Born From A Divine Gamble

"Do you really intend to leave today? Won"t you end up traveling in the dark?"

"I do not mind stopping just after the wall. If I stay here another night, I will end up losing another half day to the bed. I have to move if I want to get there."

"But are you sure you will have enough time to even get to the gate?"

"Maybe if I only buy books? I do not really need a new pair of boots, what I have now should last me until at least the next town."

"Then, let"s go to my bookstore, it"s this way."

"You have your own bookstore?" Asked the n.o.ble as he followed her.

"Yes, I do."

She hoped he would not decide to go elsewhere because she really needed the money. It wasn"t impossible for him to do such a thing. She had seen him walk out of a store with a disappointing owner already.

"You must know all kinds of books then, that is really useful. Your grandmother told me she would make me a list of useful books but I forgot about it so now I have no clue what I am looking for."

"She left the list in the shop but even without it, I should be able to find you something useful anyway."

If there was one thing she could not mess up, it was this. It was, after all, her true job.

Eager to end the day, she took him in the direction of her home. The only things left for her to do were to sell him whatever he wanted and escort him to the gate and at last, she would be freed. Or at least, as free as she could get.

On her way home, she got hara.s.sed with questions she had no desire to answer. Did he realise he was asking her to describe what would happen to her soon in details? Yes, she would indeed end up being enslaved if she couldn"t pay up by the time limit and yes, she knew if it happened, she would never get out.

"But, is that not unfair?" He asked innocently.

She had the urge to punch him at that moment but remembering how he had ripped the stomach of a guy open right in front of her, she refrained from doing so.

"Usually the family help out as much as they can."

That wasn"t really the case for her. Only her grandmother did her best for her, coming out of her retirement and working at the guild again to send clients her way. Her many aunts on the other hand all looked the other way, "Your mother should never have married a death-seeker to begin with, this was bound to happen." they said, "We have our own families and problems to take care of."

What was the use of having such a large family if they didn"t stand out for each other in times of need? She cursed them and spat at their doorsteps as she left. If they were to be like that, she was better off without them, she told herself. If the situation was reversed, she wouldn"t help them either. She had not talked to any of them ever since.

"Would it not be easier for everyone if they just helped each other out?" He asked.

"When their life are in danger, they do help each other but once the danger is gone, they all revert back to their greedy selves." She answered.

After all, was she not just the same? When he had killed those guys in front of her, she had done her utmost to help him out but not even an hour after, when everything had been resolved, she was back to her old self, thinking of ways to get her hands on his money.

There were indeed people that helped each other out often. The death-seekers for example all tried their best to help each other out because they knew no one else would care if one got into trouble. When danger arose, they all charged together to save the one in need because they knew that their turn would come eventually and they needed the ones they saved to return the favor.

Unfortunately for her, such camaraderie did not apply to the dead. The dead could not help them, and Galana couldn"t either. They would not dare go against a n.o.ble for a single girl that wasn"t one of their own.

Some would have done it anyway, like Palonia, but those were too precious for her to bring down with her. Sure they would pay some of the debt but who knew what would befall them afterwards. She didn"t want anything to happen to them and also, she owned an unfair share of debt already, she didn"t want to owe anything to anyone anymore, no favors, no money, nothing.

Her grandmother had called her a stubborn idiot for that. "What kind of double standard is that! You threw your own aunts and cousins aside when they refused to help you but you won"t even try to ask your friends for help because you don"t want to put them in trouble? A stubborn idiot is what you are."

Her grandmother may not understand but it made perfect sense to her. She believed a family was there to share everything, wealth and debt alike. The troubles of one was the trouble of everyone. Friends were different, they helped out only because they trusted you would do the same for them. Galana did not have the power to do so, she was just a burden.

She could read, write and speak in two languages but had no useful skills at all. Once she ran out of books what would she do? She didn"t want to live off of her friends like a parasite. She would never do that. It would be like owing her entire life to them, just the thought of it was enough to throw her into the depths of despair.

She did not like to think of those things. They were always there at the back of her mind but she usually managed to ignore them by filling her time and head with work. Now that she had spoken about them out loud, those things all came back to the forefront of her mind and piled up with the rest of her bad day. Fortunately, the gloomy mood was driven away by the soothing sight of her home.

It was her safe haven, she always thought it was surprising how the mere sight of one"s home could bring such peace of mind in even the worse of situations. It gave off the impression that everything would be fine and she relied on that impression to find the strength necessary to keep on struggling, even if she knew it was not the truth, only a sweet lie.

As they approached, Emp asked her about the sign.

"What is the name of the store, and why is it covered in dirt?"

"It"s Whisryba"s bookstore and ruin seekers. I wanted to wash it but I can"t reach and I don"t have any ladder."

When every coin counted, there was no way she would waste them on a ladder just because the sign had some mud on it.

"Do you want to climb on my shoulders to do it?"

"Absolutely not!"

Why was he always asking the most outrageous things as if they were normal?

She unlocked the way with the key she kept around her neck and placed her shoulder against the door to open it. Like always, it was hard to move and it made an annoying noise as it did.

Inside, the familiar smell welcomed her as she moved to the nearest candle. She couldn"t make him wait for too long because he was in a hurry so she quickly went around the room lighting the candles for him to see. When she was alone, she usually only lit one or two to conserve the candles lifespan.

She also disliked to have them all burning at the same time because if a fire spread here, her life would be over. This was her sanctuary, her lifeline and also the only things she had left of her parents. She always took great care of every single thing contained within these walls because none of them could be replaced.

She would have loved to posses some magic light to brighten the room without any risk of fire but even without the debt, she would never get enough money to buy one.

"I like how clean this is." Said the future general while looking around. "But, is it not a bit, empty?"

"It is. I"ve had to sell many but I"m having a hard time filling them back up."

When she first started taking care of the business while her parents were gone, everything went relatively well. It took almost a year before the owners of the other two bookstores in town noticed the opportunity.

They believed her parents would not come back and somehow knew the debt that would soon be inflicted upon her. They took the opportunity to get rid of a weakened compet.i.tor. They intercepted any deliveries and every sellers that were meant for her and offered much more for the books than she ever could. Unable to compete, she stopped receiving new products altogether. She had to resort on more unappealing alternatives.

"Many of the books here belonged to my parents, I didn"t want to sell them but I ran out of choices."

She cannibalized the upstairs shelves belonging to her parents and herself, slowly replacing the ones she sold by her own collection. She really did not want to do it, every time one of her books left the store, it felt like she was stabbed. She had tried many alternatives but none seemed to work.

First, she gave people the option to consult the book for a day, on site, in exchange for a small fee but it did not work out. It seemed that most people preferred by far to pay the complete price of a book to add it to their own collection than to just browse it once and have to pay again later if they needed to again.

She also tried to make her own copies, it took a lot of time and a lot of paper but the end result was not so bad. It seemed like a really good idea but many problems arose from it.

First, most of her clients were rich merchants, knights and low n.o.bles, each book they owned would add to their prestige and they wanted to expose it in front of everyone. Buying a copy made from the unknown owner of a small bookstore wasn"t as impressive as a handmade copy from the old scribes of Bêtéclair or any other renowned scribes. By buying such a copy, they also ran the risk of it having some small differences in the text or mistakes which would damage their reputation or work if the error happened to be major.

Then, she was really bad at illumination and utterly unable to copy pictures and drawings necessary to some tomes like bestiaries, works of geography or botany. Finally, the cost of the paper, ink and cover were high, if she was unable to sell one, the losses were huge and the time spent wasted.

In the end, she could only watch heartbroken as her precious books were sold one by one to the n.o.bles she hated so much, slowly chipping away at her potential income.

Still, she had calculated many times over and though that she would barely be able to pay the debt if she managed to sell a couple of the books here for more than their value. In the end, the store would be entirely empty but she would be free. There was still hope.

After she finished lighting every candles, she went to the table on which was her writing supplies and picked up the list her grandmother had made for her.

Right from the get go, the list contained a book she had sold long ago. Her grandmother helped as best she could but she had not come to the store for a long time now, she had no idea of the current state of the bookstore.

"So, she said to give you a Bilingual dictionary but I sold mine long ago so I will have to skip that one. Don"t worry, I think I can find something to replace it somehow. The rest should be fine."

She went around the room and collected four books. The regional monster encyclopedia of her father, her own history book of the empire and her two last copies of Woes and heroes of our woods. She almost knew the last one by heart and no one ever bought it so it was a good thing to be able to get rid of it.

She then proceeded to explain to Emp a roundabout way to learn parts of the common tongue. She wasn"t convinced he was smart enough to do it properly but there was nothing more she could do.

"I understand, that should be fine. But, would it not be easier if it was all in the same book?"

Was he not listening at all to what she said? Considering it was him, it was more likely that he had no idea what a dictionary was.

"That is what the dictionary was for. It"s a book that goes through each words one by one with their equivalent in the other language. I used it a lot to learn the n.o.ble tongue, it is one of the most useful tools you could have and I wish I still had one myself." She explained.

There were so many other books she wished she still possessed and so many more she had never seen. For example, her mother had a book about magic but since she always brought it with her on her adventures, it was lost with her. There was also this book about letters she always wanted.

"I once heard there is also a book comparing the letters of every languages, It must not be useful at all but it must be impressive to look at. Truly a magnificent work of art."

Why was she even telling him this? He probably didn"t care at all. With someone like him, letters would never be as interesting as the weapons in Tiberius"s shop. Unsurprisingly, he swiftly changed the subject.

"I also have an interesting book I would like to show you. It was Sage that gave it to me."

"What kind of book?"

She was a little curious, with him, it would either be extraordinary or devoid of any value.

He put his hand inside the bag and drew an enormous book out of it. The thing was old, no, ancient, and even if it seemed time-worn, it"s majesty was undeniable. He put it down on the table with the other books as he talked.

"This is the book of answers. I can ask it anything and it always give me the answer. For example: What is the worth of the four books I plan to buy?"

Would it really work? Was it that simple? Emp flipped the book open and on the page he landed on, a short sentence was written. It was the answer, and it was exact, way too exact. She wanted to sell him those books for much more! Everyone overcharged him things all day and the one time he got out a book telling him the worth of what he was purchasing, it was against her!

If she had not known by now that he wasn"t the sort of person to do that, she would have sworn it was payback for all the mistakes she made up until now. She couldn"t even argue against the book since they both knew it was the right answer. Barely any profit would be made today again, and Emp was such an easy target too. Was it divine retribution for having stopped the tailor for doing the same? Was that other shop owner not favored enough already that she had to be avenged?

"Five gold coins and thirty four silver coins, is this correct?"

She could only nod dejectedly. Still, she had to admit that once again, he pulled out something amazing out of nowhere. If she had such an incredible book as he had, she was convinced she could become rich in no time. He wouldn"t happen to be selling that thing for around five gold coins would he?

Maybe he pitied her a little because he paid six crowns instead of five. She did not want to receive charity from him, she hated that kind of thing but at this point, she couldn"t complain that much about it, after all, she had intended to have him pay twenty for the books.

She watched listlessly has another part of her legacy disappeared into the bag of someone for a couple of coins. If there was anything positive at all in this, it was that at least, she hadn"t sold at a loss.

"If you want, I could send them back to you once I am done with them."

"Even if you really did, I wouldn"t have the money to buy them back at that point."

She had to keep everything she did not spend on absolute necessity to pay the debt, there was no way she would ever be able to buy those back.

"Who is talking about selling? I can just send them back as gifts can I not?"

"Did we not talk about gifts many times before? You should not give things to peoples you don"t know."

"But I know you more than anyone aside from Chinui now. Can I not just say we are friends?"

Did he really think of her as a friend? After all that happened today? She wasted his time, insulted him, tried to swindle him, she had even wished for his death! No one sane would consider her a friend after that.

"You really are an idiot. Get out now so I can douse the candles and close the shop."

She just wanted the day to end already. She wanted to go to bed, bury herself in the covers and forget all about that day. That he believed her to be a friend or not didn"t really matter in the end, once past the gate, he would forget she existed and she would never see him again. As for if he knew more about her than the rest of the people he met until now, she found it hardly believable. There was no way he knew more about someone he just met today than anyone else, it would mean he never met anyone and that seemed impossible.

Galana closed up her shop, locked it and started to walk towards the north gate.

***

Many hards.h.i.+p stems from greed but not always the greed from the suffering man himself.

There was once such a man who worked hard every day of his life from the security of his village. He labored and spent his sweat on arduous tasks in the hope of filling the bellies of his family. He had no descendants of his own but many brothers who needed to be taken care of.

Thus, one day, when money ran low and hunger stood high, the man decided it was time to change his destiny. Being strong like a bull, he felt that the creatures of the woods would not be his match if only he possessed a weapon to slay them.

He set off to the weapon smith and after some arguing, they came to a deal. "Lend me a sword and I promise, in a month, I will come back to pay for it." With the man"s hardworking reputation, the smith was swayed to agree.

Armed with his newly acquired sword, he went to hunt in the woods. However, diligence and hard work are rarely victorious when spitted against luck. Despite his best efforts, he did not manage to ama.s.s enough money to repay the smith.

Unwilling to break his promise, he first went to borrow money from a friend. He paid back the smith but failed to repay his friend so he borrowed money from his aunt to pay him back. Then he borrowed money from his neighbor to pay her back. Every time, the money he was borrowing was a little more than the last. Finally, with no one else to turn to, he went to see the merchant. Having sold all his catch to him up until now, he was confident the man would help him.

Said merchant however wasn"t as easily convinced as the rest. "I am willing to help and lend you the money you need but in exchange, you will give me back twice the amount I lent you in less than two months or else I will take the sword as payment."

The man agreed and paid back his neighbor. By now he had more confidence in his ability and knew the lay of the land. He worked harder than ever to sustain both his family and the merchant. He met with more experienced hunters and with his newfound group of friends, brought back many a good catch. Many times his life was saved by one of them and of course, he promised he would do the same for them.

The merchant, seeing all those resources fall into his lap at a speed greater than he ever saw before was taken by greed. The more the man brought and the less the merchant was willing to pay for them, as long as the man was indebted, he would continue to ama.s.s a fortune for him. Blaming it on market saturation, the day of the payment approached and the man was far from having enough money to pay back.

With an understanding air, the merchant told him that he would extend the allowed time of repayment if he was willing to increase the total amount he owed to him. After telling him he would think about it, the man left to sulk alone in his room.

It was that night he received the visit of a shadow knocking on his window. The lizard-like creature on the other side was far from human but spoke with fluidity and reason. The thing fed on debts, it pretended, and was very pleased with how the man had acted up until now. The thing was willing to help him out just this once by giving him one of its eggs. Its value would be more than enough to pay back his debt but in exchange, he would need to pay back with thrice the amount.

At first, the man refused, but the creature was convincing. "I am one of debt not greed, what I want is for you to pay back. Having you fail would serve me no purpose. Thus, I am willing to give you ten years to get my investment back, once those ten years are over, I will come back and collect this delicious debt."

The man mulled over the question for the entire night but in the end, chose to accept. If he didn"t want to be indebted for the rest of his life, he had no alternatives.

As promised, the creature left him with an egg and its value left the merchant speechless. For the egg, he gave the man enough money to live the rest of his life without work. For the egg, forgetting the debt was more than worth it.

With the money, the life of the man improved dramatically. Not only did his family did not go hungry anymore but he also found a loving wife. His hunting improved once more and in five years, he had enough to pay back the creature. He kept it locked away and hung up his equipment for good, giving up on hunting entirely for the sake of a tranquil life with his wife and newborn child.

The other hunters came to seek him out, after all, he was now a real boon to have when braving the woods. They asked for his help in their hunts many times but he declined every single request. "What about your promise to help us?" Asked the hunters. "I am a hunter no more." Answered the man. "I have kids I must love and protect, there is no need for me to go risk my life in the woods with you. If it was you all, you would do the same."

Dejected, the hunters went alone and life moved on. At the end of the ten years, the man had three sons of seven, five and three, his wife still loved him and even excluding what he kept for the creature, he would never be left wanting for money.

When the lizard came knocking on his window, the man was ready and confident. "In a week, the time will be up and the debt will be mine." Said the creature. "Are you ready to pay?" The man led him to the treasure he had collected for it, to show the creature that indeed, he had all that was needed but the lizard, was of another mind.

"This is an impressive amount of money, but money was not what was lent to you. What I gave you was an egg made of flesh not metal. It was instead my young I had given to you and so it is your young I am here to collect."

"I thought you fed on debts!" Exclaimed the man. "What are you to do with my three sons?"

"It is indeed debts that feeds me and what a greater debt than to owe three lives and souls born from your very own flesh? In a week from now I will be back to take your three first born, are you ready to pay?"

"What if I refuse to pay?" Threatened the man. "I will take them anyway for it is true you owe them to me, I will slay you if I have to but your children are mine." On this, the creature vanished and left the man alone with his anxious mind.

If he wanted his children to be safe, he would need to defeat the creature but never would he be able to vanquish it alone, he knew. And so, he went to his hunting friends to ask for help for they were used to such things but, none wanted to a.s.sist him in his time of need. He promised them all the money he had kept for the lizard but none were swayed.

"What value has your promise? You promised us before but never delivered. You are a hunter no more. You gained kids you love and so you must protect them yourself. There is no need for us to go risk our lives with you for uncertain coins and feeble friends.h.i.+p. If it was you in our place, we both know you would do the same."

The man, grasping at the last straws called for his brothers now living by themselves. Feeling indebted to him for all his help and care over the years, the brothers took swords and axes and gathered in the man"s house to face the creature together. He sent his wife away to her parents house and told her it would be all over by the next morning.

The night came and the lizard followed, slipping inside without knocking on the window like its usual. "Are you ready to pay?" Asked the lizard filling the whole room. "My sons are asleep in the room behind me, if you can kill us all, they are yours."

The lizard agreed to the challenge and a fight ensued. The brothers, having led an easy life under the protection of their eldest were no match for the creature and soon, only the man stood alive to face it. Despite his best intentions he had failed and brought down his whole family with him.

"Their debts too were impressive." Said the creature. "They all owed their lives to you and they were succulent. In the end, your brothers were better debtors than you for they understood the value of what they owed well. If you were the same as them, the hunters would be standing by your side instead, but now you are alone and your sprouts are mine."

The lizard quieted the man for good and left the village with the three children, never to be seen again. Be careful of what you owe and to who lest you be buried too.

-- The debt, Woes and heroes of our woods. (1)

(1) I included this after I received a comment about wanting more of those. I can"t promise they will be often presented to you all but I can say that I do love to write those and explain customs and beliefs with them. I will present one whenever I have the time and it is relevant to the chapter. I already have at least two other I had already planned but I didn"t want them to appear before Emp got the book. Is this one too grim? I always felt that stories like the one about crying wolf were great. They always end up badly but are very valuable to hear.