Mastery Is Earned

“So this is Brightwater?” Teddy asked Raymond as soon as they entered the city.

Raymond gave a few distracted replies, then glanced back at the tax collectors and guards by the gate. The collectors had rummaged through their wagons, spent ages calculating the duty, and kept the group waiting for no apparent reason. In the end, they had charged a full eight silver coins before letting them in.

Eight silver. Even Raymond felt the sting. That was enough to buy an arming coat and a one-handed sword. But this was Brightwater, and as an out-of-town merchant, he had no choice but to accept whatever price the collector demanded.

“You’ve been here before, right?” Teddy moved closer. “Last time, did you sell the things we found together at that bandit camp?”

Raymond frowned. “What do you mean, *we*? Go take charge of your wagon. We need to get the goods to a warehouse first.”

“Come on. Without me showing you the way, would you have found the place?” Teddy grinned. “Besides, you made all that money last time and didn’t give me a share. Surely I get something from this shipment?”

Raymond looked at him, unable to tell whether Teddy was serious or joking. After a pause, he answered firmly, “The money from last time had nothing to do with you. Neither does this shipment. These goods aren’t mine. I’ve only taken a commission, that’s all.”

“Tch.” Teddy rolled his eyes. “People like you always forget who deserves the real credit. Would you have beaten those bandits without me?”

Raymond did not bother arguing. He led his wagon toward the warehouse in silence. Teddy was supposed to be handling the wagon behind him, but since he had walked ahead, one of the four mercenaries had taken its horse and followed Raymond. Henk brought up the rear.

The three wagons soon reached the warehouse. After paying the storage fee, Raymond and the others came back outside.

“Here’s the five silver for the job. Thank you, all of you.” Raymond handed the coins to Derek, the leader of the four mercenaries.

Over the seven days they had traveled together, Raymond’s group had come to know Derek and his men much better. At first, Raymond and Henk had remained wary of them. Despite having to drive the wagons during the day, the two had taken turns keeping watch at night, afraid someone might cut their throats in their sleep. Fortunately, the journey had passed without incident, and they had all arrived safely in Brightwater.

“Just doing our job.” Derek accepted the coins with a grin and immediately gave one to each of his three companions.

Teddy sidled up to Raymond and peered into the leather pouch at his waist. The sight of so many coins made his eyes widen. “You’ve made a fortune, haven’t you? Where did all that money come from? Those spoils you sold last time...”

“Enough,” Raymond cut in. “That money has nothing to do with you. You’ve been paid what you’re owed. Don’t bring this up again, Teddy. I don’t want to hear it.”

The blunt rebuke left Teddy staring at him. His face reddened. He looked at Derek, then at Henk, and clenched his fists. But a moment later, he put on a smile.

“I was only joking. Why are you getting so worked up?”

“I don’t like that joke,” Raymond said.

“All right, all right. You can at least buy me dinner, can’t you?” Teddy laughed it off. “I’m sick of bread and dried meat.”

Raymond nodded, then looked at Derek and his men. “You four come along too.”

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“Gladly. Thanks.” Derek grinned.

Talking among themselves, the seven headed for an inn near the warehouse. It was still early evening, and the dining room was not crowded. They found a large empty table and sat down.

“Hey! Over here!” Teddy called to a server as soon as he took his seat.

A young man came over. “What can I get you?”

“Drinks first. One for each of us,” Teddy said. “What are your specialties?”

“Well, we have...”

“Whatever. Bring one of everything.” Teddy waved a hand.

Raymond pointed at Teddy, then at himself. “Who’s paying for this meal, you or me?”

“You are, of course.” Teddy smiled.

“Then why are you ordering such expensive food?” Raymond demanded.

“Don’t be so stingy. We all had a hard time on the road. You promised food and lodging, and we put up with dried meat and dark bread the whole way. Now that we’re here, can’t you let us enjoy ourselves?”

Derek and the others said nothing, but Raymond saw the hope in their eyes. After a long hesitation, he agreed.

“That’s more like it.” Teddy grinned.

The ale arrived first. They raised their cups together, then chatted while they waited for the food.

“What are you four going to do now?” Teddy asked Derek, eating some of the dried fruit that had been brought to the table.

Derek gave a wry smile. “We came to find work, but Brightwater seems even more crowded than Blackstone. Still, a big city ought to have more opportunities.”

Raymond thought for a moment. “The last time I was here, the city was offering a bounty on fishfolk. It was an ongoing commission. That might be worth looking into, though I imagine plenty of people are after the money.”

“Fishfolk?” Derek and his companions exchanged glances.

Raymond noticed their reaction. “What is it?”

Derek answered at last. “There are fishfolk near our hometown too, but they’re quite docile. Unless someone intrudes on their territory, they rarely come into conflict with us. Some villagers even trade food and other goods with them for pearls and other items.”

“Really?” Raymond was surprised.

He had heard of fishfolk but had never seen one. From what he had learned on his last visit, the fishfolk around Brightwater had begun attacking humans. Otherwise, the city would not have posted a bounty on them.

Perhaps Derek’s fishfolk were a different species from those around Brightwater. Or perhaps they belonged to different tribes, with very different customs.

After all, Derek’s homeland was not as far away as the northern lands, but it lay outside the Kingdom of Goldvale. Differences between fishfolk communities would be nothing strange.

“If they’re like the ones back home, they shouldn’t be too hard to handle,” a young mercenary beside Derek said with a laugh. “I’ve killed several before. They’re amphibious, so they have the advantage underwater. On land, they’re no match for us.”

Derek sighed. “Maybe. But if they’re that easy to kill, someone will have dealt with them already. There won’t be any left for us.”

As the conversation faltered, Teddy laughed and slapped the table. “Why sit here guessing? Let’s ask.”

He grabbed the young server as the man set down their food. “Is there still a bounty on fishfolk around here?”

The server looked displeased, but there were seven of them at the table, and he kept his irritation to himself. “There is, and it’s gone up. I heard the fishfolk recently attacked a merchant ship belonging to the city lord’s son. The city guards were furious. The reward is higher now.” He jerked his chin toward a nearby empty table. “On an ordinary evening, this place would already be full.”

“A higher reward?” Henk and Teddy both looked interested.

“They attacked a merchant ship?” Derek and his companions could scarcely believe it.

But Raymond had caught a different detail. “The city lord’s son?”

Brightwater was the count’s direct holding. Its ruler should be either an appointed governor or the count himself. Who was this *city lord*?

“You mean fishfolk?” Derek quickly asked the server. “The little ones with big heads and thin limbs?”

The server looked at Derek, then at Teddy, without answering.

Derek produced a copper coin and handed it over. The server’s expression softened as he pocketed it.

“Yes, there are fishfolk like that. I’ve heard there are stranger ones too, but that’s only hearsay. No one’s seen one of those. People have brought fishfolk corpses back lately, though, and I saw one myself. It looked much like you described.”

“What are these stranger fishfolk supposed to look like?” Raymond asked.

He had seen a Dragonblood Goblin, as well as a kobold-gnoll hybrid, and had even heard of a Dragonblood Gnoll. At this point, a dragonblood fishfolk would hardly surprise him.

“It’s just a story,” the server said, though he sounded convinced. “They say one of them stands nine feet tall and can control water. That’s the one that overturned the merchant ship belonging to the city lord’s son.”

“Nonsense!” Several other diners overheard him and scoffed.

Raymond, Henk, and the others said nothing. Those from Blackstone had seen goblins unlike any ordinary kind. The idea of an unusual fishfolk was not impossible for them to accept.

“How much is the bounty now?” Henk asked, getting to what mattered most to him.

Everyone at the table perked up again.

“Thirty copper coins for a fishfolk’s right hand.”