The walk to the mayor's house was filled with an odd mixture of tension and hope. Sky's presence, while somewhat reassuring, still held a weight of caution. Alice, however, seemed more at ease, her small steps confident as she held onto both our hands. At this point, it was around 10:00 A.M., so the market was more vibrant than it had been in the early morning. Merchants were setting up their stalls, and people were bustling about their morning routines. The sun was starting to warm the cobblestone streets, casting long shadows that danced with our movements.
We reached the mayor's house once again; the giant piece of land seemed to go on endlessly. The guards parted pretty much instantly once they saw Sky, and she gave them a friendly salute.
We approached the door only to be met with the smell of smoke and some shouting coming from inside. I saw a woman inside, her face red with rage, yelling, "Marcus, I've had enough of your excuses!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the hallway. "You promised me that money weeks ago! My patience is running thin, and I won't tolerate any more delays. Do you think you can hide behind your title and charm your way out of this? Now I hear you're flaunting your money on medicine in town? Money that was supposed to be mine!"
A man called back in defense, "It's for the townsfolk. I found someone that can produce a cure for White Iris disease. Please, just be patient a little while longer." The woman growled, "I have been patient for weeks now, Marcus. I am in the business of loaning money, not charity. One more week—that is all you got, or else things could get ugly." She stormed out of the house, her face still in rage. The woman wore overalls, cowboy boots with a cowboy hat, and a mean look on her face. Her eyes were red, and her hair was brown and almost seemed to shine in the sun. She had a cigarette in her mouth which she held with a sneer, and had a scar on her arm, chest, and face.
Once she saw my bewildered look she snarled, "The hell are you looking at, half-breed?" She flicked her cigarette in my face and was about to storm off when a blade was brought out. The silver sword blocked the woman's path. Sky said with confidence and authority, "What's your name? Key here is a guest of the mayor and is here to consult with his daughter. You will treat him with respect." The woman spat at Sky's boots, "Name's Vice. Your mayor owes me a great deal of gold, so I think I will pick a fight with whoever I want." Sky gripped her sword harder, her eyes narrowing in controlled rage, "I suggest you keep moving lest you find out just how capable our guard is in this town."
I could sense the tension in the air, so I decided to intervene, "Vice, was it?" I decided to catch her attention—someone like her needed a reason to listen. I proposed, "What if I told you I was the one Marcus invested in?" That made Vice scratch her chin, "You? Don't make me laugh. What could a half-breed like you have to offer?" I laughed, "Well, only the world's first cure for White Iris disease." I drew her in like a fishing line, "Bullshit, you are the herbalist I heard about? The one that has the whole town talking?" I got a nibble—time to entice her. I pulled out a bottle that I was going to show Marcus. I pointed to it confidently, "I call it Red Eye. World's only cure right here." I just made up a name for it on the spot; it seemed fitting. This seemed to intrigue Vice, "Bah, who cares anyways. So you made a fancy little medicine. What does that have to do with me? If anything, you've only made it harder for me to get my money."
I smiled—my bait seemed to work. She was hiding it, but she was interested. "For starters, how much does Marcus owe you?" Vice lit another cigarette and sneered, "Well, since you'll just ask him anyways, he owes me about 75 gold pieces." Shit, that was a lot. What did he need that much money for? I kept reeling her in, "75 gold? That's all? Is this a joke? Do you know how much this elixir could actually go for? I would say, if I was being perfectly honest, at least 2 gold per vial. Even that I could call a little low for something this special. How about this: Marcus has been hospitable to me, so I feel like I owe him. I will get you your 75 gold when Marcus pays me—no hassle. How about that?" Vice frowned, "The hell are you saying, boy? Straight outta your pocket? Well, aren't you just a saint. What do you get outta all this, pointy ears?"
I smiled, maintaining my confident demeanor. "I get a satisfied client, a successful business deal, and the satisfaction of knowing I'm helping a town in need. Plus, Marcus here has promised me a gold piece per vial for a hundred vials. That's more than enough to cover his debt to you and leave me with a decent profit. Notoriety for a newbie herbalist is a pretty damn good thing in itself." In reality, I just mainly felt guilty about my scam and the amount I was making off an accident. I hate to admit it, but something this big really makes me feel like shit when I know I told a big lie to get it. At the very least, it would make people respect me a bit more as I traveled place to place, and hell, at least I get 25 gold. More than I have made in the entire year so far.
Vice glared back at me, "One week. If I don't see my gold by the end of the week, I am coming back for keeps." She threw her cigarette down and stomped it out with her boot, and then left the property. A woman like that was hard to control, but in the right hands, she could be useful. Once she was out of sight, Sky said to me, "Are you sure, Key? That will be most of your profits." I laughed, "Money isn't everything. Let's go see the mayor—we got a story to share with him when we get in." Truth be told, money was pretty much everything when your line of business is not guaranteed, but good company paid in its own way.
I led the somewhat nervous Alice inside with Sky following behind. Marcus was still shaken up. He was pacing around his kitchen and froze when he saw us—his big beard seemed greasier than usual. He smiled when he saw me, "Ah, Key, Alice, and Sky, what a pleasant surprise. I was just talking about you. I am sorry you had to see something so unseemly right as you come for a visit." I gave a wry smile, "She is a wild one, isn't she." Marcus frowned, "A crook, more like it. She owns a small loan company in town. Her loans are pretty reasonable, but pissing her off is another story, as you saw." His kitchen is modest-sized; a big round table sits in the center with a counter and small cooking area to the right. It would appear it is the smallest room in the open-concept house. I spotted a young girl no older than eight sitting in the living room to the left of the kitchen. She was holding a small bear and had her pajamas on; her blonde hair and yellow eyes caught my attention. She was also very pale, but not as bad as some of the people in town who had more pronounced symptoms of the disease.
Marcus followed my gaze and smiled, "My daughter Angel is pretty shy. I don't think she will be in the mood to talk after Vice scared her, but she is very thankful for what you have done." I smiled at her, "No problem, sir, just doing what I can. By the way, let's talk business—I will keep it short. I am making very good progress on my vials, but I wanted to say I made a deal with someone else that you will want to hear."
Marcus frowned, his eyebrows raised, "A deal, boy?" I nodded, "Right, a deal with Vice. From here on out, I want 75 of the 100 gold to go to Vice in order to pay her back." Marcus went from shock to confusion to tame anger in a matter of seconds. He slammed the table, "You paid her off?! Why?!" Angel jumped a little at the sudden bang, "Daddy?" I shrugged, "I haven't been here long, but this town is full of good people. Let me do this for you." Marcus gasped, "You don't even know why I went into debt—it could have been gambling for all you know!" I shrugged, "I don't really care about the why. Plus, I haven't known you long, but you don't seem like the type that would gamble."
Marcus began to tear up a little as he explained in haste, "It was for my daughter and sister-in-law. I paid doctors, merchants, and herbalists a lot of money to invest in a cure. I would have paid anything to save them, but all that investment failed. Until you came along. You gave my family hope. Please don't say you'll pay Vice—I could never pay you back—I..." I cut him off, "I am not doing this for free. I am doing this to have a place to come back to as I travel. Plus, I could use the notoriety. There is no need to pay me back."
Marcus's eyes filled with gratitude and relief as he reached out to shake my hand. "Thank you, Key. You'll always have a place here in our town." As I clasped his hand, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and purpose that I had never felt before. For the first time since I started traveling, I didn't feel as alone as I once did. I walked out of his house before I started crying a bit myself. I guess I really was a weak man after all.