21 The Builder (1/2)

Li cut away an overgrown bough from a blueberry bush. He used a large pair of scissors, recently sharpened and cleaned to the point that they reflected sunlight, to prune. He didn't really think much while pruning because his hands instinctively knew where to direct the scissors. All he had to do was listen to the bushes. Where the life beat a little too strongly, choking out the precious berries, he sheared off.

”You've got steady hands, sir. You'd make a fine addition in my crew.”

”Yeah, I'll pass on that. I've never been into building things. Reminds me too much of the city,” said Li as he circled the bush, smiling in satisfaction as he saw how plump and heavy the blueberries were. Good color too, a nice dark blue that stood out against the green of the bush.

Li gave a short glance to the builder. He stood a few meters away from the bushes, beyond the flimsy wooden fence that enclosed the berry bushes. The builder stared at Li with round and shifty eyes that didn't seem to know how to settle in just one place.

The adventurers from the day before had, as promised, referred the builder to Li, and the man didn't seem all too bad. He was a short and squat man with a round, pudgy face and a noticeable belly but his arms, visible through his short-sleeved shirt, were well-padded with muscle. Plus he had the hands of a builder, wide like bricks and worn with calluses.

There was a constant jitter to the man that was rather odd, though. He never seemed to stop moving. Even when standing still, some part of him would always be moving. His hands would twitch or maybe his eyes would shift here and there.

”Why stand so far away?” said Li as he moved on to another bush with his scissors. ”I'm here to negotiate a contract with you, not threaten you. ”

”Aye, sir, but no offense – that hound makes me mighty scared.” The builder pointed a shaking finger to Li's feet.

Zagan lay there, eyes closed in sleep as he basked in the sunlit dirt. His great, barrel-like chest rose and fell with each of his breaths.

”He's reasonable. And smart. He won't kill you unless I want him to,” said Li nonchalantly, momentarily forgetting about how much the builder would value his mortal life. ”Or, er, I mean to say he won't hurt you.”

Li didn't like hearing Zagan referred to as a simple hound, but for purposes of a disguise, it would have to do.

Zagan, at the least, didn't mind. When he and Li had first met at the forest, Li had told him he would be a farm hound, and apparently, the demon had taken that command to heart, fully preparing to spend his days guarding the farm from threats. In fact, Zagan was even honored to have a role in protecting something so precious to Li now that he understood how strongly it was tied to his master's soul. Said that being an Elder One's hound was honor enough to ask for.

”I'm a careful man, sir,” said the builder. He coughed into an open palm for a few seconds and regained his breath.

”Then listen carefully to this,” said Li. ”I want a retractable roof over this berry garden and the herb garden on the other side. I want to get out a stall up front by the main road that's got locking mechanisms and enough space to store twenty pots. I also want a stable with enough room for three horses. Of course, the stall's the main priority and everything else can come later. Think you can manage that?”

Li understood he was asking for a lot, but he figured he would go big from the start and negotiate down from there. The builder seemed to be a nervous wreck, so Li was relatively confident he could browbeat the poor man into a less than favorable deal.

The builder, however, took Li's request seriously and drew a step back to size up the cottage and farm, his eyes slowly moving from side to side as he analyzed the feasibility of Li's request. His constant jittering stopped when he applied his mind to his trade, and for a few moments, he seemed as serious as the gravest of army generals pondering battle plans.