Wars and Wealth - Bargains with Exiled Fae

Chapter 5

All told, David’s new pack with all his gear came in at 23 kg, with room for food. He was thrilled with the new items. This ultralight gear could cut nearly 2/3rds of the weight he was used to lugging into the northern wilderness on winter campaign.

“That will be six thousand dret.”

David blinked at the number but reminded himself that good gear was worth every dret, and besides, money was nothing to him. He swiped his card and was about to leave when the clerk said,

“Good luck, and don’t be too surprised if you have company in the next day or two.”

David raised an eyebrow and the clerk just lifted his chin, indicating some people behind him.

David looked over his shoulder to see several attractive young ladies who appeared to be in their last year of university watching him with furtive smiles.

“You may not be dressed like much sir, but a purchase like that will pique all of their attention. I bet they expect to see you climbing the cliffs soon.”

“Climbing?”

The clerk grinned and pointed to a whole other section of the store. “Get yourself a base camp established. Perhaps if any of the ladies mention that they are heading that way, I will make sure they have an extra harness for you. It’s a fairly friendly community of people and they love to teach newbies. Hell, the girls are some of the best athletes on the cliffs.” He said with a wink.

David smiled back, “If they look like that, feel free to send them my way.”

David just hoped a certain little fae wouldn’t cause issues. His secret companion was a deadly weapon in a fight but could turn feral if left unsupervised for too long. While she'd enjoy the forest, she might jeopardize his good time with her antics.

Now burdened with a pack of supplies, David made his way towards the north end of town where he could catch a ride to the trail head.

A man looking to be just a bit older than David’s twenty eight years suddenly stepped into his path.

“Sir, a moment of your time. I promise it will be worth it.”

“I… What. What do you want?” David asked, annoyed.

“I am doing a quick survey of the people in town. If you will take it, you will be entered to a drawing for a large banquet my family is throwing in two weeks, and you will even have a shot at winning a dinner date with the beautiful Miss Sara Harlow.”

David looked at the man with a flat expression. “Does this miss Harlow know she is being volunteered for this?”

“Of course, of course. She is turning twenty-five in a few months, and is still single. The whole family is working hard to help her find someone special.”

David didn’t believe the man for a second. He was half tempted to go along with the ploy just to give the poor girl an easy way out. He could at least treat her to a nice dinner with no expectations. 

“Tell me about this Miss Harlow.”

“Ah well, my cousin is considered one of Perth’s top beauties. Likely in all of Estopia Province few compare.”

“I see. So attractive and still single… sounds fishy to me.” David replied.

“Ah, well, She does have some odd habits, I admit. She tends to spend a lot of time at that kung fu dojo. She has broken a few men’s noses. But, for a strapping man such as yourself… that should be no problem!”

David thought back to the two women he had seen that very morning and wondered if one of them was this Sarah Harlow. “Fine. What do you want to know?”

“I just need a few things. I need a name, and a phone number in case you win the initial invite. After that, in an effort to help our company better serve the community we are surveying how many people own their home in the area and how far they have to travel for work.”

“Well, I don’t have a house at the moment, and I don’t work, so I don’t think I will be of much help to your little survey.” David said, preparing to set off again.

“Oh. I see! And, a soldier perhaps?” the man asked, eyeing his build.

“At one time. But now I have other goals.”

“Well, perhaps we can still get you a meal, in honor of your service. If you go ahead and sign my form, I can send you the information about the banquet. Consider it part of how the Harlow Group is trying to give back to the community.”

David eyed the man suspiciously but figured he wouldn’t turn down a free meal. Besides, it would let him get to know this Harlow Group better and see if they might be useful in his future plans. “Fine, give it here.” He signed and added his number before continuing on his way.

“See you in two weeks, Mister… David!” the man said, reading from the page.

“Strange person. But perhaps this city isn’t entirely rotten to the core.” David thought to himself.

After the odd encounter, David started up the mountain from the port city of Perth.

As he made his way up the trail there were several groups of hikers returning to the city, full of smiles and good cheer.

It seemed that this area was indeed a favorite for many locals.

As he arrived at the top of the waterfall, the sun was dipping low, so he hurried down into the valley below, vowing that He would take in the full view in the morning.

He found the cave less than an hour later and set up the hammock between two trees just outside the mouth of the cave.

With the last rays of light streaming into his camp, he quickly collected loose sticks and a log to use for a fire that night. It would be a hasty camp, but he had survived worse. Thankfully the night promised to be clear and only slightly chilly.

The next morning, David Tyr, General of the Imperial Armies and the Emperor’s personal God of War, swung in a hammock while sipping from a steaming mug of hot tea. His campfire crackled before him as he watched the sun rise over the top of the waterfall.

This was the first night in a long while that he had slept so peacefully. All along his journey from the capital he had slept on hard ground, or in the occasional low-end hotel, but none gave him the sense of peace that this slice of nature did.