CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: Bad Luck Day

The next morning, Carter got up bright and early and began to separate his things into two different piles. One was for items he would be selling, and the other were the things he intended to keep. Among the items he was keeping were his cell phone and suit. The phone only had about two days of charge left in the battery, but it contained the only pictures of Anne he had left. He intended to cherish them for as long as there was power left in the device. As for the suit, well, it was just too important a disguise. The make and material were so high quality compared to anything else in this world that people had no trouble believing he was a high class aristocrat of some kind while wearing it. No, he needed that suit, just in case he got into a situation where having a high status would come in handy.

The rest of his items he intended to sell. The things he had bought at Logher’s Emporium were very high-ticket items, so he could sell those for a good price and use the funds to buy cheaper versions. That meant trading in his clothes, his cloak, his boots, his canteen, and even the backpack that he was using to carry everything. He hoped to get comparable though cheaper items locally.

There was also his sword. He had only used it one time, and that was when he tried to fight the bandits that had ambushed him and Rann back in Culvert’s Rock, an event that had gone rather poorly. It was obvious he was no swordsman; he had no skill with the blade at all. Thankfully, he now had the Witch Arm with him. The sword was pretty much useless to him, so of course he opted to sell it.

After about an hour of sorting through his gear, Carter was ready to leave. He packed up all the items he intended to trade off into his backpack, then shrugged on his cloak and put on his sunglasses. He lugged on the large satchel, securing it onto his back by the straps. After everything was set, he picked up his sword and left the room, going down the hall and trudging down the stairs on his way to the exit. The tavern below was bereft of customers due to the early hour. He spotted Mirilla at her usual place behind the bar. Seated in front of her was a face Carter hadn’t seen in some time.

“Hello there,” Kal greeted him with a wave. The blond man leaned away from the bar where he had been busy eating a breakfast dish of what looked like fish and eggs. “It’s been a while. Glad to see you enjoying the comforts of the Fat Kitty!”

“Oh, hey,” Carter greeted him. For someone who worked here, Kal was a very rare sight to see at the inn. It was probably because the man spent most of his time standing outside rival establishments and in search of business.

“Just the man I wanted to see,” Merilla said. She eyed his form up and down, most likely noting the heavy backpack he was wearing. “Since you still have one night payed up, I trust that you are not leaving us just yet.”

“No. I’m just going out to sell some stuff. I was actually hoping that you could point me to a reputable store that pays well,” Carter told her.

The dark skinned woman smiled. “Of course. I know several good places that would be more than happy to purchase your items at a fair price. In fact, I happen to be one of them.”

Carter raised an eyebrow. “You want to buy my stuff?”

Merilla nodded. “Yes. Your sword, specifically.”

Carter looked down at the sheathed weapon he was holding.

“You see, Kal’s job may be simple, but it is hardly safe,” Merilla explained. “He often has to tangle with miscreants who seek to rob him, and has even gotten into blows with some of our various rivals who do not appreciate his presence outside their places of business. He needs something to defend himself with, and I noticed that you don’t carry that weapon around with you when you go out. It is for sale, is it not?”

Carter tried to keep the surprise off of his face. This was lucky. If he could get a good price for the sword now then he could sell it quick and not have to lug it around all over town. “Oh, uh, yes. It’s for sale.” He presented the weapon to the innkeeper who took it into her hands to examine.

“My, this is quite light. And very well made,” Merilla said as she examined the drawn blade. She quickly resheathed the weapon and gave Carter a slick smile. “I’ll give you thirty five silver for it.”

This time he was unable to keep his face neutral as he was completely surprised. He had paid twenty silver for that sword! The fact that Merilla was paying him much more for it when she usually overcharged him, well, it was unexpected to say the least. Perhaps the woman was actually trying to help him, in whatever little ways she could.

“Oh, uh, yes! That’s a fair price. Sold!” Carter said after a moment of silence.

“Great!” Merilla passed the sword over to Kal who quickly began to clasp it into his belt. “Now, then. Let me grab your coins from the safe and after that, I’ll write you directions to a set of shops that I know.”

Carter nodded. “Uh, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Let me get you that list.” Merilla walked out from behind the bar and went into the back room of the tavern where the kitchen was kept.

“I don’t really need a sword, you know,” Kal stated as he continued to munch down on his breakfast. “Sure, I’ve come to blows with some lowlives now and again, but I can handle myself pretty well with just my fists.”

“I see.” Carter nodded. So he was right. Merilla was helping him out after all. “She’s a really nice lady.”

Kal snorted. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But I admit, she does have her moments.”

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Several hours later, Carter was not feeling as good. Merilla had given him a list with the names of four shops in town that she claimed would treat him right. After visiting them all, Carter found her claims to be highly dubious. One shop tossed him out immediately after he had dropped Merilla’s name. Two on the list were outright hostile to his presence, directing suspicious glares at him while he looked through their inventory. And the last one acted kind, but offered him laughable rates for the goods he was selling. The man had the gall to act like he was doing Carter a favor by offering him less than a quarter of what his stuff was worth.

In the end, Carter had no choice but to accept the final merchant’s offer. Time was running out for him, and he figured that he wouldn’t get a better deal. Not in this town, at least.

Carter aimlessly walked the streets of Joston, feeling absolutely sorry for himself. He had traded in his clothing and gear for less expensive versions. And those that he did get were second-hand, no less. Thankfully, the store keeper seemed to have thoroughly cleaned the goods before selling them, as they didn’t stink like he thought they would.

Unlike his previous getup, Carter’s current outfit made him look less like a wealthy merchant and more like an out-of-work dock hand. Gone was his fine blue cloak; in its place was a ratty brown leather overcoat with various patches sewn into the hide to repair rips and tears. His fashionable shirts and waistcoats were also replaced by rough cotton tunics, and his well-fitted trousers had been traded in for baggy woolen pants. The worst trade-off was his boots. His expensive, comfortable set was traded in for a cheap clunky set that was a bit too tight. Every time he stepped forwards the cheap leather pinched his toes.

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His backpack had also been replaced with a ratty canvas rucksack that was much smaller overall. It barely held his new supply of cheap clothing and was bulging at the seams as he carried it. He had also been forced to sell his favorite pair of sunglasses, which netted him just forty-three silver coins.

The only item from his gear that he had chosen to keep was his canteen since the shop didn’t have anything cheap to replace it with. After all his haggling and selling, all the things he had sold only netted him two gold coins, twenty three silver, and several slivers of copper.

Carter once more cursed that kid who stole his money. He entertained the notion of going out and hunting after the boy, but he knew that wasn’t a possibility. There were numerous villages in the area and he didn’t know where to start. Plus it would be very stupid to go out alone wandering into these villages; these were the homes of the men who he had killed, after all. They probably had many friends and family living there, each eager and willing to murder him brutally for what he had done. And he had learned his lesson about underestimating these people. From now on if he could avoid a fight, then he would.

So far, his trip south had been nothing but misery. It was probably a mistake to come here. He wondered if he would have been better off staying in the north and just laying low. Reeve Lannok had warned him that powerful people would be coming for him, and he believed the man’s claim. The Witch Arm in his possession was a potent weapon, and those in power would most definitely want it for themselves.

Could he have stayed up north and faced off against them though? Carter doubted it. Despite everything he’s been through, he was no fighter. In the Navy, he was a glorified secretary. His rating was Yeoman and he mostly did administrative work. True, he had served on ships and aircraft carriers that were carrying out operations in combat zones, so he wasn’t totally safe from danger. But what he did was a far cry from being an infantryman on the ground dodging bombs and bullets. Carter had been lucky that the only fights he had in this world were with disorganized bandits and angry farmers. He had no doubt that if he faced professional soldiers with training then, magic gun or not, he would be screwed. That wasn’t even counting the wizards or sorcerers or whatever that they had in this world. He hadn’t seen any of them so far, but if there were magical healers and witches around then surely they had mages of other kinds. Who knew what those guys were capable of?

Carter continued walking dejectedly through the streets. Eventually, his blind wanderings brought him back to the Fat Kitty inn. He looked up at the sign, frowning at the rotund feline smirking down on him. It looked way too satisfied at seeing him down in the dumps.

“Damn, even the inanimate objects in this town are mocking me,” Carter muttered. He gave the cat a middle finger salute before entering the inn.

The tavern was more crowded at this time of day, with around ten patrons seated around the bar and various tables. Merilla spotted him and gave a wave and a shout.

“Oi! I like the new clothes. Makes you seem honest.” She said, laughing as he approached the bar. “How’d it go?”

Carter had to force himself not to say the rude reply that had bubbled up from his frustrated mind. He reminded himself that Merilla had tried to help him. True, her list of contacts was less than useless, but it was the thought that counted.

“Not great,” he told her. “I think I got ripped off.”

Merilla frowned. “What? Did you go to the shops on the list I wrote you?”

“Yeah. Two were giving me the stink eye the whole time I was there. One guy threw me out when I told him you sent me.” Carter smiled when he saw the woman flinch slightly. “The last guy offered me less than half of what my stuff was worth. If I wasn’t so desperate for money, I would’ve told him to fuck off.”

“Those stinking whoresons!” Merilla shouted. Some of the patrons looked up at the loud noise but quickly went back to their business once they realized there was no cause for alarm. “After all I did for them! See if I do business with them again!”

Carter nodded, somewhat satisfied that at least the merchants who cheated and snubbed him would face some type of consequence, small though it might be.

“Sorry for that, Ser Gentleman. I honestly thought they could help you.” Merilla sighed. “But I do have some good news. A few hours ago, a new notice went up on the board. A caravan is going south to deliver supplies to some Western outposts in the next county over. They’re looking for sell swords to help guard the goods during the trip. I hear the pay is good. It’s dangerous work, but you seem like you can handle yourself.”

Carter pondered her words. It was true, he desperately needed the money. But could he risk his life guarding a caravan headed towards a warzone? He had a near brush with death already, he wasn’t eager to repeat it. Yet his empty coin purse all but screamed at him to take the job. He would have the Witch Arm to defend himself with, not to mention that this time around he wouldn’t be alone.

His right hand rose to his hip where the black gun rested in its holster. His fingers wrapped around the weapon’s grip and he felt comforted by the feel of the cold metal against his skin.

“Thanks for letting me know, Merilla. I’ll go check it out,” he said to the barkeep as he walked back to the notice board.

Tacked right in the center of the board was a brand new sheet of beige paper. Written upon it, in the strange wavy alphabet of this world, were all the details about the caravan job and what it entailed.

“Attention!

“Adventurous types are needed by the Western Caravan Company to safely guard goods headed to Western Imperial outposts in Lugain County south of Yaide. Must have own weapons and gear for the trip. Provisions will be provided by the company. Pay is 400 silvers, paid upon completion of delivery.

“See Regher Hollo at Western Caravan Company to apply.”

The rest of the flier had the address of the Western Caravan Company building in Joston as well as the date the caravan was leaving. Carter tapped a finger on his lip as he read the notice again.

Four hundred silver. That was almost three gold coins! Taking this job would more than double his money.

Carter smiled, feeling somewhat hopeful that his luck was finally changing. “Looks like I’m going on an adventure.”