Drip-Fed

 

Korith looked at the 4 platin coins in her hand. It was the remainder of their platin, but with 66 more gold coins in their collective funds, Aclysia did not feel the need to be stingy.

The metal fairy had resolved to also spend on a proper two-handed warhammer later, so the kobold had her traditional main weapon in addition to the mace. Korith would just get it without being asked. That was the simplest way to get her to accept it.

40 gold was a lot and yet it was not that much at all in the context of today. With the money left they would easily make it until the next payday, which in turn would let them buy more equipment, which would let them tackle harder Quests and Dungeons, which would pay them more. Aclysia was feeling very good about their wealth accumulation prospects.

“That’s all?” Korith asked and made big eyes up at the metal fairy. “Ack!” she exclaimed when the metal fairy gave her a reprimanding chop between the eyes.

“That is plenty,” she stated. “Operate within our means or be given nothing.”

“Greedy lizard,” Reysha chimed in jokingly. “Get to it! I want to see what stupid stuff comes out of your scam god this time.”

“I’ll show you scam god…” Korith grumbled and turned around. Her tail came dangerously close to whipping the leg of the seated tiger girl.

They were back inside their Mobile Estate, having opted to do this ritual in seclusion. Korith began laying out the circle, after putting the four coins in a neat pile in the centre of their table.

Just like last time, she used the deck of cards as well as dice to create the summoning circle. They were representative of various values. Hearts stood for the love she had for the Hoard, diamonds for the wealth Hoard was going to receive, crosses for the burdens she would bear for Hoard and spades for the depth to which she was willing to dig to find what the Hoard wanted. The dice all around were representative of the randomness of life and Hoard’s own whims.

Korith put her finger on the ace of diamonds and waited. Almost immediately, the dice and cards began to glow. The coins at the centre flipped into the air, spun, and then fell right through the table. An illusionary image appeared in the air, taking the shape of the piece of quartz she had received last time.

Hastily, Korith pulled it out of her bag and presented it. The moment it was over the edge of the circle, it left her hand and hovered. The cards that made up the circle began to fly in a dramatic tornado of fluttering paper. Three dice flew up to Korith. “Roll the dice,” the nondescript voice of Hoard declared.

“As you wish, great shining pile!” Korith answered and clasped the three dice in her hollow hands. She shook and shook and shook until the moment felt just right. She let go.

The first die landed on a 4.

The second die landed on a 5.

The third die landed on a 6.

The eyes on the dice glowed, then sent out beams that filled the quartz with divine energy. A sound like a hundred coins cascading down filled the room. Most pleasant was the click-clack of metal and the rain of wealth. Most pleasant was the click-clack of the dice, now rolling back into the circle. “Thank you for your contribution,” Hoard announced.

Poof!

The quartz suddenly turned into an uncut, blue gem in the centre of a warhammer. The head was granite, black and grey, shimmering with remnants of Hoard’s might. The long shaft was from the same stone, but smooth and polished, covered with marble inlays where one would grip most frequently. In its entirety, the weapon was almost as tall as she was.

Korith squeaked and jumped to her feet, just barely grabbing the hammer before it started to fall. It would have smashed the table had it been allowed to drop. The weapon was heavy. It was perfectly heavy, exactly the kind of weight the kobold wanted to wield it while delivering devastating strikes.

“I told you Hoard was the best!” Korith said and lifted the hammer up. “Who needs normal hammers when you have a Hoard Hammer!”

“Alright, and what is that?” Reysha asked and pointed at the table.

The kobold’s eyes glided down, then she gasped audibly. Carefully but swiftly she put the hammer aside, to dive for the object left where the four platin coins had been before. It was a stone coin, about the size of an adult woman’s palm. On its surface was carved the image of a big pile of money, behind it a trend line graph that, through rise and falls, went steadily up.

“It’s a Hoardcoin!” she declared. “Do you have any idea what this is worth?!”

“No. How much?” Apexus wanted to know.

“Uhm…” Korith had to stop in her bravado and think about that for a moment. Still looking at the coin, she scratched her chin. “Well, I dunno, we’d have to go to a place that accepts Hoardcoins in exchange for goods and services and ask…”

“Right, so it’s worth nothing,” Reysha drawled.

“How dare you!” Korith grabbed the coin with both hands and raised it above her head like a holy icon. “Hoardcoins are the currency of the future! They’re way better than your stupid metal standard or bank notes! Hoardcoins are backed by the Hoardchain, so their value and integrity are guaranteed and because Hoard only hands them out when it wants, they are highly resistant to local inflation!”

“You just put some numbers together and that popped out,” Reysha pointed out.

“Urgh, you just don’t get it.” Korith shook her head and put the coin away. “Mark my words, this will be very important one day.”

“Way I see it, we paid 4 platin for a warhammer.” Reysha gestured at the pile of other weapons. “All of that combined cost us 90. Scam god.”

“I will show you scam god!” Korith grabbed the handle of the standing warhammer.

“Bring it!” Reysha kept teasing.

“Bad kitty,” Apexus intervened before the redhead could goad her fellow haremette to actual violence. Amused by the title, the Rogue nevertheless backed down. Korith was grabbed and placed in Apexus’ lap. “The money is worth your happiness,” he assured the kobold.

She kept on pouting for about five minutes before cuddles and head pats melted her into a gooey pile. Aclysia picked up the scattered cards and sorted them by colour and number, before putting it all into a proper stack in the middle of the table. The dice were similarly sorted.

After that, Aclysia placed their remaining 66 gold coins on the table. Korith was appeased, so she did not immediately make grabby hands. She did, however, stare with a greedy sparkle in her eyes. Apexus kept her locked between his arms, where she decided to stay.

“It is my opinion that our finances are stable enough to split some of the remaining money into pocket money for private expenses,” Aclysia announced. “Darling, do you, as our leader, affirm that decision?”

“I do,” Apexus said.

“Splendid. As this is private money, you can do with it as you want – yes, you can sacrifice even more of it to Hoard,” Aclysia preempted the question. “I will, however, point out that the group funds will only cover basic food and household needs. If you give away all your money, you will not be able to afford private luxuries. I demand that you spend your money sensibly or that you at least will not complain if others manage to be frugal and wise with their indulgences.”

“What ya looking at me for?” Reysha asked.

“Korith gets her daily reprimands, I felt the need to reinforce the messaging that you are also terribly impulsive.”

“Psh, I never bought anything I didn’t need.”

“Were you not renowned for heavy drinking before your tongue was cursed?”

“No comment!” Reysha gestured at the pile. “So we split that four ways or what’s the plan?”

“My suggestion is as follows: 30 gold shall remain in the group funds. The other 36 gold will be split amongst us, meaning each of us gets 9 gold to hold on to.” She split the big pile of money into the described stacks. “For ease of transportation, I have also bought three new purses,” she stated and put the empty velvet sacks on the table. Because adventurer’s bags only allowed one item at a time to be pulled out, it was highly recommended to have a regular purse within the bag that contained the money.

“Thoughtful as always,” Apexus praised his guardian angel, who preened at the words.

“It is upon us, darling, to keep these two chaotic minds fed, clothed, and happy.”

“Would ‘well-fucked’ fall under happy or is that an extra thing?” Reysha asked and reached for her part of the money. “What?” she asked when Aclysia hit her with a weak, reprimanding bolt of magic.

“My suggestion has not yet been approved,” the Priestess reminded. “Darling, the final say is up to you.”

“You can assume my approval unless I protest,” the giant of a Monk answered.

“See, I knew that,” Reysha said and then scooped up her part of the money. Once everyone had done so and deposited their share in their bags, the rare, awkward silence filled the room. It was the redhead that presented the question. “I guess this is where we… split up?”

No one answered. They had not split up for any meaningful time for months. Even during their stay at the Teacher’s Isle, they had always known where each other was and since then they had, at most, been on opposite ends of the street. This would be the first time since founding the party that they would each go out to find individual entertainment.

“…Yes,” Apexus finally confirmed. Alien as the idea was, it was also what they should do. “We will meet here by sundown.”

“Alright… imma go pick up that book now. Can I haz the receipt, pleaze?” Reysha asked in her cutesy voice. “I wantz to eatz and drinkz twe tastwy.”

“Just for using that voice, your request is denied,” Aclysia answered, even as she reached into her bag to pull out the paper slip.

Reysha took the paper and held it to her chest, all innocent-like. “Thwank you, uwu.”

“Never make that sound again,” Apexus demanded.

“No promises are made!” Reysha declared, before breaking out into a cascade of laughter. Between table slaps, she backed away from the furniture and got on her feet. “Alright, I’ll go first.”

Aclysia gave the redhead a warning finger wag. “Don’t get into trouble.”

“No promises are made!” the tiger woman said, then stepped out the door.

The remaining three people of the Inevitable party were left thinking about what they would do. Apexus absent-mindedly started kneading Korith’s left breast. The kobold was more amused than aroused by it. Casual appreciation of her body did not always lead to sex, but it did feel good regardless.

The uncertain but pleasant quiet ended when the kobold had made up her mind. “I’ll have a look around,” she decided. “Get a better feel for the city, maybe, uhm, find some fellow Hoard worshippers.”

Apexus wordlessly released her from his arms and she tapped towards the door. That left him and Aclysia in the room. The humanoid chimera was still uncertain about what he wanted to do. Buy food? No, civilized food always cooked all the tasty juices out of the meat. ‘Maybe I could buy a whole cow?’ he wondered.

“Darling, if you have no alternative ideas, perhaps you would like to accompany me?” the metal fairy suggested. “I would like to head to the local churches again and make some offerings. Perhaps they also have meditation chambers or the like?”

A hum was Apexus’ first answer. “It has been a while since I got to meditate in silence,” he said. He could do it in the Mobile Estate while he was alone, but his home was a bad place for meditation. It was too filled with the scents and auras of his day to day life to properly empty his mind. Memories, pleasant as they usually were, made it difficult to find his centre. “I will accompany you, my melody.”

Aclysia smiled radiantly. “Wonderful.”