A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

Chapter 84  The Cruelty of The Gods - Part 9

"I want a sword," Beam said, testing the waters. But Greeves instantly shook his head.

"No can do. I don't have any cheap swords kicking around and with the price of steel in this village you'd be looking at upwards of 1 gold," Greeves said.

"I still want a sword," Beam said adamantly. "On top of the 5 coppers you're giving me for completing the quest, I want 5 coppers for these heads and I want a sword with it."

"You're not making any sense, boy," Greeves said in irritation. "I've already said I can't get you a sword. I'm not going to give you 5 coppers on top of a deal I already declined."

"Then make your offer, merchant. That's what I want. What do you ask for in return?" Beam said.

"Heh…" Greeves slowly drained the last of his wine as he narrowed his eyes at Beam. "You're getting used to me now, aren't you boy? You know I chase the scent of coin. Let's see… If you're looking for that, you're going to have to take out a loan. Are you really sure you want to take a loan from me?"

"Yeah, no, I definitely don't want to," Beam said. "But I do need that sword. In two weeks' time, I plan to hunt that Hobgoblin. Would its corpse be of interest to you?"

That gave Greeves pause, and he smiled. "Now there, we might be able to find our common cause… Mm. So, you want me to take a gamble on you? You want me to lend you a sword for which to slay this Hobgoblin?"

"I do," Beam said with a firm nod.

"This certainly seems more like a gamble than an investment," Greeves mused. "What reason do I have to believe that you're capable of such a feat? Are you saying you'll accomplish this alone? Judas, what say you?"

Judas had been frowning the whole while as he listened in. "I'd say it's madness… Even I wouldn't want to fight a Hobgoblin. Maybe I'd be able to scratch out a victory – but it'd be a close thing. I might end up losing a hand for it."

"Hoh… My man advises me against it. And, judging by the state of your leg, he seems wise to think so. Now, do you have any room to counter?" Greeves asked with a smile.

"My leg is in a pretty bad way," Beam admitted. "But I do not think it will take too long to heal. We don't have to leave the date set in stone anyway – it could be 2 weeks, it could be a month, but if you give me a sword, I'll slay a Hobgoblin on your behalf and give you the corpse in exchange for keeping the blade."

"Mmm," Greeves said, considering it. "You see, the issue is, this is a loan without guarantee I'll ever be paid back. If you lose against this Hobgoblin after I lend you the sword, I'll probably lose my blade. That's nearly a whole gold coin down the drain."

"Well, you can take these few heads as a deposit towards the loan," Beam said. "They're worth a lot more than 5 coppers, are they not? Now your losses are less. But your gains will be far more. I imagine a Hobgoblin corpse is worth far more than a cheap sword, no?"

"Tempting, very tempting," Greeves said, narrowing his eyes. "The limiting factor in this exchange is you. If you fail, that fucks things up, you get me, boy? Can I really bet on you?"

"You can," Beam said, seriously, imbuing his next words with the weight of his soul. "It is either defeating this Hobgoblin, or death. There is no room in between for me."

There was something about the emotion he twisted into those words and the look in the boy's eyes and the state of his body as he spoke them. It painted such a picture to Judas and Greeves. For a moment, their hearts beat slightly faster.

"Hoh," a broad grin broke out across Greeves' face as he looked towards Judas. "What a little treasure we've found here, hmm? You're an odd sort, boy, that's for sure. Anyone would have thought this Hobgoblin had killed your entire family with the way you're speaking. Y'know, when you're willing to go that far, I feel a slight bit more willing to push a few coins towards betting on you."

The merchant reached into his drawer and pulled out a coin pouch, counting out 10 coppers. He slid them towards Beam. "5 coppers for the completion of the quest and the 5 coppers you asked for as part of the Goblin heads payment. The rest of their worth, I'm taking as a down payment for this sword loan, correct?"

Beam nodded, taking the coins in his battered hands. "That works for me."

"Good," Greeves said, before looking at his leg again and shaking his head. "You heal up quickly now, boy. There's work to be done. 2 weeks you said initially, correct? I'm going to hold you to that. I don't care if you can hardly walk. These quests need completing. Even if you bleed out chopping wood, you're going to make sure they're done. 2 weeks. That's all you get."

"I'll be faster than that," Beam said, rising to his feet, believing his words.

Greeves waggled a finger at him. "Don't get cocky now, boy. You'll anger me if you over-promise and under-deliver. I like you. I do. Don't fail me now. It would be a shame to get rid of you."

By getting rid of, Beam knew exactly what the merchant was implying and he nodded his head grimly. He had no intention of failing. Truly, that was how much his defeat to this Hobgoblin had angered him. He would rather die than endure the burning pangs of failure rippling through his flesh once more.

He moved towards the door with a clenched fist, ignoring the pain in his leg, determined to get back to full health as soon as possible.

"Careful now," Judas said, walking him out. "It'll only heal slower if you keep mistreating it." He nodded towards his leg as he spoke, pointing to the blood that was already beginning to pour down Beam's shin.