Call it an Investment

Duke Gloomcrest lays out the terms for the bounties. Even for a starting place to begin negotiations, I don’t find them bad at all.

500K for the Duke of Dewhurst.

300K for Fleetfoot, Alvahs, and potentially Pimpington.

100k for Bludman and the Gnoll.

All quests are capture, not kill. Gloomcrest is adamant about bringing these criminals to justice and would prefer to do it as cleanly as possible. He promises to make an exception if absolutely necessary, but his principles demand we do it ‘the right way’. It’s all the same to me. Despite a stated preference towards capture, It’s not like I wouldn’t have agreed if the only option was to kill.

If I took the prices as is without any haggling we’d still have the money for just about every improvement I want to get the Guild, Even after the Association takes their twenty percent cut. Of course, there’s no way I’m not pushing for more.

Now that everything is thoroughly presented, I need to set up my next attack. I delicately steer the situation back to a particular topic. “The prices are interesting, but I’m curious about what your plans are now that Pimpington is in custody? Forgive me for getting sidetracked, but I simply must know.”

The Duke of Arrark is eager to tout the answer. “We’ll be dismantling the illegal parts of Chasteworthe’s businesses... repossessing his brothels... liquidating assets... and searching his employees, I’m sure. Brothels themselves are far from illegal, at least under the current King...” A burst of dark laughter trails out from his bed-chamber as he recalls his friend. “The problem wasn’t with his business... but the oversaturation. He was infesting the streets with brothels, to an absurd degree.”

“Gods be damned, you simpleton...” Solomon cradles his forehead, knowing instantly where I was leading the conversation. Opalina smirks at the old gargoyle, proud of my maneuvering.

“Solomon?” Gloomcrest doesn’t understand his Steward’s disdain and grows worried.

Before Count Drisford can interject, I head him off, “Dismantling so many brothels across Arrark is sure to be a great boon to the province’s treasury. Not only will you get loads of free real estate that you can sell to the highest bidder, but there’s also all the assets you’ll seize. Surely you can afford to reward the man who made this all possible for you.”

Silence overtakes the meeting as Gloomcrest considers my words. It doesn’t take him long. “You... really don’t have much of an argument, do you, Solomon...”

The Count closes his eyes while huffing out deeply through his nostrils. “...No, I don’t suppose I do.” He admits with great pain. “I only wished to save the province from an item of unnecessary expenditure. But... it’s not like you were going to listen to me in the first place. Isn’t that right, my Duke?”

“You know me too well, old friend...” Gloomcrest lets out another of his creepy laughs. “It’s true... His Guild deserves the reward, and it would reflect very poorly on us if we refused for such a petty reason...”

“Goddesses forbid you to look any worse than you already do,” Opalina adds with a concerning amount of sass.

“Jokes aside, I’m honored that you see things my way. Thank you.”

Still reeling from the witch’s latest verbal attack, Gloomcrest forces himself to shakily say, “Of course... Now I assume you’d like to move on to the... haggling portion of our discussion...?”

“Very astute of you, Osbourne,” I can’t stop myself from smirking. “I’ll say it straight. I want double.”

Opalina raises an eyebrow but says nothing, whereas Solomon reacts precisely how I expected him to. “Out of the question, you impudent whelp! This is why I was against giving you the additional reward, damn it! It shows weakness, and now he thinks he can walk all over us!” He screams, losing the trademark poise he pointedly cultivates. The Count clearly wasn’t expecting me to make such an enormous power move right off the bat- which is precisely why I did it.

Setting my opponent off balance will only help my argument and more easily aim for my actual goal. I actually hope to achieve another fifty to twenty-five percent of the reward so I can at least make up for the Association taking their cut of the quests.

“Double?” Gloomcrest thinks aloud. “You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll allow it...” He sighs.

“Fine, then how about we lower it to-” My brain stops completely before I slowly force it to piece itself back together. “Excuse me?”

“As a worshipper of the Goddess below... I... respect such an open display of desire and selfishness. Double is fine...”

I look at Opalina for confirmation that he actually just said what he said and find her smiling back at me with a wordless smile. It’s as if she’s saying, ‘I told you that the hard part was already over.’

“Osbourne, the Goddess has nothing to do with this. He wasn’t actually asking for double. That was merely a trick to lower my guard and soften our defenses. You don’t need to-”

Gloomcrest is resolute. “I’ve... already made up my mind...” He says.

“Then where do you propose I find 600k to hand over to the Guild Master today, hm? From our defense fund? From increased taxes? I’m sure the people of Arrark would just love that!” Count Drisford raises his voice as he becomes more irate.

“A moment,” Gloomcrest rises from his chair in the other room, and his footsteps grow distant as he walks away. The silence is soon replaced by the sound of him rummaging around through furniture. Upon his return, the slot on the door opens up again. The Duke then slides a truly wicked longsword out past the crevice.

The weapon is protected by a black, spiny sheath patterned with harsh spikes. Inlaid onto the crest is a ruby that looks like it’s filled with crimson ichor. The blade’s handle is also a deep, abyssal black with a hilt that resembles a thorned cross. It’s hard for me to imagine someone wielding this thing without somehow cutting themselves a dozen ways over, but I’m sure if someone managed to, they’d look quite badass.

“My Duke... you can’t be serious,” Solomon says as he takes the weapon carefully into his hands, making sure not to let it prick him with the utmost concern.

“I... haven’t used it many years, and I have no heir to bequeath it to... pawn it, Solomon. Pawn it, and we can repurchase it at a later date.” He sighs, obviously dwelling on how badly he wishes he had an heir.

Opalina is surprised, too. She raises her eyebrows and looks upon the blade with nostalgia in her eyes. Then, she looks at me and silently makes it clear that I need to respond. The fact that she’s not using this opportunity to make a sarcastic jab at Osbourne shows me that this is a pretty big deal.

“I don’t know what to say. Are you sure you want to pawn your sword? It looks very... important.” And expensive.

“It is,” The Count clears his throat. “It’s an heirloom from just after the Age of Heroes. The sword of Vladimir Gloomcrest the 1st.” I nod my head back at him, pretending I know who that is.

“Did you not want double?” Duke Gloomcrest asks dry and rhetorical.

“I do. It’s just that this is very generous, so I’m a little overwhelmed. I was expecting negotiations to be much more intense.” For someone who worships a Goddess that prioritizes the value of selfishness and individualism, Duke Gloomcrest is uncannily selfless. Then again, acting capriciously like this and making decisions on a whim may very well be his own kind of selfishness.

“From what I’m told, you’re working on bringing back your Guild from its regrettable state... I can respect that, and I’m sympathetic to your cause. Consider the double payment and Chasteworthe’s bounty my investment in restoring peace to Dewhurst.”

Solomon closes his eyes and rubs his forehead out of stress. “I’ll contact multiple brokers and see who offers the highest price. I’d estimate that this will pay for all of the bounties and then some. At least there’s that...” His facial expressions tell an interesting story, now that he’s not as guarded. Solomon regrets that his Duke has to resort to this, and he feels like if only he did better at his job, then Osbourne could follow his whims more easily. Count Drisford is a good man and a loyal Steward, no matter how miserly and abrasive he may be.

I can tell it pains the witch to do so, but she lowers her head and says, “Thank you for doing this for him, Osbourne. I won’t forget the kindness you’ve shown here.”

“This wasn’t kindness,” He laughs. “I already said this is an investment in my province. A long overdue one, at that... Why, I should have-” The knocking of a door sounds out from the Duke’s bedroom, followed by a door opening. “Abigail? Sweetheart, what are you doing with all that?”

Confused, I look toward Opalina for an answer. The old witch smiles at me but says nothing. I think she expected this interruption, maybe even had a hand in setting it up when the two girls were alone last night.

Abigail whispers something to her father so quietly that I can’t make out her voice. “I see...” The Duke says grimly after a deliberate pause. “If you’ve made up your mind... then I have no objections. Here, my little raven, let me help you...” The unseen Duke goes and retrieves something from his beloved daughter before returning and opening up the mail slot. Much like Abigail’s doggy door, the slot expands greatly so that Osbourne can push several boxes through.

One after one, the boxes are caught by Solomon, who rushes to meet them as the evil sword falls off his lap. All in all, there are five large containers. “Are these what I think they are...?” The old Count asks with a sigh.

“Open one and find out,” The Duke gives his express permission. After cracking one open, the Steward peers in on the contents, revealing it to be stuffed to bursting with extravagant, darkly-colored dresses and gothic jewelry. There’s also a concerning amount of expensive boots, heels, and shoes.

As my confusion grows, Woe comes out of Abigail’s door carrying a note in his bony jaw. He jumps onto my chair from the side and pushes the paper in my face.

It reads, ‘I told you I’d do anything I could to help. Father’s acquaintances and other nobles have given me more gifts than I know what to do with... I never wear any of these... so I’d prefer it if they were sold and the funds were given to you as a gift. I may never get to see it myself, but nothing would make me happier than for you to fix your Guild...’

Solomon says something to me, as does Opalina, but I can’t hear them. My mind is narrowly focused on the letter sitting in front of my eyes that I keep re-reading over and over again. Sure enough, the contents didn’t change. I really was just gifted a large, upfront investment from the young Lady Gloomcrest. It’s hard for me to process these emotions, especially given my aversion to charity, but I can’t reject this. I can feel Abigail’s feelings through this letter, perhaps more than she ever intended.

That does it, then. I’ve made up my mind. One day, Abigail is going to see my Guild for herself- no matter what I have to do. I’ll figure out a way to help her take her first steps out of the darkness.

PunishedKom

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