§097 Meetings (Patreon)

Cecilia did not happen to cross his path on Academy grounds, which was disappointing, but Rahel gave him a lot to think about. Spirits talked to each other, and Rahel had learned about the purification of Mount Uroda and its great spirit through them. Even if she hadn't, Taylor's title of Dux Twilight was in the open thanks to Silvain. Rahel wouldn't say where she learned about the existence of a divine envoy, but once she had, the connection to Taylor was easy to see.

Suddenly, having portal trees all over the empire felt as much a liability as an asset. A magician versed well enough in spatial magic might find a way into the Other Place if they understood the significance of the trees. If he was going to use it as a refuge or a waystation, Taylor had to start thinking about security.

That problem was compounded by another: his logistical needs. He couldn't move all the necessary goods and materials by himself, and few spirits could get from Twilight to Aarden on their own. The further he got into his planning, the more he realized he needed mortal help.

When Taylor caught up with them, Blake and Kasper were all smiles, bent over a rough map of the lake, with areas marked for different kinds of fish, depths, times of day, and types of bait. 

"Did you remember to be nice to your librarian?"

"He did very well, Young Master."

"She looked mean, but she led us right to the good stuff," grinned Kasper. "And I remembered to thank her, too: Thank you ever so much, Miss Kray. You have saved us from hours of fruitless searching." The last part sounded very un-Kasper-like, more a legate's son than a wolfkin foundling. And it was so adorable that even the laconic Blake looked ready to gush praises.

"Did Ophelia teach you that?"

"Yes. I thought it was dumb, but it made Miss Kray really happy, so I guess it's not so bad. And look!" He pointed at a spot on his map of the lake. "There's pike here. They come up to shallow water right before nightfall. It's not too far. We can make it in time if we leave now!"

"Well then, why are we still here? Let's have pike for dinner!"

The next morning's post contained a surprise: an invitation for tea with Lindastra and Prudence, at a restaurant that catered to merchants. Cecilia wouldn't be there because she was on a field trip for her Monster Ecology course. Kasper and Blake were invited, but Blake declined to attend a social function that required extended conversation. Instead, he went shopping for presents for Cook and Chambers.

Kasper introduced himself with the same Ophelia-imparted graces he used on the librarian, to great effect.

Princess Lindanstra sparkled. "What a dashing young man!"

Prudence glowered. "Augh! He's adorable."

"Sit next to me, Kasper, and help me with my Arcaic."

Kasper grinned at Taylor in victory and took the offered seat next to Lindastra, while Taylor took the chair near Prudence.

"Cecilia's on a short field expedition. The chance to join it came up suddenly, which is why you didn't hear about it. You only missed her by a day." Prudence had never been pleasant to Taylor, but she seemed less unpleasant than last time. It was progress.

"How is she doing?"

"Good. She loves monsters a little too much, if you ask me. Is it true you turned your father into a slave?"

"That's a hard conversational turn."

Prudence spun her teacup in one hand and ignored the tiny sandwiches. She watched the tablecloth, avoiding his gaze.

"He disowned me, so I can't call him my father."

"You know what I mean."

"A former IEF colonel recruited a team of combat veterans, crossed provincial borders, and attempted to kill me. That's who I turned over to the Justicars, not a father. The court system judged him, and I can't say I'm disappointed in their decision."

"Fair point. It just … Cecilia's happier than she's ever been, while her father rots in a mine somewhere. I want to feel happy for her, but the situation feels wrong."

"It feels wrong because it is wrong. Otis is wrong. He beat his wife, treated his daughter like an object, and tried to kill me. Twice. He used Commander powers to push his allies into committing crimes, including murder. There is literally no one alive who misses him.

"Speaking of family, how are the Vawdreys?"

"A lot better than Otis," she said wryly. "Most of them are at the wall right now. Things have gotten better since the new purification circles. At least they're not fighting on the edge of corruption anymore. Did you know they're taking volunteers at the wall? I'm a little surprised you're not there, mister monster hunter."

"If the empire wants my help, they know how to reach me."

"Right," she scoffed, "because you're such a strategic asset they keep track of you."

Kasper, who had been listening in, literally bristled: The fur on the back of his neck stood on end. "He's Dux Twilight, you know! The great spirit general!"

"Kasper …," Taylor groaned.

"What? You said it wasn't a secret anymore, because Silvain spilled it in Cazenac. The princess was just talking about it."

"But it isn't general knowledge yet, so you shouldn't go shouting it in restaurants. Even if you're upset that someone doesn't know."

Kasper didn't look the least bit sorry.

"Four is hardly an army," retorted Prudence. She had only seen him summon the Army of Lightness. She apparently didn't know about his two other armies.

"It's not," admitted Taylor, putting a soothing hand on Kasper's shoulder. "Anyway, I've been closing vents in the interior, and the empire knows all about it. I came here to offload the monster materials."

"How much does it cost you to store them?" asked Prudence. "It might be smarter to hold on to your stock because the market is full. Auctions for anything found at the Wall are at half of last year's prices."

"Dwergbank said the same thing. I'll send you a list. You can tell me if you want to handle any of it."

"Actually, I can't. I took an apprenticeship with Donbrook and Pearl, so I have to give them first refusal on everything that comes my way." She passed a card over the table. "But I can pass it on to them and find out if they're interested."

Prudence

"Where did this list come from?" Mr. Donbrook didn't seem to believe it. After excluding materials that couldn't be sold profitably in the current market, it was still a considerable list. 

Mr. Pearl, as a human, could easily read over his shorter partner's shoulder. "Is it a new hunting guild?"

"Not a guild, just one hunter. His name is Taylor, and he's my best friend's brother. He spends months hunting monsters, and then comes to Celosia to unload. He said he can hold the common items for years if he needs to, but he'd like to sell off the more unusual materials right away if possible."

"What's he like," asked Mr. Pearl, "personality-wise?"

"Annoyingly talented. Unconventional. Secretive. Weird. Dramatic. He walks around in a mask all the time. Not even Cici has seen his face. Remember when Nivermere got summoned last year? That was him." She almost told them he was the creator of the Dark Lord Diskourses, but remembered she promised to keep that a secret. "Oh, and I once saw him nearly assault the elven ambassador's guards. Then, they apologized to him. Nothing around him ever makes any sense."

Messrs. Donbrook and Pearl looked at each other in surprise. Donbrook produced a silencing device from his drawer and turned it on, sealing the room from most types of eavesdropping. "You know the Dux Twilight personally, and you're only telling us this now?"

Hearing the title from Kasper was one thing, but hearing it from her bosses was another. Maybe Taylor wasn't unreasonable to warn the wolf boy not to blab about it so loudly. If Donbrook and Pearl considered him interesting, then maybe she should pay attention.

"I didn't know about the title until today. I honestly didn't think he would want to use me again, but apparently I was wrong."

"Why would he not want to do business with his sister's friend? Did you make a mistake?"

"No, sir! I even got quest rewards for the job. But I haven't exactly been friendly. He's Cici's annoying little brother. We can't do the same things when he's around."

"Do you recall the deal you made with him before? The terms?"

"I found a private buyer for a large cori-cori. No bundles, no discounts, no self-dealing. He seemed to care more about that than he did the sale price."

"His letter says he'll only work with us if you are involved in any deals. Do you know what that's about?"

"Maybe he thinks I'll treat him fairly because of Cecilia. Like I said, I'm not even nice to him."

The two men traded a meaningful look. By unspoken agreement, Donbrook explained. "Your sister's annoying little brother can hunt this many monsters because he can summon a hundred spirits at a time while using third-tier magic. He is known to be friendly with at least two great spirits. According to our information, the Dimmik and Elven ambassadors have taken an interest in him. It seems the church is aware of him, too, but we don't know why."

"So, you're saying I blundered into an amazing opportunity, and didn't notice because I can barely stand him."

"Oh, I'm afraid it's much worse than that," added Mr. Pearl, suppressing laughter. "For whatever reason, it appears he is cultivating you as a long-term asset. That is the most likely explanation for the terms in this letter."

"But don't stop the antagonism on our account," Donbrook said wryly. "It appears to be working. But when it comes to our dealings with him, we should be most scrupulous."

"You're … taking him on as a client?" Prudence couldn't believe what they were telling her: that the office was actually going to work with him. Worse yet, she'd be obliged to be involved with every deal.

Mr. Donnbrook nodded emphatically. "Oh yes! Pending the usual research, of course."

"Most definitely!" echoed Mr. Pearl. "And if we're very lucky, he'll take as great an interest in this firm as he does in you."

Three days later, they had the first meeting in the company offices, where Prudence had to make introductions in her beginning Arcaic. Taylor showed up in his Battlesage's robes and mask, attended by his favored companion, Saria. The firm was represented by the two principals, Prudence, and various experts on warehousing and trade, whose presence was, to be honest, not useful. They were in the room to fill up space and demonstrate the firm's enthusiasm for his business.

"May I present Messrs. Donbrook and Pearl. Gentlemen, this is Taylor, sometimes known as Dux Twilight." Having to say the words to his grandiose title nearly made her ill.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you," Donbrook said for both of them, and Prudence didn't fail to catch the tones. The first lesson of Arcaic was to listen closely, because tone carried so much of the meaning. Donbrook said, "great pleasure," but what he meant was closer to either "honored" or "humbled", she wasn't sure which. She had never heard him use that with any of their other clients. Granted, her Arcaic was poor and she hadn't worked for Donbrook & Pearl for long, but that was not normal. The three of them chatted for a while, too fast for Prudence's Arcaic, before Taylor brought them around to business.

"Can we continue in Orlut, gentlemen? Since the contracts are in Orlut, it will help avoid misunderstandings. And you've made your point with all the attendees. Feel free to send them back to their real jobs."

Several people chuckled, and the room cleared. When it came to business, Taylor acted lighthearted, but he had read every word of the contracts. He asked for clarifications to be added to the contract, but didn't try to insert any unreasonable clauses at the last minute, and D&P paid him the same courtesy. Some clients couldn't feel like they were being treated fairly unless they could brag later about how they avoided rough handling by their firm, and so argued over every detail. Taylor was the other kind of client: he wanted a fair contract with minimal hassle, and he wanted everyone's interests properly aligned. If he had all of that, then he knew he didn't worry very much about prices.

The deal closed in under an hour, an enormous pile of monster materials got inventoried and transferred to Donbrook and Pearl's warehouse, including a few so rare that the principals had to look them up. Finally, Prudence was told to see him to the firm's doors.

"I can't believe you roped me into this!" she whispered her frustration at Cici's little brother. "What are you planning?"

"I'm planning on hunting a lot more monsters, now that I have bag space."

"That's not what I mean!" She stopped at the door and faced him. "Why are you here, instead of somewhere else?"

"Oh. That. It's simple. I plan to have a long relationship with my sister, but if she ever has to choose between us, I could end up on the losing side. So, I'm making sure she never has to make that choice."

"That's it?" she hissed at the annoying mask. "That's your nefarious plan?"

"My apologies, Miss Vawdrey, but I seem to have left all my malice at home. Maybe next time." With a swish and a swirl of his robes, he danced into the sky and sped away, ignoring the streets below him.