37 Distribution of Wealth (1/2)
Corco was happy. For the first time in years, he could feel comfortable in his own skin again. When he looked down on the precious silken robe and tunic which covered his body, he could sense the tradition of hundreds of years of craftsmanship course through his skin. Held back by his new hairband, the crown prince's previously unbound hair no longer hung into his line of sight at last and revealed a clear, open view on the world he had missed all these years.
Back when he had left Arcavia for his return here, Corco had finally stopped whitening his skin, no longer content to pretend a role he wasn't willing to fill. However, only now that he had hung up his Bornish merchant clothes and replaced them with the free-flowing silks of the Medalan upper class could he feel like himself once more. Only now did he feel ready to face the demons of his past.
”So that's your style here. A bit garish, huh?” With a grin as crooked as his character, Dedrick the fake knight greeted Corco back into the sunlight. While the prince had gone through the final fitting in Porcero's best tailor shop, the mercenary captain and his men had made sure that the commoners of Etra wouldn't cause a commotion outside, since they all wanted to get a glimpse of the mysterious crown prince who had returned from the dead.
”You have a problem with your eyes, Arcavian?” Corco asked his employee with a raised brow. ”This is pure Chutwa silk, a robe over a tunic, both woven, folded and stitched with the greatest care. The folds themselves are the result of centuries of tradition, each one the result of generations of thought and devotion. Each piece is much more sophisticated than your barbarian vests.”
”True. Women's dresses tend to be more complicated anyways.”
Unwilling to indulge the mercenary any further, Corco ignored Dedrick's nonsense and Atau's laughter. He instead decided to focus on the essentials.
”So where is that massive crowd from before? Don't tell me you threatened the people of this nice port town? We've been over this. These are my subjects now, so I'd rather you held back a bit with the bandit attitude. Don't make trouble and leave the people alone.”
”Boss, I didn't do anything. Even if I felt like torturing some random peasants, which I don't, I know you wouldn't want that. No matter what, I won't piss off the guy who has my money, and the only one who can get me and my men back home. I'm not an idiot...” Already anticipating the reaction, Dedrick turned over to Atau's provocative smirk. ”What, you got a problem Captain Bucket?”
”Anyways,” After his threat had only earned him a careless shrug from Atau, Dedrick explained the disappearance of the masses with a gesture down the street, back towards the harbor. ”Your precious subjects are over there. Looks like your royal authority got nothing on Ronnie and the kid.”
A bit in the distance, a small crowd had formed around two figures. By the pier, in front of Corco's fleet, the lanky alchemist with the frilly clothes and the chubby merchant with the golden rings formed an odd, but effective pair, as each held up an object of the crowd's desire. With loud voices, they called over the crowd's murmur to praise the benefits of the exotic products sold by the Fastgrade Merchant Company.
”Oh for fuck's... can we get those two away from there? We're not merchants, not anymore. Bring them over before they get into trouble, I've got an announcement to make.”
”On it, Master Corco.” In response to Corco's annoyance, Fadelio stepped up and made his way through the crowd and towards the final two members of their little group. Even though Dedrick still held on to his grin, at least Fadelio and Atau, the Medalan natives within their group, would understand just how problematic it was to be considered a merchant here. If Ronnie and Brym started to sell luxury products to commoners, they would have a tough time getting accepted by the elites in the capital, or anywhere else, for that matter.
Just in time, the warrior managed to rip the two chatterboxes away from the glamour of fame, and soon their little band of five – and Dedrick – had entered one of the cleaner side-alleys in the outer city. Shielded by the rest of Dedrick's mercenaries and communicating in Bornish, they would be safe enough to readjust their plans.
”Okay, here's the rub,” Corco began. ”For now, I'm still the crown prince of the Medala Empire, but somehow, I'm also dead. Now, I have no idea how the people in the capital came to that weird idea, but there's nothing we can do about it until we reach Arguna and ask the people who declared my death directly. On top of that, my two brothers have become front runners for the throne in my absence, both under support from foreign kingdoms. All of this is serious trouble and will complicate my ascension to emperor by quite a bit. We're not without our own advantages though. We've been preparing for this for half a decade and stacked one superiority on top of the next. Now is the time to cash in all those investments. So first, in order to take full advantage of all of our strengths, we'll have to split up.”
A moan rang through the crowd, as everyone except Fadelio and Atau began to sound their dissatisfaction.
”Look, I can't be everywhere at once, and we're half a year behind the competition. We need to catch up, and I need you guys in the right spots, to make sure we maximize our strength. Can I count on you guys for this?”
For a while, Corco's eyes moved from one of his friends to the next, until all of them had replied with a determined nod.
”First off: Brym, you're gonna stay here and help establish our first two shops, one in the inner city and a second one in the outer city.”
”Got it bro.” the young merchant replied with a sloppy salute.
”Wait, wait. Wait a second,” Dedrick interrupted the sortie. ”You're just gonna leave the kid here all by himself? Isn't that a bad idea?”
”...he is hardly a kid anymore. And Ronnie will stay here as well, at least until we've set up the stills for the brandy production. Until then, the two can get into the good graces of the locals, which is sort of their super power anyways.” After he had dealt with Dedrick's moaning, Corco turned to the two smooth talkers, who had already proven without a doubt that they could deal with the local crowds. ”You think you can handle this?”
”Yeah, no problem bro,” Brym replied.
”An easy task for the great alchemist Bombasticus. As my first mission in the Occident, I had hoped for a greater challenge, one befitting of my talents,” a much more flamboyant Ronnie answered with both his words and his hands.
”Okay,” Corco clapped, ”there you have it. They'll be fine. Next up, I'll have to get to the capital. If we don't make it there by the time the elders of the ancestral hall announce the next candidate for emperor, we'll be out of luck. Even if we don't make it in time, at least we need to get there before the noble's assembly confirms the hall's choice. Otherwise this entire operation is a bust. I'll take Fadelio with me, as my personal attendant. And Dedrick: You'll come too. Go pick one hundred of your guys to go along as well, as moral support.”
”No, wait a second.” Once again, Dedrick interrupted Corco's grand planning session, with no regard for gravitas. ”Didn't you say before that there's an entire army waiting in that capital of yours? What the hell are we supposed to do with one measly company? What about the rest of our troops?”
Just like before, Corco did his best to answer with the driest look he could muster.
”...did you hear a word I said when I described the Medala Empire? We're not really all that keen on outsiders here.”