sent yet. Something happened the other day and the lord sent half his armsmen out along the kings road. I’m just hoping that doesn’t have anything to do with the shipment Kar is meant to bringing in.”
“What you telling me that the dwarves haven’t arrived with the items I ordered last season yet?”
“Not yet” demurred Harrold.
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“Well blast there go the plans for the Orchard”
Always one for smelling profit that Harrold was he immediately asked “what you looking for Merry maybe I got something you need?”
“Aye at triple the price you thief” Groused Merrick. “We need a new axe, crowbar and yoke to help with the stumping to prepare the field or we simply won’t finish before it's too late and Autumn sets in.”
Nodding along as Merrick keeps listing the items he needs Harrold goes to start getting the items ready. He knows that no matter the complains will will eventually fold and purchase what he needs after all he has been blessed with not one but three children capable of becoming sorcerers in their own right and his farm had prospered because of the strategic benefit of having that kind of cosmic power behind it.
“Where are the boys anyway Merry don’t they normally come with you?”
“Aye but I gave them each a Silver Brand today and a challenge, I said the one of you who comes up with a way to keep the crows out of the fields gets to choose the horse we are purchasing from the stables and another 3 Silver Brands for their own use.”
Harrold grunting as he picked up the large axe he was bringing over for inspection asked “which of them do you expect to pull it off?”
“Young Selt seems to have a plan he always seems to come up with ideas that appear crazy at first but work perfectly. Actually Har since the Dwarves haven’t arrived with the shipment yet maybe you have something I need. Selt seems to think burning out the stumps will be easier. He thinks he can use a metal hood against one side of the stumps and pump air in with his fire magic and use that to cut the stumps out. As I said seems crazy but that boy of mine has surprised me before and if it even makes it a little easier to get rid of a stump then I imagine we will not only be able to use it to clear our fields but be able to earn back the cost of the the metal sheet by hiring out our services to the other farmsteads”.
“I think I have just the thing Merry” Shouts Har rushing to the back of the store. Grunting he drags something clearly heavy out from a corner hefts it up onto his shoulder and brings it over “Have a look at this Merry and tell me what you think”.
Merrick could hardly believe his eyes in front of him is a clearly enchanted breast plate. “Har why do you even have that?”
“Yarvick dug it up over on his farm the rest of the gear was rotted along with the skeleton he found in it but this beauty it wasn’t even tarnished. Best part for you is that its fireproof. Not just fire resistant but ‘Proof’”.
Merrick cocking his head with a strange look on his face asked “What makes you think I could afford anything that heavily enchanted?”.
Harrold just tapped his finger on the crest and said “that is the crest of the vampire lords that took over our lands a few centuries ago. No knight in his right mind would dare wear this unless he had no other choice and that of course means I won’t get anything worthwhile for it.”
Smiling in crooked delight he continued “However, if I was to sell it to you heavily discounted on the understanding that if it does the job you’re thinking of I will get ten percent of all revenue from future destumping services you sell. Well then I could see my way to letting this go for 20 Golden Spires refundable for 15 should it not work.”.
Merrick with a twinkle in his eye Decided to try his luck one more time “Har you got a deal if you throw in your daughter's hand to one of my boys”.
The laughter coming from the large blonde man could have put the idea to bed but his words came as a surprise “If your youngest manages to get into the academy same as my girl did then I wouldn’t mind recommending him to her but once she graduates it's her decision whom to marry and as you know she’s had her eyes on a young lord for a while now.”.
Surprised at his own success Merrick grinned back and put his hand forward “ Well Har you old goat you have got yourself a deal. Now let’s see about me selling my crop and whether you have the other things I need to get us through to next summer and then we can open this bottle my father sent along” putting a clear glass jar on the well worn oak table between them.