Chapter 55: Tips?
Wade was dragged out of sleep by the pounding on the door.
He groaned, rolling over and squinting at the dim morning light filtering through the curtains.
For a moment, he considered ignoring it, but the knocking came again, louder and firmer this time.
With a muttered curse, he shoved off the blanket, stumbling across the room.
His bare feet slapped against the cool wooden floor as he unlocked the deadbolt and swung the door open.
Rowan stood there, arms crossed, his expression equal parts serious and concerned.
"Morning," Rowan said. "Or whatever time you call it when you’re still in bed."
"It’s too fucking early for this," Wade muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What’s up?"
Rowan stepped inside without waiting for an invitation, shutting the door behind him.
"I came to ask about last night. How did your meeting with Fairchild go?"
Wade perked up at that, his exhaustion giving way to alertness.
He grabbed a chair and sat down, motioning for Rowan to take the couch.
"It went... better than I thought. He didn’t start a fight, so that’s something."
Rowan arched a brow. "And?"
"I’ll be meeting him again tonight," Wade said. "He said he needed time to do his homework on me before locking things in. But I think he’s taking me seriously."
"Homework?" Rowan frowned. "How much did you ask him for?"
"The exact amount I need." Wade grinned.
Rowan narrowed his eyes in suspicion, a grin on his face as he leaned back on the couch. "You don’t do things halfway, do you?"
"Not my style." Wade grinned, then hesitated. "But I need to know... am I getting a fair interest rate on my loan? He offered twenty-five percent."
Rowan’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Generally? Yes. Painful, but fair."
"Anyone else would’ve bled you for thirty or thirty-five. Fairchild doesn’t like giving away free money, but he’s smart enough to make deals he thinks will last."
Wade exhaled in relief. "Good. At least I’m not walking straight into a scam."
Rowan chuckled. "Oh, it’s still a scam. Just the kind you can survive if you play your cards right."
Wade nodded slowly. "Then tonight’s the big talk. Penalties for late payment. What do I look out for?"
Rowan leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "First, don’t agree to open-ended penalties. Don’t make the same mistake as me."
"He’ll try to sneak in something vague like ’extra service at his discretion.’ That’s a trap. Push for clear numbers. Late fees, interest stacking, things you can calculate."
"Got it." Wade tapped his fingers on the table.
"Second, no body forfeits. Some loan sharks demand an organ, a limb, or blood. It sounds dramatic, but some adventurers are dumb enough to sign it. Don’t."
Wade grimaced. "Yeah, I’d like to keep all my parts, thanks."
"Third," Rowan continued, "make sure he doesn’t tie you to... open-ended quests."
"If you fail to pay, he’ll want you to run... criminal errands to make up the balance. You can’t escape having quests in the contract, but if they have to be there, make them specific."
"Maybe a clause stating they have to be legal. Fight for that, but I’m sure Fairchild would still find a way to bypass that."
He looked up at Wade. "The best thing to do is to just never be late for the payments. That way, you won’t have any penalties."
Wade frowned, but nodded. "Alright. Keep it clean. No vague clauses, no body parts, no illegal quests."
"Exactly." Rowan finally leaned back again, letting out a slow breath. "Now that that’s settled..."
He fixed Wade with a look, his tone shifting to something heavier. "I’ve got news about the monster horde."
Wade sat up, interested.
Rowan’s expression darkened as he spoke. "The city’s already sent a team out to confirm if the reports are true. Scouts, adventurers, even a few knights."
"If they come back saying it’s real, then it won’t be long before the guild issues a full-scale announcement."
Wade rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "So it’s not just rumors anymore?"
Rowan shook his head. "No. Another merchant caravan came in last night."
"They had the same story, complete with burned wagons, half their people missing, and the survivors swearing they saw hundreds of monsters in the distance."
"That’s two attacks in less than three days. You don’t get that without something pushing the monsters together."
Wade leaned back in his chair, memories of the Mirewood Swamp floating in his mind. "A Tyrant."
"Exactly," Rowan said grimly. "And if there’s a Tyrant out there, then there’s going to be a battle."
"That means we’re going to be called on to fight, whether we’re ready or not."
"And not all of us will make it." Wade’s voice was low.
He didn’t need Rowan to confirm it. He already knew.
There was a heavy silence for a moment before Rowan sighed and tried to lighten it. "On the bright side, the panic’s already driving up the number of escort quests."
"The merchants are desperate to get their goods moved before things get worse, and they’re willing to pay extra for protection. It’s easy money if you pick the right quest."
Wade raised a brow. "Easy money? Escort jobs are the kind where you spend half the time waiting around for oxen to move."
Rowan chuckled. "True, but the payouts are better now. Fear makes people generous, and have I told you how much I love generous people."
"If we head to the guild today, I bet we can land a decent quest before the board gets swamped."
Wade looked at him for a long moment, then shook his head. "Not today."
Rowan blinked. "What do you mean, not today? You need the money just as much as I do."
"I’ve got something else to take care of," Wade said firmly, his thoughts flicking back to Fairchild and the contract waiting for him tonight. "The guild will have to wait."
Not to mention, he had somewhere to be this morning.