Grenwood was the epitome of every negative assumption villagers had about city life. Crime, certainly. A cluster of depravity, unquestionably. The concentration of human waste, both literal and the humans themselves, was something to be admired. As I soaked in my hot wooden tub, enjoying my bottle of Arbor West, someone started to have rather loud sex in the opposite room.
I couldn't tell whether the man was in pain or having the time of his life. Around the time I heard whippings and begging for more, I realized it was both. The debauchery went on for an hour before I had peace.
My room was nice, with a soft bed, clean sheets, and a hearth that I quickly turned into an energy furnace. It was large enough that I could stand inside. It provided almost three times the power of the hut.
My method of testing wasn't particularly complex. I simply created two circuits, one that sucked the air up through the flue and another that converted the heat to fuel Dragon's Breath. My method of measuring its power was how tall I could make the flame in my hands before the flue started to ice over. This height was a little over three feet. Not as impressive as I could achieve using wood at around five feet, and my stone at thirty.
The main benefit was that as long as the hearth remained active, the flame remained. I could even decrease the strength of the bindings until the flame went out; all I would have to do is activate my animus, which was practically instant, and increase the strength until ignition. It was a pain to hold three bindings in my mind constantly, but if I were ever knowingly walking into danger, it would be prudent to have near-instant fire instead of taking several seconds to create each binding.
It was a shame I couldn't figure out a method of regulating power from the stone; perhaps someday, when I learnt what it was.
~
I decided to take the streets on foot again, carrying everything of value. I sold one of the swords for a silver, undervalued, but I couldn't be bothered to bargain. I walked the main market perusing the shops and stalls, ignoring the scent of unwashed bodies.
A decent clothing store was something I was looking for, along with a proper cobbler. I had coin to spend and I needed to spend it well. I bought a cloak from a man, heavy, blue, and to my shock, properly made. Though the thick wool was slightly worn. In another store, I found a book to read. One on dragons of all things, and another book that looked like smut.
As I walked, I made note of signs, buildings, and roads heading off in different sections, determined to learn the city. I noticed a few things. Everyone carried some kind of weapon, whether wooden clubs, axes, or blades. Women did not walk about unaccompanied. The ones not with a man were the ones selling themselves. I was heading to my final destination when I looked down an alley only to see a woman bent over a barrel while a man rutted in her from behind.
'Animals, all.'
I shook my head and kept walking. Finding a proper blacksmith.
The store was small, a little more than a hole in the wall, and from the back, someone was hammering away.
A fat man with a brown balding head and brown eyes looked me up and down, starting from my head, settling on my chest, then at the dagger I held.
"Can you do some repairs and proper sharpening?" I asked.
The man shrugged and extended a hand, "Give it here, let me see."
He unsheathed and examined the blade. Then his eyes focused on me, a question in his eyes.
"How long have you had it?"
I shrugged, "A little over two years."
He raised an eyebrow. "You ain't as sweet as you look, hm, northerner."
"Pardon?"
"The blade is rusting from blood; you've not been cleaning it properly after use. The tip is chipped. Bone tends to do that to cheaper blades."
My neutral expression didn't change, though my voice became as cold as ice, "Is this a problem for you?"
He chuckled, "Quite a stare you have. But no, I sell weapons, I know what they're used for."
He sheathed the dagger and said, "I'll have to unwrap the leather, pull the tang, and do a bit of reforging. Rewrap the hilt."
"How much?"
"55 bits."
I pulled out a silver, "I want another sheath I can strap to my belt, as good or better quality." I demanded.
"I'll need four days and silver at least. Come back at the same time."
I turned to leave, but before I walked through the door, I stopped, caught his brown eyes, activated my animus, and said. "If I don't have that dagger back in four days, there will be severe consequences."
He believed me, I could tell. I left a moment later. Very few things I valued, but Sims dagger, I would not compromise.
The rest of the time was spent perusing one of the side streets, cheap eateries, a whore house or two, everything a society needs to function. A very rowdy tavern and a general store, I made a note to visit later. I was hungry and didn't trust any food other than from the Kingfisher.
~
It took four days before I found a suitable building. I stood outside what I thought was a small warehouse. What was most important was its size, location, and the large hearth near the rear of the building. Large enough for any project I would attempt. And close to a smelter, blacksmith, and carpenter. The same blacksmith I gave my dagger to, to be exact. Next was to lease or purchase the property. And I already knew where to go and who to speak to.
~
The thin, spindly man with a thick moustache and balding head laughed in my face. "Why should I give the property to a girl not a year past her first bleeding?"
It took two days, several bribes, with the assistance of Lily, and over an hour of waiting outside his office before I could see the man. "What does it matter so long as I pay?" I asked.
"It matters because you don't own the property; you lease it from the baroness. Even if you can pay the down payment, you don't have a proper business, so how do I justify it? And worst of all, you're barely a woman."
We had been arguing for over half an hour. And the man wasn't budging.
'Forget it, bribery it is.'
"How much?" I asked.
"We already discussed the payment." He said.
"I mean, how much to move this along. A dedicated man like yourself can’t just rent it to some girl; I respect that. So, I think I should demonstrate my commitment." I offered him my best smile.
He leaned back into his seat and steepled his fingers.
"You're not worth that price." He said.
I wasn't perturbed, "Cold coin is better than a woman's warmth, depending on the situation."
"20," he said after a minute of silence.
"Come now, it's empty, I'll have to buy furniture. 10"
"18, you’re not even from Harlock, so I'll have to lie about your origins."
"13, And I'm from Grenwood, and 20 summers old. I just look young."
"15, and you're also widowed and had a miscarriage, the money came from your husband. I can have a few documents made. Final offer."
It was ten to lease the property, and three silver a month was rent, but Grenwood was Grenwood. Everything comes at a price.
Not cheap, but so long as I had the proper documents, it didn't matter. For all the bribery, the documents he submitted were backed by imperial law. If either of us got caught lying, the punishment would be severe. Mutual destruction was an excellent way to keep trust between us.
"You drive a hard bargain, but I accept. You wouldn't happen to know anywhere I could buy furniture?" I asked, relaxing in my seat.
'Why didn't I just do that from the beginning?'
~
"So, how'd it go?" Lily asked.
"You were right, damn expensive," I said, taking a sip of a strong brandy.
She laughed, "Did you go for the warehouse or the eatery?"
"Warehouse, eatery was too run down."
She whistled, "How much did that cost?"
"You don't want to know."
She put on an expression of pity, "That bad, aye, well, next round is on the house."
She refilled the tankard, "What in the hell's you plannin' on doin' with a warehouse?"
I wasn't sure myself, I had enough coins to last years, but that was only if I limited my purchases to essentials.
"Store things?" I said, shrugging.
Lily looked at me like I was an idiot, "Sure, some people want things put away, but that ain't going to cover the payments."
Three silvers a month, ten months a year. Then, factoring in the cost of food, clothing, and every other necessity. Meaning, I could subsist on my stash of silver for at least 3 years. There was the gold coin I still had, but it was so ancient and ornate looking, I didn't want to sell it.
"I have time, for now. I just want to get settled in."
"I might know some people who need items stored for an extended time," Lily said, grinning slightly.
"I'm not marrying your son," I said flatly.
'She's only mentioned it half a dozen times.'
She shrugged, pretending to be innocent, "I haven’t mentioned it in days."
I stared at her, unconvinced by her words.
"Everyone needs someone, Sera." She said.
I didn't answer.
~
I walked into the blacksmith's expecting to see the large man, but I found a girl. There was a hint of resemblance. A daughter, possibly. She had strong arms; most likely, she was the one hammering away while I was talking to Niel.
"Neil in?" I asked as I approached the counter.
She looked me up and down, "He's in the middle o' work. What yah need?”
"Had an order for a dagger."
Her eyes widened, "Right, right, He's been puttin' on the finishin' touches. Should be done by now."
She nodded to the rear of the store, where I could hear pounding.
"Can I see?" I asked.
I've never actually seen a blacksmith work up close. It was never one of my interests.
The girl looked at the door, then shrugged, "Sure."
Following her to the rear of the store, we ended up in the smithing area of his backyard. Neil was hammering away at a glowing piece of metal he was holding with metal tongs. Then, after the glowing metal cooled, he placed it inside an odd-looking mound of clay attached to a double bellows, which he pumped with his arms to increase the fire.
'I can make something far better than that. Sturdy table with a clay top, a circle to heat metal. A fraction of the work with more even heating.'
"Pa, the dagger done?" The girl asked, interrupting his flow.
He looked up from his work. "Aye, Sera right here."
He went over to a chest and pulled out my dagger. It was decent work; the blade was sharp, without rust, and the hilt was clean and wrapped with fresh leather. Even the strap for my waist had been redone with chestnut brown leather. Most importantly, it was still the same knife. Attaching the dagger to my belt, I nodded. "Excellent work," I said, handing him the silver.
"My pleasure, do return if you need anything else." He said.
"I will, you count on that." I turned and left.
"Uhm, goodbye," the girl said. I spared her a wave as I walked out the door.
~
Opening the large double doors of my new home, I stepped inside. The walls were high, and the wooden floors creaked as I walked. Heavy keys hung at my waist. Near the rear was a room taking up a quarter of the building. In the center of the room, to the rear wall, was the hearth. It was as I expected, large, made of stone, and looked well-made. I could already tell it would be a very good energy furnace. The rest of the room, however, was empty. It had two shuttered windows, but other than that, not a single piece of furniture.
All that could be purchased, what mattered was the space.
I turned to the left, imagining where I would put my bed and bath. The best part was: I didn't need a proper kitchen; I could make everything.
I sat at the rear of the building, took out my quill and ink, opened an empty book, and started drawing. A simple stove. A bath, a bed, a large chest, an icebox. Then I moved on to creating magical formulas that would power everything.
"This isn't going to be cheap,” I mumbled as I finished drawing an actual energy furnace, copying the design for Darion's dish. It couldn't be made normally; it had to be done using magic.
Slowly, meticulously, I drew out a floor plan, plotting where every piece of furniture and magical tool would go. When I finished, I stared at the black feather of my quill.
'What should I do Next, Emyr?'