Chapter 29 - The Building of Debt

Peter underestimated how busy Hardin, Phegolan's capital city, would be.

The six entered Hardin an hour or two before noon, Claire hiding herself behind the others. Carts and wagons filled the streets, pedestrians filing onto the edges of the road to not block them. Compared to the town they first stopped at, the buildings felt much more modern, most of them sporting lacquered wooden storefronts. The street itself was smoothed stone, providing a much more solid surface to walk on. He wondered how slippery it would be when it rained. Probably not much more than a normal sidewalk.

After ten minutes or so, they reached a large brick building, the words "Building of Debt" emblazoned on the stone sign. It was about three stories tall, and as wide as the Elkinare Bathhouse. Its windows were wide and as tall as the door, and through it the crew could see people chatting with the tellers inside. It almost felt like a bank, with how everything was structured.

"Are you sure we pay off our debts here?" He asked.

Claire nodded. "I've seen it before, when Porterson needed me to help a friend of his with chores. I stood inside with him as he paid off the debts of his indentured servants. In fact, one of them had come up with him; he paid off his own debt using a golden nugget he found while mining. That was when I had the idea of trading in the amulet."

"So by turning in the amulet, you're giving Porterson money?"

She nodded. "I don't like the idea of giving him even more money, but I despise the idea of Alanis trapped in that mansion even more."

Antoni chipped in. "It's all determined by appraisers that stand by in the Building of Debt. If the item turned in is is more than enough to pay it off, the debtor gets the remainder back in coin. Of course, it's always much easier to just pay with currency, but I think anyone we try selling this amulet to will try and swindle us."

"And the King?"

"The King doesn't grant favors like that. He'll tell us to take the amulet elsewhere. The only thing it would do is prove that he's dead."

His questions satisfied, Peter stayed silent. Laura and Maya offered to stay outside, leaving the four others to enter. As they entered a cacophony of voices overlapping each other hit them; Peter almost got a migraine on the spot. Inside, chairs sat to the left, installed for those waiting on their turn. Straight ahead lied the tellers, all of whom were currently occupied with other debtors. They took their seats in line. Before Peter could ask how it was determined who could go next, a debtor was called up; everyone shifted a seat to the right. He frowned. This would take a lot longer than he expected.

. . .

After an hour of waiting, most of which Peter spent sleeping, it was finally time.

The teller, looked at the four with tired eyes, hunched over the counter. "What are you in here for?" He asked in a monotone voice.

Claire cleared her throat. "I want to pay off debt."

"What type of debt?"

"Indentured service."

"Your name and the estate you owe debt to?"

"Eliza from Applecot Mansion. If I may, I would also like to pay off Freya's as well. Same estate."

"And how would you like to pay off the debt?"

"Item appraisal."

He sighed loudly. "Show me the item."

She fetched the amulet and handed it over to the teller. The teller stared at the item, analyzing it from all angles. As he continued, energy seeped into his movements, his sluggish demeanor dampening. He looked up at her. "We get fakes like these all the time. If this is one, you're in for a world of hurt."

"Trust me, it's the real deal."

"Alright. I'll hand it over to the appraiser. Give me a minute." He walked away into a room behind him, shutting the door. Five minutes later, the teller came back, a man with fuzzy hair following him. Both looked considerably excited.

"Where did you get this?" The fuzzy haired man whispered loudly. "In all my days as an appraiser of goods, I never thought I'd get to see the Amulet of Taykaw myself!"

Eric smiled, his hands on his hips. "I tracked him down and slayed him with my own hands. He was a menace to the entire world, but he was no match for my divine lightning. This young lady here was one of my traveling buddies, and helped considerably in battle."

It took all his might for the appraiser to not clap his hands loudly. "By the Gods! It's a miracle! I must tell the King personally - but not before processing this, of course. Eliza and Freya, was it?"

She nodded.

The teller sorted some papers he brought along with him. "Normally, you'd be a bit worse off, because you were reported absent. But even with the accrued debt, the amulet's value is enough to pay off both of the debts - and then some. Unfortunately, since the remainder is so high, you'll have to wait for the next day to collect it." He filled in a form and folded it, giving it to them. "Bring this to the Harbin Central Bank tomorrow morning. They should have the money by then. Thank you for your service to Phegolan - no, to the entire world."

. . .

At nightfall, Claire studied the form in her hands in a nearby hotel room, still processing the amount of money she'd gotten.

Considering the cost of both their debt and the interest accrued from her absence, the remainder amounted to seven hundred gold coins. Seven hundred thousand silver coins was now hers. She never had that much money, not even her mother did. What was she going to do? Seven hundred would weigh so much, she'd have to distribute the coins across multiple bags! And what if someone noticed said money? She'd be a target for bandits all over Deusterra! How did people deal with this? Did they buy a house and settle down immediately? Did they-

Peter entered the room, making her jolt a bit. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

"No, it's alright. I'm... I still can't believe it, that's all."

"Well, you better. Everything will be settled by tomorrow."

"I know. Where's Maya?"

"She's out with Eric's crew right now. Their brawler, Laura, apparently wanted to show her around Hardin. She's taking a liking to her, it seems." He sat down on the bed, sitting next to her. "How long has it been?"

"Since we were bought? About thirty years." She put the form away, sighing. "That's how long I've been waiting for this moment. I never thought I'd pull it off, really. Always thought it was an excuse for me to keep going."

"How does it feel?"

"I don't know. I'm excited, but I'm nervous at the same time. It's like anything can happen now." She got up, stowing the form away in her knapsack. "Sorry, but I have to take a walk. I can't sort my thoughts out otherwise."

"Alright then."

They both exited her room. She walked away, down the hallway, leaving him to go back to his own room. As he cleaned up and got in bed, he wondered just what kind of person Alanis was, or how she would be when he saw her for the first time.

Oh well. Tomorrow would bring those answers with it.