Ruin & Reliance

by Jeremy Dwyer

  Behind the sales counter, the clerk – a handsome young man who appeared to be in his twenties – looked over Judith’s items. She already started eating the milk-soaked fruit from the bowl. In between bites, she asked: “How much will this cost?”

  The clerk smiled and said: “One (1) silver and two (2) copper coins.”

  Judith reached into a pocket in her robes, pulled one (1) silver coin and two (2) copper coins out and handed the money to the man, one (1) coin at a time, moving very slowly.

  Taesa stood behind Judith to wait for her turn to pay. She watched the transaction and noticed something unusual about Judith’s mannerisms. Romana stood beside Taesa and also watched.

  After Judith finished paying for the food, she returned to the front door, opened it, exited the store and closed the door behind her.

  ~~~

  “She seems distracted. Is she alright?” the clerk asked.

  “Yes. What’s your name?” Romana asked.

  “Royce,” the clerk said.

  Romana looked at the vial hanging on the chain around Royce’s neck. She saw the symbol carved on it and asked: “Trerada water, right?”

  “That’s right,” Royce said.

  “Are you seeing anyone in a relationship?” Romana asked.

  “You move fast!” Taesa said, smiling.

  “It’s been a while since a customer asked me on a date, but I’m sure glad you did,” Royce said, smiling.

  “I’m not asking for me. I’m asking for Judith. You’ve caught her eye, Royce. I can see the way she looked at you. You’re very handsome, which is how I knew which water you drink,” Romana said.

  “You think so? I’ve never seen Judith flirting before. How do you know?” Taesa asked.

  “She’s my best friend. I know her very well. She’s interested,” Romana said.

  “No. I’m not seeing anyone,” Royce said.

  “How old are you, Royce?” Romana asked.

  “Twenty-seven (27),” Royce said.

  “Are you interested in going on a date with her?” Romana asked.

  “Sure. That would be great. What can you tell me about her? I don’t make a lot of money working here, but I want her to enjoy the date,” Royce said.

  “She’s a Chronicler. Just spend some time with her, be friendly and tell her about yourself when she asks. She’s very sweet, if a little sad,” Romana said.

  Taesa felt hungry so she wanted to pay, leave and eat. “How much will this be?” Taesa asked.

  “Two (2) silver coins and three (3) copper coins,” Royce said.

  “That’s more than I’m used to paying for a fruit basket this size. I guess that’s just the cost of living in a city owned by the central bank,” Taesa said. She quickly pulled the coins from a pocket in her dress and paid Royce. She then headed for the door, followed by Romana.

  Before leaving the store, Romana turned to look back at Royce and asked: “You’re fine with dating older women, right? All things considered it’s not a big deal, right?”

  Royce nodded and said: “Sure.”

  “Good. Judith and I will stop by tomorrow evening,” Romana said.

  ~~~

  Taesa opened the door, and Romana followed her out of the store, closing the door behind her.

  Judith was sitting on a nearby bench situated in the circle between the many stores. She concerned herself only with eating the milk-soaked fruit and relaxing.

  Taesa sat down next to Judith, to her left, and ate an orange along with a few grapes and raspberries from her own basket.

  Romana sat to Judith’s right and said: “You’ve got a date with him, tomorrow evening. I’ll go if you want. His name is Royce. He’s twenty-seven (27) and he likes older women.”

  Judith almost coughed as she was eating. She finished chewing and swallowing the mouthful of fruit. Then, she smiled and said: “You don’t waste any time.”

  “I’ve got to take good care of my sister,” Romana said.

  ~~~

  In the Port of Bryziklad in the Dark Platinum Road land bridge, inside the domed granite building that served as his office, General Gratien walked through halls until reaching the alchemy lab. A man with thin gray-blond hair worked at a table, pouring liquids from one vial into another.

  “Lieutenant Plamen!” General Gratien said.

  “Yes, General,” the gray-blond-haired man – Lieutenant Plamen – said as he stood up.

  “Have you purified my Ursegan waters?” General Gratien asked.

  Lieutenant Plamen took a specially marked vial from a rack on his work table and handed it to General Gratien.

  “Purified to eleven (11) iterations of the virtuous cycle, General,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  General Gratien drank anew of the Ursegan waters in the vial that Plamen had given him and was energized with the power to slow the passage of time. He exercised this power over his own body to maintain his youthful physique despite his four million three hundred thousand (4300000) years of age.

  “That is very pure water, Lieutenant. Good work. Now, I have more work for you,” General Gratien said.

  “I am ready, General,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “We are going to occupy a section of land in southeastern Waderav – the Duchy of Yutaka – and conduct a mining operation for a green stellar core. A base of operations needs to be built. Your mission is to contact the architect, Fantine, and have her design a city, which is to be constructed when we notify her that we are ready. The base should be thirty-six (36) square miles with a two hundred fifty (250) foot high border wall. We will pay ten (10) percent for her design services in advance, and then ninety (90) percent when construction is finished. If this is successful, then we will extract another stellar core, in Cinder Valley,” General Gratien said.

  “When am I to make these arrangements, General?” Lieutenant Plamen asked.

  “You are to leave immediately. Take this payment book and write a financial transfer document from it. You are authorized to pay forty-eight (48) million platinum coins, maximum,” General Gratien said and handed a small book to Lieutenant Plamen.

  “Yes, General,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  ~~~

  Lieutenant Plamen exited the domed granite building. From there, he walked through the streets of the Port of Bryziklad and headed to the docks. He paid for transport on board a ship heading southwest across the Ikkith Tar Ocean toward the Prince Jalvin’s Crossroads land bridge. Next, he paid to travel on a riverboat which sailed southeast along the Royal Jalvinic River, taking him into the continent of Baradaxa. The vessel followed a branch of the river toward the continent’s southwestern coast. Lieutenant Plamen disembarked from the riverboat in the Port of Kemalorin and headed toward the alchemist’s shop where Fantine was known to work.

  ~~~

  Inside of her alchemy shop, Fantine examined the low-level structure of a sapphire to correct several flaws. She was vaguely aware of Niven and the Chronicler Ximenez standing nearby.

  “Is it fixable?” Niven asked.

  “It’s almost certainly fixable. The question is whether the sapphire is worth fixing. Too many flaws and it’s better to start with a new one that’s naturally clearer,” Fantine said without so much as looking up.

  “I hear several people coming. It could be new customers,” Niven said. He walked to the front door of the alchemy shop and opened it to see a large group of people standing outside. Ximenez followed him.

  “I am looking to meet with the architect, Fantine. I am Commissioner Wallace, administrator of Northern District Eleven (11) in the Ihalik Empire,” a well-dressed, chubby, broad-shouldered man said.

  “I am Commissioner Hannah, of Western District Nineteen (19),” a similarly well-dressed woman – with streaks of gray in her hair and a few wrinkles – said.

  “Captain Gijsbert,” an older man in his fifties or sixties said.

  “I’m Romey, the navigator,” a younger woman – perhaps in her thirties – said.

  �
�I’m Niven, lightkeeper sales and imaging. Please, come in. Fantine is available to meet with you,” Niven said. He led the visitors into the alchemy shop.

  The Chronicler Ximenez recorded the appearance of the guests and their names into his book.

  “Fantine, I am Commissioner Wallace, administrator of Northern District Eleven (11) in the Ihalik Empire,” Wallace said.

  “I am Commissioner Hannah, of Western District Nineteen (19),” Hannah said.

  “Yes, Commissioner Hannah and I would like to discuss the design and construction of a new city,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  Fantine continued looking into the sapphire’s low-level structure to examine its flaws and attempt to correct them. “Tell me more, commissioners,” she said without looking up at her guests.

  “We also need an irrigation canal constructed. This is to be a city on the western coast of Ihalik, bordering the Gradaken Ocean,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “The Ihalik Empire’s financial council has never been willing to do business with me, so I wasn’t expecting to have you come here,” Fantine said, still focused on the sapphire’s low-level structure. She drank anew of the waters of the Kazofen Ocean from her vial and was further energized with the power to manipulate stone and crystal. She then molded the sapphire’s interior structure and removed a large imperfection.

  “The Imperial Financial Council has certain procedures and contracts that restrict doing business with outside architects, that is true. However, we have exceptional circumstances and those restrictions can be waived,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “How large of a city do you need constructed? Is this a port city with piers and docking facilities? What are all the requirements?” Fantine asked and then put down the sapphire onto a work table. She picked up a small notebook and pencil from on top of that same table.

  Commissioner Hannah drank anew of the waters of the Medathero Ocean from her vial and was energized with the power of calm, rational thought. She made several mental calculations and said: “It will be a western coastal city with eight (8) piers, each fifty (50) feet wide and extending seven hundred (700) feet out into the water, and equally spaced from north to south. On its western coast, the city should extend five (5) miles northwest to southeast at an angle of thirty point nine nine two five five nine seven (30.9925597) primalurens east of the vertical. From the northwestern corner, it should extend six (6) miles eastward inland. From the northeastern corner, it should extend three (3) miles southward. From the southeastern corner, it should extend two (2) miles westward, for a total of twelve (12) square miles. There need to be three (3) irrigation canals, each four hundred fifty (450) feet wide and extending from the interior edges of the city toward the western, coastal edge.”

  Fantine recorded these dimensions into her notebook and began making the calculations. “This will cost one million five hundred sixty-two thousand five hundred (1562500) platinum coins per square mile, a total of eighteen million seven hundred fifty thousand (18750000) platinum coins for twelve (12) square miles of city space, the eight (8) piers and three (3) canals,” she said.

  “Are you sure it’s that expensive?” Commissioner Wallace asked.

  “How long will it take to design and construct?” Commissioner Hannah asked.

  “About a day to design, a few hours to position the constructor pillars and twelve (12) to fourteen (14) minutes to construct,” Fantine said.

  “Can you begin the design right away?” Commissioner Hannah asked.

  “Yes. However, I require a twenty-five (25) percent payment upfront,” Fantine said.

  Commissioner Hannah pulled a book from a pocket in her coat and began writing on a page in it. She signed the page, removed it from the book and handed it to Fantine.

  The Chronicler Ximenez recorded all of this conversation into his book. He peered over Fantine’ shoulder so see the financial transfer document, which was for an amount of four million six hundred eighty-seven thousand five hundred (4687500) platinum coins. He wrote this into his book as well.

  “That’s a very large payment upfront before any services have been rendered,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “You’re paying for my expertise, Commissioner. I plan carefully and stand behind my design and construction. Your new city will be operational and serve your needs much sooner,” Fantine said.

  “I expect this project to be an immediate success,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “Is there anything else you need to tell me about this city’s requirements?” Fantine asked.

  “No. We’ll return in a day to see the design,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  ~~~

  Commissioner Hannah exited the alchemist’s shop, followed by Commissioner Wallace, his twenty (20) armed guards, Captain Gijsbert and Romey.

  “She’s as emotionally dead as everybody says,” Romey said.

  “She’s committed to her work. I respect that,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “As long as she delivers top quality design and construction on schedule, she’ll have my respect. Perhaps even another project,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “A woman should be a little more affectionate if she wants to attract a man,” Romey said.

  “You don’t say? Like when a man is friendly and takes the time to get to know her,” Captain Gijsbert said.

  “I mean a man her age, not her father’s age,” Romey said.

  “Not every relationship is personal, Romey. Even when it is, there’s still work to be done. Still, some women are all about business. Fantine earned her reputation by doing the best, most innovative and fast-paced work. I admire that,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “Love is for the young and foolish,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “No, divorce is for the foolish. Love is for people sensible enough to hold a marriage together. It takes wisdom and kindness – from both spouses – to make it work,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “I wonder if Fantine ever loved anyone. That Niven guy never took his eyes off of her and she acted like he wasn’t even there. He’s a good looking man. She could warm up to him a little,” Romey said.

  “I know that feeling. Nobody likes being left out in the cold,” Captain Gijsbert said.

  “Maybe you’ll meet a nice woman your age one day, Captain,” Romey said.

  “She’s a professional architect. Her love life – or lack of it – is her own concern,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  “I’ve heard enough of this personal relationship nonsense talk. We should wait on the ship and return here tomorrow to see the city design we paid for,” Commissioner Wallace said.

  “I agree. Let’s head back,” Commissioner Hannah said.

  Commissioner Wallace and his twenty (20) armed guards led the way back to the docks, followed by Commissioner Hannah, Captain Gijsbert and Romey. They boarded the Industrious Metal Miner North Eleven and rested for the remainder of the day.

  ~~~

  Lieutenant Plamen watched a crowd of people – including armed guards – walk away from the alchemist’s shop where Fantine was known to work. He approached the door to the shop and knocked.

  The door to the alchemist’s shop was opened and a younger man greeted him, saying: “Hello. How can I help you?”

  “I am here to meet with the architect, Fantine,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “Please, come in. I am Niven, lightkeeper sales and imaging,” the younger man said. He led the latest visitor into the alchemist’s shop.

  Inside the shop, Lieutenant Plamen saw another man, who appeared to be a Chronicler and was writing into a book. He also saw a woman – whom he could only assume to be Fantine – focusing her attention on a sapphire in her hands.

  “You are Fantine?” Lieutenant Plamen asked.

  “Yes. And you are?” Fantine asked, never looking up from the sapphire.

  “Lieutenant Plamen. I am here to discuss a construction project – a new city – and I am prepared to pay you ten (10) percent upfron
t for the design, followed by ninety (90) percent when the construction is complete,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “I require twenty-five (25) percent upfront, and I am already committed to another funded project, so yours will have to wait,” Fantine said, still not looking up from the sapphire she was examining and manipulating.

  “I am willing to wait until your current project is complete. This matter is important, but not yet urgent,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “What are the requirements for this new city?” Fantine asked.

  “The new city will be thirty-six (36) square miles in total area with a two hundred fifty (250) foot high border wall,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “Where will the walled city be located?” Fantine asked.

  “Southeastern Waderav,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “Not in my lifetime, Lieutenant,” Fantine said.

  “Excuse me?” Lieutenant Plamen asked.

  “The local governments in Waderav are corrupt and oppressive with rare exceptions. I am not going to build a walled city that will be used for warfare or overtaken by robber barons and turned into a castle so they can raid farmlands and oppress more peasant workers. I can’t solve their problems, and I don’t want to do anything that could make them worse,” Fantine said, still not looking up from working on the sapphire.

  “The city will be well-defended during and after its construction. I am not concerned about local interference,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “What will this walled city be used for?” Fantine asked.

  “Mining and commerce,” Lieutenant Plamen said.

  “Southeastern Waderav borders the Gradaken Ocean. Farming is the predominant industry there, isn’t it?” Fantine asked.

  “You are correct about the geography, but you are mistaken about the economy. The soil is very poor in Waderav, which I admit is surprising, given that anyone who drinks the nearby Gradaken waters ought to be able to cultivate the land and produce a good harvest. My admittedly imprecise understanding is that the dense mineral deposits provide little actual soil to work with. Our mining operation may clear out many of the rocks from the soil and increase the arability of the land,” Lieutenant Plamen said.