by Brian Keller
That evening, farewells were exchanged and the Journeymen set off. Birt and Mister Ysel sat beside Cooper after the evening meal. Birt started the conversation, “The owner of the Griffin seemed quite open to the notion of taking on a partner. I suppose that’s a sign that the business might not be thriving.” Cooper had to wonder whether the conversation was leading to something, or if it was simply Birt reporting the results of his day. He replied, “It doesn’t really matter, does it? We’re buying a majority interest in order to create a sense of exclusivity, right?” Both Birt and Mister Ysel smiled. Mister Ysel said, “Agreed. And we’re so glad that you see it that way.” Cooper raised an eyebrow, “We? You’re in on this together now?” Mister Ysel was rubbing his hands together as he responded, “Yes. In fact, I submitted the Charter to the Planning Commission today and cited the renovations as our first project. I submitted the plans. They created quite a stir. Then I went to the Merchant Council with the same information. There was a great deal of initial resistance. Once it became apparent that I wasn’t there asking for funding, or for permission, the resistance quickly died down, but the excitement remained.” Cooper nodded, “So, you got what you needed from them?” Birt nodded but Mister Ysel shrugged, “Well, no one told me “no”, but since we’re independently funded no one is really in a position to stop us. I explained that my announcement was more a courtesy than a request. Several members took this as a kind of insult, so they are making a show of ‘considering’ our Charter before affixing their seals to it.” Cooper turned back to Birt, “And what about the Feather? Did the madam react as expected?” Birt ducked his head, “Well, in a word, yes. She actually instructed her sellswords to ‘see me out’, and they were none too gracious about it.” Cooper’s voice took on a hard edge, “Is this something that still needs to be addressed?” Birt held both hands out and replied abruptly, “No! No, we have resolved the matter.” Birt indicated Mister Ysel and Cooper followed the gesture with a raised eyebrow, “We, again?” Birt nodded, “It seems that Mister Ysel is not unknown to the ladies, or the madame. He spoke with them and the madam warmed right up.” Cooper faced Mister Ysel, “Known, are you?” Mister Ysel shrugged, “We’ve always done business with the Feather. I simply explained that we were now taking an active interest. Once I described the plan and how those changes would affect their business, the ladies were squealing with delight. The madam had little choice in the matter at that point. To refuse our offer would have been tantamount to sparking an internal rebellion.” Cooper looked from one to the other, “So? Now what?” Birt smiled, “The workers start tomorrow!” Mister Ysel added, “And there are ways of applying pressure to certain reticent Council members. I’ll have a signed and sealed Charter before this time tomorrow.” Cooper leaned back, placing his palms on his thighs, “It seems like you both have matters well in hand, then.” He cast a sidelong glance at Birt and needled, “So, should we assume that you’re going back to innkeeping?” Birt rewarded him with a mock glare, “Hardly. But I will be taking a harder look at the Griffin’s books and business practices. With the proposed changes, there’s no reason that the tavern shouldn’t thrive as well. We may need to expand the storage, or perhaps build a large, connected storage area for both businesses to share.” Birt’s voice had taken on an almost daydreaming quality, making Cooper realize that Birt was no longer talking to him. Cooper interrupted Birt’s thoughts, “That’s fine. It’s your idea, I’ll leave the details to you.” This snapped Birt out of his reverie and, realizing that he’d drifted out of the conversation, ducked his head in embarrassment, “Right. Ok. Sorry about that. What about you? Are your plans moving forward?” Cooper couldn’t decide whether Birt was truly asking or merely making conversation. Either option was equally likely. He replied, “Perhaps. Too many aspects are outside my control. If my approach doesn’t show results within a week, then I’ll just have to change tactics. At least we got the messages on their way.” Birt considered that for a moment before asking, “You think that’ll work? That you’ll get the response you expect, I mean?” Cooper nodded, paused, then shrugged, “Yes, I do. As long as one of the teams deliver their message in time, I know they’ll come.” Birt accepted the reply with the same confidence, then asked, “And after? Have you considered what will happen after?” Cooper smiled, “Of course. Why do you think we’re doing all this? What happens after is the whole purpose.”
*****
Bennet spent much of his day scanning members of the crowd, looking for full pouches on long tethers. As luck would have it, most times when he spotted a suitable candidate he’d notice a two or three-man guard patrol standing nearby. As badly as his stomach was grumbling, he couldn’t imagine that he’d somehow be better off running to escape the Watch, or worse yet being confined in the work camps, so he let those opportunities pass. He’d been noticing quite a few more patrols lately and just as many additional guards standing in stationary positions. At first they seemed to be occupying his spots, but then he realized that they were simply good vantage points that were outside the main flow of traffic. The guards had chosen those spots for the same reasons that he had.
He assumed that the city had decided to finally tighten the restrictions on Apex sales and usage. “It’s about time”, he thought, “Things have gone from bad to worse in the last year.” Previously the only problems came in the form of hunger, City Watch and the risks of getting caught thieving. Now everyone on the street needed to contend with the increasing desperation of the Apex addicts. With the increase in Watch patrols the drug trade had withdrawn, or at least had hidden itself better. So well, in fact, that many Apex addicts sometimes couldn’t find them either. He afforded himself a rare bit of grim tongue-in-cheek humor, “It’s getting so that the alleyways and byways aren’t safe anymore. Even for the likes of me!” Just yesterday he’d narrowly avoided the clawing fingers of one of those drooling, gibbering idiots. He had no idea what would have been in store for him, but neither did he want to find out. He’d become much more watchful, and as a result he’d started using different roads and paths to get around the Waterfront, even returning to Batter’s Field occasionally if he felt he needed to escape entirely.
It was during these ventures that he’d noticed wagons carrying food and building materials into the Ruins. He wasn’t the only one noticing either. He’d begun to hear many of the locals discussing it among themselves. No one seemed curious enough to investigate though. For that matter, no one bothered to try stopping the wagons or workers to ask them either. Not even the desperate Apex addicts went into the Ruins. But still, now there were workmen and wagons going in. Despite the tickle of curiosity, Bennet couldn’t see how trying to learn more about this would improve his life in any way, but asking questions might certainly bring him harm. That much he knew for a fact. There were some things that one was simply better off not knowing.
*****
Cooper found Rukle and Spen before they went out on their rounds and spent the next hour or so with some much needed sparring. They took turns practicing one-on-one, while the odd man out would critique. This eventually evolved into a two-on-one bout where Cooper had to rapidly eliminate Rukle from the match so that he could devote his attention to Spen. The kid showed real potential.
It rained for most of the next two days and Cooper resisted the urge to return to the Waterfront. As much as he wished to continue his efforts to draw out the Spymaster, aspects of the reconstruction could not be ignored; specifically those relating to prioritization. Housing, the kitchen and the forge were already well under way but Utsef had taught him to get ahead of requirements before they became unsatisfied needs. He spoke with Dailen, “We’ve got the basic layout for the vault and ‘bank’ that goes around it completed. We’ll need to start putting more workers on that. As we gain more attention, we’ll need to make sure our treasury is securely locked away. Leaving it buried in the corner over there isn’t the best solution. We’ll also need to build an office somewhere to the south. Some place for
Mister Ysel to have an “official” workplace. This might even need to take priority over the vault, simply because it should be comparatively quick to build. I’ll leave that up to you. Once complete, Mister Ysel can decorate his own office.” Dailen looked around the immediate area and replied, “That should be easy enough, but we have only so many workers.” Cooper nodded, “We have housing enough for our immediate needs. Shift one crew to the office and one to the vault. I’ll supervise the vault construction myself for a day or two, just to make sure the foreman understands our requirements.” Dailen challenged, “You don’t trust me to handle that?” Cooper sighed, “I do, actually. But there are two buildings, no, three buildings where I’ll want to take a personal role. The vault, the library and the Arena.” Dailen turned to face him fully, “Arena? This is the first I’ve ever heard of an Arena.” Cooper shrugged, “It wasn’t, and still isn’t, a priority. Neither is the library, but we’re going to build them at some point; and when we do, you can bet that I’ll help design them.”
The work crews were happy to have something new to work on, until they realized that much of the vault project appeared to be excavation. No one looked forward to climbing down in the hole, and shuffling and slipping in mud deeper than their ankles. Furthermore, the rain and mud made the stones much harder to work with. The foreman initially balked at raising the blocks out of the hole, stating that it would require a series of scaffolds. Cooper explained that he wanted the larger stone blocks arranged to form a staircase leading down, and the smaller blocks could be set aside to be brought up once the stairs were built. Once those instructions were given, Cooper changed into his ‘worker’ clothes and shifted rock alongside the laborers. At first this caused a great deal of amusement but once the workers saw that Cooper was not only serious about working with them, he was also working as hard as they were, the laughter stopped.
The evening of the second day, as Cooper was stretching out his sore muscles, Birt and Mister Ysel approached and sat beside him. Mister Ysel spoke first, “We have the Charter and I have been carving out the stamp to create the seal to match it. Once that’s done, the deeds should pass scrutiny by anyone, except maybe the Prince himself.” Cooper wondered, “Why not the Prince?” Mister Ysel squinted, “Because a person tends to recognize their own signature. Still, even he might not realize that it isn’t his.” Cooper nodded, accepting the fair appraisal. Mister Ysel took the conversation to a different topic, “Birt and I have put together a few example lease agreements for potential merchants who wish to open shops in our new neighborhood. I think we all agree that it is not in our interests to actually sell any of the property, with one possible exception.” He paused and Cooper asked, “And that exception?” Birt chimed in, “Residential property. If someone wishes to build a house or estate, I think we should sell the property. Then they may do as they like with it. They’ll sign a contract that the property will not be used for commercial purposes and a violation will result in the property reverting to us as is.” Cooper nodded, “That makes sense.” He looked at the two of them, “If you’re bringing these examples to me, are you expecting me to voice an opinion? Give my approval? Or what?” Mister Ysel smiled, “I have experience with contracts, well, the loopholes to be found within them, to be more precise. But we thought you might provide a skeptic’s view on the matter. We’d like you to review the proposals. We’ve examined them from both our perspective and that of the client. We’d like you to do the same, if you have time.” Cooper sighed, “I suppose you have examples readily on hand?” Birt thrust a hand forward. He was holding a small sheaf of papers. Cooper nodded, “I’ll look at them now while I still have day light.” The other two men left him to his task.
As he studied each entry he noticed the two options presented distinct differences but, as discussed, neither offered options to actually purchase the land. Cooper assumed that would require a completely separate contract. He wondered whether he’d be called upon to review that example as well.
The first option was scripted as the Standard Option and described a limited partnership that was percentage-based. In this option the Guild would play no role in site selection, commerce or management of the business. The Guild would be responsible for all construction, both the floorplan design and the costs. The business owner would have input on the floorplan, in so far as to assure that it met the requirements of the business. All taxes and levied fees would be Guild expenses rather than being charged to the business. The Guild would then charge thirty percent of net income which would compensate for the construction costs as well as cover the taxes, fees, and monthly rent. The duration of the contract would be for no less than ten years but could also be written with no expiration date. This could even allow the contract to be inherited.
The limited partnership option appeared to be an excellent choice for those merchants wishing to start a business but without the coin to cover the initial costs. He could see where the Guild might be left holding a considerable debt, but if a business were successful, over a relatively brief time the Guild could begin to show a tidy profit.
The second option appeared to be more of a straightforward lease agreement. In this, the prospective business owner would bring a proposal to the Guild. The Guild would offer a selection of available sites and if one was deemed acceptable, the business owner could begin construction. All costs, taxes and fees would be the responsibility of the business owner. The Guild would then collect a flat rate rental fee each month but would also monitor the goods or services being offered.
Cooper could see where problems might crop up, but nothing that couldn’t be easily managed. They did have Enforcers, after all. Cooper stood and returned the papers to Birt offering a few words, “The first option will seem appealing at first, but I expect that the business owners will eventually chafe at being charged thirty percent of net. I know I would. We might consider a renegotiation clause for once we’ve recovered our construction expenses. Also, because the agreement can be written without expiration date, and thus can be inherited, the same might be said for any outstanding debt. Fathers may not wish to place their sons at risk in that way. Some form of “Death Clause” could protect our interests in the property, while protecting a beneficiary from a father's debt. Other than those points, I don’t see problems cropping up that we can’t sort out.”
The following morning, Cooper supervised the work on the vault for less than two hours before he’d decided that this project would proceed just fine with periodic checks. The foreman had asked several of the right questions yesterday and this morning he’d only had one question, and that had been about the width of the footing. That meant the man was already thinking about the width of the walls and the weight of the structure. They’d be turning the project over to the masons as soon as that part was completed and Cooper would have little more to contribute at that point. Cooper found Dailen and updated him, then strapped his leather bracers onto his wrists and pulled his sleeves down before he returned to the Waterfront.
He hadn’t even reached the boardwalk and he’d already noticed the increase in soldiers. He thought about the last time he’d seen so many Guards posted. He mused, “They must be increasing their control of the Waterfront. Not as many as were positioned around the Guild. But then again, a few shiploads of Lukasi merchants don’t pose the same threat.” Most of these men looked younger than he remembered, or at least less accustomed to wearing armor. For the first time he wondered how many guards and soldiers lost their lives during the Guild raid. He’d never heard anything about that. In all the battles described in the history books, he remembered there were always large, round (and probably exaggerated) reports of each side’s casualties. Even many of the Guild workers, being Guild recruits who’d failed at some point, were probably better fighters than many of the City Watch; but the odds of a dagger versus a heavily armored foe seldom favored the dagger. Cooper thought, “The students were being trained in archery, even though it wasn’t in preparation for fightin
g the Army. That training needs to continue when we get rebuilt. Our arrows pierce leather armor just fine. At close enough range, they’ll punch through those metal shells as well. If all goes according to plan, there should never be a need to worry about the Guard or the Paleros Army but it only takes one decision to change that.” He was determined that the raid on the Guild was one bit of history that wouldn’t be repeated.
He’d reached the boardwalk and cursed himself for daydreaming. He had allowed himself to be spotted and almost boxed in, but not by guards or soldiers. He’d almost forgotten about the group that looked like rival Guild members. He saw three of them now. They’d spread themselves out along the boardwalk, dressed as sellswords, but it was a simple thing to recognize the differences. No sellsword moved like that. They moved through the crowd like he did, losing themselves for a moment then exposed long enough to catch a glimpse before disappearing again. One of them was moving to block his path back into the neighborhood while the others closed in from the sides. “Surely they didn’t intend on attacking or killing me right here on the boardwalk at mid-morning! With all the soldiers around?!” The thought crossed his mind that maybe they were some kind of special warriors employed by the city, and trained like he had been. “Send a thief to catch a thief”, he’d read that somewhere, but now the notion made his blood run cold. No one had drawn a weapon yet, and once someone did the City Watch were likely to respond regardless of the allegiances of the parties involved in the fracas. Either way, the presence of the City Watch did nothing to improve his situation and would only make his escape more difficult. He needed to move them to a new location, or better yet, a place where he might have an advantage. The closest pier was where the Lukasi ships were moored, their false Caldori flags fluttering proudly in the stiff morning breeze.
