Chapter 162: Low Profile
The first thing that Simon did once he was standing in the streets of Esmiran was stash his junk in the alley next to the bakery. Then, he walked across the street to secure a room at the inn. One silver piece later, he was back across the street collecting his things.
The last time he’d been here, he’d spent a few days relaxing from the awful pace of the last run before he’d saved that girl and been ambushed by those white cloaks. This time didn’t seem to be any different so far, but then, he didn’t have the clearest memories of this place beyond the fight, the whisperer, and how cute the baker was.
No matter what was going to happen this go around, he didn’t have time to waste. So, instead of drinking and getting to know the regulars around the bar, he went straight to the blacksmith to size the man up.
Simon introduced himself as he looked around. Haadon, which turned out to be the smith’s name, was a man of only average talents; judging by some of the pieces he had lying around, Simon was probably almost as good as him at most things, but there was no abandoned forge Simon could spend weeks screwing with on the off chance that he could do the work himself.
Instead, he got straight to the point and let his money do the talking. “I have some armor in pretty bad shape,” he said, pulling a handful of gold coins from his coin purse and setting them down in a small stack on the anvil while Haadon eyed him with growing interest. “It's some custom pieces, of course, so I’d need the utmost discretion.”
“I’m sure we can handle that,” the smith answered, practically licking his lips.
“You say that, but some of the markings… well, let’s just say if the white cloaks or the village busybody caught wind of it, there would be real trouble,” Simon emphasized, setting down another small stack of coins. “Trouble for both of us, you understand?”
This was enough to make the blacksmith meet Simon’s eye, but only briefly, before he returned to the growing stack of gold. “Yes, sir. I don’t want no trouble here in Esmiran, so as long as you’re just passing through, I’m not inclined to ask about your business.”
Simon smiled at that but quickly suppressed it. He’d forgotten how powerful the magic of greed could be because he’d been poor for several runs in a row now.