152: Deal

Deal

"What're you looking at? Sod off, or the whip's gonna come at ya'! It's been hungry for an age, so it would looooove to drink up all your blood! Haha!"1

Although a grin that didn't teach his eyes was on his face, Daneel winced inwardly as the whip that he held in his hands cracked in the air, drawing the attention of all those around him as it missed one of the passersby who had been staring at them by just an inch.

He threw himself back as if it had touched his skin, and his face went pale, all the blood leaching out of it when he realozed how close he had come to losing an ample portion of his flesh.

The whip had barbed spikes all along it, meant to hook into a person's body and draw out as much of them as possible. The thief had insisted that it was one of the classic weapons carried by one who belonged to the Ushanbos, and as he looked all around, he had to grudgingly admit that it was doing its job.

At least four out of the ten people that he saw were muttering that name under their breath, watching those around them and shuffling away, not daring to shoot even a look in his direction. Tossing his hair that had been braided, he swished the ceremonial green Ushanbo cloak that had been embroidered with silver leaves and turned to the guard at the teleportation matrix before barking, "We're here to trade. Don't stop the slaves, or the same fate will come for ya'. Understand?"

The guard nodded hastily. With a pretentious sniff, Daneel stormed off in the direction of the town sitting on the south-west island of Marillein, not even caring once to turn around and see whether all the riches he was bringing along with him were following without an issue.

His companions followed him, dogging his heels, always staying a step behind. The hierarchy of those in the family was very clear: in every contingent, there was a leader in whose steps the others followed, and the latter were always meant to stay a step behind to metaphorically demonstrate this rule.

Soon, they were checking into the best inn in the town. Daneel's eyes had watered at the prices that were quoted to him, but he didn't haggle as it would have given them away. It was at least twelve times as costly as the room they had been in the last time they were here, and the reason was apparently that as this town saw a lot of traffic from the southern part of the islands where the Ushanbos resided, everything was priced higher as it was known that they threw money around as if it was nothing.

Daneel allowed the scowl that had been building inside him to spread across his face as they entered the luxuriously furnished suite given to them. They had actually taken three rooms, which meant that he was easily paying forty times what they had spent in their previous visit, and the only reason that his companions were with him was that they had made a show of discussing the specifics of the trade they had come for between themselves before heading to the center of the islands where the beggar king awaited their honorable presence.

Alex chuckled as he saw Daneel's face. Even the elf cracked a small smile, and a moment later, after looking to his left and right and making sure that no one was listening in using a spell that Daneel didn't pay any attention to, he waved his hand and the false faces they had been using until then fell away.

Outside, he could hear the sounds of someone stumbling through the large passageway. Sometimes, loud thuds that indicated that something heavy was being dropped on the floor were also heard, and this let the three of them know that the slaves were almost done setting down the burden they had been charged to carry in the two other rooms they had taken.

The good thing was that Ushanbos treated their servants fairly, even if they were prone to using the whip whenever they were displeased. This meant that he had been able to book good rooms for the eight strong slaves who had been chosen to carry the four bulging chests filled with crystals, and he had also ordered the innkeeper to feast them as if they were Kings.

The journey had been quite uneventful, with Mors constantly casting spells so that they wouldn't be tracked. It was highly important that no one should know where they were coming from, as they were masquerading as people from a very distant part of the islands that was leagues away from Larefa.

Alex hadn't had too much to say about the family, except that it was well-known even with a history that was murky, to say the least. Apparently, it had started out on a single island before spreading to four, or forty, depending on which stories one believed. The family on the Mainland had been amused to see that this family had conquered others just like the Mainlanders had done ages ago, and because there were no issues with the yield of crystals in all of these islands, they had not stepped in. Slowly, with time, the Ushambos had built almost a veritable empire, always taking care to stay away from the wrath of the Garbonor family, sometimes even going so far as to give them gaudy gifts so that they would be allowed to spread their influence. They knew the truth: despite their strength that might seem great on the surface, they could be crushed in a single stroke if those who possessed true power on the Mainland stepped in, and even though their arrogance knew no bounds when dealing with anyone but those from the Mainland, they were always ready to grovel if needed.

No one in their right mind would dare to question them even a tiny bit, so it was the perfect identity for them to use. Now, all that remained was to buy what Daneel needed from the beggar king using all the crystals they had brought from Larefa…but on the way, every time he had glanced at the chests, he had been quite unhappy as he kept being reminded that they would all disappear soon.

They had gone through a considerable number of difficulties to obtain this treasure. Of course, much of what he had had to face was due to the old man who hadn't even spoken since then to tell him about what the prophecy meant, and although he had been really tempted to force an answer out, it had never been an option given how frail the elder looked. He would be in Graiton later on, anyway, available for a long questioning session which Daneel hoped would be fruitful, so for the moment, he had let the matter go.

The main reason behind his displeasure was that he knew the number of crystals that were expected from Graiton every month. If he wanted to change the town in any meaningful way, he needed more time…and for this to happen, he wanted to retain some of the crystals.

'But how can this be possible? Depending on the estimates that Alex gave me, we will barely be able to afford those huge communication crystals that I need to draw upon the power I left behind and the machine that can break through the foundation of an island and pick crystals on the way...so what should I do? I'm gonna have to pay. If only there was a way to...that's it!'

All of his frustration that had materialized due to how much they were spending to put up appearances had crystallized into a single perfect idea. Shooting to his feet, Daneel declared it with a smug smile, and the heart of a scammer who had found another fix for this habit that he might never be able to leave behind.

"Screw the Garbonors, and the Ushanbos! If we pay, all the crystals will go to the family! The Ushanbos are all known slavemasters, anyway...so let's use their identity to scam the Garbonors! Fight poison with poison! Haha! It's brilliant!"

pqdm.com