"I'm here for coin," Beam said bluntly, making it clear that he had no interest in Greeves' sex life.
"That you are – and I think you'll like what you find," Greeves said with a grin, reaching into one of his drawers and tossing Beam a pouch filled with coins. "Have a look inside."
Beam did as he was told. Inside, there sat 10 gleaming gold coins. He gasped in surprise.
"Haha!" Greeves roared with laughter again. "That caught your attention, eh? Money talks, as they say. Is that your first time seeing gold, lad?"
Beam nodded dumbly, absolutely blown away by the sight of the shining metal. Just a month ago, he'd never held a metal worth more than copper. Even silver had been a great and exciting privilege. Now, beyond his expectations, he was given gold. Not one, but ten of them.
"But it's so much..." He said.
Greeves shared a look of surprise with Judas. The big man laughed as well. "That's the first time in all my career as a merchant that I've ever heard someone complain about being paid too much."
"I'm not complaining..." Beam said.
"I'd expect not. Well, anyway. That hobgoblin sword sold for a pretty penny... and then the corpse on top of that – well, let's just say, you've more than cleared the red from my account books. And so, to celebrate a job well done, and to commemorate the finishing of yer quests, I'll give you a nice 10 gold to enjoy," Greeves said.
"You already knew that I'd slain the corpse soldier?" Beam said in surprise.
Greeves just shrugged. "I figured it was just a matter of time. There's no way a corpse soldier would pose a problem for you, not after that display the other day."
"You're just a fucking murderer, merchant. I don't care how you try to justify it, you people with your hands in slavery – you can all rot. You should all meet a bloody death for the deeds you've done," Beam spat.
"Aye? And can you give me that bloody death? Can you?" Greeves shouted back. "Your morals are piss poor! They're fucking see through, son. That shit is weak.
That shit burns a country to the ground. Do you know what it takes to fuel these cities, do ya? Do you know what the fuck goes on behind the scenes? Nah, cos you don't give a fuck. You lack understanding. You say 'that's wrong' but you can't provide another way.
You label me a criminal, but can you cut me down, boy? You ever killed a man? You ever believe in something so strongly that you'd cut down anything that stood in your way?"
The sheer venom with which Greeves spoke made Beam recoil for a moment, before his eyes flared with anger once more, sure that it was merely a merchant's attempt at weaselling his way out of the crimes he committed.
"When the day comes, when it's necessary, I'll be able to do it," Beam said.
"Then start here! Go on then! End it! You've judged me guilty, have you not? Go on then, you deliver the punishment!" Greeves grabbed his knife off his desk and forced it into Beam's hand, before grabbing the edge of the blade and dragging it towards his throat. Blood dripped on the desk from it.
Judas baulked in alarm as he held his hands up, not sure quite how to get involved or who to help.
Beam coiled his fingers around the hilt of the knife, looking deep in Greeves' eyes as the merchant begged him for his execution.
"DO IT!" Greeves shouted.
"FUCKING DO IT!" He said again.
The merchant's eyes were so dark in their brown that they approached black. The many lives that he had taken swam inside them, complete in a sea of suffering. An existence that betrayed its agony.