Another Stupid Spell

Chapter 9

The bishop, garbed in a red short sleeved knit vest and matching silk pants, jotted down some notes in a neat, tight script. "And you said you'd prefer the first edition of 'The Start of Things to Come', correct?"

I nodded. "If that's possible. I have to stay within my budget of course, so the second edition will have to do if access to the first will be expensive."

The leader of the Temple of Vinara nodded his understanding. "We'll treat your money as a single pool so as not to go over budget, don't worry about that young man. All fees, including our commission, will be accounted for in advance." He puffed out his chest a bit, "And given my legendary powers of negotiation, I believe you can expect at least half a dozen of the high priority items on your list."

I chuckled softly. "I leave the matter in your more than capable hands, padre. Will and Rick send their regards." I bowed, travel cloak rustling.

The older clergyman returned the bow. "Kind of you to relay that, Sorch. May Vinara bless you and keep you all, and may your upcoming journey be a great success."

I left the temple with a spring in my step. The next three weeks would be an adventure unlike any that I had experienced in my life. It was more than a trip into the mountains. It was an outing with my new friends and companions. They showed me their trust twice over: Using their influence to get me hired on as a fellow caravan guard, and signing me on as a junior partner on their subsequent mountain expedition near the city of Ice House.

This meant that I would achieve short term stability in my financial situation. The 60 gold that the caravan job paid would easily cover my rent on the dockside apartment for the duration of our trip. I had the caravan company pay the fee directly to my landlord. Given his rather colorful nature, I made sure to get the receipt in writing.

The potential profits from the expedition were, of course, unknown. The nature of exploration and adventure is risk, and the reward is never certain. On average, the guys said that their share of the proceeds topped a thousand gold pieces worth of merchandise that they could resell in The Magic Shop. On this trip, the profits would be split nine ways, with each of the senior partners getting two shares, and myself getting one. So if all went well, and this was an average trip, I could end up with at least a couple of hundred gold pieces. Not bad for a month on the road.

As numbers and ambitions danced through my head, I made my way to the northern tip of Limt. The north gate out of the city was affectionately known as Adventure Alley. The reason was clear. The eastern and western gates into Limt carried day to day caravan traffic; just normal shipping throughout the territory and up and down the coast. You know... boring stuff and things. The northern gate was only used for longer and more dangerous journeys. The road only led to Ice House, which was both an adventuring hub and the gateway to the northern continent. Thus: Adventure Alley.

Outside of the north gate was a collection of large compounds, each one belonging to one of the major caravan companies. Their services were not cheap. Most grains, cotton, certain kinds of vegetables, and the vast majority of fish had to be shipped into Ice House. So the cost of living, as one might imagine, was quite high. These caravan companies profited from the shipping of scarcities into Ice House, trade and messaging between the northern and southern continents, and shipping spoils of the adventure trade back to the southern cities. They could also take advantage of price differences between Ice House and Limt, if they had spare capacity. For example, fish was far easier to catch in the ocean than in the occasional unfrozen stream or underwater lake found in the mountains. Quickly packed and salted, the relatively cheap commodity could be sent to Ice House at a severe markup. And once they arrived, the naturally frozen state of things near Ice House made storage of fish and meat a trivial thing.