With a small smile, he said, “The merchant has invited you to dinner.” He paused, then added, “I’ll call you when it’s ready.”
“Thanks,” Adrian said, his mind was already racing, thinking about the dinner and the artifacts he was going to offer.
“That went well,” Sylmara remarked, her eyes following the barkeep as he walked away.
"Yeah. Better then I expected."
“What artifact do you plan to give him?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“The same ones I offered you,” he replied, shrugging.
Sylmara just nodded, her gaze sharp and thoughtful.
After a while, they returned to their rooms, exhausted from exploring the inn grounds. The call was supposed to come in a few hours, so they decided to rest.
About three hours after lunch, a knock at the door pulled Adrian from his thoughts.
He sat up on the bed and rubbed his eyes, blinking the sleep away.
Opening the door, he found the barkeep standing there.
“Dinner will be ready in fifteen.”
“Thanks,” Adrian said.
The barkeep nodded and left, leaving Adrian to gather himself for what was coming.
It was time, he thought. The moment they had been waiting for had arrived. They had to make it work, otherwise they’d be stuck here for at least a week.
He walked to Sylmara’s door and knocked.
When she opened it, he said, “Get ready. In fifteen minutes we need to be in the bar.”
She nodded and stepped back inside.
Fifteen minutes later, they went downstairs. The common area was mostly empty; most of the patrons had already left the inn. Only three tables remained, and at one of them sat the merchant, surrounded by five guards.
Adrian caught the barkeep’s eye, and the man simply nodded.
They began walking toward the merchant’s table.
The guards acknowledged them with a slight nod, and they took their seats.
“Welcome,” the merchant said, a small smile playing on his lips.
They nodded in return.
Adrian let the merchant make the first move. He wasn’t good at negotiating, not really. But he had done it countless times before, always for a scrap of food, he reminded himself. This negotiation, however, was far from simple. It was unfamiliar territory, yet somehow he felt a strange confidence.
“The barkeep mentioned an artifact?” the merchant said, smiling, his elbows on the table and fingers interlaced.
“Yes,” Adrian replied, returning the smile. “It’s a rare one, or so I’ve heard.”
The merchant’s smile widened. “I can be the judge of that,” he said, rubbing his hands together. “Your intention is to sell it?”
“Kind of,” Sylmara added.
“Kind of?” the merchant asked, raising an eyebrow.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“We want to visit Ashfall,” Adrian said, his expression steady, at least he hoped it appeared that way.
“That,” the merchant paused, considering, “might be arranged.”
“Might be?” Adrian echoed, curious.
“Depends on the product.” The merchant’s smile didn’t waver.
“Fair.” Adrian reached into his cloak and took out the compass, placing it carefully on the table.
The merchant’s eyes lit up. He relaxed his hands and studied the compass. “Can I?” he asked.
Adrian simply nodded.
The merchant picked it up and flipped it in his hands. After a few moments, he said, “This is the first time I’ve seen something like this. It’s… intact.”
Adrian almost laughed. Of course it was intact. They had bought it just a couple of weeks ago, and it hadn’t been in use long.
“What does it do?” the merchant asked, fiddling with it for a few seconds.
Adrian hesitated. He didn’t want to underplay it, but exaggerating felt… wrong. He struggled for a moment, then blurted out, “It’s an artifact of guidance.” The words made him want to run; it was the most cringe-worthy thing he had ever said. Still, he pressed on. “A pathfinder! No matter where you are, lost in the deepest forest or wandering endless plains, it will always show the path to civilization!”
The merchant studied him, processing the information about the artifact. “How does it work?”
Adrian spoke without hesitation. “Follow the arrow’s point. It also has the feature to show the cardinal directions.”
The merchant looked both doubtful and intrigued. “Not bad. Not that rare—I’ve heard of pathfinder artifacts, even with better effects. But I could probably sell it.” He paused, thoughtful. “How much?”
Adrian had no idea what to ask. He didn’t even know how much artifacts normally went for. He had asked Sylmara, and even Draveth, but they didn’t know either; such luxuries were far beyond what their village had ever purchased.
“Make an offer.”
The merchant’s expression didn’t change. After a few seconds, he said, “Seven gold and passage to Ashfall.”
That was a lot. That was the only thought running through Adrian’s mind. Too much, even. He focused every ounce of will on keeping his expression neutral and succeeded. He didn’t want to appear desperate. “I can just wait for the next merchant,” he said evenly.
The merchant’s smile widened. “You could.” He held Adrian’s gaze, and Adrian met it without flinching. Sylmara’s expression remained unreadable.
After a few seconds of staring, Adrian took the compass back from the table and toyed with it for a moment. “Yeah, a few more nights at the inn wouldn’t be bad.”
The merchant chuckled. “Ten gold coins.”
Adrian still felt it wasn’t the right price, but considering how low they had gotten it, it was a fortune. He was scamming the merchant more than the merchant was trying to scam him. Not that he felt guilty. The merchant would double his money anyway. If anyone should feel bad, it was the person who would buy the compass at the auction. Auction, yes, they would need contacts for those. That was where they could make the most profit.
“It’s better than the first offer,” Adrian said, tapping a finger slowly on the table, as if deep in thought.
The merchant didn’t rush him or make any counteroffer. He was really good at the game, Adrian thought. He hoped the merchant would raise the offer if he stayed silent, but it didn’t work. He was about to close the deal when.
“Fifteen gold and passage to the city, then we have a deal,” Sylmara said, her expression one of boredom.
Adrian hadn’t expected that, but he was glad she did it. He smiled and glanced at her, then simply nodded toward the merchant, careful not to let his voice give him away.
The merchant’s smile widened. He said nothing, just looked between the two of them. Then he interlaced his fingers and announced, “You’ve got yourselves a deal!” His hand extended toward Adrian.
After a moment’s pause, Adrian shook it.
“So, when do we leave?” he asked, a small smile on his face.
“Tomorrow, at dawn,” the merchant replied, glancing at the guards to his right.
The guard took out a pouch, counted a few coins, and placed them in front of Adrian. “Fifteen gold coins,” he said.
Adrian picked up the stack and counted it. Fifteen coins. He smiled a little more and set the compass in front of the merchant. “Great working with you.”
“Likewise,” the merchant replied. “Let’s eat now.”
The guard nodded to the barkeep, and after a few moments, the first dish arrived, followed by a second and a third. Soon, the table was filled with food.
There was the soup they had already eaten, some roasted meat, the fresh bread that always filled the inn with its aroma, and a few other dishes.
They ate and talked with the merchant, nothing serious just casual conversation. He didn’t press them about the city at all. Adrian toyed with the idea of asking whether the merchant could move artifacts for them, but he cut the thought off. He needed to know the man better before raising something that risky; the wrong confidence could get them robbed, or worse.
If it had been only one or two items, maybe he would test the waters. But they planned to bring a large number of artifacts from their world, and that was a different level of danger. That conversation would wait until he was sure what kind of man the merchant truly was.
After they finished dinner, they returned to their rooms. Tomorrow would be a long day, and they needed rest. They were about to enter the city — illegally.
