The Mimic Becomes a Merchant King

Coin arrived at the stables in time to see a pair of burly porters loading sealed wooden crates onto the back of their wagon. Each one had the Greatglow crest, a luminous mushroom on a bronze shield, painted on the wood. A tarp was promptly tossed over the boxes to provide some measure of privacy.

"Good work lads, jolly good," Elijah said, handing each one a few ducats as a tip.

The first man, stout and bearded, graciously pocketed his. "You oughta be careful out there, ser. Not just for the sake of the paintings either. Road has a share of dangerous sorts hangin' about once you're away from the shadow of the walls, and word of this shipment may well spread fast. You know how it is when it comes to rich folks."

"I'll be fine, don't you worry," Elijah replied. He brightened as Coin approached, helping him load the provisions into the wagon. "There you are! Thought you'd gone and gotten lost."

Coin smiled bashfully, standing aside to help Essine into the back of the wagon. "I was... well, there was a delay." He leaned into his mentor in a conspiratorial manner, excitement glittering in his golden eyes. "I saw a talking gorilla!"

Elijah didn't look half as surprised as Coin had expected him to be. "Ah, Merrick? Guess he's still living in Sentinel."

"You... know him?" Coin asked, partially deflating with disappointment.

"Not personally," Elijah replied. He made his way to the front of the wagon and fished a handful of berries from his pocket. Dancer opened his mandibles, a long probing tongue scooping the berries up one by one. "He's something of a fixture in the city, one of the few wizards who lives within the walls proper. He wouldn't stick out if it wasn't for his hairy transformation. I've seen him around, from time to time."

"What is... gorilla?" Essine asked from where she sat.

"Ah, well, they're a sort of... big monkey. You find 'em in the more mountainous highlands up north, and in some of the plains and steppes to the east," he explained. "Huge, muscular, hairy... it's generally a good idea to keep your distance from them. But Merrick got to keep his faculties when he got turned into one, at least."

That made the kobold tilt her head, her eyes growing wider. "This wizard became a beast, and chose to stay that way?"

"Suppose it must have its advantages," Elijah replied. He wiped his palm with a cloth after Dancer finished eating. As docile and pleasant as the giant insect was, he had table manners so awful that even a pig would accuse him of being an uncivil boar. Elijah climbed into the driver's seat, grunting as he did so. "I know I'd be more spry if I had an ape body to work with. So, what did he want?"

"Just gave me an impromptu magical lesson," Coin replied, patting the scroll he'd tucked into his coat. "Guess it's pretty important for wizards to teach newcomers."

"Yes, well, most accomplished wizards are always on the hunt for apprentices. It's a big deal to that lot," Elijah replied.

"Do you... plan on leaving this group?" Essine asked, her pointed ears twitching. Coin spied a hint of sadness in her eyes, which made his stomach knot.

"N-no, of course not. I'm here permanently!"

That brought a smile to the kobold's face. "Thank goodness," she said.

They rode their wagon through one of Sentinel's larger roads, passing by an assortment of other carriages as they went. The bumping of the cobbles beneath them occasionally got so bad that Coin feared his breakfast was going to try and climb its way up his throat to blessed freedom.

One of the northern gates led out into a large road which gradually diverged into a series of branching paths. Elijah drew a map from a pocket of his shirt, sticking his tongue from his mouth as he tried to to sort their route,

Coin leaned in for a better look, but it was hard to make out the specifics of the smaller roads as they were drawn.

"Gilly Froth... On the road between here and Redwood Grange. Which means we need to..." Elijah clicked his tongue, looking from the map to the road. "Take that route," he said, raising a finger and motioning to a winding road that branched and grew steadily hillier.

It was as they were considering their options that a trio of larger wagons trundled past them in single file, each sporting the logo of the Venture Company on the canvas. They drew so close that Dancer hissed in discomfort, shifting awkwardly on his scuttling legs.

Coin glared at the drivers, who paid them little mind. But his attention quickly shifted toward Ashur, flanked by Yasuko as before, as he he approached them.

"I'm sure you must all think yourselves rather clever. Snatching the Greatglow contract right from under my nose." He bore a carefree smile, but his eyes burned with malice.

"We didn't snatch anything. If you were better than us, you would have gotten the job," Coin firmly replied.

"You always were rather poor when it came to winning people over," Elijah remarked without looking up from his map.

Ashur chuckled. "I was convincing enough to get the other investors and major people in the company on my side."

That made Elijah glance up, his eyes narrowing. "When I was at my lowest. Aye. Congratulations I suppose you expect me to say I'm proud of you for being an opportunist?"

Ashur narrowed his eyes, flashing his teeth in an irritated grimace. "I don't give a shit if you're proud of me or not," he replied, his voice a brittle hiss.

"Could have fooled me," he bluntly replied. He gripped Dancer's reins firmly. "But you know something Ashur? Try as you might, you'll always end up in my shadow. And do you know why?" Elijah leaned forward a bit, enough to make Ashur recoil ever so slightly. "Because the damn company still has my name on it."

He flicked the reins and set off, while Ashur was still balking indignantly. But, eventually, he called after them: "Enjoy that contract, for however long you may damn well have it!"

Essine emerged from her hiding place, resting her hands against the wood of the driver's seat. "That one... is imposing," she murmured. "Very angry."

"Always has been. And I suppose in my foolish youth, I hoped he would have grown out of it."

Coin stole a glance over his shoulder as Sentinel's outer walls grew increasingly distant. He could see Ashur speaking heatedly with Yasuko, his hands gesturing sharply and regularly towards their retreating wagon. The bodyguard watched him impassively, rigid as a statue.

The mimic narrowed his eyes. He doubted the other merchant was willing to let this go easily.

Elijah explained the situation to their kobold companion, who listened with rapt attention. A tiny hissing sound rose in her throat. "Dreadful. Cruel. To be a traitor, a deceiver, it is one of the unforgivable crimes in the eyes of kobold kindred."

"Mhm. I felt much the same when I was first aware of the situation," Elijah replied, sadly shaking his head. "He'll be pissed off. And I doubtless made the situation worse by tugging on a raw nerve like I did."

"Should we be worried?" Coin asked, leaning closer to his mentor. "I saw him talking with that bodyguard of his, and he definitely seemed angry."

Elijah considered the question for several moments, the silence filled by the creaking of the wagon wheels. "I suppose there's the possibility of him doing something stupid. Especially things being as they are these days. It's not uncommon for unscrupulous merchants to make... deals, let's say, with criminal groups. Anything to undercut their competition. That's the environment of competition Velasco's initiative has generated. Just about everyone wants to become the official mercantile company of Sentinel."

Coin stirred where he sat, looking ahead at the winding road. The ground grew uneven, shifting into sloping hills that were flanked by trees and bushes. "So, we might be in danger?" Coin asked.

"It's not impossible," Elijah admitted, sparing a glance to his companions. "But we may be safer on this stretch of the road than elsewhere. In these parts, at least, you get guard patrols."

"From the sound of things, they should be sending out more guards these days. But, I guess if anything happens, I'll take care of it," Coin replied. And with his new promethium ring, it would be a perfect chance for him to test it out.

And he was, admittedly, a bit hungry.

They settled in for a long ride, beneath a canopy of thick grey clouds that threatened to start raining at any given moment. Coin took another glance at the two crates, inwardly pondering the sheer wealth those boxes signified. And the bounty their presence had potentially painted on their backs.

A strange prickling sensation rose in Coin's flesh, the exact same kind of wariness he felt whenever he encountered something truly dangerous back in the temple. Whatever lay ahead of them, Coin knew it wouldn't be a safe journey.