IABD 46: Coin, Cultivation and Negotiation

Ecaris’ revelation rolled over Matthias, transfixing his thoughts to silence.

He’d never really given any thought to what meeting another Divine Breath cultivator would be like, or if he’d ever meet another one, but randomly stumbling upon one on a seedy side street in a market far from home would not have been his first guess.

Judging by the stunned silence of his family members, it would not have been their first guesses either.

Ecaris’ grin widened, and the merchant puffed up like a preening bird. “Well, well, I don’t often get reactions like this! You’ll make a grown man blush!”

His words brought Matthias back, and the young greatfolk shook himself. “By the Ascended, someone else who uses Divine Breath!”

Excitement burned inside him; a flood of questions bubbled in his mind, jockeying as to which would be the first to be asked.

One finally won out: “How long have you been…using Divine Breath? Er, cultivating?”

Ecaris chuckled. “That’s not usually the first question I get after I reveal myself. Not usually the first one by far: more often I get an, ‘I knew it! Now how much can you knock off that price?’ Your reaction is a lot more pleasant. Let’s see now, it’s the year fourteen hundred and eighty-one of the Age of Fire…so that would mean…” He frowned. “I wish I’d kept an accounting of my age as closely as I do an accounting of my coin. Ah, fifty-two years ago is when I Awoke.”

“Fifty-two years!” Bregindoure sputtered. “You hardly look much older than me. Actually…” He touched his moustache. “I think I look older than you.”

Ecaris laughed at that, then paused. “Wait, just how old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

“And you can grow facial hair like that! I cultivate the Divine Breath of a dwarven god—one depicted with a magnificent beard—but what I grow on my face looks like a dead squirrel. A dead squirrel with mange. A dead squirrel with mange that’s been left in the summer sun of Yahar for a month. How am I to look the part of the wise sage when I look like I just turned twenty?”

“Don’t be ashamed of that, you have incredible skin,” Beggahasta complimented him.

“Why thank you, madam! Some people use beef tallow and olive oil for their skin care.” Ecaris rubbed one of his smooth cheeks. “I steal power from a god. It’s not quite the same but I think my way’s a little more effective.”

“It seems so,” Beggahasta said. “If you’ve been cultivating for that long, were you here in Dagger Rock thirty years ago? I passed through the city a time or two back then.”

“I was not,” Ecaris admitted. “I—Oh, where are my manners? If we’re going to have a chat, please take a seat. I could offer you something to drink as well. I have pine needle tea, green tea from Zengxin and Sugatal, mare’s milk, small beer, and though it’s a little early for spirits for me, I could fetch a decanter of wine for you, madam.”

The merchant gestured to a table in the back room with some comfortable chairs fitted with overstuffed cushions upholstered to their seats and backs. As he bustled over to a side cabinet—opening it and revealing several bottles and pitchers—the family told him what they would like to drink then settled in to relax for a while.

Matthias was trying to decide which question to ask next when Ecaris finally answered Beggahasta’s:

“I have been operating out of Dagger Rock for fifteen years; before that, I travelled all through the five kingdoms and down into the midlands, plying my trade.” He placed several bottles, cups, and pitchers on a tray balanced on his left hand and brought everything to the table. The tray remained perfectly balanced on his hand. “I’ve even visited Frostland to the south, as well as Chalek-Baal and Yahar. If my youthful face makes you question my ability as an experienced crafter, I assure you, you’ll be troubled to find anyone better.”

“So, if you’ve been crafting for such a long time, what Layer are you?” Matthias asked.

“Oh, well, that’s a forward question, isn’t it?” Ecaris poured him a cup of milk. “Hmmmm, which makes me believe that you haven’t been cultivating Divine Breath for very long, have you?”

“No, I only Awakened a few months ago, why?” the young greatfolk answered slowly, wondering if he’d said something rude.

“Let’s just say it’s prudent not to go around announcing what Layer you are,” Ecaris warned. “Sure, you can tell folks what gods you cultivate and when and how you Awakened and the like—that’s small talk among cultivators, most of the time—but announcing what Layer you are can be dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Dagma asked.

“Dangerous, indeed. Especially for one who just Awakened mere months ago, they’re as new as a baby.” Ecaris poured Dagma a cup of milk next.

Matthias frowned, face flushing. “I am no baby. I killed a demonic-beast tiger.”

“A very impressive feat for one who just Awakened, but I bet you haven’t solidified your foundation yet, and it seems you don’t really know how to conduct yourself as yet either. That makes you a baby, in my book, and that’s not an insult, by the way!” The merchant finished pouring drinks and gracefully slid into a chair at the head of the table. “We are all babies at one time, and we only grow by learning and making mistakes that hopefully, don’t cost us our lives.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘cost us our lives’?” Matthias asked.

Ecaris’ smile faded. “Let me ask you a question, my friend. Why did you take the incredible risk of fusing your soul with the leftover energy of the divine?”

“That’s easy: because I had to,” Matthias responded. “If I didn’t, my life would never have been worth living. I would have been living as a ghost of myself for my entire life, and it probably would have been a very short life at that. Besides, I also wanted to help my family, and I couldn’t have done that as I was.”

“Well, those are some very noble reasons.” Ecaris chuckled. “Would you like to know why I did it?”

Matthias nodded his head. He couldn’t even begin to guess.

“I did it because I watched a good friend slowly die of the waking sickness and suddenly, being faced with the shadow of death, it terrified me so much, that I thought it better to take the ultimate risk, rather than just accepting the horrifying inevitable.” Ecaris’ cheer faded. “And my reason was relatively noble compared to many others’. Ask yourself this question: what kind of person would be most likely to look at the idea of stealing energy from a deity—risking one’s own body and soul, and facing persecution in many places in the world—and still say: ‘yes, that seems like a good idea’? As often as the answer comes back as: ‘the desperate, the noble and the driven’, it also often comes back as: ‘the desperate, the megalomaniacal and the greedy’. There are some cultivators of Divine Breath who will gladly kill their own parents if it grants them even a little more power. In Zengxin, there have been cases of entire sects and clans of cultivators wiping each other out in a single night based on questions of honour or greed. Whenever you meet another cultivator of Divine Breath, it’s always wise to feel them out—why do you think I developed my intuition—and when you are doing so, keep the Layer of your Tower to yourself. If you reveal that you are weaker to the wrong Divine Breath user…well, I’ve seen things end badly.”

Matthias’ frown was deep. “Seems there are bullies in all walks of life, no matter who or what you are. I’ll take what you said to heart. Thank you for warning me.”

“It’s no problem at all.” Ecaris waved a hand. “You seem like a good-natured fellow and one who will likely be an exceedingly long-lived customer. It’s in my financial interest to up your odds of staying long-lived. The same goes for the rest of your family, but Matthias will likely have the most uses for items that are crafted with Divine Breath; I hope you all understand.”

“I take no offense,” Beggahasta said.

“I do—” Bregindoure began to joke but stopped when his mother gave him a sharp look.

“So, how did you Awaken?” Matthias asked the second of his questions. “I... have so many questions. You see, the person that helped me Awaken was a scholar of Divine Breath, but he didn’t cultivate it himself.”

“Oh? Well, there’s an impressive scholar for you: not many can guide one onto the path of Divine Breath without walking it themselves. In my case, I sought out a cultivator; one filled with earthly desires whose coin purse couldn’t keep up with those desires. I paid them a small fortune, and they guided me onto the path using an elixir and guided energy direction. It was relatively safe but trying. How about you?”

“Uh, we used a lightning storm,” Matthias said.

Ecaris’ eyebrows shot toward his hairline. “Oh, I understand now…you and your clever scholar are both insane! By the Ascended, you must have been desperate at the time.”

“I was…” he admitted. “And did you Awaken in a forge? Was Khazak the deity you wanted to draw from?”

Ecaris nodded. “There is an ancient forge in the midlands that was brimming with his power, and that’s where we decided to conduct the Awakening Ritual. Back then, I was already a merchant, but being able to make things on one’s own—quickly and efficiently—is where true satisfaction and reliability lies. I had always wanted to be a smith but never had the talent for it; Khazak’s Divine Breath provided that talent and more. But what about you? Which deity or deities do you cultivate?”

Matthias thought about his answer. Altaizar had told him that his deities being hidden from him was inexplicable. Impossible.

But maybe an actual cultivator of Divine Breath might have an idea, might know more.

And Ecaris seemed to answer questions about himself and Divine Breath candidly, without being cagey.

Matthias answered. “I don’t really know.”

The merchant snorted. “Very funny!”

“No, I’m serious, I don’t know.”

“You know, you don’t have to make up a vague story if you don’t want to tell me; I wouldn’t be offended. Lots of cultivators of Divine Breath end up drawing from deities they find embarrassing,” Ecaris let out a good-natured laugh. “But a word of advice: come up with a better cover story. What you speak of is as impossible as the sun rising in the west.”

“Oh? Really? Why do you say that?” Matthias asked.

“Because it has never happened. Ever,” Ecaris said. “Not once that I have ever heard of.”

“Well, that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible, right?” Matthias thought back to his conversation with Polla…and how sure he’d been back then that it was impossible for him to have died and come back from death.

Since then, his mind had become open to the idea of different possibilities in the world.

“I suppose not…” Ecaris said. “But there’s no proof of it ever happening, so you might want to come up with a better lie in the future. I won’t overstep my bounds into my client’s privacy, so you don’t have to worry if you don’t wish to share!”

Matthias frowned.

It didn’t seem like making another attempt to convince the merchant that what he was saying would work. He seemed to be dead set on believing that Matthias was hiding his deities out of embarrassment, or for some other reason.

The young greatfolk doubted that he was going to change Ecaris’ mind.

Still, he had gotten something from the exchange; even an actual cultivator of Divine Breath had never heard of deities’ names being hidden on their Towers. In the future, he wouldn’t tell anyone else about his situation unless he had a very good reason to.

Going to the street of shrines hadn’t worked for him either, so perhaps he needed a different approach.

‘Maybe asking questions of others isn’t the best way to learn who my deities are,’ he thought. ‘Additional Enlightenments might work. Polla said one could gain knowledge from what lies within…and I did have that strange, shadowy vision after I went off the cliff. If only I had some way to spark that vision again. But, wishing for it isn’t going to help.’

“Thank you for your advice,” Matthias said to the merchant. “I’ll keep it in mind for the future.”

“Good! Madam Beggahasta, you have raised a wise son!” Ecaris finished his drink. “Now, then, back to business! I do believe we had almost reached a final price for all the materials, though you do drive a haaaard bargain! But that’s a good thing in its own way; there’s no fun to the game when one is competing with someone who doesn’t know how to haggle! Oh, but a question for you…I noticed that the soul-core of the beast wasn’t among the items you presented. Don’t tell me you don’t have it any longer?”

“I don’t have it; Matthias does. It’s not for me to sell,” Beggahasta said. “It’s his prize, and he can do with it as he wishes.”

“Yes.” Matthias’ eyes slid over the many items on the walls. He reached into a pouch on his belt and produced the soul-core.

“Ah, there it is; a soul-core using Sargon-Baal’s Divine Breath, it looks like. That’s interesting. Hmmm…” Ecaris said. “Would you be up for parting with it for a good price?”

“Actually… would you be up for making me something using it?” Matthias asked. “I wouldn’t mind having an item of Divine Breath for myself.”

A sly look crossed Ecaris’ face. “So, for me to use your prize to craft something special for you…is indeed possible.”

“But is it affordable?” Matthias asked quickly.

“Purchasing one of my creations for someone of modest means—unless you’re hiding a fortune that you haven’t revealed so far—no. No, it is not affordable,” Ecaris said bluntly. “But you’ll be providing some of the materials, which reduces my standard price. And depending on what you want, things could be lower still… hmmm… do you wish me to make a weapon for you?”

Ecaris’ eyes fell on Matthias’ tiger fang dagger. “Using the soul-core to empower something crafted from the demonic beast’s remains would be the easiest way. What about that handsome tiger-fang dagger hanging from your belt?”

Matthias thought about that for a moment. “I don’t think so, at least not yet; I don’t use the dagger very much except as a backup weapon.”

He also used it with his shadow-tendril, but that wasn’t for every fight. If he was going to get a magical item crafted from deific energies, then—

“I’d like something I’d be using constantly,” Matthias said.

“Constantly? Perhaps a piece of armour or a garment, then?” Ecaris rubbed his chin, eyeing Matthias’ tiger pelt. “What if I used the soul-core to empower that handsome cloak of yours?”

Matthias leaned forward. “What would it do?”

“That would depend on a number of things; Sargon-Baal’s a ruler, but he’s also a warrior, and his daughter is the goddess of victory, after all,” Ecaris said. “The God of Kings’ Divine Breath has a natural affinity for creating protective enchantments; a king’s job on the battlefield is first to lead and second to survive to continue his rule. Garments crafted with Sargon-Baal's Divine Breath can turn aside blows as well as protect you from the elements, especially fire. Sargon-Baal is the King of Many Hells, and his priests say that he sleeps within a pool of lava: and like him, his Divine Breath conveys a powerful resistance or even an immunity to flame’s bite. Would that interest you?”

Matthias's excitement reached a new peak.

He imagined himself moving across a battlefield, a magical cloak over his shoulders, turning aside arrows, sword-blows, and spears. He imagined himself moving through fire, unharmed.

It was a legendary image.

“Yes, I’d love that!” he was filled with enthusiasm.

“Very well; I can use the soul-core to craft a protective enchantment on your tiger skin. Now, don’t think that your cloak will be able to stop a blow from Gallus the Black or anything like that, but most warriors will not be able to pierce it. Also—much like how a demonic beast grows more powerful over time—there are ways to make items crafted from Divine Breath become stronger over time. Bring it back to me when you have more soul-cores, especially any that come from Sargon-Baal. As for the price of my labour…”

Matthias braced himself.

Ecaris turned to Beggahasta. “What would you say to bartering five of those claws, in return for me crafting your son’s cloak? I would pay you full price for everything else you have, which would bring the final price to twelve hundred gold coins. Sound fair?”

“For a cloak that would protect my child? Of course, we have a deal,” Beggahasta agreed.

Ecaris grinned. “Well, well look who’s about to get himself a fancy new cloak.

Matthias barely resisted the urge to jump into the air and cheer, having to remind himself that he was fourteen, not four. He cleared his throat. “How long will it take?”

“For a simple item like this?” Ecaris said. “Two full days.”

Matthias looked at his mother. “We’re supposed to be gone by moonrise.”

“I could ask Polla if she would be willing to bring us back to collect it,” his mother suggested.

“I’d be willing to hold onto it until you could return,” Ecaris offered.

“Then, hopefully, Polla will agree…but even if she doesn’t, it’ll be worth getting it later,” Beggahasta said. “Alright, let’s do that, then.”

Ecaris grinned broadly. “Perfect! I’ll be honoured to make sure that my client’s cloak will guard his life on his adventures.” He looked at the rest of the family. “Think of it as proof of my craftsmanship. I can see that you, Madam Beggahasta, are a warrior, and your children are growing into that path in life: and you will all need protective equipment and armour: each time Matthias’ cloak saves his life, I do hope you think of Wondrous Works for all your future needs on the battlefield. Now, let me get you your coin.”

The merchant got up from the table.

“Speaking of coin, what’s that? Why do you have a single coin in that display case over there?” Bregindoure nodded to a golden-framed display case.

Inside, was a bronze coin stamped with the image of a towering spire.

“Ah, that. That is an artefact from the Wolfwood: I purchased it for a steal, because the sellers had no idea what they had found. Now, it’s just waiting for someone worthy enough—or rich enough—to claim it.” Ecaris admired the coin proudly. “It might be the most valuable thing within these walls.”

Matthias immediately focused on it.

It radiated power.

###

Author's Note

Hey hey! A bit late today, but I had a very long drive and a lot of stuff to do, so editing took awhile. Enjoy, folks! For those familiar with my settings for a long time now, there's something in this chapter that should be very familiar, hehe.

Other folks will learn what it means eventually...cya tomorrow!