The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

Wheat Valley's name proved to be apt, owing to the vast golden fields that led toward the outer wall. Coin had seen it from afar well in advance, but it seemed all the more massive when their carriage was rumbling between the fields. From where he sat, Coin could see farmhouses dotted among the expanses of grain, being tended by wandering farmers.

Groups of armed men also patrolled along the outer paths. The guards travelled in pairs, about as well armed as the bandits from the other night had been. While every guard carried a pike, Coin noted that only a few of them had horns on their belts.

They were, to be entirely blunt, far from intimidating as far as soldiers went. Being a pack of lanky and gangly lads who only barely fit their surcoats, if a monster were to attack the fields, and the soldiers on the wall could not rally in time, their only hope was that they could best a monster by making it die from laughter.

"Well, thank goodness," Illyana said, leaning forward in her seat. "Can't wait to turn these weapons in and get paid. And then grab myself some well-earned beer."

"I should hope you get what you deserve. I'm told the Guild doesn't give out great payment these days," said Elijah.

"It's enough to get by," Illyana said, shrugging. "But I was thinking of heading northward. See if I can't join one of those larger dungeon expeditions. Gotta raise my rank somehow, after all."

"Doesn't sound very safe. Or stable," said Coin. Adventurers, from his experience, tended to be reckless and greedy. More often than not this resulted in them getting skewered by goblin traps, crushed by falling debris, or munched by Coin's own jaws. Illyana was one of the rare exceptions. And he couldn't quite fathom why someone would willingly trudge into a dark and dangerous ruin with so little money to be made at the end of it.

But Illyana simply laughed. "If I wanted a safe life, I would have stayed with my family."

"That said," Elijah said, not lifting his eyes from the road, "it is a bit rare to see elves in the Adventurer's Guild. Not that they aren't allowed, of course, it's just... most elves don't seem like they'd want to join."

"I'm not most elves."

Coin gave her a curious look. "Well, why wouldn't others join?"

The blonde sighed, briefly closing her eyes. "Damn foolish pride, I suppose. There are plenty of my kin who are still clinging to the ancient past, trying to avoid joining human organisations as much as possible. The days of our races being separate are long gone, but plenty of elves still want to pretend that isn't the case."

"Well, thank goodness you're an open minded lass," said Elijah.

"Guess I wasn't given much of a choice in the matter." The blonde chose not to elaborate any further.

Dancer's scuttling legs slowed their pace as they reached the outer gate. An assortment of guards were standing at a checkpoint, watching Elijah beneath the sloping visors of their helmets. Elijah smiled at them in turn.

"Ahoy there lads!" the old man called. "Wonderful day, eh?"

One of the guards looked beyond the wagon, toward the setting sun painting an orange haze on the horizon. "We've had worse days," he eventually replied. "Go on through."

The group halted only briefly to lodge Dancer at one of Wheat Valley's stables. Coin noticed a few other mushiens in the other stalls, but horses and donkeys made up the majority of the lodgers. Illyana took her wagon back, pulling it along behind her like a rickshaw.

"Seems we're parting ways for now," Illyana said as they passed through the gate. "I'll wish you two luck going forward. And, ideally, you'll stay safe. If the spirits will it, we'll meet again."

Coin nodded. He was, admittedly, a touch sad to be parting from the elf. The first 'friendly' face he had ever known. "Take care of yourself, then. And here's hoping you get the money you deserve for your work."

Elijah led the way deeper into the town, and Coin soon found himself breathless as he took in the scale of everything. Buildings loomed over him, throngs of people being pumped through the interlocking streets like blood through a series of veins.

The most people he had ever seen in place before had been whenever he spied a large group of goblins prowling the temple. And those numbers paled in comparison to the abundance of humans and halflings milling about the cobblestone streets of Wheat Valley.

They emerged into the central street, lined on either side by food stalls. The scent of frying oil and spices filled Coin's nose, briefly making him halt in place. His mouth salivated, roaming along the stalls. Then halting at the strange little card affixed to the front of one of them, with little illustrations of things like stew, skewered meat, and bread rolls stuffed with slices of spiced meat. The card outlined the price for each item, the number of ducats written in a tight scrawl by each illustration.

"Spend... money?" Coin murmured under his breath once the concept clicked in his head. He supposed it made sense, he couldn't imagine these people making things and then giving them out for free, but the idea of giving up some of his money made his chest tighten.

"Ah, don't go buying any of that my lad. It's overpriced junk," Elijah muttered, moving past the mimic. "We can get food at the guild hall. In fact, if my hunch is correct, they probably have fried chicken available today!"

If it was anything like the grilled bird from the other night, Coin was more than willing to try it.

As they went along, and Coin cast his widened eyes all about, he couldn't help but feel drawn to one building near the middle of the town that seemed to loom over all others. A great white brick structure, with four towers protruding from the corners.

"Gaudy, isn't it?" Elijah asked without looking his way. "I've never been much of a religious sort, you know, but I believe people should be free to worship as they please. That all said, well, I've oft questioned why every deity seems to need a massive, opulent temple. If I was a god, I'd hardly care where my worshippers congregate. And I certainly wouldn't want my priests spreading my word to the destitute while wearing ridiculous jewels and headpieces."

Coin grunted. "Whole thing sounds strange to me, if I'm honest." If gods existed, were they always watching? How could one being watch everybody at once? And if they were so powerful, why would they care about what lowly mortals did? The more Coin thought about it, the stranger it all seemed to him. Maybe you had to be human to get it.

The mimics, as a whole, had no grasp of religion, in much the same way cats and dogs had no concept of it. Time spent praying was time spent not eating or sleeping. But if he was living as a human, would he need to pretend to worship a god? He supposed it was another thing to look into.

Elijah grinned at him, furrowing the deep wrinkles of his face. "Ha. I like you, lad. Seems you and I share a common strand of thinking."

Coin smiled, a strange sensation rising in his chest. Mimics were solitary by their very nature. They left their parents soon after being born, even the concept of family being an alien thought to them. After all, food was a scarce resource in their environment. Something they would always be competing over. And an inconspicuous treasure chest seemed much less inconspicuous if there was a second identical treasure chest only a few paces away.

Now though he was encountering people who were kind to him. And as strange as it was, initially, he found he quite liked the kindness. Money was better, of course, but it was pleasant. Better than having people sticking spears in him.

The lodge of the Mercantile Guild was near the heart of the main street. A looming red brick structure, with two flags bordering the doors. They depicted a pale blue field, upon which sat a neat pile of gold, a compass, and an unfurled map. A great circular stained glass window dominated the second floor, looming cover the archway. Looking at it from afar, Coin could see a compass patterned into the glass.

"And here we are!" Elijah said, beaming. "A fine spot. Building is nearly half a century old by now. Other guild halls may be bigger, but few are as comfortable or refined as the one before us."

Coin nodded, following silently after the old man. The great red doors creaked open, Elijah huffing and puffing from the exertion as he opened them. But he declined Coin's help, with all the pride of an old man who would take a broken back before admitting he needed a hand.

The white marble floor of the foyer quickly caught Coin's eye, the edges aglow from the burning braziers positioned about the chamber. He could see a few other merchants milling about, some engaged in very heated debates with each other. The words 'investments', 'funds', 'profits', and 'economics' were thrown about passionately, and garnered either reactions of delight or horror from whoever heard them. A bad deal, or failed investment, was like news of a gruesome murder to the merchants.

Coin considered himself good at listening into human conversations. Hours spent eavesdropping from the darkness, listening in on the chatter of adventurers. And while that had given him a large vocabulary when he was evolved, those adventurers seemed to be speaking an entirely different language when compared to the fast pace and lofty words used by the merchants.

Elijah seemed much less impressed, sporting a sarcastic smile as he examined the group. "Didn't realise it was amateur hour. Word to the wise, my lad," he raised a wrinkled hand and motioned toward two of the men on a nearby bench. "Never take advice from them. They may dress sharply, but it's all artifice. When it comes to their investments? Awful business sense."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Cutting corners on their supplies, making deals with unscrupulous criminals as opposed to reputable criminals, trying to hawk shoddy wares. Shameful stuff." Elijah turned, looking him in the eye. "Stick with me, listen to my advice, and we'll do things the right way. Precisely, ethically, and profitably." Coin didn't quite know what those words meant, but they sure sounded important.

Coin glanced from Elijah to the other merchants. Well, he had no reason to doubt Elijah's insights when it came to such matters. And the old man clearly had wealth, after all, and that was enough for Coin to fixate on.

"Sounds doable. But I'll admit, I don't know where to even get started," said Coin.

Elijah nodded firmly. "A man's word is his bond, my lad. I'll take you under my wing, guide you deeper and deeper into the Mercantile Guild's way of life. But I need to know you'll follow my guidance." He held a hand out to shake. "Swear to it."

This time Coin had a better grasp of a handshake, gripping his hand firmly. "I swear."

Elijah's face brightened. "Good lad. Come on, let's go and get you registered."