Chapter 13

Of course the other reason I wanted to take you out was I heard a ton of rumors that..."

"The Blackman group?" I asked her as we leaned up against a low wall in the merchant district.

"Yeah," she said.

"Friday night when I was with you, and then the Captain of the Guard?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, Seamus and Missy Blackman convinced a guardsman named Sergeant Johnson that I had broken onto their grounds and had stolen something. They brought, like, a dozen guards to arrest me. Everybody had crossbows pointed, or swords drawn. I tried to tell them I was in public and had an alibi, but he was more interested in throwing me in the dungeon for a few days before even questioning me. We were in Bamera's shop near Highspire, and Bamera had remembered seeing you and I in line together and dining together. She sort of lost her shit, magically locked down the store, and forced the guard to call the Captain of the Guard himself for the alibi. Then she refused to let the corrupt guards go until the captain himself came to arrest them."

I took a sip of an ale we'd bought at a food cart vendor.

"So... why does the academy have five less students?" she asked.

"Well, I asked what the punishment was for bearing false testimony and witness. It's the same as what the accused would have gotten."

"Hanged, or a hand removed, if justice was equal for everyone," Samantha told me, rolling her eyes and taking a bite from her kebob.

"This time it would have been. Bamera was ready to call Duke Kinson himself there to handle it."

"Holy shit!"

"Exactly." I took another sip before continuing. "I indicated to Seamus I might be willing to not press charges if he did three things to pay me back for trying to end my life. Fel's parents are no longer indentured to the Blackmans, the group that gave false testimony had to leave the academy so they wouldn't keep messing with me, and I asked for thirty gold per person."

Samantha laughed at that, her hands clapping. It almost sent her kebob flying away, but she remembered and slowed her motions.

"So you made all five pay you?" she asked.

"Six. Seamus too."

Her eyes went wide and she laughed. "Wow. So you're rich, huh?"

"I've been poor my entire life. I have no concept if I'm rich or not.

When I got that coin pouch for helping with that investigation, I got like five or six gold, and that felt rich to me, a kid who had to save years to get nearly two gold spending money to come here. Now that I've got more..."

"A good hundred gold will buy you a decent house in the city. The taxes just got revamped so you only pay it when you buy a house, or any service or purchase other than that. No more yearly taxes on property."

"I mean, you don't actually buy land here, it's the Empire's."

"Yeah, but you bought the right to do whatever there, for as long as you have the contract. It's confusing, but things are changing fast around here.

I'm just saying... you could already retire, rich boyfriend of mine."

I smiled at that, and put an arm around her. Emmy probably felt me stretch, because she climbed out of my pocket and went over to Sam, crawling up her chest so she was sitting right under her chin. Emmy rubbed her head under Sam's chin and made the soft chirp sound before coming back to sit on my shoulder.

"Yup, I think so too," I told her.

"Wait, who are you talking to?" Samantha asked.

"Oh, sorry; Emmy. She said she likes you."

"She's... talking?" Samantha asked.

"It's more like... impressions. I'm a week into college here and already realizing how much more I need to learn. I'm not sure three years is enough," I admitted.

"Then become a teacher here when you graduate, and keep studying your interests."

I pondered that and then realized that we were out in public and I still had all my coin, all my loot, everything on me. It's really hard to pick pocket a bag of holding, though. It pretty much acted like an inventory system. If I could pick it up by hand, I could store it with a touch, or summon it to my hand, whatever the situation called for. Emmy broke my musings by head butting me in the side of the chin.

"You're right, Emmy."

"Ok, this is going to be annoying. As cute as your baby dragon is, you need to fill me in on her side of the conversation until she can talk herself, or shifts."

"Wait, she can shift?"

"Not for another hundred years or so," Sam told me.

"Basically she was telling me... Wait, let me back up. I was thinking it was great to be out here in public, then you mentioning how much coin that actually was. Then I got thinking about pick pockets and how I shouldn't walk around with this much stuff. She head butted me and told me to fix it then."

"Yeah, I actually know how to help. Drink up so we can walk. It's not far from here."

"The bank?" I asked her.

"Maybe. First, we're going to get you an inventory." The last bit was said in a whisper.

I downed my watered down ale, and put the cup on the table with the rest of the empties, so the vendor could wash and reuse them, and followed her.

"What are you talking about?" I asked her.

"It's sort of an open secret, but never talked about in public. The Duke figured it out. We're going to get you spatial storage devices that can't be stolen from, unless it's by a spatial mage—and then you're just out of luck anyway."

"Wait, really? Is it expensive?" I asked her.

"Gold or two," she said with a shrug.

Now I was excited.

"IS YASKEL BACK THERE SOMEWHERE?" Sam called to the two mages behind the stall.

"Yeah, who should I say is asking?"

"Samantha Braylee."

He nodded and headed back. He wasn't gone twenty seconds, and a smiling old guy came out.

"Sam. You're looking good. How have you been?"

"Good, Yaskel. I see the retirement you threatened last year didn't stick?"

"I'm having too much fun to ever retire fully. What can I get you? Need anything?"

"My boyfriend needs some storage," she said, using her fingers of either hand to touch my sides around my ribs.

"Ahhhhh. Um... wait, you said boyfriend? When did you start dating?"

he asked.

"I never stopped, guys just stopped asking me fifty or sixty years back."

"I never stopped asking," Yaskel said with a huff.

"And your wife beat you senseless every time you did." She was smirking.

"One gold," he told her, "but you'll have to ask Lady Brinda or another healer. The Duke asked us to not really advertise this to anybody anymore."

"Oh, I hear you. It's just..." She shrugged.

"Yup."

I pulled a gold coin out and handed it over. He handed me a small wooden box the size of match box. I opened it and two metallic... bb's, for lack of anything better to describe them as, rolled around. Wait, healer?

"I got the rest covered. Thanks, buddy."

"If you don't treat her right, scary wife or not, I'll lay into you, kid."

"You won't have to sir," I told him, holding out my hand for him to shake. "I promise."

He grunted but shook my hand. Grumpy on purpose. It was an act!

Our next stop was a green healer's tent, where I recognized James's wife.

"Lady Madder, how are you?" I asked her.

"Oh, hello Morgan! I'm doing fine. Are you needing some healing?"

she asked.

Sam nudged me, so I pulled out the matchbox and held it out to her.

"Ah, no problem, but I can't do the cut. I'm squeamish, and that makes my hands tremble. Professor Braylee, can you?"

"Yes. Morgan, cloak, vest, and shirt off."

I looked around the tent, and at the two ladies. "Here?"

Brinda rolled her eyes, smirking, and reached for my cloak's clasp. I backed up and undid it myself, putting it on a chair behind me. Then I tickled my vest pocket and Emmy crawled out, yawning.

"Need you to sit with Samantha for a minute, ok? I think they're going to use magic on me. Might be fun for you to watch."

"Wait, is that—" Brinda asked as I put Emmy on Samantha's shoulder at the same point Sam interrupted.

"Yup, but not in public if we can help it."

"Oh yeah. Um..."

I stripped my top layers off as she used identify on first Emmy, and then me. To me, it felt like that scratchy annoying feeling you get when you know somebody is staring at you without blinking. In this case I didn't mind, although some folks thought it rude to use the skill without asking others' permission first.

"I see. Now, Samantha is going to be making two incisions. It won't be deep, but it will be deep enough to embed the devices, and then I'll heal you back up without leaving a scratch."

"That's how you get an inventory?" I asked her. "Beyond the cut, does it hurt?"

"Nope. You won't even know it's there. It's easy to access it the first time by putting something in it, so your mind sort of knows where it is."

"Got you. So um... yeah."

They cleaned a scalpel and the devices, and I put up first one arm then the other. The cut was between two ribs, the device inserted, and I was healed. It actually was so quick there wasn't much blood to clean off. The pain? Like a papercut bad, but then healed a moment later. I tested it by putting a coin in each inventory.

"Wait, I can go from my bag of holding into my inventory," I said excitedly, moving all my coin into my inventory.

"Yup," Samantha said with a grin.

"What do I owe?" I asked Brinda.

"This is a free clinic," she said with a smile.

I got a gold coin out of my inventory and handed it to her. "Donation for your work, then."

She rolled her eyes again and gave me a gentle push. "Put your clothes back on, kid."

Samantha laughed as I blushed.

"Can you...or can I... I'd like to visit and study, um..." She pointed at Emmy.

"Her name is Emmy. Short for Emerald. I don't mind. Right now, I'm staying at the Mages' Academy, however I might be looking at a house or two in the future. Either way, you should be able to get ahold of me there, or through Samantha. Apparently, she's well known in the city."

"That she is," Brinda said as Samantha handed Emmy over to me.

I pulled open my pocket. Emmy crawled in, moving around until just part of her neck and head were peeking out.

"Ok, next stop!" Sam said, pulling on my arm. "Thanks, girl!"

"Byeeeeeeee," I heard Brinda call as we left the tent.

"Orphanage or bank?" I asked her.

"Orphanage?" she asked.

"I have loot to drop off for the kids."

"Um... Orphanage is on the way," I agreed.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Corlina asked.

I smiled and leaned down to hug her. She made a growly sound as she hugged me back.

"I did a dungeon run and have some stuff to drop off to the quarter master," I told her.

"We used that bloke's recommendation. Just put it all in the trunk by the front door. It's spatial."

"That makes life so much easier," I told her.

"And a lot fewer strangers traipsing through the school, eh?"

"Exactly," I told her. "I have a couple of places to run before I have to go, so maybe I'll stop in next weekend and visit?"

"Sounds good. You and your lady keep out of trouble!"

"We will," I said.

I stored all the trash loot as it was called, then walked to the bank with Sam on my arm. Actually, it was the Temple Of The Gods. It was a multi-cultural and deity place that also lent money and did banking services. In that function, they also handled property transfers, which I would find quite handy.

"Good evening folks, what can I help you with today?" a young woman in glasses asked from behind her desk in the rear of the temple.

"I need to open an account, make a deposit, and perhaps enquire about a property?"

The lady smiled up at me; I must have just made her day.

"Sure. Just fill this out please," she said.

It was a basic 'who are you' application. I filled it out, then pulled my dagger out and nicked my thumb and signed on the bottom. The paper flashed as the spell contract completed.

"Now, would you like to do the property part first, or the deposit?"

"Deposit," I told her. "I don't have a place picked out yet."

I started pulling stacks of ten gold out until I had 17 of them on the table in front of her. She made a note, and then I started pulling the bags of coppers and silver out. I deposited all but around ten gold and twenty silvers.

"Very nice indeed," the banker said. "As for property, the Duchy and bank both hold titles. I have listings written down, but I could perhaps help you better if you tell me what it is you need?"

"Um... I need at least four bedrooms. A bathroom... uh... privy room. A workshop hopefully in the main building, but if not, a barn or garage workshop... and enough yard for, say, a few horses?"

"Hm..." the banker said, tapping the feather part of her quill to her lips as she thought.

"Shooting for the big time already?" Samantha asked.

"Thinking about how big Emmy is going to grow."

Samantha nodded. "But four bedrooms?" She arched an eyebrow.

"Maybe someday I'll get married and have a dozen kids. What? It could happen!"

She was red in the face, and put her hand up over her mouth.

"Are you willing to do a little work yourself, or work with something you can fix up?" the banker asked suddenly.

"Yes," I told her.

She wrote down two addresses with prices next to them on a scrap of parchment, and slid it over to me. "They're both near the Mages' Academy and Adventurers' Guild. Part of town that's being revitalized. You get a lot more house and land there right now though."

"Hey, that's not too far from my place," Samantha told me, pointing at the first address.

One hundred thirty five gold was written in a flowing script.

The other one was 145 gold. No details. Was I expecting an MLS sheet?

I sorta remembered what those were, because my parents had bought our house the year after my brother had got taken away.

"Want to check them out on the way back?" Sam asked me.

"Sure, I told her.

"Can we walk in and look around the places, or are they occupied?" I asked the banker.

"Feel free to check them out, they're unoccupied and the neighbors know they're on the market."

The walk there made me feel all weird inside. I could actually afford a house.

"Can I ask a dumb question?" I asked Samantha.

"Sure, but you might get a dumb answer," she shot back.

"I know I can afford this now, and back on Earth... and I'm wondering if it's true here, but having a house is a good investment, isn't it?"

"As long as it's kept repaired. I mean, prices are going to fluctuate, but you're probably not going to lose money buying an estate."

"An estate?" I asked her. "Now who sounds all fancy."

"My place is modest... It has one bedroom, which you know."

I smiled; oh boy did I.

"I do," I told her.

"It cost about thirty gold. With what you asked for..." She let the words trail off. "Rich boyfriend of mine."

I playfully nudged her.

"Oh hey, this is it," I said.

The gate was wrought iron and pretty ornate. It was also rust streaked.

The stone walls were crumbling in places and vines grew up all around it. I pulled the gate open with a loud shrieking of metal and stepped inside. The gate was wide enough to pull a horse drawn carriage through, and I could see that there were cobblestones somewhere underneath everything that was growing up through it.

But the house itself? It was... an estate.

"Come on," Samantha said, pulling on my hand.

I followed along. The drive was circular so you could pull up one way and drive back out the other, like those fancy mansions on the old tv shows had. No fountain in the middle, thankfully. The front lawn was way overgrown, but it stopped at the marble steps of what I wouldn't necessarily call an estate. I would call it a mansion.

"You rang..." I said softly.

For some reason that set Samantha off into laughter, and I walked up and pulled the front door open.

The door opened into a main room that seemed all too empty. I could see two doors on either side of the walls to my left and right. A staircase was straight ahead, with archways on either side of the stairwell. Upstairs had a similar layout. Two doors to the left and right walls, and two doors about where the arches would be.

Yes, there were cobwebs everywhere, and the dust was so thick it made me want to choke, but I could afford this?! I checked the doors on the first floor, and both were bedrooms. Pretty decent sized ones too. Each had a fireplace and bathroom. Shaking my head, I went through the left most arch to find myself in a kitchen. It had the old style wood fired stove and grill, with a hood that took up half the wall's space. At the far right, near the other arch, was shelving, and a door that probably held a pantry.

"Pantry, you think?" I asked her.

"Or larder. You know… underground?"

Samantha was already moving in that direction. She was proven right when she opened it, showing stone stairs going down into the dark.

"Instead of going down there, let's check out the upstairs," I told her.

She nodded and we headed up. It was the same, except there were three bedrooms upstairs and one dedicated bathroom. So this place was five bedrooms, three bathrooms.

"Come look at this," I said, looking out the bathroom window.

Samantha looked out the back and then did a double take. "Is that an orchard?"

"I think so?" I said.

The grass was thick when we got back there and I found out in fact, there were a dozen fruit trees. Mostly apple trees, but three of them were cherries.

"How do people mow their lawns in this world?" I asked rhetorically.

"Um... I hire a groundskeeper to do mine. I suppose you could have some goats or... wait... might not be a good idea until Emmy is a little older..."

I sighed. This was merely a pipe dream. A good one, but what did I need with this? I could probably rent a room out of an inn and live the rest of my life with a third of what I put in the bank.

"What's wrong?" Samantha asked.

"This is amazing. It's not even in that bad of shape. Apparently I can afford it. I just... it feels so... I don't know."

"Yeah, it's a bit much, huh?"

"I'd love it. But since Friday, my mind has been blown over and over. I betcha this place has three acres from fence to back wall though."

"Probably. Speaking of your mind... want to head back to my place for a little bit?"

I, in fact, did.