Chương 5: A Real Job

Network, network, network. I've mentioned it before, and I'll mention it again. Some of the best opportunities I've had in life are straight from my connections. —The Artificer's Guide to Small Business I must have spent more time than I realized on the repair, because the meeting was well under way when I arrived. Ernie spared an annoyed glance in my direction when I joined the small crowd that had settled around him.

"I have made some progress today already in that regard, Beatrice. Those directly under the duke have not been willing to discuss things with me personally yet. Does anyone else have any questions or new information?" He looked among us before pointing to someone near the front.

"Our children need real food! We might be able to eat this for a couple weeks, but the kids…" The man trailed off, letting the weight of the statement fall on Ernie. I didn't envy him. He seemed to be handling things well, however.

"Of course. Food and blankets for the youngest are our top priority once we get some income flowing." He stopped and just looked at the group for several moments before continuing.

"Look, folks. We were a community before we arrived in this place. We're still a community. More than a community. I don't know if the rest of the world made it here; I can't answer that. But I know that we have each other. Please, if you come into coin, give it to either myself or Joann, and we will add it to the village funds to prioritize our needs." I took the opportunity to make my way to the front and hand in one of my two silver coins.

People needed to see someone give; the temptation to hoard was too much right now. I think Ernie recognized my intent, as he nodded appreciatively and pointedly looked at the gathered audience. Several people came forward, surrendering their money. I would have given more, but I needed some money if I was going to be able to afford the material to continue working.

The meeting ended shortly after, and Joann, apparently now with the Seamstress class, left to purchase discounted scraps to make into some much-needed blankets. Ernie gathered several others, and I was pulled along to one of the houses for a more intimate meeting. Danny, Gene, Tabitha, and two others that I didn't recognize were in attendance.

"Thank you all for coming. And for being on time." He gave me a soft smile and set a small tin on the table between us.

"I didn't want to alarm the others. I figured you all have a good head on your shoulders and have the self-awareness to be tactful. We're currently standing at two silver and thirty-eight copper coins. That's after what Joann took into town." He gave a heavy sigh.

"It's enough to at least feed the children and get a few much-needed items, but it isn't enough to sustain us. Not even close. I have met a few good people, but they are few and far between. We face much more than just a bit of distrust." He frowned.

"From what I've gathered, the last time a world integrated it didn't go very well. The economy wasn't as equipped to deal with a large influx of refugees as it is today. Not that they are doing anything for us here. I'm not sure if we're an outlier, or if we've been spread out by design. I found some references in a search at the city library, but didn't have the time to dig in too deeply." I figured it was a good time to share my experience as well.

"That matches what I've seen. The majority of interactions I've had were pretty hostile. It's almost like the guilds have been instructed to not work with us." I described my experience with the leather shop and the man's comments about the guild not allowing us to work. I brought up my new contacts and the potential new work that might come my way.

"That's good to hear. I want you to keep following up on that. Gene, you mentioned hunting?"

"There's a crick to the north," he drawled.

"I saw some smaller fish. Not much meat on 'em, but I figure I could follow it to where it lets out at the river, since we aren't allowed access to fish at the docks. Some smaller critters near the woods could be good practice for Nibbles, could even catch a hare."

"Exactly what I like to hear!" The conversation continued for several minutes. Once everyone had their say, Ernie clapped, signaling the end of the meeting.

"Let's meet up in a couple days and reassess."

If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it. The following week followed much of the same pattern. I woke up, chatted with a groggy Darby, got breakfast, and headed deeper in the city to look for work. Each day, I found some amount of success, some more than others. My name began to circulate, and my work spoke for itself. Much of it was mending things, a boot here, a jerkin there.

I became known for my low prices, repairing things that the guilds wouldn't bother with. They'd much rather sell a new item than repair something cheaply. I was paid partly in copper, but accepted materials as payment, and slowly began to accumulate a small collection of items. I took everything. Old boots, the odd shirt, my best find was a harness that had been sitting for years after the owner's mare had died. I salvaged my haul each night, resulting in three additional levels in [Salvage].

[Inspect] leveled once, as well as a single level in [Craftsman]. I was up to four silver and 12 copper coins. It wasn't until the last few days that we became aware of just how bad things were in the city. Happy people were chatty, and after my repairs I would hear stories about the duke's corruption and the reach of the guilds. The central areas of the city weren't off limits, but price gouging at every turn was an effective deterrent.

August, I learned, was ostracized from the Smith's Association after refusing to engage in price fixing. Living more on the outer districts of the city, his clientele couldn't afford the set prices the Association required of its members. After his removal, he was effectively shut off from suppliers and taxation protections provided to members. He was a blessed font of knowledge. Both he and Wilhelmina were always more than happy to share what information they could.

It was through them that I came into my first real project. A local fishmonger was looking for a new apron. He had placed an order with one of the leather shops, but was given a wait period of 'No less than four weeks' until they could even begin work. He'd expressed his frustrations to August, who quickly referred the man to me. The first step had been to size him for the apron. He was of a medium build, not tall or wide, which would reduce the amount of material I'd need.

I was on a shoestring budget, so that was helpful. I really wanted to do something unique, and in my questioning I found that he suffered from neck pains. He spent his day hunched over a table cutting and cleaning fish. Between the apron and the tools in the pockets, it pulled at his neck, resulting in a real problem. I was no doctor, but I could fix the cause. With measurements complete, I set off to shop for the supplies. Wilhelmina suggested a small shop just inside the middle district of the city.

They catered to the main population, but she insisted they had a good reputation and would be fair to me. Right where she said it would be was a quaint little general store. It was painted green, with brown accents. It reminded me more of a little bookstore from the outside. My options for leather were nearly nonexistent, and I was relieved to hear that they did have a small selection of hides. I opened the door and was met with an eclectic but cozy spread of merchandise.

There wasn't a single inch of the small room's walls that wasn't covered in something for sale. Two large tables filled the center of the room, stacked with various goods.

"Can I help you, dear?" The woman behind the counter wore a green laced dress over a white blouse. She peered over a pair of copper-wired glasses that matched her braided fiery red hair.

"Good afternoon! Wilhelmina told me about your shop. She said you knew her?" She brightened at the name and put down the needle and fabric she'd been mending.

"Oh! I LOVE Wilhelmina! Any friend of hers is a friend of mine! Names Wendy, Wendy Burgess what's yours?" She awkwardly stuck out her hand from across the room, waiting for me to shake it.

"Logan, nice to meet you." I moved through the clutter to shake her still-offered hand.

"I was told you had some leather hides here...?"

"Oh yes. I'm afraid it isn't the quality you might find at a more specialized shop, but…" I assured her it was no problem and sifted through the stack she indicated. [Inspect] gave me an idea of the quality of each, and I found one particularly suited for my use. > Bovine Leather Hide > Hide from a cow. > Quality: Common > Grade: Low > Value: 2s I pulled it from the stack, careful not to knock over the adjacent items. It was about 5oz leather, or approximately two millimeters thick.

It would be a suitable compromise between strength and comfort for the wearer. Normally I'd go for something a little thinner, but placing knives in the pockets would wear the material away over time, and I wanted something a bit more durable.

"I need a spool of some strong thread. And some beeswax if you have any?" I had planned alternatives, but wasn't sure if bees were even a thing here. My concern was proven to be unsubstantiated.

"Sure do! The lot will be three silver and fifteen copper!" She placed the requested items on the counter and looked at me expectantly.

"Oh, Right." I fished out my small handful of coins and gave her the lot.

"Sorry, I don't have more change than that."

"No problem! We always carry a lot of the smaller coinage. Most items, as you can see, are much less than a silver." She handed me a full silver back, rather than counting out over ninety copper coins, and smiled.

"And I don't mind rounding up for a nice customer! Thanks for your patronage, and tell Wilhelmina I said hello!"

"I will, and I'll be sure to spread the word. Great shop you have set up!" I waved on my way out and hurried home, excited to begin my first real project.