The Sparkling City

Hephaestus Brazen Dribble's eyes hurt. Being a underground Hobblin, he was still adjusting to sunlight, and the fact the first surface city he had decided to take up residence in was nicknamed "The Sparkling City" for all the glass, metal, and gems embedded in the architecture didn't help. But profit was to be had on the surface, and he wasn't about to waste his whole life making trade deals with other Hobblins and investing in mines. He already had a small fortune, but he was a Dribble, and no Dribble would ever be fine with any fortune short of "continental". So here, on the surface, he could forge the greatest trade network of Bael, spanning to every city.
But that was tomorrow. Today, he needed to make the first steps. And the surface could be a dangerous place, especially for a wealthy Hobblin without any combat training. So his first investment would be in protection.
A Rova contact of his whom he had bought a significant amount of mining technology from told him about an Azaari mercenary he had hired on several occasions to protect his caravans from bandit raids, and he was incredibly skilled. No anima, but Hephaestus didn't feel that was too necessary. An Azaari fighter was always a potent deterrent he felt, why ask for more? Especially when he had the high recommendations of a close colleague. He had a description of him, and he knew he would most likely be in one of the taverns around town. So, with this information, a good amount of coin, and a small salve of hollow man's honey, he set out to find Danar Lothric.

The Sparkling City was one that Danar always enjoyed, though he was never quick to admit it. As an Azaari, he was more content in battle and risking his life than admiring architecture and such physical objects. However, his time away from his homeland had often given him an appreciation for new things. He still yearned to return home, but at least he had found a good place to settle and find work while he worked on reclaiming what he had lost. Donar was between jobs now, having just finished a civil dispute between two merchants, and being paid rather handsomely for it. He was now celebrating in typical Azaari fashion, drinking and speaking of his victories to whoever wished to listen.

"And so, this second guy decided that since my boss had taken his product to market before he did, that he needed to be dealt with. Hired a bunch of thugs to jump him and beat him in to submission. Didn't think he'd have to hire anyone of skill to fight a fat man like my boss" Danar explained to the three other people sitting at the tavern with him. "Luckily, he had hired me the day before. They thought that they could win in a five on one fight...those guys were on the ground faster than even I expected. No combat experience whatsoever. After I killed the first four, I kept the last one alive to get information about who hired them. Soon as they told me what was going on, I marched on the man's estate. Fought off all of his better trained personal guard, and dragged him out in to the street where I made him swear an oath in front of everyone that he would drop this matter. The man was so humiliated that he skipped town the next day after emptying his estate of all his coin"

The patrons laughed and asked various questions, leaving Danar to explain and elaborate on other past conquests. Danar was always good for a story due to all of his experience and his rather unique job. After answering a question, he excused himself to head up and go buy a proper meal from the tavern's services.

It didn't take too long for Hephaestus to find Danar when he found the right tavern. The man was boasting of his previous exploits, and while Hephaestus always took stories like these with a grain of salt, even unexaggerated versions of them were impressive. He sat patiently at the bar, sipping from a mug of mead that was comically oversized in his hands, waiting for an opportunity to approach him. Thankfully, the moment came rather quickly. Danar approached the bar himself and began ordering some food. When he finished, Hephaestus tossed some gold on the bar, nearly double the price the food Danar ordered. "His food's on me, ma'am. If it's piping hot and out in a Hobblin minute, you can keep the change for a tip." He told the bar maid. She nodded, scooped up the coins, and hurried to the kitchen to place the order. He flashed a charismatic grin to Danar and extended a small, rough hand to shake. "Hephaestus Dribble. Merchant, investor, entrepreneur. And you, if I'm not mistaken, are Danar Lothric, yes?"

Danar turned his head slightly in the direction of the thrown coins, only to find a Hobblin waiting for him on the other end. A Hobblin in The Sparkling City? It wasn't that common of a sight to see, Hobblin's usually preferred more low-key locations. Still though, Danar never said no to a free meal.The Hobblin had paid for his meal, so the least Danar could do was give him some of his time. "You would be correct Hephaestus Dribble, I am Danar Lothric" he said as he took a seat and looked directly at the Hobblin. "I suspect that you want to hire me for something? No one ever comes looking for me for any other reason"

Hephaestus let out a light hearted laugh. "Quite perceptive. Yes, indeed, I wish to hire you. A Rovasi friend of mine has had you protect caravans of his in the past, and he highly recommended you." He took a swig of his mead. "Now, the job I'm offering will be a little more than a single escort, but I assure you it will pay significantly more. You see, I'm fairly new to the surface, and I need some reliable muscle to be watching my back as I traverse the lands. Now, I could hire a band of thugs to escort me from one place to the next, but I prefer knowing who I work with, and working with them in the long term. So, the job is simple: I give you a consistent flow of gold, and you aid me in my travels across Bael. Keep me safe, work a few extra odd jobs here and there, all paid of course, so on and so forth."
He took another large swig of mead. He'd worked with hired hands before, so he figured some questions were coming before any sort of deal was struck. "Pay is negotiable, but I pay my own quite well. Nothing is sorrier than a good sword arm carrying a light coinpurse."

Danar lightly tapped his fingers against the wood of the bar. The food he had ordered would take some time, so he knew that they had time to speak before it would arrive. "You speak straight forward and simply Hobblin, but I fear that I might not be the right man for your job. Not because I couldn't do it, but because it's the kind of work I'm not interested in" he admitted. "I only take jobs that are extremely difficult and dangerous, jobs that will help me to be recognized and known for my courage and skill in battle. Protecting you for some time honestly doesn't sound that difficult, unless you've already ticked off several people already. So while I'm sure you do pay well, I'm afraid you possibly lack what I truly desire"

Hephaestus raised an eyebrow, his bright green eye fixed on Danar. "Then perhaps I should explain what it is I'm traveling across Bael to do. I'm not going sightseeing or anything of the sort. I'm forming a network of the greatest minds, suppliers, and hagglers across the continent. That may sound like it'll mostly be bureaucratic nonsense full of dull conversations and the like, but if the bastards are sitting cozy in a city, everyone knows about them and is friends with them already." He reached into a small pouch and pulled out his salve of hollow man's honey, a rarity in every sense of the word. "Hollow man's honey is one of the hardest things to get a hold of, and actually getting together with someone to MAKE the stuff instead of being at the end of a long chain of whispers is even harder. Thankfully, I happen to know one of the chief ingredients is from a fruit in rare oasis's in the Alvare Desert, meaning if I want to stock this stuff, we need to head out there. Now tell me that tangling with a few packs of Hekk'ran at the behest of the head of a future economic empire won't earn you a name for yourself." He stashed his salve of hollow man's honey back in his pouch. "And, if you want, we can make this temporary. You stay with me for only as long as you feel it's bringing you honor and glory. The moment you feel like I no longer have your best interests in mind, you say it, and you can go. I'll give you your last pay, and you can come back here telling tales of how you punched a cartel thug in the face to a bunch of drunken patrons who will forget it the next morning, and I can go and find some other bodyguard to replace you. Either way, we're both back to square one, kicking ourselves for what could've been. Do you really think these odd jobs in this town will get any more of a name for yourself than cracking heads for some of the most famous or ferocious bastards in Bael? Because them's who I'm gonna be shaking hands with."

Danar listened to the Hobblin. He wasn't sure if the creature was silver tongued, or if he actually had a point. Creating a trade route like this could piss off a lot of the middle men, and Danar had heard many tales of the Alvare Desert, though he had never been there himself. Danar stopped tapping his fingers against the wood long enough to pull out a small piece of paper and a writing instrument. He wrote down a sum of money and passed it to Hephaestus.

"My fee, that will buy you the first three months of my services guarantee. After that, I'll see if I want to continue working with you and we can negotiate from there. You will also be paying my room and board for anywhere we'll be staying. I'll pay to maintain or obtain new equipment, but you take care of the living expenses. Do we have a deal?" Danar asked and extended his hand.

Hephaestus looked at the fee on the paper, paused a moment, then nodded. "Three months upfront, and any living expenses? Easily done. Three months will be ample time for us to see if the services needed from either is supplied by the other." He tucked the paper away in his ornate shirt and grabbed Danar's hand with his rocky grip. "You, Danar Lothric, have a deal." He said with a great grin. "We're going to be taking off for a city in Rovasi territory in three days, I have a contact there I wish to meet up with first, and then we'll be making tracks for the desert; that's where you'll really start earning your pay." He reached into his pouch and pulled out a large coinpurse. "Not the full payment for the next three months, unfortunately; that'll be waiting for you at the front gate of the city in three days time, bright and early." Hephaestus finished off his mead and hopped off the bar stool. "Until then, get ready, and keep that arm of yours strong. I don't have to tell you that bandits circle this trade city like sharks."

"Believe me, I'm aware of the kind of bandits that this city attracts" Danar said. He turned his head as his food was delivered. He thanked the lady before picking up his plate and standing as well. "There's a reason that this is my base of operations after all. I'll see you in three day's time Hephaestus. I'd suggest not getting yourself killed in that time, this place is beautiful but very dangerous" Danar said. "Don't worry though, I'll meet you at the gate. My arm never gets tired, heavy, nor slow. Battle is the only life I've ever known. My price is high, but that's because you're buying quality" he said before turning and heading back to his table.